"...He's late."
Ten minutes had passed since I returned to the classroom following the meeting in the Headmaster's office. The bell for morning homeroom had rung five minutes ago, yet Negi was nowhere to be found.
Even more telling, Kagurazaka and Konoe were missing as well.
"Heh. It seems last night's lesson was a bit more than the brat could handle," a smug voice spoke up from the seat next to mine.
I turned a flat, unimpressed gaze toward Evangeline. "Eva. You dropped those hints about Ayaka and me being involved in the magical world on purpose, didn't you?"
"Who can say?" she replied with a coy, hollow expression. "It was a full moon, and I might have been a bit... high on the atmosphere. Regardless..."
She stood up and began walking toward the door.
"Where are you going?"
"If I stay here, the boy will just spend the whole period shivering in his boots. It's better if I simply vanish for a while."
"So, you're skipping?"
"If you want to be dull about it, yes." She gave a languid wave of her hand over her shoulder and stepped out into the hallway.
She was alone.
Wait, alone? I glanced at the seat in front of hers. Chachamaru was still sitting there, silent and still.
"Are you staying?" I asked.
"Yes," the gynoid replied. "I must inform Negi-sensei that my Master will be absent from class today."
Efficient as always, I thought.
A few moments later, the classroom door burst open with a violent bang.
"Sorry we're late, everyone! Negi tried to play hooky, and it took a while to drag him here!" Asuna shouted, practically hauling a limp Negi into the room.
"A-Asuna-san...!" Negi wailed. He immediately cast a panicked look toward Evangeline's desk, only to let out a massive sigh of relief when he saw it was empty. Safe for now, he began to regain his composure as Chachamaru approached him to deliver the news. I pulled out my English textbook and prepared for the lesson to begin.
The first period was English. Despite the rocky start, Negi managed to pull himself together and keep the class moving. Currently, Izumi was reading a passage aloud.
"..."
I felt eyes on me. I looked over to see Negi staring at me, his expression a storm of hesitation and anxiety.
"U-Um, Sensei? I'm finished," Izumi said, snapping Negi out of his daze.
"Oh! Yes, thank you. Um... well, while we're on the subject of partnerships... Izumi-san, if you were to choose a partner, you wouldn't want a ten-year-old boy, would you?"
The question was so sudden and bizarre that Izumi could only stutter in confusion. Taking her silence as a "no," Negi immediately turned his desperate questioning toward Miyazaki, who sat next to her.
A partner, huh?
I wondered why he was bringing up the concept of a "Pactio" now of all times. It wasn't just a boy hitting puberty early; in this world, a partner was a mage's lifeline.
Then, I noticed something else.
Usually, when a commotion like this started, Asakura would be the first one in the thick of it, camera in hand. But she was sitting perfectly still at her desk, staring at Negi with a grim, contemplative expression.
I see. She's too busy weighing the choice Konoemon gave her to care about a schoolgirl crush scandal.
The bell rang, signaling the end of the period. Negi trudged out of the room like a man heading to the gallows. Asuna moved to follow him, but Ayaka caught her by the shoulder and whispered something.
"Wait, Asuna-san. Is Negi-sensei's... condition... because of what happened last night?"
"Eh? Yeah. It's... wait. How do you know about that? And wait—Asakura was there too!"
Ayaka let out a weary sigh. "I'm appalled. Did you forget we were there? I suppose you were a bit too preoccupied with Negi-sensei. We need to talk. Can you meet us after school?"
"Oh, right. I'll tell Negi, but... wait, Class Rep, do you know about Negi's secret too?"
"We will discuss everything after school," Ayaka said firmly.
"R-Right. Understood. I've gotta go!" Asuna dashed out after Negi.
I walked over to Ayaka as she watched them leave. "So, after school then?"
"Yes," she replied, startled by how close I was. "I tried to keep my voice down, but I suppose with your senses..."
"I'm not a normal kid, remember? I doubt anyone else heard. Should we bring Chizuru into this too?"
Ayaka tilted her head, a gesture that was more elegant than cute. "I'll ask, but I think she has plans with Natsumi-san today."
After school, Ayaka and I waited in an empty classroom a few hallways away from 3-A.
"Where are they?" I asked.
"They said they'd be a little late, but they're coming."
As Ayaka had suspected, Chizuru couldn't make it. She was busy with some volunteer work or drama club business with Natsumi. It was just the two of us until the door slid open.
"Axel? Class Rep? You in here?" Asuna peeked in, with Negi hovering behind her as if using her as a human shield. He was scanning the room—likely looking for Eva.
"Negi-sensei, thank you for coming," Ayaka said warmly. "And you too, Asuna-san."
"Hey, you're the one who called us," Asuna grunted.
"U-Um... you said you wanted to talk about last night?" Negi asked timidly. He looked like a small animal wary of a trap.
The late afternoon sun bathed the classroom in a warm, orange glow as the four of us stood in a circle.
"First, take a look at this," I said.
I nodded to Ayaka, who reached into her bag and pulled out a practice wand, handing it to me. This was part of our plan. My actual focus was the bracelet on my right arm, but I figured a wand would be a more recognizable "language" for a traditionally trained mage like Negi.
"Wait, is that...?" Negi's eyes went wide.
"Negi?" Asuna looked confused.
I held the wand out. "Practe Bigi Nar... Light my fire!"
I suppressed my SP consumption to the absolute minimum. Unlike my previous attempts, a steady, controlled flame flickered into existence at the tip. It was about the size of a fist—still larger than a standard beginner's spell, likely due to my high innate "stats" in this world.
"...What? How?" Negi stammered. Asuna just stared, her brain clearly short-circuiting at the sight of me using magic.
I handed the wand back to Ayaka.
"I'm not as refined as Axel-kun yet," she said with a polite cough, "but..."
She raised the wand. "Practe Bigi Nar... Light my fire!"
A tiny flame, much smaller than mine but no less real, appeared. To Negi, seeing a "normal" student like the Class Rep use magic was the final straw. Asuna, on the other hand, reacted with her usual physical intensity, grabbing Ayaka by the shoulders.
"Since when can the Class Rep use magic!?"
"P-Please, Asuna-san! That's dangerous!" Ayaka used a fluid jujutsu move to redirect Asuna's momentum, slipping out of her grip.
"Whoa! Hey! You better start explaining, right now!" Asuna shouted, quickly regaining her footing.
"That is why we are here," Ayaka said, smoothing her skirt. "Please, sit down."
"So... Axel-kun and the Class Rep... you're mages too?" Negi asked, his eyes fixed on the practice wand.
"In a sense," I replied. "I'm still learning the ropes of this world's systems. Ayaka—and Chizuru, though she isn't here—have only just mastered the basic ignition spell."
"Chizuru-san too!?" Negi looked like his head was going to explode. "Wait... is Natsumi-chan involved?"
"No, Natsumi-san knows nothing. It's just the three of us."
Negi sat there, stunned by the realization that his "normal" classroom was populated by multiple magical practitioners. If he knew about the demons, half-crow-demons, and other magical students like Kasuga lurking in 3-A, he'd probably faint.
"Then, what Evangeline-san said last night... about you being her 'connection'..."
"She was just stirring the pot," I said.
"Well, this is great!" Asuna interjected, hitting her palm with her fist. "Now you don't have to worry about being turned into a weasel! You can just—wait. Weasel or not, we have a bigger problem! If we don't do something about Asakura, Negi's secret is going to be all over the Mahora Times by tomorrow morning!"
"EEEEEHHHHH!?" Negi shrieked, finally remembering the mortal peril his career was in.
"Relax," I said. "I've already handled Asakura."
"You did?" Negi asked, hope shining in his eyes.
"Well, the Headmaster handled it, technically."
"Wait... the Headmaster knows about the fight with Eva?" Asuna asked tentatively.
Ayaka gave a wry smile. "Asuna-san, the two of them had a high-altitude dogfight without a single concealment spell. The academy's general illusions kept the public away, but for those of us close by, it was like a fireworks display. Asakura and I saw everything."
"Concealment spell?" Asuna looked blankly at Negi. "What's that?"
I sighed. "Negi, did you not explain the basic rules of magical secrecy to her?"
"I... I'm sorry! I was a bit overwhelmed!"
"Well, whatever," Asuna waved it off. "The point is, if Axel is a mage, then the partner problem is solved! Axel can just be your partner!"
"WHAAAAAAT!?" Negi yelled.
"Whoa there, sister," a new voice echoed through the room from out of nowhere. "I think you'd better hold your horses on that one."
Character Profile: Axel Almar
Level: 38
PP: 625
Stats: Melee: 262 | Ranged: 282 | Skill: 272 | Defense: 272 | Evasion: 302 | Accuracy: 322
SP: 462
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Consume SP to enhance Slime performance)
Growth Type: All-Rounder / Special
Terrain Ratings: Air: S | Land: S | Water: S | Space: S
Spirit Commands:
Accel (SP 4) | Effort (SP 8) | Focus (SP 16) | Direct Hit (SP 30) | Awaken (SP 32) | Love (SP 48)
Skills:
EXP Up | SP Boost (SP Up Lv. 9, SP Regen, Concentration) | Telekinesis Lv. 10 | Attacker | Gunfight Lv. 9 | In-fight Lv. 9 | Morale Limit Break | Geass (Gray) | Magic (Fire, Shadow, Summoning) | ??? | ???
Kills: 376
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