A little word before this story starts. I have read a few Negima stories where an entirely new class has been introduced to Mahora that attends the same year as 2-A, an example would be One Room Over by JCroe, which is the only one that I can name properly at the moment. This would be my version of a class that supposedly exists alongside 2-A, but is never talked about. Anyway, this story is definitely AUish, and the most interesting part is that Class D only has one OC in it. The rest are from four different series that I'm sure most of you will recognize some of them when you read the list.
This is a side project of mine, 'cause some of those damn ideas that popped into my head wouldn't leave my head, especially since I've been watching PVs of a sequel to one of the series lately, and I just keep going back. Anyway, so if you like it fine, if you don't, that's okay too, just don't be overly negative about it please if you voice your opinion.
One last thing, I'll be using Second Childhood Sword elements in this story, so if you've read that Negima story, then you'll most likely know what will probably happen. There's no need to read Second Childhood Sword to get anything, but it's just a heads up to let everyone know.
Project Class D – A Mahora Story
Chapter 1 – Class 2-D
September 1, 2002
Wales – Meridana Academy
A graduating ceremony for magi students at Meridana Academy, everyone's heard this story before, Negi being called up by the Magus to receive his diploma for completing his magic schooling, with Nekane and Anya watching with interested eyes, Anya already having received her diploma. Also, there's always someone else that's also receiving a diploma, usually the last person to receive it. Well, this time's not so different as the Magus called out the last name to be called up, "Akuro Sakuragi!"
The teen that was called up was in a totally different state then the other graduates, one that made Nekane Springfield worry slightly, due to his small limp in his step. His short black hair was in a bit of a mess, he had only half vision in his brown eyes, since his left was covered with bandages, along with his forehead, and his left arm was also in bandages. If one were to lift his left pant leg, they would also see bandages wrapped around it, causing his slight limp up towards the front. All in all, his two nodachis, Yatsusuna and Ryuhana, were slung on his back in a crooked fashion.
If anyone wants to know, it was the result of Akuro getting the short end of the stick during the final exams; he underestimated his opponent, a golem drake made of sand, and nearly got smashed for it, especially when it revealed it's true powers. Being stripped of his weapons and being only armed with a practice wand didn't help much either when he looked back at the situation. In the end Akuro was alive, but hurt, and the wounds themselves took time to heal, even the few days of rest between the exam day and graduation period were only able to ease the wounds that he'd received slightly thanks to medicines that the school had on hand.
Now one would think that he would've been all healed up by magic already, instead of leaving it up to nature. Too bad for him that the golem dragon had that odd property of inflicting wounds that weren't curable by magic for a couple of days, leaving him in moments of discomfort. He shrugged them off however as he walked up to the Magus and accepted his diploma with a grin on his face, despite his condition. He looked around and saw someone he knew walk up to Nekane's side.
Yojiro Konoe, a Shinmei-ryu master, was the older brother of the Dean of Mahora, Konoemon Konoe. Sporting grey, shoulder length hair and a beard like his brother, not to mention a normal looking head, wearing an old fashioned western suit that made him look oddly out of place, he smiled at Akuro as he made his way towards him and the others.
"Well done Akuro, graduating in just four years. It's quite the accomplishment for you." Yojiro congratulated, his English crisp and clear without a hint of his Japanese accent.
"Thank you Master Yojiro, but I really couldn't have done it without Negi's help here." Akuro replied, also having a clean English voice. He looked sheepish as he looked at the boy in question, making him blush a bit at the sudden attention that he was getting.
"Oh, it was no problem; I just helped a little…" Negi looked nervous as he looked away in embarrassment.
That's when Anya suddenly stepped on Akuro's good foot, making him wince as she shouted, "Hey, I helped too you know! Don't forget that!"
"Ugh, yeah Anya, I didn't forget," Akuro winced from the pain, nearly losing his footing, "Ow…I know you helped, especially with Fire-type spells…"
Anya nodded with approval, while Negi scolded her, "You shouldn't have done that Anya, especially since Akuro's still recovering!"
As Anya was about to say something back, Yojiro gave a good laugh, causing everyone to look at him, "My, everyone's lively today, especially since it's a graduation, right Ms. Nekane?"
"Yes, I suppose…" Nekane looked a bit amused by the antics that were going on, "But I am happy that the three of them graduated together at the very least."
"Aww, thank you very much Nekane, especially for the last four years too." Akuro flashed a smile as he looked sheepish. Yojiro then added, "Yes, thank you very much Ms. Nekane for your help the past four years."
"Oh, it was nothing," Nekane smiled as a light blush formed on her face. The five of them were now walking down a hallway as Negi, Anya, and Akuro opened their diplomas, while Nekane and Yojiro were talking, "It's been a pleasure hosting Akuro these last four years, and he's been a big help too at times."
"Yes, I know quite a bit about that," Yojiro had a hint of a smirk under his beard, "He tells me in his letters that he's living with a beautiful young woman who's like an angel, you know."
Nekane blushed red at that, "Oh please stop teasing me Mr. Yojiro!"
"Who said I was teasing?" Yojiro supplied, his smile evident on his beard as he walked forward. Nekane was still red as she caught up to the others, who luckily weren't listening in on the conversation between the two.
Anya just revealed that she was going to be a fortune teller in London and now they were waiting to see what Negi's job was going to be. Opening it up it read, 'A Teacher in Japan'.
Everyone looked at it for a second before their reactions came out. While Akuro and Yojiro raised an eyebrow at the magical writing, Negi, Anya, and Nekane looked shocked at what was written as they gave out an, "Eeeeeeeh?" in surprise. Hearing that made the old man wince, while Anya shouted, "This is ridiculous? Since when can a ten-year-old be a teacher?"
"Let's go see the Magus, maybe this is all a big mistake…" Nekane looked a bit faint, before she spotted the Magus walking down another corridor in front of them. At that instant, Nekane and Anya ran after them, leaving the males behind. They looked at each other before they ran after them, with Akuro opening his diploma to see what he got.
The moment the males caught up to Nekane and Anya, they heard Nekane speak to the Magus, "P…Principal, what's the meaning of this? What does the diploma mean by 'Teacher' exactly?"
"Ho…a teacher is it?" The Magus looked intrigued as he turned to face the two females that have come to grill him, "It's exactly what it says, though a teacher is quite interesting…"
"Are you sure there hasn't been a mistake? There's no way a ten-year-old can be a teacher, especially somewhere far away like Japan!" Nekane looked like she was pleading for the job to be changed to somewhere closer to home like Anya's. Speaking of the girl, she added in her opinion right after Nekane's, "That's right! Negi's a real shrimp, and on top of that he spaces out all the time!"
Akuro and Yojiro looked at each other as they read what was on Akuro's diploma as they watched the scene in front of them. The Magus gave his final word on the matter, "If it was written on the diploma, then that is the end of the matter.
"Well, you must train hard, in order to become a great mage!" Finishing with that, the Magus gave a smile as he turned to Akuro and Yojiro, noticing that his diploma was open too. However before he said anything, Nekane felt faint again as she feel over in shock, making Negi call out to her, "Ah, sis!"
Akuro quickly caught her before she fell to the ground, causing his diploma to slip out of his hands in the process, landing written side up near the Magus. Nekane looked at Akuro with a blush as he said, "This seems to be happening quite a lot, isn't it Nekane?"
Helping her back on his feet, Nekane quickly recomposed herself, "Ah, thank you Akuro. I guess the shock overcame me…"
"Don't worry about it; it's perfectly natural to worry about family." Akuro replied as he bent down to pick up his diploma.
The Magus looked at Yojiro, and the two looked like they were having a silent conversation before he said, "Hmm, don't worry, the Dean of the school that you will be assigned to is a friend of mine. Just do your best, alright?"
There was a moment of silence before Negi gave a nod of confidence, "Yes sir, understood!"
"Ah, that's youth for you," The Magus chuckled, "And besides, it's not like you'll be heading to Japan on your own," At this Negi, Nekane, and Anya were confused until the Magus looked at Akuro, "Isn't that right Mr. Sakuragi?"
"Eh?" The three turned to Akuro as he gave the Magus a bemused look, "So you saw what was on my diploma?"
All the Magus did was give a nod, and Akuro showed Negi, Nekane, and Anya his diploma. On it, it started to read 'A merc' but that was crossed out for some reason, and below it said, 'A Teacher at Mahora, Japan'. Despite the Mahora part, it was essentially the same as Negi's but with a bit more detail. Everyone looked at it in shock as Akuro asked, "I take it Negi's going to be assigned at the same school that I'm going to, right?"
"That's right," The Magus looked calm now, as he turned to Nekane, "I take it that would be okay?"
"…Yes, if Akuro's there, I can rest a bit easier." Nekane admitted. Anya raised an eyebrow at that, "Are you sure about that Nekane? I mean, Akuro here hasn't even been back to Japan in four years. It'd be as foreign to him as to Negi!"
"Don't worry about that," Yojiro interrupted, "I'll teach the youngster about Japan myself if he wants it, and give Akuro here a refresher's course as well."
"I would greatly appreciate it." Negi said with a bow, making both the Magus and Yojiro chuckle. Giving a nod of approval, the Magus then said, "Well then, you should go and meet Ms. McGuinness concerning the way that the two of you are going to learn how to be teachers. I know that Oxford has a magi branch concerning this, but I'm not too sure about the details…"
Both Negi and Akuro nodded and as they walked off with Anya and Nekane behind them, the conversation turned to one of who would specialize in what subject, leaving the Magus and Yojiro behind. They managed to hear Akuro say, "How about this, Negi majors in English with Science as his second, and I major in Science with English as my second. We can cover each other like that if there's trouble when we teach?"
As the four turned the corner, Yojiro looked at the Magus, "Looks like the younger generation's getting into weirder situations by the year, aren't they?"
"Well, the world's constantly changing, would you expect any less?" The Magus looked to the outside where there was a view of the forest and mountains. Yojiro looked also as he replied, "No, I suppose not…"
January 6, 2003
Japan – Mahora Academy
On a train leading to Mahora Academy, Negi and Akuro were riding quietly as Negi looked around excitedly like a tourist, while Akuro was feeling nostalgic. Both were wearing similar coats, though one thing that was changed was the glasses that Akuro wore. Now he really didn't need them, since his eyesight was fine, but the glasses themselves were enchanted so that he'd be unrecognizable to others.
That in itself was weird, but Akuro had to wear them, since it was Yojiro's 'suggestion' that he'd wear them when he got to Mahora. He probably figured that the reason why was mainly about Konoka and Setsuna. All he knew was that they were attending Mahora's middle school section, but due to being forbidden from making contact with them, it was hard to think up a solution to this dilemma. One idea was to disguise himself as his alternate persona, Akari Sakuraba, but Yojiro shot that down saying that if he was going to teach his own class, it would be better to be honest and not use a disguise, especially a female one. That led to the discovery of the obscuring glasses, which made one unrecognizable to others, even to those that know you except for the ones that can identify you quite clearly, like Negi for instance. The idea here was that since Konoka and Setsuna haven't seen Akuro for eight years or so, it would be hard to recognize him since time can erode memories, and he didn't look the same as he did eight years ago either. In the meantime, Yojiro would work with his brother Konoemon to work a bit around the sentence that was imposed on Akuro eight years ago. However, he hasn't heard much concerning that situation for a few months now, and went with the enchanted glasses plan as a result.
Back to the present, Akuro watched Negi's expression as the boy spoke in perfect Japanese, "Wow, Japan sure is crowded, and there are so many women!"
"I forgot the whole crowded on the train thing too…" Akuro muttered to himself, finding it a bit uncomfortable to be in such a crowded train. Looking out the window, Akuro found that Japan was experiencing an unusually warm winter, since there wasn't any snow around, though it was still a bit cold that wearing a scarf and winter jackets were still recommended. The girls on the train were looking at Negi with interest since he was a foreigner, though a few took a few glances at Akuro, since he was beside the boy.
Noticing the stares, Akuro leaned forward and whispered, "Hey Negi, looks like you've got a few fans."
"Huh?" Negi looked up and sure enough, some of the girls that were looking at him flashed smiles and winks, and a few even started talking to him. Akuro just looked at the boy mage with an amused look, though he braced himself when he noticed that Negi was about to sneeze, and had the decency to look away as the skirts started flapping from the magic wind that came from Negi.
The girls looked around in confusion, wondering what the wind was, while Negi looked really embarrassed. That made Akuro mentally note, 'Someday, we'll find a solution to that sneeze wind…I know that it embarrassed Nekane and Anya a few times before…'
That's when the train made it's stop at the Mahora Middle School station, and this is where many of the girls got off, the rush surprising both males as they just stood there watching. However, they quickly snapped out of it when they realized that they had to keep going so they wouldn't be late, though Negi ran ahead of him, quickly disappearing into the running crowd. Akuro tried to catch up, but tripped and was promptly trampled by the last crowd of girls exiting the trains.
Moaning, Akuro got up and looked ahead thinking, 'Ugh, and it just had to happen to me…'
With that, Akuro picked up his book bag that he had dropped and made sure that the duffle bag he had with him was still there, along with Yatsusuna and Ryuhana, before quickly making his way to the Academy, following the girls that were running ahead of him. Good thing they were hard to miss, though some gave him looks as he passed them, most of them curious ones.
Meanwhile, a group of five girls were running together in groups of three and two respectively. Three were in front and two were at the back respectively, though they somehow managed to stay together in the crowd. The ones in front were talking to each other about an issue with their homeroom teacher, with the one in the middle, who had shoulder length brown hair with a pair of ribbons, along with dark green eyes, asked her friends, "We're getting a new homeroom teacher right? What happened to Yamanaka-sensei?"
The one to the left, who had long, dark blue hair and grayish brown eyes, responded with a cool voice, "She was needed elsewhere, from what I've heard from the other teachers."
The third girl, who also had shoulder length brown hair but in a lighter shade and was straight cut from the bottom along with matching colored eyes, added, "Um, I think she was taking over for the music teacher who's retiring early Haruka."
The middle girl Haruka, looked at her friend to her right said, "Oh? I thought that Arashi-sensei was staying on for another year. Did you hear about this Chihaya?"
"Yeah, though it's just recent from what I've heard though." The blue haired girl, Chihaya replied, "Yukiho must've heard it from someone in our class, right?"
"Y-yes," Yukiho, the third girl nodded as she kept on running to keep up with the others, "I overheard Akiyama-san talk about it yesterday…"
At the back, the two girls, one with shoulder length brown hair and matching colored eyes named Yui Hirasawa, and the other who also had shoulder length brown hair but in a lighter shade, wearing a headband and also had golden brown eyes, named Ritsu Tainaka, were talking to each other about music when they overheard the three talking. Yui spoke up saying, "Yeah, Mio heard it from Sawa-chan directly, so it should be accurate Hagiwara-san."
"Ah, I see," Haruka mused, "Then I wonder who's going to be our new homeroom teacher. Maybe Takahata-sensei?"
"Doesn't he already teach 2-A?" Chihaya looked at Haruka oddly, since they all know that Takamichi teaches 2-A. Ritsu answered that for her, "Nope, I heard that 2-A's also getting a new teacher too, but that's nothing more than a rumor though…"
"Still, I just wonder who our new homeroom teacher's going to be…" Haruka mused, looking deep in thought. She wasn't watching where she was going and tripped on a brick, causing her to fall, and she braced herself for hitting the ground.
However, that never happened and Haruka found herself being held around the waist by someone, who happened to ask, "Hey, are you alright miss?"
The girls looked and saw that it was Akuro, though they didn't know who he was. Haruka was helped up onto her feet by him as she replied, "Yes, I'm alright, thank you very much."
"It's no problem," Akuro replied. Looking around, he then asked, "Excuse me ladies, but have any of you seen a boy with red hair and having a large backpack and bandaged stick around here?"
"Sorry, we haven't." Chihaya replied, shaking her head. The other girls shook their heads too and Akuro gave a sigh, "I see… Well, thank you girls."
Running off, the girls watched as Akuro disappeared into the crowd of girls, wondering who he was. Yui looked at Ritsu asking, "Hey, who was that?"
"I dunno," Ritsu replied, "Maybe he's a student that's looking for his lost brother or something."
"Maybe, but why would he be here in the girls' section…" Chihaya mused before she looked at Yukiho, who was trembling slightly, "Yukiho, is everything alright?"
"Eh? Oh, yes, everything's fine now." Yukiho replied, sounding a bit panicked. Everyone in 2-D knew about how Yukiho was a bit scared of boys and dogs, and she was usually compared to Nodoka Miyazaki of 2-A in that regard, not to mention her quiet behavior too. That's when Haruka looked at her watch and shouted, "Aaah, we're going to be late if we don't get moving!"
Haruka started running, with the others running after her trying to catch up. As they ran, Haruka wondered if she was going to see Akuro again, though she figured that it was just a once in a lifetime chance meeting. Life can work in mysterious ways though…
Meanwhile, Akuro managed to get to the front of Mahora's main building, just in time to see Negi sneeze one again and strip Asuna of her uniform. Just right in front of Takamichi too, just as he was approaching the trio to greet them. Asuna let out a scream that Akuro swore that the whole campus heard it, "Kyaa! What the hell is going on?"
"…Did I come at a bad time?" Akuro asked, causing everyone to look at him.
Looking at all the faces, Akuro recognized Takamichi, but froze when he looked at Konoka. A number of emotions started welling up in his chest, but Akuro forced everything down and managed to keep a straight face. Asuna was covering herself and keeping her back turned to him, and he had the decency to look away as Takamichi said, "Ah, Akuro-kun, glad to see that you, uh, managed to make it."
Konoka looked at Akuro oddly, like she found him familiar and was trying to remember something. Thanks to the enchanted glasses though, it wouldn't come to her, and she shrugged it off, with Akuro noticing. A part of him felt hurt, but another part sighed in relief that she didn't recognize him as he talked to Takamichi, "Yeah, sorry about that. I got slightly delayed by a stampede of sorts."
Takamichi chuckled as Akuro took out a trench coat that he had in his duffel bag and held it out to Asuna saying, "Um, here. It may be a warm winter, but you're going to catch a cold like that."
Asuna quickly took the coat and put it on muttering, "Thank you." She gave Negi a venomous stare that he quickly cringed over, and Akuro couldn't help but shake his head at what had just happened. That's when Takamichi said, "Well then, why don't we head up to the Dean's office for both of your assignments?"
Both Asuna and Konoka understood Negi, since he introduced himself as a new teacher, but when they pointed at Akuro with a puzzled look, he decided to introduce himself too, "I'm Akuro Sakuragi, and like Negi here, I'm going to be a new teacher starting here at Mahora Academy."
"…Eh?"
Mahora – Dean's office
Akuro and Takamichi were the first ones in, since Asuna had run off to get a spare uniform after what happened outside, leaving Negi to wait with Konoka outside in the lobby. Konoemon Konoe greeted them, "Ah Takamichi, I see that you've brought Akuro here with you, but where is the young Negi Springfield?"
"Well, he's outside waiting," Takamichi replied, still having a light blush on his face, "Something happened earlier and well…"
Seeing Takamichi trail off, Konoemon brushed it off as something to deal with later and turned his attention to Akuro, "So, Akuro Sakuragi, it's been a while, over four years I think…"
"Yes sir." Akuro replied politely. Konoemon gave a light laugh as he looked at the young Shinmei-ryu user, "Please, no need to be so formal. Anyway I heard from my brother what your assignment is. Interesting that it was specific that you were to come here though…oh well, no need to fret on it I guess. Anyway, are the glasses working?"
"…Yes Dean Konoe, Konoka hasn't recognized me yet…" Akuro reluctantly replied. Konoemon gave a sigh, "That's good, maybe this will calm down those Kansai upstarts in the meantime; they've been making quite the fuss. Anyway, you'll be teaching class 2-D this term, so I hope that you'll be able to handle the task efficiently."
"I'll do the best that I can Dean Konoe sir." Akuro said with confidence. Konoemon nodded as he handed Takamichi a thin book before saying, "Takamichi-kun here will show you the way to 2-D's classroom."
"I understand Dean sir." Akuro nodded, along with Takamichi. As they were about to leave, Konoemon had one last thing to say to him, "Oh yes, one more thing. My other granddaughter is in 2-A, so could you please watch over her when you can?"
Akuro raised an eyebrow at that, but he silently nodded and walked out of the room after Takamichi. Konoemon sighed and thought, 'I'm getting too old for this, but I'm not ready to throw in the towel just yet… Onto the next one…'
Outside, Akuro and Takamichi found Negi and Konoka still waiting for Asuna to get changed, and Akuro said, "I'll get my coat back later. Just tell the girl I'll pick it up during or after classes, or something like that."
"Alright Akuro." Negi replied. Takamichi added, "Oh, and when Asuna-kun arrives, the Dean would be ready to see the three of you."
Negi nodded in understand, and Konoka did too, though a part of her wondered why her grandfather would like to see the three of them together. Akuro and Takamichi departed, just as Asuna showed up in a track suit, Konoemon calling Negi to come in.
Mahora – 2-D Classroom
"So, ready to teach Akuro-kun?" Takamichi looked at Akuro with interested eyes, looking like he was evaluating his expression.
"I wish…" Akuro looked down at the roster that Takamichi had given him, which contained the list of the students that he would be teaching, though one name made him pause for a second when he quickly looked it over, "I admit that I'm a bit nervous. I mean I've never taught anyone in my life before…"
"Negi-kun hasn't either, and I'm sure that he'll be fine, just like you'll be," Takamichi assured him, "And besides, 2-D's a calm class. They're well behaved, so I'm sure that they won't be much of a problem. I've had the pleasure of teaching them myself as a sub, so I know that they won't give you a hard time."
"Oh, and what class do you usually teach?" Akuro kept the conversation going, though it was more for so he could have time to calm down from the nervousness. Takamichi noticed and decided to go along with it, "I used to teach 2-A, the class that Negi-kun's taking over from me. They're…energetic for a class, to say the least."
Raising an eyebrow at that, Akuro started to calm down as they stood in front of the door that had 2-D on it's sign. Next door had the sign 2-A over it, much to his surprise, and Akuro was about to grab the door handle when his hand suddenly stopped, and started shaking a bit. He withdrew it muttering, "Damn, still have first time jitters…"
"Haha, that's alright, why don't I go in first and introduce you?" Takamichi offered, something that Akuro graciously nodded, "I'd appreciate that Takamichi."
As Takamichi was about to open the door himself, a voice called out to him, "Ah, Takahata-sensei!"
Both Akuro and Takamichi looked up to see Asuna and Konoka heading towards them, though Akuro looked away when his eyes landed on Konoka. The two stopped in front of them as Takamichi greeted them, "Ah, hello girls, running late to class?"
Asuna and Konoka ran up to the pair, and Akuro looked into the roster to avoid eye contact. Both girls were focused on Takamichi however as Akuro studied the roster, looking at each of the various student pictures and names, though what he didn't realize was that he was looking at the 2-B pages instead of the 2-D pages as he kept his eyes down. He wasn't paying attention to the conversation that the girls were having with Takamichi until Konoka called out to Akuro, "Um, excuse me…Sakuragi-sensei?"
Looking up, Akuro looked at Konoka with a straight face, "Yes, um…"
"Konoka Konoe," Konoka introduced herself, not knowing that Akuro already knows her name, "Excuse me but have we met before? You seem very familiar…"
Gulping, Akuro saw that Takamichi and Asuna were looking at him, and he breathed once before saying, "Sorry Konoe-san, but I don't think so. I haven't been back in Japan for over four years now, so maybe you're thinking of someone else…"
Akuro didn't like lying to Konoka, but it was necessary as she mused, "Hmm, I guess you're right Sakuragi-sensei. Well, it's been nice talking to you, but we really need to get to class, right Asuna?"
"Eh…? Oh yeah, right! See you later Takahata-sensei," Asuna said, and before she left with Konoka, she handed Akuro his trench coat that was in her arms, "And thank you for earlier Sakuragi-sensei."
After Asuna and Konoka left for their class, Takamichi gave Akuro the 2-D roster and gave him a pat in the back, "Well, are you ready to start Akuro-kun?"
"…Might as well start this now…" Akuro muttered, putting his hand on the door. Opening it, he was greeted to a sight of class 2-D, who seemed to have heard the door open and settled into their seats.
When Akuro walked in, the entire class looked at him with mixed expressions, ranging from interested to surprise as Akuro walked up to the podium. Looking at the class, he cleared his throat and introduced himself, "Hello 2-D, I'm Akuro Sakuragi, and I'll be teaching science classes for, um, at least four terms here at Mahora, as well as being your new homeroom teacher. It's a pleasure to meet you girls."
There was only silence as Takamichi entered the room, with each of the girl's eyes locked onto Akuro in disbelief. Akuro took that chance to open the roster and look through the list of girls that were on it again. Looking at the list properly, he recognized some of the girls that he had bumped into earlier during the school rush.
1. Kureha Akabane
2. Mio Akiyama
3. Ritsuko Akizuki
4. Haruka Amami
5. Ami Futami
6. Mami Futami
7. Hibiki Ganaha
8. Yukiho Hagiwara
9. Ai Hidaka
10. Akari Himuro
11. Yui Hirasawa
12. Miki Hoshi
13. Makoto Kikuchi
14. Chihaya Kisaragi
15. Kanako Konoe
16. Tsumugi Kotobuki
17. Nodoka Manabe
18. Iori Minase
19. Azusa Miura
20. Eri Mizutani
21. Ran Otonashi
22. Ren Otonashi
23. Rin Otonashi
24. Elis Shihou
25. Takane Shijou
26. Ritsu Tainaka
27. Yayoi Takatsuki
Akuro's eyes narrowed slightly when they reached Kanako's name as he thought, 'Eh, so Kanako really is in this class… Figures that the Dean keeps the two of them separate from what I've been hearing over the years…'
Looking up, Akuro managed to hear one of the girls, who he identified as Ritsuko Akizuki, ask Takamichi, "Takahata-sensei, are you sure that he's our new teacher? I mean, he looks to be around our age!"
Some of the other girls nodded in understanding, though a few others looked at him with interest, particularly Kanako, who looked like she was trying to remember something. Being Konoka's identical twin sister, the only difference between them was that Kanako tied her hair in a ponytail a quarter down her back and kept a clip in her hair. Other than that, it was hard to tell the two apart appearance wise; both sisters were totally different in personality.
Back to the class, Takamichi assured them, "Don't worry girls, Sakuragi-sensei here definitely has all the credentials to teach here at Mahora. And anyway, if you think he's young, you should see the other new teacher."
The girls were confused by that, but things settled down with Ritsuko saying, "I guess that's acceptable if Takahata-sensei says so…"
That's when Ritsuko turned to Akuro and greeted him, "Hello Sakuragi-sensei, I'm Ritsuko Akizuki, the class representative of 2-D. On behalf of the class, welcome to Mahora Academy. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask."
"Ah, thank you Akizuki-san, I'll keep that in mind." Akuro was taken aback by Ritsuko's sudden business formality, but let it slide. He took out a textbook from his book bag and flipped it open, "Now from what I've read, you're up to this-."
All of a sudden, there was a loud, "Kyaaa! He's so cute!" from next door, nearly making Akuro drop his textbook. Takamichi couldn't help but smile, "Looks like 2-A just met their new teacher just now."
"To think Negi would get that kind of reaction…" Akuro found himself not looking forward to meeting 2-A for some reason, and it seemed to show on his face. He quickly shook it off as Ritsuko said, "Please don't mind 2-A Sakuragi-sensei, they've always been like that.
Nodding, Akuro looked at the class and saw that most of them looked at him with patient looks, though he thought that Kanako had a brief sour look on her face before she continued looking at Akuro, like he was some puzzle that needed to be deciphered. That's when he noticed one of the girls that he had met back outside, Haruka, was looking at him like she was trying to remember something. Suddenly she stood up and pointed at him shouting, "Ah, you're the guy that we ran into earlier!"
As the rest of the class looked at Haruka, Yui also jumped up looking at Akuro, "Oh yeah, he's the one that caught Haruka-chan during the rush!"
That's when Takamichi turned to Akuro and said, "Well, I think you'll do just fine Akuro-kun, so I'll leave things to you."
"Right…" Akuro watched as Takamichi left the room, leaving Akuro to teach 2-D. By the time he turned back to the class, everyone was talking amongst themselves, most likely about Haruka and Yui's outbursts. Sighing, Akuro managed to get things under control, "Okay girls, let's get started on today's lesson… but first, let's get on with the attendance before I forget."
Calling out each of the girls, he marked each of them down, and some stood out to him due to their appearances, but he didn't point them out, not wanting to look rude on the first day. Eventually he finished and said, "This is my first time teaching, so please bear with me for the first few days."
"Okay sensei!" 2-D called back with a nod.
Surprisingly for Akuro, his first class went without a hitch, as they were mostly attentive, though some still kept looking at Akuro with mixed interests. No doubt having someone around their age for a teacher was quite perplexing. At least their reactions were much calmer than 2-A's suffice to say. He had a few questions in his mind though, like why some of the girls were wearing something on their heads, but put it off until later.
Mahora Academy – Last Period Classes
2-D Classroom
Negi Springfield was initially surprised at 2-A's sudden greeting, which was enthusiastic to say the least, and that's in the simplest terms. The other classes he taught weren't as enthusiastic, but they all had similar reactions to Negi teaching English for the middle school grade. At the very least, the other classes didn't try to snuggle him like 2-A did, something that he felt relieved about looking back.
Now, the boy mage was in front of 2-D's classroom door, and he heard from Akuro during lunch break that he homerooms this class, and that they're a very nice group of girls. Opening the roster, he flipped the pages until 2-D's list was shown, and looking at the pictures, Negi couldn't help but feel that there were some kind of similarities between 2-D and 2-A but passed them off as stray thoughts. He thought, 'Last class, I hope I can get through this alright.'
Opening the door, Negi walked in, and everyone turned to see him walk up to the podium. At this time, rumors of both Akuro and Negi had circulated around the school, though Negi was the more predominant subject since 2-D didn't say much about Akuro unless asked, and a ten year old teacher seemed more impressive then a sixteen year old teacher. They watched as Negi settled behind the podium and introduced himself, "Hello Class 2-D. My name is Negi Springfield, and I'll be teaching English for the next four terms here at Mahora Academy. It's a pleasure to meet all of you."
There was a moment of silence, and Negi feared that they might react like 2-A did, but to his surprise, Ritsuko stood up and said, "On behalf of 2-D, we welcome you to Mahora Academy, Springfield-sensei."
The rest of the class nodded and clapped politely, something that took Negi off guard. He smiled and patted the back of his head, "Well thank you very much ladies. It's nice to have such a warm welcome at the end of the day."
"Yes, we can take a wild guess what happened during first period, right girls?" Ritsuko turned to the other girls, and they all nodded with some giggling.
"Alright, just let me take attendance first…" Negi looked at the list and started calling out names, though when he reached Kanako's name, he looked up and asked, "Um, excuse me, but you're related to Konoka Konoe, right Konoe-san? You look just like her…"
Kanako gave a bristled look for a second before she politely replied, "Yes, she's my younger twin sister…"
Negi nodded and kept on going until he reached the Otonashis, where it got kind of confusing for Negi as he asked, "The three of you are sisters, correct?"
"Yes, we are sisters, um, Springfield-sensei," The oldest of the sisters, Ran Otonashi, a girl with shoulder length hair that looked similar to Yukiho's except that it was longer on her left side, and is blue in color, though it seems to turn aquamarine halfway down, topping it off with a bell-shaped clip on the left side of her hair. Negi noticed she had lime green eyes behind a pair of glasses as she went on, "Not identical triplets though, just, um, triplets with identical voices."
"I see," Negi nodded, "Oh, but what about both of your sisters? Is it okay to wear those in class?"
Negi was pointing out the headphones and animal hat that were both on Ran's middle and youngest sisters' heads respectively. The middle sister stood up, having long blond hair that seemed to turn orange-brown halfway in a fashion just like Ran's, and her eyes were a shade of blue. Like Ran, she had a clip on the right half of her hair that was shaped like a music staff and wore large headphones that completely covered her ears. She spoke up in an energetic voice, "It's completely fine Springfield-sensei, and just to tell you, I'm the middle sister, Rin Otonashi. I have a problem with my memory, and if I don't wear these headphones, I tend to forget things, teehee!"
Looking bemused, Negi just nodded as he turned to the last sister, who had long, straight pink hair that transitioned into a yellowish blond. She had violet-pink eyes and wore a white animal hat that had blue ribbons on each side. Putting her hands together nervously, she gave Negi her answer, "Um… I, Ren Otonashi, got permission to wear this hat from Dean Konoe, so it's alright."
"Okay, I understand," Negi accepted their explanations without question as he went on, and things went smoothly as well, Negi only pointing out the beret of one Elis Shihou, who explained that it was an optional part of the uniform. After all that, Negi was about to teach when an all familiar scream erupted from next door.
"Looks like 2-A just met our new homeroom teacher…" Haruka pointed out, with the rest of the class just nodding in agreement. Negi hoped that Akuro would be alright, since he knew first hand what 2-A's greeting was like.
2-A Classroom
Shortly after Negi entered 2-D's classroom, Akuro showed up due to being delayed along the way, so the two just missed each other. Heading towards the doors of 2-A, Akuro braced himself, since what he had heard from Negi during lunch was…interesting, to say the least. Before going in, he opened his roster and flipped the pages until he came across 2-A's list. Studying the names and faces, Akuro saw Setsuna's picture, which he froze for a sec before going on to read the rest of the list of names.
Closing the roster, he prepared himself as Akuro remembered what he had heard during first period. Opening the door, he watched as a brush fell down from the top in front of him, and he picked it up, thinking of the infamous brush door trap. He gave a sigh as he walked in, tripping over the wire and landing face first on the ground with another brush landing on his head.
Fuuka Narutaki laughed and said, "Haha, he fell for it!"
Taking the brush off his head, Akuro couldn't help but grimace, 'Ugh, now that was an utter failure. A Shinmei-ryu swordsman falling for a prank…'
Putting both brushes back on the blackboard railing, Akuro patted himself off to get rid of the chalk dust. He looked at the girls and adjusted his glasses before introducing himself, "Hello 2-A, I'm Akuro Sakuragi, and I'll be teaching the Science classes for this term and the next three. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Again, there was a moment of silence that made Akuro feel like he was having a sense of déjà vu, until half the class leapt out of their seats and crowded around him with a 'kya!' The girls crowded around him, all asking questions at the same time that Akuro couldn't hear anyone clearly. He was bewildered for a second before he attempted to regain control of the situation, "Um, girls? Can you please back away…? Ladies, please be quiet!"
That last shout made the crowding girls stop, and before anyone could say anything, Akuro pointed out, "It looks like everyone has a bunch of questions, but can you please pick someone to ask, and the limit is seven only, since I'm supposed to be teaching right now. But for now, could all of you please return to your seats?"
All the girls in front of him seemed to accept those terms and returned to their seats, except for Kazumi Asakura, who the class silently nominated to ask the questions. She even had a microphone out as she introduced herself, "Kazumi Asakura, Mahora News Reporter. So only seven questions I see…"
"Uh huh, so fire away," Akuro leaned back against the blackboard to get comfortable as he folded his arms, "Just no inappropriate questions, alright?"
"Sure," Kazumi nodded, though Akuro swore that he saw a glint in her eye, "First off, how old are you?"
"Sixteen, turning seventeen in October."
"Where did you come from?"
"I came from Wales, lived there for four years."
"Oh, so do you know Negi Springfield?"
"Yes, the two of us attended Oxford together."
"Hmm, I see that you're Japanese, so were you born here, and where please?"
"That's…complicated. If I had to answer, my origins came from around Kyoto."
That statement made Konoka and Setsuna's ears perk up, though Akuro kept eye contact with Kazumi, not wanting to see their reactions. Hopefully, the enchantment on the glasses would hold and they wouldn't remember anything.
"Kyoto huh? Interesting… Next, where are you living right now?"
"Not sure. Negi and I just got here, and our living arrangements haven't been settled. At least mine hasn't."
"Uh huh, okay, next question: do you have a girlfriend?"
"Uh…No, I don't…"
Some of the girls started looking at him like a delectable piece of meat that Akuro found a bit disturbing as Kazumi posted her last question, "Last one: are you looking for a girlfriend right now?"
Raising an eyebrow, Akuro looked at her oddly, "…Now that's classified, and I ain't saying anything more about that."
That seemed to set off a few alarms in some of the girls, but they kept to their seats as Akuro prepared to teach. However, Kazumi wasn't about to give in since she didn't like the last answer that he gave her, so she begged, "Wait Sakuragi-sensei, just one more question please! Please!"
Looking at Kazumi, Akuro decided to play coy a bit, "Alright Asakura-san, since you looked so cute when you begged, I'll give you one more."
Inwardly smiling as Kazumi produced a light blush, but that quickly disappeared when she produced another question, "Okay, this may seem like a waste of a question, but are you really the homeroom teacher for class 2-D?"
Finding the question to be a bit too simple, Akuro replied, "Yes I am, but why would you ask that? I thought word got around already."
"Well, it's only rumors until now, since 2-D's famous for keeping secrets." Kazumi told Akuro, earning a look of interest from the Shinmei-ryu user. Since the time for questions was over, Kazumi returned to her seat, and Akuro began teaching class, though he wondered if some of them were paying attention at all, since some of the girls still had that sort-of hungry look on their faces, though some had dropped into the just interested category.
Mahora Academy – campus
After classes, the time where many students find freedom from the boringness of classes. It was later in the afternoon that Negi and Akuro were wandering around the campus, basking in the relief that their first day was over. They eventually met up at a fountain and Akuro was the first to speak, "So, how was your day Negi?"
"It was alright," Negi replied, "Teaching the girls wasn't as hard as I thought it would be at first."
"Hmm, you've got a point there…" Akuro mused as the both of them sat down on the bench that was beside the fountain. As they exchanged experiences with each other, Akuro couldn't help but remember an incident that happened in 2-A during last period. Something about how Asuna called Ayaka Yukihiro a shotacon since she was behaving differently towards Akuro then to Negi, and a fight erupted near the end of class. In the end Akuro had to separate them with a forceful separation by grabbing their shoulders, and he couldn't believe how much effort he had to put in to separate them.
Shaking his head, Akuro focused on now, and that's when he saw Shizuna walking towards them, though Akuro wondered who she was. When she approached, Negi waved to her, "Oh, hello Shizuna-sensei."
"Hello to you too Negi-sensei," Shizuna greeted back, "And I take it that you're Akuro Sakuragi-sensei, correct?"
Akuro gave a nod to that, "Yes I am, um Miss…"
"Shizuna Minamoto, I'm the student councilor and nurse here at Mahora." Shizuna introduced herself, "The Dean sent me to find you Sakuragi-sensei; he wants to talk to you about your living arrangements."
"…I see, well then, might as well figure this out, or else I'm going to be sleeping outside tonight." Akuro gave a slight chuckle as he waved goodbye to Negi as the boy took out his roster.
Mahora Academy – Dean's office
Entering alone, Akuro went up to Konoemon's desk as he greeted the young teacher, "Ah Akuro-kun, glad to see that you've made it through the first day in one piece, hohoho…"
"It wasn't that difficult Dean Konoe." Akuro replied, sounding a bit tired.
"Yes, 2-D's one of the quieter classes, though they can be just as rowdy as 2-A given the right circumstances." Konoemon commented, "But enough of that. I've already given Negi-kun his living arrangements earlier, since he's easy to place despite the problems we have. You however, I had to take into consideration, unless you want to live in the female middle school dorms on campus? You can keep an eye on Negi-kun that way, since he's been assigned to stay with Konoka and Asuna-kun."
Any other guy Akuro's age would've jumped at that chance without thinking about it, but let's be real here, if something like that got out, it would be scandalous for Mahora, and Konoemon knew it. Negi could get away with it since he was only ten, or was it nine…but Akuro was sixteen, and with the sudden popularity of being a new teacher along with Negi, it would be hard to hide.
Anyway, Akuro raised an eyebrow at Konoemon's comment, "I know that you're not serious about that sir."
"Hohoho, I know, that is why you're going to be moving into the cabin that's beside the dorms," Konoemon informed Akuro, "It's been abandoned for years, and I was considering tearing it down during the summer, but Yojiro provided funds to fix the place up a few weeks ago on the terms that you would move into it when you arrived."
"Hmm, that does sound alright, I guess…" Akuro mused. Konoemon gave a nod as he handed Akuro the key to the cabin, in addition to another one, along with a map of Mahora, "Here's the key, and the rest of your things have been sent there and have been placed in a case that the other key opens."
Accepting both keys, Akuro bowed and said, "Thank you very much Dean Konoe."
"Hohoho, you better get on your way Akuro-kun, so you can have the time to settle in." Konoemon laughed as Akuro made his way out of the office. Akuro just shrugged as he readjusted the bags he was carrying before he left.
Outside, Akuro wondered how to get to the middle school dorms from the main building, and just as he was about to open the map, a voice called out to him, "Ah, there you are Sakuragi-sensei!"
Looking up in the direction of the voice, Akuro saw a student approaching him with what appeared to be a thin book in her hands, "Ah, you're…Akizuki-san right?"
"Yes sensei, you're right." Ritsuko looked a bit surprised that Akuro got her name right, "Wow Sakuragi-sensei, you remembered! Anyway, this is for you."
Ritsuko handed Akuro the thin book that looked oddly like a roster, "2-D wanted to throw you a welcoming party today, but most of us are busy with club activities, so this is to compensate for that."
Opening the book, Akuro was surprised to see that it contained more detailed profiles of each of the 2-D girls as he flipped through the pages. Looking at Ritsuko with a puzzled expression, she explained to him, "Since you're going to be our homeroom teacher for at least this term, it will tell you a bit more about us. Just don't lose it; it's the only copy in the entire school that we made ourselves."
"This is quite detailed, "Akuro commented, "Though it looks a bit worn…"
"Oh, that's because our previous homeroom teacher, Sawako Yamanaka-sensei, had it before, and she's been our homeroom teacher ever since we were 1-A." Ritsuko explained to him, making Akuro nod in understanding.
"Hmm, I guess I'll take a look at it after I settle in," Akuro put the book into his duffle bag, "In the meantime, thanks for the info Akizuki-san."
"It's no problem," Ritsuko replied, "Anyway, how about we go over to 2-A's classroom? They're having a welcoming party for Springfield-sensei and their Class Representative, Ayaka Yukihiro-san, invited the few of us that weren't busy, and she asked us to bring you along if we found you."
"…I guess it's not a problem." Akuro decided, though a part of him was a bit worried about Negi, if his experience with 2-A was anything to go by.
"Okay then, we'll meet up with the others first." Ritsuko declared, sounding business-like all of a sudden. She walked off, prompting Akuro to follow her, a bit surprised by her sudden change in attitude.
Mahora Academy – entrance hall
Ritsuko led Akuro back to the entrance, where four other girls were waiting. One of them, who had short black hair and grey eyes, noticed their approach and called out, "Hey Ritsuko, I see that you found Sakuragi-sensei!"
"Yes, I found Sakuragi-sensei coming out of the Dean's office Makoto." Ritsuko replied.
Akuro looked at each of the other four girls, two of which were the twins in his class and he tried to remember their names, and found himself subconsciously reaching for the roster in his book bag. The girls noticed this and the girl with the short black hair introduced herself, "I guess you still haven't remembered all of our names yet sensei. That's alright; I'm Makoto Kikuchi, it's nice to meet'cha."
The second girl, who had long, blue hair and reddish violet eyes, went next, "Hello, I'm Azusa Miura, and it's a pleasure to meet you Sakuragi-sensei."
Azusa gave a bow, and Akuro could feel a big sister-type aura come from her as the twins went next. Both were identical and would've been impossible to tell them apart, with their shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes, except that one tied a part of her hair to the left, while the other tied her hair to the right. The twin whose hair was to the right introduced herself, "I'm Ami, the older sister!"
Her sister went next, "I'm Mami, the younger sister!"
"We're Ami and Mami Futami!" The twins spoke together, "It's nice to meet you Sakuragi-sensei!"
"It's nice to meet all of you too girls," Akuro looked around to see if there was anyone else, "This is all of us, right?"
"Yes, everyone else is busy with club activities," Ritsuko replied, "I'm sure that some of them are even covering for others…"
Everyone could tell about the hidden meaning under that as they walked together towards 2-A's classroom. In the meantime, the girls started asking him a number of questions about him, similar to what Kazumi did, but the questions were more reserved in nature, something that Akuro was mentally thankful for.
2-A Classroom
By the time Akuro and the girls reached the classroom, the party was already in full swing and they heard the girls partying. That was until they saw Takamichi and Shizuna approach with Takamichi greeting them, "Hello Akuro-kun, girls, you're all here for the party?"
"Yeah, apparently we were invited." Akuro told them, looking at Ritsuko for confirmation, in which she nodded.
Takamichi smiled and held a hand out, "Well then, shall we join the festivities?"
"That's sounds so old…" Akuro commented as he opened the door, earning a few giggles from some of the females, while Takamichi just smirked.
Half of the girls of 2-A turned around when Akuro opened the door, and when they saw Akuro and the others enter, they ran up to him to greet him and the others. Ayaka was the one to greet them first, "Ah, Sakuragi-sensei, I'm glad to see that you could make it, along with Akizuki-san and the others that are able to come."
"Heard that this was a welcoming party for Negi and decided to check it out, since you invited us." Akuro replied. The rest of the girls had already assimilated themselves into the party, and were talking with the others. That gave the chance for Akuro to follow Takamichi and Shizuna over to Negi after finishing his greeting with Ayaka.
However, Takamichi and Shizuna went over to the drinks table, meaning that Akuro reached Negi first, "Hey Negi, nice party you have here."
"Ah Akuro, you were invited too?" Negi asked innocently. Before Akuro could reply, Nodoka went up to Negi, though she looked nervous at the sight of Akuro. However, she managed to call out to him, "Um, Negi-sensei…"
"Oh, number twenty-seven, Miyazaki-san, the library monitor, right?" Negi turned his attention to the girl, while Akuro was handed a cup by Azusa, who had just finished talking with Chizuru Naba and Natsumi Murakami.
Giving a nod, Nodoka went on, "Um…about that incident earlier…you saved me…um, uh…"
'Incident?' Akuro wondered as Azusa went back to the refreshments table for another cup. He watched as Nodoka gave a book to Negi as a token of her thanks, prompting Ayaka to give her own gift to Negi, "Sensei! I also have something for you…it's a souvenir."
"Waah! A bronze bust of Sensei!" Half of 2-A shouted that out as Ayaka unveiled the bronze bust to everyone, "I'm sorry that I don't have anything for you at the moment Sakuragi-sensei…"
"Nah, it's alright, um, Yukihiro-san…" Akuro tipped his cup towards her as he drunk, 'That's just plain disturbing… glad I'm not Negi.'
As Asuna and Ayaka started fighting again, Ritsuko, Makoto, Azusa, Ami, and Mami got together as Azusa commented on the fight, "My, some things don't change, do they?"
"It's practically legendary, those two." Ritsuko added.
"What do you mean?" Akuro asked, looking a bit confused.
"The fights between Kagurazaka-san and Yukihiro-san are pretty much common knowledge among us middle schoolers Sakuragi-sensei!" Ami replied. Mami added, "Actually, stories have been told everywhere and almost every student from elementary to high school knows about them."
"…You can't be serious." Akuro found that to be a bit ridiculous, but Makoto assured him, "I heard that one time those two fought, they caused so much of a ruckus that they accidentally toppled a tree by accident."
"Hey, I heard that one too!" Sakurako Shiina said, as she and her two friends, Misa Kakizaki and Madoka Kugimiya walked up to the group.
"I heard that the tree hit a car when it toppled." Misa added.
"Eh? I heard that it crashed on a truck though." Madoka countered.
Before the conversation went on, Ayaka went up to them, having the fight with Asuna called off due to her noticing Takamichi. She quickly cleared things up, "For the last time you three, a tree did not fall over! Asuna punched a tree trying to hit me and a branch broke off! You were there Akizuki-san, isn't that the truth?"
"It's true," Ritsuko confirmed, "As well as the branch hitting the windshield of the car that was parked beside it."
Akuro couldn't help but smirk as Ayaka cringed at the thought as she walked away in shame. The cheerleader trio walked away too, but not before introducing themselves to Akuro. He noticed that Madoka and Makoto seemed friendly with each other, but they didn't say much to each other before they parted. That's when Mami pointed out, "Hey, what's Springfield-sensei doing?"
"Huh?" Akuro looked over to see Negi talking to Takamichi, while putting his hand to the older man's forehead. That act confused Akuro for a moment before he quickly darted over to Asuna.
As the boy mage did it a few times, Akuro remembered that Negi had a bit of skill in telepathy, but it required direct contact since he wasn't skilled at it just yet. That's when he heard Ami say, "Maybe he's checking Takahata-sensei's temperature?"
"Probably…" Akuro mused. He watched as Asuna ran out of the classroom with Negi chasing after her. Stretching, Akuro turned to his students, "I think I'll call it in early, I'm not much for parties right now."
The girls nodded and Akuro went over to pick up his things that he had left at the foot of the blackboard. He was about to leave when he remembered something and went back over to the girls, "Sorry, but can you girls show me where the middle school dorms are? I have to check something out, Dean's request."
"Sure, we can show you the way." Ritsuko replied, with the other girls nodding as well.
The girls lead the way out, with Akuro behind them, but not before saying to Ayaka who was about to walk out too after seeing Negi run out, that he had a few things to attend to and thanked her again for the invitation. Little did he realize, or that he did and didn't care, was that Setsuna was eyeing him every now and again from the wall she was leaning on as she took a sip from her cup. Mana Tatsumiya went over to her asking, "Something wrong?"
"…No, nothing's wrong." Setsuna muttered as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath after Akuro left the room.
Mana just nodded and walked over to another part of the room, leaving Setsuna to her thoughts. The Shinmei-ryu girl couldn't help but think, 'He feels familiar for some reason…is there something that I'm missing…?'
Mahora Academy – Dorms
When Akuro and the girls reached the dorms, everyone except Ritsuko said goodbye to Akuro as they went inside the main building. Seeing that the girls were inside, Ritsuko turned to Akuro asking, "So, is there anything else you need Sakuragi-sensei?"
Looking around, Akuro nodded, "Yes there is… Do you know where the nearby cabin is? I don't see it from here…"
"Oh, that old thing? It's right behind the building." Ritsuko pointed in the direction that went through the dorms.
"Ah okay…" Akuro nodded. Ritsuko wondered what Akuro wanted with the cabin when a voice called out to them, "Ritsuko-iincho, Sakuragi-sensei!"
The two turned to see Haruka, Chihaya, and Yukiho together, along with two others Yayoi Takatsuki and Iori Minase. Yayoi, who had reddish brown hair that was tied in two short wavy ponytails at the back and having bluish green eyes, and Iori, who had straight, long brown hair with a hair band holding back her bangs and having eyes that matched her hair, were behind the three as they went up to Akuro.
"Hey there everyone, club activities finished?" Ritsuko asked.
"Yes, we all finished at the same time," Chihaya replied, as Yukiho hid a bit behind Haruka when she saw Akuro, "By the way, what brings you here Sakuragi-sensei? Did something happen?"
"No, I'm just here for the cabin behind the dorms." Akuro told the girls.
"Eh, that old thing?" Iori asked with a hint of disgust on her face, "You're not planning on moving into that or anything are you sensei? It's in pretty bad shape after being abandoned for like, ten years?"
"It's been fixed up," Akuro informed them, and that's when Yayoi added, "Hmm, that would explain the case that was left here earlier. It's yours, isn't it Sakuragi-sensei?"
"Uh huh, my things are in there." Akuro looked at his watch, checking the time as Haruka suddenly asked, "Hey, if it's really fixed, do you mind if we check it out Sakuragi-sensei?"
Akuro thought about it for a few seconds, "Hmm, I suppose it wouldn't hurt."
The girls followed Akuro until they were in front of the cabin, which was right next to the dorms from behind, and to the surprise of the girls, it no longer looked run down from when they probably last saw it. In the front was a large wooden chest with a metal lock, and Akuro went right over to it with the girls behind him looking at the cabin curiously. He commented, "Looks like the place's been fixed up real good, if your expressions say anything about it."
"No kidding," Ritsuko said, "The last time I saw this place, the roof looked like it was going to collapse upon itself."
"I know for a fact that this cabin wasn't like this near the end of December," Iori commented as she inspected the sides, "There's no way that the cabin could've been fixed up this good without anyone noticing!"
'Not when you use magic to speed things along…' Akuro thought to himself. He fished out the two keys from his pocket and handed the cabin key to Haruka, who was closest to her, "Why don't you open up and see what's inside…Haruka Amami-san, right?"
"Okay Sakuragi-sensei," Haruka accepted the key from Akuro, "And you got my name right sensei."
Haruka went up to the door and started opening it, prompting the others to gather up behind her. Chihaya, Yayoi, and Iori all introduced themselves to Akuro properly, and Yukiho shyly, or was it nervously, introduced herself before darting into the cabin after Haruka opened the door. Akuro couldn't help but feel that Yukiho's behavior was similar to Nodoka's but he brushed the thought aside as he fiddled with the lock on the chest in front of him.
Hearing the girls comment on how new the place looked, Akuro finally got the chest open and flipping the lid, he found the rest of his things inside, just as he heard Haruka commented, "Wow, it's like this place was magically fixed!"
Chuckling at that, Akuro dragged the chest in as the girls gathered together in the center of the cabin. Akuro looked and saw that it was quite homely and brand new, with the ground floor containing the living room and kitchen and a flight of stairs that led to the second floor from his line of sight. The girls gathered together and Ritsuko asked, "Do you need help unpacking sensei?"
"…No, I'll be fine ladies." Akuro quickly replied, 'Especially since I have a few things that aren't meant for normal people to see…'
"Okay, I guess we'll leave you to your unpacking." Ritsuko said, "We'll see you later Sakuragi-sensei."
The rest of the girls said their goodbyes and left the cabin, leaving Akuro to unpack himself. As he put his bags down and inspected the cabin, he couldn't help but think, 'Why did the Dean put Negi to live with Asuna and Konoka? Maybe it's because he can trust Konoka to look after Negi or something…'
Note: I'll mention the four series next chapter, but I'm sure that you all probably figured out the four series. Even if you don't know some, googling helps; I know that it did for me when I started reading Springfield, PhD: A Different Paradigm by James Ray Edwards. Look up a few characters and boom, I find out about the Seven Stakes of Purgatory and become a character fan of them after looking around.
Oh, and the reason I'm using Akuro Sakuragi as the main character teacher for this story. Simply put, I don't exactly have the brainpower to think up of anymore OCs. The only reason Kanako exists is that I wanted to experiment with a black and white idea using Konoka, and that will definitely be explained in later chapters. It's the reason 2-D only has twenty-seven students and if I added another series, it would probably end up as thirty-six students or something, one that I can't handle. Anyway, the basic template for Akuro will be the same, a Shinmei-ryu/Western Mage hybrid, but a few things will be changed that I really need to think about. I'll also be using other SCS elements in much later chapters, but I assure you, Project Class D and Second Childhood Sword will be very different stories.
Okay, that's it for now, and gosh, this is the first time I had notes both at the beginning and end of a chapter, let alone a story. Review if you want, I'm not that picky about them like other authors, but I do appreciate feedback.