"Negi, humans can get used to anything. Even death."
"...Used to it?"
"Axel-aniki, just what kind of life have you..."
"Well, you've probably guessed by now that I haven't exactly had a 'normal' upbringing. In fact, there are probably only a handful of people in existence who have lived a life as abnormal as mine."
Negi remained silent.
"Because of that, defeating an enemy... no, killing an enemy... it doesn't really make me feel anything anymore."
"That's not right!"
"Maybe not. But look, your attitude is the 'correct' one for this world. I'm the one who's broken. So whatever you're feeling toward me isn't wrong. At least, not in this peaceful era."
"Whoa—hey! Axel-kun!?"
I splashed a wave of hot water into his face to cut him off.
"I told you, don't sweat it. Besides, the staff's bathing time is almost over. You don't want a repeat of yesterday, do you? Let's get out."
I left a stunned Negi behind and headed for the changing room. Good grief, I thought with a mental smirk, listen to me playing the philosopher.
Still... the sense of danger I felt from Fate was no joke. If I got another chance to take him down, I'd have to do it properly next time. And that role belonged to me—not to a kid like Negi.
"I suppose the food at this inn is 'adequate' at best."
After dinner, I returned to my room and settled into a chair by the window. This school trip had been non-stop. Day one was frog chaos, spiked sake at Kiyomizu-dera, and Konoe's kidnapping. Day two was Miyazaki's confession. I shuddered to think what day three held.
Ideally, nothing. We were supposed to go to the Eigamura (Cinema Village). Originally, I was going to be with Asuna's group, but Setsuna had insisted we stick to the plan. Chizuru and Ayaka had been swayed by her argument that "she would protect Milady, so they should enjoy the trip."
It smelled like trouble. An enemy scouts you on day one, gathers strength on day two, and strikes again that night... or the next morning. It was a classic pattern. Still, we were also acting as guards for the other groups heading to the Cinema Village, so I went along with it.
"They say 'hardship in youth is worth its weight in gold,' but this is a bit much. Then again, physically, I'm the youngest one here."
I pulled up the menu for my Dimensional Storage and pulled out a few items: manga and novels I'd bought in Mahora, and some magic tomes I'd borrowed from Eva. The storage was infinite, but my wallet wasn't, so I only had a moderate library in there.
I spent some time reading until I felt... something.
"A magic circle?"
I felt a faint resonance, as if a massive spell was being laid over the entire inn.
"Kansai Magic Association? No... this feels less like Onmyodo and more like a Pactio circle."
I realized it wasn't a Pactio, though. When I had formed my contracts, my SP had resonated with the circle. This time, there was no such vibration. It was likely a defensive ward set up by Negi or one of the other mages.
My focus broken, I looked at the clock. It was past 11:00 PM. I'd been reading for four hours. My throat was dry.
"I swear, the tea Chizuru makes tastes better than this," I muttered, sipping a cup I'd brewed myself.
Knock, knock.
I froze. Who was wandering around this late? It was against the rules... but then again, these were Class 3-A students. They were probably looking to party since half of them had been hungover the night before.
Just in case, I shifted from my relaxed state to a combat-ready mindset before sliding the door open.
"Hey, Axel-kun! Glad to see you're still up."
It was an uncharacteristically high-energy Misa Kakizaki. And beside her...
"...Good evening."
Madoka Kugimiya. Her usual tomboyish bravado was gone, replaced by a strangely demure, bashful air.
Well, it's not Fate, at least.
"Come in, before Nitta-sensei catches you and blows a gasket."
As they walked in, I noticed a security camera near the entrance. Wait, was that there before?
"Axel-kun?" Misa prompted.
"Nothing. Come on, sit."
"Pardon the intrusion~" Misa chirped. Madoka remained silent.
I led them to the chairs by the window.
"Whoa, what are these kanji? It's not English, is it?" Misa asked, flipping through one of the magic tomes on the table.
Crap. I didn't expect company, so I'd left the tomes out. Since I couldn't exactly use Dimensional Storage in front of them, I just piled them in the corner. Luckily, they were in Latin—nothing they could read.
"Manga, novels, academic texts... you really read everything, don't you? You and Yue-chan would probably get along."
"Maybe. I'm not really into philosophy, though. So... what's up? Madoka looks like she's here for more than just a chat."
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