[SB] My Philology Project on Shinobu Maehara

[Kataja76]

Introduction

"...And next time we shall discuss the library traditions of the Middle East, starting from the era of the Rashidun Caliphate. Does everybody have the suggested reading list? Good. Thank you and see you next week."

Nodoka Miyazaki did not look at the club members as she was speaking. In fact, it was hard to determine where she was looking.

"I hope one day I could be just like Miyazaki-sempai", whispered young Akiko Kishibe, with an air of admiration.

"Are you really sure about that?" giggled her classmate and best friend, Yuuna Shimoda.

Akiko snorted. "You don't respect Sempai because she's a bit of a weirdo. But if it wasn't for her, this whole section of the Library Exploration Club would not exist. We would have to wait another year until we could really learn anything about the Library Island."

She looked a bit offended and added with a firm voice, just to make herself clear, "I am very, very thankful to Nodoka-sempai!"

Yuuna was tired after a long day and felt like picking her friend up a bit. "Miyazaki-sempai may be hard-working and smart, but you know that wouldn't be enough." She grinned. "It's her friend, Ayase-san, the real weirdo of weirdos, who has some c-, y'know, connectio-ons... It's her who arranged that we can have our 'junior exploration tours'. Geez, that girl gives me the creeps!"

"A most pleasant surprise to hear that I am this popular among younger students", said a gentle yet colorless voice from behind them, accompanied by an ominous slurping sound of a drink-box straw. Akiko and Yuuna jumped on their seats, yelling out something like, "Kyaaaaah!"

"Now, now", Yue Ayase went on, "I would like to have a word with you, Akiko-kōhai. Are you in a hurry?"

"Who, me?! No, no! I have all the time of the world! That is, I mean..."

"Meet me at the main entrance in ten minutes then, will you?" Yue turned to Yuuna and gave an expression distantly related to an amused smile. "See you soon again, Shimoda-san!"

*******

Akiko had to wait a while for Yue. So many girls passing by, heading to the dormitories after their club activities. Few acquaintances. Akiko spotted her classmate Megumi further away and waved at her. And suddenly Ayase-sempai was there. That girl had a strange habit of appearing out of the blue just the moment you were looking the other way.

"I am sorry for keeping you waiting, Kōhai."

"Oh, it's nothing!"

"I can see you are tired. But I really wanted to suggest a project you might be able to handle. You are a promising would-be philologist and you need some practice. Besides, I am terribly lazy even when I get curious. So why not have the work done by somebody else?"

There was something magical about Ayase-sempai's expression and monotonous voice. It was as if she fed her ideas to you, you were more than happy to receive them, and only a bit afterwards did you notice the ironic comments she kept dropping. Then you wanted to laugh, but it would have seemed stupid to do that with a clear delay.

Akiko just nodded and waited for Sempai to finally explain something.

"Now, there was a strange coincidence a couple of days ago. I had to travel to Tokyo, and on the train this guy called Sekigawa helped me... Well, it is needless to bore you with details. Anyway, I ended up seeing a photo of a Tokyo University student who somehow reminds me very much of my dear friend Nodoka Miyazaki."

"Yes..?" said Akiko, understanding even less.

"Now the funny thing is, the girl in question seems to be a famous manga star. Imagine, living a story that millions of people will read, possibly even abroad."

"Well, that sure sounds... I don't know. Anyway, I guess I will never know anybody to whom that could happen."

Yue did not answer anything. She was quiet for a while, gazing into the distance.

Then she went on, "Now, I would like somebody to do some research on this person I have learned about. Some thorough research. That somebody could be you. I do not know yet what I want to do with the results. Maybe we could give a birthday present to my dear friend Nodoka... She does appreciate a good investigation report."

"Oh. Sounds interesting. Um, Ayase-san... How should I proceed?"

Yue cracked one of her minimalistic smiles. "I have obtained the three first volumes of this tankōbon, entitled 'Love Hina'. Your first task would be to read the manga with care, taking notes whenever you learn something significant about the person called Shinobu Maehara. Do not overdo it; I am not interested in exactly how many times she cooked for her friends during the Fall of 1998. But every time you learn something new about her life and background... You know, you might have to do this on a more serious basis one day, if you write somebody's biography, for example. I don't mind if you want to work together with some of your friends, but please do not let the news spread. If your report is going to end up as a present, it should be a surprise, right?"

"It sounds so funny to do things like this with a manga series... But I like this project idea. And even more so because it is linked to Miyazaki-sempai, sort of. It is an honor that you chose me!" Akiko bowed and received a paper bag containing the tankōbon volumes.

"Good luck, Kōhai. See you next week!" Yue said.

*******

I like experiments crossing over different genres. I might or might not write more chapters to this frame story. Anyway, I will be roleplaying Akiko Kishibe and doing this research project, little by little, for the greater glory of the Shinobu Brigade. I discussed the endless possibilities of Shinobu fandom when I was a newbie on AnimeB. Others may have forgotten, but I have not.

If somebody wants to join, PM'ing me first is recommended but not obligatory. The frame story is set at least one year after the beginning of the "Negima" manga storyline - in a period I know little about. That may cause some problems. Proposed corrections by PM are very welcome, let us see how we can work it out.

- Kataja

[BobCat]

I haven't forgotten. But this is a good project and I look forward to you doing it

[Kataja76]

And I remember quite well a couple of projects I have sketched, started, and never taken further. We shall see. In any case, I did enjoy entering the world of "Negima" as a fanfic writer.

[BobCat]

Well, any projects you haven't taken further can be always started where you left off.

[Kataja76]

That evening, Akiko had no time to read comics. Just before she went to sleep, she picked up the first volume and looked at the cover for a while.

Spoiler

"Hm. Does any of them look like Miyazaki-sempai? It's not the girl in the middle. Neither the Indian one. That little kid on the left, perhaps? Nah, Miyazaki-sempai is so grown-up. I bet Yue-san meant the sword-bearing one. Strange, she doesn't resemble Miyazaki-san that much... Well, whatever. I need some rest now."

Note: Akiko is reading a Kodansha edition of "Love Hina". For convenience, most references in this story have been converted to correspond to the Tokyopop English edition of the Love Hina series (first printings starting from May 2002).

[BobCat]

So far so good I definitely look forward to reading the rest of this

[Kataja76]

Reading "Hinata 1", Akiko could not help but identify with this dorky Urashima-san at times. She reminisced of her own arrival to the Mahora campus. How far from ready she had been for that. How embarrassing it had been at first to go to the dormitory bath hall with total strangers, even if they were just girls of her age. Her family had not visited public baths too often, and, well, Akiko just kept having these strange feelings in such situations. With classmates or other people she knew well, it was quite different. At least most of the time.

Pages 17 to 23: A load of erotic content one could hardly call subtle. Akiko gasped. Was Ayase-sempai aware of the nature of the material she had handed over to her? Could it be Akiko was being made fun of, or...

Akiko, blushing and feeling a strange warm sensation deep inside, shook such thoughts out of her head and concentrated on observing facts. She was supposed to handle this comic book like a grown-up and a professional, regardless of how the content might be classified!

Page 23: The first appearances and lines of both characters she had associated with Miyazaki-sempai when studying the cover.

Page 27: A character thus far unknown appears. Not quite like Miyazaki-sempai, but the resemblance is stronger than could be said about any of the cover girls. Wait, no, her name is revealed to be "Haruka".

Page 29: The hot young lady from the hot springs scene screams, "You even showed your thing to poor Shinobu. She's only in 7th grade!" (Followed by some further really embarrassing lines.)

Shinobu.

So it was the childish-looking, shy little lass Ayase-san was interested in.

Akiko closed the tankōbon and decided to continue later, after giving a thought or two to this small surprise.