Ku barged into her dorm room and placed Sage on her bed. She swiftly took Negi from Takamichi’s arms and laid him next to his twin. She tucked them in then turned her attention to their ragtag group. She pointed at Takahata. “Why you here?”

The grey-haired teacher stared at the offending finger for a few seconds then looked at Ku. “I am watching over the twins. I am legally Negi’s guardian and I attend to look after my charge.”

Misora looked at him oddly. “Takamichi-sensei… I did not know you had such strong ties with Springfield-senseis.”

Ku growled and glared at him. “No, they lost. You no parent!”

Kaede stepped in between them and looked at Ku. “It’s okay. I can explain why I am here.” The smaller Chinese girl glared at her. “I was ordered to observe the twins and gather information. Additionally, I have the ability to administer medication to Negi-sensei when the situation is dangerous.”

The nun tilted her head. “Negi having severe internal bleeding wasn’t dangerous?”

“I don’t have medication for that illness. I only have orders to use it when the situation arises. Apparently, I would know it when I see it.” She huffed, annoyed with how vague her superiors were.

Takahata sighed then sat at the futon table. “Ku, please give us some insight on how you know Sage and Negi.”

Ku ignored the blatant form of disrespect. “Ku can talk. Very hard to… backstory.”

The ninja patted her shoulder. “I can translate for you. I believe we all are in need of some context.”

The martial artist nodded then sat at the futon table, gesturing at the other girls to do the same. Once they settled she said, “Negi and I were wed based on my tribe's traditions but I do not know much about him.”

Kaede leaned forward, interested. “Well, how did he find your village?”

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Ku shrugged, her relaxed deposition at not knowing anything about her a mate bothered them. “When my village found him, he was ill and his sister was almost a ghost. They cared for him and I helped the village hunt for extra food. I only met him a week later when he had to fight for his place to stay. Foreigners must prove their right to stay longer and my village was kind to let them rest for a week.”

She chuckled, a small smile adorned her face. “I stood no chance against him. He sneezed and I was blown into the Great Kuwaki tree, knocking me out. Before I knew what happened, he healed me and my village united us under the stars.” She raised her shirt and a strange branding mark was on her side.

Misora looked concerned. “Your village basically married you to a stranger!”

The blond smiled. “It was the best event of my life. However, you are more interested in the details. Negi entered my village with a slight illness, not this. He was strong and healthy. Sage was weak and took months to recover from whatever happened to her. Her hair was pure white during those times.”

Takahata rubbed his neck while contemplating what those details meant. He inquired, “Why did he leave your village?”

She hummed, trying to remember the details of something that happened long ago. “He and Sage were working to head to the Magic World to find someone. He knew he needed to work as a porter and staying in my little village was not going to help.”

The gray-haired man's expression perked up. “Was he searching for his father? The Thousand Master?”

Ku laughed. “Not at all! I remember asking him about his mother and father. He only looked sad and lost. He was not searching for them, he was waiting for them to find him.” She looks at the ceiling. “I do know that Mana caused some of his illness to worsen, I don’t know the exact details though.”

Kaede snaps her fingers. “The Flaron War! Mana mentioned they were rivals, so she must have caused him to be severely injured!”

Misora nods. “They did mention being rivals during the war. Mana is more hostile to Sage than Negi though.”

Ku tilts her head. “It is possible that they were looking for their siblings or someone connected to the war.”

Takahata frowned, he could not believe his idol had more children. “What do you mean?”

The blond sighed, her confusion easy to see. “They mentioned it once, shortly after I entered their home. They lived in an orphanage and their older sister took care of them. All I remember is the oldest sister's name is a country. I don’t remember if he talked about her in the village, I think he was focused on Sage and finding a way to the Magic World.”

The older man took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Of course I could not find him, I would have never searched an orphanage in the Magic World. I heard rumors that they know Zazie, she could easily help them leave the orphanage and enter a faction. Their connections would help them get power, money, and recognition all for being a front soldier. That would create more opportunities to find their ‘sister’.”

Ku shook her head. “You have it backward, Taka-san.” He frowned at her disrespect. “Their sister adopts children. I believe they searched for her first then the orphanage was made after she adopted them.”

They shared confused expressions then settled in silence. After a few minutes, Misora mumbled, “Maybe they were searching for her to cure Sage but she failed and kept them by her side?”

Kaede sighed. “All we know is something happened to the twins but I doubt they will tell us straight out.” She gestured to Takahata. “Hopefully you can use your connection to find more information or find their sister. For now, we need to wait and watch. Creating these theories helps no one for now.”

They settled in silence; their thoughts only feeding into their worries.