Ala Alba OVA, Part Two
OverMaster
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And that was how the School Festival ended.
"-- and that's why she must stay over at Master's until we can figure out what else to do," Negi finished explaining, as they stood in one of the many elevated platforms of Colonel Sanders' resort, with Chamo, Chisame, Satomi, Chao and Matoi standing shortly behind him. A nearby waterfall roared, but not loud enough as to make Negi's words difficult to listen to. "Unless you could do something else to help with her situation, and you wouldn't mind doing so, which is why she's here..."
"No, it's why you brought me here against my knowing best he won't do absolutely anything about it," Chao sighed, folding her arms and shaking her head.
"I see," standing with his back to them, quietly watching over the majestic underground landscape, the man also known as Imma Albireo smiled faintly. "Yes, the Magic Associations don't forgive easily, and I think I know a few things on the subject. I'm surprised Kitty-chan allowed her to stay at her home, however."
"It was just a favor to Chachamaru," Chao shrugged. "So you won't do anything about it, ne?"
"Well, I could offer you a place here, but it would be so scandalous for a lovely young girl to live all alone with an old bachelor like me...!" Albireo chuckled slightly, in a way that was so... not traditionally virile... it would have made anyone feel safe leaving a young girl with him.
Chao glanced aside at Negi. "I told you so!"
""You know," Satomi told her in turn, "the longer you spend out of what I now realize was your emotional comfort zone, the more I suspect Chisame is your femle ancestor."
Chisame made a face. "Whether that was meant as praise or insult for either, please don't ever say it again!"
'Colonel Sanders' chuckled as he turned back to face them. "I imagine, then, you are ready for your answers now, aren't you, Negi-kun?"
He blinked. "Ah? But... but the terms were that, if I won...!"
"The terms were," the robed man interrupted, "if you won, I'd tell you about your father. But I never mentioned anything about not telling you if you didn't win."
Negi's face lit up. "Colonel!"
The delicately handsome man pulled a Pactio card with his figure and name out of one of his wide white sleeves. "Yes, Negi, your father is still alive. Or else the proof of our contract wouldn't stand, as it clearly does."
"... that was a Pactio of blood, wasn't it?" Chamo asked.
"No," Albireo smoothly contested, making Chamo collapse into gags and chokes of disgust, a paw on his stomach. Negi was too startled to really care or even register that point, though. Matoi primly wiped the blood of her nose with a tissue. "As for further information, it would probably be a good idea to return to Wales. And checking around its gate to the Magical World."
"The Magical World...!" Negi repeated.
"Phooey," the ermine grunted. "So, we had the answer right there, so close to us, the whole time?!"
"Are you implying," Satomi asked, "the whole trip here and Negi's stint as a teacher was a waste of your time?"
He pouted. "I never said that! I'm sure the Bro wouldn't have gathered such a fine host of hotties around him had he stayed at Wales! Although... there was that blond girl in Merdiana who was really cute... and of course there's Anya-sis... and..."
Chisame absently crushed him under a heel.
"ANIMAL ABUSE!!"
Chao cringed at took a hand to the bandage on her head. "Could you please not stomp on others' heads while I'm around? I can't believe even Konoka-chan couldn't heal this... Ritsuko-san is a truly fearsome person..."
Negi stopped by the end of the hallway, right before stepping down the first step of the stairs, and so Chisame came to a halt of her own behind him.
"I can't stop myself anymore than Chao could," the boy said after a moment of contemplative pause, his head hanging down. "The one thing I cannot do is stopping myself from going after him. I know you won't approve of this. And I am genuinely sorry to disappoint you like this. But--"
"No," she calmly interrupted him. "It can't be a disappointment, since I wouldn't have expected for anything else from you. None of us would have."
"I will return to Wales," Negi said with an air of quiet finality to him, "but I expect to return, of course. Although nothing is ever certain, and so I hope you realize..."
He could not finish the sentence, but he kept his eyes firmly on Chisame's.
Eventually, she only sighed, her shoulders drooping. "Okay, fine, I'll go with you."
"That isn't what I was asking for," Negi said. "I only was asking for your understanding in--"
"Look, we both know that, if you had really wanted to keep your purpose a secret, not that you could have after what Kentucky Fried told you under the island, you'd have tried to sneak away without telling anyone," Chisame said. "Not that it could have worked either, as by now Haruna and Debochin-sempai have an Anti-Negi Escape surveillance net all around Mahora..."
"They do?!" he gasped. "How?!"
"That's not important, you idiot!" she told him. "It beats going with Sora, Kobato and Kodaka to meet Uncle for the vacation, so alright, I'll go make sure you don't get yourself killed. Again!"
"No," he said.
"Yes," she said.
"No!" he insisted, actually frowning at her.
"Are you actually going to challenge us on this matter?! Haven't you learned anything about picking your fights by now, snot?!" she shot back.
They stared into each other's eyes fiercely, in a true duel of wills, both standing their ground at the top of the stairs.
Kotegawa Yui stopped before them in her way down, waiting for them to either stop staring or start kissing, at which point she actually could shout at them for their indecency. However, as the moments passed and they just remained there, not even blinking despite of how red their eyes were turning, she had to take a fist to her mouth and cough delicately. "A-hem. Sensei, Hasegawa-sensei, you are blocking the way for those of us who have things to do..."
They gulped and instantly backed away in opposite directions.
"Thank you," Yui coldly said, walking down the steps. Then she gave a look back over her shoulder. "By the way, what was that about, anyway?"
"We're going to Wales for the summer vacation," Chisame answered.
Negi found himself nodding, and only then realized he was nodding. He also realized Chisame smirking down at him, in a harsh and triumphant fashion.
And he knew he had lost. Yet again.
"-- and that's why she must stay over at Master's until we can figure out what else to do," Negi finished explaining, as they stood in one of the many elevated platforms of Colonel Sanders' resort, with Chamo, Chisame, Satomi, Chao and Matoi standing shortly behind him. A nearby waterfall roared, but not loud enough as to make Negi's words difficult to listen to. "Unless you could do something else to help with her situation, and you wouldn't mind doing so, which is why she's here..."
"No, it's why you brought me here against my knowing best he won't do absolutely anything about it," Chao sighed, folding her arms and shaking her head.
"I see," standing with his back to them, quietly watching over the majestic underground landscape, the man also known as Imma Albireo smiled faintly. "Yes, the Magic Associations don't forgive easily, and I think I know a few things on the subject. I'm surprised Kitty-chan allowed her to stay at her home, however."
"It was just a favor to Chachamaru," Chao shrugged. "So you won't do anything about it, ne?"
"Well, I could offer you a place here, but it would be so scandalous for a lovely young girl to live all alone with an old bachelor like me...!" Albireo chuckled slightly, in a way that was so... not traditionally virile... it would have made anyone feel safe leaving a young girl with him.
Chao glanced aside at Negi. "I told you so!"
""You know," Satomi told her in turn, "the longer you spend out of what I now realize was your emotional comfort zone, the more I suspect Chisame is your femle ancestor."
Chisame made a face. "Whether that was meant as praise or insult for either, please don't ever say it again!"
'Colonel Sanders' chuckled as he turned back to face them. "I imagine, then, you are ready for your answers now, aren't you, Negi-kun?"
He blinked. "Ah? But... but the terms were that, if I won...!"
"The terms were," the robed man interrupted, "if you won, I'd tell you about your father. But I never mentioned anything about not telling you if you didn't win."
Negi's face lit up. "Colonel!"
The delicately handsome man pulled a Pactio card with his figure and name out of one of his wide white sleeves. "Yes, Negi, your father is still alive. Or else the proof of our contract wouldn't stand, as it clearly does."
"... that was a Pactio of blood, wasn't it?" Chamo asked.
"No," Albireo smoothly contested, making Chamo collapse into gags and chokes of disgust, a paw on his stomach. Negi was too startled to really care or even register that point, though. Matoi primly wiped the blood of her nose with a tissue. "As for further information, it would probably be a good idea to return to Wales. And checking around its gate to the Magical World."
"The Magical World...!" Negi repeated.
"Phooey," the ermine grunted. "So, we had the answer right there, so close to us, the whole time?!"
"Are you implying," Satomi asked, "the whole trip here and Negi's stint as a teacher was a waste of your time?"
He pouted. "I never said that! I'm sure the Bro wouldn't have gathered such a fine host of hotties around him had he stayed at Wales! Although... there was that blond girl in Merdiana who was really cute... and of course there's Anya-sis... and..."
Chisame absently crushed him under a heel.
"ANIMAL ABUSE!!"
Chao cringed at took a hand to the bandage on her head. "Could you please not stomp on others' heads while I'm around? I can't believe even Konoka-chan couldn't heal this... Ritsuko-san is a truly fearsome person..."
Negi stopped by the end of the hallway, right before stepping down the first step of the stairs, and so Chisame came to a halt of her own behind him.
"I can't stop myself anymore than Chao could," the boy said after a moment of contemplative pause, his head hanging down. "The one thing I cannot do is stopping myself from going after him. I know you won't approve of this. And I am genuinely sorry to disappoint you like this. But--"
"No," she calmly interrupted him. "It can't be a disappointment, since I wouldn't have expected for anything else from you. None of us would have."
"I will return to Wales," Negi said with an air of quiet finality to him, "but I expect to return, of course. Although nothing is ever certain, and so I hope you realize..."
He could not finish the sentence, but he kept his eyes firmly on Chisame's.
Eventually, she only sighed, her shoulders drooping. "Okay, fine, I'll go with you."
"That isn't what I was asking for," Negi said. "I only was asking for your understanding in--"
"Look, we both know that, if you had really wanted to keep your purpose a secret, not that you could have after what Kentucky Fried told you under the island, you'd have tried to sneak away without telling anyone," Chisame said. "Not that it could have worked either, as by now Haruna and Debochin-sempai have an Anti-Negi Escape surveillance net all around Mahora..."
"They do?!" he gasped. "How?!"
"That's not important, you idiot!" she told him. "It beats going with Sora, Kobato and Kodaka to meet Uncle for the vacation, so alright, I'll go make sure you don't get yourself killed. Again!"
"No," he said.
"Yes," she said.
"No!" he insisted, actually frowning at her.
"Are you actually going to challenge us on this matter?! Haven't you learned anything about picking your fights by now, snot?!" she shot back.
They stared into each other's eyes fiercely, in a true duel of wills, both standing their ground at the top of the stairs.
Kotegawa Yui stopped before them in her way down, waiting for them to either stop staring or start kissing, at which point she actually could shout at them for their indecency. However, as the moments passed and they just remained there, not even blinking despite of how red their eyes were turning, she had to take a fist to her mouth and cough delicately. "A-hem. Sensei, Hasegawa-sensei, you are blocking the way for those of us who have things to do..."
They gulped and instantly backed away in opposite directions.
"Thank you," Yui coldly said, walking down the steps. Then she gave a look back over her shoulder. "By the way, what was that about, anyway?"
"We're going to Wales for the summer vacation," Chisame answered.
Negi found himself nodding, and only then realized he was nodding. He also realized Chisame smirking down at him, in a harsh and triumphant fashion.
And he knew he had lost. Yet again.