Yue Ayase

The 4th student in Japanese alphabetical order of class 2/3-A, she is the hidden intelligence of the class, a member of the Library Exploration Club yet at the same time a part of the infamous Baka Rangers due to her hatred of studying and schoolwork. Although initially enthusiastic in helping fellow Library club member Nodoka Miyazaki gain Negi's heart, she soon develops feelings of her own and is constantly trying to come to terms with where she wants to stand between the two of them. However, her own interest in magic and the supernatural draws her into Negi's group, both in learning magic as well as becoming a Pactio partner. Yue is considered the cool slacker of the class, a highly intelligent girl yet, at the same time, a horrible student. Her intelligence is shown by her interest in philosophy and her membership in the Library Exploration Club alongside classmates Nodoka Miyazaki, Haruna Saotome and Konoka Konoe. Even though she has never been through the entire library due to its massive size, she does know enough to be a guide for those who choose to go in there, such as guiding Negi and other members of the class. It is through the club that Yue becomes friends with the club members, usually finding herself helping her shier friend Nodoka gain confidence to do what she wants while at the same time ignoring or putting up with the manipulations of the bespectacled Haruna. Although she is scared of Haruna's tendencies, she does somehow find a way to remain her friend. However, despite being a talented bibliophile and a member of the Library Club, Yue hates studying and schoolwork. Due to this, she is one of the students in 2-A with the lowest grades in the class, and hence is a member of the "Baka Rangers" or "Dummy Force" study group (a play on the Power Rangers series and the Super Sentai genre they came from). In the Baka Rangers, Yue is "Baka Black", and considered the team's leader, most likely in being the "smartest" of the quintet both in general as well as in her average as a Baka Ranger. Although Yue doesn't like studying or schoolwork, she is capable of performing well academically, either when she needs to (to raise the class's average) or in a subject she finds herself interested in. It is revealed later that Yue's hatred for studying is due to the death of her beloved grandfather, making her lose interest in the world in general and considered everything, especially studying, as pointless. She was initially uninterested in making friends, though Nodoka was the first to make an impression on her, by saying that anyone who likes books cannot be a bad person. Yue is often seen drinking unusual beverages (including salt water) from juice boxes, found in various and bizarre flavors. She was once seen drinking the "Last Elixir" in one chapter, a cameo appearance from Final Fantasy. Whenever Yue drinks from one of these boxes, she usually is seen either in a more contemplative or a commentary role compared to the craziness going on around her.