AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait, but here's a long chapter to make up for it. The last part was going to be its own chapter, but given it was a little shorter than expected, this'll probably be my last update till college gets out, and it'd been a while since I last updated, I felt it worked better as a single update.
And on the note of college getting out, that happens in a few weeks and I should have a ton of extra time, time I'm hoping to put into this story. So, over summer, I'm hoping to put out quite a few updates and not have it be 1-2 months between new chapters. Look forward to that, hopefully!
"I told you they couldn't be trusted, Negi-kun." Fate pointedly commented from his chair, leaning a fist against his cheek, limb propped up by the construct's elbow resting against a desk.
"I know Fate, I know." Negi tensely replied with a frown, tapping his finger against his chin, pacing back and forth around the room.
After tending to the Heroes wounds, Negi and Fate had waited until the Taisha were nearby to pick up the trio before vacating the premise and returning to their present lodgings. Negi wasn't too fond of leaving the girls after what happened, but he and Fate had confirmed they were in stable condition and, though the Taisha weren't the most trustworthy about honesty, he knew the Heroes were at least safe around them. He and Fate had much to discuss in respect to the implications of their latest battle and it couldn't wait. Whatever was at play here… It was much greater than they had expected.
"The Vertex are some kind of construct and had to of been created by someone. Not only that, we know the virus story can't be true, yet it's supposedly the reason for why the outside world died past the Shinju-sama's barrier..." The mage started musing aloud, worry infecting his words underneath the stern tone. "I think that story has to be a cover up and the Vertex, or whomever created them, are responsible for whatever happened to the rest of the world."
"I agree." Fate levelly responded, eyes slowly following Negi's pacing. "I doubt it's a coincidence, especially with the fervent attempts by the Taisha to steer us away from venturing beyond the barrier. They also operate under a different calendar date which was signaled by the Shinju appearing to protect what remained of the world from this 'virus', so we can assume something related to the Vertex likely occurred almost 300 years ago."
"There's far too many questions and not enough answers..." Negi grumbled with a sigh. Who created these monsters and for what purpose? Why had they ignored him and Fate initially? What was their purpose for attacking the Shinju? Did they have some particular vendetta against it or perhaps what it was protecting? If the Taisha were hiding this much, was the current situation possibly even more dire than it appeared as well?
Coming to a stop, Negi looked toward Fate with a furrowed brow, hand tensely clenched, but not quite into a fist. "Fate, I think we should take a trip outside the barrier and see what the state of the outside world is. Even if we tried to force the answers out of the Taisha, I still suspect they'd try to keep as much hidden as possible and it'd be quicker to confirm matters with our own eyes. Especially if we might be dealing with another world ending situation..."
At this, Fate's typically neutral expression narrowed, his hand lowering while sitting up straighter, addressing Negi with a heavy face. "Negi-kun, I disagree. Exploring outside the world would only cause more problems."
The mage raised a questioning eyebrow toward his companion. "But we're dealing with something of a far higher scale than we initially expected. The Heroes are quite strong themselves, but we're a lot stronger and if it's something we could fix, we should look into it."
"And that is precisely why we should be careful delving into matters we don't know the full picture of." Fate responded, not deterred in the slightest. "You, of all people, should know exactly how complicated the situation can be when it concerns the fate of an entire world. We have yet to find a way back to our own and you already have the Blue Mars Project resting on your shoulders."
Negi's expression faltered for just a moment at Fate's words. Oh, he was well aware of how precarious the situation was back home and what rested on it. He was a significant part of the project and, even with notes left for others on how to continue, any complications early on could become a severe setback. Even still, just leaving things as they were didn't feel right and conviction returned to his face before he continued. "I know… But we're here right now and could potentially make a big difference that the people of this world might not have the chance to do. It's because I have you to rely on to help further ways to get home while I'm busy with other matters, like helping organize how to teach the girls magic, that I believe we can manage both."
"And if we can't?" Fate retorted. "Delving too far into this could potentially be opening a door that can't be closed. While we don't know the abilities of whoever created the Vertex, do remember how much stronger The Lifemaker was than the constructs created with her powers, from the weakest ones to the far more powerful ones, like myself." Narrowing their eyes, the Averruncus continued. "Perhaps things are different here, especially given the powers displayed by the Vertex and their adaptive ability. Maybe they have already far outgrown their creator and their original limits… However, we are likely dealing with something that brought about the end of the world. Even if humanity itself lacks power in this world, it clearly does not lack those with it, given the existence of the Shinju and the Vertex. If we draw the attention of whatever they're warring against and it turns out to be beyond our abilities, then there is likely nothing here that could stop it. Or, it could potentially cause significant damage to what remains of humanity if it something we can defeat, but not without a prolonged fight. More than one of your father and Jack Rakan's spars required redrawing maps when they got carried away. Shikoku isn't that large."
Negi frowned, crossing his arms for a moment to think. Fate did have him there. While he wouldn't assume whatever this threat was comparable to The Lifemaker without evidence, they were capable of bringing the beginning and end to entire worlds single handily and had crippled a group of the world's strongest mages in two moves, Fate had a point. Even if they could handle it, something that could possibly be responsible for ending the world likely wouldn't be easy.
Still… There were a lot of 'maybes' prefacing everything. The problem was that Fate was entirely right in that if it was a worst case scenario, there'd be no going back if whatever it was stepped up to confront them. That did raise the question of why hadn't they made a move personally already, but perhaps they had their reasons. The Lifemaker hadn't personally gotten involved until the world's armies were at her doorstep, due to wanting to minimize unneeded deaths and preferring more subtle methods when possible. Maybe there were circumstances explaining the inaction here.
"You can't be in two places at once, Negi-kun. I know you want to try and help everyone you can, but you need to remember what I said. Our priority should be returning home and our own world's problems." Finally standing up, Fate lectured with a calm tone. "I am not suggesting we simply abandon this world. We merely need to ensure we can reliably get back to our world and that the situation is under control there first."
"I know that, Fate." Negi said with a resigned sigh. He certainly didn't like it, but while the child was amazing at multi-tasking to the point some questioned if he was even human, which was quite ironic now given what his current status was, he still had clear limits. "But, we don't know how stable the situation is. With Mundus Magicus, we had roughly a decade until it collapsed before my plan went into action. The situation here seems to have lasted for at least around 300 years, but Mundus Magicus had existed for thousands and was on the verge of collapse. I need to confirm the situation is stable here. If it's not, then we might not have a choice in the matter."
Fate crossed his arms, meeting Negi's gaze with an unblinking stare while considering the other mage's terms. "Very well, that's acceptable. Understandably, the Taisha word may not be the most reliable. Do you have any other plans for investigating this without the risks we discussed?"
Finally coming to an agreement, Negi's face rose to a satisfied smile before speaking with a nod. "I do. Back when the Heroes were fighting against the summoned constructs, I sensed and saw a unique presence observing it. It didn't seem hostile and we had other issues to tend to, so I didn't have time to pursue it before it left."
At this, Fate tilted his head a touch, curious where his friend was going with this. "Do you mean that blue bird? Yes, something was clearly supernatural about it. It felt like a spirit, a person even."
"Correct." Negi nodded once more. "I don't know what it is, but it seems to be one of the only beings on the island with some kind of significant supernatural presence aside from the Shinju-sama and Heroes. I think it's worth at least investigating what that being is. Maybe we'll find some answers. If nothing else, we can at least confirm if it's safe or not. It seems to have some interest in the Heroes." This was the second questionable presence he'd felt across the island that he couldn't answer what it was. He was positive this wasn't the same feeling he'd detected when running their initial experiments to try getting home, and now that a good reason to investigate it presented itself, he was certainly going to take it. The first signature didn't seem to move far from where he'd initially sensed it, while this one seemed to have a much more active interest in what was going on with the Heroes, so it was a priority.
"I suppose you have a point. Let's go find whatever this being is. We'll decide how to handle the Taisha afterwards. I'll take us to the general area it's at." Fate replied, already preparing to transport the pair.
High in the sky, Fate looked over the landscape of Shikoku with Negi. The last vestiges of sunlight had vanished and given way to the darkness of a mostly clear night blanketing the current landscape, save the various population centers pushing away the shadows with their lights. For a normal person, seeing any discerning details, especially at this time of evening, would've been a chore, but with Fate's enhanced perceptions, he could clearly and sense across the whole island.
"There."
And with those same perceptions, Fate found their target nigh immediately, motioning toward the almost spectral blue bird flying through the air, likewise soaring high through the air. Interestingly, but perhaps not surprising given the previous sighting, it seemed to be traveling in the direction Fate sensed the three Heroes were.
"Good, let's try talking to them. They feel more like a person, actually reminds me somewhat of Sayo-san, and I don't feel anything hostile from them... But we should still be careful." Negi commented before leisurely floating through the air toward the bird, quick enough to ensure they would soon catch up, but slow enough to not suddenly appear beside them and take the entity by surprise, a pace Fate soon matched.
"Hello!" Upon reaching a few meters behind the blue being, Negi threw out a quick and friendly greeting to get the bird's attention.
However, instead of simply bringing the bird's focus toward them, Negi's greeting got a far more exaggerated reaction, with it briefly flapping its wings to come to halt and letting out some kind of shocked shriek, turning toward the two with the closest expression of surprise that a bird could physically manage.
"Easy, it's alright. We don't mean you any harm." Negi continued, forming a barrier like platform beneath the entity for them to land on, calmly raising his hands and slightly taken aback by the reaction he'd gotten, but maintaining a relaxed demeanor and voice.
Content to let Negi sort out the introduction, Negi was usually better with being friendly then he was, unless whatever this was turned hostile, Fate watched the exchange beside his friend, sizing up the spirit, now that they were closer and he could get a better look. He could tell Negi's earlier comparison was correct, there was some similarity toward his ghostly student, he could sense past just the guise of a bird in front of him. This was, or at least used to be, a human.
The bird looked at the pair, seemingly unsure and still trying to process the current events, hovering in place above the circle Negi had provided.
"We just want to talk. I know you can understand what we're saying" Negi gently continued, keeping his words and expression welcoming. "I can see you're more than just this."
The bluebird didn't give any response for several moments, considering the idea, until it seemed to reach a conclusion that was accompanied by a brief light around its being that rapidly grew in luminosity and size, before soon dimming and coalescing into an entirely different shape than what had been present a moment ago. Instead of a small bird, before the mages now floated a spectral girl who appeared no more than a couple of years older than them. Beneath the blue aura surrounding her, flowed a long dirty blonde ponytail, going down past her knees, held in place by a large, blue flower patterned ribbon behind her head, like the one inscribed upon the bird's chest. Matching her ponytail, was a hair style that suspiciously resembled Sonoko's, even with similarly patterned hairloops leading back toward the ribbon. Besides the apprehensive and guarded mask upon her expression, even her facial features bore likeliness toward the current leader of the Heroes. The main part distinguishing her face, was that she possessed light purple eyes instead of gray, and had a small updo at the back of her hair, not unlike the kind Sumi possessed. The other characteristic of note, was her attire greatly resembled that of the Heroes, carrying a blue theme that matched her ribbon, with white and red highlights. The upper half consisted of bulky sleeves around her forearm that left exposed shoulders, before narrowing into lightly armored gauntlets over her hands. Past her upper body, the uniform paved way to black stockings on her legs and a coat similar to Gin's outfit, around her lower half.
Fate mentally raised an eyebrow at the visage of the girl, yet keeping his outer body language perfectly neutral. Not only did she resemble the current Hero Sonoko Nogi, but she also had an incredibly similar outfit as them. All this combined with her already supernatural presence… Whoever this was, they must have had deep ties toward this situation. Fate would need to carefully monitor this discussion and what they learned. Too much, and it would be difficult to keep Negi focused on the task at hand.
"You can.. see me…?" Cautiously, the spirit asked with a lower pitched feminine voice, utter disbelief in between her slow words. She seemed to be speaking to herself more than the mages even, still struggling to believe they could see her.
"We can hear you too." Negi casually answered, causing the spirit's eyes to widen. "I'm Negi Springfield, pleased to meet you." Continuing his casual friendly charm, Negi lightly bowed toward the other.
"Fate Averruncus." The other mage flatly stated.
Visibly, trying to restrain their shock at the situation, the spirit paused, leaving a near silence hanging on the air around them, broken only by the gentle breeze of the wind in the night sky. "… My name is Nogi Wakaba." Wakaba finally spoke, matching Negi's earlier gesture.
The name caused more than mild surprise to briefly flash on Negi's face, before it dropped into a contemplative one. "Nogi-san… You're related to Nogi Sonoko-san, aren't you? You look a lot like her and even have a Hero's uniform.."
Again, Wakaba paused for a moment, her face gradually shifting toward a more composed one as the shock of the situation slowly wore off. "I am." The girl spoke calmly, but carefully.
"Is that why you have an interest in the heroes? We've seen you around, watching them and us before."
Wakaba nodded. "I can't do much aside from watch the current generation of Heroes and hope for their success."
'Current Generation', Fate noted the phrasing. It wasn't surprising, given her own attire and relation to Sonoko, but confirmation she was a past Hero wasn't bad to have. Still… How many generations of Heroes had come before the current trio? He held some doubts she was part of a recent one. The current leader being part of a lineage of Heroes, should've likely been something they heard of if it was recent. The details of Sonoko's Hero status was a secret, but her mere existence wasn't one. What made her unique like this though? They hadn't sensed anything else quite like this, save one potential exception.
"Ah." Wakaba muttered eye's quickly widening. "That reminds me… Since you can hear me, I wanted to thank you for helping them where I couldn't." It was small, but the spirit's expression and demeanor relaxed a hair with the gratitude, perhaps even a tiny trace of a smile on her mouth. "I think another Hero might've been lost, had you not arrived when you did."
Another?
"We're happy to help, Nogi-san." Negi returned the smile. "Sorry if we surprised you earlier. There isn't much on this island like you, and when we noticed you watching one of the Heroes training sessions, we just wanted to make sure there wasn't any danger."
Wakaba shook her head firmly. "I don't have any ill intent for them, you have my word." She paused briefly. "But, now that I've answered your question, I'd like to ask one of my own."
"Go ahead. It's only natural we return the favor."
"How is it that you can see and hear me…?" The spirit asked, tilting her head, a touch of both confusion and curiosity within her features.
"Hrm?" Negi muttered as if the question was an obvious one. "I've always had strong magical senses. One of my students if a ghost too, so it'd be a problem if I couldn't interact with people like you. It actually was a bit of an issue when I was still learning and first started."
"Likewise." Fate echoed. "Perceiving and interacting with spirits isn't too high a level technique for a mage, but some are far harder to detect than others. It shouldn't come as a surprise, given what else you've seen we're capable of."
"I see..." Wakaba murmured, closing her eyes for a moment to think before they shot wide open once the full implications of the words hit her. "Wait, student…?" The girl continued, her normal guard breaking and letting visible confusion briefly overcome her face, looking at Negi like she had to of misheard what he said.
"I'm a teacher." Negi plainly answered like he was describing the weather. "Well… Was, I'm busy with some other projects now. Fate is, or was until we got stranded here, officially substituting for me."
Fate acknowledged the mention with a curt nod to Wakaba.
Wakaba's gaze slowly went back and forth between the two mages, face dropping toward a blank one, but beneath it all, Fate could detect… Was that pity? Sympathy? How odd…
"I imagine you two must have a lot resting on your shoulders, despite your ages." The girl let out a small sigh, closing her eyes with it and sounding melancholic in her observation.
"You could say that." Negi answered, undeterred. "However, someone needs to do it. I don't regret what I've chosen to get involved in."
Wakaba looked up toward the mage with an investigative eye, before a small smile appeared. Yet it wasn't entirely a happy one, it was a heavy smile, a mixture of conflicting emotions hinting toward many experiences by the one who wore it. "You're right, someone has to step up. And sometimes, no one else can or will." By now, her shoulders had relaxed, hands uncurled into a loose palm into of halfway toward a first, some of the earlier tension in her body had faded away as she slowly started easing up around the mages.
"We are, however, quite busy between everything. There's a few more questions we would like to ask you." Fate interjected. He preferred things a bit more straight to the point, and given the kind of concerns he and Negi held about the situation, the mage would've preferred to address them as quickly as possible. If Wakaba couldn't give them satisfactory answers, matters were going to become much more complicated.
"Very well… What did you want to ask then?" Wakaba responded, crossing her arms and raising a curious eyebrow.
"Firstly, do you know if the Shinju-sama is the one that called us here?" Negi began.
Wakaba shook her head once more. "I don't know the answer to that, sorry." The spirit paused for a moment before their expression fell into a frown. "The Taisha didn't answer your question, did they." Less of a question and more an observation, she continued.
"Unfortunately not." Negi answered with a sigh. "And I don't think we can communicate with the Shinju-sama, nor would I like to make our relationship any worse by trying."
"The Taisha have been anything but cooperative with us." Fate bluntly added. "And given they refuse to answer as simple a question as that one, we have little reason to trust they will give us the ones we seek with recent developments."
"Recent developments'…?" Wakaba slowly asked, her body slowly tensing up back to how it had been earlier in the meeting.
"And that brings us to our second question..." Negi let the words hang in the air for a second, his own features taking on a touch of seriousness beneath the usual cheerful mood. "We need to know if the current situation is stable for the foreseeable future or if the Shinju-sama's barrier is in any danger of collapsing in the near future"
The very second Negi's words left his mouth, there was a change in Wakaba's demeanor, her whole body stiffened, her fingers dug into the "clothes" of her uniform's sleeves, and any trances of friendliness in her face vanished, instead replaced by guarded caution and hesitation. "And why do you need to know that?"
"To be direct," Fate took a step forward, picking up where Negi had left off. "We know there is something far greater going on here than the official story given by the Taisha, far more than the lies even the Heroes are told. The Vertex aren't some simple virus, they are a construct. A construct created by someone with a goal of destroying the Shinju." Given the reaction and other factors, this girl clearly knew something. Enough for Fate to probe for answers with their reasons for seeking them.
Wakaba's eyes were slowly growing in size while the other spoke. The girl attempted to keep a grip on her reaction toward what she was hearing, but Fate could see a trace of gradually rising unease peeking behind her attempts at a mask.
"Both of us have personally dealt with a conspiracy trying to hide the truth of a doomed and crumbling world. The world beyond this wall is no more, correct?"
Wakaba stood nearly still as a statue, starring at the two mages with an unblinking, unsettled gaze. But, her lack of words were plenty for Fate.
"We haven't ventured to the outside world." Fate added and he saw some of the tension visibly deflate from Wakaba. "We need to return to our own world as quickly as possible, as we've our own problems to resolve."
"But," Negi cut in abruptly, before dropping his tone to a more gentle one than Fate's. "We want to make sure that this world is still safe for the future. As Fate mentioned, we've dealt with a situation where the world was going to collapse in a brief time period from when we found out. If it's not going to last much longer, then we should act now while we can. However, if it will last, then there's no need to rush into trying to solve it and we can take our time making a plan when there are more resources available and we have a way home."
Listening to Negi, Wakaba's face slowly shifted from one of unease to surprise at how casual Negi sounded when fixing a potential world wide problem. It was a face Fate knew well, one he'd worn himself under similar circumstances even. Back when Mundus Magicus was in danger of collapsing and there was only one plan for 'saving' the inhabitants of the world at the cost of the planet itself, a plan that had been in the works for decades, almost a century even, almost everyone who heard about an alternative plan reacted with similar disbelief or even anger.
The spirit stayed quiet for a long time, minutes even, clearly mulling over how to answer and how much to tell the two mages, uncertainty and doubt making its way onto her features. But, Fate wasn't going to give her the chance to reveal everything if the world wasn't on the precipice of calamity. He knew Negi well, and if the situation was a worst case scenario yet stable, the other would do everything they could to help and it'd be a distraction from getting home.
"You don't need to tell us everything." Fate spoke up with an edge. "We know whatever is at play here must be tremendous if it's being kept secret from the general public and occurred nearly 300 years ago-"
Wakaba briefly flinched at the mention of time.
"- and it's understandable if you don't wish to tell us the full story. We've just met and a secret like this can't be taken back. We merely need to know if this world's situation is stable. That's all I want from you now." Though not mentioning it to avoid putting Wakaba further on guard and view them in too negative a light, the fact she couldn't do anything to stop them if they took action was a given. He wouldn't be surprised if the concern of he and Negi taking action she didn't want, would give her further hesitation. The spirit seemed reasonably intelligent.
Once more, near silence overtook the air surrounding the three. The tension of the air was so thick, it practically drowned out the wind surrounding everyone.
Finally, Wakaba took a deep breath, before letting out a long exhale, her shoulders easing up by an almost unnoticeable amount. "… Yes. I don't think the Shinju-sama's barrier is in any danger of running out of energy soon." Slowly, the spirit answered.
"Do you know exactly how long it will last?" Negi followed up pensively, crossing his arms.
"I'm not entirely sure." Wakaba admitted, frowning. "I believe it should be at least another decade or two, though..."
Sighing with relief, it was Negi's turn to visible relax. "Good, that's plenty of time then. I was worried it'd be far less." This comment earned another raised eyebrow and disbelief laden face from Wakaba.
"Thank you for telling us, that's all we need to know for now." Fate added, though his usual tone didn't make it sound very thankful. Still, this was the kind of answer Fate had been hoping for. An answer like this would satisfy Negi and help them stay focused on the important task of finding a method to return home. Provided they didn't do anything that escalated the Vertex or situation toward that beyond the Heroes ability to handle, then there shouldn't be any concern about the world falling apart around them. Once that was solved and matters were attended to and stability returned home, then larger scale considerations for this problem could happen.
Wakaba's expression was difficult to read, but it appeared to be some paradoxical mixture of doubt, yet optimism. "I see… I don't know what you plan to do, but if you're planning to help… Then, thank you." There was an honesty in Wakaba's words, even a vague sense of hope, perhaps the most she'd let her guard down so far.
"But, like Fate said. If the situation here is stable, then, we need to find a way home first. We need to get going and work on exactly that. Perhaps we can talk another time, Nogi-san." Negi stated with a grin.
"Eh?" Wakaba blinked.
"It sounds like you haven't had someone to talk with for a while if you were so surprised we could see you. I Imagine it must be pretty lonely." Negi answered with a sympathetic frown before his expression quickly brightened into the usual smile. "And if we're going to be here for a while, than might as well. Don't hesitate to visit us sometime."
The offer made the spirit pause for a few seconds, before letting out a small chuckle and a smile that nearly matched Negi's taking over her face. "It's been a very long time since I've had anyone to talk with… So, I'd like that."
Internally, Fate frowned. He'd have to be careful with something like this. Who knew how many potential landmines surrounded Wakaba. The sentiment was fine and if they could talk without running into any of his earlier concerns, so be it, it would be fine. But, the mage couldn't simply rest easy if many distractions arose while The Lifemaker was still unaccounted for in his world. She could ruin everything if left unchecked.
"Good, I'm glad to hear it. I suppose we'll be going now. It's been nice meeting you, Nogi-san." Negi said with a wave. Wordlessly, Fate matched it.
"Likewise." Wakaba mirrored the gesture, already turning to leave toward her original destination. "I'll… See you later then." Pausing briefly in her words, like she had trouble believing she was actually using the phrase, Wakaba bid farewell.
"I'll take us back then, Negi-kun." Fate commented, already preparing another spell. Before the night was over, there was more matter to discuss about this meeting.
"I think that went well." Negi commented with a pleased smile, back in their barely furnished room. They'd decided to come back here in case the Taisha had tried contacting it while they were away or reached out, but almost unexpectedly, they hadn't. Likely still trying to decide how to manage the situation. Still, while Negi hadn't gotten as much as he would've liked out of Wakaba, she clearly knew far more than was brought up in their meeting, the answers had been good enough for the moment.
"Likewise." Fate replied, taking a sip of coffee he'd prepared almost instantly after they returned. "However, Negi-kun."
"What is it, Fate?" Negi asked curiously.
"I believe we should be cautious about mentioning too many details of this meeting, to the Taisha or the Heroes." Crossing his legs, Fate said.
Negi frowned at the suggestion. He didn't like keeping a bunch of secrets like this, but at the same time he understood the need for discretion on certain matters and to not be an open book. Sonoko especially was smart for her age, if her being chosen as the team leader and performance in battle was any indication. If she was the curious type like he was, especially concerning a past relative, there was going to be problems. "I understand that, Fate. And I understand that you're concerned about what we discussed earlier. I assure you, I'll be fine. I want to get back just as much as you do."
Fate took another sip, not breaking eye contact with Negi the entire time. "Very well."
"We still don't know if the Shinju-sama brought us here for certain or not, however." Negi continued with a sigh. "It might not do us too much good, perhaps it's not able to right now. I doubt the new type of attack and us arriving are unconnected and if it did bring us here, it seems like it was under desperate circumstances, but I would still like to know."
"Perhaps. But, the Taisha aren't too likely to reveal much to us without force or making the situation more complicated than it needs to be." Fate mused matter of factly.
"Maybe..." Negi murmured. An instant later, an idea struck him like the lightning he turned into. "Wait… Perhaps we could speak with Aki-san. She seems a bit different from the rest of them and we have a bit closer relationship with her, and she is the Heroes instructor. Maybe she might be able to tell us something."
Fate closed his eyes in thought for a few seconds, pondering the idea. "Possibly. I think we could question her soon. It's grown late and I would assume she is either sleeping or in the middle of discussing the current situation with the Taisha."
"Unfortunately." Negi admitted with a light frown. If she was asleep, he would rather not barge into her house unannounced, and if she was meeting with the Taisha, interrupting that would carry its own host of problems. They would have to save questioning her for another day. "I suppose we should get to work then. We've made good progress, but there's still much to go before we can return home." Continuing, the mage levitated a book of notes toward himself.
They had another long night ahead, but Negi held onto the though of checking on the Heroes later. He and Fate had left the girls in stable condition, but he always liked to be safe rather than sorry. Hopefully, they were doing just fine.
It was the morning after her team's recent battle with the Vertex, but once more, Sonoko had found herself in the hospital instead of at home. Though, she couldn't say it wasn't understandable. The Taisha had told her that, while they didn't expect her to need to stay longer than overnight, they still wanted to keep her for that duration as a safety measure in case there was anything hidden about the poison. Thankfully, as expected, the mages healing had been more than adequate and, aside from feeling a touch more rundown than was customary, Sonoko felt fine.
At least physically.
Resting in the hospital bed while discharge was getting finalized, Sonoko couldn't help feeling frustrated at herself, replaying the battle's end in her mind with a downcast expression. Just like the fight before this one, Sonoko had missed one of the Vertex and it resulted in a near fatal mistake, this time for herself rather than one of her teammates at least. Sure, the circumstances of the last attack were unprecedented and unique, so difficulties were expected, yet this was the second battle in a row where someone on her team had almost died to something that, as the leader, she should have seen. She had even promised herself to not let something like it occur again, but she couldn't even keep that…
"Hey, Sonoko!" The sound of Gin's ever confident voice, following by her form appearing behind her room's door, quickly caused Sonoko to perk up her features, both from seeing her friend and not wanting to worry them.
"Hey, Mino-san~." Sonoko returned the greeting with a casual wave and smile.
"We brought you something!" Gin continued with a light smirk, looking toward the room's entrance expectantly.
On cue, Sumi entered the room, a light smile on her face and holding a familiar, rectangular white and pink, stylized cat like pillow.
Sonoko's eyes lit up at the sight of her favorite pillow, feeling the smile on her face quickly growing. "You brought Sancho!" Eager, Sonoko reached toward Sumi and made a few grabbing motions in her general direction. She always felt like anything she slept in was missing without Sancho.
"Here you go, Sonocchi." Sumi warmly said, handing the excited girl her pillow, which was quickly pulled into a hug and earned a content hum from Sonoko.
"Sumi thought it'd be a good idea to pick it up before coming here. Who knew Sumi could be this sensitive when she wants to." Gin teased with a cheeky grin.
The comment quickly broke Sumi's composed smile, replacing with it with a red face that spun to face Gin. "I-it's not that surprising..." The girl weakly stammered in protest. "T-that's what friends do for each other, r-right?"
Sonoko couldn't help letting out a low giggle. Sumi could be socially awkward sometimes, but this side of her was cute. "Wasshi's sure got an unexpected soft side to her, huh~." The blonde happily said, giving her friend a few pats on the head, like she'd seen Gin normally do. Her friend didn't protest them, aside from a slightly embarrassed whine, but Sonoko could see her blush deepening from a light red, to a deeper crimson.
"I dunno about that. She's already pretty soft looking in a couple places..." Gin commented with a mischievous glint in her eyes and creeping closer to Sumi. Before her friend could respond, she gave a light poke toward Sumi's chest.
The girl let out a brief shriek at the touch, before quickly taking a few steps away from her grinning friend and defensively crossing their arms over her chest, an odd mixture of anger, red faced embarrassment, and surprise written all over her features. "G-Gin! That's n-not appropriate here!"
Gin's only response was a good natured chuckle, returning her demeanor back toward its normal casualness. "Yep, knew Sumi had an obvious soft side."
The mood was infectious and Sonoko soon found herself joining with subdued laughter.
Her expression now more frustrated than surprised, Sumi let out a small grumble toward Gin. "When we're done here, I'm making you sit in seiza for the next few hours."
Gin's features quickly turned from joking laughter, toward horror, mouth agape and the color slowing draining from her face. "W-wait a second, I was just joking Sumi!"
"Uh-oh, now Mino-san's the one in trouble~." Sonoko quickly jumped into the turned tables, shooting a playful smirk in Gin's direction.
With both of her friends against her, it was Gin's turn to admit defeat, letting out a sigh from her exaggerated look of despair. "Dammit, looks like this was one mountain that was too dangerous to climb..."
Crossing her arms with a slight huff while the redness slowly faded from her cheeks, Sumi turned toward the giggling Sonoko, her features starting to return back to normal. "A-anyway." Sumi started, taking a quick breath to compose herself. "How are you feeling, Sonocchi?"
"Just fiiiine~." Sonoko answered cheerily. "I'll be leaving shortly, actually. They just wanted to keep me for the night to be safe~."
A relieved sigh passed through Sumi's mouth. "Good… I'm glad to hear that. I thought Negi-san and Fate-san would take care of it without any issues, but I was worried until they showed up..."
"Hey, it wasn't a problem in the end. You did a real good job healing until they showed up, Sumi." Gin, bouncing back like nothing had happened, supportively commented, giving Sumi a pat on the back.
"Eh?" Sonoko tilted her head, slightly confused. "I don't really remember too much after Forestization ended… But you tried to heal me?"
"Um, well, I did..." Sumi admitted with a touch of shyness, tapping her fingers against her arms a few times. "I wasn't able to fix it myself… But I had to do something."
"You've gotten really good at healing." Gin praised. "Only had it for one fight, but it's already come in real handy and you'll just get better at it."
Sonoko nodded in agreement. "Thanks for that Wasshi~. You really helped me out in that fight~. That must've been pretty hard using magic that much. Sorry about not seeing that last Vertex and making you do that. Guess I should've paid more attention again..." The moment the words escaped Sonoko's mouth, she internally chided herself. The words had come out sounding heavier than she'd wanted, made even more obvious by her friend's expressions falling toward concern for her.
"Sonocchi, it's alright." Sumi said gently, taking a seat in the chair next to her hospital bed. "That's one reason I'm practicing healing magic, so something terrible doesn't happen again..."
Sonoko's expression fell into a heavy, bittersweet smile. She knew Sumi was right on that front and healing magic would probably be one of, if not the, most useful new ability, but at the same time, it couldn't shake off the dour feeling in her chest. "I know but..." Sonoko paused for a moment. She didn't usually talk about her problems too much, she never had anyone she could truly talk to as a true friend till Sumi and Gin came into her life. Sonoko knew she could seem like a weird girl to people sometimes, which, alongside her family status and going through life a bit at her 'own pace', didn't create an easy time for making friends. With her parents also not around that much personally and no close friends till recently, the girl had gotten used to bottling up any problems, but that was so much harder when the issues concerned her own and friend's very lives.
"Aki-sensei, made me the leader of the team, so I need to stay on top of any surprises from the Vertex, but someone almost... died... the last two fights..." Finding her words again, Sonoko finally spoke, slowly letting her guard slip away and speaking with a downcast expression and hugging Sancho closely for comfort. She didn't need to just bottle everything away anymore though. She had two close friends that meant the world to her. Sumi had opened up greatly to her and Gin, not long after they became Heroes, showing how much she trusted the two. The three of them were more than just a team working for a common goal, they were close friends Sonoko knew she could be honest with. They could work something out, even if something needed to change with leadership.
Gin took a seat on Sonoko's bed, opposite of Sumi, putting a comforting hand on Sonoko's own and offering a subdued, sympathetic smile toward her friend. "I was wondering if that was what was bothering you lately. No beating yourself up over that, alright? None of us saw it coming the first time, not just you. Nobody could've guessed they'd suddenly start acting smart. Not everything went perfect, but you've been doing great. I bet our fights would've gone a lot worse without your planning." Expression rising to a more lighthearted smile, Gin reassured, giving Sonoko's hand a small squeeze.
That was true… But, she still had to be better when a mistake had nearly cost a life in two successive battles, new circumstances or not. Those were the kind of things a leader must be ready for.
"Gin's right, Sonocchi." Sumi echoed, drawing the girl's attention before she could dwell on it further. "When you were chosen as the leader, I wasn't sure about the decision… But, I was wrong to be worried. Even Hidemasa Hori-dono, who was a successful leader in multiple battles, suffered a notable defeat and was forced to retreat in 1584, during the Komaki Campaign."
"Yeah, whatever Sumi said." Gin added with a grin, even if the exact reference went entirely over her head. "You're the one who came up with several plans, like against Aquarius and Capricorn, and we beat em cause of it. And the last fight too. You and Sumi took care of a whole bunch of the little ones and cleared a path for me to cut up the big guy. Back during training against those dragon things as well, you had a plan to win and it worked great."
"During some of those earlier fights, I tried to think of a plan..." Sumi trailed off, her voice lowering to an almost embarrassed whisper. "… But, I froze up, while you didn't. Aki-sensei was right picking you. It's good to always want to improve as a leader, but you've done better than either Gin or I could."
"So, like I said, no beating yourself up for thinking you're not good enough. We're a team and we're all working hard so nothing happens in the future." Gin followed up with a playful poke at Sonoko's cheek. "We'll all keep practicing till we can each beat an army of them!"
Sonoko couldn't help the growing smile on her face from her friends words, feeling her shoulders relax. It was nice to know her friends had this confidence in her and to get these concerns off her chest. Sumi was right, it wasn't wrong for her to want to be a better leader, but maybe she was being a bit too hard on herself. Gin and Sumi were also working pretty hard with their own practice, and between all their new possible powers, maybe they would be just fine even if mistakes happened. That last fight might've been the end of her without Sumi's quick healing before the mages showed up. These two really were better friends than she could've ever hoped to have. "Thanks, you two~."
"Good! No more feeling sad then." Gin said, giving a gentle rub to the top of Sonoko's head. The girl had a practiced touch with this, likely from having younger brothers, that always made the motions feel so relaxing to Sonoko. "So! With that out of the way, I think we should get out and do something. It hasn't even been summer break for 3 weeks and we haven't had much of a chance to do something for it. Maybe we could hit the beach or that waterpark again."
"That's not a bad idea~." Sonoko agreed with a quick nod, her expression taking on a hint of mischievous playfulness. Gin had left herself wide open! "Maybe we can invite Spring-san too. I bet Mino-san would look eyecatching in a swimsuit~."
Exactly as she'd been expecting, Gin's face quickly took on a deep blush. "H-hey, t-that's a bit much, i-isn't it?" The girl stammered. Sonoko was sure the girl wasn't far from steam visibly coming out of her ears. What a strong and exploitable reaction…
Sumi's eyes briefly grew with an odd realization at Sonoko's comments. "Actually… Sonocchi, you said you were going to be discharged shortly, right?"
"Mhm." Sonoko nodded again, Gin's flustered self to her other side.
"There was actually something I wanted to talk with them about..." Sumi continued, her features taking on a pensive sternness, something clearly troubling the girl.
"What's wrong, Sumi?" Gin asked, the previous teasing briefly forgotten upon seeing the quick shift in demeanor on her friend.
"I'm not sure..." Sumi murmured, looking a touch frustrated and worried. "But, it's important. I'll bring it up when we meet with them later."
Sonoko tilted her head, mind wandering toward various possibilities of what Sumi could've been referring to. Whatever it was though… The girl clearly had a lot on her mind, but it seemed like she had managed to get over most of her initial reservations about Negi and Fate, so what was she worried about? "Hrm… Alright~. I didn't have anything planned for today, so we can go talk~."
"Thanks, Sonocchi." Sumi said.
"Buuuuut, we still have a little more waiting to do it looks like, so let's plan something~." Changing back to more cheerful topics, Sonoko suggested.
Soon after, the discussion quickly shifted toward making plans for the summer, but Sonoko couldn't help wondering just what Sumi had in mind to talk about later...