Disclaimer: I do not own Negima or any of it's characters...
Fang Vice Addiction
Chapter Fourteen: Unexpected Meetings
By Traingham
There was something about the wind rushing against one's face that inspired a sense of confidence and strength. The freedom that it made one feel as the wind caressed their body would inspire a sense of invulnerability; a sense of invincibility. The thought of misfortune was forgotten in the back of one's mind and all was right with the world. Negi felt all of these things as he glided through the midst of students completely undetected due to the speed he was traveling at. Female students had to keep their skirts down with both of their hands to keep themselves from flashing any unsuspecting onlookers. Even the male students who were out on the prowl for a date for the festival couldn't help but flinch from the unexpected rush of wind against their legs.
The Magisters who were presently engaged in combat, however, were on the alert for their adversaries. This was especially fact when they were under the impression that a powerful dark mage was their opponent. Takane took upon a battle stance with her shadow puppets at her side in wait of their mysterious adversary. Mei did the same with her broom in hand, her eyes darting from side to side as her sense went wild from the adrenaline pumping through her veins. Gandolfini kept his cool and walked around the plaza with one hand kept under his jacket in preparation to strike when necessary. The three were ready to encounter any threat that came their way.
Kotaro was nearly invisible as he pumped his legs at a pace that seemed as though they would detach from his upper body. His eyes widened slightly when two dark warriors were in his sights and he flexed his claws with a grin before kicking off with one foot and launching himself straight at them. The warriors saw that he made the first move already and attempted to best him but seconds later they were wisps of black smoke as the wolf demon's claws ripped through their shadow like garbs. Two girls who were taking a leisure stroll were startled when Kotaro came to a sudden halt in front of them and jumped back in fright when he was no longer standing before them in the blink of an eye.
"Y-you saw that right?!" The blonde asked her flaming haired companion.
"You two?! Thank gawd, I thought those pills were kicking in early." The red head sighed.
"Er...what?"
"These puppets ain't nothin'!" Kotaro laughed with a grin as he picked up the pace in his run again. "Where is the real challenge?!" His eyes darted from side to side as he searched for the puppet master. He growled in agitation when all he saw was normal students until his eyes locked on Mei's back. He felt the power flowing through her and a smirk came upon his lips as he prepared for the duel. Kotaro jumped in the air and landed before her, whipping around to face her in a defensive stance.
"There ya are!" Kotaro declared but his loud declaration fell to a confused wheeze when he realized he was facing the very girl who stood beside him when they were having the briefing near the World Tree. "Hey...you're-"
"HYAA!" Mei cried out, cutting Kotaro off as she twirled her broom with one hand before taking hold of it with the other to strike him in the face. Kotaro's quick reflexes saved him from plastic surgery as he bent backwards, allowing the offending broom head to pass over his nose by mere centimeters. The young red-head passed the broom stick between hands behind her back and jerked upward with a rising slash that grazed Kotaro's chin forcing him to to regain his battle stance.
"I think we've both got the wrong idea here!" He tried to calm her but Mei didn't seem to be in the mood to talk as she went in for another strike. "I tried to talk but I guess we'll do this the- whoa!" He jumped over a floor sweep from the girl and decided to keep his mouth shut for the remainder of the duel. He wasn't about to underestimate the girl but he had a strict "No hitting girls" policy and that was making it all the more difficult to touch her. I can always depend on myself to get in to this sort of situation, huh?! This girl doesn't seem to be controlling those freaky guys though so that must mean...
We are dealing with mages of different ability! Setsuna thought, fiercely slashing upwards with her sword to dispatch a dark warrior who foolishly confronted her. She felt a different vibe from the air around her and whipped around with a horizontal slash that cut two more warriors asunder. She felt a different aura from the other students in the crowd below and narrowed her eyes imperceptibly. "That aura sure doesn't belong to a weakling. That must be my target!" She sheathed her sword and ran across the roof she was on before jumping down to the crowd of students below but before her feet could even touch the ground a squad of shadow puppet who were in wait spotted her and rushed to apprehend her. She kicked off from the floor when one of her feet landed and sent herself airborne again.
"They're everywhere!" Her left hand twitched in anticipation to draw her blade as the group of dark warrior almost caught up with her. Just as they were in arms reach she unsheathed her blade and they were wisps of smoke just as she sheathed it once more. Her eyes searched the plaza grounds for the aura she sensed and frowned to find that the mage was gone. "He must've sensed me."
"The Puppet master is near master Negi!" Chachazero alerted Negi with a light pull at the locks of hair in her tiny hands.
"I sense her too!" Negi replied, clenching both of his hands in to tight fists. When his sense started to run wild he gasped as two dark warriors appeared before him and quickly reacted with a palm to their guts with both hands. The two were gone in puffs of smoke instantly and Negi readied his wand in one hand while gathering energy in the other. The young magi kicked off from the ground, sending him toward a metal light pole and wall kicked from it on contact to launch himself over Takane's head. Just when he felt that he reached his main opponent his eyes widened with shock when he found himself rushing toward Takane. "It c-can't be!"
"Who is that..." Takane died off in mid-sentence and whipped around just as the blur in front of her came to a sudden halt causing her hair to flow with the violent burst of wind that accompanied Negi's sudden stop. "Negi-sensei?!" She had her wand pointed at him in an instant. "You're the one who's helping our enemy? You're the one responsible for hindering our attempts to capture the spy?!"
"T-Takane-san?" Was his only response to her accusing words as his hands dropped down to his sides.
"This dark power I feel flowing through you...it's far too much for an apprentice of the dark arts! Just who are you and why are you against us?!"
"H-hey! I was under the impression that you were the bad guy!" Negi retorted, his eyes focused on the wand being pointed at him. "I not trying to cause any trouble."
"Don't you lie to me!" Takane scowled as she took a step closer so that the tip of the wand was at the distance of a point blank shot. "...Traitor."
"Takane-"
"Don't you come any closer!" Just as Takane was about to unleash her spell upon Negi his hand jerked forward to clasp the bottom of her wrist and point her wand upwards. There was a storm of light as the spell shot upwards and Takane felt her heart pump faster with each passing moment as she found herself face to face with Negi. She was surprised to find that his grip on her wrist was firm but gentle and that there was no sign of malice on his face.
"Just calm down." Negi told her in a calm voice. "I'm sure there must be some sort of misunderstanding." The young teacher quirked an eyebrow in confusion when he felt two hands upon his shoulders and glanced at them to see shadow like hands belonging to some dark warriors behind him. He turned back to the blonde magistress with awkward grin and said, "Somehow I don't think you've been listening to me."
"That's it! I'm going in!" Chachazero cried out as she drew out both of her blades she prepared to lunge at Takane's face but she suddenly found herself in the comfort of Negi's arms and hung her head in defeat. "Master?!"
"I don't want you to get in trouble." Negi told his puppet with a smile despite his current situation.
"Ohhhh...c'mon!" The puppet whined but Negi's mind didn't shift at all.
You're able to keep on a smile even in the tightest situation, hm, Negi-sensei? Takane thought with a slight frown. "I'm sorry sensei but I have to be cautious."
I can't keep myself too preoccupied with you! Kotaro thought, catching Mei's broom just as she tried to strike him with an overhead slash. The redhead gasped when she realized that her attack had been stopped and Kotaro took her moment of shock to send her crashing in to one of the stands behind her with her broom. He immediately ran to her fallen form, however, to see that she wasn't injured seriously. He held her up in his arms, making sure to hold her head correctly so he wouldn't hurt her anymore than he already did.
"Hey...I didn't hurt you too bad, did I?" He asked Mei. Her only reply was a pained groan as she allowed herself to rest in her fallen position.
Negi-sensei...I don't feel his aura pulsating anymore like before. Has he already dealt with the puppet master then? Setsuna thought as she continued her run across the building roofs. She felt a magic presence hiding in wait for her beside one of the upcoming chimneys and she drew her sword.
"Show yourself!" Setsuna cried out menacingly. Gandolfini did as he was told, moving swiftly with his gun aimed at the student but when they saw each other they let their arms drop to their sides immediately before they could make the mistake of attacking each other.
"Wait a second!" Setsuna puzzled.
"Aren't you the young woman from the plaza?" Gandolfini asked.
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Some time later...
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"What's going on here?" Negi asked in confusion as he watched Mei take her place beside Takane and Gandolfini. Kotaro stood at his left with his hands behind his back with a sheepish expression and Setsuna took his right, wrapping her sheath in a red cloth like before. Chao took her place behind Negi nervously with her hands on his shoulders as she quickly concluded that her little charade was over.
"I was hoping that you would tell us that Negi-sensei." Gandolfini told Negi with a skeptic expression on his face as he regarded the pig-tailed girl hiding behind him. "Why in the world would you protect problem student Chao Lingshen?!"
"What?" Negi stepped away from Chao reluctantly and regarded her oddly. "Problem student?" He had no idea what she had done to have a mage consider her a problem student as though all infamously knew her. The nervous look on her face as she laughed told him that this might have been true however. Kotaro and Setsuna suddenly didn't seem to feel very comfortable around the Chinese girl as either.
"Chao?" Negi said her name in a questioning manner. She understood the unvoiced question and responded with a sheepish grin. The young magi didn't feel that it was his place to judge her so he willingly defended her regardless. He turned around to face Gandolfini and the two others before saying, "Because I'm her teacher, that's why! Wouldn't you do the same for one of your students?!" His words took the dark skinned mage aback with their edge.
"You?!" Gandolfini was surprised. "You're Chao Lingshen's teacher?!" A smirk suddenly came across his face as he scratched his chin with one hand; placing his other hand under his elbow. "Now I see! So that's why you..." He had the urge to give the young mage a round of applause. "I must admit that you had me worried. I was wondering what type of rogue mages they let in to this campus for us to come across such trouble." The smirk on his face dropped just as quickly as it appeared and he closed the distance between Negi and himself, leaning over when he was in arms reach.
"So I take it that you've been told nothing about Chao Lingshen..." He stole a lance at Chao from the corner of his eye when he saw the girl's expression darken considerably at the fashion he spoke to Negi with. She obviously didn't want her "Good girl" impression on Negi to be soiled with grime.
"N-no...should I-"
"Then I must ask that you defer to us." Gandolfini cut Negi off before he could finish getting the words out of his mouth. His eyes swiveled over to Chao again as he stood up straight again and he ordered coldly, "Chao Lingshen, come with us."
"Huh?" Chao suddenly found two shadow puppets at her sides before they seized both her arms so she wouldn't move. They led her over to where Takane and Mei were waiting and the Chinese girl looked back at her teacher innocently, pleading that he come to her rescue with her eyes. "N-Negi-chan?"
"W-what do you mean to do with Chao-san?!" Negi demanded when he saw Gandolfini walking back to meet Takane and her underling.
"No one's quite sure yet." Takane answered cryptically. "On thing is for certain though- all memory of mages must be wiped away from her mind."
"Wait! But it's so sudden!"
"Actually, Chao is on her third warning." Gandolfini retorted, turning back to regard Negi as a breeze kicked up causing his loose jacket to flap along with the air. "Negi-sensei, in order for mages to co-exist with the normal world peacefully our existence must be kept a secret...you do realize that? It's best that mundane know nothing about us."
"Y-yeah, so I've been taught." Negi replied uneasily.
"For our own reasons we've allowed Chao somewhat in on our situation, however, for her to eavesdrop on us with stealth devices such as that robot that was spying on us earlier is something we just can't overlook." He turned back to Chao who was still being monitored by two of Takane's shadow puppets and said, "Disruption of school rules by any other student would result in severe punishment. This is the third time you've defied us correct?"
"Yes.."Chao replied somewhat shamefully.
"You must know then that disregarding all of our warning will result in you being reprimanded right?"
"R-right."
Negi looked on as the older mage gradually broke down one of the geniuses in his class and clenched his fists. There was just something so wrong about watching his own student cower in the face of the older man and it didn't sit well with him at all. On the other hand he may have just committed a crime in protecting Chao from Gandolfini and he wasn't sure if it was even his place to say something to an elder mage. Before he even knew it, however, his mouth opened on it's own accord and his mind went on autopilot. "Still, should you really be erasing people's memories against their will?!" He stiffened when Gandolfini whipped around to face him.
"She's called a problem student for a reason...she' been know to aid the criminal Evangeline upon occasion and that cannot be taken lightly." Negi and Takane tensed up at the older mage's words as they exchanged a quick glance with each other that nobody else caught. Gandolfini obviously wasn't on good terms with the vampiress and if he knew about Negi's close relation with her then Chao wouldn't be the only one in trouble. Negi, however, held a deep respect for his master and he found himself talking again without realizing it.
"Wait! Evangeline isn't that bad a-"
"Negi-sensei!" Takane cut him off before he could speak any further on the matter. "It's been rumored that a number of students in your class know of your magical ability." She raised an eyebrow to emphasize her point. "Shouldn't you be more worried about that?" The blonde magistress simply shut Negi down with her words and he could only watch as Gandolfini ordered the shadow puppets to take Chao along with them. He would've gotten far with Chao too if Negi didn't swallow his fears and talk on impulse again.
"You've no authority over the students of 3-A." Negi said darkly. Chachazero felt his dark aura pulse from within him as he spoke and inwardly started to grow excited. She loved it when her master spoke with such darkness. "I'm not about to stand by and allow you to pass judgment on them as criminals. Chao-san is my student!" Takane, Mei, Setsuna and Chao gasped at the gradual edge in the young magi's voice. "In this you will differ to me!"
Such bravery this young man exhibits. For him to be so young he seems to understand the weight of responsibility...but should I trust him with such a problem student? Gandolfini scratched his chin again and smiled before nodding to Negi. "Then I suppose that I'll trust have to trust you for today, Negi-kun."
"But be careful." Takane warned him, narrowing her eyes imperceptibly. "Should anything else happen you could risk being turned in to an ermine for taking responsibility over Chao." Her eyes betrayed her feelings when Negi saw something deep within them conveying more than just a warning. The shadow puppets released Chao and Gandolfini allowed the Chinese girl to take her place behind Negi again.
"I leave the field to you." Were the older mages last words to him before turning away to leave. He nodded to Takane and Mei and both girls followed him; Takane stealing a glance at Negi over her shoulder one last time before walking on ahead without a word of good-bye. She turned her head to regard Gandolfini as they walked on and asked, "Are you sure about this?"
"Yes..." Gandolfini felt somewhat unsure of his own words. "...I actually don't know. That combat we just saw though- now that was impressive. He's "His" son, all right and he is growing in to a fine young man." He didn't understand why Takane blushed after hearing that but decided not to dwelve in to it.
Negi and the others turned away from the fleeting forms of Takane and the others with a sigh. For Negi this simply had to be the most hectic day he ever experienced and he wouldn't be too eager to experience it again if given the option. Chao on the other hand couldn't possibly feel an happier or relieved. Negi had just stuck his neck out for her twice today and she was able to see a sample of his wondrous abilities. He truly was the legendary vampire that all would come to know and fear in the future and that only made her lust for his blood even stronger. She could feel her own fangs fighting to relieve themselves of their suppressed cravings.
"Now you've really saved me Negi-chan!" Chao cried out gratefully as she clasped her hands around his, her eyes wandering over his neck briefly. "I truly owe you my life!"
"I-It's nothing I wouldn't have done for anyone else...but what is the deal with them calling you a problem student and all?" Negi asked suspiciously. "They're holding me responsible for this, you know?"
"It's a secret!" Chao told him with a mischievous smirk. She let go of his hands and placed her hands on her hips before asking, "By the way Negi-chan, don't you have other things on your mind?"
"Huh?" Negi absolutely had no idea what she was talking about.
"Let me solve a problem for you Negi-chan!" She smiled as she crossed her arms haughtily. "Think of it as a way to pay you back for what I owe you. The science of Chao Lingshen is at your command!"
" And this is what she gave you, master?" Chachazero asked curiously, examining the watch that Negi held in his hand.
"Well, I told her about my busy schedule and this is what she gave me. She told me this would solve all of my problems with time." Negi scratched the back of his head as he studied the watch as well. The style it was made with was rather old but after clicking it open he realized that it was no mere watch.
"It looks pretty dodgy to me." Chachazero said suspiciously. "...But I do sense a source of magic from it."
"Well she told me that she'd explain about how to use it later. You're kind of right though Chacha-chan. It's more magic than science, I'd assume." He noticed that his familiar was no longer listening to him and followed her line of sight to spot Takane leaning against a tree in the distance. She was looking straight back at him so he assumed that she was waiting for him.
"Why is she waiting for master anyway?" Chachazero mused darkly. "I could still give her beating for what happened earlier."
"She was just doing her job, Chacha-chan."
"But you laid down your arms and she used it to her advantage!"
"How was she to know that I wasn't tricking her?" Negi asked with a grin that made the sadistic puppet sigh.
"You're to kind for your own good master..." Chachazero mumbled before perking up. "But you were just awesome during the fight! You took out those shadow warriors like flies!"
"Thanks." Negi blushed. He came to a stop when he reached Takane and greeted her with a slight bow. The blonde magistress didn't turn away from him this time when he greeted her which made him feel quite curious as to why she behaved differently when they were at the plaza. "Hi Takane-san. Were you waiting for someone?"
Takane pushed off from her post against the tree with a nod and replied, "I'm sure you already know who I was waiting for Negi-sensei."
"M-me?"
"Yes, you. I just wanted to..." The girl's mind seemed to hit a dead end as she searched for the right words to say next. She had to avert her eyes away from Negi to avoid blushing like an idiot despite her best efforts not to. The young magi always found some way to make her blush, whether it be a simple smile or smirk or even the way he spoke to her. It was just so confusing to her that he had such an impact on her thoughts. "...I wanted to apologize for how I treated you earlier."
"What do you mean?" Negi asked, making Chachazero want to clarify what the girl meant herself. She couldn't believe that Takane's distrust toward him earlier had slipped his mind! They were practically talking about it seconds ago!
"I'm referring to our little face off in the plaza." Takane started to fidget with her hands behind her back as she unnoticably began to draw invisible circles on the floor with her left foot. "I treated you like another enemy even though you let down your guard when you saw me. I-I almost shot you with my wand and you still did nothing to harm me, yet despite all that I still did not trust you." She offered Negi a bow of respect before saying softly, "I really must apologize."
"It's alright Takane-san!" Negi assured her with a smile that melted her instantly. The tightness in her face loosened up and she returned the smile with a genuine smile of her own. She was starting to feel almost as comfortable with Negi as she was with Mei. She could actually picture herself having a very close bond with the young man and maybe-
NOOOO! Bad Takane! Why do I always feel so flustered around him for?! She shook her head to force away her thoughts of distress and looked away from Negi again to hide the rosy hue on her cheeks. She opened and closed her mouth a few times as she tried to talk some more and sighed when she realized how hard it was going to be for her brain to register everything. "I'd also like to ask you if you would join me for dinner tonight." Chachazero almost lost her balance on Negi's shoulder at the blonde magistress' words. Was this girl really expecting her master to say yes after all the things he'd been through today?!
"You and master just went out or lunch yesterday, didn't you?" Chachazero felt the need to express her displeasure. Takane glared at the puppet for her rude interruption but decided to ignore her anyway. It wasn't like the familiar could affect Negi's decision anyway, right? Her thoughts weren't so reassuring, however, as she sensed the hesitation in Negi when he looked very unsure. Takane inwardly cursed the puppet!
"Please Negi-sensei. I'd feel terrible if I didn't make it up to you. Besides, our lunch wasn't much of a friendly meeting and I intend to make up for that as well with dinner." The magistress decided to incorporate another variable in order to ensure Negi's comfort. "Mei will be coming as well. It wouldn't be fair to leave her at Dorm Hall."
Negi took some time to consider her offer. This would be a great way to finally get closer to Takane, however, Evangeline behaved oddly after he returned from his lunch with her before so how would it affect his relationship with the vampiress if he went out to dinner with the blonde magistress? Negi didn't catch on to much when it came to matters of the heart but he did notice that there was a change in Evangeline's demeanor whenever he didn't take the time to keep her some company.
Even though that's true, I'll have plenty of time to spend with Eva-san anytime. I hardly hang out with Takane...we've just met. Negi concluded that it would be rude to pass up this chance and answered, "I'll come. Is there any way you would like me to dress?"
"Not really..." Takane's eyes took on a mischievous gleam when something came to mind. "It would be nice if you came as an adult though. It wouldn't arouse as much suspicion."
"A-alright." Negi replied.
"Excellent." Takane purred, catching Negi off guard. The girl saw him blush and grinned. "I'll meet you near the front gate of the campus at six o' clock then. Please don't be late like last time." With those final words she bided him farewell and departed, leaving Negi to watch her fleeting form as his mind slowly registered the fact that he was tricked in to accepting some sort of invitation to a night out...
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Evangeline's Residence...
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The house was quiet as Evangeline sat outside in the courtyard with a nice warm pack of blood in hand; her lips wrapped around the straw as she sipped generously, savoring every drop. Of course, it wasn't nearly as good as Negi's life essence but it did well to quell her thirst. Every few minutes the vampiress could be seen with a grin on her face as she recalled the events of what happened at the World Tree Plaza. Her Negi; her apprentice stood up against a horde of shadow puppets and decimated them with the spells she taught him. Evangeline wouldn't shower him with praise when he came back home because she knew it would just get to his head but she figured it would be good enough to treat him a little nicer. Maybe she could even offer him a massage to relieve his tension, somewhat.
"He keeps this up and he'll probably even reach my level..."Her eyes rolled to the side as she grinned. "Maybe." It was going to take Negi a very long time before he even reached a fourth of her abilities. She had many years to practice and she faced many adversaries along the way that Negi could only dream about. She may have been living the leisure life now on Mahora campus, even if it was against her will but before she met Nagi her life was an escape from town after town and a plunge from duel to duel. Sometimes she even faced hordes of enemies all at once and received challenges from vampires from clans that ruled over the lesser clans.
"I wonder if he'll follow a similar path when he leaves Mahora. As soon as word gets out that he's my underling I'm sure my old enemies will be dying to test his ability." Evangeline took another sip from her blood pack and turned her attention to one of the second floor windows when Chachamaru opened it to flap the covers of Negi's futon. The vampiress raised an eyebrow and inquired, "What are you doing Chachamaru?"
The android regarded her mistress when she heard her voice and answered, "I am cleaning Negi-kun's room. After a hard day I am sure he would be pleased at the sight of a prepared futon." Chachamaru gathered the cover in to her arms when she was done getting the dust off of it and pulled back in to the room. While she was out of Evangeline's eye sight she clutched the covers to her chest and nuzzled it warmly. These were the covers of one who was most precious to her and she was tempted to keep it for herself and give Negi another one in it's place.
"Perhaps I should prepare Negi-kun's favorite dish for dinner." Chachamaru mused as she started tidying up. She was still when the door bell rang through the house and she laid down the futon cover gently before taking her leave of the room to open the door. Being that most people never bothered to come to the residence she was sure that Negi was the one behind the door. Unfortunately so would her counterpart, Chachazero. When she reached the door she opened it with a bow and greeted, "Good afternoon Negi-kun."
"Hey, Chachamaru-san!" Negi returned the greeting as he entered.
"It's been a long day hasn't it master?" Chachazero remarked mischievously.
"It sure has." Negi replied with a sigh. "And I still can't settle down yet." Chachamaru heard him and cocked her head to the side curiously.
"What do you mean Negi-kun?" Chachamaru asked. "What other matters must you attend to?"
"Takane-san wants me to have dinner with her and Mei." Negi replied causing the android to bow her head slightly. That meant he wasn't going to stay and eat whatever she was going to prepare for him. For some reason she felt a dull feeling in her chest. It seemed that his words had a negative impact on her gear's working efficiency. "Well, I have to take a shower and go get changed." Negi said before taking the stairs to the second floor. When he entered the hall, Evangeline came back in to the house from the courtyard taking off her shades.
"Who was at the door?" Evangeline asked.
"It was Negi-kun." Chachamaru replied dejectedly. Evangeline sensed something somewhat down beat about the way she answered and asked, "Well, what's going on? He didn't even seek me out to greet me."
"It would appear that Negi-kun is expected somewhere else soon so he has gone to shower and change."
"Somewhere else? Was he specific about where he was expected to go?"
"No."
"I see." Evangeline said, narrowing her eyes darkly. She nodded and ascended the stairs to the second floor. How rude for Negi to arrive without greeting her and to top it off he was coming and going as he pleased without informing her about his plans. She was going to get to the bottom of this. When she poked her head in to his room there was none in sight with the exception of Chachazero who was sitting on the dresser, kicking her feet back and forth as she let her head sway side to side in boredom.
Something tells me that if I ask her where boya is going I'll get a lie. I better just go to the source instead. Evangeline thought as she turned away from Negi's doorway and entered her room to hear the sound of water flowing from her private bathroom. When she entered the bathroom she spotted Negi's clothed resting on the toilet seat, however, what really caught her interest was 'which' clothes they wore. It was the same clothes he wore whenever he decided to take on his older form.
"Hey boya!" Evangeline called him through the steam mist that rolled out from the shower chamber.
"Y-yes master?" came Negi's deep voice.
Just as I thought. He is planning on going out as an older person. The vampiress thought with a scowl. "Why the change boya?"
"What ever do you mean?" Negi asked innocently.
"You've taken one of those aging pills. I know you wouldn't do that just to amuse me." Evangeline said as she pressed a hand against the shower chamber door. The young man flinched when he saw her imprint against the door and his eyes darted to the handle in fear that she might come in. The edge in her voice was telling him that she wasn't exactly pleased with his plans and that tone in her voice...was that jealousy? "So where are you going?"
Negi opened the water all the way so it would be harder for him to hear her. Evangeline growled in frustration when she saw through his ploy and yelled, "Hey! What are you trying to do?!"
"W-what?!" Negi asked stupidly. "I...I can't exactly hear you!"
"Stop playi-"
"WHAT?!"
"You hear m-"
"HUH?! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"
"You asked for it!" Evangeline cried out as she gripped the handle for the shower door and yanked it open.
Chachamaru flinched downstairs in the living room when she heard a girlish scream. The android shook off the surprise and looked up to the second floor, cocking her head to the side quizzically. "Negi-kun?"
"Takane-san invited me out for dinner master!" Negi said nervously as he wrapped a towel around his waist. He snatched his clothes up from the toilet seat when he realized Evangeline wasn't going to allow him to change in the bathroom and walked to his room with the chibi-vampire following behind him.
"You mean that blonde girl?" Evangeline asked.
"Yeah."
"But why would you go on and have dinner with her? She isn't exactly on our side you know."
"There's nothing wrong with her. She's actually a nice girl." Negi retorted.
"I've already met with her. She isn't exactly all that nice." Evangeline followed him in to his room and went on as he dried his hair with a smaller towel. "I told you before that my reputation doesn't sit well with most mages. Ms. Goodman works for Gandolfini and I'm sure you've noticed his animosity towards me."
"But master-"
"Not "buts" boya and I could've sworn we discussed that you could call me Eva!" The tiny vampire cut him off.
"I just don't see what's wrong with this!" Negi yelled back at her. Evangeline was taken aback by the way he talked back to her and felt a deep boiling anger rising in her but squashed it quickly. Normally she would have punished someone for speaking to her that way but she slowly came to grasp the realization that Negi wasn't just 'anybody' to her. She actually had a soft side for the young man and it was distorting her usual way of going about things.
"...To hell with it then!" Evangeline scowled as she turned away from him. "Go ahead and do whatever you want. I don't even know why I'm getting so worked up about this stupid mess anyway." Negi thought she would leave after that last exchange but she turned her head to regard him for a moment and said, "Don't even think of coming back home too late. We have training tonight."
"Master?" Negi felt the need to apologize but she ignored him and left. "E-Eva!" He called out to her again but her only answer to him was her slowly receding footsteps. It wasn't until then that Negi realized, "Is she giving me the silent treatment?"
------------------------------------------
Turning to Takane and Mei...
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Takane wore a knee length navy skirt accompanied by a centrilliun blue button-up blouse and a chiffon scarf loosely tied around her neck. On her feet she wore black flats and a tote hanging from her shoulder. Her underling, Mei wore jeans accompanied by a blouse with a sweater vest worn over and old fashion mary jane shoes. Both girls waited in front of the main gate for the campus for Negi to show up but five minutes had passed by and the magi was nowhere in sight. This only served to irritate Takane as she specifically remembered telling Negi not to have her waiting.
"Where is Negi-sensei?" Mei asked curiously. "You told him to meet us here right?"
"This is just like last time." The blonde magistress grumbled, tapping her feet so hard that Mei could swear the stone under her would crack at any given moment. "That-"
"Hey!" Negi cut Takane off as he ran to her and Mei. He wore a black dress shirt accompanied by slacks of the same color. The blonde magistress noticed that the first three top buttons weren't done and found herself trying to peek at his well toned chest. Whatever Negi was taking sure was working for him. "I'm sooo sorry!" He apologized with a quick bow that assured Mei that this man was indeed, Negi Springfield. "Master kind of held me up back there."
"Yep!" Chachazero agreed with a nod.
"Someone is always holding you up." Takane argued as though this was an everyday thing for Negi. The fact that he allowed his ever present familiar to tag along didn't make her feel any better. She didn't understand why he wouldn't just leave her home when he goes out.
"Did I take very long Takane-san?" Negi asked sheepishly.
"Well...not really." Takane admitted.
"Oh, good." Negi sighed in relief before feeling a tug at is shirt. He lowered his gaze slightly to regard Mei and returned her smile with one of his own. From the looks of it Mei had already become fond of him from the last time they met in the market. "Hello Mei-san."
"Hi, Negi-sensei." Mei greeted him back timidly. She ran her hand down his arm briefly, making Takane's eye twitch for a moment and asked, "How did you do this to yourself? This is so amazing!"
"Oh, I just picked up a magic item from the MahoNET." Negi replied with a grin. He may have been in an older body but he was still a younger person on the inside and him and Mei were just about the same age. Naturally he would take an interest in her. "I can let you try one if you want!" Negi offered much to Mei's excitement.
Takane and Chachazero almost freaked at his words...
"No, no, no!" Takane jumped in between them. "Mei isn't going to try out any of those!"
"B-but why?!" Mei protested. "They aren't drugs or anything!"
"It doesn't matter!" Takane hissed at her like an older sister would a younger sibling. She turned to Negi with a glare that made the young man lean back. "I don't want her getting involved with that type of magic. Who knows how it'll influence her."
"B-but they're sold on the net! What's the harm?"
"Let's just get on with the da-" Takane paused before she could finish. "I mean, our dinner."
Ako, Madoka, Sakurako, and Misa came out of one of the name brand clothing stores on the streets of Mahora city with bags of clothes; chatting to each to her light heartedly. They were excited about the rock concert and decided that it would be a good idea to shop. They didn't want to present themselves with clothes others had already seen them in and they needed an excuse to shop anyway.
"You should where that nice blouse you bought for Nagi." Madoka teased Ako with a nudge on the arm. Her friend blushed at her words and bowed her head shyly. She was still trying to get over the fear that she'd make a fool of herself in front of the magi. Sadly, despite her good looks and nature she was cursed with a terrible case of shyness that always managed to consume her at the most awkward moments. In short, Ako had terrible memories when it came to dating someone and the last thing she wanted to do was add on to those memories with Negi.
"I don't know if I still have the courage to face him." Ako said in a weak whisper. "Oh gawd! I'm going to be so nervous now that I know he'll be watching me play!"
"Whoa, whoa!" Sakurako placed a hand on her should reassuringly. "This isn't going to be a problem for you at all! Believe me!" A nervous expression washed over her face as she continued, "Besides, we seriously don't need any negative feedback from the audience just because of one measly guy right? I mean, how cute could this guy possibly be?"
"I-I think you're about to find out!" Madoka whispered to the other girls as she pointed at a couple in the distance. Ako gasped when she saw who it was and the other girls were just confused and envious at the blonde girl who accompanied the tall red-head young man.
"Nagi-san!" Ako squeaked in shock. "W-who is that woman with him?! He d-doesn't have a girlfriend already, does he?!"
"Calm down Ako!" Misa tried to calm the girl down but she was beginning to bordering on hysterical. The very sight of Negi with another girl was driving her over the edge. She didn't understand why life had to be so cruel to her! The girl felt like evaporating in to thin air when Negi noticed the group of cheerleaders heading his way.
"Hello Ako-san!" He greeted Ako in a pleasant voice that sent shivers down all the girl's spines. They knew Ako was totally smitten with the guy but they never expected her to find a guy this handsome. They had to admit, however, that he reminded them of someone they knew. Takane on the other hand wasn't in the mood to stop for idle chatter and tried to send Negi a few signals to get him moving quickly.
"G-good evening Nagi-san." Ako greeted him nervously as she made her way to the front of the group to meet him. "Y-you're looking really nice tonight." She inwardly felt like smacking herself across the head for starting out with a line like that. There was a slight edge in her voice as her eyes darted over to Takane every few seconds. She really started to feel the jealousy of seeing another girl around Negi.
"Thanks Ako-san." Negi thanked her cheerfully. "You all just got back from shopping?"
"Y-yeah!" Misa answered in Ako's place as she took her place beside the nervous girl to get a good look at the Negi. If Ako had not already asked the young man out she wouldn't have given him a second thought.
"And...who is this?" Ako asked Negi hesitantly, not wanting her voice to betray her feelings. Oh please don't tell me that you're going out with this girl! I wouldn't be surprised if you were though...she's so pretty and I'm so...common looking.
"Oh her?" Negi asked obliviously as he gestured to Takane.
I HAVE A NAME! The blonde magistress thought in irritation as he left eye twitched ever so slighlty.
"She's just a friend of mine." Negi answered much to Ako's immense relief. "And this young lady", He paused for a moment to reveal Mei who had been standing behind him for most of the meeting, "Is Mei, her sister."
"My name is Takane by the way." Takane finally said after realizing that he wasn't going to say her name. She flashed him another glare to put some effect in to her words and blushed when she realized how much of a reaction he was getting out of her. She spent most of her life around other girls since she attended an all girl academy herself and the thought of boys never really interested her until she met Negi of all people! "Nagi." She called to him.
"Yes Takane-san?" Negi asked, turning away from Ako and the others much to their disappointment. He saw the look on her face when he faced her and felt a shiver run down his spine. The only other girls who could ever do that to him were Asuna and Evangeline. "I-Is there something wrong?"
"I made some reservations at the restaurant we're going to eat at "Nagi". We don't want to be late." Takane said 'sweetly'.
"Yes ma'am!" Negi replied quickly before turning back to the girls. "Well, I'm sorry for holding all of you up!" He apologized as he massaged the back of his neck awkwardly despite the fact that they were the one who were actually holding him up. "I'll leave you alone now!" He laughed.
"Y-you weren't doing anything of the sort Nagi-san!" Ako assured him with a smile. "We'll meet again soon right?! I-I mean, you are still hanging around on campus right?"
"Of course!" Negi replied with a grin but he felt a strong tug on his arm and found himself being pulled away from them. Takane apparently got tired of waiting on him and decided to take matters in to her own hands. She was starting to wonder if he was even deserving of this dinner she planned for him. Then again she wondered why a simple sorry wouldn't have been enough. Surely he would have just accepted that, right? So why did she think of taking this extra step?!
All while she heard Negi biding the girl's farewell she ran her free hand down her face with a deep sigh. "What is going on with me?"
----------------------------------------
Turning away from the trio...
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Chao stretched; her arms reaching up high as she stood on the tip of her toes. She was starting to feel rather tired after all of the commotion from earlier in the day. It was a good thing that she got Negi involved when she did because without his help her entire set up for the festival would have been in vain and she would have to blow her cover to save herself making things that much harder to accomplish. Although she was relieved there was a slight twinge of frustration running through her nerves. She was so close to Negi; she had so many chances to have him in the palm of her hands and that damn Setsuna and Kotaro were in the way.
"I could have feigned a little faintness and had him hold me in his arms. Then all I'd have to do is rest my head against his shoulder and bite him when he least expected it." Chao felt her fangs tingle as if they were acknowledging her logic. "...But then there would be the problem of him taking it the wrong way. I can't just tell him I was a little thirsty and everything will be alright. He might even inform Evangeline if he ever found out..." Chao started to pace around in her room as she thought up of a few scenarios. "I can always have him knocked out while I take his blood. Then I'll be enriched with our clan's power and be able to carry out my plans with no one around to stop me."
There was a knock at her door and the Chinese girl stop her ranting to go check who was there. "Yeah?" She asked as she opened the door slightly just in case it was just some random student with complaints about why she closed the restaurant so early. She's usually open until around eleven at night but she needed so time to herself with her thoughts.
"It's me." Mana informed her, pulling down her cloak so Chao could get a good look at her face. It was necessary to be concealed in such a way because the security mages were always sure to be monitoring who came to visit the 'problem student'. The last thing they needed were for other students to be assisting Chao in her suspicious activities.
"Come in." Chao told her as she allowed her to enter before shutting the door behind her. Mana took a seat at the circular table near the kitchen where Chao prepared the dishes and took off her cloak.
"I heard from Hakase about the commotion from this afternoon." Mana said monotonously. "I'm amazed you were able to get yourself out of trouble once again. I was sure that Gandolfini would have taken you in this time."
"Well I happened to have a friend in a high place." Chao said with a grin as she took a seat at the table across from Mana. "If you want a drink you know where to get it."
"No. I don't intend to stay that long." Mana said with a casual wave of her hand. "I've been hired by the headmaster to go on watch duty for the festival. Will this affect any of your plans?"
"No, not at all. In fact this might help us."
"Will it?" Mana mused, raising an eyebrow. The gun for hire didn't expound any more on the subject, however, and went on for what really interested her. "This friend in a high place...who was it?"
"Negi-chan, of course." Chao answered mischievously before explaining what transpired after one of the magi agents spotted her spy droid.
"It figures." Mana said with a sigh. "It would be just like sensei to put himself in harms way to defend one of his students." Negi-sensei...I must admit that you have a knack for impressing me. To stand up against Gandolfini for Chao is pretty risky; no doubt that you've only managed to get yourself involved with something complicated.
"That sigh...you wouldn't be feeling sorry would you?" Chao asked Mana.
"Sorry? About what?"
"About Negi being used."
"Not at all." Mana assured her in her usual 'liquid cool' voice. "It's just that Negi-sensei is impressing me a little more everyday. You can't help but admire the type of person he is."
"I'm proud to be a descendant." Chao declared.
"You better be." Mana said, standing up from her seat before grabbing her cloak. "I understand that Negi-sensei is a very vital part of your schemes. My only hope is that you won't hurt him in any way."
"Are you actually showing some concern? I'm paying you so ignore that little voice in the back of your mind whenever you're under my payroll." Chao said suspiciously as she followed Mana to the door. The gun for hire threw her a look before she opened the door to leave and merely quipped, "Sure."
Chao shut the door behind Mana when she was outside and heard a quick breeze of wind confirming that she was gone. The Chinese girl rested her back against the door with a frown on her face and bowed her head.
"...I won't hurt him...unless I have to."
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Back to Negi and the girls...
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Takane was not a person to get jealous or miffed simply because someone wouldn't talk to her. In fact she didn't really mind being ignored; it saved her a lot of trouble whenever it came to personal problems and perhaps that was the main reason she was so anti-social. It was also one of the reasons that she didn't have many friends to begin with. The only person she ever really felt free talking to was Mei and that was only because she was her underling. Now as it was stated before, Takane wasn't one to get jealous simply because someone wouldn't talk to her, however, in this case when she was sitting at a table with Negi and he was focusing most of his attention on Mei she found it hard to voice her feelings of neglectment.
"So are you an only child Mei-san?" Negi asked curiously.
"No, I actually have an older half-sister." Mei replied perkily. The redhead didn't really see Negi as an older person despite his older appearance at the present moment so she was very comfortable with talking to him. This only served to make Takane feel left out as Negi had neglected to show an interest in her life.
"Is she involved in magic as well?"
"Actually she isn't. She's living a normal life in Hinata Inn." Mei found some irony in saying that since Narusegawa's life was anything but normal with the crowd she hung around with. "Well...normal by our standards anyway." She giggled infectiously, causing Negi to join along with her despite the fact he had no idea what she meant by her words.
Look at them...laughing together as though they've know each other for years. Takane thought sourly as she balled her fists on her lap under the table where no one could see them. I'm the one who reserved this table for us! He should be talking to me! He should be paying attention to-GAWD! Why am I getting so worked up about this!? Unbeknownst to the young woman, Negi sensed her discomfort and turned to regard her innocently.
"Um, Takane-san? Are you alright?" Negi asked taking not of the visible twitch in her grin. It was beginning to bother him to say the least.
"Not at all, Negi-sensei." Takane assured him unconvincingly.
"Ooooookay." Negi said after some consideration of her words. He kind of picked up on the reason for her behavior and gave himself a mental slap. "Er, so have you decided what you want to order yet?!"
"M-me?!" Takane didn't expect him to pick up right away.
"Yeah."
"Well, not yet." Takane replied.
"Oh...okay." Negi said rather oddly as he turned his attention to his menu. There was an awkward silence as both Takane and Negi decided on what to say next and Mei was beginning to become impatient with the long hiatus in her conversation with Negi. She was eager to know more about him instead of focusing the subject on herself but her "one-san" managed to kill her chances.
"So...you were pretty good out there." Negi suddenly commented out of the blue. Mei and Takane quirked an eyebrow in confusion and Negi cleared his throat before clarifying for them, "At the plaza this afternoon, I mean."
"O-oh!" That was the last thing she expected to talk about. "Really? You think so?"
"Those shadow apparitions kept me on my toes for a while." Negi grinned, "And I probably would've been out like a light if you managed to get me with the point blank spell of yours." His words made Takane blush despite the nature of the subject.
"Thank you...you weren't so bad yourself." Takane said sheepishly. "For a second there we thought we were dealing with a high-class dark wizard."
"Seriously?" Negi scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I had no idea I made such a spectacle."
"Oh no, no. It was nothing like that." Takane told him. "We sensed the power but you managed to blend it along with the attractions somehow. It was fairly difficult to sense you in the crowd as you made your way towards me as well."
"I-I stood my ground to!" Mei suddenly blurted out. "That dog guy had some trouble with me."
"You mean Kotaro-kun?" Negi asked with a chuckle.
"Yeah." Mei said proudly.
"I'v taught her well." Takane threw in, making Mei narrow her eyes in annoyance. It was just like the blonde magistress to take credit for her success.
"It still doesn't change that fact that you were willing to hurt master despite that fact he let down his guard for you." Chachazero finally felt the need to say. It was bothering her how her master didn't even attempt to berate the girl for her dishonest act. Negi immediately freaked when some of the other people eating in nearby tables stole glances at them when his familiar spoke.
"Whoa. Don't blow our cover Chacha-chan." Negi whispered to the puppet much to her dismay.
"But master..." She whined before staying quiet.
"Sorry about that Takane-san." Negi apologized before looking to Chachazero.
"That's my girl." Negi cooed, patting her on the head affectionately. The puppet returned his comforting pat with a nuzzle against the neck. Truly, Negi brought out an unseen side from the sadistic puppet.
"That's so cute." Mei squealed. "It's hard to see such a connection between mages and their familiars these days."
"Heh, you think so?"
Takane found herself, once again being ignored when Mei struck up some more conversation...
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After the dinner...
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"Thanks for tonight!" Negi thanked Takane and Mei with a slight bow. "It was a pleasure having dinner with the both of you."
"The pleasure was all ours." Takane insisted.
"We really need to do this again sometime!" Mei practically pleaded. "You'll do it again won't you Negi-kun?"
"Of course." Negi said with a chuckle before walking away from them with a wave. "I guess I'll see you two tomorrow then."
"That we will." Takane nodded with a slight rosy hue upon her cheeks. She turned away from Negi to regard Mei and said, "Lets go now Mei."
"Yes onesan but..." Mei turned back to look at Negi only to find him gone. She could have sworn that he was walking down that path a few seconds ago and he wasn't even going that fast. "Um...onesan?" The girl asked Takane.
"Yeah Mei?"
"Where's Negi?"
"What do you mean where's Negi?" Takane asked, rolling her eyes. "He's right ther..." Takane found herself looking at an empty path. "W-wait a second! Where did he go?!"
The young man in particular descended when he saw Evangeline's residence come in to view and landed on the porch lightly. He inwardly took note of how much better his landings were getting since before and couldn't help but feel proud of himself. Oddly enough he didn't see any light from inside the house so he figured Evangeline had gone to sleep and Chachamaru went on standby mode in her own room. "That's pretty weird." Negi said, quirking an eyebrow as he reached in to his pocket for the keys.
"Eva-san is usually up by this time." Chachazero said with a shake of her head. "She could be plotting some trap."
"D-don't say things like that Chacha-chan!" Negi told the puppet with a shiver. He slowly opened the door with a dull click and entered the house quietly before closing the door behind him in a similar fashion. So far so good. He crept across the dark living room on the tip of his toes to cover more ground and flinched when he heard the dark greeting of a certain vampiress from the dark.
"Welcome home boya." Evangeline's voice rang out to him from the dark before the lights suddenly turned on to reveal her on the couch in her pajamas. She got up to approach him much to his increasing fear and placed her hands on her hips with a grin. "You seem surprised to see me."
"I-I am." Negi admitted.
"You came pretty late." Evangeline said as she glanced at the father clock against the wall. "It's twenty minutes to eleven and you left around six, I believe." Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she took a step towards him, forcing him to take a step back. "So what did you do with her?"
"Um..well-"
"Lets not rush it." Evangeline cut him off as she motioned for the couch. "Have a drink with me while we talk." Negi realized that she had two glasses filled with that 'oh-so familiar' crimson substance that haunted his dreams, Blood. He took a seat on the couch far away from her and accepted the glass she held out to him reluctantly.
"Why are you sitting so far away?"
"No reason."
"Don't be afraid boya. I won't bite." Evangeline teased as she patted the spot near her. After taking some time to consider it he shuffled over a bit near her and stared back at her without another word. The vampiress of course found this rather boring and decided to break the silence. "Well are we just going to stare at each other?"
"O-of course not." Negi replied nervously.
"Then tell me about your little outing." Evangeline's eyes took on a frightening twinkle. "Did you have fun?"
"Y-yes. I did actually." Negi replied after taking a shy sip from his glass. "Takane brought Mei and we had dinner at some classy restaurant in Mahora city."
"So you left the campus? How interesting."
"Er...why?"
"No reason." Evangeline said off-handedly. "So tell me how your relationship with Ms. Goodman is progressing. I've noticed that you two are making a habit of meeting with each other."
"It's really not that serious Eva!" Negi assured her like some guy trying to convince his girlfriend that he was being faithful to her. "Me and her are just friends."
"Friends? How sweet!" Evangeline cried out sarcastically. The venom was practically dripping from her voice once she spoke. She took a long swig of her drink and licked the blood that dripped from her lips when she was done with it. "You know, I was actually planning on having a special dinner prepared for you when you got back from the World Tree plaza but it looks like Ms. Goodman took care of it for me."
"What do you mean? You were at the plaza when it all happened?!" Negi asked in surprise.
"Yeah." She answered dully before taking another sip of her drink. "And you actually impressed me with your control over the dark arts. It was pretty good for a beginner to say the least, however, I question your decision about utilizing them in combat."
"I just wanted to see for myself how I'd be able to handle it in actually combat." Negi replied sheepishly. "I'm already used to using light magic so it would've been easy to make up for error if I did something wrong. Heh, heh."
"...Idiot." Evangeline grumbled. Negi heard her and blinked a few times as something slowly became apparent to him. Ever since she found out about him and Takane she had been acting rather weird and he thought about it before but...could she actually be jealous? Something in the back of his mind was screaming for him not to be so foolish as to ask such a question but at the same time another voice was practically cheering him on to pop the question. Negi studied Evangeline's childish expression fro a moment as he took a deep breath and asked...
"Are you jealous Eva?"
Evangeline blinked as her mind slowly processed what he had asked her...
"W-what the hell?" The chibi-vampire blurted out with a furious blush. "What the...what in the hell are you talking about?!" Evangeline set her cup down on the table hard and placed a hand upon her chest with disbelief plastered across her face. "Me? Jealous about what? You?!"
"W-well it was just a questio-"
"W-why would I be j-jealous about you, huh?" Evangeline stammered. Negi was shocked that those words were getting such a cute response from the vampiress. He had honestly never expected her to react in such a way but now he found that it was worth it. He edged back in his seat when she stood up and hovered over him; still blushing and started giving him light punches in the shoulder. "You think just because y-you're c-cute and all that bull crap that I'd be jealous that some other girl is-" Evangeline stopped in the middle of her sentence to scoff and went on, "Please! Don't flatter yourself boya! Your blood m-may be good but don't get so full of yourself!"
"I-It was just a simple question!" Negi cried out, unable to hold in his laughter as he soothed the shoulder Evangeline punched.
"W-what's so funny?! What are y-you laughing about?!" Evangeline was a red as a cherry at this point. "Y-you know what, I hate it when you act l-like a brat." The vampiress stormed away from him to the stairs and ascended them before spitting out, "Y-you're just like your stupid father!" Negi watched with wide eyes as he heard her tiny feet slap the wooden floor before hearing her door slam.
"Master...what was that about?" Chachazero asked feeling very lost.
"...You got me."
To Be Continued...