"Darn it, Negi!! If you don't get up, you're gonna be late for class!!!"

Negi awoke in an instant. Looking over at the alarm clock and seeing it showing 8:15, he realized that Asuna was right. "Crap, why didn't you or Konoka-san wake me up before now?"

Asuna gave him an annoyed look. "Oh, I don't know, maybe because we just woke up ourselves!!!"

Getting dressed quicker than he ever thought possible, Negi rushed to the door, but something stopped him- a small voice inside him, telling him to get his Pactio cards. Negi didn't really understand why he had to do it, but he got the cards and slipped them into his pocket.

Running out into the street, Negi noticed something unusual: there was normally a large number of students in the street, most about to be late for class themselves, but today the road was completely deserted. Not taking much time to think about, Negi realized that, with no one around except Konoka-san and Asuna-san, he could get to his classroom even faster. So, he took out his staff and hopped on, zooming off into the distance. As Asuna and Konoka got to where Negi had just been, they were incensed that he would just take off without them. Running off towards the classroom, they failed to notice one pair of eyes across the street from them- watching them, just as they had been watching Negi.

By the time Asuna and Konoka reached the classroom, Negi had already taken roll and had begun to teach. As Asuna passed Negi's desk, she whispered to him, "You're gonna get it when we get back to the dorm…" Negi blanched. "Why, what the heck did I do?" Asuna didn't answer him, but merely went back to her seat; Konoka tipped Negi a wink before doing the same.

"Well, class… we kinda have to end early today, for the pep rally. But if Yue-san, Konoka-san, and Haruna-san don't mind, could you all stay behind for a few minutes? I just need to fill you all in on something." Looking over at Asuna-san and seeing her look, he added, "Oh, and Asuna-san, if you don't mind, also…"

"No, Negi, I don't mind at all…" Asuna whispered.

After class was up, the chosen students came up to Negi's desk; Haruna asked him, "Alright, Negi-kun, what did you want to ask us?"

Negi smiled a knowing smile. "Well, as you all probably know, in three days, Nodoka-chan will be celebrating her 16th birthday. I want to throw her a surprise party." Haruna's jaw dropped, Asuna and Konoka simply sat there, but Yue smiled at Negi. "I think it's an awesome idea," she said. "Is it going to be a surprise party?"

"Yes, that was the plan," said Negi. "I want her to think it's just an ordinary day. So that's why I need you all to get everything ready. The day before the party, I want you four to go around and tell everyone about it; just please try to make sure that Nodoka doesn't find out about it."

"When will we be doing the shopping?" asked Konoka.

"I was thinking about doing it today," said Negi, "after I get finished grading your English quizzes. We can store the supplies in our room, Asuna-san, considering Nodoka-chan really doesn't come into our room that often." He noticed that Haruna was smiling a bit evilly. "Uh… Haruna-san," Negi said, "why are you smiling like that?"

Haruna laughed. "Well, I've just always loved parties… and I think that this is a great idea."

"Excellent," said Negi, "I'm glad you think that. Now, I need to get on with grading these things, so I'll catch up with you all in about an hour."

After saying their goodbyes, Negi went back to his desk and the girls exited. "Wow, I can't wait to see what the party's going to be like!" said Konoka. Just then, they heard a voice behind them. "What party? I never heard about one…" As they turned around, they saw the one person they prayed didn't hear about the surprise party. "Oh, hey Nodoka," said Haruna.

"Hello, everyone," said Nodoka. "So who's the party for?"

This time, Yue was the first one to speak. "It's a surprise party we're wanting to hold for someone, but we don't want the word to leak out about it, so we're just kinda keeping it to ourselves for the time being."

Nodoka looked puzzled. "But if you all know about it, then why wouldn't you tell me? The only way I think you wouldn't tell me is if the surprise party was for me…"

"Now, why would you think that?" asked Asuna. "Besides, you already know about your birthday party. Remember, we planned it all out."

Recognition dawned on Nodoka's face. "Oh yeah, we did plan that, didn't we? Okay then, I've got some work to do down at the library. So I'll see you guys later."

Nodoka walked away, and they all breathed a collective sigh of relief. Haruna then turned to Asuna. "You never told us you all had already planned a party for Nodoka."

Asuna smiled. "I think she thought about last year," she said, and they all laughed. They began to walk back to their dorms, talking about what they were going to do for the party. When they got back to their dorm, they found someone sitting on Asuna's bed; Konoka gasped and Yue jumped back a bit.

"Negi? How the heck did you get back so quickly?"

Negi laughed. "It didn't take me too long to grade your quizzes, and I just used my staff to get back. So are you all ready to go get the stuff?"

"Yep," said Haruna, "so let's get going."

They exited the dorm and began the walk to the store. Along the way, they saw Kaede doing some kind of ninja routine with Fuka and Fumika Narutaki; they saw Nodoka, sitting on a bench and reading; they saw Misa, Sakurako, and Madoka practicing a new cheerleader routine… and someone saw them, following them all the way to the store.

When they got there, Haruna turned to Yue. "So, what kind of theme did you guys have in mind for the party?" Asuna smiled. "Well, we were thinking about some kind of literature theme, but I'm not sure how that would work out. Does she have a favorite book?"

Yue laughed. "No, I think she just likes all books equally."

A light dawned in Negi's head. "Hey guys, I just got an idea. What if we do the ultimate literature party- just hold it in the library!!"

"Wow, Negi," commented Asuna, "that's actually a good idea. It's one of the first I've heard from you…" Negi glowered at Asuna, and the other girls laughed. "So," said Yue, "we know where the party's going to be, but we still need to get the decorations and everything else. I think we should hold off on getting the food and drinks till the day before the party, in case we have anything that could be spoiled." They all agreed, then went into the store.

After buying everything they needed, they headed back to the dorms and deposited all the party stuff they had bought in Negi's room. Just then, Haruna spoke up: "You guys want to go down to the pool? It's pretty hot out there." They all agreed it was a good idea, and Haruna and Yue left to go to their room and get changed. When the door shut, Asuna turned to Negi. "I kinda get the feeling that you and Yue have something going on…"

Negi whirled around. "H-how in the world could you even think something like that?"

"Well…" began Asuna, "you really couldn't seem to take your eyes off her-"

"That's because she was talking to me; of course I'm going to look at her!"

"And," Asuna continued, not even hearing what Negi said, "didn't you notice she couldn't take her eyes off you, either?"

Negi's heart skipped a beat. "Do… do you really think Yue-san likes me?"

"Well," said Konoka, "she does seem to get awfully flustered when she was around you… and didn't you and Yue already do the Pactio?"

"Yeah," said Negi, "but that was only because it was Haruna's idea… I was pretty much against it, and it seemed like Yue was, too."

"Oh come on, Negi," said Asuna, "what's so bad about someone liking you? You already know that Nodoka's in love with you-"

"Please, don't remind me. I've been thinking about that enough the way it is. Besides, I already have someone I like."

This got their attention, and both heads snapped towards Negi. "What is this now?" asked Asuna. "We never knew you liked someone." "Yeah," said Konoka, "why keep something like that a secret from us?"

Negi blushed slightly. "Well… I guess if you guys want, I could tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone, okay?"

"We promise," said Asuna, "now who is it?" Negi leaned over and whispered her name into their ears. Asuna's eyes bugged out, but Konoka simply smiled. "If I would think of one person you liked, Negi-kun, it'd definitely have to be her."

"What are you talking about?" asked Asuna. "I could think of quite a few other people that Negi would like before her…"

"See, this is why I didn't want to tell anyone!" exclaimed Negi. "I don't want any fuss about this; I just want to go on with my teaching."

Asuna's eyes grew wider. "You mean, you don't even want to tell her?"

"How do you think she'll take it?" asked Negi. "We already have a great friendship, and I don't want to ruin it over something as silly as a simple crush…"

"From what I can gather, it's a bit more than a simple crush," remarked Asuna, "but that's beside the point. Do what you want with it, but if I were you, I'd tell her. You never know- you two could have something great if you'd only give it a chance…"

Just then, they heard a knock on the door, and Haruna yelled, "Where the heck are you guys? We've been waiting at the pool for over fifteen minutes!!!" Negi and Asuna looked at each other. "Oh crap, we completely forgot!!" said Negi. "Coming!!" yelled Asuna.

Konoka opened the door. As they thought, Yue and Haruna were standing there, in their swimsuits. With Asuna, Konoka, and Negi in tow, they made their way to the pool. Upon arriving, they met up with Yuna, who was practicing for her swim meet that weekend. After exchanging greetings, Yuna kept swimming, and the crew went to an area of the pool that wasn't being used. Negi jumped in with Haruna and Yue, while Asuna and Konoka simply laid out to try to get a tan.

Suddenly, Negi jumped out of the pool. "You all were supposed to have a test tomorrow, weren't you?" Yue replied, "Yes, why do you ask?"

"Oh, man," Negi said, "I haven't even started making it yet!!! I've got to get back to the room and do that. You all just come back whenever you want." Negi raced off as they waved their goodbyes.

Running towards the room, Negi almost tripped twice, but he managed to make it there withour any serious injury. He hopped on his computer, amidst Chamo-kun's cries of "Oh, come on, you woke me up!!", and started to make up the test. He was especially quick, and he had the whole test written in under 10 minutes. Breathing a sigh of relief, he turned to Chamo-kun. "Sorry I woke you up, Chamo-kun, but I had to get a test ready for tomorrow."

Chamo looked at him, annoyed. "And you woke me up for that? Ah well… what's new, Aniki?"

Negi smiled. "Well, the class is planning a surprise party for Nodoka-san. It'll be in a few days and-"

"Hold on," said Chamo, "Nodoka, as in mind-reading Nodoka?"

"One and the same," said Negi. "We just wanted to do something special for her. She's turning 16, you know."

Chamo fell into silence. A few minutes passed, then Chamo exclaimed, "Aniki, I've got it? You think Nodoka-chan's cute, right?"

Negi sputtered. "How- how'd you know that?"

Chamo grinned. "Aniki, I've known that for ages. Anyways, this party might be the perfect chance for you to tell Bookstore how you really feel."

Negi choked on the tea he was drinking, and gasped as the hot liquid seared his throat. "Come on, Chamo-kun, don't joke around like that. Besides, this is her birthday party… and I wouldn't want to ruin it for her by doing anything… irrational."

Shaking his head, Chamo replied, "Don't you get it, Aniki? She'd be in a great mood at the party, so she'd probably be more open to you telling her. Besides, what would be a better birthday present than to find out that the guy you've been in love with since day one feels the same way about you?" Negi shook his head. "I still don't know, Chamo… Is this just another way of you trying to force me into finding a partner?"

Chamo looked shocked. "Okay, so I admit it, I might have forced it a bit too hard in the past, but this time I just want to make you happy. I really do think you and Bookstore are perfect for each other."

Negi looked away from Chamo for a minute. "If I did agree to tell her, how would I say it?" Chamo looked Negi straight in the eye. "You don't have to dance around it; just tell her you know she likes you and you feel the same way for her."

"Well, thanks for the advice," said Negi, "but there's still the little fact that I'm her teacher… it'd be inappropriate for a student to be dating a teacher."

Chamo looked up at Negi. "Aniki, in my honest opinion… I really don't think they'd care, considering you're more near Bookstore's age than any other teacher. Besides, who cares if you're only 10? You've got more maturity than half the other teachers. Honestly, I don't think it'll be such a big deal."

"As much as it pains me to admit it," began Negi, "I think you're right. I do need to tell her how I feel. But I'd feel much better if you're there with me."

"Of course, Aniki," said Chamo. "Just invite me to the party and I'll be there anyways." Negi laughed. "True, true." Just then, Negi heard a knock at the door. "Wonder who that is?" Negi thought. He opened the door- and jumped back in alarm.

"Uh, Negi-sensei? Is everything okay?"

Negi grasped for words. "It's… a pleasure to see you, Nodoka-san. What can I do for you?"

"Well," said Nodoka, "I'm in a bit of a hurry, but I just wanted to know what I made on that quiz today." Negi sighed in relief. "Okay, hold on a second, I'll get your quic and tell you what you made."

Negi stepped into the room, and Nodoka followed. "Wow, Negi-sensei," Nodoka said, "you guys planning a party or something?"

Negi mentally kicked himself; he had completely forgotten about having all Nodooka's party supplies in his room. "Yeah, we're having one soon. Oh, here it is. You made a 100, like always."

Nodoka looked relieved. "Wow, I thought I didn't do too well on that quiz. Thanks, Negi-sensei. Well, I'd best be off. See you later."

"Goodbye," said Negi, as he watched Nodoka leave; when the door was shut, he collapsed onto the floor. He heard Chamo say from above him, "That was a close one, wasn't it, Aniki?"

"You said it, Chamo-kun," replied Negi. Just then, the door opened again. Negi jumped to his feet, ready to cover up the party supplies, but it turned out to only be Asuna and Konoka returning from the pool. Asuna looked at Negi. "You look a bit flustered. What's up?"

Negi sighed. "Well, Nodoka just showed up to get her quiz grade; she saw the party supplies-" Asuna gasped- "but I don't think she suspects anything yet." Asuna let out her breath. "Well, that's good. Was anyone with her?" This time, Chamo responded. "No, it was just Bookstore."

Asuna looked up. "Oh, Pervin' Ermine… you're awake."

Chamo looked affronted. "I thought we were past that!"

Asuna laughed. "Calm down, Chamo. I was just joking." She turned to Negi. "So the party's tomorrow, right?"

Negi said, "Yep. So that means you all have to spread the word about it today at dinner. And remember-"

"Make sure Nodoka-chan doesn't find out. Yeah, yeah, we know…"

"Excellent. Oh, and we need to get a present for her. Does she have any book she wants?"

Just then, Haruna popped her head into the room. "Actually, Negi-kun, she mentioned something about wanting an actual diary, not just her artifact."

Negi smiled. "Sounds like something Nodoka-chan would want… Alright, I'll go get it for her, and you all spread the word about the party." Negi left for the store, and Asuna and the others went to dinner.

As Negi walked down the road, he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him. Once in awhile, he swore he could see a pair of eyes in the darkness, but when he went to check them out, he found no one there. He entered the shop and went up to the front counter. "Excuse me, sir, I'm looking for a nice diary, preferably in dark blue. Can you show me where I could get one?"

The man showed him what he was looking for, and Negi thought to himself, "Perfect." He paid for it, then left.

When he was close to the dorms, he felt that… whatever it was, watching him again. He felt the presence behind him, and whirled around, his spell already on his lips. What he saw, however, made him yell out in surprise.

"AAH!! Chachamaru-san!! Don't smeak up on me like that!!"

Chachamaru backed up a little bit. "I'm sorry, Negi-sensei; I didn't mean to startle you." Negi's heart had just started to calm down. "Why exactly are you following me?" he asked her.

"Simple," she replied. "Master heard some of the students planning on playing a prank on you. She wanted me to follow you to make sure that nothing happened to you."

Negi was stunned. "Eva-Master did that for me?"

"Yes," replied Chachamaru. "She may not be able to stand your resemblance to the Thousand Master, but deep down she really does like you." Negi tried to figure out what that meant. "Does that mean she has a crush on me, or does that mean… Dang, I'm confused." He was about to ask Chachamaru for a bit of clarification, when he realized that she had slipped away. Shaking his head, Negi walked back to the dorm. He found a crowd of people standing in the room when he walked in; Nodoka wasn't there, which was a relief to Negi, if they were indeed there to talk about the party.

Sakurako noticed Negi first. "Hey, Negi-kun!! So what's this about the party?" Everyone turned around, as soon as Sakurako said that, to face Negi. "Well," Negi began, "it'll be in the library tomorrow at 4:00, so we have to get set up tonight. I want Yue to give Nodoka-san the invitation tomorrow at lunch" (Yue nodded) "and after that… it's time to party!!!" Everyone in the room cheered, then began to filter out, heading to the library to start setting up.

The next day, class began as usual, though (and this was not lost on Nodoka) there was quite a bit of excitement in the air- so much so, that some had trouble concentrating on Negi's lecture. At lunch, Yue delivered the letter to Nodoka, and didn't answer any questions about it.

At four o'clock, Nodoka arrived at the library. "I wonder what this is all about?" she said to herself, "And I hope that Negi-sensei will be there…" She blushed at the thought, and pushed open the library doors.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!"

Nodoka jumped back surprised, but then Yue ran up and huuged her. "Happy 16th birthday!!" Yue said, and a chorus of "Happy Birthdays" came back from everyone in the room. By now, Nodoka's entire face was blushing, and a tear ran down her face. "Thank you!!! Thank you all so much!!!" she said, and the whole room cheered.

Haruna led Nodoka over to a small table that held the cake- and all her presents. Nodoka sat down at the table, when she suddenly heard an all-too-familiar voice from behind her, saying, "Happy birthday, Nodoka-chan."

She turned around, blushing again. "Thanks, Negi-sensei. Do you want to sit down?" she asked. Negi replied, "It'd be my pleasure," and Nodoka blushed even harder. Negi sat down, and handed her the present. "This is from me," he said. "I hope you like it." Nodoka replied, "I'm sure I will," and opened it. She let out a cry of joy: "Oh wow, Negi- how'd you know I wanted a diary?"

Negi smiled. "A little birdie told me." As he said that, he tipped Haruna a wink; she just smiled back.

Nodoka laughed. "Well, Negi-sensei, I'd say that this has definitely been the best birthday party I've ever had!!" The room cheered again. "But," Nodoka said, standing up, "there's one thing that could happen that would make this day the greatest ever." Negi grinned. "Then allow me," he said. He walked towards Nodoka and, when he reached her, said, "I've been kind of afraid to tell you this, but… I've been in love with you… since the day we met." Nodoka's mouth dropped open, then she closed it and smiled, and shut her eyes as a tear began to make its way down her face. He looked up at Nodoka and, forgetting all about everyone else staring at them, he kissed her.

Nodoka's eyes opened and widened in surprise, then she closed them again and embraced Negi, as the two kept kissing. The room had gone totally silent, then Yue began to clap; Haruna soon joined in, then Asuna, and soon, the whole room was cheering for them. Negi and Nodoka broke apart, and amidst the cheers and the clapping, they could hear Nodoka say, "Now this is the best birthday ever!!!"