Author Notes

Hello, here it is the second chapter of Contrariorum, hope you like it.

Any constructive review is really appreciated.

Declaimer: I don't own any characters from Little Witch Academia, I'm just doing this for fun.

Chapter II

Postridie

It was the next morning, and the annoying alarm clock was announcing that it was time to face a new day, one that surely not even Dante, who has traveled through purgatory from top to bottom, would want to go through.

Rolling in the tangle of sheets and school clothes, she managed to resurface. She looked to her right and realized that Sucy was still asleep. A movement above her indicated that Lotte was about to get up. Glancing at the Shiny Chariot poster next to her, she began to slowly recall the events of the previous day.

She really didn't want to go to class.

She knew perfectly well that it was going to be a living hell. Blowing away some hair that was bothering her face, she turned over and closed her eyes.

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"Akko"

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"Akko"

She felt someone moving her, but she didn't feel like responding.

"¡AKKO!"

This time it was a bit stronger. She groaned and turned to see the culprit of such a commotion, finding Lotte's worried eyes.

"Um..." she managed to say.

"Akko, you have to get up, or we'll be late," the Finn reproached, already fully dressed and ready to go.

"…Iada," she replied in Japanese, and Lotte, not understanding, asked, "Can you repeat that, please?"

"I don't want to..." she said as she covered herself with the blankets.

"Akko... please," Lotte pleaded as she gently pulled at her.

"Leave her," Sucy said as she stood by the door. "She'll see if she wants to spend the rest of her life fixing brooms," she concluded, knowing full well that would be the least of her punishments if she skipped class.

"SUCY...!" she scolded, and continuing, Lotte said, "Akko, I know it's not easy, a-after yesterday, but you know you can't skip class." Seeing that the Japanese girl didn't respond, she gave up. As she walked towards the door, she said before leaving, "W-we'll wait for you in the cafeteria. We'll even grab you something to eat."

"Bang!" the door slammed shut.

Akko, knowing that she was alone, turned and looked at the boards supporting Lotte's mattress, and with a sigh, she felt tears streaming down her cheeks.

.

.

Somehow, she managed to get up and make herself at least presentable. After all, she was aware that if she didn't go out, her current problems would multiply, and she didn't want that. She knew she couldn't bear such a burden.

She walked slowly through the hallways, feeling several eyes on her as she passed by. Upon reaching the second floor, she entered the cafeteria from the upper level. She peeked inside first, looking for a distinctive hair color. When she couldn't find it anywhere, she decided to search for her friends this time. Spotting them easily beneath the stairs, she practically ran toward them.

"Akko, you came!" she heard Lotte say with a hint of excitement.

"Y-yes," she replied, her voice breaking.

"Look, here's your plate," she heard, pleasantly surprised to find that there wasn't a single bit of potatoes. She raised her eyes, seeking an explanation from her two companions.

"Don't ask, just enjoy it," Sucy said grudgingly.

"Th-thank you," she managed to say in a whisper.

And so, they enjoyed their breakfast quietly, waiting for the time to go to class.

.

.

Throughout the journey, Akko did nothing but take refuge in the backs of her friends. She didn't respond to anyone who approached her, and she didn't even utter a coherent word. It seemed as if her personality had completely changed, as if the cheerful and lively girl had disappeared and was locked deep within her, with no intention of coming out again.

In the classroom, she walked through the different corridors and sat in her seat with Lotte and Sucy on either side. She glanced at the clock just above the board and saw that there were still ten minutes left before class started. Relaxing a bit, she leaned on the desk and closed her eyes. In the distance, she could hear her classmates arriving, each taking their seat and continuing to chat animatedly.

It was a few minutes later when everyone fell silent. Finding it strange, she opened her eyes again, and as she adjusted to the sunlight, she saw a trio with a blue ribbon. Immediately, her breath caught, and on impulse, she gripped Lotte's thigh tightly.

"Akko?!" the orange-haired girl exclaimed in surprise, but she didn't pay attention. With each step those three took, the pressure in her chest increased, and her body started to sweat. When they were just inches away, her vision began to blur, and she felt like breakfast wanted to come back up, and she knew she couldn't hold it back any longer. However, nothing like that happened; they simply continued straight ahead and sat one row behind her without saying a word.

Akko, now a bit calmer, let out a sigh she didn't know she had been holding in. With that release of air, she felt all her energy drain away, unsure if she could even pay attention in class anymore.

.

.

Dinner had finally arrived after such a challenging day, and this bit of time left before she could reunite with her pillow felt like an oasis in a desert.

The plate consisted of a bit of potato salad (obviously) accompanied by a medium-sized piece of ham. It wasn't bad, but she missed home-cooked food, and she really needed it at this moment.

This time, the group they were eating with was a bit larger than usual because Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka had joined in to hang out. They were chatting animatedly about a kind of professional broomstick racing and how a new product designed just for that purpose made your broom more aerodynamic or something like that.

She focused on her plate instead, ignoring a few hints from Amanda to at least share her opinion on what they were discussing. She ate piece by piece until there was nothing left, then got up without saying a word, collected her dishes, and left the place.

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"What's wrong with Akko? She's acting even stranger than usual," Amanda remarked as she watched the Japanese girl disappear through the door.

"Pffft, why are you surprised? Akko's been weird since birth," Sucy replied sarcastically.

"Yeah, whatever," she said. As she looked around the rest of the table for a response, but she only found diverted gazes.

"Eeee, something happened, right?" she spoke this time with suspicion, and none of them dared to respond.

"Lotte, could you please explain it to me?" she asked, staring intently at Lotte, knowing that she was probably the only one who would give her any information. The girl in question startled a bit and said timidly, "A-Amanda, it's better that you don't know".

"HUH," Amanda muttered to herself, clearly frustrated by the lack of information. She contemplated whether to confront Akko directly or inquire about it at school.

However, it wasn't necessary. As she stood up to get some more juice, she noticed some girls with a crystal ball, completely mesmerized by its content. But that wasn't what caught her attention. It was precisely the voice that came from it that made her turn in that direction. "I-I-I like you, Diana!" she heard, followed by a sigh and a "How do you think someone like you can be with a Cavendish?"

That was enough; she understood everything instantly, gritted her teeth, and said, "That Cavendish bitch."