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Chapter 4: Moment of Partial Truth

Soft…

Wait…Soft?! Asuna realized what she was just thinking. A few seconds ago, she had agreed to hug her male teacher. Now, having no idea on what had happened, she found herself noticing that his chest area was much softer than usual.

Before her head could process the information, she immediately looked up, finding a girl in place of the teacher she had despised. Her hair was now white, obviously longer than it had previously been. Her eyes were a fierce shade of crimson, a sight that was hard not to gaze at. And, as Asuna gaped at the transformation, the white-haired girl only smiled. "Long time no see, eh, Asuna-san?"

The girl's eyebrows went up for a little bit as she didn't get a response from the orange-haired girl. She then chuckled. "Oh…wait. Could this make me more familiar?" The white-haired girl then took a portion of her hair and gathered it at her left; making sure that she left some on the right side.

White hair and red eyes…Th-that hairstyle…that smile…! Asuna thought to herself as she was finally able to derive a conclusion. Her eyes widened at her deduction. OH. MY. GOD. "SETSUNA-SAN?!"

"I'm glad you still remember me." Setsuna smiled, letting go of her friend but she was immediately pulled back into a tighter hug.

"Who wouldn't?! Do you have any idea on how much we missed you?!" Her eyes then widened, remembering the letter from Negi:

"Well, everything is fine now and we're going to visit Setsuna-san at the hospital in the Magic World. Don't worry, it's nothing major. Her sister said something about a sparring accident and they needed a specialist to look at half-demon injuries because something might happen if they treat her with demon medicine. She's going to be stuck there for a week so we decided to visit!"

"Wait, how do I know that you aren't the enemy in an illusion spell?" She looked at Setsuna suspiciously, trying to find a flaw in the other's so-called disguise.

"No, no…you've got it all backwards Asuna-san. Your Magic Cancel Ability should make sure of that." Setsuna explained. "Remember when I didn't catch you in homeroom? I was afraid that your ability might dispel the illusion in front of the whole class, so I dodged right then and there…I'm sorry for that, Asuna-san."

"G-geez! You should've told me sooner!" Asuna crossed her arms. "Now I feel bad for getting so angry with you!"

"It's all right. Oh…and I'm sorry for making you hug me as well." She smiled uneasily as she scratched her now reddening cheek. "It takes a lot of my power to dispel the illusion…and those demons we just fought made me run out of demon magic. So the only way I could think of revealing this to you was by using your Magic Cancel…and our bodies really need to be that close for it to work…"

"I-I see." The orange-haired girl said uneasily. "So Negi's letter was a fake?"

"Well, sort of. He was about to send that to you three months ago but he got assigned another 'rushed' mission." Setsuna chuckled as she then took out something from her pocket. "Which reminds me, here's the real one." She winked. "Think of it as my way of paying you back for what you did for me last year."

The orange-haired girl took the letter and placed it in her own pocket. She then grinned. "That can wait for later. Right now, you have to tell me what happened! You passed right? That's why you're back?"

"That'll have to wait for later Asuna-san." Setsuna then wore a serious expression. "Two girls are coming right now."

"Eh?" Asuna blinked. She then heard footsteps, causing her to bolt to the door and close it. "Quick, put on your disguise while I hold the door!"

"Huh…? Eh…OK."

"Asuna!" Haruna immediately went in the room, finding her male teacher and the said girl inside, and were now looking at her curiously. "Tatsumiya-san and I sensed demon magic here! Are you all right?"

"Y-yeah we are!" Asuna said as she put a hand behind her head. "No demons here. All gone."

"Oh, really?" Mana raised an eyebrow. "Then what are you two doing in here then?"

"…Some demons went in this room!" Asuna said suddenly.

"Hmm…that's strange…if they did go into this room then the door should at least have a scratch or something…" Haruna examined the door, tapping her chin as she thought of a rational explanation to that.

"That's because um…" Asuna looked at the now raven-haired boy beside her. Setsuna-san, help!

Touma, or Setsuna, saw the orange-haired girl and nodded. "A-actually I had planned on luring the demons here where I set up a trap…They did come here as expected but I was afraid that Asuna-san might get caught in the trap as well, so I performed a high-level spell that disabled both the trap and the demons…"

"Whoa! As expected of Negi-kun's kohai!" Haruna grinned. "I certainly didn't expect that we'd have a demon magic user in this academy except for Eva-chan, but it seems that it's working out for us, right, Tatsumiya-san?" The girl looked at her patrol partner only to find her with a look that didn't give her an impression of 'happy'. "T-tatsumiya-san?"

Mana glared at the people in front of her, suddenly pulling out her gun and aiming it at the boy. Asuna's and Haruna's eyes widened while their teacher didn't move an inch. "Just what do you think you're doin--"

"Die."

BANG.

Setsuna-sa--Oh, it missed! Asuna immediately looked to where the bullet was headed, seeing that a demon was right outside the window. It was hit dead center of its talisman, dying without a fight. Asuna sighed. Whew…for a second there I thought Tatsumiya-san was actually gonna…She then looked Touma, wondering why exactly he remained relaxed even if Mana had pointed a gun at him. Well, Setsuna-san was with the Security Department with Tatsumiya-san long before the Mahora Defense Group, which was formed a few months ago…

"Let's go." Mana turned around and exited the room, leaving a still shocked Haruna with Asuna and Touma.

"Saotome if you don't get here right now, I am going to shoot you with a tranquilizer and drag you all the way to Evangeline-san."

"Y-yes ma'am!" The girl said as she went out of the room, immediately regaining her senses the moment she heard 'tranquilizer'.

Asuna sighed in relief as she scratched her head. She then turned to her friend. "Well, that was a close one. I don't sense any more demons that seem to pose a threat. How about we get out of here?" She then proceeded to go out of the room, only to stop by the door when Setsuna spoke up. "Um…Asuna-san?"

"Hm?" The said girl turned around, facing her raven-haired friend. "What is it Setsuna-san?"

"Why didn't you…" Setsuna scratched her cheek. "Why didn't you tell Saotome-san and the others who I am?"

The orange-haired girl only blinked, and then put her hand on her waist. "You didn't want them to find out, didn't you? Setsuna-san, it's obvious that you want to keep your identity a secret. Plus, I'm your friend, remember? Friends don't tell their friend's secrets."

"I…I guess so." Setsuna smiled. "You know…it really feels good to be back."

"Glad to know that." Asuna grinned, leading the way out of the room as Setsuna locked the classroom door and proceeded to follow the orange-haired girl to the exit. "You know, Setsuna-san, I really think you've gone overboard with this secrecy stuff."

Setsuna only chuckled, adjusting her school tie as she put a hand inside her pants pocket, the night wind gently blowing against their faces. "Oh? Is that so?"

"Yeah…" Asuna laughed back as they neared the building where they meet for patrols. "I mean…making yourself look like you're from an enemy tribe out looking for you…you even made yourself look like a bad guy! You sure can string up some believable lies!"

"Yeah…Lies!!!" Setsuna laughed, putting the other hand in her pocket as she pulled out the first one to open the door, going in first while Asuna noticed that the laugh was a little louder than usual.

Strange…if this were the Setsuna-san from a year ago she'd have blushed and be all modest about it…Asuna thought as her face slowly went from a curious expression to a frowning one.

"Oi, Asuna, let's get inside before we freeze-aru yo." The orange-haired girl felt a hand on her back, seeing a tired but grinning Ku Fei with Nodoka beside her. "R-right."

"Is something the matter, Kagurazaka-san?" Nodoka tilted her head a little, her face wearing a concerned expression.

Asuna only smiled uneasily. "No…it's nothing!"

Nothing yet.

==hturT laitraP fo tnemoM==

"…and so all of the entities have been eliminated without any…serious damage to the school." Evangeline smirked at Asuna and Touma, crossing her arms as she did so. "Aside from the strange voices and sounds Saotome and Tatsumiya found in a middle school classroom, everything is in order."

The others followed Evangeline's gaze curiously, causing Asuna to immediately turn red as memories of earlier returned to her. "Wh-what's that supposed to mean, Eva-chan?!"

"Oh, I don't know…" The blonde vampire examined the nails on her right hand, her voice in a very suggestive tone. "Maybe, something pertaining to a forbidden relationship between a student and a teacher that is not along the lines of hatred?"

"No way! I hate this guy!" Asuna said suddenly, earning a strange look from Touma. Wait…I just said I hated Setsuna-san… "Well…I did, but…he's OK once you get to know him better."

Haruna snickered. "Know Touma-kun better in terms of what?"

"Now, now, I assure everyone that all that happened was demon and restoration magic." The raven-haired teacher immediately butted in, his face free of any blush much to Asuna's surprise. "You did sense such things, didn't you, McDowell-san?"

Evangeline frowned. "Meh, you English men are no fun at all…"

"I'm pretty sure I'm Japanese, McDowell-san, so I'm pretty sure you won't get bored with me." Touma smiled, unable to realize that what he said had another, more perverted meaning, which caused blushes among the other girls, including the blonde vampire herself (though hers wasn't too obvious).

Asuna was taken aback. Eva-chan got beaten at teasing?! By Setsuna-san?! Impossible! And Setsuna-san isn't even blushing!! Just what kind of training did they put her through?!

Evangeline laughed as she regained her composure. "Touché, boy. I'll let this pass for today. But rest assured that you won't win against me next time. Patrol session dismissed!"

The rest of the girls only nodded as they made their way out of the building, with a few stretching their arms as the others yawned. Asuna and Touma followed suit, with Touma, being used to this, doing neither and Asuna doing both.

"Boy."

"Hm?" Touma turned around, causing Asuna to do the same.

"I don't like the sound of McDowell-san. Evangeline will suffice. I'd prefer Master but you need to look like you're my superior." The fifteen-year-old-looking blonde smirked as she flipped her hair. "As for you. Baka Red, stay here. I have something to discuss with you."

"Understood Evangeline-san. I'll leave you two alone then." Touma only smiled and nodded, turning around as he headed for the exit.

Once the two were left alone in the room, Evangeline closed her eyes. Good. She's a few steps away from here. The blonde opened them, green orbs resting on Asuna.

Asuna raised an eyebrow. "What is it, Eva-chan?"

"What you just witnessed was the power of the Demon pheromone." The blonde explained. "Sakurazaki has just started undergoing Demon puberty, that's the reason for the drastic change in height as well as her skill for demon magic."

Asuna's jaw dropped. "You knew it was Setsuna-san?"

Evangeline scoffed. "You honestly thought I didn't know? Don't compare my current magic to those of the other brats. It's still centuries before you can consider them half as powerful as I was when I looked like this."

The blonde didn't wait for an answer as she continued her semi-lecture. "Unfortunately, Demon puberty has a few side effects. It messes up the demon's emotions, sometimes to the point where the adolescent is extremely dense, hence the reason as to why she wasn't blushing like mad as she would usually do." She frowned. "Consider us lucky, since she's only a half-demon, we don't have to put any restraints, cages or magical barriers around her or the room she is staying in like they would normally do when teenage demons undergo puberty."

"That explains a lot, I guess." Asuna nodded, her look suddenly turning curious. "But why are you telling me all this?"

Evangeline suddenly turned serious. "You are to guard her."

"I…what?"

"Don't ask me. I was supposed to tell this to whoever finds out about Sakurazaki." The blonde crossed her arms. "Demons are very unstable at this age, half-demons even more so because of the clashing bloodlines. Both are very prone to emotional breakdowns and fits of rage, so you'll have to keep Sakurazaki in check just in case she gets either. Knowing her, she'd usually be capable to restrain herself, but from what the old man's told me, the girl is already an emotional wreck, and is only a few steps away from her breaking point."

"What happened?" The orange-haired girl asked curiously, worried about her friend. Was the test really that hard? …At least she passed it.

"That is for you to find out for yourself." Evangeline said as she started walking towards the exit. "This is a very controversial matter, Asuna. Once you hear it straight from the crow's mouth, do only one thing: Let her decide for herself. You can try to convince her, but don't force her if you don't want to be killed by the hand of your friend."

The blonde vampire left Asuna alone in the building, as well as in a big pot of disorganized information.

This is like solving a jigsaw puzzle with 100,000 pieces…

==hturT laitraP fo tnemoM==

A few minutes later, after Asuna had taken it all in, she decided to leave the building. So, Setsuna-san is undergoing puberty again? But wouldn't that clash with the normal, human puberty? After all, she's still only fiftee--

"Finished with your talk, Asuna-san?" Asuna jumped as she heard Setsuna's fake, deep voice behind her ear, immediately seeing Setsuna in 'boy-teacher form', so to speak.

"G-geez, Setsuna-san. Don't scare me like that." The orange-haired girl grinned as she hit her friend on the back really hard, amused that she could still knock the wind out of anyone by doing that. The two of them then started walking the moonlit path to the dorms. Asuna noticed that the air had somehow gotten awkward between them, and thought of a way on how to start a conversation with her old friend. "So…um…Eva-chan knows about your identity?"

"Yes." Setsuna nodded, the gentle wind only able to play with the bangs on the right side of her head. She took out the small blade from her vest pocket as she fished out her wallet from her pants pocket. She then handed the picture of Anya and Negi to the other girl as she spun her blade with her right hand. "They took that picture when we were out for a walk. I was in the hospital a few months ago, and the nurses allowed me to get a breath of fresh air, and Negi-san and Anya-san decided to show me a few…secluded spots in the Magic World."

"Oh…so you three didn't get ambushed by the paparazzi or some random fanclub? At all?" Asuna turned to Setsuna, a worried look on her face. "Honya-chan and Paru got ambushed when they were picking up Yue last week. It was a good thing Yue and her friends are practically part of the authorities or who knows what could have happened."

Setsuna chuckled. "Yes. I figured that out when they were at the gateport in disguises."

"…Eh?" Wait…If Setsuna-san is Touma…then she was the one Negi and Anya-chan escorted…then…Asuna then started to equate all the facts she currently knew about 'Touma' to 'Setsuna'.

Her mind came up with practically a hundred questions as she barraged her old friend with questions. "How did Takahata-sensei know you when you were little?! You were the one who saved Honya-chan and gave her that handkerchief?! And you asked her to a date?! What about Anya-chan?! And Kono--" Asuna gasped at the new question, immediately gripping the taller teen by the arms. "Konoka!! Does she know you're here?! Have you met with her?!"

"Erm…First of all Takahata-sensei was part of the Ala Rubra, and was with Nagi-san when he and Eishun-sama found me. And, yes, I was the one who helped Nodoka-san at the gateport. I didn't have any expectations of seeing her again though, since my sister just said that she was sending me to the Old World." Setsuna adjusted her tie as she looked at Asuna with a confused expression. "And um…what date? What does Anya-san have to do with this and um…No. I haven't met with Ojou…Kono-chan. So far the only ones that know of my return are you, the Dean, Takahata-sensei, Evangeline-san, Negi-san and Anya-san."

Ah…When Eva-chan says dense she wasn't kidding. Asuna frowned a little, knowing that Konoka will not be happy with this if she ever found out. "Oh. So, what brings you here?"

Setsuna scratched her cheek. "My sister sent me to the Old World to unwind…so to speak. So she had Negi-san and Anya-san escort me, but I had no idea that I'd actually be staying here in Mahora…"

"I see…" Asuna tapped her chin as she then had another thought, causing her to grin. "Of course! The signs were there all along!"

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, you're the only decent person I know who addresses me as Asuna-san, doesn't have a phone, knows about Magic and isn't into porn!! Why didn't I think of that before?!" The orange-haired girl grinned. She then had another thought. "By the way Setsuna-san, where are you staying? Asakura will probably be doing more research on that, she might hound you out."

Setsuna smiled as she pointed towards the dense expanse of trees. "By the mountain…"

"What?" Asuna blinked.

"Well, not by the mountain…I'll probably be living on it." Setsuna explained. "A male, not to mention teenage, teacher living in a girl's dorm would be improper, I don't want to bother Takahata-sensei, and neither do I want to bother the Dean about where I should stay."

"Geez, Setsuna-san, you haven't changed at all." Asuna sighed. Well, at least we've got something that hasn't changed in her attitude. "How about you stay at our place? That way you won't be camping with the strange animals there."

"Oh, no." The raven-haired demon shook her head. "As I said, living in the girl's dorm is improper--"

Asuna ignored her friend and grabbed her necktie, dragging her towards another direction before Setsuna could make a break for the mountain. "Let's ask him then."

Hey, if I have to keep control of Setsuna-san, I'd at least have to be close to her at every possible time.

==hturT laitraP fo tnemoM==

Konoemon Konoe always sleeps late. Being the Dean of Mahora Academy, he always has meetings during the day, and an enormous pile of paperwork to get back to during the night. Not to mention the patrol reports that Evangeline keeps sending him, he doesn't know if the blonde vampire made them for the sake of keeping tabs on the security's defenses or just to annoy the heck out of him. Probably both, to his dismay.

Right now, Konoka's grandfather was looking at a contract that he had received a month ago, its contents still fresh from his memory. It was a rather troublesome contract, one which both parties weren't sure that would succeed. The said agreement was actually more of a favor from an old friend (of both his and his family), and Konoemon was actually hoping that there would be…benefits for his side too. But alas, only time could tell about the results of this affair, and the people involved in it as well.

He sensed two presences approaching the door, already knowing who the two of them were. He chuckled to himself, amused that his skills were still that sharp even after all these years. "Come in." He pretended to be surprised as he raised his eyebrows and stroked his beard. "Ah. Asuna-kun, Setsuna-kun. Good Evening."

"G-good Evening, Headmaster." Setsuna bowed, in the same manner from when she was still a student in the Academy. Asuna was next to greet the old man, but was less formal about it.

"Now, now, Setsuna-kun, no need for such formalities." Konoemon chuckled, Setsuna had always been a good source for amusement for the old man, reminding him of himself and Eishun when they were younger. "You are a teacher now, and you're still considered to be like family even if you have already found yours."

"B-but sir…" The teenager tried to protest, but Konoemon only waved it off, much like what he had done to Eishun and what his older superiors had done to him. "Enough of that, I take it that you two have something to tell me?"

"Erm--" The raven-haired demon was then cut off by Asuna, who seized control of their side of the conversation. "Actually, I was wondering if Setsuna-san could stay at our dorm room?"

Konoemon stroked his beard, considering the many advantages and disadvantages that it would have to offer. On one side, Asuna, whom Konoemon assumed was the one that found out about Setsuna's identity, would be very close by whenever Setsuna would how signs of instability. On another would be putting her through more emotional risk by having the other, boisterous girls around her, though there would also be the chance that Setsuna would feel more comfortable with them around her, having lived with the other girls for almost three years in the same dorm.

He considered a few more possibilities, but there was one that got him to decide. Chuckling to himself, Konoemon nodded as he smiled. "That would be very generous of you, Asuna-kun. Please take good care of Setsuna-kun and make sure that there will be no…strange…events that will concern a forbidden relationship involving the 'male' teacher and you or my granddaughter."

Setsuna only sighed in defeat as Asuna grinned widely. "Yes!! Thank you!"

"Off you two go then. You still have to pick up your things from Shizuna, Setsuna-kun." Konemon then stopped stroking his beard. "Ah. That reminds me. Setsuna-kun?"

"Sir?" The raven-haired demon turned to face the old man, hoping against hope that he would somehow change his mind.

"How would you like…your old job back?" He began. "There are still quite a lot of enemies after Konoka recently, and I have yet to find someone who could do it alone as effectively as you could."

"I…" Setsuna's eyes were wide, the girl apparently unable to decide.

Asuna was about to say yes for her, but Evangeline's words echoed in her head. Let her decide for herself. You can try to convince her, but don't force her if you don't want to be killed by the hand of your friend.

And we can all remember how the Setsuna Asuna remembers can be practically disabled at the mere mention of Konoka's name.

The orange-haired girl closed her eyes. It's her life. She and Konoka would be roommates regardless, so they'd still be close to each other. I'll just have to try and scheme on how to get them closer. But that would be hard because Konoka doesn't actually know that Touma is actually--

"I accept." Asuna gaped as she looked at Setsuna with disbelief. Setsuna, oblivious to how Asuna was looking at her, looked straight at the Dean with a look of pure determination and certainty. "If it is for Konoka-ojousama's safety, I'll gladly put my life on the line. But on one condition: I will have to protect her from the shadows. Will that be acceptable sir?"

"More that acceptable, Setsuna-kun. Thank you." Konoemon said as he straightened out a few papers. "Now, you two get going. It's already this late and I don't want students and faculty loitering around the grounds at this hour."

He watched the two say their unique goodbyes and Konoemon was smiling as the girls were almost out of sight.

I'm counting on you, Asuna-kun.

==hturT laitraP fo tnemoM==

"Now are you sure you could handle that all by yourself?" The orange-haired girl said skeptically, trying to look at the face that was covered by the one rather large bag that they had gotten from Shizuna a while ago. They had just stopped by to pick up the rest of Setsua's luggage, and, after a strange incident involving the older woman and Setsuna-san's damn demon pheromone, they found themselves walking side by side to the dorms with Setsuna carrying all her luggage.

"It's just weapons Asuna-san." Asuna heard Setsuna chuckle in her fake voice as she saw the bag moving a little.

J-just what kinds of weapons are in there?!

"Don't worry, that was just a bug. I'll probably set it free later if it's not dead."

"B-bug?!" The orange-haired girl said incredulously. "A moving weapon I can understand, but a big, moving bug that big?!"

"I can probably change it to normal size if you want." Setsuna moved so that her head was now visible. "You see, one of my sisters is rather fond of growing and shrinking things. You could say that this was a way for her to get me to practice that kind of demon magic."

"I…I see." Asuna said, then noticing amusement in Setsuna's tone. Hmm…maybe it'll loosen her up a bit? I don't want to have Konoka walk in with Setsuna-san rampaging in our dorm room. "What are they like? Your sisters, I mean. The only one I got to see was that little girl that looked just like you."

"Ah. That was Akie." Setsuna replied, looking up the sky as Asuna noticed a smile in the other girl's expression. "She loves flying. At one time she flew around the forest so fast she came home complaining about the insects on her face."

Asuna laughed, imagining a little Setsuna doing just that. "Well, isn't she cute…Must be nice to have a little sister, huh, Setsuna-oneesan?" She joked, grinning as the World Tree now in view. She signaled to the other girl and earned a nod, causing both of them to head towards the tree and for the orange-haired girl to sit down.

"Little sisters." The raven-haired teen corrected as she put down the bag and sat down beside Asuna. She then chuckled. "But yes, you could say that…"

"Oh?" Asuna blinked. "Just how many siblings do you have?"

"I have two little sisters and twelve older ones." Asuna gaped as she saw a slight blush on Setsuna's boyish face. "That'd make us fifteen all in all…"

"F-Fifteen?!" J-just how many--What kind of person would--What the heck?!

"I-It's a demon tradition…" Setsuna held up her hands. "Just in case there will be…um…problems…"

"So that'd mean…you…" Asuna blushed as a mental image of Setsuna in male form and someone who looked a lot like Konoka naked (and not to mention making out--ARGH!! Konoka's hormones are staring to affect mine!!) popped in her head. She immediately shook out the image as she then saw the other girl tense up. Ah! Not good! Change of topic! Change of topic!!! She laughed shakily as she shook her head. "So umm…Thirteenth huh?"

"Ah…yes." Setsuna nodded. "But in our culture it's said that a thirteenth child would bring luck in any village…My eldest sister used that fact against the elders so that I could come back to the tribe."

And…clear. Asuna sighed mentally. Now we're back to the sisters topic… "So um…anyone of them remind you of anyone of us?"

Setsuna tapped her chin. "Well…Hikari-oneesama does remind me of Yukihiro-san."

"Hikari huh?" Asuna looked up at the sky, only to look back at Setsuna a second later. "Don't tell me she's a shotacon too!"

"Oh…no." The other girl chuckled, but then wore a puzzled expression. "But she has been paying too much attention to Akie lately…"

Oh wow. An older sister with a 'little sister complex'. You sure have a unique family Setsuna-san.

"How is Yukihiro-san, Asuna-san?" The orange-haired girl heard from Setsuna. Asuna only waved it off, smiling wryly as she did. "Oh, same old, same old. She's still chasing the little kids."

"And you two are obviously still on the best of terms." Setsuna chuckled as Asuna glared at her.

"We are not!" Asuna said angrily, but she didn't receive a reply since the other girl stood up suddenly. "Setsuna-san?"

Without replying, Setsuna headed for the other side of the tree. Asuna followed suit, and saw that it was Satomi, testing out some sort of robot. Her classmate looked awfully excited, and was about to press a button that Asuna assumed was going to start the experiment, had not the new teacher arrived and stopped her.

"Hakase-san! Wait!"

Satomi looked up, seeing the two teens. "Touma-sensei, Kagurazaka-san! What brings you two here?"

"Don't ask me." Asuna rubbed the back of her head, seeing Touma walk over to the robot and started fiddling with its rear. "Erm…Touma? What are you doing?"

"You forgot to close this tank, Hakase-san." The raven-haired teacher smiled as he showed his pupil before screwing it on tightly himself.

"Ah! I forgot about that extra fuel tank!" The teenage scientist sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "If you hadn't noticed it, this experiment could have gone way worse than I was expecting it to be. Thank you sensei!"

"It was no problem. I hope the results will be better than you expect Hakase-san." Touma smiled as he signaled Asuna that they should leave before it starts. The orange-haired girl nodded before running around to the other side and getting the bags.

==hturT laitraP fo tnemoM==

"Let me guess, you have a sister who always forgets to do that before starting an experiment?" Asuna asked, her face hidden by the big bag this time. They were now on the path to the dorms, and the sound of Satomi's experiment was starting to fade away.

"Not exactly." Setsuna scratched her cheek. "She um…likes tinkering with Old World gadgets. So we get all sorts of explosions whenever she gets in the mood." She then attempted to take the bag. "Now if I can have that bag…"

"No way!" Asuna turned her head, showing Setsuna her tongue. "I'm carrying this for you!"

Setsuna chuckled. "Now that's who you remind me of!"

"Excuse me?"

"Mitsu. She's three years older than Akie." Setsuna then tapped her chin. "Though I have to admit, she's only as tall as Anya-san was last year."

Asuna snickered. "Well, let's hope she doesn't wind up like her older sister who didn't even reach five feet when she was 14."

"Well, I'd rather have her have that height and shoot up when she reaches puberty, unlike some highness I know that still hasn't grown." Setsuna shot back. "And for your information I am well past five feet now."

Asuna frowned. "Mou!! When did you start getting better at comebacks?! I miss the old Setsuna-san! At least all I could do to win back then was mention Konoka's name!"

Setsuna only laughed as Asuna fumed, angrily hefting the backpack as they entered the dorms.

==hturT laitraP fo tnemoM==

"And now we're back home." Asuna said as she walked inside as Setsuna held the door for her. She put down the bag in the living room and stretched her tired arms. "Man, that was one of the longest school days I've ever got through…"

"Now, now Asuna-san. We still have class tomorrow." Setsuna smiled. "And I don't want any of you girls to fall asleep during my class."

"Yes…sir." Asuna teased as she headed to the kitchen wearing a smirk.

The smirk was lost when she found nothing on the table. "Crap, I forgot Konoka won't be coming back until Friday!"

"Setsuna-san!" Asuna called, making Setsuna look up from the unpacked pile she was sorting. "Hm?"

"Erm…there's no food." The orange-haired girl paused. "Can you cook? Unless you want me t--"

"That won't be necessary, Asuna-san." Setsuna immediately grabbed the bag and looked in it. She then grabbed something that looked like a Tic Tac container. "One of these will serve for tonight."

The other girl gaped. "Are you serious?"

"Of course I am." The raven-haired girl raised an eyebrow. She then thought of how she looked right now. "Ah. No, this isn't candy Asuna-san. My sister prepared some meals, put them in capsules and they shrunk it so they could fit in these containers."

"Oh…" Asuna nodded. She then raised an eyebrow. "Wait. You're not gonna make me try something strange…are you?"

Setsuna only smiled. "I'm afraid that's the only adjective that can describe Demon Food. Now, which color do you want?"

==hturT laitraP fo tnemoM==

"This seriously emits death." Asuna said as she stared at her plate, which had what looked like an upside down ant the size of a chicken. Correction. A freaking rainbow ant the size of a chicken. And Setsuna-san says this is a VEGETABLE. "What on earth do you call this…thing?"

Setsuna stopped eating and looked up from her plate. At least she seems to be enjoying her ant. "A pea."

Asuna gaped. "P-pea? You call this freaking huge thing a pea?! Just how big are your ant--I mean vegetables?"

"Well that depends on the vegetable." Setsuna paused before tearing off the 'pea's' yellow leg and put it in her mouth much to Asuna's dismay. "You should start eating yours too. Its parts taste differently after cooking but they'll taste awful if you don't touch it for a number of minutes."

"What does the leg taste like?" Asuna asked suspiciously, eyeing the one on her plate as she touched it experimentally with a fork.

Setsuna tapped her chin. "Milk."

"You're kidding me." She said. With a frown, Asuna cut the leg off, and bit down on the tip. Her eyes went wide. "Oh. Wow. What do the other parts taste like?"

Once again, Setsuna stopped herself from taking a bite out of the now cut body. She smiled. "Why don't you find out for yourself?"

Asuna did just that, finding the red head tasting like orange juice, some blue parts tasting like beef, and the green parts tasting like fries. "This is absurd."

"But you like it." Setsuna teased, already finished with her food.

Asuna frowned, but mumbled a soft "Yeah…" after the other girl stared at her for a few more seconds.

"Well…you better prepare your tongue for breakfast tomorrow Asuna-san." Setsuna smiled. "The pea so far has the nearest taste with the food from here."

Asuna sighed, preparing herself for trouble next morning as she finished her strange meal. Well, at least this will help me get taller. Setsuna-san says she's been eating peas since she got there.

==hturT laitraP fo tnemoM==

It was in the middle of the night when Asuna woke up, sitting up as she heard whimpers. She got down the ladder groggily, thinking that it was Konoka (I'm praying to whatever god out there that she isn't doing it) in her sleep again or a cat that got lost in the dorms. Remembering that her roommate wasn't there, she began her search, finding no strange light or anything pertaining to magic. She then inspected the other parts of their room, but it seemed that whatever was there had left when she was inspecting Negi's old study. She was about to climb down the ladder when they started up again.

"Hi…No…I didn't!!"

The orange-girl raised an eyebrow, climbing up and heading for the futon Setsuna was sleeping in. She curiously examined her friend, who was thrashing about, her troubled expression visible even in the dark. What's this?

"…it…fault…didn't know…"

She reverted completely to her female form as she started crying. Asuna's eyes widened as she watched the girl that seemed fine a few hours ago now weep, obviously having some sort of nightmare. Deciding to do something about it, the orange-haired girl began shaking the half-demon on the futon. "Setsuna-san…wake up!"

"No…I…mean…Hi…Hi-hi…"

"Setsuna-san!" Asuna frowned as she applied more force. This is harder than distracting Yue when she's casting a spell!

"I DIDN'T DO IT!!!" Setsuna yelled as she sat up. Her crimson eyes were now wide. Her breathing was uneven. Asuna saw relief on her face for a moment but then disappointment on the next. The white-haired girl then noticed that Asuna was right next to her. "Oh…Asuna-san…Why are you up at this time?"

You woke me up, dummy. The orange-haired girl resisted the urge to say what she was thinking, putting on a worried expression as she looked at the other girl."Don't mind that. Are you OK?"

"Oh…this?" Setsuna pointed to her face, causing Asuna to nod. She smiled. "It's nothing. Just a nightmare…nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. A demon's nightmares are usually so scary one might even think twice before trying to remember it." The white-haired girl smiled as she wiped her face. "Let's get back to sleep Asuna-san. You've got a class to attend while I have a class to teach tomorrow."

Asuna frowned, but did as she was told after saying good night. She climbed down the ladder and headed to her own bed, climbing up once again before lying down.

Five minutes later, the said 'nightmare' had begun once more, leaving Asuna to sit up and frown at the dark area where Setsuna was sleeping. I don't think you can have nightmares that continue themselves…

You can't have a repeat of the nightmare on the same night either. She thought as she heard the other girl mumble the exact same words she said earlier.

It's one damn mystery after another…Asuna scratched her head before lying down, her last thought being: What happened to you there? Setsuna-san…

Note: Congratulations to everyone who figured this out before this chapter. And for future chapters, Touma is now equal to Setsuna, so please don't get confused when I mention both of them in the same paragraph/scene.

Character Profiles: Batch 3

Setsuna Sakurazaki- age 15;

-Former Middle School Student at Mahora Academy

-Current Heir to the Sakurazaki Uzoku Tribe in the Demon World

-Ever since her stay in the Demon World, she now has an extremely weird sense of taste

-Is now extremely dense, as well as being emotionally unstable

-Her change in attitude can be blamed on her experiences in the Demon World, as well as puberty

-Studied up a bit on basic magic for a few days with Negi and Anya as her teachers in the Magic World

-Now taller than Asuna, the drastic change in height can be blamed on her human and demon puberty

-Having mastered swordsmanship, she is now concentrating on improving her demon magic

-After a year of absence she now returns to Mahora Academy as a teacher of high school class 1-A under the disguise of Touma Sakurai, reasons are still unknown as to why she was sent here.