Mahou Sensei Negima! Fan Fiction ❯ Miscalculation ❯ Chapter 11

Ayaka checked her cell phone once more. Sighing, she put it on the charger stand before beginning to strip. Might as well get a bath, she thought. After being chased by some sort of mutated dog/creature/thing, she was a bit sweaty. Seeing Kotaro sitting at the small table in the dorm room she shared with Chizuru and Natsumi and now him, working on homework, she scowled slightly, but still stripped off her clothes.

 

“Going for a bath?” came Chizuru's voice from her bed. “Sounds fun! I'll go with you,” decided the king of chest size in class 3A. Getting up, Chizuru unselfconsciously stripped naked before winding a towel around her curvy body and picking up her bath basket. Ayaka was likewise covered, and the two moved off toward the huge communal bath hall. The two had been gone about five minutes when Natsumi set down her pencil.

 

“Hey, Kotaro?” she said quietly.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“What do you and Negi do with the girls in the club?” she asked him. Kotaro frowned.

 

“What do you mean, what do we do?” he wondered.

 

“I mean, what sort of club is the White Wings?” Natsumi asked.

 

“It's just a club,” he said. “Mostly, Negi and I practice fighting,” he sort-of explained.

 

“And what about the others? I mean, Ku Fei and Setsuna and Kaede I can see doing that, but Yue and Nodoka and Konoka? You have to be doing something else if they are in the club,” she insisted. Kotaro shrugged.

 

“Observers and referees,” he dismissed the non-combatants. “Why the interest?” he countered.

 

“Just curious,” Natsumi replied. “I was thinking maybe I could join,” added the girl, watching Kotaro. The wolf boy considered that.

 

“Are you sure you want to?” he asked slowly.

 

“Well, I was thinking about it,” said Natsumi slowly. “But, if you think I can't do it, then…”

 

“I didn't say that,” Kotaro cut in. “I just…well, Negi is the head of the White Wings, and…well, the requisites are kind of…tough,” he delicately said, recalling Eva's harsh, nearly sadistic `training' that he and the other fighters had endured. I hate to think of what Chibi Terror did to the other girls, he thought to himself. By far, Eva had picked on Asuna hardest of them all. Something about Asuna drives Eva nuts, he reflected.

 

“Tough?” wondered Natsumi. Her mind threw up all sorts of nightmare scenarios of what kind of test she might have to endure if she wanted to sign up with the White Wings. “So, I probably can't join,” sighed the girl.

 

“I didn't say that, Natsumi,” Kotaro repeated, not liking the look in his `sister's eyes. Seeing the spark in her eyes, he mentally bit the bullet. “Tell you what,” he said slowly, “I'll ask Negi and the others, ok?” he offered. They'll say no, and that will be that, he predicted. After all, Eva is something of an elitist, and Natsumi is not the sort she has any use for; well, maybe if she's hungry, he thought, fighting back a grin. It was easy to joke about Eva being a vampire because she had stopped feeding off the class after Negi and Asuna beat her back in first year. Well, she feeds on Negi sometimes, but I guess she has to eat, too, he amended the earlier thought.

 

“You will? Thanks!” Natsumi gushed.

 

“Sure, no problem, Natsumi,” Kotaro said carelessly. “But, why do you want to join so much?” he wondered. It wasn't something that he would have expected of the often-timid and unsure girl. Natsumi blushed.

 

“N…no reason,” she denied, looking away. Kotaro gave her a quizzical look. Must be another girl infatuated with Negi, decided the wolf boy. Turning back to the homework, he quickly finished it up. While he wasn't enamored with the concept of school work, he didn't have much of a problem with the stuff he was doing. He accepted `help' from Natsumi and Chizuru, but vehemently refused to work with Ayaka; more from principal than because the Class Rep couldn't help him. He wasn't sure why it was so fun to jerk her chain, but he enjoyed it.

 

-

 

Negi slowly woke, opening his eyes. He felt warm and comfortable in the futon, even though a weight was pressing down on him. Focusing, he found rusty-brown hair framing the face of Chisame Hasegawa. She had shifted closer to Negi when he had returned from the original resort with Konoka. Konoka had happily tucked in with Setsuna after a trip to the bathroom, while Negi had stumbled back to Chisame's futon, where he was asleep practically before he could get his arms around the girl's warm form.

 

Looking at the girl's sleeping face, Negi found himself wondering why she bothered to Photoshop her digital pictures of her alter ego, the ultra-high rank net idol Chiu. She's so pretty…what is there to correct? he wondered. Even when she's wearing her glasses, she's still pretty, mused the young man. Leaning forward, he impulsively kissed her. Chisame came awake nearly instant.

 

Wha…?! was her first waking thought. Nearly instantly, she realized what was going on. Oh, it's Negi, she thought, relaxing as she sighed around the kiss. Without a conscious decision on her part, she returned the kiss. It was a little awkward because neither were very experienced; and this kiss was second kiss - her first kiss had sealed her Pactio with Negi months before. I think I could get to like this, she thought, turning a little. Feeling something hard nudge her inner thigh, she realized that Negi's `morning wood' was up.

 

Rather than feeling nervous, angry or unsure, she found herself slowly rubbing her thigh against it. It feels weird, but good, Chisame thought, opening her mouth so her tongue could slip into Negi's mouth. I wonder how it would feel in my pussy? the girl wondered, feeling Negi's tongue meet her own, caressing hers. Maybe if I… she thought, beginning to shift.

 

“Hey, I want one!” came a chipper voice from a futon away. Blinking Chisame identified the voice. Ku Fei is up, I see, the girl thought sourly, breaking the kiss with Negi.

 

“Good morning, Ku,” said the young man, sitting up. Chisame hid her annoyance. “Want one what?” he asked. The grinning Baka Yellow nearly tacked him, the two crashing into Yue and Nodoka's futon, which was between Asuna's futon and Chisame's futon.

 

“A morning kiss, of course!” Ku said, immediately sealing her lips to his. Beneath his head and back, he felt squirming. Carefully, he managed to break the kiss and straighten up, freeing Yue from under him and Ku Fei.

 

“Are you ok, Yue?” he asked, seeing her push back the sheet.

 

“I'm fine, I guess,” came the voice of the smallest girl in the White Wings. Beside her, Nodoka sat up as well. “What are you doing, Ku? Are you trying to crush us?” asked Baka Black of her fellow Baka Ranger.

 

“Sorry!” came Ku's unrepentant voice. The rest of the White Wings were awake by now, Chisame taking a towel and draping it over her shoulders as she moved past Negi, who was still pinned by Ku Fei.

 

“Oh, Chisame!” came Konoka's sunny voice, “we'll go with you!” pronounced the dark-haired girl, pulling a barely-protesting Setsuna after her.

 

“Breakfast will be served in a half hour,” came Chachamaru's voice, the gynoid bowing to the group from the doorway that connected to the dining room. At the mention of food, Ku Fei dexterously rose to her feet.

 

“Breakfast!” she exclaimed happily, catching the towel tossed to her by Kaede. Negi stood as well.

 

“Come bathe with us, Negi,” invited Nodoka, she and Yue standing, the later tugging on the bows that held her panties on, the small, surprisingly-adult garment fluttering off her slim hips. Nodoka tugged her own off as Yue grabbed some towels from the stack of fresh, folded towels that Chachamaru's `sisters' kept ready for the group.

 

“You should,” came Asuna's voice, the girl stretching her back before standing.

 

“I'd be happy to,” Negi said. Together, the last four White Wings followed their teammates into the bathroom. As the group tended to their morning rituals, it occurred to Setsuna that Eva had been gone since shortly after they had arrived in the resort.

 

“Has anyone seen Eva recently?” she asked the group at large.

 

-

 

Mana slowly opened her eyes, trying to recall where she was and how she got there. Once she had focused her eyes, the Miko school girl sat up, finding that she was in her work clothes - including her therm-optic camouflage cloak - and had apparently fallen asleep watching Eva's cabin. Looking at her faintly-illuminated watch, she frowned. Better get back to the dorm, she thought, rising. I can't believe I fell asleep, she mentally chastised herself.

 

Looking at the cabin, she saw that no lights were on, and everything seemed to be over for the night. Activating her cloak, she stealthily moved closer to the cabin, methodically working her way along the outside, looking in the windows. Once she climbed up to the small balcony that was connected to the master bedroom, she could clearly see Eva, sleeping in her bed. To the side, a large chair was occupied by Chachamaru, the robot girl apparently asleep. After a full three minutes of watching, Mana withdrew. Missed my chance tonight, she thought sourly, silently landing on the grass and moving toward the dorm. Zazie will be wondering where I am, though I doubt that she will say anything, Mana thought, smiling a little. The strange, silent girl was the perfect roommate for her.

 

Behind her, Eva sat up, a wicked smile on her lips, revealing her sharp fangs. Chachamaru's eyes opened. “She has withdrawn, Mistress,” said the robot girl. Eva nodded.

 

“I know. You can track her clearly now, Chachamaru?” asked the chibi terror of Mahora.

 

“There are no problems with tracking,” confirmed Chachamaru, her eyes flickering faintly. Her new body was much, much more advanced than her original body.

 

“Good,” said Eva, stepping out of her bed. The girl was in a filmy, see-through baby-doll nightie. Chachamaru stood, the light blanket that had covered her sliding off, revealing the skin-tight plastic-based panties she wore. Her new body was covered in adaptive, self-repairing synthetic protein skin and tissue, along with her inorganic and magic-derived internal workings, and though she didn't need them, Hakase had designed both panties and bras for her new body. Also for the alternate body, as well, recalled the robot girl, recalling the `Loli Negi Companion Model' the sometimes-unhinged inventor of the class had made. She did say that my new bodies are both `H' capable, Chachamaru remembered, feeling her surface temperature in her facial region climb several degrees.

 

The gynoid's ruminations were interrupted by Eva. “How far away is she?” asked the vampiress. Chachamaru checked her sensors.

 

“She is clearing the woods, Mistress,” reported Chachamaru. “It appears that she is returning to her dorm room for the night,” analyzed the man-made woman.

 

“Good,” said Eva, her tone brimming with dark anticipation. “Let's see how this works in the real world,” she murmured, stepping out onto her balcony. Taking a deep breath, she began to incant. Watching her mistress, Chachamaru stoically observed as fey energy gathered around the small blonde, making her hair billow out as if she were underwater, heavy purple and black tendrils twining around her pale, pale skin as if they were snakes.

 

-

 

“Hurry up, Negi,” said Asuna, jogging easily beside Konoka and Setsuna as the four made their morning run for class. Negi blinked away his preoccupation.

 

“Right!” he said, increasing his speed to match the others.

 

“Are you still thinking about the cards, Negi?” guessed Asuna, looking over at him. Negi nodded.

 

“Yes,” he admitted. “I have never seen or heard of that happening before, Asuna,” he tried once more to explain to her why he was concerned.

 

“Well, our artifacts work perfectly, our telepathy is even better than before, and our bond is tighter as well, so what does it matter?” Asuna asked, her tone clearly conveying her lack of worry.

 

“But, only some of the cards have changed like that!” protested Negi. “And even though I searched on the magi-net for information, nothing like this has happened before as near as I can tell,” Negi protested.

 

“Well, from what you have said, our situation is pretty much unheard of as well, right?” giggled Konoka. Negi flushed.

 

“Um, yeah, I guess,” he allowed. “I just wish I knew why those cards changed,” he mumbled.

 

Spotting a figure ahead of them, he forgot about the altered Pactio cards that were tucked into his shirt pocket. “Hey, look! It's Mana,” he said, pointing. The three girls with him looked where he indicated.

 

“Sure is,” Asuna agreed.

 

“You never see her running this late,” Konoka agreed.

 

“Maybe she had a job come up,” suggested Setsuna. Kami knows, some of those no-notice jobs will take it out of you, she thought, recalling some of the emergency jobs she had taken at the behest of the headmaster of Mahora.

 

“Mana!” called out Negi, waving. The half-blood priestess turned to see the group approaching her. “Is anything wrong?” he asked as the group slowed, the doors to the class room block just before them.

 

“No,” denied Mana, “just a little tired for some reason,” she dismissed the concerns of her homeroom teacher. Together, the five entered the building, made their way to their room, and entered, finding the usual riot in session.

 

“Ok, settle down now,” called out Negi as the four girls took their seats. “It's time for class now,” he reminded them.

 

“Class, rise, bow, sit,” Ayaka led the group of energetic girls through the morning routine. Negi didn't bother to take role call, he just scanned the seats, finding that everyone, even Eva, was in their seats.

 

“Since everyone is here, let's begin,” he said, turning to the blackboard. “And Haruna, please give Makie back her skirt,” he added.

 

-

 

“Asuna!”

 

The girl turned to see Ayaka marching toward her. Asuna frowned. Wonder what Ayaka wants with me? wondered Asuna. “What?” she asked.

 

“I want you to tell me what you do in your club meetings,” demanded Ayaka. The two were in the streets of Mahora, between the Girls' Junior High campus and the dorm that served the junior high and high school girls. And as such, there were passer-bys all around the two.

 

“What do you mean, what do we do? We draw and paint,” shrugged Asuna. Ayaka glowered at her.

 

“I'm not talking about the art club, Asuna!” barked the blonde. “In fact, you haven't even attended an Art Club meeting in more than a year!” Asuna frowned. I…think she might be right, reflected Asuna. I suppose I should quit, seeing as how the White Wings take up all my time and attention outside of class.

 

“Oh, well, I was meaning to quit the club,” Asuna said, distracted. Has it really been a year since I attended an art club meeting?

 

“Well?” came Ayaka's impatient voice.

 

“Well what?” asked Asuna absently.

 

“What do you do in your club meetings?!” hissed Ayaka. Asuna considered what she should say.

 

“Just regular club stuff,” she said a heartbeat later. Yeah, I get the snot beat out of me by Setsuna, Ku, Kotaro, Kaede and Eva, she thought, fighting a wry smile. Even so, I'm getting better, and with Konoka there, the injuries are really nothing to worry about, she reflected. “Why do want to know?” wondered Asuna, not liking the scene that Ayaka was causing. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Chisame, her fellow White Wing member watching silently from the edges of the small crowd. Glancing the other way, she saw Kazumi watching as well. The pineapple-head snoop gave her a wink. Focusing back, she caught just the faintest glimpse of Kaede's tall form before it evaporated into thin air.

 

Knowing that three of her fellow members were close to hand reassured her. Not that she couldn't beat the hell out of Ayaka all by herself; she had already discovered that her training had pushed her so far beyond Ayaka's level that it was insulting to think that Ayaka posed any sort of threat to her. “Look, can we talk about this later, Ayaka?” asked Asuna, turning to resume her walk to the dorm. She and the others had a meeting at Yotsuba's diner this evening, and she was hungry.

 

“No, we can't!” Ayaka barked, grabbing for Asuna's hand. Instinct and training kicked in before conscious thought, and Ayaka found herself kneeling before Asuna, her arm locked. “Ow! Asuna!” complained Ayaka.

 

“Uh, sorry,” Asuna said, releasing her arm before glancing at her hand for a moment. “Look, Ayaka,” she said, helping Ayaka back up to her feet. “Let's at least talk privately, ok?” suggested Asuna. Grudging, Ayaka followed her into a small café. Ordering two small drinks and a couple of sweet treats, the two classmates settled into a more or less private booth. “Why do you suddenly want to know about the White Wings?” asked Asuna.

 

“Because you have all been disappearing nearly every night,” began Ayaka, “and that is to say nothing about your sudden martial arts skills, or the clique that has formed between you and the other girls in the White Wings and my Negi!” Ayaka complained. Asuna suddenly understood.

 

“You are jealous,” grinned Asuna evilly. Ayaka blinked.

 

“No! Not at all!” protested the blonde. Asuna smirked.

 

“Oh, yes, you are, blondie,” Asuna smirked. “So, what? You figured you'd see what we were up to? Maybe see if you could join?” taunted Asuna. “How close am I, Ayaka? Dead on?”

 

“Of course not!” denied Ayaka. “I'm just worried about Negi being around such an uncouth savage as you!” prickled Ayaka. “To say nothing of the rest of group,” she muttered sulkily.

 

“Konoka is uncouth and savage? And I dare you to say that to Eva,” snickered Asuna.

 

“It's not so much the others as you and Kotaro,” muttered Ayaka. “God knows what perverted things you and the other girls are doing to Negi,” she mumbled.

 

“It's you and Makie that are a threat to Negi's chastity,” Asuna muttered, though her mind recalled all too vividly what had happened between her and Negi. Well, I'm his partner, so it isn't weird or perverted, she dismissed it. Glancing at her watch - a gift from Konoka a long time ago - she downed the last two bites of her snack, drained her glass and stood. “Look, if it bothers you, just apply and see if the club accepts you,” she said, moving toward the door. “Later, Ayaka,” she called over her shoulder, slipping out the door and vanishing.

 

Five steps past the café, she was surrounded by her teammates. “What did Yukihiro want?” asked Chisame from her left.

 

“Probably wanted to know what we did in club,” guessed Kazumi from her right.

 

“She and some others have been overly curious of late,” noted Kaede from behind her.

 

“Should we tell Negi? Or Eva?” wondered Asuna.

 

“Well, maybe Negi,” opinioned Chisame.

 

“Eva might not need to know right now,” Asakura offered her two bits.

 

“I think we should just keep an eye on them and see what they do for the time being,” Kaede contributed.

 

“I guess,” Asuna sighed, pulling out her cell phone. “It's not like they can really find out anything, right?” she said, touching a button for a pre-programmed number. The other three didn't comment. “Yeah, it's me,” she said into the phone, “I think we need to discuss an issue,” she said.

 

-

 

“Tatsumiya, are you feeling ok?”

 

Mana blinked, turning to see the senior priestess of her shrine looking at her, mild concern on her face. Mana smiled at the slightly-older woman. “I'm fine,” she assured her, “just didn't get a lot of sleep last night,” explained the girl. “School and stuff,” added the Miko gunslinger.

 

“I can take care of your duties today,” the older woman offered her. “How about you go home early and get a little rest?”

 

“I'll be fine!” Mana assured her, picking up her broom. “Besides, it's not like my duties here are taxing or anything,” grinned the half-breed. The senior priestess gave her a skeptical look, but didn't say anything else. Mana made her way to the front courtyard and began to sweep the leaves and small detritus from the stones. It usually took her about an hour to do it, working at a steady, measured pace.

 

As she performed the mindless task, she considered what her next move should be. I still need to see if I can find a way into Eva's house, she mused. I can't shake the feeling that I've done something like that before, but if I did break into Eva's house, wouldn't I remember it? she challenged herself. Eva is an evil magi vampiress, so I need to be careful, considered the woman. Ayaka is offering good money for information, and I admit to a certain curiosity about Negi and his group; especially after they managed to shut down Chao's plan during the Festival last year. Kaede has demonstrated gains in her skills as well, and seeing how close we were matched last year, something is happening in that club.

 

Mana steadily progressed along her familiar track, sweeping the stones. Ayaka is offering me money, but I am also under retainer from the Dean to keep an eye on Eva. Setsuna is probably being paid to do that as well, given the power of that Eva has shown. Mana hit upon a new idea. Maybe Negi has been given the task of supervising Eva, given that he defeated her in her last attempt to escape the school. It makes a certain kind of sense, given that his father - Nagi the Thousand Master - was the one who defeated her when she was at full power, and sealed her here with that idiotic, yet effective, curse. Could the Dean have asked Negi to assume monitoring duty as well? He was assigned to our class, which is known to be one of the roughest, right out of the gate. His skills were enough to derail Chao, and everything I have seen indicates that he has been pushing himself hard to increase those skills, both magical and mundane.

 

Mana considered the possibility. Negi, Setsuna, Asuna and Konoka are in the White Wings, which seem based out of Eva's cabin. Setsuna has been asked to help out by the school, and the school pays me to trouble shoot for them as well. Konoka is a White Wing, but I know her combat ability is close to zero, but at the same time, she is possessed of enormous latent magical talent. Placing her with Negi seems a no-brainer if the Headmaster is looking to protect her and her talents. Asuna has proven able to directly attack Eva, as well.

 

The more that Mana thought about it, the more sense it made to her. Kaede and Ku Fei are top-rank fighters, but neither would be able to meet Eva on equal terms if she regained use of her powers. But, assuming that the Dean is looking forward, it is possible that the White Wings are a dual-purpose club. The first purpose would be to control the most dangerous threat in this region: Eva. But the second purpose could very well be to train and develop Negi's and Konoka's skills. Certainly, Negi is making full use of his access to Kaede, Ku and that Kotaro boy, as well as his demonstrated skills with spells.

 

Her broom came to a stop, the girl pursing her lips as she thought. Reaching into her priestess get-up, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number. Even as she waited for her party to pick up, she resumed her measured pace, sweeping with one hand. “It's me,” she said without waiting for the other party to do more than pick up. “Tonight. Café Leisure Now. Ten o'clock,” she said, closing her phone and tucking it away. Picking up the pace a little, she began to plan out her next move.

 

-

 

“What are you thinking about, Konoka?” asked Asuna, seeing her roommate staring at the bunk beds and loft thoughtfully. The three were in their room, Asuna working on her homework, Konoka reading a manga volume, and Negi grading papers. Setsuna was in the room with them, neatly tucked close to Konoka's side. Negi had been forced to grade papers at the table in the main room, instead of his loft.

 

“Just thinking,” Konoka said, smiling a little. That should work, she decided. Now all that remains is to get grandpa's approval. Shouldn't be too hard, she happily mused. Setsuna's wings were out, Konoka claiming to enjoy the feeling of one draped over her shoulders. For her part, the Shinmei-ryu warrior was nursing a cup of tea along, though she seemed in no real hurry to leave the room.

 

With her wings out, her top was off, the blouse neatly folded and her bra likewise set aside. On top of her clothes, her Pactio card rested, face up, the silver trim clearly visible. Setsuna had been thinking about the change to her card; overall, she decided it was a good change. Konoka's and Asuna's were similarly bordered in silver, while the cards for the other White Wings were as they had first appeared.

 

A knock from the door caused all four to flinch, Setsuna's wings vanishing into her back as her hand fell to her sword, the other grabbing her card. Konoka found Asuna and Setsuna standing in front of her and Negi before the first knock had faded away. “Yes?” called out Konoka, standing.

 

“It's me,” came a male voice. Konoka stepped past Setsuna, who fell into step behind her Ojou-sama, moving to the door and unlocking it. Opening the door, she found the only other male to live in the girls' dormitory waiting outside the door.

 

“Come on in,” invited Konoka, smiling at her fellow White Wing member. Kotaro slipped into the room, Konoka closing and re-locking the door behind him. “Chizuru chasing you with onions again?” teased Konoka. Kotaro made a face.

 

“That isn't funny,” he said sourly. “She bought some more at the market today,” he related to Negi. “What is it with her and onions?” he asked the room at large.

 

“Tea?” asked Konoka, pouring a cup for Kotaro before he could even respond. Kotaro dropped down next to Negi as Konoka set the cup in front of him.

 

“Grading papers?” Kotaro said before snorting. “Boring,” he dismissed it. Konoka and Setsuna settled back in, Konoka nudging Setsuna a time or two before Setsuna slowly - almost shyly - expanded her wings again, Konoka all but snuggling into the white-feathered flight appendage that Setsuna draped over Konoka's shoulders.

 

“That's a good look for you, Setsuna,” Kotaro said playfully. Setsuna puzzled for a moment before blushing and folding her arms over her bare chest. “Not like I haven't seen it before,” shrugged Kotaro, picking up his tea.

 

Konoka was in a pair of small silk shorts and a thin, loose mid-riff spaghetti tank top, while Asuna was wearing panties and an unbuttoned uniform blouse. Her hair bells were untied and set aside. Negi was still wearing his trousers and shirt, though his jacket and tie were set aside. Kotaro wore a plain cotton tee shirt and a pair of knee-length cargo shorts, similar to what he wore at the Resort for fighting practice. His tail poked through a notch in the back of the shorts, just below the belt-line.

 

“How's this, Negi?” asked Asuna, sliding her homework over to him. Negi scanned it.

 

“Pretty good, actually,” he said, picking up a pencil. “Just some small mistakes,” he said, beginning to circle things on the paper. “Wrong verb here. Wrong word there. And here the tense is incorrect. Same for this one. And the plural form should be used down here,” he finished, handing the marked sheet back to her. Asuna sighed, but erased the circled sections and tried again.

 

“Oh, hey,” Kotaro recalled part of the reason he had risked running loose in the halls of the dorm, “Natsumi was asking about the club.” All four froze.

 

“She was?” wondered Asuna, setting her pencil down.

 

“Why would she do that?” wondered Negi.

 

Kotaro shrugged. “She was just curious, that's all. No biggie,” the wolf-boy insisted. “She sort of said she might want to join, too. Guess I can tell her you said no, hmm?” he predicted. Negi glanced at his three longest-running partners.

 

“Uh, not necessarily,” said Asuna slowly.

 

“Come on, Asuna!” protested Kotaro, “one round with you, Setsuna, Kaede, Negi or Ku and she will need Konoka's healing to live! And just imagine what Eva would do to her!”

 

“That isn't what we are saying, Kotaro,” said Asuna, frowning.

 

“Could our Kotaro-kun be sweet on Natsumi?” giggled Konoka gleefully. “You `sister' is a nice girl, after all,” needled the dark-haired girl.

 

“Konoka!” Kotaro protested. “It isn't like that!” he denied hotly.

 

“Sure, sure,” scoffed Asuna, grinning at Negi's best - perhaps only - male friend. “What ever you say, you horny dog-boy,” snickered the girl. Kotaro growled.

 

“I'll show you dog-boy,” he threatened her. Asuna waved it off, closing her homework.

 

“Save it for the Resort, Kotaro-kun,” she dismissed the teasing. “I think we should have a talk about this, though. Konoka?” Asuna deferred to her best friend. Konoka considered it.

 

“Might as well,” she said. “I'll call them,” added the girl, leaning over to fish her cell phone off the charger. Humming softly to herself, she quickly formatted a text message, and a moment later, she sent it. “They should start arriving shortly,” she said, her hand absently stroking Setsuna's long feathers. When Setsuna started to pull her wing away, Konoka pouted. “I like the feel of your wings, Set-chan,” the girl protested, holding on to a handful of wing feathers to keep Setsuna from retracting her wings into her pack.

 

“But, Ojou-sama,” protested a faintly-blushing Setsuna, “they others…”

 

“They already know, and have all seen you with your wings out, Set-chan,” countered Konoka.

 

“We're your friends, Set-chan,” Negi joined in earnestly. “You shouldn't feel self-conscious around us.”

 

“He's right, you know,” added Asuna, clearing the table. “I know old habits can be hard to break, but will you? For us?” she asked. Setsuna settled back, still blushing.

 

“Sorry,” she said softly, “but I have always hidden…this part of me since birth,” she whispered.

 

“Well, you don't need to hide it around us,” Kotaro said easily. “I mean, look at me: I don't hide my ears or tail,” he grinned. Setsuna gave a delicate snort of dismissal.

 

“You are not a half-breed, either,” she said, though she seemed a bit more at ease.

 

“No, but I am well-bred,” he grinned arrogantly. Setsuna managed a smile.

 

“So you claim,” she retorted.

 

“Couldn't tell it from looking at you,” added Asuna reaching down to tug on an ear as she lightly stepped on his tail.

 

“Ow!” protested Kotaro. “Those are sensitive, brat!”

 

“So?” Asuna replied insolently. Their friendly bickering was cut short by a nock at the door. Asuna, already standing, moved over to answer the knock. “Yes?”

 

“You called?” came a voice from the other side. Asuna unlocked the door.

 

“Yeah, come on in, Chisame,” Asuna said, opening the door. Their electronic warfare specialist and computer guru entered, Asuna pausing as she saw the familiar form of Kazumi a couple of steps behind Chisame. “You, too, Kazumi,” she greeted their intelligence officer.

 

“Welcome, Kaede,” she heard Konoka say from inside their room. Asuna sighed. Damn ninjas, she thought, half sourly and half in admiration. She knew the windows were closed and there was but one door, yet somehow Kaede had slipped into the room.

 

“Nin nin,” she heard the tallest of their group reply. A thought occurred to Asuna. Maybe she was disguised as Chisame! Before she could accuse the ninja of that trick, she heard Chisame thank Setsuna for the tea. Damn. Next time, Kaede, she promised herself.

 

Within ten minutes, all the White Wings were crowded into the room, sitting close together due to the small size of the room. Some of them were sitting in each other's laps, though none of them had any problems with that. “So, what's with the message about a necessary meeting outside the Resort?” asked Asakura.

 

“It's about the other members of our class getting curious about the White Wings,” Negi said, sitting in front of Asuna, though between her legs, rather than on them.

 

“You mean Ayaka?” asked Chisame.

 

“Not just her,” replied Asuna. “Natsumi was asking Kotaro about us as well.”

 

“What's this about Ayaka?” wondered Negi.

 

“And the sports club quad, too,” reminded Kaede.

 

“Mana was also snooping around Mistress's cabin,” Chachamaru said. She didn't tell them that the Miko mercenary had managed to get into the cabin and even into the resort. And she certainly wasn't going to tell them that Eva had ambushed the dangerous gunslinger and drank her blood. Not unless it endangers Negi, she amended the thought. Eva was her mistress, but some things went beyond that bond.

 

The room buzzed with cross-talk and speculation. After a moment, Asuna spoke up again. “Ayaka probably hired Mana to snoop,” she surmised, “from what she did and didn't say to me. She wants to know what we do when we meet, and her curiosity has been aroused by our increased skills and the fact that we have formed a group inside the class that wasn't there before.”

 

“Yeah, but that happens a lot, doesn't it?” countered Yue. “I mean, before the Festival last year, and again after Chao returned to her own time, there were several changes in groups within the class, so what is making Class Rep interested in us all of the sudden?”

 

“You mean other than her Negi fixation?” snickered Kazumi.

 

“I think the `why' is of less importance than deciding what to do about the attention,” Chisame offered. Sounds of general assent filled the room.

 

“Ok, Chisame-chan,” Negi agreed with the girl, “what do you suggest?”

 

“Well, it's pretty clear that just ignoring her and the others won't work, so maybe we should figure out a way to let them think that there is less to our group than there really is, and maybe convince them that they really don't want to join our group.”

 

“Like give them Eva's little `worthiness test' in the mountain dome?” grinned Kotaro.

 

“Um, that might be a bit severe,” Asuna disagreed. God, that nearly finished me off! If not for my kanka and sheer stubborn refusal to give Eva the satisfaction of quitting, I wouldn't have made it, Asuna thought. “Even having them try to hit Chachamaru - like Negi did - is likely to seriously hurt our classmates.”

 

“True,” the gynoid agreed. “In my current body, I am far stronger, faster and capable than I was at the time that Negi was tasked with landing a blow on me. Chao and Hakase used the data gathered from the Tournament to create my new bodies, and as a result, my capabilities have enhanced to a level that is beyond what the others in our class could hope to reach.”

 

“Bodies? You have more than one?” wondered Negi. Thinking of her `spare' body in the secret room of the University Robot Club, under Satome Hakase's watchful eye, Chachamaru felt her cheeks warm.

 

“Yes,” she said, glancing away, “I have a spare body in case this one is damages beyond the automatic repair capability, or if there is need of an alternate body,” the female robot delicately side-stepped the issue.

 

“I like your new body,” Ku Fei said, “it's a lot tougher than your old one,” she smiled. “Good workout to spar with you.”

 

“I, too, like her new body,” agreed Haruna, her glasses glinting in the light, “but her old body's antenna were much more fetish-friendly,” she finished.

 

“You and your weird hobbies,” sighed Yue.

 

“It isn't weird, Yue-chan,” Haruna replied loftily, “it's a pre-occupation with aesthetic appeal.”

 

“Whatever,” cut in Chisame, “let's stick to the point,” she reminded them.

 

“Chisame is correct,” Negi agreed once more. “What should we do? Maybe we should ask Eva?” he suggested. All the girls disagreed.

 

“Eva is not really the sort we should ask about things like this,” Asuna said.

 

“She'd probably want to test them by sucking their blood or throwing them in some deadly part of the resort for a week,” agreed Kazumi. “I think that we just need to decide among ourselves how to handle this.”

 

“I think that the best solution is probably to let them try a task they can't complete as a sort of screen,” Nodoka offered. She often deferred to others, keenly aware that her skills were narrow focus and not geared toward direct confrontation. Over time, the girl had gotten bolder and more confident of her standing in the White Wings, but still - to Asuna's estimation - had a ways to go.

 

“So, maybe tell them that our club has a lot of physical activity and that to make sure that they can participate, they have to snatch a bell from Kaede?” grinned Ku.

 

“How about they have to knock one of Satsuki's meat buns out of your hand before you can eat it,” countered Kaede, smiling. The group laughed.

 

“Let's not ask the impossible,” Yue smiled.

 

“We could tell them that they had to win a debate with Yue-chan,” suggested Nodoka.

 

“But that's not physical,” noted Kazumi.

 

“Neither is Yue-chan,” laughed Kotaro. The Black Baka Ranger gave him a dispassionate look.

 

“You will pay for that,” she said tonelessly. Kotaro's laughter broke off. While certainly not an athlete, Yue-chan had her own skills, and Kotaro had learned that she was - outside of direct physical confrontation - not to be taken lightly. The fact that she and Nodoka were nearly inseparable was another concern.

 

“Shouldn't we discuss what to do if one of our classmates does somehow manage to pass our mock exam?” wondered Konoka. The group considered that.

 

“If that should somehow happen,” said Kazumi slowly, “we would probably need to have a second test lined up; one they can't pass.”

 

“Couldn't we maybe think about letting them join?” suggested Haruna. “I mean, there are some girls in our class that could help us.” Seeing the looks on the other member's faces, she moved to re-enforce her point. “Think about what would happen if Mana wanted to join our club,” she argued. “Can any of us - well, short of Eva - honestly claim to be her better in combat? You saw what she did at the Festival, right? And Kaede, you only managed a forced stalemate against her, didn't you? Wouldn't she be a good addition to our firepower?”

 

“Mana is certainly an excellent combatant,” Negi said slowly, recalling what she had done at the Festival and before.

 

“How about having access to Class Rep's resources?” pressed Haruna. “And since we have all the Baka Rangers but one, we might find a use for Makie. Maybe Akira would be a good addition, should we ever need a good swimmer when Asuna is busy elsewhere. And can anyone name someone better with mechanics and robotics than Hakase, now that Chao is gone?” challenged the mangaka.

 

“Satsuki is the best cook in the world,” noted Ku eagerly. “She would make a great edition to the White Wings!”

 

“Maybe we should add the Cheer Trio,” grinned Kotaro, “put on a half-time show between sparring matches?”

 

“Hey! This is serious,” Asuna interjected. “You all know full well why we train so hard.” Once the girls had fallen silent, she continued. “Do you really think that dragging our classmates into this is the right thing to do? How many times have we been in danger? How many times have we had to risk our lives? Setsuna, you took an arrow that would have killed you if Konoka hadn't awakened her power in Kyoto. Negi would have died in Kyoto, too, if not for Konoka's power. The Kansai Magic Association was petrified by that white-haired freak boy Fate, as well as our classmates. Do you really want to drag the others into this?” she asked again.

 

“That was pretty much all my fault,” Negi said. Asuna gave him an annoyed look.

 

“Don't go there, Negi,” she said firmly. “We all made our own choices. Right, Setsuna?” she sought support from her fellow member.

 

“Correct,” agreed the half bird-demon girl.

 

“And doesn't that mean that our classmates should get the same chance?” Konoka undermined Asuna's work. “To be sure, we should be careful about what we say around them, but if they get interested, or they find out like we did, shouldn't it be their choice if they want to join us?” Sounds of agreement - with point sides of the argument - filled the air.

 

“I guess,” sighed Asuna. “But no one not in our class,” she admonished.

 

“That goes without saying,” Konoka agreed easily. Negi thought that the girls might not be talking just about people joining the White Wings, given the looks the girls exchanged, but he was certain it was just his imagination.

 

“I have been meaning to ask you all,” Kazumi spoke up, “but can we let Sayo-chan join us?”

 

“Sayo…?” wondered Asuna before realizing who Asakura was talking about. “Oh! Ghost girl!” she recalled. “I guess,” she allowed, glancing at Negi. “I mean, since she's…you know,” explained the girl. There was general assent to that request. Out of thin air, they heard a happy yay!

 

“Welcome to the White Wings, Sayo,” greeted Asakura happily.

 

“Well, if we are nominating people,” Kotaro said reluctantly, “Natsumi was asking,” he related.

 

“And Ayaka seems to want to get a chance, too,” Asuna reminded them.

 

“Something needs to be done about Mana, as well,” Kaede said.

 

“And the Sports Quad,” Chisame agreed. The group nodded among themselves.

 

“So, what do we tell them the test is?” wondered Negi.