The next morning, I had barely settled into my seat when Kazumi Asakura made a beeline for my desk. Her expression was uncharacteristically solemn.
"Axel, do you have a moment?"
"Sure. Is this about yesterday?" I asked.
She nodded. I couldn't tell which path she had decided to take yet, but the look in her eyes was one of fierce determination.
"Later today... after school, maybe? Could you give me some of your time?"
"I don't mind. Where should we meet?"
"Well, somewhere private would be best," she said, tapping her chin. "Oh, I know. Let's meet behind the dorms. It's a bit of a hidden spot; hardly anyone ever goes back there."
I mentally pictured the dormitory grounds. She was right; the area behind the building was spacious but tucked away, making it a ghost town most of the time. It was as good a place as any for a discreet conversation.
"Should I call Negi?"
"No," Asakura said firmly. "In this matter, you're the one with the final say, aren't you? More so than Negi, anyway."
I had to hand it to her; as a member of the Journalism Club, her instincts were sharp. She knew exactly who held the cards. If she didn't have such a relentless streak for paparazzi-style scandals, she'd be a truly formidable reporter.
"Th-then... I'll see you there after school!"
Suddenly flustered for reasons I couldn't grasp, she cut the conversation short and hurried away. The mystery of her abrupt exit was solved a moment later when Evangeline entered the room, Chachamaru in tow, and headed for the seat next to mine.
"I see Kazumi Asakura was just here," Eva remarked, her eyes narrowing.
"Yeah. She saw your mid-air showdown with Negi yesterday. She wanted to talk about it."
"Hmph. I see."
"I thought involving civilians was against the rules?" I challenged.
Eva scoffed. "Technically, yes. But the moment that boy and Asakura ended up in the same class, it was only a matter of time before the secret was out."
I found myself nodding in reluctant agreement. Perhaps I was becoming too accustomed to the madness of Class 3-A.
"Well, do as you like," Eva said, shrugging as she set her bag down, only to turn right back around toward the door. "I have no intention of stopping the guest list for this little festival from growing."
"Hey, where are you going?"
"Same as yesterday. You can't exactly relax with me looming over you, can you?"
"You just found a convenient excuse to cut class, didn't you?"
"Now, I wonder about that. Come, Chachamaru."
"Yes, Lady Evangeline. Axel, if you'll excuse us." Chachamaru gave a polite bow before following her master out of the classroom.
"So, you'd like me to come along as well?"
I nodded at Chizuru's question. Beside her, Ayaka was nodding in agreement.
School had let out, and the time for my meeting with Asakura was drawing near. I had explained the situation to Chizuru. Originally, I only planned to bring Ayaka, but she had insisted that Chizuru should join us. Ayaka's reasoning was sound: given Asakura's investigative talents, hiding Chizuru's involvement would only make us look suspicious if she found out later.
"Do you have time?" I asked.
"Let me see. Give me one moment." Chizuru pulled out her phone and dialed a number.
"Hello? Yes, this is Chizuru Naba. Regarding today's volunteer work... Yes, that's right. Something urgent has come up... I see. Yes... I'm terribly sorry. No, I'm not overextending myself, I promise. Yes. Thank you for understanding."
She looked a little disappointed as she hung up, but she quickly forced a smile and turned back to me.
"Fortunately, there were plenty of volunteers today, so they gave me the afternoon off. Shall we go?"
"Sorry for making you cancel."
"Don't be silly," she said warmly. "This is for you, Axel. As your guardian, it's only natural that I prioritize this."
Guardian... I suppressed a sigh of resignation. I had told her my real age a long time ago, but because I still looked like a child, Chizuru refused to drop the act. Ayaka, standing beside her, wasn't doing much to hide her own doting affections either.
"Well, now that we've settled that, we should get moving," Ayaka urged. "We shouldn't keep Asakura waiting."
I nodded, and the three of us headed out.
"Oh? Isn't that Nodoka?" Chizuru whispered.
"And Professor Negi is there too," Ayaka added.
We had arrived behind the dorms, but as we waited for Asakura, we spotted Nodoka and Negi a short distance away. Perched on Negi's shoulder was, predictably, the ermine, Albert Chamomile. Thanks to the shade of the trees, they hadn't noticed us yet.
Negi looked frantic, while Nodoka seemed incredibly tense.
"I have a bad feeling about this," I muttered.
"You too, Axel? I feel the same..." Ayaka agreed.
It was common knowledge in class by now that Nodoka had feelings for Negi. The fact that she was pining for a younger teacher didn't even raise eyebrows—partly because of Ayaka's own blatant crush, which led the class to simply categorize Nodoka as "one of those."
The Pactio—the provisional contract—relied heavily on the bond between a mage and their partner. It was always better if there was mutual affection. However, to put it bluntly, a partner's primary role was often that of a physical shield. Looking at the soft-spoken, bookish Nodoka, I seriously doubted she was suited for that kind of frontline work.
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