Disclaimer: I don't own Negima! Magister Negi Magi or Ranma ½

Rise of Prodigies

Chapter Twenty Three: The Chisame Effect II - Electric BoogaChiu

Beta:

The day after the incident with the demonic invasion of campus, Ranma found herself spending her lunch with Hasegawa-san in an out of the way park of the expansive Negima campus to chat.

As they sat down and Ranma opened her bento, Hasegawa-san pulled out her phone.

"Thank the gods that the Academy has the entirety of its grounds covered with wifi."

"Why's that important?" Ranma asked after swallowing the rice she'd been eating. It was bad manners, especially for a girl, to talk with her mouth full after all.

Hasegawa-san showed Ranma her phone. By the look of things, she was uploading something over the internet.

"I'm syncing something with my servers back in my dorm." Hasegawa-san explained proudly.

Ranma just nodded slowly, lost as to what Chisame could be working on.

"Though as convenient things are... I swear, things in our school can be so weird too. I mean look at what happened in Kyoto! The sheer ridiculousness of that whole stupid kissing pillow fight thingy just makes me want to pull my hair out. Freaking Asakura." Hasegawa-san complained.

Ranma tensed a little at the mention of the trip. She nevertheless nodded hesitantly, "Yeah, it was pretty weird."

"It's more than weird! Things just don't add up. I'm telling you, things ain't right."

Ranma shrugged helplessly, "I hear you, but I can't figure it out for the life of me."

Please buy that… I really don't want to lie. Or worse manipulate your memory.

"Aw man, really?" Hasegawa-san pouted, shoulders slumping in disappointment. "I was hoping you'd be able to help me figure it out. You're stupidly smart after all."

"Thank you for the compliment, but I don't think I'll be much help on the strange. Even with me studying occult stuff. Sorry."

"Nah, it's fine. Not like it's your fault." Hasegawa-san waved off as she went back to her lunch.

"So is that what you wanted to talk about?"

"No," Hasegawa-san said with a shake of her head. "What I really wanted to talk about is Negi-sensei!"

With that declaration, the cosplayer began an epic rant on how Negi-sensi had been bugging her lately.

He's been that involved with her? I don't think he's done so many things for his other students. Is it because she's his favorite? Or is there more to it...

"- And every time I'm skipping, he shows up to check on me as if I'm always sick now! It's so annoying."

"Um, he's an earnest kid?" Ranma suggested halfheartedly. "To be honest, I actually find it kinda sweet to have such a caring teacher."

At the mention, a stray thought brought Genma to mind and a dark look involuntarily spread across her face.

"Hey, you alright?" Hasegawa-san asked, giving her a concerned look.

"I'm fine." Ranma said as she shook her head to dismiss her dark thoughts. "So! I have to ask, but do you still find Negi-sensei to be that annoying?"

Hasegawa-san grumbled and let out a sigh. "I mean, the one time I was actually sick he helped me out. So I guess he isn't that annoying."

"Aw, that was nice of him." Ranma smiled and giggled at the grumpy look on her friend's face.

"Well, yeah, it was. I guess he's growing on me." Hasegawa-san stuck her tongue out. "Like a fungus. He's still some bratty kid to me though."

Ranma could only smile at that, making Hasegawa-san give her an irked look.

"Stop smiling."

Whilst the two friends were chatting over lunch, their homeroom teacher and the subject of their conversation, Negi-sensei was in the Dean's office helping the elderly master mage as he interrogated Kotarō.

"So why should I allow you to reside in Mahora, Kotarō-kun?" The leader of the Kanto Magic Association asked as he leveled a stern look at the dog half-demon.

"Uh, I helped Negi with that petrifying demon?"

"Is that true Negi-sensei?" The Dean asked, looking away from Kotarō to glance at Negi.

"He did, Dean-sama." Negi confirmed. "He was very helpful."

The old man hummed thoughtfully at that before frowning.

"Even so that's not good enough." He declared. "It does however help your case. Kotarō-kun could you tell me why you chose to escape from your imprisonment in Kansai and came to Mahora in the first place?"

Kotarō winced before he replied. "I, uh, wanted to find Negi for a rematch. Negi is the only person I've ever met of my own age who can fight with me on even terms so I consider Negi a rival."

Negi blinked in surprise. He hadn't known that.

"I see," the Dean said as he ran his hand over his beard as he thought over the matter. "Negi-sensei, what do you think?"

"In my opinion, Kotarō's assistance against the petrifying demon makes up, at least partially, for his involvement in the Kyoto Incident."

The Dean continued stroking his beard for a long moment before giving voice to his thoughts. "Kotarō-kun's punishment was community service anyways, there really is no reason for him to have to serve it with the Kansai Association."

"Wouldn't that cause trouble with Eishun-sama?" Negi asked worriedly.

"I don't see why." The Dean said with a shrug. "We are taking a troublemaker out of his hands. I'd imagine my son-in-law would be thankful rather than upset over it. That being the case, Inugami-san?"

"Yes?" Kotarō said, snapping to attention.

"Would you prefer to serve your punishment here in Mahora?"

The half-demon shot Negi a look before replying.

"Here Konoe-sama." The canine boy said with confidence.

"Very well," the Dean said with a decisive nod. "Now Inugami-san stay, I will need you to fill up some documentation. Negi-sensei, you are dismissed."

"Yes, sir."

With a polite bow, Negi exited the Dean's office.

He was barely out of the doors when Chamo, who was waiting outside the office, climbed up Negi's shoulder and said. "Hey, Aniki. I found out where that cosplaying girl is."

"Thank you, Chamo-kun."

"Not that I ain't proud of you chasing some girl, but why are ya looking for this one?" The ermine asked curiously.

"I just wanted to check up on her. She rarely breaks her usual routine, but since she is doing so today, I wanted to find out why."

"If you say so," Chamo said with a nod and a knowing smirk.

Back with Chisame and Ranma, the two girls were taking a break from their chatting to enjoy their food when suddenly Negi appeared out of nowhere. He literally jumped out of a bush nearby, giving them both a slight scare.

How the hell did he know where we were!? Ranma thought as she stilled her runaway heart. As she did she noticed Chamo on his shoulder and figured things out.

That blasted ermine spirit guided him here didn't he? He probably sweet talked the brat into scaring us too. Ranma concluded as she glared at the fairy. I am so gonna get you back for this, you perverted fae.

"Ugh! Looks like our spot is compromised, Ranma-san." Hasegawa-san said, sounding annoyed even as she hastily smothered a half formed smile.

Ranma smirked at her friend's tsundere attitude and turned to address the brat.

"Negi-sensei, what brings you here?"

"Sorry for scaring you two." Negi-sensei with an apologetic bow. "I just wanted to check on Hasegawa-san. It's not often she goes out of her way to eat outside of the dorm cafeteria, so I was concerned."

"How do you know this?!"

"I, uh, keep track of all my students." Negi replied as he nervously adjusted his collar.

"That's impossible and you know it!"

Not quite. Not when you have a dedicated spy like a certain weasel. Ranma thought as she eyed Chamo with a glare.

Though if I'm reading the cues right… Oh! Negi is really growing up, isn't he? Ranma noted with amusement.

Keeping her cool despite her epiphany, Ranma slyly asked, "Negi-sensei, would you like to join us?"

Hasegawa-san looked annoyed at this, if the look the petite redhead got was anything to go by.

"Sensei's walked all the way over here. It's only polite to invite him to stay awhile." Ranma told her friend.

Hasegawa-san's grumpy look lifted, just a bit. Looking over at their boyish Sensei, the bespectacled girl asked, "So what are you going to eat, Negi-Sensei?"

Smiling, Ranma solved that problem.

"He can have my bento. I'll grab a snack later. Just let me grab a few more bites."

Shoveling down a few more clumps of rice and one of the fried shrimp from her bento, Ranma handed the boxed lunch over to Negi-sensei.

"I have something to check up with Haruna anyway." She said before either of the others could say anything. "See you two around. Bye!"

Before Hasegawa-san or Negi could protest, Ranma sprinted away but not before she and Chamo shared a knowing look.

Omake: Ranma and Chiu

"So you want me to do this for ditching you with Negi-sensei the other day?" Ranma asked with an amused grin as she watched her classmate fiddle with her recording equipment in the little home studio she'd set up inside her dorm room.

"Yes," Hasegawa-san hissed. "Do you know how bloody awkward having lunch with him was? In repayment of that, having you help me with my latest Chiu photoshoot is the least you can do."

"Well, I don't mind." Ranma said as she looked down at the frilly dress that Hasegawa-san had gotten her to wear. "But this dress is kinda conservative for this type of thing."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Hasegawa-san said, shooting her a confused look. "That's the cutest dress I could find in your size."

"Is it?" Ranma replied with a smirk as she walked over to the garment bag she'd brought along. "Well, I can do better."

Opening it, she revealed that it contained an even more frilly, over the top, gothic lolita dress than the one she was already wearing.

Chisame was speechless and could only stare in open mouthed shock.

"I like dressing up." Ranma confessed with a dimpled smile.

Hasegawa-san's glasses held a glare to them as she gave her two big thumbs up.

In Eva's Cottage, the bored vampire was mindlessly surfing the internet and decided to check up on Chiu's channel to see if Hasegawa had uploaded anything new. That crazy cosplay girl's streams were always good for some mindless entertainment. Just watching her act so out of character was amusing.

Today though Eva was shocked when she saw that Hasegawa's latest video included not only her but also Ranma as well! With the latter dressed in the frilliest dress she'd ever seen

And looking absolutely ravishing. Eva thought to herself unconsciously as she wiped some drool from the corner of her mouth.

How she just wanted to pull at those ribbons.

"I totally have to convince her to dress up more." She said absently, her eyes glued to the screen of her laptop. "If she looks half as good in a proper dress… Wait! That's a bad idea! What if someone else sees her like that and thinks the same way?"

"Master, what are you talking about?" Chachamaru asked, as she poked her head curiously out of the kitchen where she was making dinner.

Eva closed the laptop quickly, "Nothing! Just plotting how to uh, torture someone. You know. Boring stuff."

Chachamaru sported a disbelieving look but didn't contest her story and returned to her cooking.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Eva reopened her laptop and quickly got back onto Hasegawa's stream. There was no way she was going to miss a second of her adorable apprentice's screen time if she could help it!

Done and done! Thanks to Nameless as always!

Ah, a nice light chapter to get back into the swing of things. Personally, Chisame continues to entertain with her need for normalcy and Ranma trying to be a matchmaker it seems. Her and Chisame just have cute chemistry as friends and I love it. Kind of wholesome.

Nameless: So this is the first chapter in a series of filler chapters leading up to the Mahora Festival and all the madness that's going to happen then. Most of them are likely to be a bit on the short side, like this one, hope you guys don't mind.

We have Kotaro enrolled now, serving out his punishment. We have some ideas for him, like how we do with a lot of characters. So stay tuned!

Nameless: So lastly, kuriboh1233 mentioned in their review of the last chapter that it was confusing to see Ranma disapprove of Pactios and yet readily effectively enslave the Slime Sisters. This is a case of Ranma walking down the dark path, as it were. I would've thought that her creepy laughter as she tormented them was clue enough of that. In light of that, what's a little hypocrisy, right?

You know what to do! Smash that review button and tell us what you love! No flames and peace off my peeps!