Juugo: 4 – Bath time
Disclaimer: I do not own Negima or any of the characters they are the property of their respective creators. Please be aware that no profit is being made from this work of fan fiction.
Asuna and I returned to the dormitories after taking an extended walk around the streets of Tokyo to allow her to cool off. I still don't quite understand why exactly the potion didn't affect her, but in a way I'm rather glad that it didn't, had it been any other girl I ended up kissing the results would have been…problematic. Traditionally, kissing someone of the opposite sex while under the influence of such a spell would cause the spell to take permanent effect on him or her, in other words Asuna would have fallen in love with me there and then. That would have quite probably gotten me in some serious trouble; using magic for personal gain that way is strictly forbidden, finding a life partner is something we are supposed to do by normal means, not magical ones.
It does leave me wondering, what it is about her that made her immune, could it have been that same immunity that caused my memory erasing spell to go so horribly wrong? This is something I should probably look into more, but for now I don't think it would be a good idea...I don't see Asuna reacting too well to requests for samples of her blood. For now it might be best if I limit my investigations to the study of magical texts I will have to ask the headmaster if there are any available on campus, I had to leave the majority of my own back in England. My grandfather promised that my room would be kept as it was when I left, ready for me when I eventually returned after I complete my assignment. He also promised a larger room if I found a partner, he wants great grandchildren to spoil…
As I arrived at the dormitories, Asuna had gone ahead insisting that we were no seen together, I was greeted by the manageress, she bowed as I walked in, smiling at me warmly. I returned the bow, causing her to blush slightly. Despite advancements in many other ways Japan is still very much a male driven society, coming from England where the concept of chivalry has long been part of being considered a true English gentleman, it can make the concept of not always holding the door for women or allowing them to go first difficult to adapt to. For the most part my behaviour has been accepted, most likely because they know I am a foreigner and do not expect me to understand all their traditions. However, on some occasions it does earn me a smile, it seems that all women appreciate being treated like a princess once in a while.
I returned to the room quietly, trying not to draw too much attention to myself as I went. Apart from myself there are no other males here so it makes the situation rather awkward, the first time I had Ayaka with me to ward off the other girls, I had noticed as we walked quite a few of them had been eyeing me suspiciously while a few others were regarding me more like a piece of meat. For most boys my age this would be a dream come true, for me it is quickly becoming a nightmare. I only hope that nothing else happens, I am sure Asuna is just looking for an excuse to report me to the principal but everything so far has been accidents or unfortunate coincidences.
As I unlocked the door and stepped inside I was surprised to find Asuna sitting at the desk, studying. In truth she had not struck me as the type to study in her free time, the incident in class proving that she wasn't exactly top of the class, certain other comments the girls had made during the remainder of the lesson reinforcing that opinion. Perhaps that was why she was studying now, to help catch up in the subjects she was having troubles with…I would offer to help her, but somehow I don't think she would accept my invitation. Moving over to the couch, I sat down and pulled of my jacket, my thoughts elsewhere when I suddenly felt someone very close to me. Returning my attention to the here and now I found Asuna only inches from my face sniffing at me?
"When was the last time you had a bath?"
I was more than a little surprised by her question, it wasn't exactly something you just came out and asked someone.
"Well…I…not since I left England, a couple of days I guess."
"Right, then you better go and grab one in the bath hall, no-one should be using it at this time of day."
"But…isn't it the girls bathing hall? It would be rather…awkward if anyone else was to be in there…"
"Look, I told you no-one will be using it right now. I'll even stand guard to make sure no-one walks in on you, ok?"
Sighing in defeat, I nodded my head before gathering my things and allowing her to escort me down to the bathing hall. At my insistence she changed into a bathing suit and went in first to check that no-one was already there, once it as confirmed I stepped into the changing area before undressing and walking into the bathing hall. My thoughts, which up until now had been quite unfortunately focused on how good Asuna looked in her swimsuit, were now pulled to the matter of just how large the bathing hall was. Back in England we don't have anything approaching this…except perhaps for the ancient Roman baths in the aptly named town of Bath. The Japanese do have a very different concept of bathing to us; this is just another thing I am going to have to get used to.
Settling down to begin the process of washing I was a little surprised when I heard someone walking up behind me, immediately conscious of my modesty I pulled the towel tightly around my waist before standing to confront the person and apologise…only to find my self once more eye to eye with Asuna. I send her a questioning gaze, silently asking why she was here. She replied with a shrug before answering.
"I'll help you wash your back."
I was more than a little uncertain about this and proceeded to tell her as much.
"Geez, you've seen me naked already so what's the big deal?"
"Um, Asuna…I'm a boy."
"And?"
"Have you seen a boy naked before?"
"Well, no…"
At this point her eyes were now regarding me as if for the first time, tracing up and down my almost naked body, taking in every inch of my bare skin. Despite being of only medium build and not overly muscled, I am in relatively good shape, at least in part due to my magic, it helps keep my muscles in good form. It seems that Asuna is taking note of all this, the fact that her eyes are lingering on my 'lower regions' for more than just a glance, is definitely starting to unsettle me somewhat. I think that in a moment I am going to have to make an excuse and get very far away from her before something happens that we will almost certainly both regret…thankfully, she finally snapped back to reality in that moment, turning away from me and blushing slightly, obviously realising she had been caught staring.
"Look, it's not such a big deal. Just keep the towel around your waist and it'll be fine, ok?"
Despite the fact I was far from comfortable with this I acquiesced, this would perhaps give me a chance to talk to her in a more relaxed atmosphere, one where I could get a few of my questions answered…
"So, why is that you have to get up so early to deliver papers? I wouldn't have expected a girl your age to need a job."
"It's to pay my school fees…I'm an orphan."
The way she said it, I knew I had hit a nerve. Part of me told me to stop now yet despite the alarm bells going of in my head I pressed forward.
"So…your parents…are dead?"
"Yeah, Konoka's grandpa, the school dean keeps an eye on me but I don't want to be a charity case so I cover as much of my tuition as I can even though he tells me it's not necessary."
In that moment I realised just how strong a person she was, that even under so much pressure, she was still able to smile. I couldn't help but allow a smile to spread across my face and it wasn't long before Asuna noticed.
"Hey! What are you smiling about? It better not be anything perverted!"
I quickly waved my hands in my own defence.
"No, no, of course not. I was just thinking, you are a very strong person…I don't know a lot of people who could deal with the things you have and still be able to smile."
Even if I couldn't see it, I could tell she was blushing at my words, even if they were the truth. She announced that she was finished and pulled away; it was then I was struck by a strange sense of loss, I had been enjoying the fell of her warm hands against my back. I started to stand, missing my footing as my foot landed on a bar of soap sending me stumbling back, knocking her over so that we ended up lying on the floor, my body suspended above her…
Whatever strange spell that overcame us for that moment was broken when we heard voices approaching. Asuna began to panic, no doubt terrified of the prospect of being caught here with me like this, something that would only serve to fuel the fires of the rumour machine and the suggestions that we were having an illicit relationship. She hurriedly pushed me into the water before pressing herself up against me to conceal me from whomever it was that entered. Unfortunately, this meant that her parts of her anatomy were pressed firmly against my own, something that would, given time, produce and adverse reaction. Well, adverse in the sense that as soon as she realised what was happening she would most likely punch me into orbit…
It seems that misfortune has been especially kind to me these past few hours simply because it had something terrible planned for me now. Rather than just any girls coming to use the bathing hall it just happened to be the girls from my class, as they approached I could pick out individual voices. This would now be doubly embarrassing, it would have been bad enough it had simply been girls from another class, for it to be girls from my own class…the results would be catastrophic. There is only one way out of this; I have to get out of here and fast! But first I have to get away from Asuna…
This in itself would be difficult, had it not been for Ayaka's comment on entering the bath hall.
"It's ridiculous, that Negi-sensei should be rooming with a nut like Asuna. He should be with someone more stable…"
Asuna of course completely forgot that I was there, immediately springing from the water and tackling Ayaka, the two descending into one of their, according to Konoka, usual fights. This of course provided a sufficient distraction for me to make my escape, or would have had some of the girls not been obstructing the entrance. There was no way for me to move past them without being caught, something I could not afford to happen. Not knowing what else to do I moved further into the baths, away from the girls, navigating as best I could with one hand almost entirely covering my eyes. Whether it leads to me making a mistake and getting caught or not, I won't add insult to injury by spying on them when they're naked, at least if they do find me I will not be guilty of peeping.
Unfortunately, despite being out of viewing range, much to my relief, I was not out of earshot. Snippets of conversation drifted up to me, indicating that Ayaka and Asuna had finally stopped fighting and the girls had settled down to bathe. Unfortunately, their topic of conversation turned naturally to boys, something my sister informed me was often the case when groups of girls got together. I could relate to that in a way, whenever I and the other male magi had gotten together between classes the topic of conversation had often turned to what girls we liked or which ones liked us. In particular the other boys used to tease me about Anya, she and I had been friends since we were little, the other boys seemed to think she had a crush on me but I always waved them away, she was more like a second sister to me than anything else.
While I had been lost in my thoughts the girls had been chatting away and now it seemed that, much to my embarrassment, the subject had turned to me.
"So, who wants to know what Negi-sensei looks like at night, sans clothing?"
This statement, rather worryingly, raised a number of affirmations from the other girls. I silently cursed whomever it was who had made the comment, stirring the other girls into a frenzy. It would only make the situation worse if they eventually did find me, especially since all I was currently wearing was a rather small towel.
"So, Konoka, spill."
"Well…I haven't seen anything really."
"What?"
"He changes in the bathroom and when he returns he's wearing pyjamas, those don't exactly give you a good view of his body."
This was met with sighs of disappointment from most of the girls…right up until the pint that someone made a rather worrying suggestion.
"Hey, what about when he takes a bath? Surely he can't be wondering around fully clothed then?"
I heard someone choke at that comment, and assumed it was Asuna.
"Speaking of which, where exactly will he be bathing seeing as this is an all girls dorm? Surely they don't expect him to use the public baths…"
The comment that followed that one made me very, very worried.
"Hey! Asuna! What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost or something."
"I…um…"
"Hmmm…I wonder…"
Once again I did not recognise the speaker, although it did seem to be the same person that started this topic in the fist place.
"What is it Asakura?"
"I think that the reason Konoka was acting surprised and that Asuna has been on edge is because Asuna sneaked Negi into the baths earlier and was hoping that we wouldn't find out."
"I…I…"
"Well Asuna?"
I could tell she was close to telling them everything; I have to get out of here before that happens! Not knowing what else to do I tried to circle round them before making a break for the door…I almost made it when a shout rang out.
"Look! It's Negi-sensei! He is here after all!"
This of course started a chain reaction as all the girls called out, one of them shouting.
"After him!"
And so it was that I ended up spending the next half an hour running, half naked around the bathing hall being chased by my entire class sans one student, Asuna had wisely chosen to keep out of it. Being forced to run from thirty or screaming girls is bad enough without the majority of them being either almost or completely naked. I dare not look back for fear of the embarrassment it will cause to both myself and the girls, not to mention the fact that if I take my eyes away from where I'm going for a moment I might trip over something and fall. Magic or no I'm starting to tire, I need to make a break for the entrance and the safety of the changing rooms, at least then I can retrieve my clothes before they mob me.
I stopped for a moment, letting the front-runners close the distance between us just enough to make them think I was too tired to run any further. Just as I felt fingertips at my back I broke into a full out sprint, making a beeline for the doors. For a moment it seemed that they had fallen for my plan, as I couldn't feel anyone pursuing, unfortunately they recovered quickly and resumed the hunt. Luckily for me I was able to make it out the doors before they could catch up to me, by the time they burst into the changing area I already had on my trousers and was just staring to pull on my shirt. I was tackled to the ground by a mob of excited and angry girls, deathly afraid that they would be too excited to keep themselves under control, and might try to disrobe me forcefully. This was fortunately not the case as they simply sighed in defeat, but not before most of them spent a moment fondling my bare chest and taking a moment to appreciate my rather modest pectoral and abdominal muscles.
I of course kept my eyes shut through this entire ordeal, trying to remain a gentleman and not embarrass my students by seeing them all naked even if they did not have the same issues with regards to seeing me that way. I am almost certain that I am going to spend tomorrow's classes blushing constantly, none the less I am going to have to maintain control if I ever hope to be a teacher for real, let alone finishing my assignment. I only hope that the girls don't try and make it too difficult for me…
I returned to Asuna and Konoka's room once the girls had dispersed, no doubt going back to finish their bath. I settled myself amongst the covers as I had the night before, feigning sleep so that I could avoid any awkward conversations when they returned.
"Asuna, I didn't notice you chasing Negi, why was that?"
"Humph, why in hell would I want to go chasing round after that idiot."
"Because he's handsome? Are you honestly telling me you didn't want to see him like that, in nothing but a towel?"
"Geez Konoka! It's no big deal! Besides I already saw him before…"
She stopped immediately, obviously having realised what she just said.
"Before what Asuna?"
"Nothing Konoka, go to bed."
"No, not until you tell me what happened!"
"Nothing, ok? Nothing happened!"
"Asuna…I've know you a long time now and I know when you're lying. Is it really so secret that you can't even tell your best friend?"
"Well, no, I guess…"
"Good. So go on."
"I…I kind of offered to wash his back…don't look at me like that Konoka! It's wasn't anything perverted! We talked a bit, I told him about my parents and my situation, he complimented me and then when he stood up he slipped on some soap and ended up almost landing on top of me."
"And?"
"And nothing, you guys arrived and that was the end of it."
"So, what was it like, washing his back I mean?"
When Asuna spoke next I didn't have to see her face to know she was blushing.
"It was…nice, ok?"
"So, does this mean you're starting to warm up to our new professor? When can I start the wedding plans?"
"Konoka…it's not like that…I still like Takahata-sensei."
Konoka's next words were spoken with surprisingly serious tone.
"Ok, if that's what you believe…goodnight Asuna."
"Goodnight Konoka."
And so the two girls drifted off to sleep, leaving me alone with my thoughts once again.
AN: Ok, a lot of questions were raised because of the last chapter. As I don't want pages of author's notes I'm going to keep it simple.
1. Pairing is undecided.
2. Yes, I plan to go the distance although it may take a while and I will need to buy the remaining volumes.
3. There will be scenes for the other girls, I just haven't got to a good place for them, the manga was still mostly Asuna centric at this point
4. Thank you to the reviewer who mentioned about love potions, hopefully I resolved that at the start of this chapter
Ok, that should take care of everything. Anything else please address them this time and if need be I will e-mail you a direct answer.
Thanks,
Hououza
Chapter preread by That Other Guy