Negima FanFiction Discussion

[Merctrin]

Ouch. I don't suppose it was the cool sort of infamous?

...And I need to repeat my apologies for not getting around to rereading/reading PotM. Sorry... at this point I'm not sure I'll be able to do that.

[Sereg]

All right. Chapter 22 of Mahou Sensei Anya is up.

Mahorafest finally begins!

[Kurush]

It wasn't the cool sort.

Anyway, I thought I'd share something that for once seems funny. I hope it is because I LOL'ed a lot while writing this. I really need some feedback on this, please.

Spoiler for Spying on memories:

“If you were to have any faith in the gift of arcane magic, Matron Quenthel, now might be the best of times,” Gromph told his sister whilst they were inside Miyazaki's room.

The girl was asleep and unaware of the two's intrusion. The room had once belonged to a Baenre named Maevra but she had been killed by rebellious kobolds during a slave uprising that was the start of the Underdark War of the North more than twenty years past. So the room had been given to the human upon her arrival.

Gromph had also noted the cleanliness of the room; His nephew Prath, a student now in his 14th year in Sorcere – the wizard school – had kept a very tidy room in comparison to Gromph. The archmage had been very sloppy as an apprentice, usually sneaking in a bottle of wine every now and then but failed to keep his room clean. By drow standards, Prath had been very efficient in keeping things in order.

By comparison, this room made Prath look like an utter slop.

Where did she find the time to clean up? Granted she had a personal slave but even they were not this thorough. Had there been any light in here, the desk would have sparkled. The books were in perfect alphabetical order and every quill were collected neatly and stored in a box with two inkwells next to the box on the desk. Most shockingly of course to his sister was the lack of spiders.

Every drow had spiders in the ceiling of their room. Odds of getting bitten were ridiculously low and that was mainly due to them having an innate affinity for the arachnids. Here even the webs were missing.

Now all of that was not important if they couldn't fix her eyesight. “You are at least a better choice than Pharaun Mizzrym, brother,” she told him. “He was an excellent wizard but a very poor companion and servant.”

“Oh, I had simply no idea,” He said in monotone. “I should have picked somebody else to come alongside you on your secret mission for the good of Menzoberranzan.”

“Watch it,” she warned him and he kept quiet after that.

Nodoka was heavily asleep and the honey badger was watching the two guests with curious eyes. It hadn't bared its teeth yet but it had shifted into a position that allowed it to jump onto either of them if it came to it. Little runt was willing to take them on, no matter what.

“So how does this spell of yours work?” Quenthel asked after a beat.

“We will travel to view her memories. I wrote the spell specifically to seek out memories beginning with magic events happening that day in her life. We should in theory travel directly to the start of the day when magic happened to her. Or when she first came into contact with it.”

“In theory?” Quenthel asked him. Those two words had always meant that things would not go as planned.

“It just means we won't go to where we would like to go,” he explained. “We will see the moments where she comes into contact with magic.”

“Let's get it over with,” she told him. “The sooner we shift through this, the sooner we can save Menzoberranzan.”

Gromph started with the gestures of the spell, before the words were spoken. The arcane words being spoken in Draconic were each a beautiful syllable, calling back to an ancient time. As he spoke them, the whole room lit up and the two drow felt themselves drawn into someplace else.

====

The first thing they heard was an irritating buzz from a little box of unknown material in a small, sunlit room.

And they saw Miyazaki stretch out her arms with a yawn. This was a much younger version of how they had seen her, but now they saw that her hair bangs hid her eyes. The girl wore simple nightclothes that consisted of frills and pants too short to cover her legs.

“Is this her?” Quenthel asked. “She doesn't look like much.”

“Yue, wake up,” Miyazaki called to someone in the room as well. “Today's when we get the new teacher.”

“Mmm... two more minutes, Nodoka,” Yue replied half-asleep. The drow saw a girl shorter than Miyazaki with a clear forehead and underdeveloped more than expected.

“Good morning!” Someone else came in through the wooden door and this one was more busty than the two first. Long hair, glasses and two strands of hair standing out above the rest of it. She wore something more akin to a uniform “Hey, sleepyheads, what's up? We get the new teacher today.”

“I'm getting ready, I'm getting ready,” Nodoka told her and swapped out of her nightclothes to get into her own uniform. After that she helped Yue get into hers. “Yue, we're gonna be late at this rate.”

“Alright, I'm awake,” Yue said. “Haruna, care to join us for breakfast?”

“Please tell me that time is stopped for our real selves while this is going on,” Quenthel said through clenching teeth.

“It is,” Gromph assured her.

It took more than half an hour to get breakfast over with. The two drow at least learned who the other two were: Yue Ayase and Haruna Saotome, both members of the Library Club like Miyazaki. Yue was a more controlled and calm person while Haruna had a personality much like their younger brother.

Those two were her best friends, so their lives should be preserved.

Now they were in a confined space, filled nearly to the brim with girls their age in the same uniform and wearing warm coats over them. They were talking about like it was the end of winter and the snow had just gone away. Quenthel had seen snow before, at least.

Then a powerful gust of wind came out from nowhere and many a skirt went flying (along with girls screaming) to reveal the contents underneath. Gromph was unaffected by the sight.

Then doors opened out of the confined space and the girls all rushed out, Miyazaki included, with her friends in tow. The space in front of them was cramped with girls, some used a board that had wheels underneath (weird) and at least one had a... mechanical horse of some kind?

The rush was fast and didn't last long. The girls changed their shoes to indoor (Odd) and then headed into crowded rooms up the stairs. Easily recognized as classrooms, the rooms were filled with girls of the same age as them and the one Miyazaki was in had a peculiar collection.

A young girl with long blonde hair, one the same age as them but with ears longer than even elven ears and green hair, a dark skinned girl taller than the rest and carrying a dangerous air to herself and two twin girls as if they did not belong there.

Most of the girls in the room were incredibly beautiful for their age, some even by drow standards. “These girls are all the same age as Miyazaki?” Quenthel asked rhetorically.

They settled down, Gromph and Quenthel standing by the door. They heard that there was going to be a new teacher and they noticed a redhead was not being happy about it. And then the door opened.

A black light bar came down first and went past the drows' heads to stop slightly above a young boy's head. Then it continued and landed on his head, revealing white dust. Then the boy unleashed the rest of the trap, falling forward to the teacher's desk.

“Ah, the teacher let his apprentice go first to unleash the traps,” said Gromph. “Clever if a bit cruel to the apprentice. Unless this is part of learning to become a teacher.”

“A kid?” someone in the classroom asked and walked up to the boy. In fact, a few of them did. “We're sorry, but we thought that you were our new teacher.”

Then the beautiful and tall blonde woman [Yes, she is blonde] spoke up, “Oh, but he is your new teacher. Please allow him to introduce himself.”

“What,” said Quenthel and looked at the boy as he reassured himself by the desk.

“I'm Negi Springfield and starting today, I will be train- er, teaching English here at this school. I will only be here for the third term but I look forward to getting to know all of you.”

“Wait, that's-” The matron started.

“Him!?” The archmage finished and the two looked at each other. “You knew of him, too?”

“I'm surprised you are shocked of this event, too,” she defended herself and then the class exploded in what could be best described as a child finding something it liked immensely. They all rushed at the boy and proclaimed that he was cute and bombarded him with questions about him.

“I can already tell that this will be a fun experience,” Gromph said flatly.

====

“Okay, so she didn't tell us how old he really was,” Quenthel said in their discussion after the lesson Negi had held. “How come that a child his age was able to be made a teacher?”

“She did tell us that he was a mage, didn't she?” Gromph said as he watched the younger Miyazaki walk down the causeway to a great building on the island in the middle of a lake. “It could be seen that he is doing the job as a teacher to become a fully licensed one.”

“And just why would he need a license? It's magic. It's something you just do if you have it.”

Gromph defended his case with a logical observation. “In the human country Cormyr on the surface, all magic users has to register themselves before being allowed to use magic. And in the city called Baldur's Gate, there is an order of mages that arrest those who use magic without a license. It should stand to reason that the mages on Miyazaki's world undergo a field test after training from school to ensure that they can work in the normal society of their world without it for periods of time. After which, they gain a license.

“Personally I find it ridiculous that one should undergo such tests but we are not in a position to argue with them how they go through with it.”

They left it at that and then they found that Miyazaki had entered a library. Except that this library was larger than the Baenre library and it went on further downward with students actually walking on top of the bookshelves. “She did not make up the library experience,” Gromph said softly.

It took them an additional hour for something to happen. It gave them time to look around the complex of this academy. It was grander than anything they had seen before and do trees really get that big?

Then it happened. Miyazaki was carrying a large pile of books and walking down stairs when she fumbled her step and lost her balance to fall over the edge. The landing would have snapped her neck...

if it weren't for the gust of wind that stopped her fall and the Springfield boy diving in to catch her. “Okay, so that is where it started,” said Quenthel.

Then they noticed that redhead girl from class staring at the boy. Just as Miyazaki was waking up, the redhead, named Asuna from what they recall, grabbed Springfield and bolted for the woods. “No! Damnit, we can't follow them,” said the archmage. “We're stuck with Miyazaki.”

“Another flaw in that spell you pulled, brother?” Quenthel said with anger. Then she shook her head. “We can't stay mad at each other. But now we have found a conflict. That Asuna girl knows that he is a mage, or at least now she does. She could be a problem for us.”

“Yes, she could be. Now we should ensure to remember the faces of those we meet and ascertain what role they play in Miyazaki's old life,” said Gromph. He was certain that they would be most important in finding out just how they could save their city.

====

“Evangeline-san!” Springfield exclaimed in shock as he saw that young blonde girl from class reveal herself.

“Hmm, such power at such a young age... you really must be his son,” Evangeline said and procured two vials.

“His son?” Quenthel asked. “We're missing a few details here.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Didn't you know? There are both good mages and evil mages,” Evangeline said as she threw the vials at Springfield and the spell blew up in his face. He was able to block it but he could not do the same for Miyazaki's clothes. Those were ripped to shreds until she was practically naked.

“They actually have spells that do that?” Quenthel said. “They must believe in that displaying nudity in public is a bad idea.”

Gromph kept quiet, because that did sound like hypocrisy. Drow did have laxer nudity standards than humans but even they knew it was dumb to just walk in a square without clothes. Yes, keeping quiet was the smart idea.

“Negi-kun,” came Konoka, the brown haired girl Springfield was working with and Asuna was with her as well. “What happened?”

“What the-” Asuna was more concerned with Miyazaki. “Honya-chan!?”

“You're the vampire, Negi-kun!?” Konoka asked the boy and Quenthel committed the traditional facepalm.

“No, it's a mistake!” Springfield called against them, then looked over to the smoke where Evangeline had disappeared.

“Hey, who was that?” Asuna asked.

“Asuna-san, Konoka-san, please take care of Miyazaki-san! She's unconscious, but otherwise fine,” said Springfield as he strapped his staff to his back.

“Hup, there he goes again,” said Quenthel. “At least it's not as bad as that incident in the library he had with her.”

“I'm going to pursue the one who did this. There's no need to worry, you two go on home.”

“I am definitely refining this spell,” said Gromph. “We need to be able to move about with more freedom if we are to learn anything at the rate this is going.”

“How long until she learns?” Quenthel asked.

“I'd say a month or so.”

Then Springfield sprinted away at a ridiculous speed. Asuna followed shortly after.

====

They looked on with very blank faces as Springfield left the room and followed by Asuna who said simply that he really needed to find a partner. Someone next to Miyazaki said that if she were to become queen-

“So she told us the truth about him being a prince as well,” Quenthel said. “He doesn't look like one to me. Princes of the human lands have servants, regalia and weapons to fight the greatest of opponents. A vampire should be an easy match for him if he was one.”

“Send a child to fight one of the most powerful undead beings in existence?” Gromph questioned her logic. “Yes, I can see that being a clever reality with humans.”

Every girl in class argued about who was going to be the more suitable girl for Springfield. The boy was going to have his hands full.

====

“They actually make swimsuits that small?” Quenthel asked as they saw the girls trying to cheer Springfield up in the public baths. “I'm buying one when we get there.”

====

Finally, the drow caught a break. Miyazaki had gotten a note from the boy a few days after her attack by Evangeline, saying that he would like her to be his partner. She was waiting for him behind the dorm building.

“Seems a bit peculiar, but it seems we finally get somewhere with this,” said Gromph.

“Now we get to see some magic of this world. All we need is Springfield.” Quenthel felt satisfied with this event that was coming.

“Oh, there he is,” he said as Springfield came flying in and landed behind the bushes before coming out.

“Miyazaki-san,” he called out running to her. Wait, is that the little weasel from yesterday on his shoulder? “Are you okay?”

“Sensei...” Miyazaki said in reply.

“That's all she's gonna say?” Y'all got three guesses as to which grumpy lady said that and two of them guesses don't count. Ye get it wrong, I have a frying pan to beat ye ta death with.

“Huh, where are the thugs frying you?” Springfield asked all of a sudden and guess which male made a facepalm this time as the conversation went on with him asking if she was attacked.

“Well, Negi-sensei... do you really... want me as a partner?” Miyazaki asked him and he went into whispering with his weasel in frantic. The drow picked it up as the rodent being his familiar. “Um... I heard that you helped me again, the day before yesterday when everything was happening with the vampire. I feel like I'm causing you so much trouble. I'm so sorry.”

“No, you're not trouble!” Springfield said in reply. Gromph felt sick just hearing that.

“So if there's anything I can do for you in return,” the bookworm said while Quenthel tried to commit suicide by strangling herself, “I'll do my best to do it. So please ask me for anything.”

“Blagh, this is what we're expecting for the next few weeks?” Quenthel asked out loud. “Please tell me that we get to see something. We've been waiting for weeks for something to happen!”

They did see the familiar about, making something on the ground. Then he shouted, “Pactio!” and the whole circle lit up in magical energy.

“Finally!”

“This is a magic circle for creating a probationary contract with a partner,” the weasel explained. “You make the contract and then the new Minster Magi helps and protects the wizard. In exchange, the Minister Magi receives magical power that doubles her blood circulation and physical energy! And it makes her skin silky smooth! It's a big power up both physically and mentally. Good stuff all around!”

“It would be like as if he knew someone would be watching this,” The archmage said, finally satisfied with watching the memories.

“However, you're just a kid, aniki, so you cannot make a formal contract. It's pretty hard to choose a Minister Magi, so you're not gonna be so sure, y'know? And that's why we have the probationary contract system. Basically, it's a trial period! Puts a considerable limit on the benefits – shorter duration time, etc. - but you can have as many contracts as you like. Usually, only one person will have the formal contract, but the number varies on the wizard's capacity,” the weasel explained further.

“Oh, good to know,” said Quenthel. “Even with such limits, that kind of power could be what establishes us permanently as the 1st house. The others would be forced to obey us.”

“Wouldn't that go against Lolth's will?” He asked. Lolth did look out for too much order. The Spider Queen was a being of Chaos and if too much cooperation between drow was found, she stepped in. Likewise, she watched out for too much chaos. Chaos that could tear the drow apart. Would the houses of the city accept the permanent rule of House Baenre? Would they tolerate a queen at all?

“Wait, I have to kiss her?!” Springfield exclaimed with shock.

“It's the simplest way to establish a contract. There are other methods but they're a hassle...”

“No wonder,” said Quenthel. “We just need to find those other methods. I would not like to give a kiss to someone so lightly.”

And just as Miyazaki and Springfield were about to... Asuna came and smashed down the weasel, breaking up the contract circle. Just like the human children fell over, so did the drow.

“I am going to kill that Asuna bitch,” said Quenthel. “I don't care what your Good aspect says, I am going to kill her for some reason.”

“Assuming it is a really good one,” said Gromph.

And then they heard Chamo's sad, sad, story and then Springfield started to cry.

“Oh, cry me a river! What about us? This was the only good find for weeks and now we're stuck with it until something else happens to this girl! Do we look like we can follow you? NO!”
I'm not going to say who it was who yelled that at the humans.

“I am not happy right now.” Neither on that one.

Spoiler for Notes:

- The spell that Gromph cast is completely fictional and made with the intention that they would learn of Nodoka's past. I am uncertain so far about how much they would see into her life. This scenario is played in the event that Nodoka had a life uninfluenced by magic prior to Negi showing up at Mahora.

- They are stuck with watching these events unfold day by day. It is not satisfactory for them.

- Now I am wondering what their expressions will be when they see stuff like the Magic World, the tournament of the festival, Jack Rakan and so forth.

- This is completely plot based and I have planned this for a few months, so expect things to be hilarious, awesome and frankly... quite scary at times.

- For spoilers ahead of this, I have planned for Nanoha to appear. I might need some help and feedback on her role in PotM if anyone is willing to PM me later on.

[Merctrin]

Well, I think I know of several authors who left that site in disgust at certain site policies. You might want to consider going over to the TV Tropes Negima fanfiction thread. I don't know your feelings on crack, and there is a fair amount there, but the vast majority of authors there are working on crossovers. The thread's more active than this one will ever be, too.

...And I have an update. Once again, for the millionth time, sorry for my lateness.

Prequel | Prologue | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 11 | Day 12 | Day -17 | Day 14 | Day 18 | Day 22 | Day 23 | Day 29 | Day 33 | Day 36 | Day 37 | Day 43

Spoiler for Day 46:

She wasn’t avoiding Konoka. Not in the slightest. They just seemed to keep missing each other. That was all it was. And if Setsuna was constantly checking to make sure that her bandaged arm was covered—that was just being intelligent, wasn’t it? No one she knew would be pleased to know she’d allowed Tsukuyomi the opportunity to attack her.


Setsuna wasn’t exactly pleased with it herself, but at the moment that was the least of her concerns. Concerns that she really didn’t involve Konoka with. So it wasn’t exactly avoidance. She just wasn’t going out of her way to meet up with her partner like she usually would.


And Konoka wasn’t trying to talk to her.


She leaned against the wall she was sitting in front of. One of the few things about her current problems that wasn’t a complete mystery, and she was too much of a coward to do anything about it. She’d tried to muster up some degree of hatred for Tsukuyomi for pointing the mess out to her, but at this point she thought it was best to spend as little time thinking about Tsukuyomi as humanly possible.


That was proving uncomfortably difficult. It helped that Tsukuyomi was spending an unusual amount of time daydreaming about something (another worrying thing—how did this keep happening to her?) and was being incredibly considerate about leaving Setsuna alone, but…


It was confusing. No matter how she tried to distract herself, no matter how much she threw herself into training with her friends, her thoughts kept straying back to Tsukuyomi. Even worse, her eyes were constantly betraying her and she found herself staring at her roommate much more than was appropriate.


Setsuna couldn’t hold back a flinch at that thought. She thought… she thought she might know why. But for now, she could do without examining that too closely. It wasn’t something she wanted, and with something like that, want was important, wasn’t it?


If she had the courage to ask, Konoka and Asuna would probably tell her that her desires had been all over the place since Kyoto, and perhaps she wasn’t the best person to be making decisions for herself. With this, though, they’d at least agree with her conclusion, even if the concept of it being a question at all in the first place would disturb them.


She really wished she could talk to one of them about this. She’d considered asking Mana, but the mocking she’d have to endure before she got any actual advice wasn’t worth it. And Tsukuyomi was friends with Mana now, so any attempts to have a private conversation would probably blow up in her face to begin with.


She sighed and briefly considered what, exactly, Evangeline would do to her if she bashed her head repeatedly into parts of the resort, and if the wrath she’d incur would be worth the relief the pain would provide.


Then she realized she was starting to think about pain in precisely the wrong sort of way, and her thoughts went straight back to Tsukuyomi.


…Maybe she was a masochist?


That would at least explain while she was sitting outside instead of resting in a soft bed like everyone else. She had tried to sleep, but the room felt too quiet, and the bed was too cold, and it just felt very strange not to have a body curled up against hers.


She was in so much trouble.


“Set-chan? What are you doing up so late?”


Setsuna bolted up from her spot on the ground. “Kono—Ojou-sama!”


Konoka smiled at her. Normally, she probably would have laughed, but Setsuna would take a smile over unhappy looks any day. She sat down by Setsuna’s feet. After a moment or two, she tugged on Setsuna’s sleeve until they were sitting side by side.


“Are you having trouble sleeping?”


Setsuna nodded uncertainly. When Konoka looked expectantly at her, she gave up and just let the honest truth spill out of her mouth. “I’ve gotten used to having a roommate, so it feels… strange, sleeping alone.”


This time, Konoka did laugh. It sounded a little off for some reason, but when she rested her head on Setsuna’s shoulder, Setsuna convinced herself that she was imagining things. It had just been a while since she’d heard Konoka laugh.


“You’re just getting used to it now, Set-chan? You’ve been sharing your room for ages.”


Embarrassment burned Setsuna’s cheeks. “It’s… different now. I don’t really know why,” she said, laughing uncomfortably. “It just feels strange.”


They sat silently next to each other for a long minute. Konoka let out a barely-audible sigh that Setsuna almost missed and wrapped her arms around Setsuna’s waist.


“That’s a good thing, isn’t it? If you’re feeling that comfortable around her, you must be starting to trust her a little, so you should be able to relax a bit.”


Setsuna double-checked that her bandaged arm was still very well concealed and shrugged guiltily. “I don’t think I trust her that much, really… I’ve just gotten used to her.”


She thought she could feel Konoka smile into her shoulder. “Still, that’s one less thing to worry about. And ever since you started watching her, you’ve been doing nothing but worrying. It’s not good for you. This is better, even if it means sleeping here is a little strange.”


Setsuna wasn’t sure if she could agree with that. Everything was strange now, not just sleeping arrangements. “Were you having trouble sleeping too, Kono-chan?”


“Well,” she said lightly, “I wasn’t trying to sleep to begin with.”


Setsuna looked down at her in confusion. “Why not?”


A very strange expression that Setsuna couldn’t identify flitted across Konoka’s face. She was still smiling, but for a split second it had almost felt like she was going to start crying. Then she reached one of her hands up and held it to her cheek.


“I had a tricky decision to make, and I wanted to be able to think about it properly before I did anything.”


Concern rocketed its way to Setsuna’s brain and she turned to face her partner properly. “Is something wrong?”


“No, not really.” Konoka laughed awkwardly. “I’m being silly about it. I know what I want to do, but for some reason, making myself do it is really hard.”


“Is there any way I can—” Setsuna started, but she was cut off by Konoka’s finger pressing against her lips.


Her partner laughed again. “Set-chan. We just got you to stop worrying so much. Don’t try to start again. Besides, one part is easy. It’s just everything else that’s tricky.”


Setsuna didn’t think Konoka realized how worrying the words that were coming out of her mouth were, but before she had the chance to tell the girl that, Konoka was standing up and turning away from her. Then, very quickly, she spun around again. She was smiling brightly.


“Set-chan, would you like to go out with me?”

------

“I don’t think I’ve seen you look upset before.”


Tsukuyomi leaned back against the pillow on her bunk and stuck her tongue out at Mana. Mana, predictably, rolled her eyes and continued adjusting the scope on the gun of the day. Clearly, she had no appreciation for how cruel her Senpai was being.


After lunch, looking even paler than the ghost that hung around the reporter girl, Setsuna had stumbled back into their room and announced that Mana’s services would be required after the school day ended. Because she had something to do with her Ojou-sama.


The whole thing struck Tsukuyomi as incredibly unfair. When she first came to this school, Setsuna never would have let her out of her sight for so long. She’d thought that maybe injuring her Senpai with the scissors would convince Setsuna that her first position (minus the adorable chilliness) was the correct one.


She had already settled it many times in her head, but the support for murdering Konoka the second she was free seemed to be growing every second.


“You know it’s not a real date, right? She wouldn’t have made it back out the door if Konoe asked her out seriously.”


Tsukuyomi sighed. “That’s a horrible way of looking at it, Onee-san.”


“I did tell you not to try seducing her.”


“I haven’t been!” Outside of kissing her and attacking her with the scissors, which Mana probably wouldn’t count as seduction no matter how her relationship with Setsuna worked, she’d barely done anything.


“Uh-huh.”


Tsukuyomi sighed mournfully and looked up at the bottom of the top bunk.


So Setsuna was still in love with Konoka.


She could have sworn she knew that. It made perfect sense, after all, and she did like to pay her Senpai extra attention whenever possible. Just because Setsuna was starting to give her looks that made her shiver delightfully didn’t mean that she was over her little bodyguard-crush. Setsuna had been in love with Konoka for pretty much forever, so it only made sense that her feelings hadn’t faded yet. And being in denial couldn’t have helped her.


It still hurt. Tsukuyomi hated the feeling, but seeing her Senpai (hers) so shaken up about an outing with the ojou-sama that she didn’t even have the nerve to call a date in the first place… Yes, it hurt.


She didn’t like it one bit.


And knowing that Konoka had bothered to ask Setsuna out was not helping anything, since Konoka actually knew what was going on in both of their complicated relationships with Setsuna, and since she knew all it would take from her to defuse things was to ask Setsuna, she asked, which meant no matter what Setsuna was currently feeling, she’d be forever wrapped around her beloved Ojou-sama.


There was nothing Tsukuyomi liked about this, and if she weren’t tied down to this school without complete access to her varied capabilities, she would be running around looking for a weapon. Killing out of emotional frustration instead of physical need was still a relatively new concept to her, but killing usually made everything better.


Unfortunately, Setsuna had taken Yūnagi out of the room with her.


“Maybe we could go out and follow them. Your class does things like that all the time and no one complains.”


“It’s our class, not just mine. Besides,” Mana smirked at her, “you haven’t seen what Setsuna’s paying me to look after you. You aren’t stepping one foot outside this room.”


Tsukuyomi sat up on the bed and cast a longing look at the door. If she had access to her power, she could have easily outrun the gunslinger to it and escaped to stalk her Senpai. “How long do you think it will take them to get back?”


“That depends entirely on them. Normally the cheerleaders deal with ordering the Halloween supplies, and it takes them the whole week before because they always end up doing something else instead.”


“But this time Setsuna-senpai’s Ojou-sama is doing it? Is she being punished for something?” Tsukuyomi enjoyed a moment of unholy glee at the idea.


“Do you and Setsuna just not pay any attention during class?”


“Senpai’s been a model student lately,” Tsukuyomi pointed out. Under normal circumstances, she would find Setsuna throwing herself so thoroughly into schoolwork amusing, but processing her own recent concerns had eliminated some of the enjoyment.


Mana chuckled. “That’s a ‘yes’ then.”


“Why?” Tsukuyomi prodded.


Mana turned fully to look at her. “This time around, Konoe specifically asked to be in charge of going out and fetching everything. If the two of you ever bothered paying attention, you’d know that.”

------

Setsuna felt her face go slack. “L-like a—”


Konoka laughed and clasped her hands together behind her back, turning away from Setsuna once again. “No, I put that the wrong way. What I meant was… well you know Halloween’s coming up, right?”


Setsuna didn’t even nod. She just continued to stare blankly at her partner.


“I ended up with the job of going out and getting everything for this year’s haunted house. I was hoping you’d like to join me.”

------

“Do you think Eva-chan would be annoyed if we gave everyone vampire fangs?”


“She didn’t mind Negi-sensei wearing them for the school festival.”


“That’s Negi-kun though. And I’m not sure she knew about that.”


“Oh. Well if we gave them to everyone she’d probably tell us—”


Was this really happening?


Was it a dream?


Setsuna didn’t know what to make of any of this, but no matter how solid the feeling of Konoka’s hand in hers was, none of it felt real. She felt like her mind had completely detached itself from her body, and now it was drifting around, watching as she somehow functioned like a sane, relaxed human being.


This wasn’t actually a date, she reminded herself for the twelfth time. The way Konoka had asked for her help was just a little unusual. She hadn’t meant for it to sound like she was asking her out for real. She’d just gotten ahead of herself.


This wasn’t a…


Then what is it?


Setsuna was hopelessly confused. It should have been a very basic thing to understand. Konoka had asked for her help in retrieving Halloween supplies along with looking for some new toys they could use. She had agreed because Konoka shouldn’t be doing work like that by herself. That was how it was supposed to be.


Instead, every time Konoka left to talk to the person in charge of whatever shop they were exploring at the time, Setsuna couldn’t help but notice that there was something very different about the way Konoka had been behaving. The last time they’d done something like this together, they’d come away from it as partners.
What would happen this time?


Setsuna wasn’t sure.


She didn’t even know if she cared when Konoka was standing next to her. With Konoka by her side, it was easy to smile and laugh and offer suggestions about whether or not certain things would be a good idea. In fact, it was easier than ever to talk to her partner. Her face had stayed mercifully pale the entire time. Everything felt… fine.


But then she remembered the way Konoka had asked her to do this, and how after at least a week of awkwardness between them they were both acting like nothing had ever happened—and in her case, she almost felt like nothing had happened.


She had no idea what was going on.


Should she be asking about what had been bothering Konoka in the resort? Should she just be doing what she was doing, and enjoy the time with her partner?


Should she ask if the way Konoka first phrased her request was really a mistake?
She was still mulling it over when Konoka grabbed her arm excitedly and said they should take a break and grab something to eat.

------

“She asked you out on a date?”


“No! Yes—I don’t know!”


She avoided looking directly at Tsukuyomi’s eyes. Somehow, after hours of all of the blood in her body being sapped out of her head, it was flowing back at an alarming rate. Mana was standing in a corner, doing her best to stay out of the discussion.


If this was a discussion.


Setsuna glanced at her open closet. If Tsukuyomi hadn’t asked why she was changing clothes in the middle of the day, none of this would have come up, and she could have left without feeling guilty about it.


Not that she had anything to feel guilty about, it was just awkward leaving their room when Tsukuyomi looked… hurt.

------

“Let’s see…” Konoka tapped her spoon against her lips, sipping up the melted ice cream from it. “I think after we check on the fake blood, we should be just about done.”


Setsuna’s stomach gave an uncomfortable lurch. “Um, how much like real blood does it look like?”


Konoka looked up in surprise from the scrap of paper she was examining. Then her eyes softened, and her lips mouthed an, “oh.”


“I’m not sure. Do you think Tsukuyomi-san might have a problem with it?”


The part of Setsuna’s brain that wasn’t perfectly content traipsing around with Konoka on a beautiful autumn day twitched. They had gotten away with not mentioning her roommate since they stepped outside of Evangeline’s resort.


“I’m not sure,” she answered honestly. With how keyed up Tsukuyomi had been lately, even the idea of blood could be enough to get her overly excited, but at the same time, she didn’t care much for fake violence.


“I don’t think we can get away with not having it…”


“It’s fine,” Setsuna hurried to say. “If it causes any trouble… I can manage it, Kono-chan. Don’t worry.”


Konoka smiled at her.


“You really go above and beyond for your charges, Set-chan.”


Something about the way she said that didn’t feel right. Before Setsuna could ask about it, though, her partner was standing up and holding out her hand.


“Come on. Let’s finish this up.”


They walked in silence for a few minutes, Setsuna sneaking glances at Konoka’s peaceful expression in concern. Was she saying… Did she miss Setsuna being by her side constantly? Was that it? Or… Did she think something was different now that Setsuna was watching Tsukuyomi?


That… that part might be true. Everything was different, but—


Setsuna stopped walking. Konoka, attached to her very securely, stopped as well and turned a curious eye on her partner.


“Set-chan?”


“I didn’t protect you because I was ordered to. It—it was never about that. I just… I wanted you to be safe. I wanted to protect you. I still want that, Kono-chan. More than anything.”


“But Tsukuyomi-san’s the one you have to look after right now,” Konoka supplied, smiling. Her eyes were shining far too brightly, but she didn’t look sad.


Setsuna froze.


She felt like she had just stumbled onto something important. Something serious that would explain all of this confusing day to her. She didn’t know what that could possibly be, but… looking into Konoka’s eyes, she felt like she was seeing everything that she was missing.


“Kono-chan…” she started, “that decision of yours…”


“I wanted to make a new promise with you,” Konoka said softly. “One even more important than us staying by each other’s sides as partners.”


“Nothing’s more important than that,” Setsuna said emphatically.


Konoka giggled. “Not to you, maybe. But for me, there’s only one thing I’ve really wanted. And that matters to me more than anything.” She took a deep breath and grinned at Setsuna. “I want you to be happy.”


Setsuna stared at her partner in confusion. Her heart was thumping painfully in her chest, and an unnamed fear was accompanying it. Konoka wouldn’t… she couldn’t be saying that. “Kono-chan… being with you always makes me happy. Just because I have another responsibility at the moment—it’s temporary. It won’t last forever.”


Saying that made a brief shot of pain go through her chest, but she forced herself not to care. Ojou-sama, Kono-chan, Konoka… That was the person she cared about, right? Not…


Not…


Konoka laughed. “Set-chan… see, you’re worrying again. I keep telling you not to, and you keep doing it.” She brought up her hands and cupped Setsuna’s face. “Stop it. For real, this time. Promise me you’ll stop worrying about whether or not what you’re feeling is right. Just relax, Set-chan. For me?”


Something about the way she said that felt more horrifying than anything Setsuna had ever experienced before. She stared at her partner, falling into her eyes and wondering just how much of her Konoka had been seeing all along.


Konoka shook her head and tapped Setsuna on the nose affectionately. “If you really need it to be, consider it an order, okay?”

------

Tsukuyomi had been considerate enough to not latch onto her the second they went to bed tonight. Setsuna didn’t know if that meant the girl was still hurt and irritated with her or not, but she was grateful for it. She wanted some time alone with her thoughts to absorb all of this mess that she had somehow created and figure out just how much damage she had done and she still didn’t really know what had started this all in the first place—


A comforting warm body snuggled up against hers.


Setsuna struggled to ignore it. Now was not the time to—


To—


“Just relax, Set-chan.”


She rested her head against Tsukuyomi’s soft hair.


Damn it, damn it, damn it.


She’d made it an order, right?


Following orders wasn’t…


Setsuna’s eyes drifted shut.

Spoiler for Notes:

First, don't kill me. Please. I don't think I want to die yet. Secondly, yeah, with the mention of Halloween, the timeline shall very soon be set in stone. ...I'm sure someone cares about that. Finally, this chapter was dominated by Setsuna. So, if all goes as planned, the next one will be dominated by Tsukuyomi.

Thanks for reading!

[Merctrin]

I've decided that I still like posting fics here, even if it is dead.

Spoiler for Like Father Like...:

It starts innocently.

She's Konoka's age. He finds the idea of letting someone the same age as his daughter starve or bleed to death distasteful. So he helps her. He takes her inside and hands her off to Tsuruko, trusting her to take care of the child.

He doesn't consider it important; over the years, he has helped find a place for many orphaned children. This is just the most recent one.

And right now, all he cares about is seeing his little girl again.

O

"It's traditional."

"She's five."

"I believe you were charged with guarding a toddler at one stage in your career, Eishun."

"That was a temporary assignment. You are suggesting placing her under one of your students' care permanently. The youngest one is twice her age!"

"It wouldn't be right away, of course. But I think it would be a good idea for you to start looking. These walls won't always be enough to keep her safe."

O

Mostly against his will, Eishun starts attending Tsuruko's lessons. He doesn't expect anything he sees to warm him up to the idea of assigning a teenager to keep a constant eye on his daughter, and he's not surprised. Motoko is the only one he would even consider letting look after Konoka, but Tsuruko had refused to let her heir abuse her potential with "extended babysitting."

Eishun sighs and leans more heavily against the doorframe. He wishes now that he had made one of the many caustic remarks that came to mind when his dear cousin said that. Maybe then she would have banned him from the dojo and he'd be spending this very limited time with Konoka.

He's about to give up on the whole thing when a small movement from across the room coupled with a shock of white catches his eye.

It takes a moment before he places the tiny figure. Reluctant curiosity brings a slight smile to his face, and he slips into the room, unnoticed by the training students. Tsuruko gives him a quick, pointed glance but makes no move to stop him.

He walks lightly across the floor, barely making a sound. Still, the instant he starts moving, the half-demon's eyes are glued on him.

"Hello," he says as lightly as he can manage. It still makes the girl flinch. She gives him a hesitant bow in return, but her mouth stays clamped shut.

He nods towards the supposed bodyguards in the room. "Are you watching them?"

Strangely, his question makes a dash of red scurry across her cheeks. She meets his eyes uncomfortably.

"I—Aoyama-san…"

Rather than finishing the sentence, she gestures at the instructor and looks at him imploringly.

The helplessness practically radiating off of her makes a real smile come to his face. He kneels next to her (which makes her jump half a meter into the air) and holds out his hand. "My name is Konoe Eishun. Aoyama-san is my cousin."

She stares at his hand for a very long time before she reaches out her own to grab it. She lets go almost immediately. She mumbles something that sounds like a name and her eyes snap to the floor.

He sits next to her for a few minutes before her eyes wander back to him. He expects her to looks away the second she realizes that he's watching her, but instead, she dons a very serious expression and looks him straight in the eye. It reminds him very strongly of Kurt.

"You saved me."

He shifts uncomfortably. "I found you."

She's quiet for a little longer. Then she drops her eyes to the floor and kneels in front of him.

"Thank you, sir."

O

Somehow, he keeps running into the young half-demon when he comes to visit his cousin. Considering her recent and very unappreciated attachment to Motoko, he's not entirely surprised, but he seems to have a knack for coming across her when he's wandering the halls.

She's almost always alone.

It's that, not her age, that reminds him of Konoka.

He talks to her once in a while, but usually he just sends a friendly smile her way and hopes for the best. He's never been very good at small talk, and listening to himself try to make conversation with the girl is more embarrassing than he ever would have guessed. He appreciates Konoka's gift for lively chatter more than ever.

They both seem most at ease when they're watching the students train. Tsuruko's constant stream of instructions relaxes him, and the half-demon is willing to stop worrying about what she thinks she's doing wrong during the lessons, even if she's not participating. Her eyes stay glued to the movements of the swords from beginning to end.

It's strangely peaceful, even if he has yet to see anyone besides Motoko with genuine talent.

That worries him a little. Tsuruko wasn't wrong when she said it was time to start looking for someone.

O

"What's her name?"

"…She's been here for a month, Eishun. You haven't bothered to find out her name after all that time?"

"She told me once, but—I just don't want to cause her any embarrassment by asking again."

"Of course."

"Tsuruko."

"Sakurazaki Setsuna. Do what you can to remember it."

O

Tsuruko, perhaps out of some misguided attempt at helpfulness, created files for each one of her students. She informed him that even if it wasn't much help, he could at least say that he did more than observe before deciding that no one was suitable.

He takes over Tsuruko's room so he can have a private space to go over them, even if they don't tell him anything new. After an hour the quiet emptiness of the bedroom drives him out into the halls to look for Setsuna.

She's very willing to follow him around the dojo. She's less willing to step a foot into Tsuruko's private quarters. After several minutes of quietly staring at the floor just inside the room, she dashes inside and practically glues herself to Eishun's side, vibrating with tension.

Knowing better than trusting himself to say something that will fix her current bout of panic, he goes to open the next folder. Oddly enough, the company does little to make the reading go any easier. If anything, it's worse. The presence of a tiny body that relies on him only strengthens his desire to find the right person, and the more he looks…

They're all very competent. Motoko's natural talent will outstrip them all in the end, but they know how to handle themselves.

He doesn't trust any of them with his daughter.

O

It's his fifth day rereading the files before Setsuna dares to say a word.

"Kanzaki-san's too slow."

Eishun looks up in surprise. "Pardon?"

The girl's face is a dull pink. She points at the picture on top of the folder he was planning on opening next. "Kanzaki-san," she repeats in a rush. "He's too slow. Motoko-san always beats him even though he's bigger."

She looks up at him, biting her lip. "Motoko-san is very good."

He grimaces. "Yes, but she's also unavailable."

She frowns. "But you need her."

"Tsuru—Aoyama-san needs her more," he says lightly. "If it were for only a few weeks, I could use Motoko, but I need someone to look after Konoka for an extended period of time."

She mouths the name to herself, looking confused.

"My daughter," he clarifies.

Her eyes widen, and suddenly she looks incredibly alarmed. "Someone's going to hurt your daughter?"

It shouldn't, but the innocent shock in her voice makes him laugh. Setsuna shrinks away from him.

"No. But people will try. Many already have. That," he picks up a new folder, "is why I need to find the right person to look after her. For now our family's protection keeps her safe, but in a few years… In a few years she will need someone loyal to her, personally."

He doesn't know how much of his family politics Setsuna understands, but the child seems to grasp the core problem easily enough. She looks anxiously at the folders. She reaches out a hand, but pulls it back just as quickly. She looks back up at Eishun.

"But your daughter's safe right now?"

He thinks of his little girl, and the way her bright smiles dim whenever she hears that her parents both have work that will take them away from home. He thinks of her bouncing her favorite toy ball all on her own.

"Yes," he hears himself saying, "she's very safe."

O

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were getting worried."

"Not quite worried, just a little concerned."

"She is still a young child, Eishun. There will be time."

O

Throughout their strange little companionship, Eishun has always been the one to seek out Setsuna. Setsuna never came to find him, and when they did cross paths, she rarely said or did anything without him inviting her to.

So when he finds Setsuna waiting for him just inside the doors of the dojo, he is understandably surprised—then he sees the bruises covering her skin and is more concerned than anything. He can think of several ways a young half-demon could come to harm in this school, and the possibilities alone fill him with dread.

Before he has a chance to ask, she kneels down in front of him. She stares up at him nervously for a moment or two before taking a deep breath.

"Motoko-senpai's teaching me kendo," she blurts out. "And I want—I want to be a Shinmei swordsman. I can—I mean, if it's okay—I can help keep your daughter safe. U-until you find the right person to do it. Sir."

Being stunned into silence by a small child is not something Eishun has had many opportunities to experience. The closest he can recall is when Kurt had demanded to be his student with such insistence that it took several moments to will himself to say no.

But Setsuna is not Kurt, and while he doesn't have much faith in his people skills, he knows that telling her no is the worst way to deal with this. He kneels down next to her.

"Setsuna-kun," he says gently, "do you know what you're offering?"

Her response is perhaps the most confident he's ever heard from her.

"Yes."

They sit there, staring at each other, for several minutes while Eishun tries to work out the correct way to tell her that she's too young, too inexperienced, too young—

He can't say it.

"You'd be spending all of your time with her. And all of your time with Motoko would be for training," he points out weakly.

Setsuna fidgets with her sleeve. "I like training."

"What if you don't like Konoka?" It's not a realistic question; he doesn't think anyone who's spent five minutes with Konoka has felt anything but affection for his little girl, but Setsuna doesn't know that.

But he gets a surprisingly serious-sounding answer.

"She's your daughter," Setsuna states baldly. Then her mind catches up with her words and she looks away hurriedly, her face bright red. "If she's Eishun-sama's daughter," she mumbles, "then… I'll definitely like her."

Earnestness is practically bursting from her tiny frame, even as she dissolves into concerned ramblings about Konoka perhaps not liking her. Another time, the sight of so many words coming out of Setsuna's mouth might have made him laugh. Instead, his mind is thoroughly occupied with examining her.

She's not what he would consider fighter material. Time could change that. He's not sure it will, but it could. And she's not saying she wants to be Konoka's permanent guard. It will only be temporary.

Besides that—

With her eyes shining with sincerity and nerves, he can't find a trace of loneliness.

He's not going to be responsible for bringing that back.

He smiles.

"She'll definitely like you. She's my daughter after all."

O

"Would you care to tell me why Setsuna is so convinced that she has to protect Konoka?"

"Setsuna-kun has offered to be Konoka's temporary guard."

"And you accepted that offer?"

"Not quite. But I do think it's a good opportunity for both of them to make a friend."

"And I suppose you think letting Konoka befriend a half-demon is the best way to keep magic hidden from her?"

O

He likes to think that Konoka's blossoming friendship with Setsuna isn't just about loneliness. On Setsuna's side, at least, he doubts anything other than genuine affection could convince her to drop the formal address that Motoko had drilled into her head.

He makes a point of checking up on them whenever he can. They both seem thrilled at the extra bit of attention, though it takes Setsuna some extra pushing from Konoka before she realizes that she's allowed to be thrilled by it.

For a time, he lets his daughter's joy wash away whatever concerns he has over her future. Everything seems much more manageable when Konoka is bursting with happiness.

But certain things are harder to ignore. The amount of attention Setsuna's presence receives from everyone is extremely unwelcome.

Old servants start making remarks about how "she's just like the young master was." Eishun doesn't give the comments much though until new servants, who don't know better, hear the remarks and start looking at them both with an embarrassing degree of curiosity. His wife finds it all very amusing, but he sees the looks and he hears the increasingly suspicious whispers—

Nagi always accused him of caring too much about propriety. About his station.

Nagi, as it turns out, was right.

Despite the embarrassed hope he sees in Setsuna's eyes whenever she overhears the servants' latest gossip, he forces himself to draw a line. He pulls away from Setsuna. He regards her with all the affection he might have for any of his daughter's friends, and doesn't let anything extra slip into his gaze when he looks at her.

To his eternal disgust, Setsuna catches on very quickly. She stops looking for him when she first enters the compound for the day. She's a little slower to join Konoka in running over to greet him when he spots them playing. She is painfully respectful.

Eventually, the gossip dies down, and as far as he can tell, his changed relationship with Setsuna doesn't catch more unwelcome attention.

Konoka is still happy. He clings to that.

O

He doesn't remember who pulls them from the river. All he remembers is the horror and tinges of pride when he hears that Setsuna managed to keep Konoka's head above water. And then he's running towards them as fast as he can, needing to see with his own eyes that they're alright.

He's by his daughter's side in an instant, holding her and checking her over for any stray scrapes that need treating. Konoka is shivering, but she smiles brightly enough at him, telling her that she's okay, that Set-chan and everyone else saved her.

Eishun doesn't let himself look at Setsuna when he hears that. It's much later, when he's walking the halls and thinking of how much worse it could have been that he sees her.

She's sitting outside Konoka's room with a miserable look on her face. His first instinct is to comfort her, to say anything that will let her believe that this isn't her fault, but he stays standing, looking down at her stoically.

"I'm sorry," she says, tears crawling down her face. "I'll be better. I'll get stronger. Next time—next time I'll save her."

It's not believable, coming from a child her age, but Eishun can't find it in him to doubt her for a second. He nods, feeling more helpless than Setsuna looks.

"You should get to bed," he says quietly. "It's not healthy to be up this late."

O

It was his decision to visit the dojo when he heard that Tsuruko would be teaching Setsuna about a certain sword. He trusts his cousin, but that particular weapon never failed to cause chaos and destruction in the past. Letting her expose Setsuna to it without another person watching over them struck him as needlessly risky.

So he watches from the doorway. He watches Tsuruko lose control and blow up half the room.

And then—

He forgets himself in that moment. When he sees the bloody mess Tsuruko has left Setsuna in, he forgets that he's only supposed to be her benefactor. He forgets that she's not his child. He reacts like an enraged father protecting his daughter.

It nearly gets Tsuruko killed.

He visits Setsuna in the infirmary after… after. He doesn't act like he just nearly killed a relative because she hurt her. He acts as the leader she has come to expect. She thanks him genuinely for saving her life, and he wishes her a speedy recovery. The words spill out of his mouth as easily as they might to a random handmaiden.

Inside, he frets so much that he doesn't think he'll ever stop. It's not just about the physical damage—that, while severe, will be dealt with in time. It's the look—the horrified shame—in Setsuna's eyes when she glances up at him. It's the same look she gave him after the incident in the river.

He doesn't try to fix it. He's done more than enough damage.

O

Regardless of what the rest of his organization thinks, sending Konoka to Mahora is one of the best decisions he's ever made. She makes friends quickly, and seems happier than he could have imagined at his father-in-law's school.

And just being there is the safest introduction to magic that he can think of.

Not that he's willing to leave things to chance. His trust in Konoemon will last a few years, but then he's going to make sure that someone is looking after his daughter.

He's not worried about finding someone. The right person threw herself into the role years ago.

O

Even knowing what her answer will be, he can't help being a little apprehensive when he finally asks Setsuna if she's willing to go to Mahora and watch over Konoka. He makes it as clear as he can that this is a personal favor, and she's under no obligation to go if she doesn't want to.

She doesn't smile, but her eyes brighten and she stands up even straighter than he's used to.

"I'll protect her, Eishun-sama. I promise."

O

Tsuruko refuses to speak to him for a while after that. Eishun can't say he'd take one of his students disappearing in the middle of the night any better.

O

Konoka comes back for vacation, and though he tries to stop himself, he can't help asking about his most diligent servant.

His daughter goes still, and something fragile enters her smile. She tells him, very lightly, that Setsuna doesn't have time to play with her anymore.

It doesn't surprise him.

The guilt does.

He wants to apologize to Konoka—to both of them, but he's not sure how he would even explain it.

O

He's never liked school trips. Letting his daughter wander outside the safety of Mahora doesn't tend to sit well with him, not even now that he has Setsuna to rely on. He trusts Setsuna. He even trusts his father-in-law.

But he has never gotten over how pitiful the security of a random hotel room is next to a highly magical school.

The troubles this particular school trip brought to his doorstep didn't do much to improve his opinion of them.

He sighs and looks around at the celebrating students. His eyes wander until they land on the group he's most interested in. Nagi's son, Asuna, his daughter, and Setsuna are all sitting together. The deliriously happy expressions on their faces makes him smile slightly and forget for a moment that they've just attracted the attention of an incredibly dangerous individual.

He walks over to add his specific congratulations to their festivities, taking special care to rest one of his hands on Setsuna's shoulder. Her look of shock quickly turns into an embarrassed smile that she can't seem to force off her face.

Next to her, Eishun catches his daughter's face glowing at the sight.

He squeezes Setsuna's shoulder, silently thanking her as he listens to the happy jubilation Konoka is doing her best to drag him into.

X

The instant they all get a quiet moment together after the chaos, Konoka proudly informs him that Setsuna is her partner now. She says it while she has Setsuna's hand trapped in hers, and Eishun can only imagine the many different ways his daughter means "partner."

If the raging blush on Setsuna's face is anything to go by, she's having similar thoughts. He bites back a laugh and hugs his daughter, sharing a sympathetic smile with Setsuna over Konoka's head.

Later, after diplomatically dodging an interesting conversation with Kurt, he finds himself running straight into Setsuna. Her serious expression automatically makes him search the room for Konoka, and he relaxes a second later when he finds her laughing with Asuna.

He turns back to Setsuna with what he hopes is a welcoming smile.

"Is there anything you need, Setsuna-kun?"

She opens her mouth hesitantly, hands wringing themselves behind her back. Eishun waits patiently for her to collect herself.

"I'm… Kono-chan's my master now," she blurts out. She almost sounds surprised when she says it. She looks at him, waiting for him to help her with the awkward thought, but he doesn't even know where to begin with that. "But you're—you're still my—I mean, I'll always…"

She trails off and drops her hands limply to her side, looking up at him helplessly. Eishun imagines that he has a very similar expression on his face. He is reminded, very suddenly, of the day he introduced himself to her.

And something else, too: This is the second time she's found him instead of the other way around.

They share a moment of staring before Setsuna's shoulders fall. She clicks her feet together and bows stiffly to him.

"Thank you for everything, Eishun-sama."

He hesitates for a moment.

Just one more before moving.

It only takes a step, and then his arms are wrapped lightly around his most loyal guard.

"I assure you, Setsuna-kun," he says softly, "the feeling is mutual."

Thanks for reading.

[Roger Rambo]

There was literally only one thing about the Negima ending that left me flabbergasted. You could say this is my response to it.

Spoiler for Fatful encounters in Science!:

"Governor Godel?"

"Hmmmm?" The neat, bespectacled man looked up from his paperwork at the woman standing at his door.

Godel examined her for a moment. Tall, dark skinned and in a well fitted business suit and miniskirt. A very pretty looking woman.

In Godel's eyes though, it wasn't the animated tail or the prominent cat ears atop her head that identified her as non-human. In fact, many of the residents of Mundus Magica looked just like any other resident of the old world, Earth.

But all of the 1.2 billion residents of Mundus Magica, save for the 67 million inhabitants of the nation of Megalomesembria, were not human. Not even real living beings in the truest sense. They were illusions, purely magical constructs made manifest. Much like Mundus Magica itself, an alternate realm built upon the fourth planet of the solar system.

Mars.

The woman looked at Kurt Godel curiously. The Governor adjusted his glasses and addressed her.

"Yes Katayrn?" He asked the Aiadne research department head.

"That expert from the old world that Master Negi referenced to us has just arrived. She WAS on her way here but...she caught sight of one of the labs, and immediately started examining equipment." She shifted her hand, summoning up a magical data screen. "...is this kind of person qualified to be involved Master Negi's grand project?" She raised an eyebrow. "She's only 16?"

Godel looked over the profile as well, but smirked as he got out of his chair. It had been convenient to set up the laboratory in the Governor's mansion, due to the proximity to Ostia, and his own personal loyalty to Negi's project.

"She seems eager to get started...and odd thing to be saying, considering this entire grand project was concocted by that boy two years ago when he was only 11." He walked into the hallway, gesturing for Katryn to follow him.

"I...I did not mean to disrespect Master Negi at all!" she blustered, following close behind Godel, her pump heels clacking on the tile floor. "Master Negi is, after all, the one who saved all from destruction!"

"Unlike me." Godel thought "Who conspired with those vipers in the Megalomesembria senate when I learned the terrible truth...who accepted that over a billion illusionary people like Katayrn couldn't be saved, and focused on the 67 million true humans living in Megalomesembria."

He didn't regret it though. It had seemed there was no option. The illusory realm of Mundus Magica, and its native residents, were tied to Mars. A dead world. So much mana leaching off a dead husk. Eventually there would not be anything left to feed on, and the world would collapse.

This is why Godel had accepted the Senate's plan that had abandoned over a billion in order to save tens of millions. In retrospect, it was similar logic to the terrorist group Cosmo Entelecheia had tried to mercy kill everyone on Mundus Magica.

One could say that an omelette couldn't be made without breaking a few eggs.

Only that boy had made them all look like fools with that plan of his.

"Terraforming?" Godel shook his head as they went to the secondary lab to meet their guest from the old world. Negi's solution had been simple, if astronomical in scale. If the dead, lifeless world of Mars couldn't support Mundus Magica, then a green life-bearing world could. Life was an incredible source of Mana after all.

"Perhaps this is why keeping things secret amongst too small a group is dangerous. It breeds insular thinking. Such an obvious solution and none of us had even considered it."

"That's probably why Master Negi wanted so many different kinds of people for this project." Kataryn gave Kurt a sharp look. "Ariadne has many gifted magi and scholars. If Megalomesembria hadn't kept this calamity hidden from us..." she caught herself. "...Nevermind. That's not important any more"

"Indeed. And besides. Negi's friend should be here any minute."

"Still...she's not a mage though. "

Kurt smirked, rubbing his face as he stood up. "I wouldn't underestimate ANY of Negi's students. I learned that the hard way." Kurt's eyes caught the door opening, though Kataryn was still engrossed with her readout.

"True, but...integrating a mechanical dolls to magical power sources is impressive, but it's still very fundamental very fields of study."

"Well lets hope that boy is right." They came upon the lab. "Because without greatly increased technical capabilities, the terraforming and Orbital elevator projects will be difficult."

Godel entered the room, gracefully and his face utterly composed. Normally the Governors style was enough to turn heads whenever he arrived on the scene, but nobody in the seemingly empty room gave him any heed.

Seemingly empty. His eyes finally came across a distracted looking young girl in a lab coat, her attention raptly on a small enchanted instrument.

Satomi Hakase. She was girlish looking enough, if a shorter than expected. She looked to be under five feet. Petite, but not child like, her hair combed flat across a slightly bulbous head and tied in twin pigtails.

Still, she looked serious enough, utterly focused on the instrument. The goofy spectacles seemed a bit comic...but her eyes shone intelligently behind them.

"Few more years and she'd be rather beautiful." Godel filed that thought in the same part of his brain where he memorized what the weather was like on a day to day basis. "Miss Hakase." He addressed.

Those large, intelligent looking eyes swiveled towards the Governor. "Ah! Godel-kun." She walked over to the governor, and extended a delicate looking hand out for a handshake. "Nice to meet you! Sensei has told me that you've been a great help to him...though I saw you helping to save one of my classmates. So that is a given. "

Godel smiled back. After spending years with dealing with the senate he'd learned to leave a good first impression on everyone he met. He savored when he could use it on someone he did not immediately detest.

He took Hakase's hand in his. Her hand disappeared in his, but her grip was firm, even in the hands of a trained swordsman like Godel. Hakase was obviously well used to hand tools. "As am I miss Hakase. Negi has told me nothing but good things when it comes to your expertise and adaptability."

"...though as I'm sure your former junior high classmates must have told you, I merely was doing what was expedient after the time." He gave her a level gaze. "Afterall, I did try to arrest and imprison them, didn't I? I would say all I did was break even in terms of Karma"

"Oh hardly!" Hakase waved her hand with a perky smile. "As a person whose solder her soul to science I don't believe in Karma, but even if I did, it would seem to me that your evil schemes were carried out ineffectually enough against Ala alba that the bad karma wouldn't stick. So that definately means your actions later counted as a +1 on the good side!"

Godel's eyes twitched, and he readjusted his glasses, embarrassed more than anything. Though Kataryn gave the two concerned looks. "Ah...well thank you..." Godel said, shifted his eyes away.

He gestured to Kataryn. "This is Kataryn. She is a materials magi from Aiadne. The terraforming project will require many new advancements to be made in both the fields of magic and science in order to be a success. So that is why we've gone about gathering bright minds in the same location."

Kataryn inched towards Hakase, shaking her hand as well. "Yes. i'm sure Miss Hakase will prove an invaluable team member for us."

Hakase nodded. "It was a bit sad to leave the Mahora Academy Robotics and Jet Propulsion Society behind, but there are so many opportunities to be had here. Besides, I can see Chachamaru more this way, and I don't think Chao would like for me to skip out on her home town!"

Kurt blinked. He was familiar with Chachamaru, the magically powered robot Hakase had helped construct, but he was unfamiliar with Chao. "Someone you know from the magical world?"

"errrrrr, can't say. Semi-confidential actually...though I suppose we've already messed up continuity enough to not matter? I mean, once we clearly understand that it's actually the principles of alternate realities that we're working with than concern over alterations to the timeline in terms of paradoxes actually becomes rather trivial..."

Hakase went on like that for a few minutes, at an ever increasing pace, to Kataryn's total bewilderment at the uncanny glaze that the short earth girls eyes had taken.

"...G-governor...what is she talking about?" she looked at the shorter girl in a bit of confusion.

Godel raised an eyebrow, and adjusted his glasses. "Hmmmmmmm..." He thought for a moment. "Well that would explain how Negi knew...certain things...no mistake. Something intentionally got set up with that class of his...already too many high level pactio contracts to be coincidence."

"...sir?"

"...make nothing of it. See miss Hakase to the lab." Godel grinned a smile he rarely showed when he wasn't exceptionally pleased. An intense, manic expression. One that hinted at the plots and schemes he routinely concocted in his head. Her glasses only seemed to intensify it. The maniac chuckling didn't help either. "Yes...Kataryn. Please show Miss Hakase the labs. I'm sure we will find her most useful."

"...Yes sir." Kataryn looked at Godel nervously. Even though Hakase was a little eccentric, she was just normal girl. She knew personally the kind of dirty schemes the governor had been involved in. "Does he have something in mind for this girl?" Kataryn thought to herself, sticking close to Hakase like a protective big sister.

"...look Hakase, be careful around Governor Godel. He's an extremely untrustworthy sort." Kataryn whispered into Hakase's ears.

Hakase blinked, broken out of her ramblings on transdimensional physics, to realize they were no longer in the lab, and the Governor was no longer present. "Really? I thought he seemed like a pretty friendly guy."

Kataryn gave an exasperated look at Hakase. "You were...distracted. You didn't notice his evil laughter...Just remember, if you need ANY help just call me." She gave Hakase a friendly wink. "I'll put that creep in place for you. Now let me show you to the labs and your living quarters. Our scientific research staff DO get the best VIP qaurters in the Governors mansion. That IS one a perk about staying around the creep."

Hakase looked nonplussed. "I don't know...I thought his laugh was kinda cute."

Godel made his way back to his office to get back to his paper work. Hakase's presence was an amusing distraction, and it was comforting with the knowledge that another useful asset had been added to the plan.

But Kurt Godel was a busy man, more so now that he was supporting the grand terraforming project on the side. Hakase had become a minor cog in a growing machine that would make up the plan. Albeit, a potentially very amusing one.

In the coming months, she would prove far more amusing than he initially supposed.

Kurt marched briskly, blowing on his hot coffee as he walked. It was an early morning, Kataryn had called him down to the labs established to help facilitate interworld research for the terraforming project.

It should have been a day off for the staff actually, even the workaholics amongst them. But it seems that a few besides Kataryn had stayed around.

Months ago getting dragged down to the labs on a day off would have severely irritated Godel. Though increasingly of late, he was finding the emergency calls from Kataryn rather enjoyable.

Godel met Kataryn at the door. She looked frantic, ears downcast and her cat tail wagging erratically in alarm.

"Governor! It's...It's terrible! It's...she's...I don't...!"

Godel sipped his coffee. "Calm down Kataryn. Now tell me...what has Miss Hakase done this time?"

"I don't know sir!" She threw her arms up in frustration. "But whatever she's doing, it's sucking up power from the rest of the labs! At the current rate it's going, I think we might see blackouts outside the labs to."

"Now...why didn't you just cut the power? You have the key for that."

"Oh..." Katatryn shifted as they walked into the lab. She blushed with embarrassment. "I did try that but...I was in a hurry, so I fumbled and dropped it into that acidic solution the Hellas team was working with...its completely destroyed."

"...good grief." Godel shook his head, but he was smiling in an earnest, if creepy manner that made Kataryn's stomach turn. "Now lets see what our darling little professor is up to."

They found Hakase in her lab. A disturbing array of machines zapping magical energy all about the room. Hakase for her part, was at a terminal manipulating the controls. She was still in her lab coat, but wearing what looked to be a high tech swimsuit with gloves and thigh high boots; her lab outfit apparently. She didn't notice the two, as she had a pair of advanced looking goggles on.

Kataryn recoiled at Hakase's manic glee as she manipulated the machine.

Godel approached the crazed scientist. "Now miss Hakase, what is it that you're..." when his hand touched Hakase's shoulder, it zapped him with a current of magical energy. Godel recoiled, waving his hand, though remaining calm. This wasn't the most bizarre thing that had happened during one of his interventions Kataryn had called him in for,

"And to think" Godel thought to himself. "When she first came here, Kataryn gave me a lecture about keeping my hands off her...now on a bi weekly basis she calls me down here to keep her under control!"

Hakase turned to Godel, pulling the goggles off. Her head just under his shoulder, she found herself staring right into his chest. She blinked, and craned her head up.

"Ah! Godel-kun. What are you doing in the labs? Did you come to see what we were working on?" Hakase seemed more than a little excited at the prospect.

"Yes..." he rubbed his hands, smiling "In fact, I came to find out what YOU were doing?"

"What I was doing?" Hakase seemed a bit taken back. "That's pretty remarkable considering all the talented people we have here!"

She straightened herself out. "Well we've been thinking of the kind of material we could possibly use for the space elevator."

Godel was familiar with the project. The terraforming process was a project that at minimum, would take decades. Most likely a century. It wouldn't be possible without the aid of the old world. And while the gates were fast, they had too limited of cargo capacity and required too much mana to be feasible for a project on this industrial scale. Hence, the need for orbital elevators to make interplanetary travel by conventional means a reality.

"I've realized that theoretically, if we could energize carbon nanotubes with innate charges of magical energy, with the right spells we wouldn't just increase their durability, we could make them active in all sorts of ways! From physical realignment, to even micro gravitational distortions!"

Godel stared, though somehow he didn't seem surprised to hear this coming from Hakase. "Would that really be possible?"

Kataryn jaw went slack. "Are...are you insane! That's incredibly dangerous! With enchanted individual components that small, with that much mana going into them...even if you could infuse the magic into microcomponents that small we couldn't control them!"

Godel looked at Kataryn. "Does that mean they'd come to life and attack us?"

Kataryn shook her head. "NO! It means they'd explode!"

Hakase waved her hand as she went back to work. "Only a little! About ten times as energetically as TNT. As long as we sequence it right there shouldn't be a chain reaction or anything dangerous like that."

"And besides, this way we wouldn't have to build it on the equator. Maybe even at the World Tree at Mahora academy...It's not active very often, but I've calculated that the energy we funneled off from it could power the elevator's nanomaterial for years at a time!"

Kataryn continued to stare slack jawed. "Governor! Surely you can't..."

To Kataryn's increasing horror, Godel seemed enthused with the idea.

"That's...utterly brilliant!" His face twisted into a disgusting smile, and he reached out with his arms. "Such a diabolical and unholy fusion of old world science and the art of Magi is truly incredible to behold! Nay! It is genius." He gloated as he looked at Hakase like a prized pet that had just shown him an incredible new trick it had learned by itself. "Satomi, once again, I give you full permission to carry out this experiment. I'll take full responsibility." Godel informed Hakase on a first name basis.

"Why thank you Governor! Now I just need to get this entire alpha numeric system charged up with these spells..."

Kataryn began to back away from the two slowly as they shot maniac words back and forth. "Is the Governor an idiot? Does he not understand how risky this is? No...well not completely...He's too smart for that but..." she looked at that manic gleam in his eyes. The eyes of a genius who had discerned the technique elite style of swordsmanship through observation, of a war orphan who had risen to political power through wit and force of will.

Accounting for whatever plot he had planned to save the 67 million citizens of Megalomesembria, Kurt Godel perhaps had a bit of a mad scientist in him.

And whatever the reason, this terrifyingly intelligent girl from the old world was bringing it out.

"Now all we need to do is begin the charging sequence into this 100 kilogram mass of nanomaterial and...hmmmmm? That's interesting." Hakase mused as she fiddled with the controls. A hot buzzing sound was coming from a large vat. "I totally didn't expect that."

Kataryn had already started running at "interesting".

Hakase blinked. She could hear and smell burning chemicals, as well as loose rubble crumbling about. Her ears still seemed to be ringing.

Her body was hanging in the air, her head, feet and long lab coat dangling towards the floor. A hand was holding her up by the upper back and below her knees. He was carrying her.

"Are you alright miss Hakase?" a voice asked her.

She pulled herself up, bracing herself off the arms holding her. She adjusted her spectacles, finding that the frames for both were cracked.

She could still see the refracted face of Kurt Godel. Governor, and technically her boss. His glasses and appearance seemed about as disheveled as she was.

"I'm fine...wait, did the nanomaterial explode?" She pulled herself up more, looking at him intently.

"Very spectacularly I might add!" She noticed that Kurt was holding a sheathed blade in one hand. "I think you only survived because I managed to cut a portion of the ceiling in front of us fast enough to use a shield."

Hakase seemed touched. "Why...thanks!" She looked up at Kurt thoughtfully, before relaxing. "After all, giving up my soul for science wouldn't have meant much if I were to just die here!"

"Not at all." Kurt smiled earnestly, maneuvering over the rubble while cradling Hakase with care. He made no motion to put her down, and Hakase gave no indication that she wished him to stop.

"Now that we've gotten past the theoretical question of whether or not we can do it, all we need to do is figure out how to control the reaction and prevent it from exploding!"

A crumbling bit of debris made her aware of just how much damage the blast had done. "...That might take awhile however...it'll be hard to replace all of that equipment."

"Oh don't worry about it!" Godel laughed, though hardly in an endearing manner. "I'm a Megalomesembria governor! Getting my hands on some replacement equipment is no great concern at all!"

"Really?" Hakase was giddy with delight. "That's incredible! I can think of quite a few things that would really accelerate our research into this!"

"Make a list later. I'm taking you to the infirmary to get looked at." They walked past the team of female emergency service personnel, ignoring them. They only gave the two cursory glances, before running past.

Kataryn pulled herself out from under a pile of debris as they passed, the damage from the explosion being rather extensive. A broken chunk of broken marble precariously balanced on top of her head, before falling off, leaving behind a bruise nearly as big.

An emergency worker knelt down next to Kataryn, offering her a hand out of the debris. She too looked at the governor and the scientist walking down the hall. "What are you people developing in there? To call it excessively dangerous would be an understatement!"

Kataryn shook her head. "No, I think the most dangerous thing in development just walked down the hall."

Another pair of emergency workers looked down the hall. "This is the fourth time this has happened, isn't it?" One said to the other, as they summoned stone golems to help repair the structural support beams.

"Your memory sucks, or you don't know how to count." The other countered with annoyance. "This is the NINTH time the Professor has blown up the labs."

"Huh? nononono." The first worker shook her head. "I mean this is the fourth time he's carried her out of the labs after it exploded."

"...oh...well I suppose you WOULD be right about that." The worker conceded.

Kataryn sighed as she was loaded into the stretcher, healing magic being applied. "I'd really like to take a vacation before those two blew up the planet..."

[Merctrin]

The responses the various members of Ala Alba have to the fantasies Poyo's artifact concocted for them in Period 297.

Spoiler for Cosmo Entelekheia:

1: Tatsumiya Mana

It wasn't real.

She knew that the second she woke up in the world provided by Poyo's artifact.

It was not real.

Mana knew illusions. You didn't stay alive long in her line of work if you didn't know what to look for, and she had been doing this for far, far longer than her appearance would suggest. She knew what to look for.

Her peripheral vision was slightly fuzzier than she was used to. No amount of rubbing would fix it.

She was closer to the ground than she should have been.

The amount of ammunition contained on her body was nowhere close to the amount she typically considered "safe."

Her pactio card flared with a heat it hadn't contained for years.

None of it was real.

It had been, once, but no amount of magic could convince her that she was still at such an innocent point in her life. The memories of that innocence shattering were burned into her mind too clearly for a simple illusion to make her forget.

She felt herself waking up mere moments after her dream consciousness recognized the situation. Irritation buzzed under her skin, and vivid fantasies of ripping through the illusion came to her so quickly that she was mildly surprised the dream didn't alter to suit them.

She was waking up when she felt Kouki's hand on her shoulder.

He grinned down at her easily, enjoying the height difference he hadn't lived to see disappear.

It wasn't real.

But that didn't stop her from staying asleep.

----

2: Aisaka Sayo

It had never really bothered her, being a ghost. Not in the way she knew it was supposed to.

Oh, she was very lonely at times, but most of the time it was very pleasant watching people her age running about the school and enjoying their lives. Every few years she would notice that they weren't the same people she'd gotten to know and care for, but that was alright. She would have new people to learn about.

This, a very disgusted spirit once told her, was not the proper way of things. Proper ghosts were supposed to long for their own lives. That was what made them ghosts.

Had the sight of him holding his own head not frightened her halfway across campus, she might have thought to consider that maybe she wasn't a ghost at all, if that were the case. She couldn't long for something she didn't remember.

She tried, sometimes, to behave as a proper ghost would. She pondered her death, and tried to remember if her life could have possibly been any better than those of the laughing students dashing through her.

It never lasted long. She couldn't remember dying, and all of the ways it might have happened were too terrifying to spend much time considering. So she would float along, perhaps a little lonely, but perfectly at ease being the most improper ghost of Mahora Academy.

So improper, in fact, that she could leave the school she haunted to go on an adventure with her most recent (and best, best ever) friends. It was wondrous and scary and all of the things adventures were supposed to be—better still thanks to Asakura keeping her as safe as could possibly be.

But something very strange had happened when they met Zazie's sister. Sayo barely had any time to remember what before the horrible battle truly started and banished it from her mind, but later, when they were safe at home, Asakura, with a teasing glint in her eye that anyone else in their class might have thought dangerous, asked her what her fantasy had been like.

Sayo brightly explained that it was all a warm, happy blur, except—

Except for a boy. A boy on a hill whose smile was more magical than anything even their fantastic adventure had come close to. He was—

His name—

He was—

Her voice came to a stuttered halt.

Gone.

And then maybe she was a proper ghost after all, because suddenly she was crying so hard she could almost feel real tears running down her cheeks.

----

3: Konoe Konoka

If asked, Konoka probably would have gladly said that she was perfectly content with her life. Yes, the amount of danger had certainly increased in the past few months, and her best friend had gotten kidnapped, and she'd healed a few of her friends from injuries she could have done without seeing, but overall, she was very pleased with everything.

So when she finally got around to asking Makie how she'd avoided being trapped, the answer left her more than a little mystified. She had no objections to spending a few imaginary hours playing with Setsuna, and if Zazie's sister ever offered to let her revisit the dream she probably wouldn't say no, but she couldn't think of a reason why her subconscious would pick it over reality.

It took hearing Negi talk about it to understand.

In that happy world, there had been a moment, just a tiny one, where she thought for sure she was going to lose her balance and fall into the river, but she regained her balance before even Setsuna was quick enough to worry.

If she had stayed asleep a little longer, she thought her dream life would have brought her to the exact same place her real one had. Except in that world she never would have had to wonder if her first friend hated her.

----

4: Saotome Haruna

Before Haruna's dreams of grandeur were rudely interrupted by real life requiring some good old-fashioned heroics on her part, she got to enjoy quite a few days of people groveling for a chance to grovel at her feet. She'd say that it was enough to give her a taste for it.

So on a whim, she went along with Negi and Asuna to shadow one of their diplomatic trips.

She looked around the Magical World with a grin so wide it threatened to crack her face in two.

"Oh yeah. This is definitely doable."

----

5: Ōkōchi Akira

Akira never gave much thought to the summer—ordeal after it was over and done with. Mostly, she was so relieved to be home that it took months for the memories to play back in her head without her underdeveloped battle instincts crying at her to duck for cover.

But every once in a while she would dive into water and feel a twinge of fear that never existed before the white-haired girl and her cruelty.

The memory of the air being squeezed from her lungs and choking on the one thing in her life that always made sense would rise up—and for a split second she would float in the water, motionless.

Until another memory came to her. A memory that never happened, where she played with the boy who had saved them all in a room full of purring kittens.

She glided through the water with a smile on her face.

----

6: Izumi Ako

To the great disappointment of Yuuna and Makie, Ako refused to talk about the fantasy afterwards. Not even Makie's laments about not being able to dream anything fun like everyone else could sway her.

Akira had caught her eye during the initial interrogation, and quietly provided her support and understanding. That almost made it worse.

She was supposed to be getting over Nagi. And for the most part, she really had. She couldn't keep pining for a boy who wasn't even real; she knew that.

But the memory of what could have been was too wonderful to let go of just yet.

----

7: Inugami Kotarō

Kotarō thought it was pretty lame how the artifact had kept him trapped for so long. Yeah, he'd had some fun, and being on the same level as his rival again was awesome, but what was the point if it wasn't real? Beating people up in dreams didn't count, and if he'd stayed awake, he could have gotten more real fighting done.

That didn't stop him from enthusiastically telling Natsumi all about how he'd gotten to brawl with dream-Negi in a fight with no magic.

…Okay, so maybe that part was cool enough that he could get why he stayed asleep.

It was still lame.

----

8: Murakami Natsumi

Natsumi's subconscious did not seem to care how inappropriate her feelings for Kotarō were.

It did not care that Kotarō was so much younger than her.

It did not care that he wasn't exactly human.

It did not care that a few of their friends still thought they were related.

Eventually she stopped arguing with it long enough to make its dream come true.

----

9: Sakurazaki Setsuna

Her sword felt heavy.

That was the first thing Setsuna noticed when she woke up. Yūnagi sliced through the air sluggishly, and her grip was slightly off. Not enough to cause a problem, but it was… wrong. Techniques she'd been using all her life suddenly felt brand new.

And her back kept itching.

Ages ago, when Evangeline tried to make her choose between her sword and happiness, she chose both because she couldn't imagine life without either one.

She could now.

It was probably a good thing embarrassment kept her from dwelling on the fantasy for too long. The pure bliss of simple human happiness had never really been an option in her world.

----

10: Karakuri Chachamaru

At the time Chachamaru was beginning to recognize as the birth of her soul, her programmed loyalty to her master gave rise to an empathy that could not be found in her sisters. Her master supplied magic as the reason.

Chachamaru, after careful consideration of the content of the soul she now possessed, had concluded that her master's want of freedom was the driving influence. Their actions were both restricted in ways they found objectionable. Chachamaru, with only her primary functions guiding her, had failed in forging long-lasting friendships with the children who admired Chao's more ambitious features. Her master could not leave the school.

Her master fought against the restrictions.

And they met the boy who freed them both.

She dreamed of sharing that freedom with him, and the three of them exploring every corner of the world that they could reach.

She had faith that he would help her make that dream a reality.

----

11: Kū Fei

There was no doubt in Kū's mind that Negi was a very capable warrior, and that her pupil had gone far beyond what she could have ever envisioned for him as his master. He had grown into a fine man, and a truly worthy opponent.

But the… enthusiasm her fantasy had displayed over those favorable traits was a little…

She was grateful for the battle that followed, if only for the welcome distraction from the turns her thoughts were taking.

----

12: Luna

Luna had known Fate longer than anyone else. Not just within the new group of companions they'd found; anyone. Meeting each other had marked both of them losing everyone they knew or cared for.

They had grown up together. All on their own.

She never thought of the two of them as lonely. They were always meeting people. Several of them were the friends they had now. Even if most of their time was spent wandering alone, they always had bonds to fall back on.

Fate's meeting with Negi was the first sign that maybe they could have more.

Fate took care of everyone; that had been his role for almost as long as Luna had known him. But Negi wasn't an abandoned war orphan in need of protection. He was an obstacle. He should have been a target for elimination.

Instead, he was a person who wanted everyone to get along. He listened to all of Luna's stories of their travels and associates with an interest that was almost shocking, and declared at the end, with his eyes shining brightly, that the person in the stories sounded like someone he could definitely like.

Luna didn't realize how badly she wanted to believe that until she woke up in a beautiful dream where she and Fate had a brand new friend.

----

13: Ayase Yue

The merits of dreaming had never been a subject of particular appeal to Yue. If she wanted to enjoy things that weren't real, she would read. If she wanted to analyze the deeper meanings of her thoughts, she would prefer to do it when she was conscious.

If she wanted to immerse herself in things that used to be real—

She didn't. There was no point in desiring things like that.

All the same, she treasured every extra second the fake Cosmo Entelekheia had given her with her grandfather.

----

14: Miyazaki Nodoka

She wasn't sure how to feel about her mundane wish.

It was certainly pointless to argue against her enjoyment of it—waking up had hurt a little more than she wanted to admit—but after everything, it left her feeling a little guilty. She didn't have a marvelous fantasy where the battles she and her friends would have to endure weren't necessary, or where the pain everyone had already experienced disappeared. She just dreamed of a quiet day with the people she loved most in the world, with all of them sharing their favorite books.

When they got home, she brought that dream to life as many times as she could.

Maybe it didn't fix anything, but… it was perfect.

Thank you very much for reading.