Akko grimaced as the large double doors that served as the entrance to the academy creaked in protest as she attempted to open them as silently as possible. The impatient girl settled on a quiet (yet really annoying) whine of the hinges in lieu of an ear piercing bang, the latter of which would most assuredly get her caught by anyone in the school.
Gently closing the door behind her, Akko began her quiet journey back to her room, tip toeing at a steady pace, making extra sure her footsteps don't echo throughout the vacant corridors.
Slowly but surely, Akko made it to her level, but still had a ways to go until she reached her room.
While her feet concentrated on being as silent as possible, her mind was elsewhere. She remembered Diana's words about not letting failures fill her mind with self-deprecating comments, but she couldn't help but focus on what she could've done differently on her fruitless search for the walking tree thingy.
Braving the chilly night air, she had intended on finding that creature, not to prove the others wrong in that she was hallucinating, but rather to thank it properly.
Had it not been there at that exact moment in time, there was no telling how many injuries she could've gotten. And as her friends carried her back to the school grounds, they ignored her pleas to return and merely passed them off as her typical ramblings amplified by possible brain injury.
It didn't take long for her to realize she'd have to go in by herself and thank that thing at a later time.
But after she entered the forest, she came across no sign of life, save for the usual activity of the nocturnal creatures. One step after the other leading her nowhere near any remnant or clue as to the walking tree's whereabouts.
The crunching of sticks and twigs underneath her feet only reminded her of how deafeningly quiet this place was at night, and how she was getting nowhere with this search.
Grumbling to herself, a thought had come to her.
Looking left and right, she purposefully lifted her foot behind her and kicked her footing out from under her, feigning an injury.
She grasped her knee and hugged it to her chest.
"Oh ow! Owwie owie ow! My knee has given out! I'm not sure if I can make it much longer on my own! If only there were some kind creatures out there willing to give a helpless girl assistance . . !"
She was met with nothing but the sounds of crickets chirping and the leaves rustling in the breeze.
Hmphing in frustration, she let her knee go, laying like a beached starfish in the soil.
A new idea came into her head.
Grinning slyly, she took out her wand, holding it up above her head.
"Oh ho ho! Why yes! This tree will do just fine in my log cabin! Here I go! About to chop it down with my freshly sharpened axe!"
Winding the wand behind her in both hands like a baseball bat, she swung and struck the side of the tree, with carefully calculated force as to not bust the wand in half, but also noticeably wobble the tree.
Thunk.
Thunk.
Thunk.
"I'm getting closer! This tree will be mine soon unless something tries to come out and stop me!"
Her prediction came true, but not in the form of what she had wanted.
After one last swing of the wand, a bird's nest fell from atop a branch, landing softly on her head.
She froze mid-swing.
"Eh?"
Sheathing her wand, she took the nest off of her head and brought it closer to her face, the darkness preventing her from knowing what it was. After bringing it close enough to her eyes, they widened in realization.
"Oh boy."
Thankfully, the three eggs inside appeared to be unharmed, but that still didn't appease the mother Blue Jay, cawing in protest at the startled girl.
"GAH!"
The angry mother swooped down, aiming for Akko's head, but she ducked just in time.
As gently as she could, she set the nest down and ran as fast as her feet could bring her, Mama Bird still in hot pursuit, pecking at the bandages on her skull.
"Ow! Ow! Sorrysorrysorrysorry! Ididn'tknowanyonewaslivingtherebutIreallyneedtogetgoingnowsobye!"
Arms flailing in vain efforts to swat the bird away, Akko finally managed to lose her. The bird lost interest and flew back to its home.
But Akko didn't stop running until she had burst out of the spot she had come from, the silhouette of Luna Nova right in front of her.
Arms on her knees as she panted heavily, she finally decided to cut her losses and return to her living quarters.
Now she was faced with another dilemma: attempting to get back to her room without disturbing any other students or teachers.
Unlike her last mission, she was doing fairly well . . . until she rounded the last corner and was met face to face with her mentor, who had her wand poised up and illuminated as she walked the halls.
Akko covered her mouth with both hands in order to prevent any squawk of alarm leaving her.
"A-Akko?!" Professor Ursula, equally startled, breathed out as silently as she could, her free hand resting over her now rapidly beating heart.
They both let out breaths of relief simultaneously.
"Sorry Professor. I didn't mean to scare you."
Ursula was about to deny that she had been frightened, but then realized another issue was at hand.
"Never mind that. But could you please explain to me why you are wandering the halls after curfew?" There was no accusation or any threatening tone to her voice, but Akko knew she needed a plausible excuse, and she got the feeling that playing the I-Wanna-Be-Just-Like-You-When-I-Grow-Up-So-I-Thought-I'd-Silently-Join-You-On-Your-Patrol-Tonight card would get her nowhere fast.
She gulped, dreading the conversation she was picturing in her head.
Aw man, I don't wanna lie to her of all people . . .
Wait a minute, I don't have to . . .
Sheepishly placing her hands behind her back, she nervously rubbed the toes of her shoes against the floor, hanging her head low but still maintaining eye contact.
"I had accidentally lost something that belonged to Constanze. So I tried to look for it, but I lost track of time."
That's . . . technically true . . .
Well, when she says 'lost', she really means launched it out into the night with little to no effort at all, and the 'something' referring to a fairly large flying contraption that takes the appearance of a pirate ship . . . but hey, people bend the truth like this all the time . . .
Right?
To her confusion, Ursula lifted the corner of her mouth into a half smile and half smirk.
"Oh, I see. You misplaced something that belonged to Miss Constanze."
The brunette nodded vigorously.
"So tell me," she reached forward and plucked out a twig out of her hair that Akko hadn't even realized she was carrying, "since when did Constanze move her study into the wilderness?"
Akko slumped her shoulders, offered Ursula a shy smile and rubbed the top of her head nervously (inadvertently touching the tender spots of where Mama Bird had attacked her, but she felt she could keep that to herself).
"As long as your business is finished outside . . . Then I don't see any need to report this incident."
Eyes popping wide and head snapping up, Akko beamed at her childhood hero.
Then Ursula's gaze turned serious, brows raised. "B-but I can't allow you to keep doing this. I won't be able to cover for you forever."
Despite the now growing throbbing of her head, Akko nodded excitedly. "I understand! Thank you soooooooooo much!" Without thinking twice, Akko threw her arms around her teacher's waist, taking the teacher by surprise before she sank into it as well, wrapping her cloaked arms around her favorite student.
"'Sides, I bet you did all sorts of crazy things at school! Probably something more dangerous and exciting than sneaking into the woods in the middle of the night, eh?"
Professor Ursula pointed her illuminated wand away as to not let Akko see an embarrassed blush creep up on her cheeks.
She cleared her throat. "We-well then, I think that it would be rather inappropriate for a student and teacher to be caught in the middle of the night. S-so, why don't you go get as much rest as you can before morning?"
As close as Akko and Ursula grew ever since the missile crisis last year, she had struggled to keep her relationship with the young witch as professional as possible, not wishing for anyone to think that she was the kind of instructor who only gives most of her attention to her favorite students, and has such attempted to re-establish said relationship with the young witch.
Although she wished to stay with her teacher for a little longer, Akko started to notice the telltale signs of drowsiness creeping in. "But I'm still not that tired," the girl whined, but her drooping eyelids betrayed her.
Ursula could only laugh in amusement. "Come now. I'm sure you'd want to get some sleep tonight. If you hurry, you can still get at least seven hours. Besides," Ursula winked, "you've been looking forward to tomorrow's lesson plan all year."
Her seemingly heavy eyelids all but forgotten, Akko's signature bright smile returned.
"You don't mean . . !"
The next day,
"Simon's Comet, as many of you know, is a well-known symbol of magic amongst the witches of Luna Nova," Professor Finneran lectured, arms crossed in front of her and standing before the chalkboard, which had a rough illustration of said comet. "Discovered by Bernadette Simon over seven hundred years ago, this comet . . ."
She continued to drone on, boring the class half to death. Whoever didn't have their heads plopped down inside of their open notebooks were supporting their heads by placing their chins in their hands.
Only two people were listening attentively to the lesson.
The first being Diana, with picture perfect posture as always. With her eyes glued to the front of the class, she wrote inside her notebook while looking down at her paper only sparingly.
The other, surprisingly, was Akko.
In stark contrast to Diana's composed figure, Akko was all but leaning forward as far as she could in her seat and over the desk, as if that would somehow make the information travel faster into her ears. She scribbled at lightning speed on the paper, literally copying down every word that the strict teacher was saying.
Despite her heavy eyelids, she felt as if she was in no danger of falling asleep in class, as she was bound and determined to learn everything she didn't already know about this comet.
Lotte and Sucy exchanged confused glances, wondering where her sudden burst of motivation had suddenly sprung up from.
"Bernadette had used the magic emanating from the comet to drive off the opposing forces who threatened to invade her homeland. However, due to its constantly shifting trajectory, it has flown too far from the planet for witches to utilize its power. But it is still visible to the naked eye."
To Akko's dismay, the bell rang.
"And one last thing before you all leave!" Finneran called out over the anxious group of students. "This comet will be visible for a brief period this upcoming Friday. So we will all be observing it that night."
She was met with a chorus of groans and moans.
Amanda huffed as she stuffed her notebook inside her book bag. "Psh. Right, cuz that's exactly how we all want to spend our Friday night. Looking at some rock in the sky. Big whoop."
"I know! Isn't it exciting?!"
Amanda and Jasminka turned to the source of the optimism.
"Don't tell me you're actually looking forward to watching it? We'll only be able to see it for like fifteen seconds."
"And it shows up once every three years. It's not like it's a very special occasion anymore," Sucy muttered.
"To you guys it might not be, but this'll be my first time seeing it ever!" Akko twirled and threw her hands in the air in excitement.
Jasminka tilted her head in confusion. "You've never seen the comet before?"
Akko shook her head, her smile never vanishing. "Not ever!" Reaching into her book bag, she pulled out a trading card with little to no creases or tears. The art depicted the comet in question, with its long red tail flowing behind it as it passed by several other stars and planets. "This was one of the very first cards I added to my collection. Ever since I learned about it, I promised myself that I'd only see it after I became a witch like Shiny Chariot!"
Everyone around her blinked in astonishment.
"Do you just carry that thing around with you everywhere you go hoping that someone will bring it up?" Sucy asked disbelievingly.
Akko waved her off. "Pfft, no. That'd be just stupid. I only brought it in today after I learned we'd be hearing about it. But now we actually get to see it in person!"
Jasminka lowered her head in what appeared to be jealousy. "Man, I wish I was as excited as you about this, Akko."
"Yeah, no kiddin'," Amanda concurred. "After the first time I saw it, it's kinda lost its appeal."
After a harrumph escaped Akko's lips, she saw Lotte nervously rub the back of her head. "I'm afraid not all that excited for the comet either. It just doesn't have the same feel as it did when I was a kid."
"I never really liked it that much to begin with. It's just a hunk of rock flying through outer space," Sucy shrugged.
Akko looked at all of her friends with a slack jaw, not wishing to believe what she was hearing. She turned to who she believed would be her last hope.
"Diana! Someone like you has to be looking forward to seeing the comet, right . . ?"
Diana sighed as she placed the last of her belongings inside her book bag, eyes closed for a few seconds before they opened up and gazed at Akko. "Despite its rich magical history, I'm afraid I harbor no excitement for this event either."
If they looked closely, they would've been able to see Akko's heart implode in on itself.
Lotte, seeing water beginning to well behind the brunette's eyes, nervously placed her hand on Akko's shoulder in an attempt to appease her now disheartened friend.
"B-but just because we aren't looking forward to it as much doesn't mean you can't enjoy your first time, Akko! Just like what Jasminka said, I think we're all a little jealous . . . right guys?"
"Jealous?" Akko parroted.
"If we're to understand," Diana started, now standing next to the small group of friends, "you have purposefully deprived yourself of this experience all these years so that you may fully appreciate the meaning behind the comet when you've grown, correct?"
Akko's smile was back in full force.
"Yep! I haven't even searched it on any search engine!"
Diana nodded in understanding, a small smile evident. "Then I must admit I am rather envious that the comet's meaning has not been lost to everyone."
Amanda followed Diana's lead with a shrug. "It'd be pretty cool to see the thing with fresh eyes again."
Jasminka nodded vigorously in agreement. "I still haven't forgotten my first time seeing it. That'll only make this one all the more special for you!"
Sucy sighed. "Only Akko could make a big deal over something this stupid," she said in a clearly annoyed tone, but not without the smallest hint of a smile on her features.
Lotte laughed in delight. "It looks like we all want to live vicariously through you for a while."
"Vi . . . what?" But before anyone could clear away her confusion, she caught a glimpse of the clock on the wall. Her eyes growing wide in alarm, she carefully but quickly set her collector's card back into its spot along with the rest of her books. "Shoot! I'm going to be late for my private lesson! I promised Professor Ursula I'd keep better track of time!" With that, the anxious witch made her way past her friends and to the exit. "ThankssomuchIloveyouguys!"
With that, the room was met with a stunned silence.
Then a rowdy chorus of laughter followed.
After the laughing fit subsided, Diana shook her bangs from her eyes. "If only there was a way to experience magic in the way Akko does."
"If everyone did, no one would know how to use it and it would eventually die out," Sucy guessed.
Rather than chiding her teammate, Lotte looked left, then right.
"Where did Constanze go?"
Amanda stood up. "She faked a doctor's note to get out of class. Something about remaking one of her inventions, er something er other. Akko had something to do with it I'm sure."
"Akko did bring up an incident. But she also said she had an apology in mind. I hope it all worked out."
Meanwhile,
Constanze had to pause what she was doing as she gazed down at the folded up piece of paper that had somehow made its way into her stack of blueprints.
Overcome with curiosity, the young inventor took it in her gloved hands and unfolded it.
She was honestly not expecting a childishly drawn picture of a pirate ship with two figures that she was pretty sure were supposed to represent herself and Akko were standing on top of it holding hands. And in bright sparkly blue ink, she had written "I hope we can still salvage this friendSHIP!"
Constanze's eye twitched.
Later,
Despite Ursula's wishes for Akko to be more responsible with her time, she showed no sign of frustration as she burst through the door five minutes late. She merely assumed she had spent a few extra moments to talk with her classmates. She couldn't find it in her heart to scold her pupil over that. Besides, it wasn't like she had been waiting long.
Assuring the girl that the apologies she was spouting out a mile a minute were unnecessary, she finally managed to calm the brunette down and prepared for her lesson.
Reaching underneath her desk, Ursula produced two potted plants, both of which were dried, withered, and overall sad to look at. She set them down atop of the desk and invited Akko to step closer.
Given the young girl's enthusiasm for transformation magic, Ursula decided the best course of action would be to explain to her the different kinds of transformation magic and how to utilize all of them.
"In order to fully utilize your spell, you must first understand the connection to whom or whatever it is you are casting upon. In other words, the intention of your spell must always be kept in mind. Are you attempting to repair a broken item, or perhaps dispel an unwanted pest? Those are the kinds of questions you must always keep in mind. Do you understand, Akko?"
The young witch nodded in affirmation, both hands firmly gripping her wand and eyes never once wavering from her favorite instructor.
"However, in the midst of casting your spell, proper pronunciation and delivery must also be kept in consideration. If you slur your words or misinterpret its meaning, then the magic will dissipate, resulting with nothing, or, in rarer occasions, can sometimes lead to backfiring. A level head and pure heart are the two main ingredients when casting magic." Ursula smiled. "And I know you have no problems with either of those."
Face heating up, Akko bashfully rubbed the back of her still sore head.
"Now, observe."
Unsheathing her wand, Ursula poised herself and concentrated solely on one of the two plants she set before the two of them, the tip of her wand glowing in preparation for her spell.
"Arbourore Vitaestis."
Almost immediately, the green aura from the wand traveled forward and engulfed the plant, the soil now pulsating with the green light. Right before Akko's eyes, the once lifeless twig began to sprout small petals, its stem returning to a healthy thickness with the new rush of nutrients flowing through its body. In a matter of moments, the once seemingly lifeless plant had returned to its pinnacle health.
Akko gazed in wonderment, eyes sparkling in awe.
Smiling, Ursula placed both hands behind her back. "Now," she started, regaining Akko's attention, "what do you believe the intention of my spell was?"
Akko straightened back up, hands at her sides and her face scrunched in thought. "To . . . ah, bring the plant back to life?"
"Very good," Ursula nodded. "And what did you notice about the particular spell I chose to cast?"
"Um . . ." Akko tapped her foot, tapping her chin and fidgeted in place, as if moving every part of her body would somehow help her brain blurt out an answer.
Once Ursula was sure she wasn't going to get an answer, she filled in the blanks. "Look at it this way. Do you remember the first word I used?"
Akko nodded. "Arbourore!"
"Correct. Arbourore means plant, or botany, or any other connection to the group, such as trees or flowers, etcetera. Then the second word was Vitaestis, meaning life."
"Ooooooooooohh," Akko let out a breath of understanding. "So you literally put life inside of the plant?"
"In a matter of speaking, yes. But when all is said and done, what's important is the syntax. The order of the words. First, you establish the noun of your spell, then the verb or command."
"So," Akko attempted to understand, "first I have to review my intentions, otherwise the spell won't work. Then I have to think about the way I order my words, or the spell won't work. And then I have to have perfect pronunciation and execution of the spell . . . or it won't work. Right?"
Ursula smiled sheepishly. "I understand that it's a bit of a mouthful, but-"
"Aww man, that's an awful lot to think about for one spell," Akko's arms drooped to her sides, her once fixed gaze now facing the floor.
"Akko."
She lifted her chin and was met with the kind yet stern look Ursula was currently giving her. "Making magic is something that you and I both adore doing. I became an entertainer to help spread magic and inspire others to pursue it; and then I became an instructor, to help mold those who did decide to learn our ways. Both of which took previously unimaginable amounts of concentration. So you must understand that there are lots of little things that are attributed when it comes to casting spells."
An idea formed in the instructor's mind.
"Come here," she gestured to her side. Akko complied and approached her mentor. "Good, now walk back."
Tilting her head in confusion, Akko did as she was told and returned to her previous spot.
"Now, what was it that you just did?"
"Eh?" Akko tilted her head. "Nothing really. I just kind of walked."
"Yes, Akko!"
The sudden burst of excitement startled Akko out of her confusion. "When we're born, we have no concept of anything, let alone walking. But slowly and surely, we learn how. Even though we stumble and fall as we learn, we finally teach ourselves how to walk regardless. Then, before we know it, we reach the point when we don't even think about what it is we're doing. We simply walk forward and back. That's the essence of magic, Akko. We do it until it is so engraved into our minds, we can't ever possibly forget it."
Akko allowed her teacher's words to absorb, soaking in every meaning and lesson behind it. After stewing it all over in her head, Akko grinned and gave a confident nod. "I think I get it, now!"
Ursula returned the nod, clearing away from the desk to give Akko room to work.
The brunette let out a deep, calming breath while posing herself just like how Ursula was just standing moments ago.
She listed off everything that they had just reviewed in her mind:
Intention, check.
Cleared mind . . . . . . . . check.
Pronunciation, we're about to find out.
Setting her sights on the lifeless plant, she flicked her wrist.
"Arbourore Vitaestis!"
Her wand glowed the same green aura for a few brief moments . . . then in a somewhat anticlimactic puff of smoke, a tiny, dark gray cloud formed right above the wilting plant.
Both student and teacher tilted their heads in confusion.
"Eh?"
After a few more moments of silence, they both let out a squeal of alarm as the tiny cloud began to pour rain over the helpless plant, as if a faucet had been turned on full blast.
The water cascaded over the plant, spread over the desk and puddled on the floor faster than either of them could process.
Panicked, Akko waved her hands in the air, accompanied by a series of choked screeches of helplessness and guilt. In a fit of desperation, Akko waved her wand through the cloud vigorously in an attempt to dissipate the unintentional cloud formation.
To her shock and relief, it worked. All that was left were tiny wisps of white and gray that slowly faded away. All that was left was a now puddle on the floor, a dripping desk, and a drenched potted plant. Akko and Ursula made no noises at all, too overcome with shock to even attempt to speak at the moment. The only noise in the room were the steady drips of water falling off the desk, creating ripples upon impact in the puddle.
The only thing Akko could even remotely think to do at the moment was offer Ursula a shaky smile, accompanied by a small series of awkward chuckles.
Before Ursula could say or do anything in reply, however, they both caught movement in the corner of their eye, coming from the plant.
The soaked stem quivered and shook, vibrating the pot it rested in.
Finally, the plant stopped moving.
Akko and Ursula braved a few timid steps forward, careful not to slip in the water, and brought their faces closer to it . . . just in time to see a leaf poke out the top of the stem.
Gasping in astonishment, any embarrassment Akko had previously felt immediately vanished, and was replaced with a rejuvenated sense of excitement and disbelief.
Like a child playing in the rain, Akko Excitedly jumped up and down, spraying splashes of water all over her and Ursula's robes; but Ursula didn't care in the slightest.
It may have been a small accomplishment, but to Akko, had been a full-fledged victory, and Ursula wouldn't dare take that away from her.
Akko virtually threw her face within three inches away from Ursula's. "Look! Professor look! It's life! I made life!"
Ursula backed away in alarm, but smiled nonetheless. "Well done, Akko. Before long, you'll be able to- Careful!"
Her warning came too late.
In the middle of Akko's celebration, she had inadvertently twirled over to a dresser close to the wall, and gasped in horror when she felt her hand nudge against what felt like a picture frame. With no time to react, the picture frame plummeted, breaking in two, shattered glass littering the floor around Akko's feet.
Her heart sank even farther once she got a look at the picture that laid in the wreckage.
Of all the possessions in Ursula's office, of course it just had to be a picture of her younger self.
The image depicted Chariot, rich red hair and all, in her Chariot costume, with her arm playfully draped over Croix's shoulder, other hand making the peace symbol. Croix, meanwhile, could only smile in amusement at her friend's antics.
Hands balled into fists and hovering over her mouth in pure terror, Akko chanced a look in Ursula's direction.
"Professor, I'm s-so sorry! I didn't-"
"Akko, are you unhurt?" Ursula immediately waved off her student's concern, making her way to the broken picture frame.
"Y-yeah. I'm fine. But the picture-"
"Don't worry about that," Ursula ordered, inspecting Akko's shoes and ankles, ensuring that no harm had come.
Letting out a long sigh, Ursula confirmed that she was not hurt.
"Thank goodness."
Akko, having calmed down, still couldn't quell the guilt that was still building up in the pit of her gut.
But before she could apologize any further, Ursula whipped out her wand and pointed it at the shattered frame.
"Altus Craesha."
On command, the broken pieces of the frame floated and spiraled, accompanied by random flecks of splinters and sparkling shards of glass. Akko backed as far away as possible to avoid being sliced by any stragglers. After a cacophony of clinking glass and clicking wood, the frame reassembled itself effortlessly before it floated back to its usual spot on the dresser.
Ursula made a mental note to make a sweep for any leftover shards of glass.
Sheathing her wand, Ursula – who was just about to reassure Akko that no real harm had been done and there was nothing to fret over – saw her student's gaze down, her eyes welling and threatening to break at any moment.
"Akko," Ursula breathed out. But before she could calm the girl, Akko was already in a downward spiral of despair.
"I-I'm sorry, Professor," she said in a shaky tone, her voice rasping and her breath catching, head hung farther down in shame and embarrassment. "Right wh-when I think I'm making actual progress, I have to go and do something so . . . so-"
"Don't you dare finish whatever it is you're about to say," Ursula demanded, snapping Akko's attention back up. "It doesn't matter how many mistakes you make in life as long as you're sorry for them and learn from them. I know you're aware of some of the mistakes I've made," neither of them had to say out loud which incident she was directly referencing. "When you take two steps backwards, that's what makes you appreciate the one step forward all the more."
To emphasize her point, she looked behind her, directing Akko's tear stained eyes to the single leaf that she had produced.
"What's more is that you'd never do anything like this on purpose. There's no reason for you to feel bad or apologize. Is that understood?"
Akko nodded slowly.
Ursula offered her a reassuring smile accompanied with a hair tousle.
"Just be more careful next time. And . . . if at all possible, keep in mind that my office isn't in any dire need of an indoor pool."
The brunette once again rubbed the back of her head bashfully.
"But like I said, no need to worry. It'll be a breeze to clean up. But it's getting to be suppertime. Why don't you head down with your friends?"
Sniffling, Akko's smile returned, nodding in agreement after her growling stomach gave her away.
"Same time next week?" Akko asked hopefully.
"Of course."
Later,
Akko had to verbalize a mantra on her way to the cafeteria in order to not focus on the incident inside Ursula's office.
At the beginning of this school year, the brunette made a new school year resolution (which she's still debating with Sucy about it being real) to not cause as much trouble as she had last year.
So far, she feels as though she wasn't doing the best job.
So far, she's crashed her broom and made everybody worry over her, lost Constanze's flying pirate ship, reminded everybody how unexcited they were for the arrival of the comet, and now, just to add to the list, she flooded Professor Ursula's office and shattered her picture with Croix.
The school year started three weeks ago.
Diana's words of not dwelling over the negatives in life quickly came to mind, but the usually optimistic, bubbly girl found it hard to be optimistic and bubbly when it seemed as if so many accidents happen all at once, and most of them being her fault.
The evening sunlight poured into the walkway, forcing her to shield her eyes and turn her head as she continued to walk forward.
It was only as she was halfway to the cafeteria that she realized that she had forgotten her book bag in Professor Ursula's office.
Akko tugged underneath her eyes in agitation. "Uuuuuuuuuuuggghh!"
Turning on her heel, she began to walk back the way she had just came . . . then froze dead in her tracks.
As she shielded her eyes from the blinding sunlight, she happened to glance out the window and down at the entrance to the forest.
She was certain her vision was still swimmy from her tears, or maybe it was just her food deprived mind playing pranks on her, but after staring at the same spot for a few seconds straight, there was no denying what she saw . . .
The tree thingy!
Its leaf afro bounced as it trotted back into the bush it had more than likely exited from. Before it went through, it turned around, looked to the left, then right. Its thin line of a mouth smiled in contentment, confident that it was not followed . . . until it looked up and stared straight into Akko's eyes.
Akko was almost certain she could hear it squeal in alarm before it darted into the bush.
It took her several moments to register what it was she had just saw before she pumped a fist in the air.
"I knew it!"
