Are there people around you who aren't exactly annoying, but just so unassuming that everyone forgets they exist? Surely, every class has at least one such person, right? Actually... I've always been here.

"Sigh, even saying that, no one can see me. What can I do? I'm a ghost."

In the quiet classroom of Mahora Academy's Class 2-A late at night... No, it should be Class 3-A now. Sitting in the front row of the silent classroom was a girl with silvery-white hair and a delicate, quiet appearance. Although she wore a school uniform, it wasn't the vibrant, youthful one from Mahora Middle School; this one looked much older.

The girl sat alone in the empty classroom, a hint of loneliness on her face. "I'm in third year again. How many times has it been now? Although the surrounding classmates change often, this time it's been a while. And this time, the classmates seem more interesting, but... everyone still can't see me. Because not only am I a ghost, I have no presence whatsoever. I can't even find a single friend. I’m such a useless ghost."

The girl lamented to herself, her mood very low. Her gaze drifted backward intermittently, a trace of timidity flickering in her eyes. "Maybe I should go back to the convenience store nearby. At least the lights are always on there. The school at night always feels like it might harbor demons and monsters. I’m so scared. But I’ll try to last one night here today. During the day, I thought I heard a teacher call my name and ask me to stay behind... Hehe, I must be overthinking it. Since no one can see me, how could they possibly call my name? Still, I'll allow myself a little hope."

Pat, pat, pat...

Just then, the girl suddenly heard a light sound of footsteps coming from the corridor outside the classroom.

"H-have the demons finally appeared?" The girl’s face instantly changed color in fright. She fumbled about, seemingly at a loss for what to do. "Waaah... What if a monster comes? I’ll be eaten! Someone, save me!"

"Are you an idiot? You’re a ghost yourself, so what are you afraid of?" The classroom door was pushed open, and a figure stood there, speaking calmly.

The girl instinctively looked forward, and upon seeing the figure, she cried out reflexively, "Teacher Lin Luo!"

"Of course it’s me. Who else would there be besides you in this school who is a demon or monster... well, though there are certainly quite a few perverts," Lin Luo said with a faint smile as he walked forward.

"Eh? Why can the teacher see me? And talk to me? I’m clearly a ghost with no presence; even many powerful Spirit Mediums can't see me," the girl finally realized, asking in a state of panic.

"Don't casually compare me to those third-rate Spirit Mediums." Lin Luo walked up to her and gently tapped her forehead. "Didn't I specifically ask you to stay behind after class during the day? It seems you listened to me properly."

"Ow, that hurts!" The girl rubbed her forehead, tears welling up, but quickly, surprise replaced the pain. "The teacher asked me to stay? So what I heard during the day wasn't an illusion? The teacher really did call my name?"

"If it were an illusion, how could I possibly be standing here right now?" Lin Luo stated as a matter of fact. "Speaking of which, it’s actually a good thing our class students are all idiots. Even if I call your name openly, they choose to ignore it." In other words, even her name has no presence.

"That’s wonderful! Someone can finally see me,..." The girl cried tears of joy. After weeping for a moment, she asked, "Teacher, why did you ask me to stay behind?"

"I do have something to discuss." Lin Luo nodded. "In fact, I am the most powerful Spirit Medium in this world. My job is to eliminate all ghosts that cause trouble in the human realm, so I am here to perform an exorcism." As he said this, a slight fierceness flashed in his eyes.

"...Waaah! Save me!" The girl first froze, then turned and tried to fly out, but the moment she took off, Lin Luo yanked her back. She struggled, flailing her limbs wildly.

Seeing this, Lin Luo couldn't help but laugh heartily. "Idiot, I was just kidding. If I were an exorcist, you would have been exorcised on my very first day at this school, hahaha."

Although Lin Luo said that, the girl still looked shaken, cautiously observing his expression. Only when she confirmed he truly had no intention of getting rid of her did she finally relax completely.

"Hmph, don't scare people like that," the girl complained aggrievedly.

Lin Luo was speechless. "You’re a ghost capable of scaring ordinary people to death, yet you're this timid?"

"I'm sorry. I'm a useless, cowardly ghost with no presence." Hearing this, the girl immediately crouched in the corner of the room, drawing circles, a gray backdrop appearing around her.

"..." Lin Luo sweatdropped.

Aisaka Sayo, a student of Mahora Academy's middle school division sixty years ago, died due to an unknown reason and has remained a geobound spirit here ever since. Due to her extremely low presence, even many mages and people from the dark world cannot detect her. Currently, the only people who know of her existence and can see her are Lin Luo, Evangeline, the Headmaster, Takahata Ryudo, and a few others—perhaps plus one Head of PAD.

Incidentally, she was also the Headmaster's unrequited crush sixty years ago. The fact that she could remain safely in this magical school, rife with perverts, as a ghost, besides her own harmless nature, is likely due in large part to the Headmaster’s efforts.

"Teacher, do you have a way to make others see me?" Lin Luo’s purpose in seeking her out was to help her manifest, and upon hearing this, Aisaka Sayo’s face filled with utter disbelief, mixed with surprise and joy.

"There is a way, but whether it will succeed is unknown."

Spiritual Body Materialization could indeed grant a ghost like Aisaka Sayo a physical form, but the problem was that ancient magic wasn't easy to master, and he still needed to learn two other supporting spells. In less than a single star's time, Lin Luo had only grasped the basics.

He originally planned to use it only after mastering the spell completely. However, first, this magic caused no harm to the recipient, and second, he needed Sayo's help with something. If it succeeded, that would be great; if it failed, there was no loss.

Spiritual Body Materialization, when stripped down, is similar to a form of Word of Power magic, achieving effective results through spoken words. It's like those recent online exchanges where people mock each other with phrases like "Canghai of the View" or "Sanitary Pad stained with Blood"... Although that is often an alternative form of bromance, simply by exchanging jabs, they actually conjure up genuine affection.

Of course, this type of Word of Power magic cannot achieve whatever one wishes. It can only affect formless entities like spirits and ghosts, granting them a truly visible, physical form—this is Spiritual Body Materialization.

In ancient times, ghosts and spirits were quite powerful; even Magisters could not defeat them easily because they were formless. But once they gained a tangible form, even a slightly stronger mage could easily deal with them.

"From formless to tangible, manifest, Aisaka Sayo."

As the Word of Power was uttered, white light flickered. Based on the source within Lin Luo himself, countless white particles instantly appeared in the darkness, and then these points all converged toward Sayo’s body. Before long, her body underwent a subtle change.

Lin Luo appropriately took out a mirror and shone it on her. A formless ghost would not appear in the mirror, but a tangible entity would...

"I can see it! I really can see myself!" When Aisaka Sayo saw herself in the mirror, she immediately became so excited she danced, but this elation didn't last long, because soon the figure in the mirror vanished again.

"Huh? Why can't I see it anymore?" The girl was instantly very disappointed.

Lin Luo shrugged with a hint of helplessness. "The materialization was successful, but its persistence needs strengthening. Don't worry too much; solving this problem isn't actually difficult. I just need to become more proficient with this spell."

"Mm," the girl nodded weakly, still seeming a bit unwilling to accept it.

"Alright, let's put this matter aside for now. Next, I need to tell you something else..." With that, Lin Luo leaned down and whispered a few words into the girl's ear.

"Eh? Scaring Class 3-A students? Is that really okay, Teacher?" The girl sounded somewhat hesitant.

"It’s fine," Lin Luo comforted with a smile. "It's just a scare; it won't cause them any harm. They’re a bunch of idiots anyway; even if they’re terrified today, they’ll be energetic again tomorrow."

"But why do you want to scare them, Teacher?"

"There’s an important reason, of course. Simply put... A lion must expose its cubs to some setbacks and trials to train them. One cannot see a rainbow without enduring the storm."

"What is that? It’s too hard to understand."

"That makes you an idiot too."

"That’s so mean..."

...

"Class Three... A."

The sign outside the former Class 2-A classroom now read "Class 3-A." Although the school year had already begun several days ago, everyone's excitement hadn't cooled down, and cheers like this erupted every day when they gathered in the classroom.

"What a bunch of idiots." Only a few sensible people scoffed at this. Although they desperately wanted to teach these idiots a lesson and make them understand that common sense was the mainstream of this world, the problem was that nine-tenths of Class 3-A were idiots. The normal ones simply couldn't form any resistance and were forced to be ruled by the idiots.

"Did everyone hear? After a rumor about a vampire spread through the dorms recently, there's talk of a vampire appearing on Sakura Avenue, specifically attacking girls walking by at night." As the girls chatted, someone suddenly brought up a topic.

Idiots, that’s obviously fake. How could there be vampires in this world... The bespectacled girl sitting in the last row couldn't help but mutter inwardly.

However, others were not as "normal" as she was. Someone retorted, "It's not a vampire, it’s a ghost! I saw it once! I heard it often says things like, 'I want to be your friend, come over here.'"

"Nonsense! It’s clearly a Giant Land Octopus! My friend’s sister’s aunt’s daughter’s cousin encountered that giant land octopus the night before last! It scared her so much she eats octopus balls every day now for revenge." Another girl offered a different opinion.

"Who is she, exactly?" Someone sweated nervously.

"That rumor must be fake. Stop talking nonsense and let's get back to proper business."

"It’s not fake! Asuna, you brainless idiot, I saw it with my own eyes!"

"Who are you calling a brainless idiot?"

Just as a civil war threatened to erupt in Class 3-A, the classroom door was suddenly slammed open, and a girl rushed in, saying frantically, "It's bad, it's bad! Shizue-chan was attacked on Sakura Avenue!"

"What?" The girls were instantly shocked, and almost all of them rushed toward the infirmary.

In the infirmary, Shizue lay pale on the cot. According to the school nurse, although her body had suffered no physical harm, she had fainted from extreme fright and might not wake up for a while.

"See? Shizue was attacked by the vampire too! Look, she must have fang marks on her neck."

"I told you it was a ghost! Look how pale she is; her soul must have been pulled to the Sanzu River."

"Idiots, it was the Giant Land Octopus! Look at her uniform, there are obvious drag marks."

Everyone voiced their strong opinions and refused to yield, which left the school nurse feeling extremely exasperated. She said awkwardly, "I don't think now is the time to be debating this. Shouldn't you be concerned about your classmate instead?"

"Aargh! Damn you, Giant Land Octopus! Get away from me!" Just then, Shizue, who was thought unlikely to wake up anytime soon, suddenly sat up on the cot, shouting loudly.

"Ah! It really was the Giant Land Octopus! I guessed right!" A certain girl blinked, then beamed with victorious joy.

"Class President, let's eat octopus balls every day from now on in Class 3-A!" After waking up, Shizue immediately suggested to Yukihira Ayaka.

"Who wants to eat that stuff every day?"

... After everyone left the infirmary, on the way back to the classroom, Asuna secretly pulled Negi aside and asked in a low voice, "Negi, what's really going on? Is there actually a Giant Land Octopus?"

"This..." Negi looked embarrassed for a moment, then said seriously, "I think it must be a magical creature. I felt a fluctuation of magical energy on Shizue-chan just now, very faint, but I’m certain. The culprit is a mage!"

"A mage? Someone just like you?" Asuna was greatly alarmed.

"Mages exist to help others. A mage who harms people has appeared in our school—I must investigate this matter thoroughly," Negi stated firmly.

...

Meanwhile, in the Class 3-A classroom, Evangeline stood up from her seat and walked toward the exit.

"Master, where are you going?" Chacha-Maru immediately followed upon seeing this.

"Stay here. I’m going out for a walk alone." Waving her hand, Evangeline commanded her to stay and left the classroom by herself.

"I knew you’d be here." On the balcony at the very top of the middle school building, Evangeline approached the person half-reclining in a lounge chair not far away. "You did that, didn't you?"

Lin Luo turned to look at her and smiled. "Which incident are you referring to, Evangeline?"

"Hmph. You can fool others, but don’t think you can fool me. Attacking girls on Sakura Avenue—I can’t think of anyone else who would do such a thing besides you," Evangeline sneered coldly.

No, actually I’m just copying your methods... Lin Luo thought to himself.

"What are you planning to do? Doing things like this at Mahora won't end well for you. You better not underestimate this school," Evangeline warned.

"Is that concern?" Lin Luo asked with a smile.

"Don’t talk nonsense!" Evangeline immediately became tsundere and shouted, "Because of this, that old geezer thought I did it and called me in for a talk! Don't cause me any trouble, you hear?"

That’s normal, considering Evangeline's history. Of course, Lin Luo couldn't say that, so he asked with feigned concern, "So how did you answer him?"

"Hmph, I couldn't be bothered to answer him. I just gave him two punches. Now he looks like a panda," Evangeline said proudly, crossing her arms.

"..." Lin Luo was speechless. Poor Headmaster.

"Tell me, what exactly are you scheming?"

"It’s nothing much. Just completing a task that someone else should have done." Lin Luo said words that baffled Evangeline, then smiled, "Don't worry, nothing major will happen. Just treat it as an amusing spectacle."

"Hmph. If any trouble arises, I won’t step in," Evangeline declared, turning to leave. However, halfway there, she suddenly looked back and pointed at the empty space behind Lin Luo. "Speaking of which, has this guy become your spirit companion now?"

"Eh?" A girl's figure instantly materialized in the formerly empty space. She looked at Evangeline’s retreating back in disbelief and asked Lin Luo, "She... she can see me too?"

Lin Luo didn't answer. Instead, he stroked his chin and mused aloud, "With Negi's ability, he should be able to detect the magic I left on Shizue. So he’ll likely make a move tonight. Although his current strength isn't much to look at, just in case, I need to find another helper. Otherwise, if my identity is exposed, I won't get another chance to make a grand, heroic entrance. So, which helper should I find?"

In terms of combat strength, Lin Luo believed he was definitely sufficient now; as long as he wasn't facing someone on the level of the Head Maid or the Headmaster, he should be fine. What he lacked was... eyes.

"Yes, I have enough time. It seems it’s time to let that guy make his entrance. My strongest Servant—the King of Concealment. You will be the one to bring the Octopus Incident to its climax!"

Lin Luo touched the first Command Seal on the back of his hand and let out a slight laugh.

PS: Sigh, as I write Mahou Sensei Negima!, my lingering grievances surface. Such a classic manga only got eight animated episodes (Negima! Magister Negi Magi, Negima!? Spring in a Full Moon, and The Echoes of Flames arc; I consider TV seasons 1 and 2 as fan fiction). Damn Shaft! A thousand curses upon you for prioritizing bromance!