Chapter 2: The Worst Student in Luna Nova

The classroom was dark as if night had covered it in its black cloak, however, the annoying ticking of the clock hanging on the wall showed that it was still the afternoon. The first and second years were lined up in rows with their wands in hand as Professor Finnelan was reading off a list of students. They were able to see the professor clearly thanks to a giant black cauldron that was hung by chains on the ceiling. The cauldron was lit up with a golden-yellow flame that burned bright like the sun.

"Blair Bumpkin"

The student known as Blair walked forward, stopped a few feet away from Professor Finnelan and looked up at the burning cauldron.

"Alright, use the spell."

Blair held her wand up and then shouted the name of the spell, "Teine Cosmach!"

At that moment, a small purple flame shot out of her wand like a gun and hit the yellow fire. The yellow fire then changed to purple with a beautiful glitter-like texture to it.

"Very good Miss Bumpkin!"

All the students clapped for her as she bowed and went back in the line.

"Ok, next is…"

Finnelan read who was next on her list, and the name she saw made her sigh in anticipation of the worst.

"Next is...Atsuko Kagari…"

"You can at least sound like you're happy to call my name!"

Stepping out of the rows of students was a Japanese girl with brown chestnut hair and scarlet eyes. This was Atsuko Kagari, although all her friends and people who are close to her refer to her as Akko. She is famously known to be the worst student to ever step foot in the famous witch academy that is Luna Nova. From blowing stuff up to not having any magical talent at all (she can't even fly), she was a great example of a terrible witch. No matter what people have said, Akko always tries her hardest to be better than she is, and most of the time she does show promise.

After taking three minutes to stretch her arms, she stood up tall and held her wand up high in the air. "Okay...Teine Cosmach!"

With that, blue flames shot from Akko's wand and turned the purple flames into a cold blue. All the students behind her were awed in amazement.

Akko cheered, "Yes! See? I can do simple spells like that any da-"

Then all of a sudden, the blue flames started to take in all of the colors of the rainbow and were growing to a dangerous level. The flames then engulfed the cauldron and exploded like a grenade, scattering the metal remains everywhere. Everyone ducked and covered their ears as the cauldron exploded, and all that was left was smoke and the annoying noise of people coughing. Once the smoke cleared, the students could see Akko and Professor Finnelan's hair puffed up like popcorn and their entire bodies covered in soot.

"Miss Kagari…" Professor Finnelan turned her head slowly in Akko's direction, glaring at her with the intent to kill.

"Sorry…" Akko said sheepishly.


"This can not stand Headmistress!"

Akko was now in the Headmistress's office, waiting for her punishment as Professor Finnelan was endlessly yapping about how much of a bad student she was.

"I don't know why we decided to accept this disaster in our academy! Sooner or later, she will burn this place to the ground!"

Headmistress Holbrooke massaged her head and sighed in return, "Miss Finnelan...enough. Nothing was permanently damaged and no one was hurt."

"But if we let her go, she is going to think it's ok to blow up any classroom she goes to!"

"That is why she is here, to receive punishment."

The Headmistress and Finnelan were now staring at Akko, she cowered in her seat when they looked at her with serious eyes.

"Akko, I know you didn't mean to cause any harm," the Headmistress's voice was so gentle and caring, it made Akko feel a little better for what was about to come. "However, we cannot let this slide. Tomorrow, you will be sentenced to cleaning the outside area of the New Moon Tower ("Those first years keep making a mess over there! You need to punish them too!" yelled Finnelan)."

Akko nodded in obedience and then left the room, kinda happy her punishment was anything worse like cleaning the troll baths. Even though she closed the door behind her, she could still hear the sound of Professor Finnelan complaining to Headmistress Holbrooke.

"Headmistress! You need to stop going easy on her! If it were me, I would expel her on the spot!"

"Miss Finnelan just let this go, please!"

Akko sighed and then walked away from the door, not wanting to hear anymore. Ever since she first came to the school, she already felt she didn't belong. Most of the teachers belittled her and looked down on her because she didn't come from a magical background. Not to mention it was hard keeping up with all the other students when she had no magical talent whatsoever. So in that case, people would ask, why do you want to become a witch Akko? Because of one person...Shiny Chariot.

Shiny Chariot was a famous witch performer who captured most of the world with her wonderful magic. Akko had the chance to see her in person when she was six when her parents took her to see her live performance for her birthday. Ever since then, she wanted to step out of the boring normal world and step into the world of magic. Even though most people around her said that magic was useless in this age of science, she didn't care, she wanted to pursue her dream no matter what.

So Akko decided to go to Luna Nova to become a witch and also because Shiny Chariot was also a student there as well. However, when she first came it felt like Akko was alone in a magical world she didn't understand, but thank goodness it wasn't the case.

"Akko!"

The brunette witch looked to see her two friends who she cherished the most. There was Lotte Jansson, a kind girl with short orange hair, freckles, and big glasses. And then there was Sucy Manbavaran, a creepy-looking girl with pale skin and mauve hair mixed with dead red eyes. These girls were Akko's teammates, together they were known as the Red team.

"Did you get in trouble Akko?" Lotte asked with a concerned expression, she always worries about Akko.

Akko replied, "Yeah, but it's nothing serious."

"This was like, I don't know, the fifth time you went to the Headmistress's office this week," said Sucy. "You just always seem to get yourself into trouble these days."

"It's not my fault!" Akko shouted. "Trouble just seems to follow me wherever I go. It's like I'm cursed."

"I wouldn't be surprised if you were," said Sucy nonchalantly.

Lotte elbowed the pale girl.

"Sucy, don't be mean! Come on guys, let's go check out the library."

"Ugh! Do we have to now?" Akko asked while she groaned.

"You promised you would actually finish the homework Professor Badcock assigned! You want to get in trouble with her again!?"

"Ok, ok. But I gotta see Professor Ursula soon for personal tutoring, so it can't be for too long."

Akko joined her friends as they strolled down the hallways of Luna Nova. As they were walking, the Red team bumped into at least five or seven teams that wanted to talk to them.

"Hey, Akko! You're not in trouble again are you?"

"Hey, Akko, Lotte, Sucy! Are you guys planning another performance like you did last week?"

"You girls should be in our club! It's only open for weekends!"

"Ok, ok!"

Lotte was the one who turned all of them done while Sucy just flat-out ignored the girls. Akko however, just smiled at the fact that others wanted to hang out with her and her friends.

After the Samhain Magic Festival, the Red Team grew in popularity. Even though Akko is still made fun of a few times and is still called the worst student, she is finally noticed among some of her peers and is acknowledged as a witch. It definitely made her feel like she was close to her goal of becoming an amazing witch like Chariot.

"Oh look! It's Akko and her other loser friends~!"

The three girls groaned once they heard those irritating voices, they turned around knowing who exactly it was. It was two pretty girls, one with auburn hair tied with a yellow bow and the other girl with long silky black hair. These girls were Hannah England and Barbara Parker, the meanest and most annoying girls in the school.

"Don't you girls have anything better to do than bother us?" said Sucy as she growled at them like a dog.

"Oh~! The freak is starting to get hostile Hannah~!"

Barbara said out loud with a mocking tone.

"They're nothing but animals Barbara, they can't be anything else," Hannah snickered.

"Argh! Can the two of you just leave us alone!? We have homework we should be doing right now!"

The two annoying girls were backed up by Akko's loud voice, but they still kept going with their barrage of insults.

"A loser like you doesn't deserve to be popular! I don't know why everyone is giving you and your team praise for your pathetic show last week!"

Hannah snapped back.

Barbara then interjected, "After all, you didn't even win—we did! A pathetic loser like you will always be at the bottom!"

"I wasn't trying to win," replied Akko, "I was just trying to show off my and my teammate's skills, and everyone was impressed."

"And the two of you act like you earned the title Moonlit Witch, the one who got it was Diana because she was the only one who actually did something," Lotte fired back, which definitely threw the girls off their game. Lotte usually never speaks up against them, so her saying that bewildered them.

"W-whatever! We are still leagues better than all of you!" Barbara yelled with her cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment.

"Does status and popularity really matter that much?" Akko shook her head and was ready to leave those annoying girls behind.

"It does. In this magical world, there is one important factor a witch should always have, honor."

Akko and the others stopped when the big bad boss finally appeared. Coming in between the middle of Hannah and Barbara was the definition of beautiful. Her long blonde hair flowed graciously as she walked, her pale skin was healthy with no blemish, and her light blue eyes lit up as she peered down on Akko, the brunette couldn't stare at her for more than a few seconds without looking away nervously.

Diana Cavendish was her name, a descendant of a royal witch family, and the star student of Luna Nova. She and her lackeys Hannah and Barbara make up the Blue Team.

"So what are you saying, Diana? You're saying I don't have honor?" questioned Akko.

"You have no honor, and your little magic trick back at the festival proves it."

Diana's gaze on Akko sharpened even more as she continued to belittle her.

"All you did was make a fool of yourself back at the festival and everyone got a good laugh at you and your friends. You are more fitting as a clown than a witch in my opinion."

Diana smiled cruelly at Akko once she finished that sentence. Akko was taken aback by what Diana said, she had never been that harsh towards her before. The brunette tried to say something to the blonde, but her voice choked when Diana's blue eyes continued to make her feel uneasy. Hannah and Barbara laughed aloud as Akko stood there, defeated in the battle of words.

"I have said it before but I will say it again, you have no right to be in this academy."

"Why don'tcha just leave her alone princess!"

Entering the verbal battle now was a third party, the Green Team. The members of the Green Team were also friends with Akko, and they had all been through a bunch of crazy adventures with Akko and her team. There was the tomboyish rebel with hair like fire and sharp emerald eyes, Amanda O'Neill. The short and silent genius witch and inventor, Constanze Amalie von Braunschbank-Albrechtsberger (Jesus Christ that is a long-ass name!). And finally, there was Jasminka Antonenko, a girl with hair as pink as cotton candy, divided with two braids, and a smile that made everyone around her feel warm and fuzzy.

"Oh look, the gangs are all here," Barbara frowned as the Green Team approached them.

"If you guys wanna pick a fight I'm always done. Other than that, just get the hell outta here," Amanda grinned at the three girls as she cracked her knuckles. Hannah and Barbara backed up a little bit in fear, but Diana didn't even flinch at Amanda's threat.

The beautiful blonde witch whipped her back.

"Don't bother, we're done here."

Diana then turned around and walked away like a celebrity, and before Hannah and Baraba followed her, they stuck their tongues out at the six girls and then followed their leader.

Amanda growled at them.

"Geez, what is her problem!?"

"She's a lot colder than usual," said Sucy.

"It's almost like she is out for blood," Lotte said in a low frightened voice.

"Yeah, my blood…" replied Akko.

Little did the girls know even Diana herself was really surprised by how hostile she was towards Akko, but the emotions that were boiling inside her like hot water were affecting her mood and her words. What was Diana feeling that was making her hate Akko? It was a defeat. Even though Diana was the one who became the Moonlit Witch during the Samhain Magic Festival, she did not believe she earned it. She believed the miracle that Akko and her friends did during the festival completely bested her performance, if it wasn't for them breaking the rules, maybe Akko would've won. This sense of defeat was then followed by irritation, she hated the fact that someone like Akko bested her, she hated the fact that she was the one chosen by Shiny Rod. Why was it not her? Compared to Akko, she is a thousand times better in magic, but for some reason, the most powerful magical artifact chose her instead of herself. Knowing that fact left a wound on Diana's pride, making her feel like all the hard work she did to get to this point in her life was completely useless because, in the end, she felt like she had nothing to show for her accomplishments. But there was a deeper reason Diana was upset about Akko having the Shiny Rod, a feeling that goes all the way back to her family.


After staying three hours in the library with her friends, Akko went off to go meet her favorite teacher, Professor Ursula for their private lessons. Ursula Callistis is one of the youngest professors in the entire staff of Luna Nova, she is also the only professor who doesn't treat Akko like garbage. She believes in Akko's abilities and always encourages her when she feels down.

The young witch opened the doors to the classroom to see an adult woman with dark blue hair tied with bandages and a small ponytail resting on her right shoulder, she wore glasses that covered her eyes which were as red as Akko's. Once she saw Akko, she gave the same smile that a mother would give to her child.

"Hello, Akko! How was your day?"

"I blew up another classroom…" Akko answered while glancing to the side to not see Ursula's reaction.

"Oh...is that so?" Ursula laughed nervously, the atmosphere was getting really awkward now. "Well let's start practice before bedtime!"

Akko spent two hours going through cosmic flames and she almost blew herself and Ursula to smithereens a few times. But after a while, Akko was able to keep the rainbow-colored flame under control for at least two minutes before it blew up in her face like a firework.

"Good job! You're improving!" Professor Ursula clapped for her success. She glanced at the clock and saw that time was escaping them.

"Ok Akko, let's see your metamorphosis spell before we leave."

"Alright! Now, this is something I can do we ease! Metamorphie Faciesse!"

Akko was then engulfed in smoke and became a small and cute little mouse before her professor. Professor Ursula clapped her hands with a smile. "Good job Akko! Try again!"

"Metamorphie Faciesse!"

Akko then transformed into a rabbit, then a monkey, then an elephant, an owl, and then ten more natural animals. The brunette finally stopped after multiple transformations, she held onto her knees exhausted, but she still had the strength to give her favorite professor a thumbs up.

"You have become a natural at the spell, I'm so proud of you!"

"Yeah...now my only problem is flying…"

"Flying will come to you eventually, it just takes more practice," Ursula told her as she placed a hand on her shoulder. Akko smiled back, but her professor could tell there was still something in the young witch's mind that she wanted to share.

"Is there something you want to talk about Akko?" the girl was surprised that Ursula noticed, she looked at her with her big red eyes.

"I-it's just...well...I've been thinking about the Shiny Rod lately."

"What about the Shiny Rod?"

"Well...I was able to use it during the Samhain Magic Festival, and I was also able to awaken another form of it as a bonus. It can transform it into a bow, an ax, and a grappling hook! I tried using it during the weekends, but it does absolutely nothing. I guess it only works when it wants to or when it really needs to. Do you know anything about Professor Ursula?"

The classroom was quiet for a bit, Ursula looked at Akko with understanding and gentleness. She cleared her throat before she spoke.

"Akko...the Shiny Rod is—"

But when Ursula was interrupted by the noise of the magical megaphone that was being projected throughout the entire school, the voice belonged to Professor Finnelan.

"All students and professors please gather in the auditorium for a special announcement from the Headmistress. I repeat, please all students and professors gather in the auditorium for a special announcement from the Headmistress."

"I wonder what's going on? Let's go Akko."

The two then left the room and joined the crowd of students and professors who were heading to the auditorium. As they got there, Akko and Ursula met up with Lotte, Sucy, and the Green Team.

"What's going on guys?"

"We have no clue," Sucy shrugged, "but this better be quick, I was in the middle of testing out my new potion I made last night."

"I hope it has something to do with them changing the cafeteria food, it's truly disgusting," Amanda said with a frown.

"I think the food is pretty good," Jasminka commented.

"What food do you ever not like, Jasminka?"

Then all the students silenced themselves when Headmistress Holbrooke walked up on stage. She had a very joyful expression on her face, whatever this announcement was, it made her happy.

"Everyone, I have a wonderful announcement!"

The young witches leaned forward in their chairs with anticipation.

"We have accepted a very promising witch who has been transferred as a student and I would like to introduce her to all of you!"

Coming onto the stage was a girl wearing the Luna Nova uniform. She had very pale white skin and short purple hair with beautiful purple eyes. She looked over at the crowd and smiled, but it almost seemed like Akko was looking directly at her.

"Hello everyone, my name is Elizabeth Lucifer. It is wonderful to meet you all."


Author's Note:

For all those who don't know, Elizabeth is a beta character who ultimately didn't make it into Little Witch Academia. She is a vampire and originally had an antagonistic role within the story. I think you can probably guess what role she will play in this story…

Please check out my own original web novel, "The Branded Hero Volume 1: Baxter the Failure". The tale of a hero who has been outcasted by the world since releasing The Demon King: /series/The-Branded-Hero-Volume-1-Baxter-the-Failure/info

And please check out my webcomic, "The Curse of Gringerfield" on Webtoon and Tapas!

Webtoon: https/en/canvas/the-curse-of-gringerfield/list?title_no=970667

Tapas: /series/The-Curse-of-Gringerfield/info

Next Chapter: Elizabeth Lucifer