Fusion Cuisine – Part IX: Greasing the Pan
Disclaimer: In case you haven't figured it out yet, I don't own Little Witch Academia. All LWA-related characters, settings, etc. are the intellectual property of Studio Trigger and Yoh Yoshinari.
[-]
The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Medicine
One Year Ago
"Thank you for joining me today, Cavendish-san," said an older woman, gesturing for her to sit down. She picked up a tin from her office desk and held it forward. "Would you like some mochi? It's homemade."
"That's very kind of you, Hidaka-sensei," Diana answered, taking one of the snacks even though she wasn't especially hungry right now. It was the polite thing to do, after all.
Masahiko Hidaka was her professor in epidemiology and biostatistics. In a lot of ways, she reminded Diana of a Japanese version of Holbrooke. She shared the headmistress' even temper and general kindness – and, not quite as charitably, her less-than-impressive stature. The main thing differentiating them was that Hidaka-sensei was about a decade younger, her short-cropped brown hair only just beginning to gray.
Still, the similarities had probably contributed to the fact that Hidaka-sensei was about the only person in the entire nation of Japan whom Diana felt she could confide in.
"If you'll forgive me for getting straight to the point…" the teacher declared, folding her hands around a steaming cup of tea and taking a sip. "I've been watching you in class for the past few weeks. And I'm fairly certain you have something weighing heavily on your mind."
Diana's expression tightened. "What would give you that impression?" she asked, maybe a little too quickly. "My marks haven't been slipping, have they?"
"Oh no. Your performance in class remains as impeccable as ever. Frankly, the fact that you can maintain such high scores while being so distracted, is testament to your genuine genius," said Hidaka-sensei. "No, just a sense you tend to develop when you've been teaching as long as I have."
She leaned forward, her gaze warm but sharp. "You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to," she added in a lower voice. "But if you do…I'm here to listen. Whatever the subject might be."
Diana's first instinct was to continue denying. That was what she'd practiced, after all. How she'd been raised.
"A Cavendish witch carries herself with the dignity befitting her station."
"A Cavendish witch does not sully herself with mundane affairs of the heart."
"A Cavendish witch never cries."
Her mother had taught her differently, of course, but then Bernadette Cavendish had always been an unusual head of House Cavendish. Mind, Diana would've argued that her viewpoints were far more in line with the traditions established by Lady Beatrix, but the fact remained that for the last several generations, Aunt Daryl's attitude had been the prevailing one amongst the family matriarchs.
So Diana had gone through most of the past fifteen years or so determinedly not talking about this sort of thing. When she had difficult feelings to process, she attended to them in the "proper" manner…
Which was to say, alone.
She'd never once seen a therapist, because to Daryl, that would've meant admitting weakness. Not just in herself, but in all of witchkind. It wasn't all that uncommon in the magical world to feel that "ordinary" medicine offered nothing worthwhile, whether to physical or mental health.
Combatting that fallacy was one of the central reasons Diana had specifically chosen to study at a non-magical medical school. Her fervent belief was that both worlds had much to teach the other – and all the more so in the wake of Yggdrasil's revival.
Yet she consistently failed to heed her own advice. If she were studying a patient going through intermittent insomnia, extended periods of malaise, and withdrawal from all social activity save schoolwork, a psychiatric consult would've been among her first recommendations.
When it came to herself, it just seemed like far more of a bother than it was worth.
Regardless, she knew she must be slipping if Hidaka-sensei could tell something was wrong, just by sight. A plain denial would sound unreasonable at this stage.
And besides…
Maybe it'd do her good to be a little less of a "proper Cavendish witch" right now.
Maybe she could stand to be a little more like a certain Japanese girl, who wore every emotion she'd ever felt on her sleeve.
"So far, my medical education has…not been what I was expecting," she finally said.
She proceeded to explain just about everything that'd been hanging over her head as of late. Her dismay over Japan's incredibly conservative approach to the teaching of medicine. Her even greater disgust with the American healthcare system, after the semester she'd just spent abroad.
The numerous people who had told her at this point, magical and non-magical alike, that her dream was a fool's errand.
"And…I cannot in good faith, truly disagree with them," she sighed some time later. "It was the naïve dream of a little girl looking up at paintings and tapestries of the wondrous miracles wrought by her ancestors, and wishing she could do the same."
"Perhaps. But are naïve, childish dreams not what the world is built upon?" asked Hidaka-sensei, who'd listened to all of this with remarkable patience. "Everything worthwhile in it, at least. Your goal is a noble one, Cavendish-san. I'd hate to see you give it up for such paltry reasons."
"Paltry?" Diana repeated uncomprehendingly. "These obstacles are…debilitating. I don't see a way around them."
"Then perhaps you're just not thinking wide enough. Human health is an incredibly broad field, and even if you can't attack it from one angle, that doesn't necessarily mean that others aren't available to you," she told the younger woman. "But we can talk more about solutions later. For now…I'm more interested in how this is affecting you emotionally."
Diana's eyes turned askance. "I'm…afraid I don't wish to talk about that," she said in a small voice.
"Fair enough. That seems awfully personal territory to get into with someone nearly thrice your age," Hidaka-sensei conceded. "Be that as it may, I'm concerned whether you have anyone you do discuss these matters with. Particularly among your peers."
"I…" Diana started, before realizing she didn't have a good way to finish that sentence. She fumbled for the right words and, failing to find them, simply spoke the sad truth. "I used to."
"I'm sorry. I know I just said I wouldn't pry," Hidaka-sensei replied, bowing her head forward. "But I can't help but wonder if the reason these 'setbacks' are affecting you so badly…is because you've lost the confidante you grew to rely on."
While Diana was firmly within her rights to cut things off right there, she found she no longer had full control of her mouth.
Because already, it was saying, "It's not that I've 'lost' her. I could call her right this instant, if I wanted. It's just that…"
Again, she didn't have a safe way to complete that sentence. Talking about Akko was just…difficult, these days.
In the end, her voice simply trailed away.
"There are many ways to 'lose' someone, Cavendish-san. But there are just as many ways to find them again," the professor stated sagely. "In the end, it's your choice which path to take. Or even if you should take a path at all."
Diana's face hung in her hands. "I'm so confused right now," she whispered.
Hidaka-sensei stood out of her chair – which, in her case, added only a few centimeters of height – and rounded the desk, before offering Diana another bite of mochi. Wordlessly, the blonde witch accepted.
"My office hours are nearly up. So if you want me to break this down into some real simple advice, then here you go," she said. "Call this girl. And let things shake out from there."
Diana nodded mutedly, the weight of the phone in her pocket suddenly feeling quite hefty as she bowed her way out.
Really, her advice was quite good. Perfectly logical and difficult to argue with.
She knew she wasn't going to take it, but that was beside the point.
[-]
Akko awoke the next morning with the worst headache she'd ever experienced in her life.
No alcohol in the world, it seemed, could match the hangover provided by an evil magic box messing with your mind. Every time she closed her eyes, she could still see both of them, simultaneously.
Her greatest dream…and her worst nightmare.
Yet despite that, the Japanese woman had actually slept rather soundly. No fits or fidgeting; no waking up in the middle of the night.
And as she turned over, and looked upon the still-sleeping form next to her, she was pretty sure she knew why.
Asking to climb into bed with the woman she'd been crushing on for five years had been…a choice, certainly. Kind of ironic that when she finally "went for it," the decision came more out of cowardice than courage.
She simply hadn't been able to bear the notion of sleeping alone last night. To not have clear, concrete proof that all those awful things were just figments of her imagination.
Akko had never been more terrified than when she was enthralled to the Somnarca, witnessing everyone she loved and cared about get ripped and torn to shreds – and only because she had placed them in the crossfire.
The fact that the scenario made almost no sense once she stopped to think about it for five seconds (if some mysterious government group wanted to kill or recruit her, why in the world would they do it in public?) mattered very little. The experience had been worse than any of the numerous times she'd almost died herself. Worse than nearly getting expelled from Luna Nova.
Worse than learning the truth about Dream Fuel Spirit.
But when she was staring at Diana's peacefully sleeping face, none of that seemed to matter. Simply being near her was a better cure for her current condition than any medication.
(Though she was still definitely gonna take some meds for this headache. Oof…)
Yet lying next to her like this, half-awake in the early hours of the morning, came with its own kind of pain. Was this something she could've had all along, after all these years? Was it something she wanted?
Based on what the Somnarca had shown her, the answer to the second question was a resounding "yes." Her greatest dream had been yanked out of her skull, and it hadn't had anything to do with performing for crowds of thousands, or being a great witch like Shiny Chariot.
It'd been a small, quiet wedding with Diana Cavendish.
Akko did love her. That much had never been in doubt. But she'd spent the past two years stubbornly insisting to herself that she'd made the right choice, by not confessing her feelings at Luna Nova.
And that stubbornness was starting to waver.
Maybe it wasn't too late. Maybe she could still just…tell her. Ask to be with her.
It sounded so simple when she laid it all out like that.
But then all her old fears and anxieties started to bubble up to the surface. They'd only just rekindled their friendship. It was a precious, fragile thing, and if Diana didn't feel the same way then Akko would basically be taking a sledgehammer to it.
And really, this was hardly the time, right? They had bigger things to worry about. A simple adventure to bail out a struggling restaurant had morphed overnight into a war with an evil not-quite-sorcerer.
She'd already placed enough burdens on the British witch. It wasn't fair for her to be thinking of adding another.
Sighing to herself, and knowing she wasn't going to be getting back to sleep with her mind racing like this, Akko grabbed her phone and began scrolling through the Google Doc.
[-]
"You know, I believe I've been to the airport more times in the past week than the entire rest of my life combined," remarked Diana later that day.
"I mean, to be fair, you spent most of your life traveling by leyline," said Akko pointedly, as they pulled up to the curb. "Unfortunately, the only leyline in Japan is on Hokkaido, and it suuuuuuucks. Talking from personal experience here."
"The leyline network is certainly not among the most…consistent of transportation systems," Diana was forced to admit. Its infrastructure, after all, had been designed hundreds of years ago, by witches who hadn't been able to conceive of a world without Western Europe at its center.
Her fingers drummed anxiously along the steering wheel, eyes darting around the arrivals zone.
"Still, I must confess some trepidation," she added after a few moments. "I'm not sure my car is prepared to be opened up to the likes of…"
"Yooooooooooo Cavendiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiish!" whooped an incredibly exuberant voice, confirming all of Diana's worst fears in the space of two seconds.
Since they'd last seen each other, Amanda O'Neill had changed a great deal, at least physically. They'd clearly dived headlong into their non-binary identity since graduation, with their shocking red hair shaved down on either side, leaving a braided ponytail in the middle. Their top seemed to have been chosen to deemphasize their bust, and their bare arms were covered with a multitude of colorful tattoos.
They weren't Diana's type, but by the Nine they were certainly someone's.
Unfortunately, there didn't seem to have been any corresponding change in personality. Amanda slid right into the backseat like they rode it in every day, throwing an arm around each of their former classmates.
"Now there's my favorite not-quite-a-couple!" they said. "So, I didn't wanna ask while everyone else was in the chat, but…level with me. Ya finally fuckin' now, or what?"
Yes, this had certainly been a mistake. There was no doubt of that.
"That's the first thing you say after two whole years?!" sputtered a horrifically flustered Akko.
Amanda cocked an eyebrow. "I'm not hearing a nooooooooooo~…" they teased in a singsong voice.
Seeing that neither of the other witches were particularly amused, the redhead shrugged their shoulders and sank back against Diana's fancy faux-leather cushions.
"Anyway, remember what I said about a 'surprise'?" they added after a few moments, eyes darting back to the airport doors. "Well, here they come now."
Diana followed the direction of their gaze, and felt her heart skip a beat.
Because emerging from the terminal, laden with two identically massive mountains of bags and chatting animatedly, were…
"Hannah! Barbara!" she said, resisting the urge to run out and embrace them only because she was still in the driver's seat. "What are you…How are you…?"
"Dianaaaaaaaaa!" they both squealed simultaneously, not resisting their own urges at all. They threw themselves into the car and tackled Diana around each shoulder. Barbara was already crying, and Hannah didn't seem too far behind.
"Total coincidence that we ran into each other again. Met them in this…well I don't wanna say commune, but yeah, basically a commune," Amanda explained, grinning smugly at having facilitated this tearful reunion. "Doubles as a home, workplace, and support group for queer folks of various strokes."
"Queer?" repeated a confused Diana. "Then that means…?"
The smiles fell off both Hannah's and Barbara's faces, and they peeled themselves away from their old roommate. Their own hands, however, remained linked.
"Yeah, we're, umm…" Hannah told her, eyes averted nervously. "We're together. For about a year now."
"You remember how my mom used to be?" asked Barbara, her expression tightening. "Yeah, well, she…got worse. When I came out as pan, she cut me from her will and kicked me out of the house."
"Oh my god…" said Diana with a gasp.
"They shuffled around for a bit after that. Wound up in the states and I kinda…took 'em in. Didn't really have a choice, did I?" Amanda continued the story, scooting over in the backseat to create room for the couple. "And of course, when you guys reached out Friday, no way was I gonna let them miss out on this."
The knocking of a security guard on the windshield interrupted their story.
"Uh…right," muttered Akko, bowing her head apologetically toward the guard. "Probably should continue this after we load their bags."
[-]
Akko twiddled her thumbs in the passenger's seat as she listened to Diana catch up with her old roommates, unsure of what to say.
After all, what did you say to someone when the sum total of your previous interactions had been merciless bullying, and reactions to the same?
To be fair, they had let up quite a bit in her second and third years. Her increasing closeness with Diana meant it was inevitable they'd run into each other here and there. And so for the most part, they were…cordial. Not especially mean, and not especially friendly.
But she could always tell they'd never stopped disliking her. Thinking of her as a big dumb oaf who didn't deserve to breathe the same air as Diana Cavendish.
Then again, as her crush grew more and more, it became increasingly hard to contend that they weren't at least a little right.
But now, there was the extra, added little wrinkle that the story the couple was telling was like…really, really sad. Barbara Parker wasn't someone she'd ever imagined feeling this level of sympathy toward, but here she was.
Sure, she'd experienced homophobia in her life. She'd grown up in Japan, for crying out loud – hardly the most queer-friendly nation in the world. But never from her own family.
Her father was bi as well, which admittedly had made it easier to explain to them. Yet even without that commonality, Akko had never been worried that sharing some piece of herself might ever cause her parents to see her differently. Might ever impact the amount of love they felt for her, even a little bit.
She tuned back into the conversation as Hannah began to share her side of things.
"After Barb got disowned…I mean, my father didn't have any issues with her, but he's a single dad with four other mouths to feed. We wanted to take her in, but it just wasn't possible," said the black-haired girl. "So we decided to move out, find a place together. But obviously that's easier said than done."
"We were in Blytonbury for a bit, then London, but it was tough to find something affordable. I kinda never really learned how to live without access to the family fortune," Barbara admitted, fumbling her thumbs together. "But then I heard about this startup in New York, and they were specifically looking for witches, so…umm…"
Diana blinked a couple of times. "Why didn't you tell me about any of this?" she whispered. "I would've helped in a heartbeat."
The couple exchanged a brief glance.
Then, speaking very carefully, Hannah told her, "We know you would. But we talked about it, and…and we agreed we needed to stop relying on you so much."
"It wasn't fair how much we put on you back at Luna Nova. Homework, school activities, coming to you with every little thing that went wrong…" added Barbara. "But none of us are kids anymore. This was something we needed to learn to deal with on our own."
"Bright side, they wound up landing on their feet," said Amanda with a broad smirk. "See, you're lookin' at one of the founders of that 'startup.' Worker-owned co-op, no bosses or any of that shit. Everyone shares equally in any profits we make."
"And what kind of business is it, precisely?" asked Diana, her eyebrows raised slightly. It was clear she regarded any scheme initiated by Amanda O'Neill to be, at best, worthy of strong skepticism.
At this question, both Hannah and Barbara somehow managed to look even more nervous.
"Well the thing is…that is to say, me and Barb have both always had a little talent for plant magic…" Hannah muttered slowly. "So we got hired on to, y'know, strengthen the overall quality of the product, because the right spells make it a lot more efficient to manage temperature, humidity, nutrient intake, that sort of thing…"
"We grow magic pot," Amanda interjected.
Akko and Diana both blinked for a few seconds. Whatever they'd been expecting to hear, it definitely had not been that.
"I know it's not exactly, umm…a career path befitting graduates of noble Luna Nova Academy, or anything like that…" spoke Barbara, her tones soft and hesitant. "But the work is actually really interesting, and…and our coworkers are all super-nice, so…"
"Girls," Diana likewise cut her friend short. "I'm happy for you both. Genuinely."
Hannah and Barbara were both taken back enough to literally jump in their seats.
"Huh. Always full of surprises, ain't ya Di?" said Amanda, who looked impressed in spite of themself. "Thought you'd be too straight-laced to appreciate our little…operation."
"The medical benefits of cannabis are, at this point, well-documented in any number of peer-reviewed publications," Diana replied. "And as for its recreational use…while I lack any personal interest in imbibing such substances, that doesn't mean I'll cast judgment on those who do. So long as they utilize responsibly, and without adversely impacting others."
"One benefit of adding magic to the mix, actually," Amanda declared, sounding remarkably professional by their standards. "If the user's high as a kite and tries to get behind the wheel, a spell kicks in to stop 'em. Nothing too major, they just get too dizzy to start the ignition."
"Plus a flame-freeze charm to automatically put out the joint if it senses any fire hazards, and a purification spell that keeps it from being mixed with any harmful additives," added Hannah, now sounding more confident. "Not to brag, but that last one was my idea."
"All in all, it's probably the safest weed in the U.S.," Barbara finished, crossing her arms and smiling. "I probably know the answer to this already, but lemme know if you ever wanna give it a try. I was pretty skeptical at first too, but…wow. It really does help sometimes."
"I think I'll manage without," said Diana coolly. "But that certainly sounds like some impressive spellwork. I wonder if it could be applied to substances other than marijuana."
"Next on my list is safer booze. That one's personal, 'cuz I had a friend who died from a DUI," Amanda told her. "But it's probably gonna take a lot longer to get off the ground. Liquor licenses are hard to get in New York. Licenses to make liquor are something else entirely."
While they continued to go into the finer points of their (self-proclaimed) "ingenious" brewery ideas, Hannah turned around and asked, "How about you, Akko? We have a few edibles with us if you'd like."
Akko was more than a little taken aback to be included in the conversation – much less offered magically enhanced weed by her former schoolyard bullies.
"Are you…I mean, it's not like I've never thought about it, but the laws in Japan are kinda strict so I dunno if you should be…" she sputtered. "Wait, you are talking to me, right?"
Barbara let out a low sigh. "C'mon, Han. I told you it wouldn't be that easy," she said to her girlfriend. "We can't just ignore the elephant in the room and pretend that everything's fine."
And with that, she turned to Akko and continued in crisp, clear tones, "There's no excuse for how we treated you at Luna Nova. It was shitty, immature, and wrong. I'm sorry that it took my own life falling apart to finally see that."
Hannah inhaled and exhaled several times. "I…I'm sorry too," she spoke hesitantly. "We were both…pretty broken, back then. In denial about who we were, what we wanted. Like Barb said, that's obviously no excuse for how we tormented you. But I promise…we're not those people anymore."
Akko wasn't sure what to say. Could someone really change this much in the space of just two years?
Then again, hadn't she? In that same time, the girl who'd barreled through Luna Nova's stuffy traditions without a care in the world and unlocked the Grand Triskelion through sheer stubbornness…
Had become a nervous wreck, too bogged down by her own insecurities to admit what was in her heart.
If she could change so drastically for the worse…could Hannah and Barbara not do so for the better?
Maybe she was most impressed with the fact that the formerly terrible twosome hadn't asked for her forgiveness. They weren't just trying to guilt her into burying the hatchet so they could go back to catching up with Diana, without things feeling awkward.
As far as she could tell, their remorse was actually sincere. And it was fully Akko's choice whether to accept it or not.
Unable to lie, she found herself saying to the couple, "This…is a lot to process. I wanna say I forgive you, but I don't think I'm ready for that yet. And I dunno if we're ever gonna be really good friends."
Then, tilting her head so that she was addressing both Diana and Amanda as well, she went on, "But…I'm willing to not let it hang over everything we do here this week. We're all back together again, and that's awesome. Let's focus on that."
"Thanks, Akko. Means a lot," said Amanda, as both Hannah and Barbara let out identical sighs of relief. "Reminds me, I forgot to ask. Anyone else make it here yet? I know I could just check the Google Doc but…in my defense, I'm lazy."
"Sucy arrived on a redeye this morning. The lack of sleep did little to improve her usual demeanor, so we took her straight to her hotel to rest," Diana answered, her body language tensed from the memory. "Constanze should land tomorrow afternoon, and Lotte on Tuesday. She needed time to finalize arrangements with the Last Wednesday Society."
"Well, happy I'll get to see Jasna soon, at least. And Suce, even if it probably ain't mutual," Amanda remarked, shrugging their shoulder. "It was a long flight, so I'm kinda eager to get some sleep myself, tell the truth. But startin' tonight, we're at your disposal. One way or another, we're takin' this fucker down. As a team."
"Like I said on the chat…thank you. We were kinda up against a wall without your help," Akko found herself admitting.
"Takeuchi is a monster. But also far more devious and clever than I initially anticipated," said Diana. "Even with all of us working together, this won't be easy."
"Didn't say it would. But hey, you are the gals who stopped a nuke, made a giant glowing tree appear in the sky, and brought back magic," Amanda reminded them with a wink. "Speaking of which, gotta thank you for that. Sorcerer's Stoned Farms – yes, that's the name, don't come at me – wouldn't be possible without you."
"What do you mean?" asked Akko, her brow scrunched.
Amanda let out a low chuckle. "That a serious question? I mean, you basically rewrote the rules on everything," they stated pointedly. "Opened up whole new worlds of magic. My plants, Conz's breakthroughs in magitronics, all the stuff Lotte's doing…none of it was possible before the Grand Tri-whatever changed the game. What, you didn't notice how it made your shows bigger and badder?"
"Guess I just never…thought about it that way," Akko responded, shaking her head.
"Well, you should," Hannah piped up, her girlfriend nodding along in agreement. "Dunno how much it means coming from us…but you really are an incredible witch, Akko. Don't sell yourself short."
Then why am I screwing all this up so bad? Akko's treacherous inner voice thought of saying.
But as Diana's car pulled into the hotel parking lot, what she said instead was, "Alright, you all get some rest. We'll meet for dinner at the restaurant, and figure out how to put Takeuchi behind bars."
[-]
In the approximately twenty-four hours since rescuing Akko from Kagari's, Diana had made a number of changes to the place.
She might not yet have magic sufficient to defeat the Somnarca outright, but there was more than enough of its "residue" floating around to make an alarm spell child's play. Any artifact with that level of power left a trail a mile wide, so this would ensure Takeuchi couldn't launch any more surprise attacks.
But mystical defenses didn't negate the need for mundane ones. Still not knowing how he'd managed to force his way into the restaurant in the first place, she elected to purchase and install new locks for all of the doors. These were "smart locks," which Diana didn't understand in the slightest, but thankfully Jasminka was able to assist with the technical portions. Per her explanation, anyone attempting to unlock the door outside of normal business hours would trigger an alert to her and Akko's phones.
Diana was going to have to take her word for it, but figured it couldn't hurt. The things one learned when rooming with Constanze Amalie von Braunschbank Albrechtsberger for three years, she supposed.
The whole affair kept Diana quite busy. Which was good, because she had a great deal to think through right now.
She and Akko still hadn't had a chance to really converse over what happened last night. She was afraid to. It'd been stressful enough merely to watch from the outside as the Somnarca ensnared the other woman's mind. She couldn't imagine what it must've been like to experience it.
Yes, Diana could admit that she was…curious, as to what Akko might've seen while entranced. But she would never, ever ask. Diana wouldn't contribute to everything Takeuchi had stolen from her, by snatching away her privacy as well.
If Akko wanted to talk about the incident, Diana would be the first to listen. If not, she would respect that.
And then there was one other, little, pesky detail. The one part Diana had left out of her version of events, when relaying them to Akko and Jasminka.
Namely, the fact that she'd kissed her.
Of course, she'd thought about kissing Atsuko Kagari before. Some days, it was pretty much all she could think about.
But it was only ever supposed to be…well, just that. Thoughts. Idle fantasies. A way to get through lonely nights at the university, when memories of the Japanese girl's soft skin in hers made her chest ache with longing.
(Though in the latter case, the fantasies rarely stopped at kissing.)
This time, Diana had actually done it. Sure, Akko had been unconscious, and didn't seem to have any recollection of the experience.
But for her, the memory was still as vivid as if it was happening that instant. The soft caress of Akko's warm lips on hers. The strong taste of the umeboshi she'd been snacking on hours earlier. The sheer desperation in Diana's own heart, as she prayed on her family's very honor for Akko to open her eyes.
With that kiss, any chance of pretending had disappeared. For some time now, she'd operated under the sad, pitiful delusion that if she ignored her feelings for long enough, they'd go away. And she would no longer be a burden on the grand, wondrous dreams of Akko, the Shining Star.
Except that wasn't how the human heart worked. She could no more divest herself of her emotions than cease breathing the air.
One way or another, she needed to confront these feelings. And she needed to do it soon.
The alternative…wasn't even worth considering.
"Hey Diana," said the very woman in question as she entered the restaurant, causing the blonde witch to nearly jump out of her skin. "How'd everything go this afternoon?"
"Installation of the magical and non-magical protections alike went smoothly. We may not yet be able to stop Takeuchi entirely, but he won't be catching us by surprise at least," Diana answered, once her heartrate got back down to normal. "And how fare your efforts?"
"I set up the Zoom call for eight tomorrow night," Akko told her, stretching her arms and cracking her neck. "That should give enough time for Conz to rest after she flies in tomorrow, while not being ridiculous for Paris and Madagascar. Plus, I invited my parents to call in from the hospital. I can't keep them in the dark about this stuff for much longer."
"Frankly, I'm surprised you haven't called them before this point," said Diana. "Do they even know about Takeuchi?"
Akko slowly shook her head no.
"I was too ashamed to tell them, at first. They're relying on me to pull this off, and…and I didn't wanna admit he'd basically beaten us," she explained with a sigh. "Plus, this was back when we just thought he was a garden-variety jerk. Someone we should be able to handle on our own."
"I know that I shall sound a right hypocrite to say this, Akko," the blonde replied, frowning slightly at the other woman. "But there's no shame in asking for help when needed. You are fortunate, to have parents who care about you so deeply."
"Didn't mean to keep them outta the loop. It's just…so much stuff has happened this past week. My head's spinning just trying to keep up with it all," muttered Akko, her next sigh coming out ragged and exhausted.
Indeed, she sounded so tired that Diana felt compelled to move to the other witch's side, her arm ready just in case Akko's footing started to waver.
"Perhaps you're really the one who needs the rest, Akko," she said gently.
"…Probably," the brunette admitted after a pause. "Been running ragged all day, and I'm sure tomorrow'll be the same. No real time to…y'know."
"Decompress?" Diana suggested.
"Decompress…yeah, that's a good word. Not one I would've come up with, but that's why you're the English wiz and I'm the, umm…not that," stated Akko, shrugging her shoulders lamely. "Geez, last time I did anything fun was…well, when we went out for karaoke last Monday. Haven't played a game or watched anime all week."
Diana tapped thoughtfully at her chin. "We do have about half an hour until the others are set to arrive for dinner," she reminded the other woman. "And I'd say we've prepared about as well as we can. So let's spend it doing something frivolous."
"Frivolous, huh…" Akko repeated in a low voice. "What'd you have in mind?"
[-]
A few minutes later, Akko was sitting in her father's office, which Diana had temporarily commandeered. The changes made by its new occupant were minimal, apart from the distinctive glow of a crystal ball at the center of the desk.
"I had the valuable opportunity to sample your tastes in musical entertainment earlier this week," said Diana, as she fiddled with the crystalline orb. "I hope you'll indulge me in returning the favor."
Once she seemed satisfied with the ball's "settings," she tapped it lightly with the tip of her wand. The lilting sound of a violin filled the air around them.
"In my years since leaving Luna Nova, I've been forced to admit that technology has an advantage over magic in many respects. From communication to long-distance travel," she added, inhaling deeply as the melody washed over her. "But in my humble opinion…the ability to play music is not one of them."
"Who knew witches had their own version of vinyl snobs?" Akko briefly teased, though her heart wasn't really in it.
Because there was no denying she was hearing something absolutely beautiful.
Akko hadn't spent a great deal of time listening to classical music, but she could tell she was in the presence of something at the very top of the art form. The violin gradually picked up in pace and volume at the piece unfolded, eventually being joined by a forceful, almost furious piano.
"What's this called?" she whispered, nearly speechless.
"Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 9, Op. 47 in A-major. Better known as the Kreutzer Sonata," said Diana. "It's always been one of my favorites. This opening Adagio in particular. No matter how awful I'm feeling, listening to it always manages to…center me."
"I can see why," Akko responded, allowing the increasingly passionate notes to carry her in a way she couldn't quite express with words. "Obviously this isn't the kind of music I usually listen to, but it's…really nice. More like the kind that…"
The words were out of her lips before she'd had time to think through their implications: "That you…dance to…"
Diana's entire body froze solid in an instant. She turned toward Akko slowly, pivoting like a statue on a revolving pedestal.
"Was…Was that an invitation…?" she asked, her lips barely moving.
It took Akko a few moments, but once the realization struck her, she became equally paralyzed. It had sounded like that, hadn't it?
Her first instinct was to play it off with some kind of joke. To claim that she had no interest in swaying her body to the tune of some centuries-dead white guy – but in a nice way, of course. Probably while also throwing in a playful jab about the fact that Diana's personal playlist predated the invention of playlists.
But instead, she found herself sticking out her palm and saying, "Sure. Let's dance."
Diana wordlessly accepted her hand, the pair drawing together as if entranced by a spell. Which was saying something, given that Akko had literally had that happen to her twenty-four hours ago.
Unlike with the Somnarca, however, this felt…good. Warm. Safe. All across her body.
Of course, this wasn't the sort of song where Akko's "usual" dancing style was particularly appropriate. So she allowed Diana to lead her in slow, swaying motions, their fingers laced together in a way that sent chills down Akko's spine.
"You're, uh…" she mumbled awkwardly. "Surprisingly good at this."
"I had lessons as a little girl. It's an essential skill for so-called 'high society,' as I was repeatedly told," said Diana, her voice equally quiet. "And you've already stepped on my feet less than Andrew ever did, so that's something."
Akko let a little snort out of her nose. "Never pegged him for the two-left-feet kinda guy," she remarked.
"Oh, you'd be surprised. He was a lot less composed as a child than he'd probably prefer anyone to know," Diana quipped back. "But I'm not really interested in talking about him right now. Please permit to me to simply enjoy this…a little while longer."
Akko nodded mutedly. If they were under a spell right now, then the idea of breaking it was utterly unthinkable.
In that moment, bodies pressed together and faces mere inches apart, she very nearly lost control. Forgot why she was holding back her feelings for this wonderful, incredible woman. Forgot why she shouldn't kiss her, right this goddamn second.
But the impulse passed as soon as it came. Even if she did decide to throw caution to the winds, this simply wasn't the right time. Not with Takeuchi still out there.
So instead, she took a page from the other witch's book, and let her treacherous brain melt into pleasurable mush.
Enjoying this moment, hand-in-hand with the woman of her dreams, for as long as she possibly could.
[-]
Sucy Manbavaran slowly looked up from her plate, her face twisted into its typical grimace.
"So, let me make sure I got this straight," she said. "You made this, blondie."
"With a little help from Jasminka, yes," answered Diana, arms crossed in front of her chest. "I'll admit, it was my first time attempting this particular recipe, so I have no doubt there shall be opportunities for improvement. But I look forward to your feedback."
The purple-haired witch poked experimentally at her pork with a fork, her frown deepening as she felt how tender the meat was.
"Except if this is real adobo, that means you must've had a marinade going for at least four hours," Sucy told her pointedly. "You really went through that much trouble?"
Diana shrugged her shoulders. "This is my first time seeing most of you in two years. It seemed warranted to prepare something special," she said. "And I'm afraid this is the only Filipino dish with which I have any familiarity."
"Well this is my first time tryin' the stuff, but I'd say you nailed it, sister!" exclaimed Amanda, their cheeks full and bulging. They hadn't bothered to wait for everyone else to start before wolfing down their fill.
Hannah and Barbara, though smiling indulgently, had moved their seats a little farther away as soon as Amanda took their first bite. It seemed this was a lesson the two had learned the hard way.
Finally, after seemingly concluding that the dish wasn't going to poison her – or else, that she was perfectly fine if it was – Sucy took a small, tentative bite of the pork adobo.
"Hmmm…" she uttered noncommittally. "You want real feedback? Not just some bullshit?"
Diana winced a bit at the vulgarity, but nodded. "Of course," she said.
"It's…not bad. Especially by rich white girl standards," Sucy was forced to admit, after she finished chewing on a second, much larger bite. "Got the texture down, and the marinade's mostly solid. Biggest piece of advice…go easier on the bay leaves. I know it's a key part of the flavor profile, but a little bit goes a long way. Use too much and it overwhelms the whole dish."
"Your input is much appreciated. My only time working with the ingredient before now was in massaman curry, which isn't exactly one of my specialties either," Diana replied sincerely. "I shall be sure to incorporate into my next attempt."
"I didn't know you cooked too, Sucy," Jasminka piped up. Or at least, that's what it sounded like; she too was speaking through an overly full mouth.
The corners of Sucy's lips angled even further downward.
"I don't," she said. "But you don't grow up in a household with Ramzan without picking up a few things. Chicken adobo's her signature. Takes some work, but feeds a lot of mouths."
"You got a bunch of siblings too, huh?" asked Hannah sympathetically.
The Filipina witch shrugged both shoulders in a single, wavelike motion. "If you consider seventeen to be 'a bunch,' then sure," she declared.
The mouths of every witch who hadn't had Sucy Manbavaran as a roommate fell open at this news.
Akko, who'd presumably heard the full story before, looked thoroughly nonplussed as she said, "I just wish I'd known sooner! We could've swapped recipes all the time while we were at Luna Nova."
"Please," sneered Sucy, deadpan. "You'd have to be even stupider than you look to trust anything I prepared for half a second."
The brunette swallowed a mouthful of rice in a single gulp. "Uhhh…point taken," she mumbled.
"Well, I'm just happy I get to eat your food again, Diana," stated Barbara, who'd already polished off her entire plate and was in the process of loading up a second. "Remember when our moms used to hang out, and you'd take me through 'kitchen boot camp'? Exact words I used to use, I swear."
"Surely it wasn't…that excessive," responded Diana, though her heart wasn't entirely in the denial.
Her relationship with Barbara went back a couple years longer than with Hannah, owing to the overlapping social circles of their families. And yes, perhaps she hadn't always been the most…self-aware child.
"But I thought we were having fun!" said Diana, wringing her hands as she suddenly found herself second-guessing absolutely all of her interactions from that age.
"And we did!" Barbara exclaimed back, holding up both palms defensively. "It's just that…well, you could get pretty intense. You made great food, don't get me wrong! But, umm…you were always reeeeeeally insistent that everything had to be one particular way."
"Isn't that how she is with, like…literally everything?" asked Amanda. "No offense, Di."
"I don't know if I'd agree with that," Jasminka spoke up, frowning slightly. "I've been serving as her sous-chef for a week now, and I've found her surprisingly flexible. Rather meticulous and routine-focused, but that's hardly a bad thing when running a professional kitchen."
The praise made Diana's cheeks tinge pink a bit – but not nearly as much as what she heard next.
"Yeah guys, lay off! Diana is…Diana. I wouldn't ever want her to change," said Akko through pouty cheeks. "Besides, that's what's so great about cooking. Everyone has their own style. Just like with magic!"
Hannah tapped her girlfriend on the shoulder, and leaned over to whisper something in her ear. She spoke quietly enough that she probably assumed no one else could hear, but Diana couldn't help but catch the tail-end.
"…took a while, but I'm finally starting to get what she sees in her."
[-]
One advantage of group dining in a restaurant you temporarily owned was that it made doing the dishes much easier.
All of their guests, even Sucy, had insisted on pitching in on that score. They started up an assembly line of sorts, bent over the sink basins with arms elbow-deep in suds.
"Are you certain you don't want me to help?" asked Diana, looking distinctly uncomfortable as she sat on the sidelines.
"Nonsense. Person who made the food gets immunity from dish duty. That's an O'Neill family creed," said Amanda in a carrying voice, without turning around. "Mind, it's about the only one I haven't pissed on at this point, but whatcha gonna do."
Akko snickered as she scrubbed at a particularly stubborn sauce-stain. This made for an unusual capstone to an already unusual day.
Never had she imagined, when she called her parents a week ago, that it would lead to her standing here in the old family restaurant, washing dishes arm-in-arm with old friends and her school-day bullies. Life really was stranger than fiction.
Still, it was…nice. The peace, the quietness of it all. So much less stressful than jetting around the world, constantly under pressure to make her shows bigger and better.
I hate my job.
It didn't come as some grand, spectacular revelation out of the blue. It was something she'd been thinking about for a while, even if she never managed to put it into those exact words.
But it was true.
Sure, she still liked some things about being a performer. Making people smile, making them believe in magic again. The same things that'd made her a fan of Shiny Chariot's shows in the first place, and made her want to do the very same.
Yet if she was being honest with herself…
She'd felt that so much more in those tiny little shows she did for their customers a few days ago. Before Takeuchi ruined it all.
The thought of the wicked businessman sent her train of thought crashing down. For just one evening, she'd almost been able to forget about that monster, looming over the restaurant like a great big shadow.
And it seemed the universe wasn't done providing reminders.
"Sucy, it appears that your cellular telephone is…" said Diana, her lip curling downward. "I'm not sure exactly how to describe that noise, to be perfectly honest."
"Geez, you can just call it a 'phone,' Marie Antoinette," drawled the Filipina witch. "Anyway, I know that ringtone. I set an alert for some keywords in my newsfeed after we texted. Can you check it? Passcode's 7829."
Hannah did some quick mental math. "Wait…isn't that just 'Sucy' on a keypad?" she asked pointedly.
Sucy responded with an indifferent shrug. "If you wanna break into my phone, be my guest," she told the black-haired girl. "The image files alone should deter any would-be thieves."
Not a single one of them doubted those warnings in the slightest.
"I am…probably not the best person to handle this task, but I shall give it my best attempt," Diana answered, pressing each button on the touchscreen one at a time, like an old man typing an email for the first time. "Yes…Yes, I believe I've got it. This must be the…article…"
But her voice trailed off as she read further.
After several moments had passed without the blonde saying anything further, Amanda cried out, "C'mon, Cavendish! Don't leave us in suspense!"
"Apologies, the news was simply…surprising," said Diana, who was now fidgeting nervously in a very un-Diana way. "The Japanese government has just reported the Yasakani no Magatama as stolen."
Akko and Jasminka both gasped as one, while their friends currently living in America turned around to stare blankly.
"Sorry, but…are we supposed to know what that is?" asked Barbara. "Only 'magatama' I know is from Ace Attorney. Erm…not that I play nerdy games like that or anything…"
"It's one of the Three Imperial Regalia of Japan. Along with the sword and mirror," Jasminka explained, before Akko could open her mouth. Just as well – history, even of her homeland, had never been one of her strong suits. "But this is unheard of. The locations of the treasures are government secrets. They're only brought out for major ceremonies, and even then they're not shown to the public."
"Akko, I read something in another article recently. I'd like you to confirm it for me," muttered Diana, her fingers trembling enough that she was forced to set Sucy's phone aside. "Is the jewel in question…?"
"Yeah," said Akko, cutting her short. "It's the only known Sorcerer's Stone in Japan."
Amanda bit their lip, an unusually serious expression falling over their face.
"Didn't Lotte say something about…?" they began, before trailing off as well. It seemed the witches were all arriving onto the same thought.
"A Sorcerer's Stone does not normally amplify artifact magic," Diana recited. "Unless specifically attuned to it."