Our second day of sightseeing in Nara came to an end, and we returned to the ryokan. After tossing my souvenirs into a corner of the room, I found myself with nothing to do. I headed toward the vending machine to grab a drink, only to stumble upon a strange sight.
"What are you doing?"
There was Negi, rolling around on the floor in front of the machine, pacing back and forth, acting like a complete suspicious person. I assumed this was about Miyazaki's confession, but he really didn't need to experience his existential crisis in such a public place.
"Axel-kun? What brings you here?"
The voice belonged to Makie Sasaki. Behind her stood Shina and Akashi. I was still weighing whether or not to intervene with Negi when they arrived.
"Oh, just wondering what to do about that," I said, nodding toward the boy.
"That...? Oh, Negi-kun. Wait, what happened to him?" Makie followed my gaze to where Negi was currently pacing in frantic, uneven circles.
"Wasn't your group with Negi-kun all day, Axel-kun? Did something happen?"
If I recalled correctly, Makie harbored a pretty significant crush on Negi. If she found out he'd been confessed to by Miyazaki, it would spark a localized riot—this being Class 3-A, after all. Better to play it cool.
"Who knows? He was fine until we got back to the inn."
"Hmm, okay. I'll go ask him myself!"
"Wait, Makie!" Akashi called out, but Makie was already charging ahead.
They don't call her the "Pink-Haired Ditz" for nothing; her lack of hesitation was almost impressive. I didn't expect her to be quite that direct. Sorry, Negi.
"Hey, hey, Negi-kun! What's with the creepy movements?"
"M-Makie-san?! No, it's nothing! It's not like someone confessed to me or anything... ah."
Confessed. The moment the word left his mouth, the girls pounced.
"Wait, 'confessed'?! Who?! To who?!"
As the three of them began to swarm him with noise, I considered stepping in—until a new player entered the field.
"Alright, alright, that's enough. Any interviews regarding Negi-sensei have to go through me first."
Asakura appeared out of nowhere, physically sliding between Negi and the trio like a seasoned PR manager.
"Hold on, why is Asakura taking charge?" Makie pouted.
"Hehe. Let's just say Negi-kun and I are... quite close. Right, Negi-kun?"
"Eh? Ah, yes. Asakura-san has been a great help to me in many ways."
In many ways. Given that she was one of the few who understood the magic side of things, it wasn't a lie. But her phrasing was intentionally provocative. Naturally, Makie, being the one with feelings for him, took the bait.
"Wait, what does that mean!?"
"It means exactly what it sounds like. Now, Negi-kun, leave this to me. Why don't you go take a bath and clear your head?"
"Oh, right. Thank you. I'll go to the bath, then... oh."
Negi finally noticed me standing there. He scratched his cheek sheepishly, looking a bit embarrassed.
"Um, Axel-kun? Want to go to the bath together?"
"I don't mind, but... are you sure?"
It was a silent question: Are you okay with being around me after what you saw? Negi caught the subtext and gave a small, firm nod.
"Yeah. There are some things I'd like to talk about."
"Phew. Nothing beats a good soak."
"Yeah. If only I didn't have to wash my hair, the bath would be perfect."
"At least wash your own head..." I sighed.
"But the soap gets in my eyes!"
"Axel-aniki, you have to understand," Chachazero (or perhaps the internal narration of a phantom observer) might have said, "Negi-aniki is just hopeless at washing his own hair."
"Are you a child?! ...Wait, you are a child."
Looking at Negi, it was easy to forget his age because he was a genius. You often ended up treating him like an adult without thinking. But seeing him like this... yeah, he was still just a kid.
After ten minutes of soaking in silence, Negi was the one to break it.
"Hey, Axel-kun. You said something to me before. You asked if I was prepared to carry the burden of the enemies I kill."
He was referring to the time I'd reprimanded him for his clumsy sneak attack on Chachamaru.
"I did."
"Then... Axel-kun, if you had killed that person, Fate... could you have carried that burden?"
"Most likely, yes."
My casual tone made Negi look at me with an expression of pure disbelief.
"How can you say that so easily?"
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