Mahou Sensei Negima! Fan Fiction ❯ Miscalculation ❯ Chapter 2

“Something wrong, Negi-kun?” came a pleasant voice from behind the young man, accompanied by a flowery scent and a warm, soft mass pressing against his shoulders and the back of his head. The youngest teacher in the world was in the faculty lounge, grading papers from his day's classes.

 

“Shizuna-san,” Negi identified the woman by both scent and the large assets currently pillowing his head as the older woman read over his head. “Just grading some papers,” he explained.

 

“I see,” agreed the stacked woman casually, eyeing the papers. “Your class is slipping a little, aren't they?” she observed. A small sweat-drop formed on Negi's temple.

 

“I suppose you could look at it that way,” he replied weakly. From their miracle comeback the year before, his homeroom class was slipping back into their comfortable, usual spot of dead last in grade. Before him was a stack of red-stained papers.

 

“Hmm,” hummed Shizuna, swiftly thumbing through the stack without separating her full bosom from where it bracketed his head and rested on his shoulders. “Still, I suppose that it isn't from lack of trying,” said the more experienced teacher to the beginner. “Chao-san's departure has cost your class a sizable grade curve advantage, after all,” she said obliquely, referencing the events of earlier that year. Negi's lips tightened. Chao was not something he felt comfortable talking about with anyone not in his White Wings. Too many unanswered questions, he thought fleetingly.

 

His thoughts were interrupted by Shizuna once more. “I can clearly see the `Baka Rangers' have made serious strides in their grades,” she smiled.

 

“They are trying their best,” agreed Negi. With all but one of them in his White Wings party, he had come to understand them a lot better, and was swift to defend them. Swiftly, he pulled a sheet of paper out of the stack without looking. “See how much Asuna has improved?” he boasted, showing her a paper with a thirty percent on it. Shizuna giggled softly.

 

“Yes, she had shown the most improvement,” the woman replied. So, she has gone from `oni', to `Kagurazaka-san', to `Asuna-san', to `Asuna-chan' and now to just `Asuna'? she thought amusedly. “Well, I am sure that if anyone can motivate them, you can, Negi-kun,” Shizuna said as she fondly ruffled his hair.

 

“I will do my best!” promised the mage in training. Shizuna straightened, glancing at the clock.

 

“Well, I have a class to teach, Negi-kun. Have a good evening, hmm?”

 

“Yes, Shizuna-san,” he promised as the woman swayed out of the lounge. Negi began to enter the newest grades into the class register. He was engrossed in the task, so when a hand fell on his shoulder, he was caught by surprise.

 

“Gah!” came the terrified scream as Negi reacted on instinct, trapping the hand, twisting back and around, focusing his chi and throwing the attacker over and across his desk as he settled into his fighting stance, his magical barrier flaring to full power as he anticipated a crippling counter-attack from Chachamaru, Eva, Kotaro, or one of his other regular sparring opponents.

 

Instead of the counter-attack he anticipated, he realized that it was Nitta that had clapped him on the shoulder, the older man sprawled out on the floor several feet in front of Negi's desk, surrounded and partially covered by papers and organizers and other detritus. “N…Nitta-san!” gasped the young man, hurrying over to help the older man up. “Are you ok?” he worried. Nitta was still trying to figure out what had happened to him.

 

“I think so,” he said slowly, patting himself down. Other than a collection of bumps and bruises, he was reasonably sure that he was ok. “Must have tripped on something,” he mumbled. Negi didn't dare respond to that. “Well, I was just going to ask you if you wanted to come out with the rest of us for a bite to eat and some relaxation,” he recalled why he had approached the kid teacher.

 

“I probably shouldn't,” said Negi. “Konoka and Asuna are probably preparing dinner about now, and I have some things to do before then, and after dinner, we usually have a study group for the Rangers,” he thought out loud. “And I don't think that I should try sake again,” he said uncomfortably. Nitta blinked, recalling the festival and Negi's little adventure with sweet sake.

 

“You are probably correct, Negi,” he agreed. Seeing the other teachers gathering outside the lounge, he straightened his tie. “Well, you are certainly welcome if you decide to, Negi,” he made his excuses and moved toward the door.

 

“I appreciate the opportunity, Nitta-san,” Negi bowed to him before swiftly cleaning up the mess and finishing up the grade entry. With the paperwork done, he quickly straightened up his desk in the lounge and exited, closing the door behind him. Seeing that it was later than he thought, he hurried to the dorm, anticipating another good meal with Konoka and Asuna.

 

Arriving at their shared room a few minutes later, he found Konoka and Asuna dressing. There was no sign that there was anything prepared for supper, though from the look of things, Asuna and Konoka had just gotten out of the bath or shower. “Hey, Asuna, Konoka,” he said, setting aside his small briefcase of teaching-related material. “What's the plan for supper?” he wondered.

 

“We're going out to eat tonight,” said Asuna, fastening the catch on a thin, small lace bra behind her back one-handed. With her other hand, she picked up her bells, preparing to tie her hair back in her usual hairdo. Not far from Asuna, Konoka was zipping up a short summer skirt, a bra not unlike Asuna's already on her.

 

“It's our anniversary, after all,” said the girl, smiling at Negi, “so we're going out to eat at Sat-chan's place,” explained the granddaughter of the school's dean. Selecting a spaghetti-strapped mid-riff top, the dark-haired girl wiggled into it before reaching for her brush. Negi blinked at her words.

 

“Anniversary?” he wondered aloud. Asuna gave him a dirty look as she pulled on a tight, short tee shirt to compliment her denim mini-skirt.

 

“It's been a year since our pactio, baka,” she explained, her tone annoyed. Negi's mouth dropped open.

 

“Oh!” he gasped, suddenly understanding. “Sorry! I should have realized that,” he apologized, “but things have been so busy lately…!” Konoka's soft giggle interrupted his apologies and excuses.

 

“We know, Negi,” said the girl. “It's ok; really!”

 

“Besides, we've been busy as well,” Asuna dismissed the forgotten anniversary. “Besides, the others are meeting us there, as well,” added the first of his pactio girls. “We decided that since we all pactio'd within weeks of each other, we would just have a group celebration,” was the explanation.

 

“So grab your stuff and let's go!” urged Konoka happily as a knock came from the door. “That's probably Set-chan,” smiled Konoka. “Come in!”

 

It was, in fact, Setsuna. The girl stepped into the room, her covered sword in hand as always. Negi was changing out of his suit and into his `casual clothes' of knee-length cargo shorts and a tee-shirt. He had a sizeable collection of tee-shirts that the girls had gotten over the time he had known them, as well as a lot of other clothes. For whatever reason, clothes didn't last long for any of his group, though the girls seemed to be going through more clothes than he had thought possible. Especially Asuna, thought the young man absently. Seems like that has been a defining standard of our relationship since day one, he mused, tucking small items into his pockets.

 

“Ready,” he said, hopping lightly down from the loft. Asuna and he didn't use the ladders any more; they had long since surpassed any need of them, and had tossed them to maximize what little space the room had. Konoka set aside her brush, Asuna tucked her pactio card into her top, and Setsuna gave Negi a brief head-bow from just behind Konoka. Together, the four set out for the rail-car diner that Satsuki Yotsuba had inherited from Chao after the festival.

 

Arriving at the car, they found that there was a small group of dispirited-looking people sulking near the entrance, which had a small sign reading `closed tonight for private gathering' and was signed by Yotsuba. Inside, the four could see that the others were already waiting. At the approach of the four, the small group enviously watched as they entered the small diner car, muttering about how unfair it was that others could enjoy the best cooking in the whole world, but they would have to settle for lesser fare elsewhere. Satsuki paused to look at the group, giving them a small smile and a brief apology gesture. Smiling like fools, the sulkers broke up and moved off in search of food. Negi reflected on the odd fact he had discovered by accident during the festival: Satsuki was nearly as feared and respected as Fei Ku, though for different reasons.

 

Drawing down the blinds, the plump master chef made her way back to the kitchen to begin dishing up the White Wings. Things at the restaurant were as busy as always, though with the departure of Chao, it felt different to Satsuki. Still, it is for the best that things worked out as it did, thought the girl, dishing up the first course of the meal. Looking out the small pass-through, she saw that Chachamaru - in her new body - was waiting on the other side to hand out the food.

 

Chachamaru's new body looked far more human-like than the clearly-mechanical prototype body she had had. Hakase had improved on the technology that the gynoid used, as well as increasing the fighting capability of the partner of Eva by crunching the data from the festival fighting tournament. Chachamaru was deadlier than ever, as Negi had discovered the first time he sparred against her in her new body. Her new body had a different sensor system in the form of two horn-like projections from just over her ears, as well as having a more efficient heat dissipation system, allowing for shorter hair.

 

As she was wont to do, Chachamaru served her mistress first, setting the plate before the small but deadly blonde vampire of 3-A. And as Eva was prone to doing, she was decked out in a frilly Goth dress, liberally ribboned and laced. It might have been his imagination, but Negi thought that there was an unusually wicked gleam in his master's eyes, and she keep scanning the group with a smirk - perhaps sneer would be more accurate - on her lips. He knew her well enough to know that she was entertained by some twisted notion or other. What it might be was speculation, since she was not giving him any sense of sharing it.

 

Looking around the room, Negi saw that the full roster of the White Wings was there. Asuna, Konoka, Setsuna, Nodoka, Yue, Kaede, Fei Ku, Haruna, Chisame, Kasumi and Kotaro were all present, talking, joking and enjoying themselves. Chachamaru and Yotsuba were tending to the food and service, nearly transparent to the party. It wasn't until the anniversary gathering was breaking up that he realized that one member of the party hadn't put in an appearance. “Master, have you seen Chamo recently?” he asked Eva as she and Chachamaru were heading for her cabin.

 

“He is drinking with Chachazero,” said Eva, giving him a dangerous smile. “Missing the little vermin?” she mocked him, smiling a sharp-toothed smile.

 

“Not at all!” interjected Asuna firmly. “Good to have him out of our panty drawers for a while,” she added snippily. “We'll see him all too soon when we go to the Resort for our next training cycle,” she sighed.

 

“Hmm,” hummed the small undying magi, turning away. “Until then,” she said, waving a hand as she moved off with her partner.

 

“It's later than I thought,” noted Konoka, glancing at the clock tower. “And we have class tomorrow, too,” she recalled. Asuna shrugged.

 

“Plenty of time to sleep, though,” she said carelessly.

 

“Don't you have your paper route tomorrow?” wondered Negi, falling into step with Asuna and Konoka, walking between his first two pactio partners.

 

“I quit,” shrugged Asuna, glancing at Negi. “Too many other things need my attention,” she said quietly. Negi slowly nodded.

 

“It's about time,” Konoka said easily. “I've told you before that you didn't need to do that job,” she said.

 

“Spending money is going to be a little tight, though,” mused Asuna. Konoka giggled softly.

 

“No it won't, Asuna-chan,” she dismissed the worry. “Grandpa has been putting a weekly living allowance in an account for you since you started school here,” she said. “By now, there should be a healthy sum in there,” shared the girl. “I'll ask grandpa for the register next time I see him,” she made a mental note.

 

The four entered the dorm, and in short order were in their room, getting ready for bed. Yawning, Asuna jumped into her bed, flopping back in a typically un-ladylike manner. “Man, Sat-chan's food is so good,” she sighed happily. “Eating it always makes me sleepy, and since I ditched the paper route, I can get a good night's sleep, too,” she said happily.

 

“Good night, Asuna,” said Konoka, flipping the light off. “Night, Negi,” she added, slipping into her bed below Asuna.

 

“Night, Konoka-chan, Asuna-chan,” came the sleepy voice of Negi from the darkness of the loft.

 

-

 

“Drink, Chamo?” asked Chachazero, waving a bottle of aged wine. The ermine was plastered, but nodded anyway. The doll sloshed a refill from the bottle.

 

“Well, isn't this just a homey scene?” came a sardonic voice from the door to the room where the doll and the ermine were drinking some of Eva's stockpile of alcohol. Behind the scary master of the resort was Chachamaru, watching dispassionately.

 

“Welcome back, mistress,” said Chachazero. “Did the party go well?” wondered the servant of the master.

 

“Yes, as a matter of fact, it did,” purred Eva. “Oh, I want you to keep the vermin company until I say otherwise. Understood?” she said to her minion. Chachazero nodded.

 

“Yes, mistress,” she replied automatically. Eva leered at Chamo, who was staring at her in a drunken stupor.

 

“I insist that you partake of my hospitality, my drunken little ermine,” she said softly, turning away from the two and moving toward her bath. “Chachamaru, I need you to fetch me a certain book from the library,” she directed her partner. “I'll be in the bath,” she added, the door closing off the rest of the conversation.

 

-

 

Asuna moaned softly, opening her eyes. Even though her alarm wasn't going off, she had woken up early by habit. Sleepily, she moved to rub her eyes, yawning. I think I was having a good dream, she thought hazily, Can't really remember, but I'm pretty sure it was a good dream. Asuna realized that she couldn't move her right arm.

 

Marginally more awake than before, she realized that it was pinned by something. A moment later, she identified the problem. Oh, Negi's in my bed again, she thought, yawning again. Well, that's nice, her mind dismissed the discovery. Settling her head back on her pillow, she absently hugged her bedmate a little closer. Might as well go back to sleep, she decided, her arm settling into a comfortable position.

 

Negi was spooning with her, his back to her chest, her right arm under his head and looped loosely around his torso. Her left hand came to rest across his waist, her hand landing on his stomach. Closing her eyes, she waited to drift back to sleep. After a few moments, she opened her eyes again. Gotta get more comfortable, she thought sleepily, using her left hand to pull her hair our from under her and Negi, relieving some tension on her head. She also pushed the comforter down, leaving the sheet over her and Negi; with two of them in bed, it was a little too warm to be under the covers.

 

“Asuna,” came a mumbled sound from Negi as he shifted slightly. Asuna smiled in the dark. Used to be he mumbled `Onee-chan' in his sleep, but now at least he gets my name right when he's in my bed, she thought with silly amusement. Asuna shifted a little, tugging on her loose shirt as she did, freeing up a bind, but leaving her shirt somewhat twisted and bunched around chest. Glad I stopped wearing pajamas; they would have been too hot, she absently mused. Against her chest, she could feel Negi's warmth through the thin cotton of her sleeping shirt. It eluded her half-asleep mind that her shirt was all that separated Negi's back from her chest.

 

Already feeling sleepier now that she was more comfortable, Asuna returned her left arm to its original position. This time, however, her hand landed on something hard. Wha…? she wondered, yawning again. Her hand explored the strange hardness, finding it to be warm and soft, yet strangely hard. After a few moments, she realized what it was. Oh, Negi's got a boner, she smiled to herself, already slipping back into sleep. He's maturing fast, was her last conscious thought. Asuna drifted off to sleep cuddling Negi to her, her hand in his boxers, loosely holding his hard member.

 

-

 

“Negi-kun!” came a cheerful, happy voice. Turning, Negi saw Konoka and Setsuna moving toward Asuna and him. The pair had been on their way to Eva's for their daily training session, so meeting up with Konoka and Setsuna was expected. “What are we doing today?” wondered the brown-haired granddaughter of the school dean.

 

“I think master will have me sparring with either Setsuna-chan or Fei Ku-chan,” guessed Negi. “Asuna-chan is supposed to be sparring with Kotaro-kun,” he added. Asuna nodded.

 

“Yeah, I think Eva said that I needed to work on close combat with a different style,” she said.

 

“Your progress with a blade has slowed, so it is probably time to take a break and expand your skills to other areas,” agreed Setsuna.

 

“Negi-kun!” came another eager voice. Glancing back, he saw Nodoka, Yue and Haruna approaching. Coming to a stop in front of the mage, Nodoka offered him a warm smile. “I've finished reading the primer you gave me,” she said eagerly. “And Yue and I have even managed to get some minor results from our practice in our room,” she added.

 

“You're a fast learner, Nodoka-chan,” Negi praised her, causing her to blush. Haruna cackled evilly.

 

“I got some results from my practice as well,” she grinned insolently. With a flourish, she activated her artifact, flipping pages of the sketchbook before touching one with her feather pencil. A moment later, two bishies were standing in front of the group, holding hands.

 

“Um, Paru,” began Asuna, sweat-dropping, “I'm glad you're practicing and all, but about those two…”

 

“Wow,” exclaimed Konoka, “they look like Negi-kun and Kotaro-kun in about six years,” noted the long-haired healer. Haruna glanced away from Asuna's narrow-eyed stare.

 

“Coincidence,” she insisted. Negi frowned as the two bishies began to kiss.

 

“Uh, Haruka, what…?” he began, only to be interrupted by the two magically-summoned avatars exploded with a soft rush of air. From behind Paru, Kaede approached the group, a throwing knife still in her hand. Beside the tall Koga ninja were Kotaro and Chisame.

 

“Kaede,” complained Haruna.

 

“Don't do things like that in public, you baka,” muttered Chisame, though it was not immediately clear who she was talking to.

 

“Why are you drawing such weird stuff, Paru?” wondered Kotaro. Kaede never lost her small smile.

 

“It's not weird,” said Haruna complained. “It's sexy!” she breathed. Asuna groaned, shaking her head.

 

“Look, let's save this until we are at the retreat,” said the bells-wearing primary partner of Negi. “Where is the rest of our group?” she wondered out loud.

 

“Over there,” indicated Kaede, pointing. Looking to the left, the group saw Fei Ku and Asakura nearing them.

 

“Sorry we're late,” said Asakura as the two joined the group, which resumed their interrupted trek to their sponsor's cabin. “We had a little something we needed to take care of,” she sort-of explained.

 

“No problem,” shrugged Negi. “Thanks to master Eva, we have time,” he said.

 

Small talk occupied the trip to the log cabin set back from the Mahora proper, as well as the transport to the central hub of Eva's expanded resort. At the transportation seal, Chachamaru greeted them.

 

“Hey, Chachamaru,” Negi greeted the gynoid. Currently, the partner of Eva was in her type two body, the one that had been developed by Hakase using the data gathered during the first `grand match' fight. “Is master around?” he wondered.

 

“Mistress Eva is waiting for you all on the terrace,” said Chachamaru. “Please, follow me,” she added, leading the way even though the others all knew where the terrace was.

 

When the group reached the terrace, they found the chibi vampire mage sunning herself, a book near her hand. “Mistress, they have arrived,” the gynoid informed her master, bowing to the small blonde. Eva sat up, stretching.

 

“I see we have the entire group here today,” noted the self-proclaimed evil magi. “Excellent,” she said, smiling a cool smile. “There are going to be some changes in your routines,” continued the woman. “Nodoka, Yue, there is a book you must master,” said the mage, indicating a huge tome on the marble table not too far from where she rested. “It is a manual on a type of spell that the two of you should learn to use. Haruka, you need to learn how to extend the range and duration of your creations, now that you have mastered the basics. You will be working with Fei Ku and Kaede.”

 

“Ok,” said the doujinshi artist.

 

“Asuna, you and Kotaro are going to be sparring. And Kotaro, I don't want to see you going easy on her again,” warned Eva. “With Konoka to heal you all, there is no point to holding back. Your enemies won't, so don't get used to an opponent holding back.”

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Kotaro said, flipping a hand. Eva saw Asuna nod.

 

“Negi, you and Setsuna are going to be sparring. Setsuna, I want you to make liberal use of your wings,” she dictated. Setsuna nodded. Negi glanced at her, giving her a small smile. “Chachamaru will be monitoring you two,” added Eva. Both the fighters gulped at that. They had seen enough of Chachamaru's capabilities to know that she was even deadlier than she had been before.

 

“And us?” asked Asakura, indicating Chisame and herself. Eva smiled at them.

 

“You two?” she asked rhetorically. “You two are going to be working with me today.”

 

-

 

In the main hub of Eva's resort, the group changed into their `work' clothes. While they had often had to fight in school uniforms, the wear-and-tear was getting prohibitively expensive, so they had all brought in several changes of clothes. Initially, the girls had insisted on changing in one room, with Negi and Kotaro changing in another, but over the last few months, they had changed their minds.

 

Asuna folded her school blouse before unzipping her skirt and stepping out of it. “Where do you want to spar at, Kotaro?” she asked the wolf-boy, who was already zipping up some shorts and reaching for a tee shirt.

 

“The desert,” he said, grinning. Asuna sighed.

 

“Figures,” she muttered. The sand made movement much harder, and the temperature wore her down much faster than normal, though it seemed to have less effect on the demon. Setting her skirt aside, she reached back and unclipped her bra, setting it aside as she pulled a sports bra from her bag and wiggled into it. Once it was settled, she pulled out a pair of shorts and some boots. “No point wearing much more,” she muttered, buttoning the shorts and bending down to lace and tie her boots.

 

“Hurry up, Asuna-nee,” heckled Kotaro, grinning in eager anticipation. Asuna grunted, but didn't say anything in response.

 

Kaede tied her customized hakama on, her gi already donned. She wore her chest bindings and a thong under the outer clothes, and was probably packing a large assortment of weapons as well. Beside the ninja, Fei Ku dropped her skirt on the low bench and pulled out her silk Chinese dress that she favored for fighting wear. As was her habit, she didn't bother with a bra under the dress. Once, Negi had asked her about it, and she had said that it interfered with her freedom of movement and was unnecessary.

 

“Paru, what do you say we give the mountain meadow a run?” asked Kaede, glancing at the artist. Haruna was wearing a sun dress and sneakers, since her general mode of fighting did not rely on physical moment or contact, she had no reason to change out of her school uniform other than keeping comfortable.

 

“Sounds fine,” said the girl cockily. “Hey, you guys want to go for a swim in the lake over in the forest after we get done with supper?” she asked the group at large.

 

“Good idea!” enthused Konoka. “You guys are likely to work up a sweat, and it isn't often that we can swim in a lake!” she chirped. “Set-chan, let's do it!”

 

“Of course, Ojou-sama,” replied the Shinmei-ryu adept respectfully. Konoka pouted.

 

“I told you to call me `Konoka', Set-chan,” she said petulantly before smiling. “Or `Kono-chan',” she added eagerly.

 

“I..I couldn't be so informal, Konoka-sama,” the slim swordswoman sputtered. Konoka sighed, tying her robe. “Negi, where would you like to spar?” asked the girl, desperate to shift the topic away from Konoka's never-ceasing campaign to get her to address her lord in a casual - even loving - way.

 

“The grasslands seem a good spot, since you are supposed to use your wings,” Negi said, stepping into a pair of baggy cargo pants. He had already put on a tee shirt that Asuna had gotten for him, and a pair of sturdy leather boots waited. Setsuna nodded.

 

“Very well,” she agreed, stripping off her uniform. Once her bra was released, she set it aside and pulled out a customized gi that Konoka had made for her. It was cut and sewn to leave her entire back bare - the better for her to use her wings comfortably. Since a bra or chest bindings blocked her wings, she didn't wear anything but the gi when sparring. Her spandex shorts were left in place, and once the belt was tied around her waist, holding the front closed, she picked up her long sword, ready to go. She and Negi departed the room with the rest, leaving Nodoka and Yue to finish changing clothes as well.

 

Both girls wore the maid-based dresses that Eva had given them a while before. They were comfortable, and since Chachamaru usually wore a similar outfit, they didn't mind the implied message that such outfits sent. “You should be more aggressive, Nodoka-chan,” opinioned Yue as she tied the ribbon that fitted the dress to her diminutive frame. “If you don't work harder at spending private time with Negi, one of the other girls will get him,” she warned.

 

“I know,” sighed Nodoka, “but I can't spar with him like Asuna, Setsuna, Fei Ku or Kaede can, so I have to do what I can,” she explained. “You could ask to spar with him, though, Yue,” she suggested. Her friend shook her head.

 

“I can't spar with him, either,” she admitted. “All we can really do is use our own strengths to help him.” Nodoka nodded.

 

“Well, then, let's get started,” said the girl resolutely. Together, the two exited the room. They were just in time to see the groups of fighters vanish on the teleport portal, bound of the various sub-domains of Eva's resort.