"...I see."
Asakura. Which meant Chamo was almost certainly pulling the strings. But to what end? This wasn't a standard Pactio—there was no resonance between the magic circle and my SP. Fine. I'll get the truth out of them in the morning.
"What's with the face, Axel?" Misa teased. "Are you disappointed it was only the two of us? You're more of a womanizer than you look."
"It's not that." Though, considering Lemon and the others back home, I suppose I couldn't exactly deny the "womanizer" charge. "So the rest of the girls are targeting Negi?"
"Pretty much," Misa said. "Nodoka definitely is. Same for Makie and the Narutaki twins."
A cold dread pooled in my stomach. If every group had to send representatives... what about Group 6? Evangeline's group.
"And Group 6?"
"I think they forfeited."
I let out a breath of pure relief. Thank god Eva wasn't part of this idiocy.
Madoka and Misa stood up to leave. "Well, we're heading back. See you tomorrow, Axel," Madoka said, her shyness returning.
"Yeah. Try not to let Nitta catch you on the way back."
I watched them go, wondering if I should have said more. Should I have rejected the confession outright? My current form was a lie—a temporary shell. I didn't even know if I could ever return to my true self, and regardless, I didn't belong in this world. I was a soldier; eventually, I would have to leave Mahora. If they were warriors like Cornelia, I could take them with me to the Shadow Mirror. But they were just normal junior high students.
The kindest thing would be to cut them off. But looking at how Madoka had trembled, how much courage it had taken for her to speak... I couldn't bring myself to be that cruel.
"Listen... I don't know how to answer that confession yet," I called out. "But... let's just start as friends for now."
I was hedging. I knew it. Lemon always told me that my "kindness" was actually just a soft-hearted weakness. If I were Mu, I'd have talked my way out of this gracefully.
Madoka blinked, then gave me a bright, genuine smile. "Yeah. I'd like that, Axel."
"Hey, no fair favoring Madoka!" Misa chimed in. "You stole my first kiss and I get nothing?"
"Right. You too, Misa. Let's get along. ...Goodnight, Madoka. Goodnight, Misa."
"Goodnight!" they replied in unison, both of them flushing slightly at the use of their given names—a first for us.
The Next Day
While the rest of the class was buzzing about the "Pactio Cards" Chamo had distributed as prizes, a very different atmosphere reigned in a secluded corner of the grounds.
I stood facing Asakura, Chamo, and Negi. Ayaka, Chizuru, Asuna, and Setsuna stood off to the side. The air was heavy enough to choke on. Chamo and Asakura were pale, practically shrinking under my gaze.
"...So, it really was a Provisional Contract," I said, my voice low.
The two of them flinched.
"I told you before, didn't I?" I stepped forward. "If someone like Asakura wants to step into the world of magic with her eyes open, that's her choice. But I will not tolerate you deceiving innocents and dragging them into this mess."
"B-but, Brother Axel!" Chamo stammered. "You feel it too, don't you? This trip is getting dangerous! Konoka's kidnapping, the Kansai Magic Association... we need to bolster our forces—"
"Ignis."
I whispered the command. Using the bare minimum of SP, I manifested a flicker of flame directly in front of Chamo's beak.
"Eek!"
"Axel, wait! That's too much!" Asuna yelled.
"Be silent."
I cut her off with a look laced with enough killing intent to make her sweat and step back.
"Forces? You think they're 'forces'?" I turned back to the bird. "For a mage like Negi, a partner needs to be someone who can hold the front line. To put it bluntly: a meat shield. You think Miyazaki can do that? And more importantly, what gave you the right to involve Madoka and Misa? Did I ask you for more partners? Did I ask for a contract?"
"Axel-kun, Chamo-kun didn't mean any harm..." Negi started.
I sighed, the sound heavy with disappointment. "Negi. I told you: you are responsible for Chamo's actions. You're standing there acting like an innocent bystander, but this falls on you. The Headmaster said you wouldn't get a second chance if you failed your training here. Maybe you should start packing for England."
The gravity of the situation was lost on them. By forcing a Pactio, these girls were now officially "involved" in the magical world. In Mahora, we could have protected them. But here in Kyoto, we were outside our sphere of influence, surrounded by powerful enemies. If our rivals found out that Madoka, Misa, or Nodoka were linked to us, they would become targets for kidnapping, brainwashing, or worse. They were civilians. They couldn't defend themselves against Onmyoji or Shinmeiryū swordsmen.
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