It was a day like any other day. Negi woke up and got dressed while his morning tea was boiling. When the tea finished, he added the sugar and drank it slowly, savoring its taste. He heard Asuna call out from the bottom bunk, "You awake yet, Negi?"

"Yeah," said Negi. "Glad to see you're going to make it to class on-time today."

Negi heard Asuna growl at him from below, and he laughed. Strapping on his backpack and staff, he took off, heading out of the dorm and down the street to his classroom. He arrived there with not much time to spare, though, as he ran (literally) into a traffic jam, as all the other students made their way to class. He walked up to his desk, noticing a familiar figure standing there. When he turned around, Negi's face lit up.

"Takamichi!" he said. "What brings you to your old classroom?"

Takamichi smiled at Negi. "We've got something to talk about. Can we do it outside?"

"Sure…" replied Negi. The two went outside, and a minute later, Negi came back in, visibly shaken. He took roll, then turned to the class.

"As you all know," he began, "the class field trip to the carnival is going to be in a few days." He smiled as the class burst into cheers, already planning what they were going to do there. "But we've hit a bit of a snag." The class quieted down almost instantly.

"Do you mean we can't go after all?" asked Fuka.

"There's a possibility that might be the case," said Takamichi, stepping into the room; at the sight of him, Asuna began to blush furiously. "We're about $400 short to make this happen. If you all can find some way to raise $400 in three days, then the trip is still on. It's going to be hard, but I know you all can do it." He smiled at Negi. "You've got the right teacher to do it, too." He stepped out of the room.

"Okay, so there you have it," said Negi. "We need to get to work on this today, so I'll allow you to spend the next 15 minutes planning what you want to do for the fundraiser." Negi sat back down in his chair, while the students whispered excitedly. Just then, he heard a small voice from his bag: "YOU PUT ME IN THE BAG AGAIN?!?!"

Negi smiled and opened his bag, revealing something small, white, and furry. "Sorry, Chamo-kun, but I couldn't wake you up this morning.."

Stretching, Chamo hopped out of the bag and onto Negi's shoulder. "Anyways…" Chamo said, "what're all the kids doing?"

"We're about $400 short for the field trip in a few days, so they're planning something to do for a fundraiser," replied Negi.

Chamo's eyes widened. "You've got to raise $400 in three days? You've got a good mind, Aniki, but I don't think you can do even this…"

Negi laughed. "Oh, come on, Chamo-kun. We've got Chao-san, Nodoka-chan, Hakase-san… we're bound to come up with something."

Just then, the class yelled, "We've got it!"

Negi looked at them. "Great," he said. "What do you all want to do?"

Haruna was the one who spoke. "We got this idea from figuring out that the trip was on a Friday. We're going to do a 'Raffle Off Negi' contest!"

Negi's jaw dropped. "You're going to do a WHAT?!?!"

"A 'Raffle Off Negi' contest. Since the trip's on a Friday, we can raffle you off so that the winner gets to spend the entire day on Saturday with you- doing anything they want to you."

Negi's eyes grew wider and wider. "And let me guess," he said, "it was Ayaka-san who suggested that." At this, Ayaka's eyes bulged. "How- how'd you know that, Negi-sensei?" The whole class laughed. "It was a bit obvious," Yue said to Ayaka.

Negi got to thinking. "If Ayaka-san wins this thing, I'm screwed… but then again, she might not… so…" Negi smiled. "Okay, whatever. If it'll get you guys the money to go on the trip, then count me in." The class cheered; just then, Misora got an idea. "Hold on," she said to Mana, "let me go call someone." Misora ducked below her desk and began to make a phone call.

Throughout the next three days, Nodoka (who was appointed treasurer [unanimously for the project) kept track of who bought the raffle tickets. And Negi grew increasingly more nervous; he did not want Ayaka to win this contest.

Soon (too soon for Negi), the three days were up. Nodoka got up to the front of the class and announced, "Congratulations, guys. We raised over $700 for the trip. It is still on!" The whole class cheered. Negi leaned over to Nodoka. "Who's the one who won the contest?"

Nodoka smiled. "You'll just have to wait till Saturday to find that out, Negi-kun."

Friday, they left for the trip. Negi sat in front, while the rest of the students piled in behind him. Just then, he heard someone say, "Hey Negi-kun, do you mind if I sit here?" He looked to see who it was.

"Oh, Takane-chan. No, I don't mind at all."

Takane sat down beside him. "Um, Takane-chan," said Negi, "how'd you get invited here?"

She laughed. "I received a personal invitation from Takamichi. It seems he wants me to keep an eye on you." Negi glowered at her. "Why would he think that?"

Takane laughed. "Calm down, Negi-kun, I'm just messing with you. I'm here to enjoy myself, and for no other reason." Soon, the bus took off, and the class cheered again. Since it was about a three-hour drive, a lot of the students settled in for a nap. As Negi made the first of his rounds, he saw Konoka snuggled up to Setsuna, both looking very happy. "Somehow, this scene seems familiar to me…" he thought, before shrugging it off and walking down the aisle again.

A little further down, he saw Yue already asleep, Nodoka leaning against her still awake. Negi smiled at Nodoka. "We'll have to do that again sometime." Nodoka smiled. "Definitely, though I think I'll tell you beforehand so you don't freak out seeing me in your bed." Negi laughed, then went back to the front of the bus.

"Everything okay?" asked Takane.

"All's well," replied Negi, settling back into his seat.

"That's good…" Takane muttered, and she leaned her head back on the headrest, falling asleep in seconds. Negi found himself growing tired also; noticing that Takane's lap might make a good pillow, he smiled to himself, then laid his head on her lap and was asleep in minutes.

Takane woke up about an hour from the carnival. Noticing something heavy on her lap, she looked down to find Negi asleep, his head on her lap. Her face flushed the brightest red. "Wh-what in the world is he doing?" She stared at him a bit more, and her face softened. "Wow… he's normally pretty cute the way it is, but when he's asleep… he looks like an angel." She ran her fingers through his hair, thoroughly enjoying the experience. "O…nee…chan…" Negi muttered in his sleep, and Takane smiled, a tear running down her face and splashing onto her lap.

The hour flew by, and the bus pulled into the parking lot. "Alright, everyone," said Takamichi over the loudspeaker, "we're here." The class was awake in a matter of seconds and were rushing out the door. The noise of the stampeding feet woke Negi up; he looked up to see Takane smiling down at him. "Did you have a good nap?" asked Takane.

"Very," replied Negi. "You're quite comfortable." Blushing, Takane muttered her thanks. Negi got up and walked up to Takamichi. "Say, Takamichi…" he started to say.

"No, Negi," he said, "I can't tell you who won the contest." He smiled. "What I can tell you, though, is that Ayaka-san was not the winner."

Negi's mouth dropped. If it wasn't Ayaka who won the chance to spend the whole day with him, then who was it?

Negi walked over to Asuna's group. "Mind if I spend the day with you guys?" Asuna looked around at the other members of her group- Yue, Nodoka (who was blushing furiously), Konoka and Setsuna (who were, amazingly, holding hands, both smiling), and Haruna, who also had a grin on her face and was blushing slightly. Asuna turned to Negi. "Sure, that works." The rest of the group members cheered. Negi took Asuna aside.

"You want to know something weird?" he asked.

"Sure, I guess," said Asuna.

"Ayaka-san wasn't the one who won the contest," said Negi.

Asuna's jaw dropped. "She didn't win? I figured anyone with that much cash, who had as mad of a crush on you as she does, would buy up all the tickets herself."

"My thoughts exactly," said Negi, "but Takami- er, Takahata-sensei wouldn't tell me anything else about it."

Just then, he heard Yue's voice. "Come on, you two, we're headed in."

Asuna took off, and Negi followed slowly after her. "Who in the world could have bought that many tickets to knock Ayaka-san out of the running?" he thought. Just then, he noticed someone walking beside him. He looked to his left and smiled. "Hello, Nodoka-chan," he said.

Nodoka smiled. "You ready to go in the festival?"

"Definitely," Negi said, and he reached out and grasped Nodoka's hand. Nodoka's blush became stronger (if that was even possible); she held tightly to his hand and the two walked into the carnival.

It was a great day for all of them, especially Haruna; she was able to get Negi to go onto the ferris wheel alone with her, where she finally got up the courage to kiss him; surprisingly, he warmed to the occasion, and Haruna left knowing she had just made out with, to her, the cutest teacher ever.

Negi found he slept easier on the way back than on the way there; instead of Takane sitting with him (she had opted to sit with Takamichi), Negi had the privilege of having Nodoka sit by him; she fell asleep, her head on his shoulder, and the two held hands the entire way back.

Saturday came too quickly for Negi, and he went over to Nodoka's room to find out who it was he was doomed to spend the day with. Nodoka smiled. "Now, that'd be ruining all the fun, wouldn't it? I'm going to give you an address; go there, and you'll find your blind date for today. Though I wish it were me…" she said, blushing.

Negi grinned. "I'll make it up to you, Nodoka-chan. I promise." He leaned in and kissed her, then walked out of the room.

He got to the street, then looked at the address. Yue had obviously written it down, because he could hardly make out what the address was; finally, after he cast a clarification spell, he figured it out, then walked to the edge of the campus, where he got on his staff and sped off.

After about a five-minute ride, he got to the destination. Dismounting, he gazed at the house in wonder. It was two stories, white with light blue shutters and doors; a garden was growing beneath one window. "This… this is perfect," he said to himself. Dread came over him as he thought of who could live here; he knew he couldn't make… whoever it was waiting, though, so he knocked on the door. The door slowly opened, and a girl on crutches came into view. Negi recognized the pink hair immediately, though.

"Mei-chan?" he asked, a look of shock on his face.

Mei Sakura smiled. "What, who were you expecting?"

Negi smiled. "Someone… different, I guess. How'd you know about the contest to begin with?"

Mei blushed. "Well, Misora-chan called me and told me about it. I figured I had to enter, 'cause… well, I really wanted to spend the day with you today. I hate it that we can't do anything major, though; I broke my leg hiking a few days ago…"

Negi smiled. "That's actually perfect. The class just got back from a field trip to the carnival, so I'm a bit tired. A day inside sounds perfect…" His face grew red. "Especially if it's with you."

Mei was surprised at that. "Please come in, Negi-kun," she said, stepping gingerly out of the way.

Negi got an idea. "Have you had lunch yet today, Mei-chan?"

"No," she replied, "I can't really cook that well on these crutches…"

Negi smiled. "Then allow me to cook for you today. What do you have?"

Mei blushed again. "Well… this is actually Takahata-sensei's other house, so I'm not sure what he's got." Negi walked into the kitchen and looked through the cabinets; he had to stand on a chair to do so, though, and Mei got a kick out of that.

"Well…" Negi said after a few minutes, "about the only thing Takahata-sensei has here that I actually know how to cook is spaghetti. How does that sound?"

Mei's eyes widened. "Wow, I've been craving spaghetti for days now… I didn't know there was some here the entire time." She smiled. "I'd love for you to cook for me today."

Negi blushed and turned to put some water on the stove. Mei sat down at the table and just stared at Negi for awhile. "He's got an entire class full of girls, most of them a lot prettier than I am… I can't ever see him liking me… no matter how in love with him I am."

Negi's voice jarred Mei from her thoughts. "You went to school in America, didn't you?"

Mei smiled. "Yes, at the Johnson School of Magic. I'll tell you, American culture is way different from our own."

Negi turned to Mei, intrigued. "How so?"

"Well, as I found out, it's not too hard to get into a university over there. Also, we were always told to keep the school of magic a secret."

Negi's eyes widened. "They don't accept magic over there?"

"Where do they accept magic these days?" asked Mei. "But over there, magic seems to be something only found in fantasy worlds. I found a copy of some kind of best-selling book that was over there… Harry something… Harry Potter! That was it! Anyways, it's all about a boy who goes to a school of magic, though his experiences were nothing compared to Johnson."

Negi laughed. "It seems magic is sort of a taboo over there, from what I've read." Noticing the water was boiling, he added the spaghetti, then turned the water down. He turned to Mei. "Have you ever had a chance to have a glass of beef water?"

Mei looked confused. "No… I don't believe so."

"It's really good," said Negi. "I'll make one for you." Soon, her drink was ready. She took a sip and her eyes widened. "Wow," she said, "this is good. Where'd you learn to make it?"

"I read about it in a book on America. Seems it's kind of popular over there."

(Writer's note: Seriously, that actually is really good. Take a glass of water and heat it up in the microwave; after it's hot, pour a packet of beef broth into the water [from a package of ramen noodles or just a block of beef bouillon and drink it. I find it calms me down a lot; it'll raise your sodium content by a bunch, but it's good.)

As Mei was drinking, Negi turned to her. "So what do you want to do after lunch?"

Mei smiled. "Well, I guess we could just watch some movies. What do you like to watch?"

Negi blushed. "Well… I've always liked Disney movies…"

Mei laughed. "Negi, it's nothing to be ashamed of. I have just about every Disney movie made. Here, we can watch one while we eat." They spooned the spaghetti onto their plates, then went into the living room, where Mei put "Pinocchio" into the DVD player; they settled in on the couch, and Mei snuggled up next to Negi.

They watched the movie in silence, not even touching their spaghetti; they didn't even think about eating. Every once in awhile, Negi would glance up at Mei and find her looking back down at him. He smiled and laid his head on Mei's shoulder; he felt her reach over and take his hand; he closed his hand around hers, and the two of them sat there, even after the movie ended and the credits rolled. Mei got the remote and turned the TV off; they continued to sit there, until Negi fell asleep; his head slipped off Mei's shoulder and fell onto her lap. Mei simply smiled and began stroking his hair, her other hand still holding Negi's hand.

Pretty soon, Mei was asleep as well. They both awoke around 5:30, and Mei smiled down at Negi. "How was your nap?"

Negi smiled. "Very good. You're quite comfortable."

Mei laughed and put on another movie; Negi looked up at her and asked, "You… don't mind if I stay like this, do you?" Mei looked at Negi; raising him up a little, she bent down and kissed him; he returned it, and the two sat there like that for awhile. "Not at all," Mei said after they broke apart; she returned him to his position on her lap and they sat there like that and watched the movie.

Soon, Negi decided it was time to go. "I had a really great time today, Mei-chan," said Negi.

Mei blushed again. "Yeah, it was fun."

Just then, Negi got an idea. "Here, I think I can help you out." He muttered an incantation, and Mei felt an odd sensation in her broken leg. "Try it out," Negi said. Mei gingerly applied a little pressure to her leg; when it didn't hurt, she lowered it more and more, until it was fully on the ground. She stood on it, and it held her weight up fine. Mei turned to Negi, a look of incredulity on her face. "You… you fixed my leg."

Negi smiled. "It was the least I could do to begin to pay you back… for just doing this for me today." He walked up to Mei and kissed her; she kissed him back and backed him up against the door. His hand looped around her waist, and her hand came up to the back of his neck. No one knows how long they stood like that, their passions come to life, but Negi found himself not wanting it to ever stop. Soon, though, Mei broke away and smiled. "I love you, Negi-sensei; I really do."

Negi smiled. "And I love you, Mei-chan. I'll be stopping by here soon, to come visit you."

Mei smiled. "I'd love that." As Negi walked away, Mei called out, "Forever and a day, Negi." Negi turned and waved, calling out, "Forever and a day."