The day Akko finally got her sponsorship was the start of one of the most exciting periods of Diana's entire life.

The day was actually pretty boring until around 5 o'clock.

Diana's week had been quiet. She hadn't had the chance to so much as call Akko since their teatime experiment last weekend, much less see her in person, something that bothered her, since Akko would likely be flying home the day after tomorrow.

She planned to make time then. For now, she was just finishing up her classes for the evening.

The Le Fay Technical Institute of Magicraft was far from as prestigious as Luna Nova, but she liked it well enough. They had a more modern approach to magic, which was something she might've rejected as a teenager.

Most of that attitude was whittled away in the years since the Grand Triskellion. Croix's cure for Wagandea's Disease, along with several other incidents the Nine New Witches got involved in, had opened her eyes to how unexplored the field of mixing modern technology and medicine with traditional magic was.

This school gave her the chance to do that.

On a personal level…she also liked Le Fay Tech because she was currently attending with Jasminka.

Just about every day, Diana and Jasminka met up to have lunch together, and then in evenings, they met up again before they both left for home. Today was no different.

"It's more than just a cooking show, Diana." Jasminka was telling her. "The host is so sweet, I think you'd like him. You should really watch it."

"Maybe I would…but I hardly have time to keep up with such a thing at the moment."

Jasminka lightly giggled. "You're always so busy."

"So everyone tells me." Diana sighed. "But I don't see anything wrong with being productive."

"Just make sure you don't let your brain turn to mush~"

The gentle melody of Jasminka's singsong voice was enough to make Diana smile.

Out of the Nine New Witches (and Hannah and Barbara), only Jasminka and Diana needed a post-bachelor's degree. Whereas Diana needed a license to work with medicinal magic, Jasminka was enrolled in education administration.

Jasminka had changed very little since their academy days, appearance wise. She was dressed much nicer too, with a purple jacket the complimented her far nicer than Luna Nova's uniforms, and one braid strewn over her shoulder.

Though she had become more outspoken as an adult. Part of being a headmistress meant making sure you got your way.

"Still…" Jasminka said to her. "If everyone is saying it, don't you think they all might have a point? If you're always so busy, life's going to pass you by…"

"I prefer it this way." Diana said absently. "Helping others before yourself is the mission statement of the House of Cavendish, after all."

"I think Amanda would say…you shouldn't forget your obligation to help yourself too."

"Yes, well…Amanda isn't here, so let's try to enjoy that fact for a little while longer, shall we?"

Jasminka laughed at that.

Truth be told, Diana did know the value of these moments with one of her old friends.

Diana recalled the time after their chaotic graduation ceremony, when most of the rubble was being cleaned and Interpol was clearing out. Jasminka went up to Holbrooke, shook her hand, and told her the next time they saw each other, Jasminka would be taking her job.

Sucy had snickered about the face Holbrooke had made for days on end. Since then, Diana and Jasminka had grown a little closer.

After a long day of classes, Diana often looked forward to their conversations. They'd talk, debate some ideas, just catch up. It was a nice change of pace from the rest of her life.

Jasminka poked her arm, and directed her attention to someone across the campus grounds. "Oh, isn't that Akko over there?"

Diana glanced up. Sure enough, there was her girlfriend, running right at them. It was pretty rare to see her come down to school, though Diana was not given much time to speculate if something was actually wrong.

"Diana!" cried Akko as she leapt into Diana's arms.

"Oof!" cried Diana as she was tackled by the full weight of her girlfriend.

"Aw." Jasminka smiled, finding the whole interaction to be terrifically nostalgic.

Diana suddenly found Akko's face was buried in her shoulder, gripping the fabric of her jacket tightly. Her breathless laughs and hollers filled Diana's ears.

"DianaaaaOhmygoshyouaren'tgonnabelievewhathappened!"

"Uh…t-take a breath." Diana tapped her back. "I can't quite understand you."

"R-right! Right!" Akko nodded. "But I can't help it! I'm just…you aren't gonna believe it, Diana! I have such amazing news and oh my gosh I had to tell you right away! I was just so excited!"

"I could tell."

Akko laughed, and gave her a squeeze.

It was easy to forget how all her performance training kept her in shape, right up until her arms were clamped around her. Akko's soft features belayed the fact that she could easily sweep Diana off her feet, despite Diana having a good seven centimeters over her.

She seemed half tempted to do just that, but fortunately, Diana's gentle tone kept her from getting too excitable. She laid her hands on the shorter girl's shoulder.

"So what's this all about then?"

"Is everything okay?" Jasminka asked.

"Oh! Hi Jazzy!" Akko mercifully released Diana from her grip, and turned to the other voice. "I didn't notice you there!"

"No worries." Jasminka hummed. "Did something good happen today?"

"Did something good happen?" Akko repeated. "What happened was, today I just got hired!"

Diana's eyes widened. With her hands on Akko's shoulders, she turned her around to face her directly.

"Wait…you got a sponsorship?"

"Yes!"

"You're going to be a full time performer?" Diana's expression lit up.

"Yes!"

"That's…that's wonderful, Akko!"

When Akko suddenly surged forward again to embrace her, Diana was right on the same page, and caught her easily. Akko's breathless laughter started over again, and Diana found herself grinning along.

Jasminka (who would later profess to feeling very much like a third wheel) clapped for them.

"Congratulations! I saw your show on WitchTube, and I thought it was so nice. I'm happy other people thought so too!"

Akko nodded. "And now, you're gonna be able to see even more shows like that! Because after today, I'm a professional."

"So tell us, who hired who?" Diana asked. "Is it a good company?"

"That's what I came down here to tell you guys!" Akko said, gearing up to tell her story. "Okay, so here's what happened!"

~~ What Happened Approximately Ninety-Four Minutes Ago, According to One Atsuko Kagari ~~

So there Akko was, back on the festival grounds where she had played last weekend. And she was there because a little while ago, she got a call saying someone wanted to meet with her here and talk business, right?

She was thinking to herself that she was really hoping for some good news, because she was a little bummed out when she thought having to fly back to Edogawa soon.

"Oh boy!" Akko thought to herself. "I sure am hoping for some good news, because I'm a little bummed out when I think about having to fly back to Edogawa soon!"

Actually, she was sorta bad at travel planning even though she basically always went back and forth between England and Japan, and she swore no matter how thoroughly she planned it, she always ended up forgetting stuff, but that's not the point.

Anyway so the fair was all cleaned up and everything, and everything was put away, so Akko went to the park manager's office and there was the guy who hired her for the show, but there was also this other guy there in a really nice looking suit.

And so the guy in the suit went up to shake Akko's hand, and he was like, "Hello, I'm a business man or whatever and I represent some company!"

Akko said, "That's cool, anyway what do you want?"

So the guy was like, "I was in the audience at your last super amazing show and I was reviewing it and I thought it was really super amazing!"

And Akko was like, "Wow, that's great! I'm really happy to hear that!"

And then the guy was like, "But to be honest I thought your show could also be better!"

Which made Akko really disappointed, right? Because for a second, she was wondering if this was one of those times when a reviewer wanted to talk to her personally just to say they hated her show, which actually happened more than once, actually.

But then (get this), the business dude said, "Now your Glimmer Usa-chan act…you pull in good numbers for an independent performer, and when I was at your last show, I saw how many people thought you were the most incredible performer ever. But what I think would help you is better management."

"Better management? What does that mean?"

"It means we think if you let us sponsor a performer as incredible as you, we're going to make it even more incredible than ever before, and you can live your dream of being like Shiny Chariot except make it even bigger!"

And Akko got crazy excited, and she said, "That would be the coolest thing!"

And he said, "I also agree that this would be the coolest thing!"

So then he handed her an actual business card, like the kind of nice looking card you see on television, and he went on and on with these really long-winded introductions, talking about this entertainment industry he worked with, and the values they represented, that kinda stuff, right?

Anyway even though she got crazy excited, she actually played it totally cool and didn't freak out at all, because she didn't wanna make a bad impression by like jumping and screaming on this guy, that'd be obnoxious.

So she was playing it cool and she said, "So I'm gonna work for you guys from now on?"

And he said, "We're going to write up a contract and set up another meeting soon but we think your act is a good fit for our company!"

"This is such a good deal for us both, and I'm definitely gonna be the best show your company ever had!"

"That sounds good, and I think you should run home and tell your girlfriend about this right away!"

"I am definitely gonna go that! But first I'm gonna be calm and thank you so I don't weird you out."

And anyway they talked about some legal stuff or whatever and basically they decided they'd figure some of that stuff out when they had her come in and meet the actual boss of the company whose name she couldn't really remember.

But more important than that, at one point (and he literally said this, not even joking) he said, "Glimmer Usa-chan's about to be the biggest name in entertainment!"

"…And basically, right after that, I ran straight here to tell you guys!"

And with that, Akko's story was concluded. She finally took a moment catch her breath, still flushed with pride, and beside herself with excitement.

Jasminka and Diana, however, shared a bewildered look between the two of them. After a long moment of thinking, there was really only one thing Diana could say.

"Well that was…creative."

"I didn't know the entertainment world worked like that…" Jasminka added thoughtfully. "But I liked the voice you did for the business man!"

Akko stuck out her lower lip, squinting at their expressions. "You guys don't seem that excited anymore…"

Diana crossed her arms. "Akko, do you…actually not remember the name of the man who you just agreed to work for?"

"I do know his name!" Akko insisted. "I just…don't really…I mean look, he gave me a business card!"

She fished it out from her jacket pocket, and pushed the slip of paper in her direction.

The card had the contact information for a Mr. Morray, an employee of a company called Lā Kahiko Entertainment.

Was this card laminated? Diana had to admit, that was a little impressive.

Jasminka looked at the card over her shoulder. "Kahiko…I think I heard that name watching TV the other night…"

"I looked them up on my phone!" Akko said. "They did a bunch of stuff over the years. You know that one really old rock star, Marjolaine? It said these guys funded one of her world tours when she was really big! And now they wanna hire me!"

Diana was hardly one for rock and roll, but she vaguely recalled Marjolaine. The witch had been an alumni of Luna Nova, and one of the judges at that first Samhain Festival.

She wondered if that was just a coincidence, or if Marjolaine had said something. Either way, while it was impossible to say what kind of people they were, this at least meant they were legit, which solved most of Diana's fears.

"Can you believe it?" Akko bounced on her heels. "This is my big break! I'm gonna be a real star! I'm gonna get to make even more shows! And I'm gonna play in big places, and there's gonna be posters and fans and I'm gonna be famous and-!"

"Slow down, Akko." Diana smiled. "Your shows can wait for you to breathe."

"How can I slow down? This is the big chance I've been working for my whole stupid life! I can't stop smiling! My face feels so good!"

Diana couldn't help herself. Akko's face was red from all her breathless ranting, and she was beaming ear to ear. It was incredibly cute.

She cupped Akko's chin and brought her lips forward. Akko gladly met her halfway, mumbling bubbly sounds against Diana's mouth. All it did to serve was make Diana feel even lighter.

As soon as Akko's mouth was freed from her lips, she giggled once more. Diana couldn't help but run a hand through the short, brown tresses. Akko leaned into the touch, not unlike the way a puppy does to the hand petting it.

"I'm so proud of you." Diana said. "I always knew you could do it. It was just a matter of time."

"Yeah…" Akko said. "But you know what the best part is? Working with these guys, I'm gonna finally make enough to get a real place down here, all year."

The possibilities of that were tantalizing.

"I can live with that…"

Akko's arms snaked up Diana's shoulders. "No more having to miss you…no more running back and forth…no more having to do the math in my head every time I call you from home to make sure it's not like 1 AM here…"

"You know I don't mind when you do that."

"That's because you never sleep, you workaholic." Akko teased.

"We're talking about your work here, not mine."

Akko stood and kissed her again, before quickly detangling herself from her arms, much to Diana's disappointment.

But then again, it did remind her the two of them weren't alone right now.

"A-anyway, sorry, Jasminka!" Akko scratched the back of her neck. "I didn't mean to get all mushy in front of you."

"I'm used to you two by now." Jasminka assured her. "You know…maybe we should all go get something nice and fluffy to eat and celebrate! I know Amanda and Hannah have been wanting to see everyone again."

"Yeah, that'd be great!" Akko nodded. "Now I got left to do is find an apartment around here. Maybe something in the city!"

Jasminka tilted her head. "You're not gonna need any help moving?"

"Oh, not yet!" Akko laughed. "I'm not sure where I'm gonna move into."

"What places are you looking at?"

"Nothing yet, actually! Never even had the chance."

"So where are you staying in the meantime?"

"…Meantime?"

"Oh, I guess you renewed your stay with the motel you're staying at, right?"

Akko paused. Her smile suddenly disappeared.

Diana's expression flattened. "…You didn't."

"Um."

"Akko…"

"W-well it's not all my fault!" Akko jumped to defend herself. "I mean I was late on payments like a bunch of times, so it's not like the landlord would've even let me renew even…if I…"

She trailed off, as if the realization finally hit her that this wasn't actually helping to prove her innocence. Frantically she began to pace back and forth.

"Agh, what am I gonna do?!" She cried. "I didn't think I needed to think about it! I thought it would just…!"

"Akko, it's alright, just calm down."

"I'm so dumb. I didn't think about this…" Akko ran her hands through her hair. "Oh man, I'm gonna be homeless!"

Diana took hold of the shorter girl by the shoulders, bringing her pacing to a stop. Akko was still too animated from finally having good news for a change, her excitement had simply plummeted in the wrong direction.

"Just breathe, Akko. You're not dumb, and you're not gonna be homeless."

Dutifully, Akko forced herself to inhale, and exhale. Diana gently brushed her shoulders until she caught her breath and managed to stand still.

"Alright…" Akko mumbled. "But what am I gonna do now?"

"I don't know, but if you'll stop and work with me for a moment, we can work something out. This is hardly the worst spot we've been in."

Akko hung her head. "Ugh…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wig out on you guys…I was just…so excited, and…"

"You deserve to feel excited about it." Diana told her. "You worked hard for this, you should be proud of yourself."

"I just never thought about what I'd do if it finally happened, you know? I thought I needed to strike while the iron was hot. That's the saying, right? This was finally happening, and I didn't wanna let it slip, so I just…I didn't think."

Diana tapped her chin for a moment. "Well…you do still have the motel for another night. And you do have your job, so money isn't a long-term issue."

Akko nodded mechanically.

"You still have plenty of things going for you." Diana said. "This is…a setback, but you still have your dream job now, don't you? Don't let this hamper your excitement."

"I am still excited…" Akko said. "I mean it's like one of those things where it's hard to believe it's even happening. You don't even really think about it, you just…do."

The corner of Akko's lips twitched, and she bashfully fidgeted with her hands, playing with her skirt.

Diana's stomach turned. Now she just felt worse for chastising her. This was a moment that should've been one of the happiest of Akko's life. All her work to please the crowds, to impress talent agents, to earn a smidgen more respect from Diana's family members, and all Diana could say was…

Without warning, Diana suddenly reached down and took Akko's hands in her own.

"Move in with me."

"What…?"

"You…" Diana steeled her nerves. "You can come live at the Manor, with me. You'll move in, and I'll help take care of you. It's the least I can do."

"I…" Akko shook her head. "I can't do that!"

"Why not?" Diana pressed. "We certainly have more than enough guestrooms to accommodate you. You'd hardly be a bother. Not to mention, cut down on your expenses, and you'd have room to practice your routines. It'd be perfect."

"But Diana..." Akko chewed on her lower lip. "I mean… well, I want to..."

"You do?"

"Of course I do! But…I'd feel like I'm taking advantage of you. You have such a big house, and it's an awesome place to live, and…I mean I've almost been evicted from a motel like twice."

"Don't speak like you haven't earned this. You have Beatrix's blessing. You've helped our family time and time again, and you've certainly saved the life of its youngest daughter on multiple occasions."

"Ehhh…" Akko made a face. "I kinda put it in danger more than once too…"

"Precisely. We're a team, and more than that, I'm your girlfriend. You shouldn't have to worry about deserving the most basic hospitality from me."

Akko searched her expression, and her lips parted.

But she quickly shook her head and cast her gaze downward.

"I don't know…"

"…I-if you're truly not comfortable, that's fine. I'll help you figure something out in the meantime. But just know, if you are ready…then you've more than earned a place with us." In a much quieter voice, Diana added, "…with me."

Akko glanced back up, and bit her lip. Diana could see the gears of her mind working.

She couldn't explain why she suddenly felt so anxious about the idea of Akko not being comfortable with this. Was Diana ready for this? Probably not. But now the question was already out there.

Shouldn't she admire Akko for thinking it over, for considering the possibilities? There were a number of things they have to be concerned about. Diana had listed a few them to Anna just the other day.

But right now, she knew what her heart wanted, and it really needed Akko to say yes.

When Akko finally spoke at last, Diana waited on every syllable.

"…okay." She said. "But I wanna contribute while I'm staying here, okay? Like…pay rent or utilities. Just…something so I'm not just living off of you guys."

Diana's face lit up. "So…so you'll do it?"

"If you're sure it's alright, then…yeah." Akko nodded. "…I'll move in with you!"

Diana's heart must've skipped a beat.

"R-right!" Diana beamed. The tips of her ears turned red. "It's more than alright. And if you're worried about contributing, it shouldn't be hard to…find something. I can arrange that."

Akko giggled. "T-that felt weird to say out loud…is that weird?"

"No, I understand! I do. D-do you need to go back to your place and pick up your belongings? I can help you move them in, if you need to."

"Wait, do you think I should I move out tonight?"

"W-well, obviously you don't have to, but…if you wanted to, I'd be more than happy to…"

As for Jasminka…

Diana and Akko talked over the details, oblivious to her humming a little ditty to herself. As their friend, seeing the couple hash things out, and especially seeing how anxious they both were to begin their lives together, made her very happy.

But as someone enrolled in too many psych classes for her own good, she couldn't help but think things during her daily talks with Diana.

Not that she meant to psychoanalyze. It just happened sometimes. Little concepts here and there that cropped up as Diana talked about her exhausting work load and daily occurrences.

Currently, her private assessment of Diana Cavendish was, "Needs a Wife", so currently, she was feeling pretty pleased with herself.

A.N. so I guess you can guess where we're gonna be next time, right? Akko's actually gonna move in for real! Hope she's ready for THAT…

"lā kahiko" is Hawaiian, bee-tee-dubs. Its meaning, if you're curious, is the exact opposite of the words "luna nova"