Author's Notes:

Alright, so something I think I forgot to clarify is that the Kumagawa in this fic is Kumagawa before he enrolls in Hakoniwa Academy, but after he leaves Suisou Academy and the events of his gaiden, Good Loser Kumagawa.

In other words, Kumagawa has only the undeteriorated All-Fiction at the moment and he has yet to be reformed personality wise.

Also, for those of you who haven't read Medaka Box, here's a mini info dump: Normals=normal people, Specials=naturally gifted and talented people, Abnormals and Minuses=people with superpowers. That's the basics, and there are some key differences between Abnormals and Minuses, but I won't bother info dumping all of that right now. If you guys want me to, I can go ahead and do that next time. I just thought that it may or may not be important to get that out there.

This is gonna be a short chapter because it's mostly supposed to just set up the next two chapters, but enjoy anyway.

-STORY START-

The Valliere family was known as the strongest, most prestigious, most influential noble family in all of Tristain, and amongst the top five in all of Halkeginia. This powerful family, minus one, sat brooding around a large, oaken dining table. The topic at hand: their soon returning family member.

"Louise, that little chit!" the eldest sister, Eleanore, spat angrily. "How could she get expelled from the Academy!? Especially after she was the one who begged to be allowed to go!?"

"Now, now, sister Eleanore," the second eldest daughter, Cattleya, said soothingly. "She wasn't expelled, she was just suspended."

"An indefinite suspension is the same thing as expulsion!" Eleanore retorted.

As the two daughters continued to argue, Cattleya doing her best to placate her seething elder sibling, Karin once more turned her gaze at the contents of the letter the family had received directly from Headmaster Osmond.

To House Valliere,

It is with great regret I must inform you, the Valliere family, that Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere has been henceforth indefinitely suspended from the Tristain Academy of Magic until such a time that the danger she and her familiar poses has been absolved.

Sincerely,

Headmaster Osmond

Osmond was a man Karin knew personally as a pervert without equal, but also an intelligent and capable man, and one of the most skilled mages Tristain had to offer, though his skill had been largely diminished due to the physical frailty of old age.

In point of fact, Osmond had been Karin's teacher when she attended the Academy, and had been the only teacher that approved, and even encouraged her then dream of becoming the strongest mageknight in Tristain. Even after graduation, the two still occasionally corresponded through letters, and had done so more regularly once her daughter, Louise, began attending the Academy as well.

Though Karin was a firm believer in the Rule of Steel, she was also still a mother, and it was a mother's duty to make certain that their child was well and striving to do her best. Though, Osmond and Karin both knew that Louise was not a skilled mage, and that she tended to always produce explosive results.

However, Karin frowned, she also knew the extent of what Louise was capable of. Yes, she always failed her spells and created explosions instead, but the extent of the damage of her explosions tended to be more comedic than anything else. That was how it had been for most of her life. Had something changed since then?

And why had Osmond so obviously deliberately used a short, almost cryptic message instead of explaining more properly why her daughter had been "indefinitely suspended?" After all, when a student has been suspended, it was natural for the school to explain why she had been suspended. Karin pursed her lips as she carefully folded the message and placed it on the table.

Judging from the way Osmond had deliberately written that it was the danger of her daughter AND her familiar, Karin had little doubt that it was the familiar that had served as the catalyst for her sudden suspension. This would make sense, considering that her summoning a familiar was the only notable change from before and now. At least, that was as far as she was aware of. However, what that familiar was, Karin could only guess, as Louise and Osmond both failed, or perhaps refused, to inform her of what her daughter had summoned. If it was dangerous enough for Louise to be suspended, then it was clearly on a level completely different from any other familiar. For even dragons, known as one of the most dangerous types of familiars a mage could summon, did not warrant suspension.

Karin frowned as she pursued that line of thought. Did that mean her daughter's familiar was stronger than a dragon? Unlikely. There were very few creatures stronger and more dangerous than a dragon. But being stronger did not necessarily mean being more dangerous. A violent, disobedient dog was more of a threat to others than a perfectly obedient dragon, after all.

So then, was Louise's familiar very disobedient? That would fall in line with her own suspicions about her daughter's capabilities. Being a sub-par mage, it wasn't unusual if Louise was incapable of controlling her familiar properly, thereby endangering her and others.

However, even then, the familiar would have to be sufficiently strong enough to provoke such a reaction from the headmaster. A suspension for a disobedient familiar? That was a little unbelievable, even for her. A violent dog, after all, could simply be put in a cage. Even a dragon could be restrained and muzzled.

Therefore, Karin thought, her daughter's familiar was something independent enough to behave disobediently and violently, and also strong enough to pose a serious threat to others.

"Enough," Karin said, silencing her still bickering daughters. Eleanore and Cattleya immediately fell silent. "When Louise returns, we will discuss the matter properly, and I shall deal her punishment myself."

All those in the room went pale at that.

-SCENE BREAK-

"Headmaster," Colbert said quietly, staring at the back of the elderly man. "Are you certain that suspending Miss Valliere was for the best? All we're doing is allowing that familiar to leave alive."

"No, I'm not certain," Osmond sighed ruefully. "However, that thing cannot be allowed to stay here. It absolutely cannot. It is a monster, one that Miss Valliere herself can scarcely control. It follows her for what I can only imagine as out of its own sick amusement. And above all else, I fear that, before long, it will turn Miss Valliere into one like it."

"And so, you sent her back to her family, hoping that they can provide the moral support that we cannot in order to prevent such a thing?" Colbert said. "Or are you perhaps hoping that Karin the Heavy Wind will be able to deal with the familiar herself in our stead?"

Osmond turned to face Colbert and sighed again, regret thick on his features. "Both," he admitted.

"In that case," Colbert said calmly, "why did you not inform the Valliere family of their youngest daughter's familiar's true power? All-Fiction is not something Karin can simply remain ignorant of."

Osmond snorted. "And what would you have me write to her? That her daughter's familiar has the ability to negate reality? If you were in her shoes, without knowing the truth, would you believe me?"

"No," Colbert admitted with a sigh of his own. "I suppose I would not. It is unrealistic."

"Mmm," Osmond agreed. "In any case, Karin was once my most clever and talented student. I'm sure she'll have picked up on the clues I gave her by now."

"Then what of the palace? Should we not inform them as well?" Colbert asked. "If we simply inform them that Miss Valliere's familiar is actually the Gandalfr, that would be enough to cause them to at least investigate more closely. And if that's the case, the chances of them realizing its true nature and its danger is high."

"I agree," Osmond nodded. "And it's why I've already sent a letter to the princess as well."

SCENE BREAK

"Did you hear, Tabitha?" Kirche said. "Louise was suspended."

The petite wind mage simply nodded as she read her book.

"Still," Kirche said with a frown. "Although this is good enough, it's still not what I had exactly hoped for. That demon is still alive and free, after all."

"Nothing," Tabitha said.

"I know that there's nothing we can do about it and that he's too much for us to deal with," Kirche said exasperatedly, easily reading what her best friend's true words were. "But still, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth knowing that he got away free."

Tabitha nodded.

"Still," Kirche sighed, "I suppose all we can do now is wait and see what happens, and hope for the best."

Tabitha nodded again.

-SCENE BREAK-

"Come in," Henrietta said upon noticing the knocking on her study's door.

The door opened, and a woman dressed in a noble's cloak, a symbol of her status as a Chevalier, walked in. While the cloak was not unusual in and of itself, it was unusual that she, unlike most others who bore that cloak, had a sheathed sword and a holstered gun at her side, and wore a chainmail armor and a robe emblazoned with a lily coat of arms, Tristain's symbol, over it. What distinguished her even further from not just other nobles, but most other people, were the hideous burn scars on half her face, and which continued on down to below her neckline; the scars of her past.

This woman was no mage like every other noble. She was a knight. In other words, a commoner. But more than that, Agnes was her trusted confidant, subordinate, and friend. And in her hand, she held what Henrietta suspected was the reason for her coming here.

"Agnes," Henrietta smiled at her friend. "How are you?"

"The same as always, Your Highness," Agnes said concisely, causing Henrietta to frown slightly. Agnes was never one to play around with words, preferring instead to deliver her thoughts and intentions as quickly and simply as possible. Still, Henrietta wished that Agnes would converse with her more. "I bear a message for you from Headmaster Osmond."

"Osmond?" Henrietta blinked. Due to their respective positions, it wasn't exactly uncommon for her to receive messages from the old pervert, but they were still typically only for important events, such as information of graduating students, the summoning ritual, etc. However, the closest such event was the summoning ritual, and she had already received a message from the pervert on that matter. "Alright. Let's see it."

Agnes dutifully handed over the letter to the princess. Henrietta quickly broke the seal and began reading through it.

"Oh my," Henrietta murmured softly after finishing reading the contents of the paper.

"Your Highness?" Agnes said curiously. "Is everything alright?"

"Tell me, Agnes," Henrietta said as she looked up from the letter. "What do you know of Brimir's familiars?"

"Nothing, Your Highness," Agnes admitted easily. "Religion is not a large part of my life."

"No, I suppose it wouldn't be," Henrietta frowned sadly as she recalled Agnes' tragic past. Many years ago, it was on orders of the Church that Agnes' hometown, D'Angletarre, a town innocent of all charges laid upon it, was burned to the ground with not a single survivor, save for Agnes herself. It was Henrietta's promise to help find those responsible for committing the deed so that Agnes could kill them in revenge that bound the knight's loyalty to the princess. "Though I suppose even if it was, it is unlikely you would know of them. There are few who actually care to know of Brimir's familiars, instead focusing entirely on the man himself. In any case, I'll tell you."

Agnes nodded and relaxed her posture slightly as she settled down to listen.

"Unlike any other mage in recorded history," Henrietta began explaining, "Brimir was unique in that he was not limited to one familiar. Instead, he had four. Although knowledge of the fourth one has been lost, the other three are known as the Gandalfr, Windalfr, and Myoznitnirn. According to the stories, the Gandalfr is the master of all weapons, the Windalfr is the master of all beasts and creatures, and Myoznitnirn is the master of all magical items." Henrietta paused and tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Keeping in line with that pattern, I wonder if the fourth familiar is also a master of something, though I can scarcely imagine what. Perhaps something as abstract as light and darkness? Emotions? Or perhaps even something like being the master of the world's natural phenomenons?"

Henrietta shook her head. "But I digress. In any case, Osmond's letter had just informed me that it is entirely possible that my dear friend, Louise Valliere, has somehow managed to summon the Gandalfr as her familiar."

"Truly?" Agnes arched an eyebrow. "The Gandalfr, the familiar of Brimir himself, summoned by... Lady Valliere?"

Henrietta's lips twitched in amusement. She understood Agnes' hesitation perfectly. While she loved Louise dearly as her best friend, Henrietta knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Louise was not what one would call a skilled mage, not even remotely. To think that such a person could summon a legendary familiar was preposterous.

"That's what the old perv-... I mean, what the headmaster claims," Henrietta said. "He tells me that the runes match up perfectly and that the familiar is very powerful. Too powerful, as it seems it necessitated him suspending my friend."

"What shall we do, then?" Agnes asked.

"Hm..." Henrietta drummed her fingers on the table thoughtfully. "I suppose that it's worth looking into at the very least. We'll stop by the Valliere estate on our way to Germania for the final negotiations. But so help me, if that old pervert suspended my friend for nothing, I'll have his job for this."

-SCENE BREAK-

"I'm so dead, I'm so dead, I'm so dead," Louise chanted fearfully like a mantra as she cradled her head in her arms.

From the opposite seat of the carriage they rode in, Kumagawa lounged nonchalantly. "[Don't worry,]" Kumagawa said. "[Even if you die, I'll just revive you.]"

"Shut up," Louise snapped angrily as she looked up to glare at her familiar, her fear transforming into anger. "This is all your fault. If you hadn't killed the headmaster and Professor Colbert, none of this would have happened! I wouldn't have been expelled or have to go back to my family in shame or anything!"

"[I brought them back to life afterward, didn't I? And, correct me if I'm wrong,]" Kumagawa said casually, "[but weren't you only indefinitely suspended?]"

"It's the same exact thing!" Louise cried out.

"[Huh. If that's the case, why don't they just call it expulsion instead of indefinite suspension?]" Kumagawa wondered curiously. "[Seems to me that they're just trying to sugarcoat it.]"

"Why couldn't I summon anything else besides you?" Louise groaned as she once more began cradling her head in her arms. "Even something as lame as a mouse would have been okay. Anything else!"

"[Oh, speaking of mice,]" Kumagawa smacked one fist over an open palm, "[I'm going to miss the old man's mouse. It was so cool! Knowing how to peek up women's skirts? Genius!]"

"Shut up," Louise ordered angrily again, still cradling her head. "I'm so dead, I'm so dead, I'm so dead."

"[What are you so afraid of anyway?]" Kumagawa asked curiously.

"... My mother."

Kumagawa blinked for a moment. "[Pfft!]" he began laughing. "[You're mom? You're afraid of your mom? Hahaha!]"

"Shut up!" Louise ordered for a third time. "This isn't a laughing matter! She's going to kill me! She's really going to kill me for getting expelled!"

"[Indefinitely suspended,]" Kumagawa corrected.

"Same thing," Louise snapped back. "Ooh, I'm so dead, I'm so dead, I'm so dead."

"[Hm... Well, if that's the case,]" Kumagawa said as his mirthful grin settled back down into his typical, insincere one, "[why not just kill her first?]"

"What?" Louise looked at Kumagawa with a mixture of horror, fear, and anger. "Are you joking? She's my mother! I can't kill my mother! And even if I wanted to, which I don't, she's far too strong for me to even think about fighting!"

Kumagawa considered this for a moment, tapping his chin thoughtfully as he did. Then he nodded once and said, "[Well, then, I guess you really are dead, huh?]"

"Don't act like you have nothing to do with it!" Louise snapped, angered by Kumagawa's nonchalant attitude. "This is all your fault!"

"[It is?]" Kumagawa said with feigned surprise.

"Of course it is!" Louise said angrily.

"[I don't think it is though,]" Kumagawa frowned. "[I mean, it's not my fault that they attacked me first.]"

"You were the one who killed the headmaster the first time in his office!" Louise cried out.

"[Yeah, but I brought him back afterward, didn't I?]" Kumagawa pointed out. "[Besides, he was being unfair and hypocritical. He deserved it, so it's not my fault.]"

"Kumagawa... You... Argh!" Louise threw her hands up into the air and vented her frustration. Then she rested her forehead against the side of the carriage and began chanting once more, "I'm so dead, I'm so dead, I'm so dead."

"[Besides,]" Kumagawa continued, "[why would you even care about a guy like him anyway? He's already abandoned you, after all.]"

"What are you talking about?" Louise said, looking up to look at Kumagawa.

"[I mean, think about it,]" Kumagawa said. "[He's taken you hostage already once before just to try and kill me. And then, when he failed, he chose to expel you immediately. All this instead of actually trying to help you. That hypocrite just wants to protect himself.]"

"That's not true," Louise said, though the fire in her voice had gone now. "This is all because you're a danger to others."

"[Am I really?]" Kumagawa grinned. "[When have I ever truly harmed someone? Yeah, I set free the familiars, but they were all able to resummon them easily afterward. And as for me killing the teachers? Did I not revive them afterward without a single trace of an injury? There was no lasting harm done to anyone in the Academy.]"

"That's a poor argument and you know it," Louise said. "Just because the others were able to summon their familiars again and that you made the injuries and deaths of the teachers into nothing, doesn't change the fact that you still committed the deed."

"[Really?]" Kumagawa cocked his head. Then he shrugged. "[Oh well. It still doesn't change the fact then that he left you to be tormented by the other students' bullying. I mean, gee, if I was a student, I would hate to have a teacher that let that happen to me. In fact, I think I'd be so mad that I would have to mess them up a bit. Ah, no worries though, I'm still underage, so I would of course bring them back to life. I wouldn't want to be charged with murder before I can get the full punishment for it after all.]"

Louise stared at her familiar for a moment. "Kumagawa, I really hate you," Louise said quietly. "And like you, your All-Fiction is a disgusting, awful ability. If the time comes when it's never used again, that will still be too soon."

"[Well, that's kind of mean,]" Kumagawa smiled. "[Well, that's okay. I'm used to such insults. In fact, for you, I won't even ask for an apology.]"

Louise sighed and leaned against the carriage wall, shuddering as she her mind began to wonder about what frightful punishment her mother had in store for her when she returned home.