"I should probably pray for the souls of the Kansai mages..."
A vision of Eva standing atop a pile of rubble, laughing maniacally, flickered through my mind. I sighed and headed back to the dorm to get ready.
"Good morning, Axel-kun!"
I'd made it back, eaten breakfast, finished my packing, and was just heading out with Ayaka and the others when a voice called out. I turned to see the cheerleader trio. They were fully geared up, each carrying a large travel bag.
"Ready for the trip, I see," I noted.
"You bet!" Shiina grinned. She was practically vibrating with excitement.
I just hope my bad feeling about this trip turns out to be nothing, I thought as we walked toward the gates of Mahora, bound for Omiya Station.
"Whoa, there are so many people already."
Misa (Kakizaki) gasped as we arrived at the meeting point. She wasn't kidding—a huge chunk of the student body had chosen Kyoto, and the station was a sea of uniforms. I could see plenty of Class 3-A faces in the crowd. And then...
"Bwahahaha! Look, Chachamaru! Behold the bounty of station bento! Which should I choose? Should I play it safe with the traditional Makunouchi? Or perhaps the '30-Ingredient Balance Box'? The Mackerel Sushi looks divine as well... Argh, enough! I shall buy one of everything!"
"Master, you won't be able to eat all of that."
"Hmph! If I have leftovers, I'll just force-feed them to Axel and the others!"
The master and servant were making a scene that could be heard from three platforms away.
"I guess you really are close with Eva-chan, huh?" Madoka (Kugimiya) teased. "Is it because you sit next to her?"
I just gave a weak, strained smile. I wasn't even going to try and explain that one.
"Oh, look over there. It's Yue-san and Nodoka-san," Chizuru noted. "Are they... carrying pillows?"
Following her gaze, I saw the Library Exploration Trio and Asuna's group. Sure enough, Yue and Nodoka were clutching their own pillows.
"Why?" I asked.
"Hmm, maybe they're the type who can't sleep if the pillow isn't their own," Chizuru suggested.
Eventually, the call for assembly came. We lined up by class to hear the teachers' final instructions. Four classes were heading to Kyoto: A, D, H, and S. However, Class 3-A was being put in a completely different inn from the other three. Konoemon claimed it was to prevent regular students from getting caught up in magic business, but I had a sneaking suspicion it was just to quarantine the "Problem Class." Apparently, the disciplinary teacher, Nitta-sensei, was coming along just to keep an eye on us.
After roll call, we boarded the Shinkansen in our assigned groups:
Group 1: Ayaka, Chizuru, Natsumi, Misa, Madoka, Axel.
Group 2: Yuuna, Mana, Izumi, Akira, Sakurako.
Group 3: Konoka, Asuna, Yue, Nodoka, Haruna, Kazumi.
Group 4: Ku Fei, Chao, Satomi, Satsuki, Tatsumiya.
Group 5: Fuka, Fumika, Matsuri, Misora, Kokone.
Group 6: Setsuna, Eva, Chachamaru, Zazie, Aisaka.
Wait... Aisaka? Who the hell was that? I assumed it was just a prank or a clerical error and let it go.
Once we were seated, Negi and Shizuna-sensei began the final safety briefing. But their speech was cut short.
"Oof!"
Someone bumped into Negi from behind—a food cart vendor.
"Hmm...?"
Something felt off. My Telekinesis skill was pinging, like an alarm bell ringing in the back of my mind. I subtly checked the vendor's status. His SP was over 100. That wasn't quite at the level of Konoka or Eva, but it was far beyond a normal civilian. This was someone who had undergone serious training.
A guard sent by Konoemon? I wondered. Or a scout from the Kansai Association?
I scrolled down to his skills. There it was: [Onmyoujutsu].
That ruled out a friendly guard. Konoemon would have used Western mages or Shinobi. This was definitely a move by the Kansai faction. There was no way a master of Onmyo was working a snack cart for the career benefits.
They knew Negi was carrying a personal letter to the Kansai Magic Association. The hardliners likely wanted to prevent any deepening of ties with the Kantou Association. The easiest way to stop a diplomatic meeting? Destroy the letter before it arrives.
I should probably stay on guard, I thought.
"Did you say something?" Ayaka asked, sitting to my right.
I wanted to explain, but with Madoka sitting to my left (Misa had practically shoved her into the seat), I couldn't exactly talk about magic and assassins.
"Nothing. I just said Japanese Shinkansen technology is world-class. It's impressive."
"Chachamaru! When do we depart?! Truly, the Shinkansen has a certain... aesthetic! Eating a bento on a high-speed rail will be the height of luxury! Hwahahaha!"
I looked over at Eva, who was acting like she'd just won the lottery, and then at Madoka, who was staring at the "mysterious" Evangeline with a look of utter bewilderment.
I couldn't help but let out a dry laugh. It was going to be a long trip.
Character Status
Name: 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 (Consumes SP to enhance Slime performance)
Spirit Commands: Accel, Effort, Focus, Direct Hit, Awaken, Love.
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)
Dark Magic
???
Kills: 376
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