Prologue

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Sunset groaned as she sat up, rubbing her head. She’d braced herself for a strange experience when she’d run through the mirror, but the swirling colors and feeling of being stretched like rubber had been more than she’d anticipated. She shook her head and blinked a few times, trying to clear her vision, only to realize that there was nothing to see.

Great, she thought, scowling into the darkness. Can’t even see my own muzzle. A little magic should… Sunset’s blood turned to ice as her magic refused to respond. She felt her wellspring still within her breast, but there was no familiar feeling of its power flowing up to her horn.

“Eightestpmla!” Sunset’s hoof shot to her mouth, her eyes going wide at the strange sounds it had made. They were rough and guttural, not at all the sort of light chime that her voice used to be. In fact, it hadn’t sounded like any creature she’d ever heard before. She slowly moved her tongue around her mouth, noting its smaller size and the sharper, carnivorous teeth that now shared space with her familiar, though smaller, herbivorous ones.

Wh-what the heck happened to me?! Sunset screamed in her head, not daring to open her mouth again. She began prodding at her face with her hoof to try to discover its shape when she made another startling discovery; she didn’t have hooves anymore! The things at the ends of her forelegs now split into five smaller digits, one of them opposed to the rest. Hands! Sunset realized, remembering the minotaur ambassadors who had visited Canterlot recently. Finding these appendages more sensitive than her old hooves - though also harder to control - she began running them over her face and body, discovering that her entire form had changed and that she was, for some reason, clothed from neck to toe.

What the heck did that crazy mirror turn me into?!

***

“What goes on four legs in the morning,
Two legs in the afternoon,
And three legs in the evening?”

Yue Ayase chuckled as she rearranged the floor tiles, a rare small smile gracing her face. “Looks like you were right, Nodoka,” she said. “Another route to the Ancient Greece section.”

Nodoka Miyazaki nodded from behind her long bangs as she watched her friend work. “It’s strange, though,” she muttered. “I don’t remember that section stretching this far. And you’ve done a very thorough sweep of it.”

“Probably something really sneaky that she missed,” Haruna Saotome called, adjusting her glasses as she looked over their map of this floor. “Or something that she would have had to study for.”

Yue rolled her eyes as she slid the last tile into place, spelling out the answer to the riddle. A loud clang was heard, as if a giant lock had sprung open. The bookshelf in front of them sagged almost imperceptibly, something that less experienced eyes would have missed. Fortunately for the three girls, the Library Exploration Club was anything but inexperienced.

“Looks like that did it,” Yue said, standing up and brushing the dirt from her knees. “Now,” she pressed her hands against one side of the bookshelf, “let’s see what’s behind it.” She began pushing on the shelf, the hidden door swinging open with a loud creak. The room beyond was pitch black, so Yue and Nodoka lit their helmet lamps as they peered inside.

The room was rather small compared to what they’d been expecting. The walls were composed of bookshelves, of course, with a single desk and chair standing beside the door. On the opposite side of the room stood an ornate, full-length mirror. However, it was what lay in front of the mirror that caught their attention.

“Oh my goodness! Haruna, come quick!” Nodoka shouted, running forward and kneeling beside the unconscious girl. Her hair was a brilliant combination of red and yellow, her skin also possessing a yellowish tint. She wore an orange skirt with two stripes of white and pink down the side, her shirt a similar pink and bearing a red-and-yellow sun symbol and draped in a leather jacket. Her boots were mostly black, with the fronts as pink as her shirt.

“Geeze, Nodoka,” Haruna said, sticking her head into the room. “What’s got you all… oh.” She walked over to the girl and knelt by her head, placing her hand in front of the girl’s nose. “Hm, still breathing.” She poked the girl’s side a few times, causing her to stir. “And she doesn’t feel too starved. She placed a hand on her shoulder and began shaking her. “Oy, you okay in there?”

The girl groaned, her light blue eyes fluttering open. They slowly focused as she pushed herself onto her hands and knees, looking up to face the girls. Her eyes instantly became wide and alert as she cried out, jerking away from Haruna and Nodoka and staring at them like they were some sort of monsters.

“Huh,” Haruna said, looking up as she rubbed the back of her neck. “Usually people don’t do that until they’ve gotten to know me.”

***

What in Equestria are these creatures?!

Sunset stared at the three beings who had discovered her, and who were now blocking her way out. She had spent the last two days learning that her body was bipedal and that she felt rather chilly without her clothes on. She’d found the mirror quickly enough, but she hadn’t been quite desperate enough to run back through to Equestria. She’d figured that she had one more day to find a way out of this room before she took that option. Now, facing these strange, monkey-like things, she was beginning to regret her decision to stay.

“ねえ、大丈夫ですか?”

It didn’t help that she couldn’t understand a word that they were saying. The creature before her seemed friendly, her long, purple bangs almost hiding her kind eyes, but the words she spoke sounded completely alien. Sunset's own attempts to speak Equestrian had met with dismal failure as her new vocal chords and mouth structure seemed poorly adapted to her native tongue’s musical tones. Luckily, she’d found the desk in her fumblings, along with the parchment, quill, and ink that had rested in one of the drawers. Though she’d had no light to work with, it had at least allowed her to practice using her new fingers. And in this case, it might help her get across that there was a language barrier without resorting to sounding like a demented animal.

Sunset grabbed a nearby parchment and quill, opening a flask of ink. She quickly began to scratch out a message to these strangers. She knew they wouldn’t understand it, but perhaps they would be able to use a translation spell of some sort. Even if they were as without magic as she was, the complexity of the writing would at least convey intelligence and language to them.

Having finished writing out two paragraphs worth of information regarding her current situation, Sunset blew on the ink to help it dry before handing the parchment over to the girl with the long bangs.

“これは何ですか？” the girl asked, taking the page. “私は以前この言語を見たことがない。”

While the three girls looked over Sunset’s work, she stood up and walked over to the mirror, finally getting a good look at herself. She turned back and forth a bit, examining both her strange new body and the clothes she wore. She smiled, enjoying the view. Wait, what? Sunset shook her head a few times, frowning at herself in the mirror. Why the hay am I attracted to this? I mean, I know I was hot before, but I’ve never had a thing for other species. Was it something the mirror did? Sunset closed her eyes for a moment, her mind conjuring images of mares and stallions in provocative poses. Despite the obvious sexuality that had been her company on many lonely nights back in Equestria, Sunset didn’t feel even a twinge of arousal. That must be it, then, she concluded, opening her eyes and looking herself up and down once again. The portal must have affected my mind, too. That certainly explains how I picked up walking on my hinds and moving my fingers so easily. Her frown morphed into a scowl. Now if only it had given me the language, too.

“ええと...” Sunset turned around to find the three girls staring at her. The one with the bangs stepped forward hesitantly. “あなたは日本語を話せませんか？” Sunset shrugged. Her stomach then decided to remind her that she hadn’t eaten in two days, growling loudly enough to wake the dead. “ああ！ちょっとまってください。” The girl rummaged around in her pack for a moment before pulling out a stick of… something brown wrapped in plastic. “私はそれがあまりないことを知っているが、これは私が今持っているすべてです。あなたが望むなら、あなたはそれを持つことができます。”

Sunset hesitated before taking the stick of food. She sniffed it a few times, jerking back at the salty and pungent smell. Meat? she thought. I mean, I kind of figured from the teeth, but still… Sunset had eaten meat once before on a dare and the taste hadn’t been too bad, but she found her mouth watering almost uncontrollably at the now tantalizing scent. Stupid portal messing with my head, she thought as she tore off the top of the plastic. Well, when in Roam, I guess.

***

Summer turned to Autumn as the Library Exploration Club continued to visit Sunset, bringing Konoka Konoe with them on their second trip to deliver food to her. This had been followed by a trip to speak with the headmaster, who had authorized the four of them to teach this girl Japanese in an attempt to discover where she was from and how she had come to be in the library.

Sunset, meanwhile, had decided not to return through the portal, though it meant that she would be trapped here for the next two and a half years. She hadn’t completely given up on magic in this world (a quick peek outside of her new room had convinced her that there was definitely more to the library than met the eye) but had set it aside for now in favor of a more immediate need: learning the local language. Thankfully, her new benefactors were of a similar mind, as they began to teach her Japanese. She progressed quickly in the language, not having much else to do with her time besides explore the library. All the while, even when she began to have a grip on the language, she refused to talk about her past. She claimed amnesia as soon as she could string the words together, saying that she could remember nothing from before the girls had discovered her.

And so the months passed, with Sunset making a new home for herself in the hidden room on Library Island. The Library Exploration Club had provided a bed, lamp, and other creature comforts and necessities, as well as showing her where there was a nearby stream for water and bathing - something that baffled Sunset to no end until the true scope of the library was revealed to her.

Three months into her stay, a dilemma presented itself. “Hey, girl,” Haruna said, adjusting her glasses as she looked at Sunset curiously, “why haven’t you given us your name yet?”

“My name?” Sunset replied, looking up from her book.

“That’s a good point,” the ever-stoic Yue chimed in. “We can’t just keep calling you ‘you’ all the time.”

Sunset frowned, thinking about her Equestrian name. She’d tried to pronounce it a time or two when she was alone, only to be met with frustration and failure. She’d realized quickly that she’d have to come up with a new name for herself. Not that that would be too hard; Equestrian names were composed of common words anyway.

Sunset looked up, smiling at her new friends. “Nichibotsu,” she said. “Hikaru Nichibotsu.”

Arc 1: Chapter 1

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Sunset stood outside her new classroom, leaning against the wall by the door with her arms crossed. Six months of continual study had allowed her to not only master the Japanese language, but had also allowed her to catch up to class 2-A in English and other subjects. She fully expected to be top of the class by the end of the month; she hadn't been selected as Celestia's apprentice for nothing, after all.

Sunset's arms tightened and a glare took over her face as her thoughts turned to her old mentor. I swear, Celestia, by the time these thirty moons are up, I'll have enough magic to force you to give me my wings! I just have to find someone I can blackmail into teaching me...

"Here we are. This is your class."

Sunset looked to the side. There was the buxom blond nurse and guidance counselor, Shizuna Minamoto. She must be introducing the new teacher, Sunset thought. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed the foreign kid at her side. Wait... but the only other person here is...

"Ah! The class roll!" Sunset's eyes went wide as the kid opened a folder and began looking through it. "Geh! T-there's so many!"

"Try to remember everyone's name and face quickly, ok?" Shizuna said before looking over at Sunset. Her smile faded a bit. "Ara, and it seems you have one of them right here. Shouldn't you be in the room already, Nichibotsu-chan?"

Sunset shrugged, still staring at the kid. "Takamichi said to wait in the hall until the new teacher had been introduced. Something about 'proper procedure.'" She kicked herself off the wall before walking over. "So, who's the kid?"

"N-nice to meet you," the kid replied, bowing deeply as he scanned the class roll. "Um, Hikaru Nichibotsu, right?"

Sunset rolled her eyes. "That's what I've been told. Just call me Nichibotsu. No honorifics."

"You'll have to excuse her, Negi-kun," Shizuna said, her smile now a bit strained. "Nichibotsu-chan is foreign as well and doesn't quite grasp the significance of honorifics."

"I grasp them just fine," Sunset growled. "I just think they're stupid."

Shizuna's eye twitched, eliciting a smirk from Sunset. "In any case, this is your new teacher."

"Y-yes," the kid said, bowing again. "Negi Springfield. Nice to meet you!"

So you've said. "The new teacher, huh?" Sunset asked, looking him up and down. He was definitely dressed for the part in his smart little pinstriped suit, his red hair combed neatly and a pair of spectacles perched on his nose, and he did seem intelligent - for a kid - but Sunset still had a hard time believing it. "I don't buy it," she said, crossing her arms and glaring up at Shizuna. "How's a kid like this supposed to be taken seriously by a group of air-headed middle-schoolers?"

"You tell me," Shizuna replied, smiling serenely. "After all, aren't you one of those air-headed middle-schoolers?"

Sunset rolled her eyes before turning and leaning back against the window to the classroom. "Whatever. Don't blame me when they tear him apart. I'll enjoy watching it from here."

Shizuna sighed before ushering Negi forward. "I'm sorry about her," she said once they were past. "She's been a little... difficult ever since she arrived. I'm sure she'll lighten up in no time."

"I-if you say so," Negi replied, swallowing nervously. Sunset turned to watch, smirking as she noticed the traps set up for him. Oh, this is going to be fun, she thought as he opened the door.

*POP*

Sunset's eyes widened. The blackboard duster had stopped, hovering a few inches above the kid's head. As soon as she noticed it, it dropped again, smacking Negi in the face.

"Ah hahaha, I see. cough cough. You really got me there."

Under any other circumstances, Sunset would have found the following tripwire, bucket trap, and dart arrows (along with her class's reactions to a kid being hit by them) hilarious. However, her mind was caught on the split second before the duster had hit. It stopped in mid-air, she thought, staring at the kid intently. That was definitely magic. Was it his doing?

She turned back in just in time to catch his introduction. "My name is Negi Springfield. From today onwards, I'll be teaching mag- uh, English at this school."

Magic! Sunset's jaw dropped. There's no way he wasn't about to say "magic" right there. A grin split her face as she walked over to the door. I think I've found my teacher after all.

It took a few minutes for the class to calm down, with Sunset making a mental note to keep her distance from the Class Rep and that crazy Asuna girl. Eventually, Negi stood before his seated class, looking like a cupcake before a swarm of hungry parasprites.

"U-um, before we get started," Negi stammered, "I'd like to introduce a new student, Hikaru Nichibotsu."

Guess that's my cue, Sunset thought. She straightened her tie before walking into the room, her hands clasped casually behind her head. She looked over the class, her face calm and indifferent. "Yo," she said, scanning the class before turning to the board. She grabbed the chalk and quickly wrote out her name, as she'd been instructed, before turning to face the class. "Just Nichibotsu is fine," she said. "I'm new here in Japan, and I hope we get along well." She shrugged. "Or something."

Without waiting to be prompted, Sunset started for the back of the classroom, ignoring the empty seat in the front. She sat next to a young looking girl (she thought, she still wasn't good at telling human ages) with long blond hair. The two exchanged nods before facing forward again. Sunset kept a close eye on Negi, looking for any more signs of magic.

*THOCK*

Sunset blinked, having just caught the moment when something impacted with the back of Negi's head. She quickly scanned the classroom, finding that Asuna girl from before preparing another chunk of eraser and a rubber band. Did she notice it too? Sunset wondered. She smirked and leaned back in her seat as another bit of eraser hit Negi. Either way, at least I'm getting some entertainment out of this.

The fun just kept going as Asuna and the Class Rep got into an all-out catfight. Sunset didn't bother holding back her laughter as they tried to strangle each other until the bell rang, signaling the end of class. "Well," she said, elbowing the girl next to her, "at least it looks like this class won't be boring, eh?"

The girl rolled her eyes, standing up and glaring at Negi. "He's an idiot," she replied. "And the old man is an idiot for thinking that this would work."

"Idiots all around," Sunset agreed, standing and stretching as she watched the class file out. "Well, looks like we're stuck together for now. What's your name?"

The girl regarded her out the corner of her eye before shrugging. "Evangeline. Evangeline A. K. MacDowell."

Sunset snorted as they began making their way to the front of the class. "Okay, that's nowhere close to a Japanese name. Is everyone I meet going to be a foreigner?"

"There are a few in the class," she admitted.

Not much of a talker, is she? Sunset shrugged, stopping on her way out to talk with Nodoka. "Oy! Honya!"

"Oh!" The girl jumped a bit but smiled when she saw her friend. "Hello, Nichibotsu. Did you enjoy your first day?"

"Eh, as much as I could," she replied. "Didn't get much learning done with all the theatrics."

Nodoka nodded, sighing. "Yeah, it can get quite loud with those two. Negi-sensei being so young doesn't help either. Takahata-sensei was at least able to keep Asuna-san under control."

"Eh, he'll be fine. Probably." Sunset shrugged. "So, did you still want help with those books?"

"Yes, please," Nodoka replied, leading Sunset out of the classroom and towards the library. "That new section of Library Island has a lot of strange symbols. We're going to need to do a lot of research to figure them out."

"Sounds good to me."

"And with you helping, we can carry twice as many books!"

"...sounds good."

"And since you're so much stronger than me, you should be able to handle the really heavy hard-covers!"

"...great."

***

And this is why telekinesis is vastly superior to hands, Sunset grumbled to herself. Nodoka had loaded her with an absurdly heavy stack of books before taking an equally tall (though notably less heavy) stack for herself. They had left the main building behind and were walking down the path to the dorms where Nodoka stayed with Yue and Haruna.

"Are you, grunt, absolutely certain we need, huff, all of these?" Sunset griped as they started down a set of stairs.

"Not completely," Nodoka admitted, shifting her stack to get a better grip, "but we might need any of them. Better to take some unnecessary books with us now than to discover later that we- AAH!"

"Nodoka!" Sunset dropped her books and lunged for the edge of the stairs, her hand just missing Nodoka's ankle as the girl fell.

"I knew it!" Sunset's eyes grew wide as Nodoka and her books came to a halt a foot above the ground. She watched as Negi dove towards her, the wrappings at one end of his... staff undone. He caught her just as his spell ended, wincing as the girl's full weight landed in his arms. "Owowowow," he groaned. "A-are you okay, Miyazaki-san?"

Magic! Sunset let out a sigh of relief, one that turned into a predatory grin. I've got you now, kid. You aren't getting away from-

In a blur of orange hair, Asuna ran up, grabbed the kid, and zipped off into the trees, her twin-tails disappearing quickly. Sunset blinked dumbly a few times before groaning. "Of course," she muttered. "No way I could get that lucky." She hurried down the stairs to where Nodoka was picking herself back up. "Oy! Honya! You alright?"

"I-I think so," Nodoka replied, staring off in the direction Asuna had taken Negi "Did... did Sensei just save me?"

"..yeah," Sunset said, deciding not to mention the magic. "Yeah, he did. Caught you just in time. That kid's surprisingly strong."

"W-wow." Nodoka stared off into the woods for a while before Sunset waved a hand in front of her face. "Gah!" Nodoka blushed as she began picking up her books. "U-um, anyway, w-we should get going."

Sunset watched her for a bit before smiling evilly, the sort of smile she'd picked up from hanging out with Haruna. "Oh my gosh," she said, kneeling down and helping her gather the books. "You like him, don't you?"

"Eep!" The book Nodoka was holding tumbled to the ground as her face flushed.

Sunset chuckled, stacking the rest of the books and patting Nodoka on the back. "Hey, nothing wrong with a little crush. Just be careful, ne? Not much you can do when he's our teacher, and the fact that he's a kid narrows your options down even further."

"O-o-options?"

Sunset let out another chuckle before standing up. "You go on ahead," she said as Nodoka got to her feet. "I need to gather all the books I dropped trying to catch you."

"O-okay," Nodoka said. She hefted her books into a more comfortable grip before walking off, her eyes unfocused and her face red. Sunset watched her for a bit before turning and running into the woods after Asuna.

Now, if I were a violent monkey, Sunset thought as she darted between the trees, where would I be hiding?

"Whatever! It's the same thing, isn't it?"

Sunset rolled her eyes, darting around a few more trees as she changed direction. Or not hiding at all. She rounded a final tree before ducking back behind it. She peered around the trunk, watching as Asuna and Negi shouted back and forth, the taller girl glaring down at the kid who almost had tears in his eyes.

"Please keep this a secret!" Negi pleaded, his arms flailing wildly. "I'll be in deep trouble if this gets out!"

"I think not!" Asuna shouted.

Negi stepped back, his back forced against a tree as Asuna glared down at him. "Uuu," he groaned. "Guess I have no choice then." He brandished his staff threateningly, prompting Asuna to back up. "You found out my secret, so I'll have to erase your memory!"

Crap! Sunset thought, ducking back behind the tree entirely. This better be a sight-based or line-of-effect thing! I'm not sure my mental training will work without my magic!

"You might become a tad empty-headed, but I can't allow you to tell anyone!" Sunset felt power gathering on the other side of the tree. Asuna stepped back into view, backing up from Negi and waving her arms frantically.

"J-just wait a minute!" she cried desperately.

"Vanish!"

Sunset stared in shock as Asuna's clothes vanished in a burst of wind, leaving only her jacket untouched. Wh-what the...

"Hey! What are you two up to?"

Sunset clasped a hand over her mouth, ducking further behind the tree and covering her cry of shock. That was Takamichi! Her shock turned to mirth as she imagined the scene: Negi with his staff pointed at a naked Asuna while a baffled Takamichi stared on.

"IYAAAAAAAAA!"

Sunset dropped to her knees, one hand over her mouth and the other clutching her stomach as she desperately tried to contain her laughter. Oh, this is perfect! What I wouldn't give for a camera right now! She got up and ran away from the scene, allowing a few giggles to escape. Looks like I've found my blackmail.

***

Sunset made it back to class just a few minutes before Negi and Asuna, having quickly gathered her stack of books and dropped them off at the dorms. Though she had no interest in officially welcoming the new teacher, she did want to make sure that Nodoka was alright. Besides, it was free food.

"Eh! He saved her life?"

Of course, Sunset had failed to consider how Haruna would react to the news.

"Well, what do you expect from a dashing English gentleman!" Haruna grinned, slapping Nodoka on the back. "I bet you fell head over heals for him for a moment there."

Nodoka blushed, waving her arms wildly. "N-n-n-n-no!" she squeaked. "I m-mean, it wasn't, I didn't-"

Sunset sighed, patting Nodoka on the head. "Give it up, Honya. Just admit that she hit the nail right on the head. Or do you really think that Haruna wouldn't have been able to sniff it out?" The long-haired brunette has an insatiable thirst for gossip.

Nodoka sighed, tapping her fingers together nervously. "W-well, I might have a bit of a crush on him."

"Oh?" Yue asked. "That might become a problem."

Haruna nodded, closing her eyes as she hummed thoughtfully. "Teacher-student relationships never do seem to work out. Unless there's something supernatural going on." She opened her eyes, looking over at Sunset. "You don't think he's an alien, do you?"

"You've been reading too much manga, Haruna." Besides, Sunset thought, he's a wizard, not an alien. Though I doubt that will help any "relationship" between them.

"Well, what are you planning to do, Nodoka?" Yue asked. "It's not like you can just ask him out."

"Are you sure?" Haruna asked. "I mean, some of the taboos might be a bit less severe since he's so young."

"Let's rephrase that," Sunset said, smirking a bit. "It's not like Honya can just ask him out."

"I'm not that bad," Nodoka pouted.

"Really?" Sunset asked, nudging her as she saw Negi take a seat. "Well, why don't you do it now? He's right there."

"Eh!" Nodoka flushed, looking around the full classroom. "You mean in front of everybody?"

"Why not?" Sunset encouraged. "Better now than later. It's his first day here and he just saved you from a nasty fall. Even if it goes wrong, we can brush it off later as a spur-of-the-moment, high-on-emotion thing."

"Yeah, go for it Nodoka!" Haruna said, giving her a thumbs-up. "You won't get a better chance than this!"

Nodoka looked from one encouraging friend to the other before taking a deep breath and steeling herself. "O-okay," she said, standing up. "Here I go!"

Haruna smiled as she watched her go. "Now that's some courage. Our little Honya is growing up."

"Yeah," Sunset said nodding. "Bet you 300 she bails before she can ask him out."

"Nichi-chan!" Haruna scolded, glaring at her. "How can you say that? You should be supporting her even from the sidelines, not betting against her!"

"So does that mean you're taking my bet?"

"...well you know," Haruna looked up and away, rubbing the back of her head, "we're really too young to be gambling, and it's such a vague bet without proper terms."

"You bet 200 on Asuna's fight with Iinchou earlier," Yue pointed out.

"Fine! I'll take it!" Haruna said, a massive grin on her face as she pointed over at Negi and Nodoka. "Looks like she's going through with it!"

"Please accept this book certificate as a token of my gratitude."

Yue sighed as Sunset smirked up at the frozen Haruna. "I take my payments in cash or chocolate."

"Th-there's still a chance!" Haruna said, her grin beginning to crack. "As long as Sensei's attention is on her, she still has a-"

"Sensei! I also have something for you."

Yue gave the Class Rep's bronze bust of Negi an appraising look. "How did she even get that made that quickly?"

"Who knows?" Sunset asked, reaching into Haruna's pocket and pulling out her wallet. "Changed my mind," she said as she pulled out a few coins. "Cash only." She smiled at Nodoka as the shy girl walked back to them. "Well, you gave it your best shot."

"Yeah, I guess," Nodoka replied, slumping down into a chair.

"There's always next time," Yue encouraged. "We do see him every day, after all." She nudged her still frozen classmate. "Ne, Haruna?"

Sunset opened her mouth to add her own bit of snark, but something caught her eye. Negi had run up to Takamichi and had his hand pressed to his forehead. What the heck? Excusing herself from her friends, she stood up and carefully made her way to within earshot of Negi as he ran back to Asuna. She picked up a meat bun from the confections table, eyeing it critically as she kept her ear on the child teacher.

"He was thinking, 'No panties!'"

Sunset quickly took a bite of the meat bun to stifle her laughter. She choked it down quickly as she saw Negi run back to Takamichi again. Mind reading magic, huh? Sunset thought, taking another bite and taking the time to enjoy this one. Better keep him away from my forehead, then. Seriously, that has to be the most suspicious method I've ever seen.

"He was thinking, 'Bear panties!'"

Braced for the absurdity, Sunset was able to keep herself from choking on her latest bite. She watched as Asuna stormed out of the room, Negi following close behind.

"Ohoho. What's going on with them, I wonder?"

Sunset glanced over her shoulder to see the spiky red-headed Kazumi Asakura of the News Club standing behind her, a grin on her face. "Who knows," Sunset replied. "Probably just some stupid drama. Sounds right up your alley."

"Ouch." Kazumi pretended to wince. "That one hurt. I'll have you know I only do legitimate stories! That said..." She reached into her bag, pulling out a camera. "I love a good piece of gossip as much as the next girl. What do you say we investigate a little?"

Sunset hesitated, pondering her options. One the one hand, it would be annoying for me if more people started learning about magic. My entire strategy to get the kid to teach me revolves around me being able to expose his secret. On the other... A smirk found its way onto Sunset's face. Getting certain rumors going would be fun. "Why not," she replied. "Let me go on ahead first, though. I'll come and get you if it's anything worth your time."

"Eh? That's no fun," Kazumi complained, but Sunset was already off after Negi. She followed the sound of his and Asuna's shouting until she reached a staircase. She peaked around the corner, seeing Negi standing on the landing below, his back to the windows.

Asuna must be right below him, Sunset thought, straining her ears as Negi pulled out a small notebook.

"It's like Ojii-san always said, 'Our magic is not omnipotent. A little bit of courage is the real magic.'"

Sunset rolled her eyes, and from the tone of Asuna's response, she hadn't really bought it either. Still, this was definitely worth it. That confirms it once and for all; Negi Springfield is a wizard.

"So, before that, let me practice confessing."

Sunset grinned, turning and running back for the classroom. Perfect! "Oy, Kazumi," she shouted, once she reached the door. "I just heard Asuna say something about a confession!"

"Asuna's confessing?!"

"Eh? But Takahata-sensei is still in here?"

"Does that mean she likes someone else, too?"

Sunset blinked in surprise as she found herself faced with not one, but five of her classmates. Kazumi still had her camera out and was grinning at the child-like Narutaki twins, Fuka and Fumika. Chao Lingshen, a genius Chinese girl who Sunset had immediately identified as an academic rival, looked confused but interested, and Ayaka Yukihiro, the often manic, blond haired class rep, just looked confused.

"That can't be right," Ayaka said. "Who would she be confessing to out there?"

"Well," Kazumi said, a little too casually, "Negi-sensei was chasing after her."

Ayaka's eyes grew almost as wide as the other classmates' grins. "Ne-Ne-Negi-sensei?!"

"They're down this way," Sunset said, turning and leading them down the hall. "But try not to interrupt them. It might not be the kid, after all."

Sunset led them down the hall and to the staircase. She couldn't see Negi on the landing anymore, but she could still hear Asuna's voice. "Down there," she hissed, ushering the girls down the stairs. She remained at the top, straining her ears once again to see what she could catch. She heard several pops from Kazumi's camera, followed by a few seconds of tense silence.

"A-Asuna-san... you..."

Sunset grinned, clasping her hands behind her head and whistling cheerfully as she walked back to the classroom, the stairwell behind her filling with the sounds of screaming girls. I wonder if Kazumi will let me have copies of those pictures?

***

"So it looks like she was just practicing to confess to Takahata-sensei," Haruna said, finishing her explanation of the "stairway incident" to Yue and Nodoka. "Looks like you don't have any competition yet, Nodoka."

"Competition nothing," Sunset snarked "He's still just a kid. He probably doesn't know the first thing about romance or crushes. Just start with friendship and you'll have something solid to go on when he finally does start noticing girls."

"I don't know," Yue countered, staring out over the lake as they made their way down the road towards it. "Negi-sensei seems pretty mature for his age. He'd have to be to teach English in a foreign country."

Sunset rolled her eyes. "So he's smart. Big deal. I still don't think he'll be chasing skirts anytime soon." She grinned, punching Nodoka in the shoulder. "Just take your time."

"If you say so," Nodoka said, wincing as she rubbed her shoulder.

The three of them reached the lake a few minutes later. The road before them continued on to the massive island in the middle and the colossal library that occupied most of it.

"Are you sure you don't want to come and stay in the dorms?" Nodoka asked. "It would be a bit cramped, but I'm sure we could make room for you."

Sunset considered the offer, as she had every time Nodoka or one of the others had made it. It would be nice to be closer to her friends, but... "No," she finally said, shaking her head. "I appreciate it, but I really do like in the library. Besides," she sighed internally as she fed them the same lie as always, "I need to do as much research on that room as I can. Something in there has to have a clue about where I came from."

Nodoka sighed, smiling slightly at Sunset. "I guess you're right," she said. She and the others bade her goodnight before turning and heading down towards home.

Sunset watched them go until they were out of sight before sighing and walking across to the island. Keep it together, Sunny, she thought, hands clasped behind her head as she watched the setting sun light up the lake. You can move out once you've made sure that none of those books talk about the mirror or Equestria. You can't let anyone discover the truth. If people found out you were a strange creature from another dimension... She shuddered. Well, it would probably be just as bad as them discovering magic.

She reached the island a few minutes later, walking around the massive library until she found the secret entrance that the Library Exploration Club favored. From there she made the familiar trek down two flights of stairs, across a rope bridge, up one more flight, through the hallways taking three left turns followed by a right, down a hidden spiral staircase, and up a sloped hallway leading to her room. She nudged a floor tile back into place, unlocking the bookshelf and pushing it aside.

The room had seen a good deal of change over the last six months. The mirror had been covered with a tarp and pushed against the back wall, out of the way. The desk was now covered in books and papers, its drawers now filled with Sunset's few belongings. A dresser stood on the other side of the room, a sleeping bag lying at the foot of it. A few boxes of cereal sat in one corner of the room, a few bowls and spoons stacked neatly next to them. Sunset's lunch and dinner were provided by the school, with everything else donated by her friends or the headmaster. It wasn't much...

And it certainly isn't "home." Sunset sighed as she dropped her bag next to the desk and began undressing. But it works. At least until I'm certain my secret will be safe. She carefully folded her uniform before placing it in her dresser. She stretched her back before looking over at the tarp-covered mirror. She glared at it for a moment before shaking her head. Two years, she thought as she crawled into her sleeping bag. I've already been here six months. I can make it two more years.

Arc 1: Chapter 2

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"GOOD MORNING, NEGI-SENSEI!"

Sunset sighed as she took her seat. That ritual's going to get really annoying, really fast. She took out her English book, opening it to page 76 as Negi instructed and following along as he began to read. Despite the handicap of having to translate first to Japanese and then to Equestrian, Sunset was able to follow along just fine. It was a fairly simple story about a flower named Jason. Yeash! Sunset thought. Maybe I was a little too ambitious in studying English. This is juvenile at best. How could anyone find this even a little challenging.

"Who should I get to translate from this point on?"

Sunset looked up and scanned the class, her brow furrowing as she saw practically everyone avoiding Negi's gaze. She groaned and slumped forward across her desk, crossing her arms and burying her face in them. Great. Either they've all got stage fright, or I'm in a class full of idiots.

"How about you, Asuna-san?"

"W-WHY ARE YOU PICKING ON ME?!"

Sunset let out a snort of laughter, tilting her head up a bit to grin at Asuna's back. "Idiots it is, then."

She watched their back and forth with amusement, taking note of the rest of the class' comments when she failed to translate the text. Apparently, it was well known that Asuna Kagurazaka was an all-around idiot who's only redeeming factor was her physical ability. Should be pretty easy to manipulate, then, Sunset thought as Asuna grabbed Negi by the front of his jacket. That's good. It'd be annoying if someone smart were in on the existence of magic. I just hope she doesn't let something slip.

"ACHOOO!"

Sunset's face fell into her arms again and she sighed as Asuna's clothes were stripped to ribbons by the magical blast. Guess it's not entirely up to her, either. Better use my blackmail soon or half the school will know before I get the chance.

***

The period ended without further incident. Sunset sighed as she stood from her seat, closing her book and resolving to get something more challenging to work on during the period. She noticed Nodoka, Yue, and Haruna gathering and decided to shoot the breeze with them until the next period started.

"Hey girls," she said, walking over. "So, is Asuna really as bad as they were saying?"

"She is," Yue replied, nodding. "She's Baka Red, after all."

Sunset winced, reaching up to pinch the bridge of her nose. "You don't say?" Yue had told her a while back about the... unique group that she was a part of. The Baka Rangers were a group of five students whose grades were so terrible that they'd received remedial English lessons from Takamichi for years. Yue was by far more intelligent than any of the others - more intelligent than much of the class, in fact - but Baka Black simply couldn't get around her hatred of studying. "Isn't she the one you always said stayed up to an hour after everyone else had gone?"

"That's her," Haruna confirmed. "Though the jury's still out on whether it's because of her grades or because it was Takahata-sensei doing the teaching."

"Speaking of sensei's," Yue added, nodding towards the door, "we were just about to help Nodoka try for another shot at Negi-sensei. Want to come with?"

Sunset raised an eyebrow at Nodoka, noticing for the first time that she'd cut her bangs significantly shorter. The bookworm noticed her staring and looked down, blushing slightly.

Damn, that's adorable, Sunset thought, fighting to keep a blush from her face as well. She goes this route, she might actually manage to grab his attention. Lucky kid. "Sure, why not?" Sunset said, shrugging her shoulders. "I've got to talk to him about something anyway."

"Really?" asked Nodoka as they walked out of the classroom and started down the hall. "What about?"

"Well, I heard that he was staying with Konoka and the wild monkey," Sunset explained, glancing out the windows to try to spot her target, "and I thought he might be the one to ask about transferring to the dorms."

"Eh!!!" Nodoka's face lit up. "You mean you're thinking of coming to stay with us?"

"I'm considering it," Sunset admitted. "I scanned through the rest of the books last night and this morning, but it looks like they don't really have anything helpful. Well, nothing helpful until I learn Latin."

"I thought I saw some Latin texts in there," Haruna said.

Sunset nodded, a grin splitting her face as she spotted Negi sitting by a statue on the grounds. "I'll take another week or so to make sure, but I'm fairly certain I won't get anything else from that room until I've learned language number three. Now come on; I saw the kid down there!"

The four girls raced down a flight of stairs and out onto the grounds. Negi seemed to be rather melancholy where he sat, but he brightened up immediately as the girls approached.

"Excuse us, Sensei," Haruna said, pushing Nodoka forward. We have some questions about today's lesson."

"Ah, certainly," said Negi, reaching for his bag. "You're Saotome Haruna from seat 14, aren't you?"

"Ah, it's not me," interrupted Haruna, pushing Nodoka further forward. "It's this girl."

"Ah, okay," Negi replied. "Um..." He hesitated, studying Nodoka's face curiously. "Miyazaki-san, you've changed your hairstyle, haven't you? It really suits you!"

Huh, Sunset thought, her opinion of the child teacher jumping up a few notches. Most stallions can't even notice that difference in their marefriends. Kid's got no idea how much drama he's going to avoid in the future. All Nodoka has to do now is play it cool, thank him for the compliment, and-

"Doesn't it?! Doesn't it just?!" Sunset mentally facehoofed as Haruna and Yue reached forward to part Nodoka's bangs even further, Haruna babbling all the while. "She's such a cute girl, but she never shows her face!"

To Nodoka's credit, she managed to stay there for two full seconds before turning and running off.

"Ah! Miyazaki-san?!" Negi shouted after her.

"Great going you idiot," Sunset griped, smacking Haruna on the back of the head. "How was that supposed to help, huh?"

Haruna grit her teeth, giving Sunset a light glare before turning to apologize to Negi. "Sorry about this, Sensei!" She and Yue turned and rushed off after Nodoka, Sunset following at a more leisurely pace. She only made it a few yards, however, before she stopped to glance back at Negi. The kid was sitting down again, letting out a rather dejected sigh. Sunset slowly began circling, placing the statue between herself and Negi as she crept closer.

Nodoka will be fine, Sunset though as she watched Negi pick something up off the ground. She'll probably just bury herself in a book until her embarrassment fades. Really, what was Haruna thinking?

Just as Sunset reached the base of the statue, Negi jumped up and dashed off, a small vial of some sort clenched in his fist. Now what could that be about? Sunset wondered, following from a short distance. She soon found herself following Negi through the same patch of woods where he'd accidentally stripped Asuna before. She watched as Negi knelt down in a small clearing, setting up a small tripod over an open-flame burner. Alchemy? Sunset though as Negi emptied the contents of the vial into a beaker sitting on the tripod. Guess it's time to get my first taste of human magic.

"Ras tel ma scir magister," Negi muttered, raising his hand high as the beaker before him began to boil. "age nascatur potio amoris!"

An explosion of red smoke billowed out of the beaker, leaving the liquid behind a dark pink. Sunset thought about the process as Negi examined his concoction. Incantations, huh? Guess Latin is going to be a must-know after all. I wonder how he draws his mana to the surface, though. Seeing Negi's delight over the apparently successful potion, Sunset decided it was time to make her presence known.

"That's pretty impressive, kid," Sunset said nonchalantly, stepping out from behind her tree and leaning back against it, arms crossed across her chest. She held in a snicker as Negi jumped and spun around, his face going white. "Most potion recipes I know of take at least an hour to brew, and that's if you've got a team and some really good ingredients. I'd love to know just what was in that vial."

"Ni-Ni-Ni-Nichibotsu-san!" Negi stammered, backing up and clutching the potion to his chest. "This isn't what it looks like!"

"Really?" asked Sunset, kicking off the tree and stalking closer to him. "Because it looks like magic to me. Alchemy, to be precise. To be more precise..." She dashed forward, snatching the potion from his hands.

"H-hey!"

Sunset ignored his shout and gave the potion a good sniff. Fresh, dew covered grass. White devil cake. A new guitar. Slightly charred forehead fur from spells that were a little beyond what was safe for her to be practicing. No doubt about it, this was a love potion, and a fairly powerful one at that. Sunset felt the fumes working on her mind, trying to relax her. She resisted easily, bringing up well-tested mental barriers that could resist even Celestia's assaults for a few minutes. "Love potion," she finally said, smirking down at him. "You naughty boy. Maybe I underestimated your maturity after all."

"I-i-it's not for me!" Negi stammered. "I mean, it's not a potion! It's just, um..."

Sunset chuckled, bringing the potion near her lips. "Not a potion, huh?" she asked. "Then you won't mind if I take a little sip. I'm sure you'll be willing to tell me the truth once you're fawning over me."

"NO! WAIT! Okay! It's a potion!" Sunset lowered the beaker as Negi stared dejectedly at the ground. "I made it for Asuna to use on Takamichi-san to make things up to her."

Ooh. Filing that juicy little tidbit away for later. "I see," Sunset said, examining the beaker again. "But you know, I'm not sure this is such a good idea, a wizard like you being around so many normal people. I can't imagine what would happen if anyone found out." Her eyes turned back to Negi, a wicked grin appearing on her face. "So maybe I should just see for myself."

"Y-you can't!" Negi cried, flailing his arms helplessly. "If people find out that I'm a mage, I'll be turned into an ermine!"

...okay. Didn't see that one coming. "Well, if it's so important to you," Sunset hedged, "I guess we could come to some sort of understanding."

Negi swallowed nervously. "Wh-what do you want?"

"Teach me."

Negi blinked in surprise. Gone was the teasing school-girl. Gone was the manipulating blackmailer. Sunset looked Negi right in the eyes, a fiery determination burning behind her own. "Teach me magic," Sunset repeated. "If you haven't realized it yet, my sob story about amnesia is a load of crap. I remember exactly where I came from, and it's a place unlike any you could possibly imagine. Problem is, my magic from back home doesn't work here. So you're going to teach me human magic. Because if you don't, your secret's out."

Sunset stepped closer, shoving the beaker of love potion into Negi's hands. She leaned in close, their foreheads almost touching. "I'll give you two months to come up with an answer. And don't think you can pull a fast one on me with erasing my memories. My mind is an impenetrable barrier that the Queen of the Sun herself couldn't pierce. A kid like you doesn't stand a chance." She turned on her heel and walked away, stopping at the tree she'd stepped out from behind to grin over her shoulder at him. "Think about it, Sensei."

***

Sunset got back to class just in time to see Nodoka leaving, a couple of books tucked under her arm. "Oy!" she called, jogging up to her. "Honya! You got a minute?"

Nodoka blushed and looked away, but nodded. "S-sure." They walked in silence for a while before she got up the courage to speak. "So, about earlier-"

"You did fine," Sunset said. "Really, that conversation could have gone great if Baka black and Baka Haruna hadn't made a mess of it."

"I don't know," Nodoka muttered, hugging her books to her chest. "I mean, I was already nervous. Haruna chan might have pushed too far, but-"

"But nothing." Sunset wrapped an arm around Nodoka's shoulders, giving her a brief squeeze. "I've seen you in action on Library Island. Trust me, you're a lot braver than you give yourself credit for. You've just got to get the right moment without anyone butting their heads in."

Nodoka considered Sunset's words for a moment before nodding her head. "If you say so." She smiled up at the taller girl. "Thank you, Nichibotsu chan. I don't know what I did to deserve a friend like you."

Sunset looked away, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. "Well, you know. You and the others. If you hadn't found me, I'd probably have died in that room in the dark."

"True," Nodoka's eyes narrowed, her smile fading, "but you aren't nearly this nice to Haruna chan and Yue chan. N-not that you're mean to them, but you seem a lot... closer with me." She looked down and sighed. "It's because I need to be watched over more, isn't it?"

"N-no!" Sunset took her arm from Nodoka's shoulders, waving both her hands in front of her. "No, Nodoka, that isn't it at all. It's just that I, well..."

"Miyazaki-san! Nichibotsu-san! Watch out!"

The two girls looked behind them, eyes widening as they saw the student teacher running towards them, most of the class chasing him through the halls. Seeing no other way to avoid being trampled, they turned and began running with Negi.

"Wh-what's going on?" Nodoka asked.

"Um... uh..." Negi was hesitating, and the reason why became obvious as Sunset gave the child more attention. A strong enchantment was trying to work its way into her mind, growing more powerful the longer she stared at him. You idiot! she thought, shaking off the enchantment and risking a glance back at the mob of love-struck girls following them. Why the heck did you drink the whole thing?

"I'm being chased by everyone in the class!" Negi finally got out.

"As if that wasn't obvious!" Sunset shouted.

"If that's the case..." Nodoka grabbed Negi's arm and took a sharp turn, Sunset almost loosing her footing as she turned to follow. "This way!"

Negi and Sunset followed Nodoka through several hallways, taking corners as sharply as possible to try and throw off their pursuers. They finally reached the library, Sunset slamming the doors shut and Nodoka locking them behind her.

"Th-thank you," Negi stammered.

"It's nothing," Nodoka replied. "I locked the door, so we should be okay for now."

"I'll go and make sure the windows are locked too," Sunset said. "They might just be crazy enough to try climbing up to them."

She turned and jogged over to the giant windows, giving Nodoka a chance to show Negi around the library. Not exactly what I had in mind, she thought, throwing closed the latches on the windows and drawing the blinds for good measure, but if it gives her some time alone with him... wait.

"ASUNA-SAAAAAAN!"

"Negi-sensei!"

Sunset facepalmed before running back towards where she heard the shouting. "Stupid freaking love potion," she muttered. She followed the sounds of shouting and of books tumbling and scattering. She finally found them back by the doors, Nodoka laying atop Negi on a pile of books.

"U-um, Miyazaki-san, p-please get off of me."

"O-okay," Nodoka mumbled, leaning her face down and closer to his.

"Okay, that's enough out of you." Sunset walked over and grabbed the back of Nodoka's shirt, pulling her off of their teacher much to her protests. "Kid, please tell me that she won't remember any of this afterwords."

"P-probably not," stammered Negi, backing up and getting to his feet. "W-with this much magic working on her brain at once, she probably won't remember anything after she pulled us in here."

"Good." She dragged the struggling Nodoka over to a nearby table, sitting her down and trapping the edge of her shirt under one of its legs. She sighed and rubbed her temples as she walked back to Negi, Nodoka struggling to follow and not even noticing that her shirt was caught. "Really," Sunset muttered. "Are all mages this careless and absentminded?"

"I-i-it's not my fault!" Negi exclaimed, waving his hands around wildly. "A-Asuna forced me to drink the potion, and I didn't have time to tell her that she was only supposed to use a little, and-"

"Okay, that's enough." Hearing the door handle jiggling and frustrated muttering from the other side, Sunset walked over and leaned against it. "I assume that's you, Asuna?"

"N-Nichibotsu-san?" Asuna's voice was surprised at first, but quickly shifted to alarmed. "You've got to get out of there! And bring Honya with you. Negi's, um, not good to be around right now. See, the thing is-"

"The thing is that you forced an absurdly powerful love potion down his throat," Sunset deadpanned, cutting her off. "And in a room full of girls, too. Seriously, I heard that you were an idiot, but that takes the cake."

"Wh-wh-why do you know about that?"

Sunset unlocked the door, letting a flustered and worried Asuna in. "Because I caught him as he was brewing it. That twerp needs to be more careful."

Asuna sighed in relief. "Hah, and here I was worried that we had another mage in the class. The brat's trouble enough as it is."

"Please, Asuna," Sunset said, waving her off. "Me? A mage? Might help explain my weird amnesia, but I know about as much about all of this as you." She turned back to Negi, her grin downright predatory. "Right, Sensei?"

Negi swallowed nervously, his eyes darting back and forth between Sunset ad Asuna. "R-r-right. N-Nichibotsu-san just learned about magic today."

"Yesterday, technically." Sunset adopted a sheepish grin as she looked back at Asuna. "I, um, I was kind of nearby yesterday when, well, when Takamich got an eyeful."

Asuna groaned. "Of course you were. Because that moment couldn't get any worse." She clasped her hands in front of her eyes watering. "Please don't tell anyone else about that. Or even tell Takahata-sensei that you know! I'd rather just leave that behind completely."

"Don't worry," Sunset said. "I know how to be discrete." At least until I need to use it against you. "But for now..." She looked back at Nodoka, who was still desperately reaching for Negi and moaning his name. "What do we do about everyone affected by the potion?"

"I-it should wear off if I'm away from her for long enough," Negi said, poking his pointer fingers together nervously. "I-it should have worn off on everyone else by now."

Makes sense, Sunset thought. For that small of a dose to be that strong, it must not have much staying power. "Well, that'll be fine then. Honya will be able to get herself free once she comes back to her senses."

Asuna nodded as they headed out, Negi separating from them to check on the rest of the class. "Thanks for helping out with that," Asuna said. "Really, that brat is more trouble than he's worth."

"He's definitely reckless," Sunset agreed. "I mean, both you and I discovered that he's a mage after less than a day." She raised an eyebrow at Asuna. "Not that you're much better."

Asuna blushed and glared at Sunset. "I-it's not my fault!" she shouted. "Negi-brat's the one who made that stupid potion! If he hadn't-"

"And you're the one who forced the whole thing down his throat, right?" Asuna glared to the side as Sunset eyed her. "Who's more reckless? The person who knows how dangerous magic can be and makes mistakes, or the person who has no idea and does things anyway? The first rule of magic: never use magic that you don't fully understand. Negi was overzealous. You were just stupid."

"Hey! I don't want to be called stupid by someone who can't even remember how she got locked up in a room!" Asuna shouted. "And how do you know about that 'first rule' thing anyway? I thought you didn't know anything about magic!"

Got to measure this reaction carefully. Sunset hesitated, making it look like she was struggling for an answer. "I... I'm not sure," she lied, looking away, her brow furrowed in apparent concentration or frustration. "I don't know where that came from. Maybe... maybe I did know something about magic before whatever happened to me."

Asuna held her glare for a moment before sighing and looking down. "Look, I'm sorry I said that about your memory. I... say a lot of stuff I shouldn't when I'm angry."

Sunset shook her head. "Nah, I had it coming for calling you stupid." Although you are a major idiot. "What do you say we just forget it?"

Asuna nodded. "Sounds good to me." She smiled at Sunset. "You know, I thought you were pretty abrasive at first, but you aren't actually so bad.

Sunset smiled back, even as she chuckled in her head. Too easy, she thought as she made small-talk with her new "friend." Friends close, enemies closer. And anyone who might threaten Negi's secret and my key to this world's magic definitely qualifies. They parted ways at the next intersection, Sunset saying that she should go back and check on Nodoka. Watch your back, Asuna. Because if you ever become a real threat, you just might find a knife in it.

Arc 1: Chapter 3

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The next month passed mostly without incident for Sunset. Well, with as little incident as Mahora class 2-A ever experiences. Fights between Asuna and the Class Rep, a surprisingly fierce game of dodge-ball, and other eccentricities came together to make it the most surreal month of Sunset's life, and that was without any significant magic involved.

Meanwhile, Sunset continued to study hard. She'd managed to claw her way up to second place in the school, much to Satomi Hakase's frustration. She'd also begun tutoring Asuna whenever she had time, further cementing their newfound "friendship." She'd finally moved out of Library Island and into the dorm shared by Yue and Nodoka, though she still spent a lot of her spare time exploring the dungeons of the island. That mirror had gotten to this world somehow, and she intended to figure out just who knew about, and had written about, her world.

Sunset was relaxing (as much as possible with her class around) in the baths one evening, her mind wandering from topic to topic. Her thoughts lazily drifted from the upcoming deadline she'd set for Negi to the approaching end-of-year exams to wondering for the hundredth time why humans had such a stupid nudity taboo and whether she'd eventually start to feel uncomfortable without clothes.

That would make things really awkward once I go back to Equestria, she thought, looking over her classmates and admiring their forms. Wearing clothes all the time wouldn't be too horrible, but almost nopony outside of Canterlot does. I can't go around blushing and flustered just because I can see everypony's flanks. She shrugged, closing her eyes and leaning her head back against the edge of the bath. Oh well, a problem for another time.

"Asuna! Asunaaaa! Big news!"

Sunset cracked open an eye, seeing Asuna's brown-haired roommate rushing over. She shrugged it off and relaxed again. Konoka, huh? Must be something to do with the kid. Meh, not that it concerns me.

"EH!? Broken up!?"

Sunset's eyes snapped open, her ears twitching to- her attention turning towards the conversation.

"I think Sakurako and the others were told not to talk about it," Konoka continued. "I don't really know all the details, but Grandf- I mean, the principal seemed really mad! It's because our class always comes in last!"

Sunset groaned, standing up and walking towards the gathered group. That old idiot! Guess it makes sense, though. Split up the carefree idiots, and they might actually start taking school seriously.

"And even worse!" Haruna added. "The really dumb people get held back! Or maybe they have to do all the grades from Kindergarten all over again!"

"Okay, that's taking things too far," Sunset said, whacking Haruna on the back of the head. "There's being worried, and then there's fear-mongering. What sort of idiot would actually believe that someone would have to go back to Kinder-" It was then that she finally noticed that all of the Baka Rangers were in attendance. "Huh. Guess you know your audience after all."

"Nichibotsu-chaaan," whined the pink-haired Makie Sasaki of the gymnastics club, aka. Baka Pink. "That's mean!"

"But even ignoring Haruna," Yue said, "our class being broken up is a very real possibility."

"But this class is really fun!" Konoka said. "I don't want it to be broken up!"

"Th-this is bad," Makie stammered, waving her arms frantically. "We're the ones who are dragging the class down!"

"Even if we study ourselves to death," moaned Ku Fei, the expert martial artist and Baka Yellow, "we won't make it by Monday-aru!"

"Nichibotsu!" Asuna said, turning desperately to Sunset. "C-could you tutor all of them too? You've helped me out a ton, after all!"

"Are you kidding?!" Sunset shouted. "I've been working with you for months to get your scores up to where they are now! I was planning some serious cram sessions over the next three days to get you ready for the exams! There's no way I can get all of the Baka Rangers up to speed. I'm not a miracle worker!"

"If it comes to this," Yue muttered, "then maybe we'll have to go look for 'that thing' after all."

"Yue!" Haruna exclaimed. "You don't mean-"

"What!? What is it?" Asuna demanded. "Do you have a solution?"

"Are you sure about that, Yue" Sunset asked. "I've tried to find my way to that thing several times."

Yue nodded. "The high-schoolers have a map that they think leads to it, and the Baka Rangers should be up to it."

"What is it?!" Asuna demanded.

"You guys know about Library Island, right?" Yue asked. "It's where our Library Exploration Club goes."

"Yeah," Asuna said. "That giant building that floats in the middle of the lake, right?"

"The truth is-"

"Legend," Sunset interrupted.

Yue continued as if Sunset hadn't interrupted. "-deep within Library Island, there's apparently a 'magic book' that makes the reader more intelligent."

"It's probably just a book that helps amateurs understand difficult concepts on various topics," Sunset said, sharing a meaningful glance with Asuna. "Still, it might be useful."

Sunset watched as the wheels turned in Asuna's head before she nodded, a determined grin splitting her face. "Let's go!" she exclaimed. "To Library Island!"

***

That evening found the Library Exploration Club leading Negi and the Baka Rangers around to the back of Library Island. Sunset smiled nostalgically at what had for months been her front door. The plan was for her and Konoka to accompany Negi and the Baka Rangers while Nodoka and Haruna remained up top to maintain communications just in case something went wrong.

"Is this really okay?" Makie nervously asked, not for the first time. "The lower levels are off limits to middle school. I hear there's all sorts of traps and stuff down there."

"No problem!" Asuna said, full of confidence. "I'll take care of it!"

"And how's that?" Sunset muttered to her as they stepped through the huge, ornate double doors.

"By having Negi take care of it," she whispered back before turning to the young teacher. "Hey, Negi! That's your cue! Protect us with your magic powers, okay?"

Negi blinked a couple of times, still half asleep. "Oh, my magic? Um, I've kinda, uh, sealed it."

Sunset's jaw dropped as the double doors slammed shut behind them. "You what?!" she hissed. "What in the world made you think that was a good idea?!"

"Oh, me and my big mouth," Asuna groaned. "I yelled at him today about using his magic for everything."

Sunset facepalmed. "And so your conclusion was that, since you were using it a little to much, the only possible solution was to cut it off entirely?!"

"I-it's only for three days," Negi stammered. "J-just until the exams are over!"

Sunset sighed, shaking her head. She nodded down a staircase that the rest of their group was disappearing down. "Let's go. It'll look suspicious if we stick around up here whispering to each other."

The three of them caught up with the rest of the group in the middle of Yue's explanation of the island. "Because the collection just kept growing, the plans were re-drawn for expansion underground. Nowadays, there's not a single person living who's familiar with the entire complex. And so, for the purpose of exploring this place, Mahora University inaugurated..." She paused dramatically as they reached the bottom of the stairs and everyone else got their first glimpse of the cavernous dungeons beneath the lake. "...us, the Mahora Academy Library Exploration Club."

Sunset smirked at everyone's cries of shock and awe as she leaned casually on a railing. She stared out over the maze of bookshelves, most of them several dozen meters tall. Ladders, staircases, and bridges connected the various floors and the tops of staircases, which were obviously designed to be walked across. Chandeliers and scattered lamps bathed most of the upper stories in a welcome glow, while lower levels were more sparsely lit with torches. Trees grew inexplicably from the walls and floors, stretching up towards the ceiling. A winding river could be seen far below, working its way further underground.

"Wow!" Negi shouted, all tiredness forgotten. "There's so many books! This is amazing!"

"This is Basement Level 3 of Library Island," Yue explained, sipping from a carton of juice and failing to keep the pride from her voice. "It's said that us middle-schoolers are forbidden to go any further than this."

"Asuna-san!" Negi shouted, rushing over to a nearby bookshelf. "Take a look at this! This book here is very rare!"

"Ah, Sensei!" Yue said, reaching out towards him. "In order to stop theives from stealing these rare books, we have-"

A soft "click" was heard as Negi grabbed the book in question. A crossbow bolt shot from between two books on a nearby shelf, flying straight for Negi. He was saved at the last minute as Kaede Nagase, aka Baka Green, snatched the arrow from the air before snapping it in two.

"-a lot of traps," Yue finished. "Please be careful."

"Damn it, Haruna!" Sunset said, talking into the tiny radio she had placed in her ear. "You said the entryway was free of traps!"

"Oops," Haruna's voice was carefree and unconcerned. "Must have missed one. I guess that means you've reached Basement Level 3? Give it your best down there!"

Sunset sighed. "Roger."

"Um, ah, by the way," Negi stammered, the adrenaline starting to wear off and leaving him trembling, "just why are we coming down here?"

While the Baka Rangers explained the current quest to Negi, Sunset approached Yue. "Are you sure having them along is a good idea?" she asked. "I mean, I know that Ku Fei is some sort of amazing martial artist, and Asuna and Kaede can take care of themselves, but aren't Makie and the kid a little... absentminded to make it through here safely?"

"Makie's surprisingly capable," Yue said. "And Asuna can take care of Sensei."

"Hey, Nichibotsu-chan." Sunset turned to see Makie looking around nervously. "Y-you used to live down here, right? I-is it really safe?"

"Eeeeh!?" Negi exclaimed. "Nichibotsu-san, you used to live down here?"

Sunset sighed, massaging the bridge of her nose. "Yeah, I did. I only moved into the dorms about a month ago. And Makie, it's perfectly safe down here as long as you have an experienced guide. Konoka and Yue have been exploring down here for almost two years now, and I've done a ton of solo exploring myself. Do what we say and don't wander off, and you should be fine."

"I'm pretty impressed," Kaede said, looking around. "It's hard to imagine settling down to sleep in a place like this, de gozaru."

"Hey!" Konoka said, her face lighting up, "why don't you show them where you were living? Negi-kun might be able to find something that we couldn't!"

Sunset opened her mouth to object, but stopped as she considered the possibility. I haven't been back there since I started studying Latin, so I should be able to get a better idea of what the rest of those books are talking about. And I bet the kid's the only one in this group who can read it with any fluency. She eyed Negi for a moment before nodding. He already knows I'm from another world. Might as well see if he can find anything out. "Yeah, okay," she said. "Here, it's this way." She turned and headed for a nearby staircase leading further down.

"So, why were you living in Library Island?" Negi asked, jogging to catch up with Sunset.

"That's where the Library Exploration Club found me," she explained. "I don't remember anything from before then."

"She was really determined to stay," Konoka added as they exited the stairwell and came to a dark chasm, lit on either side by torches and spanned by a rope bridge. "She wanted to see if anything in any of the books could give her a clue about how she got there. Unfortunately, a lot of them were in pretty advanced English, and the rest were in Latin."

"I think I've mostly understood what's in the English ones," Sunset said as she started across the bridge, "but I haven't had time to master Latin yet." She smirked over her shoulder at Negi. "I don't suppose you'd be able to help me with that, Sensei?"

"Of course!" Negi replied happily. "Anything to help one of my students. I learned Latin growing up, so I should be able to read them for you."

Sunset rolled her eyes and turned back around as she reached the end of the bridge. She stepped to the side and pointed down at the ground. "Be careful right here," she warned them. "There's a pressure-plate just when you step off. We're not sure what it does, but none of us want to experiment this close to a cliff-face."

She led them through Library Island, taking a longer rout than she was used to to avoid more trap-heavy corridors that she had long ago learned to navigate with ease. There was still one close scare with a pit-trap, but Makie was able to save herself from falling by lashing her gymnastics ribbon to an overhead stalactite. After twenty minutes of walking, they finally came across a dead-end. Sunset kicked a tile on the floor, nudging it into place and unlocking the secret bookshelf. "Would all of you mind waiting outside?" Sunset asked, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. "I'd, um, I'd like to talk with Negi about this alone."

Konoka nodded. "Of course. We can let everyone else see inside once you're done."

"Hey, Yue-chan," Makie said as Sunset pushed open the swinging bookshelf and gestured for Negi to enter, "how much further do we have to walk?"

"Let's see..." Sunset caught a glance of Yue taking out their map before she closed the door, plunging her and Negi into darkness.

"Um, Nichibotsu-san?" Negi asked. "How are we going to-"

Sunset pulled an electric lantern out of her backpack, turning it on and placing it on the ground. "Spring Break," she said.

"W-what?"

"That's your new deadline." Sunset walked over to the tarp-covered mirror, glaring at it as she considered just what, and who, lay beyond. "If you haven't started teaching me magic by the beginning of Spring Break, I'm going public with your secret." Before he could form an objection, Sunset grabbed the tarp and ripped it from the mirror. "Now, what do you know about this?"

Curiosity took the place off fear as Negi beheld the ornate mirror. Its surface was a single ovular pane of glass over a sheet of sterling silver. The frame was of beautifully painted wood, carved into the shape of a horseshoe. It rested on a two-tiered pedestal and bore another horseshoe design on top, this one with a carving of a basic human figure in the center.

"I... I don't know," Negi admitted, examining the mirror closely. "It doesn't look like anything I've ever read about, and the design doesn't really fit with any society connected closely with magic." He placed his hand against the glass, closing his eyes. "But there's definitely magic here. A lot of it, in fact." He opened his eyes and stepped back, looking around the room. "An artifact with that much magic would be rare in the Magical World. What's it doing underneath Mahora?"

"No idea," Sunset admitted. She grabbed a book of the nearby shelf, flipping through it for a bit before putting it back. "And the books in here are no help either. The few that aren't in Latin don't talk about magic, mirrors, or even horses." She glanced at Negi who looked confused. "Trust me, it's relevant." She went back to examining the books which she could see, even with her limited knowledge of Latin, held no further answers. "That mirror is a portal that opens once every two and a half years. The one on my side was created over a thousand years ago by..." She hesitated for a moment, searching for a translation. "Uzu no Hoshi the Bearded. But I have no idea why the other side of the portal opens up here."

"Uzu no Hoshi?" Negi asked, confused. "That would be... Star Vortex?"

Sunset shook her head. "Vortex is too strong a word. More like... Star Swirl."

Negi scratched his head. "That's... a really weird name."

Sunset shrugged. "And mine isn't? In English, it translates to Sunset Shimmer. That's how all of the names back in my world are."

"About that..." Negi hesitated, staring at the mirror. "You said that this mirror takes you to another world. Do you mean a parallel universe?"

Again, Sunset shrugged and searched her mind for the proper vocabulary. "I didn't really study... travel between universes under Princess... Tentai?" She shook her head. "Wow, that translation's even worse. Anyway, if you've got nothing, I guess we don't really have anything else to discuss."

"W-wait, Nichibotsu-san!" Negi shouted as Sunset started to push the door open. "W-what about what you said?! I-I still don't know if I can-"

"Wow! Nichibotsu, you used to live here?"

Nagi shut up as Makie entered the room and looked around, the rest of their group following after.

"Yup," Sunset replied. "They found me on the floor by that mirror, nothing else around me but bookshelves full of useless books." Seeing Yue's glare, she corrected herself. "Useless to explain how I got here."

"That is pretty strange-aru," Ku Fei said, looking around. "Is there any other way out?"

"Not that we've been able to find," Yue said. "Good news, Nichibotsu. Turns out your old room is on the way to our destination. We should be able to reach it in about an hour and a half."

"Good," Sunset said. "That'll give us plenty of time tomorrow to actually put that book to the test. Lead on."

***

The path to the book was far more treacherous than the first few levels of Library Island. The bookshelves grew taller, the chasms wider, and new traps and obstacles presented themselves. Eventually, they reached a point that even Sunset had not dared venture beyond alone. An hour and a half later, they found themselves crawling through a narrow space, barely tall enough for the single shelf of books that lined it on either side.

"Y-Yue-chan," Asuna panted, "are we there yet?"

"No," Yue replied around the flashlight in her mouth, examining the map. "Just a little further to go."

"Yue's really getting into this, isn't she?" Konoka asked, smiling as brightly as ever despite the cramped spaces.

"Hehe, you can tell?" Yue asked.

"Barely," Sunset replied. "Your face is the same as ever."

"Well," Yue explained, "our senpais from the University Branch of the club can't fit into spaces like these. This means that we, the Middle-school Branch, are the first to explore this place. It's a testament to the athletic ability of the Baka Rangers that we've made it this far. Congratulations." She pointed to a square of stone in the ceiling ahead which had light shining from around the edges. "Come, the book lies right ahead of us."

Asuna and Sunset moved forward to push the heavy square of stone up and to the side before climbing into the room behind. Asuna's jaw dropped and Sunset let out a low whistle. "Damn. There's a sight you don't see every day."

The chamber they'd entered was huge, stone columns holding up the ceiling and leading up to a massive platform with a single staircase leading up to it. A huge set of double doors sat at the back of the platform, a small pedestal siting just in front of them. Twin giant carved from stone flanked the doors, one holding a war-hammer and the other a broadsword.

"The vault of the magic book," Yue said, clenching her fist. "We've finally reached it."

"Look!" Makie shouted, pointing up towards the pedestal. "There's the book!"

Negi turned to look, his face filling with shock. "Th-that's..."

"What is it, Negi?" Asuna asked.

Negi pointed up at the book, excitement and disbelief warring for position on his face. "That's the Legendary Book of Melchizedek! I can't believe this! I've never seen it in real life!"

"You mean," Asuna said, staring between Negi and the book, "it's the real thing?"

"Real thing?!" Negi exclaimed. "It's a magical text of the highest level! It's true that you might become a bit smarter by reading it, but it's not as simple as-"

"WE DID IT!!!"

The Baka Rangers rushed forward, shouting for joy as they raced up the stairs. They started across the narrow bridge that led to the pedestal, headless to Negi's calls to wait.

"A book as important as that is bound to be booby trapped!" Negi shouted, racing up after them, Konoka and Sunset following right behind. "Please be careful!"

*CLICK*

The bridge divided in two, swinging out from under them and dropping everyone to the platform below. The platform formed an 8 by 8 grid of circles, each inlaid with a single letter of Hiragana. On the side of the platform nearest the book was written the word...

"Twister?" Makie asked in surprise.

"Ho ho ho."

Everyone looked up as the statues leapt to life, stepping sideways to face them as they cut off their path to the book. "If you want this book," the one with the hammer roared, "you'll have to answer my questions first! Ho ho ho!"

"Wh-wh-wh-what the hell!!!" Asuna shouted. "The statue is moving!"

"First question!" the statue said. "What is the Japanese translation of the English word difficult?"

"E-everyone! Calm down!" Negi shouted. "It'll be okay! If you answer the questions properly, we should be able to get out of this trap. Just press the corresponding translation letters for difficult!"

Sunset sighed in relief. Okay, we should be fine, she thought. After all, if it's starting with a word like that, we should be able to handle-

"Sensei!" Makie shouted. "What's dificult?!"

Sunset facepalmed. "We're doomed."

***

What followed was at once one of the most frustrating and most entertaining few minutes of Sunset's life. Figuring that stepping onto the playing grid might count as cheating, Negi, Konoka, and Sunset were forced to do nothing but watch and offer hints as the Baka Rangers tried desperately to answer the golem's questions. After a series of simple (though difficult for the Baka Rangers) questions, the golem finally announced, "Final question! What's the translation for dish?"

"Eh?" Ku Fei asked, obviously lost and in pain. "Dish?"

Sunset groaned. "Oh come on! You put it on the table next to silverware!"

"I-I've got it!" Asuna exclaimed. "It's 'osara,' isn't it?!"

"O!" shouted Kaede, placing her free foot on the letter.

"Sa!" cried Yue, slapping down her free hand.

Asuna and Kaede both slammed their last free limbs down at once. "Ra!"

"Um, girls," Sunset said nervously, staring up at the chuckling statue as it raised its hammer, "that's 'ru.'"

"M-monkey?" Negi asked, dumbfounded.

"WRONG!" shouted the golem, swinging its hammer down and shattering the platform. The girls and Negi screamed as they fell into darkness.

Arc 1: Chapter 4

View Online

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I took the one less traveled by. And that made all the difference." Sunset sighed, closing her eyes and leaning back against the bookshelf. Guess that settles it, she thought. They say that once you can appreciate poetry, you've mastered the language. She opened her eyes, looking out over the massive cavern before her. Not that there's been much else to do down here.

They'd landed here two days ago, after they'd failed the Twister trap. The walls of the cavern were of chiseled stone, massive glowing tree roots providing both support and bright illumination. A gigantic lake filled the middle of the chamber, several smaller lakes surrounding it and all fed by a series of waterfalls that poured from the walls and ceiling high above. A small manor sat in the distance which contained working plumbing and electricity, along with a fully stocked kitchen. Bookshelves were scattered here and there, many of them half sunk in the pristine waters. Despite this, none of the books were damaged in any way, and they seemed completely dry when they were pulled from the water. Negi and most of the Baka Rangers had been in a long series of cram sessions and breaks while Sunset, Yue, and Konoka took a far more leisurely study schedule.

And Negi's magic should be able to get us out tomorrow, Sunset thought, shelving her book of poetry and scanning the shelves for anything else interesting. A few of her fellow students had been by a few minutes ago to invite her to take a bath with them, but she'd declined in favor of further reading. The light from the tree roots seemed to grow and dim with the passage of time, which Negi and Yue both confirmed aligned with the day-night cycle. Sunset planned to take a bath that evening right before bed, the better to maximize her study time.

"KYAAAAAAAAAA!"

Sunset sighed, turning and running towards where she'd heard Makie's screams. "This better be important," she muttered as she dashed through the sand and around a few trees. "If it's a spider or something, I'm gonna-"

Sunset rounded a final tree and skidded to a stop, staring in fear at the scene before her. The golem from before stood half-submerged in one of the smaller lakes, Makie held in one fist as he leered down at them.

"Negi-kun!" Makie shouted, waving frantically. "Help me!"

"D-don't pick on my students!" Negi shouted, stepping forward and brandishing his staff. I won't forgive you, even if you are a statue!" He braced himself starting to mutter under his breath. "Ras tel ma scir magi-"

"Don't be an idiot!" Sunset grabbed Negi by the back of his shirt, yanking him back. "What do you think you can do against something like this? Especially in your condition!"

"Hohoho!" the golem laughed. "You'll never get out of here alive! You'd be better off giving up hope right now! It takes three days to get through the maze and back!"

"T-three days!" Yue exclaimed.

"We won't make it back in time for the test-aru!" Ku Fei shouted.

"He's lying!" Sunset shouted, glaring up at the golem. "It only took us a couple of hours to reach the book room before, and we didn't fall that far!" Her glare morphed into a grin. "On the other hand, he did just tell us that there's a way out of here."

"...uum..."

"You're right!" Asuna shouted. "We can't give up! We won't give up! We're gonna get the hell out of here before tomorrow's final exam!"

"Ah! Everyone!" Yue shouted, pointing at the golem. "Look at where the golem's neck is!"

Sunset looked where Yue was pointing. There, caught in the armor around the golem's head, rested...

"It's that book of Meru-whatever!" Asuna shouted.

"We're taking that book!" Yue shouted dramatically. "Makie-san! Ku Fei-san! Kaede-san!"

"Okay!" Ku Fei replied, running forward. "All set. I'll show you the power of a member," she planted her feet firmly in the sand, "of the Chinese Martial Arts Research Society! Hai!"

She punched the golem in its left leg, creating a small crater with cracks that spread throughout it. She then leapt into the air, kicking out and doing similar damage to its right arm, forcing it to loosen its grip on Makie. Kaede was there in an instant, snagging Makie from the air and handing her her ribbon. Makie's ribbon lashed out, wrapping around the Book of Melchizedek and sending it sailing into her arms. Kaede landed easily, immediately taking off running with the rest of them in hot pursuit.

"W-wait!" shouted the golem as it began to limp after them, struggling on its injured leg.

"A-amazing!" Negi said.

"The Baka Rangers are really awesome at athletics," Asuna bragged.

"Athletics?!" Sunset shouted. "Are you kidding?! She cracked a golem made of solid stone without so much as bruising her hand! That's not awesome, that's insane!"

Asuna shrugged. "It must be what they call 'ki.' I mean, magic exists, right? Why not other things?"

Sunset opened her mouth to argue, only to close it as she had no idea what this "ki" was. In any case, her breath was better spent fueling her run from the golem.

"Everyone!" Yue called from up ahead. "There's an emergency exit behind this waterfall!"

Sunset, Asuna, and Negi rounded the corner too find the rest of the girls huddled around the door. "What the," Sunset said. "There's a question written on this door!"

Yue read the question aloud. "English Question Number 1: What is the past tense of read?"

"Why the hell is it asking us that?!" Asuna shouted as Ku Fei gave the golem another kick, forcing it back. She turned back as she heard the question.

"Hmm? Oh! I know this one-aru! The answer is read." Much to everyone's surprise, the door swung open at Ku Fei's response.

"Everyone hurry up and head inside!" Asuna shouted. They rushed down the long hallway before them, soon finding themselves in a dizzyingly tall circular room, a spiral staircase winding its way up along the edge and broken up occasionally by more doors. "Wh-what's this!" Asuna cried. "Can we even climb that far!"

"I can't see the top," Sunset said, "but it's not like we have much of a choice. Let's go!"

They fled up the stairs, the Baka Rangers answering question after question, covering every topic from Math to History to English. Finally, they reached the top, finding a service elevator that would provide a straight-shot to the surface. There was only one problem...

"BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ"

This elevator is overloaded.

"You've got to be kidding me!!!" Sunset shouted, glaring down at the approaching golem. "We're going to die down here because this stupid elevator thinks we're overweight?!"

"Everyone drop everything you're carrying! Even your clothes!" Everyone stared in shock at Asuna as she stuck her leg out and put a little weight on it. "Look! If I just put my leg outside, the buzzer stops! All we need to do is loose a little weight!"

Thank you, nudist culture! Sunset thought, stripping down to nothing and throwing her clothes out of the elevator. Sorry kid, but you'll be thanking us for this memory in a few years. She watched the rest of the girls strip and toss out their clothes, and was dismayed when the buzzer failed to shut off.

"Crap!" Sunset shouted. "Do we have anything else to lose?!"

"We've thrown out everything but the book!" Makie cried. "I even threw out my ribbon!"

"Hohoho!" The golem dragged himself over the final step, leering in at them. "I've got you now!"

Crap! Crap crap crap crap crap! Sunset backed up against the far wall, staring in fear at the golem. If I just had my magic, this thing would be nothing but a pile of charred rubble! What are we going to-

Negi stepped out of the elevator, brandishing his staff and silencing the buzzing of the elevator. "Everyone," he said, "I'm getting off. Please return to the surface and take the test tomorrow!" He glared out at the golem. "Hey, golem! Your opponent is right here!"

"Hoho," chuckled the golem. "You've got guts!" He raised his hand, bringing it slamming down. "Take this!"

Negi braced himself, staring the golem down and waiting for the strike to come.

"Urg!"

Negi fell back out of the way of the golem's swing as Asuna yanked him by the collar of his shirt. He looked back up at her, his eyes filled with shock. "A-Asuna-san!"

"This final exam is also the final exam for you to become a teacher or something, right?" Asuna demanded. "What's the point of us taking the test if you aren't there to pass? Don't try to act cool, you damn brat!"

"Eh? But the golem!" Negi cried. "What are we going to-"

"We're going to do this!" shouted Asuna, holding up the Book of Melchizedek.

Gasps and groans filled the elevator, along with more than one resigned sigh, as the book went flying from Asuna's hand. It struck the golem in the head just as the elevator doors closed. The elevator started to rise just as they heard the sound of the golem's cries as it tumbled down to the ground far beneath.

***

The next day had dawned, the night before filled with studying. Those involved in the Library Island Fiasco had been late to the test, but had been allowed to take it in another room. But still, despite all of their efforts, and despite the fact that Sunset was certain that she'd passed with a 100, class 2-A had come in dead last once again. Sunset sighed as she walked back to the dorms, contemplating her future. The rest of the Library Exploration Club and the Baka Rangers had gone to the train station to try and convince Negi to stay, but she couldn't do it. Her reasons for wanting him to stay were entirely selfish and, for once, she couldn't bring herself to manipulate someone to her own ends.

"Must be losing my touch," she muttered, unlocking the door to the room she shared with Nodoka and Yue. "That or I'm finally growing a conscience." She sighed, opening the door and preparing to fall face-first onto her bed.

Luckily for her, she noticed the pile of books and equipment on her pillow first. She tilted her head, gazing curiously at the star-tipped wand that rested at the top of the pile, a note pinned beneath it. She hesitated before picking up the note.

Nichibotsu-san,
I'm sorry I won't be able to teach you magic. Here is a set of beginner's equipment and spellbooks, along with the laws of magic and the laws for mages interacting with the non-magical world. When you've finished with these, talk to Takamichi.
He knows about magic and will be able to get you in contact with a proper teacher.
Good luck with getting back home.
Negi Springfield.

Sunset crumpled up the note, her fists shaking as she fought back tears. That idiot, she thought, glaring at the pile of books and equipment. I used you. I manipulated and blackmailed you. You aren't even my teacher anymore! YOU DON'T OWE ME ANYTHING!!!

The tears began flowing in earnest then, Sunset wiping them away only for more to take their place. "Damn it!" she muttered, pulling open her dresser drawers and hiding the magic supplies beneath her clothes. "Damn it, kid! Why do you have to be so... so... so much like HER!?" She collapsed on her bed, her body wracked with sobs that she refused to give sound to. She shivered and shook for several minutes before pulling herself together. Figuring that her roommates would be returning soon, she quickly flipped over her damp pillow and went into the bathroom to wash her face. Even at a time like this, she refused to let her facade drop.

The door to their dorm-room opened, cheers and cries of joy sounding from the halls as Nodoka ran in. Sunset had expected the tears in her friend's eyes, but had been unprepared for the smile that split her face. "Nichibotsu! Did you hear? Negi-sensei's staying!!!"

Sunset's eyes went wide, her jaw dropping. "Wh-what?! But, but we were in dead last! The principal said that-"

"They hadn't counted our tests yet!" Nodoka interrupted. "The Baka Rangers all pulled out in the 60's. Asuna even got a 71! And with the Expedition Club's good grades and your 100..."

"...we did it." A grin split Sunset's face as well. "We did it! We aren't at the bottom! And... wait." She did some quick math in her head. "Wait, but with those grades, that means..."

"First." Yue stepped in behind Nodoka, closing the door behind her. "Somehow or another, class 2-A managed to come in first in our grade."

Sunset's knees went out and she collapsed onto her bed, staring down at her hands. "So... he gets to stay. Negi-sensei..."

"Sensei?" asked Yue, her lips twitching upwards. "I think that's the first time you've called him that when you weren't mocking him.

Sunset blushed, refusing to make eye-contact. "D-don't read anything into it," she stammered. "H-he's still just a bratty kid, after all. Just... maybe he's earned a little more respect than I've been giving him."

Yue shrugged. "Whatever you say." She turned and opened the door again. "Come on. The class is getting together to celebrate with karaoke."

Sunset nodded, waving her off. "You two go ahead. I'm... going to go and congratulate Asuna and the kid." They nodded and walked off, leaving Sunset alone with her thoughts. She cast a quick glance at her dresser and the treasure trove of magic hidden within. I should really get started on that, she thought. After all, it's an entirely new system of magic. I still need to learn Latin, get a feel for how this magic works... Sunset shook her head as she stood. Forget it. I've got a brat to congratulate. She stepped out into the hall, closed the door behind her, and turned to go and find her teacher.

Arc 2: Chapter 5

View Online

“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.

Arc 2: Chapter 6

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The rest of the week was one annoyance after another for Sunset. She suspected on Sunday when the Narutaki twins arrived to give her a tour of the school - a tour that suspiciously didn’t cover any of the areas the cheerleaders had shown her on Saturday - that there was some sort of class-wide conspiracy to keep her from studying that week. By Tuesday evening she no longer suspected; she was certain. Kaede and Ku Fei had arrived in the early afternoon after Sunset had ditched the twins to show her around the different dojos and fighting clubs on campus, despite Sunset’s insistence that she’d already found a club she enjoyed.

Monday had introduced her to the Sports Trio: Yuuna Akashi, the busty basketballer who wore her black hair tied in a side-ponytail; Akira Ookouchi, the long-haired swimmer; and Ako Izumi, the soccer girl with ice-blue hair. Sunset was surprised when, rather than the sports clubs, they had shown her around to the various music clubs and karaoke bars around Mahora. It turned out that Ako was the bass guitarist for a 3-A student band. Sunset briefly considered looking into it until she was told that the cheerleaders were the other members.

Tuesday morning had brought the pig-tailed class geniuses to her door. Satomi Hakase and Chao Lingshen had shown her around the University campuses, keeping up a constant torrent of advanced mechanical discourse that left Sunset hopelessly lost. They’d also introduced her to another member of the class, Chachamaru Karakuri. She was a robot. Suddenly, her strange ears and puppet-like joints made sense to Sunset. She’d left the campus dazed and confused, which only added to her rapidly growing irritation, an irritation that her roommates had picked up on.

“Nichi-chan,” Nodoka asked over dinner that evening, “is something wrong? You’ve seemed… off this week.”

“And by off,” Yue added, “we mean you look like you want to tear someone’s head off and use it as a basketball.”

Sunset snorted, enjoying the mental image for a moment. “I’m fine,” she said. “Just… making plans for tomorrow. A surprise for the rest of the class.”

“Really?” Nodoka’s smile almost made Sunset feel guilty about her “plans.” “That’s great! Oh.” Her face fell. “Tomorrow? But we have that Library Island dive tomorrow! The University students are going to give us a guided tour of some of the lowest levels!”

“That was tomorrow?” Sunset asked, feigning surprise and disappointment. “Drat! Guess I’m going to have to miss it, then. I’ve put too much planning into this to let it go to waste, and it has to be tomorrow.”

Yue shrugged. “It’s not like you’ll be missing much; you never listened to the rules about where we were and weren’t allowed to go anyway.”

“Hey, I lived in that library for months,” Sunset defended. “You think I wasn’t going to explore?”

Yuee rolled her eyes while Nodoka giggled. “Well, I hope your surprise goes well tomorrow.”

Sunset nodded, looking down at her food to hide her smirk. Trust me. This surprise will change everything.

*****

“So,” Madoka said, “do you have any idea why Nichibotsu wanted to meet us all out here?”

Ako shook her head. “No idea. I’m kind of surprised. After how she reacted to everyone this past week, I didn’t think she’d want to see all of us again so soon.”

The two girls looked around. They were standing in the World Tree plaza, the gigantic tree looming above them. Surrounding them was most of their class, all of the girls who had given Sunset tours around Mahora over the last week, all of them equally confused as to why they were there.

“Maybe she wanted to apologize to us,” Sakurako suggested hopefully. “I mean, she was kind of mean to all of us. Maybe she realized that we just want to be friends?”

“I doubt it.” Fukka glowered, crossing her arms. “She didn’t seem remorseful at all about treating me and Fumi like kids. She wasn’t even subtle about it; she patted me on the head and called me cute!”

“Guess we’ll just have to ask her,” Madoka said, pointing to the steps leading up to the plaza. Sunset was walking up towards them, a clipboard held under one arm and a pair of reading spectacles perched on her nose.

“Nichibotsu,” Akira said, stepping forward. “I’m surprised you wanted to see us all again so soon.”

“But of course,” Sunset said, grinning up at her. “After all, I had to do something for all of you after all the trouble you went through for me.” She held up the clipboard as she reached the top of the steps. “It’s not much, but I hope these thoughts I put together will help me to convey just how… thankful I am for all of your efforts.”

“Heck yeah!” Yuuna shouted. “That’s what I’m talking about. Speech! Speech!”

Sunset chuckled. Show time. “If you insist. Let’s start with you.” She cleared her throat, looking down at her clipboard. “Drop out of basketball.”

“...eh?”

“Just a piece of advice,” Sunset continued. “I’ve seen pictures of your mother and I’ve overheard your complaints about your growing bust. Trust me, it isn’t going to slow down anytime soon. Soon enough, those melons are going to start giving you all sorts of back problems and will hinder your playing to the point where you’ll quit out of frustration. Better just to quit now and save yourself the embarrassment.”

The plaza was quiet, everyone staring in Sunset in open-mouthed shock. “Um, Nichibotsu,” Satomi said, “don’t you think that’s a bit harsh?”

Sunset scoffed, flipping over a sheet of paper and glancing up over the top of her glasses. Way to give me a transition. “I don’t want a lesson on tact from the most oblivious and tactless girl in the class.” She looked back down at her clipboard. “I know you claim to have sold your soul to science, but isn’t that just because it gives you a convenient excuse not to have to own up to your horrible social skills? Just look at Chao; she’s perfectly capable of behaving normally outside of a lab or classroom, and she’s just as dedicated to science as you, if not moreso. Face it, your tactlessness isn’t a byproduct of your dedication to science; it’s just a gaping fault that you’re too cowardly to own up to.”

“Nichibotsu! That’s too far!” Misa marched up to Sunset, glaring daggers at her. “If you think we’re going to just stand here and let you insult us-”

“That’s exactly what I expect you to do,” Sunset replied boredly, rolling her eyes as she flipped another page. “After all, you all saw fit to drag me out of my studies to parade me about Mahora despite my protests. I see no reason not to carry on despite yours. You and the other cheerleaders may see yourselves as the pep and heart of the class, but to be honest, you’re nothing but annoying ditzes who can’t contribute more than silly cheers and some panty flashing.

“And speaking of fan-service,” Sunset’s eyes flashed up to Akira, “Swimming club suits you. Yuuna should get some pointers on how to deal with monsters like yours. Like I was telling the cheerleaders the other day, flaunt it if you’ve got it, right?”

“Th-that’s not-”

“But I guess it’s better to have than to have not,” Sunset interrupted, ignoring Akira’s flushed face as she turned to the twins. “I honestly feel sorry for you two. To be perfectly candid, I didn’t even have to try to treat you like kids the other day; I actually forgot that we were in the same class. Not that your clothes and hair make things any easier for you. If you dress like little kids, you’re going to be treated like little kids. It’s just childish to complain about it when you invite it, but I guess you can get away with such childishness too.”

Fuuka grit her teeth, glaring at Sunset as Fumika started to tear up. “That’s low, Nichibotsu,” she growled. “I thought you were annoying before, but I didn’t think you were a bully!”

“A bully?” Sunset said, feigning indignation. “I’m just stating the facts. Isn’t that right, Chao?” She turned from the twins to the Chinese genius. “A soulless scientist like you shouldn’t have anything against what I’m saying, right? Even my opinions are capable of being easily substantiated.”

Chao hesitated, avoiding eye contact with anyone. “Well,” she said, “you haven’t technically said anything incorrect…”

Sunset smiled. I can't believe she actually went along with that. You really are heartless. “Good to know that there’s someone here who can face the truth. The rest of the class could stand to learn a thing or two from you. Let’s see now,” she said, looking down at her list and flipping through the pages. “Who’s next?”

“Let me guess, aru.” Sunset looked up to see Ku glaring at her, Kaede standing behind her with a frown on her face. “We’re freaks because we’re so strong and idiots too, ne?”

Sunset scanned her clipboard before nodding. “Yeah, that just about covers it. Plus your ways of speaking are irritating. I guess that’s every- oh!” She looked up in supposed shock, her eyes locking on Ako. “Ako. I can’t believe I forgot- actually, I can.” She looked down at her list, scratching her head. “To be honest, you just don’t register enough for me to remember you most of the time. Guess I don’t have anything to say to you.” She smiled up at her. Time for the finisher. “Just keep being a wallflower, I guess.” With a final nod to the assembled students, she turned and walked away, thinking happily of the upcoming long weekend of uninterrupted studying.

*****

Though at first a rather simple spell, Sagitta Magica has a wide variety of uses. Its most basic form is a barrage of arrows, but it can also be utilized in its Convergentia form, the full power centered in a single bolt. Finally, for mages who find themselves oft engaged in physical combat, Sagitta Magica can either precede or “ride upon” a physical strike to increase its-

“Nichi-chan! Nichi-Nichi-Nichi-Nichi-Nichi-Ni-”

Sunset slammed the door open, murder on her face. “WHAT DO YOU WANT, YOU FLAT, WANNABE PAPARAZZI?!”

Asakura’s smug grin did nothing to assuage Sunset’s anger. “Flat, wannabe paparazzi?” she asked. “Looks like Natsumi-chan was on to something if that’s the worst you can give at the drop of a hat.”

“What the hell are you...” Sunset trailed off as she noticed that the reporter wasn’t alone. Makie stook just behind her, along with another girl from their class, an unassuming orange-head named Natsumi Murakami. Sunset recalled that she was a member of the Drama Club. Sunset glared at the girl, who flinched under her gaze. “And what, exactly, was Natsumi on to?”

“That everything you said to everyone yesterday was an act, of course!” Makie said cheerfully. “Sure, you might have been annoyed by everyone interrupting your studies, but you don’t really hate us all that much.”

“You… know about yesterday?” Sunset asked, confused.

“Thanks to me!” Asakura reached into her bag and pulled out a camcorder. “I saw the girls gathering in the plaza, and my instincts told me there was a good scoop to be had. Glad I caught everything.” Her grin fell into a concerned frown. “A lot of the class didn’t react well to it.”

“A lot of the… You showed the rest of the class?!”

Makie nodded, her face matching Asakura’s. “Yeah, and you’re lucky we did, or Natsumi wouldn’t have realized what you were doing. I don’t think the Library Exploration girls would have been able to calm the rest of the class down otherwise.”

Sunset sighed, closing her eyes and massaging the bridge of her nose. So much easier to do with fingers. Well, better get the full story. She stepped aside, gesturing for the girls to enter. “Tell me what happened.”

Arc 2: Chapter 7

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(Wednesday afternoon, two hours after the gathering at the World Tree Plaza)

Setsuna Sakurazaki sighed in annoyance as she walked towards classroom 3-A, dressed in her gi and with her sword slung over her shoulder. The black-haired girl had been running through forms in the dojo where the Kendo Club met when her phone had come alive with an “urgent message” from the Class Representative announcing an emergency class meeting. Considering the new student, Nichibotsu Hikaru, wasn't on the text list, she could guess what the meeting would be about.

“Yo, Sakurazaki-san.”

Setsuna looked over her shoulder, nodding to the tall, dark-skinned girl with long black hair. Despite being in the same year as her, she looked more like a university student than a middle-schooler. “Tatsumiya-san. You received the Class Rep’s text?”

Mana Tatsumiya nodded. “You think it's about the new girl?”

Setsuna shrugged. “Most likely. I think it's time to settle the bet we made.”

Mana nodded and smiled. “Probably. I look forward to your pessimism failing you.”

Setsuna grunted in response. They had both noticed Nichibotsu’s less than stellar attitude the first few days and had agreed that she would prove the ultimate test for their class’ seemingly endless cheerfulness and acceptance. Mana had proposed a bet, knowing that Nichibotsu would do something in the first few months to antagonize the class, and had goaded Setsuna into accepting. They'd bet on opposite extremes, Setsuna that the class, with the possible exception of the Library Exploitation Club, wouldn’t forgive whatever she did while Mana bet that, with the possible exceptions of Ayaka and a couple of others, they would. The stakes were high, neither of them enjoying the prospect of defeat and its humiliating consequences.

They soon arrived at the classroom, finding that they were the last to arrive (with the exception of a certain spectacled shut-in who no-one actually expected to come). Ayaka, Asuna, and Konoka were absent as well, the Class Rep having explained in her text that they were all at her villa. As such, Asakura stood at the front of the room to conduct the meeting, an unusually grim look on her face.

“Thank you all for coming,” she said once Setsuna and Mana had taken their seats. “As many of you know, and the rest of you probably suspect, this emergency meeting is about our newest student, Hikaru Nichibotsu. Two hours ago, she called all of our classmates who had given her tours of Mahora so far to the World Tree Plaza. I noticed their gathering and, on a hunch, followed them and recorded what transpired. I warn you,” she took out her camcorder, hooking it up to a projector that sat on the desk, “this won't be pleasant to see.”

Those who had been the targets of Nichibotsu’s diatribe winced as each of their parts came up, the rest of the class staring in shock and slowly growing anger. Setsuna sighed and shook her head, glancing at Mana who was looking increasingly worried. I think I might be winning this bet after all.

The classroom was silent for a moment after the video ended. The quiet was broken by a frustrated sigh from Haruna. “Damn it,” she said. “I should have known not to bet against Yue.”

Yue nodded, taking the 500 yen that her friend offered. “I knew something like this would happen as soon as the Class Rep came up with the plan,” she explained to the class. “Haruna thought she would blow up at everyone. I figured she would take a more… calculated approach.”

“Calculated?” Misa glowered at Yue. “Is that what you call it? Not cruel. Not out of line? Calculated?!”

Yue shrugged in response. “I did warn all of you. Nichi-chan doesn’t like having her studies interrupted. She was only planning to hole herself up for a day or two before enjoying the rest of the break with us. I warned the Class Rep that something like this would happen if she didn’t wait, but she brushed me off.”

“Well it’s a good thing she did!” Fuka jumped onto her desk, glaring at Yue and pointing at the chalkboard where the projector had shown Sunset’s onslaught. “At least now we know what a stupid bully she is! I guess we don’t have to play nice with her anymore, huh?!”

“O-onee-chan!” Fumika said, pulling on her sister’s arm. “Get off the table!”

Setsuna sighed as the twins started to bicker, much of the class soon joining in on bashing Nichibotsu. The only ones who seemed to be refraining were the Library Exploration Club and the usually quiet ones like her and Mana. On a second glance, however, she noticed one more girl who wasn’t joining in on the slowly-forming mob. Natsumi Murakami had made her way over to the camcorder and was watching the video again, a frown of concentration on her face.

“Um, Asakura-chan,” she said, catching the reporter’s attention and pointing to the video, “can you zoom in on this?”

Did she notice it too? Setsuna thought, exchanging glances with Mana. I might end up losing this bet after all!

“Aha! I thought so!” Natsumi’s exclamation caught the attention of several nearby students, much to her chagrin. “Um, I think maybe Nichibotsu might not be as bad as we think.”

“Not as- are you crazy?!” Madoka glared across the room at Natsumi. “Did you see the same video we saw? And we told you what she said to us that first day! How can you say she’s not that bad?”

“No,” Kazumi said, leaning down and taking a closer look at thee video. “Natsumi might be on to something.” She quickly hooked the camcorder back up to the projector, rewinding to the moment that Nichibotsu had entered, passing by her hiding spot with her clipboard carried under one arm. Kazumi zoomed in on the clipboard, which happened to have the paper side facing out towards the camera. Neatly written lines of text filled the paper.

“So what?” Arika asked. “We already figured out that she had notes on us to help her through her insults. We don’t need to see exactly what she wrote.”

“It isn’t about what she wrote,” Natsumi explained. “It’s about how she wrote it.” She pointed to the tops of each paragraph. “Doesn’t that look more like a script than a bunch of notes? I know I don’t take notes that neatly.”

A few of the girls leaned forward, examining the writing. “Hey, you’re right,” Yuna said, pointing at one of the lines of text. “Look! She even has Misa-san’s line right here!”

“It goes deeper than that,” Satomi added, adjusting her glasses as she examined the screen. “Look at the bottoms of our responses. She has notes on which page to turn to if other people talked instead. Look! She thought that Akashi-chan was going to answer her first instead of me!”

The girls examined the script for a few moments, even the usually reclusive Evangeline A. K. MacDowell stepping forward to take a look. “Okay,” Ako eventually said, “but what does this mean?”

“It means,” a grin slowly grew on Makie’s face, “that Nichi-chan didn’t actually mean all of that! She was just putting on a show!”

“A show?” Sakurako asked. “You mean, she was faking it?”

“Not entirely,” Chao said, playing the video in slow-motion and trying to count how many pages were held on the clipboard. “Like I said before, everything she said was technically true, or at least an understandable opinion,” she ignored the glares from her classmates and continued, “but thinking about it, there’s a lot more she could have said if she wanted to really hurt us. I’d say she wanted to hurt us just enough to make us leave her alone.”

“That’s why she started with Yuna-chan,” Natsumi explained. “If you think about it, what she said wasn’t really an insult. Tactless, but not insulting. But by the time she was done insulting everyone else, Yuna-chan felt that she’s been insulted too.”

Yuna thought on that for a moment before nodding. “That… makes sense. I mean, when she said that to me, I was more surprised than anything else. I was actually thinking about what to do about my chest before Hakase-san got her going again.”

“So… you’re saying she doesn’t actually hate all of us?” Sakurako asked.

“Oh give me a break!” The class turned to see Madoka glaring at all of them. “Are you seriously going to fall for this? Just because it could have been worse means she isn’t actually bad? She still drew us out there just to insult and belittle us! Not to mention how she’s been treating us all week!”

“Yeah!” Fuka added. “Just because she held back a bit doesn’t mean she’s not a bully!”

“I disagree,” Kazumi said, watching through the video again. “Bullies take on their targets from a position of strength and love to kick them when they’re down. Nichibotsu-chan let herself be severely outnumbered and walked away afterwards, and she doesn’t strike me as the type to hunt us down one by one. I… think she’s really done if we leave her alone.”

“Eh! But we can’t leave her alone!” Makie’s shout drew everyone’s attention and more than a few looks of surprise. “If we leave her alone, then she won’t like being in class and we’ll have another Hasegawa-san on out hands! Besides, if we leave her alone, doesn’t that mean that she wins?”

Crap! Setsuna sighed as the air in the classroom changed, half of the class shifting from their position on the fence and leaping wholeheartedly to one side. Three. Two. One.

“No way!”

“We can’t let that happen!”

“We’re going to make Hikaru-chan our friend if it kills us!”

“YEAH!!!”

Setsuna sighed again, looking around to gauge her fellow side-liners’ reactions. Evangeline and Chachamaru were already on their way out the door, Zazie Rainyday and Satsuki Yotsuba watching the proceedings with amusement. Mana, however, seemed slightly worried as she scanned the class. Setsuna turned her eyes back to the cheering and plotting mass and quickly found what Mana had noticed. Two groups of students had withdrawn to the outskirts of the mob, two groups that seemed less than content. Misa and Madoka were muttering with the Narutaki twins, undoubtedly conspiring to ruin 3-A’s friendship efforts. Ku Fei and Kaede also stood to the side, both of them looking concerned and wary. Even within the mob of cheering 3-A girls, there were a couple who seemed more worried or subdued than cheerful. It seemed that only about half the class was really invested in befriending Nichibotsu.

“I think we’ve both lost,” Mana muttered, rubbing the back of her neck. “Never thought our class could split like this.”

Setsuna nodded, dreading the consequences of that statement. “Which means we both pay the price”

The two girls cringed, thoughts of the first day of new term tormenting them.

(Thursday morning)

“And that’s how it stands,” Kazumi finished, reading off a sheet of paper from her bag. “Half of the class is determined to make you our friend, seven of them are uninterested or neutral, and the rest are either still angry at you or just want to avoid you.” She grinned up at Sunset, who had spent the last few minutes banging her head into her desk. “So really, it could have been worse.”

“Half of the class” thud “is determined” thud “to befriend me” thud “if it kills them.” Sunset sighed and gave her forehead a rest, choosing instead to glare up at Natsumi. “You just had to tell them, didn’t you? Couldn’t let me have my victory?”

“Oh, lighten up Nichi-chan!” Makie said. A huge smile split her face, though whether from innocence or amusement Sunset couldn’t tell. “After all, we did manage to talk them down to a less enthusiastic approach.”

“And by ‘enthusiastic,’ you mean ‘overbearing, irritating, and endlessly cheerful?’”

“Yup!”

thud

“Although,” Kazumi said, reaching down for one of Sunset’s books, “I am curious. What exactly has you so engrossed? Maybe we could help you study it.”

“Latin,” Sunset muttered. “And unlike with English, I don’t have anyone to practice it with, so it’s going to take at least twice as long.”

Kazumi raised an eyebrow. “You mean a full year to master instead of half of one?”

More like two months, since the first five were spent learning Japanese, Sunset thought.”I also need to take it slow to make sure I’m getting it right. There’s no-one to correct me if I mess something up. So unless one of you speaks Latin, I’m fresh out of luck.”

“Hm. I bet Negi-sensei does,” Makie said. “He’s really smart, and he seems like the type to know lots of languages.”

If only you knew. “Yeah, maybe,” Sunset said, “but I’d rather not pull him away to focus so much time on me. The kid’s got enough on his plate as it is.

Unseen by Sunset, the other three girls shared quick looks, a single thought passing between them. She’s not evil after all! “Well,” Natsumi said, emboldened by this revelation, “I bet there’s someone in the class who speaks it. Chao-san and Hakase-san are really smart, and someone else is bound to have learned it for one reason or another. I even know a few people in the Drama Club who might have learned it if no-one else has.”

Sunset scoffed, ready to shoot down the notion. There were only about a hundred people in the world who spoke Latin with the fluency she needed if she was going to be inventing her own spells. There were probably a lot more amongst mages, but surely no-one in her class was…

“You know what, okay.” Sunset sat up, giving Natsumi the friendliest smile she could. “If you can find someone else who knows Latin, I’d actually really appreciate it.”

Natsumi returned her smile, happy to have begun a new friendship. “Of course!”

*****

OPERATION NICHI-SUNSHINE TEXT LIST
Asakura: Yo! We found something to help the class connect with her! Does anyone know Latin?
Akashi: Eh! No way! That’s great!
Kagurazaka: Leave it to the class reporter to figure it out!
Yukihiro: Latin? Nichbotsu-san is learning Latin?
Sasaki: Class Rep! Chao-san! Hakase-san! You’re all really smart. Do any of you know Latin?
Yukihiro: I’m afraid not.
Hakase: Only a few phrases. I can read and recite it well, but translation is beyond me.
Chao: I’m afraid not. If she were learning ancient Greek, I’d be able to help.
Sasaki: Aw, that’s no good. Anyone else?
Akashi: Why does the Chinese Genius know Greek?
Murakami: Chao-san, do you think you could help out the Drama Club sometime? We’re looking over a few scripts right now and we really like one of them, but no-one knows how to pronounce those Greek names.
Chao: Sure. I’ll text you separately.
Murakami: Thank you!
MacDowell: I believe Tatsumiya and Sakurazaki know Latin.
Sasaki: Really?
Asakura: Do they really?
Hasegawa: Why do the shrine maiden and the kendo girl know Latin?! That’s just about as traditionally Japanese as you can get!
Akashi: Eh! Hasegawa-san chimed in!
Sasaki: Yay! Hasegawa-san is here!
Tatsumiya: I was taught Latin growing up, but I’m a little rusty. I believe the same goes for Sakurazaki-san.
Sakurazaki: That’s correct.
Saotome: Oho! The ever elusive Hasegawa-san appears!
Murakami: Are you two available tomorrow? I don’t have the chart with me.
Yukihiro: I have the chart. It looks like you two are free all day tomorrow, right?
Tatsumiya: I don’t have any plans.
Sakurazaki: Nor do I. I’ll coordinate with you separately.
Sasaki: This is it, everyone! Our last chance to keep Nichi-chan from becoming like Hasegawa-san! Let’s do it!
Asakura: Yeah!
Akashi: Yeah!
Nodoka: Yo. Nichibotsu here. Did you know that Nodoka’s password is really easy to guess?
Nodoka: Setsuna. Mana. See you tomorrow.

***

For the first time all week, Sunset didn’t groan when she heard the knocking on her door. She adjusted the book that unlocked it and called out “It’s open.” She looked over her shoulder, watching the tall, dark-skinned girl and the shorter swordswoman enter. “Welcome to my home away from home.”

The two girls looked around, Setsuna unphased and Mana impressed. “You’ve certainly made yourself at comfortable,” she said.

Sunset shrugged, her own eyes roaming from her wardrobe to her sleeping bag. “Eh, no-one else seems to be interested in this area, not that I can blame them; I don’t see what anyone would want with ancient cookbooks.”

“Which begs the question of why you set up shop here.” Mana walked over to one of the bookshelves, taking a book and skimming through it. “There are plenty of study areas around Mahora that aren’t surrounded by deathtraps.” She grimaced and replaced the book. “Also, those recipes look disgusting.”

“I like my privacy,” Sunset said, tossing a book to Setsuna. “You know Latin, right? I translated this page earlier, but I want to make sure I got it right. Would you mind?”

Setsuna caught the book with ease, opening to the bookmarked page and beginning to read without the slightest hesitation. “We then see that such acts, while reprehensible, are not sufficient to ban as a whole the use of similar methods. To condemn them would be to condemn the creation of fire, the greatest force ever to be bent to the use of man.” Her eyes narrowed before darting up to Mana. “You recognize this?”

Mana nodded, taking the book and examining the cover. She hummed to herself, fixing Sunset with an appraising stare. “Nichibotsu-san, why do you have a book on magical ethics?” Her appraisal turned to confusion as she looked at the book again. “And… why an original Latin text?”

“You can blame the kid for that.” Sunset rolled her eyes. “I don’t think he realized that half the books he gave me were antiques. Then again, he wasn’t in the best mental state at the time.”

Mana pondered that for a moment. “He gave these to you when he thought we’d come in last,” she realized. Her eyes widened. “But that was just last week! You’ve learned enough Latin to translate this book in only a few days?”

Sunset shook her head, picking up another book. “Nah. I’m good, but not that good. I’ve really only got the grammar down, not the vocabulary. This translation dictionary has been a lifesaver.” She set the book down. “Besides, I began studying Latin months ago, when I first learned that the kid was a mage. Caught him making a love potion and heard him chanting Latin while doing so. I figured that if magic was language based, I’d better get a head start.”

“So, Negi-sensei is a mage?” Setsuna asked curiously.

Both Mana and Sunset raised incredulous eyebrows. “You hadn’t noticed?” Mana asked.

Setsuna gave another shrug. “I thought he might be, but hadn’t bothered to confirm it. It certainly explains why he’s here at Mahora.”

Mana nodded before eyeing the text in her hand again. “I’m surprised you haven’t asked Sensei for help,” she said. “If he’s the one who gave you the books, I’m sure he would have no problem teaching you.”

“And have him run out of stuff to teach me in the first month?” Sunset scoffed and rolled her eyes. “I’m better off learning from books than from a kid who’s barely mastered the basics.”

Mana considered this before nodding. “Fair point. If you’d like, I can contact a few old friends. See if any of them have the time and inclination to teach you.”

“Maybe further down the road,” Sunset replied, turning back to her desk. “I need to get the fundamentals down pat before I can start looking for a teacher. I don’t want to waste time.”

“What’s the rush?” Setsuna walked over and examined the texts, picking one up and thumbing through it. “You sound like you’re on a time limit.”

Sunset was quiet for a moment. She sighed. “For reasons I’d rather not disclose, I likely won’t be able to remain here for more than a year and a half. The… passage back to where I came from only opens every two-and-a-half years, and I’m fairly certain my old mentor will be coming through to take me back when that time comes.” Her fists clenched, her eyes narrowing dangerously. And I’m not going back until she gives me what’s rightfully mine.

Setsuna and Mana shared a glance, the latter shaking her head slightly. Better not act on this until we know the whole story. “Well then,” Mana said, picking up a book and a few sheets of paper, “let’s get started.”

Arc 2: Chapter 8

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Friday and Saturday were two of Sunset’s best since coming to the human world. It didn't even bother her that her classmates pulled her away from her studies after lunch both days. Two mornings spent practicing Latin with Setsuna and Mana had significantly boosted her confidence in the language, though it would still be a few months before she could discard her Japanese-Latin dictionary. She'd even managed to work in a few hours each day to practice with her new magic, in which (Mana had informed her) she was progressing at an outrageously rapid rate.

Both Setsuna and Mana were busy Sunday, so Sunset dedicated that morning to mastering one particularly useful spell that improved general fitness. Strength, agility, stamina, hardiness, all would be improved at least three-fold, more depending on how much magic the mage poured into it. Sunset had cast it successfully on Saturday, but the spell was designed to last continually with little concentration. Today, Sunset planned to test her ability to hold it long-term.

Guess I'm not going to the gym today, Sunset thought, jogging through Library Island and delighting in the ease with which she ran. As fun as it would be to see the club's reactions as I clobbered them one by one, I don't want to cheat there. They wouldn't be happy about that. Sunset frowned. Wait, no. What do I care? I'm only there so I can learn to fight and stay in shape. I don't really care what they think of me… do I? Sunset stopped, putting a hand to her chin as she thought it over, remembering Monday when the Club President had taught her the rules of kickboxing, Tuesday when a few of the older students had taught her a few moves and shown her how to work the speed bag, Friday when she'd fought her first match and been creamed easily, how her opponent had pulled her to her feet afterwards, both of them laughing all the while.

Do I… do I actually care about them?

“Ano, Nichibotsu-chan? Could you please move? You're blocking the bridge and standing on the trap plate.”

Sunset looked up from her musings, surprised to find that she'd taken a different route than normal. She stood now on a narrow bridge, a series of bladed pendulums swinging back and forth across it. A group of high-schoolers was waiting on one side, most of them looking impatient.

“Oh! Sorry.” Sunset quickly made her way across the bridge, pausing and weaving to avoid the lethal trap. She reached the end easily, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. “Sorry for activating the trap. Got lost in thought.”

The older student waded her off. “It's fine. It'll shut off in about 10 minutes. I'm surprised you didn't notice it, though.”

Sunset shrugged. “Eh, the swing pattern is easy to predict. I could have walked through this one in my sleep.” She gave the bridge one last appraising look before hurrying off towards the surface.

*****

“Eh?! Negi-sensei’s looking for a fiance?!”

Sunset rolled her eyes from where she was relaxing in the baths. 3-A had gone crazy from the latest rumor right as she'd gotten comfortable. “Ignore them, Honya,” she said to her flustered roommate. “You know our class always blows things out of proportion. Remember when they actually thought a game of dodgeball could determine what class the kid taught?”

“Aw, come on, Nichi-chan,” Haruna said, elbowing her in the side. “Don't ruin everyone's fun with your logic. Besides, this one comes from the Narutaki twins’ own ears. Negi-sensei came to Japan to find a ‘partner.’”

Sunset rolled her eyes, settling deeper into the water. “Ah, that. No need to worry, Honya. I know what he's talking about, and he's a bit too young to make that sort of decision. You have nothing to-”

“I want to go to Prince Negi’s ball!!!”

Sunset sighed, glaring over at where much of the class had assembled. “Then again, we may want to do something to stop that horde. Anyone know where the kid is right now?”

“Well, the new term starts tomorrow,” Yue pointed out. “He's probably in the Teachers’ Lounge or our classroom getting things ready.”

“Huh. That actually works out perfectly,” Sunset said. “I'm helping Konoka with something over there today anyway. I'll just take five more minutes here before-”

“We're coming for you, Prince Negi!!!”

Sunset sighed, standing up and heading for the changing room.

*****

Where was this spell when I went to Celestia’s School? Sunset approached the school at a clip that would have impressed most pegasi, her “sprint” feeling like no more than a light jog. She wasn't even breathing heavily by the time she reached the front lockers. She quickly made her way through the school, listening for any voices.

“Is this really necessary, Grandpa? It doesn't look like me at all.”

Bingo. Sunset crept towards a classroom that had the door cracked open, keeping low to avoid being seen through the windows.

“Now now, granddaughter.” Sunset rolled her eyes at the principal's voice. “It's important to make a good first impression.”

Sunset quickly reached the door and peeked inside. A couple of men in suits were setting up photography equipment under the direction of a third. An old, hunched-over man with a long, thin beard fused over a beautiful girl in an elaborate kimono. Sunset had to do a double-take; between the kimono, the makeup, and the intricately styled hair, Konoka was barely recognizable. She squirmed in obvious discomfort, looking from the camera to a stack of papers on a nearby desk. Her eyes darted with some desperation to the doorway and widened in surprise and joy when they found Sunset's.

“We're just about ready, sir,” one of the suits said, adjusting the camera and training it on a white sheet. “Another minute at the most.”

“Grandpa, can I go get some water?” Konoka suddenly asked. “My throat’s getting dry.”

“Oho, is that so?” the principal asked, stroking his beard. “This wouldn't just be an attempt to run off again, would it? We've had to postpone this shoot three times already.”

“Aw, come on, Grandpa,” Konoka whined. “It's not like that. You can even send one of these guys with me to make sure.”

Sunset grinned, cracking her knuckles and standing up between the door and the window, just out of sight. She listened as two sets of footsteps approached, one soft and the other not. The door opened wide and Konoka sprinted out.

“Hey!” The suit following her reached out to stop her, only to get a facefull of fist as Sunset swung.

“Go, Konoka!” Sunset shouted, stepping into the doorway and putting up her fists. “Back to the dorms! I'll distract them!”

The principal sighed, shaking his head. “Nichibotsu-san. I shouldn't be surprised that she pulled you into this.” He pointed down at the unconscious suit. “You could have gone at least a little easy on him.”

Sunset stole a glance down the hall, seeing to her satisfaction that Konoka was indeed heading towards the front of the school. Hope she remembers to leave a few footprints before heading upstairs. “What can I say?” Sunset asked, returning her attention to the room. “Arranged marriages irk me, and I'd rather fight two faceless goons than three.”

“Hm, a fair point,” the principal said. “However, you've made one major tactical error.

“Realty?” Sunset tensed, readying herself for a blow from any direction. “And what error is that?”

“We're on the first floor.”

There was a beat of silence before both conscious suits turned and ran for the outside windows, throwing them open and leaping out. Within seconds, their cries of “Konoka-ojousama!” had faded into the distance.

“...well,” Sunset said, lowering her fists. “That didn't work.”

“Ohohohoho,” the principal laughed. “You're fifty years too early to test your wits against me, even considering where you come from.”

Sunset sighed, crossing her arms. “Fair enough. Hopefully Konoka can… Wait.” Her eyes widened. “You know where I'm from?!”

“Indeed. And from your reaction, so do you.” Sunset swore under her breath as the principal continued. “I was quite the Library Island Explorer myself, back in the day. A few of us stumbled through that mirror and spent a day on the other side. Tell me, how is Tenko-hime doing these days?”

Tenko? Sunset thought, a scowl maring her face. Does he mean Celestia? “She's fine,” she muttered. “Just as perfect as ever.”

The principal raised an eyebrow but didn't comment further. “Well, I have a favor to ask. If it's all the same to you, I'd rather the wider world not discover that we have a portal to another universe sitting beneath the school. Such things tend to attract all sorts of unwanted attention.”

Sunset snorted, a smirk spreading across her face. “I'm not exactly eager to tell everyone that I'm a magical unicorn from another dimension. I'd rather not end up in the nuthouse.”

“Hoho, I'd imagine not. But there is one more thing. As you probably realize, my family is very much involved in the magical world. While I don't really care one way or the other, Konoka’s parents have made it clear that they'd rather she not learn about magic. If you could keep the secret, I'd be grateful.”

“... Gramps, you do realize that she's currently rooming with a mage who was careless enough to let both me and Asuna find out about him, right? The same mage who inflicted a love poison onto half of the class? The same mage who regularly causes massive gusts of wind whenever he sneezes?”

The principal cocked an eyebrow. “Like I said, I don't care one way or the other.”

*****

It was obvious to Sunset when she reached the front entrance again that the suits has fallen for her bluff. Two sets of widely spaced footprints showed where a couple of men had run around the school and towards the road away towards the dorms. Sunset made her way to the other side of the building, wanting to make sure that the principal didn't see her, and pulled out her practice wand.

“Spiritus venti,” Sunset muttered, “dux mihi socius meus. Punctum me.”

A breeze kicked up around Sunset, one wisp of wind glowing blue and beginning to swirl in front of her. It shaped itself into an arrow which slowly spun in place. This was one of the few spells Sunset had managed to master in the last couple of days: Compass of Wind. It was the most basic scrying spell there was, easily blocked by magic, and only pointing in the cardinal direction in which her target was furthest from her. An arrow pointing north could mean that the target was straight north, or a fair distance east or west as well. It was all but useless as a real tracking spell, but for short range, it would work fine. “Konoka Konoe,” Sunset whispered to the arrow, picturing the girl in her mind. The arrow began to spin faster before coming to a sudden stop, standing on its end to point straight up.

“Huh,” Sunset muttered, dismissing the magic. “Didn’t know it could do ‘up.’ At least that means she’s pretty close by.” She looked up the face of the building, eyeing the narrow ledge outside of the second-story window above her. “Alright,” she said, crouching down and gathering magic into her legs. “Let’s see if this works.”

Sunset launched herself skyward, surprised to find that she reached, and passed, the window with ease. She almost cleared the top of the building when her ascent slowed to a stop and she began to fall. Crap! Find the ledge. Find the ledge! Sunset reached out, grabbing the second-story ledge as she passed it. The yank on her shoulder was jarring, but not painful, the spell doing its job and allowing her to maintain her grip. Sunset sighed in relief, pulling herself up and pressing against the window. Now, if I were Konoka, what room would I go to?

“ISN’T THAT OBVIOUSLY ASUNA-SAN!? DON’T TELL FORTUNES SO IRRESPONSIBLY!”

Sunset rolled her eyes, turning to face the window to her left. “Well that answers that question. Looks like the kid’s here too. Honestly, what is she predicting now?” Konoka had a surprisingly mischievous nature which her position as President of the Fortune Telling Club allowed her to indulge in often, much to the chagrin of her victims. Sunset leapt to the next window, peeking inside and smirking as she saw Negi chase Konoka around the classroom, his face flushed beet red. Yup, definitely up to her old hijinks. “Oy! Konoka! Don’t go picking on little kids.”

Konoka and Negi turned, their faces filling with shock as they saw Sunset hanging out outside the window. “N-Nichi-chan?” Konoka stuttered, running over and opening the window. “How did you get out there?”

Sunset shrugged, hopping inside and sitting on the windowsill. “Please. I’ve climbed smoother surfaces in Library Island.” With a full climbing harness. “More importantly, the old man’s goons have fallen for our trick and are running for the dorms.”

Konoka sighed in relief. “Thank goodness. I guess I’ll just stay here until it’s too late for the shoot, then.”

“That might not be a good idea,” Sunset warned, glancing at Negi. “We’ve got a mob of rabid schoolgirls chasing this one because he’s apparently a prince getting ready to host a ball to search for a fiance.”

“Eh?!” Konoka’s eyes shined as she grasped Negi’s hands. “Negi-kun! You’re a prince? Really?”

“I’M NOT A PRINCE!!!”

“Nichi-chan! Not you too!” Sunset, Konoka, and Negi looked over to see an exasperated Asuna standing in the classroom doorway. “Like I’ve been saying to everyone, it’s a complete misunderstanding. Negi isn’t a prince, and he’s NOT looking for a partner of any sort!”

Sunset chuckled as Konoka rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “We know, Asuna. Just having a bit of fun with the kid. But we’d better get out of here quickly before…” She trailed off, her attention grabbed by the sound of multiple pounding footsteps. “Crap!” She lunged forwards, grabbing Negi by the back of his shirt. “Sorry about this, kid! It’s for your own good!”

“W-w-wait! Nichibosu-saaAAAA!!!”

Sunset turned, throwing him out the window and slamming it shut. She turned and leaned back against it just as a mob of girls slammed Asuna aside, pulling the door wide open and spilling into the room.

“Negi-sensei!”

“Prince Negi!”

“Please make me your partner!”

“EVERYBODY, QUIET!!!”

The room quieted at Sunset’s shout, the girls’ excitement turning to nervousness as they saw both the absence of a child teacher and the presence of a certain silver-tongued classmate. “N-Nichi-chan. Hi,” Sakurako greated nervously. “Ano, have you seen Negi-sensei anywhere?”

“Yeah,” Sunset said, crossing her arms and glaring at her. “I saw him. Running away like he had a pack of wolves on his tail.” She shook her head. “No, sorry, that’s unfair to wolves. At least they have a good reason for their hunt.”

“Yeah yeah, we get it.” Kazumi waved her off, a confident grin on her face. “You play the big bad bully, but it’s really all just an act. We’ve been through this before, Nichi-chan. You don’t have to-”

“Well then it’s a good thing it’s not an act this time.” Kazumi’s grin faded as Sunset turned her glare from student to student. “Fine, I’ll admit that what I said on Wednesday was mostly just to get you all to leave me alone, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to call you out on your group idiocy.”

“Nichibotsu!” Asuna stepped in front of Sunset, commanding her attention. “Don’t you think that’s going a little too far?”

“Is it?” Sunset countered. “I’m just saying what you and the more level-headed members of our class don’t have the guts to. How many times have you had to save the kid from being torn to shreds by this pack of delinquents? A starving hyena has more restraint than the lot of them!” She gestured to the girls who were standing in the doorway. “They took one word, a single word that could have meant practically anything, and turned it into this overblown fantasy of princes and balls. It'd be bad enough if they were to react like this over someone our age or older, but Negi’s just a freaking kid! ” Her glare turned back to the girls. “You're lucky you don't face Child Molestation charges on a regular basis! Honestly, how did you all even…”

She trailed off, finally noticing her classmates’ expressions. It wasn’t Fumika’s watery eyes that stalled her, nor was it Kazumi’s shock or Sakurako and Ako’s flinches at being the subjects of her gaze. She shrugged off the Class Rep and Ku’s disapproving scowls as well as Kaede’s grave stare. What gave her pause was Makie, her frown speaking volumes. Disappointment without condescension. Sorrow not for herself, but for Sunset. It was a look that said, “I know you’re better than this.”

It was the same look Celestia had given her for months before she’d fled.

“...forget it,” Sunset muttered. She turned and threw the window open, leaping through and ignoring the cries of shock from behind her. She landed with ease, taking off into a sprint and barely remembering to keep her speed down to impressive levels rather than superhuman. She raced for the dorms, fighting back tears all the while.

Why! Why in the world do you have a face like that? What could a ditz like you possibly know?!

Arc 3: Chapter 9

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“Yue, what does it mean when someone you barely know can paralyze you with a look?”

The line had been perfectly timed and worded, leaving both Yue and Haruna coughing and sputtering, choking on their drinks. A now blushing Nodoka had been just outside the line of fire, with five or so other students packed into the train-car not being so lucky.

“W-w-w-w-what?!” Haruna stammered once she finally cleared her throat. “Y-you’re in love with someone?!”

“No,” Sunset replied, grinning. “But I knew that that was the conclusion you’d come to.” She sighed, the smile slipping into a confused frown. “It happened the other day, when the mob found the kid and Konoka. I let off a bit of steam, called them out for jumping to wild conclusions and harrassing Negi and, well…”

Yue coughed a couple of times, clearing the last of the juice from her throat. “Was it Ku Fei-chan or Nagase-chan? They can be terrifying when they want to be.”

Sunset shook her head. “No, not them. I mean, they were there, but I could handle their glares. No, it was… Makie, actually.”

“Eh? Makie-chan?” Nodoka asked. “I can’t imagine her glaring at anyone.”

“She wasn’t. It was… different.” Sunset rubbed one arm with the other, trying to figure out how to describe it. “It was like… Have you ever had a parent or teacher that you really look up to give you a look when they’re disappointed in you? The sort of look that says, ‘I forgive you and understand why you did this, but I know you can be better than that and it makes me sad that you’re living below your potential.’”

“Erk!” Sunset looked over her shoulder to find another girl from their class. Chisame Hasegawa, the bispecled, plain-faced shut-in, was looking pointedly away from Sunset, desperately trying to pretend she hadn’t been the one to make that choking noise.

“Ah,” Yue said, nodding. “That sort of look. From Makie-chan. There’s a very good explanation for that.”

“Really?” asked Sunset, deciding to spare Chisame the embarrassment for now and turn back to her friends. “And what’s that?”

“You’re delusional,” Haruna answered, slapping Sunset on the back. “Come on, Makie? Really? I don’t think she’s capable of anything that deep or complex.”

“Haruna-chan!” Nodoka scolded.

“She’s not wrong,” Yue said, taking another sip of her juice. “Makie-chan is a very straightforward person. I have a hard time thinking of her behaving seriously, much less mentorly. You must have misread her, Nichi-chan.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Sunset replied. Maybe when pegasi start shoveling mud. There’s no way I could misread a look like that. Makie’s hiding something, and I’m going to find out what.

“Next stop, Mahora Academy Central.”

Sunset looked up, hiking her bag further up her shoulder. “That’s us. See you girls in class.” The doors opened a moment later, Sunset dashing forward and quickly taking the lead of the mob of students who swarmed towards Mahora. She usually would have walked with her friends, but she was determined to be in class when Makie arrived so she could confront her.

Unfortunately, Makie didn’t show up. Sunset was the first one in the room and waited for twenty minutes as the rest of her classmates filed in. She traded smiles with her friends, gave indifferent stares to most everyone else, and smirked when she saw Mana and Setsuna enter. Both were wearing swimsuits, but at opposite extremes. Setsuna wore a school swimsuit which barely showed off anything, her face a solid red even as she held her head high. Mana had elected to go with a bikini which, showing off her stellar body, made her look even older than she usually did. If she was blushing at all, her dark skin and confident smile hid it well.

“Good morning, Nichibotsu,” she said, smiling at Sunset. “We’re sorry we couldn’t tutor you yesterday, but I’m honestly not sure how much more help you’ll need. I’ve never seen someone master a language as quickly as you do.”

“Oh, I’m a good distance from mastery,” Sunset said, looking Mana up and down and unashamedly enjoying the view. “It’ll be months before I have all of the vocab down. So, what’s up with you and tomato-head?”

Mana gave Setsuna a glance, chuckling as her face turned even redder at her classmates’ attention. “We lost a bet,” she explained. “Bet a few months ago on whether you would alienate the class or not. Since only about seven actually dislike you, Setsuna-san lost. And since the entire class hasn’t forgiven you, I lost.”

“And the loser has to wear a swimsuit to school?” Sunset asked.

Mana nodded. “It’s one of the more common punishments for losing a bet in our class.”

Sunset grinned and headed for her seat as Negi entered. “I think my appreciation for this class just went up a lot more.” She sighed as she sat down at her desk, leaning back and resting her hands behind her head.

And froze.

She kept her content smile and relaxed posture even as her heart started beating wildly. No way, she thought, repressing a shudder. No freaking way. That’s not possible! I haven’t felt something like this in years! It can’t be! She looked around the room, taking in her fellow students as they gossiped and chatted. Setsuna had regained her stoic demeanor, observing the class through a single open eye. Kazumi was chatting with Natsumi while Chisame waited impatiently for class to start. Nodoka was reading a book, Negi was ordering a few papers on his desk, and Evangeline was staring right at her.

It’s her. And she noticed! “Can I help you?” Sunset asked, keeping her voice calm and somewhat irritated.

Evangeline stared at her for another moment before shrugging, turning to face forward again. “Not really. Just thought I saw something.”

Sunset shrugged while inwardly breathing a sigh of relief. Good. Either she thinks it was nothing, or she decided I’m not worth her attention. She found it hard to focus as the class started, even with all the usual antics that made 3-A infamous. But there’s no mistaking what I felt. What I can still feel. I haven’t sensed magic this dark since I fought Raven Dower. Why didn’t I notice it before? Did something replace the real Evangeline? Sunset allowed her senses to open further as Negi started the class. No, it’s not that. It looks like it just isn’t that powerful. But that’s impossible; you don’t get magic that dark without a lot of work and effort. It feels like she could barely summon a gust of wind. Is her magic sealed? Then why can I feel it now when I couldn’t before?

“Negi-sensei!” Sunset turned her attention to the door where Shizuna stood, leaning into the classroom. “Today is the school health checkup. Please tell everyone in 3-A to prepare accordingly.”

“Oh no,” Sunset muttered, grateful for a distraction even as she dreaded what was surely about to happen. “Please kid, have enough self-awareness not to say-”

“W-well then, everyone. We’re having a health checkup, so, uh, er, everyone, please prepare to take off your clothes!”

Sunset’s face met her desk, and she heard the sound of Chisame’s doing something similar next to her. Huh. Maybe I should try to get to know her. She seems like a perfectly sane person. She looked up as Negi fled the room, her classmates for once not trying to seduce or harass him beyond a little teasing.

“Honestly, that kid,” Sunset muttered, standing up and starting to unbutton her shirt. “One of these days he’s going to say something that’ll actually get him into trouble.”

“I’m surprised it hasn’t happened yet.” Sunset glanced over to see Chisame undressing as well, the long-haired orange-head glaring out at her classmates. “Honestly, what are they thinking? How can any of them take a ten-year-old kid seriously as a teacher?”

“Simple,” Sunset replied, relaxing a bit as Evangeline moved towards the front of the class. “Half of them are idiots, another third are either mature enough not to get involved or too good-hearted for their own good, and the rest are just indifferent.” She smirked. “And then there’s you and me: the only sane people in the class.”

Chisame scoffed, though Sunset noticed that she was trying to hide a grin. “Sane? You? You spent half a year living in the Library Death Trap.”

“And thus avoiding the insanity of the girls’ dorms.”

“...I think we might actually be able to get along.”

“KYAAAAH!”

Sunset and Chisame jumped, their eyes snapping to the Narutaki twins. “What the hell is wrong with them?” Chisame grumbled.

Sunset leaned forward, listening in on the building conversation. “I wonder if that monster got Makie-chan?” Sakurako asked.

“M-Maki-chan does look pretty tasty,” Konoka added.

“No, it’s not a blood-sucking monster,” Misa corrected. “It’s a vampire.”

“Oh, that old rumor.” Chisame rolled her eyes, turning her back to the class. “Just a stupid thing that’s been around for years. Apparently, there’s a vampire or something that haunts Sakura Lane. Ridiculous.”

“Yeah, ridiculous.” Sunset frowned, watching Evangeline. The usually uninterested girl was paying peculiar attention to the conversation, a small smile of amusement on her face. “Anyway, we’d better line up for the checkup.” She moved forward, passing Asuna just as Evangeline spoke.

“That’s right, Kakurazaka Asuna. They say the vampire in the rumors loves energetic, cheerful girls. You and Hikaru Nichibotsu should be careful.”

Sunset froze, her eyes slowly turning to Evangeline. The girl still wore a small smile on her face, her eyes on Asuna even as Sunset felt her attention being focused on her.

Crap!

“Sensei!” The whole class turned towards the hallway as Ako’s voice called out, saving Sunset from Evangeline’s attention. “Sensei! We’ve got a problem!”

“Ako-chan?” Madoka asked. “I was wondering where she was.”

“I didn’t even notice she wasn’t here.” Sunset winced as Asuna slapped the back of her head. “Okay, yeah. I deserved that.”

“Ako-san?” Negi asked from just outside the door. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Makie!” Ako cried. “She’s in the infirmary!”

“EH?!”

“WHAT?!”

“What happened to Makie?!”

The door and hallway windows slammed open, everyone jostling for position to ask what was wrong with their classmate. Negi turned beet red as he came face to chest with Asuna and Sunset, both still stripped down to their underwear. Sunset didn’t give Ako a chance to explain, tearing out of the classroom and down the halls towards the infirmary, ignoring her classmates’ shouts from behind her. I’ll bet every bit I’ve ever owned that I can guess her symptomes!

Sunset slid to a stop at the infirmary a moment later, slamming the door open and rushing inside. She ignored the surprised nurse and quickly found Makie lying in a bed. Her face was paler than usual, but she otherwise seemed to be sleeping soundly.

“Um, excuse me,” the nurse said, “but why aren’t you-”

“3-A is going to be in here in a minute,” Sunset said, interrupting her. “Make of that what you will.”

The nurse hesitated only a moment before muttering something about needing to speak with the headmaster anyway. As she left, Sunset lay a hand on Makie’s forehead and closed her eyes.

There’s no mistaking it, she thought, gritting her teeth. That’s dark magic in there. She moved her hand down, following the faint line of magic until it ended on Makie’s neck. She opened her eyes and leaned in close. “Puncture wounds,” she muttered. “Definitely a bite mark.” She tisked and stood straight, rubbing the bridge of her nose. That settles it; the rumor has at least a hint of truth to it, and Evangeline’s definitely involved. Horeseapples! I’m going to get drawn into this, aren’t I?

The infirmary door slammed open again, a huffing Asuna leaning in the doorframe. “Nichibotsu!” She shouted, holding up a bundle of clothes. “You can’t just go running around the school dressed like that!”

Sunset blinked in surprise, looking down and realizing that she was still clad in only her underwear. Huh, so that’s what’s taking everyone else so long. “Oh please,” Sunset scoffed, taking her clothes and beginning to put them on. “It’s not like I’m fully naked. Mana’s covering less right now than me.”

“Th-th-that’s different!” Asuna stuttered. “At least that’s a swimsuit! And besides, she lost a bet!”

Sunset rolled her eyes. The taboos in this world are weird. “Fine, fine. I won’t go streaking half-naked through the school again. Happy?”

Asuna sighed but let the subject drop. She walked over to Makie as Negi and the rest of the class arrived. “So how is she?”

“She seems fine,” Sunset replied. “A little pale, but otherwise fine.” She turned her attention to Ako. “Did she just suddenly faint on you, or…”

Ako shook her head. “She was found sleeping in the middle of Sakura Lane this morning,” she said. “She’s still wearing her clothes from yesterday, too.”

“Eh? Is that it?” Kazumi asked, leaning closer.

“I wonder if she drank too much amasake,” Sakurako suggested.

“Yesterday was hot,” Konoka reasoned, “so maybe she collapsed after being exposed to the cold.”

“You all seem to have a really low regard for Makie’s constitution,” Sunset griped. “She’s a freaking gymnast; she isn’t going to faint in the middle of the road for no good reason.”

“Ohoho,” Haruna chuckled, pushing her glasses up dramatically. “So quick to leap to her defence and run to her side. And right after what you said on the train today. Do you really think you can hide your true affections from-”

“You’re an idiot,” Sunset interrupted. “I was just concerned that something might have attacked her. Most rumors have some basis in truth, and if there’s some sort of wild animal around Sakura Lane, I’d like to know about it.”

“You don’t need to worry about that.” Sunset looked over her shoulder at Negi, who smiled reassuringly at her. “Makie’s fine. She’s just a little anemic.”

Anemic. Sunset’s gut twisted as her classmates began to file out. She followed them slowly, staying just long enough to overhear Negi tell Asuna that he would be working late that night. So, it looks like he’s come to the same conclusion. I wonder if he’s sensed anything off about Evangeline. She shook her head, puting it from her mind. Well, I’ll just have to find out tonight.

Arc 3: Chapter 10

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The evening wind blew hard as Sunset watched Sakura Lane from her hiding spot amongst the pink-blossomed trees. She’d invented a story about checking something out in Library Island, so she could stay out late without Yue and Nodoka getting worried. She hated how much she was having to lie to them lately.

They’re going to figure it out eventually anyway, she thoughts, adjusting herself on the branch she sat on as she watched the setting sun. They’re both incredibly smart, even if Baka Black refuses to study most of the time. Between me living with them and the kid being so careless, it’s going to come out. She sighed as the sun fell below the horizon, looking down at the students who were making their way home to the dorms. “Guess I’ll have to figure out how to tell them sooner rather than later.”

“Tell who what, de gozaru?”

Sunset stood, spinning on her branch and sending a kick straight into Kaede’s hand. The green-haired, squinty-eyed ninja didn’t even flinch, just held Sunset steady and studied her face. “Good kick, but you wasted time by standing up. You should have gone for a low sweep, de gozaru.”

Sunset grunted, lowering her leg and sitting down again, leaning back against the trunk of the tree. “I’ll work on that,” she said, her tone equal parts snark and sincerity. “What do you want, anyway?”

“I want our class to be happy,” Kaede replied, her eyebrows lowering slightly, “a task that you are complicating, de gozaru.”

Sunset shrugged, her gaze drifting back to her namesake. “Hey, they leave me alone, I leave them alone. Then everyone can be happy, happy, happy. There, nice and simple for Baka Blue.”

Kaede’s eyes narrowed further. “You know that will not happen, de gozaru. Our classmates aren’t the sort to leave someone behind. I worry about what you will do once their antics overwhelm your patience.”

“You already know what happens,” Sunset said, turning her eyes from the sky to the street, watching the students that passed beneath, unaware of the conversation occuring right above their heads. “You were there when I ripped into all of you.”

“That was not a loss of patience, de gozaru.” Sunset stiffened slightly, turning an eye back to the taller girl. “That was planned to cut them off before your patience could run out. An attack like that is easy to counter with cheerful spirits and a few observant eyes.” Her eyebrows lowered further into a glare. “Those who speak in true anger cut much deeper; their words are as visceral as they are true, de gozaru.”

Sunset turned her head to face Kaede fully, matching the girl’s glare with one of her own. “Strangely insightful, Baka Blue. You sure you aren’t pulling your punches in class?”

“People are easier to read than books.”

Sunset chuckled, turning her gaze back down to the street. “So, what now? I can tell you’re a much better fighter than I could ever hope to be.” Without magic, that is. “Is this where you threaten me with horrible bodily harm if I don’t change my attitude?”

Kaede sighed and shook her head. “Your violent attitude concerns me. I came to talk, not to threaten, de gozaru.”

“So a lecture, then. Sorry, but the best lecturer in the world has a hard time changing my mind. I know; she’s tried many times.”

“Then I will have to see if my method works better than hers, de gozaru.” Kaede pointed down at a silver-blue haired girl who was walking by. “Starting with Izumi-chan.”

“Ako?” Sunset asked, surprised. “Are you kidding? I barely said anything to her.”

“She was probably the one that you hurt the most.” Sunset stared in Kaede in shock, but the taller girl kept her gaze on Ako. “She has little self-confidence. Always to the side or in the back. Never drawing attention to herself. Not that she doesn’t try, but she always hesitates too long and someone else in the class takes the lead, de gozaru.”

Sunset shrugged, watching the girl as well. “Okay, but so what? There are a lot of girls like that out there.”

“But those girls aren’t in our class.” Kaede sat down on the branch, crossing her legs. “You have noticed that our class has many interesting people, de gozaru. For a girl like Izumi-san, that’s difficult. She often feels like she has nothing to contribute, that she is nothing more than a side character in other people’s lives. It doesn’t help that her main distinguishing feature is one of shame, de gozaru.”

Sunset pondered for a moment as Ako walked beneath them. It was only when she passed them that Sunset realized what Kaede meant. “Her scar…”

Kaede nodded. “I don’t know how she got it, but she used to hide it far more than she does now, de gozaru. She used to go to a corner of the room whenever we changed. Took baths at odd hours to avoid most of the class. From what I hear, even her roommates didn’t know about it for the first few weeks, de gozaru.”

“And she sees that as the only thing that sets her apart.” Sunset sighed and closed her eyes, massaging the bridge of her nose. “Ignoring her cool hair and her skills on the bass guitar. And telling her to keep being a wallflower just reinforced it.”

Kaede nodded, standing up. “I’m not going to ask you to completely change,” she said. “ Most of our class is cheerful or confident enough to blunt your sharp edges. However, I will ask that you consider the more fragile members of our class, de gozaru.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sunset muttered. “I get it. I’ll give her a pep--talk or something.” She looked up. “How did you even know-” Kaede was gone. Sunset blinked, shifting her weight a little. The branch she was on moved up and down slightly, a shift that hadn’t occurred when Kaede had left. She shook her head and turned her attention back to the road as the streetlights started turning on. “Freaking ninja.”

*****

“Well, I’m going home first, Nodoka.”

“All right!”

Sunset watched as Nodoka separated from her group, heading back towards the school for some additional late-night studying. Sunset had seen nothing suspicious during the hours she’d spent in the trees by Sakura Lane, and she was beginning to think that she had wasted her evening.

Just as well, she thought, standing up and straightening out her skirt. I’d prefer more time to research this world’s monsters before having to fight one. Let’s hope that-

A chill ran down her spine. Her blood turned to ice, a void opening in her stomach. If she’d still had her pony ears, they’d have flattened to her head. She’s here! Sunset leapt down from her branch, landing quietly at the base of the tree and looking around. Where is she? Show yourself you overgrown leech.

A light tap caught her ears. She turned. Looked up. A figure had alighted upon one of the streetlights, draped in a tattered black cloak and bearing a pointed witch’s hat. Her cloak and long blonde hair billowed in the wind, beautiful and dark all at once. Nodoka stood frozen in shock as the figure leared down at her.

“Seat number 27, Miyazaki Nodoka, isn’t it?” the figure said as Sunset crept closer, pulling out her wand and chanting under her breath. “Sorry, but I’ll be taking some of that blood of yours.”

“Sagita magica, series ignis!”

The figure paused, turning to watch as thirteen bolts of fire flew towards her. She leapt from the lamppost, nimbly dodging the exploding projectiles and fluttering to the ground. Sunset stepped out from the treeline, her wand pointed straight at the figure. “You won’t be taking anyone’s blood tonight, Evangeline.”

“Ni-Ni-Ni-Ni-chi-chan?!” Nodoka stammered, staring from the figure to Sunset to the destroyed lamppost and back. “Wh-wh-what… How…”

“Nodoka-san! Nichibotsu-san!” Nodoka looked over her shoulder, her shock only growing as she saw Negi approaching, riding on his staff af if it were a magic broomstick. He leapt off as he neared them, skidding to a stop and pointing his staff at the cloaked figure. “Undecim spiritus aeris wincurm, fientus iminicum caputent.” His staff began glowing at the tip with light blue energy. “Sagita magica, air captorae!”

Sunset stepped aside as eleven bolts of energy shot from the tip of the staff, hurtling towards the figure.

“So, you two have worked it out already,” the figure muttered, pulling a glass bottle full of blue liquid and dropping it. “Reflectio.” The glass shattered as it hit the ground, a wall of ice appearing before the bolts of magic.

Crap! Sunset tackled Nodoka to the ground, covering her head as the energy shot over them both. “Damn it, kid! Make sure civilians are out of the line of fire before you start shooting those arrows!”

“Ho ho ho, such strong magical power. I’m impressed.”

Sunset looked up, glaring at the figure. Her hat had been blown off, revealing her young face and confirming Sunset’s suspicions.

“Y-y-you’re from my class!” Negi stammered, staring in shock. "E-Evangeline-san?!”

“Keep your guard up, kid,” Sunset said, standing up and motioning for Nodoka to stay down. "She’s no standard mage; she’s an honest to Tenko vampire.”

“T-Tenko?”

“Well well,” Evangeline remarked, giving Sunset an appraising look. “That explains what’s so strange about you. So you’re from that world.” She grinned, licking her lips. “Interesting. It’s been a while since I last sampled horse blood.”

Sunset grit her teeth, turning her wand back to Evangeline. “Keep talking,” she said, glaring at her, “and you’ll see just how hard this horse can buck.”

“W-w-wait!” Negi stepped forward, waving his arms frantically. “We don’t need to fight!” His attention turned to Evangeline. “Y-you’re a mage like us, right? Why are you doing this?”

“It’s rather simple,” Evangeline replied, pulling two more bottles from her robes. “In this world, Sensei, there are good mages, and there are bad ones.” She popped the corks off, flinging the bottles at him and Sunset. “Lanceam glacies!”

Sunset whipped her wand through the air. “Telum ignis!”

Two spears of magic shot at each other, one of ice and the other of fire. They exploded against each other, creating a massive curtain of steam. Sunset glared at the mist, barely able to make out Evangeline’s outline. “Negi! We’ve got to-”

“Negi!”

“Negi-kun!”

Sunset tisked, glancing over her shoulder. Konoka and Asuna were rushing towards them, concern written on their faces. We don’t need this! Sunset thought. Honya was bad enough, but we can’t keep this fight up with another non-mage in the mix!

A low chuckle echoed through the mist. Sunset whipped her head back to Evangeline, but she was already fleeing. Perfect. “Kid!” she shouted. “Take Asuna and get after her! I’ll take care of Honya!”

“R-right!” Negi turned and dashed off through the steam, Asuna right behind him.

“N-Nichi-chan?” Konoka asked, staring from the fading mist to the warped and charred lamppost. “Wh-what’s going on? Who are they going after?”

“The person who attacked Makie,” Sunset replied, slipping her wand into her pocket before Konoka could notice it. “They went after Nodoka, too. Lucky the kid and I were here to stop them.” She leaned down, holding her hand out to Nodoka. “You alright, Honya?”

Nodoka starred in bewilderment between Sunset and the now empty street before hesitantly taking her hand, standing up with Sunset’s help. “Y-yes,” she stammered, her eyes darting to the pocket that now held Sunset’s wand. “B-b-but, I don’t understand. What’s going on? How did you and Sensei-”

“I’ll explain everything later,” Sunset interrupted, looking around for any sign of Evangeline or any possible accomplices. “For now, let’s get back home. I don’t feel comfortable out here in the open after that.”

Arc 3: Chapter 11

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Yue sighed as she fell back on the lower bunk of her dorm’s bunk-beds, dressed in her pajamas. The smallest of smiles graced her face as she relaxed. Honya was doing some late studying at the school, and Nichibotsu was out doing who-knows-what at Library Island. It was a rare hour where Yue had nothing pressing to do and the room to herself. She slowly rolled over, reaching under her pillow. She shot a quick glance at the door, making sure it was locked, before starting to pull out her guilty pleasure. If Haruna ever found out about this, I’d never hear the end of it, she thought, opening the small paperback and settling in to continue where she’d left off.

The lock clicked open.

“We’re fine, Konoka,” Sunset said as she led Nodoka into the room. “Really, fine. Go get some sleep. I’m sure Asuna and the kid will be back soon.” She closed the door and locked it again, leaning back against it with a sigh. “That girl. I love her to bits, but she can be a mother hen sometimes.”

“I-it’s not really her fault,” Nodoka said, shivering slightly. “She has every reason to worry after- oh.” She waved for Sunset to be quiet, looking over at Yue’s bunk. The girl was lying beneath the covers, blankets pulled almost over her head and her back to the door. “It looks like Yue-chan turned in early,” she whispered.

“Just as well,” Sunset muttered, flicking the lights off. “It’ll be hard enough to explain all of this magic stuff to you without the Stoic staring me down.”

Yue, meanwhile, was trying desperately to calm her rapidly beating heart. Thank goodness, she thought, slowly sliding the paperback under her pillow. Nichi-chan discovering this would be almost as bad as Haruna. Just got to lay still until they… wait. Magic stuff?

“M-magic?” Nodoka echoed Yue’s thoughts. “Th-that was magic back there?”

“No,” said Sunset rolling her eyes and slipping her wand out of her pocket. “That was ridiculously advanced CGI.”

“Oh! Really?”

Sunset sighed, tapping the door a couple of times with her wand. “I keep forgetting that you don’t really use sarcasm in Japan.” She turned around and leaned back on the door, looking out the window. “Yes, Nodoka. It was magic. The arrows and lances of fire. The ice barrier. All of it. Evangeline, Negi, and I are all mages.”

“M-m-mages?” Nodoka’s legs trembled for a moment before giving out entirely. She collapsed to her knees, staring down at the floor in shock. “This… this is…”

“Overwhelming?” Sunset nodded. “That’s why I didn’t tell you and Yue.” She sighed, scratching her head. “I was planning on telling the two of you soon, but I didn’t think it’d be like this.” She walked over and sat down next to Nodoka. “I thought I’d have time to plan it out. Time to figure out how to soften the blow.” She chuckled. “Time for the kid to seriously mess up and expose magic to the entire class.”

“...caught me…”

“Hm?” Sunset turned her head to look at Nodoka. “What was that?”

Nodoka started, not having realized that she’d spoken aloud. “Oh! Um, I was just thinking. When I fell and Negi-sensei caught me, that was magic, wasn’t it?”

Sunset nodded. “I saw it myself. He conjured a strong wind below you that kept you aloft just long enough for him to catch you. That’s when Asuna discovered it, too.” Sunset leaned back, supporting herself with her hands as she listed off. “That afternoon when the class was chasing Negi? Love potion gone wrong. His surprising incompetence in Library Island? He’d sealed his magic for a few days. The golem, the hidden library, and the Book of Melchizedek? Heck, I’ll bet my left arm that the entire Library was built by mages.” Her eyes narrowed into an unamused stare. “Every time the kid’s sneezed and summoned a wind or stripped someone? Magic. Kid really needs to learn some freaking controle.”

“Is, is he the one who taught you magic, then?” Nodoka asked.

Sunset hesitated. “...yes, and no. He gave me some spellbooks, books on magical law and theory, and the necessary materials, but I mostly taught myself. That’s why I was always holed up in my old room in Library Island. It’s also why I needed to learn Latin. You may not have noticed in all the chaos, but incantations are usually spoken in Latin. Not sure why.”

“That’s amazing,” Nodoka said, her face filled with awe. “You learned all by yourself? And you’re already strong enough to stand up to…” She shivered at the memory of Evangeline’s attack.

Sunset shook her head. “I got lucky against Evangeline. Her specialty is ice while mine is fire, and most of her magic seems to be sealed away. And with Negi coming in to back me up, she thought she was in a losing fight.” Sunset glowered across the room. “She was wrong. Magic as dark as hers tends to make up for a lack of brute strength with primal ferocity. I may have a lot of experience, but my overall power is still pretty low. I’m going to need to work on that.”

“Experience?”

Sunset stiffened, going over her last couple of sentences in her head. Crap!

“But, Negi-sensei hasn’t been here that long,” Nodoka said, confused. “And you didn’t use any magic in Library Island when we went after the Book of Melchizedek. When would you…” She trailed off as her eyes widened in realization. “...your past.”

Sunset sighed and nodded. “I… never had amnesia,” she admitted. “My past is… complicated. Suffice it to say that I don’t come from Japan. I was once a powerful mage, studying under the most powerful sorceress ever to exist.” She smiled nostalgically. “Heh, you should have seen me back then. I fought monsters, warlocks, even vampires, and I always came out on top. It was a cinch.” She frowned. “But magic is different here. I still feel my wellspring inside my chest, but I can’t access it for some reason. Meanwhile, since I’m so new to this world’s magic, I can’t channel very much of it at once. I’ve been working on endurance, maintaining a physical enhancement spell throughout the day, but my magical muscle still needs serious work before I catch up to Negi. As for Evangeline...” she winced. “Even the old me at full power would have struggled against her full strength. I really hope that whatever seal keeps her powers under control doesn’t break anytime soon. Or at all.”

“...wow.” Nodoka looked down, shaking her head. “This is all so… so…”

“Much?” Sunset asked. She chuckled at Nodoka’s embarrassed nod. “Yeah, I guess it is. Tell you what, let’s leave it here for tonight. Sleep on it, give it some time, and if you still want to know more, I’ll tell you when you feel that you’re ready.”

Nodoka nodded, standing up on slightly unsteady legs. They both changed into their pyjamas, Nodoka climbing into bed while Sunset busied herself with a few things. She listened intently as she tidied up the room, waiting for Nodoka’s exhaustion to overcome her spinning mind. It wasn’t long until she head Nodoka’s breaths even out into the familiar rhythm of sleep. She sighed and walked over to the bunk-bed, leaning down close to Yue’s head.

“The same goes for you,” she whispered. “Take however long you need to digest. And by the way, magical girl manga is hardly the most embarrassing guilty pleasure, but you may still want to find a better place to hide it than under your pillow.”

“...noted.”

*****

Sunset set off early the next morning, before Yue and Nodoka had awoken. She wanted to give both of them time to think about what they’d heard the previous night, especially Yue since she hadn’t seen the demonstration of Evangeline’s attack. Another, more serious purpose drove her out into the early morning as well, and she swiftly made her way to a certain dojo near the dorms. Sure enough, she found exactly who she’d hoped to see inside.

Setsuna was alone in the dojo, dressed in a traditional gi and sitting on the floor, a bamboo sword resting across her crossed legs. Her eyes were closed, her head slightly bowed in meditation. Nevertheless, she looked up as Sunset approached. “Nichibotsu-san?” she asked, confused. “What are you doing here?”

“Information gathering.” Sunset removed her shoes and stepped inside, sitting down in front of Setsuna. “How much do you know about vampires?”

Setsuna’s eyes narrowed. “Coming from anyone else, I’d say you’ve been listening to too many rumors. Sakura Lane?”

Sunset nodded. “I was there last night. The vampire tried to attack Nodoka. Negi and I were able to fend her off, and the kid chased after her. I’m not sure what happened after that.”

“Hm.” Setsuna closed her eyes again, pondering on this revelation. “Did you happen to see the vampire’s face?”

“Yeah, and get this.” Sunswet smirked. “The Sakura Lane Vampire is none other than our very own Evangeline A K MacDowell.”

Setsuna’s eyes shot open. “Evangeline-san? You’re certain.”

Sunset nodded. “She certainly didn’t make any effort to hide it.” Her brow furrowed and she looked off to the side. “It’s weird, though. I’ve been sitting next to her since I joined the class, but I only yesterday sensed her magic. What’s more… it’s incredibly dark.”

Setsuna cocked her head to the side. “Dark? What do you mean?”

“That’s the thing; I’m not sure.” Sunset stood and began pacing. “Vampires and other such creatures have darker magic by nature, but hers? You don’t get magic that dark without killing. A lot. The aura of her magic would suggest that she’s killed hundreds - if not thousands - of people.” She shook her head. “But that doesn’t make sense. I mean, just look at her! Normal skin-tone. Purple eyes instead of red. And I swear she hasn’t had fangs the whole time I’ve been sitting next to her. If the physical tells aren’t there, then that means she’s really young. How does a young vampire get magic that dark?”

“I’m still confused by what you mean by ‘dark,’” Setsuna said, “but I do have an answer to your confusion.” Sunset stopped pacing and glanced over. “What you’re describing is characteristic of only a few breeds of lesser vampires. More powerful vampires retain the form that they possessed in life, with few - if any - physical changes. However,” Setsuna’s expression grew grim. Worried. “Even powerful vampires still have weaknesses, including sunlight. If she’s able to walk around in the open without problem, then she must have overcome those weaknesses, something that usually takes centuries.”

Sunset groaned, massaging her temples. “Great. Your vampires are different. That throws just about everything I know about them out the window. I really hope one of those books Negi gave me is a bestiary.” She sighed, turning her gaze back to Setsuna. “So, what about her magic? I haven’t been able to feel it before, so why now? Is her seal weakening? Breaking? Is there something special about Sakura Lane or about these last two nights that lets her magic loose?”

“There’s only one way to be sure,” Setsuna replied, standing. “We need to confront her ourselves. Get an explanation from the source.”

Sunset hesitated for a moment before nodding. “I… guess that’s our only real option. I usually prefer to research my enemy before confronting them, but I guess she’s weak enough for us to handle.”

“Definitely,” Setsuna agreed, carrying her sword over to one wall of the dojo and hanging it up. “Fighting such creatures is my specialty, and it sounds like you know what you’re doing as well. Although,” she turned, affixing Sunset with a piercing stare, “I find it rather strange that you would have a way that you ‘usually prefer’ to operate, considering your condition.”

Sunset chuckled, rolling her eyes. “As if my comment about ‘the passage back to where I come from’ wasn’t enough of a tip. But I think we have more important things to worry about than my conveniently inconsistent amnesia.”

Setsuna stared her down for a moment more before nodding. “Very well.” She turned and started for a nearby door. “Go on ahead to school. I’ll meet you there.”

*****

Sunset arrived early to class once again, the better to keep an eye out for Evangeline or Negi. However, her attention was caught by another person altogether as Makie walked into the room, accompanied by Ako and Yuna. “Oh! Nichi-chan! Good morning!”

“Um, yeah,” Sunset replied, surprised by both the girl’s presence and enthusiasm. “Morning.” She nodded to Yuna and Ako. “You too, I guess.”

Yuna grinned back, causing Sunset to inwardly groan. She knew that grin. It was the grin she saw in the mirror the morning of an exam or a duel. A competitive grin. “Good morning, Nichi-chan!” she called, walking over. “Hey hey, did you see?” She reached over and pulled Makie into a side-hug. “Makie’s all better now!”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Yes, I got that from the way she was standing up and walking around.” She turned her attention to the girl in question. “Good to see you up and about, I guess. Do you know what happened to you the other day?”

Makie hummed to herself, scratching at the side of her neck. “Not a thing. I remember walking home, and getting onto Sakura Lane, but everything after that is blank until I woke up in the infirmary.”

Sunset’s eyes darted to Makie’s hand, a slight frown crossing her features which she played off as her usual dour face. Huh. Maybe I am a little grumpier all the time than I should be. “Well, glad to see you’re okay, at least. Actually, I kind of wanted to ask you some-”

“So what do you know about my mom?” Yuna asked, pushing Makie aside to stand right in front of Sunset.

Dang, those things are big for her age! Sunset drew her gaze up to Yuna’s face, an eyebrow raising. “What?”

“I was thinking about what you said that day at the World Tree Plaza,” Yuna explained, placing her hands on her hips and leaning forward. “You said you’d seen pictures of my mom, and I thought that was weird. How do you know about her?”

Sunset leaned back in her chair, doing her best not to be obvious about enjoying the view she was getting. Sweet Celestia, you are oblivious about those things. “Your dad showed me a few pictures,” she explained. “You’re Professor Akashi’s daughter, right? I got to know a lot of the teachers here before I joined the class.”

“Eh? Really?” Yuna sighed, standing upright. “Aw, and here I thought you had some mysterious, cool connection with her or something.”

Sunset snorted, a smirk slipping onto her face. “‘Mysterious, cool connection?’ Seriously? What sort of connection could I have to her? I can’t even remember anything from before about a year ago.”

“Wh-what?” Ako leaned forward, her face full of shock. “Really?”

“Um, yeah,” Sunset replied, looking from one surprised face to another. “You… didn’t know that?”

The three girls shared glances and shook their heads as the classroom started to fill up. “We had no idea,” Ako said.

“I think I heard something about you being a foreigner,” Yuna said, tapping her chin in thought. “I know I heard something about you learning Japanese really quickly.”

“Oh yeah,” Makie said, nodding along. “It was the Library Exploration girls. They taught her back when she was living in Library Island!” She slapped her forehead. “I remember now! You told us that you’d just woken up in that room without any memories.”

“Eh?” Ako leaned forward to look around Yuna at Makie. “How do you forget something like that?”

“Leave it to Baka Pink to forget who has a mysterious, amnesiac past,” Yuna said, nudging Makie in the side.

Sunset sighed as the girls bantered back and forth, inventing crazier and crazier theories pertaining to her origins. She couldn’t help a small smile from creeping onto her face. Dang it, it’s hard to be annoyed with them when they’re like this naturally. What’s changed? Sunset thought back to the Week of Torturous Annoyance, running through those days when she’d been dragged away from her studies. Is that really it? she thought. Are they actually not as annoying as I thought?

“Hey look!” Sunset was pulled from her musings, distracted by Yuna’s finger pointed right at her face. The busty basketballer wore a triumphant grin. “She’s smiling! The annoyed-at-everyone girl is having fun talking with us!”

Oh I am NOT letting you take that! Sunset reapplied her smirk, pushing Yuna’s finger out of her face. “What can I say?” she asked. “Sometimes I like to listen to little birds pointlessly tweeting.”

Yuna leaned back and laughed, her grin never leaving her face. Makie’s smile of innocence was persistent as ever, and even Ako’s lips were nervously tilted upwards. “You know what,” Yuna said, recovering from her laughter, “Makie was right. You’re not so bad after all.”

Sunset shook her head, standing up as she saw Setsuna enter, once again clad in her school swimsuit. “If you say so. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got something to attend to.”

Setsuna noted her approach and gestured towards the hallway. Sunset followed her out, leaning against the wall and casually looking around to make sure that no-one was listening in. “So, what’s with the outfit? Did you find yesterday that you have an exhibitionist side?”

Setsuna’s eyes narrowed, but she shrugged it off. “The bet lasts all week,” she said. “More importantly, I was able to gather some information from Takahata-sensei.”

“From Takamichi?” Sunset asked, surprised. “He knows about Evangeline?”

Setsuna nodded. “He is one of several mages stationed at this school. Moreover, he knows the full circumstance behind Evangeline-san’s imprisonment here.”

Sunset’s eyes narrowed. “Go on.”

“Apparently,” Setsuna explained, “Evangeline-san was a powerful vampire who wrought terror throughout Europe for about a century. From there she moved from place to place and eventually began to stalk Negi-sensei’s father, the Thousand Master.”

Sunset cocked her head to the side. “From the sound of that title, I’m guessing he was a big deal?”

Setsuna nodded. “The Thousand Master. The Master of a Thousand Spells. His abilities and accomplishments are legendary amongst mages. He apparently placed a curse upon Evangeline-san, tying her to this school and sealing her power. The seal weakens slightly during the full moon, but she still can’t do much, even if she were to suck blood from a few victims every night. At all other times, all she has is some natural barrier magic.”

Sunset sighed in relief. “Well that’s good, I guess. So we don’t have to worry about her again until the next full moon?”

“We don’t have to worry about her at all,” Setsuna corrected. “Takahata-sensei said he would keep an eye on her for the next few full moons to make sure that nothing happens. Our part in this is done.”

Sunset blinked a few times, surprised. “Huh. That was… surprisingly easy. I wonder if Negi knows-”

“Asuna! No! I don’t want her to suck my blood!”

Sunset sighed again, this time in exasperation. “Well, that answers that question.”

“You should probably tell him that he has nothing to fear,” Setsuna said, turning and walking back into the classroom.

“Heh, maybe tomorrow,” Sunset replied, following her. “I’d rather get what entertainment I can out of this.” She headed back to her seat, glad to see that the area around it was empty. A lot of the class had gathered around Makie in her seat, asking about what had happened that night she’d collapsed. Sunset sat down and leaned back, happy to observe from afar. She began to ponder her conversation with Yuna, Makie, and Ako, recalling Kaede’s words about the latter. I should probably try to find time to talk with her, see if I can’t do something about that self-esteem. Celestia knows Kaede will just sneak up on me again if I don’t.

“Sheesh. What’s his problem?”

Sunset glanced over at Chisame before turning her attention to the front of the room where Negi was resisting Asuna’s efforts to drag him into the classroom. “Eh, he got scared of the vampire rumors and is convinced that one of the girls in here is the creature,” she said, chuckling at her little half-truth.

“Ugh, that idiot,” Chisame muttered. “How can an immature kid like that be a teacher?”

“Who knows?” Sunset answered. Her eyes narrowed as Chachamaru walked into the room. Or rather, at Negi’s frightened reaction to Chachamaru. Hm. Curious.

The day passed slowly for 3-A. Negi was obviously stressed and distracted, going off on random tangents or staring off into space as the students read passages from their textbooks. It was after Ako had finished one such reading and Negi failed to react that the rest of the class seemed to take notice.

“D-don’t you think Sensei looks a bit off?” Fuka whispered to her sister.

“H-he’s just staring into space in our direction,” Ako muttered nervously.

“All he’s doing is sighing,” Fumika added.

“Tch, how unprofessional can you get?” Chisame muttered, drumming her fingers on the table. “What, did someone kick his dog this morning, or something?”

“Eh, he’s been through a lot lately,” Sunset quietly defended. Sheesh, kid. I was hoping you’d be a nervous wreck, not a melancholic one. The first one would be funny, at least. This is just pathetic.

“Hey, maybe for the past few days…”

“They said he was looking for a partner....”

Sunset groaned as the rumors started flying again. “They’re seriously back onto this?”

“Didn’t you already read them the riot act about this one?” Chisame asked curiously as whispers of “partners” and “princes” started flying. “Guess idiots never learn.”

“S-sensei!” Ako spoke up, the whispers immediately dying down. “I finished reading.”

“Eh?” Negi snapped out of his daze, blinking blearily. “Y-yes, good work Izumi-san.” He hesitated a moment. “Um… I know it’s a bit abrupt, but I have a question for you. If Izumi-san were to choose a p-partner…”

Sunset sat up ramrod straight, ignoring Chisame’s inquisitive stare. Oh kid, don’t do it. Please be smart enough not to-

“You would turn down a 10-year-old boy, right?”

“EEEEEH!!!”

*SLAM*

The class ignored the sound of Sunset’s head repeatedly hitting her desk as several of them started blushing and stammering. “T-that- Sensei!” Ako stuttered. “This is so sudden! That’d be really, um, hard. Because I’m still only a third-year, so…” Her face flushed, and she began waving her arm erratically. “B-b-but I don’t have any particular boy at the moment, so…”

“Ha,” Negi sighed, oblivious to the cause of her reaction. He turned to Nodoka. “How about you, Miyazaki-san.”

*CRACK*

Sunset groaned, ceasing her assault on the table and rubbing her head, hoping that it had been the wood cracking and not her skull. “Please don’t freak out, Nodoka,” she muttered. “Don’t freak out don’t freak out don’t freak out-”

“NEGI-SENSEI!” Ayaka shouted, causing Sunset to sigh in relief. “IT WOULD BE SUPER OKAY WITH ME!!!”

“Negi-sensei,” Kazumi interrupted, pushing the class rep aside, “I have some welcome news for you. Because our class is so spaced out, I’d say about four fifths of them don’t have boyfriends. So,” a cheshire grin crept onto her face, “if you’re looking for a girlfriend, you have over twenty onee-chans to choose from.”

“Oy! Paparazzi!” Sunset shouted, happy to add to the chaos if it got attention away from Nodoka. Or if it just looked fun. “I hope you aren’t including normal people like me and Chisame in that number!”

“N-N-N-N-N-NO!!!” Negi stammered. “THAT’S NOT IT!!! THAT’S NOT WHAT I-” The bell cut him off, and he seemed extremely relieved to have an excuse to leave. “Haha, I’m sorry,” Negi chuckled, attempting to play it off. “The question had nothing to do with the lesson. Please forget about it; it doesn’t mean anything!” He quickly gathered his papers and made for the door. “Well then, we’ll leave it here for today-”

His face impacted with the door, Negi having neglected to open it all the way in his distracted state. “Haha.” He forced out another laugh. “Really! I’m all right!” He turned back towards the door, letting out a final depressed sigh as he exited.

“Wait up, Negi!” Asuna shouted racing after him.

“Asuna-san” Ayaka called out before she could leave. “Do you know anything about this?”

Sunset groaned, leaning back in her chair. “Stupid response incoming.”

“Um, I think he’s troubled because he can’t find a partner or something,” Asuna said. “It seems that not being able to find one is really bad.” She turned and fled the room, going after Negi.

Sunset closed her eyes and began the countdown. “Three… Two… One…”

“THE RUMORS WERE TRUE AFTER ALL!!!”

“THE DILEMMA OF A PRINCE!!!”

“That’s it,” Sunset said, standing up and gathering her books as the class dissolved into speculation over who would get to be “Prince Negi’s” partner. “I’m getting out of here. I need a loooooong soak after all of this stupidity.”

“I’ll tag along,” Chisame said, standing as well. “Any excuse not to get dragged into their inane machinations.”

The two girls left the room just as the girls started debating whether Negi’s feelings on who his future partner would be mattered or not.

Arc 3: Chapter 12

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“So, what is the whole ‘partner’ thing about?”

Sunset paused, half-way through lathering her hair. She and Chisame sat side by side, washing up before they entered the dorm baths to soak. “...please tell me you aren’t buying into the ‘prince’ thing.”

“Of course not,” Chisame scoffed, pausing a moment to rinse out her hair. “But you seem to know what it’s really about. So?”

Sunset sighed, rinsing her hair out as well. “Some custom from England,” she said. “It isn’t romantic, first of all. It’s more like… a work agreement. Partners agree to support each other, help each other out in their careers.”

Chisame raised an eyebrow. “Really? And a ten-year-old is thinking about all of that?”

Sunset chuckled, shaking her head. “Yeah, he’s way too young for that sort of thing. I think he’s just taking himself too seriously. Not surprising, really. You’ve seen how adult he tries to be.”

“Yeah, and it’s annoying.” The girls stood up and walked over to the baths. “Any chance the rest of the class will listen if we-”

“Hikaru-chan! Hasegawa-san!”

Sunset and Chisame looked over to the entrance of the baths to see a tomboy-ish, tan haired girl standing there in a one-piece swimsuit. Misora Kasuga grinned as she jogged over, carrying a couple of bikinis with her. “Glad I caught you. Quick,” she held up the bikinis, “put these on!”

Sunset shared a quick glance with Chisame before turning back to the baths. “Yeah, no.”

“Come on,” Misora said, tossing one of the bikinis to Chisame. “The rest of the girls are bringing Negi-sensei here for a ‘Cheer Up Negi-Sensei Pool Party.’”

Sunset looked around. The baths that served their dorm did resemble a large pool more than a place for simply soaking. “And this concerns me, why?” Sunset asked, settling down into the water.

Misora raised an eyebrow. “Well, would you rather Negi-sensei see you in a swimsuit, or naked.”

Sunset shrugged as Chisame began pulling on her swimsuit. “Honestly, I couldn’t care less either way.”

Chisame paused, sharing a look with Misora. “You… don’t care?”

Sunset stifled a groan. Stupid human nudity taboo. “He’s just a kid, right? What’s the big deal?”

Misora blushed while Chisame shrugged, finishing putting on her bikini. “Honestly, I’m more worried about the rest of our class,” she said, slipping into the water beside Sunset. “Do you think they’ll leave you alone if you’re the only one without a swimsuit?”

“Win-win then,” Sunset said, grinning at her. “When I see who’s staring or sneaking glimpses, I’ll know who in the class is interested.”

Chisame rolled her eyes, sighing as she leaned back and closed her eyes. “Whatever,” she muttered, ignoring the sound of the class entering and setting things up. “Though why you would want to attract the attention of a bunch of ditzes is beyond me.”

“Oh come on. We aren’t all that bad.”

Sunset looked up, smirking at the dark-skinned girl that towered above them both. “Do I really have to point out the problem that Chisame has with you?”

“Don’t engage them, Nichibotsu,” Chisame groaned. “You’ll only encourage them.”

Mana chuckled, settling in on Sunset’s other side, her bikini covering very little. “I’m guessing it’s either jealousy or the fact that I look like I’m in my twenties.”

“The second one,” Chisame grunted, massaging the bridge of her nose as the noise in the baths increased. “You and Nagase and Chizuru. Even the class rep looks too old for our class.”

“Could be worse,” Sunset said, her eyes drifting to the far end where two girls were cannonballing into the slightly deeper waters. “Could be the Narutaki twins. Are we sure that they’re actually as old as the rest of us?”

“I’d suspect them of skipping several grades if they weren’t such idiots.”

Mana frowned at the two of them. “Is this really how you two spend your time? Insulting the rest of the class and coming up with all the ways that they annoy you?”

“Only when I’m forced to be around them,” Chisame clarified.

Sunset shrugged, watching as Yuna and Makie started racing, the former easily outpacing the latter through the water. “Meh, I just like shooting the breeze. And Chisame seems like a sane person to do that with. I agree with everything she says, it just doesn’t bother me so much.”

“Not that you don’t use it when you need to,” Chisame said, opening one eye and smirking at Sunset. “That rant at the World Tree Plaza was brutal. I’d love to hear what you have to say about the rest of the class.”

Sunset groaned. “That should have worked so well. I can’t believe that Natsumi saw through it.”
Chisame’s retort was cut off by a large splash, and the three girls looked over to see a naked Negi sputtering and coughing from the depths of the pool.

“And so it begins,” Sunset muttered, leaning back and closing her eyes as the class shouted out a welcome to the child teacher. “Let me know when they start groping him.”

*****

The party went about as poorly as Sunset expected. As soon as it looked like Negi was starting to cheer up, Ayaka started in about being his partner. All it took from there was one of the girls volunteering to wash his hair before the whole thing deteriorated into what Chisame called “a sexual harrassment party.” Sunset, feeling that any further opportunity to relax had been officially destroyed, stood to leave.

She almost made it to the door before the screaming started.

“KYAAA! A MOUSE!!!”

“THERE’S A RAT!!!”

Sunset groaned, staring at the door. I should just walk away, Sunset thought. I should just walk away and ignore it.

“KYA! THE MOUSE IS UNDOING OUR BIKINIS!!!”

Sunset immediately turned on her heal, leaning back against the wall. Then again…

It was at that time that Asuna burst through the door. She stared dumbstruck as swimsuits went flying and several girls desperately tried to cover Negi’s eyes. “Wh-what the heck?”

“Something in the baths,” Sunset replied, watching the affair with a small smirk on her face. She pointed to a small shadow that was darting from girl to girl. “It’s going after their swimsuits for some reason.”

“And you’re just standing there?!”

Sunset shrugged. “Why interrupt the show when I can sit back and enjoy it?”

Asuna rolled her eyes, grabbing a nearby bucket and rushing for the pool. The shadowy figure turned to her, two eyes gleaming through the steam of the baths. It leapt straight for the girl. Asuna jumped to the side at the last second, smacking the figure with her bucket and sending it flying back towards the door.

Sunset’s hand lashed out, grabbing onto the creature. She quickly darted outside, slamming the door behind her. She breathed a small sigh, her lips twitching upwards as she heard Asuna berating the rest of the class. “Doing my job for me, eh, Asuna? Now…” She lifted the creature in her hand to give it a good look.

She was surprised to find herself holding a normal looking ermine, his fur a pure white, his beady eyes an intelligent red. “Huh,” Sunset muttered, beginning to walk towards her dorm. “Got to admit, I was expecting something… more unusual.”

“Hey, I’m as unusual as it gets, girl.”

Sunset stopped, her eyes going wide as she stared at the ermine in her grasp. “You… can talk.” She shrugged and continued onward. “Well, that’s interesting enough.”

The ermine fidgeted and squirmed, trying to get out of her grasp. “You, um, aren’t going to drop me?” he asked nervously.

“Why would I do that?” Sunset asked. She reached her dorm and stepped inside, walking over to her dresser and beginning to pull out her pyjamas. “Slippery as you are, you’d be gone in an instant.”

“Yeah, well,” the ermine was definitely sweatring now, “m-most people just do it on reflex, you know? Strange, mutant talking ermine and all that? Freaks most people out.”

“Magic talking ermine, you mean.”

The ermine was silent for a while. “...crap. You’re a mage.”

Sunset nodded, pulling on her clothes. A difficult task with only one hand. But she managed. “And I have quite a few questions for you. First of all,” she glared at the creature, squeezing him slightly, “what’s a talking ermine doing in the girls’ baths in the middle-school dorms?”

“I-I-I-I can explain,” he stammered nervously. “I-I was just looking for my big bro! I heard he was a teacher here and was staying in these dorms!”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Big bro? You mean Negi?” The ermine nodded emphatically and Sunset sighed, massaging the bridge of her nose. “Well, that’s that then. His problem now.”

She left her dorm, making her way swiftly to the room that Negi shared with Asuna and Konoka. Receiving no response when she knocked, she decided to enter and wait for them inside. She let the ermine down, and he immediately scampered off to one of the girl’s dressers and began rummaging inside. Sunset simply shrugged, looking around for something to occupy her time with.

“So, you say you know the kid, huh?” Sunset asked, spying the loft and growing intrigued. “I guess that means you would know something about his father, right?”

“Eh, not much,” the ermine replied from within Asuna’s underwear drawer. “No more than anyone else. Why do you ask?”

Sunset shrugged, climbing the ladder into the loft and finding a sleeping mat and a well-organized desk. Must be the kid’s. “Just curious,” Sunset replied, looking over the desk and finding a mix of lesson plans and notes on spellcraft. “I heard he was some sort of famous mage or something.” Hm. Mostly lightning and wind magic. Those must be his specialties.

“Oh yeah,” the ermine replied, sticking his head out of the drawer to look up at her. “The Thousand Master was the most powerful mage of our day, maybe the most powerful in the last hundred years. Everyone in this world and the magical world knows about him.”

“The magical world?”

The ermine’s reply was cut off by the sound of the door opening. “Phew, yet another crazy day.” Sunset looked up at the sound of Asuna’s voice, turning to see her and Negi walking into the room.

“But thanks to everyone, I’ve cheered up a little,” Negi replied, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

“Yeah, seeing a bunch of cute girls get stripped will do that,” Sunset said, grinning as Negi and Asuna jumped a little before looking up at her. “Yo.”

“Nichibotsu-chan?” Asuna asked, surprised and a little suspicious. “What are you doing here?”

Sunset shrugged, jumping down from the loft. “Nothing much,” she said, jerking her thumb behind her. “Just escorting a certain troublemaker to his precious big bro.”

“That’s right, Boss!” The ermine leapt from the dresser, landing in front of Negi and smiling up at him. “It’s me, Albert Chamomile! Long time no see.”

A massive grin instantly split Negi’s face. He knelt down, arms outstretched to the fuzzy creature. “Chamo-kun!!!” The ermine named Chamo leapt into his arms. “It’s so good to see you again!”

Asuna flinched back, staring at Chamo in shock. “D-did that ermine just talk?”

“You find all sorts of strange things where magic is concerned,” Sunset replied, shrugging. “After finding out about love potions, golems, and vampires, talking animals really shouldn’t surprise you.”

Asuna groaned, staring up at the ceiling, a defeated expression on her face. “I’m never going to get used to this magic stuff.”

“So what’s the story here, anyway?” Sunset asked, turning her attention back to Negi. “How’d you become friends with a rodent?”

“I’m a mustelid, thank you very much!” Chamo exclaimed, leaping out of Negi’s hands and glaring up at Sunset. “And it just so happens that Aniki earned my eternal friendship when he saved my life! You see, it all started five years ago in Wales, when I-”

“Don’t care.” Sunset turned towards the door, waving casually behind her. “I only dropped you in here to get you out of my hands. You’re the kid’s problem now.”

“What’s Negi-kun’s problem?” Konoka stepped into the room, a towel wrapped around her body. Sunset heard a quiet “Oo-la-la” from behind her, followed by some quick shushing. “Nichi-chan, you aren’t causing problems for Negi-kun, are you?”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Relax, Konoka. The only one causing problems is the pervy little weasel behind me.”

“Eh! Nichi-chan! That’s a horrible thing to say!”

Sunset chuckled. “Not the kid.” She pointed. “That pervy little weasel.”

Konoka gasped as she saw Chamo. She rushed over, picking the stoat up and cuddling him to her chest. “Cute! A pure white ermine!” She ran out into the hallway, calling for the rest of the class. “Everyone! Come look at Negi-kun’s pet!”

Sunset took the opportunity while everyone was distracted to slip out and back to her dorm, though she did sneak a jealous glare at Chamo as he unashamedly nuzzled into the various faces and breasts pressing in around him. Lucky creep. She quietly slipped into her room, closing the door behind her and leaning back against it and closing her eyes with a sigh. “Glad I’m out of that hassle.”

“The class going crazy again?”

Sunset cracked an eye open. Yue was sitting on her bed with a book, already changed into her pajamas. Nodoka was in the middle of changing and gave Sunset a concerned look. “Nothing too bad,” Sunset said, waving them off. “They’re just freaking out about the kid’s pet, the ermine that was causing trouble in the baths.”

“Eh?” Nodoka questioned as she finished buttoning up her shirt. “Negi-sensei has a pet?”

Sunset nodded. “Apparently, he just got in from Wales. I don’t know the details.”

“And neither do we care,” added Yue, her nose going back into her book.

Sunset chuckled, walking to her ladder and vaulting up into the loft. “Exactly,” she said, lying back on her cot. “So long as it stays his problem, I have no intention of getting mixed up in it.”

“Hm.” Yue hummed to herself. “Is that how you’d like us to handle your… revelation from last night?”

Sunset tensed. She looked down from the loft to see Yue eyeing her over the top of her book. “...that depends,” she replied hesitantly, laying down on her bed but maintaining eye contact. “Is that how you want to handle it?”

Yue sighed, closing her book. She placed it down and began massaging her temples. “Honestly, I’m tempted. The possibility that something like m-magic exists…” She sighed and looked up at Sunset. “But Nodoka told me the details about last night, and I remember our trip to the depths of library island. That combined with your strange behavior and everything around Negi-sensei…” She shook her head. “The rational part of me wants to dismiss magic as pure fantasy, but it also tells me that it’s the only logical explanation for all of this.”

Sunset nodded, rolling over to stare at the ceiling. “Sounds like quite the dilemma. I don’t envy you.”

Nodoka frowned. “You aren’t uninvolved, Nichi-chan. We need your input on this.”

“Do you?” Sunset sat up and looked down at them. “I found out today that Evangeline isn’t going to be a problem anymore. Her seal only weakens at the full moon, and someone else is going to keep an eye on her. She won’t be attacking anyone else. So at this point, it’s up to you.” Her eyes narrowed. “Do you want to go deeper, or not?”

Yue and Nodoka shared a look, the former frowning in thought while the latter wrung her hands nervously. “That’s, well,” Nodoka looked down, unsure. “I don’t really know.”

“Good answer.” Sunset sighed and leaned back on her cot again. “Really, there’s no rush. I’ll keep learning, Evangeline will stay harmless, and Negi will hopefully get his magic more under control.” She snorted, grinning to herself. Not much a chance of that, though.

“I guess,” Nodoka muttered. “It just… feels weird knowing about this and not doing anything with it.”

“Just try to forget it,” Sunset said, waving her off. “Trust me, all this magic stuff won’t even affect you.”

Arc 3: Chapter 13

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“Eh?! A letter from Negi-sensei?”

Sunset glanced over in curiosity. She and Nodoka had spent a free hour between classes digging through library island for a few books as a favor for a younger student who wasn’t allowed as deep as them. They were currently at the shoe lockers in front of the school, where Nodoka had opened hers to reveal a letter.

“Really?” Sunset asked. “That’s weird. He seems the type to just find you and tell you something right out.” Not to mention the kid’s too short to reach her locker.

“Y-yeah,” Nodoka muttered, opening the letter nervously. “I wonder what…” Nodoka’s jaw dropped, her face going instantly red. “Wh-wh-wh-wh-what?!”

Sunset sighed and walked over, swiping the note from Nodoka despite her protests. That kid. Honestly, what sort of misunderstanding has he caused now? She gave the note a quick glance.

Miyazaki Nodoka-sama,
After class, I’ll be waiting behind the dorms.
Please be my partner.
Negi.

Sunset blinked stupidly as Nodoka snatched the letter from her hand and hugged it to her chest. “Eh? Partner?”

“I-I-I,” Nodoka stammered. “I-I-I’ve got to go!” She darted off, leaving the stack of books behind with Sunset.

Sunset stared from the rapidly fleeing Nodoka to the books before letting out a sigh. “I don’t buy that for a second,” she muttered, hoisting the books into her arms and heading off to deliver them. “I’ll bet every coin I ever owned that that creepy little ermine is behind this.” She snorted, smirking. “I’d suspect Evangeline, but she doesn’t have anything to gain from it.”

The rest of the school day passed without incident, Sunset giving a vague non-answer when Yue asked where Nodoka was. She spent most of the day contemplating how she’d come to love the taste of meat and wondering if Library Island had any recipes for grilled stoat. When the final bell finally rang, Sunset wasted no time in leaping from the window and rushing off to the dorms.

She eventually made it to the the dorms and started to walk around. She paused before turning the final corner and looked up at the roof. An old piece of advice from one of the few guards she hadn’t intimidated under Celestia made its way to her mind. “When spying on an enemy, always watch from above if possible. Despite the fact that a third of our population can fly, nopony ever thinks to look up.” Smirking to herself, Sunset launched herself upwards, landing nimbly on top of the dorms. Getting better at that. She crouched low, quickly crawling over to the back of the building and peering over the edge.

Nodoka was standing there with Negi, and Sunset’s heart skipped a beat when she saw her. Nodoka had forgone her uniform and usual casual clothes for a cute, white dress and laced-up sandals that made her look adorable. It took a moment for Sunset’s other senses to catch up, but she eventually began to listen to what Nodoka was saying.

“...before yesterday, when there was that uproar with the vampire, you saved me again. Somehow, I feel like I’ve only been troubling you Sensei. I’m sorry.”

“N-no,” Negi said, shaking his head. “That’s not true at all!”

“So, in return,” Nodoka continued, “to be useful to Negi-sensei, I… I’ll do my best. So please, ask whatever you’d like.”

Sunset groaned quietly, shaking her head. Honya, you’re lucky you’re talking to a ten-year-old. If you said that to anyone our age- wait, no! Your age or older, this conversation could go very differently. Wait… Sunset’s eyes narrowed suspiciously as she noticed a certain ermine perched on Negi’s shoulder. I knew it! Just what are you planning? You’d better not be dragging Nodoka into this with a-

Chamo leapt down from Negi’s shoulder and cried out as he landed. “Pactio!”

A magic circle lit up around Negi and Nodoka, nearly blinding them and Sunset. That creep! Sunset rubbed her eyes before glaring down at Chamo. I can’t believe you’re seriously dragging her into it like this!

Sunset stood, preparing to leap down and intercept. As she did so, she noticed movement out the corner of her eye. She turned and saw Asuna rushing towards the scene, a letter clutched in her hand. Sunset’s eyes darted between the approaching orange-head and the two children below her as their faces got closer and closer. She grinned to herself, preparing her jump. Then again, this may just be an opportunity. Right as Asuna arrived on the scene, she leapt.

Sunset landed right beside Negi and Nodoka. She quickly pulled her friend away before grabbing Negi by the collar. “Blame the ermine,” she said before smashing her lips into his.

The kiss wasn’t much. It wasn’t even soft. Many would argue that it was more akin to Sunset slamming their faces together for a moment. Nevertheless, a bright flash of light lit the area enveloping Sunset, Negi, and a baffled and overwhelmed Nodoka.

“Hey, you perverted ermine!”

Sunset opened her eyes, scooped up a fainting Nodoka, and leapt back up to the roof of the dorms. She quickly stepped back from the edge, staying just close enough to hear the commotion going on below as she checked on her friend. Looks like a bit of magic overload, she thought, laying Nodoka down gently. Not surprising. That much magic combined with the emotional stress she was already under would put any normal person to sleep. Assured that her friend would be fine, Sunset crept over to the edge of the roof to listen to the ongoing conversation.

“That onee-san asking you to come here was a lie, right?!” Asuna was shouting, presumably to Chamo. “The truth is that you did bad things and fled here, right?!”

Onee-san? Sunset thought. The kid has a sister?

“Besides that, what’s this about?!” Asuna continued. “It says two thousand counts of stealing underwear!”

Sunset almost fell off the roof. She groaned, standing up and walking back to Nodoka as Chamo launched into a ridiculous sob story that was sure to win Negi’s forgiveness. Something tells me that listening to this any further will just give me a headache. She knelt down and picked Nodoka up, smiling down at her sleeping face. Come on, let’s get you inside. She sighed and leapt down to the front of the dorms, glad that no-one had caught up to her yet. Something tells me we’re about to have a loooong talk.

*****

Nodoka’s eyes fluttered open. The girl groaned as she sat up, rubbing at her eyes and looking around. She was surprised to find herself in her dorm lying on Yue’s bed, not remembering having fallen asleep there. She tried to think back to the events of the day, and blushed at the memory of an almost-kiss with Negi.

“Wh-what an immodest dream,” she stammered, pulling her knees up to her chest. “I-I-I had no idea I could even imagine something like that!”

“Really? I find that hard to believe.”

Nodoka jumped. She leaned forward, looking up to the loft and finding Sunset sitting there with her legs over the edge, a book in one hand and her wand in the other. She idly twirled the wand between her fingers, her brow furrowed as she read the page before her. “With how many books you read, you should have a pretty good imagination.”

“N-N-N-Nich-chan?!” Nodoka’s blush deepened. “B-b-b-but then, then that was…”

“Real.” Sunset sighed, snapping the book closed and placing it and her wand aside. She leapt down from the loft and joined Nodoka on the lower bunk. “And a really stupid attempt by the kid’s pet to drag you deeper into the magical world.”

“N-Negi-sensei’s pet?” Nodoka’s eyes went wide. “I-I thought I saw Negi-sensei talking with him. Is he magical too? Can he talk?”

“Yeah,” Sunset said, glaring at the ground. “Though trust me, he doesn’t really say anything worth hearing.” She groaned and massaged her temples. “I can’t believe he tried to form a provisional contract between the two of you.”

“P-provisional contract?”

Sunset nodded. She slipped her hand into her skirt pocket and pulled out what looked like a tarot card. She handed it to Nodoka.

The card depicted Sunset, wearing a leather jacket over her uniform and superimposed over a complex, green magic circle. She bore her traditional smirk, facing the front of the card with one foot placed confidently before the other. She was leaning over slightly, her fists touching at the knuckles just below her face. Said fists were clad in bronze gauntlets, studded with rubies at the knuckles. Her feet were similarly clad in bronze boots. The edges and corners of the card were cluttered with bits of other information, including Sunset’s star sign and seat number.

“Oh wow,” Nodoka whispered, examining every detail of the card, from the roman numerals in the corners to the name written on the front. “Crepusculum Ocassus?”

Sunset winced. “Yeah, not a huge fan of how it translated my name.”

“It?” Nodoka looked curiously up at Sunset. “How what translated it?”

Sunset took the card back, staring down at it. “This card is the symbol of a provisional contract between a mage and her partner,” she explained. “That’s what everyone’s been going on about.”

“Really?” Nodoka asked, surprise and a hint of disappointment in her voice. “So… it’s not a… a, um…”

Sunset chuckled. “No, Honya. It’s not a romantic thing.” Not until down the road, anyway. “You see, it’s an ancient mage tradition. A mage chooses a powerful warrior to team up with, someone to keep her safe while she prepare her spells from a distance. A mage provides her partner with a portion of her power, which manifests itself in increased strength, speed, durability,” she held up the card, “and this. This card can be transformed into a weapon or tool that the magistra, or contracted, can use to defend their magister, or contractor.”

“Wow,” Nodoka breathed, her mind gone to far-away fantasies. She imagined a powerful knight in shining armor battling a dragon while a beautiful maiden hovered behind him, power growing in her hands as she sung an incantation. “That sounds so… so…”

“Pathetic, right?” Sunset scoffed, unaware of the fantasy shattering right next to her. “Where I’m from, no spell-caster would be caught dead cowering behind some pega- some warrior, letting her do all of the dirty work. I could understand it if they fought side by side, and I’m sure some do, but from the way my books describe it, most mages are content to sit back and be glass cannons. Any mage that can’t fight for themselves doesn’t deserve the title.”

Nodoka winced. “I-it sounds like you’re really passionate about this.”

“Of course!” Sunset leapt to her feet, a fire burning in her eyes and a grin splitting her face. “Why, back when I was Tenko’s student, I was the most powerful and talented mage in the entire mage corps! No-one could beat me, not even the grand-magus! Warlocks and demons didn’t stand a chance, and monsters? Hah! Monsters begged their mommies to check under their beds for ME!” Sunset slammed a fist into her other hand, turning around to face an awestruck Nodoka. “Back in my world, there wasn’t a creature in all the realms who didn’t know and fear my name.”

Nodoka swallowed nervously, equal parts star-struck and intimidated. “S-so why did you leave?”

Sunset instantly deflated. Her shoulders fell along with her grin, her face falling into a neutral frown. She looked down and away, a long sigh escaping her lips. “That’s… a good question.” She rejoined Nodoka on the bed, folding her hands in front of her and staring down at them. “I… had everything. Power. Influence. Magic.” Celestia. “I… I guess I wanted more. It wasn’t enough.” Her frown hardened into a glare. “Tenko, my teacher, she was holding me back from my destiny.” Her hands began shaking, and she tightened her grip. “She… she wouldn’t give me what I want- what I deserved! And when she found me trying to look for other ways to get it…” Sunset sighed, the tension leaving her. “...I left. I ran through the portal into this world and never looked back. I had three days to return before it closed for two and a half years, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to return until I’d found something here. Something to show her that I was right all along. That I didn’t need her holding me back.”

“...but then you lost your magic.”

Sunset nodded. “Then I lost my magic.” She brought one of her hands up to her chest. “I can still feel it in there, pulsing right beside my heart. My wellspring, the source of all… all magic where I’m from. It hasn’t gone away or diminished, but it feels like there’s this barrier that I can’t get through.” She shook her head. “Heck, going through the mirror changed my anatomy so much, I’m not even sure I’d be able to use my old magic. For all I know, that barrier’s the only thing keeping my wellspring from tearing me to shreds.”

Nodoka shivered. She leaned down and picked up Sunset’s card from where it had fallen to the floor during her rant. “So now you’re learning magic here?”

Sunset nodded, taking back the card and stuffing it in her pocket. “And taking every advantage I can.”

Nodoka nodded as well, contemplating that for a minute. “...wait.” Her eyes widened. “Then when Negi-sensei and I were, well, when we were about to…”

Sunset smirked as the blush returned to Nodoka’s cheeks. “It’s called a ‘kiss,’ Honya. For some reason, it’s the activator for Pactio, the spell that forms the contract. Don’t worry, it meant nothing. You can still take the kid’s first real kiss.”

Nodoka’s blush returned, but she shook her head and continued. “So, that was a contract? N-Negi-sensei wanted ME to be his partner?!”

“Not quite,” Sunset replied, and was glad to see more relief than sorrow in Nodoka’s face. “Like I said, it was all the ermine’s doing. For some reason, he seems to want Negi to get a partner as soon as possible.” She frowned, staring off into space for a moment. “Probably has something to do with Evangeline. I really need to ask Asuna what happened between them that night.”

“Y-you mean…” Nodoka paled, “i-i-if I’d formed that contract, I w-would have had to f-fight Evangeline-san?!” She stared down at the floor, trembling and shaking. “That’s… that’s…”

“I know.” Sunset reached over and pulled Nodoka into a side-hug. “That’s why I’m so angry at the little creep. There’s no reason whatsoever for you to get drug into this mess. If it comes down to it, I’ll help the kid against Evangeline. You don’t have to worry.”

Nodoka shivered one last time before nodding. “Th-thank you, Nichi-chan.” She squirmed a bit in Sunset’s embrace. “Um… you can let go now.”

Sunset rolled her eyes, but nevertheless removed her arm and allowed Nodoka to scoot away a little. “I swear, people in this world are so embarrassed by simple affection.”

“S-sorry,” Nodoka muttered. They sat in silence for a moment before Nodoka cleared her throat. “So, wh-what now?”

“For you, nothing.” Sunset stood and stretched her arms over her head. “Like I said, I’ll take care of anything else that comes up.” She hesitated a moment before turning back to her. “Although, there is one thing. Could you tell the kid tomorrow that I won’t be in class?”

“Eh?” Nodoka asked, surprised. “Why not?”

Sunset shrugged. “Tell him I have a fever or something. I need to get some practice in with the card if I want to be able to use it effectively.”

Nodoka nodded, chewing nervously on her lip. “Do… do you really think you’re going to have to f-fight?”

Sunset shrugged, her eyes going distant once again. “Against Evangeline? I doubt it. But eventually? I don’t know anything about the magic in this world, Honya. I barely understand the non-magical portion.” Her eyes narrowed, a fire lighting within them. “But I’ll be damned if I let myself be caught unable to protect myself.”

And those important to me.

Arc 3: Chapter 14

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Sunset awoke early the next day and immediately set out for Library Island. She knew that the Library Exploration Club didn’t usually arrive until the early afternoon, and she planned to get as much practice in as possible. She made her way quickly to the back-door and slipped down into the depths of the library.

“Now, where to practice?” she asked herself. Taking only a moment to admire the fantastic splendor of the library’s basement levels, Sunset set off down the path she and the Baka Rangers had taken a few weeks before. She swiftly made her way to the chamber that had once housed the Book of Melchizedek, relieved to find that the golems were no longer there.

“Now,” Sunset set down a small backpack of provisions and supplies and pulled out her card. She returned the card’s confident grin and read the title below her name. “Ignis Eryx. Let’s see what you can do. Adeat!”

The card vanished in a flash of light. In its place, Sunset found herself clad in the jacket, boots, and gauntlets that the card depicted. The jacket fit her perfectly, and the bronze armaments felt no heavier than regular shoes and gloves. Sunset took up a boxing stance, jabbing at the air a few times to get a feel for them.

“Not bad,” she muttered, a small smile working its way onto her face. “Not bad at all. Doesn’t feel like they’re slowing me down even a little. I wonder…” She turned to look at the stone pillars that supported the room. Walking over to one, she gave it a light punch. Sunset was surprised and delighted to find that she hadn’t felt even a twinge of pain from the blow. “Let’s try it a little harder,” she said, pulling her arm back. She threw another punch, harder but still not all-out, causing a dull thud to echo around the room. Sunset moved to shake her hand out, but was surprised to find that she didn’t need to; she still hadn’t felt a thing. She eyed the wall, and frowned when she saw that it was unmarred. “Okay then,” she muttered, cocking her fist back all the way. “Full power then!” She sent her fist flying forward.

*c-crack*

Sunset pulled back her fist, noting that she had once again not felt a thing. She looked closely at the stone, gritting her teeth as she saw only a tiny crack. “What the heck!” she shouted, standing upright and glaring at the column. “I’m barely stronger than before!” She clenched her fist again, swinging wildly. “DAMN IT!”

*FWOOSH*

Sunset blinked in shock. She looked from her fist from the scorch-marks on the stone around it. She stepped back a bit and frowned at her fist, trying to focus on what she’d just felt. A couple of seconds later, her fist burst into flames. Sunset’s jaw dropped. She stared in wonder at her fist for a moment before she noticed flickering out the corner of her eye. She glanced down to her side at where her other hand was resting against her hip, also on fire. She jerked her hand away and panicked for a moment before she realized that the fire hadn’t burned her pants. Her hip didn’t even feel warm!

“Okay,” Sunset said, a small grin alighting on her face. “That’s pretty cool.” She turned to look at a far wall, cocking her fist back and throwing a punch. A bolt of fire launched from the end of her fist, streaking across the room and exploding across the stone, scorching a ten-foot circle.

“Okay, that’s freaking awesome!” She threw a few more punches, ending with an improvised kick that, while it sent out another bolt of fire, also sent her falling on her butt.

Okay, Sunset thought, getting back to her feet. Maybe I should stick to punches until I learn how to really kick. Wonder if Kaede could teach me? Sunset placed her hands on her hips, grinning proudly around the room. The grin began to fade as she looked over the damage again, this time giving it a closer analysis. Wait a minute. “Abeat.” The artifact vanished, replaced once again by her card. She pulled out her wand and pointed it at one of the walls, aiming just to the side of one of her scorch-marks. “Equis Equis Alicornus. Sagita magica, series ignis!”

A single bolt of fire shot from her want, striking the wall right on target. The fire soon dispersed to reveal a scorch-mark only slightly smaller than the one her gauntlet had created.

“What the hell?!” Sunset stomped over to her backpack and pulled out one of her books, flipping open to the section on pactio artifacts. “This thing is supposed to be a major power boost! Why is it only…” She trailed off as a particular passage caught her eye, a passage that she had previously brushed off as sentimental drivel, a habit she’d picked up while under Celestia’s tutelage.

“Though the raw powers of the magister and the magistra are important,” she read, her brow furrowed, “more important is the bond shared between them. Stronger feelings of endearment and camaraderie will strengthen the effectiveness of the contract…” Sunset groaned and shut the book. “Seriously? That was real? Ugh, Tenko would never let me live this down if she found out.” Maybe she was onto something after all… Sunset shook off the unwanted thought and tossed the book back into her backpack. Whatever. Guess I’ve got no choice but to try to, ugh, bond with the kid. She sighed, slinging the bag onto her back and making her way for the trapdoor that led out. That ermine better tone down his antics while I’m around, or I’ll be making myself a new pair of mittens.

*****

Sunset spent most of the rest of the day and the first half of the next at the middle-school gymnasium, taking advantage of a holiday to spar with the other members of the boxing club. Sunset had been happy to discover that she had a certain talent for the sport, though she was still no match for her upperclassmen or her more experienced peers.

“You okay, Nichi?” asked Hinata Watanabe, a girl from class 3-F. She reached down towards where Sunset lay on the floor of the ring.

Sunset groaned as she took the girl’s hand, hoisting herself up and rubbing her jaw. “Yeah, I’m fine. Your left hook is savage, though.”

“You’re no slouch yourself,” Hinata offered. “You don’t look like you’ve tired at all since yesterday, and you’re already showing marked improvement. I’ve never seen anyone improve as quickly as you do. Wish I had your raw talent.”

Sunset shrugged, climbing out of the ring to make room for the next pair of fighters. “What can I say? I’ve got good motivation.”

Sunset made her way to a nearby bench and sat down, grabbing her water bottle and taking a long swig. She pondered over the strangeness of her camaraderie with her fellow boxers; despite the fact that they were just another bunch of kids, Sunset found herself respecting them. Their drive. Their determination. The way they barely flinched when their noses were broken. Sunset chuckled a bit as she saw one guy climb out of the ring, muttering under his breath as blood poured out of his nostrils. “Never would have thought I would get along with a bunch of brawlers.”

“Yeah, but you never thought you’d get along with us either, did you?”

Sunset jumped a bit and looked over her shoulder. Makie was standing right behind her, giving her usual innocent grin as she absently twirled a ribbon. “Have you ever considered wearing a bell?” Sunset groused, though she couldn’t summon the will to put any heat into it.

Makie simply giggled before frowning slightly. “By the way, have you seen Negi-kun, Nichi-chan?”

“The kid?” Sunset shook her head. “Not for the last two days. I skipped yesterday to do some studying in Library Island.”

Makie let her ribbon drop. She crossed her arms, pouting at Sunset. “Studying again? Nodoka-chan said you were sick. You really shouldn’t just skip class, Nichi-chan.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Please, I could stay home every day and still ace that class. So why are you looking for the kid? Something you didn’t get from yesterday?”

Makie shook her head. “No, it’s not that.” Seeing Sunset’s raised eyebrow, Makie chuckled nervously. “W-well, not only that. According to Asuna-chan, he ran off about an hour ago. No-one’s seen him since.”

“Ran off?” Sunset thought for a moment. Evangeline? No, she shouldn’t be active until the full moon. Sunset sighed, standing up and stretching. “All right, let me get showered and changed. I’ll join the search.” If nothing else, she thought, making her way for the locker room, it’ll be a chance to talk to him about the pactio.

*****

“Now, if I were a runaway mage kid who took himself too seriously, where would I be?”

A quick search around the dorms had revealed no clues, and no-one there had seen Negi since the previous day. Sunset stood behind the dorms, her wand in her hand as she made sure that no-one was around. “Time to cheat,” she muttered. “Spiritus venti, dux mihi socius meus. Punctum me. Negi Springfield.” A glowing blue arrow soon appeared at the tip of her wand, pointing northward back towards the school. Sunset rolled her eyes. “Of course.” Pouring magic into her body, Sunset sprinted northward.

But if he were at the school, Sunset thought as she ran, surely someone would have found him by now. He could be in the surrounding town, but somehow I doubt it. Library Island maybe? She was about to turn her course slightly westward when she noticed the tracking arrow shift. She skidded to a stop, staring in curiosity at the arrow which now pointed to the west. She stepped back a few feet, watching the arrow as it suddenly shifted back to the north. Sunset turned to look directly northwest and smirked, pocketing her wand. Gotcha.

Sunset raced through the streets of Mahora, continuing her northwesterly pursuit until she came to the lake which surrounded Library Island. She scoffed, turning to make her way around the lake. Times like this I miss my teleportation spell. I’m going to have to see if this world has a version of it. She quickly made her way around and continued her northwest sprint, soon finding herself in the thick of the woods. She took out her wand and cast the spell again, watching as it continued to fluctuate between north and west.

I wonder what he’s doing out here, though, Sunset thought, dodging around trees and leaping over bushes. Is he hiding from Evangeline? It doesn’t make much sense for him to- that’s a cabin. Sunset came to an abrupt halt, her eyes going wide as she observed the large, well-built log cabin sitting in a clearing of the woods. Her curiosity overcoming her limited sense of urgency, Sunset made her way to the front. She snuck over to a window, peeking inside to find an ornate interior. Dolls and doll parts of every sort covered every piece of furniture, from the table to the couches. “What sort of weird fetishist lives here?”

“This would be Master’s home.” Sunset leapt and spun around, coming face to face with the robot girl Chachamaru. “She is currently resting inside from the beginnings of a flu.”

Sunset took a deep breath to calm her nerves. “I swear, everyone in the class.” She crossed her arms and glared at Chachamaru. “Your master, huh? I didn’t think ‘cabin in the woods’ was Hakase’s style.”

“You are mistaken,” Chachamaru replied, turning and making her way for the front door. “My master is Evangeline A. K. MacDowell.”

A shiver ran down Sunset’s spine, but she refused to allow her expression to shift. “Is that so? I wasn’t aware that she had a partner.”

Chachamaru nodded, opening the door before turning back to Sunset. “I was created to aid Master. Did you wish to speak with her?”

Sunset shook her head. “Not at all. I was just passing through looking for the kid.”

“Negi-sensei is missing?”

Sunset raised an eyebrow at the robot. That almost sounded like… concern? “He ran off today.” Sunset’s eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

Chachamaru stood silently for a moment before looking to the side. “I… would not know anything about that. Excuse me.” She walked inside without another word, closing the door behind her.

Sunset glared at the cabin for a moment before shrugging and turning back northwest. Guess I know what’s wrong now, she thought as she continued her treck. And I guess I see why the weasel wanted Negi to form a contract. Still a stupid idea to choose Nodoka, but desperate times and all that. Is that why he ran? Does he think he doesn’t stand a chance against Evangeline and Chachamaru together? She scoffed, rolling her eyes. Well of course he doesn’t! One, he’s a kid. Two, he’s probably been told his whole life that he needs a partner to keep him safe. And three, he’s a freaking kid! And like a kid, he just ran away. Ugh, why am I even bothering to look for-

“Nichibotsu?”

Sunset slowed once more to a halt, turning to see a bedraggled Asuna panting for breath as she tried to untangle herself from a large bush that had caught her shirt. “Asuna?” she asked, surprised. “What are you doing out here.”

“Same as you, I’d suspect.” Sunset looked down to find Chamo at her feet, smiling up at her. “We’re going after Aniki! I can smell that he came this way a few hours ago.”

Sunset nodded, holding up her wand. “I can tell. I’ve got a tracking spell on him saying he’s directly northwest of here. By the way…” Her hand lashed out, grabbing Chamo by his neck and pulling him up to her glaring face. “WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING, TRYING TO DRAG HONYA INTO THIS MESS?!”

“N-Nichi-chan!” Asuna shouted.

“Urgh,” Chamo wheezed out, struggling to breath as he answered. “I-I-I can explain! I-I-I needed to help Aniki form a contract to-”

“Help him fight Evangeline and Chachamaru,” Sunset interrupted. “I know. But why, out of our whole class, did you choose the quiet bookworm! Our class is full of athletes, energetic idiots, and even a freaking ninja! Heck, asking ME for help would have made more sense!”

“W-w-w-well, you see Ane-san,” Chamo stuttered nervously, “the emotional b-bond between magister and ministra is-”

“Ugh!” Sunset reared back and threw Chamo deeper into the woods. She massaged the bridge of her nose, fighting the urge to scream. “Is that your only freaking criteria?” she muttered. “Half the class would work for that. Heck, the class rep would probably get the most powerful artifact in history if that was all it took. I’m sure there are plenty of girls in the class that like the kid who would be better suited for the ‘knight in shining armor’ stereotype.” She looked up at Asuna. “Come to think of it, why don’t you just do it?”

Asuna instantly flushed, crossing her arms and turning away from Sunset. “W-why should I?! I don’t see why I have to keep getting dragged into this! I’m only out here in the first place because the rest of the class is worried.”

Sunset snorted and rolled her eyes. “Right. And I’m a magical pony princess from another dimension. Face it, Asuna, you care about the kid at least as much as Honya does.”

“Wh-wh-wh-WHAT?!” Asuna rounded on Sunset, her face glowing red with a mix of embarrassment and rage. “I do NOT! What in the world makes you think I’m in l-love with a brat like him?!”

Sunset shook her head, an amused smirk on her face. “Who ever said anything about being in love?”

Asuna’s blush lessened, confusion beginning to mix in with the anger. “Wh-what?”

“There’s more than one kind of love,” Sunset said, rolling her eyes again. “Romantic love. Parental love. The love between friends.” Ugh, I can’t believe I’m going on about this. Stupid Cadenza used this rant so much around me that I’ve memorized it. “Nodoka may have a crush on him, but that’s not the only kind of love that exists.” Sunset stepped forward, placing a hand on Asuna’s shoulder. “Congratulations, Asuna; you’ve got a little brother.”

Asuna stared blankly at Sunset for a few moments, the blush finally leaving her face. “Eh?”

“He’s annoying,” Sunset said, looking Asuna in the eye. “He’s immature. He always rushes head-first into things, and he can be a bit of a crybaby. Despite all of that, you can’t help but feel protective of him. You want him to succeed. You want to help him out, even if you don’t want others to realize it because really, helping out a little kid like that is just embarrassing.” Sunset gave Asuna’s shoulder one more pat before turning to follow her spell. “So come on, let’s go find your stupid little brother.”

Asuna stared after Sunset in shock for a moment before moving after her, deep in thought about what she’d just said. Sunset, meanwhile, was lost in her own thoughts as well.

I hope Sunshine is doing alright.

Arc 3: Chapter 15

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As Sunset, Asuna, and Chamo continued their treck northwest through the woods, Chamo informed them that Negi’s scent was getting fainter, indicating that he’d been moving far more quickly than they were. Not having much of a choice as the sun began to set, Sunset suggested that they make camp for the night. A nearby river provided a few fish for their dinner, and Sunset’s artifact allowed her to cook them with ease.

“Those are really pretty,” Asuna said, pointing at Sunset’s gauntlets as they ate. “Did Negi give them to you?”

“Yeah, something like that,” Sunset answered. “You know that thing with Nodoka and Negi that you interrupted the other day?”

“Eh?” Asuna asked. “You saw that?”

Sunset smirked. “I interrupted it. At about the same time as you did, actually. Stole a kiss from him and booked it out of there with Honya.” She shot a glare at Chamo. “I also warned her to stay away from you, for obvious reasons.”

“Hey, come on Ane-san,” Chamo complained from the stump that he sat on. “The more the merrier! Besides, since you and Asuna Ane-san have already formed the contract with him, you can keep the bookish Ane-san safe too. I’m sure from her personality that she’ll get a support-style artifact instead of a-”

Sunset shoved a large piece of fish in his mouth. “Not the point,” she said, glaring at him. “Nodoka and Yue are still deciding whether or not they want to be involved with magic at all. I’m not going to let you force them into our world until they’ve made their choice.” She turned away from the choking ermine to look curiously at Asuna. “Anyway, you and the kid formed a contract?”

Asuna nodded, rubbing her cheek awkwardly with a finger. “Um, sort of. Just a kiss on the forehead, so the pervert says it doesn’t really count.”

Sunset nodded. “Yeah, that’s not going to do much. It’d be better if you went ahead with the real deal. One quick kiss, and it’s done. Just a concerned big sis showing a bit of affection for her little bro.”

“B-b-but, that’s a little…” Asuna trailed off, looking down and blushing a little. “It’s still a little embarrassing.”

Sunset shrugged. “It’s up to you. Personally, I think the power-up is worth a small moment of embarrassment. Besides, it’ll probably be worse for him than for you.” Sunset tossed the rest of her uneaten fish into the fire before turning her back and lying down. “I’m going to hit the sack. ‘Night.”

Asuna nodded. “Yeah, good night.” Sunset soon fell asleep, Chamo following suit once he managed to choke down his fish. Asuna was left to herself, staring into the fire and contemplating everything that Sunset had said.

“Wait. Honya and Yue-chan know about magic?!”

*****

The next morning began as the previous evening had ended, with Sunset, Asuna, and Chamo trekking northwest as Sunset’s tracking spell swiveled continually between the two directions. “Well, pervert?” Sunset asked. “Are we close?”

“The name is ‘Chamo!’” the ermine shouted from Asuna’s shoulder. “But yes, we should be. Aniki’s scent is getting stronger. I’m pretty sure he’s been in this area for a while.”

“Good.” Asuna said, groaning as she rubbed her back. “Sleeping up here in the mountains. Cold fish for breakfast. I swear, I’m going to kill Negi when we find him.”

“Heh, save a piece of him for me,” Sunset replied, watching as the arrow switched once again to the west. “I’m going to-” She blinked. The arrow had changed directions again, now pointing upwards. “What the…” She looked up, Asuna and Chamo following her gaze.

Asuna was the first to spot him. “Ah!” She pointed up at the sky. “There he is! HEY!!! NEGI!!!”

Sunset spotted him too. Negi was seated on his staff, riding it like a classic broomstick. Sunset lifted her wand and fired a single magic arrow into the sky, catching Negi’s attention. “OY! KID! GET DOWN HERE!”

Negi’s eyes widened as he looked down at his students. “Eh?! Asuna-san? Nichibotsu-san?! Chamo-kun?! What are you doing here?”

“WHAT DO YOU THINK?!?!” Asuna shouted, gesturing furiously. “WE CAME AFTER YOU!! WHICH MEANS IT’S YOUR FAULT WE GOT STUCK IN THE MOUNTAINS FOR A WHOLE NIGHT!!! YOU-” Asuna cut herself off, hesitating before taking a deep breath. “You made us worry! Everyone else too! Hurry up and get down here!”

Sunset turned and raised an eyebrow at Asuna as Negi descended. “Wow. Taking what I said to heart already?”

Asuna blushed a little and glared at Sunset. “Sh-shut up. And don’t you dare tell Negi what we talked about yesterday.”

Sunset chuckled and shook her head. “Hey, I promise. One sister to another.”

“Hmph, good,” Asuna said. “I don’t need him… wait. You’re a-”

“What the heck were you thinking?” Sunset scolded as Negi got down to eye-level. “Running off and leaving everyone worried? More than that, trying to just run and hide from your problems like that? How childish can you get?”

“S-sorry,” Negi replied, shamefaced. “You’re right. It was childish and stupid.” His expression hardened a bit and he looked up. “Nichibotsu-san, Asuna-san, I know it’s a lot to ask, but could I impose on you a little more?”

Sunset raised an eyebrow, sharing a look with Asuna. “What are you talking about?”

“I don’t want to keep being afraid of Evangeline-san,” Negi said, lowering himself to the ground and dismounting from his staff. “And I’m not going to ambush Chachamaru-san like we tried to do the other day. She is one of my students after all.”

Sunset’s eyebrows shot up. They tried to what? No way that was their idea; too bold. Maybe that stupid ermine is good for something after all. “So what are you going to do?” Sunset asked.

“I’m going to face her head-on,” Negi said, determination filling his voice. “And when I do, will you two be my partners?!”

Or maybe he can be bold after all. “That’s a pretty big question, kid,” Sunset said, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at him. “What makes you think I’m interested?”

Negi’s face turned from determined to confused. “Eh? But, didn’t you want to fight her anyway? To protect everyone?” Seeing Sunset’s puzzled look, he elaborated. “I mean, you came forward to protect Nodoka when Evangeline-san attacked, and you were really concerned when you heard that Makie-san was in the infirmary. And it’d be easier for us to fight together than separately. Isn’t that why you made the contract with me the other day?”

Sunset was quiet for a moment while she contemplated his words. Help everyone? No, that’s ridiculous. I only really care about Honya and the other Library girls. I only got upset about Makie because I wanted to talk to her about that look she gave me… right? Sunset thought about the rest of the class: about Chisame who shared her cynical sense of humor, about Yuuna who had taken her ribbing in stride and laughed it off, about Kaede who was both observant and caring enough to point out when another girl was more hurt than she let on. Am I… actually starting to like these girls? She felt slightly nauseous at the thought, and she turned away from Negi.

“Don’t misunderstand,” she said, pumping false competitiveness into her voice. “I just don’t like the idea of a blood-sucking corpse lurking around and inconveniencing me. If working with you will help me take it down faster, then sure, why not.”

Asuna sighed but nodded. “I... I’ll help too, I guess. I mean, it’s to keep everyone safe, right?” She glared down at Negi, sticking a finger in his face. “But don’t get the wrong idea. Once we beat her, I’m putting all of this fighting and partner stuff behind me, got it?”

Negi’s face lit up and he nodded. “Th-thank you so much! Asuna-san! Nichibotsu-san!”

*****

Sunset arrived early to class the next day, along with Nodoka and Yue. She took the opportunity to relax after the previous two days of mountain climbing. They’d gotten back late in the afternoon, and Sunset had been too tired to do anything but fall into bed. Her early retirement meant that her usual early waking was even easier, and she’d been able to get a quick bath in before running to class.

“I still can’t believe you found him there,” Haruna said, having arrived a little after Sunset. “Those woods are pretty big. What was he even doing out there, anyway?”

“Who knows?” Sunset grunted, shrugging her shoulders. “Kid’s probably under a lot of stress, what with being a 10-year-old teacher to a class of child molesters. If I were him, I’d hide in the woods on my days off too.”

Nodoka frowned. “Nichi-chan, that’s a little harsh.”

Sunset sighed, slumping forward across her desk. “Yeah, yeah. They’re not all that bad. But seriously, the girls in this class have no sense of restraint. One of these days, another teacher’s going to walk over when they’re all half-undressed or something and the kid’s the one who’ll get in trouble.”

“Aw, Nichi-chan,” Haruna cooed. “You do care about our little teacher.”

Sunset scoffed and rolled her eyes, but her smirk was playful as she replied. “As if. I just don’t want to lose the teacher that lets me study other things in his class. My Latin’s been progressing really well, thanks to that.”

“Good morning!” Everyone looked over to see Negi walking through the door, a confident grin on his face. “Is Evangeline-san here?”

“Speak of the devil,” Sunset muttered.

“Evangeline?” Ako asked, stepping forward. “She’s not here yet. I think she’s taking the day off because of the flu. Here are her contact details.”

Sunset narrowed her eyes on Ako as Negi sprinted from the room. “Excuse me girls,” she said, standing up. “I’ve got something I need to do.” She walked over and tapped the silver-blue haired girl on the head. “Oy. Ako.”

The girl in question jumped and turned around, instantly growing a little nervous when she saw who it was. “O-oh! Nichibotsu-chan. G-good morning. Did you need something?”

Sunset nodded and turned for the door. “Yeah, there’s something I need to talk with you about.” She led the hesitant Ako from the classroom and down the hall, heading for the staircase where she’d overheard Negi talking to Asuna about magic over a month ago. A couple of people were passing by, but it was secluded enough for their conversation. “So,” Sunset said, leaning back against the window and eyeing the sky outside, “I wanted to apologize.”

“Eh? For what?”

Sunset blinked, turning to Ako and frowning at her confused expression. “...for what I said at the World Tree Plaza, of course. What else?”

Ako tilted her head to the side. “But… you said you didn’t have anything to say to me.”

...holy crap! Low self-esteem is right. “I told you to keep being a wallflower,” Sunset said, starting to get a little annoyed. “I said you were unremarkable, that you ‘don’t register enough’ for me to insult you.”

“Oh,” Ako said, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. “I-I guess I was just too relieved that you weren’t coming after me to notice that. To be honest, I was kind of thankful that I escaped your notice.”

“Dang it, Ako! I’m trying to apologize here!”

“O-oh! Sorry!”

“No! I’m… ugh!” Sunset turned and slammed her head into the wall, groaning more from annoyance than from pain. “How does someone hear that they’re a wallflower and not get insulted?”

“Well... it’s kind of true.” Sunset turned her head and raised an eyebrow, watching as Ako shuffled her feet back and forth. “I know I’m not really all that pretty or athletic. I’m not really that smart either.” She met Sunset’s eyes and shrugged helplessly. “I’m just a background character in other people’s stories, really.”

Sunset blinked, staring blank-faced at Ako. “Who on Earth told you that?”

“N-no-one, really,” Ako replied, shaking her head. “It’s just, that’s how it is, isn’t it?”

Sunset held her gaze for a moment before frowning. “Okay,” she said. “Okay, so you think you’re just a background character, huh?” She stepped away from the wall and started walking down the stairs. “Allright, follow me.”

“Eh?” Ako asked, surprised. “Wh-where are you going? Class is about to start!”

“We’re ditching. Let’s go.”

“EH?!”

Sunset stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned back to glare up at Ako. “We’re. Ditching. Let’s go.”

“B-but… but…” Ako shook her head. “W-we can’t just ditch! I mean, I can’t at least! I’m not as smart as you, Nichibotsu-chan. I can’t just skip a few days whenever I want and stay on top of the-”

“I’ll tutor you until you catch up,” Sunset interrupted. “Heck, I’ll tutor you for the rest of the year, if you want. Just get down here.”

Ako hesitated. On one hand, ditching would be bad if they got caught, and taking Sunset up on her offer would mean spending even more time with a girl that still scared her a little.

On the other hand, thanks to Sunset’s tutoring, Asuna no longer had the worst grades in the class…

*****

“So, what exactly are we doing here?” Ako asked, looking around nervously. They were walking through one of the many music rooms, Sunset having led them there without explanation.

“This is where you and the cheerleaders practice for your band, right?” Sunset asked, looking from instrument to instrument. “You told me about that when it was your turn to play tour guide.”

“That’s right,” Ako said, her eyes falling on her electric bass, a small smile breaking on her face. “You looked like you were really interested in music. Do you play anything?”

Sunset shook her head. “Not really. I sing a bit, but nothing beyond that.” And my singing here is nothing compared to what I could do as a pony. “I’ve been thinking about learning, though. Think you could show me the basics on your guitar?”

Ako blinked in surprise. “Um… sure.” She spent the next few minutes setting it up, plugging the guitar into a small practice amp and getting its settings right. “Allright,” she finally said, offering the instrument to Sunset. “Here you go. Give it a few strums.”

Sunset eyed the instrument before shaking her head and stepping back. “Nah, not yet. I want to see you play first.”

“Eh?” Ako clutched the instrument to her chest, her eyes instantly falling to the floor. “R-really? Right now?”

“Why not?” Sunset asked, shrugging. “I learn well by watching. Besides, I’ve wanted to see how good you are ever since the tour.”

Ako hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Um, okay,” she said, slipping the strap of the guitar around her back. “What did you want to hear me play?”

Sunset shrugged again. “I don’t know. Make something up. Just start strumming so I can see it in action.”

Ako nodded hesitantly before looking down, beginning to pluck a few strings. Sunset watched as the girl began almost instantly to relax, a contemplative smile coming over her face. Her fingers picked up the pace, strumming a few chords together into a simple melody. She closed her eyes, humming along to the notes she was playing. The melody gradually became more complex, Ako’s humming evolving into light singing, a wordless tune that accompanied the music well.

Wow, Sunset thought, unashamedly impressed by the beautiful tune. If she were a pony, she’d have a music cutie mark for sure. “That’s really something,” she said.

Ako snapped out of her trance, still managing to resolve her chord even in her surprise. “O-oh! Thank you.” She blushed and looked down. “I… guess I kind of got carried away there. I’m sorry it wasn’t very good-”

“Stop it.”

Ako flinched and looked up. “I-I’m sorry?”

“Stop it,” Sunset repeated, glaring at her. “If there’s one thing I hate, it’s someone with potential and ability wasting or diminishing it. You’re good. Really good. And if you ever let anyone tell you otherwise, including yourself, then that’s an insult to you and your talent.” She turned and walked for the door, but paused when she reached it. “By the way,” she added, not even bothering to turn around, “you’re actually pretty good-looking. Not beautiful or stupidly buxom like some of the freaks in our class, but pretty. Cute.” With that, she stepped out, closing the door behind her.

*****

“That was very kind of you, de-gozarou.”

Sunset sighed from where she sat in the tree by Sakura Lane, her back against the trunk as she gazed up into the sky. “How did I know you would find me here?” she pondered aloud. She glanced over to see a certain green-haired ninja smiling at her from the next tree over. “And shouldn’t you be in class?”

Kaede waved her off. “Not a problem, de-gozaru. I have one of my shadow clones sitting in for me.”

Sunset slowly raised an eyebrow. “...shadow...clones.” She sighed, turning her gaze back to the sky. “Shouldn’t be surprised, and yet I am.”

“How did you know that would work?” Kaede asked.

Sunset snorted. “Wow. For a ninja, you aren’t too subtle.” She sighed, contemplating what she’d said to Ako. “To be honest, I didn’t. And it didn’t ‘work.’ Self-esteem takes more than just a rousing pep-talk to grow. This isn’t one of Haruna’s stupid shonen mangas, after all. In real life, growing a healthy sense of self-esteem takes time and effort. I just… gave her a push.”

“Indeed you did, de-gozaru.” Kaede tilted her head to the side. “Why?”

Sunset’s eyes furrowed, her crossed arms tightening over her chest. “Because you probably would get on my case again if I procrastinated,” she said. “Besides, it’s like I told her. I hate it when people waste their potential. It’s just pathetic. Each of us has a role to play, a destiny. But if you’re too weak to reach out and grasp it, even when it’s right there in your reach, then that’s just spitting in destiny’s face.”

“Ah, destiny,” Kaede said. “Is that the only reason?”

“...”

“I think, Nichibotsu-chan, that Izumi-chan isn’t the only one who’s starting to change.”

Sunset snorted, glaring off to the side. “Yeah? Well what do you…” She trailed off when she saw that the tree next to her was empty. “Freaking ninja,” she scoffed. She turned her eyes back to the sky. Her mind, however, turned to less simple things.

Arc 3: Chapter 16

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The art of spellcraft is as intricate as it is dangerous. Many a promising mage has been slain by his own spell backfiring, sometimes wreaking horrible collateral damage in the process. Entire cities have been destroyed due to experimental spells gone awry, and legends speak of entire nations and empires falling to ruin beneath raining spellfire. For this reason, even as we offer instruction on this topic, my colleagues and I warn that the path of spellcraft is not to be tread by any but the most advanced, patient, and technically-minded of mages.

Wow, Sunset thought, pausing her reading to raise an eyebrow at the book in her hands. She was sitting at her desk, waiting for English class to start and trying to ignore the presence of a certain vampire sitting beside her as she read the Tome of Spellcraft that she’d found amongst the books that Negi had given her. This one happened to be in English, which made it slightly more likely that one of her classmates would see it and get curious. Thus far, however, she’d been able to avoid the attention of the more advanced students - sans Evangeline, of course - and had been able to read in peace. Now she was wondering if the book was even worth her time.

I mean, making new spells is no small feat, Sunset thought, looking through the Table of Contents and frowning at how many chapters were devoted to safety and containment procedures, but not even Professor Neighsay was this strict. What the heck is wrong with these mages that the slightest error could cause such horrible consequences?

“Yeah, those warnings are pretty stupid, aren’t they?” Sunset’s eye twitched before she turned her gaze to Evangeline who was looking at her book with interest. “All of the disasters they warn about happened because some mage or another tried making a super-spell while drunk out of his mind.”

“I assume you speak from experience?” Sunset asked, hoping that her snark would end the conversation.

Evangeline shrugged, turning her attention back to the front of the room. “I knew a couple of the idiots that book mentions. Even warned one of them off.” She smirked. “Atlantis used to be such a nice city, too.”

“STAND!”

Sunset stood automatically, looking forward and seeing that Negi had arrived. After the usual routine of bowing and greeting, she sat down again, preparing to ignore yet another English class that was far beneath her level.

“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! EVANGELINE-SAN!?”

Sunset sighed, massaging the bridge of her nose. This is going to be one of those days, isn’t it?

“W-what do you want!?” Negi shouted, continuing his freakout at finding Evangeline back in class after almost a week of ditching. “I can’t challenge you to a duel right now! I’m always available after class, but-”

“You took care of me yesterday,” Evangeline interrupted, barely bothering to keep a single eye open. “I thought I might as well come to class.” She then added under her breath, “Seeing how I’m stuck here anyway.”

“Eh!?” Negi’s face lit up. “Really? I’m so happy! Is your flu better now?”

Evangeline sighed, exasperated by his enthusiasm. “...yeah, I guess,” she muttered.

“Well then,” Negi exclaimed, an innocent smile splitting his face, “let’s begin from page 31 of the textbook. Shall I begin reading?”

Sunset turned to Evangeline as Negi launched energetically into the lesson, raising an eyebrow at her. “You let the kid take care of you?” she asked incredulously.

Evangeline scowled and looked away, but Sunset caught the faintest hint of a blush. “It was nothing,” she muttered. “He came to my cottage with a stupid letter of challenge while I was… off my game. It doesn’t change anything between me and him.”

Sunset shrugged, turning back to her book. Her mind raced as she pretended to continue reading the warnings in the first chapter. This just gets more and more confusing. First of all, a powerful vampire coming down with the flu? Who ever heard of something like that?! And if the kid had such a golden opportunity, why didn’t he take her out? She snorted, turning a page and glaring as she saw the warnings continue. She started flipping through until she found the first chapter on spellcrafting theory.

It doesn’t matter. If Takamichi fails to contain her, she’s going to come after him at the next full moon anyway. If that happens, I’ll take her down once and for all.

*****

Class ended without any more excitement, and Sunset packed up her tome, preparing herself for the next class.

“Um, Nichi… chan?”

Sunset looked up, a little surprised to see Ako standing in front of her desk, shuffling her feet nervously. “Yo. Did you need something?”

Ako nodded, avoiding Sunset’s gaze. “Um, I was wondering if I could talk with you before the next period starts.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow, but she nodded and stood up. “Sure, I guess. We’d better make it quick, though, or we’ll be late for the next class.”

“Well,” Ako smiled a little, “even if we are, you can just tutor me a little extra to make up for it, right?”

Sunset snorted and smirked a little as she led Ako towards the door. “Sure, why not? I already made that promise, after all.” She led them to the staircase from the previous day and leaned back against the same wall. “So, what did you want to talk about?”

Ako fidgeted nervously in place for a moment, refusing to look Sunset in the eye. “Um, well, oh my gosh! This is so embarrassing!” She took a deep breath and looked up at Sunset, a small blush tinting her cheeks as she asked, “Did you really mean what you said yesterday? About me being good at the bass and being p-pretty?”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “What, that? Of course I meant it. What reason would I have to lie?”

Ako’s blush deepened a touch, but a bit of caution entered her expression. “I… don’t know. But no-one else except the other girls in the band have ever really complimented my playing, and no-one else has ever called me p-pretty.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “And how many people have you performed solo in front of?” Ako looked away and Sunset clicked her tongue. “Thought so. Even if it’s important, the bass is naturally a background instrument. People don’t realize how much they appreciate it until they hear it on its own. But after that, it’s hard to ignore how great it makes everything else around it.” Sunset pushed off the wall, smirking to herself at how much Ako’s blush had deepened. “And by the way, if no-one else has ever called you pretty or cute, it’s because they’re either cowards or blind.” She patted Ako’s head as she walked past her. She made her way back upstairs and turned towards the classroom…

...and found herself face to face with a third of her classmates, including the cheerleader trio, the Library Exploration Club, and a smiling Kaede, Yuuna, and Makie. Haruna sniffed, wiping away a fake tear. “Our little Nichi-chan is-”

“OH SHUT IT!!!” Sunset stormed past the eavesdroppers, ignoring Ako’s startled squeak from behind her. She quickly reached the classroom and threw herself into her chair, glaring straight ahead at the chalkboard. “Hey, Evangeline,” she muttered out the side of her mouth. “Need an evil partner or something? ‘Cause I think I just ruined whatever reputation as a cynical hard-ass I might have had.”

“Sorry,” Evangeline replied, boredly flipping through the Tome of Spellcraft. “I don’t ally with anti-heros.”

Sunset groaned and slammed her face into her desk. This is going to be a looooong day.

*****

“Thank goodness that’s over,” Sunset groaned as she left the classroom. “Just sitting next to Evangeline after everything I’ve found out about her is exhausting.”

“Are you going to be alright?” Yue asked, a rare note of concern in her voice. “I’m sure Negi-sensei would let you switch seats with someone else if it would help.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “And give the vampire the satisfaction of knowing that she got to me? Pass. I’ll just get all of my stress out in the boxing ring.”

“I pity the Boxing Club, then. By the way, Nodoka and I were planning to turn in early tonight on account of the blackout. So if you want any candles, you’re going to have to buy them yourself.”

“Oh yeah,” Sunset said. “I almost forgot about that.” The entire city’s electricity would be shutting down from 8 to midnight that evening for maintenance, an event that occured twice a year. Sunset shook her head. “I’m actually going to spend most of the night at Library Island setting up for some experiments. It’ll be a good opportunity since there won’t be any chance of some random student stumbling into my work.”

Yue raised an eyebrow. “You know that we aren’t supposed to leave the dorms once the blackout starts, right?”

“Of course,” Sunset replied, smirking. “And I won’t. Can’t leave a place if you aren’t there in the first place. Or do you really think they’ll check the entire Library Island for students before the blackout starts?”

Yue and Sunset shared a chuckle, parting ways outside of the school as Yue headed south towards the dorms and Sunset made her way west. She stopped by a couple of shops along the way, buying a couple of instant meals and as many candles as she could carry, before making her way to Library Island. She quickly made her way down to her old room, closing and locking the door and organizing all of her materials.

In addition to the candles she had bought, Sunset had several pieces of chalk, a few vials of ink, and a few other basic catalysts for spellcraft. “Now then,” she muttered, checking her watch. “All that’s left to do is wait until the blackout begins. Then I can start getting all of this stuff down to the Melchizedek chamber and start setting up some containment circles and warding spells. Can’t have curious explorers wandering in while I’m working.” She pulled the Tome of Spellcraft out of her bag, sitting down at the desk to read it as she awaited the 8:00 hour.

*****

Although these beings of myth are unlikely to have ever actually existed, invoking their names allows a mage to focus his power around said being’s domain. For example, Ifrit is often used when invoking more powerful fire magic, as it centers the mind on conflagration and destruction.

“In other words,” Sunset muttered, “legends from my world would work just as well.” She smirked, thinking over various monsters and legends from Equestria. “And that’ll make it harder for other mages to tell what sort of spell I’m casting until it’s too late. I doubt anyone here will understand it if I invoke the name of…” Sunset frowned. “Well, it’ll work once I translate his name into Latin.” She stole a glance at her watch, her eyes widening as she saw the time. “Crap! It’s 8:00 already!” She leapt to her feet and began stuffing her supplies into a large burlap sac. “I can’t believe I let the time get away from me like that! I need to-”

She froze. A vial of ink fell from her hand and shattered against the ground, its black contents spreading out like the dark void that filled Sunset’s heart. She slowly stood and looked up, towards the surface. Her face was pale, her limbs shaking.

Wh-what is this? This overwhelming darkness. Sunset swallowed nervously. It… it can’t be. She isn’t supposed to have access to her power until the full moon! And even then, it’s nothing like this!!! Sunset pulled out her pactio card, summoning her artifact while she unlocked the door to her room. She shoved it open and sprinted down the hallway beyond, making for the surface as quickly as she could.

This is bad, she thought, sprinting up stairs and through corridors, dodging traps as they activated. This is really, really bad! If she’s somehow at full power… Sunset shivered again, bursting out of the library and turning to sprint along the bridge that led to the mainland. I’ve got to get Honya and the others out of there!

She sprinted towards the dorms, following the presence of the overwhelming dark aura that she sensed. She hesitated a moment as she felt a smaller dark aura separating off from the main mass and flying eastward. Spells? No, I’m still too far to detect details that fine. Must be a couple of thralls. She sensed the main mass following the same direction, leaving another small aura behind. And a couple more of them. Either they’ve been beaten, or Evangeline is fleeing while they fight for some reason. Sunset grit her teeth, pouring on the speed as she tried to catch up to the largest dark aura. Doesn’t matter. If she’s leaving the dorms alone, then I don’t have to worry about the girls just yet. Right now I just need to focus on Evangeline.

She followed the dark aura for another half-hour as it steadily approached the eastern border of the Academy District. Is that the kid’s plan? Sunset wondered. Is Evangeline still bound here? I’d usually scold him for running away from a fight, but… Another chill ran down Sunset’s spine. Honestly, that might be the smarter call. She groaned inwardly as she vaulted a fence and sprinted down an alley. Which of course begs the question of why I’m rushing blindly into it.

“-on, Ane-chan! We’ve got to hurry!”

“What’s this ‘we’ about?! I’m the one doing all of the running!”

Sunset rounded a final corner, surprised to find herself face to face with Asuna, Chamo sitting on her shoulder with a lighter and a small firework held in his paws. “Asuna?” Sunset asked, slowing down to run alongside her. “What are you doing out here?”

“Same thing as you!” Asuna snapped, her eyes locked on a bridge that they were approaching. The bridge spanned the river that surrounded the Academy District, and three figures could be seen almost in the middle of it. “I’m coming to help Negi!” Asuna finished.

Sunset raised an eyebrow at Chamo. “With a firework?”

“It’s all part of our plan!” Chamo replied, grinning. “This will blind Evangeline long enough for us to get some distance! Then Aniki will be able to form a contract with Asuna Ane-chan and beat her into submission!”

Or maybe hold her off long enough for backup to arrive, Sunset thought. If there are other mages at this school, they’ve surely sensed the commotion by now. Sunset nodded, focusing forward again. “Alright. Let’s get him out of there.”

Asuna nodded, taking a deep breath as they crossed onto the bridge. “HEY!” she shouted, drawing the attention of two of the figures. “HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!”

One of the figures darted towards them, revealing herself to be Chachamaru. As soon as she got close, Chamo leapt off of Asuna’s shoulder, lighting the firework. It let off a bright flash of light, blinding Chachamaru and allowing Asuna and Sunset to slip past.

“You get Negi!” Asuna shouted, her eyes narrowing on Evangeline as they got closer. “I’ll distract Evangeline-chan!”

Sunset nodded, though her thoughts were far from amicable. Are you an idiot? She’s a hundreds-of-years-old vampiric mage! If she doesn’t have several magical barriers, I’ll eat my jacket!

Asuna’s kick sent Evangeline flying, blood trailing behind her from a shattered nose.

...I wonder how leather tastes? Sunset shrugged off her shock, grabbing Negi in one hand and throwing a shot of fire in Evangeline’s direction with the other. It exploded at her feet just as she was recovering from Asuna’s kick and Sunset and Asuna took that opportunity to run, getting as far from Evangeline as they dared before ducking behind one of the bridge’s support pillars.

Sunset breathed a sigh of relief, checking her watch and wincing. “The blackout still has more than 10 minutes,” she muttered. “We’re lucky that she’s probably just been playing with you this whole time.”

“I… I’m sorry,” Negi said, looking down and away as tears began to stream down his face. “Asuna-san. Nichibotsu-san. I’ve caused you trouble again. I tried so hard on my own, but it wasn’t enough.”

“Idiot.”

“Eh?” Negi looked up just in time for Asuna’s fist to lightly bop him on the head.

“Don’t overdo it on your own!” Asuna said. “Didn’t you just ask me an Nichi-chan to help you with this sort of thing?”

“Doesn’t matter if it’s the full moon or not,” Sunset added, smirking down at him. “We promised ourselves to this fight, and we aren’t going to back down.”

Asuna nodded, grinning down at him. “In situations like this,” she jabbed a thumb into her chest, winking, “just call on your onee-chan, and I’ll come and help you! It’s no trouble! We’ll work together and find a way to deal with Chacha and that problem child.”

“It’s not like it’s just your problem after all,” Sunset added. “If something were to happen to you, everyone in class would be sad.”

Negi looked down, sniffing a few times. He quickly wiped the tears from his eyes before looking back up, a renewed fire lighting them. “You’re right! Asuna-san, Nichibotsu-san, I have to beat her!”

“That’s the spirit, Aniki!” Chamo shouted, darting out from around the corner. “Come on, Ane-san! Let’s do it!”

“And where have you been?” Sunset asked, glaring down at the ermine as he began drawing a magic circle around Asuna and Negi. “I thought we left you back on the bridge to serve as bait for the blood-sucker.”

Chamo paused just long enough to glare up at Sunset. “You think you’re funny, don’t you Nichi Ane-chan?”

Asuna sighed, blushing a bit as she turned her attention back to Negi. “Well… I guess I’d better do this.”

“Eh?” Negi looked up from Chamo just as Asuna leaned down, taking his face in her hands and placing her lips to his.

The circle beneath them lit up, Chamo giving a triumphant cry of “Pactio!” A card flashed into existence, which Chamo swiped immediately and stuffed into Negi’s hand. Negi backed away as soon as Asuna released him, blushing furiously. “Wh-wh-wh-what are you doing, Asuna-san?!”

“She’s giving us a fighting chance,” Sunset said, glancing around the corner and wincing. “Crap, they noticed that. Stop freaking out over a stupid kiss and let’s get out there before they blow us out of hiding!”

Asuna and Negi shared a look, nodding to each other before walking out to the center of the bridge, Sunset beside them. Evangeline and Chachamaru hovered about a hundred feet away, the first apparently effortlessly and the other via a pair of rockets at the bottom of her feet.

Rockets? Sunset thought, bringing her fists up. Seriously? As if being a robot weren’t advantage enough. She took this opportunity to look over her opponents more carefully, and was a little surprised by what she saw. Evangeline was wearing a tight black dress that would have looked provocative on anyone older. Chachamaru was dressed in a full maid outfit, complete with headpiece and high-heels. Which her rockets are somehow working through. Sunset shook her head, choosing to ignore the weird fashion choices.

“What’s the matter, boy?” Evangeline called as she and Chachamaru slowly descended. “You think you can take a break because your onee-chans came to save you? Trying to twist the battle to your advantage?”

“What are you talking about?!” Asuna shouted, pointing accusingly at Evangeline. “You’re the one who tried to ambush Negi two-on-one!”

“You’re also an ancient vampire with hundreds of years of magical training and practice,” Sunset added. “And you say that Asuna and I are a threat? Something tells me you’re all talk!”

Evangeline smirked as she and Chachamaru floated down to street level. “Trying to bait me into playing with you, eh?” she asked, shaking her head. “The boy may not be much of a threat, and Asuna’s little more than a violent monkey, but you?” Her eyes narrowed as she ignored Asuna’s insulted retort. “You’re an unknown, aren’t you? But for you to be standing there so confidently…” She licked her lips. “You must have been quite the powerful mage on the other side of the mirror.”

Sunset grit her teeth, but passed it off at a grin. “Maybe,” she said. “In fact, maybe I was the personal student of the sun.” Her smirk grew more genuine as Evangeline’s eyes widened. Keep her talking, Sunny. The longer she’s distracted, the better a chance we have.

“I see,” Evangeline muttered, her eyes narrowing once again. “The old man told me quite a bit about that Tenko Hime he met. But he also mentioned that our magic and yours are incompatible.”

Crap!!!

“Which means,” Evangeline grinned, “you’re down to what you’ve learned since you arrived here.” She turned her attention to Negi. “If you really think that this is enough, then let’s go. Show me what you’ve got, Negi Springfield!”

A tense moment of silence overtook the bridge, neither side making a move. Sunset kept her eyes trained on Evangeline, watching for even the slightest twitch.

Negi struck first. “Sis mea pars per nonaginta secundas, ministra Negi, Cagurazaka Asuna, Crepusculum Ocassus!” Sunset dashed forward as Negi pulled out a practice wand, Asuna only a step behind her as they felt magical energy start to fill them. Chachamaru was on them in an instant as both Negi and Evangeline began chanting their spells. Sunset dove around Chachamaru, leaving Asuna to face off against her.

She’ll be fine, Sunset thought, her focus on Evangeline. But this one is far too dangerous for me to waste time taking out the minion. She poured magic into her gauntlets, smirking to herself as they lit on fire. I’ll get her after her first attack. The kid had better be able to withstand whatever she throws at him.

“Sagita magica,” Evangeline chanted, finishing her incantation, “series glacialis!” Seventeen missiles of ice formed around her, shooting off towards Negi. Sunset took the opening, rushing forward and throwing a punch straight for Evangeline’s chest.

Evangeline smirked, stepping to the side and grabbing Sunset’s arm, just above the gauntlet. She twisted, throwing Sunset past her and sending her skidding across the bridge. “Nice try,” she taunted, her attention back on Negi who had just thrown out several bolts of electricity to counter Evangeline’s attack. “Haha! To think that you can use lightning too! But your incantation took way too long!”

Sunset grunted and got to her feet, glaring at Evangeline as she prepared another series of magic arrows, wielding darkness this time instead of ice. Damn it! That wasn’t just a lucky grab, was it? I guess a few hundred years gives you plenty of time to learn to fight hand to hand too. Sunset took a firm stance, watching the other two mages’ spells explode against each other once again. And like I thought, she’s toying with him. She keeps slowly amping up the number of arrows like this, and the kid’s going to get worn out before he has a chance to properly counterattack. I’ve got to break up that pattern! Sunset thrust one of her palms forward and began chanting her own incantation. “Equis Equis Alicornus. Undetriginta spiritus ignis. Sagita magica, series ignis!” Thirty-one bolts of fire formed around Sunset’s hand before shooting straight for Evangeline.

Evangeline turned to look over her shoulder, a wicked grin on her face. “Trying to flank me, eh? Septetriginta spiritus glacialis. Sagita magica, series glacialis!”

Sunset grit her teeth as the two waves of arrows impacted, exploding into steam and mostly canceling each other out. Six bolts of ice magic came hurtling towards Sunset, who threw up both of her hands and shouted “Reflectio!” A wall of flame separated Sunset from the arrows, catching them and reducing them to steam. Sunset charged through the wall, aiming to catch Evangeline off guard. “Undetriginta spiritus ignis. Sagita magica, convergentia ignis!” A single bolt of fire, far larger than the others, shot from Sunset’s hand and straight for Evangeline.

The vampire rolled her eyes and jumped to the side. “That’s the problem with the convergence version of that spell,” she said. “It’s much easier to dodge.”

Sunset clenched her fists, punching the air in front of her and sending bolt after bolt of fire in Evangeline’s direction. Hopefully it served its purpose, Sunset thought as Evangeline either dodged or blocked her attacks. Come on, kid! You aren’t going to get a better chance than this!

“Veniant spiritus aerialis fulgurientes-”

Evangeline’s eyes widened before she turned to glare back at Negi. “Damn it. I let her distract-” She lost the rest of her sentence as she leapt out of the way of another of Sunset’s converged magic arrows, jumping into the air and out over the side of the bridge. “Tch! Stay out of my way, you pesky horse!”

Sunset shook where she stood, panting from the effort of expending so much magic so quickly. Damn it, should have been focusing on sprints rather than endurance. The kid’s spell had better hit her hard!

“-cum fulgurationi,” Negi continued, power gathering around him, “flet tempestas austrina!” He brandished his wand, pointing it straight at Evangeline. “Jovis tempestas fulguriens!”

A spiraling column of wind and lightning shot from Negi’s wand, streaking straight for the vampire. Evangeline grit her teeth and flung her hand forward. “Reflictio!” Negi’s spell struck her barrier, pushing her back through the air as she struggled to maintain her defence. “Gu-guah! You little punk! You think this is enough to get through to me?!” She darted to the side, allowing her barrier to fall as power began to build in her hands. “Enough playing around,” she said, looking between Sunset and Negi. “Time for me to take both of you out! Lic lac la Lac Lilac-”

“Master! You musn’t!” Everyone turned to see Chachamaru running for the edge of the bridge. “Return! Hurry!”

“What are you- agh!” Evangeline’s retort was cut off as the lights on the bridge flared to life. Sunset’s eyes snapped to the shore where the lights of the city were turning on as well.

“The blackout is ending seven minutes and twenty-seven seconds earlier than expected!” Chachamaru shouted. “Master!”

“Eh?!” Evangeline’s eyes widened in panic. “They finished early?!” She turned to fly back to the bridge.

Sunset tensed suddenly, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. “Hit the deck!” she shouted, collapsing to the ground. Negi and Asuna did so as well right as the magic struck.

“KYAAAAAA!!!” Powerful energy struck Evangeline from every direction, lighting her up and causing her to writhe and contort in midair for several seconds. Finally, she began to fall, trailing electricity as she did so.

“The seal on master’s power has been restored!” Chachamaru shouted. “Without magic, she’s just an ordinary child! She’ll drown in the river!”

Good riddance, Sunset thought, smirking up at the panicking robot and aiming her fist. One shot, and you’ll never reach your- Sunset’s eyes went wide as she saw Negi leap over the edge before Chachamaru could reach it. “KID!”

Sunset scrambled to her feet, rushing over to the edge of the bridge. She arrived at the same time as Asuna, both of them looking over just in time to see Negi grab onto his staff and Evangeline’s arm. He hoisted the both of them onto his staff, pulling up just before they would have hit the water.

“Oh, thank goodness,” Asuna said, collapsing to her knees. “Negi, you idiot. You almost gave me a heart attack.”

“Idiot is right,” Sunset muttered, glaring at Evangeline as Negi carried her back up to the bridge. He set her down and stepped back, Chachamaru moving in immediately to check on her.

“Master! Are you alright! Are you wounded anywhere?”

“Just my pride,” Evangeline muttered too quietly for anyone to hear. She pushed Chachamaru away and moved to stand up.

A bolt of fire shot over her head. Evangeline paused, turning a level stare to Sunset. “You know, this isn’t very sporting.”

Sunset glared down her arm at Evangeline, both her eyes and her gauntlets still burning with magical fire. “Just as well. I don’t hunt monsters for sport.”

“N-Nichi-chan?!” Asuna exclaimed, staring at Sunset in shock. “What was that for?! You could have hit her!”

“You’re right,” Sunset said, her eyes narrowing further. “I’ll make sure not to miss next time.”

“I won’t let you-”

Sunset raised her other fist without looking, pointing it at Chachamaru. “You move a single inch, and I’ll reduce you to slag.” Seeing Chachamaru holding still in her peripheral vision, Sunset turned her full attention back to Evangeline. “You really should have seen this coming. Did you think we’d just let you walk after an attack like that? Your seal was the only thing keeping me from coming after you before, but now you’ve found a way around that. You’re too dangerous, Evangeline A K McDowell.”

Evangeline held Sunset’s gaze for a moment. “Heh, never figured it would end like this.” She shook her head. “What a pathetic final showing. Losing to a couple of kids and a transformed horse? At least tell me you were someone important back where you’re from.”

“That knowledge won’t do you any good where you’re going,” Sunset retorted.

“Hmph. Fair enough.” Evangeline closed her eyes. “Make it quick, then.”

“NO!!!”

Sunset blinked, surprised to find Negi standing suddenly in her way, arms spread wide. “N-Nichibotsu-san, you can’t!” he said. “We beat her! She isn’t going to cause any more trouble! You don’t have to k-ki…”

“It isn’t murder,” Sunset said, rolling her eyes when Negi flinched at the term. “It’s an extermination. This unholy monster has lived for too long as it is. I don’t know how many lives she’s taken, but she deserves no sympathy from us. Now,” Sunset clenched her fist tighter, her fire glowing brighter and hotter, “move aside.”

“I won’t!” Negi shouted defiantly, the fire in his eyes burning as bright as Sunset’s fists. “Evangeline-san is one of my students! I won’t let you hurt her!”

Sunset glared at Negi, cocking her fist back. “Last chance, kid. Move, or be moved!”

“Nichi-chan! You can’t!” Asuna cried. She stepped forward, halting as one of Sunset’s fists switched from Chachamaru to her. “This is way too far!”

Sunset ignored her, staring Negi down. Negi’s eyes flicked nervously to the fire in Sunset’s fists, but he refused to move. Sunset grit her teeth. She screamed in frustration, launching her fist forwards. Negi flinched.

Fire splashed harmlessly at Negi’s feet. Sunset sighed heavily, turning away. “Abeat.” Her artifact vanished in a flash and Sunset tucked her card into her pocket. “I hope you’re ready for the consequences, Springfield,” she said. “Every misdead she commits from this day forward, even after you’re dead and buried, is on your head. Are you willing to accept that?”

Negi nodded. “I’m her teacher. I’ll make sure that she doesn’t do anything bad ever again.”

Spoken like a naive little kid. Sunset shook her head. “...see you in class, Asuna.” And without another word, she walked away.

Arc 4: Chapter 17

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The rest of the week was uneventful for Sunset. Negi and Asuna seemed to be keeping their distance from her after the fight with Evangeline, but the vampire herself had become strangely amicable towards the unicorn-turned-human, a fact that never failed to send shivers down Sunset’s spine. Setsuna occasionally shot her a questioning look, but she’d so far managed to just wave her off.

Sunset’s magic studies had taken a different direction. After how winded she’d gotten during the battle, Sunset determined that she needed to work on raw firepower as well as endurance. This meant long hours in the depths of library island, alternating between throwing around fireballs until she was exhausted and working on translating a few of her Equestrian spells into the human style. Several rewrites and one particularly painful splinching later, Sunset had finally managed to reproduce her teleportation spell.

Nodoka and Yue had remained silent so far on their decision of whether to get more involved in magic or not, though they had begun asking questions about what Sunset was working on, and they seemed to be growing more and more interested as she explained her struggles with spellcraft. Yue had even begun learning Latin, though she claimed it was for the Philosophy Club.

Sunset continued to throw herself full-force into the Boxing Club as well, and had even started asking a couple of older students for tips on more general street fighting, claiming a passing interest. She quickly added kicks and grapple moves to her private practice sessions beneath Library Island, finding particular amusement in the idea of striking an opponent’s pressure points with burning fingers.

Added to all of this were preparations for the upcoming School Trip to Kyoto and Nara. Sunset had had little interest in going, reasoning that a full week without classes would be a great opportunity for training, but Nodoka had talked her into it.

Actually, she’d just frowned and said that it wouldn’t be as fun without Sunset there. Haruna had given her several annoyingly knowing looks after that one.

The day of the trip arrived as any other, with Sunset rising a little earlier than usual to make sure that she hadn’t forgotten to pack anything, and to make sure that all of her magic supplies were buried at the bottom of her bag or otherwise hidden. She arrived at the train station earlier than most of the class and took the time to get some additional studying done in the Tome of Spellcraft.

“Are you sure that’s advisable?” Sunset looked up from the bench she’d taken a seat on. Setsuna was looking around the station with a casual air, one that struck Sunset as familiar. She almost resembled many of the more experienced royal guards when they were off duty: relaxed, but constantly aware. “It's not just our class you have to worry about out here. You never know when someone walking by may know particularly good English.”

Sunset shrugged. “Eh, I'm sure I could make something up about a role-playing game or something.” Her eyes darted to the sword that Setsuna always carried. “You sure it's a good idea to carry that thing around?”

Setsuna replied with a shrug of her own. “I’m good at going unnoticed.”

Sunset raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Are you sure about that? I noticed you and your sword my first day in class.”

“You’re a mage.”

Sunset pondered that for a moment before nodding. “Fair enough. Has Zazie arrived yet?”

Setsuna shook her head. “No, and Evangeline and Chachamaru will not be coming.” She turned her full attention to Sunset. “Speaking of whom, did something happen between the two of you and Negi-sensei? I’ve been keeping an eye on her ever since I learned what she is, and she seems more… open around you now. And Negi-sensei seems to be avoiding you.”

Sunset narrowed her eyes at the swordswoman. “Do you spy on everyone in the class, or am I just special?”

Setsuna shook her head. “Just the people who are of particular interest.”

“Hmph.” Sunset stuffed her book into her bag and glared out across the station. “She broke her seal during the blackout. Springfield, Asuna, and I confronted her, but…” Sunset clenched her fists. “Even two-against-one, we were severely outmatched. We’re lucky that she was just playing with us the whole time. If the blackout hadn’t ended early, we’d have been dead. And then, Springfield did the stupidest thing he could have done.”

Setsuna raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“He saved her life. Once when the seal reasserted itself and he kept her from falling to her death, and once after that when I was ready to finish her off once and for all.”

Setsuna’s other eyebrow shot up. “You tried to kill her?”

Sunset turned her glare to the swordswoman. “Didn’t you mention before that fighting creatures like her is your specialty? You should understand better than anyone that it’s not murder to slay a monster; it’s extermination.”

Setsuna’s eyes narrowed. “That’s… one way of thinking. Others would say that if the target is sentient, then imprisonment is always the better option.”

“And look at how that worked last week!” Sunset took a deep breath and stood up, looking away from Setsuna. “It doesn’t matter, anyway. Her powers are completely locked away until the next full moon,” or until she finds another way around the seal, “and Springfield’s claimed responsibility for her actions going forward.”

“Springfield?”

Sunset glanced back at Setsuna. “Hm?”

“That’s the third time you’ve called Negi-sensei by his last name,” Setsuna said. “Is there some significance behind that?”

“...I used to call him ‘kid’ or ‘the kid,’” she said, looking away again. “A carefree, happy, naive kid whose biggest problems were dealing with a class full of mostly-playful child molesters and worrying about his students’ well-beings. Now? Now he has something much more serious on his plate. And if he’s going to accept that responsibility, then I’m going to make sure he remembers it. Don’t misunderstand; it isn’t respect.”

They lapsed into silence, each lost in their own thoughts until more students began to arrive. Negi showed up early as well, running around with an enormous smile on his face, looking for all the world like a carefree kid going on a vacation. Sunset broke away from Setsuna to mingle with the Library Exploration Club while she waited for the trip to get underway.

Eventually, everyone had arrived and Negi split them up into their designated groups. Sunset rejoined Setsuna, the group #6 leader, and noticed only then that the third member of their group had arrived.

Sunset studied Zazie Rainyday a bit as their group waited to board the train. She was an enigma in the class, one that no-one had managed to figure out. Her hair was off-white, a little towards blue, and neck-length with the exception of two locks than hung down low in front of her shoulders. Her skin was almost as dark as Mana’s but her strangest features by far were the two even darker marks on her face. One was a large teardrop just below her left eye, and the other was a line that ran straight down from her hairline, through her right eye and halfway down her cheek. Sunset couldn’t tell if they were painted on or some sort of tattoos and, according to Haruna, no-one else knew either. She also never spoke and, for some reason, Sunset felt a distinct sense of unease standing next to her.

If she isn’t magical, Sunset thought, watching as the girl reached out a hand for a random bird to land on, ...nope. No if’s about it. Sunset shrugged, looking forward as her group entered the train. Meh, not like I have to get involved in every weird thing that happens around here.

“Negi-sensei,” Setsuna called from ahead of Sunset, drawing the teacher’s attention.

Negi turned to face her, his eyes going wide. “Oh! There you are! Group leader #6, Sakurazaki Setsuna-san…” He trailed off, seeing who was with her. “A-and Zazie-san and N-Nichibotsu-san.”

“There is a slight problem,” Setsuna said, drawing Negi’s attention back to her. “Group six consists only of the three of us, as Evangeline-san and Chachamaru-san are absent. What should we do?”

“I-I see,” Negi said. “Well, I could put you with the other groups, unless you’re alright with it being just the three of you?”

Setsuna turned to Sunset, who shrugged. “Honestly, I can’t guarantee that I’ll stick with my group anyway. Your call.” They both looked to Zazie who gave a simple thumbs-up.

“I suppose our group of three would be fine,” Setsuna said, turning back to Negi. She walked past him into the train, Zazie and Sunset following suit, the latter looking straight ahead and doing her best to ignore her nervous teacher.

*****

The first half of the train ride passed without incident. Most of the class was content to pass the ride keeping to themselves or chatting with their neighbor. Six of them had gathered together for a trading card game which drew Sunset’s interest. She leaned over the back of Yue’s seat, watching as she, Makie, and Yuna faced off against Fuuka, Sakurako, and Haruna. Though she didn’t understand the exact mechanics of the game, Sunset was able to get a feel for the general strategies in play. Both Yue and Haruna seemed to prefer to build defences and whittle away slowly at their opponents, while Yuna and Makie went on all-out attacks. Fuka was laying out the foundations for a long-term strategy, building up to something big. Unfortunately, Sakurako’s famous good luck seemed to be failing her team as her cards appeared to have little rhyme or reason to them. While Yuna and Makie struck out at Fuka, interrupting her machinations, Yue and Haruna faced off in a battle of attrition.

Just as it seemed Haruna had the advantage, Yuna switched targets. “All right!” she cried, pointing at Haruna as she revealed one of the cards from her hand. “I’m going to cast ‘Spell of Flames’ on you for five points.”

“Aaw, you got me,” Haruna whined. “I’m dead! I was killing you slowly with my ‘Frog Perdition’ card too!”

“You got too focused on Yue-chan,” Ako commented, standing next to Sunset and leaning over Makie’s seat. “You forgot to keep your defences up since she hasn’t been using any big attacks. If Yuna hadn’t taken you out, Makie-chan would have on her turn.”

“Don’t tell them that!” Makie hushed, her eyes boring into the cards in her hand. “We still have to take down the other two.”

“Meanwhile,” Yuna said, grinning happily, “I’ll be taking those five chocolates Haruna wagered.”

“Argh,” Haruna muttered, reaching into her bag for a small box of chocolates. “Those stupid frogs…”

“They would have worked if your teammate had provided support,” Sunset said, her eyes drifting to Sakurako.

“It’s not my fault,” the girl whined. “I don’t understand why my deck is doing so badly this time. I’m usually-”

“KYAAA!!!”

“F-FROG!?”

Everyone turned just in time to see a small, green frog leap out of Haruna’s chocolate box and land on Yuna’s head. Sunset quirked an eyebrow. What the-

“HIIII!!!”

“KYAAAA!!!”

Sunset looked around as the train car filled with screams. Frogs were hopping all over the place, leaping out of lunchboxes and thermoses and anything else that had held food. The floor was soon covered in the tiny green things, croaking cheerfully as they jumped all over the seats and students.

“Wh-what are all of these frogs doing here?!” Negi shouted, falling to his hands and knees and grabbing for the various amphibians, stuffing them into a small bag. A couple of students joined them, the work going much faster once Ku Fei and Kaede joined in.

All the while, Sunset just sat back and watched. She heard a soft thud behind her and turned to see that Ako had fainted in her seat. Rolling her eyes, Sunset turned back to contemplating the spectacle. Well, this is definitely suspicious. I don’t even know what to make of this. She reached out and caught a frog mid-leap, bringing it to her face for consideration. A summon? No. I would have sensed someone attempting to cast a spell to summon on this scale. Must have been set in advance. But why? Sunset glanced up at Negi as he began giving instructions for an emergency roll-call. Is it something to do with him? Or maybe Mana or Setsuna? Is there anyone in the class who mages might want to harass? She sighed, shaking her head and walking over to Ku Fei who now held a giant bag of frogs. Not that it really concerns-

Something shot by Sunset’s head. She reached for her wand on reflex, turning her eyes to either end of the train. She barely caught a glimpse of something small darting through the air towards the back of the train before it vanished through the door to the next car. She took a single step forward, but she stopped when she saw Negi rush after it. Sunset hesitated for a moment, looking between the frog in her hand and the back door. She sighed and shook her head, tossing her frog to Ku Fei and taking her seat again. Not my problem, she thought, placing her hands behind her head. This time, I’m staying out of it.

*****

The train arrived in Kyoto a short time later. Class 3-A eagerly poured out of the train station, cheering and yelling like the bunch of kids they were. With only four days and three nights to enjoy themselves, they rushed immediately to the famous Kiyomizu temple. Sunset hung back from the main group, prefering to observe the sights from a distance rather than get involved in her class’s shenanigans. She couldn’t help but enjoy the sights, the view from the Kiyomizu stage taking her breath away.

“You know,” she said to herself, “this place is almost like…” Her calm smile slipped a little. “Yeah, no way I can get that to translate.”

“Something from back home?”

Sunset flinched, turning her head to see Setsuna watching the class from beside her. “Something like that,” she muttered, turning back to the class. “A place my old teacher took me a few years ago. Lots of temples and trees all around.” I wonder if I’ll ever have the chance to visit Neighpon again?

Setsuna nodded, her eyes leaving the class to take in the view. “It is a beautiful city.” A soft smile settled on her face. “I grew up here, though I haven’t been back in years. It’s good to see it again.” Her smile faded as her eyes locked on Negi. “It’d be better if circumstances were different.”

Sunset followed Setsuna’s gaze and frowned. “Something going on? I noticed Springfield chasing after something on the train, and I’m not stupid enough to think it was unconnected to the frogs.”

Setsuna nodded. “Negi-sensei has a message to deliver to the Kansai Magic Association. It would seem that the Kanto Magic Association wishes to strengthen ties, which certain factions here in Kyoto are against.”

Sunset sighed. “Great. Another magic disaster. Keep me out of this one, will you? I think Springfield and I both need some time apart after our last adventure.”

Setsuna shrugged. “Don’t worry. Once the letter Negi-sensei possesses is delivered, everything should calm down.”

“Good to know.” Sunset grinned and began walking towards the class. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to jump off the Kiyomizu stage.”

***

Fortunately, Setsuna was able to convince Sunset not to take the jump. That was the last bit of good fortune that day, as a series of strange events followed Class 3-A as they explored the temple grounds.

Within the temple grounds was the Jishu shrine, which housed two “love stones.” Legend held that whomever could cross from one stone to the other with their eyes closed would find success in love. It was no surprise that Sunset’s classmates were interested, with Nodoka, Makie, and Ayaka making the attempt. Sunset groaned as she watched Nodoka stagger off to the right, unable to concentrate with her classmates’ constant shouting. Ayaka made her way boldly forward, Makie opening her eyes half-way while trying to keep up.

Both were halted as the ground gave way beneath their feet.

Sunset’s eyes narrowed as she watched Negi and Asuna try to pull the two girls out of the pit-trap. She shared a quick look with Setsuna before shaking her head and moving to help. Irritating, she thought, but not actually harmful. If this is all that these Kansai rogues can put out, I don’t even have to worry.

The next stop was the Otowa waterfall. Three streams of water fell from a shrine, each promising success in either health, ambitions, or marriage. While Sunset decided to humor fate by drinking from the “ambition” waterfall, most of the class crowded around the “marriage” one.

Ugh, Sunset thought, stepping down from the shrine to give other people their turn while her class continued to hog the final waterfall. I know I wasn’t that love-obsessed when I was their age. Are humans just more carefree than ponies? She snorted, shaking her head. More carefree than a race that breaks into random musical numbers on a weekly basis. Never thought I’d see the day.

“Um, Nichi-chan?”

Sunset turned to face Yue, who hadn’t gone up to the waterfalls. “Hm? What’s up?”

Yue pointed to the rest of the class. “We might have a problem.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow and turned to look, only for her other eyebrow to join its sister. Everyone who had been drinking from the “marriage” waterfall was passed out in the street.

“What the…” Sunset headed back to the waterfalls and filled a cup from the “marriage” stream. She took a quick sip, tasting the liquid before spitting it out. “Sake?” she asked incredulously. “Someone spiked the waterfall?”

With half of the class passed out, it was decided that 3-A should retire for the evening. The drunken members were dragged onto a bus which took the class to their hotel.

“I can’t believe this,” Sunset muttered as she relaxed in the room assigned to group six. “Pranks? That’s all that the Kansai rogue mages can pull off?”

“Should you really be speaking so freely?” Setsuna asked. She was changing into a robe, preparing to head for the open-air baths that the hotel provided. “It’s not just you and me here, after all.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “You really think that Zazie doesn’t know about magic?” The two girls looked over to their group-mate who was sitting on the floor reading a book. She glanced up and nodded to them before going back to her reading.

Setsuna blinked a couple of times. “Ah.” She shrugged and pulled on her robe. “Well, all I can say is that they’re probably trying to avoid drawing attention from the main house of the Kansai Magic Organization. If they try anything big, it’ll probably be under the cover of night.”

Sunset nodded, standing up and stretching. “Well, I’ll make sure to turn in as soon as possible then. The earlier I’m asleep, the more likely it is that I’ll be able to avoid whatever goes down. If Springfield can’t handle it, I’m sure big-sis Asuna can help him.” She began removing her own clothes as well. “I’ll join you in the baths in a minute.”

Setsuna nodded and left the room. As soon as she was gone, Sunset turned and raised an eyebrow at Zazie. “And you’re just going to sit there?” she asked. “Not going to try to get involved or find out what’s going on.”

Zazie looked up and cocked her head to the side, giving Sunset a look that said “Why is it any of my business?”

Sunset shrugged. “Well, most people get curious about this sort of thing. Goodness knows anyone else in the class would be stalking us around to find out what was going on.”

Zazie returned the shrug and rolled her eyes, her meaning clear. “I’m not the rest of the class. Don’t group me together with their antics.”

Sunset frowned. “Okay, how do you convey all of that without saying a thing?”

Zazie shot her a little smirk before returning to her book. “It’s a gift.”

Sunset sighed and shook her head, pulling on a robe and leaving the room. I swear, if she and Celestia ever got together, they’d spend hours just smiling and nodding at each other and say more than the entire Canterlot Elite at the GGG.

***

“...I give up. What in the world is happening here?”

Sunset had heard a scream coming from the baths as soon as she’d left her room. She’d rushed down the halls, drawing her wand from her robe’s pocket. She’d thrown open the door to the changing rooms, preparing to do combat with whatever appeared.

She hadn’t been prepared for a gang of tiny monkeys to be attempting to dog-pile Asuna and Konoka. The two girls had been in the middle of changing to enter the baths when the swarm had caught them with their skirts down. Setsuna and Negi stood at door leading to the baths on the other side of the room, expressions of bafflement on their faces which probably matched Sunset’s.

“Don’t just stand there, Nichi-chan!” Asuna shouted, pulling a monkey off of her face and throwing it away from her. “Get these things off of us!”

Sunset shook off her shock and ran into the room, putting away her wand as she did so; she didn’t want Konoka to know about magic just yet, and there was a far easier way to deal with these things. “Oy! Monkey head!” One of the monkeys bouncing on Asuna’s back looked up just in time to receive a kick to the face. “Stop treating my friends like a couple of trampolines!” The monkey went flying, smacking into the wall and vanishing in a puff of smoke, a small paper talisman taking its place and floating to the ground.

The heck?! Sunset didn’t let herself question the phenomenon, focusing instead on helping to free Asuna.

“AAAAH! NICHI-CHAN! SECCHAN! HELP!!!”

Sunset and Asuna looked up, the last of the monkeys running away at Konoka’s cry. They joined the mass that had lifted Konoka and was quickly carrying her away.

“Konoka!” Sunset reached for her wand, but froze as Setsuna rushed by, a katana held in her hand. She dove forward, sweeping low and slicing through all of the monkeys in a single swing. She slid to a halt, using her momentum to carry her through the ensuing smoke and catch Konoka in her arms.

“Konoka!” Sunset ran up to check on her friend, Asuna and Negi following close behind. “Konoka, are you alright?”

“Y-yeah,” Konoka said, staring up at Setsuna in awe. “Secchan, I really don’t understand the situation… but you saved me, right? T-Thank you!”

Setsuna instantly blushed and looked away. “Ah, it’s nothing.” Without ceremony, she dropped Konoka in the bath and took off, running back inside the hotel.

Sunset blinked, looking from Konoka to the hotel and back again. Her eyes eventually fell on Negi, who was looking at her like he was about to say something.

Nope. Sunset turned and walked away, following the path that Setsuna had taken. Nope. Nope. Nope. Not getting involved. Those three have got this well in hand, and I don’t need to go sticking my muzzle- my nose in there. Just stay out of all of it. Stay out. Stay out. Stay out.

***

“So, what were those things, exactly?” Damn it, Sunset!!!

Setsuna sighed as she finished getting dressed in her gi. “They were shikigami: paper golems. They’re a common tool of Eastern mages.”

“Golems?” Sunset’s mind turned back to Library Island and a few other golems she’d faced in Equestria. That’s so not what I’m used to. “So it’s definitely those Kansai mages?”

Setsuna nodded. “Our enemies are Onmyou, charm-users who specialize in the use of shikigami and in summoning powerful warrior spirits to aid them, much like Western mages use partners.”

“Warrior spirits?” Sunset asked, raising an eyebrow. “What sort of spirits are we talking about?”

“Demons, of course.”

Sunset instantly stiffened. “...demons you say?”

Setsuna nodded, examining her sword and not noticing Sunset’s reaction. “Indeed. Which makes a member of the Shinmei-ryuu like myself well-suited to fight them.” Nodding in satisfaction, she sheathed her blade and took a stack of paper charms out of her pocket. “These should be able to keep any shikigami from entering this place. Once I place them, any mage wishing to interfere will have to enter personally.”

“Good to know,” muttered Sunset. She shook her head and sighed, removing her robe and changing quickly into her pajamas. “Well, you sound like you’ve got a handle on things here.”

“I wouldn’t mind having your hel-”

“Nope!” Sunset all but threw herself into her sleeping bag. “I handled the last adventure; you and the dynamic duo can take this one. This Kanto-Kansai rivalry has nothing to do with me. G’night.”

***

“...”

“Mph. Huh? Zazie? What the heck are you waking me up for?”

“...”

“Hmph. They can handle it themselves. It’s none of my business.”

“...”

“How did you know- Oh nevermind. Yeah, they targeted Konoka, but Setsuna and the others can take care of it.”

“...”

“Prove myself? To whom?! The kid already knows that I’m almost at his level, and I’ve got nothing to prove to Setsuna or Asuna.”

“... … …”

“...damn it.”

Arc 4: Chapter 18

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The sounds of battle echoed through the main staircase of the train station. An Onmyou mage had taken Konoka in the middle of the night and fled, with Negi, Setsuna, and Asuna in hot pursuit. They had thus far managed to counter every charm and strike against them, but the situation had taken a turn for the worse. The Onmyou had summoned a large, bear-like creature which was restraining Asuna, a swarm of monkey summons lending aid. Another swordswoman of the Shinmei-ryuu had appeared and engaged Setsuna, forcing her back. Negi had just launched a barrage of magic arrows at the Onmyou, but had been forced to divert them when she’d held up the unconscious Konoka as a shield.

“P-please let go of Konoka-san!” Negi shouted up at her. “This isn’t fair!”

“Ah, I see.” The Onmyou stood at the top of the stairs, grinning down at them as she hoisted Konoka over her shoulder. “I know your type. You’re too weak. You’ll back off as soon as it looks like the target is going to get even slightly injured.” She threw her head back and laughed, loud and haughty. “Ho ho ho! Well this girl certainly came in handy! I think I’ll keep using her like this!”

Asuna struggled, trying to get out of the bear’s grip as it lifted her into the air. “Wh-what are you planning to do with Konoka?!” she demanded.

“Well,” the woman said, placing a hand to her chin in contemplation, “I guess we’ll use drugs and spells to control her. She’ll be nothing more than a puppet who listens to our every word. It’ll be great! Looks like we win this…” She trailed off, feeling something hard pressed against her back. “Ara?”

“Sagita Magica, convergentia ignis.”

A powerful blast of fire struck the Onmyou in the back, sending her flying forward with a scream of pain, her shoulder no longer carrying its burden. Sunset sighed, Konoka held under one arm as she lowered her fist. “You really are helpless, aren’t you Springfield?”

“Nichi-chan!”

“Nichibotsu-san!”

“There I was,” Sunset continued conversationally, gently setting Konoka down. “Asleep in my room. No worries. No concerns. When suddenly, Zazie is shaking me awake and telling me to come help you bozos.” She looked around at their opponents and raised an eyebrow. “Looks like she was right to be concerned. I mean, you’re losing to a low-level summoner and her giant teddy bear. At least Setsuna seems to be fighting someone dangerous.”

“Low-level…” The Onmyou grit her teeth, rising to her feet and pulling out a charm. “I’ll show you low-”

Sunset pointed a single finger. “Series Ignis.” A small arrow of fire shot from her fingertip and engulfed the charm. “Paper magic against a pyromancer? Not the best idea.” She pointed down the staircase behind the woman. “Especially when you have that to deal with.”

The woman turned and froze, her eyes going wide. Asuna had finally managed to land a blow on the bear, banishing it in a puff of smoke. She and Negi stood side-by-side, glaring up at the woman.

The Onmyou swallowed nervously. “It seems we’ll have to try again another day. Tsukuyomi! We’re leaving!”

Sunset grit her teeth and cocked her fist back. “Oh no you-”

A shiver of dread ran down her spine. Sunset turned and brought up her gauntlets, barely managing to deflect the twin blades that had been aimed at her neck. “Aw,” a cute voice complained. “I was just starting to have fun.”

Sunset glared at the girl who stood before her. She wore a simple white dress and a large sun-hat, a pair of glasses framing her face and her long, blond hair falling down her back. Excepting the shortsword and dagger carried in her hands, she was the picture of innocence.

And Sunset had rarely felt more terrified of someone in her life.

“This isn’t about fun!” Sunset leapt to the side, grabbing Konoka as she did so. She barely managed to dodge before the Onmyou landed where she’d been standing, a giant monkey by her side. The monkey scooped the woman and the girl into its arms before fleeing, rushing out the doors and leaping into the sky. “I’ll remember this!”

“Ah! That damn woman!” Asuna made to pursue, but Setsuna placed a hand on her shoulder, restraining her.

“There’s no need to pursue her, Kagurazaka-san. It wouldn’t be a good idea to chase her any further.”

“Not when we’ve got what we came for,” Sunset agreed, setting Konoka down again.

“Speaking of her,” Chamo piped up from atop Negi’s head, “didn’t that woman say she was going to use drugs and spells on her?!”

Setsuna’s eyes went wide. “Don’t tell me that-” She rushed to Konoka’s side, kneeling down and looking her over. “Konoka-ojousama! Please, get ahold of yourself!”

“Ojou-sama?” Sunset questioned, backing up. She turned to Asuna. “What’s that about?”

“Um, I don’t know the whole story,” Asuna admitted, “but it looks like Sakurazaki-san is Konoka’s bodyguard, or something.”

“Bodyguard?” I mean, her grandfather is the head of Mahora, but I don’t think that’d make her too high a priority target. Just what is her family involved in?

“Huh? Secchan?”

Sunset and Asuna looked over, both of them breathing sighs of relief as they saw Konoka awakening, looking up at a similarly relieved Setsuna.

“Ah, Secchan,” Konoka said groggily. “I had a dream I was kidnapped by some strange monkeys. But Secchan and Negi-kun and Asuna came to save me.”

“Thank goodness,” Setsuna whispered, smiling down at Konoka. “It’s all right now, Konoka-ojousama.”

Konoka’s eyes widened in shock before a smile overtook her face, tears beginning to form in her eyes. “Thank goodness. Secchan doesn’t hate me after all.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow and turned to Asuna. “Hate her?” she mouthed. Asuna shrugged waved her off, mouthing back “Later.”

“I-I wanted to talk to Kono-chan as well,” Setsuna muttered, blushing. “And-” Her eyes went wide. She leapt away from Konoka, dropping into a low bow. “I-I apologize!”

“Eh? Secchan?”

“I-I am merely thankful that I was able to protect Kono-cha- Ojou-sama,” Setsuna stammered, her eyes lowered to the ground. “I wish I had been able to do so quietly from the shadows, but, um…” She turned, fleeing down the stairs. “I’m sorry!”

“Ah! Secchan!” Konoka shouted.

Sunset sighed and began running after her. “You two get Konoka back safely. I’ll handle our wayward swordswoman!” She rushed after Setsuna, catching up to her just as she was about to hop on a train. “Oy! Setsuna! Wait up!”

Setsuna glanced over her shoulder and, begrudgingly, held the door open for Sunset. She sighed as she made her way to the front of the train. “Th-thank you for lending your aid, Nichibotsu-san,” she said, speaking as stiffly as she walked. “I apologize for the inconvenience. You have my word that we will no longer involve you in-”

“Oh, shut up already,” Sunset said, following her. “You really think I’m going to just sit back and do nothing when it’s my friend being targeted?” She raised an eyebrow. “But you do have me curious. What exactly is your relationship with her?”

Setsuna nearly fell on her face at the word “relationship.” She quickly found her footing again and increased her speed to the front of the train. “N-n-n-n-nothing!” she insisted, refusing to look back at Sunset. “I-I-I am simply her guardian from the shadows. N-n-nothing more!”

Sunset groaned and rolled her eyes. Great. The old “bodyguard falls in love with their employer” cliche. I’ll let the rest of the class handle that one. “Guardian, huh? Guess Konoka must be pretty important to warrant a personal protector like you.”

Setsuna nodded, relaxing slightly as they moved the subject away from her poorly concealed crush. “Her family is important,” she explained. “Her father is actually the head of the Kansai Magic Association. In addition, her family is powerfully magical on both sides. Her father even served side-by-side with the Thousand Master years ago.”

Sunset frowned. “So by taking Konoka hostage, they think they can control the Kansai Magic Association. And where do you come in?”

“As a member of the Shinmei-ryuu.” They reached the front of the train and Setsuna went about setting their course for the station nearest to their hotel. “We’re more than just demon-hunters. We also act as bodyguards, mercenaries, and protectors. I have been training to protect Konoka-ojousama since we were children.” A frown crossed her face as the train lurched into motion. “I haven’t been able to protect her, though. When we were young, she almost drowned because I wasn’t strong enough to save her. And even now, after years of dedicating myself to study and practice, I still failed to protect her.” She clenched her fists, shaking in self-loathing. “I couldn’t do a thing. She was kidnapped right out from under my gaze, and I almost allowed her captor to get away with her. I allowed myself to be matched so easily by that other girl and had to rely on you and Negi-sensei and Kagurazaki-san. If you hadn’t come when you did-”

“Yeah, I’m going to ask you to shut up now.”

Setsuna’s jaw dropped. She turned around, staring wide-eyed at Sunset. “Wh-what?”

“You’re a kid,” Sunset continued, taking a seat and leaning back to enjoy the ride back. “Doesn’t matter that you’re a Shinmei-whatsit, you’re still a middle-school kid. I’m sure there are plenty of adults around who can deal with this better than you.”

“Th-that’s not the point!” Setsuna shouted, glaring at Sunset. “It isn’t a matter of ability, it’s a matter of duty! I am sworn to protect Ojou-sama, no matter what! I have to become stronger, or-”

“Let me reiterate,” Sunset interrupted. “You. Are. A. Kid. A pre-teen. A child who has no business thinking about life-and-death struggles. If you think Konoka needs protecting, hire more security. I’m sure that whatever god keeps track of various peoples’ duties won’t mind if you take it easy until you come of age. Besides, it looks like Konoka would rather have you as a friend than a ‘protector.’”

“That-” Setsuna blushed and looked down. “Th-that wouldn’t be appropriate. As her guardian, I cannot allow myself to-”

“Oh for Tenko’s sake!” Sunset groaned and buried her face in her hands. “Is that your hold-up? Stupid humans and their stupid hierarchies.” She looked up and glared at Setsuna. “Let me be frank. The idea that someone can’t be friends with someone else just because they’re of a higher position is one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard of. My old mentor was practically a goddess, but she still made friends with her guards, the aristocracy, and even the commoners.” No matter how useless those friendships were or how little she benefited from them. “The notion that status determines relationship is archaic in the extreme.”

“B-b-but, Ojou-sama-”

“Is just a person!” Sunset snapped. “Just an ordinary middle school girl who I’ve never seen treat anyone else with anything but kindness. Even if there is some archaic reason that you can’t be more than just her meat-shield, do you really think that she cares one bit about it?”

Setsuna remained silent, shuffling her feet nervously. The train soon reached their station and they left, taking down a couple of charms that Setsuna identified as “Charms of Warding” along the way. They soon reached their hotel, sneaking in with ease and making their way back to their room.

“You… make some good points,” Setsuna admitted as she got ready for bed. “I… will consider what you’ve said.”

Sunset smirked to herself, tucking herself into her sleeping bag. “Good for yo-”

“After Ojou-sama is safely back at Mahora.”

Damn it. Sorry, Konoka, I tried.

Arc 4: Chapter 19

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“ITADAKIMASU!!!”

Most of Sunset’s table winced as 3-A began breakfast. She’d joined the sports trio, Ayaka, and Sakurako at their table, figuring that they would serve as a barrier to any conversation about magic or what had happened the previous night. Negi and Asuna had already tried to catch her eye a couple of times, but she refused to let them drag her fully into the current mess until she’d enjoyed at least one full day of vacation.

Sitting at the same table as a number of recovering drunkards also happened to provide a good deal of amusement. “Ugh,” Ayaka muttered, the usually dignified class representative staring into her bowl of rice with dead eyes. “What a headache. And I can’t remember anything after we went to the Kiyomizu Temple waterfall yesterday.”

“And we missed out on the first night of the trip too,” Yuna shouted, apparently unaffected by her hangover. “Damn it!”

Sunset chuckled as the rest of the table winced and shot glares at Yuna. “Doesn’t surprise me,” she said. “Someone spiked the ‘mariage’ waterfall with sake. With how much you all drank, the only mystery is why Yuna is the only one not hungover.”

“She is,” Ako whimpered, massaging her temples. “She’s just refusing to give in to it.”

Sunset rolled her eyes and dug back into her food, looking around and watching the rest of the class. Several other students were similarly lethargic, but the rest seemed eager for the day ahead. The groups were going to Nara for the day, something that Sunset was looking forward to.

It’ll be my first chance to see any hooved creatures since I left Equestria, she thought. I wonder how the deer here compare to the ones I know?

“Secchan! Why are you running away?”

“I-I’m not running away!”

Sunset looked over her shoulder, shaking her head when she saw Setsuna running away from Konoka. That girl. I swear, Konoka, you’re doing this on purpose.

“Eh? What’s this about?” Ako asked curiously, watching the two girls run around. “I’ve never seen Sakurazaki-san with an expression like that.”

“I wonder if something happened last night?” Makie added.

“What?!” Yuna’s face showed a combination of jealousy and determination. “Did they do something fun without us?!”

“That’s it! I’m definitely not sleeping tonight!” Sakurako shouted before she began cheering Konoka on.

“This certainly is unusual.” Sunset turned away from the growing spectacle to see that Ayaka was studying the two curiously. “Sakurazaki-san has always been more reserved than this. She usually tries to avoid attention.”

“Well, apparently they were childhood friends,” Sunset said, shrugging. “Looks like Konoka is trying to reconnect or something.”

“Ara? Is that so?” Ayaka’s eyes instantly lit with her usual fire. “Well then-”

“I’m going to stop you right there.” Sunset smirked as Ayaka shot her a glare for interrupting. “From what I can tell, their situation is complicated and delicate. Best to let them handle it themselves. The ever extravagant child-molester-in-chief is the last person they need getting mixed up in it.” The last thing Konoka needs is the rest of the class interfering and making Setsuna close herself off even more.

“Hmph!” Ayaka turned up her nose and went back to eating. “You know Nichibotsu-san, you may not be as violent as Asuna, but you certainly aren’t any less brutish. I don’t see why the Library Exploration girls put up with you.”

“Probably because the only one I ever need to call out for being an idiot is Haruna,” Sunset answered, taking a sip of her tea. “And she has a sense of humor.”

Yuna laughed as Ayaka sputtered indignantly. “Oh, calm down, Class Rep. She’s just having a bit of fun at your expense. From what Makie-chan tells me, you’ve just got to accept that as part of Nichi-chan’s charm!”

Sunset raised an eyebrow and turned to Makie. “And how would you know anything about my ‘charm?’”

Makie shrugged before drinking the last of her tea. “I see you with the Boxing club a lot. You’re a pretty rough group, but you always look like you’re having fun.” Her usual innocent smile lit her face. “I just figured being a bit rough was part of your personality!”

...this observation coming from Baka Pink. Seriously, who is this girl. “Well, you aren’t wrong.” Having finished her meal, Sunset stood and stretched. “Anyway, I’ll see you girls around, I guess. I’ve got to see Springfield about something.”

Makie perked up, her eyes going wide. “Not if I get to him first!” She leapt out of her chair and rushed out towards the hotel lobby, leaving Sunset looking after her in confusion.

“What the heck was that?”

Ako chuckled. “She probably thought you were going to ask him to join your group for today.”

“Huh. Well that’s-” A rush of air raced by Sunset, and she turned to see Ayaka’s seat empty. She sighed and shook her head. “Well, it’s started now. Hopefully they can avoid groping him this time; I don’t think the manager would appreciate something like that going on in the lobby.”

Yuna pouted, crossing her arms. “We don’t grope him every time.” At Sunset’s incredulously raised eyebrow, she chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her head. “W-well, not too much.”

Sunset rolled her eyes and set off for the lobby where, sure enough, Ayaka and Makie were fighting over which group Negi would accompany that day. The Narutaki twins had joined in the competition, and most of the class seemed to be gathering to watch the spectacle. Sunset was about to step into the fray when she noticed Nodoka on the other side of the crowd, seemingly mustering her courage. Sunset blinked and stepped back, smiling encouragingly.

“U-um, Negi-sensei!” Her shout drew the room’s attention, but she persevered. “We have free activity time today. I-If it’s okay with you, would you like to come with us?!”

Way to go, Honya, Sunset thought. Confident. Not overbearing. A little bit of stuttering, but that just makes you even cuter. Sunset shook her head and sighed. Kid has no idea how lucky he is. And with Konoka being a member of her group…

“All right, Miyazaki-san,” Negi said cheerfully. “I’ll go with you and group three today.”

Ayaka seemed disappointed by his decision, but the rest of the class seemed more than happy to give Negi to Nodoka without complaint. Sunset walked back to the dining room, quickly locating Zazie and Setsuna, who had finally managed to shake Konoka. “Springfield’s going with Konoka’s group today,” she told them. “Zazie, do you mind tagging along?”

Zazie shrugged and gave a thumbs-up.

***

“Well done, Nodoka!”

“KYA!”

Sunset sighed. They’d been exploring Nara and feeding the deer there for only ten minutes, and already Haruna was acting up. Just ignore them, Sunset thought, petting the deer that was eating from her hand. The inquisitive creatures seemed to have taken a liking to Sunset, a number of them gathering around her curiously. Sunset couldn’t help but feel a bit of a connection with them, and she swore she could see a spark of intelligence in their eyes. As long as they don’t start doing anything stupid, you can just focus on these cute little guys.

“How can you be satisfied with just this!? This is where you have to start putting the pressure on!”

Sunset sighed and the deer in front of her looked up at her in curiocity and… was that concern? Probably just projecting. “My friend can be a bit of an idiot sometimes,” Sunset said, continuing to stroke the deer. “She keeps trying to get Honya to fast-forward a relationship with Springfield. I’m surprised she hasn’t told her to-”

“You’ve got to confess to him, Nodoka!”

Sunset groaned, facepalming hard. The deer nuzzled her affectionately and Sunset couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yeah, I’m going to have to go take care of that.” She stood and stretched before walking over to where Haruna was going on and on about school trips and romance. “Oy! Haruna! Back off a bit, will you? This isn’t one of your rom-com manga, you know. Actual relationships develop more slowly.”

“R-r-relationship?” Nodoka squeaked.

Sunset rolled her eyes. Wow, almost as flustered as Setsuna got at that word. “That is the end goal, isn’t it? No need to rush, though. Like I said before: friendship first, then romance.”

“Weak!” Sunset wished her ears could still flatten as Haruna shouted. “That approach is too weak, Nichi-chan! You have to seize the day if you want to get anywhere in this life! Besides, according to Mahora Romance Research’s Society research, confessions during school trips have a success rate of over eighty-seven percent!”

“Really?” Sunset asked, feigning curiosity. “Was there multi-variable analysis to show if there was any correlation between strength of prior friendship and success? What about length of prior friendship?” She smirked as the confident grin on Haruna’s face became more strained. “If you don’t know how to read statistics correctly, then they’re all but useless.”

“WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON, ANYWAY?!”

Sunset chuckled. “Honya’s side. In other words, the side of any possible relationship actually being successful. What, were you imagining him, a ten-year-old kid, accepting a confession on the spot so the two of them could go on some sort of lovey-dovey date tomorrow during Individual Free Activity Day?”

“...it could happen.”

“You make some good points, Nichi-chan,” Yue said, finally entering the conversation. “But you also made a good point for her to confess now. Sensei is only ten-years-old. He probably won’t be able to give any sort of response today. If Nodoka confesses now, Sensei has the rest of the trip to think about how to reply.”

“The rest of the trip?” Sunset scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Try the rest of the next six years. It’s going to be at least that long before a relationship like this is anything shy of criminal. And let’s face it, Springfield doesn’t have nearly the maturity required to act on that sort of thing.”

“I think Sensei’s a lot more mature than you give him credit for,” Yue countered. “Much more than any other ten-year-old, at least. Besides, even if you’re right and nothing develops for years, what harm is there in Nodoka letting him know how she feels? Would it really be better for her to just sit on those feelings for years?”

Sunset opened her mouth to retort, but hesitated as an annoying voice spoke up from the back of her head, a voice that sounded suspiciously like a certain pink alicorn’s.

Love knows no boundaries, be it sex, species, or age. And a love that sits on forced silence can fester and rot, twisting into something darker.

Shut up, Sunset thought back. One, Nodoka’s far too innocent for something like that to develop. Two, he’s a freaking kid! It’s not the age gap - goodness knows Celestia’s lovers have been able to contend with that easily enough - it’s the maturity of the target. Neither his underdeveloped maturity nor society will allow for such a relationship.

So you would have her simply keep it to herself, pine after him for years and sit on her feelings filling with more and more regret as countless opportunities pass her by?

Stop being so dramatic. I’m placing my feelings for Nodoka aside for her own good, and so can she for him.

Is that really because of your age gap? Or is it because she’s straight and you know she’ll reject you?

...how is it that even in my thoughts you’re still the biggest bitch I’ve ever met?

“All right!” Haruna’s shout snapped Sunset out of her mental struggle. She cursed inwardly as she saw that Haruna’s enthusiasm had fully recovered. “It’ll be okay! The ‘you’ this time can do it!” She turned and began running towards the rest of the group. “Come on, Yue! Nichi-chan! We’ve got to get Konoka and get Nodoka and Negi-sensei alone together!”

“W-WAIT!” Sunset shouted, running after Haruna. “You can’t just-”

“Give it up, Nichi-chan,” Yue advised as they ran. “Haruna’s going to make sure that this happens today. You can either futilly fight an upriver battle against her, or you can help it go off with as little a hitch as possible.”

Sunset grit her teeth but silently conceded the point; once Haruna got her mind fixed on something, it was almost impossible to restrain her. They quickly found Konoka and explained their plan to her, which, despite Sunset’s warnings about it being a bad idea, she enthusiastically agreed to join. They rushed over to where Negi was walking with Asuna and Setsuna, Zazie wandering nearby.

“Asuna!” Haruna shouted, she and Yue all but tackling the poor girl before dragging her off. “Let’s go see the Buddah statue together!”

“Secchan!” Konoka cried, approaching the swordswoman with a plate of food. “I bought some odangos! Wanna eat them together?”

“Zazie,” Sunset said, calmly approaching the mute. “Want to go somewhere else in a strangely conspicuous manner?”

As the three girls were dragged/chased/walked away, Sunset looked over her shoulder. She saw Nodoka run up to Negi and begin talking with him.

“Okay,” she said after a while, ducking behind one of the columns of a nearby temple. Seeing Zazie’s questioning eyebrow, Sunset explained. “We’re trying to give Honya some alone-time with Springfield so she can confess to him.”

Zazie’s mouth opened into an “o” of understanding before raising an eyebrow.

Sunset groaned and nodded in response. “Yes, he’s way too young for it to work. I’m hoping she either ditches the idea right away, or tells him not to worry about it. Plays it off as a ‘get it off her chest’ type of thing.” Any other path leads only to disaster.

Zazie nodded and jerked her head towards the rest of the temple.

Sunset shrugged. “Sure. Explore where you want. Just try to stay out of their way.” Zazie gave a thumbs-up and walked off to admire the temple grounds. Sunset shook her head and peaked behind the pillar to watch as Nodoka and Negi approached. I swear, if that girl doesn’t use magic to facilitate her communication, then I’m a frilled lizard. Oh well, a mystery for another time. For now, I just hope Nodoka can keep calm and get through this without ruining her future chances.

***

“Well, that was a total bust.”

Sunset groaned and massaged the bridge of her nose. She couldn’t help but agree with Yue’s assessment. Nodoka had tried several times to confess her love to Negi, each time chickening out and saying something else instead. She’d grown more and more flustered with each attempt, finally giving up and running off and leaving a confused Negi behind. Sunset and the others had tried to follow, but had lost sight of her in one of the parks.

“She should have waited,” Sunset muttered, leaning back against a tree. “Built up a casual, friendly atmosphere, and once she was calm and collected, she would have been able to slowly build up her nerve to confess.”

Yue raised an eyebrow. “You seem to have a lot to say on this issue for someone who’s never been in love.”

That’s because I had to live with the freaking Princess of Love for a year and she WOULDN’T SHUT UP ABOUT THESE SORTS OF THINGS!!! “Let’s just say that the books that I read are a lot more realistic than Haruna’s.”

Haruna rolled her eyes. “Okay, so maybe I pushed her just a little too far, but come on! Even you agreed that this was the perfect chance for her!”

“Has anyone ever told you that you have an uncanny ability to put your own words in other people’s mouths?”

Yue sighed and shook her head. “In any case, we’d better find her soon. If nothing else, the groups are supposed to stay mostly together.”

Sunset nodded. Something caught her attention out the corner of her eye and she turned to look. Asuna and Setsuna were sneaking through the bushes nearby, watching something on the path. “Huh, that’s odd.” She started to make her way towards them, Yue and Haruna following. “I wonder what-”

“I’ve liked you since the day we met, Negi-sensei! I… I love you, Negi-sensei!”

Sunset’s jaw dropped. She turned to look at Haruna and Yue, finding that they were as surprised as her. “That… that was definitely Honya’s voice, right?” The other two nodded and the three of them began to creep closer. They soon caught sight of Nodoka and Negi standing on the path, facing each other, the latter’s face filled with dumb shock while the former kept talking.

“Ah, it’s okay. I-I understand…” Nodoka seemed to be losing confidence at Negi’s dumbstruck silence. “Something as sudden as this is troublesome for you… w-we’re student and teacher after all. I-I’m sorry. But I wanted you to know how I feel, even if you c-can’t give me an answer. P-” She turned and ran. “P-please excuse me, Negi-sensei!”

Sunset looked back and forth between the fleeing figure and the frozen one. “So…” Yue snapped her out of her shock, “what do we do now?”

“I… I think Springfield needs us the most right now,” Sunset said, pointing at the young teacher. “He looks like he’s about to-”

*Thump*

“...faint.”

Arc 4: Chapter 20

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Negi hadn’t said a word as they’d taken him back to the hotel, staring off into space with a dumbfounded expression. However, Sunset had figured that the others were more than up to the task of aiding in his recovery and had left to search for Nodoka. She quickly found her in group 3’s room, eating a small lunch by herself. Sunset invited herself in, closing the door behind her and sitting down across the table from her friend.

“So,” she said, leaning casually on the table as she watched Nodoka’s face. “That happened. How’re you feeling?”

Nodoka blushed a bit and looked away, but Sunset caught the faint smile on her face. “Um, I’m fine, I think. It… it could have gone a lot worse.”

Sunset nodded, drumming her fingers on the table. “So, what now? You know how I feel about this, but it’s really up to you.”

Nodoka was silent as she thought. She finished up her lunch and began sipping from a juice box. “How did Negi-sensei react?” she eventually asked.

“He fainted.” Sunset chuckled at Nodoka’s shocked expression. “Granted, he’s got a lot on his plate right now, but yeah, he definitely isn’t ready for anything like that.”

Nodoka nodded and sighed, and Sunset was surprised to hear a note of relief in it. “I guess I kind of expected that. To be honest, I-I was really nervous when you mentioned a d-da-da…”

Sunset chuckled again as Nodoka disappeared beneath her blush. “Yeah, you aren’t ready either.” She reached across the table and ruffled Nodoka’s hair. “Just keep going slowly. Build up a strong friendship with him, and wait for both of you to grow up a bit. And if he isn’t interested down the road, then he’s an idiot and not worth your time anyway.”

Nodoka’s blush deepened and she ducked out from beneath Sunset’s hand. “I-I-I don’t know about that,” she stuttered. “I-I mean, he c-could just find someone b-better.”

“Impossible.” Sunset’s confident tone left no room for argument. “There is no girl that I know who is sweeter, kinder, or cuter than you. Anyone would be insane to reject you.”

“Aw, now I wish I’d caught that.” Sunset’s head whipped around, a blush covering her face as Asakura walked into the room, grinning like Hearth’s Warming had come early. “A heartwarming confession from 3-A’s resident hard-ass, Hikaru Nichibotsu. Got to say, this one will be hard to sell without evidence.”

Sunset leapt to her feet and grabbed Asakura by her collar. “If you tell anyone what you think you saw here,” she hissed, “then I swear that they will never find your body!”

Asakura just laughed and waved Sunset off. “Don’t worry, I know better than to invoke your wrath. I’m actually here to talk with Honya.”

Sunset narrowed her eyes in suspicion but nodded and set Asakura down. The reporter dodged around Sunset, taking out a small recorder and sitting down across from Nodoka. “Sorry to bother you, Honya. I’ve just got one thing to ask about.”

“O-Okay,” Nodoka said, raising her juice box to her lips to hide her embarrassment. “Wh-what did you need to talk about?”

“Is it true that you slept with Negi-sensei?”

Between Nodoka’s spit-take and Sunset’s punch to the back of the head, Asakura found herself wondering if the joke had been worth it. “Hahaha, I’m just kidding,” she said, wiping juice from her face as she looked over her shoulder, waving off a glaring Sunset. “Kidding. You confessed to him, right? How did it go?”

“H-h-how did it go?” Nodoka stammered, her blush close to becoming a permanent feature. “I-I was able to tell him how I feel, that’s all. I didn’t expect a response from the start, so…”

“Eh?” Asakura seemed surprised. “Then you don’t care what Negi-sensei thinks?”

Nodoka’s blush deepened as she nervously tapped her pointer fingers together. “N-no, I just…” Her voice grew quieter and Asakura and Sunset leaned forward to hear her better. “We’re both really young still… and we have plenty of time… and I-I’m kind of afraid to hear his response so…”

Sunset and Asakura couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’re right, Nichi-chan,” Asakura said, standing up and grinning. “It’s really hard to get cuter than Honya.”

Sunset nodded before raising an eyebrow at the class reporter. “I don’t think I need to tell you that this shouldn’t be spread to the rest of the class. It could create problems for Springfield if it got out, and I’d rather Honya not have to deal with the rest of the class breathing down her neck. Haruna is bad enough.”

Asakura waved her off, rewinding her recording and deleting it. “Yeah, yeah. I got it.” She grinned down at Nodoka, giving her a thumbs-up. “Good luck, Honya! I’ll support you!”

“What’s this about supporting Nodoka?” Yue and Haruna appeared in the doorway, peaking in and raising identical eyebrows at Asakura’s presence. The Mahora Paparazzi waved them off, laughing as she stepped past them.

“Nothing, nothing. Just gathering some intel for my own sake. I’ll see you all later!”

Yue frowned a little as Asakura ran off. “Is she up to something?”

“Nah,” Sunset replied, sitting down next to Honya as Yue and Haruna took seats across from them. “Just trying to get details on Honya’s confession. She’s going to keep a lid on it, though.”

“Good!” Haruna shouted, grinning eagerly at Nodoka. “We can’t have the competition sniffing out how far Nodoka has gotten!”

A round of confused and sceptical looks greeted her exclamation. “Competition?” Yue asked. “What competition?”

Haruna slammed her palm down on the table, lifting herself up to grin down at everyone else. “Why, the competition for Negi-sensei’s heart, of course! Out of our entire class, do you think that our little Nodoka’s the only one who’s fallen for Negi-sensei?! The Class Rep is the obvious competitor, of course, but a few of the others seem suspicious! Makie-chan seems strangely interested in romance and in Negi-sensei lately, and Asuna-chan has been suspicious from the start! I heard that they even sleep together!”

“Much to Asuna’s annoyance,” Sunset immediately clarified. “Springfield crawls half-asleep into her bed sometimes, a habit picked up from living with his older sister, apparently. Asuna complained about it several times during our study sessions. As for Makie,” Sunset rolled her eyes, “she’s too simple to be subtle. Trust me, if she was interested, we’d know. Any interest from her is either purely platonic or wrapped up in our class’s usual fantastic delusions.”

“And the Class Rep is an idiot,” Yue added calmly. “Her pronouncements of love are so overblown that they’re more likely to drive Negi-sensei away than to attract him. I doubt we have anything to fear from her.”

“And none of the rest of the class have expressed particular romantic interest,” Sunset said, smirking as Haruna slowly lowered herself, her grin slipping little by little. “In fact, a number of potential rivals have already pledged themselves to supporting Honya from the sidelines, Konoka and Asakura included. Face it, Haruna, your harem fantasy is going to remain just that, a fantasy.”

“Maybe for now,” Haruna growled, glaring from Sunset to Yue, “but do you really think that no-one else will start to see Negi-sensei in that light? Our class is too friendly for its own good sometimes, and we already make a habit of harassing him. What if, one of these days, one of them is alone with Negi-sensei and takes the teasing too far?” Her glare morphed into a slightly lecherous grin. “After all, a young man like Negi-sensei is very innocent and impressionable. If one of us mature onee-chans really tried, we could-”

“You’re being an idiot,” Sunset deadpanned. “First, no-one in our class but the Class Rep is that forward, and she isn’t subtle enough to go for ‘alone time.’ Second, stop complaining about how much you all harass Springfield; that’s my thing. Third, I see exactly where this is going and no, Honya doesn’t need to ‘stake her claim to Springfield before someone else tries for him.’ A confession is already far ahead of what anyone else in the class has going for them, and if anyone else tries it, I guarantee that Springfield will be just as flabbergasted as he was today, which will give us plenty of time to either support Honya’s next step or sabotage the competition.”

“Um, do I get a say in this?” Nodoka asked meekly.

Sunset huffed and crossed her arms. “As soon as Haruna stops trying to push you further than you need to go.”

“And as soon as Nichi-chan stops being naively optimistic!” Haruna accused.

“And as soon as both of them stop being stubborn idiots,” Yue drawled.

Sunset and Haruna’s retorts were cut off by a loud screeching noise. Everyone’s heads darted to the side, staring off towards the front of the hotel. Sunset narrowed her eyes. “What the-”

A loud crash cut her off and Sunset leapt to her feet, her hand instantly going to the pocket where she kept her wand. “Stay here,” she snapped before darting out of the room. She ran to the front of the hotel where she found Asakura standing by the entrance, hiding behind the doorway as she stared up into the sky, a wide-eyed grin on her face. “Oy! Paparazzi! What just happened?”

Asakura blinked and turned around, staring at Sunset with a questioning expression. Her eyes darted from Sunset to the sky, to the road, and back to Sunset. “Ahahaha.” Her laugh was as unconvincing as her strained smile as she waved Sunset off. “Nothing, nothing. Just a driver being a little reckless on the road. Nothing for you to be concerned over!” She hurried past Sunset, smiling as innocently as a filly who’d just put the cookie jar back and was trying to pretend there weren’t crumbs on her face. “Well, I’ve got some stuff to take care of! See you around, Nichi-chan!”

Sunset glared after Asakura as she ran off, her suspicion growing as she stepped outside and looked around. A cursory examination revealed nothing strange, but Sunset had the distinct feeling that something significant had just happened.

I’ve got a very bad feeling about this.

*****

“...The War of Lips?”

“Yup!” Makie chirped, an innocent grin on her face. “That's what Asakura-chan is calling it. Yuna-chan and I are going to represent Group 4!”

Sunset sighed, and massaged the bridge of her nose. She’d spent the rest of the afternoon and evening hanging out with group five, catching Konoka up on Nodoka’s confession and talking about various meaningless things. Sunset had been relieved to be able to relax and forget about her foreboding feeling from earlier, more than happy to leave the partols and watch for Konoka’s would-be kidnappers to Negi, Asuna, and Setsuna. She’d stepped out to use the restroom and had been in there when Nitta-sensei, the Director of Academy External Activities, had come by and cracked down on all of the noise that 3-A was making. He’d issued an ultimatum: if any of the girls were found out of their rooms after 11, they would be forced to squat in the lobby of the hotel.

So of course Asakura had decided to organize a competition to see who could sneak a kiss from Negi without getting caught.

Is this what she calls “support?” Sunset thought. Did she and Haruna get together and plot this behind my back? Or… Sunset's irritated glare morphed into an angry one. Is the pervert somehow behind this? Either way, he's sure to try and take advantage of it. Which means if Nodoka does succeed… “Sounds interesting,” Sunset said, faking a confident grin. "Maybe group 6 should get in on it.”

“R-really?!” Makie seemed both happy and worried at the news. “I didn't think you or Setsuna-chan would be interested.”

“Oh, it's not for me,” Sunset clarified, hesitating before lowering her voice and leaning closer. “Look, keep this to yourself, but Honya confessed to Springfield today. I’m not going to let someone else take his first kiss from her.” And I'm not going to let her have it either unless I'm sure that that perverted ermine isn't involved. “Setsuna won't be interested, but I can probably convince Zazie to tag along.”

Makie let out a huge sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. Ku-chan and Kaede-chan are already competing. If someone as serious as Setsuna-chan were to join in, none of the rest of us would stand a chance.”

Trust me, Makie; you still won't. “I'll have to watch out for them, then. Now, what are the rules?”

It turned out to be a very simple game. Each room would have two representatives vying for Negi’s lips, trying to sneak past Nitta-sensei’s patrols and into Negi’s room. The teams were allowed to interfere with each other, but were only allowed to use pillows as weapons. Most of the groups had already formed up, group 1 sending the Narutaki twins while group 2 sent Ku Fei and Kaede. Ayaka had dragged Chisame out on her team, and group 4 had sent Makie and Yuna. With Yue supporting Nodoka and Zazie teaming up with Sunset, the six groups were formed and the game began.

Arc 4: Chapter 21

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“...?”

“Because none of the teachers will think to check outside for students, especially once the others start getting caught.”

“...”

“Of course they will. Kaede may be a ninja, but the rest of them lack any sort of stealth or subtlety. They’ll begin dropping like flies almost immediately. I’d be thoroughly surprised if no-one has been caught yet.”

“!...”

“Exactly. With Nitta guarding those in the lobby, we can’t afford to take the shorter route in front of the hotel. So we’ve got to go around the back.”

“...?”

“Honya and Yue are both Library Exploration Club members. If I know them, they'll be taking the balconies around the outside. We’ll meet them at the fire-escape and work our way in from there.”

Zazie nodded as she continued to follow Sunset. They’d snuck out their window almost immediately after the game had started and were now approaching their target destination, Zazie carrying a single pillow while Sunset had two hastily modified ones tucked into the sash of her robe. Upon reaching the far side of the hotel, Sunset stared up at the third-story door, a frown on her face.

“I can get up there easily,” she muttered. “I guess I could pick you up and jump with you, but...” Sunset trailed off when she saw Zazie run at a nearby tree. She leapt up, grabbing one of the lower branches and using the momentum to swing her body around once. Twice. Thrice, and she let go, launching herself further up. She landed on another branch, one that stretched out towards the hotel. She walked along it confidently, her arms out to either side. Just as the branch started to sag, she leapt forward, somersaulting twice before landing perfectly before the fire-escape.

Sunset rolled her eyes as she channeled her magic, leaping up to join her. “Show off.”

“Eh?! N-Nichi-chan? Zazie-san?” Sunset and Zazie turned to see Yue and Nodoka cautiously approaching them. “Wh-what are you doing here?” Nodoka whispered.

“To be honest, I was going to ask you the same thing.” Sunset crossed her arms and gave Nodoka a concerned look. “You realize what's probably going to happen, right? Springfield's pet is probably stalking this little event and waiting to make contracts with anyone who succeeds in kissing him.”

Yue shared a glance with Nodoka, who nodded. “We know,” Yue said. “Nodoka wants to do this.”

“I-I want to get to know Negi-sensei better,” Nodoka said, stammering at first but growing in confidence as she spoke. “He still doesn't know that we know about magic, right? I can't get closer to him if there's such a big secret between us. And… I want to help him if something else happens. I… I don't want to just sit on the side if something like Evangeline-san happens again!”

Sunset took a step back, surprised at her friend's conviction. I've never seen her this confident about anything! She sighed and nodded, smiling. Springfield, you don't know how lucky you are. “Alright, I'll keep everyone off your back, then.” Her smile morphed into a confident smirk as she grabbed her modified pillows and slipped then over her fists. “Let's do this!”

The hallway beyond the door was dark and quiet, with no sign of anyone’s presence. Sunset half worried that Kaede might be hiding in the shadows before recalling who she was paired with; Baka Yellow was almost as loud and unsubtle as the rest of the class.

“No-one’s here yet,” Yue whispered as they crept along. “This is our chance. Negi-sensei’s room is just down this hall, number 304.”

“Great,” Sunset whispered back. “Let’s hurry up an- wall!” At the familiar command, Yue and Nodoka flattened themselves against the walls and began looking around for any traps. Sunset put a finger to her lips from where she hid beside them and pointed up at the ceiling where a small part of it was beginning to shift. Sunset looked around for Zazie and was surprised to find that the other girl had vanished as well. She turned her attention back to the ceiling just as a hole appeared and a rope ladder dropped through.

“No-one is here yet,” a young-sounding voice whispered from above. “Now’s our chance!”

“Auuu, I’m scared,” an equally young voice wined back. Yue and Sunset shared a brief glance before Yue held up her pillow, along with the one she had taken from Nodoka. Sunset nodded, turning to Nodoka and gesturing along the wall. They began making their way along as silently as possible while Yue stepped out into the middle of the hallway just as Fumika began climbing down the ladder.

“Ah!” she cried, looking down. “Yue-kichi of team 5!”

“Damn it!” Fuka hissed, staring down after her. “She must be scouting ahead. Eliminate her, Fumika!”

Sunset smirked as she and Nodoka hurried along, unnoticed by the twins. “Don’t worry,” she hissed into Nodoka’s ear. “Yue can handle them. And I’m pretty sure Zazie’s keeping a close eye on them just in case she needs to step in.”

“A-a-are you sure?” Nodoka whispered back, constantly turning to look over her shoulder.

“Aah! Yue-kichi! Using books is against the rules!”

“If the books are inside of the pillows, then it’s allowed!”

Sunset repressed a chuckle as she hurried them along. “I’m sure. So long as no-one else shows up-”

“Oyo! We’ve found them!”

Damn it, Murphy! Sunset grit her teeth as Ku Fei and Kaede stepped around the corner, their eyes instantly spotting Sunset and Nodoka despite their efforts. Sunset stepped out into the open, bringing up her pillowed fists and thanking whoever was listening that they’d made it to Negi’s door. “Go, Honya,” she hissed, squaring off against the martial-arts duo. “I’ll take things from here.”

“N-N-Nichi-chan!” Nodoka cried, looking from the door to her friend. “I- but- you-”

“Ohoho.” Ku Fei grinned at Sunset, a pair of pillows held in her hands. “I see you’re using the rules to your advantage aru.”

Sunset grinned, faking confidence. “What can I say? Go with what you know.” The two pillows fit over her hands almost like boxing gloves, letting Sunset fight in her usual style. It was a small advantage against a martial artist like Ku Fei, but she hoped it would be enough to give Nodoka some much needed time.

“Get in there, Honya,” Sunset hissed out the corner of her mouth. “Now! Before someone else gets here!”

Nodoka finally seemed to snap out of her panic. She quickly opened the door and slipped into Negi’s room, closing the door behind her.

“Are you sure about this?” Ku Fei asked, looking from Sunset to the trio fighting behind her. “I know that you’ve been learning to box, but I don’t think-”

Sunset darted forward while Ku was distracted, throwing a right jab straight for her face. Ku dodged easily, her attention immediately snapping back to Sunset in time to easily block the follow-up strike.

Crap! Sunset thought, striking out with quick jabs which were easily blocked or dodged, though Ku didn’t seem to have enough time between strikes to counter. Speed’s the best thing I’ve got going for me, and she’s outpacing me easily. Come on, Honya; just one kiss, and-

“HYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

Sunset immediately disengaged, leaping back and rushing for the door to Negi’s room, Yue and Ku close behind her. She threw it open, all thoughts of being quiet shattered by Nodoka’s scream. “Honya!!!”

Nodoka lay on the ground, obviously dazed. Zazie knelt beside her, fanning her face with her own pillow. The room was vacant apart from them, the window behind them flung open.

“Damn!” Ku shouted, rushing for the room’s balcony. “He escaped through the window!”

“After him, Fumika!” Fuka shouted, leaping over the edge without a second though. Fumika, Ku, and Kaede followed immediately afterward, the last one wearing an amused smile that had persisted throughout the contest.

“Nodoka!” Yue shouted, kneeling down beside her friend and shaking her shoulders. “Get ahold of yourself! Nodoka!”

“Uuun,” Nodoka moaned. “Five Negi-sensei…”

“Five?” Sunset asked, looking up at Zazie. “What does she mean, five.”

Zazie stared blankly at Sunset for a moment. She opened her mouth. Closed it. Considered for a moment. Finally, she shook her head and held up one of her hands, all five fingers extended.

Sunset blinked before turning to stare out the window. “Damn it, Springfield.”

*****

“Five Negi-sensei? And they’re confessing to everyone simultaneously!?”

Sunset sighed and massaged the bridge of her nose. She’d snuck back to Group 6’s room and switched on the TV, turning quickly to the channel where Asakura was streaming the War of Lips. She’d watched as the rest of the competition split up in their search for their wayward teacher. And now she watched as five Negi-clones declared their intentions to kiss five of her classmates.

“Well,” Sunset muttered, smirking slightly as she saw Yue smack one of the clones across the room with one of her book-pillows, “at least one of them realizes that something strange is going on.” The fake burst in an explosive cloud of smoke, and Sunset turned to leave, checking the hallway quickly before slipping out. Now, let’s see if we can’t bring an end to this farce before it gets even more out of hand.

Dodging Nitta was easy, as the sounds of commotion from downstairs soon drew him away from the third floor. From there Sunset went from room to room, testing anything with a lock. She finally found what she was looking for; the women’s toilet was locked. Sunset did a quick search for security cameras and, finding none, slipped out her wand. A couple of quick taps and a whispered incantation unlocked the door, and Sunset made her way inside.

“It seems all of the Negi-sensei were fake! Does this mean the proceeds from the betting pool go to me?”

“I suppose,” Sunset said, closing and locking the door behind her, “if you want to get the entire class on your back.”

“N-N-Nichi-chan?!” Asakura dropped her mike, grinning nervously and trying to hide a massive bag of meal tickets behind her back. “Wh-what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be chasing down Negi-sensei for Honya?”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Rather hard for Honya to kiss someone that isn’t here.” A flash of movement caught her eye and she shot a glare at Asakura’s laptop. “I knew you were involved in this somehow, rodent, but I never thought you’d go so far as to drag another student into your machinations. Especially after my last warning.”

“Y-you’ve got it all wrong, Ane-san!” Chamo peaked out from behind the computer, grinning nervously. “Y-you see, Asakura nee-san found us out on her own. See, there was this truck, and it was about to hit a cat. But-”

Sunset held up a hand, cutting him off. “Yeah, let me guess. Springfield blew it once again. I guess you get to live another day, then.” She switched her glare back to Asakura, who had been trying to sneak around her towards the exit. “So I guess that means this whole ‘War of Lips’ was your bright idea after all?”

Asakura chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her head. “W-well, it seemed like a good idea, you know? More partners, more power. And the fact that Chamo-chi gets a pretty good payday per card is a nice bonus.”

“Of course he does.” Sunset sighed and looked back to the laptop. “Well, at least it’s all over no-” Her eyes went wide. “Hello? What’s this?”

One of the outside cameras had caught another Negi making his way towards the hotel. Unlike all of the others, this one wore a familiar staff across his back. “That’s him!” Chamo shouted. “That must be the real Aniki!”

Asakura quickly switched the feed to the outside camera and scrambled for the mike. “I-It seems the real Negi-sensei has made an appearance! And group 5 is the only one in the area! Is Honya going to go for it?!”

Sunset couldn’t help but watch in anticipation, and she found herself wishing the hotel’s cameras could capture audio. Both Nodoka and Negi seemed nervous as they met in the lobby, but Nodoka didn’t seem to be pressing anything or moving forward. Their conversation was quick, and they began moving away from the lobby. Guess she decided to save that conversation for later, Sunset thought. Can’t really blame her, with everything that’s-

And then Yue stuck out her leg.

Nodoka tripped, Negi just managing to catch her as their faces collided, their lips meeting each other briefly before they hurriedly pulled apart, no doubt stammering apologies.

It was enough for Asakura, and for the pactio.

“Honya-chan won!!” Asakura shouted into her mike as a card appeared in Chamo’s paws. It featured Nodoka in her uniform and a light duster, an open book hovering before her. A spread of six books floated behind her head, two more open ones hovering at either side. Asakura quickly swiped up the card, stuffing it into her pocket.

“Alright,” she hissed, grabbing the bag of meal tickets. “Not quite the result I expected, but it looks like we’re still making a profit. Let’s split, Chamo-chi! Nichi-chan!”

Sunset nodded, checking a couple more of the cameras. “Looks like the way back to the dorms is clear,” she lied, smirking as she slipped her wand out of her pocket. “I’ll see you two tomorrow.”

“Eh?” Chamo asked, surprised. “What are you doing?”

Sunset smirked, focusing her magic and sneaking a peak at the computer feed which showed a rather irate Nitta-sensei approaching the restroom they were hiding in. “Just taking a shortcut. Ianuae Magicae." She vanished in a flash of light just as the door started to open.

*****

Setsuna sighed and massaged the bridge of her nose. “So, let me get this straight,” she said. “Kazumi-san found out about magic and started working together with Chamo-san. They organized a ‘War of Lips’ in the hopes of getting several pactio for Negi-sensei. Meanwhile, Negi-sensei made several faulty paper clones which caused havoc when the competitors got to his room, resulting in everyone except for the two of you getting caught by Nitta-sensei and forced to squat in the lobby. And because Nitta-sensei thought Negi-sensei was in on it, he has to squat there too.”

Sunset and Zazie shared looks before nodding. “Pretty much,” Sunset said. “Though you missed the part where Nodoka managed to nab a kiss and a pactio from Springfield thanks to Yue.”

“Of course.” Setsuna sighed. “This isn’t good. Negi-sensei is becoming far too conspicuous. If it gets out that he’s a mage-”

“Yeah yeah,” Sunset said, waving her off. “Back to England. Turned into an ermine. Blah blah blah. Honestly, if his cover hasn’t been blown after tonight, I doubt anything will get through our classmates’ thick skulls.”

Setsuna pondered that for a moment before nodding. “You… may be correct. Our class is strangely accepting of the unusual and impossible. I only worry because Kazumi-san is doubtless going to give Nodoka-san her pactio card. If she happens to activate it somehow…”

“Don’t worry about that,” Sunset said. “If she activates it, it’ll be entirely intentional. She and Yue already know about magic, after all.”

Setsuna’s eyes went wide. “What?! You told them?!”

“Didn’t have much of a choice after Evangeline attacked,” Sunset said. “I had to tell Nodoka something, and I knew it would be impossible for her to keep it from her best friend. Besides, if she’s going to keep getting closer to Springfield, do you really think she won’t find out about it sooner or later?”

Setsuna groaned and went back to massaging the bridge of her nose. “You’re taking this entire situation entirely too casually.”

“Blame my upbringing,” Sunset dismissed with a shrug. “When you grow up in a world of constant magic, you fail to see the horror of the secret getting out.” She stretched a bit before walking over to her bed and lying down. “In any case, we’d better get some sleep. Tomorrow’s another full day, and I doubt that monkey-woman is going to let us rest any more than she already has. G’night.”

Arc 4: Chapter 22

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“What are you going to do about this, Negi? How do you intend to take responsibility for making this card?”

“Sheesh. She says it like it was his fault,” Sunset muttered. It was the morning after the War of Lips fiasco, and everyone was getting ready for day three of the trip. Sunset and Nodoka had happened across Asuna talking with Negi, Chamo, Asakura, and Setsuna and were spying on them from around the corner.

“Honya-chan is just a normal girl,” Asuna continued lecturing, glaring down at Negi. "We can’t get her involved in something as complicated as this.”

“It may be too late for that, Asuna-san,” Setsuna interrupted. “Nichibotsu told me last night that she already knows about magic. Nichibotsu decided to explain it to her after Evangeline attacked her. Yue-san knows as well.”

“Eh?!” Asakura’s jaw dropped. “They knew? And they competed anyway?”

“Ohoho,” Chamo chuckled, pulling out a card and examining it. “It looks like the girl wants to be involved after all. Guess you made the contract with the right one, Aniki!”

“I-it was just an accident,” Negi said, waving his arms frantically. “I had no idea that Nodoka-san knew about any of this! Although,” he paused, calming down as he thought about something, “she did say she needed to talk with me about something important last night. Maybe it was about this?”

Setsuna nodded. “Most likely. From what Nichibotsu told me, she knows what she’s getting into and wants to be of help to you.”

“J-just hold on a second!” Asuna shouted, looking frantically from Negi to Setsuna. “We aren’t really thinking about roping Honya-chan into this craziness, are we?”

Sunset decided it was finally time to quit stalking and join in the conversation. “I don’t think that’s up to you, Asuna.” She stepped out from around the corner, smirking as everyone but Setsuna jumped in surprise. “Honya’s made her choice. Besides, now that she’s taken a single step in, it’d be better to indoctrinate her fully so she can be ready for what lies ahead.”

Chamo glared at Sunset, crossing his arms. “Please don’t make magic sound like some sort of creepy cult.”

“Can it, pervert. The grown ups are talking.” Turning her attention back to Asuna, she continued. “Look, Evangeline, Library Island, and the monkey girl trying to kidnap Konoka already prove that a lot of magical stuff is going to keep happening around our class. The more Honya knows, the better prepared she’ll be.”

“S-she’s right, Asuna-san.” Nodoka stepped around the corner, moving to stand beside Sunset and looking straight at Negi. “I, I want to help Negi-sensei. I want to understand what’s going on a-and get to know this side of Negi-sensei as well.”

“Like it or not, Asuna, she’s already involved.” Sunset shrugged. “Might as well go all the way.”

Asuna looked desperately from Negi to Setsuna, silently begging one of them to intervene. Seeing that they weren’t objecting, she sighed, her shoulders slumping in a defeated posture. “We’re going to infect the whole class at this rate.”

“Magic isn’t a disease!” Chamo cleared his throat before grinning over at Nodoka. “Anyhow, welcome aboard! I heard that Asakura nee-san gave you your copy card already, right?”

Nodoka stared blankly at Chamo for a moment before Sunset elbowed her in the side. “O-oh! Um, yes. She did.” Nodoka pulled her card from her pocket, an exact copy of the pactio card that had appeared the previous night. Asakura had given it to her earlier that morning as her “fabulous prize” for winning the War of Lips.

“Perfect!” Chamo reached behind his back and pulled out another card, this one depicting Asuna weilding a sword that was almost as tall as she was. “Then I’ll give Ane-san her copy card too.”

“Eh? What would I want with this?” Asuna asked taking the card and examining it. “All you can do with it is communicate, right?”

“Wrong!” Chamo shouted. “You can also use your artifact even when Aniki isn’t around! It will definitely come in handy!”

“Artifact?” Nodoka asked.

“Like my gauntlets,” Sunset explained, pulling out her own card. “To bring it out, just hold the card and say Adeat.” A flash of light vanished the card and replaced it with Sunset’s boots, gauntlets, and jacket.

“Wow,” Nodoka cooed. “Nichi-chan, you look so cool with those!”

Sunset looked away, grinning sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her neck and tried to fight the heat rising in her face. “Eh, it’s not much. I’m sure yours is pretty awesome, too.”

“Well, no better way than to see,” Chamo chimed in excitedly. “Go on! Activate it!”

“U-um, okay.” Nodoka pulled her card from her pocket and took a deep breath. “A-Adeat.”

The card vanished, replaced by a thick tome titled “Diarium Ejus.” Its front and back held a design reminiscent of a crown on a pedestal.

“Wow. It’s so pretty!” Nodoka began flipping through the pages, each one split into two sections. The top half held a blank white box while the bottom half contained lines for writing text.

“A picture diary?” Sunset asked, looking over her shoulder. “I wonder what it does?”

“I’m not sure,” Nodoka replied, flipping to the back page. “Oh! There’s instructions in the- huh?”

“Eh? What is it?” Asuna asked, coming around to pear over Nodoka’s other shoulder. Setsuna and Negi crowded around to, with Chamo climbing up onto Asuna’s shoulder. A picture and text began to fill the page. Curious, everyone began to read.

24th of April, Thursday.
I kissed my beloved Negi-sensei yesterday.
Kya! It was only by accident. One day, I would
love to do it in a more romantic way.

Six sets of eyes darted up to the picture, which looked hand-drawn. It featured Nodoka and Negi kissing tenderly, surrounded by sparkles and smiling flowers.

“KYAAAAAA!!!” Nodoka slammed the book against her chest, face a furious red with Negi’s quickly matching. “Wh-wh-wh-wh-what was that?!”

Setsuna cleared her throat, taking a step back and attempting to ignore her own blush. “I-it would seem that this diary is capable of reading and projecting your thoughts.”

“Very nice,” Chamo said, his eyes lit up as he grinned at Nodoka. “But not really ‘artifact’ material. I wonder if it does anything else?”

“As much as I hate to say this, I agree with the pervert.” Sunset wrapped an arm around Nodoka, her grin matching Chamo’s. “After all, it’s not like it said anything we didn’t already know, right Honya?”

“N-N-Nichi-chan!” Nodoka’s head ducked lower as she pulled the book back to sneak another peek at the picture. “Y-you’re- eh?”

“Hm?” Sunset peared down at the book as well, her eyes going wide as the picture and text changed. The picture was now of a blushing Nodoka, waving her arms around wildly and surrounded by little hearts while Sunset giggled. As for the text:

24th of April, Thursday. Nichibotsu.
Oh, this thing is so worth the fiasco of last night!
Honya is just so cute when she gets all flustered
like this. I wonder how much I can poke fun at her
until it crosses into “bullying” territory? Going to
have to measure this carefully. Eh, not like that’s
different from any other- wait. THIS IS MY MIND!!!

Sunset slammed the book shut, her own face lighting up as she avoided Nodoka’s gaze. “So!” she said, a little too loudly. “It looks like it’s not just Honya. This thing reads other people’s minds too. Probably when Honya says their name.”

“Eh? Really?” It was Asakura’s turn to adopt a cheshire grin. “And what exactly did you see in there, Nichibotsu? Some embarrassing little secret?” She began reaching for the book. “Maybe I should just take a peek.”

Fire blazed metaphorically in Sunset’s eyes and literally in her hands and feet. “You take that book, and I’ll burn it out of your hands,” she hissed. “And I won’t be too careful with my aim.”

Asakura quickly pulled her hands back, holding them up and laughing nervously. Sunset couldn’t tell if the sweat that covered her forehead was from the heat of the fire or from nervousness. “Hey, hey, I get it! Hands off the mind-reading book! Nodoka’s eyes only.”

“Still, this could be a very useful ability,” Chamo said, “Imagine being able to learn an enemy’s plans just by asking him about them!”

“I don’t know if it would be that simple,” Setsuna countered. “Many people are able to discipline their minds to avoid thinking about certain things, and most magic users are able to create some sort of mental barrier.”

“That won’t be an issue,” Sunset muttered, glaring angrily at the book. “Trust me, my passive mental barriers have been tested by some of the best mages in…” Sunset blinked away her glare and pointed at the book. “Hey, Honya, could I borrow that for a second?” At Honya’s nod, she took the tome and opened it up, bringing to mind a series of proper nouns. “Canterlot.” “Siren.” “Wendigo.” Weird, it seems to be using Western characters for the translations. I guess that’ll help when using them for spellcraft. She handed the book back to Honya before rolling the new word around in her mind for a bit. “Can-ter-lot,” she finally sounded out. “That’s the translation this book gives for my home city. Canterlot.” She shrugged. “Anyway, my mental barriers are strong. But this book pierced through to my mind like they weren’t even there. I didn’t even feel an intrusion.”

“Then this book is as amazing as I thought!” Chamo cheared. “Just what you’d expect from the one who has the second best relationship with Aniki!”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “And let me guess, the number one spot goes to you.”

“Please, girl,” Chamo scoffed. “I’m so far out of your leagues, the rest of you don’t even register compared to me. No, I’m just talking about his students. And amongst them, the number one closest relationship with Aniki belongs to none other than Asuna anesan!”

“Wh-wh-what?! Me?” Asuna gaped, dumbfounded. “Th-that’s ridiculous!”

“The ermine doesn’t lie!” Chamo replied, taking a scroll out from behind his back and unfurling it. “Ermines like me are able to sense the relationship strength between people based on several different factors, and trust me, you’re topping the list! Though Nodoka ane-san is starting to catch up to you.”

Sunset leaned over to take a peek at the list and winced when she saw her own score. Geeze. No wonder Ignis Erix is so weak. I really need to work on that. As for Asuna… She noted the numbers quickly and smirked. Knew it! “He’s right, Asuna. It’s not romance or infatuation like what Honya has,” she snuck a quick smirk to Nodoka’s still-red face before continuing, “but that’s definitely a pretty strong relationship.” She glanced up at Asuna. “It goes back to that thing we talked about earlier.”

“E-eh? What thing?” Negi asked, looking from Chamo to Asuna in confusion. “What’s she talking about, Asuna-san?”

Asuna blushed as her mind went back to her and Sunset’s conversation in the woods, though not as much as Sunset would have expected. “N-nothing!” She turned around, her nose in the air. “I have no idea what they’re talking about!”

Sunset chuckled as Chamo rolled up and put away the scroll. “Well, not that this hasn’t been fun, but we really should be getting ready for the day. Abeat.” Her artifact vanished and she put her card back in her pocket. Her eyes caught on Setsuna and an idea sprouted in her mind. “Actually, Honya, one more thing quickly.” She snagged the tome from Nodoka’s hands and turned to Setsuna. “Sakurazaki Setsuna,” she said, a shark-like grin splitting her face, “what do you really think of Konoka?”

*****

“I had no idea Nichibotsu could run so fast.”

“Setsuna-san, too. I wonder if the track club has scouted them?”

“I don’t think the track club lets you swing swords around while you run. And did you see how red Setsuna-san’s face was? She looked really mad.”

“Yeah! I thought Setsuna-san was going to kill her!”

“Nah, didn’t you see how much Nichi-chan was laughing? They were just playing. Setsuna-chan’s face was only like that because they were running so much.”

“If you say so.”

Arc 4: Chapter 23

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Bells, whistles, and electronic beeps sounded throughout the arcade as Sunset followed the others inside. She and the rest of the Library Exploration girls had caught Negi and Asuna trying to sneak away for free activity day and had decided to tag along. After wandering around Kyoto for a while, they’d wound up at a local arcade.

“Kind of defeats the point of traveling, doesn’t it?” Sunset muttered to Nodoka as they watched Haruna and Konoka race for a booth for the card game they’d been playing on the train. “I mean, they could have played games back at Mahora. We should really be taking this opportunity to see the sights around here.”

Nodoka shrugged staring down at her diary. She’d kept it out and had been staring at it off and on for the past hour. “I think this place has a few rare cards you can win,” she murmured distractedly. “Haruna-chan was saying something about that the other day.”

Sunset scoffed and rolled her eyes. “That’s why I think trading card games are so stupid. They keep urging you to collect them all. Collect them all! It’s just a giant scam.”

“Mm-hm.”

“And what’s more, they come out with a new set every year. Even if you did spend the insane amount of money it would take to get every card, there’d be another hundred or so new ones out immediately afterwards. It’s just an endless money waste.”

“Mm-hm.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow at her unresponsive companion. “Also, total non-sequitur, but I’ve had a crush on you pretty much since I met you and it’s only grown stronger over time.”

“Mm-hm.”

Sunset rolled her eyes and tapped Nodoka on her shoulder, causing the girl to jump and squeak. Adorable. “Seriously, Honya. What’s got you so spaced out? I could’ve just given you the Goddess of Love’s foolproof 12-step guide to winning the heart of the guy of your dreams, and you wouldn’t have heard a word of it.”

“S-sorry,” Nodoka said, blushing. “I’ve just been… thinking.”

“Obviously,” Sunset said dryly before glancing from the book in Nodoka’s hands to their teacher. “About magic?”

Nodoka nodded, smiling a bit as she watched Negi get dragged into Haruna’s game. “”It’s just, you have those amazing gauntlets and can light them on fire. And both you and Negi-sensei are mages, and Asuna-san is really strong and athletic.” She frowned and looked down at her book. “I guess… I’m just worried that I won’t be useful with just this book.”

“Spoken like a civi,” Sunset muttered. At Nodoka’s questioning glance, she elaborated. “I wasn’t just some random powerhouse back home. I was part of the mage corp, and organized unit of my country’s military. And while the royal guard may be impressive and the mage corp powerful, it was Abalone that we all relied on.”

“Abalone?” Nodoka questioned. “You… relied on shellfish?”

Sunset laughed and shook her head. “No, no. That’s just what the organization was called. It stood for Canterlot Internal and International Espionage Unit.” Seeing Nodoka’s confused stare, Sunset winced. “It, um, it worked as an acronym for ‘Abalone’ in my language.” Shaking off the awkwardness, she continued. “Anyway, it was our spy unit, and it was their intel that told us where to go and who to hit. Without them, we would have been blind.” Sunset smiled and placed a comforting hand on Nodoka’s shoulder. “That’s what you are, Nodoka. You’re the information network. You’re the support that holds everyone up. Without you and people like you, we powerhouses are lost. You, Nodoka, are Abalone.”

Nodoka looked back down at her book, at her artifact, staring at it as if it were a priceless treasure. She smiled fondly, laying a hand on the front cover, and looked up at Sunset, a determined fire in her eyes. “Th-thank you, Nichi-chan. I’ll try my best.” She then giggled and hugged the book to her chest. “Although, I don’t think I’ll be using ‘You are Abalone’ as a mantra.”

Sunset blushed and looked away and tried to pretend that it was just embarrassment over the translation error. “I-I’ll have you know that abalone are respected creatures back home,” she said imperiously, turning up her nose. “The proud shellfish which makes up a large portion of our seafood industry. Don’t discount-”

“Ah!”

“Kya!”

Sunset’s eyes snapped back to Nodoka. A young boy, about Negi’s age with a head of spiky black hair and dog-like ears, had bumped into Nodoka, knocking them both to the ground.

“Ha ha ha, sorry nee-chan,” the boy said, swiping a beanie from the ground beside him and jamming it over his head, quickly concealing his strange ears. He jumped up and sprinted out of the store, yelling back, “...for seeing your panties!”

Sunset glared after the boy as Nodoka got to her feet, blushing. “What a brat,” she muttered. Strange about the ears, though. Was it some sort of costume? Or… She sighed and shook her head before walking over to the other girls. “Hey, did you see that brat with the black hair? What was with him?”

“I’m not sure,” Konoka said, shrugging. “He just showed up and challenged Negi-kun.”

“Beat him too,” Yue added. “Showed us how you’re actually supposed to use a frog deck.”

“Oh give me a break!” Haruna shouted. “That kid just got lucky! I’ll show you how to use a frog deck here and now!”

Sunset frowned and walked away as they began their game, Konoka cheering them on while Setsuna watched. Frogs, huh? Could be a coincidence, but I don’t trust coincidences. Especially not with those ears. She grunted and shook her head. Not that I can do anything about it for now. Kid’s probably long gone. Better get back to- Sunset blinked as she looked up, barely catching the sight of Nodoka leaving the arcade in a rush. “...what?”

*****

Sunset caught up with Nodoka relatively quickly. She had seen Negi and Asuna sneak out of the arcade and had been tailing them. They soon arrived at a train station and boarded a few cars behind Negi and Asuna, sneaking up to the car right behind theirs so they could see when they got off. They followed them through Kyoto, staying far enough back to not be spotted. Negi and Asuna soon arrived at a path leading up towards a temple, lined with large red torii gates. Asuna pulled out her artifact - a large fan that she wielded like a club - and Negi his staff before the two of them charged up the path and out of sight.

“Oh no!” Nodoka cried, darting forward. “We have to- ah!”

Sunset grabbed her arm and easily held her there, shaking her head. “No need to rush. Wherever that path leads, I doubt they’ll be leaving soon. We can take our time.”

Nodoka blushed and nodded and they made their way up to the gates. They frowned at the “No entry” sign placed at the entrance, and also at the apparently empty path ahead of them. “That’s odd,” Sunset muttered. “As straight as this path is, we should still be able to see them.”

“You don’t think Negi-sensei would have left the path, do you?” Nodoka asked.

“I’m not sure,” Sunset said, looking down at Nodoka’s book. “But I do know how we can find out.”

*****

Sunset and Nodoka watched Negi’s thoughts as he and Asuna ran along the path for thirty minutes before they realized that something was wrong. Sunset had figured out the problem in five.

“Finally,” she muttered as Negi’s thoughts switched from determined to confused to panicked. “About time he caught on.”

“What’s going on,” Nodoka asked, confused. “Negi-sensei’s thoughts aren’t very specific on it.”

“Thinking more about his situation than the mechanics,” Sunset muttered before turning to Nodoka. “Their terminology is different, this ‘Infinite Time-Space’ spell, but it’s the same concept as the various bent space spells I'm familiar with. The spell forms a sphere around a glyph or a target point, with each point on the outside of the sphere tied to the point opposite it. You go through one, you come out the other. And unless you can find the center or generate enough power to crack the shell, you’ll be trapped inside forever.”

“Eh?!” Nodoka shot a panicked look up the path. “Then we need to help him!” She immediately darted up the path.

“Honya! No! Wai-” But Nodoka had already vanished. Sunset sighed and rolled her eyes, stepping forward through the first gate. Freaking love-struck teens. She looked behind her and, sure enough, could see the path flowing endlessly behind her. She turned forward and jogged after Nodoka, catching up to her quickly. “So, you’ve got a plan?”

“Well, um,” Nodoka slowed down a bit, realizing that she didn’t. “I’ll, um, I’ll think of something.”

“Good idea.” Sunset grabbed the back of Nodoka’s shirt and ground to a halt, pulling Nodoka with her. “Let’s do that before rushing blindly into danger.”

Nodoka blushed and looked down, nodding. She opened her diary and began reading again. “Wh-what’s this?!”

Sunset looked over Nodoka’s shoulder, her eyes narrowing. The picture depicted Negi and Asuna facing off against a giant spider-like creature. A young boy was perched on the creature’s head, his hair a spiky black and covered in a beanie. The boy from before. I knew it! “Looks like a fight,” Sunset muttered, watching as Nodoka flipped through the rapidly filling pages. Asuna took out the spider in one blow, rendering it back into the paper charm it had come from. Things took a turn for the worse after that, with the boy launching a full-on physical assault. Not a standard mage, then, Sunset thought. Looks like he’s more of a warrior unicorn with a couple of utilitarian combat spells. If Asuna can’t protect him, then Springfield’s… wait. Sunset looked up from the book as her ears caught the sound of crashing impacts. “What-”

Negi raced through the trees next to the path, the boy in hot pursuit as Asuna struggled to keep up. Sunset watched them pass before looking down at Nodoka. The girl had crouched down as she read and was completely engrossed in the book, muttering the situation to herself without realizing that the situation in question was occuring right behind her. Sunset rolled her eyes as Negi went flying behind her again, the black-haired kid laughing as he chased after and casually blocked Asuna’s attacks behind him.

“Right,” Sunset muttered, summoning her artifact. “Better step in.” She crouched down, setting herself and cocking a fist back. “Equis equis alicornus. Ianuae Magicae.” Her perception shifted suddenly, Negti flying past her side as the boy charged at her. “Hey kid!” she shouted, her fist flying forward into his shocked face. Her blow connected in a flash of fire and sent the kid flying over Asuna’s head and off into the trees. “Catch.”

“N-Nichi-chan?!” Asuna gasped, surprised. “Wh-what are you doing here?”

“Saving your and Springfield’s flanks, that’s what,” Sunset answered, lighting her fists and stepping past Asuna. “Get him back on his feet and get away. You can’t keep up with him, and Springfield’s no match.”

Asuna hesitated a moment before nodding and running back after where Negi had been thrown. Sunset glared between the trees at the young boy as he got to his feet. Hope you’re watching this, Honya. “You know, Springfield and I may not have the best relationship, but beating up on a kid who can’t fight back is just low. How about taking on someone who’s actually a challenge?”

The kid groaned as he stood, and Sunset noted that he’d lost his beanie, his dog-ears twitching as he frowned at her. “Who the heck are you,” he groused before looking behind her at where Asuna was helping Negi to his feet. “Nevermind, don’t care. I’m not after you, nee-chan. This is between me and Negi Spring-”

A bolt of fire shot between his ears, causing them to flatten as he flinched. Sunset’s eyes narrowed, her fist dropping lower to aim at his head. “And now it’s between you and me, brat. Keep your eyes on your opponent.”

The kid scoffed, but he did keep his attention on Sunset. “Sorry, nee-chan, but I don't fight girls. This is a fight between men.”

Sunset grit her teeth, her flames burning hotter and scorching the ground beneath her. “Let me give you a piece of advice, kid. There are plenty of insanely powerful women out there. And when you say that you ‘don't fight girls,’ it isn't noble or chivalrous.” Sunset's body erupted into flames, burning the nearby plants to ash and blackening the ground around her. “IT JUST PISSES US OFF!”

“Hey, hey,” the kid said, taking a step back. “It's not that girls aren't strong or anything like that. It's just that it's the man’s job to protect-”

“THAT'S IT!” The kid dove to the side as a bolt of fire exploded where he'd been standing. “Give me your name, you little brat. I need to know what to add to my list of victims!”

The kid looked from Sunset to the scorched ground she'd hit before turning back with a grin. “Alright, fiery nee-chan, I'll tell you what. You manage to hit me before I can land another blow on Springfield, and I'll fight you seriously. But if I win,” he jabbed a thumb brazenly at his chest, “then I, Inagumi Kotarou, get to do what I want without you interfering!”

Sunset returned his grin with one of her own. Gotcha. Nodoka, it's up to you now. “Deal,” she said, “but I think you'll find that I have a pretty significant advantage.”

“Oh? And what's that?”

Sunset jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “While I distracted you, Springfield and Asuna got away.”

Kotarou's eyes went wide as they darted to look behind Sunset. “Damn it!”

It was all he had time to shout before the fireballs started flying.

Arc 4: Chapter 24

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“Come on, kid! Is that all you’ve got?! I’ve seen dragon whelps with faster reflexes!”

“Damn it, nee-san! At least give me a chance to- ACH!”

Kotarou dove behind one of the gates, placing his back against it as another series of fireballs exploded around him. Sunset hopped out of the surrounding woods and onto the path and began casually strolling towards him.

“Aw, playing hide and seek?” Sunset taunted, summoning a fireball and tossing it up and down a few times. “And here I thought you were a man. Turns out you’re just a little kid after all.” She paused, her smirk turning into a confused frown as she looked at the fireball in her hand. “...huh. Didn’t know I could do that.” Shrugging, she tossed the ball of fire into the air and struck it with a spinning kick as it descended. The fire exploded against the pillar, demolishing half of it and setting the rest alight. “Come on, what happened to all of that bravado?”

“I DIDN’T KNOW YOU HAD AN ENDLESS SUPPLY OF FIRE!!!” Kotarou shouted back, dashing out from behind the pillar. He reached his hand out towards Sunset, his shadow springing up around him like a curtain. The shadow soon morphed into several dog-like shapes which leapt for Sunset, tongues and tails wagging as they bounded towards her.

“Shadow attacks?” Sunset taunted. “Really?” Just as the first dog pounced upon her, Sunset’s body was engulfed in flames. The shadowy constructs dissipated upon impact, barely giving Kotarou the distraction he needed to start running again. Sunset contemplated his retreating form for a minute before shaking her head and dousing the flames. She turned and began walking in the opposite direction. This whole thing’s a loop, she thought. Even like this, I’ll run into him soon enough. Besides…

Sunset staggered, stumbling into a nearby gate and leaning heavily against it. She began panting for breath, finally giving in to her body’s demands for rest and oxygen. Kid’s a lot more agile than I thought. If it were all speed, I could just teleport to keep up, but he knows how to move. It’s like trying to hit a freaking Wonderbolt! Managing to compose herself, she pushed off of the pillar and started down the path again.

And it’s not just him, Sunset admitted to herself. My magic still isn’t anywhere near what it should be. I’ve still got reserves to spare, but my endurance is fading. I’ve got a few more big spells or maybe ten more minutes of slinging fire before I’m tapped out for a while. If we can’t find a way out of here, I might actually be in trouble. Awakening from her musings, she turned her eyes up the path. “So,” she called out, “any luck on figuring out just how we’re supposed to get out?”

“N-Nichi-chan!” Nodoka jumped and turned around, looking up from her book. “I-I’m afraid not. He wasn’t thinking about it while you were fighting.” She giggled a bit before smiling at Sunset. “He was mostly panicking about having to actually fight you if you landed a hit.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Because of his stupid honor thing?”

“Um, mostly because he doesn’t want to smell like burnt hair for a week.”

Sunset smirked, but it was short-lived. “Unfortunately, he doesn’t need to worry about that. I’m just about tapped out on magic, and he’s too slippery for my meager boxing skills to keep up with. We need to meet up with the others and get out of here. Can you tell where they are?”

Nodoka nodded and looked back down at her book. “Negi Springfield.” She studied the book for a bit, her eyes going wide. “Eh?! It looks like he has some sort of plan to fight Kotarou-kun! He and Asuna-san are stepping out into the open!”

Sunset nodded, starting to run up the path, nodding for Nodoka to join her. “We’d better hurry, then. Hopefully we’ll find them before the brat does. Looks like we’ll need to ask him directly if we want him to think up an escape plan for us.” She turned her head and raised an eyebrow at Nodoka. “Also, ‘kun?’ Really?”

Nodoka blushed as she ran alongside her. “W-well, he is about the same age as Negi-sensei. And he really doesn’t seem like a bad guy.”

Sunset chuckled and shook her head. He beat up the guy you’re crushing on, and you’re still giving him a chance. Nodoka, never change. “Well, ‘not a bad guy’ or not, he is our enemy. I may not be able to face him alone, but between Asuna’s strength, Springfield’s spells, and my combination of both, we should be able to hold him off long enough to escape.”

Nodoka nodded, studying her book some more. “I hope so. Asuna-san is pretty strong, and-” Her eyes went wide. “Oh no! Nichi-chan! He’s already-”

“Up ahead!” Nodoka looked up to see Kotarou leaping from gate to gate over their heads. Several figures radiating light appeared from ahead on the path, flying up to intercept.

“Ha! Is this all you’ve got?!” Kotarou taunted, kicking out at one of the figures and shattering it. He drew several knives from a pocket and flung them out, impaling and destroying three more. The figures fell one by one, barely slowing the boy down.

“Sagita magica, series fulguralis!” Sunset grinned as Negi came into view, several bolts of lightning shooting from his staff and darting towards Kotarou, forcing him to stop and weather the blows.

“Nice one, Springfield!” Sunset shouted, sprinting forward with Nodoka right behind her. “We’ve got an escape strategy in place. Just keep up that barrage!”

Negi nodded, keeping his eyes on Kotarou as he finished his chant. “...in mea manu ens inimicum edat.” He thrust his hand out just as Sunset and Nodoka skidded to a halt behind him. “Fulguratio albicans!”

A powerful bolt of white lightning shot from his hand, striking Kotarou dead on and flinging him from the top of the gate to the ground below, his impact throwing up a small cloud of dust.

“What was that?!” Asuna shouted, staring in awe at where the spell had struck. “That was awesome!”

“Eyes on the target, Asuna,” Sunset cautioned. “This might not be over.”

“Are you kidding?” Chamo shouted, leaping up and down. “That was a classic triple-combination attack from long-range! It’s the fundamental of mage vs fighter combat! No way he withstood that!”

“No! Nichibotsu’s right!” Sunset shot a glance to the side. It took all of her training and willpower not to stare in shock at the tiny, fairy-like Setsuna hovering near Asuna’s shoulder. “Look!”

“That’s not bad, small fry!” Kotarou darted out of the dust, rushing towards them. “If I’d taken the full brunt of that attack, I’d be in trouble. But now…”

Asuna grit her teeth and stepped forward. “Grr. Come on, then! I’ll take you on, fighter to fighter!”

“Don’t get cocky, Asuna,” Sunset cautioned, thrusting a hand forward. “Murus ignis!” A wall of fire burst up between Asuna and Negi, stretching out to block the entire path.

“Oh no! Sensei! Above you!”

But Nodoka’s warning came too late. Kotarou leapt over Asuna and the wall of flames, aiming for the gate overhead. He braced himself on the bottom of the arch and pushed off, shooting down to land at Negi’s feet. His punch struck Negi’s stomach, sending him flying backwards down the path.

“Negi!” Asuna shouted. “Damn it, Nichi-chan! Get rid of this fire!”

Sunset grit her teeth, glaring at Kotarou as he smirked back at her. “...I can’t.”

“What do you mean, you can’t?!” Asuna shouted. “Negi needs our help!”

“Hahaha!” Kotarou laughed as he turned back to Negi. “Never thought you’d actually keep your promise, nee-san. You have my respect. But now, it’s between me and Springfield!” He darted forward, driving a knee into Negi’s gut and sending him flying once again.

“Negi-sensei!”

“Negi! Damn it, Nichibotsu! Do something!”

Sunset grit her teeth, clenching her fists as she glared at the beat-down. “I can’t,” she confessed. “I made a deal with him. If I could hit him before he next hit Springfield, then he’d take me seriously as an opponent and fight me. But if not…” She turned to Nodoka. “Honya! The deal I made keeps me from helping with this fight, but not you!”

Nodoka’s eyes went wide and she nodded, looking down at her book and muttering to herself. Sunset turned back to face the fight, if it could even be called that. Come on, you little brat! You beat down Evangeline. You faced off against that woman the other day. You stood up to me! I refuse to believe that this is all you have to-

“Sim ipse pars per secundum dimidiam Negi Springfield.”

Negi’s arm came up, blocking Kotarou’s attack even as his other arm lashed out. Kotarou was sent flying upwards from the punch across the jaw.

...well. That’s more like it.

Negi wasn’t finished. He darted beneath Kotarou’s falling body, incanting a spell faster than Sunset had ever heard him before. “Unus fulgor concidens noctem, in mea manu ens inimicum edat.” He reached upward, his palm striking Kotarou in the back as he fell.

“Fulguratio albicans!”

White electricity enveloped Kotarou’s body, the crackling joined by his screams and the flash forcing everyone to turn away. The shockwave forced Sunset and Nodoka to their knees, blowing out Sunset’s wall of fire and sending Kotarou flying. He skidded to a stop a few feet away, his body twitching erratically. Negi stood tall and proud, glaring down at him.

“How’s that?” Negi challenged, pointing a finger at his downed opponent. “That’s the power of Western mages!”

Sunset grunted and stood, a half-smile creeping onto her face as Asuna and Chamo started cheering behind her. “That was pretty good, Springfield,” she admitted. “Waiting until he overcommitted to an attack and striking in the half-second his guard was open? And following it up with a powerful spell while he was still reeling from the shock? It won’t work a second time, but that was a good combo.” She walked over and patted him on the head as she stepped past. “Now, go and get bandaged up. I’ll take care of it from here.”

“Eh! ‘Take care of it?!’” Asuna marched forward, grabbing Sunset’s shoulder and spinning her around. “What’s wrong with you?! We beat him! We won! And besides, this isn’t some hundreds of years old evil vampire mage. He’s just a kid! You can’t kill him just because he attacked us!”

“Oh would you grow up?!” Sunset slapped Asuna’s hand away and turned to glare at her. “Do you think this ‘kid’ was going to stop with just ‘winning?’ You can see as well as I can that he was going for the kill! If we let him go, he’s going to come at Springfield again and again until he succeeds! Besides,” she drew out her wand and twirled it between her gauntleted fingers, “I wasn’t going to kill him. There are plenty of sleep and binding spells that’ll keep him docile until we can hand him over to the Kansai Magic Association. I made sure to research them after the last time Springfield decided to let an evil megalomaniac go free.”

“Forget about that!” Chamo shouted, darting over. “This guy isn’t going anywhere for a while. The Kansai Magic Association will be able to pick him up later! For now, we need to figure out how to get out of here!”

“I already have a plan for that,” Sunset confided. “All we have to do is-”

“H-hold it!”

Sunset froze, her eyes going wide. “...no way.” She turned to see Kotarou struggling to his feet, his twitches fading to nothing.

“T-this is the first time a mere human has injured me so seriously,” he admitted, hunched over and trembling. “I take back what I said before, Negi Springfield. But it’s not over yet!”

Kotarou began to change. His hair grew long and white, his arms and legs turning into wolf-like limbs as he tore his ruined shirt off and flung it aside. A tail grew from the base of his spine, and his teeth morphed into a set of canine fangs. He grinned up at Negi, feral and excited. “This is the real thing, Negi!”

He darted forward, giving everyone little time to react. Sunset, Asuna, and Negi leapt back, the latter gritting his teeth as he set himself for round three, pouring more magic into his body. Kotarou’s grin only grew and he darted forward, faster than Negi or Sunset could track. But just as panic began to settle on Negi’s face…

“From your left, Sensei!”

Negi jumped to the right, barely managing to dodge Kotarou’s attack as the ground was pulverized beneath where he’d been standing. Sunset and Negi turned to stare at Nodoka, who held her book open in one hand.

“H-H-Honya-chan?!” Asuna shouted, having just noticed her classmate. “Why are you here?!”

“Backstory later!” Sunset shouted, darting back towards them and out of the combat zone. “Cheating now!”

“To your right, Sensei!”

Negi struck out, hitting Kotarou in the chest right as he prepared to strike. Kotarou leapt away again and again, coming at Negi from every angle imaginable.

“Above you! To the left! A spinning kick from behind on the right!”

Every warning was answered with a block or a counter-strike, Kotarou unable to land even a single blow. He eventually backed off, rubbing at his aching jaw as he glared from Negi to Nodoka.

Unfortunately, Negi was wearing down too. He clutched his arm to his side, breathing heavily and wincing from the strain of the fight.

“We need to get out of here,” Sunset hissed at Nodoka. “As much fun as it is to see this brat get what’s coming to him, Springfield’s running on fumes.”

Nodoka nodded, turning her attention to Kotarou. “E-excuse me, Kotarou-kun! How do we get out of here?”

Kotarou turned to Nodoka, utterly flabbergasted. “Wh-what did you say?! Are you some kind of idiot, onee-chan? There’s no way I’d tell you something like…” His eyes went wide in panic. “Wait!”

“Head east and find the sixth gate from here,” Nodoka told Asuna and Sunset. “It seems all we need to do is destroy the runes hidden on the top, left, and right sides!”

“W-w-w-woah!” Chamo shouted. “That’s amazing!”

“Less gawking, more running!” Sunset shouted. Negi turned and raced past her, taking Nodoka into his arms as he leapt onto his staff and began flying away, Asuna and Sunset hot on their heels.

“W-wait, damn it!” Kotarou shouted. “I’m not letting you-”

“Murus ignis!”

Kotarou shouted in panic and skidded to a stop before the wall of fire. Sunset nodded to herself and turned back forward just as Negi fired three magic arrows at the identified gate. The gate began to shimmer with energy, the space inside filling with light.

“”Kagurazaka-san!” the tiny Setsuna shouted. “Slash open the space where the light is coming from!”

“Leave it to me!” With a mighty swing of Asuna's fan, the barrier was destroyed and Negi zipped through the gate, everyone else following right behind him. “We did it!” Asuna shouted. “We got out!”

“That won’t stop him from coming after us,” Sunset warned, turning back to see a charred and angry Kotarou charging towards them.

“Leave him to me!” Setsuna assured, making a quick series of hand gestures. “I can use the runes he placed to close the barrier again and seal him inside!”

No sooner had she spoken then the space beneath the gate began to distort. Kotarou’s face became one of panic as he dove for the gate, and vanished.

Sunset breathed a sigh of relief and dismissed her artifact. “Good riddance, brat.”

“That should buy us enough time to lose him,” Setsuna claimed, hovering up to Negi. “Let’s find somewhere to rest and recover.”

Sunset nodded and the group began making their way through the woods. “By the way,” Sunset said, “there’s one thing that’s bugging me about all of this.”

“What is that?”

Sunset turned and raised an eyebrow at Setsuna. “Why the heck are you a chibi?”

Arc 4: Chapter 25

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“I see. So it’s similar to a scrying spell?”

The fairy-like Setsuna nodded. “That’s right. So long as my original body isn’t too preoccupied, I’m able to maintain this connection. It’s very useful for espionage and communication.”

“And once again done with paper charms.” Sunset leaned back, bracing herself with her hands. “I’ve got to see if I can learn that style of magic. It seems really versatile.”

They’d found a large boulder near the path and had decided to rest and eat lunch. Sunset was chatting with Chibi-Setsuna while Nodoka tended to Negi’s injuries, Asuna watching on with a conflicted look on her face. Sunset had wanted to keep going and put as much distance between them and Kotarou as possible, but Setsuna had shot that down, pointing out their need for rest and for Negi’s injuries to be treated. She’d also pointed out that, after so sound a defeat, Kotarou would be exhausted as well and would most likely decide to retreat and regroup.

“So, what’s our next play?” Sunset asked. “I mean, it’s not like they’re just going to let us waltz right up to the Kansai HQ just because we beat their pet dog. That woman from before is probably waiting for us further up.”

“Maybe,” Setsuna said, frowning up the mountain, “but I don’t think so. That trap was very well designed. If it weren’t for Nodoka-san, we’d definitely still be stuck in there. At the very least, if we leave now, we’ll be able to catch them off guard. It would be better to stay off the path, though, just in case. We’ll travel through the forest, keeping the path in sight as we- ah!”

“Setsuna!”

Setsuna cringed, her form beginning to blur and distort. “O-oh no! Something’s happening to my physical body! I can’t maintain concentration-” Her sentence was cut off in a burst of smoke, a paper charm fluttering to the ground a moment later.

“Th-this isn’t good,” Chamo said, picking up the charm and giving a worried look back towards the city. “Something must have happened back on Setsuna-neesan’s side!”

Sunset grit her teeth, punching the ground. “Damn it! They’re going after Konoka again! That’s why that woman wasn’t here. The swordswoman is probably with her too.”

“Wh-what do we do?!” Asuna asked, panicked. “There’s no way we can get back to them in time!”

“Nichi Ane-chan!” Chamo shouted. “Don’t you have that teleport spell? Can’t you get back there?”

Sunset shot a glance towards the city before shaking her head. “Not a chance. It’s too far, and I’m not familiar enough with Kyoto to get anywhere but my hotel room from memory even if it wasn’t. The Magic Door spell is designed specifically for small-range jumps. I’ve been working on the formula for something longer, but there’s way too much that could go wrong if I try to just throw it together.” A shiver ran down her spine. “I’d rather not get there only to discover that I overshot by half a mile, wound up a hundred meters in the air, or left my entire lower half behind. What about your staff, Springfield?”

Negi shook his head. “I’m the only one who knows how to fly it, and I need to deliver the letter so we can stop these guys for good. Besides, if it came to a fight, I wouldn’t be much good. My magic is too flashy; everyone would see it!”

“Damn it!” Sunset cursed. “There has to be something we can do. Even another body there, someone who can help keep an eye out, would be better than nothing.”

“Wh-what about the paper charm?”

Everyone turned to Nodoka, who ducked her head and blushed. “I-I don’t really know what’s going on, but that’s how Sakurazaki-san was able to talk with us, right? If one of us uses the charm, we could go back and help.”

“That’s a great idea!” Chamo shouted, running over to Negi and leaping up onto his shoulder. “Aniki, we can go and check on them! Meanwhile, these three can go with your real body to the Kansai HQ!”

“A-alright,” Negi said. He took the charm from Chamo and looked it over. “I think I can figure out how this works. Just a moment.” Mere seconds later, the paper vanished in a puff of smoke, a chibi version of Negi taking its place.

At which point, Negi promptly passed out.

“O-oh no!” Chibi-Negi cried, panicking. “My body!”

“Relax, Springfield,” Sunset said, walking over and examining him. “It’s just unconscious. I think you put more of your awareness than you meant to into the charm. Don’t worry; Asuna can carry you up while Honya and I keep an eye out for threats.”

“Wh-what?” Asuna pouted. “Why me?”

Sunset smirked and raised an eyebrow. “Because out of the two of us, who can shoot fire out of her hands, and who managed to land a blow on dog-boy earlier?”

“...”

“Exactly.” Sunset stood and activated her artifact. “If they’re going for a two-pronged attack like this, then we’re probably in the clear. Still, better safe than sorry. Go on, Springfield. We’ll handle things from here.”

“Come on, Aniki!” Chamo shouted, jumping onto Chibi-Negi’s back. “Let’s go! Konoka-neesan is in trouble!”

“R-right!” With that, Negi turned and sped off down the mountain, soon passing out of sight.

“Well, that’s that then,” Sunset said. “Come on, girls. That letter isn’t going to deliver itself.”

“Yeah yeah,” Asuna muttered, picking Negi up and carrying him piggy-back style. “Although, are you sure we shouldn’t wait here for them? What if Negi gets back and says they need help?”

“We’re already more than an hour away,” Sunset pointed out, leading them up the mountain, “and that’s assuming we book it at full speed and the trains are cooperative. Springfield knows that there are other competent members of our class, and it would be faster to get one of them. If he calls on us, then it’ll be because the issue isn’t time-sensitive.” Nodoka giggled a bit, and Sunset looked back and raised a confused eyebrow at her. “What?”

“He he. I’m just surprised to hear you call the other girls competent.”

Sunset shot Nodoka a glare. “Some of the girls. Some. And only a little. And if you ever tell any of them that I implied anything otherwise, I’ll steal your diary and sell all of your secrets to Asakura.”

Nodoka just giggled again while Asuna rolled her eyes. “Yeah yeah,” she muttered. “Got to keep up that hard-ass appearance, right? What, you want everyone thinking you’re some sort of soldier or something?”

“Well that’d be appropriate,” Sunset replied, shrugging. “I am a soldier, after all.”

Asuna stumbled, nearly dropping Negi. “W-wait. Seriously? You’re only 15!”

“Actually, I’m 36.” This time Asuna did drop Negi. “My trip through the mirror into this world stuck me in a younger body. Of course, since humans live shorter lives than my original species, I guess the ages are roughly proportional.”

Silence was her only response for a while as they continued up the mountain, Nodoka and Asuna mulling over what she’d just said.

“So, a soldier, huh?” Asuna finally asked, deciding to tackle the less nonsensical topic.

Sunset nodded, ducking under a branch and scanning between the trees ahead of them. “Specialist Hikaru, Mage 1st Class, Canterlot Division. Graduate with Highest Honors from Tenko’s School for Gifted… Unicorns, I suppose. Personal Student to the Sun - Graduate. Degrees in Spellcraft and General Combat Magic. Specialization: Evocation. Talent-Based Sub-specialization: a unique style of wielding traditionally opposite elements in conjunction with one another.” She chuckled and smiled over her shoulder. “Been a while since I’ve had a reason to say that whole thing aloud.

“Anyway,” she faced forward again, “I spent 15 years in the… Dark-Mage Hunter Contingent before Tenko pulled me into Magical Weapon R&D for the last 5. Still saw plenty of action, though, whenever they needed my help.”

“Y-you went into the military when you were 16?” Nodoka asked, dumbfounded.

Sunset shrugged. “Most of us did. Honestly, you humans are weird when it comes to ageing. Back home, you usually knew about what you wanted to do with your life shortly after getting your... “ Sunset shook her head. “Yeah, I’ll need your diary to translate that one. Anyway, you usually had a good idea by about the time you were 8, and general education ended at 12. From there, you could go to Trade School, University, or straight into the workforce if your career didn’t require anything else. Standard military service could begin at that age, too, but officer training took a few years at Tenko’s School for the Mage Corp or… West Point Military Academy for anything else. Even the Royal Lawn Ornaments had to do at least 2 years at West Point.”

“Royal Lawn-”

“The Guard, Asuna. The Royal Canterlot Guard. Think of the British Royal Guard you see outside of Buckingham Palace, add breastplates and spears instead of uniforms and guns, and you’ll just about have them.”

“Wait a minute.” Nodoka frowned as she considered everything that Sunset had said. “You’re saying that by the time we’ve graduated and are getting ready for College, everyone in your world is already done with school and a few years into their careers?”

“Everyone except for farmers,” Sunset clarified. “Most… not sure how to translate that. Most non-unicorn non-pegasus farmers start work as soon as they can, sometimes dropping out of school as soon as they get their… a little after they turn 8. By the time I officially joined the Mage Corp, some farmers my age had been working for about half their lives. Heck, I’ve met more than one girl who started work at the age of 6 because they discovered their talent early and it didn’t require much education. Most party planners end up that way. My kind matures quickly and then ages slowly compared to humans.” She frowned. “Which makes dealing with these stupid immature hormones again really freaking annoying.”

Nodoka giggled before staring Sunset up and down, considering her again. “So, um, you mentioned unicorns and pegasi?” Her eyes lit up. “You… you used to be a unicorn?!”

Sunset hummed for a bit before nodding. “Yeah, check your diary. I’ll do my best to give you a clear picture.”

Nodoka quickly pulled out her card, summoning her tome and opening it up. “Nichibotsu.” The page began to fill with text, but Nodoka’s eyes were fixed on the picture. Sunset as she knew her was depicted, standing next to a small, horse-like creature that stood about three and a half feet tall. It bore a horn on its forehead and Sunset’s familiar cocky smirk on its face, its mane and tail shaded in two colors that Nodoka assumed corresponded to Sunset’s red and yellow hair. On its flank was an image of a two-colored sun, split in two down the middle.

“Unicorn pony,” Asuna read aloud, looking over Nodoka’s shoulder. “Yellow coat, mane and tail the same color as my hair. My cutie mark represents my ability to cast spells of opposing types, with a special focus on pyromancy and its opposed cryomancy. The other types of ponies are ‘pegasus ponies’ (plural: ‘pegasi’) and ‘earth ponies.’ Technically there are also ‘alicorns,’ but I don’t really want to think about HER right now, so you can probably stop reading right now before you read about-”

“AHEM!”

Asuna looked up and flinched at the glare that Sunset was shooting her. “Er, right.” She joined Nodoka in examining the image. “It looks like you’re only about a meter tall.”

“Sounds about right,” Sunset replied as Nodoka closed and dismissed her book. “I mean, we have a different measuring system than anything here on Earth, but a meter sounds accurate. Guys were usually a few centimeters taller, and most kids are a little more than half that height when they earn their… ‘cutie mark,’ was it?” At Asuna’s nod, Sunset shook her head. “How the heck did that translation work out? Anyway, it looks like a lot of this world’s mythical creatures are based on creatures from my world, especially with regards to the legends of Greece and Rome. Unicorns and pegasi are just the tip of the iceberg.”

“W-wow,” Nodoka whispered, stars in her eyes. “A whole world full of magical creatures. I'd love to see that! Wouldn't that be great, Asuna-san?”

“I don't know,” Asuna hedged, shifting Negi higher onto her back. “Dealing with this brat already gives me enough headaches. But I'm sure Nichi-chan would be more than happy to show you and Negi around whenever she goes back.”

“Oh, that'd be great!” Nodoka beamed at Sunset. “I'd love to see your world some day!”

Sunset shot a brief glance over her shoulder before turning forward again to hide her scowl. “Eh, it's really nothing special,” she muttered. “Different species, same problems. I'm sure the magical world here is the same way. Besides… I might not be the best person to show you around over there. I didn't have the best reputation, after all.”

“Somehow, I don't find that hard to believe,” Asuna quipped, smirking.

“Besides,” Sunset continued, ignoring Asuna's comment, “this world is actually way more interesting. The technology you have is just incredible! Telephones. The internet! Bombs that can wipe an entire city off the map!” Sunset shook her head in wonder. “You guys do things with electricity on a regular basis that even the most powerful of mages would need hours of prep and a giant spell array to even begin to reproduce. No-one is going to believe half of what I've seen here when I go back!”

Silence overtook the group again, and Sunset eventually looked back to see what had happened. Both Nodoka and Asuna looked contemplative, the former sadly so.

“That's right,” Nodoka muttered after a while. “You'll be going back eventually, won't you? Once the portal opens up again.”

“Well of course she will,” Asuna chirped. “I mean, if nothing else, I'm sure her family will want to know that she's alright.”

Sunset stiffened slightly before shaking it off and continuing on. “That’s… not really a concern. My brother and I haven’t spoken in a while; he probably doesn’t even know that I’m gone.”

“Eh? You have a brother, Nichi-chan?” Nodoka asked.

Sunset smiled and nodded. “Yeah. His name is… Nikko. Hikaru Nikko. He’s a firefighter over on the east coast back home. We write each other every…” Sunset trailed off, realizing she couldn’t remember the last time she’d written Sunshine, even before she’d left Equestria. “Well, we write when we have the time.”

“And what about your parents?” Asuna asked. “I’m sure they can’t be too happy with you running off to another world.”

“Sunset! No! We can't! The fire’s spread too far! It's about to collapse!”

“They're still in there! I have to get them out! THEY'RE STILL IN THERE! MOMMY DADDY!!!”

“Sunset! We can’t go back in there! Sunset! SUNSET!!!”

“Nichi-chan!”

Sunset turned, throwing Nodoka’s hand from her shoulder. She stared at her friend, eyes wild and unfocused. Nodoka backed up a few steps, clearly shaken. “N-nichi-chan?”

A moment of silence passed. Sunset took a deep, shuddering breath and let it out slowly, closing her eyes as she did so. She turned away and resumed walking. “I’m fine,” she muttered, as much for her own sake as for Nodoka’s. “I’m fine.” She took another breath, this one far steadier, and pushed as much calm into her voice as she could fake. “Sorry, just remembered something bad from back home. Anyway, my parents aren’t in Canterlot anymore. They retired a while back, and I haven’t really been in contact with them since. Anyway, we should cut the chatter; dog boy might have more allies than we know about, after all.”

She kept her eyes straight forward, refusing to let Nodoka and Asuna see her tears, and refusing to acknowledge the sound of a burning and collapsing home that played incessantly through her mind.

*****

The oppressive silence continued until Negi awoke and explained what had happened with Konoka and Setsuna while they rested. Apparently, the Onmyou and the swordswoman had attacked near Cinematown, where Setsuna had decided to lead Konoka. A fight had broken out, disguised as a performance, and Setsuna and Konoka had managed to escape with Negi’s help. Unfortunately, Setsuna had been almost killed in the fight, prompting Konoka to activate her magic instinctively.

“So now we’ve got to drag Konoka into this mess too?” Asuna complained. “The number of normal people in class is dropping way too fast.”

“Please, Asuna,” Sunset chided playfully, “leave comments like that to Chisame. Besides, do you really think that more than three or four people in our class really qualify as normal? I was planning on telling Konoka anyway. With Honya and Yue in on the secret, and Springfield’s irritating habit of accidentally showing off his magic, it was only a matter of time until Konoka found out on her own.” Sunset smirked and crossed her arms. “Heck, Haruna will probably find out before long; Yue, Nodoka, and I already have a bet going on how long it will take.”

Asuna groaned and put her head in her hands. “Great. Just great. First the class paparazzi, and soon the class gossip. What are the odds of there being anyone left who doesn’t know by the end of the year?”

Nodoka pulled out a small notebook and began flipping through it. “Yue-chan gives that 3:1 odds, if only because some of our classmates are a little oblivious. 5:1 for half the class knowing by the end of Summer Break.”

“That’s where I put my money,” Sunset chimed in.

“Eh? Really?” Negi leaned over, looking over the list of odds. “What parameters did she use to get these?”

“WHAT DOES IT MATTER!!!” Asuna shouted. “And why are you betting on things like this in the first place?!”

Sunset shrugged while Nodoka showed Negi the odds sheet and explained how Yue had calculated them over the last few days. “We’re bored middle-schoolers,” Sunset explained. “And intelligent ones at that. What did you think we did when we weren’t reading?” She turned to Negi. “In any case, are you sure Setsuna can handle things herself?”

Negi looked up from the notebook and nodded. “They escaped from Cinematown, and it didn’t look like there were any pursuers. They should be here soon.”

“Guess we’ll just have to wait, then.” Sunset sat down and took out her own notebook. “Just as well; now’s a good a time as any to piece together that long-range teleportation spell. Know any powerful figures associated with travel?”

“Hm.” Negi closed his eyes as he pondered. “Well, Hermes and Mercury are the Greek and Roman gods of travel. Rome also had Abeona and Adiona, who watch over the departure and safe return of travelers, respectively.”

“Departures and returns, huh?” Sunset nodded, making a few notes. “Considering how this spell works, that fits perfectly. Now, what about stone or the ground?”

*****

By the time Konoka and Setsuna arrived, Sunset had finished her first draft of the long-range teleportation spell. Unfortunately for their plans to tell Konoka about magic, the two of them weren’t alone.

“So, why did you tag along again?” Sunset asked as they continued up the mountain, Asuna carrying the still weakened Negi piggyback.

Asakura shrugged, Negi’s staff in hand and propped up against her shoulder. “Seemed like more fun than waiting around Cinema Town without answers,” she replied cheerfully. She pointed ahead of them at Haruna and Yue who were grilling Nodoka for details about what had happened with Negi. “Besides, those two were rather insistent on following Konoka anyway; I just gave them a little bit of help.”

“By hiding a GPS tracker in her clothes?”

Another shrug. “Hers. Yours. Negi-sensei’s. A reporter has to know where the news is happening, you know?”

Sunset rolled her eyes, making a mental note to check her clothes and luggage for bugs.

“In any case,” Asakura lowered her voice, her smile turning slightly predatory, “what did happen to Negi-sensei? He’s looking a little too exhausted to have simply tripped down the mountain a bit.”

Sunset glanced to the side, checking to make sure that Konoka wasn’t listening in. Thankfully, she seemed to be fully absorbed in checking over Negi. “A little run-in with a werewolf,” she muttered. “He ambushed Springfield and Asuna and trapped them in a bent-space field. An infinite space loop,” she clarified, seeing Asakura’s confusion. “They couldn’t get out unless they found the glyph that trapped them, and dog-boy wasn’t going to make it easy for them.”

“So you had to go in and beat him up?” Asakura asked.

“Something like that. He was actually pretty tough; we eventually had to just escape and close the spell up again behind us. It’ll take him a while to get out, but he’ll be back.” Sunset looked down at Asakura’s hand and raised an eyebrow. “And I do hope you realize that none of this can be on record.”

Asakura grinned mischievously and lifted her hand up, revealing the recorder she’d been hiding. “Nichi-chan, with me, everything is on the record. Don’t worry; I’m just collecting material to use when all of this finally comes to light and I get the exclusive I was promised.”

“Ah! Look! Isn’t that the entrance?”

Sunset and Asakura looked forward at Haruna’s shout. Sure enough, they seemed to be approaching the front gate of a large estate. The thickness of the surrounding woods combined with the setting sun and the ancient look of the place to create a semi-foreboding atmosphere.

“All right! Let’s go!”

An atmosphere that was promptly shattered as the rest of the Library Exploration girls, Konoka included, rushed forward.

“Ah! Wait, everyone!” Asuna shouted, pulling out her card and hissing at Negi. “That’s the enemy base, right?”

“Looks like it,” Sunset muttered, whipping out her own card as the front gate creaked open. “And it looks like they’re waiting for us. Get ready for round three!”

“Welcome back, Konoka-ojousama.”

Sunset blinked in confusion. “Or not?”

Arc 4: Chapter 26

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Despite the foreboding outward appearance, the interior of the Kansai Magic Association Headquarters was bright and cheerful. Sakura trees lined the roads, their petals falling softly all around. Families, servants, and workers walked along unhurried, finishing up their business in the village-sized keep in preparation for the coming night. As the many traditionally-clothed men and women who made up their escort showed Sunset and the others towards the main building, Sunset couldn’t help but admit to herself that the entire area was rather picturesque.

“Quite the warm reception,” she muttered, turning a light glare upon Setsuna. “It would have been nice to know a while back that this place was also Konoka’s freaking home.”

Setsuna blushed but maintained her profesional stare straight ahead. “I-I couldn’t be sure at first that Headquarters hadn’t been compromised. All I knew was that there was a schism, not how many - or rather, how few - had separated themselves. It wasn’t until I saw that we were facing the same opponents multiple times that I realized that the main house would likely be safe.”

Sunset rolled her eyes but decided to let it rest; she’d made more paranoid decisions back in Equestria, after all. Her eyes turned to Konoka and hardened. “So. When do we tell her?”

Setsuna hesitated before answering. “I’ll report to my superiors tonight and advise them to speak with Ojou-sama’s father. He will likely see the wisdom in informing her tonight.”

“Or, crazy idea, you could cut out the middleman and tell her yourself.”

Setsuna shot Sunset a brief glare before facing forward again. “I know how you feel about my and Ojou-sama’s r-relationship, but this situation is entirely different. There is a clear command structure in place, and Konoka’s father is far above my station. To make such a decision without having consulted him first would be terribly inappropriate.”

Sunset sighed but had to concede the point. Annoying as it was, her own experiences with military and paramilitary chain of command made it clear that there were some barriers that Setsuna wouldn’t, and shouldn’t, cross. “Fine. But if he takes too long, I’m telling her myself. I won’t have one of my friends be kept in the dark when she’s in danger.”

Setsuna nodded. “Fair enough.”

They were eventually led to the largest building in the compound, almost a temple in its grandeur. They entered to find yet more servants lining the walls of a large entrance chamber, though Sunset noted a number of lightly concealed weapons among them. They knelt on several mats provided before being told that the Chief of the Association would be arriving soon.

“Quite an amazing welcome this is,” Haruna whispered, looking around with wide eyes.

“What exactly is all of this?” Yue wondered.

“W-well,” Negi admitted, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, “the truth is that, other than the school trip, I had another secret mission to do here-”

“Eh!?” Haruna, Yue, and Asakura leaned forward, interest gleaming in their eyes.

“Don’t get too excited,” Sunset muttered. “Just the kid helping to mend some old bridges that’ve been neglected for a while. He’s just a messenger.”

“Mend some bridges, you say?” Asakura asked. “Between whom? And why do they need mending?”

“That is a family matter,” Setsuna said, keeping her voice quiet so that it wouldn’t reach Konoka, who was chatting with Asuna. “It is between the Principal of Mahora and the Chief here.”

“Konoka’s grandpa and her old man,” Sunset clarified.

“Sorry for the wait.” Asakura’s follow-up inquiry was cut off as said old man made an appearance, walking down the large stairway towards the main room. His hair was black and frazzled, his face worn and a little gaunt. Heavy wrinkles hung under his eyes, but the eyes themselves were light and kind behind a pair of spectacles. He smiled down at the group as he addressed them. “Welcome, Asuna-kun, Konoka’s classmates, and their homeroom teacher, Negi.”

“Otou-sama!” Konoka shouted, leaping up and rushing into a hug. “It’s been a long time!”

“L-Leader-san!” Negi stood and rushed forward, drawing out his letter as he did so. “This is from the East’s leader, Mahora Academy President, Konoe Konoemon, to the Western leader. Please accept this letter.”

Sunset rolled her eyes at Negi’s formality while Konoka’s father simply smiled. “Certainly,” he replied, taking the letter and opening it. “I’ve received it, Negi-kun. It was a tough job, right?”

“And whose fault is that?” Sunset muttered.

“Nichibotsu!” Setsuna hissed.

“What?” she hissed back. “The actions of the individuals of an organization are the responsibility of their immediate supervisors. And their supervisors for them. And eventually it all goes back to rest on the head of the organization. You might be honor-bound not to talk bad about this guy, but I have no such loyalties.” She snorted. “Heck, I was barely subordinate back home.”

“This is fine.” Setsuna and Sunset turned their attention back to Konoka’s father as he closed the letter. “In appreciation of the Eastern leader’s will, we too will negotiate to end the discord between East and West. Please tell him that. Your mission is completed, Negi Springfield-kun.”

Sunset quickly covered her ears as her classmates started cheering, rushing forward to congratulate their teacher. “From overly formal to riotous cheer. I present, our idiot class.” She glared over at Haruna, who was slapping Negi on the back. “Seriously, does she even get what’s going on at all, or is she just caught up in everything?”

“Ah, lighten up Nichi Ane-chan.” Sunset glared down at Chamo, who had wandered over to her to avoid the stampede. “What’s wrong with a little bit of mindless celebration?”

“It wouldn’t be such a problem if they were ever not mindless or celebrating.” She sighed and got to her feet. “Still, guess Springfield did a good enough job. Maybe now we can enjoy the rest of our trip in relative peace. Oy! Springfield!” She wandered over to the small celebration and tapped her teacher on the head. “It’s getting late. The others will be wondering what happened to us.”

“You are all welcome to stay the night,” Konoka’s father offered. “The mountain is difficult to traverse once the sun goes down. We will prepare a welcome banquet for you.”

Amidst the new round of cheering, Negi spoke up nervously. “Um, we’re in the middle of a school trip, so we have to go back…”

“It’s fine,” Konoka’s father assured him. “I will send substitutes for you.”

“No need,” Sunset interrupted. “I’ll go back myself and explain the situation to the other teachers. No offence, but those paper golems have caused enough trouble already.”

“A-are you sure, Nichibotsu-san?” Negi asked. “What if Kotarou-kun or the others are still out there?”

“Then they’ll be planning a final, last-ditch assault on this place.” Sunset shrugged. “They won’t have any reason to come after me. Besides, that brat was pretty clear that he won’t fight girls; if nothing else, his stupid honor-thing will keep me safe.”

“Still, I must insist that you stay,” Konoka’s father said, frowning. “I don’t like the idea of a child wandering the mountain or the city at night alone.”

Sunset scoffed and turned on her heel. “Trust me, I’ll be fine. I’ve got plenty of light to make it down. And as for the city…” She shot a grin over her shoulder. “Let’s just say I wouldn’t mind running into a few would-be muggers. It’d give me a chance to practice restraint.”

*****

Thankfully for Kyoto’s minor criminal element, Sunset made it back to the hotel without incident just as the sun had gone down. The other teachers weren’t happy with her news, but they accepted the situation after a quick call to Mahora. Sunset’s classmates were far less understanding, many of them complaining that they wanted to go too.

A quick question from Sunset about whether they were disappointed because they couldn’t see Konoka’s childhood home or because they couldn’t play with Negi mollified most of the complainers.

“I swear,” Sunset muttered, flopping onto her cot. “They’re all a bunch of children! I mean, I know they’re children, but they act like elementary-schoolers!” She turned her head to gaze listlessly at Zazie. “Tell me, are all of the mature-slash-normal people going to turn out to secretly be mages?”

Zazie turned her eyes upward in thought before waving a hand back and forth.

“Great.” Sunset sighed and closed her eyes. “Well, that’s tomorrow’s problem. After double-timing it down the mountain, I’m bushed.”

“...”

“...okay, I’ll bite.” Sunset cracked a single eye open and glared at Zazie. “What am I forgetting.”

Zazie turned and pointed out of the room before lifting her book a few inches higher.

Sunset groaned. “Right. Ako.” She forced herself to her feet. “I swear, I should start charging for this.”

Unfortunately, Ako’s group was late in returning. Not wanting to waste any time, Sunset snuck out to look for them. Between her magically enhanced speed and liberal application of her tracking spell, she was able to track them down with ease. She found them about half an hour’s walk from the hotel, eating ice-cream in a small park. “Oy!” she called, pocketing her wand. “You do know we were supposed to be back ten minutes ago, right?”

“N-Nichi-chan!” Makie shouted, surprised. “Wh-what are you doing here?”

“Looking for all of you.” Her eyes locked on Ako. “You specifically. You’re late for our session.”

Ako chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her head. “Aha, oops. I guess I forgot that we were meeting tonight.”

“Eh? But weren’t you the one who insisted that we could stay out a little-”

Sunset chuckled as Ako none-too-subtly stomped on Yuna’s foot. “Nice try, Ako.” She jerked her head back towards the hotel. “Come on. The Class Rep’s pissed, and the teachers aren’t in a forgiving mood. Springfield and group 5 are staying the night elsewhere so their patience is already stretched a bit thin.”

“Aw, Negi-kun isn’t back?” Makie whined as they began walking. “I was hoping we could play again tonight.”

“What? Last night’s War of Lips wasn’t enough?” Sunset asked. “I’m surprised you have any energy at all after staying up so late.”

Akira raised an eyebrow. “You’re surprised that Baka Pink and the energetic basketballer aren’t out of energy?” She frowned. “Still, that whole affair was strange. How did Asakura do that thing with the fake Negi-sensei’s?”

Sunset and Mana shared a covert look before Sunset answered. “Oh, you know. CG. So Ako!” She quickly turned to the girl in question, pointedly ignoring Akira’s incredulous look. “What did you want to study tonight? We can get about twenty minutes done on our way back.”

“Eh? Studying now?” Yuna asked, surprised.

“Come on, Nichi-chan,” Makie said, elbowing her lightly in the side. “We’re on a school trip! We can save studying for when we get back!”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Not the best defence, considering it’s coming from the worst student in the class.” Yuna started snickering at Makie’s pout and Sunset immediately turned on her. “And your grades are nothing to be proud of either. If you hit the books half as often as you hit the courts, you’d actually be in a position where you could afford a break.”

“Wait, how do you know her grades?” Mana asked.

“Elementary, number 16,” Sunset replied. “I regularly borrow Springfield’s class records.”

“Without permission, I assume.”

“Naturally.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s called ‘theft,’” Akira pointed out. “And now I’m starting to question your own high grades.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “I only started borrowing them when I started tutoring Ako, and I was already near the top of the class by then. Besides, I only looked at how everyone ranked in different subjects and overall, not at test answers or homework details. I may be sneaky and underhanded sometimes, but I’m not a cheater.” She caught Mana’s raised eyebrow. “Well, not in academics, anyway.”

“I still don’t think that’s a good idea,” Ako said. “What if Negi-sensei catches you?”

Sunset shrugged. “Nothing. Springfield knows me enough to know that I’d never cheat, and he can’t complain with the results. Asuna’s just under Yue now in the Baka Rangers, and Ako just made it to rank 300 out of all second-years. I expect her to be in the low 200’s by summer break.”

“EH?!”

“That’s amazing!” Akira shouted.

“I didn’t think it was possible,” Yuna muttered.

“It is indeed strange to think,” Mana added, “that Kakurazaka-san has managed to surpass Ku Fei-san and Nagase-san.”

“Yeah, and me too, right?” Makie asked.

A moment of silence passed before Ako cleared her throat. “Nichi-chan is rather impressive. She’s good at breaking things down and making them easier to understand.” She winced. “Doesn’t really help with English, though.”

“It’s just repetition there,” Sunset said. “You’ve been getting a lot better with the grammar. You just need to put in the time to run through the vocabulary. Have you tried learning any songs in English like I suggested?”

Ako nodded. “A couple.”

“Well, keep at it. Remember, the more of your brain you use while learning, the more likely the information is to stick. Singing the words is going to help a lot more than just staring at notecards.” Feeling eyes on the back of her head, Sunset turned to regard Akira’s stunned face. “What?”

She shook her head. “N-nothing. I just… I’ve never seen you like this before except with the Library Exploration girls. Usually you’re either biting someone’s head off or trying to ignore us.”

“Ookochi-chan is one of the doubters,” Mana said. “She wasn’t entirely convinced when Murakami-chan uncovered your facade.”

Sunset groaned and shook her head. “I still can’t believe she noticed that. Damn Natsumi. Haruna was giving me grief over that for a week straight.”

“Nichi-chan is actually really nice,” Ako added, wincing slightly at Sunset’s glare. “W-well, as long as you aren’t being… how did you phrase it again?”

“Irritating, hyperactive, immature shotacons with the self-awareness of goldfish.”

“No, the nice way.”

“That was the nice way.” Sunset sighed. “I don’t suffer fools. There’s a place and time for levity, frivolity, and even raucousness. An active classroom is neither the time nor the place.”

“Geeze, Nichi-chan.” Yuna elbowed her in the side. “You take school way too seriously.”

“And you all don’t take it seriously enough,” Sunset shot back. “This is the future we’re talking about here. Your entire lives will be determined by what and how well you do in your early academics. And it’s not just about grades; it’s about discipline! You can’t just grow up and mature the instant you need to start looking for a job. Or do you think your future employers will be okay with you molesting their customers and clients?

“Besides, it’s not just about getting through it.” Sunset looked up into the darkening sky, stretching her hand up. “It’s about growth. Understanding. The fundamental steps for knowing how the world works, how people think, and how the very forces of nature conspire. Education is the great tool which transformed our drooling, primitive ancestors into the masters of the known world! It’s the stepping stone to greatness! The wood which fuels the fire of our potential! Without it, we are nothing. With it...” She clenched her fist, her eyes shining with determination, “...the stars themselves are within our grasp!”

The five girls stared at Sunset, stunned into silence. “Okay,” Yuna finally said. “That was actually pretty cool.”

Sunset spun around to face them, a manic glint in her eyes and a grin splitting her face. “Which is why I’m going to be quizzing you on English until we get back to the hotel!”

“EH?!”

*****

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.”

“Um, two paths… split in a yellow… tree?”

“You know what, I’ll give you that one. Two paths branched off in a yellow forest. Wood is as in the woods or the forest in this case.” Sunset nodded to Yuna. “Just remember, if it doesn’t sound like it makes sense, you probably translated something wrong. Never go with an answer that’s obviously nonsense; better to guess and have a chance at guessing right than to go with an obviously wrong answer.”

“Aw. All I got was ‘two’ and ‘in a yellow,’” Makie whined. “English is hard.”

“Could you at least tell that it was past tense?” Sunset asked as they entered the hotel lobby.

Makie nodded. “Yeah. the verb ended with ‘E’ ‘D,’ right?”

“Right. That almost always denotes past tense,” Sunset said. “Like I was telling Ako earlier, the vocabulary just requires time and repetition. Get the grammar down, and the rest is just-”

“Group four!” Everyone jumped at Ayaka’s shout. “You’re late!”

Sunset winced and quickly ducked back as Makie and Ako began making excuses to the class rep. Yeah, no way I’m going to waste the night getting chewed out by her. Let’s see if I can just sneak up to-

“In other words, Baka-Leader, a rescue is necessary, de gozaru?”

Damn it, Yue. “Rescue?” Sunset asked, walking over to where Nagase and Ku Fei were relaxing. “What happened?”

Arc 4: Chapter 27

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“So let me get this straight,” Sunset muttered. “You’re telling me that this white-haired boy, possibly singlehandedly, snuck through the Kansai Magic Association’s barriers and wards, subdued all of their guards and mages, and instantaneously petrified Haruna, Nodoka, and Asakura with apparently little effort.”

“...Nichi-chan, when you say it like that, it makes this guy sound really impressive.”

Sunset groaned and massaged the bridge of her nose. “Is there anything else you can tell me? Anything at all?”

“I’m afraid not,” Yue replied, her voice a little staticy through the phone. “In my desperate flight through the forest at night away from an honest-to-God mage, it somehow slipped my mind to ask him for the particulars of the situation.”

“You’ve been around me for far too long if you’re snarking like that.” Sunset sighed. “Alright, we’ll be there soon. Try to stay out of sight until we get there.” She flipped the phone closed and tossed it back to Kaede. “Well, looks like we’re going in pretty much blind.”

Kaede pocketed her phone and gave one of her enigmatic smiles. “I’m sure we’ll be fine, de gozaru. It’s not as if we’re helpless.”

“If you say so.” Sunset turned to stare out the window, watching as the streets flew by. She, Kaede, Ku Fei, and Mana had snuck out and boarded a train as soon as Yue had called, but it would still take several minutes to arrive. “So, exactly how ‘not helpless’ are we?”

“Ku Fei-san and I may not know much about magic,” Kaede said, “but you’ve traded blows with her briefly, and she’s yet to surpass me. We’re confident in our abilities, de gozaru. As for Mana-san,” she shrugged, “I don’t know her very well, but she carries herself with confidence. I’m sure she’ll be fine, de gozaru.”

Fine might not cut it, Sunset thought, glaring out at the moonlit streets of Kyoto. That onmyou is a joke, and the dog-brat is no match for either Ku Fei or Kaede, but that Shinmeiryuu girl is dangerous, and this white-haired boy Yue described is a complete mystery. He’s powerful, definitely, but I have no idea to what degree. If he’s beyond Springfield’s power and my experience… She shook her head. No. I can’t be working myself into a panic. I need to stay calm. Nothing I can do about it anyway until we get there. She slung her backpack off of her shoulder and pulled out her notes and a pencil. Best I can do is prepare for the battles ahead.

And pray that Springfield has a plan.

*****

The train pulled into the station a few minutes later, Sunset and the others darting out as soon as it stopped. Yue was waiting for them in a cafe nearby, nervously sipping from a juice box. “You’re late,” she said as they arrived, trying to conceal her trembling. “So, what’s the plan?”

Sunset turned her attention to the small mountain that held the Kansai Magic Association’s headquarters. “Find Springfield and follow his plan. Beat up anyone who tries to stop us on the way.”

Yue’s eyes narrowed. “That’s a horrible plan.”

“Best we’ve got.” She turned to face her small group. “Kaede, you take Yue and lead the way. Ku Fei, you and me are right behind her; we’ll keep an eye out for ambushes. Mana, you take the rear. Make sure nothing gets us from behind. Got it?”

“Question!” Ku Fei shot her hand into the air and glared at Sunset. “Why are you the one making the plan aru?”

“Because you and Kaede are idiots,” Sunset replied. “Yue knows the situation best, but she has no training or experience whatsoever with this sort of situation; I have both. And unless Mana is going to try to take the lead,” she glanced over at Mana, who shook her head, “then it falls to me by default.” She walked right up to Ku Fei and glared down at the smaller girl, who glared right back defiantly.

“You don’t like me. I get it. You don’t like what I said to everyone that day in the plaza or how I’ve treated everyone since. That’s fine; you don’t need to like me. Heck, you can hate me for all I care.” She jabbed a finger into Ku Fei’s chest. “But for tonight, you will do as I say. Because right now our friends and classmates are in danger. Whatever petty issues you have with me or I with you don’t matter. What matters is if you can follow my lead into battle. Because if you can’t, then you’re a rogue element that we don’t need. So,” her eyes narrowed further, “what’s it going to be?”

Ku Fei glared into her eyes, unblinking. Searching. Whatever she found, she nodded. “Alright,” she said, stepping back. “I’ll do what you say, aru. But!” She smirked and held out her hand, “I can’t take a challenge like this lying down. Someday, you and me are going to fight and resolve our ‘petty issues,’ aru.”

Sunset smirked back and took her hand, gripping it tightly. “You’re on.” She turned back to find that Kaede was already carrying Yue bridal-style. She nodded her approval. “Alright, everyone. Move out!”

*****

A quick check around Kansai Magic HQ had confirmed Sunset’s fears: every single person inside had been petrified. They’d found no signs of Asuna, Setsuna, Konoka, or Negi. Sunset had quickly surmised that Konoka must have been taken, the other three flying off to rescue her. All that was left was to find out which way they’d gone.

The massive pillar of light, accompanied by waves of magical energy that were palpable even to the non-mages in the group, had been a pretty good hint.

“Aren’t they worried about normal people seeing this?” Yue asked as the group raced through the forest.

“This whole mountain is surrounded by a barrier,” Sunset explained, gauntlets out and lighting their path. “It’s not powerful enough to keep anyone out, but it keeps anyone outside of it from seeing anything that happens within, and keeps bystanders from just wandering in without any reason.”

“But then how were we able to get in, aru?” Ku Fei asked.

Sunset’s eyes narrowed. “We have a reason. Keep an eye out. I have no idea how fast Springfield and the others are moving. I don’t want to risk passing them.”

“Well I don’t see Springfield,” Mana said, looking over to their right, “but it seems Kakurazaka-san and Sakurazaki-san are occupied over there.”

The group halted and Sunset peered through the trees, barely able to catch glimpses of light and the faint echoes of combat. “How… how did you catch that?”

Mana simply smirked in reply. “They seem to be engaged against multiple enemies. A small army, in fact, and it seems to be a fairly even match.”

Sunset frowned. “Two against an army is never an even match. Sheer numbers will wear them down if nothing else.” She looked towards the distant light for a moment before nodding. “Mana. Ku Fei. Go back them up. They probably know better than us what we’re up against. See if you can free up Setsuna to catch up with us. Kaede. Yue. We’ll continue onward. Catch up with Springfield and figure things out from there.”

Mana nodded, patting the long, black case she had slung over one shoulder. “We’ll send both of them along if we can.” She and Ku Fei turned and darted off into the woods, Sunset frowning after them.

“Wait. How long has she had that with her?”

“She conceals it better than Sakurazaki-san conceals hers,” Kaede explained. “And almost as well as I conceal mine.”

Sunset turned to her, raising an eyebrow. “What do you-” Her eyes went wide as she saw the massive, man-sized throwing star in her hand. “Wh- what? How?”

Yue looked from the weapon to Sunset and shrugged. “Ninja.”

Sunset groaned and shook her head. “Help Konoka now,” she muttered. “Bang my head against a wall later.” She shook it off and nodded in the direction of the growing magical energy. “Come on. We’re getting close. Knowing Springfield, he’s already at the epicenter of that mess fighting for his life.”

*****

“If you use your full power and beat me, you might still be able to make it! Come on, Negi! You’re a man, aren’t you!?”

Sunset groaned, massaging her temples as she hid behind a nearby tree. “No. No he isn’t, Dog-breath. And as evidence of this, you just succeeded in goading him into a fight.”

They’d found Negi in a clearing after only another minute or two of travel, blocked in his path by Kotarou. The dog-boy had challenged and goaded Negi into a fight, one which Negi now seemed inclined to give him.

“To be fair,” Kaede said, standing in the branches above Sunset, “he is blocking Negi-bouzu’s way. I doubt he’ll let him through without someone to distract him, de gozaru.”

“Guess that’s our job,” Sunset groused. “Much as I’d rather just go and deal with Konoka’s kidnappers myself, Springfield knows the situation better. Better to take this kid down quickly so we can join him sooner rather than later.”

“Agreed, de gozaru.” Kaede hefted her ninja star and patted Sunset on the shoulder. “I’ll take the first strike, de gozaru.” She leapt high into the air, cocking her arm back to throw. Sunset looked from the girl in the air to the one still holding Yue in the tree before chalking it up to “ninja” and rushing into the clearing.

Kaede’s weapon flew true, sticking into the ground between Negi and Kotarou right as the two were about to engage. Kaede seemed to vanish, appearing right in front of Kotarou and delivering a powerful palm strike to his chest. The boy was sent flying to the edge of the clearing, where he slammed into a tree. By the time he’d recovered his senses, Kaede’s double had vanished.

“Hey Fido.” Kotarou turned, his eyes going wide right before a gauntleted fist connected with his gut, sending him through the tree and deep into the forest beyond. Sunset tossed her hair over her shoulder, glaring after him disdainfully. “Catch.”

“N-N-Nichibotsu-san!?” Negi gawked before looking up to the tree where Kaede was still standing. “Nagase-san!? Yue-san!?”

“Getting hotheaded and losing yourself at an important moment,” Kaede chided gently. “You’re still lacking in concentration de gozaru, Negi-bouzu.”

“B-b-but… what?!” Negi stammered, looking from Kaede to Sunset in stunned confusion. “H-how did you-”

“Yue called us,” Sunset replied, walking over. “Ku Fei and Mana are providing backup to Setsuna and Asuna now. At least one of them should be on their way to back you up soon.”

“You can leave things here to us,” Kaede reassured, leaping down and setting Yue on her feet.. “You’re in a hurry, right?”

“Get going, Springfield,” Sunset said, glaring back at where Kotarou was getting to his feet. “Konoka’s still in trouble, right? That’s the battle you need to concern yourself with. Leave the rest to us.”

“B-b-but-”

“You don’t need to worry about us,” Kaede said, patting Negi’s head. “Now’s the time to act, not to think.” She gave him a light shove, sending him tumbling in the direction of the building magical energy. “Go! Now!”

Negi hesitated a moment longer before turning and darting off into the forest.

“Hey! Wait, Negi!” Kotarou leapt from the woods, but was halted as several shuriken embedded themselves in the ground in front of him. He turned to glare at Kaede and Sunset. “Hey, you. The nee-chans over there. Don’t get in my way! I’m not interested in fighting women!”

“I’d call that chivalrous, Kotarou Inagumi” Sunset said, cracking her knuckles, “if it weren’t so chauvinistic.”

“Hmph. So your name is Kotarou, huh?” Kaede smirked. “Boy, you’ve got good taste, to recognize Negi-bouzu as your rival, de gozaru. But you can throw away your inhibitions, because right now, both of us are still stronger than Negi-bouzu.”

Sunset nodded, igniting her gauntlets and allowing the flames to cover her entire body. “Specialist Hikaru Nichibotsu, Mage 1st Class, reporting.”

“Kouga Chunin Nagase Kaede,” Kaede added, a dozen or so copies of her appearing around and behind her and speaking in unison, “has arrived.”

Kotarou stared in shock from one to the other. His shock slowly morphed into glee, a feral grin splitting his mouth as he slammed a hand to the ground, summoning a dozen hounds made of shadow. “All right! Let’s see what you’re made of then, onee-chans!”

“Equis equis alicornus,” Sunset chanted, stepping back a bit and thrusting her left fist forward as Kaede’s copies scattered. “Sagita magica, series ignis.” Seventeen arrows of fire shot from her fist and impacted the hounds, scattering them into motes of darkness. Sunset followed up with a single right punch, a larger bolt of fire shooting straight for Kotarou. The boy leapt into the air, summoning more hounds and sending them down towards Sunset.

Kaede leapt between them, throwing star in hand, and spun it quickly. The dogs were shredded, and several copies leapt into the air to engage with Kotarou.

Sunset darted around below, trying to track which was the real Kaede as she positioned herself below Kotarou. There! She cocked her fist back just as Kaede delivered a powerful palm-strike, sending him flying down to Sunset, who punched him in the back and sent him flying back up. Kotarou braced himself through another round of dog-boy volleyball before managing to break away, landing roughly on all fours.

He spat out a bit of blood before grinning up at Sunset and Kaede. “Heh, you surprised me, narrow-eyed nee-chan, fire nee-chan! To think that people like you would be living the carefree lives of middle-school students!”

“Hardly carefree,” Sunset said, extinguishing one fist and pulling out her wand. “You don’t get to be as good as us without serious training.”

“You’ve got some skills of your own, de gozaru,” Kaede noted. “But it looks like you’re still holding something back. Are you sure it’s okay not to get serious?”

“Heh.” Kotarou wiped the blood from his lip. “Get serious? Against a woman?” He launched himself forward, striking the ground where Kaede had stood a moment previously. “As if I would!”

“Sagita magica,” Sunset encanted, pointing her wand at Kotarou. “Air captorae!” Thirteen streams of wind shot from her wand, darting forward to try to wrap around the boy. Kotarou leapt back, striking out against some while he summoned more hounds to deal with the others. “Again with the ‘woman’ thing!” She shouted. “There’s being a gentleman, and then there’s being an idiot! Telum ignis! Lanceam glacies!” A spear of fire shot from her fist, another of ice from her wand. Kotarou barely dodged the first, punching the second aside.

“A man doesn’t fight girls!” Kotarou shouted back, summoning more hounds. “It isn’t-”

“OH GROW UP!” Sunset shoved her wand into her pocket and splayed her hands. “If you think the real world works according to such backward and petty ideals, then you’re in for a rude awakening when a girl shows up and takes off your head someday! Venatione dracones!” Two streams of fire shot from her palms, twisting around each other and forming into twin dragons that began chasing Kotarou around the clearing, the boy barely managing to stay ahead of them.

“Perhaps you’d best leave this to me,” one of the Kaede clones suggested, coming up and placing a hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “I can handle Katarou-kun easily, and Negi-bouzu might need help. Besides, your attacks are likely to burn down the forest at this rate, de gozaru.”

“I have more control over my fire than that,” Sunset groused, but nodded and extinguished her flames. “But you have a good point. Springfield’s going to need all the help he can get, and it looks like this idiot’s determined not to fight us seriously; I doubt he stands a chance of doing more than entertaining you at this point.”

Kaede nodded, her other clones converging around Kotarou to distract him. “Go on ahead. Sakurazaki-san and Kakurazaka-san should be catching up about now as well, de gozaru.”

Sunset nodded, darting off into the woods. The magic in the distance was building to a crescendo, and Sunset was beginning to feel something beneath it. Something powerful and dark.

A summoning ritual? Sunset thought as she ran. No. If it were a ritual to summon a dark creature, the magic itself would have carried hints of darkness all along. Whatever it is, it was already there. Unsealing magic? Sunset paled and sped up, sprinting through the woods at top speed. What sort of creature takes that much magic to seal away?! Are they releasing an arch-fiend or something?

Several minutes at a dead sprint brought Sunset to the edge of a large lake, a wooden pier extending out to the middle. The pier was wreathed in mist, obscuring all but the most basic shapes moving through it. The magic that Sunset felt was centered on that pier. Springfield must already be over there. I’ve got to-

Sunset felt it before she saw it. A massive release of pressure, followed by an enormous column of light that rose from the center of the lake. Sunset stared in shock and horror as a giant humanoid creature rose slowly from the lake. Horns adorned its two-faced head and four muscular arms pulled the creature’s torso from the water. It glowed with an unearthly light as it glared down at the pier, a palpable aura of dark magic surrounding it.

Well… buck.

Arc 4: Chapter 28

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Buck. Buck. Buck. Buck. Buck!

Sunset raced along the shore towards the pier, cursing herself again and again for not having a faster way to get to the middle of the lake. She could see Negi facing the demon down, channeling power for some spell or another. Another boy stood behind him, bound in magic. A distant figure hovered near the demon’s shoulder; Sunset couldn’t make out the details, but she was willing to bet every bit she’d ever owned that it was the onmyou with Konoka.

Sunset reached the pier just as Negi released his spell, a massive ray of wind magic streaking out to strike the demon in the chest to no effect. Sunset winced, upping her pace as she saw her teacher collapse to his knees. That wasn’t an insignificant spell, she thought. If that didn’t do anything… damn it! How are we supposed to fight against that? And where the heck are Asuna and Setsuna?!

The bonds holding the other boy shattered, and he began to approach Negi. White hair, Sunset thought, pulling out her wand. First things first, focus on what you can do. That demon isn’t doing anything yet; with any luck, he needs a few more minutes to orient himself. “Equis Equis Alicornus,” Sunset chanted, cocking back a fist as she focused on the white-haired boy. “Ianuae Magicae.” A flash of light, an instantaneous sensation of sub-arctic chill, and Sunset’s fist went flying into the white-haired boy’s gut.

It was like punching concrete! Sunset hissed, holding her right fist close to her chest. Still, her blow had sent the boy flying, and she now stood between him and Negi.

“N-N-Nichi-”

“Less stammering; more strategy!” Sunset snapped. “Tell me you have a way to stop this thing!”

“Are you kidding, Nichi Ane-san?!” Chamo shouted from where he crouched at Negi’s feet. “That thing’s a god! A god! There’s no way we can-”

“It may be powerful, but it’s no god,” Sunset countered. I’d know; I was practically raised by one. “We need Setsuna over here now. Demons are her specialty, right?”

“That’s it!” Chamo looked up at Negi. “Aniki! The pactio cards! You can teleport Asuna Ane-san and Setsuna Nee-san here!”

“Whatever you’re doing, you’d better do it quick.” Sunset held up her fists, glaring down the pier at the white-haired boy as he approached again. “Something tells me that this one won’t give us a lot of time.”

“I must admit, that was a wonderful strike,” the boy said, casually walking forward, his arms at his sides. His expression was bored, but there was a calculating gleam in his eyes. “Tell me, was that some original spell, or an ability of your artifact?”

Sunset slapped a smirk onto her face. “As if I’m going to tell you any of my secrets. What’s your name, kid?”

The boy simply shrugged, continuing his unhurried approach. “I see no reason to tell you. In any case, I won’t be falling for that attack again.”

You didn’t fall for it the first time! Sunset’s eyes darted to his stomach where his clothes weren’t even ruffled. Your barrier is insanely strong. That punch didn’t get through at all! “Well, good thing that’s not all we’ve got up our sleeves.”

“Summon!” Sunset took a step back at Negi’s shout, making sure that she was firmly between the two boys. “Ministra Negi, Kakurazaka Asuna, Sakurazaki Setsuna!”

In a flash of light, the two girls appeared to either side of Sunset: Asuna on her left with her fan, and Setsuna on her right with her katana. “Setsuna!” Sunset barked. “On the demon; get Konoka out of here. Asuna. Springfield. You’re with me. We’re taking this kid down. Hard.”

“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that.” The white-haired boy lifted a single finger and began to chant. “Vishu talri shutal vangait.”

“Setsuna! Go!” Sunset held her wand high and began to chant. “Equis Equis Alicornus.” Everyone back at headquarters was trapped in stone. I’ll bet every bit I’ve ever owned that it was this kid’s doing. Let’s hope he keeps to the same element. And that this spell works.

“Bashirike galiote meta octo podon kai cocoon onmetin wanen tou eve ton…”

“Lapis de spiritibus, et oriri defendat ab aeterna custodia.”

The white-haired boy brought his finger slashing down to point at them. “Kutanon parailsan!”

Sunset threw her arms out wide. “Caverna reguli exempla gradiamur.”

A coat of green energy shimmered into being around each of them just before a cloud of ashen gas exploded outward, obscuring everything from sight. Sunset winced, feeling the enchanted gas attempting to penetrate her shield. Good. The Cockatrice Ward worked. Now let’s just see if we can take care of the brat. “Setsuna!” she hissed, not wanting the boy to hear. “Go!”

Setsuna nodded, turning and vanishing into the haze. Sunset quickly grabbed Asuna and Negi just as a figure began to make its way through the smoke and, with a quiet incantation, teleported them further down the pier.

“There,” she said, releasing them and turning to glare back at the haze a couple hundred meters behind them. “That’ll keep him confused for a bit. Long enough for Setsuna to get to Konoka at least.”

“That was amazing, Nichi Ane-san!” Chamo shouted from Negi’s shoulder. “What was that spell? How did you know what he was going to do?”

“Because someone that far out of our league isn’t going to concern himself with being clever with his attacks,” Sunset muttered. “And we got lucky with that spell; I threw it together on my way down the mountain after seeing everyone up there trapped in stone. I’m just glad it worked.”

“U-um, about that,” Sunset turned to look at Negi, her eyes going wide as he cradled his right hand with his left. Most of his hand was encased in stone, leaving only a little of the palm exposed. As Sunset watched, it crept up another couple millimeters. “I… I think it needs a little more work.”

Sunset grit her teeth, cursing herself out in her head. “How long can you hold it back?”

Negi shuddered but forced himself to his feet. “Maybe ten minutes. More if I could just rest, but that boy will notice that we’re gone any moment.”

Sunset looked from his hand to the rapidly clearing smoke and back. “I don’t think this will take only ten minutes.” She grabbed his shoulder and forced him back down to his knees. “Let me and Asuna handle this; stay here and do what you can to keep it from spreading.”

“Yeah, leave it to us, Negi!” Asuna rested her fan on her shoulder and gave him a cocky grin. “Your nee-sans have got it from here!”

“B-but, I can’t-”

“Yes you can.” Sunset leaned down, getting right in Negi’s face. “That smoke is going to clear in the next ten seconds. You just used a massive amount of magic in a single attack against that demon. And that’s after running all the way down here and being accosted by a small army and Kotarou. That kid won’t hesitate or go easy on us just because you’re injured, and as soon as he sees that Setsuna is gone, he’ll want to take us down as quickly as possible. So tell me, Springfield, do you see any way to contribute to the fight that won’t result in us having to save your hide?” She straightened up and turned away before he could answer. “Just let us handle this one; you can be the big damn hero next time.”

The last of the cloud cleared and the white-haired boy began his approach down the pier. “Ah. There you are.” His eyes narrowed. “And where is the Shinmeiryuu?”

“I’m afraid that gallant knight is off rescuing her princess from the evil summoner’s tower,” Sunset answered, raising her fists.

“Guess you’ll just have to deal with us,” Asuna added, pointing her fan dramatically.

“...I see.” He looked over his shoulder as he approached, gazing up at the massive demon which continued to slowly rise out of the water. “So you snuck her away to confront Chigusa-san. No matter. I shall take care of that momentarily. But first,” he turned back to face them. “Time to tie up loose ends.”

“Be careful, Asuna,” Sunset whispered. “This one’s dangerous. Way more dangerous than anyone I’ve fought in a long time.”

“More than Eva-chan?” Asuna hissed back, surprised.

Sunset nodded. “Evangeline was just playing with us. A cat that toys with its food too much will often find itself bitten. But this guy? This guy’s looking to end this fast. In that respect, he’s far more dangerous than Evangeline.”

“Is that so? I can’t exactly let that stand, now can I?”

Sunset tensed, her eyes darting around even as she kept herself facing that white-haired boy. “Evangeline!” she hissed. “How are you here?”

“Oh, I’m not,” Evangeline’s voice replied. “At least, not yet. I’ve been watching you, though. And I must say, putting up shields and running away is hardly how I expected Tenko-hime’s student to fight.”

“Tenko-hime?” Asuna asked.

Sunset grit her teeth and ignored her. “Is that all you came to do? Goad me? Because if so, I’ve got bigger issues than you to deal with.”

“And that right there is what I can’t let go,” Evangeline replied. “You think that that little upstart is more of a threat than me? I’m insulted. But you know, because I’m such a nice person, I won’t hold it too much against you.

“One minute, my little pony. If you and Asuna can last for one full minute against him, I’ll handle the rest!”

Sunset glowered at the white-haired boy. “I’ll show you one minute. Ianuae Magicae!”

Another flash of light placed her behind the boy, her fist swinging for his head. He sidestepped easily, grabbing her wrist and flinging her forward at Asuna, who had just started forward to help. The two girls went rolling down the pier, grunting in pain. Sunset recovered first, getting to her feet just in time to be hit in the face by her teacher as he was sent flying back as well.

The white-haired boy dashed forward, closing the distance in an instant and kicking the recovering Asuna down through the pier. He followed up by grabbing both Negi and Sunset and throwing them in opposite directions out over the lake.

Sunset crashed hard into the water, skipping a couple of times before finally sinking beneath the surface. She recovered quickly, kicking her way upward and surfacing just in time to see Asuna get thrown into the lake as well, her and Negi’s startled cries hinting at just what - or who - he’d thrown her at. With that, he turned and began walking back up the pier.

Oh no you don’t! Sunset began chanting her teleportation spell again, only to pause with horror as she realized that her wand was no longer in her hand. Buck! Did I drop it in the lake?! There’s no way I can find it in time! She began swimming furiously towards the pier, cursing herself out all the while. Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! If only I had wings! If only I could fly like Springfield or Evangeline or Chachamaru or… Sunset’s mind went blank, even as she continued swimming. No. No, that’s a horrible idea. That’s a horrible idea, Sunset, and you’re going to get yourself killed if you try to do it. You are not going to freaking try to-

Sunset hauled herself onto the pier and turned to face the white-haired boy, who had almost reached the end. Screw it. You only live once. Sunset took off at a run, pouring as much magic into her bronze boots as she could. With a somewhat-heroic and slightly-manic shout, she shot fire from the soles of her boots, rocketing herself forward down the pier where the boy was just starting to turn back to her, a slightly curious look on his face.

A look that Sunset only caught a glimpse of as she went flying past, wildly and uncontrollably, until she flew off the end of the pier and smacked face-first into the giant demon’s surprisingly well-sculpted abs. She ricocheted off of him and fell back into the water, thankfully much closer to the pier than before.

“I will confess,” the white-haired boy said as he made his way to the edge of the pier and looked down at her, “I did not anticipate that.” He pointed a single finger at her. “But no matter. You will not be a nuisance for much longer.”

Sunset shook off the pegasi that were circling her head as she treaded water. “You… you think I’m a nuisance now?” Just keep talking. Keep him distracted until Asuna and Springfield get here. “Just you wait. You ain’t seen nothing yet.” Her vision cleared and she glared up at the boy and declared with all of the bravado she could muster, “I am Hikaru Nichibotsu, and someday soon, I’m going to beat some emotion into that stupid, stoic face of yours.”

The boy cocked his head to the side, gazing at Sunset as if she were simply a mildly interesting insect that he had found. “Hikaru Nichibotsu. I will remember that name when they pull your statue from the bottom of the lake in a few hundred years.” He raised his hand to the heavens…

And stopped as he felt someone grab it. He and Sunset stared in shock to his side. There stood Negi, his good hand keeping the boy’s arm in the air while his other curled into a fist. “Asuna!” he shouted. “Now!”

Asuna rushed forward from behind, striking out with her fan and ripping through the white-haired boy’s magical barrier like it was wet tissue-paper. Negi poured magic into his fist, letting out a bellow of frustration as he slammed it into the boy’s unprotected face. The boy spun as he dropped to his knees, and Sunset could see that his eyes were wide and unfocussed.

Holy buck, he did it. Sunset quickly pulled herself out of the water and rushed around to stand by Asuna and the barely-standing Negi. “I can’t believe you seriously just punched him in the face.”

“Nor can I.”

Sunset’s blood ran cold. The boy’s voice, which heretofore had been a near monotone, now carried an undertone of wrath. “This,” he muttered, getting slowly to his feet, “is the first time someone has actually managed to hurt me.” He turned, his eyes wide with an energy that Sunset had never seen before. “Negi Springfield!”

“No!”

“Negi!”

Sunset and Asuna both threw themselves forward, desperate to get between the boys. In the second before the white-haired boy struck, Sunset could tell that they would be too late. And this time, he didn’t look like he was just going to send Negi flying. There was nothing she could do.

The hand with blood-red nails that reached up from the boy’s shadow had no such limitations. The boy’s fist was halted an inch from Negi’s chest. The boy looked down, his eyes going wide as a blonde-haired demon began to pull herself out of his shadow.

“Looks like you’ve been taking care of my boy,” Evangeline said, her voice thick with amusement. “Amateur.”

Without even the slightest hint of effort, Evangeline tossed the boy across the lake, sending him hurtling off to the distant shore. She turned and smirked at Negi. “Now we’re even, boy.”

“E-E-Evangeline-san!” Asuna shouted. “H-how did you-”

“Less how, more what,” Sunset snapped. “Blood-sucker! Can you deal with that?” She pointed up at the demon who was now turning to lear down at them.

Evangeline scoffed, throwing her long hair over her shoulder as her tattered black cape billowed behind her. “Please. A child like this? It’s not even a challenge.” She placed a finger to her ear, where Sunset noticed a radio earpiece rested. “Chachamaru. Is the barrier shell ready?” She nodded after a moment. “Good. Do it.”

A sound like a rifle blast went off, and the demon was immediately surrounded by a shell of crackling magical energy. “You’d better step back,” Evangeline said, rising into the air. “You did pretty well, but you’ve all got a lot to learn. Listen up, boy.” She turned to smirk at Negi and held up a single finger. “In a large-scale battle like this, a magic user has only one role: high-powered artillery. In other words, firepower is everything.”

“He tried that before,” Sunset said. “It didn’t even scratch him.”

“Well then,” Evangeline turned and began to ascend rapidly through the air. “I guess I’ll just have to show you the ultimate power of an ultimate mage.” She rose to about half the height of the demon before turning around and pointing at them. “Hey! Make sure you get a really good look!”

“Great,” Sunset muttered as Evangeline continued to rise. “She’s going to show off.” She turned and started running down the pier. “Let’s go! We don’t want to be at ground zero when whatever she’s concocting goes off!”

“R-Right!” Asuna and Negi began to run as well, all three looking back over their shoulders as Evangeline began to chant, her voice cutting through the night effortlessly.

“Lic lac la lac lilac! Queen of Eternity, bound unto me by contract, I call upon thee! Darkness that is forever, Eternal Glacier!”

The water around the great demon froze instantly, shooting up into great spires and spikes of ice. The colossus roared in agony as its entire body slowly froze.

“Wh-what?!” The tiny figure of the onmyou shouted frantically from where she hovered over the demon’s shoulder. “Wh-who the hell are you?!”

“Kukukuku. You’re out of your league, woman!” Evangeline’s grin was all-consuming as she leered down at the demon below. “This is a 150 meter four-way absolute zero field-effect freezing spell! Even a giant monster like that can’t defend against this! I am the vampire Evangeline, Gospel of Darkness! Evil mage without equal! Ahahahaha!”

“Eva-chan is getting… really into this, isn’t she?” Asuna asked as they came to a stop half-way down the pier, staring in mixed wonder and horror at the vampire’s work.

“If you didn’t believe she was evil before,” Sunset muttered, “the long-winded braggadocious monologue is all the evidence you need.”

“All that lives must face death!” Evangeline shouted, raising both arms into the air as the demons head froze last of all. “I shall bring you peace!” With a twirl of her cape, she spun around and began her slow descent, holding a single hand up to eye level, fingers poised to snap. “Cosmic Catastrophe. Break.”

SNAP

The demon shattered into a thousand shards of ice behind her as she slowly lowered herself towards the pier.

Arc 4: Chapter 29

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“AH-HAHAHA!” Evangeline’s laughter was a mixture of malice and genuine amusement as she approached Sunset, Asuna, and Negi. “I don’t know if that was supposed to be some demon god or whatever, but it was no match for me!” She grinned at her teacher and fellow-students. “How was that, children? Do you realize now how awesome my power is?”

“That was great, Eva-chan!” Asuna shouted. “You’re amazing! No wonder you keep saying you’re the strongest!”

“I’ll admit, even I was impressed,” Sunset said. “Not that I doubted your ability, but I didn’t think you’d be able to handle it so… casually.”

Evangeline threw her head back and laughed. “Ha! That just goes to show you the difference in power between us! Besides, I had plenty of time while things got set up to figure out exactly how I wanted to handle it.”

“With overwhelming overkill?”

“How else?”

Sunset grunted in reluctant agreement.

“B-but what about the Attendance Perdition Curse?” Negi asked. “You shouldn’t be able to leave the Academy!”

“About that…” Negi looked up to see Chachamaru descending, a large rifle slung over her shoulder. “Even now, we’re using a high-level ritual in order to continue to deceive the spirits that perpetuate the spell. The principal has to sign and seal one ‘Evangeline is in Kyoto for school purposes’ document every five seconds. I apologize that it took so long to prepare.”

“As a reward for today,” Evangeline continued smugly, “that old geezer agreed to endure signing perdition until we finish sightseeing in Kyoto tomorrow.”

“O-once every five seconds?” Asuna paled. “Is he going to be okay?”

“Not like he doesn’t have magic to support him,” Sunset muttered. “Still, ouch.”

“Hmph. This is all his fault for not foreseeing this would happen anyway!” Evangeline dismissed. “He deserves to work a bit! Especially since I’ll be continuing to keep his precious granddaughter safe.” She briefly surged her magic, causing her body to glow. “Ah, this feels nice. All of my powers are back while I’m outside of the Academy’s barrier. It feels good to go all-out again.”

“So that’s why you decided to help?” Sunset asked. “A brief parole and a chance to have some fun?”

Evangeline shrugged. “Pretty much.” She turned to Negi. “Listen up, boy. If we were to say that today was one of those Japanese video games I play in my spare time, then this would be the part where you ask why the last boss helps you when you’re about to die in the first dungeon. If something like this happens again, don’t expect to be able to rely on my power. At times like these, you’ve got to show them your own guts.”

“R-right,” Negi muttered, swaying slightly on his feet as he grabbed at his petrified arm.

“Hmm.” Evangeline spared him a rare look of concern. “Guess that fight was hard on you after all. Are you-”

“Blood Sucker!”

“Eva-chan!”

“Evangeline-san! Behind you!”

Evangeline stared in shock as Sunset, Asuna, and Negi rushed towards her. Negi reached her first and grabbed her, pulling her close as he got behind her.

“Wh-what are you-” Evangeline’s eyes went wide as she saw what the others had, a white-haired figure rising quickly from a puddle of water behind her.

“Lance of Stone.”

Evangeline’s grit her teeth and threw Negi aside. “Get out of the way, idio-”

The pier shattered as spikes of stone erupted through it, impaling Evangeline through the stomach and lifting her nearly a foot off the ground.

“Eva-chan!” Asuna started forward, only to stop as Sunset grabbed ahold of her arm. “N-Nichi-chan?! What are you doing?!”

“Just watch,” Sunset hissed.

“Evangeline A. K. Macdowell, ‘The Doll Master,’ huh?” The white-haired boy asked, his face schooled to neutrality once again. “I can’t say that I’m impressed.”

“Heh, you seem to be underestimating me too.”

The boy’s eyes went wide as Evangeline erupted, transforming into a swarm of bats that flew behind him and reformed in an instant. Evangeline’s hand glowed with power as she grinned maliciously at the boy. “I am, after all, The Undying Mage.”

A massive blast of ice magic split the boy in two, tearing apart the back half off the pier in the process. Evangeline grit her teeth as she saw not blood, but water pouring from the boy’s torso.

“I see,” the boy said as he slowly dissolved into water droplets. “I would be at a disadvantage if I were to fight a true-blood vampire. I’ll be retreating for today.” With a final splash, his remaining body turned to water and fell to the jagged edge of the pier.

“An illusion?” Sunset asked. “Or a water clone of some sort?”

“Either way, he’s long gone by now.” Evangeline scoffed. “Coward.”

“E-E-Eva-chan!” Asuna stammered, staring from her face to the massive hole in her clothes, through which she could see the vampire’s undamaged stomach. “Y-you just-”

“Oh relax,” Evangeline said. “That boy wasn’t human either. I doubt that would have killed him even if he had been here in person. The way he moved, I’d guess he’s some sort of construct.” She shook her head. “In any case, I’ll be accompanying you all for the rest of the trip; he won’t try anything again.”

“I think she was referring to your ‘Vlad the Impaler’ impression,” Sunset snarked.

“Psh, that?” Evangeline waved Asuna off. “You can’t hurt a vampire with a sword or a gun, especially not a true-blood like me. It’s just like you see in the movies. Regenerating is really tiring, though. So annoying.”

“Th-thank goodness,” Negi stamered, collapsing to his knees. “Evangeline-san, you…”

“O-oy! Boy!” Everyone rushed forward as Negi collapsed completely, his breathing ragged and heavy. “What’s going on?!”

“Don’t tell me...” Sunset knelt by Negi’s side and tore the sleeve off of his shirt. His entire arm had turned to stone, up to the shoulder. Peeking under his shirt, Sunset saw that the petrification had begun to advance across his chest as well. “Damn it! You were holding magic in reserve to fight, weren’t you?! I told you to focus on keeping it back!”

“Negi-kun!”

“Negi-sensei!”

“What’s wrong, de gozaru?”

Sunset looked up to see Konoka and Setsuna running towards them, Kaede and Yue right on their heels. “He’s been petrified,” Sunset explained as they got closer. “But it only got his hand, and it’s been spreading slowly.”

“Even without conscious effort, Negi-sensei’s magic resistance is incredibly high,” Chachamaru said, examining him herself. “Thus why the process has been so slow. But at this rate he will suffocate when it reaches his neck and cuts off his breathing.”

“Can you do anything, Evangeline?” Sunset demanded. “I haven’t gotten to healing magic yet.”

Evangeline actually blushed as she looked away. “I… I’m really bad at healing magic. I mean, I’m undead after all.”

“Tch. Makes sense.” Sunset glared down at the creeping line of petrification, barely noticing as Ku Fei and Mana arrived as well. “We can’t get him to medics in time,” she muttered. “Anyone in the region who could have helped is already stoned up at HQ.”

“Reinforcements should be arriving about midday,” Chachamaru said, “but they won’t make it in time.”

“U-um, Nichi-chan?” Everyone turned to Konoka as she approached. “W-would it help if I kissed Negi-kun?”

“W-w-what are you saying, Konoka?!” Asuna shouted. “At a time like this-”

“No no, that’s not what I mean!” Konoka said. “You know, that ‘pactio’ thing!”

“That might work,” Sunset muttered. “If your magic is related to healing, like what you used on Setsuna in Cinematown, then your artifact will probably be something that can take care of this.” She backed off, allowing Konoka to kneel down in her place.

“Negi-kun,” Konoka said softly, cradling Negi’s upper body and bringing it up to her. “You’ve done so much tonight to try to help me. It’s my turn to repay the favor.” She leaned down, closing the distance and planting a chaste kiss on his lips.

The glow of the pactio contract overtook them both, Konoka’s card forming at her side as Negi’s body softened from stone to flesh. As Konoka leaned back and the glow began to fade, Negi’s eyes fluttered open.

“Konoka-san,” he muttered, consciousness slowly returning to him. “Thank goodness. You’re okay.”

Cheers erupted from most of the surrounding girls. Evangeline and Chachamaru stood off to the side while Sunset just shook her head and smirked down at her teacher. “That’s our line, Springfield. You gave us all quite the scare.”

“S-sorry,” Negi said sheepishly. “I didn’t-” He gasped and leapt to his feet. “That boy! The onmyou! What… woah.”

“Careful, Negi!” Asuna steadied the child teacher before he could collapse again. “Mou. You just can’t take things easy, can you?”

“It’s alright, Sensei,” Setsuna said. “The onmyou fled soon after the demon was taken down, and the white-haired boy is gone as well.”

“The demons have retreated as well,” Mana added, patting the case slung over her shoulder. “Along with the shinmeiryuu.”

“Th-then, that means…”

“Yeah,” said Sunset, sighing in relief. “It’s over.”

*****

The rest of the night passed with little incident. Kaede, Ku Fei, and Mana returned to the hotel before their absence could be noted. Between Negi, Sunset, and Evangeline, they managed to cure everyone’s petrification at the Kansai Magic Association HQ. Evangeline had noted with surprise that the spell used on them was fairly low-level, certainly below what the boy had been capable of. After being debriefed by Konoka’s father, the students and child teacher all but collapsed into bed, exhausted from the night’s activities.

All of them except for one, that is. Sunset sat on the roof of the Kansai Magic Association Headquarters, staring out across the mountain forest that surrounded the compound. She would occasionally glance down at her right hand, curl it into a fist, relax it, and go back to staring out into the night.

“You’re going to be exhausted come sunrise.”

Sunset shook her head. “I’ve had plenty of sleepless nights before; I’ll manage. Couldn’t sleep even if my mind was calm. A certain dangerous vampire is lurking a little too close for my liking and I’m finding it hard to lower my guard.”

“You shouldn’t worry about that,” Evangeline replied, sitting down beside her. “With how overwhelmingly powerful I am, it doesn’t matter if you keep your guard up or not; I could destroy you in an instant either way.’

“...”

“...that was supposed to be funny.”

“Hit a little too close to what I’ve been thinking about.” Sunset sighed and looked down at her hand again. “He played with us, MacDowell. Tossed us around like so much trash and casually kept us from offering even a token resistance. The one solid blow we got in was barely enough to make him flinch.”

Evangeline raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t I do the same thing to you? You weren’t moping around after our fight.”

“Not like this.” Sunset shook her head. “Your magic is far superior to mine. You have far more experience and raw power than I’ve ever had. Even so, it’s something I can comprehend. I can imagine ways to counter and trick you, strategies that would weaken you and tactics that would take you down. They might not have much of a chance of success, but they’re there. But that boy…” She sighed again, pulling her knees up to her chest.

“You know, when I first got here, the concept of unarmed martial arts was strange to me. Unicorns and pegasi sometimes fought like that - well, more like ‘brawled’ than ‘fought’ - but it wasn’t the sort of thing that you trained in. Hoof-to-hoof combat almost always involved a weapon of some sort, because how could you enchant your hooves to make them better? Earth ponies were bare-hooved fighters, but they channel their magic through their whole body. Some of them don’t even bother with armor because their magic protects them. But here? Sure there are spells for strengthening your body, making it faster and stronger, but that’s not what I’m seeing from other people. The way that that boy moved, even the way that Setsuna moves, there’s something that I’m completely missing. And until I figure it out, I don’t stand a chance against him.”

Evangeline was silent for a minute. “So, let me get this straight. You think that there’s some sort of source of power or ability or way to train that Sakurazaki and the white-haired boy have realized and you’re up here in secluded introspection to try and reach within yourself and discover what that is, right?”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“...you’re an idiot.” Evangeline stood up and stretched. “You can teleport other people with you, right?”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Um, yeah. Why?”

Evangeline scanned the forest before pointing. “There. That break in the trees. That looks like a big enough clearing. Teleport us both over there.”

Sunset’s eyebrow arched further and she contemplated declining the extremely powerful and dangerous vampire’s request to go off into the woods with her alone.

Eh, if she really wanted to kill me, she could do it literally anytime she wanted. Sunset stood and placed a hand on Evangeline’s shoulder before pulling out the spare wand she’d borrowed from Konoka’s father to replace the one she’d lost in the lake. “Ianuae Magicae.” In a flash of light, they vanished from the rooftop and reappeared in the clearing. Sunset took her hand off of Evangeline’s shoulder and turned to face her. “Okay, so what did we have to come all the wa-”

Sunset didn’t get to finish her question before Evangeline stabbed her hand into Sunset’s chest. Pain coursed through Sunset’s body and she coughed up a mouthful of blood onto Evangeline’s face, which didn’t seem to bother her in the slightest. She could feel Evangeline’s hand digging deeper, rummaging around as if looking for something.

“You’re a real idiot, you know that?” Evangeline lectured, as if she didn’t have her hand buried wrist-deep in Sunset’s chest. “You think you need to ‘dig deep and find the answers yourself’ on this? There are some things that that applies to, but what you’re looking for is a lot more straightforward. Ah, here we are.”

Sunset’s breath seized. Evangeline was caressing her wellspring, the source of her Equestrian magic that had been sealed off from her arrival in this world. Was this what she was after? Was she going to devour it like the centaurs of Equestrian mythos? Crush it just to see the despair in Sunset’s face?

“If you’d asked Sakurazaki, she would have been more than happy to explain how Ki works to you. It probably would have sounded really familiar too. She probably would have had a less painful way of doing this too, but you irritate me so I see no reason to be gentle.” She grabbed something and Sunset’s eyes went wide. “Hope you’re ready for this, Nichibotsu. Because if you aren’t, it’ll probably devour you.”

With a single tug, she shredded through the barrier around Sunset’s wellspring.

And Sunset’s world exploded.

Arc 5.1: Chapter 30

View Online

The first thing Sunset recognized was the smell of ashes.

While it wasn’t a smell she particularly enjoyed, she’d grown to have a fond familiarity for it over her years as a pyromancer. These ashes in particular carried traces of fabric and her own hair.

Wonderful, Sunset thought. Magic burnout. She was quite familiar with the symptomes. As the body fed more energy into a spell, it began shutting down less necessary functions and senses until the victim fell unconscious. It was always those senses that first shut down that recovered the fastest and, being the victim’s only way of observing her surroundings, were far clearer in her mind than usual.

My hair makes sense, I guess, Sunset thought, waiting for her other senses to return and struggling to remember how she’d ended up burning herself out this time. It usually suffers a bit when I go all out. The fabric… probably whatever I was wearing. And… there’s something else. Something salty and… heady. Brine?

Touch was the next sense to return, revealing further clues as to her condition. That’s silk I’m lying on. Feels a little itchy, though. Nice, cool breeze blowing, so I guess I’m outside. And my clothes are… odd. They feel tight. Her curiosity was briefly replaced by annoyance. And revealing. Fantastic, I was dressed by a pervert. How did I even-

Stabbing pain. Something squirming around inside. A tearing sensation. Overwhelming heat and energy and power. If Sunset had had any voluntary muscle control, she would have started hyperventilating and shivering. As it was, her panic attack was confined to her mind.

That wasn’t an overloaded spell! That was a SURGE!!! I SURGED!!! I LOST CONTROL! I CAN’T LOSE CONTROL! I… I… Slowly, very slowly, Sunset began to calm down. I… I was in a clearing. Evangeline took me out away from everyone. Even with my surge, I doubt she was seriously hurt. Even if I started a fire, she has plenty of ice magic to get it back under control. I’m fine. Everyone else is fine. You didn’t hurt anyone, Sunset. You didn’t kill anyone. Not this time. Not like…

A shudder ran down Sunset’s body, a sign that she was recovering more quickly. Okay. Okay okay okay. Let’s just take stock for now. Smell, check. Touch, check. Taste… a bit ashy, and something sweet, but check. Sound… coming back. Kind of a dull roar. That should clear up soon. Movement? Her hand twitched a bit before curling into a fist. She began slowly flexing and relaxing her muscles, relieved to find that they all responded without pain. Nothing broken. Now let’s see about those eyes. She cracked one eyelid and immediately slammed it closed again.

Okay, eyes not quite up to it yet. Thankfully, her hearing was clearing up. The roar took on a steady rhythm, a back and forth sort of pattern that, combined with the moist, briny air, gave Sunset a clue as to her location.

The ocean? Sunset frowned. I was nowhere near the ocean. And why would Evangeline take me here? Taking a deep breath, Sunset cracked open her eyes again. They slowly adjusted to the surrounding light, revealing a grey stone ceiling high above her. She turned her head to the side, wincing as white stone came into view, reflecting the bright sun above. She slowly sat up, her muscles sore but not protesting too much, and finally got a good look around.

She’d been lying on a long, Roman-style couch - almost a bed - covered in a white, silk sheet. The sheet was singed in a few places where Sunset had been lying against it, explaining the itchiness that she’d felt. She was dressed in a tight, black, gothic-lolita dress that left her shoulders and the tops of her breasts uncovered. The skirt had multiple layers of frills and plumed out like a Victorian-era ball-gown. The couch sat in the middle of a stone gazebo, supported by romanesque columns. Beyond the gazebo was a floor of white stone, ending in a drop-off to three sides. The fourth side held a large, open plaza, surrounded by more columns and with a great obelisk at its center. In every direction beyond the structure, Sunset could see an endless expanse of tropical blue ocean.

“No,” she croaked, coughing a few times as her throat reminded her that she’d been unconscious until recently and thus hadn’t wet her tongue in a while. Clearing out the dryness with a few more coughs, she glared back out at the ocean. “It’s not endless,” she muttered. “The horizon’s too close.” She stood and, her legs only shaking slightly, walked to the edge of the gazebo. She shielded her eyes from the sun and scanned the empty sky above the horizon. She turned her gaze further up, looking for anything unusual. Her gaze continued further, and further, and further…

Sunset blinked, unshielding her eyes and staring straight up into the sky. Despite the light of day all around her clearly emanating from above, there was no sun in the unbroken blue sky.

“Strange,” Sunset muttered, walking cautiously to the edge of the platform and looking down. The platform, it seemed, was the roof of a great stone tower, stretching down hundreds of meters with a spiral staircase carved into its side which stretched down to a thin beach below. “Definitely strange.”

“Compared to that city your people put on a mountainside, I think my little Villa is pretty tame.”

Sunset tensed briefly before relaxing with a sigh. She turned around, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring back towards the gazebo. “I’ll have you know that Canterlot is the gem of Equestria, a center of beauty and the arts.” She raised an eyebrow. “And it has a sun.”

“It also stands in clear defiance of physics.” Evangeline sauntered out of the shadows, draped in the same black dress from Kyoto, the hole in the stomach repaired. She smirked, placing a hand on her hip. “I suppose I should welcome you back to the land of the living.”

“That seems appropriate, considering you’re the one who almost took me out of it.” Sunset’s glare hardened. “Where are we? What did you do back in Kyoto?” As an afterthought, she added “and what happened to my clothes?”

Evangeline grinned, spreading her arms in display. “Oh, this?” she asked with faux modesty. “Just a little something I put together once in my spare time. A twenty-four to one time-dilated subspace tropical villa that’s been gathering dust in my basement. I figured it would be the perfect place for you to cool off while you got your new abilities under control.”

Sunset’s jaw dropped and she couldn’t help but stare around in awe. Twenty-four to one?! And it’s stable?! The best I could ever manage was five to one, and that was with some pretty powerful magic circles. Even Starswirl was only rumored to have managed a six to one time-dilation. Just how much time did she pour into crafting this place? “Okay, that is impressive,” Sunset admitted, turning back to Evangeline. “I guess that means I haven’t been missed these past two days if it’s only been two hours in the world outside.”

It was Evangeline’s turn to be surprised. “You could tell?”

Sunset nodded, licking her lips. “Honey-water,” she said. “I could tell from the taste. Best you can do for a long-term unconscious patient if you don’t have an IV.” She brought up an arm, flexing slightly. “No muscular atrophy, but there’s enough soreness to tell me that it’s been more than just a day. Finally,” Sunset’s stomach let out a loud and well-timed growl, “I’m absolutely starving.”

“Hm.” Evangeline crossed her arms and offered a shrug. “Well, you got it in one. Two days and maybe three hours. I was surprised you recovered so quickly.”

“About that,” Sunset’s eyes narrowed into a glare once again and she began walking towards Evangeline. “What exactly was I recovering from? All I can recall is you doing something to my wellspring before...” She shuddered.

“Severe burnout,” Evangeline answered. “The most extreme case I’ve ever seen. Heh, guess your ki didn’t like being bound for so long. As soon as I tore up that barrier Tenko had installed on the mirror, your ki exploded out like an erupting volcano. Anyone but me would have been vaporized.” She pointed to Sunset’s new clothes. “Your old clothes didn’t stand a chance.” She frowned and glared over her shoulder. “If you’d been out for much longer, my couch wouldn’t have fared much better.”

Well, that explains the burnt silk, Sunset thought. Still, I’d rather not spend anymore time alone with her than I have to. “So,” she said, stopping just outside of Evangeline’s reach, “how exactly do I get out of here?”

Evangeline rolled her eyes. “You don’t. At least not for a while. You have basically no control of your ki, and after taking the time to save everyone’s hides, I’d rather you didn’t kill our entire class by sneezing too hard.” She looked up and rubbed the back of her neck. “I’d probably be held responsible, too.”

Sunset grit her teeth and resisted the urge to grab Evangeline by the collar. “My control is fine,” she seethed. Months of recovery, therapy, and being terrified of your own horn will do that.

Evangeline scoffed and looked back at Sunset. “You really think that, don’t you?” She raised a single finger and pointed to a nearby column. “Prove it. Punch that pillar.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “First you insult my lack of control, and then you tell me to break my fingers?”

“Your fingers will be fine,” Evangeline countered. “Let me put it this way: punch that pillar, or I’ll leave you here for another day.” She smirked. “From the outside’s perspective.”

“A month-long vacation in a tropical paradise? Oh no,” sunset mocked. Nevertheless, she stepped beneath the gazebo and approached the column. Just play along, Sunset. Once you prove that you’re in perfect control, you can get out of here. Bonus, you’ll be able to rub it in her smug little face. She faced the column, cocked back her fist, and winced. Still, this is going to hurt. Not giving herself another moment to reconsider, she threw her punch.

She almost lost her balance when the column shattered with almost no resistance. The pulverized stone flew outward, carried by a wave of force well over the edge of the platform to plummet to the ocean below. Sunset stared in shock between where the column had once been and her now-glowing hand. “Wh- what the…”

A series of cracks sounded from above. Sunset looked up, her eyes widening in horror. Without the column to support it, the ceiling above her was beginning to crack and sag. Horseapples! Desperate to get out from under the tons of collapsing stone, Sunset dove forward-

and shot like a bullet off the side of the platform. She screamed, the billowing wind catching the sound and throwing it behind her before it could reach her ears. She tumbled end-over-end, realizing too late that she was heading straight for the water below at an unforgiving angle. She curled up on herself, praying to whoever was listening that she wouldn’t land on her back.

She did, and she barely felt it. The water below her parted with a steaming hiss, cushioning her descent for a second before she finally felt herself surrounded by water. Her eyes snapped open and she resisted the urge to thrash around, turning her head in a desperate attempt to find the surface. She barely managed to avoid gasping in shock as she saw that the distant light was a hundred feet above her, at least.

What?! How?! The burning in her lungs informed her that she didn’t have time to contemplate such things. She angled herself towards the surface and desperately kicked.

She shot upwards, the water pulling her lips back and her eyelids shut. In seconds, she was out of the water and flying through the air again. She screamed when, a few seconds later, she felt herself start to descend again. She landed hard on her back, again registering no pain as the sand below her flared with heat and melted into glass. Sunset lay there, sweating, her clothes smoking, and terrified beyond belief.

Her thoughts raced and tumbled, half-formed questions dissolving into panicked exclamations. After almost a minute, she managed to pull herself together enough to take in her surroundings, not daring to move more than her eyes. She found the tower she had woken up on nearby, which placed her on the beach down at the base. A moment later, her vision was filled with the smirking face of an unfortunately familiar vampire.

“Oh yes,” Evangeline chuckled. “You’re going to be staying here for quite some time.”

Arc 5.1: Chapter 31

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*CRACK*

True to Evangeline's prediction, Sunset remained in the villa for several apparent weeks. There was no sun to mark the time, but the sky eventually changed colors to match twilight before fading to the black of night. The villa remained illuminated, as if by a full moon, even with nothing overhead but an endless expanse of black.

*CRACK*

The villa also constantly restocked itself. The interior of the main tower contained several floors of kitchens, bedrooms, dining rooms, libraries, and more. Sunset had picked out an entire floor for herself her first day awake and had been happy to discover a well-stocked pantry that Evangeline informed her would restock itself every night at midnight.

*CRACK*

The libraries were well-supplied as well. Each seemed tailored to a different subject, from history, to architecture, to mathematics, to various genres of fiction. Sunset was more than happy to spend her limited free time relaxing with a good action novel or studying up on some piece of spellcraft or another.

*CRACK*

And her free time was limited. Evangeline spent most of every day drilling Sunset through exercise after exercise designed to help her regulate her ki. It took most of a day for Sunset to figure out how to shut off her ki, and three days after that for her to trust herself not to burn her normal clothes to ashes. (Though she'd been more than happy to toss Evangeline's more magically resistant outfits, she'd also been more than a little concerned when the vampire had returned to the villa after a full day of absence with several sets of Sunset's own clothes; she'd immediately begun research into wards and alarm spells.)

*CRACK*

Another week had allowed Sunset to channel her ki to only parts of her body, rather than just going full off or full on. Evangeline had been impressed by how quickly Sunset had gotten the hang of it and had assured her that there was only one thing left to learn before it would be safe for her to leave the villa and resume her school-life.

*CRACK*

That had been six weeks ago.

Sunset sighed as she took another porcelain tile from the stack beside her and placed it on the table. She was sitting in the gazebo, enjoying the ocean breeze as she continued this relatively exertion-free exercise. On her right was a tall stack of porcelain tiles. On her left, a pile of large, flat rocks. And on the other side of the heavily magically-reinforced table…

*CRACK*

"Damn it."

...a slowly growing pile of dust, pebbles, and porcelain fragments. Sunset swept her latest failure off the table before grabbing another tile and another rock. She placed the slab before her, placed the tile on top, and lined up her bare fist to punch straight down. The point of the exercise was simple: put just enough ki into her first to break the tile without damaging the rock beneath it. Simple in concept.

*CRACK*

Difficult in execution.

"You don't seem to be making much progress."

Sunset sighed and leaned back in her seat. "Yeah, well, when I first learned to regulate my magic, I had an army of professional tutors, a literal goddess for a mentor, and the best child therapist in the nation."

"Therapist?"

"It's relevant. Don't ask."

Evangeline shrugged and pulled up another chair, sitting to one side of the table and looking over the pile of detritus. Sunset had grown far more comfortable with the vampire over the last two months in the villa, often taking time to discuss magical theory or philosophy with her whenever they took a break in Sunset's training. Sunset had been both surprised and amused to discover that her host/warden was less formally educated than she'd thought, often struggling to understand what Sunset was talking about unless she put things in layman's terms. Evangeline had begrudgingly admitted after much needling that she'd never been to any school of magic and had rarely opened a spellbook in her long life; apparently her teacher had utilized a more practical curriculum, though Evangeline remained tight-lipped on the details. Sunset had quickly learned that Evangeline liked to talk about her past even less than Sunset talked about her own, and they'd developed a mutual respect for those boundaries. In fact, "mutual respect" defined their entire relationship quite well.

Sunset's panicked flight attempt upon learning that Evangeline had full access to her powers while within the villa notwithstanding.

“Still, you’ve managed to work yourself down to half power,” Evangeline noted. “That isn’t nothing.”

“It is when half power is more than enough to pulverize someone’s pelvis with a hip check!” Sunset groaned and leaned back in her chair. “I’m close; I can feel it! I’m one mental breakthrough away from figuring this out!”

Evangeline shrugged and stood. “Well, I suggest you break through soon. A few more days, and you’ll have to stay in another month; better to miss the first day back than to interrupt your training when you don’t have good control.”

*CRACK*

“Case in point.” She stood and stretched her arms over her head, letting out a low groan. “Well, I’ve got stuff to do to get ready for classes to start up again. It should only take a couple of hours, so I’ll be back in time to oversee the last few days of your training. Or the last few before you resign yourself to another month. Whichever.”

“Happy to know that you care so much about my progress,” Sunset griped, setting another slab on the table. “Go on, then; I know where the food is, and I hopefully won’t run out of stone or porcelain before you get back.”

Evangeline turned and walked away, waving casually over her shoulder. “Good luck!”

*CRACK*

*****

Dinner was a simple affair that evening. Sunset sat on the edge of the tower, munching on a ham sandwich as she watched the sky begin to change colors. She’d always loved the time of day that was her namesake, even if the current sunset lacked any actual sun.

Something’s missing, she mused as she swallowed her last bite of sandwich. Something I’m just not getting. This training feels so familiar. If I could just figure out why! Sunset sighed and shook her head. “No use getting frustrated; that’ll just make it even harder to figure out. What I need to do is calm down and… now there’s an idea.”

She quickly stood and walked back to the gazebo. She pushed all of the furniture out to the sides, freeing up a large space in the center. She sat down, crossing her legs and making herself comfortable. I haven’t tried this in years, she thought. Here’s hoping it works for humans as well as it does for ponies. Sunset closed her eyes, rested her hands in her lap, and took a deep breath. In for seven seconds. Held for seven seconds. Out for seven seconds. In seven. Held seven. Out seven.

Equis equis alicornus, Sunset thought as she continued to breath. Equis equis alicornus. Equis equis alicornus. Equis equis alicornus.

In. Held. Out.

Equis equis alicornus.

Seven. Seven. Seven.

Equis equis alicornus.

Slowly, little by little, Sunset’s whole body relaxed. Her breathing became fluid, airflow accelerating slowly from inhale to halt to exhale rather than jerking from step to step. Her mantra replayed itself over and over in her mind...

In. Held. Out.

Equis equis alicornus.

...fading, fading, fading…

Seven. Seven. Seven.

Equis equis alicornus.

...until her mind was blank.

*****

“Meditation?”

Princess Celestia, Goddess of the Sun and sole ruler of Equestria, smiled down at her pupil. “Yes, Sunset. Meditation. It is a Zebrican technique designed to focus the mind and bring hidden things to the surface.”

The young filly sitting across from her scrunched up her muzzle, wincing as the action agitated her scars. “But, I don’t understand, Princess. How is a zebra technique supposed to help me use magic again?”

Celestia’s smile turned sad as she considered the condition of the filly before her. “The scars on your body are not the only ones which require healing, Sunset. Your heart and mind have been injured as well. While the doctors can heal your physical damage, and your brother and loving teachers and friends can help to ease the pain in your heart, your mind requires a very different treatment. One that you must provide for yourself; I can only guide you in the right direction."

Sunset frowned. "I don't understand."

Celestia smirked slightly. "Well that's a given, since I haven't started guiding you yet." Chuckling at her student's sheepish smile, she continued. "Try to light your horn."

Sunset paled. "U-um, th-the doctors said I'm not supposed to cast any spells for at least a week."

Celestia nodded. "And you shouldn't. Your more delicate circuits still need time to heal. However, the central circuits should be more than strong enough to handle producing simple light. Give it a try; I promise you that it won't hurt."

Sunset swallowed nervously, but nodded. She closed her eyes, focusing on her wellspring, the boiling, writhing, violent furnace of energy that sat barely restrained within her chest. She took a shuddering breath, opening the necessary pathways in her horn to allow magic to flow through and produce light. She then opened the circuits between her horn and her skull. And from her skull to her neck. And from her neck to her chest. Sunset trembled and shook as she slowly, cautiously, opened connection after connection, slowly drawing closer to her wellspring. Finally, only one circuit was left to be opened. Sunset's whole body was shaking, her teeth chattering as tears streamed down her face. Slowly, hauntingly, cruelly, the sound of fire and crackling wood filled her ears. Her head. Her entire soul. Two voices began screaming in twisted, tortured agony. Sunshine's hooves were a noose around her neck, slowly cooking her as she struggled and sobbed and burned and burned and BURNED AND-

"Sunset."

Celestia's voice, firm but kind, cut through the miasma. Sunset let out a broken gasp, her eyes flying open as her magical circuits slammed closed. With what little strength she could muster, she threw herself into Celestia's chest and began sobbing uncontrollably, barely noticing as her tears agitated her burns.

Celestia, meanwhile, held her close, stroking her back soothingly and whispering quiet assurances into her ear. Slowly, glacially, Sunset's tremors stopped and her tears dried. With a final great sniff, Sunset pulled away, staring down at the ground ashamedly. "I… I'm sorry, Princess."

"My little Sun, you have nothing to apologize for." Celestia reached down and tilted Sunset's chin up, meeting her gaze with a sad smile. "You've been through something horrible, and your own magic was the cause of it. It's perfectly all right to be scared."

"I'm not scared!" Sunset protested. A single raised eyebrow from Celestia made her shrunk back a little. "Well, I mean, maybe a little…"

Celestia nodded. "That fear, Sunset, is what you need to overcome if you want to use magic again. Your mind currently connects your magic with pain and misery. You must retrain your mind and convince it that your magic won't hurt you again. Only then will that fear vanish."

Sunset frowned, but nodded. "So, meditation?"

Celestia nodded. "Meditation both clears and focuses the mind. It clears it of emotion and wayward thought and focuses it on the issue under contemplation. Through meditation, all emotions and assumptions are stripped away, allowing one to see things more clearly. It should help you to either overcome or circumvent your fear."

Sunset looked down, her face screwed up in thought. Eventually, she nodded. "Okay. How do we start?"

*****

Months passed. Sunset's physical scars vanished with a steady, consistent application of healing magic, and her horn recovered to full functionality. Sunset's emotional pains were slower to heal, but she cried herself to sleep less often than she had before and her nightmares had finally limited themselves to one per night.

Meditation was slower to come to her. Sunset was impulsive and dynamic by nature, so sitting still for hours at a time was almost impossible at first. Harder still was quieting her mind. Ever curious and extremely intelligent, Sunset always found her thoughts drifting from one topic to another. She'd interrupted more than one meditation session with a screaming tantrum when it all got to be too much.

Nevertheless, she progressed. Within a month, she could sit for the entire session without fidgeting. Within two, she could place herself into a sort of half-aware trance. Finally, three months after Celestia had first introduced the concept, something clicked.

Oh, Sunset thought, her mind clearer than she'd ever imagined. All outside sensation was suddenly irrelevant. Even her own biofeedback was easily ignorable. That single word, the acknowledgement of epiphany, was, for the moment, the only thought in her mind.

So that’s how it works, Sunset thought, before turning her mind to other topics. Her mind raced calmly back to that tragic day - objectively horrifying, but I suppose that doesn’t matter right now, - and the feeling of magic flowing through her horn. Flowing. Not bursting. Not exploding. That didn’t happen until it had already exited. The mostly unfocused pyromancy pulled all of the heat it could from the room to support the level of power that I was pouring into the spell. That explains why I felt so cold, despite the ball of fire blazing above my head. So I turned to the fireplace and… ah. Of course. Such a small oven couldn’t hope to hold that much fire. I suppose the explosion of heat after that cold must have placed me into shock. That would explain why I couldn’t react to anything until Sunshine had carried me outside.

A tiny smile briefly flickered across Sunset’s face, not that she noticed. So it wasn’t a lack of control after all. In fact, my magic was perfectly under my control the entire time. It was simply the aftereffects which spiraled beyond my ability to manage. Is that the trick, then? A flash of uncertainty broke through her calm venere. So, it was still my fault. More so than I had thought. It wasn’t my magic surging beyond control that killed my parents, scarred my body, and destroyed our home; it was me. My carelessness. My rash mistake.

I can’t let that happen again.

Control. What I need, more than anything is control. I must be master of my magic like I am master of my body. I must fine tune my mind so that I can make split-second decisions such that I am left without regrets. I must be better than I was. Than I am.

The only question is, how? I suppose-

-set.

...what was that.

-unset.

It sounds… familiar. A… voice? Someone’s voice?

Sunset.

That word… that’s… that’s…

Sunset.

Me!

A wave of weariness swept over Sunset as her eyes fluttered open, the cadence of her breathing interrupted by a sudden inhale. “Wh- what?”

Celestia smiled down at her student. “I see you have finally managed to enter a full trance, but I’m afraid our session has gone on rather longer than it should have.”

“Session?” Sunset asked, rubbing her eyes and trying to get her brain to start up again. “Longer? What do you…” Sunset trailed off, her eyes going wide as she noticed that the room’s various candles and sconces were lit. A quick check out the window revealed that the moon was already high in the sky. Their morning session, which was supposed to last two hours at most, had gone on well into the night.

“I would have ended our session on time,” Celestia explained, “but I noticed that you had finally reached the state of mind that you needed. From what I can see, I made the right decision; your fear doesn’t seem nearly so visceral as before.”

Sunset blinked heavily a couple of times, trying to focus. It was a little harder than usual, for some reason; it felt like her mind was half focused on another task. “What do you mean, Princess?”

Celestia chuckled and pointed to her own horn. Sunset stared in confusion for a moment before her eyes went wide. Slowly, very slowly, her eyes crawled upwards until they caught the faint, teal glow of magic. Her magic. “I… I…”

Almost as soon as she’d seen it, it flickered out, the extra pressure on her mind retreating at the same time. “I… I was using magic,” Sunset whispered. Her face slowly morphed into a radiant grin. “I WAS USING MAGIC!!!” She stumbled to her hooves and launched herself at Celestia, nuzzling into her chest. “Thank you, Princess! Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!”

にちぼつ

Celestia laughed as she held Sunset close, enfolding her in both forelegs and wings. “My dear Sunset. It was my pleasure. Now, you’re probably starving after going without lunch or dinner. Let’s go and see what we can-”

にちぼつ

...that was strange. Those sounds, so foreign. Almost inequine.

にちぼつ

No. not almost. Completely inequine. Sunset was sure that no pony could make those sorts of sounds. So sharp. So unmelodic. What was this?

にちぼつ

Ni...chi...bo...tsu. But what was Ni-chi-bo-tsu? It sounded familiar…

Nichibotsu.

It was one of those human words, wasn’t it? One of those Japanese words. What did it mean again?

Nichibotsu!

Ni-chi-bo-tsu. That’s right, it means “sunset.” Just like my…

*****

Sunset’s eyes shot open. Immediately, she took note of the time. Night was falling, and her body was complaining angrily that she hadn’t eaten in more than a few hours. A full day had passed. Sunset finally focused on the person who had been calling out to her, an irate-looking Evangeline who was now rolling her eyes.

“Finally,” the vampire mumbled. “I was beginning to think that I’d have to slap you out of that trance. Hmph. Not that I would have minded doing so.”

Sunset blinked a couple of times, shaking her head as she quickly returned to full awareness. “Sorry about that,” she said. “My name is usually enough to wake me up almost immediately. I guess I haven’t really internalized ‘Hikaru Nichibotsu’ as much as I’d thought.” She raised a curious eyebrow at Evangeline. “What are you doing back here at this time of night, anyway? I’d have thought you would be out there for at least a couple of hours.”

Evangeline huffed, looking away and blushing slightly. “The boy stopped by. I had to get some time away from the idiocy he was spouting.”

“Oh?” Sunset asked, smirking. “What sort of idiocy? From the way you’re blushing, I’d almost suspect that he asked you out on a date or something.”

Evangeline’s face went from pink-tinged to tomato-red in an instant. “Wh-wh-wh-WHAT?! NO!!! Why would you even think- agh!” She grit her teeth as Sunset started howling with laughter. “You think that’s funny, horse meat? Just remember that I’m at full power in here! I don’t care how good you’ve magically gotten at regulating your ki; I will tear you to shreds if you say something like that again!”

“Sorry, sorry,” Sunset said, getting her laugh under control. “It was just too easy. Though by your reaction, I assume it at least had something to do with… wait.” The humor slipped from her face, replaced by an inquisitive frown. “What do you mean, ‘regulating my ki?’ I haven’t been working on that since I started meditating earlier.”

Evangeline raised a sceptical eyebrow and pointed to Sunset’s forehead.

...oh you’ve got to be kidding me. Sunet’s eyes rolled up and spotted a faint teal glow coming from her forehead. “...I’m an idiot.”

“We agree on that,” Evangeline snarked, “but how about you be more specific.”

"Ki comes from the same wellspring as Equestrian magic," Sunset muttered, half to Evangeline and half to herself. "And I've spent most of my life mastering fine control of Equestrian magic. I already know how it feels to manipulate it precisely through a horn, or through my forehead in this case, so I can use that as an example." Closing her eyes, Sunset focused on the power emanating from her forehead.

Focus on those circuits, Sunset thought. Everything between the wellspring and the forehead is familiar to you. She then turned her attention to the skin just outside of where her horn was flowing and the newly discovered circuits that connected there. She traced those circuits down to where they joined the currently open path, finding the path that she needed to open.

Gently, Sunset thought, studying this new path and comparing it to her active one. Don't open it all the way. Just enough to copy the main path. Sunset took a deep breath, let it out, and opened the path.

"Not really sure what you're doing," Evangeline said, trying to mask her interest, "but the circle of ki on your forehead just got bigger. Doesn't look like it's any more powerful, either."

"Good," Sunset replied, opening her eyes. "That's exactly what I was hoping for. If I keep this up, I should be able to extend that level of output to my entire body. Then to just one part at a time. After that, it's just a matter of repetition to get it to come more quickly."

"Hm." Evangeline crossed her arms and raised a sceptical eyebrow. "Sounds like that will take a while to master."

Sunset nodded. "Master, yes. But…" She got up, groaning as her body informed her that it was displeased with having sat upright for so long. She made her way back over to the gazebo, slowly spreading out her ki all the while. She took a plate, placed it on top of a stone slab, and lined up her punch.

*crack*

Sunset smiled and turned back to Evangeline, holding up the unmarred slab and the remains of the porcelain plate that sat upon it. "...I think it's good enough for me to get out of this damn vila."

Arc 5.1: Chapter 32

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Sunset shivered in the cool spring air as she walked towards library island. After a couple of months in Evangeline’s tropical vila, the more temperate climate of Japan was a little too chilly for her tastes.

“At least it’s warming up,” she muttered. “Summer’s just around the corner. Sun. Heat. Guys and girls in skimpy, revealing clothing.” She chuckled, shaking her head. “As if 3-A had any reservations about showing skin, anyway.”

Her first destination after Evangeline begrudgingly released her had been an obvious choice. Though only two days had passed in Japan, she felt a longing for friendly companionship that she hadn’t felt since she’d grown used to being separate from her brother. Ugh, is this what friendship does to you? Makes you all sad and mopey if you don’t see them all the time? No wonder I avoided it like the plague. Despite her internal grumbling, however, Sunset couldn’t keep a small smile from her face as she approached the library doors and saw one of her friends about to enter. “Honya!” she called.

Nodoka turned, her eyes going wide when she saw Sunset. “Nichi-chan!” She ran over, almost tripping over her own feet in her haste. “Where have you been! Eva-chan said you’d come down with something and had to come back early, but you weren’t in our room or the infirmary and we got so worried and-”

Sunset chuckled and held up a hand to ward off Nodoka’s constant stream of worrying. “I’m fine, Honya. Really. I wasn’t even really sick. Evangeline had something she needed to show me urgently and I was staying at her place.”

Nodoka let out a great sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. Negi-sensei told me about what happened with the white-haired boy and Konoka-chan and how Eva-chan saved everyone, but I thought maybe that they’d gotten you with something that Konoka-chan didn’t catch.”

Nah, just got stabbed in the chest by a vampire and almost got consumed by my own mana. No biggie. Looking for a way to change the topic, Sunset noticed the cans of juice in Nodoka’s arms. “Drink run for the Club?”

Nodoka nodded and they both turned to enter the library. “Haruna-chan’s been on a research binge. She’s trying to figure out what sort of gas ‘knocked us out’ back in Kyoto.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Gas leak? That’s the cover they’re going with?”

Nodoka shrugged in reply. “The petrification spell did release a lot of smoke, and there isn’t really anything else that would have been convincing.” She bit her lip nervously. “Not that she’s really convinced. The white-haired boy got to her first, and she saw him before he got her. And she isn’t really finding anything that would produce that much smoke and just knock us out for a while. And with her being the only Library Expedition member from our class who doesn’t know about…”

Sunset nodded. “She’s getting suspicious. Damn it. Haruna’s not one to let things go once she latches on to them. We might need to end up telling her sooner rather than later, if only so we can control what she does with the information.”

Nodoka puffed out her cheeks, pouting slightly. “Mou. You’re going to win the pot at this rate. With Mana-chan, Ku Fei-chan, and Kaede-chan finding out, and now Haruna-chan, the whole class will know about magic before too long.” They rounded the corner into the library proper. “Yue! They didn’t have any tomato milk, so- ah! N-Negi-sensei!”

“Hm?” Looking into the library, Sunset found Asuna and Negi gathered with Haruna and Yue around a large map that they’d rolled out over one of the tables. She walked forward to examine it, ignoring the awkward greetings between Nodoka and Negi. “What’s this?” she asked aloud.

“A map of Library Island,” Yue explained. “Negi-sensei’s father was researching it a while back.” She checked to make sure that Haruna was distracted by Nodoka and Negi before lowering her voice. “Which only helps confirm the theory that the whole place was created by mages.”

Sunset nodded, studying the map and frowning at various scribbles and doodles that decorated it in places. “This will be useful,” she muttered. “There are some hidden passages in here that even I haven’t discovered yet. Look! It even has an alternate path to the room that held the Book of Melchizedek, and a few others that lead to the chamber beneath. I wonder if-”

“I can smell it!”

Sunset looked up to see Haruna pointing dramatically at Asuna, a manic grin on her face. “That faint, bittersweet smell of love, coming from that way!”

“There’s no such thing as ‘the smell of love!’” Asuna shouted back.

Sunset smirked. Map can wait. Time for some teasing. “Are you sure, Asuna? Your face is looking pretty red right about now. Just what, or who, were you thinking about?”

Asuna’s eyes darted quickly to Negi before snapping back to Sunset. “N-no-one!” she shouted, pointing accusingly at Haruna. “Anyone would be a little red-faced after an accusation like that!”

Yue raised a hand. “I wouldn’t.”

Sunset nodded. “Nor I. And I’m pretty sure Haruna would be fine too. That’s three out of five against you.”

Asuna grit her teeth and turned on the spot. “Whatever,” she mumbled, stomping out of the library. “I don’t have to take this.”

“A-Asuna-san! Wait!”

Sunset frowned, regretting her teasing a bit as she watched Asuna and Negi leave. That was strange. She seemed really frustrated for some reason. Could it be… no. No way we were on the mark. She shook her head. Well, whatever it was, I hope she gets over it soon. Last thing we need is that wild monkey at full temper. “So Haruna, does this mean we’re going to be doing some more dungeon delving soon?”

“Hard to say,” Haruna replied, reluctantly turning her attention back to less romantic matters. “Most of these new passages are further down than we’re allowed to go, and the rest would only be good shortcuts if we could guarantee that they were empty of traps.” She pointed at one such path over which someone had drawn a skeleton being electrocuted and another that had “CERTAIN DEATH” written over it. “And something tells me they aren’t.”

“So if we wanted to get anything from this,” Yue summed up, “we’d have to explore after-hours and hope not to get caught.”

“Or just let you do it,” Haruna added, “since you don’t care about the rules anyway.”

It was a testament to how often and how flagrantly Sunset violated those rules that no-one offered any objections.

“Still, probably not a good idea,” Sunset said. “Most of those tunnels are marked with danger signs too. I wouldn’t want to go in there without some sort of backup.”

“Well then,” Haruna said with a grin, “looks like we’ve got another late-night, deep-dive exploration to plan!”

*****

Sunset’s next stop was another that she’d been looking forward to. She arrived at the Kendo Club’s dojo amidst the sound of colliding bamboo. Removing her shoes and stepping inside, she found Setsuna locked in obviously one-sided combat with what looked like a male high-school senior. Despite the older student’s height, strength, and reach advantages, Setsuna was able to easily bring the fight to a swift and decisive conclusion while still taking note of Sunset’s presence. She bowed to her opponent before making her way over. “Impressive match,” Sunset complimented.

“Thank you,” Setsuna replied, not even winded. “Did you need to speak with me?”

Sunset nodded, here eyes darting to the room at large before focusing on Setsuna again. “Privately, if we could.”

They both donned their shoes and Setsuna led her around the back of the dojo to a small storage shed filled with broken bamboo swords and racks for the club’s pads and blades. She closed the door once they were both inside, a small window near the top providing a little light.

“Cozy,” Sunset said, leaning back against one of the walls. “You sure Konoka won’t be jealous of me for stealing away to this secluded little spot?” She chuckled at Setsuna’s embarrassed sputterings before shaking her head. “Seriously though, we’re alone, right? No chance of anyone listening through a wall?”

Setsuna took a deep breath, fighting down her blush. “No. Only our club uses this shed, and the other members know better than to eavesdrop on my private conversations.”

“Because they’d be kicked out of the club?”

“Because I would challenge them to a match.”

Sunset blinked, surprised at the smirk that crossed Setsuna’s face. “Well what do you know,” she said approvingly. “There is a personality under that stoic soldier mask.”

Setsuna shrugged. “There is a certain decorum expected of one who protects Ojou-sama. I’m allowed to relax a little in my limited private time.”

“I’m sure Konoka would appreciate it if you relaxed a little more in your time with her, too.”

Setsuna frowned and looked away, crossing her arms. “That… I know. But I can’t-”

“Oh don’t even get started,” Sunset snapped. “You really think Konoka cares one bit about what’s propper and what’s not? About your stations or tradition or any of that?”

Setsuna bit her lip. “I… I know she doesn’t. But… it’s not so easy for me to just throw it all away. I have given the matter some consideration, but…”

Sunset glared at Setsuna as the girl trailed off, hesitant and confused. What the heck is her problem? You’d think two months would be long enough for her to figure out how to… oh. Sunset mentally facepalmed. Right. Two months for you. Two days for everyone else. She sighed. “Look, just… try to figure it out soon, okay? I’m sure that Konoka is happy that you were her guardian angel that night or whatever, but she’ll be even more happy to have a friend supporting her. Especially since she knows all about magic now. She’s getting flung head-first into something she’s never anticipated before and she’ll need every friendly hand she can get to help her along the way.”

Setsuna’s eyes went wide. “I… hadn’t thought of that.”

And I’m pulling it out of my ass, Sunset thought. Nodoka or Asuna, maybe, but Konoka’s scarily competent. She’ll be fine either way. But if it’ll get you to shut up and drop this whole drama theatre… “Anyway, that’s not what I came here to talk to you about.”

Setsuna shook her head slightly, putting away her thoughts on Konoka for the moment. “Alright. What did you want to talk about then?”

“Simply put…” Sunset held up her hand and focused just enough ki into it for her to be sure Setsuna would be able to sense it, “...this.”

Setsuna’s eyes went wide. “That’s…” They narrowed. “Evangeline. So that’s what happened on the mountain that night.”

“You felt that, huh?”

“Sunset, everyone at headquarters felt it. Even the ones who can use neither magic nor ki felt a tension in the air. If Evangeline hadn’t returned immediately and assured us that she was handling it, everyone would have assumed we were under attack again.” She shook her head. “But that still doesn’t make sense. Teaching you how to unlock your ki shouldn’t have yielded such a dramatic result.”

“It would if I had a lot of ki to unlock.” She sighed at Setsuna’s inquisitive look. “Do you have time? This might take a while.”

Setsuna’s eyes turned towards the door. “I should probably go and check on Ojou-sama.” Her eyes went back to Sunset and she winced at the girl’s unamused glower. “B-but you’re right. She is safe as long as she is at Mahora. I suppose I can take some time.”

Sunset snorted and rolled her eyes. Well, it’s improvement at least.

She held nothing back, explaining her Equestrian origins, the portal beneath Library Island, and the connection between her native magic and ki. She further explained where she’d been the last two days and how Evangeline had trained her to keep her ki under control. Setsuna listened with great attention throughout, interrupting only occasionally to get some point of clarification or another.

“This is an interesting conundrum,” Setsuna said once Sunset finished her tale. "For most, the struggle is to manifest enough power in the first place. Struggling to limit your power is a unique problem."

"Tell me about it," Sunset muttered. "That's why I came to you. Evangeline is going to teach me magic and general combat, but I need someone to teach me more about ki control."

"Why me, though?" Setsuna asked. "Why not Ku Fei-san or Kaede-san?"

"First, because ninjaing isn't my style and Ku Fei is an idiot."

"Ninjaing?"

"Second, because the class would get suspicious if I suddenly started hanging out with either of them. They've both been cold towards me since my show at the World Tree Plaza. But you're Konoka's friend, and we were in the same group during the trip. If I'm seen to be friendly with you, it'll lessen the chance of everyone else thinking I'm available for friendshiping compared to if I'm seen with Kaede or Ku Fei."

Setsuna raised an eyebrow. "I think between your friendship with Izumi-san and your impromptu tutoring of her group during the trip, that ship has long since sailed."

"Don't worry," Sunset said, waving her off. "I've got a plan to deal with that. My general reputation will be in the toilet by the end of the week."

“Dare I ask?”

“It’s a two-step process,” Sunset explained, ignoring Setsuna’s eye-roll. “First, I get myself invited to the Class Rep’s house. She’s got that whole western sophistication thing going on, and European high society is a pretty good match for Equestria’s; I’m sure that I can drop enough hints about tea and whatever to get her to take an interest.”

“‘Tea and whatever,’ is it?”

Sunset shrugged. “Hey, I said I was part of the upper crust back home, not that I enjoyed spending time with those pompous idiots. I can fake it well enough until I actually get to her place.” She grinned malevolently. “That’s where phase two comes in: trashing the place.”

Setsuna sighed. “So you’ll be graduating from verbal abuse to vandalism.”

“Oh, I won’t do any permanent damage,” Sunset said, waving her off. “Just a ton of little things. You know, throwing pillows half-way across the room because they’re in the way of sitting down, putting my feet up on the furniture, flipping through a book before putting it down in a way that bends the spine. You know, the sort of stuff that will send Ayaka into an absolute fit and ensure that she informs everyone in class of what a horrible, horrible person I am.”

“And you don’t think that it would be easier to just allow the class to befriend you?” Setsuna sighed at the scowl Sunset shot her way. “Of course. Give me a few days to put together a training regimen for you. I’ll have to work things around Kakurazaka-san’s schedule.”

“Asuna?” Sunset tilted her head inquisitively to the side. “You’re training Asuna too?”

Setsuna nodded. “She asked me to train her in kendo.”

“Huh.” Sunset shrugged. “Well, good for her, I guess.” She pushed herself off of the wall and opened the door of the shed. “I’ll let you get back to kicking your club’s collective asses.” She hesitated and looked back. “Seriously though, try to get closer to Konoka. I don’t think there’s anything that would make her happier than to have you standing beside her rather than behind her in the shadows.”

Setsuna blushed and looked down. “I… I will consider it.”

Sunset huffed but turned to go. Good enough for now. But I swear if she drags her feet on this… She stopped and shook her head rapidly. Gah! Why in Tartarus do I care so much? I’m seriously getting soft here! She stomped off towards the school’s main building, a scowl building on her face. At least I have no reason to play nice at this next meeting. I can’t believe Evangeline insisted on this.

*****

"Takamichi. I need to talk to you. Alone."

The teacher's office was mostly empty, so Sunset only had to ignore a small handful of disapproving looks as she focused on Takamichi's look of mild surprise.

"Nichibotsu-chan," Professor Akashi sighed, "couldn't you show at least a little respect for us teachers?"

Sunset shrugged. "Waste of time."

"It's fine, Akashi-kun." Takamichi stood and smiled gently at Sunset. "Shall we take this to an empty classroom?"

Sunset gave a brief nod and turned to march down the hall, not bothering to see if Takamichi was following her. She stormed into the first classroom she saw and leaned back against the teacher's desk, tapping her foot impatiently.

Takamichi Takahata followed a few seconds later and closed the door behind him. Tall, grey haired, and subtly well-built, Takamichi was the definition of "handsome maturity." His grey suit and glasses gave him an intellectual air, and his worn face and kind eyes gave him the appearance of wisdom. He had a charming, casual personality and always made one-on-one time for his students. Everyone respected him, and more than a few students - Asuna included - had a crush on him.

Sunset couldn't stand him.

In truth, she'd had very few interactions with the former teacher of her class. But each interaction had grated on her in an unpleasantly familiar way. It hadn't been until a few days before Negi arrived that she'd realized who he reminded her of.

And he keeps secrets. One more similarity to add to the list. "Teach me to balance ki and magic."

Sunset had to begrudgingly respect that he wasn't taken aback. "I see," he replied, maintaining his pleasant smile. "I would have thought that you would have asked McDowell-chan and Sakurazaki-chan."

Sunset grit her teeth. So he knows everything. Figures. Another similarity. "I did. They're going to teach me separately. But neither of them can use both. You can. I don't need another teacher for spells or fighting techniques; I need someone who can help me use both of them together."

Takamichi was silent for a moment as he considered her demand. As if he didn’t already have an answer ready, Sunset mentally sneared. Making me wait for an answer is just a stupid power play and a front to make him seem oh so wise and contemplative. “Very well,” he eventually said. “We can start next week.”

“Good.” Sunset pushed off the desk and made to walk past him, but paused. “Oh, and one more thing.”

“Oh? What else did you-”

Sunset turned. Flared her ki. Struck out with her fist.

Wind roared. The class’ windows shattered outwards. Sunset felt her ears pop from the pressure.

Takamichi didn’t even flinch as Sunset’s fist stopped half an inch from his nose, his face never loosing its bemused smile.

“Hm. That’s a little more power than I expected.”

Sunset ground her teeth together, dampening her ki even as she kept her fist in his face. Well, that proves it. “Coward.”

Takamichi raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “I’m sorry?”

Sunset lowered her fist. “Your glasses aren’t cracked.”

Takamichi blinked, finally caught off guard as he stared at Sunset through his perfectly intact spectacles. “My…”

“You used your ki,” Sunset continued. “Not enough to protect yourself if I hit, because you knew I wouldn’t follow through. Just enough to protect your glasses from shattering. With how much power I was just throwing around, you must have used more than a little to pull that off. And the precision wasn’t just impressive, it was instinctive. You knew exactly how much power to put in and exactly where to channel it. You read my attack, saw it coming a mile away. And while I wasn’t trying that hard to conceal it, I definitely wasn’t bothering to make it obvious.” Sunset’s eyes narrowed. “You aren’t just powerful or well-trained; you’re seasoned.”

Takamichi was silent another moment, “Nichibotsu-cha-”

“Enough!” Furious indignation filled Sunset as she shouted at Takamichi. “Enough with the cutesy ‘chan’ honorific! I’ll take it from my friends. I’ll take it from the other professors.” She jabbed a finger into his chest. “But I will NOT take it from you! You know what I am, and I know what you are. So let’s cut the crap and talk to each other like the soldiers we are.”

Another moment of silence. Takamichi stared down at Sunset, his smile gone, his face unreadable. Sunset glared right back, refusing to back down. Finally, Takamichi closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them again, they lacked the casual warmth that he’d always shown his students. His whole face looked more worn, more aged. A slight frown replaced his constant smile. “I was never a soldier, Nichibotsu.”

“Semantics,” Sunset dismissed. “A mercenary is a soldier for hire and a rebel is a soldier fighting for a new order. Whatever you were, you were a warrior.” She gave him an appraising look. “Are a warrior.”

Takamichi shook his head. He turned and walked to the shattered window, staring out over the campus. “Those days are behind me,” he said. “I’m just a humble teacher.”

“Yeah, and that’s what pisses me off about you.”

Takamichi looked over his shoulder at Sunset and raised an eyebrow. “I got the impression that you always hated me.”

“And I figured out why a few months ago.” Sunset began counting off on her fingers. “You’re intelligent enough to lecture on a graduate or doctorate level, and yet you waste your time and talents on kids. You put on a venere of wisdom without ever dispensing any. You’re extremely conventionally attractive, and yet you either ignore all romantic feelings directed at you or are genuinely oblivious. You put up a front of kindness and open-heartedness, but you never actually let anyone get close to you. You see conflicts and battles all around you, but instead of pitching in to help, you let others fight instead, probably so they can ‘grow on their own’ or some such crap.” She finished off pointing an accusing finger at him. “And unless I significantly underestimate this world, you’re one of the most powerful people alive.”

Takamichi’s eyes went wide. “Why would you think-”

“You casually protected your glasses from a blow that should have reduced them to powder. You were unconcerned staring down someone who obviously has enough raw power to turn this school into a crater. And you’re close friends with Springfield, which I can only imagine comes from some connection to the enigmatic ‘Thousand Master’ I’ve heard about.” Sunset smirked and crossed her arms. “I may not have ever been in Abalone, but I know how to piece clues together.”

“I… see.” Takamichi turned to face Sunset directly, leaning back to sit on the empty windowsill. “And all of these traits are negative?”

They are when they all remind me of my last insufferable teacher. “You just happen to check off every box on the ‘things I hate about people’ list. Congratulations.”

“Nichi-”

“Of course they’re negative!” Sunset finally took her eyes from Takamichi and began pacing. “You’re intelligent! And influential! And powerful. Extremely powerful! And I’ve been in this world long enough to know that it’s going to hell in a handbasket. Disease-ridden Africa. Communist China. A tyrannical and war-torn Middle-East. The world’s greatest superpower is tearing itself apart with internal politics. And that’s just the obvious surface stuff. Drugs. Mass shootings. An honest-to-Tenko international underground sex- and slave-trade!” She stopped and turned, pointing an accusatory finger at Takamichi. “Are you going to stand there and tell me that you couldn’t fix ANY of that singlehandedly?!”

It was Takamichi’s turn to narrow his eyes. “Using magic on so large a scale and so publicly would have serious repercussions, both for me and for the magical community at large.”

“And there’s another thing I can’t stand about this world!” Sunset began pacing again. “Magic is secret? Seriously? What, did all of the mages of the world just get together one day and decide, ‘gee, I just don’t want to hold any real responsibility for my non-magical sisters and brothers’ and go underground until the world forgot about them? Do mages just look at a school held hostage by a madman with a gun and think, ‘oh, I could solve this problem with a few simple spells, but I don’t want magic to be exposed, so I’ll just sit here and watch those kids get murdered?’ Is that the sort of messed up world of mages and muggles that you support?!”

“What would you have me do, Nichibotsu,” Takamichi asked, almost demanded. “Would you have me singlehandedly solve the world’s problems, reveal magic to everyone, and fight off anyone who disagreed with me?”

“THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT I’D HAVE YOU DO!”

Takamichi took a step back, surprised at the vehemence with which Sunset threw her words at him. “That’s EXACTLY what you SHOULD do! Might and power are given to the righteous so that they can shape the world for the better! So that they can root out evil wherever it lurks and burn it to ashes with the mighty fires of retribution! Power given to someone who’s just going to sit on their throne on the sidelines and watch the world slowly destroy itself is pearls cast before swine, and the being who holds such power without using it is less than scum! SO WHY ARE YOU WASTING YOUR TIME HERE?!?!?!”

Takamichi stood in shock, staring at Sunset as her chest heaved, her panting breaths slowly returning to a normal pace. There was a hurt in his eyes, well-concealed, but Sunset had grown up reading the face of a being who had had millenia to master hiding her emotions. They stared at each other for a minute. Takamichi looked away.

Just like she did. Sunset snorted and turned, stomping over to the door. “I’ll let you know when Setsuna and Evangeline have me scheduled to work with them. We’ll work out a training schedule from there.

“Nichi-”

She slammed the door shut behind her.

Arc 5.1: Chapter 33

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The next day began Sunset’s training regimen.

At four thirty in the morning, Sunset shut off her alarm and left her dorm room, doing her best not to wake Nodoka or Yue. She hopped on the train and rode up to Mahora, studying from a couple of spellbooks. Upon arrival at the academy, she headed straight for the forest to Evangeline’s cabin. Chachamaru greated her at the door and showed her downstairs to Evangeline’s villa. Sunset stood in the circle inscribed on the ground in front of the miniature structure in a bottle and let the magic whisk her away inside.

Evangeline was already waiting for her inside. After a hearty breakfast, they set immediately to academia, Evangeline lecturing on different points of magic, combat, and spellcraft while giving demonstrations and helping Sunset master the fundamentals and applications of each technique. A light lunch was then followed by six hours of combat training and sparring, where Evangeline tested Sunset on what she’d been taught that morning, along with how well she could keep her ki suppressed in the heat of battle.

She’d been impressed that Sunset had only lost control of her ki three times. Sunset had been disappointed at one.

After a good night’s sleep and another breakfast, Sunset left the villa and headed for the kendo club’s dojo. Setsuna was already there when she arrived at six’o’clock, and invited Sunset to join her for a half-hour of meditation. Following that, Sunset explained and demonstrated everything that Evangeline had taught her about ki control. Setsuna expanded on those lessons and followed up with some light sparring where she taught Sunset how to use her fists against an armed opponent.

The school day began shortly thereafter, giving Sunset barely enough time to shower and change before she had to be in her seat. Classes progressed as usual, including a massive freak-out when, at the end of English, Negi asked Ku Fei to meet him at the World Tree Plaza. Sunset happily ignored the resulting drama and resolved, once again, to stay out of it.

After school, she met up with Takamichi in the woods, away from prying eyes. Though there was a palpable tension between the two of them, they both conducted themselves like professionals. A few minutes of basic instruction revealed to Takamichi what Negi and the rest of class 3-A had learned months ago: Sunset’s learning speed was insane. She grasped the theories and difficulties behind working ki and magic together quickly enough to blow through in one afternoon what Takamichi had assumed would take three days to teach her. The only sticking point came when he brought up the ultimate ki-magic combination technique.

“Kanka?” Sunset asked.

Takamich nodded. “It’s a fusion of magic and ki. The combined energy is called ‘kanka.’ It significantly enhances speed, strength, endurance, all physical attributes.” He held up his hands, both of which began to gather energy. “Ki in the right hand, magic in the left, and…” He slowly brought his hands together, and Sunset could feel the energies fusing seamlessly into each other. Even at the relatively low yield of the demonstration, Takamichi’s hands began to glow and radiate power. Sunset actually took a step back, amazed at the increase in power output that had come from the powers combining.

“Amazing,” she muttered. She brought her own hands up and focussed on pulling as little power as possible into her right hand. “Ki in the right hand…” Once she had it stabilized, she quickly brought her other hand to the same level of power output. “Magic in the left, and…” She slowly moved her hands together, only to be bemused as they repelled each other. “They’re like magnets. Like two norths.”

Takamichi nodded, extinguishing his own power. “This is a practical demonstration of what I was telling you about earlier. Magic and ki don’t mix well. They naturally tend to repel each other. You’re going to find, going forward, that you have a distinct advantage over most other mages who rely on either magic or ki. When you defend with the opposite, a certain amount of your opponent’s attack will be repelled or diverted simply by the nature of your defence. You then attack with the same, and your spell or punch won’t suffer the same dampening effect. Kanka, meanwhile, is not repelled by either magic or ki. While this means that your defences won’t have a deflecting effect, kanka more than makes up for it with raw power.”

“Yeah, I get it,” Sunset said, scowling at her hands as she slowly brought them closer to each other, fighting against the push-back. “Come on. Come on…”

“The important thing is getting them to fuse,” Takamichi lectured. “If you just try to force them together, the energies are likely to-”

*BOOM*

The blast knocked Sunset off her feet, sending her flying backwards onto the rough ground. Takamichi chuckled. “Likely to do that.”

“Oh, ha ha ha.” Sunset pulled herself to her feet, dusting off her uniform before glaring at Takamichi. “And how exactly am I supposed to get two opposing forces to combine?”

Takamichi shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Sunset quirked an eyebrow. “Say what?”

“I don’t know,” Takamichi repeated. “Or at least, I don’t know how to put it into words.” He thought for a bit before nodding. “You mentioned that it’s like trying to force two north magnets together. You’re essentially correct. The thing about magic and ki is, they’re the same energy, just applied differently. The trick is to somehow remind the two energies that they are, in essence, the same, and they should work together. Or perhaps it’s more like having the magical process and the ki process cancel each other out, like inverse equations. Either way, you could say that kanka is mana in its purest and least restricted form.”

Sunset thought on that for a moment. “That… makes sense, I guess. It also explains why all it does is give physical enhancements.”

Takamichi blinked and his smile grew a touch more genuine. “Oh? You noticed that, did you?”

Sunset nodded, looking down at her hands. “You didn’t say anything about kanka being used to cast spells or work ki-based techniques. Because you’ve ‘inversed’ the spellcasting ‘equations.’” She looked up at Takamichi. “That’s the drawback, isn’t it? A technique this powerful doesn’t come without a downside of some sort.”

“That’s right.”

“What about that ‘right hand, left hand’ thing?” Sunset asked. “I can’t imagine you clap your hands every time you want to fight.”

Takamichi shook his head. “Well, it’s like you said yesterday.” He put his hands in his pockets and, all at once, his power flared. Sunset flinched, but managed not to take a step back this time. Takamichi chuckled again. “I’m seasoned. I’m able to combine the two powers within my body, bypassing the need to do it without.”

“I see,” Sunset said. “And how long did it take you to work out how to do that?”

“Decades.” The smallest of smirks flashed across Takamichi’s face. “One advantage of sitting in a room for hours grading papers: I’ve had a lot of time to practice.”

Sunset rolled her eyes before bringing up her hands again. “Ki in the right hand… magic in the left…” she brought the two opposing forces up again and slowly began pushing them together. She stopped with her hands an inch apart, trembling slightly as she tried to feel out anything that would let the powers get along. “Come on… come on…”

“Don’t be upset if it takes you a while,” Takamichi said. “It took me most of a year to get it to work, and another beyond that before I could rely on it in combat.”

Sunset grit her teeth but, reluctantly, let her power disperse as she lowered her hands. “In other words, keep working at it in my spare time. Got it.” She looked up again. “What next.”

“Next,” Takamichi said, pulling out a lighter and a pack of cigarettes, “we break for the day.”

“Excuse me?”

“We’re done.” Takamichi lit a cigarette and took a deep pull. He blew out a stream of smoke before smiling at Sunset. “Honestly, you’ve blown through everything I was planning to teach you over the next few days. We’ll skip tomorrow so you can study what you’ve learned so far and I can prepare what to teach you next. We’ll begin sparring on Wednesday.”

Sunset looked up at the sky and scoffed. “Great. It’s barely mid-afternoon. I was planning on this taking until evening.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a cell phone. “Wonder what Honya’s doing right now?”

Takamichi raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know that the principal gave you a cell phone.”

“He didn’t,” Sunset replied, flipping it open and scrolling through messages. “This is Yuuna’s. I borrow one from someone in the class every day.”

Takamichi’s expression turned deadpan. “And is Akashi-chan aware that you ‘borrowed’ her phone?”

“I really don’t see how that’s important.” Sunset scrolled through a few messages from Yuuna’s father before finding a group message. “Here we go. Bowling. Eh, might be fun.” She pocketed the phone and turned to go.

“Nichibotsu.” Sunset stopped and looked over her shoulder at Takamichi. He took another draw of his cigarette before giving her a genuine smile. “I’m glad you’re getting along with the rest of the girls.”

Sunset turned and stormed off, determined to hide the blush on her face. Definitely stopping by the bowling alley she thought irritably. Gotta “accidentally” drop some bowling balls on some feet just to keep up my image. Ayaka needs to hurry up and invite me to her house.

*****

Fortunately for her classmates’ feet, they’d finished up bowling by the time Sunset arrived. At Konoka’s invitation, she joined her, Setsuna, Asuna, Negi, and, to her surprise, Ku Fei for karaoke.

“So, I get the rest of them,” Sunset said to Setsuna as they walked through town, “but isn’t Ku Fei a little out of place in this group?”

“She was with Negi when Asuna invited him,” Setsuna explained. “It would have been rude not to bring him along.”

“Oh yeah,” Sunset muttered. “That’s what today’s 3-A freakout was about. He wanted to confess his undying love or tell her he was pregnant with her kid or something, right?”

Setsuna chuckled. “I’d accuse you of exaggerating the rumors but, well…”

“Yeah. So, what did he have to see her about, anyway?”

“Negi-sensei wanted her to train him in martial arts,” Setsuna said. “Apparently, he saw her demonstration this morning and was impressed.”

“Demonstration?”

“Ku Fei-san won Mahora’s Martial Arts Contest at last year’s Mahorafest,” Setsuna explained. “She faces off against a crowd of challengers most mornings. It’s rare for her to even break a sweat. From what I hear from Mana, she handled herself extremely well against the demons that she fought in Kyoto.”

“Huh.” Sunset shrugged. “Well, good for him, I guess. But why would he need to…” Sunset grimaced. “Oh.”

Setsuna nodded. “He’s frustrated by how helpless he was against Fate Averruncus.” Seeing Sunset’s confused expression, she clarified. “The white-haired boy you fought. The Chief told us that that’s what he’s calling himself.”

“Fate, huh?” Sunset scoffed and shook her head. “Couldn’t come up with a more obvious and pretentious pseudonym if you tried.” She looked forward at Negi, who was deep in conversation with Ku Fei. “I’m not sure martial arts is going to be enough, though. He overwhelmed us so easily. The only reason Springfield was even able to land a solid blow was because Asuna knocked out his shields for a second.” Still not sure how she’s able to do that. “Even with you, Evangeline, and Takamichi teaching me, I don’t really see the path ahead that leads to beating him. Unless I somehow figure out how to cast spells like I used to, he’s beyond our reach.”

“I can’t be sure, not having fought him myself,” Setsuna said. “However, I think you underestimate both Negi-sensei and yourself. Negi-sensei is a genius who learned Japanese in two months and is already poised to graduate as a magister magi, a full-fledged mage. You yourself are working to master both magic and ki and are doing so at a rate I never would have believed possible before now.”

“Yeah, we’re good,” Sunset said without a hint of pride. “Exceptional. Literally geniuses.” She turned a serious expression to Setsuna, looking her dead in the eye. “And I still don’t see how we catch up to him, even if we dropped school and trained for a year straight. He’s beyond us. Beyond even our ability to measure right now.” She sighed and looked forward again. “I can only hope that we don’t run into him again for a really, really long time.”

*****

Another day, another wake-up before dawn. Damn, I miss working in R&D. Sunset shut off her alarm, pulled herself out of bed, and once again set off for a day of training. After boarding the train and checking to make sure she was alone, she stared down at her hands and began running through the exercises Takamichi had recommended two days before.

“Magic is mana pulled from the surrounding environment,” she recalled him explaining, “channeled through the body to a focus, and expelled in the form of spells. When mages talk about how much magic someone has, they’re actually referring to how much they can pull in at once before they run out of magical endurance. Ki, on the other hand, comes from a pool of mana that rests within your body and recovers as you eat and rest. This is channeled out to the body as a whole. Since both are mana, they flow through the same channels in the body. Magical veins, you might say. However, unlike blood which has separate tracks for moving away from the heart and towards the heart, magic and ki move along the same paths, but in opposite directions. Channeling either ki or magic doesn’t put significant strain on the body, but switching rapidly from one to the other forces those paths to suddenly switch their direction of flow.”

Sunset reached within herself. She found her wellspring of mana and released it a little, allowing it to flood her body. As it reached her skin, she felt it change slightly, naturally imbuing her muscles with power and forming a thin shield of energy which toughened and reinforced her skin. She concentrated on her ki, specifically on where it began to transform from raw mana. Eventually, she sealed up her wellspring and began to reach outward.

The mana in the air around her, the energy of every living thing which surrounded her, responded to her pull. It flowed into her body, entering those same channels, and Sunset immediately felt a slight itch throughout her body as her magic circuits were made to channel mana in the opposite direction from how they had just seconds ago. Nevertheless, channel they did, the energy pouring into her right hand, as if she’d been holding a wand. Even without a focus, Sunset felt the energy begin to shift, deconstructing and organizing itself so as to be easily pliable to her whims.

So that’s the difference, Sunset thought, letting the magic dissipate and wincing as she switched back to ki. Ki shapes itself, acting to adapt itself to the body through which it flows. Magic breaks itself down, allowing itself to be acted upon by the body that uses it. She shifted back to magic, letting out a small gasp as the itch turned into a stinging sensation. One energy that acts, one that wants to be acted upon. No wonder they oppose each other so much; they aren’t just different applications, they’re different on an innate, philosophical level. And since mana is the power of living beings, it isn’t unreasonable to think, as most researchers back home believe, that it has some form of consciousness all its own. Sunset switched again, gritting her teeth against the pain.

So the forces are literally fighting each other. Battling each other for dominance in the philosophical battle between them. One seeks to give its wielder every possible option, while the other seeks to optimize itself so its wielder doesn’t have to bother. Hence why ki is more overtly powerful, but magic is more adaptable and varied. Sunset tried switching back to magic, but lost her grip on it as a sharp, jagged pain lanced through her core. She doubled over, gripping her stomach as she gasped for breath.

In other words, she thought, pulling herself together and standing up just as the train came to a stop, in order to use kanka, I have to somehow play mediator between two fundamentally opposed philosophical points of view and get them to work together. She groaned as she stepped off the train and began making her way up to the academy. Ugh. I hate playing mediator.

“Eh? Nichi-chan?”

Sunset blinked in surprise. Makie stood on the street just outside the station, dressed in sweats and panting slightly. “Makie?” Sunset raised an eyebrow. “What on Earth is Baka Pink doing out here this early in the morning?”

“Oh! Um…” Makie looked down, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. “Just some self-training, I guess. Working some things out while I jog.”

Sunset smirked, walking down the station steps towards her. “Really? If jogging is how you ‘work things out,’ then maybe that’s why you do so poorly on your tests.”

Makie laughed, brightening up at the remark. “Hey, yeah! Maybe I should ask our teachers if I can take my tests standing up and jogging in place!”

Sunset’s smirk dropped. Either she has the best insult-deflection technique I’ve ever seen, or she’s actually so dense that she doesn’t know when she’s being insulted in the first place. Which… in itself isn’t a bad insult-deflection technique.

“What about you?” Makie asked. “What are you doing here so early?”

Sunset shrugged and began walking up towards the academy. “Self-training, I guess. I’m actually working with Evangeline on a few things.”

“Oh?” Makie asked, falling in beside her. “I thought I saw you and Eva-chan getting along these past few days. That’s great!” She smiled gleefully at Sunset. “At this rate, you’ll be friends with the whole class in no time!”

By the will of Tirek. “Not likely,” Sunset answered. “After all, I didn’t insult Evangeline up at the World Tree Plaza. The child twins and the cheerleaders don’t seem especially quick to forgive.”

Makie winced. “Madoka-chan and Misa-chan will come around… eventually. Fuka-chan will be fine once Fumika-chan calms her down, especially now that you have Ku-chan on your side.”

“...what?”

“Well, she is a little childish. It’s actually rare for her to hold a grudge for so-”

“Not that,” Sunset snapped. “Ku Fei. She hates me as much as the others.”

Makie giggled. “No she doesn’t. At least, not since the school trip. She told me she gained a lot of respect for you in Kyoto. She also texted around the other night about how good you were at karaoke.”

Yeah, well, humans have disgustingly low standards for music. “She… told you about Kyoto?”

“Well, not exactly.” Makie looked up, rubbing the back of her head. “She was really secretive about it. Said she promised not to talk about it too much.” She lowered her hand and smiled at Sunset. “But she said she saw a side of you that she’d never seen before, and everyone was impressed with how you stood up to her during the War of Lips game.”

Sunset let out a long sigh and massaged the bridge of her nose. “Great. Just great. First Kaede, now Ku Fie. If you’re right about the kids, then that really only leaves the cheerleaders against me. I need to put some serious work in now if I’m going to salvage my reputation.”

“I’m not so sure that the reputation you’re going for is one you should salvage.” Makie frowned. “What do you have against being friends with everyone, anyway?”

“I don’t need friends.” Sunset winced at the reflexive phrase. “Okay, maybe that’s a bit much. I’m fine with the friends I have now. I don’t see the need to be all chummy chummy with everyone I meet. Especially the girls in our class. With a few exceptions, they’re loud, dense, irritating child molesters who have no sense of tact or restraint. The quicker I can get them to dislike me, the quicker I can salvage a chance for some peace while I’m here at Mahora.”

“I’m sure if you just explained yourself, most of the girls would leave you alone,” Makie said.

Sunset scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Please. When I insulted a dozen of them up at the World Tree plaza, the whole class took it as a challenge. I could write out a ten-page essay in four languages and it wouldn’t get through their thick skulls.”

“Well, yeah. Most of us wouldn’t be able to pay attention through any ten-page essay you wrote.”

Sunset barely kept herself from stumbling. She spent the next minute trying to work out whether Makie had insulted her or their class, and whether it had been intentional either way. Makie, meanwhile, began humming to herself as they walked.

“Hey,” she said after a few minutes, “isn’t that Negi-kun?”

Sunset looked up from her musings and, sure enough, spotted Negi up on the street above the World Tree Plaza. He seemed to be working through something, moving through a series of simple strikes and blocks in a jarring and rhythmic pattern. “Looks like he’s practicing,” Sunset muttered.

“Practicing?” Makie’s face brightened in understanding. “Oh! You mean that Chinese martial arts thing he asked Ku-chan to teach him?”

“Yeah.” Sunset began making her way up to Negi, Makie right behind her. “Hey, Springfield!” she called once they got closer. “Ku Fei’s got you working forms already?”

Negi jumped in surprise before turning and smiling at them. “N-Nichibotsu-san! Makie-san! Good morning!”

“Good morning!” Makie called, jogging over. “Was that the Chinese martial arts thing you were talking about the other day?”

“Y-yes,” Negi answered, a little flustered at having been caught. “Ku Fei-san taught me the beginning kata the day before yesterday.”

“That’s so cool!” Makie gushed. “Hey, hey Negi-kun! Are you going to enter the Academy Martial Arts Tournament?”

“Down girl,” Sunset said, rolling her eyes. “The Tournament’s at the School Festival, right? I don’t think he has time to get up to standard before then.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

Sunset winced. Oof. She does not sound happy. She looked down to the plaza and found Evangeline standing there with Chachamaru. Evangeline’s expression conveyed mild annoyance, but Sunset had spent enough time around Celestia to read an immortal’s eyes better than that.

Definitely irritated, Sunset thought. Not even a minute’s delay and she comes looking for me? How anal can you… Sunset’s eyes went wide as she noticed that Evangeline’s focus was on Negi rather than her. Wait, what?

“Are you going to start practicing kung fu, then?” Evangeline asked. “Maybe you should forget about becoming my apprentice.”

“W-w-w-what!” Negi began waving his arms frantically. “N-no! Evangeline-san! This is- I’m just researching ways to fight that boy, and-”

“Don’t worry about it,” Evangeline said, turning away. “I wasn’t planning on taking on any more apprentices in the first place. Let’s go, Nichibotsu.”

“Yeah, sure.” Sunset looked between Negi and Evangeline, a smirk beginning to creep onto her face. Oh, don’t tell me.,..

“Wait.” Makie looked around, confused. “What’s going on, Negi-kun?”

“W-well, um,” Negi looked frantically from Evangeline to Makie. “I wanted Evangeline-san to take me on as her apprentice, but-”

“Well, it’s only fitting that a child should be playing around at kung fu,” Evangeline said dismissively. “See you.”

“That’s strange,” Sunset said, making her way down to the plaza. “You don’t seem to have a problem with me doing boxing or training with Setsuna. Are you sure you aren’t just jealous of Ku Fei for nabbing him first?”

“Wh-what?!” Evangeline sputtered, glaring at Sunset. “NO!!!”

“Yeah, Eva-chan!” Makie chimed in. “Why are you picking on Negi-kun? Why not let him become your apprentice too?”

“It seems she is jealous,” Chachamaru said.

“HEY!” Evangeline grabbed Chachamaru by her tie in a futile attempt to strangle the robot. “I’m telling you, that’s not true!”

“I had no idea you felt that way about him,” Sunset said, nodding sagely. “No wonder you looked so flustered when you came back that time.” Sensing her teacher’s rising anger and mindful of the possible retribution during training later, she decided to give Evangeline an out. “After all, why else would you train me and not him?”

Evangeline huffed, barely managing to bring her embarrassment under control. “I’m not interested in playing with children.” She shot a glare at Makie. “And I’m not interested in talking with childish people like you, Sasaki Makie.”

Brick wall there, Evangeline. Sunset rolled her eyes. Insults go right over her-

“What?!”

Sunset blinked. She turned back to find an irate Makie who was glaring down at Evangeline. “You’re pretty child-like yourself, Eva-chan! Besides, Negi-kun is already really strong! He’ll become a master without any help from you!”

“Is that so?”

Sunset sighed, resigning herself to an afternoon of being Evangeline’s punching bag.

“Fine.” Evangeline tossed her hair over her shoulder imperiously. “Then I’ll decide your apprenticeship test right now, boy!” She jerked her thumb at Chachamaru. “If you can hit her with your kung fu even once, then you’ll pass. But you’ll have to fight one on one.”

“All right!” Makie struck her fist to her chest, grinning confidently and looking like she’d just been challenged herself. “If that’s all, Negi-kun will win easily.”

Sunset’s eyes went wide. “Wait. Makie! I don’t think that’s such a-”

“Go for it, Chachamaru,” Evangeline ordered.

Chachamaru hesitated. “Ah, but…”

“Don’t worry. Just go.”

“..okay.” Chachamaru gave a small bow to Negi. “Please forgive me, Negi-sensei.”

Sunset was only able to trace her movement because she’d been watching for it. In an instant, Chachamaru was up in Negi’s face, aiming a chop at his neck. Negi managed to get a block up at the last minute, halting Chachamaru’s hand.

And completely missing her kick.

Negi was sent flying, slamming into a short wall that ran along the road. Makie cried out. Sunset winced. Negi lay dazed and groaning on the ground.

“And that’s that.” Evangeline chuckled as she turned away, Chachamaru walking back to her side. “If you can’t even hit Chachamaru once, then you’ll go no further. The place will be here. I’ll give you a break and make the time midnight on Sunday. Well, give it your best shot.” She began to walk away. “Chachamaru. Nichibotsu. Let’s go.”

Sunset shot Negi a sympathetic look before following. “A little harsh, isn’t it?” she asked. “Two days isn’t a lot of time to prepare.”

Evangeline waved her off, dismissively. “It’s for the best. I assume you think I’m doing this just to be cruel?”

“The thought had crossed my mind.” Sunset frowned. “But thinking about it, that’s not really your style. The way you were talking, you were already planning on testing him. On giving him a chance. Did something change, or is there a method to this madness?”

“Both.” Evangeline shrugged. “It’s true that I was going to give him a real chance, but his newfound interest in martial arts complicates matters. It’s incredibly difficult to master two different forms of combat at once.”

“I’m learning magic, ki, boxing, and possibly kanka.”

“You’re also a seasoned veteran of twenty years who spent her time hunting warlocks and trained under the Goddess of the Sun.” She smirked at Sunset’s dumbfounded expression. “I debriefed Asuna while you were smashing plates. My point is, you know your limits. If you think you can handle all of this, then I suppose I trust you not to run yourself into the ground.” Her smirk fell from her face as she looked ahead.

“I have no such reason to trust the boy. In fact, he seems like the type to throw himself wholeheartedly into a hundred things at once and get himself killed in the process. I’m not going to bother teaching someone who can’t tell when he needs to slow down.”

Sunset nodded. “I see. You also don’t want him slacking off in his magic studies. I assume that if he manages to hit Chachamaru and then fails to perform to standard in magic training, you’ll lecture him on that and tell him to either drop kung fu or lose his apprenticeship?”

“Precisely.” Evangeline grinned wickedly. “But that’s not your concern for a while yet. For now, all you have to worry about is surviving the next twenty-four hours.”

Sunset winced. “Joy.”

Arc 5.1: Chapter 34

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The next two days served to confirm Sunset’s routine.

Evangeline began to narrow Sunset’s course of study, devoting only half of their time to general magical education and the other half to converting Sunset’s natural talents into Earth magic. A task that became more difficult the longer they worked at it, as it became apparent to both of them that Equestrian magic and Earth magic were more fundamentally different than Evangeline had realized.

“So let me get this straight,” Evangeline muttered, massaging her temples as they sat in one of her villa’s libraries on Friday. “In order for you to conjure a fireball in Equestria, you had to actually pull heat from the surrounding environment, filter out and compress combustible gasses from the air, and bring them together along with a literal spark from your horn.”

“Correct.”

“You then would take those areas that you pulled heat from,” Evangeline continued, “and use those conditions to aid in casting your ice spells.”

“Very few unicorns in history have managed it to the point where it was usable in combat, but yes.”

“And on top of that,” Evangeline was practically grinding her teeth together at this point, “you would use the resulting low- and high-pressure systems to create natural currents that would help you to cast lightning magic.”

Sunset nodded, turning a page in her book of spellcraft. “Not even the creator of the combined pyro-cryomancy style ever managed that.”

Evangeline slammed her hands into the table that stood between them. “How the Hell did you keep all of those conditions in your mind at once?! There’s being a genius, and then there’s being a freaking monster!”

“None of which is helpful, since magic here is tied more to domains than physics.” She sighed and closed her eyes, massaging the bridge of her nose. “Fireballs are formed by calling upon spirits of flame and turning raw mana into fire itself. Ice is conjured. Stone is conjured. Heck, it seems like fifty percent of spells in this world boil down to either conjuration or self-transmutation. Makes telepotation easier, but screws a lot with my accustomed style.”

Evangeline nodded. “Yeah, fire and ice spirits don’t exactly get along. You’re fine using both for low-level spells, but you’ll see some definite pushback as you start getting to the more high-end stuff. And you can forget about asking Ifrit and Jack Frost to both get along with you. I don’t suppose there are any Equestrian spirits you could call on?”

Sunset sighed. “I’ve tried that a few times. It feels… normal, I guess. It feels like when I invoke spirits from this world, at least. But somehow I don’t think that windigos will get along with ancient dragons any better.”

They shared a moment of silence before sighing simultaneously.

“Well,” Evangeline huffed, “no sense banging our heads against this wall. We’ll figure something out.” She picked up a notebook that she’d been using to take notes on Equestrian magic. “Now, what’s this you’ve mentioned before about ‘holy magic?’”

*****

Setsuna’s lessons continued to focus on combat techniques and sparring rather than fighting with ki.

“You aren’t ready yet,” Setsuna lectured, stepping back out of Sunset’s range and bringing her bamboo blade between them. “You need to familiarize your body with how a measured amount of ki feels. You’re keeping up with the exercises I prescribed?”

“Yeah yeah,” Sunset grumbled, putting her fists back up as she began to circle Setsuna, looking for an opening she knew wasn’t going to be there. “One hundred punches with each arm at five, fifteen, twenty-five, fifty, seventy-five, and one-hundred percent power each per day. Same with kicking with each leg. Same with headbutts, elbow-strikes, knee strikes, everything.” She juked forward slightly in a feint, and was gratified to see Setsuna’s grip on her sword tighten slightly in response. “I know it’s important. I get how muscle memory works. It’s just frustrating to have to go through it again with my body when I mastered it with my horn decades ago.”

“I understand,” Setsuna replied. “I wish I were confident enough in my own abilities to provide a safe environment for you to spar with your ki, but I cannot guarantee my own safety should you lose control, not your safety should you overcompensate in reigning yourself back. My own combat experience is lacking; the curse that comes with the blessing of relative peace, I suppose.”

“‘Five minutes in a fight for your life is worth five years of training,’” Sunset quoted. “Some of my CO’s were particularly fond of that saying. Can’t say they weren’t right.” She smirked. “On a different topic, how are things with Konoka? Have you formed a pactio yet?”

Setsuna’s moment of embarrassment created the opening Sunset needed to dart in close, but not enough of an opening for her to land a blow. Setsuna drew her arms in close, fighting to keep her blade between them as she backed up, trying to give herself some distance. “O-of course not!” she snapped. “And while I applaud your psychological tactics, I will remind you that you will not always have such material to use against your opponents.”

Sunset ducked a sweep from Setsuna’s blade and lashed out with a low kick, gritting her teeth as she jumped over it. “Tch. I might, if I have Nodoka fighting with me.”

Setsuna took another swing at Sunset as she stood, the fiery-haired girl catching the blade and straining to wrest control of it from the swordswoman. “That is, urg, a fair point. However,” Setsuna lashed out with a kick of her own, forcing Sunset to relinquish the sword and leap back to avoid the follow-up strike, “even then you do not have a guarantee.” They began to circle each other once again, Setsuna blushing slightly even as she kept her eyes on Sunset. “But… things have been going well. We have been speaking of more casual things as of late, and I find it easier to initiate conversation.” Her blush intensified and she took a cautious step back as she broke eye-contact. “Though I am still uncomfortable with her displays of physical affection.”

Please. Sunset rolled her eyes. She’s downright prudish compared to Equestrians. Still, that’s better than most Japanese, who are celebate by comparison. “You’ll get used to it,” she reassured. “If nothing else, it will help you build up a tolerance for uncomfortable situations. If you can handle her, you can handle anything. Trust me, there’s nothing in the world more awkward than receiving a platonic hug from someone you desperately want to sleep with.”

“S-S-S-S-S-SLEEP WITH?!?!?!”

Sunset’s punch connected easily.

*****

“How many times was that?” Takamichi asked.

“T-twelve,” Sunset gasped, clutching her arms as she struggled to remain standing. “I c-can manage s-something like sixty if I… if I space them out through the d-day.” She took a deep breath and stood upright, her arms and legs still trembling from pain. “But twelve is my absolute maximum in a minute.”

“Still, that’s impressive.” Takamichi sat down at the table he’d dragged out to the forest and invited Sunset to do the same. He began pouring both of them a cup of tea. “When I first started out, I was lucky if I could manage six in ten minutes before I passed out. You’ve come a long way already.”

“Not enough.” Sunset groaned in relief as she sat down across from him. “And I haven’t made any progress with kanka since my breakthrough three days ago.”

Takamichi raised an eyebrow. “You mean yesterday?”

“Evangeline’s got this time-warped villa,” Sunset explained, waving him off. “A day inside is one hour out here. It was three days from my perspective.”

“I see.” Takamichi set Sunset’s tea in front of her before taking a sip of his own. “It was interesting to hear your take on it, by the way. I’ve never really thought of mana having a will of its own before. To represent the incompatibility of magic and ki as a philosophical quandary is a unique perspective.”

“Not that it helps,” Sunset grumbled. “If anything, it makes me question even more how kanka is even possible. It’s an idea more difficult to conceive of than Ifrit and Jack Frost getting along.” She picked up her cup and took a brief sip. Finding she didn’t hate the flavor, she downed the rest. “Maybe it’s just me and my mind for conflict, but I don’t see how two absolutely opposed philosophies can coexist like that. Work together as separate entities, sure; that’s why I started training with you in the first place. But becoming one?” She shook her head and poured herself another cup. “I don’t see it.”

“Give it time,” Takamichi said, setting his own cup down and smiling. “And don’t limit yourself to thinking it out logically. Every kanka user I’ve ever heard of operates by feel rather than by thought. If you can feel your way to the right balance, then perhaps the result will enlighten your mind and teach you the philosophical answer as well.” He let her consider that for a moment before speaking up. “And on the subject of opposed forces getting along, are you still planning to sabotage your standing with Ayaka-chan?”

Sunset sighed and swirled her tea, watching the waves threaten to break over the sides. “I’ll admit that I don’t hate my classmates as much as I used to. Tell them this and I’ll rip your head off, but I’m actually starting to like more of them.” Her contemplative frown morphed into a glare. “But some of them I just can’t stand, and Ayaka tops the list. The way she’s come on to Springfield so brazenly from the very beginning is just sick, and for someone who comes from a superior upbringing, she has almost no sense of self image where he’s concerned. If you’re going to be a stuck-up little princess, at least have the integrity to go all the way with it.”

Takamichi frowned. “Perhaps she has her reasons.”

“I can’t imagine any circumstances that would justify her behavior.” Sunset drained her tea and stood. “Alright, I should be good for a bit. What’s next?”

*****

Sunset yawned as she stretched out on her bed. It had been a long Saturday between training and catching up with club activities. The Library Exploration Club had wanted her help disarming traps in a few new passages, and the boxing club had shown up to drag her off for two hours of matches as punishment for neglecting to show up for so long.

She’d won most of them before getting her butt handed to her eight times in a row by her upperclassmen.

But now her day was done. Her homework was double-checked, most of her classmates were asleep, and she was ready to follow them into the realm of dreams.

Which is why she began to contemplate murder when someone knocked on her door at twenty minutes to midnight.

With a resigned sigh, Sunset stood and trudged over to the door. She cracked it open to see who was on the other side and found her eyes widening in surprise. “Zazie?” she asked, opening the door wide. “What are you doing here?”

The dark-skinned girl cocked her head and pointed at her wrist.

“Well of course I know what time it is,” Sunset said, glaring. “That’s why I’m wondering what the heck you’re doing here at twenty to midnight.”

Zazie pointed in the direction of Mahora Academy.

“How did you know that…” Sunset sighed and rolled her eyes. “Look, I know Springfield has his apprenticeship test tonight, and I don’t see why I should care.”

Zazie pointed at Sunset.

“So what if I’m Evangeline’s student too?” Sunset demanded. “I doubt we’d be training together. And even if we would, that’s between him and Evangeline.”

Zazie held up a fist.

“No, I don’t need to see his fighting style.” Sunset rolled her eyes. “I’ve seen Ku Fei fight a couple of times, and I’ve asked around for some basic info on Chinese Kung Fu. I doubt anything Springfield does will surprise me.”

“...”

“...really?”

*****

Sunset felt like she’d been tricked.

The train hadn’t been deserted, as she’d expected. With the benefit of hindsight, she realized that it made sense for Asuna, Ku Fei, and Setsuna to be attending the match that night. Even Konoka and Makie made sense, the latter for involving herself in the fight in the first place, and the former to heal Negi up after his inevitable beating. But the others…

“Remind me why the three of you decided to tag along?” Sunset asked with a glare.

“Believe me,” Akira muttered, “I’d much rather be in bed. But Makie let slip that Negi-sensei was going to be doing some big important test with Evangeline-san and Yuuna insisted that we come along to watch.”

“Makie seemed really excited about it,” Ako added, repressing a yawn. “She said that Negi-sensei is going to be showing off his Kung Fu!”

Sunset frowned at where Yuuna and Makie were chatting excitedly. That idiot. Did she advertise this as some sort of exhibition match? “I don’t think this is going to be as enjoyable as that,” Sunset warned. “It isn’t going to be some simple display. Springfield is going to be fighting seriously against Chachamaru, and from what I’ve seen, she’s a very accomplished fighter.”

Ako and Akira shared worried looks. “You don’t think she’s going to hurt Negi-sensei, do you?” Akira asked.

Sunset shrugged. “He probably won’t get out of this unscathed. He passes this test if he manages to land a single blow on Chachamaru, but that’s like telling a mouse to bite a hunting cat. Even if he succeeds, he isn’t walking away without a few bruises.”

Ako winced. “W-well at least he’ll have a day to recover before class on Monday.”

“Yeah, about that.” Sunset looked away and rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. “Sorry I’ve kind of abandoned your tutoring since we got back from Kyoto. A lot of stuff has happened recently and I’ve lost track of a few things. It’s been important stuff, but I shouldn’t let everything else slip.” She winced and rubbed her arm. “The Boxing Club did a really good job driving that lesson home today.”

Ako giggled. “It’s fine, Nichi-chan. I’m not so hopeless that I need help every single day.”

“Though you should probably approach Asuna-san about that,” Akira added. “She’s been looking depressed every time she gets grades back this week.”

Sunset snickered. “Yeah, I noticed. I’ll be talking with her later tonight.”

They continued to chat as the train neared Mahora, and Sunset was surprised to find another student that didn’t aggravate her in Akira. The long-haired swimmer was relatively quiet most of the time, though the more Sunset spoke with her, the more she got the impression that she just didn’t see the need to contribute to an already chaotic environment. The topic turned quickly from academics to extracurricular interests, and Akira was able to recommend a few exercises to Sunset that would help her strengthen less-used but still important muscles.

“You use every muscle group imaginable when you swim,” she explained. “Arms, legs, and core are the obvious ones, but there are a lot of smaller muscle groups that most people neglect.”

Sunset nodded and gave Akira an appraising look. “You know, I never really thought of you as the muscular type, but looking closer,” she reached forward and lightly pinched Akira’s arm, you’re pretty solid under that smooth skin and shapely form.”

Akira blushed and swatted Sunset’s hand away. “Th-there’s no need to put it like that,” she muttered. “Ako-chan was right; you really have no shame when it comes to giving compliments.”

“And you all have too much when it comes to accepting them.” Sunset shook her head. “I mean, there’s humility, and then there’s you girls. Why can’t you just accept that you’re stunningly beautiful and that Ako is one of the most adorable girls in the class?”

Ako flushed as well and glared at Sunset. “H-hey! Leave me out of this! Besides, I bet you’d get flustered too, Nichi-chan!”

“We’ll never know,” Sunset replied, shrugging. “You’re all as bad at giving brazen praise as you are at receiving it.” She smirked and turned up her nose. “Works for me. I’ll just keep telling you how wonderful you are and making you flustered and there’s nothing you can-”

“Y-YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL!”

Sunset blinked. “Eh?”

Ako glared at Sunset, her face red with a mixture of embarrassment and determination. “Y-you’re one of the most beautiful girls in class! You’re smart! You’re talented! You’re really good at teaching others and helping them have confidence in themselves! There are times I wish you were my older sister, and every time I see you I get jealous of your chest!” She stood there for a minute, panting heavily before shooting Sunset a shaky but cheeky grin. “H-how’s that for brazen?”

Sunset blinked a few times, a very light blush coming to her own cheeks. “Um, pretty good. But it probably would have worked better if I weren’t distracted by our audience.”

Ako’s face switched rapidly from triumph to confusion to dread. She slowly turned her head to see that the entire train car was staring at her in an amusing mix of shock and encouragement. Setsuna was almost as red-faced as Ako. Konoka looked like she was about to start squeeing. Asuna, Ku Fei, and Negi were staring in confusion, while Makie’s face betrayed absolute cluelessness.

Yuuna shot Ako a grin and a thumbs-up. “Nice confession!”

Sunset and Akira spent the rest of the train ride trying to comfort their mortified classmate.

*****

They reached the World Tree Plaza just as the midnight hour struck. Chachamaru and Evangeline stood at the top of the plaza, the former in her uniform and the latter in a short white dress trimmed in black. Evangeline smirked when she saw Negi. “Hmph. So you came after all, boy. Well then, let’s hurry up and get started.” She jerked her thumb at Chachamaru. “If you can hit Chachamaru even once with your Kung Fu, then you pass. The match continues until you’re dead and can’t attack anymore.”

Negi nodded, smiling confidently. “Are those all the conditions?”

Evangeline’s smirk fell, the vampire put off by Negi’s lack of concern. “Yeah, that’s fine.” Her eyes narrowed. “More importantly…”

She pointed at Sunset and the girls who were gathered below and snickering at Evangeline’s dramatics. “CAN’T YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR DAMN AUDIENCE?!”

“What’d she expect?” Sunset muttered to Akira as Yuuna and Ako started cheering. “She knows what our class is like. I’m surprised we managed to keep everyone else in the dark on this.”

“I think Yuuna-chan sent out a group text while we were on the train,” Akira replied. “Hopefully no-one sees it until this is all over.”

“Which hopefully happens soon,” Sunset said, keeping her voice low. “This match is either going to be really short, or a good deal longer than you all are going to be comfortable with.”

Akira raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I have some idea of what Springfield might do to try to win this,” she said, watching as Negi and Chachamaru exchanged formalities. “If I’m right, he’s going to put everything he has into these first couple of minutes in a dead sprint. But if that doesn’t work…”

Evangeline lifted a hand, gathering everyone’s attention. “You may begin!”

Chachamaru dashed forward as Negi began to quickly chant under his breath. Sunset noticed him slip a wand up into his sleeve right before Chachamaru reached him. Her left fist struck out, and Negi barely got an arm up to stop it from smashing in his face. Chachamaru followed up with a right-hand punch, which Negi deflected. He spun around the outside of her arm, aiming an elbow-strike for her side. Chachamaru dropped her right arm to block it before turning and striking Negi with a rapid series of blows which he struggled to block and deflect.

“Wh-what’s going on?!” Ako cried, her eyes snapping this way and that to try to follow the action.

“They’re really going at it!” Yuuna cheered. “Just who are those two?!”

“Chachamaru doesn’t have a particularly fancy technique,” Sunset commentated, “but her straightforward style combined with greater speed and strength make her a dangerous opponent. Springfield is focusing on deflection and counters, which are his best bet at getting a solid blow in.” She frowned. But he’s running out of time. If he’s using the same trick he used in Kyoto to give his physical abilities a boost with his magic, then he probably only has a couple of minutes total. Athleticism is one thing, but improving speed, strength, reactions, senses, and everything else involved in a fight is going to be draining on his reserves.

Chachamaru lashed out with a kick, sending Negi flying backwards despite his block. He landed in a ready stance, but stumbled, falling almost to his knees.

“Oh no!” Ako cried. “Negi-sensei!”

Sunset smirked. “No,” she said. “He’s fine; it’s a feint.”

Chachamaru landed in front of him, lashing out again with her right fist. Negi suddenly grabbed her arm, pulling her down and straightening out of his crouch. He brought his right elbow forward to strike her unprotected chest.

Chachamaru jumped.

In a display of acrobatics that shocked everyone, especially Negi, the robot leapt over Negi’s head and landed behind him. She kicked out with one leg, striking Negi in the back and sending him flying forward. He rolled across the ground for a few dozen meters, eventually skidding to a stop.

Sunset sighed while the other girls stared in shock. A good try, but she saw right through it. That’s it, then; things get ugly from here.

“Too bad, boy,” Evangeline called down, “but that’s just how you are. Go wash your face and fix yourself up.”

“Aw, I can’t believe Negi-kun lost,” Yuuna whined as Asuna and Makie ran down towards him. “He looked like he was going to hit her there.”

“I can’t believe Chachamaru could move so fast,” Akira said, astonished. “Or that she’d be so rough with sensei.”

“Yeah, well,” Sunset muttered, “she’ll have to get a lot rougher than that before this is over.”

Ako stared at her in shock. “What! But Negi-sensei can’t fight anymore! Evangeline-san wasn’t serious about him dying, right?!”

“She wasn’t,” Sunset said, pointing down at Negi, “but he might be.”

Sunset watched in exasperation and the others in shock as Negi leapt to his feet. “Heh. Not yet. I’m not dead yet, Evangeline-san.”

Evangeline sighed, her face twisting in disdain. “What are you talking about? The match is over. Time for little brats to be in bed. Go on, shoo.”

“The condition was ‘until I die,’” Negi reminded her with a smirk. “So that means there’s no time limit, right?”

Evangeline’s eyes snapped wide. “W-What?! Don’t tell me that you’re...”

Negi took a stance facing Chachamaru. “That’s right. I’m going to stick at it until I land a hit, no matter how long it takes. Chachamaru-san! Let’s continue!”

Chachamaru hesitated, obviously reluctant. “B-But, Sensei-”

“Yaaaaaah!” Negi charged forward, striking out at Chachamaru.

And moving far slower than before. Chachamaru sidestepped him easily and brought her elbow down on the back of Negi’s neck, driving him into the ground.

Sunset sighed. “That’s what I was afraid of. His sprint is over. He doesn’t have enough energy to maintain his previous speed, and Chachamaru hasn’t slowed at all.” She hopped onto a low wall and sat down as Negi slowly pulled himself to his feet. “Might as well get comfortable,” she said. “We’re going to be here a while.”

“B-but that’s crazy!” Ako cried. “There’s no way Chachamaru-chan will-”

Negi’s fist smacked into Chachamaru’s open palm before she casually backhanded him across the plaza.

“Of course she would,” Sunset said, watching as Negi struggled to his feet again and threw himself back into the fray. “Springfield wants to be recognized as a warrior. I wouldn’t be surprised if he insisted that Chachamaru not go easy on him.”

“B-but that’s…” Akira whispered.

“He’s got no chance of winning,” Yuuna whimpered.

“D-does Negi-sensei really intend to continue?” Ako asked, tears in her eyes. “Even like this?”

Sunset nodded, watching as Negi went down again and slowly rose to his feet. “Like I said, we’re going to be here a while.”

*****

Five minutes turned into ten. Ten into half an hour. By the time a whole hour had past, most of the girls were shouting for Negi to just give up, begging him to stop. Even Evangeline seemed uncomfortable as another blow sent Negi to the ground.

“H-hey, come on, boy. Isn’t that enough?” She looked embarrassed at this point and like she was considering calling an end to the match despite Negi’s protests. “You’re motivated. I get the point already.”

“N-not yet.” Negi staggered for a moment before setting himself back into a stance. His left eye was swollen almost shut, and a line of blood was flowing down from a split lip. His whole face was beginning to be tinged in black and blue. “I’m not giving up yet.” With even less speed than before, favoring his left leg, he threw himself at the untiring Chachamaru.

Sunset sighed and looked over his audience. Yuuna, Ako, and Konoka were in tears. Akira’s face was frozen in a sort of numb horror. Even Setsuna had donned her mask of stoicism. Ku Fei and Asuna looked ready to jump into the fight themselves. Makie was the only one who watched the match with a degree of desperate hope.

She should just knock him out, Sunset thought, watching as Chachamaru smacked Negi away again. I’m surprised Evangeline hasn’t ordered her to do so yet, but I guess she’s determined for him to give up on his own. Chachamaru’s been as gentle as she can be, all things considered, but I’m pretty sure that breaking a leg or two is the only way Springfield will surrender.

“I… I can’t watch this anymore!” Sunset turned to see Asuna pulling out her pactio card. “I’m going to stop him before he gets himself-”

“NO! ASUNA!” To everyone’s surprise, Makie threw herself in front of Asuna, arms spread, desperate tears in her eyes. “DON’T STOP HIM!”

Asuna took a step back, stunned. “B-but-”

“Even if he’s badly injured,” Makie pleaded, “he still tried really hard to get to this point. I know what you’re thinking. I know, but… but it would be terrible for Negi-kun if you stopped him now!”

Sunset’s eyes went wide. Makie… do you actually, somehow, understand?

“Didn’t Negi-kun say he’d try his best?!” Makie shouted. “No matter what?!”

“But, but he’s just a kid who doesn’t know any better!” Asuna retorted. “He’s just being stubborn. I’ve got to stop him-”

“NO!” Makie screamed. “Negi-kun is an adult!”

“M-Makie-chan,” Asuna tried to reason, “no matter how you look at him, he’s a-”

“A child could never be stubborn to this point!” Makie argued. “I… I can’t express it well, but, I think Negi-kun is prepared.”

“P-prepared?”

“Negi-kun has an objective,” Makie insisted. “And he’s decided to give everything he has to achieve it. Asuna, do you, your friends, or your senpai know any boys who have an objective like Negi-kun does? Not just someone with a vague, ambiguous dream, but someone who can say ‘This is what I’ve decided to live for’?”

Sunset’s eyes went wide, and, unbidden, a memory forced itself into her mind. “I will ascend! I will become an alicorn on your level! And then I will make sure that no-one, NO-ONE has to suffer as I did! You can restrict my access to these tomes. Cast me out of the castle! Bind me hoof and horn in the dungeons if you want to! But I will never, NEVER stop until I’m powerful enough, measured enough, wise enough, to keep everyone safe!”

“Negi-kun is an adult!” Makie insisted, the desperation in her eyes replaced with surety. “He’s got an objective and he’s doing his best to achieve it! So… you can’t stop him now.”

Asuna was at a loss. She stared at Makie, dumbfounded. So did Sunset. So did the rest of the girls.

So did Chachamaru.

“Ah!” Evangeline shouted. “Hey! Chachamaru!”

“Eh?”

*CLANG*

Every pair of eyes snapped from Makie to Chachamaru, her head tilted sharply downward. Negi stood before her, breathing heavily, his fist bruised where it had struck her cheek.

“It… it hit…”

Negi collapsed to the ground, and the plaza erupted into cheers.

Arc 5.2: Chapter 35

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Sunset sighed. “Remind me why I need to be here?”

It was the Wednesday afternoon after Negi had passed his apprenticeship test. Sunset had continued her training as normal while her teacher recovered from his injuries, though she’d noted a half-pleased half-annoyed attitude that had persisted with Evangeline. Sunset’s spars with Takamichi and Setsuna had grown slowly more intense as both trainers and trainee acclimated themselves to each other. Sunset had resumed thrice-weekly tutoring sessions with Ako, with Akira and a reluctant Yuuna joining them. She’d also begun tutoring Asuna again, the redhead having apparently forgiven her for wanting to kill Evangeline.

Especially after she’d seen what she, through Chachamaru, had put Negi through.

Now she was gathered in a line with Asuna, Setsuna, Konoka, and Nodoka in an out of the way courtyard on the northern outskirts of the academy. Evangeline stood in front of them, having called them all there, and Negi stood behind, staff in hand. Yue sat in the grass to the side, watching the proceedings and sipping from a box of juice while Chamo sat in her lap.

“Quit whining,” Evangeline snapped. “As someone who has formed a contract with the boy, you have a certain responsibility to him. You can’t get something for nothing, after all, and I doubt you want to give up your artifact.”

Sunset grit her teeth, but held her tongue. In all honesty, she’d grown rather fond of Ignis Eryx and had no desire to part with it. She’d also recognized anew after her fight with the white-haired Fate that she needed it to be more powerful, which meant building a stronger connection with Negi.

Seeing that Sunset wasn’t going to argue further, Evangeline continued. “Okay, let’s begin. Setsuna. Nichibotsu. You’ll need to repress your ki. Magic and ki will only conflict without compatibility training, and Nichibotsu isn’t at that level yet.”

Sunset and Setsuna both nodded. “Okay,” Negi said. “I’m going to try it now.” He held up five cards and closed his eyes in concentration. “Invoke the contract for one-hundred and eighty seconds. Ministra Negi, Konoe Konoka, Miyazaki Nodoka, Kakurazaka Asuna, Sakurazaki Setsuna, Hikaru Nichibotsu.”

Sunset shuddered as she felt the foreign magic fill her. It’s so different from when I use my own magic, she thought, observing it. It still feels like it’s awaiting orders, but I can feel another path. Another… master over it, ready to shift it to his will rather than my own. She frowned. I can see why personal closeness would increase the power and effectiveness of this bond; you need to trust someone a great deal to lend them your power like this, and an equal amount of trust is necessary to let someone else work their magic on you so intimately.

“Okay, let’s move on,” Evangeline instructed. “Expand the anti-material shield onto everyone at full power!”

“Okay!”

Sunset traced the foreign magic as it exited her, forming a barrier flush with her skin. She could still feel through it, but biting her cheek proved ineffective as her teeth scraped against the barrier.

Eating with this thing up would take some getting used to, she mused.

“Next! Expand the anti-magic shield at full power!”

“Okay!”

“And after holding that for three minutes, fire one-hundred and ninety-nine arrows into the sky to the north!”

“O-okay!”

Sunset hummed to herself as she began to pull on magic herself. To her surprise, mana flowed easily and uninterrupted through the barrier. Prodding about a bit, she found that she could still send small bursts of disorganized magic out through the shield without affecting it in the least. So the barrier is one-way, she thought. And it doesn’t block the inflow of natural, unorganized mana. Very nice. I’ve never really had time to study it when I cast it, on account of Evangeline practically trying to kill me in our sessions, but this is actually a very clever little piece of spellcraft. Why doesn’t Equestria have anything like this? I mean, I had my shield spell that combined these two in one, but nothing that just rested on the skin… because unicorns were the only ones who could cast spells! And we usually avoided hoof-to-hoof combat! Necessity is the mother of invention, after all.

“You seem deep in thought.”

Sunset opened her eyes and looked over at Yue. “Just contemplating the differences between Earth magic and Equestrian magic.”

“Eh?” Konoka leaned forward to look down the row at Sunset. “What kind of magic?”

“The magic I used to use,” Sunset explained. “Before I came to… wait.” She leaned forward to look at Nodoka. “You didn’t tell everyone?”

Nodoka shook her head. “It, um, kind of slipped my mind. I told them that you didn’t actually have amnesia and told Konoka-chan that you were a mage, but I never got around to the rest of it.”

“Huh.” Sunset looked over her shoulder at Negi, who opened a single eye to show that he was paying attention while maintaining his concentration. “Well, basically, I’m a unicorn mage from another dimension, and the magic I used in my world - Equestrian magic - is different from magic here.”

“Eh?” Konoka’s eyes began to sparkle. “You used to be a unicorn?”

“I like to think that I still am,” Sunset grumbled. “Just… forced into a human body. Er, Evangeline! What’s the word for that? Transformed against my will?”

“Polymorph.”

“Yes, thank you.” Sunset turned back to Konoka. “Polymorphed into a human. If I could figure out how to switch back, I would.”

“Oh!” Nodoka’s face lit up. “That actually explains something from when we first met! That writing you gave us was your language, wasn’t it?”

Sunset nodded. “Yeah, that was Equestrian. Modern Equestrian, to be specific. I also know Ancient Equestrian, er, Old Unicornian I guess you would call it, and the languages of Minotaurs, Gryphons, Dragons, and Zebras. Plus a few Yak insults.”

“No wonder you picked up Japanese and English so quickly,” Setsuna muttered, “not to mention your rapidly approaching mastery of Latin.”

Sunset shrugged. “Ancient Equestrian and Old Unicornian are a must for any scholar and mage back home. The others were necessary for diplomatic training that came with being Tenko’s personal student. The ruler of my home country,” she clarified. “And the insults were just for fun. But after all of that, learning new languages just became easier.”

“I did read something about that once,” Yue added. “The more languages you learn, the easier it becomes to learn new ones. The brain trains and wires itself for the process after a couple of times.”

“One-hundred and ninety-nine spirits of light!” Negi suddenly shouted. “Gather unto me and strike my enemy!”

A massive ray of light shot over their heads, splitting into individual rays as they entered the open sky. They exploded into a bright array of colors and patterns, filling the northern sky.

“Wow,” Nodoka gasped. “It’s beautiful!”

“Just like fireworks!” Konoka cheered.

“I’m surprised,” Sunset admitted. “I didn’t think he could unleash that much magic all at-”

*thump*

“...never mind.”

“Hmph. This is pointless if he’s going to faint at just that!” Evangeline snapped. “He may have inherited incredible magical power, but it’s a wasted gift.”

“Hey, hey! Evangeline-san!” Chamo leapt onto a nearby rock while Nodoka and Konoka gathered around the collapsed Negi. “Aren’t you being a bit too hard on him? Aniki is only ten years old! He used more magic holding that contract and firing those arrows than he did fighting during the school trip! It’s only natural that he’d pass out. Any ordinary mage would if he had to-”

“Silence, you lower life form!” Evangeline sneered down at the ermine. “Do you think I’ll be satisfied with just any ordinary mage? Do you want me to cook you up and eat you?”

Sunset shook her head as Chamo fled into Asuna’s arms. “‘Ordinary’ doesn’t cut it,” she said. “People with our level of talent and potential owe it to ourselves and to the world to be extraordinary. ‘Impossible’ is the baseline. ‘Legendary’ is average. ‘Mythic' is the lowest acceptable ambition.”

Evangeline nodded in agreement. “He should have prepared for this and more when he asked me to be his master. Don’t think I’ll let him get by with just any half-assed training.” She turned to address Sunset and Negi directly, a borderline sadistic grin splitting her face.

“Liste up, you two! Excuses and tears aren’t going to work on me! If either of you makes the slightest complaint, I’ll drink your blood dry to the last drop! Don’t forget it!”

Sunset nodded and Negi leapt back to his feet. “Okay!” he said. “I’m counting on you, Evangeline-san!”

“We place our destinies in your hands, Evangeline,” Sunset said, bowing, “until such a time as we take them up ourselves.”

Evangeline blushed a bit, taken aback by their prompt responses. She turned away awkwardly. “C-call me ‘Master,’ you two.”

“Not a chance.”

“Yes, Master!”

Sunset rolled her eyes as Negi continued. “B-by the way, if I wanted to defeat a dragon, how long do you think I should train for?”

Sunset blinked and looked down at the kid. “Huh. And here I thought you lacked ambition.”

“...say that again,” Evangeline said.

“‘If I wanted to defeat a dragon,’” Negi repeated.

“Hoho. A dragon, huh?”

“Yes!”

“ARE YOU SOME KIND OF MORON?!”

Evangeline’s punch floored Negi, dazing him and shocking everyone else. “Who would fight a dragon in twenty-first century Japan?!” she ranted. “If you’ve got time to spout such nonsense, use it to learn even one more spell!”

“Hey,” Asuna leaned over to Yue, “what’s this about a dragon?”

“Um, well,” Yue seemed a little uncomfortable, “I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but yesterday we encountered a dragon underneath Library Island.”

Sunset scoffed. “Yue, I just told you that I’m a unicorn from another dimension. I think most of us are ready to believe just about anything. Spill.”

Yue conceded the point before continuing. “Well, we found a clue marked on the map from Negi-sensei’s father. There was a drawing of some sort of creature by it, but we didn’t think much of it at the time. Anyway, Negi-sensei tried to sneak out to investigate it by himself last night.”

Sunset smirked. “So naturally, like the responsible members of the Library Exploration Club that you are, you informed your senpais so that they could accompany him to the deeper levels?”

Yue returned the smirk. “As the irresponsible members of the Library exploration Club that you have influenced us to be, we intercepted him ourselves and accompanied him down there.”

“We found a massive door,” Nodoka joined in, “but we couldn’t tell how to open it. Before we could even really begin trying, this massive dragon appeared!”

“I’m pretty sure it was a wyvern, actually,” Yue said. “Its wings acted as forelegs. In any case, that’s when Chachamaru-san arrived and helped Negi-sensei get us out of there.”

Asuna seemed to grow more and more angry as the story progressed. “And about when was this?”

“Yesterday morning,” Yue repeated. “About five-thirty, I believe.”

“I see.” Asuna turned to glare at Negi who was still being berated by Evangeline. “That little brat.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow but shrugged it off; if Asuna was about to go off against Negi, then she wanted no part of their sibling squabble. “Anyway, Yue, Honya, could you walk with me for a bit? I’m meeting with Evangeline in a minute, and I wanted to discuss something with you.” They agreed, and Sunset nodded to Asuna. “I’ll see you tonight for our session.”

The Library Girls walked off, headed towards the woods that housed Evangeline’s cabin.

“So,” Yue eventually said, “what did you want to talk to us about?”

“I-”

“NEVER INVOLVED?!”

Sunset winced. “Sounds like Springfield set her off.”

Yue looked back curiously. “I’m always amazed at how strong her lungs are.”

“It’s a wonder of the modern world.” Sunset shook her head and resumed leading them on. “Anyway, I wanted to know what you both think of this whole magic thing, now that you’ve had time to think it over. I know you wanted to help Springfield, Honya, but to what extent?”

Yue and Nodoka exchanged glances. “W-well,” Nodoka began, “I wasn’t able to help much in Kyoto. I was taken out before I even had a chance to summon my artefact. I think… I think I need to learn magic myself if I’m going to be able to help.”

Sunset nodded. “Makes sense. And I agree. If you’re going to be involved in this world, I’d rather you leap in head-first than try to live one foot in and one foot out.” She turned to Yue. “And you? Like I told you before, I’m not going to push you to jump in if you don’t feel you’re ready.”

Yue sighed and shook her head. “Honestly, I’m torn. Everything I’ve ever known tells me to roll my eyes every time I hear the word ‘magic.’ But… I can’t deny what I’ve seen. There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in my philosophy.” She faced Sunset, her eyes blazing with a semi-familiar blaze. It was something that Sunset saw often in Nodoka’s eyes and often in her own in the mirror, but it was alien coming from Baka Black. It was a unique determination. A scholarly one.

“I don’t want to just turn away from this and pretend it doesn’t exist. And I won’t be content standing on the sidelines staring in ignorant wonder at everything that occurs. I want to learn magic. And I’m fully willing to join Nodoka in aiding Negi-sensei’s crusade to do so.”

Sunset looked from one friend to the other. The one willing to dive into a new world to help the one she loved, and the other willing to help her best friend’s beloved if it would let her dive into a whole new world.

She smirked. I couldn’t have better friends. Her smirk fell as she considered Nodoka’s motivation. And I’m going to make damn sure that Cadence never learns that I approved of this. “Alright. Looks like I’ve got myself a couple of new students.”

“You?” Nodoka seemed surprised. “I mean, we were going to ask Eva-chan to teach us-”

“NO!!!” Sunset cleared her throat. “Um, no. That’s not a good idea. Evangeline is not a… gentle teacher. I’m not sure she would even know how to teach beginners.”

“And you do?” Yue asked.

“I did just recently get through the curriculum myself.” She halted as they reached the edge of the woods. “Between my natural talent for magic and my previous experience, I was able to get it down in a month; it’ll take the two of you more than a few. By the time you finish learning the basics, I’ll be ready to guide you on more individual, specialized paths based on your natural affinities and interests.” Which would be much easier if you humans had cutie marks, she thought.

“Are you sure you have enough time?” Nodoka asked. “I mean, your schedule is pretty busy as it is.”

Sunset considered her point for a moment. Between Evangeline and Setsuna, her mornings until class started were completely booked. Afterward she had more training with Takamichi, tutoring with Asuna, more tutoring with Ako and the others, and club activities from both the Boxing Club and the Library Exploration Club. This on top of her own independent magical studies; mundane middle-school studies; ki, magic, and compatibility practice; and any social life and private time she needed for her psychological health.

“Yeah,” she said, shrugging casually. “Plenty of time.”

*****

Sunset was able to sketch out a rough lesson plan for Nodoka and Yue before Evangeline and Negi arrived at the cabin. She was surprised, however, to find Konoka and Setsuna accompanying them. Evangeline waved off her questioning look and let them all inside, leading them to her upstairs loft which combined bedroom and study. A bed sat on one side while the other held a long wooden table with a couple of benches, as well as a couple of bookcases.

“Now listen up,” Evangeline said, walking up to a chalkboard and donning a pair of spectacles. “Class is in session. I’m about to explain why the boy collapsed after such a simple exercise. Nichibotsu. Can you tell me why?”

Sunset thought back to how it had felt to have Negi’s magic flowing into her, and the massive reserves she had sensed behind it. Raw power certainly wasn’t the problem, so… “A lack of efficiency,” she stated confidently.

Evangeline nodded. “Correct.” She turned to the board and began drawing rough, round-bodied sketches of Sunset, Negi, and Konoka. “You three have very high levels of magical power. You should consider yourselves lucky to be so gifted; it’s not the sort of thing you can easily get through pure training.” She filled in the bodies on the board.

“However! All that means is that you’re giant tanks of magical energy!” She drew three hoses leading from the caricatures. “What you need to actually be able to use it is to improve your willpower so you can better control your magic,” she added nozzles to the ends of the hoses, “and to improve the effectiveness of your magic.” She drew three thin streams shooting straight from the nozzles. “You’ll need training for both.

“Things are even more difficult for Nichibotsu,” she continued, adding another hose and nozzle, “because to control magic you need willpower, and to control ki you need physical power. Even if you pick up some fighting techniques, I recommend you two avoid tampering with ki.” She turned back to look at her students and adjusted her glasses. “It would split your focus in a way that Nichibotsu is uniquely qualified to- HEY!!!”

Sunset snickered where she sat as Evangeline finally noticed that Negi and Konoka hadn’t been paying attention. Negi was crouched on the floor, tracing patterns in the wood as he moaned about his fight with Asuna. Konoka knelt beside him, consoling him gently. “LISTEN TO ME WHEN I TALK TO YOU, DAMMIT! You’re about to get killed if you don’t stop moaning, brat!”

“B-but Asuna-san…” Negi moaned.

Sunset got her snickers under control and smirked at him. “Aw, what’s wrong, Springfield? Did Asuna-oneechan get mad at you?”

Evangeline smirked as well. “Hmph. Any conflict between the two of you gives me a good feeling, since it was the two of you together who put me through so many hardships.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Wasn’t I a part of those hardships?”

“I beat you into the ground on a regular basis, so I don’t mind that as much.” Evangeline chuckled before turning to Konoka. “By the way Konoka, I have a message for you from Eishun.”

“Eh?” Konoka asked. “From Father?”

Evangeline sighed and nodded. “Now that you know the truth, if it is your wish, he’d like me to teach you all about magic. It’s a pain, but I unfortunately still owe him a favor. Certainly with your power, you could aim to become a magister magi.”

“Magi…” Konoka muttered, astounded. “You mean like what Negi-kun is aiming for.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Sunset said, leaning back and staring at the ceiling. “Healing is a unique and powerful gift.”

Evangeline nodded. “Yeah, with your power, you could be useful to the world. You should give it some thought.”

She then turned to Negi. “Next up is you, boy. In order to decide the direction of your training from now on, I’m going to let you choose your own combat style.”

Negi tilted his head. “Combat… style?”

Evangeline nodded, holding up two fingers. “From the battle during the school trip, I have thought of two paths you could pursue. Let me simplify things for you. First is the ‘wizard’ style. Leaving your defense almost entirely to your disciples, you would use strong spells from the backline. It’s a pretty stable style.”

Sunset’s eyes narrowed into a glare. Yeah, and a damn cowardly one.

“Then there’s the ‘magic swordsman’ style,” Evangeline continued. “To supplement your magic, you would train your body so you could fight alongside your disciples in the front line. You would also use spells with an emphasis on speed. It’s a freeform style capable of change.”

“It also doesn’t leave you helpless if someone does manage to get past your disciples,” Sunset added. “You can still learn powerful spells and cast them from the rear when needed, but it covers any chinks in your armor and defences.”

Evangeline raised an eyebrow. “True, but it also means long hours dedicated to physical and martial training. And it isn’t a one-hour for one-hour trade; a magic swordsman typically has a spell repertoire less than a fifth the size of an equally seasoned wizard.”

“A large repertoire is useless if you can’t utilize it because you’re getting run through with a sword or punched in the face,” Sunset countered. “And a narrower focus allows for greater specialization. Most wizards as you’re describing them would cast a wide but shallow net, delving into every school and element they have the least bit of proficiency with. A jack of all trades, but a master of none. Meanwhile, a magic swordsman narrows her focus into a few complimentary paths, letting her delve deeply into them and master them completely.”

“Which also makes her very easy to counter,” Evangeline snapped. “An expert pyromancer will fallter before even a minorly-seasoned hydromancer. Wizards have a spell for every situation and are never left in a bind they can’t get out of.”

“The best pyromancer in the world doesn’t need to worry about hydromancers!” Sunset said, pounding a fist on the table. “She knows her weaknesses and limitations and anticipates that her opponent will know them too. She’ll have techniques and strategies in place specifically designed to counter hydromancy, because she knows that it will be used against her!”

Sunset and Evangeline glared across the table at each other, neither one willing to back down.

“So, um,” Two sets of glaring eyes snapped to Negi, causing him to flinch. “Er, which do you think I should go with?”

Sunset looked away to hide her blush and Evangeline cleared her throat, both having forgotten for a moment the other people in the room. Evangeline ignored Konoka’s giggles as she answered. “Well, there are advantages and disadvantages to each, as we were just… discussing. Personally, I think the wizard style suits a clever person like you.”

Sunset had to grudgingly admit Evangeline’s point as Negi pondered the two options. I mean, if anyone could manage to cover both breadth and depth of study, it would be the child genius. Still, it’s a cowardly style.

“May I ask a question?” Negi eventually asked Evangeline.

“...what is it?”

“What style did the Thousand Master use?”

Evangeline huffed, a small smirk coming to her lips. “I thought you’d ask that. You should know from seeing me and the pale boy fight, as you become strong, the differences between them cease to matter. Wizards learn spells to improve their reflexes and hardiness while magic swordsmen learn more powerful applications of their chosen fields. Having said that, I would say his style was that of a magic swordsman. Even in his early days, he was strong to the extent that he didn’t need any disciples.”

Sunset quirked an eyebrow. “But he had them anyway.”

Evangeline chuckled. “Yeah, and that’s the terrifying part. The Thousand Master was a serious force to be reckoned with, a one-man army at the height of his fame. And his companions were almost as powerful as he was. Legends of their exploits spread like wildfire, and the craziest of them are only slightly exaggerated.”

“How crazy are we talking?”

“In The Massacre of Ten-Thousand Soldiers, they only took out nine-thousand eight-hundred and seventy-six.”

Sunset smiled nostalgically, thinking back on the stories they’d used to spread about her. You know, I think I’d actually like to meet this guy, someday.

“Anyway,” Evangeline said, moving around the table towards the stairs, “you should give it some thought. Konoka, I have more details for you. Come downstairs.”

“Ah, sure.” Konoka gave Setsuna a parting smile before following Evangeline down.

Sunset smirked at Setsuna and leaned across the table. “So?” she probed quietly. “What was that smile about?”

Setsuna blushed and looked away, watching as Negi began going through kenpo forms as he thought. “I-it was just a smile,” she muttered back. “Ojou-sama smiles a lot.”

“She does,” Sunset admitted. “But this time she smiled at you. Just you. Specifically you.”

Setsuna’s blush deepened. “We have been… growing closer these last few days. Spending more time together in casual settings. Even… just the two of us.”

Sunset grinned predatorially. “Really? The two of you spending casual time alone together? Sounds like-”

“I-i-i-i-it’s not like that!” Setsuna risked a glance at Sunset and winced at her triumphant, knowing smirk. “A-at least… I’m sure that Ojou-sama doesn’t see things that way.”

“I’m not so sure.” Sunset’s expression went from teasing to perplexed. “Actually, I’m really not. That girl is surprisingly difficult to read.” She glanced down the table at where Chamo was watching Negi’s practice. “Oy! Rodent! Don’t you have that relationship-sensing junk or whatever?”

Chamo turned a withering glare on Sunset. “You just said that in the most dismissive way you could think of on purpose, didn’t you?”

Sunset shrugged. “So what if I did? You aren’t going to hold back information like that from Setsuna just to spite me. Are you?”

Chamo grumbled a bit before pulling a scroll from seemingly nowhere. “Well, it’s certainly an interesting case,” he muttered, unfurling the scroll and reading it over. “Both platonic and romantic attraction are way up there, but sibling affection and admiration are pretty high, too. Physical attraction is up there, and sexual attraction is as high as can be expected for someone as young and innocent as her. If I had to guess, I’d say that she’d be content with any sort of relationship with you, Setsuna-anesan, so long as the two of you remained close. She’s patient, too, so she has no problem waiting for you to make the first move and set the pace.”

“Seriously?” Sunset sighed and rolled her eyes before glaring at Setsuna. “Konoka is wasted on a spineless worrywart like you, you know that? Most people would kill for a partner who was that accommodating.”

Setsuna bit her lip and looked away. “I’m just…”

“Hey, lay off her, Nichi-anesan!” Chamo said. “Let her figure things out. No need to rush her!”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “This from the creep who wants to get every girl he can to make out with a ten-year-old.”

Chamo shrugged. “The contract between Setsuna-anesan and Konoka-anesan is inevitable at this point. Besides, that’s just a side-interest for me. My main focus is Aniki and his progress, and that means getting him as many powerful allies as possible!”

“You know, that reminds me of something else I’ve been meaning to ask about.” Sunset turned back to Setsuna. “When did you form a contract with Springfield?”

“Kyoto,” she answered. “That final night, after Ojou-sama had been captured and we were surrounded by summoned demons. It gave me the extra edge I needed to help Asuna-san distract them so that Negi-sensei could continue after Ojou-sama.”

“Which do you think is best, Asuna-san?”

Sunset and Setsuna looked over at Negi, having almost forgotten that he was there. Negi had apparently also forgotten that Asuna wasn’t, as he broke down once again. “Aah! That’s right! I got Asuna-san angry!”

Sunset sighed. Springfield pity-party part two. She heard footsteps on the stairs and turned to see Chachamaru and Satomi Hakase climbing up, the latter with a laptop under her arm. “Huh, Robo-Girl and Miss Tactless. What brings you up here during drama-hour?”

Satomi glared at Sunset. “You know, it’s entirely possible to greet someone without insulting them.”

“That hasn’t been my experience.”

“Don’t think too poorly of her,” Chachamaru said. “Casual insults are just how Nichibotsu shows her affection.”

Sunset narrowed her eyes into a light glare. “You know, between you and Makie, I’m at risk of losing my already tenuous reputation as a menace and a threat. So I’d appreciate it if you welded your mouth shut you virus-ridden bucket of bolts.”

“Ah. Such wonderful affection.”

Sunset snorted and rolled her eyes. Chachamaru had aided Evangeline in training Sunset in magical combat, and Sunset was still unsure of what to think of the strange, almost-human automaton. Her personality was dull, almost to the point of non-existence, and she followed Evangeline’s orders almost without question. However, she’d also heard stories around Mahora about Chachamaru’s kindness and selflessness, and she’d seen hints of it in their few conversations. Sunset didn’t like Chachamaru necessarily, but she could imagine the strange robot-girl growing on her.

“Anyway,” Satomi said, pointing, “what’s wrong with Negi-sensei?”

“Negi-sensei and Asuna-san had a fight,” Setsuna explained.

“Springfield went off on an adventure without her,” Sunset added. “But I don’t see how that could have sparked an argument intense enough to reduce him to tears.”

“I don’t understand either!” Negi wailed. “I don’t understand why Asuna-san is so angry!”

“It’s best to analyze the situation in times like this, Sensei,” Satomi said, stepping forward. She opened up her laptop. “Chachamaru, do you still have the audio data from the fight?” Chachamaru nodded and Satomi got to work.

"What are you doing?" Negi asked, curiosity momentarily overcoming panicked grief.

"Downloading Chachamaru's audio data and converting into text," she said. "This'll give us a transcript of your fight that we can go over and look for the root cause of the argument." She clicked a few more times before heading downstairs, returning a moment later with a few sheets of paper which she spread out on the table. "Alright, let's see what we've got here."

Sunset, Setsuna, Chachamaru, and Chamo walked over and began reading as well.

Asuna: I heard the story. You went to Library Island without me, didn’t you?
Negi: Eh?! Uh… well… that’s…
Asuna: Why didn’t you take me with you?
Negi: Well… I didn’t know what kind of dangers we’d be facing, and…
Asuna: I heard about that too! I don’t know about dragons or anything, but there was something really incredible there, right? That was dangerous! Why didn’t you say anything to me, you damn brat?!
Negi: B-Brat? Asuna-san! Asuna-san, you were never involved with us in the first place. I thought we shouldn’t be causing trouble for you all the time, so…
Asuna: N-Never involved?!What are you saying after all this time, Negi-brat?!

Sunset winced. After all the work she’s put in with Setsuna? After Evangeline and Kyoto? Kid, she’s been committed and involved for months. No wonder she’s pissed. If he said that to me… Sunset glared and shook her head. NO! I’d be fine. I don’t want to be involved in every little… She sighed. Oh who am I kidding?

“It seems like she was angry because she was left out,” Chachamaru posited.

“But she should be happy that he didn’t want to put her in any danger!” Satomi countered.

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think she’d be too worried about that.”

“Maybe it’s because he called her a monkey?” Setsuna suggested.

Sunset raised an eyebrow and turned back to the dialogue. Huh. So he did. But it just dissolves into juvenile insults past that. “Shrimp.” “Monkey.” Huh? What’s this… Sunset blushed a little. Wow. Didn’t even know he knew that word. Realizing that the other three were getting farther and farther from the truth, she chimed in again. “You know, it doesn’t really matter what he said to upset her; his course of action is the same no matter what.”

“Eh? Really?” Negi’s eyes shone with hope. “What? What do I need to do?”

Sunset rolled her eyes. Still a kid after all. “Apologize, you idiot.”

“B-but I don’t even know what I did wrong.”

Sunset chuckled. “Kid, you’re going to find in life that when a man and a woman argue, it rarely matters what exactly the man did wrong, if anything. Just apologize for upsetting her and ask her what it was that made her so mad. Asuna’s a reasonable person when her temper isn’t up; she’ll open up.”

“That is true,” Chachamaru said, nodding. “When you don’t know the reason, asking the person herself is the best strategy.”

“If it’s Asuna-san,” Setsuna added, “I think she would listen to you. But you have to face her and apologize first.”

Negi looked from girl to girl, a wide grin splitting his face. “Y-you’re right! I need to apologize! Okay!” He pulled a cell phone from his pocket and made the call. “Now that I’ve decided… huh? She’s not picking up.”

“You could always use the card, Aniki,” Chamo suggested.

“Ah! That’s right!” Negi quickly pulled out Asuna’s pactio card. “I’ll summon her and talk to her face to face! Um…” He blushed as he realized that everyone was still watching him. “I… I’m going outside.”

The girls giggled as Negi rushed out. That boy, Sunset thought, shaking her head. I sometimes forget that he’s still just a kid.

“So, you didn’t call him ‘Springfield’ this time.”

Sunset looked over to see Setsuna raising a knowing eyebrow at him. “What can I say?” Sunset shrugged. “This wasn’t a mage thing. When it comes to dealing with other people, a kid is a kid. Doesn’t mean I’ll go any easier on him when it comes to more serious matters.”

“If you say so.” Setsuna glanced through the papers one more time. “Still, I can’t believe he called Asuna-san a-”

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

The girls exchanged looks of surprise before rushing to the window.

“...huh. I guess Asuna-san was in the shower when he called.”

“And apparently Negi-sensei didn’t realize this when he summoned her.”

“Bad timing that Takahata-sensei happened to be there.”

“Got to say, though, you’ve been teaching Asuna pretty well, Setsuna; I’ve never seen anyone fight that well with a wound-up towel before.”

Arc 5.2: Chapter 36

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“Wh-what are you doing in here?!”

Sunset looked up, staring for a moment at Ayaka’s expression. Flushed. Irritated.

Terrified.

Yes, Sunset thought, looking down at the object in her hands as she tightened her grip. This would be perfect.

*****

Sunset yawned as she slouched in the limo, her feet propped up on the couch-like seat. She had to admit, she was impressed. Even the royal carriages in Canterlot weren’t as needlessly opulent as this, with plenty of room to stretch, plush seating, and a mini-fridge stuffed with drinks and snacks. She’s made sure to be as messy as possible with the mini-cakes and sodas without making it too obvious that it was intentional.

I hope you appreciate the effort that this is going to take, she thought, letting her soda spill just a little as the limo turned a corner that she should have been able to easily compensate for. Being a bad guest without being so bad you kick me out immediately is no easy feat.

Finally, the limo pulled to a stop alongside a towering wall. Sunset quickly drained the last of her soda before crumpling the can and tossing it on the floor. She waited until the driver was just outside and reaching for the door before shoving it open. She stepped out, stretched, and let out a long, loud yawn.

“Ah. Nichibotsu-san.” Sunset looked over to see Ayaka standing next to a large gate, dressed in an elegant white sundress. The class representative wrinkled her nose at Sunset’s behavior before schooling her face back into a pleasant smile. “I hope the ride over was pleasant.”

Sunset shrugged. “Yeah, it was okay.” She stole a glance back at the interior of the limo before slamming the door. “Sorry about the mess, though.”

The driver’s irritation was well-hidden, but Sunset was used to well-trained servants and saw the slight narrowing of his eyes at her. Ayaka apparently noticed it too, as she cast a slightly worried glance at the limo.

Perfect.

“Not a problem, I’m sure.” Ayaka gestured towards the gate. “Shall we head inside? I have tea set up in my room.” She eyed Sunset up and down. “Though I’m surprised you decided to wear your uniform for a casual get-together.”

Sunset shrugged. “I don’t have any other clothes,” she admitted. “Just a few sets of this and my pyjamas. Doesn’t really bother me; I’m almost never off-campus anyway.”

“My! How awful!” Ayaka shook her head. “We simply must take you shopping before Golden Week is over!”

Sunset shrugged again and walked up to the gate. She hesitated a moment, staring up the long drive towards the mansion. The massive, multi-story structure looked like it was pulled straight from victorian England, with two extensive wings extending to either side. The sprawling grounds were well-tended, with paved paths leading through beautiful gardens and around impressive fountains. Trees lined the main road, their broad canopies providing shade while leaving plenty of space between the trunks through which one could enjoy an almost uninterrupted view of the grounds.

Okay, this is actually really impressive, Sunset thought, looking around as Ayaka led her up to the mansion propper. These grounds rival the Royal Canterlot Gardens, and the house is better than most noble vilas I’ve seen. Honestly, this whole place is nothing short of magnificent.

“Not very traditional, is it?” Sunset asked as they walked. “I mean, it’s pretty, I guess, but a lot of people must consider a European house in Japan to be a bit of an eyesore.”

Ayaka’s shoulders stiffened for just a moment. “Actually, the town rather seems to enjoy the foreign appeal. It’s an exotic look, after all.”

“Exotic. Sure. Let’s go with that.” Sunset barely held in a snicker at Ayaka’s tensed jaw.

“In any case, we’d best head inside. The tea is steeping and should be ready just as we arrive.” Ayaka led the way inside, the better to hide her face. Sunset could guess what was displayed there: a combination of frustration with Sunset, resignation, and regret at having ever extended the invitation for tea.

“I was kind of surprised at the invite,” Sunset offered as they made their way through the long, high-ceilinged hallways of the manor. “I got the impression that you didn’t like me that much.”

“Your first impression did leave a little to be desired,” Ayaka admitted, and Sunset took it as a victory that she’d been able to wrest the minor insult from her so quickly. “But several of our classmates have vouched for you since then, and you do seem to have become less confrontational as of late.” She sighed. “And besides, very few in our class seem to share my taste for the finer things, and I couldn’t help but overhear some of your conversations with Miyazaki-san about your appreciation for European high society.”

“What can I say?” Sunset asked. “I might enjoy roughing it up in the boxing ring, but that doesn’t mean I can’t like refined things too. And Europe just seems so… nostalgic, somehow. I wouldn’t be surprised if I had some ties there that I can’t remember.”

Ayaka seemed to accept the explanation without question, and Sunset rolled her eyes. It hadn’t been difficult to fake an interest in European high society; for some reason, it seemed to mirror Canterlot noble society almost perfectly. All she’d had to do was memorize a few Family and brand names, and it had been a cinch to convince anyone who she “just happened” to be talking around that she was a connoisseur of all things prim and proper. It hadn’t taken long at all for her to manipulate Ayaka into inviting her over for tea, especially as she’d been sure to be on her best behavior following the school trip.

“Here we are,” Ayaka said, leading Sunset into a sitting room furnished in soft, light colors that exuded a feeling of spring. Sunset kept her expression disinterested as she inwardly admired the beautiful floral themes and elegant affluence. A side door led deeper into the mansion, no doubt to Ayaka’s bedchambers. A small table set for two sat in the middle of the room, angled to give a breathtaking view of the extensive gardens that continued behind the house.

“So, Nichibotsu-san,” Ayaka said, sitting down and gesturing for Sunset to do the same, “how have you been adjusting to the class?”

Sunset sat down with one leg up on the chair, noting the irritation in Ayaka’s eyes at her lack of proper posture. “It’s been going well. I’m near the top of the class, club activities keep me busy, and the idiots around me are more tolerable every day.” She plucked a couple of sugarcubes from a bowl and plopped them into her tea, stirring it loudly with her spoon. “The ones who don’t hate my guts, that is.”

Ayaka’s jaw tensed with every loud *clink* that Sunset’s spoon made against the side of her cup. “I’m sure that no-one actually, erm, hates you,” she said diplomatically. “You’ve simply rubbed them the wrong way. Give them time; more of the class comes around you each week, it seems.”

Yeah, that’s the problem. Sunset put down her spoon and took a loud slurp of her tea. Too sweet. Dang it, this tastes like it would have been a great blend. She grabbed a couple more sugarcubes, tossing one into her tea and the other into her mouth. “I guess,” she said around the sugar as she began stirring again. “I just wish it weren’t so hard to find intelligent conversation partners. I mean, the Library Expedition girls are great, but everyone else is either utterly unmotivated academically or incapable of human interaction.”

Ayaka took a sip of her own tea, half to hide her displeasure at Sunset’s lack of manners. “Oh? And what about Izumi-san? I hear that you’ve begun spending time with her, too.”

Sunset’s spoon stopped and she hesitated. “Well… maybe not all of them are that bad.” She quickly drained her tea, hiding a grimace at its cloying sweetness. “Still, it’s nice to get away from all the chaos and child molestation. I swear, if the genders involved were reversed, you all would be in prison for how you’ve treated Springfield.”

Ayaka’s cup hit its saucer with almost enough force to crack it. Sunset held back a wince. Crap. Did I go too far? I don’t think I’ve done enough to get her to rant about this to the rest of the class.

“Well, I think we’re rather done with the tea,” Ayaka said, her tone carefully measured. “Unless you’d like another cup?”

“Er, no thanks,” Sunset mumbled. “I’m good.” Actually, I’d love to actually try it the right way, but something tells me we need to move on if I don’t want this to end too quickly. “You were going to give me a tour of the place next, right?”

Ayaka took a deep breath, and Sunset could tell that she was debating whether to cancel the rest of the day. “Yes,” she finally said, somehow managing to wrestle a smile onto her face. “Of course. Leave everything here; one of my maids will take care of cleaning up.”

Sunset nodded and stood. She kept her antagonism to a minimum as Ayaka showed her around, making her barbs small and her insults subtle. Eventually, Ayaka led her to the mansion’s recreation areas.

“And this is our pool,” Ayaka said, leading Sunset into a large room, its walls mostly made of glass and its temperature maintained higher than the rest of the house. “I usually swim for exercise at least once a week.”

“Nice,” Sunset said. “Though with how obviously excessively affluent the rest of the house is, I expected this to be olympic-sized at least. This looks downright normal.”

Ignoring the barb about “excessive affluence,” Ayaka asked, “You were expecting this room?”

Sunset nodded. “Asuna told me a bit about this place the other day. She said she always took the chance to go for a swim whenever she came over.” She shot Ayaka a grin. “What do you say? A quick swim before we finnish the tour?”

Ayaka hesitated. “I… admit, I wasn’t planning on swimming today. Maybe some other time-”

“Oh come on,” Sunset pleaded. “The swimming club always seems to be using the pools at school, and it’s been ages since I’ve been deep enough in Library Island to use the lakes down there.”

“Well, I suppose… wait.” Ayaka shook her head. “Library Island has-”

“Great!” Sunset began stripping off her clothes, flinging them over to Ayaka. “Asuna said you keep the water at the perfect temperature for swimming. Here’s hoping she was right!”

“W-wait a minute!” Ayaka shouted, finally losing her composure a little as she pulled Sunset’s skirt off of her head. “Let me get you a swimsuit at least! There’s no reason for you to get your undergarments soaked!”

Sunset considered that point for a minute, clad only in her bra and panties. “I guess. I mean, it would be a pain to have to wait for them to dry.”

“Exactly!” Ayaka let out a sigh of relief and turned away. “I’ll be right back with-”

She was cut off as she felt something impact the back of her head. “Geronimo!” Ayaka turned as a loud splash sounded, looking down to find Sunset’s undergarments at her feet. “NICHIBOTSU-SAN!”

Sunset surfaced and floated on her back for a bit, exposing her naked body to the air. “Ah, that feels good. Perfect temperature, just like she said.” She looked up at Ayaka and smirked. “Come on, class rep. It’s just us girls here. No need to bother with swimsuits, right?” Her smirk turned slightly lecherous. “Unless your staff has a habit of peeking on your guests.”

Ayaka’s face turned beet-red, and she couldn’t help but shoot a glance towards the still-open doors. “Th-that’s not the only issue!” she stammered. “I-it’s completely inappropriate! And this room is full of windows, besides! What if someone just happens to be walking by? What about the gardeners?”

Sunset shrugged, standing up in the water. “What about them? I don’t mind if they get a bit of a show. Not like I minded if anyone saw me swimming beneath Library Island. Come on! The water’s great!” With that, she turned and began swimming in earnest.

Ayaka let loose a long sigh before turning for the door. “I’ll be right back,” she muttered, before closing the door behind her.

Sunset kept swimming for a minute, making sure that Ayaka was really gone before pulling herself out of the water. “Right,” she muttered, “that should just about do it. Now for the finishing touch.” A quick flare of her ki saw her dry and she quickly dressed again. She pressed her ear to the door and, hearing nothing, snuck out into the hall.

Her parents’ room should do, she thought. Find their jewelry, try it on, get “caught” with it and give an “unconvincing” excuse about just trying it. She’ll think me a would-be thief without the hard evidence to back up her accusation, and her rage should be enough to influence the rest of the class. At the very least, those who are less determined will stay away from me. She sighed as she made her way upstairs. Makes me wonder if all of this is actually worth it? I mean, is all of this really taking less effort than it would take to be cordial to the rest of the class? She considered the wild and unpredictable antics of her classmates and winced as she darted down a hallway towards the east wing of the house. It’s telling that I can’t really answer that.

She quickly found Ayaka’s rooms again and began making her way further down the hall. “Should be one of these,” she muttered, checking one door and finding some sort of den or study. “Residential rooms are usually grouped together, especially for family members.” She opened another door and froze.

This room was decorated as if for a child. A very young child. Sunset stepped inside, curious and confused; Negi’s records said that Ayaka didn’t have any siblings. Blue wallpaper with various animals covered the walls. A bright blue crib sat against one wall, a blanket patterned with trains sitting within. Stuffed animals of all shapes and sizes lay all around, a few juvenile board games sitting up on some shelves next to a small chest of drawers. The room looked carefully, lovingly put together.

It was also unused. A fine layer of dust covered everything, the curtains drawn and the lights off. Sunset walked over to the dresser and examined the pictures there; one a picture of Ayaka’s family, taken when she was about 6, it looked like; another of Ayaka alone. A lone teddy bear sat on the dresser, obviously well-loved by the signs of wear and tear. Sunset picked it up and gave the room another sweeping look. Another look at the bear. Another look at the family picture: the father beaming with pride, the daughter almost bouncing with excitement, the mother positively glowing with her hand resting on her belly…

“Oh.”

“Wh-what are you doing in here?!”

Sunset looked up, startled to find Ayaka standing in the doorway. She stared for a moment at Ayaka’s expression. Flushed from her run up here. Irritated at Sunset leaving, on top of every other annoyance throughout the day.

Terrified at finding her in this most sacred of rooms.

A baby’s room. What should have been her sibling’s room. Her brother, by the color scheme. Sunset looked down at the bear in her hands and tightened her grip. Yes, this would be perfect. This would cement it, wouldn’t it. Let her know once and for all that I’m an irredeemable monster. Just a little damage. A small tear in this toy. This toy that must have been hers, once. That she was going to give to her brother.

Sunset stared at the bear for another moment. And slowly, gently, put it down. She walked past Ayaka, not looking her in the eye. “I’m sorry,” she muttered, and she made her way out of the mansion.

*****

“Nichi-chan? Are you okay?”

“Mph.”

“It’s just, you seem kind of down since you got back from the class rep’s house.”

“Mph.”

“Did… did something happen?”

“...mph.”

*****

The sun had just gone down when the knock sounded at their door. Yue answered, surprised to find Ayaka standing outside in simple jeans and a t-shirt. “Class rep,” she said. “It’s late.”

Ayaka nodded. “I’m aware. However, I have unfinished business with your roommate. May I come in?”

Yue shrugged and stepped aside, allowing Ayaka to enter. She found Sunset laying on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. “Nichibotsu-san?”

Sunset’s eyes slowly turned to Ayaka before just as languidly turning back to the ceiling. “Mph.”

Nodoka sighed, looking up from her book. “She’s been like that since she got back.”

“I see.” Ayaka studied Sunset’s expressionless face for a moment before sighing. “Nichibotsu-san, please come with me.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow, still looking straight up. “Mph?”

“Because we have unfinished business left over from earlier today,” Ayaka answered. “You left before I could say my piece, and I would know why what you saw and came to understand affected you so much.”

“Mph.”

“I’m not going to drop it.” Ayaka crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. “So you can either come with me now, or you can hear about this every day until graduation.”

“Mph.”

“...there will be sake.”

“...mph?”

“No, not amasake. Sake. And something harder, if we need it.”

“...mph.”

Sunset stood up, nodded to Yue and Nodoka, and followed Ayaka out of the room. Nodoka and Yue stared in amazement as the door closed behind them. The room was silent for a moment before Nodoka spoke. “How?”

Yue shrugged. “She does manage to talk with Zazie-chan well enough, even over the phone. I guess grunts are a little more expressive.”

Nodoka considered that for a moment before nodding. “Mph.”

*****

“So, how exactly are we getting away with this?”

Ayaka took a sip of her sake before answering. “My family finances this establishment. I occasionally come here to blow off steam, as it were, and the owner is gracious enough to let it go without saying anything.”

Sunset hummed in response as she took a drink of her whiskey. “Nice to have connections like that.”

“You would know, wouldn’t you?”

“Mph.”

“Oh, none of that.” Ayaka glared at Sunset. “The jig is up, as they say. You don’t have a reaction like that without some substance behind it, and you don’t get that sort of substance without a powerful memory or two.” She took another sip of her sake. “I won’t ask why you’re faking amnesia, or what exactly your goal is in joining our class, but you could at least acknowledge that the facade has fallen away.”

Sunset was silent for a minute before draining her glass. “Fair enough,” she muttered as she lifted the bottle, pouring out another measure of amber liquid. “If nothing else, my preference in drink would have cemented your suspicions. So? What did you want to know, if not my reasons for keeping up a facade?”

“Who was it for you?”

“...right to the heart of the matter, huh?” Sunset took another drink and looked around. They sat in the corner of a small, hole in the wall bar. Were it not for the expensive collection of spirits and the well-kept air of the place, Sunset would have thought it a dive. The place was empty save for the bartender, who was busy wiping down a glass that Sunset was certain all bartenders kept just beneath the counter for times when they had nothing to do and wanted to maintain the right atmosphere. It was the sort of place that the stallions in her battalion would have dragged her off to after a particularly long mission to drink their cares away as they laughed and sang and traded brags about their latest success.

Eventually, Sunset realized that Ayaka wasn’t going to let her get away with not answering her question. She took another sip of whiskey before sighing. “My parents. I was just a kid, and there was a fire. It was my fault.”

Ayaka put a hand to her mouth, which did a poor job of hiding her shock. “Oh, Nichibotsu-san. I’m sure it wasn’t-”

Sunset looked her dead in the eye. “It. Was. My. Fault.” When she was sure Ayaka wouldn’t argue, she continued. “I was a kid, and I didn’t know what I was doing. But still… yeah. My brother pulled me out just in time.”

Ayaka nodded and looked down at the table. “Childbirth complications. He lived for three minutes, twenty-three seconds. I never even got to see him.”

“My life’s been pretty good, all things considered,” Sunset muttered, staring into her glass. “Things happened that wouldn’t have happened otherwise. Opportunities.”

“My parents gave me so much love and affection,” Ayaka whispered. “Even more so afterwards. And it’s been ten years.”

“You think time will take the pain away,” Sunset agreed. “Make it more bearable. But that stupid little thought sticks in the back of your head…”

“What if?”

Sunset nodded. “Guess that’s why you cling to Springfield so tightly. Heh.” She shook her head. “You should know, real siblings grow out of that ‘you’re my precious little pumpkin’ phaze pretty quickly.”

Ayaka shrugged. “Yes, well, I never had the opportunity to experience it myself, so…”

They sat in silence for a while, broken only be the pouring of liquid.

“Damn it,” Sunset eventually muttered. “This means we have to start liking each other now, doesn’t it?”

“I certainly hope not!” Ayaka answered, sticking her nose in the air. “I don’t know about you, Nichibotsu-san, but I hardly find this an experience worthy of friendship.”

Sunset snorted. “You can drop the honorifics. We’re sitting in a bar drinking to the memory of our dead relatives. Calling me by name is the least you could take away from this.”

Ayaka chuckled, shaking her head. “Very well, Nichibotsu. Still, friends we may not be, but I still feel we need not be enemies.” She downed the rest of her sake and stood. “In the spirit of that, why don’t you join me and Negi-sensei for a little Golden Week excursion. We’re flying out to my family’s resort in the south pacific tomorrow, and I don’t believe you’ve ever had the chance to visit the ocean.”

Sunset considered that for a moment before knocking back the rest of her glass. “Sure, why not?” She stood up, grabbing the whiskey bottle as she did so. “I’ll even try to stay out of your way so you can enjoy your little pseudo-romantic retreat.”

Ayaka rolled her eyes and nodded to the bartender as they left. “I thought I cleared up how I see Negi-sensei.”

“Right. Pseudo-insestuous retreat, then.”

Ayaka punched her in the arm, but there was a wry smile on her face as they began walking back towards campus.

Arc 5.2: Chapter 37

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“So, this is your island.”

“Yes.”

“Your family’s private island.”

“Yes.”

“Your family’s private island that no-one can visit without your family’s permission.”

“Supposedly.”

“...so how did they-”

“I DON’T KNOW!!!”

Sunset chuckled and shook her head, smirking out at the beach before them. She, Ayaka, and Negi had touched down on this small, tropical island only a couple of minutes before. A quick direction from Ayaka had led them to a pristine, white-sanded beach, bordered by tropical forest on one side and crystal-blue ocean on the other. The very picture of an isolated tropical paradise.

And breaking up this picturesque image was most of class 3-A, already diving carelessly into the ocean.

“What on Earth is this?” Ayaka growled, clenching her fist and glaring out at the water as if she wished it would somehow catch fire. “My plan to get all alone with Negi-sensei in a tropical paradise is… is…”

“Secrets don’t stay secret for long in this class,” Sunset replied. “Asakura probably knew before you even invited me. Yue and Honya were already packing suitcases when I got back.” She placed a hand on Ayaka’s shoulder. “Relax, Class Rep; they’re here anyway, so we might as well enjoy ourselves.”

Ayaka looked sideways at Sunset, then followed her gaze out to the girls. Particularly, to Chizuru and Haruna and their exceptional physical gifts. Her eyes narrowed. “I’m afraid I wouldn’t ‘enjoy’ your particular brand of… people-watching.”

Sunset shrugged, admiring the many bikini-clad forms splashing about in the water. “Your loss.”

Ayaka sighed before stomping down the beach, apparently determined to give a certain student reporter a chewing-out. Sunset watched her go, admiring her body as well. Damn, what is it with the girls in this class? They’re just middle-schoolers, but they’re better built than most adults! Then again, I don’t look too bad myself. She looked down and admired once again the bikini she’d purchased while shopping with Ayaka early that morning. The teal two-piece matched her eyes and did a great job of showing off her curves. Not as voluptuous as Chizurz’s, perhaps, but certainly more enticing than most of the class.

Now if only there were some guys here who could appreciate it. Her eyes scanned up and down the beach, searching each of the girls’ faces for some familiar sign: a straying eye, a flushed pair of cheeks, anything to indicate attraction or arousal. Unfortunately for her, there was none to be found. Every smile, every bit of contact, every look was completely platonic. She cast a glance over to Setsuna but was unsurprised to see that she had eyes only for Konoka.

Figures. She sighed. An entire class of extremely attractive girls, and not an open filly-fooler in the bunch. Sometimes I hate this world.

“Eh?! What?! Another breast-size competition?!”

...sometimes I love this world. Sunset raced down towards the ocean, ready to enjoy this vacation for all it was worth.

*****

The hours passed lazily. Sunset spent as much time playing in the sand as she did swimming in the surf. After an impromptu - and slightly humiliating - race against Akira, Sunset found herself lazily wandering the beach, enjoying the sound of the crashing waves and the natural beauty of the island.

It really is nice here, she thought. It’s been a long time since I visited the coast. Must have been the last time I visited Sunshine, three… four… Sunset stopped and stared out at the ocean. Specifically, at the sunlight that glinted and shimmered off of its surface. “I… I wonder if he even knows I left, yet?” A long moment passed as she tried to remember the last time she’d even seen her older brother. The last Hearthswarming she had spent abroad, and the one before that Sunshine had been hospitalized following a nasty apartment fire. Had they gotten together the year before? The year before that? She couldn’t remember, and, for the first time, she began to feel guilty about having left through the portal so abruptly. About leaving Sunshine. And…

“If I say I’m not going to do it, then I’m not going to do it!”

Sunset was snapped out of her reverie. She looked up the beach to see Asuna stomping in her direction across the sand, Konoka and Setsuna in pursuit.

“Come on, Asuna,” Konoka pleaded. “Why don’t you just forgive Negi-sensei already?”

“I’ll forgive that brat when he actually apologizes!” Asuna snapped.

“Negi-sensei doesn’t even seem to realize what it is that he did wrong,” Setsuna pointed out.

“WELL HE’LL JUST HAVE TO!”

Sunset chuckled and shook her head. Good to know I’m not the only one having sibling issues, I guess. “That’s hardly fair, Asuna.” Asuna and Konoka started, not having noticed Sunset. “He’s just a kid, after all; you can hardly expect him to understand what has you upset if someone doesn’t explain it to him.”

Asuna harrumphed and turned her nose up. “Why don’t you tell him then?”

“Because watching the chaos is more fun.” Sunset chuckled at Konoka’s disapproving glare. “I’ll talk with him later. But really, Asuna, shouldn’t you be the bigger person here? He’s only ten, after all.”

Asuna glared off to the side. “S-so what?! He acts so adult all the time about everything else. Let him figure this out like an adult too.”

Sunset smirked. “I think you’ll find as you get older that no male, no matter how aged and experienced with the world and its inhabitants, can pierce the mystery that is the female mind.” She shrugged. “But hey, we’re on a tropical island to have fun, aren’t we? So let’s go have some fun.”

Konoka sighed. “I guess you’re right. Let’s get back to the others and-”

“Asuna-san! Asuna-saaaan!”

Ayaka was sprinting towards them, panting as she stared desperately at Asuna. “B-big trouble!” she shouted as she got close. “Negi-sensei has his foot caught in the deep water! He’s going to drown!”

Asuna paled.

“Which way?!” she demanded, sprinting down the beach. “I’ll- ACK!”

Sunset let go of Asuna’s pigtails and raised an eyebrow at Ayaka. “Really? You expected this to work?”

Ayaka took a step back, her eyes wide. “Wh-what? What are you-”

“Springfield isn’t nearly so helpless as to get caught by something as simple as a riptide,” Sunset said, waving her off. “Let me guess. Some sort of elaborate ‘Asuna saves Sensei and then they make up’ plan?”

Asuna’s panic swiftly melted into anger as she turned on Ayaka. “Is this true?”

Ayaka looked back and forth between Asuna and Sunset, raising her hands defensively. “W-well, I didn’t, that is-”

“I can’t believe you! Ugh!” Asuna turned and continued stomping down the beach past Sunset. “Why is everyone so determined to make me forgive that idiot?!”

Ayaka sighed as Asuna stalked off and glared at Sunset. “Well, I hope you’re happy.”

“Trust me,” Sunset said. “It’s better this way. Whatever you have cooked up, Asuna would sniff it out once Springfield was ‘safe.’ And then she would have been even angrier at him. At least this way she’s just angry at you, and - unlike Springfield - you know why and can properly apologize for it later.”

Ayaka groaned. “You seem remarkably determined to keep them from reconciling.”

It was Sunset’s turn to glare. “It just so happens that I would prefer them reconciled. Fun as it is to watch Springfield flounder, an upset Asuna and a crybaby Springfield will get annoying quickly. And unlike most of the rest of you, I actually have experience with-” Her mouth snapped shut, her eyes going wide.

“Experience with what?” Ayaka asked. Understanding slowly dawned, and with it, anger. “You-”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Sunset said quickly, raising her hands placatingly. “I didn’t mean you specifically. I’m sorry. That was tactless.”

Ayaka glared at Sunset for a minute before sighing and looking away. “Yes. I suppose you’re right. No offence taken.” She turned and started walking back towards the rest of the class. “I suppose I’ll leave this to you, then.”

Sunset sighed, half in relief and half in exasperation. Great. Now it’s my job.

“What was that?” Sunset winced at Setsuna’s question. “I’ve never seen the class rep that mad before.”

Sunset hesitated, and was surprised to see Konoka hesitating as well. Does she know about it too? From being friends with Asuna? “That’s not really my place to say,” Sunset answered, turning to follow Asuna. “You two head back to the rest; I’ll calm Asuna down.”

They acquiesced without question, for which Sunset was grateful. Her mind turned to Negi and Asuna’s relationship as she jogged down the beach. Inevitably, those thoughts drifted again to thoughts of her brother. Summer was the worst time of the year for firefighters across Equestria. Was Sunshine doing alright? Had he come up to visit their parents for the holidays after she’d left? Had he come up to Canterlot Castle afterwards to seek her out? Had Celestia told him what she’d done?

Did she want her to have?

Sunset shook her head to dispel those thoughts. No! I was in the right to leave! She was holding me back, and this was the only way to actually advance towards my destiny! Once I’m an alicorn, I’ll have all the time in the world to spend with Sunshine.

Unless you spend so long trying to ascend that he has no time left himself.

Sunset shuddered at the unbidden thought. She shook her head again, more rapidly. That wouldn’t happen. It couldn’t. It…

“Look! I don’t want to hear it!” Sunset snapped out of her reverie to see that she’d caught up to an irate Asuna. “I get it. She was just trying to help. But I just don’t want to deal with anything to do with Negi right now.”

Sunset blinked a couple of times as she tried to get her mind back on track. “Huh? Oh!” She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well, like I said, it was a dumb idea. And so is trying to talk you down when you’re like this.” She sped up a bit to get ahead of Asuna. “So let’s focus on something else! There’s something I’ve been meaning to try since Kyoto, and I need a spotter.”

Asuna raised an irate eyebrow, curiosity barely cooling her anger. “A spotter?”

Sunset shrugged. “What I have in mind is… potentially dangerous. I think I’ll be alright, but if I hit the water wrong, it could knock me out. And then it’s a one-way ticket to... “ She frowned. “I’ll have to borrow Honya’s diary to get that translation. Anyway, you get the point.”

“I… guess?” Asuna still seemed confused, but at least the anger was dissipating. “What exactly did you want to try?”

“You remember when that Fate kid blasted me out over the water and I lost my wand?”

Asuna snickered. “Yeah, and then you rocketed yourself right into that demon’s giant abbs.”

Sunset managed to keep her blush to a minimum. “Right. That. I want to make sure that next time that happens, I have enough control to not crash headfirst into a wall of rock-hard demonic muscle.”

Asuna got control of her snickering, but she was still smirking as she looked at Sunset. “So, that’s what you want to try? Rocket boots?”

Sunset shrugged. “Pretty much. I mean, Chachamaru has them, so it’s definitely possible. I just need to figure out how much force to use, how to stabilize myself-”

“How to land without crashing.”

Sunset cleared her throat. “Yes, well, there’s a reason I’m planning to practice out over the ocean. If it looks like I’m going to crash, I’ll cut off the fire and try to land safely in the water. But there’s always the chance I don’t cut off in time and hit the water wrong.”

Asuna nodded. “So you need someone who can swim out and drag you out of the water in case you knock yourself out.”

“Exactly. What do you say?”

Asuna sighed. “Well, it gives me something to do besides trying to dodge everyone telling me to make up with Negi.” She smirked again. “Plus, seeing you faceplant in the water over and over should be fun.”

“Ha!” Sunset returned the smirk. “You just watch! I bet I’ll get the basics down on the third try!”

*****

It took three tries just to get Sunset flying long enough to crash into the water instead of the sand. Another half dozen before she was able to get far enough out to not hit the wet sand beneath the waves when she crashed. Another half-hour before she could maintain even basic control of her flightpath. And another hour after that before they realized that they had no idea how to cover up the circles of glass that Sunset’s repeated take-offs had produced in the sand.

“I mean, everyone who knows about magic won’t really question it,” Asuna said, glaring down at one of the circles, “but everyone else will get really suspicious.”

“I’d say to just leave them since we’re so far from everyone else,” Sunset muttered, “but that won’t work with Ayaka; her family will find them eventually, and I doubt it will take too long for her to remember that we spent a significant amount of time over here alone.”

Asuna nodded. “So… how do we explain it?”

“...aliens?”

“Works for me.”

Sunset chuckled. Ayaka wouldn’t buy it for a second, but it would suffice to tell her that, yes, they were responsible, and no, they weren’t going to tell her why or how it happened.

“Anyway,” Asuna siad, looking back up at Sunset, “want to give it another go?”

Sunset groaned and rubbed her shoulder. Her last attempt had been a rough landing. “Nah. I think I’m going to hold off until we get back and ask Chachamaru for help. I’ve got the basic ideas down, but adjusting it all so that it resembles actual flight instead of desperate aerial flailing will take some expert guidance.” She sighed. “Pegasi have it so much easier.”

“I thought you used to be a unicorn,” Asuna asked as they started back towards the main resort.

“I was,” Sunset confirmed. “But I’ve heard them talk about how they learn to fly.” She smirked. “Their parents take them to a high cloud and kick them off. The only pieces of advice they give as their child screams and flails are ‘Flap your wings!’ and ‘Flap harder!’ Apparently, it works.”

Asuna stared at Sunset in horror. “They… have spotters below in case it doesn’t though, right?”

“Of course.”

“Thank goodness.”

They shared a laugh before lapsing into silence, each lost in her own thoughts. Sunset’s turned back to Equestria again, wondering if there was anything she knew about pegasus magic that could help her here. Wondering if she could get the Butterfly Wing spell to work here. Wondering if Sunshine was doing okay…

She sighed, half in melancholy and half in exasperation. If Asuna noticed, she had the grace not to mention it. What’s wrong with me today? Is seeing Asuna and Springfield at odds really getting me this worked up about me and Sunshine? I mean, I know that just up and vanishing like I did has got to have hurt him, and he’ll probably be right there when I come back, ready to berate me… I hope.

Sunset’s expression turned from melancholy to nervous. Will he be there, though? What if… what if he’s just written me off by now? Just one more bad decision on top of the pile. He probably blames me for falling out of touch. He probably still blames me for-

Sunset shook her head violently, glaring out across the sea at nothing. Get it together, Sunset! You know he doesn’t blame you for that! You worked through that years ago! But… still, falling out of contact was on me. I… I really need to make things up to him when I get back.

But first… “You really need to make up with Springfield, you know.”

Asuna sighed, though it was more weary than angry. “You too? Why does everyone-”

“Don’t compare me to everyone else,” Sunset snapped. She took a deep breath. “Look, I get it. I know what it’s like for siblings to fight.” Asuna grunted at the word “siblings,” but Sunset ignored it. “And I also know that this is eating you up as much as it’s eating at him, no matter how much fire and indignation you use to cover it up.” She raised an eyebrow at Asuna. “Am I wrong?”

Asuna looked away, but didn’t deny it.

“Go talk with him,” Sunset said. “Explain exactly what it is he said that made you so angry. Tell him that he made you feel like an unwanted pest; you know that’s not what he meant by it, and you know he’ll feel terrible as soon as he realizes it.” Sunset placed a hand on Asuna’s shoulder and turned the other girl to face her.

“Asuna, don’t let something like a petty misunderstanding linger and fester between you. You’re better than that, and he deserves better than that.”

Asuna stared into Sunset’s eyes, surprised at the force in her voice. She nodded slowly. “O-okay.”

Sunset nodded back and they continued back to the rest of the class.

*****

“So, Negi-sensei and Asuna-san are making up?”

Sunset nodded, taking a sip of her juice. “Unless one of them messes it up again, yeah.” She, Nodoka, and Yue sat at a table beneath an umbrella, shielded from the early afternoon heat. Most of their classmates were still playing on the beach, with a few having retired to their rooms to nap. A general lazy air hung over the villa.

“But I don’t think that’ll happen,” Sunset continued, leaning back in her chair and staring up the beach where Asuna and Negi had wandered. “Asuna’s really calmed down, and Springfield’s had time to relax away from her. They’ll be fine.” She turned her attention back to her friends. “So, what did you two want to talk about?”

Nodoka and Yue shared glances before Nodoka blushed nervously. “Um, well, we were kind of wondering if you’d figured out when you were going to start teaching us.”

Sunset chuckled. “Eager, are we?”

“Yes.”

Sunset was taken aback for a moment by Yue’s unhesitant affirmation. “Oh. Um, good, I guess.” She cleared her throat. “Anyway, yes. We can start anytime. I was actually planning to start you two off as soon as Golden Week was over, but I suppose I can give you the basic rundown now.” Yue and Nodoka leaned forward eagerly, causing Sunset to chuckle again.

“There are three basic parts to your magic training,” she said, holding up a single finger. “First, fundamental magical theory. You need to learn the basics of what magic is and how it works. Second,” she extended her thumb, “the practicum. The incantations of individual spells. These will follow an ascension of difficulty and cover a wide range of spellcraft rather than focus on any particular category of magic.” She held up a third finger. “Finally, language. Most of magecraft is based in Latin, from manuals to spellbooks to incantations. Ancient Greek is the second most common, with local languages together taking a distant third. Some mages content themselves with just learning enough Latin to get by, enough to read and pronounce the incantations of the spells they want to learn. Others, like myself, delve deep into fluency. This allows us to craft our own spells and delve deeper into the theory. The former is more suited to practical magic, while the latter is most useful in magical research.

“I’ll be teaching you the fundamentals only,” Sunset continued, lowering her hand. “Grammar and enough vocabulary to understand the spells that you’re casting. The rest will depend on what sort of path your specialty takes you. Any questions so far?”

Yue raised a hand. “Yes. Will we be needing any materials for this class, Hikaru-sensei?”

Sunset rolled her eyes while Nodoka giggled. “Any and all materials required for this class will be provided by your professor, Ayase-chan.” She waved her hand vaguely. “Practice wands. Excerpts from magical texts. Etc. The only things I won’t be providing are supplementary Latin texts if you want to study the language further.”

“But, where are you going to get those?” Nodoka asked.

“The texts will be easy,” Sunset dismissed. “Springfield gave me a full set of instructional texts which I can make copies of. As for wands, I’ll just borrow them from Springfield or Evangeline.”

“And by borrow,” Yue said, raising an eyebrow, “you mean…”

“I mean ‘borrow.’” Sunset shook her head. “I’ve taken advantage of Springfield’s forgiving nature too much as it is. The pactio contract is based on trust and camaraderie; I can’t build those if I keep taking advantage of him. As for Evangeline…” A shiver ran down her spine. “I’m limping out of our training sessions every day as it is. That day Makie pissed her off, I barely survived.” She noted their looks of concern and waved them off. “I’m fine. It’s just that the sort of training I need is… intense under the best of circumstances and gentlest of teachers. But you can see why I don’t want to be putting Evangeline in a bad mood.”

“But wait,” Nodoka’s brow furrowed, “I thought you said that her powers are sealed away at Mahora.”

Sunset hesitated. “They are… usually. There’s a trick she uses. I’ll have to see about letting the two of you in on it; it would make fitting your teaching into our schedules a lot easier, too.”

Yue shrugged. “Quis erit, erit.”

Nodoka giggled while Sunset rolled her eyes. “Show off.”

Arc 5.2: Chapter 38

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“Dios Chucos!”

Fire blasted from Sunset’s feet and palms as she rocketed herself to the side, barely avoiding the massive axe of lightning that Evangeline had brought down towards her. Her left gauntlet and the left sleeve of her jacket vanished as she channeled ki into her arm to block the shrapnel from the explosion. She skid across the ground, barely staying on her feet as she muttered an incantation under her breath. “Captus Flammeus!” A rope of fire shot from her right hand, binding Evangeline from head to foot. Sunset let out another blast from her boots, flying directly towards Evangeline with her left fist cocked back.

Evangeline smirked, melting into a swarm of bats which flittered out of the rope. Sunset skid to a stop, slashing her right arm across the air and summoning a wave of fire. The bats flew through the flames unhindered, surrounding Sunset and biting at her exposed skin. Sunset let out a cry of frustration, her left gauntlet reappearing as her entire body lighting with flame.

“A good shield, usually.”

The blow came from behind before Sunset could react, striking the small of her back and sending her flying forward, head over heels. She barely managed to roll to her feet and bring her tumble to a halt before Evangeline’s fist met with her face. Sunset felt her barriers shatter as she was flung backwards once more, rolling as best she could and ultimately coming to a stop lying limp on the ground.

“But only if your opponent fears fire,” Evangeline continued. “Anyone who can stand the pain and overcome that little psychological barrier will be able to ignore it easily.” She walked over and smirked down at Sunset. “You’ll need something a little more solid if you want to stop a punch.”

Sunset groaned, not bothering to get up. “That’d be a lot easier if I could manage to convert pyromancy into cryomancy like I used to. I’m still acting on old habits.”

Evangeline shrugged. “Well, break them quickly. At this point, the kid could stand up against you. And considering your years of experience and a comparable - if not superior - wellspring, that’s just pathetic.”

Sunset sighed. “You don’t need to remind me.” She groaned as she pushed herself into a sitting position, gazing across to the Villa’s entrance platform. “How much longer have we got?”

“About ten minutes,” Evangeline said. “Unless you want to stay and observe the kid’s training today?”

Sunset considered it but ultimately shook her head. “Nah.” She pushed herself to her feet. “I’ve got to meet up with Honya and Yue for their magic lesson. Speaking of which, have you decided whether to let us use this place?” It had been one of the first things Sunset had asked Evangeline when they got back from Ayaka’s island three days before.

Evangeline rolled her eyes. “It’s not that I’m opposed,” she grumbled. “It’s that if I start letting them in, it’s only a matter of time until the rest of the class follows. This is the one place in the Academy where I can get away by myself if I want to. Ruins the point if everyone knows about it and can jump in whenever they want a quick vacation.”

“But you’re still thinking about it?”

Evangeline waved her off. “I’ll have an answer in a few days. Now get going.”

Sunset nodded and started back towards the entrance platform. She stretched her arms above her head as she walked, looking around. Really, this place is amazing. She reached the platform and, a few minutes later, found herself standing in Evangeline’s dusty basement. The small, cobblestone room held the villa in a bottle in its center, surrounded by a magic circle etched into the floor. Sunset quickly stepped out of it, not wanting to be spirited back into the bottle for another day. She made her way through the short hallway, trying not to look at the creepy, human-sized dolls that lined the walls as she headed for the stairs.

As she emerged onto the first floor of the wood cabin, she saw Negi walk through the front door. He seemed exhausted, bags under his eyes and skin sunken a bit around his cheeks. Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Well you look like hell.”

Negi chuckled and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “I’m fine. Just a bit tired.”

“And anemic?” She shook her head at Negi’s hesitation and started towards the bathroom. “I get that she takes a ‘donation’ to help replenish her magic for training, but your body is still young. Half a liter from you is a lot more significant than a half liter from me.”

“I’ll be fine,” Negi repeated, slightly more energetic. “It’s a small price to pay for Master’s training.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “If you say so. Anyway, enjoy the hellish torture that is Evangeline’s training. If you’ll excuse me, I need a shower.” She began to strip as she neared the bathroom, prompting Negi to all but run for the stairs to the basement and slam the door shut behind him.

Honestly, Sunset thought, stepping into the bathroom and removing the rest of her clothes. He should be used to this by now. She turned on the water as hot as it would go and stepped under the spray, sighing in relief as she felt her muscles relax. Ooooh yeah, that hits the spot. Nothing beats a nice shower after a few hours of getting the crap beat out of me. Just me and the relaxing water.

“Huh? There’s no-one here.”

“That can’t be right. I’m sure they entered the house.”

“Hey, it sounds like the shower’s running.”

“Oh? Could it be that secret thing after all?”

“Would you cut that out?”

Sunset sighed and started softly banging her head against the wall of the shower. And the idiots from my class who just can’t resist sticking their noses in where they don’t belong.

“Evangeline-san? Negi-kun?” Sunset heard the bathroom door open. “Is that one of you in…”

Sunset looked over her shoulder at Kazumi, the latter’s face frozen in a carefree smile. Sunset turned around fully and raised an eyebrow, not bothering to pull the shower curtain closed. “Can I help you?”

“Eh? Nichibotsu?” Setsuna pushed the door open further. “What are you doing…” Her face immediately turned red.

Sunset smirked. “Like what you see, Setsuna?”

Setsuna let out a strangled noise that might have been a denial before pulling Kazumi back and slamming the door shut. Sunset chuckled and shook her head as she finished her shower. She wrapped a towel around herself - more for the others’ sake than her own - and stepped out. The basement door was open, and voices were sounding from upstairs. Kazumi, Asuna, and Ku Fei, Sunset identified. And I heard Konoka, Yue, and Honya earlier. She smirked. And Setsuna, of course. She made her way upstairs just as her three classmates finished exploring the small loft. “So,” she said, leaning against the wall, “what exactly are you all doing here?”

Asuna looked over and sighed. “Honestly, Nichibotsu-chan. Can’t you at least put on some clothes first?”

“You should be lucky I even bothered with the towel.”

Kazumi laughed. “I’m sure Sakurazaki will appreciate it. By the way, do you know where Negi-kun and Evangeline-chan went?”

“E-everyone! This…” Nodoka’s voice was interrupted by a sigh. “Nichi-chan, would you please put on some clothes?”

Sunset turned and raised an eyebrow. “I assume you found what’s in the basement?” she asked, ignoring the request completely.

Nodoka nodded and looked past her at the others. “There’s something really interesting down there.”

“Yeah, Evangeline probably wouldn’t want you messing with that,” Sunset warned.

“What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” Kazumi said, rushing downstairs with Asuna and Ku Fei in pursuit. “Let’s go!”

“Yeah, but what she finds out is likely to hurt me,” Sunset muttered. “A lot.” Nevertheless, she followed them down and, after a quick look from Nodoka, got dressed before following them down to the basement where she found them all standing around the villa.

“It’s amazing,” Konoka cooed. “Like a ship in a bottle.”

“The tower is far too detailed to be a miniature,” Yue said, examining it closely. “Maybe a hologram?”

“And I think I saw Negi-sensei walking around inside there before,” Nodoka added.

“Probably,” Sunset said, stepping forward as she resigned herself to another day in the villa. “That’s where they do their training, after all.”

“Eh?” Asuna asked, not noticing as the floor began to light up slightly. “But how do they-”

There was a feeling almost like a long-range teleportation, a quick moment of no sensation, and they were suddenly in the villa. Sunset weathered the series of gasps and confused questions for a minute before clapping her hands for attention. “Alright, everyone. Calm down. Let’s see if I can answer all of your questions before you ask them. Yes,” she gestured widely at the tower and surrounding ocean, “this is that villa in a bottle we were all standing around. Yes, Springfield is around here somewhere with Evangeline. Yes, this is where they train, and where I’ve been training with her. No, I don’t know the exact mechanics behind how it works. Anything I missed?”

She was met with seven blank stares until Ku Fei raised a hand. “So, does that mean that if someone else came and broke the bottle, we’d stay shrunk?”

Sunset hesitated. Okay. Nodoka, Yue, and Setsuna would definitely understand. Kazumi and Konoka, probably enough. But how do I explain to Baka Yellow and Baka Red that we’re inside a pocket dimension and that the glass of the bottle is nothing more than a window into the dimension and that we haven’t actually shrunk at all? “The glass is indestructible.” Meh, I’ll give the real answer to the others later.

Five sceptical eyebrows rose at that, but Ku Fei and Asuna seemed satisfied. “Anyway,” Sunset said, “you’re here for Springfield, right? Well if he’s not getting his ass kicked out here, then he’s probably inside with Evangeline studying. That, or he’s paying the price for these lessons.”

“Eh?!” Kazumis’ eyes lit up. “And what sort of price is that?”

Sunset waved her off. “Nothing big. Evangeline just…” She noticed the intrigued and slightly embarrassed looks she was getting from everyone, and recalled what she’d heard while she was in the shower.

It took a considerable effort to keep the evil smirk from her face. “She extracts a bit of lifeforce from him in the form of organic fluid. Totally natural process.”

Several faces turned bright red at that, though Setsuna’s and Yue’s showed actual understanding while Ku Fei’s betrayed confusion. “O-organic fluid, you say?” Kazumi stuttered, scandalized and intrigued in equal measure.

Sunset nodded. “Yeah. Evangeline’s pretty greedy, too. Always asking for more, even though it leaves Springfield exhausted.” Yue was concealing chuckles now while Setsuna rolled her eyes.

“You sound, ah, familiar with this process,” Kazumi prompted.

Sunset shrugged. “I would have to be; it’s a price I pay too.” She ignored the cries of surprise and further reddening faces of her classmates and continued. “Of course, I’m older and have more endurance, so I can afford to give a little more.”

“STOP!” Asuna shook her head violently, hands over her ears. “J-just stop it! You’re messing with us! You’ve got to be messing with us!”

Sunset shrugged and started walking towards the main tower. “Believe what you want. But I’ll show you where they probably are. If our timing is good, we might even be able to see the, ah, extraction taking place.”

Despite Asuna’s sputtering and protests, everyone followed Sunset towards the tower’s gazebo. Yue walked beside her and muttered under her breath. “You’re really quite evil, you know that?”

Sunset chuckled and whispered back, “Oh, I am well aware. But Evangeline is going to be annoyed that I didn’t do more to keep you all from finding this place. I just want to make sure I get my money’s worth out of the beating I have coming my way.”

They reached the gazebo, and Sunset began leading them down the spiral staircase. As they descended, they started to hear voices.

“Heheh. It’s alright, right? Just a little more.” Evangeline’s voice was low, a seductive purr.

“Y-you’re already at the limit!” Negi’s voice replied, exhausted and concerned.

“Rest a bit and you’ll recover; you’re young, after all.”

“Ah! No!”

“Come on. Hurry up and let it out.”

“I can’t! Evangeline san!”

“Hehe. You will refer to me as ‘Master.’”

Asuna raced down the remaining stairs, bursting around the corner with everyone else right behind her. “H-HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO THAT KID?!”

“Hm?” Evangeline looked up curiously, her teeth embedded in Negi’s arm. They sat together on a couch, Negi wincing slightly as Evangeline continued to suck. Evangeline pulled away, bemused. “What do you people want?”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHAT?!” Asuna demanded, as she tried to cover her embarrassment with anger. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

“He’s letting me suck his blood in payment for his lessons,” Evangeline explained as she released Negi’s arm. “About a blood donation’s worth. I can’t give training if my magic isn’t replenished, you know.”

“What?! But… that…” Asuna turned and grabbed Sunset by the collar of her shirt. “But you said…!”

Sunset affected a look of pure innocence. “A natural extraction of lifeforce via organic fluid. Blood. Why? What did you think I was talking about?”

Negi’s face flushed beet red as Evangeline raised an amused eyebrow. “Hey now,” she said, smirking lecherously. “Careful there. I’m supposed to be the evil mage in this relationship.”

Sunset smirked in reply. “There’s a difference between being an ‘evil mage’ and being an ‘evil’ mage.” She turned her smirk to Asuna. “Though it sounds like someone is confused about the difference between vampires and succubi.”

“OH JUST SHUT UP!”

*****

Evangeline canceled the rest of Negi’s training for the day, letting him and Sunset show everyone around the villa. After a quick explanation of the time dilation that would ensure that only an hour passed outside, the girls split up to explore. Sunset managed to pull Evangeline aside for a moment and, seeing as the cat was out of the bag anyway, she gave her permission to use the villa for Yue and Nodoka’s magic training.

“The libraries here are impressive,” Sunset said, setting a small bundle down on the table in the gazebo. “But the more important aspect of this place is that the air is absolutely saturated with magic. Far more so than Mahora. This makes drawing in mana easier, allowing even novices to potentially cast spells.” She unwrapped the bundle and Nodoka and Yue leaned in, staring down in excitement at the small wands with planets and stars at their tips. “Pick one, it doesn’t really matter which, and start practicing with that incantation we’ve been working on.”

They nodded, each choosing a wand and stepping back. They brought their wands up and chanted together. “Practe Bigi Nar, Aldescet!” They gave their wands a small flourish…

...and stared in disappointment when nothing happened.

“Good,” Sunset said, her tone genuine. “Your pronunciations were spot on. That’s going to be the hardest part throughout your training, since there are so many sound structures in Latin that are foreign to Japanese.”

“Ehe, I really hoped we’d be able to do it on the first try,” Nodoka admitted.

Sunset smiled and shook her head. “I admire your enthusiasm, but that just wasn’t going to happen. It took me several attempts to cast my first spell, and I have decades of magical training and experience, even if it isn’t with this system. Give yourselves some time. Although,” she pointed at Nodoka, “you have a distinct advantage. Thanks to your contract with Springfield, you already know what magic flowing through you feels like. Try to recreate that sensation.”

Nodoka nodded and Yue frowned. “Hm. Would it be worth it for me to form a contract as well, then?”

Sunset shrugged. “It’s a pretty big commitment. Bigger than I’d thought it was when I made it. It would be better to think about whether you want to form a contract with someone specifically, rather than decide that you want a contract and then start looking around for options. There are other ways to accustom you to the feeling of magic.”

“Maybe you could give us a demonstration?” Nodoka asked hopefully.

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “A demonstration? You know the incantation. You know the theory. A demonstration won’t…” Her eyes narrowed. “You just want to see me do more magic, don’t you?” At their nods, Sunset rolled her eyes but nevertheless picked up a wand. “I guess it couldn’t hurt. Practe Bigi Nar, Aldescet.” A small flourish, and a flame appeared above the tip of her star-tipped wand. “Just like that.”

“Eh? What’s this?”

“Are you doing magic?”

“Secchan! Nichi-chan is doing magic over here!”

Sunset glared at Nodoka and Yue. “I blame you for everything that’s about to happen.”

Within a minute, the rest of the girls were gathered around as Sunset and Negi instructed them on the basics of the practice spell. As expected, none of them made any real progress, all of them but Nodoka and Yue struggling just to pronounce the incantation correctly. Only Setsuna and Asuna refrained from joining in.

“Eh? Aren’t you going to try it, Secchan?” Konoka asked curiously.

“I can already do it with ki,” she replied, holding up a single finger. “Lan.” A small flame flared to life above her finger, flickering steadily.

Sunset’s eyes narrowed. “How did you do that, exactly? You told me that ki isn’t versatile enough for spellwork.”

“For what is traditionally thought of as spellwork,” Setsuna corrected. “This is far less efficient than even the magical version, and larger acts of pyromancy would be beyond anyone who didn’t dedicate their training to it. Imbuing elemental effects into our combat techniques is fundamental, but wielding the elements directly as a mage does is all but impossible.”

Sunset hummed as she studied the small flame. Specifically, she watched as it flickered in the wind and faltered where it passed beyond a certain boundary. Almost like there’s a pocket of cold air immediately around it, Sunset realized. Ki comes from the same source as Equestrian magic. Could it operate on principles of physics instead of elementalism as well?

“Practe Bigi Nar, Aldescet.” Sunset blinked in surprise and looked behind her at Asuna who held a wand before her, trying desperately not to look disappointed.

“That… that was actually perfect,” Sunset said, startling Asuna out of her funk. “Is that your first time trying that incantation?”

Asuna blushed and quickly put the wand down. “I-I just wanted to give it a try,” she stammered. “It was nothing. Just a passing thought.”

Sunset stared for a moment longer before turning back to observe the other girls. Come to think of it, she mused, she doesn’t have a lot of trouble with English pronunciations either. She’s incredibly dense when it comes to vocabulary and grammar, but she can read a passage with almost no accent. She shrugged. Strange gift to have. It’s probably nothing.

*****

The afternoon passed without anyone having managed the spell, though Konoka and Nodoka had spent considerable time concentrating intently on their wands between casts towards the end, each insisting that they “almost had it that time.” They’d worn themselves out with their enthusiasm and had collapsed into Evangeline’s several bedrooms shortly after night fell. Sunset had gone to sleep as well, still worn out from her own practice session with Evangeline.

So it was with considerable ire that Sunset glared at Kazumi as the reporter shook her awake. “Unless the tower is sinking into the sand,” Sunset muttered, “I see no reason for you to be waking me up like this.”

Kazumi grinned. “Something really interesting is going on with Negi-kun and Asuna-san. Nodoka-chan is using her diary to read his mind and he’s telling her all about when he was a kid!”

Sunset groaned and pulled herself out of bed. Ugh. So stupid. Why do we even care about what he was like as a kid. Better humor her at least or she’ll never let me go back to sleep.

She followed Kazumi upstairs and across the gazebo to where the rest of the girls were huddled around Nodoka and Evangeline, who held the diary between them. Asuna and Negi were a ways off, kneeling on the stairs at eye-level with each other, their foreheads pressed together and their eyes closed. Sunset peered over her classmates’ shoulders at the diary and rolled her eyes at what she saw. The picture was of a young (and admittedly adorable) Negi racing home after a day of fishing. Thought so. Just some pointless childhood fluff. I’ll hang around for a few pages and then go back to bed. Nodoka finished reading the diary entry aloud and turned the page.

A village in flames.

Sunset’s blood ran cold. It was just as well that Nodoka faltered in her reading, as all Sunset could hear were the rushing sounds of an inferno. The crackling of wood. The collapsing of a centuries-old house. The cries of a young, horribly burned unicorn girl as her brother held her back from rushing back inside.

Sunset barely managed to pull herself back to the present in time to hear Evangeline take over where Nodoka had stopped. “The whole village was in flames. I ran in without thinking, calling for Stan-ojisan and Onee-chan. Everyone I found was turned to stone, and it looked like they had been fighting. I ran further into the village, but I began to despair. I thought, in my childishness, that I was somehow responsible for this.” The next page began to fill in, with dark figures rising from the ground.

“Then, the demons appeared. I don’t remember clearly what most of them looked like, but they attacked me immediately. I closed my eyes and started crying out for anyone to help. For Father.” She turned the page.

“And suddenly, someone was there.” A figure stood before the demons, blasting away at them with fist and spell. “I’d never seen him before, but he was strong. And scary. He killed them all easily and without hesitation. I didn’t realize he had saved me. I just knew that I was scared. So I ran.”

Another demon on the next page, and two people standing between it and Negi. One of them was an old man, the other a young woman. “Stan-ojisan and Onee-chan protected me when another demon attacked, but it turned Stan-ojisan to stone and hurt Onee-chan. The person from before came and grabbed us both, fleeing from the village with us.”

A hilltop, the burning village in the background. The young Negi stood between his unconscious sister and the mysterious cloaked figure, who held a familiar staff in his hand. “He saved us both. I was still scared and thought he was going to hurt Onee-chan, so I stood in front of her to protect her. That’s when he gave me his staff, and encouraged me to grow up well and happy. He flew away, and that’s the last I saw or heard of him.”

The next two pages were divided into several sections of pictures, showing Negi in a new village and studying magic. “My sister and I were rescued three days later, and we moved to a town of mages in the mountains of Wales. For the next five years, I spent every day studying in a school of magic. I don’t know what happened to the other villagers. Everyone said “they’re fine, don’t worry” and wouldn’t explain because I was a kid. I was always afraid because of what happened that snowy night. For some reason, I devoted myself to my studies with tremendous energy. All I wanted was to meet my father one more time. To meet the great mage who was my father. Who saved me. But even now sometimes I think about it. That incident. When I used to think that “if I get in trouble, my father will come and save me,” and wonder if it wasn’t some kind of divine punishment.”

“Wh-What are you talking about?!” Everyone jumped at the shout and looked up. Asuna had pulled back from Negi and grabbed him by the shoulders, breaking their memory spell. “There’s no way that’s true!!! What’s wrong with you?! You’re about as dumb as those weird monsters!” She shook him slightly as she continued to yell at him. “There wasn’t even one part of that story that was your fault, got it?! You’ll be fine! You’ll even meet your father! Because he’s alive, right?!”

Negi stared at Asuna in shock. “Asuna-san…”

“Leave it to me! Asuna asserted. “I’ll definitely find your fa… ther…” She trailed off, finally realizing that she and Negi had an audience. Negi turned around, staring in shock at the girls that stood right behind him, most of whom had tears streaming down their faces.

It didn’t take long for the group hug to begin. Sunset, Evangeline, and Setsuna were the only ones with enough restraint to refrain, and even Setsuna enthusiastically pledged her support to Negi’s goal of finding his father. Evangeline stared off to the side, trying poorly to hide that the whole scene was pricking her heartstrings as well.

As for Sunset, she just stared. Stared at this child teacher. This young mage. This kid who had stared death in the face from such a young age, who had lost family, and who had somehow not come away from it broken. Who had become, if anything, stronger. More determined.

And scarred on a level far deeper than physical.

She turned and walked away, ignoring the cries and cheers of her classmates as they pledged themselves to finding Negi’s long-lost father. She walked to the edge of the gazebo, the edge of the tower, and sat, staring out over the ocean. She let the crashing of the waves far below drown out the commotion behind her. Let it try to drown out the echoes of the past. She stared out at the distant horizon, willing her mind to clear.

“Nichibotsu-san?”

Sunset blinked. She looked over her shoulder at Negi. He’d left the girls behind at what looked to be the beginnings of a party. He stared at her, concerned. “Are you alright, Nichibotsu-san?”

Sunset stared at Negi, unmoving. Thinking. Pondering.

Deciding.

“That was quite the story,” she said, gesturing to the ledge beside her. Negi cocked his head curiously but took a seat. “Honestly,” Sunset continued, returning her gaze to the horizon, “I was shocked. I didn’t think that a kid who’s usually so carefree would have something like that in his past.”

Negi fidgeted uncomfortably. “I try not to think of it too often. I mean, I think about finding my father all the time. But what happened in the village…”

Sunset nodded. “You can think of it objectively, when you need to. When you’ve braced yourself. But there are also times when it jumps out at you suddenly, right? Usually when you’re alone? Maybe at night? And you need to be assured that there’s someone there to keep you safe from the monsters and the fire.”

Negi slowly nodded. “I guess now you know why I sometimes crawl into Asuna-san’s bed.”

“You should explain that to her,” Sunset suggested. “It’d help her understand.”

“But you didn’t need help.”

Sunset tensed briefly before turning her gaze back to the kid, who looked back with understanding, inquizitive eyes. “You’re unusually perceptive tonight.” She hesitated. “You’re sure he’s still alive?”

Negi nodded, turning his own gaze to the horizon. “He’s out there.” There was no hesitation in either his face or his voice. “He’s out there, somewhere. Probably saving more people like he saved me that night.”

Sunset slowly nodded. “Alright, then. I’m in.”

Negi jerked in surprise, his gaze whipping up to Sunset. “E-eh?”

“I’m in,” Sunset replied. “Hey, it’s not like this is totally outside of my goals, you know? The route to your father is unquestionably going to require getting far stronger than we are now, right? Well, power is what I came here for. Might as well put that power to good use.” She pulled her pactio card out of her pocket and held it up. “After all, whether I realized it or not at the time, I kind of committed myself to you anyway.

“Which I guess means I’m going to have to trust you. Adeat.”

A flash of light heralded her gauntlets once again, and Sunset took Negi’s hands in her own. “Teach me that spell. If I’m going to be fighting beside you and relying on your strength, then you deserve to know why.”

Negi stared into Sunset’s eyes for a moment before nodding. A couple of minutes was all it took and Sunset was ready. She pressed her forehead to his and closed her eyes.

“Mater Musarum, Mnemosyne. Ad se me alliciat.”

Arc 5.2: Chapter 39

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I was born in Canterlot, the capital city of Equestria. Well known throughout the nation for its buildings of beautiful marble, reflecting the majestic Canterlot Castle where our ruling princess resides. However, not every building is so constructed. In fact, step off the main roads, and you’ll find buildings of more common stone and wood like you would find in any other city. This is especially true as you descend to the lower levels, where the middle-class and lower-class resided. You’ll occasionally find a prosperous business or government building made of gleaming marble, but most of it is built from wood logged from the forests at the base of the mountain.

Wow! All of the horses look so cute!

Ponies, Springfield. And are you going to gawk at my kind all day, or are you going to listen?

S-sorry, Sunset-san.

Ahem. Anyway, I was born here, in the market district. My parents were well-known bakers, the family bakery passed down for five generations, building its reputation year by year until it was the envy of the city. My family’s pastries weren’t particularly superior, but no-one in Equestria could beat our breads! I hardly grew up with a silver spoon in my mouth, but my younger brother and I never wanted for anything.

“Sunset! Wait up!”

A yellow unicorn filly with a red- and yellow- striped mane grinned over her shoulder as she raced through the streets. “Come on, Sunshine! Daddy should be pulling a batch of cookies out of the oven any minute now!”

“Which is why you need to slow down!” Another unicorn, his coat a paler yellow and his red mane streaked with orange, raced behind her. He lit his horn, a purple aura that matched his eyes springing to life around his sister’s tail and yanking her to a stop with a yelp and causing her to fall back on her rump. “If he’s just pulling them out now, then they’ll still be too hot to eat if we race home.”

The filly Sunset pouted and flicked her tail out of his magic. “But that’s what heat-resistance charms are for!”

The other unicorn, Sunshine, raised an eyebrow. “And have you managed to make that spell affect your whole throat, or just the inside of your mouth?” Sunset’s ears plastered themselves back against her head and Sunshine rolled his eyes. “Honestly, sis. How is it that I’m the younger one, but you’re the one who rushes ahead without thinking all the time?”

“Fillies and colts mature at different rates,” Sunset defended, standing up.

“Sunset, it’s fillies that mature more quickly.”

Sunset pawed at the ground and chuckled sheepishly. “Hehe, oh yeah.”

Sunshine rolled his eyes and walked up to throw a foreleg across Sunset’s withers. “Just try to think a bit before you act, Sunny. And one more thing…”

Sunset turned her head towards him and cocked it curiously. “Yeah? What’s that?”

Sunshine grinned. “Even if we have to wait for the cookies, it’s still a race.”

Before Sunset could process what he’d said, Sunshine took off running again, cackling madly all the while. Sunset shook her head and grinned as she shot after her brother. “Get back here you little twerp!”

“Make me, you big twerp!”

Hehe. You two really get along well, don’t you?

We did, yeah. He was my best friend when I was a kid. We used to play all the time, practice magic together, help each other with homework, the works. He was less than a year younger than me, and we were both incredibly intelligent, so we were always in the same classes together. We both had a certain affinity for fire magic, even before we got our cutie marks. Though I was always better at starting them, and he was always better at putting them out and regulating them. Our parents thought that either of us could take over the bakery some day.

But you decided to become a mage instead?

...that choice… I was going to inherit the bakery. Sunshine and I intended to run it together. But… I took that choice away from us.

What do you mean?

It isn’t pleasant, I’ll warn you now. And parts of it are blurry in my memory. I shared a bedroom with Sunshine, and I would sometimes sneak downstairs to the bakery to practice magic. I’d been working on something that I’d heard rumors about, making fire not by summoning heat from the aether, but by pulling heat from other places and using the cold left behind to make ice. Heh, I had half-formed plans to expand the bakery into making ice-cream as well. But… that didn’t go as planned.

The young Sunset stood in the family bakery, her horn alight, her face screwed up in concentration as she stared at the stone chimney oven that her family had used for generations. “Come on,” she muttered. “Come on. Pull all of that heat into the chimney. The rest of the room isn’t using it, so I’ll use it myself. Just pull it in…”

Turns out I was good at that spell. Really good. I got frustrated because I thought that there was a bit of heat I couldn’t quite catch, since it kept popping up in different parts of the room that I’d already drained. I didn’t realize, at that age, that heat was pouring in from the rest of the house to fill the cold I was making in the kitchen. I wasn’t just sucking the heat out of the kitchen; I was pouring all of the heat from the house into that small, chimney oven.

Sunshine woke up when our room got too cold. He came downstairs to see about lighting a fire to warm up the house.

I beat him to it.

A flash of light. An angry roar. A wash of flames over the young filly as she screamed in terror and pain. The world blurred, everything a swirl of colors and sounds and the sensation of movement. By the time things began to take shape once again, Sunshine and Sunset were outside. Sunshine’s horn was alight, desperately spreading a purple aura over his sister’s burning coat, dousing the fires and leaving patchy fur and horribly blistered skin behind. Sunset squirmed, moaning and crying in pain, a terrible ringing in her ears. Her eyes cracked open. And flew wide.

The two-storey bakery was alight with angry, hungry flames. Every window and door spat fire into the night, threatening the surrounding houses from which more unicorns fled. Sunset stared in horror before suddenly looking around desperately. “M-Mommy? Daddy?” She looked up at her brother. “Sunshine! Where are Mommy and Daddy?!”

Sunshine turned a horrified gaze to the second story. Sunset followed his gaze, staring desperately at her parents’ bedroom. The ringing in her ears began to fade, replaced by the screams of two adult ponies. Even twisted in agony, Sunset recognized the voices.

“NO!” Sunset leapt to her hooves, screaming at the pain that wracked her body. Still, she started running for the door. “MOMMY! DADDY!”

“Sunset! No!” Sunlight tackled his sister to the ground, hating himself as his sister cried out in agony as he agitated her fresh burns. “We can’t! The fire’s spread too far! It’s about to collapse!”

“They’re still in there!” Sunset cried, struggling to throw her brother off despite the pain. "I have to get them out! THEY’RE STILL IN THERE! MOMMY! DADDY!”

“Sunset!” Sunshine lit his horn and grabbed his sister, stepping back from the bakery and pulling her flailing form with him. “We can’t go back in there! Sunset! SUNSET!”

“MOMMY! DADDY! NOOOOOOO!”

The filly’s screams were drowned out in the roar of flames as the building finally gave way and collapsed to the ground. A wave of hot air blasted out, striking Sunset and finally overpowering her. Everything went black.

I was asleep for five days, they told me. I awoke to pain, fear, and sorrow. I had to stay on the IV for another two weeks while they tried to convince me to eat. Sunshine had burns on his hooves, and I couldn't’ stop crying every time I saw the bandages. It took months for me to be released, and we were both sent to a local orphanage. All of our personal possessions had been destroyed in the fire, and Equestrian Law held that we couldn’t access our parents’ assets until we either turned 16 or proved ourselves adults by providing for ourselves. Sunshine and I were still in school, and Sunshine was determined that we should finish our education, though I didn’t really care at the time. So we lived in the orphanage, Sunshine going to school and me staying in bed most of the time.

I couldn’t use my magic, either. Nothing physically prevented me after a time, but my mental scars were even harsher than my physical ones. I associated my magic with destruction and death. Even now, I see magic as a potentially deadly tool, requiring the strictest of control and discipline. Which is why it was so irritating that week when the class kept interrupting my studies.

W-which week?

You didn’t hear about… never mind. Anyway, that’s what I was like. A broken, terrified, heart-shattered filly who lay in her room spiraling into deeper and deeper depression over how I’d let my magic kill my parents. I was like that for a fortnight.

Then, I got a visitor.

The room was small, but cozy. A couch on either side, with a desk against another wall opposite the door. A mulberry unicorn mare with a teal mane sat behind the desk and looked up from her paperwork as a filly walked in.

The filly was in a bad way. She had dark bags under her eyes, her cheeks stained by several weeks of near constant tears. The right side of her face was missing its coat, the flesh raw and red. Much of her body was in a similar condition, with patches of fur sticking out of a few areas of healthy flesh on her back and sides. Her mane and tail were long, but charred at the ends. The only parts of her that were unblemished were the symbols on either flank, the symbol of a red and yellow sun.

Nopony really understands how cutie marks work. The magic that creates them is there and gone so quickly, nopony's ever been able to analyze it. It somehow withstands just about any injury, even intense burns. The magic only fades when the pony dies. It was the only part of my body that didn’t hurt to touch. Unfortunately, cutie marks are also considered a rather intimate part of the body and it’s taboo to touch somepony else’s without their express permission. Sunshine couldn’t hug me, couldn’t even lay a hoof on me to console me. I was miserable.

Cutie marks are an important part of a pony's life. They appear when a pony discovers her destiny, their special talent. The one thing that they do best. We both got our cutie marks that night, Sunshine for saving me from the fire. Me for how I started it. Needless to say, I wasn't quite as ecstatic to get my mark as most fillies.

“You wanted to see me, Matron?” the young Sunset asked.

"Yes, dear," the mare replied, smiling down at her. "We have a very important guest coming to visit today, and they wanted to meet you."

Sunset glared up at the matron. "I'm not letting anyone adopt me," she said, displaying more emotion than her dejected appearance would suggest possible. "I don't care how important they are or what they want from me."

"Only a few weeks after your tragedy? I'd have a few choice words myself for whoever even considered it."

The filly turned around, her eyes going wide. Standing in the doorway behind her, ducking her head to enter through the small frame, was one of the most beautiful and powerful creatures imaginable. The alabaster mare smiled gently down at the filly, her mane of blue, green, and pink swirling around her spiral horn as her wings flared slightly. She wore a small crown of gold, inlaid with a single large amethyst. Her neck was adorned with a matching torc, and her face with a serene smile. Her presence filled the room, making both mare and filly bow.

"P-p-princess Celestia!" the filly squeaked.

Celestia nodded, raising her hoof. "Please, rise. I've been looking forward to meeting you, Sunset Shimmer."

I learned later that the fire department always scans a scene for unusual magic. My spell was unique enough to register, so they called in somepony from the mage corp. That pony saw what I’d done and called in a grand magus to confirm it. He informed the archmage, who informed Celestia. The technique hasn’t been seen in almost a thousand years, and the legendary unicorn who invented it did so after decades of dedicated study. For a filly like me to use such a technique on instinct was baffling, and Celestia saw great potential in me.

She took me under her wing. She offered to take in Sunshine too, but he refused. Too proud to take up the offer of royal treatment because of his sister’s abilities. I insisted on signing over our full inheritance to him in return; I wouldn’t need it with a royal stipend and a career in the elite of the mage corp. Celestia helped me to heal, physically, emotionally, and mentally. She instructed me in meditation, let me see that my magic was mine to control, rather than a force controlling me. She taught me magic, philosophy, and leadership, and ensured that I had the best teachers for everything else. I graduated from Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns Summa Cum Laude and went on to excel at, well, basically everything I put my mind to. I was on top of the world. The prized Student of the Sun. I had everything I could ever want.

Or at least, I thought I did.

“Sunset! Could you come in here, please?”

Sunset the grown mare strode confidently through the doors into the throne room. Her coat was unblemished and practically shone in the sunlight. Her mane and tail were full and healthy. A layer of lean muscle flexed beneath her coat and the light smirk on her face oozed confidence. She walked down the red carpet towards Celelstia, who sat on the ground before the dias upon which sat the throne. She smiled proudly down at Sunset as the mare approached and stood before her. “You wanted to see me, Celestia?”

“Indeed I did, my most faithful student.” Celestia hesitated a moment. “There is to be a… change in Equestria, and I wanted you to be the first to know of it.”

Sunset’s ears flicked forward. “What sort of change?” she asked curiously.

“It’d be easier to show you.” Celestia turned and smiled at something behind her back. “Go on, little one.”

A pony stepped out from behind Celestia, nervous, leggy, and blindingly pink. The teenager pawed nervously at the ground and she smiled sheepishly up at Sunset, her pink, purple, and white mane tied back in a ponytail, her bangs almost concealing her horn. Sunset looked the nervous unicorn over curiously, leaning slightly to the side to try to glimpse her cutie mark.

She froze when she saw that the filly had wings.

“Sunset,” Celestia said, her voice overflowing with pride, “this is Mi Amore Cadenza, Equestria’s newest alicorn.” She smiled down at the teenager. “Cadance, this is the Student of the Sun, Sunset Shimmer.”

Cadance blushed and looked away. “I-it’s so nice to meet you, M-Miss Shimmer. I’ve heard so much about you.”

“I’ll… bet you have.” Sunset’s eyes narrowed. “This is the first I’ve heard of you, though.”

Celestia’s smile faded a bit at Sunset’s tone, but Cadance seemed not to notice. “I, um, I wouldn’t expect you to have. I’m just a filly from out in the boonies, after all. Not a famous mage and monster hunter like you.” She looked up again, her face full of nervous admiration. “I-is it true that you defeated Raven Dower the Bleak all by yourself?”

“Mostly. I never would have tracked her down without Abalone.” Sunset puffed out her chest. “But yeah, taking her down was all me.”

Stars filled Cadance’s eyes. “Wow. I’ve heard stories about that battle, even all the way out in Mudpole! I can’t believe I get to meet you face to face! And even live in the same place as you!”

Sunset raised an eyebrow, turning her gaze up to Celestia. “Come again?”

Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. “Cadance,” as she insisted ponies call her. The sickeningly sweet Princess of Love. Ponies have the potential to ascend and become alicorns if they fulfill their special talent to the point of fully embodying it. Celestia IS the sun. Cadence IS love.

So, are they goddesses?

Hm. Hard to say. Even I don’t know a lot about an alicorn’s place in cosmology, and I was practically raised by one. What is obvious is that they are immortal and extremely powerful. Even Evangeline at full power wouldn’t have stood a chance against Celestia.

But back to Cadance. She’s where everything went wrong. You see, my life had been perfect. I had power. I had glory. I had Celestia’s approval and affection. But… Cadence made me realize what I didn’t have. She’d ascended. She’d become a being of literally infinite potential. Heck, Celestia officially adopted her as her niece! After one day! And I…

I had served for nearly 20 years in Equestria’s military. Much of my career had been spent dealing with monsters and warlocks of the highest order. Through grit and blood, I worked my flank off until I became a household name throughout Equestria!

It took Cadance three days.

And then I realized that most ponies don’t really care about Starswirl the Bearded. Most ponies don’t care about Sunrise Sparkle or Clover the Clever or Mistmane or any of those other ancient heroes and wizards. History moves on, and only scholars even bother to learn their names and exploits. And that was me. I was going to be forgotten after all my hard work, no matter what I did over the centuries of my life. But this filly, this perfect little Mi Amore Cadenza, was going to be around and known and remembered forever because of one little exploit in her foalhood. She’d be watching over Equestria for millenia to come, pampered and spoiled and not knowing a thing about the struggles of everypony else. While I, who knew these ponies, who cared about these ponies, who had spilt rivers of my own blood to keep these ponies safe was doomed to be forgotten in a few generations!

S-Sunset-san!

...sorry. I… I lost my temper. *sigh* Anyway, where was I?

You, um, you were jealous of Princess Cadance?

...yeah. Though I didn’t realize it for a while. We got along alright at first. Something bugged me about her, but I couldn’t put my hoof on what for months. Meanwhile, she wouldn’t leave me alone. Heh, in retrospect, I’m pretty sure she hero-worshiped me. Ironic. I was jealous of a filly who looked up to me with nothing but admiration. Almost half a year passed before I realized exactly why I was irritated with her all the time.

Things went downhill after that. I no longer strutted through the castle, I skulked. I no longer grinned confidently, I glowered. I threw myself into my studies, abandoning all other projects as I researched alicorns and ascension. Cut off contact with my military comrades. Snapped at any maids or butlers who interrupted my work. ...lost contact with Sunshine. Heh, I was a right terror. My reputation throughout Canterlot plummeted, the great hero Sunset Shimmer replaced with a brooding mage locked up in her room who turned anyone who disturbed her into toads.

...did you ever-

Once. Blueblood the 13th. An obnoxious noble who everyone hated. I think I might have actually redeemed myself a little in the eyes of the staff for that one. But not Celestia. She kept trying to get me to stop. To lighten my studies. To go out and make friends. To catch up with old acquaintances. I ignored her. I shunned Cadance. I dove headfirst into anything and everything that I thought might help, pouring over more and more esoteric works. That’s how I found out about the mirror that links our worlds. Starswirl created it, and he wrote about it being a portal to a strange world full of fantastic wonder. I figured that anything that could impress even Starswirl had to involve magic and power beyond even Celestia.

Eventually though, I hit a brick wall. I’d read every work in the archives that related even tangentially to alicorns. I was desperate for something, anything to let me advance.

That desperation led to a decision.

And that decision broke the camel’s back.

Sunset sat in a dark room, lit by wildly flickering candles, as if the flames wanted desperately to flee. Bookshelves lined the walls, many with iron bars preventing access to their tomes. Said tomes were themselves often chained shut. Others were bound in twisted leather and covered in strange scripts that blurred in Sunset’s memories. Few of the books in the room looked anything shy of evil, and almost every one of those occupied the large table in the center. Sunset flipped through tome after tome, getting more and more frustrated as she went.

“Useless,” she muttered, slamming another book shut. “Mad blood rituals and sacrifices to the Unnamed Horrors. I thought that I’d find at least one uncensored text on legitimate alicorn ascension. This whole thing was a bust. Better get out of here before-”

The door slammed open, almost flying off its hinges.

"SUNSET SHIMMER!"

Sunset leapt out of her seat, staring in shock at the furious alicorn as she stormed in. "C-Celestia? What are you doing awake? How did you..." Her shock turned to anger. "You've been spying on me, haven't you?!"

"And with good reason, it would seem." Celestia strode forward, glaring down at her student. "Dark magic, Sunset? The workings of madponies and criminals? Are you so desperate, so blinded by thoughts of power, that you would stoop to such means?"

"Maybe I am!" Sunset shouted, glaring right back and grinding her teeth. "Maybe if you actually gave me what I deserve, I wouldn't have to go looking for it here!"

"You are not ready for this mantle!" Celestia shouted. "Your actions tonight have only confirmed it! How can you expect to lead Equestria, to stand immortal as a constant force in this world, if you are so rash! Impatient! Unrepentant!"

"Oh that's rich, coming from you!" Sunset sneered. "I just love hearing you lecture about patience you filthy hypocrite!"

"What are you talking about?" Celestia demanded. "I have been patient with you at every turn! I have born every complaint! Every accusation! Every-"

"Everything but your sister."

The room went silent.

If there is one thing I regret, it's that single sentence.

"What do you mean, Sunset?" Celestia asked, her voice dangerously calm. "And I suggest you choose your next words very carefully."

"Or what?" Sunset demanded, unaware or uncaring of the building tension in the room. "Going to BANISH me too? Send me to the moon for a thousand years of solitary confinement? I really hope Luna’s made of a lot stronger stuff than you, or she's not coming back as Nightmare Moon. She'll be coming back a gibbering, mindless vegetable."

"Stop it, Sunset," Celestia whispered.

"Or maybe you're hoping she'll be coherent?" Sunset continued. "Maybe you're hoping she'll come crawling back, begging you to forgive her as she kneels down and licks your hooves. Be nice to have a doormat again, wouldn't it?"

"Be quiet, Sunset!"

"Or maybe you're actually HOPING for Nightmare Moon! Maybe you were hoping that I'd be able to find those mysterious Elements of Harmony - oh yes, I know all about them - and blast her into oblivion. Finish the job you started. Is that it, huh? I was going to be the weapon to complete your throne-grabbing regicide?"

"YOU GO TOO FAR!!!”

The memory froze there, with Sunset staring defiantly up at the mighty Sol Invictus.

Nightmare Moon. Formerly Princess Luna. Celestia’s younger sister and Princess of the Night. She went mad about a thousand years ago. Despaired that nopony appreciated her night like they did Celestia’s day. Celestia was forced to banish her to the moon. By all accounts, it broke her heart. We both said horrible things after that; I’d rather not relive the details. Suffice it to say that she did banish me from the castle. She left me alone to gather my things and leave. On my way up to my room, I remembered the mirror. The portal was open that night. I subdued my guard escort easily and fled, never looking back, determined to use the wonders of this world to ascend, or gain enough power to force Celestia to teach me how to do so.

...Sunset-san, I don’t think-

It was a rash and stupid plan. I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on it since, especially since I entered your class and started making friends. ...you tell anyone I said that and I’ll deny it. And probably set you on fire for good measure.

Er, got it.

I’m still determined to ascend. I know it’s my destiny. I can feel it. My role is to be Equestria’s righteous defender for millenia and eons to come. I will become an alicorn and stand as Celestia’s equal.

And Princess Cadance’s?

Pht. Please, Springfield. As if that little waif could ever catch up to me.

*****

Sunset leaned back, breaking the connection as she smirked down at Negi. “I mean come on. You saw me in there staring down the Goddess of the Sun without a shred of fear. Do you really think that simpering teenage love pillow could ever be a match for me? Even if she bested me in raw power, she’d have no idea how to use it.”

“I guess.” Negi looked down. “Nichibotsu-san. I… I honestly don’t know what to think of all of that.”

Sunset shrugged, looking out to the horizon again. “It’s a lot to take in. But I hope you get it now, at least. Why I decided to help you.” She noticed his confused glance out the corner of her eye and shook her head. “I lost my family. First my parents in the fire. Then my brother when I cut contact.” Then Celestia when I… “I understand that pain. That longing. And lest you forget, I was Equestria’s greatest warrior and protector.” She stood up and smirked confidently down at Negi, jabbing herself in the chest with a thumb. “So why on Earth or any world wouldn’t I help a kid reunite with his father?”

*sniff* “Nichi-chan…”

Sunset paled, her confident smirk sinking into a mask of dread and horror. She turned slowly back towards the gazebo, her fears confirmed as she saw Nodoka’s diary out again, her classmates gathered around her. Their expressions were more mixed than they had been to Negi’s memories, as much apprehension and calculation as sorrow, but the sympathy in all of their expressions was palpable.

“...nope.” Sunset took off at a dead sprint, her sobbing classmates racing right behind her. “Nope nope nope nope nope! I do NOT need a group hug!”

“Nichi-chaaaaan!!!”

Arc 5.3: Chapter 40

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“Oh my.”

“Why is there a boy here?”

“Maybe that doggie from before changed into this kid?”

“No way! But what should we do, Chizu-nee?”

“My, this is terrible! He has a really bad fever. I really think we should call a doctor. Natsumi, carry him over to the bed.”

“Eh? But it’s a naked boy!”

“What are you shy about? He’s just a child, so it’ll be fine, okay? It looks like he’s pretty light.”

“It’s not- But this kid looks like he’s a first-year in middle school!”

…

“Hello, is this the doctor’s office? … Yes, um-”

“KYA!”

*SMASH*

“...Stop! Do not call anyone!”

*****

By the time Sunset and the others left the villa the next day, a downpour had started outside. Sunset glared out at the rain, half-wishing she’d left the rest of the girls to discover Negi’s training alone.

Probably would have been caught out in the middle of it anyway, she concluded before sighing. “Really wish I had my old magic,” she muttered. “A basic shield spell would keep us all safe from the rain.”

“I can’t believe none of us thought to bring an umbrella,” Konoka moaned.

“I’m sure Eva-san would let us borrow hers,” Asuna hedged, “but she probably only has one or two.”

“Nothing for it,” Sunset sighed. “We’re all going to get soaked. Hopefully the baths aren’t too crowded.” She turned back to Evangeline. “Thanks again for putting up with the madness.”

“Yeah, thanks Eva-san,” Asuna agreed, grinning. “Hey, do you think we could come and borrow your resort sometimes to study?”

Evangeline raised an eyebrow. “I don’t have a problem with it, but I don’t really recommend it for girls because it’ll add to your age.”

“Eh! Really!”

“Hey, that’s no problem,” Ku Fie said, leaning in. “It’s not a big deal if it’s just two or three days!”

Sunset and Negi shared a look at that, a certain shared resignation passing between them.

“In any case, we’d better head back,” Setsuna suggested. “This rain is only going to get worse.”

A final round of goodbyes, and they were off. True to Sunset’s prediction, they were soaked in seconds.

“Mou,” Nodoka moaned. “We really are going to need baths after this.”

“Eh, I’m fine with that.” Sunset smirked. “Public baths are one of Japan’s greatest traditions, after all!”

Yue rolled her eyes. “You know full well that we don’t share your perverted appreciation, Nichi-chan. I’m surprised you don’t…”

Sunset stopped walking. Stopped listening. Stopped paying attention to the rain. The wind. The mud beneath her shoes. Everything.

Everything except a feeling of twisting wrongness in her chest.

Dark magic! She turned back to Evangeline, barely making her out in the rain. The vampire was staring curiously off to the side, as if trying to see something, but ultimately shrugged and retreated back into her cabin.

Did she sense it too? No, if she had, she would have had more of a reaction. Sunset turned and jogged to catch back up to everyone. She and Setsuna keep giving me odd looks whenever I bring up dark magic. Maybe humans can’t normally sense it? Sunset opened up her magical senses, trying to trace the magic.

Nothing. It’s like it’s being cloaked or suppressed. There’s still a dark aura, but if they can’t sense that… Sunset walked up beside Setsuna and leaned close. “Keep on your guard. I think something’s infiltrated Mahora.”

Setsuna tensed, her hand going to her pocket where her pactio card rested. “I don’t sense anything.”

“I do,” Sunset insisted. “But it’s suppressing its presence. I can’t tell where or what it is. Just… stay on guard tonight.”

Setsuna nodded, and they continued in guarded silence to the dorms.

*****

“Wh-what’s wrong?!”

“It’s all right. It seems he just lost consciousness again. But who is this kid, really? I’m certain he isn’t just a runaway boy.”

“And what’s with the dog ears and tail?”

“Hm. In any case, we should get him warmed up. Here, I’ll lay him on the couch. Go get some blankets for him, Natsumi”

“R-right!”

…

“But really, what should we do with this kid?”

“Hm. We’ll need something to tell Ayaka when she gets home.”

“mmh… Negi…”

“Eh?! He said something like ‘negi’ in his sleep.”

“tell… him… danger… is… coming…”

*****

“Ah! We’re finally back!”

“Mou. My clothes are soaked.”

“Let’s hurry up and take a bath!”

“Yeah!”

“Are you coming, Nichi-chan? ...er, Nichi-chan?”

Sunset blinked, bringing herself back. She’d been growing more and more distracted as they’d neared the dorms. The dark presence had grown thicker, its source nearby. Still, she couldn’t pin down its exact location. “Sorry,” she said, shaking her head. “Lost in thought. What was that, Honya?”

Nodoka gestured towards their room. “I was just asking if you were going to come to the baths with us?”

Sunset hesitated. On the one hand, the source of the dark magic was definitely in the building. She could practically feel a miasma creeping over her skin. On the other hand, she had no idea how to pin it down. Whoever was causing this was good - very good - at masking his presence. Running around searching for anything unusual would be unlikely to yield results.

Plus, she was soaked to the bone.

“Go ahead,” Setsuna told her, holding up her card. “I’ll handle the patrols tonight. At least until you’ve warmed up.”

Sunset gave her a grateful nod before turning back to Nodoka. “Let’s go, then. The sooner everyone’s out of their clothes, the better.”

Yue raised an eyebrow as they headed off towards the baths. “Because they’re soaked and we’re going to the baths?”

“That too.”

*****

“What the hell is happening with this kid?! Crashing into my stomach the minute I see him!”

“Calm down, it’s okay, Ayaka.”

“I’ve already apologized several times.”

“You’re telling me to calm down after that?! Who the heck is this kid, anyway?!”

“Oh! This child is Natsumi-san’s brother, Kotarou-kun.”

“W-what?!”

“Eh?”

“Brother. Riiiiight?”

“A-ah. Yes.”

“S-sure.”

*****

“Penny for your thoughts?”

“Huh?” Nodoka blinked a couple of times before translating the English phrase. “Oh.”

“Yeah, you were kind of lost in thought there,” Sunset said. She leaned forward to look at Yue who was walking on Nodoka’s other side. “You too.”

“It’s just…” Nodoka sighed. “I never realized that Negi-sensei had such a sad past. And you too. When I found out that you and Negi-sensei were mages, I got so excited. I thought you two looked so cool when you were battling. And I thought, ‘if i can use magic too, then maybe I can…’”

“I think we both took it really lightly until now,” Yue agreed. “It kind of seemed like a game. But these things have consequences. There’s a whole world of magic out there.” She stole a glance at Sunset. “Two worlds, apparently. And we’re just sort of stumbling our way in without regard for the bigger picture. We went overboard.”

The two girls shared a sigh. “I feel so embarrassed,” Nodoka muttered.

Sunset smiled, touched at their concern. “Hey, cheer up. Most of Equestria is a lot happier than what I showed you, and I’m willing to bet that most of the magical world is… well, no worse than Earth is, in any case. Yeah, there are monsters and demons and dark forces, but most of that lies on the outskirts of society. Heck, even without magic, Earth has gangs, violence, natural disasters, and more than its fair share of horrible accidents. You aren’t being insensitive thinking that magic is awesome and wonderful; it is. And all of the baggage that comes with it is for the adults to deal with.” She snorted. “Or those like Negi-kun, who think they’re adults.”

“I guess,” Yue muttered. “But it’s hard to think like that when-”

“EH?!” Nodoka turned to Sunset with wide eyes. “‘Negi-kun?!’”

...crap. Sunset looked away, her face glowing red. “I-I mean Springfield! Those like Springfield-ku- SPRINGFIELD who think they’re…” She sighed. “I’m not getting out of this, am I?”

Yue smirked and stopped, crossing her arms. “Not a chance. So? Why the sudden change in address?”

Sunset groaned but came to a stop as well, along with a starry-eyed Nodoka. “I mean, what’s there to say? With what he’s been through, I get it. He forces himself to act like an adult because he feels subconsciously responsible for what happened to his village. He doesn’t like seeing people get hurt - much less killed - in front of him because it reminds him of the villagers; it’s no wonder he protected Evangeline like he did. And… he showed real competence on the Kyoto trip. I guess… I think I can let up on him a little and just let him be a kid most of the time.” She chanced a glance back at Nodoka and Yue, the former beaming like the sun, the latter smirking like a cat who’d just spotted a particularly plump mouse. “Oh would you wipe those looks off your faces?!”

“S-sorry,” Nodoka said, giggling. “It’s just nice to hear you finally being so nice to Negi-sensei.”

“Indeed,” Yue said, her smirk remaining. “The rest of the class will be happy to hear it, too.”

Sunset glared at Yue. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Wouldn’t I?”

“...I’m going to be buying the drinks for a month, aren’t I?”

“Two months, or I go straight to Konoka-chan and Asakura-san.”

“Extortionist.”

“Softie.”

Sunset sighed and started walking again. “Let’s just get ourselves cleaned up.”

“Mm. Sounds good.” Yue was silent for a beat. “So, does this mean Honya has some competition for Negi-sensei’s affections after all?”

“Eep!”

“YUE!!!”

*****

“What’s the matter, Kotarou-kun?”

“Oh, nothing. I just think this is pretty nice. I’ve never eaten like this. I mean, eating together at one table. Eating together as a family seems kinda fun.”

“Oh, Natsumi-san’s home must be rather cruel.”

“It’s a normal family! Perfectly normal!”

“Here! Eat some more!”

“Haha, thanks!”

*ding-dong*

“Huh? Who could that be?”

“I’ll go look.”

…

“Hello? May I ask who this is?”

“My apologies, miss; there may be a little fuss here. I have something to talk about with a particular boy in there.”

*****

“The school festival’s next month. I can’t wait!”

“Ah. But there’s midterm tests before that.”

“Hey, don’t remind me!”

“I actually like the timing of it.”

“Ah! Nichi-chan!”

Sunset sat down next to Yuuna and began scrubbing herself. Well over half of the class was in the humongous bathhouse the dorms provided. Sunset had left Yue and Nodoka to chat with Haruna about her manga manuscript, preferring to talk with some of her tutoring students. On Yuuna’s other side sat Ako, Akira, and Makie. It was to Ako that Sunset turned as she continued. “Think of the festival as a reward for all your hard work leading up to the midterms. It’ll be good motivation to go all-out on them.” She smirked at Yuuna. “And it’ll make you feel really guilty if you enjoy it despite doing poorly on the exams.”

“Don’t put it like that!” Yuuna whined. “Now I have to study, or I’ll have that hanging over me the entire festival.”

“Mua ha ha!” Sunset cackled as she lathered up her arms. “And thus my evil plan to make you care about studying begins to take root. Tremble in fear as I corrupt you all into being diligent and successful students!” She looked down the line, frowning a bit at Makie. “Well, most of you, anyway.”

“I can’t help it,” the gymnast cried, scrubbing her hair. “No matter how much I study, it doesn’t stick! Maybe I’m just doomed to be Baka Pink forever.”

“Well, it’s not like academics are the only important thing,” Akira reassured.

“True,” Sunset conceded. “Heck, most of the class could probably get by with professional athletics if they really tried. Much as I hate to say it, Makie just isn’t great at book-smarts; going all-out on gymnastics might actually be the best course.”

“Really?” Yuuna perked up. “Then in that case-”

“Not you.” Sunset doused Yuuna with a rinse bucket as she glared at the basketballer. “You actually have some ability with academics when you actually put forth effort. And that crack I made back at the world tree wasn’t just to get all of you off my back; those melons on your chest are just going to get bigger.”

Yuuna pouted at Sunset, missing the envious glares that Ako and Makie shot at her chest. “Don’t remind me,” she grumbled, starting to lather up her hair. “I’ve already outgrown my bras twice this year. It’s starting to get really annoying.”

Akira cleared her throat as Ako and Makie’s death glares intensified. “You seem unusually sociable tonight, Nichibotsu-san.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Is that unwelcome?”

“No. Just… surprising.”

“...fair enough.” Sunset let out a sigh. “I admit, I’ve been beginning to question whether it’s worth it to push back against the class anymore. I mean, it turns out that most of you are half-way interesting and decent people underneath your unwarranted energy and rampant pedofilia.”

Three sets of eyes turned to Ako, who nodded. “It was a compliment. Mostly.”

Sunset chuckled. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m never going to tire of the class’s pervasive immaturity. But… I guess I don’t really hate anyone anymore.” She shrugged. “I’m not going to go out of my way to make people like me, but if people really want to befriend me or whatever, I guess I don’t have to fight back so much.”

“So does that mean you’re going to-”

Sunset held up a hand, stopping Ako’s question before she could become too excited. “Sorry, Ako. But I don’t think that I’m ever going to get along with the cheerleaders. Too much bad blood already.” She lowered her hand and looked away, hiding the twinge of regret on her face. “I was… really harsh with them. Didn’t hold anything back. And it’s not like I’m going to take back anything that I said that was true. ‘Sorry for the way I said all that’ isn’t really going to cut it when the substance of what I said cut so deep. The most I can do there is avoid them where possible, and be civil where not.”

The four girls shared looks of surprise before Akira spoke again. “You’ve… changed.”

Sunset snorted and started rinsing herself off. “Not really. Just… Negi-kun reminded me of something.”

“Eh?” Ako asked while the other three reeled from Sunset’s change of address towards their teacher. “What’s that?”

Sunset stood, staring off into the distance. “That other people have so much behind them that you can’t see.” She shook her head and turned back to the baths. “Bah, I’m gonna go soak. I need to relax after…”

Something was wrong. Sunset’s eyes darted back and forth before slowly scanning the room. At one end of the baths, Chisame and a few of the other girls were freaking out about something. At the other end, Haruna was looking around in confusion. And in between…

Honya? Sunset’s eyes started darting from face to face, trying to find some sign of her friend. Yue? I was sure I saw Ku Fei and Kazumi in here too when I came in. Where are they?

“Nichi-chan?”

Sunset looked down. Ako was staring at her, along with the other three. She flinched at the look on Sunset’s face. “N-Nichi-chan? Is something wrong?”

“...no.” Sunset turned back and began walking out of the baths. “Just remembered something I need to do.” She faked a sigh of exasperation. “Looks like I won’t be getting that soak after all.”

Once she was alone in the changing room, Sunset darted for the lockers. Sure enough, she found Nodoka, Yue, Ku Fei, and Kazumi’s clothes still there. She dried herself off with a quick burst of magic before pulling her own clothes on and storming out of the baths.

Not good. I didn’t see Mana in there, so there’s only one thing that those four have in common that the rest of the girls in there don’t have. A connection to magic. If I’d been with them, would I have been taken too? Setsuna damn well better have found something or I-

“Nichibotsu!”

Sunset skid to a stop, looking back to see Setsuna approaching from behind. “I’m glad I found you! Asuna-san and Ojou-sama are missing!”

Sunset grit her teeth. That just leaves Negi. “We’ve got to find Negi-kun,” she snapped, turning and charging back down the hallway. “Nodoka and the others went missing in the baths.”

“I think he’s patrolling the north side of the building,” Setsuna said, charging along beside her. “If we hurry, we can-”

“Adeat.”

Setsuna was slammed into the wall, gasping in pain and shock as Sunset’s gauntleted grip around her neck tightened. Sunset glared at Setsuna, her other hand cocked back into a fist and burning with fire.

“Sloppy work,” Sunset spat. “Setsuna doesn’t know that I’ve switched from calling our teacher ‘Springfield.’ She does know that I’ve called Miyazaki Nodoka ‘Honya’ for as long as I’ve been in the class. If she’d found that students were going missing, she’d have her sword out already.” Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “All of those are pretty minor though, compared to your biggest mistake. If Konoka went missing, Setsuna wouldn’t be nearly as composed as this. Drop the illusion, whoever you are.”

Setsuna struggled for a minute before suddenly going limp. “Damn. You’re pretty good.” She smirked at Sunset. “He was right, you really were the wildcard in this situation. Fine, I’ll let you see my real form.”

Sunset lurched slightly as she went from pinning the figure in her grasp to holding it up. Setsuna’s body melted into a viscous fluid which reformed into a smaller girl made entirely of some sort of slime. It wore a simple dress and had its hair up in two pigtails. The slime-girl grinned at Sunset.

That grin grew strained as Sunset just continued to glare. “Um, you know, this is usually the part where people freak out.”

“I’ve seen a lot freakier things than you,” Sunset retorted. “Now, what did you do with the real Sakurazaki Setsuna? The other girls, too. I assume you were behind their kidnappings?”

The slime-girl giggled. “Me and my sisters, yeah. But we did have one more targe-”

Fire bathed the wall beneath the girl’s feet. She let out a squeal and jerked her lower half up from where it had been oozing down the wall. “I suggest you don’t try that again,” Sunset said, moving her fist back up. “Or my next shot won’t miss. And I promise you, my flames burn hot enough to flash-fry even something as wet and slimy as you.” She tightened her grip on the slime-girl, dismissing her left gauntlet which held her. “Now tell me, where did you take them?”

The slime-girl chuckled nervously, eyeing Sunset’s fist full of fire. “Erm, you know, strangling me like this isn’t actually doing anything.”

Sunset’s grip tightened, her hand closing entirely around the girl’s neck, her fingers pressing against the wall. There. Now, if Setsuna can channel her ki into her sword to reinforce it, I should be able to… “Maybe, but it helps me feel powerful.” Sunset smirked as she slowly, subtly began channeling ki through her fist and into the wall. “Not that I really need the confidence boost. Now tell me what your objective is and where you took my comrades, or you’ll find out what the inside of a bonfire feels like.”

The slime-girl swallowed nervously. “Erm, sure. Sure. We aren’t gonna hurt any of them, so you can, uh, tone down the threats. We’re only really after Negi Springfield.”

“I see.” Sunset felt her ki spreading through the wall, strengthening and reinforcing it. She kept a steady flow of ki moving through her left hand even as she maintained the magic burning in her right. “And where exactly are the girls being held hostage?”

“E-heh, hostage is such a strong word,” the slime-girl said, her eyes darting around nervously. Sunset cocked her fist back slightly and the slime-girl’s eyes went wide. “Th-th-the big outdoor stage! The one by the university!”

“I see.” Sunset’s eyes narrowed further. Just a little more… “And it’s just you and your sisters?”

“Um, yes?” Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Er, no. There’s, um, another guy with us. I swear, he’s the one really in charge. W-we’re just following his orders.”

“I see.” That should do it. “Thank you for the information.” Sunset’s fist began to glow brighter. “It was most helpful.”

The slime-girl’s eyes widened. “W-w-wait! I told you what you wanted! You have to let me go! That’s how being the good guy works!”

Sunset shook her head. “I’ve never been very good at being the ‘good guy.’ And even if I were,” Sunset sent out one final pulse of ki into the wall, ensuring it would stand up to the coming onslaught, “you kidnapped my friends.”

The rushing of flames drowned out the slime’s brief screams.

Arc 5.3: Chapter 41

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Mahora University’s outdoor stage was as grand as the rest of the school. The sunken pit was backed by the massive “world tree” around which the school was built and was tiered with seating for a few thousand. The storm had proven to be as brief as it had been fierce, the clouds quickly moving on to allow the moon to illuminate the stage and a scene that was only slightly stranger than what would be found there at the school festival in a month’s time.

Three spheres of water hovered a few inches above the stage. Two of these held one girl each, subdued in a magically induced sleep. The other held five girls, four of them totally naked and the fifth wearing only her pyjamas. In the center of the stage, hanging by her arms which were chained to the rafters above, was another girl, irate at her situation as a helpless hostage. Finally, the stage contained a tall, looming man dressed in black, a wide-brimmed hat casting his eyes into shadow, his bone-white beard sharply trimmed and his shoulder-length hair waving behind him.

At the top of the seating, facing down towards the stage, were two children, boys with more might and power than most grown men. They faced down the mysterious man who was their opponent.

“What are you talking about, Negi! You’re just a mage! There’s no way you can win! Get out of my way!”

“What? And what are you talking about, Kotarou? You were just defeated by that guy down there!”

Rather, who should have been their opponent.

Sunset sighed, watching from up in the World Tree’s branches as Negi and Kotarou bickered about who should be fighting. “Males. No matter the species, they’re all alike.” She glared down at the figure in black, who watched the argument with an amusement that was slowly beginning to bleed away into impatience. “So, that’s the mastermind, huh? If there isn’t more to him than meets the eye, I’ll shave my head.”

“That would be a shame.” Sunset didn’t even flinch at the silent arrival of the class ninja. “Your hair is quite unique de gozaru.”

Sunset nodded a greeting. “Kaede. Shouldn’t you be going down there to help?”

Kaede shrugged. “I believe that Negi-bozou and Kotarou-bozu can handle this.” Nevertheless, she held her giant shuriken in her hand. “What about you? It is not like you to sit these things out.”

“Despite my past efforts,” Sunset muttered with a chuckle. “I’m just waiting for that guy to be distracted. Hit him while his guard is down.”

Kaede raised an eyebrow. “He does not seem the type to let down his guard de gozaru.”

“I’m starting to see that, yeah.” She stretched her arms above her head. “Guess I’ll go knock some sense into those two kids, then. I’m surprised to see dog-boy here, though.”

“As am I. But they seem to be getting along well, ne?”

“Since that battle, I’ve been training hard! And without your wolf spirits you can’t transform, so that makes me the stronger one!”

“What?! Oh you think so, do you?!”

“As well as two hot-headed males can.” Sunset summoned her gauntlets and prepared her spell. “Well, enjoy the show, I guess. Maybe whip up some amusing commentary alongside that vampire three branches up who thinks she’s being sneaky.”

Sunset teleported away just as Evangeline choked in surprise.

*****

“Allright, that’s enough.” Two gauntletted fists came down, striking Negi and Kotarou and sending them both to their knees, clutching their heads. “You can duke it out to see who’s stronger later,” Sunset admonished. “Right now we’ve got an old man to beat up.”

“Gah! Nichibotsu-san!” Negi looked up in shock. “Wh-what are you doing here?”

Kotarou cursed. “What’s the fire-anesan doing here?”

“Taking down this kidnapper, that’s what.” Sunset glared down at the black-cloaked figure. “He may be aiming for you, Negi-kun, but he kidnapped my friends too.” She smirked. “And one of his minions tried and failed to kidnap me.”

“Minions?” Kotarou leapt to his feet, his ears perked as his eyes darted around. “I thought we were just dealing with this guy.”

“He’s got backup,” Sunset explained as Negi got up as well. “Three slime girls. Well, two slime girls and a pile of ash.”

“WHAT?!”

The two puddles of slime that had been creeping forward, camouflaged against the wet ground, sprang towards Sunset, solidifying somewhat into two very angry slime girls. “What did you do to Slime-nee?!”

The two slimes impacted Sunset, sending her toppling backwards. She grunted as the slimes molded together, trying to reach her head to smother her. “This!” Her gauntlets flared to life, setting her whole body alight and sending the slimes shrieking as they leapt off of her.

“Nichibotsu-san!”

“Fire-anesan!”

“I’m fine!” Sunset leapt to her feet, putting up her fists as the two slimegirls recovered. “I’ll hold them here! You two take care of the old man!”

Negi hesitated. “But-”

Kotarou put a hand on his shoulder. “She’ll be fine! Come on, Negi!”

Negi bit his lip before nodding. “Be careful, Nichibotsu-san!” he shouted as he and Kotarou leapt down towards the stage.

Sunset grinned savagely from one slime girl to the other as they began to circle her. “So, her name was ‘Slime,’ was it? How original. What are your names, then; Ooze and Muck?”

The girl in the cap and glasses glared at Sunset, tears of slime forming in her eyes. The other one, whose hair almost reached the ground, stared coldly at her. “Pudding,” she said. “And that’s Amee.”

“What did you do to Slime-nee?” Amee demanded again.

Sunset slowly turned, keeping both slimes in her peripheral vision. “I told you, didn’t I?” She allowed the fire surrounding her to roll off her body, collecting into her fists. “She tried to imitate Sakurazaki Setsuna to capture me. It didn’t work, and she ended up at my mercy.” She snorted. “Of course, with her admitting to having helped kidnap my friends, my mercy ended up being in short supply. You’ll find her remains charred to a crisp in the girl’s dorms near the bath. If you hurry, you may even be able to retrieve them before someone sweeps her up and throws her in the trash where she belongs.”

Amee screamed in rage, throwing herself recklessly at Sunset as her body deformed into a giant wave, her head still glaring at her from on top. “I’LL KILL YOU! I’LL KILL YOU FOR KILLING SLIME-NEE!”

Sunset turned to face the wave, her ears perked to catch the wet footfalls of Pudding behind her. Smart girl, she thought, throwing a ball of fire at Amee to force her to reign in her attack and dodge. But predictable. She jumped, flipping backwards and relishing the shock on Pudding’s face as the slime’s fist struck where Sunset had previously been standing. Sunset landed behind the slime girl, throwing a fist that caught her just as she was turning. The punch didn’t do much to the viscous, malleable slime, but her fire scorched the girl nonetheless, causing her to cry out in pain.

“Pudding-nee!” Amee rushed to her sister’s defence, her arm molding itself into a spike with which she tried to skewer Sunset. Sunset simply stepped aside and brought up her fists again, dodging most of the stabs and deflecting what few she couldn’t sidestep. Amee’s face was twisted in a mixture of rage and sorrow. “Why?!” she screamed, stabbing at Sunset again and again. “We didn’t hurt any of them! Why did you have to kill her?!”

One particularly wild stab went wide. Sunset caught it and yanked hard, pulling the girl closer and catching her in the chest with her fist.

“Simple,” she replied, all humor and pity gone from her tone. “You took my friends hostage. That’s enough. Sagita Magica, Convergentia Ignis!”

The bolt of fire ripped the slime girl in half. She screamed and fell to the ground, her bottom half dissolving into unmoving slime. The bottom of her chest was a twisted mass of fused ooze, her face a mask of pure agony.

“Amee!” Pudding charged Sunset, striking out with fist and foot, forcing Sunset back a bit. Sunset put up her fists again, but held back. Pudding stood beside her sister, her warry eyes on Sunset even as she spoke to the other slime. “Amee. Are you okay?”

“Sh-she blew half of me away!” Amee screamed. “It hurts! It hurts so much!”

Pudding’s eyes narrowed at Sunset and she knelt down, placing a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “We’re done here, Amee. She’s more than we can handle. Herrmann was wrong about how strong she was.”

“You think I’m just going to let you go?” Sunset demanded. “Give me one good reason.”

“Because while we carried out the kidnappings,” Pudding said evenly, “the mastermind is over on that stage. And he’s much stronger than we are. I’m pretty sure he’s stronger than you, too. How much longer do you think those two children will last once he decides to stop playing around with them?”

Sunset glared at the slime, calculating how long it would take to take her and her sister out for good. A rapid series of explosions and crashes answered that question - too long - causing her to curse. “Get out of this academy if you know what’s good for you,” she spat. “Because if I find out you’re still here when I’m done with him, you’ll be joining Slime in the ash heap.” She turned and sprinted up the rise, quickly reaching the stands and staring down at the scene below.

It wasn’t an optimistic sight. Whole sections of the seating had been destroyed, others turned to stone. Kotarou lay in a crater of destroyed benches, slowly pulling himself to his feet. Negi stood strong, but was covered in small cuts and bruises. The man, Herrmann, stood just in front of the stage, unharmed and unharried. The fight seemed to have come to a lull, Hermann taunting Negi as he faced him down.

“What exactly do you fight for, Negi-kun?”

“What… do I fight for?”

Sunset hesitated. A quick glance behind her showed that the slime girls had fled. She let herself relax a touch, wanting to hear Negi’s answer as well.

“Yes. Look at Kotarou-kun. The fact is, he enjoys fighting a lot.” Herrmann looked up at Sunset, and a shiver ran down her spine. “In Nichibotsu-chan’s eyes, I see ambition for power.” He turned his attention back to Negi.

“And you? For your companions? Preposterous, absolutely preposterous. Negi-kun, you disappoint me. A person’s reason for fighting must always be for himself, no-one else. Anger, hatred, and vengeance are what cause most people to fight to the best of their abilities. Or even simpler, ‘I’m satisfied so long as I am strong’ like Kotarou-kun. If that’s not how you feel, then fighting will be meaningless.”

Negi grit his teeth. “I don’t fight for self-satisfaction.”

“Nor should he,” Sunset agreed, descending the tiers of seating to stand beside him. “To fight for oneself is a fine ambition in an arena, but it doesn’t work in the real world. In the real world, you have allies. Comrades. And people to protect.” Her eyes narrowed at unpleasant memories. “Gloryhounding for personal gratification just gets people killed.”

“And what happens when you step into that arena?” Herrmann demanded. “When all of that support and strength is gone? When you find yourself robbed of that motivation? Will you still be able to fight?” He smirked. “And what of anger, hatred, and vengeance? Do you disagree that such things make you stronger?”

“Those things make you blind,” Sunset snapped. “They make you tunnel-visioned. Narrow-minded. Impulsive.” She snorted and shook her head, putting up her fists. “Again, all good ways to get yourself or others killed. Add to that list humoring a manipulative piece of work like you. Ignore his words, Negi-kun. We have some friends to rescue.”

Negi’s eyes went wide and he spared a brief, surprised glance at Sunset. “Nichibotsu-san. You called me…”

Sunset returned his glance with a smirk. “What of it? We’re comrades now, right?” She raised her voice. “Oy! Dog-boy! That applies to you too! Get off your ass and help us take this guy down!”

“Tch, taking orders from a girl.” Kotarou finally pulled himself to his feet and began circling closer to Sunset and Negi. “And what’s with the ‘dog’ names? I’m a wolf, I’ll have you know!”

Sunset snorted. “Start acting like a wolf and I’ll start treating you like one. Right now all I see is a puppy with his tail between his legs.”

Kotarou chuckled, glaring down at Herrmann. “Well then, guess it’s time for me to prove that my bite is worse than my bark. What do you say, anesan? Rematch once we thrash this guy?”

“What happened to you not hitting girls.”

“...you and that ninja-anesan have made me think there might be exceptions to my philosophy.”

Sunset barked out a laugh as she lit her fists again. “I look forward to it then. Let’s take this guy down!”

“Wait!” Sunset cocked an eyebrow at Negi. “Spells won’t work on him! He’s set up a barrier that redirects them to Asuna-san who has a magic-cancel ability!”

Sunset stared from Negi to the chained-up Asuna and back. “Huh. That explains a few things.” She extinguished her gauntlets and faced Herrmann again. “Now, let’s take this guy down!”

“If you can.” Herrmann put up his fists as well, though his stance was much looser and more relaxed. “Though I doubt your little pep rally will make much of a difference.”

“Pep rallies make all the difference,” Sunset countered, smirking, “when you’ve got an Equestrian on your side.”

Herrmann’s eyes went wide, his jaw dropping. “You-”

In less than a second, they had moved, capitalizing on Herrmann’s shock. Kotarou’s high roundhouse. Negi’s palm-strike to the chest. Sunset’s straightforward gut-punch. All three connected in that moment of distraction, blowing Harrmann backwards into the raised front of the stage.

“Kotarou! Clones!” Sunset shouted, charging forward with Negi. “Cut off his escape!”

Kotarou nodded, keeping his pace behind theirs as he split off several shadow clones, coming in from all sides. Herrmann pushed himself off the front of the stage, blocking Sunset and Negi’s next blows, his counters sending them retreating. He met Kotarou’s strikes next, easily weathering a few of the clones’ weakened blows even as he countered others and threw the real Kotarou back. No sooner had he rid himself of them than Sunset was back in his face, striking out with a few quick jabs to keep him in place as she focused on dodging his strikes. She ducked one punch, only to be faced with his other fist flying straight for her head. Negi arrived at the last minute, striking Herrmann’s arm out of the way and countering with another blow to the chest, blowing him back into the stage again.

“Keep pressing him,” Sunset instructed as Kotarou returned, striking out with Negi while Sunset took a step back to watch for any escape attempt. “We have him pinned!”

“Do you now?”

The hairs on the backs of their necks stood on end. The three of them leapt away just as a cloud of green gas erupted from Herrmann’s clothes, obscuring the front half of the stage.

“Ach!” Asuna cried, as the gas reached the front of her skirt, turning it to stone even as it left her skin untouched. “No! Not again!”

“What are you complaining about?!” Kazumi demanded from one of the spheres of water. “Even if it breaks, at least you’ll still be wearing something!”

“Besides,” Sunset added with a smirk, “you aren’t a proper damsel in distress if you aren’t at least a little scantily-clad!”

“I had an outfit prepared,” Herrmann said from within the cloud, his outline barely visible, “but in all the confusion from Slime-chan’s failure to return, I never got around to changing her into it.”

“Pity.” Sunset’s smirk turned haughty. “So this is your plan? Hide in your little smokescreen when things get tough? Might be a good idea, actually. The three of us are fighting like a well-oiled machine.”

“We’ve got you on the ropes, ossan,” Kotarou added. “Even if you get out of your little corner, we’ll still be able to take you down.”

“Give up, Herrmann-san!” Negi demanded. “Release my students. You have no way to win against all of us!”

“Well, that is the annoying part,” Herrmann muttered, the cloud thinning enough for his eyes to glint through it. “You see, I was never interested in fighting Kotarou-kun or the Equestrian. The only one I’m interested in is you, Negi Springfield.”

“Well tough.” Sunset let herself relax a little and put a hand on Negi’s shoulder. “His fight is our fight, his foes our foes. You want to get to him, you’ve got to go through us.”

“Oh, I don’t think so,” Herrmann chuckled. “In fact, I think Negi-kun will agree that this fight is personal. After all… he wants revenge for that snowy night.”

Sunset felt Negi tense. “H-how… how do you know about that?”

Sunset’s eyes went wide Oh no. “Buck up, Negi,” she snapped. “Don’t let him get in your head.”

“Oh, but I’m already there,” Herrmann said, the cloud dispersing further, his head coming slowly into view. He reached up, placing his hand on his hat. “I’m in his head all the time, haunting his memory. Tell me, Negi Springfield…” He doffed his hat.

“Do you recognize me now?”

Sunset’s blood turned to ice. She’d thought the man a mage, perhaps a powerful warrior who had once fought against Negi’s father. Maybe even someone who’d wanted to fight the Thousand Master and, bereft of that option, had decided to go after his son instead.

Herrmann’s head was only vaguely human, his mouth far too large and more like a mask than an actual face. Two horns curled out away to either side of his head, and pale, sickly white lights glowed within his eyes and throat. He stared at Negi, and everyone could feel the gleeful malice behind that stare.

Herrmann was a demon.

A demon that they recognized from Negi’s memories.

“Hahaha!” Hermann’s voice had changed, his laughter grating and shrill. “Not bad, huh? I like that expression on your face right now, Negi-kun.”

“You…” Negi muttered, staring with wide eyes and trembling limbs. “You’re…”

“Yes,” hissed the demon. “Your vengeance, Negi-kun. On that day we were summoned, I was one of the few high-level demons who was called there. I am also the one who petrified nearly your entire village.

“So… feel like fighting for yourself yet?”

“Negi? You okay?” Kotarou asked.

“Negi-kun,” Sunset said, tightening her grip on his shoulder. “I can’t imagine what you must be feeling right now, but you need to-”

Negi was gone. In a flash, he was crouched in front of Herrmann. The demon barely had time to look down before Negi’s blow sent him flying.

“Negi!” Sunset shouted, rushing forward. But she was too late; Negi had already leapt into the sky after the demon. “SPRINGFIELD!”

“What the heck!” Kotarou shouted as Negi dealt blow after blow to Herrmann in midair. “What kind of speed is that?”

“It’s a surge,” Sunset muttered, her eyes going wide. The crackling of fire echoed in her ears. The screams of a couple burning alive. The cries of a desperate filly. “He’s… surging. He’s lost control. He’s completely lost control.”

“Damn it, fire-anesan! Snap out of it!” Kotarou shouted as Negi summoned his staff to him to stay in the air. “Negi’s not getting a single blow past his defences! His head-on charge makes him a sitting duck! We have to snap him out of it!”

“Mwahahahaha!” Herrmann cackled gleefully even as he retreated out of Negi’s reach. “This is it! This is exactly what I’ve been waiting for! This is how the Thousand Master’s son should be!!!”

“He isn’t thinking about anything,” Sunset muttered, and slowly the fires of the past were replaced by the fire that started flooding her veins. “He isn’t thinking about Asuna. The captives! Us! Anything!!! He hasn’t just lost control; he’s outright thrown it away!!!”

Kotarou cried out in shock and backed away as Sunset’s ki flared, nearly overwhelming and stripping her of her artifact. “Woah! Fire-anesan! Don’t you go losing control too!”

“No fear of that,” Sunset seethed, doing some quick calculations before crouching down. “Brace yourself.”

“For wha-”

Sunset didn’t hear the rest of the question. She leapt with all the strength her ki afforded her, quickly flying higher than Negi and Herrmann. With both of them focused on each other and not even trying for anything more than straight-on fighting, it was trivial for Sunset to anticipate Negi’s path and aim her decent. You’d better have that Battle Hymn up all the way, you little brat! Sunset oriented herself downward as she began to fall and, reigning in the ki from her legs, allowed her boots to reform. She drew in all the magic she could into her legs.

Fire erupted behind her, and she streaked down towards the battle below. The demon grinned at Negi, opening his mouth, preparing a petrification beam that would end the battle and send Negi falling to shatter on the ground below. Before the beam could fire, however, Sunset’s fist met its target.

And with all her strength, she bore Negi down to the ground.

They crashed near the stage, the impact sending debris flying as the ground cratered. Negi’s eyes went wide and he spat out a mouthful of blood before falling unconscious.

“Negi!”

“Negi-kun!”

Sunset ignored her classmates as she stood from Negi’s body. A quick once-over showed that he was still breathing. Good. Nothing that Konoka can’t fix. Resisting the urge to add to his injuries, she leapt from the crater.

“I must say, I did not expect that.”

Sunset turned to glare at Herrmann as the demon drifted to the ground, donning his hat and his human disguise once again. “He should have,” Sunset spat, the fires of the past only now beginning to fade from her ears. “Is that what you think strength is? A blind berserker’s charge that leads straight into the jaws of Hell?”

“An apt description for your own actions,” Herrmann countered, “wouldn’t you say?”

“I am not blinded.” Sunset flared her ki, once again dismissing her artifact entirely. “My wrath is held in check, most of it channeled into that blow.” She cocked her fist back. “But rest assured, if it’s anger you want, I still have plenty for you.”

“What the hell, Nichibotsu!” Asuna shouted from her chains. “What did you do to Negi! When I get out of here, I’m-”

“Do whatever you feel you must, Kagurazaka Asuna,” Sunset said calmly, never taking her eyes from the demon before her. “But I will not apologize for teaching this idiot a lesson. Kotarou, change of plans. Use your clones, and keep this hell-spawn in front of me.”

Kotarou nodded, slightly shaken from Sunset’s unrestrained strike against Negi, but still focused on the fight. “Sure, got it. But, er, why just my clones?”

“Because if any of my attacks hit you, you might not survive.”

Herrmann cackled at this proclamation. “I will admit, you have more raw power than I suspected. But it’s just that: raw. You seem to lack any fine control over-”

Sunset threw her punch, the full weight of her ki behind it, regardless of the distance between herself and Herrmann and the cracking of the stone beneath her feet. The demon had just enough time to wonder what she was doing before the force of the blow bowled him over and sent him careening into the stands. He impacted with the shattering of wood and stone as first the benches and then the wall they sat upon gave beneath the force of the blow.

“Keep him in there, Kotarou,” Sunset said, stalking forward as she cocked back her arm again. “I don’t want any of these to miss.”

“Y-you got it, anesan.”

Herrmann pulled himself from the crater, leaping away to try to avoid Sunset’s aim. Two of Kotarou’s clones latched onto his legs, a third tackling his chest and bearing him to the ground. Herrmann growled as he flung two of the clones from himself. “Get off me, you fool. I will not be-”

Sunset’s next blow struck true, destroying Kotarou’s third clone and plowing Herrmann through the stands once again.

Kotarou winced. “Jeeze, anesan! They might not be my body, but that still hurts!”

“Sorry,” Sunset muttered, suppressing her ki and drawing on her magic again, summoning her artifact. “Since we’re down to two, I had to do some massive damage while I could. Hopefully that was enough to slow him down.”

Herrmann limped out of the crater, one of his legs twisted and an arm hanging limply at his side. He eyed Sunset warrily.

“Looks like it worked,” Kotarou snarked. “But you know, it would still be three-on-one if you hadn’t smacked Negi down that hard. I mean, he was being an idiot, but was that really nece-”

“Yes.” Sunset summoned two small fireballs to her palms as she channeled magic down to the soles of her boots. “This is your chance to shine, dog-boy. After those two blows, his focus will be entirely on me now. At least for a moment. Show him why that’s a mistake.”

Kotarou grinned savagely. “I’ll need a distraction to close the distance.”

Time to put Chachamaru’s lessons to use. “Consider him distracted.” Sunset poured fire into her boots, launching herself into the air. She pumped magic through her gauntlets as well, sending out short streams of fire to stabilize her flight. She was only hovering a meter off the ground, the highest she dared with how new this skill was, but it was still enough to surprise Herrmann for the third time that night.

And it was a surprise that Kotarou capitalized on. He sprinted forward, keeping low to the ground and counting on the darkness and the contrast of Sunset’s brilliance to hide him as he advanced on Herrmann. Sunset charged as well, keeping her pace deliberately slower and shaky. Herrmann saw her coming and, judging her shakiness for inability, rushed forward to intercept her.

Sunset stabilized at the last minute, turning her palms downward and flying over the demon’s head. Herrmann’s gaze followed her, allowing Kotarou and his clones to surround him. They struck from all sides, Herrmann caught unawares and unable to block a single blow. By the time he was able to put up any defence at all, Sunset had returned, swinging a fire-propelled dropkick down on his head. Herrmann crashed to the ground and lay there, unmoving.

“Ha!” Kotarou cheared. “That’s what you get for picking a fight with us!” He turned a triumphant grin to Sunset. “Those were some sweet moves! You’ve been working hard since we last fought! Though that amount of ki is seriously ridiculous.”

“I’ll keep it down to reasonable levels when we have our rematch,” Sunset said, glaring down at Herrmann as she rolled him over with her foot. He groaned and cracked an eye open, gazing blearily up at her. “Any last words?”

Herrmann tried to glare at her before giving it up with a sigh. “I suppose I failed, then. A pity. Whatever became of those slime sisters?”

Sunset hesitated, but allowed herself to answer; the fight was over. “Slime is dead, burnt to ash. Amee is crippled, her lower half charred off. Pudding escaped with her, unscathed.”

“Ah.” Herrmann closed his eyes. “Be quick about it, then. From what I know of Equestrians, it isn’t your way to make an enemy suffer needlessly.”

Kotarou bit his lip, looking from Sunset to Herrmann and back. “I… don’t like kicking a guy when he’s down. Do ya really need to-”

“Yes.” Sunset splayed her hand, palm down at Herrmann. “You should back away. My artifact makes me fireproof, but it won’t protect you.” Seeing that Kotarou had backed off, headed towards the stage, Sunset drew power into her hand. “Equis Equis Alicornus. Ex Somno Exsistat Exurens Salamandra Inimicum Involvat Igne. Captus Flammeus.”

A blast of fire shot from her hand, engulfing the demon and billowing out and up to surround her as well. She kept the power flowing for a full minute before she relented, lowering her arm and turning away from the pile of ash that was all that remained of the demon Graf Wilhelm Josef von Herrmann.

“Negi-kun!”

Sunset blinked in surprise. Konoka had rushed to Negi’s side and was pulling out her artifact. Ku Fei, Nodoka, Yue, and Kazumi were disappearing behind the stage, likely trying to find something to wear. Kotarou had freed Setsuna and Chizuru from their prisons and was talking to the latter. Asuna was rubbing her wrists and looking over Konoka’s shoulder with concern.

“I didn’t think dog-boy would have you out that fast,” Sunset said to Konoka, walking over.

Konoka shook her head as her artifact materialized around her. A shrine maiden’s outfit adorned her body and she held a large paper fan in either hand, waving them above Negi’s unconscious body. “I had a practice wand with me,” she said as her magic healed Negi’s injuries and brought him back to consciousness. “Nodoka-chan was able to get a spark going, and I fed it with my magic to break through.”

Sunset smiled proudly towards the stage. “Good for her.” She turned back towards Negi and her smile quickly fell. “But as for him-”

“Don’t take one more step!” Asuna leapt between Sunset and Negi, arms spread wide, glaring with malice at Sunset. “If you think I’m going to let you at him after what you did to him-”

“What I did to him?” Sunset interrupted, matching Asuna’s ire with her own. “How about what he did to me and Kotarou?! To all of you?! Did you see how he snapped?!”

“O-of course I saw it!” Asuna shouted back. “B-but so what?! Anyone would be angry in his situation! And you snapped too!”

“Don’t you dare,” Sunset seethed, reaching forward and grabbing Asuna by the shirt. She pulled her forward, shoving their faces together. “Don’t you DARE compare what I did to him! You think I snapped? I was in perfect control the whole time. I know exactly how much force I put into my punch. I knew exactly what was behind that demon with every punch I threw. I knew exactly what would happen if I missed with every. Single. Blow. Tell me, Kagurazaka Asuna, did it look like he was considering anything around him when he snapped.”

Asuna hesitated, and Sunset pressed the advantage. “He threw away every ounce of self-control. Do you understand that, Asuna? HE THREW AWAY HIS CONTROL! And in case you’ve got as small an attention span as he does, let me remind you that I’m intimately familiar with what happens when a powerful mage does that.”

Asuna paled, realization dawning. Sunset shoved her aside and walked to the edge of the crater, glaring down at Negi. The child teacher stared up at her in shock, having overheard her admonition. “N-Nichibotsu-san… I-”

“You’re a real piece of work, you know that?” She grabbed Negi by his shirt, forcing him upright and turning him to face the craters she’d blown Herrmann into. “Take a good look, Negi Springfield. That’s what happens when I go all-out. Tell me, what do you think would have happened if these stands were backed by wood instead of a solid hillside? What would have become of someone passing by on the other side?”

Before he could answer, she turned him forcibly to the stage where Nodoka and the others were just emerging with blankets wrapped around themselves. “Or imagine if I’d thrown my punches in that direction. What would have become of your precious students. Tell me something, Negi Springfield. When you punched that demon into the air, was it because you were thinking about getting him away from the hostages? Or is it just pure dumb luck that you didn’t send him careening into Asuna? Or Nodoka? Or Chizuru?”

Negi’s fear turned to dread. “I… I didn’t-”

“That’s what I thought.” Sunset threw Negi to the ground and loomed over him, no longer holding back her temper. “Do you understand what you could have done?! What could have happened to your precious students?! What if dog-boy had gotten in the way, huh?! Would you have stopped before punching his brains out?! Let me tell you a little secret about people like us, Negi Springfield! We don’t! Get to lose! Control! Because when people as powerful as us lose control, INNOCENT PEOPLE DIE!!!”

Sunset reached into her pocket and pulled out her pactio card. She stared at the self-confident smirk her image bore.

Just as I was starting to get really good with it. Figured out the rocket boots and everything. She glared back at Negi, who was turning back to look at her, fear and sorrow mixing on his face. She took the card in both hands. “And I will not bind myself to someone who fails to see that.”

She tore the card in two.

A wave of malevolent magic washed over her and Negi, forcing Sunset to one knee and reopening a few of Negi’s injuries.

“Negi!”

“Nichi-chan!”

“Negi-kun!”

Konoka dropped to Negi’s side again immediately, waving the healing fans of her artifact over him. “N-Nichi-chan! I’ll get your injuries in just a minute!”

Sunset stood, shaking off the pain. “I’m fine. Just a bit of magic backlash from breaking the contract. I’ll live.” She shot one final glare at Negi. “Consider our paths diverged from here on out, Negi Springfield; I will have nothing more to do with you.”

Ignoring her classmates concerns and protests, she walked away into the night.

Arc 6.1: Chapter 42

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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.”

Arc 6.1: Chapter 43

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“WELCOME TO 3-A’S MAID CAFE ENSEMBLE!”

“...okay. Is this about teasing Wildfire, annoying me, or genuinely making money during Mahorafest?”

Ayaka, Kazumi, and the cheerleading girls were all dressed in various maid outfits and posing cutely as Sunset opened the door to the class. She spied Satsuki and Kaede further back wearing suits and mixing drinks.

“You’re thinking too small,” Haruna said, pulling her aside as Kazumi pulled the door closed behind her. “You see, with this Maid Cafe Plan, we get to do all three at once!”

“But mostly,” Yuna added, “it’s about cheering up Negi-kun. We figure some classic over-the-top 3-A shenanigans are just what he needs to pull himself out of his funk.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know you lot were self-aware enough to refer to your usual irritating antics as ‘classic.’ Still, a maid cafe’s pretty tame by 3-A’s standards.”

Yuna and Haruna shared conspiratorial grins. “Oh, don’t worry,” Haruna chortled as the door started to open again. “There’s plenty more to come.”

“WELCOME TO 3-A’S MAID CAFE ENSEMBLE!”

Sunset looked over her shoulder just in time to see Negi’s flabbergasted expression before he was swarmed by maids. Eh, whatever, she thought, shrugging. The more they can cheer up and distract him, the less I have to do so. She stepped aside, content to watch as the girls badgered Negi into being their “practice customer.” “This is going to get out of hand quickly, isn’t it?”

“Well, it is our class.” Akira joined Sunset in watching the class, Ako following along behind. “Of course, the class rep has no idea what a maid cafe really is. Yuna and Haruna are just hyping her up and milking her for cash to make all of these outfits.”

“Still, it does look fun,” Ako added. “I mean, I’d be too embarrassed to dress up like that, but we’ll need some people to prepare the tea and snacks.”

“Well that’s a shame,” Sunset said with a teasing grin. “You’d look adorable in a maid uniform.”

Ako blushed while Akira shook her head with a smile. “Anyway, the plan seems to be working. Negi-sensei seems to be in higher spirits and-”

“Oops! The bottle opener dropped between my breasts! Negi-kun, would you get it for me?”

Akira and Sunset both sighed. “And so it begins,” Akira muttered.

“As we all knew it would,” Sunset agreed. “By the way, what did you think of the homework? I didn’t see anything on there that you should have-”

“Ookochi-chan! Over here!”

Sunset rolled her eyes as Akira was pulled away behind a hastily-erected changing curtain. She turned to Ako. “As I was saying, there wasn’t anything you two should have had problems with.”

Ako nodded. “It wasn’t that bad, not after what we went over on Friday. You’ve been a big help, Nichi-chan! Although,” she hesitated but ultimately continued, “I think maybe you should tutor Makie-chan separately. She spends most of our sessions totally lost.”

Sunset groaned. “Yeah, that girl needs another hour of one-on-one lecture just to get the basics. And I hear that Wildfire gives all of the Baka Rangers extra lessons anyway. Maybe it’d be more efficient if I just helped with those.”

Ako nodded. “Of course,” she said hopefully, “that would mean reconciling with Negi-sensei.”

“How many times do I have to say it?” Sunset griped. “Wildfire-”

“Look, Negi-kun! We have lots more costumes for you to see!”

Sunset’s retort was cut short as the changing curtain was pulled aside. Ku-Fei, Satomi, and Chao had joined the maid brigade, though their outfits had a distinctly chinese style. Yuna wore a more classic maid outfit, though with a mini-skirt and cat ears. Makie wore a japanese-style dress rather than a traditional maid outfit, and Akira stole the show, dressed as a bunny-girl.

“...I’m suddenly very enthusiastic about this idea,” Sunset admitted staring unabashedly at Akira’s half-exposed chest.

“You would be,” Ako sighed.

“What the heck is this?!” Asuna shouted, storming up to Yuna. “This isn’t even maids anymore!”

“Eh? But we want to try on different clothes,” Yuna defended. “Besides, we can also let Negi-kun experience the wonders of the adult world. Two birds with one stone.”

“Have you noticed that most of the class has stopped calling him ‘sensei?’” Sunset mused. “I mean, I hope for his sake they keep up the honorific outside of class, or the other teachers will start getting on his case.”

“Nitta-sensei, maybe,” Ako agreed. “But I think the rest of the teachers would be okay with it. I know that Takahata-sensei doesn’t mind it. Maybe-”

“Ako!” Kazumi interrupted them, pointing at the girl. “Miniskirt nurse with cat ears!”

“Wait, what?!”

“Nichibotsu! Sexy Librarian!”

“...sure, that fits.”

“N-N-Nichi-chan!” Ako stammered as Kazumi ushered them behind the changing curtain. “You can’t seriously be going along with this!”

“It was bound to happen sooner or later,” Sunset said, quickly stripping and examining the outfit that Yuna handed her. Nodding in approval, she began putting it on. “This whole thing’s got Haruna energy behind it, along with 3-A’s usual nonsense energy; it’s unstoppable at this point.”

“B-but,” Ako protested, barely noticing as Yuna assisted her in changing, “this is just too embarrassing for me! Besides, I’m not beautiful like everyone else in class!”

“The twins are being dressed as kindergartners,” Sunset pointed out. “I think ‘cute’ is as important as ‘beautiful’ or ‘sexy’ to them, and you’ve got cuteness in spades.”

Ako’s blush returned. “Mou. Stop saying that! I’m-”

“Stop flirting you two, and get out there!” Yuna pushed them, sending them stumbling out from behind the changing curtain with the latest batch as Haruna rushed Yue and Nodoka to take their place.

Sunset looked around her group, her gaze full of approval. Mana was dressed as a shrine maiden and seemed more annoyed with the shortness of her skirt than anything else. Misora was dressed up as a nun, similarly in a miniskirt. Setsuna was even more red-faced than Ako, forced into a school swimsuit and cat ears. Ako’s nurse outfit made her look even more adorable than usual, and the twins’ kindergartener outfits looked odd only in contrast to the more adult outfits surrounding them. Sunset herself was dressed in a very tight dress-shirt and vest with a mini-skirt showing off her legs and half-moon spectacles perched on her nose.

Yuna and Kazumi stared, their faces ashen. “We went overboard,” Kazumi breathed, “didn’t we?”

“Akira in a bunny-girl outfit was overboard,” Sunset snarked, adjusting her spectacles imperiously. “This is a nose-dive into a fetish cafe.”

The more extremely-dressed girls blushed even harder at this and made a beeline for the changing curtain, only to be shoved aside by Haruna as she emerged. “You two are so tasteless,” she said. “Well, the girls in our class have high specs, so I get the temptation. But that also means that all of this is just to be expected. Frankly, it’s boring.” She stepped out fully, Yue and Nodoka accompanying her. “THIS is all we need!”

The three of them were dressed far more conservatively than even the original batch of maids, their outfits more resembling waitress uniforms than maid outfits. Nodoka in particular pulled off the waitress look well, her stuttered “W-welcome,” pulling the look together perfectly.

“Ooh!” Yuna and Kazumi cheered as Ako, Setsuna, and Akira finally managed to flee behind the curtain. “That’s it!”

“It’s certainly a different flavor of cute,” Sunset agreed. “Still not really ‘maid,’ though. Really, they haven’t been maids since the first set.”

“LISTEN UP, YOU IDIOTS!”

The class’s attention was instantly grabbed by a familiar - though seldom-heard - voice. Chisame had thrown on a classic maid outfit and was pointing accusingly at the class as a whole. “You idiots have no idea what you’re doing! Even that first group is no good if all you do is look the part! From now on, Chiu-san will teach you all the true meaning of a ‘maid cafe!’”

The door slammed open behind her. The class went silent. Chisame slowly turned and stared up in distraught horror as Nitta glared into the room.

“WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING SO EARLY IN THE MORNING?!?!?!”

*****

“I hope Nitta-sensei wasn’t too hard on Negi-kun.”

"I hope we get to see more of 'Chiu-san.' Who knew Chisame was a net idol?"

"I hope Haruna manages to get more of those outfits."

Ako and Akira rolled their eyes while Yuna nodded in agreement and Natsuki blushed. "I still can't believe you two managed to trick the class rep like that," Natsuki scolded.

Yuna rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "I mean, it was only half a trick. Most of the outfits were real maid outfits." She looked away, looking for a way to change the subject. "Gee, our food sure is taking a while, huh?"

The study group sat around one of the tables in front of Chao Bao Zi, having taken a break from their usual study schedule to sample Satsuki's cooking. The plaza was packed, and Sunset and the others had had to wait half an hour just to find a table.

“That’s not surprising,” Ako said. “Yotsuba-san’s cart was well-known even before Chao-san transferred in. Her treats have only made it more popular.”

“Should be worth the wait, though,” Sunset opined. She took a deep sniff of the air and hummed in delight. “Based on the smell alone, I would have been willing to wait twice as long for a table.”

“That’s what we’ll face once the festival actually starts,” Akira informed her. “During the lunch and dinner rushes, it isn’t unusual to have to wait for an hour or two for a table. We’d better enjoy this now while we- huh? Negi-sensei?”

Sunset turned to look behind her. Indeed, Negi was walking by, talking with Asuna as they made their way back home. Though he was visibly less depressed than he had been the last week, he still carried an air of heaviness about him.

“Aw,” Yuna whined. “The plan didn’t work after all. I was hoping Negi-kun would cheer up a lot more than this.”

“Unfortunately,” Akira said, her eyes turning back to Sunset, “I doubt his spirits will be easy to lift until the root problem is dealt with.”

Sunset groaned and stood. “Alright already. I get it. I’ll talk to him.” She turned and made her way towards the street. “Oy! Wildfire!”

Negi flinched at the name, but stopped and turned to Sunset with worried surprise. “N-Nichibotsu-san? Wh-what-”

“That’s close enough!” Asuna stepped between Negi and Sunset, glaring at the latter with her arms spread wide. “Anything you want to say you can say from there!”

Sunset returned her glare and advanced, stopping only when she was face to face with the angry girl. “Stand down, guard dog. This is between me and him.”

“The last time you had something ‘between you and him,’ you punched him to the ground!” Asuna snapped. “I’m not letting you anywhere near him.”

Sunset grit her teeth at the mutters and glares that now surrounded her. “And if you let him speak for himself, he’d tell you that he deserved it. Now butt out! I understand your protective instinct, but you need to learn when to put it aside and let Wildfire face things himself.”

“Asuna-san,” Negi said, trying to step around her. “I-it’s-”

“Stop calling him that!” Asuna shouted. “How dare you! You think I’m going to trust you after what you did?! Negi’s not the only one who you hurt, you know! Konoka’s been depressed ever since then too! The whole class is suffering because of what you did to Negi! And you want me to trust you again?!”

Sunset growled and gripped Asuna by her shirt, pulling her close until their faces were an inch apart. “Why do you think I’m bothering, huh?! You think I like seeing Konoka depressed? Or seeing Honya torn between supporting me or comforting Wildfire? Even Yue and freaking Chisame are being brought down by this! But what I have to say to Wildfire isn’t the sort of thing I can shout across a crowded street!”

“WELL THAT’S JUST TOO BAD, ISN’T IT!”

“YOU IMMATURE LITTLE-”

Their approach was rapid. Sunset barely had time to step back from Asuna before the weapon slammed into the ground between them. Ku-Fei glared from one girl to the other, lifting her giant chui - its shaft almost as long as she was tall, its head the size of a beach ball - over her shoulder. Satsuki stood beside her, a strange aura surrounding her. “Kagurazaka-san. Hikaru-san.”

Sunset tensed at the quiet voice, readying herself for a fight.

Satsuki looked up, her brow furrowed, her face scrunched up in a pout. “Fighting is not allowed at Chao Bao Zi.”

Sunset’s heart stopped. She stared at Satsuki, slack-jawed, a single word running through her head.

C-c-cute!!!

Sunset rushed forward, wrapping her arms around Satsuki as all tension faded from her. “So cuuuuute!” she squealed, rubbing her cheek on the top of the shorter girl’s head. “Oh my gosh, you’re like an adorable little koala bear! Trying so hard to look stern and fierce! Kya! I’ve never seen anything so adorable in my life!!!”

Ku-Fei and Negi stared in confusion at Sunset. Asuna tried to keep up her anger, but her pout and twitching arms gave away her temptation to join Sunset in cuddling the chubby chef.

“Wh-what?” Satsuki stammered, too confused to be embarrassed.

“I mean, look at this face!” Sunset released Satsuki and turned her towards Asuna. “So stern. So serious. And such chubby, adorable, pinchable cheeks! Oh, I just want to eat her up!”

Satsuki recovered from her shock and started trying - unsuccessfully - to push Sunset off of her. “Wh-what are you talking about? I am being serious. Every time I’ve stepped in to stop a fight, no-one’s ever continued because they don’t want me to get angry.” She turned to look at Ku-Fei. “Right?”

Ku held Satsuki’s eyes for only a second before looking away, rubbing the back of her neck. “Er, yeah. Definitely aru. It’s definitely not that you’re just too adorable for them to stay mad aru.”

“That’s right.” Sunset stepped back a bit, bending down to Satsuki’s level and patting her head, smiling endearingly. “You’re a fierce, strong chef who no-one would ever dare cross.”

Satsuki stared from Sunset to Ku to Asuna. Her gaze went to her customers, all of whom studiously avoided eye-contact.

“How about this, Asuna!” Sunset turned to the girl in question. “I’ll take Wildfire back behind Chao Bao Zi. We’ll be able to talk without being interrupted, and Satsuki-chan will hear us if things go the way you’re afraid they will. And we don’t even want to imagine what will happen if big, bad Satsuki-chan gets really mad, right?” She put her hands together in front of her, bowing slightly to the other girl. “Come on, what do you say?”

Asuna blinked owlishly at Sunset, still reeling from her sudden change in tone. “Um, I mean, I guess that-”

“Great!” Sunset grabbed Negi’s arm and began pulling him over to the train-car. “I promise I’ll give him back soon, safe and sound and in one piece!”

“Ku-Fei, it isn’t true, right?” Satsuki was trying to force herself into Ku’s field of view, her expression growing steadily more desperate as the martial artist ardently refused to meet her eye. “Th-they stop fighting because I intimidate them, right? It’s not just because they think I’m cute, right?!”

Sunset pulled Negi behind the train-car and finally let go of his arm. “There we go,” she said with a satisfied smirk. “That should be enough to keep Asuna from interrupting us, and everyone else will be too focused on trying not to look like they’re spying on Satsuki’s break-down to eavesdrop.”

“W-wait!” Negi stepped back from Sunset, staring up at her in shock. “You planned that?!”

“Nope! Not at all!” Sunset rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. “And… I do feel kind of bad for shattering Satsuki’s view of herself like that. I’ll need to make it up to her. It’s just…” She squeed again and hugged herself, a blissful expression covering her face. “She was just so adorable! I haven’t seen anything that cute since leaving Equestria! Heck, even the land of sickeningly saccharine smiles might not have anything on her!”

“I… I see.”

Sunset waved him off. “Sorry, sorry. It’s kind of a girl thing. Or, maybe a mare thing, since everyone else seemed to be able to restrain themselves.” She frowned and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Then again, maybe it’s just that it’s Japan. The people here are really uncomfortable with physical affection.” She winced. “Another thing to apologize for, I guess.

“On that note,” she turned her attention back to Negi, “don’t think that I pulled you aside to apologize to you. I still don’t regret how I stopped you or what I said.”

Negi winced and nodded, looking down dejectedly. “Y-yeah. I didn’t think so.”

“But…” Negi looked up as Sunset rubbed the back of her neck in irritation, “...it looks like it affected you more than I meant it to. Maybe I was too harsh. Maybe you’re too sensitive. Probably it’s some combination of the two. Whatever it is, you’re stuck in a deep depression, the whole class is miserable because of that, and it’s a direct result of my actions. So!” She sat down, crossing her legs and her arms and glaring at Negi.

“We’re going to talk this out. Just you and me. We’re going to figure out what this means for me, for you, and for us going forward. Got it?”

Negi stared at her for a minute before offering a small smile - half relieved, half wary - and sitting down as well.

They sat facing each other for a minute, neither saying a word. Sunset cursed herself as she sat there, wishing she’d put more thought into what to say. All she had were half-formed thoughts and a few specific bits of a speech. She had no idea how to start.

Surprisingly, it was Negi who broke the silence.

Arc 6.1: Chapter 44

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“I didn’t realize how strong I’ve gotten. Evangeline-san and Ku-Fei-san have told me that I’m getting stronger every day, but it never seems real. I mean, I look at where they are, how skilled and powerful and calm they are, and I don’t see myself as making any progress whatsoever.”

“Well, I can sympathize with that. My old teacher, Tenko, is the Goddess of the Sun in my world. With that as your benchmark, even true mastery of magic seems like only a small stepping-stone.”

“Especially since you and Asuna-san are so strong, too.”

“Hm?”

“I mean, even before she started training with Setsuna-san, there’s no way that my Kenpo would have stood up to your boxing or Asuna-san’s raw power. And you might not know as much magic as me yet, but you’re catching up quickly, and you already know how to use it so much better than me because of how much experience you have. Even before coming to Mahora, I had Takamichi and stories of my father to measure against. In the face of all that, and especially compared to that white-haired boy from Kyoto, it seems like I’m just standing in place.”

“...”

“But… that’s wrong, isn’t it? I am getting stronger. I’m learning more spells. My thinking and reflexes are getting faster. I’m able to use my magic more efficiently. Ku-Fei-san and Evangeline-san are good teachers, and I’m learning a lot from them. And, when I have that much power…”

“The more powerful the steed, the tighter the reins need to be, lest you lose control of him completely.”

“...Heh. I never expected to hear a horse analogy from you.”

“Shut it.”

“Er, sorry. Anyway, you’re right. I need to keep a tight rein on my magic. And… when I faced that demon…

“A lot of people could have gotten hurt. Asuna-san. Nodoka-san and the rest. You and Kotarou. If he’d run somewhere else in the city, who knows how many people I could have hurt? I… I really stopped paying attention to everything but him. I couldn’t see anything else. I couldn’t think of anything else. I just… I… I wanted to… to…”

“You wanted to kill him.”

“Urg!”

“Woah! Woah, easy there! Geeze!”

“Ach! Ugh. I… I’m okay.”

“Better reflexes is right. I’m surprised you kept any of that from getting on your clothes. Man, now I need to apologize to Satsuki for the mess back here too. I should start a tab.”

“Whew. I… I’m fine.”

“...you’re really not. You know that, right?”

“...”

“It’s not an easy thing, realizing that you’re capable of wanting to kill someone. Heck, my reaction was about the same after my first time, and I was nine years your senior. I mean, that warlock had to go down, and he wasn’t my first kill, but… he was the first one I really wanted to kill. And when I realized I could feel like that…”

“How… how did you deal with it?”

“I got drunk. Like, really drunk. Seriously plastered. Of course, the self-loathing was only worse the next morning once the hangover started fading. So I threw myself into my work instead. And since every aspect of my work was some reminder of what I’d gone through to track that other guy down… Let’s just say I had to go through another round of therapy to deal with that.”

“You’re… surprisingly open about going through therapy.”

“I’ve been through Hell. More than once. And I’ve seen enough shit tracking down warlocks and seeing the destruction wrought in their wake to give JDF vets nightmares. Honestly, the way this whole damn world doesn’t take mental health issues seriously…

“Let me be frank here, Wildfire, because I can tell that this is something that’s weighing on you. You aren’t weak for needing help. You aren’t weak for needing to talk to a professional. You aren’t weak for being seriously messed up because you’ve realized that you’re able to hate someone so much that you want nothing more than to kill him with your own hands. After what you went through, and with how young you are, it’s honestly surprising that you aren’t a soulless, hollow shell of a human.”

“...”

“Look, I get that you have your pride. I get that you don’t want to seem vulnerable. It’s completely stupid, but I get it. And I’m not going to claim to know you well enough to say definitively what sort of help you need. But… talk to Takamichi, at least. From what I can gather, he’s been through his share of Hell too.”

“I… yeah. I’ll… I’ll talk to him. ...thank you, Nichibotsu-sa-”

“Nichibotsu.”

“Eh?”

“Seriously Wildfire, drop the honorific.”

“I… okay, N-Nichibotsu.”

“And in return… I… guess I can call you ‘sensei’ in class.”

“Nichi-”

“Only in class! Y-you’re still ‘Wildfire’ the rest of the time. And don’t think it’s a recognition of any sort of authority over me. It’s just… you are a teacher, after all. And you’ve earned that title. It… it would just be petulant of me to insist that you drop honorifics for me and not compromise at least this much.”

“Hehe, of course, Nichibotsu.”

“Hmph. ...anyway, we seem to have strayed from the main point.”

“Er, right. I… I’m going to ask Evangeline-san and Ku-Fei-san to give me something to test against on a regular basis. Something that will let me see objectively how far I’ve come.”

“Hm. That’s a good idea. Back when I was under Celestia, I still had other students to compare myself to, and I eventually started testing myself against the Guard and the Mage Corp too. You’ll eventually get a feel for it yourself, but an objective measuring stick should help.”

“Mm. And… if you could… I mean, I know you’re still upset with me, and you probably don’t want to spend too much time around me, and you can say no if you want-”

“Spit it out, Wildfire.”

“Er, right. Could you, that is, could you teach me to meditate?”

“...meditation?”

“I… I don’t know if I’ll be able to hold myself back if something like this happens again. If I find another demon who was there that night, or find whoever sent them…”

“...I see. You want to fortify your mind so that you’ll be able to control your wrath next time instead of it controlling you.”

“I know it’s asking a lot-”

“It really isn’t. Heck, I could just give you some instructions and leave you at that. But… honestly, I’ve been neglecting my own meditation for a long time now. I need to get back in the habit. And if helping you is the way to do that, then, well, it’s not like it’s an activity that requires a lot of interaction.”

“Thank you, Nichibotsu.”

“...I guess it’s my turn, then.”

“You don’t have to-”

“Yes. I do. Because I can fully understand why everyone is so pissed off at me. From an outside perspective, I severely overreacted to you going wild. I could have snapped you out of it without slamming you into the ground and taking you out of the fight. You deserve to know why I went so far.

“Back in the Mage Corp, when I was a Warlock Hunter, I never worked alone. You don’t go after people who are that powerful and insane alone. You always have a team with you, I’ve been in more than a few. Few teams last forever. Sometimes it’s just personality clashes. Sometimes a battle formation that works great on paper doesn’t hold up in actual combat. Sometimes people got transferred or retired or changed careers entirely. Sometimes some bureaucratic nonsense would break us up. Sometimes… sometimes you lost someone. Or several someones. Those were always the hardest. And sometimes there was nothing you could have done about it. Sometimes the enemy just threw something at you that you weren’t ready for. Or he was just better with a sword than she was. Or she set up a good ambush. But… every once in a while…”

“...it’s someone’s fault? Someone on the team?”

“If I ever find where that impatient, arrogant, cowardly son of a bitch ran off to I’ll flay his cutie mark right off his hide before chaining him down in the depths of Tartarus myself.”

“...”

“...haa. Don’t look at me like that, Wildfire. He got my whole team killed. I’d been with those guys for most of a year. Best comrades I’d ever had. Friends, I guess, looking back on it, though my head was stuck too far up my plot to ever admit it. And he… because of his stupidity and his arrogance a-and his blinding need for revenge…”

“...Nichibotsu.”

“I… I’m fine. Damn it, it’s been years. I shouldn’t still be crying over this. ...anyway, the warlock started taunting him. He snapped. Rushed in head-first so the mages didn’t even have a chance to start slinging spells. Ignored the other earth po- ...melee fighters and nearly took one of their heads off. And the warlock just kept laughing. Maneuvering so that the fool was always in the way. Focusing her attacks on the rest of us so he wouldn’t notice that she was out of his league. And the rest of us were so focused on trying to calm him down that…

“The final blow came out of nowhere. I was far enough back to survive it. No idea how the idiot did; maybe the damned warlock left him alive on purpose. But we were the only two left. Finally snapped him out of it. I pushed him to the ground and faced the warlock one on one. Toughest fight of my life. By the time I finally downed her, the fool had run off. I was too tapped out to chase him down. Never did find out what happened to him. And so I returned home, the great warlock hunter who ‘single-handedly’ took down Raven Dowr. It’s a victory and an honor that my friends and I should have shared. But because of him…”

“I… I’m s-so sorry, N-Nichibotsu.”

“Haa. Quit crying, Wildfire. Like I said, it was years ago. I’ve moved on… or so I thought. Guess pummeling you into the ground like that means I still have a bit to work through.”

“Y-yeah. I… I guess I understand better. I mean, you weren’t really overreacting, because you know firsthand what can happen.”

“Which is why I won’t apologize. But… I do regret that it’s put you into this slump for so long. I should have, I don’t know, tried to explain myself. Helped you understand and work through this sooner. That… I will apologize for that.”

“You don’t need to-”

“Yes I do. I saw how hard you were taking it, and I didn’t step in. That’s on me.”

“But-”

“Damn it, Wildfire! Just accept the apology already.”

“...okay. I… I forgive you.”

“Haa… and I guess I forgive you too.”

“Then-”

“Don’t misunderstand. I meant what I said that night. You and me? We’re done. If our goals align, I’ll fight beside you. But I have no interest in tying myself to you again. Whether you knew it or not at the time, you betrayed me on a deep and personal level. I can’t trust you yet. Teaching you meditation, that’s for my own peace of mind as much as it is to repay you for how I left you to stew this past week. Once I think you’ve got the hang of it…”

“...I understand.”

“Good. Hup! Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go help a certain adorable chef work through an existential crisis.”

Arc 6.1: Chapter 45

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Days passed.

Negi was back to his usual cheerful self. He later told Sunset that he had indeed been to see Takamichi, and they had had a long talk that helped him work through some things. With Negi’s improved mood, the tension that had wound the class tight loosened significantly; only Sunset’s detractors - the cheerleaders and the Narutaki twins - held onto their animosity. Asuna was still upset with Sunset, but she’d called a truce once she’d seen that Negi was feeling better.

Her rapidly dropping grades might have also played a part in her wanting to reconcile.

Preparations continued for Mahorafest, with class 3-A scrapping the Maid Cafe idea (along with several even more extreme ideas) in favor of a haunted house. Drawing upon her experience dealing with warlocks and monsters, Sunset was able to both fascinate and horrify her classmates with innovative ideas. In the end, it was decided that most of Sunset’s contributions were too extreme for general audiences and would be reserved for a “Midnight Special” option for adults only. The rest of the class’s ideas were divided into three courses of varying levels of terror, and the class got to work creating the costumes, props, and movable walls required. Since so many of the girls had club activities throughout the day, most of the construction took place after hours, often going late into the evening or early morning.

One such work session was interrupted at the stroke of midnight when Fumika screamed.

*****

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!”

Fumika fell out of her chair, staring wide-eyed and pointing in horror towards the front of the room. Everyone stared at their tiny classmate before turning their eyes in the direction she was pointing. Most of them missed it, but a few of them managed to get a brief glimpse of some sort of upright shape fading away. Makie managed to grab Asakura’s digital camera - which happened to be sitting nearby - to snap a shaky picture.

“Fumika-chan!” Ako cried, having missed the fading figure and more concerned with her classmate’s fall. She rushed over to Fumika and knelt by her side. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“I-I-I-I-I don’t know!” Fumika stuttered, her face white as a sheet. “Th-th-there was a-a-a-a g-girl th-there!”

Sunset couldn’t resist. “Fumika, I don’t know if you noticed, but there are lots of girls in here.”

Fumika’s eyes snapped to Sunset, and she was surprised to see genuine terror in them. “N-n-not like th-that one! Sh-she was all p-p-pale and o-only half there and f-f-f-floating off of the ground!”

“Eh?” Konoka rushed over to Fumika’s side, more interested than fearful. “Really? You saw the class ghost?”

Sunset blinked in surprise. “This class has a ghost?”

Konoka nodded and, seeing the collection of confused faces, explained to the class. “There have been rumors for years about a ghost that haunts this classroom. But sightings of it are so rare that the rumor tends to die out rather quickly. There isn’t much information on who the ghost is, either.”

“B-but surely those are just rumors,” Ayaka insisted, trying to hide the tremble in her voice and the sweat beading on her brow. “A-after all, gh-ghosts don’t exist, right?”

“I got a picture!” Makie cried, waving Asakura’s camera above her head. “I got a picture before it disappeared!”

“What’s goi- OY! BAKA PINK!” Asakura, returning from the restroom, rushed into the room and nabbed the camera out of Makie’s hands, cradling it to her chest like it was a priceless treasure. “Don’t go waving my camera around like that!”

“But she caught the ghost with it!” Yuna defended excitedly. “She got a picture of the ghost!”

Asakura raised an eyebrow. “Ghost? What are you talking about?” She looked down at her camera and pulled up the picture. Her eyes went wide. “Huh.”

*****

The next day, the school paper led with the headline “CLASSROOM 3-A [GHOST] REAL!” The photo that Makie had snapped was blown up to fill a third of the front page. It showed Fumika freaking out and, right where she was looking, a blurry, broken image of a girl, one hand stretched out towards Fumika. The story was short on fact and filled with the same rumors repeated over and over, but it sold out faster than any issue in recent memory.

“Hm, do you think it’s true?” Yue asked Sunset as they studied a copy of the paper together in class.

“Could be,” Sunset muttered. “I mean, most ghost sightings wind up being hoaxes or overreactions, but I’m sure I saw something fading away right after Fumika’s scream. Could be a ghost.”

“You don’t seem very worried,” Nodoka observed.

Sunset shrugged. “I mean, this thing’s been around for years, right? Decades, if these rumors are to be believed. If that’s true, then it’s definitely not a poltergeist, and it probably isn’t a malevolent spirit.”

“Poltergeist?” Nodoka asked.

“It’s like a ghost,” Sunset explained, “but, rather than being the remaining spirit of someone who’s died, it’s more like the combined echoes of a bunch of departed souls, bound and twisted together until you get a new spirit. Poltergeists are pests, knocking things over, levitating furniture, slamming doors open and shut, things like that. Mostly harmless, but really annoying. Actual lingering spirits are usually categorized as either malevolent or benign, but there’s as much grey area between them as there is between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ people.”

“Eh? You know a lot about this kind of stuff, huh, Nichi-chan?”

Sunset hid her wince before looking up from the paper. Yuna and Ako had wandered over at some point and had obviously caught some of what she’d said. “Well, this is just what I’ve heard from others in the Library Exploration Club,” she lied, grateful that Haruna was on the other side of the room and unable to call her out on it. “There’s a lot of rumors about ghosts in some of those abandoned corridors and trapped pits.”

“I don’t suppose they talked about how to get rid of them?” Ako asked nervously.

Sunset hesitated. “Honestly, I don’t see why we need to. If this spirit is malevolent - which I doubt - then it’s too weak to do anything. Better to just live and let live… so to speak.”

“Eh?! But we can’t just leave it like this!” Yuna exclaimed. “An actual ghost running around might be cool, but it will seriously mess up the timing of our scares in the haunted house.” She added as an afterthought, “and some of our classmates might be scared to work at night, too.”

“That is a good point,” Sunset admitted. Especially since it will likely be my route that’s affected the most. She sighed. “Great. Guess I’ll have to do something about it.”

“You?” Nodoka asked, surprised.

“You know how to perform an exorcism?” Yue asked dubiously.

About fifteen different spells and several rituals, but they all require unicorn magic. “Not quite.” Sunset quickly grabbed a scrap of paper and started writing out a list as Negi entered the room to begin their English class. “Get me these supplies after class,” she said, handing the list to Yue before she could head back to her desk. “And meet back here an hour before sunset.”

Yue scanned the list and nodded while Ako asked “should we be keeping this to ourselves?”

Sunset shook her head. “Not particularly. An audience won’t affect things. Just make sure that anyone who comes is able to be patient; a successful seance can take a while.”

*****

Dusk was fast approaching. Sunset had spent the last half-hour using chalk to draw out a large pentagram on the floor of the classroom, running it over chairs and tables where they stood in the way. At each point of the star, she’d instructed Ako, Yue, and Nodoka to place a black candle, ready to be lit. Bowls of incense were spread around in a symmetrical pattern, their scents mixing together into a strong - though not unpleasant - odor. Sunset was just finishing up the circle when the classroom door opened and a few more students arrived.

“Don’t want to miss this,” Asakura said, grinning widely as she held her camera at the ready. She was followed by Negi, Asuna, Konoka, and Akira. “Gotta document the first official contact with a genuine ghost!”

“I’m surprised the rest of the hoard hasn’t descended,” Sunset said, standing up and clapping her hands free of residual chalkdust.

“They’ll be here later tonight, I’m sure,” Akira said with a sigh. “Apparently, they’re procuring ‘ghost-hunting equipment’ from Hakase-chan.”

Sunset snorted. “Right. Better get this over with before that, then.”

“So, how does this work, exactly,” Asakura asked, taking pictures of the pentagram. “It certainly looks occult.”

“Well,” Sunset explained, “the diagram itself is a classic pentagram, fundamental in occultism and magecraft.” She saw Negi’s face scrunch in confusion at that, but continued. “Candle flame represents the spirit, the candle itself symbolizing flesh. The incense is a specific mix designed to calm the mind and open the third eye to spiritual senses.”

“Wow,” Ako said, starry-eyed. “Really?”

Sure, whatever. That explanation works, I guess. Let’s hope the ghose buys it. “Yup,” Sunset replied, stepping into the circle and sitting down, cross-legged with her hands resting folded in her lap. It almost looked like she was about to meditate. “Now, we’re going to need relative silence for this. Sunset approaches. Sunset, midnight, and 4AM - the beginning of the third watch - are the times when the veil between this world and the aetheric plane is thinnest. If we want any chance of contacting this spirit, it has to be now.” Before the rest of the class gets here and makes things difficult for her.

Everyone fell silent, and Sunset closed her eyes. “Ooooooooom,” she intoned softly. “Oooooooooom.”

There, that’s the mood set, she thought as she continued to chant. Now for the only part that actually matters. Sunset opened up her magical senses, extending small amounts of magic in an unorganized cloud around her. She could sense her classmates and teacher as gaps in the magic, a useful technique for blind unicorns, but one that was more trouble than it was worth for anyone else - eyes were easier to use and far more detailed in their sensing. If there was one useful application of this trick, it was in sensing things that the eye couldn’t.

As it was now. A figure sat across from Sunset in the circle. From what she could tell, it was imitating her pose.

A cooperative ghost, Sunset observed. Looks like she wants to be discovered. That’ll make this much easier. Sunset snapped her eyes open suddenly, as if she’d only just sensed something. “There!” She pointed straight at where she knew the figure sat, and was rewarded when she sensed the figure recoil. “There you are. You have come to see us, haven’t you?”

The air before her was empty for a minute. Two. Then, slowly, subtly, it began to fill. A barely-perceptible outline began to take shape.

Sunset heard Negi let out a gasp behind her. “A-Aisaka-san? Is that you?”

Aisaka? Sunset thought back, trying to remember where she’d heard that name. Wait… he doesn’t mean Aisaka Sayo, does he?

In Negi’s class roster, there was one girl who Sunset had never seen before, a lonely looking girl with red eyes who wore a different school uniform in her picture than the rest of the class. It had a strange note next to it, too. “1940~ Don’t change her seat.”

The outline became much clearer at Negi’s question, so Sunset decided to take the chance. “So you’re Sayo, huh? Gotta say, you’re cuter in person than you are in your picture.”

The outline began to fill rapidly with a shadowy form, and faint noises began to catch at the edge of Sunset’s hearing. Nodoka and Konoka let out gasps behind her, letting her know that they were beginning to see the ghost as well. Sunset listened intently while trying to act like she could see and hear the ghost before her plain as day.

“I always wondered why your picture featured a different uniform than everyone else’s,” Sunset continued. “Makes sense now; there aren’t a lot of clothing stores that cater to ghosts, are there?”

“...n_t re__ly… s_me unif_rm _or more tha_ ____ty years n_w…”

Sunset forced a chuckle. “Yeah, guess that would be annoying, being stuck in the same clothes for decades on end.” The outline filled completely, and Sunset began to be able to make out some detail. A series of soft gasps told her that the rest of the audience could now at least partially see Sayo as well. “But being stuck in the same class for so long has got to be even worse.”

“...c_n move bey_nd the s__ool a little… mo_t of the surroun_ing town… little s_arry in the schoo_ a_one at night… spending _ights in front of con_enience stores and s_ch…”

“Heh, a ghost that’s afraid of the school at night?” Sunset jibed. She could almost make out the ghost’s face. “Now I’ve seen everything. So why haven’t you talked with anyone else in all this time?”

“...tried, but no-one could ever hear me… thanks to your magic circle that I can talk to you now…”

“Well, thank goodness for Nichi-chan then, huh?” Asakura - apparently able to hear Sayo now - stepped into the circle and sat down, a pad of paper resting on her leg and a pen poised to take notes. “I mean, I always felt like there was someone sitting next to me in class, you know? Guess that was you, huh?”

“Oh! Yes! I didn’t realize you could tell I was there!”

“Heh, well I might not have any sort of supernatural sense,” Asakura admitted, “but I am a reporter; I’ve got a certain sense for interesting scoops. And you might be the most interesting girl in this class, and that’s saying something!”

“Eep! Oh, no! I-I’m really not that interesting! I’m just…”

Sunset stood up and excused herself, stepping outside of the circle as Sayo and Asakura began to talk in earnest. “Well,” she said, a self-satisfied smirk plastered on her face, “that went well.”

“She’s… real,” Akira whispered, both hands covering her mouth, her eyes wide with shock.

“As real as can be,” Sunset answered. “You know, without being alive, that is.”

*thump*

Sunset rolled her eyes. “And on that note, could you take Ako to the infirmary? I’m honestly surprised she lasted this long.”

Once Akira had carried Ako’s unconscious form away, Negi turned to Sunset with a frown. “That was an… interesting method you used, Nichibotsu.”

Sunset shrugged. “Had to improvise, honestly; all of the spells and rituals that I know require a rather significant part of anatomy that I no longer possess. This was the only method I could think of that had even a small chance of working.”

“But why didn’t you tell us about this sort of thing before?” Yue asked, frowning in unison with Negi. “You said that pentagrams are ‘fundamental’ in magic, but this is the first time I’ve heard you mention them.”

“Oh, that part was a lie,” Sunset said, waving her off.

Yue blinked in surprise. “...I see. And the thing with the symbolism with the candles?”

“A lie.”

“The incense and that ‘third eye’ thing?” Asuna asked.

“Another lie.”

“Sunset being an important time of day?” Nodoka added.

“Lies, lies all around,” proclaimed Sunset proudly. “Honestly, I didn’t do a thing. It was all Sayo.”

“Eh?! Wh-what do you mean?”

Sunset turned and smirked at Asakura and the thoroughly surprised ghost that sat across from her. Sayo was now fully visible, her long silver hair flowing down her back, her eyes a surprisingly vibrant crimson. Her uniform was a classic black sailor suit with a white collar and a long skirt that trailed to a wisp where her ankles should have been. Her cute face was full of shock as she stared from Sunset to the circle and back.

“I mean that this ritual was nothing more than a bunch of mumbo-jumbo,” Sunset answered, gesturing around. “A ghost’s power - including its ability to manifest - is drawn from its will. Most lingering spirits have some goal or regret that keeps them from moving on. How determined they are to see that goal through influences what they can do to affect the physical world. But if a ghost doesn’t have a strong will, it can’t do a thing. You’d probably mostly given up on anyone noticing you, hadn’t you?”

Sayo looked down and nodded sadly. “Y-yeah. It’s been a long time since anyone could see me. Even exorcists and such can’t. But,” she glanced up at Negi, “I got the feeling a couple of times that Negi-sensei could sense me, just a little. I… I thought that meant I might be able to talk to other people now, too.”

“And then you appeared last night?” Asakura asked.

Sayo buried her face in her hands and showed them that - even without blood - a ghost could blush scarlet. “That picture was so bad. It made me look like an evil spectre or something. I was- oh!” She suddenly looked up at Sunset, her eyes wide with understanding. “That’s why you did all of this! You wanted me to think that I’d be able to appear…”

“And with me reinforcing that belief,” Sunset finished, “it became confidence. And the more I reacted to you, and the more in-detail I did so, the more visible and audible you became to the point that even someone with no particular magical gift or training” she gestured at Asakura, “could see you.”

“So that means…” A massive grin split Sayo’s face. “I can manifest whenever I want to now? I can talk to others and-”

The door slammed open. Yuna stormed into the room, followed by Haruna, Sakurako, and Makie. All of them word strange metal cases on their backs, connected to gun-like devices in their hands by rubber hoses. Half of the class followed behind them, including a nervous Akira. “All right!” Yuna shouted. “Let’s go and kill that ghost! I bet it’ll…”

The room went quiet as all eyes turned to Sayo, still sitting in the middle of the “magic” circle. Her eyes went wide. “Oh dear,” she whispered and rapidly started to fade.

“KYAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

“THE GHOST!”

“IT’S HERE!”

“DEFENSIVE FORMATION!”

“SHOOT IT! FIRE AT WILL!”

Sunset sighed into her palm as their “weapons” started firing all over the room. “Well, this was almost a good evening.”

Arc 6.1: Chapter 46

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With the ghost of 3-A “vanquished” by the “brave ghost hunters,” preparations for the haunted house continued. Sunset and a few others took to sneaking supplies to Evangeline’s villa as the start of Mahorafest loomed, returning an hour later with mountains of finished set pieces and props. Thankfully, everyone was too hectic and panicked to question these miracles.

Mid-terms came and went, and Sunset was proud to see that her study group (with the exception of a certain pinkette) had done very well. She herself, of course, got perfect marks.

The final day of preparations arrived, and, somehow, it looked like the haunted house would be complete on time. With luck and elbow grease, they’d even get to sleep that night before Mahorafest began the next day.

Sunset was among the last few workers as the sun began to set. Her Midnight Route required a few complicated bits of machinery that she’d borrowed from the University and had to test out. Ako and Akira were helping her while Yuna and Ayaka finished the last of the set-pieces.

“These ideas of yours are straight-up disturbing,” Akira said, grimacing at the realistic spray of “wipe-away-blood” that one machine produced. “How did you even come up with them?”

“Horror stories of Library dives gone wrong,” Sunset answered not-entirely dishonestly. “And lots of horror movies. Believe it or not, anatomy textbooks were less helpful than the movies; it doesn’t matter what intestines actually look like spilling out of someone’s chest so much as it matters what people think they look like.”

“I am never going through your route,” Ako said with a shudder, stuffing said “intestines” into a manakin. “I don’t know how you’ve been able to sleep at night with all of these ideas running through your head.”

Eh, seen one warlock disembowel himself to fuel an eldritch-summoning ritual, seen it all. “Guess I’ve just got a strong stomach for this kind of thing,” Sunset deflected. “But that’s the last of it. We should probably head out.”

“You go ahead,” Akira said, wiping sweat from her brow. “Ako-chan and I are going to help out a little more to finish it off, but you’ll need your rest if you’re going to be pulling a graveyard shift on top of enjoying the festival. Go on; we’ve got the rest of this.”

Sunset gave a grateful smile and a nod before heading out. She hummed to herself as she walked, a little surprised at her good mood. A month or two ago, she would have scowled at the idea of spending so much time after school helping her class with anything. But Yuna, Makie, and Ako treated her like an old friend by this point - anatitude that she reciprocated - and even Natsumi was no longer nervous around her. Akira had started being friendlier with her too lately, though Sunset noticed that had happened only after the other girls had warmed up to her. She seemed to be the de facto “big sister” of the class, and had kept from getting close to Sunset until she’d been able to take her measure.

Sunset found herself relieved that she’d passed whatever tests Akira had had in mind. A youth spent on the school’s swim team had given the girl a surprising amount of muscle, and while Sunset was under no illusions that the girl posed any serious threat physically, it would be hard to justify being able to curb-stomp her if Akira ever decided that Sunset needed to be brought down a peg; she’d definitely have had to pull her punches and take a few to the face to avoid any suspicion, and Sunset suspected that Akira would fight dirty if it meant protecting her friends and classmates.

“Heh, kind of reminds me of myself, actually,” Sunset reminisced. “Anytime I had green-horns working with me, anyway. I wonder if any of those squirts ever amounted to anything? I’ll have to check up on them once I return. Let’s see, there was… um…”

Sunset came to a stop just outside the school building as her mind went blank. Have… have I really forgotten all of them? I can recall a few faces, but… She sighed and continued walking, her mood significantly dampened. “Just another thing to regret, I guess.”

“Ah! Nichibotsu-chan!”

Sunset looked up and narrowed her eyes. “Shizuna,” she greeted the school guidance counselor shortly. “What business do you have with me?”

Shizuna shrugged off Sunset’s rudeness with a slightly strained smile. “The principal needs to see you immediately,” she said. “It’s a very important meeting.”

“The principal, huh?” Sunset considered refusing, but the principal knew about her being from Equestria. While she didn’t think he’d use that as leverage against her, she’d still rather not get on his bad side. “Sure, fine. I’ll head to the old man’s office.”

“Ah, no,” Shizuna said, her eye twitching at “old man.” “He’s actually waiting for you at the plaza in front of the World Tree.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow but ultimately shrugged, changing direction and walking off without another word, wondering just what the principal wanted to talk with her about. She couldn’t recall any egregious rule-breaking that she’d been a part of lately. Well, except for staying at the school too late to work on the haunted house props, but most of the class was guilty of that, and several other classes besides. Which meant…

Something to do with magic. Sunset’s back straightened at the thought and her hand twitched towards the pocket where she kept her wand. Must be serious if he’s calling me out about it.

As she approached the World Tree Plaza, she tilted her head back to take in the massive object that towered over everything else in the city. The World Tree was deserving of its name, as wide around as any of the school buildings and taller than any skyscraper she’d ever seen pictures of. If it had been placed at the base of the Canterhorn, its branches might even have kissed the base of Lower Canterlot.

The plaza itself already contained over a dozen people. Sunset recognized the principal's wizened old frame, as well as Takamichi and a few other teachers. There were a few students as well, one of whom Sunset recognized.

“Dog-boy?” Sunset asked in surprise as she ascended the stairs to the plaza propper. “I’m surprised they brought you into this. Aren’t you still technically on probation or something for Kyoto?”

“It’s because of that probation that I’m here,” Kotarou answered. “They told me that this job would clear me, so I can finally say goodbye to all these annoying interviews and check-ins.”

“Good to hear.” Sunset nodded curtly to one of the teachers. “Takamichi.”

He nodded in return, his usual pleasant smile on his face. “Nichibotsu. You seem to be doing better.” His smile turned more genuine. “I may not agree with your methods, but thank you for helping Negi-kun.”

She shrugged off his thanks. “Just said what needed to be said.” She turned to the principal. “So? What’s this all about?”

Several of the teachers glared at Sunset for her rudeness, but the principal waved them off. “One moment, Nichibotsu,” he said. “We’re waiting on two more.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow and surveyed the group again. Her eyes fell on Kotarou, and she connected the dots. “Ah. So that’d be-”

“Ah! Negi-kun!”

Sunset turned at the principal’s greeting and, sure enough, found Negi ascending the steps, Setsuna right behind him.

“Right this way young friend,” the principal said, gesturing Negi towards them. “I hope you’re feeling more at home here at Mahora?”

“Y-yes, I am,” Negi stammered in reply, looking around. “Wh-what is…”

“Ah yes. Allow me to explain.” The principal cleared his throat and began pulling a hand through his long, white beard. “These people are usually scattered throughout the university-town. Elementary-school, Middle-school, High-school, and University. Magic teachers, and a few magic pupils.”

Sunset hummed in mild surprise while Negi responded with shock. The teachers reintroduced themselves to him, apologizing for their deceptions. Sunset, for her part, had already known about a few of them, both from Takamichi and from sensing their magical power herself. The principal’s confirmation that everyone here was a mage reinforced her suspicion that they were gathered to deal with some sort of magical problem.

“Now then,” the principal said as Negi’s shock wore off, “I’ve gathered us today because a problem has arisen. It will require all of our strengths to resolve it.”

Most of the students - and Negi - seemed nervous at this announcement while the older teachers simply seemed intrigued. Kotarou looked like he was spoiling for a fight. Sunset, for her part, kept her expression neutral.

“This is an unconventional problem,” the principal continued, “and one that is more subtle than an enemy mage. But it is a serious issue none-the-less. I assume that you’ve all heard the World Tree Legend of Unrequited Love?”

Sunset groaned and Kotarou scoffed. “Aah, that thing?” Kotarou asked. “It’s a famous but worthless story my classmates keep going on about. They say that on the last day of the school festival, people wish on the World Tree, hoping it will grant their desire. It’s mostly used for lovey-dovey confessions and stupid things like that.”

Sunset nodded along. She’d heard the rumor as well. In fact, she’d heard the rumor almost non-stop for the past week from both the girls in her class and the general student body. It seemed that half the girls at Mahora were hoping either to confess or be confessed to during the school festival. Sunset had dismissed it herself as nothing but the vapid fantasies of hormonal, love-struck kids, but if the principal was bringing it up…

“Unfortunately,” the principal said, “the rumors are partially true. Confessions are helped along once every 22 years. Ladies and gentlemen, from tonight until sunset on the final day of the school festival, the Legend of the World Tree will come true. So you must watch out for this behavior, and block any confessions made by pupils.”

“EH?!”

Negi and most of the students reacted with shock. Even a few of the older teachers seemed surprised. “But, isn’t it just a superstition?” Setsuna asked.

“Ho ho ho.” The principal chuckled, stroking his beard once again. “To be brief, the students call this the World Tree and take good care of it, but it’s not just an ordinary tree. Its actual name is ‘The Sacred Tree Bontou,’ and a very powerful magic is hidden inside. Several wood-element-aligned ley lines converge beneath this tree, and wood magic begins to build up over time.Once every 22 years, that magical power gains enough strength to overflow its boundaries. From the World Tree at the center, the magic is channeled into six points around it, including this plaza.

“Now, this power is not omnipotent, and it won’t grant just any wish. Wishes for world domination, a hundred billion yen, or selfish nonsense such as the girl you like’s underwear will be ignored. But the wish that it does grant can be a terrible trap for young people. And this is the reason we’re so concerned. You see, confessions around the World Tree during this time achieve a 120% success rate.”

Sunset let out a low whistle. Even disregarding having lived with the Princess of Love for a year, she understood well the dangers of this sort of subtle mind-altering magic. “That is impressive.”

“That’s impossible!” Kotarou shouted. “How the heck does it work more than 100% of the time? You’re pulling our legs, old man.”

“”You’re too narrow-minded, dog-boy,” Sunset reprimanded. “There are any number of ways for this sort of magic to manipulate people even without a direct confession. Innuendo. A one-sided hug or kiss. I usually roll my eyes when people talk about ‘putting their love into’ whatever gift or goodie they make for their crush, but even that might be enough for the tree to work with.”

The principal nodded. “Nichibotsu has the right of it. We’d usually be better prepared for this, but there have been some abnormalities in the weather due to sunspots this last year that are causing the release to occur a year early. As such, I am drafting the various mages already stationed at this school to lend their aid.”

“But, is this really so dangerous?” Negi asked. “I mean, having sweethearts and such is normal, isn’t it?”

Sunset sighed. “You’re a kid after all, Wildfire.” She glanced towards the principal. “Mind if I take this one?” At his nod, she elaborated.

“Love is the single most powerful emotion that one can feel, capable of overriding wrath, lust, and even fear of death and public speaking. It has compelled individuals, communities, and entire nations to act in ways that - to an outside observer - seem as madness. The root cause of the Trojan War can be traced to love. Romeo and Juliete are prime examples of what happens when one considers only love in one’s decision-making. There are more songs, books, and poems written about love than about any other topic.

“And that’s just natural love. Love augmented by magic can create disasters unlike any you can imagine. There is a story from my homeland about a king and queen who, bamboozled into drinking a love potion, neglected the affairs of state in favor of staring into each other’s eyes until the whole of the nation was in ruin. One of my contemporaries wielded love as a potent and powerful weapon in and of itself and, though her combat instincts are laughable and she’s borderline pacifistic, she has the potential to become the most powerful mage in all of history. Even a small love potion can cause the best of friends to literally murder each other in a desperate frenzy to be the only one to stand beside their newfound ‘love.’ Permanent love ensorcellment is nothing short of mind-control based slavery. Temporary bewitchment is even worse, as the victim is left hollow and forever burdened by the decisions he made while so enchanted. Love is dangerous, potentially deadly. Magic-induced love is nothing short of monstrous.”

The plaza was silent for a long moment, everyone staring in shock at Sunset. “That was…” Setsuna eventually ventured, “...surprisingly thorough.”

Sunset turned a level glare on the swordswoman. “One year. Living together with her. And getting these lectures constantly. I became a graduate-student of love without even trying.”

The principal cleared his throat. “Yes, well, Nichibotsu is essentially correct. And unfortunately, rumors have already spread wildly throughout the student body.”

“Indeed,” one of the teachers said, leafing through a binder. “According to ‘The Academy Seven Wonders Research Society,’ ‘The Academy Chronicle,’ ‘The Occult Society,’ and ‘The Study of the World Tree from the So-Called Love Society,’ ‘observations indicate that stories about the World Tree Luminescence Phenomenon have considerable truth and it brings people closer together. Even ‘Mahora Sport’ has released an article about it - among others - and the rate of the spread of rumors among academy students are as follows: for the boys, 34%, and for the girls, 79%. People are discussing it seriously, but few think it to actually be true.”

“But with the rumor spreading so much,” another teacher added, “it will likely embolden those who have heard it to make confessions whether they believe the rumor or not; there’s always that lingering though in the back of the mind of ‘what if?’”

“And that’s why we need everyone’s help,” the principal concluded. “We need to prevent confessions at these six locations. It’s awkward and cumbersome that it coincides with the school festival this year, but there’s no helping that. We’ll be dividing up the shifts as follows. Takamichi-kun, you’ll take-”

One of the students twitched, a girl that Sunset hadn’t met before. “Principal, we’re being watched.”

Mana flared from most of the gathered mages as everyone tried to find what the student had sensed. Ah, nostalgia, Sunset thought as she searched. I haven’t felt this many flavors of mana all at once since the mage corp. She quickly found what the other girl had sensed: a small helicopter drone with a camera, hovering a few hundred meters distant in the air.

One of the teachers - a tall man with slicked-back hair and sunglasses - flicked his finger in the drone’s direction, bisecting it and sending it crashing to the ground. “There was a strong feeling of magic in that machine,” he said. “It seems that she still hasn’t given up on finding out who the mages are.”

“Chase them!” The principal ordered. “If they get too far, there will be too much publicity about this. Limit the number of pupils who find out!”

Several of the teachers shot off. Sunset raised an eyebrow at the principal. “One of the students is trying to expose magic?”

The principal nodded with a sigh. “This student discovered magic a few months ago and has already tried to expose us three times. It’s nothing we can’t handle, but it is troubling.” He shook his head. “But that’s not your concern. I’ll send you all the information about your shifts later. For now, scatter!”

Sunset quickly departed, noting as she did so that people had already begun to crowd the plaza. “Rather convenient that they left us alone for so long,” she muttered to herself. “A barrier?”

“That’s right.” Sunset barely managed to hold back her flinch as Takamichi answered her; she hadn’t even realized he was walking beside her. “The principal put it up before the meeting. Anyone without magic was subtly influenced to take a different route to wherever they were going, leaving the plaza free for us to use.”

“Useful trick,” Sunset acknowledged. She glared up at Takamichi. “So why are you following me?”

Takamichi looked down at her, and Sunset was surprised to see a touch of wariness in his eyes. “I just wanted to talk about the student who’s trying to expose us. I know that magic is common knowledge in the world you come from, and I know that you don’t approve of how we conceal it here. Nichibotsu, if this student came to recruit you, would you join her?”

Sunset held his gaze for a moment before shrugging. “A couple videos of people talking in a plaza aren’t going to convince anyone. CGI is so good that even videos of an all-out mage battle would be easy to discredit. If some kid here at Mahora thinks it will be that easy to expose magic to this blissfully ignorant world, then she’s a fool. Bring me a cabal of outcasts with a lot of black market power and behind-the-scenes political influence, and maybe I’ll consider their proposition.”

Takamichi chuckled, and his expression softened. “I admit, I thought you were more of an idealist than that.”

“I’m an ambitious and idealistic practicalist,” Sunset corrected. “Don’t get me wrong, when magic is finally revealed to this world, I’ll probably be right at the head of it. I just don’t believe for a second that some student who just discovered the existence of magic recently has a chance.” She shot a half-playful half-cocky grin up at Takamichi. “Don’t discount me as a threat just yet.”

Takamichi just smiled, a bead of sweat forming on his temple. “Hopefully I’ll be retired by the time your revolution comes around, then. At the rate you’re progressing, I won’t stand a chance against you.”

Sunset took the compliment and split off from him, turning back towards the dorms. You’d better retire soon then, Takamichi. Once I ascend, I don’t plan on resting on my laurels for long.

Arc 6.2 Chapter 47

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They ran.

“How could this happen?!” Sunset panted. “I was sure that Sayo was benevolent!”

“N-Nichibotsu!” Negi gasped from right behind her, his face stricken with terror. “Wh-wh-what’s going on?! Ako-san! Natsumi-san! The principal! Are- are they r-really-”

“We can mourn the dead later,” Sunset snapped, pulling the child teacher down the hall and around a corner. “Right now, we need to get out of- ACK!”

“Nichibotsu!”

The blade swung. Sunset fell. Her severed head stared off to the side, shocked, unblinking.

Her eyes snapped up to Negi. “W-Wildfire,” she moaned. “Run. Run before they get you.”

“Wh-wh-wh-what?!” Negi knelt beside his fallen student, too frightened to comprehend what had happened. “N-Nichi-”

*thud*

Negi’s head snapped up. A nearby darkened window shuddered, a ghostly-white handprint pressed against it.

*thud*

And another.

*thudthudthudthudthud*

Negi cried out in horror as pale arms smashed through the glass, ghostly hands reaching out to grab him. He stumbled to his feet and ran, screaming all the way.

Madoka leaned out the window, an ax embedded in her head and a guilty look on her tomboyish face as she watched their teacher run off. “Do you think we overdid it?”

“Hey, he’s the one who chose this route,” Sunset said. She pushed the fake floor off of herself and started folding it up. “You’d better hurry; he’ll be reaching the moving floor soon.”

Madoka gave a slight nod and ducked back through the frame before running off. Sunset pulled one of the temporary walls aside, grabbing a replacement window and carefully swapping it out for the shattered one. She then slid the wall back into place, reset the rubber blade, and started making her way back to the entrance.

“Oh! Nichi-chan!” Makie smiled at her as she emerged from the “School Horror Story” route. “Did it look like Negi-kun was having fun?”

“Fun isn’t the word I would use,” Sunset said, tucking the fake floor into a hidden pocket of her skirt. “But he was certainly terrified.” She chuckled. “I’ll admit, when we decided on a haunted house, I didn’t think we’d be able to pull off anything too impressive. But this place is actually pretty good.” She looked towards the main entrance of the “Heartbeat Girl’s Haunted House” and thought of the rest of the festival going on beyond. “Fitting for the over-the-top nature of this whole thing.”

Mahorafest had officially begun. Sunset - having been excused from training by all three of her teachers for the duration of the festival - had taken the rare opportunity to sleep in. When she’d awoken with the rising sun, she’d been greeted by distant cheers and grand commotion. Leaping from the loft, she’d taken a peak out the window and been shocked by the massive crowds that streamed towards Mahora.

The crowds had only grown thicker and more excited as Sunset had approached the academy. She’d slipped past the main entrance, earning a few angry shouts and grumbles from the impatient throng before they’d realized she was a student. Last-minute preparations had surrounded her as she’d made her way to her classroom, and some of the larger, more visible events had already begun. Zazie had already been swinging around the massive trapeze set that had been erected near the entrance, and every food stall and temporary cafe had been up and cooking. Sunset had grabbed a meatbun from Chao Bao Zi and had barely finished it before she’d arrived at class 3-A.

The Haunted House looked spectacular! The main entrance to the classroom had been covered with an impressively realistic stone brick facade, with a menacing, impish gargoyle set over a sturdy wooden door that looked like it had been taken right from a European castle. Yuna, dressed in a skimpy, sexy werewolf costume, had looked over and grinned at Sunset’s approach. She’d handed Sunset her “uniform” for the day - a conservative school uniform modeled after Sayo’s - before ushering her inside to the Haunted House’s foyer.

The foyer was slightly less impressive, the “stone” walls more obviously fake even in the dim lighting. A fog machine sat in the corner, ready to lend some low-hanging smoke to the ambiance. Three doors were set in the back wall, each labeled with their scariness, cuteness, and age restriction. Sunset’s route claimed the highest fear ranking, the lowest cuteness, and an 18+ age recommendation.

The route was simple in concept; the spirit that haunted the school was on a rampage and would kill whoever entered unless they found the exit quickly. Moving floors, hanging “corpses,” and Sayo’s authentic ghost contribution haunted the customers as they tried to escape. What the route lacked in originality, it more than made up for in authenticity. Between a few of Chao Lingshen’s inventions and Sunset’s suggestions, the “School Horror Story” route was almost as terrifying as they could make it.

“We’re not that over-the-top,” Makie retorted. “I mean, compared to some of the other stuff out there. Did you see the dinosaur automatrons?”

“Almost got stepped on by one,” Sunset grumbled. “How the heck did they manage to make those things size-accurate?”

Makie giggled. “The university students really go all-out with their events. I hear they’ve already begun planning for next year, too.”

“No competing with that.” Sunset shrugged. “Still, we should be able to beat out the middle-school division.”

3-A’s Haunted House had seen steady business since the festival had begun, with several of the girls out on the streets in sexy monster costumes to advertise. Already, Yuna was bragging about how their attraction was the most popular in their year, and it looked like 3-A was set to rake in more profits than even the high-school classes.

“Still, I’m surprised you volunteered to take the first shift,” Makie said. “I know I wish I could be out enjoying the festival right now.”

“The first day’s when they work out all the kinks,” Sunset explained with a smirk. “By the time I’m able to get out and explore the festival, any unexpected problems will be fixed and the processes will have streamlined. The last day of any festival is always the best.”

The front door opened and Ayaka walked in, sighing.

“Something wrong, class rep?” Makie asked.

“It’s the couples that keep choosing my route,” Ayaka grumbled. “The first few groups that clung to each other out of ‘fear’ were endearing. The next few were cute. At this point, the novelty has officially worn off. I never thought I would say this, but I am through with lovey-dovey couples.”

Sunset smirked. “That’s what you get for choosing the least scary route. No guy wants to chance actually being scared while looking brave for his girl. I’ve had two couples choose my route, and they inevitably abandon the lovey-dovey fantasy by the time I’m ‘decapitated.’ Seeing ‘dead bodies’ will do that to you.”

Ayaka opened her mouth to retort, but was cut off as the door opened again. She quickly stood beside the door to her route and plastered a smile to her face. A smile that became significantly strained as another couple entered and chose her route.

Sunset and Makie shared a glance and barely managed to hold in their giggles until Ayaka had led the couple down her path.

“Still,” Makie said, “if this route is as scary as everyone’s making it sound, I can’t wait to see what your midnight route is like!”

“You aren’t going to see it. No!” she snapped, cutting off Makie’s response. “I’ve put forth every effort imaginable towards making the Midnight route as genuinely terrifying and realistic as possible. The customers that go through there are going to think that their lives are actually in danger at every turn. I fully expect half of them to pass out and everyone will have to sign a waiver in case any of them have heart attacks. You and the other girls are NOT going through that route.”

Makie rolled her eyes. “It can’t be that bad.”

“Are you familiar with the American film ‘Alien?’” Sunset asked. “Specifically, the chest-bursting scene?”

“...yes?”

“I duplicate that three different times. Once from a corpse, once from a ‘suffering victim’ pleading for help, and once from me towards the end. All of them more realistically depicted than they could manage in ‘79.”

Makie paled.

“Like I said,” Sunset smirked, sure she’d gotten her point across, “none of you girls are going to see it.”

“Seeing even the preparations for it was too much for me.” Akira piped up, shuddering as she walked in, dressed in the same uniform as Sunset and carrying a bundle of clothes in her arms. “Time to switch, Nichi-chan.”

“Already?” Sunset began immediately disrobing. “Time flies when you’re scaring people, I guess.”

“N-N-N-Nichibotsu!” Akira shot a panicked look at the entrance, making sure it had closed behind her. “There are hundreds of customers right out there!”

Sunset laughed off her concerns as she finished stripping and started putting on the costume that Akira had brought in for her. “Relax. No-one’s coming in until Ayaka finishes her most recent tour, and that’ll take some time.”

“What if it doesn’t?!”

“It was a young couple.”

“...ah.” Akira’s panic died instantly. “That will take her a while, then.” She turned to Makie. “So, how has your route been going? No problems, I hope.”

Sunset tuned out the conversation as she pulled on her costume. The class had gone as all-out on the advertising costumes as they had on the actual haunted house, with Chisame’s unexpectedly enthusiastic help. Sunset’s costume consisted of a tight, dark-blue, leggless leotard with an open, long tailed overcoat. A huge, pointed hat sat on her head, and the whole ensemble was decorated with constellation designs. Sunset pulled a small wand out of one of the pockets and posed for Makie and Akria. “Well? How do I look?”

“On a scale of ‘one’ to ‘sexy,’” Akira deadpanned, “I give you a solid ‘shameless.’”

“Perfect.” She quickly folded her route’s uniform and hid it off to the side. “Time to go get some more customers.” With a final wave to the two of them, she exited the Horror House.

Her exit was met with a series of gasps and stares. She turned to the line of red-faced customers, shot them a wink, and sauntered away down the hall, putting as much sway into her hips as possible.

As soon as she was out of sight of the line, she burst out laughing and began to walk normally. “Oh stars! Yuna and Haruna are geniuses for insisting on this tactic! No wonder we’re getting so many customers.” She quickly made her way downstairs and out of the school building, letting herself get caught up in the flow of festival-goers. She made her way towards the entrance as quickly as she could and found Nodoka and Yue waiting for her.

“Nichi-chan!” Nodoka called and waved when she saw her. She and Yue were dressed far more conservatively in long black robes with bat-decorated headbands.

“I’m here to take over,” Sunset said as she approached. Yue handed her a stack of flyers. “You guys have been doing great! There’s a constant stream of customers for the horror house. The line even wraps around the corner and downstairs.”

“Don’t give us all the credit,” Yue said with a small smile. “Word of mouth is that the Horror House is one of the best attractions this year. Apparently, word is even spreading beyond the festival and into the town. I’ve had a few people ask if 3-A’s was ‘that amazing haunted house everyone is talking about’ as they were coming in.”

Sunset let out a low whistle. “That is impressive. Guess everyone will be even more busy these next two days.” She smirked. “Not that that’s my problem. Are the flyers with the Midnight Horror route information here yet?”

Nodoka nodded and pointed to a box sitting by the side of the road. “In there. You can start passing them out as soon as you run out of these. It shouldn’t take too long.”

True to Nodoka’s prediction, the flyers ran out quickly. Between Sunset’s eye-catching outfit, her aggressive advertising, and the already significant reputation of the Horror House, it wasn’t long before Sunset was opening the box and telling the adults who entered about the Midnight Horror route.

“The most terrifying haunted house you’ll ever experience,” she bragged. “Guaranteed to make grown men faint. For those who want a little less eye-candy and a little more blood-curdling.”

“I’m not sure your classmates would appreciate being referred to as ‘eye-candy,’ Nichibotsu.”

Sunset rolled her eyes and handed the potential customer she’d been talking to a flyer before turning to Takamichi. “Have you seen what we’re all wearing?” she asked. “Yuna and Sakurako are even more shameless than this.”

Takamichi smiled and sweatdropped. “I’m sure. In any case, I’m looking forward to your route this evening.”

Sunset hesitated and checked that no-one was too close before lowering her voice. “You might want to reconsider that,” she muttered. “I’m drawing on all the horror I saw fighting dark mages and monsters back home for this. I’m not sure what all you’ve gone through in your warrior days, but something or another in there is bound to bring up bad memories.”

Takamichi’s smile slipped, surprise momentarily claiming his face. “I… didn’t expect that sort of concern from you, to be honest.”

“Shit like we’ve been through messes people up,” Sunset said. “And PTSD is no joke. Just giving you fair warning. There’s a reason we’re making people who go through my route sign a waiver.”

Takamichi nodded, his neutral smile back in place. “I’ll be sure to bear that in mind.”

*****

Sunset let out a groan as she stretched her arms above her head. The sun was beginning to set, and she’d finally run out of flyers for the Horror House. Her shift was done and she was eager to enjoy her first evening of the festival before her midnight shift started.

Starting with the boxing tournament. A few rival schools had come to Mahora and coordinated with the Mahora Boxing Club to set up a small competition. Sunset, as the club’s rising star, had been asked to compete. She’d accepted, somewhat begrudgingly; as much fun as she had with her fellow-boxers, it was hard to get excited for matches with regular people when she regularly sparred against Setsuna, Takamichi, and Evangeline. Still, if it was for the club, she wouldn’t complain.

“Nichibotsu!”

Sunset turned, surprised at the shout. One of her senpais in the Boxing Club was running up to her, a massive grin on her face. “Isuzu?” Sunset questioned. “Shouldn’t you be setting up the tournament?”

Isuzu shook her head, grabbing Sunset’s arm and turning back the way she’d come, dragging Sunset behind her. “Tournament’s canceled. Or should I say ‘expanded?’ Chao Lingshen took over all the smaller fighting tournaments and combined them together. It’s the return of the legendary Mahora Martial Arts Tournament!”

“Legendary?” asked Sunset, pulling her arm from Isuzu’s grip and jogging along beside her.

Isuzu nodded. “Apparently, it was really famous until about 20 years ago. The main draw of Mahorafest, actually. Martial artists and fighters from around the world would gather to test themselves against each other.” She turned to grin at Sunset as they continued running. “And you’re going to represent the Boxing Club and win the whole thing!”

“Me?” Sunset’s surprise warred with her ego. “I mean, there are better boxers in the club, right? Heck, you beat me three times out of five.”

“But this isn’t a boxing tournament,” Isuzu pointed out. “It’s a fighting tournament. Which means you can pull out all those dirty tricks you’ve been learning. If you got into an actual fight with the captain, she wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Surprise lost the war and Sunset’s ego soared. “Well how can I say no after hearing that?” Sunset grinned savagely. “Let me detour back to my classroom for my clothes. Where’s this legendary tournament being held?”

Arc 6.2 Chapter 48

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The Tatsumiya shrine was more packed than Sunset had ever seen it. She grinned as she scanned the crowd of burly men and women, muscles rippling all around. She spied numerous leaner builds as well, and sensed magic and ki from more than a few of them. Looks like this will be even more fun than I thought, Sunset thought. With a slight smirk, she let her ki flare briefly. She snickered as those who were sensitive to such things looked around in surprise, trying to find the source of the massive presence they’d felt. I hope you lot don’t underestimate me too much.

“Oh? Nichibotsu? Isuzu-chan?”

Sunset sighed and turned around, ignoring Isuzu’s sudden furious blushing. “Takamichi. Why am I not surprised to see you here?”

Takamichi smiled and gestured towards the crowds. “I got word of something interesting going down here. I figured it was worth investigating.”

“Hm? Well, I suppose this is a good thing.” Sunset walked up and jabbed a finger into Takamichi’s chest, glaring up at him. “You and me are gonna fight it out in there. Anything goes. No holding back.” Her savage grin returned. “I’m not passing up this opportunity to beat you into the ground.”

Takamichi raised an eyebrow. His smile grew a little more genuine, his eyes sharper. “You sound confident. Have you been holding back from showing me your progress?”

Sunset waved him off. “Please. Like you wouldn’t see right through that. And no, I haven’t gotten kanka down yet. But this is a fighting tournament. Boxing. Street fighting. Everything you, Evangeline, and Setsuna have been teaching me.” Her eyes narrowed. “And I do mean everything.”

Takamichi frowned. “Are you sure that’s such a good idea? You know that one of the students is-”

“STUDENTS OF MAHORA AND VISITORS FROM OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL! WELCOME!”

Sunset and Takamichi turned towards the Tatsumiya Shrine, recognition on their faces. “Isn’t that Kazumi?” Sunset muttered.

“WELCOME TO THE RESURRECTION OF THE MAHORA MARTIAL ARTS TOURNAMENT!” Kazumi’s voice continued to broadcast. “THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO HAVE GATHERED ON SUCH SHORT NOTICE! THE PRIZE IS TEN MILLION YEN!”

A great cheer rose from the crowd. Sunset let out a low whistle. “That’s no small prize.”

“NOW THEN, LET’S HEAR AN OPENING SPEECH FROM THE ONE WHO BOUGHT AND FUNDED THIS EVENT! THE MOST POPULAR STUDENT IN THE ACADEMY, THE MISTRESS OF CHAO BAO ZI, CHAO LINGSHEN!!!”

The crowd roared its applause as Sunset turned to Isuzu with surprise. “‘Most popular?’”

Isuzu nodded. “Chao-chan is known all over the academy. Not only is her food great, but she’s famous amongst the university’s science students. She’s actually very generous with her inventions. Some of them are really crazy, too. Almost like magic!”

Sunset shot a glance at Takamichi and caught his troubled expression. Wait, then is Chao the student who…

“I bought this event for one reason.” Chao’s voice was unmistakable. “No matter if it’s from the outer world or the inner world, I want to see who’s the strongest.”

“‘Inner world?’” Sunset whispered to Takamichi. “Is that what I think it is?”

Takamichi nodded. “It’s a common euphemism for when we need to talk about it around those not in the know. I didn’t know she knew the term, though…” He trailed off as Chao continued.

“Until around twenty years ago, this event was to allow people from the inner world to challenge each other. But because of video cameras being developed, and the variety of styles being used, this event has drastically shrunk from what it once was. But now I intend to revive the exciting Mahora Martial Arts Tournament! It is forbidden to use projectile weapons and blades. Curses are also forbidden. Any other technique is okay as long as you obey these two rules!

“And for those in the inner world, there’s no need to worry. In this day and age, no-one will believe anything if there are no film records. During this event, the Tatsumiya shrine will jam any recording equipment, including cell phone cameras. People from the inner world can use their power to the fullest! People from the outer world will be able to see this power with their own eyes!

“Now, for the smaller details…”

Sunset chuckled. “Well, good idea or not, it looks like I’ll be using everything at my disposal anyway.” She smirked at Takamichi. “If you want to keep an eye on this, you know that the best way would be to enter.”

Takamichi sighed, taking out and lighting a cigarette. He took a long pull before nodding with another sigh. “I suppose there’s no helping it.” He smiled down at Sunset. “Still, I don’t intend to lose.”

“Good.” Sunset stalked forward towards the shrine. “It wouldn’t be worth the fight if you didn’t give it your all.”

*****

The tournament qualifiers consisted of eight battle royales of twenty people each. Groups were assigned by lot, with Sunset’s group A filling up slowly. She wandered around the various small stages as she waited for her group to get twenty participants.

First to fill up was group D, which featured Ku Fei and Mana. Ku had no problem taking down her opponents five or six at a time while Mana kept out of the spotlight and fought defensively. Sunset didn’t bother sticking around; the outcome of that group was certain.

The second round began with group B, in which Negi was entered. Though initially laughed off as an over-eager kid, he quickly showed his power by punching a man ten times his size out of the arena in one blow. Casting a quick gaze around the field, Sunset found only two other competitors who seemed to be on par. One man with a ridiculous, yakuza-like haircut was striking opponents from a few meters away, a technique that Setsuna had once described to Sunset as the “Long-Punch.” The other was a figure in a full cloak and hood, his face concealed. People seemed to be ignoring him, and Sunset was able to pick up a faint hint of magic coming from him. If she had to guess, she’d say it was probably something similar to the principal’s barrier; this man was all but invisible unless you could use magic or ki.

Group E was third, with Kotarou and Kaede competing to see who could create the most shadow clones and take out the most opponents. Setsuna and Asuna breezed their way through group C, and Takamichi took out most of group F himself while Evangeline hung out near his side. Group H featured two of the magical students that Sunset had met beneath the World Tree the previous day, the older student taking out most of the competition with summoned shadow-creatures while the younger one wielded a broom with mechanical precision. Group G consisted of normal people, all of whom Sunset immediately dismissed as threats.

Looks like most of the competitors will be people I know, Sunset thought as she made her way to the remaining stage that was still filling up. Takamichi, Setsuna, and Evangeline will be challenging, but I’ll be able to use all of my abilities, and Evangeline’s powers are sealed out here so I should be able to beat her. Maybe. Possibly. Ku and Kaede will be a real challenge, and I have no idea how capable Mana is without her gun. Dog-boy and Wildfire should put up good fights, but I’m not worried. And those other students don’t look too tough. If that Long-Punch guy in Wildfire’s group gets through, he’ll be a cinch too. But something tells me it’ll be Wildfire and that hooded guy. Question is, who’s getting through this round with me?

Group A was still waiting on one more participant as Sunset stepped onto the stage. The usual assortment of muscle-bound tough guys surrounded her, but they were eyeing her warily after seeing Asuna and Setsuna in action. Still, it seemed that Sunset didn’t have anything to worry about.

The final contestant arrived, and Kazumi announced the start of the final round.

Sunset’s first victim was a young man with way too much energy. She sent him flying with a single punch. Her next was a woman from the Kendo Club, one who frequently challenged Setsuna. Sunset caught her wooden blade with one hand before closing in and dishing out an uppercut. She moved on from opponent to opponent, using whatever tricks and moves she needed to take them down. Most dropped with a single punch to the face. Some were able to block or dodge a punch or two only to be surprised by a kick to the leg or stomach. One unfortunate man was facing away from Sunset when she approached him and got a boot to the groin for his failure to observe his surroundings.

In all, Sunset took out seventeen of her opponents in the time it took the other qualifier - a huge, burly man with a square jaw and sunglasses - to take out one. She didn’t bother to give him more than a glance; if he couldn’t keep up with her, then she had no reason to fear him.

“WELL DONE, EVERYONE!” Kazumi’s voice rang out as Sunset stepped down from the arena. “THE SIXTEENTH PERSON TO GO THROUGH TO THE MAIN TOURNAMENT HAS BEEN DECIDED! THE FIRST MATCH STARTS TOMORROW AT 8AM AT THE TATSUMIYA SHRINE’S TOURNAMENT STAGE! TOMORROW’S MATCHES HAVE BEEN DECIDED BY DRAW! HERE ARE THE RESULTS!”

Sunset looked up at the smaller stage from which Kazumi had been offering commentary, eager to see who her first opponent would be.

*****

Sunset left the school building a little after 6AM, locking it up behind her. The first run of the Midnight Horror route had been about as expected. Many of those who had gone through the School Horror Story route with no problem earlier in the day had returned for the “next level” event, sure that they’d be able to conquer it without issue.

Half of her customers had fainted before they were half-way through the route. A couple dozen had almost had heart-attacks. Several JDF vets had suffered severe PTSD episodes. Almost everyone had thrown up at some point.

In the end, only seven people - including Takamichi - had made it all the way through the Midnight Horror route, each one leaving pale-faced and shaking. A very successful night, as far as Sunset was concerned.

“Now to get some sleep and recuperation,” Sunset muttered as she trudged her way towards Evangeline’s house. “Got to figure out my strategies for tomorrow. Now, assuming Setsuna wins her first fight...”

Sunset let herself get lost in thought, muttering under her breath as she trod the familiar path. She continued to mutter to herself as she walked through the woods all the way to Evangeline’s cottage. She almost didn’t notice the noise coming from inside before she opened the front door. She raised her eyebrow as she saw Negi leading a small party up the stairs from the basement. “Wildfire? Huh. Guess great minds think alike.”

“Nichi-chan!” Konoka cried, waving excitedly. “You just finished the Midnight Horror route, right? How was it?”

Sunset shrugged. “Well, no-one actually had a heart attack, though there were a few close calls. We’ll probably need a medic or two on standby for tomorrow, though.”

Everyone stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out if she was joking or not. Eventually, Konoka nodded. “I’ll, um, ask Shizuna sensei about that today.”

“You’re here to get some rest too, I imagine?” Setsuna asked.

“Yeah, I don’t really feel like fighting on only an hour of sleep,” Sunset snarked. She walked past the group, waving over her shoulder. “Hope you all prepared well, because I’m going to be spending the next twenty-four hours figuring out how to beat you.”

Negi swallowed nervously. Kotarou and Asuna glared challengingly. But Setsuna merely offered a chuckle. “You aren’t the only one who will have been preparing, Nichibotsu; I don’t plan for either Asuna-san or I to lose to you.”

Sunset gave another wave and walked down the stairs to the villa. Once she’d entered, she came face-to-face with Evangeline.

“So,” the vampire said, smirking, “you’re here to get ready for tomorrow?”

Sunset swallowed nervously. “Tell anyone I said this and I’ll deny it, but that lineup has me concerned. It’s guaranteed to be tough fights from start to finish. Especially when I fight you. Six hundred years of experience; I can’t imagine you’ve only trained in the magical arts.”

Evangeline shrugged. “A bit of aikido and judo here and there. Enough that I don’t feel too worried about fighting with my powers mostly sealed.”

“...mostly?”

Evangeline chuckled. “With the World Tree giving off so much magic, my own power becomes more accessible. By the third evening of the festival, I’ll be back near full power. Don’t worry,” she added, seeing the panic on Sunset’s face. “I’m not planning anything. Now that I know about this phenomenon, I can prepare for the next one in twenty-two years to make my escape from this blasted academy. For now, I plan to sit back and enjoy the festivities.” She smirked and walked past Sunset for the exit.

“Be ready for tomorrow. I left you some gifts that should prove helpful. I don’t intend to hold back one iota, and it would just be embarrassing if you got taken out in your first match.”

Arc 6.2 Chapter 49

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The second day of Mahorafest dawned with the same exuberant energy as the first. Crowds filled the academy, buying festival food, playing games, enjoying the various shows and attractions, and generally having a good time. Sunset made her way leisurely through the crowds, munching on a piece of fruit she’d taken with her from the villa. She allowed herself to be distracted from the coming challenges and simply enjoyed the carnival atmosphere.

These people sure know how to throw a party, Sunset thought as she walked, smirking at a young man who was earnestly trying to win a shooting game while his girlfriend giggled behind him. Been a while since I’ve been to a huge celebration like this. When was the last time? One of the GGG’s? Or was it that harvest festival in Whinnyburgh I happened to pass through on my way back from Manehattan? She shook her head and tossed her apple core into a nearby trash can. Well, even those parties don’t hold a candle to this monstrous circus.

Sunset made her way to the northern end of Mahora Academy, her casual smile falling into a determined glare as the Tatsumiya Shrine came into view. Hoards of festival attendees were pouring in through the shrine’s main gates, with several students lining the streets shouting odds and taking bets for the upcoming matches. Sunset slipped quietly into the crowd, trying to avoid notice until she was inside.

The shrine sat across a river from the rest of the festival, a series of covered walkways perched on stilts connecting it to the academy propper. The walkways eventually split, forming a massive square of open water that the crowds navigated around. A large stage sat in the middle of the river, a lower walkway bordering it for the commentator to stand on and a smaller walkway connecting it to the land on the other side and the main shrine. Stadium seating had been built on the shrine side of the square, with the walkways relegated to standing-room. Sunset quickly made her way across and ducked out of the crowds, making her way to a makeshift building that had been erected behind the stadium seats.

She wasn’t the first to arrive. The two magical students stood against a wall, trying to look inconspicuous. The massive man who had made it through group A with her stood stoically off to the side while one of the normal martial artists from group H went through his forms. The mysterious hooded man from Negi’s group stood near the back as well.

Sunset eyed each of her potential opponents for a brief moment before making her way to the side of the room and sitting down, her hands folded in her lap. She took a deep breath, letting it out as she let her mind clear. She carefully put away her excitement for the festival. Her tutoring plans for the coming months. Her doubts about the gifts Evangeline had given her. Her ruminations on Chao’s attempts to reveal magic. Everything was put away in a box in her mind.

She then began opening other boxes. Her competitive drive. Her lessons in magic and ki. Her training in boxing and street fighting. All of the strategies and plans she’d concocted for this tournament. Everything she knew about her opponents. She allowed herself to be filled with the unique flavor of excitement that could only come from combat, and a smile slowly began to form on her face.

It wasn’t a full meditation, but it helped Sunset to focus on the here and now, and on how she planned to crush any and every opponent placed before her.

By the time she opened her eyes, most of her fellow competitors had arrived. Kaede and Ku Fei chatted amicably while Mana listened in. The other martial artist from group H was trying unsuccessfully to make conversation with group A’s other champion. Evangeline stood near the front, eyeing the hooded man suspiciously. And Takamichi stood right in front of Sunset, smiling down at her.

“You seem to be in good spirits,” he said amicably. “Especially considering how late you were up last night.”

Sunset returned his smile with a smirk. “And you seem unusually composed considering how you were barfing your brains out last night. I thought a veteran like you would be used to body horror.”

Takamichi paled slightly, but managed to keep his smile intact. “I can honestly say that you have redefined the genre. And your mannequins’ injuries were more gruesome than anything that actually happens in real life.”

Sunset shrugged, rising to her feet. “I did warn you. Besides, it’s a haunted house. Just because it’s impractical in real life for someone to be hung from their own burning intestines doesn’t mean I can’t do it. I’m surprised I was able to recreate the smell of burning flesh so accurately, too.”

Takamichi’s complexion tinted green. “I hesitate to ask how you are so familiar with that smell.”

The door opened before Sunset could reply and the remaining combatants - Negi, Kotarou, Setsuna, and Asuna - walked in. Takamachi walked over to talk to them, and Sunset could have sworn she saw a hint of relief on his face.

“Are you sure you should antagonize him?” Mana asked, walking over. “Odds are you’ll be facing off against him in the semi-finals.”

Sunset shrugged. “Hey, he’s the one who couldn’t keep his dinner down last night.” She raised an eyebrow. “And should I be flattered that you think I’ll make it through my first two opponents?”

“Sakurazaki-san might prove a challenge for you,” Mana admitted, “but I get the feeling that you have something worked out for your first match.”

Sunset grunted, confirming the point but saying nothing.

“GOOD MORNING, CONTESTANTS!”

Kazumi’s shout grabbed everyone’s attention. Sunset turned to the front of the hut where Kazumi and Chao stood. “Welcome and thanks for gathering!” Kazumi continued. “30 minutes from now, the first match will be starting! Let us explain the rules here!

“Taking place in a 15 meter by 15 meter arena, the matches will last 15 minutes each. A defeat is determined by being down for 10 seconds, out of the ring for 10 seconds, or being knocked unconscious. If the match goes longer than 15 minutes, the audience will vote to determine the winner. A reminder that bladed and projectile weapons are not allowed and neither are curses or incantations. Any questions?”

There were a few technical questions from the other contestants, but Sunset tuned them out, turning her eyes to Evangeline. The vampire was eyeing Chao with interest, barely paying attention to the rules. She caught Sunset’s eye and smirked. Sunset fought the urge to swallow nervously and returned the smirk. I guess today’s the day I find out how powerful you really are. And the day you get to see me in my full glory.

“That’s it, then!” Kazumi everyone’s attention again with a grin. “The first two contestants should proceed to the stage! Everyone else, we’ve set up a viewing platform for you on the edge of the river. Let’s go!”

*****

“TO EVERYONE IN THE AUDIENCE, THANK YOU FOR WAITING! WE WILL NOW BEGIN THE FIRST MATCH IN THE MAHORA MARTIAL ARTS TOURNAMENT!!!”

The crowd cheered at Kazumi’s announcement, though the cheers developed a confused undercurrent as the audience saw the first two combatants.

“IN THIS CORNER, WE HAVE THE MYSTERIOUS SHOUNEN NINJA, CONTESTANT MURAKAMI KOTAROU! AND IN THE OTHER CORNER, THE MIDDLE-SCHOOL SECOND-YEAR GIRL, CONTESTANT SAKURA MEI!”

Sakura was a cute girl with shoulder-length hair tied back in two pigtails. She appeared nervous and reticent, but nevertheless faced Kotarou without much concern. Kotarou, for his part, simply eyed the girl with surprise.

Sunset sized up the match from the sidelines, but ultimately gave it up as pointless. Although Mei had been the first one to notice their voyeur at the World Tree Plaza, Sunset didn’t know much about the girl’s combat ability; her older companion had done most of the fighting in the qualifier the night before, and Sunset doubted staff-fighting was all the girl had up her sleeve.

And speaking of her companion…

“The reason I’m here… IS TO DISCIPLINE YOU, NEGI-SENSEI!!!”

Sunset sighed. Apparently, Negi had got caught up in some sort of drama. Again. Sunset half-listened to the other girl’s rants - something about an incident with the World Tree and how Mei was some sort of star student from America - but was far more interested in the upcoming match.

Kotarou and Mei took up their stances, staring each other down confidently as Kazumi riled up the crowds. Finally, it was time. “MATCH ONE, FIGHT!”

“Adeat!”

The crowd gasped and oo’d as a broom appeared in Mei’s hand. She twirled it expertly behind herself, holding up a guarding hand against Kotarou, who seemed to be having some sort of internal debate. An artifact, thought Sunset. Probably a focus tied to her specialization. Dog-boy’d better not underestimate her. Then again, he seems to be hesitating. Because she’s a girl. That idiot. When’s he gonna-

Kotarou vanished, appearing immediately in front of Mei. Sunset’s eyes went wide as she saw him winding up for an upward palm strike. So fast! Sunset thought. But, that wasn’t teleportation. I definitely saw him move through the intervening space. How did he do it so quickly?

Sunset didn’t have long to ponder this before Kotarou struck, his palm flying upwards. Sunset thought for a split-second that he had finally abandoned his “don’t hit girls” philosophy for good.

He hadn’t. Instead, he’d found a loophole.

Kotarou’s hand passed right in front of Mei’s face, the air pressure of his blow enough to send her flying. The poor girl screamed as she was thrown ten meters into the air before finally falling into the river with a massive splash.

Sunset burst out laughing as a countdown started and Kazumi started freaking out over the attack. “A-AMAZING! CONTESTANT KOTAROU ENDED THE MATCH IN AN INSTANT! IS THE MIDDLE-SCHOOL GIRL ALRIGHT?! SHE HAS TEN SECONDS TO RETURN TO THE RING BEFORE… EEH!? CONTESTANT MEI IS DROWNING!!!”

Sunset wiped a tear from her eye and smirked over at the other magical student. “Looks like your little star failed. You two don’t have any actual combat experience, do you? She was wide open from the very beginning.”

The girl grit her teeth as Kotarou dove into the river to rescue Mei. “A… minor setback. I will still have my revenge- er, that is, discipline Negi-sensei for his-”

“Yeah, don’t actually care,” Sunset said, blowing her off and turning back to the stage. Kotarou had managed to carry Mei to shore, and the next two contestants were up: the large martial artist Daigouin, and the mysterious, hooded Colonel Sanders.

The second match concluded almost as quickly as the first, with Sanders dodging a rapid string of attacks before countering with a single powerful right palm to the chest, bringing his opponent to the ground. The following match was just as rapid, with Kaede easily knocking out “Long Punch” contestant Tatsuya Nakamura.

Sunset sighed. “At least the quarter-finals in that bracket will be interesting,” she muttered. “But so far these matches have been one snoozefest after the other.”

“That’s about to change,” Evangeline muttered as the next two contestants walked onto the stage. “I’ve been looking forward to this one.”

Sunset frowned and leaned on the protective railing that separated them from the river. Ku Fei and Mana both strode with confidence out to the stage. Neither appeared to be armed. “Is Mana planning to fight bare-handed?” Sunset muttered. “She uses guns, doesn’t she?”

“Don’t underestimate her,” Evangeline replied. “Tatsumiya has considerable battlefield experience. I’ve never gotten the sense that she was unarmed, even when she didn’t have her guns on hand. Partly because she always seems to have one hidden nearby.”

“Of course, that won’t work here,” Sunset said. “Even if she’d been able to sneak a gun onto the stage, she wouldn’t be able to use it. And even if she has hand-to-hand experience, that’s Ku’s area of absolute expertise.” Kazumi called for the fight to begin. “So how-”

With a loud crack, Ku Fei was sent flying backwards from a blow to the head. She landed spread-eagled on the ground, not giving so much as a twitch. Mana didn’t appear to have even moved.

The audience went silent.

“WH-WHAT IS THIS?!” Kazumi demanded. “RIGHT FROM THE START, CONTESTANT KU FEI WAS SUDDENLY BLOWN AWAY!!!”

Sunset stared in shock. She’d seen… something fly out of Mana’s hand to strike Ku Fei, but it had been too small and too fast for her to make out. “What was…”

“Rakansen,” Evangeline explained as a color-commentator did the same for the audience. “Weaponized coin throwing. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s got stacks of 500-yen coins up her sleeves.”

Sunset stared from Evangeline to Ku Fei to Mana. “Damn. That coin was almost as fast as a bullet. Makes you wonder why she even bothers with guns.”

“Bullets still do more damage,” Evangeline offered. “And they have a longer range. But on a small stage like this, these sorts of attacks can still be deadly.”

Sunset nodded with a slight smirk. “Deadly to most, you mean.”

Evangeline snorted as Ku Fei suddenly leapt to her feet, apparently unharmed. She exchanged a few words with Mana before the fight started again.

Coins flew rapid-fire from Mana’s hand, tearing up the stage as Ku Fie barely managed to dodge the machine gun-like assault. Several coins flew beyond the stage, striking the water and sending up huge splashes which doused the audience on that side. After almost a full minute of dodging, Ku Fei managed to solidly plant her feet.

In an instant, she’d closed the distance between her and Mana and engaged her in close-combat. Mana managed to dodge the first few strikes before bringing up her hand to Ku’s chin.

“Idiot,” Sunset muttered as Ku Fei went flying. “Ranged weapons don’t get any less powerful just because you’re up close. And without a physical weapon to grab and turn away, it’s even harder to keep Mana from striking her.”

Evangeline nodded as Ku rapidly retreated, taking a couple of coins to the left arm before another struck her solidly in the forehead. “It’s a common mistake that martial artists make,” she elaborated. “Against both gunslingers and mages. ‘If I can just get in close,' they think, not realizing that that doesn’t take away their opponent’s options.”

Sunset nodded as Ku Fei suffered a barrage of strikes which sent her down for the count again. “But how did she get so close?” she asked. “I’ve been seeing that technique a lot today.”

“Instant movement,” Evangeline explained. “Or Ground Contraction as some call it. You focus mana into your feet and push off the ground, using a similar technique to ground yourself when you arrive. It’s basically a very long, very fast jump. Pretty staple for a close-combat user. I imagine Sakurazaki will be teaching it to you soon.”

Sunset hummed to herself as the crowd started cheering for Ku Fei to get up. “Not that it wouldn’t be good to have another tool in my arsenal, but I think I’ll stick with teleportation. Anyway, looks like this fight is over.”

Mana raised her hand readying the final strike. Ku tensed. Mana fired.

Ku moved.

She ripped the sash from her gi, blocking the half-dozen strikes that would have struck her down once more. Mana’s eyes widened in shock, and Ku capitalized on that hesitation, striking out with the sash for Mana’s neck. Mana quickly got her free hand up between the sash and her neck before it tightened, keeping Ku’s attack from choking her.

“Heh, so she was armed,” Sunset said, chuckling.

“A cloth spear,” Evangine said, nodding in approval. “A difficult weapon to master. I wouldn’t have expected it from the straightforward Ku Fei.”

“It’s not enough, though,” Sunset noted as Mana fired another coin, severing the spear near her neck and pulling it away. “And those last few blows took their toll on her while Mana hasn’t been hit at all. If Ku Fei doesn’t do something now…”

Mana once again began to fire her coins, but this time, Ku was fighting back. She blocked and deflected most of Mana’s coins and struck out with her cloth spear again and again, interrupting Mana’s rhythm and slowing her attacks. One strike finally managed to catch Mana by the arm, and Ku gave a powerful tug, forcing Mana to leap forward lest she lose her balance. Ku released the spear and Mana pulled out another stack of coins. They met. Ku struck. Mana fired.

Coins clattered to the ground as Ku dropped to her knees, one hand pressed against Mana’s stomach. The audience was silent. The tension thick. Mana and Ku exchanged a few words.

And a powerful burst of ki shredded the back of Mana’s shirt. The gunslinger fell on her face, instantly unconscious.

Ku had won.

Arc 6.2 Chapter 50

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“You know, as much as this works out well for me, I can’t help but be disappointed.”

Mana’s machine gun-like coin attacks had necessitated repairs for the stage and a visit to the aid tent for Ku Fei. Unfortunately for her, Mana’s barrage had managed to fracture Ku Fei's arm. And while she’d insisted she’d be able to fight just fine using ki to hold the bone in place, the doctor had insisted that she be removed from the tournament.

Ku was both relieved and disappointed that she wouldn’t be fighting Kaede, a sentiment that Sunset mirrored towards her.

“Can’t be helped arune,” Ku said, shrugging. “Doctor’s orders.”

Sunset recalled all the times in Equestria that she’d ignored doctor’s orders, but decided not to bring it up. “Still, that was an excellent fight. I’m surprised you were clever enough to think of hiding a cloth spear as part of your gi.”

Ku stuck her nose in the air. “Fu fu fu. Impressed, are you? Go ahead! Shower me with more praise aru!”

“It was Kaede’s idea, wasn’t it?”

“...shouldn’t you be watching the next match with the others?”

Sunset chuckled and shook her head. She’d waited until Ku’s friends had cleared out to talk to her, not wanting to interrupt. (Though she’d told Evangeline it was because she didn’t want to have to suffer through any touchy-feely crying moments. The blood-sucker hadn’t been convinced.) “Neither of them stand a chance against either Wildfire or Takamichi.” A small explosion reached their ears and Sunset looked in the direction of the stage, raising a curious eyebrow. “And from the sound of things, they’ll have to repair the stage after this match anyway.”

Ku Fei laughed. “We’re certainly giving the audience quite the show aru.” Her face turned serious. “So? Why did you come in to see me? Last I checked, we don’t like each other.”

Sunset blinked in surprise. “Isn’t it just natural to check in on a former comrade?”

Ku Fei tilted her head quizzically. “Comrade?”

“Sure,” Sunset said with a shrug. “Setsuna was pretty impressed with how you fought off those demons in Kyoto, what little she saw of it anyway. She told me about it later. If it hadn’t been for you and Mana, Setsuna and Asuna wouldn’t have been freed to help me and Wildfire and we’d have gone down before Evangeline could arrive. You saved us; I’m not likely to forget that until I’ve returned the favor.”

Ku Fei was silent, staring at Sunset in shock. “I… admit I didn’t expect that sort of thing from you arune.”

“There is dishonor in a debt unpaid,” Sunset replied. She gave another shrug. “Besides, I’m a soldier. I know the importance of good networking with powerful potential allies. I want to stay on your good side in case I need to call on you for aid again.”

“That’s strangely forthcoming of you.”

“You aren’t a fool, Ku Fei.” Sunset smirked. “A straightforward idiot with neither brains nor guile, but not a fool. From the moment I stepped in here I knew I wouldn’t be able to convince you that I was checking up on you out of the goodness of my heart. I’d rather have the air clear between us than try to play games; you don’t strike me as someone with the patience for that.”

Ku Fei stared Sunset down for a moment more, her expression calculating. “I keep forgetting that you’re much older than us aru.”

Way to make me sound like an old nag. “Being underestimated is an advantage sometimes.” Sunset turned and made for the exit. “Get better soon. I kind of want to try to fight you now.”

“Nichibotsu.” Sunset looked over her shoulder at Ku Fei. “Don’t underestimate Negi-kun; he’s a lot stronger than you think aru.”

Sunset chuckled. “I hope not. I’m counting on him losing to Takamichi so I have an excuse to beat that old man black and blue.”

*****

Repairs to the stage were just finishing up when Sunset returned. “So?” she asked Setsuna. “What’d I miss?”

Setsuna stole a glance over at the fuming, red-faced magical student and blushed a bit before clearing a throat. “It turns out that Tanaka-san was an experimental robot ordinance created by the engineering club. It had some… unique attacks, but ultimately lost to Goodman-san.”

Sunset scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Can’t have been that impressive. It only took down one guy last night in the time it took for me to wipe out seventeen. I can’t imagine I missed anything worth seeing.” She noticed that her fellow contestants looked away awkwardly at that and raised an eyebrow. “Right?”

“Oh look!” Setsuna said, pointing to the stage. “Negi-sensei and Takahata-sensei are about to start!”

Sunset rolled her eyes at the obvious change in subject but let it drop. She instead turned her attention to the upcoming match. This was one she intended to watch closely, as she knew she’d be up against the techniques of the victor. Though her bet was on Takamichi to win, she knew the fight might be close.

Kazumi didn’t seem to hold the same opinion as she listed off Takamichi’s exploits. “JUST BY HIMSELF, HE HAS SUPPRESSED THE VARIOUS DISPUTES AND FIGHTS IN THE SCHOOL! THE NICKNAME GIVEN TO HIM BY THE SCHOOL’S DELINQUENTS IS ‘DEATH GLASSES TAKAHATA!’ WITHOUT A DOUBT, HE’S MAHORA ACADEMY’S MIGHTIEST INSTRUCTOR! HOW DO YOU INTEND TO GO UP AGAINST THAT, CHILD TEACHER?!”

“He’s at a disadvantage from the start,” Sunset muttered as Takamichi slipped his hands into his pockets. “He’s at the worst possible distance against Takamichi’s technique.”

“Eh? You know about his technique, Fire-oneechan?”

Sunset glanced over at Kotarou and smirked. “Tried to pick a fight with him, didn’t you dog-boy?”

Kotarou chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head. “Gotta admit, I wasn’t expecting something like that from the old man.”

“It is a bad situation de gozaru,” Kaede added. “Negi-kun is right in Takahata-dono’s optimum range de gozaru.”

Asuna looked around from contestant to commentator, all the while growing increasingly nervous. “W-wait? Is Negi seriously in that much trouble?”

“It’ll all come down to that first second,” Sunset said. “If he can block or dodge that first attack and get some distance…”

“NOW THEN, THANK YOU ALL FOR WAITING! MATCH SIX… FIGHT!!!”

Negi brought up his arms, protecting his chin. He dashed forward. Takamichi tensed. Negi vanished. Something collided in the air a few feet in front of Takamichi and Negi appeared behind him.

Instant movement, Sunset thought as Negi and Takamichi turned to face each other, the latter pulling his hands from his pockets. A bit sloppy, but it looks like he’s got the basics down. Managed to block that first strike too. Probably used Deflexio to take it. Negi followed up with a series of strikes, putting Takamichi on the defensive. I’m surprised he chose to get in close, though. Wildfire has longer-range attacks than Takamichi. Does he actually think he can beat the so-called ‘Death Glasses’ in close combat?

Apparently he did. Negi kept up his assault, powering his strikes with his magic and occasionally casting a few close-range Sagitta Magica. Takamichi tried to retreat several times, but Negi continued to close the distance with instant movement. Still, neither of them had managed to land a solid hit.

Finally, Takamichi misstepped. Negi took advantage of the slight stumble, the tiny hesitation. He summoned several Sagitta Magica which spiraled around his arm as he punched. The force of his blow combined with the strike of his spell to send Takamichi flying across the stage. Out over the river. Into the side of the stands! A spray of water and debris hid the impact from sight and soaked the audience standing there.

“W-W-W-W-WHAT WAS THAT JUST NOW?! A HORRIFIC HIT FROM CONTESTANT NEGI!! CONTESTANT TAKAHATA WAS BLOWN AWAY LIKE HE WAS HIT BY A TRUCK! WAS THAT ONE JUST NOW CHINESE KENPO TOO?! W-WHAT A HORRIFYING YOUNG MAN!”

“A solid blow,” Sunset admitted. “Most people would have been taken out by that. My compliments, Evangeline; he’s mastered unincanted Sagitta Magica and Deflexio and he didn’t hesitate for an instant when that hole in Takamichi’s defenses opened up.”

“Hmph, of course,” Evangeline bragged, throwing her hair over her shoulder. “At least this much is to be expected from any apprentice of mine. I’m satisfied that he was able to last this long at least.”

“M-most people?!” Asuna stammered, staring at them in shock. “At least? There’s no way that even Takahata-sensei can get up from that unscathed! What the hell is Negi thinking using something like that on him?!”

“He’s thinking that he’s trying to win,” Sunset said, pointing to where the spray around Takamichi was beginning to clear. “But he’s going to need a lot more than that.”

The countdown was interrupted as Takamichi emerged unscathed from the stands, smiling as he walked across the top of the water. Negi watched him with a nervous but unsurprised smile while Takamichi’s smile was proud.

He rushed forward. Negi rushed for the edge of the stage. They met right as Takamichi was about to make land, and Negi managed to push him back. He raced along the stage, trading blows with Takamichi again and again as the countdown continued. Unfortunately, he was a step too slow. Takamichi seized a split-second opening and lashed out with a kick, sending Negi flying back across the stage. Negi landed on his feet, unharmed, and Takamichi stepped back onto the stage with three seconds to spare. He casually slipped his hands into his pockets.

Negi reeled suddenly from a series of blows.

“Negi!” Asuna cried. “W-what’s going on?! Is that magic?!”

“Ki, probably,” Sunset said, not taking her eyes from the match. “It’s better suited for this technique.” Again, she explained as the color-commentator did. “It’s a sword style called ‘Iaiken’ which uses the speed of drawing a sword to infuse the wielder’s attack with additional power. Takamichi’s managed to do it with his fists, using his pockets in place of a scabbard. It’s got a limited range and he can’t use it up close, but it’s a ridiculously fast technique. Wildfire’s got no chance of seeing it coming.”

Negi weathered a few more attacks, searching desperately for an opening. He tried to get close again with instant movement, but Takamichi stepped to the side and stuck out his leg, tripping Negi as he landed. Negi somersaulted back to his feet and backed away, but quickly found himself at the edge of the stage. He glanced nervously behind him before turning back to Takamichi.

Takamichi vanished.

He appeared behind Negi, lashing out with another kick and blowing him back to the center of the stage.

“Come on, Wildfire,” Sunset muttered. “Did you really not think that Takamichi could do that too?”

“What’s he gonna do?” Asuna demanded nervously. “Takahata-sensei’s completely turned the tables on him!”

“It’s about to get worse,” Evangeline muttered, looking suddenly nervous.

Takamichi had his hands out of his pockets, held to either side. He began focusing magic into his left hand, ki into his right.

“Seriously?” Sunset gaped, taking a step back. “He’s pulling that out against a kid?!”

“What is it?!” Asuna demanded as Takamichi brought his hands close together. “What’s going-”

Takamichi’s hands connected. Magic and ki fused together and Takamichi’s body was flooded with energy. The power output whipped up powerful winds around him, causing many in the audience to flinch back. Takamichi stepped forward and jumped a meter into the air.

A massive column of force struck the stage where Negi had been standing a half-second prior. He was sent flying with the shrapnel away from a crater in the stage that was almost two meters across. He landed harshly and quickly sat up, staring in horror at Takamichi and the crater.

“Takahata Takamichi’s ultimate technique,” Sunset muttered, glaring in envy. “The final step in magic-ki compatibility training. Kanka.”

“Damn!” Kotarou cursed as Kazumi went ballistic with her commentary. “That oji-san had something like that up his sleeve?!”

“I-I don’t understand!” Asuna stammered. “What is that kanka thing?”

“The commentators won’t be able to explain this one,” Sunset said. “Put simply, it’s raw power. Mana in its purest and most volatile form. You can’t cast any spells or pull off any fancy techniques with it, but its sheer strength is second-to-none.”

Asuna paled. “W-will Negi be alright?”

“No.” Sunset eyed their teacher with some pity, seeing how visibly shaken he was as he stumbled to his feet again. “And he knows it.”

No sooner had Negi climbed to his feet than Takamichi began to attack in earnest, leaping into the air and raining down blow after blow of absolute destruction. Negi dodged frantically, running all over the stage as he tried to avoid the blasts.

“Wh-wh-what should we do?!” Asuna stammered, panicking. “If Negi gets hit by one of those, he’ll die!”

“Calm down, Neechan,” Kotarou berated. “No matter what kind of technique it is, there’s always a weakness. It’s obvious those attacks are no joking matter; if even one connects, it’s all over. But take a closer look; he’s wide open. His preparation movements are different from before, and his strikes aren’t coming nearly as quickly. That’s why Negi’s been able to dodge them so far.”

“But he’s still starting with his hands in his pockets,” Sunset added. “Which means he’s still using Iaiken. If Negi can close the distance, that column of power will be unusable. He’ll still have to dodge Takamichi’s powered-up hand-to-hand strikes, but Wildfire was more than keeping up with him earlier.”

“And there’s another weakness to this technique!” Kotarou said triumphantly. “If Takamichi-san just stands there and strikes, his blow will keep going and hit the audience. He has to jump for each attack and aim downwards! It’s actually easier to deal with than the invisible multi-punches he’s been using up to now! In fact, this might be Negi’s chance!”

“It would appear so de gozaru,” Kaede said. “However…”

Negi charged Takamichi as he touched down after a jump, only for the pressure around Takamichi to drop instantly. Negi was knocked back by an invisible blow, Takamichii jumped, and the pressure returned. Negi barely landed in time to throw himself to the side and avoid another kanka-powered strike.

“...if he uses the invisible punches from before as well, then that weakness is gone de gozaru.”

“This technique is Takamichi’s only advantage,” Sunset elaborated as the two combatants leapt into a series of instant-movements to try to out-maneuver each other. “He has no ability to refine magic or ki into more precise techniques. Straightforward power is all he can manage. That said, there’s probably no-one in the world who can switch kanka on and off as quickly or as often as he can. He didn’t switch to kanka-based fighting; he just pulled out kanka as another option.”

Negi came out of his instant-movement just after Takamichi jumped. He stared up in horror with no time to dodge. He threw up a hand and shouted something. Takamichi’s kanka-strike rained down, crashing against some sort of barrier and sending up a cloud of debris.

“That barrier was probably an Aerial Wall,” Evangeline said. “Excellent for blocking physical strikes, but it leaves you vulnerable to a follow-up. He technically cheated by saying it aloud, but when you’re staring death in the face, reflex takes over.”

A wave of pressure blew out the cloud, revealing Negi coughing up blood as he took another hit almost dead-on. Takamichi jumped straight up, taking advantage of Negi’s disorientation from the strike.

His next blow shot straight down, cratering Negi into the stage.

“I-I-IT’S OVER!!! ISN’T IT OVER?! I-IS CONTESTANT NEGI ALL RIGHT?” Kazumi had abandoned all professionalism in her panic, a panic which only continued to rise as Negi lay in the crater, unmoving. “TH-THIS IS HORRIBLE! CONTESTANT NEGI IS HANGING BY A THREAD! NEGI-KUN! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!”

“He took that last blow head-on,” Sunset muttered. “He’s probably barely hanging onto consciousness.”

“WAIT A MINUTE, TAKAHATA-SENSEI!” Kazumi rounded on Takamichi and began to berate him. “WHY DID YOU HAVE TO GO THIS FAR?! THIS IS JUST HORRIBLE! WE ALREADY KNEW WHO WAS GOING TO WIN! AND YOU CALL YOURSELF A TEACHER?!” She stomped over to Takamichi and grabbed his hand, forcing it into the air. “ENOUGH! IT’S SENSEI’S VICTORY! CONTESTANT TAKAHATA WINS!”

The audience erupted into shouting, though not in cheers.

“OY, REF! WAIT A MINUTE! HE DIDN’T GIVE UP OR FAINT YET, RIGHT?!”

“ARE YOU CRAZY?! THAT WAS THE RIGHT CHOICE! THERE’S NO WAY HE’S OKAY AFTER THAT!”

“FORGET A MATCH! THIS IS JUST CHILD ABUSE!!!”

The crowd was close to rioting, some calling for the match to end while others shouted that Negi hadn’t given up yet. No-one seemed to think that Takamichi was in the right for how far he’d taken things.

“I wouldn’t expect them to understand,” Sunset muttered, staring out at Negi. “There’s no such thing as ‘overkill’ in a fight between two warriors. Still, I was hoping-”

“BAKA NEGI!!!”

Sunset started and stared to the side. Asuna was leaning on the railing, glaring at Negi as she shouted. “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?! STAND UP ALREADY!!!”

“NEGI-SENSEI!” A familiar voice pierced the crowd’s arguments. “PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER!!!” Nodoka cried.

“YOU CAN STILL DO IT, NEGI-BOUZU!!!” Ku Fei shouted.

“NEGI-SENSEI!”

“NEGI-KUN!”

“GET UP, KID!”

“YOU CAN DO IT, CHILD TEACHER!”

Sunset smiled as the crowd began to turn, cheering for Negi to get up. Come on, Wildfire. I didn’t give you that name just as an insult. Petering out like this isn’t worthy for you. Jumping around and dodging? After all that fire you put into the first half? Are you really going to let that fire die out just because you saw a little bit of power? You haven’t shown us any of what you can really do.

Now, Wildfire. Blaze.

Negi leapt to his feet. Power surged. The audience cheered. Kazumi stepped back, shocked. Balls of light appeared around Negi as he charged Takamichi head-on. Takamichi blocked one strike. Two. Sent an elbow up into Negi’s chin, sending him flying back. Takamachi stepped back, launching his first kanka-strike at an upward angle. Negi stretched his head back, barely getting clipped in the chin and sent hurtling into the river.

“C-CONTESTANT NEGI IS OUT OF THE RING!”

“Damn it!” Kotarou shouted. “He screwed up!”

“Not yet!” Sunset gripped the railing, grinning at the water. “He’s not finished just yet!”

Negi leapt from the water, landing on top of the stands surrounded once more by balls of light. “Takamichi!” he shouted, pointing down towards the stage. “This is the final strike!”

“Eh?” Asuna stared from Negi to Takamichi and back. “What? What’s he talking about?”

“He’s baiting him.” Sunset threw back her head and cackled. “He’s baiting him! And brilliantly done! What mentor doesn’t get curious at a line like that?! Takamichi has no choice but to see just what Negi has planned!”

“Very well!” Takamichi called. “I’ll accept that. This next hit is the final shot!”

“OOH! THE TWO CONTESTANTS HAVE MADE FINISHING DECLARATIONS! JUST AS WELL, SINCE THIS MATCH IS GETTING CLOSE TO THE TIME LIMIT! THE AUDIENCE BEHIND NEGI-SENSEI AND TAKAHATA-SENSEI HAVE SPLIT LEFT AND RIGHT TO AVOID GETTING CAUGHT UP IN IT!”

“Now, Wildfire,” Sunset whispered, leaning heavily on the railing, grinning from ear to ear. “Show us what you’ve got.”

The balls of light around Negi began to spin. Faster and faster. Spiraling in front of him. He leapt into an instant-movement, the light forming a lance of energy with his body at the center. Takamichi responded with a kanka-powered Iaiken. Negi shrugged it off with an Aerial Wall. Shot straight. Plowed fist-first into Takamichi.

The stage erupted with debris and smoke, obscuring the contestants from view. Commentator and audience alike started shouting in confused excitement. Sunset peered through the smoke, trying to see anything. She just thought she could make out a shadow crouching on the ground. Another figure approaching from behind.

A smaller figure.

Negi’s downward blow drove Takamichi into the stage, blowing away most of the smoke in the process.

“C-CONTESTANT NEGI’S ULTIMATE TECHNIQUE, ‘SOME-KIND-OF-INCREDIBLE -GLOWING-PUNCH,’ HIIIIIITS!!! FURTHERMORE, WHAT AN INTENSE STRIKE THAT SMASHED RIGHT INTO THE GROUND! A GIANT REVERSAL! HOWEVER, THE FIFTEEN-MINUTE MARK HAS NOW PASSED! THE MATCH IS TIMED OUT! CONTESTANT NEGI IS ALL RAGGED AND TORN UP, TOO! NOW THEN, WHO WINS?! WHAT ABOUT CONTESTANT TAKAHA- AH!”

The last of the smoke cleared, revealing a badly bruised Takamichi lying at the bottom of a small crater.

“THIS IS TRULY A REVERSAL FROM BEFORE! H-HE’S NOT DEAD, RIGHT?! I-I’LL BEGIN THE COUNT! ONE! TWO!”

“It was a good blow,” Evangeline opined. “Wrapping those sagitta magica around himself and taking out that kanka strike with an aerial wall. Then following up with a more classic convergentia riding his punch.

“However…”

Takamichi slowly sat upright. “No way!” the color-commentator announced as Kazumi continued the count. “Even after taking that kind of a hit? If he can stand up before the count is over, the match will be decided by audience votes!”

“Eh?!” Kotarou shouted as Takamichi and Negi started talking. “But Takahata-san dominated most of that match! If the audience gets to decide-”

“Don’t worry,” Sunset said, relaxing her grip on the railing and standing upright, her eager grin softening somewhat. “Takamichi is just now realizing that he went all-out on a child, and still took a couple of solid, powerful hits. If this were a fight to the finish, he’d be up no sweat. But for Wildfire to turn this hopeless match around and take him to a draw… well, like I said, there’s only one thing for a proper mentor to do in this situation.”

Takamichi fell back with a smile, conceding the match.

Negi had won.

Arc 6.2 Chapter 51

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Chears filled the stands as Negi and Takamichi exited the stage and the repair crews began their work. Negi was immediately swarmed by his students and Kotarou, who congratulated him on his victory. Takamichi smiled at the sight and let himself fade into the background, content to let Negi have all of the attention.

“You know, I’m kind of pissed at you.”

Almost all of the attention.

Takamichi chuckled as he turned to Sunset. “I thought you might be. But I value Negi-kun’s progress more than the prize money. And as you are well aware, I couldn’t care less about prestige.”

Sunset huffed and crossed her arms. “Yeah yeah. You’re his mentor first, a warrior a distant eighth or whatever. I get it. Still, I was really hoping for the chance to punch your lights out in public.”

“I’m well aware.” Takamichi’s smile twitched, a ghost of a smirk. “Though I wonder if you’re still so confident that you could have done so, having seen this match.”

“Teleportation doesn’t have the same tells as instant movement,” Sunset bragged. “And I have more experience than Wildfire in both martial arts and general combat.” She hesitated. “That said, I wasn’t expecting quite that level of speed and power. I’d fight you in public any day, but if we went at it somewhere that collateral damage didn’t matter…”

Takamichi nodded. “Local environment is always a major factor in any match-up. It’s honestly a little difficult to find an appropriate place for me to go all-out these days.”

Sunset glared at him for a moment before sighing. “Fine. Point taken. I still think you would be better served on the front lines of some larger conflict somewhere than you are teaching here, but I’ll admit that your overwhelming firepower is more niche than I'd first pegged it for.” She shrugged. “Anyway, your part is done, and I’ll be facing Wildfire in the semi-finals. Go take care of that problem student.”

“Ah yes, Chao-san.” Takamichi took out a cigarette and lit it. “This tournament is definitely suspicious. Especially her claim that recording devices won’t work here.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll probably notice yourself when you get on stage,” Takamichi said, “but there were definitely eyes on us beyond just the spectators and our fellow competitors.” He took a long drag of his cigarette before slowly blowing out a stream of smoke. “I know that you don’t particularly care about this inner world being exposed, but try not to be too obvious in your matches.”

Sunset hesitated before nodding. “Can’t make any promises about the last two rounds, but you don’t have to worry about my first two matches; I know my strategies for my opponents, and they don’t involve anything flashier than what you and Wildfire demonstrated.

“Now if you’ll excuse me,” she turned and made her way towards the medical tent, “I want the chance to talk to Wildfire before the rest of the class descends on him.”

*****

“ARE YOU STUPID?!”

Sunset walked into the medical tent just in time to see Evangeline punch Negi in the face. She walked over to an astonished Ku Fei and Kotarou. “He was happy about his victory?” she asked. Ku blinked a couple of times before nodding. “Thought so.”

“What do you mean, ‘I won’?” Evangeline berated. “Didn’t you even notice that you were allowed to win? You fool!”

“Eh?” Chamo asked, surprised. “Didn’t Takamichi get serious?”

“Only his power,” Evangeline sneered. “If he’d really fought to kill, the boy wouldn’t have lasted ten seconds.

“Boy, you probably thought that last body blow and the delayed spell came out nicely, right? But it’s obvious for those kinds of things to hit! You know why?

“BECAUSE THAT IDIOT TAKAMICHI WAS LIKE ‘I WONDER HOW MUCH NEGI-KUN HAS GROWN?’ AND ‘I WONDER WHAT NEGI-KUN WILL DO NOW?’ AND WAITED FOR YOU WHILE WAGGING HIS TAIL!!!” She stomped down on Negi’s head and started grinding it into the floor. “IT’S OBVIOUS THAT HE’D GET HIT! Plus, what was with that hesitation in the middle?! Are you slow?! Get a grip on the cues and counter-attack faster! Basically, you’re still completely no good! You understand?!”

“Y-y-yes!” Negi cried. “Understood, Master!”

Evangeline huffed and took her foot off his head, letting him stand as she turned away. “Well… I thought the initial instant movement and the idea for the final technique were good. That’s all.”

Sunset snorted. “Come now, Evangeline. Even you have to admit that his kenpo training has paid off. He’s advanced far more quickly than you thought he would. He’s legitimately on Takamichi’s level in terms of speed, at least.”

“But I was no match for his power,” Negi admitted. “I knew Takamichi was strong, but not that strong.”

“I had a vague understanding,” Sunset said, “but it’s always different when you actually see the power on display. In terms of raw power, he surpasses me in my prime.” She smirked. “Of course, the fact that he’s unable to cast spells means even novice mages trump him on versatility.”

“Eh? What do you mean?” Negi asked.

“She means what she said,” Evangeline said. “Takamichi is unable to shape magic or ki beyond the very basics. He can use either of them to strengthen himself and fire off blasts of raw mana, but he’s unable to form it into spells or advanced ki techniques. Raw power is honestly all he has going for him.”

“And the skill and intellect to apply it,” Sunset added. “Raw power applied with surgical precision is terrifying.” She smirked down at Negi. “And that’s where Takamichi and I have an edge: application. With our long warrior careers, tournaments like this are low-stake sparring matches. You’d better come at me like you’re trying to kill me, Wildfire, or you won’t survive our match.”

“Aren’t you assuming quite a bit there, Nichibotsu?” Setsuna and Asuna entered the tent, having been held up talking to Takamichi. “After all, you’ll have to win your first two matches before you can face him.”

Sunset turned her smirk to Setsuna. “I’ll admit I’m a little concerned about my first match, but I don’t plan to lose to you in the quarter-finals. You may have me beat in pure martial prowess, but I’ve got a lot of tricks up my sleeves.”

“Hey! What about me?!” Asuna demanded. “It might not be Setsuna-san you end up facing, you know!”

Sunset turned to Asuna, staring at her expressionlessly for a moment. “So anyway,” she turned back to Setsuna, “I look forward to beating you and making your beloved kendo club cry.”

Setsuna ignored Asuna’s indignant griping and faced Sunset head-on. “Assuming I meet you in the quarter-finals, I too look forward to our match. I just hope your boxing club is not too disappointed in the outcome.”

“They might be sad I didn’t use pure boxing to put you in your place,” Sunset conceded. “But I think they’ll cheer for you getting knocked down a peg nonetheless.”

“Is that so?” A small smirk crept onto Setsuna’s face. “Care to make a-”

“Negi-kun! Are you alright?!”

“Negi-sensei! You were awesome!”

“That match looked like a movie or something!”

Setsuna was cut off as several more students invaded the medical tent. Haruna and Konoka were in the lead, followed closely by Yue and Nodoka. Chizuru and Natsumi entered after them, making a beeline for Kotarou.

“Wait a second, people!” Asuna said, trying to block them from getting further in. “This place is off-limits except to contestants!”

“Like that was ever going to stop our class,” Sunset muttered, stepping back to dodge the swarm as it descended on Negi. “You were saying, Setsuna?”

Setsuna shook her head. “Let’s leave that for after our first matches are finished.”

Sunset shrugged and watched as Haruna and Konoka started grilling Negi about the match and his injuries respectively. “He sure is popular,” she muttered. “It’s a peculiar talent to so easily win the support and admiration of so many.”

“It’s about the only thing he has in common with his father,” Evangeline agreed. She chuckled and turned to Asuna. “Come to think of it, you were pretty intense back there, weren’t you?”

“Huh?” Asuna asked, confused.

“That’s right,” Sunset said, catching on. “What was it again? ‘What are you doing? Stand up already.’ Something like that, right?”

“TH-THAT’S NOT-” Asuna shook her head violently. “I was just frustrated because it looked like he hadn’t improved one bit! I didn’t mean anything by it! I-”

“Aw,” Sunset teased. “It’s so cute seeing an onee-chan getting all protective of her beloved kid brother.”

“AGH! WOULD YOU QUIT TALKING LIKE THAT?!”

“Wait, what do you mean?” Setsuna asked, confused.

“Oh come on,” Sunset said, rolling her eyes. “I mean, isn’t it obvious that that’s what their dynamic is? The way she’s always fussing over him despite pretending not to be concerned? The way she’s always looking out for him even though she insists he’s nothing but a nuisance? What else could you call them except siblings?”

“Argh!” Asuna threw her hands in the air. “You’re impossible.” She stomped away towards Negi and almost immediately started berating her classmates for crowding him while he was still injured.

“Huh,” Setsuna muttered, watching her. “She really is like an older sister to him.”

“But really, I was so into it, Negi-kun!” Haruna’s voice rose above the rest of the commotion. “I was really into the fight! Even if this is the Mahora Festival where anything goes, that just now was different! To have a fight between our homeroom teacher and our former homeroom teacher - wow! And hey, you were also using those weird ‘long-hits’ or ‘ki’ or whatever, right?!”

Negi laughed nervously, his eyes darting away. “A-hah, well, that is…”

Actually, he’s one of the few people in this tournament who can’t use ki. Sunset gazed lazily around the tent as a realization slowly dawned on her. Wait a minute. Evangeline, Kotarou, Setsuna, Wildfire, and I have all been in the Inner World from birth. Asuna, Honya, Konoka, and Nodoka are learning. Ku has been initiated. And if Kotarou is living with them, then there’s no doubt that Chizuru and Natsumi know at least a little about magic and such. Which means the only one here who doesn’t know is...

“Hmm-hmm,” Haruna hummed as she nodded. “No wonder you’re Ku Fei’s apprentice. ‘Ki,’ is it? But I have to say, rather than ‘ki,’ with what you and Takamichi-sensei were throwing around, it felt more like watching ‘magic’ instead.”

Negi’s face filled with panic. “EH?!” He held up his hands, getting ready to fervently deny it.

“Good eye, Haruna. You’re right; that was magic.”

Every eye in the tent turned to Sunset, several faces going pale as she held up a practice wand, a small flame flickering at the end. Negi, Konoka, and Nodoka stared in horror. Asuna and Setsuna’s faces bore shock. Yue stared indifferently. Chizuru’s eyebrows rose slightly while Natsumi wore a mixed expression of surprise and wonder.

Haruna just laughed and waved Sunset off. “Good one, Nichi-chan! You almost had me fooled with that fancy lighter.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow and poured more magic into the wand, causing the little flame to surge into a formidable inferno within the cramped tent. She quickly dismissed it before tossing the wand to Haruna. “Catch. Find the trigger.”

Haruna fumbled the wand for a minute before finally gripping it, beads of sweat running down her forehead. “Wait.” She turned the wand over in her hands, her face beginning to fill with excitement. “Wait wait wait wait wait. There’s nothing on here. This looks like just a toy wand. Which means…” She slowly looked up at a horror-struck Negi. “Magic.”

“THE REPAIRS TO THE STAGE HAVE BEEN COMPLETED IN RECORD TIME! WILL THE NEXT TWO CONTESTANTS PLEASE REPORT TO THE CHANGING ROOM!”

“Oh look,” Sunset said flippantly, “it’s time for you to go.” She grabbed Asuna and Negi’s arms and started to drag them towards the exit, Setsuna following quickly. “You need to get ready, Asuna. And the two of you need to talk about your pactio, right? You’d better get going too, Wildfire.”

“Eh?!” Negi’s eyes were darting frantically between Sunset and Haruna, the latter of whom was staring at him like a starved hyena stares at a newly-discovered carcas. “B-but I- you- Haruna-san-”

“I’ll handle Haruna,” she said, all but shoving Negi and Asuna out of the tent. “Setsuna, enjoy your match. Asuna, try not to get pummeled too hard.” She let Setsuna duck swiftly out of the tent - the rest of the contestants following quickly in her wake - before yanking the flap closed and placing herself in front of it, turning to face Haruna with a smirk. “I’m sure you have questions.”

*****

Sunset allowed Haruna to grill her for only a few minutes, during which she was able to relate her and Negi’s status as mages, inform her that she was from another dimension, and impress upon her the secretive nature of this information. When asked as she was leaving why she’d decided to come clean, she’d shrugged.

“Yue and Honya are mages-in-training under me. Konoka is from a powerful magical line and is being tutored by Evangeline. All of your closest friends are in on the secret, and Wildfire is terrible at keeping it under wraps anyway. Besides, everyone else in this tent has at least a basic knowledge of magic.”

Sunset had chuckled darkly to herself as she’d left the tent, leaving Nodoka, Yue, and the others to Haruna’s mercy. She now stood watching as Asuna and Setsuna walked out towards the stage. Both were dressed in maid outfits, the latter also wearing cat ears and a tail. Setsuna carried a long-handled push-broom while Asuna bore her giant harisen artifact. “Whose idea was the outfits?” Sunset asked Evangeline. “Because I’d like to thank them on behalf of the audience.”

“Hmm,” Evangeline muttered, her eyes scanning the crowd.

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Something wrong?”

“It’s that hooded guy,” Evangeline growled, her voice thick with distaste. “I found out who he is while you were yammering away with Saotome.”

“Oh? And who is he?”

Evangeline sighed and shook her head. “He’s insisting on going by his ridiculous alias - Colonel Sanders - for now, but suffice to say that he’s a friend of the boy’s father. A powerful and enigmatic mage with a terrible personality who’s been missing for almost ten years. And apparently, he knows something of Kagurazaka’s past.”

“Asuna’s?” Sunset thought back a bit. “She came to Mahora with amnesia at, like, age six, right? Konoka told me that the Principal took her in as a favor. But wait, if this ‘Colonel Sanders’ knew Asuna and the Thousand Master, and so did Konoka’s old man, does that mean that Asuna and the Thousand Master…”

“It’s possible,” Evangeline muttered. “I’d even say likely.” She started grinding her teeth together. “What’s worse, he said he was going to help Kagurazaka out with her match. I don’t know what he’s planning, but I don’t like it.”

Sunset shrugged as Kazumi announced the start of the next match. “Well, I don’t see how. If he steps into the arena, he’ll be disqualified. In any case, I wonder how long until Setsuna-”

Two weapons collided powerfully in the center of the stage, sending a shockwave rippling outwards. The audience went momentarily silent at the display of power before erupting into cheers. Setsuna and Asuna stood facing each other, weapons at the ready, both of them shocked by what had just happened.

It was so fast that Sunset had almost missed it. Setsuna had held nothing back, closing in in an instant and sending a powerful strike at Asuna’s side. Asuna had moved - far faster than Sunset had ever seen her move - and blocked the strike with apparent ease.

“...something’s off.” Sunset glared at the stage, her eyes intent on Asuna. A fluke?

Asuna and Setsuna took off, dashing across the stage and exchanging blows at a ridiculously rapid pace. All the while, the novice Asuna was somehow keeping pace with the trained Shinmeiryu swordswoman in both speed and power. Blow after blow sent waves of force exploding out from where their weapons met.

“THIS IS UNEXPECTED!” Kazumi commentated. “THE MAID-UNIFORM-WEARING HIGH-SCHOOL GIRLS ARE FIGHTING WAY BEYOND EVERYONE’S EXPECTATIONS! IT SEEMS THAT THE INTENSITY FROM THE PREVIOUS MATCHES HAS NOT DROPPED AT ALL! IT’S OBVIOUS, BUT THE MALE CROWDS WHO ARE SEEING THIS ARE APPLAUDING WITH PRAISES!”

“This is ridiculous,” Sunset muttered, watching as Asuna matched Setsuna blow for blow. “I’ve seen a couple of Asuna’s lessons, and there’s no way she should be keeping up with Setsuna.”

Evangeline was far less reserved in her protests. “WHY?!” she shouted. “Why does Kagurazaka Asuna have that much physical ability?! Being a brute-force monkey isn’t enough to explain this!”

“Huhuhu. Those are the original talents of Asuna-san.”

Sunset’s head snapped to the side. The hooded contestant stood there, watching the match with amusement. Sunset hadn’t even sensed him arrive and, by the looks of surprise on Evangeline and Kaede’s faces, neither had anyone else.

“Why you-” Evangeline griped. “What did you do to that girl back there?!”

“Nothing really,” Colonel Sanders replied. “All I did was give her a little push. How about it, Evangeline, old friend. Shall we make a bet? I will bet on the victory of Asuna-san.”

“What?” Evangeline glared up at Sanders. “...what’s your wager?”

“Information about Asuna-san.”

Evangeline huffed. “Fine. It doesn’t matter what you did, I can’t imagine that girl defeating Sakurazaki.”

“That means that the bet is on, right?” Sanders smirked under his hood. “Then, on the occasion where that Shinmeiryu swordsgirl loses…” He shuffled around in his robes before pulling something out.

“I will have you and Nichibotsu-chan enter the next match wearing these school swimsuits.”

“WHAT THE HELL?! WHY DO YOU HAVE THOSE THINGS?!”

Why does it look like that one is in my size? Sunset wondered as she turned her eyes back to the match. This guy. He’s beyond me. Powerful enough to slip past Kaede’s senses, and utterly focused on frustrating Evangeline. She shook her head. I’d better stay out of this for now. But I’ll definitely be grilling Evangeline for that information later.

Asuna and Setsuna continued to collide in rapid series of attacks. Setsuna’s form was fluid and precise, moving from one form to the next. Asuna, by contrast, had neither form nor style, wielding her harisen like a bludgeon more than a blade. The two were evenly matched, and one massive strike forced the two of them apart. They eyed each other warily, both of their faces determined.

Suddenly, Asuna turned towards Sunset and the other contestants, pointing dramatically. “Negi!” she shouted. “Take a good look!”

A quick glance around told Sunset that Negi and Kotarou were both absent. A shout drew everyone’s attention up to the stands where the two missing contestants were waving at Asuna. Asuna turned her finger up to Negi, glaring in determination.

“Take a good look at me,” she shouted dramatically. “I’ll show you how capable I am of protecting you as your partner!”

The audience oo’d and cheered while Kazumi smirked at Asuna. “OOH! COULD THIS BE A BRAVE LOVE CONFESSION RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A MATCH?!”

“THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT, YOU-”

Asuna stumbled slightly, suddenly looking drained. Sunset watched as she shook her head a bit before looking up as if listening to someone. Telepathy? Sunset wondered. Is that how Sanders is helping her? What is he… Sunset’s thoughts trailed off. She leaned forward, bracing herself on the railing. A chill ran down her spine. Asuna was gathering mana into her hands. Magic in the left hand. Ki in the right.She brought them together. Power flared.

Kanka!

“IMPOSSIBLE!” Evangeline shouted. “Magic-ki synthesis took Takamichi years to learn at my resort! For her to do that so easily-”

“Yes, Takamichi sure worked hard,” Sanders interrupted. “It’s a highly difficult technique that allows the user to obtain amazing powers by combining ki and magic and melding one’s inner body with the outside. The power obtained by combining opposite powers is incredible, as you can see. For Asuna-san, though an amature in many things, and even though she is currently unable to go head-to-head with Takamichi-kun, nevertheless still has that much power.”

It was a significant power boost. Sunset couldn’t quite judge it accurately at this distance, but she guessed that Asuna’s kanka was about on par with Negi’s magic-supported strength - a far cry from her previous merely athletic ability. She barely registered the railing groaning and cracking in her grip as she glared at Asuna.

“AND WHY CAN THAT GIRL USE THAT?!” Evangeline shouted, giving voice to Sunset’s thoughts.

“Huhuhu,” Sanders laughed. “I wonder why?”

Asuna and Setsuna threw themselves back into the fray, broom striking harisen as they traded blow for blow. Neither was able to land a hit on the other as their battle carried them from one end of the stage to the other.

“DAMN IT, SETSUNA!!!” Evangeline shouted. “What are you wasting your time for on the likes of Kagurazaka Asuna?! Beat her in five seconds! No! Kill her!”

“Evangeline,” Sanders teased, “shall we take the stakes even higher?”

“WHAT?!?!”

“Let me in on this.” The words were out of Sunset’s mouth before she could stop them. If it gets me another clue as to how to pull off kanka, I can take a little embarrassment in the next round.

Sanders hummed to himself. “Very well. Then I will wager to you everything I know and understand about how to pull off the kanka technique. As for you, Evangeline, my wager is Nagi Springfield. Information about the Thousand Master.”

Evangeline’s wrath vanished for a moment. She stared in open-mouthed shock at Sanders.

“What do you think?” he teased. “Will you stay on the bet?”

Sunset looked away to hide her smirk as Evangeline’s wrath rapidly returned. Oh, this guy is good.

“OF COURSE I’LL STAY ON THE BET!!!”

“Huhuhu,” Sanders laughed. “Understood. Well then, for you…” he reached into his robe again.

“Let’s add on glasses and sailor clothes and make you a catgirl.”

“STOP SCREWING AROUND!!!!!”

“And for Nichibotsu-chan, let’s swap out the swimsuit for this bunny-girl outfit.”

“Why do you have these outfits in my size?!”

Sunset shook her head and returned her full attention to the match, putting the bet out of her mind. It doesn’t matter, anyway. Neither of them is landing a solid blow, but Setsuna is getting closer and closer while Asuna is defending more and more. It won’t take long for the tide to definitively turn. This match is-

Asuna ducked. Her left hand shot out, catching Setsuna’s sword arm and forcing it upwards. She rammed her right shoulder forward, striking Setsuna with a body blow and sending the swordswoman to the ground. Her right arm came down, her harisen coming to rest at Setsuna’s throat.

The momentum had been reversed in less than two seconds.

Sunset stared in shock. Evangeline stared in shock. Asuna stared equally in shock. Setsuna, though likewise surprised, capitalized on that shock to spin her legs up, knocking Asuna’s weapon aside as she leapt to her feet and jumped back.

What the Hell just happened?!

Setsuna charged, thrusting forward. Asuna ducked again, spinning to the right and striking Setsuna in the side. Setsuna stepped back to recover, only to find Asuna stepping inside her guard to kick her in the stomach and send her flying back. Setsuna switched to full defense, weathering Asuna’s blows which struck now with a heretofore unseen precision.

Impossible! Sunset raged in her mind, the railing splintering as her grip crushed it. I know that actual combat is the best teacher, but Asuna is pulling out moves that I KNOW Setsuna hasn’t taught her! How is she suddenly fighting like a veteran?! She studied Asuna carefully, looking for any tell. Any clue.

“HEEEEEEY!!! SAKURAZAKI SETSUNA!!!” Evangeline was beside herself with panicked rage. “AS A KYOTO SHINMEIRYU SWORDSMAN JUST LIKE EISHUN, HOW CAN YOU NOT HANDLE AN AMATURE WHO’S ONLY POWERED UP A LITTLE?! DEFEAT HER NOW! I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO LOSE!!!”

“B-but,” Setsuna risked a glance back at Evangeline. “These movements! She knows exactly how to-”

“DON’T BE FOOLED!” Evangeline grabbed Sanders by the neck of his robe, forcing him down to her level as she pointed at him. “IT’S ONLY BECAUSE THIS GUY IS ADVISING HER!!!” She quickly stuck him in a headlock, Sanders laughing unconcernedly all the while. “YOU CHEATING BASTARD! STOP USING TELEPATHY!!!”

“She’s using kanka somehow!” Sunset joined in. “And now she’s getting high on herself just because of a little boost in raw power! Show her what happens when you try to brute force your way through someone who’s spent a lifetime perfecting their abilities!”

“IF YOU LOOSE,” Evangeline threatened, “SOMETHING INCREDIBLY EMBARRASSING WILL HAPPEN TO ME! IF YOU DARE LOOSE, I’LL MAKE YOU FEEL THE SAME - NO - EVEN WORSE HUMILIATION IN REVENGE! AND IN FRONT OF YOUR BELOVED OJOU-SAMA, TOO!!!”

“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!”

Despite the blush now coloring her face, Setsuna turned back to face Asuna, her grip tightening on her broom, resolve on her face. Asuna, in contrast, seemed to be hesitating, glancing towards Sanders occasionally.

Setsuna moved. Her ki swelled as she slashed both of her arms horizontally, a wave of force smashing into the ground at Asuna’s feet. Splinters flew, forcing Asuna to shield her face. Setsuna took advantage of her opponent's blindness to leap high, gathering ki into her broom to bring down on Asuna.

Finally, Sunset thought, leaning forward eagerly. Your Shinmeiryu techniques. Show me what I’ll be facing in my second match!

Asuna lowered her arms as Setsuna descended. Her eyes went wide. There was no time to dodge. She brought up her harisen. Power surged.

Asuna’s blade cut Setsuna’s broom in two.

Gasps and cries of shock echoed throughout the audience. Sunset’s jaw dropped. Where Asuna had once held a comically large paper fan, she now wielded a massive blade, black as night and as long as she was tall. The edge of the blade extended down past where it met the hilt, doubling as a hand-guard. The monstrosity must have weighed several hundred pounds, yet Asuna hefted it with apparent ease. Power coursed through the blade as naturally as it did through Asuna herself.

Setsuna leapt back, staring in shock between her ki-reinforced broom and Asuna’s sword. Asakura took a step forward, raising a hand. “W-WAIT ASUNA-SAN! BLADED WEAPONS ARE-”

“Wait!” Setsuna shouted. “Stay back, Asakura-san!”

Asuna rushed forward, an odd look in her eye. Her blade came swinging down, hundreds of pounds of bladed steel ready to crush Setsuna like an insect. Setsuna dodged to the side at the last possible moment, stepping forward inside Asuna’s reach. She grabbed Asuna’s right arm, hooked her leg around Asuna’s knee, and leapt. Setsuna spun Asuna twice through the air before slamming her down onto the stage.

“A-AH, A SPLENDID GRAPPLING MOVE FROM CONTESTANT SAKURAZAKI,” the color-commentator said, obviously in shock. “I’VE NEVER SEEN THAT PARTICULAR TECHNIQUE BEFORE, BUT IT WAS WONDERFULLY EXECUTED. VERY BRAVE OF HER TO STEP IN SO CLOSE AGAINST AN OPPONENT WITH A LETHAL WEAPON.”

“AND SPEAKING OF SUCH WEAPONS,” Kazumi added, “AS IF BY MAGIC, A GIANT SWORD HAS SUDDENLY FOUND ITS WAY INTO CONTESTANT KAGURAZAKA’S HANDS! I’M GETTING CONFIRMATION NOW FROM THE JUDGES THAT THE BLADE IS REAL! SO ALTHOUGH IT WAS AN INCREDIBLE DISPLAY OF TECHNIQUES, BLADED WEAPONS ARE FORBIDDEN IN THIS TOURNAMENT! THEREFORE, CONTESTANT SAKURAZAKI SETSUNA WINS!!!”

The audience’s reaction was mixed, many of them too confused by what had happened to cheer. Many people were shouting, wanting to know where Asuna’s other weapon had gone and how she’d gotten that sword.

Sunset’s mind was awhirl with other questions. Asuna’s movements at the end had been different, as had been her expression. It had only been for a few seconds, and she’d been too far away for Sunset to tell for sure, but…

Was that… bloodlust?

“...ha.” Evangeline captured Sunset’s attention as she collapsed to her knees, her face full of shocked relief. “Ha ha. I… I won.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Evangeline. Would a little embarrassment really have been that bad? It’s not like it really would have mattered once our match got started.”

Evangeline’s face turned red and she glared up at Sunset. “S-s-shut up!!! A stupid horse has no room to talk about what is and isn’t embarrassing! In any case,” she pulled herself to her feet and turned a triumphant grin on Sanders, “how’s that?! It doesn’t matter whether it was a bet on others or what, it was foolish of you to think you could win against me!”

Sanders chuckled. “Honestly, I’m perfectly satisfied just seeing you looking so panicked again after all this time.”

“Wh- YOU BASTARD!” Evangeline leapt up, grabbing Sanders by the neck and trying to strangle him. “THAT WAS YOUR PLAN FROM THE START, WASN’T IT?!”

“Of course!” he replied cheerily. “I would have given you the information even without the bet.”

“YOU SON OF A BITCH!!! ALL THIS JUST TO PLAY AROUND WITH ME AGAIN?!”

“Puting Evangeline’s humiliation aside for a moment,” Sunset interjected, “you did promise us information.”

Sanders hummed in staged contemplation, completely ignoring Evangeline’s ineffectual attempts to strangle him. “Well, Kitty and I have a lot of catching up to do, and we have a tournament to finish. Let’s leave that for after the festival.”

“...’Kitty?’”

“IF YOU EVER CALL ME THAT, I WILL RIP YOUR HEAD OFF!!!”

Sunset filed the nickname away for later and nodded to Sanders. “Fair enough. You gave me a few hints with your description of the technique, anyway. I look forward to facing you in the finals.”

“Ah yes, I did do that, didn’t I?” Sanders finally pulled Evangeline off of himself and set her on the ground. “I suppose I should give you a little taste as well, though I guess it would be fair to call it the conclusion.”

Evangeline glared up at him, but restrained herself from further assault. “Conclusion?”

“Indeed.” Sanders’ face suddenly turned serious. “About the Thousand Master. Nagi is alive.”

Evangeline’s face filled with shock. “Wh-what?”

“Nagi is alive, somewhere in this world. I guarantee it. But Evangeline, it’s possible that the day you hope for, when you finally meet him again, will never come.”

“...hmph.” Evangeline shrugged him off and turned away. “Another prediction that will never come true? That’s a bad habit.”

Sanders chuckled. “Is that so? Well, the rest can wait until after the festival. I believe you two have a match to get ready for. I’ll take my leave for now.” And with nary a spark of power, he vanished.

“Che. As irritating as ever.” Evangeline stalked off towards the medical tent. “I left our supplies over there. I’ll meet you on the stage.”

Sunset shrugged and made her way towards the walkway that led out to the stage, arriving just as Setsuna and Asuna returned. “That was quite the performance, Asuna. I had no idea you were able to use kanka.”

“Huh?” Asuna blinked in surprise at Sunset’s approach. “Oh. Yeah, that was strange. I had no idea I could do that.”

“No idea?” Sunset’s eyes narrowed. “Then how exactly did you pull it off?”

Asuna crossed her arms and closed her eyes, humming to herself as she frowned. “I really don’t know. I just sort of let my mind go blank like Colonel Sanders-san told me to. Everything else… it just felt natural, you know?”

No. I don’t. That’s the problem. Tch, interrogating her will be useless. Sunset shook her head. Well, whatever. I’ll be getting Sander’s information soon enough.

“THE REPAIRS ARE COMPLETED! AND WE THANK CONTESTANTS SAKURAZAKI AND KAGURAZAKA FOR NOT TEARING UP THE STAGE TOO BADLY THIS TIME! WILL CONTESTANT HIKARU AND CONTESTANT MACDOWELL PLEASE REPORT TO THE STAGE?”

“Guess that’s our cue.” Evangeline walked up, three large items in her arms. She handed two of them to Sunset, keeping the third for herself. “You sure this is how you want to handle this match?”

Sunset nodded as they started walking out towards the stage to confused applause. “It’s something I’ve been wanting to try for a while. Besides, I think the audience could use a break from high-intensity slug-fests. Let’s give them a more civilized contest.”

The audience and Kazumi seemed confused as Sunset and Evangeline set up their equipment: a small table and a couple of folding chairs. Sunset gestured Kazumi closer and took the microphone from her hand. “In thanks to - and consideration for - the hard-working repair crews who have been more than pulling their weight these last few matches, Evangeline and I have elected to conduct this test of skill and strength in a much more straightforward manner. A simple arm-wrestle will determine the winner of the eighth match. Rest assured, whoever wins will provide plenty of carnage and destruction in her next bout.” Ignoring the mixed reaction of amusement and disappointment from the audience, Sunset made her way back to the table and sat across from Evangeline. The set their elbows on the table and grasped hands, staring into each others' eyes.

“I GUESS IT’S MY JOB TO COUNT THEM DOWN.” Kazumi stepped around to the side of the table. “ON MY MARK!”

“You ready for this, horse meat?”

“GET SET!”

“Bring it on, blood-sucker.”

“MATCH EIGHT, BEGIN!”

Sunset surrendered herself, and fell into Evangeline’s eyes.

Arc 6.2 Chapter 52

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A familiar breeze flowed through Sunset’s hair, though in an unfamiliar way.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Evangeline floated before Sunset, radiating power. Surrounding them was an illusory replica of Evangeline’s vila, created in the vampire’s mind and shared now with Sunset. “Of course, hypnotism is standard fare for a vampire. This is merely an expansion on that technique.”

“It is impressive,” Sunset admitted, looking around. “That you’re able to hold this entire thing in your head like this. I can’t imagine you’ll lose concentration on it even as we fight.”

Evangeline shrugged, showing a rare bit of modesty. “That’s what comes from spending so much time in the real thing. I’ll bet you could do the same with somewhere in Equestria if you wanted to.” She raised an eyebrow and gestured at Sunset. “Speaking of which…”

Sunset looked herself over and chuckled. “What can I say? It’s not like I actually consider myself human.”

Sunset was a unicorn again. Her golden coat shimmered in the sunlight, her red and yellow hair more vibrant than it had ever been in her human form. Her cutie mark practically shone on her flanks.

“Going to be hard to box like that,” Evangeline muttered. “Interested as I am in seeing what your brand of magic can do, I was hoping we could go all-out against each other in here.”

Sunset shrugged. “It’s not like I know a ton of Earth magic, anyway. And if I’m not mistaken…” She opened up her welspring and let the energy flood her entire body. “Yup, I can still use ki in this body.” Huh. I wonder if this is what it’s like for earth ponies?

Evangeline shrugged in return. “If you’re sure. Not like we have time to debate the issue; we’ve only got fifteen minutes.” She gathered magic into her hands, her aura of power almost overwhelming. “Let’s see what you can do!”

Evangeline charged. Sunset’s horn flared with teal magic and she vanished in a flash of energy. Evangeline turned, expecting an attack from behind, but it had been a feint; Sunset had only teleported a foot backwards. She quickly gathered heat together around her horn and launched a ball of fire at Evangeline’s back.

Evangeline cried out - more from shock than from pain - and turned to glare at Sunset. “Dirty trick!”

“All’s fair!” Sunset shouted in reply. Her horn continued to glow as she used the pockets of cold air that had been previously drained of heat to form a half-dozen daggers of ice. She sent these flying at Evangeline as she leapt backwards, trying to gain some distance.

Evangeline swiped across the air with one hand, pure force shattering the icicles as she pursued Sunset across the top of her vila. “Trying to use ice against me?” Evangeline mocked, quickly catching up and lashing out with a kick that caught Sunset in the barrel.

“I’ll use anything at my disposal,” Sunset gasped, ignoring the pain in her ribs as she raced for the edge of the vila. She leapt, buying herself a minute as Evangeline recovered from her shock. Sunset wrapped herself in magic, thinking back to an obscure spell from long ago. It wasn’t the hardiest construct, but it would level the playing field a bit.

Evangeline reached the edge of the vila and looked down, only to be blinded by a massive flash of light. When her eyes recovered, they widened at the sight below her. “Wings?”

Sunset smirked up at Evangeline as she began rising back up to her level on a pair of shimmering, colorful butterfly wings. “That’s right, wings. Crafted from gossamer and morning dew. A bit vulnerable to heat - sunlight in particular - but that shouldn’t be a problem considering I’m facing an ice mage.”

Evangeline scoffed at the description but eyed the wings with interest. “You never mentioned this trick.”

“Trust me, Evangeline.” Sunset let more mana flow out of her wellspring to coat her body and flare around her hooves. “I have a lot more tricks where that came from.”

She charged Evangeline, flaring her wings to bring herself to a sudden halt right before the vampire’s face. She turned and lashed out with a few bucks, clicking her tongue in disappointment as Evangeline dodged or deflected every blow. “Aikido?”

Evangeline nodded, frowning as she failed to turn any deflection or counter into a grapple. “And jujitsu, as I said. But you’re proving to be annoyingly slippery.”

Sunset smirked, ducking one of Evangeline’s counters. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” Still, she was growing frustrated as well. Just like with her brief fight with Ku Fei, Sunset was having a hard time landing a single blow. Evangeline was able to read her every strike and, although Sunset’s pull-back was too fast for her to take advantage and effectively counter or grab, Sunset couldn’t find a way past her defenses.

Strategy B, then. Sunset’s horn flared, pulling in heat and conjuring a wall of ice between the two of them. She quickly wrapped the ice around Evangeline, trying to capture her. All the while, she redirected the surrounding heat in towards Evangeline.

“Not bad.” Evangeline flew backwards, slipping out of the sphere of ice before it could fully close. “An oven, right? Planning to ignite a fireball inside and let the ice trap me and intensify the heat?”

Sunet growled and hurled the ball of ice at Evangeline. She dodged to the side and it continued on to strike the side of the vila. It shattered, the super-heated air inside exploding outwards in a cloud of steam that could have roasted a man alive.

“O-ho,” Evangeline purred. “Quite the lethal technique you’re throwing around. Just what sort of things are they teaching you horses these days?”

“Teach nothing!” Sunset bragged, slinging a few more fireballs and icicles which Evangeline dodged or knocked aside with ease. “This style is a Sunset Shimmer special! My own inventions, based on a technique that no-one else has been able to master in hundreds of years! Call it my response to kanka!”

“I see!” Evangeline cackled in delight. “Rather than combining two opposing forces into one, you use the two simultaneously to ease the usage of both! You described it in theory, but it’s really something to see it utilized in practice!”

“By chance,” Sunset smirked, concentrating on the patches of cold and hot air she’d created, “do you remember what else I claimed I could do with this technique?”

Evangeline’s eyes went wide. She started looking around frantically. “Crap! You can’t be-”

Low and high pressure systems, the progenitors of thunderstorms. Lightning crackled to life around them, Sunset directing the bolts expertly around herself and towards Evangeline. The vampire shrieked in pain before she flared her own magic, brushing off the lightning as she shot towards Sunset. Sunset’s eyes widened, her lightning attack ceasing as she conjured a shield around herself.

Evangeline sank her clawed fingers into the shield, ripping it in two like it was wet tissue paper. “Shields have always been weak against piercing weapons!” she lectured, diving past the dissipating barrier and grabbing Sunset by the mane. She punched Sunset a few times before twisting around and throwing her into the side of the vila, cratering the wall. “That’s the advantage of skin-tight barriers. Even if your opponent manages to pierce it, it’s difficult for them to tear it apart completely in one blow.”

Sunset groaned as she pulled herself out of the wall. Her wings were battered and bent, but a quick spell restored them to their proper shape. More concerning was her back which screamed in protest at its abuse. Well, it’ll give me something to do with Earth magic.She reached into her pocket and pulled out a ring, slipping it onto her finger. She began pulling magic from her surroundings, channeling it through the ring to form magic- and anti-material barriers flush with her skin.

“O-ho,” Evangeline chuckled. “Making use of one of my gifts already?”

Sunset shrugged. “I would have summoned Onyx Erix, but I figured that would be cheating. And it’s not like I have any other way to apply Earth magic.”

Evangeline huffed and rolled her eyes. “Really? That ‘no incantations’ rule? We’re sticking with that?”

“Of course.” Sunset smirked. “Rules are rules, after all. It’s not my fault you’re too arrogant to learn unincanted spells.”

“I think you mean ‘too powerful to have to bother,’” Evagneline corrected. “And what about you? I’m not seeing any unincanted Earth magic on your end.”

“Equestrian teleports are faster,” Sunset explained. “And Equestrian spells have more versatility than Sagitta Magica. Trust me, I’ll be using plenty of both against Setsuna and Wildfire.”

“Hmph. Assuming you even make it past this match.” She raised an eyebrow. “Incidentally, how did you turn your forehooves into hands?”

“What? I didn’t…” Sunset trailed off before looking down at her right foreleg and the ring-bearing hand that was now attached to the end of it. “Wh-what the-”

“Oho, did it subconsciously, did you?” Evangeline chuckled. “This is all in our heads, after all. My head, specifically. Nothing says you can’t alter your form as you need.”

That’s right, Sunset thought. This is basically a shared dream, after all. And in dreams… Sunset closed her eyes and pictured her human self and her pony self side-by-side in her mind. The human’s bipedal form and hands. Equine hooves for more solid footing. Unicorn horn, of course. And let’s throw in equestrian coat and tail and human curves for vanity’s sake. She smiled at the anthropomorphic form she’d imagined. Yes, she thought, even as she felt her body start to change. That will do nicely.

She opened her eyes and examined her new body before smirking at Evangeline. “Should have gone with this from the beginning.” Her horn flared, pulling heat and cold apart to summon twin blades to her hands: one of ice and the other of flames. “Shall we continue?”

Evangeline concentrated her power down to her arms, forming two blades of pure mana. She charged, her blades striking against Sunset’s. They exchanged a few blows before Sunset teleported again, appearing behind Evangeline and striking down with her fire sword, only for the vampire to turn and block at the last moment. “Tch. Lucky guess.”

“And your sword is a neat trick.” Evangeline flung Sunset away from herself and set off in pursuit. “Looks like it’s made of fire, but it’s blocking solid strikes pretty well.”

Sunset set her blades into a whirling frenzy, gritting her teeth at the difficulty of keeping Evangeline off of her; even when she summoned two more swords to wield in her telekinesis, she was still forced onto the defensive against Evangeline. I might brag to the others about my vast experience, but I keep forgetting that this blood-sucker has been around for a half-dozen centuries. “It’s a conjuration, not an evocation” she explained, trying to sound nonchalant as her mind raced for a new strategy. “Same with the ice blade. But the pockets of hot and cold air still help ease the summoning.”

“Oh? Interesting.” Evangeline grinned. “Looks like I need to throw out pretty much everything I know about magical theory while fighting you, because what you’re saying makes no sense!”She laughed and swung both swords down. The heavy blow blasted Sunset down towards the water, the unicorn barely managing to recover from her impromptu dive. “Well, not like you can use any of this outside of this mindscape. But I was honestly hoping for a little more.”

Sunset dismissed her blades - her meager sword skills were no math for Evangeline’s, apparently - and glared upwards. “More? Are you kidding? Even if you aren’t Equestrian, you should understand how difficult it is to work ice and fire together like I’ve been doing.”

“It is impressive,” Evangeline admitted, slowly descending towards Sunset. “But only on a technical level. None of your spells so far have used much in the way of raw power except for that wing spell. With how ridiculously huge your ‘wellspring’ is, I was expecting something… well, more.”

Sunset grit her teeth. “More you say?” Guess it’s time to pull that out after all. “You might regret asking for that. I’ll warn you now, I wouldn’t dare pull this technique on you outside of this mindscape.” A slight smirk tugged at her lips. “I only use it when I’m going for the kill; it’s too volatile for anything else.”

“Is that so?” Evangeline dismissed her blades and stopped a few meters above Sunset, spreading her arms wide. “Then why don’t I pull a page out of Takamichi’s book? Let’s see this oh-so-terrifying technique of yours. I won’t even dodge.”

Sunset’s smirk became more sure. “I’ll hold you to that.” She took a deep breath and began pouring magic into her horn, the energy quickly building and forming a thick aura of teal energy around it. It’s been a while since I even thought about this spell, Sunset thought, shaping her magic into two distinct forms. Pure mana on one side, anima on the other. The magic on one side of Sunset’s horn began to turn white while the other darkened to black. Spin them together, and don’t let them touch. The two colors of magic began to twist into a helix around each other, separated from each other by less than a millimeter. The space in-between the two powers began to distort and warp, as if reality itself were desperately trying to escape from between them.

Evangeline watched the power build and swallowed nervously. “No,” she muttered. “That can’t be… and even if it is, there’s no way she’d be crazy enough to-”

Fire. Two beams of energy - one white and one black - shot from her horn, twisting around each other in an increasingly unsteady beam of dreadful energy. Evangeline yelped and dove to the side at the last second, turning to watch as the beam of convulsing energy shot past her to strike the side of the vila.

Magic met anti-magic where the twin beams struck. A massive explosion of pure energy tore through the stone tower like it was made of soap bubbles. Sunset kept up the flow of power, the Annihilation Beam boring its way through the tower in two seconds before exploding out the other side. Sunset finally relented, panting slightly as the last of the magic flowed from her horn. The tower was left with a massive hole through its center. The remaining stone to either side quickly collapsed, the top half of the vila slowly tilting away from Sunset and Evangeline before falling to the ocean below.

Neither Sunset nor Evangeline watched as the tons of stone sent violent waves out in every direction. Evangeline’s eyes were glued to the remains of the tower; Sunset’s were fixed triumphantly on Evangeline. “I thought you said you wouldn’t dodge,” she mocked. “Though I guess I can't really blame you.”

Evangeline slowly turned back to Sunset, and the unicorn was amazed to discover a hint of genuine fear in her eyes. “Anti-magic?” she muttered. “You… you know how to wield anti-magic?” Her face flushed with wrathful indignation. “And you have the complete idiocy to combine it with pure magic RIGHT NEXT TO YOUR FREAKING SKULL?!”

“I keep it a few micrometers apart,” Sunset replied airily, unconcerned. “You know, at first. Kind of hard to keep them separated once they get too far from-”

“WHAT KIND OF SLIME-BRAINED MORON TRIES TO USE ANTI-MAGIC AS A PRACTICAL WEAPON?!?!” Evangeline shot down and grabbed Sunset by the neck, trying to strangle her through her barrier. “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW DANGEROUS THAT IS?!?!”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Considering my warnings to you beforehand and the ruin that’s all that’s left of your vila, yeah, I have a pretty good notion.” She grabbed Evangeline’s wrists and pulled her off of her neck. “Did you think that the Student of the Sun wouldn’t have at least one calamity-level spell up her sleeves? Honestly, it’s a lot safer than using just anti-magic by itself; at least this way I make sure there’s no anti-magic lingering around afterwards. It’s not like I’m summoning antimatter or anything.”

Evangeline yanked her arms out of Sunset’s grip and quickly backed away. “You… you can’t actually summon antimatter, can you?”

Sunset shrugged. “I mean, I know the theory. It wouldn’t be too hard. The more difficult part would be creating a perfect vacuum to summon it into to keep it from destroying everything in a mile radius. Honestly, anti-magic is much less volatile.”

Evangeline stared at Sunset for a long minute before throwing her hands up in the air. “ARGH! You’re insane! You’re completely insane! Damn it! If I knew you’d be pulling crazy stuff like this, I never would have agreed to this match! I didn’t know I’d be facing city-destroying suicide attacks!”

“I have more control of my magic than that!” Sunset protested. “I’ll have you know that I’ve used this spell in heated combat situations against warlocks many times and I’ve never seen a single friendly casualty from it! You should know from that memory I showed Wildfire just how much I value perfect control!”

Evangeline began pacing back and forth in the air, muttering to herself and glaring occasionally at Sunset. “But that’s… you can’t… anti-magic… if you… I…” At last, she sighed. “You know what, I give up.” She shook her head and gave Sunset an appraising look. “I think I need to reevaluate what you horses are capable of. Konoemon never mentioned anything like this.”

“To be fair to the principal,” Sunset said, “he almost certainly didn’t know about it. Information on anima spells is heavily restricted. Only my status as Student of the Sun allowed me to gain access to it. And even with that, I’m uniquely positioned to make use of those spells.” She turned sideways and gestured at her cutie mark.

“This isn’t just about fire spells,” she explained. “Or even my fire-ice combination style. My special talent is utilizing traditionally opposing forces together. Fire and ice. Light and shadow. Mana and anima. Heck, I’ve even done some research into combining aspects of necromancy with curative magic, though I wasn’t able to glean any results from those studies before I left Equestria.”

Evangeline frowned in confusion. “If that’s the case, then why isn’t kanka coming naturally to you?”

Sunset shook her head. “Because that’s not about using magic and ki simultaneously. Kanka combines magic and ki into something entirely different. The rest of my magic-ki compatibility training has been such a breeze that I think Takamichi is already almost out of things to teach me. I can use them together almost flawlessly, even if my magic circuits can’t quite keep up with the strain of switching between them yet. But combining them…” She shook her head. “That’s been going about as well for me as combining mana and anima.” She gestured at the ruined tower. “And you see what happens when those two touch.”

Evangeline took another look at the tower and nodded. “I see. You can use them in concert with ease, but blending them is beyond your talent.” She sighed again. “I’ve underestimated your Equestrian magic. Thinking realistically, I was a fool to think that I had any idea what I was up against.”

“Well, you’ve seen my most powerful trick now,” Sunset said, bringing up her fists. “And now that you’ve seen it, I doubt you’ll be caught off guard by it. What do you say? You ready to continue?”

Evangeline considered Sunset for a moment before shaking her head. “No, we’re done for now.” Seeing Sunset’s surprise, she shrugged. “I dodged. Even if this place isn’t real, I couldn’t help but flinch. Even though I could still beat you into the ground with ease, I’ve already lost where it counts.”

Sunset rolled her eyes at Evangeline’s claim, but nodded. “Well, I appreciate that.”

“Besides, I know you’ve been using all this time we’ve been talking to stall while you prepared a few dozen additional strategies and tricks to catch me off guard again and again. I’d rather not have to suffer through such an annoying fight.”

“...you aren’t wrong.”

*****

As soon as Sunset’s awareness returned, she slammed Evangeline’s hand into the table.

“AND WE HAVE A WINNER! ABOUT TIME TOO! THE CLOCK WAS ABOUT TO RUN OUT ON THE TWO OF YOU! CONTESTANT HIKARU WILL BE MOVING ON TO ROUND TWO! HEY, NICHI-CHAN! LET’S HOPE YOUR NEXT MATCH IS A LITTLE MORE INTERESTING, NE?”

Sunset and Evangeline ignored Kazumi’s commentary as they packed up the table and chairs and made their way back to the contestants’ area. They received no shortage of strange looks from their fellow contestants, but there was no time to question them before Kazumi called for the next match, eager to get back to the action.

“NOW WITHOUT ANY DELAY, LET’S BEGIN THE FIRST MATCH OF ROUND TWO! ON ONE SIDE, CONTESTANT INUGAMI, THE BOY WITH THE POWERFUL UPPERCUT WHO BLEW AWAY HIS OPPONENT IN A SINGLE STRIKE! ON THE OTHER, THE ENIGMATIC COLONEL SANDERS WHOSE ABRUPT REVERSAL ENDED HIS MATCH IN A SECOND! WE HAVEN’T HAD A CHANCE TO SEE MUCH OF EITHER OF THESE FIGHTERS, SO LET’S SEE WHAT THEY’VE GOT!”

“Nichi-chan.” Sunset hummed and looked over to Setsuna. “That wasn’t just a normal arm wrestle, right? What happened?”

“Ah, that.” Sunset shrugged and turned her attention back to the match. “Nothing much. Evangeline created a shared mindscape where we were able to fight all-out. I was even able to use my…” she shot a look to those few who didn’t know her background, “...original techniques to full effect. Evangeline admitted defeat and allowed me to take the match.”

“Original techniques?” Asuna asked. “Wait, you mean your unicorn magic?”

Sunset facepalmed and did her best to ignore the questioning looks of the other contestants. “Anyway,” she growled, lowering her hand, “you’d better turn your attention to the stage, or you’ll miss the whole fight.”

Setsuna raised an eyebrow. “You really think it’s going to be over that quickly?”

“Two minutes. Tops.”

“MATCH NINE, BEGIN!”

“I don’t think-”

Kotarou vanished. Instant movement. Sanders struck with a backhand. Kotarou reached him just in time to receive the strike and went flying off to the side.

The audience was finally getting used to the superhuman speed of these matches and was already cheering. “INCREDIBLE!” Kazumi announced. “THAT FAST-MOVE TECHNIQUE WE’VE BEEN SEEING ALL DAY, AND CONTESTANT SANDERS SEES THROUGH IT JUST LIKE THAT!”

Asuna stared in shock. “How did he-”

“He anticipated Kotarou’s strike,” Sunset said. “The problem with instant movement is that it’s pretty straightforward and easy to predict. If your opponent isn’t a mage, it’s easy to guess that that will be their first move to get in close. And Kotarou is a rather straightforward fighter to begin with, especially where first strikes are concerned. He tends to use direct confrontation to gauge his opponent before breaking out his more fancy techniques.” She shrugged off Asuna’s surprised stare. “I’ve been sparring with him off and on since that demon incident. He’s a superb fighter, if a bit rash and reckless. That recklessness can be an asset against an opponent who can be intimidated. Unfortunately…”

Kaede nodded. “This ‘Colonel Sanders’ is not one to be easily flustered, and his abilities are far beyond Kotarou’s besides de gozaru.”

Sunset nodded. “Kotarou can’t rely on intimidation against him. That leaves speed as his primary weapon. But as you can see…”

Kotarou rushed forward, six copies of him springing into existence as he closed on Sanders. The clones attacked from every angle, coordinating to keep him pinned and distracted while others dove in for the kill. An opening appeared, and one of them - the real Kotarou - dove in for the strike.

Kotarou’s fist plowed through Sanders’ after-image as the hooded man appeared at Kotarou’s side. His fist came up. Impacted Kotarou’s stomach. The boy spit bile. Sander’s other arm rose, and a palm-strike sent Kotarou flying off the stage, across the water, and into the stands.

“AGAINST THE RUMORED SPLIT-BODY TECHNIQUE, CONTESTANT SANDERS HIT WITH A FLASH OF HIS PALM! AND ANOTHER PERSON HAS BEEN BLOWN AWAY WITH RIDICULOUS FORCE!”

“Sanders has got reflexes to match,” Sunset continued. “No, it would be fair to say that his speed is far beyond Kotarou’s. Beyond any of ours. Honestly, this whole tournament is probably going to be a cake-walk for him. Makes me wonder what he’s actually after.”

Kotarou was undeterred. With a flash of shadow, he summoned a pack of spectral hounds which dove for Sanders. The hooded man dispatched them with ease, but they gave Kotarou the time he needed to leap back to the stage, power concentrating in his hands. He ducked beneath Sanders’ arm, delivering a double palm-strike to his chest.

Sanders didn’t even flinch. With a single downward strike, Kotarou was sent crashing to the ground at his feet.

Sunset sighed. “I feel bad for the kid,” she admitted. “But there was never any way for him to win this. He should… hello?”

Kotarou was moving, turning onto his stomach and pushing himself to his hands and knees. His hands started to grow larger. His hair longer. He arched his back as power began to radiate from him. His beast form, Sunset realized. Is he really going to pull that here? I guess all discretion is going right out the-

A crater appeared around Kotarou, flattening him to the stage. The power faded as he fell unconscious. Sanders retracted his hand.

Kotarou had lost.

Arc 6.2 Chapter 53

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Sunset followed Kaede into the infirmary as repairs were once again begun on the stage. Kotarou lay unconscious on one of the beds, his wounds being tended to by the doctor while Chizuru sat nearby. “How is he, Doc?” Sunset asked.

The doctor looked up briefly before returning his attention to Kotarou. “Nothing’s broken,” he said. “But he has heavy bruising all over his torso, and his muscles are overstrained. He’ll need to rest for a day and take it easy for a few more before he can do anything strenuous.

So with his mana-enhanced regeneration, he’ll be back on his feet any minute now, Sunset interpreted. The doctor finished wrapping the bandages around his chest before standing. “I’ve done all that needs doing. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be watching the next match.” At Sunset’s curious look, he shrugged. “It helps me to know what sorts of injuries to expect from my next patients.” With that, he left the infirmary.

Sunset sighed and sat down at Kotarou’s side, opposite Chizuru. “This is going to be hard on him.”

Kaede nodded. “It’s one thing to know in your head that Colonel Sanders-san is head and shoulders above us, but it is quite another to accept it in your heart de gozaru. And Kotarou-kun…”

Right as she spoke his name, the dog-eared boy began to stir. His eyes slowly fluttered open. “U… huh?”

Chizuru smiled at him, reaching down, perhaps to stroke his head. “Are you awake, Kotarou-kun?”

Kotarou’s eyes went wide and he sat up with a start. “T-THE MATCH!!!” His eyes darted from Sunset to Kaede. “D-did I… did I lose? I… I…” His face fell at Kaede’s affirming expression. He looked down, trembling.

“You did well, Kotarou-kun,” Chizuru said, supporting his back with one hand while she patted his leg with the other. “I didn’t expect you to be that good; I was really shocked. Come on, lie down for now and get some rest-”

Kotarou slapped her hand away, his gaze briefly meeting hers before he leapt out of bed, grabbed his shirt and darted for the door.

“Ah! Kotarou-ku-”

“INUGAMI!!!”

Kotarou froze in the doorway at Sunset’s shout. She stood, glaring at his back.

“Your opponent was beyond you. Beyond anyone here. Temper your grief and focus your mind; there are many battles still to come.”

Kotarou stood for a moment more before darting out of the infirmary and out of sight.

Sunset sighed and turned to Kaede. “Will you…”

She nodded and turned to Chizuru. “Chizuru-dono, leave this to me.”

“B-but is he okay?” Chizuru fretted. “That child, he’s injured!”

“No problem de gozaru.” Kaede gave a reassuring smile. “When we come back, please attend to him as usual.” With that, she too departed.

“It’s hard for non-wariors to understand,” Sunset said, shaking her head. “The frustration of losing while your rival seems to thrive. It’s an unfair comparison - Sanders was much more ruthless than Takamichi - but emotions are rarely swayed by logic. It’s no wonder he’s devastated.” She placed a hand on Chizuru’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. Kaede will set that boy straight. He’ll come to his senses when he sees Sanders crush her too.”

Chizuru glanced at Sunset before looking back out the way Kotarou had left with a sigh. “If you say so.”

Sunset nodded and removed her hand before making her way back to the contestants’ seating.

*****

“...okay, what the hell did I miss?”

Takane D Goodman ran crying off the stage, wrapped in Negi’s cloak and wearing nothing else. The crowds were going wild as Kazumi commentated on the last few moments of the match. Most of the remaining contestants were blushing and Negi looked absolutely mortified.

“Er, well...” Setsuna struggled to explain. “Basically, Goodman-san’s clothes - which acted as armor - were crafted out of her magic. Her technique involves the creation and manipulation of shadow dolls, which she performed with no thought for subtlety. Negi-sensei dispelled her magic doll but, in the process…”

Sunset chuckled and shook her head. “Right. I get it. I’d be more sympathetic if that weren’t so funny.” She grinned at Negi as he all but slinked off the stage. “Geeze, Wildfire. I had no idea you employed advanced psychological warfare in your fights. Well done.”

A blush consumed Negi’s face. “Th-th-that’s not it at all, Nichibotsu! I-I didn’t mean to- I didn’t know it would-”

Sunset laughed and ruffled his hair. “Wildfire, you have got to learn how to tell when someone’s messing with you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a certain swordswoman to crush beneath my heel.”

Setsuna glared at Sunset as Kazumi called them to the stage. “Your confidence borders on cockiness, Nichibotsu.”

“Borders?” Sunset gasped with fake indignation as they made their way across the river. “I’m insulted! I’m as legitimately cocky as they come!”

“Indeed.” Setsuna rolled her eyes. “What say you to a wager, then? Loser of this match faces a penalty?”

“Oh?” Sunset asked, intrigued. “Sounds interesting. Are you going to try to force me into a swimsuit like what happened with you and Mana? Or will we make things a little dangerous?”

“Dangerous how?”

“Loser has to do any one thing the winner commands.” As Setsuna’s suspicious glare, Sunset clarified, “within reason, of course.”

Setsuna considered the proposition while Kazumi announced their match. Eventually, she nodded. “Very well. If I win, you will become the Kendo Club’s dog for a month. Laundry. Cleaning masks. Equipment maintenance and repairs. Cleaning the dojo. The works.”

Sunset let out a low whistle. “High stakes. Fine, but when I win,” She grinned evilly, slipping a ring onto her finger, “you have to take Konoka out on a date by the end of the month.”

Setsuna’s face flushed. “W-w-w-what?!”

“And I’m not talking about a basic hang-out,” Sunset clarified. “I’m talking a proper lovey-dovey date. You formally ask her out. You do romantic couple things. And you give her a kiss by the end. On the lips. Tongue preferred, but unnecessary.”

Setsuna’s face was doing a remarkable impression of a tomato by this point and she leveled her repaired push-broom at Sunset with deadly intent. “Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-YOU CAN’T JUST MAKE ME-”

“MATCH TWELVE, FIGHT!!!”

Ianuae Magicae! Sunset vanished and appeared directly behind Setsuna, grabbing her upper arms.

“Wha-” Setsuna began to turn her head.

“Too slow!” Sunset poured ki into her forehead before slamming it into Setsuna’s skull. She released her grip on Setsuna’s right arm, grabbing her left in both hands before swinging her around once. Twice. Three times. She released her grip, sending Setsuna tumbling across the stage, skipping across the water, and slamming into the stands.

“INCREDIBLE!” Kazumi leapt into her commentary with a gusto. “ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE AMAZING ‘INSTANT MOVEMENTS’ WE’VE BEEN SEEING ALL DAY! IT SEEMS THAT CONTESTANT HIKARU HAS TAKEN THE UPPER HAND RIGHT OFF THE BAT WITH A POWERFUL HEADBUT FOLLOWED BY A SUPERB THROW! NICHIBOTSU, WHAT’S WITH THOSE MOVES? AREN’T YOU SUPPOSED TO BE A MEMBER OF THE BOXING CLUB?”

“I’ve been branching out!” Sunset shouted back, taking a small bow as the audience laughed and applauded.

An applause that was interrupted as Setsuna made a sudden appearance back onstage, fire in her eyes and her broom sweeping Sunset’s legs out from under her. Sunset muttered a quick curse as she caught herself on her hands, preparing to spring back up.

She was unprepared for Setsuna’s broom to come crashing down on her splayed hands.

“OH! THAT ONE LOOKED LIKE IT HURT!” Kazumi narrated as Sunset collapsed, rolling quickly away from Setsuna and shouting curses all the while as she cradled her bruised hands. “A LOW BLOW FROM CONTESTANT SAKURAZAKI, BUT AN EFFECTIVE ONE! CAN CONTESTANT HIKARU BOX WITH TWO BROKEN HANDS?”

“They aren’t broken yet, you freaking narrator!” Sunset managed to leap to her feet as she glared at Setsuna. “What the hell was that?! I mean, I’m perfectly willing to go for the low blow, but I thought you were- YIPE!”

Sunset ducked as Setsuna’s next blow came dangerously close to taking her head off. Setsuna pressed the attack, her face red as she aimed for every vulnerable, fleshy spot she could find. Sunset finally managed to start actually blocking the incoming blows, but they kept coming too quickly for her to counterattack.

What the hell is this? Sunset thought as she parried blow after blow. She’s not fighting like herself. Is she that embarrassed by what I said? I didn’t think… wait. Sunset studied Setsuna’s face as best she could through the barrage of blows. It wasn’t just red, it was twisted into a snarl. There was a hint of desperation behind the fire in her eyes. A hint of tears threatening to leak out.

Sunset fired off another teleport spell, sending herself as far from Setsuna as she could get while still being inside the arena. “Setsuna?” she asked. “Are you… really that angry?”

Setsuna turned to face Sunset, breathing heavily, her arms trembling even as her fists tightened on her broom. “I…” A couple of tears broke free. “I…” Setsuna took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. “It… it would appear so. But… I don’t quite understand why.”

Sunset eyed the girl on the other side of the stage as they slowly began circling each other, decreasing the distance between them by inches at a time. Sunset’s mind was awhirl with questions and theories, each one discarded in rapid succession. Based on the timing alone, Setsuna’s anger had to have something to do with the penalty Sunset had proposed. “How…” Sunset risked a brief glance at Kazumi before lowering her voice. “How are things going between you and Konoka, anyway?”

Setsuna’s face turned - if possible - even redder, though her face relaxed a fair amount. “N-Nichibotsu, is this really the time?”

“Probably not,” Sunset admitted, “but I think we need to talk about it before you actually manage to impale me on that thing.”

Setsuna eyed her broom for a second, hesitating a moment longer before nodding. “Things have been going well.” The red in her face was now fully from embarrassment as most of the fire left her eyes. “R-really well, actually. I… I’ve actually been thinking about, well…” Her voice got so quiet that Sunset had to strain to hear it. “...asking her out on a date, maybe.”

Sunset, mindful of their audience, fought to keep the teasing glee off of her face. She kept her thoughts analytical as she and Setsuna circled closer to each other. “So, you were making plans to ask her out. And then I proposed that you do so if you lost… did you just want it to be on your terms?” Seeing Setsuna’s confusion, she tried again. “Let’s see if this phrasing does anything: ‘stop forcing my relationship to progress at your pace’.”

From the way Setsuna’s hands tightened on her broom again and the flare in her eyes, Sunset knew she’d hit the nail on the head. So, it seemed, did Setsuna. She once again forced herself to relax. “That’s probably it.”

“How about this, then?” Sunset shook her head. “Forget that stupid penalty. I went too far. I’ll just make you do the same for my club that you proposed I do for yours. Cleaning. Maintenance. The works.” She smirked. “One caveat: you have to wear an extremely skimpy maid outfit while you’re doing so.”

Setsuna’s blush was as intense as it had ever been, but both her face and body significantly relaxed. She even managed to return the smirk. “Very well. But in that case, I’m adding a bunny outfit to your penalty.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “That’s not nearly as bad a punishment for me.”

“For the whole month. Even outside of serving your penalty. Anytime you aren’t bathing or sleeping.”

Sunset couldn’t keep her cheeks from coloring a little at the thought. “...touche.”

Setsuna nodded, taking a proper stance for the first time since the match had begun. “And en garde.”

Both warriors vanished, appearing at different parts of the stage. Sunset tisked in annoyance and fired up another teleport while Setsuna did the same with her instant movement, each trying to guess where the other would end up. A series of misses saw the two of them zipping all over the stage before they suddenly found themselves face to face near the edge. Surprise bowed before reflex and fist met broom in an explosion of ki before Sunset and Setsuna had fully registered each others’ presences.

They recovered quickly, striking out at each other as they had so often done during practice. Setsuna’s strikes were slower than before, but far more controlled. Sunset found each blow more difficult to repel, and - though she was able to counter where she couldn’t before - her own strikes were being parried as well. A few glancing blows got through. A knee to Setsuna’s leg. A lunge that grazed Sunset’s cheek. But though their strikes continued to increase in speed, precision, and cleverness, neither was able to gain the upper hand.

“AMAZING! THIS IS MORE LIKE WHAT YOU’D EXPECT FROM A MARTIAL ARTS TOURNAMENT! CONTESTANT SAKURAZAKI’S SWORD AND CONTESTANT HIKARU’S FISTS ARE PRACTICALLY A BLUR AS THEY STRIKE AT EACH OTHER FROM CLOSE-QUARTERS! FIVE MINUTES IN, AND IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE EITHER SIDE IS LETTING UP!”

This is going nowhere, Sunset thought as she blocked a strike aimed for her head and countered with a jab that Setsuna dodged. At this rate we’ll just tire ourselves out while we run out the clock. She met Setsuna’s eyes and saw her frustrations mirrored. At an unspoken signal, they both leapt back, putting some distance between them.

This was not, however, a pause in the fighting.

Setsuna swept her broom lengthwise, unleashing a blade of condensed ki that streaked towards Sunset. Sunset grinned, closing off the flow of ki to her right hand. Instead, she drew mana in through her ring, coating her right arm in magic. Her punch split the blade of ki in two with astonishing ease, leaving Setsuna staring in shock.

Sunset replied by gathering ki into her left hand. She saw Setsuna’s eyes go wide at what looked like the beginnings of the kanka technique. She rushed in, determined to interrupt Sunset before she had the chance to activate it.

Sunset allowed the ki in her left fist to grow and eclipse the magic in her right. Setsuna realized her mistake too late, barely bringing up her broom to block before Sunset’s fist connected, the blow sending Setsuna once again flying off the stage and into the river.

Gotta thank Takamichi and Asuna later, Sunset thought as she began pouring even more ki into her left arm. That bluff only worked because Setsuna’s already seen two people use kanka during this tournament.

Setsuna burst out of the water, running across the river towards the stage while Kazumi counted her down. Sunset rushed towards the edge herself, slashing her arm horizontally in a sloppy imitation of Setsuna’s earlier technique. It served its purpose, as Setsuna had to change direction to avoid it, running around the wave of ki and trying to curve back towards the stage.

Sunset kept up the assault, sending wave after wave of ki between Setsuna and the stage, holding her off as the count slowly worked up to ten. But Setsuna was wising up to Sunset’s strategy, and at Sunset’s next blow, she leapt fully over the wave and started rushing straight for the stage.

“Oh no you don’t!” Sunset rushed for the edge herself. She didn’t know how Takamichi, Kotarou, and Setsuna were able to walk on water, but she didn’t need to. She just needed to keep Setsuna off the stage for five more seconds.

As soon as she reached the edge, she poured a ridiculous amount of ki into her legs. She shot forward, a full tenth of the stage shattering behind her. Setsuna’s eyes barely had time to go wide before Sunset slammed into her, blowing them both back towards the river. Sunset took a deep breath.

Splashdown! Sunset and Setsuna sank beneath the water, the former holding tight to the latter as she started to kick, sending them further downwards. Setsuna immediately realized what Sunset was doing and began to struggle, trying to pry Sunset’s arms off of her. Sunset tightened her grip, letting magic go out of her right hand and flaring her ki, causing the water around her arms to steam a little. Setsuna found it impossible to break Sunset’s grip and started striking Sunset’s head directly. Unfortunately for the swordswoman, her fighting style relied on technique and speed more than raw strength, and the water swallowed up most of the strength she had to give.

By the time she realized that she was well and truly trapped, it was too late. Kazumi’s distant, muffled cry of Sunset’s victory prompted her to release her opponent. Both warriors swam for the stage, breaking the surface and climbing up with plenty of air still in their lungs.

“That was a dirty trick,” Setsuna grumbled as she started to wring out her clothes.

“All’s fair,” Sunset countered cockily, letting her wet clothes cling to her and appreciating the stares that she drew. “Besides, I’m full of dirty tricks. It’s not my fault if you’re too noble to stoop to my level.”

Setsuna sighed but conceded the point. She looked over with a small smile. “I suppose that’s your victory, then.” She held out her hand. “Congratulations, Hikaru Nichibotsu. You win.”

*****

“Congratulations, Nichi-chan!”

“Setchan! Are you okay?!”

After their little swim together, the tournament doctor had insisted on giving both Setsuna and Sunset a once-over despite their protests. No sooner had he proclaimed them both healthy than their classmates descended upon them. Nodoka and Yue had begun congratulating Sunset with Haruna standing right behind them, visibly restraining herself from nagging Sunset about magic. Konoka, meanwhile, had ignored Sunset completely in favor of fussing over Setsuna. Setsuna was doing a poor job of fending her off, though it seemed to Sunset that she wasn’t trying too hard. Asuna and Negi had joined them shortly after while repairs were made to the stage once again.

“That fight was amazing, Nichi-chan!” Nodoka gushed. “I had no idea you could do no-incantation spells, too!”

“I was surprised to see them in Negi-sensei’s match too,” Yue noted. “You said that was a pretty high-level technique.”

“It is,” Sunset groaned. “I spent most of my time in the vila this morning getting it down. I only managed to pull off Iunae Magicae and Sagita Magica with any reliability, though. I’m guessing Wildfire doesn’t have more than three or four spells he can silent-cast.” She turned her gaze to Negi, who nodded. “Of course, I also had to get used to this thing.” She held up her hand, showing off the ring she’d born during her fight with Setsuna.

It was a simple silver band, apparently unadorned. But when Sunset removed it, everyone could see etchings and engravings all along the inside. “A gift from Evangeline,” Sunset explained, “since it would look weird if I started waving a wand around during a martial arts tournament.” She snorted. “Not that there hasn’t already been a lot of shenaniganry today.”

“That’s right!” Negi suddenly ran up to Sunset’s side, face full of concern. “Nichibotsu! We forgot to tell you before your match started, but there’s big trouble! Pictures and videos of our matches are turning up on the internet!”

Sunset’s eyes went wide. “Seriously?” She looked off in the direction of the arena for a second. “So that’s what Takamichi meant.” She shook her head and looked back down at Negi. “And? How are people reacting?”

“Um, well,” Negi fidgeted nervously. “I didn’t really get everything that Chisame-san was saying, but it sounds like someone is purposefully trying to spread the word about magic. There are a lot of people saying that it’s just CG, and it looks like some of the magic teachers are trying to help that side control the conversation or something, but I really couldn’t follow the details.”

Sunset hummed to herself, rubbing her chin in thought. Chisame, huh? Well, if anyone would have a firm grip on what’s going on online, it would be the class shut-in. I’ll have to follow up there, see if she’s realized the truth about magic. Still, this is getting interesting. I knew this tournament couldn’t be entirely innocent with Chao behind it, but I didn’t think she’d be ready with a coordinated misinformation - or rather, information - internet campaign. Didn’t she only find out about magic recently?

“So what you’re saying is,” Sunset said at length, “we should try to keep our more flashy extraordinary abilities on the down-low?” She shook her head. “Sorry to break it to you, Wildfire, but I’m afraid it might be too late for that. Powerful blows and superhuman reflexes are one thing, and you could even explain away ‘long-hits’ and other ki attacks, but we’ve been instant-moving and teleporting all over the stage since the beginning, not to mention how we’ve been throwing each other across the water. There’s no way you can explain all that away as CGI.”

“You’d be surprised,” Yue commented. “Humans have an amazing ability to ignore or reject anything that doesn’t comply with how they think the world works. Even I was tempted to dismiss your and Nodoka’s conversation that one night as nothing but a dream so I wouldn’t have to accept the existence of magic.”

“That’s right!” Haruna chimed in. “In fact, just around Mahora, there are tons of things that don’t make sense without magic! Just look at Library Island! We’ve been spelunking around in there for years, but isn’t it really strange that a school library would be filled with rare and ancient books? And what’s with all the booby traps? Even the most famous libraries in the world don’t have those sorts of things! Now that I think about it, it’s really strange!”

Sunset facepalmed. “...you’re seriously only realizing this now? I come from a world that all of you would consider to be full of fantasy and wonder, and even I realized something was strange when I first saw Library Island. And in case you haven’t figured it out yet, Library Island was the first thing I saw in this world!”

“Actually, I wanted to ask you about tha-”

“Oh! Would you look at the time!” Sunset turned heel and started walking briskly towards the exit of the infirmary. “We’d better get going before Kaede and Sanders’ match starts!”

“Nichi-chan! Wai- Negi-sensei! Asuna-san! Setsuna-san! You two aren’t even in the tournament anymore! Guys!!!”

*****

“NOW THEN, THIS TOURNAMENT HAS PLAYED OUT WITH WHITE-HOT MATCHES SURPASSING COMMON SENSE! WE ARE FINALLY HEADING INTO THE SEMIFINALS!!! FOR OUR FIRST SEMIFINAL MATCH, WE HAVE CONTESTANT COLONEL SANDERS VERSUS CONTESTANT NAGASE KAEDE!!!”

The audience went wild as Kaede and Sanders strode confidently onto the stage. Sunset watched with mild interest, content to be a mere spectator for this match. She already knew that Sanders was out of everyone else’s league; the outcome of this match was clear before it even began. Which meant that she wouldn’t have to face any of Kaede’s techniques and she wouldn’t win against Sanders’ even if she did study them. Until her match with Negi began, she was going to just sit back and enjoy the show.

“CONTESTANT KAEDE HAS RISEN UP ALL THE WAY TO THE SEMIFINALS DUE TO THE FORFEIT OF CONTESTANT KU FEI! HER TRUE POWERS ARE UNKNOWN, BUT SHE SHOWED US SOME WONDERFUL MOVEMENTS IN THE FIRST BATTLE! COLONEL SANDERS, MEANWHILE, HAS SHOWN US SEEMINGLY UNLIMITED POWERS! THE HOOD THAT HIDES HIS FACE NOW LOOKS EERIE! NOW THEN, WHAT KIND OF MATCH WILL THIS BECOME?!

“NOW THEN, SEMIFINALS MATCH THIRTEEN, FIGHT!!!”

Sanders barely raised his hand, and the match seemed to be over. Kaede was pressed flat by some unseen force, a force which created a five-meter wide crater in the stage. Kaede lay in the crater, unmoving.

Well, one of Kaede, at any rate. Four copies of the ninja appeared around Sanders, casually observing the carnage that he’d wreaked. They launched themselves into the offensive, forcing Sanders to dodge and counter a rapid series of close-range strikes. Several of the Kaedes’ blows connected solidly, but Sanders seemed unphased throughout. He finally managed to gain the upper hand, knocking two of the shadow clones away entirely and fending the other two off with ease.

That’s when the fifth Kaede attacked from behind.

A powerful punch sent Sanders crashing to the stage, throwing up a cloud of dust and debris as Kaede’s clones dissipated.

“T-THIS IS INCREDIBLE! WE’RE NOT SURE EXACTLY WHAT JUST HAPPENED, BUT, IN ANY CASE, CONTESTANT KAEDE HAS KNOCKED CONTESTANT COLONEL INTO THE GROUND! THIS IS THE FIRST SOLID BLOW THAT CONTESTANT COLONEL HAS TAKEN ALL TOURNAMENT!”

“Impressive,” Sunset muttered as Negi and the others cheared, “but nowhere near enough.”

Sure enough, Sanders emerged from the dust a few seconds later, uninjured. Even his clothes appeared untattered. While Kazumi freaked out over his amazing constitution, Sanders and Kaede seemed content to pause their match for some brief conversation. Sanders’ face was veiled in his hood, and Kaede’s expression almost always remained straight anyway, so it was impossible for the audience to tell what they were discussing.

Soon enough, though, their battle continued. Kaede took to the offensive again, summoning her four shadow-clones as she pursued her opponent. Sanders retreated unworriedly, even as he leapt off the stage and began dashing backwards across the water. The fight soon reached the stands, with both Kaede and Sanders leaping up to battle on the roofs of the walkways. Kaede and her clones hounded Sanders all around the arena, all as Kazumi wondered aloud if she should even be taking count for them being off the stage.

Sanders eventually broke away from Kaede, leaping high towards the center of the stage. He hovered there, almost a hundred meters up, and splayed his hands. Five large black orbs appeared, each almost as large as the stage itself and each above one of the Kaedes. The orbs came crashing down, bearing the Kaedes to the river below, the massive waves kicked up soaking the audience on all sides.

The spray soon subsided, revealing Kaede standing on one of the walkways’ roofs, having narrowly avoided the attack. Sanders hovered above the stage still, prompting absolute confusion from the commentators and a chuckle from Sunset. Say whatever you want, Wildfire, but I don’t think this guy cares about Chao’s antics.

Sanders pulled something from his sleeve. Sunset leaned forward, squinting as she tried to make out what it was. Wait, that looks like-

In a familiar flash of light, Sanders was suddenly surrounded by a swarm of hovering books, a lone bookmark in his hand. Sunset’s eyes widened at this and she regarded Sanders with renewed interest. An artifact? That means he’s contracted to someone. But who?

Sanders snatched one book out of the air, flipping it open and placing his bookmark inside. Kaede leapt from the rooftop. Sanders snapped his book shut. Sixteen clones joined Kaede in the air. Sanders ripped his bookmark from the book. The swarm of Kaedes gathered ki into their fists. The bookmark began to glow. It was a race to see who would finish their technique first.

Kaede lost.

Sanders’ transformation was obscured by his cloak, but was obvious in his movements. He struck back against each of the Kaede clones in rapid succession, dissipating them with an easy grace that he hadn’t previously possessed. He grabbed the last Kaede - the real one - by her throat. He turned down, rocketing suddenly towards the stage. They crashed down with a deafening crack of shattering wood as debris went flying in every direction, the audience screaming in panic as some of it almost struck the seating. Kazumi had ducked down to avoid the blast and was swept up in the wave of dust that soon enveloped the stage.

It took a full minute for the dust to clear enough to see the damage that had been wrought. Kaede was hunched over, resting her hands on her knees. A thin trail of blood trickled from her mouth, a more steady stream from a cut on her cheek. Sanders stood before her, unharmed and unruffled. The stage itself was a mess, the wood blown completely away, revealing a stone floor underneath. Even the stone was cracked around the impact site, leading many in the audience to cry out for Kaede’s well-being.

Sunset wasn’t concerned; Kaede was still standing and not too terribly wounded from what she could tell. Rather, Sunset was impressed. If that attack had connected perfectly, there would have been no way Kaede would still be standing; somehow, the ninja had managed to free herself at the last instant before impact. Sunset watched as Sanders and Kaede spoke briefly before Kaede smiled and nodded. She’d conceded her defeat.

Sanders had won.

Arc 6.2 Chapter 54

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“Nichibotsu!”

Sunset’s eyes snapped open, full consciousness returning. She looked up to see Evangeline standing over her, a smirk on her face. “You need to work on that,” she chided. “It shouldn’t take you that long to pull yourself out of a meditation.”

Sunset shrugged off her reprimand as she stood. “It usually doesn’t,” she said. “I still need to work on internalizing ‘Hikaru Nichibotsu’ as my name. I suppose if you’ve come to get me that the stage is nearly fixed?”

Evangeline nodded and jerked her head back towards the Tatsumiya shrine. “You’d better get going.”

Sunset stretched her arms above her head before looking up at the massive tree that towered above her, its leaves and bark glowing with a strange light. “This tree. It’s got a good aura for meditation. Took me half as long as it usually does to get into it.” She patted its bark in thanks before taking off towards the shrine.

“So?” she asked as she sped through Mahora. “Anything interesting happen while I was preparing?”

Evangeline shrugged, keeping pace with her. “Nothing too exciting. That idiot made a few more moves, and it looks like he’s given the boy something to look forward to if he can make it to the finals.”

“‘Something to look forward to,’ huh?” Sunset shrugged as she leapt up a building and began running along rooftops. “Well, that’s no matter to me. Whatever motivators he’s got or whatever rewards he might be working towards, I have no intentions of handing the victory over to Wildfire. If he wants to make it to the finals, he’ll have to win it from me fair and square.”

Evangeline snorted. “Like you ever fight fairly. I’ll see you after the match.”

They separated as they approached the shrine, Evangeline vanishing into the crowd while Sunset quickly made her way around to the contestant’s seating. She was surprised to find, on arrival, that it was mostly deserted. “Where the heck did everyone go?” she muttered.

“Setsua-san and Asuna-san left a while ago,” Ku Fie told her. “And I think those two other students went with them. Kaede is still in the medical tent aru.”

“Oh?” Sunset turned her gaze to Negi as he approached. “Just as well. I don’t need Asuna-neechan breathing down my neck about how much I’m going to put Wildfire through the wringer.”

“O-ho? Don’t underestimate my student.” Ku puffed out her chest proudly. “He’s come a long way in such a short time aru. He’ll definitely put up a good fight.”

Sunset’s grin was predatory. “I look forward to it.”

*****

“THANK YOU FOR WAITING SO LONG WHILE OUR REPAIR TEAM DID THEIR WORK! HERE’S THE SECOND SEMIFINAL MATCH! THIS TOURNAMENT IS FINALLY APPROACHING ITS END!

“NOW THEN, JUST WHO ARE THE TWO CONTESTANTS WHO HAVE MADE THEIR WAY TO THE FOURTEENTH MATCH? IN HIS FIRST MATCH, A HEATED BATTLE WAS PLAYED OUT BETWEEN HIM AND DEATH GLASSES TAKAHATA, AND IN HIS SECOND MATCH, HE OBTAINED A MAGNIFICENT VICTORY AGAINST A MYSTERIOUS GIANT DOLL! THE ASTONISHING CHILD TEACHER, NEGI SPRINGFIELD!!! AND, BELONGING TO THE MAHORA MULTI-LEVEL BOXING CLUB, HER POWERFUL BLOWS MATCHED ONLY BY HER UNDERHANDED TACTICS, HIKARU NICHIBOTSU!!!”

Sunset observed her opponent as Kazumi offered her start-of-match commentary. Negi had brought his staff to the fight, in contrast to his previous bare-handed style. Sunset was both annoyed and impressed at that; she’d never seen him fight with the staff, so she didn’t know what sort of tricks and techniques he would pull out. She had to admire his judgement in saving an unknown fighting style for later in the tournament.

On the other hand, that meant he’d never used that style outside of training. Whatever Negi had to bring to bear would be static and unpolished for the first minute of the fight, at least. Sunset had no intention of just giving Negi the victory, but she decided to hold back a little at the beginning, if only to let him find his rhythm with this new style.

But it was Negi’s countenance which concerned Sunset the most. He seemed distracted. He kept casting small glances towards the contestants’ seating as if hoping to catch someone’s eye. His opening stance as Kazumi counted them down was stiff, his grip on his staff entirely too tight.

“NOW THEN, THE FOURTEENTH MATCH… FIGHT!!!”

Negi vanished. It was another instant movement, as Sunset had expected from him.

But something was off. It had taken Negi a half-second longer to begin the movement, and Sunset could sense him behind her, taking a half-second too long to center himself after it. She felt the power building behind her. Felt it concentrating into a single point. Felt the thrust aimed at her spine.

All of it far too sloppy and too slow.

Sunset focused, narrowing her ki to a small area of her back and flaring it as strongly as she could. She barely felt the staff’s impact, but she distinctly heard the splintering of a hundred tiny cracks racing throughout the wood. She heard Negi gasp in surprise and pain. She heard his body ragdolling across the stage behind her, barely stopping before the edge.

Sunset finally deigned to look over her shoulder at Negi, who was staring at her in utter shock. “Wildfire… what the hell was that?”

She turned to face him fully as he got to his feet. He moved again, appearing at her side and striking out with a spear-like thrust. Sunset relocated her focus, flaring her ki in her right hand and casually slapping Negi’s staff aside. Negi kept up the assault, launching strike after strike. Sunset barely moved, casually shifting her concentrated ki to one part of her body or another. Never as powerfully as she had at the first blow, but more than enough to stop Negi’s attacks before they could so much as inconvenience her.

“Wildfire…” Sunset sighed, putting her hands in her pockets as she observed his strikes come at her one after the other. “...Wildfire, this is pathetic.”

“Wha-?!”

Sunset’s hands were a blur. She reached out and grabbed his staff in one hand. His arm in the other. She casually pulled the staff from his hands and tossed him back a foot. She fired off a teleport, landing herself behind him as she poured magic into the staff.

Negi barely had time to bring his arm between the staff and his chest before Sunset’s blow sent him flying off the stage.

“INCREDIBLE! A SERIES OF STRIKES FROM CONTESTANT NEGI, AND THEY DIDN’T DO A THING! IS CONTESTANT NICHIBOTSU JUST THAT STRONG?! OY! NICHI-CHAN! DON’T GO STEALING OTHER PEOPLE’S WEAPONS!”

Sunset stared at Negi as he floundered his way back to the stage. “What the hell is wrong with you?” Sunset asked again, utterly shocked. “Every move - every single blow - was pathetic. It’s like you weren’t even trying. Wildfire… are you even here right now?”

“Wha-what are you talking about?!” Negi shouted, embarrassed and angry.

“I heard that the Colonel said something to you,” Sunset explained. “Some sort of reward if you made it to the finals. But Wildfire, it’s like you’ve forgotten that you have to win this match to get there. Or rather,” Sunset’s eyes narrowed, a spark of irritation flaring within them, “it’s like you don’t consider this match worth your efforts compared to that.”

“I…”

Sunset sighed and shook her head. “You idiot.” She casually tossed Negi’s staff towards him. “Get your head on straight, Wildfire, or you don’t stand a chance. I’ll give you a bit of time to figure out your priorities; I passed something interesting on my way in that I want to check into. I’ll be back before Kazumi can run out the time on me. When I come back, please, for goodness’ sake, fight me for the sake of this match.”

She ignored Negi’s protests. Sunset leapt from the stage, landing on a nearby rooftop where a small gathering had been watching the match. “Aren’t all of you supposed to be manning the Horror House right now?”

“GAH! Nichi-chan!”

“Nichibotsu!”

“Eh?! How did you know we were here?”

Ten of Sunset’s classmates - all but one of the students who were scheduled for the Horror House at the moment - were gathered on the roof of one of the walkways, still in their costumes. “I hope you got someone to cover for you somehow,” Sunset lectured. “I especially would have thought better of you, Class Rep.”

Ayaka blushed and rubbed the back of her neck. “W-we did! Zazie-san assured us that she would be able to- WAIT! That’s not the point! Nichibotsu! How dare you treat Negi-sensei in such a violent manner! I ought to-”

Sunset tuned out the rest of Ayaka’s tirade as she considered what she’d said. Zazie, huh? I figured she was a mage, but how does she plan to manage the entire Horror House on her own? Sunset shrugged, noting that her time was up. Mystery for another day, I guess. “Sorry, Ayaka. Got to get back to beating Wildfire black and blue before Kazumi times me out.”

“NICHIBO-”

Sunset leapt back to the stage just as Kazumi was about to finish her count. She ignored the commentator’s chastisement as she walked towards Negi, eyebrow raised. “Well, Wildfire? Ready to actually fight me?”

Negi stared at Sunset for a moment before lowering his head. “...Nichibotsu. Am I… am I really that beneath you?”

“Honestly, I have no idea.” Negi looked up at her words and Sunset shrugged. “I mean, as you are now, you aren’t even worth considering. I could just ramp up my ki to full-power and wait out the fifteen minutes. I think it’s obvious who the audience would vote to give the win to at this point.” Negi looked down, utterly dejected.

“But,” Sunset added, “the you that fought Takamichi is another story.” Sunset let her mind wander back to that fight. “You were faster in that fight. Stronger. More inventive and clever. I saw you fighting that match and thought ‘ah, now there’s the potential Evangeline’s been proudly bragging about behind his back.’ You were scrappy and inventive and everything a fighter like you should be.” She focused back on Negi as he slowly looked back up at her.

“You were none of those things at the start of this fight. You were desperate, sure, but like you needed this match to be over as soon as possible. You were unfocused. Straightforward. Your attacks felt rote and rehearsed. It was less like you wanted to win this match and more like you wanted to have won it.

“And Wildfire, you don’t stand a snowball’s chance in Tartarus of beating me like that.”

Negi stared at Sunset for a moment, conflict in his eyes. “Then… what should I-”

“Forget it.”

Negi blinked. “Wh-what?”

“Forget it,” Sunset repeated. “Whatever Sanders told you, forget it. Whatever you suspect your reward for making it to the finals might be, forget it. Hell, while you’re at it, forget that the finals even exist. Forget what the audience thinks of the ‘child teacher’ fighting in this tournament. Forget about Takamichi and whatever he’s doing. Forget Chao and her schemes and the internet thing. Forget Asuna, Evangeline, and everyone else. And for a moment - just for this moment - forget about your father.”

Negi’s eyes went wide.

“Don’t misunderstand, Wildfire. I’m not telling you to cast everything aside. But for now, for this fight, put it all away. Take everything that isn’t this fight - your worries, your goals, your dreams - and put it in a box. And set that box aside until this battle is done. Focus on me, this match, and this moment. Look at me and me alone.” She smirked. “And then, with your full focus on me, fight in a way that DEMANDS that I keep my full focus on you.”

Negi stared at Sunset, his mind racing, running through everything that Sunset had said. Everything he’d done in this match so far. Everything he’d been thinking about: obsessing over.

She saw it. The only warning he would give.

The instant his focus sharpened, narrowed onto her and her alone.

He vanished. A point-blank instant movement to get into her blind spot. Sunset turned, pumping ki into her arms as she moved to block the blow from behind.

He moved again. Appeared again at Sunset’s back. He struck. Sunset jumped, flipping over backwards. She lashed out with both fists in a hammer-strike. Negi brought up his staff, diverting the blow to the side. Sunset landed in a crouch, turning and sweeping out a leg. Negi leapt back, gaining just enough distance to lunge in again with his staff - his spear. Sunset punched. They collided.

Both Negi and Sunset were thrown back by the force of the blow, a sizable crater forming below where their strikes had met. Kazumi was shouting something, but Sunset paid it no attention; her entire focus had been forcibly drawn to Negi.

Sunset smirked. “A double instant movement. Not bad. I’ve done similar things with my teleports. By the way, where did you pick up spear techniques?”

Negi leveled his staff at her, a small smirk gracing his own lips. “Rikugoudaisou hakkyokuken covers more than just unarmed fighting,” he said. “Ku-sensei thought it might be useful.”

“She was right. A weapon already gives you a reach advantage, but spear techniques heighten that advantage even more.” Sunset nodded in approval. “Time for me to get serious, then. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a couple of rings.

Negi’s eyes went wide. “That’s-”

Sunset nodded, slipping a ring onto each hand. “My magic focus. Like the one Evangeline gave you. But she gave me more than just the one. And this one,” she held up her right hand, showing off the ruby set in the ring’s center, “is slightly different.”

Negi narrowed his eyes and nodded. “I see. So you’ll be using both ki and magic now.”

Sunset nodded in return. “Now, Wildfire, let’s see just what you can do.”

The ki vanished from Sunset’s left arm. She teleported, landing to Negi’s right. Negi turned, bringing up his staff to block, but was surprised by what he sensed from Sunset. Her right arm went dark with regards to ki while her left flared up, chasing the magic away. Her right hand, in turn, began to flow with magic, concentrating into the ruby-set ring. Sagitta magica. Convergentia ignis!

A large bolt of fire appeared around Sunset’s fist as she struck, the fire exploding on impact with Negi’s staff and sending him flying backwards. Sunset switched magic and ki in her arms again, teleporting to where Negi had been flung, throwing out a ki-enhanced punch.

Negi swerved suddenly, flying off to Sunset’s right instead of right at her. Sunset’s eyes went wide at the dodge and she barely managed to concentrate ki in her right side before Negi struck, sending her skidding back across the stage.

How? Sunset glared at Negi as he charged, striking out with his staff. They danced through a series of strikes, dodges, and parries as Sunset tried to understand what had happened. Mid-air instant movement like what Kaede was using to maneuver in the air last round? No. There’s no way he’s figured that out in only this short time. Some sort of spell, pushing him in that direction? There was no wind or any sign of force. How did he maneuver himself midair like that? Sunset jerked her head to the side, a thrust from Negi’s staff barely grazing her cheek.

His staff… Sunset’s eyes went wide. She started studying Negi between strikes, trying to find any evidence of damage from her earlier hit. Other than a trace of ash on his clothes, it seemed that the attack had had no effect. His staff! It has flight enchantments on it! He used his staff to fling himself back from the explosion to soften the blow! And again to dodge midair! A savage grin tore Sunset’s face in two. Finally! He’s serious! Time to go all-out myself, then!

Sunset parried one of Negi’s strikes, knocking his staff away. She dove forward inside his reach, her fist flying for his stomach. Negi took a hand off his staff, bringing it down to knock her hand aside.

Sunset teleported at the last second. She appeared behind Negi, her fist half an inch from his back. Negi barely had time to register her disappearance before she struck, sending him flying across the stage.

Sunset teleported again, appearing in Negi’s path and delivering a roundhouse kick that sent him flying back the way he’d come. A third teleport saw her right above Negi. She immediately switched her right hand back to magic before throwing another Sagitta Magica-powered punch, slamming him into the ground.

“WHAT AN AMAZING SERIES OF ATTACKS! CONTESTANT HIKARU PULLS OFF SEVERAL RAPID-FIRE INSTANT MOVEMENTS, HITTING POOR CONTESTANT SPRINGFIELD BACK AND FORTH LIKE A VOLLEYBALL! WE’VE SEEN SOME AMAZING MANEUVERABILITY FROM OUR CONTESTANTS SO FAR, BUT MORE THAN EVER IT LOOKS LIKE CONTESTANT HIKARU IS VANISHING AND APPEARING OUT OF THIN AIR!”

Pretty much, yeah. Sunset smirked and took a step back as Negi struggled to his feet, fire blazing in his eyes. Of course, Wildfire catches on quick. That first hit was flawless, but he used his staff to lessen the blow from the second strike, and he blocked the third at the last minute. His reflexes are improving by leaps and bounds this tournament. “Not bad, Wildfire. We’ll make a warrior out of you yet.”

Negi smirked and wiped a bit of blood from his mouth - probably a cut lip. “Your teleports are pretty good too, Nichibotsu. And it’s amazing that you can keep switching back and forth between ki and magic like that. I’d heard that that takes a toll on the body, but you don’t seem to be breaking a sweat.”

Yeah right. In fact, Sunset’s magic pathways were screaming at her already. She could easily manage far more switches if she paced herself, but the rapid-fire switching combined with the sheer amount of power she was pumping through her limbs was wearing her down. I only stopped to compliment you because it gives me a bit of a break to recover. Then again, you’re probably thinking along those same lines. She eyed Negi’s staff. That trick of flinging yourself around with your staff - I’ll bet anything that that’s new. You don’t quite know how to brace against it, so each dodge is costing you as your staff beats you up. Less than if my blows fully connected, but still. Looks like it’s a battle of attrition for both of us.

Negi and Sunset flung themselves at each other again, trading strikes and counterstrikes as each tried to gain the upper hand. Sunset continued making liberal use of her teleports and magic arrows while Negi used his staff to maintain distance as best he could. He suffered a few hard surprise attacks from Sunset’s teleports, but he quickly began to predict where Sunset was likely to pop out, blocking her attacks and delivering counters. Even when Sunset began switching up her post-teleport angles of attack, Negi responded by dodging out of the way entirely. After he managed to dodge five rapid-fire teleports in a row, Sunset had to concede that he’d figured out how to fight against that tactic.

Damn it! I keep forgetting that he’s clever! Most soldiers back home don’t have a clue how to handle this sort of attack-from-any-angle strategy, but he’s figured it out in less than a minute! What sort of combat instincts does this kid have?!

Still, Sunset could tell that Negi’s staff-enhanced dodging was beginning to take its toll on him. He winced every time his staff pulled him out of harm’s way, and he seemed to be trying to take the blows on different parts of his body every time, trying to keep the staff from hitting him in the gut. Sunset was getting worn out too, her magic circuits feeling like they were on fire. She was flinching with every switch now, and she was certain that Negi had noticed. I need to switch this up, Sunset thought as Negi charged her, thrusting with his staff.

Sunset ducked the strike, throwing herself forward and grappling Negi around the middle. It left her open and vulnerable to a couple of punches, but Sunset weathered them as she poured ki and magic into her hands. They began to repel each other behind Negi’s back, straining to separate. Sunset, with a grin up at Negi, forced them together.

*BOOM*

Negi let out a gasp at the explosion of energy that hit him in the back. Sunset capitalized on his having the wind knocked out of him to release her hold. Though both of her hands were aching terribly from the explosion of her failed kanka attempt, she poured magic into her right hand and fired off another Sagitta Magica-powered punch. This one exploded in Negi’s chest with little resistance, charing his clothes and blowing him across the stage.

Sunset winced - half in sympathy and half in pain from her abused hands - and stood upright. Felt a couple of ribs crack there, she thought, watching as Negi rose wincingly to his feet again. If it hadn’t been for his beatdown against Chachamaru back then, I’d be letting my guard down. As it is, he’ll be ready for the next go about as soon as I am. How can I...

“NEGI KUUUUUN!!!”

“NEEEEEEGI! NEEEEEEGI!”

“DO YOUR BEST, CHILD TEACHER!”

Bothe Sunset and Negi were pulled from their fight as the crowd started going wild out of nowhere, cheating for Negi almost exclusively. Sunset glared out at the crowd, a little curious at what had them all in an uproar, rather annoyed that they’d interrupted their fight and a touch embarrassed - she’d gotten so wrapped up in the fight that she’d almost forgotten about the spectators.

“MAKE IT TO THE FINAL!”

“YOU’LL BE ABLE TO FIGHT YOUR MISSING DAD!”

“DO IT, NEGI SPRINGIFELD!”

Sunset’s eyes went wide. Fight his… She glanced at Negi, who seemed equally flabbergasted. Is that what Sanders was getting at? Certainly he seems to know something about Wildfire’s father, but to be able to arrange a meeting… Sunset’s thoughts briefly flashed back to the final moments of Sanders’ fight with Kaede, when he’d seemed to suddenly move differently. No, I can’t discount it. I don’t know what his artifact is or what it lets him do. It’s a possibility, at least. She turned her attention back to Negi. Well, Wildfire? Are you going to let this distract you?

“IT-IT SEEMS THAT SOME SORT OF STORY IS GOING AROUND IN THE AUDIENCE! BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MATCH! THERE’S ONLY A LITTLE MORE THAN A MINUTE LEFT! WILL IT COME DOWN TO AN AUDIENCE VOTE? THAT MIGHT BE BAD FOR CONTESTANT NICHIBOTSU!”

Negi started, turning back to face Sunset. “Nichi-”

“I have no intention of handing you the win.” Sunset set herself, readying for another strike. “I fully plan to knock you out with my next blow. Survive, and you may well get the audience vote.”

Negi stared at Sunset for a moment before shaking his head. “No.” He tossed his staff aside and set himself as well. “I don’t want to win by vote or by default. Nichibotsu. I will defeat you with this next strike!”

Sunset smirked. Excellent. Now, let’s see you follow through. “You can try.”

The audience quieted. Kazumi went silent. The air grew thick with tension as Sunset and Negi stared each other down. Soon, only the lapping of the river against the stage could be heard. They each analyzed their opponent, looking for the right time and place to strike.

They moved.

Sunset came out of her teleport and her eyes widened. Negi had stopped short of where she’d expected, having only moved about a meter. His staff was back in his hand, thrusting towards Sunset’s face.

It was a bluff. A feint to draw me in. He tossed it aside to make me think we’d be meeting up in the middle. I don’t think he even had to use instant movement. While I was busy calculating my teleport down to the exact centimeter and tenth of a degree, he waited for me to appear before striking. Sunset allowed a small smile to slip out. Well done, Wildfire.

Negi’s staff struck Sunset in the forehead. She felt the blow resonate through her skull. Her eyes rolled back as she collapsed to the floor of the stage.

Negi had won.

Arc 6.3 Chapter 55

View Online

Sunset came to slowly, a splitting pain in her forehead warning her that she’d recently been in combat, and a cold compress over it assuring her that she was being cared for. The mana pathways in her arms ached terribly, but she was otherwise unharmed. Sunset lay still with her eyes closed, trying to remember what had happened.

That’s right. The martial arts tournament. Wildfire beat me. She huffed a laugh, a small, self-deprecating smile flitting onto her face. Sneaky little trick. Should have figured after his follow-up against Takamichi. You beat me good, Wildfire. Well done.

Sunset opened her eyes and glanced around. The medical tent was mostly empty, everyone out watching the final match. Sunset could hear cheering outside and bits of Kazumi’s commentary, but she paid it little attention; whatever she’d missed, she could find out from the others later.

Her main concern at the moment was the girl seated by her side. “Aren’t you supposed to be overseeing the tournament?”

Chao Lingshen shrugged, her usual emotionless smile stuck on her face. “You and I both know that Colonel Sanders-san is going to win. I was a little concerned about what he might be plotting, but it looks like it’s nothing to do with my plans.”

“Right. Your plans.” Sunset sat up and turned to face Chao head-on. “By which, of course, you mean your plan to expose magic to the world. Tell me, how long have you been planning this?”

Chao looked up in thought. “Well, I only found out about magic by chance about a week ago. But I thought that-”

“You can drop the act.”

Chao blinked, her smile slipping and leaving her face blank. She stared at Sunset for a moment. “How’d you know?”

“It’s obvious,” Sunset replied, swinging her legs off the bed and standing up. She stretched her arms above her head and let out a groan of satisfaction. “Something this elaborate takes time to organize, no matter how rich and influential you are. Several of the devices you loaned me for the Horror House would only be possible with magic or ridiculously advanced tech. You helped create Chachamaru. Finally, you just confirmed it.” She lowered her arms and smirked at Chao. “But none of that really matters because, when it comes down to it, my instincts say that you’ve been planning this scheme for a lot longer than a week.”

Chao stared at Sunset for a moment more before smiling again - a much more natural and slightly sinister smile. “Heh, she was right about you. Nothing slips by your attention, does it?”

She? Sunset shrugged. “I like to think that I have a pretty good grasp of the machinations that go on around me.” She waved a hand flippantly. “Not that your machinations are any of my concern. Whether magic gets exposed or not is nothing to me.”

“Of course, of course,” Chao said, nodding in agreement. “After all, if all else goes wrong, you can always wait for the mirror to open up again.”

Sunset’s body stiffened for an instant before she forced herself to relax. “Mirror? What mirror?”

Chao giggled into her hand. “Oh, I think you know which one,” she lowered her hand, fixing Sunset again with that slightly sinister smile, “...Equestrian.”

“...so you do know.” Sunset’s eyes narrowed, her hands clenching. She noticed for the first time that her rings were gone from her fingers. She must have taken them off of me while I slept. Smart of her to limit my options. “How do you know about Equestria? And how much do you know about me?”

“Hm. More of the latter than the former.” Chao stood and began circling Sunset. “I’ve never been to your world, nor do I have any particular desire to visit. But I know you quite well, Hikaru Nichibotsu, Student of the Sun. Powerful and feared warlock hunter. Renowned magical theorist. Master of an ancient, all but lost style of twin pyromancy and cryomancy. Wielder of the Annihilation Beam consisting of mana and anima.”

Sunset frowned. How does she know all of this? “You’re quite well informed. Just who have you-”

“Only daughter of two Canterlot bakers.” Sunset’s eyes went wide at Chao’s interruption. “One brother, a firefighter; you haven’t spoken face-to-face with him in years. Raised in a castle by Tenko-hime since the accident that killed your parents. Jealous of Keidensu-hime ever since Tenko-hime adopted her as her niece. Banished from the castle after being caught researching dark magic while trying to find out how to ascend. Always wanted Tenko-hime to acknowledge you as her-”

Sunset rushed Chao, grabbing her by the neck and lifting her into the air. “HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT-”

Chao was gone. No, she was suddenly standing about three feet behind Sunset, unworried. No, not suddenly. Sunset’s instincts told her that she’d been there for a while. Sunset slowly turned around, still glaring balefully at Chao but compelled to be on guard. “...how did you do that?”

Chao raised a mocking eyebrow. “After all of the instant movement and teleportation you and the others have been pulling off all day? I can’t believe you’re surprised by-”

“That wasn’t teleportation,” Sunset interrupted. “There was no flare of energy. And besides, you’ve been standing right there for a while, haven’t you?” Chao’s eyes grew wide, telling Sunset that she’d hit the nail on the head. “Reality warping like that is no mean feat. You didn’t just move there, you retroactively made it so you had been there all along. The only question is: how?”

Chao stared at Sunset in shock for a full minute. “I… will admit it. I underestimated you. I knew you could see through this sort of thing before, but that you can do so already…” She shook her head in amazement. “I suppose you weren’t the head of Research and Development for nothing.”

“No, I wasn’t.” Sunset’s glare shifted from anger to suspicion. “I ask again, how did you do it? And who told you so much about me?”

Chao hesitated a moment before chuckling. “I will answer the first question by answering the second.” The sinister smile returned. “You told me, Hikaru-sama. Or at least, you will.”

Sama? Sunset’s mind was awhirl with possibilities, but one of them stood out before all the rest. “Time travel.”

Chao smirked and reached into her pocket. She pulled out a palm-sized device, similar to a pocket-watch but with several knobs and far too many visible gears. “As sharp as ever, Hikaru-sama. Or should I say, I suppose you were always this sharp?”

Sunset’s eyes darted between the device and Chao. “How far?”

“That’s not really important.” Chao slipped the device back into her pocket. “Far enough for you to be a significant player on the world stage. Far enough for you to have several apprentices, even if you refused me. And far enough for me to know of an upcoming disaster that could be avoided by exposing magic here in the twenty-first century.”

“A disaster that you’re here to try to prevent.”

“Naturally.”

Sunset considered the girl before her. Chao had an excellent poker face and could easily be lying. She probably was lying. But the question is: how much is a lie? Time travel would certainly explain a lot; I don’t think I can count that a lie. And it would have to be fairly far into the future for me to have built up a significant relationship where I would tell her all of that. That leaves her motive. Since there aren’t a plethora of time-travelers all throughout Earth’s history, I can assume that it’s heavily restricted. Either the means are extremely difficult or they’re highly regulated. Or both. In which case, it would have to be a pretty significant event to motivate someone to leap back in time to change it. Which leaves two questions. “How big is this disaster? And how many people does it affect?”

Chao chuckled and raised her hands in defeat. “Right to the one vulnerability in my story; I shouldn’t be surprised anymore.” She shook her head. “Would you believe me if I told you? I have no evidence to back up any claim I make, especially since this disaster heavily involves the magical world. As I recall, you still haven’t been there at this point in time.”

Sunset conceded the point with a nod. “So all I have to go on is your word that some disaster in the distant future will be prevented by revealing magic now. What do you want from me, then? You want me to help you?”

To Sunset’s surprise, Chao shook her head. “As you gathered, this plan has been in the works for quite some time. All of the pieces are in place, all of the preparations made. There’s only one wildcard I couldn’t quite predict, and that’s you.” She let out a frustrated sigh and shrugged. “I asked your future self what you would do in reaction to my plan, and she claimed she didn’t know. She didn’t even care. In her words: ‘whether you succeed or fail, the world will be significantly altered. Either this world will cease to be, replaced by a new world in which the current me does not exist, or you will create a parallel reality in which another me will have to live with the consequences. Either way, it is for the me of that new world to decide what path the world should take.’ In any case, all I ask of you is that you stay out of my way.”

Sunset began dissecting the quote, looking for any clue or flaw. That certainly matches what I know of large-scale time-travel theory and universal anti-paradox theory. And that does sound like something I’d say. I’m surprised I’d be so level-headed at the possibility of no longer existing as myself, but with how powerfully I believe in destiny, I can’t see myself getting too worried about how other-me might turn out. And if future-me has lived a long enough life to be at peace… wait! “Chao, in the future when you know me, have I ascended?”

Chao considered the question for a moment before shrugging. “I suppose you’d only be asking that question if you’d figured it out. Yes, the future I’m from is beyond the reach of a human’s natural life-span. In the future I’m from, you have ascended. I only tell you this because the future you said it wouldn’t affect your decision.”

Sunset smirked. “She was right; it doesn’t. Destiny is far too powerful a thing to be derailed by a little time-travel.” And I already knew it was my destiny to ascend someday. But it’s nice to get confirmation all the same. “How does it happen?”

“I don’t know; I never bothered to ask.”

“...right.” Whether that’s true or not, I won’t be able to trust anything she says about it anyway. So, back to the matter at hand. “So let me get this straight. You want to turn this world on its head by revealing the existence of magic and mages. You want to bring the Inner World into the light of day. All to avert some future disaster. And all you want from me is a vow not to interfere?” Chao nodded. “I see.”

“I won’t ask for your answer now,” Chao said. “It’s a lot to take in, and a big decision. But I will ask that you give me your answer by tonight.” She turned and headed for the exit. “You’d better come out soon; the final match should be wrapping up any second now.”

She left the tent, leaving Sunset alone with her thoughts. “One thing’s for sure,” Sunset muttered as she followed after, “this festival is about to get even more interesting.”

*****

“THE SKILLS OF THE WINNER ARE TRULY THOSE OF THE SCHOOLS- NO, IT WOULD EVEN BE FAIR TO SAY THE WORLD’S STRONGEST! AS THE CURRENT TOURNAMENT SPONSOR, IT WAS AN INCREDIBLY SATISFYING EXPERIENCE FOR ME YO!”

The stage had been repaired and three platforms placed in its center by the time Sunset made her way out of the infirmary tent; she’d barely made it in time for the award ceremony and Chao’s closing remarks. She stood next to Kaede on the lowest platform, Colonel Sanders standing on the tallest platform to her right and a well-battered Negi on the third platform on his other side. From what little she’d gathered before being ushered onto the stage, the final match hadn’t even been close.

“ALTHOUGH, IT SEEMS THAT DUE TO THE HIGH LEVELS OF THE COMBATANTS, OR PERHAPS BECAUSE OF THE UNBELIEVABLE MATCH CONTENTS, THERE ARE SOME WHO BELIEVE THAT THIS WAS A FAKE PERFORMANCE ARRANGED BY THE TOURNAMENT’S OFFICIALS. I’LL LEAVE THE QUESTION OF AUTHENTICITY UP TO ALL OF YOU NE.”

Sunset rolled her eyes at Chao’s antics as Asakura took over the commentary again. Now you’re just baiting them. Still, she applauded politely as Sanders accepted his massive, ten-million yen check, those fights were pretty flashy. I wonder how long until the paparazzi… Sunset’s thoughts trailed off as a massive group of approaching reporters answered her unasked question. They swarmed Colonel Sanders, shoving microphones in his face as they trained their cameras on him.

“Mahora Sport! Contestant Colonel, what do you have to say about your victory?!”

“How are you planning to spend the ten-million yen?!”

“Mahora Occult Society! Are you really the child teacher’s missing father?”

“Mahora Filmography Club! What sorts of special effects were you using in your fights?”

Sanders weathered the storm of questions for only a few seconds before raising an apologetic hand. “Excuse me, but I’m not good with interviews.” Instantly, he vanished.

“Eh?!”

“Where’d he go?!”

“He’s not around anywhere!”

“It can’t be helped; get the child teacher!”

“Contestant Negi! Mahora Sport with a question for you!”

Sunset chuckled as the teeming hoard turned its sights on Negi, who immediately followed Sanders’ example and fled. A quick glance around told Sunset that both Chao and Kaede had vanished as well, leaving her as the sole contestant on the stage. She briefly contemplated leaving herself before shaking her head. Please. I’ve dealt with the Equestrian paparazzi for years. This lot will be a cake walk.

It took a moment, but one of the reporters finally noticed her. “Contestant Nichibotsu!” He nearly tripped over himself as he rushed to shove a mike into her face, obviously thinking that she could vanish at any moment. “A moment please!”

Sunset shrugged, showing no hint of umbridge at having her personal space violated. “Sure, I’ve got time.”

The hoard’s collective ears perked up at this and Sunset soon found herself surrounded by a barrage of questions.

“Contestant Nichibotsu! What do you have to say about your matches?!”

“Mahora Sport! Contestant Nichibotsu, where did you learn to fight?! What styles inspired your unique style?!”

“Mahora Romance Society! Contestant Nichibotsu, do you have a boyfriend?!”

“Contestant Nichibotsu! What do you have to say regarding the rumors that this entire tournament was nothing but a show put on by Chao Lingshen?!”

Sunset weathered the barrage of questions for a minute, sorting them in her mind into a few categories. Finally, she raised a hand for silence. “This tournament was rewarding in its difficulty,” she began. “I entered vying for the win, and I’m happy to say that I gave it my all. Both Evangeline and Setsuna were worthy opponents, and Wildfire - that is, Negi Springfield - managed to pull out more than one surprise that I wasn’t expecting. I’ll admit it; he got the jump on me and beat me fair and square. I look forward to the chance to challenge him to a rematch in the future.”

She allowed for another barrage of questions and quickly narrowed in on the biggest topic. “I don’t know where the rumors of this tournament being fake are coming from, but if there’s any truth to them, I know nothing about it. I fought with my own power in every match, as did each of my opponents. If there was any shenaniganry, you’ll have to ferret it out of Chao or one of the other contestants.

“As for my fighting style,” she continued, “it is a conglomerate of many different styles. My foundation is ki-reinforced boxing, but I’ve branched out a lot and learned various things from several teachers. Currently, I am studying different techniques under Evangeline, Setsuna, and Takamichi, and I have regular sparring sessions with Kotarou. Some of my fellow club members have also been teaching me some kick-boxing and a few judo throws. Really, I can’t call this style anything but a Nichibotsu original.”

Another round of questions assaulted her. Some of them went into more specifics on her style or the tournament, but most of them seemed to be turning to other topics.

“I do not have a boyfriend or girlfriend,” Sunset answered the Mahora Romance Society. “That’s right, I swing both ways. I’m not really looking right now, but if I were, I wouldn’t want another fighter. A lot of girls with my sort of strength talk about how they’ll never marry a guy unless he manages to beat them in a fight. But that’s not what I’d be looking for. Honestly, I’m too hot-headed to get along with another type-A personality.”

Sunset answered a few more questions before begging out, explaining that she hadn’t yet had a chance to explore the festival. After promising herself to more in-depth interviews after the festival and giving a shameless plug for the 3-A Horror House, she left the paparazzi and the Tatsumiya shrine.

“Finally,” she muttered, stretching her arms above her head. “Those leeches are the same in any world.” She cast her gaze to the clocktower that loomed over the academy. “Hm. Almost one o’clock. Guess I should get some lunch.”

Sunset meandered her way over to one of Mahora’s several plazas, one which was surrounded by restaurants. The plaza was filled with small tables with three or four chairs set at each, perfect for a small group of friends to share a quick meal at. What am I in the mood for? Sunset wondered as she surveyed the various restaurants. I burned a lot of energy in the tournament. I should… hello? What have we here?

Sunset was distracted from her hunt for lunch by a very curious sight: a tall, handsome young man with vibrant red hair dressed in a sharp suit with a long overcoat. Definitely a foreigner, British if she had to guess. What really caught Sunset’s eye, however, was the unconscious figure of Ako Izumi in his arms. Stranger still, Sunset was certain she recognized the young man.

“Oy! Wildfire!” The young man jumped at Sunset’s shout, confirming his identity. “So it is you.” Sunset jogged over and gave the man an appraising look. “...very nice.”

Negi Springfield blushed at Sunset’s lecherous expression before shaking his head. “H-how did you know-”

Sunset scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Please. You don’t look that different. Just a grown-up version of your regular self. I’d say… about sixteen years old?” Negi nodded. “Very nice.” Her eyes fell to the unconscious Ako before darting back up to him, narrowing into a glare. “So? What’s the story here?”

Negi opened his mouth to answer, but hesitated as Ako started to stir in his arms. “Oh no!” he hissed. “Nichibotsu, I can’t explain right now, but I need you to keep who I am a secret. Kotarou can explain everything!” With that, he turned and dashed for one of the tables.

“Dog boy?” Sunset looked around and, sure enough, spotted an aged-up Kotarou hiding in some nearby bushes. Sunset gave Negi one last suspicious glance before jogging over to join Kotarou in his hiding place.

The dog-eared boy had aged well, too. His muscles were more pronounced than ever, and he was dressed in thuggish clothes that made him look like the son of a crime boss. He wasn’t alone, however. Hiding with him were Chachamaru - dressed in a full-body rabbit suit - and Chisame - aged down to elementary-school levels and dressed the part, with the addition of cat ears and a tail. Sunset stared at the strange trio for a minute before shaking her head. “Okay, lots of questions, but I guess the biggest is why one of my good friends is unconscious in Wildfire’s arms.”

Chisame raised an eyebrow. “That’s your biggest question?”

Sunset pointed at Chachamaru. “Cosplay is standard fare for this festival.” She next pointed at Kotarou. “You and Wildfire need to disguise yourselves to hide from the paparazzi.” Finally, Chisame. “And I heard that you were the one who told Wildfire about the rumors of magic flying around the internet; I figured you’d clued in to the big secret of the Inner World, and both your appearance and your present company confirm it. That leaves the situation with Ako as the biggest mystery.”

Chisame considered Sunset’s logic before nodding. “Fair enough. Still, this is going to be hard to explain. See, Izumi missed her concert tonight.”

Sunset was about to correct Chisame - surely she meant that Ako “would miss” her concert - but hesitated as she remembered what she had just learned. “...Chao gave Wildfire a time machine?”

Both Kotarou and Chachamaru’s jaws dropped. Chisame just chuckled and shook her head. “How did I know you’d still manage to be on top of that? Are you even really a middle-schooler?”

“Nope. Thirty-six year old Unicorn from another dimension.”

Chisame let out a long, heavy sigh. “Well at least you were already one of the weird ones.”

“I’ve got to say,” Sunset remarked, “you’re taking all of this amazing well. Even Yue didn’t take the reveal of magic in stride quite like this.”

“I’ve had time to process,” Chisame grumbled. “And the revelation came slowly over the course of the tournament.” She shrugged. “Besides, freaking out over it won’t change the fact that magic exists.”

“But getting riled up over the antics of our class will change things?”

“One can hope.”

The two of them shared a chuckle before Sunset turned back to watch Ako and Negi. “So? Something happened to Ako tonight?”

Chisame nodded. “The kid burst in on her while she was changing. Got a look at her scar. She ran out in tears. She must have lost track of time, or something, because the kid found her by the big fountain well after the concert was supposed to start. He used a spell to put her to sleep and took us all back to five minutes ago with her. Apparently, he’s planning to make her think that everything that happened earlier today, er, from now on but before… all of that, was just a dream.”

Sunset considered that plan for a moment as Ako woke up and started freaking out at seeing Negi sitting across from her. “I see. Should work. I’ve recently been reminded to what lengths the Outer World will go to convince themselves that nothing strange is going on. If she doesn’t know about magic yet, then she’ll buy that easily. So, what’s the plan now?”

“Negi said he was gonna take her on a date,” Kotarou piped up. “Help her calm down and relax before her show tonight.”

Sunset observed Ako’s furious blush as Negi spoke with her and snorted in amusement. Kid has no idea what he’s getting into. For some reason, she felt a spark of irritation. “That works, I guess. Who does she think he is, anyway?”

“Negi-sensei’s cousin, Nagi,” Chachamaru said. “Here on vacation from Wales for the festival. The story is that Negi-sensei likes to talk about his students to his family back home. That will keep Izumi-san from suspecting anything strange if he mentions anyone else in the class.”

“Nagi? Seriously? Isn’t that the name of his old man?” Sunset shook her head. “Unimaginative, but I guess that makes it easy to remember. So what are the three of you doing?”

“Running interference,” Chisame grumbled. “In case something goes wrong. There’s no way that that kid won’t mess things up, and we have to make sure that they don’t run into their past selves.”

“So we’re spying on Wildfire and Ako as they go on a date?” Sunset looked back at the couple as they stood from the table and began walking off. She glared after them. “By any chance, do you know if Wildfire is planning to go back in time again today?”

Kotarou looked up, scratching the back of his head. “I think so. His schedule is pretty busy, what with all the ane-sans who want his attention. Why?”

“Because my shift covering the World Tree starts in half an hour,” Sunset said, starting after her teacher and her friend. “And if I’m going to be stuck making sure Wildfire doesn’t do something stupid to Ako, then he’s going to repay me by making sure I don’t miss it.”

Arc 6.3 Chapter 56

View Online

It became immediately apparent to Sunset that her three companions had never stalked anyone before. Admittedly, her first hint should have been that they’d been hiding in the bushes.

Her second hint should have been how easily she’d seen them hiding in the bushes.

“Are you sure about this Fire-anechan?” Kotarou muttered as they walked down the street after Negi and Ako. “I mean, isn’t the whole point to stay hidden?”

“No, the point is to stay unnoticed,” Sunset countered, speaking at a normal volume. “And we couldn’t have done that by darting from hiding spot to hiding spot. Even if Ako didn’t see us, other people would have. And what do you do when you see suspicious people darting from hiding spot to hiding spot, spying on someone else?”

“Nothing, because it’s none of my business.”

“Confront them directly about their poor behavior.”

Sunset rolled her eyes before looking down at Chisame. “And the correct answer is…”

“Call the police, or at least security.”

Sunset nodded and turned her attention back to Ako. “That’s the normal response. People might be more hesitant because of the festival atmosphere, but eventually, someone would call in the authorities. And even if we managed to convince them that we weren’t up to anything nefarious, the confrontation would draw attention to us, maybe even expose us to Ako. And if Ako somehow didn’t notice, then she and Wildfire would move on while we were being interrogated and we’d lose them. In order to stalk someone, you have to appear normal to everyone around you, and remain unnoticed by your mark.”

Chisame looked up with a raised eyebrow. “You talk like you have a lot of experience with this.”

“Less experience than training,” Sunset replied. “Guard training back home is pretty comprehensive. Most of my marks in-field were insane apocalyptophiles who couldn’t walk normally down a street if their lives depended on it, so I never really had to worry about bystanders seeing me sneaking around. Thankfully, the basics are pretty simple.” She began counting off on her fingers. “Keep at least fifty people between you and your target. Don’t start a commotion or let yourself be dragged into one. Don’t stand out visually. Don’t let anyone around you suspect you of ill intent. That’s all there is to it, really. And considering that the streets are packed for the festival and there are tons of people in strange and eye-catching outfits, half of that is a cakewalk. All we have to do is act natural, keep our distance, and stay out of any festival insanity that could draw attention to us.” She chuckled. “Of course, those little pills help immensely.”

It turned out that the secret to Negi’s, Kotarou’s, and Chisame’s age-changes had been a bottle of blue and red pills: blue to make you younger, red to make you older. After a quick shopping run for larger clothes, Sunset had popped a red pill. The results were very pleasing. She now had the appearance of a woman in her early 20’s, with curves in all the right places and hair reaching all the way down to her waist. She wore tight jeans, high heels, and a teal button-down shirt with the top two buttons undone. A handbag was slung over her shoulder, holding her younger self’s clothes. She felt the eyes of almost every man around on her - not to mention the jealous glares of other women - and reveled in the attention.

Chachamaru tilted her head, confused. “Did you not just say that the point was to not draw attention to ourselves?”

Sunset waved her off. “I’m only drawing attention from those immediately around me, and not for more than a few seconds. Hot as I am, this isn’t the sort of look that would catch the eye a dozen meters distant. And even if Ako does notice me, all she’ll see is a passing resemblance to one of her friends. And since she has no idea about magic, she’ll dismiss it as coincidence. Same as if she notices Kotarou or Chisame.” She gave Chachamaru’s bunny suit a look up and down. “Actually, with your face sticking out of that, you’re the most at risk of being exposed. Thankfully, Ako doesn’t really know you that well.”

“Ah!” Kotarou pointed ahead. “They’re heading for the roller-coaster!”

Sunset slapped him upside the head. “What part of ‘don’t draw attention’ don’t you get?” She looked where he’d been pointing and saw Negi and Ako getting into the rapidly moving line. “No need for all of us to go. Dog-boy, wait until there are at least three people behind them, then get in line. With luck, that should put you near them on the ride. The three of us will hang out down here.”

*****

The date continued in a similar manner as the day went on. Sunset and the others would watch Ako and Negi go to one attraction or another and send one or two to follow them. Chisame to get ice cream. Kotarou to take a horseback ride. Sunset to take lunch in the same diner as the happy couple. They dispersed throughout the crowd when Ako and Negi were snatched up for a “Best Couple Contest.”

Well, Ako seems to be enjoying herself, Sunset mused grumpily as she and Negi walked out on stage in a bride and groom cosplay. And I have to admit, Wildfire knows how to treat a lady. Must be that British upbringing. She frowned as Negi swept Ako up into his arms and carried her bridal-style, earning another round of cheers from the crowd. Still, maybe he’s too good. At this rate, if Ako really does fall for him…

The contest ended with Ako and Negi winning second place, which Sunset considered a horrible injustice. Afterwards, Negi began leading Ako away from the festival proper. Sunset met up with the others again and questioned the tactic.

“It’s almost time for the rehearsal,” Chisame explained. “After that, the old versions of us will find the old version of Izumi while she’s changing, causing her to run out. Then the old us will be searching for her along with Kugimiya. We need to stay out of their way until we have a chance to bring Izumi back to the concert stage.”

Sunset nodded. “Okay. That makes sense. So where are we headed?”

“The abandoned school building,” Chachamaru answered. “Even during the festival, it is unused during the day. It will only be used at night for tests of courage. Negi-sensei will be asking her to play the bass for him.”

“That’ll certainly eat up the time,” Sunset mused. “Ako can get lost in that thing for hours.” They snuck around to the back of the building and - looking around to make sure there was no-one nearby - hid beneath an open window to listen in.

“Still, this situation is dangerous,” Sunset muttered.

“Dangerous?” Kotarou scoffed. “What kind of danger is there in an empty building?”

Sunset and Chisame traded glances and sighed in unison. “Just a dumb brat after all,” Sunset muttered.

Chisame nodded. “Think about it, kid. That brat has been a perfect gentleman all day, not to mention his naturally high specs. Lots of girls would fall for him at a glance. So what do you think is going to happen when he focuses all of that charm onto a single person? If Izumi isn’t head-over-heels for him by now, I’ll swear off the internet forever.” She chuckled. “Good thing she’s a wallflower, eh, Nichibotsu? Otherwise she might confess right now.”

Sunset hissed between her teeth. “Yeeeeah. About that.” At Chisame’s curious look, she explained. “I… might have been working on building up Ako’s self-esteem ever since that incident. At first it was just as an apology, but, well, since we became friends and all…”

Chisame’s eyes went wide, her face pale. “Are you telling me that we just watched these two go on the ultimate lovey-dovey date, let them be alone in a quiet, intimate space together, and that the girl in question has been steadily building up her self confidence for months?”

“U-um, Nagi-san.” Ako’s voice drifted through the open window.

Sunset slowly nodded. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“U-um, we’ve only known each other for a short time, so it might be weird for me to say something like this, but… I, I have to tell you that I… I…”

Chisame leapt to her feet. “Damn it! We’ve gotta stop- ack!”

Sunset yanked her back down and placed a hand over her mouth, muffling her protests. “Oh no you don’t,” she hissed. “I’ve poured months into building up this girl’s self-esteem. I’m not gonna let you take this moment away from her!”

“W-wait a minute, Nichibotsu,” Chachamaru stammered, blushing and panicking. “I-if Izumi-san is going to c-c-confess, then shouldn’t we stop her? ‘Nagi-san’ is merely a fabrication, after all!”

“That doesn’t matter right now,” Sunset countered, struggling to hold a squirming Chisame. “We have to let her do this. Sure, it might end in heartbreak. But that’s life! We’ll help her through it afterward. What’s important is that she has the confidence to confess in the first place!”

“W-w-what about Negi?!” Kotarou seemed equal parts confused and nervous.

“Like I care!”

“I really like you, Nagi-san!”

Chisame went still, her eyes widening. Sunset breathed a sigh of relief and smirked up at the window. Way to go, Ako.

“I… I realize that this is sudden,” Ako’s voice continued, “and you probably can’t give me an answer right now. A-a-and that’s probably for the best! I-I know part of why you did all of this was to help me not be nervous for my concert, a-and I’m really grateful for that. S-so, s-so if you could give me an answer after the concert, I, that is, I mean… I’D BE REALLY GRATEFUL!!!”

“Ah! Ako-san!”

The sound of running steps sounded from the school building. Sunset - still holding Chisame - rushed to the edge and peaked around the side just in time to see Ako running off. “Okay. Chisame. Dog-boy. Chachamaru. Go after her. Make sure she doesn’t run into anyone early, especially the past Wildfire. I’ll stay here and discuss Wildfire’s next move with him.”

Chisame gave Sunset a dubious look but ultimately relented. She, Kotarou, and Chachamaru took off, running after Ako. Sunset watched them leave, wishing she could go to Ako’s side right now. But she had a more important job to do.

“Ako-san!”

Sunset dashed over to the entrance to the building and stuck out her arm. She caught Negi just in time, clotheslining him and sending him sprawling onto the ground.

“Wildfire indeed,” Sunset snarked, snearing down at her prone teacher. “Blazing your way through the tournament, and now stoking the fires of love in the hearts of innocent maidens. I’m impressed.”

Negi stared up in shock. “N-Nichibotsu?!” He blushed a bit when he saw her adult figure but quickly shook it off as he got back to his feet. “Wh-what are you doing? I need to go-”

“You need to stay right here,” Sunset interrupted firmly. “You heard what Ako said. She needs to focus on her concert right now. The last thing she needs right now is to deal with a stuttering, half-baked answer from you.”

Negi looked from Sunset to the path Ako had taken, torn. “But… me and Kugimiya-san…”

“The other three are on it,” Sunset said. “They’ll keep Ako from running into anyone until the time is right. But for her sake, you need to stay here.”

Negi hesitated for a moment more before nodding. “O-okay.” He let out a heavy sigh. “Nichibotsu. What do I do? I had no idea that this would happen!”

That’s because you’re an idiot kid who doesn’t realize the effect he has on people. Sunset shook off her criticism and focused on what could be done now. “Well, it’s pretty simple, really. Broadly speaking, you’ve got three options: keep lying, accept her, or reject her.”

“...eh?”

Sunset held up a finger. “Option one: keep lying. Keep up the facade of Nagi Springfield. Tell her that you’re flattered by her interest.” She stared Negi in the eye, her own eyes hard. “And then crush her hopes.”

“What?!”

“You heard me.” Sunset began pacing back and forth, staring Nagi up and down. “Let me be clear, Wildfire. You’re hot. Like, seriously hot. Drop-dead gorgeous, especially from a middle-school girl’s perspective. Not only that, but you’re a great guy. Dangerously oblivious - and dangerous in general - but kind and gentle and encouraging. You’re strong without being braggadocious, confident without being cocky, and overall the ideal boyfriend. Most of the girls in our class would fall head-over-heels for you in two minutes maximum, and you just gave Ako a lot more than two minutes. Trust me when I say that she’s totally and completely in love with you and tell me something, Wildfire; do you think she’ll be dissuaded from pursuing or pining for you if there’s any chance - even a one-in-a-million chance - that you might reciprocate?”

Negi’s face was as red as a tomato by this point, but he pushed away his embarrassment to consider her point. “Well, I mean, if I just-”

“No way in hell!” Sunset snapped. “What, were you planning on telling her you were returning to Wales? Trust me, that wouldn’t stop her. She’d write you. Weekly, at least. She’d give her letters to ‘Negi-sensei’ and ask him to deliver them. Which leaves you with two bad options. Either you could string her along, pretend to be Nagi and write her back, or you could ignore her, leaving her in limbo wondering why you weren’t writing back. And even if she eventually stopped writing, her heart would ache for ‘Nagi’ for months afterward. And if you ever had to don this disguise again and she saw you…” Negi’s eyes went wide as he took her point.

“That’s why you need to crush her hopes. Say that you have a girlfriend back in Wales. Actually, a fiance would be better. Apologize for leading her on. Say that that wasn’t your intention, that you were just trying to cheer her up. It’ll hurt her. A lot. She might even hate you for it. But it’ll cut off her pining for you then and there.”

“I-I-I can’t do that!!!” Negi cried desperately. “I- That would hurt Ako-san so much!”

“I agree,” Sunset said with a nod. “But better to rip off the band-aid now than to string her along for the next several months or years.

“The second option is to accept her. Of course, you’d have to do so as ‘Negi Springfield,’ which would mean telling her about magic. Tell her about mages, the magical world, me and Asuna and all the rest, everything. And if she still has feelings for you…” Sunset grit her teeth but pressed on. “Well, then either agree to go out with her, or let her down; I recommend the latter.” Seeing Negi starting to panic, she held up a hand. “Gently, Wildfire. Let her down gently. Cutting her off and crushing her hopes would be a terrible idea with this strategy; it would only work with Nagi because she won’t be seeing him around all the time. Just… respond to her like you would if she’d confessed to ‘Negi’ instead of ‘Nagi.’”

Negi stood in silence for a while, pondering Sunset’s advice. Sunset, meanwhile, glared at him and grit her teeth. This freaking idiot! None of this would have happened if he weren’t so freaking oblivious! No matter what happens, Ako’s going to be horribly embarrassed: either for asking out a taken man, or for not realizing that “Nagi” was a fabrication. Agh! Why can’t this idiot kid THINK before he acts?!

You’re being awfully hard on him, chastised a small voice in her mind, a voice that resembled a certain annoying pink alicorn’s. After all, he is just a child.

That’s no excuse! Sunset fired back. Power. Responsibility. They go hand in hand. Wildfire needs to grow up and get that! He could do serious harm to Ako with this stunt if he handles her confession wrong!

But he won’t. You gave him good advice. The worst that will happen is a little embarrassment for Ako, and you can easily help her through that. Honestly, Sunset, you’re overreacting.

Shut up! Sunset began pacing, glaring at the ground. This is one of my best friends we’re talking about here! I realize how ironic that is coming from me, but I’m not going to let this… this idiot hurt my friends if I can help it!

And yet you suggested that he let her down. Wouldn’t it hurt her less if he tried dating her?

Sunset tripped over herself, nearly stumbling to the ground as the notion struck her. ...what? Wait… what? That’s…

Come to think of it, why had she recommended he reject her? Sure, she’d thrown her support behind Nodoka, but if Ako’s feelings for Negi persisted after she learned the truth, then shouldn’t she give both of her friends equal support? Certainly, Ako had enjoyed her time with Negi on their date. And though the notion caused inexplicable irritation to spike, she could imagine them together quite easily.

So, why had she recommended that he reject her.

“Thank you, Nichibotsu.”

Sunset looked up from her musings, blinking in confusion. “Huh?”

Negi was smiling sheepishly at her. “I guess I really didn’t think this through. I’m not sure Ako-san is as in love with me as you say, but she does seem to have feelings for ‘Nagi.’ I… I really shouldn’t have let that happen.”

Sunset hesitated, caught a bit off-guard. “Er, I mean, just going around looking like that might have been enough.”

Negi blushed again and cleared his throat. “I-in any case, you’re right. I can’t leave things unsure. It wouldn’t be right to Ako-san. I’m… still not quite sure how I’m going to respond to her, but I’ll definitely give it the thought it deserves.” He bowed. “Thank you, Nichibotsu, for helping me avoid another mistake.”

It was Sunset’s turn to blush as she turned away. “D-don’t get me wrong. I did this for Ako’s sake, not yours. If you want to self-destruct then be my guest; just don’t take my friends down with you.” She turned back to Negi. “Although, there is one thing we still need to discuss.”

“Really? What’s that?”

“My fee.” Sunset smirked at Negi’s befuddled expression. “I know all about your little time machine. My World Tree shift was this afternoon, but I’ve missed half of it already following you and Ako around. You and I are going to finish out this day, and then you’re going to take me back with you to right after the tournament this afternoon.”

Negi stared at Sunset in shock. “How… how did you know…”

Sunset smirked, opening her handbag and pulling out her change of clothes. “I have my sources.” She popped a blue pill and started to strip out of her now too-big clothes. “Now let’s go. I know there’s three of them, but I don’t trust Kotarou, Chisame, and Chachamaru not to mess up their patrol.”

*****

Sunset needn’t have worried. Apart from one close encounter which she intercepted, Ako didn’t go anywhere near where Negi and Madoka were searching. Sunset kept a covert eye on Ako and her three tails until her friend disappeared backstage.

“Whew!” Kotarou let out a sigh of relief as Sunset walked up behind them. “This sort of spy stuff is surprisingly nerve-wracking. How am I so tired when all we’ve been doing is walking around?”

“Mental strain,” Sunset answered, making all three of them jump. “Tailing someone is all about discipline, and thus mental energy.” She smirked up at Kotarou. “Something that you are sorely lacking in.”

Chachamaru looked away while Chisame snickered. “So,” the third-grader look-alike said, “how’d things go with the kid?”

Sunset shrugged. “Well enough. I don’t think he’s going to ruin her life with some drawn-out fake relationship crap, so that’s the worst-case scenario avoided. He’s either going to shut her down hard or tell her the whole truth.”

“The whole truth, huh?” Chisame nodded. “Makes sense. Where’s the kid now?”

Sunset nodded towards the stands. “He went to get a good seat. We should probably go too. Trust me, you don’t want to miss Decopin Rocket. Something tells me that their performance is going to be spectacular.”

Sunset’s assessment was right. About twenty minutes later, they were enjoying the band’s rock-and-roll performance. Madoka shredded on lead guitar while Misa took lead vocals and added her rhythm guitar. Sakurako pounded enthusiastically on her drums, clearly having a blast. Ako was by far the most reserved of the four on her bass, but Sunset could see the happy smile on her face, free of nerves and full of joyful anticipation. Makes sense, she thought. After confessing your feelings for someone, what’s a performance in front of a few hundred spectators? She looked around the university stage’s seating with a frown. Can’t believe this place was trashed such a short time ago. I wonder if anyone else knows that a demon was killed in these very stands… Sunset shook her head, turning her attention back to the stage. Whatever. The past is past. Right now, Ako deserves my full attention. ...and the other three too, I guess.

*****

“I hate to admit it, but you guys are pretty good.”

Misa and Madoka glared at Sunset as she approached them backstage. The performance had gone off without a hitch, and Sunset had snuck back quickly to congratulate her friend. Unfortunately, she’d run into these three first. “What do you want, Nichibotsu?” Madoka spat while Sakurako looked on nervously. “Only family and friends are supposed to be back here.”

“Good thing I’m a friend then, huh?” Sunset smirked. “Well, friend to one of you at least.”

Misa ground her teeth together. “You-”

“Misa-chan!” Sakurako cried. “She’s right!” She flinched as three shocked faces turned her way. “I mean, she’s here for Ako-chan, right? Not for us. Can’t we just… call it a truce for right now? For Ako-chan’s sake?”

Misa and Madoka hesitated, giving Sunset appraising glares. Sunset returned their gazes, her own expression cool but not confrontational. Finally, Misa sighed. “If she can be civil for once,” she muttered, “I suppose we can simply ignore each other.”

Sunset readied a snide remark but caught Sakurako’s pleading look. She sighed and glared to the side. “Fine. Works for me. Truce.” She hesitated a moment. “I… I did mean it. You guys are pretty good. Ako said you were.”

Madoka chewed on her lip for a moment. “Thanks,” she finally muttered.

Sakurako let out a sigh of relief and brightened up. “Ako-chan’s been telling us about your lessons with her,” she said cheerfully. “She says you encourage her a lot!”

Sunset smiled fondly towards the changing room; the other girls had let Ako have it to herself again so no-one would see her scar, though Sunset knew there was another reason for her wanting to be alone. “She’s a talented girl, and she thinks much too lowly of herself. I’m glad she was able to work up the courage to confess today, even if it doesn’t work out.”

“CONFESS!!!” All animosity was forgotten as the three girls crowded up into Sunset’s face, their expressions full of shock and excitement.

“Ako-chan confessed?!” Misa gaped, disbelievingly.

“To that total hottie from before?!” Sakurako squealed in delight.

“When?! Where?! How?!” Madoka demanded.

Sunset took a step back from the girls, rolling her eyes. Ugh. Teenagers. Always obsessed with romance. “I don’t know the details,” she lied. “I just happened to be passing by when she did it. She ran off before he could give an answer, though. He should be coming by soon to give her his response.” She heard a door open behind her and looked over her shoulder. “Speak of the devil…”

Negi - or rather, Nagi - walked into the room with Kotarou, smiling nervously. “Er, is Ako-san still here? I didn’t miss her, did I?”

The three cheerleaders’ eyes locked onto Negi, their gazes almost predatory. Sunset headed them off by gesturing towards the changing room. “She’s in there. Go on.” She gave him a small glare. “Knock this time.”

Negi blushed and nodded, walking past them and knocking on the door. A nervous “come in” sounded and Negi entered, closing the door behind him.

“Good luck,” Sunset muttered under her breath, staring at the door. After a moment, she realized that Misa and Madoka were staring at her in confusion. “What?”

“You… really do care about her,” Madoka said, astonished.

Sunset sighed and leveled a glare at her. “Sorry to break it to you two, but I’m not a heartless monster. Just because you got on my bad side doesn’t mean that everyone else does.” Madoka and Misa tensed and Sakurako started looking nervous again.

“Um, did something happen between you girls?” Kotarou asked bluntly.

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Oh, nothing much,” she said airily. “They were annoying me while I was trying to study so I tormented them for hours with snide remarks and barely-veiled insults until they finally snapped.”

“And then she drug us all out the the World Tree plaza to insult us further,” Misa growled. “A third of the class, at least.”

Sunset shrugged. “Not my proudest moment, but it worked. Mostly.” She sighed and shook her head. “Look, I get that you two hold a grudge against me. That’s fair. But honestly, I couldn’t care less about you three. If you just leave me be, I’ll do the same for you. We’ll try to ignore each other when we have to be in the same room, and be civil when that isn’t an option. That goes for the twins, too.”

“You expect us to just let it go?” Madoka demanded. “Everything you said? A whole day of mockery and insults? You haven’t even apologized.”

Sunset considered that for a moment. “Apologize?” She hesitated. “I mean, I could, but I don’t think you’d want me lying to your faces. Let me be blunt; I’m not really sorry for what I said. It got you off my back, just like it was supposed to. I guess I could say that I’m sorry that that situation arose in the first place but - as I recall - I wasn’t given much choice in the matter. Really, you should be asking the Class Rep for an apology for sending you on a suicide mission.”

“You little-!”

Misa’s retort was cut off as Negi opened the door behind her, stepping out with a strange expression on his face. He met Sunset’s eye, smiling hesitantly.

“Now if you’ll excuse me,” Sunset said, ducking around the girls and slipping towards the changing room, “I need to go see my friend.”

“NICHI-”

Sunset shut the door behind her, locking it immediately. Misa pounded on it, shouting from the other side. Sunset rolled her eyes before ignoring her, turning to face Ako.

The blue-haired bassist sat on a chair, still in her performance outfit. She stared off to the side, a stunned, contemplative expression on her face. She didn’t react to Sunset’s entry, didn’t even seem to notice her. Sunet pulled up another chair and sat right in front of her, giving her another minute before she cleared her throat. “So, he told you, huh?”

Ako jumped, turning to face Sunset. She stared at her for a moment before blinking a couple of times. “Told me… you knew?” Her eyes widened. “Nichi-chan… you mean you’re also…”

Sunset smiled gently and reached forward, placing a hand on her knee. “It’s a lot to take in, huh? Yeah, I’m a mage.”

Ako stared at her for a moment more before leaning back, staring at the ceiling. “...yeah, he told me. Nagi-san, er, Negi-Sensei…” She sighed and brought up an arm to rest against her eyes. “I can’t believe I fell for someone who wasn’t real.”

Sunset withheld her chuckles and her teasings; Ako needed understanding right now, not further embarrassment. “Come on, Ako. You couldn’t have known. And even I have to admit that Wildfire’s a damn hottie aged up like that. Between that and his natural British charm, any girl in this school would have fallen for him. Trust me, you were the envy of the festival today.”

Ako was silent for a minute before she lifted her arm slightly, glaring at Sunset with one eye. “You were spying on our date?”

Sunset flinched at the accusation. “Sorry. But with Wildfire being the trouble-magnet that he is, I thought I should tag along just in case.” She hesitated for a moment. “Kotarou, Chachamaru, and Chisame were there, too.”

“...sure. Why not.” Ako covered her eyes again. “The more the merrier, right? All the better to make fun of poor, stupid me who fell head-over-heals for a complete stranger who didn’t even-”

“That’s enough!” Ako flinched and sat upright at Sunset’s shout. Sunset held her gaze, her eyes filled with intensity. “You aren’t an idiot, Ako. You couldn’t have known that it was Wildfire pulling that stunt. If anyone’s to blame for this, it’s him. Kotarou’s a brat who doesn’t get all of this to begin with, and Chachamaru doesn’t have a mean line in her programing. As for Chisame, I had to restrain and gag her to stop her from interfering in your confession; she was almost as worried about you as I was. I guarantee that she’s not going to utter so much as a chuckle at your expense.” And if she does, I’ll make sure they never find her body. “And as for me…” Sunset’s expression softened, a hint of worry mixed with hurt entering her features, “...do you really think I’d make fun of you for this?”

Ako looked down, ashamed. “...no. I… I’m sorry, Nichi-chan. I shouldn’t have said that. I know that if you were following us, then you did it for my sake. It’s just…” she sniffed and rubbed at her eyes. “It’s just so frustrating. I mean, I finally did it. I finally took a risk and put myself out there. Took a step to make myself more than just the side character in everyone else’s stories l-like you always t-tried to inspire me t-to d-do. A-a-and it all j-just… j-just…”

Sunset reached out and pulled Ako into an embrace, letting her friend sob quietly into her shoulder as she rubbed her back. “Hey, hey. None of that, okay? It was amazing, what you did. You have nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about. If things hadn’t been how they were, I have no doubt that Nagi Springfield would have been over the moon to have you as his girlfriend. Anyone would be lucky to be with you. Shh, shh. It’s okay.”

They sat there for a few minutes, Sunset muttering reassurances to Ako as she cried herself out. Finally, Ako pulled away, sitting upright again and looking away with flushed cheeks. “Um, sorry, Nichi-chan.”

Sunset waved her off. “Hey, that’s what friends are for, right?” She sighed and glared off to the side. “I swear, I’m going to beat that idiot into next week for this.”

“Y-you don’t need to-”

“Yes I do. No-one gets to hurt my friends and get away with it, no matter how good their intentions.” She turned back to Ako. “You… do know that, right? That he meant well, I mean.”

Ako nodded. “Y-yeah, I know. I mean, I was kind of a mess yesterday, er, tonight? Um…”

Sunset chuckled. “Yeah, time travel wreaks havoc on language.” That got a giggle out of Ako, much to Sunset’s relief. “You certainly weren’t a mess this time around. I saw your performance; you were amazing!”

Ako blushed. “I mean, after working up the nerve to confess, performing on stage wasn’t really that hard. And I remembered all of your encouragement about how good I am if I don’t overthink things. I just…” she looked down, her blush deepening, “...I just imagined I was playing for you again.”

Sunset felt her own cheeks reddening at that. Sweet Celestia, Wildfire is a freaking idiot to turn down someone this adorable! What the hell is wrong with him?! “Er, glad I could help, I guess.”

Ako giggled again and looked up, finally smiling. “Yeah, thank you.” They were both quiet for a moment before Ako cleared her throat. “So, um, I guess I should actually get around to changing.”

Sunset stood up, turning away. “Er, yeah. I’ll, um, I’ll tell the others that you’re going to be a minute.” She took a few steps towards the door before pausing. “Er, Ako? I’m, that is, the Library Exploration Club is doing tours of Library Island tonight. The first tour starts in a bit, but we’re running them every ten minutes. Would, ah, that is, would you like to come?”

Ako cocked her head to the side, confused at Sunset’s reticence. “Um, sure. I’ll make my way over once I’ve changed.”

“Yeah, cool. Sure. I’ll see you there, then.” Sunset quickly left the room, speeding past Ako’s angry bandmates and making her way through the festival towards Library Island. All the while, she fought to wrestle the blush from her face, along with a stupid smile.

What the hell is wrong with me?

Arc 6.3 Chapter 57

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“Hey Yue. I think I’m falling in love.”

“I’m flattered, Nichi-chan, but I don’t swing that way.”

Two perfect spittakes accompanied these declarations. Nodoka and Haruna stared in shock at Sunset for her impromptu report and at Yue for her blase response.

Haruna recovered first. “I KNEW IT! It’s Makie-san, isn’t it? I suspected ever since that weird conversation on the train, but-”

“It’s not Makie. And could you speak a little louder? I think there are some people on the other side of the room who didn’t hear you.”

The four friends were lounging in one of the Library Exploration Club’s many operations centers which doubled as a breakroom for the tour teams who were between shifts. Sunset, Nodoka, Yue, and Haruna had already led a couple of tours through the first few floors of Library Island, Sunset remaining uncharacteristically quiet throughout. Finally, as they waited for their third group to be ready, she’d broken her silence.

Haruna waved off their upperclassmen who had looked over at her shout. The high-school and university students were administering the tours and standing by for search and rescue if necessary. Eventually, they went back to their own conversations and Haruna turned back to Sunset. “Okay, so not Makie. Who, then?”

“I’d rather not say.” Sunset glared at Haruna. “I’d rather you didn’t shout this person’s name to the entire room.”

“Give her some credit,” Yue said. “She hasn’t spilled the beans about magic yet, despite our concerns.”

“That’s because she knows what I’ll do to her if she does.”

Nodoka shuddered. “I’m not sure which one is scarier: Haruna-chan when she learns that we’ve kept gossip from her, or Nichi-chan if anyone betrays her trust.”

“Stop changing the subject! If you’re not going to tell us who it is, then why did you bother saying anything?”

Sunset sighed. “Because I don’t know what to do,” she admitted. “I mean, I’ve been thinking about it for the past hour and only now come to grips with the fact that I’m falling in love. I even considered asking you for your diary, Honya, just so I could sort out my thoughts. I also don’t think this person reciprocates. There’s admiration aplenty, but love? Besides, this person just got through a… complicated break up. I’m not sure that love is even an option right now.” She shrugged. “So, I’m kind of in limbo right now.”

“Complicated break up?” Nodoka looked surprised. “Wait, you mean you aren’t talking about me?”

A beat of silence echoed awkwardly between them.

“She what?”

“You knew?”

“Was that a secret?”

“Oh boy.”

Sunset and Nodoka were both blushing furiously. Nodoka started to stammer. “I-I-I mean, I-I just assumed you knew I knew! After I got the diary! A-and with how you teased Setsuna-chan with it! I just assumed you knew I’d seen at some point!”

“Why would I assume that you’d been periodically reading my mind?!” Sunset groaned into her hands. “That damn diary. I knew it would cause trouble.”

“Wait a minute!” Haruna was practically salivating over this revelation. “Nichi-chan is in love with Honya?!”

“It’s a crush,” Sunset corrected. “An innocent infatuation not even approaching the level of puppy love. A childish imitation of the deeper emotion that is eros. A crush can grow into love, but only with significant time, active effort, or a powerful inciting incident.”

“More lessons from the love goddess?” Yue guessed.

“Non-stop lectures for a whole freaking year.” Sunset sighed and shook her head. “But yes, I have a crush on Honya. A small one, and it’s been fading lately as I’ve made more friends and deepened my relationships with them. This is different. ‘Falling in love’ is a much more serious condition. And unfortunately, I think I’ve caught it on the tail end as it’s blooming into fully ‘being in love.’”

Haruna stared at Sunset for a moment. “I’m sorry, I heard Yuechi say ‘love goddess’ and kinda zoned out after that. What?”

Sunset eyed Yue. “You haven’t told her about Keidensu yet?”

“It seemed like a minor detail, considering everything else we had to cover.”

“Fair enough.” She turned back to Haruna. “To summarize, I was roommates with the literal Goddess of Love for a year before coming to this world. I have a vast and deep knowledge of all variations of love and its imitations and relatives. Love may be esoteric, but I have the requisite knowledge to dissect it.”

“I… see. So, ‘falling in love’ versus ‘being in love?’”

Sunset leaned back and stared at the ceiling. How to explain it? “Falling in love is… a process. A gradual change in how you feel about someone. It can start anywhere on the scale of attraction from ‘crush’ to ‘drop dead, you pervert.’ You slowly start to see more and more of the other person’s positive qualities, start to understand them more, start to want to be around them more. Even if you still see all of their flaws and faults, they start to matter less. The positives either outweigh the negatives or they blind you to them. Eventually, you cross the event horizon into the state of insanity that is ‘being in love.’

“And it really is a state of insanity. The other person occupies your mind constantly. You’re constantly aware of them if you’re in the same room. If you aren’t in the same room, you’re thinking of how to get together with them again or counting down the time. Your impulse control is significantly impaired where they’re concerned, as is your sense of shame. It’s a terrifying thing.”

Nodoka frowned. “Nichi-chan, do you have to make love sound like such a bad thing?”

“Not ‘love’,” Sunset corrected. “‘Being in love.’ There’s a significant difference. ‘Love’ is far deeper, far nobler, and far more powerful. If you’re ‘in love,’ you want to be happy and for the other person to be happy for the sake of your own good feelings. ‘Love’ is putting the other person’s needs before your own. It’s wanting them to be happy because the thought of them being unhappy tears you to pieces inside. It’s wanting to sacrifice for their sake. Wanting not just what will make them happy in the moment, but what will bring them joy throughout their lives. It’s one of the most powerful magics in the world, literally in my world, and almost so in this one.” She shook her head. “But I’m a long, long way off from ‘love.’”

Haruna stared slack-jawed at Sunset for a minute. “Okay, I was gonna call BS that ‘roommates with the literal Goddess of Love’ stuff, but I can’t think of any other way that Hikaru ‘Demon Slayer’ Nichibotsu goes off on a lecture about love.”

Sunset glared at Yue. “Oh, that detail you mention?”

Yue shrugged. “So, you wanted our advice?”

Haruna shook her head, her familiar eager grin falling into place now that they were back on semi-familiar ground. “O-ho! You want us to help you plan a lovey-dovey date to help you sweep this person off their-”

“Bad breakup, remember? ‘Rebound relationships’ last about a month, max. If this is going to happen, I want it to be because it’s genuine.”

“...that’s a good point.” Haruna crossed her arms with a frown. “Hm, that is a tricky one. Well first off, is this person a boy or a girl?”

“Does that matter?”

“You were roomies with Aphrodite; you tell me.”

“...a girl,” Sunset confessed. She looked away, trying to hide her blush. “Around our - or rather, your - age.”

“Is she a member of the Boxing Club?” Nodoka asked. “Someone in our class?”

“...the latter.” Sunset’s heart filled with dread as she saw her three rather intelligent friends running through their class in their heads. “Look, you don’t need to know who it is to-”

“Konoka?”

“Are you kidding? Setsuna-san would kill her. Wait, could that be it?”

“Nichi-chan would never try to steal Setsuna-san from Konoka-chan. Maybe Asuna-san?”

“Look, you really don’t need to-”

“Nah, that hate’s as real as it gets. Maybe Kaede?”

“They have had more than one heart-to-heart.”

“How did you know about-!”

“No, I’m pretty sure Kaede-san isn’t her type. Maybe for a fling, but not for a relationship.”

“A f-f-f-f-fling?!”

“She is older than us, Honya. And she’s alluded to past casual relationships before.”

“Seriously?! Details!”

“Back in her pony world.”

“...scratch those details.”

“Girls, you really don’t need to-”

“Chisame-san?”

“Wha- I’m not going to respond to wild guesses!”

“Yuna-chan?”

“I don’t… okay, I stare a lot, but that’s just because of her chest!”

“Misa-san?”

“She can drop dead for all I care.”

“Ako-san?”

“-! N-no!”

Three sets of eyes brightened at Sunset’s stammer. “O-ho-ho!” Haruna said, smirking evily. “Is that how it is? I wonder how much Asakura would pay me for a scoop like-”

Sunset lunged forward, her hand wrapping around Haruna’s throat. “Breathe a word of this to her,” she hissed, her eyes blazing as much as her cheeks, “and I swear to you that they will never find the body.”

Haruna just kept up her smirk, utterly unconcerned. “You know you just confirmed it, right?”

“...damn it.” Sunset released Haruna and collapsed back into her seat. “Fine, it’s Ako. I’m falling in love with Izumi Ako.”

Haruna barked out a triumphant laugh while Nodoka squeed. Yue looked up in thoughtful confusion. “I didn’t know that Ako-san had a boyfriend.”

“She didn’t,” Sunset muttered. “Not really. It’s… complicated.” She quickly explained to them the circumstance of “Nagi’s” date with Ako and the subsequent revelation of magic that had followed, along with Sunset’s post-rejection pep-talk. “And that’s about it. I mean, being angry at Wildfire for his stupidity makes sense, but I can tell now that I was overreacting. And I think I might have been… jealous of him while he and Ako had their date. I even framed rejecting her as the best option which… yeah, objectively was probably the right call, but I don’t think I advised it for entirely objective reasons. And the way I comforted her afterwards…” Her face was on fire as she looked down at her hands.

“...I’ve never been like that towards anyone before, not since my brother and I were really young. It felt right at the time but, thinking back on it, I’m kind of scared how vulnerable I was. Like, I was so desperate for her not to beat herself up over this. Like if she did, it’d be truly terrible. And when she thanked me afterwards…” A shiver ran down her spine. “I always scoffed when Keidensu talked about how scary ‘being in love’ could be, but I get it now. Right then, I felt like there was a knife pressed right up against my heart, and Ako was the one holding the hilt. And if she came away from that room depressed…”

Her three friends were stunned into silence for a minute; they’d never seen Sunset like this before. “Okay,” Haruna eventually said, nodding. “You’ve definitely got it bad for her.”

“Yeah, I figured that out, thanks,” Sunset said. “The question is, what do I do now?”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about the ‘rebound relationship’ issue,” Yue mused. “If Ako-san and Negi-sensei only had the one date, and if she was that embarrassed by it, she probably isn’t gung-ho to try again immediately.”

“Maybe just try what I’m doing with Negi-sensei,” Nodoka suggested. “Spending time getting closer to her until you feel comfortable asking her out on a date.” She blushed and chuckled self-depricatingly. “It, um, it’ll probably take you less time than it did me.”

“Heck, you could probably start going on dates right away,” Haruna said. “Just don’t call them that. Call it ‘hanging out just the two of you’ until you get a sense that she’d be open to more.”

“...that’s it?” Sunset arched an eyebrow. “I totally expected you to tell me to charge full-steam ahead. Isn’t that what you always suggest to Honya?”

“Honya faces the constant risk that someone else will try to swipe up Negi-kun before she can,” Haruna countered. “But with you…” She trailed off, rubbing the back of her neck as she looked away. “I mean, no offence to her, but Ako-san is kind of… that is…”

“You’re saying,” Sunset said, an edge in her voice, “that Ako is less likely to attract romantic rivals for me. That it’s less likely for someone else to develop feelings for her than it would be for them to develop feelings for Wildfire.”

Haruna winced. “I mean, yes?”

Sunset took a deep breath and tried to force her initial reaction aside. “You’re probably right,” she admitted through clenched teeth. “Ako’s charm is powerful, but it’s far more to do with her personality than her looks. Her introversion is endearing, but it makes her less likely to draw attention. She’s extremely cute, but our class is full of bombshells that hog the spotlight. Her first impression is… mild.”

Haruna tugged at her shirt collar, sweat running down her face. “Er, right. That. B-but that’s good for you! You’ve got all the time in the world to take the slow and steady approach.” Sunset glared at Haruna. “N-n-not that it would take all the time in the world for someone else to notice how great Ako-san is! Just that, um, er, ah, Yue! Say something!”

Yue chuckled as Sunset's glare bored into Haruna. “Haruna’s tactlessness aside, there’s our advice, Nichi-chan. What do you think?”

Sunset shot one more glare at Haruna before sighing and leaning back in her seat, staring up at the ceiling. “I mean, I guess that makes sense. Ako and I have already been getting closer lately. I guess I just need to start making it intentional.”

“There you go!” Haruna said, relieved. “And hey! If anyone else does start going for Ako-san, you can just beat them to a pulp!” Her boisterous laugh trailed off quickly when she noticed Sunset’s contemplative expression. “Um, Nichi-chan? That was a joke.”

“Well, duh. A bloody smear would be too easy to find. But if I teleported them into a locked dungeon here on Library Island…”

Another minute of silence hung about the room. “Keidensu-hime is right,” Nodoka muttered. “Being in love is scary.”

“Speaking of which,” Sunset said, snapping out of her reverie, “didn’t you have a date with Wildfire yester-”

“Oh my! Is that the time?! We’d better get ready for the next tour group!”

“Wha- HEY! You can’t just interrogate me on my love life and then run off at the first mention of yours! Honya?! HONYA!!!”

*****

Unfortunately for Sunset’s curiosity, the next tour group was indeed ready to go. Fortunately for Sunset’s heart, Ako had finally arrived. She was able to ignore Haruna’s snickering easily enough, a task that became even easier when Negi arrived right before the group set off. His and Ako’s eyes met for an instant before they both looked away, intense blushes covering both of their faces. Sunset was both relieved and concerned that Ako’s blush seemed to be entirely from embarrassment rather than attraction.

"You're going to have to get used to it," Sunset muttered to Ako as Yue led the group down to the second level of Library Island, lecturing everyone on what little they knew of its history. "You're going to see him everyday in class."

Ako huffed, staring at the back of Negi’s head. Thankfully, their teacher was completely engrossed in Yue's lecture. She and Sunset were loitering at the back of the group so as not to be overheard. "I know. But it's just so embarrassing!"

"If it's any consolation, Wildfire’s just as embarrassed as you are." She smirked. "In fact, I think seeing how embarrassed you are is making him even more flustered."

"Maybe I should keep it up on purpose, then," Ako grumbled.

Sunset stifled a laugh and shook her head. "Hell hath no fury" indeed. "As fun as that would be to watch, and as much as he deserves it, you probably don't want more of the class asking about what happened between you two."

Ako sighed. “You’re probably right. Not that any of them would believe me anyway. I mean, how many people in the class even know about magic?” She started to chuckle before trailing off when she noticed Sunset counting on her fingers. “Er, Nichi-chan?”

“I think you make eighteen,” Sunset muttered. “Nineteen if you count the class ghost. Actually, I’m pretty sure Kotarou’s let Chizuru and Natsumi in on the secret, and Ayaka’s sharp enough that I’d be surprised if she hasn’t intuited something of what’s going on. So that’s twenty-two. I think the only ones still in the dark are the twins, the cheerleaders, the rest of the sports girls, Satsuki, and Misora.”

Ako’s stared at Sunset, her jaw hanging open. “Nichi-chan, that’s more than two thirds of the class.”

“Wildfire is ridiculously bad at keeping it a secret.” Sunset shrugged. “Though, to be fair, nine of us knew about magic from the start. But there’s a betting pool going for how long it will take for the whole class to find out. But with you acting as a gateway to the sports girls and Dekopin Rocket and the twins learning ninja stuff from Kaede, Satsuki and Misora are the only wildcards. My bet’s on everyone knowing before the year is over.”

“Actually, Kasuga-chan already knows.”

Sunset and Ako flinched at the sudden intrusion, the former turning to glare over her shoulder at Haruna. “Eavesdropping is a nasty habit. It’s going to get you into trouble someday.”

“Down there is the biggest lake in Library Island,” Yue lectured the group, pointing to a massive cavern to the left. “Lake Tribulatio, which is Latin for ‘trouble’. So named for the many traps which ring its shores and the dangerous wildlife that used to make the waters their home.”

Sunset sneered at Haruna. “Oh look, ‘someday’ might be here now.”

Haruna held up her hands placatingly. “Hey hey hey, I just happened to overhear. Anyway, it turns out Kasuga-chan’s been part of the ‘inner world’ all along.”

“Is that so?” Sunset hummed to herself. “Twenty-three, then. I wonder if Satsuki knows anything…”

“I’d be surprised if she doesn’t,” Ako mused. “She’s friends with Chao-san and Hakase-san, right?”

“And then there’s her food stall,” Haruna added. “People get chatty over food, especially if you give them enough sake. One of the mage teachers at this school is bound to have let something slip around her.”

“So that’s a soft twenty-four.” Sunset shook her head. I swear, if Yue’s right and it all gets out before Summer Break, I’m punting Wildfire into Lake Tribulatio. I’ve got some good snacks riding on this!”

“That’s what happens when you bet against Yuechi.” Haruna hooked an arm around Ako’s neck, pulling her close and whispering conspiratorially. “So, how’s it feel to be initiated into the ‘Knowing About Magic Club?’ If you ever have any questions, feel free to ask your reliable Haruna-senpai.”

“‘Haruna-senpai’ only learned about it today herself,” Sunset said, glaring at her. “And last I checked, you’re still missing some key pieces of information.”

“Pshah,” Haruna said, waving her off. “Yuechi and Honya-chan have filled me in on all the important parts.”

“You didn’t know about my former-roommate until literally five minutes ago.”

“You’re from another dimension; that doesn’t count!”

“Wait. She’s what?”

“That’s it! Time for you to get into trouble!”

“Wait! Nichi- agh! No! No no no no nooooooooooooooooo…”

The tour group stared in shock as Haruna was flung down to the water far below. Yue simply sighed and shook her head. “Sorry about that, everyone. She’ll be fine. Nichibotsu throws Haruna-chan into Lake Tribulatio at least once a month. As I was saying, this corridor is relatively new, only added in the last century to connect the main path to the French History section.”

Sunset huffed and took Ako’s hand, pulling her along after the tour group. “That Haruna, I swear. One of these days she’s going to let something slip that gets her into serious trouble.”

Ako said nothing for a minute, letting Sunset pull her along, neither of them really listening to Yue’s commentary. “Nichi-chan?” she eventually asked. “How much is there about you that I don’t know?”

Sunset was quiet for a moment before she sighed, slowing to a stop and letting the tour group progress without them. “...a lot, Ako. I guess I should start by saying that my amnesia story is completely made up.”

“I kind of figured that, yeah. So, you’re from… another dimension?”

“I was kinda hoping we could work up to that, but yeah. I’m from another universe entirely, unconnected to this one except by a magic mirror that only opens once every two-and-a-half years. The mirror on this side is inside a hidden room here in Library Island, where Honya and the others found me. They taught me Japanese and helped me adapt to this world. I learned about this world’s magic soon after I joined the class, and I’ve been learning ever since.” She paused as they passed a narrow side-passage. “Huh. Never been down this way before.” She shrugged and pulled Ako along off the main path. “Come on. Need to make sure no-one overhears us.”

“Eh?!” Ako looked from Sunset to the main path and back, uncertain. “Er, they said not to leave the group. We could get lost.”

“We probably will.” Sunset chuckled as Ako’s uncertainty turned to panic. “Don’t worry. I get lost down here all the time. I know all the tricks to find my way back. Can’t miss my Midnight Horror route tonight after all.”

Ako hesitated a moment longer before allowing Sunset to drag her deeper into Library Island. As they walked and browsed the bookshelves - poetry and other writings of the Warring States Period - Sunset filled Ako in on what she knew of the magical world, including Negi’s adventures in Kyoto and their confrontation with the demon Herrman. She found herself glossing over the more combative parts of these stories, though she did divulge - at Ako’s prompting - the details of her conflict with Negi.

“So, you’re not, er, ‘contracted’ to Negi-sensei anymore?”

“It was only a provisional contract,” Sunset muttered. “And no, I’m not. Free and untethered, that’s me.” Free and untethered? Seriously? Agh! How do you flirt again?

“Yeah, that sounds more like you,” Ako mused. “But he has a lot of other partners, right?”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Four, last I checked. And Haruna will definitely want to join in on that once she hears about artefacts.”

“And you form a contract by, um, k-kissing, right?”

“...yeah?”

“...so you’re saying that I got taken in by a playboy.”

Sunset stumbled to a stop. She turned to stare back at a stone-faced Ako. “You- that- You didn’t-” Her dumbfounded, half-panicked expression turned quickly to irritation as Ako’s stoic facade started to crack. “Oh, ha ha.”

Ako giggled as her face relaxed. “Sorry, Nichi-chan. I couldn’t resist. You were just so concerned about me earlier, and I never really get the chance to tease you.”

Sunset huffed and looked away to hide her blush. “Yeah yeah, yuck it up. Glad you’re okay enough to make jokes about it, at least.”

Ako nodded with a light blush of her own. “Honestly, I’ve been thinking about it ever since Negi-kun told me everything. I mean, really, I barely knew ‘Nagi-san.’ I met him once before the festival and then spent, what, a few hours with him? I’m just glad it all wrapped up before my feelings could grow any deeper.” She groaned. “I still can’t believe how hard I fell.”

Sunset chuckled. “Yeah, that’s love for ya, I guess.”

“Love, huh?” Ako hummed curiously. “Do you have a lot of experience with love, Nichi-chan?”

“Not… first-hand,” she admitted. “I mentioned my former roommate earlier, right? Well, she’s something of an expert on love. Most of what I know comes from her ramblings.”

“Your roommate from… the other dimension, right?” Ako’s eyes sparked with curiosity. “What’s it like?”

Sunset shrugged. “Oh, you know. People. Problems. Not too different from this one.”

Ako deflated. “Oh.”

“...everyone’s a pony, though.”

“EH?!”

*****

By the time Sunset had finished detailing her life in Equestria - and Ako had demanded details - they’d made their way down to familiar territory for Sunset. She quickly led Ako to her old room to show her the mirror.

“Wow,” Ako breathed as she ran a hand along the mirror’s purple frame. “A whole other world, just on the other side of this mirror.”

Sunset eyed the mirror with decidedly less awe, though without the scorn she had once born. She couldn’t help but wonder if, having experienced all she had now, she would have made the same choice she’d made back then.

Useless speculation, really. The only way for me to have seen all I’ve seen and learned all I’ve learned would have been to go through. I suppose I was always meant to explore this world behind the mirror. “I’ll be happy to show you around when it opens again,” Sunset told Ako. “It’ll be open for three days. That’s plenty of time to show you the sights of Canterlot and have you back here before the portal closes.”

Ako jerked her hand back. “Oh! Right. E-heh. Wouldn’t want to get stuck on the other side for two and a half years. Not that it wouldn’t be fun, but it would be pretty terrible for everyone if I disappeared on them one day.” She winced and looked back at Sunset. “N-not that I think you’re terrible, Nichi-chan! It’s just, um…”

Sunset shook her head and gazed into the mirror, studying her still-alien reflection. “It’s okay. It was pretty terrible of me. Not just for running out on Tenko-hime, but for leaving Nikko behind without a word. Leaving Keidensu-hime without apologizing for my bitchiness and jealousy. Leaving the R&D guys with my unfinished work.” She sighed. “I’m going to have a lot of apologizing to do when I go back.”

“That’s a lot to take care of in three days. I don’t envy you.”

“...”

“Nichi-chan? You… you would just be going back for three days, right?”

Sunset sighed again and sat down before the mirror. “Honestly? I’m not sure. I still don’t feel like I’m a human, not really. I feel like my destiny is still to guide and guard Equestria. But… I will admit, it’s going to be a lot harder to leave than I thought it would be when I first came through. I… I really don’t want to say anything like a permanent goodbye to any of the friends I’ve made here. Honya. Yue. Setsuna. Even Evangeline and Dog-boy, er, Kotarou, Wildfire’s friend.”

Ako pointed uncertainly at herself. “Er…”

“Oh yeah,” Sunset mused idly. “You too, I guess.” She smirked up at Ako and held up her hand, her thumb and forefinger half a centimeter apart. “Just a liiiiittle bit.”

Ako giggled. “Jerk.”

Sunset answered with a chuckle before looking back at the mirror. “I really don’t want to leave everyone behind again, Ako. Not now when I finally get why this whole ‘friendship’ thing is so great. I… I’d miss all of you a lot.”

Ako frowned. “Maybe there’s a way to keep the portal open longer than those three days?”

“Maybe…” Sunset shook her head and stood. “Something to think about, anyway. Maybe I’ll see if Evangeline and Wildfire have any ideas about that sort of thing. If nothing else, I can see if Tenko-hime has any ideas when I get back.” She jerked her head towards the door. “Come on. Let’s get back.”

Ako gave the mirror one last glance before following.

Arc 6.3 Chapter 58

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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.

Arc 6.3 Chapter 59

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Sunset started the final day of the school festival as Chao Bao Zi’s first customer. Satsuki was still setting up - Chao and her allies had apparently vanished at the end of the party, and Ku Fei was nowhere to be found - and Sunset volunteered to help, if only to get her breakfast more quickly. They got to talking as they set up, and Sunset learned that Satsuki had indeed known about magic for a few years now, though she wasn’t involved in the Inner World herself. She’d also learned about the chef’s dream of opening her own restaurant someday.

All in all, it had been one of Sunset’s most normal and uncomplicatedly pleasant interactions with a member of her class to date.

Sunset had barely started on her breakfast when a voice stole away her focus. “A-hah! I thought I’d find you here!” Sunset stared as the seat across from her was taken by a certain half-asleep bassist.

“A-Ako?” Sunset almost fumbled her meat bun as Ako gave Satsuki her order. “Wh- How are you here? You and Decopin Rocket must have been the last ones to leave the party!”

“Yeah, that was pretty rough,” Ako admitted, stifling a yawn. “By the time we got all our instruments stored away, it was almost two in the morning. Then of course we helped Negi-sensei move everyone who had passed out on the roof indoors so they wouldn’t catch colds. I didn’t get back to my bed until almost four.”

Sunset checked the time - almost seven. “I reiterate, how are you here?”

Ako hid a massive yawn behind her hand before giggling. “Come on, Nichi-chan. You aren’t the only one who can go a day without enough sleep. I’ve spent enough nights up late practicing and cramming to know how to handle it.” She let out another yawn, though this one was smaller. “Besides, this is important.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow at that assertion, but decided to take pity on the poor sleep-deprived girl and waited until Yotsuba had delivered her her breakfast. A few sips of coffee and half an egg sandwich, and Ako was looking much more awake. “Okay,” Sunset finally ventured. “What’s so important?”

Ako blinked a few times before remembering her bleary-eyed assertion. “Oh! Right!” She frowned at Sunset. “Nichi-chan, have you had time to enjoy the festival at all?”

Sunset blinked at the apparent non-sequitur. “Huh?”

“I was thinking about it on the way home this morning. You spent most of the first day at the horror house, right? And spent a few hours advertising right after that. Then there was the Martial Arts Tournament which took you through yesterday afternoon. Then you followed me on my…” She trailed off and checked to make sure Satsuki wasn’t nearby before muttering the next few words. “... my date with Negi-sensei, followed by your tours with the Library Exploration Club and Chao’s farewell party.”

Sunset stared in bafflement for a minute. That… I mean, when you put it like that, I guess I haven’t really gotten to see anything. Sunset fought to keep a stupid grin off her face as a realization struck her. Wait! She’s been paying that much attention to me? “That pretty much sums it up, yeah,” Sunset finally said. “I mean, I did get Wildfire to take me back in time with him once yesterday, but that was just so I could help out with something around the World Tree.”

“I knew it!” Ako was frowning now. “While everyone else has been getting to have fun, you’ve barely been able to participate in anything.”

“Hey! It’s not like I was roped into the martial arts tournament!” Sunset defended. “I was perfectly happy to compete in that.”

Ako frowned. “Even though that Colonel Sanders was so much more powerful than anyone there? Nichi-chan, even with how strong you’ve told me you are, I don’t think you would have stood a chance against him.”

“...okay, yeah. His involvement kinda took about half the thrill out of the tournament. But it was still worthwhile.”

“Still, you’ve barely gotten to do anything. And what’s more, this is your first Mahorafest! Do you even know what you want to do for the last day?”

Sunset opened her mouth to tell Ako that she did have a plan, but found herself at a loss for words - between all of the fighting exhibitions and competitions being absorbed into the Martial Arts tournament and the early afternoon of the second day spent trailing Ako, Sunset’s carefully laid plan for the last day of the festival was shot to hell. And she knew enough from her pre-festival planning efforts that the festival was far too vast and busy to make the most of it by winging it; honestly, she didn’t even know where to begin.

Ako bore a triumphant smile as Sunset came to this realization. “And that’s why,” she said, finally arriving at her point, “I’m going to be showing you around the festival today!”

“...eh?”

Ako giggled. “Come on, Nichi-chan. It’s the least I can do to repay you for all your help yesterday and last night. Besides, Mahorafest is always more fun with a friend!” She beamed at Sunset. “What do you say?”

I say that that level of cuteness should be illegal this early in the morning. Sunset sighed and offered Ako a resigned grin. “There’s no real way for me to say no to this, is there?” Not that I really want to.

After all, it’ll make for a good first date.

*****

By the time they finished their breakfast, Mahorafest was in full swing once again. The streets were more packed than ever, the air full of the sort of frantic desperation to have a good time that always accompanied the last day of a celebration. Ako pulled Sunset through the streets towards the edge of the school, and Sunset quickly saw what they were headed towards.

“The parade?” she asked as they drew close, surprised. Mahorafest featured a three-day parade of floats, bands, and other showcases which wound its way around the edge of the festival all day and well into the night. Sunset had caught glimpses of it at a distance - mostly of the larger floats, massive balloons, and ridiculously realistic and colossal animatronics - but had had little time or interest to spare for it. She was surprised that Ako would choose something like this to show her on the last day.

Hearing the incredulousness in her tone, Ako smiled over her shoulder at Sunset. “Trust me. You’re going to like this.”

They finally managed to push through the crowds enough to see the parade passing by. An intricately decorated ocean-themed float was just passing them, complete with a large aquarium filled with live fish and girls dressed as mermaids. A marching drumline a couple dozen rows long followed the float, a team of cheerleaders on either side dancing a routine. Behind them was another float, too far for Sunset to make out the details.

“Okay,” Sunset said, “this is pretty cool, but I still don’t see what makes this particular part of the parade so special. Don’t get me wrong, I’m always a fan of cheerleaders in tight, revealing outfits, but there’s plenty of eye-candy throughout the festival.”

Ako rolled her eyes before pointing down the street a bit. Another float idled in the curve of the street, this one with an American Western theme. Sunset thought at first glance that it had broken down. “Try not to let the drummers and cheerleaders distract you,” Ako said. “Watch the floats.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow, but followed Ako’s advice. The ocean float was getting further and further down the street, approaching the western float. Sunset frowned as she saw it start to drift to the side. Is it giving itself more room for the turn? That doesn’t make sense; it has plenty of space. In fact, the ocean float was giving itself less space, quickly approaching the western float. She thought for a second that they were about to crash, but the western float began to move just in time, steering into the street.

What?! But there’s no way it has enough time to get up to speed! The drummers will run right into it, or they’ll have to slow down! Why are they- Sunset turned her attention back to the drumline, and her jaw dropped.

The front line of drummers had halted their advance, marching in place as they played. The cheerleaders had bunched up on either side of the drumline and were performing a more complex dance now that they were relatively stationary. Each line of drummers marched forward until they were almost touching the drummer in front of them before coming to a halt themselves. The drumline was getting more and more condensed as the float in front of them pulled into the street. A quick look around showed Sunset that most of the audience was focused on the cheer routine, not even realizing that two floats were switching out just a few meters away. Finally, just as the final line of drummers approached, the western float got into place and picked up speed. As one, the drumline began marching forward again, the cheerleaders slowly spreading out as their dance continued, uninterrupted. The float behind the drumline hadn’t even needed to slow down, though it had been a near thing.

Sunset was awestruck at the coordination. A quick look at the ocean float revealed the students who had manned it climbing out and preparing to dismantle it. Another group of students was approaching down a side street, their own disassembled float towed along behind them. Sunset’s jaw dropped as the realization struck; this same sort of transition was going to happen again, probably multiple times.

Ako began pulling her away again as the ocean float students began to drain the aquarium. “Come on! There’s another one this way!”

Sunset shook herself out of her stupor and planted her feet, pulling Ako to a halt. “I’ve got this! Just tell me where to go.”

“Where to- what do you mean- Ah! Nichi-chaaaaan!”

Sunset had smoothly scooped Ako into a bridal cary and leapt, easily landing on a nearby roof and dashing across the rooftops. After a few seconds, Ako got over her shock and started to direct Sunset. They reached another point along the parade route - an intersection of two major streets, and watched as two giant marching bands seamlessly swapped out for each other. Again Ako directed, and again Sunset was shown the perfect coordination of the parade.

“How are they doing this?” Sunset breathed with wonder. “These swaps are perfect! Better than trained guards could manage!”

Ako giggled at her shock. “They’ve put in a lot of practice. After all, no-one wants to be in the parade all day long. And no-one wants to stop the parade to switch people out. Classes and clubs that want to participate have to sign up almost half a year in advance and they practice for months before the festival. Pretty impressive, huh?”

“Impressive? It’s incredible!” Sunset marveled at the coordination of these students, working together more perfectly than most militaries could probably manage. She’d thought for months that her own class was ridiculously skilled and eccentric, but she had to admit, she’d underestimated the whole school. Not just their abilities and quirks, but their dedication to their crafts.

Ako beamed at her. “We’re just getting started!”

For the next several hours, Ako led Sunset around Mahorafest, showing off the cooperation and coordination of the students and teachers that staffed it. From stadiums and arenas that swapped out props and events in far too little time to be believed, to supply runners in back streets who managed to provide for twenty shops with every run, to plazas and courtyards that managed to have a half-dozen acts going at once without interfering with each other. There were even a few booths and stalls that rode on wheels, moving a few feet one way or the other as the day went on to make room for activities and attractions on either side. Sunset watched in awe from atop Mahora’s clocktower as Ako pointed out dozens of examples of this seamless coordination. Even those few times when different acts or events clashed, Mahora staff was always on hand in seconds to clean up the mess or fix the issue.

“I just can’t believe it,” Sunset muttered as she and Ako rested at one of Mahorafest’s many food courts, enjoying an early lunch break. “All of this… how in the world do they manage it?”

“The Mahorafest Planning Committee is very good at what they do,” Ako said, between bites of salad. “They work year-round to prepare each festival. For some of the bigger events, they plan years in advance. I hear they’re meeting tonight first thing after the festival ends to start officially preparing for next year, but you’ll see them throughout the festival taking notes and interviewing people already.”

Sunset sighed and leaned back in her chair, staring up at the sky. “I can’t even imagine. But I guess that would be necessary for something of this scale and precision. Heck, I know of wars that were launched, executed, and won with less planning than this.” She shook her head. “Forget our class, this whole school is insane.”

“In a good way?”

“Heh, yeah. In a good way.”

“Good.” Ako smiled in relief. “I figured the best way to show off the whole festival would be to show you just how much effort went into it. I mean, you can see how much individual classes and clubs dedicated themselves to their own events, but to see how much everyone cares…”

Sunset nodded. “Yeah, I get it. Good call.” She leaned forward and took a bite of her burger. “So, what’s next, then?”

Ako grinned.

*****

“ARE YOU READY TO HAVE A GOOD TIME! BECAUSE THE MAHORA CHEERLEADERS ASSOCIATION IS HERE TO GIVE YOU A SHOW!”

“Nichi-chan, you’re drooling.”

*****

“...okay, the deer in Nara were cute, but seeing this world’s horses is just weird.”

“But you still want to ride one, don’t you?”

“...yes.”

*****

“AND NOW FOR THE SECOND PHASE OF THE MISS MAHORA BEAUTY CONTEST, THE SWIMSUIT COMPETITION!”

“Nichi-chan, you’re drooling again.”

*****

“This is the strangest life line I’ve ever seen. And you have… multiple heart lines? And your sun line is longer than your five marriage lines put together! I’ve been reading palms for years and I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“Hehe, yeah. Weird.”

*****

“Welcome to the Mahora Fashion Club’s Fashion Extravaganza! Our first model is wearing…”

“...Nichi-chan.”

“Hey! You’re the one who keeps bringing me to these events!”

*****

Sunset had to admit as they left the Mahorafest Arm-Wrestling Competition - several grown men swearing vengeance behind them - that Ako’s selections of events and entertainments had been excellent. She’d been a little concerned that every event was tailored to her interests and that Ako wouldn’t be having a good time, but she’d assured Sunset that she was just happy to see Sunset enjoying herself.

“I still think it was a little unfair of you to use your ki against them,” Ako said, glancing back at the scores of muscle-bound men who were openly weeping at their humiliation. “Doesn’t that give you an unfair advantage?”

“Yes.” Sunset smirked as she adjusted the oversized championship belt around her waist. “But then, a tourney like that is unbalanced to begin with. No division by age, weight, height, or gender. They’re basically saying that anything goes.” She shrugged. “Besides, my last three opponents were using ki, too.”

“You mean the ones you smashed through the table.”

“I said they were using ki. Not that it was anywhere near enough.”

Ako sighed and rolled her eyes, but there was an amused smile on her face. “Still, didn’t you revel in your victory a little too much?”

“Hey, a lot of those guys were beaten out of the Martial Arts Tournament prelims, and most of them have been through my horror route. Well, ‘part-way through’ I should say. It’s not my fault they keep trying to beat me somehow.”

Ako giggled. “I guess you really don’t like losing, huh?”

Sunset shook her head. “It’s not that. I’m okay with losing, so long as my opponent earned his victory. Take the tournament, for example. I’m totally fine with having lost to Wildfire. He pulled out a few tricks I wasn’t expecting, and he outsmarted me in the end. There’s no shame in losing to a worthy opponent.” She grinned and clenched her fist. “That said, the next time we go at it, I’m gonna pummel him into the dust until he cries for mercy!”

Ako rolled her eyes again. “Competitive, then.” They shared a giggle as they made their way towards the World Tree Plaza. “Anyway, what was it you wanted to show me over here?”

Sunset delayed answering for a moment as she looked around the plaza. There. Takamichi. Considering how highly everyone thinks of him, I doubt he has backup. And I doubt he’ll suspect what I’m up to. “Have you heard the rumor about the World Tree’s abilities?”

Ako frowned as she thought. “Oh! You mean that rumor about the World Tree granting wishes on the last day of the festival? Or the one about it helping with confessions?”

“The latter.” They entered the plaza and Sunset and Takamichi exchanged nods before the latter returned to looking around the plaza for potential confessions. “It turns out, there’s some truth to it.”

“Eh? Really?”

Sunset pointed to Takamichi. “For the last few days, various mages from the students and teachers have been guarding six points around the World Tree, keeping people from confessing their feelings. For some reason, the World Tree likes to ‘help’ with these confessions and makes the target reciprocate. Apparently, Wildfire got caught up in its effects the other day with Nodoka.” She chuckled. “Shoved his tongue down Asuna’s throat for more than a minute before it wore off, apparently.”

Ako eeped and blushed furiously. “That’s… um… wow.”

“Heh, yeah. Awkward as hell for both of them. But it can be really dangerous if it forces false feelings of love on someone. Love is the most powerful emotion a person can feel, and any sort of power that messes with it needs to be used responsibly. Which is why we’ve been intercepting confessions these last few days.”

Ako frowned. “Oh. That…” She thought for a minute. “That’s too bad. I mean, I get it, kind of, but it’s too bad that people who have worked up the courage to confess are getting interrupted.”

Sunset nodded. “A lot of the mages are good at finding ways around that. Some are able to steer potential couples away before they confess. Others are so confrontational about what’s about to happen that the confession is all but given, but it isn’t voiced until the potential couple has fled the area. Some of them are just cut off, which is a shame, but it’s better than someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing getting caught up in a big mess.

“Then again, to those who do know what they’re doing, it can be a great boon.”

“Really? What do you-”

Ako’s voice caught in her throat as she met Sunset’s gaze. The yellow and red-haired girl was staring her right in the eye, her expression intense and focused. Out the corners of their eyes, they saw the World Tree begin to glow.

“I’m in love with you, Izumi Ako.”

Arc 16 Chapter ?(1)

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Believe it or not, there was a time when I lived every day as the center of attention.

My mother is a hairdresser. For as long as I can remember, I’ve admired her work. The ways she can shape hair into pieces of art. Like most kids, I hated getting my hair cut. But it wasn’t because it was boring or because I was scared of the scissors. I just wanted my hair to be as long as possible so Mother could do more with it. My earliest memories are of Mother styling my hair while I sat entranced in front of a mirror.

When I started school, everyone looked at me. I thought that I was exceptionally beautiful. Looking at pictures of myself back then, I was definitely adorable. Cute. Everyone complimented me and said how pretty I was. A few boys even said they liked me. Heh. Little kids are like that, I guess. Able to say what they think without hesitation or embarrassment. It doesn’t take long to grow out of that. Those first couple of years of school, everyone knew who I was and that I was the cutest girl in my grade.

We lived in a small apartment at the time. Apparently, it wasn’t up to code. My parents were out on a date, and my older brother was watching me. It was during the summer, a really hot one. We didn’t notice anything was wrong until the alarms started going off. By that point, the building was ablaze. I don’t remember much about that day, but my brother and I got separated. Something fell on me and knocked me out. They tell me that it was a bit of burning ceiling. Thankfully, they found me and pulled me out before the fire could do me in. But I was in surgery for a while as they removed splinters from my back. They say I was lucky to make it out without a shattered spine.

Instead, I made it out with a scar.

My hair was a mess of uneven char. Mother did her best, but there was only so much of it that she could save. It took a long time for it to grow back to what anyone would call a normal length. By then, there was a new prettiest girl in my year. She had beautiful, long hair like I used to have. And she didn’t have a giant, ugly scar on her back. A lot of the boys wanted to hear about the fire, but I didn’t like remembering it. I tried to talk with people about other things, but they would always come back to the fire. I finally decided to just stay quiet until they forgot about it.

Eventually, they kind of just forgot about me.

Years went by. I entered middle school. I still didn’t draw attention to myself; there were always so many pretty people around me, you know? It’s not like I had anything that could compete for their attention anymore. Well, nothing positive, at least. It took a long time before I was comfortable enough to let other people see my scar. I never tried growing my hair back out, either. What was the point? By the end of primary school, having long, pretty hair wasn’t the only thing that made a girl pretty or popular, and I didn’t have the body or personality or confidence that my classmates had. I was a wallflower, the background character in other people’s stories. And I was fine with that. After all, most people are background characters. Only a few people really shine.

So it’s really no wonder that when Nichi-chan called us out to the World Tree Plaza to rip into us, the best (and worst) that she could come up with was my unremarkability. I was a little relieved that she didn’t mention my scar, but I understand now; she’d never talk bad about someone being hurt in a fire after what happened to her. Anyway, it surprised me when she pulled me aside after that to apologize. I’m pretty sure one of the other girls put her up to it. Still, I’m glad she did. Rather, I’m glad of what came after that. Somehow or another, Nichi-chan and I became friends. She loves my music, even if I’m not sure I’m as good as she says I am. She’s helped me a lot in class, and it turns out I’m actually pretty smart if someone helps me understand things. She called me cute. It’d been years since anyone outside my family did that. I owe a lot to her.

Still, nothing could have prepared me for what happened that day.

*****

“I’m in love with you, Izumi Ako.”

The World Tree was doing something, probably glowing again, but I was too distracted to notice. My heart was suddenly racing, blood rushing to my face. All I could think about was the person in front of me, and how much I wanted to be near her. How much I wanted to see her smile. How scared I was for her to think poorly of me. How much I cared about her, saw how wonderful she was, and wanted her to see it too.

But… it was strange. The feelings were distant. Muted. Like they were calling out while wrapped up in velvet. Far more clear were my own feelings: confusion, surprise, and with embarrassment starting to set in, along with the flutterings of something that I wouldn’t notice for a while, and wouldn’t be able to name for a while after. Nichi-chan had just confessed to me. To ME! Izumi Ako, the plain, uninteresting, totally average wallflower. Hikaru Nichibotsu, one of the most bombastic and attention-grabbing girls in the school, had just said she was in love with, of all people, me.

And, hadn’t she just said something about confessions being a really bad thing right here and right now?

“Nichibotsu!”

Nichi-chan turned to frown at Takahata-sensei as he approached, and woah! Those muted emotions were very different now, and a little overwhelming. I turned to see Takahata-sensei walking towards us, frowning. On the surface, I felt the usual respect and - I’ll admit it - a little bit of attraction. Not nearly as much as Kagurazaka-san, but it’s hard to deny that Takahata-sensei looks handsome. But beneath that were much more powerful emotions. Respect was still there, but it was of a different flavor, harder and more familiar. But there was just as much contempt; I felt that he should be doing more. I was disappointed in him for not living up to his full potential. Awed by his power. A little jealous of him. Most of all, I hated - absolutely hated - how he reminded me of someone.

“Takamichi.” Nichi-chan never used surnames or honorifics. “How goes the patrol?”

“It was going well,” Takahata-sensei said, a very slight reprimand in his voice - I’d heard him use it on Kagurazaka-san and the Class Rep enough to recognize it. “Until now, that is. I assume you know the significance of what you’ve done?”

Nichi-chan rolled her eyes at him. She’s probably one of the few students in the school with enough guts to do that. But I guess that makes sense, considering she isn’t actually a human middle-schooler. “Of course I do. I’m the one who lectured Wildfire about it, remember? But this sort of power isn’t dangerous if used correctly. I’m not asking for reciprocation, or even an answer. I just wanted to make sure - beyond a shadow of a doubt - that Ako knows how I feel.” She gestured to me, her cheeks coloring slightly. “From the way she’s blushing and the fact she hasn’t gone all doe-eyed on me, I’d say it worked.”

Oh, right. My blush. The embarrassment had finally dominated my other emotions as I fully registered that I’d just been confessed to. And Takahata-sensei saw it! Oh, kill me now!

Takahata-sensei stared at me for a moment - a really uncomfortable moment - before turning back to Nichi-chan. “Still, I will have to report this to the principal.”

Nichi-chan shrugged. “Do what you need to. But don’t you have more important things to be worrying about? Like Chao?” She pointed behind him. “Or that couple that’s walking towards the plaza? That guy looks pretty determined, and that girl looks like she’s expecting something.”

Takahata-sensei looked over his shoulder and sighed, giving me and Nichi-chan one last look. “We’ll discuss this later, Nichibotsu.” With that, he turned and walked away.

Nichi-chan grabbed my hand and started leading me away from the plaza. She quickly brought me to a deserted ally and came to a stop, sighing. “Sorry about that,” she said, leaning against a wall. “Just be glad it was Takamichi. Someone less professional would insist on lecturing me for an hour while you watched.”

“I-it’s fine.” I certainly wasn’t up to getting a lecture right now. “I was just a little, well…”

“Shocked?” Nichi-chan asked. “Surprised? Overwhelmed?” She smirked at me. “Embarrassed?” I felt my face heating up again, but I was gratified to see that her cheeks were pink as well. “Well, those are the usual reactions to a confession. Still, the Japanese language is terrible when it comes to expressing affection. Far too few words for things like ‘love’. I had to make sure the real message got across.” She looked away, her cheeks turning from pink to red. “It, um, looks like it worked.”

I looked away as well and nodded. Those feelings were back, the ones that made my heart tighten and soar at the same time. “Um, yeah. I-it did. I feel…” I thought I might pass out from all of the blood rushing to my head; there was no way I could say what sorts of things I was feeling!

“You don’t have to say it!” Apparently, Nichi-chan was almost as embarrassed as I was. Maybe even a little more. “In fact, please don’t! If I have to hear all of these cringy things I’m feeling put into words, I swear I’ll melt right through the pavement and bury myself alive.” The feeling was mutual. “I just… I just wanted to make sure you knew exactly what I was saying. And that I meant it.” She took a deep breath and looked up, her face still red. “No offense, but you aren’t very good at taking compliments at face value.”

“Y-yeah,” I admitted. “I guess.” To be honest, if it hadn’t been for whatever was going on, I probably would have dismissed her confession as teasing. Or maybe making fun of me, or me mishearing what she’d said. Anything but what was filling the space beneath my heart right now. Gah! I needed to change the subject. “I, um, was surprised by how much you respected Takahata-sensei. You usually seem to dislike him.”

Nichi-chan sighed and smiled, some of the red leaving her face; I guess she was happy to talk about something else too. “That’s new, honestly. Just since the tournament. Seeing how he used his power was- wait!” She sprang off the wall and grabbed my shoulders. “How did you know about that?!”

The cocktail of emotions beneath my heart had shifted, concern surging to the front, as well as a bit of fear. “I, er, when you were talking with Takahata-sensei, I stopped feeling what, um, you feel for me, and started feeling something else. A lot of respect, but also… anger? Or maybe disappointment? It’s a little hard to put into words.” I hesitated. “And… maybe some hate?”

Nichi-chan wasn’t blushing anymore. Her sigh was full of frustration this time. “Great. General empathy. Or, I guess since you weren’t feeling his emotions, targeted but non-specific empathy. You can feel everything I’m feeling. Not just for you, but for everyone.” She let go of my shoulders and took a step back, looking back towards the plaza. That mix of anger and respect came back. “I think ‘contempt’ is the word you’re looking for. He’s got a lot of power, but he wastes his time here teaching middle-schoolers when he could be off making a difference in the world. Those with power are duty-bound to use it for the good of…” She trailed off with another sigh. Nichi-chan sighs a lot, each one a little different; I almost think sometimes she could communicate entirely in sighs and everyone would still understand her. “Sorry, you don’t need to hear that lecture. And you don’t need to worry about that hate, either. I don’t actually hate him. It’s just… he reminds me of someone. And I really don’t like thinking about her.”

Oh! Wow! And I’d thought that her feelings towards Takahata-sensei were strong. This set. This set was powerful enough to overwhelm my own emotions.

Thankfully, Nichi-chan realized quickly what was happening and stopped thinking about whoever it had been before I could really start to understand what I was feeling. “Sorry,” she said again. “You really don’t need to get caught up in that emotional mess. Thank Tenko for my mental training, or this would be torture for you.”

“Y-yeah.” I have to admit, I was curious to know just who she felt that powerfully about. “So… what now?”

Nichi-chan shrugged. She does that a lot, too. “Now? Now we go back to enjoying the festival.” She took my hand in both of hers. “I was telling the truth when I said that I don’t need an answer. After everything that just happened with Wildfire, you aren’t exactly in the best headspace to be thinking about romance. I just wanted you to know. You can give me your answer when you’re ready, even if it takes weeks or months; I can wait.”

And there those warm, fluttery feelings were again. My face heated up as I nodded.

“Although,” a smirk grew across Nichi-chan’s face, and I blushed harder as I felt a heavy sort of confidence and drive join the other emotions, “I’m not saying I won’t try to influence your answer.”

I didn’t need to feel her determination to blush at that.

*****

The date - and neither Sunset nor Ako could deny that it was now officially a date - continued from there. Sunset tried to keep herself from thinking about how she felt about Ako too much, a difficult feat with the object of her affections standing right beside her. It provided them both with plenty of motivation to find more activities and events to involve themselves in.

First up was the Mahorafest Chess Tournament, organized by Mahora Chess. The club members weren’t participating in the relatively small tournament, but they were watching the matches and occasionally providing commentary. Ako lost fairly quickly in her bracket, which she’d been expecting. Sunset, on the other hand, had approached this tournament with all the confidence and focus that she’d put into the Martial Arts Tournament. Ako didn’t know enough of chess to really appreciate the high level that Sunset and her later opponents were playing at, but she was awed by the emotions that circled around Sunset’s heart, like fish in a tranquil pool. Confidence mixed with caution, all with an undercurrent of healthy respect. There was some aggressiveness there as well, providing Ako with more context than most when the commentators talked about Sunset taking the initiative and going on the attack. In the end, Sunset lost her semi-final match. Ako was surprised to see that, true to her earlier word, Sunset wasn’t upset by her defeat. She shook her opponent’s hand, offering genuine congratulations on a match well-fought.

Up next was a small, freestyle dance competition. Ako had actually chosen this one as sort of a prank. She’d figured that Sunset - despite her powerful grace and precise movements - wouldn’t have the first clue of how to dance on two legs. She’d been entirely correct; Sunset was a horrible dancer! Still, Ako could feel that Sunset was having a blast, even as she made a complete fool of herself. Ako wasn’t the best dancer herself, but hanging out with the class cheerleaders had let her pick up on the basics. They were eliminated early, but neither one of them minded. Sunset all but laughed herself off the stage and even complimented Ako on a prank well-executed when she explained why she’d chosen the event. When asked how she’d managed to have so much fun, Sunset simply shrugged. “I was never a fantastic dancer even back in my quadrupedal days, and I hated the formal events that forced me to dance. The best times I’ve ever had dancing were all half-drunk in some bar or another with my soldier buddies. For me, dancing is just for fun, even if I’m technically in a competition.”

The next event saw the return of Ako’s blush: a dance class. She’d figured this to be part two of her prank. “Poor Nichi-chan, unable to dance. Let’s help you out with that.” Unfortunately, with her and Sunset partnered up and holding each other close, it was impossible for Sunset to keep Ako - and her feelings for her - out of her mind. Which meant they were also constantly on Ako’s mind.

Her prank had backfired on her.

Still, it had been fun teaching Sunset to dance properly, and learning a few new dances herself. That had taken them to early evening, around five o’ clock, when they decided to get dinner. The various sports clubs had decided to throw convention to the wind and - instead of holding exhibition matches - had created sports-themed restaurants to help them earn a little more for their budgets. Ako had put in a lot of extra hours getting the Soccer Club’s restaurant constructed and ready to run, so she’d been let off service duty. Yuna, however, hadn’t been able to commit quite as much time to festival prep and had had to take a single dinner shift. Ako - knowing how much Sunset liked to lear at her - had put in a special request in advance for Yuna to serve them.

“Ako! Nichi-chan!” Yuna approached their table in her basketball jersey, a ball under one arm and a notebook out and ready for their orders. I didn’t expect to see you here!”

“Ako’s idea,” Sunset said, eyeing Yuna up and down. “Whose idea was the uniforms?”

Yuna grinned and struck a pose. “Hey, it is a sports restaurant after all! And besides, this way we can save money! Do you two know what you want? I’d love to stick around and chat, but we’re really busy right now.”

Sunset gave the small menu a quick glance before nodding. “I’ll take the B-Ball ramen, whatever that is. Ako?”

“S-s-same.”

Sunset looked up at Ako, confused at her whispered stutter. Ako was looking down at her lap, her face flushed. She was breathing heavily, almost panting, and sweat was pouring down her forehead.

“Hey, are you okay, Ako?” Yuna frowned at her friend. “You look a little-”

“AKASHI! ORDER FOR TABLE SEVEN!”

Yuna gave Ako one last worried look before rushing off. Sunset’s gaze followed her, watching as the busty basketballer’s breasts bounced in her uniform. Damn. Every time-

Ako gasped, drawing Sunset’s attention. The girl really was panting now, her eyes glazed as she hunched over, resting on the table. Sunset was half-way out of her chair before she realized what had happened to her.

“Damnit!” Unsexy thoughts, Sunset! Unsexy thoughts! Colonel Cupcake covered in mud. Old Nag Cinnamon in the bath. Argh! They’re just ponies! They can't excite me, but they can't disgust me either! Um, that one mule-faced muscle-head from the prelims. In a tutu. Covered in slime. Chugging a bucket of bloody chum. Sunset’s libedo vanished quickly, and she focused again on her friend. “Ako! Are you alright?”

Ako was breathing normally now, her eyes focused again. Her face was a little green, but far better than the blazing red it had just been. “N-Nichi-chan? Wh-what in the world was that? And… why do I feel like throwing up now?”

Sunset sighed, settling back into her seat. “You’re okay. Thank Tenko you’re okay. That could have been…” She finally realized that their table was attracting a lot of stares and quickly shot a round of death glares around to get everyone to turn their attentions away. “I’m so sorry about that, Ako. That was for Yuna. A virgin like you had no way to be prepared for something like that.”

“V-v-vir-” Ako cut herself off with a shake of her head. “W-wait, so that was… was…”

“Lust.” Sunset closed her eyes and massaged the bridge of her nose. “Powerful, carnal, mature lust. The kind you only get when you have plenty of experience and know exactly what to expect from an encounter. I didn’t bring this up before, but I was pretty sexually active on the other side of the mirror. I’ve abstained over here, for obvious reasons, but that hasn’t stopped my desires.” Or my imagination.

Ako nodded, taking a few deep breaths and trying to fight down both her blush and her lingering nausea - Sunset’s lust-canceling disgust had been powerful. “So… you and Yuna…”

Sunset shrugged. “One of my more common fantasies, though a few others in the class feature pretty often as well.” She moaned and leaned forward, burying her face in her hands. “And now I’m discussing sexual fantasies with a middle-schooler. Just lock me up now.”

Ako was having a very difficult time fighting down her blush, but she was relieved that it was only from her own embarrassment now. “I-it’s okay, Nichi-chan. Y-you didn’t mean to. A-and it’s not like the other girls and I haven’t ever, you know, um, talked about… this kind of… stuff.” Her face went completely red as she muttered “Evangeline-san is surprisingly well-informed.”

Sunset looked up at Ako with a glare. “Remind me to give that human-shaped leech a piece of my mind later.” She sighed and sat up. “Well, I guess you are all about the age to be thinking about that sort of thing. Still, it’s way too soon for you to be feeling anything like what I just forced on you.” She glared off to the side. “And I thought I was so clever, using the World Tree like that.”

Ako frowned as well, the space under her heart filling with self-loathing and reprimand. She wanted to speak up, to tell Sunset not to feel that way about herself, but it was still too awkward. They sat in silence for a while, each stewing in her own thoughts. Yuna eventually returned with their orders, shooting Ako a concerned look before returning to work. They ate in silence for a while.

“So.” Sunset looked up when Ako finally broke the silence. “You… like Yuna more than you like me?”

“...what?” Sunset blinked. “No seriously, what? Where the heck did that come from?”

Ako stared down at her ramen, stirring the noodles slowly with her chopsticks. “I mean, what you feel for me is pretty strong. But that just now… And come to think of it, even your feelings towards Takahata-sensei were stronger, not to mention whoever it is that he reminds you of. I guess what you feel for me is more like a little crush, huh? Should have figured, considering-”

“It’s not just a crush!” Sunset slammed her hands into the table, jumping to her feet and staring Ako down. “Let’s get one thing perfectly straight, Ako. I’m in love with you. I’m head-over heels for you. ‘A little crush’ is what I’ve been nursing for Honya for the last half year, and that dissolved into nothing once I started falling for you. Sure, I lust after Yuna. I mean, just look at her! But lust is completely different. Lust is carnal. Hungry. Primal. It evokes a living creature’s most powerful instinct: to reproduce. Of course it’s going to be overwhelming. As for Takamichi, that respect is born from deep-rooted shared experiences and a mutual level of raw power and skill. And that hate… well, hate is powerful by itself, but I cannot emphasize how much I hate thinking about who he reminds me of. Being in love, that emotion isn’t nearly as primal or raw as hate or lust, and it isn’t built on the same sort of solid foundation as respect. Those emotions might be more powerful, but they’re nowhere near as important.”

She reached out and took Ako’s hand. “Remember what you were feeling just a bit ago. Remember what it felt like, how your body and heart reacted. And now compare it to this.”

The space under Ako’s heart was once again filled with those fluttery, almost obsessive feelings as she looked into Sunset’s eyes. As she felt them, she thought back on the overwhelming lust from earlier. Those feelings had been a lot stronger, but now that Ako thought about it, they hadn’t felt entirely good. Compelling, yes. Maybe addictive if she could find a way to ride that high constantly. But she couldn’t say that she really liked how she’d felt. But this, this was better. Softer. Lighter. Purer.

And, now that she was really analyzing them, she did find sparks of that primal, insatiable lust mixed in as well.

Ako blushed again, but Sunset’s gaze drew her in. Her expression demanded an answer.

“So? Do you still think it’s just a crush?”

“...no.”

Relief blossomed across Sunset’s face and filled her emotions.

“Um…”

Ako and Sunset looked at Yuna, who was standing awkwardly beside their table. “What was that about what Nichi-chan feels for me?”

Sunset blinked and looked around, realizing that they were again the center of attention. “Well,” she muttered as Ako buried her face in her hands, “this is awkward.”

Arc 16 Chapter ?(2)

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The date was pretty much over after that. Even if Ako hadn’t been too embarrassed to continue, Sunset wanted time to prepare for her confrontation with Takamichi. Chachamaru had found her shortly after she had separated from Ako and had confirmed that everything was on schedule. She’d explained that Chao would let Sunset fight Takamichi however and whenever she wanted, so long as she did so before he could really interfere with her plan; if she took too long, Chao would have no choice but to fight him herself. Sunset knew that Takamichi’s World Tree shift lasted until eight, so she wasn’t worried about finding him before he found Chao.

Sunset spent the next hour and a half leaping around the buildings within a few blocks of the World Tree Plaza, familiarizing herself with what was soon to be her battlefield. The buildings were of a fairly uniform height, though the track and baseball fields to the west might present a problem if Takamichi managed to put Sunset in between him and them. If there weren’t any people down there, he’d be able to fire off his full-power iaiken without worry. And from what little Chachamaru had hinted about Chao’s plan, everyone would be elsewhere watching as things went down.

So it was that as seven-thirty approached, Sunset found herself sitting in the boughs of the World Tree, watching Takamichi as he patrolled.

“You know, you kind of look like a stalker, watching him from way up here.”

Sunset watched as Evangeline leapt onto the branch next to her, dressed in a lolita witch’s outfit, complete with a broomstick in hand. “Shouldn’t you be out making grown men cry or something?” Sunset snarked.

“You’ve already done plenty of that,” Evangeline countered. “I’m just waiting for the show to start.”

“From way up here?” Sunset leaned over to look down the more than thirty meter drop. “Brave of you, considering your powers are still mostly bound.”

“Your concern is appreciated, but unnecessary. Part of Chao’s plan involves dropping the barrier that surrounds this school. It won’t let me leave, but it will unseal all of my power that the World Tree isn’t able to release.” She chuckled as Sunset’s face went pale. “Don’t worry, I only plan to have some minor fun. I’m more of a bystander in this than you are.”

“Well that’s a relief.” Sunset turned her attention back to Takamichi. “...is she doing the right thing?”

Evangeline raised an eyebrow. “Having second thoughts?”

“Second. Third. Eighth. Twenty-sixth. Part of why I haven’t picked a side is that I’m not really sure whether Chao is wrong or right. I think that revealing magic to the world is a good idea, but it’s a delicate situation. Without knowing how she intends to do it, I don’t know whether she’ll create a new order or just chaos.”

Evangeline hummed at that. “Well, I suppose it’s really about the aftermath. A leader will have to step forward and take charge of the situation. Lead the world away from chaos and towards that saccharine harmony that you horses always go on about.”

“It may be saccharine, but it’s kept my country in relative peace for the past nine centuries.” Sunset sighed and checked the clocktower in the distance. It’s time. “I just hope Chao proves to be the right type of leader.”

Evangeline chuckled as the clocktower chimed the half hour. “We can hope.”

A small shiver ran down Sunset’s spine, noticeable only because she’d been looking for it. Even so, she’d almost missed it amongst the full-body shudder that ran through her as Evangeline’s power flared beside her. The school’s barrier was down. “Guess that’s my cue.” Sunset got to her feet as Evangeline leapt onto her broom, riding it side-saddle. “Have fun, I guess.”

“Same to you.”

*****

Takamichi watched as Evangeline flew off from the World Tree. He hoped that whatever had taken down the barrier, she wouldn’t take advantage of it to cause trouble. He didn’t have time to worry about that, though. Already he could hear disturbances coming from the lake and see figures rising in the distance. He cast a look around the plaza, but everyone seemed to have realized that something strange was going on; no-one was thinking about romance right now. Making sure no-one was watching him, he dashed for a nearby building and leapt up onto the roof for a better look.

He almost wished he hadn’t. Three colossal figures - each about thirty meters tall - were rising out of the lake to the south. He recognized them, of course; every mage that came to work at the academy knew about the six demon gods that had been sealed around the school centuries ago. But these demons weren’t fully released from their bindings. Rather, they were clad head to foot in some sort of white armor, full of wires and lights. The demons started walking north, and Takamichi could see a small army of… something at the demons’ feet. Was this Chao’s plan? Reveal these demons to the world? Or was she planning to use them for something further?

No time to think. He had to get to the lake before-

He dodged.

The roof beside him shattered, almost caving in completely. A young woman stood from the crater, red and gold mane blowing in the wind.

“Yo, Takamichi.” Sunset smirked at him. “Ready to finally show me everything you’ve got?”

Takamichi frowned. “Nichibotsu. I’m sorry, but I don’t have time for this. I need to-”

“Get to the lake?” Sunset interrupted, starting to pace around him. “Stop those colossi? Keep Chao from revealing magic to the world?” She stepped fully between him and the demons. “Sounds like you’ve got some urgent business to attend to. Better make this fast.”

“Nichibotsu.” Takamichi’s voice was both wary and weary. “So you’ve sided with Chao.”

“Not quite.” Sunset dropped into a fighting stance. “Honestly, I’m mostly staying out of this. But you want to stop her. And I want to fight you while you’re going all-out. So I figured I'd take advantage of Chao’s plan and stand in your way. You try to take those colossi on without beating me, and I’ll hound you the whole evening. Do you really think you can beat all three of them while I’m nipping at your heels?”

Takamichi stared from Sunset to the demons and back before sighing and sticking his hands in his pockets. His kanka flared in an instant. “Quite the opportunist, aren’t you? I’m sorry, Nichibotsu, but I need to stop Chao. I don’t have the liberty of holding back.”

Sunset smirked. “Don’t threaten me with a good time, Takamichi.”

Despite the very real urgency of the situation, both combatants stood still for a time, each studying the other. Takamichi had Sunset outclassed in both raw power and experience, but Sunset had far more versatility. In addition, while Sunset knew everything that Takamichi could do, much of her skillset was a mystery to him. He was fairly familiar with her typical fighting style thanks to the tournament, but he had no idea what sort of tricks and surprises she could pull out. He had two options for beating her: do it carefully, or do it quickly.

Unfortunately for Takamichi, the approaching demons wouldn’t allow for the safer, surer strategy.

Sunset easily dodged his first kanka-reinforced attack, leaping to her right. Takamichi let the smallest grunt of frustration out of his throat; if she’d dodged left, he could have more easily maneuvered her between himself and empty space. He poured on a rapid series of strikes, reigning his power in so as not to too badly damage the buildings behind Sunset.

Sunset, meanwhile, had no concerns about the time limit. The distant collosi were slow moving, and it would take an hour at least for them to cross the distance between them and their destinations. She dodged attack after attack, keeping her pace and direction as unpredictable as possible. All the while, she inched closer and closer to Takamichi. It got harder to dodge the closer she came, but she counted it worth the risk. Come on, she thought as one invisible, super-fast blow opened a small cut on her cheek. Come on. Got to be almost there. Just a little closer. There!

Takamichi’s hands slipped fully out of his pockets, and he rushed Sunset. She brought her arms up, weathering a couple of blows as she smirked. One-hundred-and-twenty-six centimeters. That’s the minimum range for your iaiken. Let’s confirm. Sunset leapt back, placing herself right at the edge of his range. Takamichi flinched. Confirmed! Sunset thought as Takamichi took a single step back, returning his hands to his pockets. He hesitated. He had to decide whether to advance and punch or retreat and strike. Sunset poured magic into her ring, vanishing before Takamichi’s next strike could hit. She appeared behind him, just barely inside his minimum range. Takamichi turned, gritting his teeth as he saw exactly how close Sunset was. “Damn,” he muttered. “This is why I hate fighting clever opponents up close.”

Sunset chuckled. “You should have been more clever yourself. Pretended at a longer minimum range and struck me when my guard was down. But I’m guessing it’s been a while since you had to be deceptive at all with an opponent.” From the almost imperceptible glare Takamichi leveled at her, Sunset knew she’d hit the nail right on the head. “Figures. You’ve gone soft, Takamichi. I almost feel bad taking you down like this; I would have preferred to fight you in your prime.”

“This isn’t over yet,” Takamichi countered. He vanished, using instant movement to retreat several meters.

“Yes, it is.” Sunset was right in his face when he exited, her knee plowing up towards his stomach. He barely managed to block it with his own leg, though the angle was poor. He grunted as he was forced back almost a meter. His leg ached when he put weight back on it.

“This isn’t a traditional fight anymore,” Sunset said, pacing around him again. Stalking him from just inside iaiken’s minimum range. “It’s a chess match. I know all of your abilities - your pieces - and exactly how you can use them. All I have to do now is divine what tactics you’re going to put them to use in and counter them as they’re occurring. As I said, chess, and I’m pretty good at chess.

“But it gets worse.” Sunset smirked, coming to a stop behind and to the left of Takamichi, just far enough that keeping an eye on her was a strain on his neck, but not far enough to justify letting his guard down to turn. “Because while you’re working with pawns and a queen alone, I have an almost complete set of pieces. And unlike you, I’m not restricted to standard chess. You have no idea what pieces I have, or what they might be able to do. Heck, for all you know, my knight might be able to move like a bishop. One of my pawns might secretly be a rook. Heck, I could have horses, dragons, and shogi generals moving around, beneath, or over the board, and you wouldn’t even know. You’ve lost this fight already. Still, I’ll keep playing with you if you don’t want to face reality just yet.”

Sweat was beginning to bead on Takamichi’s forehead as he contemplated Sunset’s claims. Clever, intellectual opponents had always been his Achilles Heel. Opponents like Negi and Sunset. But Sunset had the combat experience that Negi lacked. What’s more, unlike in the tournament, they weren’t restricted to a ten-meter by ten-meter arena. Sunset had far more room to maneuver in, and many possibilities for cover. What’s more, a few of her spells could definitely curve around obstacles whereas his attacks could only operate in straight lines. If Sunset’s claims were true, then she was right; the match was already done.

If her claims were true…

Takamichi relaxed, letting out a sigh. “You almost had me.” He wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead before turning to fully face Sunset. “But you might have overdone it with the psychological tactics. You have tricks and spells I’m not aware of, I’m sure. But not as many as you claim. If you did, you would have used them more in the Tournament. You wouldn’t have had such a difficult time against Negi-kun or resorted to the time-out to defeat Setsuna-kun. Even now, you’re trying to frighten me rather than just pushing the advantage you claim to have. Tell me, Nichibotsu, how many of your hidden abilities are even game-changers?”

Sunset stared Takamichi down for a minute, her eyes burning with an indignant fury. Finally, she sighed, hanging her head. “To be fair,” she muttered, “I’m used to fighting psychopaths who want to bring about the apocalypse on some scale. Psychological attacks like that work wonders on them because they’re paranoid enough to believe them without question. You have to admit, I did have you going for a minute.” Her eyes rose, and Takamichi felt a shiver go down his spine. The look she gave him was intense, focused in a way few of his many opponents’ had ever been. Predatory.

“Unfortunately for you,” Sunset said, baring her teeth in a semi-maniacal grin, “unlike you, I love clever opponents. I was right to want to fight you, Takahata Takamichi.”

Magic poured into her ring and she vanished again. Takamichi whirled around, bringing up an arm to block her high kick from behind and a palm to catch her follow-up fist. She vanished before the punch could connect, appearing upside down before him a split-second later, her blow launching beneath his guard to strike him in the gut. She used the leg she’d kicked with before to push off of his upraised arms, teleporting again to drop that same foot on his head from behind in an axe kick. Another teleport saw her a couple of meters back, upside-down once again. She landed on her hands for only a moment, planting herself before launching a buck into the empty air behind her. Another teleport, and that buck was sailing straight into the knee of Takamichi’s injured leg.

Takamichi gasped in pain, dropping to one knee as Sunset teleported a meter in front of him, sweating a bit but with steady breath. “Easier to do with Equestrian magic,” she admitted. “My wellspring is bigger than the reserves I can pull in for Earth magic. Still, I’ve been working on that a lot lately. I could probably pull off a few dozen rapid-fire teleports if I really needed to.”

Takamichi took a deep breath, pouring ki into his leg to reinforce it before standing again. “That,” he noted, “is a very annoying tactic.”

Sunset smirked. “Effective, too. You might be able to guess at my first or second strike. Given enough experience against it, you might even block my first dozen. But all it takes is one blow getting through to ruin your timing and concentration. After that…” She gestured at his leg. “Well, you see how it goes.”

Takamichi grit his teeth, genuinely frustrated now. Sunset wasn’t just dominating this fight, she was toying with him. That rapid series of teleports could have ended with a much more significant blow, but she’d held back, aiming to injure rather than incapacitate. He understood, though; now that he’d seen through her bluff, she wanted to show him exactly what she could do. She wanted to beat him, and for him to know exactly how she’d done it.

She wanted him to see that he was absolutely powerless to stop her.

Takamichi wasn’t a vain man, but he wasn’t about to let someone decades his junior and new to his world’s magic take him down so easily. It was time to turn the tables.

He turned and fled westward, banking on Sunset’s pride to keep her from hitting him while his back was turned. He heard her following behind, letting him lead her for a short while at least. Not that he needed long. In a few seconds, they were standing on the baseball diamond.

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure about this arena? You’ll have to jump every time you want to strike me. It’ll be easy to dodge.”

Takamichi simply smiled in return as he returned his hands to his pockets. “Will it, now?”

Sunset stared him down with warry confusion for a moment, trying to figure out what he was planning. What new scheme Takamichi had come up with.

Takamichi’s Kanka vanished.

OH SHI-

Sunset threw herself to the side as a half-dozen strikes flew past where she’d been standing. She poured power into her ring, teleporting to just inside of Takamichi’s range on his left. “You little-”

Takamichi raised a foot and brought it crashing down, sending up an explosion of dirt and dust. Sunset shielded her face for a moment before lowering her arms. Takamichi was retreating, his hands still in his pockets. Oh no you don’t! Sunset teleported again, appearing to Takamichi’s right.

His iaiken struck her in the shoulder and sent her flying. “REFLECTIO!” Sunset barely managed to throw up a barrier before Takamichi’s follow-up strikes could hit her. Still, she had to teleport again as her barrier shattered under his assault. She hid in the cloud of dust, gritting her teeth as she massaged her shoulder.

Dislocated. Damn it, this is gonna hurt. With a single hard yank, Sunset popped her shoulder back into place. She grit her teeth, choking back her scream lest she give away her position. How the hell did he do that! Does the iaiken have a closer minimum range without kanka backing it? Did he guess where I was teleporting and step so I’d be outside his range? She peered through the cloud of dust, trying to glimpse Takamichi’s silhouette. With her vision obscured, it was difficult to remember in exactly which direction he was.

…oh. Sunset growled under her breath. Oh that cheeky little- The dust! He threw up this dust to mess with my aim! Without a clear view of Takamichi’s exact location, Sunset couldn’t pinpoint target her teleports. She’d be less likely to land right on the edge of his range; she’d either be a little too close and off balance, or a little too far and subject to his iaiken. And without kanka powering his strikes, he didn’t have to worry about them flying too far and causing collateral damage; the baseball diamond provided plenty of room for them to lose their punch.

What’s more, with her pinpoint accuracy shot, she couldn’t pull off her rapid teleport-strike combo again. Takamichi had taken her two greatest advantages and hampered them with a single blow. Sunset was furious.

And almost delirious with excitement.

Now THIS is a fight!

Sunset finally found Takamichi’s shadow in the cloud. She teleported, landing almost within arm’s reach of him. Both of them were startled, but Sunset recovered more quickly, taking the initiative and striking out. Takamichi blocked her, giving a little ground as he went on the defensive. Sunset rained blows down upon Takamichi, forcing him back with every strike.

Back… and to the side? Sunset frowned as she noticed that Takamichi was taking his retreat in a wide circle. As the dust began to settle, Sunset realized that he was deliberately keeping them within the baseball field. She focused more of her attacks on his side, trying to cut off his retreat.

She barely moved her head out of the way of Takamichi’s suddenly kanka-powered fist. She teleported away, preparing another barrier spell. Sure enough, Takamichi’s kanka dropped as his hands dropped into his pockets. Sunset started dodging and blocking again as the iaiken strikes rained down.

That was too close, Sunset thought as she teleported again, staying a few meters away from Takamichi as she strategized. And that was deliberate. He baited me into focusing too much on cutting him off. Wanted just one clean hit. She swallowed nervously as she dove for the ground to dodge another few strikes, rolling back to her feet and juking backwards to avoid another. Hate to admit it, but if he gets one solid blow while fully kanka-charged, that’s it for me. I might be faster than him in close-combat, but if he stays on the defensive, he might just manage to land a crippling blow before I can wear him down!

Sunset teleported again, throwing out a lance of fire. Takamichi turned, intercepting the spell before it had closed half the distance between them. Sunset fired off a series of sagita magica, but he intercepted every bolt with casual ease before resuming his attack, even finding time to stomp his foot again and renew the fading cloud of dust.

Sunset shouted in frustration and teleported close again, launching herself back into close-combat. She got one good blow in on his left shoulder before he managed to bring his arms up, and his kanka as well. Sunset poured magic into her ring again, shaping her sagita magica around one of her fists as she struck. Takamichi’s kanka absorbed most of the magic, but he was wincing now every time he was forced to block rather than dodge. Just one good strike, Sunset thought. One good strike past his guard, and I can lay into him with everything I’ve got. All the while, she knew he was thinking about the same thing.

Sunset suddenly cried out, her voice filled with rage and frustration. She cocked her ringed fist back further than before, an inferno swirling around it. Takamichi’s eyes went wide, and he brought up one hand, catching her blow.

So focused was he on the obvious punch that he didn’t notice Sunset’s other hand sneak beneath his guard, her palm flowing to rest against his stomach. She smirked as his eyes went wide. “Blame Ku Fei for this one.”

Sunset poured every ounce of ki she could muster into her arm and pushed. The explosion of pressure ripped a hole through Takamichi’s suit and blew the dust cloud away. Takamichi coughed out a gasp, accompanied by a small amount of blood. Sunset teleported backwards again, her left arm tingling slightly from the switch between magic and ki and back. She took a few deep breaths, watching as Takamichi sank to his knees, clutching his stomach. He hadn’t fainted dead-away like Mana had, but Sunset thought that his injuries might be worse than hers had been. Ku had more precision with her ki; Sunset had relied on brute force.

Once her breathing was back under control, Sunset approached Takamichi. “Yield,” she said. “If you try to fight with an injury like that, you’ll just end up doing more damage to yourself. You almost certainly have a few ruptured organs. If you don’t get treated immediately, sepsis will do you in.”

Takamichi coughed again, blood splattering on the ground. “You really didn’t hold back,” he muttered. He glared up at Sunset. “Still, I can’t yield. Chao’s plan-”

“Will continue without issue.”

Takamichi didn’t have time to react. Chao was there. Had been there. She’d touched something to Takamichi’s back and he was suddenly enveloped in a sphere of dark energy. He looked over his shoulder at her, shock warring with fear on his face. “Don’t worry,” Chao said. “I’ll make sure there’s a doctor there when you arrive.” The sphere rapidly shrank into nothing, and Takamichi was gone.

Sunset stared at Chao warrily. “What was that?”

Chao smiled enigmatically and held up a fist, revealing several small, black-tipped objects sticking out between her fingers. “Special bullets. With the ability to transport someone hit by them three hours ahead in time. From Takahata-sensei’s perspective, the fight is already over.” Seeing the look on Sunset’s face she waved her off. “Don’t worry. They take an insane amount of magic to work. Like my and Negi-kun’s time machines, they only work because the World Tree is shedding so much magic right now.”

Sunset nodded. “That’s a relief. It’d be far too easy to misuse something like that.” She frowned at Chao. “Did I come up against my time limit?”

Chao laughed. “Actually, not at all. I was honestly surprised you defeated him so quickly. But Takahata-sensei is too stubborn and self-sacrificing to give up just because of a little internal bleeding. And I don’t want him to die. Besides, you’d already won.”

Sunset considered arguing that the fight hadn’t technically been over since Takamichi hadn’t yielded, but she gave up; it would have been semantic and petty of her to insist on it. “So? What now?” She frowned and pointed at Chao’s fist. “You going to use those bullets on me, too?”

Chao shook her head. “I probably should, honestly, but I don’t think I really need to. You’re just standing aside for the rest of this, right? I’d rather not get on your bad side if I can avoid it. Besides, these bullets are expensive!”

Sunset chuckled. “Whether armies or revolutionaries, someone always has to keep the logistics in mind.” She nodded towards the World Tree. “Do you mind if I get a front-row seat to whatever it is you’re doing?”

Chao shrugged. “Feel free. Though you won’t want to be in the tree once all six of them get into position. It’ll be the epicenter of a massive ritual, and I’m really not sure what’ll happen to you if you’re sitting at ground zero when it goes off.”

“Fair enough.” Sunset gave the bloody dirt where Takamichi had been one last glance before turning towards the World Tree. “Well, good luck, Chao. I hope all of this was worth it.”

*****

It turned out that Chao’s plan was amazingly straightforward. The six colossi took their positions in a hexagon around the World Tree, Chao and a sniper somewhere - probably Mana - taking out all of the mage teachers and students with those black-tipped bullets. The general populace of Mahora stood back to watch the show, captivated by the massive creatures walking through the school.

Once they were in position, Chao and Hakase began their ritual. The spell was long and complex, and Sunset didn’t even try to understand the details of what was happening. As the incantation finished, the six colossi and the World Tree began to glow, quickly illuminating the darkening sky. Their brightness soon eclipsed that of the sun, forcing Sunset and every other observer to shield their eyes. When it faded, the World Tree was apparently unchanged. The colossi turned and began plodding back towards the lakes. Sunset stared in confusion, wondering what had just happened.

“I don’t get it,” she muttered as she made her way to her class’s building for the final night of the Midnight Horror route. “What did that spell do? It must have been something amazing; there was an unreal amount of magic being released. But nothing seems different. What could it have-”

“NICHI-CHAN!!!”

Sunset was pulled out of her musings as Yuna ran up to her. “Oh. Hey. What’s up?”

“What’s up? WHAT’S UP?! Didn’t you see that huge flash of light?! Or those creepy giant things?! I mean, what in the world was that?!”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “I mean, yeah, I saw it. But don’t incredible things happen all the time? This was pretty low on the strangeness bar for Mahora.”

Yuna paused for a moment, considering her point. “Y-yeah. I… I guess a lot of weird stuff does happen around here, huh? Especially around Negi-kun.” She eyed Sunset warrily for a moment. “Come to think of it, you get caught up in a lot of weird stuff too, Nichi-chan. And you were doing some pretty incredible stuff in the martial arts tournament.”

Sunset’s other eyebrow shot up as well. Why is she questioning this now? “Sure, I guess I was. But why didn’t you bring this up before? I mean, it’s been a day and a half since then. If you thought something was fishy about the tournament, why wait until now to mention it?”

“I… I don't know.” Yuna looked down and gripped her head with both hands. “I mean, I didn’t even think it was weird at the time. Really cool, but, it all had to be a show, right? Just CGI or something. But… but that’s not really how CGI works, is it? I mean, I’ve never heard of it being that advanced before. But, if it wasn’t CGI or some other trick, then…” Yuna looked back up at Sunset, her eyes filled with confusion, awe, and a little bit of fear. “Nichi-chan, what the heck is going on?”

And suddenly, Sunset understood what Chao had done.

Oh you clever little minx.

Arc 16 Chapter ?(3)

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The final night of Mahorafest was far more subdued than the rest of the festival. Most people tried to go about their evening enjoying the festivities, pretending that the event with the colossi had all been a big, elaborate show. Nothing strange at all. Just another amazing feat of Mahorafest.

Except, now they were thinking about those other amazing feats. The Martial Arts Tournament had been the most flashy and showy of the festival’s events, but a lot of people were reflecting on some of the stuff they’d seen throughout Mahorafest in a new light. And it wasn’t just the events of the festival itself they were questioning. Almost every eye at Mahora struggled not to drift to the massive tree - bigger than anything they’d ever seen or heard of - which dominated the center of campus. Many attendees stared out across the lake towards Library Island, recalling the insane architecture and tour lectures about its cavernous and labyrinthine depths. And as they approached 3-A’s Midnight Horror House, many of the attendees found themselves trying to see through the smoke and mirrors and figure out if any logical explanation actually existed for its horrors.

Fortunately for Sunset’s ego, this scrutiny inevitably and quickly crumbled under the weight of her victims’ terror.

Still, as Sunset saw her last guests out - “He’ll be fine. He just fainted. You signed the waivers, right?” - and began tearing down the horror house, she reflected on just how easily a facade of normalcy could crumble.

*****

The next day brought with it many questions, and very few who were willing or able to give answers. The teachers of Mahora - and a couple of students as well - found themselves bombarded with questions about the previous night’s events. Takamichi in particular was waylaid by fans, students, and media alike on his way into class. Everyone wanted to know what had really happened throughout the festival, and what that meant for the wider world.

“So yeah, magic is real.”

The perpetually stonewalled paparazzi would have lost their collective minds had they known that all of their questions were being promptly and succinctly answered in a certain middle-school classroom.

Sunset stood at the front of the class, wand in hand, a flame burning at the tip. She privately mused that she could have just used her ring, but figured that the wand would be more convincing. Most of the class (those who were present, at least - Negi and his entourage still hadn’t returned, and Chao’s group were notably absent) stared in awe at the flame as it danced at the end of the star-tipped stick. Sunset had spent the first five minutes of homeroom taking advantage of their teacher’s absence to get ahead of the stream of questions that she knew she would inevitably be facing. She’d left her own past in Equestria and her true form unremarked upon, keeping her explanation to the magical world nearer to Earth.

Most of the class was stunned into silence by Sunset’s explanation. Ako had heard all of this over the previous two days, of course, and Zazie, Satsuki, and Kazumi had already known about magic. Evangeline and Misora were both absent, the former likely lying low until the world’s attention turned away from Mahora - she still had a sizable bounty on her head, after all - and the latter out trying to do damage control. Everyone else had had no previous knowledge of magic.

“I’m surprised that you’re so shocked,” Sunset continued, turning to Chizuru. “Isn’t Dog-boy living with you? Surely you must have realized something was strange about him? And I know you were in the tent when I showed off to Haruna.”

The motherly redhead put a hand to her cheek and looked up, nodding. “I thought that you were pranking her, to be honest. And I was taken aback by Kotarou-kun’s ears and tail at first, but I figured he had his circumstances and we shouldn’t pry.” She frowned to herself. “Which… is rather strange, come to think of it. Usually I would have insisted on knowing what was going on with him, considering his age. I should have at least let the principal know that something was strange.”

Sunset nodded. “I was reminded just the other day how far people will go to ignore that which doesn’t fit with their view of how the world works. I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that you, Natsumi, and Ayaka dismissed Dog-boy’s circumstances as something you shouldn’t bother about. When things don’t have an easy explanation, people try to dismiss them.

“Or at least, they did.” Sunset stared out the window towards the World Tree. “I’m sure none of you missed those colossi last night, or the light show they produced. I was confused about what they did at first, but now I’m sure. It was a brilliant move, so subtle that it’ll be difficult to confirm, and too late to reverse once they do so. It was a mass-subconscious-suggestion effect, a sort of subtle hypnosis. All it did was make everyone who fell under its sway ask themselves one question, and take it seriously: could it be magic?”

A round of nods circled the room. “I admit,” Ayaka said, “I’ve been asking that question about a lot of things today. Kotarou-kun. Library Island. The Tournament.” Her eyes narrowed at Sunset. “You. And as ridiculous an answer as it is, ‘it’s all magic’ does indeed make more sense than elaborate and futuristic CGI or other tricks.”

“But, who did it?” Fuka asked. “Who made those giants do all that?”

“And why did they do it?” Fumika added.

Kazumi raised a hand. “I can answer the first one, at least.” All eyes turned to her. “As you know, I was the primary commentator for the Martial Arts Tournament where we saw so many amazing feats of magic. A tournament that was organized and sponsored by…”

“CHAO-SAN!”

Kazumi nodded at the chorused exclamation. “Chao-san discovered magic a few weeks ago and set all this in motion to reveal it to the world. Satomi, Chachamaru, and Mana all helped her, so they’re lying low right now.”

“You’re partly right,” Sunset said, taking back everyone’s attention. “She was lying about having only recently discovered magic so that the teachers here would underestimate her. In truth, Chao is herself from the magical world.” Okay, Sunset. Here comes the hard sell. “Not only that, but she’s also from the future.”

The room went silent for a minute before Sakurako ventured to speak. “...eh?”

Sunset nodded. “The future. I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s the truth. Chao has a time machine. Two of them, actually, and she gave the other to Wildfire. He was using it throughout the first two days of the festival so that he could visit everyone while still doing his job and having some fun. I went with him on one of his trips back through time, as did Ako.” A few sets of eyes turned to Ako at this, and she nodded. “Chao claims that there was some disaster coming in the future, something catastrophic enough to risk time travel to change. Somehow, revealing magic here and now to the world is supposed to prevent that-”

“STOP!” Misa held up both hands, shaking her head rapidly. “Just- just stop for a minute! I mean, time travel?! Seriously?!” She lowered her hands and glared at Sunset. “I mean, magic is one thing. With everything that we saw in the tournament, I can’t really dismiss that. But you’re saying that time travel is real?!”

“I-it’s true!” Ako exclaimed. “That second night, when Ne- Nagi-san saw my scar before the concert! I ran away. He didn’t find me immediately like I said - I got almost back to the classroom before I finally stopped running. By the time I realized what had happened and that I needed to head back, it was too late. Nagi-san found me and took me back to earlier that afternoon and spent the day with me to help me calm down.”

Misa stared at Ako for a moment while Madoka hummed to herself. “But wait, I thought Nichibotsu said that Negi-sensei had the time machine. Why would he give it to his cousin?”

Ako’s face went red. “Um, well, that’s…”

“Nagi is Wildfire.” Sunset shrugged. “He has magic pills that change your age. Pretty impressive stuff. He thought it would help Ako calm down before the concert.” She rolled her eyes. “Of course, he failed to realize that he’s a grade-A hottie in that form and a gentleman besides. Naturally, Ako couldn’t help falling for him.”

Sakurako’s eyes went wide. “And she confessed!”

Ako buried her face in her hands as Sunset chuckled. “Yeah, she did. And I had to do damage control to keep Wildfire from doing something stupid like starting a fake long-distance relationship or something.”

“That’s why you looked so flabbergasted when you finally finished changing,” Misa mused. “He told you who he was.”

“And Nichibotsu followed up,” Madoka added.

Akira sighed and shook her head. “So I guess we’re all just accepting that time travel is real, now.”

Sunset chuckled again. “Don’t worry. We won’t have to deal with that headache. Apparently, Chao’s time machines only worked while the World Tree was glowing. It was putting off so much magical energy that the machines barely had to use any of their own. Even if we do get more visitors from the future, they’re stuck here until the next time it glows twenty-odd years from now.”

Sighs of relief and disappointment filled the room. “So, what about Negi-kun?” Makie asked.

Yuna’s eyes went wide. “Hey, yeah! Why isn’t Negi-kun telling us all this?! And where are Asuna and the rest?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” Sunset admitted. “Wildfire and his gang were trying to stop Chao from revealing magic. She told me she had a ‘surprise’ set up for them, but nothing more than that. Probably something that’ll keep them occupied for a while.” She smirked. “Good thing for you that I’m here. I should be able to handle his teaching schedule until he gets back or they find a replacement for him.”

Fuka glared at Sunset. “And why should we let you be in charge, huh?”

“Because with Chao and Satomi absent, I am - without contest - the most intelligent and well-learned person in this room. Because I have a maturity that most of you lack. Because I’m already tutoring four of you anyway. And because I have managed to single-handedly turn Kagurazaka ‘Baka Red’ Asuna’s grades around.”

The silence this time was much shorter. “Good point.”

*****

Sunset’s lesson was interrupted part-way through by Takamichi. He looked in on the class, surprised to find Sunset teaching, but allowing her to continue. He even asked her to cover the class for a while until they could find another replacement.

It had taken a few minutes after he’d left for Sunset to answer a barrage of questions about Takamichi’s status as a mage, but she eventually managed to resume the lesson.

Sunset had canceled her tutoring session for the day, telling Ako and the others that she had a prior commitment. Her half-truth had turned to full-truth as soon as she’d exited the school building and found herself surrounded by the reporters she’d promised interviews to after the Martial Arts Tournament. The rest of her day had been spent setting up a schedule of interviews for the rest of the week and starting in on the first round, further detailing her battles in the Tournament and her opinions on the other fights.

Sunset had stopped by the library before going home that night, using their computers to check the news. Speculation and hearsay were spreading throughout the globe like wildfire already, and words like “magic” and “mages” were being published without reservation or mockery. Most national governments had come to a virtual standstill as world leaders tried to figure out how to respond to the public’s demands for information. The one thing Sunset didn’t see was the one thing she’d been searching for: information on Chao and what she was up to.

The rest of the week proceeded in a similar pattern. With Most of Sunset’s teachers unavailable, she was able to sleep in to a reasonable hour. She went to school, taught the English lesson, gave hours of interviews on what she knew of magic and what Chao had done, checked the news and searched fruitlessly for Chao, and went home to collapse into bed. She made sure not to name any mages, and refused to answer any speculation from the reporters.

“For once,” Sunset muttered as she pulled herself up to her loft, “I’m glad I don’t know much about the magical world. Those damn leeches finally ran out of questions for me.” She flopped onto her cot, glad for the weekend. “Still, what the hell is Chao doing? Why hasn’t she come forward yet? She needs to step in soon, or things will get nasty quick.” Already, a few nations had broken the international “no comment” line and officially confirmed or denied the existence of magic. Neither announcement had been well received: the latter was met with outrage at the attempts to cover up what everyone already knew at this point, and the former was met with demands to know why their leaders had kept quiet up to now. No major world power had come forth with a response as of yet - nor had Japan - and the tension was building. If someone didn’t take control of the situation soon, there was no telling what would happen.

Sunset’s mind spun endless circles of worry as she was forced to consider one particularly dreadful option: that Chao had had no plan beyond this. It seemed more likely every day that the time-traveling revolutionary had had no intention of following through with her revelation, leaving the world to its own devices while she fled back to the future. If that was the case…

Sunset glanced over to the empty bunk-bed before turning over and pulling her blanket over herself.

“You’d better get back soon, Wildfire. You and the others.”

*****

Fortunately for Sunset’s peace of mind, Negi and the others returned the next Monday.

Unfortunately for Negi, she discovered this when Natsumi dragged a dumbstruck child teacher into their classroom.

“Negi-kun!”

“Long time no see!”

“We were so worried about you!”

Negi was swarmed in an instant, most of the girls demanding to know where the child teacher had been and to see his magic. Ayaka tried to pull him aside to renew her professions of love, but was quickly interrupted by a flying tackle from the Narutaki twins. Makie grabbed Negi’s arm, asking for a ride on a magic broomstick, and Yuuna and Sakurako jumped in with their own demands. Before too long, most of the girls were piled in an all-out brawl/grope-fest. Sunset sat back, watching with amusement until Akira managed to extract Negi from the mass. She dragged the poor boy out of the room, Sunset sneaking out after them and slamming the door behind her.

“Nice extraction,” Sunset said with a smirk, leaning back against the door. “You should go to med school. Become a surgeon.”

Akira rolled her eyes and turned back to Negi. “Are you alright, Negi-sensei?”

“I-I’m alright. Thank you, Akira-san.”

Akira nodded and hesitated, shooting Sunset a quick glance. “Negi-sensei… I still find it hard to believe, even after the school festival and all that Nichi-chan told us. Are you really what they’re calling a mage?”

“I’m hurt, Akira.” Sunset held a hand dramatically to her chest. “After all that, you still don’t trust me?”

Akira rolled her eyes again. “The existence of magic is undeniable at this point. Whether Negi-sensei himself is a mage or not…”

Negi stared back and forth between the two girls in panic. “Wh-what do you mean, ‘undeniable’? Akira-san, Nichibotsu, what happened?!”

Akira turned back to Negi, a reprimand in her tone. “That’s what I want to ask you. You, Kagurazaka-san, and the others have been gone all this time. Even Nichi-chan couldn’t tell us where you were.”

“A-all this time?! Akira-san, what day is today?!”

“It’s June thirtieth.”

“Thirtieth?! But the festival ends on the twenty-second! That means…” Negi’s face went pale, his voice faint. “It’s been a week? A whole week since the end of the school festival?”

“It was quite a show, that last night.” Sunset chuckled. “I’m sorry you missed it.”

Negi turned to Sunset, his face desperate. “Nichibotsu, how far has magic been exposed?”

Sunset kicked off the door and stepped forward to stand face-to-face with Negi. “It’s over, Wildfire. The entire world knows about magic. The cat’s out of the bag. The fat lady has sung. All that’s left is for the leaders of the world to officially acknowledge it.”

Negi stared from one girl to the other, utterly stunned. Suddenly, he turned and dashed away.

“Ah! Negi-sensei!”

“I’ll go after him,” Sunset said. “Try to keep the rest of the class from going insane until we get back.”

Akira swallowed nervously as Sunset ran after Negi. “Easier said than done.”

*****

“So, where are we running?”

Sunset was jogging by Negi’s side, using her ki to easily keep pace with him. Negi kept looking around wildly, his expression growing more and more panicked as he saw how many students were watching him.

“I need to find Asuna-san and the others!” Negi said. “We need to figure out how to fix this!”

“Like I said, it’s too late to fix.”

“You don’t know that!”

“Negi-sensei!!!”

Negi and Sunset skid to a halt, turning to look up the street. Sunset’s eyes narrowed. “Gandolfini. Shouldn’t you be in class?”

The tall, dark-skinned university professor sighed as he approached. Sunset had had almost no interaction with him, having only met him at the World Tree plaza where he’d been introduced as a mage teacher. She knew neither what subjects he taught nor how he fought, but observing his gait, Sunset could tell that he was far from inexperienced in combat. “I should be asking you that, Nichibotsu-san. Please return to class. I have business with Negi-sensei.”

Sunset frowned and crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. “Is that so? I hope your ‘business’ with him isn’t what I think it is.”

Negi stared back and forth between them. “N-Nichibotsu? Wh-what-”

“I told you, didn’t I? Chao’s plan worked. Magic has been revealed to the world.” Sunset pointed at Gandolfini. “And guess who’s getting the blame for that?”

Gandolfini sighed again and looked down. “It’s true. We failed to stop Chao Lingshen. We were utterly defeated. Most of the blame lies with us. However,” his eyes snapped back up to Negi. “You were the one who insisted that we leave Chao Lingshen in your hands!” This time Gandolfini was the one to point in accusation. “You will be held responsible for that, Negi-sensei!”

Arc 16 Chapter ?(4)

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The fight was as brief as it was one-sided.

“So, what exactly was Chao’s trap?” Sunset asked, Negi walking by her side and occasionally glancing worriedly back at the unconscious Gandolfini. “I mean, I can guess the general framework, but…”

Negi shook his head, turning fully forward as he and Sunset started north. “It looks like Chao-san did something to Evangeline-san’s villa. We were still only in there for twenty-four hours, but according to you and Akira-san, more than a week passed out here.”

Sunset nodded. “A simple enough re-write to the villa’s temporal distortion. I’d probably struggle with it, but this is someone who knows enough about time magic to create a functioning time machine.” Her gaze turned down to Negi. “Speaking of which, how’s it looking?”

Negi took out his device and examined it. “Not good. I can’t even get the dials to turn. It’s completely dead.”

“We’ll have to figure out how to un-dead it, then.” At Negi’s surprised look, Sunset sighed. “Look, I didn’t do a thing to stop Chao. Even helped her a little by taking out Takamichi for her since I didn’t get a chance to fight him in the tournament. I thought that her revolution might bring about a positive change in the world, and I was content to sit back and watch it happen.

“But that’s not what happened.” Sunset grit her teeth, glaring ahead. “Chao played me. Made it sound like she had this grand plan to change the world for the better. But she’s been MIA ever since her ritual revealed magic to the world. She hasn’t taken command of the situation. Hasn’t tried to guide the world or set up diplomatic relations between the magical and mundane worlds. She hasn’t even raised a faction on either side to call for peaceful integration. There’s been no sign of Chao - or anyone who knew what was going to happen - taking action. As a result, the world is about to descend into chaos and discord.”

Negi paled.

“And that’s where your little time machine comes in,” Sunset continued. “If the past can be changed once, it can be changed again. If you can get that working, you, Asuna, and the others will be able to go back and stop Chao from winning.”

“B-but,” Negi stammered, “we don’t even know what Chao-san’s plan was! Or how she pulled it off!”

“Well then, it’s a good thing I do.”

*****

“...And those are the contents of my plan ne. From now on, the chaos will probably continue for another five to ten years, and I realize that it’ll cause you guys some trouble as well. But you know, if you can just try living in it, you should find that it’s not that bad of a world yo. Now then, let us meet again sometime, everyone.”

The magical hologram faded and Sunset grit her teeth. “I was right, then. She never intended to take responsibility for her actions. She’s content to let the world spiral into discord for the next decade.”

Sunset and Negi had found Asuna, Setsuna, Konoka, Nodoka, Yue, Homura, Chisame, Ku Fei, and Kaede in the basement of Evangeline’s cottage, watching as a magical letter that Chao had left behind had explained the full extent of what she’d done. The time-traveling mage was herself long gone, having declared victory without a battle having even been fought.

“It was cleverly done,” Chisame admitted begrudgingly. “She probably chose this era with intent, since the internet has just finished spreading around the world. Even experts in the field would have a hard time countering her spread of information, and I’m guessing that mages have an unfortunate dearth of such experts.”

“And with international communication being instant and easy to access,” Yue added, “it’s a simple matter for the thousands of people who saw the Mahora Martial Arts Tournament firsthand to confirm that the videos Chao-san shared were real.”

“The magical world has always counted on widespread skepticism of magic as our biggest shield against discovery,” Setsuna admitted. “With that gone, it’s only a matter of time even without those videos. I hate to admit it, but the subtlety hidden beneath her ostentation is brilliant.”

“Eh? Brilliant? What? What do you mean?!” Unsurprisingly, Asuna had had a hard time following Chao’s explanation, and Ku Fei and Kaede were looking just as lost. “What are you saying?! What was Chao-san talking about with all those difficult terms?!”

“Geh, you really are an idiot, Baka Red!” Chisame turned to shout at Asuna. “Basically, Chao’s plan was a total success! At this rate, the world is heading straight for a magical fantasy filled with magic and dreams!”

“I understand that that’s your personal hangup,” Sunset said, “but the real problem is much worse than that. This world happily accepting these events and becoming a fantasy land of magic and dreams is a naive best-case scenario. The world is already in uproar over this revelation and how it’s been kept secret for so long. Several third-world countries are already seeing bloody coups, revolutions, and civil wars because their leaders kept - or are still trying to keep - magic secret. Worst case scenario, this world is going to tear itself to pieces.”

“In any case, we need to go back and stop this from happening!” Negi turned to Konoka. “Konoka-san, do you still have the Caseopia’s instruction manual?” Konoka handed it over, and Negi started flipping through. “I was afraid of that. Not only does this machine need a huge amount of magic to work, it’s built specifically to work with the World Tree’s magic. Even if we found another massive source, there’s no guarantee we’d be able to get it to work.”

“Then it’s the World Tree or bust,” Sunset said. “Let’s get over there. Magic like it produced doesn’t come from nothing. If we investigate the tree, we might be able to find a way to force it to reactivate early.”

Negi nodded. “R-right. We’ll have to hurry, though. We don’t want to have to fight any more mage teachers.”

“One flaw with that plan.”

Everyone turned to Kaede, who was looking up to the cottage above. “It appears,” she said, “that they have come for us already de gozaru.”

Sunset, Setsuna, and Negi tensed. “How many?” Setsuna asked.

“Two that I can sense,” Kaede replied. “They are quite skilled. They got close to the cottage before I could sense them de gozaru.” She shared a glance with Setsuna, who nodded, before the two of them darted silently up the stairs.

“This could be bad,” Sunset muttered. “I doubt they’re going to just let us walk out of here.”

“Did they follow us?” Negi asked.

“Probably not. The woods are pretty thick. They would have had to stay right on our tail to follow us here. More likely they came here looking for Evangeline. She leant Chachamaru to Chao, after all, so they might think that she’s an accomplice. Or they could be after her for her connection to you. Either way, they must have used some sort of divination to find out that people other than Evangeline are here.”

“What makes you think that?” Ku Fei asked.

“If they thought it was just Evangeline,” Sunset muttered, “they wouldn’t have revealed their presence. Even without her magic, she’s not an inconsequential threat.”

Setsuna returned a moment later. “It’s bad. There’s two of them up there. They say they just want to talk with most of us, but they’re demanding we turn over Nichibotsu and Negi-sensei before anything else. We have five minutes.”

“That’s no time at all,” Sunset said. “They’re trying to force us to either surrender or act rashly and without a plan. They’re experienced.”

“We’d better form a plan quickly, then,” Haruna said. “I don’t think any of us are willing to hand over Negi-kun like that.”

“Chisame-san,” Yue said. “Are you able to connect to the internet? There’s something I want to search for.”

“Not here,” Chisame replied. “But if I can get to the wireless LAN hotspot in front of the station…”

“You have a plan, Yue?” Nodoka asked.

“Something like that. A hope, at least.”

“Good enough for me,” Asuna said, slamming her fist into her palm. “Let’s go break through those mage teachers!”

“Just a minute, Asuna,” Setsuna said. “We don’t have much time, right? It wouldn’t make sense for all of us to stay behind and fight. Let me and Kaede-san hold off the teachers for a while. We’ll catch up later.”

“I can create some decoys,” Haruna offered, pulling out a pactio card. “Keep them off our scent for a bit.”

Sunset cocked an eyebrow. “When did you…” She shook her head. “Never mind. Not important. You sure you two can handle them, Setsuna?”

Setsuna hesitated only a moment before nodding. “I doubt we’ll be able to defeat them,” she admitted. “But we can stall them while you do what you need to do. Kaede-san can catch up quickly, and Negi-sensei can summon me with his card.”

“Besides,” Yue added, “we don’t know that they won’t send other teachers after us once they realize we got away.”

Everyone turned to Negi, looking for confirmation of the plan. He allowed himself a full minute to think before nodding. “It’s the best chance we’ve got. Setsuna-san, I’m sorry to ask, but could you-”

Setsuna smiled and nodded. “Not a problem, Negi-sensei.”

*****

Getting away turned out to be as simple as they’d hoped. Between Haruna’s art clones and Setsuna’s paper golems, they were able to leave simulacrums of themselves behind and sneak out the back while Setsuna and Kaede kept the teachers’ attention.

“That’s an impressive artifact,” Sunset admitted as they raced back towards Mahora. “Is there any limit on those clones?”

“Not really,” Haruna bragged. “So long as I can draw it, I can bring it out. They aren’t too powerful, though, and they get weaker when there are more of them.”

“Still, very useful,” Sunset said. “The biggest issue in planning for any expedition is how much to bring without weighing the party down too much. If you can create any mundane object you can draw, that cuts down on weight and planning issues significantly. Looks like the Library Exploration Club’s three for three on support roles.” She turned to Yue with a smirk. “What do you say? Ready to give it the ol’ smackeroo and see if you make it four for four?”

Yue rolled her eyes. “Later.”

“Oh!” Everyone looked ahead at Chisame’s shout. She pointed ahead on the path. “Look! A telephone box!”

“Eh?!” Ku Fei cried. “All the way out here?!”

“Evangeline-san doesn’t have a telephone at her house,” Negi said. “She must use this whenever she needs to call someone. Chisame-san! Can you connect to the internet with that?”

“Yeah,” Chisame said, reaching the phone booth and pulling out her laptop. “But it’s an ISDN, so it’ll be a little slow.”

“Slow is better than nothing,” Yue said. “Once you’re connected, look for the home page of Mahora University’s ‘The World Tree’s Most Devoted Lovers Club’.”

“What?! Why do you need the home page of such a pathetic-sounding group?!”

Ku Fei suddenly looked up. “They’re coming, aru!”

“Stop right there!!!”

On the path ahead appeared three girls and a small army of cloaked and masked figures. Sunset recognized two of them immediately.

Takane and Mei, she thought. And I’ll bet that other girl is another of Takane’s ministras. And those shadowy figures must be Takane’s dolls. This could be-

“Wait!” Haruna shouted, pointing at Takane. “You’re that stripper from the tournament!”

…I’m really starting to regret missing her matches.

Takane seemed sorrowfully resigned as she accepted the title without complaint. "W-well alright them. If you people are willing to come with us peacefully, then that’s fine. But if you try to resist at all…” She threw off her humiliation, standing strong and proud as she pointed dramatically at them. “Then I, Takane T Goodman, Ally of Justice, shall pass down judgement on all of you!”

Sunset raised her fists, ready to fight. Ku Fei and Negi prepared for battle as well. Asuna, while she had pulled out her artifact, seemed more contemplative than anything as she stared at her harisen.

Her magic-canceling harisen.

While they were facing down summoned dolls and girls in magic-generated clothing.

…huh. Sunset stood upright and turned to Asuna, gesturing to Takane and the others. “They’re all yours.”

*****

After another brutal, one-sided battle, Mei, Takane, and the third girl lay unconscious and disrobed by the side of the path, covered by a few tarps that Haruna had conjured.

“Seriously,” Sunset muttered. “With the myriad of ways that magic can be dispelled, you’d think she’d stop clothing herself and her cronies in it.”

“It’s actually a really strong defense,” Negi defended, his face red. “She’s one of the strongest mages at Mahora. But, well, she keeps coming up against opponents who specialize in dispelling magic. Or me, who just managed to break through.”

“Still,” Asuna muttered, “maybe they’ll start wearing underwear from now on at least.”

“I hope not.”

“You wouldn’t, ero-Nichi-chan.”

“I see. So that’s it.”

Sunset turned back towards Chisame, who was examining her laptop intently. “You’ve got something?”

Chisame nodded, turning her computer around so everyone could see it. “Look here. This is an observation record of the World Tree’s luminescence level before and after the school festival period, from the World Tree’s Most Devoted Lover’s Club. More than sixty years worth of observation records have been organized and placed on their home page.” The screen displayed a graph with several overlapping bell curves. “On an average year, the luminescence ends along with the school festival. But if you look at the so-called Great Luminescence Years of nineteen-eighty-two, sixty, and thirty-eight in the record, the lumination, although weak, continues on for seven to eight days after the school festival. This year is the same.”

“But that means…” Realization dawned on Negi’s face. “It’s possible that there’s still magic left, even though it’s been a week!”

“The World Tree’s magic comes from the leylines,” Sunset added. “If there’s any magic left, it’ll be deep underground.” She shared a glance with Yue and nodded. “Follow me! There’s a passage in Library Island that goes beneath the World Tree!”

*****

They reached library island without incident, finding it unguarded. Sunset and Yue led them quickly through the labyrinth, taking ever shortcut they knew. Eventually, they found themselves racing down a dark, stony tunnel.

“The library itself doesn’t go any further,” Yue said, “so the Club has never explored this passage entirely. But we’re pretty sure it leads right beneath the World Tree.”

“There!” Ku Fei pointed ahead. A number of large roots had broken their way through the stone and grown along the walls and floor. Roots which were glowing with a familiar luminescence.

“This must be it! Asuna cried. “The World Tree’s roots are still glowing! That’s good, right?”

Negi quickly fished out his Caseopia and started fiddling with the dials. “It’s moving! We can use it!”

“Now we just need to wait for the other two,” Asuna said. “Negi-kun, call Setsuna!”

“Hah! Thank goodness it’s over,” Haruna sighed. “Though I’m kinda surprised we didn’t have to fight any monsters or a final boss or something like you see in games. This place is kinda like a dungeon, after all.”

“Monsters?” Chisame scoffed. “Please. I’m willing to accept the existence of magic, but there’s no way monsters can be real.”

“B-but we did run into a dragon down here a while ago,” Nodoka said.

“Ha!” Chisame shook her head. “Spare me already, Honya. Your jokes aren’t-”

*SPLAT*

“Um, Chisame, you’ve got a little something…” Sunset trailed off, her eyes turning upward as Chisame hurried to wipe the slimy liquid from her head. “Um, Honya? Where exactly did you encounter that dragon?”

A massive creature loomed overhead, having somehow snuck up behind them. A body that seemed almost crafted of stone, rippling with powerful muscles, it was altogether more monstrous and terrifying than the intelligent - though ill-tempered - dragons of Equestria. It glared down at them, growling deep in its throat.

“Ah! Look at that!” Asuna’s shout stole some of Sunset’s attention away from the dragon. “The World Tree’s light is disappearing!”

“I think we have bigger problems right now,” Sunset said, taking a shell-shocked Nodoka by the arm and pulling her slowly down the path.

“Bigger problems?! What do you- WHAT THE HECK IS THAT THING?!”

Oh good. You finally noticed.

Asuna’s shout dispelled whatever hesitance the dragon had been laboring under. It roared ferociously, lunging for Chisame.

“Chisame-san!” Negi was there in a flash, scooping Chisame into his arms and hopping aboard his staff. Sunset scooped up Nodoka and followed suit, running from the dragon down the corridor, following the World Tree’s fading light.

“What the hell is something like that doing beneath the school?!” Chisame demanded as Asuna and Ku Fei scooped up Haruna and Yue respectively and rushed down the tunnel beside them.

“Forget ‘why,’” Sunset shouted. “Just get out of here! Wildfire! Did you call Setsuna yet?!”

Negi nodded. “Kaede-san is on her way. Setsuna-san is ready to go at any time.”

“Better get her over here now,” Asuna said, chancing a glance behind them at the pursuing dragon. “I don’t think we’ll have a lot of time once we get there!”

“R-Right!” Negi held up Setsuna’s card. “Summon! Ministra Negi, Sakurazaki Setsuna!” Setsuna appeared in a flash of light, running by Negi’s side. “Setsuna-san!” Negi pointed desperately behind them. “Can you beat that thing?”

Setsuna raised a curious eyebrow before turning to look behind. Her eyes went wide, her jaw slack. “A-ah. I see. A-a western dragon, is it? It l-looks fairly strong. First time I’ve ever actually seen one. Yes. Right. Um, no, Negi-sensei. I think it would take several days and the right equipment to, I mean, even then I wouldn’t-”

“Just say ‘no’ and keep running!” Sunset shouted. “Where’s that damn ninja, anyway?!”

“Where do you think?”

It took a colossal effort for Sunset not to stumble. She glared to her side where Kaede ran beside her as if she’d been there all along. She’d even managed to snatch Nodoka out of her hands somehow. “One of these days,” she muttered, “my reflexes will be good enough for you to regret doing that.”

“Perhaps,” Kaede acknowledged before turning around, running backwards and easily keeping pace as she observed the dragon chasing them. “And I think this thing might be a little beyond me as well.”

“Look!” Asuna shouted. “There’s an exit! And there’s still light ahead!” They burst out into a massive chamber, a sphere of stone bricks that could have housed several buildings. Thin walkways led to the center of the chamber where a large, intricate device sat, a sphere of glowing white energy hovering above it. Tree roots lined the walls of the chamber, growing fainter with every second.

“Over there!” Yue shouted. “That center area must have the last bit of the World Tree’s magic! We need to hurry before the dragon-”

A great roar sounded from behind. Sunset looked over her shoulder in time to see the dragon burst from the tunnel and stand fully upright, dwarfing even the golem from their hunt for the Book of Melchizedek. It glared after them, spreading its wings and preparing to take flight. Sunset glanced from the dragon to her group. To the center of the chamber. Back to the dragon. She did some quick figuring.

She stopped, turning around fully to face the dragon. “Keep going!” she shouted. “Don’t stop! Activate the time machine as soon as you can!”

“Wha- Nichi-chan!”

“Nichibotsu!”

“Oy! What are you doing?!”

“I was never going to come with you!” Sunset confessed, staring down the dragon who seemed puzzled by her halted retreat. “I made my choice. I chose to stand aside and let Chao do as she would. I chose to trust her. And I have to live with that choice.” She looked over her shoulder, locking eyes with Negi. “Wildfire, when you get back, find me. Tell me to help you. Tell her that Chao’s plan will bring nothing but Discord. Tell her ‘Code: Black Sun.’ She’ll know what that means.”

“Nichibotsu-”

“You don’t have time to argue!” Sunset shouted. “The magic will be gone any minute! And this dragon won’t stay still forever!” As if to prove her point, the dragon roared again, taking to the air with a great flap of its wings. Sunset turned to face it, fists raised. “GO!!!”

“Negi-sensei! The magic!”

“We have to go!”

“But, Nichi-chan-”

Sunset stopped listening. Focussed on the creature barreling towards her. It opened its mouth, light building in the back of its throat.

“An honest-to-goodness fire-breathing dragon,” Sunset muttered, licking her lips. “Been a while.” She raised her voice to a shout. “COME ON THEN! LET’S SEE WHAT YOU’RE MADE OF!”

The dragon unleashed its fire with a great roar. Sunset brought up her hands. “Equis equis alicor-

Arc 6.4: Chapter 60

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Believe it or not, there was a time when I lived every day as the center of attention.

Instead, I made it out with a scar.

Eventually, they kind of just forgot about me.

So it’s really no wonder that when Nichibotsu called us out to the World Tree Plaza to rip into us, the best (and worst) that she could come up with was my unremarkability. I was a little relieved that she didn’t mention my scar, but I understand now; she’d never talk bad about someone being hurt in a fire after what happened to her. Anyway, it surprised me when she pulled me aside after that to apologize. I’m pretty sure one of the other girls put her up to it. Still, I’m glad she did. Rather, I’m glad of what came after that. Somehow or another, Nichibotsu and I became friends. She loves my music, even if I’m not sure I’m as good as she says I am. She’s helped me a lot in class, and it turns out I’m actually pretty smart if someone helps me understand things. She called me cute. It’d been years since anyone outside my family did that. I owe a lot to her.

Still, nothing could have prepared me for what happened that day.

*****

“I’m in love with you, Izumi Ako.”

But… it was strange. The feelings were distant. Muted. Like they were calling out while wrapped up in velvet. Far more clear were my own feelings: confusion, surprise, and with embarrassment starting to set in, along with the flutterings of something that I wouldn’t notice for a while, and wouldn’t be able to name for a while after. Nichibotsu had just confessed to me. To ME! Izumi Ako, the plain, uninteresting, totally average wallflower. Hikaru Nichibotsu, one of the most unique, bombastic, and attention-grabbing girls in the school, had just said she was in love with, of all people, me.

And, hadn’t she just said something about confessions being a really bad thing right here and right now?

“Nichibotsu!”

Nichibotsu turned to frown at Takahata as he approached, and woah! Those muted emotions were very different now, and a little overwhelming. I turned to see Takahata walking towards us, frowning. On the surface, I felt the usual respect and - I’ll admit it - a little bit of attraction. Not nearly as much as Kagurazaka, but it’s hard to deny that Takahata looks handsome. But beneath that were much more powerful emotions. Respect was still there, but it was of a different flavor, harder and more familiar. But there was just as much contempt; I felt that he should be doing more. I was disappointed in him for not living up to his full potential. Awed by his power. A little jealous of him. Most of all, I hated - absolutely hated - how he reminded me of someone.

“Takamichi.” Nichibotsu never used surnames or honorifics. “How goes the patrol?”

“It was going well,” Takahata said, a very slight reprimand in his voice - I’d heard him use it on Kagurazaka and the Class Rep enough to recognize it. “Until now, that is. I assume you know the significance of what you’ve done?”

Nichibotsu rolled her eyes at him. She’s probably one of the few students in the school with enough guts to do that. But I guess that makes sense, considering she isn’t actually a human middle-schooler. “Of course I do. I’m the one who lectured Wildfire about it, remember? But this sort of power isn’t dangerous if used correctly. I’m not asking for reciprocation, or even an answer. I just wanted to make sure - beyond a shadow of a doubt - that Ako knows how I feel.” She gestured to me, her cheeks coloring slightly. “From the way she’s blushing and the fact she hasn’t gone all doe-eyed on me, I’d say it worked.”

Oh, right. My blush. The embarrassment had finally dominated my other emotions as I fully registered that I’d just been confessed to. And Takahata saw it! Oh, kill me now!

Takahata stared at me for a moment - a really uncomfortable moment - before turning back to Nichibotsu. “Still, I will have to report this to the principal.”

Nichibotsu shrugged. “Do what you need to. But don’t you have more important things to be worrying about? Like Chao?” She pointed behind him. “Or that couple that’s walking towards the plaza? That guy looks pretty determined, and that girl looks like she’s expecting something.”

Takahata looked over his shoulder and sighed, giving me and Nichibotsu one last look. “We’ll discuss this later, Nichibotsu.” With that, he turned and walked away.

Nichibotsu grabbed my hand and started leading me away from the plaza. She quickly brought me to a deserted ally and came to a stop, sighing. “Sorry about that,” she said, leaning against one of the walls. “Just be glad it was Takamichi. Someone less professional would insist on lecturing me for an hour while you watched.”

“I-it’s fine.” I certainly wasn’t up to getting a lecture right now. “I was just a little, well…”

“Shocked?” Nichibotsu asked. “Surprised? Overwhelmed?” She smirked at me. “Embarrassed?” I felt my face heating up again, but I was gratified to see that her cheeks were pink as well. “Well, those are the usual reactions to a confession. Still, the Japanese language is terrible when it comes to expressing affection. Far too few words for things like ‘love’. I had to make sure the real message got across.” She looked away, her cheeks turning from pink to red. “It, um, looks like it worked.”

“You don’t have to say it!” Apparently, Nichibotsu was almost as embarrassed as I was. Maybe even a little more. “In fact, please don’t! If I have to hear all of these cringy things I’m feeling put into words, I swear I’ll melt right through the pavement and bury myself alive.” The feeling was mutual. “I just… I just wanted to make sure you knew exactly what I was saying. And that I meant it.” She took a deep breath and looked up, her face still red. “No offense, but you aren’t very good at taking compliments at face value.”

Nichibotsu sighed and smiled, some of the red leaving her face; I guess she was happy to talk about something else too. “That’s new, honestly. Just since the tournament. Seeing how he used his power was- wait!” She sprang off the wall and grabbed my shoulders. “How did you know about that?!”

Nichibotsu wasn’t blushing anymore. Her sigh was full of frustration this time. “Great. General empathy. Or, I guess since you weren’t feeling his emotions, targeted but non-specific empathy. You can feel everything I’m feeling. Not just for you, but for everyone.” She let go of my shoulders and took a step back, looking back towards the plaza. That mix of anger and respect came back. “I think ‘contempt’ is the word you’re looking for. He’s got a lot of power, but he wastes his time here teaching middle-schoolers when he could be off making a difference in the world. Those with power are duty-bound to use it for the good of…” She trailed off with another sigh. Nichibotsu sighs a lot, each one a little different; I almost think sometimes she could communicate entirely in sighs and everyone would still understand her. “Sorry, you don’t need to hear that lecture. And you don’t need to worry about that hate, either. I don’t actually hate him. It’s just… he reminds me of someone. And I really don’t like thinking about her.”

Oh! Wow! And I’d thought that her feelings towards Takahata were strong. This set. This set was powerful enough to overwhelm my own emotions.

Thankfully, Nichibotsu realized quickly what was happening and stopped thinking about whoever it had been before I could really start to understand what I was feeling. “Sorry,” she said again. “You really don’t need to get caught up in that emotional mess. Thank Tenko for my mental training, or this would be torture for you.”

“Y-yeah.” I have to admit, I was curious to know just who she felt that powerfully about. And who this “Tenko” was. “So… what now?”

“Nichibotsu!”

We were saved from the awkward moment by the arrival of two of the Library Exploration girls: Miyazaki and Saotome. Nichibotsu’s attention turned to them and two sets of emotions bubbled up under my heart. For Miyazaki, a powerful fondness, high expectations, and the vestiges of a ghost of what she felt for me, more like a memory of emotion than anything else. Her feelings towards Saotome were a little mixed: equal parts annoyance and amusement. Annoyance was the more powerful emotion at the moment. “Honya. Haruna. Sorry, but this isn’t really a good time.”

Saotome leered at us. “O-ho-ho. I see, I see. We’re interrupting the mood, aren’t we?”

Miyazaki studied Nichibotsu for a moment before blushing. “Um, I don’t think so, Haruna. Nichi-chan would be a lot madder if we were interrupting… that.”

The twinge of embarrassment from Nichibotsu was slight, easily eclipsed by my own. “Yeah,” she confirmed, “the confession already went down. But I was hoping we could continue our date.” She had excellent control of her voice and expression, but I felt her emotions spike as she said the word “date.” “So if you’ll excuse us-”

“Um, I’m sorry, Nichi-chan!” Miyazaki interrupted. “But we need you to come help us! Chao-san is going to-”

“Expose magic to the world? Yes, I know. Got to say, I’m impressed you managed to avoid whatever trap she had in place to keep you all out of the way. But I’m a neutral party in this.”

“Actually,” Saotome rubbed the back of her head awkwardly, “we didn’t dodge her trap. She sent us a week into the future. We’re actually really lucky that we managed to get back here at all.”

Nichibotsu raised an eyebrow. “Good for you.” She said it sardonically, but she was genuinely impressed and curious. But more than that, she had an urgency to leave. “But I’m still-”

“Code: Black Sun!”

Dread. Shock. Determination. Nichibotsu straightened immediately, saluting Saotome with her eyes pointed straight ahead. “Sir!” she called. “Awaiting orders!”

We all stood motionless for a moment, staring at Nichibotsu as she stared straight ahead at attention. Eventually, she snapped out of it, embarrassment and anger flooding out of her, evident to all of us, not just me. She stormed over to Saotome and grabbed her by the collar. “That. Never. Happened. And you will forget that phrase. Where did you even hear it?!”

“Y-you gave it to us.” Nichibotsu’s eyes snapped to Miyazaki, and I was surprised she didn’t quail under the intensity of her gaze. “You helped us get back here. Before we left, you said to tell this you to help us.” She closed her eyes. “‘Tell me to help you. Tell her that Chao’s plan will bring nothing but Discord. Tell her ‘Code: Black Sun.’ She’ll know what that means.’”

Nichibotsu stared Miyazaki down for a moment before releasing Saotome. She took a step back, shaking her head. “Black Sun,” she muttered. “Of all the things. And to even invoke ‘Discord.’” She glared off into the distance, anger and betrayal coloring her heart. “So, your plans are folly after all, Chao.” She shook her head again and turned to me. “Sorry, Ako. It looks like I need to go help them deal with this. You should probably-”

“I’m coming with you!”

Nichibotsu was shocked. Miyazaki and Saotome were shocked. Honestly, I was a little shocked at myself. But still, I knew what I wanted to do. “I don’t really know what’s going on, but this has to do with magic, right? I haven’t seen the magic side of you, Nichi-chan. I… I want to get to know every part of you.” Nichibotsu blushed, her heart filling with those fuzzy feelings again. And something else too. Something deeper. More raw. Something that made me start to blush too. “N-n-n-n-n-not like that!”

Nichibotsu quickly shut that feeling down, looking away, her face flaming. “R-right! Obviously.” She cleared her throat. “Well, you heard her. Lead the way, Honya!”

*****

Nodoka and Haruna led them to the middle-school library before leaving to “spread the word” about something. Sunset led Ako inside and was surprised to see only three people waiting for them: Yue, Chisame, and an unconscious Negi.

“I’m guessing coming back wasn’t quite as easy as Haruna made it sound,” Sunset said.

“Ah. Nichibotsu.” Chisame nodded in greeting. “Good. We need another level head at the top of all of this.”

“And what exactly is ‘all of this’?” Sunset asked. “Honya and Haruna were pretty vague about the plan to stop Chao.

“Here,” Yue said, handing Sunset a flier. “We’ve decided to take advantage of the festival.”

Sunset examined the flier, her eyebrow raising at the title. “Notice of Change for the Mahora Festival Joint Event: MARS ATTACK vs MAHORA MAGE ORDER.” She nodded. “I see. Use the festival-goers as our troops to fight their army of robots. I assume you have plans to provide them with…” She read further down the flier and nodded. “I see. Minor protective gear and internally-powered magical weapons. Assuming you’re actually able to get all this stuff, it’ll be a huge help.” She looked up at Yue. “How much did the other me tell you all about Chao’s plan?”

“She was an invaluable source of information,” Yue admitted. “They’ll be fielding twenty-five hundred robots, along with six colossi. She said that Takahata-sensei called them ‘demon gods’ and that they were covered in some sort of high-tech armor that let Chao-san control them. She’ll direct them to six points around the World Tree and use their power to fuel a ritual that will make everyone in the world open to the idea of magic’s existence. This combined with a powerful internet information campaign and video of the Martial Arts Tournament will convince a lot of people in a short amount of time that magic is real.”

“A mass suggestion?” A shiver ran down Sunset’s spine. “That’s terrifying. We should count ourselves lucky that the first person to figure out this is possible wants to use it for something so relatively benign. I assume we have plans to send a strike unit after Chao herself as well?” Yue nodded. “Good.” She hesitated. “I… it feels a little petty, but I agreed to stand aside so long as I got the chance to fight Takamichi. Did the other me mention…”

Yue rolled her eyes. “Apparently, he was less impressive than you’d hoped. Out of practice. But he still managed to put up a satisfying fight before you beat him.”

Sunset smirked. “Well, I’ll take that, then.” She looked back at the flier. “All in all, this is a good plan. But there’s one major thing missing.”

“Oh?”

“Organization.” Sunset set the flier down on a nearby table. “At present, the plan consists of turning a mob of civilians into low-level adventurers and sending them off to be heroes in loosely-formed bands. Those sorts of units will inevitably fall apart in the face of a determined foe, especially once those colossi take the stage. Everyone will think of them as something for someone else to handle and ignore them to focus on the soldiers so they can ratchet up their point count.” She turned to Chisame. “You are constructing a scoring system, right? Prizes for top scorers?” Chisame nodded. “Then yeah, you need people to take charge.”

Yue raised an eyebrow. “It sounds like you have someone in mind.”

Sunset grinned.

Arc 6.4: Chapter 61

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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.”

Arc 6.4: Chapter 62

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Mahora was in chaos.

Specifically, the bad kind.

The overenthusiastic forces which had gathered on the north and south beaches had been decimated by the surprise opening salvos as Terminator-like robots and strange, four-legged tanks rose from the water. Panic was the order of the hour as stripped and clothed festival attendees alike rushed inland, desperate to escape the onslaught. Both lines were in full retreat, with the MJ-JSDF struggling in vain to organize what remained of their front-line troops. Colonel Harumi Niikuma fought desperately to wrangle her officers and get a defensive line set up, but it was a losing battle as the “alien” robots continued their tireless advance. Communications were down, and she couldn’t request back-up even if they hadn’t been; she knew that every other front would be dealing with the same issue. As the advancing army began to come into view of her forward command tent, she decided it was time to formally announce a retreat to their secondary defensive position.

“Fall back!” Colonel Harumi instructed as her subordinates began packing up their maps and recruit lists. “This position has become untenable! Fall-”

A mighty roar drowned out the rest of her order. A massive wall of fire sprang up near the edge of the beach, stretching over twenty meters high and spanning the breadth of the robot army, cutting off their advance. Harumi stared in shock, unsure what to make of this development.

“Niikuma-Taisa!”

Colonel Harumi looked up and found herself gaping again. Sunset fell towards her, two wings of golden flame spreading to abate her descent and placing her into a hover before and slightly above the Colonel. “Specialist Hikaru Nichibotsu reporting. I’m the Hero Unit assigned to this front.”

Colonel Harumi could only stare in shock. “H-how-”

“What, these?” Sunset gestured over her shoulder at her wings before fiddling with the collar of her jacket. “Pretty sweet special effects, huh? Chao made sure both sides of this little game came equipped with some awesome toys.” She scanned the abated preparations. “You’re retreating?”

Colonel Harumi - finally managing to collect herself - nodded. “Their attack was too sudden, and we lost most of our men. Our retreat will give us time to regroup.”

“Smart,” Sunset said, “but you don’t have a lot of ground to retreat to. You’ve only got your secondary defensive position between here and the sports fields they’re targeting, right?” Harumi reluctantly nodded. “Well then,” Sunset grinned, “let me give you time to regroup myself.”

Colonel Harumi raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you can handle that, Specialist?”

Sunset chuckled. “Get your troops reorganized, Taisa. And let me show you just why we’re called ‘Hero Units’.” Her wings flared brightly before giving a mighty flap, shooting Sunset skyward.

Sunset gazed down at the field of battle, the army of Tanaka robots halted before her wall of fire. Already they were testing its blaze, finding it a little too hot for them to run through unscathed. The spider-tanks were advancing, their armor more likely to be able to withstand the fire. As she watched them plod their way up the sandy beach, Sunset spread her arms wide, two rings glowing on her left hand.

“Oh Pluto,” she intoned, “King of the Earth, hear these unworthy heathens who trample upon the surface of thy domain. Oh Charybdis of the sea, hear these foolish creatures who shun thy home’s embrace. Join your power now to mine that my enemies may be swallowed up in your devouring maws.” The jade and turquoise gems in her rings glowed brilliantly as Sunset directed her hand, fingers splayed, to the ground below. “Quagmire!”

Instantly, the sand beneath the advancing army liquified, melting into a soupy mess of mud and quicksand. The tanks began to sink quickly, unable to find purchase in the swamp. The Tanaka units fared a little better, scrambling for the drier land towards the edges of the spell or else retreating back into the ocean with its firmer ground. All units, however, turned their attentions skyward. Weapons were raised and mouths snapped open, beams of energy firing away at Sunset as she bobbed and weaved through the sky.

“Too slow!” Sunset cried, nimbly dodging their attacks and reveling in the freedom of flight. Her right hand shot out, the ruby and quartz gems gleaming. “Great Commander Hurricane, thy command of the sky unmatched by mortal hand. Mighty Tiamat, queen of dragons and source of all fire! Fan together and bring a tempest of igniting wrath upon those who dwell below. Fire Whirl!”

Tornados of fire sprang up at her direction, torching three of the tanks that were avoiding sinking into the quagmire and forcing the surrounding Tanaka units to back away. Sunset dipped low over the battlefield, slaloming between robots as she lashed out with smaller spells. She swerved upwards to avoid crashing into a tank, letting magic drain from her arms, replaced with overwhelming amounts of ki. Her wings faded away as she fell upon the tank, swinging her arms down with a might cry. The tank crumpled and exploded at her impact, the force sending her flying back into the air where she reactivated her wings.

That ought to do it for a bit, she thought, gazing over the battlefield. The forces were in utter disarray, scattered and trying to regroup. Sunset winged her way back towards the command tent, passing harmlessly through the wall of fire. “Niikuma-Taisa! How much longer do-”

“Taisa! Reinforcements arriving in five!”

“Send them into the buildings! We need more people on the upper floors, and the front line is crowded enough as it is!”

“Yes, Taisa!”

“Get those sniper rifles loaded and ready to go! I want them on the roofs before our snipers get back from redressing!”

“Yes, Taisa!”

“Taisa! Kiyama-Chujou says that the north-eastern flank has retreated to its secondary defensive position. north-center is barely holding at the beach.”

“Tell Kiyama-Chujou that if Haruna-Taisa can hold out for another ten minutes, I’ll be able to send reinforcements her way!”

“Got it!”

“Nichibotsu-Yuusha! Report!”

Sunset started out of her stupor. The chaotic panic she’d left less than five minutes before had rallied under Colonel Harumi’s command. Students, teachers, and festival-goers lined the wall of fire, crouched behind low walls and overturned tables and other makeshift barricades. More attendees filled the restaurants and businesses that faced the beach, peaking out open doorways and windows. Harumi herself seemed far more confident as she gazed unflinchingly up at Sunset, who quickly snapped off a salute. “Ma’am! The enemy is in confusion and disarray!”

“Good! Prepare to lower the fire wall on my mark.”

“Yes, Taisa!”

Sunset landed by Colonel Harumi and began looking over the various reports she’d been receiving from around the academy. Chao’s surprise attack had hit the south the hardest, with all three fronts having retreated to their secondary positions. The north was doing a little better, with two out of three positions holding the line. Still, the north-center had suffered heavy losses, and most of the heroes were on the south side of the academy where the fighting was fiercest. Only Sunset and a couple of teachers she’d never heard of were defending the north.

Makes sense, Sunset thought, glumly. It’s a shorter distance from the north shore to the World Tree than from the south shore. They probably figure that the three northern points will fall first and that the battle will be decided in the south. She smirked. Let’s see if we can’t confound those expectations.

“Nichibotsu-Yuusha!” Colonel Harumi called. “Now!”

“Yes, Taisa!” Sunset waved her arm towards the wall, dispersing the entire thing in an instant. Immediately, cries of “Strike the enemy!” rang out up and down the battle line, the mages’ weapons firing in one massive barrage at the slowly reorganizing robots. Hundreds of robots fell in that first wave, two tanks following suit as a couple of the larger magic weapons found their marks. A great cheer went up as the robot forces again dissolved into confusion and disarray.

“Excellent work, everyone! Keep it up!” Leaving the command of individual squads to her subordinates, Colonel Harumi turned back to Sunset. “I’m sending you with our reinforcements to Haruna-Taisa. If they have to fall back, it’ll put pressure on our right flank and might make us fall back as well.”

Sunset nodded. “She won’t like that. That leaves her with the open right flank.”

“Hence why I’m sending you. Give them the time you gave us. Help her reinforce and defend her flank. Get her to the point where she’s comfortable sending you back. Once she does, I’ll send more reinforcements to strengthen what you’ve helped set up.”

Sunset saluted. “Yes, Taisa!”

*****

The first hour of the battle proceeded smoothly from there, as far as Sunset was concerned. She knew little about what was happening on the southern front, but with her help the north had rebounded and brought the robot advance to a halt. Her excursion to the north-central front had seen a repeat of her performance in the north-west, with the only difference being a mop-up of some advance forces when she put the firewall up. Colonel Haruna had been every bit the commander that Colonel Harumi had proven to be, reorganizing her forces quickly and readying them for future waves. Sunset had swung by the north-east to see if they needed help, but the two mage teachers there had already given enough support for them to rally. Sunset spent the next forty minutes flying between the north-central and north-west fronts, lending aid wherever she was needed. To her surprise and delight, she found herself needing to do very little. Sayaka had chosen her colonels well, and the lines were holding under their commands. Even when the six colossi rose from the lakes, the northern three simply stood there menacingly, unable to advance. Sunset found herself able to relax a bit as she surveyed the battle from the skies.

Until the first bullet struck her in the back.

Sunset flinched, More from surprise than pain as her ki easily took the damage. More troubling was the sphere of dark purple energy which suddenly sprang up around her. Sunset panicked for an instant before recalling the information that Negi had given them from the future. She quickly teleported a few feet to the left, sighing in relief to find herself outside of the sphere which quickly collapsed into nothing beside her. “Good,” she muttered. “If that field could block temporal shifts, I’d have been done for.” She glared behind her towards Mahora propper, knowing that Mana was back there somewhere. After a minute of nothing happening, she snorted. “Figures. She’s too smart to waste any more bullets on me.” Her gaze turned back to the battle below. “Still, she might target the colonels. I should-”

Sunset paled. A tanaka unit had risen from the water and was making his way up the beach, other units stepping aside to let it through. Unlike most of the rest, this one held a weapon: a fully-automatic mini-gun with a long feed tape.

A feed tape filled with black-tipped bullets.

“SHIT!” Sunset dove for the front lines, pumping her wings for all they were worth. “TAKE COVER!” she shouted as the armed tanaka unit reached the front lines and took aim, two more similarly armed units rising out of the water. “TAKE COVER! GET BEHIND SOMETHING SOLID! TAKE-”

The tanaka unit opened fire, sweeping his gun from left to right. Most of Colonel Harumi’s troops had heard her warning, and most of those had tried to do as she directed. Still, there were far, far too many soldiers still out in the open. Each bullet burst into a sphere of dark energy wherever it struck, each one large enough to swallow up two or three people. By the time the tanaka unit stopped firing, a quarter of the front line was trapped. A few seconds later, they were gone.

Miraculously, Colonel Harumi didn’t panic. “INTO THE BUILDINGS!” she shouted, grabbing whatever papers she could before following her own advice. “INTO THE BUILDINGS, NOW! KEEP BACK FROM THE NORTHERN WALLS UNLESS YOU’RE RETURNING FIRE! INTO THE BUILDINGS!”

Her soldiers rushed to follow her orders, all but stampeding into the nearby businesses. The first ones inside were forced to ascend to the second and even third stories to accommodate everyone else pouring in behind them. By the time the other two tanaka units opened fire, there was barely anyone outside.

Sunset ducked into the command tent, gathering what few papers and maps had been left behind before rushing into the bookstore that Colonel Harumi and her officers had ducked into. She’d barely handed them off to a sergeant when Colonel Harumi stormed up to her, her narrow-eyed wrath barely covering the panic in her eyes. “Nichibotsu-Yuusha! What the hell just happened?!”

Sunset opened her mouth to reply, a dozen different lies competing for believability in her head, before she was interrupted by a familiar voice raised to an unfamiliar, menacing laugh.

“FUFUHAHAHAHAHA!!! LOOKS LIKE YOU’RE HAVING A TOUGH TIME NE, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN MAGES!”

That works. “I think our esteemed opponent is about to explain,” Sunset answered, peeking out the front door. A giant hologram of Chao was being projected over the water north of them, and a quick report let them know that the same image hovered over the World Tree and the south coast.

“I AM THE LEADER OF THIS ROBOT ARMY,” Chao continued, “THE EVIL LAST BOSS, CHAO LINGSHEN NE. YOUR SWIFT ATTACKS IN THE FIRST HALF WERE IMPRESSIVE, AS EXPECTED OF MAHORA STUDENTS NE. IT APPEARS THAT THE RULE OF BEING ABLE TO GET UP EVEN AFTER GETTING HIT WAS A LITTLE TOO LENIENT FOR SUCH CAPABLE INDIVIDUALS AS YOU ALL. THEREFORE, A NEW RULE HAS BEEN PREPARED YO.”

Nice of her to play along with the war game, Sunset thought as Chao held up one of her black-tipped bullets. But… why? Why bother?

“GETTING HIT BY THIS BULLET MEANS INSTANT DISQUALIFICATION. ON TOP OF THAT, THROUGH THE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT’S SECRET NEW TECHNIQUE, THE MOMENT THE BULLET HITS, YOU WILL BE FORCIBLY SENT TO THE LOSER ROOM AND MADE TO SLEEP UNTIL THE GAME ENDS.”

A murmur began to spread through the ranks at this news, concern beginning to overtake intrigue as people considered the possibility that they might miss the remainder of the festival.

“RATHER THAN BEING DISQUALIFIED FROM THE GAME, I THINK BEING FORCED TO SLEEP THROUGH THE SCHOOL FESTIVAL’S CLIMAX IS A FAR MORE SERIOUS PENALTY, DON’T YOU THINK? FUFU. ARE WE BEGINNING TO FEEL THE THRILL NOW? YOU ARE FREE TO FORFEIT ANYTIME, YOU KNOW?

“BY THE WAY,” Chao’s grin widened as her tone grew more ominous, “MY SUBORDINATES HAVE ALREADY FINISHED OFF MOST OF THE HERO UNITS THAT WERE YOUR LAST RAYS OF HOPE. NOW THEN, CAN YOU STOP MY MARTIAN ROBOT ARMY’S ADVANCE WITH YOUR POWERS? I WISH EVERYONE A GOOD FIGHT!”

“BY THE WAY, THIS EVENT IS SPONSORED ENTIRELY BY…”

Sunset tuned out Chao’s sponsorship ad and stared out at the coast. The robot army had halted its advance for the moment, but she doubted the peace would last long. And once they began their attack anew, it would be a whole different battlefield. Up until now it had all been a game, a game of tag where being tagged out just meant a small penalty before jumping back into the action. But now, now it was war. A low-stakes war - as far as most of them knew - with an inconveniently timed nap instead of death, but a war nonetheless. One shot, one misstep, one small piece of bad luck, and it was over for you. No do-overs. No second chances. War.

Colonel Harumi approached Sunset, her veneer of confidence beginning to waver. “Nichibotsu?”

Sunset strode out into the street, ignoring Colonel Harumi’s cry of alarm. She lit her wings of fire, ignoring Asakura and Chao’s broadcasted banter. She stepped onto the beach and turned around, ignoring the army now at her back.

War. Sunset smirked. I can do war.

“Students of Mahora!”

Sunset’s voice wasn’t as loud as Chao’s had been, but she had been trained by the Sun Goddess herself. She knew how to project her voice and demand the attention of all before her.

“Teachers! Family and friends! And all the rest of you rabble crowding our home!” She heard a few chuckles from her audience hidden inside the buildings.

“Dire news indeed we have heard this hour. What safety we once imagined for ourselves is now gone. Friends and comrades already have fallen to this new weapon - this threat we could not have foreseen. We are forsaken by all but a handful of our greatest allies, and our great foe - the Chinese Genius Chao Lingshen - has unveiled her face. Her wit and intelligence are unmatched. Her ruthlessness, well feared. Truly, a greater threat we could not imagine. I will not lie: the odds are grim.

“BUT! We are not yet fallen.” Her wings began to flap, slowly lifting Sunset into the air. “Look around! Comrade and friend stand by you still! Great allies still support you! And as for our oh-so-terrifying foe…” She spread her arms wide. “Where is she now?! Where is that great martian princess who threatens our academy?! Where is the genius who causes us to tremble with fear?! Is she here, on the front lines? Does she stand nearby, leading her forces into battle? Nay! She cowers in some dark basement, sending only puppets and holograms to threaten us! And why?

“Because SHE! FEARS! US!” Sunset released her ki, allowing it to spread out, lending greater weight to her words. “She fears our might! She fears our strength! But more than that, she fears our hearts! Heart that will not fail from fear! Hearts that will not run from a fight! And hearts that have every reason to be filled with passion and wrath!” She flung her arms down, gesturing to the overturned tables and low walls that had been their former barricade.

“Look! Here we stood, arm-in-arm with our friends and comrades! Here we fought side by side for our academy! But where are they now?” Sunset gestured up at Chao, whose hologram now stared curiously down at her. “SHE HAS TAKEN THEM FROM US! BROTHERS! SISTERS! FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES! LOST THIS DAY TO HER COWARDLY AMBUSH!”

“ER, THEY AREN’T DEAD, YOU KNOW?” Chao said awkwardly. “THEY’RE JUST-”

“LOST TO HER STRANGE ARTS AND STRANGER TECHNOLOGIES! LOST TO APPEASE HER COLD HEART AND ITS COLDER DESIGNS! FOR WHAT HAVE OUR COMRADES FALLEN?! FOR WHAT PURPOSE DOES THIS EVIL WENCH WAGE THIS WAR?! FOR POWER?! FOR GLORY?! A POX UPON THAT! WE FIGHT FOR SOMETHING FAR GREATER!”

“WELL THAT’S A LITTLE HARSH,” Chao muttered, but no-one was listening to her now.

“WE, WE NOBLE FEW. WE FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS. CLASSMATES AND TEACHERS. LOVERS AND FAMILY! WHAT DO WE FIGHT FOR?! WE FIGHT FOR THOSE WE HAVE LOST! WE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM AND OUR BRIGHT FUTURE! WE! FIGHT! FOR! MAHORA! WILL WE FLEE FROM THAT CAUSE?!”

“NO!” Colonel Harumi shouted, stepping out of the cafe.

“WILL WE FLEE FROM THIS FIGHT?!”

“NO!” shouted dozens of voices, leaving the safety of the buildings to raise their voices high.

“WILL WE SURRENDER THIS ACADEMY TO THOSE WHO WOULD DESTROY IT?!”

“NO!” Every voice was raised as one, and Sunset could swear she heard an echo of the cry.

“THIS DAY WILL NOT BE WITHOUT SACRIFICE! WE MAY BLEED! WE MAY DIE! WE MAY LOSE THOSE WE LOVE!”

“I SAID THEY AREN’T-”

“BUT NEVERTHELESS, WE WILL WIN THE DAY! WE WILL SAVE MAHORA! AND WE WILL SHOW THIS MARTIAN PRINCESS AND ALL HER UNFEELING HOARDS THE POWER THAT LIES WITHIN US!” She turned to face the robot army and, with a quiet incantation, summoned a sword of fire to her hand. “TOGETHER!”

“STRIKE THE ENEMY!!!”

And the battle continued.

Arc 6.4: Chapter 63

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She sent me away.

I understood. Really, I did. I’m not a fighter. I’m not a strategist. I’m a bassist and a soccer player and overall not really impressive. She sent me away so that I would be safe. So she could fight without having to worry about if I was alright. I understood.

It still hurt, though. More than I expected it to.

To be specific, she sent me to help Nakajima-Taishou. Not with strategy or logistics or anything like that. It was mostly fetching supplies. Organizing messages as they came in. Getting her and the others tea and water. The sort of thing that anyone could have done. The sort of thing that a background character does.

Of course, Nichibotsu knew that’s where my mind would go. “I’m not asking you to do this because you aren’t important. Just the opposite. You’re too important. Important to me, and to the rest of our class. Most of them can take care of themselves, but you aren’t the only one we’re keeping off the front lines in case Chao decides to take prisoners to try to get us to back off. But you are the only one we’re holding back that I trust enough to do this work. Because this work takes attention. It takes endurance. It takes quick reflexes in both mind and body - believe it or not, your soccer club has prepared you perfectly for this job. But most of all, this job takes trust. Trust from your superiors that you’re doing it right, that you won’t slack off, that you won’t give up. Nakajima-Taishou trusts me enough to heed my recommendation, and I trust you more than enough to loan you to her. You’ll be fine.”

…I didn’t even realize she knew I played soccer.

The battle didn’t start out great. Chao launched her attack early, something that Nichibotsu hadn’t expected, but Nakajima-Taishou had been ready for. Of course, she hadn’t been ready to (temporarily) lose most of her forces in the first minute of the battle. She has this terrifying sort of cold fury when she gets mad, and she was furious at the “idiotic civilians bumbling around on the beaches with no cover and nowhere to run” who had been stripped in the first wave of enemy attacks. The northern line was mostly able to hold thanks to Nichibotsu’s quick intervention and support, but the southern line was a mess. The only reason they were “in retreat” instead of “running away” was because of Nakajima-Taishou’s subordinates taking control of the situation. Still, all three of the southern fronts had retreated to their secondary defensive positions within the first ten minutes, and the three demon gods to the south had had nothing to stop their slow and steady advances once they rose from the lake. Even from as far away as the central command tent, it was scary to see them plodding closer and closer.

Of course, that’s when the heroes swooped in.

Asuna-san and the others took out the front lines of the southern armies, giving Nakajima-Taishou’s girls enough time to regroup and reorganize. Takahata-sensei and the other mage teachers - I had no idea there were so many mages at Mahora! - stopped one of the demon gods and brought it down for a while. From reports we got a little later, it looked like they were going to be able to take it out completely.

That’s when Tatsumiya-san started firing.

Negi-sensei had told me and Nichibotsu about the special bullets Chao-san had used in the other timeline, but it was still scary to see the teachers vanishing one after another. We had spyglasses and binoculars so we could keep a general track of the battle while we waited on more detailed reports, and Nakajima-Taishou almost froze with shock when she saw what was happening. A brief burst of panic nearly overwhelmed me at one point, and I knew that something had happened to Nichibotsu. I turned my binoculars south, searching the skies for her, and saw her appear right next to a ball of strange, dark energy right before it collapsed. Both of our hearts filled with relief - her teleportation spell had worked! - before she suddenly dove towards the front line of the north-western front, panic filling her heart once again. My mind raced as I tried to figure out what had her panicked. She was safe from the mystery bullets, and the other armies were only using defabrification beams, right?

But… what if they weren’t? What if Chao had changed the rules again? What if they had more mystery bullets than we thought? A lot more? And if they had enough bullets to use on the front line, then how many did their sniper have? Who would Tatsumiya-san target after she’d taken out the mage teachers and other heroes? Where would she target next?

I had just enough time to tackle Nakajima-Taishou to the ground before the first bullet shattered the window, striking the wall behind where she’d been standing and exploding outward in a sphere of dark-colored energy.

“SNIPER!” someone yelled. Everyone reacted immediately, grabbing what papers and maps they could before bolting out of the classroom we’d taken over and into the hallway. They dove to the floor, keeping low and out of sight of the windows. Nakajima-Taishou pulled me under a table and held us both down, waiting for another shot to follow.

“FUFUHAHAHAHAHA!!! LOOKS LIKE YOU’RE HAVING A TOUGH TIME NE, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN MAGES!”

Nakajima-Taishou glared in the general direction of Chao’s projected voice for a minute before nudging me to follow her as she crawled out from under the table and stood. “If she’s showboating like this,” she muttered, “her sniper isn’t going to interrupt. I’d bet 500 meal tickets she ordered her forces to cease fire while she makes her little speech. That’s good. It’ll give us time to relocate somewhere without windows. That’s gonna make keeping track of everything hell, but better than having to worry about a sniper.” She placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled down at me. “I assume you knew from Nichibotsu-Yuusha about this special technology?”

The way she said “special technology” made me suspect that she knew something stranger than that was going on. I just nodded.

She nodded back and squeezed my shoulder. “That was some quick thinking, realizing they’d attack us here. Good work. If you ever get bored of soccer, we’d be happy to have you in the MJ-JSDF.”

She led me into the hall before I really had time to process the compliment. “Allright, everyone! Listen up! We’ve probably got until that windbag Chao stops bragging to get to the gymnasium behind this building! Leave everything non-essential behind; we’ll send runners for it later. Let’s move!”

“YES SIR!”

Nakajima-Taishou’s soldiers moved quickly, rushing outside and across the small distance to the gymnasium where a few of her backup officers were already waiting and ready to receive them. The new command center was sent up almost before Chao’s speech was finished, giving Nakajima-Taishou time to wonder what Chao was doing when she gave brief, confusing statements a short time afterwards. “It looks like she’s talking to someone,” she muttered. “But who?”

A certain overwhelming confidence that had been filling my heart since the speech had ended gave me a pretty good idea. “600 meal tickets says it’s Nichi-cha - er - Nichibotsu-Yuusha.” Nakajima-Taishou raised an eyebrow at me and I giggled. “She’s probably giving a rousing speech to your troops up north or something. I wouldn’t put it past her to try to steal the limelight from Chao-san.”

Nakajima-Taishou chuckled. “I guess that’s another role of a ‘hero,’ huh?”

Things quieted down a bit after that. Reports and orders continued to flow in and out, but with everyone keeping away from potential sniper-fire, we were no longer able to directly monitor the battle. It was taking a bad turn, though. Most of the troops to the south had fallen, the south-central area being the only one that had retained enough forces to keep putting up a good fight, even if they had retreated all the way to the World Tree Plaza. The north was doing a lot better, but the north-east was still in retreat, with the north-central and north-west forces retreating as well so as to not leave their flank too exposed.

Meanwhile, the demon god that the mage teachers had managed to take down had recovered, and no-one else seemed to be able to do anything about them. Most of the hero units were down, with only Negi-sensei and a few of the 3-A girls remaining. We eventually got a report that Tatsumiya-san had been taken out, but Nagase-chan had sacrificed herself to do it.

Night fell, and the first defense point fell with it.

Arc 6.4: Chapter 64

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“FIRE!”

“STRIKE THE ENEMY!”

Sunset stumbled as she landed by Colonel Harumi, a nearby private handing her a ice-cold water bottle which she drained greedily. She’d just let down her firewall yet again to let the ground troops attack the robot hoards. The advancing army - which had seemed to be thinning out an hour before - had swelled with each captured Defense Point. “How’re we doing?” Sunset gasped.

“Not well,” Colonel Harumi lamented. “South-central is all that remains of the southern forces. And north-central is about to-” She was cut off as a giant beam of magical energy sprang up to their east. She sighed. “...has fallen. It’s down to us up here.”

Sunset cursed under her breath. “No choice, then?”

Colonel Harumi shook her head. “We’ll have to retreat to the sports field and make our stand there. Otherwise the north-central army will come around behind us.”

Sunset nodded. “Alright. I’ll-” A wave of vertigo washed over her, and next thing she knew she was seated in a chair, Colonel Harumi’s hand on her shoulder.

“You, Nichibotsu-Yuusha, will sit here and recover your strength. Those fancy toys of yours may be doing most of the heavy lifting, but you’re still fighting and running yourself ragged out there. We’ll handle the retreat. Just get ready to throw up that firewall when we’re ready to move out.”

Sunset begrudgingly saluted. “Yes, sir.” When Colonel Harumi left, she let her arm drop to her side. She sighed, feeling weary and drained. She’d been reduced to purely ki-based combat for the last half-hour, needing to reserve her dwindling magic reserves to power her jacket. And even her monstrous amounts of ki were beginning to drain. Plus, they had yet to slow down or take out the Demon God which had managed to advance. Sunset had tried to go after it a few times, her efforts thwarted every time as the Tanaka units below had turned their weapons as one upon her. After Takamichi had nearly taken out one of the Demon Gods down south, they weren’t letting any Hero units near them.

“We’re losing this fight,” Sunset muttered, glaring up at the sky where fireworks helped to illuminate the night. A call had gone out not long ago to search for Chao so the remaining hero units could take her out, but Sunset doubted there was much they could do against her directly. With her time magic, they had a better shot at disrupting the ritual by taking out one of the Demon Gods.

“And Takamichi’s the only one who even came close to that,” Sunset muttered. “Heh, I really screwed them over in the other timeline when I took him out. Even with how much ki I have, I barely have an idea of where to begin fighting that. How are we gonna-”

Sunset’s thoughts were interrupted by an unexpected sound. Ordinary under most circumstances, but strange for its total absence over the last few hours.

Kaede’s phone was ringing in her pocket.

Several more ringtones started going off, accompanied by cries of shock and delight. Sunset pulled out the pilfered phone and saw Ako’s number flashing. Flipping open the phone, she took the call. “I thought Chao was interfering with conventional communications?”

“She was.” The heaviness that had been settling over Sunset’s heart lifted slightly at Ako’s voice. “Hasegawa-san managed to hack her interference and get the phone lines open again.”

Huh. Good for you, Chisame. I doubt you could have done that without an artifact, though. There’s one more for the club. “Good to know. Might be too little too late, though. I don’t know how we can stop these colossi from advancing. The Tanaka units start targeting me exclusively whenever I get close, and we don’t have enough soldiers to provide cover for me.”

“Not enough…” Ako’s voice went quiet for a minute. “Nichi-chan, I might have an idea to help with that.”

“Oh?” Sunset listened to Ako’s idea, her eyes going wide. “Oh.” A grin split her face as she leapt to her feet. “That’s great! Ako, I freaking love you!”

“Oh! Um, well, yes, I know…”

Sunset ignored Ako’s stuttered response as she turned to shout over her shoulder. “Niikuma-Taisa! The phone lines are open, and we’ve got a plan!”

*****

Tanaka units swarmed onto the sports field, blasting the few remaining defenders with their defabrification beams and sending the stripped soldiers running. The final push had been far easier than all of their earlier efforts, the forces before them dwindling and retreating far more quickly than would have been expected. It had been easy to take the fifth defense point, even as the sixth was being threatened. Most people would have been skeptical or paranoid at the ease of victory.

Unfortunately for Chao, her robot soldiers were not programmed to be skeptical.

So it was that they were totally overwhelmed when - as they made a path for the Demon God - they were beset upon on all sides by who they thought had been mere observers.

Colonel Harumi huffed from the third story of a nearby building, watching as “mages” leapt from the shadows to ambush the robot army. “I’m usually not a fan of these sorts of sneak attacks, but I suppose they do have their place.”

The call had gone out as soon as the phone lines had opened. The event had opened up to everyone for its final phase, regardless of whether they had originally registered or not. Weapons and cloaks had been distributed quickly and quietly as civilians turned to soldiers en masse. The signal had gone out just as the Demon Gods were making their final approaches, and everyone left in the fight had leapt out to distract the robot army.

High above the battlefield, Sunset hovered on fiery wing. Half her attention was on the battle below, the other half on the battle above. The few remaining Hero units besides her had joined Negi on his final assault against Chao, who had set up her ritual on a blimp idling four-thousand meters above the World Tree. There in the sky, they fought a squadron of flight-enabled Tanaka units while Negi engaged Chao directly in combat. However, Satomi Hakase was performing the spell itself, so that even if Negi won his fight they might still lose the battle.

And so Sunset turned her attention away from that fight to focus on the one down below. The Tanaka units were distracted, their fairly straightforward programming unable to realize that they were merely battling a diversion. Sunset took a deep breath of the chilled, high-altitude air.

Then she cut off her magic, and fell.

She squinted against the wind as she fell faster and faster, quickly reaching terminal velocity. She pulled on her wellspring, drawing most of her ki to rest just beneath the surface, keeping it hidden for as long as possible. The ground approached rapidly, as did her target. Sunset briefly considered that this might be what it was like to be a pegasus, diving for the ground without a fear in the world, instincts screaming at her to pull up or protect herself, adrenaline pumping through her veins and turning her heart into a pounding drum in her ears.

A grin split her face as she flipped, aiming feet-first for the top of the colossus’ head. Screw the honor and power; if this is what flight is like, I’m gonna ascend just for this!

She released her ki full-force and immediately collided with the titan, bearing it to the ground.

An explosion of dust and debris billowed out on a shockwave from her impact, prompting the mages nearby to take cover and sending the nearby Tanaka units flying. A small figure shot out of that dust cloud, wings of fire flaring to bring it to a hover midair.

“Did it work?” someone shouted from below.

A white titan slowly rose from the cloud, trailing streams of dust, its head split open and dripping with golden ichor. Sunset finally got a good look at this Demon God up close. It resembled an Equestrian minotaur, but with a humanoid head. Or perhaps a giant satyr from Earth’s mythology. The bottom half was bovine or caprine, thinly furred with hooves. This transitioned to a muscular human upper body - Sunset briefly wondered if all demon gods had six-pack abs - and terminated in a face that was mostly human, save for the fang-filled maw and the dead-seeming eyes. Thin chrome armor covered its glowing white body, a raised ridge of metal trailing down its spine and blinking with lights.

“Not quite,” Sunset muttered, flying to the titan’s side to examine it from another angle. The titan started turning its head to follow her before jerking suddenly, its head snapping back towards the sports field as it took another thundering step forward.

Sunset frowned. So it retains a portion of its own will, but only so long as it doesn’t go against Chao’s objective. So much for pulling it off course. Time for plan C, then. Sunset shot skyward again, quickly rising to her previous height before cutting off her magic once more. “This is gonna be unpleasant,” she muttered as she fell once again, aiming just ahead of the colossus this time. She didn’t go unnoticed by the Tanaka units this time around, but the mages were able to keep them from interfering with cover fire. Sunset fell past the titan’s face. Its neck. It’s chest.

When she leveled with its ribs, she poured every remaining scrap of magic into her jacket. She grunted as she felt the leather yank against her chest, bruising a couple of ribs even through her ki. Still, she managed a turn so tight a Wonderbolt would have blushed in envy. One moment she was heading straight for the ground. The next, she was hurtling for the titan’s gut. She flared her ki, curling up into a ball and bracing herself.

The human cannonball that was Sunset Shimmer slammed into the colossus’ gut, bringing the creature to a sudden halt. And, with a wet, disgusting squelch, burst out the other side in a spray of golden ichor. The colossus roared in agony and rage, Sunset barely noticing it as her momentum carried her down the street behind it, bouncing a few times along the road before skidding to a stop about half-way back towards the beach. She groaned as she pushed herself to her hands and knees. “Did that do it?”

She looked up to see the demon god turning, its eyes now clear and filled with wrath. It roared once again and began stomping towards her, even as ichor continued to seep from the hold in its gut.

“Yup, that did it.”

She fled. Back towards the beach she ran, the demon god following behind and catching up. She tried to pull more magic into her jacket, but she was tapped out. All she had left was her ki, and that had taken a significant hit keeping herself from splattering like a bug against the titan’s chest. She was almost out of options, and had nothing left that could take the colossus down.

That’s fine, Sunset thought as she ran. I don’t need to kill it. I just need to keep it distracted long enough for the rest of them to stop Satomi and Chao. She reached the beach, turning on her heel and facing the titan as it stepped out from between the buildings. Even now, she could see its head twitching sideways occasionally, its eyes glazing briefly before clearing again as the machines in its armor tried to compel it back towards the task that Chao had assigned it.

I don’t have long, Sunset thought. It’ll turn back for the sports field before much longer, and I won’t be able to capture its attention again. All I can do now is delay it further. The titan roared as it reared back before swinging its massive fist down towards her. Sunset leapt to the side, dodging the fist as it slammed into the ground. She rolled to her feet and rushed straight towards the colossus. Which means I’ve got one shot at this. Come on, big guy. I’m just an annoying little bug. And what do you do to bugs?

The demon god stood upright again and raised one of its legs before sending it crashing down towards Sunset. She skidded to a halt, grinning nervously up at the hoof the size of a house as it descended towards her. Oh please let this work! She pled as she poured ki into the sand beneath her feet. Into the silt beneath it. Into the stone beneath that. She braced herself against the world itself, pouring power into her right fist.More than she’d used in the tournament. More than she’d seemed to use in her mental fight with Evangeline. More power than she’d poured into a single blow in years, even before stepping through that portal. Her fist glowed with energy as, with a cry of mixed determination and desperation, she punched the hoof that descended upon her.

A geyser of sand billowed up around the colossus, accompanied by a series of deafening cracks. The beast roared in agony and collapsed backwards onto the street leading towards the sports field. Pain filled its eyes for a moment before they finally glazed over again. It turned back towards the sports field, pushing itself to its hooves.

Another loud crack split the night, and the colossus collapsed. Through the cloud of sand, one could barely make out the shape of its leg, twisted at an unnatural angle. The beast grunted, reaching forward and dragging itself slowly - too slowly - towards the sports field.

Back at the site of the impact, A large crater of compressed and displaced sand was slowly filling with water from the lake. In the middle of this crater rose a pillar of stone, fused into a perfect column from the enormous pressure it had just been under. Lying face-down atop that pillar, weary and worn, was Sunset. She groaned and looked up, barely managing to lift her head. She stared after the colossus as it dragged itself southward.

She smirked. “Heh. Good luck. You’ll never make it in time. Even if-” A fifth column of magical energy shot into the sky further south. “...when the other point falls, there’s no way you’ll make it to the sports field in time for the ritual.” Sure enough, a few minutes later, as Colonel Harumi arrived and started directing her soldiers to start making a makeshift bridge to reach Sunset, the announcement went out. The Child Teacher had beaten Chao Lingshen. The last colossus had failed to arrive in time. The ritual had been stopped.

They’d won.

Arc 6.4: Chapter 65

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The victory celebrations began immediately with all the energy of an all-night rave. Blankets were strewn out all around the world tree, its glow illuminating a massive outdoor banquet. The high scorers in the game and those who had helped to locate Chao had been rewarded and those who had been struck by the special bullets began to warp in. Still armed with their magical weapons, many of the students turned on each other for some playful dueling before Takamichi appeared and put a semi-violent end to it, the rest of the mage teachers working quickly to reclaim the weapons and cloaks. Tearful reunions and joyous congratulations filled the air as the students of Mahora celebrated their victory over the Martian Robot Army.

On a small hill away from the festivities, three of the major players in the war stood. Sunset hung back for the moment, draped in her jacket and leaning heavily on a makeshift crutch, content to let the main characters of this conflict talk. Negi, battered and bruised, watched Chao with a desperate sort of sadness while the Chinese genius from the future stared out across the festivities, her clothes ripped and torn, her face a blank mask adorned with a simple, emotionless smile.

“It’s all over, isn’t it Negi-bouzu?” Chao eventually ventured, more a statement than a question.

Negi hesitated. “...Chao-san, you’re going to leave, aren’t you?”

Chao shrugged. “The plan that meant everything to me has disappeared. I have no business here anymore.”

“...I want to ask you something. It’s about that incantation you had engraved all over your body.”

Sunset’s attention was caught, and she squinted at Chao, noticing now a faint network of intricate scars across her visible flesh.

“That wasn’t done by you,” Negi continued, “was it?”

Chao looked away.

Negi grit his teeth. “I knew it.”

“What’s this about?” Sunset asked, hobbling forward.

Negi glanced at Sunset. “Nichibotsu-” His eyes went wide. “Nichibotsu! Are you alright?!”

“I’m fine,” Sunset muttered, waving him off. “Just… drained. Completely and utterly drained of both magic and ki. I’ll be fine with some rest. Now what’s this about an engraved incantation?”

Negi hesitated before his gaze turned back to Chao. “Chao-san used magic in her fight against me, but she was only able to do so because of a powerful incantation that had been carved on her body. It forced magic to flow through her body, despite her body being ill-adapted to it. It gave her incredible power, but it also caused her incredible pain.”

Sunset winced, her eyes turning sympathetically towards Chao. “Ah, one of those.”

“One of- WHAT?!” Negi gaped in shock at Sunset. “Nichibotsu, you know about this kind of thing?!”

“Not this one specifically,” Sunset clarified. “But things like this, shortcuts to phenomenal power carried out through cruel and insane means. They aren’t that uncommon back home. I wouldn’t expect them to be too rare here, either.”

“But, but that’s-”

“Negi-bouzu,” Chao cut in, “you’re trying to understand me by learning about my past. You’re hoping to find something extraordinary that would justify my actions. If you want to understand my motives, open a history book in the library or listen to tonight’s news. The world is full of stories like mine, the results of common tragedies.”

Despite herself, Sunset couldn’t help but chime in. “The common nature of tragedy does not render its victims less deserving of aid or sympathy.”

“Perhaps not,” Chao conceded. “But would you want to receive such from your enemies?”

Sunset conceded the point with a grunt.

“I told you already, Negi-bozou, I have nothing more to say to you.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small object.

Another time-travel device.

“Farewell.”

Negi was gone in an instant, right up in Chao’s face, his hand on the device. “I won’t let you go just like that, Chao-san.”

Instant movement? Sunset whistled, impressed. He’s gotten good at that.

“Ha ha ha!” Chao agreed. “That one was almost as fast as light! When did you get so good at instant movement?”

“I’m serious, Chao-san!”

“Isn’t this for the best, though?” Sunset asked. “Wouldn’t it be best for Chao to go back to where she came from?”

“Eh? Go back?”

Sunset turned, surprised. They were no longer alone. Ku Fei and Satsuki had gotten close while they talked, and Chachamaru had flown in with Satomi. Other members of 3-A had started making their way up as well.

“Chao-san,” Negi said, stepping back a bit, “you’re wrong to say that you have no business here anymore. You have friends and comrades who support you. And even without revealing magic to the world, there might still be a way to prevent some of the everyday tragedies of your time. Chao-san, won’t you stay here and become a Magister Magi alongside me? As a friend, in this era? If you work to change the future for the better as a friend living in this time, I won’t let anyone object.”

Chao stared at Negi for a moment, eyes wide. Slowly, they closed, a soft smile breaking through her mask. “Becoming a Magister Magi… together with you guys, huh? I guess ne… such a future doesn’t sound so bad either.”

Negi’s face lit up. “Chao-san! Then you’re going to stay and graduate together with everyone?!”

“Nope. I’m going home ne.”

Sunset snorted as several of her classmates nearly faceplanted at the abrupt end to what had been building up to a tender moment. Negi was frantically confused. “Eh?! But, Chao-san! Why-”

“More importantly,” Chao interrupted, “are you sure it’s okay to say something to me that sounds so much like a love confession?”

“...eh?”

Chao gripped Negi’s face, pulling him close. “In the magical world, to aim to become Magister Magi together wouldn’t be too far separate from being married ne. Don’t you think it’s a bad idea to propose to someone who’s blood-related to you, Negi-bouzu?”

Sunset sighed and stepped aside just in time to avoid the small stampede that started rushing for Chao and Negi. Asuna as overprotective as ever. Haruna eager to see the latest addition to the “Negi Harem.” Yue pulling a flustered Nodoka along to make sure that didn’t happen. Kazumi eager to get a good scoop. A surprisingly red-faced Chisame joining the throng for unknown reasons. Even Setsuna and Konoka followed behind, though more sedate than the others. Most of them were shouting over each other, determined to hear what Chao meant. All the while, Chao was laughing in a flustered Negi’s face. “Ahahaha! It was just a joke ne. No need to get mad.”

“Ch-Chao-san!” Negi sputtered. “I’m not joking! This is serious-”

“That makes it worse, baka-bouzu,” Chao interrupted, smacking Negi atop the head. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear what you said just now ne. You should save lines like that for someone important to you.”

“B-but Chao-san! What are you so unwilling to-”

“Hah,” Chao sighed. “So much talking. Didn’t we just finish using force to reach a conclusion, too?

“It can’t be helped, I guess.”

The atmosphere changed. Tension seized them as Chao’s demeanor shifted. No longer playful or jokular, she now radiated an intense energy. Negi took a step back. Sunset tensed.

“I suppose I’ll have to use my final trump card, then,” Chao said, learing menacingly at Negi. “The most powerful attack that this Chao Lingshen is capable of ne. If I had used this during the fight earlier, I would’ve won for sure. But I had to keep it sealed away because it was simply too dangerous yo.”

Asuna and Setsuna stepped protectively in front of the others, reaching for their weapons. Negi took a few more steps back, dropping into a stance. “Ch-Chao-san?!”

“Fufu,” Chao chuckled. “If I use this, conflict among your comrades will be inevitable. The ultimate psychological weapon created with the powers of the future.”

Psychological weapon? Knowledge of the future? Sunset’s eyes went wide, the tension leaving her body. Don’t tell me…

Chao reached behind her back. “And that weapon is… this ne!”

It was a book. A small, homemade book bound with twine. On the cover was written a single phrase, one of great and terrible power to this group specifically.

“Family Tree of Chao Lingshen”

Confused silence rang across the hilltop as Sunset slowly backed away.

“Think about it ne,” Chao said, smirking. “For me to be Negi-bouzu’s descendent, of course, would mean that Negi-bouzu would eventually marry someone and have kids ne. Which means, of course, that the name of that someone would be found inside this family tree as well.”

Chao’s aura of playful malice was quickly overwhelmed by a different sort of pressure as every eye in the vicinity was locked onto the book in her hands. Sunset started counting down in her head. Three. Two. One.

“WHAT’S THIS ABOUT NEGI-SENSEI’S MARRIAGE PARTNER?!”

“Hello, Ayaka,” Sunset muttered, rolling her eyes. “Nice of you to arrive. And I see Makie is here as well.”

“Negi-kun!” Kazumi shouted. “Secure that book! Quickly!”

“Eh?! Um, right!”

But he was too slow. Haruna zipped by on some sort of flying creature - the product of her artifact, Sunset guessed - and nabbed the book out of Chao’s hand. “Don’t worry, you guys,” she called over her shoulder. “I’ll dispose of this dangerous thing responsibly!”

“YOU LIAR!!!”

“By the way,” Chao continued with amused innocence, “that thing contains not only Negi-bouzu’s marriage partner, but details such as his wedding date, the number of children he would have, and so on ne.”

“KAGURAZAKA ASUNA!” Chisame shouted. “Don’t let ANYONE see that! No matter what!”

“You don’t have to tell me twice!” Asuna reared back and threw her harisen, striking the winged creature and dismissing it in a puff of smoke. Haruna and the book fell. The former caught by Asuna. The latter by a flustered Nodoka.

“Don’t look, Honya-chan!” Asuna called. “Destroy it!”

“U-um, right! D-dispose of it!” Nodoka stared down at the book in her hands. “D-dispose of…” The book that could tell her who Negi’s future bride was. “D-dispose…” She slowly peeled it open.

“I said don’t look, didn’t I!” Chisame shouted, bowling over Nodoka and the girls who had been inching around to look over her shoulder. She grabbed the book and stepped back, holding it up, the front page hanging loosely open. “Are you people idiots?! Nothing good can come of reading this thing. The future is, er, well…” Her eyes darted sideways towards the book.

“DON’T LOOK!”

“KYAAAAAA! MY EYES!’

“GET IT, HONYA!”

“COME ON, ASUNA-SAN! JUST A PEAK!”

“GET AWAY! NO-ONE IS LOOKING IN THIS BOOK!”

Sunset sighed and stepped closer to Chao. “What was that, fifty-seven seconds to take out the entire class?”

“Haha, they don’t call me the Chinese Genius for nothing yo.”

“...is that book even the real deal?”

“Does it need to be?”

“Evil.”

“Hm. By the way, I’m rather disappointed in you ne.”

Sunset turned to glare at Chao. “Oh?”

“I know it was you who roped in the MJ-JSDF and Mahora Wheels,” Chao said. “More than joining the fight yourself, that put a serious damper on my plans. I thought you were planning to stand aside ne.”

“I was,” Sunset conceded, “until Wildfire and the others got back from the future and told me what your ‘plans’ amounted to. Which turned out to be a whole lot of nothing.”

Chao tilted her head inquisitively. “Oh? How so?”

“Your ‘plan’ was anarchy. Chaos. Discord! You didn’t stay behind to take the lead in bridging the gap between the mundane and magical worlds! You didn’t instruct anyone in how to do so! Didn’t leave anyone as a uniting figurehead to lead the way to mundane and magical cooperation! There still would have been problems, but at least a strong leader would have been able to steer things to a positive result instead of flipping the table and hoping that things turned out okay! The future me told Wildfire to invoke Code: Black Sun to get present me to cooperate!”

Chao’s eyes went wide. “...Nichibotsu, wasn’t it obvious? That figure was supposed to be you.”

“...”

“...let me go back.”

“Nope.”

“Let me go back. Right now.”

“Not happening, Nichibotsu.”

“Let me go back and do it right you great martian idiot!”

“Ahahaha! You made your choice, and now you have to live with it!”

“GET BACK HERE YOU MEAT-BUN HEADED IDIOT!”

“AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

*****

By the time Sunset gave up on chasing Chao, Asuna had managed to set the family history alight and burn it to a crisp. They gathered again as Chao gave a few final goodbyes.

“Well, it’s about time I go now ne,” Chao said. A large, multi-layered magic circle appeared overhead, Chao stepping backwards to stand right below it. “Thank you, everyone. It’s been a very fun farewell.” She began to rise into the air as magic began to envelop her. She turned her gaze to her closest friends.

“Satsuki. Take care of Chao Bao Zi. I leave everything to you ne.”

Satsuki nodded with a smile.

“Hakase. About the future technologies I’m leaving behind, it’s just like we discussed. Also, about the data from that experiment we didn’t get to finish-”

“Don’t worry,” Hakase said, smiling fondly. “Everything is under control, Chao-san.”

“Chachamaru. I may have created you, but you are already an individual entity. Live your life as you like.”

“...understood. Thank you, Chao Lingshen.”

“...KU!” Chao met the eyes of her closest friend, the one from whom she’d hidden the most. “One day, let’s cross arms again ne!!!”

Ku Fei nodded, tears in her eyes. “Yeah!!! For sure!!!”

“Nichibotsu.”

Sunset started, not having expected Chao to have parting words for her.

“Don’t be in too much of a hurry to find your destiny. It will find you before too long, if you let it.”

Sunset blinked before scoffing and offering a smirk. “Those words would sound more impressive if I knew you weren’t just conveying a message from my future self. I look forward to hearing your story from the other side.”

Chao laughed before turning to Negi. “So long, Negi-bouzu. Let’s meet again!”

“Y-yes! One day, for sure!”

Chao reached the magic circle and the energy around her grew brighter. Sunset looked away, shielding her eyes.

When the light faded, Chao was gone.

Arc 7.1: Chapter 66

View Online

“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.

Arc 7.1: Chapter 67

View Online

“Ahahahahaha! This is so much fun, I can’t stop!”

Misora Kasuga was an unassuming girl, most of the time. Far from the eccentricities of the rest of 3-A, she lived her life fairly modestly and quietly. As befitted a young nun-in-training of the Catholic church. Though she spent plenty of time out with her friends, she was also devoted to her religious studies and training - as well as her more secret training as a mage. Ordinarily fairly pious, she did struggle with two particular temptations: gossip and mischief.

So when she had been cleaning the priest’s side of the confession booth and Asuna Kagurazaka had stepped in and mistaken her for the Father of their church, she hadn’t been able to resist altering her voice so she could sus out what Negi’s violent older-sister figure had weighing on her mind. And when Nodoka Miyazaki had entered moments after Asuna had left, she’d gotten hooked.

The next day had been a grand haul. On Nodoka’s recommendation, many of her classmates had come in one after the other to seek everything from absolution to advice to a listening ear for their complaints - a number of them seemed to misunderstand what a “confession” was.

The Narutaki twins had just left after a joint confession where they’d admitted to a whole year’s worth of pranks, and Misora was having the time of her life.

“But man, the people in class are all airheads after all. Barely anyone with serious problems! Hm, but it’s weird that the young man who looks the most worry-prone didn’t-”

*knock knock*

“Bless me Father, for I have sinned.”

Misora paled. Nichibotsu Hikaru. One of the biggest anomalies in a class full of eccentrics. Rumor was going around that she was far more experienced than she seemed, a rumor that her massive amount of ki and exceptional skill with magic supported. Misora was one of several mage students who had been taken aback when this newcomer on the magical scene had shown off power and combat experience beyond what any of them were capable of in the Martial Arts Tournament. Honestly, she scared her a little.

And now she’s here. In confession. And actually saying what she’s supposed to say. If she finds out I’m not actually a priest… Misora swallowed nervously. “Ah, welcome, my daughter.”

She saw Nichibotsu nod through the screen. “It has been five years, two months since my last confession. …I have lied. Both directly and by omission. To my teachers, my friends, and my classmates.”

“I see.” Crap! This is way too heavy! “Well, I’m sure-”

“You see,” Misora swore in her head as Nichibotsu continued. “You see, I make it seem as if I’m an ordinary student. But I’m not.”

Wait a minute, Nichi-chan! Misora thought, panicked. Yes, the priest here knows about magic, but you have no way to know that! You’re about to risk revealing magic so soon after the Chao Lingshen incident! You can’t-

“You see, I’m a killer.”

“That isn’t the sort of thing you should be…” Misora blinked. “Wait, what?”

“I’m a killer,” Sunset confessed. “I was a child soldier in another country for several years. An assassin, really. I hunted down dangerous targets and disposed of them. Murdered them.”

Misora cleared her throat, mind reeling from this revelation. “W-well, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If they were evil men and women who were going to hurt other people, it’s understandable that you-”

“That’s not the problem, Father,” Sunset interrupted. “I know that some people must die for the good of everyone. The commandment is ‘thou shalt not shed innocent blood.’ But… there is a problem with the killing that I did.”

Misora swallowed nervously. “A-and, and what is that? Er, my child?”

Sunset took a deep shuddering breath. And released a sigh that sounded almost euphoric.

“I liked it.”

A shudder ran down Misora’s spine.

“No. I LOVED it! Their cries of agony. The terror in their eyes. Their pleas for mercy, and then for death. The smell of flesh slowly melting off of bones, the taste of ash as their hair disintegrates. I use fire, you see, as my weapon of choice. It’s a truly agonizing way to go. I should know. I suffered horrible burns when I accidentally immolated my family.”

“...wh-what?”

“Ah, such a blessed, wonderful accident! I should have been horrified, you know? Should have tried to save them or run to call the fire department. But I just sat there, covered in terrible burns, listening to that beautiful symphony as my parents burned alive. Why, if I’d never heard that sweet music, I might never have set my best friend’s house on fire with her tied up inside.”

“Y-y-y-y-y-you what?!”

“I just had to hear it again!” Sunset was breathing heavily now, her voice raw and husky. “I had to hear it! And it was even better than my parents’ screams! Ah, I was always so grateful to my superiors when they gave me young targets, especially young women and girls. They always make the most beautiful screams

“So you see, Father, I face a problem. I’ve felt safe to indulge in these sinful delights for years, because my victims were the worst of the worst and deserved every moment of delicious agony I could give them. But now? Now I’m surrendered by beautiful, nubile, innocent girls. Girls who would surely make the most beautiful screams, their bodies writhing in agony as their mortal beauty melts away, fueling the divine beauty of flames. Beauties like Ayaka and Chizuru. Spunky girls like Yuna and Makie. Reserved cuties like Honya and Satsuki. And of course, best of all, girls like my dearest, darling Ako. So shy. So adorable. Never drawing attention to herself. Heeheehee, she’ll draw plenty of attention when I turn her into a human torch.

“Hm. But then, all of that describes you pretty well too, doesn’t it? Mi. So. Ra.”

*****

Sunset burst out laughing as Misora ran screaming from the church. “Hoo, that was great! That’ll teach her to take advantage of Honya like that. Hah! I just wish I could have seen the look on her face!”

“It was rather entertaining.”

Sunset’s chuckles cut off as she heard the door on the priest’s side close. “That said,” the elderly voice continued, “I’m not sure I can approve of such mischief in the house of God. Though from what Sister Misora has told me of your reputation, I suppose I should be content that you at least restricted yourself to a private venue for your reciprocation, Nichibotsu-san.”

Sunset winced. She’d never actually been very religious - seeing the Goddess of the Sun grumpily sipping coffee on the rare bad morning tended to dampen one’s religious fervor - but she still tried to give due respect to religious figures, if only because failure to do so was the easiest way to get a lot of people angry with you. “Er, my apologies, Father. I just figured I should cut her off before she got any more victims.”

“I do not condemn your motivation, child. Nor do I truly condemn your tactics. I merely ask that you restrict yourself to less irreverent methods in the future.”

“Of course. Thank you for understanding.” Sunset grunted as she stood. “Well, I guess I should get out of your hair.”

“You have nothing to unburden yourself of?”

Sunset chuckled. “Plenty. But it’s not the sort of thing I can talk about here of all places.”

“I think you would be surprised at the sort of things you could talk about here, mage.”

“...doesn’t your holy book have a line about not letting witches live?”

“False prophets and those who use the power of the Devil to lead the lambs of God’s fold astray. The Church has no issue with mages as a whole; a hammer may be used to bludgeon a man or build a house.”

“...I’m not Catholic. Or religious at all.”

“I have a Graduate degree in Psychology from Yale.”

Sunset snorted. “Impressive. Still, I think I’ll take my leave for now. Good day, Father.”

“Good day, Nichibotsu-san.”

*****

School the next day provided Sunset with plenty of entertainment. Misora refused to meet her eye and tried desperately to pretend she didn’t notice Sunset’s predatory gaze on the back of her head all day. Sunset was starting to worry towards the end of the day that she’d lost her touch. That is, until class ended and Misora fled the room like a bat out of Hell.

“I assume you had something to do with why Kasuga-chan was so tense all day?” Ako asked her.

“Perhaps,” Sunset snickered. “Perhaps I gave her a bit of a scare yesterday. Serves her right for pretending to be a priest in the confession booth.”

“EH!”

The cry rang out from most of the class, those who had visited the church over the last two days. Expressions ranged from the impressed - Yuna - to the angry - Ayaka - to the embarrassed - Nodoka. Negi, strangely, seemed confused.

“Ahaha!” Yuna laughed. “She got us good! I never would have expected that!”

“I’m impressed, Kasuga-chan,” Haruna muttered. “Maybe I should-”

“Don’t.” Sunset’s voice was firm. “Just don’t. You shouldn’t mess around with people’s faith. Misora is lucky that it was just a bunch of religiously apathetic schoolgirls seeking advice or a listening ear rather than anyone with a serious Confession.”

“Eh?” Makie tilted her head. “That’s not what it’s for?”

Sunset sighed. Why is it that the otherworlder understands this world’s religions better than any of you? “No, Makie. The Confession booth is not designed for impromptu therapy sessions. It is a place for people to confess their sins to a priest who stands as a representative of God. The priest then offers advice, comfort, and instructions for repentance. It is a solemn and sacred affair for believers.”

An awkward silence descended on the classroom. “Oh.” Yuna rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. “That… kinda makes me feel bad for talking about, well…”

Sunset chuckled. “Don’t worry. I met the actual priest after my ‘Confession’ with Misora yesterday. He seems remarkably patient where shenanigans are concerned. But I’m sure he’d rather not act as a sounding board for the collective inanity of our class.”

“I’m not so sure.” The class turned to Negi who turned to Sunset. “Nichibotsu, do you know what time you, er, encountered Kasuga-san?”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “A little after noon. Why?” Her other eyebrow joined its sister. “Wait, you too?”

Negi nodded. “As I thought. My session was after yours. I guess I was the only one who got the actual priest.”

“Really?” Makie asked. “What was he like?”

Negi crossed his arms and closed his eyes as he thought back. “Patient, like Nichibotsu said. And very kind and understanding. He let me talk for as long as I needed to, even when I got a bit rambling. He didn’t dismiss my worries or treat me like a child. And his advice was…” A soft smile flitted across his face, gone after a moment. “He gave me a lot to think about. I… actually made an appointment to talk with him again outside of the church.”

Sunset’s eyes widened. Wow. I know I said you needed to talk to someone, Wildfire, but I didn’t think you’d find a match that easily. Maybe…

***

That Sunday found Sunset in an unusual situation, sat at the back of the church. The congregation was surprisingly small for the small cathedral’s size, and Sunset found herself enduring several conversations with the regular congregants trying to gauge her interest in the church. Finally, the sermon started and Sunset was left alone.

In truth, Sunset had little interest in the particulars of the priest’s sermon - something about a guy who got eaten by a fish - but was very interested in his delivery. On how he applied and interpreted the story. On how he talked about the people involved in it.

This Jonah the priest spoke of didn’t sound to Sunset like the most honorable of prophets. Running away from his duties and later watching eagerly for a people’s destruction. Yet, the priest expounded on the culture that Jonah came from. On the history of Nineveh. On the culture and teachings that Jonah would have grown up with and how those would have influenced his choices. It could easily have become an apologist lecture, but it wasn’t. At no point did the priest condone Jonah’s actions, nor did he say that they were reasonable. He understood and acknowledged Jonah’s perspective and where he was coming from, but he refused to say that Jonah was in any way right.

Kind. Patient. Empathetic. But uncompromising on what was right and what was wrong.

Give him a military bearing, Sunset thought as she left the church after his sermon, and he’d be almost like…

***

“I was surprised to see you in the congregation yesterday.”

“Yeah, well, Wildfire - er, Negi Springfield - gave you a good review.”

Sunset was sat once again in the confession booth. She’d asked the priest if it might not be more appropriate to meet elsewhere, but he’d pointed out that she was already there and it was a place where no-one would disturb them.

“Ah yes, Springfield-san,” the priest said. “Such a pleasant young man. Very mature for his age. He will be very wise once he’s gained more experience with the world.”

“And until then he’s an idiot kid with way more power than is healthy for him.” Sunset shook her head. “But he’s not what I came here to talk to you about.”

“Indeed, not.” The priest paused for a moment. “Though if you don’t mind, I am curious as to why you decided to take me up on my offer.”

Sunset nodded, for all he couldn’t see her. “Wildfire told me - the whole class, really - about his ‘Confession’ with you the other day. His impression of you struck a familiar chord with me. One that resonated even more powerfully when I heard you speak yesterday. You remind me a lot of my old therapist. I… I guess that convinced me to give you a shot.”

“I see. Well, I am happy to offer you my services, Nichibotsu-sa-”

“Hikaru.”

“...I had heard from Sister Kasuga that you prefer to be addressed by your given name.”

“Usually,” Sunset agreed. “But my old therapist called me by my surname without honorifics. If it isn’t too much to ask, I think that familiarity might make this more comfortable for me.”

“I suppose that is what’s most important,” the priest acknowledged. “Very well, Hikaru. Where would you like to start?”

Sunset was quiet for a moment. “First of all, I should clear up that I’m not a pyromaniac sociopath; my slight inclination towards pyromania is perfectly healthy. I do not enjoy burning people alive. I don’t even like burning corpses; the smell is atrocious.”

“And yet you are familiar enough with the smell to know this.” It wasn’t a question.

“I have not lived a sheltered life,” Sunset answered. “My parents did perish in a fire of my own making. And I have served time as a soldier. But I’ve been through all of that with my past therapists and am, if not fully recovered, equipped to tend to the remaining scars myself.”

“If you are sure.” There was a pregnant pause. “And how is your romantic relationship?”

Sunset turned scarlet. “Right,” she muttered. “I did mention Ako. It’s not a… the relationship isn’t romantic, even if I’d like it to be. She hasn’t reciprocated my affections, and I’m not pushing her to.”

“And you are alright with that?”

“Of course I…” Sunset bit back her impulsive response. “I’m… trying to be. I need to be. I… don’t have any real romantic experience myself, but I had a colleague who was an expert on the subject. Pushing the object of your affections to give an answer when they aren’t ready is a sure-fire way to push them away. That’s what she claims. It even makes sense. But… lust is a powerful emotion, I guess.” She chuckled. “I guess that’s one of the sins I’d confess if I were here for that.”

“I wouldn’t be so quick to attribute your feelings to lust,” the priest reassured. “Love is even more powerful, and desires to express your feelings physically can be either one. In any case, lust is not itself a sin so long as you do not indulge or entertain the thoughts it inspires. So long as you push the thoughts aside when they arise, there is nothing to confess.”

Sunset snorted. “And If I just suppress them until I’m in bed at night?”

There was a sound of a clearing throat. “As a priest, I cannot necessarily condone that. As a therapist, I can only say that there are those who cannot simply push their lust aside and need some form of distraction or outlet.” He chuckled. “Then again, I suppose as a priest, I shouldn’t be too supportive of a sapphic attraction to begin with.”

They shared a laugh before Sunset continued. “So yeah, she doesn’t reciprocate. And I’ve been keeping myself in check. But it’s hard sometimes. I… I guess it is more love than lust, most of the time. Even if the Japanese weren’t physical-affection-fearing prudes, I would still want to embrace her for too long. To hold her hand too tight. To look too intently into her eyes, her face cupped tenderly in my hands.” Sunset’s face was scarlet again and she thanked God - assuming He existed - for designing confession booths such that the priest couldn’t see her face. “And I guess… I’m afraid I’ll slip up. Do something that puts the strength and type of my feelings on display and drive her away. Or at least drive a wedge between us. And of course, even if she did want to reciprocate, Japan isn’t exactly tolerant of sapphic relationships. I… I don’t want to hurt her. And… I might not even be able to blame her if she rejected me for that reason.”

The priest’s voice was kind. “You truly care for her, don’t you? I wouldn’t be too concerned about driving her away. You have already confessed your feelings, and you don’t seem the sort to downplay something like that. If you haven’t already driven her away, then I’m willing to bet that she isn’t the sort to flee at an accidental display of inappropriate affection, especially if you are contrite and repentant once you recognize her discomfort.”

“I… yeah, I guess. Ako… she isn’t the type to just abandon me or hate me because of something like that.”

“Which means that there’s another fear at play. Some other concern eating at you.”

Sunset was silent for a long moment. Her shoulders grew heavier and she lifted her feet onto the small bench. Pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Another minute passed.

“I’m going to get tired of waiting. I’m impatient. I… I’m going to get angry with her for taking so long or being indecisive or whatever. And… if she rejects me after that, I can’t even imagine how angry I might get at her for… wasting my time. Leading me on. It… it won’t make sense. It won’t be her fault. But my temper… it burns hot. I… I say a lot of stuff when I’m angry. I lash out. I look for weak points and insecurities. I aim to hurt. To say the absolute worst things I can think of. To bring up her worst mistakes. Her greatest failings. The way she hurt the one who was closest to her. Frame it as a power grab or an act of indulgent cruelty. Accuse her of tyranny and aloof detachment and that she n-never cared and j-just wanted to- to make herself look b-better and… and…”

The priest was silent as Sunset sobbed into her knees. He waited as her muffled sobs slowly quieted into sniffles and from there into silence. Finally, he spoke. “Child, would you like to confess your sins?”

Sunset was silent for another minute before nodding, forgetting for a moment that he couldn’t see her. “My teacher. My mentor. Tenko. She took me in after I killed my- after my parents died. She… she was more than just a teacher. She had plenty of students, but what we had was different. More intimate. She watched over my physical recovery as much as my studies. She supported me emotionally. Tucked me into bed at night. Let me… let me sleep with her whenever I had a nightmare about that fire. Worried herself sick over me when I went out in the field. She was… she was…

“But then something happened. Various politics led her to adopt a stranger with great potential and some fame as her niece. A child, far younger than me. And I… I was blinded by jealousy. Tenko… she treated this newcomer with affection, sure, but not much more than she gave to any of her ordinary students. Their relationship was never more than professional. Not even really friendly by the time I left. But my jealousy blinded me. I saw her as trying to take my place as Tenko’s… And so I threw myself into my studies. Tried to one-up those traits that had led to this child being discovered and acclaimed in the first place. Pushed everyone away as I grew more and more desperate. Until Tenko couldn’t ignore it anymore. Until she had to confront me. And I… I said the most horrible things to her. I accused her of the worst crimes and faults. Took every mistake she ever made and turned them into weapons. I… I hurt her so much. She… she was sobbing between her righteous condemnations. I didn’t care. No, I reveled in her anguish. I…”

The confession booth was silent again. “Pride and wrath are terrible sins,” the priest eventually said. “Pride cloaks you in arrogance and self-righteousness, while wrath blinds us and enflames our worst impulses. Pride is so hard to recognize for what it is, wrath so difficult to fight when it arises. The Lord forgives all our sins when we repent. And no matter what insults and accusations you leveled against her, no mother abandons her beloved child so easily.”

Another sob wracked Sunset’s body. “B-but, what if I do it again? Ako… I can’t do that to her! I can’t! I can’t hurt her like that. And I don’t want her to see that… that revolting vileness I’m capable of. If… if I ever did… I… I might…” Sunset jerked forward. Clasped her hands over her mouth. Tasted bile before she forced it back down.

“Hikaru!”

“I-I’m fine!” Sunset shivered in her seat. “I… I’m okay. I… oh sweet Tenko, I can’t do this. I can’t love someone like that. Not again. Never again! I can’t do that to them! I’m a monster! A villain and a blackguard! I don’t deserve to-”

“HIKARU NICHIBOTSU!!!”

The priest’s shout shocked Sunset almost to her feet. Sharp and commanding and demanding attention. Sunset’s hand was halfway to a salute before she caught herself. “There is no-one - NO-ONE - in this world who is unworthy of love.”

“B-but, I’m a-”

“You are NOT a monster, Hikaru. You are human. Or mortal, at least, despite your power. A flawed, imperfect mortal who made a horrible mistake. But you are no villain, Hikaru. No villain feels such remorse for her sins. No blackguard would even consider them such.” His tone softened significantly. “You are someone who feels powerfully and passionately, and that is no ill trait. It signifies a powerful heart, one which may yet be a great force for good in this world. Even with your anger and jealousy, you still love Tenko-san powerfully enough to weep for your trespasses against her. Even with so much distance in time and space between the two of you, you refuse to abandon that bond, even if doing so would guarantee less agony of heart. You care for Ako-san enough to know that you will not be able to hide it from her completely, and so you confessed your feelings so that she would not be discomforted or confused by your actions. You are doing all that you can to not pressure her, and your greatest concern is that you will bring her pain or grief. Hikaru, these are not the traits of a monster. This is not the heart of one who is unworthy of love.”

Sunset stared in stunned silence at the small screen which hid the priest from view even as it allowed his passionate and compassionate words through. Tears began to fall again. “But… but what if I…”

“I cannot promise that you will never misstep, my child. I cannot promise that your anger will remain restrained until it may be unleashed constructively. I cannot promise that you will always recognize your pride before it leads you astray. I cannot promise that you will not bring any harm upon your beloved. But Hikaru, your heart is full of love. Your mind is sharp and your will is strong. And you are not alone. Lean on your friends. Tell them of your fears. Open your heart to them. And this I do promise: they will not abandon you. They will stand by you and help you to overcome the worst of your demons. And - if you let them - they will keep you on the path of righteousness.”

Sunset bowed her head, letting the tears flow as the priest’s words washed over her. Could she do this? Could she trust her friends with these demons? Could she lay her heart bare before Honya? Before Yue and Haruna and Konoka? Before Ako?

No. Not them. Not yet. They wouldn’t understand - couldn’t understand - the weight of what she had to confess. But… perhaps she could confide in others. Setsuna, naive as she was about romance, knew enough of the world to understand the weight of her confession and plea for help. Kaede might be an idiot, but she had proven her wisdom despite that. And then there was…

“Aw, shit.”

*****

“...you’re asking for his help?”

“Yes.”

“With your wrath problem.”

“Yes.”

“His help.”

“Yes.”

“...”

“If you don’t wipe that stupid smirk off your face right now-!”

Kotarou burst out laughing while Negi continued to stare at Sunset in shock. “Sorry, Fire-anesan. It’s just ironic, you know? I mean, you literally beat him into the ground because of his anger issues, and you’re telling us that you have it just as bad?”

“It does stink a little of hypocrisy,” Evangeline quipped from where she was lounging on a couch nearby.

Sunset sighed and massaged the bridge of her nose. She was starting to regret having this conversation in the Villa. “Okay, first of all, my problem isn’t nearly as bad as Wildfire’s. Apart from my wrath manifesting in a non-violent manner, it also builds over time. There are signs that people can look for to head me off and talk me down before I say something I’ll regret. As for hypocrisy…” She winced. “...I can’t really refute that. I guess I owe you another apology, Wildfire.”

Negi snapped out of his stupor and started waving his arms frantically. “N-n-n-no! It’s fine! I’m just surprised that you would choose me of all people to talk to about this. I would think that Ako-san or Nodoka-san would be-”

“Not a chance!” Negi flinched, and Sunset softened her tone. “Sorry. It’s just, this isn’t the sort of thing they could understand. They’ve got good heads on their shoulders, but what I did - what I’m capable of - they just can’t understand it. Not really. But you… you’ve been through Hell. In some respects, you’re a lot more mature than most of the class. And like Dog-boy said, you’ve got your own demons, so you can understand mine better than most. I’m also going to talk to Setsuna and Kaede and ask them to keep an eye on me, but you get this in a way that they can’t.”

Negi hesitated. “I don’t know, Nichibotsu. I mean, what if I miss the signs? What if I’m not able to talk you down? And besides, I’m not going to be your teacher forever.”

“Considering she spends your classtime converting her horse magic into human spells, you’re barely her teacher now.”

Sunset ignored Evangeline and waved off Negi’s concern. “I doubt you’ll miss the signs. Everyone in Canterlot could see I was getting more irritable and unpleasant long before I blew my top. And by the time we part ways for good, I’m sure I’ll have other people to watch my back. Besides, this might all be for nothing. I’m aware of the danger this time around, and who knows? Ako might figure out her feelings for me one way or the other before I have the chance to get impatient. This is all just hedging my bets and, well…” Her cheeks colored and she looked away. “To be honest, I don’t really have any other confidants. Even with what’s happened between us, you’re still the closest thing I have to a friend that I can talk to about this kind of thing. My actual friends’ sensibilities are too delicate for problems this heavy.”

Negi let slip a chuckle before clearing his throat. “Well, I’m honored that you still consider me a ‘not really a friend,’ Nichibotsu. I’ll do what I can to help.”

Sunset let out a relieved sigh. “Thanks. Now then…” She turned to Kotarou and pounded a fist into her palm, flaring her ki. “I believe you were my sparring partner for today?”

Kotarou’s ears flattened as he gave her a deadpan glare. “This is revenge for me laughing at you, isn’t it?”

“How perceptive. Good boy.”

Arc 7.1: Chapter 68

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The rest of the Spring Term passed in the blink of an eye. Sunset and Negi were kept busy tutoring the Baka Rangers in preparation for the term Finals, with Sunset’s schedule being extra full with additional tutoring for Ako and the others. Thankfully, Yue had decided to actually apply herself this time around and so had relieved their burden somewhat.

Sunset’s training with Setsuna, Takamichi, and Evangeline had ramped up in intensity. Takamichi had begun sparring with her while Evangeline had begun testing how long Sunset could last against an all-out assault from her and Chachamaru - she was up to a minute and a half, now. Setsuna, meanwhile, had begun bringing other members of the kendo club in to help with Sunset’s hand-to-hand training, teaching her how to fight against multiple opponents at once. The one relief to her training regimen came when Setsuna and Mana announced that they had nothing left to teach her of Latin that she couldn’t easily learn on her own. She was using her translation dictionary less and less and could read most of the texts Negi had given her without issue.

Of course, that time was quickly co-opted by another pursuit.

“Practe bigi nar, aldescet!”

Sunset politely applauded as both Yue and Nodoka’s wands sparked flames at their tips. “Congratulations. You are both well on your way to taking the first steps to becoming the prelude to novice mages-in-training.”

Nodoka giggled while Yue rolled her eyes, both managing to keep their spells going even as they turned most of their attention to Sunset. “No, please,” Yue snarked. “Your exorbitant praise is embarrassing.”

“I’ll be sure to tone it down going forward.” Sunset chuckled. “But seriously, good job. You’ve both picked this up fast. And your pronunciations are almost perfect across the board. I think it’s time for the next step.”

“Really?” asked Nodoka as she and Yue doused their flames. “And what’s that?”

“Elemental affinity testing.” She gestured for them to follow and the three girls left the shaded gazebo atop the central tower of the villa and crossed to the training platform ringed by obelisks. “There are a few ways to do this, but the standard formula is to cast the various Sagita Magica - magic arrow - spells and compare the results, as well as how easily they come to you. The practice spells you’ve been using are so simple that any elemental affinity or revulsion is insignificant, but Sagita Magica requires a little more oomph. You’ve both been practicing the incantations, right?” At their nods, she directed their attentions to two of the pillars. “Alright, there are your targets. Start with flame, and fire when ready.”

Her students nodded and faced the pillars, brandishing their wands dramatically before them. Sunset couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.

“Sagita Magica, una ignis!”

Twin arrows of fire shot from their wands, streaking across the empty space to splash harmlessly against the stone. While Yue and Nodoka quietly celebrated their success, Sunset frowned in disappointment.

“Well-executed,” she eventually said, “but underwhelming. I’m guessing something about the spell felt off to both of you?”

Nodoka and Yue exchanged glances before the latter shrugged. “It did feel a bit like my mana was… fighting through something.”

Sunset nodded. “That evidences a lack of affinity. Shame. I was hoping for a couple more pyromancers.” She shook her head. “Ah well, no helping it. Let’s move on to light.”

A few more rounds of trial and error saw Yue and Nodoka lying on the ground, having exhausted their juvenile magic reserves. Sunset nodded in satisfaction. “Alright, looks like we’ve got our affinities. Honya, your affinities are water and wind, a classic mist mage. As for Yue, stone and sand, an earth mage. Sand is one of the less common affinities, so it’ll probably be a little tricky to find you a master when the time comes.”

“You’ll have plenty of time,” Yue muttered. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt so drained.”

“That issue will fix itself with practice and training,” Sunset reassured. “Which will give me plenty of time to study up on elementary and intermediate sand magic, as well as reviewing stone, water, and wind.”

“Are you sure you shouldn’t get someone else to help?” Nodoka asked, sitting up. “Maybe Negi-sensei could help me. He has a wind affinity, right? After all, neither of us has a fire affinity like you do.”

Sunset tilted her head in confusion. “Like I- oh!” She slapped her forehead. “That’s right, I haven’t told you. I don’t have a fire affinity. Actually, I don’t have any elemental affinity.”

Nodoka and Yue traded looks of surprise before the latter turned back to Sunset. “You’re going to have to unpack that for us.”

Sunset chuckled and slipped a couple of rings onto the middle fingers of each hand. “Gladly.” She walked to the edge of the pillar and raised her left arm, pointing out at the sky. “Equus equus alicornus. Undetriginta spiritus lucis. Sagita magica series lucis!” The ring on her finger glowed white as twenty-nine bolts of light shot out over the water, exploding into a brilliant display. She then raised her other hand. “Undetriginta spiritus obscuri. Sagita magica series obscuri!” A dark mirror of the previous spell, twenty-nine bolts of darkness shot out and exploded against the sky. Sunset turned and walked back to her two students.

“Don’t mistake this for some sort of unparalleled genius or potential for absolute mastery of magic,” she said. “I said that I don’t have any particular affinity, and I don’t. But that also means that I don’t have any particular weakness. There is no element of magic that is particularly difficult for me to cast, but I will never be able to perform the greatest magics of any of the elements. A fair bit more than a jack of all trades, but ever a goddess of none.”

“B-but you always call yourself a pyromancer,” Nodoka said, confused.

Sunset chuckled. “Just because I don’t possess any elemental affinities doesn’t mean I don’t have any personal affinities. I mentioned my Talent-Based Sub-specialization back in Kyoto, right?”

Nodoka nodded. “I think so. You said something like wielding opposite elements together, right?”

“Close enough. You see, Equestrian magic is different from Earth magic. Suffice to say that Equestrian magic is more versatile. I was able to wield fire and ice in conjunction there in a way that I never could here. That particular combination was a specialty of mine, one that hadn’t been seen in practical use for almost a thousand years before I revived the style. It became my signature of sorts, and I grew rather fond of it. Not to mention that I’ve always been drawn to flames.”

“Even after, well…” Nodoka trailed off, looking away.

“My accident?” Sunset suggested. “Yes, even after that. I had to learn to not be afraid of my magic after that, but I never feared fire.” She chuckled. “I grew up in a bakery, after all; I always knew that fire could burn.”

“Moving on to less macabre topics,” Yue suggested, “this means that you’ll be able to keep teaching us for a while?”

Sunset nodded. “I should be able to get both of you up to intermediate level, at least. But at that point you’ll be learning faster than I can master. We’ll have to find you more permanent teachers then. I’ll see if Wildfire or Takamichi know anyone.”

And thank Tenko neither of you has ice or darkness affinities.

***

There was one more significant addition to Sunset's schedule, but one that cost her little time that she hadn't wanted to spend anyway. Every day in between her training and his, Sunset and Negi would sit together in one of the villa's libraries. Sunset had instructed Negi in meditation the same way Celestia had instructed her all those years ago.

Negi had taken to it about as naturally as Sunset had.

“Stop it.”

Negi winced at the gentle admonition. “Sorry.” He shifted slightly where he sat and began trying to empty his mind again, breathing in a steady rhythm. Sunset - sitting across from him - kept herself in a half-meditative state. It wasn't quite as deep or serene as full meditation, but it allowed her to keep an eye on Negi and notice when his mind started to wander.

As it had just done once again.

“Stop it.”

Negi's eyes opened and he pouted at Sunset. “How can you even tell?”

“Your eyes move when you think,” Sunset said. “I can see it through your eyelids. Focus on your breathing. Empty your mind.”

Negi sighed, slumping a bit. “I'm trying. I've always been a thinker, though. I don't know how to just… stop.”

Sunset sighed as well, bringing herself fully out of her trance. “Believe me, I get it, Wildfire. Playing whack-a-thought is always frustrating. And you and I have it even harder; I get more and more frustrated with each failure, and you chastise yourself more and more. Both of which go against the whole serenity thing we're going for.”

“But you're able to do it so easily.”

“I'm able to do it easily now,” Sunset corrected. “I was just as bad as you when I first started. Heh, if I hadn't been terrified of my magic, I would have been setting things on fire every session that first month.” Sunset reached forward and placed a hand on Negi's shoulder. “You'll need to be patient with this, kid. I know you're used to being the genius who can master just about anything with enough grit, but genius and grit aren't what you need here.”

“But,” Negi looked up, his eyes full of worry, “I need to get this quickly, don't I? I mean, if I lose control again-”

“Oh, you'll definitely lose control again.” Sunset chuckled at Negi's shocked expression. “Wildfire, this was never going to be a quick fix and a panacea. Meditation will help a lot, but it's got some powerful wrath to fight against. Even after you get your breakthrough, it'll still be a while until you'll be able to call upon part of that serenity in the middle of a stressful situation. This is a process, not a goal.”

“More borrowed wisdom from your princess?”

Sunset glared over at Evangeline where she lounged nearby, looking at a book and trying to pretend that she wasn’t interested in what they were doing. “Borrowed wisdom is wisdom still, so long as the borrower understands and internalizes it. If societies could only learn from their own mistakes and not the mistakes of others, we never would have advanced beyond fire.” She turned back to Negi. “But yes, that’s pretty much the speech Tenko-hime gave to me.” She snorted. “Of course, it’s easy for her to talk about patience and long processes. Perks of immortality and all that.”

“I’ve been wondering about that,” Negi said. “You’ve referred to Tenko-hime as a goddess before and referenced her immortality several times. But is that, well…”

“You’re trying to figure out how to ask me if she’s really an immortal goddess without implying that I’m either lying or deluded.” Negi winced and Sunset chuckled. “Relax. There was never going to be a tactful way to ask that.” She leaned back on her hands, staring up at the ceiling. “Tenko-hime is an alicorn, a gestalt being which combines the traits of all three pony tribes. They are functionally immortal, though they can be killed. But I’ll admit that ‘goddess’ is a little bit of an overstatement. Alicorns are more like… are you familiar with the Hawaiian concept of Kupua?”

Negi frowned a bit. “Those are their… gods, right?”

“Kind of.” Sunset thought about how to explain it. “They aren’t so much gods in the traditional sense. More like… humans plus plus. Immortal humans of supernatural affiliation and ability. As much a god as you can get without having a shred of true divinity. That’s alicorns. Tenko-hime is the Alicorn of the Sun, a powerful being who moves the sun across the sky and can draw on its power. Functionally a god in every aspect except a direct connection to the Divine.”

“And… that’s what you wanted to become?”

“That’s what I WILL become.” She chuckled. “Call me Icharus if you’d like, but every alicorn started out as a regular pony. Remember, Cadence used to be a pegasus.” She shook her head and sat up straight. “But that’s enough stalling; back to work.”

Negi flinched at being called out while Evangeline chuckled. “Er, right.”