If she were honest with herself, Akko wasn't entirely sure how long she had been spaced out for.

The last thing she remembered was the supposed leader of the tiny walking trees claiming that they were made from Yggdrasil itself. After that, her brain had almost physically unscrewed her skull, leapt out of the empty shell and zoomed off into space in order to find some sort of explanation behind all of this.

A part of her almost convinced herself that this was a hallucination that was caused by Sucy after she had somehow managed to get her to 'test' another one of her potions. But the light bruises peppering her skin and the grimy stains decorating her uniform said otherwise.

Another theory she conjured up was the slight possibility that, due to her food deprived state, her mind had projected these images before her. But for every step they took, she could see legitimate footprints being left behind, debunking that theory almost instantly on arrival.

And the fact that they had managed to scoop up dirt into balls and hurl them at her face was also a dead giveaway.

None of these straying thoughts had given her any reason to not believe that she was experiencing this for real, but she still had the hardest time accepting it. It's not every day that one stumbles upon an ancient race of walking trees that are actually descendants to the original source of all magic, right?

Unsure of how long she had been silent (though for probably a decent amount of time, if the confused and slightly concerned faces they were exchanging with one another were anything to go off of), Akko mentally slapped herself out of her reverie and back to reality.

"Ok, so," the lost girl started, still trying to get a hold of her footing on her sanity, "you're telling me that you're all Yggdrasil's babies?"

"Not necessarily," their leader corrected her. "That would imply some form of a reproduction process." Akko mentally gagged. "Whereas we didn't come from Yggdrasil. We are Yggdrasil."

When the leader of the bunch could see that not an awful lot of information was being absorbed, she decided a different approach was needed.

"Come with us. Your answers will come, but you must remain patient."

The leader's instructions reminded Akko of some of Ursula's teachings.

Turning, the cluster of Yiggins began to walk almost perfectly in sync with one another, walking to a location that they had somehow all known they were going to go to without having verbally shared it with the group. Akko decided that the best course of action, at least for the time being, was to do as she was told and follow them.

Feeling like a lumbering giant in the midst of a forest that only barely reached up to her shins, Akko trailed safely behind the group, making extra certain to not step on anything/anyone.

As she followed, her eyes wandered this way and that, soaking in the new environment and everything it had to offer. She may be getting better in her focusing skills, but her curiosity was what made her . . . her; At least according to her friends (even though Sucy tended to poke fun at her for her lack of focus). Her eyes ceaselessly scanning the new surroundings, Akko was able to observe that the small community to its fullest.

The biggest thing she took notice in was that the town was built in a circular shape, the winding trail of dirt acting as its impromptu street twisting and turning, connecting the huts and teepees with one another in almost a labyrinth formation, accommodating to the environment's circumference.

Along the dirt walls were even more holes, no doubt leading to more tunnels that traveled underneath the forest floor, identical to the one she had just fallen through that got her in her current situation. It lead her to question just how complex the series of tunnels were, and how many there were; but before she could verbally express her curiosity, she stopped herself, remembering the leader's instructions to remain patient.

However, that thought only lead to another aching question.

"So, what do I call you guys?"

Not even breaking stride, the lead Yiggin turned around and, while walking backwards, gave the girl a questioning glance.

"I told you. We're Yggdrasilians. An ancient civilization-"

Akko waved her arms in an embarrassed attempt to halt the speech.

"No no no no no no no. Sorry, that's not what I meant. Uuum, how do I put this?" She tapped her chin, still following the group. "See, I'm human. And humans have all sorts of different names. It's a way to tell each other apart and communicate. So, what are all of your names?"

Before the makeshift field trip entered the entrance to one of the several tunnels, they all stopped at once. Akko reeled on her tiptoes, arms flailing in a windmill fashion to keep herself from falling forward.

The leader looked mildly annoyed. "After all these years down here, I've truly forgotten how impatient humans tend to be," referring to the broken rule.

Akko's cheeks reddened in both embarrassment and irritation.

Sighing, the leader, continuing to walk flawlessly backwards, shook its head. "If you will, allow your imagination to take hold."

There was a command Akko didn't have to try hard to follow.

The leader ushered the Yiggins and Akko into another tunnel.

"The human body is comprised of different organs and cells that serve a specific purpose to maintaining its health, correct?" Akko nodded. "The same can be said for trees. In our case, Yggdrasil."

"We're all made up of Yggdrasil's vital anatomical structure," another Yiggin offered.

The leader of the Yiggins nodded in confirmation, still walking backwards. It was clear that they have traversed these tunnels enough to walk through them blindfolded without getting lost or stumbling into something.

"Just as you have your heart and lungs, we represent the bark, sapwood, cambium, and all other necessary components of life that brought Yggdrasil into existence."

"I'm the liver!" One of the Yiggins proudly proclaimed.

Akko's eyes were wide, utterly fascinated.

Due to her lessons with Professor Ursula, Akko's attention span had significantly increased. She was still curious and anxious, but as of the beginning of this school year, the brunette's ability to absorb information had noticeably increased.

She walked a few steps forward in silence, letting the information soak in.

"In response to your question, however," the leader continued, "we have no need of names. We have come from the same living organism. We know who we're speaking to and who's addressing us without the need of labels. Isn't that right?"

"I'm the liver!"

Akko jumped at the outburst.

Once her heart settled down, the young witch couldn't help but allow a few straggling thoughts crossed her mind as they walked deeper into the tunnel.

"Labels?"

"Yes. The tools you use to differentiate yourselves from other humans have no merit to our existence."

Akko frowned.

"But, that's not right."

She stopped walking forward.

The Yiggins froze as well, all eyes turning to look at the girl.

"Names aren't labels," she said as if she were correcting a child who mispronounced a word. "They're unique. They help make us into who we are and have meaning."

The lead Yiggin looked unimpressed.

"And what is it that your name means, Akko?"

Akko innocently shrugged. "That's the fun part! You have to give it a meaning yourself. I haven't done that yet, but I hope that in the future, people will recognize it all over the world as a master witch! Like Shiny Chariot!"

Before she could continue to relish in her passion, she paused.

"How did you know my name?"

"You weren't necessarily quiet on your way into our home," the leader deadpanned. "Remember? You all but proclaimed your life story to the entire forest. When you followed our member to our hideaway." One of the Yiggins lowered its head in embarrassment.

"Well," Akko interjected, "I'm not gonna call you guys 'heart', or 'lung one' and 'lung two' or anything gross like that. I'll think of names for you soon enough!" The girl smiled, establishing her intent with almost a reassuring zeal.

"No need," the lead Yiggin instantly shot down her offer. "Giving us a name would imply that you would return to our home. Which you're not."

" . . . Eh?"

Akko hadn't realized it, but in the midst of their walk, they had lead the oblivious girl onto a piece of bark that was roughly the size of a door. Around the two ends of the bark were tightly wrapped vines that lead up to a skylight, exposing the late evening air and the outside world above.

The lead Yiggin walked over to one of the walls and dug into the soil, pulling out a vine for itself.

"For the record, it's no use telling anybody about all of this. I doubt they'd believe you."

Before Akko could so much as blink, the vine was yanked, activating some sort of invisible mechanism that elevated the bark with a frightening leap, tripping the girl to her knees at the sudden ride upwards.

Screaming, Akko's journey upwards wasn't a long one, as she broke the surface almost instantly, all traces of the Yiggins and the dark tunnel lost beneath her. Her body jolted upwards the moment the piece of bark came to rest, blocking her way back down.

The shock slowly subsiding, Akko looked left, then right, gazing at the open forest. She blinked away the remaining wariness, replacing it with a bubbled up sense of annoyance.

She crawled onto her hands and knees, bending down and pressing her ear to the ground, listening for anything that might suggest that they were still beneath her. She couldn't hear so much as their feet pittering away.

Grunting, she decided that the next best course of action was to resort to violence.

She pounded furiously against the bark, yelling very particular obscenities in their direction.

"You promised me you'd tell me more!"

She pounded against it ceaselessly, hoping that she would at some point weaken the integrity of the bark, but the only thing she accomplished was gaining multiple cuts and callouses on her fist. Once she had worn herself out, she stopped, panting and growling beneath her breath.

Confirming that she will get no results this way, the young witch determined her next course of action . . .

Pouting.

"I'm not leaving this spot until you let me back in!"

As a symbol of her resolve, she sat down on the bark cross legged and aggressively crossed her arms, closing her eyes and holding her chin up with pride.

She couldn't help but be reminded of the similar situation when she assisted the school's groundskeepers in their strike last year, and that (though not in the way she had thought), had been fairly successful.

Well, if it worked last time, it should again, right?

After thirty minutes of waiting, her gut was beginning to bet against that hunch.

As well as her growling stomach.

Patting her empty belly in a vain effort to appease it, Akko let out a shivering sigh.

Despite her usually rock solid determination and perseverance, she had also learned when it is acceptable to admit defeat as she clambered back on to her feet, dusting off fallen leaves and dirt from the bottom of her skirt.

She made a mental note that no harm would (probably) not come from embarking on another search within the next few days. If she stumbled on it once, then her luck would most certainly carry her again to another one of their entrances.

She hadn't noticed how malnourished she had been feeling until after she stretched her legs, head spinning and eyes watering.

Stubbornness was often a taxing trait.

But despite her food-deprivated state, she began mapping out her next plan of attack for the next time she ventured out to find them.

And what she would tell her friends she was doing when she got back.

She wasn't entirely sure why, but she made the executive decision right then and there to keep the existence of the Yggdrasilians a secret. Though it pained her to keep things from her friends, it was fairly obvious that these creatures were doing everything in their power to keep themselves hidden from the public eye. Akko wasn't entirely sure why, but she also felt it wasn't her place to reveal them if they weren't ready yet.

Besides, that probably wouldn't score her any brownie points with them in the long run, and her short reputation with them hasn't been exactly favorable thus far. No need to stoke those flames.

In the middle of her walk, Akko found some peace of mind through the calming sounds of the forest.

Her muddled mind became calmer with every step she took, taking in the tweeting of the birds (and keeping a cautious eye out for any vengeful mama birds) and the wind breathing through the leaves. Akko smiled as she eyed a squirrel as it ran down the length of a nearby tree. It reached the ground and scampered a few feet behind Akko . . . pushing aside a small bundle of leaves and revealing a foxhole.

With not so much as a sideways glance at anything else, the squirrel submerged itself and began to descend in the soil.

Akko stopped walking.

She could almost feel the idea travel through her veins and reach her brain stem, crawling its way up and activating the cartoonish lightbulb switch. Although, this was a dimmer, somewhat less founded lightbulb, as she wasn't entirely certain this would work.

Pushing her upset stomach to the back of her mind, Akko turned on her heel and made her way to the hole in the dirt.

Standing directly above it, Akko drew her wand and pointed it at the hole, eyes brimming with determination and resolve . . . she then slumped her shoulders once she realized that she had no idea what kind of spell it was she needed to use.

She impatiently tapped the wand against her knee, racking her brain for anything that she could remember from her classes that would give her the answer.

Let's see, arbourore meant anything and everything that had to do with the earth. So I'll probably have to use a spell somewhere along those lines. But what about getting the hole bigger? A shape shifting adjective maybe? Maaaaaaan, there's not many times when I would wish for one of Diana's perfection at everything she does, but damn if this isn't one of them.

Not wishing to cause any damage to the environment, Akko sheathed her wand and decided that this had to be done the old fashioned way.

Just a few feet away from where she was standing was a fallen limb that she decided was the correct tool for the job. Grabbing it, she gripped it in both hands and dug it into the soil, repeatedly pounding it in an effort to get deeper into the ground. She fell into a steady rhythm of stabbing, then made a stirring motion as if she were in potions class, widening the entrance little by little.

Stab.

Stab.

Stab.

Stir . . . Stir . . .

Stab.

Stab.

Stab.

Stir . . . Stir . . .

"C'mon, c'mon . . ." sweat dripped off of her brow from the labor and her growling stomach had returned with a vengeance. She paid neither of them mind as she progressively dug deeper into the earth.

Her arms burned and her balance wavered from the repetitive motions, her lungs burned in protest and her stomach called out for food . . . She forgot all of those instantaneously once she felt the limb break through, now touching nothing.

Eyes wide in shock, she lifted the limb up and down as if she were plunging a toilet, trying to decide whether or not she believed what she was feeling.

As soon as she came to a satisfactory conclusion, she all but launched the impromptu shovel away from her and dove head first into the now Akko-sized entrance, clawing and pounding her way through the soil.

Dirt dug its way deep into the brunette's fingernails and the occasional speck of earth found its way into her mouth, but she ignored these inconveniences and pushed her way downward like a dog looking for a bone long since buried.

With one final scoop of dirt, Akko's hand broke through and was suspended in open air. Her heart fluttered in excitement as she reached her other hand forward, widening the hole to the point where she could squish her face through.

Peering through the dirt that clouded her vision, Akko was undeniably back inside the tunnel.

Er, one of them at least.

Before she could contort her compacted body into a position ready enough to safely drop in, gravity took a firm hold and pulled her out of the hole.

"BWAGAAH!"

Before she knew it, she was lying face down on the tunnel floor.

Ignoring her fatigued muscles, which were begging for rest now, Akko sprawled back onto her feet and ran forward. She wasn't sure if this was the correct way or not, but it had to lead somewhere.

Following the winding path laid out before her, Akko panted relentlessly, but also showed no sign of slowing down.

Along the winding path came multiple turns. She had no way of knowing whether left or right was the correct way other than the feeling in her gut that propelled her to make those decisions. Her feet grew weary and her knees threatened to give at any moment from fatigue.

After a short eternity, she rounded a corner that lead to another tunnel, but light could be seen from around its bend.

Eyes brimming with hope, the girl felt her second wind kick in, all weariness having been forgotten.

The closer she got to the upcoming turn, the clearer she could hear a set of small voices.

There they are.

She rapidly approached the turn that no doubt lead to the community of walking trees (which just so happened to be the direct descendants of the birth of magic itself) with her typical sense of abandon . . . and only slowed down when she was able to clearly process what they were saying.

"No! Don't let them in!"

Her feet slid in the soil to a faltering stop just inches before the entrance to the village.

Pressing her back firmly to the wall, Akko peeked around the corner and saw three of the Yiggins quickly running in one direction, disappearing from sight almost the instant Akko had looked. Taking the extra risk, Akko shimmied her body along the wall in an attempt to stay hidden, tiptoeing closer to the entrance. Thankfully, the village appeared to be barren. Throwing caution to the wind this time, Akko leaned the upper half of her body around the corner and fully saw what was happening.

Or . . . what wasn't happening.

The same three Yiggins who she had seen running were making their way to a tunnel on the other side of the village, disappearing inside.

After a few moments of silence, save for the occasional yelps of shock and dismay of the startled Yggdrasilians, Akko deemed it safe to enter the small community and make her way across to the same tunnel that they had just run through.

The heck are they doing?

She entered the other tunnel just in time to see their backs vanish behind another corner. Akko wasted no time to give chase silently, hoping not to give away her position anytime soon.

It didn't take long for her to catch up with them, but she wasn't prepared in the slightest for the hectic scene before her.

First off, the most outstanding feature of this particular tunnel were the various roots and vines sprouting from the top and sides of it, a wide assortment of fruit including grapes, apples, pears and oranges growing from them as if it were a compacted vineyard. The vines and stems stuck out and tangled with one another in a spider web of green, purple, red and orange.

That was when she realized that this must have been the place where they . . . farmed.

The second thing she noticed was the wildlife that had found their way inside the tunnels and sniffed out their produce, deciding for themselves that they were ripe for the picking. The collection of badgers, squirrels and chipmunks were either sniffing curiously at the fruit, plucking them from their vines and carrying them off, or retreating from the retaliating Yggdrasilians as they threw mounds of dirt at the animals.

Why don't they just use magic to fight them off?

But their battle tactics weren't enough to keep the intruders at bay. Once they had fled from the balls of dirt, they immediately continued to sniff and prod at the hanging treats, plucking them when they found the opportunity.

"No!"

Despite the less than hospitable welcome she had received from the Yiggins, Akko couldn't stop the swelling sense of pity for the defenseless creatures.

She didn't know much about them, but she also wouldn't appreciate it if a bunch of animals had broken in to her home and began ransacking the place for her hard-earned food.

Acting upon pure impulse, the young witch abandoned her hiding spot and drew her wand immediately, taking aim at the animals. Of course, she wasn't going to hurt them, but rather her aim was pointed at the ground close to the animals.

Eyes narrowing in a cross between irritation and focus, Akko cast the spell.

"Murowa!"

A bolt of green erupted from the tip of her wand, rocketed over the shocked Yiggins' heads, and impacted on the ground, sending a shower of dirt over the startled wildlife. A badger jumped in shock, then sniffed the small crater curiously.

The Yiggins turned and were surprised (to say the least) to see the same person they had just banished defending their produce.

"A-Akko?"

The witch recognized that particular voice as the leader's. She ignored their stunned glances and marched forward, all but chanting the defensive spell.

"Murowa! Murowa! Murowa!"

Green light illuminated the otherwise light-deprived tunnel in rapid bursts, giving the impression that the sickest of raves was being held underground. Burned soil and dirt rained down from all directions, startling the animals back in the direction they came, dropping whatever stolen cargo they had been carrying in their mouths. She aimed carefully, as to neither hit the fruit nor the animals, but luckily, her aim still left much to be desired, meaning that all she had hit were the walls and ceiling.

Fruit rolled across her feet as she continued marching forward, careful as to not trip over the vines wrapping around the floor.

After one more blast, Akko decided that was enough and sheathed her wand, watching as the last chipmunk rounded the corner and out of sight.

She let out a sigh and balled her fists, then unclenched them as she bent down and picked up an apple. Standing upright, Akko brought the fruit close to her face, inspecting it thoroughly, checking for any bruises or bite marks. Nodding in satisfaction, the brunette made her way back to the taken aback Yiggins, who eyed her in disbelief.

Their shock was amplified when Akko stopped in front of their leader, knelt down on both knees, smiled, and offered the apple to it.

"They shouldn't be back for a while," she declared, the friendly smile still not leaving her face.

Not sure of what else to do, the leader took the apple from her hands and into his own (Akko had made the assumption that these creatures were male) stubby ones. He looked up at Akko, then down to the apple, then back up.

"You helped us." Again, he stated it merely as an observation.

Akko simply nodded. "Yep! And you can expect more from where that came from, Tilly!"

The leader blinked in surprise, his grip on the apple (which was comically oversized in his arms) wavered. "What . . . what did you call me?"

"Tilly!" Akko repeated. "I thought it kind of sounded like tree, so I went with it! Plus it's really cute." She rubbed the back of her neck. "I know about what you said about me not giving you a name since you didn't want me coming back, but if I hadn't come back . . . how long have they been taking your food?"

Tilly lowered his gaze. "At least twelve times per harvest."

Akko shook her head. "Welp, you don't have to worry about that anymore! As long as I'm here, at least!" She looked as if she was going to add more to her declaration, but her train of thought was derailed by another realization.

"Oh! Here, let's get this cleaned up!"

Without waiting for the rest, the energetic girl turned her back to the Yiggins and began picking up the fallen pieces of fruit, too wrapped up in her efforts to notice the awe that was emanating from them.

It wasn't even an hour ago they had thrown her out and told her not to return.

Yet, here she was.

Not only had she basically single handedly gotten rid of their pest infestation, but now she was picking up their mess for them. Again, not even an hour they had thrown her out.

"Huh," one of the Yiggins breathed out. "Maybe witches aren't like how they were before."

Their leader, now named Tilly, dropped the apple and turned to address the confused Yggdrasilians.

"Slow down. She's one witch out of . . . however many witches are in that school. But, she is definitely . . . different."

Tilly paused, turned around and watched the girl innocently continue to pick up the spilled fruit.

"I think she could be able to help us out."

Akko paused in her actions and looked over her shoulder, now slightly irritated.

"Hey, hey! I know I'm helping out, but you guys could lend a hand too!"

Later,

With all of them focusing their efforts on picking up the fallen fruit, inspecting them to find out which ones were worth keeping and which ones to throw out, the entire process took less than fifteen minutes.

Storing the still healthy food in the silo, the Yiggins took the opportunity to thank the girl, though she always dismissed them and deemed it not necessary.

Afterwards, Tilly insisted that Akko follow them down another tunnel, though she was admittedly somewhat wary on trusting that request after what had happened earlier.

"Don't worry," Tilly reassured. "The elevator is only in that tunnel. Besides, we're not going in one."

Deciding no harm would come in humoring them for a little while longer, Akko followed the group as they lead her to the dead center of the community. The Yggdrasilians formed a circle around Akko and Tilly, making her feel somewhat uncomfortable with all eyes on her.

"Do you know exactly where we are, Miss Akko?"

Taken slightly aback at the more formal recognition, Akko thought about the question as hard as she could before she ultimately shook her head.

"Look around you," Tilly instructed. "What is the first thing you notice? And please answer freely, this is not a trick question."

A thoughtful finger on her chin, Akko looked around the room. "Well, there are all the huts, obviously," she murmured rather quietly, awkwardly playing with her skirt, unsure of what answer Tilly was looking for.

"Yes. And believe it or not, those are the only artificially made structures in here."

"But what about the tunnels?" Akko pointed to one. "Someone had to have made those!"

"Not someone, Miss Akko. Something. You see, we are currently standing where Yggdrasil's roots once took ground."

The Yggdrasilians anticipated the shock that the young girl must be feeling at the moment, which is why none of them spoke for the next several seconds, allowing Akko to fully grasp what it was Tilly had just said.

Even still, her mind couldn't fully wrap around it.

Despite this, Tilly continued.

"These 'tunnels' are actually the system of roots that fastened us to the earth so many centuries ago. Once Yggdrasil vanished, this was all that remained," Tilly spread out his tiny arms, gesturing to everything around them. "That's why Luna Nova is established where it currently is; it's within close proximity to, what is now referred to them as, 'ground zero'. The birthplace of all magic."

They remained silent for another moment.

"Now, you're aware of the reason of Yggdrasil's disappearance, surely."

Akko nodded. "Professor Ursula and the other teachers said that it was because the magic got used up over time."

"Yes," Tilly confirmed. "What many fail to realize is that all plant life are living, breathing things. And with the ability to live comes the ability to comprehend. All plants are able to freely think for themselves. Yggdrasil was no different."

In all honesty, Akko was fighting to keep her eyelids from drooping too far. Her attention span was beginning to wear down at the Yiggin's lecture.

At least Ursula attempted to make her lessons interesting.

But this was vital information that she felt not many others (if anyone at all) knew about. She fought back her drowsiness and continued to listen intently.

"Within the last fifty years of its existence, Yggdrasil knew its days were now numbered. It foresaw only a few ways for it to continue living. Of the multitude of options it had, it picked the two that had the most promising results to keep it alive. One of them was . . . well, us. As we explained before, we are Yggdrasil. It split itself into all of us."

"I'm the liver!"

Akko looked around the group, allowing the information to be stored in her memory.

"Then," Akko started, "what was the other thing?"

Tilly smiled. "You're a fan of magic. I'm sure you know."

It was true. Akko already had a creeping suspicion, but she wanted to hear it from Tilly himself.

"Claiomh Solais."

Tilly nodded. "The wand stored the remainder of Yggdrasil's magic, whereas we metaphorically keep the tree alive. Though, with some magical prowess of our own, mind you." To demonstrate his point, he raised his stubby arms and allowed a green and blue light to glow from each of them. Akko stepped back in surprise. But almost as quickly as the lights came, they flickered and faded. "Though, not nearly as sufficient." Tilly frowned.

Akko furrowed her eyebrows, making sure she was for sure counting the Yiggin's correctly.

"Hmm," she rubbed her chin. "You'd think that from a tree that big, it would make more of you."

Tilly's frown deepened. "There were."

Akko could feel a cold shock rip at her heart, followed up with a gut punch from guilt and a hair tug from Oh-My-Gosh-Why-In-The-Heck-Did-You-Have-To-Bring-That-Up standing idly in the corner. Her arms flailed wildly in front of her in defense. "I'msosorryIdidn'tknowaboutthatIdidn'tmeantobringupanypainfulmemories-"

"Miss Akko!" Tilly silenced the girl. "It's alright!" He gave Akko a reassuring look. "You didn't know, it's perfectly fine."

Akko breathed out in relief, placing a hand over her pounding chest.

"That's why this place is our home. If we go beyond ground zero for too long or too many times, we fade away, and our magic with us. We vanish from this world forever and join our brothers and sisters in . . . what you witches call the Leylines."

Tilly made sure to be extra careful to not let Akko notice the snarl in his tone.

Thankfully, Akko didn't seem to catch on.

Rather, she looked as if she were still digesting the information. Tilly couldn't blame her in the slightest. This was an awful lot to spring up on a girl all at once. Though she seemed fairly ditzy and forgetful upon the first impression, she was doing a decent enough job at following along.

It was only after a few more moments of silence that Akko finally worked up the courage to ask the one nagging question that had been present in the back of her head for the past several minutes since this lesson began.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because Miss Akko," Tilly gave her a knowing smile, "if you're going to make a habit out of visiting us, it is important you understand why."

AN:/ Hello good people of the LWA fandom! I'm not normally one for leaving author's notes, but I feel like this definitely needed an explanation. For those of you who read the chapter last night or today, you may now notice that the ending is significantly trimmed down. That's because after thinking back on it, I was pretty dissatisfied with the way I wrapped it up and decided that the best spot to cut it was right here. So I updated it accordingly.

That part out of the way, I genuinely hope you're enjoying the story! The last story I wrote was a gravity falls fic two years ago, so my techniques have felt pretty rusty, but I'm enjoying where this story is going thus far, so I hope the characters are staying true to the wonderful show. There's still plenty of ground to cover, but I don't believe this story will be over ten or eleven chapters. But we'll see where this thing take us! And thanks a million to wolfwhispers and the guest reviewer (you know who you are) for your loyalty and esteem-boosting reviews!

Like many other writers on the site, reviews make me smile!