Well, this university year promises to be a bit less hectic than the last. Hopefully I won't have particularly huge breaks between uploads.

With that out of the way, however, I sure am glad to be back to working on this, huh. Enough talk, let's get straight to-


Come to think of it, I'm running out of original things to start out my "Review Responses" section on. Oh well, today's reviews are mostly from newcomers anyway.

JaviInkling: Exactly what I was going for with that cliffhanger.

Wowpizza1: But of course! That reference was the intention behind that particular cliffhanger. Although it might have just ruined the otherwise serious mood.

Onto the story proper, then!


Honestly, neither Sucy nor Diana knew whether to be relieved with what they saw, or get even more concerned because of the current state of the girl they went to check up on.

Sure enough, there Akko was, sitting on her bed, resting her face on her knees and covering her face with her hands as she wept, if her quiet sobbing was of any indication.

Sucy felt her heart freeze at the sight. She had to admit, this wasn't the first time she saw Akko look so troubled. Not the first time she saw that witch being outright depressed and not the first time she saw that girl lose her usual cheerfulness. After all, back when Akko found out some rather unsettling details about her idol, about how she lost her magic back then, and found out that basically everything she knew was a lie, she had much of the same reaction.

But this time it was a more mundane matter. Something that didn't happen because of magical matters, but because of pure emotional strain over the recent days. Something that didn't happen from a single crushing blow and a strong, painful realization, but from repeated strain on an individual's mind, and the incessant stress that Akko had no rest from. From the constant stress of forcing herself on dates with both Sucy and Diana, to the emotional stress experienced whenever the two girls fought over her, and with it all culminating in how one particularly bad fight put Akko into a near-death situation – it all hit Akko in rapid succession, and the last detail was enough to make her snap yet again.

And yet right now, there the girl was, in the same dejected state as both Sucy and Diana found her in way back then. And this time, they felt like they would have a harder time consoling her, considering that they themselves were the reason for the brunette's depression.

Akko either didn't seem to notice either of the two witches, or she pretended to not notice them. Either way, the brunette continued quietly sobbing, not daring to say a word.

"We both have to speak to her, remember? Maybe she'll calm down if she sees that we can both talk it out with her in a more civil way, without any unnecessary bickering between one another." – Diana whispered to Sucy, to which the violette quietly nodded.

Neither girl attempted to announce their presence as they approached Akko. Then again, she probably caught on to the two more people present within the room by now. Sitting by either side from Akko, neither of the two girls even dared to say a single word – right now, the asian witch's emotional state was too fragile, and they were afraid to aggravate her even further.

However, as the silence, save for the sound of Akko's sobbing, was too much to bear, it wasn't long before both girls said almost in unison: "Akko, we need to talk this out."

Judging by the fact that Akko stopped sobbing momentarily, she was at least somewhat responsive at the moment. Her eyes still teary, the brunette moved her hands away from her face, and looked to both sides of her to see Sucy and Diana sitting just next to her, looking noticeably concerned for her… Only for her to sigh and cover her face with her hands again, although no sobbing could be heard. This time, however, no one was going to tolerate the tense silence within the room, and Diana was first to speak up:

"Akko, we sincerely apologize for the… Latest events, so to speak."

Sucy decided to chime in as well, and added: "In our constant fighting over you, neither of us even noticed that you were the one getting hurt by our constant bickering the most…"

"And as a result, we have ended up inadvertently hurting you, as a result of complete disregard for-"

"It's not your fault, guys…" – Akko replied in a somewhat tired-sounding voice, interrupting the girls' speech. – "I realized it now. It's all because of me. I'm an awful witch, a bad friend, and a worse girlfriend. I've been leading you two on, with you two expecting some sort of result from the whole thing, and… As a result, I was straining your patience too much. Not only that, I lashed out at you two for something that probably wasn't the fault of either of you. Honestly, ending up as a bloody splat on the ground would have served me right."

"Akko, don't say such things!" – Sucy suddenly shouted, startling both Diana and Akko. – "You weren't "leading either of us on"…"

"It was just that you were faced with a difficult decision, and with so much having had happened within the span of a couple months…"

"The stress was probably too much for you to bear. In your position, anyone would have snapped like this."

"But even then, it's still our fault."

"Diana, Sucy, please, you don't have to-" – Not that Akko got a chance to finish her sentence, as both girls continued on with their speech.

"It's not your fault, Akko." – Sucy remarked in her usual calm voice, having had placed her hand on the brunette's shoulder. – "If anything, it's not just because we got you hurt…"

"But because we completely disregarded you as a person, and in our constant bickering and fighting we forgot about that, in the end…"

"You weren't some sort of prize to compete for. Not some sort of reward to win over. For all of my sarcastic remarks and Diana's occasional insults, there's no denying that you are much better than you think you are. You are a well-natured person, a good friend, and a witch aspiring to be as good as her idol, even if said idol had their mistakes in life." – Sucy wasn't all that good at comforting speeches, but at the very least she tried.

"And frankly, our bickering and attempts to push you towards one choice in favor of the other were almost entirely pointless. After all…"

"It's up to you to decide which one of us you'd want to tolerate for beyond the academy years."

The words of encouragement, while not enough to calm Akko down completely, seemed to be at least somewhat enough to at least make the brunette a little less tense as she, with her eyes still teary, albeit now from joy, pulled both girls towards her into a group hug.

Right in time for Lotte to come back to the dorm room.

"Hey, Akko, sorry if I'm a little late, I had to- Oh." – The ginger almost quickly froze up in the doorway as she saw that Akko was hugging both Diana and Sucy. The latter just briefly turned away from Akko, and asked: "Later, Lotte. We're having a moment here."

"Sorry." – The witch quietly uttered as she left the room and closed the door. As soon as Akko released both girls, she remarked: "I'm glad we made up. Sorry for lashing out at you two back then."

"Already forgotten." – Diana replied.

"No big deal." – Sucy added.

"So… Now that we've solved this particular debacle, there's just… One problem bothering me." – Akko said as her gaze shifted from one girl to another a couple times, then added: "I, admittedly, still can't choose either one of you in favor of the other."

"It's alright, Akko. Whichever choice you make, you can't be wrong." – Diana replied, placing both her hands on Akko's, with Sucy soon doing the same.

"Whether you're into creepy weirdos like me, or stuck-ups like Diana, it's all up to you." – Sucy honestly wasn't the person for those mushy-lovely situations, so it was only natural that some of her phrases came out in a somewhat soured way.

Wiping her teary eyes, Akko replied: "Thank you, girls. But… I think I'll need some time to think everything over. And maybe get back into the usual flow of studying – after all, I don't have any legitimate excuse, unlike last year."

"Oh, no worries. We'll bring you the necessary homework as soon as possible." – Sucy remarked, getting up from the lower bunk that Akko lied on.

"And we'll try to make sure that the teachers won't be too harsh on you for skipping an entire work day." – Diana added as well.

"Speaking of which, didn't Lotte come by a couple moments ago?" – Akko asked, a little alarmed.

"She sure did. Right as we were in the middle of a group hug, too-" – Not that Sucy got to finish her sentence, as Akko zoomed right out of the room as quickly as she could… And crashed right into Lotte in a matter of a couple seconds.

While the brunette was busy chattering with Lotte and asking her about the homework given for the day, a slightly awkward silence persisted in the bedroom. Naturally, Diana was the first one to break it: "So… I suppose that this means that we're back on at least… Relatively neutral terms?"

"I suppose we are, Prissy."

"And no matter which one of us Akko chooses, we will react maturely and responsibly, correct?" – The blonde asked, prompting a groan from Sucy, who, after taking a few breaths to calm herself, remarked: "Like we already said – if she's into creeps like me, that's fine. If she's into sticks-in-the-mud like you, I suppose that's fine as well. Like I said earlier, It's all up to her. "

"I suppose this is my cue to leave, then." – Diana remarked, going on to exit the dormitory room, for the time being leaving Sucy with her own thoughts for the short time period that would pass before Akko would come running right back in to catch up on her homework.


Later, during the night, when almost everyone else was sleeping, it was now Akko's turn to be lost in thought, thinking over the potential decision she was going to make eventually.

"What should I do?" – Akko asked herself, just quiet enough not to wake Sucy or Lotte up. – "Even if they both react responsibly to it and I won't get on either one's bad side if I choose the other… Well, there's still the matter of choice and all the pros and cons of either girl. "

And thus, most of the time before Akko fell asleep was spent by her thinking over just that.

"I mean, Sucy has a rather odd look, but at the same time, it gives her some sort of air of mystery, and she sure is far from ugly, and for all her creepiness and thorny personality, she can be really nice when she tries…"

"And then there's Diana. She sure is pretty – I mean, that blonde hair and those blue eyes are the things that any guy or girl would fall for, no doubt! – and she is smart, not to mention quite eloquent…"

"Even though Sucy seems to have a rather odd choice of dating spots, she still makes it quite worthwhile, if only due to making sure that even something as simple as a broom ride around the countryside or an outing in the nearby forest would be at least memorable in it's own way. Just nice, secluded locations, out in the nature, not a soul for miles, only the two of us, either watching the sunset or taking in the sights from bird's flight height…"

"Then again, Diana has a preference for the more extravagant dates, and for all the crowdedness of the places we end up at, she still makes sure that the date is all about the two of us. For all the outright choking fanciness of all those cafes and restaurants we visited during our dating attempts, she sure knows how to pick a good dating spot. And she sure isn't afraid to spend some extra coin if it means improving the date further…"

Constantly weighing both ups and downs of each girl, trying to think of a proper decision, Akko finally came to a conclusion that she, admittedly, already came to long ago, but didn't consider it all that plausible back then.

"I guess I was wrong. I guess I really do "like-like" both of them after all. They each have good looks, charming personalities, and they both want me to be happy. Even if I won't upset either one of them up no matter the decision, I just… I don't want to have to choose between either of them." – Akko couldn't help but say the last sentence out loud, but not too loud as to not wake her roommates up.

"If only I could be in a relationship with them both at the same time…"


Oh silly Akko, not knowing about the concept of polyamorous relationships. Then again, considering how dense she is, that might just be in-character for her.

The only bad news for the beginning of the year is that I'm going to have to retake one of past year's exams. *embarrassed look* Yeah... Let's just say I didn't even get exam permission back then solely because of one flunked lab assignment that I had to do-over during finals month, and leave it at that.

So yeah, re-exam preparation ahoy for the remainder of the week. Then again, after I finally offload all the leftover work I had left, the rest of the year should go on without a hitch!.. Maybe.

So now, a little worried about the upcoming re-exam and playing a little too much Warframe whenever I'm not studying or writing...

Darky Out!