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A Dragonslayer Decides to be a Teacher?! (Dark Souls/Mahou Sensei Negima)

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The Nobody said:
Maybe he did meet them, but their souls show as "mortals"? And Setsuna's Chaos Flame is actually what made her albino?

But yes, knowing enough about supernatural stuff to learn shundo, but not bothering to learn (more) magic - that's slacking off. Another nitpick I have, but that's mostly my preference: Zazie has too many words. I can accept her speech being rendered as speech when she's talking with Ayaka or Satsuki, because those two can understand her that well. But the other girls... I'd much prefer if she talked in body language, and the others picked up on her meaning to different degrees.
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She totally does talk though, it's just... pyschic or something? There's no good explanation offered for how it works precisely, but "Telepathic but only to the people she's currently speaking to" seems as good as anything else. She can have a full conversation over the phone like that.
 
It's been a long, long while since I've read through Negima. Zazie can talk normally but she prefers not to waste words and prefers short sentences with little to no obvious emotion. Its to the point where she actually freaked out some of her classmates when she they saw her advertising for the Nightmare Circus during Mahorafest: it was the first time they ever saw her looking cheerful and speaking full sentences.

But, like I said, its been awhile. So, I could be misremembering.
 
I'll withhold judgement on plot holes, as you aren't even 5 chapters in and most of this could be explained within a couple chapters. So far though, I'm enjoying it, and I'm glad there's more Dark Souls stuff.
 
Let's say that it feels like a plot hole and leave it there; as @orwellianorator notes, a large truck full of asphalt may be on its way to plug it up. And "time is convoluted in Mahora," right? :p

But basically, it feels like there are information exchanges that should have taken place off-camera that didn't, and the reason for it is that the reason for Ornstein's arrival is tied to the activation of the World Tree which occurs at a specific time in Negima! continuity.

Thus, Ornstein arriving in Mahora and getting into a fight with the locals works as a scene.

Ornstein later getting hired at the school as a gym teacher makes sense, since he's stuck there, the school authorities feel a responsibility to keep magically-powerful people under wraps, and Ornstein himself as a knight is inclined to be respectful of things like order, duty, structure, and so on. He's not someone who would set out to conquer or to change the world.

Ornstein reacting with suspicion and violence to the appearance of demons in his class again, makes perfect sense from the perspective of "what Ornstein knows from his life in Lordran."

So each of these things works in a bubble, as if they were a short story. And one flows logically to the next. But what's not addressed is the gaps in between those bubbles that the timeframe provides. If the time gap between Ornstein's arrival and Ornstein's confrontation with Setsuna, Mana, and Zazie was a few weeks, it would make perfect sense that not everything would have made it into the discussion. (For example, the "who are you, Mr. Ornstein?" part of the conversation might have centered on his role as a knight of Gwyn, the war against the Dragons (y'know, "Dragonslayer Ornstein" and all that) and left out his hostility to demons (or if nothing else, his assumption that all demons are hostile). After all, Ornstein is non-human himself, and the gods and the humans lived in relative harmony and alliegance during the Age of Fire. Similarly, on Ornstein's side, he might have gotten the general story about Mahora Academy, its world, and the role it plays, but there would have been details glossed over, lost in the fine print, or explicitly withheld.

However, over 22 years, those gaps should have been filled in, whether by regular encounters, planned research, or casual conversation and the building of camaraderie. (For example, I'm sure at some point that the Headmaster would have noted the existence of problems that would be best addressed by the application of a large electric axe to the afflicted area, and requested Ornstein be part of the team.) Ornstein should be more comfortable in "our" world, and the authorities of Mahora Academy should be comfortable with him (and if they're not comfortable with him, well, he wouldn't be teaching gym class, even by anime logic, unless under safeguards that would have prevented the demon-student incident).

So, plot hole, but not insurmountable plot hole. The most obvious solutions involve playing with time (or the perception therof), but better, more creative solutions would be considerably better.

...Though time is convoluted in Mahora, and the lands of the Lords converge on the Academy... ;)
 
nextive said:
Quick question, who is Ornstein?
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Ornstein is a Dark Souls character. He is one of the Four Knights who served Gwyn, Lord of Sunlight (essentially, the king god of the Age of Fire in their setting). He's also known as "Dragonslayer Ornstein" because of his service in Gwyn's war against the Ancient Dragons and the way his equipment and skills are optimized for that task. He wields a large spear with a crossguard that can be swung like a sword as well as for stabbing, and employs lightning magic (technically lightning miracles, as the sunlight/lightning elements are generally treated as parallel in Dark Souls and scale off the Faith statistic; dragons and draconic creatures are weak to lightning). He is associated with the Leo Ring (each of the Four Knights have their own ring), which increases the damage from counterattacks.

In Dark Souls 1 he appears together with Executioner Smough to defend the Cathedral of Anor Londo in what is generally considered one of the most enjoyable and most difficult boss battles in the series.

In Dark Souls 2 he does not appear by name, but there is a boss called the "Old Dragonslayer" that mirrors his DS1 appearance and many of his abilities.

In Dark Souls 3 he again does not appear in person, but is referenced a number of times in item descriptions that suggests he had left Anor Londo to follow his former mentor, Gwyn's disgraced son (who switched sides in the war for unknown reasons), whether to follow said mentor's path or to hunt him, implying that his appearances in DS1 and DS2 were either an illusion, a suit of his armor animated by magic, or both. (This also gives an excellent excuse for explaining why he might have been sidetracks to Mahora.)
 
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Ch: 4: Attack the Demon of Sakura Lane!
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    • Ch 4: Attack the Demon of Sakura Lane!​


    Makie Sasaki was running for her life. She didn't understand what was hunting her, she couldn't even explain what she'd seen, but she had understood several things when the full moon had shone down on her attacker in the thicket: 1) It was certainly not human, despite its large human-like silhouette. 2) Whatever it had tossed her way, had been a human femur once. And more pressing than either, 3) Once it saw her, it decided she was more appetizing.

    "Help!" She screamed. A blood-curdling shriek answered her, echoing through the foliage as thumping, clodding footsteps shook through the ground as they closed on Makie. She kept running towards Sakura Lane when she tripped on a root and fell. It was too close, as a second later the tree was cleaved in half by a massive blade, too big for a human and too cumbersome to be called a sword. It looked like a butcher's cleaver meant for executions. Makie looked back, and two pairs of glowing, bright red eyes stared down upon her from a goat's skull. She screamed and scrambled toward the lane when the creature backhanded her and sent her flying into a soda machine, sending sparks erratically as the dispenser choked its last mechanical breaths and cutting into her left shin. The monster towered over Makie, its hideous, horned goat visage illuminated by the machine's sparks. It raised its massive knife, ready to sever Makie in two. Makie curled into a ball and screamed.

    "NO!"

    That was when something intervened and struck the beast's head with the force of a jackhammer. The beast staggered back, hissing at the air as it searched for the culprit.

    "Over here!" A young girl's voice shouted. A small girl stood atop a lamppost with a big wizard's hat and a long tattered robe whipping in the air. A pair of pale white orbs glowed from the little one's silhouetted face. The beast huffed and puffed its nostrils, spurned by the interruption of its imminent meal. This interloper would pay with its life. The beast rushed forwards and swung its cleavers down towards the little one. The lamppost came down with a metallic screeching sound, like scratching steel. But the little one was gone. The beast looked around but saw nothing. Then it looked up. Just as a glass bobble shattered against its skull and released the equivalent of a flashbang grenade as scorching shrapnel burned into the beast's hide.

    "Now Chachamaru!"

    The gynoid broke through the thicket, jets whining and rammed into the blinded creature, throwing it to the ground and dropping its weapons. The robot didn't stop as she pummeled her fists into the beast's skull, keeping on the offensive. Eva jumped over and approached the sobbing Makie.

    "Show me the wound girl." Eva said, trying to mask her voice. It was a pathetic attempt, but Makie was so shell-shocked she couldn't recognize her classmate's voice. Slowly she opened herself up and displayed the bleeding leg. Eva's eyes narrowed.

    The girl doesn't know her luck, Eva thought. Makie's ankle was just twisted and the cut though long was shallow.

    "We're leaving." Eva simply said. Makie dared to look past her hands.

    "Whu-What?"

    "I said I'm helping you. Jeez, don't make me repeat myself you stupid girl." Eva hissed, failing to sound dangerous at all.

    "Eh-Eva-chan?" Makie asked. Eva was about to reply when the sickening clank of machinery hitting pavement rang from nearby. The two girls looked. The beast had regained its bearings, and now held Chachamaru by the forearm. Then it smashed her body against the pavement like a flail. And did it again. And again. And again. On the final impact, Chachamaru's face plate cracked and fell apart, revealing machinery and circuits to put the Terminator to shame in its uncanny valley territory. Eva snapped.

    "Don't you touch my servant!" She shouted as she tossed several more flashbang bobbles near the monster as she snatched Makie and Chachamaru up and left with an inhuman leap towards the roof of the nearest dorm, where the campus guards were already patrolling the area. With any luck the beast would find them tastier meals. Now, to deal with the other problem.

    "Let me go! Please! I don't want to be somebody's treat! Please!"

    Was she--oh god the girl was crying. Eva hated having to deal with kids, let alone kids who were crying.

    "Dear lord will you shut up and quit your waterworks already! I'm not gonna kill you!"

    Makie wiped her tears, sniffling.

    "R-Really?"

    "Yeah, yeah." She said, "Whatever it takes to make you stop crying." she added.

    Makie clasped her hands around Eva's, bawling out her eyes.

    "Thank you thank you thank you whoever you are! Thank you thank you tha-" Makie's words were cut off with a swift chop to the neck, rendering her unconscious.

    "Thank you Chachamaru. I thought she'd never shut up."

    "You are welcome master. However, this still presents the issues of her knowledge of your mage status, and my current condition."

    "Eh, I'll just wipe her memory after I drink the wound dry and send you to Hakase's with Sasaki. She'll be too worried about you to do more than send the girl to the campus hospital."

    "I think you underestimate Hakase-san's maternal instincts. But I will do as you ask master. Chachamaru stood silently as Eva cleaned Makie's wound with her vampire hunger. A far cry from the Dark Evangel of the old days. Her exposed mechanics helped hide Chachamaru's smile.


    The Next Day

    "So, she was brought here by Chachamaru-san with these injuries?" Ornstein asked. The faculty nurse nodded.

    "She was identified with a twisted ankle and a long shallow cut down her shin. Aside from that the best we could come up with was a run through the forest and exhaustion."

    Ornstein grunted. "Very well. I will watch over Sasaki-san for now. You may go." The nurse bowed and departed. Ornstein sighed. "Springfield is going to lose his mind over this." He muttered, pinching his nose.

    Meanwhile…

    "Finally we're starting the new term," Asuna said, "third-year lunches, here we come!"

    "Don't you think that's a little shallow Asuna-san?" Konoka asked, "After all, aren't you ignoring the fact we get to be taught by Negi-sensei again?"

    "Un." Negi grunted in agreement. The last year may have had some hiccups, but this year he'd prove himself as a teacher. "Don't worry, this year I'll be the best teacher you can--umf!" The train lurched to a stop, throwing Negi right into Konoka's breasts.

    "Oh my Negi-kun! Still so forward!" Konoka said teasing. Asuna just gave Negi a dirty look. Konoka then paused. "Oh, that reminds me. Is it really okay for you to not be looking for a partner Negi-kun?"

    "Eh, a partner?" Negi asked. "Of course Konoka-san. I'm far too young to be getting a partner yet! I'll just focus on being a teacher for na-aa-ah...ACHOO!"

    A blast of wind rushed through the train flipping every skirt to reveal every girl's panties. While Konoka took it as just a random breeze, Asuna just gave Negi an even dirtier look.

    "You'd better cut that crap from happening brat." She muttered through clenched teeth. Negi promised not to try anymore when the PA system announced they'd arrived on campus.

    "Oh, that's our cue!" Asuna said getting ready to make a breakthrough.

    "Don't fall behind Negi-kun!" Konoka cried.

    It was a struggle and a half to catch up with the duo, but Negi eventually managed to keep enough pace from getting trampled and reached the classroom.

    "3rd Year Class A Negi-Sensei!" The class cheered as Springfield entered with a dignified blush.

    "Ah, thank you all for having me! As you know I am Negi Springfield, and I'll be your homeroom teacher until March of next year. I'm sure it will be a pleasure teaching you all!" He said, to which the class answered with a cry of "Please look after us Negi-sensei!" Negi looked around and saw the diversity within his class. As he pondered if he'd get to know them all, he felt an oppressive, almost malevolent gaze focused on him. He followed the feeling until he looked at a girl with bright blue eyes, large blonde hair, and the most petite body, almost as short as the Narutaki twins. Yet she didn't even look concerned with him. Was she thinking of something else? Negi looked over the class roster.

    'Evangeline A.K. McDowell?' Takahata-san said to talk to her when she looks troubled? I wonder what he means. At that moment Miss Shizuna entered with an announcement.

    "Negi-kun! I wanted to come remind you today is the regular physical checkups!" She said smiling.

    "Oh that's right! Wait, it's here?" Negi asked flabbergasted. Shizuna just answered with a nod and a smile.

    "Oh, okay everyone, don't panic, but we're having school health checkups! So uh, please be ready to strip-I mean-!"

    By this point the entire class was fighting so hard against the giggles their cheeks couldn't get redder than the ripest tomatoes.

    "Negi-sensei is such a pervert!" One cried.

    "Oh my Negi-kun, so shameless!" Another teased. Ayaka had different ideas.

    "Of course Sensei! I, lady Ayaka shall gladly do as you--kkuffgha!"

    "Not in front of him you shotacon!" Asuna interjected with a falcon kick to Ayaka's side, which provided the perfect cover for Negi to escape the class's teasing.


    As the girls began to undress for the checkup, one absence was noticed.

    "Hey, has anyone seen Makie-chan? She's not here."

    Nodoka muttered something like, "I don't know," and Ku Fei reasoned she'd just slept in. That was when Misa Kakizaki saw a perfect opportunity to scare the little girls into hysterics.

    "Maybe the Demon of Sakura Lane got her, you know?"

    The whole atmosphere went from bright and cheerful to dark and oppressive like a switch.

    "Kakizaki-san you know better than to go spouting those rumors about the case to the younger girls." Ayaka said with a no-nonsense attitude.

    "Yeah Kakizaki-san. Evan I have to side with lincho on that one." Asuna said. Kakizaki could feel the oppression from the class who looked at her with a cold collective stare. But the naive little ones persevered, even if they regretted their choices later.

    "What demon?"

    "What're you talking about?"

    "What case?"

    "Is it a mystery?"

    "Tell us!"

    Kakizaki found herself stuck between the rock of her peers' oppression and the hard place of her younger classmates' curiosity. So she did the only logical thing: tell just enough to let imagination fill in the blanks.

    "Well, a few years ago, there were a series of murders that happened all across Mahora campus. Three happened on Sakura Lane, out of five total. The police never found the killer, but all the survivors described the culprit with the same words: Taller than any man, with a goat's head, and huge cleavers."

    The younger girls were sent into a shiver so intense you'd think they were in a blizzard, while Fumika, the younger Narutaki sister, was in tears.

    "That's not scary Kakizaki-san! That's horrible! Sasaki-san!" Fumika cried.

    Certainly sounds like they're having fun, Negi thought from outside. So why can't I shake this ominous feeling?

    "Sensei! Sensei!"

    Negi looked down the hallway to see Ako Izumi running towards him in her gym uniform and very much worse for wear, gulping down breaths as she came to a stop before Negi.

    "Ma-Makie-cleaver-and-"

    "Izumi-san! Breathe! You, you need to breathe or I won't understand!" Negi said a bit worried. Ako paused, took a deep breath, and let it all out:

    "MakiewasattackedbytheSakuraLaneDemonbutescapedandisintheinfirmaryrightnowandOrnsteiniswatchingoverherandhetoldmetobringyouthere!"

    There was a deep, pregnant pause. And then the entire class of 3-A slid open the door, clad only in their undies, and exclaimed the same thing:

    "Eh?!"


    Mahora School Infirmary

    "So you've finally come. I'd thought you'd be here sooner Springfield."

    "My apologies Ornstein-san. But I wasn't aware of my student's condition until recently." Ornstein just nodded his head.

    "Though I must ask--Why are you allowing those girls of yours in here as well?" He asked with a twitchy eyebrow as the girls collectively shrunk back from the doorway.

    "Eh, well you see..they're my students! And they deserve to know the state of their classmate!" Negi answered hastily with a sweaty brow. Ornstein just stared at the boy and finally shrugged.

    "Very well, it's your class." He said. He leaned in and whispered in Negi's ear. "If you want my counsel, I'd have those girls travel in pairs for the next week. Just for caution's sake." He finished, and stepped out of the room. Negi looked back at Makie. If Sasaki-san had been alone, perhaps it would be sensible to make his students pair up.


    Ornstein stepped out of the infirmary and began mentally checking off the different reactions of the students as he made his way down the hall. The truth about the Demon of Sakura Lane was actually worse than the rumors told. The school only identified five victims as students, while another five were John Does. And the victims had only been identified through their remains: the bodies had been torn apart like paper mache, cut into slices like a cow's ribs and picked clean of everything but the marrow. Ornstein had learned the ways of forensics in basic form to learn the subjects were not mere nobodies, at least those identified as students through their dental records. Those who had escaped likely hadn't been the killer's target, and instead several missing students were among the rest of the unfortunates as indicated from fingerprint evidence gathered from various scenes. He passed Setsuna as he thought of the suspects. She glared at him with sharp black eyes. Ornstein just allowed the smallest smirk to show on his lips. She hadn't done the crime, her pride wouldn't allow such an atrocity. Not to mention how Konoe would've reacted if she had done it and was found out. When he came to Mana she was looking out the window with a cold stare in her eyes. He paused, opened his senses, and nearly jumped out of his skin. Mana's soul was roaring with cold fury, a caliber of anger only a war-torn soldier could focus so intensely.

    What happened to this half-demon to focus such anger at her age? Ornstein thought as he withdrew his senses.

    "Everything alright, Tatsumiya-san?" He said breaking Mana from her reverie.

    "Hm? Oh, sorry Ornstein-san. I was just looking over the streets. They're quite beautiful, right?"

    "Indeed. But shouldn't you be more concerned with Sasaki-san's condition? The culprit might attack later."

    "Then I'll be ready to take care of them. If you're offering me payment for my services, of course."

    So, a half-demon mercenary? Ornstein thought. Maybe he could come to trust one of these demons if their allegiances laid with the coin.

    "No, but I'll keep it in mind. As you were," He said dismissively. Finally he came to Zazie. Her face alone told him she was disgusted by this event. Her eyes were focused and hard, trying to hide the clenched molars behind her closed lips and the stone cold atmosphere she seemed to exhume around her body, with white faced blobs flickering in and out of perception. Zazie wasn't guilty. Zazie was angry. She looked up at him as he approached.

    "There will be retribution for this demon. I promise you that." Zazie closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh of relief.

    ["You really are a good person, Stein-san."]

    Ornstein had no answer to her statement, but he kept that to himself as he walked off. The demon's kindness had caught him off guard. What was wrong with him? He headed back to the office and sat in his chair to think. Then it came to him: Evangeline's automaton had been the one to bring Sasaki to the hospital. Plus it seemed odd Eva was unphased by the news from what he'd heard from the other girls when he passed them. Could Tatsumiya act as a spy for him? Maybe, but he wasn't ready to trust her that much yet. He leaned back in his chair. It was pointless running around in circles of 'what if' and 'maybe'. If he wanted answers, Ornstein would go to the best source he could think of: Evangeline herself.


    Gym Class, the end of the school day

    "Class dismissed." Ornstein said to 3-A's relief. They'd had another routine class like always, but nobody seemed focused on being in the gym. As punishment, Ornstein had challenged the class to a game of dodgeball. And Ornstein never lost in dodgeball. The class left with popping joints.

    "A minute, Evangeline."

    Chachamaru looked at Eva through the doorway but Eva waved her off, leaving the gynoid to wait outside the double iron doors to the gym.

    "What is it you want Stein? I'm not in a cheerful mood today." Eva asked.

    "Well that's a shame vampire. Of course, with your midget body I suppose every day is an unpleasant one."

    "I am not a midget you overgrown god oaf!" She snapped. Ornstein just smiled and tossed a stray rubber ball into the ball bucket.

    "I see your temper is short as always. Fine. Do you know anything about who--or what--attacked Sasaki-san?" He said dropping another ball into the bucket as he made the rounds. Had it been a full moon, Evangeline's fangs would've shined like pearls through her grin.

    "Oh, is that so?" She asked.

    "It was your automaton that brought Sasaki-san to the infirmary, and I know she is rarely not by your side. So why would she do such a thing without your permission?"

    Evangeline did not smile. She flashed her teeth.

    "Why dear Ornstein-sensei, art thou implying that I, dear sweet Evangeline, am the Demon of Sakura Lane? Ah ha ha ha ha!"

    Ornstein's gaze narrowed, and his grip on a rubber ball tightened.

    "Answer the question vampire. Did you order Chachamaru-san to take Sasaki-san to the infirmary?"

    "Well you old idiot, as a matter of fact I did! Of course, that was after I met her on the lane."

    The room became so quiet the hum of the air conditioning was louder than thunder. Ornstein looked at Evangeline like a dragon who realized they'd been duped.

    "What?"

    "You should've seen her! She was crying her eyes out, begging me not to drink her blood! To spare her from being my meal! It was pathetic! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

    Ornstein's grip on the ball tightened so ferociously it threatened to pop the red orb.

    "And what's even better, I didn't even need to hurt the girl to catch her! That klutz twisted her ankle all by herself! Talk about an easy catch, AHAHAHAHAHA!"

    Ornstein had hit his limit. He crushed the blood red ball in his hand, shaking the whole room with a resounding pop of spurting air. Evangeline stopped laughing, but her smile remained.

    "So what now, sir knight? Are you going to kill me, like the evil bloodthirsty monster I am?"

    Ornstein was a hair's breadth from slamming the petite vampire against the wall, crushing her throat, and stabbing her heart with a lightning stake for added measure. But then he heard her last words: 'bloodthirsty monster.' He paused for thought. Ornstein knew Evangeline for fifteen of the twenty-two years he'd been stuck at Mahora, and in all that time Evangeline could have been described with only a few words: distant, amoral, intelligent, and careful. No venture, not even her raiding his office, had been done without careful forethought and preparation. In fact, she would've succeeded had she not underestimated the power of his wards. This attack on Makie however, was in stark contrast to Evangeline's style. Makie had been brought to the infirmary by Chachamaru, an obvious link back to Eva if she'd been responsible. A reckless move, unlike her. Then there were the wounds. Eva had only attacked one or two students at Mahora in her time, but the worst they'd received were bite marks. Makie had a wound across her entire left shin. Again, reckless and exaggerated, unlike Eva.

    But the clincher was that Eva was never needlessly ruthless in her attacks. The original killer had left his victims without the heads and the crime scenes resembled the aftermath of a cannibal's barbeque. Ornstein slowed down his temper, took a deep breath, and laughed. It was empty of humor, kindness, or joy, but it still was the sound of laughter. Eventually Ornstein stopped, looking at a startled Evangeline. Ornstein didn't smile; he showed his teeth.

    "Very good Evangeline. You nearly had me fall for your ploy. But you got ahead of yourself."
    "Whu-what?"

    "You're not the type to be so brutal as to kill without a good reason. You may have met Sasaki-san last night, but you did not attack her."

    "You-You can't prove that!"

    "I don't have to. You did that yourself."

    "Why you..." She hissed through clenched teeth.

    "I won't give you the satisfaction you desire Evangeline. You are dismissed." Ornstein finished with a hint of ice in his voice. Evangeline just stormed out with a frown on her face with Chachamaru as her silent and ever-loyal servant.


    A few days later, nighttime

    "Goodnight Nodoka! See you tomorrow!" Asuna cried as the introvert began to head off. While Negi had asked the class to travel in pairs, Nodoka had insisted she would be fine on her own tonight as she knew the route and wanted to try going back by herself. Besides, Haruna had her doujins to complete and Yue was already in the dorm room waiting for Nodoka to arrive. Asuna gave one last glance at Nodoka before heading off.

    "You sure you'll be alright Honya-chan?" Asuna muttered to herself. Nodoka began to make her way toward the dorm when she approached the hurdle of her journey.

    "Oh, it's the Lane." She murmured. The wind whistled as a cold breeze blew by her legs. "I guess I should hurry." She said as the wind kept blowing louder and longer. As she walked step by agonizing step down Sakura Lane, she swore the wind itself was whining like a little dog. Then she heard something make a noise from the thicket.

    "Eeek!" Nodoka jumped behind the nearest park bench, scared by the sound. As she peeked her head up, the noise returned, a pitiful whimper like a pleading puppy. Her courage returning, Nodoka cautiously entered the thicket, following the noise like a sailor to the sirens. At last she happened upon a clearing and gasped at the source of the noise. A massive hound, bigger than a full grown man lay in the clearing, its skin stretched and covered in open bleeding wounds, whimpering like an abandoned puppy wishing for company. Nodoka looked at the beast; its body was broken, and despite its terrible size, it looked starved as its ribs were visible through the skin. She took a cautious step and broke a twig. The hound's ears perked and it looked at her. It tried to stand but barely managed to lift its huge body before collapsing under its stick-thin legs. As it fell back down, Nodoka's emotions overrode her common sense and she began to hurry to the beast's side. Before she made it halfway into the clearing, she heard something. A growl, low and rumbling like an overhead commercial airliner. Nodoka turned as slow as she dared. Her heart stopped. Standing at the edge of the clearing was a pair of burning, blood red eyes belonging to a massive creature. She backed away, but the eyes followed her pace, slowly the eyes became a head, and the head became the starved, bloody body of a dog very much like the first one in the clearing. But this one's eyes held the bloodlust of cannibals and berserkers of old, consumed by a maddness only death and meat could qualm. And Nodoka fit both requirements.

    "Uh, um, nice doggy? Puh, please sit. Um, stay? Play dead?" Nodoka murmured. The hound wasn't listening. She kept backing away until something touched her back. She looked behind herself, and her eyes went wide. The once grounded, whimpering dog now stood with its side against Nodoka's back. It looked at her with the same hunger as its ally, the pitiful weak dog replaced by its true persona: a hungry, merciless hound.

    "AIEEEEEEEE!" Nodoka screamed and sprinted into the thicket, but the hounds gave chase, nipping and biting at her heels every step of the way. At last they cornered her as she ducked into the roots of a lifted tree, leaving the dogs unable to reach her, but trapping Nodoka simultaneously. All the hounds needed to do was wait her out. As the dogs circled the tree Nodoka made out the details of their bodies: the flies buzzing around their rotted ears, the rancid smell of their breath like vomit mixed with methane, and the unnatural leathery stretching of their tarred, burnt skin devoid of any fur. And their teeth. Their sharp, steak knife serrated teeth, coated with blood both fresh and dried, likely from victims of prior hunts. Nodoka shut her eyes and prayed for somebody, anybody, to save her from this horrendous fate. She prayed for her teacher.

    "Hold on Miyazaki-san!"

    A burst of wind blew down on the pair of hounds, hurtling them into the branches. Negi landed and stepped off his staff, running towards the branches where Nodoka hid. He held out his hand.

    "Are you alright, Miyazaki-san?" He asked. Nodoka could only thank him as she cried into his shoulder.

    "Thank you Negi-sensei! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I thought I was going to die!"

    "It-It's alright, Miyazaki-san. You won't get hurt, I promise you as your teacher," Negi said when a pair of growls echoed through the foliage followed by swift four-legged steps. "Come on! We have to hurry!" Negi said as he dragged Nodoka along as they headed towards the lane. Somehow they made it out but all they could see were clouds hiding the moon and dark shapes surrounding them. The lampposts had been cut down and sparks flew from their electric wounds. Negi snarled. "We'll double back, maybe lose them in the..."

    "Sensei look out!" Nodoka screamed, shoving them both to the ground as something huge cut through the tree behind them in half. The two looked up. A half-goat, half-man creature with four red eyes towered over them, two gigantic cleavers in its hands, staring down the children as it raised one of them above their heads.

    "Move!" Negi shouted as the two dodged their would-be bisection. The demon's gaze followed them as it rose with a painful slowness, well aware of its inevitable feast.

    "S-Stay behind me Miyazaki-san!" Negi said, trying to sound brave.

    "Sensei, look!" Negi looked behind to see the two hounds walking in a pincer maneuver, cutting off any hope of escape, even within the forest. Negi held up his staff, hoping he was ready to fight such beasts.

    "Ras Tel Mas Scir Magister, *Gather 17 Spirits of Wind. Magic Archer, Barrage of 17 Lightning Arrows!*"

    A blast of lights hit the goat demon with the force of a dozen strong winds. The beast swung its cleaver, tossing the lights aside like toys. Negi was shocked. He nearly buckled under the revelation when providence stepped in. Like a bolt from the gods of old, a blast of lightning engulfed the area, blinding everyone inside. When Negi's vision returned, he swore he could smell the burning ashes of his home in his nostrils. At the epicenter stood a tall robed figure, his face obscured by a hood and rags save his eyes. When he looked back at Negi, the eyes sparked with bolts of electricity as they danced across the pupils like fairies. The stranger turned his attention back to the goat-like demon. He muttered something beneath his breath, held out his hand, and a spear of pure lightning burst forth from the nether-realm into his hand. He moved into a fighting stance, and the demon roared as it charged forward, slashing from both the side and above. But the stranger countered and slashed his spear across its chest, searing a long gash across its abdomen. The beast paused, looked at its wound, then the stranger, and howled. It rushed him, trying to overwhelm the stranger but found it was countered and deflected at every opportunity. As the two battled, Negi remembered the dogs and turned to face them.

    "Get her out of here!"

    Negi looked back. The stranger had the demon in a deadlock. "Get the girl out of here Springfield! Fly her out!" Negi went bug-eyed.

    "But-But if I do that I'll be turned into an ermine!" He cried.

    "Which is more important, your secret or your students?" The stranger bellowed as he kicked the demon back. Negi paused.

    He's right. My students are my first responsibility as a teacher. He thought. He took Nodoka by the hand and hopped onto his staff.

    "Hold tight, Miyazaki-san!" Nodoka could only stammer an affirmative as she wrapped her arms around Negi as they shot into the moonlit sky, far away from everybody.


    Ornstein felt relief fill him as the child mage and his student escaped. If they had stayed they'd have gotten in the way. He refocused his ki and let his aura surround his body like a cocoon before he vanished from the demon's sight. Then, like a green flash against the setting horizon sun, he appeared behind the demon and sliced off its head before vanishing again. The two hounds tried to sniff him out, but the Dragonslayer had learned to move faster than even his scent in the years he'd last seen these kinds of monsters. With barely a moment wasted he skewered the dogs on a pair of lightning spears and electrocuted them until they were crispy barbecue leftovers, then sliced all three bodies, leaving their guts and entrails to splatter over the brick-laden road. Ornstein closed his eyes, dismissed his weapons, and watched the small dots of Springfield and Miyazaki fly off in the moonlit sky.

    "Hey!"

    Ornstein turned around. Standing in the remaining lights was the unmistakable silhouette of Kagurazaka.

    She must've heard Miyazaki's scream and came running, Ornstein thought. He looked at Asuna.

    "Tell your friends the Sakura Lane Demon is dead." He said before vanishing from her sight, flash-stepping across rooftops back to his quarters. He'd done enough for tonight. The dean needed to hear about this. The second sighting of a Capra Demon in 22 years since his arrival at Mahora.


    Meanwhile...

    As the two children soared through the moonlit air, Nodoka found herself focusing not on the beautiful sights, but on that stranger's words to Negi-sensei and how worried sensei had looked until then. Since they had escaped (she still had trouble believing they were flying over the campus even now) Negi-sensei had gone unusually quiet. Was this affecting him more than he let on? She recalled him saying something about an ermine earlier, was it because he had a pet? As they landed on the roof of Nodoka's dormitory, Nodoka finally worked up the courage to question Negi-sensei, when she saw the little boy rambling at the speed of thought and pacing around like a headless chicken dancing to the kazoo.

    "What do I do what do I do what do I do? If I erase her memory she'll have no answer if somebody questions her about her time past curfew. But if I don't do something she'll tell everybody I'm a--"

    "Uh, um, excuse me Negi-sensei," Nodoka murmured, causing Negi to stop his ranting in favor of showing proper English etiquette.

    "Oh my apologies Miyazaki-san. You must be so exhausted after recent events."

    "No-Not at all! I should be the one apologizing! If I hadn't been in trouble then none of this would've had to happen!" The duo went on apologizing for several minutes until Nodoka slipped up and said the 'M' word.

    "N-No, I'm sorry for being caught and for making you reveal your mysterious secrets!"
    "Wah? You mean, I didn't tell you I was a mage?" Negi asked.

    "No I-wait, you're a mage sensei?!"

    Negi stopped the urge to faceplant himself. He had just sold himself out.

    Oh no. He thought.

    "Nonono, I didn't say 'mage', I said um...wage! Yes! I said wage!" Negi said as sweat fell down his face like a waterfall.

    "B-But, then how did you make us fly?" Nodoka asked.

    "Well I," He started only to be interrupted.

    "Or, or when you s-said all those weird words like they were some incantation?"

    "Well, uh," He stammered.

    "I mean," Nodoka added, "it must be important if you have a pet that could get in trouble."

    "W-Wait a second," Negi pleaded.

    "It's too late Aniki," A new voice interjected. The two looked to see a white ermine smoking a cigarette. "Might as well bring her into the fold." He finished with a puff of smoke.

    "Ah! A talking rat!" Nodoka screamed.

    "Chamo-kun! What are you doing here?" Negi added.

    "Looking for you as a matter of fact aniki. And I am not a rat, I'm a fairy! An ermine fairy Honya!"

    "Oh, I apologize!" Nodoka replied reflexively with a bow.

    "Jeez, everyone calls me a rat the first time. Anyway, as I was saying before, you're better off forming a contract with her than trying to erase her memory Aniki. Remember what happened last time?"

    "Buh-But that was an accident! Nekane-san forgave me afterwards!"

    "After she lost two months worth of memories and only got them back a month later! You're lucky your nee-san has the patience of a god. Anya-neesan sure didn't forgive you so quickly." Chamo countered after a quick puff as Negi tried his best to hide his quivering shame.

    "I...I never meant to," He whimpered.

    "Aw man. Look aniki, don't go crying now. A man's gotta look tough in front of a cute lady, especially if she's his future partner."

    "Puh-Partner?!" The two screamed.

    "Yeah! If your memory spell can't be trusted, why not make her a partner?" Chamo argued. "Plus she's a real cutie don't ya think?"

    "EH?" Negi shouted. "Cha-Chamo-kun! I'm too young to take on a partner, right Miyazaki-san?" Negi pleaded.

    "A-Actually se-sensei, if-if it's with you, I w-wouldn't m-mind."

    Negi spat his saliva all over Chamo from mere shock, to which Chamo frantically tried to shake off.

    "What?! I mean, you shouldn't force yourself into these situations for my sake Miyazaki-san!"

    "Then, you don't want me to be your partner?"

    "No! I mean, not in that way, I mean as a magical partner! Ah, I mean," Negi just gave up, fell to his knees, and cried. "I don't wanna become an ermine!" He cried.

    "C-Calm down aniki! Look, all we gotta do is have a magic circle, have Honya-chan smooch ya, and she's your partner! Problem solved!"

    "Uh, um, actually, I...I'm not sure what this is about anymore, but if Negi-sensei needs his secret kept, I'll um, keep it." Nodoka said. "I-I mean, unless if I have to k-k-ki-uh," Nodoka fainted before she could finish, finally drained from the night's events. Chamo looked at the girl and Negi. He sighed. This was not going at all the way he'd envisioned things.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Ah Carpa Demon. How I miss killing you. A certain god agrees. Demons are probably going to show up for the Festival. Time for Ornstein to give everyone some more training. Most of the class wouldn't stand half a chance of surviving without some level grinding. Alas, there is no Bonfire nearby.

    Also Nodoka might be the first to get contracted. Interesting twist but understandable. You practically need a guide if you want to do a no-death playthrough of any Souls game.
     
    SlyOverlord said:
    Also Nodoka might be the first to get contracted. Interesting twist but understandable. You practically need a guide if you want to do a no-death playthrough of any Souls game.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Practically? A guide won't save you. You could watch someone do a perfect 100% runthrough a hundred times in video form, but it'll take more than knowledge to win the day alive.
     
    Jiopaba said:
    Practically? A guide won't save you. You could watch someone do a perfect 100% runthrough a hundred times in video form, but it'll take more than knowledge to win the day alive.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    the only way to do it yourself is months of pain sweat and broken controllers/keyboards....and learning to swear in 4 diffrent languages Fucking Pontif Sulivan
     
    Yeah that is definitely different. You know I am kinda curious if Chao knows about Ornstein before she came back and if so her plans for him. Also anyone else forsee the dragonslayer returning during the mage versus martian fight if it happens? Although that would depend on who he sides with.
     
    Jiopaba said:
    Controllers. Listen, I beat Dark Souls 2 with only a keyboard once. Once. For the love of god, use a controller.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    i use it now two do to it being the only way i beat the pontif i could easily beat the other bosses (after trial and error) but the pontif was just dancing all over my grave (dont get me started on the actual dancer)
     
    Ch: 5: The Proof of a Pactio! Pt. 1
  • Threadmarks
    • Ch: 5: The Proof of a Pactio! Pt. 1

    Chamo looked between the crying boy and the unconscious girl. He felt like the witness to a crime scene, but not the kind he usually was responsible for causing. He decided to do something and climbed up until he hung onto Negi's collar and gave the boy a patented "Ermine Slap!" to Negi's cheek, knocking the boy out of his crying. The boy stopped and looked at Chamomile with shock.

    "C-Chamo-kun?"

    "Get a hold of yourself aniki! Honya-chan just said she'll keep your mage status a secret and was still willing to smooch ya, and then she goes out cold! That was a golden opportunity, and you lost it! Now snap out of your crying 'cause we've gotta haul her to her dorm or we're in big trouble!" He said while throttling the poor boy back and forth as he was surprisingly strong for a magical ermine.

    "Okay, okay! I'm going to be sick if you don't stop already," Negi said.

    "Oh. Well why didn't you say so?" The ermine suddenly stopped and dropped off of Negi to land by his feet. "Great, now let's get moving!" He exclaimed with a dramatic pose.

    "Um, Chamo-kun, I don't think I can do this." Negi replied, ruining the mood.

    "What're you talking about? Can't you even carry a girl like her?" He asked.

    "I'm 10 years old Chamo-kun. I can't carry someone with four years on me and I don't know how to explain myself to Ayase-san if I do manage to carry her without magic."

    "Shoot. Ah well, any other ideas?" Chamo asked. Negi thought for a moment, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone.

    "Whatcha doin?" Chamo said as he climbed onto Negi's shoulder.

    "I'm calling Asuna-san. My class lives on the same floor in the same building, so she should be able to help."

    Coincidence, thy name is Aniki! Chamo thought as the phone began to ring in Negi's ear. At the third tone, it clicked to indicate someone had answered.

    "Hello? Asuna-san?" Silence.

    "Asuna-san?" Silence.

    "Asuna-"

    "I heard you the first time brat! Where are you, I've worried half my age off because of you!" Was the overwhelming response that came from the phone's speakers.

    "I'm fine Asuna-san, and so is Miyazaki-san. Can you," He began before Asuna interrupted.

    "Wait, you're with Honya-chan?! Where are you? And why is Honya-chan with you anyway? Don't you know that something happened on Sakura Lane?"

    "Eh heh, funny you should mention that," Negi answered. "But, I'll explain that later,"

    "No, you explain now! I was heading back to the dorm, so if you're not there already, whoop-de-doo for me."

    Negi could feel a sweatdrop on his forehead building.

    "Would you believe that I was, involved in the incident?"

    A pregnant silence followed.

    "I'm actually worried that doesn't surprise me as much as it should." Asuna said pinching her nose. "Okay, I'm with some cops right now since I'm a witness to this whole mess, but once they're done with me I'm heading back to the dorm. Where are you, and where is Honya-chan?"

    "Well, Miyazaki-san is next to me, so I don't think she's going anywhere. As to where, we're on the roof of the dorm. And, um, could you maybe, come and help me?"

    "Why do you need my help?"

    "Because," Negi paused.

    "Because what?"

    "Because Miyazaki-san fainted and I need your help to carry her to her dorm room." Negi hastily finished. Another silence followed.

    "You are so dead when I reach you." Asuna said through clenched teeth. Negi decided that was the best point to hang up.



    "Who the devil was that aniki?" Chamo asked as he flicked some wax outta his ear.

    "That was Asuna-san, my roommate and one of my students." Chamo's eyes flashed wickedly.

    "Are you telling me you're already hooked up with one of your students and I didn't even do anything?" Chamo's eyes began tearing. "I'm so proud of you, aniki."

    "What? No! She's just my student, nothing more! And we share rooms, not beds. Get your mind out of the gutter Chamomile." Negi protested.

    "Are you kidding? How long you been rooming with this chick?"

    "Since I arrived here, and she knows I'm a mage."

    "What the heck aniki! That's almost as good a partner deal as Honya-chan! And with your youth, you could have your cakes and eat 'em too!" The ermine proclaimed.
    "I've already told you, I'm too young for a partner!"

    "After nearly losing your head I'd have thought you'd be more open to the idea! And why not!" Chamo argued. "It helps you get a partner, and gives you a buddy to help back you up. Why wouldn't you want one?"

    "I don't feel right having someone share my burden with me." Negi replied.

    "Oh, for the love of--you nearly died and you probably did jack squat against whatever fought you! You need a partner!" The ermine explained.

    "But what if they get hurt, or worse? I couldn't live with that knowledge." Negi answered.

    "If they get hurt then they did it because they decided to get involved with you aniki! That's not stupidity, it's devotion. Learn the difference." The ermine proclaimed in protest. Negi just sighed.

    "I"m sorry Chamo-kun, but I don't think I should impose myself,"

    "Jeez, gag me with a spoon already!" A new voice said to the tingle of bells in the wind.

    "A-Asuna-san! How long have you been there?" Negi asked.

    "For the past five minutes. It's been nearly twenty since you called me. And by the way, I know the rat talks."

    "I am not a rat, nee-san. I'm an ermine." Chamo muttered.

    "Now, what was this about you being the only one worthy to throw your life away and yet others who care about you don't have a say in the matter?" Asuna asked threateningly.

    "I, I just don't want to impose on anyone my own burden Asuna-san." Negi said hastily.

    "Sounds more like a complex or something." Asuna said as her eyes narrowed. "You're not throwing yourself into any fires without someone to pull you back, got it? And if you try something as stupid as you did tonight again, then I'll give you a good wallop after I save your neck. Got it?"

    "Butt..."

    "No buts about it. If you're throwing yourself into trouble, I'm gonna be there to get you out." Asuna said with a smile. "Now, where is--Honya-chan?!" She nearly tripped back as she saw the unconscious body of Nodoka Miyazaki, with a very guilty looking Negi Springfield rubbing the back of his head laughing uneasily.

    "Would you believe if I told you she just fainted from exhaustion?"

    Asuna gave Negi a flat, hard stare. It was like being interrogated by a lioness. But, as her stare could reveal no lies, she just pinched her nose and sighed.

    "Fine, I believe you. Now, help me get her up."

    "Eh?"

    "You think I'm gonna carry Honya-chan all the way back to her room and let you off with nothing? Ho no, you're helping me brat, and I'm not taking any magical assistance from you tonight! Look, I carry her arms, you carry her legs, got it?"

    "But," Negi said with a weak constitution and a poor excuse of a protest, to which Asuna crushed with ruthless command.

    "Legs. Now."

    Negi whimpered but obeyed the commander known as Asuna and lifted Nodoka by the legs, trying not to look back as they carried her down the steps to their floor.


    Even with their combined efforts, it took a good fifteen minutes before they finally reached Nodoka's door. After shifting Nodoka to Asuna's back so she could appear slightly more dignified, Negi knocked on the door to which an almost immediate scrambling noise could be heard followed by the clicking of many locks. The enormous purple hairs of Yue Ayase greeted them followed by the girl herself. Greeted in the loosest sense of the word as she nearly barreled past Negi once she saw Nodoka on Asuna's back.

    "Good God, what happened to her?!" She asked.

    "Eh he, well, she kinda went through a lot tonight," Asuna said, "and I guess the whole ordeal took a lot out of her. She's fine though."

    "Ordeal? What kind of ordeal? Sensei, do you know anything about this?" She said with a suspicious stare at the ten year old boy who was also the crush of Nodoka to Yue's knowledge.

    "Me? I mean, not exactly, I mean no, I don't know anything other than finding her unconscious near Sakura Lane." Negi answered post haste. Yue kept her suspicious stare, but opted instead to focus on her friend.

    "Well, I guess she's safe now, and that's what matters. I'll take care of Nodoka from here. Thank you for helping her here, Asuna-san, Sensei." She said with a curt bow as Asuna slipped Nodoka onto Yue's back. "Oi, Haruna. Get yourself down here and help me get Nodoka in here." She said with a deader than deadpan snark as she closed the door. The teacher child and his roommate/student let out a heavy breath they'd been holding in. They hadn't expected things to go so well, but they thanked the heavens it was over now. Without a word or a notice of a talking white ermine on Negi's shoulder, they returned to their dorm and headed off to bed.


    The next morning was a rough start for Springfield. Even if he hadn't fought those scary hounds, he had taken a toll on his magical reserves carrying Miyazaki-san all the way to her dorm. He turned over and felt something soft and squishy against his face, sighting.

    "Ah, Nee-san," he murmured.

    "You'd better wake up right now brat," A tomboyish voice answered. Negi warily opened his eyes to the growling visage of Kagurazaka, and then realized his hand was resting right on her breast. Negi's brain snapped into action once he realized why he was in trouble and released his student's breast.

    "I-I'm sorry Asuna-san! I didn't mean to intrude!" He cried as he flailed his arms. Asuna just huffed, annoyed.

    "Yeah, yeah, I got it. Geez I'm not gonna murder you." She said as she climbed down from her bunk.

    "Eh? Don't you have your paper route to run today?" Negi asked as he looked over the edge.

    "Not today. School shut down extracurricular activities on our side of campus to allow the cops to investigate last night's events." She said as she looked in vain for a set of mysteriously absent underwear.

    "What?! There was a murder last night?" Negi exclaimed.

    "Shhh! Do you wanna wake Konoka?" Asuna hissed. "And not, exactly. Besides if anyone got killed, it was the Demon of Sakura Lane. Some big guy in robes just showed up before I got there and when I did, all he said was the Demon was dead. So I guess he killed him. Not perhaps the best choice to take, but at least there won't be a monstrous killer anymore. Now where are they?" She said ruffling to find any underwear.

    "W-Wait! You saw the culprit?" If the culprit was who he thought it was...

    "Nah, it's like I told the cops, all I saw were," She paused and put a finger up to signal silence. Something sighed from the shelves. Asuna slid the door open.

    "Oh, good morning nee-san." Chamo said from a pile of stolen bras and panties, with one particular bear-themed set being his blanket. Asuna's eyebrow twitched madly.

    "Rat, why are you using my panties as a blanket?" She asked with the ferocity of a lion. Chamo cowered under her glare, but tried to use the story he'd planned for Negi.

    "You see, my sister in Wales has a weak constitution, and the warmth retained by girls' underwear keeps her warm in the cold. So I scour the globe-"

    "Then who takes care of your sister when you're away?" Asuna asked, interrupting him. Chamo stopped. This girl was smart and vengeful it seemed. A terrifying combo for panty thieves. He hatched a scheme.

    "Well, you see I send donations of my work to my sister's home. And she really suffers most in the winter. Since winter's still a ways off, I decided to seek out support from aniki until I found a means of supporting my family. I thought the least I could do was get aniki a partner on my journey."

    "And that relates to stealing my panties how, exactly?"

    "It is a secret passed down the ermine family for generations! Sorry nee-san, but family secret. Besides, you're not the first girl in aniki's class to meet me nee-san." He smiled snidely.

    "What?" Asuna asked.

    "...Uh-oh." Chamo said. All of a sudden Chamo felt very, very tiny. But Asuna wasn't interested in the perverted ermine anymore; now her anger was directed at child mage hiding up in her bed.

    "Oh Negi~" she sang. Negi gulped.

    "Y-Yes Asuna-san?"

    "Did you strip another girl from our class?"

    "No! I just helped save Miyazaki-san from-oh no." He realized his folly too late. Asuna had a look of vengeance on her face.

    "So let me get this straight," She said ticking off his mistakes on her fingers. "You exposed that you are a mage in front of Honya-chan, the shyest girl in our class. You likely had to do so after she was almost attacked by the Sakura Lane Demon (which I admittedly can't hold against you), but you're still a child! You should've called the cops if you saw something, not rush in like some shounen hero! And what's worse, this annoying rat followed me back after we had to carry Honya-chan to her room, explain ourselves to Yue, and tuck you and myself in bed. Does that cover everything?"

    Negi just shrank further into the bed, whimpering.

    "I, I only wanted to help," He murmured. Asuna sighed.

    Great, now he's crying, she thought. She climbed up the latter and patted Negi on the head. From his sobbing eyes he looked up to Asuna's warm smile.

    "I'm not angry you did something to help another. I was just worried about what might happen to you." Negi sniffed up his snot and looked at Asuna with a teary smile.

    "Now," Asuna said directing her best death glare at Chamo, "What are we gonna do about the pervert rat?"

    "I'm not a rat! I'm an ermine nee-san! An ermine!"


    Later-9:00am

    "So let me go through this one more time," Asuna whispered as she got into her casual clothes. "Honya-chan knows you're a mage, we have an unwanted house guest, and some vigilante running across campus."

    Negi nodded in agreement, prompting a groan from Asuna.

    "Did someone stick us in a shounen manga adaptation, or am I just getting way too strong a vibe that way?" Chamo just crawled up her shoulder and made a dismissive hand gesture like she worried too much like Negi. Negi in fact, was unusually quiet since Konoka woke up and finished breakfast after being introduced to Chamo-kun along with the rest of the class, much to Chamo's delight. No, it was Miyazaki who occupied his thoughts now. His memory spell was faulty, but could the shy girl keep his secret? He just had to have faith in her.

    Later that morning-11:30am

    Despite his worst fears, Negi's day was uneventful. Disregarding Chamo's antics at egging him on to make contracts, his day was pretty pleasant. That is until it hit him he needed some texts from the library. Which meant he'd have to run the risk of crossing paths with Nodoka. Negi stood outside the library, Chamo on his shoulder, and gulped.

    "Come on aniki! It's just a few books, not a confession of love." Chamo said trying to push the boy on. Negi nodded.

    "You're right. I can't let this stop my goals." He said clenching his fist. With a determined expression the two entered the library.

    "Now, those texts should be right," Negi said as he headed to another aisle, "here!" He stopped. The book he was looking for was on the third row up, and just at the edge of his reach. He tried to reach up even on the edge of his toes when a hand brushed against his own.

    "Oh, I'm sorry," He said when he stopped. The person who had been reaching for the same book was Nodoka Miyazaki's roommate: Yue Ayase.

    "Oh, sensei. You were looking for this book as well?" Yue said, pulling down a copy of Strunk and White's "The Elements of Style."

    "Ah, yes, thank you Ayase-san." Negi said as he took the surprisingly small text on English writing. Yue just nodded as she sipped some Orange and Strawberry Juice, leaving them in silence. "So, how is Miyazaki-san doing?" Negi asked.

    "Fine, actually. Save a few bruises, she's just resting off her exhaustion," Yue said, sipping again.

    "Oh, that's good to hear." Negi said rubbing the back of his head as he felt a tug on his ear from Chamo-kun indicating it was time to go.

    "W-well, it was nice seeing you Ayase-san. Have a nice day," Negi said as he balanced the stack of books almost half his height on his way out.

    "Y-You too sensei." Yue answered as he began to walk off to the exit.

    Negi could feel the relief wash over his body as he made his way to the door. He thought Ayase-san would question him about Miyazaki-san's condition from the night before. He let out a breath of relief.

    "Aniki look out!" But it was too late as the library door swung open knocking straight into Negi's face and sending the stack of books falling down around him, while the crack in the entrance widened to reveal one very shocked Nodoka Miyazaki. She looked down at the still form of Springfield and gasped.

    "Oh my goodness, Sensei I am so sorry! Are you alright?" She asked as she knelt down next to his prone body. Negi groaned out an affirmative and rubbed his stinging head as he sat up.

    "I-I'm fine, just a light bruise on the head. Nothing to be worried," He paused as he met eyes with Miyazaki and peered through her bangs to her beautiful violet eyes. "Oh-oh, Miyazaki-san! You're up!" Negi proclaimed.

    "Oh, um, yes, I am a little surprised myself," Nodoka muttered just above a whisper as she inspected the books spread about by her clumsiness. "Oh no, l-let me help you with this Sensei," she said as she began gathering the tomes around her to hide her embarrassed blush.

    "T-Thank you, Miyazaki-san," Negi murmured as the two went about the business of recollecting dropped books. Eventually they found their hands touching the same tome at the same time.

    "Oh, I-I'm sorry Sensei, you take this one," She offered. Negi, being his gentleman self, found it improper to accept the offer.

    "No no Miyazaki-san, you take it, you could carry them back to my dorm with me," He offered. Nodoka's heart fluttered.

    "U-Um, I mean, I'd be happy to come to your dorm with you--I mean carry the books with you!" She hastily added to Negi's oblivious nature.

    "Great!" He reached for the stack of thick, heavy hardback textbooks and began to try lifting them, when Nodoka slipped her hand underneath his and took the books from him.

    "I'll--Um, take these, if you don't mind, sensei," She said surprisingly certain for the timid girl. She didn't seem at all bothered by the weight of the four heavy books in her arms.

    "O-Oh, okay." He said taking the smaller stack in the crook of his arm. As any English gentleman would do, he opened the door for the violet-haired bookworm. With a murmur of thanks Nodoka stepped through the doorway and the two stepped out to make their way back to Springfield's dorm room.

    A little later...

    The duo of child-teacher-mage and bookworm-shy girl-student walked together in relative silence, unable to think of something to say to the other with the knowledge that one was a mage and the other was aware of said mage's secret. Nodoka wanted to ask him so many questions, wanted to hug him, to embrace him and support him, to take him by his shirt and french--

    Nonono! That's not what I want! Nodoka denied to herself with a stubborn vehemence shaking her head. She tried desperately to think of another train of thought when to the rescue like before, her teacher offered a way out.

    "Uh, Miyazaki-san, aren't those textbooks a strain on your arms?" he asked.

    "Eh? No, not at all." she said, and hummed. "I suppose it's all thanks to Stein-san's training in his class." She smiled softly.

    "But, but he's so big and scary," Negi protested, "How is he so, liked?"

    "I wouldn't say he's liked by all of us sensei," Nodoka replied, "But we do respect him. He's one of the few to get us all to listen at once, for one." She giggled at the fact it took a drill sergeant of a gym teacher to make 3-A fall in line. "And he does show attention to us from time to time, like a teacher does. I guess when we did strength training his words made me want to be strong enough to carry as many books as I wanted, so I worked harder than I thought I could and look at me now!" She smiled as she lifted the four textbooks so her elbows held up the weight of all four books. She kept this up for a whole minute before her arms gave out and she let out a short breath. "I couldn't even manage that for ten seconds when I started, but Stein-san got me to manage it to where I am now," She said beaming. "He's not the best teacher, but when I look at him, I guess I see someone trying to prepare us for life, and life isn't as kind as we like to imagine." she frowned a little at her words.

    "Oh. That's very mature of you, Miyazaki-san," Negi said as he smiled.

    "T-Thank you Sensei," She said. And then murmured something.

    "What was that?"

    "I-I said, you can call me Nodoka-san, if you want, Negi-sensei," Nodoka repeated in a hushed tone.

    "Uh, well, thank you, Nodoka-san." Negi said with a happy smile. Nodoka tried to hide her growing blush beneath her bangs.

    "Th-Thank you, Negi-sensei," She squeaked.

    Chamo-kun just snickered as he looked at the two. They were an item and the two didn't even know it, as clear as the sun in the morning and the blue sky. They would be perfect as a duo, Ministra and Magister. But he had to figure out a way to get them to kiss and in a magic circle too, without aniki or Asuna-neechan stopping things. But that could wait for later.

    "Oh look," Negi said. "It's Asuna-san! Maybe she can help hold the door for us!" Negi proclaimed waving his free arm in her direction. "Asuna-san! Asuna-san!" The twin-tailed girl with bells took notice of Negi's waving and came over.

    "Negi-kun? I thought you were off doing stuff for teaching. What happened?" She asked.

    "Eh he, well I was, but I guess I overdid myself and carried too many books at once. Nodoka-san offered to carry some for me, and we were wondering if you could help hold the doors for us on our way in," Negi explained. Asuna tilted her head and looked at Nodoka.

    "Wow Honya-chan," She said, "Guess those private lessons with Stein-san really did help you out. You don't even look tired."

    "Th-thank you," Nodoka murmured as she tried to hide her embarrassment at the mention of 'private lessons'.

    "And sure, I'll help you." Asuna said as she joined the group on their way to the dorm.

    "So, have any of you seen Stein-sensei since last night? Last I heard from Asakura-san he got swamped in paperwork or something," Asuna said offhanded.

    "Oh my, that's terrible. Did someone get hurt?" Nodoka asked.

    "Nah," assured Asuna, "Just something like he was out where he wasn't supposed to or something like that, I didn't listen to the details. Besides, he's been known to get stuff dumped on him before. He always pulls through it, the amazing man he is." Asuna muttered. "If Takahata-sensei wasn't so cute, I'd love to spend time with Stein-sensei. He has this whole mysterious loner vibe about him, you know?"

    "Y-You haven't been reading that vampire book, have you Asuna-san?" Nodoka asked.

    "Wh-What?! No, no I haven't! I know that book's reputation and I'm not that shallow!" She snapped defensively.

    "I-I'm sorry! It just slipped out," Nodoka answered with a sudden apologetic tone as she hid within her bangs again. Negi fought the urge to sigh as he tried to placate both parties.

    "Now now, let's not fight shall we? Look, we're almost at the dorm." He said as they approached the doors.

    "After you two," Asuna said as she held the door open. Both Negi and Nodoka thanked her as they entered and made their way up the steps to Negi's dorm room until they reached it and Asuna once again held the door open for them. That was when Asuna stopped Nodoka for a moment.

    "You sure you're alright Honya-chan? From what it seemed you were pretty winded last time I saw you." Nodoka nodded.

    "I'm fine Asuna-san. But, thank you for asking." She said before entering. It took a while to get all the books up to Negi's desk, but eventually Nodoka left with a thank you from Negi. Once the door closed, she looked at her surroundings, and bolted back to her dorm room. Every shadow seemed to resemble that hideous goat monster from last night, and her ears made every high-pitched sound send her into a cold sweat when she tried to calm down. It was a miracle in her eyes she didn't feel so tense around Negi-sensei or Asuna-san when making her way back to the dorm. She grabbed her favorite books and ducked under the covers of her bed as she recited passages from "War and Peace", "The Lord of the Rings," and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" to calm her to momentary sleep.

    Meanwhile...Noon time

    "So this is what that man's son is like? Pathetic." Evangeline muttered. She slipped off her spying branch and dropped to the ground. "Taking his blood will be a piece of cake." She said as she began leaving. "Come Chachamaru. We have work to do." A pair of antennae poked out of the shrubbery behind Evangeline as the robot exited the bush hiding her with leaves sticking to her outfit.

    "As you wish, Master." The loyal servant said. What both didn't see was the sharp-eyed ermine eavesdropping on them through a little observation spell he cast when he spotted the petite Evangeline hiding in the trees. That blond hair of hers wasn't exactly a good hiding trait in cloudy weather.

    "Ho boy," The ermine muttered. "As if I didn't have enough reason to get a contract for aniki already," He sighed. This was not going to be easy on a ten-year old boy, but the truth had to be told now than later.

    Later that afternoon..

    "Eh?! What do you mean Chamo-kun?" Negi asked at the ermine's sudden request.

    "I mean you need to make a contract with those girls now! There's no time to waste!" Chamo-replied, waving a small paper fan saying 'Contract! Contract!' on it. "That Eva chick is out for your blood! And you need a partner if you wanna survive her!"

    "But Chamo-kun, Evangeline-san is one of my students. Why would she be after my blood?" Negi asked like it was an obvious question.

    "Heck if I know Aniki, but look!" Chamo said as he punched in a few addresses into the computer on the table. "I did some searching on the Maho-net, and guess what I found! That blond haired girl had a $6,000,000 bounty on her head 15 years ago! And she's notorious in the magical world community, above and underground alike! She's dangerous! And with the last attack you suffered, all my empirical (and totally impartial) evidence points to the fact you need a partner A-S-A-P!"

    "Bu-But I can't pull anyone into my own troubles! It'd be wrong." Negi argued.

    "And how well did fighting that demon-thing alone turn out? Think with that big brain of yours aniki! You're not your Pop! You need help!" Chamomile shouted.

    Negi was about to reply when he heard a knock at the door. The two stopped bickering and began to sweat.

    "Oi, is someone in there Negi?" It was Konoka's voice. Chamo-kun shut the laptop screen and sat down on it to keep the secret.

    "Uh, No, not at all Konoka-san! I was just, um, going over the materials for the upcoming test aloud! You know how that can help, haha!" He laughed with a nervous tic. A silence followed.

    "Okay!" Konoka answered. "Well I'm off to the Fortune-Telling Club's meeting! Dinner should be in the fridge if I'm back late!" The sound of footsteps leaving was the duo's cue to let out a dual breath of relief.

    "Whew, that was a close one aniki," Chamo said when he saw the forlorn expression on Negi's face. "Aniki?"

    "If I don't try to do things only I can do, what can I hope to do like my father did? How many would have to get hurt when I wouldn't be strong enough to handle my own problems?" He said, sullen.

    Aw shit, I pressed the Nagi button, Chamo-kun thought as he facepalmed himself. Shouldn't a done that one Albert.

    "Look," Chamo-kun started, "Nobody's asking you to be like your dad aniki. But if you don't play this out like a smart man, you're gonna wind up in a grave before you even get the chance to reach your dad's level. And a Ministra doesn't help their partner out of some obligation (at least not to form the contract), but because they choose to do it. And a pactio is a two-way street. You have to be willing to give up some of your selfishness and let that someone be there for you in you life. That's what contracting means. That's what friendship (and potential love) means, okay? So please, let's go to Honya-chan and ask her what she thinks, eh?"

    Negi began to protest, but he thought better than to go in this circular logic forever. It was at least worth a try, if only to know for sure.


    "Puh-Partnership?" Nodoka squeaked. When Negi had asked to be let in, her heart had skipped a beat but this made it do a double backflip. With Yue and Haruna busy at their respective jobs, she and sensei were all alone, barring Chamo-kun. And it was every bit as awkward and arousing for Nodoka as you'd think. "I-I mean, I'm not against it, but this is so sudden," Nodoka murmured.

    "Come on Honya-chan, it's just a kiss and we're done! Plus you get an awesome power-up as well!" Chamo exclaimed with another dramatic pose.

    "B-But Chamo-kun, what about the part of fighting, or the contract itself?" Negi argued, to which Nodoka stiffened at the mention of fighting.

    "Aw don't worry. It's just a provisional contract aniki, a temporary thing. And as for the fighting, she might not even need to fight. You'll never know if you don't get it on!" Chamo said as he tried his best getting the girl to kiss Negi before they lost their nerves while he drew a magic circle. Nodoka fiddled with her hands and kept dodging Negi's eyes. This was so out of left field and so fast she didn't know how to keep up with it or what to do next. Not to mention the thought of fighting giant monsters like that goat monster sent a chill up her spine. At last, she glanced a look at her sensei, and her heart paused. His face had so much strength, so much desperate determination and nervousness, it reminded Nodoka of something Stein-san said: "Courage is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to act in spite of it. You have courage, Miyazaki Nodoka. Don't waste it." With all she could muster, Nodoka stepped forward. The circle glowed. It felt almost pleasant, like a warm breeze on a summer day. She focused with a determination in her eyes.

    "I'm ready, Negi-sensei," She said. Negi paused for a second, then nodded in agreement. They stepped together, their eyes lost within each other's, their hearts pumping as Nodoka put her hands on Negi's soft, baby-fat cheeks as she leaned forward.

    "That's it, that's it!"

    And pressed her lips to his.

    "Pactio!"
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Ch: 5: The Proof of a Pactio! Pt. 2
  • Threadmarks
    • Ch: 5: The Proof of a Pactio! Pt. 2​

    As the two broke from their embrace, they looked like they had left a blissful existence and reality had abruptly stepped in. After a moment of rushed apologies on both sides, the ermine in the room directed their attention to the thing of importance: a card in Negi's hand. The card showed Nodoka in her school uniform looking at an open book while two books flanked her and seven more behind her. Her name dotted the front in Latin with a pair of titles listing a virtue and a direction sat beneath a subtitle. The labels said courage and west, respectively. At the bottom left was the astral symbol of Mercury, the messenger god of Roman myth. Negi read the subtitle beneath her name.

    Pudica Bibliotecaria? he thought. I wonder what it means by that.

    "Now onto the next phase!" Chamo proclaimed. "Aniki, can you make a copy of Honya-chan's card? Then we can get to the gritty details of how you use them."

    "O-Okay," Negi said, muttering an incantation. In an instant two cards were in his hand, each identical to the other.

    "Awesome! Now you can communicate with each other telepathically, and aniki can summon Honya-chan to his side in an instant. And that's not even getting to the artifact!"

    "Artifact?" Nodoka asked as she accepted the original card. Chamo nodded with a knowing smile.

    "Indeed. In addition to a magic power-up from the Magister, the Ministra usually gets an artifact tailored to their traits. It could be a giant spear, a pair of daggers, an awesome sword, or some cure-all medicine!" He finished, showing a proud thumbs up. Nodoka looked at the card in awe.

    "S-So how do I know what my artifact is?" She asked her mind awash with thoughts.

    "First ya gotta say, 'Adeat!' while holding the card. That'll change the card into its physical form. Go ahead Honya, try it!"

    "O-Okay. Adeat," she said holding the card up. In a flash of smoke a moderately sized book plopped into Nodoka's hands. It was bound with a thick spine and had embroidery along the cover and back. On the front the title 'Diarium Ejus' sat proudly. Nodoka opened the book to see its contents. "Eh?"

    "What is it?"

    "It's--blank?"

    "Huh? Let me see," Chamo requested. Nodoka handed him the book and as she said, the pages were all blank. Chamo sighed. "Sorry Honya-chan, guess ya drew a dud or something," He said apologetically while handing the book back.

    "It's alright," Nodoka said taking the offered book back. "Um, now what do I do?" she asked.

    "Well, guess we should show you how to change it back for now," Chamo said. "To do that, just say 'Abeat'."

    "A-Abeat." Another puff of smoke and the book was once again a card.

    "Now hold on tight to that card Honya-chan," Chamo said as he climbed onto Negi's shoulder before they departed. "It might surprise us yet." he said.

    "R-Right." Negi and Chamo returned to their dorm room, leaving Nodoka with the original card in her hand and with her thoughts.

    After Negi and Chamo departed, Nodoka climbed back up to her bunk and sat on the edge with her feet swinging while she observed the card. Surely there had to be more to it, right?

    "Adeat," She said. Transforming the card into a book once more, she began to flip through the pages, stopping in the middle. Once again, blank pages were the only things that greeted her. She sighed.

    Maybe it really is a dud, she thought. At that moment a small shimmer of light gleamed from the blank pages, bringing Nodoka's attention back to the book as she stared, shocked. Where once lay a pair of blank pages now sat the very words she'd thought in her head an instant prior. In addition, the page now had a cute little illustration of Nodoka holding her book with the expression 'dud?' on the book's cover.

    "Wait a moment," Nodoka stammered as her mind's thoughts were dictated upon the tome's lines: 'Why is this book hearing my thoughts? Wait, is it reading my thoughts?! How is it doing this? Why is it doing this? Ple-Please stop book! Oh, how do I control this?'

    She shut the book in a panic. Her ears felt muffled by the thunderous beatings within her heart, her mind rolling down a mine shaft's tracks as thoughts tumbled in a spiral that only stopped as some unknowing creature collided against her glass window. After that Nodoka turned her attention back to the closed book. She peeked at the pages as her fingers flipped to another point. A blank canvas became a text filled entry showing an image of Nodoka reading from the text. Her attention broke with a knock at the door.

    "J-Just a second," she cried as she headed to the door carrying her book. She opened the door and came face to face with, of all people, Setsuna Sakurazaki.

    "Uh, h-hello Sakurazaki Setsuna," Nodoka managed to stutter out. Without her knowledge the book switched targets and began tracking Setsuna's thoughts.

    Perhaps I can discuss things more easily with someone like Miyazaki-san?

    "Greetings, Miyazaki-san," Sakurazaki answered back with a curt bow. For a moment the two just stayed silent for a moment until Setsuna cleared her throat and regained her courage.

    "May I come in?" She asked.

    Could I be a better friend to my classmates? Perhaps even Konoka-san?

    Not the sort to deny hospitality, Nodoka offered her room to the wayward swordswoman, who sat down seiza style and accepted an offered cup of water. This lead to the two once again finding an awkward silence where neither could begin to ask for clarity as to why this meeting was happening.

    "Um," Nodoka started finding the courage to speak first, "was there something you wanted to tell me Sakurazaki-san?"

    Too much for me to know how to start.

    A frown formed its way across Setsuna's brow as she gazed into the untouched cup of water.

    "Tell me Miyazaki-san," she mustered, "how is Konoka-san?"

    "Huh?" Nodoka blinked. "Well, she's just fine I suppose. I mean we don't talk often except when on club expeditions, but she seems alright." Setsuna's features softened.

    "Good. Does she seem...happy?" she asked as Nodoka finished her glass. For a time, Nodoka's face was pensive.

    "I suppose. But, if I may be so bold," She added, "I think Konoka-san would be happier if she could talk to you. She mentions you. A lot."

    Was that a blush? Nodoka thought as Setsuna quickly cast her gaze away.

    "I cannot. She is better off without my direct presence."

    Nodoka spoke out. "I don't think that's true," she said with surprising sincerity. Setsuna blinked. "I mean, I don't know about Konoka-san's relationship with you," she continued. "But from what I understand from Konoka-san, you two used to be close. Then you just turned cold to her. I can't act like I know why, but don't you think you could at least try to be her friend again?"

    Setsuna looked at Nodoka with conflicted eyes and a deep frown. The sky outside was an overcast grey that seemed to mute the light and color from the world.

    "I'm sorry. I should not have come here," she said as she picked up her blade and began to leave.

    "W-Wait!" Nodoka pleaded, but Setsuna was already opening the door as Nodoka tried to stop her.

    "Thank you for the drink Miyazaki-san," Setsuna finished as she closed the door in front of Nodoka. Nodoka opened the door but saw nobody within range. Had Sakurazaki just vanished? And why did she leave so suddenly? Nodoka mulled over it as she closed the door. It was so strange for Sakurazaki to act the way she did, let alone come to Nodoka to talk at all.

    Why was she so apprehensive? Nodoka thought. She returned to the bunk and looked in her artifact only for a revelation to line the pages:

    Could I be a better friend to my classmates? Perhaps even Konoka-san?

    Too much for me to know how to start Miyazaki-san.

    Have I been a good guardian to Konoka-san? Have I kept to her shadow as I intended?

    I am sure she misses when I spoke to her like we used to.

    Nothing would make me happier Miyazaki-san. But that is one wish I cannot fulfill to Konoka-san.

    I should never have tried talking to Miyazaki-san. I must remain Konoka-san's shadow, lest I fail in protecting her again.

    The name read Sakurazaki Setsuna and showed a simplified version of Sakurazaki sulking about with expressions like 'angst' and 'woe is me' floating around her head; Nodoka shut the book with a thump as her mind, against her own wishes, started dissecting and analyzing the words like the pieces within a logic puzzle.

    What did she mean 'remain Konoka-san's shadow' and what's this about not protecting her again? Was Sakurazaki some kind of bodyguard for Konoka nobody knew about? Or is she like one of those murderous stalkers from Haruna's doujinshis? Or was it something else? Something more, intimate?

    "Nope." Nodoka said with defiance. "Not one, more, thought Nodoka." she said. "Just, breathe in, and out," And she did. For the next five minutes, the only sound in the room was Nodoka's steadying breath. As she came to a calmer setting, she saw the book still in front of her, blank. Frowning, she dismissed the artifact and stuffed the card beneath her pillow. Dud or no dud that book had already caused her to invade someone's privacy (though unintentionally) and she'd be damned before she let it happen again without her say so. She had learned the book could target someone if she knew them it seemed, and could work from a distance. But she also knew if there was no target, she was the object of the book's powers. She groaned, feeling a headache coming on. One of many to come.

    Break

    Evangeline was impatient. Not impatient like the child who wanted their dessert before they finished their vegetables, but impatient like a clingy girlfriend who'd pester her spouse to buy that pearl necklace that was deeply discounted despite the fact it would eviscerate his paycheck.

    "Are you done yet Chachamaru? I've been waiting long enough already." She said. The gynoid kept tapping away through the screens on the computer as her fingers danced from key to key, searching for her objective.

    "I only require another 12.375 seconds master. Please be patient." Chachamaru replied while Eva huffed.

    "Whatever," she muttered as she slipped from the center table to where Chachamaru was sitting. Suddenly the robot's fingers stopped like a gear had halted her entire body. She pointed at the screen, directing Evangeline's line of sight to the information on the desktop.

    "It is as we suspected. The seal keeping your power locked away is powered along the electric layout of the academy. Your power should return to a considerable degree in the night of the coming blackout." Eva frowned. Something about this wasn't right. For the past 15 years the same blackout had occurred yet she'd never regained her powers. Something wasn't being told, and she didn't know what it was, which annoyed her. Something else had to be keeping the seal up, but what?

    Eva clicked her tongue. "Perfect. Finally that boy's blood will be mine and I'll be free of this wretched school."

    "However," Chachamaru interrupted, "We will have a limited window of time to execute our plans, and if you do not drink the blood of the Thousand Master's son in time, the seal will reactivate-"

    "And I'll as helpless as a little girl with no magic." Eva finished the thought.

    "Yes."

    "...By the way Chachamaru," Eva started. The robot looked at her master. "Could you, maybe, I don't know, scan for power sources or stuff like that?"

    "I can, in theory and practice, if you so wish master." Chachamaru answered. Eva nodded.

    "Good. Then I think I have a task for you if something happens tonight." Eva said.

    "Come. We have work to do," Eva said as the duo left the computer room.

    Break

    Asuna often enjoyed the sounds of the academy as she painted in her spare time. It served as a sort of background as she tried to paint a portrait of Takahata-sensei, yet each time she actually looked, it resembled the teacher less and less. Instead it was a stranger with a fair yet stern expression on his face, with short trimmed black hair and piercing eyes with a sharp chin and a pair of wolf-like nostrils. For whatever reason every time she wanted to retry, the man's face and expression halted her brush.

    "Painting, Asuna?" A familiar voice said, startling her. She turned.

    "T-Takahata-sensei!" She squeaked as the teacher approached to see her work. He smiled.

    "Quite the portrait I must say. Great work on the eyes, very expressive." Asuna could only hide her blush as she stuttered a weak thanks.

    "Have you thought of a name yet?" Takahata asked. Asuna was about to say 'no' when she looked at the portrait again, and a name filled her mind.

    "The Wolf Knight."

    "Hm. Quite the interesting name. Any reason for it?"

    Asuna shrugged. "It just feels right, you know? I can't really explain it any other way."

    "Mm. Well, I just wanted to see how you were doing. Have a good day Asuna-kun." He said as he started to leave before stopping. "Oh, and one more thing: keep a close eye on Negi-kun for me will you? He has a knack for winding up in trouble he isn't ready to deal with yet." He said, leaving. Asuna blinked, perplexed. She didn't understand why Takahata-sensei had such an interest in the brat, but she'd honor his request all the same. As the painting grew more pronounced the day reached its end and Asuna left the unfinished work for another time. As she walked back to her dorm, a thought passed by her mind and snagged itself in her head; for all the knight's presence, he seemed lonely.

    Break

    As the night of the blackout loomed, Negi started to feel uneasy. He couldn't place why, but something in his bones told him danger was approaching. As Ornstein was still swamped in paperwork, it fell to Negi to patrol around the student dorm area during the blackout hours. As the hour approached, Chamo-kun accompanied Negi, saying he have someone to keep him company, and in case that blond girl tried any funny business, despite Negi's protests. At last the blackout began and Negi was off with a word of support from Konoka. And atop the spires of a tower, a little vampire became the Dark Evangel, and executed her plans.

    "You know, these dorms are pretty scary when it's pitch black, aren't they Chamo-kun?"

    "Mm. Personally I'm more worried about that blond girl and her friend. That girl, Evan or whatever, really sets me on edge, ya know?"

    "But I already told you, Evangeline-san is one of my students. Why would she--"

    "Sh! Hold it!" Chamo interrupted, his tail standing on end. "Didn't you feel that spike aniki? It's magical power! And it started just when the power went out!"

    Negi tensed and reached for his staff. "What is it Chamo-kun? A monster, another mage?"

    "Don't know, but it is powerful! You think it's that Eva girl?"

    "But that's impossible! Where could she get that much power?"

    "Maybe she just had it blocked or something. Remember when Makie-chan had that residual magical aura you told me about? Maybe something was just blocking her full strength."

    "You think so?" Then Negi saw the flashlight illuminate something. "Huh? Who's there?"

    Out of the darkness, like a phantom, emerged a nude Makie. "S-S-Sasaki-san! What are you doing out here, and in the nude?!" Negi proclaimed shielding his eyes. Makie looked at Negi with a distant gaze. She smiled, baring a pair of fangs. Her voice was cold and hollow, echoing like someone speaking through her.

    "Negi Springfield," she said. "Evangeline A.K. McDowell formally challenges you to a duel. Come to the pool in ten minutes time. We await your arrival." With that she leapt off the building's edge and swung from point to point, her ribbon carrying her across.

    "What the heck! That Eva chick is a Shinso?!" Chamo exclaimed. "You never told me you had a bloody vampire in your class aniki!" He added.

    "I-I didn't know! And why would that relate to Sasaki-san?" Negi asked.

    "You saw what she just did aniki! She's a half-vampire now, no doubt!"

    "But, there was only a trace magic signature when I examined Sasaki-san! How did that turn into her being half-vampire?"

    "That Eva girl must've used the trace signature to hide it from you until her power awoke now!" Chamo theorized. "Oh man, this is way beyond your weight class aniki. We need Honya-chan to back us up right now! We've gotta call her!"

    "R-Right!" Negi said as he opened his phone. But his fingers didn't dial. He kept thinking of how his carelessness had endangered Makie, not to mention his confrontation with the demon from Sakura Lane. He couldn't bring himself to call for help, not after what Nodoka had been through.

    "No." He snapped the phone shut. "I'm doing this myself."

    "Have you gone completely bugging bonkers?! That's suicide!" Chamo exclaimed as Negi pulled out a heavy sack from seemingly nowhere.

    "It's okay! I've been preparing for something like this since the Demon!" He said, as the bag was filled to the brim with magical weapons, potions, and items. By the time he'd donned them all, the little boy looked more equipped to take on a small country than a little vampire. He took off with Chamo clinging to his shoulder for dear life as they zipped over the ground.

    "Aniki, just stop and think for a second!" Chamo pleaded. "You can't beat her, no matter how much heat you're packing! Think!"

    "I made up my mind Chamo-kun." Negi answered. "I'm not going to get Nodoka-san involved in my mess."

    "But Eva's got her powers and robot-looking chick as her backup! At least alert Honya-chan!" Chamo cried.

    "No! This is my fight Chamo-kun!" Chamo had heard enough. He leapt off Negi's shoulder and scampered back towards the dorms. Negi ignored him as he approached the pool and went inside. The air was cold and the moon's light was the only source of illumination for Negi's eyes.

    "So, you actually came," a voice echoed. Negi turned. "I'm honestly surprised you answered my challenge, Negi Springfield." Negi looked up and forced his best glare on the voice's source.

    "Let Makie-san go! This is between us!" A ray of moonlight shined down and revealed his opponent. Sitting atop one of the pool's structures, a long haired, busty blue-eyed woman in a very tight fitting, leather bound outfit that exuded dominance. Several of Negi's students surrounded her, Yuna, Akira, Ako, and Makie, each wearing a very fetishy maid outfit that looked very inappropriate on middle school girls. The woman laughed. "You honestly expected this to be a fair fight?" She asked. "That courage of yours will get in trouble, boy." She said with a smirk. Negi glared at the woman as she smiled.

    "Um, who are you?" He asked. The woman practically wedded her face to the "floor" at the boy's obliviousness. A cloud of smoke puffed up and revealed the petite form of Evangeline in the woman's stead. "It's me you idiot! Me!" She shouted. Negi did a mental double take before it clicked she had been using illusionary magic. Eva calmed down from her tantrum, her arrogant smirk returning. "Well, I am somewhat impressed." She admitted. "You must have some of that man's courage if you came alone." Negi tightened the grip around his staff.

    "If I win Evangeline-san, you must promise to stop doing evil deeds!" Evangeline laughed.

    "And why in the world should I do that?"

    "Be-Because," Negi stuttered. "Because it is my duty as your teacher to ensure you behave!" Evangeline gave a flat stare before smiling.

    "Alright, I'll humor you boy. But," she added, "If I win, I'll suck your blood until you're only a husk!" She raised her fingers, moving them like some puppet strings were attached. The girls descended from their perches into the water, uncaring that their clothes got wet.

    "Sensei, play with us," Makie murmured. The other girls said similar things, some pretty harassing to a 10 year old boy.

    "Isn't this a little unfair?" He said. Eva laughed.

    "Unfair you say? What do you expect? I am an EVIL mage! Now do your jobs, slaves!" She said, pulling the girl's' strings.

    "Understood master!" They said as they grabbed Negi's clothes and began pulling. Suddenly they began stripping him of all his weapons, gradually leaving the boy defenseless. Negi, in the moment, pulled a bobble from the strap across his chest and uncorked it, tossing it into the air. Akira and Ako were unlucky enough to be caught in the spell's radius, stripped of their clothes (and their modesty), squealing. With a new opening Negi rolled away for distance and hit the two girls with a sleeping spell. Negi rushed over and caught them as sleep took them over.

    "I'm sorry Ako-san, Akira-san," he muttered. "I promise I'll find a cure to your conditions."

    Evangeline smiled.

    "Not bad for a boy. It's time to get serious. Chachamaru!"

    "As you wish master." She monotonically said as she stepped forward, her thrusters activating. "My sincerest apologies sensei." She said as she rushed at Negi with a fist prepared to pulverize the boy. Negi just escaped her attack thanks to hearing the gynoid's apology, but another problem was right behind her. Seventeen magical ice arrows rushed towards him, ready to bury themselves deep in his flesh. The boy looked for an exit and saw one through the windows. Bracing himself for the impact, glass skimmed over his flesh with small cuts as he faintly heard another barrage of arrows chase after him as he fell. At the last moment, Negi boarded his staff and turned upwards, racing just above the ground as he ran from the arrows. The ice shards were relentless. Negi pulled a strange item resembling a gun from his side and fired at the arrows, eradicating them. Evangeline smiled.

    "A magic gun, hm? That's quite the antique he has!"

    "Scans show all projectiles have been destroyed Master," Chachamaru chimed in.

    "Hm, let's see what we can do about his little gadgets then." Eva said. She moved her fingers a couple ways and slowed down. Negi chanced a backwards glance. He hissed. He couldn't lose them, not yet. But the more distance he gained the safer he felt. That notion was shattered as he noticed Makie and Yuna sitting atop a lamppost. With a snap of her ribbon, Makie caught onto Negi's staff and pirouetted onto it.

    "How about we play a game, eh sensei?" She sing-songed. Negi couldn't even respond as he dodged a kick straight at his face, leaving Makie's panties plain to see. Her assault continued, slowly knocking off Negi's arsenal piece by piece.

    "Don't go hogging him Makie!" Yuna shouted from below, dribbling a pair of basketballs as she kept pace. She threw the two balls into Negi's path and they both hit a target, one being Negi, the other unfortunately being Makie. Disoriented, the gymnast didn't see the flag Negi was speeding towards and fell into the flag, tumbling down and colliding headfirst with a shocked (and now unconscious) Yuna.

    I'm sorry Makie-san, Yuna-san. Negi thought as he flew away. I promise I'll find a cure for you. I promise.

    Break

    Ornstein woke with a start at his desk before his senses returned to him, reminding him of his task. He fumbled with his desk's drawer for a moment before he found his matchbox and struck one as he lit the candle once again. He was not particularly happy. He'd saved at least two children from that Capra demon, and his reward (not exactly shocking it might be) was a mountain of paperwork from the Headmaster, mostly innocuous stuff that had little to do with the actual incident, but that didn't change the sense of tedium he felt from the punishment. Still, it kept him occupied and he would be for the rest of the blackout, as his pen signed another signature line while he worked by candlelight. It reminded him of when he would file and write ledgers or documents for his lord back home. He paused and felt a sigh coming on. It always hurt to reminisce about his past, as the memories were the only ties he had besides his ring, armor, and spear to connect him to his origins. But his mind was interrupted as something went off near the middle-school pool. Ornstein opened his senses, and snarled.

    "So, you're trying for one of your schemes, Evangeline?" He muttered. Ornstein took the candle and made his way down the halls of the building. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten about the blackout! If he'd remembered, Evangeline wouldn't be trying something. There was a hidden stairway at the end that lead to a generator beneath the school. Thankfully, this generator room wasn't in the school blueprints, so only the magically endowed teachers were aware of it, and not the students. This was Ornstein's mission. The Headmaster had asked him in the past if the school ever experienced an unexpected blackout or emergency and the grid went down without reason, to lend his powers over lightning and jumpstart the grid to ensure that Eva wouldn't have a chance to wreak havoc on the students or the general populace if she tried anything. And that certainly qualified in this case. He turned the latch with his key and the lock lifted from the door. He stepped inside. It was a generator like any other, only this was kept off and would only go on if a powerful amount of electricity went through it, connecting it to the rest of the electrical grid. Ornstein placed the candle on the ground, and began chanting the prayer for his lord's spear.

    Break

    "What?!" Asuna almost shouted.

    "Keep it down nee-chan!" Chamo hissed from Nodoka's shoulder. "You wanna wake everybody? Honya's roommates were trouble enough keeping down. I don't need more troubles."

    "Puh-Please Asuna-san!" Nodoka added. "We-We could really use your strength. Chamo-kun said so."

    "What the heck am I supposed to do against a blonde loli Dracula, huh?" Asuna questioned Nodoka.

    "Contract with Aniki, duh!" Chamo argued. "Honya-chan's obviously a support type character, and your strength makes you the best candidate for being our warrior type fighter! Even if your artifact stinks, you'll still be a force to be reckoned with from the power-up!"

    "Puh-Please Asuna-san!" Nodoka added. "Negi-sensei's life is in danger, and I'm too weak to fight. Please, you have to help us!" She finished with a bow. Asuna wanted to go back to bed and pretend this was just a dream. But she thought of her promise to Takahata-sensei, and relented. "Fine, I'll help the brat," She said. "But only 'cause I made a promise to look after him, got it?"

    Me thinks she doth protest too much, Chamo thought suppressing a snicker.

    "Then whattya waiting for? Get some outdoor clothes on and let's go!" Chamo commanded.

    "I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying!" Asuna said as she slipped out of her pajamas.

    Break

    The chase was getting frantic, and Negi thought he'd be toast any minute now with his pursuers pressuring him at all times. Even without the other girls, Eva and Chachamaru were relentless in their assault. Eva loved the feeling of being powerful again, of the icy chill of the queen of Winter at her beck and call, the freedom of flight as she chased down her prey, and the rush of magic in her veins. But then it all came to a crashing halt. Her power was suddenly gone, and all that was carrying her in the air was momentum. Her body was a 10 year old girl's once again, mortal and all. As her petite form began to descend, she felt someone cup her from beneath the shoulders. Chachamaru.

    "Master, are you alright?" She asked, not without a hint of concern for her charge.

    "I'm fine. But," She snarled. "That damn boy escaped me tonight." She kicked the empty air as Chachamaru hovered in place. "Let's get out of here Chachamaru. I want to you to do that, scanning thing and look for any power sources. Something's blocking my powers, and I want to know what."

    "What about the target, Negi-sensei?" Chachamaru asked.

    "...Let him go." Eva said. Chachamaru wordlessly obeyed, and began scanning for power sources. As they traveled over the lightless academy, Evangeline swore she would crush whoever or whatever had cost her her chance at freedom.

    Break

    As the wind rushed by Negi's face, his heart beat like a thousand runners in a marathon, thundering in his eardrums. But slowly, he began to diminish his speed. Eventually, he came to a complete stop over the river, and turned around. Nobody was following him. He could faintly make out the jets from Chachamaru's thrusters leaving him behind. It looked like he had won. Finally he could breathe easy. He smiled and pumped his fist in the air, triumphant. As he made his way back to the possessed girls, he spotted a pair of his students running along the streets. And was that Chamo-kun with them? What was he doing? As he approached he realized they were Nodoka and Asuna, the latter of which looked rather irked for some reason.

    "N-Negi-sensei!" Nodoka stuttered with a pant and a breath, "I'm so-so glad you're-"

    "Did that Eva chick hurt you Aniki? Please tell me you're not her thrall, right?" Chamo rudely interrupted.

    "Um, no. In fact, I beat her!" Negi said as he rubbed the back of his head embarrassed.

    "..."

    "..."

    "...WHAT?!" All three shouted. A dozen questions began bombarding him, mostly from Chamo-kun, but also from...Asuna-san?

    "Waitwaitwait a SECOND!" Negi shouted. The trio of voices stopped. A dark scowl loomed across Negi's visage. "Chamo-kun, did you rope Asuna-san and Nodoka-san into trying to help me? Against my wishes?"

    Chamo swallowed. "W-What was I supposed to do? You couldn't take a Shinso all by yourself, and you wouldn't listen to me! I had to do something and help you aniki!"

    "But I did manage! And I even beat her! So there was no reason to worry! And what's worse, you tried to get two more of my students involved, possibly putting their lives at risk." Negi scolded. Chamo was about to retort when Asuna answered for him.

    "And what about yourself, huh? You could've died and where would we be then?" Asuna countered.

    "But I beat her, and I did it all by myself." Negi argued.

    "That doesn't change you went into a situation you had no understanding about, and almost got yourself hurt because of it! I swear it's like you want to prove something to yourself or something with trying to save Honya-chan and now this!"

    "But Nodoka-san shouldn't have to endanger herself for my sake! If I can't solve my own problems what kind of teacher am I?"

    "Really? You want me to answer that? I'll tell you: A stupid one. Because he doesn't realize when his problems are too much for him to handle alone!" Asuna declared.

    "But...But I beat her! I saw her running away!" Negi tried to explain, but Asuna wasn't convinced.

    "And what does that mean besides she ran away? For all you know she might've had a reason to turn tail other than because of you, ever think of that?"

    "But, but--I just didn't want anyone else to get hurt." Negi said, a little deflated. "What's wrong with that?!" He asked with a renewed fire in his eyes. Asuna sighed. She wasn't going to get through to him, not like this.

    "I can tell you're not gonna listen to me brat, so I'll just tell you straight up: you bit off more than you can chew, and I know it'll come back to bite you."

    "A-Asuna-san!" Nodoka said, shocked.

    "I know karma brat, and it's cruel. You didn't win, you got off lucky. And that loli vampire Eva isn't gonna give you an easy time. That, I'd bet my entire newspaper salary on." She huffed, and began walking back to the dorms.

    "W-Wait, Asuna-san!" Nodoka called out, but Asuna wasn't listening. Negi looked at Chamo-kun with a face saying 'we're gonna have a talk when this is over'. Chamo just curled himself tighter on Nodoka's shoulder.

    "Um, Nodoka-san," Negi started, "Since you are here-"

    "Y-Yes Negi-sensei?" Nodoka squeaked.

    "Could you, um, help me move the other girls back to their dorms?" He asked.

    "Oh, of course!" She answered with a short bow.

    At least she's always willing to help,     He thought.

    Break

    "Well?" Evangeline asked.

    "I have located a significant source of electrical power." Chachamaru answered.

    "Where is it?"

    "Scans indicate the location to be the School building. However, official blueprints do not indicate a generator to be a part of the building. Perhaps it is something else."

    "...Take us closer." Eva said.

    "As you wish, Master." Chachamaru said, moving in closer to the building. There seemed to be a few sources of light coming from the building, but they only faintly made out the silhouettes of the occupants. Eva looked over the teacher's faces. Most seemed to be the regular sort, not aware of the magical background of the academy. But then she glimpsed him. Ornstein.

    "Chachamaru, I want you to scan again, this time do the whole area in and around the building. Take me to the roof."

    "Very well master." Chachamaru rose to the roof and let Evangeline step down onto the stony floor with her bare feet. Once again the robot began scanning again. It took much less time, and in less than a minute she was finished.

    "Scans indicate there is a significant electrical power source. Furthermore, it seems to be coming from beneath the building in a sealed off section. Perhaps this was a private addition."

    "Which means that old man had it installed. But why does it--the seal." Eva's eyes widened. "It's to keep the seal up during the blackouts. And if Ornstein is there," It means he's the one to power it during blackouts. Her thoughts finished the sentence.

    "If Ornstein-sensei is there, master?" Chachamaru mimicked, tilting her head a bit.

    "It means he's been my warden for the past 15 years. But he slipped up tonight." Eva smiled wickedly. "And that means I can try again tomorrow. I just need to prepare a few things." She chuckled. "I might actually have some more use for those puppets than I thought." Eva muttered. She looked at Chachamaru. "Have you located the position of that secret room?"

    "I have narrowed down the possible routes to a 0.00001% margin of error. I am almost positive I know how to gain entry."

    "Excellent. Come Chachamaru," Eva said as she walked back into the robot's arms. "We need to prepare. And one more thing...You can't defeat Ornstein yourself. Understand?"

    "...Understood, master." The robot quietly answered as they returned to Eva's cabin.

    Break

    "What the--?!" Negi exclaimed.

    "They're...gone?" Nodoka finished his thought.

    Indeed, Yuna, Akira, Ako, and Makie were all nowhere to be found. They had checked the pool and the flagpole Negi had left Yuna and Makie at, but they had all just, disappeared.

    "This is seriously freaking me out aniki." Chamo said from Nodoka's shoulder. He still felt uncomfortable next to Negi at the moment. "A Shinso's servants can't just vanish like that. Not even a full-blown vampire has that kind of control over their thralls."

    "But then, how--" Negi started.

    "Um, maybe they just, walked back to their dorms?" Nodoka inquired. Negi shook his head.

    "I hit Akira-san and Ako-san with a decent sleeping spell. They should've been out for a few hours." Negi said.

    "Then, what happened to them?" Nodoka asked.

    "I don't know, and that's what's troubling me, Nodoka-san."

    "..." Nodoka deflated slightly. It was then a familiar silhouette came marching back. A twin-tailed silhouette who rang with the sound of bells at her every step. With a scowl of a visage.

    "Ah, Asuna-san! You can help us with--ow ow ow! What are you--?" He said as Asuna grabbed him by the ear and began dragging him back to the dorms.

    "Konoka-chan would nag at me unless I brought you back with me, alright? Besides you'll be no good if you show up to class a dead man walking."

    "But, the others--"

    "I'm not gonna listen to your whining. Come on Honya-chan. Let's get back to the dorms before the power's back."

    "Um, o-okay," Nodoka murmured, following behind Negi and Asuna. Despite his protests, Negi found himself back in bed and asleep before the clock struck midnight.

    Break, The Next Day

    As the class meandered on, Chachamaru continued sorting through hypotheses of how to best disable the power grid remotely. She had already run through dozens of scenarios where she disabled the power directly, but she found too many variables and too many failures in that hypothesis. Therefore, hacking the grid remotely was the more efficient, if more difficult, means of aiding success to lady Evangeline's goals. She finished reading the English translation within twenty microseconds, but kept rereading to maintain the illusion she was focused on the class. Evangeline barely paid the boy any mind while one of her servants, Aku something, went about reading the translation. If Chachamaru was any shred of the servant she knew her as, she was already formulating a plan on how to disable that accursed power grid. The difficult part, for Eva at least, was her task: freezing over the power cables to stall those electricians from restoring power to the grid before she had her victory. That, and what to do about Ornstein. If the power went out, he'd be headed for the hidden generator at once. And if Chachamaru hadn't destroyed it fast enough, or if her reinforcements weren't a problem to the gym teacher, the robot would be in trouble to say the least. She had managed to implement some subconscious commands into the girls before he power had vanished, thus explaining why they'd left after being knocked out by Negi last night. Now she just needed for Chachamaru to do her job and she could get the girls to accompany her down to the generator beneath the school. At the very minimum, they'd make proper meatshields if Ornstein didn't care about them enough to keep them alive and let Chachamaru escape. Of course if Chachamaru was lost, it was not a big problem for Eva. She'd just have Hakase build another one, right? The bell sounded, signalling the end of English class. Evangeline ignored Negi's cries for her, and left, Chachamaru right behind.

    "Have you figured something out?" She asked.

    "I have narrowed down to twelve possible scenarios that I could execute. Of those dozen, four possess an 87.65% chance I will encounter Ornstein before I complete my mission, and a 97.63% chance he will hinder me. The remaining eight possess a lower percentage, but still exceeding 45%. Would you still wish to proceed with these chances, master?"

    Eva thought as she walked.

    "If I have those puppets of mine delay that knight, what are your chances he'll encounter you?"

    "On average, 42.1%."

    "And if I have those girls engage him in combat?"

    "If Ornstein-sensei is experienced in hand to hand combat, as he has demonstrated in self-defense sessions, I have a 39.2% chance of encounter. However, if I do encounter him, the probability of my survival is 4.1%. Complete annihilation, 98.9%."

    Eva paused in her stride. Why was this feeling harder than before? It didn't matter what happened to Chachamaru, as long as she got that boy's blood. That was her goal, and nothing could stand in her way to it. Right?

    Break, Evening

    Chachamaru stood on the roof of the school building. According to her hypothesis, Ornstein was either in his room (unlikely) or finishing the paperwork he had (likely, and probable to end soon). Given this was the least active hours after sundown, she'd have to begin soon or her master wouldn't be able to freeze the power lines. Chachamaru set aside her personal sentiments and began the operation. After 15 minutes of hacking firewall after firewall, she reached her destination: the command codes for the academy's power grid. She hesitated for a moment before executing the blackout command. Mahora Academy became a city of darkness, and the sounds of surprise and confusion quickly rose. Chachamaru entered the staircase leading to the main level of the building, where she detected the power source. A lock and door knob blocked her way, as the only other ornament was an 'authorized personnel only' sign across the front. The simple lock made sense, since during blackouts all electronic locks deactivated. Chachamaru tore the lock off and ripped the knob from its moorings, granting her access to the room. She entered and spotted the generator. She didn't waste time, ramming into the machine before punching it with the force of a a piledriver. The machine groaned in agony as Chachamaru continued pulverizing it until it became inoperable. At best, she had about five minutes before Ornstein cut off her means of escape and encountered her. At worst, she had less than 60 seconds. With her advanced hearing she picked up a faint collection of voices, three female and one male. They were either bickering or fighting. It sounded likely a fight would break out if something wasn't done about the generator immediately.

    So she did something. Without thinking, she gave her strongest kick right at the generator, just as her sensors picked up footsteps coming down the stairway. She hid herself amongst the rubble, wedging herself beneath a broken piece of the generator. She just finished hiding as the door slammed open. The room echoed as footsteps clapped against the hard tile floor, measured and precise. Chachamaru didn't even pretend to breathe; she could almost feel Ornstein's presence as he looked over the rubble. A curse and a snarl were followed by the sound of metal being tossed aside like a frisbee. Then she heard another land almost right next to her, followed by a roar of anger. For 180 seconds, she could hear his rage and fury, praying to whatever god was listening that he wouldn't find her. And then, she heard him leave, slamming the door behind him. With a slow, painful pace, she scooted out of her hiding spot and stepped towards the door. Chachamaru felt like her processor would overheat with all the possible scenarios where she could be caught. The door creaked, loud and ominous. The power was still out, meaning Evangeline had accomplished her mission stalling the technicians. Now all Chachamaru had to do was escape.

    "Going somewhere, golem?" A man's voice asked. The air crackled. Scratch that, all she had to do was survive.

    Break

    Evangeline waited for a few minutes for Chachamaru. Then she got irritated. Something was keeping her, even with the help of those four girls. Perhaps she'd underestimated Ornstein? She shook her head. No, that was impossible. Right? A tremor shook from the academy, and something went flying out a window. Chachamaru. Technically the upper half of Chachamaru. And that's when Eva snapped. She didn't care about the boy as much as her pride, and if her servant was getting beaten by that stupid knight, she had to correct things. She began chanting a spell, and hurried over. Ornstein broke through the window and followed, landing on the ground as Chachamaru's body clattered against the earth. He huffed.

    "I expected better of the servant to the Dark Evangel herself. I suppose I overestimated how finely she picked her servants. Oh well," He said as he lifted Chachamaru by her head. "At least this will serve as an example to her as to why she should not try to escape. Farewell, golem." He began to squeeze, and Chachamaru could only scream in silence as she felt his grip pressing down on her "brain".

    "Don't you touch my servant you bastard!"

    Chachamaru opened her eyes, and Ornstein shared her shock. A blast of ice separated the two as Ornstein jumped back to gain some distance. He snarled.

    "I'm surprised Evangeline," He said staring at her as she landed beside Chachamaru. "I never took you for the type to care about your underlings."

    "Don't mistake me for some soft-hearted fool, knight." Eva snapped back. "I'm merely saving face by disposing of you before I focus on my real goal."

    Ornstein's eyes narrowed. "The boy. Springfield." Eva clicked her tongue.

    "You catch on fast, knight. Yes, I will deal with the boy. I will not remain a prisoner in this damned academy any longer." She raised her hand, a spell ready to fire. Ornstein moved in, but wasn't quick enough. The next instant, he was encased in a cage of ice, and all he could do was glare at the little girl holding him captive. At that moment, Ako, Akira, Makie and Yuna descended from the broken window and landed next to Eva and Chachamaru. Makie picked up Chachamaru's upper half wordlessly, though Chachamaru did thank her all the same.

    "Girl." Eva said addressing Makie. "Take the rest of her to Hakase. She'll know what to do. The rest of you are with me. Try to keep up, if you can."

    The remaining girls just nodded uniformly, leaving Makie to carry Chachamaru's halves to the science district of the dorms. That just left her with the three girls. She'd have to handle this personally and carefully. She didn't have much time to act.

    Break

    Negi yawned as he made his way up the stairs to Asuna's dorm. That last fight with Evangeline had tuckered him out more than expected, and he could feel the fatigue setting in.

    "You alright aniki? Last night must've winded you." Chamo mused. Even though Negi had scolded him for almost endangering his students, they'd made up quickly. At that moment, the lights died and the building was encased in darkness. Negi looked around, but Chamo squealed, hugging onto Negi's shoulder with a vice grip.

    "C-c-c-Chamo-kun! Squeezing--Not breathing!" Negi squeaked just before Chamo loosened his grip and apologized.

    "Aniki! It's her! She's back! That Eva-chick! She's back!" Chamo squeaked.

    "Wh-What?!" He asked. "But, but what is she doing now?"

    "Heck if I know, but I doubt it's good! I think she's on the roof! Come on," Chamo said hopping off Negi's shoulder. "We gotta tell yer partners and--"

    "No." Negi said in the darkness. "I'm not endangering them, Chamo-kun. I'll face her on my own and--"

    "Get yourself in trouble beyond your weight class? Like you obviously would." A female voice chimed in the darkness. Asuna.

    "A-Asuna-san?" Negi said.

    "Nee-san!" Chamo exclaimed. "Thank goodness you're here! Look, Eva's up to something again, and we could really use your abnormal strength! So, formalities aside, we need you to kiss Aniki pronto!"

    "W-What?!"

    "Ch-Chamo-kun! But, I'm her teacher!" Negi said.

    "And he's a brat!" Asuna added.

    "Don't you know that only makes it hotter?!" Chamo argued with blood trickling out of his nose, though nobody could see it. "Besides, we don't have a choice. Aniki needs backup! I trust in my gut, and you cannot take that Eva girl on yourself! If nothing else, we should look for Honya-chan before we fight Eva-chan!"

    "R-Right," Asuna hesitantly agreed. Anything to keep away from kissing that brat was good in her eyes. "I'll go and check her dorm! Just, stay put!" Before Negi could even get a word in, Asuna was off to check. Negi, unwilling to stop his student, just waited until she returned a few minutes later. "No dice. Ayase-chan said she's over doing some late work at Library Island."

    Chamo cursed under his breath.

    "Then we'll just have to do without her. Nee-san, time to get smooching!" Chamo said futilely pushing her ankle towards Negi while she stammered.

    "B-B-But, I haven't had my first kiss yet!" She protested.

    "Are you kidding me? I can't care less about your modesty right now Nee-san! Aniki's life is in danger, and I'll be damned before I don't try to stop it while I have the chance!"

    "Chamo-kun…" Negi said, stunned at the ermine's proclamation, despite the circumstances. Of course, then he remembered the circumstances and changed his mind. "W-Wait, Asuna-san has a point! We shouldn't impose on her--"

    "Enough with your protests, alright? I'm looking out for your wellbeing Aniki, and I intend to make sure you survive tonight!" He said as he kept pushing in vain. Asuna just stood there, watching his pathetic display.

    "Fine! I'll do it!" Asuna said, relenting. Chamo's eyes sparkled.

    "Alright! Gimme one sec!" He produced a piece of chalk and began drawing a magical circle just from memory as he worked in the dark, until finally he was finished, encircling Negi and Asuna. The circle lit up like a glow of sunlight, illuminating the area. Negi and Asuna could see each other in the light, their faces like the marble of statues with expressions of surprise at how the other looked in the glowing light. To Asuna, it was like looking at a man in a boy's body, eyes that should've been curious were instead driven and filled with purpose. For Negi, it was like looking into the face of his sister from Wales, yet the heterochromatic eyes held something deep within Asuna, like a dark secret she wished to forget about herself, but couldn't.

    "Well, get on with it! And don't short change this, Nee-san! Make those lips meet, got it?!"

    "Don't pressure me!" She snapped back. "This is, well, it's…"

    "You can be all weak-kneed after we survive tonight Nee-san. Eva-chan isn't gonna be any kinder to us, and she's not gonna wait on you to work it up."

    "Alright, alright!" She said with a red face. She turned back to Springfield, and cupped her hands around his cheeks. "No tongue, got it?"

    "Wha--Mmmph!" Negi's words were silenced as Asuna pressed her lips to his.

    "Pactio!" Chamo cried out, triumphant. Asuna pulled away as soon as she heard Chamo's words. She wiped her lips with her arm, and glared at Negi.

    "Not. A. Word of this. To. Anyone." She said. "Got It?" Negi nodded.

    "Um, Nee-san, that's gonna be a bit hard." Chamo said.

    "And why, pervert, is that?" Asuna said glaring at his back. Chamo pointed to the glass roof. On it stood the figures Akira, Yuna, Ako, and Evangeline A.K. McDowell. McDowell was scowling.

    "Looks like we had an audience."
     
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