Disclaimer: I do not own Magister Magi Negima! or any other variant of the name.

"This is a rare sight, seeing you this clearly down." A familiar, if slightly unexpected voice intruded upon Katarina's lonesome reflection.

She'd wandered off to a secluded spot on campus to think, one that she had used for this purpose before, when she just wanted to be lost in thought all alone.

There were a few people she might expect to show up in this case, but Hakase certainly wasn't one of them.

It was rare enough for them to meet outside of school or when Katarina visited her lab, but for Hakase to come here was, well, unprecedented.

"I could say the same to you, showing up out here."

The two bespectacled girls looked at each other for a few moments.

"I was just visiting Eva's place to check up on Chachamaru, heard you had left and on a whim decided to seek you out." Hakase moved up to Katarina's side. "I guess you really do have to go see the nice views for yourself occasionally."

It was a pretty nice view, that was after all why Katarina had stopped there in the first place. Overlooking parts of Mahora with a decent view of the tree, it was certainly a view worth finding.

"I take it that means you've seen this view before?"

"Through Chachamaru's memory banks, yes. In the folder for 'Places Katarina frequents'."

A small chuckle escaped Katarina.

"Figures. I assume you know everything then?"

"Well, if I take what I know from Chachamaru and combine with what I've observed and what hints Chao-san was gracious enough to drop, I would wager you are also a time-traveller of some sort."

"That seems like the most likely option. It's just… I don't remember how or why I came here. You'd think a reason to surpass the barrier of time, and the capacity to do so, would be highly important memories. And yet… I can recall none of that. Nowhere in my memory can I find neither the motivation… nor the means."

"I see. Is that what was bothering you?"

"Initially, yes. It was in order to ponder those things that I went out today. But my melancholy comes more from thoughts of… family and friends I… might have left behind."

"Do you… remember them?"

"Vaguely. It's… still fragmentary and odd, and I can't really align that time with now. And that… disconcerts me."

"I can only imagine. You know, while you struck me as someone who had travelled through time, you also never seemed like you came from nearly as far ahead as Chao-san did."

"On that, I can agree. From what my memories where helpful enough to provide it certainly didn't seem that distant."

"But that piece of information solves nothing, right?"

"Yeah, honestly it just raises more questions."

"Maybe you didn't voluntarily time-travel?"

"Not voluntarily?"

If no motive for doing so came up, then perhaps it wasn't voluntary?

That… wasn't exactly impossible, but it certainly still raised the question of 'how'.

Katarina gave a small wry smile to Hakase as she responded. "I guess it's worth keeping in mind. But that really just makes 'how' all the more important."

"But every bit helps, right?"

"I guess."

Hakase suddenly shivered a little. "Aren't you cold?"

"It's a bit chilly, but I wouldn't call it cold. Besides, these clothes are honestly a bit too warm." Katarina responded indicating the purple coat she was wearing.

The black-haired girl wasn't amused in the slightest, something she did her best to show in her expression. "Well, I think it's a bit cold. And I am not wearing clothes that are too warm."

"And I was merely responding to your query about my own perception of the situation."

They both stared at each other, trying to look angry, but they soon fell into sniggering.

"Well, I guess I've had enough lonesome thinking for today. Where to?" Katarina then said with a small smile.

"Where- Of course you'd say that." Hakase seemed both just the slightest bit amused, but also perhaps just a little hint of annoyance. "I suppose I'm heading back to the lab."

"I see. Then what are we standing around here for?" Even as the younger girl said this she had already started moving.

Hakase shook her head lightly with a slightly amused smile, then followed.

"So, did you figure it out?" She then suddenly asked.

"Oh, come on. I just managed to read a small fraction of it, I still haven't quite wrapped my head around the language you're using, much less having gotten close to figuring out how Chachamaru's fingers work."

"But you figured it has to do with the fingers."

"That's because it's clearly written that it pertains to the fingers, as you would expect."

"The fact you expected it puts you above the uninitiated. And some of the initiated."

"Well, I am initiated."

"I figured as much when you asked, 'what language is this?'."

-Break—

"You are going to… help her learn magic?" Takamichi asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Fumu, well, she clearly had some familiarity with magic already, and if it is a request from Zazie-kun as well then the least we can do is accept it." The headmaster responded.

Evangeline had headed to the headmaster's office to report her decision, and Takamichi had by happenstance been present as well.

"What, Takamichi? You don't think I can do it?" The vampire said.

"I have no doubt you can do it but… I wasn't quite expecting you to help someone of your own accord." The teacher replied.

Eva smirked with a small laugh. "Call it alleviating my boredom, it seemed like an interesting challenge."

"Still, it does raise one question, doesn't it? If she has the capacity, knows of it and has so clearly been involved, why is she unable to use magic?" The headmaster suddenly said, stroking his beard.

"Short answer, nobody taught her. Unless that part of her memory was specifically erased, which seems unlikely, she doesn't even really know the basics. As for why that might be the case, there are a number of possibilities." Eva responded.

"I see. Certainly, I can think of a number of possibilities myself, but nothing that seems overly satisfactory. A mystery of the highest order…" The headmaster continued stroking his beard. "Well, with both you and Zazie-kun as guarantors, there is no reason for us to block your decision. Do you have any objections Takamichi-kun?"

"None. If you need my help, don't hesitate to ask, I do know a thing or two about teaching." Takamichi replied.

"Well, that means my business here is concluded." Eva turned to leave but stopped right before the door. "Oh, right. I intend to wait until after the tests before starting, just so you know."

Then she left.

"Well, I should get going as well." Takamichi said and exited as well.

Now alone, the headmaster leaned back into his chair and started musing.

"Hmm… but still, a descendant of the first mages… How did something like that remain undetected for so long? But if we take into account their magic… No, she'd have to have cast it herself… And she doesn't know how to… Oh dear. There is a way… And it fits unpleasantly well… But even then, there are points left unexplained…"

-Break—

Her recent revelations had certainly changed how Katarina viewed the world around her. On the one hand, the library on Library Island as well as the World Tree made far more sense when taking magic into account, and the odd discomfort that kept her from going into the library's lower levels or closer to the tree also now had an explanation.

On the other hand, it was really odd to her that she only learned this now. You would have thought something like this, which was incredibly important would have been prominent in her memories, and yet…

Nowhere can she remember feeling magic, which was indeed that slight tingly feeling she had all the time now, before coming to Mahora.

Honestly, she was starting to wonder if her memories…

Were they really…?

"If it isn't Katarina-dono!" A sudden voice interrupted her thought.

She turned to face the source, which was, unsurprisingly, Kaede.

She was the only person who called her that after all.

"Kaede-san, good afternoon. The twins aren't with you today?"

"Alas, they had other obligations to attend to, and as such I am on mine own this day."

It's a bit funny, really. Kaede, like so many in their class, too many some might say, hides a secret. Turns out, she's a Ninja. Of course, one could question the wisdom of using archaic language often associated with Ninja if she wants to hide it, but at the same time…

What better way to hide that you are a Ninja than seeming like a wannabe?

Well, except of course, that she clearly doesn't go out of her way to seem like a Ninja wannabe either. She just uses archaic language anyway… Maybe because her family uses it?

"I see. Then how about I join you? I wasn't doing anything in particular anyways." Katarina responded after breaking out of her little tangent.

"Ah, verily a fortuitous turn of events! I was worried I would be on mine lonesome the entire way."

"There nothing quite like company to make a walk seem insignificant."

"Verily it is so. One must be on their guard not to go too far."

They shared a laugh as they started walking together. This wasn't something that happened all too often, but it had happened a few times before.

Honestly, Chisame was still the only person in their class, excepting Sayo of course, that Katarina had yet to at any point hang out with.

"There is something that hath been on mine mind." Kaede opened.

"Hmm?"

"What club art thou in?"

"I'm not in any club, actually. There might be some that see me as an unofficial member, but… I simply haven't officially joined one."

"Many of our classmates believes thee to be part of the Library Exploration Club."

"Let's just say there were… complications in regard to participating in their activities." Katarina responded with a wistful smile.

"I see… Tis most unfortunate."

"Well, it's a massive bummer, but I'm not too bothered. It doesn't change my friendship with Nodoka, Yuecchi or Haruna-san at all."

"What about Hakase-dono or Chao-dono's clubs?"

"That's where the unofficial part comes in. I don't really have anything to provide to any of their clubs, but I think the Robotics Club has taken a bit of a liking to me."

A truth with some modification. She could probably participate in the activities of the Robotics Club just fine, but she already stood out more than she liked.

So, she'd prefer it if her forays into robotics be kept between herself, Chao and Hakase.

"Is that so? I must admit, it is a surprise. Verily, I, like many others, thought that thou, who remains at school for quite a bit of time after its end had joined a club."

"I can see why they would think that. Usually you associate not having a club with going home immediately, right?"

"Thou dost not?"

"Clubs like these aren't really a thing back home. At least not in any schools I ever went to."

"Is that so? Tis not something I ever considered."

"There is always more to learn. That is the wonder of knowledge."

Kaede didn't reply, but Katarina could feel her gaze, even if her eyes appeared closed.

It seemed… appraising.

"We've talked quite a bit about me, so I'm going to ask something about you." The bespectacled girl said, perhaps to escape that gaze.

"Oh?"

"Are you really… the same age as the rest of the class?"

Well, as far as Katarina knew, Kaede was indeed the same age as the others (excepting Eva, herself and maybe Zazie?). But she just couldn't help but feel sceptical, not only because of Kaede's body, being absurdly tall and quite well endowed, but also due to the presence of a certain degree of maturity.

The Ninja laughed good-naturedly. "Tis a question one is used to hearing! Is mine ample bosom throwing thee off?"

"Wha-?! N-no, no. You just seem more mature… in many ways…"

Kaede continued laughing. "Tis merely a jest, merely a jest!" A certain seriousness suddenly settled over her features. "Tis may be so, that I am more mature. But I am most certainly the same age as the rest of the class."

After that a small silence settled between them, that lasted for a little while. And once they broke it, they turned to more… meaningless conversation, that wandered quite broadly. And certainly, they walked quite far that day.

Author's notes: Whew. This took far too long. Couldn't quite figure out what to write in the last part, and was left writing nothing for... a couple weeks? Something like that. Finally settled for this. Damn it Kaede, why do you have to talk like that? I feel like I might have overdone it on the archaicness of her speech, she IS archaic in the way she speaks, but I feel like I overdid it. I would have checked the manga, but my own copies are currently languishing in storage, and the fan-translations... I don't feel like finding one of those right now to be honest. Feedback is welcome, as always.

I hope you enjoyed, and that you have a nice day.