Ten agonizing minutes passed by since Akko sailed inside the behemoth tree. Constanze herself was surprised that she wasn't as concerned over the loss of her ship (again), but more found herself occupied with the thought of whether or not her friend was alright.
She only took comfort in the fact that she wasn't the only one who was worried.
She, Amanda, Jasminka, Hannah, Barbara, Lotte and Sucy found themselves unable to move from their spots at the edge of the forest, their eyes all but glued to the spot where Akko entered. They hardly even noticed the crowd of students that had gathered around them, each of them having seen the ship fly over their heads, compelling them to head back to the school grounds and see the new development for themselves.
That was all ten minutes ago. But to every one of them, it felt like a lifetime.
Every remaining student and faculty member were now waiting on the lawn, anxious to see the fate of their school.
After another gut-wrenching wait, they got their wish . . . Although they all wished that they had also been wearing sunglasses to view it.
What none of them were prepared for was the blinding orange bolt of light shoot from the top of the tree and into the sky. The girls rubbed the black blots out of their eyes fast enough for them to see a foreboding black cloud form directly over the tree.
Taking a few cautionary steps backwards, the crowd of worrying women, young and old, prepared themselves for what they assumed was the worst case scenario.
As soon as the cloud grew into a miniature cumulonimbus, orange flashes of light were seen coming from inside, each of them accompanied with a rumble of thunder. Once the flashes reached its apex, which was on par with a child obnoxiously turning a light switch on and off repeatedly, the energy being built up was released in the form of another lightning bolt, this one striking the tree.
A flurry of charred woodchips and leaves flew in every direction from the point of impact. A moment later, the orange light traveled down the tree into the ground and lit up the lawn, revealing the complex system of roots beneath their feet.
Almost as quickly as it came, the light died down until the moonlight was all that was left lighting up the night, the black cloud atop the tree having dissipated completely.
And just like that, what started out as a somewhat peaceful night returned to its somewhat peaceful state.
The sound of twigs and sticks and branches cracking and snapping together had ceased entirely, giving them the indication that the growth of the tree had come to a stop. As relieved as all of them were to have come to that conclusion, none of them were sure what to do with the fact that there was still a large tree standing in the same spot where their school was.
Thankfully, that issue seemingly remedied itself.
It took about half a minute in order for anything significant to be noticed, but sure enough, they were able to see little flakes floating away from the tree. The deterioration began at the scorch mark left by the lightning strike; the bark surrounding it grew a sickly shade of black and began to spread all around the trunk and traveled along the branches.
Before any of them knew it, the previously healthy tree had looked as if a thousand years' worth of aging had caught up to it. Once it looked like it could no longer support itself, its many appendages began to flake away and blow off like ashes in the wind.
The process continued until the entire sky was littered with the dead tree flakes. The more and more that filled the air, the less and less of the tree that remained: a feeling that should've reignited hope inside everyone's hearts, but instead it only revealed another issue.
Over half of the tree has vanished, allowing everyone to see the wreckage that was waiting inside of it.
From what they could tell from where they were standing, the entire roof had all but collapsed in on itself, taking a good few sections of the surrounding walls with it. The east and north wings had taken the brunt of the damage, leaving next to nothing left of what was standing there before. The entire perimeter was littered with wood, glass and brick, making it appear as if a significant battle had taken place.
It very well could have been the case as far as they were concerned. The heartbroken students were unsure of what to do as they gazed upon the sad sight before them.
The only thing that was able to distract them from the wreckage was a series of movements at the base of the disintegrating tree. None of them were sure when they were placed there, but somewhere during the process, a cluster of large, egg shaped pods were placed at the bottom, each of them amber colored and transparent; at least transparent enough for them to see human shaped silhouettes residing inside of them.
Amanda nearly jumped back in alarm when Hannah and Barbara broke free from the crowd of students and made a mad dash towards one of the pods. Jasminka and Constanze were quick to follow and Lotte and Sucy weren't far behind them. Before she knew it, Amanda was also sprinting across the lawn, followed by a still unsure crowd of onlookers.
Before they even reached one of the pods, the base of the tree had blown away, revealing every last bit of destruction that was waiting inside of it. But none of them chose to focus on that at the moment.
Rather, they halted in front of the amber containers.
Hannah and Barbara gasped and clutched each other tightly out of fear once their eyes fell on their leader. Lotte let out an audible shriek of alarm as well once she recognized the form of Professor Ursula inside one of them as well.
Soon, all of the remaining students crowded around, more than a few of them letting out cries of alarm as their eyes found someone they knew who was trapped inside them.
No one was certain on how long they had stood there gawking at the pods, but they were all broken from their trances when an impatient voice penetrated from the crowd.
"Step aside! Step aside!"
Professor Lukic, who had successfully managed to avoid the grasps of the magical branches and escort a large number of students to safety, emerged from the crowd, a fish bowl containing a frightened Professor Pisces in her grasp (at least they assumed she was frightened. A fish's emotions are hard to read based on facial features alone).
The crotchety instructor held the fish bowl aside, prompting one of the students beside her to gingerly take it in her grasp. Once her hands were free, Professor Lukic unsheathed her wand and waved it in a horizontal stroke. "Camembrium!"
The incantation was greeted with a blue spark that emitted from the tip of her wand. A moment later, a wave of blue magic flew forward and crept its way into each individual pod like a sponge absorbing water.
A few seconds ticked by before any of the students saw any difference. But sure enough, the pods before them began to thaw out. Starting at the very top, the amber colored wax dripped down and pooled in the grass. Steam rose up from them as they dissolved, releasing a hissing noise. Finally, the amber had all melted, the limp figures inside falling to their knees and onto their sides.
The first of them to move was Arcas, whose pod was understandably much larger than the others'. After a few seconds more of unconsciousness, the giant polar bear stirred in his sleep and slowly lumbered to his feet, his eyelids blinking droopily. A few of the students closest to the front let out quiet shrieks of discomfort at being in such close proximity to him, as barely any of them had shared any contact with Arcas in the first place.
They were especially startled when, after he was done licking off remaining slime from his snout and fur, he nearly dashed over to Professor Ursula's side.
Sniffing her face and satisfied to detect signs of life, he lapped his tongue against the side of her cheek, licking her face like a dog who was excited to see his master home.
Lukic observed with a smile as the method provided a positive result. Ursula let out a grunt before her own body stirred awake.
Slowly opening her eyes, she was face to face with Arcas' leathery, wet snout.
Of course, she had no choice but to smile in gratitude and cup his face in her hands.
"Hello, old friend. I didn't know I ordered a wakeup call . . . especially this late in the evening."
Lotte clasped her hands together and suppressed a squeal of euphoria at the sight. Sucy merely smiled and snorted in faux disinterest.
Unable to control herself any longer, Lotte ran forward, plopped down to her knees in the soaking wet grass and wrapped her arms around her teacher's waist, hugging her close. Ursula had no qualms of returning the gesture.
The two of them jumped in surprise as two voices shouted out in complete unison. "Diana!"
To the side, Lotte and Ursula barely had time to see Diana, who had only just pushed herself up to her knees, get tackled into an embrace by her privacy-challenged teammates. Shocked at first, and rather uncomfortable lying in the orange muck, the young prodigy found herself wrapping her arms around the two girls and smiling in spite of herself.
It didn't take long after that for the whole scene to dissolve into one big reunion.
Lukic stepped forward and assisted Professor Holbrooke to her feet, the latter offering her sincerest gratitude.
Professors Nelson and Finneran held onto each other for stability as they stepped out of the goop, both of them checking to make sure the other was alright. They were both delighted when two students stepped forward and offered them their broomsticks back.
Then it all fell into students and teachers hugging and thanking goodness that the other was alright. Ursula smiled when more of her students approached and helped her to her feet.
Before she knew it, she herself was swarmed by her students.
"I'm so happy you're alive!" Jasminka called out.
Ursula expected nothing less than a smile and a thumbs up from Constanze.
Lotte only just let go of her waist as she rose to her feet, wiping away a tear.
"Glad to see you lived, teach!" Amanda curtly announced her relief. "Without you here, I don't know if we'd ever be able to keep Akko outa trouble."
The mere mention of her name shattered their reunion like a stained glass window.
One by one, their eyes all went wide in realization, including Amanda's herself who had just realized what it was she had said a few moments after the words left her mouth. Diana too had asked herself where the brunette had gone too, breaking away from her teammates' embrace and joining the incomplete group.
Ursula and Diana both exchanged glances, and based off of the look in each other's eyes, they were both thinking the same thing. While they were in their respective unresponsive states, they caught brief moments of the events transpiring within Yggdrasil.
They both remembered Akko exchanging with a face etched into the bark, but after a few brief moments of said exchange, she had vanished.
The next thing they knew, they were on the ground, smothered in orange goop and surrounded by their friends.
But Akko was still missing.
Lotte released her grip on the young instructor and turned toward the wreckage, an action that was quickly followed suit by the others.
Over the bustling activity, Ursula could hear Finneran's strict voice call out something about taking a head count as to ensure that everyone is safe.
Ursula and the others knew that, at least at the moment, that count was not going to be complete.
Ignoring the instructions to group together as to begin the count, Amanda stepped forward and began to climb the small mountain of broken brick and wood before Ursula could so much as tell her not too.
Though deep down, she knew that she wouldn't have listened.
"Well, what're you waiting for?" She called back, still carefully traversing the hazardous terrain. "Akko's gotta be in here somewhere!"
Needing no other forms of encouragement, Lotte and Sucy were the next to follow. Shortly after, Constanze and Jasminka began climbing next, leaving Diana and Ursula to exchange another look with each other before they both started the climb as well.
Like clueless spelunkers, the young women spanned out and searched over every nook and cranny they came across. The farther up they got and the more they explored, the more their hearts sank at the site of it all.
But they all understood that now was not the time for any of those thoughts. What needed to be done was ensuring Akko's safety.
And it thankfully didn't take too long for them to find her.
Amanda scaled one of the piles of rubble and peeked over the top. What was on the other side was a downward slope that lead to a crater that was more than likely the school's library if she was positioning it correctly in her mind's eye. Once she got a good look over the top, she did a double take as to make sure that her eyes weren't fooling her.
It didn't appear they were, for there was Akko herself who, save for some barely visible cuts and bruises, looked to be unharmed. She stood with her back to the jock, her eyes locked on something in front of her.
Amanda was about to call out to her friend, but decided against it once she saw what it was the brunette was looking down at.
Rather than distract the girl, Amanda instead silently waved down the rest of the search party, directing them to her location.
The young women did as they were bid and huddled with Amanda, peeking over the edge to find Akko. Lotte's face lit up almost as bright as one of her faeries, but then fell into confusion once she saw the small, sprite-like creature a few feet in front of her.
Ursula's face was virtually unreadable. Her heart felt nothing but relief at finding her student safe and sound, but that relief was conflicted with the sight of the Yggdrasillian who stood in front of her, his back turned to the brunette and down on his knees.
The red haired instructor threw all caution to the wind and began descending down the slope, much to the worry of the girls behind her.
If Akko or the Yiggin had any idea that Ursula and the others were now present, neither of them showed any signs of acknowledging it. Their backs remained turned to them, none of them appearing to be saying a single word to the other.
Ursula reached the bottom and walked a few steps forward . . . then stopped once her eyes befell on the Yiggin in full.
Tilly, still on his knees, had his stubby arms held out. Resting on top of his arms were the three seeds that destroyed the school in a matter of minutes.
Then, like the tree itself not too long ago, the seeds began to flake away, slowly disintegrating and blowing away until there was nothing left in his grasp.
He closed his eyes sadly and let his arms fall limp to his sides.
"I don't get it . . . I simply don't get it," he almost whimpered. "That's twice now that witches have thrown away the chance to revive magic. To bring it back to how it used to be." His voice never once raised itself above a barely audible breath, allowing Akko to fully grasp his dejection.
The plant creature continued.
"I thought that it was what you would've wanted. What she would've wanted as well. But . . . What am I missing here?"
Akko couldn't find it in herself to interrupt the rant. She felt like this was one of those scenarios where it just had to be let out naturally.
She allowed him to continue.
"You would've been given everything. Praise, fame, glory, the iconic status of the Nine Olde Witches themselves for having been responsible for bringing Yggdrasil back! To be the new Shiny Chariot! Isn't that what you wanted?"
Akko remained silent.
"It doesn't matter now anyways." The Yiggin sadly lamented, the leaves atop his head rustling against each other as he bowed his head low. "Without the seeds . . . Magic is destined to wither away with them."
Ursula more than remembered the tribulations that the Yggdrasillians had put her through when she had first encountered them, but she had to admit, seeing one of the last remnants of Yggdrasil itself so downtrodden clenched her heart with grief.
The tense air surrounding them grew silent, leading Akko to the conclusion that Tilly had gotten it all out of his system. She soaked in the words he poured out of his soul and digested them the best she could, the meaning behind it all striking Akko over the head harder than the time Lotte struck her with the spell to allow her access into Sucy's mindscape.
Her eyes widened in response.
"Wow," she all but breathed. "You don't get the point of magic at all."
Of all the responses that Tilly had mentally prepared himself for, of any of the comebacks that he was sure Akko was going to throw his way . . . that was one he was not prepared for in the slightest.
Turning himself around, Tilly looked up at Akko.
"What?" He asked, officially flabbergasted.
Tilly looked Akko in the eye, and was surprised to see that there was no sign of judgement inside of them. No sign of any malice or resentment to be found.
They looked sad.
And that was the truth. She was sad. Sad that this being, with such close ties to the original source of magic, had no clue what it was all about.
"You think that magic has to come from someplace. That it has to be from some never-ending well or something like that. But that's what's so beautiful about it. It comes from everywhere and nowhere at the same time."
Akko lowered herself to her knees so she was a closer distance away from the Yiggin, who took a step back in surprise of her slowly forming smile.
"Magic isn't supposed to come from some sort of faucet that we can turn on and off whenever we want it to, and it isn't meant to be cooped up in one place for so much time either! Believe me, I tried staying in bed for an extra three hours the other day and I got the biiiiiggggeest Charley Horse! Lotte and Sucy almost pulled my leg off trying to undo it!" She announced, sounding a little too proud of that story.
"Magic comes from the hearts of people who believe in each other. It can even come from people who don't use magic like we do. That's what's so cool about it! As long as people believe, then it won't run out!"
"But how can people believe in magic if they can't even see it?" Tilly questioned. "Without Yggdrasil there, how can anybody possibly believe in it?"
Akko blinked, then looked at the ground with a sad smile on her face. "You see, that's the thing."
She then tilted her head up and looked at the night sky, her eyes as wide as they can go as to not let a single piece of the image above her go unnoticed. Both Tilly and Ursula took note that it appeared as if that Akko's eyes were trained on something that was only visible in Akko's mind.
"Just because you can't see something doesn't mean it's not there. It just means you can celebrate it in a different way." She looked back down at the Yiggin, who still looked confused. "Yggdrasil may not be where it used to be, but as long as people believe in each other, it'll never be gone. That's where magic really comes from."
Tilly blinked.
"People helping each other," Akko continued. "People branching out and helping people when they're sad, or hurt, or if life isn't going their way. Then after they're helped, they help another person. Then they help someone else. And then they help someone else. The branches keep on growing into something that not even we witches are fully able to understand."
As Akko spoke, she hardly even realized the other Yggdrasillians pop out from their buried positions underneath the rubble of the school. Hearing Akko's and Tilly's conversation drew them to their spot, much to the surprise of the on looking group of girls, who were still perched atop the pile of bricks.
"But what if the people stop believing?" Tilly asked. "What happens if people forget about magic?"
"Then we'll remind them," Akko instantly countered. "And we'll remind them again, and again, and again, no matter how many times it takes us." She lifted herself to her feet and planted them firmly on the shattered tile floor beneath her, her sad eyes now filled to the brim with determination and her arm stretched above her head, finger pointing to the sky. "Because that is the duty of every single witch here at Luna Nova! To preserve the memory of magic and pass it on to the next generation who are just as anxious to use it as we are!"
Tilly was all but stunned at this point. He found himself completely unable to form any sort of retort to the girl before him.
He'd love to admonish her for her naivety, to tell her that her mind was so far up in the clouds that she would run out of air soon. But he was so immobilized by the look in her eyes that he couldn't help but imagine a world where magic can continue living solely based on the hope that the kindness of others never fades away.
And with this determined girl standing in front of him, he got the slightest feeling that it just may be possible if there are more people in the world like her.
The spark never leaving her eye, Akko spun on her heel and smiled at Professor Ursula, taking the young instructor off guard.
"Professor Ursula," Akko beamed, "I can't wait for my lessons tomorrow!"
Ursula tilted her head in confusion.
"B-but Akko, the school is in no shape to-"
"I didn't say I was ready for class! I said I'm ready for my lessons!" She cleared up, but Ursula still wasn't following; a fact made visible by the raised eyebrow.
"Even though we won't be in our usual classrooms, that doesn't mean we stop learning. I understand that now, Professor. Even if you're a teacher and have been for a really long time, you never really stop learning, do you?"
Ursula, who had no idea her jaw had been slack in shock, melted into a smile that never failed to liven Akko's day.
"That's right, Akko. Not a single day goes by where I don't learn something new. That's why teaching is so rewarding."
Akko nodded in understanding before turning back to the group of Yiggins. "You don't have anything to worry about, guys," she said in her best comforting voice. "With a teacher like her, magic isn't in any danger of going away."
The brunette looked down at her shoulder to see Ursula's hand placed on it, her face full of pride as she looked down at Akko.
"And with a student so full of potential and kindness, the chances of magic fading away are next to none." She looked to the Yggdrasillians, her smile not wavering in the slightest. "We have no intention of letting it slip away."
The moment the final words left her idol's lips, Akko's eyes traveled beyond the wreckage and landed on the lawn in front of her, where she found the archway welcoming students to the campus in complete disrepair, its bricks in scattered piles and the metal twisted and mangled seemingly beyond repair.
Akko's heart ignited with motivation at the sight.
"Speaking of intentions . . ."
Ursula let go of the girl's shoulder and watched as Akko walked away from her. The Yggdrasillians parted ways to clear a path for her as she continued on her path. Atop the brick pile, the remaining girls exchanged confused glances before deciding to hop over the other side and carefully make their way to the ground, taking place at Ursula's sides.
Akko stepped over the remaining debris and onto the lawn, her gaze never once shifting away from the wreckage in front of her as she drew closer and closer to it. Finally, she found herself at the base of the pile.
Turning around, Akko smiled when she saw that Ursula, her friends, and all of the Yiggins had followed her out onto the lawn. She spun around again and unsheathed her wand, taking aim at the bricks.
"Altus Craesha!"
Only when Akko had revived all Seven Words, or when repeating the spells she learned on her own from watching Shiny Chariot perform had she spoken a spell so clearly and confidently as she had at that very moment. Barely even a moment after the incantation, the bricks began to stir with movement. Within the next few moments, the bricks began to rise and swirl around each other, clanking and scraping against each other as the broken pieces found their homes.
The warped and twisted metal of the arch creaked and bent back into its original form, full of elegant swirls and the works.
Akko's audience watched in awe as the two brick pillars built themselves together again on opposite sides of each other with very few, if any at all, blemishes to be found.
Placing her tongue back in her mouth, Akko flicked her wand once more to set the metal arch atop the completed mortars. The last of the twisted, mangled metal repositioned themselves aloft on their hinges, forming the gate.
Nodding in approval of her handiwork, Akko turned around and was met with the stunned faces of her friends, their eyes wide and mouths once again agape.
Taking pride in her audience's reaction, Akko said nothing else as she approached Tilly and knelt before him once more; any traces of sadness or pity all but gone. In its place was what could only be perceived as excitement.
In a rare moment of total self-control, Akko let her excitement dissolve into a long, calming breath.
"I know you only want what's best for magic. And I also know that you could have taught me incredible things. But," she looked up at her friends, "with these guys behind me, I already have everything I need."
Tilly looked to Akko, then to the group of humans behind him, then back to Akko before he let out a breath of his own.
"I completely understand, Mi- . . . er, Akko. But . . ." He trailed off.
Akko's head tilted in concern.
"What is it?"
Knowing he had no choice but to finally lay it out before the girl, the Yiggin blinked and steadied himself.
"I must admit I'm rather envious of you. All of you," he quickly added, gesturing to the young women surrounding them.
"Your magical community will do nothing but flourish and grow. But . . . we're all that's left of the Yggdrasillians . . . I'd love nothing more than to be with more of my kind again. And without the seeds . . ." He trailed off again, but Akko didn't need to hear the rest of what he had to say in order to fully understand what it was he meant.
Her heart twisted in guilt when she realized that she never considered how lonely it must be to be the last of your kind. She racked her brain, hoping to find something to say that would ease the creature.
Luckily, she didn't have to.
"Well," Ursula's voice came up from behind, drawing everyone's eyes over to her. "It may not be exactly what you want, but I might have a solution."
The Next Day,
The following morning was so calm and peaceful that it almost felt as if the events of the previous night hadn't happened at all. The sun filled the sky with its rays and wind gently cascaded over the treetops. Amanda was almost positive that freaking tweety birds were going to swoop down and start singing while perched on their fingertips.
She shook the mushy thought from her brain and allowed herself to return to the odd scene before her.
The jock, along with her teammates, Diana, Akko, Lotte, Sucy and Professor Ursula rode into town on their brooms, the small twig creatures whose identities were still a blaring mystery to her and the others hitching along as well.
Ursula instructed them to meet up early and make it as quick as possible as to avoid any suspicious gazes from the senior staff.
Soon, they all found themselves at the base of the Leyline Terminal.
Tilly and the other Yiggins all had their gazes fixed upwards, past the tower in severe disrepair and into the sky. His mouth was set in a firm line and he was pretty sure he hasn't blinked in five straight minutes. He didn't even have to look around to know that his fellow Yggdrasillians were doing the exact same at the moment.
Finally letting out a breath, Tilly turned around and looked up at Akko and Ursula, who were both smiling kindly down at the creatures; Ursula's hands folded in front of her with Akko's clasped behind her back.
"I still can't believe we let you talk us into this," Tilly all but laughed. "All those centuries of planning . . . hating the witches . . . all just to end up here. You have to realize the irony in it all."
"There is no shame in this," Ursula comforted. "Soon, you will all have exactly what it is you wanted."
"And what about you?" Tilly looked to Akko. "How are you – any of you for that matter – going to explain what happened to the school?"
Amanda let out a dismissive raspberry accompanied by a wave of her hand.
"Weird stuff like this happens all the time. Won't be too hard to sweep under the rug."
"Besides, if the other teachers find out this this was Akko's fault, it's not like they'd be all that surprised," Sucy drawled.
"You shush!" Akko yelled behind her back. "It totally wasn't all my fault!"
" . . . It Kind of was though . . ." A Yiggin hidden in the crowd added.
"You shush too!"
"I believe," Ursula cut in, placing her arm around Akko's shoulders in an attempt to appease the girl, "that the events that transpired last night can be our little secret."
Akko nodded gratefully up at her mentor. The young girls behind them had no qualms with that plan either.
Over the treetops, the sun officially broke through, its light reaching their eyes.
"I think it might be time," Diana spoke up. "Best we get this over with as discreetly as we still can."
Tilly nodded in agreement.
"Well li'l tree dudes," Amanda walked forward, her hands folded behind her back in her typical laid back fashion. "I'd say it's been real, but you kind of destroyed my bed. That's not cool."
Ursula and Diana simultaneously sent the jock an icy glare her way. Tilly, on the other hand, showed no signs of being offended. He merely laughed lightheartedly and graciously accepted the comment as her own form of farewell.
"As blunt as ever," Tilly observed. "I look forward to offering you our magic, Amanda."
Amanda blinked in surprise. In the less than twenty-four hour time span that she had known these things, she was fairly positive names had not been exchanged. "H-How'd you-" She attempted to speak, but found words to fail her.
"Miss Akko has told us about all of you on separate occasions. It wasn't hard to deduce who you were. And I must say," he scanned the girls in front of him, "she most certainly has good taste in friends." He turned once more to face Akko, whose eyes were glimmering with the utmost of pride. "Keep them close," he instructed, while wordlessly adding how he believes that they're far better influences on the girl than he ever could have been.
He was never more positive than he was at this very moment that he never needed to worry about magic fading away.
The only thing Akko could do in return was nod. "Of course!"
"Tilly," Ursula diverted his attention to the instructor, who tapped the top of her wrist with the tip of her wand.
The Yiggin quickly got the hint.
"Yes, of course," he backed away and faced his fellow Yiggins, who all looked ready as well.
"Let's go," Tilly said. On command, the tiny creatures bowed their heads ever so slightly and closed their eyes in maxed out concentration. No one dared to even exhale loudly in fear of disrupting whatever it was they were doing to prepare.
It was almost awkward to just stand and watch them mumble inaudibly amongst themselves for so long, but no one felt the need to voice it.
Well, Sucy almost did. But she decided against receiving another jab to the ribcage with Lotte's surprisingly pointy elbow.
After another few moments, everyone noticed the green aura beginning to rise up from the plant sprites. Before any of them knew it, a swirling mass of green and white rose up and reached the sky. The Yggdrasillians opened their eyes and looked at each other, expressions of shock being exchanged from one to the other as they found their bodies beginning to fade away and float upwards.
Akko saw one of them in the crowd fully vanish. Then another. Then another one followed quickly after him. Before long, their faces melted into accepting smiles, allowing the rest of the spell to do its work.
It all took less than a minute.
The final Yggdrasillian vanished, leaving Tilly behind, who lifted his head and turned himself around to meet Akko's gaze for one final moment. He could feel his body begin to dissolve into magic, but he was more than ready to join his kind.
He smiled. "You know," he let out a forced chuckle, "it took me this long . . . but I think I'm warming up to the concept of names."
Akko, at first taken aback by his words, let out a breath and gave him a knowing smile.
"Having said that," his lower half was entirely gone, "I have no doubt that yours will be remembered."
With that, the last of Tilly was dissolved by the magic and was now floating upwards. Everyone's eyes were all but glued to the spectacle above them. The wisps of their magic floated above the crumbling tower and into the morning sky until they were unable to see them anymore.
At least until a brief flash of light, that lasted for a little longer than a nanosecond, tore through the sky, forcing the audience below to shield their eyes for that quick moment. When they found themselves able to safely return their gazes upwards, they were stunned by what they saw.
High above them, almost looking as if it was embedded into the sky itself, they found an elaborate, intertwining system of black lines and green energy stretching as far as they were able to see. It almost resembled the complex ventricle system of the human body itself.
Her jaw at first slack in sheer awe, Akko finally found herself to close it and smile at the sight, knowing full well that the Leyline would probably never be visible like this ever again.
Moments later, the image faded away, replacing itself with oranges and pinks as the sun rose higher.
The group of young women stood in silence for a few moments longer, none of them entirely certain of what to say as their eyes remained glued to the sky itself.
Finally, the first one to find their voice was Sucy.
"Let it be known that on this day, Akko drove an entire species to extinction."
The moment officially ruined for the brunette, her awestruck face dissolved into a grimace of annoyance, accompanied with her hands tightening into fists. "I thought I told you to shush! And I totally didn't drive them to extinction! This was their own choice."
Amanda held up her hands. "Hey, hey, however you wanna put it is fine with me. Now how about we head back? I'm starving. Haven't had a bite to eat since lunch yesterday."
Ursula let out a breath. "Unfortunately, I don't think Luna Nova will be accommodating any meals for quite some time. It will take quite some time to . . . recover from this incident."
"Professor!"
Ursula nearly jumped out of her skin from the unforeseen outburst, as well as her hand being taken into Akko's firm hold.
"Don't you remember anything from last night?" She asked in an almost scolding tone. "We're going to be here to help!"
While Ursula was undoubtedly grateful for Akko's unyielding optimism and assistance – and even despite the impressive magical demonstration at the gate last night – it was going to take a lot more than that to rebuild the school.
"Akko is correct."
All eyes turned to Diana.
"After all that Luna Nova has done for my family, it would be borderline apprehensible of me to turn my back on its hour of need. I will contact Anna and prepare the relief effort."
Akko had no time to even begin to think about throwing her arms around the heiress before another voice in the group made itself heard.
"Hey, hey! Don't steal all the glory!" Amanda chastised. "I'm not gonna pass up the chance to let future students know who they have to thank for giving them their school back!"
Diana rolled her eyes at the statement.
Lotte cleared her throat.
"My uncle owns his own carpentry business . . . I could see if he'd be willing to come up and lend a hand."
"And not to mention Cons here!" Amanda spoke back up, slinging her arm around the shoulder of the height-challenged inventor. "She's got her own army of robots to help out!" A sudden thoughtful look passed over her face. "Wait, did they survive do you even know?"
In response, Constanze removed her hat and placed it on her chest, closing her eyes for a moment of silence.
Pressing the issue no further, Amanda released her hold on her teammate and cleared her throat awkwardly.
"Well, anyways," she backpedaled. "You don't have anything to worry about, Teach!" Her usual jocular tone returned in an instant. "Looks to me that you've got all the help you need!"
Genuinely touched by her students' words, a nagging tug at her heart told her still that they may not even be enough.
"I . . ." She never got to finish the thought before a brand new voice approached from behind.
"Somehow, I thought I'd find you close by."
The girls were silent as they turned to face the hill. Walking up the incline was a familiarly finely dressed young man. Diana and Akko blinked in surprise as their friend drew closer to them.
"Andrew?"
The young heir smiled and came to a stop in front of Ursula, offering the group of young women a polite bow.
Sucy merely sniffed in reply. "Lemme guess; you're here to fix something stupid Akko did."
Andrew simply waved off the comment and got straight to the point. "Word traveled quickly of what happened to Luna Nova. I was sent over on my father's behalf to make sure no serious damage has been done."
"Too late."
"That's quite the change of heart," Diana crossed her arms, but showed no signs of disbelief to Andrew's claim. "To what do we owe this act?"
Andrew, satisfied to see that his old friend's demeanor hasn't been shaken in the slightest, looked to Akko with a knowing smile, taking the brunette off guard. "In light of last year's events and the role that the witches of Luna Nova played in defending the wellbeing of our nation, my father also sent me to offer our services in any way that you see fit."
Ursula covered the gasp that escaped her lips with her hand, her heart leaping with joy and eyes beginning to sting with the threat of tears.
But she honestly didn't care if she broke down in front of the students. Knowing that the school not only had the prestigious Cavendish family on their side, but the exceptionally wealthy Hanbridge as well was just about more than she could handle. She could only imagine how Headmistress Holbrooke was going to react to this news.
Before her knees were even able to fail her, she felt Akko's hands grip hers tight once more and was greeted with the girl's beaming face. "See, Professor? It's just like what I said!" Akko all but squealed. "People helping other people is what's keeping magic alive!"
Ursula had no other choice than to melt into another smile. "That's right, Akko. Diana, would you please-"
"I'd be honored, Professor," Diana interrupted. She rarely interrupted anybody at any time, but given these fortunate turn of events, she found herself eager to be of assistance. She strolled up to Andrew and invited him to walk with her back the way he came from, having no doubt in her mind that his limo was parked nearby. "Now, we must discuss our short term housing accommodations as well. Perhaps I could recommend to Professor Holbrooke . . ." Her voice trailed off the farther they walked down the hill until they were totally out of earshot.
That left the remaining witches standing alone atop the hill, the sun now higher over the horizon and the wind blowing by, snapping them all back into reality. Clearing her throat, Ursula gestured to the broomsticks that were propped up against the terminal wall.
"I believe that it's time to head back as well. I'll have to give the Headmistress a decent heads up of the good news coming her way. Ladies," she prompted, grabbing Akko's broom and holding it out to her. "I hope you don't mind if I catch a ride with you . . ?" She smiled bashfully.
Akko was close to fainting when she just realized that her childhood idol just asked if she could ride with her. She shook away the impending dizziness and nodded excitedly.
"Of course!"
Sucy sniggered under her breath. "Try not to kill her on the way back. You're still fairly new to this."
"I'll show you!" She all but shouted. "Escorting Shiny Chariot herself is just the motivation I need to not mess this up!"
A whoosh overhead drew Akko's attention upwards to find Amanda's amused Cheshire grin as she laid across her broom on her side, her cheek propped up on her fist. "And here I thought you would've wanted to go with your boyfriend over there."
"As if!" She aggressively denied. "The guy's a total snob!"
"A total snob with a crap ton of cash and a newfound respect for witches," Amanda added.
"That's beside the point!"
"And he has that friend of his with the blonde hair," Sucy remembered, now laughing in Lotte's directions, taking satisfaction in the blush forming in her cheeks.
"D-Don't bring Frank into this!"
"Ladies, if we could please, er-" Ursula attempted to interrupt, but was cut off by more arguing as they all lifted off the ground. Ursula let out a worried shriek and gripped Akko's shoulders for balance.
"I don't have time for romantic junk anyways!" Akko denied. "I've got to study and become a fantastic witch!"
"Never thought I'd hear Akko confidently say that she actually intended on studying," Sucy let out another snort of laughter.
"Aren't you supposed to be shushing up?!"
Ursula pushed up her glasses and let out a defeated sigh, accepting the fact that, despite the Leyline's convenience, the ride back to campus was going to be a long one.
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
Three Years Later,
It's not that Professor Ursula disliked being overwhelmed with papers to grade, far from it actually. She loved every moment of being able to see the progress (or unfortunately lack thereof) of her students. But she had to admit that being swamped with the tedious activity while a picture perfect day was waiting for her outside was admittedly beginning to bring out her impatient side.
She calmed herself down when she reminded herself that she wouldn't have time to fully enjoy the day anyways, due to her involvement on the festival committee.
Her quill scratching against the paper was the only sound in the room. She almost proceeded robotically as her mind drifted off to other matters: Such as the proper materials she needed to fetch from the basement, making sure that the sweets were set out and—
A knock on the door snapped her out of her thoughts and caused her to jump in her seat.
"C-coming!"
Her red hair flipping around at the speed she stood up, she ran to the door and opened it to find Professor Badcock on the other side, one hand on her hip and the other clutching a clipboard that she held to her chest.
"Good, you're here," she said, sounding genuinely relieved that Ursula was in fact in her room. "I was sent to fetch you. We are having a meeting for last minute preparations in thirty minutes."
Ursula gave her elder an appreciative nod. "Thank you for informing me. I will be there shortly."
Before Badcock turned to leave, her eyes traveled inside the office and found the papers yet to be graded on her desk. "You're grading the midterms now?" She asked almost incredulously. "It's a Saturday, why not wait at least until tomorrow?"
"I like to grade as quickly as possible so I can enjoy whatever I have left of the weekend," the young instructor explained. "And besides, this way works best to coincide with Arcas's feeding times."
Badcock's eyes widened. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about!" Ursula took a step back at the sudden outburst. "Please tell your assistant that she needs to give proper warning before she takes off with the other students. It interferes with the others' lesson plans."
Professor Ursula tilted her head. "She knows better to speak with the Headmistress before she acts. I thought that-"
"Well she's not the only one who needs a heads up," Badcock all but huffed. "Please make sure she's aware of this." Without waiting for Ursula to confirm she would, the elderly professor continued down the hall, her eyes glued down to her clipboard.
Ursula, waving politely as she left, let out a disheveled sigh and rolled her eyes. Looking back at her desk, she decided that the rest of the papers could be graded sometime tomorrow. Closing and locking the door behind her, Professor Ursula made her way outside and towards the entrance of the Fountain of Polaris.
Being forced to rebuild the school, as well as refurbish the damaged section to the fountain's entrance, had turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the most part, as it gave the students a homier and welcoming feeling as opposed to the typical dorm room set up.
It also allowed her childhood friend to live a more comfortable lifestyle as well.
She climbed the steps and began walking through the corridors, hoping that she hadn't missed them quite yet. Her worries were put to rest once she heard her apprentice's voice echo from around the corner.
"There ya go! Just like that! Alright, who's left? Just the one? Come on, there's no need to be shy."
Ursula rounded the last corner just in time to see Akko, adorned in her navy blue trench coat (which she had worn almost every single day since Ursula invited her to be her apprentice) with the Luna Nova insignia embroidered on it, as well as the likeness of the Shiny Rod placed on the left shoulder, along with a small handful of students who she recognized as first years. They each held empty buckets in their arms except for one, who stood next to Akko and clutched the bucket with fish inside of it tightly against her chest.
Arcas, who was still finishing off the last snack given to him, twitched his ear when he heard the last girl set down the bucket against the stone floor.
"Good! Now," Akko began, her voice low and encouraging. "Hold out your wand, and summon the . . . there you go! Keep going . . ."
Ursula's face lit up with pride as she saw the student levitate the single fish that lay inside the bucket and bring it close enough to Arcas for him to notice.
She took even more pride in the instructions given to her by Akko.
"That's it, keep your posture up. The fish'll start to wobble if your body isn't steady."
Arcas, now finished with his previous offering, snatched the last one out of the air, eliciting a surprised squeak from the timid first year. Akko, however, only beamed and patted the girl repeatedly on her shoulder. "Handled like a true pro!" She congratulated. "That wasn't so bad, right girls?"
The line of young witches shook their heads. "Can we go back inside now?"
Akko waved her finger. "Ah, ah, ah. One last thing to do. What do we tell our larger-than-life friend here?"
In response, each of the students set down their buckets and folded their hands in front of them, bowing their heads politely in the polar bear's direction.
"Thank you for protecting our school!"
Akko crossed her arms and nodded her approval before she finally noticed Professor Ursula standing in the entrance to the feeding room. Standing upright as quickly as a well-disciplined soldier, Akko cleared her throat and closed her eyes as she spoke.
"Very well then, you are all dismissed!"
Ursula couldn't quite contain her giggle of amusement at the sight. The students placed their buckets at the side of the room and began to file out, only barely taking in Akko's final words.
"And don't forget that we'll be doing this again later in the week! It's the least we can do to help our furry friend!"
The group responded with a unanimous "'Kay!" before they each vanished around the corner, their idle chatter growing fainter the farther away they got. Ursula approached her apprentice, still unable to shake the smile from her face.
"You know," she started, "you're not doing very well on staying in Professor Badcock's good side."
Akko's arms drooped as she let out an exaggerated whine. "What'd I do this time?"
"You failed to mention to her specifically that you were taking the students for a round of feeding."
Upon hearing this, Akko all but scoffed. "That's all? I told Headmistress Holbrooke, wasn't that enough? Geez, I swear, that woman is impossible to please."
"Akko! Respect your elders!" Ursula chastised, though not exactly disagreeing with the young woman either. The two witches began to walk down the corridor, through the same direction Ursula had just emerged from. "Anyways, I have a committee meeting to attend, so I was wondering if you would be able to fetch the remaining papers from the classroom and bring them to my office."
The brunette nodded. "Not a problem! That'll be on my way back to my room, so it works out perfectly! And you don't have to be so wishy washy about it next time. It's what I'm here for!" Akko reassured, emphasizing her point with a proud thumb pointed toward her chest.
"I'll be sure to work on that . . ." Ursula smiled as the two of them exited the Fountain's entrance. "I must be getting along now. I'll be sure to get you before it starts!" With that, Akko's mentor took off without her across the lawn toward the school.
Akko, being the ever obedient apprentice, did as she was bid and collected the papers, deposited them in Ursula's office, and then promptly hurried next door to her private quarters. Closing the door behind her, Akko hurriedly dug out her palm-sized crystal ball from her top drawer and plopped herself down at her desk, setting the ball down in front of her.
Tapping it, the once dim orb lit up, its light washing over the walls and reflecting from the mirror in front of her. Using her finger to scroll through her contacts, she found her desired person and tapped her name. The dull ringing began to play, notifying the anxious girl that her call has gone through. Before long, she was met with the familiar freckled face of her friend on the other side.
"Hello, Akko!"
"Lotte! How's it going?! I can't believe I'm talking to you right now! It's been soooooooooooo long!" Akko dramatically flailed her arms and slumped in her seat, deflating like a balloon.
"Akko, we talked last night," Lotte reminded her with an already exasperated sigh. "Anyways, shouldn't you be getting ready for tonight? I'd hate to be keeping you from it."
"It's all taken care of," Akko put her friend's concern to rest. "The courtyard is all decorated and the food just needs to be brought out. Professor Ursula is in a meeting right now discussing the boring stuff with the others. You and Sucy are going to be here, right?" Akko asked, drastically changing gears.
"We'll certainly try our best." Lotte leaned away from the screen, revealing that she was standing behind a cashier's desk in a warmly lit store. The shelves behind her was stacked with well-known magical items. She appeared to be peeking beyond the counter at someone in particular. "Right, Sucy?"
As if on cue, Sucy's thin form entered the frame. She was holding an opened crate that was overflowing with an ominous purple fog that smothered the ground where she walked. Akko couldn't help but be thankful that she wasn't there for Sucy to 'accidentally' drop it on her just to see what would happen.
"That depends if she's opened up the care packages I've sent her," she drawled as she vanished through an open doorway with the crate on the other side of the counter.
Akko had indeed received Sucy's care packages in the mail . . . but due to their lumpy nature from inside the envelopes, she could take a guess as to what they were; nor was she brave enough to let alone open them.
Lotte rolled her eyes and redirected her gaze back to her friend. "Yeah, things have been busy over here. Which I guess is a pretty good thing, right? I'm just glad that Sucy is here to lend a hand. And don't listen to whatever it is she may say. She really does miss you. And so do I."
Akko sniffed. "Oh, Lotte!" Hoping that the action would magically bring her closer to her friend, Akko threw her arms around the crystal ball and hugged it close to her face, rubbing it against her tear stained cheek against it frivolously. "Now you definitely have to show up tonight! I don't care how long it takes, or even if you make it in time! You just have to show up!"
"A-Akko! You're staining the screen! That may interfere with the touchscreen capabilities!"
But Lotte's warning fell on deaf ears. Akko continued to wail to her heart's content. The only thing that managed to snap her out of it was the small blast on the other side of the screen that was accompanied with a swirling purple fog spilling out from the doorway that Sucy just entered moments ago.
Akko held out the ball at arm's length, curiously gaping at the scene.
"Sucy . . ?" Lotte shakily asked.
Upon hearing her name, the pink haired witch's face poked out from around the corner.
"There was an accident."
"Sucy! We just got that inventory!" She let out a sigh before looking back at Akko. "I've gotta sort this out. We'll see you tonight, Akko!" Without waiting for Akko to attest, Lotte ended the call, leaving Akko in a silent room once more.
After a few more silent moments, the only thing Akko thought to do was lightly shake the crystal orb like a magic 8 ball, as if it would magically restore the image that Lotte had just snuffed out. She tilted it upwards and backwards, viewing it from different angles in the hope that it would spring back to life.
"I believe that that means Lotte has hung up."
"GAH!"
Akko nearly dropped the orb on the desk as she leapt off of her seat in fright. Carefully clutching it close to her chest, she turned her head to find Diana in her doorway, her hand still on the doorknob.
"Pardon the intrusion, but I felt as though I wasn't interrupting anything anymore once I heard it was silent."
"Diana!" Akko whined. "You more than anyone should understand what knocking is!"
"I did knock." Diana informed her. "Three times."
The brunette, in response, crossed her arms and grumbled something about how it was somehow still rude underneath her breath. "What do you want?" She raised her eyebrow in her friend's direction.
"I came to ask for your assistance in the kitchen." A smile crept its way onto her face. "There's no one else I would dream of asking to help with the fruit cups."
Akko's sour attitude instantly dissolved and was replaced with a touched sense of honor. She smiled and nodded in response.
"Then let's head down immediately. There's still plenty to do before the ceremony starts."
Wasting no time, Akko ushered Diana into the hall, closed the door behind her, and began walking through the mostly empty halls side by side, passing by the occasional few students as they went.
It took a little while after Luna Nova was rebuilt, but both Akko and Diana memorized the new layout nonetheless.
Akko, officially fed up with the silence as they walked, looked to Diana. "So, how was your trip, Miss School Representative?"
Deciding not to prod at Akko's insistence of using that nickname, she humored the girl.
"It was very eventful. I've always wanted to visit Italy, so I was honored that Headmistress Holbrooke entrusted me with the meeting. The faculty of the academy were incredibly warm and welcoming. We agreed upon . . ." She proceeded to dive into excruciating detail of budget, future renovations, events, and seemingly every other topic that seemed tailor made to bore Akko out of her skull. She didn't dislike the retelling however, as it at least livened up the still somewhat foreign halls with some familiarity.
Diana continued. "I offered them an invitation for tonight, but they respectfully declined, wishing that we establish more personal relationships with one another beforehand."
"Do we have any guests coming tonight?" Akko inquired.
"A few. The Earl of Hanbridge accepted our invitation, which also means Andrew will be present as well. In all honesty, I believe they're only here as to ensure their donations didn't go to waste. I believe a few other Appleton Academy representatives will be joining us as well."
" . . . Anybody else?" The brunette pressed.
Diana quirked her eyebrow and pursed her lips in thought. "If you are asking about Amanda, then I have my doubts." She could see Akko's visible deflation in her peripheral vision. "But that's no reason to dampen tonight's activities. She's making quite a name for herself in competitive racing." That did little to lift Akko's spirits.
But Diana knew what would.
"You should be proud of her. She's chasing her dream. Just as you did. I can't help but feel as though you had a hand in inspiring her," she beguiled, sprinkling in certain buzzwords that were sure to bury any negative thoughts. She was pleased to see that it worked. Almost instantly after the final sentiment left Diana's lips, the spring in Akko's step returned, a fist raised triumphantly in the air as well.
"Hell yeah! That's my girl!"
Jumping back in shock, Diana hushed her friend.
"Akko!" She whispered harshly. "There are students around! You must set a better example!"
The brunette all but waved off the concern. "Oh you know as well as I do that they say the same things. Now come on! Don't want the fruit to go bad before we get there, do we?"
Later,
Once again, the time was almost upon them.
The sun had entirely set behind the trees, allowing the perfectly starry night to replace its presence. For the time being, large stadium lights were being levitated above everyone's heads as to offer them a clear view of their surroundings. Multiple mental notes were passed from teacher to teacher as to dim them once the time came (as long as Holbrooke was still kicking, the same mistake will not be repeated).
Just as it was the time before, Akko had a difficult time containing her excitement.
But with the time she's spent as Ursula's apprentice, she'd –albeit only somewhat—realized that the other teachers now had higher expectations of her. By learning through the virtual only way she knows how, with lots and lots of trial and error, Akko had found a healthy way to route her excitement; by passing little bits and pieces of it to everybody surrounding her.
The moment Akko and Diana stepped outside, the former had all but vanished into the swarm and found cluster after cluster of students whom she had gotten to know over the course of Ursula's classes. Diana smiled as she saw them converse back and forth with Akko, each of them swapping stories about exams and the pains and frustrations of not being able to perfectly execute certain spells on the first go.
As the evening went on, Akko continued to mingle with the other students, each and every one of them lighting up when they saw her approaching. Once she finished talking with the last group, Akko found herself walking over to the pastry table, where a wide array of delicately made snacks and sweet were laid out across the span of four tables. Unable to help herself, Akko reached for one snack, then another, and another until her arms were stock full of donuts and crepes.
She made her way along the length of all tables, coming face to face with the chubby woman standing behind it, a bright smile decorating her cheeks and a dusty rose apron around her waist.
Akko beamed at the familiar face.
"Thanks for supplying us all of this, Jasminka! We promise we'll make it worth your while . . . And I promise not to eat everything!"
Jasminka appeared to not be worried in the slightest. Peering behind her, both her and Akko found an army of tiny robots parading in a multitude of sweets loaded up on trays from the back of a bright pink double doored truck. In the driver's seat, Akko made out the image of Constanze, now Jasminka's marketing partner, controlling them from where she sat.
Reaching down, the baker plucked up a piece of cake, holding it out for Akko. "Try it!" She all but insisted.
Rather than wait for a reply, she all but pushed the entire piece into Akko's mouth, which she gratefully accepted. Jasminka then promptly wiped off the frosting smeared across her face with the bottom of her apron.
Akko smiled graciously as she chewed. "Shthank yuh, Jabminkah!"
"Akko!"
Hearing her name called from behind amidst the crowd of talkative students, the brunette whipped her head around to find Professor Ursula atop the prepared stage, gesturing for her to join her in the vacant seat at the far end of the line as the other instructors began taking theirs.
Nodding in understanding, Akko suddenly panicked, wondering what to do with her arm-load of sweets.
She settled with setting them atop the table in an eschew pile before swiping up a stray robot that was marching back to the truck and setting it down on the table next to them. She swallowed her cake and pointed to the pile of delectables. "Guard this with your life."
Without waiting for a response, Akko turned and hightailed it to the stage, climbing up the steps from behind and joining her mentor in the seat beside her. Ursula smiled at Akko, knowing full well how much she's been looking forward to this night.
As soon as the last of the faculty had found their way to their seats (which tripped Akko out seeing herself sitting alongside these magical veterans, looking down at the mingling mass of students), Headmistress Holbrooke climbed atop the step allowing her to reach the microphone before clearing her throat.
"Young witches of Luna Nova, if you could now please find your way to your seats."
A handful of minutes later, every girl had found their spots, their eyes focused on their Headmistress.
"I'd like to take this time to thank all hands involved in making tonight possible. To our groundskeepers, who worked tirelessly assembling the stage, and to Luna Nova's very own Jasminka Antoneko for supplying us with her very own assortment of treats."
The student body responded with a polite round of applause, which Jasminka acknowledged with a wave.
"Now then," Holbrooke continued, "I'm sure the last thing you're all looking forward to is listening to the rambling of an old woman, so I would at this time like to welcome our school representative to the stage, Miss Diana Cavendish."
Another polite round of applause, this one slightly louder than the last, welcomed Diana as she confidently strode over to the now vacant microphone. Raising her hand to silence the applause, the young heiress began. "On behalf of the faculty members of Luna Nova, I would like to extend my undying gratitude to each and every one of you. It is because of young, ambitious students such as yourselves that allows Luna Nova to remain among the most prestigious academies."
Diana continued her introduction, her composure as prim and proper as ever. Akko, while doing a fairly decent job of keeping her focus, also found her eyes wandering over the crowd, hoping to find her two ex-teammates.
Among the faces, however, she did come across the smiling face of Andrew, who was seated next to his father (who didn't look unhappy to be there, Akko took notice). Akko almost forcibly kept her hand glued to her lap to prevent herself from vigorously waving at her friend.
She continued to scan the crowd as Diana continued, but her heart plummeted in disappointment when she didn't come across the familiar pink and blonde hair of her friends.
Letting out a small breath, Akko snapped out of her sadness once she felt a small jab at her side. Looking to where it had come from, she was met with a smiling Ursula, who gestured with her head to the side of the stage.
Following her gaze, Akko let out an inaudible gasp of delight when she found Lotte and Sucy's smiling faces hovering just above the edge of the stage.
Whipping her head back to Ursula, she pleaded silently to allow her to have this moment for herself.
Unable to tell the girl no, Ursula nodded, her smile never once leaving her face.
Not caring what the students thought as she rose from her seat, Akko made her way to the end of the stage and hopped off, not showing a moment's hesitation or restraint as she threw her arms around her friends.
She did her best to keep quiet as to not interrupt Diana's speech, but it was difficult to do so while she choked on multiple sobs, not even caring about what her friends may think of her at this moment. She just relished in this moment, digging her face into the crook of their shoulders. Lotte was quick to throw her arms around her as well, and before long, Sucy wrapped her arm around too.
Finally letting up, Akko stepped back, her eyes still shining from still unshed, disbelieving tears.
"I thought you weren't going to be able to show up!"
"It was looking like it, but my parents let us go at the last second," Lotte elaborated. "They say hi by the way."
"And what about the mess that Sucy made?" Akko tilted her head. In response, Lotte sent a glare Sucy's way.
"It turns out that nothing went wrong. She just felt like putting a smoke bomb in one of our crates."
"I'm a comedic genius ahead of my time," Sucy smiled smugly.
Akko couldn't help but laugh at her friends, all the while doing her best to take in the rest of Diana's speech.
"Tonight marks the first time of the comet's passing since the completion of our renovation project, a true milestone for the legacy of our school, indeed. But please, my fellow students, do not view this night as a required event for all students; a mere ploy to spend more time outdoors. Rather, let tonight be a much needed reminder."
Akko all but forced herself to leave her friends' side, giving them both one last hug before she climbed back up the steps.
"A reminder that there is no such thing as an unattainable dream. No such thing as a goal too ambitious. This facility is the living proof of this fact."
Akko returned to her seat next to Ursula.
"Please, my fellow witches, stop at nothing to pursue your dream. We will help you attain it, as you have helped attain our dream."
Sparing a moment from her speech, Diana peeked over her shoulder and smiled at Akko.
She turned back to the microphone.
"It is our dream to pass on our knowledge of magic to the next generation of eager witches in the hopes of keeping our lifestyle alive for many years to come. And with all of your help, that dream becomes more and more of a reality with every passing day."
She gestured her arm behind her. "Once again, on behalf of the faculty, I offer you our humblest thanks. Now please, enjoy the comet."
Akko did not need to be told that twice.
Her speech having officially concluded, Diana turned and walked back to her seat amongst the other teachers. The lights hovering above their heads dimmed, plunging the entire area into darkness, the air around them almost deathly silent.
There wasn't a single thing that could tear Akko's gaze away from the sky.
Not Ursula's proud smile.
Not Andrew's curious gaze up to the sky.
Not Diana's unyielding demeanor melting into one of joy for her friend.
Not even Sucy or Lotte's gaze at the end of the stage.
But she was grateful for every single one of them.
Because if it weren't for them, she wouldn't be anywhere near where she is at this very moment.
Before long, the comet became visible. And this time, nothing prevented Akko from enjoying it to its fullest.