If it were someone like Ayaka—who had just become my partner yesterday—it would be different. She had martial arts training and excellent reflexes. Besides, unlike most mages, I could hold my own in a melee.
Negi, however, was a pure mage. His style was to stay back and chant grand spells while his partner protected him. Could Nodoka really do that?
As I was lost in thought, "Kamo" hopped off Negi's shoulder.
"Contract!" the ermine squealed.
Just like the day before, a magic circle erupted from the ground.
"Tch. That lecherous weasel actually did it," I cursed under my breath.
"Oh! Professor Negi! Should we stop them? Or should we...?" Ayaka was pacing back and forth, torn between intervening and letting the "romance" play out.
"Now, now, Ayaka. Just stay calm," Chizuru said, watching the scene with curiosity. Since I hadn't explained the mechanics of the contract to her yet, she probably didn't realize the gravity of what was happening.
Caught in the flow of the mana, Negi and Nodoka stared into each other's eyes. Slowly, Nodoka reached out, her hand moving toward Negi's cheek.
I was about to move in and shut Kamo down when Asuna Kagurazaka suddenly appeared out of nowhere. With a swift, brutal motion, she slammed her hand down on Kamo, who had been prancing around on two legs cheering them on.
"Knock it off, you perverted ermine!"
The physical shock to Kamo must have rippled through the ritual's circuit. A loud pop echoed between Negi and Nodoka, like a bursting bubble. The magical backlash sent Nodoka slumped to the ground, unconscious.
"A-Asuna?! This... this isn't what it looks like!" Negi stammered.
"Looks like I'm late to the party," I said, stepping out from the shadows.
"Eh? Axel?!" Negi gasped.
"Wait, Axel?! What are you doing here?" Asuna demanded, her temper flaring. "Don't tell me you were in on this with the perverted weasel!"
Negi was bewildered, and Asuna was jumping to conclusions. Their reactions were perfectly on-brand.
"Calm down. We're here on different business."
"We?" Asuna blinked.
Behind me, Ayaka and Chizuru stepped into view.
"The Representative? And Chizuru too?"
"And," I added, glancing toward a nearby thicket, "the girl waiting for a photo op over there."
In the shade of the trees, Kazumi Asakura sat frozen, her camera aimed and ready.
"Ah! Asakura!" Asuna shouted. "Wait... then is this..."
"It seems even a dunderhead like Asuna can finally grasp the situation," Ayaka sighed. "This is a meeting to discuss countermeasures against Evangeline."
That wasn't entirely true, but it was close enough. It was a meeting to decide what to do with Asakura now that she'd seen the truth.
"Oops. Caught me," Asakura said, emerging with a sheepish grin.
"Asakura! If you were watching, you should have stopped them!" Asuna yelled.
"I couldn't help it! I was already brainstorming the headline: 'Forbidden Love Between Student and Teacher!'"
"Stop it!"
For a fleeting second, the image of a certain girl with sensory antennae shouting about "The Scent of Love" flashed through my mind, but I shook it off.
"Anyway, that's not the point!" Asuna turned her fury back to the flattened ermine. "You! You perverted weasel! What were you trying to make these kids do? And look at this! A letter from Negi's sister! You told him you'd deliver it, but I found it in the trash, unopened!"
"Gah! You read it, lady?!" Kamo squeaked, recovering from being squashed.
"I did! What's this about 'Two Thousand Stolen Undergarments'?!"
The story that followed was an exercise in absurdity. Kamo wailed about his innocence, claiming he only stole the lingerie to make a warm bed for his sickly sister to survive the harsh Welsh winter. He'd been caught, imprisoned, and had escaped to Mahora to find Negi. His plan was to facilitate a contract, provide Negi with a partner, and use that "achievement" to officially become Negi's familiar. He figured that if he was the familiar of the son of a hero and a Magister Magi candidate, the authorities would leave him alone.
"I don't even know where to start pointing out the flaws in that story," I said, rubbing my temples.
"Axel," Chizuru whispered kindly, "in cases like this, you lose if you take them seriously. It's best to just let it slide."
While we talked, Negi and Kamo shared a "touching" moment of reconciliation, and it seemed Negi had officially agreed to take him on as a familiar.
"Alright, enough with the farce," I interrupted. "Negi, you're taking full responsibility for Kamo, then?"
"Hey, Brother Axel! Isn't that a bit harsh?" Kamo complained.
"Oh? Would you prefer I interrogate you? Properly? Down to the smallest detail?"
"N-no! Please, let's just move on!" the ermine squeaked, saluting.
If Kamo were just using Negi, I would have disposed of him without a second thought. But the weasel did seem to genuinely admire the kid, and Negi felt a certain kinship with him. I'd leave the final judgment to the Headmaster or Takahata.
"Regardless, we need to do something about Miyazaki," I noted.
"Right! I'll take her back to the building," Negi said. With Kamo on his shoulder, he hoisted the unconscious Nodoka onto his back and took off on his staff.
Status Window
Name: Axel Almar
Level: 38
PP: 625
Melee: 262 | Ranged: 282 | Skill: 272 | Defense: 272 | Evade: 302 | Hit: 322
SP: 462
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Consumes SP to enhance Slime performance)
Growth Type: All-Rounder / Special
Terrain: Air: S | Land: S | Sea: 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, Summon)
???
???
Kills: 376
-------------------------------
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