Now much later, Kenji had managed to cool down mixing and crushing ingredients together for a potion he was currently testing with. He may have a way to do magic but that didn't mean he didn't enjoy potion making.
"Akko's been gone a while...where do you think she is?" Lotte questioned exchanging several nervous glances with the window.
"Knowing her she's probably out inspiring herself with something..." Sucy muttered dryly, crossing her legs over her bed, she was beginning to meditate as she usually did before she went to sleep.
"Yeah...maybe."
Kenji couldn't help but feel bad, and a little responsible. He'd once again spouted off and got upset, truthfully he had been trying to lower his temper since he had that massive row with Diana a few weeks back.
He was going to make sure he'd apologize when she got back, '...Uh, maybe I feel even worse since I like her'
Just like clockwork, the door to the dorm room slammed open, threatening to fall off its hinges, "GUYS I'VE GOT A PLAN!"
It was Akko, wearing a big bright smile. Her eyes practically teaming with imagination.
She paused a bit at the sight of Kenji turned around facing her, his eyes practically burning through her. Kenji could've sworn he saw her face flush red before returning to normal just as quickly.
He assumed she was just nervous since the screaming match he'd had with her only a few hours previously, "A-Ah K-Kenji...U-Um about what happened-"
The brunette cut her off before she could finish, "No don't worry it's fine, I just let my emotions get the best of me is all. I get you were going through something. I take it you've made the right choice now though? With how happily you kicked that door anyway.."
Kenji was oblivious to it, but Akko gave him a look Sucy and Lotte had never seen over her face before. She was seemingly admiring Kenji, but the glint in her crimson eyes and her flushed face was already confirming her suspicions.
"So, Akko?" Kenji started up again, swaying his hand in front of her face.
"W-Wha- uh yeah?" She responded, albeit a little bit dazed.
"What was the big plan you burst in here with?" He smiled attentively slumping back down on the stool accompanying the desks
"Right! So, I was thinking, we don't want to get eaten by Vajoris or whatever right!?"
It may have been a rhetorical question, but Sucy still answered rocking back on forth on her bed, "I don't know, I'm getting pretty excited just thinking about it!"
Kenji karate chopped the top of head, making sure to put some level of force into it, "Stop that! You'll scare the children talking like that.."
"Well, they can just get eaten if they want to eavesdrop on our conversation.."
"Look, I don't wanna get eaten. In no way does that sound enjoyable.." Kenji grimaced shuddering at the thought.
"That's what I'm saying, it's just like Chariot she didn't become the Moonlit Witch for some special reason, I think she just wanted to entertain people. That's what I want to do for the festival!"
"Uh..." Sucy let out a loud audible groan, giving Kenji a a our yet sympathetic look, "Your enthusiasm is contagious, but honestly besides me wanting to be eaten I think we should just stick to what we were originally supposed to do."
"I agree, it's better if we just get eaten, as horrible as it might be," Lotte agreed solemnly.
Akko seemed shocked by their answers, sulking as she threw her hands up in the air in frustration, "WHAT! But we can't just let Vajoris go on being sad, we could at least try to use Chariot's Metamorphosis magic."
"What would be the point, you don't even know the most basic metamorphic magic," Sucy went to flip over on the other side of her bed
"I think it's best to just leave it Akko, I know you had the best intentions but changing the festival wouldn't be the right thing to do..."
Kenji finally satisfied with how the potion he was making flipped back around, he gently placed a hand over Akko's shoulder, "I think it's at least worth trying."
Almost immediately, Sucy flipped back round giving him an irritated glance she was finally beginning to get worked up, "Oh, we all know why you're saying that Kenji!"
Akko blinked at the two of them like a deer in headlights, "N-No, that's not the reason. It's just, c'mon Sucy, Lotte you two throw her a bone here, she's trying to be different to switch it up, and to be honest I'm not spending one of my nights in another world in a monster's stomach! So come on, go big or go home if it doesn't work then Miss Finnelan and this old school get what they want, but I'm all for trying to raise a spirit's spirit!"
Kenji cringed mentally at his speech, saving that as a note for his late-night thoughts.
Sucy started giggling lowly, it was in her own menacing tone, "Fine, fine...you and you pompy, go getter speeches you and Akko are perfect for each other honestly!" The mauve-haired girl deadpanned.
Akko let out a low eep sound, throwing her flowing brown hair in front of her face. Kenji attempted to play it cool but quickly rushed over to where he'd left the bottle of purple liquid.
"I'm in too, you two are right it's better to go out trying then doing what's normal, I'll do what I can for the festival!" Lotte exclaimed.
'She seems weirdly into this...guess we fired her up?'
Akko veered off towards Kenji once again, she'd found herself doing that a lot lately. The brunette was blind to the reason why at first, but she had been getting a clue the past few days.
'Don't worry Kenji, I'll make sure I do the best I can..'
The Samhain Festival preparations were currently in full swing.
Ursula was doing her best to research Vajoris, as requested by Akko who was trying to find the source of its grieving, "Really, there's nothing here as to why it's so sad, all it recounts is the grief it shares for its loved ones but now the how or why..."
She furrowed her blue brows, uncertainty riddling her mind.
'Well Akko's trying her best for the festival, I guess I should do the same with sorting through these books!'
Kenji, well Kenji had been fighting a losing battle the entire day.
Following Amanda's honestly terrible advice, he'd tried following Constanze around for most of the day helping her to reach boxed she couldn't and even fixing the creaky leg from one of her robots.
But alas, the small girl had silently thanked and taken it without stopping or uttering a word to him.
"W-Wait! Constanze, please can you just take a single second and let me explain myself..."
He extended his hand out again, trying to reach out and stop her, that was when she turned the corner suddenly disappearing from sight. Kenji put his face into his hands and let out a loud groan, more from being tired of the chase than angry.
'Uh...what did I do wrong? Is it because I'm a dude? Amanda said they got along fine with her, even if she doesn't talk, so what the hell did I do!?'
'Eh, I need to focus on this later, later. Getting home is the main focus, but the festival, Akko showed us her plan, but then she said something about her wanted to practice her metamorphosis magic'
Just as he was about to continue his little trek back to the dorm room where their planning was taking place, Kenji overheard Barbara and Hannah's snippy voice from the room next to him.
Usually, he would do his best to ignore any of their petty voices but when his eyes peaked into the room, he saw Akko caught in the crossfires, 'Of courseeeee, why wouldn't they..'
"Don't go walking around with that smug look on your face, you're still going to be sacrificed it's a fitting job for you and all of your merry band of friends.." Hannah mocked pushing Akko closer to the wall.
"Right! There's Sucy the mushroom loving freak, Akko the idiotic magic failure, Lotte the paperweight who's too boring to even mention and of course you can't forget your boyfriend Kenji, the sudden boy at Luna Nova who's an all-around mess to see!"
'Ok that's enough, that one actually hurt'
From behind him, Kenji heard the sound of Sucy nonchalantly clicking her neck, "You're...not gonna kill them, are you?" Lotte asked a little scared.
"No...although turning them into fleas wouldn't be a bad idea..."
"Actually..." Kenji eyed the potion he'd made earlier, "Better idea!"
"What's with that look on your face there's no need to get so mad about it, just because you know it's true!"
"A paperweight," Lotte and Kenji made visibly eye contact with each other, "So that's what they think of me."
Even though she looked disheartened, Kenji knew that they were both thinking the exact same thing which was weird since neither of them were ever on the same wavelength.
He handed her the potion, practically letting it slip out his hands, "By all means Lotte.." He addressed sarcastically.
The ginger-haired girl peaked her head through the open door, "AKKO RUN!" It was the first time the group of friends had really heard Lotte yell, she hurled the potion in the centre of the room, Akko dodged it before she could be hit with it.
The potion Kenji had made was originally meant to be a smokescreen but if thrown at clothes, '...Then it becomes a giant bath bomb'
All four of them listened to Hannah and Barbara's screams as they booked it down the hallway.
"I can't believe you'd actually do that.." Sucy said with a small smile.
"Neither can I.." She laughed embarrassingly.
As they passed through the school grounds, Kenji couldn't help but admire the work everyone had put into it, '...I see this all the time in anime, but actually being involved in a magic festival, it's so cool!'
Akko caught sight of Diana, once again leading the charge for the construction on the main stage for the festival, "Well she's pretty dedicated, as expected of Diana, right?" Kenji spoke his thoughts aloud getting a silent nod from both Sucy and Lotte.
"Well then we've just got to try even harder right!?" Akko exclaimed punching her fist up in the air.
With that declaration, she had sped off in the blink of an eye, "She's been working a lot lately huh.." Lotte said what everyone was thinking.
"Yeah, it's good that she's trying but I don't think she'll realize how hard it'll be if she keeps pushing herself," Kenji murmured glancing around trying to think of something to lighten the mood, "We should probably get working as well, can't leave all the work to Akko."
They didn't respond but Kenji could tell they agreed.
It was now the night before the festival could begin, they'd tried to squeeze in the most amount of work they could physically do without rest. However, Kenji and the girls had already expected Akko to sneak out late at night.
Akko struggled outside, now in the form of an orange elephant she attempted to flap her wings, morphing back slumping onto the grass, "I...I just can't do it," She teared up a little.
"That's because you're doing everything by yourself.." Kenji spoke up sighing under his breath.
Sucy stood directly in front of her swinging the book in which Akko had planned the festival out in, "You really can't do anything without us," She joked.
Lotte knelt down to help her stand, "We said we'd go with your plan, so it'd be better if we did it together right?" She smiled awkwardly trying to avoid Akko's snotty nose as she leapt to hug the three of them.
"I'm sorry, I just thought I'd have to be the one to work the hardest since I suggested it!" She wailed wrapping her arms round the three of them.
"A-Alright, alright enough with the hugs we get it..." Kenji voiced trying to save his own embarrassment.
Kenji eyes were practically dazzled by the Samhain Festival, the Luna Nova crust was hold up between the buildings a flurry off green flames lit up along the ropes surprisingly not burning them.
He was so surprised that he was unaware of the witches flying on brooms above him.
They were arriving from witch schools across the country, although Kenji couldn't lie that he was a bit nervous thinking about what some foreign witch would do to a boy entering an all-girls school.
"It's incredible isn't it!"
"SHIT!" Kenji let a curse slip out, per Akko's and even professor Ursula requests he'd been trying to tone it down, but the loud voice booming from behind him was enough to get one out of him.
"Ah sorry didn't mean to scare yah! I just gotta keep up my report on the festival!"
As expected, Kenji turned around to see a familiar news reporter. He'd had the occasional normal conversation with her, but that was before it was immediately occupied with a camera in his face.
"W-Wait...there's no camera's, right?" Kenji began to glance around his surroundings.
"Hah, what with you and large groups of people! You sure get scared of them easily, but no one of my camera-ladies have to participate at the beginning of the festival so I can't right now.
Moving like a blur, the witch suddenly had a microphone in her hand staring at the school's camera, "Today, at the Samhain Festival we'll found out who'll become the Moonlit Witch!"
'How did she...when did she?'
Shaking his head, Kenji decided against trying to explain it to himself. He made his way behind the stage, catching Amanda, Jasminka and Constanze cleaning up a mess made from another performance with one of her inventions.
He could've sworn he saw the small tinkerer glance at him as he turned round to where Sucy and Lotte were waiting.
"Kenji you're here," Lotte sighed.
"Were you worried I'd be late I just got a little distracted where's Akko though?" Kenji replied with a question of his own.
"Knowing her she's probably trying to get in the last amount of practice she can.." Sucy answered blankly.
'That's probably right, although she could be talking to Professor Ursula about Vajoris, I wonder if she found anything'
Time seemed to be speeding up as performance after performance finished up, Kenji would make sure to peak round every few seconds doing his best not to be seen.
"Honestly this is why magic is on a decline..." One of the other witches groaned the two beside her agreeing.
He gripped the crystal tied around his neck, 'Let's just hope they don't try to send me into the atmosphere'
Diana, Hannah and Barbara eventually appeared, the latter two were most likely just there to openly mock them, but Kenji at least took some solace that Diana would be a nice breath of fresh air.
"Where's Akko?" Diana raised an eyebrow removing the hood from her head.
"She probably ran off right, too embarrassed to make a fool of herself!" Hannah suggested giggling to herself.
"Right!? She should be ashamed to even be a witch!"
"God do you two ever shut up..." Kenji had done his best to lower his voice to the absolute minimum, "Does it matter what Akko's doing, just because you're with Diana, who yeah is a little preppy but actually as some form of morals doesn't mean your good witches, you scrape past your lessons the only ones you excel at is when your paired with her so stop getting too big for your boots and just go out there and let the actual capable witch in your group do all the work."
The two girls turned beet red from embarrassment, Sucy didn't bother to stifle a laugh at his bluntness, Diana managed to compose herself although she swore that if he'd kept going then she would have let her voice slip.
"W-Well then where is she then, she must have given up!" Barbara defended herself.
Yet again, Kenji went to dryly respond but Lotte beat it to him first.
"Akko wouldn't run away, she'd never do anything like that! She'll finish whatever she started, she might be stubborn that just means she'll be here even more!"
Hannah and Barbara shared a glance with each other before stomping off in a huff, Kenji meekly walked up to Diana, "Sorry about that, but no offense your friends can be very..."
"Judgemental I know, I've told them to tone it down especially with you...and your friends," Diana coughed into her hands correcting herself.
"Yeah, at least it's nice that we're good friends now remember when you hated me, ahhhh good times!"
"You consider those good times? I was sure that at one point I was going to try and get you kicked out of Luna Nova," Diana laughed at the memory.
"Wha- you were!? I'm from another world, how was I supposed to survive!" Kenji exclaimed frantically waving his hands about.
"That's exactly why you're still here..." Diana smirked slyly deadpanning her eyes at him.
Kenji rolled his eyes, pointing his hand to the stage beside him, "Yeah, yeah go do your performance, I'll be making sure you keep up to your proper Cavendish name."
The shared another laugh before Diana turned around and began walking away, "..I'll be doing my best than Kenji!" It was the first time Kenji had seen the platinum blonde with a wide mouthed smile.
Sitting back down in the small waiting room they were ordered to sit, Lotte sheepishly fiddled with her fingers, "I w-went a little too far, didn't I?"
"Nah, I'd say you didn't go far enough," Sucy stated bluntly.
"Yeah, don't feel too bad, you just said what we were thinking. Although I didn't think it would come from you Lotte..." Kenji said slouching over his seat.
Diana's summoning ritual had already started off with a bang, elapsing the main stage with a paper-thin layer of water, raising her wand she yelled out an incantation creating a horse from the blue ocean waves.
It pranced around her and the fellow witches watching from the stands, even the witches visiting had a enchanted look on their faces.
'I know I said that I trusted Akko, but their performance is almost over, not to mention it's getting close to midnight...'
Right on cue, Akko skidded into the tent falling over herself, "I'm here, I'm here!" She panted not worrying about the clambered state she was in.
"Way to cut it close Akko..." Kenji sighed bopping her on the head lightly with the back of his hand.
"I almost thought you really had chickened out," Sucy said walking past her.
"What! I wouldn't do that, I just lost track of time that's all!" She argued.
As they began making it up to the main stage, Kenji could hear the familiar reporter mentioning his name. He instantly took a step back, his mind fully realizing that he'd have to stand out there in front of the entire school.
He'd done his best not to think about it, but the idea of standing out in front of so many people shook him to his core.
'They'll be looking at me! I already have a bad reputation at this school so what'll happen to me! I'm freaking out!'
Akko placed her hand on his shoulder, before suddenly grabbing him by the face pulling on his cheeks, "...We're gonna do our best right!?"
Kenji was far too taken by Akko that he completely forgot to get embarrassed, it was probably one of the reasons he liked her so much, "R-Right, I'm the opener to all this so let's do this!"
'Damn, who would've thought I'd like a girl from another world so much...ah what's wrong me, I'll have to leave at some point, at least she doesn't like me though, I definitely would've realised if she did.'
Still scared but smiling, Kenji hesitantly approached the curtain.
Akko stared Diana down, "Just watch us."
"Alright everyone get ready. The sacrificial extravaganza is about to begin!" Akko yelled out through the darkness, much to professor Finnelan's and Badcock's confusion.
"Extravaganza!?" They yelled out at the same time.
That was Kenji's cue, he cloaked himself with his hood dashing back and forth on the stage, "Yep so get ready..."
He lunged several potions all around the stage, smoke in an array of colours filled the air. In a couple of seconds, it manifested into shapes and sizes. Dazzling the crowd for a couple of seconds.
"For Vajoris the grieving!" Akko finished off the sentence leaping out of the smoke alongside Kenji, Sucy and Lotte.
"Is that a boy!? I was sure Luna Nova was an all-girls school!?" One of the witches seated at the table gasped.
"He's even wearing the uniform, what is the meaning of this Miss Holbrooke!?" The other demanded an answer slamming the clenched wand on the table.
The headmistress gave them a short nervous smile, "...Well, it's a long story."
Vajoris burst from the three-eyed pot, towering above the four of them.
'Get on the broom, connect crystal to broom!'
Kenji still hadn't gained full control over his broom, he could basically hover and move at a pace slower than walking at the moment. He wrapped the green crystal tightly around the brooms handle boosting himself up into the air.
"Alright, we better get into position most of it's up to Akko now," Kenji reminded floating beside Lotte and Sucy.
Seconds before she could be devoured by the spirit, Akko transformed into a mouse sprinting around the stage.
The teachers continued to wear a flabbergasted expression, "Keep up if you can!" Akko taunted bursting back into her usual self.
Something stirred inside Vajoris, forcing it to crush the wooden stage beneath it's feet, "WOAH! The stage has fallen did Akko manage to escape?" The reporter commented.
Kenji poured some his potion over Akko as she flapped higher and higher upwards, it shrunk her elephant body just enough so she was able to fly a bit easier.
She poofed back to normally a bit suddenly, just as she was about to fall balloons caught the back of neck pulling her up, "Nice assist you to, guess I better help out to," Sucy faked reluctance pouring her own kind of potion onto the grass below.
Mushrooms the size of house sprouted out from the ground at an alarmingly fast rate, it toppled Vajoris over. Akko morphed into different shapes and animals.
Lotte giggled a bit, "I guess she still hasn't got the hang of it yet."
"Well at least those other witches are having fun and are enjoying it," Sucy said.
Kenji deadpanned at the laughing witches, "Yeah pretty sure there just laughing at her..."
Suddenly, the spirit let out a indescribable scream, bolting Lotte and Sucy to almost falling off their brooms and for Akko to almost topple right off the giant mushroom.
Kenji on the other hand seemed completely unaffected, he gently stayed in the air watching the students below cover their ears in anguish. Vajoris continued to let out its scream a red glow exiting from its mouth.
'What's going on? Why is everyone stuck in place from the scream, how come I'm not?'
From his broom, the green crystal glowed a bright green pointing straight at Vajoris' stomach. It caused him to lose control of the broom, "Ahhhhhh...!" Kenji flailed helplessly in the air.
He desperately tried to wrap back around the broom, but the crystal didn't break its direction, 'I'm actually gonna, no one can save me there all stuck!'
Just in the nick of time, a bird with golden emblem on its chest caught him, "Kenji! Are you alright?" Ursula voice somehow rung through the bird.
"Y-Yeah I'm fine! What's going on, why is it still screaming!"
"It's because of the seed of grief planted within its stomach, it's feeding into Vajoris' grief making it stronger. Akko has to pull it has with the Shiny Rod using Chariot's magic!"
"You get all that Akko.." Kenji turned to her, she two had been thrown into the air.
"YEP! Let's do this!"
"I don't think it'll be that hard," Sucy gestured to below them, they were practically right about Vajoris' mouth.
The four of them moved down it's throat, "Where even is that seed anyway!"
Popping their heads through a gap, Kenji had to stop his crystal from flying straight off his neck, "Yeah, don't know what's telling me that but I've just got a feeling..." He spoke sarcastically struggling to stop himself from being pulled forward.
'It's slipping off my neck!'
In a single second, the strap broke off from his hand the green crystal lodging itself into the seed breaking away at its shell.
'Dammit!'
"Just do it.." Kenji said begrudgingly letting Akko step in front of him.
With the Shiny Rod glowing in her hand, Akko focused in on the seed, "Vajoris, you should think back on your friends and the joy they brought you! Be put to rest Arae Aryrha!"
Both the crystal and Shiny Rod seemed to work in unison, grappling and pull on the seed brightening up Vajoris' stomach to the point where it burst open.
"Keep pulling!" Akku grunted.
A giant ray of light engulfed the air, Vajoris began to fade into it smiling at the memory of her friends.
Now covered in slime and possibly saliva, Kenji scurried to look for the crystal. It glinted against the moon, giving off its location. When the brunette went to pick it up, he couldn't help but study the crystal.
'Did it get...bigger?'
He pocketed it deciding to look at his more in depth later. He only had a few seconds to react to Akko swinging her arms around him, throwing herself up into the air.
"We did it Kenji we did it!"
Kenji didn't let go off her nervously scratching his cheek between the hug, "Y-Yeah we did, but it was a team effort, right? We all played our part!" He placed her down, watching her jump on the spot, "Especially you Akko, you were pretty amazing!"
Akko happily took the compliment on the chin, physical and mental fireworks blew up around Kenji.
The two of the hadn't said anything to each other mostly staying in a calm silence with one another, Kenji's mind and heart was reaching adrenalines of a dangerous level.
Akko was almost having the same thoughts, her mouth moving before she could stop herself, "I really like you Kenji..."
It was almost unheard from the brunette over the roaring sound of the firework, but once he realized what she'd said to him with that cute smile over her face all the blood from his body rushed to his face.
"S-Sorry I didn't catch that..." He stammered glancing away from her.
Akko pouted gripping his shirt angrily, "I said I liked you Kenji!" This time she said it much louder.
'...Oh, so I did here her right. She said she liked me'
'WAIT SHE SAID SHE LIKED ME!'
Far away from them, a figure collected the necessary data she needed from a group of red and black cubes closing them between their palms.
