Fusion Cuisine – Part XIV: Boiling Over
Disclaimer: In case you haven't figured it out yet, I don't own Little Witch Academia. All LWA-related characters, settings, etc. are the intellectual property of Studio Trigger and Yoh Yoshinari.
[-]
Takeuchi Holdings
Four Years Ago
At 4:00 AM in a dismal real estate office, one of the things one generally did not expect to see was the firm's owner flipping feverishly through a musty old diary.
But evidently, no one had told that to Masato Takeuchi.
The green-haired businessman hadn't told any of his colleagues about what happened in his mother's hospital room. In fact he'd fired his assistant the other day simply for mentioning the word "hospital."
Nevertheless, he'd stolen into the derelict Hasuno estate in the dead of night, and retrieved the diary of the White Lotus Witch from its hiding place. It was an incredibly plain-looking book, given the secrets contained within.
Because the diary, it transpired, was a magical one. Shira Hasuno hadn't needed to write into it with pencil or pen; instead, it transcribed her thoughts directly from her mind.
Since she'd been in a coma the past twelve years, most of the recent pages weren't especially illuminating. But flipping back far enough gave Masato access to a vast trove of treasure.
For example, there was a great deal of information on the government agency that'd once employed the White Lotus Witch – enough to set him for life if he could sell it to the right bidder. The blackmail potential alone was nigh-priceless.
Ultimately however, that wasn't what he was here for. After enough digging, he found the magical record of his mother's last stand, the reason why she'd sworn eternal vengeance against Chariot du Nord and Croix Meridies in the first place…
But then he read the story she'd been forced to divulge to them under truth potion, and turned back farther still.
Masato read her firsthand account of the battle against the Yume no Seirei almost religiously, absorbing every last detail. He was all but certain this was not the passage his mother had wanted him to read – but she wasn't exactly in a position to stop him now, was she?
A creature that could grant just about any wish, so complete was its mastery over the human mind. The possibilities were endless.
Sure, he could use it to kill those witches. That would satisfy the terms of the Sigil well enough.
But if that was his goal, these pages were full of weapons far easier to implement. Poisons, curses, magical bombs. Shira Hasuno had doubtlessly intended for him to select one and carry out her revenge with great haste.
And the sooner they died, the sooner he'd be free of this cursed mark.
Yet…no, that would be such a waste. The Yume no Seirei was far more than a blunt instrument for some idiotic grudge. With power like that, he could…
Masato Takeuchi fell out of his chair, clutching at his face and screaming in agony. Even considering using the knowledge in this book for something other than her prescribed vengeance was, apparently, verboten.
It occurred to him, in that moment, how absolutely horrific his mother's curse truly was. Until he satisfied her mad designs, he could have no life outside of them. No career; no relationships; no future.
One way or another, destroying Miss du Nord and Miss Meridies had to be part of every plan he made from now on.
But…did it have to be the only part?
The businessman's eyes slowly widened with realization.
Yes, murdering the duo would be simple enough. If he managed to catch them by surprise, he might not even need any of the magic in this book to do it. Witches, for all their vaunted power, weren't bulletproof.
Yet it wouldn't solve the real problem. The simple fact that, with a word and a gesture, some old hag could inflict this agony upon him in the first place. Ruin his life as casually as she drew breath.
Slowly, a grin spread across Masato's face. As he realized exactly what he needed to wish for.
And it didn't make his scar sting one bit.
[-]
Akko groaned, blinking what felt like a century's worth of sleep-gunk from her eyes.
The first thing she realized was that, for the first time in over twenty-four hours, she was waking up in an actual bed – though any further details, such as where that bed was, or what she was doing there, escaped her completely.
That was when she realized the second thing: that she wasn't alone.
In a chair to the side of the bed sat Diana Cavendish, her face perfectly soft and angelic as she too dozed away. If it wasn't for the slight rising and falling of her chest, she could've been mistaken for a particularly striking statue.
Or at least, that was what Akko's exhausted and sleep-addled mind managed to come up with. Smooth with metaphors, Atsuko Kagari was not.
(She had, after all, once tried flirting with a boy in middle school by calling him "stumpy." Stumps were strong and sturdy, she meant it as a compliment!)
The sight of Diana's sleeping face, so close to her own, also managed to summon up a few…other images. The last thing she remembered, she'd been falling through the air, firing the Shiny Arc at her hypnotized friends in one last, desperate gambit to free them.
The stress of expending so much mana, not to mention the rushing winds and force of gravity, meant that she was already nearly blacked out by that point. But she definitely remembered Diana and Lotte catching up with her, the former taking her in her arms and…
Akko blinked. And then blinked some more.
That last part had to have been a dream, right? Hopefully a non-Somnarca-related one.
Because the only alternative was that Diana Cavendish had actually…
The brunette sat straight up in her bed, raised both hands to her cheeks, and then slapped them each very hard.
Nope. Not a dream at all.
A bit reluctantly, and while attempting to suppress the pink in her cheeks, Akko grabbed Diana by the shoulder and gently coaxed her awake.
"Diana…I'm sorry, but I need to know what's going on," she said. "Where the heck are we?"
The blonde witch started awake with a single, undignified snort, which Akko was sure she would deny ever happened until her dying day. She offered Diana a few more seconds to come back to herself before repeating the question.
"Ah…apologies, Akko. I'd hoped to be around when you finally woke up, but it seems the long night got the best of me as well," Diana responded, wearing a small flush of her own. "To answer the most immediate question, we are in my apartment."
Akko sat up fully in her bed, marveling that if she hadn't been told that fact, she never would've guessed. The bedroom was incredibly small and sparse, with plain white walls and minimal decoration. The only trace of Diana's character here was that the room was absolutely spotless.
Still, given that the only other places she'd seen Diana sleep were a prestigious magic academy and a freaking mansion, this seemed a bit of a come-down.
"I intentionally chose a more austere lifestyle after moving to Japan," Diana answered the unspoken question. "It became clear during our years at Luna Nova that my inherent privilege had blinded me to a great number of realities of this world. I needed to relinquish at least a portion of it if I was serious about pursuing a profession of service."
The Englishwoman frowned slightly, her eyes on the closed door behind her, before adding, "Mind, if I'd known I would be playing host to ten other witches, I might've considered a slightly larger residence."
That reminder of the present crisis was enough to wipe Akko's mind clean of all other thoughts – namely, the creeping realization that she'd most likely been sleeping in Diana's own bed. Gay panicking was one of many things she'd have to make time for later.
Instead she said, more than a little bit frantically, "How is everyone? Are they hurt? Are they still…?!"
"Relax, Akko," Diana cut her off, placing a soothing hand on her shoulder. "The Shiny Arc did its job splendidly. Our friends were knocked out cold, without being harmed in any other way. Giving Professor Ursula enough time to cast her spell, and undo at least some of the Somnarca's damage."
Proof of this good news came in the form of a light knock on the door. Amanda strode in a moment later, thankfully with a very non-murderous look on their face.
"Heard your voice, Akko. Told Di already but…I'm so sorry," they told her immediately, head hung in shame; about the least Amanda-ish emotion possible. "Can't believe that bastard was able to mess with my head like that."
Akko had never been so happy for someone to simply address her by name.
"Rather than reverse all of the Somnarca's effects, which could've taken days, she focused upon the command that prevented them from perceiving your presence," Diana explained. "Once they could all see you were alive and well, simple logic took care of the rest."
Amanda stood in the doorway, fiddling with their thumbs. Again, this nervousness felt utterly bizarre from the usually overconfident and boisterous witch.
"Everyone's been waiting for you two," they said, still unable to fully meet their Japanese friend in the eyes. "If…y'know. You're up for it."
"You can rest a little longer if you need it, Akko," added Diana swiftly. "I'm sure they'll understand."
But Akko was already throwing off her covers and stumbling out of bed. Taking the blonde's offered hand gratefully, she managed to rise to her feet, albeit unsteadily.
"I'll be fine," she declared, her crimson eyes fierce with determination. "The sooner we get out there, the sooner we take down Takeuchi. Once and for all."
[-]
Diana's apartment had never been more cramped.
Mind, the closest she'd ever come before today to "entertaining company" was when a few contractors had come to fix a water leak. The depth and expanse of her social life were both somewhere in the approximate neighborhood of zero.
But of course, this was no ordinary social call. The reason why all Nine New Witches – plus Hannah and Barbara – were spread all across her living room and kitchenette was quite literally a matter of life and death.
Naturally, the first reaction just about everyone had to their entrance was to offer their own, emotionally wrought apologies. Hannah and Barbara, despite being the only ones who hadn't tried to kill Diana, were particularly effusive, clinging onto their old schoolmate and gushing out a frankly concerning quantity of tears.
But after Constanze proved that it was, in fact, possible to program a Stan-bot to cry remorsefully, Akko quieted the room with a dramatic, fingers-in-mouth whistle.
"Okay, okay, enough of that!" she exclaimed, throwing up her hands. "I know firsthand that Som-whatever thing is no joke! I don't blame any of you, and I know Diana doesn't either."
"Not even me?" asked a small, timid voice.
Akko slowly turned to face Jasminka, who was scrunched up on Diana's couch between Amanda and Constanze. The former was rubbing the Russian woman soothingly across the arm.
"You're not safe with me here. None of you are," she said morosely. "The rest of you were under the Somnarca's effects for only a few hours. But he was controlling me and my family for months. I may be snapped out of it now, but there's no telling what else he programmed me to do."
Jasminka clutched at herself, unable to stop shaking. "You need to lock me up, kick me out, something," she begged tearfully. "I don't want to hurt any of you again."
"No," spoke Diana, before anyone else could. "We don't do those kinds of things to our friends. For your own safety, Jasminka, someone will be watching you at all times. But we won't treat you as a prisoner just because that cretin took advantage of you."
The round-faced woman frowned at this, but in the face of tight hugs from her old teammates, ultimately nodded.
"Okay. But make sure I don't have access to a wand, or any other weapon," she muttered. "I don't trust myself with one right now."
"Now that that's out of the way, we need to talk strategy," said Sucy after a few beats. "Takeuchi messed with my brain. He's made this personal."
The way she clung onto the flask in her hand, plus the sickly green color of the liquid within, made it fairly clear just what punishment the Filipina considered appropriate.
"Since there's been no unusual seismic activity or weather events, I think we can safely assume Takeuchi hasn't yet broken the seal," Ursula remarked thoughtfully, adjusting her glasses as she leaned against her wife out of exhaustion. "He may be waiting for some specific date or time, or for some other condition to be met."
"Every Ring of Ouroboros and sealing spell is different. We never actually managed to locate it ourselves, so it's hard to say for sure," added Croix. "But for all we know, it could happen any minute now."
"Then what're we waitin' around for?" Amanda demanded loudly. "We know where he is. We know his plan. What's stoppin' us from kickin' his sorry ass right now?"
"Umm…probably all the armed henchmen? And the freaky mind control box?" Barbara pointed out, cocking an eyebrow. "If we wanna stop him, we need to figure out how to deal with both."
Lotte slowly, timidly raised a hand.
"I, err…dunno what to do about the guns," she said, trembling at the very notion. The fact that she'd narrowly escaped getting torn apart by whole ton of them, courtesy of the brainwashed Constanze, probably didn't help. "But I've been doing a lot of thinking on the Somnarca. And I think I might have an idea."
"We talked about neutralizing it with Inanitas Summa. But the trick is getting close enough to use it effectively – especially without Constanze's amplification machine," mused Diana. "I may immune to its effects, but you, Professor Ursula, and Professor Croix are unknowns. And everyone else…well…"
She hadn't meant anything by it, but she also couldn't really blame the majority of the room for shuddering at the reminder. That accursed box was going to remain a sore spot for a long time.
"That's just it, though!" Lotte continued on, pulling a small cylindrical container from her robes. To Diana's surprise, she realized it was a coffee carafe. "What if we had someone to retrieve the Somnarca with no dreams to manipulate?"
With that, she removed the lid from the carafe. A bright pink, slightly rotund spirit popped out, its perfectly round cheeks very reminiscent of Jasminka during her schoolgirl days.
"This is Roberto Bullsworth Dhiarby von Lichenschertzer Holmann McWilliamson the Third. Or 'Robbie' for short," she said, with a nervous little laugh. "He, uh…chose his own name."
"What's he a spirit of?" asked Akko.
"Coffee!" said Lotte, wiggling the carafe demonstratively. "Or I guess more accurately, the way a good cup of coffee first thing in the morning makes you feel. Anyway, part of that is no matter what, Robbie can never fall asleep. It's just not in him. And if he can't sleep…"
"He can't dream," Amanda finished for her, snapping their fingers and grinning. "Sounds like a plan! Welcome to the team, Robbie. Congrats on being the second-handsomest member of it."
"I don't think anyone else was really competing," Hannah whispered aside to her girlfriend, who giggled.
"Getting the Somnarca away from him is definitely a good first step. But at this point, it might not be enough," Ursula told the younger witches with a frown. "If he succeeds in releasing the Yume no Seirei, it may be too powerful for even the Shiny Rod to handle. Especially now that it's had seventy extra years to build up mana."
"Then we hit him before he can turn that key. Fast and hard," said Croix, palming a fist. "We've got eleven witches here, Cherry. Some of the best of their generation. Isn't Shiny Chariot supposed to be all about believing in people?"
Ursula's lip curled into a little pout that instantly made her look twenty years younger. "You know the rules. You are not allowed to use my Chariot slogans against me," she grumbled.
"All's fair in love and world-saving," Croix replied with a shrug, before turning to Diana and offering her an exaggerated wink. "Cavendish knows what I mean."
The blonde's cheeks instantly reddened. It wasn't hard to figure out what she was getting at. In fact, probably the only person in this room who didn't understand the implications was…
Diana felt her chest tighten. She'd managed to ignore it for this long, but there was no chance of her being able to go into battle in a few hours without dealing with the elephant in the room in some way.
Not when this latest adventure had brought her emotions to their absolute boiling point.
"Akko, before we depart…" she murmured to the other witch, curling fingers around her upper arm. "Can I speak with you for a moment? In private?"
She was expecting the sometimes-less-than-perceptive woman to look at her blankly, clueless as to the true meaning of her words.
But maybe this was one of those many, many times where she wasn't giving Atsuko Kagari enough credit. Because what she said in return was, "Sure, Diana. I've got some stuff I wanna say to you too."
[-]
A quick summoning of the Shiny Balai had the pair on the roof of Diana's apartment complex. Maybe not the most ideal location for a heart-to-heart, though Akko had made worse decisions in that regard.
Getting turned down by her middle school crush probably had just as much to do with him not being interested, as the fact that she'd asked him out while careening down a roaring waterfall.
(Even before Luna Nova, Akko's life had always been…interesting.)
But even though Diana had asked for this meeting, the blonde remained mostly silent as they took seats at the edge of the roof, looking out over the skyline of metropolitan Tokyo.
"Kinda breathtaking, right?" Akko said eventually, twiddling her thumbs. "You know, this was one of the biggest reasons I always wanted to fly. Getting to see Tokyo from this high up, it…it's something else."
"It was certainly an adjustment," responded Diana, her voice cool and sedate. "Growing up, all my needs were attended to at the manor. I so rarely needed to venture to London, or any other city. It was idyllic, in a sense, but also…"
"Lonely?" Akko guessed.
The other witch dipped her head in a small nod. "I had Barbara and Hannah, of course. And Andrew, even if our interests never entirely aligned," she told Akko. "But that was all. I never knew what I was missing, until I enrolled at Luna Nova. Until I saw how effortlessly you made friends. When it'd always been such a struggle for me. I admit…I was jealous."
"You? Jealous of me?" the Japanese witch repeated incredulously. "Jealous of first year me?"
"I fail to see what is so hard to believe about that," said Diana. "You have always been strong in the areas I am lacking, and vice-versa. It's why we make such an effective team. Why I've always been…drawn, to you."
Akko released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in. "And that's what this is about, right? Why you wanted to talk, before we head out there?" she asked mutedly.
"Yes. It is," Diana murmured back. "Trust me, Akko, I know that my timing is exceedingly poor. But this is likely to be the most intense battle of our lives. I cannot go into it with this weighing on my conscience."
The British witch sat there for several moments, wringing her hands and avoiding eye contact, before she finally continued, "That is to say…though my intentions were not untoward…I must admit that I…"
"Kissed me?" Akko interjected, her voice still uncharacteristically quiet.
If she were a particularly cruel woman, Akko might've just left it at that, allowing a clearly gobsmacked Diana to spit and sputter aimlessly.
But she needed this conversation just as much as the other witch did. No matter how much a part of her had been dreading it.
"I mean, I tried to convince myself it was just a dream after I woke up. But let's be real. My imagination's good, but not that good," she said, rescuing her former rival. "I know it was probably more of a 'caught up in the moment' type of thing. But, uh…"
She tapped two fingers slowly to her lips, still able to feel the tender sensation of Diana's own pressing against them. "Yeah…I liked it a lot," she finished in a whisper.
Diana let out a short, humorless chuckle.
"You know, it wasn't even the first time. I did the same thing two days ago, to wake you from the Somnarca's nightmare," she admitted. "I should have known I wouldn't be so fortunate twice in a row."
The pair sat there for some time, letting these words wash over the both of them. Thinking through implications both spoken and unspoken.
"So then…" Diana said at last, still deliberately avoiding Akko's gaze. "I suppose there's little point in pretending further. All these years of keeping my affections a secret…dashed in a single, unguarded moment."
"You know I feel the same way, right?"
The words were out of Akko's mouth before she could even think to stop them. Diana was so raw, so vulnerable right now, that her heart couldn't help but respond in kind.
In any event, the other witch's expression wasn't one of surprise. She gave another, tiny nod.
"I know. I think I've always known, somewhere deep down," she answered quietly. "But the very idea of my feelings being requited was…frightening. I realize that sounds absolutely ludicrous, of course. Barbara and Hannah always told me so. And yet…"
Diana swallowed audibly, before adding, "Akko, you're the first woman – the only woman – who has ever captured my heart. Giving voice to those emotions would've, by necessity, demanded an answer from yours. And that answer, whatever it might've been, would represent a fundamental change in what we were to one another."
"Some change is good, though," Akko pointed out.
"I won't deny that," said Diana. "Nevertheless, my tendency has always been to find comfort in the familiar and predictable. Yes, you've certainly introduced your fair share of…disorder into my life. But I believe that will always be the fundamental truth of Diana Cavendish."
At long last, the blonde turned her head, making eye contact with her fellow witch.
"From the time when I was very small, I have had a roadmap of what my life would look like. To persevere beyond my mother's passing, I needed to," she went on, her voice cracking over the last few words. "And…I didn't see a place for us in it."
"Diana…" Akko breathed out, unsure what else to say.
But it seemed Diana wasn't done. "Of course, you already know my other secret. That 'roadmap' has been a catastrophic failure, from start to finish," the bitter words flowed like water from a spigot. "Perhaps I should've thrown caution to the wind, and confessed to you when I had the chance. Maybe then I wouldn't be trapped on a path I loathe, where any benefit I might do for the world is still years away…if it should even come to fruition at all."
"Diana, wait…" the Japanese witch tried again to interject.
"Unbearably selfish of me, is it not?" Diana demanded of herself, clearly not hearing her. "To wish that I could impose myself upon your dream, simply because my own turned out so poorly. Your star shines brighter with every show you perform, Akko. It would not be fair for me to shackle you down with the chains of my affections, even if they are returned, when you are at the height of your…"
"I hate it too, okay!" Akko finally shouted, unable to hold it in any longer.
The British witch blinked, clearly rendered completely at a loss by the outburst. "What?" she said.
"I mean, I don't hate all of it," she tried to explain, hands clutched over her chest. Diana had been honest with her, so it was well past time to return the favor. "Getting to see kids smile, inspiring them the way Shiny Chariot inspired both of us…that's still my favorite thing in the world. But everything else? The fame, the hours, the stress…"
Akko took several deep, steadying breaths. Then, in a voice as far from her usual passionate exuberance as one could get, she admitted, "Looking from the outside in, showbiz seemed so…so cool. But the reality is different. And…I don't know how much longer I can handle it."
Diana's hand froze in midair, shaking visibly. Before, ultimately, coming to rest on top of Akko's.
"I am so, so sorry, Akko. I shouldn't have assumed," she said. "Then, one of the reasons you leapt so readily into all this…"
"Obviously, I wanted to help my folks. Preserve the family legacy," confirmed the brunette with a quick nod. "But more than that…I just needed a break. Some time away from touring, and the paparazzi, and…everything. Especially if it meant spending that time with you."
Diana's lip curled slightly. "I suppose we've drifted away from the original point somewhat, haven't we?" she asked.
"Guess I was just dancing around it," Akko sighed. "I mean, you might've seen this coming, but I didn't have a clue! I spent that whole 'strategy session' freaking out in my head, trying to figure out how in the world you might actually be interested in me!"
"There is no 'might' about it," Diana told her firmly. "I am in love with you, Atsuko Kagari. I have been for almost five years."
Seeing the look that fell over Akko's face, she quickly added, "But you should feel no obligation to say the same! That is, if you do share similar sentiments, I certainly wouldn't be opposed, but…"
Akko stopped her from rambling any further by leaning forward, and claiming their third kiss.
"Okay, yeah…" she whispered as they slowly pulled apart. "Definitely better when I'm conscious to enjoy it."
"The fact that our first kiss occurred when you were virtually comatose is something you're going to be holding over me for the rest of our lives, isn't it?" said Diana, an uncharacteristically teasing lilt to her voice. Neither of them seemed to take much offense to the notion.
After all…it implied the idea they'd be spending the rest of those lives together.
"You know something?" asked Akko, without pulling her face away. Their lips were still so close, and it was taking all her self-control not to reignite the kiss and forget everything else. "If the point of this was to get rid of distractions before the big final battle, then we royally screwed up."
The little snort of a laugh that escaped Diana's nose was so cute, the brunette almost died on the spot.
"That's one way to frame it, I suppose," Diana replied. "I think I'd prefer to say…that it gives us another reason to see this fight through to the end. When it's all over, and Takeuchi is thwarted…"
"We'll talk more?" Akko finished hopefully.
"As long as it takes," the English witch said with a nod. "One way or another, I'm done with running away from the things I truly want."
"I'm holding you to that, Lady Cavendish," Akko declared, speaking the honorific in the most atrocious British accent she could manage. "After all…what're rivals for?"
[-]
Planning out their attack took the rest of the afternoon, and well into the early evening.
Since they were unlikely to get more than one chance at this, Akko swallowed her natural aversion to long, detailed strategies and nodded along with the plan as it gradually took form. Which, given that Diana was the one leading the charge, involved some thoroughly detailed charts and visual aids.
Fortunately, Andrew had managed to come through again from whatever bunker he and Frank were currently hiding in. Whether Britain's Foreign Secretary was supposed to be able to obtain Japanese surveillance camera data was another question, but either way the street footage clearly showed Takeuchi coming and going from Kagari's.
"Since Takeuchi has most likely made the restaurant his new base of operations, that is where we shall be striking first," said Diana, gesturing to the paused video with a lecturer's pointer – because of course she kept one at home. "Now, before we leave, I'd like us to go over the plan one final time. Professors, if you'd be willing to start?"
Ursula gave a quick nod.
"Croix and I will use illusion magic to disguise ourselves as Mr. and Mrs. Kagari," she responded. "Since as far as he knows, Akko's real parents vanished suddenly from the hospital without a trace, that should throw him off his game."
"He'll probably capture us at that point, which is fine. Because I'll be carrying in a little Trojan Horse," added Croix, patting at her breast pocket, which made a metallic clinking sound. "Courtesy of Miss Albrechtsberger here, this magitronic pulse generator should short out any mundane or mystical defenses he's managed to put up."
Constanze stood at full height – admittedly, not an enormous change – and took a bow.
"While he's stuck dealing with that, Han, Barb, and me'll distract the rest of his goon squad," Amanda declared with a cocksure grin. "I got your word there's no limit on the number of explosions?"
"I did not, nor would I ever, promise such a thing," Diana said coolly. "That being said…I see little point in micromanaging you on the subject of generating chaos."
"Calling that a 'maybe' then," the redhead shot back, complete with finger guns. Hannah and Barbara both sighed heavily, but did not object.
"At the same time, Lotte and I will be sneaking through the back," Sucy drawled, sounding simultaneously bored and borderline homicidal at having to recite her part of the plan for the umpteenth time. "Not sure what your doors are made out of, but I doubt they can stand up to concentrated manticore venom."
"Note for whenever we get to reopen the restaurant after this," Akko whispered out of the corner of her mouth. "Buy new doors."
"I'll release Robbie once I get close enough. After he grabs the Somnarca, we can all make a break for it," said Lotte, sliding right past her former roommate's admission of possessing one of the deadliest substances on the planet. "You'll, uh…protect me, right Sucy?"
The Filipina witch shrugged one shoulder, rolling her head back to look Lotte in the eye.
"Pretty sure you can take care of yourself," she told her, in what an outside observer might've almost mistaken as a tone of encouragement. "But yeah. I'll be there to clean up the mess after."
Lotte flushed at the implied praise, while Akko leaned forward, an excited look in her eye.
"And that's when the rest of us launch Operation Mickey!" she exclaimed, grinning ear to ear.
Diana swallowed a groan. "Akko, for the dozenth time, we are not calling it that," she told the Japanese witch.
"Oh, come on! Since we'll be mice, and…y'know! Ah, nevermind," said Akko. "Okay, point is, while all that madness is going on, the rest of us will transform into mice and sneak right up close to Takeuchi. Me and Diana'll take him on directly, while Conz and Jasna go after that cool glove-thingy."
Constanze signed animatedly for a few seconds, which one of her Stan-bots helpfully translated as:
[I've got a homing beacon set on the Harmony Gauntlet. Though I'm sure he's keeping it close by.]
"I'll help however I can," added the Russian woman with a nod. "But, Akko…you're really sure you want me to…"
Akko cut her off with a fierce, determined hug.
"We said before. We're not treating you any different, just because of what that creep did to you," she muttered. "But we'll understand if you wanna sit this one out."
Jasminka hung her head low, but shook it firmly. "No. I need to see this through to the end," she declared. "Just…watch me, Constanze. And if it looks like I might not be myself…do what you need to."
Constanze's eyes grew heavy at these words, but she nodded all the same.
"With the Somnarca out of Takeuchi's possession, and the Harmony Gauntlet retrieved, we should be able to implement the original plan. One carefully placed Inanitas Summa, and it becomes nothing more than an old jewelry box," Diana summed up, after a few moments had passed. "Without his conduit, he won't be able to complete the ritual. Meaning he'll simply be another shady businessman."
"He's overreached with this latest plan. If we catch him right now, we'll have plenty of physical evidence to turn over to the non-magical authorities," spoke Ursula, adjusting her glasses. She was fully back in "teacher mode" now that it was time to move. "With any luck, his endgame will be over before it even began."
"Then in the immortal words of Señor Bender Bending Rodriquez…" said Amanda, leaping to their feet. "Let's gooooooooooo already!"
None of the others knew who that was, but there was a general clamor of agreement across the room.
"Yeah!" Akko shouted in agreement, pumping her fist in the air. "With a plan this good, Takeuchi won't know what hit him!"
[-]
Absolutely nothing went according to plan.
The first issue made itself apparent as soon as they arrived at the restaurant. The security footage provided by Andrew indicated only a handful of guards. And indeed, that was true…
If counting only human guards.
"Tell me I'm seeing things," said Akko, going so far as rub imagined dirt out of her eyes. "Tell me that isn't like…a hundred ghosts roaming the streets."
From their vantage point atop one of its roofs, it looked like Kagemori Shopping District had been overtaken by a thick layer of fog. Except that the fog moved, undulated, like it was a single creature – restless, and hungry.
It was only by looking closer that the separation between the spirits became clear. They linked ethereal hands and mouths and misty limbs, so that it was difficult to tell where one ended and the next began.
Some were large, and some were small. They came in every shape and form and hue, some vaguely resembling the outlines of living humans and some the farthest thing from it.
But they were all alike in one way: the horrible, pitiable moans that escaped their misshapen throats. Whatever was going on here, it was clear that…
"They're in pain. So much pain," whispered Lotte, wincing as if she too could feel the agony the spirits were experiencing. Given her special ability, it was entirely possible she did. "What's happening to them?"
"The Yume no Seirei is a spirit of near-unparalleled power. Lesser ghosts, specters, and wights would be drawn to it like moths to a flame," Ursula explained. "And now that they're inside the Ring of Ouroboros, they're trapped."
"For there to be this many, Takeuchi must be getting close to initiating the ritual," said Croix in a low voice. "We need to hurry."
"Doesn't this sort of blow up our whole plan, though?" asked Sucy dryly. "None of us are getting into the restaurant through that mess, front or back."
Diana frowned, looking upon the displaced spirits sympathetically. The sooner they ended this, the sooner these poor souls would be able to return to rest.
"We'll have to skip several of the steps. But I believe the basic framework of attacking from multiple fronts is still our best option," she answered. "Most critically, our 'distraction team' will need to modify their strategy to accommodate this development."
"That can definitely be arranged," declared Amanda, cracking their knuckles confidently. "Cuz I ain't 'fraid of no…"
Constanze held up a finger to stop them, then made a couple of quick signs.
"No Ghostbusters references?" they translated aloud. "C'mon, when else will I get a chance to…okay, fine. Serious time, I get it."
"Unfortunately, the aspects of our stratagem that relied on heavier subterfuge are likely rendered moot," said Diana. "The spirits will almost certainly swarm anything that comes down to street level, so shifting into forms that can't fight back would be foolish."
"Even mice?" piped up a disappointed Akko.
"Even mice," Diana confirmed with a sad nod. The Japanese witch did so adore her signature transformation. "We will still require the deployment of Constanze's device. But our method for doing so will, perhaps, need to be more…overt."
"We're storming the castle?" asked Barbara, the stars in her eyes showcasing that her romance-tinged mind was a million miles away.
"Not the terminology I'd choose to use," Diana told her old dormmate. "But, in essence…yes. Storm away, ladies."
[-]
Before that day, Akko wouldn't have been sure what to say if asked how to distract a swarm of a hundred phantoms.
The answer, as it turned out, was fireworks. A lot of fireworks.
Where Amanda had managed to stash such an enormous arsenal of pyrotechnics was equally a mystery, but regardless they joined Hannah and Barbara in swooping through the skies, dropping crackers and bottle rockets by the dozens. The colorful explosions caused the spirits to disperse like cockroaches scattering from bug spray, clinging to the dark shadows that pervaded the (mercifully empty) shopping district.
That's when the rest of the witches sprang into action.
They kept to the same teams as in the original plan – Ursula and Croix, Lotte and Sucy, Jasminka and Constanze, Akko and Diana – but went about their assigned tasks with a great deal more haste.
Which was to say that as soon as they landed, they were blasting spells through the throngs of mad ghosts as if they were heroines in a shooter game, filling the air with such chaos of sound and color that it was almost blinding.
Since she was no longer trying to conceal her presence, Akko went all-out with the Shiny Rod. Arrows and axe slices and explosions of energy kept the spirits at bay, slowly but surely carving a path toward Kagari's.
She felt a little bad for the ghosts, in all honesty; if what her senseis said was true, then they were yet more innocent victims of Takeuchi's schemes. But captivity appeared to have driven them berserk, thrashing and attacking anyone who came near, so the witches had no choice to fight back.
Of course, all this commotion meant it didn't take long for Takeuchi's human henchmen to show up. About a dozen rushed out from nearby buildings, guns at the ready, prepared to lay down their lives for the boss who'd brainwashed them into blind obedience.
Sucy took them all out with a single, carefully thrown sleeping potion.
Still, even that brief interlude was enough for the phantoms to come back in full force. Though they still shied away from the bright lights of the fireworks and spells, sheer numbers were enough to overcome that disadvantage. They grasped at the brooms of the flying witches or converged upon the ones on the ground, moaning with such tremendous misery and despair that it made Akko want to curl up in a ball.
She and Diana kept close as they sprinted through the crowd of ghosts, shouting one Word of Arcturus after the next to stave off the spectral flood. One advantage of having the Shiny Rod back was no longer needing to worry about exhausting their limited supply of artificial Sorcerer's Stones – but by the same token, that meant all the spells she was casting right now were coming from her own body's energy.
Akko wasn't sure how long she could keep this up, but it wasn't forever.
Mercifully, without even being asked, Diana was easing the burden by switching off with her every few spells. In this moment, with their hearts and souls united, the Shiny Rod answered the blonde's call as easily as her own, the Grand Triskelion itself recognizing the power of the love they'd admitted to at long last.
Or at least, that was how Akko preferred to think of it. She'd always been a romantic at heart.
After what seemed like an eternity, they reached the front door of her parents' restaurant at last. Akko turned around and saw Lotte, Sucy, Jasminka, and Constanze bringing up the rear, while the rest of the witches continued to engage the spirits.
"We can hold them off, Akko!" exclaimed Ursula, dashing from one ghost to the next at lightning speed and keeping them at bay with magically reinforced martial arts. "But if you don't stop him soon, a few hundred phantoms are going to be the least of our concerns!"
"Sorry that, once again, you're cleaning up one of our messes," said Croix, as a pair of magitronic drones circled around her, firing laser beams to disperse the surrounding spirits. "But I know you girls have got this. If you could beat me, some second-grade baddie in a suit should be no trouble."
"Just don't do anything I wouldn't do!" called out Amanda from overhead, continuing to lead Hannah and Barbara in offering their "unique" brand of air support.
"That must be an excessively short list," Sucy drawled. "Anyway, isn't a certain dolt forgetting we're supposed to be in some kind of hurry?"
Akko hastily snapped her gaze forward. The front door to Kagari's, which had always been connected with warmth and comfort in her mind as a child, now loomed ominously.
Constanze stepped forward, pulling her magitronic device from her pocket and holding it as high as her stubby arms would allow. Red indicator lights on the side blinked several times in succession, before emitting a wide pulse of energy.
A few seconds later, the door unlatched and swung open on its own. While Akko knew it was because the "magic EMP" had just taken out all mystical and regular security systems alike, it didn't do much to improve the general sense of foreboding.
But she swallowed and set her face in determination nonetheless. This was it. The time to take back everything that bastard had stolen – from her family, her friends, and herself.
The Japanese witch stepped forward, and led the way into the belly of the beast.
[-]
While the outside of Kagari's hadn't changed much apart from its numerous ghostly guests, inside it was almost unrecognizable.
All of the chairs, tables, and other furniture had been shoved aside with scarcely a care, to make room for what looked like the entire cleaned-out inventory of an occult store. Skulls and crystals and shriveled hands were among the least horrifying things they passed, strewn about the halls and kitchen like the world's most off-season haunted house.
But the one thing they didn't find anywhere was Takeuchi. Or any people, for that matter.
"How're you holding up, Jasminka?" whispered Lotte.
The Russian woman winced, but waved off their looks of concern. "It is…difficult, being back here. But I will persevere," she said to the others. "I won't let that сволочь seize my mind from me again."
The six witches continued to creep carefully toward the manager's office, the only part of the restaurant they hadn't yet checked. As the only light came from black candles set along the walls at regular intervals, it felt uncomfortably like they were descending into some cursed dungeon.
But before they could reach the end of the hallway, the office door creaked open, allowing a man to step forward from the shadows. As if he'd been waiting for them this whole time.
"Like what I've done with the place?" Masato Takeuchi asked curtly.
He looked much the same as he had during their last encounter – same sharp business suit, same slicked-back hair, green and oily like a freshly mowed lawn – and yet there was something about him that seemed inexplicably…off.
Maybe it was the gauntness in his cheekbones, as if he hadn't eaten a good meal in a few days. Or the shadows under his eyes, like he hadn't slept in at least twice that long.
"What happened to you?" said Akko, almost feeling pity in spite of herself.
"Funny thing, magic rituals. They don't require you to have magic to pay their cost," he answered, holding onto the door for support as he pulled himself a few steps forward. Sweat ran down his angular face at even that small exertion. "Almost as if the witches who came up with them realized how little actually separates you from 'lowly' humans like me."
"He's been using his own life force. Without a Sorcerer's Stone or other talisman, he wouldn't have any other way of tapping into the Ring of Ouroboros," Diana realized aloud. "Whatever power you seek, is it worth killing yourself to obtain it?"
Takeuchi let out a hoarse, humorless chuckle. "You ask that of a man who's longed for nothing more than death's embrace these past four years?" he scoffed. "I invite you to experience a day in my shoes, a fraction of the pain I feel, and not desire the very same thing."
His fist clenched tightly around the sleeve of his suit jacket. "As for what I 'seek'…well, I suppose you'll all find out soon enough," he added coldly. "We're just about ready to begin."
Four wands and one ancient staff were drawn simultaneously – Jasminka alone having intentionally gone unarmed – and pointed directly at the businessman's chest.
"You're all out of backup. And if you're thinking about pulling out that stupid little box, trust me, you don't want to," said Sucy, pointed teeth bared. "These girlies might take you in quietly, but I still have a score to settle."
"Oh, I have no intention of using the Somnarca. It can only work on one person at a time, so that would be pointless anyway," he replied, sounding almost bored. "Nor would I gain anything from triggering poor Miss Antonenko again…yes, dear, I see you trembling there in the back…"
"I…am not…trembling," Jasminka all but growled.
Takeuchi mimed an exaggerated roll of the eyes. "Of course you aren't, sweetheart," he said. "Regardless, I'm aware that you witches have about fifty different ways you could take me down right now. Stop me from releasing the Yume no Seirei with a mere word or gesture."
Each of the witches tensed up at once as he raised one leg in the air.
"There is, however, one thing I think you may have overlooked," his words came out in a cold, cruel murmur.
Then with a single motion, he kicked the door he was leaning against fully open. Revealing the office on the other side.
And the fact that he wasn't alone within it.
"To borrow a phrase…I did it thirty-five minutes ago."
[-]
The books had described the Yume no Seirei as the spirit of a wizened old man.
The books were mistaken.
She was as undeniably feminine as a spirit could possibly be. Though her body was composed of ethereal, semi-translucent mist, the shape it took was voluptuous and curvaceous, with only the ghost of a shawl preserving some modicum of modesty. Her mismatched eyes, one a cold blue and the other a fiery red, were the only hints of color across her shifting form.
The most curious thing, however, was what happened whenever she moved. Each change in position seemed to carry an afterimage in its wake, like the rest of her body was struggling to keep up. Whenever she turned her head, for a split-second, it looked almost as if she had two faces.
She floated around the six witches, a bemused expression upon her full lips as she took in each of their features. One by one, before they could move against her, mistlike tendrils extended out and snatched up their wands, absorbing them into her own body. The Shiny Rod alone she left untouched.
Finally, she came to rest at Takeuchi's side, draping herself across his shoulders.
"We've spent the past half-hour or so catching up. She is a delightful conversation partner, even if she doesn't speak any human tongue," he said. "So much I didn't know about the story. About what makes her, well…her."
The Yume no Seirei smiled and placed a finger across her lips, miming silence. Constanze shook a tiny fist, as if to chastise the spirit for stealing her shtick.
"My mother's diary outlined everything she shared with your mentors. But even she didn't know the fully story of what transpired that night," explained Takeuchi coolly. "The Yume no Seirei was severely weakened by his imprisonment. Unstable. So when the White Lotus Witch used two living souls as catalysts for her sealing spell…well, they became a lot more than glorified batteries."
"They…They merged with him…" whispered Lotte, sounding equal parts awed and horrified by the realization.
"Obviously, they were feeling quite a number of emotions when mommy dearest tossed them in," Takeuchi responded with a shrug. "Love, for each other. Hatred, for the 'friend' who betrayed them. And anger, at the world. A world that would never remember their sacrifice. All that twisted together in the cooking pot of the Ouroboros Ring, until you get something with all the power of the ancient dream-eater…and some very different ideas on how to use it."
He tilted his head to the side, catching the spirit's eye, and exchanged a wink with her.
"Fortunately, hating Shira Hasuno is something we both have in common," he said. "Made for the perfect starting point. We got to talking, and talking, and…well, I guess I lost track of time. But maybe that's a good thing. Now, we have an audience! And I can't wait for you to hear our delightful proposal."
"Save it. I've already figured it out," Diana cut him off. "It took me some time to realize what you would value more than money, or control over people. Then I realized it was staring me right in the face. The one thing all your ill-gotten gains could never buy. The one thing you've craved deep-down, all your life."
Eyes intently upon the businessman's facial scar, Diana declared, "The true purpose of this ritual…is to give you magic."
Takeuchi and the spirit both returned her gaze with identical blank stares. Then, as one, they burst into uproarious laughter – hers silent, but just as intense.
"Ah, Miss Cavendish. Like always, so close to the truth, and yet so far," he sneered, once the mirth died away. "What would that accomplish? Sure, I'd be more powerful. Untouchable by any politician or business rival. But in the end, I'd just be another cog in the machine. Contributing to a system that's been fetid and rotting since the first witch carved her wand from a tree."
Akko, the only member of their party presently armed, thought about striking him right then and there, while he was busy monologuing. But they had no idea what other tricks the Yume no Seirei might have in store. For now, she held the Shiny Rod at bay, as Takeuchi's voice reached a fever pitch.
"Do you have any idea what your world looks like, gazing from the outside in?" he demanded sharply. "Well I'll tell you: it's terrifying. Ordinary humans like us are helpless if we catch the attention of the wrong witch. We can get turned into lizards, or shrunk to the size of a coin, or have our lives snuffed out entirely. And why? Because we happened to meet you in a bad mood."
"Most witches aren't like that!" Akko protested. "And you could say the same about those guns your goons tote around!"
"Guns, like most weapons, can be controlled. Magic chafes at the very idea," said Takeuchi. "It's an insidious plague, worming its way into people's hearts and corrupting them by its nature. You don't even think about it, because to you, magic is all stage shows and fireworks and pretty unicorns. But I've been burned by its flames. Over, and over, and over, and over!"
Takeuchi held out an accusing finger. "You call me a monster, little girl, and you know what? I agree," he hissed, spittle flying from his furiously moving lips. "But I was made this way by the sins of your kind. Everything I am, everything I've become…boils down to the witch who gave birth to me. She wouldn't let me be a part of her world. And when I tried to live a life apart from it…she pulled me back in, and shackled me to her own, petty curse."
All the while, as he was ranting, the Yume no Seirei had been floating steadily upward. Spreading her mist through the air above their heads – though always remaining linked by one, shimmering tendril to the man who'd released her.
"I could've freed myself years ago, you know. Put bullets in the heads of your precious professors and been done with it," he cried out, arms spread like a preacher. "But that would've been the selfish choice. I'd simply pass the buck along to the next poor soul to run afoul of a wicked witch. No, there's only one solution that'll work. Ending the problem…once and for all."
Diana, it seemed, had finally figured out what he was truly after. But whatever it was, she was too horrified to speak it aloud, merely backing away a few steps and whispering, "No…No, no, no…"
But the rest of the witches weren't left in suspense for long. Takeuchi, it seemed, was finally done bothering with obfuscation.
"It is time at last, great spirit. As your savior, I hereby claim the wish I am owed," he said, now pulling the Somnarca from his pocket and holding it high above his head. "Spread the power of this Vessel of Dreams…but not to create or control them. No, you shall do what you do best, dream-eater."
In a panic, Akko hastily tried to summon the Shiny Arc, but she'd acted too late. The spirit's mist was now expanding uncontrollably, choking the air and preventing her from speaking the Words.
"Destroy the dreams of every person on this planet!" Takeuchi commanded, eyes bulging with zeal. "Bring an end…to the world of magic!"
