魔法先生 ネギま！Volume 25 Chapter 227 (manga)
Mahou Sensei Negima! Manga Chapter 227

Summary/Synopsis: Kotaro (in normal form) faces Brigitte, who tells him she knows all about him starting from when he worked with Fate in Kyoto to Graf Herrman’s mission, which did not go as planned (where Kotaro fought Graf Herrman with Negi) even if successful. She then forms a new bow for her violin as Kotaro shadow-splits into into seven images to attack her. She destroys the copies and has a large vine shoot out of the ground which grabs Kotaro. Chisame is furious that Kotaro let himself be captured as Brigitte lets him know this ability is not from her artifact, but something her tribe can do.

Brigitte is crushing Kotaro with the vines when another Kotaro appears behind Brigitte, flipping her skirt to reveal her panties while Kotaro in the vines sticks out his tongue and shows her his eye (an insult). Brigitte realizes that Kotaro has made the perfect clone of himself and so destroys the one in the vine. Before she can return her attention to the real Kotaro, he’s split into three and using his special technique to create a liquid surface to use as a teleportation gate, he and his clones rescue Nodoka, Chisame, and Paru. Brigitte understands that the information Fate had on Kotaro was very wrong.

Meanwhile, Asuna and Setsuna are about to go after Negi to help him in his fight with Fate when Tsukuyomi shows up to battle “Setsuna-senpai.” Tsukuyomi has become rather desperate to fight (in an almost sexual way) having been forced to restrain herself for a very long time. She threatens to start slicing the people nearby if Setsuna doesn’t comply. As such, Setsuna sends Asuna on to help Negi while she activates her artifact and battles Tsukuyomi, the latter getting pleasure from the fight.

Asuna, in mid-air, finds herself attacked by fire, which she cancels out but it sends her down to the ground. It is another one of Fate’s female “pactio” companions and as Asuna hides in an ally to prepare for this encounter, the final girl shows up, addressing Asuna as “princess” (ohimesama).

At the river, Fate, completely unscratched, is ready to fight some more. Negi sees that Fate is protected by a massive number of magical mandalas, something that is no human technique. They have another intense but short battle in which Negi can do no damage and Fate ends up sending Negi smashing into the side of some of Fate’s large rock spikes. Negi’s technique fades, meaning that his ability to keep up with Fate is now gone. As he lays there, Fate asks Negi if that’s all, saying he hopes Negi isn’t about to disappoint him. However before he can do anything, Kotaro arrives with Nodoka, the later pointing at Fate and asking his name.

Thoughts/Review: Last time Nodoka took that pose was chapter 224. She was able to help Paru and Chisme elude Brigitte for a bit but in the end, she got hurt. As I’ve had time to think about it, the amazing thing is that despite being injured there (knocked out at the very least), she has the courage to have Kotaro bring her to Fate’s location to challenge him (in her own way you understand). I love how Akamatsu-sensei has long set up this encounter simply by taking this ultra-shy girl, giving her the courage to do something no other girl as done (confess to Negi), give her the courage to ask Negi for a kiss during the Mahora Festival, and give her the bravery to actually kiss Negi for a non-pactio reason despite the fiasco of the first attempt. Others in Negi’s battle harem have remarked on her bravery, but here, it shows the most I think. You go, girl!

Speaking of Fate, again we have the hints of him not being human or even being a true living being. As I’ve stated before, I really hope he turns out to be a computer construct along the lines of Spider-Zero from A.I. Love You. Maybe Nodoka finding Fate’s real name will give me that (come on you “Zero!”).

Heh. I loved Kotaro’s way of dealing with Brigitte. Akamatsu-sensei keeps him in character because Kotaro has long stated he doesn’t like fighting girls. He’ll do so to an extent (as he did with Kaede in the Kyoto arc) but if he can find another way to obtain his objective without hitting the girl, then that’s what he’ll take. Glad to see that Kaede’s taking him to train starting in the Mahora Festival arc has not gone to waste. We hadn’t seen much of Kotaro’s training even though we knew he was doing so, even doing some with Negi to pass one of Eva’s tests.

So a really fun chapter this time. I just hope Asuna doesn’t get kidnapped. I don’t think I’d like the story going that way.