"Wow, Haruna-san, that's really good!!!"

Negi stood hovering over Haruna's shoulder, watching her work on her newest manga volume. Just then, Nodoka walked in, carrying two glasses of tea.

"Hey, Haruna," Nodoka said, "you only wanted two milks in your tea, right?"

"Yeah, thanks. Just set it down on the stool," said Haruna. Negi just stood there, admiring Nodoka's blossoming body, and- or was it just him?- her skirt seemed a bit shorter than usual today.

Haruna looked up at Negi and, seeing him staring at Nodoka, snickered; Negi snapped out of his trance and quickly glanced at Haruna's drawings. Nodoka, by now, had crossed the room and sat down on a chair.

"Nodoka, Nodoka..." said Haruna after a minute. "You're just going to ignore our guest like that?"

"Guest? We have a guest?" Nodoka asked, not even looking up from her book.

"Wow, Nodoka," said Haruna, "I never thought I'd see the day when you'd walk into a room and not even notice Negi-kun..."

At this, Nodoka's head jerked up. Seeing Negi smiling and waving at her, she jumped up from her seat, blushing furiously.

"N- Negi-sensei... I didn't even notice you!!" said Nodoka. "I've just... had so much on my mind lately."

Negi glanced over at Haruna, worried. He crossed the room and, getting a chair, sat down beside Nodoka. "What kinds of things have you been worried about, Nodoka-san?"

Nodoka sat down beside Negi. "Well, for starters, I've just been... remembering a lot of bad things that happened in my childhood... things I wish I could forget... Not only that, but me, Haruna, and Yue are all supposed to go to the carnival with friends, but no one wants to go with me..." A tear slid down her cheek as she said that.

Negi slowly reached over and took Nodoka's hand. "If you want, Nodoka-san, I'll go to the carnival with you."

Nodoka looked up at Negi and grasped his hand back. "Would you... really do that for me, Negi-sensei?"

Negi looked at Nodoka. "Of course I would. If I say I'd do something, I'd do it."

Nodoka blushed again. "Thanks, Negi-sensei. We're leaving tomorrow, at 6:00."

"In the morning?" asked Negi. "Wow, that seems a bit early to wake up. Besides, I don't want to wake Asuna-san or Konoka-san up that early..."

Nodoka thought for a second, and as the idea grew in her mind, her blush grew more and more pronounced. Finally, she spoke up: "How about this: Do you want to spend the night over in mine and Yue's room? That way, you wouldn't have to worry about waking Asuna or Konoka up, and you can get ready with me tomorrow morning." Almost instinctively, Negi started blushing.

"Well..." said Negi, "I don't really have a problem with that... but what about Yue? Would she mind?"

"I really don't think so," replied Nodoka, "but let me call her just to make sure."

As Nodoka got on her cell phone, Negi walked over to Haruna, who was straining to hear them. "Okay," said Haruna, "I couldn't hear what y'all were saying.."

Negi took his cue. "Well... it looks like I'm going with Nodoka-chan to the carnival tomorrow and-"

Haruna's eyes widened. "No kidding, she asked you? Is that what took so long?"

Negi grinned. "Partially, but the other part was her asking me if I wanted to spend the night at her and Yue's room tonight." Haruna had just taken a drink of her milk tea, but at this piece of information, she choked and almost spit it out.

"Are you serious?" she asked. "Nodoka actually wants you to spend the night with her tonight?"

"Looks like it," said Negi. He suddenly got suspicious. "You and Yue won't be planning anything to get me alone with her, will you?"

Haruna looked hurt. "Why, of course not, Negi-kun. True love isn't something that can be rushed, you know."

Negi laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Just then, Nodoka walked up to them. "Okay, so Yue emphatically agreed to it" (everyone laughed) "and it's all set up."

Negi smiled at Nodoka, and Nodoka blushed again. "Okay," said Negi, "I've got to make up you all's tests for next Monday, but after that, I'll be over at your room with all my stuff, okay?"

Nodoka smiled. "Sounds great." Negi waved them goodbye, then headed back to his room, not seeing Haruna pull out her cell phone as soon as he left. Negi ran back to his dorm, hoping he could pack in privacy, but when he got there, he found Asuna laying in bed, doing her homework.

"What's up, Negi?" she asked as she came in.

"Not much really, just have to get packed," replied Negi.

Asuna's eyebrows went up. "Get packed? For what?"

Negi smiled at her. "Well, me, Yue-san, Nodoka-chan, and Haruna-san are all going to the carnival tomorrow, with some of Haruna's friends. Plus, somehow Nodoka-chan roped me into spending the night at her place tonight, so-"

Asuna's eyes bulged. "What?! You're spending the night in Bookstore's room? Aren't you afraid that something might happen?"

Negi laughed. "Not if I don't want it to. Besides, Yue's going to be there... I think... So we'll have someone there to keep us off each other."

Asuna blushed. "Are you really thinking about... that?"

Negi laughed again. "Calm down, Asuna, I'm just messing with you. Besides, even if I did want that, I doubt Nodoka would."

Asuna's face returned to its normal color. "Okay, that's good." Negi then hopped up to his "room" and began on the tests.

At seven o'clock sharp, Negi arrived at Nodoka's room and knocked. Yue answered the door. "Welcome to our room, Negi-sensei. Please come in."

"Thank you, Yue-san," said Negi, impressed with Yue's hospitality. "Where's Nodoka-chan?"

"Nodoka's in the shower; she said she'd be out in a minute. Would you like to have a seat?"

"Sure," said Negi, and he sat in the chair that was offered to him. Yue sat down beside him, wondering if she should do what she was thinking about doing. Finally, she decided to do it, and she reached over and took Negi's hand; Negi grasped Yue's hand and they simply sat there, both obviously very happy. Yue was just about to lean over and kiss him, when Nodoka opened the door and entered the room. Quickly, the two let go, just as Nodoka got inside the room and, in an act that amazed Negi, dropped her towel as soon as she got in.

Negi got a very generous glimpse of what was to him a very well-endowed chest, when suddenly Nodoka looked up and saw Negi there. Blushing even harder than before, she grabbed her towel and hastily put it on, though it didn't cover everything it was supposed to.

She turned her sights toward Yue. "Why the heck didn't you tell me that Negi-sensei was here? I wouldn't have come out like I always do-"

"Wait," Negi said, "so you're saying that you always come out of the shower naked?"

Nodoka blushed even harder now. "Sorry..." She stalked off, muttering, "Oh man, what does Negi-sensei think of me now?"

Negi turned to Yue. "You didn't have to do that, you know..."

Yue smiled. "Yeah, I know. But I figure you'd want to know more about the girl you're in love with... Hold on, I got a call on my cell."

As Yue flipped her phone open, Nodoka walked out of her bedroom, clothed in her pajamas. She turned to Negi. "Negi-sensei, I'm so sorry you had to see that..."

Negi laughed. "Why are you saying sorry? I enjoyed it."

Nodoka's face grew even redder. Yue then hung up the phone. "Good news, guys. Me and Haruna are going out for the night and we won't be back til late. So it looks like you two are on your own for tonight."

Negi's face grew red. "That's the last time I ever trust anything Haruna says..." he muttered. Nodoka, on the other hand, was looking like she was going to faint. She was about to say something when she felt someone's hand enclose hers. She looked up to find Negi holding her hand. "Don't worry about a thing," said Negi. "We'll have a great time here together." This just served to make her blush harder.

"Well, I'm off," said Yue. "Hope the room isn't in too much of a mess when I get back..." She winked at Nodoka as she said this, then ran out the door before Nodoka had the chance to say anything back. Negi turned to her. "So, what do you want for dinner? I'll cook."

Nodoka looked up in surprise. "You can cook, Negi-sensei? I can't. I'm a bit too clumsy to cook."

Negi laughed. "It's not really that hard. Watch and learn." Negi then set to the task, and within the hour, he had a spaghetti dinner made. "Well," Negi said, "what do you think?"

Nodoka tasted it, then her eyes grew wide. "This is really good!! How'd you make it?"

Negi smiled. "It's an old recipe of my mom's; my dad taught it to me."

This got Nodoka's full attention. "Your mom? I haven't heard you talk much about your mom. Do you remember much about her?"

Negi swallowed his spaghetti. "Not much, just what the Thousand Master told me. She was a great woman, I know that much. She managed to melt my dad's hardened heart..."

Nodoka laughed. "Well, I'm glad you have a family now."

Negi thought for a second, then smiled. "You know, you're right. I do have a family now..."

Negi got up, and magicked the dishes into the sink. Nodoka yawned, and Negi said, "I feel the same way. Come on, let's go to sleep." Negi walked up to Nodoka and took her hand; she took his, also, and they walked into the living room. Negi was the first to go to bed, and he had his back turned when he felt his mattress sink a little further. Just then, he felt his shirt being taken off, and a pair of breasts pressing up against his back. He turned around and kissed Nodoka; she received it, and they simply lay there, kissing, their hands going further and further down each other's bodies...

The next morning, Nodoka woke up and found Negi lying there, already awake. "Good morning, Nodoka-chan," said Negi.

Nodoka smiled. "Good morning, Negi-kun."

Negi kissed Nodoka, then climbed over her and went into the kitchen. There, he found Yue cooking breakfast. Yue smiled when she saw him. "How was last night?"

Negi grinned. "The best yet."

Yue laughed. "I could kinda tell; I saw you guys when I came in last night, you two all snuggled up together... it was pretty cute, you know."

Negi grinned, then walked up and kissed Yue. Yue stepped back in shock. "What- what was that for?"

Negi smiled again. "Just saying good morning."

Yue laughed. "Excellent way of saying good morning, I'd say."

Just then, they heard Haruna's voice from the living room: "Come on, guys, let's head out!!!"

The four of them headed out, ready to have the time of their lives at the carnival that day.

(to be continued)