Ursula walked across the school grounds with a bucket of fish gripped in both hands, her mouth in a straight line and her mind lost in a whirlwind of thought.
Akko had arrived closer to curfew than the young instructor was comfortable with last night. This time, her uniform was a muddy mess and she wore a sheepish smile. Ursula, accompanied by Akko's usual group of friends, had found the girl reentering the school after having ran out of the cafeteria without so much as a "heyhowareyacan'ttalknowgottagobye", with her hands forming a pouch with her skirt, a pile of red and white lumps inside.
It was only after Akko had reached into the makeshift pouch and pulled out a mushroom, offering it to Sucy and exclaimed that she had found a patch of them and had to pick some for her friend that they were offered some sort of excuse for Akko's suspicious activity.
Sucy plucked the mushroom from the girl's hand and inspected. The small audience only watched in bafflement as Sucy nodded and only offered a small "'Kay," as her only response, collecting a bucket and having Akko dump her collection inside.
Ursula was beyond proud of the steps that Akko has been taking to better herself in her studies and casting magic, but she couldn't deny that the girl still was not able to properly prioritize her responsibilities.
On top of it all, her uniform was filthy. Not only would Akko be most assuredly scolded by the other instructors for her appearance and for nearly breaking curfew, but Ursula had the feeling that she would also be accused of not taking the necessary steps it took to shape Akko into a more proper witch.
It was then that Ursula made the executive decision that more hands-on training needed to be held.
Which brings them to where they are now.
Looking behind her, Ursula couldn't help but smile in amusement at the sight of Akko with a bucket of fish of her own in her grasp, her face contorted into a grimace at the stench, looking as if she were about to lose her lunch at any given moment.
"We're almost there, Akko," her mentor comforted. "You won't even notice the smell anymore after the first few weeks."
Akko almost stopped dead in her tracks.
"Few weeks?" She parroted.
"I believe I informed you of this new arrangement yesterday."
Akko most definitely remembered. She just didn't want to fully believe it.
"It's just that the last time I saw Arcas, he looked pretty interested in turning me and Andrew into bear-chow."
Ursula let out a small laugh, her eyes closed as they made their way closer to the entrance of the Fountain of Polaris. "Well, think of this assignment as a way for you two to get better acquainted."
The brunette found herself unable to take solace in her mentor's words.
Before they knew it, they had reached the entrance to the ancient facility. Ursula opened the door, ushering Akko inside so she was the first to enter. When Ursula closed the door, she noticed the nervous girl, more particularly in how she was shaking like a leaf.
Ursula's heart ached with a pang of guilt. She came up behind her student and rested a hand on her shoulder. She illuminated the dimly lit hall so Akko could see the reassuring smile she did her best to display. "You haven't anything to worry about. Arcas has been my companion for nearly as long as I can remember. He only ran after you two because he was startled. He's a kind creature and would never harm anyone."
"If he wouldn't harm anyone, why is he guarding this place?" Akko silently murmured to herself.
Rounding multiple corners, they finally found the large polar bear, curled up and resting in the corner of the large room, his back slowly rising and falling in a steady, peaceful rhythm.
Akko gulped.
To the young girl's gratitude, Ursula was the first to step forward, bucket of fish still in hand and her wand poised in the other.
"Good morning, Arcas." She gently cooed, making her way up to the sleeping giant. Ever so gently, Ursula set the bucket down and placed her hand against his back, rubbing it in a methodical pattern. The bear stirred in his sleep before lifting his head, eyes still weary and his movements still sluggish.
As soon as his eyes fell onto Ursula, he brought his snout closer, taking in her familiar scent.
Uncurling from his slumbering form, Arcas stood and turned to fully face Ursula, nuzzling her side and face with a series of groans and whines. Ursula patted her companion's face and laughed.
Had this bear not have chased Akko and Andrew down these very halls and slightly scarred her for a good while, her heart would've melted at the very sight. But due to her decreasing abilities to hold grudges for a long period of time, her heart melted at the very sight.
Once Ursula managed to break out of Arcas's embrace, she pointed her wand to the bucket she had set down.
"Amirae Voltolub."
Upon command, the bucket glowed a bright green before a single piece of fish levitated out, floating in front of the polar bear. His snout twitching in curiosity, Arcas turned to see the fish floating in front of him. Rather than being startled, the bear simply bit down on the meal and swallowed it whole.
Ursula repeated the process until her bucket was empty. With one last rub underneath his jaw, Ursula turned back to Akko.
Akko nervously shuffled her foot against the stone floor, fearing what her teacher was about to say.
"Now it is your turn."
Yep. Thought as much.
Akko set down the bucket and grabbed her wand, taking in a deep breath to calm her nerves.
"Amir-"
"Come closer."
Damn.
She lifted the bucket with her free hand and made her way over to the polar bear . . . slowly.
Once the brunette thought she had come close enough, she set the foul smelling bucket back down, looking to Ursula for encouragement. She offered a small nod before she looked back at Arcas.
"Look Arcas, it looks like Akko also has some treats for you." She diverted the bear's attention to the young girl, shaking harder than before.
Double damn.
"Breathe, Akko. Keep your mind calm and your intentions clear."
Akko did her best to heed her teacher's advice, but found it difficult when the bus-sized animal appeared to be eyeing her up and down, sniffing her all the while.
She took multiple breaths in vain efforts to calm her racing heart and buzzing mind as the bear drew closer. Though it was challenging, Akko reviewed the steps in her head.
What are my intentions? To feed this thing. I've heard both Professor Ursula and Diana use this same spell before, so the pronunciation shouldn't be an issue . . .
Here goes something.
Steeling herself and concentrating on nothing but the bucket, pretending as if the polar bear wasn't in the room, Akko pointed her wand.
"Amirae Voltolub!"
It felt like an eternity before anything else happened. Akko kept her eyes shut so tightly that she was halfway convinced that Constanze and Croix would have to invent something powerful enough to pry them back open.
But through the blackness of her closed eyes, Akko detected a glowing green aura, the faint smell of fish growing stronger, then the sound of chewing. Akko opened her eyes in time to see Arcas swallow and lick his chops.
She blinked. Then blinked again.
The polar bear looked at her almost expectantly, a soft grunt escaping its nose.
Akko couldn't see it, but Professor Ursula beamed at the connection she could see forming between her student and lifelong pet.
Without thinking twice, Akko swished her wand again.
"Amirae Voltolub."
She pronounced the spell calmly, more confident. As expected, another piece of fish floated out from the bucket and in front of the bear's snout. Just like before, he snatched it out of the air and gulped it down. Beady black eyes looked straight into her own, begging for more.
Akko could feel her heart flutter at the endearing sight.
All previous feelings of dread having been all but forgotten, the brunette gladly emptied the contents of the bucket for the giant within a minute. Arcas prodded his nose in her direction, no doubt asking for more. Akko could only smile sadly in reply.
"Sorry baby," she cooed, taking to the same manner of addressing the gentle beast as one would to a lap dog. "I'm all out. Maybe I can sneak some in here later, huh? Would you like that?" Arcas snorted in reply, sending a small flurry of spit along with the unenticing odor of fish over her.
Akko ignored the smell and accepted the reply as a 'duh'.
"That won't be necessary," Ursula immediately shot down the idea. "Arcas's metabolism has slowed over the years. I now only need to feed him twice a week. I have sent the request to Professor Holbrooke. She is more than willing to allow you to continue feeding Arcas."
The young girl gasped in delight.
"But remember Akko," Ursula continued, her tone more serious as she stepped closer to her, "this exercise is more than just to build bonds. It's a responsibility that I'm entrusting to you. You will feed him every Tuesday morning, and I will on Saturdays. Do you feel you-"
"Uh huh!" Akko answered before the instructor could even finish her question.
With a heavy heart, Akko finally agreed with Ursula that it was time to go. They shut the door behind them and walked out on the school grounds, leaving the polar bear to resume his guarding duties.
The two of them walked together in silence until they reached the halfway point back to the school entrance. "Arcas is a wonderful creature," Ursula started. "As I'm sure you already know, he has been my friend since childhood. We've played countless times together and, in some ways, he was one of the best teachers I've ever had."
Akko tilted her head, visibly confused by her mentor's meaning.
"It's because of Arcas," she continued, "that I came to understand the root of all magic. We as witches use magic for the betterment of ourselves and the people around us. But it doesn't stop there. Our aim is to create a better world through ways that are not viewed as ordinary to others. We use our skills and talents to help achieve peace throughout the entire world; man and animal and plant alike."
The Yggdrasilians quickly flashed through Akko's mind, but she restrained herself from mentioning them.
"My hope for this exercise is to show you the responsibility that we carry on a consistent basis. Responsibility can be scary," Ursula admitted, "but they also allow us to grow in ways we previously would not have thought possible before . . . which is why I have another request for you."
"Eh?"
That afternoon,
The class was silent as they all listened to Professor Finneran's more detailed lesson and analysis of Simon's comet, which was now merely a day away. The students halfway wished for Professor Holbrooke to come barging in and make another comment at how dull her lessons could often times be.
Sadly, they had no such luck.
Once again, it was only Akko and Diana who found themselves the most invested in the lesson, jotting down notes and letting the information soak in. Finneran gestured to a detailed drawing of the comet on the chalkboard, pointing out all comet's characteristics, such as its nucleus, tail of dust, and the cloud of hydrogen that constantly surrounds it.
She also went into further detail of the trajectory of the comet, informing them the precise angle it will be approaching from and for how long it will be visible; all of which Akko transcribed into her notebook so quickly, Lotte and Sucy were almost convinced that they saw smoke rising from the paper.
As soon as Finneran's lecture was complete, she flicked her wand in the direction of an eraser, willing it to float and erase the drawing. As it did so, the strict instructor crossed her arms and addressed her class for a final word before the period's conclusion.
"With the arrival of the comet approaching, we will begin preparations for our viewing party. All of you are expected to attend." The class did its best to bite their tongues as to not let out an audible declaration of indifference. "But we will be in need of a few student volunteers to help set up this event. Responsibilities include going to town and acquiring decorations and snacks, setting up the field in preparation for the viewing, and so on. I will place a signup sheet on the door for those who are interested."
"Please feel free to add me to the list," Diana's hand raised itself in the air. "I will gladly accept any role the faculty sees fit."
"As expected of our top student, thank you Miss Cavendish," Finneran offered her gratitude. "Now, at this time, would anyone else-"
Before she could finish her question, another hand shot up into the air so fast, the students were afraid that it might detach from its owner's body. The owner of the hand, who just so happened to be Akko, raised herself up from her chair as to display her intent to everybody in the room.
"Gimme any job you want! I'm gonna do my best to make sure that everybody gets a fantastic view of that comet if it's the last thing I do!"
Finneran and the class found themselves too stunned to find the proper words to reply to the energetic girl's outburst. The silence filled the room for a longer period of time that any of them would have been comfortable with and was only broken by the shy chuckle of Lotte, who lifted her hand up as well.
"Um, if you do need help, I could do it too. I'm caught up with my homework for the most part."
Knowing she would somehow get dragged into this mess sooner or later, Sucy rolled her eyes before she lethargically raised her hand as well.
"Knowing Akko, she'll probably screw this up badly, no matter how good her intentions are. And I wouldn't miss that for the world," she added that last part under her breath, baring her sharp teeth in amusement.
After a few more moments of stunned silence, Finneran was finally able to find her voice.
"Th-thank you girls. I will have your names written down."
Akko flashed a smile before plopping herself back in her seat, oblivious to the shocked faces of her fellow classmates that surrounded her.
Professor Finneran cleared her throat to recompose herself. "That concludes today's lessons. Remember, extra credit is available to those who can properly identify the anatomical components of Simon's comet after the viewing ceremony."
It wasn't long after she had said the word 'concludes' that all the students decided it was time for them to begin packing their belongings. Finneran raised her voice for her final announcement.
"And be prepared for our next class. We will be reviewing the effects that the full moon has on witch's magic and how to apply it accordingly."
In the midst of the commotion, Finneran was barely able to spot Diana's hand raising itself into the air once more.
"Forgive this one last question, but I was lead to believe that we would be dissecting mandrakes as our next lesson?"
The professor let out an exasperated sigh. "That is correct, Miss Cavendish. However, our mandrake shipment was delayed. They will be arriving later than previously planned."
Diana nodded in understanding. "I see. How most unfortunate."
With that, Diana began collecting her items as well. As the class began to thin out, she noticed Akko and her teammates still conversing amongst themselves, a noticeably excited gleam in the brunette's eye. Diana hadn't been able to pinpoint the exact moment it had happened, but Akko had most definitely been more attentive and involved in her studies. She had a hunch that it was mostly thanks to the extracurricular lessons that had been orchestrated for her by Professor Ursula.
She also noticed how unopposed she felt towards this arrangement. In the past, Diana would have merely tolerated the excitable girl if it meant furthering her education, but this time . . . with Akko as passionate as she was about seeing this comet for the first time in her young life (which still baffled the Cavendish girl), she felt as though actual progress would be made.
And, with Akko's childlike excitement at her side, Diana couldn't attest the fact that she felt the somewhat selfish desire to stay at her side, wanting to feel the same euphoria that she was no doubt feeling.
Maybe working together on this would allow me to view the comet from a perspective that I had lost long ago . . .
Not desiring to waste any more time, Diana packed the last of her items and shuffled between the desks, joining the three girls in their discussion.
Later,
The moment after their final classes wrapped up for the day, Akko, Diana, Sucy and Lotte were called into Professor Holbrooke's office to discuss their duties as volunteers for the viewing ceremony taking place tomorrow evening. The four girls-as well as a small handful of others willing to sacrifice their time-stood in the center of the office with every other instructor beside Holbrooke's desk.
Ursula, in an attempt to avoid showing favoritism, did her best to keep her face from beaming too much at the sight of how focused and willing to work Akko was.
Holbrooke calmly relayed their instructions, assigning them into four groups of two as she did so. Diana and Akko were to cover snacks and beverages while Lotte and Sucy found themselves in charge of the decorations.
After reviewing their tasks and handing them spending money, they were sent on their way while the teachers stayed behind as to cover the more intricate details of the ceremony.
Akko, Sucy, Lotte and Diana made their way into town and were quick to disperse, agreeing to meet up again within an hour, deciding that that would leave plenty of time to head back to the school grounds and help set up the field for the actual viewing of the comet.
Sucy, with a paper bag in each hand, trudged alongside Lotte, who was muttering quietly to herself as she flipped through pages of her notebook, trying to see if they had forgotten any items on their list.
The pink haired witch couldn't help but let out a weak sigh.
"This was way more boring than I had thought . . . Akko should've found some way to mess this up by now."
Lotte closed her notebook.
"That just goes to show you how seriously she's taking this. She hasn't been this invested in something since last year when she was reviving the words. I'm still pretty jealous that Akko gets to see the comet for the first time."
"I don't get what we're buying this stuff for either. The school is putting in a lot of time and effort into viewing something that's only going to be visible for just under a minute." She sniffed. "Seems like a waste of money."
"Don't look at it that way," Lotte lightly chastised. "This is a big moment for Akko. Instead, try seeing it as if we're doing our part to make it more magical!"
This did little to impress the mushroom obsessed teen.
As they made their way back to the rendezvous point-which was a park bench that overlooked the commercial district of the neighboring town-Sucy noticed that neither Akko nor Diana were to be found yet.
"Strange," thought Lotte. "I thought for sure that they would have beaten us."
As if on cue, the clicking sound of shoes against the sidewalk diverted their attention to Diana, who held three neatly wrapped boxes of pastries, cupcakes, and other finely baked goods stacked in her arms. Once she was close enough, Diana set the boxes down carefully on the bench, bowing her head politely to the two girls.
"I hope I did not keep you waiting."
Lotte waved her arms, her eyes shut bashfully. "No, we just got here. No need to worry."
"You're short one person, though," Sucy was quick to observe.
Diana nodded. "Yes. Shortly after our departure, Akko claimed she had other food items in mind. She and I went separate ways as well. Although, I had assumed she would have made her way back here by now . . ."
"Akko all alone in a small town? That can only end in disaster," Sucy snickered.
Before either of the girls could make a defense in Akko's name, they were interrupted by a series of mumbles and curses, accompanied by the crinkling of multiple plastic bags.
Turning their heads, the small group found their culprit in the form of Akko, looking as if she were trying to be a big girl for her parents and carry in the groceries all in one go. Hanging from her shoulders, both forearms, gripped tightly in both fists, and even one dangling precariously from her teeth, Akko had a surplus of bags that were filled to the brim with an assortment of fruits.
The three other students were too flabbergasted from the sight that none of them had made an effort to assist the struggling brunette.
Her muscles aching and her jaw growing tired, Akko only barely made it to the bench, setting her contents down on it with a breath of relief, holding the edges up as to not let the contents spill out onto the streets.
Sucy was the first to break the stunned silence.
"Leave it to Akko to turn into a living breathing math problem."
Showing no sign that Akko had heard the comment, the girl was instead more focused on resting her sore muscles and catching her breath, her hands propped on her knees to steady herself.
"Don't hunch your body over in that manner. Your posture is preventing you from taking in the necessary amount of air for each breath," Diana advised.
Akko merely continued to pant.
After she had refilled her lungs, she stood up, arms stretched up in the air as if she had just woken up from a nap.
"So, um," Lotte started, unsure of how to phrase her inquiry. "What is it you're planning to do with all of this fruit, Akko?"
The moment her stretching was complete, Akko grinned at her friend, acting as if she hadn't just performed a strenuous exercise. "I got this great idea!" To showcase her plan, she opened one of the bags, displaying the assortment of apples, pears, grapes and oranges that were crammed inside. "I'm going to ask the cooks if it would be ok to borrow the fancy pudding cups for it, but picture this!"
Her hands were held out in front of her, her thumbs and forefingers forming a rectangle as if she were a director visualizing how she were about to shoot the next scene.
"The comet comes once every three years, right? So in each cup will be three slices of apples, three pear chunks, three orange wedges, and three tiny grape vines, all of them forming a circle to look like the comet!"
"But why fruit?" Sucy nasally prodded.
"To represent the fruitful knowledge that the comet provided us, of course!"
The moment after she concluded her explanation, her face fell into a look of utter mortification. "Shoot! I forgot to buy peanut butter for the dip! You guys think the cooks will mind if we used the peanut butter for this? Nah, they wouldn't care. It's there to be used after all!"
Once again, the small group was stunned to silence.
They all knew how important this was for Akko, but they had no idea it ran as deeply as it did.
"Seems like a lot of work . . ." Sucy grimaced at the extra effort that the excited brunette was no doubt going to force her to contribute.
"Which will only make tomorrow evening all the more memorable," Diana remarked. "I will assist you in creating the fruit cups tonight."
She couldn't hold back anymore. Akko could only barely contain her muffled squeal of delight as she threw her arms around a shocked Diana's torso, hugging her as tightly as she could. "I knew you were as excited for this as I am!"
"C-careful, Akko!"
Diana's flailing arms nudged a bag, shifting the contents inside and spilling a few pieces of fruit out. Before they could hit the ground, Lotte took out her wand and caught them with. With her steady hand, she magically placed the fallen fruits back into their bag.
She wiped her brow and let out a breath of relief.
It wasn't long after that that Akko (totally oblivious to the incident she had caused) released Diana's midsection and gave an affirming nod to no one in particular.
"Ok, troops! We've got what we came for. It's now Luna Nova or bust!"
In her fit of energy, Akko hastily yanked the bags from their resting spot on the bench, sending a small torrent of fruit to the ground. The brunette, somehow oblivious to this fact, simply hummed happily to herself and resumed walking.
That evening,
Akko was starting to get used to the earthy smell that the tunnels provided as she strolled her way down to ground zero, two bag-fulls of fruit clutched in her fists.
With a small spring in her step, she hummed a familiar tune as she rounded the last corner, leading her to the community of Yggdrasilians. Said creatures were currently mingling about, going about their own daily list of chores when they each sensed Akko's presence.
She offered them a toothy grin as she entered the anteroom and set down her groceries.
"I'm back!" She declared, causing the select few of Yiggins who didn't notice her to jump in surprise.
Tilly was the first to greet her, coming up to her feet and bowing his leafy head in acknowledgement before going up onto his tiptoes and peeking inside of one of the bags that Akko had brought with her like a toddler trying to peek over a countertop that was too tall for it.
It took all of Akko's willpower to not coo in adoration at the sight.
Tilly's beady eyes glanced up at Akko in curiosity. Before he could question her, she beat him to the punch.
"It's for the other day with the animals," she rubbed her elbow bashfully. "I feel sorta responsible for it. Hopefully this'll cover whatever they took!"
Without waiting for any permission, Akko lifted the bags and made her way to the silo. When she noticed all eyes were now on her, she waved them off politely. "No need to help! I remember how this worked! Just do what you were doing before I got here," she instructed as she set down the bags next to the sloppily repaired silo, taking her wand out of its sheath.
Flicking her wrist, the domed top levitated off with relative ease, floating in the air seemingly by its own accord. Nodding in satisfaction, the eager-to-help brunette hugged the first bag in both arms, hoisted it above her head and poured its contents into the top.
The audience of Yiggins blinked in curiosity as Akko lifted the second bag over her head and emptied it inside the silo as well. They could hear the dull thumps and thuds of the donated fruit clash against each other inside. But if they were concerned with the wellbeing of the fruit, they didn't show it.
After the final orange fell, Akko let out a strained breath and lowered herself from her tiptoes, balling the bags together and shoved them in her pocket (dropping plastic on the ground in front of a race of creatures who are the literal embodiment of a tree seemed pretty rude in her mind).
Before she could ask what else there was that needed to be done, a flicker of movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention.
She jumped in shock when she realized that it was the dome to the silo still hovering in midair, waiting patiently to be put back in its place.
Fumbling with her wand as she took it out of its resting place, Akko hastily pointed the wand at the dome and willed it to float back to the top of the silo, resting – albeit even more lopsided than before – atop its perch, keeping the Yggdrasilian's food supply safe from any furry thieves.
Akko let out a breath and sheathed her wand in satisfaction, rubbing her hands together before crossing her arms. "That should be more than enough for this season. Don't be afraid to let me know if those animals try to break back in here," she instructed, waving her finger and speaking in a reassuring tone as if she were consoling a child who was being bullied in school.
After a brief moment of silence, Tilly finally spoke up.
"We greatly appreciate your act, Miss Akko. I hope that it wasn't too out of your own way."
"Not at all!" Akko dismissed. "You know the comet that's coming up? We're holding a viewing ceremony for it and me and my friends were in charge of snacks. I managed to sneak these away without anybody noticing," she proudly cleared up, winking all the while. "I won't tell if you won't tell."
Tilly smiled. "Your secret is safe with us. And speaking of the comet . . ." the lead Yiggin trailed off. Akko waited with baited breath for him to finish his sentence. "Well, I'd hate to take advantage of your acts of kindness-"
"Well don't," she said simply. "That's why I'm here, remember?"
Tilly nodded. "And you will be repaid in due time. We promise. But, we are in need of another favor."
Later,
Beads of sweat formed on her brow as her heart beat rapidly in her chest from her strained efforts. Her slick palms made it difficult to grip the boulder as she rolled it through the ex-route system.
Grunting through her teeth, Akko mentally chastised herself for her recent pushover attitude.
I know that I said I'm here to help . . . but a hand would be appreciated here!
With more grunts and sweat now trailing down the side of her face, Akko finally emerged from the tunnel with the requested object: a large emerald-colored boulder that was about the size of a lay-z-boy.
After she emerged from the tunnel with the requested cargo, two lines of Yiggins were formed, creating a lane for Akko to travel through, leading to a clear patch of dirt which Akko was guessing was the spot they needed it moved to.
Taking a moment to catch her breath, Akko pushed the boulder with labored breaths down the aisle. With one final push, the boulder rolled itself into place as if an invisible force had beckoned it forwards. Taken by surprise by the sudden motion, Akko windmilled her arms and caught her balance. She then watched with wide eyes as the large stone fastened itself into the dirt like a dog going in circles before going to bed, a furrow of soil being formed around the circumference of it.
A moment later, the boulder began to slowly pulsate a green glow akin to the aura that the wands at Luna Nova emit when being used.
Tilly walked up beside it and nodded in approval.
"Much appreciated, Miss Akko."
She wiped the sweat off her brow in response.
"S . . . so," she panted, "You never . . . did . . . say what this thing is for . . ."
"Think of this stone as a battery, Miss Akko," Tilly advised. "As stated before, we only have a limited amount of magic to use until our physical bodies can no longer support us. Every three years with the comet's arrival, the magic emanating from it recharges it, refreshing our abilities."
The brunette nodded in understanding before her brow furrowed in confusion.
She eyed the large battery almost skeptically.
"Soooo, if this is supposed to help with your magic, then why do you move it?"
"This spot is, as we've noticed, the most detrimental. It is able to collect the most amount of-"
"No, no, no, no," Akko interrupted. "I mean why do you guys put it away all the time if you just need to take it back out again?"
Tilly looked taken aback, looking from the girl to the stone, then back and forth once more.
"It takes up so much space. Storing it away is the most effective way of fully utilizing our underground home."
Akko harrumphed under her breath.
What a surprisingly lazy reason . . .
"But all the same," Tilly digressed, "your efforts will make this year's comet one for the ages."
"How so?" Akko's head tilted in curiosity.
"In the days after Yggdrasil faded away and our species was born, witches have found new ways to draw their magic. But, from what we've observed, it isn't nearly as plentiful nor as powerful as it once was. Some witches have even attained peace with that knowledge. But come tomorrow," Tilly touched the stone, "our magic will be recharged. And you will be repaid, Miss Akko, in ways you can't even begin to imagine."
The brunette's eyes widened.
"With our guidance and your willingness to help everyone in need, we will create a better world for magic, like how it once was all those years ago. And you will be the first to master everything there is to know. Your name will be recognized all around the world . . ." the Yiggin smirked knowingly. "Just like Shiny Chariot."
Words weren't enough to describe how close Akko's heart came to exploding from pure joy and anticipation. Her mind, meanwhile, began conjuring up fantasies of her wowing and astounding audiences young and old with magic that had long since been extinct.
That comet couldn't come soon enough.
It wasn't long after that when Tilly had dismissed Akko, wanting her to rest up and be as ready as possible for the comet's arrival. The Yiggin even gave Akko tomorrow evening off so the aspiring witch could fully enjoy the show.
After a walk through the forest and meeting up with her friends for dinner, Akko finally broke free and made her way back to her dorm room, changed into her pajamas and literally jumped into her bunk headfirst.
Saying a quick, thankful prayer, Akko finally closed her eyes, but found it too difficult to fall asleep with her mind so excited for the comet tomorrow.