The peace and quiet were so nice, it was rare for Diana to actually have time to focus on her studies these days with all the girls finally getting along. It wasn't that Diana disliked hanging out with the group, she just had to keep up with her studies, and a certain Japanese witch made that very difficult.
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
Diana felt her head drop forward as she let out an exhausted sigh, "Speak of the devil..."
Knowing she was going to regret it, but being unable to ignore her, Diana got up from her desk and opened the door to her room. No sooner was the door cracked open than did the very witch that was the bane of Diana's grades burst through as if shot out of a cannon, immediately slamming the door behind her.
"I'm not here!" Akko whisper-shouted as she leaned against Diana's door panting heavily.
"That's the dream..." Diana said with yet another sigh as she started walking back to her desk. "What was so urgent, Akko?"
"Oh. Well, um…" Akko paused for a second as she looked at the floor before saying something very quietly under her breath as she blushed. Diana knew for a fact Akko had once again done something to anger Professor Finnelan and was most certainly trying to avoid her punishment. It must be serious if she decided to hide here of all places.
"Akko, I've told you at least a thousand times, I can't understand you when you mumble like that." She was trying her hardest to focus on the book in front of her but was now slightly preoccupied with getting Akko to talk.
"Well if I told you you'd rat me out again," Akko replied as she walked over to Diana's bed with attitude in every step before flopping down on it. "You know, it's really unfair how much more comfortable your bed is than mine."
"Don't change the subject Akko. What did you do?"
"It was an honest mistake! And it wasn't even entirely my fault. Sucy was the one to make the weird potion, and Amanda was the one who suggested trying it out on someone else first."
Diana immediately stopped trying to focus on her studies at that point as she looked up with some slight shock on her face. "Akko. Please tell me you didn't."
"I told you it was an accident! The tea we poured the potion into was meant for yo-" Akko stopped dead in the middle of her sentence as she realized what she was saying. Her face turned a deep red and she started avoiding eye contact with Diana.
"I'm sorry. What now?" Diana insisted as she slammed her book shut and looked at Akko angrily.
"I didn't agree with it!" Akko started defensively as she held up her hands, "I said that we needed to make sure it worked on someone less important to us!"
Diana felt her face heat up slightly at that last comment but wasn't quite sure if it was from embarrassment or annoyance. "Ugh, we'll finish this later. Who ended up drinking the tea?"
"MISS KAGARI!" Professor Finnelan shouted down the hall as if on queue.
Diana sighed for what felt like the tenth time in the last 2 minutes, "I figured as much."
Akko was already on her feet looking around Diana's room for a place to hide. "Remember, I'm not here!" she whispered as she dived under Diana's bed.
Diana rolled her eyes and got up from her desk once more as she heard a knock at the door. Ready for the incoming storm, she opened her door and put on the most pleasant face she could manage under the circumstances. "Good afternoon, Professor. What brin-" she was stopped in the middle of her greeting by the sheer shock she felt looking at the professor's condition.
"Where is she?" Professor Finnelan demanded as she looked at Diana with obvious displeasure written on her face, and Diana could hardly blame her. Her skin was tinted purple and her eyebrows were nowhere to be seen, which was unsettling, to say the least.
"I'm sorry?" Diana muttered somewhat pathetically after realizing she had been staring for too long.
"Miss Akko. I know she is here. Where are you hiding her?"
"Now, Professor. Why would you think Akko would come to me of all people when looking for a place to hide?"
"Because she's been here the last five times she hid from her punishment," Finnelan answered very unenthusiastically ."Which, may I add, only makes her punishment worse when she finally gets caught. She should just confess and take responsibility!" she finished as she projected the last part into the room loudly.
Diana stood at the door with Finnelan for a few moments as the professor looked around angrily. "Well, I can assure you she is not here. However, I'll be sure to pass that message on to Akko if I do happen to see her at some point," Diana replied in as proper a tone as she could.
"You better," Finnelan began, "otherwise you can share in whatever punishment Akko gets the joy of experiencing."
Professor Finnelan then turned and began to storm off as Diana calmly closed the door and walked back over to her bed. "The things I do for you." she simply said as she sat down.
"You're the absolute best, Diana!" Akko said happily as she climbed out from under Diana's bed and sat next to her. "I seriously owe you one!"
"I'll add it to your tab," Diana replied with unimpressed sass, "Now out of curiosity, what was that potion supposed to do?"
"Well, Amanda thought we could use some excitement, so she asked Sucy to make something that would make people act more." Akko paused and cleared her throat awkwardly, "Impulsively." Akko's face was beginning to turn beat red once more as she continued to not look at Diana.
"Impulsively you say?"
"Yeah… Impulsive in a way at least…"
Diana just looked at Akko with confusion as she tried to piece it all together. Then, as she thought about what Amanda would want to do for entertainment, it all clicked and her face too began to turn very red. "AKKO!"
"It wasn't my idea!"
"Oh, my word!" Diana turned more and more red as she buried her face in her hands.
"It didn't work right anyway so it all worked out!" Akko tried her best to smile and reassure Diana it wasn't a big deal.
"And if it did work right?" Diana questioned as her face stayed red, "What would you have done if Professor Finnelan suddenly started acting on hormones?"
"Well, I didn't need to figure out. So it's okay!" Akko replied as she flopped back on Diana's bed and tried her best to calm down.
"You really need to plan these things out more, Akko." Diana sighed as she made the slight disappointment in her voice obvious and tried to get the blood to leave her face.
"Well, that doesn't matter now." Akko sat up again seeming more relaxed, "What are you gonna do now?" She asked with a smirk.
"What are you talking about?" Diana questioned, "I'll simply get back to my studies now."
"That's not what I meant," Akko continued, as she leaned back on her palms and crossed her legs, "you've got a wanted girl hiding in your room. How are you gonna get out of this?"
Diana thought for a moment, it was true that Professor Finnelan had told Diana that if she found out Akko was hiding here she would be sharing her punishment. Though, that wouldn't be an issue if the truth never came out. "Oh, what am I thinking?" Diana thought to herself, "Akko must be rubbing off on me, I must confess the truth."
"I suppose I'll just have to join you when the inevitable punishment comes." Diana answered professionally.
"That's it!?" Akko asked, sounding very disappointed as she sat up abruptly and clumsily uncrossed her legs, "You're not even going to try and avoid getting in trouble?"
"Of course not," Diana told her as she opened her book back to where it was before Akko interrupted her. "There is far less punishment given to those who accept responsibility for their actions. A lesson I believe you should learn at some point in your life." She finished, emphasizing the last part.
Akko just pouted once more before getting off of Diana's bed. "Fine. Then I guess I'll just go tell Finnelan now." She announced in a teasing tone.
Diana could feel a migraine coming on as she closed her book again and rubbed her eyes, just when she had found her place. "Very well," she said with the annoyance in her voice very obvious as she got up from her desk, "if it will teach you a lesson about responsibility, then let us go and see what Professor Finnelan has planned for us."
Diana started walking towards the door to go find Professor Finnelan, much to Akko's surprise. Akko had assumed that telling Finnelan the truth could've been used as blackmail on Diana to keep her out of trouble longer, though she should've known better than to think Diana would keep lying for her. "I should've just hid in the bathroom…" Akko muttered to herself as she trudged behind Diana.
Diana and Akko now stood in the headmistress's office with Finnelan looking absolutely livid as Headmistress Holbrooke looked slightly disappointed.
"I have come to expect things such as this from you Miss Kagari," Holbrooke began, causing Akko to puff her cheeks out in annoyance, "but you Miss Cavendish? Why would you lie to a professor?"
Diana looked down in shame as she replied. "I have no excuse for my actions, Headmistress. I simply wish to take responsibility."
"Well, I do hope that kind of attitude rubs off on certain other witches." Holbrooke replied as she looked at Akko.
"What is that supposed to mean!?" Akko asked angrily, getting more flustered by the minute. Even when she had lied and was getting in trouble with her, Diana still got better treatment than Akko.
Akko's question, however, was completely ignored as Holbrooke moved on. "However, your willing behavior will not draw away from the consequences of your actions." she explained to Diana, "Professor Finnelan has made it clear you two shall share your punishment, so I shall leave that decision up to her."
"Alright," Akko began, "what is it this time? Laundry? Kitchen Duty? Grounded?" she asked sassily as she listed her previous punishments.
"Let's try something a little different this time." Finnelan replied, "You will be tasked with washing every window in Luna Nova."
"Every window!?" Akko repeated. "Like. On the whole campus?! There has to be at least 1,000!"
"1,529 to be exact." Diana stated.
"Well, I'm glad you're so familiar with them, Miss Cavendish." Finnelan told her, "Because as stated earlier, you will be helping her wash them all. Without magic might I add."
"That's going to take forever!" Akko argued.
"Well then consider yourself lucky to have someone to help you with the task," Finnelan told Akko as she pulled out her wand. "And since there will be two of you I expect the windows to be twice as clean." Finnelan then flicked her want and summoned a large bucket of soapy water and two rags. "Now get to it. Maybe if you start now you'll be finished in time for dinner."
With that, Akko and Diana had no other choice than to take the bucket and get started. Akko picked up the full bucket of water with both hands and started grumpily carrying it out of the office as she muttered under breath. Diana grabbed the rags and followed behind her.
As the girls washed the windows, there was very little conversation outside of the occasional "You missed a spot there." and "This would be so much easier with magic." After about 300 windows, Akko finally decided to strike up a conversation with Diana.
"So," She began awkwardly as it had been silent for so long, "Why'd you do it?"
"What do you mean?" Diana questioned as she continued washing her side of the window they were working on.
"You know what I mean." Akko replied as she dipped her rag back into the water, "Why did you lie to Professor Finnelan about me being in your room? You could've totally ratted me out and avoided this."
"While that is true, part of me felt it was the right thing to do."
"Huh?" Akko questioned in response.
"Well, if I just told Professor Finnelan you were there you would have been punished alone when it wasn't even entirely your fault. As you explained to me, Sucy and Amanda were just as involved in the mess as you were." Diana explained to Akko while washing the window carefully.
"Wow." Akko just replied out of shock, "That's, kinda nice of you, Diana." She finished with a smile.
"Besides." Diana continued, now with a smirk on her face. "You definitely owe me now," she said with sass while Akko's face dropped. "and that is certainly worth all of this effort."
"Wait!" Akko demanded, "Are you blackmailing me?!"
"I suppose if you wanted to word it in such a negative way you could say that."
"What are you even going to use this for?" Akko questioned as she hesitantly got back to washing her half of the window.
"We'll see." Diana simply said while she dipped her rag in the water once more.
"Tell me! I can't just have you holding this over me!" Akko freaked out, dropping her wet rag on the floor and leaning towards Diana "What are you going to make me do!?"
But Diana didn't say anything else. Somehow, not telling Akko what she had planned was infinitely more fun than anything Diana could think of.