魔法先生 ネギま！Volume 22 Chapter 203

SPOILER Summary: Yue is being treated by the medical sensei for her head injuries. Sensei is also trying to determine what might have caused Yue’s memory loss (physical or magical) and has not been able to identify Yue via a search. Still, since Yue is at the educational city-state of Aridane, she’ll be allowed to remain there until her memories return. Collet offers to allow Yue to stay in her room until Yue’s memories return. It seems that Collet was flying on her broom and studying when Yue suddenly appeared in front of her. She collided with Yue and her want accidentally cast a forgetfulness spell. As such, Collet doesn’t want the teachers to know that she is the cause of Yue’s forgetfulness.

Yue asks if she can take lessons for the Mage Knight cadets, the same ones Collet is taking, while she waits for her memories to return. The sensei is OK with that since children who want to learn are always welcome.

Back in Collet’s room, the two talk, with Collet marveling at how much Yue must have loved studying to want to do so with amnesia. She wonders why Yue wants to be in the same classes as her, to which Yue states that Collet’s stories of the Mage Knights piqued her interest. As such, Yue would like to try the same thing, Collet finding the Mage Knights to be cool, especially the Valkyrie Brigade. Collet produces an old practice wand and broom for Yue, which she’s very thankful for. Instinctively, Yue casts the little flame spell (Ardescat) that Negi had taught her previously, which Collet finds encouraging since that means Yue hasn’t forgotten simple magic (Collet assuming of course that Yue is from the Magic World). However, Yue finds she is unable to fly the broom.

Yue begins taking classes and takes her studies very seriously. The one thing she has trouble with is broom flying, which she still has not managed to get off the ground. The class rep is not amused by this and treats Yue a bit harshly for it. Yue is undeterred and continues to study hard, and practices hard to fly. With Collet helping her, 24 days pass with Yue finally managing to get lift on her broom, determined to become a great mage like “that person,” only she can’t remember whom “that person” is.

Back at Jack Rakan’s place, he tells Negi of the forbidden Magica Erebea. It took Eva some ten years to perfect this technique and because it requires a large amount of dark-based magic to use, very few people can even use it. Negi ponders this as Jack tells him the technique suits him. Negi is shocked by this, more so when Chisame agrees with Jack, stating that Negi worries all the time and as such is a dark person. Jack works through how to begin using this art, which Chisame wonders about the outcome.

Thoughts: Wow, a Yue chapter (most of one) and I absolutely loved it. Interesting that the forgetfulness spell that Negi tried to use on Asuna way back in volume 1 is what Collet accidentally uses on Yue. I see how Akamatsu-sensei is working this though by having Yue in a place where she can become more powerful and thus more useful. I’m not sure how much she learned during the time at Eva’s resort, but by the time Negi and company find her, she’ll at least be able to ride a broom and maybe even cast some basic spells (beyond the tiny flame one).

Negi’s training does seem a bit tedious on the surface, but I know this is table setting. It was interesting seeing the image of Chachazero and Eva from back when Eva first developed this forbidden technique. I think that in the end, Negi will walk the patch between dark and light, drawing from both and thusly surpassing Nagi.