Disclaimer: Legal words, blah blah blah, only own my own original characters.
Author's Notes: Sorry for the wait anyone who was eagerly awaiting this. What you are reading now is the proofed version of this. What was here before was the unproofed version. So feel free to read, enjoy, and review. I hope you like the chapter.
Negima: Femella Intra Machina
By Dark Dragon Dave
Chapter 11: Preparations
The Mech Fight in Mahora
By Kazumi Asakura
Yesterday saw quite the spectacle near Mahora as two giant mechs did battle on the outskirts of town. One, belonging to Mahora student Reina Whitehall, daughter to William Whitehall, the owner of Kaminari Grand Industrial, creators of the mech she piloted, and another owned by InfinIT Foundation and operated by one of their artificial intelligences.
While questions about how the fight arose, due to InfinIT refusing questions posed by phone and email, Kaminari and Reina Whitehall were more than willing to speak about their involvement in the affair.
In a phone call to Whitehall-san, he answered a number of questions.
"I was contacted about 30 minutes before the attack, actually," he said. "When that happened I did my best to find out who cleared such a thing and get it stopped. Unfortunately, the process to get through the system surrounding these kinds of matches is a difficult process and even someone like me has a hard time getting information." He went on to say, "It's an asinine system made to prevent liability of those who allow such things to come to pass."
When asked about who he meant, he explained, "There's a part of the government that regulates the interactions of mech companies. This includes what happened yesterday. Usually these things take place in deserted areas far from towns and cities. All I know is that someone's getting an email."
Reina Whitehall, pilot of the white mech known as the Ivory Knight, had this to say. "I tried really hard to keep anyone from getting hurt and anything from getting damaged. I'm sorry for all the panic I caused."
It should be noted how Reina actually pilots her mech. As revealed in a high level industry meeting several months ago, her mind resides within the machine, allowing her an unprecedented level of control. She's quite literally a "femella intra machina." (A play on "deus ex machina" though some would argue that it should be intus and not intra, but she is just short of becoming the machine while still being human.)
The dean of Mahora's schools, Konoe Konoemon, said this, "I commend Reina-san for keeping everyone from getting hurt. Yes there was some property damage but these things can be replaced and repaired, lives cannot. I think she showed an excellent amount of school pride in trying to keep everyone and everything safe.
"It is my hope that the InfinIT Foundation will be forthright in apologizing for the panic they caused Mahora and the trouble they made for the people involved in the fight directly or indirectly."
As of the time this article went to press, no one at InfinIT returned our calls.
The afternoon sun shines through the windows of the university building, but that doesn't matter deep within the bowels of Chao and Satomi's scientific citadel. The two aren't alone as Hisao and Corentin are in their lab as well. The four talk while the science girls work on a computer bank.
"Why did you want us here?" asks Hisao. "I thought you wanted us to go around and get familiar with this place."
"Did you see the news?"
"I tend to ignore the news. It's mostly tripe anyway."
"Well, Reina-san has become quite famous around here. Ever since Kazumi-san's front page article about the fight in the student newspaper," Chao says and hands him a copy.
He glances at it and sets it aside. "I'm not here to become a local celebrity. You hired us, and now we're just spinning our wheels."
"Trust me; it is best if you are naturalized. Besides, right now, I want you to be familiar with my friend here."
"Satomi Hakase. I saw you when I looked up the kid teacher. This group of girls, all of them from your class, were swooning over him the other day," Hisao's tone is as cold as ever. "Bunch of fools. So other than the obvious, why bother with getting along with her? Corentin and I are nothing more than foot soldiers, correct?"
"Aww, come on now. You're a 15 year old boy and you aren't interested in girls?"
"No, I'm not interested in wasting my time." Hisao crosses his arms.
"Spoken like someone who has had no time to be himself. So, are you calling girls a waste of time then?"
Hisao closes his eyes for a moment before opening them to answer. "Listen, we haven't done anything since we've gotten here. Despite the pyrotechnics and cryotechnics from the other day… Just forget it," he groans out of frustration. His hands work their way to his temples.
"Okay then," Chao answers with a smile. "Satomi…" she whispers in her friend's ear, "you know how you've wanted to check out the connections behind Reina's ears?"
"Yeah…"
Chao's expression becomes wily. "Hisao has the exact same things behind his. It's the exact same system that Reina has."
Satomi bolts up and gives Hisao an intense stare.
"Eh… What are you…" Hisao stumbles to speak. If anyone were to ask Corentin, this is the first time that Hisao has looked confused that the French boy can remember.
Like an Olympic sprinter, Satomi dashes over to Hisao in a flash. She turns his head around a little and brushes his hair back, causing Hisao to turn slightly red.
"Ooooh… I have so many things I want to ask you about this." She runs her finger around the connection and gets uncomfortably close to her new prey. Corentin gives her a look she can't see. "And experiments I want to run."
Regaining his composure, Hisao begins to grumble. "You're starting to step over the line." He grabs her wrist and moves her hand.
Corentin seems to relax a bit, but still remains attentive.
"Hey, we've not had the time to get some food. What do you think about all of us going and getting something to eat?" suggests Chao. "We can talk business and the two of you can get a little more familiar with the school?"
Hisao groans. "Fine, but I don't want to be seen by Reina. She shows up and I'm gone. Got it?"
"Yes yes," Chao waves off his brooding. "Now let's go get something to eat."
The aftermath of Chachamaru's kick a couple of days ago left Negi with a nice, foot shaped bruise on his chest. As he looks at it, he can swear he can read the size of her shoe. Brushing it causes a slight pain. The healing salve Konoka spreads on it reduces the pain and leaves a strange cooling sensation.
"If you're really interested in training in both magic and combat Negi," Asuna suggests, "I can get everyone together again and help you out with your training with Ku-Fei."
"I think I'll be fine. I just have to focus. No need to get a bunch of people involved with this."
"We've all got our own training we'd like to do. Sorta like a group gathering."
"That's fine," says Negi. "Perhaps you could work in some studying too. Don't think I have forgotten about your grades."
Asuna jerks back. "Hey hey hey… I'm trying. I really am. Maybe if you loosened up on restrictions…"
"You know I can't."
Asuna laughs it off. "I'll get everyone and we can have a bit of a training day."
"Okay. It does sound a bit fun and useful."
Fourteen minutes later, all the assembled girls from the group that have pactios with Negi are assembled. Plus Makie and Ku Fei.
"W- Why am I- I here?" Reina asks, "I d… don't have anything I c- can train for."
"I brought you because you have that shield. We can use you to train against shield users and you can learn to use your shield better. See? Everyone wins!"
Reina thinks that training with them is an absolutely dreadful prospect. "I'm… a t- tr- training dummy?"
Asuna tilts her head slightly. "I wouldn't put it as such. We don't want you to just stand there. Fight back, you know."
"But I d- don't have a w- weapon. What a- am I supposed to… to fight b- back with? A s… stick?"
"Well… There is that other pactio…"
Reina shakes her head. "N- No way! I'm n- not touching that at all! B- Besides, it w- w- was a shovel."
"So that's what it was… Weird. Anyway… we need to find you a weapon. You can't have a shield without a sword or something. It wouldn't be normal."
"I c- could alway- ways just sit all th- this out…"
"I know," Asuna snaps her fingers, "Why not ask your dad? With them working on weapons, maybe they have something sitting around."
Reina certainly isn't going to trouble her dad for something as minor as that. "It w- would t- take too long to de- liver. And th- that's if he e- even had anything to deliver. I d- on't r- re- member any weapons just l- laying about."
"What's going on?" Setsuna asks, while Negi begins his training behind them.
Answers Asuna, "Well I was thinking that if Reina-san had a sword too, we could get some training in on what could be like a real knight. What do you think?"
"It's not a bad idea, but she doesn't have a weapon… What about her other pactio?"
Konoka hears what they are talking about. "The pactio I'm so jealous of. I want two pactios. The possibility of different magical artifacts is a fun thing to think about." Her cheer is practically infectious.
"I do see her issue with using it though. It was made with that Fate boy. I would be leery about using it myself. Besides, are we even sure it's a sword?"
"I- It's a sho… shovel."
Setsuna tells her, "That makes it even creepier. I would just keep it locked away if I were you."
Asuna adds, "So that leaves her with asking her dad. Seeing if they have any weapons around they may have used to base the bigger weapons on."
"I have thought of something, but… it is rude of me."
Konoka asks, "Se-chan?"
"Please forgive me for speaking out of turn Reina-san, but your father did mention that your mother was a knight. Perhaps she owned a sword…" There is a short silence following her idea. "I told you it was rude. I apologize." She bows out of forgiveness.
"Reina-san could use that to get closer to the mother she never knew…" Konoka muses.
"Waaah!!! Reina-san, did I hear them right?!" Makie blurts out of nowhere. "When did you find out about your mother? And she was a knight? That's so cool!"
"Eh… Heh heh… Y- Yeah." Reina really wants to use her phone now.
"I think it's awesome! Please Reina-chan, you have to see if your mother left anything for you like that. It'd be a huge connection."
"Shouldn't you be training for your gymnastics right now?" asks Asuna.
"Well, yeah… but now that I found out Reina has a chance to connect to her mother, I don't think she should delay."
With all of this undue attention, especially from girls, Reina starts to slink away while she speaks. "I… I do- don't see why it m- m-matters to you."
"She's just stalling," Asuna explains. "Maybe if she wouldn't do this, she wouldn't need to train."
"I! I am not stalling!" Makie protests.
"For a- all I know, th- there may not- t even be… be anything." Reina is noticeably farther away from the group. "I… I'll ju- jus- just sit o… over there." She quickly backs away and finds a bench farther away from the girls.
Setsuna reviews Reina's reactions and the sounds in her voice. "I think I've noticed something about Reina-san."
"What's that?" Konoka asks.
"She's not stuttering. She's… scared."
"Scared? Of what?" Asuna asks.
"Well, perhaps she's got agoraphobia?" offers Konoka.
"Say what now?" asks Asuna.
Konoka explains, "It's a fear of open spaces."
Asuna shrugs it off. "Either way, there's nothing we can do about it, right? Let's just leave her alone for now."
"But…" Makie mumbles, "I wanted to see the sword."
Asuna sighs.
At Kaminari Grand Industrial, a large red arm is being attached to a larger red machine. As the top of the arm meets the area where it would attach to the shoulder, a number of metal tendrils spin and extend their way out of both the body and the arm, connecting the two in a twist on limb reattachment. The arm gets forcibly attached and is soon moving on its own.
Watching nearby is William Whitehall and the head of security Smith, the same one from the expo so many months ago. William sighs and becomes inattentive, looking at some far off place only he can see.
"Umm… Sir?" asks Smith.
"Huh?! Sorry, what?" William asks as he snaps back from his mental vacation, almost falling out of his chair on arrival.
"Are you sure you should be here? You've been acting off recently. Maybe you should go home."
While readjusting his seat, William offers, "No… No. I'm good. Fine. If I work I can keep my mind off of other things."
"I don't mean to speak above my position sir," rejects the security manager, "but no you can't. You've been wandering in and out all day."
"Maybe you're right Edgar. But…"
"Again, I don't mean to speak above my position, but seriously, you really don't need to be here. We appreciate all the effort you put into the company, but you should just go home and relax or something. You're no good to anyone if you really aren't here with them."
William sits quietly for a bit before he answers, "Yeah, you're right." He stands up. "As we all know, the Red Dragon is a very powerful machine, so just make sure everyone takes every safety precaution."
"Of course sir."
With that, William walks away, his brain quickly going on another trip.
As he arrives home, his phone rings. He opens it quickly when he sees the name. "Hello!"
"Hi Dad…"
"What's up Reina? Something wrong?" he asks while he walks inside. OC #45 greets him silently.
Kaminari decided to see if they could market a mass produced model as a replacement for a maid by balancing cost effectiveness and utility, the cost being the big hurdle. Sticker shock isn't something people like to experience. Plus his size is a bit restrictive.
"No… I… Well… I was wondering something."
"Yeah?"
"You said mom was a knight, right?"
"Yes."
"Did… she have a sword."
"Yes. Why?"
"See… Some of the other girls were doing sword training today, and after thinking about it, I thought it might be a way to help get over my fear."
"It's nice to see you are taking an active approach towards conquering your fear, but there's just one thing… Lore was always a little obscure about her equipment. I can bring it out to you, at least to look at it." William begins walking to his room, taking an elevator when he gets to it.
"Okay. Thanks."
"Couple of things though, I'll be bringing Masumi Makamura and OC #45 with me. Also…"
"Also?"
"It's just that it's really intimidating. I was never sure how she lifted it. I'm sure that since it's from the magic world that has something to do with it. You'll just have to see it when we get there." He steps into his room and walks over to a large metal door.
"Okay. Well, I guess I'll see you shortly."
"Yep."
"Thanks dad. Goodbye."
"Bye Reina." William hangs up and slides his phone back into his suit pocket. He inputs the combination by spinning the dial on the door. The handle clicks loudly as he lifts up on it.
Inside the safe is a large metal sword, looking far too large for a normal human to carry, and a suit of armor, with the lower half of a blue trimmed, white tabard falling between the legs, making it look like the lower half of a Chinese dress.
The first thing he does when he sees the large metal slab is sigh. "Is it okay? Wasn't this the kind of thing we wanted her to avoid? She did say it was just training… What if it breaks though? I'll lose another part of you. Then again, it's pretty solid. I know you once said she'd be able to use it, but will she? Should she? What if I somehow prevented that?" Many other questioning thoughts plow through his mind before he decides no harm can come from it.
He pouts a bit and walks over to an intercom system near the door to the room. "Hey, OC #45… Come to my room. I need you to help me move something."
During the wait, he phones up Masumi, trusting her with OC should something go wrong. Shortly, the big blue robot enters through William's open bedroom door, his heavy footfalls giving him away well before he entered.
"What do you need me to lift?"
"That sword in there," he points to the large metal object in the safe. "We're taking it to Reina."
OC's lights blink in quick succession. With almost no resistance, he picks the sword up by the handle, keeping the blade part down. "It's very dusty…"
"It's been in there a while. So do you feel the weight?"
"Yes. But the weight is off, being slightly heavier than it should be. Also, when I picked it up, I could sense a slight shift in the center of gravity. Like the inside was liquid."
"Really… Hmm…" William crosses his arms, pouts his lower lip, looks up, and taps his foot. "Inside is liquid… And heavier than it should be… The only thing I can think of is the inside being some kind of heavier metal than what it's made of.
Ah well, it's not like this follows any kind of logic to begin with. Let's get this moved to the helicopter."
"Perhaps it is mercury!" OC interjects. "Assuming the same volume of lead and mercury, mercury is heavier."
"You think this could be a mercurial sword? I've heard about them… My old Dungeons and Dragons group back in college…"
"My analysis supports the idea of mercury as it is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature."
Off handedly, William comments, "I wish she was still here…"
"Reina?" asks OC #45.
"No. Not that I don't miss Reina, mind you."
William can hear 45's drives working. The only information in his banks should be the picture he has of her, and even with that he's never expressly said anything about who she was. Assuming the data wasn't lost in his last change.
"I cannot recall—!"
"Just leave it alone," William advises as he closes the safe, not wanting to churn up old memories more than he already has. "We've got to go."
OC #45 plods along behind as the both leave the room.
The group of Chao, Satomi, and the two boys approach a busy lunch wagon. Hisao, who is standing at the back of the group, keeps an eye out for any tall, white-haired, tomboys with green eyes. They all end up sitting at a table, with Chao sitting on one side of Hisao and Corentin sitting on the other.
"This really is almost like a date," asks Chao, "wouldn't you agree?"
Hisao huffs. "You have a talent for ruining people's appetites."
"Come on now, don't be like that." Chao offers him a polite smile. "Here, I'll order you something special. I know the chef." She waves another girl over who politely takes their order. With only Hisao to go, Chao motions for the girl to lower down, using this to order Hisao's food by whispering the order. "Okay? Thanks."
Corentin begins asking questions about what was ordered. Never really having experienced Japanese cuisine leaves him with all kinds of questions.
"If there's anything else you want to eat, feel free to ask me," Chao tells the French boy. "So, Hisao-san, feeling a bit more cheerful now?" Hisao simply levels a stare at her that says he recognizes her, but he refuses to respond. "I think you need to relax."
Exasperated, Hisao tells her, "What I need is to make sure I'm not spotted."
"You're being paranoid."
"I'm sorry, do you want a fight breaking out in Mahora before your Rube Goldberg-like machinations have fully come to fruition?" Hisao stands up, giving him an angry air.
"What was that about not being seen? Because you certainly are making a spectacle of yourself."
Hisao seethes, "You are seriously pushing my buttons."
Corentin cuts in. "Down you should calm, Mon Hisao. As Madame Rachel tells us, 'the client is right as they are the blood of the company.'"
That does little to quell the brewing storm. "She can cram it wherever she feels like sticking it as far as I am concerned! After Reina's little altercation yesterday, I'm sure InfinIT would love to get their hands on me."
Having had enough, Chao calls his bluff. "Fine, go. I'm sure Corentin will be more than enough for my needs."
He's never seen Hisao angry, but with the hardware access he has, Corentin figures his friend could level Mahora if he wanted to. There'd be no way Schwarzerschutz would allow Corentin to come back after Hisao screws up the contract. And he is certain InfinIT wouldn't want him, which would mean that he'd be out on his own. And…
"Bu- But proven by that fight, even InfinIT is less than calamari, correct?"
"It's Kaminari damn it!" Hisao rubs his temples. "Whatever. I'm done here. Corentin, obviously you're free to do whatever you want." Hisao turns and leave the table, putting his hands in his pockets as he walks in the direction of the woods east-northeast of Mahora.
Corentin quickly begs his pardon and leaves to follow Hisao.
"Aren't you going to stop the both of them?" Satomi asks.
Chao replies with a smile, "If I thought he'd actually leave, I'd have stopped him already."
As Hisao walks past the housing district, the noise from a helicopter attracts his attention, drowning out anything Corentin, who is following right behind, is saying to him. Focusing on the noise, he soon locates the source and watches as a familiar helicopter flies by in the distance, its corporate logo barely visible.
He squints. "William… Well, well, well." Corentin bumps into him as he suddenly stops. Hisao practically knocks Corentin out of the way as he gives chase to the Kaminari company helicopter.
Corentin heaves a heavy breath and follows after again. Neither boy can match the speed of the Kaminari emissary before it disappears from site below the top of the buildings.
The sounds of swords clashing, fists flying, ninja arts, and gymnastics fill the small area where Negi and his slowly increasing group of girls are training, well all except one. She is content for now to sit on a bench and watch the others.
Negi especially seems to be putting his all into training. Reina doesn't know what drives him, but she's definitely impressed with how quickly he learns things. In the short time he's been working with the Ku Fei girl, his form has improved. The feeling that she is just wasting time quickly sinks in.
"Ah! I still haven't joined a club either!" She quickly amends, "But I haven't had the time… and they're filled with girls." She catches herself shuddering, and sighs. "I'm pathetic."
The quickly loudening sound of something approaching attracts everyone's attention skyward. Reina knows it right away as her father's helicopter. The thought of this makes her slightly embarrassed. Despite that, she stands up and stretches out, ready to go meet her dad.
"Hey wait!" Kaede calls out from behind her. "That was a helicopter that belongs to you, right?"
"I… w- well… i- it's not m- m- mine, strictly speaking." Reina is panicking on the inside. "It be- belongs to the Ka… min- n- ari company."
"Would you mind if I come along?"
"Damn it! NO! NONONONONO!!! Go away! GRAaahhAhaHHg! Wait! This isn't helping." She takes a few deep breaths. "Fear is the mind killer… Fear is the mind killer… Fear is the mind killer…"
Practically choking it up, Reina is able to answer. "Not at all."
Kaede gives one of her usual smiles. "Okay. It's kind of hard to get any effective training done in town anyway. Usually I head out to the forest and camp there on the weekends."
"I- I feel l- like I'm j… just sort of sp- spinning my wheels. I s- see everyone t- training and I get th- the feeling I… I'm left out."
"I suppose it is hard to have a training partner when you're a pilot of a giant mech."
Reina keeps reciting the 'Litany Against Fear' in her mind as she walks with Kaede. "I- I had one… But no- w- w when I'm at home, I usu… ally train in a simul- l- lation."
They continue chatting and after a long walk they come to where Reina's father landed, in front of the administration building. He, along with OC #45 and Masumi are standing next to the helicopter, already met by Konoemon.
The elder Konoe asks, "Do you have to park there every time you come here in that thing?" His tone isn't angry.
"I keep telling you that you need a helipad. Otherwise I'd have to land way over by the aviation club's place and well… I'm lazy. Plus, I'm traveling heavy this time." William opens the pilot side hatch and OC #45 comes out, wielding the large metal sword while his blue paint job shimmers in the sun.
"Oh my… He's very big, isn't he?"
"Not really. But the reason I brought him along is because I got a call from Reina stating a bunch of other girls were doing some sword training, and she wanted to know if we had one around she could use. And I happened to have this." He points to the large slab of metal.
"Is that a fake or perhaps part of a cosplay perhaps?"
"No. It belonged to my wife… That's also something I need to speak with you about."
The old man raises an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"See… I'm Reina's biological father."
"But you've said that you adopted her. Why wouldn't you tell her such a thing?"
"That's a long story, and I came clean with her the other day. She came home, practically in tears, and when she asked me about it, I realized I just couldn't lie to her anymore."
"I know that it is none of my business, and I am sure you had your reasons, but still… To damage her psyche like that."
"Yeah. What can I say? I'm an idiot. If you've got some time, I feel that talking about it helps heal things." He would ask Masumi if she didn't mind waiting, but she is busy keeping OC #45 from walking off.
"That's true. Mind if I take a seat then?"
"Feel free."
With that, Konoemon sits on the edge of the floor of the helicopter and listens to William's story. He explains the history of what happened when Lorelei died, and how he was able to remove her memories of the event. He mentions the Magic World, and Konoemon tells him he knows of it. William even tells him about Crispin Jones and how he figures into Reina finding out.
"I must say," the older man says, "he sounds a bit dangerous."
"You don't know the half of it. If he's here, I'd be on alert. I know we are."
"I'll make sure security is notified. So with your wife being from the magic world, does Reina have any magical powers?"
William shakes his head. "No. When we had her, Lorelei was afraid of something she never told me about. And she wanted to make sure that no elements from the magical world would find any use in her. So part of her abilities are also a preventative measure. She has magical power but she can never access it."
Konoemon mulls over those words. "I can understand such feelings."
"Anyway, about this sword, it is okay if she has such a thing on campus, isn't it? I don't want to violate any rules or anything."
"We allow certain students to have such things. Reina seems like she would be trustworthy. My only concern is if she can even lift that sword."
"Her mother could. I can't. If genetics apply, I'd say she has a 50/50 chance." William's attention gets drawn to Reina and another girl coming towards them. He never thought he'd live to see the day. "Here she is now."
"H- Hello d- d- dad," she greets, still violently aware she has Kaede with her.
"Hey. Who's your friend?"
"Kaede Nagase, sir. A classmate of Reina-san's." She bows as he does in return.
"Nice to meet you," William greets, "I am William Whitehall, Owner of Kaminari Grand Industrial and Reina's father."
Reina speaks up. "D- Did you bring it?"
"Yeah," William answers, "it's with…" He looks around quickly and sporadically. "Where's OC #45? He was here a little bit ago. He has the sword since there's no chance I can lift it."
"Is there anything to worry about?" Konoemon asks the company head.
"Only if you worry about being 'friended' to death. See, he is, or rather, should be a combat machine. But no matter how hard we try, he's more interested in making friends and meeting people."
"That speaks volumes about the world," the old man observes.
"I couldn't agree more." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small device about the size of small television remote. He holds it above his head and presses a button on it. "That should get his attention and bring Masumi-san back too."
Sure enough, OC #45 tromps in from around a building, huge sword in hand with no sign of Masumi following him. "I made three friends while I was away," he comments, seemingly proud of the achievement.
"Where's Masumi?"
"She stopped at a water fountain. She was following along but I think I'm faster than her."
"Oh. Okay. Well, would you kindly give Reina that sword, and be careful not to let it land on her or anything," orders William.
OC #45 does as he is told and puts the sword where Reina can grab the handle.
"Th- This is a sword? I- It's huge!" Reina can't believe the sword OC is handing her. "It l- looks like a giant b- br- brick of metal with a cutting edge!
The grip sits just lower than chest level, with a spherical, red ruby pommel set in four golden claws. The blade is wider than her waist and comes to a flat beveled tip with two triangular protrusions on each edge, much like an executioner's sword, but definitely combat capable. There is no quillian since the sword is so wide. It is still shiny and was obviously well taken care of during it's time of major service.
Reina reaches out for it, fully prepared to let it drop should it be too heavy. When OC finally relinquishes his grip, Reina feels the sword get… lighter? She was fully expecting to be dodging out of the way of a falling toe-breaker.
She tells her father, "I- I thought you said- d this was r- real…"
"Your mother could use it, so I think it's only natural that you can too."
As she moves it around, she can feel it changing how it handles. "It's w- we… weird. It f- feels like its weight is sh… shifting."
"OC and me think it is because the inside is hollow and filled with an amount of mercury, which allows for more power behind the swing. I've heard about them in fantasy games and novels."
Konoemon mentions, "I read a book a while back with one in it. It was used mainly for executions."
"Uhh…" Reina doesn't know what to think with that information.
"But given the size of that one, I'd say that's far from the point," he finishes. "The tip, while flat, does have an edge. I don't really know what to make of it. I am not a sword expert."
"I h- have one quest- ion… I- Is it o- okay for me to ha… have this?"
"I see no reason for you not to. You'll have to be added to a list of students cleared for weapon ownership, and you'll have to cover it as per school policy."
William quickly looks around and mutters, "Okay… Wasn't expecting that one."
"Just say it's a cosplay thing until you can work something out," the old man tells them. "I know you're good for it and people are likely to believe it. I understand you weren't fully prepared for any regulations and I'm not that draconian about things."
Reina nods in compliance. "Thank you very much."
"Well, you had training to do. Please be careful with that though. Both for the sword's sake and everyone else's," William tells his daughter. "And as long as I'm here, we may as well discuss the annual employment drive program."
"Ah yes. That is coming up again. Let's go to my office where it's more comfortable." Konoemon stands up as several joints pop. He mutters to himself, "Sat there too long."
Masumi finally shows up again. "Sorry I'm late sir."
"It's fine. We both know how much of a handful he can be. We're going to be discussing the annual recruitment thing, you wanna join us?"
"Sure. Otherwise I'd just be taking a nap."
"Okay. I'll see you later Reina. Come on OC."
OC #45 stands there as Reina begins to walk off. He looks back at her then at William. "What do you think Masumi-san?"
"I don't think it should be an issue. When it comes to meeting people, he's like a kid in a candy store."
William adds, "But be back here in one hour, understand?"
"Of course. I have an internal clock."
"Okay. And do not, I repeat, do not get into any fights or trouble."
"I will not."
"Good."
Hisao ends up sitting back at the table where Chao and Satomi are.
"Welcome back. So are we feeling a little more grown up now?"
Hisao simply levels a glare at her. "I'm not back for your benefit. I happened to see who that helicopter belongs to, and it's not yet time for their annual meeting. Something is happening and I'm curious. It obviously has something to do with Reina, so I'm going to hang around a bit longer. And since you've bought lunch, I might as well get a free one."
"They say the path to a man's heart is through his stomach. Maybe you'll feel better after we eat."
Corentin comes wobbling up to the table, breathing heavy. "Je suis fatigue et j'ai faim." He flops onto his seat and rests his head on the table.
"Hey, Corentin-san. You just made it back in time."
In response, Corentin raises a single fist in the air, without raising his head off the table. "Hooray…"
At that moment, Chachamaru comes by with all of their orders, and sets each one down in front of the person who ordered it, with Hisao getting a plate of meat buns.
"Meat buns? How… ordinary."
"Just eat one and change your tune." Chao's voice is practically harmonic.
"Whatever." Hisao bites into one and chews slowly. Chao waits with gentle anticipation for his face to reflect something. "That's really good. It tastes like pizza."
"I think all you needed was a good meal. Probably better than MRE's and the other stuff you're used to. After we're done here, we'll go do some other stuff. How does that sound?"
"Fine by me."
"The sound of that is wonderful," Corentin says. "May I also add the food is an excellent thing as well. I feel rechargé!"
"Good thing. When we're done here, we have got a few more things to handle."
Kaede, Reina, and OC #45 show up at the training area, passing by several plastered up posters on the inside of an alleyway, each one with the same thing. The corner of one flutters free. That same one has some graffiti on it.
"Hey, you're back!" Asuna remarks, breaking the routine she and Setsuna are in. The size of the sword Reina is carrying around takes a moment to get to her. "Is that what I think it is?"
"Y- Yes. Th- This is my mo… ther's sword."
Konoka states the obvious. "Nice sword, Cloud."
"C- Cloud? What?" Reina asks.
"Lemme see it," Asuna says, reaching for it.
Reina pulls back quickly, almost ready to run away. "Ah! Uh… N- No. You see… I- I think I am th- the only one who c- can use it. It is r- r- really heavy o- o- otherwise."
OC #45 backs this up. "It was around 100 lbs (~45.36 kg) when I held it. Plus analysis indicates the core is filled with mercury, adjusting the center of gravity depending on how it is swung."
"So who are you big fella?" Makie asks, wrapping up a particular dance she was working on.
"My name is Operation Carlsbad. I am the 45th version. You may call me OC if you wish. It is a great pleasure to make your acquaintance. May I ask your name?"
"Makie Sasaki."
The lights around his camera blink happily. "It is my greatest joy to meet new people and add them to my memory. You are very graceful."
"Nice to meet you too." Makie offers him a large friendly smile.
"The only person I have yet to meet here is her." OC points to Ku Fei.
Asuna calls Ku and Negi's attention. Both student and master stop and bow to each other then join the others. Ku Fei looks at the massive blue robot in the group. OC #45 and Ku Fei exchange greetings, ending with OC's lights blinking happily again. "It is very nice to have met you all."
"So Reina-san," Negi asks, "is that your mother's?"
"Y- Yes."
"We should quit wasting time and see what that puppy can do," Asuna adds, eager to see Reina in action.
Setsuna adds, "With that sword and your shield, you could become quite the wall on the battlefield."
"S- S- Sounds slow," comments Reina.
"Well, there's only one way to find out now, isn't there?" Setsuna steps out to where she and Asuna were a little bit ago and draws her sword again. "Unfortunately, with Makie-san and Ku Fei-san within sight, we'll have to keep the shield use for later."
"Sh- Shouldn't I… g- get some b- basic tips fi- first?" Suddenly, she starts thinking the small bit of bravery she felt in calling her father was a big mistake. There's no way she could stand a swordfight with a girl.
"What do you think training is? It's a series of basic tips. You should be used to using a sword, right?"
"But i- it's usually m- m- mounted on the back of my arm. Thi… s is com- completely different."
"We aren't actually trying to kill each other, if that's worrying you."
"Eh…" stammers the timid girl. Actually, what is worrying her is the seeming payback she's getting for being courageous earlier.
"Go on already." Asuna gives her a friendly push towards the waiting Setsuna. Asuna quickly steps over to Makie, OC #45, and Ku Fei. "Hey you guys I'd like to talk to you about something…"
Reina starts hoping maybe Setsuna will get a sudden, rapid, and crippling attack of carpel tunnel. She slowly reaches into her pocket, to give the carpel tunnel gods more time to work their mojo. When they decide to turn down Reina's prayers, she bites the bullet and draws her card.
"A- Adeat."
Once the light from the activation dies down, she is holding her shield, but it's different from before, resembling a white bird's wing. The detailing is immaculate, with each feather being almost like the real thing. It is still as big as it was when she first used it, it just looks different.
"You seem to have a malleable pactio."
Konoka continues ribbing Reina. "If you keep this up, we'll have to call you 'One-Winged Reina' and I don't think Square will like that. Try to avoid using Omnislash!"
Reina is confused. "W- What does th- that mean?"
"Asuna-san!" Setsuna calls, "You can train with us at the same time."
"Huh? Oh! Sorry you three, I suddenly forgot what I was talking about," she lies. The red head apologizes then nods and joins the other two, sword ready to go.
Setsuna is the first to move, swinging in to strike Reina. The glint of metal harkens to Reina, like someone calling to her from a great distance. Without attempting a block, she stumbles backwards and drops her sword and shield, her sword landing with a heavy thud. She can hear them again, the klaxons and gunfire from the bathing incident with Chizuru. A sickly smell works its way into her nostrils.
Pulling back, Setsuna asks, "Are you okay?"
Negi steps up to her as well. "Is something wrong?"
"Eh…" Reina shakes her head, then about gags from whatever it is she's thinks she smells. "N- No. I'm… I'm go- good." She picks her sword and shield up, hoping her mind's done messing with her. Giving it a test swing, she can feel the balance of the sword change from side to tip.
As their training wears on, Makie finishes first. She sits and watches Negi practice, while listening to the sound of sword strikes and drinking a sports drink she brought with her. It's gotten warm, but even with that, it's refreshing.
She watches as Ku Fei and Negi practically mirror each other's movements. It's not long before she loses herself in watching Negi. When OC#45 joins her shortly afterwards she snaps out of her daydream.
"Oh, hello."
"Hello. You seem to be staring at Negi a lot," he observes. "Does he interest you?"
The gymnast turns and incredible shade of red. "What?! No! No… No. Maybe just a little."
"As I estimated."
"What about you? Anyone interest you?" Makie turns the tables.
"I like meeting people. I'm trying to grasp this feeling I've heard about called love. I don't know if I've got it right though. I often, with a probability factor of 95.985 percent, come to the conclusion that I am a machine and therefore do not apply. The other 4.015 percent of the time, I decide it is best if I do not dedicate process cycles to it."
"Aww…"
OC stands up. "I have to go now. It was nice meeting you and the others. Perhaps I will come back some day to meet even more people."
"That'd be fun. See you later."
OC bids farewell to the others before walking back.
After lunch, Hisao and Corentin find themselves in possession of a fair number of bags. Or rather, they are simply carrying them. Seems the "other stuff" she had planned is turning them into pack mules. Hisao groans as Chao hands him a few more bags.
"Are we about done yet?" he groans.
"Well, you did want something to do. We're killing two birds with one stone here. You're getting to go around Mahora like I want and you're fulfilling your order like you want. We're both happy. Besides, we needed supplies."
Hisao is going to open his mouth again when he thinks better of himself and decides to keep it closed. He didn't say, "There's a difference between supplies and useless junk." But he did think it.
The meat buns were good, and the girl who cooked them was quite affable, which when he thinks about it is because she is a reserved person. Hisao groans as he realizes he's thinking about a girl again. He hopes he is not turning into one of those idiot romantic types.
"M- Mon Hisao…" Corentin says from behind his load. "I think perhaps we are… What is the word?"
"Conned? …Tools?"
"The first one. I cannot see how we would be like the hammer."
"I agree about the con. But still, we are doing something at least."
"True."
After all the shopping is done, they make their way back to the lab. Hisao and Corentin find the nearest table and pile the bags on top of it.
"Thank you guys, we never would have been able to bring that all back here by ourselves," Chao tells them. "We usually get so wrapped up here that we forget to get basic supplies."
Satomi adds, "I can't tell you how often I end up sleeping in the lab here."
Hisao and Corentin look at each other then back at both of the girls. Corentin asks, "You are being serious?"
Satomi replies with a simple, "Yes."
"It's your own fault." Hisao is not going to be moved so easily. "You should have a clock or an alarm. It's not that hard to be notified of the passing time."
Chao smiles at him. "Well thanks to you we don't have to worry about it for a while again. So we've done everything we needed you to. Is there anything you'd like to do?" Hisao is about to say something when he gets cut off. "Besides that."
Hisao decides to simply walk away.
"I would like to guess that I'll say thank you for the food." Corentin waves hastily as he follows along behind Hisao.
After they are beyond earshot, Chao remarks, "Maybe I did push his buttons too much."
The girls' and Negi's training session comes to a close and a few decide to call it a day. They go their separate ways for the evening.
As Reina leaves, she's stopped by Asuna. "Listen Reina-san, there's something I wanted to ask you about."
A dread sense runs down Reina's spine as every nerve in her body tells her to hide. "W- W- Wha… t?"
"I wanted to ask you about… your… How to put this? Setsuna-san made mention of you being afraid of something. Maybe you'd like to talk about it?"
"Damn it!" Reina shouts in her head.
"I… I… Got to go."
As she begins to walk away, Asuna puts her hand on Reina's shoulder. This causes a knee jerk reaction in Reina, making her drop her sword as she tries to both turn around and back away at the same time. Her sword lands with a thick noise. Reina ends up falling on her butt, trying to back away.
"I'm sorry, Reina-san. I didn't mean to startle you. But, are you perhaps… afraid of girls?" Asuna asks, after adding two and two.
The feeling that she's been found out oozes into every corner of her brain, seeping across every neural pathway. She quickly tries to calculate escape routes, and various plans, but those thoughts are swiftly overwritten by panic. She can't see a way out of this… except…
She pulls out her phone and presses the button.
"Woah! I didn't mean to sound hostile or anything. I just put some things together based off a couple things I heard. You didn't need to sick your robot on me!"
Reina can only cower. She had thought she was making progress, but it seems she hasn't made a lick of it. How pathetic she truly is.
"Oh jeez… Come on. I really didn't mean to scare you like that. I won't say anything if that makes you feel better."
It's not much longer before the Ivory Knight lands right near them. Reina quickly dismisses her pactio, grabs her sword, and makes a run for the lowering winch.
"I'm faster than you, you know." It doesn't take anything for Asuna to catch up and grab the cord too.
The two girls scuffle inside the Knight, Reina trying to get away and Asuna trying to prevent that. Asuna gets some leverage on Reina and wrangles her to the floor. Asuna sits on her abdomen and pins her wrists to the floor.
"Will you just listen to me?"
"P- P- Please…"
"I'll let you up when you've heard me out."
Reina stops struggling but keeps her eyes closed and faces away from Asuna.
"Okay now. I did just piece things together and I really don't mean you any harm. I won't say anything to anyone if you don't want me to either. But being like this isn't going to help you any. At this point, I can't figure out why you'd willingly come to an all girls school if you're afraid of girls."
"I… I'm n- not afraid o- o- o- of girls… I- I'm a- a- afraid of… th- th- the color r- red!"
"Not likely. Negi's hair is red. I'm sorta orange."
"Okay… S- So that isn't tr- true. I… I w- wan- want to get o- over it," Reina says meekly. "P- Plus… When I m… et Negi at the conv- vention before I came here…" She cuts herself off before she says something that may make things worse. Things are bad enough that the connections behind her ears are starting to itch.
Asuna releases her death grip on Reina's wrists. "Ah. So a chance meeting with Negi-kun led to this? Kid's a playboy I swear. I'm sure that Negi and the rest of us will be willing to help you out in any way. I like all my classmates and I don't want to see any of them in distress."
"W- What a… bout Ayaka?"
"Well, okay. You got me there, but I certainly wouldn't want to see her in any kind of real trouble. I'm not heartless. Would you like me to tell someone else and see if we can help you?"
Reina can't help but blush. "Ne- Negi already kn- nows."
"When'd he find out?"
"M- My first day h- here."
"That kid works fast."
"It's… It's n- not that. I j- just feel mo- more com- comfortable a- around men. I… I kn- kn- know that s- sounds wro… ng, but I get them m- m- more than I do women."
Asuna sighs and gets off of her captive. "To think of the boyfriends you could have if you were a bit more feminine."
Reina protests, "I… I'm not l- like that."
Asuna gives a sly smile. "Negi says the same thing, you know."
Reina looks down and away, crossing her one arm in front of herself. The timid girl, rather than brave a fall, comes up with an idea. "C- Can I at l… least get to m- m… y chair?"
"Uh… Yeah. Okay."
Reina nervously works her way over to her chair and hooks herself in. "Okay, I'm good. I'm not scared inside the Ivory Knight here."
"That's weird. Well, one thing before I go. Negi's got a meeting with Evangeline-san tonight at midnight. If he can hit Chachamaru-san even once, she'll allow him to take magic training as well as martial arts training."
"Wasn't she already training him?"
"Yeah, but Evangeline can be… finicky from my experience."
"Well, I'll try and show up. I think sometimes the cybernetics in my head put a drain on me though. I like to sleep. But I'll definitely try my best to show up." A thumbs up flashes over the Ivory's screen.
"Before I go, are sure you don't want me saying anything to Setsuna-san at least? I mean, she kind of already knows."
"It's really embarrassing though. How many other girls are afraid of girls? It's like a cat that's allergic to cat hair, pathetic."
"Hey, don't beat up on yourself. I'll admit it's strange, and I don't get how it's possible, but it's nothing to be ashamed of. Tell you what, I'll inform Setsuna, and we, along with Negi, will try to help you get over it."
A sigh works its way out of the speaker system in the cabin. "I'm beginning to think I might be beyond help honestly. How long have I been here now?"
Asuna walks over to the open hatch door. "Well, I've got to go. Remember, midnight if you can make it."
"I'll certainly try."
"Talk to you then. Later."
"Goodbye." Reina offers her hand for a way down which Asuna steps out on to.
Asuna hops down to the ground when she's within range. A small crowd had gathered around on the machine, two members of which are Negi and Makie. As Asuna walks over to them, Reina walks over to part of the crowd, which separate, allowing her to continue down the road. When she has a clear shot, Reina starts running and takes off.
As Asuna stands there with Negi and Makie, she whiffs the air. Her nose leads her over to Negi. Like everyone stupidly does when they smell something bad, she smells him again.
"You smell awful. Let's go get you cleaned."
"But…!"
Makie follows along as Asuna drags him off.
Midnight finds Chachazero complaining about where she gets placed. Evangeline picks her up by the wing and moves her over to a small design outcropping.
Chachamaru offers numbers. "Master, I calculate that Negi-sensei has less than a three percent chance of making contact with me. Wouldn't it be wrong to cancel his training by ending it like this?"
"I'm not looking for an apprentice," Eva explains. "He happened to get me a bad time, now I'm looking to end it. He hits you once, then he isn't wasting his time and I'll continue on as I have been… And don't go easy on him. I'll be able to tell if you do."
"Yes, as you command."
Eva pulls out a pocket watch and checks the time. "He's going to be late. We may be able to end this without a fight."
"Evangeline-san!" Negi's voice rings out in the night air.
She sighs. "Well I guess it won't be that easy."
"I'm here for the apprenticeship test!"
"Keep your voice down, even the dead are still asleep at this hour," she tells him. "Anyway, let's hurry up and get this started."
"You hit Chachamaru even once with that kung-fu, you pass and the fight ends. The match will continue until you are dead and no longer able to attack. Got it?"
"Are those the only stipulations?" asks Negi.
"Yeah, good enough really. Also, do something about your damn groupies. They're laughing and it's pissing me off." She points to the small gathering of girls that have gathered near Negi.
"Heh heh heh… Sorry. I guess they followed me."
Most of them head up to another level, leaving Makie, Asuna, and Ku Fei.
Makie asks, 'This seems dangerous Negi-kun, are you sure you're going to be safe?"
"Don't worry Makie-san. I've been put through a lot of training with Ku Fei-san. I'm going to go at it with my maximum."
Asuna and Chamo both show concern as well, Negi quickly reassuring them that he will be totally safe. He walks over to Chachamaru and bows with his fists out in front of him.
"I shall be your opponent."
Evangeline declares, "The Wheel of Fate is Turning… Rebel One… Action!"
Chachamaru begins her rush assault, asking for Negi's forgiveness as she moves in. Negi draws a wand and activates a contract on himself. Both parties quickly begin trading blows. Both sides are able to deflect attacks and block the other rather easily. The teacher spins around one of Chachamaru's punches and turns it into a technique, which Chachamaru nullifies with a simple block.
The crowd reacts with shock at how effortless Chachamaru reacts and how fast Negi is to attack. The two fighters quickly turn it into a flurry of blows. The robot girl ends the storm with a powerful kick. He reels back, making a feint. He grabs Chachamaru's arm as it goes by his head and throws and elbow in her direction. She jumps off a nearby wall, putting herself above him as his elbow ends where she had been standing.
Chachamaru turns her momentum into a toss, causing Negi to go spinning and bouncing across the plaza ground. The crowd of girls watches on in sudden silence as the child comes to a skidding stop.
"Hmph… Looks like that is all he has got," Evangeline comments.
"You certainly are in a bad temper tonight," Chachazero comments.
The little vampire heckles from above. "Too bad, so sad… Now pack it in and go wash yourself up."
Makie and Asuna begin running down to him when he twitches. With a few pops and cracks, Negi picks himself up. "I'm not dead yet."
"Seriously… You should be in bed by now, brat. The match is over."
"The condition you set forth was, and I quote, 'Until I die.' So there's no real set time limit, correct?"
"You're not that stupid, are you?!" Evangeline exclaims.
Negi bobs his head side to side, thinking over his reply. "Perhaps I am. But I intend to land a hit on Chachamaru-san one way or another. Let's continue, Chachamaru-san."
"Actually, no matter what you think, you have until school starts on Monday," Evangeline corrects him.
He rushes in to attack again, his speed noticeably slower than before. His contract ended while he was lying on the ground. Chachamaru easily avoids and elbows him in the back of the neck. Negi once again picks himself up off the ground.
"Please be serious about fighting me. There's no point if you take it easy on me."
Chachamaru offers a small protest, but Negi cuts her off with an attack. "I understand…" She decks him hard, knocking him off his feet.
They keep fighting for over an hour. It's getting to the point where even Evangeline is getting embarrassed about it.
She politely argues, "I think that you've gone far enough. I get that you're motivated. Just quit, okay?"
The beating continues as Chachamaru knocks him down again.
As Asuna heads down to stop the fight, Makie stops her. "You can't do this Asuna!"
"Come on, look at him…" Asuna gestures towards the boy.
"He's doing everything he can. Even if he's hurt bad, he's worked incredibly hard to get here. If you stopped him now, you'll ruin everything!"
"I think there's a limit though. He's just being a bull-headed kid who doesn't know any better," Asuna argues.
"No! He's an adult!"
"What happened in the showers was a fluke… And you were kind of grinding up against him."
"That's not what I'm getting at. No child could be so stubborn. I don't know how to say it, but I think he's prepared, that he has a plan of some sort. He's got a plan to achieve his goal and he's going to do everything he can to achieve it! You simply can't stop him now!"
Chachamaru pauses a moment to look at Makie giving her speech. Evangeline calls out, "Chachamaru, pay attention!"
In that moment, like a lone bell ringing out from an abandoned church, a metallic clang sounds out. Negi's fist makes contact with her left cheek, surprising her.
"G… Gotcha." With that, Negi falls to the ground triumphant.
A small chorus of cheers comes from Negi's fan group. He doesn't hear it.
When he awakens, when the sun is just starting to rise, he can hear Evangeline's message clearly. "Congratulations boy. I've lost. You can continue to come to my cottage for training. Oh, and you should continue your kung-fu training. Everyone needs some physical skills, and its logical style suits you." With that, she takes her leave with Chachazero riding on Chachamaru's head.
"Thank you… Evangeline-san." Negi finds himself surrounded by the many girls who came to watch him fight.
"Well done, Negi-kun," Makie compliments.
"Thank you. I didn't keep you up too long did I? Because I want you to do your best today too, Makie-san."
"I'm good. You can leave it to me Negi-kun! I'll dominate the try-outs today!"
Negima: Femella Intra Machina Chapter 11: End
The End of the Chapter Stuff: Yeah, I said I'd be on a regular schedule last chapter, but life doesn't always roll the way you want it.
Someone's playing a long game and you can see it if you look deep enough.
This chapter is powered by "Rave On" by Masafumi Takada from the Killer7 soundtrack, "Around the World/Better Harder Faster Stronger" by Daft Punk, and "Fall" by Kota Hoshino from the Armored Core 4 soundtrack.
Thanks this Chapter: Eternal-Longing for proofreading. If there's anyone I missed, I apologize.
Thanks for reading, and for reviewing if you do!