Part 1/Episode 2

This one was a tad long. Had to cut it in two.

Atsuko Kagari.

That's her name.

Diana had learned it before second period, when she hastily ran into the classroom carrying her astronomy books and almost tripping on the doorstep. "Hey, looks like we're in the same class as Kagari," Barbara whispered to her the moment she sat down between her and Hannah.

"Kaga-what?"

"Kagari," Hannah points to the spot a few seats under and there Diana sees the girl from orientation day, the one who went hysterical, sitting up rigidly with a quill and paper in front of her, the other two girls she popped out from the portal beside her, her straight, brown hair cascading down her shoulders like a chocolate waterfall. "You know, the one from—why are you gaping like a fish?"

Diana didn't realize her mouth was open before she snapped out of her funk. She quickly placed her books beside her and asked, "No… No reason. Kaga—Kagari. Is that her name?"

Hannah quirked her brow at Diana before simply nodding. "Yeah, Atsuko Kagari. Turns out she's the one who got a hundred percent in the entrance exams." She explained, putting her chin on her palm.

Diana almost let her mouth drop again but she steeled her jaw and continued to look at the brunette whose back was turned to her. "Atsuko, huh…"

Barbara nudged her a bit. "Don't use her first name in front of her though. I heard Japanese people don't really use their first names on their first meetings." She grins but Diana doesn't think she's kidding. She returns it with a wink, anyway.

Two minutes later, Professor Chariot Du Nord enters the class and Diana almost, almost forgot about the Kagari girl.

Even without the costume on, even if she wore the plainest of uniforms, even if she had the most boring of entrances, Professor Chariot had easily taken the room's attention. Her red hair flowed behind her, her witch hat tilted back, her face striking, with sharp eyes and a smile that branded her as 'radical'. All conversations stopped as the redheaded professor said, "Good morning class!" and went up to the table and placed her files down.

Diana felt giddy on her spot. The young heiress had never seen her idol up close like this until a few weeks ago, when she left the Cavendish estate a little earlier than she was supposed to, and saw her standing in the entrance to Luna Nova, with a kickass cape flowing in the wind like a majesty upon the castle. Her giddiness began to kick as the redheaded professor introduced herself.

"All of you might have already known me as Shiny Chariot," she said with a shy smile. "You may have known me from TV shows, movies, and, yes, my personal performances I do live all over the world. At least one of you has already seen one of those, correct?"

Diana nodded and grinned. Three or four times, the first time in Japan, the next in Italy, another in Scotland and the best show yet, the one when Shiny Chariot did a homecoming in France, when she made an extravagant performance over the Eifel Tower, and when Diana had left the manor without telling anyone in order to see it. It cost Diana being stripped of her broom for the next few months, of course, but it was still worth it. Daryll could go ahead and build a guillotine for her lettuce head.

Diana didn't exactly collect stuff like other fans but she was loyal and knowledgeable about Shiny Chariot, which she is very proud about (though that was probably because she can't stand any member of her family to catch her stash).

As Professor Chariot continued to introduce her subject and made attendance, Diana's eyes glanced below over to the brunette and her attention snapped from the redhead to her.

Atsuko was leaning forward on her seat, gazing at Chariot. She wasn't gaping or grinning or something stupid like that but she was gazing intensely at their teacher, another red streak across her face, like Professor Chariot was the most interesting thing in the room, which she was, to be honest.

Diana notices how Atsuko's hand was already clutching her quill, as if she was trying not to write down every word Professor Chariot lisped. The way her legs rubbed against each other, like she was trying hard not to stand up. Then the heiress thought, 'That's it'. She wasn't holding the quill for no reason. She was literally trying to stand up and not greet Shiny Chariot with a handshake, her fingers twitching and rubbing the feather with fervor. Diana knows how it felt like.

The girl to Atsuko's left, the one with puce hair, whispered something to her and the brunette flinched in her seat before shaking her head and whispered something back. The blonde to her left looked like she was chuckling and came up to whisper something at Atsuko too. Soon, she blushed and began to whisper back and her blonde friend snickered.

It was three minutes before the class ended when Diana realized she had stared at the completely wrong person the whole period.

Diana, turned out, shared a lot of classes with the red team (she learned their colors after seeing a flash of a red sash on them). Especially the brunette, who was in at least six of her subjects so Diana really had a lot of chances to talk or even speak a word to her. But now it was the third day and Diana did nothing but wonder about the brunette the whole time.

They didn't have actual magic classes until Friday, so Diana didn't see what exactly she could do with a wand. Atsuko had nothing to show, except that she was really smart, so smart that when their first period ended today, Barbara whispered something to her that Atsuko was beginning to get annoying.

Well, yeah, was what Diana wanted to say but there was something really cool about Atsuko and the way she answers. Sure, she was impatient and always shoots her hand up whenever a question was thrown by the teachers, even the most rhetorical ones, but she was always right.

What did Professor Croix told her again… Yeah, that's right she was always 'precise'.

So instead of agreeing, Diana just answered with something like, "Nah, I just don't think you like the way she talks," and that left Barbara looking like she'd just been shot by her Murowa spell.

Now cue lunchtime and the heiress was leaning over the wooden rails of the mess hall's upper floor, a mindless spoon from her cup of pudding stuck between her lips, with Barbara and Hannah arguing behind her again on whether or not did the blue dye Professor Badcock used was better than her green hair the week prior to the new semester. The red team was eating on a table on the left corner of the mess hall, looking quite normal and quiet, a stark comparison to the other witches who were making fun of their teammates in a jovial stride, with food nearly toppling over their lunch trays but somehow still keeping them balanced.

Diana thought about the hundred percent of Atsuko's grade in the entrance exams. Not that Diana wanted proof, her presence in class was already enough for her, but she just wanted to confirm it personally from the brunette herself. She also would like to ask if… she was really the one who summoned the Leyline portal in the orientation.

Summoning a Leyline portal was a hard spell to conjure but it was possible. Diana summoned it plenty of times before, in the Cavendish ballroom, in her bedroom, and sometimes outside Luna Nova if she felt lazy to go to the terminal (and if she had enough magic in her wand/had a philosopher's stone in the vicinity).

But in the middle of the orientation room? From who knows where? That was bold, even for Diana. Was Atsuko some kind of powerful witch then? Her grades definitely bought her for it and if Diana could, she wanted to see her magic personally. Anybody who could produce a Leyline portal like that deserves to be recognized.

So, after tasting that her spoon was beginning to get dull in her mouth, she discards it in a trash bin and begins her way down to the stairs, her trusty teammates in tow, still in an argument, now about how if Barbara's ponytail makes her look nerdier than usual. As they reached down the stairs, a few teams greeted her on the way, specifically the ones who were in close connections with Hannah and Barbara, like the burgundy team, purple team, yellow team… basically those who had a long magical family tree.

Her eyes were dead set on the brunette and as she was five, six meters away from their table, but as she did one more step to make it four, Diana thought this was going to be silly. Like, she had tons of friends, too many to count even, so why should she introduce herself to another one if she had a hundred others to talk to? But then again, associating herself with the smartest witch in the batch is always a great way to start a school year. Especially if it was a cute Japanes—

She stopped herself. 'Whoa there, Diana,' She thought. 'Don't pull out your gay now.'

Three meters.

The pale girl who had a messed up haircut noticed her first.

Two meters.

Witches behind her start whispering double-speed.

One meter.

That's the distance Diana gives herself between her and the brunette, who helped herself to some fries. She hadn't notice her yet but her teammates definitely did.

Diana gets a deep breath before saying, "So you must be Atsuko Kagari." That got the girl's attention fast. She whipped her head to her and Diana smiled.

Atsuko didn't return it however, and instead, gave an uncertain look. "Err, yes?"

Diana's smile grew bigger. "Well, pleased to meet you! My name is Diana Cavendish but you can call me 'Diana'!"

Great, so far, so good.

Atsuko relaxes her shoulders a bit but her expression didn't drop. "… Pleased to meet you, too."

Diana took one step forward and she studied her face. It looked like baby fat was still on her cheeks, so she didn't look more than fifteen. "Well, Han and Barb were right, you really are Japanese," she said. "So you're the girl who made a perfect on Luna Nova's written entrance exam."

Atsuko merely shrugged. "Yes. What's it to you?"

Diana grinned and held out her hand. "Nothing really. Just wanted to personally welcome you to Luna Nova! Let's make this a good year, eh, Atsuko?"

There. She dared to say her first name. In front of her face. Without knowing each other first.

The brunette stared at open palm and it immediately went sweaty. Was… Was this introduction a bit too much? It's only been two seconds but she still hadn't shaken her hand yet. Shit, shit, shit, she knew it was a wrong move to use her first name so casually, shit, shit, shit. Oh, dear, this was going to get aw—Oh.

She, uh, she took it.

Atsuko firmly grasped her hand and shook it up then down. "Alright, Diana." She replied and their eyes locked.

Diana felt her heartbeat quicken but that was probably just the sugar. Definitely not those ruby eyes that looked like she was about to give a quiz about Britain's history to her. Definitely NOT. Why would her heart skip a beat about that anyway? She never liked quizzes! Especially not history! She's whack at it! But… if it was this girl who was giving it, maybe… she can reconsider—

Wait. That's so soft.

Before Diana could have more useless thoughts, her hands suddenly felt the pillow-like texture it held. She looked at her and Atsuko's intertwined hands. Wow, her hand is soft…

The heiress marveled about the way the brunette's palm was placed against hers, but before she could continue, from a distance away, somebody made a shushing sound and Diana flinched. She immediately retracted her hand and hid it behind her back. She hoped that that handshake didn't last for too long…

Wait. Nobody has spoken a word.

Diana's eyes darted around the cafeteria. Witches in and out of her batch stared, as if they were expecting them to do a back-flip with a dolphin, eyes of a dozen teams burning holes into their uniforms. She turned back to the brunette again and blue eyes clashed with red.

'Don't panic,' she told herself as two more seconds of awkwardness passed. Atsuko merely stared, and though she held a more composed expression than her, Diana could see it through her eyes, she wanted to run away. 'Ohhhh, shit, I'm gonna panic.' Diana almost decided on bailing this show before her proper etiquette reflexes shouted a millisecond earlier.

She twisted her heel, bore a bright smile and said, "Well, I'll see you next time on the next period! Which is…" she tapped her chin. "Uhh… Right! Numerology," she began to walk away from the red team's table, doing—wait, finger guns? "You're in my class, right? Definitely!" Atsuko blinked at her. "I… I mean, I saw you in that class yesterday, so… You know what, never mind, see you there!"

Diana ended it with a smaller smile than she thought. She began to tread away from the table and once they were out of the cafeteria, a dozen meters away from the nearest witch, Hannah hit her straight with the, "Dia, what on earth was that?"

"Yeah, like," Barbara snickered. "That wasn't the usual smooth-sailing Diana from five minutes ago!"

Diana stopped dead in her tracks, faced her teammates and threw her hands up in the air. "I don't know! She looked so passive that I was worried if I stop talking it would become awkward!"

"It was already awkward the moment you talked to her,"

"Well, it became even more awkward then! I just wanted to make, like, some kind of connection, you know. I-I just didn't think she would… like, be so quiet. I was pretty sure she was talkative back in Magitronics class…"

The moment those words were spitted out of Diana's mouth, before the heiress could realize what she just said, Hannah and Barbara's eyes narrowed like a sniper's sight to his victim. "Wait," Hannah breathed. "Could it be… You like Atsu-!"

Diana quickly pushed the two into the nearest door of a room she doesn't know, clamping both of their mouths with her hands and when they were finally behind the door, the heiress immediately slammed it shut, quietly but firmly, whisking out her wand to bolt it lock with magic.

She faced her teammates. "No."

"—But I think you should keep it, Miss Kagari," Professor Chariot quickly said.

Atsuko looked like she was about to faint, another red streak coming on her face. "What—But—But Professor Chariot, this Shiny Rod is yours—" The brunette tried to force the golden staff into the professor's hands but Chariot quickly pushed it back to her.

"No, Miss Kagari, I assure you, my own Shiny Rod is back at my office. You shall keep that for yourself." She said evenly and Atsuko stared at her before shifting her gaze down to the staff.

Diana stared at the staff, too. A meter in length, with a gold ornament on top and crystals engraved in a certain pattern. It looked exactly like the Shiny Rod Chariot used in her shows. And mind you, Diana had one herself before one of her cousins 'accidently' broke it, the damn cabbage heads, and had a thought that the thing Atsuko held was just a replica, exactly like hers.

Maybe it was. But why would she give it to Professor Chariot? The one who had the original very safely kept?

"But Professor…" Atsuko looked like she had more to say but Professor Chariot waved her off.

"Now enough, Miss Kagari, you're supposed to be in the cafeteria for lunch now. Have you eaten yet?" When the brunette shook her head, Diana thought Professor's shoulders slumped a little more than it should have. "Go on, I wouldn't want you to keep your teammates waiting. Keep that Shiny Rod close to you, alright?"

And that was it.

Atsuko gave an uncertain look before bowing her head slightly downwards. "Alright. Thank you for your time, Professor." She twisted her heel and stalked off to the cafeteria, the Shiny Rod hanging on her left hand.

That's when Professor Chariot saw her. As her red hair flowed over her shoulder when she turned, her fiery eyes had caught Diana peering over the nearest wall where she'd been waiting and eavesdropping. Diana thought of bailing. 'Shit—'

"Oh, Miss Cavendish, what are you doing there?"

Diana almost jumped out of her skin. She quickly hopped out of the wall and faced her professor. "Pro—Professor Chariot! Hi! I was, uh, just passing to get to the cafeteria—"

"Oh, then I wouldn't keep you waiting," Chariot threw her left thumb to the direction where Atsuko had left. "Go on now, I'm sure Miss Parker and Miss England are waiting for your arrival."

"Yeah—yeah, I should. They're probably arguing about something again." Diana nodded and began to trot towards the end of the hallway, hoping to catch up to the brunette, not noticing that she had found the girl far more interesting than her idol. Which was beyond weird since she wasn't interested in Atsuko at all! Only the Shiny Rod, yeah, only the Shiny Rod.

When the redhead was out of sight, Diana broke into a sprint. Finally, after passing two hallways and crossing three paths, she sees Atsuko's—wait, no, the red team's back. She stopped her tracks and hid herself back into the hallway. Since most of the people were now in the mess hall, she could hear their voices echo in the corridor.

"Do you think she believes me? I mean, this Shiny Rod really did do magic," Atsuko said as she leaned against a marble column, disappointment obvious in her tone. "Back at Arcturus Forest."

Diana widened her eyes. Arcturus Forest? The Arcturus Forest? Are they mad or what!?

"You could have brought us. We both could've been act as witnesses," Sucy Manbavaran chirped in, a lanky, pale girl who Diana thought of creepy first because of her red, sunken eyes, before proving she was actually docile as ivy on a wall.

"Nah, I don't think witnesses could've proved anything," said Lotte Yansson, a blonde, mousy girl who, at first, seemed fragile as china but when she and Barbara met again in White Magic class, they were immediately met with a Fin who had a tongue of an Australian. "I mean, there are millions of Shiny Rods for sale out there and maybe she thinks that this is just a prank, Akko."

Akko? Who the hell was Akko?

"Yes, but there's no denying that this Shiny Rod," Atsuko motioned the gold staff to their faces. "is legit. How else did it do to summon that Leyline portal?"

Diana's eyes felt like they were bulging out of their sockets as they burned into the Shiny Rod. That thing? Legit? That's sounds too farfetched and Diana has seen a lot of farfetched things in her life. However…

Atsuko sighed and straightened her back. "Oh, whatever. I'm going back to the dorm to deposit this,"

Lotte stepped forward. "Ah, I'll do it then. I was planning to go back to our dorm, anyway."

"What are you going to do there?" Sucy asked.

"Just taking out a new book my Mom got for me before I came here."

Atsuko looked surprised. "You're still not finished with those? How many gifts did they send you?"

"About a couple dozen but I'm sure I could dispose of them easily." Lotte took the Shiny Rod and began to walk towards the left end of the hallway. "You guys go ahead, I'll catch up."

"Alright, we'll meet you in the cafeteria." Atsuko said and the two went to the other end of the hallway to the mess hall.

Diana ran out of her spot to retrieve her wand from her dorm.

Disappointed.

Utterly disappointed, was what Akko felt at the moment.

When she had encountered Shin—Professor Chariot, her first thought of her initial reaction would be either joy or a little bit of, how do you say this… anything positve, she guess.

What Akko hadn't anticipated was the way it seemed like the professor looked shock when she had brought the Shiny Rod to her. She certainly didn't expect the way her shoulders squared, her face sunken of blood, hands clinging dearly to her books, eyes fidgeting back and forth from the windows to the wand she yielded.

And especially, she hadn't expected Shiny Chariot to reject the Shiny Rod and ordered her to keep it.

What was she going to do with such an item!? While she might have brought up the thought that Professor already had one of her own Shiny Rod, she always shrugged it off and decided that coming clean and giving it back to her personally would be the best sort of action she could do! But she hadn't thought of keeping the thing! Why, that would be nonsense, her, carrying such a valuable wand, when in fact its original keeper is just a building away!

But here she was, with a legit wand (though she is still debating on its authenticity) sitting in her room while the idol of her dreams is currently somewhere off in the castle while eating a plate of fish and chips along with her teammates.

"You're pulling that thinking face again," Sucy told her.

"What?" Atsuko muttered.

"You always knit your brows whenever you're bothered by something," Lotte points at her face as she lowers her Summoning Faeries Grade: 9 book down. "Still bummed about that Shiny Rod thing?"

The thought of keeping a better straight face disappeared just as quick as it had appeared and Akko nodded. "Yes, I am. I just can't stand to believe that the Shiny Rod we're carrying isn't the real deal. You guys did see it function, did you not?"

"Oh, we were there alright," Lotte grinned and began to do an archer position. "You were all like 'SHIINYYY ARRRCC'!"

Sucy snickered but Akko hardly believed the humor Lotte was displaying. "I wasn't that flashy."

"Maybe not, but you were totally into it," Lotte retorted. "Like, you—"

"Excuse me!"

The red team froze and they looked to their right. Standing there, slightly disheveled, as if she had just ran half a mile, was Diana Cavendish, her blue watery eyes large and she held a look that would indicate ecstasy. And to top it off, that look was directed at Akko, which frightened her somewhat.

Witches glanced but it seemed that lunch was far more interesting than some erratic Cavendish at the moment. She breathed and said, "Good afternoon, Atsuko!"

Akko dismissed showing any signs of being awkward of someone using her name like that. This is Britain, she reminded herself. It's proper etiquette to use somebody's first name and besides, Lotte and Sucy are already calling you by your nickname so what's the point? So, as a girl who knows not answering back would be especially rude, she said, "Good afternoon, D-Diana," Dammit, Atsuko. "Is there anything we can help you with?"

It seemed that was the exact question Diana had hoped for. Her face beamed a bright smile and she took out a wand. An actual wand. "Well, actually, yes," She whirled it and a random chair skidded across the room and propped itself behind Diana, which she sat upon while eagerly leaning into their table. "There is something you guys can help me with. Well, not help, maybe satisfy, if that makes sense."

Akko resisted the urge to drop her jaw at the display of magic. It was raw, with no whispering of spells nor any finesse; just a simple whirl like that and a chair suddenly came clopping to them at horse's pace. And Diana, Diana wasn't even bothered by it at all! It's like she did it as simple as breathing. Akko glanced at the other witches and definitely, some of them were staring now.

Clearing her throat a bit, she said in a calm voice, "What would that be?"

The gleam in Diana's eyes grew bigger and she said, "The Shiny Rod."

What?

"What?" Sucy widened her eyes.

"What?" Lotte looked unimpressed.

"What?" Akko was flabbergasted.

Diana nodded and then took out a piece of paper. "Meet me at the plaza. This afternoon. Bring the Shiny Rod, alright?" With each word, Diana's voice became happier as she pressed the folded parchment into her palm. "Please." She held her hand and Akko could feel herself becoming uncomfortable from the bright, pearly grin of Diana Cavendish.

A/N:

What I promised myself: The next chapter should be done by four days I have nothing to do and I have a lot of inspiration and surely would update fast

What happened: *takes several weeks*

im so sorry everyone