" Ah, geez! What a crappy day...first I've gotta take three tests in a row, then I end up literally bombing the Transformation spell test, and then I had to clean up the entire classroom, and then STAY in it for THREE HOURS FOR DETENTION- "
" Me thinks this could work out if your little revenge game against Diana was put aside for the test. "
" RRRGH! Just be quiet and let me relax tonight, Sucy! I've got some studying to do! "
" Here she goes again… "
" You too, Lotte. "
Akko threw the doors wide open to her room (well, their room), and flopped straight onto the bed for a quick breather. It was time to get serious once again, for even more tests and projects awaited her this week...and as it would turn out, a babysitting job.
Akko suddenly felt a small " bump " onto her back as she rolled to the right of the bed to see what was laid down there, scrunching up to make sure it wasn't one of Sucy's traps (The sadistic part of her hoped for the latter so she could give Sucy her just desserts).
Luckily, she was safe from any sort of trap as she found a small, rectangular grey object with a note written on it. Someone had left a Stanbot in her room for some reason. Akko carefully picked it up. " Did Constanze leave it here? " she asked.
" Most likely, " replied Lotte.
" It's almost as if she built it in the first place, " added Sucy. She really wanted to express how dumb Akko could be sometimes. Akko mumbled to herself and took another look at the Stanbot.
The small robot transformed right in her arms as it wobbled around with the paper note blocking its vision.
" Hey, hey, slow down! " said Akko as it tucked the robot under her arm as Lotte pulled the note off and read it.
Hey, you three. I've got to go shopping for some parts in the market square since my Stanbot has had some problems with balancing itself on its legs. I'm leaving it with you until then since it gets surprisingly nervous around the square.
" Does she just go around asking people about this all the time? " complained Akko.
" Hold on, I'm trying to finish! " said Lotte.
Make sure you all stay by it at all times and don't let it wander outside campus.
Thanks, Constanze
" So it's a babysitting job for a robot? " said Sucy.
" Looks like it, " replied Lotte.
" YAY! " suddenly proclaimed Akko as the Stanbot squirmed in her arm. " I've ALWAYS wanted a nursery job! " She had a huge grin on her face as she chuckled. " Ever since I visited an animal shelter when I was in elementary school, I realized I could use magic to help animals alongside people, too, since they're just so adorable! "
" But that's a robot, " Sucy added.
" It's still cute, okay?! Now, let's see if-wha?! "
Akko turned around and noticed the Stanbot had slipped through her grasp somehow. She panickingly threw open the doors, spotted the small robot on the right side and swiped it, retreating back into her room.
" Now, now, wittle guy, don't just weave us wike that, okaaaaay? " cooed Akko as Sucy and Lotte cringed internally.
" She's hopeless, " whispered Sucy.
Akko then set the robot in her lap and sat near her desk as she whipped out her studying materials. " Man, I'm tired….but there's only one way I can get myself to a good test grade, right, stanbot?! "
The robot just stared at her and tilted its head in confusion.
" What is she doing? " commented Sucy quietly.
" Sucy! Just let her work for now, she's probably pretty stressed… " replied Lotte.
" I am NOT! " growled Akko as she whipped her chair around with an angry expression. " I am CONFIDENT that I can master my transformation spells thanks to Professor Ursula's study time! And don't say I need more of it, because I know EXACTLY what I need to do! "
" W-whatever you say… " meekly replied Lotte. " You should probably at least go for a walk to clear your mind so you can concentrate later… "
" Mm….you're right on that, I guess. Good job, Lotte! " Akko patted her glasses donning companion on the back while having herself a good laugh. She then walked over to the Stanbot who was still sitting there in her chair.
" Hey, you wanna go for a wittle walk? Do ya? Do ya? " The robot nodded as Akko set it on her shoulder and headed outside for a quick relaxation time. " Wanna go look at the stars? Look at the constellations? The trees? Huh? HUH? "
" It's like she's got two different mindsets, " said Lotte as she walked out the door.
" Don't I know it, " added Sucy.
Akko and her little robot stepped outside the school building as she sat the Stanbot on both shoulders, giving a sort of piggyback ride. It was around 7 PM, and the sky was gorgeous. The sun was just starting to set among the clouds and the moon was starting to rise. It created a beautiful, dark orange glow; some students were taking pictures with their cameras and phones just to capture this amazing moment. Akko pulled out a camera Ursula had let her borrow for one of her project and started taking pictures, too.
" Oh, I wish you could understand how great this sunset is, little buddy….do you like viewing the sunsets, too? " she said, looking up at the small robot. It slowly nodded.
Suddenly, the robot started to wobble and shake, Akko feeling it on her neck. " Hey, are you okay-YAAH! " she shouted as the robot suddenly threw its arms over her eyes as she stumbled around furiously attempting to regain her balance as well as the robot's. " H-hey, I know you're not feeling well, but don't try and sacrifice me for this, I'M THE ONE TAKING CARE OF Y- "
Akko suddenly felt someone grabbing her arm somewhat forcefully. " You're taking care of a Stanbot? "
The robot was suddenly pulled off Akko's eyes as she found Diana holding the tiny robot in one of her hands, with her two lackeys, Hannah and Barbara, standing behind her. " Did Constanze put you in charge of it? "
" As if! " rudely added Hannah. " Like she would ever hand it over to some stupid hand-me-down like you. "
" How many times have I told you, Hannah? " whispered Barbara. " She's not even a witch! How can she be a hand-me-down?! "
The two giggled silently as Akko stared Diana right in the eyes cruelly. " It's just a robot! What are you even implying?! "
" Kagari, how much ammo can a Stanbot take in gun form? "
" W-what?! It's only a babysitting job, not a stealth mission! "
" Oh, I see….and you're sure you understand everything about it? "
" Well….the note I got just said- "
" You know, you did accidentally crush one once, " added Barbara suddenly. She and Hannah had another laugh as Akko angrily left the scene, taking the Stanbot out of Diana's hand. Why couldn't those two figure out how to shut up? This was between her and Diana alone. She sometimes wished those two would just be expelled already so that she could have less obstacles in the way of her rivalry. She was sure Diana felt the same.
" Don't let them get you down, wittle guy, " Akko said, looking down at the small robot. " Those two are just big, BIG meanies... "
Of course, the petite mechanical wonder did not understand the concept of any kind of relationship. It was just kind of….there to be helpful and " cute ". Akko wondered if a robot like it could ever develop a personality of some sort. What kind of emotions could it produce? Happiness? Sadness? Anger? Who knows.
As the sunset quickly disappeared and the clouds began to shape into the night sky, Akko yawned and headed back inside. She was starting to feel a bit tired….no, she couldn't be! She had a ton of work to get done today! But, wait, it was Friday, so that meant some relaxation...but it's also more study time! Relaxation, study, relax, study, relax, study…
Akko just headed to her dorm as fast as possible so she wouldn't be spinning in place even more. As she entered her room and her friends greeted her, she looked at the Stanbot and noticed it had fallen asleep just like that. She giggled at the sight, the robot's large, square head hanging low. " Are you tired, wittle guy? I bet you are…. "
Akko patted the robot on its head as it shushed it and carefully laid it in her bed. It suddenly started to squirm uncomfortably as it tried to find a comfy spot underneath the blankets. Akko placed a hand on its shoulder to calm it down a bit.
" Get some sleep, little guy, Constanze will be back soon, okay? Just go to sleep… "
" This is starting to get creepy, " said Sucy. " You're actually treating this as if it were a child. "
" It's a babysitting job, Sucy! What would you expect?! "
" I think she's asking for you to just make sure he's okay-never mind… " said and then retracted Lotte as she went back to her Night Fall book.
The little Stanbot feel asleep just like that as Akko sighed and went right back to her homework. " Phew, glad THAT's over, " she said as she opened up her textbook. " Now we can just get work done and all get clean. "
I'm not sure you know what that means, though Sucy as she went back to her potion project. At least they could get everything done tonight...
" rrrrr… "
Akko heard the Stanbot snoring and giggled at the unique sound. " This was certainly a busy day...good thing you get to sleep in, heh heh… "
" RRRrrr… "
The noise got louder as Akko tried her hardest to get back to work and not coo at the robot more. This was, of course, very important, and it was actually getting pretty late.
" RRR….RRR…. "
Was the robot dreaming? Why was it making all this noise at this time of night? It was supposed to be a study night, dang it! Was there some kind of racket outside? Akko decided to look outside the window and check it ou-
BOOOM!
Oh.
Akko jumped a bit and closed the blinds shut. The robot was worried about the lightning. It was certainly amusing to think about, but she of course felt sorry for the poor thing, and got up to comfort it. She lifted it up and sat it in her lap as she studied.
" What's wrong? Is the lightning trying to hurt you, buddy? Don't be so scared, okay? I'll make sure the lightning won't touch a hair on your he-wait…whatever, I'm here for ya, buddy… "
Akko gently caressed the back of the robot and lightly smiled as she worked on her homework. It was turning out to be a surprisingly relaxing night. A light rain sprinkled across the campus as the drops ran across the windows. Akko turned on her lamp as the three girls and one robot quietly minded each other's business. Akko had ought to thank Constanze tomorrow for the time she was able to spend with the robot. Hopefully, tomorrow would make up for all the stress today.
Or so she thought, as usual.
For about another hour or two, Akko continued to study on every little subject she was struggling with (A.K.A pretty much all of them except fish language). It was certainly a grueling night, but it was all worth it in order to have herself a good weekend.
And then she fell asleep.
" Zz…..mmf….ooh, my hea-no, no NO! "
Akko shot awake and scanned the dorm. This was not good: everyone was asleep, the room smelled super bad due to Sucy leaving her experiment out, some of the pages in Lotte's book were crinkled due to her sleeping over it, and-
" The Stanbot's gone...the Stanbot's gone, THE STANBOT'S GONE! "
The spunky witch stood up immediately and looked through all the windows. Nothing. Everyone had gone inside from the rain. This was bad.
Oh god, I'm such a horrible caretaker...why couldn't Constanze just ask Diana or even Amanda or Lotte?! Freaking Professor Pisces would be better at this job than me!
There was only one way to figure out where the robot had gone off to.
Akko ran through the doors and began scanning the entire hallway. She would've heard some whirs and clicks from the robot walking, but she didn't hear squat. She began to explore downstairs all across the other hallways and even the cafeteria. She knew the robot was small, but how could it have been this well hidden?!
She went down to the laundry room and carefully tiptoed through the stations. If someone was in here, she would quietly ask them where the robot was and see if they could look around with her.
Sure enough, she started to hear some voices quietly whispering something to one another.
" This was too easy… "
" I can tell…man, they are gonna flip…. "
" HAHAHA! I know… "
No. It couldn't be. Did they actually…
Akko snuck behind a washing machine closest to the voices, and sure enough, Barbara and Hannah were there, holding something…
Barbara reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, oval-like device. Suddenly, the device turned on, revealing a knife on the inside-wait, a KNIFE?!
Oh, god...what are they planning?! thought Akko as she started chewing on her nails nervously. She poked her head from above and saw something being laid on a table...the Stanbot!
" WHAT?! " she quietly said to herself. " I knew they were up to no good, but...this is going too far! There's only one way to stop this! "
Hannah lowered the knife down on the poor bot's neck. " Now….. "
…..
" What? " said Barbara.
" I can't think of a good finishing line. Just….whatever! "
" YAAAAH! "
" Wha- "
Akko suddenly tackled Hannah and threw her to the wall.
" What the heck do you think you're DOING!? Think you can just push others around all the time?! Do you realize what you're about to do at all?! "
The two girls stayed silent.
" Well, you're about to NOW! " yelled Akko as she was about to throw a punch straight at the two.
" WHAT IN DIN'S NAME ARE YOU ALL DOING?! "
A loud voice rang through the room as Diana raced in to check out the chaos and figure out all the riot.
" Kagari…Hannah!? BARBARA! Put that weapon down NOW! "
Barbara dropped the knife and backed up as Hannah followed. Diana walked towards them slowly.
" I am so sick of you two ruining me and making me look like a complete moron! You constantly boast about me, and then you do stuff like this that makes me look like I'M a complete troublemaker! Why are you even doing this anyway?! I try my hardest to make sure no one has to get pulled in your shenanigans, and here you go again! I'm sick of you two's' attitude! You can either fix it or GET OUT! "
The two stared at each other for a bit, and then immediately ran away screaming and crying. To see their idol treat them like dirt was unbelievably shocking and a bit oppressive and mean spirited. But they both knew they deserved it, and so did Akko and Diana.
The stanbot jumped into Akko's arms as she walked away, smiling at her rival. But before she could leave, Diana placed a hand on her shoulder.
" You're lucky the teachers aren't around or you'd be dead meat, " said Diana. " You two should wash off, by the way. "
Akko chuckled, but then realized that she and the little robot were soaked in rain, the poor bot shivering in disgust and fear. She listened closely and could still hear the sound of lightning and thunder.
" I'm not in the mood for babytalk, so you can just get clean. Also, your babysitting skills are horrid, " said Diana.
Akko stuck her tongue out as the Cavendish upholder started to lead her back to the dorms.
But before the two could head out, they were greeted by Constanze herself. She stood there with her usual expression, staring at the two.
" O-oh, you're back! Sorry about the weather, but Stanbot b-behaved really well while we were g-gone… "
Constanze walked over to Akko and took the robot out of her hands, observing it. She picked up a scent and wafted it towards her.
It stunk. Really bad. She closed her eyes in disgust and handed it back to Akko. It really needed a bath. Clearly, she was a bit disappointed, but at least she wasn't completely mad.
" Heh, sorry about that...let's get to work, I guess, " meekly said Akko. Constanze nodded as she led her to the bathroom. Diana walked away as she observed the two.
" She still has a long way to go...I think. "
" Scrub scrub scrub...dubba dub duuuub… "
Constanze and Akko cleaned up the Stanbot in the bathroom for the rest of the night, the robot making quiet, relaxed whirring noises.
" You were such a good wittle robot tonight, heehee… "
Constanze grunted a bit at the annoying baby talk from Akko. Everyone knew she wouldn't change. Was it for the better? Probably, probably not. But one thing's for sure, she was certainly an individual. It would take literal witchcraft to shape her into someone else.
But tonight, she was probably fine the way it was.
Wasn't this a doozy. I hope you all enjoy the fruits of my labor...dance monkey dance...
So, I'm halfway through season 1 of this show, and given what you've just read, you can probably tell why I've been so interested.
Protect. The. Stanbot.
But really though, it's a pretty good show. I wouldn't say it's for everyone, but...who am I kidding, if you're here, you probably already know what you're in for.
I'm enjoying myself, and I hope you enjoyed this fic, too. Peace.
Cover image by Blabyblab
