"Ugh, seriously? Not a single lead."
The sun had already dipped below the horizon, casting long, bruised shadows across the path back to the dorms. Beside me, Asakura let out a heavy, frustrated groan. We had spent the last four hours scouring the area for information regarding the "Vampire of Sakura Street," but our search had yielded nothing but dead ends and empty rumors.
"I mean, come on," she continued, throwing her hands up. "All we got was 'a friend of a friend of a friend' supposedly being attacked. That's barely a lead; it's a ghost story."
"Is this actually a case where even Mahora's top paparazzi is throwing in the towel?" I asked, a hint of a smirk on my face.
"Mmm... I just need a more reliable source. Or maybe..." She trailed off, her expression turning dead serious as she sank into thought. "Maybe I should just run a sting operation? Use myself as bait?"
I couldn't help but let out a weary sigh. "Setting yourself up as a sacrificial lamb is a bit much, don't you think?"
"What are you talking about? As an aspiring journalist, if I have to put my life on the line to land a scoop, then I'll do it without a second—" She stopped abruptly. "Wait. Axel? Did you hear that?"
I had. It was a girl's scream. I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that this was Evangeline's handiwork. Interfering would only complicate things...
"I didn't hear a thing," I lied smoothly. "More importantly, what's the plan now?"
"Eh? Oh... maybe I just imagined it then..." She looked unconvinced, her brow furrowed in thought—
C-C-CRACK!
The air itself seemed to shatter like glass, the violent sound echoing through the trees. Honestly, between Negi and Eva, you'd think one of them would have the common sense to use a displacement barrier before they started swinging.
"...You heard that one, right?"
"Yeah," I admitted. There was no point in feigning ignorance when the sound was loud enough to wake the dead. I gave a reluctant nod.
"It came from the direction of Sakura Street, didn't it?"
"Most likely. You're going?"
"Of course!"
"Judging by that sound, it's going to be dangerous," I warned.
"I knew the risks the moment I picked up the camera." She held up her gear, showing it off to me with a defiant grin.
Paparazzi or not, she's certainly got grit, I thought.
"I'm heading in," she said, her tone shifting to one of genuine concern. "But you stay here, Axel. If it gets truly dangerous, I'll book it out of there, so don't worry about me."
With that, she sprinted off toward the cherry blossoms. She'd seemingly forgotten that I was supposed to be her bodyguard, though looking at my current "child" physique, I suppose I couldn't blame her for wanting to keep me out of harm's way.
Still, Chizuru had asked me to look after her, and I wasn't about to let her wander into a magical crossfire. If she got caught in the middle of Negi and Eva's duel, Eva might not care, but Negi would never forgive himself.
"Looks like Eva's hunch was right after all."
Last night, on the hill near the dorms, she'd given me a cryptic little smile when I told her I wanted no part in this mess. I doubt she'd predicted this specific outcome, but she'd certainly known I'd be drawn in eventually. I took off after Asakura.
"Wait! Axel? You followed me?"
It was only natural. Given our relative physical abilities, I caught up to her in seconds, matching her stride. Ordinarily, a child showing that kind of speed would be cause for alarm, but whether it was her own focus or the lingering effects of a recognition-blurring spell, Asakura just gave a worried sigh.
"Well, I can't exactly send you back now. Listen, Axel—if anything happens, you run. Don't look back, okay?"
I should be the one saying that, I thought dryly.
"Shh—stop!" Asakura hissed, coming to a sharp halt as we neared the line of cherry trees. "We move carefully from here."
She began to creep forward, silencing her footsteps with a level of precision that was far beyond what you'd expect from an average middle schooler. As voices began to drift through the air, Asakura stiffened, recognizing one of them instantly.
"Wait, isn't that... Evangeline from our class!?"
"Such power for a ten-year-old," a cold, melodic voice rang out. "You truly are your father's son."
In the clearing, Negi stood facing a robed Evangeline, cradling an unconscious Miyazaki in his arms. It looked like Miyazaki had been the target, and Negi had arrived just in time to intervene.
"What? That's Negi-kun and... Eva-chan?" Asakura whispered, stunned. Despite her shock, her instincts took over; she already had her camera framed, waiting for the perfect shot.
"Evangeline-san! You're a mage just like me, so why would you do this!?" Negi shouted.
"Heh... Let me teach you a little lesson, Professor. There are 'good' mages and 'bad' mages in this world."
With a flick of her wrist, Evangeline pulled a test tube from her cloak and shattered it toward Negi.
"Frigidus Exarmatio!"
The spell erupted—a burst of ice-aspected disarmament magic. It was a variation of the wind spell Negi had accidentally set off a few times before, but Eva's version was far more surgical. The magical catalyst in the vial amplified the effect instantly.
"My clothes!?" Negi cried out.
Most of Miyazaki's outfit and the entire left sleeve of Negi's suit froze solid before shattering into a thousand sparkling shards, leaving them both exposed.
"Wait... was that actually magic?" Asakura's face was flushed crimson with a mix of shock and journalistic fervor.
Now I had a problem. What was I supposed to do with her? The "safe" play would be to hand her over to someone like Takahata to have her memory wiped, but I've always had a distaste for messing with people's heads. Then again, leaving Mahora's premiere rumor-monger with a scoop like this was a recipe for disaster.
"What was that noise just now!?"
"What's goin' on?"
"Negi!"
As I was weighing my options, three more intruders burst onto the scene: Ayaka, Kagurazaka, and Konoe. It was practically a class reunion. Ayaka was likely there out of concern for Negi—or perhaps they had just stumbled into this on their way home.
"Ne-Negi... what on earth are you doing?" Kagurazaka stammered, her face pale. To be fair, seeing your teacher holding a nearly naked classmate would require some explaining.
"Asuna? And Konoka... even the Class Rep?" Asakura whispered from our hiding spot, her brain clearly hitting sensory overload.
Amidst the chaos, Evangeline vanished. A split second before she disappeared, her eyes met mine. It wasn't a coincidence.
"Wait! Get back here!" Negi shouted, launching himself after her with a burst of physical enhancement magic.
We all watched them go. Well, "all" including us.
"Wait, Asakura!? And Axel... why are you two here?" Asuna shouted, finally noticing us.
"Oh, look at that," Konoka added with her usual airy tone. "Did you two come followin' the vampire rumors as well?"
"No time for that!" Asuna snapped. "Konoka, take care of Nodoka-chan. I'm going after Negi!"
"Wait, Asuna-san! It's too dangerous to go alone!" Ayaka called out, chasing after her.
"This is it! This is the Pulitzer-level scoop of a lifetime!" Asakura yelled, her eyes gleaming. "Axel, stay here! It's too dangerous, so I'm going ahead. Look after Miyazaki for me!"
And just like that, I was left standing there with Konoe and the unconscious Miyazaki as the rest of the group vanished into the trees. Konoe turned to me, offering a gentle, carefree smile.
"Well, they're all gone. Shall we get Nodoka back to the girls' dorm? Would you mind helping me, Axel-kun?"
"Yeah, sure," I replied. I couldn't exactly leave them stranded in this state.
I knew Setsuna was likely lurking nearby as Konoe's bodyguard, but I couldn't sense her presence. She was either away on another task or keeping watch from an extreme distance. My gut told me I should probably follow Negi and Eva, but that was technically just a "mock battle." Asakura's presence was a wildcard, but with Eva there, I doubted things would get truly out of hand. At least, that's what I chose to believe.
"Ngh... she's heavy! Oh dear, I don't think I can carry her all by myself," Konoka murmured. She had draped her own jacket over Miyazaki and tried to lift her, but her arms were already trembling.
I knew better than to comment on a girl's weight, but I figured that rule was different when it was girl-to-girl. I shook off the thought and stepped forward.
"I'll take her."
"Eh? But even I can't lift her, Axel-kun. Maybe I should go fetch someone from the dorms?"
"Don't worry. I'm stronger than I look."
I reached down and easily hoisted Miyazaki into my arms, lifting her as if she weighed nothing at all.
"Oh my! You're quite the strong one, aren't you?" Konoka chirped, impressed.
"Something like that. Let's get moving. If someone sees us wandering around with Miyazaki in this state, it's going to cause a massive misunderstanding."
The only saving grace was that Konoka was with me and I looked like a child. If I had my true appearance—a man in his twenties—someone would have already called the police.
"You're right. It's April, but the nights are still chilly. We don't want Nodoka catching a cold."
We began the trek back to the dormitory.
"By the way, why were Ayaka and Kagurazaka together?" I asked. "They usually spend their time at each other's throats."
"Ah, that? We ran into the Class Rep just as we were finishin' up some errands. We were walkin' back talkin' about Negi-kun and you, Axel-kun... then Nodoka went ahead of us, we heard a strange noise, and we ran to help."
I see. So it wasn't that they were involved in the duel; they had just been in the wrong place at the right time. We reached the dorms without further incident and carried Miyazaki into Konoka's room.
"Thanks for the help, Axel-kun."
"Don't mention it. I'll be taking my leave now."
"Eh? Why? You should stay until Nodoka wakes up."
"Miyazaki isn't comfortable around men," I explained. "If she wakes up and sees me right there, she won't be able to relax."
For some reason, she seemed to have lowered her guard around Negi, but with me, she always seemed ill at ease. Perhaps, on some instinctual level, she realized I wasn't actually a child.
"I suppose you're right. She's always been a bit shy around boys."
"Anyway, she's safe and sound. There's nothing left to worry about."
With that, I turned and headed back to my own room, leaving the chaos of the night behind me.
Character Profile: Axel Almar
Level: 38
PP: 625
Stats: Melee: 262 | Ranged: 282 | Skill: 272 | Defense: 272 | Evasion: 302 | Accuracy: 322
SP: 462
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Consume SP to enhance Slime performance)
Growth Type: All-Rounder / Special
Terrain Ratings: Air: S | Land: S | Water: S | Space: S
Spirit Commands:
Accel (SP 4)
Effort (SP 8)
Focus (SP 16)
Direct Hit (SP 30)
Awaken (SP 32)
Love (SP 48)
Skills:
EXP Up
SP Boost (SP Up Lv. 9, SP Regen, Concentration)
Telekinesis Lv. 10
Attacker
Gunfight Lv. 9
In-fight Lv. 9
Morale Limit Break
Geass (Gray)
Magic (Fire, Shadow, Summoning)
??? / ???
Kills: 376
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you so much for your support!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"