"Mou, Diana, can't I move a little faster?" Akko whined.

"I suppose you could try, but I would not recommend it at this point in time." Diana said as she watched Akko slowly float forward across the field. "Move left then right."

At Diana's instruction, Akko began directing her broom.

"But Diana! This is soooo slow." Akko continued, pout becoming more pronounced.

"Akko, we need to make sure your control is at a satisfactory level. We would not want a continuation of yesterday's events with your broom ,would we?" Diana responded, taking careful note of the pout on her tutee's face. "Now try increasing your elevation."

Akko winced as she remembered how strained her arms felt yesterday. It had almost felt like a wild bull ride keeping her broom in check.

She'd really prefer that not happen again.

Akko slowly willed her broom upwards, grinning at how high she seemed to go.

Diana watched as Akko's control strengthened. Truth be told, Akko had improved considerably. Yesterday, she barely managed to keep her broom moving. Today, though, Akko was demonstrating the ability to regulate her broom's speed.

Despite her constant whines and groans, Diana could tell Akko was ecstatic. After all, the grins Akko made whenever she successfully followed a direction was proof enough. Just the thought brought a small smile to Diana's face.

That being said, Diana knew Akko's whines and groans did have some truth to it. Although she did think Akko was overreacting, Diana would acknowledge that today's session was far less hectic than yesterday's was.

Although considering why it was so hectic, this was much preferred.

"Now turn left." At the direction, Akko began to lean left and adjust the grip on her broom. Her crimson eyes brightened as she completed the action.

If anything, Diana could describe today's session as serene. Not a word she would have ever expected to use to describe a moment with Akko, but here she was using it. Oddly, Diana found her thoughts wandering.

Given her situation, it was natural the first place those thoughts would wander to was the girl right in front of her.

She had been tutoring Akko for about two and a half weeks at this point. Prior to that, the two of them could have hardly even been acquaintances given the nature of how their interactions usually went. Although she regretted the level of antagonism between the two of them, Diana shrugged it off, figuring it was not her problem if Akko found her presence so distasteful.

However, now Diana was not exactly sure what their relationship was. As far as Diana could tell, Akko did not find her company nearly as repulsive as she had before. That thought in and of itself brought Diana relief, oddly enough.

Then there was the way she thought of Akko. First instinct would be to say she saw Akko like she would a student. Naturally, it would make sense, considering Akko was, in fact, her tutee. However, the word tutee felt insufficient. Compared to her previous tutees, being with Akko felt different.

She felt the two of them had grown much closer than she had ever grown with people she'd tutored in the past. Watching Akko made her feel… something. She was not entirely sure what it was, but it was not an emotion she was used to. It was especially not a feeling she felt with her previous experiences as a tutor.

Any proof she needed for this feeling's existence was evident in the hug the two shared yesterday. That memory constantly played in the back of her mind. It felt so intimate, far moreso than she had ever felt with anyone else at Luna Nova. It was so warm. It filled her up with a strange feeling. She did not know what that feeling was… but she found that it was indeed pleasant…

"Hello? Diana?"

Diana's eyes opened a tick faster than usual. She was met with ruby red eyes staring right into her sapphire blue ones.

"Y-yes Akko?"

"I was just wondering if you were okay. You've been standing there for a few minutes now without saying anything." Akko asked, traces of concern in her voice.

Diana felt her face heat up slightly. Had she really been that distracted?

"My apologies. I had allowed myself to let my thoughts wander."

"Eh? That's surprising coming from you." Akko said teasingly. "Must have been some nice thoughts though. You had such a cute smile on your face."

Diana's face flared up at the insinuation. She cleared her throat to rid herself of the tension and slight embarrassment, though it was woefully insufficient.

"I-I think it is time for a break." Diana stated hastily, seeking to change the subject entirely. Akko giggled at Diana.

…

"Neh Diana, I have a question."

"Yes Akko?"

The two girls sat back to back, leaning on the other.

"So Amanda brought this up a couple of days ago, and I've been needing to ask you this for a while… what's the obstacle run?"

"Every year, Professor Nelson has the class go through an obstacle course of sorts one at a time. What the obstacles are changes every year, but the idea itself stays about the same. At the end, you receive a time for how fast you completed the course. It is typically worth a rather large portion of your grade."

"O-oh. I see. Do you think I'll be ready for it by then?" Akko asked, uncertainty in her tone.

"Akko, are you doubting yourself?" Diana responded teasingly.

"N-No!" Akko stuttered out. "I was… just wondering?"

Diana chuckled at Akko's reaction. "The test will most likely not happen for another two weeks. There is plenty of time to get you up to speed, so to speak."

"Alright! Oh also, Lotte and Sucy know you're tutoring me."

"Is that so? You decided to tell them?"

"…Not exactly.

"Oh?"

"They uh…" Diana could feel Akko fidgeting behind her, "From what they told me, they uh… watched us yesterday?"

There was a moment of silence between the two. Akko had stopped fidgeting, focused on trying to pick up any signs of reactions from Diana without changing their positions.

Diana had stiffened at the revelation. She felt her face warm up upon hearing the two of them might have been seen yesterday. She refused to let it affect her any more outwardly than it already had.

"I-is that so?

…

D-did they stay the entire time?" Diana questioned, almost timidly.

"No, they uh… left the moment they saw you fly up to… catch… me" Akko continued, slowly becoming more quiet as the sentence progressed.

"O-oh. That's-" Diana sighed in relief and relaxed "that's good."

Once Akko felt Diana relax, she felt a smile tug on her lips. At least, now she knew Diana was okay with how her friends had found out.

The smile quickly turned into a mischievous grin.

"Really? I kind of wished they stayed longer. Then they would have believed me when I said I got the great Diana Cavendish to hug me."

Diana's pulse shot up at the comment, the heat returning to her face at full force.

"A-Akko! You did no- that was- Akko! That was personal!" Diana stammered out.

Akko began to laugh at the reaction. The laugh itself further causing Diana's face to redden.

Diana thanked whatever deity there was that the two of them were not facing each other.

"Eh? Ehh? What's this? Diana sounding embarrassed?" Akko teased. When she got no response from the girl behind her, Akko decided she'd show mercy. "Don't worry Diana. I was just kidding." Akko felt Diana loosen up behind her.

"I-is that so… Akko, I would appreciate it if you would refrain from making jokes like that." Diana stated, sounding more relieved than annoyed.

"Sorry, sorry." Akko laughed out. "I won't tell anybody about it, no need to worry; it'll be our little secret. After all, we're friends now right?"

Friends. It was a word Diana hadn't considered earlier when she thought of Akko. Thinking of it now, however, it fit far better than her previous classification of student.

Yes. Friends. While Diana didn't know if the word fit perfectly, it fit much better than tutee. It would do, for now at least.

"Y-yes, I suppose so." Diana said to Akko. Her friend. Diana found herself smiling at the thought.

So feel free to give me more hugs in the future!" Akko yelled out, successfully embarrassing Diana for what felt like the fourth time today. "Now let's practice some more!"

Diana let out a shaky sigh, though she found it impossible to rid herself of the tiny smile on her face.

Dear Diana,

Come over to my office after class.

From, Professor Ursula

Diana sighed when she saw the note in her usual seat during Magic Astronomy class.

Professor Ursula had just recently returned from her extended errands. Their professor's return once again filled Diana with an unexplainable feeling of emptiness. A feeling that only grew as she read the note laid out for her.

Diana sighed, enchanting a different note to Akko, informing her that their session would be delayed, and that she would stop by her room once the meeting with Professor Ursula was over.

Once classes ended, Diana proceeded to Professor Ursula's office.

"C-Come in!" Diana heard the professor's timid voice as she knocked on the door.

"Good afternoon Diana." Professor Ursula greeted her as she walked in, seated by her table on the far side of the room. "Would you like some tea?"

"Good afternoon Professor. I would greatly appreciate a cup of tea, thank you." Diana said as formally and respectfully as possible. She took the seat across her professor.

Once Professor Ursula was finished filling up the tea cups, she took a deep breath.

"First of all, I would like to apologize for how long I was gone. I hadn't expected the headmistress's errand to take as long as it did." Professor Ursula softly said.

"There is nothing to apologize for." Diana answered.

"But I asked that request of you before I left. I'm sure it must have been quite a hassle tutoring Akko for so long."

"I can assure you, it was no trouble at all. If anything, I found tutoring her rather enjoyable." Diana reassured.

"Oh. Is that so?"

"Yes. The two of us decided to work on an area of magic Akko was extraordinarily determined to learn. I must say, watching her grow in that regard was very satisfying" Diana answered, a small smile on her face.

"I see." Professor Ursula formed a smile from Diana's words as well. "May I ask the kind of progress she's made?"

Diana contemplated her response. She thought about answering the question as completely as possible. After all, this was Akko's official mentor.

However, after getting to watch Akko for as long as she had, she knew that probably was not the best course of action. At least, Akko would not want her progress revealed in something as dull as a progress report.

No. She'd want to surprise Professor Ursula.

"Might I suggest visiting the fields just past the bushes and trees tomorrow after classes tomorrow? I'm sure Akko would much rather show you than have me tell you." Diana answered.

"O-oh, of course. I'm sure Akko would love to demonstrate what she's learned."

The two sat in silence as they sipped their tea. The silence was rather awkward, as both witches were trying to think of how to continue the conversation they were having.

"Well," Professor Ursula was the first to finish her cup, "Thank you very much for all the help you've given while I was away doing errands…"

When Diana heard those words, she slowly felt a knot forming in the pit of her stomach.

"…however, since I'm back, I don't think it's right for me to keep asking you to continue."

Diana felt her heart drop when she heard her Professor finish that sentence. She knew something like this was coming. After all, she was originally asked to tutor Akko while Professor Ursula was away. Naturally, her job would technically be completed once her professor came back. She knew this… but she was not prepared for how bad hearing this would actually feel.

"After all, I'm sure there are things you've wanted to do that you simply had not had the time to do as of recent, which, again I apologize for."

Diana's hands tightened into a fist, her nails digging into the palms of her hand. She finally realized why she had been feeling so odd. What the source of that emptiness was.

Tutoring Akko was something she wanted to do. Something she wanted to continue doing. She had grown to truly enjoy the time she was able to spend with Akko. Her… Her friend. The possibility of losing this…

Was not something Diana wanted at all.

"However, since I am back, you can have your time back to do whatever you haven't been abl-"

"Professor." Diana said quickly, almost reflexively. She was almost shocked by how clear and how loud she had projected.

"Y-yes Diana?" Professor Ursula asked, a little caught off guard.

Diana took a deep breath as she gathered her thoughts. It had been a while since Diana had felt any sort of need to make a request of one of her professors. To ask of something solely because it was something she wanted. Solely because it was something she enjoyed.

After all, Diana had given up many things in the past for the sake of appearances. For the sake of appeasing others. To ask for something for no reason besides it was something she wanted was not something she was accustomed to.

However, this was one thing Diana refused to back off from.

"May I… make a request?"

Thank everything for Trigger. We are all blessed Diana exists as a character.