Chapter 11: The Fieldtrips
A few weeks after the exams, a trip to Kyoto was planned by the principal. Due to a shaky relationship between two magical groups, Konoe sent Negi as a delivery boy to give a letter to the head of the magic association in Kansai to mend the relationship between Kansai and Kantou magic associations. Also, Negi found out from Evangeline that his father once lived in Kyoto, which made Negi even more excited about going. Also, this trip gave the construction workers more liberty on fixing the school since hardly anyone would be able to interfere with their repairs.
Negi and his students spent many restless days preparing for the big trip. Apparently, very few people would be left at school; some teachers, the principal, Chachamaru, and Evangeline. Vladimir got ready for his own trip to Russia.
The Day of Departure
"Asuna-san and Konoka-san! Good morning! Today is the day of the trip! Please wake up!" Negi squealed with joy as soon as he woke up.
"Ugh… so noisy," Asuna mumbled.
"We can't be late! Actually, teachers have to be there earlier! I should get going!" Negi yelled as he ran out the door.
"Does that mean that the students have more time?" Asuna asked. "I'm going back to sleep."
"You're starting to sound like Vladimir," Konoka said. "Speaking of which, do you know where he's staying?"
"Actually, I don't. You would've thought that Negi should be living with him, though. I mean, they are both guys…"
Meanwhile in Vladimir's Cave Several Hundred Meters Under the Earth
Vladimir woke up.
"Today is the day, isn't it?" he asked himself, forcing himself to come completely to his senses. "Why do I have such a great headache?"
Vladimir walked over to a room in his cave. Apparently, it was an underground bathroom. It even had an underground spring in it. Vladimir walked over to a cabinet that he brought into his cave, opened it, and took out some aspirin. Vladimir changed into his black mage robes. He would be flying using his dragon-wings, and if he's high enough in the sky, then he would look like a bird instead of a human to anyone watching him from below. From there, he walked the long stairway to where the cave began. Then, he brought out some transparent wings by activating the contract with his wind dragon, and he flew off.
Train Station
Negi came running through the entrance and saw that his class was already there. In all of the chaos caused by the energy the students had, the students finally were able to make it to their trains. Negi had to make sure all of his students that were going were accounted for.
"Let's see, that was the fifth group so… where's the other one?" Negi asked himself.
One of Negi's students, Setsuna Sakurazaki, approached him.
"I'm meant to be groups 6's leader; however Chachamaru and Evangeline aren't here. It's only Zazie and I. What should we do?" she asked Negi.
He replied with, "How about you go to Asuna's gourp, Setsuna-san. And you go to Iincho's group, Zazie."
Konoka looked to Setsuna with a hopeful look in here eyes.
"Se-chan, looks like we're in the same group," she tried to tell Setsuna.
Setsuna started to reply, but swiftly turned around and walked away.
Meanwhile at Evangeline's Cottage
"I bet Negi's almost there right about now. And Vladimir should be near the eastern border of Russia," Evangeline said, more to herself than to Chachamaru, who was standing right next to her.
"It's a shame you couldn't go, Master," Chachamaru said.
"A shame? Who'd want to go with them, anyways!?" Evangeline said in a annoyed voice.
"I thought that you wanted to go with one of them. Was I mistaken?" Chachamaru replied.
"What about you? You could've gone."
"I'd much rather stay at my master's side."
Meanwhile Several Miles Inland of the Eastern Russian Coast
"My head is starting to feel all funky, again," Vladimir moaned to himself.
He had been flying for nearly 3 hours. A bad storm had made Vladimir fall behind his schedule. He stumbled in the air and fell to the ground below, which turned out to be a large building. When he stood up, many people were around him with their guns pointing at him. He turned around and saw a nuclear missile, which he thought that he was in a missile silo. The men around Vladimir started getting closer to him.
"Who are you?" one of the people asked.
"Um… a civilian… I guess."
"You shouldn't be here. Nobody but us should be here. You must die!"
The group started firing at Vladimir, who thought that they would do something like that. He jumped high into the air and blocked the bullets with a shield of wind.
"Bring out the RPG's!" one of the people said.
"You guys have games here?" Vladimir asked with a dumbfounded look on his face.
More people came running towards the fray; many with rocket launchers.
"Oh… that kind of RPG," Vladimir said.
Someone fired a rocket at Vladimir. Vladimir used the wind to alter its course. The missile flew behind Vladimir and collided with an open section of the nuke, causing it to detonate.
"Bloody h…"
Vladimir made a barrier around himself, protecting him from the gamma rays shooting everywhere. Vladimir decided that it would be a good time to leave. He didn't really want the world to find out that a 15 year old teenager detonated a nuke in Russia.
"You would've thought that a place like that would have better protection," Vladimir told himself.
Vladimir continued over to his destination. He arrived a few hours later. Before him stood the entrance to a cave. The cave which started the horrors of his life.
Kyoto, Japan A Few Hours Earlier
Negi's class was around the Kiyomizu Temple. The class was very excited about everything, just like how people should be on school trips.
"Hey! This looks like the place that you jump off…"
"Someone try jumping off!"
"Stop that!"
"Yeah! This is awesome!"
"Just below those steps is the famous Otowa Falls! If you drink from its three streams, then you'll stay healthy, do well in school, and even get married!"
"Let's go there!" a large group of the girls squealed.
The group had a fun day, but when they got to the falls and drank from it, they all passed out.
"It looks like they're drunk…" Yue told Negi.
Negi looked up and saw a barrel at the top of the falls. Somehow, without doing any suspicious activities that may or may not let others find out about his magic, he was able to get up the barrel in a few seconds.
"Wha… There's sake at the top of the waterfalls!" Negi yelled.
The class had to check in early to their hotels because over half the class was drunk.
"This is all because of that Setsuna girl," the talking ermine said.
"Well, I have gotten the feeling that she's been watching us ever since we followed those frogs and that… thing… to her on the train. However, just because she is always carrying an extremely long sword around doesn't mean anything. Actually, BECAUSE of the extremely long sword, I think we should help her do whatever it is she needs doing," Negi said.
"Maybe we should tell Asuna, Aniki."
A Few Hours Pass by…
"HYAAA!"
"What was that!?" Negi yelled as he grabbed his towel.
"I think it was Konoka-ojou-sama!" replied Setsuna as she, too, got her towel.
The two had just found each other in the baths and Setsuna was telling Negi that she was his ally. But before anything could happen, someone started screaming. They ran towards the room and burst through.
"What is it!?" Setsuna yelled as she threw open the door.
Konoka was staring at the T.V.
"The news!" she yelled.
"What!? You mean you weren't being attacked by perverted monkeys or anything?" Setsuna asked.
"Se-chan! This is the first time we've talked in a while!" Konoka said suddenly with a large smile.
Setsuna suddenly looked flustered and ran out the door. Negi came running in.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Oh, right. I was watching the news and apparently a nuclear bomb was set off in Japan. Satellites recorded that the detonation took place at an abandoned missile silo. Further investigation found out that a large terrorist group had began operating it," Konoka answered.
"And why were you yelling about that?"
"Because, a random satellite image showed something falling from the sky towards the building. The camera zoomed in to it and it showed that the person was Vladimir. A few minutes later, the detonation went off! The only explanation is that Vladimir valiantly fought off the terrorists, but was overwhelmed. He didn't want to die without doing something, so he set off the nuke." Konoka said in tears. "He died as a hero…"
"Um… I'm pretty sure that's not what happened. And I'm also sure that if someone fell from such a big height that they would die on impact."
"No! Vladimir died a hero's death! That's how it's supposed to go!"
"Um… how about I call him? If he picks up, then he's fine, and if he doesn't… well, let's just say that he's unavailable for now."
"Okay."
Negi went to a phone and dialed Vladimir's number. He then put it on speaker phone to prove that he was actually talking to Vladimir.
"Hello?" Vladimir said as he answered his phone.
"Oh, Vladimir! Your alive!"
"Of course, why wouldn't I be?"
"Well, the news reports showed you falling into a building ran by a group of terrorists. Then there was a nuclear detonation."
"You mean that was a terrorist group?"
"You mean that was you!? How'd you live?"
"I made an aerial barrier around myself."
"Barrier?" Konoka asked.
"Who the hell was that?" Vladimir asked.
"Um… that may have been Konoka, from our class," Negi answered.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME I WAS ON SPEAKER PHONE!?" Vladimir yelled.
"Because she thought you died and I didn't think that you would bring up magic over the phone."
"Dangit! Oh, and by the way, I hope your paying for this call. Goodbye, and have a fun time explaining things to Konoka!"
Vladimir hung up and Negi and Konoka sat silently staring at each other.
"Um… can I explain everything later?" Negi asked. "I would first like to know your relation with Setsuna."
"Sure!" Konoka said happily, as if nothing awkward just happened. "Setsuna and I are childhood friends. Even when we were little, she always protected me from harm. Later on in life, she became more involved in kendo and I moved to Mahora Academy, where she came later. However, it's been like I've done something wrong. Setsuna hasn't talked with me since before I moved here."
Negi and Asuna, who was in the room the entire time and didn't say anything, left the room.
"She seemed kind of sad," Asuna said.
"Well, I think we need to go talk to Setsuna," Negi said.
They found Setsuna putting up paper on the walls and on the doors.
"What are you doing?" Negi asked.
"Putting up barriers to repel shikigami," Setsuna answered.
Negi told Setsuna of the events that just took place between Konoka, Vladimir, and himself.
"…"
"Setsuna? Are you alright?" Negi asked.
"…"
"Hello?"
"HOW COULD YOU LET HER FIND OUT ABOUT THIS!? This is great! How will I be able to explain it to him!?" Setsuna asked in a sharp manner.
"To who?"
"Konoka-ojou-sama's father! We must see him tomorrow. He's the head of the Kansai Magic Association."
"You know where they live? That's good. I needed to go there anyways," Negi said.
"Wait, you still care about Konoka, Setsuna?" Asuna asked.
"The reason why I'm here is to protect Konoka."
"Well, I'm glad that you aren't angry at her or anything."
"What?" Setsuna asked.
"Never mind. Um… the enemy might come back tonight, so let's set up some patrols. I assume they're targeting Konoka, right?"
"Well, she is the Kansai leader's daughter."
"But why would someone from Kansai attack their leader's daughter?"
"It's probably someone working from the shadows who doesn't want the relations between the two areas to be fixed."
Meanwhile, Thousands of Miles Away
Vladimir hung up the phone and then started into the cave. He continued towards the door on the opposite side of the entrance and opened it to reveal a large flight of spiral stairs.
"Looks like I'm here," Vladimir smiled as he started down the stairs.