The Knight of Mahora Academy

by Master Attlon

He was saved by those people. The group that was greater than legend, heroes and gods among the people. And he grew up by their example. Of strength. Of courage. Of determination. And now, he will show this new team their message.

39. Day 1 - An Outsider's Perspective

The Knight of Mahora Academy

Period 39: Day 1 - An Outsider's Perspective

Happy Holidays!

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

Okay…so…let's recap…

He'd gone on his patrols…met up with some of the other teachers…he had something terrible to drink…

Negi was there…right? He came and then his vision got blurrier…and then there was the searing hot pain of getting punched in the face by his past self at the party. His head was blurry for an entirely different reason after that…then-

("Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls of all ages! Students of Mahora Academy and all those who have come to visit us for the next few days! Welcome everyone to the 78th annual Mahora Festival!")

The announcement, as well as the cheering and explosions going off all around, was murder on his hangover-induced migraine. Naruto groaned and rubbed his head, "Man, we must be early. It's still so bright, and loud. Geez, Negi, what else was there to do today that you had to start from the beginning?"

His question to his young friend went unanswered as Negi, Setsuna, and Chamo looked around with the most befuddled, slack-jawed expression imaginable. There wasn't a time he'd ever seen those three look so lost and confused. Negi finally came out of his stunned silence, "Nii-San, is this the beginning of the Mahora Festival?"

"Yep."

"But that was this morning!"

"Yep."

Negi made some incomprehensible sounds so Setsuna stepped up instead, "Naruto-sensei, how can we be back to this morning? It's impossible!"

Naruto sighed and looked back at her, "Seriously, Setsuna, I know you were struggling with it but did you have to give up on the name thing in under a day?"

"What?"

"Aniue, you ain't even giving us an answer! Did you mean it when you said it was time travel?"

His head was throbbing, "Why are you guys even asking?"

"Because there's no way time travel is real!"

"Oho, that's rich. Considering you've been jumping around all day and you were the ones who told me…" It was after a moment of alleviating his headache and sparing his friends a glance that he noticed how truly confused they were, "Negi, how many times have you used that watch?"

"H-How exactly do I use it?"

"Oh…"

Realization hit his aching head.

"Oh…"

…

"Bye!"

He disappeared in a flash of speed, rushing through the crowd and jumping dozens of meters away before they could ask more questions. After the whiskered blond had cleared the air and arrived somewhere else, he caught his breath and looked back in concern, "That…that isn't gonna mess anything up, is it? No - no, I'm good. I-I'm fine. I'm-" His face went pale and he closed his eyes, "I'm gonna be sick."

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

Before anything could come rushing up or get worse, Naruto found a bench to sit on and catch his breath. He leaned back and closed his eyes, calming his stomach and his heart before he could get sick.

He bought a drink and rehydrated while sitting on the bench, picking flecks of green out of his hair as he waited for the worst of the hangover and illness to pass. Once his head was cleaned up and clear, he sighed and made his way around the festival again. This time not accompanying anyone or doing any rounds to protect people from the World Tree's magic. Just a chance to walk around and enjoy the festival himself. Watching people eat and celebrate…

And a little bastard freeloading off others and nabbing bites when he can.

"There you are."

Kyūbi looked up from the ground where he had a bit of chicken in his mouth. He raised an eyebrow at his partner, "Weren't you supposed to be meeting with Ghost Girl to get possessed? It was all you were talking about."

"Oh yeah, that was today." Naruto rubbed his head, "Man, that feels like ages ago."

"What?"

"Let me tell you about the day I've had-"

"Not interested-"

"Of course you are!" He snagged the seven-tailed fox by the scruff of his neck and dragged him along, "Shut up and listen."

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

"You traveled through time?"

"Yep."

"But time travel is impossible."

"Well, I've done it several times today so it isn't as impossible as we thought. Hell, Negi, Setsuna, Asuna, Konoka, Chamo, and Kotarou have done it too!"

"You're…surprisingly unfazed by the fact someone in your class has invented time travel."

"Yeah, well, Chao's raising a lot more flags now than we might have given her credit." He leaned against his fist with a stern expression, "That girl is a lot more than just the smart kid in the class"

"With her demon hands that somehow know exactly the best place to scratch my ears." Kyūbi said in as equally serious of a tone as Naruto frowned at him, "What?"

"That's not what's important right now."

"Well, that's your prerogative, not mine." The demon fox went back to chewing on his food, "So what are you gonna do now?"

"Well, I don't think I had anything else to do today, so I might as well just go around and enjoy the sights of the festival a little more." Naruto stretched his arms until he heard a crack, "Or maybe get some more sleep."

"Heh, I still can't believe you got drunk. That's hilarious!"

"Shut up you little bastard. Bye, you'll see me later."

"What? What does that mean?" Naruto didn't explain as he ditched the demon fox to cross paths with him many more times during the day.

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

It was a few hours later surveying the festival that Naruto spotted Negi, Kotarou, and strangely enough, Ayaka all gathered together. They were dressed up like monsters, probably from visiting the haunted house at 3-A. Naruto couldn't remember Negi telling him about visiting the attraction in any of his earlier recounts so he took a chance and called out, "Hey, guys!"

The moment Negi spotted him the little redhead flinched and looked away like he was guilty of something. But Kotarou and Ayaka greeted him with smiles, "Hello, Naruto-sensei, I hope you've been enjoying the festival."

"Hey, Naru-nii, this place is pretty fun when ya get t' walk around not worryin' about the job, huh?"

"Yeah, it's fun." One look over towards Negi and the young redhead turned and shied away. Naruto stepped up closer to him and the little Welsh boy still refused to look him in the eye, "Negi?"

"U-Uh-huh?"

"Is something wrong?"

"N-Not at all! W-W-Why would you ask that?!" Naruto sighed and grabbed Negi, hefting him up on his shoulder, "Ah! N-Nii-San, what are you doing?!"

"Sorry, you two, but we're gonna go over here for a minute. Just wait for us, okay?" Naruto carried his young friend over a few feet before setting him down. Once he did and Negi blushed and looked aside in shame, Naruto got down on a knee to better face him, "Negi, what's up?"

"W-What's up? W-Why would you think something is up? Nothing is up!"

"Yeah, well, you're not usually this squirrelly and freaked out unless it's about something. And you can't even look me in the eye, which makes me think it's something about me." Negi gulped as sweat started running down his face, "Negi~?"

"N-Nii-San," The young redhead fidgeted for a moment before finally meeting the older blond's eyes, "Do you remember what happened to you before you time traveled back to this morning?"

"Oh, I was in the infirmary with you, Chamo, and Setsuna. We all traveled back to this morning together."

"Do you remember how you got to the infirmary?"

"No." After a moment Naruto grimaced and sighed, "But you took me there to recover after what happened at the after-party, didn't you? I got drunk, then I got punched, and you took me to the infirmary to recover, didn't you?"

"Yes." Negi quietly answered and nodded, "And do you remember how you got drunk?"

"Um…" Naruto scratched his head, "I downed a glass of some real strong stuff. Heh, I guess I'm more of a lightweight-"

"I gave you another glass to get you drunker."

…

"What?"

"I-I brought you another drink, and made you even worse."

…

Negi's cheeks were pinched and gently pulled as he let out a pitiful whine. Naruto frowned at the boy's treachery, "Now why the hell did you do that?"

"Um…I wanted to get you talking. Because you…" He looked down sadly, "You were talking about my mother."

After hearing that, Naruto's eyes widened and he let go of Negi's cheeks. He silently stood up and hovered on his feet while the little redhead rubbed the soreness out of his cheeks. It looked like Naruto wanted to say something but his mouth just opened and closed, unable to find any words in response to what he heard.

Covering his mouth with his hand and closing his eyes tightly, he asked, "What did I tell you?"

"You…you said her name was Arika. You said she was a very strict person. And…you said you looked up to her like a mother."

…

Naruto dragged his hand up his face and through his hair, trying to figure out what he could say now that the cat was out of the bag. With a sigh, he put his hands on his hip and shook his head. Looking down at Negi, the little redhead seemed like he was preparing himself to be reprimanded. To be berated and punished for what he'd done.

Which he had done in hopes of learning more about his mother.

…

Naruto got on his knee, "Negi," The young Mage looked at him, "I want you to know…I never meant to keep her a secret from you. Not because you didn't deserve to know or anything like that."

"Then - then why?"

"Arika-San is…important. Important in a way I can't even fully grasp or explain. If you ever come to the Magical World, you'll see for yourself just how much of an influential person she was. At a certain point in time, everything about her had to be kept a secret. Traveling with Ala Rubra. Being in a relationship with Nagi. Even her being pregnant with you. If people knew these things, they'd never stop trying to make use of them. And I think that'd mean endangering you as well."

Negi looked stunned by what he heard as Naruto held his shoulders, "When I was young, I didn't understand everything they told me. Hell, I still don't fully understand why it was so important to keep quiet about it, but they made me promise to keep the secret. And I did…because it was important to me that I kept the promise they trusted me with before they all disappeared from my life."

…

When Naruto saw the sad look on Negi's face, his stomach twisted into a knot, "But this isn't a promise for you. Not some great secret that should always be kept or a silent vow. This…this is about your mom. And if I knew, I wouldn't stomach the idea of not knowing who my mother is." The young redhead was surprised to hear him say, "So I can't tell you everything because I just don't know it. But what I do know about Arika-San…just ask and I'll tell you."

…

"Did you really love her like your own mother?"

"I did." Naruto nodded, "If I had a choice of who I got to call Mom, I'd have been over the moon the get Arika-San as one."

A slight sniffle came out of Negi's as his eyes started to well up. The young Mage quietly sobbed, trying to dry his tears as quickly as they came as Naruto looked at him sadly. He gently pulled his young friend in and hugged him as Negi whimpered, "I-I wish I could've met her."

"Me too, buddy. Me too."

It took some time for Negi to calm down, hiccuping a little and drying his eyes to clear them out. When Naruto saw how red his eyes were a feeling of guilt that felt like a lump of lead settled in his gut. He looked aside shamefully before standing up, "I should probably get going."

"Wait, Nii-San!" Despite how hard he'd been crying a moment ago, Negi spoke up with clarity and certainty, "Do you want to join us for the rest of the day? I was planning to do this last thing and then retire to Master's resort to rest before the tournament tomorrow."

Even after the sincere offer, Naruto looked a little skeptical, "Um, you sure you want me to come? I mean-"

"I'm not angry with you, Nii-San." Negi assured his older friend with a smile, "I'm…I'm glad you were honest with me. It helps put a lot of things into context and perspective. So thank you for telling me what you did."

A feeling of relief helped him breathe a little easier as a subdued but happy smile came to his face. Naruto nodded, "Then let's go join the others. Where are we going anyway?"

"We're going to the secret underground cosplay competition that Chiu-San is participating in right now!"

…

"Huh? C-Chiu-chan is there?"

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

She didn't doubt her skills. She knew when it came to making outfits and cosplay, she stood among the best of the best with her skills and appeal. But she also knew her greatest skills were in programming, editing, and software. The skills that helped make the anti-social young woman a darling on the internet.

But now she was going to try and cosplay in public, without a camera or screen to separate her from the adoring masses. If she screwed this up, then the people in reality would see that she wasn't the confident, bubbly beauty she portrayed herself as on her website.

"Ughhhh," Chisame groaned, pressing her head against a bookshelf and trying to calm her nerves and stomach, "Just breathe, Hasegawa. If you don't want to stand up in front of a crowd, you don't have to." She took a deep breath, "You can leave if you want. No one is forcing you to be here." She fixed her glasses and nodded, "I'm sure if I just put a post on the site saying I couldn't make it, people would understand. Yeah, and no one knows I'm-"

"Chisame-S- oh, I mean Chiu-San! There you are!"

Damn this child. Damn him to the fiery bowels of hell.

With eyes focused like knives, Chisame whirled around to see Negi entering from the side and waving in her direction. Following behind him were a confused Kotarou, a bewildered Ayaka, and what seemed to be a star-struck Naruto whose eyes glittered like jewels as he stared at her in shock. And at the front of that group was that goofy, smiling little turd who just had to find out her secret and understood absolutely nothing about tact.

Chisame closed the distance between them and grabbed Negi tightly by the shoulders, "What are you doing here?!"

"I came to support you!" Negi said with a bright, innocent smile, "This seemed like a very important event for you and I wanted to cheer you on!"

"H-How did you even know this was happening?!"

"You wrote about it on your blog."

"You read my blog?!"

"Of course," Negi cheekily scratched the back of his head, "I wasn't very good with computers but after our first meeting I endeavored to learn a little more about how to use them."

He sucked with computers but learned how to manage them after their run-in a few months back? Chisame wasn't sure if she should be annoyed or…flattered by the young teacher's fortitude.

"Oh, what is this cosplay they are referring to?"

"Hey, Ayaka-neechan, look at all the people dressed up! Cool!"

"C-C-C-C-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-"

Never mind. She was annoyed. Because he had to bring these idiots along to ruin things. At least it couldn't get any-

"Hey guys!" They flinched and looked back as Makie appeared from behind them all with a big smile plastered on her face, "I saw Negi-kun and the rest of you coming this way and I thought I'd come to see what the fun was about! So what's going on~?" The bubbly pink-haired gymnast cooed before looking over, "Aww, Chisame-chan, you look so cute in that outfit! Where'd you get it?"

…

So…so many bodies…needed to be buried…so little time.

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

"I-I-I-I c-can't b-b-believe it!" Naruto was uncharacteristically nervous and tongue-tied, "Y-You're her! You're the real-"

"Shut up, you idiot!" Chisame blushed and covered his mouth before he could announce to everyone in this corner of Library Island her secret identity. She didn't need to worry about Iincho, the little mutt, or Baka Pink but the little brat could have spilled the beans and from the looks of the blond idiot, he probably knew who she was too. Once she had Naruto further down the corner they were hiding in, she glared up at him, "Look, I don't need you broadcasting to everyone who I am! In case it isn't obvious, I hide the fact I'm Chiu from school and I hide the fact I'm Chisame from my fans!"

"That seems silly, Chisame-San." Negi smiled brightly up at the bespectacled cynic, "If you love something, I think you should announce that proudly. You shouldn't hide your love of-"

"Zip it." Chisame motioned her fingers along her mouth, "I'm not taking advice on revealing identities on the internet from a kid that only just learned how to work a mouse." She frowned before sparing a look towards the taller blond. When she saw his still stunned expression she sighed, "Are you seriously still freaking out about this?"

"I-I just can't believe you're Chiu-chan! The real Chiu-chan!" He smiled, "Oh man, I can't believe you were in the same classroom as us this entire time! And I can't believe Negi knew the whole time! You're so energetic and pretty and fun!" Chisame pouted and faintly blushed from both embarrassment and flattery, "I can't believe…I can't believe Chiu-chan was the most gloomy and depressing girl in the class."

"Oi, watch it."

"I mean, am I wrong?"

"You're not wrong but watch it."

"Chisame-San isn't gloomy, Nii-San." Neither teen could agree with Negi on that, "And I can't believe you didn't realize it was her. Chisame-San and Chiu-San are totally identical when you look at them both." They both looked down at the little redhead in confusion. Naruto looked at Chisame curiously as she shook her head and sighed in frustration, "Plus I thought you'd know what she was planning today, Nii-San. You check her website a lot and she put on her blog that she'd be here today."

"I...u-ugh - I haven't been checking the blog recently."

Negi tilted his head in confusion.

Chamo nodded proudly at the implication.

Chisame just grimaced in disgust as she put 2 and 2 together.

"I-It's not what you think!"

"I bet it is."

"It's not!" He said defensively, "I-It was the game insight corner that got my attention the most! I loved all the new games and franchises you introduced everyone to! I only ever knew about Dragon Quest by cultural osmosis before you wrote about it!"

"That doesn't matter."

"And Persona has become one of my favorite series, even if I don't have the time to put in for them as much!"

"I know you're just saying this to distract me."

"And the Legend of Heroes games too! I started crying alongside you when we saw Star Door 15 and Renne-chan's terrible past!"

"I don't - well, that's good actually. I'm glad someone was just as messed up by that as I was." Chisame changed her tune with a nod before quickly shaking her head, "Hey, stop that! Look, I don't want you guys around here! I know you'll just mess things up for me and-"

"No way, Chisame-San! I'm going to support you all the way!" Negi grabbed the shut-in's arm and dragged her along as she complained and protested, "Come on! Let's go see what the rest of the cosplay competition has to offer!"

"H-Hey, let go of me! Seriously, I - how strong are you, Sensei! A-Actually, how weak am I that I'm getting dragged along by a 10-year-old!"

Naruto quickly followed after them…and breathed a sigh of relief that he was able to remember the video game portion of Chiu's website. There was a pit of shame in his stomach learning what he knew now and it would stay there forever.

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

"Wow, look at all the cool costumes!"

"Indeed, these are all exquisitely made."

"Man, if ya didn't know any better, ya'd think some of these guys were real demons!"

When they rejoined Kotarou, Makie, and Ayaka it was to see the three admiring the many strange and remarkable costumes and designs people came to show off. Negi followed up to their side and looked around eagerly, "I agree! There's so much creativity and talent being shown off here. It's amazing."

Chisame rolled her eyes at their exhausting excitement at everything around them. Sure it was pretty good stuff but nothing all that different from most cosplay events, "I can just tell the winner of the contest is going to be some Hoyoverse character or Fate waifu that looks the part." She muttered and sighed to herself before she noticed Naruto looking at her forlornly, "What?"

"Nothing. Just…it's kinda heartbreaking to find out the internet idol I love is such a downer."

"Oh yeah? Well, it's unsettling to find out the TA for my crazy class apparently jerks off to my pictures."

"I-I don't! I don't do that!"

She could spot denial a mile away.

"Chisame-San," The orange-haired girl flinched and resigned herself to having to converse with Negi as the little redhead rushed over to her, "It looks like you've got some stiff competition to face in the contest, don't you?"

Taking off her glasses and rubbing the bridge of her nose, the pessimistic computer lover looked down at her teacher, "Sensei, I don't think I'm going to join the competition."

"What? Why not?"

"Because I just came here to look around. See what the whole contest was going to look like. I did. It's nice. That's it. I'm going home now."

"But Chisame-San, you can compete with everyone here!"

Kotarou looked the skeptical girl over, "Uh, Negi, ya sure 'bout that? I mean somma these guys are lookin' super cool! Look, even Rider's over there!"

"Yes, but Chisame-San is very pretty and elegant too!" Negi pulled out his phone and got by Kotarou's side, "See!"

"Oh wow! That Nee-chan is pretty! And yer sure this is the same girl?"

"Hey!" Chisame snapped at the two boys, "Don't bring that stuff up in public places, you idiots! And Sensei, most of those pictures are touched up and cleaned before I post them. I can't do that crap in public."

Naruto tried not to show how devastated it was to hear that, but biting his lip and holding back the tears only did so much.

"So I'm not entering the competition and that's final." Chisame said firmly and with complete resolve, "So if we're all done let's just turn around and walk away before we draw anymore – what happened to Sasaki and Iincho? Where'd they go?"

"We're back." Ayaka spoke up while she and Makie returned to their group, "We signed up to join this competition."

"And we signed up Chisame-chan too!" Makie smiled brightly, "We're gonna have so much fun!"

…

Was it possible…to choke the happiness out of someone? She didn't know, but dammit Chisame Hasegawa was going to find out!

"Then come on!" Negi said exuberantly as Kotarou, Ayaka, and Makie all cheered following behind him, excited to participate and see what the other contestants had to offer.

Only Chamo looked back and sweated when he saw Naruto trying to desperately hold onto a feral, scratching Chisame who tried to chase after them.

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

"Tada!"

"How do we look, Negi-sensei?"

"You two look very cute!" Makie and Ayaka blushed and preened at the attention they got from Negi while the young teacher complimented them, "Don't they look good, Chisame-San?"

"No! No, they don't look good!" Chisame remarked bitterly, shaking her head as she looked at the basic schoolgirl and nurse outfits Makie and Ayaka were wearing respectively, "Where did you even get those costumes?"

"They were handing them out over there. We thought we should get dressed to prepare for the competition."

"If anything, the costumes you were wearing from the haunted house look better than this generic stuff." Chisame exhaled and stepped forward, looking the two girls over critically before rubbing her chin, "It might be for the best that if you're joining the contest, you play to your strengths."

"Our strengths?"

"What do you mean, Chisame-chan?"

"Well, Sakaki is short, annoying, and pink-haired. Off the top of my head-"

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

"Cool!" Everyone looked at Makie in wonder as the young gymnast admired her new outfit. She was wearing a mixture of black and white clothes with golden accents on the white. White boots and gauntlets as well as a white cape and white sheath. Small pieces of cardboard and plastic had been done up to look like armor around her waist and chest, "This is amazing, Chisame-chan! Who am I?!"

"Astolfo, Rider of Black. Seemed the most appropriate."

"Rider?!" Kotarou got excited, "Is this from a new series I haven't watched yet?!"

"Different Rider, kid."

"Hey, Astolfo!"

"Rider, over here!"

"Let me get a picture!"

"Oh, me?" Makie blinked before she smiled and waved to everyone, "Hiya!"

"So cute!"

"It's the perfect cosplay!"

"Are you a trap too?"

"Trap? No, I'm a person, silly!"

"Now, onto Iincho." Chisame turned her attention to the class president, eyeing Ayaka over in an attempt to deduce the most effective costume for the tall blonde to wear, "Hmmm."

Naruto slid in by her side and whispered, "I mean…Saber, right? It's gotta be Saber."

Chisame clicked her teeth, "Wouldn't work. Iincho is too tall and developed to convincingly play Saber. If she tied down her breasts and wore armor it could work, but it wouldn't be too effective. If only," Chisame's eyes widened and she snapped her fingers, "I've got it."

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

Ayaka wore a small crown on her head with a cape that had a fluffy collar that surrounded her neck. She wore a predominately blue outfit with a cleavage window and a giant lance in her hand. Ayaka looked herself over curiously, "And what is this character?"

"Artoria Lancer. A more mature take on one of the most famous characters in fiction." As the crowd clapped and started taking pictures of Ayaka, Chisame nodded, "I do good work."

"Chisame-chan, this is so much fun!" Makie rushed to the girl's side, "Can we dress as more people please?"

"Hmm…well …"

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

"Okay, so this girl's birthday is on March 7th?"

"No, her name is March 7th. How many times do I have to tell you that before it sets?" Makie still looked baffled and tilted her head before Chisame turned her attention aside, "Iincho, make sure not to break that hilt. The grand master of the Knights of Favonius can't have her weapons break or clothes besmirched."

Ayaka looked over the resplendent white clothes she had gotten from another participant and was impressed by the seamanship and design, "Hasegawa-San, you are surprisingly knowledgeable about these matters."

"Yeah, well, we all excel at something." Chisame nodded at her management of the two beauties as the crowd around them cheered and begged for their attention for photos, "I think for the next part…"

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

"Tada!" Maki cheered in a sailor uniform, brandishing a great big smile as she did, "Negi-kun, don't I look cute in this new uniform?"

"You do, Makie-San, but you shouldn't be smiling. Chisame-San said to make an authentic cosplay your character doesn't smile."

"That's right, Makie. You aren't trying to be Nyu right now, you're Lucy. And Lucy is a creepy girl who does not smile." Makie pouted in response before she put on as blank and emotionless of a stare as she could give, "Better!"

"Where did Ayaka-neechan run off to?"

"Oh, Chisame-San insisted that Iincho-San try one more cosplay out. She also said that I could join her to make it look especially authentic."

"But when I realized what she was doing, I suggested a different idea. And I guess she couldn't deny that it was the better choice." Naruto looked over as a cheeky grin spread across his face, "Oh, I knew I was right!"

"Whoa, it's Tohru-chan and Kobayashi-San!"

"Hey, can we get a cutesy pose?"

"Play the lovey-dovey part!"

Ayaka was dressed as the dragon maid with Chisame at her side, wearing a button-up shirt to portray the more reserved human companion. The two girls were completely silent and unamused as the flashing of cameras went off around them. Ayaka sighed, "I much more preferred Negi-sensei playing across from me."

"Yeah, me too. Just…" Chisame chewed her lip, "The damn blond bastard made a good point about compatibility."

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

"Awww! It's so cute!"

"Now these are well-made! Hasegawa-San, you made these yourself?"

"Y-Yeah, I tried my hand at it," Chisame admitted with a faint blush as Makie and Ayaka showcased their final costumes, the attire of the characters from Mahou Shoujo Bibulion that she had packed in case she wanted to participate in the contest properly. She hated to admit it but they looked so much better on these two than they ever did on her. But Chisame's glasses flashed and she frowned, "But don't just stand there! Assume the poses like I told you!"

"R-Right, sorry!"

"Are the poses necessary?"

"The poses pull the whole thing together!"

As the boys watched from the side, Kotarou whispered fretfully, "Man, this glasses Nee-chan kinda runs hot and cold, doesn't she?"

"Chisame-San is just very committed to her craft."

"Yeah, but just make sure not to piss her off more than you might usually do." Naruto warned the boys, wary of pissing off the bespectacled girl who was a lot more ferocious and confrontative than he expected, "It's always the quiet ones."

"Hey, what are you boys looking at?" The three boys flinched and stiffened when they were called out by Chisame. The bespectacled blogger looked over their tense faces and narrowed her eyes before shaking her head, "Never mind. I can't be bothered trying to figure out what's going through your heads." She looked back, "Iincho and Sasaki are on the stage now putting on a show for everyone. So I guess since they're done I can-"

"W-Wait, Chisame-San!" Negi lunged and grabbed her hand before she could walk away, "Please don't leave! You still need to participate in the contest!"

"H-How is your grip so crazy strong, kid?!" She tried to resist but couldn't match Negi's strength, "I-I told you that I'm not participating!"

"But Chisame-San, I know you've been looking forward to this! You said as much in your blog posts!"

"That was just some fluff pieces to get peoples' attention! I didn't mean it!"

"No! I know you did! You wrote them all yourself, Chisame-San, which must have taken so much effort on your part!"

"I-I told you that I can't participate in the contest! Most of my pictures are fixed and modified!"

"I think you're plenty pretty as you are, Chisame-San!"

"Would you stop! Look, I'm not like Sasaki and Iincho, okay! I'm not the bright, bubbly middle-schooler that can stand up on the stage and love the whole experience, do you get that?!"

"Chisame-San," Negi looked up at the older girl sadly, "I just don't want you to regret not being a part of something you love. I want you to enjoy your time at the festival as much as you can."

"Sensei, I-"

"We're back!"

"Oh, that was exhilarating." Ayaka and Makie returned with a smile, "Hasegawa-San, you're going to go out next, right?"

"No! For the last time, I'm-"

"Chisame-chan, I grabbed the other clothes from your bag!" Makie said with some garments in hand, "These were cute so I thought you might have packed them for yourself!"

"W-Why did you go through my things you little - h-hey! Hey! Stop it!" She protested as Makie and Ayaka started to undress her and prepare her outfit for her, "W-What are you doing?! Stop pulling off my - iyaahhhh! Watch your hands!" The boys blushed and turned away so they didn't catch an eyeful, "Don't just get embarrassed you little bastards - HELP ME!"

("And now for Contestant 18, dressed as the mortal enemy of the Bibulion forces, Roulin Rouge! Please give it up for Chisame Hasegawa-San!")

Chisame stumbled out on the stage after being pushed on by the others. The orange-haired loner was about to bark and curse them out before she realized she was on stage with all eyes on her. All the bite and spite building in her chest suddenly drained away, being replaced with nervous butterflies and empty lungs as she realized she was the center of attention. Now that she was up here, she had to perform and put on a show to…t-to…

Negi watched in horror as his student froze on stage, looking like a deer in headlights as the crowd stared at her, "O-Oh no."

"I-I…" She tried to catch her breath but couldn't seem to do so. Chisame felt a heat run up her face and into her ears until she was so hot she felt like she could evaporate water. She just had to repeat the lines she knew. She knew Roulin Rouge's quotes from heart, but for some reason, she was blanking now of all times.

This…this was so much more terrifying than interacting with people through a screen. It had been the barrier that hid her away from the faces staring at her so intently. She didn't want this. She didn't want to be up here. But she'd been swayed by all those damn normal people living their happy normal lives and that little brat who never shut up. She hated this. She didn't want this.

Chisame fell to her knees and covered her face, "P-Please, stop."

Make it sto-

"WOOHOO!"

"YEAH!

"THAT'S SO GOOD!"

Chisame gasped and looked up, a tear in the corner of each eye as she saw the crowd cheer and clap for her. She blinked in confusion, "W-What-"

"That was my favorite part of her appearance in Bibulion!"

"Roulin Rouge's gap moe is her most endearing quality!"

"That girl is pretty cute too! She almost looks like Chiu-chan!"

"I-I don't-"

("Well, it looks like Hasegawa-San has managed to capture one of the most gripping scenes of Roulin Rouge from the original Bibulion series! The moment when she is overcome with the emotional turmoil of all the fighting, breaking down in her emotions and showing the audience that she wasn't just the heartless villain we all expected! Call it an Ensemble Dark Horse! Call it a Draco In Leather Pants! But we love us a villain who's got more to show than just a devious laugh!")

As the crowd cheered her on, Chisame looked stunned by what she was hearing. Well, maybe she should have seen that coming. These people were fanatics whose tastes ranged from Code Geass and Fullmetal Alchemist to School Days and Boku no Pico. There shouldn't have been any surprise that they would have enjoyed watching a girl cosplay a villain shedding some tears.

("Our winner is Contestant 18, Chisame Hasegawa-San!")

She hated having her name announced in a public place like this, but she just had to grit her teeth and get over it. Once the announcement was done and the contest was over, Chisame made her way back over to her group. Negi spotted her and smiled, "Chisame-San, you were so great! I didn't think you could pull off a performance that convincing!"

"I can't. I was having a real meltdown." Chisame clenched her fist and Negi blanked as he leaned away in fright, "Because you made me step on the stage when I wasn't ready for it, you little-"

"EEP!"

"H-Hold on now!" Naruto quickly stood between her and Negi before anything could go down, "Okay, so I know he was a bit too excited. And might've gotten you on that stage when you weren't ready to get up there," Negi let out a pitiful whine behind his back, "But hey, you won the whole contest! That must be nice, right?"

Chisame didn't look amused as her gaze shifted between the whiskered blond and the fretful young redhead behind him. She fixed her glasses and sighed, "He was a total dumbass about it… but yeah, I guess you're right." She looked aside with a faint blush, "It was kinda nice being able to enjoy the festival how I like it. So…thanks, Sensei."

With sparkling eyes, Negi looked up at the older girl with delight, "I-I'm so glad you enjoyed yourself, Chisame-San!" She blew some air and turned around, about to make her way out before Negi noticed something, "Oh, you have some string hanging out of your costume." He smiled and reached for it, "I'll take it off for you."

"No, wait, that's the-"

He pulled the errant string…and Chisame's outfit fell apart, leaving her in nothing but her underwear.

The crowd of people watching cheered even louder at her wardrobe malfunction. With a blushing face, Naruto stepped aside so that he was no longer protecting Negi from the shut-in's outrageous but well-deserved wrath.

[[[[[[[[Omake: Gonna Need A Montage!]]]]]]]]

Some style with that cosplay, ma'am?

"Okay, I think I'm set!" The others looked up as Naruto emerged from the dressing room, a chic black suit and tie with a blue undershirt beneath it. He drew a swirl over his eyebrow and a long blond wig to cover one of his eyes, "I think I look pretty close."

"It's a pretty convincing Sanji." Chisame noted, "I guess you've got the look down. So, can you do the footwork too?" Naruto started bouncing on his toes before kicking out with his legs in several impressive feats. He kept his leg raised to attack again and Chisame nodded, "Okay, good enough - don't show off. Now quote some lines. People like a quote from their favorite characters."

"Now you're in the Air Force-"

"No! Shut up!"

Gonna need bigger lungs

"Now this is classic," Naruto said, walking out in an orange gi from the Kame School of martial arts. He grinned from ear to ear, "It feels good to pay respect to the classic."

Kotarou grinned, "Naru-nii, ya gotta do that thing!"

"Oh yeah! Haaaaaaaaaaaa!" Naruto pumped his arms and yelled, bursting with magic and electrical powers that made his hair stick up.

The girls stared on in shock before Chisame fixed her glasses, "Okay, I don't know how you did that, and I don't wanna know. Anyway, it's a good cosplay and you wear it well. The only thing is that the eyes aren't green, but we can fix that. Iincho!"

"What's Iincho gonna-"

Ayaka grabbed his hair and pulled him back. She shook a can of green spray paint and then sprayed it in his eyes.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"Now that's a proper scream."

It just feels wrong.

"Now that is a good look!"

Naruto stood in the red coat of Vash the Stampede, complimented with a prop gun and a fancy metallic cover over his arm made from his Artifact. The others clapped and Negi looked at his friend in admiration, "Oh, Nii-San, that looks so cool on you!"

"Yeah, Naruto-nii, that's awesome!"

"You should enter with that!"

"Indeed, you might just win."

"Well, I think we found a winner." Chisame nodded, "What do you think?"

"It's perfect…but I'm not wearing it."

"What?! Why not?!"

"I refuse to wear anything Ichigo wore."

…

"Y-Y'know, he was voiced by a Japanese person too-"

"But he was voiced by Ichigo. And that's a no-go."

"You know he voiced Sasori too, right? Why is it just Ichigo-"

"Members of the Big 3 don't go dressing up as characters other Big 3 members voiced. An unwritten rule but one we live and die by. You'll never understand - you have to be a Big 3 member to get it." They all glared at him, "Don't blame me! Blame your demographic!"

Mongrels, be impressed with my outfit!

"Nii-San, did you make armor for yourself from your Artifact and then spray-paint it gold?"

"Yep," Naruto nodded, arms crossed while dressed as the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, "Pretty cool, right?"

"I-I don't think that's giving proper respect to your Artifact."

"When did I ask for your opinion on my grand visage, mongrel?" Negi flinched at the coldness in Naruto's voice before the blond grinned and turned to Chisame, "Pretty good, right?"

"It is. The only thing missing is the red eyes."

"Oh, don't you fucking-"

Makie pulled his hair and sprayed red paint in his eyes.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH! EVERY TIME! WHY NOT JUST GIVE ME COLORED LENSES?!"

"We don't have any."

"BUT YOU HAVE SPRAY CANS?! OH FUCK, MY RETINAS! THEY BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNNNN-"

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

Done

Oh man, Chisame is…is so much fun to write!

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