Negima Remix!
Chapter 21: The Big Confession; Favor of the Buddha (In Nara)
Arashi Hotel
Second Day
Morning
Group 5's Room
When morning broke up, Nodoka was wide awake, still dressed in a yukata, sitting in the seiza position…and talking to Seiji? "Uh…Um…Seiji…" "Yes, what is it?", 'Seiji' asked. She blushed a little, trying to get the words out, "I…I know that it's kind of sudden…seeing that you're here on Library business…", she took a deep breath as she tried to get it out, "If…if it's…if it's all right with Negi-sensei and you…how about…you could join Group 5 on the Free Activity day and…"
The 'Seiji' she was talking to was actually a bobble head that Haruna designed for her. It was to help her practice talking to Seiji. She then pretended that Seiji couldn't and she sounded disappointed, "You won't?", she then lowered her head in sadness, "I understand…I'm…I'm not your type…." It was then that Haruna and Yue popped up, with Haruna shouting excitedly, "Nodoka, breakfast!" Yue calmly added, "We're meeting at the first floor's grand hall." She smiled, "Okay, I'll be with you guys as soon as I can."
After finding a clean school uniform, she got dressed, but this time she did something different. She tied her hair back in a little ponytail, and pulled her bangs back a little with a few hairclips, showing her eyes. She then stood up and had a look of determination on her face, "Here…here goes!", and with that, she was heading for the Grand Hall.
First Floor
Grand Hall
Negi and Miss Shizuna were dressed in their teacher attire, and stood in front of the students for their breakfast. Negi announced, "Alright, class. Let's give thanks for the food." Everyone said their blessing, and began to dig in. Negi sat down, and surprisingly to all of Class 3-A, it was Seiji and Laz, along with Reina. When the girls asked Seiji and Laz what they were doing in Kyoto and Negi had 'explained' to them that they had official library business on finding books for Library Island. Reina was here on much needed vacation time.
Negi sat next to Seiji, who was dressed in his usual library attire and gloves along with Laz. And he also seemed a little more distant than usual. Ever since Asuna, Setsuna, and everyone else aside from Negi, Chamo, and Laz, saw his Automail limb, he seemed to put more distance between himself and the others. It was then that Asuna had sat next to Negi, and spoke to Seiji, "Hey, mornin', Seiji." It was then that she saw he turned to the other direction, not facing her at all. She raised an eyebrow as she asked Negi, "I'm guessing he's a little ashamed of his cyber limb, Automail?" Negi didn't know how to answer that, but then, Seiji answered it for him, "I'm not ashamed of my Automail. It's just that…it's not something most people see everyday on a fifteen year old"
He looked down at his plate, "For Laz's case, everyone would think he's like Chachamaru, and that's okay. But for me…I'm pretty sure everyone would freak out and run away." Asuna noted a hint of depression from his voice; and knew she would have to straighten this sour puss out, "Hey, come on, Seiji! I only stared at it in shock, but I didn't run away." Reina, who overheard this, decided to cheer Seiji up as well. She took his left hand with her right, and smiled at him, "She's right, Seiji. The limb isn't monstrous and it's not the whole 'you'; it's an extension of you. Like my crystal limbs; my right arm and hand and my left leg, from foot to knee."
That's what caught Asuna's attention as she asked, "You've got fake limbs, too? Did you try one of those, 'Human' Transmutie things?" Reina shook her head, "No, I…kind of…transmuted them into living crystal, that's all." Asuna looked dumbfounded by this, "He lost his left arm, and she mutated her right arm and lower left leg.", Her face went into a weird looking one as she grimaced comically, "And I thought having my clothes dissolved by magic was bad." That caused everyone, including Asuna, to laugh uncontrollably. Negi saw Seiji's smile again, and was glad for his friend to smile again.
They all just sat down after they had finished laughing, when Konoka came over looking cheerful, as ever. Evidently, to Negi and Asuna's considerable relief, she was none too worse the wear for the events of last night. It was then that she noticed everyone nearly half asleep, especially Negi and Seiji, "Negi-kun, Seiji-kun, you two look a little sleepy."
All too true, neither one of the boys had a wink of sleep that well in the end. Nightmares of what that Monkey woman would do to kidnap Konoka, and for seiji, about that damn Monkey woman poking fun at what he did to get his Automail arm, caused him to get up and shout in his sleep.
"That's not the half of it…", Seiji said as he cracked his neck, stretching out the stiffness and the sleepiness he had going for him. Konoka looked a little puzzled by that response as she asked, "What?" Negi and Asuna almost slapped Seiji on the back of his head when they realized that he had just said that out loud. As opposed to inside his head like any normal person would have intended. Realizing what he had just said, he tried to backtrack quickly, trying to cover for his mistake.
Luckily, Laz helped him to it, "Oh, um, nothing. He's just not getting enough sleep is all.", Seiji nodded at that and replied to Konoka with a good natured smile, "Good morning, Konoka." Negi nodded at that as he motioned for a seat next to Asuna, "Would you like to sit down? We would enjoy the company."
She giggled a little at their odd behavior, before thanking Negi and sitting down, "Thank you Negi-kun, I would love to." She took a seat opposite to Negi and began her meal. The teens all chatted idly, discussing plans for the day. Originally, Negi was intending to spend the day and the following day exploring, taking in the sights and looking for clues relating to the whereabouts of his father.
Seiji was gonna spend the day with his brother and Reina, and take in the sights as well. But unknown to Konoka, they would try and make sure that the Kansai Magic Association wouldn't try a repeated attempt from last night. And if they were lucky, Laz and Seiji would probably find anything they could about the Philosopher Stone being in Kyoto.
Unfortunately since learning about this business with the Kansai Magic Association, and trying to kidnap Konoka, the boy's plans were all but forgotten, despite Asuna, Setsuna, and their efforts last night, Konoka was still kidnapped. That meant the gang couldn't take any more chances until they were all back at the academy…or until they could defeat the Association by either delivering the letter, or beating them in battle.
As if on cue, a rather reluctant Setsuna appeared and sat at a table close to them. It was obvious that Setsuna was a little skittish towards Konoka. It was quite odd considering that everyone had thought that the two had patched things up. Feeling slightly embarrassed by this, she got up and was about to leave. Konoka stopped that by getting up and following her, "But why? There's nothing to be embarrassed about! So let's eat together." It was at that time, Setsuna was sprinting away, with Konoka behind her, "Se-chan! Why are you running away?" Setsuna replied, "I-I don't especially…!"
This scene caused a number of gossipers about Setsuna's strange behavior, and a few rumors that the two were like sisters. After breakfast, Asuna and Negi met up with Seiji and Laz as they discussed on what they would do for the day. Seiji was deep in thought, but was interrupted by Negi, "Seiji, can I ask you a favor?" Seiji nodded, "Sure, what's up?" Negi explained that because of such short notice, they were a little short on staff for keeping an eye on the groups. So then Negi asked, "If it's not too much trouble, could you help us on keeping on one group each?"
Laz beamed with excitement, "You got it, Negi!" Seiji on the other hand shrugged, "Well, my orders are to protect Konoka, so sure." "I too will be glad of any assistance!", Armstrong suddenly appeared and began his annual flexing. Asuna jus sweat dropped, "This guy just loves to pose." Just then, Ayaka came into the room, in her almost good attempt to flirt with Negi, "Negi-sensei, I was wondering if…" she suddenly stopped as she saw who was here with them. She smiled as she nearly squealed, "Uncle Alex!"
Armstrong lit up as he recognized who it was, "My darling niece, Ayaka!", the two then hugged each other. Negi was a little confused by this, "Wait, Class Rep. He's your uncle?" The two broke the hug as Ayaka answered, "Oh, yes I forgot, this is my uncle, Alex Louis Armstrong." Armstrong nodded, "She's the daughter of my baby sister. And doesn't she look like me?", he said with a few little purple sparkles over his head. Asuna was the one to ask skeptically, "How exactly is she related to you?" Then Armstrong pointed out, "The Armstrong Eyelashes." Asuna then got a good look at them both, and realized they had the exact same eyelashes, 'Okayyyyy….that's a little creepy.'
Nodoka had appeared around the corner, and saw Seiji. She blushed as she slowly walked forward, 'Okay, Nodoka…you can do this…just ask him…' she had reached them and began to ask her question, when all of a sudden; Makie popped out and tackle hugged Negi. She playfully yelled, "Negi! Come sightseeing with our group today!" It was then that Ayaka popped up and shouted, "Hey! Makie, Negi-sensei's sightseeing with our Group 3!"
Then suddenly, Fuka and Fumika popped up and gleefully shouted, "C'mon, Laz! Join our group today!" Then suddenly, the battle for the boys began as the three groups were opposing on which boy would go to which group. The battle raged on and on; too much for any one of the boys to break up, fearing that they could get torn apart. Nodoka took a deep breath, and spoke quietly, "U-Uh…", until she spoke up louder, "UM, SEIJI!" Everyone stopped but still yelled as Seiji turned around as Nodoka spoke up, "You…You think there's any chance that you'd…well…want to spend the day with us?"
Everyone was a little surprised by this sudden change of events; even Seiji was a little startled by this change in Nodoka for speaking up. He thought as he looked at her, 'Wow! I didn't know that Nodoka could speak up if she wanted to.' It was then that he was thinking something up, 'Wait a minute! Nodoka's in Group 5, and Konoka is in Group 5, logically with Asuna and Setsuna, we stand a better chance together in case the Monkey woman shows up again.'
He then smiled to Nodoka as he answered, "I'd love to go with Group 5 today." It was after that answer; Nodoka had never smiled that much in her mid school life. 'He said Yes…I…I'm so happy…!', she thought, as that moment she felt like she would faint from happiness. And it was at that moment that Negi had decided to make his choice before Ayaka started the battle up again, "You know what, Makie? I think I will join your group today." Makie beamed at that, "Really?" She ran over to Negi and hugged him tightly, "Oh, thank you, thank you!"
Ayaka was fuming about this scene, but surprisingly, Asuna wasn't as happy as she thought. 'What's wrong with me?', Asuna thought as she saw Makie hug Negi, 'It's Negi we're talking about. Why am I acting like I'm jealous?'
Nara Park
As soon as they got ready, Group 5 and Group 4 had made their way to Nara Park. After some debate the two guest guides agreed on going to have a look around the park. According to what Negi and Seiji had heard about the park, deer wandered freely about the streets in this location. Something that was almost unheard of in England, although in Wales it was somewhat more common, most of the country side was given over to sheep grazing after all.
Still, the two boys didn't see deer all that often and it would make a nice change from the hustle and bustle of city life. The two groups wandered around, and encountered the deer on several occasions, and upon seeing a small vendor who was selling food, Seiji went over and purchased some, enough for both Negi and the girls as well. Seiji returned with bags of food in hand, before distributing them to the girls and taking the lead by placing a little of the feed in his left palm and holding it out to one of the deer.
It was a young female as far as he could tell. Seiji was a little hesitant at first, but after a moment began to eat the food from his hand. Haruna quirked, "You know, for a guy who loses his temper on his height…he can be pretty gentle." Even after it was finished it nuzzled Seiji's hand gently, as if it was saying 'Thanks'. This of course got a laugh from the others. However, Nodoka could only go a little starry eyed at Seiji. She giggled as she slightly blushed at him, "Eheehee…Oh, Seiji."
Suddenly, she was tackled by Haruna, "You did it, Nodoka!" who was joined up by Yue. The three turned away to avoid the others as Haruna congratulated Nodoka, "You've got serious guts, Nodoka! I'm seeing you in a whole different way, now", in fact this was true; to Haruna and Yue, and this was the first time Nodoka ever did anything so bold. "I was really moved.", Yue answered, giving a small smile. Nodoka giggled, "Eheehee, thanks. I'm just so glad that Seiji joined us here in Nara for the day."
Suddenly, Haruna palm slam-slapped Nodoka, "IDIOT!" Nodoka was a little taken back by that as she shook; a little scared from her friend's outburst. Haruna then continued, "That can't be good enough! Not near! This is only the beginning!" Nodoka fearfully asked, "Wh-What do you mean?" Haruna leaned in and whispered, "I dare you, Nodoka…I dare you to tell Seiji Crevantes how you feel about him."
Nodoka blushed madly at that as she heard that dare. She was all wide eyed and blushing madly at this, "WHAT? But...Ohh! I…I…I could never…!" Haruna interrupted her as she explained that a field trip was like a hormone riot for both sides. She even told Nodoka that the Mahora Love Research Association said that the success rate for confessing your love to someone during a field trip was an 87 chance. Yue sweat dropped, "Can't argue with those numbers." Haruna even pressed it on as she told Nodoka that she could use tomorrow's Free Activity time to have their first Lovey-Dovey date; just the two of them.
At this point, Nodoka's cheeks were blushing even a brighter shade of red as her eyes swirled with panic. Her heart was beating like a tribe drum, and inside her head, it wasn't as good as it swarmed with thoughts, 'Lovey-Dovey date…with Seiji…87?' she shook her head, "I…I dunno…but...Ohh…a date…but this is all so fast!" Haruna cheered on, "It's a fast world! You've gotta keep up! The new Nodoka can pull this off!" Yue simply smiled, "Fight on, Nodoka." Then Yue and Haruna ran towards where the others were, trying to make sure that they'd get Seiji alone with Nodoka. Nodoka was running after them, trying to stop them, "Wait! I'm not sure if I'm ready!"
Suddenly, she bumped into someone, "Oh, I'm sorry…I should…have…looked…" she stopped as she saw who she had bumped into. It was a man, around his thirties or forties; he was tall and muscular, not as tall as Laz but two feet shorter than him. He wore black pants, a white shirt, and a yellow jacket with a black strip going down the sleeves. But the man also had dark skin, much like Seiji's, and short white hair, and sunglasses over his eyes, and a strange X like scar over his eyes. He stared down at Nodoka with a cold look on his face; it unnerved her as she backed away a little.
She again bowed and apologized, "I…I'm very sorry, sir.", and then bolted off to find her friends. The man just stood there as he watched the girl go, and just let her go with no hesitation.
Back with Group 5 and 4
Negi and Group 4 were following seiji and the rest of the present Group 5 to the Temple of the Big Buddha. Makie was as nervous as a mouse in a Kitten Kennel as she realized how close she was to Negi. It was then that Yuna popped up from behind her, "So, Makie. You gonna lay it on him?" Makie giggled, "I'm not sure. I mean he maybe fifteen, but he's still our teacher."
Mana, who was being quiet as usual, spoke up a little, "Tell him, if you don't you might have another chance at it." Yuna, Akira, Ako, and Makie were a little surprised by this sudden change in Mana's usual quiet routine. Makie, however, smiled at this as she smirked, "You're right, Mana. I've gotta go over there and tell him." She then walked over to Negi as the girls silently cheered him on, as Mana smiled at this.
While Makie was about to confess to Negi, he, Seiji, and the dynamic feminine duo, along with a little ermine, were talking over the bodyguard plan. Setsuna had reported that the Monkey girl wouldn't show up for a while, which was a big relief for the boys. Negi sighed in relief, "So she won't show up here?" Setsuna nodded, "I suspect that she will need time to plan. Still, I've left an Onmyou god with each group just to alert us. Just in case."
Setsuna then noticed Seiji particularly quiet "Is something wrong, Seiji-sama?" Seiji broke out of his thought as he spoke up, "Yeah, it's something to do with last night." Chamo asked, "Ya mean about the Monkey girl's Philosopher Stone?" He nodded, "Yeah, I mean it took me and Laz six years of research and training to find one, and yet that Monkey girl's gotten a hold of one." It was then that Negi agreed to that, "You're right, there's no way she could have gotten it by herself." Then Asuna asked, "So if she didn't find it…who did?"
Just then, Group 4 came in and snatched Negi away, with Ako saying, "Come on, Negi-sensei. We're gonna check out the Big Buddha temple a lot faster." And with that, they were out of sight. Just then, Haruna and Yue popped up and tackled Asuna, with Chamo on her head, away from Seiji and Setsuna. Haruna spoke up, "Asuna! Asuna! Let's go check out the Big Buddha!", and then suddenly, Konoka popped up with a tray of some kind, "Se-chan, I brought some dangos…you know, rice balls. Wanna go eat them together?" This caused Setsuna to recoil and run away, "Wait, Se-chan!", and with that, the only one left was Seiji.
He sweat dropped at this, "Sheesh! Negi asked me to keep an eye on them. So how the heck am I supposed to do that, if they keep getting out of sight?" He sighed at this turn of events, sometimes wondering if they really needed his help with the girls. More than a little confused by this latest development, Seiji was about to go after them, when he noticed Nodoka standing next to him. She was slightly shaking about something, and her cheeks were a little red.
"Nodoka? Is there something you wanted?", he asked her in a little bit of concern. She was a little nervous at first but then she spoke up, "Seiji…I…", She paused, taking a deep breath. Not knowing what to do, he decided to ask her, "Would you like to look around with me?"
Figuring that it could do no harm, he flashed her a warm smile. She was a little taken back by the smile, but she nodded, "Huh…Ah, yeah! I would be happy to." He smiled as she motioned her to follow him, and she did. However, her eyes were burning with determination as she thought with her fists clenched and brought to her chest, 'Yes! Yeah, I'll try hard!'
Big Buddha Temple
Seiji and Nodoka wandered about together, taking in the sights, eventually making their way towards the temple that housed the large Buddha statue. When they got there, neither one of them couldn't help but marvel at the sheer size of the temple itself. It was quite grand, especially considering the time it was built. Just like the castles in Wales, it stood as a testament to what people can do when they work together, even without magic or Alchemy to help them.
The two stepped inside, moving towards the larger room near the center of the temple where the statue itself sat. Nodoka had stopped blushing, and was now trying to bring confidence in herself to tell Seiji how she felt about him, 'Okay…Okay…Okay…I've gotta tell him. I've gotta tell him.' Once again when Seiji saw the Buddha statue, the level of detail carved into the statue struck him as notable.
Seiji thought that it must have taken the sculptor many years to carve it, and many more to refine the details to such a level. Nodoka looked at him, seeing the seriousness of thought and the look of amazement on his face. She thought he had never looked more…more handsome. Just then, she heard a whisper from one of the pillars. She looked and saw it was Haruna and Yue; Yue whispered, "We cant keep the others away forever…". She nodded at that and turned toward Seiji, 'Come on, Nodoka…tell him how you feel.'
Seiji's attention was then diverted from it when Nodoka suddenly spoke up, "Seiji…can I talk to you for a second?" He nodded as he turned to her, "Yeah, what is it Nodoka?"
She twiddled her fingers, "Well…I…you see…"
"Yes?", he asked.
She was struggling with the words, until she finally yelled out, "I…I LOVE…THIS BIG BUDDHA!" Haruna and Yue just stood behind the pillar with their jaws hanging open. Haruna shouted in her head, 'I love the Big Buddha? Get on with it, ya dope!'
There was a moment of silence between then as she made that comment. Then suddenly, Seiji had to fight back the urge to laugh; he never expected Nodoka to say something like that. After all she seemed more the quiet type, and an outburst like that was more of Asuna's style. He laughed a little at this, "I see, well you certainly have good taste." Once she had said that, they decided to check out a place in the temple that gave away good fortunes.
They walked across to where the fortune papers were; it was then that Nodoka hesitated at first before saying, "Uh…I…Seiji…I LOVE…GOOD FORTUNE!" Seiji raised an eyebrow at that outburst, but then chuckled, "Really? Let's give it a try then." However, unknown to him, both Haruna and Yue face vaulted to the ground, at Nodoka's 'Good Fortune' love claim. But Nodoka waved her arms around comically as she cried, "Uh, no. That's not what I mean. I like good fortune…No, the Big Buddha…" Seiji just looked at her a little dumbfounded at her behavior.
When Nodoka, still a little depressed, pulled out a fortune. To both the teens' surprise, it turned out well for Nodoka, as it said 'very good luck'. Feeling confident, Seiji picked one for himself, only to suffer a fairly major disappointment as it said quite the opposite to Nodoka's. 'Extremely Bad Luck' he sighed in defeat at this, "Extremely Bad Luck…figures considering what's happened so far." A little confused at what he said, Nodoka asked him in concern, "Seiji?"
"Oh! Sorry Nodoka, I didn't mean you. It's just some things happened last night", he gripped his left arm subconsciously, nearly squeezing it, "Nothing for you to worry about."
"Oh…ok.", she said. She knew something was troubling him. Because every time he gripped his left arm, she knew something was troubling him dearly. But she knew he didn't want to talk about it, so she would let it go for him. However, something was on her mind as she twiddled her fingers, 'I can't do it. just like I thought, I can't say it to him.' It was then that Seiji spoke out to her, "Hey, Nodoka…look at this.", she turned to see where Seiji was and saw him stand near something strange. The next point of inertest that they had now encountered was a large wooden cylinder, with a roughly square hole at the base.
"According to this…", Seiji read the description from a small metal plate that adorned the side, "…this hole is approximately the size of the big Buddha's nostril. It says here that one who can pass through it will be granted both heightened intelligence and wishes."
Nodoka immediately lit up as he said that, "Wishes?", she walked over and knelt down at the hole, "I'll do it! I'll go through!" She stepped into it, a nice fit as she continued onward. She thought as she went through, 'If I pass through here, maybe I'll be able to tell him.' She had reached the other side, but for some reason she couldn't get out. She tried to squeeze through, but she seemed to be stuck. She cried out, "M-My butt is stuck!" Seiji shouted, "What?" He ran over to her, and grabbed her hands, "I'll pull you out, Nodoka. So hang on."
After a few tugs and pulling, Nodoka was released, but came tumbling free. When the tumbling stopped, Nodoka landed on top of Seiji with their faces only a few inches apart; her face flamed red, but neither she nor he tore their eyes from each other. It was also at that realization that Nodoka looked down and saw that her hands were on his chest, and that caused her to jump up, blushing like crazy. Seiji got up as well as Nodoka stuttered, "S-Sorry." Seiji stuttered as well, "No, I'm the one who should be sorry."
But none of those words reached Nodoka as she whimpered in her head, 'Ohhh, not only couldn't I tell him how I felt, I've shown myself to so immodest!', it was after that, she started to shed a few tears, 'I should've known I'd fail.' She then fled from Seiji out the temple, "I'm sorry." Seiji shouted after her, "Nodoka, wait!" But she was gone, out of sight and left a confused Seiji just standing there, picking up her purse and running out to find her.
Back with Group 5
Negi had run away from Group 4, and when he stopped, he saw that he had lost them. 'Sheesh, this is weird…', he thought to himself, 'What's going on with Makie? I know she's energetic, but why's she pouring all of her energy at me?' When the groups had gone their separate paths, during the whole time with Group 4, Makie was trying to get his attention. When they were having lunch, Makie pulled out a spaghetti dish and wanted to share it with him. Then by sheer coincidence, they both were eating the same strand and Makie was doing her best to get close to his lips.
Then all through the day, she tried glomping on him or link her arm to his. Negi sweat dropped, "Just what's going on with Makie?" it was then that he spotted Asuna and Setsuna, as he waved at them, "Asuna, Setsuna, over here." The two girls noticed him and waved him over. After telling them of the strange situation, Asuna laughed at this, "Isn't it obvious, Negi? The girl's got a major hard on for ya." Negi blinked and nearly shouted, "WHAT?" Asuna waved him, "Come on, not so loud." Negi asked, "But how? I always thought that…" Asuna waved him, "come on, it was pretty obvious during those make up tests when she kissed you."
Negi thought about it, but he really didn't want to try anything that would involve a student and a teacher in an elicit relationship. It was then that he noticed that Konoka wasn't with them as he asked, "Setsuna, wasn't Konoka with you when we got split up?" Setsuna turned her face away as she told them that she was with Haruna and Yue. It was then that Asuna brought it up, "Enough already! Why do you keep ditching Konoka?" Setsuna calmly stated to the two, "I haven't ditched her. The Onmyou Gods are guarding her…", then Negi interrupted; this was just getting old too far for him, "Setsuna, not everything's life and death. Just talk to her; she's your friend."
It was then that Setsuna looked a little saddened as she grumbled, "How? How can I, without telling her about my magic, my status…" Asuna, Negi, and Chamo looked a little confused as Chamo asked, "What're you mutterin' about…?" Just then, they heard rustling behind them as the teen trio turned around, and saw none other than Nodoka, with few tears and out of breath. She was a little surprised by bumping into them as Setsuna noted, "You're Myazaki-san, right?" Asuna then noticed Nodoka's tears and asked, "W-What's the matter, Bookstore? Did something happen?"
Nodoka sighed as she walked with them to someplace they could talk to.
Rest Area
After they sat down and got some soda to drink, Nodoka explained to them about the situation. It was then that Asuna nearly shouted in surprise, "ARE YOU SERIOUS? You confessed your feelings to Se-Seiji?" Nodoka was a little depressed, even as she explained and brushed away the last tear, "Well, not exactly; I was going to…but, I keep getting so nervous around him…and I'm weak so I failed to…" Negi then stated, "It's perfectly alright, Myazaki. It's alright to get nervous around someone you like." She nodded, "I know, but…"
It was then that she realized she was probably boring them to death, so she apologized, "Oh, I'm sorry. I mean, Sakurazaki, I hardly even know you, and yet I'm boring you with…" she shook her head, "Not at all.", but then she asked her, "But why are you so determined to tell him? He doesn't seem interested…" Nodoka nodded but then she told them, "T-That…Seiji is…", she took a deep breath as she smiled, "He's handsome, cute, caring, and gentle. Just like everyone usually says, but…", she blushed a little as her sadness disappeared, "he also has the face of an adult you can count on. So much that sometimes I think he's older than he is, or any of us."
Negi was a little surprised by this; it seemed that Nodoka didn't simply have a crush on seiji…she was actually falling for him. Chamo smirked at this, 'Hmm, this could work out in future plans that I might have for our Full-Metal buddy.' Asuna slightly blushed by all this and had a goofy grin on her face, "Um…really?" Setsuna sweat dropped at this and simply looked upward, slightly blushing, "He's definitely…well, I thought he was a bit of a drag at first, but…" but she didn't have time to finish as she went on, "I think it's because Seiji and his brother have a goal, like you Negi-sensei…", Negi was a little surprised by that, "A goal that we don't have, and that he's always looking ahead, trying to reach it."
She looked up at the sky as she went on as the others listened, "Until now, it was good enough just gazing at him from afar. I got courage enough from that alone." She then turned to them as she smiled, "But today I guess I wanted a little more. I wanted to tell him…", she stopped as she couldn't go any further. Negi raised an eyebrow at her as he asked her, "Why? What changed?" she giggled as she shook her head, mentioning that she couldn't go any further. But then she said, "Thank you, Negi-sensei, Kagurazaka, and you too, Sakurazaki…I thought you were scary, but I was wrong. Thank you."
Setsuna raised an eyebrow, "Scary?"
Nodoka then got up and ran off, but said to them, "I'm feeling a lot better! Well, I'm off.", and with that said, she was out of sight, leaving the four a little confused. Asuna asked, "Did she say where she was going?" Chamo smirked with a gleam in his eye, "I can take a wild guess."
Back with Seiji
Seiji was wondering around an area that overlooked a small pond. He was still holding on to Nodoka's purse as he looked for her. He approached from the side, worried that he might have scared her off. He grumbled to himself, "Boy, between helping Negi with the letter, protecting Konoka, beating the Monkey girl, and getting the Philosopher Stone…this is one rough field trip." It was then that when he said that, Nodoka popped up, almost out of breath and standing there in front of him. He smiled, "Ah, Nodoka, great. You just took off, and…"
She then spoke up as she tried to get it out again, "Seiji, uh…Actually, I…", unknown to the two, Group 4 and the rest of Group 5, were behind the bushes, listening in on this. Nodoka then shouted out, "I really…I really…I LIKE GRATED RADISH!" Everyone face vaulted at this as Seiji looked a little weirded out by this, "Really?" She shook her head and flailed her arms around, as she tried to right that, "No…that's not it. Good Fortune…Big Buddha…those weren't right either…!" Seiji was wondering if Nodoka had blown a fuse in her brain, "Uh, Nodoka, are you alright?"
Back in the bushes, Chamo whispered to Asuna, "Looks like she's gonna get it done! When I read that student voucher, I thought it was Brother Negi that wrote that Very Cute comment under her picture. I guess it was Seiji then. I knew that there was high hopes for that boy." Then Asuna butted in, "Yeah, but Seiji's got a lot on his mind, like Negi does. So why push this so sudden on him?" Negi pretty much had a good guess on this as he turned to Haruna, "Hey, Haruna." She looked puzzled as she asked, "What is it, Negi-sensei?" he then asked, "You didn't have anything to do with…?"
But before he could ask, Yue whispered, "Shhh! She's about to say something." Everyone turned as they saw Nodoka take a deep breath. There was a moment of silence; and then Nodoka spoke up, "Seiji…" Seiji raised an eyebrow as he asked, "Uh…yeah?"
"…I've liked you since the moment I saw you…I…I love you, Seiji!"
It was after she said that, Seiji's eye widened as he was stunned, unable to even respond to that. Everyone, from Group 4 and 5 couldn't believe it either as they all thought the same thing, 'She said it?' Nodoka then said, "I know hitting you with that out of the blue, it's begging for trouble. You're an employee member of the library, and it's…I just…", she bowed and then looked back to him with blushing cheeks, "I just wanted you to know that…how I felt about you. I'm in love with you, Seiji. More than you'll ever know."
After she said that, she blushed uncontrollably and ran off, "I'm sorry, Seiji!", and was running off like crazy. However, Seiji just stood there, still shocked beyond all reason, her words ringing in his head, 'I love you…I love you..' Then suddenly, everything suddenly overloaded in his head: Konoka, the Letter, the mission, the Monkey girl, the Philosopher Stone, Asuna, Setsuna, and Reina knowing about his Automail, and now Nodoka's confession.
It was all too much to handle as he fell flat on the ground, with his eyes swirling. Negi and everyone else saw this and ran over to him, with Konoka even more worried about her friend, "Seiji-kun! What's wrong with him?" Ako, being an assistant nurse, examined him, but didn't notice his left arm. She checked his front head, "He's running a 104 degree temperature!" Yue joked, "Maybe he's teething…"
Meanwhile, while everyone was checking Seiji out, Setsuna turned back at the retreating form of Nodoka. She mumbled in wonder, "Myazaki-san…she seems like such a meek girl…but she really has a lot of courage." She turned back to the unconscious Seiji and smiled, 'Seiji-sama…you might not know it or have trouble accepting it, but you're lucky to have someone like her care about you.'
Back at the Inn
Armstrong had come back and told the men forehand about where Full-Metal was. After he told them everything, Hughes smirked at the thought of Seiji and that girl, Nodoka. From what he observed, she really did care about him. But his attention was turned to Havoc and his men as Breda started out, "10,000 says she blows the confession and runs away." Falman was next, "I say he'll just spurn her feelings off." Fuery then went, "My money is on either one of them chickening out." Then Havoc slapped his in, "150,000 says that she'll confess to him, but wont wait for an answer until she's out of there with him fainting from the confession."
The three looked at him questionably as he answered, "What? It could happen." Hughes then raised an eyebrow at this, "You know, aside from Havoc, the rest of you realize you're all bidding against him." The three men shouted, "Safest bet ever!"
Just then, Reina popped into the room and shouted, "Guys! You're not gonna believe it! Nodoka confessed!" Falman, Breda, and Fuery face vaulted on the ground as Havoc grinned, "So what was that about Safest bet?"
Next Chapter: Scoop of the Century?; Existence of Wizards and Alchemists?