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troperville

Ship tease more or less makes up Konoka and Setsuna's entire relationship. Setsuna obviously has an attraction to Konoka, but it's impossible to tell if all of Konoka's flirting is because she's too innocent to notice, or whether she's trying to seduce Setsuna and Setsuna just isn't catching on.
- By far the most aggravating instance was the Almost Kiss between Setsuna and Konoka, when Asuna interrupted them while they were about to perform a Pactio. Ken Akamatsu is cruel.
- Negima!? NEO. Lesson 29. The focus? Konoka and Setsuna. The apparent plot? Very condensed version of the Kyoto Arc, except with Konoka and Setsuna travelling alone. Setsuna is of course, blushing a lot since the two are alone together. The actual plot? Konoka setting the entire thing up so that she and Setsuna could share a romantic kiss like they promised to when they were kids. The sound you just heard was the combined Squee of KonoSetsu shippers. It was scanlated ahead by ten chapters for a reason.
- Chapter 252 of the manga is even worse (or better), being a giant ship-tease-turned-relationship-upgrade-of-sorts for the duo. Konoka, who was for the entire chapter was very, very enthusiastic about the pactio, finally make the damn thing with Setsuna. Chamo times it and confirms it as the longest pactio kiss yet. They're pretty much as close as possible to being an Official Couple without actually being one.
  - Post-pactio, even Jack freaking Rakan jumps in on the shipping bandwagon, going so far as renaming a powerful sword technique just for Setsuna. Konoka seems to be happy about it though...
  Jack: I call this technique the "In-Celebration-of-my-first-kiss-with-Ojou-Sama-Strike!"... How about it?
  Setsuna: WHAAAAAT?! You were watching?!
- The last chapter stated that they were both married in the same year, but specifically does not say to whom. (They are, however, wearing wedding kimonos, and Setsuna is doing a bridal carry of Konoka.
There's also the Pactio (aka, kiss) between Albireo and Nagi brought up by Konoka. Yep, even Akamatsu is willing to stick a bit of Yaoi-teasing in the series (Eishun (Konoka's father) was once seen wielding a Pactio as well). The uber-manly Jack Rakan also has a Pactio.
- Of course, the manga states early on that an open-vein blood swap is another way to make a Pactio. It seems far more likely that one war buddy would give another a transfusion and decide to up their power at the same time, but the Ho Yay fans tend to ignore that...
Just about every interaction Negi has with any female within ten years of his age (or seven hundred years, in Eva's case) could qualify as a ship tease. This is due to Akamatsu avoiding a mistake many shows involving Unwanted Harems make and actually letting nearly every girl with an interest in Negi have a clear shot at him (Except Makie, it seems).
- His "practice date" with Asuna hits this so hard that even the other characters comment on it.
- Asuna is Negi's first partner, and Nodoka gives him his first non-Pactio-related kiss, but Evangeline? She gives him a ring just before he enters the Budokai tournament - and she does so explicitly in order to get him to spend less time playing with his staff.^Note
Chapter 251 is one big tease between Negi and Yue.
253 is a rather big one between Natsumi and Kotaro.
Chapter 255 is gigantic one for Negi and Asuna. In short Asuna's feelings for Negi are so strong that they are affecting Shiori and even overpowering her blind loyalty for Fate .
- Chapter 258 shows us that relationship between Negi and Asuna is exactly the same as the one between Nagi and Princess Arika ... and considering the latter pair apparently ended up with a baby it really seems that Ken just decided to give up on subtlety and make things pretty obvious.
Chapter 260 has even more Negi/Asuna and Kotaro/Natsumi. It takes place at the Governor's Ball. There's dancing. Guess who dances with who.
Chamo: I Get it. A prince and a princess... There was no other choice~
Things are settled in chapter 262, when Natsumi and Kotaro get into a pactio.
- Maybe not. Kotaro seemed to get awfully jealous when Chizuru got a Pactio with Negi (instead of him?).
To play on Chachamaru's one-sided crush on Negi, Setsuna and Konoka's record is beaten out by Negi and Chachamaru's Pactio, which has four pages of illustration. Starting from here.
- It's a kiss that breaks the laws of the Pactio System. Negi's taking after Rakan, it seems.
When Negi and Ku Fei finally make a Pactio, Ku Fei teasingly mentions that because Negi was the first one to kiss her, he has to become her groom. Naturally, Negi is alarmed and freaking out because of them. Only for her to quickly say that she was just kidding. Then Chamo just has to comment what Negi's future decendant, Chao looks like ...
And now, there's even a moment for Negi and Chisame, after Rakan tells her that she's the one closest to Negi at the moment. Taking into consideration that the Asuna currently with them is a fake. Granted, it helps that she was the one who snapped him out of his Superpowered Evil Side before it got out of control.
- Which was its own moment. Rakan definitely seems to be a Chisame/Negi Shipper on Deck.
- Speaking of Negi/Chisame, don't forget this little exchange a few chapters before:
  Chisame : "I can understand you taking them, but why me? I don't want to end up in the centre of all this fantasy stuff."
  Negi : "...? I just wanted to have you by my side all the time, that's all..."
  Chisame : "...don't say stuff like that with a straight face. You'll get yourself stabbed by a girl one of this days."
- Not to mention how she took care of Negi's wounded body for three straight days without sleep during his Magic Erebea admission test, how she reacts to the (somewhat) Sadistic Choice, and her reaction when she found out that he succeeds. Rakan's not shipping them without a reason, you know...
In one of the more surprising example, what seemed to be a Negi/Asuna moment turns out to be a Negi/Shiori one instead. Sure, the readers have already known that the current Asuna is Shiori in disguise, but how many could have guessed that the situation would be resolved with a Negi/Shiori Pactio?. Thousand Pimp indeed...
No Nodoka on this page yet? The entire Kyoto arc should be considered one giant Negi/Nodoka ship tease. She has so far been the first to confess to Negi, go on a real date with him, and give him his first truly romantic kiss*
He even commented in one instance that her lips felt softer than the other girls whom he had "kissed" (read: contracted a Pactio) before.
(although not on the same chapter.)
- Way back in the second chapter, this was quite evident on BOTH parties: Nodoka beginning to blush in front of him*
  he DID save her from falling from the steps the chapter before
  , AND after a freak incident regarding being force-fed a beaker filled with Love Potion, and being chased by most of the girls in his class, Negi writing the words "Very Cute" in his class list, right beside her picture.
- Don't forget this instance and this one. Negi/Nodoka? More likely than you think.
- OR even this one...
- By far the most blatant Nodoka nod is when he went in the church's confession room. When the "Priest"*
  who was in all actuality Misora, one of his students who doubles as a nun
  asked him about who he actually likes, he starts imagining all the girls in his life. By the time he thought of Nodoka however, he blushed brighter than a tomato. He's never had that reaction to anyone else.
Chapter 288 gives us a short but nice one from Akira. Let's see, accidentally blurting out a Love Confession-esque statement to the boy? An innocent, yet flirtatious question from Negi? A Love Hina-esque "accident"? Akira seemingly yielding to his charms? Oh, yeah!
- And then there's Chisame's reaction to the whole scene, especially to his "Natural Gigolo Talk". Let's not forget that her scene played out like a wife that has just caught her husband flirting with another woman (again).
The The Final Temptation sub-arc cranks up many of the previously mentioned ones as well as adding some new ones. Negi got to see the greatest desires of Ala Alba's crewmembers in their dreams, which include: Konoka/Setsuna(with an erotic one for Setsuna!), N(a/e)gi/Ako(Ako's), Nodoka/Negi/Yue(Nodoka's), and Natsumi/Kotarou(Natsumi's). The new ones includes Negi/Luna/Fate(Luna's), Negi/Akira(Akira's), and Chachamaru/Negi/Eva(Chachamaru's). It's unclear whether Ku Fei's are of romantic nature or not.
- Judging by the fact that her blush after waking up was as deep as Setsuna's, It's probably a safe bet.
Even happens with the self-proclaimed side characters. Once Tohsaka revealed his hidden heart of gold, especially after he rejects Ako's Take Me Instead offer to give up her slave rights to him and his cronies, the manga threw in hints that he might've started developing feelings for the girl. Going as far as him Taking the Bullet meant for Ako.
In chapter 300 Anya flat out points to Asuna that everything Negi does, he does for her sake. Everything else (including saving the world) is something he does while he's at it .
- Well, more like a side effect...
Chapter 308: Chamo states the reason Nodoka's and Natsumi's artifacts are so powerful could be their especially strong compatibility with their respective magistri.
- On a similar note, Ayaka's Pactio kiss nearly took over the system. Wonder what that says about her...
Chapter 309: Looks like Chisame's love level for Negi has gone up way more than even Chamo anticipated.
Way back in chapter 82 there was a nice little Negi/Setsuna moment only fueled more by Kamo that ends up turning it into a Konoka/Setsuna moment
Anya+Negi anyone? They're Childhood Friends, Anya clearly has a crush on him, (which he, of course, is oblivious to), and Haruna has even said that Negi's more informal and comfortable with her than anyone else.
Chapter 334 Eva had to remind Negi and Asuna that flirting should wait, AFTER they defeat the Lifemaker.
- Also interesting to note that while Nagi protects Arika, it's Asuna who protects Negi; sort of like a flip-flop in roles. Maybe Negi+Asuna will be paired after all.
Oh god, the Yaoi Fangirls get their Fate/Negi shipping in Ch 336.
- Hilariously, the ship doesn't really have any less support than a lot of the other Negi ships, and the other girls are treating it as seriously as any other. At the end of this chapter the narration reveals 'The strongest love rival?!', Evangeline refers to him as a legitimate threat a little later on, and in chapter 349 Haruna reveals that the reason she was so intent on forcing Negi to reveal his crush was because she's afraid that Negi is 'shaking off the feelings of the majority of the girls and flying off to the distant lands of masculine romance!'
It looks like Chapter 337 was a good day for Chachamaru as it looks like she's going to be Negi's new secretary, and according to Negi the work will be pretty much endless so it's practically a lifelong position. Yes, it seems like it'll be really difficult for her. It even came complete with a hilarious daydream and a touching bit at the end where Chachamaru remarks on Negi's eyes, now turned towards the future instead of after his father, as being the same eyes that granted her a soul. Note that the daydream moved into the two of them using first names, with no honorifics, and being quite casual with each other.
Chapter 93 and 94 have a Kotaro/Mei moment, after he saves her from drowning.
Chapter 338 seems to have been solely devoted to the purpose of helping Negi/Chisame fans jump. From Chisame feeling that her old daily life is missing something. To Chisame looking for Negi, and then chasing him after they meet. To Chisame quite possibly confessing to Negi with her asking Negi 'You said you always wanted me by your side, didn't you?' Followed by 'I'm going to stab you, and then I'll die too!' comment at Negi's 'Wha?' reply. Lampshaded by Chachamaru four panels later. Negi talking about his plans far ahead into the future, which he might not have told anyone else if we regard Chisame's comment on 'Looks like you wanted to talk to someone badly' as proof that she is the one he can spill his guts to without even thinking about it. And finally his seeming confession 'I've come this far thanks to you, Chisame-san' all the while inching closer to her face as he tries to 'explain' the gratitude he feels towards her. Sadly foiled by his own sneeze.
- Also as a side note, the entire chapter felt like Chisame had become the embodiement, both pyshically and mentally of Naru.
  - In all fairness, there was a tiny bit of ship tease for Negi/Ayaka.
339 gives us (in the form of a 3x3 date) Negi/Kakizaki and Kotarou/Madoka and something completely new: Fate/Sakurako.
Even Takane "the stripper" Goodman gets teased with Negi. During the Mahorafest battle she has with Negi, Chachazero jokingly asks if Takane likes him "that way." Then Takane performs a Luminescent Blush over Negi while they're still fighting. Two hundred and forty-nine chapters later at the sports festival, she's complaining that he didn't strip her and demanding marriage.
Chapter 349 inspires just three words. DAMN YOU AKAMATSU!!!
Chapter 351 shows the class roster with Negi's scribblings of his thoughts on each of the girls. Then there's Asuna spontaneously deciding to kiss Negi.
- On the same roster, an "About Valentine's" note is on both Chisame and Akira, another one is between Makie and Ku Fei, and a final one is near Nodoka. But the one near Nodoka also has the word "Done!" by it, like Negi was checking off things to ask the girls about...
Chapter 355 went for No Romantic Resolution with Negi, showing this instead. To wit, he's shown in one panel of the last chapter wearing a tuxedo, alongside The Rival wearing the same, with Asuna and Ayaka wearing dresses, but that could just as easily be a royal court function. Another panel reshuffles the people around him to show a close up of him, Nodoka, Yue, and Chisame, three of the biggest contenders in his harem (and it's mentioned that all three have frequent contact with him). Then there's Akira's panel noting that she often sees Negi at her job, not to mention Chachamaru's panel saying that her time as Negi's secretary saw her "getting wound up every day."
- It's heavily hinted that most of the girls spend a lot of time with Negi whenever they can, to the point that one, Makie, outright addresses Nagi as father.