Side B : Love Negima!
Written by Shaun Garin
Love Hina and Mahou Sensei Negima are owned and created by Ken Akamatsu.
Chapter 3 : The Crunch Time! Studying Paying Off?
"Today's the day," said Naru as she pulled a blouse on. "God I'm so nervous! I don't think I could feel good anymore if I didn't get in." Heaving a sigh, she looked at her reflection and ran a finger down the mirror. "I guess today's the moment of truth."
"Narusegawa-san!" The door slid open as Negi stood there with Shinobu and Su. "We brought you a celebratory... cake?"
"PERVERT!"
Negi stumbled backwards with the cake slammed over his head and Naru slammed the door shut. "I... think she's nervous," said Negi.
The train ride to Tokyo University was busy as usual. Naru watched the people get on and off before the stop was announced. On the grounds of Tokyo University, the place was packed with people.
'There's so many people...' Naru thought to herself as she headed for the large announcement boards. 'Please, tell me I made it.'
Finding the N's, Naru looked at the list. "Nanase, Nan..."
Naru's expression fell. "No..." she whispered. There was no Narusegawa listed on the board.
Tears threatened to leak out of her eyes as she turned around to leave. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Keitaro stumble away as if in a daze. 'He didn't make it either,' Naru realized with a sudden start and in a sick and perverse way, it made her glad that Ronin-sensei wasn't a Tokyo U student either.
Weaving through the crowds, Naru broke out into a run. Tears streamed down her face as she charged blindly through the crowd towards the trains. And then, with a sudden jerk and a thud, she crashed into a body and the pair went tumbling to the ground.
"Oww," said Naru, getting up. A girl lay on the ground, seemingly dazed from the blow. "I'm so sorry miss I... miss?"
Checking the girl's pulse, Naru let out an ear-splitting scream of horror. "OH GOD SHE'S DEAD!"
Naru flailed around in a panic as thoughts raced through her mind. 'My life is OVER! Naru Narusegawa, kills an innocent bystander on the eve of failing her Tokyo U Entrance Exam!'
"Oh hello!" said the girl and Naru fell over in shock.
"I'm so sorry for bowling you over," apologized Naru once more as she flagged down a waiter for another mug of beer. "I'm really, really sorry. I just found out I failed the Tokyo U Entrance Exam and please forgive me!"
"Oh, my, you too?" said the girl and Naru blinked. "I failed mine as well. These were my testing scores from this years Center Exams."
Naru took the paper and slipped her glasses on. Her face took on a what the fuck expression as she looked at the results. "Z... MINUS! AT LEAST WRITE YOUR NAME!"
"Oh my," said the girl somewhat cheerfully. "I suppose I should remember to do that more often."
Naru sighed as she took a sip of her beer. "I'm sorry still. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Narusegawa Naru."
"I'm Otohime Mutsumi. Nice to meet you Narusegawa-san," said Mutsumi. She then proceeded to drain the beer in front of her. And then commandeered Naru's drink and drank that too.
"You... drink a lot, huh?" said Naru as she flagged down for three more mugs.
"I don't see why not, it's good beer," said a voice to the side and Naru made a loud "ACK!" sound as Kamo grinned at her.
"Kamo-kun! You're not supposed to talk in public!" Shouted Naru and then looked embarrassed as everyone looked at him. "And what the hell are you doing here!"
"I was in your purse. Aniki is getting boring." The now drinking and smoking ermine grinned a fuzzy grin. "Hey sister with the big knockers, you taking care of Naru-chan for us?"
"What's with the Naru-chan, I'm older than you!"
"I'm twenty four in Ermine years!" protested Kamo.
"Oh my, I'm twenty one in turtle years," chimed in Mutsumi, clearly unaffected by the sight of a drinking Ermine.
"You... don't think it's strange that an Ermine speaks Japanese?" asked Naru, one eye twitching.
"Of course not, I have lots of experience in turtlese," said Mutsumi and Naru couldn't tell if the girl was joking or not.
"So, Naru-chan," said Kamo, lighting up a cigarette. "What'cha going to do? Everyone's back at Hinata House for the party."
"I.. don't know," said Naru. "I think I may just want to go to Kyoto, like I planned originally. You know, to celebrate. Well that was the original plan anyhow. Now it's more like a heartbreak healing trip."
"I live in Okinawa," said Mutsumi. "Maybe we could travel there together!"
"Eh?" said Naru. Then, Kamo noticed something in Mutsumi's bag.
"Hey, big knocker-neechan, what's with the Last Will and Testament?" asked Kamo and Naru's jaw dropped.
"Oh my, well, it's because I'm sickly and I tend to pass out anywhere so if I die, then someone will know what to do with me!" said Mutsumi cheerfully.
'Is she for REAL?' The ermine and the girl thought in shock.
"Hello, the number you requested is not in service," said Su cheerfully and Shinobu made an "ACK!" sound a second before she flattened the crazy Indian girl with a portable thermos.
"Hello? Naru-san? Where are you? You didn't come home and left a strange message!"
"I'm sorry for all of the trouble, Shinobu-chan. I'm on the Shinkansen on the way to Kyoto. I met a girl named Otohime Mutsumi and me and Kamo-kun are on the way there. She's really sickly, to the point of actually liable to die on the trip and we don't want her to die out there after abandoning her."
"Eh? A girl named Mutsumi? Shouldn't you be coming back or something soon?"
"I'll be back in four days and in time for my graduation ceremony. It's a two day round trip to Okinawa. If you're that worried, send the brat out. He can fly here, right? Oh, I'm running out of time on my card. I'll call when we reach Kyoto."
"Naru? Naru-sempai?" Shinobu made a frustrated sound as the line disconnected.
"So, she's going to Kyoto with a girl?" said Kitsune and Shinobu jumped a meter. "I think she's going to drown her sorrows in Kyoto."
"And the perverted ermine is with her," said Motoko.
"Um, she said she would be fine," said Shinobu.
"What should we do then?" asked Negi. "Shouldn't we just sit back and wait for her to return?"
"Nope, Motoko, grab your bags! We're going to go to Kyoto!"
"Eh?" said Motoko as she was dragged away by Kitsune.
"Kitsune-san! What about us?" called out Shinobu as Kitsune dragged Motoko to the door.
"Be sure to lock the doors at night and don't let the kid take advantage of you and Su!" called out Kitsune.
"Take... advantage... of?" stammered Shinobu. Negi blinked and Su laughed.
"I'll let you take advantage of me, Negi-chan!" Exclaimed Su, jumping onto Negi's back and trying to kiss him.
"Argh!" Exclaimed Negi, running around in a circle, waving his arms in a panic.
"No Su, bad dog!"
"Oooooh, Kyoto is so nice this year!" Exclaimed Mutsumi as she and Naru walked off the train. "Oh my, it's so cold too!"
"Um, wait a minute, why IS it so cold anyhow?" wondered Naru.
"Hey, Naru-chan, is Morioka anywhere close to Kyoto?" asked Kamo-kun and Naru froze in shock.
"M-Morioka!" Naru spun and looked at the sign and then screamed. "NOOO! I knew we were going in the wrong direction!"
"Here we are in Kyoto," said Kitsune as she and Motoko stepped off the Shinkansen. "Now where too?"
"Kitsune, I don't have any more money to find a hotel," said Motoko with a sigh.
"Eh? Where'd it all go anyhow?" asked Kitsune.
"You... and the last twenty stops on the way here!" Exclaimed Motoko. "From between Hinata City to Kyoto Station, you INSISTED on getting off at each station to sample the delicacies!"
"Maa, don't be like that!" Exclaimed Kitsune, waving a hand as she laughed. "Oooh, the famous tea and wasabi mochi stands!"
"KITSUNE!" Motoko sighed as she rubbed her forehead.
Sitting down heavily on the nearby bench, Motoko heaved a giant sigh. "Here we are in Kyoto with no money to return home and Kitsune keeps wanting to sample the local delicacies from each stop. Could things get any worse?"
"Maybe, but that depends on your point of view," said the woman who sat next to Motoko.
"Eh...? TSURUKO! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!" Screamed Motoko, back-pedalling. "I think I'll take the next train out!"
"Hold on there, little sister," said Tsuruko calmly as she reached out and snagged the top of Motoko's hakama. "I was actually coming for a visit but when you stepped off the Shinkansen I abandoned my thoughts. So little sister, why are you here right now?"
"Um, well, we were here to bring Narusegawa-san back to the Inn. She was reacting badly to not getting into Tokyo University and fled to Kyoto." stammered Motoko. "Unfortunately we are out of money for the rest of the trip."
"Indeed," said Tsuruko. "Motoko-han, I will lend you the money for the remainder of the trip."
"Eh? Really?"
"Of course. There will be enough money for tickets and some food here and there. But Motoko-han... there are things that you can succeed in, and it is not just the sword. Keep that in mind when you continue on this journey."
Motoko looked at Tsuruko strangely and her bird, Shippu made a Squack sound. "What... do you mean by that, sister?"
"You will see..."
"Motoko, come and have some of this awesome soybeans!" called out Kitsune. Motoko turned over to her and sighed.
"Sister, I have... to...?" The space beside her was empty and Motoko noticed a cherry blossom floating away. Motoko sighed and prepared to pay Kitsune's tab.
"My goodness that was quite a journey," said Mutsumi cheerfully as the pair floated on the water. "First going north to Morioka and then falling off the boat and now we're at sea! At least the sun is warm and there isn't any giant squids or Monstro hanging behind us."
"What are you talking about, Mutsumi! We're lost in the middle of the sea with nothing to drink or eat or anything!" freaked out Naru, waving her hands in a panic.
"Naru-chan is right!" added Kamo-kun hotly. "I'm drying up here! I'm an Ermine, not a TURTLE!"
"Oh, well I have my dried squid," said Mutsumi cheerfully.
"THAT'LL JUST MAKE US EVEN MORE THIRSTY!" Too tired to shout anymore, Naru flopped backwards, her hair dropping into the ocean. "How did this happen? I thought this would be a nice easy trip. Instead we're a day into the ocean and I said I'd be back in four!"
"Well look at it this way, Naru-chan," said Kamo-kun, as he was slumped over the side of the raft. "We're not dead yet."
"Don't call me chan, perverted ermine," grumbled Naru. "Call me Anesan if you want but no more Chan business, all right?"
"Oh my, what's that?" asked Mutsumi and Naru looked up.
"Oh no," said Naru before the storm hit.
"Reports of a small but fierce storm is reported in the crossing between Okinawa and the Kyoto Harbour. If you are planning on traveling in that area, please be advised that this is not recommended. The reports are coming in that the winds are traveling at nearly sixty kilometres an hour, and there have been waves sighted to be an estimated thirty feet tall."
Negi turned off the radio as he looked at the clear blue skies above Hinata City. "I sure hope Narusegawa-san and the others are all right."
"I hope so too," said Shinobu and Su merely nodded as she stuffed another banana into her mouth. "It's rather quiet around here without the others."
"Motoko isn't here either," said Su thoughtfully in between bananas. "So I got to sleep with Negi-chan last night!"
"Eh heh heh, yeah," said Negi, feeling the kinks still pop as he moved. Su was surprisingly strong for a girl her age and she nearly crushed him alive in his sleep the night previous.
Shinobu went a little red as she poked at her food. "So, Negi-san? What involves that Probationary Contract?"
"Oh, well, the probationary contact or the pactio as well call it is a contract that is formed between a wizard and a person to protect the wizard. You see, our major weakness is that we have to stand still while casting a spell and we have no way to keep ourselves protected and uninterrupted during that casting timeframe."
"Hmm, low DEF count and high HPs? Couldn't you equip something that'll raise your Casting speed?" asked Su curiously and Negi, despite the odd words shrugged.
"I guess so," said Negi. "Although high mobility is difficult with being a wizard."
"In that case, I'm gonna make something for you!" announced Su and she finished her bananas in record time. Dashing up the stairs, there was a sequence of loud bangs and thuds and Shinobu and Negi sweated.
Su ran down the stairs, kicked Negi in the head and then strapped what looked like a backpack onto his back. Negi got up and looked at the curious metallic device and said, "What's this for?"
"It's my Super Speed Booster! You press this button to start, this to stop and this to self destruct!" announced Su as she stabbed the button for Start. "Switch On!"
The device flipped out two large wings and Negi swallowed. "Uh oh." With a fwoosh of engines, he was propelled screaming into the skies where it exploded into a cloud of multicoloured smoke.
"Oh god Su, you killed him!" screamed Shinobu as Negi plummeted to the ground. A second before he hit, he managed to right himself and skim the ground while riding on his staff.
Hopping off and looking distinctly crispy around the edges, Negi laughed and said, "I didn't expect it to explode like that!"
"Hmm... Negi likes to ride on a staff, huh?"
"Uh? NOOO! DON'T TOUCH THE WAND!"
"COME BACK HERE! LEMME MODIFY IT!"
"THIS WAS MY FATHER'S WAND! YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING TO IT!"
"AAAAUGH, SU STOP IT! YOU'RE GOING TO BREAK THE WAND!"
Haruka chuckled as she watched the kids run around. "Kids."
"Uhhh... huh?"
"Oh, Narusegawa-san, you're awake!"
"Anesan! Thank god! I had to give you CPR to get you breathing again!"
Naru realized the implications of the statement and hurriedly spat several times, feeling like she needed to Clorox her mouth. Kamo-kun looked distinctly put off. Then, she noticed her state of undress and made an "EEP" sound. "Why am I in a swimsuit?" Naru demanded hotly.
"Oh my, well your clothes were soaked through with seawater and it was something I kept around often," said Mutsumi, giggling.
"I suppose it's not a bad fit," said Naru but then realized her audience. "Kamo... you saw didn't you!"
"Nooo! It's a misunderstanding Anesan!"
"Come back and die, perverted rat!"
"Help me, Mutsumi-neesan!"
Mutsumi giggled and then all of a sudden, she fell over in a dead faint. Naru terminated her planned attack on Kamo and ran over. "Oh god, Mutsumi? Don't die here!"
"Mmm? Oh, I'm sorry Narusegawa-san, I must have passed out," said Mutsumi.
'How could she called it passing out? She was clinically dead for three minutes!' Thought Naru but she shook her head. "Look, you need to rest. Kamo, make yourself useful and get some water."
Kamo marched off, carrying the sack for water in his mouth as Naru turned to support Mutsumi's head on her lap. "Honestly, you worry me too much," said Naru.
"I'm sorry Narusegawa-san, I just have poor health," said Mutsumi, yawning.
"Call me Naru," said Naru. "We've been together for a while so it's only right."
"Heheheh," giggled Mutsumi. "The moon is so bright tonight."
"I remember staring at the moon as a kid," said Naru softly. "When I was little, my mom and dad said that I liked to watch it. And oddly enough, my first word was Tokyo U."
"Oh? Oh my, what an interesting coincidence!" exclaimed Mutsumi. "Fifteen years ago as well, something happened to me as well."
"Hmm?"
"I was very young and I don't even remember where it was, but I made a promise with someone. That one day, we would meet once more, at Tokyo U. Sounds silly, doesn't it?"
"A... promise?"
"All right... do you think it's strange if I'm headed to Tokyo U for a reason? The reason being that say I made a promise with a girl fifteen years ago to go there... would that girl, I dunno, remember?"
"It can't be..." whispered Naru. "It just can't be!"
"Hmm? Something the matter Naru-san?"
"Mutsumi! I think I know who the person you made the promise to was!" exclaimed Naru. "It's a long shot but there's this really stupid guy I know and he's trying for Tokyo U for the same reason; a promise with someone fifteen years ago!"
"Oh really?" gasped Mutsumi. She clasped her hands together. "Please, tell me!"
"His name is..."
"ANESAN!"
"Eh?" said Naru, looking at Kamo who was with a group of tanned kids.
"The island's inhabited!" Exclaimed Kamo who was wrestling to get free of the island kids grasp.
"Oh! Everyone!" Mutsumi got up abruptly and laughed. "I thought I recognized this place! This is my back yard!"
"GEH!" Exclaimed Naru.
"Sorry to see you off so soon, Naru-san," said Mutsumi. "Have a good trip!"
"You too," said Naru as Kamo waved from her shoulder.
"Oh, hold on Naru-san..." said Mutsumi as she walked up close.
"Eh? What's up?" asked Naru.
Mutsumi looked at her intently, took her glasses off and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.
"ACK! What was that!" exclaimed Naru.
"Oh I'm sorry, I tend to kiss people I like."
"Um, yeah," said Naru. "Well, I'm off!"
"Good trip to you!"
As the ferry pulled into the Kyoto Harbour a few hours later, Naru sighed. "Well, we're back to where we started, huh Kamo-kun?"
"I suppose so, Anesan," said Kamo as he took a long drag of his cigarette. "Although, I think it was enlightening. Say, question. What were you talking to Mutsumi-neesan about anyhow?"
"Eh... ?" Naru paled in shock. "Oh no! I forgot to tell her about it before we left! Augh, dummy, dummy, dummy!"
Sighing and massaging the sore part of her head, Naru headed off the Harbour dock as she turned onto the streets. "Now what do I do?" she moaned.
"You could start by coming home," remarked Kitsune, waving from a nearby stand of clams and lobsters. Naru fell over in shock as Motoko sat beside her, eating a much smaller portion than Kitsune. "Yo, girl."
"Dwa! Kitsune? Motoko? What are you two doing here?"
"We were about to go to Okinawa to look for you, silly girl," said Kitsune. "C'mon over and have a drink before we head back home."
"But... I can't go back yet, I haven't seen Kyoto!" protested Naru.
"Meh," said Kitsune. "Not much to see. Some people here and there, Theater City, all that jazz. C'mon, everyone's waiting for you back home! We had a killer party for you when you got back. It would be a shame to waste it on normal drinking days, wouldn't it?"
"Naru, please come home," said Motoko, coughing into her fist. "I... can't support Kitsune's habit much longer."
Naru laughed for a good long while, even till they got back to the Shinkansen.
"Hinata Girls Dorm," said Haruka, picking up the phone in the lobby.
"Aunt Haruka! It's your nephew, Keitaro."
"Don't call me aunt," snapped Haruka. "So, Keitaro. How did your examinations go?"
"Not very well, Haruka-san. I failed again this year."
"Mmmm," Haruka allowed. "So, you're a third year Ronin then. How about your class? Are they all right?"
"They did great for their exams! Second out of the whole second year of junior high!"
"That's great news then," said Haruka. "You must really love teaching these girls."
"Yeah, I do. They're just a fun bunch of PHRRGH!" There was a sound of a scuffle and a clamor of voices before Keitaro came back onto the line. "In any case, is it possible to come for a visit and bring some of my class with me? Not all of us, but some of them want to come for a visit to the hot springs."
"How many are we looking at?" asked Haruka.
"Lets see, there's the Baka Rangers so that makes five, the Library Exploration Team which makes up four and a newcomer that the Headmaster insisted on sending with us, Sakurazaki Setsuna so including myself, that's ten people. Are there enough rooms for all of us or do we need to pool?"
"There are a lot of rooms in the Dorm," said Haruka. "Don't worry. Are you actually going to pay for this though? This is more of a field trip than a visit."
"The headmaster has allotted some of the field trip money to this trip. Apparently 2-A's last trip didn't fly so there was a lot left over this time around. I'll also be teaching them during their 3-A year as a full time teacher. So which means I'm probably going to take it easy and I won't study till my brain melts for next year's testing."
"Good luck with that. When are you arriving?"
"Tomorrow. We'll set out at eight and should be there by ten. And then we'll get the girls settled in and declare it a vacation. Speaking of which, how's Naru-san doing? Did she get into Tokyo U?"
"Well, Naru..." There was a click and Haruka checked the phone connection. "Huh. He must have run out of time on his phone card."
"Naru Naru Naru Naru Naru!" cried Su as she ran up and jumped onto Naru's back. Shinobu and Negi were close behind.
"Welcome back, Narusegawa-san!" exclaimed Negi happily. "And Kamo-kun! I was wondering where you got to!"
"It's good to be home," said Naru. "And I'm back earlier than expected too."
"Welcome home," said Haruka as she walked out of the dorm. "So, what kind of plans do you have now?"
"Honestly? I don't know," said Naru. "But... maybe I'll try again. After all, if Mutsumi can do it for a promise, I can try once more."
"Yay! Naru's back! And so is Motoko and Kitsune! It's party time!" cheered Su.
"Oh, the food's in the fridge, I'll go warm it!" added Shinobu. "Negi-san, please go get the things from the empty room please!"
"Leave it to me!" Exclaimed Negi as he jumped onto his staff and soared up to the third level.
"Since when did he fly?" wondered Kitsune for a moment. Negi soon returned with a gust of wind and an armful of supplies.
"Here it is!" Exclaimed Negi, coming down with a huge cloud of dirt. "I brought... ah... ah... ACHOOO!"
Naru barely had time to blink as the force of Negi's magically backed sneeze blew her blouse and skirt off, leaving her draped in her panties and bra. Negi gasped and clasped his hands to his nose in shock. "Um..."
"You... LITTLE PERVERTED FREAK!"
"AIYEEE! I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T MEAN TOO!"
"COME BACK HERE AND DIE PROPERLY!"
"NOOOO! ACHOOOOO!"
"MOTOKO SLASH!"
There was an explosion as Negi was sent soaring and Haruka grinned as she lit Kamo's cigarette with her own. "And life goes back to normal," she remarked. "Now I wonder what will happen when Keitaro comes for his vacation here?"