That Diana was just – just too good! There was no way someone could be perfect, but Diana seemed to be giving it her best shot. And guess what? Her best shot was perfect. It was super irritating. Akko ran both hands through her already ruffled hair, puffing up her cheeks with air and rolling this way and that on her bed. Pages covered with her cramped, harried writing scattered in every direction unnoticed. By the time Akko was done with her little fit she was hanging upside down off the edge of her bed with her pillow clutched to her chest.
Normally Diana's perfection didn't bother Akko that much, but she'd exploded herself yet again during potions and yet again Diana righted what seemed like an impossible situation with a cool glance and a wave of her wand.
It was just -! Akko dragged her pillow over her face and growled helplessly into it. At this point she was confident enough in her own abilities – or at least in her own stubbornness – that Hannah and Barbara's barbs didn't hurt as much. It stung more every time Diana dismissed her, every time the other girl looked at her like she just didn't measure up. She didn't even bother scolding Akko when she messed up anymore. It was just recently that it started, as if Diana finally gave up on Akko and decided to save her breath. It hurt more than she expected.
Akko pulled the pillow from her face and glanced at the open window, mentally calculating the angle of the sun… yeah, she had enough time. A trip to the training rooms was just what she needed. She just needed to burn off some energy, that was all. Then she could focus on transcribing her notes. Hopefully.
Thankfully the hallways weren't too crowded this time of evening. Most students were in the showers or already in their rooms, so it was easy for Akko to sneak to her training room unseen.
Akko's favorite training room was in one of the unused areas of the school, where rows upon rows of classrooms stood empty since Luna Nova's golden age. Only spider webs and echoes were left. It made Akko super sad if she thought about it too hard. She'd found "her" training room late in her first year after losing a bet with Sucy – Spending the night in an abandoned wing was just too harsh! - and it became her practice area of choice. It was the only training room in the wing with wards still strong enough to protect the walls from damage, and it was isolated enough that Hannah and Barbara were unlikely to stumble upon Akko while she was training.
Lotte and Sucy were in on the secret, but they never showed any interest in going there when a closer room would serve as well.
She turned the corner and immediately jerked back behind the door frame, dropping into a crouch on instinct. Her eyes had to be wide as saucers as she peered into the room. Diana was settled into something that reminded Akko of a fencer's stance, her body angled to the side with one foot further forward than the other, her wand upraised in one hand. Her cloak, vest and hat were discarded on a nearby bench and her hair was bound back into a neat ponytail.
Diana took a deep breath as her eyes slid closed, then released it slowly.
Then she started moving, flowing into different poses that picked up speed as she went. Akko could hear her muttering spells under her breath, each movement punctuated with a flash of light and a sharp crack. Akko didn't even know what she was looking at, but even she could tell that it was impressive.
Then Diana stopped abruptly, her free hand curling into a fist.
That same pose. A slow, deep breath. Then Diana started again.
She repeated the form enough times that Akko started recognizing minor corrections to the routine: a movement that gained more snap, an arm or leg lifted higher, a spell flung at a dummy with a touch more precision. Mistakes… and so many. Diana never faltered though, never seemed to react with frustration beyond a quiet huff or a subtle tightening of her jaw. It was almost unfair how composed she was even now. Now that Akko thought of it, she never saw Diana practice with the other students, or even practice at all beyond reading mountains of textbooks in the library. But she had to practice for real at some point didn't she?
Akko didn't move or breathe and she wasn't sure if it was that she didn't want to be caught watching or because she simply couldn't tear her eyes away.
"I trust you're gaining something by observing?"
A voice dry as the Sahara snapped Akko out of her reverie to find Diana's blue eyes focused directly on hers, face flushed with heat and chest rising and falling with exertion. Diana let out a huff, blowing some stray hairs out of her face. Akko was apologizing before her brain caught up with her mouth and she wasn't even sure she was apologizing about.
Diana held up a hand to cut off her babbling, already looking away. "If you aren't here to deliver a message I must ask you leave. I need to focus."
That set off an odd pang in Akko's chest. During last year's Samhain festival Akko demanded that Diana watch her succeed. Demanded that Diana look for once in her life. Gradually, so slowly that Akko almost didn't notice, what Diana saw when she looked at Akko started to matter.
"No way!" Diana's eyes shot back to hers, widening slightly with surprise, and hot elation overflowed Akko's chest. There really wasn't anything as good as Diana losing her cool. Akko's hands curled into fists, feet planting a shoulder-width apart. "This isn't a private classroom, so I'm allowed to use it just as much as you!"
She stomped past and selected one of the empty circles, refusing to look back to gauge Diana's reaction.
The training room was a long rectangle easily as big as the ballroom of the Hanbridge mansion, with floors of golden planks inlaid with six copies of the school crest in what Akko suspected was naturally purple-tinted wood. Each crest served as a separate training ring, with a shimmering purple dome over the top that was just visible in Akko's peripheral vision. The tall, narrow windows lining the far side of the room were protected by a similar barrier, much to Akko's relief the first time she misfired a murowa spell.
Akko flicked her own wand open, settling into a stance and closing her eyes. She could smell the burning ozone from Diana's spells, feel the thrum of the ley lines under her feet. It moved her to tears the first time she sensed them like a proper witch. More than ever she was determined to preserve magic, the heart of the world that beat alongside her own.
At her back Akko heard a sharp crack – Diana's form beginning once again. Her small victory shivered up and down her spine. Akko only just resisted the urge to giggle, instead biting the inside of her cheek to force herself to focus on the task at hand. She would prove herself to the professors, to Shiny Chariot, to Diana.
Just watch me.