The Knight Of Mahora Academy
Period 29: The Calm Before…
So this is a mix of fun little vignettes and actual important stir beats for later. If you read the original series they had those chapters where a different story played out in each page and I always found those ones to be so much fun that I gave it a try. I'll probably try it again later down the road.
Also, if you haven't heard then the website alerts changed up. You can apply them to notify you of updates on your Account page under settings. Just thought I'd give another heads up over these next few weeks to make things a little easier.
Anyway, on with the show!
[[[[[[[[A Genius' Plans]]]]]]]]
This place was…strange.
When the mistress decided to come here, many of the people of their kingdom were confused by her choice. Even more so when her elder sister wholeheartedly agreed to send her out here to this strange world and into this unfamiliar territory. There were many people worried about leaving her in this realm alone.
Not because they thought she'd get hurt. She was more than capable enough to handle any threat herself.
However, the question was whether she would. He would never admit this out loud but she was…quite the oddity. She did not carry herself or act how one would expect someone of her station to do so. So the possibility of her getting into danger and not doing anything about it in response was quite high. So to avoid any danger he and the others were sent to guard her. Never interfering but always keeping a vigilant eye on her.
Him and his team of-
His eyes widened as he sensed one of his subordinate's signatures suddenly disappear. Immediately jumping to his feet he focused on that direction and tried to discern the cause of the disappearance.
There was no stray magic. No Ki. No battle. Nothing.
But he could count the number of people that could handle a fight against one of his soldiers in this school on one hand. And none of them could do it that quickly and without leaving a trace.
And as he tried to make sense of it another one disappeared.
Another!
And another!
He rushed from his perch on a tree and beelined towards the last signature of his subordinate. Making sure not to raise the surprisingly effective alarms of the school, he needed to find some clue as to what was-
A flare of strange magic. Unlike any other, he had sensed from the school. And it was close by. He turned midair and rushed towards its position instead. He landed and immediately spotted a person - the probable source of the magic spike.
"Wow!" The young woman gasped before looking down at a watch that wasn't there, "You're way ahead of schedule! I thought I had more time to prepare!"
"Are you the reason my subordinates are vanishing?" He questioned in a threatening tone as he slowly made his way to the young human, "If they are harmed or dead then you can expect my mercy to wane with your answer."
"Easy big guy, they're not harmed or anything. We just needed their help with a little experiment of ours. No big deal."
"We are not tools for your amusement, human."
"It is not for my amusement." She corrected, unfazed that she was testing his last nerve, "It's an experiment. And I take it very seriously."
"You will return them this instant, or-"
"So seriously I finished my preparations days ago."
The ground he stepped on suddenly burst into light and he found himself caught in a magic circle. His movements were frozen and he could barely do anything but look around. Despite the situation, he struggled against the hold on him, "If you think this is enough to stop me-"
"Not at all. Just hold you long enough for me to use this."
He was bathed in a bright light and dragged into a container. One moment an exceptionally powerful demon was standing upon a magic trap, and the next he was a light illuminating inside of a container.
Chao let out a breath of relief, "Geez, glad that didn't get out of hand."
[[[[[[[[Plight of the Trainee]]]]]]]]
"Gah!" Asuna yelped as she was knocked back on her butt with a swift riposte from Setsuna. Picking up her fan she grumbled, "C'mon Setsuna-San, I swear I had you with that last move!"
"You nearly did, Asuna-San!" The swordswoman responded earnestly, "If you had made a sharp swing an instant sooner-"
"Oh, don't patronize me!"
"She isn't, Asuna-San." Negi piped up from the side where he and Naruto were shadow-boxing with each other, "You have gotten fantastically more capable with your weapon, Asuna-San!"
"Negi-kun's right," Konoka nodded happily where she had some small sandwiches prepared for their snack and petting Kyūbi in her lap, "You've gotten better, Asuna. It's just that Secchan is really, really good. You're having a hard time overcoming the hurdle."
"Meh," Asuna glumly mumbled, drawing her knees in and looking at her fan, "If you say so. I can't even make my fan into a stupid sword. Stupid sword. Stupid fan."
"Well, I think in this case a demonstration works best." Naruto stepped up with a devious grin. He looked at Setsuna and nodded aside, his partner seeming to understand and walking over to join Konoka and Negi at the side. Asuna looked at them in confusion before Naruto held out his hands, "Adeat."
Asuna sat up in a panic as several small red and black metal cylinders appeared between his fingers. She stepped back, "W-Whiskers, what are you-"
"Heads up!"
Naruto started throwing the sticks at Asuna. The twin-tailed girl cried out in surprise and resorted to wildly jumping to avoid their path. The others could only flinch and watch as Naruto lobbed a barrage of metal batons at Asuna relentlessly.
"WHISKERS! WHAT THE HELL?! I-I CAN'T DODGE ALL THESE!"
"Then knock them away! You got your fan! Give it a shot!"
With an infuriated yell, Asuna started to rapidly swing her fan around. Each time she did she knocked a baton out of the air and dispelled it back into Naruto's Pactio, which he recreated to throw at her.
As time went on instead of swinging wildly Asuna remembered her training with Setsuna and fixed her form. Tightened her grip. And knocked the projectiles away with far less wasted movement than before.
"A-Amazing!"
"You're doing it, Asuna-San!"
"Yay! Way to go, Asuna!"
Asuna looked over at her cheering friends in surprise before she realized the barrage had suddenly settled. She looked over at Naruto as he grinned with a baton resting in his hand, "See? You are improving. You just needed a chance to see the results yourself."
Asuna looked down at her fan and felt the rush of the moment settle over her. The way she moved so easily and remembered all the forms Setsuna had taught her. It was coming along nicely, even if she still wasn't able to match Setsuna.
One step at a time.
With a proud blush on her face, she rubbed the back of her head while smiling, "Hehehe, w-well-"
She couldn't react in time to the baton slamming into her stomach and making her double over.
"Hey!"
"Naruto-kun?!"
The blond boy smiled while expertly twirling a baton around his fingers, "She may be getting better but we should always watch out for overconfidence. Cockiness is the unexpected killer in the heat of bat-"
The baton slipped from his hands and knocked against his temple.
"SONUVA-"
[[[[[[[[The Planted Seed]]]]]]]]
"So what do you say, Ako-chan? Wanna join us?"
The light-haired girl considered the offer before looking at the cheerleader trio, "I mean are you okay with this? You want me to join your band?"
"Yeah!" Misa nodded enthusiastically, "You got experience with the bass and we need another player to even out the number!"
"Please Ako," Madoka placed her hands together and begged, "Misa's ideas for the performance are wild and I can't do them alone. I could use a helping hand."
"C'mon! It'll be fun!" Sakurako cheered, "How many girls get a chance to perform on a stage as big as this? You gotta take the chance!"
Ako seemed hesitant before slightly moving her shoulder, "I-I mean-"
"Great! We're happy to have you aboard!"
"H-Hey!" The young nurse quickly piped up, "I haven't even agreed to join or not!"
"Oh c'mon, you just shrugged so you were about to say something like 'I guess I can help if you need me', right?" Misa smirked as she saw the faint blush on the shorter girl's face, "You won't regret it! Oh, that'll be so much fun!"
"L-Look I can play bass, sure, but wouldn't you girls rather cast a larger net? Explore your options a little more?"
Madoka scoffed, "No way. You're the perfect addition. You know your instrument, we're friends, we don't need to figure each other out. On such short notice, there is no better choice."
"W-Well yeah, but…" The meeker girl shuffled uneasily in her chair before looking up at the others, "Wouldn't you - I-I don't know - prefer a cuter girl to join you on the stage?"
"Awww," Sakurako cooed and moved around the table to glomp Ako before she could react, "Ako-chan, you are so much cuter than you give yourself credit for!"
Madoka nodded, "Yeah, and we couldn't be happier to have you with us on the stage!"
"Plus," Misa whispered with a wriggling eyebrow, "Musicians are always popular~. Can you imagine how much attention we'll get if we perform together? I bet we can even get the pick of the litter from the boys around school~. How does that sound?"
"L-Like way too much power!" Ako squeaked out before sighing and picking up her tray, "Look, I swore off romance and love after Senpai rejected me. I'll help you girls out but that'll be it, okay?" She turned and went to dispose of her leftovers, "I'll see you girls later."
"Misa."
"What?"
"That wasn't nice poking that old wound."
"I wasn't trying to poke anything! I just thought I could incentivize her! I didn't know it was still a sore spot!" The lead cheerleader groused before sighing, "If I have to apologize-"
"Oh, hi Sensei."
"Hey, Izumi-San!" Naruto greeted the shorter girl as he made his way towards the counter, "I just came over to get some sodas for me and the others. You finish eating?"
"That's right. So getting some drinks, huh? Are you and Negi-kun working hard?"
"We are!" He nodded with a grin, "There's still a lot of paperwork we need to go over for the festival coming up and we got a long road ahead of us. But it's nothing we can't handle."
"Uh-huh."
"Huh? What was that? You sounded - like, skeptical, or something."
"Well, I remember the last time you tried to overwork yourself you ended up in the infirmary with a fever. I'm getting the distinct feeling that it's something of a pattern with you."
"N-No, not at all."
Ako looked up at him with doubt before giggling, "Well try not to push yourself too hard. And if you do, please stop by so that we can give you some treatment, okay?"
Misa and the cheerleaders watched from the side as Ako and Naruto talked. And as they did…
Misa's smile turned up like a devious kitten, "Oho, what's this now~?"
[[[[[[[[By the Crystal Ball!]]]]]]]]
Setsuna stared at the odd sight in silence, "Um, what's happening?"
"Konoka has a big booth to entertain in during the Mahora Festival. So she wants to get some practice in while she can." Asuna informed her friend.
Naruto nodded from her side, "Asuna and I were quick to jump away before we could get caught in the madness. Unfortunately, the poor little guy wasn't as lucky."
"U-Um, Konoka-San?" Negi nervously mumbled, seated across from the lovely young fortuneteller as she hummed and ran her hands over a crystal ball, "Are you sure this will work? I mean predictions done by normal people without the help of spirits are usually quite unreliable-"
"Shush, Negi-kun, I'm peering beyond the veil!"
"Yeah, calm down, Aniki!" Chamo said atop the table as he looked up at his young charge, "There's nothing to worry about. It might do you some good to have an idea of what lies ahead of you."
"Okay, I'm getting something!" Konoka nodded, "I see…I see you retracing your steps many times, Negi-kun! And moving forward with a cherished goal! But also great internal conflict! Ah, and terrible trouble lying ahead of you!"
"O-Oh no!" Negi panicked and quickly jumped from his spot to seek solace from his friends, "Asuna-San! Nii-San! There's great trouble ahead!"
Asuna rolled her eyes, "Relax Negi. When aren't you in the middle of some great trouble?"
"Oh, good point - hey!"
"Whose next?" Konoka eagerly asked before smiling, "Naruto-kun, want me to read your fortune?"
"Meh, I'm not happy with the last fortune I got told for me." He groused but still stepped up to sit across from her.
"Hmm," She mumbled, "I see…I see grand reunions and strange introductions. There is great self-discovery lying ahead of you, but only past great doubt and perseverance. And," Konoka opened her eyes curiously, "And great…trouble ahead?"
"Really?" Setsuna asked cautiously, "Both Negi-sensei and Naruto-sensei will face great trouble?"
"Okay, get up. My turn." Naruto switched places with Asuna as the twin-tailed girl nodded, "Give me your worst."
"Okay. I see…I see new revelations of both yourself and those you hold dear. Fulfillment of your desires but perhaps not a return of them. And…great trouble ahead." Konoka repeated with a pout, "Okay that's weird."
"Konoka, you have to try harder than this. You're repeating the same fortunes."
"I-I'm not making this up!" She quickly defended herself, "I swear these fortunes are supposed to be unique and accurate!" She looked up and beckoned her oldest friend over, "Secchan, sit down! I need your help!"
"M-Me? B-But I wasn't coming over t-to-" Naruto quickly removed her kendo bag from her back and Negi gently pushed her forward as Asuna vacated her seat and offered it with a sly smile. Setsuna blushed and sat down across from Konoka as she grumbled and waved her hands.
"Okay, here we go! I see…I see growth on many different fronts! Evolution of values and deep developments with those that surround you! And great trouble - oh come on!"
"I-It's okay, Ojou-sama. You did your best."
"C'mon guys, let's give Konoka some room to breathe." Asuna waved for the others to follow her out, "I've never really seen her angry but she might just toss that ball at the nearest thing."
After everyone left, Konoka sat with a frown and flicked her crystal ball, "Stupid thing."
[[[[[[[[Did you go on a jolly walk with Cthulhu?]]]]]]]]
"Okay girls, I need to give you a quick warning about having Kyūbi around, alright?"
"Pfft," Fuuka scoffed and waved him off, "We're fine! We can take care of the little guy!"
"Yeah Sensei!" Fumika nodded while cuddling the little fox to her chest, "Kyūbi-chan is an angel! We won't let anything happen to him."
"I don't care what happens to him! I just can't live with myself if you two got hurt because of his shenanigans!" Naruto knelt and held each girl by the shoulder, "Fuuka-chan, Fumika-chan, if you get a bad sense from the fox, you need to ditch him and run away as fast as you can!"
"What-"
"Or if you see him make an evil smirk, lock him away and throw the key!"
"I don't-"
"And don't be afraid to kick him! I mean just punt him as far as you can!" Naruto then leaned further in and glared the fox in the eyes, "I'm not sure what evil plan you got concocting but I swear nothing shall pass of it."
Kyūbi snapped at his nose and forced Naruto to jerk back before he lost a nostril. He still rubbed his nose before warning the twins, "Just keep an eye on him and be safe."
…
"Should…should we call animal services?"
"This might just be how they bond. I mean Kyūbi-chan doesn't look too worried."
The fox demon just slowly blinked his eyes and yawned.
[[[[[[[[Teaching the Master]]]]]]]]
"Sharper! More focus! Better-aru!" Kū Fei remarked as she masterfully moved back and parried Negi's strikes each time while still giving him guidance on how to perfect his style, "You overthink, Negi-bozu! Too slow!"
Kū slipped into his guard as he was mid-strike and slipped her foot behind his ankle. As he tried to retreat he tripped and Kū added a gentle palm strike to his chest to knock him over completely. The little red-haired Mage groaned on the ground, "Ow."
"Getting better, Negi-bozu, but still think a lot-aru!" The kung-fu master stood up and exhaled gently, "You need to fight without thinking-aru. Too much during a battle can cost dear-aru."
"O-Of course, Kū-Rōshi!"
"Wow, that's the Nee-chan Negi got t' teach him fightin'?" Kotarou watched from the side with Naruto as Negi was helped back to his feet while Kū took a stance to guide him through the movements again, "That's impressive. I don't know that much 'bout Kenpo but I can tell she's good."
"Yeah, she's not the best martial artist in the school for nothing!" Chamo piped up between the two boys as he watched Negi mimic her moves perfectly, "Man, Aniki lucked out getting her to teach him how to fight! He'll be a superpower in no time!"
"And you didn't offer to teach 'im, Naru-nii?"
"Oh I did," Naruto nodded, "But it became clear pretty quickly that I'm more of a - a hands-on kinda guy. And Negi needs a foundation and structure to learn. So I just help him practice and train after he's done."
"Hmm, and them? What about Asuna-neechan?"
They looked back and saw Asuna fiercely charging at Setsuna from all angles and swinging her fan. The Shinmei-Ryu swordswoman effortlessly parried her attacks with the minimal amount of movement necessary. Still, Asuna persisted and charged in to attack.
"Asuna decided to get some training in from Setsuna after the fight in Kyoto." He nudged the young Hanyō with a smirk, "If you aren't careful they'll catch up fast."
Kotarou frown before looking back at Negi's training session. He tilted his head, "I thought…I don't know. I thought she'd be way stronger." He rubbed his hair, "I mean I can tell she's tough and a great fighter, but I can't sense a lick a Ki comin' offa her. Does she just not use it?"
Naruto was prepared to answer before he paused with his mouth hanging open. He closed it and rubbed his chin in thought, "Actually…I have no idea. I don't think I've ever sensed her use it either." He cupped his hands over his mouth, "Hey Kū!"
"HWAAAA - Yeah-aru?" She stopped in the middle of a punch heading straight towards Negi's face which left the little redhead weak in his knees.
"Do you know how to use Ki?"
"'Ki?' You mean Chi-aru?" Kū pondered with a pursed lip before shaking her head, "No! Me never learn how-aru! Elders back in village try to explain but too difficult-aru." She rubbed her head goofily, "Prefer just fighting than learning-aru!"
"Ya think learnin' 'bout Ki is too hard?" Kotarou scoffed before jumping off his spot and making his way over to Kū, "Nee-chan, using Ki is easy! I learned how to use it at a super young age!" Kotarou's fists started to glow with internal energy, "All ya gotta do is let the energy swell up inside ya and burst out!"
Kū tilted her head in confusion as Negi scratched his cheek, "Um, Kotarou-kun, maybe there's a more…technical way you can explain it? What about you, Nii-San? Can you help?"
"Hmm, I could use Ki at a young age so I can't remember exactly how I learned it. But when I use it," Naruto lowered his stance and chambered his fists, "I get all whirred up," He flexed his muscles, "And then grrrrrrrrrrrrr," Then suddenly his hands burst with every, "And boom! That's how I use Ki!"
Kotarou, Chamo, and Negi looked aghast at the terrible way he explained it. Negi nodded apologetically to Kotarou, "I'm sorry. Maybe your way was better explaining after all."
"Well, he just set the bar pretty dang low."
Naruto frowned, "Everyone's a critic. Hey Setsuna!"
The girls stopped their kendo practice as the ponytailed girl looked over, "Yes, is something wrong?"
"Can you explain Ki to Kū here?" He motioned to the kung-fu master beside them, "You're smarter than us and can probably explain it better."
"Huh," Asuna hummed as she walked along with Setsuna to join them, "I don't know much about that stuff either. I just know muscular dudes scream and power up and change their hair and that's it."
"Yeah, like this!" Naruto yelled as his power grew, "WRRRAAAHHHH!"
"Exactly!"
"Well, I was taught to control and utilize my Ki at a young age. The concept of activating your own Ki isn't that difficult." The swordswoman closed her eyes and raised two fingers in front of her face in a sign of concentration, "First you start by meditating; emptying your mind of all other thoughts until it becomes a blank slate."
"Empty brain-aru? That's easy for Baka Yellow-aru!"
"N-Not exactly what I meant but you can make it work." Setsuna took a deep breath, "Now sense the sparks of energy inside of you. Draw them in…bring it all together…forge the bits of energy inside your body into a single spot…a core from which your power bursts forth…and then-"
Setsuna closed her fist and her Ki raised from it after she had channeled her power. Asuna, Negi, and Chamo clapped and cheered while Naruto and Kotarou were impressed by her explanation. Her cheeks started to heat up, "I-It's nothing, really. Just some lessons I learned in my earliest days as an apprentice."
"That's amazing, Setsuna-San!" Negi cheered for his student as she blushed from all the attention. He turned to his teacher, "Kū-Rōshi, maybe if you learn from her - huh?"
"Whirred," Kū lowered her body, "Grrrrrrrrrrr," She flexed and threw her arms up, "Boom!"
The barest flickers of internal power started coming off of her.
"Holy crap!" Kotarou exclaimed, "Nee-chan, that's incredible!"
"Haha!" Naruto pumped his arms, "It was my technique! Vindication!"
Chamo whistled from Asuna's shoulder, "I guess it takes an idiot to teach an idiot."
"Pfft," She tried to cover her scoff before nodding, "Yeah, he's pretty much just as big an idiot."
Negi was happy to see his student and master learn the basics of achieving new power and strength…
Before he realized she was probably going to use it on him during their spars…and that his friends may have just signed his death certificate.
[[[[[[[[Not Known by its name]]]]]]]]
"N-Negi Springfield-sensei."
The others gathered around her artifact as crude illustrations of the young Mage filled the book while real-time transcripts of his thoughts covered the other page.
I wonder what's coming up on Nodoka-San's Artifact. She can read my mind now, but I wonder just how accurately. Can I avoid getting detected if I let my thoughts wander? Or does the book filter through everything? This is such an intriguing prospect, but also kind of terrifying. What if I have terrible secrets that get revealed to others? Like that time Anya wet the bed and I took the blame? Or that time I wet the bed and Anya tattled on me?! Or-"
"Negi, stop thinking." Asuna warned him through her laughter. She and the others were looking over Nodoka's shoulder and having a few chuckles as they saw the little teacher flounder in his thoughts. She looked down at the magical book again, "Man, Honya-chan, your book is so cool and useful. How often do you use it?"
"N-Not very often." Nodoka meekly replied, "It seems rude to invade peoples' thoughts without their consent or the heat of battle."
"But you've been tempted, right?"
"I - u-um-"
"Oh~?" Konoka cooed as she and Asuna surrounded the meek young librarian with cheeky smiles, "Does that mean you've been considering it, Nodoka? Naughty~."
"N-No! I-I never would!"
"But you did consider it~."
"Enough!" Yue pushed Asuna and Konoka's faces away from Nodoka as the stoic girl frowned, "Stop crowding her like that. Nodoka doesn't use the book like that and that's all that matters."
"Aw, we were just teasing." Konoka bemoaned before her expression brightened again, "Oh, you should use it on somebody else! This is fun!"
"I-I don't think that's a good idea." Negi protested as he stepped up to intervene, "This is a powerful magical item and should be used with restriction-"
Asuna frowned, "Negi, let us have fun or we'll just keep using it on you."
"N-No!" He covered his head, "I-I have things I don't want my students to know!"
"Then be quiet!" Asuna grinned, "Okay Honya-chan, try it on someone else."
"O-Okay." The quiet girl buckled and agreed as she looked down at her book. It was quiet between the group of girls before she asked, "Who should I use it on?"
…
"Just use it on Asuna. She's fine with it."
"Konoka! No!" The twin-tailed girl blushed, "W-What if I reveal some terrible secret I don't want people to know?!"
"Like what? That you like Takahata-sensei?" Her best friend giggled, "Asuna, it doesn't count as a secret if everyone already knows."
"Konoka!"
"Hey, what are you guys yelling about?" They all looked over as Naruto made his way over to them with Kyūbi perched on his shoulder, "I could hear you over on the sidewalk."
"K-Konoka's just messing with me."
"Oh, I know!" Konoka rushed over and scooped Kyūbi off his shoulder before grinning, "Let's try it on Kyūbi-chan!"
"Oh yeah, let's try it on the Furball!" Asuna immediately spoke up to deflect the attention off of her, "I've always wanted to know what's going on in this demented jerk's head!"
"Hmm," Yue hummed, "It would be interesting to see the inner workings of a demon's mind straight from the source."
"Uh, do I get a say in this?"
"No way!" Naruto laughed as he slipped in to look at the book, "Do it quickly, Nodoka!"
"Don't give him a chance to run!"
"Sorry Boss, but looks like you're next on the chopping block!"
"O-Okay!" Nodoka nodded before asking, "Kyūbi-San, what are you thinking about right now?" She asked her question and the others looked in on the pages for an answer.
Only to see a blank spread looking back at them.
…
"K-Kyūbi-San, what did you use to do when you were younger?"
…
"Kyūbi-San, what are some of your favorite hobbies?"
…
Nodoka panicked, "I-It doesn't seem to work."
"Huh? Why not?" Konoka walked over and looked in to see it was just blank pages where Kyūbi's inner thoughts should have appeared instead. She tilted her head, "That's weird. Is it broken? Negi-kun?"
"I'm not sure." The little Mage cupped his chin, "This is so unusual. I was sure the Diarium Ejus could work on anybody."
"You got any ideas, Aniki?"
"Hmm. I believe it's possible to read an individual as long as they have their sentient mind to act on. Kyūbi-San has autonomy and a personality so it should be possible to read him. Perhaps it's a matter of the soul? Or maybe demons are more difficult to read than other races? Or there could be mental guards that restrict invasion-"
"Pfft!"
They all looked at the seven-tailed demon as he chuckled in Konoka's arms, "You don't seriously think my name is Kyūbi, do you?"
"…"
"I'm sorry?"
"Do you think that's my name? A nine-tailed fox and they just call me Kyūbi? Real original."
The kids all looked at each other in disbelief, trying to rationalize what they had just heard the fox demon say. Chamo finally recovered and stuttered, "S-So your name isn't Kyūbi?"
"Of course not."
Naruto stomped over to glare at him, "What do you mean your name isn't Kyūbi?! You told me that's what they call you! Everyone in the old village used to call you that!"
"Yeah, that's what they called me. That doesn't mean it's my name."
Naruto blubbered out incoherently, looking between the fox and all the people he was with who were just as surprised as him. He looked at the fox in disbelief, "Why didn't you ever tell me that wasn't your name?! You've been connected to me my entire life! You've been working with me for more than a decade! How has your real name never slipped out?!" Naruto questioned in exasperation before frowning, "Oh goddammit, don't you dare say-"
"You didn't ask." All the kids just groaned and booed him in response, "He didn't!"
Naruto looked like a vein was going to burst in his head as his eyes twitched uncontrollably. He took a deep breath, "Can I ask your name now?"
"Of course."
"Then what's your name?"
"…"
There was a dead silence in response as they all waited for an answer. Naruto started getting jittery before waving his hands, "Well?!"
"I'm not gonna tell you now, am I?"
As Naruto belched out a defeated, agonized yell, the others all shook their heads in disappointment. But all of them now found themselves stirred on with a shared ambition…
Find the true name of the little demon fox for themselves.
[[[[[[[[Always More to Learn]]]]]]]]
Asuna and Konoka lobbed some rocks into the air.
"Ha!" Setsuna yelled as her scarf lashed out and caught them midair before they could fall back down.
"Here ya go!"
"Watch out, Setsuna-San!"
Negi and Kotaro spiked some sticks at her from behind.
Only for them to be shattered into pieces as her scarf thrust out and destroyed them.
All the while she engaged in trading blows with Naruto. As she guarded, countered, and struck him back in their rapid spar, she tested out her Pactio and its Artifact to see just how effective it was. The fast and automatic action of the defensive scarf knocked all threats, immediate and possible to the wearer, out of the air completely. So she could focus on the spar while the others tossed things around her to test the speed of its reaction.
So far…it was pretty damn fast.
Naruto kept his focus on her scarf and watched it lash out as they traded blows. It was his idea to train with her Artifact in a mix of sparring and peripheral attacks. The Integumentum Divinium was remarkably adaptable, seeming to sense any incoming projectile or danger within 5-10m that the wielder was either aware or unaware of. Its response time was startling fast - so quick that Naruto could barely catch its release out before it extended to however long it was going to be this time.
Naruto stopped trading blows with Setsuna and stepped back with a smirk, "Ready for the next part?"
"Yes." Setsuna nodded studiously before reaching up for her scarf, grabbing a length of it, and wrapping it around her hand before the rest of it magically tightened on its own. The young swordswoman took a battle stance and faced Naruto in silence as neither made a move.
Her hand whipped out and the scarf extended like a spear, forcing Naruto to lean back and dodge before the tip could slam into his face. It retracted back to her hand, a generous length of it sticking out and hardening in her grasp to create a makeshift blade. She started attacking, Naruto having to stay on the back foot and evade her swings.
Setsuna stabbed for his head and he easily moved aside, but suddenly the end of her scarf zipped down and entangled his ankle. With a look of surprise, he watched Setsuna twist around and yank his foot out from under him.
He was forced into a split the moment his foot was snagged and quickly rolled on the ground to avoid a follow-up from Setsuna. Yanking his foot out of her scarf, he chuckled, "Holy crap, Setsuna, that thing is incredible! Did you make it catch my ankle there at the end?"
"Y-Yes I did." The Shinmei practitioner wiped her cheek as her scarf tightened back around her hand, "It was just an afterthought but it reacted immediately. If I can utilize this garment not only for defense but offense as well then it would be an invaluable item."
"Woohoo, way to go, Secchan!" Konoka cheered as she and the others jumped down to join them, "Your scarf is so pretty and so cool!"
Setsuna blushed, "O-Oh, thank you, Ojou-sama. And thank you everyone for helping me-"
Konoka squeaked as she looked down to see Setsuna's scarf wrap around her waist and pull her in closer to Setsuna. And when she did everyone looked on in silent surprise.
…
"Whoa!" Kotarou cheered, "That's awesome! It can even do the bodyguardin' job fer others too! I bet ya could put it on yer charge and protect ''em no matter what!"
"R-Really?" Negi looked up at Setsuna with admiration, "That's amazing, Setsuna-San! You take your bodyguard duties so seriously even your Artifact realizes it!"
Naruto and Asuna smiled knowingly at the embarrassed, mortified expression on the swordswoman's face.
Konoka giggled, "Aww, Secchan~."
"N-No! I-It was the scarf! I-I didn't - I mean it was automatic! I wasn't trying to - n-not that I wouldn't if you needed - b-but you didn't need - it's not what you think!"
[[[[[[[[Language Barrier]]]]]]]]
"Okay, we need a few more ideas for the haunted house!" Yuna announced to the class from the front of the room, "We're steadily getting there with the props - even if it is back-breaking, finger-bleeding work!"
"Our hands are nothing but appendages of suffering and agony now!"
"Right, but we need a little something more! Something to up the fear factor and make it hit home that this is a scary haunted house!"
Kazumi pointed next to her, "I sit next to a ghost."
"Scarier!"
"Um, Yuna-San?" Negi nervously spoke up, "I think-"
"I appreciate your eagerness to help, Negi-kun, but we ask that you stay out of this!" The side-pony-tailed girl exclaimed dramatically, "This is our festival showcase! So it falls on us to give our best effort and make it as enjoyable as we can! Please, trust us to see it through!"
"YEAH!"
"B-But we're in the middle of class. I-I was just about to start the next part-"
Negi floundered as the girls grew steadily louder and more amped up. As he tried to figure out how to control the class again, Naruto patted his shoulder and shook his head, "You can't stop them, Negi. Better to just let them go."
"Nii-San, that's very irresponsible."
"Maybe but it's less work for us."
"Nii-San!"
Yuna smirked, "Okay, any suggestions?"
"What if we raid the medical center, steal a bunch of blood bags, and use them for authentic blood spray?"
"Sounds illegal but I love the commitment!"
"We should record the sounds of bloodcurdling screams to sell the fear!"
"I like the sound of that!"
"Again, just to clarify, I am sitting by an honest-to-god ghost."
"Asakura, enough of your shameless lobbying! We need fear and Sayo-chan is too sweet!"
"Oh! Oh!" Chao raised her hand, "What about creepy chanting? Let's use the recording idea to tape us whispering weird words and phrases, like sutras and prayers, and it'll unsettle the people who come in!"
"Hmm, that's a pretty good idea."
"I like it!"
"Easier than looting blood bags!"
"But what should we record? Do we know any scary-sounding sutras?"
"Would it work if a bunch of cute girls tried to be scary? Is there anyone here who can recite stuff in a scary or intimidating voice?"
A few girls looked in Mana's direction, but the instant her eyes panned to look back at them they spun around and went still as a rock.
"Well if that doesn't work, what else can we do?"
["Why not just do it in a different language?"]
The class looked forward as Naruto continued in English, ["I think a prayer in a language they can't understand would do a lot for the creep factor."]
["Oh!"] Negi sat up in surprise, ["Brother, I didn't know you could speak English. And so fluently too."]
["Yeah, you pick up a lot when you travel as much as I have."]
["I wish you had told me this sooner. We could have talked a little in my native language. It feels like it's been a long time since I've spoken English."]
["P-Professor!"] Ayaka jumped out of her seat with sparkling eyes, ["If you longed to speak your native tongue again you could have just said so! I would have happily indulged with you! I could spend an entire day talking to you!"]
Chizuru giggled, ["Oh Ayaka, you are so silly."]
["Are we just speaking English in this class?"]
["Hey, this is pretty cool."]
As more members of Class 3-A started to speak up and converse in English, other students started to panic as they were left behind, "H-Hey, why are so many girls in our class fluent?!"
"I-I get there are geniuses and gifted students here, but some of the lazy and dumb students speak it too!"
"That's not fair! I wanna speak other languages with Negi-kun too!"
["This is all well and good,"] Eva spoke up from the back of the room, her accent inflecting her words as she frowned, ["But how exactly are you going to use this to incite fear? It's pretty clear that most of the students in this school have at least a passing understanding of English, so trying to scare them with speaking in it won't work."]
["Oh yeah, Eva,"] Naruto mumbled with a frown at the short blonde's impetuous glare, ["Well if you're so opposed to the idea, do you have a suggestion? Anything to add? Or do you just want to sit there and pout?"]
["Tu es assez sûr de toi, n'est-ce pas enfoiré? Et si vous n'essayiez pas de jouer à la carte à puce alors que vous ne parlez qu'une seule autre langue facile que tout le monde connaît aussi, c'est de la merde."]
…
Naruto and most of the class stared at the blonde vampire in confused silence. He looked around, "Does anyone know what language that was?"
Chao eagerly raised her hand, "I do! She was speaking French."
"Do you know what she said?"
"I do!"
"Can you tell me?"
"Not in the public company I can't."
Eva smirked and flicked him the bird as all Naruto could do was flounder in return.
[[[[[[[[Dumb and Dumber]]]]]]]]
"You two ready?" Chamo asked with a stopwatch in front of him as he looked between the two teens, "On your marks-"
"Last chance to back out."
"Get set-"
"You're gonna regret challenging me, Whiskers."
"Go!"
Chamo hit the button while Naruto and Asuna quickly started answering their test sheets. As they started jotting down their answers, Konoka served Negi and Setsuna as they watched the practice exam unfold.
Setsuna curiously tilted her head as Negi nervously watched them fill in their answers. She leaned into their teacher, "Sensei, what is the meaning of this? Why are Naruto-sensei and Asuna-San taking a test?"
"Um…they're trying to settle who is smarter."
"W-Why?"
"Well after Naruto-kun spoke English in class, he got a little cocky and told Asuna he'd help her with her studies if she needed it." Konoka informed as she joined them around the table with Kyūbi in her lap, "And she immediately got mad, saying that if she learned from such a dummy she'd only get dumber. And he got angry saying there was no way he was dumber than her. And she was furious, saying he was probably the dumbest person she knew. And there was a lot more arguing…and now they're going to compete to see who has the better scores."
"O-Oh." Setsuna nervously looked over as the two continued to focus only on their tests, "So…what do you think the outcome will be?"
Konoka tapped her chin in thought, "Well Naruto-kun is fluent in English, so I think he'll get a really good score on that portion of the test."
"B-But Asuna-San has been studying very diligently lately!" Negi spoke up in defense of his first partner, "And she showed remarkable improvement during the final exam last year when we studied at Library Island! I think she has a lot she can surprise us with!"
"You want my opinion?" Kyubi spoke up with one open eye, "I bet they'll both fail. Don't know which one'll get the worse score, but you can always rely on idiots to be idiots."
"Screw you, Furball!"
"Yeah, shut up demon known as the nine-tailed fox!"
"Are you still bent up about that?"
"OF COURSE I AM!"
"Hey, you two, focus!" Chamo reprimanded the testing duo, "If you lose track now you'll never finish in time!"
Asuna and Naruto grumbled as they diligently filled in their answers. Asuna's pencil hit the table as she smiled smugly at the growling Naruto before he finished as well.
Chamo hit the stop button, "Just in time! Way to go you two!"
"Negi, give these a look over!"
"I gotta rub my victory in Whisker's face as soon as possible!"
Negi accepted their tests and started quickly jotting away at their correct and incorrect answers. In a manner of minutes, he quickly finished grading both papers and lowered his pen with a sigh. Konoka and Setsuna looked over his shoulder as he raised both papers to look at them…
Both girls grimaced in horror.
Asuna and Naruto went cold from fear.
"Oh…that's just sad."
"O-Ojou-sama, there's no need to say something like that!" Setsuna quickly said, looking at the tests and sweating slightly at the results, "I-I can tell they worked very hard on completing this. E-Even if the results are rather - well-"
"What?!"
"Give us those!" Asuna and Naruto snatched their tests back and looked them over. The twin-tailed girl almost cried as she looked over the sheet, "N-No way! I thought I got better at dealing with this stuff! It's not fair!"
"What the hell?! I thought I'd ace the English portion at least! What happened?!"
Negi sighed, "Nii-San, just because you can speak the language, doesn't mean you fully understand or know how to translate into it. Also, your penmanship leaves a lot to be desired."
"You took off for handwriting?!" Naruto growled before looking over at Asuna's test. He looked between both sheets before smirking, "Haha! I scored higher!"
"What?! No, you didn't!" Asuna snatched his paper away and compared the two. The color started to fade from her face as she did, "O-Oh my god, this isn't happening." Her eyes darted over the paper, "W-Wait, I know the answer to this one! And this one! There's a bunch here that I do know the answer to but I just noted it wrong!"
Konoka pouted and waved her finger, "Asuna, this is why I tell you to take your time while answering. You got all excited, wanted to finish before Naruto-kun, and it cost you a victory."
"But I know some of this stuff! More than I answered! I-I'm just not a great test-taker!"
"Well that's unfortunate considering you're a student, and you take tests."
"Shut up, Furball!"
"You know it's a shame you both failed. If you did well I was thinking about telling you my real name."
"STOP RUBBING IT IN!"
[[[[[[[[Not your Burden to Carry]]]]]]]]
"Miyamura?"
"No."
"Alphonse?"
"No."
"Diabolos?"
"No."
"Chartreuse?"
"No."
"Craig?"
"No."
Naruto threw his hands up in frustration as Chamo, Setsuna, Konoka, and Asuna sighed in exhaustion, "That's it! That's every name we know! That's most of the words we know! We've been guessing for - for I-I don't even know how long! How have we not gotten your name yet?!"
"Oh, you did. At least one of you guessed it."
"B-But you said no to each suggestion!"
"I know. I lied."
The others only watched in silence as Naruto snatched Kyūbi off the ground and marched to the window before throwing him out. And surprisingly enough…none of them had any problem with animal abuse this time around.
As Konoka got up to grab a snack, she heard a faint grumble of annoyance over her head. She climbed the ladder and peeked into Negi's alcove as the little boy was poring over some papers, "Negi-kun, are you alright?"
"Hmm, it just…it doesn't make sense."
"Negi-kun?"
"Huh?" He looked over to see Konoka poking her head up to see him, "O-Oh, sorry Konoka-San! Did you say something?"
"Geez Negi, you were out of it for a while there." Asuna noted from below as the little redhead crawled over to the edge of his nook, "What's up? Something bothering you?"
"Well - not bothering me. Just…I'm conflicted." The young teacher admitted before looking back at his desk, "I can't stop looking at the map my father left me depicting the depths of Mahora's Library Island."
"The one with his dumb face saying 'secret down here'?"
"Y-Yes, that one." Negi exhaled loudly, "My father's secret is down there somewhere, but it's blocked off by a dragon." He scratched his head, "Why would there be a dragon down there? What could it be guarding? What did my father leave behind that requires security like that? And if they are as difficult to beat as Master warned me…then how am I ever going to get past it to find what my father left here?"
The girls and Chamo looked between each other and the young boy in concern at his dilemma.
Naruto…remained seated at the table. He lowered his head and looked down at his hands before they clenched into fists…remembering what he had promised…
"Al-Jiji!" He called out to his dear old friend after years of absence. Naruto felt like a giddy kid again in the face of one of the men that helped guide him when he was just a boy in this new world, "I-Is that really-"
"Well do you know anyone else that looks like me, Naruto-kun?" The affable man asked with his trademark disarming smile on his face, "Really, is it that strange to think I'm here?"
The young blond couldn't help but stare at the same weird, enigmatic man that had disappeared from his life over a decade ago. All this time and he believed the gravity-weirder had perished or disappeared like Gataeu, Nagi, and Lady Arika as well. And yet now here he was, standing in front of him completely unchanged.
Albireo smiled softly as he stepped up and patted Naruto on the head, "It's really good to see you again, young friend."
Naruto rubbed his eyes dry and sniffled to not look so torn up on the reunion. His head snapped back up as he realized something and smiled with joy, "Oh, Negi just left! I-I have to go get him! Let him know you're down here! He has so many questions-"
"Naruto-kun, I have to close this door soon. And I can't open it again until Negi-kun proves he's worthy. And you can't tell him who I am or help him reach me again."
…
Naruto looked back at Albireo in silence and confusion. His instructions finally started to register with the young blond. He blinked before shaking his head, "I don't - what are you talking about?"
"It's just as I said," Albireo still smiled pleasantly as he answered, "Once you leave, you can't come to bring Negi-kun back here and try to get to me. If you do, I won't answer or open this door."
"What?" He looked at his older friend, absolutely baffled by what he was saying, "How can you say that? You're down here! And you're the thing Nagi left as a clue for where he is, right?!"
"Not sure if you should be calling me a thing, but yes." He nodded, "Nagi left me a purpose down here and I have to wait until Negi-kun can come down here."
"But it's a clue to Nagi! Why didn't you tell anyone before?! Tell me now! I'll try and help him! And Negi will too-"
"Naruto-kun," Al calmly shook his head, "I'm sorry but that's where you're wrong. This journey you're on now knowing that Nagi is alive, it's one you and many others will join and see to its end, of that I'm sure. But it is a mission Negi-kun has been chasing his entire life. What drives him to go on. But this next leg of the journey is his to pave the way towards."
"But…but we could go now. I can help him-"
"I'm sure you would. I'm certain you would do whatever you could to help him and handle what he could not. I think it's admirable and honestly quite sweet how taken you've become with him in such a short time."
Naruto grimaced, "Okay, I don't like what you're implying there-"
"But your desire to help could be detrimental. If you protect and guide him through all the trials and obstacles in the way, you rob him of any chance to grow and change himself."
"B-But it's a dragon! You have a dragon in the way!" Naruto pointed back at the winged beast as it picked itself up, "I went hard on that thing and it's already picking itself up! How long do you think it'll take until Negi can do that himself!"
"I think longer if you fight his battles for him." Naruto remained silent after his response, "Not every confrontation needs to be a direct one. Just watch and Negi-kun might surprise you. Plus, you must know what I mean. Could you imagine if we continued to fight for you as you grew up? What you would have missed?"
He knew Albireo meant that encouragingly, but his thoughts immediately went to the incident with Heyla years ago. He had many thoughts of what could have been if Ala Rubra was there to settle everything right before it got out of hand. But even if it was a bad thought Naruto understood…
He needed to know that he could press forward even after it all happened.
"Please understand that it's important…and please don't tell Negi-kun anything."
Naruto seemed conflicted and lowered his head. A rush of conflicting thoughts filled his head before he felt a hand on his shoulder.
Albireo smiled, "Before I close these doors, I'd like to speak with you. Hear how you've been after all this time." Naruto looked back up at him, "I want to hear how you've lived, Naruto-kun."
"Nii-San?"
"Hmm?" Naruto looked up to see Negi looking over at him as the girls noted his silence, "Sorry Negi, what did you say?"
"I mean do you have any ideas on what to do about a dragon? How do we deal with that?"
…
Naruto stiffly shrugged, "Don't worry Negi, I'm sure you'll figure something out."
"Really?"
"Yeah, don't worry. And if you need any help…you ask me and I'll be there."
Negi smiled, "Thank you, Nii-San. I'm glad I can rely on you."
He tried to stifle any guilt from showing up on his face, "Yeah. Always."
[[[[[[[[A Genius' Gamble]]]]]]]]
"I can't believe we did it! Demons of high caliber caught and captured!" Chao grinned, "I'm partially disappointed we didn't think to make the containment units half red and half white to fit on the theme."
"Chao-San, that would be ridiculous."
"Maybe." Chao shrugged before she turned to Satomi and Chachamaru, "Hakase, Chachamaru, I just wanted to say thanks for helping set this up. I know this was a risky venture but it paid off."
"I will assist however you need me to whenever you ask, Chao-San." Chachamaru bowed her head politely to her creator's appreciation.
"But Chao-San," Satomi spoke up, "We need to be very careful about how we proceed from here. I don't want to imagine the kind of risk we run with even one of these demons getting free. They may be so angry they rampage and threaten the school."
"C'mon Hakase, have some faith in our engineering." The China-themed scientist eased her friend's worry with a smile. She looked back at the containment units and stared at them in silent contemplation…
"Can you two give me some time alone in the lab?"
Chachamaru and Satomi looked at Chao's back after her odd request. They looked at each other in confusion before Satomi asked, "Why?"
"Just wanna take care of something. No big deal. Won't take long." Chao looked back and grinned, "So can I have the lab for a little bit?"
The genius engineer and gynoid looked at their mutual friend before honoring her wish. They turned and made their way out of the lab until it was just Chao standing alone in the middle of it.
The bun-haired girl started humming a little tune as she walked over to the console and started typing away. Once she was finished she walked over to the side of the lab and opened up a drawer.
"Hey, crazy ladyyyyyyyyyyy."
"Can we get some jello nowwwwwwwww?"
"We've been waiting and helped you with your schemeeeeeee."
"Yes girls, I know," Chao droned as she dragged a small table over to the center of the room and placed it down. She dropped two pillows on either side, "You'll get your snacks soon. I'm just dealing with something first."
"What else do you have to take care of? You got everything you wanteddddddddd."
"Well, not everything." Chao brought some tea and snacks over before dropping them on the table. Once she did she clapped her hands and pressed a button on the console.
"Containment units opening. Warning: contents inside extremely danger-"
"Yeah I know," Chao clicked the button again as the containment units hissed and spewed air as they opened.
The slime girls panicked inside their airtight unit as they watched the mad genius sit down on the far side of the table, "What are you doingggggggg?!"
"What needed to be done." Chao answered with a smile as she sat and waited for it to happen.
The lights flickered and came back on-
To reveal six high-level demons standing over her with barely contained rage at their unjust treatment.
As the slime girls tried to shrink further into themselves out of fear, Chao smiled and waved at the demons she had captured, "Hi there, my name is Chao Lingshen and I was the one that captured all of you."
"And you released us?" One asked in an irritated voice, "Why would you do something so foolish?"
Chao giggled, "Well because I have to do this properly. I even have drinks and snacks out for the discussion."
"Don't feel like discussin' anything!"
"We need to teach this kid a lesson!"
"I'm not sure we're allowed to hurt humans, but I think this is an exception."
"Oh! Oh! I'll do it!"
"Captain, what should we do?"
"That's obvious." The leader of the six glared down at the girl, "After you sniffed us out and captured us like that, we have nothing to discuss with you. And giving us something to eat won't change that."
"I know," Chao nodded, "But the snacks aren't for you."
"Then who-"
They immediately fell to their knees and bowed their head in reverence. The slime girls paled in horror as they knew death was coming down upon them.
Chao didn't let any fear or nervousness show on her face as she heard the footsteps click along the ground behind her. And even though she didn't look back she knew from the pressure that they were angry.
With a deep breath, she settled herself and exhaled…
"Hey," She said over her shoulder, "I've been expecting you. I have snacks and something to drink. Come here, have a seat. I want to talk to you. Or, I guess, I'll talk and you can listen if you want. But can I have a chance to explain? We're classmates after all."
…
The dreadful presence softened and Chao unconsciously eased with relief. She heard faint footsteps and watched as her classmate walked around and sat across from her. There was a tense silence before she went ahead and popped a chip bag open to partake.
Chao realized that was her chance and started talking, "First off, I want you to know your secret is completely safe with me. I haven't told anyone, nor will I as long as I live. And hopefully, that isn't an invitation for you to slit my throat and kill me. Second, I'm sorry for capturing your subordinates like that. I need their help for an important plan I have cooking up and there were only so many ways I could continue with it."
Her classmate just stared at her in silence while eating.
"Well, I'm sure if I just walked up to you, asked for their assistance, and insinuated I knew your secret you would have either ignored me or gotten rid of me. So this way I could force your hand - sorry for that - and we could speak openly with a frank dialogue."
She continued to eat.
"Right," Chao nodded and shifted in her spot, "Look, I'll be direct with you; I would like to ask for your permission to utilize your bodyguards in my plan. Their help would be crucial to seeing it through to fruition. And after all the time I've spent preparing…it would mean the world to me."
"…"
"Just a little plan I have devised to deal with that problem the big red marble above is suffering through at the moment." Chao smirked and shrugged, "I mean I know you and your people have some thoughts about that issue, but if my plan works out then something might be done in preparation for it. There's a chance it might not work, but compared to the alternative…what's there to lose?"
"…"
Her classmate opened another bag and started to eat them.
Chao smiled, "See, I knew you were a stunning conversationalist."
The demon warriors looked at each other in confusion at how this human could convince their princess to act. The Captain spoke up, "Who are you?"
"Me? I'm a genius Martian inventor from the future here to save the whole world, Chao Lingshen. At your service!" She grinned before holding out the tray of snacks, "Cookie?"
…
One of the demons reached out and snatched one up before biting into it as the rest of his fellow guards looked at him in disbelief.
"What?" He said around the cookie, "We're gonna be here awhile and all the crazy revelations make me feel peckish." He tossed the rest of it in his mouth and wiped his hand on his shirt, "May I also have a cup of tea?"
He asked his noble charge who silently nodded her head while biting into a cookie as well.
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
Done
I'm hoping to get another two chapters out this month before we start the festival arc. And I'm thinking about how best to proceed with those chapters considering what we'll need to cover.
ReadxReview
Thank You and Bye
