The Knight of Mahora Academy
Period 31: Gonna Need More Plates
What a way to close out the year!
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
The sparks of metal welding as production lines worked without end to create all the machines that would be utilized in the coming days. The young genius sat by the sideline and watched their work of many years get put together.
"Chao-San?"
The young mastermind of the plan looked up as her friend appeared at her side while she had been so focused on watching. A bright smile immediately appeared on her face, "Hey, Hakase! I'm just watching the assembly rush on. Don't mind me."
"But why are you watching it, Chao-San?"
"Just taking it in." She said softly, "That all of this…it's coming to an end."
Chao sat silently before she noticed Satomi sitting down by her side. The engineer wasn't overly affectionate or sentimental, so Chao was surprised to see her trying to have a moment. The bespectacled short girl looked uncomfortable and fiddled with her hands before finally speaking, "I want to say thank you…for everything. I don't know whether this gamble will work out like we planned or not…but however it ends, I want to thank you for all you've done. Showing me things I never could have imagined. Helping create Chachamaru. Thank you…"
…
Chao grinned and bumped her shoulder against her most trusted confidant. As the welding sparks flew, she smiled fondly, "These last three years…have been a blast." With a smile she leaned over and rested her head on Satomi's shoulder, closing her eyes as the sounds of production calmed her mind…
"And whatever happens, happens."
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
The Mahora Festival was just a few days away. The decorations were being set. The festivities were being prepared. Everyone was getting things together for a grand old time. And schedules-
"Yours is packed, buddy."
"Y-Yeah." Negi meekly admitted as he looked down at his planner where he and Kazumi had tried to prepare for everything. Three days separated over the festival with a reminder to meet with someone or do some exhibit to the side. With him being such a people-pleaser and so popular in his class, many friends and students asked for his appearance during the festival.
Naruto, Asuna, Chamo, and Kazumi leaned in over his shoulder to see his tightly-packed schedule. And the sight of it left them feeling a sense of pity for the young teacher. Asuna shook her head, "Are you even going to be able to make it to all these things?"
"I-I have to!" Negi said, "Everyone is trusting me to come to see what they have been working so hard on! It's the least I can do!"
The twin-tailed girl let out an exhausted sigh, "Look you can skip my art exhibit if you want. Open up a little-"
"No, that is not an option, Asuna-San." Negi staunchly denied her offer, "You worked so hard on your piece - I want to see it for myself." He scratched his head, "This is just a test of time-management skills. Nothing that difficult. I-I just need to think about it very clearly-"
"S-Sensei!"
The group looked over as Nodoka stood by the side with Yue and Haruna flanking her. The two girls smiled and nodded toward the shy girl in the center before she stepped up. With her red face peeking through her bangs, she squeaked out, "S-Sensei, you know about the Library Island Expedition event, right?"
"Oh yes, Konoka-San told me all about it. She also told me that the Fortunetelling Club, the Philosophy Club, and the Manga Club are all holding exhibits as well. I would love to come and see you all in your elements."
"Really? Thank you so much, Sensei." Nodoka happily chirped before she went quiet. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, a hopeful smile appeared on her face, "Sensei, can we walk around the festival together on the first day?"
…
Negi was so stunned by her request he almost froze in shock as her question hung in the air. He mumbled, "I-I-"
"S-Sorry!" Nodoka quickly backtracked as her face went atomic, "T-That was a very unbecoming question to heap on you like that!" She quickly turned and was about to run before Yue and Haruna could catch her, "I-I'll-"
"N-Nodoka-San!" She stopped and looked back at Negi's blushing face. He quickly nodded with a bright smile, "I would love to go around the festival with you!"
…
The quiet bookworm looked on the verge of tears as she smiled and nodded back before turning away. As she walked and Negi stayed, the teens around him gave nods and thumbs-ups of approval for his response. Yue bowed respectfully and Haruna cheekily waved before they followed after their friend.
"W-Wow, Negi," Asuna's voice was filled with surprise, "I didn't think you could answer Honya-chan so firmly like that."
"I could tell just how much effort Nodoka-San asked into that question. And it only felt right to respond in kind."
"Way to go kid." Naruto stepped up and patted his shoulder, "But what about your schedule, Casanova?"
…
Negi paled, "D-Do you think Nodoka-San would like to visit some of the exhibits together?"
"You're going to use your date with a girl to visit other girls?"
"Negi-kun," Kazumi sighed, "You have a lot to learn to avoid being a lady killer."
"What-"
"Negi! Hey Negi!" Kotarou called out as he ran over, "C'mon! We gotta sign up!"
"Sign up?"
"Fer the tournament, dummy!" Negi balked in horror forgetting about the tournament that he had promised to be a part of with his friends, "There's a sign-up dateline that we're missin'!"
Asuna looked at the excited Hanyō, "You want to enter a tournament, Kotarou-kun?"
"Yeah! Me, Negi, and Naru-nii promised we'd compete together!" The little black-haired boy frowned and kicked his foot out, "But there ain't no tournament fer all ages! If yer under 12, ya gotta stick t' the kiddie fights!" He pouted and looked up at Naruto, "I don't think we're gonna get a chance t' fight, Naru-nii."
He shrugged, "Sorry, little buddy. I don't think there's anything we can do about that."
"Oh, yes you can!" Chamo quickly piped up on Negi's shoulder, "Aniki! We gotta get back to the room!"
"Huh? Why-"
"No time! Move!"
Negi and Kotarou quickly ran down the street and back towards the dorms. Kazumi nodded their way, "What the heck was that about?" Asuna and Naruto simply shrugged in response, leaving the young intrepid reporter to sigh in disappointment, "Man, there's nothing to get my attention this time around."
"What's wrong, Kazumi? What are you going to do during the festival?"
"Pretty much walk around and take pictures of the festival. It's what I usually do when it comes around." She grumbled, "I'm always hoping there's some kind of story that'll finally pique my interest but it usually turns out to be pretty boring."
"Asakura, you might be the only person I know who finds the Mahora Festival boring."
"Well, my definition of a fun time is different from most peoples'! I need a little excitement and chaos to get the blood flowing and to start a good story!" She pointed back the way the boys ran, "The inevitable implosion of Negi-kun's schedule is entertaining but hardly front-page news! How about you, Sensei? Cramming your schedule up so tight you're destined to screw up too?"
Naruto shook his head, "I haven't filled my planner like Negi has. I haven't gotten nearly as many requests to attend exhibits."
…
"I'm not jealous if that's what you're thinking."
"We didn't say anything."
"Good. As long as we have that clear. Plus it's not like I have nothing to do. I already worked out how to spend time with someone-"
"Sensei!" Naruto perked up and turned around to see Ako and Madoka making their way over while waving at them, "There you are. We were looking for you."
"Hey Izumi-San, Kugimiya-San. What brings you here?"
"Well Sensei, did you hear our band will be playing during the festival?" Madoka asked.
"Oh yeah, I think Negi said something about that."
"I can't believe you four are gonna put on a performance." Asuna smiled, "Ako-chan, Kugimin, you guys are so cool!"
"Oh, it's nothing."
"Please don't call me Kugimin." Madoka said, "So anyway, Sensei, we already let Negi-kun know we have a show going on and we wanted to let you know too. You are cordially invited to check out Dekopin Rocket's big break."
"That sounds awesome!" He said with a grin before looking between the two performers, "But why come to tell me? I'm sure if you just told Negi he would have passed it on to me."
Madoka slyly smiled, "Well Misa thought we should come and tell you in person."
"Yeah, Kakizaki said you were good at playing the guitar." Ako stepped up and whispered to him, "I think she wants you around in case they need a replacement for me playing bass."
"Oh, c'mon, I bet you'll be great." He whispered back with a grin, "Have some confidence."
"Well I appreciate the thought but better safe than sorry."
Madoka saw them talk with each other and remembered Misa's insistence that they go and tell Naruto he was invited. Honestly, when the head cheerleader floated the idea around, Madoka just thought she was being nosy and seeing a spark wherever she wanted to.
But now seeing it with her own eyes…there might be something here.
Ako handed over a few tickets as she and Madoka walked away. Naruto looked down at his tickets and grinned before turning to Asuna and Kazumi, "I got invited to a concert! Haha! Looks like Naruto's schedules filling up bit by bit!"
"We didn't say anything, Whiskers."
"You don't need to. Your judgmental faces said it all."
"Whoa! You had these kinda things! This is so cool!"
"Yes, with these pills we can enter into the older bracket. But we have to make sure we don't waste them." An aged-up Negi and Kotarou came to rejoin the group, "Hi everyone. Sorry, we left in a hurry."
Kazumi blinked in total shock staring at the two young men that strode up to them before she repeatedly patted Asuna's shoulder, "Who are these two hotties?"
Asuna sighed, "They're Negi and Kotarou-kun. That stupid ermine bought these pills that can make you look older or younger when you take one and they're using it to look like teens."
"Oh my god, that's amazing! Y-You need to sell these things or something!"
"We can't do that. It would be dishonest to sell off another person's product. Plus doing so would put my secret in jeopardy." Negi innocently denied as Kazumi pouted and Chamo sadly groaned on his shoulder, "Besides we'll only be utilizing these for the tournament to make sure we can enter. Look, Nii-San, with this we can-"
He paused when the young redhead noticed his blond friend was mean-mugging him and Kotarou after they arrived.
"N-Nii-San? What's the matter?"
"Yeah, Naru-nii, did you eat something bad?"
Naruto didn't answer as he continued to look up at them…
Look up…
Up-
"Shit." He hung his head and cursed, "Let me grow a little more."
"What was that?"
"Nothing!" He quickly deflected, "It's just your dumb face, Negi. I said it before but when you look like this it's scary how much you look like-"
"NAGI!" The redhead flinched and looked over as Eva came running over in a panic, "Is that you?! How is this possible?! Why are you here?! No – no, more importantly, drop this blasted curse off of me alrea-"
"Oh, hi Master. Good evening."
"Boya?" Eva stopped in her tirade and quickly figured out what was happening, "Oh, it's an illusion."
"Sounding kinda disappointed there, Eva."
"Shut up." She snapped before looking at Negi, "Why are you even doing this?"
"It's because I need to have an older form to sign up for the martial arts tournament. Kotarou-kun, Nii-San, and I are all going to compete together."
"A martial arts tournament?"
…
Kazumi shuddered, "She's totally silent and thinking hard."
"That's never a good sign."
After a moment a devious smirk appeared on the short blonde's face before she nodded, "Okay, very well then. If you are going to participate in a tournament, then I shall join as well. Give me a good chance to see how far your abilities have come outside of our training sessions."
"But Master, we won't be using any magic or Ki during this tournament. It will be a test of only our fighting abilities."
"That's fine. I might still be able to have some fun." Evangeline smirked, "And if I win and you lose, then expect punishment to follow not long after. Perhaps I'll have you keep this form for a while as you spend the entire last day of the festival with me."
"Huh?! B-But Master, I made other plans-"
"Not my problem. When I tell you something then that's the way it is, Boya."
"Geez, Eva-chan, you are way too cruel."
"I don't need your input, Asuna Kagurazaka. Being able to finally drag along and torment someone with Nagi's face is-"
"Careful, Eva, you might make a mess."
A vein bulged on the vampire's forehead as she turned to glare at Naruto, "What exactly are you implying?"
"Pretty much the same gross thing you've been insinuating."
The two blondes glowered at each other, sparks flying between their eyes as they refused to back down. Asuna, Kazumi, Chamo, and Negi all cowered in fear as Kotarou got the sudden urge to drop his stance and growl threateningly at the problem.
Eva scoffed, "You should be careful, Dumbass. If you're restricting yourself as well then you're going to be in danger in a fight."
"Please, I can handle myself fine." He smirked as he roughly palmed her head and garnered a vicious growl out of her, "You're a terrifying scourge when you have access to magic, but when you don't have it you're just a very loud, very annoying yapping chihuahua." The others gulped in fright at the bear he was so blatantly poking, "So I'm not that worried."
"Oh?" Eva questioned with a twitch of the idea as she swatted his hand away, "Well you've certainly got the bravado and arrogance of someone who thinks they're tough. But like every pompous fool, you'll be hoisted by your own petard."
"I…don't know what that means."
"It means you're an idiot and you're going to fail. And when I'm the winner of the tournament I'm going to point, laugh, and make your life a living hell."
"And when I win I'm going to blow raspberries at you and dance around while you pout like an upset baby!"
"Oh?" Eva ground her teeth before smirking, "Then how about a bet?"
Naruto grinned, "What were you thinking?"
"I'll make it further into the tournament than you will. And if we fight each other, I will easily take the victory for myself. When I do, you have to do what I say."
Naruto scrunched up his face at the thought of whatever unpleasant thing Eva had in mind for him to do. But with a reluctant shrug, he asked, "So what do I get if I win?"
"Ha!" Eva threw her head back and laughed before turning away, "You're quite ambitious if you think you can beat me."
With her head turned away, she didn't notice Naruto's hand blur behind Kazumi's back and then hide back behind his own. And without her noticing, he grinned mischievously, "C'mon, what's the point of taking a bet without having some risk yourself?"
"Pfft," She rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Fine, if you win, I'll do whatever you say. How about that?"
Naruto held out his hand and Eva quickly took it before they settled on an agreement. She quickly pointed at Negi, "This is a separate deal from our one as well, Boya! When I win you will be my bitch for the last day! Look forward to it!" She turned and they watched as the Dark Evangel slipped away with her evil machinations-
She quickly turned around, "And did Chachamaru already tell you about my Go tournament and her tea ceremony?"
"Oh yes, I look forward to going to them both! I'll see you there, Master!"
"G-Good, as long as that's clear." She turned and quickly walked away.
Kazumi chuckled, "She kinda ruined her exit there at the end."
"That's Negi's other teacher?" Kotarou asked with his hands behind his head, "She's crazy."
"You have no idea." Naruto pulled his hand out from behind his back and stopped the tape recorder he had snatched, "Hey Kazumi, can I borrow this for a few days? I don't trust Eva not to flake on our deal."
"W-What-" Kazumi quickly patted her back pocket, "Did you snatch one of my recorders?! You jerk!"
"I'll give it back! I promise! I just need to have it prepared in case-"
"Sensei!"
"BAAAHHH!" Everyone jumped back in fright after the sudden appearance of the ghostly figure hovering behind them. But Naruto quickly collected himself and greeted her with a smile, "Hey, Sayo-chan! You ready for the festival?"
"Yes!" The cute specter gave a smile of joy and gratitude, "And thank you for letting me use your body while walking around the festival."
"No problem. Just imagine all the food and games you'll get to play-"
"Whiskers!" Asuna balked at what he said, "Are you seriously going to let Sayo-chan possess you again after what happened last time?!"
"It wasn't her fault. It was just some inexperience between her not possessing people and me not knowing how to deal with her energy."
"You were possessed for almost a full day!"
"It felt like seconds to me."
"You were hunted down and shot at!"
"Wouldn't be the first time."
"You pee-"
"Look!" Naruto immediately cut her off before she finished, "Sayo-chan and I have practiced the possession a few more times since then. With my energy surging I could get her out and she can leave whenever she wants to after some practice. It won't be like last time. We'll be fine."
Negi's eyes sparkled as he looked at his friend with admiration, "Wow, Nii-San! I had no idea you had been working with Sayo-San like that! To think you've overcome your fear of ghosts like this!"
"Oh no, ghosts are still scary and I don't want anything to do with them." He shrugged, "But Sayo-chan is Sayo-chan and I can't say no to her."
…
Kotarou grinned with a laugh, "Man, this school's a riot!"
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
It was the day before the Mahora Festival officially began. Early festivities were already on the way and a big ceremony with lights and fireworks and everything imaginable was going to be on display.
This is why it was so interesting that teachers and students in the know were being called together to discuss something of great importance in the plaza just in front of the World Tree.
A pair of bespectacled eyes witnessed the gathering occur through some binoculars, "I see them. They're all gathering together."
"Drones are going now."
"Okay, we hear what they're saying, we have an idea of what they will be doing during the festival. And we can plan around that."
"Maybe we shouldn't be so close?"
"I concur. We are running a great risk being this close. Perhaps we should retreat and simply keep an eye on the faculty and students during the festival-"
"Hakase, Chachamaru, what have I said before? Taking risks like this is just part and parcel of trying to change the world." A drone hovered in front of her face and she saw her smiling face in the reflection of its camera, "Now…let's get started."
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
The day had been going about rather mundanely considering that the festival was starting tomorrow. Negi thought the day would be set after classes ended and things would go about normally before the fireworks tonight.
But then Shizuna-sensei told him the headmaster wanted to talk.
And he passed through a magical barrier as he entered the plaza.
And in an unbelievably deserted center plaza, Negi found an assortment of teachers and students circling the headmaster. He spotted Takamichi, Naruto, Setsuna, and Kotarou within their ranks as he walked over, "Headmaster?"
"Ah, Negi-kun, glad that you can join us. I know this is on short notice, but everyone here is among the faculty or student body of Mahora that knows about magic. And we have something very important we need to discuss."
As everyone circled up around him and Negi joined his friends, Konoemon looked up at the World Tree, "Have you all heard the rumors going around about the World Tree?"
"That it grants wishes and fulfills confessions? Yeah, I keep hearing it in class."
"Many of my classmates keep talking about it."
"Some of my students asked me if it was true."
"Wasn't it about getting a sweetheart?"
"I heard if you ask on the last day, you can get a wish."
"Well, these rumors aren't exactly true, but aren't exactly false either." Konoemon enigmatically said as he stroked his beard, "The World Tree can make certain wishes come true…but only every 22 years. And unfortunately this year…it's come early. We're not sure what brought on this early swelling of magic, but we can't just ignore it at this time." The old headmaster sighed as he turned and looked up at the tree, "The World Tree absorbs energy from the Earth and reaches a pinnacle at this time. And at six points around the tree at exactly 1.5km, this plaza is one of them, that swell of energy is most prevalent."
"Sir, if the tree can grant wishes, then doesn't that mean-"
"I should quickly clarify that when I say wishes, I don't mean every kind of wish. It can't give you unlimited power or make you the ruler of the world. It can't give you immortality or eternal life. And it can't grant you materialistic gains, like infinite money or even women's panties."
"Whew," Naruto sighed and chuckled, "So no Dragon Ball wishes. That's good to hear."
"No, the magic of the World Tree affects people's minds and cognition. It can manipulate and convince people of suggestions. This is why rumors about love confessions are so prevalent at times like this. There was a surge of them during the last uptick in magic, and the results ended with many new couples being born with maybe a single or both partners not totally on board. Since then the rumors have always swirled around and with the magic rising we have to be prepared more than ever."
"The number of people that probably actually believe the tree is magic and will answer their confession is small, but there will be many people taking the chance to confess their love over the next few days with the tree's help."
"So even though I might not like the idea of interfering with students' confessions," Konoemon looked between everyone, "We cannot allow any students to confess their love to others within the 6 designated zones. So for the 3 days, the festival will be going on, we will need to survey the grounds and stop any confessions from going on. I'm entrusting this task to all of you. For the sake of our students and the people coming to visit, do your best to stop the World Tree's influence."
"Sir," An older teacher in a suit stepped up, "We're being watched." He snapped his fingers and sent a blast of magic flying until it destroyed a drone hovering in the air, "I think some students must have been watching."
"Let us take care of it."
"Very well," Konoemon nodded, "The rest of you are dismissed. Please work out rounds and routes to take between all of you during the festival to watch out for confessions."
"Yes sir!"
"Negi-kun, Naruto-kun," He called out to the two boys as everyone was leaving, "Make sure to watch out for anyone that might confess to you during the festival."
"W-Why would you warn us in particular?"
"I think you're both well-liked. Only seems obvious. I warned Seruhiko-kun too because so many people like him." He quickly wagged his finger, "And make sure not to confess to Konoka while this magic business is going on, okay."
"O-Of course not, sir!"
"And if she confesses first…" Konoemon paused, "Well that might not be so bad."
"Sir! Don't be a hypocrite!"
As everyone left, the magic barrier finally fell and the normal foot traffic started to run through the plaza. Negi, Naruto, Setsuna, and Kotarou found themselves surrounded before Naruto whispered to Setsuna, "You hear that? No funny business with Konoka."
"O-Of course I heard him. Wait! W-Why would you tell me that?!"
"Why indeed~?"
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
Chamo sighed, "Aniki, I hate to say it, but your schedule is screwed. If you have to run your rounds as a magical teacher now as well-"
"M-My methodical scheduling…" The little redhead whimpered, "It's all down the drain."
Setsuna looked down at the pitiable boy, "Sensei, if it will help at all I will offer more of my time for making the rounds."
"Yeah, me too, Negi." Naruto nodded, "I can ask if they can lessen your workload. But you know in the end-"
"Tell some of 'em ya can't come!" Kotarou spoke up, exhausted by the worry in Negi's voice as he spoke, "Just look 'em in the eye and say ya got more important stuff t' do!"
"I-I can't do that! These are my students! They worked so hard!"
"My god, yer such a pushover!"
"I-I am not! I just want to be nice and not hurt anybody!"
"Yeah! Pushover!"
"Oh, why are you so mean, Kotarou-kun!"
"IIYYYYAAAAHHHHHH-"
Naruto quickly stepped over and caught the hooded figure that was falling towards them out of the sky. His body acted more on reflex than anything and they all looked super confused as several shadowy figures leaped through the air and fell toward them.
"Whew!" The figure pulled back her hood to reveal Chao underneath it. She looked at everyone and smiled, "Oh, hey guys! Nice to see you! Hey, I'm being attacked. Can I get some help?"
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
"Whoa! Are those fireworks?"
"They're so pretty!"
"Hey, it's a light show!"
"And performers!"
"Little earlier than usual, isn't it?"
"Well, you never know what to expect during the Mahora Festival."
Instead of fireworks or a light show or a performance piece, what was happening was blasts of magic and Ki flying through the air as the four youngsters guarding Chao Lingshen were followed by a horde of masked shadows.
"Who are these guys?!"
"And why are they after you, Chao-San?!"
"They're evil Mages! I think they're gonna do something bad to me!" The bun-haired girl cried out in Naruto's arms as they jumped through the air, "Please don't let them catch me! Oh, I'm so scared!"
"Are you," Naruto looked down at her quizzically, "Are you putting on a damsel in distress act?"
"Well I mean you're carrying me in your arms while I'm being chased by bad guys." She giggled and shrugged, "Feels like I should play the part."
"Chao-San, this is no time to be joking!" Negi called out, "Please take this seriously!"
"I'm always serious! This is just my coping mechanism!" She looked up to Naruto, "Please keep me safe and I'll go easy on you during the pranks from now on."
"Ha!" Naruto chortled, "You think I need your pity! I was coming up with the next prank that would have blown you outta-"
"Nii-San! Focus!"
"R-Right, sorry!" He twisted in the air and made Chao scream as his foot lashed out and destroyed a masked shadow that was chasing them, "I think we can destroy these things!"
"Yeah, but if they're like my shadows then they can be remade pretty quickly." Kotarou smiled with a vicious edge, "If we're gonna stop 'em we gotta find the caster and get a little rough."
"Let me scout ahead." Setsuna advised them, her sword already at her hip and a stern expression on her face, "I'll survey the area and try to spot the source of these attacking forces." She dashed forward in the blink of an eye and jumped over the side.
Kotarou whistled, "Setsuna-neechan is way different when she's in business mode, ain't she?"
"Chao-San, do you know why these people are coming after you?" Negi inquired of the girl in Naruto's arms, "If they are evil Mages, that means you are well aware of the magic then, right?"
"Yeah," She shrugged, "Pretty much. I knew you were a Mage from the beginning, Negi-Bōzū. You too, Naruto-sensei."
"I'm not surprised. You had a hand in creating Chachamaru-San and I doubt you would have gotten help from Master without some knowledge about magic. So what happened that garnered a reaction like this?"
"Hehe," Chao shyly scratched her cheek, "Sorry, Negi-Bōzū. There's so much I don't know about magic, so I guess you could say I'm curious about it."
"But curious to a degree that-"
"Sensei!" They looked back as Setsuna approached with someone following behind her, "I found the people responsible for the shadow puppets."
"Wait," Naruto immediately recognized the dark-skinned man in the suit and glasses, "Gandolfini-sensei?"
"Hello everyone, Sakurazaki-kun has gotten me up to speed about what happened." The respectful man said while fixing his glasses, "Now if you'd give me the chance, I'd like to explain why we were tailing Chao Lingshen-kun."
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
Negi and the others found themselves standing across from Gandolfini with Takane and Mei at his side. Chao had finally been put down on her feet and she looked like a kid that had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Gandolfini fixed his glasses, "You all remember the drone that Kataragi-sensei shot down after our meeting had finished? Chao Lingshen-kun was the one piloting that drone and watching our meeting."
The kids looked at the bun-haired girl as she nervously giggled, "E-Ehehehe."
"So that spiel about the evil Mages?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I-I mean from my point of view they aren't exactly nice!"
"Chao-San."
"I-I'm not trying to be tricky or sneaky!" Chao quickly defended herself, "But you get all the people that know about magic and you bring them together and I get interested! I can't just look away! I can't help myself!"
"This is not the first transgression by our little problem child here." Gandolfini stated, "There was the incident with the knowledge forbidden for normal viewing in the Library Island. And the attempt at cultivating magical fauna and wildlife without permission from the board."
"Okay," Chao raised her hands defensively, "I am an inquisitive mind, a-and I admit that gets the better of me sometimes. But to be fair; it's hard to know what your rules entail when you won't tell me them."
"Well, Chao Lingshen-kun, what you do need to know is that you've broken our trust three times now. So a punishment is now to be expected." Two shadow guards appeared on either side of Chao, "I'm sorry but your memories of magic will need to be erased."
"Aww, c'mon man!"
Kotarou whispered to Naruto and Setsuna, "What's going on?"
"When someone unaffiliated with magic comes to learn its secrets or threatens to expose it to the world, it's customary to erase the memories of the person." Setsuna said.
"It's sort of a by-the-case situation but I think Chao might have used up all the chances she had."
"Oh, that sucks." Kotarou shrugged, "Oh well. She still gets t' live, right? She'll manage."
"M-My brain is still gonna be fine, right?" Chao nervously asked, "Like I'm still gonna be able to think after this, right?"
"W-Wait!" Negi quickly called out, "T-This might be a little extreme, don't you think? I mean Chao-San is right that the rules and boundaries weren't explained to her properly."
"Negi-sensei," Takane spoke up, "We have heard that some of your students have been made privy to your secret of magic, yet you have not taken any precautions to secure your secret. Perhaps you are too lenient to see this kind of thing through."
"We'll be taking Chao-kun for processing now."
Gandolfini turned to walk away, with Mei and Takane following after him. The shadows guided Chao along-
"Chao Lingshen-San is my student and I do not appreciate her being called a problem child." Negi stepped up and announced with a startling firmness in his voice. Everyone looked at the young Welshman as he looked directly at Gandolfini, "I understand the protocols the faculty would want to take with her, but I do not believe she is the threat or menace you all have deemed her to be. She is my student and my responsibility. So allow me to watch over her."
…
Gandolfini turned to face the young teacher, "If she's your responsibility, then that means any trouble she causes is your responsibility as well. Can you accept that, Negi-kun?"
"Absolutely."
"Gandolfini-sensei," The older man looked over as Naruto smiled, "Negi usually stays quiet and stammers over his words when he's nervous. So when he talks seriously like this…you can believe he means it."
…
"Very well." He nodded, "Takane-kun, please release her."
"Sir?"
"He sounds sincere and I don't think he'd fail us." The shadows around Chao vanished and she quickly stepped over to Negi's side, "We're trusting you, Negi-kun. As a Mage and a teacher, don't fall back on your word."
"I won't."
"Alright." He nodded and turned away. Takane and Mei hesitated for a moment before quickly following him.
"Whew!" Chao wiped her cheek in relief. She smiled and hugged Negi, "Thank you, Negi-Bōzū! I was really worried there for a second!"
"Chao-San," Negi quickly worked his way out of her grasp and sternly spoke to her, "You need to make sure you don't cause any more trouble, okay? If you do I don't think I'll be able to cover for you."
"Yeah, you did kinda take a big gamble on me, didn't ya?" Chao chuckled while scratching the back of her head. She then gave a huge grin to the young teacher, "So as thanks let me give you a present!"
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
"Well, it's a nice watch."
Negi held up the pocket watch Chao had given him before departing. He tilted his head curiously, "I wonder why she gave me this of all things."
"Hey, maybe ya can pawn it off fer cash?"
"Kotarou-kun! Chao-San gave this gift to me! I can't just sell it!"
"Whatever. Then use it t' plan all yer dates tomorrow or whatever."
"O-Oh no!" Negi paled, "I forgot that my schedule had been changed with the confession rounds!"
"I was wondering when you would remember that, Negi-sensei."
"You sometimes get tunnel vision, don't ya, Aniki?"
"N-Nii-San!" Negi looked up at his older friend, "What should I do?"
"Sorry Negi, don't know what to tell you. I mean plan as best you want there's no guaranteeing what tomorrow will be like." The little redhead didn't seem comforted by his words as he quickly knelt by his side, "Okay, I'll take most of the shifts off your back so don't worry about that. You're gonna have to squeeze some things out and around to make the time restraint work…"
He shrugged, "And whatever happens, happens."
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
"Waahaaa!" Sayo cried, "They shot magic at me! I-I thought I was gonna die!"
"It's okay." Kazumi consoled the ghost girl, "You're dead so they can't hurt you, sweetie." The young reporter hummed, "So the teachers are up to something?"
"Uh-huh." Sayo sniffled and nodded, "Kazumi-San, what do you think is going on?"
"Something interesting. And everyone just calls me Asakura, Sayo-chan."
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
Eishun picked out his attire for the trip tomorrow. The Mahora Festival was a big event and he wanted to prepare himself as best he could. If he ran into Konoka and the others he didn't want to seem too stuffy or uptight.
A quick ring on his cell told him he had a text. And when he checked he found a notice from Tsuruko on his screen saying she couldn't wait to see the festival.
Trust that woman to invite herself.
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
"Drinks?"
"Check!"
"Snacks?"
"Check!"
"Lotion?"
"Check!"
"W-What is everyone doing?"
"Ema-chan, are you packed?!"
"P-Packed for what?"
"We're going on a trip to a festival!"
"W-We are?"
"Yep! Make sure to grab Tama-chan, Kuro-chan, Leon-chan, and Shippu-chan! We'll be gone a few days and we have to make sure we don't leave them!"
"Naru, are you sure this is a good idea?"
"Mei-chan told me her school has a huge celebration and we aren't gonna miss it, Keitaro!"
"But did Mei-chan even invite us?"
"Not particularly! But she's my little sister! And I am not wasting a chance to spend time and love her after so much time has passed! Now this place is closing temporarily because Hinata Sou is going to Mahora!"
"Banzai!"
"Manzee!"
"Su-chan, take Tama-chan out of your mouth!"
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
"Chao-San, was that a good idea?" Hakase pulled her hood back to look at her co-conspirator directly, "I mean you didn't even ask Negi-sensei to join us."
"Yeah, but I didn't feel like doing the heavy sell." Chao said with a grin, "I feel like Negi-Bōzū needs to experience this stuff himself for him to understand."
"Yes, Negi-sensei is quite understanding." Chachamaru nodded beside her, "I believe if you explain this to him after he's used the watch, you'll be able to convince him."
"My thoughts exactly!" The bun-haired girl smiled as the fireworks started to light up the sky. She looked up at the ceremonial light show and smiled fondly, "We'll take a chance for them to stretch their legs and see what they can do. Then I'll talk to them. I like them both a lot so I'm sure we can come to an understanding."
"And if you can't?"
Chao continued to smile…
"Then whatever happens…happens."
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
Done
Woohoo! I actually did it! I got it out! I did not expect it but I buckled down and worked as fast as I could!
Imagine chapters lengths for the Mahora Festival arc to be this length or shorter. There will be quite a few of them before we're done.
So I think this chapter set things up pretty well. I hope you all agree. And starting next year we get into the biggest arc so far! Look forward to it!
And again…I'm so glad you all joined me for this comeback. This year has been hard, because near the start I lost my grandmother and by the end I lost my grandfather. A somber year…but here's hoping for better as the next one turns about.
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Thank You and Bye
