Most of the stores at the mall had closed by the time Simon had gotten there. Fortunately he'd managed to pick up the pens, ruler and calculator among many other things he needed before proper lessons started on Monday. Unfortunately it was dark already and without any landmarks he realised he was lost.
"Should've brought Joe along with me," he muttered to himself, setting off west.
The path was well lit and there were still a lot of people out and about. That way took him to where Chao Bao Zi had set up shop. He wound his way between the tables set up in front of the trailer.
"Hey Simon-san!"
He twisted around to see Ku Fei waving at him and sitting at a table with a dark haired boy around Negi's age.
Waving back he walked over. "Evening to both of you."
"This is Kotaro Inugami," the martial arts expert introduced the boy who nodded haughtily back at him before pushing out a seat at the table to Simon.
"Pleased to meet you, Inugami-san," greeted Simon, sitting down in the offered seat.
The dog-human hybrid hanyo said, "Same here. I just heard about you and your friends' arrival, Reilly-san. What's this specialist training you're supposed to be engaged in?"
As he took a long pull from the bottle in his hand, the hair on the side of his head parted a little and Simon caught a glimpse of Kotaro's unusually pointed ears. A little confused, he dismissed this as another pop culture quirk. Animal ears seemed fairly common as part costumes here anyway.
"I'm afraid I can't say. Strictly confidential," he smiled enigmatically at the kid, adding, "I'll have to kill you if you found out."
"I'd like to see you try," Kotaro retorted.
"He's quite the fighter actually," said Ku Fei, "He and I were just sparring at the gym before coming here."
"I've also started training regularly with Negi. His hand to hand skills are quite proficient. In addition to his… other talents." Kotaro coughed a little when he realised he'd almost given away too much.
"Sparring eh? Martial arts and stuff like that?" that piqued Simon's interest a little. "Black belt qualified?"
"I am in Kenpo," answered Ku Fei before pointing to Kotaro and saying, "He's unofficial but way beyond most masters I know. Getting to the second round of the martial arts tournament at the Mahora festival was no easy feat either."
The boy looked a little embarrassed, "I'd rather not dwell on such umm…"
"Oh!" Ku Fei waved her hand in dismissal. "Come on. At least you were knocked out fair and square instead of dropping out with an injury." She rubbed the arm that she broke after the match with Mana in that round of the tournament.
"I'm sorry to hear," said Simon. He turned to Kotaro, feeling something strange about the boy sitting opposite him… there was something distinctly canine about his demeanour.
"You wanna take a poke at me?" he asked, his competitive streak rising up.
"Thanks but no thanks, I'd rather not get my arse kicked on my second day here," answered Simon before turning to Ku Fei. "I was about to ask. Do you happen to know the way back to the dorms?"
"Uhh…" She curled her lips and looked up as she thought about it. "It's not as simple as just telling you which way, coz the school's so large. You just know where to go when you've been here for a term. It'd be easier if I showed you the way myself but I promised Yotsuba-san I'd help with cleaning up this evening. Ask Kotaro-kun, he stays with his sister Natsumi-san from our class."
"Ok…" Simon turned to Kotaro. "Lead the way."
"First…" Kotaro held up a finger. "How about you and I spar?"
He hoped to see what kind of specialist training it was that Simon and his friends were involved in.
"What? I can't be seen fighting with a brat like you," answered Simon, "Sorry mate, gotta pass on that."
"Well, it it's sanctioned by me, the master," said Ku Fei. "Then no one will object."
"If you refuse then… I'll help out with the washing up too and you'll have to find your own way back," added Kotaro. He hoped Simon would take up the challenge. Chizuru and Ayaka always made him do the dishes back at his shared dorm and he didn't fancy having to do it here either.
Simon sighed, checking his watch and realising it would be better if he'd got this done and over with. He wondered what Joseph had made for dinner, assuming the guy could cook.
"Ok, just one round."
"Three," interjected the girl.
"What? Get my arse kicked three times in a row? Are you kidding me?" gasped Simon.
"Come one, I'll go easy on you. I'd just eaten so I won't move too fast for you," said Kotaro with a grin, getting up and taking him by the upper arm.
For some reason Simon allowed the kid to drag him over to the grass just past the concrete where the tables were. Kotaro's strength was surprising too.
"Looks like we're putting on a show for the guests tonight," commented Ku Fei, looking over at the other patrons who turned around in their chairs to watch.
She then picked up several long branches and placed them so they formed the outline of a reasonably large square, about 7x7 metres.
"Alright. Best of three. You win if you throw your opponent out of the square or if your opponent taps out," she instructed. "We clear?"
"Yeah." Both boys nodded before turning to face each other from opposite corners of the box.
"Shit. What the hell did I get myself into?" Simon whispered to himself, nervously watching Kotaro bounce on the balls of his feet confidently.
Ku Fei stood at the edge with an arm raised.
"Fight!"
In a flash Kotaro was halfway across the box. His right arm was poised and ready for a right hook. Simon raised his arms instinctively, tracking the progress of his opponent's arm.
"Observe what I do carefully," said the SAS instructor during hand to hand combat training.
He raised his forearms with the hands open and straight at the wrists. The volunteer came forward and let loose a flurry of punches which the instructor deflected.
Alas, Simon was a tad late. His forearm caught Kotaro on his bicep which didn't help as he was almost knocked off-balance with the hit to the ribs. He managed to block the strike form Kotaro's left fist but only with his right hand. Fortunately he'd avoided a broken wrist from that poorly executed block. The hanyo jumped back, allowing Simon to fall to his knees in agony. It didn't seem right to finish off his opponent in this state but he wasn't giving any indication of quitting yet.
"Keep your arms at an oblique angle and your hands straight so as not to take the blows straight on."
"Alright, I'm up." This time Simon got into a proper stance, raising his forearms with the hands open and straight at the wrists.
"Ready?" asked Kotaro.
No sooner had Simon nodded than Kotaro leapt forward again. Immediately he unleashed a volley of punches but Simon this time was ready, channelling the impacts down the length of his forearm. After a few seconds of this Kotaro suddenly jumped forward and kneed Simon high in the chest, sending him flying out of the box.
"That's one to Kotaro!" announced Ku Fei. "Your blocking technique was good but don't forget your opponent isn't going to be static."
Simon nodded, rubbing his chest, saying, "That's the second time I got hit here today."
Both of them returned to their positions at opposite corners.
"Round 2!"
Kotaro this time threw a roundhouse which Simon dodged, leaning back slightly, his nose was just a centimetre away from being broken. He threw a straight punch, but Kotaro easily wove around and punched him low in the stomach. Simon lurched over, almost retching but there wasn't anything to throw up. The spectators applauded as Kotaro backed up again, waiting for him to recover. Wiping his mouth, Simon stood up again and resumed his stance.
Again, Kotaro was in his face, this time coming in from the left, sending a straight punch with his right arm. Simon pivoted on his left foot while deflecting the punch with his left forearm. As he turned he whipped up his right elbow, almost hitting Kotaro in the back of his head. Fortunately the hanyo ducked just in time thanks to his razor sharp reflexes. Simon however was in a bad position with his back exposed to his opponent. Not surprisingly he felt himself being knocked to his stomach as Kotaro kicked him in the back of one knee and leapt onto his shoulders, pinning him down. Cursing his inability to move, Simon tapped out.
"Round 2 goes to Kotaro-kun!" said Ku Fei.
"Alright, that's enough for me," said Simon, wiping the dirt off his clothes.
"You're not giving up that easily are you?" asked Kotaro, "I'd never seen a rookie do this well on his first try."
"Well it's best of three so I've lost anyway," he replied.
"Aw, come on! Dignity round," pleaded Ku Fei, "At least you can lose with honour."
Simon thought about it for a moment. "Ok..."
A few cheers arose from the crowd. He hoped their entertainment wasn't entirely derived from watching him get his arse kicked.
"You can't just lose on purpose either," said Kotaro, returning to his corner.
"Right…" Simon had half a mind to do just that.
"Last Round! Go!"
In an instant Kotaro was right in front of Simon, lashing out with a punch with his right hand. Almost instinctively he dodged back and grabbed the outstretched arm at the wrist with his right hand. Immediately he followed up with two kicks to the stomach with his right leg, stunning Kotaro. Next he grabbed the hanyo's right shoulder with his left arm before bringing up his left leg horizontally in front of Kotaro's waist. He leapt up sideways so his right leg went across the back of the younger boy's knees. As Simon fell, both his legs acted to scissor his opponent and knock him to the ground on his back with Simon still on top at a right angle to Kotaro's right.
"Now that you're in the dominant position, a chop to the neck with sufficient force will fracture your opponent's windpipe and kill him," said the instructor after successfully performing the manoeuvre against another SAS recruit.
Raising his left hand, he brought it down on Kotaro's chest with a painful slap.
"Good one!" complimented Ku Fei.
With a groan, Kotaro tapped out. "Oh… My tummy."
There was a loud round of applause from the audience as Simon got up and helped his opponent to his feet. Kotaro was still rubbing his stomach and his chest.
"You alright there?" he asked the opponent.
"Not really… That was quite a good takedown actually," complimented Kotaro before he returned to his moping.
"Oh what are you whining about?" said Ku Fei cheerfully, "You still won Kotaro-kun!"
"The boy didn't answer as he crouched down and panted slowly.
"Geez… I think I hurt him bad," muttered Simon, rubbing the back of his head. "Tell you what. I'll buy you a pint since you won. It actually wasn't too bad."
Ku Fei gave him a strange look. "He's not of the legal drinking age yet."
"Huh?" Simon started. "Oh, that kinda slipped out. Sorry. I'll buy you a soda from the vending machine when we get back to the dorms."
"Actually I think Kotaro-kun needs a bit more help getting back to the dorms," said the girl, giving him a concerned look.
"No, it feels better now," said Kotaro, standing up as straight as possible. "Just got to remember not to do any physical activity immediately after eating. That's what Chizuru-nee always said."
"I'll text them now," said Ku Fei, pulling out her phone before noticing someone in the crowd. "Well speak of the devil. Here they are."
Before she or Simon could say anything Chizuru had rushed over and was hugging Kotaro tightly, cooing, "Oh Kotaro-kun, what on earth were you doing? Picking a fight with one of the new boys?"
Not far behind was Natsumi who looked every bit concerned as her roommate and a cross looking Ayaka.
"Eh, hey there," said Simon, awkwardly looking sideways at Kotaro and Chizuru.
"Hello, Iincho-san, Murakami-san. If you're unhappy about the fight then…" Ku Fei struggled to find an explanation.
Natsumi answered, "I hope Kotaro-kun wasn't hurt too badly. He's only a kid you know." She glared at Simon who looked a little taken aback.
"He should be fine, he did win after all but I think I'm in worse shape," said Simon, looking at Kotaro and then Natsumi. "You two are siblings right?" he asked, a little too suspiciously for the latter's liking.
"Yes," she replied abruptly. "Ask Chizu-nee or Iincho."
"Fine." He decided to let that slide.
"What a pity. Normally I'd object when students in our class fight, but I wished I could have been closer to see that brat get his arse handed back to him. Pardon my French," said Ayaka with a darkly amused smile.
"No one objects when you and Asuna-chan fights," complained Natsumi and Ku Fei together.
"That's totally irrelevant. When boys fight, someone always gets in trouble or gets hurt," the class rep shot back.
All this was making the situation more awkward for Simon and this didn't help when he noticed why Kotaro was struggling so hard to break free from Chizuru.
"By the way. Now that you're all here, can anyone show me the way back to the dorms? And have either of you seen Gary? He'd gone to the library with Yue, Haruna and Nodoka if I remember correctly," he questioned Ayaka and Natsumi.
"I did see Gary go to the infirmary when I spoke with Negi-sensei and his friends," said Ayaka, "He appeared to be injured. I don't know the cause of it though,"
"If you want to find them just go straight. The infirmary is easy to find for newcomers," said Natsumi, pointing to a sign with a caduceus symbol superimposed on a first aid cross. "Keep going straight and on your right there will be a three storied building on your right with all the lights on. That's the main infirmary building. You can't miss it."
"Ok thanks."
Shizuna's eyes widened when she saw what happened to Gary's arm.
"Oh, dear what drove you to do this to yourself?" she asked, reaching for a syringe of anaesthetic.
"I lost my first aid kit in the library," he replied, "Had to do something or else I would have bled out."
Shizuna nodded, as she poked the syringe into the side of the injury. Ako who also acted as her assistant sat nearby, looking very very ill.
"Izumi-kun, you need to pay attention. It's not everyday we get such an unusual case," the head nurse told the girl.
"Yes Minimoto-san," she replied weakly, forcing herself to look at the wound before quickly averting her eyes.
Negi paced about while his students and Chamo lounged about in the empty waiting room, reading the magazines on the coffee table in front or watching the TV hung in the corner. Konoka noticed the young teacher's impatient pacing and called out. He looked over and saw her patting the seat next to her.
"What is it Konoka-san?" he asked, sitting down.
"Don't look so stressed out. You're supposed to be off duty this weekend so there really isn't anything you could have done. Besides, Gary's in good hands now," she reassured.
The phone at the empty reception desk started ringing and Ako came rushing out to answer it. As soon as she was done, Negi stood up and walked over.
"How's his prognosis?"
"Well we've got to keep Gary-san here overnight for observation. We don't want him getting septicaemia so as soon as the doctor on call gets here, he'll prescribe something for him." She covered her mouth suddenly. "Umm, sorry Negi-sensei, but I'm not exactly sure if I should be discussing this with you. I'm so sorry but you're not exactly his legal custodian or-."
Negi held up a hand. "Don't worry. I'm at fault here. I shouldn't have asked."
Ako shuffled her feet awkwardly. "I can tell you with a good degree of certainty that Gary will be able to attend class on Monday."
"Thank you Ako-san. That's all I need to hear," said Negi.
Everyone jumped when they heard someone deep within the confines of the infirmary shout, "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT? YOU'RE GOING TO USE IT ON ME?"
"I think the doctor's already arrived," said Ako, "I gotta run."
In an instant she'd disappeared through the double doors.
"Maybe the pliers would have been a better alternative," suggested Asuna.
"Nothing we can do for him now," stated Yue, inserting a few coins into a vending machine.
The front door slid open and in came Simon, swinging a plastic shopping bag holding the stationary he'd bought earlier. Haruna who was texting on her phone furiously looked up and gave him a very sly smile which he chose to ignore. She then leaned over and whispered to Nodoka who jumped as she listened before beckoning to Yue.
"I heard Gary was brought in just now," he said to Negi.
"Yes he was Simon," the teacher replied, "It was a rather serious injury so he will have to stay here until tomorrow morning at least."
"How serious?" Simon demanded to know, sitting and placing the bag on the table.
"He's got a cut down the length of his arm." Asuna traced it out on her arm. "And he sealed it up with staples."
"Uh huh." For some reason he didn't seem very surprised.
"Can do we go as soon as we hear the latest?" asked Nodoka, dropping a magazine and picking up another, only to drop it as it was an even older edition.
"I agree, it's getting late and we're all hungry," added Negi.
"But not before I go in and confirm his status," said the older boy.
"Alright, we'll all go and see him together, because Simon says." Konoka chuckled a little at her lame joke.
A collective groan arose from everyone in the waiting room.
"So Negi… I met up with a friend of yours, a lad named Kotaro Inugami," said Simon, stopping in midstride, "I heard from Ku Fei that you and he are regular sparring partners."
"Yeah that's true, we both practise martial arts together. Ku Fei's a master and she trains me as well," answered Negi, hoping Kotaro didn't spill anything about magic or his demon heritage.
"Interesting fellow… He challenged me to a round of best of three. You can imagine the results." Simon grimaced.
There was an awkward silence as Negi resumed his pacing and was joined by Simon. Meanwhile the whisperings started by the Library girls had reached Konoka, Chamo and Asuna who reached out and tapped the teacher on the shoulder.
"Yes?"
She whispered the details to him.
"Really? With Yuna-san?" Negi's eyes widened in surprise.
Simon heard and turned around slowly. There was something ominous going on in his eyes, especially the one with blood in it. "So you know? Looks like I'll have to terminate each and every one of you with extreme prejudice."
Everyone recoiled in fright.
"I'm just kidding," he laughed before asking in a serious tone, "Who here found out first?"
His eyes settled automatically on Haruna who was having a great deal of trouble looking innocent, especially next to Nodoka whose eyes were invisible and Yue who had her usual poker face on.
"Who was your source?" he asked slowly as he came over and placed both hands on the armrests of the chair on which Haruna sat, leaning in menacingly. Yue observed out the corner of her eye and Nodoka shrank away.
The rumourmonger of 3-A returned his stare defiantly and said semi-jokingly, "You can't touch me. I'm bulletproof."
Simon rolled his eyes and retorted, "I know that. I'm just enjoying the melodrama here so I'll ask nicely. Can you tell me how you found out? Please."
"Ok… The cheerleaders in the room above the dorm where you and Yuna were last seen had heard what was going on," she answered, "Satisfied?"
"Plausible enough. The walls have ears after all," he conceded, retreating.
"There's no shame in that though," reassured Konoka.
"Yeah, some of Aniki's students have crushes on him," added Chamo.
Nodoka, Yue and Negi went red at this while Asuna rolled up the ermine in a magazine and secured it with an elastic bad.
"In any case we'll support you all the way," said Konoka.
"Wait-!" Simon's denials were drowned out by a collective cheer of agreement from everyone in the room.
Patience wearing thin, Joseph left his dorm to look for something to do. There wasn't anything good to watch on TV and neither of his roommates had turned up. The table was set and could remain that way indefinitely. It was deadly quiet in the corridors of the dorms and deathly cold too. A chilling breeze suddenly blew down the corridor, ruffling his hair and making him shiver. As far as he could see there weren't any open windows, nor were there any open doors leading outside. Walking along he swore he heard footsteps on the walkway above but when he looked there was no one. With a shrug he continued until he got to the vending machine. As he inserted the coins he saw something formless in the reflection of the machine display approach and a slight chill. Whipping around he saw nothing.
Sayo Aisaka, 3-A's resident ghost chuckled as she floated up and away.
Joseph waited a minute but heard and saw nothing. By then the machine had cancelled his order and returned his money. As he started the process again he definitely saw a humanoid figure reflected in the display. Turning around he came face to face with Kazumi, who didn't look very pleased at all.
"Uh, hello Asakura-san," greeted Joseph uncertainly.
She gave him a broken smile and punched the side of the machine, right next to Joseph's ear. He gulped and looked up at her as he shrunk back.
"Hello Joseph-san. Perhaps we can continue our interview," she suddenly said in a bright cheery voice, pointing to a wicker table with chairs right next to the machine.
He gave a sigh of relief. "I thought you were going to stuff my body into the machine just then."
"I was considering it," she joked.
"You're awfully persistent," complimented Joseph, "Sorry about getting dragged away this morning."
"I don't blame you but..." Kazumi leaned forward and spoke seriously, "I need something published by Monday morning for the school newsletter. I need to have the story ready by tomorrow afternoon. See what I'm getting at?"
"I understand. Ok, we can talk but I can't tell you why I'm here," he answered.
"Fine. Let's start with the basics. Your Japanese is quite good, about the same level as our teacher when he first arrived. Care to tell us how you learnt it."
Defence Language Institute – US Department of Defence
"Well as soon as I got the letter, my mum got me a series of language books. I started reading them at home and then on the plane. By the time I'd finished the journey had ended here. I don't know how I got into it so quickly," he replied after taking a moment to think about it.
"Impressive," she said, scribbling into her notepad.
"How was schooling back in the US?"
He gave her the name of the magnet school he attended in Boston, briefly describing his experiences as it was a co-ed and non-boarding.
"How does it feel being here? I mean everything is different. You're in a girls-only class and a boarding school no less. I hope it wasn't too much of a shock," said Kazumi.
"I feel it's a little too soon to ask that question now. It's only my second day here and anyway, I haven't actually attended a class yet other than the last five minutes," answered Joseph truthfully.
"Ok… got a girlfriend?"
"Excuse me?"
"Was there a girl in your life before coming here? If so how do you feel having to leave her?" she reiterated.
"No…"
"Interested in anyone in this class?" questioned Kazumi with a grin.
"Do you think I'm going to answer that? Especially since this is going to be published next Monday."
"Ok, nothing conclusive. Rest assured I'll get back to you with that question." She scribbled a reminder to herself. "Are you confident that Negi Springfield will be a good teacher? Answer truthfully."
"What?" Joseph had to ponder this and phrase his response carefully. "Of course I have every confidence in him. If the dean thinks he's capable then I'm willing to go along with it."
"Right… Kazumi wrote down every word. "Can I quote you on that?"
"If it's going to make me look like a jackass, then no."
"Alright, I'll frame your words in a positive context then. I'm not about to start ruining your reputation right off the bat now," said Kazumi, scribbling a little more.
"That's acceptable. Anything else?"
"Last question for the evening."
"Shoot."
"Do you believe in the supernatural or magic?"
"Well…" Again, Joseph had to give this some thought, taking the talking ermine into consideration. "Well, I can neither confirm nor deny my belief in such notions." Before he added, "I guess you'll have to come back to me on this?"
"Yes I will." Kazumi scribbled this down with a knowing grin.
