As the sunset bled through the classroom windows, the four of us—myself, Ayaka, Negi, and Asuna—were deep in the weeds of last night's magical fallout and the looming threat of Evangeline. That was when the voice rang out, cutting through the heavy atmosphere like a knife.
I scanned the room instantly, my reflexes honed by a lifetime of combat. Empty. There wasn't so much as a shadow moving in the corners.
"...Could it be a ghost?" Ayaka whispered, her voice trembling.
"A-A-Asuna-san! Don't be ridiculous!" Negi stammered, his face pale. "G-Ghosts are entirely unscientific! There's no way such things could exist!"
"Wow, Class Rep, you're still terrified of ghosts?" Asuna asked, sounding more amused than scared. "You're fine with magic and vampires, but a spirit does you in?"
I took note of Ayaka's unexpected weakness as I kept my guard up. In a world where people could rewrite reality with a few syllables, a ghost seemed perfectly plausible. While Ayaka clung to the hem of my shirt, scanning the room with wide eyes, and Asuna watched her with a grin, Negi alone looked puzzled—as if he recognized the frequency of the voice.
"Negi? What is it?" I asked.
"Wait... I know that voice..."
As Negi spoke, a small, white, ermine-like creature scurried out from the gap between the desks.
"It's been a while, Brother Negi!" the creature chirped, standing on its hind legs. "If it's a provisional contract you're after, leave it to me, Albert Chamomile!"
"Wha—?! The weasel talked!" Asuna shouted.
"At least it isn't a ghost," Ayaka sighed, her relief palpable.
I stared at the creature. Back in the world of Super Robot Wars OGs, I'd seen Masaki Andoh's familiars, Kuro and Shiro. A talking animal in a magical world wasn't even in the top fifty strangest things I'd witnessed.
"A-A-Camo-kun?!" Negi exclaimed.
"Heh, I'm a creature of my word! I came to pay back the favor for that time you saved my hide."
The ermine—Albert Chamomile—gave a jaunty salute. But something was off.
"Why do you have a pair of underwear in your mouth?" I asked flatly.
The air in the room instantly curdled. Indeed, Camo was firmly clutching a lace-trimmed brassiere—though given the bright, floral pattern, it might have been a bikini top.
"T-This?! This is... well, you see! I got caught on a clothesline while I was searching for the Boss here, and it just... stuck to me!"
"Oh, wow! That sounds like a real struggle. I'm glad you're okay!" Negi said, his eyes shining with pure, naive trust.
Asuna and Ayaka, however, weren't buying it for a second. Their expressions shifted into identical looks of pure, icy disgust.
"So, Negi," Asuna said, her eyes half-lidded. "What exactly is your relationship with this... perverted fluff-ball?"
"I first met Camo-kun about five years ago," Negi explained, looking nostalgic.
"That's right! Good times," Camo added. "The Boss found me stuck in a hunter's trap up in the mountains. He used his healing magic to patch me right up."
"Haha, yeah. Though the hunter was pretty mad at me afterward," Negi chuckled.
Saved a weasel from a hunter, huh? I resisted the urge to call him a bleeding heart.
"Oi, Brother! I ain't no lowly weasel," Camo barked, puffing out his chest. "I am Albert Chamomile, an Ermine Fairy of noble descent, equal to the Cait Sith! Just call me Camo."
He stood tall on his hind legs, looking quite proud of himself.
"Alright, Camo," I said, crossing my arms. "What's this 'partner' business Negi and Asuna were talking about?"
"Huh? You've got a mountain of mana, yet you don't know about a Mage's Servant?" Camo looked at me, impressed.
"...Axel, how are you just rolling with this?" Asuna muttered, rubbing her temples.
"You get used to the weird stuff eventually," I replied. "So, Camo. The 'Servant'?"
"Right. The formal title is Minister Magi. Originally, they were protectors—warriors meant to guard a mage when they were vulnerable while casting high-level spells. But..."
Camo shot a sly look at Ayaka and Asuna.
"Since mages and their servants tended to spend a lot of time together, nowadays, it's mostly used as an excuse to find a girlfriend."
An excuse to find a lover, huh? I suspected Negi was looking for the old-fashioned definition—a combat partner like Eva and Chachamaru—but the "modern" meaning clearly hit home for someone else.
"...Is that true?" Ayaka asked. Her cheeks were flushed a deep crimson, her eyes shimmering with a sudden, intense heat.
"E-Every word, lady!" Camo replied.
"Then... if I were to become a Minister Magi...?!"
"Hehe, the possibilities are endless!"
Ayaka lunged forward, looming over the tiny fairy. "Then make me a Minister Magi this instant!"
"Easy as pie! So, Brother Negi is the Master, then?"
Ayaka froze. She looked at Negi, then at me, her brain clearly running a high-speed simulation. After three seconds, she made her choice.
"No. I want it to be Axel-kun."
"Whoa, hold on," I said, stepping back. "I didn't agree to—"
"I heard you're 'Axel the Brother,' right? Relax! This is just a Pactio—a provisional contract. It ain't the permanent version, so no big deal!"
"I said wait—"
"I wouldn't mind the permanent version, personally," Ayaka added, her voice dropping an octave.
"Listen to me!" I growled.
"Sorry, lady, but the real deal takes a lot of prep work. We can't just whip that up like a snack. We gotta stick to the provisional for now!"
"Wait—"
"I suppose that can't be helped. I shall settle for the provisional!"
"Heh! Then let's get to it! Contract!"
As Camo barked the command, a massive, glowing magic circle erupted on the floor, centering on Ayaka and me.
"Now, stand in the center and give her a big ol' smooch! That'll seal the deal!"
"What?! You have to kiss to make a contract?!" Asuna yelled.
I didn't have time to answer. The moment the circle flared, my mana—my SP—began to resonate violently. It wasn't a malfunction, but a profound synchronization. I felt a surge of warmth, and suddenly, my protective feelings for Ayaka amplified tenfold. It was the magic circle's influence, overriding my tactical mind.
Against my conscious will, my feet began to move. My body felt light, drawn toward her as if by a magnetic force.
"Axel-kun..."
Ayaka was clearly under the same spell. Her eyes were moist and pleading as she leaned down toward me, her breath hitching.
"Ayaka..."
I reached up, my hand moving on its own to cup her smooth cheek. She leaned into the touch, closing her eyes. Our lips met—and as the magic surged, the kiss deepened. My tongue slipped past her teeth, meeting hers in a tangled, heated rhythm.
"Nnh... hhh... mmm!"
"Whoa! Hey! Too much! Too much!" Asuna's frantic voice sounded like it was coming from miles away. I was too locked into the resonance to care.
"Provisional Contract: COMPLETE!" Camo shouted.
The magic circle flared with one final, blinding flash before vanishing into the floorboards.
"..."
Silence returned to the room. I slowly pulled back, my mind clearing as the magical compulsion dissipated. I looked over at Camo. The weasel was holding a small card, looking far too pleased with himself.
I left Ayaka standing there, dazed and dreamy-eyed, and walked toward the white ermine with a silent, heavy tread.
"Axel, wait—!" Negi started.
I ignored him. I reached down and snatched the weasel up in a crushing grip.
"Gyah! A-Axel, my man! What's with the face?!"
"Did I ever say," I whispered, my voice like grinding stone, "that I agreed to this?"
"W-Well, the situation called for it—!"
"Did. I. Agree?"
I began to squeeze. Thanks to my status as a "Chosen One" and my growth cheats, my physical strength was already well into the superhuman range. I'd once ripped the armor plating off a Mobile Suit with my bare hands; a fairy ermine didn't stand a chance.
"GYAAAAAAH! My insides! They're gonna be outsides! I yield! I YIELD!"
"Axel-kun, let him go!" Negi pleaded.
"Axel, you're going to kill him!" Asuna shouted.
I ignored them both, my grip tightening—
"Axel-kun... was kissing me... really that awful?"
The sound of Ayaka's voice, small and heartbroken, hit me harder than a physical blow. My hand involuntarily spasmed, and the pressure vanished. Camo seized the opening, squirming out of my grip and diving behind Negi's back for safety.
I turned to look at Ayaka. She was watching me, her eyes brimming with a mix of sorrow and lingering affection. I let out a long, weary sigh.
"It wasn't awful," I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck. "But are you sure about this, Ayaka? By becoming a Minister Magi, you've just tied yourself to the magical world even tighter. There's no turning back now."
Ayaka's expression hardened into one of absolute resolve. She nodded firmly.
"Yes. I am certain. I chose to step into this world with my own two feet, so that I could stand beside you."
Stubborn girl, I thought. It was madness to jump into a world of shadows and spells by choice. But then again, I was currently obsessed with mastering these same powers, so I was hardly one to talk.
"...Fine. I don't know where this is going to lead us, but... I'm counting on you."
"Yes! My Master!"
She took my hand, a radiant smile lighting up her face. Then, as if a fuse had finally blown, her eyes rolled back. A massive, fountain-like jet of blood erupted from her nose, and she collapsed onto the floor.
"Class Rep?!" Asuna screamed. "Stay with us! That much blood loss is a life-threatening injury!"
"Waaaah! Class Rep! Someone help!" Negi wailed.
"The flowers..." Ayaka murmured from the floor, a blissful smile on her face. "So many pretty flowers on the other side of the river..."
"No! Don't follow the light! Stay away from the river!" Asuna yelled, shaking her.
"Healing magic! I need to use healing magic!" Negi scrambled for his wand.
I just stood there, watching the chaos. Trust Ayaka to find a way to turn a magical ceremony into a slapstick tragedy.
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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