A/N: ... Well. This chapter was difficult to write. As if the site going down for two days because of a domain issue wasn't already discouraging enough. XD

*cough* But yes, that is the reason why this update it a little late. I won't bore you with the details here. You can read further notes on it at the bottom of the chapter. But long story short, I was having a hard time trying to figure out how the two scenes I included in this chapter were going to go, primarily because of Delila's character but also regarding the information I felt was necessary to cover during the conversations. That, and there's still the issue of my ongoing medication problems, of course. But at last, Chapter 9 is complete, which I think you guys are going to like as Delila and the Red Team interact a lot more here and things get a little tense. Before I let read on, however, I have two small announcements to make.

Firstly, I can confirm that the total fic number for the Shadows of a Spare series will be four. I've managed to acquire the Chamber of Time game from Steam and I'm currently in the process of playing it, so when this fic is finished, I will be including the novel version of Chamber of Time in my fic series as a sequel, which will then be followed on by Episodes 8 - 13 and Episodes 14 - 25 of the first season of the anime in their own fics. Chamber of Time does take place after Episode 7, after all. Though, I plan to only focus on the main plot of the game when writing that, because if I try to include any sub-events with each of the LWA girls, I feel it's going to get very messy. Diana's might be an exception, since Delila is her sister, but we'll have to see. Like I said, I'm still going through it, so things might change.

And secondly, this is addressed to any guests who have come over to this site from Ao3 regarding the update I left on my Ao3 profile. Due to the AI bot that's been scraping Ao3 recently, I have temporarily decided to restrict the viewing of my fics to Ao3 users only, just to stop the bots from stealing and reposting my work elsewhere. I apologise to any guests who are upset with my decision. I realise a lot of my viewings come from guests and I don't like restricting access to my work if I can help it. However, please understand that this decision of mine is temporary and that I will unlock them once Ao3 address the issue publicly with a solution. In the meantime, you can access my fanfics here, though I highly advise you get an Ao3 account going forward because I am probably not the only person who has resorted to locking their fics down. And depending on how long the issue persists or if this should happen again (which is likely), it may become the case that my fics will remain locked permanently. But we'll have to see how things go.

Thank you to everyone who has been favouriting, following, reading and reviewing this story. Your continued support is greatly appreciated. Shadows of a Spare is also cross-posted over on Ao3 under the same username and title in case something happens to this site; however, at this time, my stories are currently restricted to Ao3 account viewings only, so any guests looking to read this fanfic should consider getting an account in order to access it. Might be worth doing for future reference, really.

Chapter 9: A Touch of Red

Diana stood tall and proud at the top of the steps with her arms folded across her chest, an icy stare plastered onto her usually stoic and sharp features—creased brows, narrowed eyes, tightly pressed lips. Hannah and Barbara stood on either side of her, their backs as straight as pins, hands on their hips, their smiles smug. It made Delila's stomach do a backflip.

Why did she suddenly not like where this was going?

"How can you say that when you're all the way over there?!" Akko argued upon snapping out of her shock, holding the staff out as far away from her body as she could between ghostly pale knuckles. "At least come down here and see it for yourself!"

"On the contrary, Miss Kagari," the older Cavendish started bluntly, tapping a fingertip to one of her temples. "My family possess archived knowledge on magical artifacts, of which I have studied meticulously. I know the difference between a real magic staff and a fake one from this distance."

"But you said you don't like Shiny Chariot!"

"Didn't I also say that Shiny Chariot's performances were incredibly popular for a time?" Diana countered, making Akko's left eye twitch with irritation. "Everyone at Luna Nova knows who Shiny Chariot is and what the controversies surrounding her are. You don't need to be a fan of her cheap parlour tricks to recognise that."

Delila couldn't hide her physical wince at the phrasing Diana had chosen to use, quietly swallowing at being forced to acknowledge that invisible wall sprouting up between them again. Yet upon catching Akko's nostrils flaring up like an angry bull who'd just seen red, the younger Cavendish literally shook the feeling off with the shake of her head and made her way to the steps, deciding to intervene before the situation escalated.

"Diana," Delila addressed her sister as she stopped at the bottom of the steps, her brows furrowing out of concern once Diana's attention was on her. "What is going on here?"

"My apologies," Diana answered calmly. "My intention was to come and check up on you,"—she paused and looked over to where the Red Team were still standing—"yet it would seem Miss Kagari is still intent on finishing a debate that's long since been had."

"Is that so," Delila replied monotonously, a sceptical brow raised. "Because according to Miss Kagari, you interrupted her conversation with her teammates to insult Shiny Chariot. Is this true?"

Diana sharply shook her head in disagreement. "I was actually imparting some friendly advice about Shiny Chariot's disrespectful methods. Miss Kagari is unfamiliar with the traditions surrounding magic, after all. It's natural she wouldn't be aware of why Shiny Chariot's performances are not liked amongst the witches of Luna Nova."

From behind her, Delila heard Akko shout her objections. "Calling Shiny Chariot a 'disappointment' and a 'has-been' is not friendly advice!"

Diana ignored her, promptly resuming her explanation regarding her side of previous events. "In any case, I was trying to be diplomatic and end the conversation when it began to escalate." She closed her eyes with a slight scowl. "However, Miss Kagari insisted on prolonging it with the conceived notion that she possessed the real Shiny Rod."

"This magic staff is the real deal!" Akko yelled again, prompting Delila to look back to the glaring brunette waving the magic staff wildly above her head. "You're wrong!"

"Am I?" Diana questioned haughtily, cracking open an eye and holding out her palm towards the other girl. "Then please enlighten us."

"We used the Shiny Rod to get to the opening ceremony yesterday!" Akko proudly declared, pausing the staff in midair and lowering it to her front with a deepening glare. "It was the same spell Shiny Chariot used during her performances! The one where she turns the Shiny Rod into a bow!"

"And what was the name of that specific spell?"

"… Heh." Akko forced a chuckle and grinned confidently, seeming pleased with the answer she planned to give to Diana's question. She tipped her nose up to the sky, cupped her chin with a hand, held the staff upright with the other one and then answered in a firm tone. "Why, the Shiny Arc, of course!"

An uncomfortable silence descended.

Lotte hid her face in her palms. Sucy twisted her lips and squinted in what Delila assumed was disbelief at her teammate's back. Hannah and Barbara each shared a look and a raised brow each. And then there was Delila, who crinkled her nose and creased her brow at Akko like she'd just spoken in another language. The younger Cavendish should have expected that, but that fact did little to ease the second-hand embarrassment creeping up on her, to the point where she had to duck her head down behind her hand.

The metaphorical spell was broken by shrill laughter coming from the top of the steps, drawing everyone's attention to Hannah and Barbara wrapping their arms round their middles and throwing their heads back.

"What a moron!" Hannah wheezed.

"But what should we have expected from someone who doesn't even know how to ride a broom?!" Barbara cackled.

Akko's earlier confidence instantly shrivelled up like a prune. Her expression fell with a bewildered blink and matching frown, both hands returning to the staff as she looked back to her teammates for clarification.

"Did I say something wrong?"

Before either Sucy or Lotte could answer the brunette, a thundering clap echoed around the courtyard, shushing Hannah and Barbara and making the pair recoil in alarm with matching yelps. All eyes turned to Delila at the bottom of the steps, her palms pressed together. She narrowed her eyes into slits up at the formerly laughing auburn-haired and raven-haired witches.

"How rude," she chided, prompting Delila to fold her arms behind her back and tut in disapproval. "Mocking another student for failing to understand the basics of something she is naturally not going to be privy to? For shame."

Hannah and Barbara were rendered speechless, staring down at Delila as if she'd just backhanded them across the face. Admittedly, Delila was a little shocked at herself for letting her composure slip. Though, she should have expected it by now. Those two had been trying her patience all morning, and what they did was rude. It was inevitably going to rub Delila the wrong way eventually, she grimly acknowledged.

Meanwhile, Diana remained silent and still, showing no reaction to her teammates' bullying nor Delila's sudden interference. Why Diana hadn't attempted to intervene first, Delila didn't know. Yet the younger Cavendish paid it little heed for now, returning her focus to the Red Team, or more specifically Akko.

"But back to the matter at hand, Miss Kagari: 'Shiny Arc' is not the official name of the spell."

"It's not?" Akko questioned.

"No." Delila glimpsed the wand wrapped up in her sash. "If one wishes to cast a spell, one must recite the incantation that accompanies it. In the world of magic, the incantation is how we commonly refer to spells. If you claim to be the one who cast such an advanced spell, you must have spoken an incantation of some kind."

"Oh…" Akko mumbled in understanding. She furrowed her brows and scratched a hand at the side of her head, occasionally darting her eyes about as she did so. "Uh… I think I remember saying something like that when we were falling out of the sky, but I don't know what it was."

Falling out of the sky? Just what were those three doing prior to their entrance into the auditorium, Delila wondered.

Diana shook her head in disappointment. "Then I'm afraid that doesn't prove you were the spell's caster, nor that you used that 'magic staff'." Akko opened her mouth and made a noise of protest, only for Diana to swiftly cut her off with the raise of her palm. "My apologies, but I believe this conversation has run its course. If you will excuse us, we have other places to be."

"But it's true! You—"

"A word of advice, Miss Kagari," Diana swiftly cut in like her tongue was a sharpened knife, silencing Akko's voice once more. "The ability to use real magic is cultivated through hours of intensive study and following magical tradition, not by becoming intrigued with a fad. If you wish to stay at Luna Nova, it's in your best interest to keep that in mind."

Ouch, Delila mentally noted with a slight wince, briefly closing an eye at her sister's harsh words, as true as she knew them to be.

As Diana prepared to turn away and ignored the offended gawk Akko sent her way, she focused her attention on Delila still lingering at the bottom of the steps. "We were planning on stopping by the botanical garden to check on the Jennifer Memorial Tree. Would you like to accompany us?"

Delila's eyes warily shifted to Hannah and Barbara still flanking her sister's sides, the sudden eye contact causing both girls' shoulders to stiffen and their backs to go as straight as cardboard. The younger Cavendish could already imagine what those two were going to be talking about the moment they left the courtyard, things Delila knew she wasn't going to keep her mouth shut over this time. Just staring at the pair of them was causing her blood to boil under the surface of her skin, so her snapping their heads off again was inevitable. She didn't want to put Diana in the middle of that awkwardness.

"Thank you for the invitation," Delila answered lowly, returning her gaze to Diana with a small huff. "But if it is agreeable with you, I think I'll stay here a little longer. I still feel a bit queasy." Delila saw Diana's brows furrow and her eyes subtly droop, a sign that suggested the older Cavendish was disappointed in her younger sister's response. Luckily for Diana, Delila wasn't finished with her answer just yet, proven with the short huff she gave as she adjusted the cuffs of her shirt sleeves. "Besides, I have no need to know how the Jennifer Memorial Tree is faring. I've already heard the good news from Professor Callistis."

As much as Delila wanted to tell Diana everything she'd heard from Ursula earlier, her sister was going to see the memorial tree anyways. Why not let her discover the good news for herself, she thought, which was furthered when Delila saw her sister's face perk up in surprise at the last thing she said, her brows sharply raising and her eyes widening slightly.

"Is that so?" she enquired evenly, doing well to mask the relief the younger Cavendish caught glimmering in the corners of her sharp blue eyes. Delila nodded in confirmation, prompting Diana to return the nod out of acknowledgement, the shift in her mood palpable only to her younger sister. "Very well then." Diana quickly turned away and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I'll return to check on you once we're done. Should you need me for anything, you know where we are."

"Of course."

Diana made her departure from the courtyard then, with Hannah and Barbara each giving Delila an awkward wave and forced smile each before jogging after the older Cavendish. Delila let a quiet snort slip once the trio were out of earshot and shook her head in silent amusement; looks like the two of them hadn't taken too kindly to their earlier scolding.

The sound of a raspberry being blown behind her drew Delila's attention back to the Red Team, where the younger Cavendish spied a glaring Akko with her thumbs in her ears and her fingers waggling on either side of her head, her tongue stuck out as far as she could get it. How comically childish, Delila thought, yet she supposed it was better to see Akko's spirits still intact despite the argument and Hannah's and Barbara's rude behaviour. The younger Cavendish had lost count of how many times she'd witnessed Diana's passion and confidence constantly being snuffed out by their cousins and aunt throughout their childhood for similar reasons. Just thinking about it made Delila ground her teeth together with annoyance.

"What's Diana's problem?!" Akko complained, directing her rhetorical question to Lotte and Sucy. She puffed her cheeks out and balled her hands into fists at her sides, gripping the staff in one trembling hand. "Just because she comes from some hotshot witch family, that doesn't mean she knows everything!"

"Try not to take it personally, Akko," Lotte soothingly reassured, offering her teammate a sympathetic smile and a light pat on her closest shoulder. "Witches are reliant on facts and logic when it comes down to magic. It's only natural Diana is going to believe her research over your own word."

"And what happened to us isn't easy to believe," Sucy casually added, approaching Akko's other side to give her cheek a harsh poke. "Unless she saw the whole thing for herself, you stood no chance of convincing her."

Akko slumped her shoulders and pouted at the lavender-haired witch to her left, releasing one hand from the staff to rub the back of her neck. "I didn't think of that."

"Probably because you're still wrapping your head around what magic is really like," Lotte replied, prompting Akko to sullenly nod.

"I thought magic was supposed to be fun and exciting, but it's been so boring since I got here." Akko straightened up again and furrowed her brows at the staff still in her hands, sighing heavily as her voice grew quieter. "This isn't how I expected my first day at magic school to go at all…"

Just like me, Delila realised, her mouth falling open slightly at the faint tug she felt on her heartstrings. Another first for today to be sure, with some variation to their individual situations, yet the familiar feelings still managed to ignite that strange and warm fluttering to her chest once more.

Sadly, this feeling was fleeting for the young Cavendish.

Low gurgling suddenly filled the air, interrupting Delila's train of thought. All three pairs of eyes from the Red Team blinked simultaneously at Delila instinctively wrapping an arm round her stomach, a faint pink flush rising to her cheeks. Looks like her lost appetite had returned, she embarrassingly thought. How uncouth of her to let the truth of her empty stomach slip in front of other students!

"Are you hungry?" Akko asked, tapping a finger to her chin and walking over to the younger Cavendish with Lotte and Sucy slowly trailing behind her. "Though now that I think about it, you weren't with Diana when we were in the cafeteria…"

Delila swallowed thickly and averted her gaze to the windows on her left, purposely avoiding eye contact at the sweat she could feel gathering on her forehead.

"I didn't have much of an appetite," Delila answered lowly. "Please do not trouble yourself over my wellbeing. If you will excuse me."

Delila turned around and prepared to make her exit from the courtyard through the north entrance. However, she only got two steps forward before Akko intercepted her with her arms outstretched and a displeased frown, suddenly halting the younger Cavendish in her tracks.

"Where are you going?!" Akko questioned demandingly. "You're not planning on spending the rest of the day with an empty stomach, are you?!"

Delila raised a brow as she looked the shorter brunette over from head to toe, her head cocking to the side. "Not necessarily, but I don't have much choice in the matter. The lunch period has likely passed now. Until they resume serving meals for dinnertime, there's nothing I can do about it."

Delila attempted to step around Akko's left side and prepared to announce her exit from the courtyard. But she only got halfway past the shorter girl before she felt two hands tightly grasp her upper arm, the unexpected physical contact tensing every muscle in the taller witch's body.

"No way!" Akko replied defiantly, her frown matching her tone. "I'm not letting you do that!"

Delila scowled at Akko from over her shoulder and tugged harshly against the other girl's grip to make her let go, trying to keep her tone even to avoid coming across impolite. "And what concern is it of yours, Miss Kagari?"

"Since you pulled that plant off my head!" Akko's words caused Delila to briefly stop her struggling, her eyes widening in confusion at the brunette girl deepening her frown. "I've got snacks, so you can hang out with us until Diana comes back!"

Delila huffed loudly and turned away from Akko then, resuming her earlier tugging and gritting her teeth to keep her voice steady. "Thank you for the generous offer, but I'm afraid I must decline—"

Delila cut herself off with a shocked yelp at suddenly being pulled forward up the steps by her right wrist, stumbling a little until she caught her footing on the top step. It took the blonde witch a second to realise that Akko was now marching in front of her and holding her wrist in one hand, her head tilted proudly to the sky.

"I wasn't offering!" the brunette girl stated bluntly.

The second Delila's shock wore off, the younger Cavendish glared at Akko's back and began yanking her wrist backwards as hard as she could, futilely fighting against the shorter girl's strong grasp dragging her out of the courtyard; Delila swore Akko had the strength of a farmhand.

"Unhand me!" Delila demanded, her feet skidding about the stone as she tried and failed to dig her heels into it.

"Not until you've got food in your stomach!" Akko replied without taking her attention away from where she was going, her grasp and her marching remaining steadfast. "Now, come on!"

Delila peeked back over her shoulder at Lotte and Sucy quietly following them, giving the pair a frown that bordered on pleading for help. However, all she was met with was a sympathetic smile from Lotte and a dismissive shrug and shake of the head from Sucy, causing the younger Cavendish's body to fall limp and her physical resistance to cease altogether. So much for the backup, she mentally snarked. Looks like she was going to have to tolerate Akko's company for a little while. After all, she had an appearance to maintain.

The back of the main school building beyond the cafeteria was similar to the courtyard, possessing large patches of neatly trimmed and lush grass separated by a winding path and the towering and thriving trees of the nearby forest surrounding the dome-like structure housing the botanical garden. However, unlike the courtyard, there was also a narrow river that cut through the land, circling the botanical garden and slicing almost vertically through the ground close to the school's building. Two small and arched stone bridges allowed students passage over these waterways, one of which was located directly before the entrance to the botanical garden, while the other could be found in the middle of the river close to the school. It was the latter bridge that Akko chose to drag Delila over and then settle her by, thankfully with no sign of Diana nor Hannah and Barbara nearby.

Akko sat cross-legged on the grass near to the river's edge with the Shiny Rod lying on the ground in front of her, forcing Delila to kneel beside her on her right. Meanwhile, Lotte copied Delila's position and settled on the younger Cavendish's right as well, while Sucy opted to sit on the bridge opposite Akko on Lotte's other side, dangling her legs over the side onto the grass. With her fists tucked into her lap, Delila cautiously watched Akko fiddling with a tiny and round, brown pot, a handmade white cloth lid tied by a small piece of rope over its opening. It took a couple of tugs for the shorter brunette to loosen the string and pull the cloth away, grinning proudly at her 'handywork'.

"Here!" Akko said to Delila as she held the pot out to the latter. "Try one!"

"… Thank you," Delila mumbled her thanks after a short delay, only to squint suspiciously at the small, ball-shaped and reddish-purple snacks she was being offered.

The younger Cavendish gingerly plucked one off the top of the pile and held it between her index finger and thumb, noting it almost filled the gap in the crook of her fingers. It felt slimy to the touch and had a wrinkled appearance, like it had shrivelled from soaking in something for a long period of time. A quick whiff sent a strong, sour scent up her nose—vinegar, perhaps? A droplet of the presumed vinegar dribbled off onto the grass close to her feet, making the younger Cavendish shudder a bit in disgust.

"What… is it?" Delila hesitantly enquired as she peeked over at Akko.

"Pickled plums!" Akko's grin widened with the raise of her shoulders, her eyes blissfully closing and missing the puzzled raise of Delila's eyebrows. "They're a much-loved snack where I come from!"

Pickled fruit? Had Delila ever heard of such a thing before now? Pickled vegetables she was aware of, pickled eggs she definitely knew about, pickled fish too. But plums? She was drawing a blank on that one. At least that explained the smell.

Delila furrowed her brows at Akko out of uncertainty, the brunette's words doing little to reassure her. But when the Japanese student's grin morphed into a beaming smile with two eager nods, the British witch quietly swallowed and then huffed. Yes, Akko had dragged her here against her will, but her intentions came from a good place, Delila knew that. She didn't have to offer her anything, especially a delicacy from her own country. The least the younger Cavendish could do was try it. She'd been raised with manners, after all. And if she could down an elixir that tasted like blood every day, then surely she could stomach one pickled plum, she reasoned.

Her mind officially made up, Delila inhaled deeply through her nose, straightened her posture, opened her mouth wide and tossed the plum inside, ignoring the waiting eyes watching her every move.

The Red Team had little time to wait for a reaction; the plum barely hit Delila's tongue before an intense sourness erupted across her taste buds, laced with a salty tang. With her eyes suddenly watering and her lips instinctively puckering, the younger Cavendish released a muffled screech and ducked her head down, pressing her palms against her mouth. What kind of flavour combination was this, she internally yelled.

"Delila, are you okay?!" Delila heard Lotte question out of concern, with the younger Cavendish swearing the poor girl's voice rose a couple of octaves in the process.

Without looking up, Delila removed her right hand from her mouth and held up an index finger in the bespectacled witch's direction, attempting to ground the plum into mush as fast and thoroughly as possible. During this time, Delila swore she heard Sucy cackling lowly at her suffering, causing the heat to rise to her cheeks a little. She couldn't believe a pickled plum had succeeded in shattering her composed mask so easily.

A lot of chewing and one loud, thick gulp later, Delila was lifting her head again with an oxygen-sucking gasp, her breathing labouring as she placed a palm to her chest and coughed.

"M-My apologies," she wheezed, pausing to cough again and roughly smack her chest twice more. "I-I think that was a little too sour and salty for my palate…"

"No need to be polite," Sucy commented with an amused smirk. "You're allowed to admit Akko was trying to poison you."

Akko released an exaggerated gasp and gripped the pot of pickled plums to her chest like Sucy had just insulted her newborn child, only for her shock to morph into annoyance with the puff of her cheeks and the narrowing of her eyes.

"Knock it off, Sucy! You know that's not true!"

"Wasn't it your pickled plums that nearly killed us yesterday?"

Akko opened her mouth to retaliate, then a few seconds later, her expression froze, crimson eyes almost bulging out of realisation. Delila watched with a puzzled frown as the Japanese girl pursed her lips and averted her gaze to her pickled plums, her fingertips lightly tapping the sides of the pot.

"… How was I supposed to know the leyline didn't like salt?" she grumbled loud enough for the younger Cavendish to hear, causing Delila's eyes to droop the second the metaphorical puzzle piece clicked in the back of her head.

So, that's why the Red Team wound up scaring the entire auditorium half to death, Delila bluntly thought. Though she refrained from saying such out loud when Akko snapped her head up again and glared at the lavender-haired witch.

"And anyways, you're one to talk about poisoning people!"

Akko jabbed her index finger into the back of her head a couple of times as a subtle reminder of what happened during Magic Numerology for good measure. Sucy simply shrugged her off and let her face return to its default, droopy-eyed look.

Loud gurgling drew the pair's attention back to Delila. The younger Cavendish bashfully looked down at her rumbling stomach and wrapped her arms round it, keeping her head bowed to hide her embarrassment. If only she wasn't paranoid about using her magic right now, she internally sighed. She could have used a shadow magic spell to get out of this situation…

The sound of a crinkling wrapper reached Delila's right ear, prompting the younger Cavendish to slowly lift her head towards a shyly smiling Lotte clutching something thin and rectangular wrapped in blue packaging between her palms.

"Do you like chocolate?" the bespectacled witch asked, holding up the chocolate bar in question for Delila to see. 'Karlfazer' was printed almost diagonally in large and golden cursive lettering on the front, along with the word 'maitosuklaa' in tiny, golden block lettering printed vertically underneath it. "You can have one of my chocolate bars if you want."

Delila narrowed her eyes at the unfamiliar and tiny words on the wrapper, which she assumed was supposed to be the name of the chocolate flavour. It was clearly written in another language; Finnish, she suspected, because of the name 'Fazer'. If memory served her correctly, there was a chocolate company in Finland with that name.

"What flavour is it?"

"Milk chocolate." Lotte's smile widened a little as she tilted her head to the side and pointed at the tiny lettering. "Sorry. The packaging is printed in my native tongue."

Lotte was Finnish? Didn't Delila recall Professor Ursula say Lotte's surname was 'Jansson'? That was a Swedish surname, wasn't it? Perhaps Lotte had some Swedish ancestry somewhere in her blood, Delila concluded.

"I see," Delila remarked, gratefully nodding as she accepted the chocolate bar from the other witch. The younger Cavendish could handle ordinary milk chocolate no problem. "Thank you, Miss Jansson."

"Yeah, nice one, Lotte!" Akko cheered, making Lotte blush and avert her gaze to her lap while rubbing at the back of her neck.

"I-It was nothing, really!"

Akko sent Delila a sheepish smile and cocked her head to the side. "Guess you aren't as used to pickled plums as I am…"

"No, I'm not," Delila affirmed. "But the gesture was still appreciated."

Akko blinked widely in surprise, though her shock only lasted for a few seconds before she switched her focus back to the pickled plums in her lap.

"Oh, well!" Akko licked her lips and rub her hands together with anticipation. "More for me then!" The brunette paused her movements briefly to glance between Lotte and Sucy. "Unless you guys want some?"

Sucy immediately shook her head back and forth and crinkled her nose, her actions easily spelling out her answer without the need to say anything. Lotte, on the other hand, smiled nervously and held up her palms, beads of sweat visibly forming as she waved her hands back and forth in dismissal.

"N-No, thank you! I-I'm still full from lunch!"

Delila wondered if her earlier reaction to Akko's snacks had put Lotte and Sucy off from even trying them. At least it didn't affect Akko, who responded with a casual shrug as she grabbed a pickled plum from the pot.

"Suit yourselves!"

Delila curiously watched Akko plop the plum into her mouth, witnessing the Japanese student's lips pucker and her eyes squeeze tightly shut at the exact moment the young Cavendish guessed the intense sour and salty flavour combination assaulted her tongue. Yet in comparison to Delila, Akko's reaction was brief and more subdued, the shorter brunette chomping down on and swallowing the contents of her mouth without making a single distressed sound, swiftly following up with a contented noise and then throwing another pickled plum in to repeat the process. Delila couldn't help wondering how often Akko actually ate these things to have built up such impressive tolerance.

With Akko tucking into her own snack, Delila wasted no more time in pulling open the packaging of the chocolate bar and breaking off the first square piece to plop into her mouth, wanting to silence her empty stomach as soon as possible. Her shoulders slumped in relief at the sweet and creamy taste melting on her tongue, washing out the sour and salty aftertaste of the pickled plum from her taste buds.

For a short time, peace and quiet lingered between the four girls, Akko and Delila munching away on their snacks and Lotte and Sucy patiently watching them do so without interruption. Once Delila had devoured her chocolate bar, however, Lotte went ahead to strike up a conversation with the younger Cavendish.

"So, Delila, you're new to Luna Nova too, right?"

Akko gagged on the pickled plum she was in the middle of swallowing, having gasped at the question and prevented Delila from formulating an answer. She coughed violently and whacked her fist to her chest, giving it a couple of hollow thumps until she felt it was safe to speak.

"You're new?!" the Japanese student exclaimed, red eyes bulging in her sockets.

Sucy shook her head and adjusted her sitting position on the edge of the bridge, bringing her legs up to cross them so she could rest an elbow on her knee and a cheek in her palm. "Did you already forget what Professor Finnelan said last night about our team assignment?"

"I did not!" Akko refuted and pointed in Delila's direction without breaking eye contact with the lavender-haired witch. "Lotte said Diana was a returning witch student like her! And since Delila sounded as smart as Diana, I thought she was one too!"

Oh? It sounded like Akko and company had been relayed the same information she and Diana had from the headmistress. No wonder no one had questioned her about the current number of students in her team, she thought, Lotte especially.

"That would be because I was homeschooled until recently," Delila explained, causing Akko's expression to relax with a curious blink.

"It's possible to be homeschooled in magic?"

"All witches start their magical studies at an early age," Lotte continued with the raise of her index finger. "Though, what you learn can differ depending on where you live, your ancestry and your family's profession in the magical world."

"Precisely," Delila confirmed, briefly closing her eyes. "Some witches choose to remain homeschooled well into adulthood, particularly those of noble witch bloodlines. But for anyone seeking to expand their magical knowledge and spell repertoire, along with any personal reasons they might have, they can enrol at magic schools like Luna Nova once they hit the required age bracket."

"Oh!" Akko perked up with a quiet gasp and leaned forward a bit, placing her hands in her lap to steady herself. "Like how I came to Luna Nova because it was the same school Shiny Chariot attended?"

Delila hummed in agreement without opening her eyes, not surprised by Akko's response. It was common knowledge in the magical community that Shiny Chariot was once a student of Luna Nova, and since Akko had already professed her love for the former witch performer, the younger Cavendish could put two and two together easily.

"I get it!" Akko cheerily stated, then glanced between Delila, Lotte and Sucy and smiled. "Then why did you guys decide to come to Luna Nova?"

"I'm studying to obtain my magical licence so I can take over my family's shop," Lotte answered, shyly scratching a finger to her cheek. "Luna Nova was the only affordable magic school offering the qualifications I need to graduate with."

Delila cracked open an eye in Lotte's direction with the curious lift of her brow. "What kind of wares do your family sell, if you don't mind the enquiry?"

"Magical wares mainly, like magic scrolls, wands, hats, and so on. But we also sell ordinary wares for non-magical folk."

Delila saw Akko's eyes widen out of awe the second Lotte listed off some of the magical items by name. "Ooooh! That sounds so cool, Lotte!" But then that excitement swiftly wore off when Akko glanced over at Sucy. "And you, Sucy?"

"I wasn't planning on sticking around for this long," Sucy casually admitted, making Lotte's and Delila's brows raise with surprised blinks while Akko gawked.

"Wait, really?!"

"Yup." Sucy slowly eased herself off the bridge until she was sitting on the grassy ground, bringing her knees up to her chest so she could rest her chin on them. "I got what I wanted after we fell out of the leyline." Delila frowned when the lavender-haired witch gave her a wary glance, though it only lasted for a second before Sucy shook her head. "However, I've heard that Luna Nova have samples of some poisonous mushrooms that went extinct a while ago, so it looks like you'll be putting up with me for a little longer."

Akko scowled. "And you had the nerve to accuse me of poisoning Delila! You're the one actively looking for poison!"

Sucy chose to reply to Akko with an amused smirk and a low and eerie sounding chuckle, causing sweat to sprout to Delila's temples and one of her eyes to twitch in discomfort. And here Delila thought Akko had made quite the impression!

Luckily, Akko's attention didn't linger on Sucy for long, finally turning to Delila when Lotte took the initiative to question her.

"What about you, Delila? Your family are well-known for their rich history in magic, aren't they?" Lotte smiled and adjusted the side of her glasses with her hand. "I'm admittedly a little curious why you've enrolled at Luna Nova when you probably have access to the same magical knowledge at home."

Delila contemplated repeating the same answer she'd previously given to Hannah and Barbara yesterday. However, she soon decided it couldn't hurt to be a little honest with the Red Team. They didn't seem to be as sycophantic as her teammates, after all. And it wasn't like she had to go into massive detail.

"Aside from looking to enhance my knowledge and skills in magic, I wish to learn more about my family's founding ancestor and her ties to Luna Nova," Delila answered after a short delay. And how she was connected to preserving magic in the past, she mentally added, though it's not like the Red Team needed to know that part.

Lotte perked up with a small gape of realisation. "You mean 'Beatrix the Affectionate'?"

"Correct. Sadly, many of the archived texts my family have that date back to her time were damaged due to poor preservation, so I am hoping Luna Nova possesses what I am seeking."

"Who was she?" Akko curiously asked.

"She was one of the nine witches who founded this school and used her magic to help those in need, regardless of whether they were friend or foe." The young Cavendish straightened her posture and lifted her head in the direction of the school's main building, puffing her chest out a little. "She is the witch I have always aspired to be like since I was a little girl; my role model, if you will."

Akko let out an excited gasp and almost launched herself at Delila, making the blonde witch flinch and recoil in surprise when the brunette landed in front of her on her knees and softly slammed her palms into the grass. "Just like me and Shiny Chariot!"

Delila hunched her shoulders and edged away from the Japanese student a little to create some space, awkwardly clearing her throat. Though, the younger Cavendish couldn't deny that Akko had a point; what a coincidental little parallel. "Y-Yes. Something like that."

"That's so awesome! But I wouldn't sell yourself short!" Delila blinked in surprise as Akko grinned from ear to ear and clenched her hands into fists before her chest, her red eyes widening with a fiery glint of determination. "After what you did earlier, I'm sure you'll get there in no time!"

Delila blankly stared at Akko for a moment, her unexpected encouragement and support rendering the young Cavendish speechless. And why wouldn't it when they'd not long met and barely knew each other? Perhaps it was because she could hear in Akko's tone and see in her demeanour how genuine she was being. The compliment that rolled off the Japanese student's tongue didn't sound forced nor sickly sweet. Akko meant what she said, a rare encounter for the British witch to be sure.

Eventually, though, Delila slowly shook her head and lowered her eyes to the elixir vial on her hip, sucking in a sharp breath to prevent a sarcastic response from leaving her tongue; Akko's words came from a place of ignorant bliss to her current circumstances, after all.

"Believe me, Miss Kagari, I am nowhere near to becoming the witch Beatrix Cavendish was once revered as," Delila said flatly, doing well to hide the apprehension that formed as a small lump in her throat.

The blonde witch stretched out a hand to her elixir vial and lightly held it in her palm, feeling the cool glass on her skin. But from within her peripheral vision, Delila spied Sucy's visible eye intently focused on her sash, particularly on the hand cupped round her vial. The younger Cavendish subtly swallowed the still growing lump in her throat and pulled her sash anti-clockwise, further obscuring her medicine from view behind her back.

"That doesn't mean you shouldn't try! You can do it if you believe you can!" Akko argued matter-of-factly, drawing Delila's attention back to the Japanese girl. She tilted her nose to the sky and closed her eyes, holding up an index finger. "It's like Shiny Chariot always said: 'Believe in yourself! That is your magic!'"

Delila forced a couple of blinks out of disbelief at Akko's words, rendering her speechless for possibly the third time today (not that she was keeping count to begin with). Was it because of the continued admiration and positivity about Shiny Chariot? Or perhaps it was the genuine kindness and support this foreign student had shown, something she hadn't had in a long time? Delila wasn't sure. It didn't stop that strange warmth from igniting deep in the confines of her chest again, a hand of hers reaching up to lightly rub at the affected area.

"I, uh… appreciate the encouragement, Miss Kagari," was all Delila could bring herself to say once she found her voice again, her words slow and hesitant. "Thank you."

It didn't seem like Akko noticed, though, based on the teeth-baring grin and happy chuckle she replied with. "You're welcome!"

Delila softly cleared her throat and stood up, collecting the chocolate wrapper from her lap as she did so. "And thank you all for your hospitality, but I believe I've overstayed my welcome." The young Cavendish glanced in the direction of the botanical garden. "I should see how my sister and my teammates are faring with the memorial tree."

Come to think of it, they've been in there for an awfully long time, Delila mused, so something must be keeping them. But before Delila even took a step forward, a light tug on her shirt sleeve kept her in place.

"Hold on! There's no need to rush off!" Akko said, prompting Delila to look down at the Japanese student still sitting on the ground. "I said you could hang out with us until Diana comes back! Why not stick around?"

Delila frowned out of uncertainty, her eyes warily trailing to Lotte and Sucy also still seated on the grass. "Are you sure?"

"Sure I'm sure! We don't mind!" Akko peeked back over her shoulder at her teammates. "Do we, guys?"

"Not at all," Lotte echoed Akko's sentiments, closing her eyes and smiling as if to further provide reassurance. "Right, Sucy?"

Sucy's default expression didn't change as she rested a cheek in her palm with a light shrug of her shoulders. She didn't need to say anything for Delila to get the message loud and clear.

Delila glimpsed the dome-like building of the botanical garden one more time, a little unsure if she should accept the invitation or not. It had been a while since she'd last seen Diana, and while Delila could guess her sister was more than likely fine, Diana's earlier despondency over the previous rejection swiftly sprung to the forefront of her mind. Was she being selfish by allowing Hannah's and Barbara's behaviour to ruin time they could be spending together? Delila had initially come to Luna Nova for Diana, after all.

But all it took was another glance at Akko's beaming smile and questioning head tilt for the young Cavendish to realise that the fluttering warmth she felt earlier was still lingering in her chest, faintly tugging on her heartstrings. She couldn't place her finger on it, but something about Akko's smile and actions was giving rise to the same feelings of nostalgia as Ursula's eyes did, reminding her of blissful times she could no longer return to.

Her mind made up, Delila allowed her body to slump back down onto the grass with a defeated and heavy sigh, ignoring the pleased grin from Akko and the friendly smile from Lotte at having chosen in their favour as she responded. "If you insist."

She could spend time with Diana again once she returned from the botanical garden, Delila reasoned. And besides, she could admit it: after the morning she'd had, it was nice to be in the company of students who didn't want to make her throw her guts up.

A/N:

Regarding the argument between Diana and Akko, I had my reasons for making it as tame as I did. Delila's character was one of them. The way Diana, Hannah and Barbara act during the original scene would not have sat right with Delila, as due to the bullying she and Diana have endured at the hands of their relatives, it's only natural she wouldn't stand for Akko being humiliated in front of the school like that, regardless of her sister's intentions. Delila would have gotten triggered and blown up at the Blue Team for it, yet unfortunately, it could not happen here. For one thing, because of how Delila was raised, she picks and chooses her battles. She knows when not to make a scene, so her blowing up at Diana at this stage after seeing a different side to her behaviour wouldn't have made sense. As for the second thing, it's too early for Delila to be doing that anyways, considering this is the first time she has seen Diana and her teammates act like this. She's not going to gauge from one interaction alone that this is normal behaviour for her sister, and considering how bad Hannah's and Barbara's bullying gets in Episode 7, that seems like more of an appropriate place for Delila to lose her cool. XD Still, I had Delila stir up a bit of tension between her and her teammates here because after enduring their nonsense all morning, there was no way she was going to be quiet. Plus, much like her sister when it comes down to respecting magic tradition, Delila is a stickler for etiquette. She doesn't tolerate bad manners. XD

And then we have the little scene that occurred between Delila and the Red Team. I used the food idea mainly as an excuse to force Delila to be stuck with Akko and co., because she had no reason to willingly stick around with them at that point. As Diana has already said, Delila isn't a 'people person', and as Delila has also said, she and Diana have no interest in making friends. Hence this very comical interaction between Delila and Akko. XD I wanted to give Delila an opportunity to properly get acquainted with the Red Team, but also to set up the conversation on Shiny Chariot that needs to occur between Akko and Delila. This is to make sure the context for who Shiny Chariot is and her legacy are properly established in the story, because obviously, everything is already summed up in the original episodes due to Akko not being a witch, whereas Delila is a witch, so this isn't new information and thus is irrelevant to info-dump. Also, it acts as a nice little parallel to the argument that occurs between Diana and Akko, showing Akko how different the Cavendish twins are when it comes down to their opinions on Shiny Chariot and how they conduct their discourse about her.

I also thought it was a neat way of introducing Lotte's nationality. Scouring through her wiki page, someone noted in the trivia that during the first episode, when Lotte trips and her stuff goes flying everywhere, she seems to have a chocolate bar whose wrapper and size matches 'karlfazer' branded bars, which is a Finnish chocolate company. Thought it was a more unique way of revealing her nationality to Delila than her simply saying 'I'm Finnish'. XD Fun fact: Lotte's surname 'Jansson' is actually a Swedish patronymic surname. Apparently, Finland have quite a lot of Finnish-Swedes, so that was another little tidbit I thought was interesting to add for Lotte's character. It probably isn't canon that Lotte does have Swedish ancestry, but the implication that she might was a concept I wanted to include. I was going to do the same for Sucy too, but the only thing I could find on her wiki that hinted at her nationality was her surname and her broom. So, I plan on making use of the latter in particular during the third episode, meaning Delila won't find out Sucy's nationality for a while yet. XD

Think that's everything covered, but if anyone has any further questions about this chapter, feel free to leave them in the reviews.