Negi awoke early in the morning in Asuna's top bunk. Add another time he sneak into the bunk bed. Asuna was not in the top bunk though. She was apparently off doing her paper delivery route. Konoka curled up in her lower bunk under the covers. Chamo nestled up in Negi's loft, on a futon, with a couple of panties he stole by him.
Negi climbed down from the top bunk carefully not to disturb Konoka's sleep. Negi, dressed in his teaching suit, was off to the school as an early staff meeting was scheduled. He also forgot he had to grade papers for his class.
Negi arrived in his classroom after the uneventful staff meeting. He sat down behind his teacher's desk as he started to grade papers while waiting for his students. He had his lesson plan for today and it will be carried out without any distraction or at least he hoped that the class will not have one.
Sayo Aizaka, the class ghost who has been dead since the early 1940's, floated in before any of her classmates.
Sayo floated to her seat and tried to sit as best as she could on the chair. She looked up at her professor who she is friends with. She could see something was troubling Negi.
"Hello professor!" said the ghost.
Negi looked over at Sayo and responded, "Oh hello Sayo-san, did not see you come in."
Sayo giggled and said, "Well I am a ghost after all so I make less noise."
"So what did you do after class Friday?" asked Negi.
"Well hung around the library with some people reading books. Most likely they did not know I was there. Then hung around Kazumi-san for the weekend," said Sayo.
"Well you had fun then," exclaimed Negi with a little smile.
"Yeah I did, what did you do this weekend?" asked Sayo.
"Oh collected a couple or so books and was in the infirmary. That was all," said a laughing Negi.
"The infirmary? Were you hurt seriously?" asked a very concerned Sayo.
"Well I am not dead," said Negi.
"Oh sorry Sayo, I was not thinking. Forgive me please?" said Negi apologetically.
"It is alright Sensei, after all this time you get use to it," said Sayo with a soft smile.
"Thank you Sayo-san," said Negi.
"You know what Negi-sensei? This year has made me the happiest ghost in the world because I made friends who appreciate me," said Sayo.
Negi blushed and responded, "Yes you did and we all like you as well."
One by one his students filed inside the room. Each greeting Negi as they have been since they first meet their ten year old teacher. Nodoka whispered a hello to Negi and immediately went to her desk never looking toward Negi. Yue noticed Nodoka's reaction when the professor and her set eyes on each other.
"Interesting," said Yue to herself.
"She finally smarted up," said Chisame to herself after seeing Nodoka's cold display.
"Something wrong with Nodoka-san," said Chachamaru to herself.
"What happen between them now?" said Haruna to herself.
"Oh my!" said Chizuru to herself.
"That brat did something," said Asuna to herself.
"Oh no that is not good," said Konoka to herself as she looked at Setsuna.
Setsuna just shrugged her shoulders.
Kaede had one eye fully opened and was smiling.
There was one student missing from Negi's class. Chachamaru came up to Negi and said, "Mistress is on protest from your class today. Since you missed her Saturday lecture, she decided to stay home."
Negi said, "Figured she would."
Chachamaru sat back down in her seat when she returned to it.
Negi started the lesson for the day to read an American poem in English. Negi called on Yue first to read the first sentence.
Yue calmly said, "She knows her heart has been broken into tiny pieces by a man."
"Very well done Yue-san," responded Negi.
It was Chisame's turn to read a line. She mumbled incoherently profanity at the ten year old teacher for picking her.
"Could she love again?" said Chisame as the whole class looked at her. She blushed at the attention.
As the class went through the rest of the poem, Negi was struck on how Nodoka's mood has changed to cheerful and lovey and now to frosty around him. "What could have brought the change in her?" Negi thought.
As the students were leaving, Negi asked Nodoka to stay.
"Sorry professor, I have to get going to the library to work," replied Nodoka as she bowed to him and vanished through the door.
"Sorry professor, do not know what to tell you," replied Yue smiling.
"It is fine Yue-san, just was concerned," replied Negi.
Yue left the classroom and headed toward the library.
Nodoka was putting library books away on the shelf when Yue approached her.
"Nodoka was is up with you today?" asked a perplexed Yue.
"Nothing is up Yue-san, I am fine," said Nodoka.
"You could have fooled me with today in class," said Yue.
"Do not know what you mean," said a confused librarian.
"Oh come on Nodoka-san, never saw you like that with the professor," said Yue.
"Still do not know what you mean," said Nodoka hoping Yue would drop it.
"Nodoka-san seriously! Did Negi-kun do or say anything yesterday to you that made you upset?" asked Yue.
"No Yue-san he did not," replied Nodoka as she dropped a book on the floor.
Yue picked it up and said, "Nodoka! Then what is it?"
"You will not drop this I see," said Nodoka as another book fell to the floor.
"No I will not drop it. Has your love for Negi-kun faded?" said Yue hoping Nodoka would say yes.
"I do not know Yue-san," said Nodoka.
Now all the books Nodoka had left in her hand fell to the floor. Nodoka stood there as Yue started to picked them up.
"Sorry Yue-san, I cannot do this," said Nodoka as she ran out of the library.
Out in the hallway she crashed into Negi as they both fell on the floor.
Nodoka looked at who she hit and started to shiver violently.
Negi rubbed his head and gazed at Nodoka.
"Sorry Negi-sensei I did not mean...to...hit...you," said a shivering Nodoka.
"No worries Nodoka-san," replied Negi.
Nodoka quickly got to her feet and ran off as Yue approached the falling professor.
"Are you alright Negi-kun?" asked Yue.
"Yes I am fine. Thank you for caring," replied Negi as he got to his feet.
Yue blushed and said, "I tried to find out why Nodoka-san's been acting today toward you."
"Do not worry about it Yue-san, she will work it out on her own. When she does, just be there for her," said a smiling professor.
Negi wandered off down the hall.
Yue just stared at Negi and said to herself, "There goes the boy I love."
Nodoka ended up at the same hill that looked out toward World Tree plaza. She tried to wipe away tears falling down on her cheeks from her eyes.
"Why am I crying?" said Nodoka to herself.
Nodoka put her knees up and put her head in between them.
"I am hopeless. He will now never ever be with me because of how I acted. What a fool I am," replied Nodoka to herself.
"Yes Nodoka-san you are an idiot. But, seriously doubt Negi's feelings for you have changed," replied Nodoka's inner voice.
"But I must have looked awful by the way I acted in class," said Nodoka.
"True, but girls tend to be moody in their teens," said Nodoka's inner voice.
"It is not that. Just so scared of being alone and losing Negi-sensei," said Nodoka as she was rocking back an forth a little.
"Cheer up Jochen," replied the perverted ermine.
Nodoka looked up and saw the white ermine sitting by her feet.
"What is the matter now?" asked Chamo.
"Nothing Chamo-kun!" replied Nodoka.
"What did you do now?" asked Chamo inquisitively.
"Negi-sensei may never like me now after today," said Nodoka having a tear stream down her cheek.
"Jochen, listen to me. Nothing you will do or say will change how he may feel about you," replied Chamo.
"But I acted not normal. Distant and reserve you could say," said Nodoka as she sniffed.
"Were you thinking all night about our talk?" said Chamo.
"Yes, did not sleep much," replied Nodoka.
"Everything will be fine and just go with the flow for now. It will work its way," said Chamo.
"Thank you Chamo-kun," said Nodoka as she got up and headed toward the library.
"You are most welcome," said Chamo as he headed toward Eva-chan's cabin.
Asuna, Konoka, Setsuna, and Negi found themselves inside their dorm room.
"What did you do to bookworm?" said a furious Asuna.
"I did not do anything," said Negi.
"Well you must have done something to her," said Asuna.
"I do not know what I could have done," replied a confused Negi.
"Well Sensei, she never has acted that way around you," said Setsuna.
"Negi-kun, just give her flowers and candy and all will be forgiven," said Konoka cheerfully.
"Konoka-san you know that does not work," replied Asuna.
"Oh but its very romantic," said a giggling mage healer.
"Romantic...that...I...," as Negi was trying to focus his thoughts on a response but could not.
"Now you have him flustered," said Asuna.
Konoka laughed.
"Alright maybe one flower of an apology then," said a smiling Konoka.
"Well he can do that I suppose," said Asuna looking at Negi.
"What kind of flower?" asked Negi.
"Oh Negi-kun, you never gave a flower to anyone?" asked Konoka.
Negi reflected on his past.
"I gave a wild flower to Anya-san and another to Oneechan," said Negi in thought.
"Well think this should be more important then just a wild flower. A rose will do. A pink rose, since red would be consider love and you do not want Nodoka-san to misunderstand or do you?" said Konoka giggling again.
"No I do not want that," said Negi.
"Then that is settled. Go and get a pink rose now," said a demanding Asuna.
Negi got up and went to get the most perfect pink rose he can find.
Author Notes
Her Heart is the poem that has the first two sentences in was written by me a few years ago
Pink rose-represents happiness. Given to your partner to say, "I am very happy in our relationship."