Lina hefted the big bag of groceries, made sure she had two more hanging off of each arm, gave a brisk nod to the cashier, and left the grocery store with a chorus of 'See you soon' ringing in her ears. In her case, that wasn't just a polite farewell from the store staff. She came here about every other day to restock her food stores. And that was after cutting down her usual diet.
"This is getting annoying. At this rate, I'm going to blow all of my money on just food and rent," she grumbled to herself behind some leafy green vegetables. "At least I'm not entertaining anyone like Gourry."
Several days ago, the day after the last day of school actually, had been the graduation ceremony for the fourth year class. Lina had attended by Sylphiel's invitation. The upperclassman had helped her pass Domestic Skills satisfactorily. The reprisal from Nee-chan, who had been valedictorian, had not yet come but Lina knew it would. Amazingly, that absent-minded Gourry had also graduated, Lina didn't know how, but after the ceremony, they had all attended a party at Sylphiel's mansion.
"You're lucky to have escaped the prison," Lina sighed, congratulating Sylphiel on her graduation when she was able to have a chance to speak with the graduate. "I can't believe I still have two more years. Any survival tips?"
"School isn't that bad, Lina-san," Sylphiel sweatdropped at Lina's pessimistic attitude. "It's a place for you to grow and develop intellectually as well as socially. I believe you should learn to adjust to this kind of life. Though you did spend your earlier years wandering around the world, you can't expect to do that for the rest of your life."
"Why not?" Lina predictably asked. "No responsibilities, no one to answer to, new things to see, new things to eat, bandits to beat up for money, treasure to steal, I mean reallocate, what more could you want?"
"But that's just it, Lina-san. The world is becoming more civilized and you can't simply run away from every civilized center you come across. What dreams do you have? Where do you see yourself twenty years down the line?"
"Hmmmm. Rolling in riches as the most powerful and beautiful sorceress in the world!" Lina resisted the urge to laugh like that Naga person. Oh yeah, wasn't she a fourth year student too? Good riddance. But that Martina was still around. Damn. Maybe she transferred. One could always hope.
"Ano, Lina-san, don't you ever think you might want to settle down, perhaps marry and raise a family?" Sylphiel suggested cautiously. "Not that I'm saying it should happen right away or instead of your other...dream."
"Slaving away and bearing countless brats to some ungrateful slob who won't look or speak to me after the first month of marriage except to complain about the food? No thanks!" Lina waved away the disgusting mental image. "No way I'm going to get myself chained."
Lina would need some attitude readjustment, Sylphiel mentally sighed, before the girl could get started in the romantic aspects of high school social life that most people only dreamed of. Perhaps she should start with small steps, getting Lina more grounded in reality.
"I suppose then that your desire for independence is what drives your dream, ne," Sylphiel smiled. "I take it then that you will also be attending college after your graduation. I look forward to seeing you there."
"Eh? College?"
"Why yes, Lina-san, college. If you want to the most powerful sorceress, you'll have to complete college and perhaps even post-graduate study. That's the only way everyone, civilized and less civilized, will take you seriously."
"College? Four more years of tortuous imprisonment?" Lina muttered, returning to the present. "And what do I get out of it? A piece of flattened tree pulp with my name and the word 'Diploma' written on it. How the hell can a nonmagical piece of paper that isn't some legal document of a country have so much power?"
"Hey hey, look what we have here boys."
Lina stopped, rolling her eyes behind the stuffed paper bag in her arms. What, should she act surprised? She already knew they were there before the first one had even noticed her. And he smoked too. Yuck.
"It's our little grocery girl. Must have quite a bit of money to go every other day don't you think? How about sharing some of the wealth, little girl," sneered the leader, leaning toward her and exhaling a puff of smoke in her face.
"Share this." Since her arms were otherwise occupied, Lina kicked him hard in the knee, turning slightly as she did that so she could slide the side of her foot down his shin to come down very hard on his foot.
Gasps of horror and shouts of outrage erupted from the other members of the gang. From what Lina could see, they were all dressed alike in long, dark straight coats and pants. She could take them easily with no spells, which she had finally learned was illegal to use in the city, but then she'd have to drop her precious food. Maybe she could outrun them but that was like escaping and it irked her pride.
"Halt, enemies of justice and delinquents of the education system! Prepare to be enlightened of the error of your ways!!"
Or, Lina amended, Amelia could show up and do something utterly embarrassing. Why the girl was allowed to run around delivering justice based on her own justice system and why no one was allowed to cast spells were only two of many mysteries of this thing called 'civilization' that eluded Lina's comprehension.
"Amelia, present!" cried the dark-haired girl as she leaped down from the streetlight atop which she had been standing. From the looks of her clothes, a white blouse and gray pantsuit with something like a sheriff's star pinned on it, she had only be out on the town and not looking for trouble. Fortunately for her but unfortunately for the gang leader, Amelia landed foot first on his face. "Oops."
Well, at least Amelia hadn't landed on her and ruined all of her food, Lina sighed in her head. "Amelia, just what are you doing?"
"Lina-san! I'm here to protect you from the horrendous ways of these straying sheep who persist in joining wolf packs to prey on the poor, defenseless citizens of this fair city."
"How can you say that with a straight face?"
"Say what?"
"Never mind," Lina dismissed as the aqua-haired gang leader got up, the impression of Amelia's foot right between his angry golden eyes. "You're not a pacifist by any chance are you?"
"Girl or not, no one makes a fool of me," he growled. "Get them! No one crosses Gaav's Tribe."
Lina wondered where she heard that name before.
"Pacifist Crunch! Goodness to All Mankind Kick! Punch of Enlightenment! Love and Justice Blessed Throw!"
"Not bad, Amelia," Lina said approvingly as the gang members went flying. "Could do without those silly names and you'll need to use a bit more force to make sure they stay down. Here, hold these. You don't want to get those nice clothes all dirty."
She dropped her load of groceries on the younger girl as Gaav's Tribe got back onto their feet, angrier than ever. They were even popping out knives, iron pipes, chains, and whatnot. Child's play.
"Are you kidding me? Even bandits would be embarrassed by the way you fight," Lina smirked, cracking her knuckles. "So Mr. Gang Leader, you got a name to go with your attitude? You don't have to give one of course, I usually barely even remember the names of the groups I beat up."
"You've got a big mouth, kid."
Nerve pop.
"Kid huh?" Lina said with a twisted smile, a heat aura beginning to rise around her. "Well, I have been missing my usual stress relief sessions so I guess you guys will have to do. And this'll be my little 'random act of kindness' for the rest of the year too."
Unfortunately, beating up the gang didn't even begin to match the level of satisfaction Lina got when beating up bandits. It was probably because of the lack of lootable treasure. So she was a bit harder on them to make up for that lack. Then figuring in that she might be bedridden for a couple of days after Nee-chan's visit, Lina added some extra punches and kicks for the road.
By the end of the Stress Relief Overkill, every single member of Gaav's Tribe was seeing double angels, devils, stars, and moons. A few even had dancing sugar plums and fairies. Amelia was speechless as Lina walked back over to her, dusting off her hands on her jeans.
"Tch. Hey Amelia, are there any rewards out for these wimps? I hate working for free."
"Um, no there isn't."
"Damn."
"But the satisfaction of saving the city from their further atrocity should be enough, Lina-san!"
"Whatever Amelia. That doesn't fill my stomach or pay my rent."
"Don't think you can take me down that easily!!"
"Amelia, down!" Lina shouted, dragging the girl down with her as she hit the asphalt. A beam of raw energy roared over their heads, singeing the ends off their hair. "Just what the hell are you trying to do?! Kill us!!?"
"Gaav-sama will not be disgraced!!" he roared before throwing two more balls of energy which blew up a street light and a fire hydrant. "Gaav-sama was the most infamous delinquent in the history of Atlas City and Slayers High School. We who follow in his huge footsteps will not allow this insult to his name to live! You shall die!!"
"Oh yeah?! Well, let's see how you like this-Amelia, let go of my arm!!"
"Lina-san! Spellcasting is illegal in the city unless you have prior authorization!!"
"I know that! But you think he's going to wait while I jog down to City Hall or whatever and ask for permission to sent a Flare Arrow up his - "
"Die!!"
Amelia's and Lina's discussion was cut short as they both scrambled out of the way of the now berserk gang member's attack. It was hard to tell if he was even aiming for them at times but they always seemed within the blast radius of whatever he threw.
"Just what the hell are you!" Lina screamed, jumping over a low blast. "No normal human can throw around energy like this. And I don't remember any Ryuzoku maintaining a human form with a horn in his head. And I can't remember the last time anyone has even seen a Mazoku but why one would be a high school delinquent I have no idea - Whoops."
"Lina-san!" Amelia cried as her sempai tripped over some rubble of the broken street.
"This is the end!!" he cried, as if this was some epic, end-of-the-world battle rather than a gang brawl.
"Quite," said a new deep voice very firmly.
The final blast was blocked easily by the large red-haired man who seemed to have suddenly appeared before the fallen Lina. From what Lina could see of his back, he was wearing a long brown trench coat and black boots. From what Amelia could see from his front, and was the only thing that really caught her attention, was the badge identifying him as a member of the police force. And all the as-of-yet-nameless gang member could say was...
"Ga...Gaav-sama!"
Gaav-sama?
"Gaav-sama?!?" Amelia and Lina screamed simultaneously. The lawbreaker that this gang leader looked up to was a police officer?!?! What the hell was going on here?!
"Valgaav, are you still causing trouble?" Gaav looked sternly down at the aqua-haired youth who seemed to be calming down. Maybe.
"Gaav-sama, why are you wearing a police badge?"
"Because I'm a police officer. Or more accurately, I'm the police chief of Atlas City."
"WHAT?!?!" the trio screamed, wearing identical expressions of shock and surprise.
Gaav looked at the two girls. "Were you two being threatened by him?"
Lina looked pointedly at the broken and destroyed landscape around them. She would have loved to make some kind of smart remark but she was in enough trouble as it was. "Yes sir. He was picking on me and then Amelia stepped in and then..."
"Hmmmm." Gaav looked at the battered bodies of Valgaav's gang but didn't ask. "You two can go home then after I get your names. There are plenty of complaints on file about this little group. Valgaav and I are going to have a little talk."
Gaav's tone hinted that the 'little talk' wasn't going to be very little. Valgaav looked cowed but only toward Gaav. His eyes were shooting instant kill daggers at Lina.
"Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune."
"Lina Inverse."
Gaav raised a thick eyebrow. "Inverse? Any relation to Luna Inverse?"
Lina squirmed as if someone had dropped ice down the back of her shirt. "...older sister."
"Hah! Runs in the blood then I guess," Gaav guffawed. "I remember your sister. She was beating up gangs before and after school. We used to cross blades often. Now go on home."
Lina blinked, she had never heard about this. Her sister picked fights in school? And pulled off straight A's? She was going to have a lot to live up to.
"Sugoi! Lina-san, your older sister was a defender of the weak and supporter of justice?" Amelia asked adoringly.
"No, she's just mean," Lina muttered.