Mahou Sensei Negima! Fan Fiction ❯ Miscalculation ❯ Chapter 18

“So, um,” Asuna said, looking back and forth between Negi and Eva, “we kind of need to decide what the test will be, since Ayaka won't let this go,” she finished up.

 

“Yeah, Natsumi has been asking as well,” Kotaro chimed in. Asuna glanced at the wolf boy.

 

“Very well,” Eva said, smiling in a disturbing manner. “This is what we will do,” she began.

 

“No `survival training'!” Negi and Kotaro cut in.

 

“At least not right away,” Negi said.

 

“And not like you put us through if the person isn't going to be front-line,” Kotaro added. Eva smirked.

 

“Would I do that to my classmates?” she asked, fangs bright.

 

“Yes,” came the answer from the entire group as one.

 

“Whatever,” Eva dismissed the issue. “We will test each of them for abilities, as well as possible placement within the Wings,” said the vampiress.

 

It had surprised the group a little to find Eva waiting for them in her cabin. She had been MIA since the feeding incident, and most of the group was a little concerned about her. To see her standing there in one of her skimpy, girly outfits, fangs exposed and a sneer on her lips made them all feel strangely relieved.

 

When asked, she had said that the Resort had required some overhauls that had taken up much of her time and energy. She had gone on to tell them that she would be requiring some more tuition. That remark had allowed Asuna to bring up the subject of the other girls who were showing interest in the club.

 

“And how do you plan to do that?” wondered Haruna. Eva smiled.

 

“By bullying them, of course,” she said. “We can't be careless about what they might learn, so we'll take them to the Resort, where we can control the circumstances of their testing, limit their reactions, and assess their ability to deal with certain aspects being a member of the Wings,” Eva said.

 

“Like you feeding off them?” asked Kotaro. Eva looked at the wolf boy.

 

“Keep your nose out of it, dog boy, or I will make a pair of slippers out of your hide,” she warned him. Kotaro snorted, but stayed silent. He had no illusions about being able to defend himself against the dark mage, and was certainly not about to start something with her over something that the girls didn't seem to care about.

 

“Um, isn't showing them the Resort kind of risky?” wondered Nodoka. Eva shook her head.

 

“Not really, Nodoka-chan,” said the blonde, moving over to caress Nodoka's cheek. “With them in the Resort, we control their movements and can contain any adverse reactions they might have,” she explained.

 

“Won't taking them there reveal magic to them?” wondered Yue.

 

“Yes,” agreed Eva. “However, my dear Yue, they will have to handle the existence of magic if they are to be of any use to us, and in the Resort, we can better contain the situation if they prove to be unusable.”

 

“I guess that is reasonable,” opinioned Asakura. Chisame rolled her eyes, but said nothing.

 

“But do we want them to know the Resort is in the basement of your cabin?” wondered Negi. Eva smiled at her apprentice.

 

“No,” she said, “which is why they will face off with one of our front-line fighters first. I expect you can knock them out without killing them?” she asked, a nasty superior tone in her voice. “They will face off against one of you, and wake up in the resort. If they prove usable, it's all good and we show them the rest. If not, we wipe their memory, they wake up on the field where they were fighting, are told that they are not worthy, and we are done with them,” Eva elaborated.

 

“That's a pretty good plan,” nodded Setsuna.

 

“Of course,” Eva replied snootily. “In fact, no time like the present,” she said. “Call the hopefuls up, and tell them that they will be given a chance to prove they are worthy. They will have to take a badge from one of the fighters, same as during the festival. However, they must do so without any outside assistance. When they show up, knock them out and bring them to me. I will be in the Resort,” Eva instructed the group. “Now, get going,” she said.

 

Asuna called Ayaka, told her to meet her on the nature path closest to the cabin, and that she had one chance to prove she was worthy to join the wings. Ayaka had bitched about the hour, but told Asuna she would come straight there when Asuna told her that Negi would be watching her try out for the club. “Hope she takes the time to dress,” muttered Asuna.

 

Kotaro called Natsumi, and told her that the test was open if she wanted to try, and to meet him at the same place that Asuna had given Ayaka. Natsumi had started to get cold feet about it, but to the surprise of the group, Kotaro encouraged her to at least try. With the trap set, the group moved out to wait. Barely ten minutes later, Ayaka - Natsumi not far behind her - jogged up. Seeing Asuna waiting for her, along with Negi, the blonde heiress smiled.

 

“So, what is the test, Asuna?” asked Ayaka. Asuna tapped her white wing emblem, clipped to her shirt.

 

“Same as before, Ayaka,” she said, “you have to grab this emblem from me without any outside help. I will be blocking you,” she said. Ayaka's blue eyes narrowed slightly as she considered that.

 

No easy task, then, she thought. She had learned that Asuna had far surpassed her own skills in fighting, and was outside her league for such an attempt. But, if she isn't going to be attacking me, then maybe… Ayaka considered her strategy. Behind her, Natsumi wondered why she had bothered to come.

 

There is no way that I can get that badge from Asuna! she thought, depressed.

 

“Natsumi,” Kotaro said, moving over to her, “don't worry; you are going to be trying against me,” he assured her. “I'll make sure you get a fair chance,” he murmured. The girl looked at him, uncertainty in her eyes.

 

“Really?” she asked him softly. Kotaro nodded.

 

Their conversation was interrupted by Ayaka rushing Asuna. The girl easily melted away from the blonde's rush, smiling. But that smile faltered as Ayaka kept going, right past her, to throw her arms around Negi. “Negi!” she cooed, rubbing herself against him, “I have decided that I will quit the equestrian club and join your club,” she told him. Around Negi, the members of the club were reacting with a mix of amusement and irritation.

 

Behind her, Asuna scowled. “Get off him, hussy,” she snarled, instant-moving to the blonde and peeling her off Negi as easily as if she were a piece of lint. Ayaka struggled, calling out for Negi. Asuna grimaced, preparing to throw Ayaka the opposite direction when she caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye. Her hand caught Ayaka's hand as the blonde closed her fingers around her badge.

 

“Got you,” grinned Ayaka triumphantly. Asuna forced her hand back, the blonde not having a full grip on the pin. Her shirt tore, and for a moment, she thought that Ayaka might end up with her badge, but then the white wing emblem slipped from Ayaka's precarious grasp to dangle from the torn strip of shirt. “No!” protested Ayaka. Asuna smiled at her.

 

“Afraid so,” she murmured, driving her fist into Ayaka's stomach with just enough force to knock the blonde out. Catching the limp form of her friend, she hefted her easily, a small amount of Kanka helping her out. Natsumi saw Ayaka crumple.

 

“Just fainted,” shrugged Kotaro, distracting the smaller girl from what was going on. “Asuna'll take her somewhere to lie down until she wakes up,” he explained. Natsumi gulped, realizing that she was up. Kotaro unclipped his badge, holding it out on his palm.

 

I'm going to hold this out, like this,” he said, nodding to his open palm, “and you just have to grab it,” he explained. “I won't use this hand for dodging or preventing you from grabbing the badge,” he said. “I also won't move more than one step in any direction. So, do your best, Natsumi,” he said, giving her a smile.

 

“O…ok,” she said, gulping. Kotaro moved a few feet away, then turned and extended his hand, his badge resting on top. Natsumi wasn't that athletic, but she wasn't without some ability of her own. Focusing on the badge, she rushed in, keeping her eye on the white wing on Kotaro's palm. More than a dozen attempts missed in the first few seconds, but she was grateful that Kotaro was doing exactly what he had said he was going to do. All he was doing was dodging her attempts.

 

“You can do it, Natsumi-chan!” came Konoka's voice, along with the other girls in the wings.

 

“Keep going, Natsumi!” Negi cheered her on. She blushed slightly, wondering if it was really ok for them to be cheering her on when Kotaro was one of their own. Her next try was the closest yet, her fingertips just barely brushing the emblem.

 

Kotaro watched her try, easily avoiding her attempts. He found himself admiring her determination, as well as being slightly surprised at her skill. She moves pretty good, he thought. She won't be a fighter like Kaede, Ku or Asuna, but she's probably got better balance and speed than Yue, and her endurance is about on par with Nodoka's, he assessed her. Seeing her turn her shoulders, he silently sighed. Sorry, Na-chan, he apologized, using his off hand to clip her on the back of the neck just barely hard enough to knock her out cold. He caught her before she could even stumble. Picking her up, he followed the others toward the cabin and the waiting Eva.

 

-

 

Ayaka slowly opened her eyes, finding herself looking at a marble ceiling. Frowning, she managed to sit up, feeling sore from the sucker punch that Asuna had tagged her with. Looking around, she found herself lying on a futon pad in the center of an open-sided pavilion of marble, a tropical sun pounding down as the gentle splash of a beach came to her ears. Standing, she looked around, seeing that there was, indeed, a beautiful teal-blue beach not far away, palm trees swaying gently in the breeze.

 

Spinning in a circle, she saw that there was a massive stone pillar rearing out of the sea to the side of the pavilion, towering far, far above her. Beyond that was a spire just as tall, a faint line indicating that there was a bridge or some other means of crossing between the two up in the clouds. Ayaka saw that there was a stone stairway winding around the thick tower. “Where am I?” she wondered.

 

It took her a moment to realize that she was naked as well. Frowning, she didn't see her clothes anywhere around. In fact, she didn't see anyone anywhere on the small sand and palm island the pavilion was on. What is going on? wondered the blonde, moving out of the pavilion and studying the area. She couldn't see any other structures, and there didn't seem to be any sign of civilization aside from the marble pavilion and some low stone paths. After wading in the water some, she moved toward the thick column that rose over all else. She could see the base of the thin spire way out in the water, but decided that since she didn't see any signs that there was a way to climb it, there was probably no point in swimming out there.

 

Cocking her head, she listened, but didn't hear any birds or insects. The rustling of the palms and the small salt-bushes were the only sounds. Looking up into an unending blue sky with small, scattered puffy white clouds, she didn't see any signs of jets or any technology. “What in the world happened?” she asked herself out loud. I know that Asuna knocked me out on that walking path, but how did I get from there to wherever this is?

 

Shading her eyes from the strong sunlight, she eyed the winding path of steps on the side of the huge tower. That's going to be quite the climb, thought the blonde, sighing. “Wonder what time it is?” she muttered, spotting the thin finger of sand that linked the pavilion to the tower base. Looking at the sand, she saw that there were numerous footprints, going back and forth. Well, at least I know other people have been here before; and fairly recently, from the sharpness of the impressions, she noted.

 

She was fully two revolutions up when it occurred to her that she might meet whoever had left the footprints in the sand on the steps - stark naked. Blushing a little, she shook her head. “Can't be helped, I guess,” she said, steadily climbing toward her goal. Minutes passed, Ayaka circling the thick shaft seemingly endlessly. After a good half hour, she stopped to catch her breath.

 

Peeking over the open edge of the steps, she blinked, seeing how small the island was below her. Looking up, she found that she could make out a stone bridge-way linking the tower she was climbing and the thin spire. She estimated that she was about two thirds of the way up. “How tall is this thing, anyway?” she asked out loud. After a couple more minutes, she resumed her climb.

 

“Finally!” she exclaimed, reaching the top. A circle of capped columns surrounded an open, European-style paved plaza, the stones smooth and fitted into a pattern. Moving inside the circle of columns, Ayaka looked around. There were planters with small shrubs in them at the bases of every other column and a classic roman arch that led to the walkway to the spire, which she saw was flat-topped and open. Turning her head, she saw that a small semi-enclosed building was directly opposite the bridge. In the center of the huge open plaza was a fountain, burbling away. The crystal-clear water spilled from a sculpted base to splash into the shallow pan.

 

Well, since I am a bit thirsty, Ayaka thought, moving over to the fountain. Cupping a handful of water, she slurped it. Cold and clear, it hit the spot. Using both hands, Ayaka drank deeply. With her thirst slaked, Ayaka decided to check on the spire first. Moving across the bridge, she found that there was pretty much nothing to see over there. A pattern was etched into the stone of the top, but aside from that, there was nothing there.

 

Moving back to the main tower, she checked out the building. She found some assorted supplies, but nothing of any real interest. Deep in the building, at the end of a stone stairwell, Ayaka found a massive wooden door, iron-bound, blocking any further descent. She had tried to open it, but it was securely locked. “Well, what now?” she asked herself, moving back up to the sun-drenched plaza. She was just in time to see two figures moving across the bridge between the tower and the spire.

 

“Hey!” she screamed, dashing toward the figures. From the flash of bright metal amid long hair, she knew one was Asuna. Judging from the size and hair, the second was Eva. The two moved along the bridge calmly. As she reached them, Ayaka saw that Asuna was wearing a bikini, while Eva was wrapped in a sort of gauzy toga that barely reached her thighs and left one shoulder bare. The small girl's thick, shiny blonde hair rippled in the breeze. “What is going on here?!” demanded Ayaka, grabbing for Asuna.

 

Asuna instinctively dodged the grab attempt, catching one of Ayaka's arms and twisting it into an arm bar. Holding Ayaka securely, Asuna waited a moment for the class rep to settle down. “Ayaka,” she said, uncharacteristically serious, “we have some things to talk to you about, but you have to listen carefully. Understood?”

 

“Yes, sure,” Ayaka promised. Asuna released her arm bar, straightening up. Ayaka rubbed her wrist, then her elbow. “Where did you two come from?” she wondered.

 

“That's one of the things we have to talk to you about,” Asuna said, glancing at Eva. “But first, are you sure you want to join the Alba Ala?”

 

“The what?” asked Ayaka, scowling at Asuna.

 

“The English Culture Research Club,” Eva said, shooting a look at Asuna. “Sometimes called the White Wings,” she added. Ayaka looked back and forth between the two. Asuna looked unusually somber and Eva was smirking at her in an eerie way.

 

There is something strange going on here, Ayaka thought. But, if it means being able to be near Negi, she mused, smiling a little.

 

“Yes,” she said.

 

“You should know,” Asuna said quietly, looking over the edge of the bridge at the island far below, “that if you join, your world will never be the same again. Last chance to change your mind,” warned Asuna, not looking at her friend.

 

“I'm sure!” snapped Ayaka. Who does she think she is, talking to me like that? the girl thought, offended. Eva laughed a low, dangerous laugh as Asuna turned to face Ayaka again.

 

“Ok, then,” said Asuna. “To start with, there is some information you need to know.”

 

“Such as?”

 

“Such as this,” said Asuna, instant-moving behind Ayaka, then back just as Ayaka realized that Asuna had vanished. “And this,” continued Asuna, unleashing a full-body covering of Kanka. In the resort, it manifested physically, visible to the naked, untrained eye. “And not least of all, this,” said the girl, producing her Pactio card and releasing it in blade mode. Ayaka was staring at the girl, her jaw hanging open.

 

“Wha…?” breathed the blonde. “The Tournament…it wasn't holograms or CG work?” she gaped. Asuna shook her head.

 

“On the other hand, there is this as well,” Eva said, her eyes transforming as her body morphed into her adult form. Smiling widely, she saw Ayaka staring at her show-cased fangs. Stepping into the air, she walked off the bridge, hovering in place as if it were nothing.

 

“I…impossible,” breathed Ayaka, her trembling legs collapsing as she landed on her firm rear, legs splayed.

 

“That word doesn't have a lot of meaning in the Wings, Ayaka,” said Asuna, watching her friend intently. “What you have seen is just the beginning as well,” warned Asuna. Eva laughed, her form reverting to her true form as she settled back down on the stone.

 

“How is this possible?” asked Ayaka plaintively.

 

“Magic,” said Asuna. Ayaka stared at her, silent. “There are two different worlds sharing the reality you call `normal',” Asuna began. “There is the daily grind world, where magic is just a fairy tale, and then, there is the world where magic is real. Most people can't see the other, and vice versa. But some can.”

 

“Such people are commonly called `magicians' in the reality you are familiar with,” Eva picked up the explanation. “Most of the faculty at Mahora are magicians. Some of your fellow students are more than human, and some are less than human,” warned Eva, enjoying herself.

 

“In addition to that, there are good magicians, and evil magicians,” Asuna cut in, not wanting to give Eva a chance to gloat about how evil she was before Ayaka got a chance to digest the shock of learning what the Wings dealt with. “The good magicians fight to protect the `normal' world from the evil magicians. Mages like Negi and his father, Nagi Springfield, the Thousand Master,” Asuna said.

 

“Negi is a magician?” Ayaka sputtered. Asuna nodded.

 

“So are others,” she said, shooting a look at Eva. “But - for reasons I won't go into right now - a magician needs a partner or partners to be effective in a fight. The purpose of the Wings is to be Negi's partners. To support him in his quest to become a heroic mage like his father before him. We…” Asuna changed her mind. “Never mind,” she waved it away. “Do you understand what I just told you?” she asked Ayaka.

 

“Negi is a mage, and he needs us to be his partners,” Ayaka said, a gleam in her eyes. Asuna frowned.

 

“Well, at the most basic level, I suppose that is correct,” she allowed.

 

“Then I, Ayaka Yukihiro, shall be his partner!” declared the blonde, shooting to her feet and gesturing grandly. Asuna's frown turned into a black scowl. Her hand flashed out, grabbing Ayaka's neck.

 

“Not if you can't prove yourself worthy, Ayaka!” hissed the girl, protective of Negi. “You are a junior-junior probationary recruit right now, and have a hell of ways to go before you can get a Pactio card!” she bit out.

 

“Humph!” Ayaka grunted. “What is a Pactio?” she asked, curious.

 

-

 

“So, that's pretty much what we do,” Kotaro said, watching Natsumi carefully. On the girl's other side, Negi was nodding. “It's not something that just anyone can do. Do you…think you want to join anyway?” he asked her. Natsumi was certain that Kotaro was trying to look out for her well being in his own strange way, and she appreciated it. But, this is a chance that I'll probably never get again, she thought, turning to look at Negi. Seeing the look on his face, she smiled a little.

 

“If…if you think I won't be a burden, I really want to join!” she said. “I can't fight, and I'm not sure what I can do, but I really want to join, if I can,” she repeated herself.

 

“Ok!” Negi smiled at her.

 

“So, um, the magic thing doesn't bother you?” wondered Kotaro. Natsumi shook her head.

 

“No, not at all,” she said, looking back at her `brother'. “Remember, when I first met you, you were a dog, and then you turned into a boy. I sort of thought that was strange,” she said, giggling slightly. Kotaro laughed weakly, scratching the back of his head.

 

“Um, yeah, I guess it was,” he admitted. “But, um, speaking of that,” he said, standing and pulling off his shirt, “you should know a thing or two about me.” Natsumi blinked, watching Kotaro begin to raise his power level, his Inugami form beginning to take shape. “I'm not human,” he said, once he was in his full-transformation form.

 

Natsumi was staring at the transformed Kotaro, wide eyed. Releasing his focus, Kotaro reverted to his normal form, his ears and tail remaining. “I can also take a full wolf form, if I concentrate,” he shrugged. Natsumi wasn't really listening, though. Reaching out, she gently grabbed his tail, causing him to yelp. “Hey! Careful!” he protested.

 

“It's really a real tail,” breathed Natsumi, stroking it. Kotaro gritted his teeth, carefully pulling his tail out of her grasp.

 

“Yeah, and…well, just don't grab it like that, ok?” he said, hoping his erection wasn't tenting his shorts too much. His tail was surprisingly sensitive, and if a girl grabbed it just right, he reacted. Natsumi blinked at him.

 

“Does it hurt?” she asked, innocently. Kotaro shook his head.

 

“No, but it…” he stopped, looking away, “just don't grab it without asking, ok?” he repeated himself. Natsumi hummed, but didn't promise anything. Out of the corner of her eye, she had spotted his shorts tent when she had grabbed his tail and stroked it.

 

“Um, do you have any more questions?” asked Negi. Natsumi sat back on the fallen tree trunk, thinking. She had come to, lying on soft, warm grass in a small clearing in a forest, birds chirping from somewhere a ways away, breezes coming through the trees. In the tree-line, she had caught sight of a wide, shallow brook winding around the base of modest-sized moss-covered hard rock boulders.

 

It hadn't taken her long to explore the clearing. Aside from a stone pattern set into the center of the clearing, there was no sign of anyone around, though she had spotted some signs that looked like some sort of fighting had taken place in the clearing recently. Before she could panic, Negi and Kotaro had shown up, literally appearing from thin air in the blink of an eye.

 

She had felt a lot better seeing them, and had dashed to the two, grabbing each of them with an arm. After a moment or two spent soothing the girl, they had sat her down on the log and told her about the club's true nature. She had taken it pretty well, considering. Over the course of nearly an hour, the two had managed to get her to understand what was happening. A few demos from Negi had helped, and Kotaro was clearly trusted by the girl, so his word counted for a lot as well.

 

“So, um, what's next?” wondered Natsumi. Negi and Kotaro glanced at each other.

 

“We should probably take her to the main resort and wait for Eva. She can hang out with the others, and maybe talk to them, you know?” suggested Kotaro.

 

“Yeah, probably for the best,” Negi nodded, rising. Kotaro did likewise, offering his hand to Natsumi, who took it. Leading the girl to the stone pattern she had seen earlier, Negi had chanted some words, and the next thing Natsumi knew, she was looking at the group she had seen when she had tried out for the Wings.

 

“Nat-chan!” exclaimed Konoka happily. “You chose to join us!”

 

“Welcome, Natsumi,” said Nodoka. Natsumi heard the others greet her as well.

 

“Dinner is ready,” came the voice of Chachamaru. Natsumi saw the robot girl - done out in a maid outfit - bow to the group. Before she knew it, she was being carried along with the rest of the group, into a huge stone building group, where a huge table was laden with food.

 

“So, any word from Eva and Asuna yet?” wondered Haruna. Chachamaru shook her head.

 

“They have not returned yet, and I have not received any instructions from Mistress,” the gynoid said. The group was silent for a moment.

 

“Hope we didn't misjudge her,” Asakura mused.

 

“Ayaka can balk just to balk,” Setsuna shared.

 

“But I can't really believe she would pass up the chance,” protested Yue, “seeing as how it would let her spend more time with Negi and all,” she explained.

 

“True,” nodded Chisame.

 

Seeing the setting sun, Natsumi looked at her new club-mates. “Um, shouldn't we return to the dorm soon?” she asked. The girls laughed.

 

“One of the advantages of the club is that our `club room', as it were, is independent of the rest of Mahora,” grinned Kazumi. “We'll be staying the night, and all tomorrow, and still get back only a couple of hours after we left,” she explained. Natsumi's eyes widened at that.

 

“Really?!”

 

“It's true,” nodded Setsuna.

 

“It's part of that whole magic thing,” Kotaro said between mouthfuls of chicken breast. “It lets us hone our skills and practice without having to worry about being interrupted or observed,” he said.

 

“Speaking of that,” said Ku, “I want another match before bed. Kotaro? Kaede? Disciple?” she asked eagerly.

 

“Sure,” shrugged Kotaro. “Negi and I will go against you and Kaede,” he grinned.

 

“We always do that,” complained Ku. “This time, let's fight Negi and I against you and Kaede,” she counter-proposed.

 

“Sure,” shrugged Negi.

 

“No spells or jitsu,” Ku said. “We will practice basic fighting skills this time.”

 

“Come on!” complained Kotaro. He was working on mastering Kaede's technique so his shadow wolves could actually damage an opponent, rather than just serving as an intercept and screening trick. Kaede's copies had mass, and could inflict damage on the target. The tall Koga had told him that she didn't think it should be impossible for him to learn how to do it as well, given time. She also said that she herself had not fully mastered the trick, since she could only make a half dozen or so with full density.

 

“Basic skills are important, Kotaro,” Kaede said. “Besides, you won't always be able to fight without restraint,” warned the ninja. Kotaro sighed.

 

“Yeah, I know,” he said. Natsumi listened to this exchange.

 

“They're going to fight?” she asked the girl closest to her, which was Yue. The serious Baka Black nodded.

 

“They are front-line, so that's what they concentrate on,” she explained.

 

“What do the rest of you do?” wondered Natsumi.

 

“We practice our own skills,” Yue said.

 

“Since we're back-line, our skills are mostly used to gather, process and utilize information,” Chisame said.

 

“I see,” Natsumi said. “What are your skills?” she wondered.

 

“Each Pactio is different,” Nodoka began. “They match the skills of the partner, though, so it's fun to practice,” smiled the shy library girl.

 

“So, I will get a Pactio card as well?” wondered Natsumi.

 

“Well, not right away,” warned Haruna. “But if you stick around, sure,” the mangaka answered.

 

“Yeah, we need to get Chamo to do the circle,” Negi recalled. Where is Chamo? I haven't seen him in a while, he thought to himself.

 

He was distracted by the arrival of Ayaka, Asuna and Eva. Seeing the blonde, the others greeted her, welcoming her to the White Wings. It was clear from the looks she and Asuna were shooting each other that there would be another sparring match after supper.

 

“Hungry, Asuna? Ayaka?” asked Chachamaru. Eva dropped into her padded chair at the head of the table, accepting a glass of wine from her partner. The two sat down and dug into the food.

 

“Where did you get the bathing suit?” wondered Natsumi, seeing Ayaka wearing a bikini.

 

Ayaka glared at Asuna, but said nothing. Natsumi looked at the girls at the table, and realized that they were not dressed very conservatively. Little did she realize that they were more dressed than they usually were.