Mahou Sensei Negima! Fan Fiction ❯ Miscalculation ❯ Chapter 26

Nodoka and Yue awoke to gentle shaking, along with someone calling their names softly. Gradually awakening, they found themselves looking at Asuna, the primary partner of Negi perched on the edge of their loft bed, gently shaking them. Carefully sitting up, they had recalled what they had done the night before, both of them blushing deeply, though they were also both smiling at each other. Twisting around, they looked back, finding that Negi was still asleep, his face in Haruna's bare chest. The mangaka herself was still sleeping.

 

“You are going to be late for class if you don't hurry,” Asuna remarked. Blinking, the pair had looked back at her, finding her to be holding their Pactio cards, staring at them with an odd expression on her face. The pair glanced at each other, gulping silently. “Well, congratulations,” Asuna said softly, her finger running briefly across the faces of the two cards in her hand. “And welcome,” she added, smiling at the two.

 

“T…thanks,” Nodoka managed. Asuna hummed.

 

“When we get to the Resort tonight, you two need to come with the rest of us with silver edges to meet with Eva. There's something she needs to teach us,” Asuna said. Rolling back, she easily flipped in midair, landing silently on her feet on the floor of the room the girls shared. “Do you need Konoka-chan?” Asuna asked, straightening up fluidly. Yue and Nodoka noticed that Konoka and Setsuna were in their room as well.

 

“Um, I think we are ok,” Yue said slowly.

 

“Better safe than sorry, though,” Asuna murmured, tossing her head toward them. Konoka eagerly activated her Pactio and a moment later, the two felt perfectly fine, the soreness and ache gone from their groins.

 

“Asuna-chan?” came Negi's sleepy voice. The young man sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes.

 

“It's me,” confirmed Asuna. “And as usual, we're behind schedule, so hurry up!” urged the girl. “You need to shower and get ready or we'll be late!”

 

“Right!” Negi agreed, catapulting out of the bed, easily landing on his feet. He stopped, remembering something. “I need to get some clean clothes…” he began, only to see Konoka smiling at him, holding up a fresh suit and clothes. “And I need my…” he stopped again, seeing Setsuna offering him his small bath basket.

 

“Need a shower companion?” came the teasingly-eager voice of Haruna. Looking up at the busty artist, he saw her settling her glasses, grinning widely at him. “Dibs!” she sang out, rolling out of the bed. Her landing was not as graceful as Negi's and Asuna's had been, but she managed it well enough. Nodoka and Yue climbed down carefully. Haruna grabbed Negi's hand, pulling him toward the small bathroom in their room.

 

“Don't get sidetracked,” Asuna warned her fellow Wing member. “We really are late,” she reminded the artist. “And Yue and Nodoka need a shower, too,” she added. They reek of sex, she thought, aware that her own sex was warm and tingly. Not that they seem to mind, the taller girl thought, seeing the two grinning widely as they hugged each other. Argh! Now I am thinking of a quickie in the shower, she sighed softly.

 

Suddenly recalling something, Asuna glanced at the pair of almost-giddy women. Taking a slow, deep breath, she closed her eyes. Yue. Nodoka, she thought, concentrating on how it felt to use telepath with Negi.

 

“What?” asked Nodoka, blinking at Asuna.

 

Asuna pursed her lips. “Not like that, Nodoka-chan,” Asuna said softly. “Think it to me,” she explained.

 

Like this? came Yue's voice in her head.

 

“Very good!” burbled Konoka, smiling warmly at them.

 

I don't understand, Nodoka's voice came to the others. What is this?

 

“Something that Eva needs to teach us about,” Asuna said, using her voice. “For now, try not to use it. Eva said something about other students and the faculty being sensitive to this.”

 

“So we don't need our Pactio cards to use telepathy now?” Yue guessed. Asuna nodded.

 

“Yeah. It could be really useful,” she noted. Yue nodded slowly.

 

“Especially in fights,” she agreed. Moments later, she and Nodoka exchanged a look. “We need all the other girls to have his to make full use of it,” pointed out Baka Ranger Black. The women in the room glanced back and forth, each knowing what the others were thinking even without their new ability.

 

-

 

“Kazumi.”

 

The paparazzi girl turned around to see who was calling her name. Seeing Kaede standing a half-step behind her made her blink. Never sensed or heard her back there, thought the pineapple-head of the Wings, but then, she's a ninja, so I guess that makes sense. “What's up, Kaede?” asked the girl as the tall ninja fell into step with her. The pair were making their way toward Eva's cabin for another training cycle. All the Wing girls found themselves eager to visit the Resort, and usually headed there as soon as possible after classes.

 

“Have you noticed anything strange going on with the class?” asked the Koga chounin. Kazumi hummed.

 

“Not really,” she admitted. “Though, a number of girls have been missing class that don't usually miss class,” she recalled. “We still haven't located the sport club girls, and Mana has missed two days in the past week,” the snoop reported, checking a small PDA. “Why? Is something wrong? Should we call Negi? Or maybe Eva?” wondered Asakura.

 

“No, not that I am aware of,” Kaede said. “Just curious,” she dismissed the question.

 

“Kaede! Kazumi!” came the voice of Ku Fei, the blonde Chinese martial artist hurrying after them, a cardboard tub of meat buns in her hand, the Baka Ranger Yellow scarfing down the Satsuki-made treats like candy. “What are you talking about?” she wondered, falling into step with them. “I have a new technique I want to try with you, Kaede,” she added aside to the tall fighter.

 

“Ok,” Kaede agreed. “We were just talking about the sports club girls being absent,” Kaede replied. The Chinese girl munched another meat bun.

 

“Didn't find them, hmm?” she mused. “Well, no problem, right?” she suggested.

 

“Not unless Negi gets worried or Yuna's old man pushes it,” Kazumi shrugged. Ku Fei tossed the empty cardboard tub into a recycling bin as the trio of Wings exited the campus quad, turning toward the cabin of their `master'. None of the girls thought about that, though. Looking down the street, they spotted other Wing members moving toward the secluded cabin singly and in groups. To anyone not from their class, it would look like normal after-school errand-running like all the students did.

 

“Kazumi!” came a voice from the air next to Asakura's head. The intelligence gatherer of the Wings smiled.

 

“Hi, Sayo-chan,” she replied. Her desk-mate and the ghost of their class was not visible in broad daylight outside of the Resort without tremendous effort on the part of the dead girl, but nevertheless, all the Wings had come to recognize her presence, and they all treated her as an equal. “How are you doing?”

 

“I'm fine!” chirped the spirit. “The badge that Eva-san made for me is something else! I found out that I can use telepathy if I concentrate with it!” she burbled. The electro-magical device was bonded to her by an arcane means that only Eva knew, it having stumped Negi and Yue as to how the powerful vampiress mage had done it. “And my badge can be tracked by Chachamaru, too! Just like the rest of your badges!”

 

“That's good,” Kazumi smiled. Sayo had spent nearly sixty years bound to the classroom, unnoticed and alone. To suddenly have friends and be able to be part of a group was important to her, and the other Wing girls understood that. A thought occurred to her. “You haven't happened to have seen Mana around lately, have you?” she asked her ghostly friend.

 

“Um, no, not recently,” Sayo replied. “I have been hanging out with Zazie by the convenience store though, so maybe that's why,” she offered. Kazumi offered the invisible girl a surprised look.

 

“Didn't you say that Zazie scared you?” she wondered.

 

“Um, well, she and her friends are kind of strange, so I was a little scared at first, but she's a lot nicer than I thought,” the ghost explained.

 

“Friends?” wondered Kaede. Zazie-chan is not known as a social girl. She hardly ever speaks, and she's always disappearing somewhere, the ninja mused. She actually liked Zazie, in a strangely distant way. “Hey, isn't Zazie Mana's roommate?” she wondered.

 

“Yeah, you're right!” Kazumi realized. “If we want to know, she might be able to tell us,” the paparazzi pulled out her cell phone.

 

“You have her number,” Kaede stated. With Kazumi, it wasn't a question. Grinning, the girl punched in a number. “Didn't know she had a phone,” observed Kaede.

 

“She does, but it is rarely turned on,” Kazumi shrugged. “She doesn't make or get a lot of calls, either,” noted the girl. Moments later, she sighed, ending the call. “She didn't pick up,” reported the girl.

 

“Who didn't?” wondered Chisame, joining them as they turned a corner off the main street, moving toward the almost-hidden cabin.

 

“Zazie,” Sayo supplied. “We were hoping she could tell us where Mana has been lately,” elaborated the girl.

 

“Mana?” blinked Chisame. “I've seen her briefly twice in the last week outside of class,” she offered. “Both times, she seemed to be in a hurry,” mused the girl. “Did Setsuna say anything about jobs with her?” the hacker asked.

 

Kaede shook her head. “Not recently. We might want to ask Konoka-chan if her old man has handed down any missions as well.”

 

“Why the sudden interest?” wondered Chisame. She recalled clearly the events of the previous year's festival. Mana had been on the other side from her, siding with Chao and her faction. Chao had nearly broken them and the school, though a last-minute, desperate plan had given the Wings a razor-thin victory over the genius time-traveler and her crew.

 

“No reason,” Kaede said. “She and I usually run into each other from time to time, that's all.”

 

“Still trying to finish that fight from the festival, eh?” Kazumi snickered. Kaede shrugged.

 

“Mana is a skilled opponent,” was all she said.

 

“Too skilled, if you ask me,” Chisame said softly. Mana had been working under Chao with Chachamaru and Satomi Hakase, and the three of them together - along with an army of robots - had proven more than the magical staff of Mahora could handle, and almost beaten down the Wings, as well.

 

“We could use her skills, though, couldn't we?” asked Kazumi.

 

“I don't think that she'd be interested,” Kaede said quietly, the group turning off the paved back streets and onto the long, winding gravel road that led to Eva's cabin. The group was overtaking another group of their teammates as they closed on Yue, Nodoka and Haruna ahead of them. “She's a loner, you know?”

 

“Negi said something about her having had a Pactio with someone before,” offered Kazumi.

 

“So?” wondered Chisame.

 

“So,” said Kazumi slowly, “she's obviously aware of our world, and about our relationship to Negi. Her skills are valuable, wouldn't you agree? And unless I am way off my game, she and Negi have some sort of understanding between them,” reasoned Kazumi.

 

“Mana and Negi?” Yue cut in. “I suppose that it looks that way,” she agreed. “But I wonder if that is really how it is between them.”

 

“We could ask Negi,” Nodoka suggested. Kaede studied the two girls. Both were nearly glowing with energy.

 

“Something good happen to you two?” asked the ninja girl. The two exchanged looks and leers.

 

“You could say that,” Nodoka replied, blushing.

 

“Oh, I think it was more than `good',” Haruna blandly stepped in. The two blushed a bit deeper. So, that's it, Kaede mused.

 

“Your cards are silver-edged, aren't they?” Chisame said quietly. Figures, she thought without any real concern. Both nodded. “You need to come with us when we get to the Resort,” Chisame said.

 

“Asuna said that Eva wanted to teach us something,” Nodoka nodded.

 

Ahead of them, the group caught sight of Asuna, Negi, Konoka and Setsuna stepping through the door to the cabin. Moments later, they entered the cabin, finding the others talking with Chachamaru in the kitchen. Usually, they waited outside the Resort for the entire roster to arrive, so they accepted some tea from the gynoid. Barely five minutes passed before the last of the group arrived in the form of Ayaka, Kotaro and Natsumi.

 

Heading down to the Resort in the basement, the group found Eva waiting for them, the blonde more naked than dressed in a haphazardly-donned gauzy wrap. Quickly parsing the group into sub-sets, she pulled the girls she wanted into the inner section of the Resort's main hub building to do a little teaching of her own.

 

Transporting out at the original resort, Ku Fei and Kaede swiftly made their way down the spiral staircase to the beach. The pair had decided that the original Resort would be a good place to see how Ku's new technique worked. Reaching the bottom, the pair stretched a bit as they made their way across the narrow finger of sand toward the shallow island that served as the main beach.

 

“Do you hear something?” asked Kaede of Ku. The Chinese girl frowned.

 

“Sounds like someone is here,” she said. Curious, the pair of heavy fighters moved toward the stone pavilion. Slipping silently along, the Wing girls instinctively fell into combat habits, moving silent and carefully, senses alert and bodies coiled. Reaching the edge of the pavilion, they heard some voices ahead. Both girls stepped around the corner, ready for whatever they found.

 

“Kaede? Ku?” came a surprised voice. The two Wing girls blinked, surprised at what they saw.