Love Negima!

Written by Shaun Garin

Love Hina and Mahou Sensei Negima are owned by Ken Akamatsu. All characters are used for entertainment purposes only.

Chapter 8 : The Girl Who Stole The Stars

"Hey Naru, you don't look so good," said Kitsune. "Something you ate?"

"Um, no, I just don't have much of an appetite today," said Naru, pouring soy sauce on her food without paying attention to what she ate.

"Aaaah, Naru-san, you're spilling onto the table!" cried out Shinobu and Naru stopped pouring.

"Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind," said Naru. "I think I'm going upstairs. Thank you for dinner."

"Hmm," said Kitsune as she looked at Negi. "I wouldn't suppose you have some kind of magical scrying device, would you?"

"Not really," said Negi, shaking his head. "Something seems to be worrying Naru-san. I hope she'll be okay."

Upstairs, Naru paced back and forth as she hugged her Liddo-kun to her chest. 'What do I do?' she thought to herself. 'Konoka-chan isn't one for lying. But there's only one Evangeline I know and that's Eva-chan. But... awww, what am I going to do? It's bad enough that I'm keeping this from Kitsune but finding out our best friend is an undead blood sucking freak of nature!'

Then Naru paused. 'Wait... Eva-chan was always in the SUN. So she can't possibly be a vampire! Unless she has a magical talisman that prevents her from burning up... Ooooooooh!'

Negi and Kitsune peeked around the corner to see Naru rolling around in a type of "I can't do it" situation. "Whoa, this is bad," said Kitsune. "Naru BARELY does the Roll of Panic. This must be serious stuff. You sure you have nothing to peek into her mind or find out what she's keeping from us?"

"None," said Negi. "I have Pills of Magical Essence but we'd have to force a truth serum down her throat for that to work. Aaaaand, there's a slight chance she'd be allergic to it."

"Well then, time for me to do my thing," said Kitsune with a grin as she stood up, straightened her shirt and swung the door open. "NARU!"

"ACK!" Naru jumped a meter and whirled on her best friend who grinned and said, "Hey girl what are you KEEPING from me!"

"Kyaaaaah! What makes you think I'm doing that!" cried Naru but Kitsune practically jumped onto Naru, tickling the reply out of the other girl.

"C'mon, stop hiding stuff from your big sister!" laughed Kitsune.

"Kyaaah, what are you, Su?" cried Naru as the pair flailed around. Negi sweated.

"No. Freaking. Way. Eva-chan, a vampire?" asked Kitsune.

"I heard of this vampire actually," said Kamo thoughtfully as the conversation had took place in the foyer. "Look here." Pulling out a laptop, he opened up the screen and connected to the internet. "The bounty is cancelled right now, but I ran a search for the girl's name. One hit for Evangeline. Evangeline A. K. McDowell, S Class Criminal. Pure Blooded Daylight Walker. That's a vampire that can wander around during the daytime without having to worry about becoming extra crispy. Other aliases include The Dark Evangel, The Dark Angel, and even The Undying Magi. She's Dracula-hard to kill. There's reports of her getting blown nearly to BITS and she comes back to kill the opponent in FIVE SECONDS."

"Who would have thought Eva-chan was this dangerous," said Naru. "It's my fault."

"Is not," protested Kitsune. "Think about it. She befriended us. Sure she likes to attack people, sucking blood and all that, but really. It's not your fault for being her friend."

"Kitsune is right," said Motoko. "Kamo-kun, what is the status on Evangeline at the moment?"

"Looks to me that she's registered in the care of Konoemon Konoe, Konoka-chan's grandfather. As something of a security guard. I think for now, she's safe because her powers wax and wane with the moon."

"It will be a crescent moon in a day or two," said Motoko.

"Uh huh, and she'd be practically powerless there," added Su.

"So, what do you think?" said Kitsune.

Naru tapped the keyboard, looking at the list of crimes Evangeline had done when Shinobu said, "You know, if you're so worried, why not ask her to stay here?"

"Eh?" chorused the girls and Shinobu flushed. "Well, you could keep an eye on her, being that Evangeline-san is your friend, right? And friends stick together, even if they're creepy blood-sucking vampires."

"Sounds like a plan actually," said Kamo. "Maybe we should go ask Konoemon if she can relocate here then."

"C'mon Naru," said Kitsune with a grin. "It's not like you to be all depressed. Lets do this, okay?"

Naru smiled. "Oh you guys. All right."

"Yay!" cheered Su. "I'm going to study a vampire!"

"No Su, no dissection!" cried Shinobu.

"Mahora, next stop, Mahora."

"Here we go," said Naru as the doors opened up and they stepped out into the sunlight and the small assembled group of Hinata House residents looked around at the European-styled buildings. It was full of life with people coming and going, the clean white walls of various buildings shining down with flower beds dotting the area. People set up shop across the way with numerous stands and clothing and school outlets that were made to look as a old style district. In the distance, the large World Tree loomed with a visible crescent moon hovering near it and the sun beating down from high above. In all, it was picturesque.

"Wow!" said Shinobu. "It's so pretty here!"

"Mahora Academy was designed to look like an old European town." Said Kitsune as she shrugged off her jacket, revealing her Fox Hound top and leather pants. "C'mon you guys, lets get going!"

"Kyyaaaah, but can't we go shopping first?" asked Shinobu, wide eyed and staring at everything with Sarah.

"Sounds like we could do it," said Negi. "Naru-san?"

"Mmm... okay, Kitsune and I can go talk to the Headmaster. Shinobu and Sarah go with Negi and Kamo-kun, they've been here before. Motoko and Su, you guys can do whatever you want as well."

Motoko nodded as she shouldered her sword. "I'm going to go look in on Urashima's class. Perhaps speak with Setsuna for a while."

"I'll go with you! Satomi's there too," cheered Su.

"Aw, I gotta stick with the dork?" said Sarah but grinned.

Naru fished some money out of her purse and handed it to Negi. "Treat them to the crepe stand, okay?"

"Right. C'mon, lets go and enjoy ourselves!" cheered Negi and the three ran off.

"Which way is it to 3-A?" asked Motoko of a passing by student. The student pointed down the hall and Motoko bowed politely. Heading to the room, a soft voice flittered through the walls.

"All right, whoever didn't get six points or more have to stay for a repeat exam! The answers in the multiple choices are A, D, C, E, B, F, A, B, B and C. Now who made it over six points?" There was a pause and then the voice giggled. "All right, you can all go. The rest must stay behind, all right? Class dismissed."

The girls poured out of the room and Su immediately pounced on Satomi's shoulders. "SATOMI!"

"Ack, Su!" said Satomi, nearly toppling over from the weight of the taller girl. "What are you doing here? The Red Moon isn't here till five months later."

"I came to visit you!" grinned Su. "Hey, Motoko, find your lover?"

Motoko went red and sputtered, "SU!"

Setsuna went red as she heard the comment and there were numerous giggles from the girls. Konoka patted Setsuna on the shoulder as the kendo-ka sighed and regained her pale complexion. "I am surprised to see you here, Motoko-sempai," said Setsuna politely. "Is something the matter?"

"I... came to visit really," said Motoko, feeling uncomfortable. "Naru and Kitsune are meeting with the Headmaster and the rest of us followed.

"But do you not have class today?" asked Setsuna and Motoko coughed again.

"Motoko and Shinobu and I called in sick," grinned Su and Motoko coughed into her hand violently in order to hide her embarrasment.

"Anyway, is Urashima here?" asked Motoko curiously, still flushed a deep red in complexion.

"No actually," said Konoka cheerfully. "We have a substitute."

"And for once, I didn't get less than six off the bat!" proclaimed Asuna as she held up a test paper that was labeled with a eight. "She's really awesome, and explains things enough so I can figure things out!"

"You like her because she taught us how she does Multiple Choice questions," teased Konoka, holding up a pencil. Around the eraser there were markings of numbers of one through six. "Apparently, it also works for mathematic questions and other answer keys."

Asuna went red at the implications. "So I'm not good at anything that requires brains, okay?"

"Who is your substitute teacher?" interrupted Motoko in order to prevent Asuna from exploding from embarrassment. Konoka pointed behind her and Motoko turned and seemingly turned into stone. "T... turtle..."

"Myuh," greeted Tama-chan from the door as Mutsumi issued the next group of questions from the front of the room.

"Who is that?" asked Su curiously as she hung off of Satomi's shoulders.

"That is our substitute, Miss Otohime Mutsumi and Tama-chan," said Satomi. "Yes I know it's odd, having a girl and a turtle teach but still..."

"Odd must be the theme of the week," remarked Asuna. "Between Keitaro-sensei being down for the count and a turtle and another Tokyo University Ronin teaching us, it's becoming something an odd week."

"What do you mean Eva-chan can't come back home with us?" demanded Naru.

"I am sorry but due to the Infernal Scholastic Curse, she cannot LEAVE the grounds of Mahora," said the headmaster. "Not without invoking a very complex ritual and I'm afraid Nagi Springfield had put too much magic into the curse. She has been here for sixteen years."

"Really, huh, she holds her age well," said Kitsune with a scowl. "But seriously, do you really think we couldn't find a way to bring her out?"

"I have no doubts about it, but the possibility is slim," said Konoe. "I'm sorry but I have to say that it is impossible for now. Even still, Evangeline has served us well in the past and I'd be loathe to give her the space she desires elsewise she wreck havoc across the land."

"So she's tied to the land, right?" said Naru. "Couldn't you, I dunno, make a connection BACK to Hinata House or something?"

"Slightly unheard of but possible," said Konoe. "I will look into it, mind you but you do realize Evangeline is a powerful vampire mage, do you not?"

"Yes, but when has that stopped us?" said Kitsune with a grin. "Look, I'm sure you can do something with all that magic floating around the area. I mean c'mon, someone's gotta be blind not to notice the weird that happens here."

"All right," sighed the Headmaster. "I will see about finding a way to changing the curse. Please, feel free to wander around and use this to get settled in if you wish to stay overnight." Reaching into his desk, he handed the pair a keycard. "It is the keycard to the visitors rooms in the girls dormitory."

Feeling put off, Naru followed Kitsune out the door. "I dunno," said Naru. "He really wants to keep Eva-chan here. I'm sure he could probably find some way to make it happen but as it stands, we're not going to be seeing her in the halls of Hinata House for a while."

"Mm," said Kitsune. "So, where do you think our kids are?"

"Probably around here somewhere," said Naru. "Crepe shop?"

"Maybe the first place to see considering Eva-chan may be there as well."

"Myuh?"

"Mmm..." said Keitaro as he stirred. "Wha? What day is it, Tama-chan?"

"Myuh," said Tama-chan, pointing towards a calendar on the wall as the date read July Seven. Keitaro sighed and collapsed back into bed. "Myuh?" asked Tama-chan.

"I'm fine, Tama-chan," said Keitaro. "If really hungry. I think I can get something to eat."

Sitting up, he rummaged around on the top of the desk and then his hand came down on a pair of items. Picking up his glasses and the small box, Keitaro focused on the box and then smiled, opening the top. "I remember this," he said, holding up the gold ring. "I haven't worn it for a while since the uproar, but maybe today is a good day for it."

The simple golden band was marked with an inscription that read "Merry Christmas." The Christmas before, he and Konoka had met up with the granddaughter of the original Santa Claus and together, they went delivering presents. At the end of it, Mai left them their Christmas presents, presumably from herself and Santa as she pulled it right out of her endless bag. Konoka had given the gift to Setsuna while he held onto his since everyone else was attacking him and forcing eggnog down his throat.

After a quick shower and a rice ball, Keitaro stepped out into the sunlight with Tama-chan on his heels. Dressed in a sharp set of black pants and a shirt with a silver cross and a long white over shirt, Keitaro fixed the ring on his right hand and ran a hand through his hair. "Lets get something to eat, Tama-chan."

"Myuh!" agreed Tama-chan.

"Welcome to Ichiraku's," said the girl as Keitaro sat down. "Is there anything you want?"

"I'll have a beef ramen, extra large please," said Keitaro as his stomach roared in agreement. The girl nodded and she and the older man went to work. Ichiraku Ramen was a small stand near the campus on the outskirts of the shopping district. It was here where Keitaro usually found himself eating out considering his lack of finances at times. After two days of being asleep, his stomach roared and his wallet ached. When the food was set before him, Keitaro dug in with a gusto that belayed his hunger.

The owner, Ichiraku Sarutobi laughed and said, "You look half-starved there, Keitaro-san. So were the rumors true?"

"Rumors?" asked Keitaro, noodle stuck to his mouth.

"Yeah, the rumors," said Ichiraku. "The kids have been saying you got attacked by the Cherry Blossom Street vampire."

"Oh..." said Keitaro, his mood taking a slight dip. "Yeah, it's true. I just woke up an hour ago."

"Hmmm," said Ichiraku. "Lots of stuff going on in this place. I know it's not normal having this many oddities but still, one has to wonder what really is going on here. Here, have a couple more bowls on the house. You look half-starved."

"Thanks," said Keitaro gratefully as Ichiraku also served up a small bowl for Tama-chan. "Your Ramen is always good, Ichiraku-san."

"Aw, it's just a family recipe," laughed Ichiraku. "Said to have been passed down since before the Feudal Ages. They say the Emperor himself stopped by on his travels but I'm not sure how true that is. Ayane, can you please go and get more noodles?"

"Sure," said Ayane, his daughter and helper. She was a girl of twenty-four and of a slight build with a pleasant expression. "Nice to see you up, Keitaro-san."

"Thanks," said Keitaro.

"Yeah, I dunno what's going on here," said Ichiraku. "I'm on the verge of calling this place a magical hotbed and go from there. Or at least a weirdness index. I mean look at the World Tree for example. Who in their right mind grows a tree nearly two hundred feet tall, that large and doesn't get it into the Guinness Book of World Records? I tell ya, people from all over congregate here and it gets odder each year. As for me? I'm enjoying myself here as it's been our family home for years."

"It defiantly wouldn't be the same without you, Ichiraku-san," said Keitaro.

"I have no doubt about that. Hold on there," said Ichiraku as the door jangled. "Welcome to Ichiraku Ramen."

"Oh me oh my," said Mutsumi as she walked in. "Hello Ichiraku-san."

"Ahhh, Mutsumi-san. Keitaro-san, I'd like to introduce you to the girl who was covering your classes for the last two and a half days. This is Otohime Mutsumi."

"Pleased to meet you," said Mutsumi politely.

"One Watermelon Ramen?" asked Ichiraku and Mutsumi nodded.

"Yes please," she said, sitting down and fishing out her wallet.

Ichiraku shook his head and said, "How many times do I gotta tell you, Mutsumi-san? Your money is no good here. My sales have tripled when you introduced the idea of a Watermelon Ramen so I owe you instead of you owing me. Take it, you deserve it."

"Thank you," said Mutsumi cheerfully.

'She's pretty,' thought Keitaro to himself as he worked on his second bowl of noodles. Mutsumi looked over and said, "Oh are you married?"

"Me?" asked Keitaro and even Ichiraku paused at the sight of the golden ring on his finger. "Oh, no, this was a Christmas Gift from a friend."

Ichiraku set down the Ramen and Keitaro looked at the Ramen with floating chunks of watermelon in there. Quirking an eyebrow at the way Mutsumi seemed to get sparkly eyes at the sight, he went back to his own bowl.

The door jangled again and Ichiraku looked up. "Welcome to Ichiraku Ramen."

"Hi there," said Naru as she and Kitsune sat down. Naru looked at Keitaro and blinked. "Hey, Ronin-sensei, what are you doing here?"

"Just eating," said Keitaro as he worked on his third bowl. "I've been unconscious for a while and I'm starving."

"You okay?" asked Naru in concern and he nodded.

"Keitaro-san here got walloped by a vampire a few nights ago," said Ichiraku. "So what'll it be?"

"Wait, so you really DID get attacked by Eva-chan?" asked Kitsune in surprise. "Oh, two shrimp."

"Eva-chan? I barely remember the face of my attacker, only that the person was soft." said Keitaro.

"You pervert," said Naru with a glare. "You get attacked by Eva-chan and all you can think about is how soft she is?"

"Er," said Keitaro, hoping he wouldn't be able to finish his meal before Naru smacked him out the door.

"I thought as much," said Kamo as he, Negi, Shinobu and Sarah walked into the room. "This is an apothecary. That's sort of a chemistry supply depot for wizards."

"Some of this stuff is kind of creepy," said Shinobu as she looked at the things set all around the area. "Basilisk Venom? Wings of Harpy?"

"Powdered Monarch Butterfly, Bezoars," read off Sarah. "I feel like we're in Harry Potter all of a sudden."

"Just no Quidditch Jokes," said Negi with a laugh as he looked over the store shelves. "I'm not too good at potions myself."

"Instant love potion mixes," said Shinobu and she blushed. "Are those illegal?"

"Not really," said Negi. "Well, in most countries it's more of a gag potion than anything else. It excites the emotions and attraction of the opposite sex to the drinker for about fifty minutes but it wears off soon afterwards. It really depends on who takes it, and how long their body can burn off the effects of the magic."

"Still, I doubt I'd want a horde of guys chasing after me," said Shinobu, still blushing.

"Enhancement pills," said Sarah, turning it over in her hand. "Free samples."

"Um, I wouldn't," said Negi and Sarah gave him a look.

"I definitely know what these do, Negi," said Sarah with a smirk. "Maybe I'll just make you nervous for a while and take a free sample."

"Er, that's not for kids," protested the Shopkeeper who was staring at them in open-mouthed shock. Three kids walked into his fairly hidden shop without going through the mundane wards? One was a wizard he could tell from the staff, but the other two only had faint auras of magic.

"Great, then I'd have to explain to Naru-san why you suddenly have breasts," grumbled Negi and Sarah gave him the American finger. Pride wounded, Negi replied with the Japanese Red Eye.

"These ones," said Kamo, picking up a bottle. It was filled with red, green and blue and yellow pills. "These are Age Deceiving Pills."

"Those are a good seller right now," said the shopkeeper. "It casts an external illusion around the one who takes it, changing the person to a specific age in mind. They're on sale now for 400 Yen."

"I'll take it!" exclaimed Kamo, pulling out a bill. "You have to pay so much on Mahou dot net for these!"

The shopkeeper nodded as he rung up the sale. "International shipping costs, problems with overseas mail, that sort of stuff. I'm probably the only one who can actually sell these things without paying lots of taxes, Tarriffs and at the recommended sale price instead of an unholy 10,000 yen."

Bagging up their purchases, the trio left the store. Out in front of the store which was thankfully hidden in a side road, Shinobu pulled the bottle out of the bag and read off the instructions.

"Each Age Deceiving Pill is color coded for a longer age range jump. Green pills will allow an age jump of between ten to fifteen years. Blue pills will allow the jump between fifteen and up. Yellow reduces age by about fifteen years. Red will restore the person back to their original age. Recommended use of a maximum of ten pills a day. Please note that it is recommended to do this in your underwear as your clothing may or may not fit after the dramatic shape change."

"Heh," said Sarah. "Sounds like a lot of fun. I wouldn't mind being twenty for today."

"We'd need to get you clothes," mused Shinobu as she checked her pants and her Cabot sweater. "I think I could manage twenty one in these clothes. Pants might be a little tight..."

"What about you, Aniki?" asked Kamo. "Wouldn't you like to be older?"

"Um, I haven't thought about it but maybe I could go for sixteen," said Negi. "At the very least I won't need to get too big of clothing."

"Hey Shinobu, try the first one," said Sarah as she popped the lid. "You said your clothing should fit, right?"

"It should," said Shinobu, suddenly embarrassed. "But here goes." She took the pill and swallowed, the smooth capsule going down easily. There was a tremendous poof of smoke and then Shinobu looked down at herself and then at Negi who was no longer eye-height and Sarah who was tiny. "Wow," she said, finding her voice a rich soprano. "Everything smaller."

"How does it feel?" asked Sarah as Shinobu checked her reflection in the store window.

"It feels real," said Shinobu as she poked her cheek. At the age of twenty one, her hair flowed down to her back. Her childish face was a bit sharper with the effect of aging. And Shinobu winced as her panties pinched and her bra felt like it was going to explode. "Um, I think I need new underwear."

"How do I look?" asked Shinobu as she stepped out of the changing room. Negi's eyes lit up at the look the girl had put together. Her old Cabot sweater still fit her, though the arms went up to her elbows. She wore low-hipped pants and sandals that could be adjusted to her smaller normal feet. Her hair had been put up in a ribbon and she wore matching earrings.

"Beautiful," he and Kamo chorused and Shinobu blushed prettily.

"Stop blushing, dork," grinned Sarah as she launched herself out of the adjoining room and kicked Negi in the head. The boy fell onto his back from the force of the kick and lay there, dazed.

Sarah took a pill as well. Standing at an age of seventeen since it was easier for herself, her hair was exceptionally long and she wore it in a ponytail that trailed out from under her baseball cap. Her overalls were now cut to fit her taller and more shapely body and instead of going with simply overalls, she added a tiny shirt and to Shinobu's insistence, a new bra that kept her new chest from bouncing out of the fabric. Sarah tugged at the top and winced. "Man, this thing pinches. I'm so not looking forward to when I have real boobs."

Shinobu giggled and helped Negi up. "Here you go," she said, pressing a pill into his hands and handing him a stack of clothing. "Try these on."

Negi was pushed into the changing room and there was a muffled explosion of smoke. After a few minutes, Negi emerged and said, "How do I look?"

"Kyah, Negi's a Bishonen!" cried Shinobu happily, flushing red.

Gone was the rounded boyish face and replacing it was a lean and handsome, almost pretty angular features. He wore a black shirt with a brown jacket and black pants. Around his neck he wore a cross and still slung over his shoulder was his wand and Kamo on the other. Removing his small glasses, Shinobu could see his vibrant green eyes. "Wow," said Negi and he laughed, his voice a wonderful tenor that would send girls into a frenzy. "This is awesome! I can't wait to show this to Naru-san!"

"You clean up pretty good, dork," smirked Sarah and Negi stuck his tongue out at her.

"So what do you three want to do with your newfound adulthood?" asked Kamo curiously.

The three grinned.

"We're going out for supper, Nodoka-chan," called out Haruna. "Are you coming along?"

"I'll be along in a few minutes," said Nodoka with a smile. "Go on ahead."

"All right, c'mon Yue." the pair headed out of the library as Nodoka turned back to her book.

"Mutsumi-sensei certainly gives unique tests," she said to herself. While most if not all of the class had gotten through Mutsumi's unique pop quiz with flying colors, it was a point of embarrassment that some of the smarter people didn't realize Mutsumi's technique was actually good. She herself only got an embarrassing five points before she tried the technique and it worked for her. The rest of the class soon left after that.

Letting out a sigh, Nodoka closed up her book and placed it into her bag. Tucking her pencil behind her ear, she gathered up her things and headed out of the library. The night air was beginning to settle and the sun was starting to dip below the horizon as she let the wind pass over her, rustling her hair and clothing.

The evening of Mahora City was still full of life, people gathered around and celebrating the summer. It would be another two months before the fall break before they returned for another three month semester and people were still partying all around the campus for the beginning of the summer since late May was fast approaching.

A group of students were stumbling around, laughing. One of them bumped into Nodoka and she fell to the ground with a yelp. Or rather would have hit if strong hands didn't catch her as she fell. "Are you okay?" asked a deep voice and Nodoka looked up at her benefactor.

For a moment, time seemed to stop for her as she looked into the handsome face that was smiling down on her. "You almost got knocked down there, Miyazaki-san," he said with a smile as he picked up her books and handed them to her.

"How do you know who I am?" asked Nodoka. She was certain no college-level guy knew who he was or anyone else in the boys section.

The boy laughed. "Miyazaki-san, it's me, Negi."

"Ehhhh?" exclaimed Nodoka in shock.

Nodoka soon found herself sitting around a table with Negi and two girls whom she realized were Sarah and Shinobu. The cabot sweater gave Shinobu away and the tomboyish air around Sarah was pure American. "How... did you three become... older?" stammered out Nodoka.

"These," said Shinobu, placing the jar on the table. "There's a magic shop here in the city and Kamo bought these Age Deceiving Pills."

"With MY money might I add," said Negi, glaring at the ermine with a beer.

"Feel lucky it was at original cost," said Kamo.

"You all look older, and you feel older," said Nodoka, tentatively poking Negi's arm. "How old are you three now?"

"The dork is sixteen, I'm seventeen and Shinobu's twenty one," said Sarah offhandedly as she sipped her drink. "These pills will last until we take a red one so there's no real problem with being older right now."

Nodoka found herself giggling at the thought of getting away with age pills. Kamo looked at Nodoka and then said, "Hey, Neesan, do you want to try one?"

"Ehh?" asked Nodoka. "But.. I wouldn't know how to do it."

"Simple, you just take and swallow," said Kamo. "Lets go and get her something to wear, Sarah."

"Fine, but Negi pays for this one," grumbled Sarah and she pulled Nodoka away from the crowd.

"There they go," said Negi, feeling his wallet getting smaller and thinner by the hour. "This is probably not going to end well."

Soon, the pair came back and Negi's breath caught in his throat. Nodoka had opted for an age of about eighteen and she was a stunning girl. Her young face had matured to an elegant beauty, not one that leapt out at you but it was flawless and one of those girls that you noticed when she took her glasses off. She was dressed in a spaghetti strap dress that went low around her back complete with sandals and a long sweater that had no shoulders and dropped like a coat. Around her neck was a pretty crystal and she had a bracelet around her wrist. "Beautiful," he whispered and Nodoka blushed prettily.

Shinobu felt a little bit of jealousy, even though she was happy that Nodoka was going to be pretty when she got older but fought it down. "Eighteen is a nice age," she said as she ordered up some shrimp skewers from the passing waiter.

"I feel different," said Nodoka as she sat down. Her hair had been pulled away from her face and she was blushing heavily.

"This is a popular restaurant for the junior high, high school and college crowds," said Asuna as she, Konoka, Satomi, Su, Motoko and Setsuna were sat down by the waiter who filled their water glasses. "Good food for cheap prices. Konoka and I have been here a few times."

"What is good in here?" asked Motoko, picking up the decorative menu.

"Well, if you want a lot of good food fast, you want to go for the Noodle Buffet. The chicken skewers are good and the steaks are amazing, if a bit more pricey than anything else since it is beef. There's a lot of food from around the world here and they try to make it affordable," said Asuna. "I like the Chicken Wraps myself."

"What is Toad in the Hole?" asked Setsuna, making a face at the name.

"It's sort of a wrapped sausage with other foods," said Konoka. "I think you'd like it, Sechan."

"I see," said Setsuna, still uncertain.

"Oh my god, they have Banana Takoyaki!" exclaimed Su happily. "Banana!"

Satomi chuckled and said, "I'm going to go with an American cut steak, twenty one ounces. As a kid, I grew up with steak as a delicacy since I live near the ocean and grew up on fish mostly."

"I cannot decide what to order," said Motoko and Asuna leaned over and pointed at a dish.

"Try that."

"Thai Chicken Salad. Sounds spicy."

"It is," said Asuna. "But it's not too spicy and it's really good. Konoka, what are you getting this time?"

"Mmm... maybe I'll take a little money out and go with the Cajun shrimp pasta. You?"

"Heh, I've always want to try their Canadian Baby Back Ribs," said Asuna. "Setsuna-san, what are you thinking about?"

"Perhaps I will just go with a traditional meal," said Setsuna and Konoka shook her head.

"This is the best international eatery in the city," said Konoka, shaking her head fiercely. "Here, I'll pick something for you. Lets see..."

"Er, that isn't necessary Ojousama," said Setsuna. Konoka gave her a look. "Very well."

"This one," said Konoka. "Feta Cheese Lasagna. This is an amazing food and you'll also get salad, bread and dipping sauce for the bread."

"I can attest to that," said the person from the next table and the girls looked over. Negi grinned, holding up his fork in salute. "Yo."

"Kyah, Negi-san?" exclaimed Konoka in surprise. "You look so handsome!"

"Don't encourage him, it'll go to his head," smirked Sarah from her part of the table.

"External illusions," said Motoko, realizing why they were older. "How was this managed?"

"Age deceiving pills," said Sarah. "Hey Nodoka-chan, say hello already."

"Wow, Hon-ya-chan you look so amazing!" gushed Asuna and Nodoka blushed, trying to hide behind her Vietnamese Soup. "How old are you guys now?"

"Sarah's seventeen, Nodoka's eighteen, Negi's sixteen and I'm twenty one," said Shinobu. "We had to be older to get into some stores since they're not about to sit a group of kids into a restaurant without adult supervision."

"Can I get a couple off of you guys?" asked Konoka.

"Me too! I wanna use it a lot!" added Su and Satomi nodded as well.

"There's a store on Fourth and Seventh," said Negi. "We can go since they're a twenty-four hour apothecary."

"Four and Seventh, of course," said Setsuna thoughtfully. "Bumblebee's Apothecary, the twenty-four hour market. I was under the impression they couldn't get Age Deceiving Pills yet."

"They just did," said Negi.

"And thus the 3-A weirdness index goes up some more," said Asuna with a sigh. "I think we need a drink."

"Cheers," said Konoka, downing a pill and drinking from her soda.

There were two simultaneous poofs from Asuna and Konoka as Konoka giggled. "Look at me! I'm twenty five!"

"You look very beautiful Asuna-san!" added Negi and Asuna fought the urge to pound him on general principle.

"Are you two all right?" asked Motoko as Konoka and Asuna weaved. "You didn't get anything alcoholic, did you?"

"Naw, we're just a bit giddy, right Asuna?" giggled Konoka.

"Yeah." giggled Asuna as the pair weaved towards the dorms. "I need sleep, g'night!"

"Uh oh," said Kamo as he checked the label. "Warning, do not take with carbonated drinks. Side effects involve longer lasting age effects and slight intoxication."

"This won't end well," said Satomi.