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It wasn't the first time that Max woke up in the middle of the night, plagued once again by haunting dreams of the mistakes she made, her mind cluttered with "buts", "ors" and "what ifs". And like every night for the past several weeks, she would stare up at the darkened ceiling of her old room, wondering if she deserved to be here – deserved to be alive – when so many had suffered because of her decisions. The light of the full moon spilled through the window as Max raised her right hand over her face, thinking of all the damnable things this one limb had made her do.You see, Maxine Caulfield – or "Max, never Maxine" as she would always say – was far from a normal girl as one can be, even when you are living in a world where witches play racing games on brooms and aliens buy fresh fruit on the market street. Max had the power to control time. While that may seem impressive, the most she has ever done was turn back the clock a few seconds and, at best, travel back during her own life through photographs. There was one time where she actually stop time itself, but that's a story she'd rather not repeat.The one question that constantly plagued Max's mind was: why? Why her? Up until a couple of months ago, she was just an ordinary high school senior that had no special qualities other than being a cliché wallflower that always sat back and just watched the world go by through the lens of her camera.But then she started having these nightmares – premonitions about the future of Arcadia Bay and its destruction at the hands of a massive tornado. At first, she though they were just wild, imaginative dreams – stress-induced visions from working too hard. But her whole life changed that very same day when she went into the girl's bathroom and watched a girl being shot in broad daylight.Max didn't know what compelled her to do it – looking back, it seemed rather stupid – but she instinctively held out her right hand and suddenly, time rewound itself. She was back in class just minutes before the shooting occurred. That's when she discovered she had the power to reverse time with her right hand. She used that power to prevent the shooting from happening; she altered the course of history. Or maybe she was always meant to do that. Ever since Max learned she had time controlling powers, she had done a lot of research on time travel, even after Arcadia Bay was destroy. A recently submitted thesis by some scientist named Croix Meridias said that history cannot be altered and any changes that happen in history only occur because they were meant to. So if that were true, the Max was always supposed to stop that girl from being shot – or at least, that what she believes to make herself feel better.As if fate was in motion, the girl she saved turned out to be her childhood friend, Chloe Price, whom Max had regrettably lost contact with during their five-year separation. Chloe was rightfully pissed at her for not staying connected; Max admitted that her excuse for not calling her was rather pathetic. But when she found out that Max had time controlling powers, she was very eager to get back into Max's good graces. It was likely out of selfish reasons, but Max didn't care at the time; she was just happy to have her best friend back. They had played around with her power for a while: making funny predictions, trick shots on bottle (finding the bottles, on the other hand, was pure ass), and sneaking into the school pool at night and slipping past the guards without getting caught. Max had wished from the bottom of her heart that those days would have lasted forever. But when you have time-altering powers, you quickly realize that nothing is eternal.Though they stumbled into it by accident, they uncovered a hidden conspiracy that not only lead to the death of Chloe's friend, Rachel Amber, but was responsible for a number of tragedies that nearly caused one of her closest friends to kill herself. Max wondered if she was still alive; the hospital was more fortified and a good distance away from the main part of town; maybe she got out okay. But it was probably finding Rachel Amber's body in the junkyard that hit them the hardest – having to watch Chloe, who always seemed so strong, break down like that was heartbreaking. And then she was shot, right in the forehead, in front of her. Max managed to prevent that from happening again, but it still haunted her memories. And the man who committed all these atrocities – Max quickly shook her head. No, she didn't want to think about
him
for as long as she lived.And then it finally came: the predicted tornado that would devastate Arcadia Bay and kill hundreds of people. Max and Chloe had been at the lighthouse when it happened, watching the terrible weather giant inch closer to the shores. Maybe it was out of desperation to change something, but Chloe had insisted that Max go back in time and let her die, somehow believing that her being alive was somehow the cause of all this. But that…that was just plain ridiculous. How could a weather phenomenon be the result of her not dying? Max had had the visions
before
she had seen Chloe in the bathroom, meaning it was already happening even before Max had her powers. And if Professor Croix's thesis was right, the tornado was going to happen regardless of whether or not Chloe was alive. Max rejected the idea. If the tornado was going to happen anyway, then the only difference would be that Chloe wouldn't be with her anymore, and Max, after everything they've been through during that week from Hell, couldn't do it.They watched the tornado devastate their hometown from afar, holding each other for strength.The morning after, they had driven through town, hoping by some miracle that there would be survivors waiting on the roads. But there were none as far as they knew. The street was littered with bodies; neither Max nor Chloe stuck around long enough to see who they were. They were quiet the entire ride out of town, only Chloe's hand in her own giving her some warmth from the numbing feeling in her chest as she looked back at the ruins of Arcadia Bay for the last time.After that, they had made their way up to Seattle toward her parent's house. They had expectedly been worried about Max and nearly drowned her in happy tears when she and Chloe arrived on their doorstep. Max's parents had, of course, allowed Chloe to stay, more than understanding of her predicament. They had spent the past few weeks trying to pick up the shattered pieces of their lives and figure out what they were going to do next. Max had tried getting into contact with her school friends in hopes that someone would respond and prove they were alive, but there had been no messages thus far.And that's what brought Max to where she is now, lying awake at night, staring at the hand that had changed so much of her life in such a short amount of time. But she was quickly snapped out of her thoughts when she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist and felt a weight on her shoulder. She turned her head sideways and stared into Chloe's big blue eyes.Another thing that had changed since the destruction of Arcadia Bay was her relationship with Chloe. Max wasn't sure if it was because they needed each other after experiencing such devastating loss, but she and Chloe had crossed the border from best friends to a more romantic sense in a few short weeks. Some may think it's unrealistic and that they are just using each other to cope, but Max liked to disagree. Her parents, of course, were well aware of their relationship; so much so that they were forced to sleep in separate rooms. Luckily, her parents were away for the weekend to visit her sick aunt, so they had no worries about getting caught. Not that Chloe ever cared about caution to begin with."Hey," Chloe muttered softly in her ear. "Still thinking about…you know?""I don't see how I can't," said Max. "It just happened a little while ago.""Look, none of that was your fault, all right," said Chloe. "That Doctor Crew guy – ""Professor Croix," Max corrected."Whatever," said Chloe, rolling her eyes. "They said the tornado was going to happen anyway, so it's not like you did anything wrong.""But I didn't do anything right, either," grumbled Max. "I don't know, Chloe. I feel like I could have warned people, at least. Maybe I could have gone back far enough and told them what was coming.""That tornado came completely out of nowhere; no one would have believed you until it was too late," said Chloe sympathetically. "Believe me, I wish I could have saved mom and…okay, maybe David, too. But that professor guy, he said history can't be changed. It was going to happen, no matter how hard we fought it. I think at this point now, the best thing we can do is accept it.""Look at you dishing out sagely advice," said Max teasingly. "Are you high again?""And what if I am?" said Chloe with a wicked grin. Max slapped her playfully and Chloe laughed as got up off the bed. "Ugh…now I can't go back to sleep because of all this depressing shit. I'm gonna get a beer from the fridge.""Try not to pass out on the couch again," said Max as Chloe stepped out the door."No promises!" Chloe called back.Shaking her head lightly, Max fell back on her bed and stared at her hand once more. She was making an effort to get past all the tragedy she had suffered in recent days, but there was still something that Max couldn't quite figure out about the whole thing. Where did her power come from? In a world full of magic, one wouldn't think too deeply on the matter, but Max knew that she wasn't a witch or a Demi-Human – she and Chloe had gone to multiple doctors around Seattle to be sure. And even if she was, she had been told repeatedly that bending the fabric of time-space was impossible for any single person, even for those strong witches over in Europe. So where did this power come from –
Crash!
Max quickly shot up in her bed. She recognized the sound of a smashing bottle from those hellish hours of searching for them in the junkyard. It sounded like it was coming from the kitchen. Did Chloe trip or something? But then she heard a muffled yell, followed by a quiet
thud! Then came the voices – there were multiple, and all of them sounded like men. Someone had broken into their house and they had Chloe! Max quietly threw herself out of bed and stealthily edged her way out of the door and into the hallway. Time for a little Blackwell Ninja action, she thought.Max silently stepped down the hall, thanking her mother for investing in the godawful pink shag carpeting she had bought on a whim, because it muffled the sound of her feet as she started to climb down the stairs. When she reached the bottom step, the stairs opened up to the living room, and she saw at once where the intruders were: two men were standing in front of the fireplace as they lit the grate, illuminating the darkened room in a reddish-orange glow. The man who had set the fire was wearing a long, tattered white coat that concealed his face, and the other man was wearing a dark-drown hooded coat and covered his face with a bronze mask. And there, lying on the floor, Max could make out Chloe's electric blue hair against the carpeting.Max covered her mouth to stop herself from gasping. Immediately, the worse thoughts occurred to her. Then she listened intently, for the man in the white coat started speaking; his voice was harsh and raspy like it was straining."You didn't kill her, did you, Amon? It would be such a shame to lose such a healthy specimen.""I do not kill unless it is necessary, Ruvik," said the man called Amon; his voice sounded strong and imposing. "And neither will you. This girl is not involved; she was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time.""Did you say the same thing when you killed Charlotte Jansson and her husband?" said Ruvik with an amused chuckle."A necessary sacrifice," said Amon resolutely. "If she were still alive, she would have hunted me down and we wouldn't be having this conversation, now would we?""I suppose so," said Ruvik. He kneeled down next to Chloe, running a hand through her hair. In the firelight, Max could tell that his hand was covered thoroughly in burn marks. "Ah, such a waste. By the way, where is Acnologia? I assumed he would be here by now.""That arrogant dragon does whatever he wishes," said Amon, crossing his arms with a hint of annoyance. "In truth, I will be surprised if he does show up.""Don't worry, my old friend, he will turn up," said Ruvik confidently, standing up straight. "After everything we've told him, he would be a fool not to accept our offer. Although, I personally never thought we would ever ally ourselves with a monster like Acnologia.""Normally, I wouldn't either – that man has a habit of betraying those he works with," said Amon.Brow furrowed, Max inclined her ear around the corner of the stairway, listening very hard. There was a pause, and then Ruvik spoke again."How long do you plan on staying here, Amon?""Only a few days," said Amon, "just until the owners of this home return. After I am finished with my business here, I shall move westward, crossing the ocean until I reach Japan. I figured the sense of irony would be appropriate. However, we still can't move forward with the plan just yet. It would be foolish to act before the International Chariot Race Tournament is over."Chariot Race. Max was sure she heard something like that before – maybe from Warren? He was always into some weird, super obscure shit."The International Chariot Race Tournament, you say?" said Ruvik. "Forgive me, Amon, but I don't understand why we should wait until the Tournament is over?""Because, at this very moment, Demi-humans are pouring in from all over the world, and every meddler from the Magic Council will be on duty, on the watch for signs of unusual activity, checking and double-checking identities. They will be obsessed with security. I only made it this far because I was careful. I'm not going to risk losing everything now."Max was lost in a haze of confusion. She had distinctly heard the words "Magic Council" and "Demi-humans". It became clear to Max that the people lounging in her parent's living room were Demi-humans, and if they were talking in such hushed voices about the Magic Council, then they were clearly dangerous. Max gripped her shirt in anxiety and listened more closely still."So you are still determined, then?" said Ruvik coolly."Certainly, I am determined, Ruvik." There was a note of menace in his voice now.A slight pause followed – and then Ruvik fell back on the loveseat, making himself comfortable near the warm fire while his feet were raised on Chloe's back; they were as scarred and scabbed as the rest of him."Forgive my ignorance, Amon," said Ruvik, "but why do we need to wait until
after
we have caught Akko Kagari to move forward with our plan? We can do it just fine without her."Another pause, more protracted, and then –"Without Akko Kagari?" breathed Amon softly."It just doesn't make sense to risk so much for one girl," said Ruvik, folding his hands together like a shrewd businessman. "Certainly, the girl is an important factor to consider, but one we only need to worry about for a later date. After tonight, we will have all the components we need to move forward. You know Akko Kagari is well guarded by a number of powerful witches – there doesn't seem to be any reason to take that risk when we are already in the final stages – ""You're not wrong," said Amon in a low voice. "We do have everything. There would be no point in going after Akko Kagari….""So you agree with me, Amon?" said Ruvik, sounding relieved to be free of such an arduous task. "Once we have what we need from here, we can leave and carry out our plans as intended. There would be no need for us to even lay a hand on Akko Kagari.""So then we agree we should forgo any attempts at seizing Akko Kagari. It's like you said, we will have everything we will need to carry it out after tonight…. But then, that would mean going against the Master's orders, wouldn't it? They specifically said that Akko Kagari must be in attendance, but I'm certain the Master will be understanding as to why we had to defy their wishes. They won't be too mad, I'm sure…."From her place at the corner of the stairway, Max could see the man called Ruvik sit up straight in his seat, his hand was gripping the rest like a frightened cat. A staggering silence filled the living room as Amon and Ruvik stared at one another. For a few seconds, Max could hear nothing but the fire crackling. Then Amon spoke once more, in a whisper that was almost a hiss."The Master has their own reason for using Akko Kagari, as I have already explained to you, and it is not our place to question their orders. We have waited fourteen years. A few more months will make no difference. As for the protection surrounding the girl, I believe the Master's plan will be effective. All that is needed is a little patience from you, Ruvik – patience you will find, unless you wish to incur the wrath of the Master – ""I have no doubt of our Master's ability, Amon!" said Ruvik impatiently. "All through our journey, I have gone over the plan in my head – Amon, Aleister Crowley's disappearance will not go unnoticed for long, and if we proceed, if I murder – ""If?" whispered Amon. "If? If you follow the plan, Ruvik, the Magic Council will never need to know that anyone else has died. Aleister Crowley has always isolated himself from the world, so it will be a long time before anyone takes notice of his disappearance. We will proceed quietly and without fuss. Just one more necessary death, Ruvik, and our path to Akko Kagari will be clear. I am not asking you to do it alone. As we speak, our hidden ally will have rejoined us – ""That's another thing that I have to question, Amon," said Ruvik, the merest trace of contempt in his voice. "How do you know they can be trusted. You know who - or more specifically - what they are - ""And that is why we must have faith," said Amon. "The Master's plans are more complex than either of us could perceive, but we both know they will succeed in the end.""I hope so," said Ruvik, leaning his head in his hand. "Do you understand what I had to go through to get to Aleister Crowley? Sneaking my way into Academy City wasn't easy.""Your actions will not go unnoticed by the Master," said Amon, nodding slightly. "We needed someone of Alesiter Crowley's intelligence to make this work. Luckily, his body was already crippled, so he didn't put up much of a fight when you arrived and brought him to me. And on top of that, we managed to pry some useful information out of him. The Master will be very pleased with you, Ruvik.""I will admit, I didn't think he would tell us
that
when I captured him," said Ruvik. "Another one of the Master's mechations, I suppose.""It wouldn't surprise me," said Amon. "That little bit of information proved itself to be invaluable. Without it, we could never have formed our plan. It's a pity that we had to kill him. With a mind like his, he could have proved useful, but his belligerent attitude towards Demi-Humans would only have proved a hindrance in the long run. Rather hypocritical, considering he was one himself. In any case, letting him return to Academy City would have led to awkward questions being asked by the Magic Council, and his own shrewd mind would have no doubt formulated a thousand different ways of seeking revenge before breakfast. It was better this way."Around the corner of the stairway, Max suddenly became aware that her hand was shaking violently and dripping with cold sweat. These intruders had killed a man. They were talking about it so casually as if they were talking about the weather. They were dangerous – a couple of psychopaths. And they were planning more murders – this girl, Akko Kagari, whoever she was – was in danger –Max knew what she must do. Now, if ever, was the time to go to the police. She could creep back upstairs, make a call on her cellphone, and wait for help to arrive…but then what would happen to Chloe? What if they used her as a hostage. Max considered maybe using her powers again – she could turn back time again and again until she rescued Chloe and they both got out of there…. Then Amon started speaking again, and Max remained where she was, frozen to the spot, listening with all her might."One more murder…our hidden ally in Luna Nova…Akko Kagari is as good as ours, Ruvik. It is decided. There will be no more argument. But quiet…I think Acnologia has finally arrived…."Ruvik lifted himself up from his seat and then they both turned towards the darkened entryway into the kitchen. Max strained her ears to listen…and then she heard movement coming from the darkness. Someone, or something, emerged seamlessly from the shadows, and for some reason, Max found herself paralyzed with fright.A tall and muscular man stepped forward into the light of the fireplace, stepping over Chloe's unconscious body, though it seemed unlikely that he did this out of consideration for her. His skin was so dark that it nearly blended in with the background, but much of his skin was covered in dark-blue tattoos that matched the color of his wild, unruly hair. Max has no idea who this man is, but he radiated with strength and malevolence that even someone like her could recognize. Horrified, transfixed, Max stared at the monstrous man as he seated himself on the couch facing the fireplace; Ruvik seated himself once more and Amon chose to remain standing.There was a sweat on Max's forehead now, and her hand was trembling so much she needed to hold it down with the other. She was so out-of-her-mind terrified that she missed Amon and Ruvik exchanging words with this new person, Acnologia if she heard correctly. Max didn't understand why this was happening to her. She wanted more than anything to go back up to her bed and wake up with Chloe beside her, pretending that all of this was a part of some vivid nightmare. The problem was that her legs didn't seem to want to move. As she stood there shaking and trying to master herself, the new intruder suddenly spoke up, his voice deep and menacing."We came to this worthless human household for a reason, didn't we?" he said."Yes, the girl that lives in this home has something we need," said Amon."Then shouldn't we invite her inside?" said Acnologia. "I smelled her scent the moment I arrived. She's been standing on the stairs this whole time, listening to every word we say."Max didn't even have a chance to raise her right hand. Amon suddenly threw his hand her way and her entire body suddenly seized up. It felt like every cell in her body was screaming in pain, her blood was boiling like it was on fire."Eavesdropping is very rude, Miss Caulfield," said Amon. "Please, come join us.Before she even understood what was happening, she was suddenly hovering inches off the ground and floating inside the living room. This Amon person seemed to have the power to control her body, which was bad because she couldn't activate her rewind power unless she held up her right hand. Amon beckoned her closer and Max's feet brushed against Chloe's unconscious body as he moved her in the middle of their group, setting her in front of the fire so that it cast long, spidery shadows upon the walls. Though her feet were planted firmly on the ground, Amon didn't let her move freely – he seemed to be aware of Max's power and wasn't taking any chances."You heard everything, girl?" said Ruvik coldly."Just enough to get the police interested in investigating you creeps," said Max defiantly, for now that she was inside the room, now that the time had come for some action, she decided to be braver. "I heard about how you killed that Crowley guy and your planning on killing more! And before you get any ideas," she added, on a sudden inspiration, "my parents will be back any minutes now, and when they see – ""You parents are gone for the weekend to visit an ailing relative," said Amon, very quietly. "The only people in this house are you and your girlfriend. Nobody knows we are here and you have not called anybody to warn them. Don't bother lying to us, Miss Caulfield. We planned this visit with every angle covered.""Why?" asked Max. "Why come here? Why my house?""Because you're special," said Amon. "By now, you have already discovered that you possess the power to reverse time – yes, we are fully aware of it, Miss Caulfield" he added to Max's surprised look. "I can imagine that you've been asking yourself for weeks now why you suddenly have the power to warp the very fabric of temporal space despite being born a human. Well, the answer is actually much simpler than you might think. For you see, inside your right hand, is something that we desperately need: The Star of Time.""The Star of…Time?" Max repeated, feeling very confused."An ancient stone with the power to manipulate time itself," Amon explained. "It's one of the Seven Stars of Arcturus which, when brought together, can reshape reality itself.""But why do I have it?" asked Max. "When did I get it?""You received the Star purely by chance," said Ruvik. "It used to be guarded by a woman named Charlotte Jansson, an old colleague of ours. But when she was hunting down our good friend Amon here, she decided that it would be too dangerous to keep on her person when they finally confronted each other. Charlotte was in Arcadia Bay when she made that decision and decided to hide the Star inside an ordinary human. It really was quite brilliant. No one would ever think an object of infinite power could be hidden inside an ordinary girl from a backwater town in the middle of nowhere. Had our Master not been ten steps ahead, we would never think to seek you out.""Charlotte must have thought you would never abuse the Star of Time should it ever become active," said Amon. "She would never do something as reckless in sealing it inside any random human. But the Star of Time has been awakened at last, and it's current residing inside your right hand.""So…what are you going to do?" asked Max, biting her lip timidly. "You're not going to…kill me, are you?""As I told Ruvik, we don't need any unnecessary deaths," said Amon. "You and your girlfriend will live this night – Ruvik will modify your memories after we leave so that you will have no recollection of what has occurred. However…we do still need that Star in your right hand…and breaking the seal around it will take more time than we actually have to spend in your home. And with that in mind…."Without warning, Amon suddenly raised her off the ground again, but then quickly slammed her down on her back on top of the coffee table. Max tried fruitlessly to struggle with the invisible bindings, but Amon only seemed to be getting stronger, especially as he stood in front of the window, bathed in the light of the full moon. Ruvik sat up once more and reached inside his coat, withdrawing a tattered rag and stuffing it in Max's mouth."You may want to bite down on that," he advised before stepping back.Max was clueless as to what he could mean until Acnologia raised his foot on top of the table, leaning over her with a sadistic grin. He wrapped one of his powerful hand around the bicep of her right arm, and the other holding a firm grip on the wrist. Max's eyes went wide when she realized what was happening. She tried to scream, but the cloth in her mouth muffled any sound, and Amon's power kept her front flailing away. Acnologia reaffirmed his grip, leaning forward slightly – then he sharply pulled back -Thousands of miles away, the girl called Akko Kagari awoke with a start.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Akko lay flat on the floor, breathing hard as though she had been running. She had awoken from a vivid dream with a burning sensation in the center of her spine. One of the old scars on her back, which were shaped like seven four-pointed stars lined up in a pattern, was burning as though someone had pressed a white-hot wire to her skin.She sat up and immediately threw off her sleeping shirt, letting the cold night air sooth the ache. A faint, misty orange light was filtering through the curtain from the street lamp outside the window, barely providing some illumination for her room. But she didn't have trouble seeing anyway, because the Shiny Rod was glowing with a powerful neon-green light that it almost hurt Akko to look at it. The Seven Stars of Arcturus were reacting in the same way her scars were.Akko reached behind and caressed her scars; the burning sensation seemed to be coming from the fourth star in the middle of the formation. She took the Shiny Rod off her bedside table, using its light to guide her across her messy room, opened her wardrobe, and peered into the full body mirror on the inside of the door. A skinny girl of fourteen looked back at her, her burgundy-red eyes puzzled under her mop of consistently untidy brunette hair. She turned around and looked over her shoulder into the mirror for a better look at her back, using the Shiny Rod as a light source. It looked normal, but it was still stinging.Akko tried to recall what she had been dreaming about before she had fallen out of bed. It had seemed so real…. There had been two people she knew and three she didn't…. She concentrated hard, frowning, trying to remember….The dim picture of a darkened room came to her…. There had been three people sitting around a fire…a woman lying face down on the floor…and a scared girl watched from the corner. She remembered the man with the wild mane…Acnologia, whom she had seen him two years ago during the Dragon King Festival…and the man in the mask…Amon. Akko felt as though an ice cube had slipped down into her stomach at the reminder of him…. The man in the coat…Ruvik, if she remembered correctly…she had heard his name mentioned many times in the past…he was one of Amon's allies….But who had those girls been? For there had definitely been a couple of young women; one of them was unconscious and Akko had watched Acnologia tear the other's arm off. It was all becoming confusing. Akko put her face into her hand, blocking out her bedroom, trying to hold on to the picture of that dimly lit room, but it was like trying to keep water in her cupped hands; the details were now trickling away as fast as she tried to hold to them…. Amon, Ruvik, and Acnologia had been talking about someone they had killed, though Akko could not remember the name…and they had been plotting to kill someone else…her!Akko took her face out of her hand, opened her eyes, and stared around her room as thought expecting to see something unusual there. As it happened, there were an extraordinary number of unusual things in this room. A large trunk stood open at the foot of her bed, revealing a cauldron, purple tunic, and assorted spellbooks. Sheets of paper littered that part of her desk that was not currently being used as a sleeping spot for her purple-furred, curly-tailed, witch hat-wearing cat, Blair, who was actually a human transformed into a cat. On the floor beside her bed a book lay open; Akko had been reading it before she fell asleep last night. It was a picture book she had since she was a child, about a red-haired woman with incredible magic.Akko walked over to the book, picked it up, and stared down at the picture of the brightly-haired showman conjuring a cloud of colorful butterflies. Then she snapped the book shut. Even Shiny Chariot – the source of her drive and her desire to become a great witch – couldn't distract her at the moment. She placed the book on her bedside table, crossed over to the window, and draw back the curtains to survey the street below.Everything was as one would expect from a respectable suburban street to look in the early hours of a Saturday morning. All the curtains were closed. As far as Akko could see through the darkness, there wasn't a living creature in sight, not even a bird.And yet…and yet…Akko went restlessly back to the bed and sat down on it, running her fingers across the Shiny Rod again. It had stopped giving off light at the same moment when the pain in her scars finally dulled. But Akko was no stranger to pain and injury. She had her arm broke by a midget ninja once and had it painfully healed in one night. Later that same year, she had vomited up a living plague and was nearly trampled by a mutated monster. Only last year Akko had fallen several feet off an airborne broomstick and nearly had her heart ripped out of her chest by a raging shadow beast. She was used to bizarre accidents and injuries; they were unavoidable if you attended Luna Nova Magical Academy and had a knack for attracting a lot of trouble.No, the thing that was bothering Akko most was her scars. It's been years since she last thought about them, having been preoccupied with searching for the remaining Stars of Arcturus. Last time her scars had hurt her, she thought it was a reaction to Croix back when she thought the Modern Magic teacher was a villain. But now that she thought back on it, perhaps the reason why it had hurt back then was because the Shiny Rod had been in danger of falling into Barbara's hands. Was that what was happening now? Were the Stars in danger of falling into the wrong hands? Akko was having difficulty remembering her dream now, she had a feeling it had something to do with them. Were the Stars aware of their own peril? Were they trying to call out to her? Somehow, that didn't seem out of the realm of possibility with her….Akko peered out the window listening closely to the silence around her. Was she half expecting to hear the creak of a stair or the swish of a cloak? And then she jumped slightly as she heard her father give a tremendous grunting snore from down the hall.Akko shook herself mentally; she was being stupid. Nothing was happening around here. The only people in the house with her was Blair, her mother, and father, and they were plainly asleep, their dreams untroubled and painless.Shuichi and Kaori Kagari were Akko's parents, even if they weren't related by blood. One night fourteen years ago, shortly after she was born, Akko was dropped off on their doorstep and they raised her as a happy, healthy human girl. But that all changed on her eleventh birthday when their house cat, which had been with Akko her whole life, suddenly turned into a seductive witch and told Akko the truth. She was a witch, but not just any witch. She was the Star-Born Child – a sort of legend that had revived the world of magic. Of course, after last year, Akko knew that the truth was more complicated than that; it involved many variables such as a secret society of world changers and a magic tree from space called Yggdrasil. Akko didn't even pretend to understand most of it. But whether or not she was human or some child of prophecy, Akko knew her parents would want to help her through any troubles she might have. But even if she wanted to go to them when they woke up, she doubted that they would have any answers for her. It's one of these times that Akko wished her birth mother was around –Akko found out who her birth mother was shortly after making the Shiny Rod hers. It was still hard to believe that
the
Shiny Chariot was her mother. Sometimes Akko wonders if maybe she's still dreaming. Though she never had a chance to meet her….Shiny Chariot hadn't just been a magical entertainer, but she had also been the leader of a secretive group of her most trusted friends and followers that were attempting to bring back the world of magic, following the instructions of a prophecy made hundreds of years ago. Chariot had become pregnant with Akko and determined that she would be the one to revive Yggdrasil, but on the night that she was born, their group had been betrayed. Amon led a secret coup and turned allies against one another. Many had lost their lives trying to protect Akko. But somehow, she had touched Yggdrasil's power and the battle had ended. Akko survived that night with only the scars on her back; marks of her connecting to Yggdrasil and the Shiny Rod. But Amon and many others had escaped and disappeared into the shadows. As long as Amon and his followers were allowed to roam free, Akko would always be in danger…that's why Chariot left Akko with her parents and never saw each other again.It had been enough of a shock for Akko to discover that she was a witch; it had been more disconcerting to find out that everyone in the magical world worshiped her existence. No one knew that Akko was the Star-Born Child, and if she was honest with herself, she preferred to keep it that way. She wanted to be respected as a great witch by her own rights, not because of some incident she couldn't even remember. Only a select few people knew the truth, including her best friends at Luna Nova, which she would be returning to soon and was counting down the days until she would be back at the castle again.But there was still two weeks to go before she went back to school. She looked hopelessly around her room again, and her eye paused on the clutter of birthday cards her friends had sent her at the end of June. What would they say if Akko wrote to them and told them about her scar hurting?She doubted Amanda would take it seriously; she'd probably say Akko was being a baby and suck it up. Jasminka and Constanze would also be of little help; unless food or robots were involved, it was impossible to keep them interested. She wasn't close enough to Hannah or Barbara to go looking to them for advice. And Sucy would probably make a bunch of suggestions that were actually instructions to test some new type of poison she concocted.At least Diana would believe her, she already knew. But almost at once, she could hear the Cavendish heir's voice in her head, shrill and panicky."Your scars hurt? Akko, this is serious…. Write to Professor Ursula! And I'll go check
Common Magical Ailments and Afflictions….
Maybe there's something in there about magic scars…."Yeah, that would be Diana's advice: Go straight to the Head of her House, and in the meantime, consult a book. Akko stared out of the window at the inky blue-black sky. She doubted very much whether a book could help her now. She highly doubted there was a reference to people being connected to a magical-god-tree; it was highly unlikely, therefore, that she would find her symptoms listed in a medical book. As for informing Ursula, Akko had no idea where she was nor did she think it was the right time to worry her. Last time she had seen Ursula, she was fighting a deadly disease that had stricken her for many years. She had left to see a special doctor at the end of last year that would hopefully be able to extend her life a little while long, but Ursula had given up any prospects of actually being cured. Ursula had always supports Akko from the beginning, and felt just as much of a mother to her as Mrs. Kagari. She didn't want to ruin the professor's health just because she had a bad dream.And so she tried to imagine her best friend, Lotte Jansson's, reaction, and in a moment, Lotte's wide-eyed, bespectacled, freckled face seemed to swim before Akko, wearing a bemused expression."Your scar hurt? You think it has something to do with the Shiny Rod? I mean…we don't really understand what it means. Maybe old scar just start hurting at random times. Maybe I could ask granny…."Lotte's grandmother was Miranda Holbrooke, the current Headmistress at Luna Nova. Regarded as one of the greatest witches in the world, a stalwart symbol of good in the world. She was definitely clever enough to at least have some idea of what was happening to her. But what would she write?
Dear Professor Holbrooke, Sorry to bother you, but my scars hurt this morning. Yours sincerely, Akko Kagari.
Even inside her head the words sounded stupid.Akko reached behind and kneaded the marks with her knuckles. What she really wanted (and it felt almost shameful to admit to herself) was someone like – someone like her
mother: an adult witch whose advice she could ask without feeling stupid, someone who cared about her, someone who knew just as much about the Stars as Shiny Chariot….And then the solution came to her. It was so simple, and so obvious, that she couldn't believe it had taken so long –
Izetta.Akko leapt up from the bed, hurried across the room, and sat down at her desk; she pulled a piece of paper toward her, pen in hand, and wrote
Dear Izetta, then paused, wondering how best to phrase her problem, still marveling at the fact that she hadn't thought of Izetta straight away. But then, perhaps, it wasn't so surprising – after all, she had only found out that Izetta was her aunt last year.There was a simple reason for Izetta's complete absence from Akko's life until then – Izetta had been in Dol Guldur, the terrifying Demi-Human prison guarded by creatures called Heartless, monsters born from the darkness in people's hearts who had come to search for Izetta at Luna when she had escaped. Yet Izetta had been innocent – the murdered for which she had been convicted of, including the deaths of Lotte's parents, had been committed by Amon, a master bloodbender, who had spent years convincing the world he was a saintly man named Master Noah. Akko and her friends knew otherwise, however; they had come face-to-face with Amon only a few short months ago, though their explanation was largely ignored by the Magic Council.For one glorious hour, Akko had believed she was going to be reunited with her blood family, as Izetta expressed an interest in being a part of Akko's life once more. But the chance had been snatched away from her – Amon had escaped before they could take him in, and Izetta had been forced to flee for her life. Akko had helped her escape on the back of a Qilin named Qing, and since then, Izetta had been on the run.Akko had received two letters from Izetta since she had been back in Japan. Rather than coming through the mail like a normal person would, Izetta had sent them both by large, brightly colored tropical birds. Mrs. Kagari had not approved of these flashy intruders. She and Mr. Kagari may have accepted Akko's story about Izetta's innocent and more than pleased for Akko to have an aunt that wasn't a magic-hating bigot like her sister, but she did not like the way they left their feathers and…presents all over her nice clean floor. Akko, on the other hand, had liked them; they put her in mind of palm trees and white sand, and she hoped that, wherever Izetta was (Izetta never said, in case the letters were intercepted), she was enjoying herself. Somehow, Akko found it hard to imagine Heartless surviving for long in bright sunlight; though they said the same thing about vampires, and her childhood friend Hikari loved beach days. In both letters, she had reminded Akko to call her if ever Akko needed to. Well, she needed to now, all right….The cold gray light that precedes sunrise was slowly creeping into her room. Finally, when the sun had risen, when her bedroom walls had turned gold, and when sounds of movement could be heard from her parent's room, Akko cleared her desk of crumpled pieces of paper and reread her finished letter.
Dear Izetta-Obasan,
Thanks for the last letter. The bird was enormous; it tried to go through Blair's cat door before dad let it in.
Things are the same as usual here. Okaa-san went on another war path with the family diet. She found Blair smuggling donuts into the cupboard under the stairs yesterday. She told her that she would be sleeping outside if she keeps doing it, so she went down to the arcade and tried to win some sweets from the crane machine. Unfortunately for her, UMR had already cleared the whole thing out earlier that day. I don't know why, but she kind of reminds me of my friend Umaru Doma, but it's hard to imagine Umaru as the avid gamer type.
I'm okay, but I've been doing twice as many chores since I came home to make up for running away last year. Okaa-san can hold a grudge for a really long time.
A weird thing happened this morning, though. My scars started hurting and the Shiny Rod was reacting to it. It's just a theory, but I think it's trying to tell me something about the other Stars of Arcturus. You and Chariot knew the most about the Shiny Rod. Do you know if there might be a connection?
I'll send this with Blair after breakfast. She's the only one that knows how to find you since you can't use a computer or phone without being tracked by the Magic Council. Say hello to Qing for me.
Akko
Yes, thought Akko, that looked all right. There was no point putting in the dream; she didn't want it to look as though she was too worried. She folded up the paper and laid it aside on the desk. Then she got to her feet, stretched, and opened her closet once more. Without glancing at her reflection, she got dressed, nudged Blair awake, and they went down to breakfast.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
By the time Akko and Blair arrived in the kitchen, Mr. and Mrs. Kagari were already seated around the table. Neither of them looked up as they entered or sat down (or in Blair's case, climbed on the table). Mr. Kagari's nose was buried behind this morning's paper, and Mrs. Kagari was cutting a grapefruit into quarters, her lips pursed as she concentrated. Akko remained silent as they went about their business; her life had taken an unpleasant turn since she had come home for the summer, and that's not including the punishment she received at the station.The day after Akko had finally started to settle back into normal life outside Luna Nova, she heard a scream that shook Akko's bedroom floor, and knocked several items off her shelf. Akko, Blair, and Mr. Kagari had gone to investigate and found Mrs. Kagari in the downstairs bathroom with the greatest enemy known to womankind: the weight scale. Akko and Blair quickly turned away, feeling a sense of dread wash over the house, but Mr. Kagari, like any man, wasn't as insightful of the situation and stupidly asked what was wrong; he ended up sleeping on the couch later that night. As it turned out, due to the combination of Akko running away along with the belief that a serial killer was after her baby on top of the already building stress of knowing what kind of trouble Akko usually caused at Luna Nova, Mrs. Kagari had turned to eating her stress away. And in ten months' time, despite looking tall and shapely as usual, Mrs. Kagari gained a certain amount of weight that no one dared to speak out loud in fear for their lives.So – after many arguments, after many attempts to persuade Mrs. Kagari, and many tears from Mr. Kagari – the new regime had begun. The diet sheet that Mrs. Kagari had made for herself had been taped to the fridge, which had been emptied off anything she considered fattening – fizzy drinks and cakes, chocolate pudding and burgers – and filled instead with fruit and vegetables and the sorts of things that Blair called "rabbit food." And to make matters worse, Mrs. Kagari had insisted that the whole family follow the diet too, probably as a way of sharing the misery. She now passed a grapefruit quarter to Akko, who said nothing since it was technically her fault that all this was happening in the first place.But Mrs. Kagari didn't know what was hidden under the loose floorboard upstairs. She had no idea that Akko was not following the diet at all. The moment she had got wind of the fact that she was expected to survive the summer on carrot sticks, Akko had sent e-mails to her friends with pleas for help, and they had risen to the occasion magnificently. Constance had sent her packages of powder that turndc into solid food when water was added. Amanda had her butler, Alphonse, whip up a bundle of variety sandwiches. Diana, Hannah, and Barbara combined their shares into a care package with all sorts of English snacks and candies. Lotte had sent over a heaping pile of Hapansilakka pies (Akko hadn't touched these; she had too much experience with them last year), and Akko didn't even bother sending a letter to Sucy, who would probably send over a cake filled with deadly toxins. But the best had come from Jasminka, an aspiring magical pastry maker, who had sent an enormous three tier cake made of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry and decorated with plenty of icing and frosted flowers. Akko still had half the cake left, and so, looking forward to a real breakfast when she got back upstairs, she ate her grapefruit without complaint.Mr. Kagari laid aside the paper and looked down at his own grapefruit quarter."Is this it?" he asked disappointingly to Mrs. Kagari.Mrs. Kagari gave him a severe look. Mr. Kagari flinched, looking down at his grapefruit quarter sadly, and picked up his spoon.Just then, the telephone went off in the living room. Mr. Kagari heaved himself out of his chair and set off down the hall. Quick as a flash, while Mrs. Kagari was occupied with getting skim milk from the fridge, Blair stole the rest of Mr. Kagari's grapefruit.The phone continued ringing for a while – Akko assumed it was a number that Mr. Kagari didn't recognize – before he picked it up and answered. She heard his voice echoing down the hall; Mr. Kagari sounded a bit hesitant and confused.Mrs. Kagari sat back down at the table and looked curiously around to see where her husband had gone to. She didn't have to wait long to find out; after about a minute, he was back, holding the phone with his hand on the speaker."Uh, Kaori," he spoke hesitantly to his wife. "Do you know anyone named Susan Manbavaran?""Can't say I have," said Mrs. Kagari, tilting her head. "It doesn't sound like a Japanese name. Is it foreign?""The number was from out of the country," said Mr. Kagari."I know who that is!" shouted Akko, jumping excitedly out of her seat. "That's my friend Sucy's mom!""Sucy?" Mrs. Kagari repeated. "Isn't that the girl you say is always feeding you muffins with scorpion toxins and funneling unknown chemicals down your throat when you're asleep.""Yeah, it sounds really bad when you put it that way," said Akko sheepishly. "But on the bright side, my immune system is so powerful, I'll never have another sick day for as long as I live.""That's the bright side to having my daughter poisoned on a regular basis?" said Mr. Kagari. "Do you have any idea why your friend's mother is making an out-of-the-country call to us?""Oh, yeah, I almost forgot!" shouted Akko, slapping herself for her own forgetfulness. "Sucy invited me and a couple of friends to this awesome event over the summer! It's been almost a couple months since she mentioned it that I hadn't thought about it until now. That's got to be the reason why she's calling.""Well, I would like a word with this Susan character before I have my daughter globetrotting around the world for the third year in a row," said Mrs. Kagari sternly, folding her hands on the table like a seasoned businesswoman. "Please turn put it on speakerphone, Shuichi.""My wife wants to talk to you," Mr. Kagari said into the phone. "I'm putting you on speakerphone."Mr. Kagari pressed the button and set it in the middle of the table facing Mrs. Kagari. The voice that came out of the speakers was not what Akko would have expected. While Sucy always spoke in a dull and gloomy tone, Mrs. Mabavaran spoke it a soft, breathy sort of voice that made Akko feel a shiver run down her spine and a warmth build in her cheeks in her cheeks:"Hello, am I speaking to the woman of the house?""That would be me," said Mrs. Kagari, looking red in the face; it seems even she wasn't resistant to the hot, sensual tone."Good morning, I am Susan Manbavaran, 28th
Matriarch of the Manbavaran family," Susan Manbavaran introduced herself. "We've never been introduced, but I'm sure you have heard a great deal from Akko about my oldest daughter, Sucy.""The one who likes to give her chocolates laced with snake venom," said Mrs. Kagari disapprovingly."Don't be silly…my daughter is deathly afraid of snakes," said Mrs. Manbavaran. "If anything, it was probably tarantula toxin. It mixes well with the chocolate so that it can be undetected.""That doesn't sound any better," said Mr. Kagari. "Um, not to sound rude or anything Mrs. Manbavaran, but is there a reason why you are calling us this early in the morning?""Well, to business as usual, I suppose," said Mrs. Manbavaran with an air of amusement. "I'm not sure if your daughter has told you, but the finals of the International Chariot Race Tournament takes place this Monday night, and as Head Doctor of the Alchemilla Hospital, I receive tickets from some of my more grateful patients (usually the players themselves) every year. And my daughter was hoping to invite Akko along.""Chariot Racing…. Akko does like talking about that a lot," said Mr. Kagari. "That's the sport she plays at school, right? The one where you have to run around a track on broomsticks?""It's a lot more complicated than that, but you get the gist of it," said Mrs. Manbavaran. "I do hope you will allow us to take your daughter to the match, as this really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; this is the first time in thirty years that the Philippines have hosted the tournament, and tickets are extremely hard to come by, even in my profession. I'm usually only able to get two every year, but this is the first time I managed to acquire multiple.""I don't know," Mrs. Kagari hummed with uncertainty. "How long is this tournament going to take? We do need to make sure that Akko is prepared to head to school.""Oh, that's no problem at all," said Mrs. Manbavaran. "My husband and I would be glad to have Akko stay with us for the remainder of the summer holiday, and we will see her safely to the train back to school."Mrs. Kagari crossed her arms and hummed thoughtfully while Mr. Kagari was resting his chin on his folded hands, staring at the phone as if expecting something to pop out. Akko thought she knew what was going on inside their heads: a furious battle as two of her parent's most fundamental instincts came into conflict. Allowing Akko to go to the tournament would make Akko unbelievably happy, and there was nothing more they care about than their daughter's happiness – that's the only reason they let her go to a boarding school on the opposite side of the world. On the other hand, Akko had been disappearing to parts unknown for the last two years in a row – first to New York and then to Finland – and it worried them that something might happen to Akko while they weren't around. To give herself something thinking time, Mrs. Kagari asked:"What exactly will Akko be doing there if she stays with you? Just from your daughter's reputation alone, I have some misgivings.""I can understand that quite a bit. As a mother of three daughters myself, I wouldn't be so quick to let them run off with a bunch of strangers, especially knowing one of those strangers likes to poison your daughter regularly. But you can rest assured, my husband and I are very responsible. We are both trained doctors with experience in almost every known medical field. I promise we only have Akko's well-being in mind.""Having a couple of doctors around does seem a little reassuring," Mr. Kagari said to his wife."Is there anyone else going along with you?" asked Mrs. Kagari."Sucy also invited her other friend, Lotte Jansson, you know, the granddaughter of Luna Nova's headmistress," said Mrs. Manbavaran. "And though I don't have tickets for them, Councilwoman Ava O'Neill's daughter, Amanda O'Neill, also acquired some tickets and is inviting her friends Constanze and Jasminka. The Cavendish family, naturally, will be in attendance along with Diana's friends, Hannah and Barbara.""Lotte is a good girl, Kaori," Blair vouched for her. "And you met Amanda a couple of years ago; you know her mother works for the Magic Council, so she'll have to be on her best behavior. And Diana Cavendish is
the
number one student and most well-behaved child in Luna Nova. She's not going to let Akko-nyan get away with causing trouble. Truthfully, I feel a little better knowing Akko-nyan is going to be around all these people. Don't you, Kaori?"Mrs. Kagari didn't agree right away, still mulling over everything she just heard. Akko could hardly believe that three years ago, she was the one who supported Akko going to Luna Nova and now she was being severely overprotective. Then again, given Akko's track record during said three years, it was impossible not to worry as Akko tended to be a trouble magnet. But really, there was nothing to worry about. Beyond being escorted by her friends and an experienced witch doctor, the Tournament was bound to have tons of security for an event this big. And it seemed the same idea crossed Mrs. Kagari's mind as she raised her head and let out a defeated sigh."Well, all right then. Akko can go to this Chariot Racing tournament or whatever it's called. But if you're going to be taking her for the rest of the summer, then you're going to have to be the one to pick her up. My husband and I have our own work to do and we don't have time to be dropping her off overseas.""Oh, don't worry about that," said Mrs. Manbavaran. "I'm already making some arrangements to pick up Akko soon. I have a few contacts in the Department of Extra-Dimensional Transportation – you wouldn't believe the number of idiots who accidentally close dimensional gateways on themselves. We'll come around on Sunday at five o'clock your time. Make sure you have everything ready by then because we'll be in a bit of a rush. Looking forward to meeting you all. Paalam!"Mrs. Manbavaran hung up on her end of the line and Mr. Kagari pressed the end call button. Akko immediately jumped out of her seat and started toward the hallway."Akko, where're you going?" asked Mr. Kagari."To start packing!" Akko shouted over her shoulder. "Thanks for the breakfast!"Akko was racing down the hall practically skipping and pumping her fists in the air with a loud whoop. She was going…she was going to see her friends much sooner than planned, she was going to watch International Chariot Race Tournament! Laughing at her own amazing luck (which she really hasn't had a lot of in her life), Akko took the stairs three at a time, and hurled herself back into her room.But the first moment she stepped inside, a brown blur sudden streaked across her walls and latched itself to her head. Akko could feel something biting down on her face. She flailed and unwisely jumped around on the spot, accidentally tripping over one of her spell books on the floor and fell on her back with a
thud!
The back of her head slightly throbbing, Akko calmly reached up, grabbed the strange thing gnawing on her forehead, and ripped it off like an old bandage. Her eyes fell upon a familiar Chibi with ribbons in her hair, square, green eyes, and a wide mouth that stretched over nearly half her face."Harukakka!" the Chibi cried happily."Haruka-san?" said Akko, looking at the Chibi curiously. "What're you doing here.""Vaai!" cried Haruka-san importantly.She pointed her stubby hand to her hair where Akko realizes a letter was tied to one of her ribbons. Akko removed it, recognized Lotte's neat and tiny handwriting, then tore open the envelope. Inside was a note:
Dear, Akko.
How are you doing? I hope your holidays are going well.
I just arrived in the Phillipines a little while ago – Sucy's house is…interesting to say the least.
I still can't believe she got us tickets. It's a real nail biter this time – Saunders, St. Gloriana,
Anzio, Pravda, Black Forest, Jatkosota, and Ooarai. I'm so excited because this is the first time
in thirty years that Finland has made it to the finals!
I didn't know whether or not your parents were going to let you come, so I thought I might ask
you personally. I would have sent it by e-mail, but Haruka-san has been a little rowdy lately and
needed the exercise. Sucy says we're coming for you whether your parents like it or not. Last time
I saw her, she was in her laboratory…. I was too scared to check up on what she was doing. I really,
really hope your parents gave you permission to come, but I would hate to think what Sucy might
do if they didn't. Send Haruka-san back immediately with your answer so I can convince Sucy not
to poison your family.
Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka are arriving tomorrow morning. Diana said she wouldn't be
able to come in time, but promised we would see her, Hannah, and Barbara at the tournament.
She also said her aunt and cousins are coming along. She didn't sound very happy when she told
us. It might be a good idea, for her sake at least, if you didn't say anything to them.
See you soon –
Lotte
"Calm down!" Akko said as Harkua-san was bouncing between her bed, nightstand, and desk. Lotte was right, she was very rowdy. "Come here, I need you to take my answer back!"Hakura-san bounced one more time on her bed, flipping through the air, and landed softly on her butt in front of Akko, throwing her arms up in a proud pose.Akko seized a pen and fresh sheet of paper from her desk, and wrote:
Lotte, it's all okay, Okaa-san and Otou-san say I can come. See you when I get there. Can't wait.
Akko
She folded this note up very small, and with immense difficulty, tied it to Haruka-san's ribbon as she was hopping on the spot with excitement. The moment the note was secure, Haruka-san bounced to the windowsill and hopped out of sight.Blair nudged the door open and walked in a moment later."Heard something crash and Kaori thought you might be breaking something again," said Blair. "What's up, Akko-nyan?""Blair, do you think you could do something for me?" asked Akko. "I want to send a message to Izetta.""Sure," said Blair immediately. "At least I know she'll have some real food.""Just hold on a minute," said Akko. "I want to finish it."She unfolded the letter and hastily added a postscript.
If you want to contact me, I'll be at my friend Sucy Manbavaran's for the rest of the summer. Her mom got us tickets for the International Chariot Race Tournament!
The letter finished, she folded it into a tiny square, handed it off to Blair, who snatched it up with her mouth and then hopped out of the open window like Haruka-san before her.Akko watched her slink out of sight as she turned the corner at the end of the street, then crawled under her bed, wrenched up the loose floorboard, and pulled out a large chuck of Jasminka's cake. She sat there on the floor eating it, savoring the happiness that was flooding through her. She had cake, it was a bright summer's day, she would be going to Sucy's house tomorrow, her scars felt perfectly normal again, and she was going to watch the International Chariot Race Tournament. It was hard, just now, to feel worried about anything – even Amon.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
By twelve o'clock the next day, Akko's luggage was packed with her school things and all her most prized possessions – the Ring of Gyges she had inherited from her mother, the enchanted guide book of Luna Nova she had been given by Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka last year, and the Shiny Rod. She had emptied her hiding place under the loose floorboard of all food, doublechecked every nook and cranny of her bedroom for forgotten spellbooks or homework, and taken down the chart on the wall counting down the days to September the first, on which she liked to cross off the days remaining until her return to Luna Nova.The atmosphere inside the house was, to say the least, very tense. Despite giving their approval, Mr. and Mrs. Kagari were still slightly hesitant to entrust their daughter to a total stranger for two weeks. Mrs. Kagari had pulled out her best dress from the back of her closet and told (more like demanded) that her husband wear his best suit. To some people, this might look like a gesture of welcome, but Akko knew it was because Mrs. Kagari wanted to look impressive and intimidating. It was almost like they were getting ready to interrogate a new girlfriend that Akko had brought home for the first time…and Akko wasn't planning on bringing Diana to Japan for a good long while. If only Blair had stuck around, then maybe she would have found some way to convince her parents not to be so anxious. Then again, this was Sucy's family they were going to be meeting, so maybe there was a reason to be anxious.Lunch was an almost Akko didn't even protest at the food (cottage cheese and grated celery). Mrs. Kagari wasn't eating anything at all. Her arms were folded, her lips were pursed, and she seemed to be chewing on her tongue."So…," Mr. Kagari spoke up, as if hoping to break to awkward silence, "are they driving here or…?""Er," said Akko.She hadn't thought of that. How
were
the Mabavarans going to pick her up? Two years ago, Amanda and her family came to get Akko in a magic limo that instantly teleported them to New York, but Akko didn't imagine that Sucy's mom had the same money and influence as Ava O'Neill."I think so," said Akko hesitantly.After lunch had finished on yet another awkward note, Akko spent most of the afternoon in her bedroom; she couldn't stand watching her father peer out through the net curtains every few seconds, as though there had been a warning about an escaped gorilla (which, in Akko's defense, wasn't entirely her fault…mostly.) Finally, at a quarter to five, Akko went back downstairs and into the living room.Mrs. Kagari was compulsively straightening cushions. Mr. Kagari was pretending to read the paper, but his eyes weren't moving behind his wire-rim glasses, and Akko was sure he was really listening with all his might for the sound of an approaching car. Akko couldn't take the tension; she left the room and went into the hallway and took a seat at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes watching the time on her cellphone and her heart pumping fast from excitement and nerves.But five o'clock came and went. Mr. Kagari, perspiring slightly in his suit, opened the front door, peered up and down the street, the withdrew his head quickly."It seems they're running a little late," he said to Akko, frowning."I know," said Akko. "Maybe – er – the traffic's bad, or something."Ten past five…then a quarter past five…Akko was starting to feel anxious herself now. At half past, she heard her parents conversing in low mutterings in the living room."Honestly, no consideration at all.""Calm down, Kaori. Sure, they're a little late, but maybe they have a good reason.""If these people are going to take my daughter away, then should at least be punctual about it," said Mrs. Kagari, and Akko heard her standing up and start pacing the living room. "Honestly, Shuichi, I'm still not sure that we should be doing this. I mean, what do we know about these people, really?""Well, they're doctors and Akko seems to trust them," said Mr. Kagari."Sometimes I worry that Akko may be a little too trusting. I mean, that Manbavaran girl has been force feeding her all kinds of strange chemicals for three years and yet they still seem to be friends. If it were me, I would have broken that off right away.""That's a little extreme, Kaori.""I just don't want my baby getting hurt. You heard the kinds of things she's been getting up to at school: going into dark forests at night, sneaking around the school past curfew, and I'm sure there are plenty of things they're not telling us, like how Akko even found Izetta. I just don't think – AAAAAAAARRRRRGH!"Akko jumped up. From the other side of the living room door came the sounds of her parents, scrambling, panic-stricken, across the room. Akko hopped off the stairs and shouldered her way into the living room."What happened?" she said. "What's the matter?"Mr. Kagari's didn't seem able to speak. He pointed to the wall next to the door leading to the kitchen where they heard loud bangs and scrapings from inside, knocking over the family portrait that had been hanging there."What is it?" gasped Mrs. Kagari, who had backed into the window and staring, terrified, toward the wall. "What is it, Shuichi?"But they were left in doubt barely a second longer. A voice could be heard from inside the thin wall, a familiar hot, breathy voice."Ouch! What, no – this doesn't seem right – there must have been some kind of mistake – Hopefully Sucy doesn't – OUCH! Sucy, no, there's no room, go back quickly and tell your sisters – ""Maybe Akko can hear us,
Ina
– maybe she'll be able to let us out – "There was a loud hammering of fists on the walls."Akko? Akko, can you hear us?"Mr. and Mrs. Kagari rounded on Akko."What is this?" asked Mr. Kagari. "What's going on, Akko?""Honestly, your guess is as good as mine," said Akko "I think they were trying to teleport or something in the living room, but they got it wrong and somehow ended up in the walls. Hold on, let me talk to them – "She approached the wall and called through the plaster."Er, Mrs. Manbavaran? Can you hear me?"The hammering stopped. Somebody inside the wall said, "Shh!""Mrs. Manbavaran, this is Akko…er, I don't know how to say this, but your kind of…inside the wall.""Sumpain!" said Mrs. Manbavaran's voice. "Must have gotten the destination wrong. I was hoping we would land squarely in your living room.""Er, if you don't mind me asking," said Akko slowly, "how are you even inside the wall at all? It's only four inches thick.""We Manbavarans are notoriously thin creatures," said Mrs. Manbavaran casually. "Now, about the current situation we're in, I think I should – Ouch! What in the – GARIE? SABI? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"Two new, younger voices joined the others'."You were taking so long, so we wanted to see what's up.""What're we doing in here? Did something go wrong?""Oh no, Sabi," came Sucy's voice, very sarcastically. "No, this is exactly where we wanted to end up. Can't you tell? We're having the time of our lives here.""Girls, girls…," said Mrs. Manbavaran vaguely. "I'm trying to think about what to do…. Yes…only way…. Stand back, Akko. I apologize in advance for this."Akko retreated to the sofa. Mrs. Kagari, however, moved forward."Wait a moment!" she yelled at the wall. "What exactly are you going to – "
BANG!
Clouds of white dust splashed all over the living room as chunks of plaster burst in every direction, expelling four women with similar puce-colored hair. shrieked and did a full body dive behind the couch; Mrs. Kagari stood still as a statue, gaping speechlessly at the Manbavarans.The first to emerge from the dust cloud was Sucy – skin gray like granite, constantly holding a bored gaze while her left eye was covered by the long curly fringe of her hair. She always covered her entire body in a cloak and always slouching when she stands, yet she had somehow managed to beat Akko in height by at least a few inches. Coming out on either side of her were what Akko could only describe as a pair of Mini-Sucys. Both were clearly very young as they only reached half of Sucy's height and wore black dresses with sleeves that were too long for their arms. Both had curly puce hair like Sucy, but while one looked closer to a copy of her older sister, the other had two hair buns on the top of her head."Well, that's better," came Mrs. Manbavaran's voice from inside the dust cloud. "Ah – you must be the Kagaris. It's a pleasure to meet you."When the dust started to settle, Mrs. Manbavaran finally came into view…and Akko couldn't take her eyes off her. Akko always thought Diana was the most beautiful woman in the world, but Mrs. Mabavaran looked like a goddess in comparison. Her skin was as gray as her daughters and her longer, darker puce hair covered both her eyes, but that only seemed to enhance her beauty while giving her an air of mystery. She was taller than even Mrs. Kagari, her body was impossibly shapely, and she wore a Victorian style black gown with a low neck that offered a generous view of her large bust, leaving almost nothing to the imagination. Even the way she walked across the room, her hips shaking from side to side, just radiated with sensuality. Akko knew she was drooling, but couldn't stop –"Dude, you're staring at my mom," said Sucy bluntly, snapping Akko out of her stupor and wiping her chin."Hello, I am Susan Manbavaran," said Mrs. Manbavaran, holding a hand out to Mrs. Kagari. "It's a pleasure to meet you."Words utterly failed Mrs. Kagari; whether it was because of Mrs. Manbavaran's beauty or the sheer ludicrousness of the whole scene is unknown. Her best dress was covered in white dust, which had settled in her hair and made her look as though she had just aged thirty years."Er – yes – sorry about that," said Mrs. Manbavaran, lowering her hand and looking over her shoulder at the blasted wall. "It's all my fault. It just didn't occur to me that we would make such a simple miscalculation when getting out at the other end. Remember when I said I had people in the Department of Extra-Dimensional Transportation that owed me a favor? Well, he created a marker here for Teleportation Spell – it really is the most efficient way to go somewhere when you're traveling with children who are too young for Sling Rings. Just for the afternoon, you know, so we could get Akko. Human households aren't technically permitted to have markers, strictly speaking. But don't worry about the wall. I can put it back quick enough. I'll just send the girls back, and then I can repair your house before I Sling back home."Akko was ready to bet that Mr. and Mrs Kagari hadn't understood a single word of this. They were still gaping at Mrs. Manbavaran, thunderstruck. Mr. Kagari staggered upright again and hid behind his wife.A pair of tiny hands started pulling on either of Akko's sleeves and Akko looked down at the mini-Sucys."Hey, hey.""Are you
ate's
friend?""Ur, yeah," said Akko; she knew
ate
meant 'elder sister' in Filipino. "I'm Atsuko Kagari, but you can call me Akko.""I'm Garie," said the mini-Sucy."I'm Sabi," said the twin with the hair buns."Well, it's very nice to meet you, Garie and Sabi," said Akko politely, then turned to Sucy. "You never mentioned you had sisters before.""Really? I thought I did," said Sucy. "Not that I care. They're less like little sisters and more like a couple of annoying little pests."Garie and Sabi stuck their tongue out in retaliation at this remark."Hello, Akko," said Mrs. Manbavaran brightly, leaning forward and unknowingly offering Akko a generous view of her bosom. "Do you got your things ready?""Uh – um – y-yeah," Akko stuttered, trying to look anywhere else. "They're upstairs.""We'll get them!" said Garie at once. She and Sabi made a sort of unified cackling noise as they scampered out of the room. Akko didn't even have a chance to tell them where her bedroom was. They seemed much more hyperactive than their mother and sister, which made Akko feel uneasy as she knew the kind of damage Sucy was capable of if she ever decided to stop holding back."Well," said Mrs. Manbavaran, swinging her arms slightly, while she tried to find words to break the very nasty silence. "Very – erm – very nice place you've got here."As the usually spotless living room was now covered in dust and bits of plaster, this remark didn't go down too well with Mrs. Kagari. Akko could only imagine how furious her mother was with Mrs. Manbavaran – she couldn't blame her, especially with the huge, gaping hole in the wall that opened up into the kitchen.Mrs. Manbavaran was looking around, searching for anything to talk about that might ease the tension she had mistakenly built up. She spotted the family pictures on the shelf, which most of them had thankfully survived the dust storm. She walked over and picked up one of the frames. It was a picture of Akko and her father during the annual Enchanted Parade the year before Akko found out she was a witch."Aw, your daughter is so precious," said Mrs. Manbavaran. "You know, I tried to take Sucy to a festival once, but she didn't really seem to take to it. Sucy has always been…rather serious, it's almost unnerving. Garie and Sabi are the complete opposites in that regard. Those two are always so hyperactive, I sometimes have to electrocute them just to calm them down. You know what I mean?"Discipline by electrocution was definitely not something Mrs. Kagari would consider a good parenting method judging by the expression on her face. She moved ever so slightly to the right, just a little closer to Akko, as though she thought Mrs. Manbavaran might start shooting lightning bolts at her. Though Akko probably wouldn't have felt it, considering she was now basically immune to all types of magic-based injuries.Akko could hear the clunk of her luggage on the stairs along with the synchronized cackles of Garie and Sabi. Akko exchanged a worried look with Sucy, who just nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders and looked around the room; she didn't really care much for how much destruction her sisters caused to a friend's house. Mrs. Manbavaran, on the other hand, turned toward the source of the noise as he lips curled into a deep frown. She set the picture back on the shelf, strode across the room, threw the door open, and shouted down the hall:"Garie! Sabi! You better not be breaking anything in these nice people's house! If there is even one scratch on the wall – ""We're not doing anything,
Ina!""We promise!""Just get your tiny butts in here right now!" shouted Mrs. Manbavaran. "You've got to the count of three! One – "Quick as a flash, Garie and Sabi came sliding into the living room on Akko's suitcases. They glanced around the room while their mother walked around them and spotted Mr. and Mrs. Kagari. Their faces cracked into identical pointy-toothed grins.Mrs. Manbavaran tookout a small drawstring bag from the crevice between her breasts ("Why, dear Kami, why?" Akko muttered red-faced.) She untied it, took out a normal crystal ball, and set it on the coffee table in the middle of the room. Mrs. Manbavaran twirled her finger around in a quick circle and created a glowing white magic sigil underneath the orb."Garie, Sabi, you two go first," said Mrs. Manbavaran."I'll go," said Garie, raising her hand. "Ugh – hold on – "She struggled to pull one of Akko's suitcases, which was understandable since it was the same size as her. But as she dragged the luggage over to the magic circle, Akko noticed that there was a ceramic jar on the floor next to the door that hadn't been there a moment ago. Her father seemed to notice it too as he walked over to inspect it.Garie finally managed to drag the suitcase over to the crystal ball. She gave the Kagaris a cheery wave, shouting "Vera Gurasare!" Mrs. Kagari gave a little yelp as Garie suddenly exploded into a puff of most and vanished without a trace."Right then, Sabi," said Mrs. Manbavaran, "hurry up before I start counting again."This time Akko helped Sabi carry the suitcase over to the coffee table.. Then, with another cry of "Vera Gurasare!", Sabi had disappeared too."Sucy, you next," said Mrs. Manbavaran."Nice to meet you or whatever," said Sucy blandly to the Kagaris. She stepped into the magic circle, shouted "Vera Gurasare!" and departed into another puff of smoke.Now Akko and Mrs. Manbavaran alone remained."Okay, you're next, Akko," said Mrs. Manbavaran."Later, mom," Akko said to Mrs. Kagari, giving her a quick hug. "I'll send you back some…what are the Philippines famous for?""Rice, corn, coconuts, and sugar," answered Mrs. Manbavaran immediately."Then I'll send some corn and coconut onigiri," said Akko playfully."Yeah, I don't want you anywhere near a stove," said Mrs. Kagari, giving Akko another hug. "Just promise me you'll trying to
at least
be a little careful while you're out there. No wandering around at night, no staying up past your bed time, and do not – I repeat, DO NOT – try to feed any wild animals you happen to find in the woods.""That was one time!" Akko complained. "How was I supposed to know a pack of raccoons would follow me home because I gave one a little peanut butter?""Oh, you should leave soon before I change my mind," said Mrs. Kagari with an exasperated sigh. "Shuichi, your daughter is leaving. Don't you have something you want to say to her?... Shuichi?"Akko blinked and looked with her mother and Mrs. Manbavaran, who only just now noticed that Mr. Kagari was no longer in the living room. However, the strange ceramic jar that Garie had left behind was wide open on the floor. Mrs. Manbavaran strode over and bended down to pick it up. She looked inside and muttered something that was probably a Filipino curse word. She looked left, then right, and tilted her head back toward the ceiling. Akko and Mrs. Kagari followed her line of sight, and Mrs. Kagari started to scream.Up in the highest corner of the ceiling was a massive web that hadn't been there a minute ago, and in the middle, was a human-shaped cocoon that was wiggling furiously, the prisoner inside had their shouts muffled by the thick webbing. One bewildered second later, Akko suddenly noticed the swarm of what seemed to be a million little spiders crawling around every corner of the living room, scuttling over all over the shelves and furniture, leaving thick trails of webbing in their wake. In a matter of minutes, the entire living room was starting to look like a giant spider nest.Mrs. Kagari hurled herself over to the corner, jumped up, seized a handful of the webbing that was holding her husband, and attempted to wrench it apart; she succeeded in getting her hands stuck, leaving her dangling a foot off the ground. Mrs. Kagari was bellowing with unbridled fury as she kicked her legs around the air, and Mrs. Manbavaran had to shout to make herself heard."Not to worry, I can sort this out!" she yelled, advancing on the Kagaris with magic sparks starting to form around her hands, but Mrs. Kagari roared louder than ever and flailed around trying to get just one good kick at Mrs. Manbavaran's face."No, really!" said Mrs. Manbavaran desperately. "It's a simple process – the spiders aren't poisonous or anything – my daughter Garie – I'll be teaching her a lesson, don't you worry – but they're just trapper spiders, bred for setting ensnarement traps – at least, I think they are – please, I can help – "But far from being reassured, the Kagaris became more panic-stricken; Mr. Kagari appeared to be suffocating under the pressure of the thick webbing, and Mrs. Kagari, who had lost control completely, kicked off her shoes with her feet and displayed an amazing show of dexterity by grabbing a glass figurine off the mantle using only her feet and threw it very hard at Mrs. Manbavaran, who ducked, causing the ornament to fly through the hole in the wall and shatter on the kitchen floor."Now really!" said Mrs. Manbavaran angrily. "I'm trying to
help!"Bellowing like a wounded hippo, Mrs. Kagari snatched up another ornament."Akko, go! Just go!" Mrs. Manbavaran shouted. "I'll sort this out!"Akko wasn't sure if she should leave her parents in a situation like this, but she made up her mind really quick when Mrs. Kagari's second ornament narrowly missed her left ear. She dashed over to the crystal ball, looking over her shoulder as she said, "Vera Gurasare!" Her last fleeting glimpse of the living room was of Mrs. Manbavaran slicing the air with her hand, dropping Mrs. Kagari on the floor and spilling Mr. Kagari out of his webby cocoon. But the next moment, Akko suddenly felt a suffocating grip around her body like she was being pushed through a very thin tube, and the Kagari's living room melded away into darkness.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Akko felt like she was being pulled in every direction at once; she had to keep her eyes close to stop herself from vomiting; thousands of voices roared in her ears. Then, when at last she felt herself slowing down, she threw out her hands and came to a halt to prevent herself from falling face forward on the floor.Shaking her head free of dizziness, Akko looked around and discovered that she had landed in a long hallway with black and gray checkered tiles with a dark backdrop that gave it an almost gothic undertone; ancient-looking tapestries hung from the walls and several busts were lined up in rows on either side of the corridor, all of them depicting women with long, curly hair like Sucy and Mrs. Manbavaran. At one end of the hall was a pair of great wooden doors etched with gothic-styled markings and on the opposite end was a grand staircase that diverged in two directions of the house. Akko couldn't say she was surprised by the decorum; the Manbavarans were obviously one of the oldest and most traditional families like the Cavendishes, so they were bound to be different than the O'Neill's skyscraper or the Jansson's tiny shop.Akko started to push herself up when Sucy slithered into view."I apologize for that," said Sucy sincerely, holding out a hand to pull Akko to her feet. "Garie and Sabi just told me what they did.""Those spiders aren't poisonous, right?" asked Akko worriedly, straightening up. "My mom and dad aren't going to – ""Nah, they're not poisonous," said Sucy, waving the question off. "Garie and Sabi haven't developed the Manbavaran immunity to poisons yet, so they couldn't handle anything that could kill them. From what I heard, it sounds like they just let loose a bunch of Trapper Spiders. The only thing you have to worry about with them is suffocating."The long corridor exploded with maniacal laughter; Akko looked around and saw that Garie and Sabi were rolling around on the floor, laughing themselves silly, while three familiar girls were standing around them watched on with a mixture of concern, indifference, and wistfulness."I hope you didn't get into too much trouble," said the nearer of the three, looking simply relieved that Akko made it unharmed. This was Lotte Jansson, Akko's best friend in the whole world. Lotte had always been shorter than Akko, but it seemed that before she realized it, they were now standing at equal height. Her frizzy orange hair was contained by a new blue headband and several freckles along her cheeks and nasal, her eyes greatly magnified by her huge, semi-rimless glasses.Standing behind her was Constanze, who's last name Akko couldn't pronounce even if she wanted to. Easily the shortest among her friends, it didn't look like Constanze had grown an inch over the break, but her navy-blue hair had grown out and was now held in a long ponytail by a big red ribbon. She always had a grumpy or serious look on her face, but Akko knew she was friendly. She was the exact opposite of Jasminka Antonenko, who was standing directly besides her, eating out of her bottomless bucket. Jasminka had definitely beat everyone present in terms of height, overshadowing Sucy by a few inches, and it looked like she had become plumper over the summer, which was surprising since Jasminka somehow had the power to eat as much as she want, but never truly gain weight. Her dull-pink hair had always grown out and was divided into two braids that were tied together by bright-red bows that matches Constanze – Akko could only assume that both ribbons were a gift from Amanda, who was surprisingly absent in the hallway.Before any of them could say anything, there was a brief glow of golden light, and Mrs. Manbavaran appeared out of thin air at Sucy's shoulder. In contrast to the pleasant woman she had met in Japan, Mrs. Manbavaran looked absolutely furious; her hair was being lifted by a nonexistence wind, revealing her hidden eyes, which were glowing furious-red."GARIE! SABI!" Mrs. Manbavaran roared."And that's our cue to leave!" said Garie quickly."Bye-bye!" Sabi waved.The tiny twins tried to make a run for the front doors, but Mrs. Manbavaran snapped her fingers and the tapestries suddenly wiggled to life. They flew off the walls and wrapped around Garie and Sabi like a pair of boa constrictors. Mrs. Manbavaran made a gesture with her finger and the tapestries dragged Garie and Sabi across the corridor until they were resting at their mother's feet. It was probably her imagination, but Akko could have sworn she heard storm clouds rumbling outside."Did you think that was
funny?" shouted Mrs. Manbavaran; her voice made the entire hallway shake. "What the
HELL
we you thinking, leaving something like that lying around for the Kagaris to find?""We didn't tell him to open it," said Garie defensively."Yeah, if anything, it's his fault for picking up strange objects," added Sabi.That was apparently the wrong thing to say. With a rage-filled scream, Mrs. Manbavaran threw up her hands and started shooting lightning bolts from her fingers. Akko and the others slinked back into the corner, trembling, as they watched Garie and Sabi receive Mrs. Manbavaran's version of parental punishment; Akko was so scared that she couldn't even make a meme joke."You left it there on purpose!" roared Mrs. Manbavaran, letting up on the lightning. "You knew he would get curious and open it – ""Well, you know what they say about curiosity," said Garie."How big did the nest get?" Sabi asked eagerly."They had started building a fortress in the kitchen before the Kagaris would let me deal with them!"Garie and Sbai cackled again; Mrs. Manbavaran shot them with another round of lightning."It
isn't funny!" Mrs. Manbavaran shouted. "Do you understand how bad this makes up look in the eyes of Humans! Things are already bad enough with the recent Purifier attacks without the Humans looking for an excuse to justify their actions! Just be thankful that the Kagaris are a forgiving sort – ""Did you say the Purifiers?" asked Akko, looking shocked. "They've been attacking?"The Purifiers were a religious group of Humans that saw Demi-Humans are satanic monsters that deserved to be snuffed out. Two years ago, Akko had been an unwitting carrier to one of the Purifier's anti-Demi-Human weapons and nearly caused the end of Luna Nova."They aren't very well publicized," said Lotte. "It's mostly been small things – random attacks on Demi-Human stores, fighting in the streets, nothing that would be considered organized.""The Purifiers probably don't have much of a following anymore," said Sucy blankly. "It's just a bunch of lonely fanatics left.""Don't try to change the subject!" raged Mrs. Manbavaran. "We're not talking about some useless cultists! We're talking about Garie and Sabi – ""What about Garie and Sabi?" said a voice behind them.A man just entered the hallway from one of the doors. He was an average-looking man with short black hair that was neatly groomed, a pair of dark eyes behind wire-rim glasses, and wore a doctor's coat with a proud smile. Compared to the rest of the Manbavarans, this man looked strangely…normal.Something strange happened in that moment. In an instant, Mrs. Manbavaran's rage had subsided and she made a lovely cooing sound as she raced over to the man's side, whom Akko now assumed was Sucy's father. Mrs. Manbavaran wrapped herself around her husband's arm and nuzzled him like a lovestruck high school girl. Mr. Mabavaran smiled pleasantly as he rested his head against his wife's and looked around when he spotted Akko."Ah, you must be Akko Kagari," he said pleasantly. "I'm Joseph Manbavaran. Sucy has told us all about you.""Er, it's nice to meet you, Mr. Manbavaran," said Akko, feeling strangely off-guard by how ordinary he was."Please, call me Joe," said Mr. Manbavaran with a kind smile. "Now what's all the commotion I've been hearing? Did Garie and Sabi do something to get in trouble again?""Oh, it was terrible, honey-bunch," said Mrs. Manbavaran in a whiny voice that clashed with her sexy appearance. "We went to pick up Akko, and Garie and Sabi absolutely terrified those nice Kagari folks. I don't think they'll like us again after today.""Girls, you should know better than to torment innocent people," said Mr. Manbavaran, wagging his finger sternly."Yeah, we know," said Garie casually."We just don't really care," said Sabi.That earned yet another bolt of lightning."Why don't we show Akko where she's sleeping, Sucy?" said Lotte in a hurry."Anything is better than sticking around watching them," said Sucy, shooting a glance to her parents; she looked like she was going to be sick from the display of affection. "C'mon, it's upstairs – ""Yeah," said Garie."We'll come too," said Sabi."You will stay where you are!" snarled Mrs. Manbavaran and the tapestries tightened around her youngest daughters.Akko, Lotte, Sucy, Jasminka, and Constanze edged their out of the hall, and they set off up the grand staircase, taking the path on the right, and set off along a narrow hallway filled with dark mahogany doors and creepy old paintings – it was definitely something Akko would expect in a gothic-style household; Well, everything except Mr. Manbavaran, that is."I never expected your family to be so…eccentric, Sucy," said Lotte as they walked along the hall. "I kinda of thought they would be more like you,"Sucy let out an exasperated sigh, rubbing the bridge of her nose like she was having a migraine."Yeah, everyone always says that," said Sucy quietly. "I know the way people look at
Ina
– she's sexy as all hell, even I can see that. And she flaunts it all the time without ever realizing it, that airhead. So everyone is always so disappointed when they meet me, like they expect me to be a carbon copy of her. The only thing I really have in common with my mom is our love of mushrooms and experimenting on poor, unsuspecting guinea pigs.""You can't really say I'm unsuspecting, anymore," said Akko, pouting nonetheless. "I've pretty much come to expect you to drug me everywhere we go. I'll bet you even stabbed me with a needle downstairs while I wasn't paying attention.""Well, you're not wrong about that," said Sucy, grinning wickedly. "Sadly, it doesn't seem to be taking effect. I guess your body has developed too much of an immunity to be effected any more. Guess I'll have to find a new test subject.""Your sisters and papa are a lot different than I thought they would be," said Jasminka serenely. "I was worried they were going to be scary, but they're pretty fun.""More like annoying," said Sucy with a grimace. "My
nenes
are so hyperactive, like they're constantly on an endless sugar high. They always keep barging into my room and play around with my laboratory, ruining all of my experiments. Just the other day, I was working on a poison that could give instant cancer to anyone who breathed in the fumes, then those two brats smash through my door playing on
Ina's
broomstick and crashed into my research table. My experiment went to waste and all my notes were burned by acid. I'll never be able to replicate it again."Thank you, Garie and Sabi," Akko muttered under her breath."Now I'm going to have to come up with something else to present for the S.T.A.R.s next year," said Sucy. "Ina
has been pressuring me to come up with something revolutionary for the committee during the exams. The Manbavarans have a long history of doctors, poisoners, and healers. When
Ina
took her exams, she discovered the cure for the common cold, as she keeps reminding me every chance she gets. Ugh, I just wish we could take the S.T.A.R.s already so we can get them over with.S.T.A.R.s were Standard Testing and Aptitude Reviews, the examinations Luna Nova students took in their fifth year."And she keeps bugging me about choosing what career field I want to get into," Sucy complained. "I know I'm just going to be a doctor like the rest of my family, but she keeps harping about choose what type of doctor I want to be. I said I'll just be a doctor that poisons people and sees if they live – she electrocuted me for that."Just then, a door opened on their left side, and a man stepped out into the hallway. He was a very handsome dark-skinned man with short, scruffy black hair dressed in traditional-styled sarong and a sash across his chest…which left the girls with a decent view of his eight-pack abs. Akko, Lotte, Jasminka, and even Constanze, who Akko knew had a crush on Amanda, stopped in their tracks and stared at him, open mouthed; Akko wasn't sure, but she might be drooling. Sucy, of course, was unaffected."Hey, Marito," said Sucy casually."Oh
Kamusta, Sucy," said Marito. "I was wondering what all the noise was about. Sounds like
Tiya
Susan was disciplining your
nenes
again. They certainly are a rambunctious pair…. By the way, who are these people that are staring at me so strangely?""Oh, these are my…friends, I guess," said Sucy shrugging her shoulders. "Akko, Lotte, Jasminka, Constanze, this is my cousin, Marito Manbavaran.""…Hi…," Akko managed to squeak out, which was more than anyone else, who had become a bunch of babbling messes."What're you doing here?" asked Sucy, turning back to her cousin. "I thought you were heading back home today.""Well, I was, but then
Tiya
Susan got a call from Miss Poppins," said Marito. "Apparently Garie and Sabi are too unmanageable even for her, so she quit the babysitting job. This happened right before she threw herself into oncoming traffic. Oh, don't worry!" he added quickly at the girls' horrified face. "She's not dead or anything, but she's just about broken every bone in her body. Garie and Sabi tend to have that kind of effect on all their babysitters. So
Tiya
Susan asked me to hang around and watch them while you're all off at the Tournament and
Tiyo
Joe is at work.""Think you can handle them?" asked Sucy. "I mean, they managed to turn an entire convent into a satanic cult.""Yeah, but they like me," said Marito confidently."Famous last words," Sucy mumbled, and she started off down the hall again with Akko and the others following, but looking back wistfully."I know I love Diana…," said Akko slowly, "but DAAAAAMN! That's your cousin, Sucy? He's hot!""First
Ina
and now my cousin?" said Sucy in a disgusted tone. "There is something wrong with you.""I can't help it!" Akko excused herself. "It's like hotness is a Manbavaran gene or something.""If that's what her mother and cousin look like," said Lotte thoughtfully, "that what do you think Sucy's going to look like when she's older."They paused in the middle of the hallway, staring at the dreary girl intently."We should start being nicer to her," Jasminka suggested; Constanze nodded."Hey…," Sucy said warningly.They reached the last door at the end of the hall where Sucy unlocked it and pushed her way inside with the others following. In all honesty, the room was exactly what Akko had suspected it would be like: a wide, spacious area with one side of the room devoted completely to three tables of chemicals and lab equipment. Over a dozen planters hanged above their heads from the ceiling, growing a variety of strange-looking mushrooms and fresh herbs. A single bookshelf rested next to the door filled with dark-looking tomes that seemed to radiate with a malevolent aura. But it wasn't all doom and gloom – on the opposite side of the room was a pair of glass doors that opened up to a balcony, giving them a breathtaking view of the vibrant-green forest and the coastal city beyond the sloping hills. And they weren't the only ones in the room. Haruka-san was on Sucy's bed, gnawing her big mouth on one of Constanze's Stan-Bots; Constanze quickly surged forward and popped it out of the Puchi's mouth."I have been in there for thirty minutes!" Stan-Bot complained, shaking his metal fist; Haruka-san tilted her head cluelessly."Yeah, yeah," said Sucy uncaringly, edging around the three beds that had been squeezed into the room. "You and Lotte are staying in her with me; Amanda's group is getting their own room in the opposite hall," she told Akko. "Just make sure you watch where you're walking. Some of the mushrooms respond to the slightest touch.""Great…I always wanted to sleep in a poisonous minefield," said Akko sarcastically."At least you have immunity," Lotte retorted."By the way, where's Amanda?" Akko asked Jasminka. "I haven't seen her since I've been here.""Probably still in Sucy's dad's study," said Jasminka thoughtfully. "I heard them talking about his classical music records and I think she's still listening to them.""I always pegged Amanda for the rock and roll type," said Sucy, shrugging her shoulders as she slithered over to her lab table. "There's a lot not to like about her, but at least she had good tastes.""How has you summer been so far, Akko?" Stan-Bot asked atop of Constanze's head. "Did you get our food packages and everything?""Yeah, thanks a lot," said Akko gratefully. "You saved my life with that cakes, Jaz.""Have you heard anything from - ?" Lotte began, but Sucy slapped a hand on her mouth to silence here. She looked from the door to the balcony with a hint of suspicion; she probably thought Garie and Sabi were eavesdropping. Akko knew Lotte had been about to ask about Izetta. Everyone in this room plus Diana and Wendy Marvell had been so deeply involved in helping Izetta escape from the Magic Council that they were almost as concerned about Akko's aunt as she was. However, discussing her where someone might be listening in on them was a bad idea. Only a select number of people knew about how Izetta had escaped, or believed in her innocence."I think
Ina
has stopped with her rampage," said Sucy after a moment of awkward silence. "She's probably gonna ask to set help up for dinner.""Yeah, all right," said Lotte. The five of them left Sucy's room and went back downstairs, taking the door to the right of the entrance hall into a small dining room, and then through another door into the kitchens, where they found Mrs. Manbavaran waving her hands around like an orchestra conductor, commanding the pots and pans to move."Ah, there you are," she said when they came in. "We'll be eating out in the garden. We could eat in the dining room, but I figured that this was a special night, so why not enjoy a little fresh air while we eat. Sucy, could I ask you and Lotte to set up the plates outside? Your father is setting up the tables. Miss Constanze, your little robots can carry the cups and utensils, can't they? Jasminka, I wouldn't mind a little bit of your culinary expertise. Sucy says you're quite the cook, and coming from her, that's very high praise.""Of course!" said Jasminka brightly as she rolled up her sleeves."What can I do, Mrs. Manbavaran?" asked Akko, not wanting to be the only one that isn't useful."Oh, yes, Akko, could you please go get Miss O'Neill from my
Bana's study?" asked Mrs. Manbavaran. "It's up on the second floor down the left corridor, third door on the right."While everyone else headed toward their assignments, Akko backed out of the kitchen into the entrance hall and up the grand staircase to the left. Halfway up the steps, Akko could hear the faint sound of symphony music echoing down the hall. The music only grew louder as she walked down the corridor until she reached the third door on the right, where the sound was at its strongest. Looked like Jasminka was right – Amanda was listening to classical music, which seemed like a great contrast to her usual punkish self. Snickering at the potential teasing that was about to ensue, Akko turned the knob and opened the door quietly."Hey, Amanda, are you - ?"But her voice became lost in her throat what she saw what was waiting inside.The music was coming from an old-fashioned gramophone on Mr. Manbavaran's desk and Amanda twirled in the middle of the room, her eyes closed and a broom in her hands she stepped lightly across the polished study floor, turning in beat with the music. The tomboy witch leaped gracefully through the air when the music suddenly crescendoed and tapped the floor lightly with her tiptoes when the noise diminished, and the whole time she was twirling the broom to the rhythm, somehow able to make a common cleaning tool look elegant. Akko was so enraptured by the scene that all thoughts of teasing Amanda were thrown out the window and replaced with appreciation and awe.As the music started to reach its climax, Amanda leapt into the air, twirling three time in mid-flight, landed perfectly on the broom's besom, and struck a delicate pose while staying perfectly balanced on the broom's handle. Finally, the music died away – the only sound coming from Amanda's heavy and exhausted breathing. She lowered herself to stand on the floor once more, wiping away the sweat from her brow with her sleeve and ruffling her reddish-orange bangs. She opened her eyes slowly with a satisfied smile…until she saw Akko watching her from the door, slack jawed."Bwa! Akko!" Amanda yelped, dropping the broom and throwing her hands up. "What are – when did you get here?""Amanda…," said Akko slowly, her voice gradually building up. "That…was…AMAZING! I knew you liked to dance, but I never knew you were that good!""I'm – I'm not good," Amanda sputtered, looking away red-faced. "I was just – you know – it's not anything special.""Are you kidding? You looked like a pro!" said Akko, bouncing up to Amanda giddily. "I remember you had a dance studio back at your house, but you said your room just happened to be next to it. But you were lying – that was your dance studio, wasn't it? That worn-out section on the floor, you caused it because you practice all the time, don't you?""Keep it down!" Amanda snapped, clamping her hand over Akko's mouth. "All right, I admit it, I love dancing. You happy now?"Akko ripped Amanda's hand from her mouth and asked, "How come you never told anybody? You're awesome at it.""Because…it's embarrassing," Amanda mumbled insecurely. "I'm supposed to be a punk-rock, trouble-making, devil-may-care tomboy bad girl. If people knew I practiced ballet, they would make fun of me.""Well, I'm not making fun of you," said Akko kindly. "And I know Constanze and everyone else wouldn't make fun of you either. If you like ballet, then you shouldn't be ashamed of it. I mean, I love Shiny Chariot even though everyone else says she's a fraud and laughs at me for it.""That's because most people don't know your mom is a badass," said Amanda bluntly; Akko smiled proudly. "But…yeah, I get what you're saying. I know Conz and Jaz wouldn't laugh at me – can't say the same for Sucy or Princess's friends, thought…. Maybe I'll tell them one day, but not now. Can we just keep this between us? Just until I'm ready.""My lips are sealed," Akko promised. "But I really do think you're an awesome. Who knows? If this witch thing doesn't work out, maybe you could become a professional dancer.""I hope so…," Amanda mumbled softly."What was that?" asked Akko, having not paid attention."Er – nothing," said Amanda quickly. "What'd you come in her for, anyway?""Oh yeah, Mrs. Manbavaran said we're having dinner in the garden," said Akko. "I was supposed to come get you.""Well, you're just in time; I'm starving," said Amanda, grinning. "C'mon, let's get some chow."They left the study and headed out the front doors into the yard.They had only gone a few paces when something long and thick slithered past their feet. Akko remembered that Mrs. Manbavaran had an anaconda named Lamia for a familiar and was the direct cause for Sucy's aversion to snake despite being a lover of all things poison. Akko could kind of see why Sucy was so afraid of it; the snake was so gigantic that it looked like it could wrap its whole body around her father's car and crush it like a tin can. But that didn't seem to deter Haruka-san. The wide-mouthed Puchi was fearlessly riding on the anaconda's scaly back, throwing its stubby hands up and cheering gleefully as they disappeared into the bushes. Once they were gone, Akko and Amanda walked around to the side and stepped into a magnificent garden with dozens of troughs filled with a rainbow of different flowers resting in rows against the manor walls. Akko could recognize a few plants – aconite, belladonna, snowdrop – all plants and herbs that would be used for traditional medicine. Guess it came as no surprise considering the Manbavarans were a family of doctors.Mr. Manbavaran and Marito were pushing two tables together and Lotte threw a table cloth over with a wave of her wand, noticeably trying not to look in Marito's direction with her cheeks enflamed. Sucy was laying out the plates and Constanze was directing an army of mini-Stan-bots to carrying the tableware. Garie and Sabi were running around in the background, apparently trying to chase toads that had wandered into the garden.By seven o'clock, the two tables were groaning under dishes and dishes of Mrs. Manbavaran and Jasminka's excellent cooking, and the six Manbavarans combined with the party of five guests were settling themselves down to eat beneath a clear, deep-blue sky. To somebody who had been living on meals of increasingly stale cake all summer, this was paradise, and at first, Akko listened rather than talked as she helped herself to exciting new dishes like Kaldereta, kilawin, and lumpia.At the far end of the table, Mrs. Manbavaran and Amanda seemed to be in deep talks about the Magic Council." – brought me more business than I could ever hope for," Mrs. Manbavaran was saying while sipping on wine, "but honestly, how many times do you have to have memos explode in your employee's faces before you realize that gunpowder notes are not the best solution to getting out urgent business. Sixteen people with first-degree burns just from the Department of Law Enforcement alone. Word of advice: never stand near the ambassador of Wakanda when you have one. I can understand that they're busy with the Tournament going on, but that doesn't mean they need to ignore basic safety codes. I already have enough on my plate with the big-headed loon from the Department of Sports and Games. Calls himself the Grand Master – ""Ugh, I hate that guy," said Amanda with an exaggerated groan. "He has the attention span of a flee. One minute he's at my house, talking to my mom over dinner about the arrangements for the Tournament, next thing you know he goes jabbering on about superheroes in movies. But on the plus side, I managed to trick him into upgrading the seats at this year's Tournament – mom didn't even get mad at me for that.""Oh, I like Ava – there's a decent member of the council," said Mrs. Manbavaran appreciatively. "She's diligent in her work and doesn't like to cut corners for increased productivity…. Though I hear she's been having some troubles lately in the Department of International Relations. Apparently, the Superintendent of Academy City has suddenly cut off all contact with the outside world. I've heard that he was a bit of a recluse, but to completely shut himself off seems rather odd.""Yeah, mom was talking about that the other day," said Amanda, frowning. "She says that Aleister Crowley prefers to live in isolation even inside his own city, so they have no way of knowing if something is wrong. Not even the Board of Directors knows where he lives, so it's kinda hopeless…. But mom has a lot on her plate without worrying about some shut-in. Her workload has just doubled up now that there's another event on top of the upcoming Tournament. You know the – "Mrs. Manbavaran made a quick gesture with her chin and then glanced down the table where the others were sitting. Amanda went tight-lipped, like she wanted to say something, but couldn't, and continued in a restrained tone, "the uh…the thing that's happening this year.""Ah yes, that thing," said Mrs. Manbavaran, nodding her head slowly. "It has been seven years, hasn't it? Should be just about time."Akko frowned with a look of suspicion while Jasminka leaned across the table and muttered, "She's been keeping it a secret ever since we got here. We tried asking her about it, but she keeps changing the subject."In the middle, Lotte and Constanze were striking up a conversation with Marito, but it seemed more like Stan-Bot was doing all the talking and Lotte and Constanze were just staring."…fascinating little thing," said Marito, poking Stan-Bot on the head with interest. "It's the first time I've even seen a sentient robot – you know, outside C-Grade sci-fi movies.""Constanze is super smart," said Stan-Bot boastfully, obviously trying to butter Marito up to his creator. "You know, she won the Arachne Genius Grant last year – the youngest in history.""That is impressive," said Marito. "Do you have your own lab? I would love to take a look at it some time.""Oh yeah, Constanze has the best lab in the whole world!" said Stan-Bot with an exaggerated wave. "But it's at Luna Nova, so I might be hard to get you inside. Hey, maybe we can smuggle you underground…."Next to Marito, Sucy, Garie, Sabi, and Mr. Manbavaran were all talking spiritedly about the International Chariot Race Tournament."It's got to be Pravda," said Garie thickly, through a mouthful of vegetables. "They flattened Norway in the semifinals.""What about Ooarai?" said Mr. Manbavaran. "They've got the ace player on their team – the Black Rock Shooter.""The Black Rock Shooter is one decent player, Pravda's got five," said Sabi. "I wish the Philippines had gotten through. That was the most embarrassing game I ever saw.""What happened?" said Akko eagerly, regretting more than ever that she hadn't been paying attention to news from the magical world."Went to England against St. Gloriana," said Sucy with a deep frown. "They got destroyed by almost nine hundred points. All of the players have gone into hiding out of shame."Akko had been on the Polaris House Chariot Race team ever since her first year and had been the owner of the greatest broom in history, the Shooting Star. It had been one of Akko's closest companions, but was terribly destroyed last year during her first match. Though she could now summon the Shiny Balai – Shiny Chariot's signature broom – and could fly under her own power, there was still a pang in her chest when she remembered her old friend. Flying was one of the things that Akko loved most about the magical world and played in the position of Anchor on the Polaris House team.Mrs. Manbavaran conjured up a several floating purple flames to light the darkening garden before they had Jasminka's homemade strawberry ice cream, and by the time they had finished, moths were fluttering low over the table, and the warm air was perfumed with the smell of grass and assorted flowers. Akko was feeling extremely well fed and at peace with the world as she watched Haruka-san hopping through the rosebushes, chasing Mrs. Manbavaran's familiar, which appeared to have become terrified of the Puchi.Lotte looked carefully up the table to check that the rest of the group were all busy talking, then she said very quietly to Akko, "So –
have
you heard from Izetta lately?"Sucy looked around, listening closely."Yeah," said Akko softly, "twice. She sounds okay. I wrote to her yesterday. She might write back while I'm here."She suddenly remembered the reason she had written to Izetta, and for a moment she was on the verge of telling Lotte and Sucy about her scar hurting again, and about the dream that had awoken her…but she really didn't want to worry them just now, not when she herself was feeling so happy and peaceful."Look at the time," said Mr. Manbavaran suddenly, checking his phone. "You really should be in bed, all of you – you'll be up at the crack of dawn to get to the Tournament. Akko, if you leave your school list out, I'll get your things for you tomorrow when I go to collect Sucy's school supplies. There might not be time after the Tournament, the match went on for five days last time.""Wow – hope it does this time!" said Akko enthusiastically."Well, I can't say I share your eagerness," said Mrs. Manbavaran. "I
shudder
to think what kind of state the hospital would be in if I was away from work for five days.""Yeah, someone might supercharge the defibrillators and replace the saline pouches with soda again," said Garie, grinning wickedly."…How did you know about that?" said Mrs. Manbavaran suspiciously. "I never mentioned those incidents at home.""Uh…hey, look at the time, we really should be getting to bed!" said Sabi quickly as she and Garie dashed back to the house."GARIE! SABI!" Mrs. Manbavaran roared.
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Akko felt as though she had barely lain down to sleep in Sucy's room when she was being shaken awake by Mrs. Manbavaran."Time to go, Akko," she whispered, moving away to wake Sucy.Akko blinking the blurriness from her eyes, wiped the drool from her chin, and sat up. It was still dark outside. Sucy muttered indistinctly as her mother roused her. On the opposite end of the room, she saw a large, disheveled shape emerging from tangles of blankets."'S' time already?" said Lotte groggily.They dressed in silence, too sleepy to talk, then, yawning and stretching, the three of them headed downstairs into the dining room.Mrs. Manbavaran was setting a large cooker pot on the table, while Mr. Manbavaran was sitting by himself on one end, shuffling between multiple sheets of papers, no doubt for work, while drinking his morning coffee. Mr. Manbavaran looked up from his paperwork when Akko's group walked in and waved to them with his mug."Good morning, girls," he said enthusiastically. "Excited for the big day?""Shut up,
Ama," Sucy grumbled darkly."Righty-o," said Mr. Manbavaran, not at all put-off by his daughter's rude behavior."Where're Garie and Sabi and Mar-Mar-Marito?" said Lotte, failing to stifle a huge yawn."Well, they're not coming to the tournament with us," said Mrs. Manbavaran as she started to ladle soup into bowls along with fresh bread. "So they can sleep in tonight. I'll leave them some soup for Marito to warm up while we're gone."So they're still in bed?" said Sucy grumpily, pulling her bowl of soup toward her. "Those little brats…. They'll be lucky if I don't leave some scorpion toxin in their soup….""Sucy, don't even joke about something like that," snapped Mrs. Manbavaran. "You know they haven't developed their immunity to poisons yet. Just leave them alone, and where are O'Neill and the girls?"She bustled out of the kitchen and they heard her climbing the stairs."Ugh, this sucks," grumbled Sucy. "I wish we could just Sling over to the tournament.""You're mom talked about it at my house," said Akko. "But what is Slinging.""It's basically opening a portal to anywhere in the world by using a Sling Ring," said Lotte. "It's basically the same concept as the Corridors of Darkness, but much safer even if it is a bit slower. But you have to pass a test to be permitted to use a Sling Ring.""A test?" Akko repeated."Oh yes, Susan was talking about it the other day," said Mr. Manbavaran, stacking his papers together. "The Department of Extra-Dimensional Transportation had to fine a couple of people the other day for Slinging without a license. Despite how it looks, Slinging isn't easy, and when it's not done properly it can lead to nasty complications. This pair I'm talking about ended up severing themselves."Lotte breathed deeply through her teeth while Sucy snickered with a toothy grin."Er –
severing?" said Akko."They left half of themselves behind," said Mr. Manbavaran. "So, of course, they were stuck. Couldn't move either way. Had to collect both pieces from opposite ends of the world and Susan spent the next six hours putting them together, and she was yelling in their ears the whole time, so I doubt they'll do it again. It also meant a lot of paperwork for yours truly – that's what all this is about," he added, referring to the stack of papers.Akko had a sudden vision of a pair of legs and an eyeball lying abandoned on the pavement of the Kagari household."Were they okay?" she asked, startled"Oh yes," said Mr. Manbavaran matter-of-factly. "But they got a heavy fine for it and I'm sure the experience combined with Susan's lecture left them traumatized. While it's not as risky as the Corridors of Darkness, Sling Rings come with their own dangers. It's not something you just do on a casual whim.""And Mrs. Manbavaran can do it?""And Marito, but he had to take the test twice," said Sucy, grinning. "He failed the first time. Slung himself in the wrong direction and somehow landed in Italy; landed right on top of a plumber chasing after a gorilla throwing barrels for some reason.""You're not talking about that old story again, are you?" said Mrs. Manbavaran, stepping back into the dining room amid hearty sniggers. "At least he passed the second time."There were footsteps coming down the stairs and Amanda, Jasminka, and Constanze came into the dining room, all looking pale and drowsy."Why do we have to be up so early?" said Amanda, rubbing her eye and sitting down at the table."We've got a bit of a walk," said Mrs. Manbavaran."Walk?" said Akko. "What, are we walking to the Tournament?""No, no, that's miles away," said Mrs. Manbavaran, smiling. "We only need to walk a short way. It's just that it's very difficult for a large number of people to congregate in one place without the entire event falling into disorganized chaos. With an event as large as the International Chariot Racing Tournament, you have to plan everything right down to the minute. Otherwise we'll a lot of arguing over placement and positioning as well as the risk of any intruders sneaking in without a ticket.""Much like those Purifiers we've been hearing a lot about," said Mr. Manbavaran."With as many Demi-Humans that gather during the Tournament," said Mrs. Manbavaran, forcefully wiping Sucy's mouth when she refused to do it herself, "I find it highly unlikely that a bunch of radical humans would try something as suicidal as attacking then."That didn't stop them from trying to attack Luna Nova decades ago, Akko thought, but wisely chose to remain silent. There was no point in digging up the past, especially since Akko was solely responsible for their most recent attempt.In under half an hour, they were finally out the door. Akko and Amanda shared the duty of carrying their equipment as they soon learned that they were camping out during the tournament. Mrs. Manbavaran stop to kiss Mr. Manbavaran on the cheek with a love-sick grin"Have a good day at work, dear," said Mrs. Manbavaran, then she looked over his shoulder and shouted into the house, "and your two
better behave yourselves!
I know you're both up! If I hear anything from Marito about you causing trouble, I will electrocute you until you're paralyzed from the shoulders down!"A pair of whiny responses came from upstairs. Satisfied, Mrs. Manbavaran joined Akko and the others and set off across the dark yard into the dense forest.It was mildly warm and the moon was still out. Only a dull, greenish tinge along the horizon through the gaps in the trees showed that daybreak was drawing closer. Akko, having been thinking about thousands of people speeding toward the International Chariot Racing Tournament, sped up to walk with Mrs. Manbavaran."So how
does
everyone get to the tournament all at once?" she asked."It's a massive organizational problem that makes me glad I didn't pursue a career in the Magic Council," sighed Mrs. Manbavaran. "The trouble is, about a eight hundred thousand people turn up at the Tournament, and of course, it's difficult to find a location big enough to accommodate them all. In the beginning, we used to be able to fit them in stadiums that ran over the Ley Lines like the Olympics, but then the popularity for Chariot Racing grew after the Rebirth of Magic and it simply became too much. These days, the Magic Council searches for empty locations months in advance and have to build the Tournament stadium in advance. Then they have to stagger the arrivals. People with cheaper tickets have to arrive two weeks beforehand. A limited number use common transports like trains and buses, but that causes a whole 'nother problem with trafficking. Some use Sling Rings, of course, but they have to set up safe points for them to appear. And for those who don't want to Sling, or can't, we use Summoning Stones. They're objects that are used to transport one living being from one spot to another. They are commonly used to summon monsters for battle, but the Magic Council reworked them to transport large groups at a time. There are thousands of Summon Stones placed at strategic points all around the world, and the nearest one is deep in the forest closest to the waterfall, so that's where we're headed."Mrs. Manbavaran pointed ahead of them, where faint glimmering mass was barely poking over the tree line beyond the hill.They trudged down the dark, dank dirt path, stepping over thick roots, the silence broken by the crunching of fallen branches under their feet. The sky lightened very slowly as they made their way through the forest, its inky blackness diluting to deepest blue. Akko's brow was sweating profusely. Mrs. Manbavaran kept checking her watch.They didn't have breath to spare for talking as they began to descend the steep hill, stumbling occasionally in hidden mole holes, slipping on slick patches of mud. Each breath Akko took was sharp in her chest and her legs were starting to seize up when, at last, her feet found level ground."Whew," panted Mrs. Manbavaran, using her sleeve to wipe the sweat from her brow underneath her long hair. "Well, we've made good time – we've got ten minutes…."Jasminka came down the hill last, clutching a stitch in her side."Now we just need to find the Summoning Stone," said Mrs. Manbavaran, looking left and right. "It's pretty small, but it should stand out. It will have rune marks all over it…. Come on…."They spread out, searching. They had only been at it for a couple of minutes, however, when a shout rent the still air."Oy! Over here! You guys are looking for the stone, right? We found it!"Two figures were standing near the face of the waterfall, hidden in the shadow of the trees."Oh thank goodness," said Mrs. Manbavaran, smiling as she strode over to the girl who had shouted. The rest of them followed.The figures stepped out of the shadows, revealing themselves to be a pair of teenage girls slightly older than Akko or her friends. The one on the right had a round face with big, blue eyes and short black hair tied up into choppy, asymmetrical pigtails. The girl on the left was taller than her companion, matching up with Amanda as the tallest of the group, with wavy dark hair that framed her face and square glasses. She was holding a small stone that barely rested in the palm of her hand, covered in pink symbols."You certainly saved us a lot of time searching," said Mrs. Manbavaran gratefully, shaking hands with the choppy-haired girl. "Are you two on your way to the Tournament?""That's the plan," said the shorter girl, grinning as she flashed her ticket. "I'm Mato Kuroi, pleased ta meet ya.""And I am Yomi Takanashi," said Yomi politely, bowing respectfully."I'm Susan Manbavaran," Mrs. Manbavaran introduced herself, then gestured to the rest of the party. "This is my daughter Sucy, and her friends, Lotte Jansson, Jasminka Antonenko, Amanda O'Neill, Constanze – whose full name I can't pronounce - and Atsuko Kagari.""You can call me Akko," said Akko, moving forward to shake their hands. "So Mato and Yomi…. Those sound like Japanese names.""That's because we are Japanese," said Mato simply."Then what are you doing all the way out in the middle of the Philippines," asked Sucy. "This isn't some random tourist spot.""We have a bit of scheduling conflict," said Yomi, scratching her cheek sheepishly. "There was a slight mistake with our traveling party – apparently, the Magic Council overbooked and there were two more people than they would allow. Mato and I had to get off at a nearby check point and transfer to here.""Ugh, it's such a pain having to come all the way out here looking for a rock for an hour," groaned Mato. "I wish would could have just drove to the Tournament, but – well, let's just say there are some people who don't like me riding my vehicle except for certain times. Still…it's gonna be worth it…the International Chariot Racing Cup, wouldn't miss it for the world. Looking forward to seeing Ooarai bringing home the cup for the first time in thirty years.""You're getting a little ahead of yourself, aren't ya?" said Sucy. "Because I definitely think Pravda's gonna win the Tournament.""Yeah, Pravda's pretty good," said Mato, nodding in acknowledgement. "But Ooarai's definitely changed their game this year. They've been on a killer winning streak ever since they got their ace. You know, the Black Rock Shooter.""You seem pretty confident that the Black Rock Shooter's going to win the game," said Stan-Bot, and Constanze nodded."Let's just say…," said Mato slowly, grinning slyly, "I know a little about the Black Rock Shooter – "Before she could say anything else, Yomi sharply nudged Mato in the side to cut her off. There was a pointed stare between them that said they were hiding something that they didn't want anyone else to know about. Mato pouted and looked away, scratching the back of her head sheepishly."It must be nearly time," said Yomi, checking her smartphone. "Do you know whether we're waiting for any more people, Mrs. Manbavaran?""No, Talim is off running around looking for a cursed sword and no one likes those damn Hobbits," said Mrs. Manbavaran. "You're not expecting anymore from yours side, are you?""No, it's just us," said Yomi. "Yes, we're about a minute away…here you go…."She held out the stone between them. Mrs. Manbavran looked around at Akko."You just need to touch the stone, that's all, a finger will do – "With difficulty, owning to their bulky backpacks, the nine of them crowded around the pink stone held out by Yomi Takanashi.They all stood there, in a tight circle, as a warm breeze swept through the forest. Nobody spoke. It suddenly occurred to Akko how odd this would look if anyone were to walk by…nine people standing around in a tight circle clutching a stone in semidarkness, waiting…. Then again, if someone was walking around the forest at this time of day, they would probably be equally crazy…."Three…" muttered Mrs. Manbavaran, one eye still on her watch, "two…one…"A pink magical circle suddenly appeared beneath their feet and Akko felt the strange sensation of falling at a hundred miles an hour. She the ground disappear beneath her feet; Lotte and Amanda on either side of her, their shoulders banging into hers; the forest around them evaporated into a whirlwind of bright colors; her forefinger was stuck to the stone as though it was pulling her magnetically onward and then –Her feet slammed into the ground; Lotte staggered into her and she fell over; the Summoning Stone hit the ground near her head with a heavy thud.Akko looked up. Mrs. Manbavaran, Mato, and Yomi were still standing, though looking very windswept; everybody else was on the ground."Seven past five from Puerto Princesa," said a voice.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Akko disentangled herself from Lotte and got to her feet. They had arrived at what appeared to be a deserted stretch of misty moor. In front of them was a pair of tired and grumpy looked Demi-Humans, an angel and a demon, one of whom was holding a large gold pocket watch, the other a clipboard thick with papers and a pen."Got stuck on the morning shift, did you, Azrael?" said Mrs. Manbavaran, picking up the Summoning Stone and handing it to the angel, who threw it into a large box of used Summoning Stones beside him."Hello there, Susan," said Azrael wearily. "Not just the morning shift…. We've been here all night…. Maybe need to ask you to prescribe me something later…. You'd better get out of the way, we've got a big party coming in from the Himalayas at five-fifteen. Hang on, I'll find your campsite…. Manbavaran…Manbavaran…" He consulted his clipboard. "About a quarter of a mile's walk over there, first field you come to. Site manager is called Mr. Torres. And you two are…?" he turned to Mato and Yomi."Oh, we already know where we're going," said Mato, readjusting her backpack."It was nice meeting you all," said Yomi, bowing one last time before they walked off.Waving good bye to Mato and Yomi, Mrs. Manbavaran beckoned the rest to follow her and they set off across the deserted moor, unable to make out much through the mist. After about twenty minutes, a small stone cottage next to a gate swam into view. Beyond it, Akko could just make out the ghostly shapes of hundreds and hundreds of tents rising up the gentle slope of a large field toward a dark forest on the horizon.A man was standing in the doorway of the cottage, looking out at the tents. Akko knew at a glance that he was one of the few humans for several acres. When he heard their footsteps, he turned his head to them."Morning!" said Mrs. Manbavaran brightly."Morning," said the human."Would you be Mr. Torres?""Oo, that would be me," said Mr. Torres. "And you are?""Manbavaran – one tent, booked a couple of days ago?""Oo," said Mr. Torres, consulting a list tacked to the door. "You've got a space up by the woods there. Just the one night?""That's it," said Mrs. Manbavaran."You'll be paying now, then?" said Mr. Torres."Yes, certainly," said Mrs. Manbavaran, reaching into the crevasse between her breasts and pulling out a small purse; Akko had to turn away and hold her nose, fighting back the heat that was rising in her face. "The agreement was at fifteen hundred pesos, correct? A bit steep for a such a small plot of land if you ask me?""Hey, you should be happy there was any room left," said Mr. Torres rudely. "All kinds of foreigners have been showing up for weeks, causing all kinds of commotion and causing me headaches for nights on end. And even worse, they try to pay me in foreign money like euros and American dollars. Do I look like I can use foreign currency out here? You probably the first one to pay me proper.""Well, I would think you would be satisfied just for receiving payment in the first place," said Mrs. Manbavaran, frowning as she handed him the money. "Your only job is to stand around and check names off a list.""Bah, that's just like you Demi-Human types overlooking the hard work of us
normal
folk," said Mr. Torres with an undeniable hint of resentment in his voice. "You just wiggle your fingers and get whatever you want while we
humans
actually work for a living. Just a bunch of freaks, all of you – "At that moment, a man in a crisp, clean suit and dark sunglasses appeared at Mr. Torres side and whipped out a strange device from his pocket. There was a brief flash of light and instantly, Mr. Torres' eyes slid out of focus, his brows unknitted, and a look of dreamy unconcern fell over his face."Mr. Torres, weren't you going to give the nice lady her change and map?""Oh…yes…I was," Mr. Torres said placidly. "Here's a map of the campsite for you, and your change.""Thank you very much," Mrs. Manbavaran said in a restrained voice, like she was trying to hold back from thrashing him.The man in the suit and sunglasses accompanied them toward the gate to the campsite. He looked exhausted; they could faintly see the deep purple shadows under his eyes. Once out of earshot of Mr. Torres, Mrs. Manbavaran muttered to him, "It's a good thing you showed up when you did, Agent J. A few more seconds and I would have fried that man.""You wouldn't be the first," said Agent J tiredly. "Been having trouble with him. Been causing trouble for all the Demi-Humans coming in. Been having to neuralyze him ten times a day to keep him from starting a riot. And the Grand Master isn't helping. Running around talking about his games at the top of his voice, not worrying about security or anything. God, I'll be glad when this is over. Catch ya later, Susan."He walked back to Mr. Torres cottage."I thought the Grand Master was Head of the Department of Sports and Games," said Lotte, looking surprised. "Shouldn't he be more attentive to the Tournament's security?""He should," said Amanda with a grimace as Mrs. Manbavaran lead them through the gates into the campsite, "but that dumbass couldn't give a damn about security and the safety of his personnel as long as it doesn't interfere with his games. The guy is great when it comes to organizing huge events like this, don't get me wrong, but I hear my mom complaining about how he's running his department into the ground because of negligence at least twice a day. He just about drives her to drinking."They trudged up the misty field between long rows of tents. Most looked almost ordinary; their owners had clearly tried to make them as normal as possible, but had slipped up by adding chimneys, or bell pulls, or weather vanes. However, here and there was a tent so obviously magical that Akko actually had to stop and stare at the ridiculousness of it all. Halfway up the field stood an extravagant confection of striped silk like a miniature palace, with several live peacocks tethered at the entrance. A little farther on they passed a tent that had three floors and made of pure ice with a giant intimidating snowman standing guard; and a short way beyond that was a tent that had a thick oak tree growing from the top and had an elaborate tree house overlooking the grounds complete with functional pulley elevators and telescopes."Always the same," said Mrs. Manbavaran, sighing. "Can't' resist showing off when we get together. Ah, here we are, look, this is us."They had reached the very edge of the forest at the top of the field, and here was an empty space, with a small sign hammered into the ground that read "Manbavaran"."Couldn't have asked for a better spot!" said Mrs. Manbavaran happily. "The stadium is just on the other side of the forest there, we're as close as we could be." She hoisted her backpack from her shoulders. "Right, let's get the tent set up right away. Don't want to waste a perfectly good day on it." She waved her hand in circles around the air, a pale green light weaving between her fingers. "Magtayo ng tolda!"The pale glow shot from Mrs. Manbavaran's hands and covered the camping equipment, which suddenly started to assemble itself as if being built by invisible workers. The poles flew toward each other like magnets, clicking and locking together to build the frame before erecting the main tent itself; the stakes inserted themselves into the proper holes and stabbed into the ground, burying themselves deep as if they were being hit by a pair of mallets. And while the tent was being built, a row of rocks slithered out of the forest like a stony snake, coiling into a circle as an army of twigs and branches danced their way toward them as well and bundled up inside the circle. A snap of Mrs. Manbavaran's fingers and the twigs exploded into a warm, roaring fire.Mrs. Manbavaran clapped her hands and stepped back to admire her handiwork. Nobody looking at these would guess they belong to witches, Akko thought, but the trouble was that it hardly looked big enough to hold three people, let alone a party of seven. But it seemed like she was the only one who seemed concerned with the spacing issue; none of them seemed remotely bothered as Mrs. Manbavaran stooped down and ducked inside the tent first."We'll be a bit cramped," she called, "but I think we'll all squeeze in. Come and have a look."Akko bent down, ducked under the tent flap, and felt her jaw drop. She had walked into what looked like an old-fashioned, three-room flat, complete with bathroom and a kitchen. The furnishing style was tailed exactly to the Manbavaran's taste; darkened fabric around the tent walls, old, woolen rugs, and the gothic styled chairs were made of fine, polished dark oak."Oh, this brings back memories," said Mrs. Manbavaran, coming out from one of the three rooms, which had three beds lined up against the back wall. "I remember when I used to go camping with my parents and siblings in this tent. My brother Angelo and I always fought over the best bunk and he would always win because he was bigger than me. I haven't had much time for camping since being promoted to Chief Physician at the hospital…. I really should take Sucy, Garie, and Sabi on a trip some time…."She picked up the dusty kettle and peered inside. "We'll need water.""There's a water tap marked on the map that jerk gave us," said Sucy, who followed Akko inside and seemed completely unimpressed by its extraordinary inner proportions. "It's on the other side of the field.""Well, why don't you, Akko, and Lotte go and get us some water then" – Mrs. Manbavaran handed over the kettle and a couple of sauce pans – "and the rest of us will get to work on getting the food ready. I'm thinking we should have an outdoor barbecue to celebrate the occasion. Now where did I pack that meat…."And while Mrs. Manbavaran set Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka to work on preparations, Akko, Lotte, and Sucy set off across the campsite with the kettle and saucepans.Now, with the sun newly risen and the mist lifting, they could see the city of tents that stretched in every direction. They made their way slowly through the rows, staring eagerly around. It was only just dawning on Akko how truly vast the world of Demi-Humans truly was.Their fellow campers were starting to wake up. First to stir were the families with small children. A tiny boy no older than two was crouched outside a large pyramid-shaped tent, holding a bejeweled scepter and poking happily at the giant scorpion that was tethered to a post, which had suddenly grown three sets of stingers and was snapping its pincers furiously. As they drew level with him, his mother came hurrying out of the tent."How
many time, Carter? You
don't – touch – Alab's
–
scepter –
Youch!"The giant scorpion had stung her in the shoulder and she immediately dropped to the ground. Sucy cackled amusingly as they went on their way as the father came out of the tent screaming while Carter laughed and clapped himself silly.A short way further on, they saw three little blonde triplets, barely older than Carter, with pointed cat ears and tails running around with a small, white-haired girl with tiny angel wings along with a cat's ears and tail. A white-haired angel barely older than Akko's group came running out of their tent and spotted them; as she hurried past Akko, Lotte, and Sucy she yelled at the three, "Chi-chans, put Sue down immediately! She needs her nap – "Here and there adult Demi-Humans were emerging from their tents and starting to cook breakfast. Some were like Mrs. Manbavaran and conjuring fires with magic; others were doing things the natural way, choosing to strike matches or lighters instead of being lazy. Three men from Wakanda sat in serious conversation, all of them wearing golden robes and roasting what looked like a rabbit over something that looked like a space-aged heater, while a group of middle school girls sat gossiping happily beneath a handmade banner stretched between their tents that read:
Senshu Hero Club.
Akko caught snatched of conversation in strange languages from inside tents they passed. Thanks to sharing a dorm with the most ethnic group of friends for four years, Akko had learned basic English, Finnish, Russian, and Filipino (she never learned German because Constanze never said anything) and she could tell that everyone was waking up very excited."Er – I think I'm seeing red, and not in the metaphorical sense," said Lotte.It wasn't just Lotte. They had walked into a patch of tents were all covered in red cloth glittered with golden stars, all of them waving flags of two overlapping steel squares crossed with a T-square and small scissors on top. Akko recognized the flag as being the symbol of the Pravda team from Chariot Racing books. Grinning faces could be seen under those that had their flaps open. Then, from behind them, they heard their names."Akko! Lotte! Sucy!"It was Fate Testarossa, Akko's rival on the Corona Chariot Racing team. She was sitting in front of her own red tent, with a dark-haired man who was stirring a pot of potato soup, and her best friend (and unofficial girlfriend) Nanoha Takamachi, their classmate from Lunar House."Hey, Akko, I thought that was you," said Fate cheerfully. "Knew you wouldn't miss out on an event this big. Oh, this is my stepbrother, Chrono Harlaown.""Nice to meet you," said Chrono pleasantly."Mother and Lindy, Chrono's mother, couldn't make it because they're busy with work at the Magic Council," Fate explained. "So Chrono's taking care of us instead because he has nothing to do.""Hey, don't say rude things like that," said Chrono with a grimace."Like the decorations?" said Nanoha, grinning. "We're showing our support for Pravda. But I bet you're going to be rooting for Ooarai, Akko, since it is our home country. I would support them too, but…" she took a cautionary glance over her shoulder and whispered, "these people can be a little testy about who you support. You might want to watch what you say around them. A lot of people were throwing a fit because of what the Ooarai supports were putting on
their
tents. You might want to check it out before you head back.""I wonder what the Ooarai supports have on their tents?" said Lotte as they set out of range of the Pravda supporters."Let's go and have a look," said Sucy, pointing to a large patch of tents upfield, where the Ooarai team flag – a cartoon-style anglerfish – was fluttering in the breeze.The tents here were not draped in red, but each and every one of them had the same poster attached to it, a poster of a person that wore a long black coat with the hood over their heads, with bright-blue eyes that seemed to glow."The Black Rock Shooter," said Sucy quietly."What?" said Akko."The Black Rock Shooter," said Sucy more strongly. "The Anchor for the Ooarai team. The ace of Chariot Racing.""How can you tell?" said Akko, looking around at the many Black Rock Shooters staring at them. "You can't even see her face?""That's what makes her so fascinating," said Lotte. "She's an enigma to everyone. No one has ever seen her face. The Black Rock Shooter appeared out of nowhere at the beginning of the season and took a team that was near the bottom of the ranks to the Tournament. Rumor has it she's very young, too. The youngest to ever play professionally.""I heard a rumor that if Ooarai wins the Tournament," said Sucy, "that the Black Rock Shooter will reveal her face. I'm almost tempted to root for them."There was already a small queue for the tap in the corner of the field. Akko, Lotte, and Sucy joined in, right behind a pair a man and a woman who were having a heated argument. The dark-haired man was wearing a skirt. The woman, who looked like she could be his twin sister, was holding out a pair of pants and almost crying with exasperation."Just put them on, Qrow, for god's sake! You can't walk around like that, people have been giving us strange looks all day – ""But Yang said I should wear them," said Qrow. "She called it a kilt.""It's not a kilt, it's a skirt, you idiot!" said the red-eyed woman, waving the pants around furiously. "How could you fall for the same trick twice? Weren't you embarrassed enough when Tai pulled that stunt in school?"Lotte was overcome with such a strong fit of the giggles at this point that she had to duck out of the queue and only returned when Qrow had collected his water and moved away.Walking more slowly now, because of the weight of the water, they had made their way back through the campsite. Here and there, they saw more familiar faces: other Luna Nova students. Wangari, president of the Luna Nova News, dragged Akko over to her tent where she became reacquainted with Amelia O'Neill, the old captain of the Polaris Chariot Racing team and Amanda's older sister, who had told here excitedly that she had just joined the Magic Council straight out of school. Next they were hailed by Makoto Kowata, a Twilight fourth year, and a little farther on they saw Elma, the Keeper of Luna Nova, having a heated argument with Tohru, an old friend of Akko's back in Japan; that must have meant Miss Kobayashi was somewhere nearby, she thought. As they were getting closer to their spot, Akko noticed a group of teenagers whom she had never seen before and pointed them out."Who do you think they are?" she said. "They don't look like they go to Luna Nova.""Look at their uniforms," said Sucy, pointing out the group's blazers, which came in eight different colors. "They must be from Serenity Academy. There are a lot of school all of the world that train Demi-Humans, but I only know a few of them. Marito once had a penfriend that went to a school called Myojo Academy…this was years and years ago…and he wanted to go on an exchange trip, but his parents didn't think it was a good idea because of Myojo's reputation. His penfriend got all offended when he said he wasn't going and sent him a bomb through the mail. Took out the entire north wing of the house."Akko laughed but didn't voice the amazement she felt at hearing about other training school. She always knew that they had existed and had even been recommended for attending Honnoji Academy before she received her acceptance letter to Luna Nova, but it was something else to see so many representatives of so many nationalities in the campsite. She couldn't even begin to wrap her head around at how different each school might be despite their similarities."You've been gone for ages," said Amanda when they finally got back to the tent."Met a few people," said Sucy, setting the water down. "Is the food ready yet?""Yeah, slight problem with that," said Amanda, pointing over her shoulder. "Jasminka got impatient and decided to help herself."Akko looked over and spied Jasminka swallowing and entire plate of grilled meat in one gulp, letting out a contented belch."Good thing I had the foresight to plan a secret stash for safe keeping," said Mrs. Manbavaran, summoning her backpack from the tent. "Everyone gather 'round. Let's get lunch ready."Even though they could have used magic to grill the meat, Jasminka was insistent that slow cooking would bring out the flavor better and practically demanded that they do it properly. There was plenty to watch while they waited, however. Their tent seemed to be pitched right alongside a kind of thoroughfare to the field, and Magic Council members kept hurrying up and down it, greeting Mrs. Manbavaran cordially as they passed; apparently, she had a lot of patients from the Magic Council. Mrs. Manbavaran kept up a running commentary, mainly for Akko and Lotte's benefit; Sucy and Amanda's group either already knew everyone or wasn't interested."That was Maxwell Tennyson, Head of the Alien Liaison Department…. Here comes Dr. Holiday; she's with the Committee for Experimental Technology; heard her sister got turned into a mutant spider…Hello, Agent K…he's with the MIB, just like Agent J you saw earlier…and those two don't have names – they're Nothings.""They're what?""From the Department of Secrets, highly classified. People who join erase their existence from the world – very serious…."At last, the meat was ready, and they had just started eat their way through the pile of grilled beef when Mrs. Manbavaran suddenly groaned and rolled her eyes at a man who was striding toward them. "Ugh, great," she mumbled exasperatedly. "The last person wanted to see here – oh, hello, Grand Master."The self-proclaimed Grand Master was easily the most noticeable person Akko had seen so far, including Qrow in his skirt. For starters, his skin was a bright shade of blue, so you could tell right away that he was alien in origin. He wore the most flamboyant robes of golds and blues with a little red cape hanging off his shoulder, making him look something like a Roman emperor, possibly chosen for that exact reason to make him seem important. He had a very pointed nose, wide gray eyes, a thinning head of whiter hair, and a rosy complexion that made him look like a blue schoolboy."Hello there!" The Grand Master called happily as he reached their campfire. "Susan, my good woman, what a day, am I right? What a day! Could we have asked for more perfect weather? A cloudless night coming…and hardly a hiccup in the arrangements…. Not much for me to do!"Behind him, a group of haggard-looking Magic Council members rushed past, pointing at the distinct evidence of some sort of massive fire serpent that was setting half the camp ablaze."Yes…nothing for you to do…," said Mrs. Manbavaran slowly with a frown. "Uh, this is my daughter, Sucy – and these are her friends – you already know Amanda O'Neill – her mother sits on the Council – and that's Constanze and Jasminka, and over there is Lotte and Akko. Everyone, this is the Grand Master, as I am sure you've already figured out by now. He was the one that provided us with our tickets after I saved his entire staff from dying to dragon pox – "The Grand Master beamed and waved his hand bashfully as if he was being complimented for nearly allowing his employees to die."Fancy a wager on the match, Susan?" he said eagerly, producing a futuristic tablet from his robes. "I've already got Johnny Bepp betting me Saunders will score first – I offered him nice odds, considering St. Gloriana and Jatkosota's forwards are the strongest I've seen in years – and little Luffy has put up his ship on a week-long match.""No, I don't gamble," said Mrs. Manbavaran disapprovingly. "And neither does my daughter," she added with a disapproving look at Sucy, who had been reaching for her pocket. Sucy made a "tch" sound and looked pointedly away."Are you quite sure?" The Grand Master looked slightly disappointed, but recovered himself. "Very well, very well…any other takers?""They're a bit young to be gambling," said Mrs. Manbavaran. "Their parents wouldn't like –"Eight hundred, twenty-seven dollars and thirty-six cents," said Amanda as she jumped up and quickly whipped out her card, "that Pravda will cross the finish line first, but the Black Rock Shooter will land the final shot and win the Tournament for Ooarai.""Miss O'Neill," said Mrs. Manbavaran under her breath, "you shouldn't be betting…. That must be all of your savings…. Your mother – ""Don't be a spoilsport, Susan!" boomed the Grand Master, eagerly taking Amanda's card and swiping it across his tablet. "I think she's old enough to know what she wants! You think Pravda will cross the finish line first, but Ooarai will win because the Black Rock Shooter makes the final shot? Not a chance, my girl, not a chanced…. The odds of something like that happening are twenty-eight million to one.""I think I'll take my chances," said Amanda, grinning confidently as she took her card back. The Grand Master turned most cheerfully back to Mrs. Manbavaran."Now, I wouldn't mind a drink, I suppose?" said the Grand Master. "I'm keeping an eye out for Org. My Black Forest opposite number's making difficulties, and I don't understand a lick of German. Org will be able to sort it out. He speaks about a hundred and fifty languages, that old man. Though I suppose he's keeping himself busy these days, what with the Academy City nonsense that's going on.""Speaking of which, I don't suppose there is any word from Aleister Crowley yet, Grand Master?" Mrs. Manbavaran asked as the Grand Master settled himself down on the grass beside them all."Not a word in who knows how long," said the Grand Master comfortably. "But I'm sure he'll turn up. But Crowley has never been the social type…always locked away in his windowless building for days on end. Wouldn't hurt the man to step outside once in a while. The man could be dead and no one would ever know.""You don't think it might be time to send someone to check up on him?" Mrs. Manbavaran suggested as she poured the Grand Master a cup of tea."A lot of people keep saying that, but Org doesn't pay them any mind," said the Grand Master, taking a sip. "I don't think he cares for Aleister Crowley that much. Not surprising. He did create an entire city that was anti-magic. Relations with them are tentative at best, and Org isn't going to spare anyone just for him. Oh – and speak of the Elders! Org!"A man had just appeared at their fireside, and he could not have been more of a contrast with the Grand Master, sprawled on the grass in fancy robes. Org was a stiff, upright, elderly man with a thick white beard that was unnaturally straight and could only see through one eye. He wore a great number of crisp, clean robes that were meticulously coordinated without a single crease in the fabric. He reminded Akko of an old school teacher she once had that was very rigid about the rules and would often hand out unreasonable punishments for little things like talking out of turn or passing notes."Pull up a bit of grass, Org," said the Grand Master brightly, patting the ground beside him."No, thank you, Grand Master," said Org, and there was a bite of impatience in his voice. "I've been looking for you everywhere. The Black Forest representatives are insisting we add another twelve seats to the Top Box.""Oh is
that
what they're after?" said the Grand Master. "I thought the man was asking to borrow a pair of tweezers. Bit of a strong accent.""Would you care to join us for a cup of tea, Org?" asked Mrs. Manbavaran politely, holding up the kettle."Oh," said org, looking over at Mrs. Manbavaran in mild surprise. "Yes – thank you, Susan. That would be lovely. I've actually been wanting a word with you. The Sultan of Arabia is on the warpath. He wants a word with you about the embargo on Tawa-Tawa plants."Mrs. Manbavaran heaved a deep sigh."I already sent him an e-mail about that just last week. If I've told him once I've told him a hundred times: The Tawa-Tawa plant in an endangered flora in our country after the locus infestation in twenty-ten. Supplies of it are limited in the Philippines and we can't afford to trade with it, but will he listen?""I doubt it," said Org, accepting a cup of tea. "He's desperate to export there. Don't grow as many medicinal plants over in his country like they do in yours.""Then he should try China or India," said Mrs. Manbavaran, frowning. "It's getting tiresome to have the Export Marketing Bureau come into my hospital asking for my opinion while I'm in the middle of surgery.""You know, you could always apply for a better job," said the Grand Master. "With you family background, extensive knowledge, and good decision making, you could get an office in government and let others worry about that stuff.""The Alchemilla Hospital has been in the Manbavaran family for generations," Mrs. Manbavaran spoke firmly as though she wanted to leave no room for arguments. "I would never leave it in the hands of anyone except my daughter when she graduates. Besides, I'm a doctor. I couldn't spend hours sitting behind a desk – I'd get restless.""Yes, I can understand that," said the Grand Master breezily. "And what about you, Org? Been keeping busy?""Fairly," said Org dryly. "Organizing Summoning Stones across five continents is no mean feat, Grand Master.""I expect you'll both be glad when this is over?" said Mrs. Manbavaran.The Grand Master looked shocked."Glad? Don't know when I've had more fun…. Still, it's not as though we haven't got anything to look forward to, eh, Org? Eh? Plenty left to organize, eh?"Org raised his eyebrows at the Grand Master"We agreed not to make the announcement until all the details – ""Oh details!" said Org, waving the word away like a cloud of midges. "They've signed, haven't they? They've agreed, haven't they? I bet you anything these kids will know soon enough anyway. I mean, it's happening at Luna Nova this year – ""Grand Master, we need to meet the Black Forest representatives, you know," said Org sharply, cutting Org's remarks short. "Thank you for the tea, Susan."He pushed his undrunk tea back at Mrs. Manbavaran and waited for the Grand Master to rise; The Grand Master struggled to his feet, swigging down the last of his tea, slipping the tablet into his robes with a flourish."See you all later!" he said. "You'll be in the Top Box with me – I'm commentating!" He waved, Org nodded curtly, and both of them disappeared into the campgrounds."What's happening at Luna Nova,
Ina?" said Sucy at once. "What were they talking about?""You'll find out soon enough," said Mrs. Manbavaran, smiling."I know," said Amanda in a sing-song voice. "But before you ask, no, I'm not telling. My mom would kill me if I gave out secret info.""You suck, O'Neill," said Akko, pouting."I know," said Amanda proudly.A sense of excitement rose like a palpable cloud over the campsite as the afternoon wore on. By dusk, the still summer air itself seemed to be quivering with anticipation, and as darkness spread like a curtain over the thousands of waiting people, the blatant vestiges of magic everywhere seemed to have become more intensified and the Magic Council workers seemed to have finally given up trying to maintain the peace.Salesmen were popping up every few feet, carrying trays and pushing carts full of extraordinary merchandise. There were luminous rosettes – one for each of the seven teams' colors – which were squealing the names of the players, giant stuffed plushie anglerfish, decorative tea cups, Italian lunch boxes, flags from all the countries that played their national anthem as they were waved; there were tiny models and collectible figurines of famous players, which strolled across the palm of your hand, posing."Been saving my allowance all summer for this," Lotte told Akko as they strolled through the salesmen, buying souvenirs. Though she purchased a Finnish flag and sky-blue rosette, she also bought a small figure of the Black Rock Shooters, whose face could not be seen because the hood could not be pulled down. The miniature Black Rock Shooter walked backward and forward over Lotte's hand, crossing her arms and seemingly scowling at the rosette on her chest."Wow, look at these!" said Akko, hurrying over to a cart piled high with what looked like silver binoculars, except they were covered with all sorts of levers and buttons."Holoculars, just shipped from Nar Shaada," said the salesman eagerly. "They record everything they see. You can replay action…slow everything down…and they flash up a holographic play-by-play breakdown if you need it. Bargain – a five hundred credits each.""Oh…I…guess I shouldn't be been so quick to buy these then," said Lotte sadly, gesturing to her flag and rosette and gazing longingly at the Holoculars."Two pair," said Akko firmly to the salesman."No – don't bother," said Lotte, going red. Even if she wouldn't say it out loud, she was a bit sensitive that Akko inherited a small fortune from her mother while Lotte's family was always had very little despite her grandmother being Luna Nova's headmistress."You've been my best friend since the day we met," Akko told her, thrusting the Holoculars into her hands. "And you've never asked me for anything. I think it's okay to be a little selfish.""Oh…thank you, Akko," said Lotte, grinning shyly as her face turned a bright shade of red.Afterwards, Akko bought a deep-blue rosette and a giant stuffed anglerfish before they went back to the tent. Jasminka, Sucy, and Mrs. Manbavaran were all sporting red rosettes for Pravda, while Constanze was wearing a black one for the Black Forest and a model tank kit. Amanda had no souvenirs as she had given the Grand Master all her money.And then a deep, booming gong sounded somewhere beyond the woods, and at once, a rainbow of lanterns blazed to life in the trees, lighting the path to the stadium."It's time!" said Mrs. Manbavaran, looking as excited as any of them. "Come on, let's go!"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Clutching their purchases, Mrs. Manbavaran in the lead, they all hurried into the woods, following the lantern-lit trail. They could hear the sounds of thousands of people moving around them, shouts and laughter, snatches of singing. The atmosphere of feverish excitement was highly infectious; Akko couldn't stop grinning. They walked through the woods for twenty minutes, talking and joking loudly, until at last they emerged on the other side and found themselves in the shadow of a gigantic stadium. Though Akko could only see a fraction of the enormous silver walls surrounding the field, she could tell that twenty cathedrals would fit comfortably inside it."Seats five hundred thousand," said Mrs. Manbavaran, spotting the awestruck look on Akko's face. "Council task force of a thousand have been working on it all year. Some dedicated people to be willing to put up with all this for a whole year, and away from their families no less," she added, leading the way toward the nearest entrance, which was already surrounded by a swarm of shouting fans."You always get the best seats every year, Susan," said the Council employee at the entrance when she checked their tickets. "The Top Box as usual. Straight upstairs. Maybe I should consider going to medical school if it gets me good seats like those – "The stairs into the stadium were carpeted in a vibrant neon green. They clambered upward with the rest of the crowd, which slowly filtered away through doors into the stands to their left and right. Mrs. Manbavaran's party kept climbing, and at last they reached the top of the staircase and found themselves in a small box, set at the highest point of the stadium and situated exactly in the middle with a perfect view of the track. About thirty green-and-silver chairs stood in two rows here, and Akko, filing into the front seats with the others, looked down upon a scene the likes of which she could never have imagined.Five hundred thousand men, women, and Demi-Humans of every sort were taking their place in the seats, which rose in levels around the long, oval track. Everything was suffused with a mysterious silver light, which seemed to come from the stadium itself. The track looked smooth as velvet from their lofty position, but she knew it was only temporary. On the opposite side of them, almost at Akko's eye level, was a giant monitor that flashed many signs for products and sponsors Akko had never even heard of. Watching it, Akko saw the advertisements flash one after another from across the field."Nights Busters – when there's something strange in the neighborhood (Ask for Yuma Kusanagi for price on demand) …
Doofenshmirtz Evil Inc. – For all your nefarious Inator needs (No platypi allowed) … Shiny Ray Dresses by Alexia O'Neill – Paris, London, Tokyo…Akko tore her eyes away from the monitor and looked around when she heard a clatter coming from the stairs. Two men walked in and both of them looked very familiar. Both of them very handsome in the own rights, one with perfectly groomed brunette hair and a recognizable look of disinterest while the other one was blonde with a wide, excited look in his eyes like a child in a candy store. While the blonde man wore a more relaxed jean and jacket combo, his friend had dressed up in a formal black business suit that made him stiff and uptight. The two looked around the box for their seats when they locked eyes with Akko and all three of them cried out:"Miss Kagari?""Andrew? Frank?"Akko's friends spun around in their seats, looking just as surprised as Akko had been. Though only half of her friend truly knew who Andrew was, they knew him by reputation. Andrew's father was Paul Hanbridge, a minister of state in England and a not-so-subtle Demi-Human hater. But Andrew wasn't like his father. Though he didn't have a high opinion on magic, Andrew was considerate towards all species and believed that Human and Demi-Humans could coexist peacefully. Akko met him two years ago when Andrew sent a tiny ninja that nearly killed her and they met on various random occasions, all of which were admittedly pleasant. Akko wouldn't say that they were close, but she did value Andrew's friendship."What are you doing here?" asked Akko immediately. "I thought you wouldn't like something like Chariot Racing.""Can't say I really admire the sport," said Andrew as he and Frank sat in the second row behind them, "but a representative from the Magic Council came to meet my father about political matters and offered him two seats to the Tournament. Obviously, that man couldn't give a damn about anything related to Demi-Humans, so he gave them to me. I knew Frank was interested in seeing a match, so I decided to invite him.""That's a pretty elaborate way to say you're a secret fan," said Sucy snarkily."Wha – I am not; I couldn't care less about this sport!" Andrew sputtered; it was rare that anyone ever caught him off-guard."Hello, Miss Jansson," said Frank, leaning over the seat with an excited smile. "You are looking well.""Oh, thank you, Frank," said Lotte, smiling. "You're looking well, too."Akko exchanged looked with Sucy, Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka and they all snickered behind their hands.They all knew about Frank's no-so-secret crush on Lotte. The man had become enamored with her ever since their run-in at Spellbinder's two years ago and always looked for an excuse to talk to her, whether its buying her drinks or trying to show off his own knowledge of magic. The only one who couldn't see it was Lotte herself. Despite telling her numerous times, Lotte couldn't bring herself to believe that someone as rich and handsome as Frank could ever be interested in her. It was sad to hear her call herself plain and uninteresting. Hopefully having them spend time together would make Lotte realize how special she was, Akko thought."Frank wouldn't stop talking about her over the summer," Andrew leaned forward and muttered to Akko. "That man is simply smitten. I wish he would hurry up and tell her already.""Thinking of playing matchmaker, are we?" said Akko, grinning mischievously."No, I think I'll leave that to you," said Andrew, shaking his head. "Unlike you, I am actually busy helping my father with the estate and preparing for the day when I eventually become state minister like him.""Not exactly like him, I hope," said Akko, frowning."Well…not exactly," Andrew admitted solemnly. "I do want to change something – repair some of the bridges that my father has burned with the Demi-Humans. Of course, Diana will be a great help in that regard."Oh yes, Akko thought grimly, she had almost forgotten about that. Possibly the biggest reason why Akko and Andrew weren't as close as they could have been being the future Head of the Cavendish family herself. Andrew and Diana were engaged to be married immediately once Diana graduated from Luna Nova. It wasn't out of love or a desire to be together like Akko feared, but it was for political purposes. The Hanbridges were the biggest representatives for the Human side and the Cavendish name was famous in the Demi-Human world. The union of these two celebrated names would, supposedly, help unify the two species. Akko totally understood how important it was and why they needed it…but Akko had loved Diana for the longest time, and just thinking about the arranged marriage made her chest hurt….Akko tried to distract herself from that direction of thinking, pulled out her holoculars, and started testing them by staring down into the crowd on the other side of the stadium."Whoa, this is freaky!" she said, sliding the replay lever back and forth. "I can make that old guy pick his nose again…and again…and again…"The box filled gradually around them over the next half hour. Mrs. Manbavaran kept shaking hands with people who were obviously very important. When Crawford Seam, the Chairman of the Magic Council himself, arrived, Andrew was quick to reach him before anyone else, making polite introductions and idle chitchat. Within two minutes, Andrew had him laughing at some kind of joke and patting him on the shoulder like a good friend. Akko had to admit, the guy knew how to network like a pro; it wouldn't surprise her if he became Prime Minister someday. There was a hint of satisfaction in seeing Andrew's face fall when Crawford shook Akko's hand in a fatherly fashion, asked how she was, and introduced her to the men on either side of him. They had met before and Crawford was one of the handful of individuals that knew about Akko's status as the Star-Born Child, making him somewhat keen to having a good relationship with her." – and this is Alexei, the Russian representative," he told Akko as she shook hands with the portly man with the most rugged beard she had ever seen. "Not one for talks, but then again, I can't understand a lick of Russian; I need Org for this sort of thing. Where in the name of the Nine Olde Witches could that man be at this time…I've been having to mime my words all day trying to communicate with them…ah, and here are the Cavendishes"Everyone turned in attention, but none of them as fast as Akko, who nearly gave herself a whiplash in excitement. Edging along the second row to the seven still-empty seats right behind Mrs. Manbavaran were none that Diana Cavendish, her friends, Hannah England and Barbara Parker, her mother Athena, and an older woman with two girls who looked like they could be her daughters.Hannah and Barbara weren't exactly friends of Akko's, but they tolerated each other for Diana's sake, especially Barbara, since they nearly killed each other in the first year. Barbara seemed to have had a growth spurt over the summer, easily standing over Akko now and rivaling Amanda in height. Hannah didn't seem to get any taller, but her auburn hair was a lot bushier now and had to be tied back by a bright yellow bow, parting her bangs down the middle. But the one that stole Akko's breath was Diana; she hadn't looked any different than when they last met, but that didn't make her any less beautiful. The pale rich skin, the soft blue eyes, the platinum-blonde locks with side-swept bangs and tea-green highlights; in Akko's opinion, she made the Venus look like an ugly old hag.Sitting directly on Diana's left was her mother, Athena, whose face was similar to Diana's, but with faded blonde hair and various wrinkles under her eyes, making her seem older than she actually was. She saw Akko and waved at her with a soft smile; Athena and Akko's mother, Chariot, were old friends in school and also one of the few that knew Akko's origins. The woman sitting beside her had platinum-blonde with highlights hair like Diana; tall and slim, she would have been nice-looking if she hadn't been wearing a look that suggested there was a nasty smell under her nose. Her daughters were a similar way; both strikingly beautiful in their own ways, but were giving Akko's group a look as if they had been rolling around in dog muck.The woman was quick to reach the Chairman, shaking his hand enthusiastically with a well-performed smile."Ah, Crawford," she said. "How are you?""Doing well, Daryl," said Crawford, smiling and nodding respectfully. "I see you brought your family with you.""Of course; family is the most important thing in the world, after all," said Daryl daintily; Akko noticed Diana rolling her eyes exasperatedly. "You, of course, already know my niece, Diana – next in line to inherit the House of Cavendish. And these are my daughters, Maril and Marrill" – she gestured to the twins that curtseyed gracefully – "and this is…my sister-in-law…" she added as an afterthought, not even bothering to say Athena's name."We've already met," said Athena said smugly as she shook hands with Crawford; she had been in the same organization as Chariot, after all."How do you do, how do you do?" said Crawford, bowing to each of them in turn. "And allow me to introduce to you Alexei Sytsevich, he's the Russian president, and that's Akihirio, the Emperor of Japan, and there's the Chancellor of Germany, Helmut. And let's see who else – you know Susan Manbavaran, I daresay?"There was a tense pause in the Top Box as Daryl and Mrs. Manbavaran slowly looked at each other. There was an obvious mutual dislike of one another, but they didn't speak anything about it. Mrs. Manbavaran stood up from her seat and politely held out her hand, which Daryl shook, but only for the briefest second before she pulled her hand back as if she had been electrocuted."Ah, Susan, how…wonderful it is to see you again," said Daryl in a feigned show of kindness. "I didn't think you would show up again this year. I thought you would be busy sticking your arms in people's bodies or rummaging around in a dark, damp forest for truffles.""Well, it's in a surgeon's job description of stick their hands in a person's body in order to save a life," said Mrs. Manbavaran in a similarly restrained tone. "I would have thought that the Cavendish family would know all about that due to your history as healers. But I guess the House of Cavendish has lost a lot of its luster ever since the
real
Head of House passed away. My condolences, by the way.""You are…too kind," said Daryl, who was subtly gritting her teeth.Crawford, who somehow hadn't been paying attention, said, "Daryl has just given a
very
generous contribution to St. Hilde Church Orphanage, Susan. She's here as my guest.""How…nice," said Mrs. Manbavaran slowly.Daryl's eyes had wondered over to Akko and gave her a very nasty look that made it clear she was not looking to be friendly. Akko had a pretty good idea why she would act so hostile despite having never met before. If Diana ever talked about her at home, she would have mentioned that Akko was raised by Humans (Shiny Chariot and Akko's origins were a highly guarded secret among them). Akko vividly recalled back in her first year when Barbara mentioned how pure-blooded families stayed together to preserve their bloodlines, and it's likely that they consider anyone who was born or raised by Humans, like Akko, second-class. However, under the gaze of the Chairman of the Magic Council, Daryl didn't dare say anything. She nodded sneeringly at Mrs. Manbavaran and sat down in her seat. Diana leaned forward in her seat between Akko and Lotte."I am really sorry about her," she said apologetically."D-Don't worry about it," Akko said flustered, her heart hammering in her chest from being so close to her. Next moment, the Grand Master charged into the box."Everyone ready?" he said, his face gleaming with excitement. "Chairman – ready to go?""Ready when you are, Grand Master," said Crawford comfortably.The Grand Master waved his hand around in the air and a strange-looking, star-patterned microphone magically appeared out of thin air. He spoke over the roar of sound that was now filling the packed stadium; his voice echoed over them, booming into every corner of the stands."Ladies and gentlemen…welcome! Welcome to the finals of the International Chariot Racing Tournament!"The spectators screamed and clapped. Thousands of flags waved, adding their discordant national anthems to the racket. The huge monitor opposite them finished with its last message, (Café Stile – catering to all your fetishes) and now showed the scorecard:BLACK FOREST: 0 PRAVDA: 0 ANZIO: 0 ST. GLORIANA: 0 SAUNDERS: 0 JATKOSATO: 0 OOARAI: 0"And now, without further ado, let's begin introducing the hardworking men and women who have made it this far. Our first team hardly needs an introduction; they are regulars here at the Tournament and are looking to take back their winning streak after their surprise defeat last year. From the deep forests of Germany, I present to you – the Black Forest Blitzkriegs! Strauss"A white-haired woman with devil wings clad in black, moving so fast she was blurred, shot out onto the field from an entrance far below, to wild applause from the Black Forest supporters."Zemo!"A second black-clothed player zoomed out."Fischer! Hoffmann! Aaaaaand – Wolf!"Akko followed the five black blurs as they zipped around the stadium in tight formation with her holoculars. Something she immediately noticed about the players was –"None of them are riding brooms," said Akko curiously."Well, of course they wouldn't," said Diana. "While Shooting Star and the Shiny Balai are a couple of exceptions, brooms are very inefficient when it comes to racing. It's very rare to find any professional players that still ride broomstick outside of school.""And now," the Grand Master continued, "please welcome back last year's champions! After a stunning upset against the Black Forest, this team is looking to secure yet another victory under their belt! From the harsh plains of the Siberian Tundra – the Pravda Katyushas! Pashkov! Smirnov! Yusupov! Ivanov! Aaaaand – Romanova!"Five red blurs swept onto the field; the leader of the pack was waving a flag bearing the face of a tiny girl that kind of resembled a gremlin. Just like the Black Forest team, none of them were mounted on brooms…but one of them was driving a flying tank! Is that even legal, Akko had to wonder?One by one, the teams were introduced – the Anzio Anchovies, the St. Gloriana Teacups, the Saunders Thunderbolts, and the Jatkosato Kanteles – but Akko didn't pay any attention to them. There was only one team that Akko wanted to see, and after fifteen minutes of introductions, it was finally their turn."And now, the dark horses of the Tournament!" the Grand Master announced. "After a long and painful streak of failure, this team has completely turned their game around and are now poised to take the championship! But do they have what it takes to compete with the big leagues? Presenting, from the Land of the Rising Sun – the Ooarai Anglerfish! Tatsumaki! Yuno! Shiro! Shihoin! Aaaaaand – the Black Rock Shooter!""That's her, that's her!" yelled Lotte, following the Black Rock Shooter with her holoculars. Akko quickly focused her own.The Black Rock Shooter was almost completely covered by the long black coat that she wore and the hood that obscured her face, but her bright blue eyes appeared to penetrate the shadows like spotlights. She was riding on some type of personal aircraft that looked made for war than racing; the words "Brunhilde" were etched along the wings. It was hard to believe she was around Akko's age."And here, all the way from Egypt, our referee, acclaimed Chairman of the International Association of Chariot Racing, Sallah Khufu!"A small and skinny man, completely bald but with a thick mustache that looked like a squirrel on his lips, wearing a cloak of pure silver to match the stadium, flew over the field on the back of a winged monster that had the body of a lion, but had a disturbingly human-like face. If Akko remembered anything from her Study of Abnormal Creatures class, she knew that the creature was a sphinx. As the starting players lined up at the start and the other players waited off on the side, Khufu produced a silver whistle and gave a sharp blast. As if on command, the track began to shift and mold as various shapes started to rise from the ground. In mere moments, the seven players found themselves facing a long stretch of canyon with ominous black thundercloud hanging over their heads. Khufu gave another sharp blast of his whistle and the players shot into the canyon like missiles."Theeeeeeeey're OFF!" screamed the Grand Master. "Pashkov shoots – misses – Rude snatches a ring – Tatsumaki with a double shot – nails them both – Strauss shoots into first – gets passed by Johann – Oof! King struck by lightning! Romano with the anchovy surprise! He drops it – Rude takes it to the face! Tatsumaki sweeps through!"It was Chariot Racing the likes Akko had never seen before. She was pressing her Holoculars so hard to her face that the edges were cutting into the skin around her eyes. The match could only be described as pure chaos – so much was happening at once that the Grand Master only had time to mention a few brief snatches of the action. Akko pulled the slow lever on the right of her holoculars, pressed the play-by-play button on top, and she was immediately watching in slow motion, while electronic blue lettering flashed across the lenses and the noise of the crowd pounded against her eardrums.Tornado Twist,
she read as she watched Tatsumaki telepathically redirect both shots aimed at her by Rude from Saunders and King from St. Gloriana back at each other before drawing in two rings with her mind. She turned her scopes, then, on Pashkov from Pravada, who was locked in an intense duel with Strauss from the Black Forest.
Soul Extinctor
flashes up next, as Strauss gathers a tremendous amount of dark energy in her hands and blasts it at Pashkov. Pashkov only barely manages to duck underneath the blast, but failed to be aware of his surroundings and skimmed against the canyon until he flipped forward and rolled on the ground. At the same time, Romano from Anzio chases closely behind Strauss, reaches behind his back, and, for some odd reason, whips out a bowl of pasta noodles –"And Romano crosses!" roared the Grand Master, and the stadium shuddered with a roar of applause and cheers. "Anzio takes a significant lead as they enter the second lap, but Pravda is close behind!""What?" Akko yelled, looking wildly around through her holoculars. "But Romano was right behind Strauss!""Akko, it's you're not going to watch at normal speed, you're going to miss things!" shouted Lotte, who started dancing up and down as Jatkosato's second runner landed a spectacular triple hit on Anzio, Ooarai, and Saunders.Furious with herself, Akko flipped her speed dial back to normal as the second group was crossing the halfway point of the track, which had been converted into a great patch of desert with an artificial sun scorching them from above.Akko knew enough about Chariot Racing to see why Black Forest and Pravda were considered the heavy hitters. The Black Forest players worked seamlessly through the tracks with a calculative look in their eyes, constantly thinking and carefully maneuvering the field while simultaneously turning the other players against one another so that they could slip through unopposed. Pravda, on the other hand, was using a highly aggressive gameplay, choosing to prioritize attack their opponents rather than collecting rings or shooting targets. When Akko zoomed in on the Pravda player, she realized that they only had the one ring from the beginning of the game – a very risky play, as having no rings would lead to an automatic disqualification. And when she looked at Ooarai's players, they really didn't seem all that impressive. They were playing defensively the whole time, guarding and focusing on collecting points rather than trying to get ahead. Akko recognized the strategy – it was the same one Amelia O'Neill used for the Polaris House; prioritizing on collecting points in the initial run and then banking it all on the final player. Whatever Ooarai was planning, it was going to come down to the Black Rock Shooter to make it work.The second and third laps passed by in a blur; the pace of the match was becoming too much for even Akko to keep up with, and even more brutal. Ivanov from Pravda all but slammed the Saunders, Anzio, and Jatkosato players out of bounds, sending them spiraling out of control into the grassy center where it took five minutes for them to pick themselves back up. Hoffmann from Black Forest blasted several rings off the St. Gloriana player and snatched them out of the air before they hit the ground, which Akko discovered was a legal move and awarded Black Forest a ton of points. But as they were coming toward the end of the lap, Shihoin from Ooarai suddenly zipped to the front in a flash of lightning."Ooarai's making its move!" shouted Amanda as Shihoin zipped past Black Rock Shooter in a flash, managing to pass along her rings in their split-second crossing, and the hooded racer took off down the track with the roar of her plane's engines; the track had transformed into a giant city and she was zooming through the alleyways with great skill. Pravda and Black Forest passed their rings off moments later, but Black Rock Shooter was already at the quarter mark."Black Rock Shooter leading the pack! She's flying at – oh my word!" roared the Grand Master.Five hundred thousand men and woman gasped and shrieked when one of the skyscrapers suddenly exploded, devouring Black Rock Shooter in a burst of flames as she passed by. Akko looked around wildly for the origin of the explosion. The flying tank that Akko had seen earlier was being driven by Romanova of Pravda, its barrel smoking, smashing its way through the alleys as if the buildings were made of cardboard while Wolf from Black Forest was cautiously hanging behind her. In Akko's opinion, that should have been considered illegal or worth a foul, but using military artillery in a race was apparently legal since the Grand Master didn't call her out."Is she dead?" screamed Lotte next to Akko, biting her lip."No way," said Sucy with a wicked grin. "She's only just getting started."Romanova and Wolf just flew past the fiery hole that remained from the mortar shot when the roar of an engine screeched over the screams of the crowd. The flames were whipped aside and the Black Rock Shooter shot ahead like a bullet; the aircraft and its riding completely unscratched. Romanova and Wolf looked over with surprised expressions as the Black Rock Shooter suddenly hovered between them. Before either one had the chance to counter, the Black Rock Shooter turned her aircraft into a barrel roll. The wings of her plane smacked Wolf from underneath and plowed Romanova from above, sending them spinning wildly in opposite directions and slamming into the builds. A huge roar of cheers rose from the dark-blue seats of the Ooarai supporters while Pravda and Black Forest groaned in sync."Ugh, you fool!" moaned Mrs. Manbavaran. "She was feinting! How could you fall for something so obvious?""How the hell does someone even survive a ballistics blast to the face," said Andrew, his face contorted with a mixture of awe and horror. "And what the hell kind of game would even allow someone to ride a tank in the first place.""Clearly, you've never heard of Sensha-do before," said Akko enthusiastically, leaning over the side of the box down over the track. "The number one rule: everything is better with tanks!"When the Pravda and Black Forest anchors finally pulled themselves together, the players from Anzio, St. Gloriana, Saudners, and Jatkosato had already caught up and now all of them were chasing Black Rock Shooter in a very risky game of follow the leader. From the start, it was made clear that Black Rock Shooter was the superior flyer as she ducked in-between the narrow alleyways without so much as disturbing loose newspapers, and found shortcuts through the buildings by turned her craft sideways and sliding in like a puzzle piece. It was the opposite of Pravda's strategy, which seemed to amount to blowing up every skyscraper in her path and marching on through; the other teams were closely behind, keeping ample distance from Pravda's cannon.Black Rock shooter was swerving around the large towers at the halfway point when she was suddenly shadowed by several multi-colored blasts appearing from behind. Akko watched her closely through the zoom function of her holoculars; the Black Rock Shooter looked over her shoulder and the visible lower half of her face seemed to twist into an annoyed grimace. She banked right to dodge the bombardment and had no choice but to do a full circle around, causing her to end up right in the back of the pack behind Anzio and Jatkosato. But while the rest of the teams were plowing forward behind Pravda, Anzio and Jatkosato's Anchors suddenly turned around to face the Black Rock Shooter and started firing on her; a scream of surprise and rage blasted from the Ooarai crowd; the Grand Master laughed at the surprise twist of events."Ho-ho, bet you didn't see that coming, did you?" said the Grand Master entertainingly. "Ziti and Koskinen have joined forces to delay the Black Rock Shooter! Who knows what other alliances have been made by the other teams?""Why are they going after her?" shouted Hannah. "She's not even in the lead anymore!""Because she's too good; she'll just end up back in front in no time!" yelled Barbara. "They all want to take her down, and they're willing to work together to do it!"Akko jammed her holoculars so hard against her eyes they started cutting off circulation. The Black Shooter rushed headlong at Anzio and Jatkosato's anchors, spiraling rapidly to expertly dodge their volley of spells. She leveled out when she was within reaching distance of them and suddenly jabbed her hand under her coat, whipping out a single-edged katana. With a flick of her wrist, coat of blue flames covered the sword's edge. The Black Rock Shooter shot between the two and whipped her katana around in a quick circle at the Jatkosato player – a move so fast that Akko didn't see until she played it back. The anchor from Jatkosato didn't seem to realize what happened either until his vehicle suddenly split in half underneath him, dropping him twenty feet into an open dumpster while the pieces of his vehicle crashed into the street. The Anzio anchor turned to give chase, but the Black Rock Shooter swiped her katana across the air behind her and created a whip of blue flames that knocked the Anzio player out of the air, landing in the same dumpster as Jatkosato.The crowd from Ooarai was screaming so proudly that their shouts were likely to be heard all the way back in Japan; Finland and Italy supporters were stomping and throwing their hands up furiously; some were even calling foul. Sallah Khufu's whistle blew sharply as he flew over. Akko watched him shouting at the Jatkosato player, who was yelling in return and looking mutinous, while the Anzio anchor was scrambling to get back up in the air. Khufu didn't seem impressed by what the Jatkosato player had to say, however; he blew two short blasts on his whistle and made a sharp gesture over his shoulder; The Finland supporters were raging."And unless I am mistaken, it looks like Khufu is pulling Koskinen out of the race due to a lack of transportation!" said the Grand Master's voice. "Can hardly blame him – your ride's been literally cut in half, my boy! Jatkosato will finish the race with their current total! Meanwhile, it looks like Ziti from Anzio is back on his feet and taking off, but he's way too far behind from the rest of the pack! Doesn't look like he'll be able to catch up! But the Black Rock Shooter doesn't seem to be having that problem – look at that girl fly!"The Grand Master was right; the Black Rock Shooter had caught up to the rest of the racers as they were reaching the three-quarter mark, and from what Akko could see through her holoculars, why weren't remotely pleased. Wolf from the Black Forest team, who was flying close behind Pravda, made gesture to both Saunders and St. Gloriana and the two players quickly turned around to confront the Black Rock Shooter. It looked like Barbara was right in believing that the other teams had joined forces to take her down; she must have been one hell of a player to make enemy teams to work together, Akko thought.The Saunders anchor attempted to stop the Black Rock Shooter in her tracks by going for a head-on collision, seemingly preferring to self-destruct rather than to let her win. The Black Rock Shooter, however, seemed to anticipate this tactic and flipped her aircraft around so that she was flying upside-down. The two crossed paths in the air with the Black Rock Shooter soaring over the surprised Saunders player's head. Before they completely passed one another, the Black Rock Shooter stabbed her katana down (up?) to pierce the back of the Saunders' player's vehicle, appearing to strike its engine. Saunders' vehicle quickly lost power and a moment later were plowing into the street below, stopping only when they collided with a parked car; the alarm echoed throughout the stadium.The Black Rock Shooter righted herself and whipped her katana at her side in a defensive pose as she turned to confront the St. Gloriana player. Akko zoomed in on his face and could tell that the anchor from St, Gloriana was terrified; he clearly had not been expecting the Black Rock Shooter to get past Saunders; he probably hung back hoping his temporary partner would take care of everything. Now with the Black Rock Shooter charging at him, the St. Gloriana player turned his vehicle sharply to the left and flew off the track, over the edge of the stadium walls, and disappeared into the night sky. There was a large amount of booing and jeering coming from the St. Gloriana supporters."Now
there's
something we've never seen before!" said the Grand Master with a hysterical laugh. "It looks like the St. Gloriana anchor has, quite literally, flown the coop! And it looks like we're coming down to the final stretch of the race with Pravda and Black Forets holding a unified lead, but here comes Ooarai bringing up the rear! It's anyone's game now!"It looked like the Black Rock Shooter would soon overpass both Black Forest and Pravda as they were coming towards the end of the race. She was almost within reaching distance of Pravda's flying tank when something so unexpected happened that it even stunned the audience into silence. Wolf from the Black Forest jumped off his vehicle, allowing it crash into the street below, and landed on the hood of Black Rock Shooter's aircraft. The Black Rock Shooter appeared to be just as stunned by the sudden intrusion that she didn't even block when Wolf kicked her under the chin. She had been unseated, but the Black Rock Shooter managed to grab the edge of her aircraft's wing before she could fall off."Foul!" roared the Ooarai supporters as one, all standing up in a wave of blue."Foul!" echoed the Grand Master magnified voice. "Wolf has deliberately landed on another player's vehicle and physical assaulted them! What a despicable piece of poor sportsmanship! Khufu is blowing the whistle, but Wolf isn't listening! He doesn't care!"As Black Rock Shooter pulled herself up onto her aircraft, Wolf whipped out a pair of pistols and started shooting a colorful array of magic bullets. The Black Rock Shooter moved faster than Akko could see without having to use slow motion on her holoculars. With great skill and precision, the Black Rock Shooter deflected each magic bullet with the edge of her katana, then swept the air with another whip of blue flames. Wolf threw himself flat against the aircraft to dodge then rolled across the wing when the Black Rock Shooter tried to stomp his head. Wolf rolled to his knees and raised his pistols, but the Black Rock Shooter spun around and kicked his right hand, tossing the gun and sending it flying into the city. Akko could see Wolf snarling in frustration – he did not like losing to someone smaller and younger than him. He jumped to his feet and shot another bullet, but the Black Rock Shooter deflected the shot back at Wolf with her blade, snapping the other weapon out of his hands. Wolf held his hand in great pain and looked back at the Black Rock Shooter only a moment before she lifted her foot and kicked him squarely in the face. The Black Forest anchor, thankfully, didn't fall far and landed on a passing rooftop, not enough to hurt him, but just enough to knock him out."What a marvelous display!" yelled the Grand Master excitedly. "Mind you, it was still an illegal play by the Black Forest, but I think they've suffered enough, don't you?""Did you see the look on Wolf's face?" said Sucy with a wicked cackle."No, but look at Romanova!" Amanda yelled.Akko spun around sharply in her seat. The Pravda anchor had just exited the track and was moments away from crossing the finish line…."She's too far away!" Akko shouted, looking back at the Black Rock Shooter. "She won't catch up in time!"Half the crowd seemed to realize what was happening; the Pravda supporters rose in a great wave of red, screaming their anchor on…but the Black Rock Shooter wasn't giving up that easily. She tossed her katana aside and raised her left arm outward; a cluster of translucent blue blocks formed around her arm, molding together and extending into a shape. When the blue light evaporated, the Black Rock Shooter was seen carrying a massive, elaborately designed arm cannon that looked heavier than she was -"It's the Rock Cannon!" Hannah and Barbara screamed behind Akko in jubilation.A strange blue energy started to build in the barrel of the cannon and Black Rock Shooter must pulled some hidden trigger because the energy shot out like a missile. Akko had to looked through her holoculars to get a better look, but there was something inside all that blue energy…it looked like a chunk of black rock... Okay, now the name made sense, Akko thought."It's gonna hit Romanova!" roared Frank.And he was right – Romanov was nearly unseated from her tank when the black rock smashed painfully into her right arm, but she managed to stay on and successfully crossed the finish line, followed shortly by the Black Rock Shooter. The Pravda supporters started jumping up and down with glee…until Khufu's whistle cut through the noise. Everyone watched inquisitively as Khufu landed on the track just behind the finish line and picked up something off the ground. It was glittering gold – it was Pravda's ring! Akko zoomed over at Romanova, who seemed to have come to the same realization as Akko when she looked at her arm and found it bare. The Black Rock Shooter had knocked off Pravda's only ring."Pravda lost all its rings!" shouted the Grand Master, who like everyone else, seemed to be taken aback by the sudden call by the ref. "No rings mean an automatic disqualification! Looks like Pravda's aggressive tactics didn't work in their favor! And now for the final score…."All eyes turned to the scoreboard as the final tallies were made and, in great big lights, flashed:BLACK FOREST: 2375 PRAVDA: Disqualified ANZIO: 1855 ST. GLORIANA: DNF SAUNDERS: 2100 JATKOSATO: 1750 OOARAI: 2425A stunned silence seemed to have overtaken the crowd, who seemed to be processing the events. Then, slowly, as thought a great jumbo jet were revving up, the rumbling from the Ooarai supporters grew louder and louder and erupted into screams of delight."OOARAI WINS!" The Grand Master shouted in disbelief. "PRAVDA CROSSED THE LINE FIRST – BUT OOARAI TAKES THE WIN WITH ONE FINAL SHOT – by the Elders of the Universe, I don't think any of us were expecting that!""Those Pravda players are a bunch of idiots!" Andrew bellowed, not even aware that he too was jumping up and down, applauding as loudly as everyone else. "How could they think that they would be able to get away with winning if they only had one ring?""Pravda holds the highest in terms of defensive ability!" Diana shouted back over all the noise, also applauding. "They can take a hit better than anyone and they've never lost a ring before! Plus, when you're flying around in a tank, you don't really have a lot to worry about!""The Black Rock Shooter was better!" said Stan-Bot, Constanze leaning forward to watch the hooded anchor as she landed with her team. "She's a better fighter and a better shot! She predicted the force and the angle needed to loosen Pravda's hold on their ring! She probably did it all in her head in a second!"Akko put her holoculars to her eyes again. It was hard to see what was happening below, because a cascade of confetti was magically popping over the stadium, but she could make out the Black Rock Shooter, dropping her rock cannon on the ground and leaning against her aircraft exhaustedly. Her team members were around her, dancing gleefully and patting her graciously on the back; a short way away, the other teams were shaking their head and looking dejected; Romanova kicked the side of her tank, only to succeed in hurting her foot. Flags were waving all over the stadium, the Japanese national anthem blared from all sides."Vell, ve fought bravely," said a gloomy voice from the opposite end of the Top Box. Everyone looked around; it was the Alexei, the Russian Representative."You can speak English!" said Crawford, sounding outraged. "And you've been letting me mime everything all day!""Vell, it vos very funny," said the Alexei, shrugging."And as the Oorai team performs a lap of honor, the International Chariot Racing Cup itself is brought into the Top Box!" roared the Grand Master.Akko's eyes were suddenly dazzled by a blinding white light, as the Top Box was magically illuminated so that everyone in the stands could see the inside. Squinting toward the entrance, she saw two panting men carrying a vast golden cup into the box, which they handed to Crawford Seam, who was still looking very disgruntled that he'd been using sign language all day for nothing."And now, let's have a really loud hand for our newest champions – the Ooarai Anglerfish!" the Grand Master shouted.And up the stairs into the box came the five cheery Ooarai players. The crowd below was beside themselves; Akko could see thousands and thousands of Holocular lenses flashing and winking in their direction.One by one, the Ooarai players filed between the rows of seats in the box, and the Grand Master called out the name of each as they shook hands with their Emperor and then with Crawford. When the Black Rock Shooter's name was announced, the whole stadium gave her a resounding, earsplitting roar. Underneath her hood, she grinned happily as Tatsumaki telepathically lifted the Cup into the air and the crowd thundered with approval. Akko's hands were numb with clapping."Yes, well done, well done!" shouted the Grand Master. "But uh – one more thing before you go and enjoy a much deserve break. Black Rock Shooter, didn't you make a certain promise of what would happen if Ooarai wins the tournament?"Also like magic, the entire stadium suddenly fell quiet – every eye was turned toward the Top Box. The Black Rock Shooter stared at the Grand Master for a long minute, and Akko was almost afraid she might suddenly start attacking. But then, she reached up, grabbed the edges of her hood, and pulled it down. If Akko had been drinking anything, she would doubtlessly have been doing a spit take. She knew her – she knew the Black Rock Shooter. The newly unmasked anchor smiled as she grabbed the microphone from the Grand Master's hand and shouted to the world:"My name is Mato Kuroi," she said enthusiastically, "and Ooarai is the best team in the world!"Akko nearly went deaf by the sudden upheaval of screams that were echoing from all sides; her attention, however, rested solely on Mato. She was slack jawed as the short-haired girl looked back at Akko and gave her a playful wink. Never in Akko's wildest dreams would she have imagined that some random girl she met at a Summoning Stone would turn out to be one of the greatest players in the world.At last, the Ooarai team left the Top Box to perform another lap of honor, and the Grand Master evaporated his special microphone into nothingness once more with a wave of his hands."They'll be talking about this one for years," he said hoarsely, "a really unexpected twist, that…shame it couldn't have lasted longer…. Ah yes…yes, I owe you…how much?"For Amanda had just scrambled over the back of her seat and was standing in front of the Grand Master with a broad grin on her face, her hands outstretched.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Don't
tell your mother you've been gambling," Mrs. Manbavaran implored Amanda as they all made their way slowly down the green-carpeted stairs. "And don't tell her I
let
you gamble. The last thing I need is to give a seat on the Magic Council an excuse to revoke my medical license.""Don't worry, Susan," said Amanda gleefully, "I've got big plans for this money. I don't want it confiscated."Mrs. Manbavaran looked for a moment as though she was going to ask what these big plans were, but seemed to decide, upon reflection, that it wasn't any of her business. Amanda wasn't her daughter, after all.They were soon caught up in the crowds now flooding out of the stadium and back to their campsites. Diana joined her friends and family in another direction, promising to see each other again on the train, while Andrew and Frank went the opposite way with the mysterious promise of seeing them very soon. Raucous singing was borne toward them on the night air as they retraced their steps along the lantern-lit path, and balloons shaped like cartoonish anglerfish lit up the sky, no doubt released by the Ooarai supporters in celebration of their victory. When they finally reached the tent, nobody felt like sleeping at all, and given the level of noise around them, Mrs. Manbavaran agreed that they could have one last cup of hot cocoa together before turning in. They were soon arguing enjoyably about the match; Mrs. Manbavaran got drawn into a disagreement about Wolf with Jasminka, and it was only when Constanze fell asleep right at the tiny table and spill hot chocolate all over the floor that Mrs. Manbavaran called a halt to the verbal replays and insisted that everyone go to bed. Akko, Lotte, and Sucy took one room, Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka to another, and Mrs. Manbavaran had a space all to herself. From the other side of the campsite they could still hear much singing and the odd echoing bang."Feel sorry for the suckers on duty," muttered Sucy sleepily. "I wouldn't want to be the one to go and tell those guys they've got to stop partying."Akko lay staring up at the canvas ceiling of the tent, watching the glow of the occasional anglerfish balloon flying overhead, and picturing again some of Mato's more spectacular moves. She was itching to get back on the Shiny Balai and try them out for herself…. Somehow, Amelia O'Neill had never managed to convey with all her wriggling diagrams what a professional player should look like…. Akko saw herself in a uniform that had her name on the back, and imagined the sensation of hearing a five-hundred-thousand-strong crowd roar, as the Grand Master's echoed throughout the stadium, "I give you…Kagari!"Akko never knew whether or not she had actually dropped off to sleep – her fantasies of flying like Mato might well have slipped into actual dream – all she knew was that, quite suddenly, Mrs. Manbavaran was shouting."Get up! Sucy – Lotte – come on now, get up, this is urgent!"Akko shot up so quickly that she rolled out of bed and onto the floor."S' matter?" she mumbled.Dimly, she could tell that something was wrong. The noise in the campsite had changed. The singing had stopped. She could hear screams, and the sound of people running. She jumped up to her feet and reached for her clothes, but Mrs. Manbavaran, who had thrown a cloak over her own nightgown, said, "No time, Akko – just grab a jacket and get outside – quickly!"Akko did as she was told and hurried out of the tent, Lotte and Sucy at her heels.By the light of the few fires that were still burning, she could see people running away into the woods, fleeing something that was moving across the field toward them, something that was emitting odd flashes of light and noises like gunfire. Loud jeering, roars of laughter, and cantankerous yells were drifting toward them; then came a burst of strong light, which illuminated the scene.A crowd of people, tightly packed and moving together with weapons that looked like they were made of solid light, was marching slowly across the field. Akko squinted at them…. They were shining for some reason…. Then she realized that they were all wearing gleaming suits of futuristic-looking knight armor. The knights turned their head in unison as a group of Demi-Humans sprang onto the scene, shooting a barrage of colorful spells at the marching soldiers. But astonishingly, their magic appeared to glide off the smooth surface of the knight's armor like it was nothing but a breath of wind. One of the knights raised his right hand at the group of Demi-Humans and shot a bolt of electricity that blasted the ground where they stood, knocking the Demi-Humans off their feet.More knights were joining the marching group, laughing and shooting bolts of electricity at any Demi-Human they passed. Tents crumpled and fell as the marching crowd swelled. Once or twice Akko saw one of the knights set a tent on fire with their electrified gloves. The screaming grew louder. One of them grabbed a demon-winged Demi-Human by the hair, throw them on the ground, and then proceeded to stomp on them repeatedly, the crowd around him screeched and hooted with glee."That's horrible," Lotte muttered, watching another knight pulling on the Demi-Humans wings with the clear intention of tearing them off. "How can anyone do such a thing…."Amanda, Jasminka, and Constanze came hurrying after them, pulling coats over their sleepwear, with Mrs. Manbavaran right behind them, her sleeves rolled up and the electricity building between her fingers."I'm going to help the Council!" Mrs. Manbavaran shouted over all the noise. "You kids – get into the woods, and
stick together. I'll come and fetch you when we've sorted this out!"Mrs. Manbavaran sprinted away toward the oncoming marchers. Council members were dashing from every direction toward the source of the trouble. The army of knights was coming even closer."Come on!" said Amanda, grabbing Constanze's hand and starting to pull her toward the woods. Akko, Lotte, Sucy, and Jasminka followed. They all looked back as they reached the trees. The army of Knights was larger than ever; they could see the Council enforcers trying to get through the chaos, but they were having difficulty contending with the knights when their spells kept bouncing off. Finally, one centaur decided to forgo the use of magic and just stampeded through them; the knights scattered out of the way. After that, it looked like everyone else was following his lead and began to engage the knights in physical combat.The colored lanterns that had lit the path to the stadium had been extinguished. Dark figured were blundering through the trees; children were crying; anxious shouts and panicked voices were reverberating around them in the cold night air. Akko felt herself being pushed hither and thither by people whose faces she could not see. Then she heard Lotte yell with pain."What happened?" said Akko anxiously, stopping so abruptly that Sucy walked into her. "Lotte, where are you? Can you hear me?""Oh, this is just stupid," grunted Sucy.A moment later, a pale-green light illuminated the spot, which seemed to be coming from a bottle of luminous green gel that Sucy had been carry for some reason. She directed the light across the path and found Lotte lying sprawled on the ground."Tripped over a tree root," she said shakily, getting to her feet again."Miss Jansson, are you all right?" came an urgent cry from behind them.Akko, Lotte, and Sucy turned sharply. Frank was pushing his way through the thick set of bushes to reach them, followed shortly behind by Andrew. Both were still dressed in their formal attire, though they looked bedraggled; Andrews perfectly tidy hair was mangy and full of leaves; Akko clasped a hand over her mouth, hoping Andrew didn't hear her snort."Frank, Andrew," Lotte gasped in relief when Frank reached her; he looked like he wanted to hold her, but was holding back to be courteous. "You're safe. That's good.""We should be saying the same thing about you," said Andrew, panting slightly with a hand on his chest. "You three shouldn't linger here for much longer. You have to move before they spot you."At the same moment, a blast like a bomb sounded from the campsite, and a flash of blue light momentarily lit the trees around them."What's that supposed to mean?" said Sucy questionably."Haven't you been paying attention?" said Andrew. "Those people in the armor – they're only targeting Demi-Humans. They cornered Frank and I a few minutes ago, but they let us go in favor of chasing after a flock of harpies. You three shouldn't be hanging around…they're moving this way, and I would hate to think of what might happen if they catch you."There came a bang from the other side of the trees that was louder than anything they had heard. Several people nearby screamed."They're getting closer," said Andrew, grimacing as he grabbed Akko's shoulder and started pushing her along. "Let's go, we should try to see if there are any others that can help.""What about Diana?" asked Akko urgently. "We need to make sure she's okay!""Diana's party left shortly after the Tournament ended," said Andrew, pushing Akko harder. "They only intended to stay long enough for the match. They were gone long before these people in armor started attacking everyone. Now keep moving!""Who are those people?" asked Lotte, shaking like a leaf. "Why are they attacking?""Isn't it obvious?" said Sucy in a dry tone. "A bunch of weirdoes dressing up as knights and attacking Demi-Humans, but leaving the normal humans alone? They've got to be the Purifiers."Akko felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice down her back. Brief snatches of memories from her second year jumped clearly into the forefront of her mind."All the more reason why we should keep moving," said Andrew insistently. "With any luck, the Magic Council will round them up before the night is over. For now, we should focus on regrouping. Didn't you have more people in your party? Where are they now?""Aw, hell," Sucy grumbled as she looked around.Amanda, Jasminka, and Constanze were nowhere to be seen, though the path was packed with plenty of other people, all looking nervously over their shoulders towards the commotion back at the campsite. A huddle of teenagers in pajamas was arguing vociferously a little way along the path. When they saw Akko and Andrew, a boy with fizzy green ran up to them. He was spoke in quick Japanese, which is why Akko could understand him when he asked, "Excuse me, but do any of you know which way Aizawa-sensei told us to go -""I'm…sorry, we don't know who that is," said Andrew; figures he would know how to speak Japanese, Akko thought bitterly."Oh…" the boy turned his back on them and dashed over to his group, and as they walked on they distinctly heard someone call him a "Deku.""U.A. High," muttered Lotte."Sorry?" said Frank."They must go to U.A.," said Lotte. "You know…U.A. High School…It's a place that trains Humans that suffer from genetic mutations…Granny took me there once a few years ago when she went to visit the principle…"Oh…yeah…right," said Frank."Amanda and the others couldn't have gone that far," said Akko, reaching for the Shiny Rod to create another light like Sucy's potion – but it wasn't there. The only thing she could find was her Holoculars. An overwhelming sense of dread washed over Akko, and it seemed to show on her face when Andrew said:"Are you all right, Miss Kagari? You look pale.""I lost it…," Akko mumbled weakly. "I lost the Shiny Rod….""You've got to be kidding me!" Andrew groaned, face-palming himself.Sucy held her glowing potion high enough to spread the illumination farther on the ground; Akko crawled on all fours looking around for it, but the Shiny Rod was nowhere to be seen."How could you lose the single, most important, most powerful magical artifact in the world?" said Sucy, sneering."Maybe it's back in the tent," said Lotte."Maybe it fell out of your pocket when we were running," Frank suggested."How could you not notice something that big go missing?" asked Andrew exasperatedly. "Don't you carry it with you at all times?""I know I screwed up!" snapped Akko. "Ya happy?"It was true. Ever since the end of her first year, Akko had never let the Shiny Rod out of her sight, and finding herself without it in the midst of a scene like this made her feel very vulnerable.A rustling noise nearby made all five of them jump. Yomi Takanashi was fighting her way out of a clump of bushes nearby. She was carrying Mato by her shoulder, who looked dangerously pale and was leaning on Yomi for support as they ran."This is bad – we've got to get out of here," she muttered distractedly, not noticing Akko's party as she leaned forward and labored to drag her partner. "Those people in armor – attacking Demi-Humans. You're not safe. We need to find some place safe."And they disappeared into the trees on the other side of the path, Yomi panting and grunting as she fought her way through the branches."That was the Yomi, wasn't it?" said Lotte, looking curiously after them. "And that was Mato with her, right? What's wrong with her? She looked sick.""She must have gotten hurt by one of the Purifier," suggested Akko.Another loud bang echoed from the edge of the woods."Let's just keep moving, shall we?" said Frank, and Akko saw him glance edgily at Lotte. It made sense that she would be in more danger than him if it was the Purifiers that were attacking. They set off again, Akko still searching her pockets, even though she knew the Shiny Rod wasn't there.They followed the dark path deeper into the woods, still keeping an eye out for Amanda, Jasminka, and Constanze. They passed a group of gangster-looking men who were cackling over a sack of money that they had undoubtedly stole in all the chaos, and who seemed quite unperturbed by the trouble at the campsite. Farther still along the path, they walked into a patch of silvery light, and when they looked through the trees, they saw a dark-haired woman in white, sword in hand, standing on a small boulder looking like a general prepared to match into battle with a group of young men and woman, also in white uniforms, kneeling to her."This event was supposed to be a day of enjoyment and united between countries," said the dark-haired woman, "and instead it has become an affair of disorder and bedlam! This shall not stand!""Hai, Lady Satsuki!" the white-clothed crowd yelled in unison."As we speak, Matoi is currently engaged in battle with these intruders! Are we just going to stand around while she steals glorious victory that is rightfully ours?""No, Lady Satsuki!""Then go forth, students of Honnoji Academy, and tear these interlopers to pieces like the worthless pigs they truly are! For the glory of our academia!""And I think that's our cue to leave," said Andrew as the crowd exploded into a wave of war cries and the sound of thunderous marching echoed. When the sounds of Lady Satsuki and her army of students had faded completely, they were in the very heart of the woods. They seemed to be alone now; everything was much quieter.Andrew looked around. "I think we can just wait here, you know. We'll hear anyone coming a mile off."The words were barely out of his mouth, when the Grand Master emerged from behind a tree right ahead of them.Even by the feeble light of Sucy's potion, Akko could see that a great change had come over the Grand Master. He no longer looked buoyant and rosy-faced; there was no spring in his step. He looked very pale and strained."Who's that?" he said, blinking down at them, trying to make out their faces. "What are you doing in here, all alone?"They looked at one another, surprised."Well – there's sort of a riot going on," said Akko.The Grand Master stared at her."What?""At the campsite…some people in armor are attacking Demi-Humans…."The Grand Master swore loudly."Damn them!" he said, looking quite distracted, and without another word, he blinked away with a small
pop!"Not exactly on top of things, that Grand Master, is he?" said Andrew, frowning."The attention span of a flee,
Ina
says," said Sucy, leading the way off the path into a small clearing, and sitting down on a patch of dry grass at the foot of a tree. "He has no place in government business, but he does know how to make fun games."Akko sat down on a tree root listening for noise from the campsite. Everything seemed much quieter; perhaps the riot was over."I hope the others are okay," said Lotte after a while."They'll be fine," said Sucy. "I'm sure Constanze is building some super locator machine right now.""I just can't wrap my mind around what's happening," said Andrew, who had taken to pacing back and forth with his arms crossed, kicking up the leaves as he went. "I heard from Father that the Purifiers were getting bolder as of recently, but this is something else entirely. Charging head-on into a campsite they knew would be would be packed with thousands of Demi-humans. That's less bold and more suicidal.""That armor they were wearing," said Akko softly. "I saw it. Magic bounced off their armor like it was nothing.""Hmm…that could be more troublesome if that's true," said Andrew. "I heard that the American military had been developing anti-magic technology, and if the Purifiers got their hands on it – ""Why would the military be making anti-magic technology?" asked Akko suspiciously."What would you expect," said Andrew, shaking his head. "Humans and Demi-Humans may be on better terms now than they were in the past, but the majority of humans still consider them a threat. In the eyes of humans, they are a bunch of strange creatures that have the power to literally do anything. If they wanted to, the Demi-Humans could take over the world and there'd be nothing we could do about it. So the humans – ""Started making technology to kill Demi-Humans in case they got too powerful," said Sucy, frowning deeply."Well, I wouldn't say kill – "But he broke off abruptly and looked over his shoulder. Akko and the others looked quickly around too. It sounded as thought someone was staggering toward their clearing. They waited, listening to the sounds of the uneven steps behind the dark trees. But the footsteps came to a sudden halt."Hello?" called Akko.There was silence. Akko got to her feet and peered around the tree. It was too dark to see very far, but she could sense somebody standing just beyond the range of her vision."Who's there?" she said.And then, without warning, the silence was rent by a voice unlike any they had heard in the woods; and it uttered, not a panicked shout, but what sounded like a spell."UMBRACULUM!"And something vast, purple, and shining like the sun erupted from the patch of darkness Akko's eyes had been struggling to penetrate; it flew up over the treetops and into the sky toward the moon."What the - ?" gasped Frank as he sprang to his feet again, staring up at the moon where the spell had fired.For a moment, Akko started to believe that the spell had failed. Then she started to notice a shadow slowly crawling from the left side of the moon and edge it way across the surface like a dark blanket. In mere moments, the shadow had completely covered the moon, casting an ominous darkness over the forest and a chilling cold that sent shivers down their spines. Somehow, someway, whoever had cast the spell managed to eclipse the light of the moon completely.Suddenly, the woods all around them erupted with screams. Akko didn't understand why, but the only possible cause was the sudden concealment of the moon, She scanned the darkness for the person who had conjured the shadow, but she couldn't see anyone."Who's there?" she called again."Akko, come on,
move!" Lotte had seized the collar of her jacket and was tugging her backward."What's the matter?" Akko said, startled to see her face so white and terrified."It's the eclipse, Akko!" Lotte moaned, pulling her as hard as she could. "As in the Eclipse Queen!""Aradia?
But she doesn't – ""I know that, but do you think anyone else does? Come
on!"Akko turned and the five of them started across the clearing – but before they had taken a few hurried steps, a series of flashing lights announced the arrival of twenty Demi-Humans, jumping from breaches in space, surrounding them.Akko whirled around, and in an instant, she registered one fact: each of them had their weapons out, and every one of them was pointing right at Akko and the others.Without pausing to think, she yelled, "DUCK!"She seized Andrew by the arm and pulled him down to the ground.Twenty voices roared, each saying something different – there was a blinding series of flashes and Akko felt the hair on her head ripple as though a powerful wind had swept the clearing. Raising her head a fraction of an inch she saw jets of light flying over them from the Demi-Humans, crossing one another, bouncing off tree trunks, rebounding into the darkness. It might have been her mistake, but Akko thought she heard something that sound like clanging metal –"Stop!" yelled a voice she recognized. "STOP!
That's my daughter, ikaw na masama!"Akko's hair stopped blowing about. She raised her head a little higher. The Demi-Human in front of her had lowered his wand. She rolled over and saw Mrs. Manbavaran striding toward them, looking terrified."Sucy – Akko" – her voice sounded shaky – "Lotte – are you all right?""Out of the way, Susan," said a cold, curt voice.It was Org. He and the other Council enforcers were closing in on them. Akko got to her feet to face them. Org's face was taut with rage."Which of you did it?" he snapped, his one eye darting between them. "Which of you created the Eclipse?""We didn't do that!" said Akko, gesturing to the shrouded moon."I can confirm that they haven't done anything," said Andrew, who was rubbing his elbows and looking indignantly at Org. "And I would like an explanation as to why you attacked us without warning.""You will be silent, boy!" shouted Org. He was pointing his staff directly at Andrew, and his eye was popping – he looked slightly insane. "You've been discovered at the scene of the crime!""Org," whispered a satyr woman in a long woolen nightgown, "they're just kids, Org, they'd never have been able to – ""Where did the Eclipse come from, children?" said Mrs. Manbavaran quickly."Over there," said Frank shakily, pointing at the place where they had heard the voice. "There was someone behind the trees…they shouted words – an incantation – ""Oh, stood over there, did they?" said Org, turning his popping eye on Frank now, disbelief etched all over his face. "Said an incantation, did they? You seem very well informed about how the Eclipse is summoned, mister – "But none of the Council enforcers apart from Org seemed to think it remotely likely that any of them had conjured the shadow that now covered the moon; on the contrary, at Frank's words, they had all raised their weapons again and were pointing in the direction he had indicated, squinting through the dark trees."We're too late," said the satyr in the woolen nightgown, shaking her head. "They'll had disappeared by now.""I don't think so," said a man with a scrubby brown beard. "Our stunners went right through those trees…. There's a good chance we got them….""Sergio, be careful!" said a few Demi-Humans as he squared his shoulders, raised his wand, marched across the clearing, and disappeared into the darkness. Lotte watched him vanish with her hands over her mouth.A few second later, they heard Sergio shout."Yes! We got them! There's someone here! Unconscious! It's – but – my god!""You've got someone?" shouted Org, sounding highly disbelieving. "Who? Who is it?"They heard snapping twigs, the rustling of leaves, and then crunching footsteps as Sergio reemerged from behind the trees. He was carrying a small, limp figure in his arms. Akko recognized the coat at once. It was Mato Kuroi!Org did not move or speak as Sergio deposited the girl on the ground at his feet. The other Council enforcers were all staring at Org. For a few seconds Org remained transfixed, his eyes blazing in his white face as he stared down at Mato. Then he appeared to come to life again."This – cannot – be," he said jerkily. "Sergio, are you absolutely sure there was no one else?""No one," Sergio said grimly, looking down at Mato's unconscious form. "To think…the Black Rock Shooter…I mean to say….""Come off it, Sergio," said Mrs. Manbavaran quietly, "you don't honestly believe that it was her, do you? The Eclipse is a powerful spell well beyond ordinary magical level. Miss Kuroi may have some magical tools at her disposal, but she can't use magic like us.""Not normally, no," Sergio admitted. "But she didn't do it with her own power. She had something else.""What?""Here, look," said Sergio, holding up something to Mrs. Manbavaran just out of Akko's sight. Mrs. Manbavaran suddenly turned paler than normal. "It was lying on the ground next to her. You can sense the enormous magic inside it, can't you? This could explain how she managed to summon the Eclipse."Just then there was a loud
pop, and the Grand Master appeared right next to Mrs. Manbavaran. Looking breathless and disoriented, he spun on the spot, goggled upward at the shadow-covered moon."Well, that doesn't look good," he panted, almost trampling Mato as he turned inquiringly to his colleague. "Who did it? Did you get them? Org! What's going on? And - by the Elders of the Universe!" He cried suddenly, only just now noticing Mato lying at his feet. "The Black Rock Shooter! What happened to her?""She's been stunned, Grand Master," said Org, still talking in the same jerky fashion, barely moving his lips. "We caught her behind the shrubbery after we arrived.""Stunned? By you people, you mean? But why - ?"Comprehension dawned suddenly on the Grand Master's bright blue face; he looked up at the eclipsed moon, down at Mato, and then at Org."No!" he said. "The Black Rock Shooter? Conjuring something like that? She wouldn't know how! She would need to know magic, for a start!""We believe," said Mrs. Manbavaran slowly, " that she was using a medium for the spell. One of us found her holding a magic relic, Grand Master. If it's all right with you, Org, I think we should hear what she's got to say for herself."Org gave no sign that he had heard him, but Mrs. Manbavaran seemed to take his silence for assent. She reached into her gown and pulled out a vial of grayish-white liquid. She uncorked the bottle, which started releasing a strange white smoke, and held it under Mato's nose.Mato stirred feebly. Her wide blue eyes opened and she blinked several times in a bemused sort of way. Watch by the silent enforcers, she raised herself shakily into a sitting position. She rubbed her head and let out a pained groan."Ugh…what hit me?" she said with a weak voice. "How did I get here…. Yomi, where did – Yomi?" She looked around wildly for her companion when it suddenly dawned on her that Yomi was nowhere to be seen, but she was surrounded by over a dozen Council enforcers. "What's going on? Where's Yomi?""Girl!" said Org sternly. "Do you know who I am? I am the Head of the Department of Law Enforcement!""Ow, why do you have to be so loud?" Mato groaned, holding her head like she was suffering from a hangover. "Yeah, I know who you are. It's kinda hard to forget after last time – ""As you can see, girl," Org cut her off quickly, almost forcibly so, "the Eclipse spell was conjured here a short while ago, and you were discovered moments later beneath it! An explanation, if you please!""Wha – are you accusing me of making that?" gasped Mato. "You are unbelievable! After last time…. Ugh! I didn't do it! I couldn't have done it! I can't use magic like you people!""You were found with a magical artifact in your possession!" barked Org, snatching the item from Sergio and brandishing it to her. Though it was hard to see in the darkness of the blotted moon, Akko recognized the golden surface and the three green baubles."The Shiny Rod!" she shouted. "That's mine!"Everyone in the clearing looked at her."Excuse me?" said Org, incredulously."That's mine!" said Akko. "The Shiny Rod belongs to me! I dropped it!""You dropped it?" repeated Org in disbelief. "Is this a confession? You threw it aside after you conjured the Eclipse?""Org, do you understand how ridiculous you are sounding right now?" said Mrs. Manbavaran, very angrily. "If my daughter is correct, Miss Kagari is the worst spellcaster in the history of Demi-Humans, and she loves that Rod to bits. She would never do anything you are accusing her of.""Uh…thanks?" said Akko; for once, sucking at magic was coming in handy."Hmm…fine," mumbled Org. "I will concede to those facts…. If only because Crawford Seam has taken a liking to the girl….""I didn't drop it there, anyway," said Akko, jerking her thumb toward the trees. "I missed it right after we got into the woods.""So," said Org, his eye hardening as he turned to look at Mato again, staring defiantly back. "You found this Rod, eh, girl? And you picked it up and thought you'd have some fun with it, did you?""I told you, I didn't do any magic!" snapped Mato, looking immensely frustrated with Org. "I don't even remember how I got here! One minute I was running with Yomi try to get away from those guys in the armor, the next thing I know, I wake up here being accused of something I didn't do!""It wasn't her!" said Lotte. She looked very nervous, speaking up in front of all these Council enforcers, yet determined all the same. "The person we heard casting the incantation…it didn't sound human, let alone something you would hear from a teenage girl." She looked around at her party, appealing for their support. "It didn't sound anything like her, did it?""No," said Andrew, shaking his head. "It definitely didn't sound like her.""You could definitely tell it wasn't human," said Frank. "It was something…demonic….""Well, we'll soon see," growled Org, looking unimpressed. "There's a simple way of discovering the last spell a wand performed, girl, did you know that? All we have to do is use it on the Rod.""Wait, I wouldn't do – " Akko tried to warn him, but was too late.Org raised his staff and pressed it against the Shiny Rod's head, chanting a spell under his breath. But as Akko had predicted, the Shiny Rod did not take to the intrusion very well. The three Stars of Arcturus glowed briefly and suddenly released a backlash of energy that shot Org off his feet, sending him flying across the clearing. The Shiny Rod dropped to the ground at Akko's feet. The Council enforcers gasped and rushed to aid him. If it wasn't for the fact that she was likely to be in so much trouble, Akko would have found the whole thing hilarious."Bwa – unhand me!" yelled Org, shoving the crowd away as he rose to his feet. "Who did that? Speak up this instant! Attacking a Magic Councilman is a serious offense!""No one attacked you," said Akko, picking up the Shiny Rod off the ground. "The Shiny Rod was defending itself. It doesn't like it when other people tamper with it. And it's bonded with me, so no one else but me can use it for magic. That's another reason why it couldn't have been Mato.""So," said Org with a kind of savage triumph, marching over and looking down at Akko. "You admit that you're the only one who can use that Rod. Which means you are the only suspect left who could have cast the Eclipse!""What? Where'd you get that from?" Akko sputtered; this old man had finally lost it, she thought. "I didn't do anything! I have witnesses and everything! And besides, you don't know if it was the Shiny Rod that cast the spell!""All the evidence points to you, girl!" Org roared. "You cast the spell, and you used that Rod knowing no one would be able to prove it!""I'm not that smart!" shouted Akko."She really isn't," said Sucy, nodding."Org," said Mrs. Manbavaran loudly. "Think about it…precious few people know how to do that spell…. Where would she have learned it?""Perhaps what Org is suggesting," said Andrew, cold anger in every syllable, "is that perhaps they routinely teach their students to conjure evil symbols at Luna Nova. I'm sure Professor Holbrooke would love to hear the accusations you are making against her granddaughter's friends."There was a deeply unpleasant silence. Org looked like he was choking on his own spit. "Boy – I mean, Lord Andrew…that's not…I wasn't….""You have come very close to accusing the one person in this clearing who are
least
likely to conjure that spell!" barked Andrew. "Miss Kagari! You've heard the stories about the student who bravely fought off the villainous attacks on Luna Nova, haven't you? You do realize that student is Miss Kagari, don't you?""Of course – I mean – I've heard about it – " muttered Org, looking highly uncomfortable."And I trust you heard the story of the Shiny Rod, how those chosen by it have led the magical world into prosperity. Woodward, the Great Witch Jennifer, Chariot Du Nord? All of them have fought against the darkness for countless centuries, and now Miss Kagari is next in line to inherit that proud title.""Lord Andrew, I – I merely suggesting the possibility – " Org muttered again, now reddening behind his bushy beard."More like accusing!" shouted Andrew. "You are so eager to pin the blame on two innocent women when you have not a shred of evidence against them! This kind of behavior reflects poorly on the Magic Council!""Wow, I forgot that Andrew can be a badass sometimes," Akko muttered to Lotte; Lotte nodded in agreement."But – but the Rod – she might have picked it up anywhere – ""Precisely, Org," said Mrs. Manbavaran. "She might have picked it up anywhere….Miss Kuroi?" she said kindly, turning to her. "Where exactly did you find Akko's Shiny Rod."Mato let out an annoyed groan and said, "Like I keep telling you, don't remember anything. All I remember was being with Yomi before I was knocked out and then I woke up here. I don't know anything about any magic wands or Eclipses or whatever. I don't even understand why everyone is so freaked over of a giant shadow.""Innocent until proven guilty, Org," said Mrs. Manbavaran. "Besides the fact that Miss Kuroi is incapable of performing such magic, she is too young to understand the significance of the Eclipse to perform it. The same goes for Akko – she's lived among the Humans her entire life, and I sincerely doubt her parents ever taught her what it means. No, what likely happened is that Miss Kuroi happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Whoever did conjure the Eclipse must have found the Shiny Rod and left it with Miss Kuroi, who was unconscious, as a way to throw off blame. Even if the real culprit had still been around by the time we arrived, they would be long gone by now since we were all caught up in this pointless argument.""How do we even know that the girl is telling the truth?" said Org impatiently. "She could be lying through her gritted teeth as we speak – ""Oh, yeah, sure, blame me for all your problems – it wouldn't be the first time!" snapped Mato furiously, pointing an accusing finger at Org. "You never believed me! It's been eight years, and you still think of me as some kind of monster!""That's not far from the truth," Org hissed."You've been hounding me for years, trying to find hundreds of reasons to put me away!" roared Mato. "Well, news flash for you, you stubborn old fart, I didn't do anything this time, just like I didn't do anything last time! And if you don't believe me, I don't care! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go find my friend and leave!""Hold it right there!" Org commanded as Mato turned away. "I did not give you permission to leave! You are to stay right – "But Mato gave him a very rude gesture and pointedly walked away. There was a very nasty silence, which was ended by Mrs. Manbavaran, who said quietly, "Well, I think I'll take my kids back to the tent, if nobody has any objections."Org gave an accusing look that said he did want to object, but said nothing."Come along, you three," Mrs. Manbavaran said quietly. But Akko didn't seem to want to move; her eyes were still upon the patch of darkness where Mato had vanished into. "Akko!" Mrs. Manbavaran said, more urgently. She turned and followed their party out of the clearing and off through the trees."What's going to happen to Mato?" said Akko, the moment they had left the clearing."I don't know," said Mrs. Manbavaran."Did you see the way he was treating her?" said Frank morosely. "He was going to great lengths to prove she was guilty. It was almost like he had a personal vendetta against her. But I don't know why a member of the Magic Council would have it out for a teenage Chariot Racing player. He even called her a monster right to her face.""If you've seen the way she plays, he might not be wrong," said Sucy."And didn't she say that something happened eight years ago," said frank. "I wonder what could have happened to make them hate each other – ""Young man, now is not the time to be talking about this," said Mrs. Manbavaran quickly, beckoning them on. "We can discuss this at a later date, but right now I just want to get back to the tent as fast as we can. What happened to the others?""We lost them in the dark," said Akko. "Mrs. Manbavaran, why was everyone freaking out about that Eclipse thing?""I'll explain everything back at the tent," said Mrs. Manbavaran tensely.But when they reached the edge of the woods, their progress was impeded. A large crowd of frightened-looking men and women was congregated there, and when they saw Mrs. Manbavaran coming toward them, many of them surged forward."What's going on in there?""Who conjured it?""Susan – it's not –
Her?""Of course it's not Her," said Mrs. Manbavaran impatiently. "We don't know who it was; it looks like they might have fled. Now excuse me, please, I want to get to bed."She led Akko, Lotte, Sucy, Andrew, and Frank through the crowd and back into the campsite. All was quiet now; there was no sign of the Purifiers, though several ruined tents were still smoking.Jasminka's head was poking out of their tent."Mrs. Manbavaran, what's going on?" she called through the dark. "Me, Amanda, and Constanze got back okay, but the others – ""I've got them, Jasminka, along with two more," said Mrs. Manbavaran, bending down and entering the tent. Akko and the others entered after him. Frank looked as awestruck as Akko had when first walked in; Andrew was as impassive as ever.Amanda was sitting at the small kitchen table holding an ice pack to her head, Constanze had one of her sleeves ripped off, and the tissue in Jasminka's nostril was holding back a bloody nose. Akko was relieved that they were mostly unhurt, but they did look shaken."Did you get them?" said Amanda sharply. "The guy who made the Eclipse?""No," said Mrs. Manbavaran. "We found Mato Kuroi lying unconscious next to Akko's Shiny Rod, but we're none the wiser about who actually conjured the Eclipse.""What?" said Amanda, Jasminka, and Stan-Bot together"Akko's Shiny Rod?" said Amanda."Mato Kuroi? The Black Rock Shooter?" said Stan-Bot, thunderstruck.With some assistance from Akko, Lotte, Sucy, Andrew, and Frank, Mrs. Manbavaran explained what happened in the woods. When they had finished their story, Amanda swelled indignantly."Where the hell does that asshole got off accusing the Black Rock Shooter – or you, for that matter – without any proof?" she said. "You can bet I'm gonna tell my mom about this…Org may be the Head of the Law Enforcement Department, but that was going way out of line…If he's always been like that, it's no wonder he got demoted.""You know Org?" asked Lotte curiously."Only from the times when he would visit my mom in New York," said Amanda. "He used to be a big deal in the Magic Council, even used to sit on one of the Twelve Seats, but then there was this huge scandal a while back, and he was kicked off the Council and shunted off to the Law Enforcement Department.""That's all very interesting," said Akko impatiently, "but could someone explain to me what that Eclipse thing is all about? It's not hurting anyone, just making things a little dark…. Why is it such a big deal?""I told you, it's the Eclipse Queen's symbol, Akko," said Lotte, before anyone could answer. "Professor Crème talked about it once during class last year, when we were reading
Tales of the Dark Ages.""And it hasn't been seen for fourteen years," said Mrs. Manbavaran quickly. "Of course people panicked…it was almost like seeing the Eclipse Queen back again.""I don't get it," said Akko, frowning. "I mean…it's still only a shadow on the moon….""Akko, the Eclipse Queen and her followers sent the Eclipse into the sky whenever they attacked," said Mrs. Manbavaran. "The terror it inspired…you have no idea, you're too young. Just picture coming home and finding the Eclipse hovering over your house, and knowing what you're about to find inside…." Mrs. Manbavaran winced. "Everyone's worst fear…the very worst…"But as Mrs. Manbavaran spoke with such apparent fear, Akko shared a look with Lotte, Sucy, Amanda, Jasminka, and Constanze. With the exception of Andrew, Frank, and Mrs. Manbavaran herself, everyone present knew the truth about the Eclipse Queen, otherwise known as Aradia. She was fake – Aradia never existed. Aradia was a fictional character that had been fabricated by Shiny Chariot's secret organization as a way of covering up their less than legal deeds. The Magic Council knew about it, too – they helped create Chariot's order and spun the news to make any natural disaster seem like an attack made by Aradia, spreading the fear and allowing Chariot's group to move around as they pleased.But then Akko had a thought. If only the people in Chariot's organization knew about Aradia, then that must mean they were the ones who invented the Eclipse marker. That must have meant that whoever cast the spell was a former member of Chariot's group. But the question was, who? One person instantly came to the forefront of Akko's mind – but Amon wouldn't show up here, would he?There was silence for a moment. Then Mrs. Manbavaran, scratching her head and letting out a deep sigh, said, "Well, it didn't help us tonight, whoever conjured it. It scared the Purifiers away the moment they saw it. They hit us with flash grenades and vanished before we had gotten close enough to unmask any of them.""So it was the Purifiers," said Sucy. "You didn't catch any of them?""Not with their anti-magic technology," said Mrs. Manbavaran, grimacing. "Halfway through the fight, everyone just threw away their wands and resorted to a bareknuckle brawl. These Purifiers came more prepared than we had expected. They were clearly trained to fight Demi-Humans.""But what were the Purifiers up to?" said Akko. "I mean, why charge in the middle of a campground filled with Demi-Humans and just attack at random? What was the point?""The point?" said Mrs. Manbavaran with a hollow laugh. "I thought you learned about them in school, Akko. They're a bunch of religious fanatics. This was their idea of fun. Half the Demi-Human killings caused by Purifiers were done for fun. They probably thought that with their fancy gadgets that they were invincible and couldn't resist reminding us all that lots of them are still at large. A nice little party for them," she finished disgustedly."But if they were Purifiers, why did they run away when they saw the Eclipse?" said Frank. "I thought they weren't afraid of Demi-Humans.""The Eclipse Queen is no ordinary Demi-Human," said Mrs. Manbavaran. "If there is one good thing that the Eclipse Queen did back in the day, it was instill fear into the hearts of the Purifiers. Back in the old days, the war was fought on three fronts: The Magic Council, the Eclipse Queen, and the Purifiers. The Magic Council and Eclipse Queen surprisingly worked well together in fighting against the Purifiers and were responsible for destroying more than half of their sects. I bet the Purifiers would be even more terrified of the Eclipse Queen of returning than the rest of us.""So…whoever conjured the Eclipse…" said Andrew slowly, "were they doing it to show support for the Eclipse Queen, or to scare the Purifiers away?""Your guess is as good as ours, Hanbridge," said Mrs. Manbavaran. "But I'll tell you this…it was only the followers of the Eclipse Queen who ever knew how to conjure it. I'd be very surprised if they hadn't supported her once before, even if they don't now…. Listen, it's very late, and I'm sure that your parents will be worried sick once the news breaks out. We'll get a few more hours sleep and then try to get an early trip out of here. Andrew, Frank, you are welcome to stay with us for the night, but you'll have to settle for sleeping bags on the floor.""Thank you for your hospitality," said Andrew respectfully."We are most grateful," said Frank, bowing politely.Akko got back into her bed with her head buzzing. She knew she ought to feel exhausted: It was nearly three in the morning, but she felt wide awake – wide-awake, and worried.Three days ago – if felt like much longer, but it had only been three days – she had awoken with her scars burning. And tonight, for the first time in fourteen years, the mark of the Eclipse Queen had appeared in the sky. What did these things mean?She thought of the letter she had written to Izetta before leaving home. Would Izetta have gotten it yet? When would she reply? Akko lay looking up at the canvas, but no flying fantasies came to her now to ease her to sleep, and it was a long time after Jasminka's snores filled the tent that Akko finally dozed off.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Mrs. Manbavaran woke them after only a few hours sleep. She used magic to pack up the tent as Akko and the others said their farewells to Andrew and Frank, and they left the campsite as quickly as possible, passing Mr. Torres at the door of his cottage. Mr. Torres had the look about him that told them that he was happy to see them leave."You know, it wouldn't surprise me if he was one of those Purifiers," said Amanda quietly as they marched off onto the moor. "He definitely has the attitude to be one. He was probably laughing it up the entire time…. I wish they had caught them last night so we could at least have some proof."They heard urgent voices as they approached the spot where the Summoning Stones lay, and when they reached it, they found a great number of men and women gathered around Azrael, the keeper of the Summoning Stones, all clamoring to get away from the campsite as quickly as possible. Mrs. Manbavaran had a hurried discussion with Azrael; they joined the queue, and were able to take a pink-marked rock back to Puerto Princesa before the sun had really risen. They walked back through the forest and up the damp lane toward the Manbavaran Manor in the dawn light, talking very little because they were so exhausted, and thinking longingly of their breakfast. As they rounded the corner and the manor came into view, a pair of high-pitched cries echoed along the lane."INA!"Mrs. Manbavaran was nearly knocked off her feet when Garie and Sabi came running toward them, still wearing their pajamas, and threw themselves at her. They were both sobbing very loudly, tears and snot running uncontrollably down their faces as they buried them into their mother's dress."Ina…we thought you weren't coming back…," sobbed Garie."We thought we'd never see you again,
Ina," sniffled Sabi.Mr. Manbavaran, who had evidently been waiting for them with Garie and Sabi, approached them shortly after, his face pale and strained, a rolled-up newspaper clutched in his hands."Susan – I've been so worried –
so worried
– "He stepped in between Garie and Sabi and pulled his wife in close, dropping the newspaper onto the ground. Looking down, Akko saw the headline:
SCENES OF TERROR AT THE INTERNATIONAL CHARIOT RACING TOURNAMENT,
complete with a photograph of the Eclipse over the treetops."Thank goodness you're all right," Mr. Manbavaran muttered distractedly, releasing Mrs. Manbavaran and staring around them all with red eyes, "you're alive…thank goodness…""Ate!" Garie and Sabi yelled in unison when they saw Sucy behind Akko.The twins removed themselves from their mother and flung themselves at Sucy. And to everybody's surprise, she seized Garie and Sabi and pulled them both into such a tight hug that their heads banged together."Hey, you little brats, I'm back," she said softly."We're sorry we're bad sisters!" Garie said, sobbing harder. "We're sorry we're always making you mad and playing with your things!""We promise we won't do it ever again!" Sabi cried along with her. "We promise we'll be good little sisters from now on! Just don't leave us….""Tulog ka," Sucy mumbled in Filipino, brushing their heads lightly. "It'd be even more annoying if you were polite all the time.""Come on, now, girls, we're all perfectly okay," said Mrs. Manbavaran soothingly prying the twins off Sucy and guiding them by their hands back toward the house. "Sucy," she added in an undertone, "pick up that paper, I want to see what it says…."When they were all in the dining room, and Jasminka had made a pot of very strong tea for everyone, into which Mrs. Manbavaran insisted on pouring a shot of Tanduay rum, Sucy handed her mother the newspaper. Mrs. Manbavaran scanned the front page while Mr. Manbavaran looked over her shoulder."I knew, it," said Mrs. Manbavaran heavily. "Council blunders…culprits not apprehended…lax security…anti-Demi-Human fanatics running unchecked…national disgrace…who wrote this? Ah…of course…Quattro Scaglietti. I should have known. The woman doesn't have a single shred of human decency or consideration for others. Always twists people's words into something that she thinks will make her articles more popular.""Didn't she do a piece about you," said Sucy. "I think she called a homicidal maniac akin to Franken Stein.""And it looks like she doesn't stop there," said Mrs. Manbavaran, frowning deeper as she reached the bottom of the news article. "I'm mentioned.""Where?" Spluttered Mr. Manbavaran, choking on his tea, "If I had seen that, I'd have known you were alive!""Not by name," said Mrs. Manbavaran. "Listen to this: 'If the terrified men and women who waited breathlessly for news at the edge of the woods expected reassurance from the Magic Council, they were sadly disappointed. A representative emerged some time after the appearance of the Eclipse alleging that nobody had been hurt, but refused to give any more information. Whether this statement will be enough to quash the rumors that several bodies were removed from the woods an hour later, remains to be seen.'
Or really," said Mrs. Manbavaran in exasperation, throwing the paper carelessly over her shoulder. "I'm not a representative, I'm a doctor for god's sake.
Rumors that several bodies were removed from the woods…well, there certainly will be rumors now that she's printed that."She heaved a deep sigh. "Joe, I'm going to have to go into the office; I'm going to be busy for a long while.""Susan, you're supposed to be on holiday," said Mr. Manbavaran, looking visibly upset. "This doesn't have anything to do with you; surely the Magic Council can settle its own affairs.""It's not just the Magic Council, Joe," said Mrs. Manbavaran. "I saw the damages those Purifiers did. There were a lot of injured when I left, and I have little doubt that the hospital is going to need all hands on deck. As the Chief Physician of Alchemilla, I have a responsibility to oversee everything. I'll just change my clothes and I'll be off….""Mr. Manbavaran," said Akko suddenly, unable to contain herself, "there hasn't been any letters for me, has there?""Letters?" said Mr. Manbavaran distractedly. "No…no, there hasn't been any mail at all."Lotte and the rest of Akko's friends all looked curiously at her. With a meaningful look at them she said, "All right if I go and dump my stuff in your room, Sucy?""Yeah…think I will too," said Sucy at once. "Anyone else want to come?"They all silently agreed and the six of them marched out of the dining hall and up the stairs."What's up, Akko?" said Amanda, the moment they had closed the door of Sucy's room behind them."There's something I haven't told you," Akko said. "On Saturday morning, I woke up with my scars hurting again."Their reactions were almost exactly as Akko had imagined them back in her bedroom in Japan. Amanda rolled her eyes and told her it was nothing while Jasminka and Constanze didn't even offer a response; Sucy was eyeing a group of mushrooms in one of the hanging planets, likely ready to suggest them to Akko; Lotte simply looked dumbstruck."You're scar started hurting again? But…what does that mean? Last time they hurt, it was over three years ago. We still don't know what causes it….""Actually…I think I have an idea," said Akko. "I think the last time my scars started hurting, they were reacting to the Shiny Rod; they were trying to tell me that Barbara was going after it. Since I'm connected to the Shiny Rod because of Yggdrasil, maybe my scars can like…sense when the Stars are in danger.""So what caused it this time?" asked Sucy curiously."Well…I had a dream about Amon," said Akko slowly. "Him and Ruvik – and Acnologia showed up near the end – I can't remember all of it now, but I think they were going after one of the Stars.""Well, it was only a dream," said Lotte bracingly. "Just a nightmare."Yeah, but was it, though?" said Akko, turning to look out the balcony at the brightening sky. "It's weird, isn't it?... My scars start hurting, and three days later, the sign used by Shiny Chariot's old group shows up in the sky again. A group that Amon and Ruvik were members of, remember?"There was a silence in which Lotte absentmindedly petted Haruka-san, who was nibbling on Sucy's bedspread."Why were you asking if any mail had come, Akko?" Jasminka asked. "Are you expecting a letter?""I asked Blair to take a letter to Izetta about my scars," said Akko, shrugging. "I'm waiting for her answer.""Good thinking!" said Lotte, her expression clear. "I bet Izetta will know what to do!""I hoped she'd get back to me quickly," said Akko. "I was at least hoping to see Blair when I got back…""But we don't know where Izetta is…she could be in Africa or somewhere, couldn't she?" said Stan-Bot; Constanze nodded. "Even a great witch like Blair can't travel the world that fast.""She got me from Japan to London in half a day when I first met her," said Akko."Well, no point in worry about it now," said Amanda, patting Akko roughly on the back. "C'mon, let's head out and have a race in the forest. You and me – one on one. I always wanted to know who was the better flyer. Well, it's obviously gonna be me because you just learned to fly a couple months ago, but I was just being considerate.""Amanda," said Lotte, in an I-don't-think-you-are-being-very-sensitive sort of voice. "Akko doesn't want to race right now…. She's worried, and she's tired…. We all need to go to bed….""Yeah, I want to race," said Akko suddenly. She reached for her belt and pulled out the Shiny Rod. "Hold on a sec…Sybilladura Lelladybura!"A moment later, the Shiny Rod had morphed into the Shiny Balai and Akko and Amanda ran out of the room while Lotte shook her head and mutter something under her breath that sounded like, "Never learn…"Mrs. Manbavaran wasn't home very much over the following week. She left the house each morning before the rest of the family got up, and returned well after dinner every night."It's absolute pandemonium," said Mrs. Manbavaran tiredly the Sunday evening before they were due to return to Luna Nova. "No matter how many patients I heal, there always seems to be ten more popping up. The hospital has helped the majority that were attacked at the Tournament, but there are still a few in critical condition. And then there is the Council employees coming in and demanded treatment ahead of the other patients.""Why are Council members coming to the hospital so frequently," asked Sucy, who was fiddling through a book called
One Million Magical Herbs and Fungi
in front of the living room fire."People are rioting over at the Magic Council in Era," said Mrs. Manbavaran. "Arguments over the security at the Tournament. They're demanding compensation for their ruined property and their medical bills. That little rat Agrit came into my ward this morning after he got cursed by a Council employee for demanding a replacement for his twelve-bedroomed tent with en-suite Jacuzzi. No one believed it, of course. We all know he was using a tarp propped up by two sticks." She leaned back in the loveseat, groaning. "Ugh, I haven't had this much work since the days of the Eclipse Queen. And that damn Scaglietti woman isn't helping things, either.""What did she do this time?" asked Mr. Manbavaran soothingly, massaging his weary wife's shoulders."She made another article about how the Magic Council is hoarding funds all for themselves so that the people are left with nothing," said Mrs. Manbavaran. "That only made the rioters even angrier; there was actually a armed crowd outside the Magic Council building that had to be dispersed by the Rune Knights. And she made a little side comment about how my hospital is only giving health care to Council employees and shoving non-essential patients aside. Now I'm worried people will start firebombing the hospital next. And then Org came into my office the other day –""What did he want?" said Akko, leering."He blames me for making a public statement in Scaglietti's article without consulting the Magic Council.""How can he even think of blaming you for what the horrid Scaglietti woman wrote?" said Mr. Manbavaran, showing the first signs of dislike since Akko had known him."If she hadn't said anything, old Scaglietti would just have said it was disgraceful that nobody from the Council had commented," said Amanda, who was playing chess with Constanze. "Quattro Scaglietti never makes anyone look good. I remember when she interviewed my mom once, and called her "easy" because she has so many kids and no husband.""Come to think of it, I never saw your dad when I was in New York," said Akko thoughtfully. "Where was he?""You're guess is as good as mine," said Amanda nonchalantly.Rain lashed against the living window. Lotte was immersed into the latest
Little Witch Academia
novel she received in the mail from Annabelle Crème. Jasminka was in the kitchen preparing a pot of Borscht for dinner. Akko was polishing the Shiny Balai, the Broomstick Maintenance Kit Diana had given her for her thirteenth birthday open at her feet. Garie and Sabi were sitting in a far corner, talking in whispers, their heads butted together."What are you two scheming over there?" said Mrs. Manbavaran sharply, her eyes on the twins."Homework," said Garie vaguely."Don't be ridiculous, you don't start your first year of school for a few days," said Mrs. Manbavaran."Garie and Sabi are going to school?" asked Lotte curiously. "To Luna Nova?""Yeah, they just got their acceptance letters a couple weeks ago," said Sucy, traces of a proud smile on her lips. "Mom was always saying that they would be too much trouble to get into Luna Nova, but after I told her about Amanda and her friends, she seemed relieved.""Hey, that's just…no, you're right, we're terrible people," said Amanda smugly."We never had any trouble with Sucy growing up," said Mr. Manbavaran. "She was always so quiet and liked to keep to herself. Honestly, the thing we were most worried about was that she wouldn't make any friends in school. So you can imagine how grateful we are to you all for being here with her.""It's our…well, I can't say it's a pleasure, but we tolerate her," said Akko."Aw, that's the nicest thing you've ever said," said Sucy, smirking.A few moments later, Jasminka came into the living room doing an impressive balancing act with ten bowls of borscht as she handed them out individually without losing a single drop. Just as they were about to eat, Mrs. Manbavaran's phone made a small jingling noise; someone had texted her. Frowning, Mrs. Manbavaran whipped out her phone and checked the message, then let out an even deeper groan."What's wrong, dear?" asked Mr. Manbavaran concerned."It's Quattro Scaglietti again," said Mrs. Manbavaran, grimacing. "My friend in the Council says that she's been ferreting around all week, looking for more Council screw-ups to report. And now she's found out about Aleister Crowley going AWOL, so that'll be the headline in the news tomorrow. Your mother is going out of her mind trying to sort everything out, Amanda.""That whole Crowley business has been giving her a giant headache for weeks," said Amanda."We should at least be grateful that she hasn't found out about Miss Kuroi," said Mrs. Manbavaran irritably. "There'd be a week's worth of headlines if a Chariot Racing champion was caught holding a wand suspected of conjuring the Eclipse.""But there wasn't any proof," said Akko angrily."You think that's going to matter to Scaglietti?" said Mrs. Manbavaran. "If she catches even the slightest whiff of a scandal, she'll jump on it like a piranha on a slab of beef. The story doesn't even have to be true as long as it sells.""She'd fit right in with the rest of Americans," said Amanda."All right, that's enough of that," said Mr. Manbavaran, clapping his hands to stem the talk. "Once everyone is done eating, I think everyone should make sure that all their things are packed properly. Sucy, I bought you and your friends your new books today. Please make sure they are the right ones for me, will you?"Once they were finished eating, Akko repacked her broomstick maintenance kit, tucked the Shiny Rod in her belt, and went back upstairs with Lotte and Sucy. The rain sounded even louder in the empty corridors, accompanied by loud whistling and moans from the wind. They found Haruka-san having a staring contest with one of the man-eating plants in the corner of Sucy's room. Haruka-san was drooling and the plant looked like it was actually quivering in fear."I bought her some treats," said Lotte, throwing a packet across to Akko. "I tried to get her some rice balls, but a wild Afuu came and stole them."Akko stuffed the entire bag into Haruka-san's mouth without even opening the package; Haruka-san seemed content enough. She then turned to the balcony, looking out into the forest with a deep sigh."It's been over a week and Blair still isn't back yet," said Akko. "Lotte, you don't think they've been caught, do you?""No, it would have been all over the news," said Lotte. "After what happened at the Tournament, the Council would want to come out with some kind of win.""Yeah, I suppose….""Look, here's the stuff
Ama
got for us in London," said Sucy. "And he even washed your socks for you."She heaved a pile of books onto Akko's bed and dropped a load of socks next to them. Akko started going through the shopping, as did Lotte. Mr. Manbavaran had gotten her
The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4, for normal classes and
The History of 20th century Demi-Humans
and
The Spiritualist Guide to Star-Gazing
for her advance classes in History of Magic and Magic Astrology. Lotte already received the book she needed for Magical Literature from Annabelle Crème – Akko didn't need it because she wouldn't be taking Magical Literature again this year, much to Lotte's disappointment. Akko started piling her books into her luggage when Sucy made a disgusted noise behind her."What is
this
supposed to be?"She was holding up a very fancy-looking dress made of stunning purple fabric that glittered in the sunlight. Akko thought it was pretty, but Sucy looked like she was about to gag.There was a knock on the door, and Mr. Manbavaran entered, carrying an armful of freshly laundered Luna Nova uniforms."Here you are," he said, sorting them into three piles. "Now, mind you pack them properly so they don't crease.""Ama, why was this in with my stuff?" said Sucy, handing it out to him."Well, that's your ball gown, isn't it?" said Mr. Manbavaran."My
what?" said Sucy, looking horror-struck."Ball gown!" repeated Mr. Manbavaran. "It says on your school list that you're supposed to have ball gowns this year…dresses for formal occasions.""You've got to be kidding me," said Sucy in disbelief. "I'm not wearing that, no way.""Everyone wears them, Sucy," said Mr. Manbavaran compassionately. "They're all like that. Your mother even has some for formal parties at the hospital.""I'd rather drown myself in acid than put that on," said Sucy stubbornly."Don't be silly," said Mr. Manbavaran. "You've got to have ball gowns, they're on your list. I got some for Akko and Lotte too…show her, girls…."Looking at one another in curiosity, Akko and Lotte opened up packages that had been at the bottom of the books. They were just as pretty as Sucy's; both fluffy with ruffles and lace – they looked like something straight out of Cinderella. Akko's dress was in a heart-pink while Lotte's was canary-yellow."I thought they would bring out the color of your eyes, dear," said Mr. Manbavaran fondly."Ugh, I think I'm gonna be sick," said Sucy, grimacing."Oh, don't be that way, Sucy," said Mr. Manbavran positively. "I bet you'll look lovely in yours.""I don't want to look lovely," said Sucy stubbornly, tossing her new dress in her with her luggage angrily. "I'm never wearing this stupid thing.""Oh, fine," said Mr. Manbavaran exasperatedly. "Go naked. And, Akko, make sure you get a picture of her. Goodness knows Susan would get a laugh out of it."He left the room with a humorous chuckle. There was a funny spluttering noise from behind them. Haruka-san had finished with her snacks and was now eating the man-eating plant. Lotte flailed and ran over to stop her, while Akko looked over at Sucy, who was glaring at the dress like it had insulted her mushrooms."Me? Look lovely?" said Sucy in a low, almost unheard tone. "Now that's a laugh…."She slammed her luggage shut with all her might.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
There was a definite end-of-the-holidays gloom in the air when Akko awoke the next morning. Heavy rain was still splattering against the window as she got dressed in jeans and t-shirt; they would change into their tunics on the Mystic Rail.She, Lotte, and Sucy had just reached the bottom of the stairs on their way down to breakfast, when Mr. Manbavaran appeared at the door to the dining room, looking harassed."Susan!" he called up the stairs. "Susan! Urgent message from the hospital!"Akko jumped out of the way as Mrs. Manbavaran came clattering past with her doctor's coat on back-to-front and hurtled out of sight. When Akko and the others entered the dining room, they saw Mr. Manbavaran rummaging through her pockets anxiously – "I've got to have a pen here somewhere!" – and Mrs. Manbavaran was bending over the table, talking to –Akko shut her eyes hard and opened them again to make sure that they were working properly.A ghostly version Org's head was floating over the dining room table above an emerald-green magic circle like a large, bearded egg."…heard the blast directly out of my office. I came running out at the same time as the Rune Knights. It's a mess over here, Susan – you've got to get over here – ""Here!" said Mr. Manbavaran breathlessly, pushing a piece of paper and pen into Mrs. Manbavaran's hands" – our on-site doctors are trying to manage, but they don't have the same experience as you," said Org's head. "By the Nine Olde Witches, when I came into the office this morning, the last thing I expected was for some raving lunatic to start throwing bombs at the Magic Council building. The building's magical defenses bounced the bomb back and landed in the middle of the rioters – if Quattro Scaglietti catches wind of this, Susan – ""Why would someone be bombing the Council building in the first place?" asked Susan, holding the pen over the paper and preparing to take notes. "Surely people aren't that upset about the Tournament.""No, this was something else," said Org with an exasperated sigh. "I don't know how they found out, but someone caught wind of the Magic Council releasing
him.
You know, the one in Dol Gulder.""Ah, that makes sense," said Susan, scribbling frantically. "This was their way of retaliating against the Magic Council's decision to let him go.""Not a decision I would agree with, I don't mind saying," Org said in a huff. "If I were still on the Council, I would make sure that man never saw the light of day again.""That would be rather difficult, considering he can outlive all of us," said Mrs. Manbavaran. "It was Professor Holbrooke that convinced the Council to release him, wasn't it? I never knew a decision that Miranda made to be wrong.""That man was sentenced to Dol Guldur for a reason!" said Org irritably. "If Miranda thinks that a meager one hundred years in prison will reform a monster like that, then she must be going senile in her old age. A leopard doesn't change its spots, I tell you. But if it wasn't bad enough getting that man released from Dol Guldur, now she's gone and invited him to that school of hers. I swear on my position, Susan, that decrepit old fool will be the death of us all.""I have a firm belief that Miranda Holbrooke has everything under control," said Mrs. Manbavaran, still writing very fast, her brow furrowed. "But back to the topic at hand. What's the state of the injured? Were there any casualties?""Thankfully, most of the rioters started to run when the explosion bounced back," said Org. "But a good number of them are in critical condition. As I said, we have doctors on sight, but none of them share the same kind of experience as you.""All right, I'll head over immediately," Mrs. Manbavaran, stuffing the notes into her pocket. "Make sure none in critical condition are moved until I get there. Give them a minimum of painkillers and esuna – everyone else can be sent off-site to nearby medical attention."As she dashed out of the dining room again, Org's head looked around at Mr. Manbavaran."I apologize for this, Joe," it said, more calmly, "bothering you so early and everything…but Susan's the only one that can deal with the crisis we're in. We're going to need her around the Magic Council a lot more if these riots keep on going….""I'm sure things will settle down soon enough," said Mr. Manbavaran optimistically. "Sure you won't have a bit of toast or anything before you go?""Oh go on, then," said Org.Mr. Manbavaran took a piece of butter toast from the stack on the table and held it up to Org's head as he took it with his teeth."Fanks," he said in a muffled voice, and then he vanished in a puff of smoke.Akko could hear Mrs. Manbavaran calling hurried good-byes to Amanda, Jasminka, Constanze, and the twins. Within five minutes, she was back in the dining room, her coat on the right way now, dragging a brush through her hair."I'd better hurry – you have a good term, girls," said Mrs. Manbavaran, fastening her coat and preparing to Sling away. "Joe, are you going to be all right taking the kids to the station?""Of course I will," he said. "You just look after those people, we'll be fine."As Mrs. Manbavaran vanished, Amanda, Jasminka, Constanze, and the twins entered the dining hall."What was that all about?" Amanda asked. "Looked like she was in a hurry to get somewhere.""The riots in Era are getting worse," said Sucy. "Some nutjob tried to throw a bomb at the Council building and it rebounded back on them. The idiot….""That seems a little extreme," said Amanda, taking slice of toast from the stack before Jasminka could steal them all. "What was it about?""Apparently someone is being released from Dol Guldur," answered Lotte. "A lot of people aren't happy about it. Your mother's on the Council, Amanda, did she tell you anything about it?""Hmm…I don't think my mom mentioned anything about it," said Amanda thoughtfully. "But if they're from Dol Guldur, then you know they can't be good. Only the worst of the worst are sent to that prison. You'd have to be out of your mind to let off someone out of that place.""Izetta was sent to Dol Guldur," said Akko quietly, trying to block Mr. Manbavaran and the twins out of the conversation."Well, she's not exactly right in the head herself, is she?" said Amanda."Apparently, granny was the one who asked the Council to let him go," said Lotte. "And she even invited him to come to Luna Nova.""As if we didn't get enough psychopath teachers last year," said Sucy.After breakfast, Mr. Manbavaran told them to collect their things and asked that they meet up in front of the house. Akko had expected that they would drive to the local train station, that was until Sucy told them that the Manbavarans didn't have cars or they wouldn't be catching a ride in taxis."Who would be insane enough to drive all the way out in the middle of the woods?" she told them. "Besides that, no one in Puerto Princesa would come near our house with a thirty-nine-and-a-half-foot pole.""So that's where the song comes from!" said Jasminka."I'm pretty sure she's joking, Jas," said Amanda.So, much to Akko's despair, they would be walking all the way to the city station. They had just exited the gate and were treading down the slope along the dirt path when Lotte started looking around curiously."Hey, I just remembered," she said. "I haven't seen Marito since we came back. Anyone know where he went?""Maybe he went home after he heard the news about the Tournament," Stan-Bot suggested.But Akko didn't believe that was the case as she heard Garie and Sabi subtly whispering in the back of the group."Did you remember to let him out of the cellar?" hissed Garie."No, I thought you did," said Sabi.The journey was long, arduous, and a real pain in Akko's legs owing to the fact that they had to walk ten miles through the forest before they reached the city limits. The heavy rain that was pouring down on their heads wasn't helping them any either, even with the magical barriers Lotte and Sucy created above them. They had to stop every so often to catch Haruka-san when she spotted something slithering in the forest and had to force her to spit it out when she gobbled them whole. They were all very relieved to reach the station, where Akko, Lotte, Amanda, Jasminka, and Constanze all flopped on the ground, their legs throbbing painfully. None of the Manbavarans showed any signs of exhaustion – they were far too accustomed to the long treks between home and the city.They had little time to rest, however, as the Mystic Rail entered the station. A purple bullet train dusted with stars and euphoretic colors, the Mystic Rail hissed to a stop and opened its doors; the chatter of hundreds of anxious and excited students sounded from inside. Akko, Lotte, Sucy, Amanda, Jasminka, and Constanze all headed to the back of the train to their usual seats, this time joined by the twins, who were following Sucy like a couple of baby ducks. None of them were surprised to find Diana, Hannah, and Barbara waiting for them. Diana looked particularly relieved to see Akko and the others again, as told by the way she held her chest and let out a deep sigh."I was afraid something might have happened to you after we left the International Chariot Racing Tournament," she explained. "Andrew said you were okay, but I wanted to be sure.""Aw, I'm all right," said Akko, even flexing her nonexistent muscles. "You know me, Diana. Not even a nuclear explosion can kill me.""So you're a cockroach now, are you?" said Diana, giggling at Akko flabbergasted expression.After stowing their luggage in the overhead compartment, they hopped back down onto the platform to say good-bye to Mr. Manbavaran."You girls take care of yourself," said Mr. Manabavran, as he hugged Garie and Sabi. "And Sucy, look out for your sisters, won't you? Especially this year.""Why this year in particular?" asked Sucy curiously."You'll see," said Mr. Manbavaran. "Just don't tell your mother I mentioned it…it's 'classified information, until such a time as the Council sees fit to release it,' after all.""What are you talking about?" said Garie impatiently."Yeah, tell us!" Sabi demanded."You're going to have an interesting year," said Mr. Manbavaran, his eyes twinkling. "Susan and I might even get time off to come and watch a bit of it….""A bit of
what?" said Sucy.But at that moment, the horn blew, and Mr. Manbavaran chivvied them toward the train doors."Thanks for having us to stay, Mr. Manbavaran," said Lotte as they climbed on board."Yeah, thanks for everything, Joe," said Akko."Oh it was my pleasure, girls," said Mr. Manbavaran. "I'd invite you for Christmas, but…well, I expect you're all going to want to stay at Luna Nova this year, what with…one thing and another.""Ama!" said Sucy irritably. "What do you know that we don't?""You'll find out this afternoon, I imagine," said Mr. Manbavaran, smiling. "It's going to be very exciting. The last one was definitely worth watching. I had never seen Susan so jealous before.""Tell us already!" shouted Sucy, Garie, and Sabi together."Professor Holbrooke will probably tell you…. Now, behave, won't you?
Won't
you, Garie? And you, Sabi?"The tracks hissed, the doors closed between them, and the train started to move."Tell us what's happening at Luna Nova!" Garie bellowed through the window as Mr. Manbavaran sped away from them."What happened last time?" yelled SabiBut Mr. Manbavaran only smiled and waved as the train rounded the corner, and he was gone.Akko and her party started down the aisle towards their seats in the back of the train. The thick rain splattering the windows made it very difficult to see out of them."The Grand Master wanted to tell us what's happening at Luna Nova," said Akko grumpily as they shoved through a group of eager first years racing down the rows. "At the Tournament, remember?""And Amanda knows something, too, doesn't she?" Jasminka added. "She was talking to Sucy's mom about it the day Akko arrived.""Yeah, that's right," said Akko, eyeing Amanda suspiciously. "Since when do you keep secrets. What's going – ""Shush!" Amanda hissed suddenly, pressing her fingers to her lips and pointing ahead as they reached the back of the train and spotted Diana in deep conversation with Hannah and Barbara."…. woman is infuriating. Honestly suggesting that I would be better away from Luna Nova. Had my mother not written that I should attend classes in her will, Aunt Daryl would surely have shoved me off to Black Star Academy. She knows the headmistress personally and has been trying to convince me to transfer for years. You know Aunt Daryl has a low opinion on Professor Holbrooke – doesn't approve that she is accepting students from non-magical families – and she says Black Star Academy curriculum is far better suited towards teaching the heir of the Cavendish family. But I wouldn't set foot in the place if my life depended on it. You hear the rumors about how they teach their students about Black Magic – ""I don't know," said Amanda amusingly, flopping into her seat in the next row. "Sounds like that place knows to have fun to me.""Your definition of 'fun' needs some serious work," said Hannah with an upturned nose. As the usual party took their seats, she noticed the two extras among their group. "Hey, who are the shrimps.""These are my little sisters, Garie and Sabi," Sucy introduced them lazily."Oh god, there's more of them!" yelped Barbara fretfully."What's Black Star Academy?" Akko interrupted, taking her seat directly across from Diana. "That another magic school?""Yes, and no," said Diana sniffily. "They train Demi-Humans, certainly, but they mostly specialize with demon types and put a lot of emphasis on Black Magic and archaic rituals, the kind that people would normally be weary of.""I think I've heard of it," said Lotte vaguely. "Where is it? What country?""Well, nobody knows, really," said Diana. "Unlike other schools, Black Star Academy is completely hidden from the outside world. They have a lot of dark secrets that would be considered dangerous in anyone else's hands. But I think it might be somewhere in eastern Asia – probably either in China or Japan, considering a few of their most well-known students are Asian in origin."The rain became heavier and heavier as the train crossed the boarder into Europe. The sky was so dark and the windows so steamy that the lights had been turned on by midday. The lunch cart came rattling along the rows, and Diana brought a large stack of lunch boxes for them to share.Several of their friends came up to them as the afternoon progressed, including Fate Testarossa, Nanoha Takamachi, and Diana's self-proclaimed rival, Wendy Marvell, a kind yet meek little girl who was extremely well-learned and gave Diana quite a few headaches last year. Fate still had her Pravda rosette in her pocket, though she was very sour when Amanda brought up their defeat at the Tournament. After half an hour or so, Barbara, growing bored of the endless Chariot Racing talk, buried herself in
The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4,
and started practicing the animal metamorphosis spell.Wendy listened jealously to the others' conversations as they relived the Tournament match."I couldn't go," she said miserably. "Couldn't buy a ticket because Natsu spent that week's money paying his food bills. It sounded amazing though.""It was," said Lotte. "Look at this, Wendy…."She rummaged in her baggage up in the overhead compartment and pulled out the miniature figure of the Black Rock Shooter."Oh
wow," said Wendy enviously as Lotte tipped the Black Rock Shooter onto her tiny hand."We saw her up close, too," said Amanda. "First at the Summoning Stone at Sucy's place, then in the Top Box. It was so awesome.""Right until Org started blaming her for making the Eclipse," said Akko begrudgingly."She did
what?" said Diana, gasping. "The Black Rock Shooter shot up the Eclipse?""No, it wasn't her, she was framed!" said Akko defensively.And for the next ten minutes, Akko went into detail about how they saw the Eclipse being shot into the sky, about Org's paranoid outburst, and how Mato Kuroi was found with the Shiny Rod. By the end of it, everyone was looking around thoughtfully."Given the circumstances, I can see why Org would think the Black Rock Shooter caused it," said Diana. "But the evidence contradicts everything. The Black Rock Shooter doesn't have magical power like us, nor can anyone besides Akko use the Shiny Rod proper. It's all very confusing.""One thing I want to know is where the Grand Master was during all this," said Nanoha, tapping her chin. "He was supposed to be in charge of the event, wasn't he? Why was he so far behind everyone else while all this was happening?""Maybe we can ask him when he comes to Luna Nova," said Fate."What?" said Akko, leaning around Lotte to look at her. "The Grand Master's coming to Luna Nova.""Yeah, he's coming for the event," said Fate. "I know you guys are probably going to enter – it's almost guaranteed that Diana will be chosen, but there will still be four other spots. I don't know how people are picked, though.""What are you talking about?" asked Garie."Yeah, tell us!" Sabi demanded."Are you guys going to enter?" Fate repeated. "I bet you will, Akko. I've never known you to turn down a challenge, and this is going to be the biggest event in seven years.""Either explain what you're talking about or I'll curse you," said Barbara impatiently, over the top of
The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4."I believe I know what she's talking about," said Diana, eyeing Fate suspiciously. "And I believe O'Neill should know as well, given that her mother sits on the Council. But how do
you
know about it, Testarossa.""Well, my mother's the Head of Research and Development," said Fate, tapping her fingers looking like a child who just got caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "And my step-mother, Lindy, is the seventh seat on the Magic Council. I – I wasn't trying to give out top secret information or something, I just figured that since Diana's family and Amanda's mom are involved with the Council, I thought you would have told everybody by now….""We'll just be going now," said Nanoha pleasantly, grabbing her girlfriend by the wrist, "before Fate-chan ends up revealing anymore government secrets.""Yeah, catch you guys at school," Wendy waved and walked away.Nanoha dragged Fate down the aisle, who was hanging her head shamefully, and disappeared into the next car.Almost immediately, everyone turned their heads either to Amanda or Diana, who both looked away pointedly at the gazes."Well…looks like even Fate knows something that we don't," said Sucy, leering at the back of Amanda's head. "So are you going to tell us, or do I have to poison your coffee in the morning.""Yeah, right," said Amanda, scoffing. "Like I would drink coffee made at the school.""Professor Holbrooke will explain everything once we reach the school," said Diana. "You'll just have to wait patiently."But patience was one (of many) things that Akko lacked. She persisted in getting answers from either of them, even as they changed into their school uniforms, and wouldn't stop until the Mystic Rail slowed down at last and finally stopped in the pitch-darkness of Glastonbury Station.As the train doors opened, there was a rumble of thunder overhead. Lotte bundled up Haruka-san in the hood of her tunic and the twins used Sucy's arms as umbrellas as they left the train, heads bend and eyes narrowed against the downpour. The rain was now coming down so thick and fast that it was as though buckets of ice-cold water were being emptied repeatedly over their heads. Akko looked around, hoping to see Professor Ursula leading the first years for the traditional trek through the forest."First years! First years, this way!"It was Professor Kiki, the flying teacher. Akko felt like someone had dropped ice cubes in her stomach that had nothing to do with the freezing rain."Professor Ursula isn't here," Akko muttered. "She's not….""She's probably up at the castle," said Diana quickly. "After all, a sick person wouldn't be out in the middle of this rain, right?""Yeah…yeah, that's it…," said Akko slowly. "She's up at the castle…yeah…."They were shivering as they inched slowly along the dark platform with the rest of the crowd. A dozen double-decked buses with the Luna Nova crest were waiting for them outside the station. Akko's party along with the twins and Wendy climbed gratefully into them, the door closed behind them, and a few moments later, with a great lurch, the long procession of buses was rumbling and splashing its way up the cobblestone road to the Ley Line Terminal.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
They received complimentary brooms from the goblins at the entrance to the Terminal, where they would fly through the Ley Line to reach Luna Nova, which resided on a different plane of reality. In the past, Akko usually rode with Lotte, but this year, Akko knew how to fly a broom and was plenty capable of traveling by herself; a fact she was very proud of.She ascended with her friends into the ethereal green portal at the top of the tower and felt a familiar pull as she was thrown into the tunnel of light. In a few seconds, the light had faded and she could see Luna Nova stretched out before her, its many lighted windows blurred and shimmering behind the thick curtain of rain. Lightning flashed across the sky as they touched down near the fountain of the Great Witch Jennifer, which was overflowing, and hurried to the massive mahogany front doors, which stood at the top of a flight of stone steps. They practically had to shove their way through the growing crowd, looking up only when they were safely inside the cavernous entrance hall with its spiraling staircase."My god," said Hannah, waving her wand and casting a spell to make herself instantly dry and fresh-smelling. "If this keeps up the lake is going to overflo – AAAAHH!"A large, red, water-filled balloon had dropped from out of the ceiling onto Hannah's head and exploded. Drenched and sputtering, Hannah staggered sideways into Diana, just as a second water bomb dropped – narrowly missing Sucy, it burst at Akko's feet, sending a wave of cold water over her boots into her socks. People all around them shrieked and started pushing one another in their efforts to get out of the line of fire. Akko looked up and saw, floating twenty feet above them, Mr. Mxyzptlk, a little bald imp in a dapper bowler hat from the fifth dimension, his wide, malicious face contorted with concentration as he took aim again."MXYZPTLK!" yelled an angry voice. "You come down here at ONCE!"Professor Finnelan, deputy headmistress and Head of Lunar House, had come dashing out of the Assembly Hall; she skidded on the wet floor and grabbed Lotte around the neck to stop herself from falling."Ouch – sorry, Miss Jansson – ""That's all right, Professor!" Lotte gasped, massaging her throat."Mxyzptlk, get down here NOW!" barked Professor Finnelan, straightening her pointed hat and glaring upward."I'm not doing nothing!" cackled Mr. Mxyzptlk, lobbing a water bomb at several fifth-year girls, who screamed and dived into the Assembly Hall. "They're already wet, aren't they? Little squirts! Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!" And he aimed another bomb at a group of second-years who had just arrived."I shall call the headmistress!" shouted Professor Finnelan. "I'm warning you, Mxyzptlk – "Mr. Mxyzptlk stuck out his tongue, threw the last of his water bombs into the air, and zoomed off up the spiral staircase, cackling insanely."Well, move along, then!" said Professor Finnelan sharply to the bedraggled crowd. "Into the Assembly Hall, come on!"While Diana and the others slipped and slid across the entrance hall and through the double doors on the right, Hannah muttering furiously under her breath as she pushed her sopping hair out of her face, Akko stayed with Finnelan in the middle of the hall. Finnelan turned sharply on her, giving her the glare that was only reserved for Akko. In the past, Akko had believed that Finnelan had outright hated Akko for no apparent reason other than her love for Shiny Chariot. But after their conversation at the end of last year, Akko saw her glare as a lot less hostile and a lot more expecting."Do you need something, Miss Kagari?" asked Finnelan stiffly."I just wanted to say, I thought about what you said last time," said Akko, giving the teacher a polite Japanese style bow. "About how I can do better. I can't promise that I won't screw up or slack off…but I will try my hardest to meet your expectations.""Yes…well…naturally," said Finnelan awkwardly, scratching her cheek and looking away sheepishly. "Now, if you're done, please join your friends in the Assembly Hall quickly."Akko stood up and grinned as she walked away. Before she stepped through the double doors, she looked over her shoulder and spotted the tiniest of smiles on Finnelan's lips.The Assembly Hall looked its usual splendid self. Innumerable glowing spirits were hovering close to the ceiling over five large rows of bleachers underneath a different banner representing one of the five houses: Polaris, Lunar, Corona, Twilight, and Eclipse. The bleachers were packed with chattering students; in the front of the hall on a raised platform, the staff were all lined up in two neat rows facing their students. Akko could see Professor Croix standing on the end of the second row behind the fish bowl that held the only animal to teach in Luna Nova, Professor Pisces. In the middle of the first row was Annabelle Crème, the youngest teacher in school being only thirteen years old and was the author of many famous novel series including Night Fall and Little Witch Academia. And in the very center, standing on a stepping stool to reach the podium, was Professor Holbrooke, the headmistress, her faded green hair shining from the glow of the fairies above and her eyes twinkling behind her half-rim glasses.But as she looked up and down the row of teachers, her smile dipped when she realized that Ursula was not among the staff. Akko walked past the Lunar and Twilight bleachers and sat down near the front next to Jasminka and Amanda."Hey, you've seen Professor Ursula yet?" she whispered to Jasminka."Not really," said Jasminka, rubbing her stomach. "I hope they start the Sorting soon. I'm still hungry."The Sorting of the new students into houses took place at the start of every school year, but by an unlucky combination of circumstances, Akko hadn't been present at one since her own. She was quite looking forward to it. Just then, a highly excited yet polite voice called to her from the side."Hello, Akko."It was Makoto Kowata, a fourth year in Twilight. She was one of Akko's friends outside her own House and younger sister to the Charms teacher, Akane kowata."Hey, Makoto," said Akko."Akko, guess what? Guess what, Akko? My little cousin is starting! Her name is Chinatsu!""Wow, that's great Makoto," said Akko praisingly."She's really excited," said Makoto, practically bouncing up and down in her seat. "At first, she couldn't do magic because she doesn't come from a magical family like mine is – she's my cousin by marriage – but then she started doing water magic at the start of the summer! I hope she is in Twilight! There are so many things I could teach her!""Fingers crossed," said Akko. She turned back to Amanda and Jasminka. "Do family members usually go in the same House?" she said. She was judging by Amanda's family, who had three sisters in Luna Nova and all of them ended up in Polaris."No, not necessarily," said Amanda, humming thoughtfully. "Me and my sisters were in Polaris, but my mom was in Eclipse back in her day. And I think I heard that Holbrooke was in Corona even though Lotte is in Polaris."Akko looked forward at the staff standing at the ready. There were still a lot of empty spaces between them, even more so than usual. Akko had no idea where Ursula was (which was very concerning), Professor Kiki, of course, was still fighting her way through the forest with the first years; Professor Finnelan was presumably supervising the drying of the entrance hall floor, but there was another empty space, and Akko couldn't think who else was missing."Did you hear anything about a new teacher this year?" said Lotte in the seat behind Akko, who was also looking up at the teachers.In the past three years that Akko had been a student, Luna Nova had at least a new teacher every year. Last year had been the worst one yet, as it had been Amon disguised as the kindly mage Noah, and he been plotting behind their backs for a whole year before he disappeared. Akko looked up and down the rows. There was definitely no new face there."Maybe they couldn't get one this year," said Amanda."Oh, I wish they could hurry up," Jasminka moaned beside Akko. "I could eat a Qilin."The words were no sooner out of her mouth than the doors of the Assembly Hall opened and silence fell. Professor Finnelan was leading a long line of first years up to the front of the hall. If Akko and the others were wet, it was nothing to how these first years looked. They were splattered nearly from head-to-toe in mud. All of them were shivering with a combination of cold and nerves as they filed up to the platform and came to a halt in a line facing the rest of the school. Akko's eyes traveled down to near the end of the line where she spotted Garie and Sabi standing side-to-side, their teeth chattering loudly enough that Akko could heard them from her seat. Next to them was a small, dark-haired who looked surprisingly bright-eyed and chipper despite behind covered in mud; if anything, she looked positively delighted about it. She was looking around wildly until her eyes met with Makoto Kowata and gave a double thumbs-up with a wide grin.Professor Finnelan dragged a large, golden ornate mirror that looked very old and scratched up. The first years stared at it. So did everyone else. For a moment, there was silence. Then the mirror turned pitch black, then a featureless face appeared from the darkness and began to sing:
Seven hundred years ago or more,
When I was but a simple glass,
There lived nine witches you know
whose power were in their own class.
Olivie the Strong and Zero the Wise,
The innocent Chaika and Salem of Lies,
The vengeful Rita and the forgiving Beatrix,
The Witch of Time and Arachne from Styx.
And forget not the woman who gave the Word,
than the mighty and kindhearted Woodward.
They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,
They hatched a daring plan,
To teach magic to those in need,
And thus Luna Nova Academy began.
The Nine Old Witches they came to be known,
Valued five virtues that their students had shown,
Together they formed a House for each,
a place to call home for those they teach.
For Corona they valued the brave and the strong,
And Lunar would be smart to know right from wrong,
Twilight would be home to the calm and gentle,
Eclipse choose the ambitious to carry their mantle.
And Polaris would welcome whose hearts are free,
And now here they all stand for you to see.
While alive their students they would divide,
but who would choose for them after they died?
Twas witty Arachne who found a way,
Plucked me from her wall and left me to stay.
Filled me with knowledge from their own heads,
so that I could be the one to choose instead!
Now stand before me; I've never been wrong.
Look inside and I will tell where you belong!
The Assembly Hall rang with applause as the Magic Mirror finished."That's not the song it sang when it Sorted us," said Akko, clapping along with everyone else."Sings a different one every year," said Amanda. "It's got to be a pretty boring life, being a mirror. I suppose it spends all year making up the next one."Professor Finnelan was now unrolling a large scroll."When I call your name, you will stand before the mirror," she told the first years. "When the mirror announces your House, you will go an sit at the appropriate bleacher."Ackerman, Mika!"A blank-faced Asian girl walked forward, standing in front of the Magic Mirror, and waited."CORONA!" shouted the mirror.Mika Ackerman walked with a dull expression into a seat at the Corona bleacher, where everyone was applauding her. Akko caught a glimpse of Fate cheering for Ackerman as she sat down. She caught Akko's eye and shot her a smug grin like she had just won some great prize."Bedrock, Fasha!""ECLIPSE!"The bleachers on the opposite end of the hall erupted with cheers. As Fasha Bedrock sat down near the bottom, Akko's eyes accidentally wondered to the seat next to her and locked on with a gothic-looking Asian fourth-year who was staring back. For some reason, Akko felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up when she looked at her. Akko had the sneaking suspicion that she had seen this person from somewhere, but she couldn't recall where."Brimstone, Courtney!""TWILIGHT!""Calico, Kathrine!""CORONA!"For the next five minutes, the pattern repeated with the first years lining up in front of the mirror one by one, but Akko hardly paid any attention to them as none of them seemed to stand out. It wasn't until Makoto Kowata gasped and clapped excitedly for the next name that Akko finally perked up."Kuramoto, Chinatsu!"Tiny Chinatsu Kuramoto bounced forward so fast she had smacked into the Magic Mirror and nearly toppled it over; Professor Finnelan surged forward and grabbed the edges before it could tip. There was a ripple of laughter among the crowd as Professor Finnelan gave Chinatsu her signature glare. Already she could tell this one was going to be a troublemaker. Chinatsu laughed sheepishly, then stood up straight in front of the Magic Mirror like a soldier in front of drill sergeant. The glass remained silent for only a quick second before it shouted –"TWILIGHT!"Makoto was practically beside herself as Chinatsu Kuramoto, beaming widely turned on her heel and bounced over to the Twilight bleachers, nearly throwing herself at her cousin."Makoto, this school is so awesome!" she said shrilly. "On the way here, I fell into this huge mud puddle that came up to my waist, but then something came and pulled me out. It looked like a centaur, but she had this skull thing on her head and – and – ""You probably ran into one of the Arrancar," said Makoto, just as excitedly. "A lot of them live in the surrounding forest. You're lucky to see one on your first day.""Cool!" said Chinatsu, as though nobody in their wildest dreams could hope for more than being plunged into a massive mud hole and pulled out by an a human-like monster from the depth of the realm beyond life.The Sorting continued; girls with varying degrees of fright on their faces moving one by one in front of the Magic Mirror, the line dwindling slowly as Professor Finnelan passed the L's."Oh hurry up," Jasminka moaned, massaging her stomach."Jasminka, the Sorting is much more important than food," said Lotte as "Madeline, Lokey!" became a Lunar."Nothing is more important than food!" said Jasminka vehemently. "Not even life itself!""That's some twisted logic you've got, Jaz," said Amand, as "McDonalds, Ronalda" joined the Eclipse bleachers.In what seemed like no time at all, it was the Manbavaran Twin's turn. "Manbavaran, Garie!" was called up to the mirror first; there was a noticeable look of weariness across the hall when her name was announced while Professor Hex, the Magic Pharmaceutics teacher, looked almost gleeful. Garie looked into the Mirror with a malicious grin, and the Mirror only had to spend half a second search before it shouted:"POLARIS!""Manbavaran, Sabie!""POLARIS!"Both of the Manbavaran Twins approached the Polaris bleachers with toothy grins and subtle cackles, causing many of their new classmates to scurry away to the opposite end of the benches. Everyone in Polaris already feared Sucy because of her twisted experiments, now they were twice as scared to have two more Manbavarans that obviously didn't have Sucy's restraint. Sucy, meanwhile, let out a deep sigh as if incredibly annoyed, but Akko could tell that she was secretly smiling.And finally, with "White, Winter!" ("LUNAR!), the Sorting ended. Professor Finnelan dragged the Magic Mirror away."About time," said Jasminka, standing up in a crouch ready to take off the moment she was given permission to do so.Professor Holbrooke stood up on her stool, smiling around at the students, her arms open wide in welcome."I have only two words to say to you," she told them. "Dinner time!"And quicker than a man in red spandex, Jasminka disappeared in a blur and practically broke the double doors on her way out, to the surprise of no one. Everyone else scrambled out of the bleachers and started to make a dash across the entrance hall, going through another set of double doors, and arriving at the Dining Hall.The Dining Hall was probably one of the more unusually designed areas in the castle. Twice as big at the Assembly hall and with two extra levels from which students and teachers could oversee the rest of the room from the railings above. Hundreds of mismatched round tables were set in the most disorganized positions and thousands of seats were placed at random; some of them weren't even seats, but barrels and boxes of different material.A line was forming at the concession stands on the right where imps were running back and forth into the kitchens carrying plates of various foods. Akko waited patiently in line to collect her food, then marched off to the farthest corner of the room with her usual group of friends."Aaah, that's better," said Jasminka, having just finished scarfing down a whole turkey."You're lucky there's a feast at all tonight, you know?" Akko and the others spun around in their seats, looking around to find Croix carrying her own tray. "Mind if I have a seat here?""No, go right ahead, Professor!" said Stan-Bot as Constanze eagerly made room for the Modern Magic teacher."What do you mean we were lucky?" asked Lotte as Croix sat down."There was trouble in the kitchens earlier," said Croix. "Mxyz, of course. The usual argument, you know. He wanted to attend he feast – well, it was out of the question, you know what he's like, totally chaotic, can't see a plate of food without throwing it. The faculty all agreed on it – Professor Kowata, though, was all for giving him a chance, but I think she just wanted him to start a food fight – but Professor Finnelan put her foot down. It's probably the only time I give her credit.""Yeah, we thought Mxyz seemed mad about something," said Hannah darkly. "So what did he do in the kitchen.""Oh, the usual," said Croix, shrugging. "Wreaked havoc and mayhem. Pots and pans everywhere. Place swimming in soup. Terrified the imps out of their wits. Sir Nyanta had a terrible ordeal dealing with him – ""Who?" asked Akko."Sir Nyanta, the head chef," said Croix. "He's a Cat person and the most amazing cook I've ever met. When I started working Luna Nova, I was kinda afraid that I would have to eat Grog's – that's the previous chef's name – cooking again. Thankfully, Sir Nyanta started working a few months before I signed on and it's been heaven ever since."The rain was still drumming heavily against the tall, dark glass. Another clap of thunder shook the windows and flashes of light illuminated the hall as students were finishing their first course and heading back to the concession stands for dessert. It came as a surprise to none when Jasminka came back with what looked like half the table."Wow, I forget that you're a big eater," said Croix joking. "Hey, mind sharing some of that – "Jasminka made a noise similar to a dog growling and Croix wisely shut her mouth for the rest of dinner.When the desserts too had been demolished, Professor Holbrooke got to her feet and walked to the front of the Dining Hall. The buzz of chatter filling the Hall ceased almost at once, so that only the howling wind and pounding rain could be heard."So!" said Professor Holbrooke, smiling around at them all. "Now that we are all watered and fed, I must once again ask for your attention, while I give out a few notices."Miss Elma, the Keeper of the Castle, had asked me to tell you that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle has this year been extended to include screaming yo-yos, fanged frisbees, and the Spanish opera channel. The full list comprises some four hundred and thirty-seven items, I believe, and can be viewed in Miss Elma's office, if anybody would like to check it."The corners of Professor Holbrooke's mouth twitched. She continued, "As ever, I would like to remind you all that the forest on the grounds is out-of-bounds, as is the town of Blytonbury to all below third year."It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Chariot Cup will not take place this year.""What?" Akko gasped. She looked around at Avery Buckland, her fellow member on the Chariot Racing team. She was mouthing soundlessly at Holbrooke, apparently too appalled to speak. Professor Holbrooke went on, "This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy – but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Luna Nova – "But at the moment, there was a deafening rumble of thunder and the doors of the Dining Hall banged open.Someone came running into the Hall, short of breath and dripping water all over the floor. Every head in the Dining Hall swirled toward the person, suddenly brightly illuminated by a fork of lightning that flashed from the windows. Akko's heart soared and her smile stretched wide as she spotted the glistening blue hair whipping behind the person. They stopped just short of Professor Holbrooke, bending forward and leaning on her knees as she took a couple of deep, long breaths. After a shorter breather, Ursula stood up and straightened her glasses."Sorry I'm late, headmistress," said Ursula apologetically. "I got lost trying to find the station that the new teacher was arriving from.""Oh, he's arrived?" said Holbrooke excitedly. "Well, bring him in."Ursula turned back to the entrance of the Dining Hall and everyone turned in their chairs to follow her line of sight. A man stood in the doorway, shrouded in a black traveling cloak. He lowered his hood, shook out his messy black hair, then began to walk up toward Ursula and Holbrooke. Akko leaned in close to get a better look at him. He didn't look too terribly impressive; if anything, he looked rather plain. His sense of fashion also seemed greatly outdated, dressed in a long, high-colored black robe with a white toga draped around his chest. He was quite unremarkable compared to the other teachers they had in the past, but as he walked by Akko's table, there was suddenly a large flurry of motion and Akko felt a large pressure on her back.Akko spun around wildly and realized that all of her friends were suddenly crowded behind her, shaking like leaves and trying to make themselves as small as they could. They looked down right terrified; even Diana looked like she was about to cry. It took a moment for Akko to realize that her friends weren't the only ones acted strangely; nearly everyone in the Dining Hall was scattering, trying to get as far away from the man as they possibly could; a few even ran out into the Entrance Hall. Whether or not he was offended by this treatment, the stranger did not show, but Akko had the strange sensation that this man wasn't an ordinary wizard.The stranger reached Professor Holbrooke. He stretched out a hand and Professor Holbrooke shook it, muttering a few words that Akko couldn't hear. She seemed to be making some inquiry of the stranger, who shook his head with a sad smile and replied in an undertone. Professor Holbrooke nodded and gestured the man to an empty seat on her right-hand side.The stranger sat down at the table, but everyone else jumped up like their seats had been electrified and scattered like cockroaches. The stranger reached inside his toga and pulled out a cheap, packaged ham sandwich you would buy at a convenience store and a bottle of grape juice. He ate peacefully by himself, somehow able to ignore the hundreds of pointed stares aimed at him."May I introduce our new teacher, Zeref Dragneel?" said Professor Holbrooke brightly into the silence. "He will be teaching Fundamentals of Magical Self-Defense, a position previously held by Professor Croix."It was usual for new staff members to be greeted with applause, but none of the staff clapped except for Professor Holbrooke and Ursula, who both put their hands together and applauded, but the sounded echoed dismally into the silence, and they stopped fairly quickly. Everyone else seemed too transfixed by Zeref to do more than stare at him."Zeref?" Akko muttered to Lotte. "Why do I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before.""I don't know how you
haven't
heard of him," Lotte muttered in a hushed tone, shooting glances at Zeref. "He's one of the most powerful and most evil wizards in history. He's over four hundred years old and has single-handed caused more disasters than anyone. He's responsible for creating the Demons of Tartarus, wiping out the entire population of Mildian overnight, and some people even say he's directly connected to Acnologia. He was sentenced to Dol Guldur over a hundred years ago without any possibility of bail or parole.""Well, then I guess we know who Professor Holbrooke convinced the Magic Council to set free," said Akko."What the hell is that old bat thinking, bringing that psychopath in here?" Diana hissed fretfully. "This is even worse than Amon!"Professor Holbrooke cleared her throat."As I was saying," she said, smiling at the sea of students before her, all of whom were still gazing transfixed at Zeref, "we are to have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that takes place once every seven years. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that Luna Nova will be playing host to the third Contest of Champions this year.""You're JOKING!" said Wendy loudly.The tension that had filled the Hall ever since Zeref's arrival suddenly broke. Nearly everyone laughed, and Professor Holbrooke chuckled appreciatively."I am
not
joking, Miss Marvell," she said, "though now that you mention it, I did hear an excellent one over the summer about a wall and the president…."Professor Finnelan cleared her throat loudly."Er – but maybe this is not the time…no…" said Professor Holbrooke, "where was I? Ah yes, the Contest of Champions…well, some of you will not know what this contest involves, so I hope those who
do
know will forgive me for giving a short explanation, and allow their attention to wander freely."The Contest of Champions was first established fourteen years ago as a friendly competition between the hundreds of specialized schools all over the world shortly after the beginning of the New Golden Age as a way of promoting acceptance between Humans and Demi-Humans and, later on, aliens as well. This competition would take place once every seven years, and this year, Luna Nova has the honor of playing host to this magnificent event. Eight schools are chosen at random by the Department of Games and Sports and five champions are selected from each school to represent them in the contest. The eight teams will then compete in five magical games and the teams that earn the most points throughout the contest will win for their school.""Isn't that the basic premise of the Grand Magic Games?" said Akko aloud."Yes, but that name was trademarked by Fiore, so we can't use it," said Holbrooke. "This summer, the eight schools were selected and they are as follows: Luna Nova Magical Academy…Honnoji Academy of Excellence…Peristylium Suzaku Magic Academy…U.A. High School…Sanshu Middle School…Myojo Academy of Assassins…Serenity Academy for the Gifted…and Black Star Academy…"The Heads of each school will be arriving with their shortlisted contenders in October, and the selection of the school champions will take place at Halloween. An impartial judge will decide which students are most worthy to compete for the Contest of Champions, the glory of their school, and one hundred thousand credit personal prize for each member of the winning team.""I'm going for it!" Akko hissed, her face lit with enthusiasm at the prospect of such glory and riches. She was not the only person who seemed to be visualizing herself as the Luna Nova champion. At every table, Akko could see people either gazing raptly at Professor Holbrooke, or else whispering fervently to their neighbors. But then Professor Holbrooke spoke again, and the Dining Hall quieted once more."Eager though I know all of you will be to bring victory to Luna Nova Academy," she said, "the Heads of the participating schools, along with the Magic Council, have agreed to impose an age restriction on contenders this year, as there have been too many competitors that were too young for the competition that ended up severally injured or worse. So to that end, only students over the age of fourteen will be allowed to put forward their names for consideration. I will personally" - Professor Holbrooke raised her voice slightly, for several people had made noises of outrage, the Manbavaran Twins being the loudest of them all, much to Sucy's amusement – "be ensuring that no underaged student hoodwinks our impartial judge into making them Luna Nova champions." Her bright blue eyes twinkled as they flickered over Garie and Sabi's mutinous faces. "I therefore beg you not to waste your time submitting yourself if you are under fourteen."The delegations from the other schools will be arriving in October and will remain with us for the greater part of this year. I know that you will all extend every courtesy to our foreign guests while they are with us, and will give your wholehearted support to the Luna Nova champions when they are selected. And now, it is late, and I know how important it is to you all to be alert and rested as you enter your lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop chop!"Professor Holbrooke sat down in the seat next to Zeref and started talking. There was a great scraping and banging as all students got to their feet and swarmed the double doors into the entrance hall."They can't do that!" said Garie behind Akko's group. "This is discrimination against the younger generation! We'll sue!""They're not going to stop us from entering!" said Sabi stubbornly. "The champions will get to do all sorts of stuff you'd never be allowed to do normally. And a hundred thousand credit prize money!""It's a good thing we just made the cut off," said Lotte as they turned down a secret shortcut, leaving the Manbavaran Twins to stew in their contempt towards the headmistress. "But now it makes sense how Fate and Diana knew about the Contest before anyone else did, since their families work with the Magic Council. And you heard about it from your mom, didn't you, Amanda?""Actually, that Grand Master idiot was the one the blurted it out when he visited my house over the summer," said Amanda."Any idea who this impartial judge that's going to decide the champions is gonna be?" asked Sucy."This is the first time I've heard of it," said Amanda, "but it'll probably be someone very powerful, someone who can tell the difference between real competitors and people disguising themselves to pass the age limit.""Who do you think is going to be the champions?" asked Jasminka curiously."Definitely Diana, for starters," said Amanda, folding her hands behind her head. "As much as I hate to admit it, the princess is pretty much the best student Luna Nova ever had since Jennifer. She's definitely got a spot on the team.""Fate could probably be one, too," said Akko thoughtfully. "She's got some pretty awesome magic skills. She knows how to fly without a broom, and she's practically unstoppable on the race track. As for who else…Makoto might be good. She's really smart when it comes to charms and potions, though I haven't really seen her use offensive magic a lot.""What about Minoru?" said Sucy."Who?" asked Akko."Nico Minoru," said Sucy. "She's a fourth year in Eclipse. She was in the same Sorting as us four years ago; she was two names after me. That Minoru girl knows a lot of dark magic and used to be on a team of superheroes.""She does?" asked Akko, blinking owlishly. "Then how come I've never heard of her until now?""Probably because she was an unimportant background character until now," said Sucy."Yeah, that makes sense," said Akko, and the others nodded in agreement.They made their way to the end of the hall on the top floor and stopped in front of a solid brick wall decorated with hundreds of green marbles."Does anyone know the password?" asked Lotte."I do," said Sucy, moving forward to touch the marbles in sequence. "I got it off one of the seventh years downstairs."The wall parted down the middle and slid sideways to reveal a wrought-iron archway through which they all entered the common room. A crackling fire warmed the round room, which was full of squashy armchairs and a ceiling that perfectly depicted the night sky outside, which was gray and stormy with forks of lightning dancing across the clouds.Akko, Lotte, Sucy, Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka climbed up the last, spiral staircase until they reached their dormitory, which was situated at the top of the tower. six four-posters hung with apple-red, velvet curtains stood against the walls, each with its owner's luggage at the foot. They were all too tired to unpack and Akko was just too lazy to begin with. They changed into the sleeping clothes and went to bed straightaway. Someone – probably the imps – had placed warming pans between the sheets. It was extremely comfortable, lying there in bed, and listening to the storm raging outside."I might go for it, you know," Amanda said sleepily through the darkness. "The contest, you know…. I might not be as good as Diana, but you never know….""Yeah…me too…," Akko muttered.Akko rolled over in bed, a series of dazzling new pictures forming in her mind's eye…. She had become a champion for the Luna Nova team…she was standing on the grounds, her arms raised in triumph in front of the whole school, all of whom were applauding and screaming…she had just won the Contest of Champions…. She turned to the side and saw Diana next to her, her face glowing with admiration…. She leaned in closer, her eyes fluttering shut and her lips parted….Akko grinned into her pillow, exceptionally glad that Amanda couldn't see what she could.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The storm had blown itself out by the follow morning, though the sky was still gloomy; heavy clouds of pewter gray swirled through the large windows as Akko's party sat through their morning meals while the Heads of Houses were passing out everyone's class schedules. A few seats away, Garie and Sabi were huddled together with Makoto's cousin, Chinatsu, who seemed to have made fast friends with the pair, and were animatedly discussing magical methods of aging themselves and bluffing their way into the Contest of Champions."You know…," said Ursula tiredly, as she approached Akko's table, "I'm all for this unity between Houses thing, but I really wished they would have organized tables so that it would be easier to hand things out. Now…where is it…where is it…?" She muttered to herself, flipping through the large stack of papers. "Okay…O'Neill…Manbavaran…Antonenko…Jansson…and I'm not going to bother pronouncing Constanze's name…."She handed out a sheet to them accordingly, but when Akko held out her hand expectantly, she received none."As for you, Miss Kagari, I want to talk about your schedule before you start classes," said Ursula. "Could you come up to my office when you're done eating? Thank you."She didn't even wait for a response before she shuffled off to the next student, looking ragged and uncoordinated as always."What was that all about?" asked Lotte curiously."No idea," said Akko. "Maybe one of my classes overlaps another, though I pretty much have the same schedule as last year, except I'm taking an elective in Fundamentals of Self-Defense.""Yeah, that class with Zeref," said Amanda, grimacing. "Well, you already know I'm not going to that class. Probably drop dead within the first two seconds. I can't believe Holbrooke would bring someone so obviously dangerous to the school.""Well, I'm sure she has a good reason," said Lotte defensively. "Granny wouldn't bring anything dangerous into the school.""Like a giant polar bear?" Amanda countered.Lotte's lips went thin and silently went back to her oatmeal.There was a sudden rustling of noise above them, and Wangari along with a dozen postal witches came soaring through the open doors on brooms carrying the morning mail. Instinctively, Akko looked up hopefully expecting something to drop in her lap. The girls circled the tables, looking for the people to whom the letters and packages were addressed. One witch deposited a large package in front of Jasminka, no doubt more sweets from her family – they were magical bakers. One witch handed a letter to Diana directly which bore a wax seal with a special crest; judging by Diana's frown, it must have come from her aunt. But nothing came for Akko. Trying to ignore the sinking feeling of disappointment in her stomach, Akko returned to her grilled fish. Was it possible that something had happened to Blair, and that Izetta hadn't even gotten her letter?Her preoccupation lasted all the way up to the top of the Southern Tower until she arrived at Ursula's office where she found the door open and Ursula rustling around inside. Through the gap in the door, Akko peered inside the office. Ursula had pulled down the front of her robe and was fiddling with something on her chest. Leaning in closer for a better look, Akko could barely make out the strange, golden device that appeared to be latched on to her breast, directly over her heart. There was a type of clear liquid in the center of the device, and Akko had a fair idea what it was.Akko knew for a long time now that Ursula was suffer from some type of disease that was slowly killing her, and not even the best doctors in the world were able to cure it. Her illness had taken a turn for the worst last year when Amon used his bloodbending on her, forcing Ursula to seek out a special doctor in the Middle East. Ursula was trying to fight off the disease for as long as possible, but she knew – she told Akko – she knew it was only going to be a matter of time before it finally claimed her, and Akko knew her heart would shatter the day it did.Akko had to take a moment to collect herself before she knocked on the door. Ursula visibly jumped and knocked a pile of papers off her desk before Akko let herself in."O-Oh, it's just you, Akko!" stammered Ursula. "I was just…you know what? It doesn't even matter. I'll just clean that up later.""You said you wanted to see me, Professor?" asked Akko, taking a seat in one of Ursula's chairs."Yes, I wanted to talk about your course schedule and career plans," said Ursula, suddenly turning serious as she sat across from Akko. "Now, Akko, you've been at Luna Nova for four years. I want to make sure before I do anything further: do you still want to be a magical entertainer when you graduate?""Of course I do!" Akko shouted without hesitation, nearly making poor Ursula fall out of her seat. "It's been my dream to perform just like Shiny Chariot! Standing on stage, creating new and exciting magic that will bring smiles to everyone! That's all I've ever wanted since I was a little girl!""Well, you certainly haven't lost your enthusiasm," said Ursula, chuckling lightly. "The reason I ask is because I noticed something when I was going over your schedule. This will be your fourth year in school, and you still haven't taken a single Modern Magic class.""Well, that's because I'm not really good with all that science-y stuff," said Akko. "Why? Is that bad? Do I need to take Modern Magic to become an entertainer?""There are no real requirements for becoming a magical entertainer," said Ursula. "But I would highly recommend it. Part of being a magical entertainer means being able to keep up with the latest trends that catch the audience's attention and coming up with new and interesting performances, which really help if you understand staging and electronics. I remember how Professor Croix used to help Chariot with all of her performances – I sincerely doubt her shows would have been half as good without them. But the thing is, Akko, after you take your S.T.A.R. exams, you will be taking Mark of Mastery classes, and the only way you can get into Mastery Modern Magic classes is if you have taken two years of regular Modern Magic prior.""But I've already filled up all my classes!" yelped Akko. "I can't take any more now! Unless Professor Croix wants to give me her Chronal Acelerator….""I don't even want to imagine what kind of damage you could do with that," said Ursula bluntly. "The only way I can see this working is if you drop one of your current course and replace it with Modern Magic. I looked over all your classes, and I think the best thing you could do is drop Study of Abnormal Creatures.""But I did so well in that class!" Akko argued. "Can't there be something else!""It's either that or Foretelling, and you got an S-Grade in that one," said Ursula thoughtfully. "It really is your choice, Akko."Akko frowned. She didn't really want to give up either class – she had a lot of fun in Professor Pisces's classes and she was even better than Diana in Foretelling, which was a rare thing. With a depressed sigh, Akko lowered her head and said:"Yeah…I guess I can drop Abnormal Creatures.""Excellent," said Ursula. She whipped out a sheet, waved her wand at it, and magically filled it out with writing. "Here is your course schedule for the year. Your first classes today are Herbalism, Modern Magic, and Foretelling. I will inform Professor Pisces and Professor Croix about the change. You should head on down to the greenhouses – class will start in five minutes – "Akko could only imagine the disappointed look on Professor Pisces's face when she received the news. Though, now that Akko thought about it, the fish-human teacher rarely displayed any genuine emotions other than a few occasions; she probably would just stare blankly at Ursula until the bluenette walked away sheepishly. But, Akko supposed, it wasn't like she wasn't going to never see her – Akko still liked to talk to Annabelle Crème even after she stopped taking her classes, so it would work the same way.Akko arrived at greenhouse three just behind the rest of her class where she was immediately distracted by Professor Cosmos showing them the ugliest plants Akko had ever seen. Indeed, they looked less like plants than thick, black, giant slugs, protruding vertically out of the soil. Each was squirming slightly and had a number of large, shiny swellings upon it, which appeared to be full of liquid."Bubotubers," Professor Cosmos told them briskly. "They need squeezing. You will collect the pus – ""The
what?" said Chloe Dubois, a fourth year Twilight."Pus, Dubois, pus," said Professor Cosmos, "and it's extremely valuable, so don't waste it. You will collect the pus, I say, in these bottles. Wear your dragon-scale gloves; it can do funny things to the skin when undiluted, bubotuber pus."Squeezing the bubotubers was disgusting, but oddly satisfying. As each swelling popped, a large amount of thick yellowish-green liquid burst forth, which smelled strongly like gasoline. They caught it in the bottles as Professor Cosmos had indicated, and by the end of the lesson had collected several pints."This will keep Porlyusica happy," said Professor Cosmos, stoppering the last bottle with a cork. "An excellent remedy for the more stubborn forms of acne. Should stop students from resorting to desperate measures to rid themselves of pimples.""Like poor Gwendolyn," said Elfriede Coch, an Eclipse, in a hushed voice. "She tried to curse hers off.""Silly girl," said Professor Cosmos, shaking her head. "But Porlyusica fixed her nose back on in the end."A booming bell echoed from the castle across the wet grounds, signaling the end of the lesson, and the class separated. Lotte, Sucy, Diana, and Hannah all headed down the sloping lawn towards the edge of the forest; Lotte and Sucy looked back in surprise, possibly wondering why Akko wasn't following them. It suddenly occurred to her that she forgot to mention the change in her schedule. The rest of the class dispersed at the spiral staircase where Amanda and Jasminka broke off at the first floor while Akko followed Barbara and Constanze up to the fourth floor."Why are you following us," asked Barbara strangely, looking at Akko over her shoulder. "This is the way to Modern Magic.""Yeah, I know, I'm taking Modern Magic this year," said Akko simply. "What about you? Weren't you in Study of Abnormal Creatures last year?""I'm taking it on different days to make room for Modern Magic," said Barbara as they arrived.The Modern Magic classroom was the same as Akko had remembered it from her first year, back when Croix was the Self-Defense teacher on top of Modern Magic. The walls on either side were obscured by the rows of computer towers humming with energy, thousands of wires cluttered the floor and ceiling connecting to the giant monitor in the front, and Professor Croix's Sorcery Units were skirting around everyone's feet. The desks were metal tables with tablets built in to them that displayed realistic holograms, which Akko supposed made it easier for designing tech. And standing in the front was Croix, who looked positively giddy to see Akko coming through the door and taking a seat between Barbara and Constanze."Morning!" Croix said, grinning at the three. "When Professor Ursula said you would be taking my class, I was starting to think she was setting me up for a prank. You haven't taken any of my classes since your first year, Kagari. I was starting to think you were avoiding me.""No, no, I just – " Akko stammered."She thought she wasn't smart enough to be in this class," said Stan-Bot."Constanze!" yelled Akko, red-faced."Well, she wasn't wrong, now was she?" said Barbara coolly as she examined her nails."Take that back, you jerk!" snapped Akko."Now, now, let's settle down," said Croix leisurely as the rest of the class started to file in. "Good morning, everyone! I know you're all looking forward to another exciting year in Modern Magic, but, as you may have noticed, we have a new student joining us this time. You all know Kagari, right?" The way the rest of the class frowned was answer enough; Akko had a reputation for blowing up classrooms on a daily basis. "As you all remember, everyone was grouped up into teams last year to work on their projects together. Since Kagari is new, she'll need to join a team. Do I have any volunteers?"There was a loud cacophony of chair legs scraping against the floor as nearly everyone in class simultaneously edged away from her. Akko puffed her cheeks, pouting. Why is it that everyone remembers her failures, but they don't remember the dozens of times she saved the school? The only ones who didn't move away were Barbara, whom was examining her smartphone with interest, and Constanze, who was already tinkering with the carcass of some device."Okay then," said Croix awkwardly. "Parker, Albrechtsberger, you two will work with Kagari – you both have experience enough to keep her from destroying anything."Once Akko had been assigned to her group, the rest of the teams visibly relaxed and moved back to their tables properly. Croix walked around the metal desk in the front of the room and tapped the tablet in the center. The other tablets in class turned on and projected a holographic screen in front of them. It looked like some sort of blueprints, but Akko couldn't make heads of tails of it. On the other hand, Constanze was looking at it thoughtfully while rubbing her chin, and Barbara was already taking notes."This year, we'll be doing a year-long project," said Croix proudly with her hands on her hips. "You're all be working together to build and design your own Golems.""Er…what's a Golem?" Akko whispered to Barbara; it was unlikely Constanze would answer."A golem is an artificial lifeform that is built and brought to life by magic," said Barbara. "Traditionally, they were made using clay, but it looks like Professor Croix wants us to do it using machines.""So we're making a robot?" asked Akko."Not a robot, Miss Kagari," said Croix, who had apparently been listening in on them. "A robot just takes commands inputted by a controller. A Golem is capable of thinking for itself.""What're we going to do with these Golems once they're finished?" asked Stan-Bot."That's my little secret," said Croix deviously. "At the end of the year, I will be selecting one Golem for a very special assignment. The creators of that Golem will win bonus points on their final exams. Now, on the screen in front of you – " she gestured to the table – "you will see the blueprints of a Magicite Core, which will essentially be the heart of your Golem. You are free to design your Golem any way you want, but you must absolutely build a Magicite Core for it to be in acceptable working condition. Remember, this is a group participation assignment. That means everyone has to contribute or else you everyone fail. I'm looking at you, Parker, Albrechtsberger. You can't freeze Kagari out of the assignment. If she's not working with you, then you can forget about passing.""Ugh…" Barbara groaned."Fine…," Stan-Bot said begrudgingly while Constanze crossed her arms.Even if Ursula said it would help her career as a magical entertainer, Akko was floundering worse in Modern Magic than any of her other classes. At least in classes like Alchemy or Charms, she had some semblance of what she was supposed to be doing. But trying to decipher these blueprints on the Magicite Core was like trying to read Latin in a Spanish instruction manual. Constanze and Barbara didn't have any trouble; when Akko looked up, they were already working together on making the outer casing. Croix was walking around the room looking over everyone's projects and was steadily heading their way."Don't just stand there like an idiot!" Barbara hissed. "Do something before we get points deducted.""What am I supposed to do?" Akko whispered. "I don't know any of this techno-babble.""Why don't you prepare the Magicite charge?" said Stan-Bot as Constanze worked on the wiring. "It's a simple process. I'll guide you through it. First you need a magic stone…."Constanze had obviously set Stan-Bot upon Akko as a way to make her seem busy so that she couldn't get in the way of her and Barbara's work, and while she was a little offended, Akko wasn't complaining. She gathered the necessary magic stones from the storage trunk on the side of the room ("Blue and yellows are fine, but don't touch the red," said Stan-Bot) grabbed a bunch of metal parts and wires, and the tools that Stan-Bot listed. Akko definitely took her time following Stan-Bots instructions; she didn't want to blow up the class (again) and give Constanze and Barbara a reason to throw her out the window.By the time the bell had rang at the end of class, Akko's group wasn't as bad off as they were worried they would be; they had finished making the outer casing for the Core and Akko hadn't broken anything the entire class ("That must be a school record," said Barbara prickly). As they all put their projects into the storage cupboard, Croix called out to them before they reached the door:"For your homework, I want everyone to start designing the outlines for your Golem!" she said. "You don't have to provide me with blueprints just yet; just show me what it is you are planning to make so that I can approve it. And before you all go crazy, make sure it's realistic – flaming swords and dragon-scale armor may sound cool, but where are you going to get the material to build those?"She seemed to be looking at Akko as she said that."Well, at least you managed to get through the whole class without blowing a hole in the wall," Barbara said to Akko as they made their way back down to the down to the ground floor for lunch."That was one time!" said Akko in an exasperated voice. "And it was in Alchemy! You know that's a lot more dangerous than messing with machine parts."If there's any way of blowing something up, I'm sure you'll find it, Akko," said Stan-Bot. "Right now, we should think about how we want to design the Golem. It can't be something as plain and simple as my Stan-Bot Units – Professor Croix has already seen them. We should come up with something impressive.""Ooh, what about robots that can transform?" Akko suggested. "There's this American cartoon about it…what was the name of it again…?""Stan-Bot can already transform," said Stan-Bot."Which is why it would be simple for you to do," said Barbara. "I doubt anyone else in school knows how to create sentient transforming robots…. And Akko can come up with the design for it.""Me? Really?" asked Akko excitedly."You have a wild imagination – I'm sure you can come up with something creative," said Barbara. While Akko skipped and whooped in the air, Barbara leaned in closer to Constanze and whispered, "Plus, it'll keep her distracted while we build the Golem and it can be counted as participation for Professor Croix."Constanze smiled impressively at Barbara's craftiness.They sat down at their usual table with Lotte and the others and helped themselves to ham, cheese, and lettuce sandwiches and bowls of tomato soup. When asked why she didn't attend Study of Abnormal Creatures, Akko explained her schedule change with Ursula."Now you're in Modern Magic class?" said Amanda, snorting dismissively. "Did she blow up the classroom on her first day?""Seriously, does everyone think that's all I do?" said Akko exasperatedly."Yes," everyone said immediately."What's your next class this afternoon?" asked Lotte."I have Foretelling with Professor Ursula," said Akko eagerly. Akko did phenomenal in the class and the best part was that it was taught by her favorite teacher. Diana sniffed loudly."If you were going to drop a subject, I would have thought it would be that ridiculous class," said Diana briskly, sipping her soup delicately. "Then you would be doing something more sensible than a bunch of bogus fortunes.""You're still mad because it was the only subject you failed in," said Akko pointedly."I did not fail!" Diana snapped, slamming her hand on the table and making the silverware rattle. "I just decide that I needn't waste my time with it, that's all!""Yeah, that's what it was," said Akko sarcastically.Diana refused to speak to Akko for the rest of lunch.When the bell rang to signal the start of afternoon lessons, Akko and Jasminka set off for the western observatory where, at the top of a tightly spiraling staircase, a ladder led to circular trapdoor in the ceiling, and the room where Ursula held class.The smell of incense and fragrant flowers met their nostrils as they emerged at the top of the ladder. Even though she had already seen it before, it still impressed Akko how the entire ceiling was blanketed in twinkling stars as if the room opened up into the universe beyond; a model of their solar system floated over head with all the planets spinning in perfect orbit around the brilliant sun, which bathed them in a warm, orange glow. Akko and Jasminka walked through the mass of occupied beanbag chairs that cluttered the room, and sat down at the same circular table as their friend, Wendy Marvell."Good day, everyone," said the voice of Ursula as the bespectacled woman emerged from the trapdoor. "Sorry I'm late. I was in my office taking my medicine and completely forgot the time. Oh don't you worry about a thing – " she said to all the concerned looks she received. "It's nothing too…serious. I've just been feeling under the weather as of late, that's all. Just a little cold from all the rain, you know. Anyway, let's get class started, shall we?"Ursula swept past them and seated herself in the high-backed chair next to the brass telescope that peered through the only window in the room. Makoto Kowata and Zizi Delevingne from Twilight, who deeply admired Ursula's fortunes, were sitting on beanbags very close to her."All right, class, it's time for us to start studying the stars," she said. "The movements of the planets and the mysterious portents they reveal to those who read them proper. If you're already doing well in Magic Astronomy, then this should be easy for some of you. Just consider it a level up from that class. We'll start off by deciphering the planetary rays that intermingle…."But Akko's thought started to drift. The calming smell of incense and flowers started to dull her mind, making it that much harder to pay attention to Ursula's lesson. But, then again, maybe she could allow herself to clock out of this lesson. They were only talking about the star movements, which was something Akko mastered in basic Magic Astronomy in her first year and she
was
taking advanced courses on the subject with the sixth years. Maybe she could close her eyes for a few minutes….Akko saw herself back on the grounds in front of the whole school again, holding the trophy for winning the Contest of Champions. And to her right was Diana, looking back at her with passion and longing just as Akko always felt when she looked her way. Diana leaned in and Akko did the same, her eyes closed and her lips parted, waiting for that one moment than she had longed for four years….And then she heard the screams –Akko's eyes flew open. She was no longer on the grounds of Luna Nova, but on the outer edge of some tiny village hidden in a forest that Akko didn't recognize. The trees were washed in a redish-orange glow as a raging fire consumed the wooden houses; terrified screams and choking gasps pounded in her ears from every direction. And kneeling directly in front of Akko, hidden behind one of the large oak trees, was a tiny girl that couldn't have been more than seven years old. Her face was obscured by the shadows of the tree, but Akko could see her outline shaking and making sobbing hiccuping noises. Akko moved forward and reached out her hand –"Akko!" Wendy muttered."What?" Akko looked around; the whole class was staring at her. She sat up straight, wiping away the drool that was rolling down her chin."Miss Kagari, can you tell me how you are associated with the moon?" said Ursula, a faint note of resentment in her voice at the fact that her favorite pupil had obviously not been paying attention."Uh…because we're so round and shiny?" said Akko.The class broke out into a fit of laughter; Jasminka and Wendy hastily turned theirs into a hacking cough."No, not at all, Miss Kagari," said Ursula. "I know for a fact that you were born on July 25th, which means you were born under the sign of Cancer, which is associated with the moon. In association with the moon, you may appear tough on the outside, but you are deeply sensitive on the inside. You are ruled by your emotions, which is caused by the moon being your ruling planet. The moon is closely associated with human emotion, so it influences you to put the needs of others before your own.""Wow, that's pretty accurate," said Jasminka impressively."Maybe if you pay attention, you will be able to learn more," said Ursula, turning away pointedly. "Now, let's move on to the Leo sign, which is associated with the sun…."Half an hour later, each of them had been given a complicated circular chart, and was attempting to fill in the positions of the planets at their moment of birth. It was dull work, but nothing that Akko hadn't already learned in advance Magic Astronomy. For the first time ever, people were coming up to Akko for help instead of the other way around."I've got two Neptunes here," said Nanoha from the table behind Akko, frowning down at the piece of paper, "that can't be right, can it?""Maybe Neptune's twin brother decided he was lonely and dropped by for a visit," said Akko jokingly; Nanoha didn't seem to appreciate the humor. "Okay, okay, let me have a look at it…."While Akko helped her childhood friend in correcting her papers, there was an excited squeal from Makoto, who said, "Oh Professor, look! I think I've got an uninspected planet! Oooh, which one's that, Professor?""That would be Uranus, Miss Kowata," said Ursula, peering down at the chart."Can I have a look at Uranus too, Makoto," said Zizi with a mischievous grin.Most unfortunately for her, Ursula had heard her, and it was this, perhaps, that made her give everyone so much homework at the end of class."A detailed analysis of the way the planetary movements in the coming month will affect you, with reference to your personal chart," she said, sounding very much like Professor Finnelan in that moment. "I want it ready to hand in next Monday, and no excuses.""How can Professor Ursula give
me
homework?" said Akko bitterly as they joined the crowds descending the staircases back to the dining hall and dinner. "I can understand you, but I'm her favorite….""Lots of homework?" said Diana bright as she, Lotte, and Sucy caught up to them. "Professor Gorgon didn't give
us
any at all.""Well, hurrah for Professor Gorgon," said Akko moodily.They reached the entrance hall, which was packed with people queuing for dinner. They had just joined the end of the line, when a loud voice rang out behind them."Oi! Princess! What the hell?"Akko and the others turned. Amanda was furiously stomping her way up to them, followed closely behind by Constanze, Hannah, and Barbara, all of whom looked extremely worried."What?" said Diana evenly."What the hell is this?" said Amanda, brandishing a copy of the evening paper like a weapon. When Diana offered no response, she flipped the paper open and spoke very loudly. "Listen to this!"
FURTHER MISTAKES AT THE MAGIC COUNCIL
It seems as though the Magic Council's troubles are not yet at an end,
writes Quattro Scaglietti, Special Correspondent. Recently under fire for its poor crowd control at the Inter- national Chariot Racing Tournament, and still unable to account for the disappearance of one of its members, the Magic Council was plunged into fresh embarrassment yesterday as reported by the lovely and talented Daryl Cavendish of the famous House of Cavendish.Amanda looked up, leering."That's your aunt's name, isn't it?" she said scathingly. "The one that was sitting behind us at the Tournament? What was she doing going and talking to Scaglietti of all people?"Diana said nothing in her defense; she maintained a neutral expression. Everyone in the entrance hall was listening now. Amanda gritted her teeth at Diana's lack of a response and read on:According to the beautiful Daryl, the Magic Council was involved in a riot situation just yesterday when members of the magical community were expressing their freedom to protest. And what was it they were protesting? According to the lovely Daryl, the protests surrounding the Magic Council were nothing other than unethical release of Zeref Dragneel, the infamous Black Wizard responsible for numerous tragedies throughout history. Unsurprisingly, the protests took a violent turn when the Magic Council suddenly retaliated with explosions that caused many protesters to be left critically injured. Council- woman Ava O'Neill, a trampy woman with more children than brains, claims that the explosions were the result of the protester's own attacks being repelled back at them. This is clearly a ploy to deflect the Magic Councils flagrant abuse of authority. O'Neill refused to answer questions about the details behind Zeref's release and why the Magic Council was involved in such an undignified and wholesomely embarrassing scene.Amanda was leering at Diana as if expecting an explanation for everything, but Diana, cool as can be, kept a level tone and said, "Is there something you want to say?""Yeah, like what the hell is this shit?" Amanda snapped furiously. "What is
your
aunt doing telling Scaglietti about Zeref? And trashing my mom in her shitty article!""First of all, my aunt had nothing to do with how your mother appears in Scaglietti's column," said Diana coolly. "Second of all, I do not control whom my aunt can or cannot associate with. If you want someone to blame for all this, you are free to take it up with her.""That's a load of crap and you know it!" Amanda seethed, grabbing Diana by the front of her uniform. "Your aunt had no business telling anyone about Zeref! Now my mom is in a load of trouble and it's all her fault! People are going to be beating down her door blame her for this!""If your mother can't handle something as inconsequential as this," said Diana, "then maybe she isn't suited for her position – "Amanda let out a furious scream as she pulled her hand back and closed it into a fist. Several people screamed in fright – Akko immediately grabbed the Shiny Rod from her belt the same time Diana reached for her own wand, but before either of them could draw, the entire hall suddenly froze up. It wasn't just figuratively either – everyone in the entrance hall was literally frozen in place; Amanda's hand was held in the air half a foot from Diana's nose, Diana was midway from pulling out her wand, and Akko found herself still as a statue in mid-step. Only their eyes seemed capable of moving, which were shifting around with a mixture of confusion and terror."You girls are causing quite a scene for your first day. Let's take a moment to relax, shall we?"Akko's eyes darted toward the spiral staircase. Zeref was walking casually between the students, unaffected by whatever power was holding them in place. He reached the center of the commotion and stood between Amanda and Diana, looking between them with an interested gaze.There was a terrified silence in the entrance hall. Nobody but Zeref was capable of moving a muscle. Zeref then reached over, grabbed Amanda's hand that was held tightly on Diana's collar, and loosened her fingers to release. He pushed them away until they were safely out of reach of each other. And when Zeref finally drew his hands back, the spell that held everyone in place ended – Amanda and Diana staggered on their feet while Akko fell flat on her face.Amanda and Diana both looked terrified and tried to back away from Zeref, but one look from him seemed to freeze them as effectively as the spell had. He looked between the girls with a neutral expression, let out a deep, exasperated sigh, and asked:"Is there a reason you two were fighting?""N-No, no reason at all," Amanda stuttered."I find that hard to believe," said Zeref evenly. "People don't fight for no reason, especially a couple of school teenagers. Care to try answering again.""They were fighting over something in the news," Akko answered simply as she stood up, brushing herself off. Zeref looked at her curiously while others in awe; she could talk to him so casually. "Diana's aunt told a nasty reporter a bunch of stuff that made Amanda's mom look bad, so Amanda got mad at Diana, and Diana said something back that was kinda rude.""I see," said Zeref, nodding. "Thank you for telling me, miss…""Kagari," Akko introduced herself. "Akko Kagari.""So you're Akko," said Zeref, suddenly looking very fascinated by her. "Your mother told me about you many times, during conjugal visits.""Wait," said Akko, blinking. "You know Shiny – ""But whatever the case may be," said Zeref, quickly cutting her off, "I'm fairly certain that the school does not condone fighting. I believe the rules state that I am to assign you both detention and take you to your Heads of House.""What? That's not fair! We didn't even get a chance to fight!" said Amanda, her outrage overlapping her fear for the Black Wizard."If I hadn't shown up, more than one person would have likely gotten hurt," said Zeref, gripping both girls by the shoulders; both of them shuddered. "Remind me, who are your Heads of Houses again. I haven't visited Luna Nova in over a century, as you can tell. So I sincerely doubt Magatha is still Head of Polaris.""Professor Ursula," said Amanda resentfully."Professor Finnelan," Diana muttered softly."Finnelan and Ursula, is it?" said Zeref. "Well, I've been looking for an excuse to talk to both of them for a while. We have a sort of…history between us…. Come along, you two…."And he marched them off up the spiral staircase.Akko and the others stared anxiously after them for a few moments, then headed into the Dining Hall once they saw that the line had shortened."Well, that was certainly a different experience," Sucy said quietly to everyone as they sat down at their usual table a few minutes later, surrounded by excited talk on all sides about what had happened."What makes you say that," said Akko, slurping her ramen at a speed only the Japanese were capable of."Well, it's no surprise that Diana and Amanda are at each other's throats - honestly, I thought it would happen sooner," said Sucy. "But I didn't expect Zeref to come in and play referee. I would've guessed he'd just kill them on the spot and be done with it.""Why does everyone keep saying that?" asked Akko curiously. "I've only known the guy for a day and he seems like an all right guy.""That because you don't know Zeref Dragneel like we do," said Hannah. "Honestly, I don't know if your ignorance is a blessing or a curse. The way you talked to him like that, I would never have the courage to do something so casual.""That's another thing," said Akko suddenly. "Did you hear what he said. My mom told him about me. That means he's been talking to Shiny Chariot! Shiny Chariot visited him while he was in prison!""Probably something to do with that secret organization of hers," said Barbara. They were doing a lot of illegal stuff over the years. Makes sense they would associate themselves with one of the most dangerous criminals in history.""You think Shiny Chariot is the reason Zeref was released from Dol Guldur?" asked Lotte interestingly."If she was capable of getting Zeref off, then why didn't she do the same for her sister?" said Hannah."Well, everyone thought she was a traitor," said Jasminka thoughtfully. "Maybe she just trusts Zeref more.""I don't even want to understand the reason why," said Barbara, shaking her head."You guys talking about Zeref?"Akko nearly tossed her bowl of ramen when the seat next to her, which was usually reserved for Amanda, was suddenly taken by Rajani, Akko's teammate on the Chariot Racing team. The other free seat usually taken by Diana was also filled by Rajani's twin sister, Rashmi."That Zeref!" said Rajani. "How cool is he?""Beyond cool," said Rashmi. "We had his class this afternoon.""What was it like?" said Akko eagerly.The Indian twins exchanged looks full of meaning."At first, I was terrified of the guy," said Rajani."But then we took one of his lessons," said Rashmi."Never had one like it before."He
knows, man.""Knows what?" said Stan-Bot as Constanze leaned forward."Knows what it's like to be out there
doing
it," said Rajani impressively."Doing what?" said Lotte."Fighting in the real world," said Rashmi."He's seen it all," said Rajani."He's amazing," said Rashmi, staring wistfully into space.Akko dived into her bag for her schedule.We haven't got him until Thursday!" she said in a disappointed voice.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The next two days passed without great incident, unless you countered Akko melting her sixth cauldron in Magic Pharmaceutics. Professor Hex, who was always the most unlikable and most vindictive teacher in the school, gave Akko detention, and Akko returned from it in a state of great illness, having been made to disembowel a barrel full of horned toads."Lucky…," Sucy said enviously as they watched Diana teach Akko a cleaning charm to remove the frog guts from under her fingernails."Professor Hex has been in a bad mood lately – not that he isn't always like this," said Hannah."He's not the only one," said Lotte. "Professor Crème was looking pretty upset in Magic Linguistics this morning.""You know why, don't you?" said Sucy."Yeah," said Akko. "Zeref."It went without saying that having Zeref in the castle made a lot of people uncomfortable, especially the teachers. Though while some of the teachers were starting to admire him after talking over his classes, others like Professor Finnelan and Pisces were notably avoiding any interaction with him, but were careful not to display overt animosity to Zeref. Indeed, whenever Akko saw Zeref with a teacher – at mealtimes, or when they passed in the hall – they often had an excuse to head somewhere else, even if it didn't make sense."They're obviously scared of him," said Diana. "Not that I can blame them. You heard of the things he's done.""He didn't seem that bad when he was stopping Amanda from caving your face in," said Akko. "C'mon, give the guys a chance…."The fourth years were looking forward to Zeref's first lesson so much that they arrived earlier on Thursday and queued up outside his classroom before the bell had even rung. The only one who didn't seem eager was Diana."You do realize we're going to be locked in a room with a convicted mass murderer, right?""Yeah, yeah," said Akko offhandedly. "C'mon, quick, or we won't get decent seats."Akko's party stole all nine of the front row seats, took out their copies of
The Dark Arts: A Guide to Self-Protection, and waited, unusually quiet. Soon they heard soft footsteps coming down the corridor, and Zeref entered the room, halfway through a blueberry muffin when he suddenly paused at the doorway, blinking owlishly. He was probably put off by the number of eager looking students waiting for his lesson to start. He took a moment to collect himself, finished off his muffin, and walked over to his desk."You can put those away," he said, sitting down. "Those books. You won't need them."They returned the books to their bags, Akko feeling very excited. She distinctly remembered her class with Amon started out similarly last year, and even though he was an evil, traitorous criminal, his lessons had always been fun. Zeref did a quick attendance and, like every new teacher that came to Luna Nova, he paused when he reached Diana, no doubt taken by the Cavendish name. Though surprisingly, he also paused when he reached Akko's name, giving her a knowing smile, but said nothing about it.Right then, he said, when the last person had declared themselves present, "I've read all of your files for this class. As it turns out, a surprising number of you haven't taken a defense class since your mandatory one in first year, is that right?"There was a general murmur of assent."That is bad – that is really bad," said Zeref, shaking his head disappointedly. "I know many of you are more interested in other classes like Magic Linguistics and Modern Magic because they are more geared towards the careers you want, but you need to learn how to defend yourself. This is a harsh and unforgiving world we live in and you need to be prepared for anything. That's where I come in. I've got one year to teach you how to protect – ""What, you aren't staying?" Amanda blurted out.Zeref spun turned around in his chair and stared at Amanda; Amanda looked extremely apprehensive, but after a moment Zeref smiled."You're Ava O'Neill's daughter, aren't you?" Zeref said. "Your mother was particularly ruthless in seeing me kept in Dol Guldur – I'm honestly very impressed…. But yes, I'm only staying for the one year. A special favor from an old friend of mine…. One year, and then it's back to my quiet cell in Dol Guldur."He gave a harsh laugh, and then clapped his hands together."So – let's get straight to it. Black Magic. Curses. They come in many strengths and forms. They are different from magic as they are born from different sources. Magic is used by channeling positive emotions such as love, happiness, and excitement, while curses use negative emotions like anger, sorrow, and spite. Now according to the Magic Council, I'm supposed to teach you countermeasures and leave it at that. I'm not supposed to show you what illegal Black Arts look like until you're in the sixth year. You're not supposed to be old enough to deal with it until then. But the headmistress has a higher opinion of your nerves, she thinks you can cope, and I say, the sooner you know what you're up against, the better. How are you supposed to defend yourself against something you've never seen? Anyone who's about to put an illegal curse on you isn't going to tell you what he's about to do. He's not going to do it nice and polite to your face. You need to be prepared. You need to be alert and watchful. You need to put that away, Miss Albrechtsberger, before I take it away."Constanze froze at her desk, her hand hovering over Stan-Bot. She had apparently been trying to tinker with the little robot in the middle of the lecture. With her head down, show folded up Stan-Bot and stuffed him in her bag."So…do any of you know which curses are most heavily punished by the Magic Council?"Several hands rose tentatively into the air, including Amanda and Sucy's. Zeref pointed at Amanda."Er," said Amanda tentatively, "my mom told me about one…. It's called the Curse of Life, or something?""Ah, yes," said Zeref appreciatively. "Your mother
would
know that one. Little fun fact, I dabbled a lot in the Curse of Life when I was younger – it's the reason why the Goddess of Life, Ankhseram, saw fit to curse me for eternity."Zeref got up, opened his desk drawer, and took out a lump of dirt which he plopped on his desk. Akko and many others leaned forward. Zeref waved his hand in an almost dramatic fashion, leaving it hovered over the ball of dirt and muttered something under his breath.Something glowed underneath Zeref's palm, seemingly appearing out of thin air. As Akko leaned in closer, she could see that he had created some type of Magic Circle, but it was completely different than anything Akko had ever seen before – it was pitch black and giving off an ice-cold chill. The ball of mud suddenly started twitching. Then it started growing, becoming narrow in the middle as it suddenly started sprouting arms and legs. The head came last and a pair of milky-white eyes formed on it. When Zeref pulled his hand away, a tiny little creature the size of a figma figure was looking curiously around the classroom.Everyone was very impressed – except Zeref."Do you think this is something worth being amazed over?" he said coldly. "To bring about an abomination that was never meant to exist?"The classroom turned somber almost immediately."The Curse of Life," said Zeref quietly as the little dirt man started walking around his desk. "An act of power that only the Gods are permitted to use. To use such a curse would be to defy the will of the Gods themselves. More than that, it's an act that disrupts the delicate balance of life and death. One wrong move could lead to disastrous consequences. I heard from one of your teachers that one of these consequences – a monstrosity that called itself Evie – attacked the school a couple of years ago. She was an abomination that was never meant to exist and as such became incapable of truly living in this world like you or I and lashed out irrationally. There is a fine line between life and death and not all creatures are capable of coping with it."Those who have perfected this curse have been known to use it to bring the dead back to life. I used it to revive my brother, who was taken from me when he was only a boy, and I know Presea Testarossa used it to revive her daughter – Yes, Miss Takamachi," he said, responding to Nanoha's surprised gasp, "I know Miss Testarossa's secret. It caused a lot of trouble for the Magic Council back in the day. The Magic Council doesn't approve of the use of resurrection as it is highly unethical to tamper with the delicate balance of life and death. If you want to discuss more on the subject, I recommend attending Professor Pisces's class on Magic Philosophy."Now then, anyone else know one? Another of the Black Arts."To the surprise of no one, Diana's hand was among the few that went into the air again."Yes," said Zeref interestingly, his eyes fixated on Diana."There's one – the Curse of Souls," said Diana.Zeref looked very intently at Diana with a small frown on his lips."It doesn't surprise me that you would know about that," he said in a small but distinct voice. "Your mother was Bernadette Cavendish, correct? To lose your mother in such a way…and at such a young age….""Wh-what are you talking about?" Diana stuttered, looking slightly frightened. "My mother died from an illness…she was born with a weak body and perished naturally…."Zeref looked at her solemnly but made no further inquiries. Turning back to the class at large, he reached to grab the little dirt man that was getting ready to jump off the side of the desk and put in in the center where everyone could see. He raised his hand palm down over the dirt man and summoned another black Magic Circle.At once, the dirt man started flailing erratically, throwing its head back and forth with its arms swinging wildly. It looked like it was in horrible pain. When the dirt man started slowing down, Akko could see that it was rapidly mutating. Half of its head with had grown bulbous with one eye turning a piercing gold and was developing a jaw full of pointy teeth while it's left arm had turned into a bulky mass that ended in a three-clawed hand -"Stop it!" Hannah said shrilly.Akko looked around at her. She was looking, not at the dirt man, but at Diana, and Akko, following her gaze, saw that Diana's hands were clenched upon the desk in front of her, her knuckles white, her eyes wide and terrified.Zeref pulled his hand away, leaving the tiny dirt man in its hideously grotesque form. The little half-monster had to drag its bulking left arm around behind it and was snapping its new teeth at the class; if it had vocal cords, Akko would guess that it was snarling like a wild dog."The Curse of Souls," said Zeref softly. "The curse that allows one to meddle with a living creature's essence. Most people think that the body is just a pre-made shell that houses the soul, but it is the soul that creates the body, molding it into what suits it best. Those who use the Curse of Souls can rewrite a person's entire existence, mutating them into whatever shape they desire. It is an exceedingly difficult curse that not even I have mastered, as you can plainly see," He gestured at the misshapen dirt man. "As far as I know, only an item called the Star of Spirit has the power to absolutely manipulate the soul. Others who attempt it usually result in the victim of the curse being left…broken…unable to live…."Now…anyone know any others?"Akko looked around. From the looks on everyone's faces, she guessed they were all wondering what was going to happen to the dirt man. Lotte's hand shook slightly as, for the first time, she raised it into the air."Yes?" said Zeref, looking at her."The Curse of Death," Lotte whispered.Several people looked uneasily around at her, including Sucy."Ah," said Zeref rather mournfully. "Yes, the last and most unforgivable. The Curse of Death…."Zeref didn't raise his hand this time, only looking down at the mutated dirt man that was flailing its misshapen arm wildly. As if sensing his stare, the dirt man spun around and snapped its teeth at Zeref. For a moment, the two of them seemed locked in a staring contest... Akko wouldn't have noticed it if she hadn't looked up for a brief moment, but Zeref's eyes, which were usually pure black, had suddenly turned a murky shade of red. Akko felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, a thrill of foreboding running down her spine."Death Predation," Zeref muttered in a detached voice.There was a rushing sound as though something vast and invisible was soaring through the air – instantaneously the dirt man fell on its back, completely unmarked, but unmistakably dead. Several of the students stifled cries; Lotte had thrown herself backward and almost toppled off her seat as the deceased figure skidded toward her.Zeref swept the dead figure off the desk into a trash bin."Not nice," he said calmly. "Not pleasant. And there's no magic that can counteract it. The only things known to defend against it are the scales of a dragon. No one can survive – no one will survive, not even those cursed with immortality such as I. The Curse of Death is the most powerful and deadly of all curses, but it needs a powerful bit of feeling behind it. You could all pull wands out right now and point them at one another and say the words, but I doubt you would give each other little more than nosebleeds. But that doesn't matter. I'm not here to teach you how to do it."Now, if there's no way to counter the curse, why am I showing you? Because you need to know what you are facing. You need to appreciate what the worst is. You don't want to find yourself in a situation where you're facing it. One misstep, you will be just as dead as it was," he said, gesturing his gaze at the trash bin."Now…those three curses – the Curse of Life, the Curse of Souls, and the Curse of Death – and the highest form of the Black Arts and the most unforgivable of all. The use of any one of them is enough to earn you a life sentence in Dol Guldur – or in my case, an immortal life sentence. I don't expect you to come across anyone who knows these curses, but it doesn't hurt to know them. There are plenty of dangerous people in the world. As I have said numerous times already, you need to be prepared. You never know when you might find yourself face-to-face with…the dangerous sort of people" – he seemed to be looking at Akko when he said it – "All right, everyone get out your notebooks…copy this down…."They spent the rest of the lesson taking notes on each of the Black Arts curses. No one spoke until the bell rang – but when Zeref had dismissed them and they had left the classroom, a torrent of talk burst forth. Most people were discussing the curses in awed voices – "Did you see it twitch?" " – and when he killed it – just like that!"They were talking about the lesson, Akko thought, as though it had been some sort of spectacular show, but she hadn't found it very entertaining. The idea of mutilating souls and instant death – Shiny Chariot would have never done anything like that. Akko in particular felt really uncomfortable with the whole thing. The fact that she had unknowingly spent her entire second year with a viral monster that matched all three curses inside her body probably contributed to that."Hurry up," Hannah said tensely to Akko."What's the hurry? Dinner's not going anywhere," said Amanda."No," said Hannah curtly, pointing up a side passage. "Diana."Diana was standing alone, halfway up the passage, staring at the stone wall opposite her with the same horrified, wide-eyed look she had worn when Zeref had demonstrated the Curse of Souls."Diana?" Hannah said gently.Diana looked around."Oh hello," she said, her voice much higher than usual. "Interesting lesson, wasn't it? I wonder what's for dinner, I'm – I'm starving, aren't you?""Hey, Princess, you okay?" said Amanda, looking genuinely concerned for her."Oh yes, I'm fine," Diana gabbled in the same unnaturally high voice. "Very interesting dinner – I mean lesson – what's for eating?"Amanda gave Akko a startled look."Princess, what's – "But a pair of rushed footsteps sounded behind them, and they turned to see Zeref running toward them. All nine of them fell silent, watching him apprehensively, but when he spoke, it was in a much lower and gentler tone than they had yet heard."It's all right, miss," he said to Diana. "Why don't you come up to my office? Come on…we can have a cup of tea…."Diana looked even more frightened at the prospect of tea with Zeref. She neither moved nor spoke. Zeref turned his gaze on Akko next."You're all right, there, Miss Kagari?""Yes," said Akko uncomfortably.Zeref's dark eyes quivered slightly as they surveyed Akko. Then he said, "You've got to know. It seems harsh, maybe, but you
deserve
to know. No point in pretending…well...come on, Miss Cavendish, I've got some books that might interest you."Diana looked pleadingly at Akko and the others, but they didn't say anything, so Diana had no choice but to allow herself to be steered away, one of Zeref's hands on her shoulder."What was that all about?" said Barbara, watching Diana and Zeref turn a corner."I don't know," said Hannah, looking pensive."Some lesson though, eh?" said Jasminka to Akko as they set off for the dining hall. "Rajani and Rashmi were right, weren't they? He really knows his stuff, Zeref, doesn't he? When he did that Curse of Death, the way that little man just fell over and
died
– "But Jasminka fell suddenly silent at the look on Akko's face and didn't speak again until they reached the dining hall, when she said she supposed they had better make a start on Ursula's predictions tonight, since they would take hours.The Polaris girls walked back to the dormitories, and Akko, who had been thinking of nothing else through dinner, now raised the subject of the Black Arts herself."Wouldn't Zeref and Professor Holbrooke be in trouble with the Magic Council if they knew they were doing curses?" Akko asked as they reached the fifth floor."Yeah, probably," said Sucy. "But Holbrooke's always done things her way, and Zeref's getting in trouble no matter what he does, I guess. Being A centuries old mass murderer doesn't help with his reputation."They walked down the corridor towards the entrance of the common room when they stumbled across Diana, sitting on a windowsill in the middle of the hall, reading. She looked a great deal calmer than at the end of Zeref's lesson, though still not entirely normal. Her eyes were rather red."You all right, Diana?" Akko stopped and asked her."Huh, oh yes," said Diana, looking up suddenly. "I'm fine, thanks. Just reading something that Zeref gave me…."Akko leaned down for a better look; it was a handwritten journal that looked like it had been recently unearthed after hundreds of years."It's an old medical journal written by Florence Nightingale-Cavendish, who was one of the first witches to be permitted to work in Human medicine," Diana said. There was a faint note of pride in her voice. "It's full of all kinds of medical magics that doesn't even exist in the Cavendish library. As it turns out, Zeref had met Florence once and received this journal from her. He thought I'd like to have this."Giving Diana something that had belonged to her ancestor was a very tactful way of cheering Diana up, Akko thought. Though, now that she had a chance to reflect, Akko couldn't help wondering why Diana had freaked in the first place. But Diana was in a happy place right now; Akko didn't have the heart to bring her down with that question.They continued on their way to the Polaris common room, which was crowded and noisy, especially since Garie and Sabi were setting off colorful explosions in the corner to an applauding audience."Should we get started on our Foretelling?" said Akko."I guess," said Jasminka, frowning.Akko and Jasminka took out their copies of
Finding the Future, found a table near the fireplace, and set to work on their predictions for the coming month. An hour later, Akko was making significant progress, having already finished with her prediction for the second week, but Jasminka was having little success, even though their table was littered with bits of paper bearing sums and symbols."I don't have a clue what this is supposed to mean," she said, staring down at a long list of calculations."It's not that hard when you understand it," said Akko, leaning over the table and pointing out the parts on the paper. "Look, the moon is in conjunction with the solar angle of Mars, so that means that there is going to be something that causes you great emotional pain in the future. But at the same time, Venus's alignment correlates with the rotation of the Earth, which means that you will find yourself loved by many. So that basically means you are going to get hurt, but people will love you nonetheless.""Okay," said Amanda, "is anyone else still weirded out that Akko is actually good at homework?" Lotte, Sucy, Constanze, and Jasminka all raised their hands together. "Oh, good, so it's not just me.""Hey!" Akko snapped.They continued to make their predictions (which Akko spent a decent amount helping Jasminka understand the content) for another hour, while the common room around them slowly emptied as people went up to bed. Haruka-san wandered over to them, leapt lightly up to the edge of the table, from which she was dangling her stubby little legs and her giant head keeping her from falling off. She stared at them with her wide mouth drooling; Akko worried they might have to explain how a Puchi ate their homework.Akko leaned back as she let Jasminka fill out the rest of her own chart, letting out a loud yawn. She was tired; they had been at this for a while now that she thought about it. Staring around the room, she saw Lotte engrossed in reading Annabelle Crème's latest novel while Sucy was brewing something obvious dangerous in the corner with her sisters (they were all cackling wickedly as one of the beakers started spraying a mucus-green foam), and Constanze was getting a head start on their Golem project. And then she spied Amanda sitting in the farthest corner from everyone, pen out, poring over a single piece of paper. It was most unusual to see Amanda hiding away in a corner and working silently; she usually liked to be in the thick of things and the noisy center of attention. There was something secretive about the way she was working on the piece of paper. Akko couldn't see her face, but there was the way that her shoulders were so tensed up that she knew Amanda was under a lot of strain. She wondered whether it had something to do with the upcoming Contest of Champions.As Akko watched, Amanda shook her head, scratched out something with her pen, and said, in a very quiet voice that nevertheless carried across the almost deserted room, "No – that sounds like I'm accusing him. Got to be careful…"Then Amanda looked over and saw Akko watching her. Akko grinned and quickly turned around to help Jasminka finish up – she didn't want Amanda to think she was eavesdropping. The Manbavaran twins went up to bed after being ordered by Sucy, who noticed how sleepy they were getting. Ten minutes later, after Jasminka finished with her predictions, Amanda folded her paper and went upstairs to bed. Constanze immediately wrapped up her work and followed obediently behind with Jasminka, who was just grateful she didn't have to look at charts any more.Ten minutes had gone by since then. Akko was leaning back into the couch trying to unwind her nerves from the events earlier that day. Lotte closed her book, indicating that she was done for the day, and Sucy had just finished cleaning up her experiment (even she wouldn't risk those chemicals falling into the wrong hands; and by that, she meant her sisters.) Akko stretched her arms over her head with an exaggerated groan, hopping to her feet as her friends started to make their way up to the dorms. They only made it a few steps up, however, when the eerie silence of the common room was broken by a scratching noise on the window closest to the fire place. Akko walked back a few paces and saw, illuminated by the moonlight, a purple-furred, curly-tailed cat with a curly witch's hat."Blair!" she shouted and launched herself across the room to pull open the window.Blair pounced off the sill the moment the window flew open and, still hovering in midair, exploded into a cloud of purple smoke. Where there had one been a purple cat was now replaced by a tall, slender, and buxom with long purple hair that curls like the cat's tail…and of course, Akko thought, she decided to pop in without any clothes other than her hat. So used to Blair's habit of flashing people was Akko that she didn't even fidget or flinch when Blair dived on top of her and buried Akko's head in the crevice between her breasts."Ah, Akko-Nyan!" Blair purred enthusiastically. "I missed you sooooo much! Did you miss me?""Not as much as I did before you nude glomped me," said Akko blandly, shoving the cat woman back. "Where were you? It's been weeks since I sent you to deliver that letter to Izetta?""It took a lot longer than I thought," said Blair, frowning as she walked over to the fireplace, taking a seat in loveseat; she still didn't put any clothes on. "The Magic Council is getting smarter. I had to take a bunch of elaborate routes to avoid being followed, and then I had to do the same thing getting out. They're starting to get a good idea where Izetta might be hiding out.""Does that mean she's in trouble?" Lotte asked concerned."Izetta has always been smart – she can stay three steps ahead of those Magic Council idiots," said Blair. "And now that I'm back, you're probably gonna want this."Blair reached behind her back and pulled out a grubby piece of rolled up paper. Akko tried not to imagine where she might have been hiding it as she unrolled the paper and read."What's it say?" asked Sucy.The letter was very short, and looked as though it had been scrawled in a great hurry. Akko read it aloud:
Akko –
I'm flying north immediately. This news about your scars is
the latest in a series of strange rumors that have reached me
here. If it hurts again, go straight to Holbrooke – they're saying
Zeref is out of prison, too, which means that Chariot has been
reading the signs, even if no one else is.
I'll be in touch. My best to everyone. Keep your eyes open, Akko
Izetta
Akko looked up at Lotte and Sucy, who stared back at her."She's flying north?" Lotte whispered. "She's coming
back?""Chariot's reading what signs?" said Sucy, looking perplexed. "She's been in contact with Chariot. What does that mean? Akko – now's not the time to lose your mind."For Akko had just hit herself in the forehead with her fist."I shouldn't have told her!" Akko said furiously."What're you going on about?" said Sucy with a raised brow."It's made her think she needs to come back!" said Akko, now slamming her fist on the table so that he prediction sheet was thrown on the floor. "She's coming back, because she thinks I'm in trouble! And there's nothing wrong with me!""There is a
lot
wrong with you, Akko-Nyan," Blair said in a severe tone of voice. "And I'm not talking about your random temper tantrum. There is a lot you don't understand about yourself – things that Chariot and Izetta knows best. There's still a whole lot about what happened at the Grand Triskelion that has me clueless, so I'm trusting their judgment on this. If they think you're in trouble, then I believe them.""And did you honestly think we weren't going to say anything?" said Sucy. "Once you told us your scars started hurting, you knew we were going to tell Professor Ursula and Croix right away. We didn't until now because you had already written that letter to Izetta. And if it happens again, we'll go running straight to them.""We're only doing this because we care about you," Lotte said in a pacifying sort of voice. "Akko?""I'm going to bed," said Akko shortly. "See you in the morning."Upstairs in the dormitory she pulled on her sleeping shirt and shorts and got into her four-poster, but she didn't feel remotely tired.If Izetta came back and got caught, it would be hers, Akko's, fault. Why hadn't she kept her mouth shut? A few seconds of pain and she had to blab…. If she had just had the sense to keep it too herself….She heard Lotte and Sucy come up into the dormitory a short while later, but they did not speak to her. For a long time, Akko lay staring up at the dark canopy of her bed. The dormitory was completely silent, and, had she been less preoccupied, Akko would have that the absence of Amanda's usual sleep talk meant that she was not the only one laying awake.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Early next morning, Akko woke with a plan fully formed in her mind, as though her sleeping brain had been working on it all night. She got up, dressed in the pale dawn light, left the dormitory without waking anyone, and went back down to the deserted common room. Here she took a piece of paper from the table upon which her Foretelling homework still lay and wrote the following letter:
Dear Izetta,
I think I just imagined my scars hurting. I was half asleep when I wrote to you last time. There's no point coming back, everything's fine here. Don't worry about me, my back feels completely normal.
Akko
Before she left the common room, she rounded over to the corner of the room where a large pile of empty snack bags was stacked up, and underneath the pile like a groundhog was a sleepy Haruka-san. If Akko wasn't in such a hurry to get her letter to Izetta, she would have found the sight of Haruka-san's sleeping face (half-lidded eyes with a large snot bubble) highly amusing. She picked up the Puchi and carried it with her under her arm as she made her way down to the ground floor.She stepped quietly through the front doors and into the courtyard under the fountain of the Great Witch Jennifer. After setting Haruka-san on the ground and spending two whole minutes trying to snap her awake, Akko tried tying the letter to the Puchi's back with a ribbon. Akko normally sent letters to Izetta through Blair, but after last night, she hardly believed that the cat-witch would be so eager to help. Haruka-san made things more difficult than they should have been with all of her wiggling and biting her fingers, but Akko managed to tie the letter in the end."Just find her, all right?" Akko said, petting the top of her head. "Before the Heartless do."Haruka-san gave no indication that she understood what Akko was saying. She just stared at her blankly for a long minute, then stood up on all fours and hopped away like a scampering rabbit. Akko watched her bounce out of sight with the familiar feeling of unease back in her stomach. She had been so sure that Izetta's reply would alleviate her worries rather than increasing them."That was a
lie," Blair hissed sharply when she joined them for breakfast in her human form after Akko had told everyone what she had done. "You
didn't
imagine your scars hurting and you know it.""So what?" said Akko. "She's not going back to Dol Guldur because of me.""Do you really have that little faith in Izetta?" said Blair, leering."Drop it," said Amanda grumpily, and for once, Blair heeded her, and fell silent.Akko did her best not to worry about Izetta over the next couple of weeks. True, she could not stop herself from looking anxiously every morning when the newspaper arrived, nor, late at night before she went to sleep, preventing herself from seeing horrible visions of Izetta, cornered by Heartless down some dark London street, but between times she tried to keep her mind off her aunt. She wished she still had Chariot Racing to distract her; nothing worked so well on a troubled mind as a good, hard training session. On the other hand, their lessons were becoming more difficult and demanding than ever before, particularly Zeref's defense class.To their surprise, Zeref had announced that he would be performing various curses on each of them in turn, to demonstrate their power and to see whether they could resist their effects."But – but you said curses were forbidden, Professor," said Hannah uncertainly as Zeref cleared away the desks with a sweep of his hand, leaving a large empty space in the middle of the room. "You said – to use them against another living being was – ""How can you be expected to fight off curses if you've never experienced them?" said Zeref, fixing Hannah with an unblinking stare. "If you'd rather learn the hard way – when someone is putting it on you when you are unprepared – that is fine by me. You can be excused. Off you go."He pointed one finger toward the door. Hannah went very pink and muttered something about not meaning that she wanted to leave. Akko and Amanda grinned at each other. It was usually one of them getting chewed out by the teacher and Hannah snickering in the background, not the other way around.Zeref began to beckon students forward in turn and used a different curse on each of them. Akko watched as, one by one, her classmates did their best to fend off Zeref's powers, but they were utterly helpless against the Black Wizard. Nanoha was completely blown away when Zeref summoned a tornado with the Calamity Curse. Makoto was nearly burned by the Bomb Curse. Diana probably put up the best defense by summoning a magic barrier against the Thorn Curse, but the vines completely curved around the shield and got her from behind. Not one of them seemed to be able to fight off the curses, and each of them had only survived without injury because Zeref was purposely holding back."Kagari," said Zeref, "you're next."Akko moved forward into the middle of the classroom, into the space that Zeref had cleared of desks."The curse I am about to perform is called Macro," said Zeref. "It grants one absolute control over everything, whether they be living, dead, or inanimate. I heard from your teachers that you have a history with mind controlling monsters. Maybe you'll do well in this exercise…."Without even uttering a word, Zeref's eyes turned bloody-red and Akko felt a strange sensation washing over her. It was like her whole body felt strangely alien to her – like it didn't belong to her. There was a sense of numbness where she couldn't even feel her own fingers or hair. She just stood there, completely helpless like a marionette on strings, only dimly aware of everyone watching her.And then she heard Zeref's voice, echoing in some distant chamber of her brain:
Jump on the desk…jump on the desk….Akko bent her knees obediently, preparing to spring.
Jump on the desk….
Do not fall under his curse, Akko. Another voice had awoken in the back of her brain. The strangest part was, it didn't feel like it belong to Akko either.
You are much stronger than you believe. You do not have to obey him, said the voice.
Jump on the desk…
Don't give in to him, Akko, said the other voice, a little more firmly…You are far stronger than you ever knew…
Jump! NOW!
The next thing Akko felt was considerable pain. She had both jumped and tried to prevent herself from jumping – the result was that she had smashed headlong into the desk, knocking it over, and, by the feeling in her legs, fractured both kneecaps."That was a surprisingly impressive display of will, Miss Kagari," said Zeref, and suddenly, Akko felt heavy, the echoing voices in her head disappearing. She remembered exactly what was happening, and the pain in her knees seemed to double."Take a good long look, everyone…Miss Kagari dispelled the Macro, a curse that grants absolute control over everything regardless of how strong their will is. I think Miss Kagari might have a surprising talent for curses, or at least fighting them. Let's try some more, shall we? The rest of you, pay attention, this is a rare opportunity you don't want to miss. They'll have a much more difficult time fighting you off, Miss Kagari.""The way he talks," Akko muttered as she hobbled out of class an hour later (Zeref had insisted on Akko through her paces four times in a row, but she had very little success compared to the Macro Curse), "you'd think we were all going to be attacked any second.""Yeah, I know," said Barbara, who was skipping on every alternate step. She had much more difficulty with the curses than anyone else, though Zeref assured her the effects would wear off by lunchtime. "I bet you he's getting some kind of twisted pleasure out of torturing schoolgirls. I still can't understand why Holbrooke insists on keeping him around. That lunatic deserves to stay in Dol Guldur. And when are we supposed to read up on resisting curses with everything else we've got to do?"All the fourth years had noticed a definite increase in the amount of work they were required to do this term. Professor Finnelan explained why, when the class gave a particularly loud groan at the amount of Alchemy homework she had assigned."You are now entering a most important phase of your magical education!" she told them, her eyes glinting dangerously. "Your Standardized Testing and Aptitude Results are drawing closer – ""We don't have to take S.T.A.R.s until next year!" said Akko indignantly."Maybe not, Miss Kagariu, but believe me, you need all the preparation you can get! Miss Cavendish remains the only person in this class who managed to perform the Animal Metamorphosis spell. I might remind you, Miss Kagari, that you still make rabbit ears on yourself instead of your target whenever you perform the spell. Which is a shame, really. I know you have an aptitude towards metamorphosis magic, if only you could properly apply yourself towards it."Akko pouted and crossed her arms while looking at Diana, who was trying, and failing, to not look too pleased with herself.At least in Foretelling, Akko was doing extremely well. Both she and Jasminka received top marks from Ursula on the homework she had given them. She read out a large portion of their predictions, commending them, for their high accuracy in reading the planetary movements – but they were less amused when she asked them to do the same thing for the month after next; They would need to spend hours reading up star charts on top of everything else.Meanwhile, Ymir, the seemingly ageless woman who taught History of Magic, had them writing weekly essays on the Titan Wars of the ninth century. Professor Hex was forcing them to research antidotes. They took this one seriously, as he had hinted that he might be poisoning one of them before Christmas to see if their antidote worked. Professor Kowata, Makoto's polar opposite older sister, had asked them to read three extra books in preparation for their lesson on Summoning Magic.Even Croix was adding to their workload. Their golems were coming along slowly; Constanze and Barbara spent half the class period trying to stabilize the Magicite Core, which was a lot more difficult than she had originally though, while Akko went to work on the design for their Golem. For the sake of her workmates, who already looked on edge after the Magicite Core exploded twice already, Akko tried to keep the design of the Golem simple but interesting. She based her idea off that old American cartoon that she still can't remember the name of. They only just managed to get a stable Core working near the end of class just as Akko finished working on the design and showed it to them. Surprisingly, Constanze and Barbara didn't turn her idea down."It has the basic premise we need and it's simple enough that we can work on it without working overtime," said Barbara."We're still probably gonna have to work on it outside of class with all the homework we've got," said Stan-Bot. "Professor Croix is opening up workshop hours for fourth years and up. We should work on this together at least once a week."After going over their schedules, they decided to start attending the workshop every Thursday from now on.When they arrived in the entrance hall, they found themselves unable to processed owing to the large crowd of students congregating there, all milling around a large sign that had been erected at the foot of the spiraling staircase. Barbara, the tallest of the three, stood on tiptoe to see over the heads in front of them and read the sign aloud to the other two:
CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS
The delegations from the other schools will be arriving at 6 o'clock on Friday the 30th of October. Lessons will end half an hour early –"All right!" said Akko. "It's Pharmaceutics last thing on Friday! Hex won't have time to poison us all!"Students will return their bags and books to their dormitories and assemble in front of the castle to greet our guests before the Welcoming Feast."Only a week away!" said Chinatsu Kuramoto, emerging from the crowd, her eyes gleaming. "I wonder if Makoto knows? I need to go tell her….""Makoto?" said Barbara blankly as Chinatsu hurried off."Kowata – Professor Akane's sister," said Akko. "She's probably entering the Contest.""Her, a Luna Nova champion?" said Barbara as they pushed their way through the chattering crowd toward the staircase. "I've never seen her do anything noteworthy. She's barely a background character.""That doesn't mean she isn't capable," Akko said in Makoto's defense. "She's Professor Akane's sister, remember? That must mean she's just as good.""Compared to Diana, Marvell, Testarossa, and even Minoru from Eclipse? Never gonna happen," said Barbara, rolling her eyes exaggeratedly. "If Kowata ends up becoming a champion, I'll run naked across the grounds.""I'll keep that on record," said Stan-Bot.The appearance of the sign in the entrance hall had a marked effect upon the inhabitants of the castle. During the following week, there seemed to be only one topic of conversation, no matter where Akko went: The Contest of Champions. Rumors were flying from student to student like highly contagious germs: who was going to try for Luna Nova champions, what the contest would involve, how the students from the other seven schools differed from themselves.Akko noticed too that the castle seemed to be undergoing an extra-thorough cleaning. Several grimy portraits had been scrubbed until their occupant's faces were raw pink, as if someone had just jumped inside the frames and rubbed them down directly. The suits of armor were suddenly gleaming and moving without squeaking, and Elma, the Keeper of the Castle, was behaving furiously to any student who forgot to wipe their shoes that she terrified a pair of first-years into hysterics.Other members of the staff seemed oddly tense too."Miss Kagari, kindly do
not
reveal that you can't perform a simple Switching Spell in front of anyone from Serenity Academy!" Professor Finnelan barked at the end of one particularly difficult lesson, during which Akko had somehow managed to transplant her head onto the body of a cactus while her headless body stumbled repeatedly into the desks.When they went down to breakfast on the morning of the thirtieth of October, they found that the Dining Hall had been redecorated overnight. Enormous silk banners hung from the railings of the second floor, each of them representing a Luna Nova House, the hundreds of small tables were replaced with six long polished oak tables that reached from one end to another with a seventh at the very back where the teachers sat. Behind the teachers' table, the largest banner of all bore the Luna Nova emblem: a simple circle with three spiked points.With their usual table gone, Akko and Diana's groups had to find a new place to sit. They found Amanda near the end of the third table, surprisingly without the company of Jasminka and Constanze. Once again, and most unusually, she was sitting apart from everyone else and muttering to herself in a low voice. Akko led the way over to her."That son of a bitch thinks he can cut me out," Amanda was saying angrily to herself. "Well, if he won't talk to me in person, I'll have to send him the letter after all. Or I'll stuff it into his hand. He can't avoid me forever.""Who would be avoiding you?" said Diana, sitting down next to her."Wish you would, Princess," said Amanda, looking irritated at the interruption."What're you so angry about?" asked Sucy."Because I have a bunch of annoying, nosey friends," said Amanda."You got any ideas on the Contest of Champions yet?" Akko asked. "You still thinking about entering?""I asked Professor Ursula how the champions are chosen but she wasn't telling," said Amanda bitterly. "She told me to shut up and get on with labeling my star chart.""I wonder what the games are going to be?" said Lotte thoughtfully. "I bet you could do it, Akko. You've done nothing but dangerous things over the past three years, including a living plague….""And I have the Shiny Rod on my side," said Akko smugly. "I've pretty much got a spot locked down.""As arrogant as that sounds," said Diana, "I get the feeling you might be correct. If anyone is going to end up in a grand adventure full of sorcery and danger, it's bound to be you. Though the problem is that you've never done well when you are performing in front of everyone, and you won't just be competing in front of the whole school. You'll have students from other schools watching as well as a panel of judges.""Who are the judges?" Akko asked."Well, in the last two contests, the judges have all consisted of the Heads of the participating school," said Diana. "They also have representatives from the Magic Council, the World Government, and the Time-Space Administration Bureau. Remember, this is a competition for both humans, Demi-Humans, and aliens, so they need official representation for political purposes.""This is a whole big thing, isn't it?" said Sucy, who was honestly more interested in her bacon that the conversation. "How did this whole Contest thing even get started?""It all started fourteen years ago, shortly after…you know what," said Diana secretively, looking furtively around to see if anyone was eavesdropping. "After the New Golden Age of Magic and the rise of Demi-Humans, there was a lot of political and social strife between the Humans and Demi-Humans. The world had literally changed overnight; they weren't prepared for such a great change. Hoping to relieve a little of that stress, the Asian Governments of China, Russia, India, and Japan worked together with the newly formed Magic Council to create the Contest of Champions, a friendly competition to promote relationships between the two species, much like the Olympics. It was largely successful and became a regular thing that occurs every seven years. After the second Contest of Champions, the TSAB also – ""You know," Sucy cut her off, looking rather irritated, "when I asked that question, that didn't mean I cared."Diana crossed her arms and huffed indignantly at the one-eyed witch, but before she had a chance to rebuttal, she was drowned out by the sudden whooshing noise from overhead, which announced the arrival of the mail witches. Akko looked up at once, and not even a moment later, Wangari flew overhead and dropped something large and squishy into Akko's rice bowl. It was Haruka-san – the Puchi let out an excited "Harukakka!" as she waved her stubbly little arms, with a letter tied to the side of her head by her ribbons.Akko pulled of Izetta's reply as Lotte offered Haruka-san her bacon, which resulted in Haruka-san chewing her whole hand. Then, checking that no one was listening in on them, Akko read out Izetta's letter in a whisper to her friends.
Nice try, Akko.
I'm back in the country and well hidden. I want you to keep me posted on everything that's going on in Luna Nova. Pass your letters off between Blair, Croix, Holbrooke and Ursula. Always rotate between them – never ask the same person twice in a row. Don't worry about me, just watch out for yourself. Don't forget what I said about your scar.
Izetta
"Why does she have to keep rotating the teachers?" Jasminka asked in a low voice."It'll attract too much attention if it's always the same person," said Barbara at once. "If they are always returning from the same place she's hiding. It's better to keep changing them so that no one recognizes a pattern."Akko folded up the letter and slipped it inside her pocket, wondering whether she felt more or less worried than before. She supposed that Izetta managing to get back without being caught was something. She couldn't deny either that the idea that Izetta was much closer was reassuring; at least she wouldn't have to wait so long for a response every time she wrote."Thanks, Haruka-san," she said, patting her head. She stretched her mouth as wide as it could go, letting out a loud yawn, and plopped face down on the table, her tiny body moving up and down rhythmically indicating that she had fallen asleep.There was a pleasant feeling of anticipation in the air that day. Nobody was very attentive in lessons, being much more interested in the arrival that evening of the people from the other schools; even Magical Pharmaceutics was more bearable than usual, as it was half an hour shorter. When the bell rang, Akko and the Polaris Girls hurried up to the tower, deposited their bags and books as they had been instructed, and rushed back downstairs into the entrance hall.The Heads of Houses were ordering their students into lines."Parker, straighten your hat," Professor Finnelan snapped at Barbara. "England, take that ridiculous thing out of your hair."Hannah scowled and removed a large ornamental butterfly that Akko knew she bought to impress the other schools."Follow me, please," said Professor Finnelan. "First years in front…no pushing…"They filed down the steps and lined up in front of the statue of the Great Witch Jennifer. It was a cold, clear evening; dusk was falling and a pale, transparent-looking moon was already shining over the Arcturus Forest. Akko, standing between Lotte and Sucy, saw Chinatsu positively shivering with anticipation among the other first years and Garie and Sabi were muttering suspiciously to one another."Nearly six," said Sucy, checking her pocket watch and then staring down the drive that led to the Ley Line Terminal. "How do you think they're coming? The Train?""I don't know," said Lotte. "I always thought that was reserved for Luna Nova.""How, then? Broomsticks?" Akko suggested, looking up at the starry sky."A couple of the schools are for humans," said Sucy. "Don't think they're coming by broom.""A Summoning Stone?" Akko suggested. "Or they could use Sling Rings - maybe you're allowed to do it under seventeen wherever they come from?"Again, not all the schools can use magic," said Sucy irritably. "And besides they couldn't Sling inside the school if they wanted to; too many defenses."They scanned the darkening grounds excitedly, but nothing was moving; everything was still, silent, and quiet as usual. Akko was starting to feel cold. She wished they'd hurry up…. Maybe the foreign students were preparing a dramatic entrance…. She remembered what Mrs. Manbavaran had said back at the campsite before the International Chariot Racing Tournament: "Always the same – Can't' resist showing off when we get together…."And then Professor Holbrooke called out from the side where she stood with the other teachers –"Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegations from Myojo Academy approaches!""Where?" Said many students eagerly, all looking in different directions."There!" yelled a sixth year, pointing over the forest.Something large, much larger than a broomstick was hurtling across the deep blue sky toward the castle, growing larger all the time. As it made its approach, there was a sort of beating noise in the air, which grew louder with each second as the object came into view and the wind suddenly started to kick up upon its approach."Is that a helicopter?" asked Lotte, holding down her hat as the vehicle hovered overhead."Doesn't look like an ordinary helicopter," said Sucy, still acting nonchalant about the whole thing. "Looks military to me."She wasn't entirely wrong…. Akko had never seen military aircrafts before, but if she had to guess, it would probably look like this. Twice the size and length of a normal helicopter, the aircraft looked like it could hold several dozen people at once, its double propellers beating in their ears and its floodlights all but blinding them.The strangest thing was that the helicopter didn't look like it was coming down; it hovered for several moments while the students fought against the wind the propellers were kicking up. Akko winced as she looked up and almost got a good look at the school emblem before the cargo doors opened on either side. Several lengths of rope were thrown out either way, stopping only a few inches short of the ground. Then next thing they knew, several people were sliding down the ropes with such skill and finesse that they looked like they had all been trained in the army, which, considering the vehicles they had used for transport, might not have been out of the realm of possibility. When the last of them touched the ground, they all formed a single file line, standing in attention with their hands folded behind their backs.There were thirteen of them – all girls – and none of them seemed to be wearing a consistent uniform. One was just wearing a pleated blue skirt and simple white shirt with a blue tie, another was completely decked out in a regal black and red attire complete with stockings and red ribbon, the one next to her was showing a lot of skin that would hardly be acceptable at Luna Nova, and one of them even dressed up in a man's blazer and pants. But if there was one thing that they all had in common, it was the glint in their eyes – they looked hungry, not for food, but for blood. Akko recognized the same eyes she had seen in Evelyn and Acnologia.The last person to come down from the helicopter was an older, more professional-looking woman with long, bright-red hair dressed in a formal business suit. She had an aura around her that made Akko instinctively know that she was probably the most dangerous one out of the whole group.With just a wave of her hand, the woman sent the helicopter away over the trees of the Arcturus Forest. Professor Holbrooke started to clap; the students, following her lead, broke into applause too, many of them instinctively taking a step back to give the woman and her students a wide berth.The woman's face relaxed into a gracious smile that didn't quite seem to meet her thin eyes and walked toward Holbrooke, extending a hand. Professor Holbrooke, quite short in comparison to woman, had to stretch her arm in order to shake it."Yuri Meichi," she said. "Welcome to Luna Nova Academy.""A pleasure, Miranda," said Yuri Meichi in a sly sort of voice. "I hope I find you well?""In excellent form, thank you," said Professor Holbrooke."My pupils," said Yuri Meichi, waving her hand behind. "The best that Myojo Academy has to offer – this year's Class Black.""They certainly look strong," said Professor Holbrooke pleasantly."Indeed," said Yuri Meichi. "I hope you don't mind my rudeness, Miranda, but my girls and I have come a very long way, it is very cold outside, and we would like to warm up.""Please, make yourself at home," said Professor Holbrooke respectfully. "The goblins are preparing hot cocoa for everyone. I hope you enjoy your stay.""Oh, I'm sure my students are just happy to be out of the school," said Yuri Meichi. "Come along, students."And the Luna Nova crowd parted to allow her and her students to pass up the stone steps. As they were walking by, Akko accidentally caught the eye of a girl with short blue hair, which stared at Akko unblinkingly in return. The stare was only broken when the girl disappeared around the corner toward the dining hall; Akko felt a shiver run down her spine that had nothing to do with the cold."Well, that was creepy, even by my standards," said Sucy."Myojo is the school for assassins, right?" said Lotte with a shudder. "You don't think they'll try to poison the competition or smother them in their sleep, do you?""Sounds like something an assassin would do," said Sucy. Then, very suddenly, she started looking around wildly. "…Hey, do you guys hear something….?"Akko shut her mouth and listened; a chorus of tinkling noises was drifting towards them from out of the darkness, like a million wind chimes ringing, though Akko couldn't see where the noise should be coming from. And then something passed in front of her face. It was a tiny flower petal, only it was different from any petal she had ever seen – it the split-second she saw it, the petal had turned from red to blue to green and then to yellow. Another petal flew by, and then another. The wind suddenly picked up and soon the Luna Nova students were caught in a flurry of rainbow-colored petals that seemed to come from nowhere. Everyone covered their faces with their arms, except for the teachers, who stared directly in the currant.Just as quickly as it had come, the wind suddenly died; the ringing noises faded into the distance. Akko lowered her arms and realized, with a great leap of surprise, that a small group of people had suddenly appeared on the front lawn.Much smaller than the group that had come from Myojo, the newcomers consisted of only six girls who were all around Akko's age, all of them wearing long white dresses with gray jackets overtop and big, bright ribbons. Akko had never been to middle school because she had been accepted to Luna Nova, but she could recognize a Japanese middle school uniform, which could only mean that these girls were from Sanshou. Leading the girls was a dark-haired woman in a traditional styled robe only wearing one eyeglass over her right eye because the other one was covered by a black eyepatch with a pink flower."Miranda, how are you!" the woman called heartily as she walked up to the headmistress. "You are looking well.""I could say the same to you, Miss Aki," said Professor Holbrooke, offering her a sad smile. "I heard about what happened a while back. It's amazing how Sanshou can still find the time to participate after such a devastating loss.""Yes, we're still busy picking up the pieces," said Aki solemnly, but still smiling slightly. "But Shinju-sama would have wanted us to move forward with our lives, and that is what we intend to do. And after everything my students had endured, I think they could use a break for a little fun and game.""Of course," said Professor Holbrooke. "Please, come inside. There is hot cocoa waiting for our guests!""Hot cocoa? YAY!" a pink-haired girl and the blonde girl cried joyously in unison.Aki beckoned her students up the stone staircase and disappeared around the corner. While most of the girls from Sanshou followed, one of them paused and looked in Akko, Lotte, and Sucy's direction. She was the oldest among the girls with bright green eyes with long blonde tied in low-hanging ponytails. She seemed to be studying them for some reason, then her lips curled into a mysterious smile before she turned on her heel and followed her classmates inside."Hey, Akko, you're from Japan, right?" asked Lotte. "Do you know anything about Sanshou Middle School.""I'm from the Tokyo Prefecture and I'm think Sanshou is from the Kagawa Prefecture," said Akko. "That's like, half the nation away from where I live. I couldn't tell you anything about them if I wanted to. Though by the sound of it, they're pretty strong. Whaddya think, Sucy?"But Sucy didn't answer, which was very strange because Akko would have expected some snarky remark. She turned around to look at Sucy, whom she realized was still staring at where the girls from Sanshou had entered the castle. She had a sort of mystified look in her eye like she was under some sort of trance; Akko was tempted to snap her fingers to see if Sucy would jump. She was beaten to the punch, however, when Chinatsu suddenly cried out:"Look, the Terminal!" she screamed, pointing down at it. "Something's coming out of the Ley Line Terminal!"Pushing Sucy's strangeness in the back of her mind, Akko spun and leaned forward to get a better view of the distant wrought iron gates that had slowly swung inward. The ethereal faded-green portal had opened and something was coming through. Expecting something as grand as a massive carriage drawn by ten-foot-tall horses, Akko was majorly disappointed when it turned out to be just a bus. And it wasn't even a unique bus – it was plain, generic, and looked like they had just borrowed it from the Blytonbury Department of Transportation. Akko wasn't the only one who appeared disappointed; she heard a number of snide remarks and exasperated sighs coming from the crowd around her.The bus rolled up the slope and stopped in the middle of the courtyard with a screech of the wheels. There was an uneventful moment of pause where the bus seemed to shake for a moment and the door rattled; it seems like they were having trouble getting it open. Whoever was inside must have lost their patience because the door was suddenly ripped off its hinges and threw across the courtyard over their heads, smashing into the castle walls. Professor Holbrooke and the other teachers quickly whipped out their wands to stop the shards of glass from falling on their students, but they didn't seem the least bit surprised by the sudden development. Then Akko saw someone stepping out of the bus and had to crane her head back to get a good look at his face. A few people gasped.The man that emerged was without the doubt the largest Akko had ever seen and could only be dwarfed by the Titans. He was at least twice the size of Akko's mother, who was pretty tall at six-foot-one, and was three times as wide, not because he was fat, but because the amount of muscles he was packing borderlined anime levels of ridiculousness. Not even American bodybuilders could hope to match his mass. And yet he somehow managed to pack all of that muscle inside a crisp, yellow business suit that would have made him look official if it wasn't for his ludicrous size. His short blonde hair was sticking up with two distinguishable bangs and somehow managed to cast a shadow over his face that Akko suspected had nothing to do with the cover of night.The Hulk-sized man walked toward Professor Holbrooke, dropping to one knee because he was way too tall to shake her hand standing up. He rubbed the back of his head and chuckled sheepishly."Sorry about that," said the tall man; even his voice sounded overly dramatic like a stereotypical cartoon hero. "I guess it must have gotten stuck. I'll be sure to pay for the damages.""I see that you never change, Yagi," said Professor Holbrooke with a hint of mirth."Er…please, Miss Holbrooke," the tall man muttered fretfully. "Call me All Might.""You're not still going by that ridiculous epithet, are you?" said Croix, shaking her head. "It's not cool, it's dumb and desperate.""Ah, as thorny as ever, I see, Professor Croix," said the man preferring to be called All Might, standing up straight and offering a friendly salute. "Why, I haven't seen you since your shows with Shiny Chariot. Such a shame she had to end them. They were wonderful performances.""I'll be sure to let her know," said Croix, who was smirking at Ursula for some reason."Ah, I almost forgot my students," said All Might, waving one enormous hand around.Akko, whose attention had been focused completely upon All Might, now noticed over a dozen boys and girls had emerged from the bus and were now standing behind All Might. They were the strangest assortment of people Akko had ever laid eyes on, and a lot of them didn't even look human. One boy had a bird head, another had a long tail growing out of his backside, and one of them was gesturing his arms around like some kind of robot. It was then that Akko remembered that one of the school – U.A. High, if she was correct – was a place that specialized in teaching mutants like that one school in America, although Akko didn't think any of them were as cool as the X-Men."Has Miss Kiryuin arrived yet?" All Might asked."She should be here any moment," said Professor Holbrooke. "Would you like to wait and greet her or would you prefer to step inside and warm up a little.""Hmm…I suppose I'll talk to Miss Kiryuin later," said All Might. "For now, I suppose we could all use a bit of warming up after a long trip. Come along, students!"And he marched along into the castle with his students falling in line behind him."These people are getting more absurd by the minute," said Sucy."Wonder what kind of people are going to show up next?" asked Akko."Well, it looks like we won't have to wonder for long," said Lotte, who was looking up into the sky.Akko raised a brow and followed her best friend's line of sight. She was staring up at the moon. Akko also stared but didn't initially see anything special about it. She kept staring and staring and – was the moon glowing?Akko had to screw up her eyes in concentration, but she was almost positive that the moon was glowing and getting brighter by the second. Other students stared to notice the moons brightness and pointing it out to their friends. After many suspenseful seconds, the moon had reached peak illumination that it might have been as bright as the sun. And then, rather unexpectedly, a beam of light suddenly shot down from the orbiting satellite and struck the ground in the middle of the lawn. A lot of people jumped back; others screamed.The light was intensely bright, but it didn't hurt to look into it. Several shadowy figures were appearing in the light, many of them emerging in various shapes and forms. They stepped out of the light and into the courtyard, the grass crunching under their feet to indicate their arrival. One by one they came to a stop at the edge of the cobblestone path until the last one had walked through. The light faded behind them and the features of the new arrivals came into view under the natural moonlight.There were more than two dozen students among the crowd, but all of them seemed to be wearing different uniforms. Every one of them was wearing a different blazer that came from one of eight colors (white, pink, black, red, blue, green, purple, and orange) and each of them were bearing a different emblem on their breast, which Akko couldn't make out because it was too dark.In the front of the pack was what looked like a little girl with silvery-white hair dressed up like a nun. Akko thought she might have been another student, but the way everyone followed her made it seem like she was, in fact, the leader of the party. Her violet eyes glittered with the reflected of the faint lights being cast from Luna Nova's windows and she stared up in awe. And standing directly to her right was what could only be described as a large yellow octopus shoved into an academic's uniform, half his face taken up by a wide toothy grin underneath a pair of beady eyes.Professor Holbrooke stepped forward to the little girl and shook both hands with childish glee; it was the first time tonight she had met someone who wasn't taller than her."Principle Theresa Apocalypse, Vice-Principle Koro-sensei," said Professor Holbrooke. "It's so lovely to finally have you here in Luna Nova.""I've been wanting to come here for a long while myself," said Theresa, giggling happily. "Thanks for allowing us to shamelessly promote Serenity Academy in your story. Be warned, we have been known to break the fourth wall a lot, so there's probably going to be a lot of confusion.""Oh, I don't mind," said Professor Holbrooke chuckling mischievously. "It's always amusing to see the looks on their faces when they don't understand what you're saying.""Isn't it?"
Theresa laughed."We truly are grateful for this - not a lot of people are willing to give our story a chance," said Koro-sensei."It's quite understandable," said Professor Holbrooke, nodding. "Why don't you head inside and get some hot cocoa before one of your students breaks something – "
Crack!
Everyone turned their heads sharply toward the fountain of the Great Witch Jennifer. A girl with orange hair wearing a yellow scarf was holding the statue's arm, which had somehow broken off, and was trying to put it back. When she noticed that she was being watched, she smiled and chuckled sheepishly."Uh…my bad," she said."Oh, Ichinomiya…," said Theresa, shaking her head exasperatedly.While the rest of Serenity Academy's students followed Principle
Theresa inside, Koro-sensei plucked up Ichinomiya by the back of her bright-orange blazer and carried the broken arm of the Great Witch. He handed it off to Elma, who glowered at Ichinomiya, and zipped inside before the dragon woman could retaliate."I think they might be the weirdest ones yet," said Sucy. "And that's saying something after Captain Muscle's school.""That makes a total of five schools," said Akko, counting her fingers. "There's us, Myojo Academy, Sanshou Middle School, U.A. High, and Serenity Academy. Who else is there?""Peristylium Academy, Honnoji Academy, and Black Star Aacdemy," said Sucy. "They better get here soon. I'm freezing my ass off."They probably didn't have to wait very long, Akko thought. After the first school, everyone seemed to be arriving one after the other, almost like it was choreographed. And sure enough, a fifth year cried out and jabbed his finger over the forest, just like how Myojo Academy had turned up.But what was coming their way was much larger than a military cargo helicopter – at least five time as big with a roar that sounded like jet engines taking off."It's a bird!" yelled one of the first years."Don't be stupid!" snapped Garie."It's obviously a plane!" shouted Sabi.Garie and Sabi were probably right, but the aircraft headed their way looked nothing like any plane Akko had ever seen. For one thing, it lacked any visible wings and had a number of fins towards the back surrounding a massive flaming rocket that seemed to serve as the only means of keeping the aircraft aloft. It was definitely made of technology that wasn't earthly in origin, but still had a sort of steampunk look to it. A great sovereign crest of a vermillion bird was splashed along the front of the ship, glinting in the moonlight as if putting its regality on display.The airship stopped over the school lawn, it's roaring engine going soft, and slowly descended to land while spinning around until the students were facing the side of the ship. Landing gear appeared from beneath the ship and landed safely on the ground, its engines making a small hissing noise as the flames died out. There was a slight pause where the Luna Nova students glanced worriedly at one another – Akko could hardly blame them after seeing the strange and dangerous sort from Myojo and Serenity. But then a metal ramp suddenly slid out from the side of the ship, digging into the grass, and a hidden door slid upwards. A moment later, a number of people marched in two perfect lines down the ramp.Leading the group was a man who looked to be in his twenties with graying-blue hair and a very stern expression in his eyes since the lower half of his face was covered by a metal mask. He was dressed in a long black coat with golden fastenings and a split cape. The people marching behind him, possibly his students, were also dressed in a similar fashion. They were all wearing black jackets with golden buttons and pauldrons and scarlet-red capes fluttering behind them, though the boys wore gray pants and the girls were in pleated red skirts. The way they were dressed and by how the marched in perfect unison, Akko assumed they must have been a military school or something of the sort.The man led his troupe up the slope and came to a halt in front of the teachers, crossing his arm over his chest with his fist over his heart as he bowed respectfully to Professor Holbrooke. The headmistress bowed her head in return."Kurasame Susaya," she said. "Welcome to Earth and to Luna Nova Academy.""Thank you, madam," said Kurasame; even his tone way formal. "It is an honor to be here and an honor to be chosen for the Contest of Champions. Have the others already arrived?""Most of them have," said Professor Holbrooke. "We are still waiting for the representatives from Honnoji Academy and Black Star Academy.""Black Star Academy…," said Kurasame, humming thoughtfully. "I've heard rumors about them…. Are they any true?""I wouldn't know, now would I?" said Professor Holbrooke."I suppose not," said Kurasame."Please, why don't you come in and have some hot cocoa," said Professor Holbrooke. "It must have been a long flight from Orience.""I will have to take you up on your offer," said Kurasame, and then he turned to his students. "Class Zero, forward."The students saluted and marched once again in perfect synchronicity inside the school."That must have been Peristylium Academy," said Lotte. "They must be aliens if they came all the way from another planet. You would never tell from looking at them.""They kind of remind me of Myojo Academy, only less creepy," said Sucy."If you think they're weird, just wait until you see Honnoji," said Akko. "I've never been to the place myself, but everyone in Japan knows who they. A lot of weird stuff happens in Honnoji, and I mean weirder than anything that happens here."They stood, shivering slightly now, waiting for the Honnoji and Black Star parties to arrive. Most people were gazing hopefully up at the sky. For a few minutes, the silence was broken only by the sounds of the wild beasts in the Arcturus Forest. But then –"Look!" Wangari suddenly shouted, making people jump. "The lake! Look at the lake!"From their position at the top of the lawns overlooking the grounds, they had a clear view of the smooth black surface of the water - except that the water was suddenly not smooth at all. Some disturbance was taking place deep in the center; great bubbles were forming on the surface, waves were now washing over the muddy banks – and then, in the center of the great body of water, a great explosion gushed into the sky like a million pounds of dynamite had suddenly went off on the lake's floor….Something massive suddenly emerged on the surface as the water splashed back down, filling the air with echoed of raindrops on metal. At first, it looked like a giant knife had just suddenly popped out of the lake, but then she watched with odd fascination as the top portion of the strange object split down the middle and slowly flatted itself out on either side. Seeing it from above, Akko could faintly notice the detailing of the monstrous object, but it was Professor Croix who was able to correctly identify what it was…."I can't believe they actually brought an aircraft carrier to school," she said. "Those Honnoji kids really love showing off."They heard the splash of an anchor being dropped down into the shallows, and then the thud of a gangway being lowered onto the bank like Peristylium Academy had done.People were disembarking; they could see their silhouettes passing the lights in the ship's portholes. They were all roughly similar, though one of them was gigantically tall. As they drew closer, walking up the lawns into the light of the full moon, she saw that they were all dressed in white uniforms common among Japanese high schools; some of the more official looking ones had crisp white suits with golden details. But the long, dark-haired woman who was leading was wearing a Japanese sailor uniform of a different sort: more militaristic and regal in shades of white and blue with golden epaulets and adornments on the sides. A strange pattern stood appeared on her breast – they almost looked like demon eyes."Headmistress Holbrooke," she said in a polite and formal tone. "Thank you for allowing us entrance into your school.""Oh, come now, there's no need to be polite, Little Satsuki," said Professor Holbrooke amusingly. "You're only eighteen. There's no need to be so stiff.""…Please don't call me that…I'm not a child anymore…," said Satsuki mumbled, her cheeks gaining a faint pink color."Is this everyone?" asked Professor Holbrooke, looking back at the Honnoji students. "Which one is your sister that you wrote about. I'm so excited to meet her.""She and her friend decided they wanted to take the scenic route getting here," said Satsuki with and exasperated sigh. "Honestly, that girl…even before I knew she was my sister, she was always such a handful. Either way, she'll be here in time for the champion selection.""I look forward to meeting her," said Professor Holbrooke, smiling. "Now why don't you head inside and get yourselves warmed up. We still have to wait on Black Star Academy.""Thank you, Headmistress," said Satsuki, bowing her head. "That is very – "Whatever she was going to say was drowned out by a loud rumbling noise that was coming from all around them. The ground began to shudder under their feet; many students flailed and fell over, including Akko, who fell backward onto a Twilight fifth year. The rumbling grew louder and the earth continued to shake violently until the lawn before them suddenly exploded, showering everyone in bits of dirt and grass. The students drew backward as a great metal monstrosity leapt into the sky and came crashing down on its legs with a great
crash! Akko raised herself up using Lotte and Sucy's shoulders for support and stared.The beast looked like a looked like a mechanical wind-up spider with six articulated legs of black steel that ended in drill points (likely the reason it was able to burrow under the ground) with a great wide body covered in several different layers of black, gray, and yellow metal. But for some reason, the spider's looked like a face of a poorly stitched doll head – it even had a bonnet. Rolling behind the mechanical spider was a large, spherical carriage carted by two yellow-and-black wheels the size of minivans.Akko just had time to see that the carriage bore a coat of arms (a black star coated in blue flames with silver Latin words scribbled on a black banner beneath) when the entire thing peeled back like a sliding dome.There were only six people inside of it – five students and a teacher.A flight of black stairs unfolded automatically on the side of the carriage. One of the people stepped out – a woman – and climbed down the stairs with her hands folded in front of her before the rest of them follow her example. The woman leading the group stepped into the light pouring from the front door of the castle and Akko could immediately tell that she wasn't human, but she also wasn't sure if she was Demi-Human either. She looked fairly young – almost a teenager – but her aura gave of a sense of centuries worth of wisdom. She dressed like she had just stepped out of the Victorian period: puffy pink-striped pants with white pointed shoes, a long white coat with golden fastenings and details, and a transparent veil over her face. A pair of curled ram horns sprouted from her silky blonde hair with a mysterious smile on her lips.Akko had seen plenty of demon Demi-Humans, but she had a hard time believe she was even that.The ram-horned woman walked across the courtyard, hands folded behind her back, and stopped just short of Professor Holbrooke and Satsuki. She offered them a stiff nod of acknowledgement, which they returned with equal stiffness."Ah, Miranda, Satsuki," she said with a mystified tone of voice. "How lovely it is to see you both. Miranda, I hope you are doing well.""Blooming, thank you, Lady Ram," Professor Holbrooke replied. "Uh…about the school lawn….""Oh, I do apologize for that," said Ram with a little chuckle. "Mary can be a little overexcited when she's traveling. I'll have someone fix the ground for you, don't worry." She looked up at the castle and smiled; Akko noticed that her smile did not extend to her eyes, which remained dispassionate and even shrewd. "Dear old Luna Nova…to walk among these hallowed halls once more…. Ah, but I am getting sentimental. You don't mind if we head in for a moment, do you, Miranda? One of my students has a slight head ache…. Mato, come along now, dear!"Ram beckoned forward one of her students. As the girl passed, Akko caught a glimpse of a mess of jagged black hair tied in messy pigtails and impossibly-blue eyes. She didn't need the pinch on the arm Lotte gave her, or the hiss in her ear, to recognize that profile."Akko, it's Mato –
It's Black Rock Shooter!"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"I don't believe it," Lotte said, in a stunned voice, as Luna Nova students filed back up the steps behind the party of Honnoji and Black Star Academy. "I had no idea that Mato would be here.""I haven't seen her since that incident at the Tournament," said Akko. "I would have figured Org might have done something with her.""I doubt he could do anything without upsetting the general public," said Sucy. "She's one of the greatest anchors in the world and the most popular. Just look how stupid everyone is acting around her."As they crossed the entrance hall with the rest of the Luna Nova students heading for the dining hall, Akko saw Wangari jumping up and down on the soles of her feet waving her microphone trying to get Mato's attention. Several sixth-year girls were frantically searching their pockets as they walked –"Oh I don't believe it, I haven't got a single pen on me – ""D'you think she'd sign my hat in lipstick?""Do the students here have no shame," said Diana as she came up to Akko and the others, watching the girls who were now fist fighting over the lipstick. "She's a great Racer, I will admit, but have a little dignity. The other schools are watching us….""Do you think we think we can get an autograph, too?" asked Lotte. "We already met her before.""Uh…I don't think she wants to be bothered right now," said Akko. "She probably gets harassed by fans all the time.""Yeah, I guess you have a point," said Lotte.They entered the dining hall with the rest of the school and looked around. The other schools had found their own spots away from one another scattered around the chamber. Myojo and Peristylium were sitting at the tables on opposite sides of the hall, many of their numbers shooting mistrustful glares at one another. Sanshu had bundled up close to the door; the pink-haired girl and her blonde companion were looking around with stars in their eyes. U.A. High was halfway up the middle table, the students looking around the dining hall with nervous expressions, especially since they were caught in the middle of Myojo and Peristylium's glaring contest. By far the loudest group was Serenity Academy, who seemed to somehow ignore the palpable tension and were chatting animated like they didn't have a care in the world. Akko and her friends found a spot near the front of the fourth table, just a few feet away from where Honnoji had filed in and sat in proper rows. Only the five students from Black Star Academy remained standing near the door, appearing unsure about where they should sit."Think we should flag her down," said Amanda, nodding her head toward Mato and her group. "I mean, we already know them – or at least one of them.""You're not going to badger her for an autograph, are you?" asked Diana disapprovingly."Of course not…," said Amanda with a feign expression of shock. "I was just going to politely asked if she would like a seat with us…and see if I could swipe something from be pockets and make an instant three grand on the internet.""Well, looks like you're too late anyway," said Stan-Bot while Constanze pointed.The Black Star student had occupied the farthest end of the fifth row. Mato was sitting in the very last seat at the end while her classmates took the two seats to her right and across from her in an obvious attempt to block people from getting to her. Akko watched in faint interest as Mato muttered something to a familiar girl in glasses sitting next to her."I guess Yomi is in Black Star, too," said Akko, pointing her out to the others. "Where d'you think they're going to be staying while they're here? I don't remember Luna Nova having any spare rooms in the castle…. You don't think we're going to have to give up our beds, do you? Because I am not sleeping on the floor!""Don't worry," said Hannah, rolling her eyes. "I heard that each of the schools are being given special commendations at the hotels and inns all over Blytonbury. You won't have to give up your flea-infested bed to anyone."Meanwhile, up at the staff table, Elma was adding chairs. She was wearing the royal-blue qipao with the golden dragon that she had used during the Dragon King Festival two years ago in honor of the occasion. Akko was surprised that beyond the seven chairs for the heads of the schools, she was adding four more extras."Why are they putting out more chairs?" asked Akko. "Are there more people coming. This place is getting really crowded.""Of course more people are coming," said Diana flippantly. "I told you before, representatives from the human, Demi-Human, and alien governments will be attending the Contest as well. And, of course, the Head of the Department of Sports and Games.""The Grand Master," Amanda said in a low, thoughtful voice.When all the students had entered the Hall and settled down at their tables, the staff entered, filing up to the top table and taking their seats. Last in line were Professor Holbrooke, Satsuki, Ram, Yuri Meichi, All Might, Aki, Kurasame, and Theresa. When their leader appeared, the pupils of Peristylium leapt to their feet and saluted. A few of the Luna Nova students laughed. The Peristylium party appeared quite unembarrassed, however, and did not resume their seats until Kurasame had sat down between All Might and Aki. Professor Holbrooke remained standing, although Elma had to bring out a set of steps for her to be seen properly, and a silence fell over the Dining Hall."Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and – most importantly – guests," said Professor Holbrooke, beaming around at the foreign students. "I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Luna Nova. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable."A Myojo Girl with bright-pink hair and very exposing clothes gave what was unmistakably a derisive laugh."No one's making you stay!" Akko bristled, angry that someone would dare insult her school."The Contest will be officially opened at the end of the feast," said Professor Holbrooke. "I now invite you to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!"She stepped down, and Akko saw Ram lean forward at once and engage her in conversation.Unlike how they usually had to get up and get their own food, the students sat while the imps and goblins from the kitchens brought it out for them instead. They were all dressed in fancy suits and ties – Luna Nova was going to great lengths to impress their guests. They set the plates everywhere on the long tables within their reach. One thing that hadn't changed was that the menu was catered to every nationality; there was still the Russian borscht and German bratwurst that Akko liked.The Dining Hall seemed somehow much more crowded and yet much livelier than ever before; perhaps it was because of the differently colored uniforms from the other schools stood out so clearly against the lavender of the Luna Nova tunics. Myojo, Peristylium, and Black Star were predictably quiet throughout. Honnoji Academy was behaving unnaturally stiff and polite, like they were afraid of what Satsuki might do to them if they acted out. On the other hand, U.A. was being obnoxiously louder than even Akko, which was saying something; a boy with spiky blonde hair was screaming about something or other before he blew up a turkey. But the most activity seemed to come from Sanshou and Serenity – both parties seemed to have crossed the invisible border between the schools and starting to mingle with one another at both tables.Just as Akko was about to bite into her grilled salmon, someone suddenly shoved their way into the seat between Akko and Lotte, making her drop her meal on her lap. It was the scarf-wearing orangette that had broken the arm off Jennifer's statue. Now that Akko had a better look at her, she had impossibly bright orange eyes and was wearing a blazer jacket of the same color. She must have been from Serenity Academy because the emblem on her jacket was different from the others, which was a wavy sun symbol stitched in white. The strange girl grinned and suddenly patted Akko roughly on the back."Hey, you're Akko, right?" she said cheerfully. "I'm Eruna Ichinomiya, the main character from Serenity Academy. It's nice to meetcha!""Uh, hi, Eruna," Akko said awkwardly. "How did you know who I was?""Well, we're both being written by the same author, so it wasn't hard to figure out," said Eruna. "I've been following you since your first story turned up over a year ago. Man, it's hard to believe it's only been a year. It feels longer, doesn't it? Of course, you were only the second fiction that the author worked on. Sad thing what happened to Ben….""What's she talking about?" Akko whispered to Diana."I don't know," Diana hissed back. "Just smile and nod and maybe she'll go away."Akko sat quietly as Eruna recited all of Akko's most memorable moments from sneaking Eco out of the castle to confronting Amon (How does she know all that? Akko thought bewildered) when she noticed something strange floating near the girl's head. It looked like a white cat with brown paws and brown patterns on its face, but a fluffy purple tail or detached yellow wings on its back. The cat creature floated forward and took a bite out of the lump of bread that Eruna had in her hand, but Eruna didn't seem to notice or care."Uh…Miss Eruna…," Lotte called her politely, pointing at the flying cat. "There's…something on your shoulder.""Huh?" Eruna blinked and looked over. She gave a small laugh when she locked gazes with the cat creature. "Oh, that's just Bimii. She's my little buddy. Isn't that right, Bimii?""More like your personal plaything, ryui," Bimii groaned. "And my name's not Bimii, it's - ""Oh my god, that's so weird," Hannah said starry-eyed, picking up a piece of sausage. "Do you want a sausage?""Thanks," Eruna chirped. She snatched the sausage before Bimii had a chance to reach for it, swallowing it whole, stunning the hungry cat creature. "Mmm...the food here is much better than I thought it'd be. Hey, what's wrong, Bimii?" she asked, noticing Bimii's dejected face."Where'd you have to go to find the fuzzy freakshow?" asked Amanda."Well, that is an amazing and interesting tale," said Eruna dramatically. "It all started when I saw this gorgeous angel in a brochure..."Before she could give out any spoilers, a voice cut in and said, "Excuse me, are you gonna eat that borscht?"Akko and the others spun around in their seats. It was the blonde girl from Sanshou Middle School that had lingered in the courtyard.Akko looked over to Sucy, who was closest to the pot of borscht, waiting for her to pass it over. But much to hers, and everyone's, surprise, Sucy turned stiff as a statue. She was staring up at the newcomer, lips parted, but no words coming out and her normally pale skin seemed to develop some color. It was very strange – Akko had never seen Sucy act in such a way before."Here, you can have it," said Barbara, leaning over and pushing the pot to the girl."Thanks," said the girl, taking the pot. "I'm Fu, by the way. Fu Inubozaki, president of the Sanshou Hero Club.""I'm Atsuko Kagari, but everyone calls me Akko," Akko answered. "This is Lotte, Amanda, Constanze, Jasminka, Diana, Hannah, Barbara, and Sucy.""I'm Eruna Ichinomiya!" Eruna shouted excitedly with her hand in the air. "Nice to meetcha!""Well, you guys definitely look like an interesting bunch," said Fu. "Maybe I'll see you guys in the Contest.""Yeah…that would be nice…," Sucy said breathlessly.Fu seemed to pause for a moment as a small smile crossed her lips before she turned around and carefully carried the pot of borscht back to the other Sanshou girls. Sucy was still staring at Fu as though she had never seen someone like her before. For just a moment, Akko wondered if she should worry that Fu wasn't going to be Sucy's newest test subject."I think Sucy might have a crush," Eruna whispered to Akko."What? Sucy? A crush?" Akko sputtered surprisingly. "You'd need a heart and soul to have a crush on another living person.""Nah, it's totally obvious," said Eruna, grinning. "The readers probably picked up on it last chapter too.""Are you ever going to explain what you're talking about?" asked Akko."Probably not," said Eruna, laughing."Hey, guys, check it out!" Hannah said suddenly. "Looks who just showed up."She was pointing up at the staff table. The remaining four seats had just been filled. The Grand Master was sitting next to All Might, while Org was directly on Professor Holbrooke's left-hand side. Akko was surprised to see Paul Hanbridge chatting it up with Yuri Meichi; they seemed deeply immersed in conversation and the subtly smirk on Yuri Meichi's face filled Akko with a sense of foreboding. The only person she didn't recognize was sitting between Theresa and Kurasame. She had long, faded-green hair tied in a high ponytail and a bejeweled forehead."Who's that?" asked Amanda, pointing out the new woman."That's Lindy Harlaown, Fate's step-mother," said Eruna nonchalantly."And how do you know that?" asked Diana inquisitively."Because the author made me say it," said Eruna like it was the most obvious thing in the world."Ignoring Ichinomiya's clear lack of sanity," said Stan-Bot, "What are they doing here?""Those must be the representatives from the three governments," said Diana. "They were the ones who arranged the Contest this year, so it makes sense that they would want to be here for the beginning."In short time, dinner had eventually come to an end. By the end of it, only the students of Serenity and Sanshou had taken the effort to mingle with the rest of the schools – everyone else stayed within their own niches.Once the goblins and imps came and cleared the tables, Professor Holbrooke stood up again. A pleasant sort of tension seemed to fill the hall now. Akko felt a slight thrill of excitement, wondering what was coming. Amanda, who was seated across from Akko, leaned across the table, staring at Professor Holbrooke with great concentration."The moment has come," said Professor Holbrooke, smiling around at the sea of upturned faces. "The Contest of Champions is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket – ""The what?" Akko muttered.Lotte shrugged." – just to clarify the procedure that we will be following this year. But first, let me introduce, for those who do not know them, Mr. Org, representative from the Magic Council" – there was a smattering of polite applause – "Lindy Harlaown, representative from the Time-Space Administration Bureau" – there was a slightly higher level of appreciation, especially from Nanoha and Fate – "Lord Paul Hanbridge, representative of the Human World Nations" – hardly anyone from Luna Nova applauded; he had a less than stellar reputation after he had Professor Holbrooke removed two years ago – "and the Grand Master, Head of the Department of Games and Sports."There was a much louder round of applause for the Grand Master than for the others, perhaps because of his reputation as a game master, or simply because he looked so much more likable. He acknowledged it with a jovial wave of his hand."These men and women have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangement for the Contest of Champions," Professor Holbrooke continued, "and they will be joining the headmasters on the panel that will oversee that that our champions compete in a fair and honest way."At the mention of the word "champions", the attentiveness of the listening students seemed to sharpen. Perhaps Professor Holbrooke had noticed their sudden stillness, for she smiled as she said, "The casket, then, if you please, Elma."Elma, who had been lurking unnoticed in a far corner of the hall, now approached Professor Holbrooke carrying a great wooden chest marked with ancient runes. It looked extremely old. A murmur of excited interest rose from the watching students; Chinatsu actually climbed on Garie and Sabi to see it properly, and the twins didn't seem to mind; they were too focused on the chest."The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Org, Lord Hanbridge, Mrs. Harlaown, and the Grand Master," said Professor Holbrooke as Elma placed the chest carefully on the table before her, "and they have made necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be five games with four challenges in between, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways…their tactical prowess – their daring – their powers of deduction – and, of course, their ability to cope with danger."At this last word, the hall was filled with a silence so absolute that nobody seemed to be breathing."As you know, five champions will be selected from each school to compete in the contest as a team," Professor Holbrooke went on calmly. "They will be marked on how well they perform each of the contest games and the team with the highest total after the fifth game will win the Contest. The teams will be chosen by a series of impartial selectors: The Crystal Skulls."Professor Holbrooke now took out her staff and tapped three times upon the casket. The lid creaked slowly open. Professor Holbrooke reached inside it and pulled out a human skull. Or at least that's what Akko thought after the initial shock of seeing it faded. She noticed right away that the skull was made of pure quartz and the detailing on the crystal was so flawless that it was no wonder she mistook it for the real thing.Professor Holbrooke waved her hand and seven more Crystal Skulls floated out of the casket, flying in a circle above her head where they would be clearly visible to everyone in the hall."Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champions must simply touch the skull with their right hand and declare their names to it," said Professor Holbrooke. "Each Crystal Skull will be placed in designated locations around Blytonbury that will be revealed by that school's headmaster after the feast. Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the Crystal Skull will reveal the names of the five it has judged most worth to represent their school. The Crystal Skulls will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete."To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation," said Professor Holbrooke, "I will be drawing an Age Line around the Crystal Skulls once they have been placed in their designated locations. Nobody under the age of fourteen will be able to cross this line."Finally, I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this contest is not to be entered into lightly. Once the champions have been selected by the Crystal Skulls, he or she is obliged to see the contest through to the end. The placing of your name constitutes a binding contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play before you offer your name to the Crystal Skulls. It is not the games themselves you should be worried about, as much as you should your fellow champions. Competition has often at times brought out the worst in people. Now, I think it is time for bed. Good night to you all.""An Age Line!" Garie said, her eyes glinting, as they all made their way across the hall to the doors into the entrance hall. "Well, that should be easy to fool with an aging potion.""And once our names are in the skull, we'll be laughing," said Sabi with a mischievous grin. "It can't tell whether your fourteen or not!""Don't even think about trying, you two," said Sucy with a warning tone. "You wouldn't stand a chance in the contest.""Says you!" said Garie shortly."You're gonna enter, too, aren't ya, Akko?" Sabi asked."Of course I am!" said Akko, puffing out her chest proudly. "In the past three years I've fought giant polar bears, freaky forest monsters, and an army of Heartless! Compared to that, this contest is gonna be a cinch."They were walking level with the table where the students from Black Star Academy sat, when Ram suddenly seemed to pop up out of nowhere, standing behind her students, all of whom jumped when she addressed them."Time to leave, girls," she said. "Holbrooke has arranged for us to stay at a quaint little inn on the opposite end of town. Be sure to thank her for her hospitality when you see her next. Especially you, Yuu. I couldn't help noticing that more of Luna Nova's food seemed to dribble down the front of your uniform than it did in your mouth – ""You don't have to put it like that, you know," complained a short, tawny haired girl."No, I'm fairly certain I did," said Ram snidely. "You could take a lesson from Saya or Kagari about proper etiquette, or at least how to get all your food in your mouth – "Ram turned and led her students towards the doors, reaching them at exactly the same time as Akko and the others. Akko stopped to let her walk through first."Thank you," said Ram with her usual mystified tone, glancing at her.And then Ram froze. She turned her head back to Akko and stared at her as though she couldn't believe her eyes. Behind their headmistress, the students from Black Star Academy came to a halt too. Ram's eyes moved slowly up to Akko's face and locked gazes with her, almost fixatedly so. The Black Star students were staring curiously at Akko too. Through the thinness of her veil, Akko could see a sense of comprehension dawn on the goat-horned woman's face."Her name is Atsuko Kagari, by the way," said a hollow voice from behind.Ram turned slowly around. Zeref was standing there, his eyes gazing unblinking at Ram. While most were terrified by the very sight of him, the corners of Ram's lips suddenly turned upward as if his appearance greatly amused her. She turned once again back on Akko."Atsuko Kagari, is it?" said Ram with a thoughtful expression. "She has her mother's eyes, doesn't she?""Indeed, she does," said Zeref blankly. "And unless you have something you want to say to her, Ram, you might want to move. You're blocking the doorway."It was true; half the students in the hall were now waiting behind them, looking over one another's shoulders to see what was causing the hold up.Without another word, Ram swept her students away with her. Zeref watched her until she was out of sight, his eyes fixed upon her back, a look of intense dislike upon his face.
As the next day was Saturday, most students would normally have breakfasted late. The Nine New Witches, however, were not alone in rising much earlier than they usually did on weekends. When they went down into the entrance hall, they saw about twenty people milling around it, some of them eating toast, all examining the Crystal Skull. It had been placed in the center of the hall on a stool. A thin golden line had been traced on the floor, forming a circle ten feet around it in every direction."Anyone put their name in yet?" Jasminka asked a third-year girl."Testarossa and Marvell got up first thing in the morning," she replied. "I saw Vasquez and Chang a little bit ago. I heard that a couple of Twilight sixth years put their names in late last night.""Guess that makes sense," said Diana, crossing her arms thoughtfully. "Some people wouldn't want to be watched while submitting their names. The pressure might get to them.""Yeah…," said Amanda slowly. "…We're totally putting our names in, aren't we?""Oh yeah," said Akko eagerly.Akko, Amanda, and Diana had all agreed before they went to bed last night that they would all enter together. With Amanda shouldering a path through the crowd, they crossed the hall and stepped up to the golden line. For a moment, Akko thought there would be yet another complication to keep her from entering; that's how her life usually went. But she, Diana, and Amanda stepped over the line and, to her immense relief, nothing happened. She let out a small laugh.Now standing there in the middle of the hall with every eye watching her, Akko couldn't help feeling a little anxious. She stepped in between Diana and Amanda as they circled around the Crystal Skull. After offering reassuring looks to one another, they each placed their right hands on the top of the skull and said, in firm, loud voices:"Diana Cavendish!""Amanda O'Neill!""Atsuko Kagari!"The Crystal Skull emitted a soft glow only for the briefest second before it died back down. That was rather anti-climactic, Akko thought. A round of applause went off around the entrance hall as Akko, Diana, and Amanda stepped away from the Crystal Skull; Amanda paused to give a great, overdramatic bow before rejoining them."Well, looks like you three are in," said Sucy aloofly. "Hooray for you…""What do you think their chances are of being picked as champions?" Lotte asked earnestly."Diana is the best witch in the whole school and Akko is…well, Akko," said Barbara. "They're gonna get spots – it's almost a guarantee at this point.""What about me?" asked Amanda. There was a moment of awkward pause between them; Barbara started whistling nonchalantly while the others were looking anywhere else. "HEY!"Just then, they heard someone laughing behind them. Akko turned around, spotting Chinatsu and the Manbavaran Twins hurrying down the staircase, all three of them looking extremely excited."Done it," Garie said in a triumphant whisper. "We just took it.""What did you do?" questioned Sucy, leering at them suspiciously."The Aging Potion, you dingbat," said Sabi."Just a few drops each," said Garie, rubbing her hands together with glee. "Just enough to make us fourteen for a couple hours.""If one of us ends up on the winning team, we're splitting the hundred thousand credit prize between the three of us," said Chinatsu, grinning broadly."You do realize that it's never going to work, right?" said Stan-Bot. "Professor Holbrooke will have thought of this already."Garie, Sabi, and Chinatsu ignored the tiny robot."Ready?" Sabi said to the other two, quivering with excitement. "C'mon then – I'll go first – "Akko watched, fascinated, as Sabi walked right up to the edge of the line and stood there, rocking on her toes like a diver preparing for a fifty-foot drop. Then, with the eyes of every person in the entrance hall upon her, she took a great breath and stepped over the line.For a split-second Akko thought it had worked – Garie certainly thought so, for she let out a yell of triumph and leapt after Sabi – but next moment, there was a loud sizzling sound, and both twins were hurled out of the golden circle as though they had been thrown by an invisible slingshot. They landed painfully, ten feet away, on the cold stone floor, and to add insult to injury, there was a loud popping noise, and both of them sprouted identical long white beards that made them look like dwarves.The entrance hall rang with laughter. It came to a stop pretty quickly when people realized, despite their humorous appearances, they were still Manbavarans and would likely poison them in their sleep."I did warn you," said an amusing voice, and everyone turned to see Professor Holbrooke coming out of the dining hall. She surveyed Garie and Sabi, her eyes twinkling. "I suggest you both go up to Porlyusica. She is already tending to Miss Scarlet, of Corona, and Miss Maw, of Eclipse, both of whom decided to age themselves up a little too. Though I must say, neither of their beards are anything like as fine as yours."Garie and Sabi set off for the hospital wing, accompanied by Chinatsu, who was howling with laughter, and Akko's party, also chortling, went in to breakfast.The tables went back to how they once were, scattered and messy, once the other schools had left, but the decorations had change this morning. As it was Halloween, a cloud of live bats was fluttering around the ceiling, while hundreds of carved pumpkins leered from every corner. Akko led the way over to Wendy and Makoto, who were discussing those Luna Nova students who might be entering."There's a rumor going around that Bayonetta got up early and put her name in," Makoto told Akko. "That gunslinger woman from Eclipse."Akko, who had played Chariot Racing against Bayonetta, shook her head in disgust."She's the last person I want to be stuck on a team with!""I heard you put your name in last night, didn't you, Makoto," said Wendy."Yeah, but I don't expect that I'll be picked," said Makoto, looking down slightly. "I mean, I've hardly done anything these last four years. I doubt the skull will pick me – ""Wait, listen!" said Hannah suddenly.People were cheering out in the entrance hall. They all swiveled around in their seats and a fourth-year from Eclipse coming into the hall, her expression uncaring to the round of applause she was receiving. A tall, dark-haired Asian girl with eerie, almost scary gothic make-up and accessories, the girl walked past them and seated herself in a lone table in the corner of the room away from everyone else. Akko noticed as she passed that her left arm was made of cold, black steel – a prosthetic, perhaps?"Who's that?" asked Jasminka."Nico Minoru," Sucy answered. "I told you about her, remember? She's the one who knows more black magic than anyone else in the school.""I heard she's Zeref's favorite because of that," said Barbara. "Rumor has it they have private tea parties and exchange dark secrets.""I heard the reason hardly anyone has seen her all this time," said Amanda, "is because she was kidnapped by a psychopathic gamer and sent to some place called Murderworld. That's where she lost her arm.""I fear that Miss Minoru might be a strong contender for the team," said Diana."Hopefully not," said Hannah. "This school already had enough freaks in it."Akko couldn't help noticing that Hannah had been staring at her when she said that."So what're we gonna do today, girls?" Akko asked when they had finished breakfast and were leaving the Great Hall."WE are going to the workshop?" said Barbara, forcefully grabbing Akko by the back of her collar. "A spot just opened up today and we're gonna need all the time we can get to work on our project.""Aw, but it's the weekend!" Akko whined."You only have yourself to blame," said Stan-Bot. "You're the one that made the suggestion of adding a compound working drill into the design. Now wait here while I go pick up the extra parts we need from the dorms.""We better get top marks for all the trouble you put us through," said Barbara, exasperatedly, as Constanze ran away up the spiraling staircase."Hey, Akko," said Jasminka suddenly. "It's your friend…"A group of students from Serenity Academy were coming through the front doors from the grounds, all of them wearing bright-orange blazers with wavy white sun emblems on their breasts. And among them was Eruna Ichinomiya, leading the pack with a camera in hand. She started taking pictures of the castle, looking and acting much like a tourist.Akko took this chance to look over the other students – this might give her an idea of what their competition was like. Besides Bimii, who was resting on Eruna's shoulders, there was also a silver-haired boy with bulging biceps, a man with bright pink hair wearing a scaly scarf, a dark-skinned blonde girl with a star-patterned cat curling around her ankles, and purple-haired arabian girl, a tiny blue-haired girl with a weird finned hat, and a young brunette carrying what looked like a large yellow mouse on her head. Akko overheard the last one refer Eruna as her "senpai"."What d'you think'll happen to the ones who aren't chosen?" asked Jasminka curiously as Eruna's party swooping over toward the Assembly Hall. "Think they'll go back to school or hang around to watch the contest?""Most likely they'll be staying," said Diana. "Their principle is staying as well, and it would be a long journey back, wouldn't it?"After exploring the entirety of the Assembly Hall, Eruna's little tour group wandered off somewhere up the spiraling staircase."Should we really be letting them just wander around so freely?" said Lotte. "They might cause trouble.""I get the distinct feeling they're going to cause trouble no matter where they are," said Diana.A loud rattling noise behind them announced Constanze's return with the box of extra machine parts."Well, what're you standing around for?" said Stan-Bout, gesturing to Akko and Barbara. "Come on, hurry up, before Professor Croix decides to close for the day."As they climbed the staircase to Croix's office, they spied the Serenity Academy tour group lurking around near the second-floor corridors. They seemed to be talking among themselves as they circled the statue of the humpback witch that Akko knew led straight into Blytonbury. Did that mean they also knew about it? How? They only just arrived yesterday. Eruna did seem to have a keen understanding of Akko's adventures in Luna Nova, she remembered – that might prove very troublesome when the Contest started.Akko knocked on Croix's door when they reached the fourth floor, and a loud clatter noise could be heard from inside."About time!" said Professor Croix, when she'd flung open the door. "I was starting to think you forgot where I lived!""It hasn't been that lo – " Barbara started to say, but then she stopped dead, looking up at Croix, apparently lost for words.Croix had forgone her usual elaborate attire with its flowing cape and had replaced it with a nice lavender blazer overtop a crisp, clean white button up dress shirt and black dress pants. This wasn't the best part, though; she had clearly slicked back her hair with copious amounts of gel and bunched it into a low ponytail, leaving over a few stay locks of hair to hang over her forehead. It was the first time they hadn't seen their teacher dressed cape or in sweatpants. For a moment, Barbara goggled at her, then, obviously deciding not to comment, she said, "Erm – we wanted to work on our project a little.""Oh, right, the Eden group canceled their session today," said Croix distractedly. "I figured that no one was coming up so…. Anyway, yeah, I guess you could take their spot for today.""Oh, um, thank you," said Barbara, shooting a repressive look at Akko, who, staring at Croix's odd appearance, had just opened her mouth to say something about it."Welcome," said Croix awkwardly. "So…you girls making any progress on your golem? I can help you out if you need anything.""Oh, no thanks, we've got it covered," said Stan-Bot as they walked through the door inside.Croix's laboratory was also her living quarters comprised of a single room cluttered to the brim in bulky computer towers pushed against the walls, several dozen monitors clinging to the wall, and so many wires littering the floor it was impossible not to trip over one. A bunch of unfinished machines were on Croix's workbench, including the now-defunct Chronal Accelerator prototype that Diana had used last year. Akko remembered that the larger version had been stolen at the end of last year, but it seemed rather useless in Akko's opinion, especially since it didn't have a large enough power source.Akko, Constanze, and Barbara unloaded their things on the workbench while Croix started to make tea in the microwave and soon immersed themselves in yet more discussion of the Contest of Champions while the girls worked. Croix seemed quite as excited about it as they were."You wait," she said, grinning. "You just wait. You're going to see some stuff you've never seen before. The first game…ah, but I'm not going to spoil it for you.""Go on, Professor Croix," Akko urged her, but she just shook her head, grinning."You're not going to get a word out of me," said Croix. "Remember, I kept the secret of the Hive-Mind Virus for twenty years. But I will tell you, it's going to be amazing. You girls are going to have your work cut out for you. I wish the contest had been around when I was in school."They ended up having lunch with Croix while they worked, though they didn't eat much – Croix only knew how to make cup ramen and most of her supply had been demolished by some girl named Miss Koizumi, who somehow managed to sneak through her security system. However, they enjoyed themselves trying to make Croix tell them what the games in the contest were going to be, speculating which of the entrant were likely to be selected as champions, and wondering whether Garie and Sabi were beardless yet.A light rain had started to fall by midafternoon; it was very calming working on their golem while listening to the gentle patter of the drops on the window, watching with mirth as Croix tried to comb back the few untamed hairs with less than satisfactory results. Akko wanted to ask so desperately why she was so dressed up, but too busy snickering at Croix's losing battle against her own hair to do so.By half past five it was growing dark, and Akko, Constanze, and Barbara decided it was time to get back down to the dining hall for the Halloween feast – and, more importantly, the announcement of the school champions."I'll come with you," said Croix, giving up on her hair and tossing the comb over her shoulder. "Just give me a sec."Croix got up, went across to her desk, opened one of the drawers, and began searching for something inside it. They didn't pay too much attention until a sharp smell reached their nostrils. Coughing, Barbara said, "Professor, what's that?""Eh?" said Croix, turning around with a large bottle in her hands. "You don't like it?""Is that…cologne?" said Stan-Bot while Constanze choked."Too much?" Croix muttered. She was blushing. "Yeah, it's too much. I'll take it off, hang on…."She crossed the room over to the sink and started washing herself vigorously with the water."Why are you wearing cologne, professor?" said Barbara in amazement. "You never wear stuff like that.""And what's up with the hair and suit?" asked Akko. "Are you….going on a date?""If you must know…yes," said Croix hanging her head over the sink, her face flushed with embarrassment. "Truth be told, it's my first real date in…probably fourteen years. A lot of things happened that kept getting in the way. We're planning to go into the city after the selection for a late dinner.""Who're you going with?" asked Stan-Bot.Croix looked hesitant for a moment, slowly opening her mouth as if deciding whether or not she should answer. She was cut off by a sharp knocking on the door; Croix spun around so fast on her heels that she nearly tripped over herself. She quickly crossed the room and practically ripped the door off as she opened it, keeping Akko, Constanze, and Barbara barely out of sight. If Croix had been blushing before, it was nothing to what she was doing now. Akko, Constanze, and Barbara leaned over to see around the door and let out a quiet gasp when they saw Ursula standing at the threshold. The Magic Astronomy and Foretelling teach smiled embarrassingly as she tucked a loose strand of blue hair behind her ear, which had been done up in a very elaborate braid. Akko never noticed because of her unflattering teacher's uniform, but now seeing Ursula in a strapless, shimmering blue dress, Akko could say without a doubt she had a killer body that would make even straight girls do a doubletake.Ursula didn't seem to notice that Akko, Constanze, and Barbara were there; her attention was focused solely on Croix. Croix muttered something under her breath that made Ursula's go bright-red. There was a rapt, misty-eyed expression on their faces that Akko had only seen once before – when she was caught thinking about Diana."She's going out with Professor Ursula!" said Barbara surprisingly. "That's who she was waiting for!"Without so much as a backward glance into her office, Croix was trudged off down the corridors with Ursula, not even bothering to shut the door or lock it behind them."I knew it!" Akko hissed excitedly. "I always knew there was something going on with those two! They are way too close to be just friends!"They let themselves out of Croix's office and shut the door behind them. It was surprisingly dark in the corridors. The fairy lights flickered to life on the torches, illuminating the halls in a colorful glow.When they entered the dining hall, the noise level was almost deafening compared to any other Halloween feast in the past. The Crystal Skull had been moved; it was standing in the front of the hall. Garie and Sabi – clean-shaven again – seemed to have taken their disappointment fairly well."I hope it's you guys," said Garie to Akko as they sat down at the same set of tables."You and me both, kid," said Amanda breathlessly. "Well, we'll find out soon enough.""Hey, how come the other schools aren't here?" asked Jasminka, looking around and taken note of the lack of different uniforms in the sea of purple."It would take too long if they announced all the school champions in one sitting," said Diana. "The other schools are having their own ceremonies in Blytonbury. Now come on, let's hurry up before all the good food is taken."The Halloween feast seemed to take much longer than usual. Perhaps because it was their second feast in two days, Akko didn't seem to fancy the extravagantly prepared food as much as she would have normally. Like everyone else in the hall, judging by the constantly craning necks, the impatient expressions on every face, the fidgeting, and the standing up to see whether Professor Holbrooke had finished eating yet, Akko simply wanted the feast to end, to hear who had been selected as champions.At long last, the tables were cleared away by the imps and goblins; there was a sharp upswing in the level of noise within the hall, which died almost instantly as Professor Holbrooke got to her feet. On either side of her, Lindy Harlaown from the TSAB and Org looked as tense and expectant as anyone. The Grand Master was beaming and winking at various students. Paul Hanbridge, however, looked quite uninterested, almost bored."Well, the skull is almost ready to make its decision," said Professor Holbrooke. "I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them please to come up and join us at the top of the hall, where you will be introduced to the school as Luna Nova's team and receive your first instructions."She took out her staff and gave a great sweeping wave with it; at once, all the lights except those inside the carved pumpkins were extinguished, plunging them into a state of semidarkness. The Crystal Skull now shone more brightly than anything in the whole hall, the sparkling bright whiteness of the crystal almost painful on the eyes. Everyone watched, waiting…. A few people kept checking their watches…."Any second," Wangari whispered, two seats away from Akko.The Crystal Skull suddenly flashed blue. A ghostly wisp floated from its eyes and swirled into the air above them all. Next moment, the faint wisp started to form into letters, slowly spelling out a single name – the whole room gasped. When the ghostly handwriting had finished, Professor Holbrooke raised her arms and declared in a strong, clear voice:"The first champion for Luna Nova…is Diana Cavendish from Lunar House!""No surprise there!" yelled Lotte as a storm of applause and cheering swept the hall. Diana rose from her seat across from Akko with her head held high and a proud smile on her lips as she walked up between the tables and stood next to Professor Holbrooke and the skull."Bravo, Diana!" shouted Professor Finnelan, so loudly that everyone could hear her, even over the applause. "Knew you had it in you!"The clapping and chatting died down. Now everyone's attention was focused again on the Crystal Skull, which, seconds later, flashed blue once more. Another ghostly wisp wrote the next name across the air; Akko's heart leapt when she saw it."Our second champion," said Professor Holbrooke, looking very elated, "is Atsuko Kagari from Polaris House!"While not as many people cheered for her as they did Diana, Akko certainly had the loudest fans. All of her friends cheered (Hannah and Barbara more politely than others), but Amanda didn't hold back as she practically boomed, "Hell yeah, Akko!" with her fist pumping in the air. Akko saw Ursula and Croix leaning over the railing from the second level; the last time she had seen those two so happy was when she had won the Chariot Cup.When Akko joined at Diana's side, silence fell again. The Crystal Skull flashed once more and the ghostly writer dashed a name through the air once more."Our third champion," Professor Holbrooke called, "is Fate Testarossa from Corona House!"Akko wondered, as the dining hall exploded into rapturous cheers once more, if the Crystal Skull was picking them based on Chariot Racing. She, Diana, and Fate were all the anchors of their respective teams and probably the best players in the whole school."Way to go, Fate! That's my girl!" Lindy Harlaown practically screamed across the hall as Fate joined the other champions. "Wait until I tell your mother! We're so proud of you, Fatey!""Lindy-san…," Fate whined, pulling up her hood to hide her reddening face.A hush fell upon the dining hall once more as the Crystal Skull once again flashed blue.; the ghostly wisp floated from the eye sockets and the invisible hand wrote in the air once more. Like many others, Akko was taken aback when she saw who the next champion was."Our fourth champions," said Professor Holbrooke, "is Makoto Kowata from Twilight!""That's surprising," Diana whispered to Akko as the hall practically exploded with noise. Every single Twilight student had jumped out of their seats, screaming and stomping, as Makoto made her way up to the front of the hall, looking quite embarrassed, but very proud. "I never would have thought that Miss Kowata would be chosen. I always thought it would be Wendy.""Well, I'm proud of her," Akko replied. "Especially since Barbara made a bet about her getting chosen. Remind me to talk to her about that later."When Makoto joined Akko, Diana, and Fate at the front, silence fell again, but this time it was a silence so stiff with excitement you could almost taste it. The last Luna Nova champion was next….And the Crystal Skull flashed blue once more; the ghostly wisp slivering up into the air; the unseen hand that directed it to form words. Akko felt a thrill of excitement as she saw the capital "A" followed by the lowercase "m" and already knew what was coming."The last Luna Nova champions," Professor Holbrooke called, "is Aman…"But Professor Holbrooke stopped speaking, and it was apparent to everybody what had distracted her.The Crystal Skull had flashed blue once more just as the ghostly hand was halfway through writing Amanda's name and suddenly, the wisp vanished as if it had been snuffed out. A new wisp had formed and began to write in the air. Akko didn't need to look at Amanda to understand the sinking feeling of dread in her stomach as another name other than her own was scribbled. There was a long pause, during which Professor Holbrooke stared at the name, and everyone in the hall stared at Holbrooke. And then Professor Holbrooke cleared her throat and read out –"Our last champion…is Nico Minoru!"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Akko stood there at the front of the dining hall, faintly aware that every head was turning in the same direction as hers. A stunned silence hung over. There was no applause. A buzzing, as though of angry bees, was starting to fill the hall; some students were standing up to get a good look at Nico Minoru, who was sitting alone with her back turned to everyone, acting like she wasn't aware of everyone staring.Off to her right, Professor Finnelan had gotten to her feet and swept past Paul Hanbridge and Org to whisper urgently to Professor Holbrooke, who leant an ear to her, frowning slightly.Akko turned to Diana, then to Fate and Makoto, all of whom were with her as the school's champions; she saw that they were as dumbstruck as she was."What just happened?" Akko whispered to them. "You saw it too, right? You saw Amanda's name first, didn't you? Why'd it change halfway?""Your guess is as good as mine," said Diana.Over to the side, Professor Holbrooke pulled away from Professor Finnelan, nodding."Nico Minoru!" she called again. "Nico! Up here, if you please!"Slowly, almost uncaringly, Nico Minoru got to her feet, spinning around to face the front of the hall, her eyes wandering over the crowd with a contemplative look. She set off up the gap between the tables. Her footsteps echoed in the unnaturally silent hall, keenly aware of the hundreds and hundreds of eyes upon her, as though each were a searchlight. The buzzing grew louder and louder. After what seemed like an hour, Nico stood in front of Professor Holbrooke, who nodded and gestured her off to the side. Nico walked past Akko without a second glance and stood on the opposite side of Makoto facing the rest of the school.After another tense minute of still silence, Professor Holbrooke stepped forward, trying to sound as cheerful, but her words seemed forced."Well…we now have our five Luna Nova champions!" she said. "I am sure I can count upon all of you to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champions on, you will contribute in a very real way. As they go on to face the champions of the other schools in the contest, be sure to pray for their victory…."But not a single person seemed like celebrating; a lot of them were glaring at Nico, especially Amanda. Akko could understand why she was upset. She must have felt cheated – the Crystal Skull had been halfway through writing her own name when she was suddenly brushed aside by someone who had only been a background character for four years. Professor Holbrooke must have sensed the hostility rising among her students, but she quickly said:"Yes, well, if the champions would kindly head into the Assembly Hall, where they will receive information about the contest.""But I thought you were going to tell us here – " Makoto started, but Fate quickly elbowed her in the side to shut her up.It seemed like a good idea, Akko thought. With everyone glaring at Nico like that, probably hearing about the contest that they weren't going to be allowed to participate in might have been more than the other students could handle. Diana led the party down the center of the hall through the tables towards the double doors. Akko looked up at Ursula and Croix. They did not smile, or wave, or give any of their usual signs of greeting. Ursula looked astonished and Croix had a deep frown on her lips. The five champions stepped out into the entrance hall and crossed the way to the Assembly Hall. The fairy lights above twinkled faintly above them; the only thing that seemed remotely alive in the usually empty chamber.Diana took a seat at the bottom bench of the Lunar stands and Nico sat across the way halfway up the Eclipse benches. Akko, Fate, and Makoto decided to follow in their example and sat under their respective banners. Akko was faintly aware that each of them were representatives of each of Luna Nova's houses; was that intentional, or just coincidence?Once again, the hall was filled with an unnatural and awkward silence. No one seemed that eager to talk to one another, especially Nico, who was purposely edging herself along the bench so that she was farther away from everyone else. Akko wish she knew more about the goth. Maybe then there would be something she could say that would cut the tension between them. She looked around at Diana, who was hunched forward, resting her chin on her folded hands and staring thoughtfully at the ground. Fate was also hunched over, her foot tapping restlessly. Makoto was sitting up straight, fidgeting in her seat, looking largely uncomfortable being around a bunch of people with a lot more experience than her.There was a sound of scurrying feet from the entrance hall, and the Grand Master entered the room. He did a sort of twirl with his arms outstretched dramatically."Extraordinary!" he shouted. "Absolutely extraordinary! That was quite a spectacular show, ladies! Imagine…gripping victory from the jaws of potential defeat! You certainly will have made a name for yourself now, Miss Minoru! To think, getting the Crystal Skull to change its mind halfway. Never saw it coming!""You and everyone else," said Nico dispassionately, leaning back with her foot raised."Do you have any idea why the skull would change its mind all of a sudden?" asked Diana"I haven't the foggiest, krutacking idea," said the Grand Master, rubbing his smooth chin and smiling down at her. "But then again, I don't understand a lick about magic – I put more faith in science than hocus pocus. But the fact of the matter is that Minoru's name was chosen over whoever else that was supposed to be picked… So at this point, there's no use worrying about it…what's done is done…. And Minoru can't step down if anyone complains…. It's down in the rules, she's obliged…So you girls will have to do your best – "The doors to the entrance hall opened again, and a large group of people came in: Professor Holbrooke, followed closely by Org, Lindy Harlaown, Professor Finnelan, Ursula, Croix, and Lord Hanbridge. Akko heard the buzzing of the hundreds of students on the other side of the wall, before Professor Finnelan closed the door."Lindy-san!" said Fate at once, jumping up and striding over to her step-mother. "Did you figure out what happened with the Crystal Skull? That wasn't normal, was it?""That is what I would like to know," said Lindy Harlaown imperiously. "I might not understand how this planet's magic works entirely, but I could definitely tell that wasn't supposed to happen. Is there something you wish to tell us, Miranda?""I would like to know myself, Holbrooke," said Org. His one eye was narrowed dangerously thin with a deep expression of contempt that Akko hadn't seen since the Chariot Racing Tournament. "The Crystal Skull was clearly tampered with. How else could you explain the skull changing its decision in the middle of the ceremony, least of all choose –
her."He shot a loathsome sort of leer towards Nico – the same kind, Akko recalled, he gave to Mato."Is that true, Miranda," said Lindy Harlaown seriously. "Have you tampered with the Crystal Skull? Did you make it choose champions that you thought would be most beneficial towards the contest? You know that's not how it works?""Trying to tip the scales so that they fall in your favor," Lord Hanbridge chimed in. "Why does that no surprise me? I should have known you would do something to cheat the system, Miranda. You never really put much consideration into the rules.""Don't go blaming Holbrooke for this, Hanbridge," said Croix, her eyes narrowed with extreme malice towards the man. "You have no room to go passing judgment on anyone. You should be lucky we even let you back in the castle – ""Thank you, Croix," said Professor Holbrooke firmly, and Croix went quiet, though her eyes still glinted malevolently at Lord Hanbridge.Professor Holbrooke was now looking up at Nico, who looked right back at her with an unreadable expression, as if she were trying to discern what the headmistress was thinking through her eyes."Miss Minoru, do you know how the Crystal Skull changed its decision?" she asked calmly."No," said Nico simply, pointedly ignoring the stares she was receiving. Org made a soft noise of impatient disbelief."Do you know anyone that could have tampered with the Crystal Skull?" said Professor Holbrooke, ignoring Org."Does anyone think there is even the
slightest
possibility it decided to pick me because I was the better choice?" Nico hissed."You should never have been a choice to begin with?" Org sneered. "You should never have been allowed into the school in the first place. Anything like your parents – "
CRASH!
Everyone in the Assembly Hall jumped. In the first real sign of emotion, Nico had raised her metal fist and smashed it through the wooden bench. She looked livid; her lips had gone extremely thin and her eyes popped with pure hate as she took deep, forced breaths. Org immediately raised his staff and aimed it for her chest. Before either one could think to act on their baser instincts, Ursula, flustered, skipped in between them."Okay, okay, let's settle down for a moment before we do things we might regret," she yelped quickly. "I think we should take what Miss Minoru said into consideration. Maybe the skull did change its mind on its own. Could it have, headmistress?" she asked Professor Holbrooke."It's never happened before," said Professor Holbrooke, rubbing her chin thoughtfully, "which isn't to say it couldn't happen.""You see, just because something strange happened doesn't mean there was any foul play involved," said Ursula placidly. "Yes, I will admit that seeing what happened out there might be a little suspicious, but if the Headmistress believes that there wasn't any wrongdoing involved, I'm sure that should be good enough for everyone else."She shot a warning glance at Org, who lowered his staff reluctantly."Grand Master…," said Org, his voice low and raspy, "you are our – er – objective judge. Surely you will agree that this is most irregular.""I don't know what to tell you, Org," said the Grand Master, shrugging his shoulders cluelessly. "We must follow the rules and the rules state clearly that those people whose names are selected by the Crystal Skulls are bound to compete in the contest. Since that other one was only halfway through, she was technically not selected properly. But Minoru's name was written fully and clearly. As for any wrongdoing involved, I know nothing about it.""I insist upon redoing the names for the Luna Nova team," said Org. His one eye was popping madly at Nico; he wore a very ugly look indeed. "You will set up the Crystal Skull once more, and every Luna Nova student will resubmit their names until there is a proper selection. It's only fair, Miranda.""But Org, it doesn't work like that," said the Grand Master. "For starters, the Crystal Skulls technically belong to the Collector – I had to practically beg him to let me use them for a day, and only a day. Secondly, the Crystal Skulls only operate once every seven years, which is why the contest is held – ""You cannot expect the Magic Council calmly sit by an allow this to happen!" exploded Org. "After all our meetings and negotiations and compromises, I little expected something of this nature to occur! I have half a mind to bar Luna Nova from competing!""An empty threat, Org," called a voice near the door. "The names have already been selected. They have to compete. It's a binding contract, like Holbrooke said. Convenient, isn't it?"Zeref had just entered the room. He slowly stepped forward until he was standing in front of the center stage; Org made a chocking noise and timidly stepped back."Convenient?" said Org. "I'm afraid I I don't understand you, Zeref."Akko could tell he was trying to sound disdainful, as though what Zeref was saying was barely worth his notice, but his hands gave him away; they were shaking like leaves."Don't you?" said Zeref quietly. "It's very simple, Org. Someone
did
tamper with the Crystal Skull. Someone who wanted this particular set of students on the Luna Nova team.""Evidently someone who wanted to give Luna Nova an unfair advantage in the competition," said Lord Hanbridge contemptuously."That does seem like it would be the case," said Lindy Harlaown evenly. "If it is true that someone from either this school or the Magic Council is tilting the competition in their favor, this will lead to a dispute over the fair-mindedness of the competition. The human governments in particular will be very upset – ""If anyone has a reason to be upset, it's these girls," said Zeref, "but…funny thing…I don't hear
them
saying a word….""Why should any of them complain?" said Lord Hanbridge. "They have the chance to compete, haven't they? Schools from all across the world have been hoping to be chosen for weeks and weeks. The honor to represent their species, a chance at fame and fortune – this is an opportunity that many would kill for.""Perhaps that's the idea," said Zeref with a stunning trace of coldness in his voice. "Maybe someone wants them dead…."An extreme tense silence followed these words. The Grand Master, who was looking very anxious indeed, bounced nervously up and down on his feet and said, "my good man…what a thing to say!""Perhaps not all of them – just Kagari and Minoru," said Zeref quietly."Why just them?" asked Diana suspiciously."Because, Cavendish…," Zeref said slowly. "They both possess items of immense magical power – The Claiomh Solais and the Staff of One…."Several people in the Assembly Hall perked up or gasped at the names. Ursula covered her mouth with her hands and spun around to face Croix with an accusing look; Croix pointedly looked away and frowns at Zeref. Professor Finnelan also gives Professor Holbrooke a strange look, of which she avoids by lowering her hat. Org, however doesn't seem the least bit surprised. If anything, he looked even more scornful than usual."I will be frank – I haven't the slightest clue what you're jabbering on about," said Lord Hanbridge, "but I find that the fact a
teacher
at this school claims conspiracy theories to be quite alarming. Your choices in teaching staff have always left the board…uneasy. As if having a child on your payroll wasn't enough without adding a convicted criminal.""Hey, Professor Crème is a great teacher!" shouted Makoto defensively."I may be a criminal, Lord Hanbridge," said Zeref, "but that only means I have a better understanding of the situation. It was an exceptionally skilled mage or witch who made Minoru's name chosen….""And what evidence do you have of that?" Lindy Harlaown questioned him."Because they deceived a very powerful magical artifact that has been around since ancient times," said Zeref. "It would have needed an exceptionally strong spell to bewitch the skull into switching the names at the last second….""You seem to have given this a great deal of thought, Zeref," said Org coldly. "Though…if your theory holds any weight, then there would only be a few people in the entire school who would be capable of confusing the skull. But you also realize that it also makes you one of the suspects. How do we know you aren't the one who tricked the skull into choosing Minoru's name? We all know you both have an affinity for the Dark Arts. Wouldn't surprise me if you two were working together.""I would watch what I say, Org," said Zeref with a calm, almost serene smile as if reminiscing a fond memory. "As I recall, similar accusations against an innocent party are what lost you your position on the council in the first place. It must have hurt to see Miss Kuroi – ""Zeref!" said Professor Holbrooke warningly. He fell silent, though still surveying Org with satisfaction – Org's face was burning."How this situation arose, we do not know," said Professor Holbrooke, speaking to everyone in the room. "It seems to me, however, that we have no choice but to accept it. Miss Minoru has been chosen to compete in the contest. This, therefore, they will do….""Ah, but Miranda – ""My dear Org, if you have an alternative, I would be delighted to hear it."Professor Holbrooke waited, but Org did not speak, he merely glared. He wasn't the only one either. Lord Hanbridge looked furious; the Grand Master, however, looked rather excited."Well, shall we crack on, then?" he said, rubbing his hands together and smiling around the room. "Got to give our champions their instructions, haven't we? Miss Harlaown, want to do the honors?""Yes…I suppose so…," Lindy Harlaown said slowly, the slightest hint of suspicion still tracing her lips. "Now…the first game…"She moved around the side and walked up the small set of stairs to the top of the staging area where she could be seen from all directions. Akko didn't miss how she gave brief glances to her and Nico before she spoke up."The first game is designed to test your daring, your ingenuity, and your ability to adapt," she told them, "so we are not going to be telling you what it is. Preparation in the face of the unknown is an important quality one must have, whether they be human, Demi-Human, or alien…."The first game will take place on November twenty-third in the soccer – I'm sorry," she said quickly to Lord Hanbridge's insulted look "I mean, the football field in Blytonbury in front of the students and the citizens of the town."The schools are not permitted to ask for or accept help of any kind from their teachers to complete the games in the contest. The champions will face the first game armed with only their tools and their wits. They will receive information about the second game when the first is over. Owing to the demanding and time-consuming nature of the contest, the champions are exempted from end-of-year tests.""Oh, thank kami," Akko sighed in relief.Lindy Harlaown turned to Professor Holbrooke."I think that's all, is it, Miranda?""I think so," said Professor Holbrooke."Then we must get going," said Lindy Harlaown, walking off the stage. "We still have two more choosing ceremonies to attend to before the night is over and we are already late for U.A. High's selection due to all of this.""Are you sure you wouldn't wish to stay the night?" said Professor Holbrooke. "You all are keeping quite busy as of late.""As if I would ever give it any consideration," Lord Hanbridge scoffed. "I've already had my fill of this…castle. And unlike some people, I am a very busy man…. This is a difficult time we are in without being forced to attending this ridiculous game….""Come on, Paul, I'm staying!" said the Grand Master brightly. "It's all happening at Luna Nova now, you know, much more exciting here than at the office!""No, Paul is right, we are very busy," said Lindy Harlaown. "Good night to you all."She squared her shoulders properly and swiftly exited the room with the Grand Master all but skip behind her, talking very fast and excitedly. Lord Hanbridge followed them out, though in silence. Org lingered for a moment, glaring at Nico with his one good eye, before he turned with a flutter of his cape and disappeared through the doors."Ladies, I suggest you go up to bed," said Professor Holbrooke, smiling at all of them. "I am sure your Houses are waiting to celebrate with you, and it would be a shame to deprive them of this excellent excuse to make a great deal of mess and noise."Nico was the first one to stand up and walk out the door, not even sparing her new teammates a sideways glance. Akko frowned, joining Diana, Fate, and Makoto, and they left together.The entrance hall was deserted; the noise in the dining hall gone; the fairy lights were burning low, painting eerie shadows on the walls. They saw Nico for the briefest second across the hall until she disappeared down a flight of stairs leading to the lower levels of the castle."So," said Makoto with a slight smile, no doubt trying to ease the tension. "We're playing together on the same team!""I suppose," said Diana quietly. She didn't seem to be paying attention. She was focusing on the stairs upon which Nico disappeared."Hey, can I ask you guys a question?" said Fate, frowning. "I've only been on Earth for a few years, so I don't know a lot about your customs and histories. But…everyone seemed to be acting funny in there when they were talking about Nico and that…Staff of One thing. What were they talking about? Why was everyone upset?""The Staff of One is an ancient tool of extraordinarily dark magic," said Diana automatically, once against sounding like she had just swallowed an entire encyclopedia. "It was forged in the deepest pits of Hell by a pantheon of demons and summoned to earth by an evil mage. Every single person that has ever held the Staff of One have gone on to become some of the evilest people in the history of magic. Rumor has it that even Zeref once wielded the staff.""Is it really that bad?" asked Makoto curiously."If I were to put it in simple terms," said Diana, "I would go as far as to say it is an evil version of the Shiny Rod…. We need to keep an eye on her. In all consideration, she probably tampered with the skull for some malevolent purpose.""Whoa, whoa, whoa, aren't we jumping the gun here a bit," said Akko, surprised and shocked at Diana's accusation. "We don't have any proof that she did anything bad.""I know you like to see the good in people, Akko," said Diana sternly, "but there has never been a single person who has used the Staff of One with good intentions.""Maybe…Nico's different," said Akko hesitantly. "Maybe she's really good…."But just one look at their faces and Akko could tell that none of them believed it.Akko, Fate, and Diana went up the spiraling staircase while Makoto headed for a door to the right of the entrance hall. Akko separated with the other two halfway up, both headed in opposite directions toward their common rooms. Akko stood listening to their footsteps receding down the corridors, then, slowly, she started to climb the rest of the way.Akko's head was spinning. It was hard to think that less than half an hour ago, she was jumping for joy when her name came out of the Crystal Skull shortly after Diana's, almost imagining like it was fate that the two of them had been chosen together. But in true Atsuko Kagari fashion, there was always something that would throw a wrench in her day. Though, for the first time, Akko didn't have anything to do with it. Amanda must be so pissed, she thought…to have such an amazing opportunity snatched away like that. But Nico…she was probably the biggest victim in all of this….The moment her name came out of the skull, Nico was immediately bombarded with so much hate and mistrust…not just with Amanda, but almost everyone tonight seemed to be out to get Nico. Org's savage attack on her was way beyond unreasonable…it was the same way when he attacked Mato when the Eclipse appeared, though everyone seemed to think his actions were more justifiable…all because of a simple staff….The Staff of One…. It was the first time Akko had ever heard of such a thing, but it seemed very important…. Diana called it an evil version of the Shiny Rod. Then that would imply that there was some connection between them. But this was the first time Akko had ever heard of it…. If it was really such an important tool, you would think that either Ursula or Izetta would have mentioned it in the past.Though the look one Ursula's face showed that she was just as surprised as everyone else. Perhaps she wasn't aware that Nico had it. She certainly seemed frightened when Zeref released this information, and furious at Croix for not saying anything…. Perhaps she thought that she would never hear of it again, and that's why she never mentioned it…or maybe she was hoping. Akko could never tell. Everyone from Chariot's organization had an annoying habit of keeping her in the dark on important matters...But the Shiny Rod and the Staff of One…opposite versions of each other, not only under the same roof, but now joined together on the same team…. Even Akko knew it was too much to be coincidence….But why did someone put them together? Did someone find out about Nico's secret and altered the skull hoping it would give Luna Nova an edge? Was it some cruel prank to out Nico and make her a target for everyone's hate? Or was it – as Zeref thought – because someone wanted them both dead? But if that was true, then who would go so far?Akko was able to answer that at once. Yes, there were people who wanted her dead, who wanted to get their hands on the Shiny Rod…. Amon and his allies. But how could Amon have ensured that Akko and Nico would both be chosen by the Crystal Skull. As far as Akko was aware, Amon was supposed to be somewhere across the ocean, in hiding with his allies…waiting and scheme in the shadows….Akko got a shock to find herself facing the starry wall that led to the Polaris common room already. She had barely noticed where her feet were carrying her. She was exhausted from today's events. She just wanted to go to sleep.Akko pressed the marbles in the order they were chosen this month and the wall slid out of the way to let Akko into the common room.The blast of noise that met Akko's ears when the walls opened up almost knocked her backward. Next thing she knew, she was being wrenched inside the common room by about a dozen pairs of hands, and was facing the whole Polaris House, all of whom were screaming, applauding, and whistling."There was no doubt it was going to be you!" bellowed Avery Buckland; she looked half annoyed, half deeply impressed. "You're always the one getting mixed up in crazy dangerous situations! Guess that finally came in handy, huh?""We would have had two of ours if Minoru hadn't cheated!" roared a sixth year that Akko never talked to."She didn't," Akko said. "I mean, we don't know – "But Lotte and Sucy had now swooped down upon her; "Oh, it's just so great that you get to represent Polaris!""And I'll bet being on the same team as Diana is a nice little bonus," said Sucy with a wicked cackle."We've got food, Akko, come and have some – ""I'm not hungry, I had enough at dinner – "But nobody wanted to hear that she wasn't hungry; nobody wanted to hear her cries that Nico didn't cheat; not one single person seemed to have noticed that she wasn't at all in the mood to celebrate…. Rashimi and Rajani had unearthed a Polaris banner from somewhere, and insisted on draping it around Akko like a cape. Akko thought she would be celebrating with everyone after her name came out of the Crystal Skull, but she couldn't – she was too busy thinking about Nico and Zeref's words. Akko couldn't get away; whenever she tried to sidle over to the staircase up to the dormitories, the crowd around her closed ranks, forcing another drink on her, stuffing sweets into her hands…."I'm tired!" she bellowed finally, after nearly half an hour. "No, seriously, Jas - I'm going to bed – "She wanted more than anything to find Blair, to find a bit of sanity, but she didn't seem to be in the common room. Insisting that she needed to sleep, and almost flattening the little Manbavaran Twins as they attempted to waylay her at the foot of the stairs, Akko managed to shake everyone off and climb up to the dormitory as fast as she could.Sadly, she didn't find Blair up in the dormitories either – why was she never around when Akko needed her? Instead, she found Amanda lying on her bed in the otherwise empty dormitory, fully dressed. She looked up when Akko slammed the door behind her."Where've you been?" Akko said."Oh hello," said AmandaShe was grinning, but it was a very odd, strained sort of grin. Akko suddenly became aware that she was still wearing the Polaris banner that had been tied around her. She hastened to take it off, but it was knotted very tightly. Amanda lay on the bed without moving, watching Akko struggle to remove it."So," she said, when Akko had finally removed the banner and thrown it into a corner. "Congratulations.""Thanks…," said Akko, staring at Amanda. There was something definitely wrong with the way Amanda was smiling: it was more like a grimace."At least someone from Polaris managed to get on the team," said Amanda. "Wish I could have been up there with you, but Minoru – I wish I knew how she did it.""She put her name in the skull like everyone else," said Akko, knowing that wasn't what Amanda was referring to. "The skull just…picked her, that's all.""We both know that isn't true," Amanda scoffed. "We all saw it. That skull was about to pick my name and I suddenly get shoved aside for Minoru. I wish I could just figure out what trick she used to change it.""Listen," said Akko, "I don't think Nico messed with the Crystal Skull. Someone else must've done it."Amanda raised her eyebrows."And why would someone do that?""I dunno," said Akko. She felt it would sound very melodramatic to say, "To kill us."Amanda's eyebrows rose so high that they were in danger of disappearing into her hair."You don't have to defend her just because you're on the same team now," she said. "We both know she cheated. The skull knew that we were both supposed to be working together in the contest and Minoru used some…black magic to trick it. Minoru's always been in the background because no one ever cared about her. I bet she did it to make herself feel special. If we work together, maybe we can prove that she cheated and get her kicked off – ""She didn't cheat!" said Akko, starting to feel angry. "She said she didn't and I believe her!""What basis do you have to believe her?" said Amanda, and there was no trace of a grin, forced or otherwise, on her face now. "You didn't even know she existed until recently. You don't know a thing about her. She could lie to your face and you wouldn't be able to tell. And that's exactly what she's doing now. She's lying to everyone. I'm not dumb, Akko!""You're sure acting like it!" Akko snapped."I thought you were supposed to be my friend!" yelled Amanda."I am your friend!" roared Akko. "But I'm not gonna get Nico kicked off the team just because you didn't get picked!""Yeah?" said Amanda, frowning. "Fine. You should get to bed, Akko. I bet you'll need to be up early tomorrow for a photo session or something."She wrenched the hangings shut around her four-poster, leaving Akko standing there by the door, staring at the dark velvet curtains, now hiding the person Akko used to consider one of her closest friends.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
When Akko woke up on Sunday morning, it took her a moment to remember why she felt so miserable and worried. Then the memory of the previous night rolled over her. She sat up, ripped back the curtains of her own four-poster, intending to talk to Amanda, to force Amanda to see her way – only to find that Amanda's bed was empty; she had obviously gone down to breakfast.Akko dressed and went down the spiral staircase into the common room. The moment she appeared, the people who had already finished breakfast broke into applause again. While normally loving to bask in the glow of her own victory, everyone treating her with the praise she rightly deserved, it was bittersweet in the wake of her fight with Amanda last night. She thought about not going down into the dining hall on the chance of facing her at breakfast; but it was either that or stay here and allow herself to be cornered by Garie and Sabi, who were both smiling wickedly over a glowing purple cauldron. She walked resolutely over to the entryway, pushed it open, walked out of it, and found herself face-to-face with Blair."Where were you last night," Akko said immediately with an accusing stare."With Ursula and Croix," said Blair, holding up a stack of waffles. "I brought you this…. Can we go for a walk? I'm guessing there's a lot you want to talk about.""That's putting it lightly," Akko muttered.They went downstairs, crossed the entrance hall quickly without looking in at the dining hall, and were soon striding across the lawn toward the lake, where the Honooji aircraft carrier was moored, reflected blackly in the water. It was a chilly morning, and they kept moving, munching on their waffles, as Akko told Blair exactly what had happened after she had left the dining hall the night before. To Akko's surprise and relief, Blair agreed on the situation surrounding Nico Minoru."I don't think she did it either, neither do Ursula or Croix," she said when Akko had finished telling her about the scene in the Assembly Hall. "And Zeref might have a point. Whoever did tamper with the crystal skull likely wanted to make sure that both of you were involved in the Contest. But the question is, who did it? Someone probably out for the Shiny Rod
and
the Staff of One. Damn it, Croix! How could you keep something like this from us?""Could you please explain to me what the big deal is here," Akko said exasperatedly. "What
is
the Staff of One? All I hear is how bad it is, but I don't even know what it does. Diana said it's an evil version of the Shiny Rod.""It's not evil per se, but you could say it's like a dark reflection," said Blair. "The Shiny Rod, as you already know, is the pinnacle of Light Magic and has been the tool for some of the greatest heroes in our history. But the Staff of One is the opposite. It is the ultimate tool of Dark Magic. It was forged around the same time period as the Shiny Rod, which is why most people make the mistake of thinking they're a pair.""They're not?" asked Akko curiously."Oh no, the Staff of One didn't appear until after the Shiny Rod," said Blair, waving her hand nonchalantly. "But whoever created the Staff of One must have used the Shiny Rod as a model for the base. The Staff of One can literally do anything, just like the Shiny Rod when it's in full power, but it has a weird limitation. When you're use the Staff of One, you can never use the same word twice, otherwise it causes unpredictable outcomes. You can get around this quirk replacing it with different words or speaking another language, but it's difficult keeping track of the words you already used. The Staff of One has a bad reputation – nearly every single person that used it went on to become dictators, tyrants, or worse, politicians.""So that's why Org was so angry," said Akko. "He must have heard about Nico having the Staff of One and automatically assumed she was a bad person, just like he did with Mato.""He actually has a good reason for that," said Blair tonelessly. "You see, the last person who had the Staff of One was Nico's mother, Tina Minoru. She was a member of Chariot's organization…and she turned traitor along with the rest of Amon's followers.""What?" Akko gasped."I never trusted Tina from the beginning – she always looked so creepy," said Blair. "But Chariot was willing to overlooking the Staff of One's reputation and thought she could turn it into a force for good. That's just like her…. Too bad she's a terrible judge in character, or else she would have been smarter to keep that bitch away.""What happened to Nico's mom?" asked Akko."Dead," said Blair bluntly. "She was killed during the fight at the Grand Triskellion. After she died, the Staff of One had disappeared. We had just assumed it went off to search for another host who was just as evil as Tina. We never knew that Tina had a daughter, or that she had inherited the Staff. But Croix knew. She found out about Nico and had been taking care of her in secret all these years: sending her money, finding her a good foster home, teaching her magic through letters. Croix was the one that put Nico's name on the recommendation list for Luna Nova students just like Chariot did for you. She even suggested for Nico to pick Eclipse as her house so that she could help her in private. Croix was going behind our backs the whole time.""I don't think I blame her," said Akko. "The way that everyone was looking at Nico, it doesn't sound like she would have had a lot of opportunities once people figured out she had the Staff of One. If Croix didn't take care of her, no one might have.""Hmph, so forgiving, just like your mother," said Blair, scoffing humorlessly. "That's about all I know. Ursula is still interrogating Croix about the finer details about her raising Nico, but Akko, there's something I need you to do. Straight away, the moment we get back to the castle.""Brush your fur again?" asked Akko."As much as I would love that, no," said Blair. "I need you to send a letter to Izetta about all this. I would do it myself, but I think it would be better if you explained everything. She asked you to keep her posted on everything that's going on at Luna Nova. Here, I brought some paper and a pen – ""Are you serious?" said Akko, looking around to check that they couldn't be overheard, but the grounds were quite deserted. "She came back to the country just because my scars hurt. She'll probably come bursting right into the castle if I tell her someone's tampered with the Contest – ""She'd want you to tell her," said Blair sternly. "She's going to find out anyway – ""How?""Akko-nyan, this isn't going to be kept quiet," said Blair, very seriously. "The Contest is more famous than the Olympics, and your teammates are Diana Cavendish, who comes from a very famous family of witches. I'll be really surprised if there isn't anything in the news…. And once they start digging into the teams, it's only a matter of time before they know about the Shiny Rod and Staff of One…and Izetta would rather hear if from you, I know she would.""Okay, okay, I'll write to her," said Akko, throwing her last waffle into the lake. They both stood and watched it floating there for a moment, before a seaweed covered hand rose out of the water and scooped it beneath the surface. You would think they would be more concerned about that, but they returned to the castle."Hmm, who should I give the letter to?" Akko said as they climbed the stairs. "You can't go because you were already out delivering letters during the summer. Maybe I can ask professor Holbrooke."They stopped in the middle of the hallway leading to Professor Holbrooke's office. Blair gave Akko a piece of paper and a pen, then strolled inside the office to speak to the headmistress, while Akko sat down against the wall and wrote her letter.
Dear Izetta-obasan,
You told me to keep you posted on what's happening at Luna
Nova, so here goes – I don't know if you heard, but the Contest
of Champions is happening this year and on Saturday night I got
picked as a champion. But something weird happened. Another
girl – Nico Minoru – was chosen as well and a lot of people are
thinking she rigged it because she has the Staff of One. I don't
think she did it, but someone wanted her in the Contest like me.
The other Luna Nova champions are Diana, Makoto, and Fate.
She paused at this point, thinking. She had an urge to say something about the large weight of anxiety that seemed to have settled inside her chest since last night, but she couldn't think how to translate this into words, so she simply wrote,
Hope you're okay, and Qing
Akko
"Finished," Akko said, getting to her feet just as Blair and Professor Holbrooke stepped out of her office. She handed over the letter, at which Professor Holbrooke eyed the paper thoughtfully."Don't worry, I'll make sure this gets to where it needs to be," she said to Akko kindly, tucking the letter into her jacket. "And how are you doing, Miss Kagari. I heard you had a fight with Miss O'Neill late last afternoon.""She was throwing a tantrum because Nico was chosen instead of her," said Akko, crossing her arms with a loud huff. "It wasn't even her fault. Nico says she didn't do it, and I believe her.""That's good to hear, Miss Kagari," said Professor Holbrooke, smiling. "If you believe her, then never leave her side. The coming days will be very difficult for her and she will need a good friend in her corner."If Akko had thought that matters would improve once everyone got used to the idea of Nico being champion, the following day showed her how mistaken she was. It was clear that the rest of the school, just like Amanda, thought she had rigged the crystal skull to have her name selected, and the school was surprisingly divided on the subject.The Eclipse naturally defended Nico's selection because, even if they did have a bad reputation, they would always protect one of their own, and probably just love rubbing it in Polaris's faces. The Twilight, who were usually on excellent terms with Polaris, had turned remarkably antagonistic toward the whole lot of them. According to Makoto, the majority of the Twilight House was ecstatic to – in their words – see Polaris knocked down a few pegs. Though they had never expressed it in the past, they were beyond frustrated that houses like Polaris, Lunar, and Corona kept stealing all the glory whether it was in school, adventures, or Chariot Racing. Lunar, of course, sided against Nico and vehemently demanded Professor Holbrooke to remove Nico from the team, throwing vicious slander on top of accusations that she had cheated to steal her place on the team. And Corona, in a surprising turn, stood along with Lunar in their demands to have Nico removed, claiming she was dishonorable. And once news started to spread about Nico's possession of the Staff of One, the uproar became twice as loud.As for Polaris House, it seemed that, like the rest of the school, they stood divided among themselves. Akko was grateful that there were some like Jasminka and Lotte who believed her when she said that Nico was innocent in all this, but there were just as many who sided with Amanda like Sucy and Constanze, who argued that Nico stole what was rightfully hers. There was a feeling of tension whenever Akko went into the common room these days as many of her housemates who were once best of friends suddenly turned remarkably cold toward one another overnight. Rajani and Rashmi, both her friends on the Chariot Racing team with whom Akko normally got on very well with, did not talk to Akko when they passed one another nor did Rashmi apologize when she shouldered Akko out of the way. Amanda wasn't talking to Akko either and even seemed to go out of her way just to make Akko's day miserable, just as she did during Herbalism when she "accidentally" lost her grip on the Bouncing Bulb they were repotting and allowed it to smack her in the face.Akko was very grateful to have taken Ursula's advice about switching to Modern Magic. There were a lot fewer people who were caught up in the entire affair, and those who were involved were too busy working on their year-long project to say anything. Even though she was working with Constanze and Barbara, both of whom were on the anti-Nico side, they stowed their opinions away and got to work the same as usual. And Croix, for her part, tried to stifle any chatter that surrounded her student."That's enough chatting, ladies!" Croix shouted loudly, clapping her hands to get their attention. "If you have time to talk, you have time to work! And if you're not working, you're failing my class! You should all be finishing up your Magicite Cores by now and working on the base around it." She strode over to her desk, where a large pile of materials was waiting. "You were asked to requisition the materials you would need for building your Golem. I will be passing out the first supply to each group. Miss Kagari, would you mind helping me with these?"Croix's real intention, however, was to talk to Akko without the rest of the class overhearing. She waited until everyone was distracted with their work, then turned to Akko and said, very gently, "I heard you've been defending Nico. Thanks for that. The girl has a hard-enough time fitting in without the rest of the school coming down on her.""It's no problem," said Akko. "But I wish you would have said something about Nico before.""I had enough of a lecture from Ursula already," said Croix, sighing exasperatedly. "It's not like I wanted to keep her a secret, but – well, I'm sure Blair already explained it to you. The Staff of One has a reputation. People like Org are quick to judge before they even take the time to know them. And after what Tina did…. A child shouldn't have to be punished for the sins of their parent. It's not fair to them.""You still should have said something about it, at least to Professor Ursula," said Akko. "You and my mom are always keeping these big secrets…they're always causing trouble. I wish you would be more open like Professor Ursula about it…."Croix's lips thinned and said nothing. The pair of them walked around the room in silence, handing out the preordered supplies as they were labeled. Akko took the chance to look at her classmates and was relieved to see they hadn't been making the kind of progress that Akko had feared when she first started. If anything, it seemed like Akko's group was already ahead since they had a proper design on the Golem they were going to make, created by Akko, of course. Though she knew that their success was largely in part to Constanze and Barbara, who were the biggest brains in the whole class. At that, Akko felt inadequate. She wished there was more she could have done to contribute to the group; she should at least
know
how their Golem worked. They finished off their rounds at the desk occupied by Akko's group; Constanze and Barbara were already hard at work building the body around the core."Ah, I don't know, Akko," Croix sighed suddenly, looking back down at her with a worried expression on her face. "I can't stop thinking about what Zeref said…everything just seems to happen to you, doesn't it?"Akko didn't answer. Yes, everything did seem to happen to her….The next few days were some of Akko's worst at Luna Nova. The closest she had ever come to feeling like this had been during those months, in her second year, when the school had nearly torn itself apart, trying to find out who was the one attacking their fellow students. But this was much worse. The whole school had literally been split in half over the whole Nico debacle. It felt like the school had become a ticking time bomb, just waiting for something to come along and give them a reason to fight. At least in her second year, Amanda had been by her side. She thought she could have coped with the rest of the school's behavior if she could have had Amanda back as a friend, but she wasn't going to try and persuade Amanda to talk to her if Amanda didn't want to.Then there were the other champions. Makoto and Fate were easy-going about the whole thing; Makoto being naturally more understanding than the next person and Fate honestly not caring about who is champion as long as she got to compete. Diana, however, was another case entirely. She refused to see Akko's side of things. She firmly believed that Nico had tricked the crystal skull into picking her and strongly suspected that she used the Staff of One to do it. That's what it really came down to: The Staff of One. It wasn't the first time that the heir to the Cavendish family had been swept up by the thoughts and opinions of others; even though her closest friends knew the truth, Diana still publicly denied that she was a huge Shiny Chariot fan. Sometimes Akko wondered if Diana cared too much about how other people saw her….Meanwhile there was no reply from Izetta, Akko's predictions in Foretelling were getting grimmer, and she did so badly at metamophasis magic in Professor Finnelan's class that she was given extra homework – the only person to get any."It's really not that difficult, Akko," Lotte tried to reassure her as they left Finnelan's class – she had turned her block of concrete into a perfect rabbit while Diana, of course, had turned a tiny statue into a majestic stallion. "You just weren't concentrating properly – ""Wonder why that is," said Akko darkly as Nico walked ahead. A group of girls were coming from the opposite direction and purposely bumped into Nico, shoving her into the wall, and laughing as they went. Rather than getting back at them, Nico took a deep breath and kept on her path. "Still – never mind, eh? Double pharmaceutics to look forward to this afternoon…."Double pharmaceutics was always a horrible experience, but these days it was nothing short of torture. But this time, Akko wasn't the target, which only made her feel worse. Hex and nearly every student in the class were all determined to punish Nico as much as possible for daring to become school champion, and Akko felt miserable about not being able to do anything about it. I mean, what could she do? It wasn't like she could tell them off and be done with it; they would retaliate, and Amanda would no doubt lead the charge. Still, Nico showed a lot of restraint during these times as she ignored all the pointing, the muttering, and all the cruel attempts at tripping her up as if they were nothing at all. Akko assumed that Nico was just used to it – and she hated the idea that it might be true.When she and Lotte arrived at Hex's dungeon after lunch, they found their classmates waiting outside, each and every one of them wearing a large badge on the front of their tunics. She saw that they all bore a message, in luminous green letters that burned brightly in the dimly lit underground passage:
SUPPORT DIANA CAVENDISH - THE REAL LUNA NOVA CHAMPION!
"Oh, don't give me that look," said Diana immediately to Akko's heated glare as they approached. "You know I had nothing to do with them.""Don't worry, we're not just supporting Diana," Hannah stated as if believing it would make Akko feel better. "We also have ones for you, Makoto, and Fate, too. Here, have one."She did in fact produce a button that said
Support Akko Kagari – the Real Luna Nova Champions.
Well, Akko thought, at least they weren't singling her out again."And that isn't all they do," Barbara added, leaning forward with a cunning smirk. "Give it a tap. Go on, do it."Hesitant, but curious, Akko pressed the button, and the message upon it vanished, to be replaced by another one, which glowed purple:
MINORU SUCKS
Their classmates howled with laughter. Each of them pressed their badges too, until the message
Minoru sucks
was shining brightly all-around Akko. She felt the anger bubbling up in her chest."I thought you were past this kind of stuff, Hannah," Lotte said disappointedly."Hey, don't look at me," said Hannah, waving her arms defensively. "I'm not the one that made them. I got mine when they were handing them out in the hallway, same as everyone else.""Then who was the one who – ?" Akko started when a creeping feeling itched in her brain. She turned slowly, glaring, at Amanda, who was standing against the wall with Constanze and Jasminka, looking pointedly away from Akko's gaze. "Oh, that is
real
mature, Amanda! Why can't you just grow up already? You didn't get picked, so stop being a big crybaby about it!""I don't need to hear that from you, Kagari," said Amanda scathingly. "Now that I think about it, Minoru's not the only one who doesn't deserve to be in the Contest. How could you, the biggest screw up in Luna Nova, get a spot on the team when there are literally a hundred people who could do it better than you, you stupid half-breed!"Several people gasped in the corridor. Everyone present knew that half-breed was a very offensive term to refer to demi-humans that come from normal families. Akko had heard it once or twice in her life, but never from Amanda. Some of the anger Akko had been feeling for days and days seemed to burst through a dam in her chest. She had reached for her wand before she'd thought what she was doing. People all around them scrambled out of the way, backing down the corridor."Akko!" Diana said warningly."Go on, then, Kagari," Amanda said quietly, drawing out her own wand. "Zeref's not here to get in the way this time – do it, if you have the guts – "For a split second, they looked into each other's eyes, then, at exactly the same time, both acted."Metamorphie Faciesse!" Akko yelled."Slonhon Deance!" screamed Amanda.Jets of light shot from both wands, hit each other in midair, and ricochet off at angles – Akko's hit Hannah in the face, and Amanda's hit Sucy. Hannah whinnied with a fright, since her head had turned into a horse – Sucy glared at the two venomously as a large yellow flower sprouted from her left nostril."You do realize I'm going to kill you both, right?" Sucy swore in a low and sinister voice."And what is all this noise about?" said a soft, deadly voice.Professor Hex had arrived. Everyone stood rooted in their place in silence; Hex pointed a white finger at Diana and said, "Explain.""Akko and Amanda were having another fight," Diana answered dutifully. "They drew their wands and cast spells, but they collided and bounced off, hitting Hannah and Sucy with their respective magics."Hex examined Hannah's horse-face as she fruitlessly tried to cover it with her small hands, then to Sucy and the flower that seemed to be growing from her nose to cover half her face."Hospital wing, both of you," Professor Hex calmly. Hannah turned on her heel and ran as fast as the animal she was partially transformed into; Sucy settled with a slow walk like she couldn't be bothered with hurrying. Hex then turned on Akko and Amanda, giving them both a low grumble as he spoke. "As for you two…let me see…. Fifty points from Polaris and detention each. Now get inside, or it'll be a week's worth of detentions."Akko's ears were ringing. The anger that had boiled inside Akko's chest was still there and it didn't seem like it would be going away any time soon. She passed Professor Hex, walked with Lotte to the back of the dungeon, and slammed her bag down onto the table. Lotte tried rubbing her back and speaking softly in her ear in an attempt to calm her, but not even her best friend's heavenly voice could bring Akko back this time. She leered at the opposite end of the dungeon where Amanda had purposely led Constanze and Jasminka to the farthest table away from Akko. When Hex's back was turned, she pressed her badge, sticking out her tongue childishly.
Minoru Sucks
flashed once more across the room."Antidotes!" said Professor Hex once the lesson began, looking around at them all, his cold black eyes glittering unpleasantly. "You should have all haver prepared your recipes now. I want you to brew them carefully, and then, we will be selecting someone on whom to test one…."Hex's eyes met Akko's, and Akko knew what was coming. Hex was going to poison
her. Akko felt like she should mention that she's completely immune to all poisons thanks to Sucy's constant experiments, but she was sure he'd use magic to find a way around it.But just then, a knock came from the dungeon door.It was Chinatsu; she edged into the room, beaming at Akko, and walked up to Professor Hex's desk at the front of the room."Yes?" said Professor Hex curtly."Please, sir, I'm supposed to take Diana Cavendish and Atsuko Kagari upstairs."Professor Hex stared down at Chinatsu, whose smile faded from her eager face."Cavendish and Kagari have another hour of lessons to complete," said Professor Hex coldly. "They will come upstairs when this class is finished."Chinatsu went pink."Sir – sir, Professor Holbrooke wants her," she said nervously. "All the champions have got to go, I think they want to take photos…."Akko would have given anything she owned to have stopped Chinatsu saying those last few words. She chanced half a glance at Amanda, but Amanda was staring determinedly at the ceiling."Very well, very well," Professor Hex snapped. "Cavendish, Kagari, leave your things here, I want you back down here later to test your antidotes.""Please, sir – they've got to take their things with them," squeaked Chinatsu. "All the champions – ""Very
well!" said Professor Hex. "You two – take your bags and get out of my sight!"Akko swung her bag over her shoulder, got up, and followed Diana out the door."It's amazing, isn't it, Kagari-senpai?" said Chinatsu, starting to speak the moment they had closed the door behind them. "Isn't it, though? Being a champion?""Yeah, I guess so," said Akko heavily as they set off toward the steps into the entrance hall. "What do they want photos for?""To put in the news," said Diana listlessly. "The Contest of Champions is a very big deal. Everyone in the world is going to be watching, so they want to get as much data on the champions as soon as possible. Just promise, Akko, that you won't say anything stupid or embarrassing.""How long have we known each other?" said Akko."Good luck!" said Chinatsu when they had reached the right room. Diana knocked on the door and they entered.They were in a fairly small classroom; most of the desks had been pushed away to the back of the room, leaving a large space in the middle; three of them, however, had been placed end-to-end in front of a blackboard and covered with a long length of mint-green cloth. Six chairs had been set behind the cloth-covered desks, and Professor Holbrooke was sitting in one of them, talking to a blonde woman in glasses that Akko had never seen before.Nico Minoru was standing moodily in the corner, pouting as Croix fussed with her hair trying to straighten it with a brush. Makoto and Professor Akane were in conversation. Makoto looked a great deal happier than Akko had seen her so far; Professor Akane ruffled her little sister's hair, making her whine. Fate was standing off to the side of the room, taking deep calming breaths while Professor Cosmos was massaging her shoulders gently. A paunchy man holding a camera was watching Professor Cosmos out of the corner of his eyes."What're the teachers doing here?" Akko whispered to Diana."I imagine the Heads of Houses were asked to attend as well, since the team consists of a member from each house," said Diana.Ursula and Professor Finnelan suddenly appeared and bounded forward to meet them."Ah, good, there you are!" said Professor Finnelan urgently. "In you come, girls, in you come….""It's nothing to worry about," said Ursula, pulled Akko by her shoulder while also trying to flatten her wild hair. "We're just doing some photos for the news and getting your team uniforms, nothing too big today – ""Team uniforms?" Akko repeated curiously."Naturally, we would want the Luna Nova team to have uniforms, to signify their solidarity," said Ursula. Akko wondered if the astronomy teacher was even remotely aware of the rest of the school's feelings towards Nico. "The dressmaker is upstairs now gathering all her things. And this is Quattro Scaglietti," gesturing towards the bespectacled blonde woman. "She's doing a small piece on the Contest for the news….""Maybe not
that
small, professor," said Quattro, her eyes shifting hungrily towards Diana. "I wonder if I could have a little word with Miss Cavendish before we start? A little one-on-one interview with her, you know…to add a bit of color?""Certainly!" cried Professor Finnelan. "That is – if Miss Cavendish has no objections?""Why just me?" said Diana immediately. "What about the other champions? Shouldn't they be interviewed too.""Well, they're all quite busy," said Quattro, gesturing around the room. "And it wouldn't take too long. Just a little word.""What about Akko?" said Diana. She sounded so desperate, like she didn't want to be left alone with the bespectacled woman. "She's not busy. You could interview her as well. She's a champion as well, and a good friend.""Eh?" Akko stammered."Very well, then," said Quattro, and in a second, her hands had Akko and Diana's upper arms in a surprisingly strong grip, and she was steering them out of the room again and opening a nearby door."We don't want to be in there with all that noise," she said. "Let's see…ah, yes, this is nice and cozy."It was a broom cupboard. Akko stared at her."Come along, girls – that's right – lovely," said Quattro again, perching herself precariously upon an upturned bucket, pushing Akko and Diana down onto a cardboard box to where they were squished shoulder to shoulder. Akko's face was burning from being in close proximity of the Cavendish girl. And before Quattro closed the door, throwing them into darkness, Akko could have shown Diana's cheeks were slightly pink. "Let's see now…"Akko couldn't see what she was doing in the dark space, but the next thing she knew, the cupboard was washed in a pale-blue light that was coming from the holographic screen that popped into existence between them."You won't mind, Diana, if I use a Quick-Quotes Program? It leaves me free to talk to you normally….""I hardly think my opinion would make any difference," said Diana coldly.Quattro's smile widened. She tapped the screen and a little chibi-Quattro appeared on the screen, waving playfully to theM. The computer avatar accessed one of the ports on the screen and opened up a blank word document. The chibi-Quattro then digitized a desk and a keyboard into existence, cracking its knuckles and shaking its fingers, looking eagerly at the group."Testing…my name is Quattro Scaglietti, correspondent reporter."Akko looked up quickly at the screen. The moment Quattro had spoken, chibi-Quattro had started tapping the keyboard, forming the sentences that appeared on the document in the background.
Beautiful and vivacious Quattro Scaglietti, thirty-two, whose savage pen has punctured many inflated reputations –
"Lovely," said Quattro, yet again, and she swiped the screen and cleared the document. Now she leaned toward the girls, more to Diana than Akko, "So, Diana…what made you decide to enter the Contest of Champions?Diana didn't answer for she had become distracted by the computer avatar. Even though she wasn't speaking, the chibi reporter was typing madly across the document, and in its wake, Akko could make out a fresh sentence:
Behind her pretty face, Diana Cavendish is weighed by a tragic past and a heavy legacy, her eyes shimmer –
"Ignore the computer, Diana," said Quattro firmly. Reluctantly, Diana looked up at her instead. "Now – why did you decide to enter the Contest, Diana?""I can't imagine any who wouldn't," said Diana calmly. Akko could tell she had much practice with nosy reporters. "To bring glory and honor to one's school is to honor those who have come before and will come after. To create a legacy that will be passed down through many generations.""How…noble," said Quattro, frowning. That was obviously not what she wanted to hear."Well, I entered the Contest because – " Akko started, but was promptly cut off by Quattro."What do you think of Minoru? Rumor has it that she cheated to get her way onto the team? And that the school is allowing it to shift the odds in their favor? Can you confirm this? Do you think Minoru should be kicked off for such blatant violation of the rules?""There is…no confirmation that she cheated," said Diana through gritted teeth. That actually surprised Akko, considering her stance on the matter. "And no, the teachers would never resort to cheating to get their way. Each and every student in Luna Nova is more than capable.""Is that right…," Quattro hummed."Well, I think – " Akko tried to speak once more, but Quattro pressed forward."How do you feel about the games ahead?" said Quattro. "Excited? Nervous?""I have mentally prepared myself for any conceivable outcome," said Diana coolly. "That being said, the Grand Master is a tricky one. So…I suppose it would be reasonable to be nervous."The chibi-Quattro continued to type at an alarming pace; Akko could actually hear the furious tapping of the keyboard on screen."Of course, your mother died when you were at a very impressionable age, didn't she?" said Quattro, watching her closely. "Would you say that it has affected you in any way?""What?" said Diana in a low, cold voice."Do you think the trauma of losing a loved one might have made you keen to prove yourself? To live up to your name? Do you think that perhaps the real reason you entered the Contest of Champions is because – ""Stop talking," said Diana, speaking through gritted teeth."Can you remember your mother at all?" said Quattro, talking over her."That's none of your business," Diana hissed."How do you think she'd feel if she knew you were competing in the Contest of Champions? Proud? Worried? Angry?""You – ""SHUT UP!" Akko snapped before she even realized it, making Diana and Quattro jump. "Who the hell do you think you are asking a personal question like that? What do you know about Diana's mom? How is Diana supposed to know how she would feel? Diana doesn't have to say anything to you about her family if she doesn't want to, you self-centered mother – "Before Akko could finish tearing into Quattro, the door of the broom cupboard was pulled open. Akko looked around, blinking in the bright light. A young girl, at least fourteen years of age, with honey-blonde hair dressed in gothic Lolita clothing stood there, looking at all three of them, squashed in the cupboard. Her eyes fell upon Quattro and her lips curled into a sneer."Quattro Scaglietti," she hissed venomously."Annabelle Crème!" cried Quattro, with every appearance of delight – but Akko noticed that her computer screen had suddenly vanished. "How are you?" she said, standing up holding out one of her slender manicured hands to Annabelle Crème. "I hope you saw my piece over the summer about the latest addition to your latest novel series.""Expectedly nasty," said Annabelle Crème "I particularly enjoyed your description of me as a clueless washout with the penmanship of a blind pauper."Quattro didn't look remotely abashed."I was just making the point that your latest works have fallen below their usual standards, Annabelle, and that many people in the street – ""I don't think I need the opinion of a two-bit old hag who couldn't even make it as a real writer," said Annabelle Crème, with overdramatic bow and a mocking grin. "And as much as I would love to exchange barbs with you, I am afraid we will have to discuss this later. Miss Kagari and Miss Cavendish are needed for their fittings."Very glad to get away from Quattro, Akko grabbed Diana's hand and hurried out of the cupboard following straight behind Annabelle Crème, who looked like she had a new spring in her step."Thanks for getting us out of there, Professor Crème," said Akko appreciatively."Believe me, it was my pleasure," said Annabelle Crème. "When I heard that skank was in the castle, I knew I had to find her before she sunk her claws in my students. You should know that she has a reputation for printing lies in order to sell a story. I've had to deal with her at every book signing and novel release party since I inherited Annabelle Crème's pen. Oh, what I wouldn't give to see her get what she deserves…."They walked back into the room where the other champions were now sitting in chairs near the door while the teachers were sitting behind the cloth-covered table. Annabelle Crème scurried around the table to whisper something to Professor Holbrooke; the headmistress frowned and shook her head. Akko started to walk over to the seats with the rest of the champions when she was pulled back suddenly. Diana was still holding her hand, but she was looking down almost shyly. Akko wasn't imagining it this time when she saw that the blonde's cheeks were dusted pink."Thanks…for what you said back there," said Diana, still not meeting Akko's eye. "I really appreciate it.""Hey…it was no problem," said Akko, suddenly feeling very nervous herself. "I wouldn't let anyone talk to you like that…."Diana gave a small smile and squeezed her hand before she let go. They walked over to sit with the rest of the champions; Diana was seated between Makoto and Fate and Akko sat on Nico's left side. Unfortunately, Quattro came into the room as well and settled herself down in a corner; Akko watched her pull out her holographic computer again and accessed the documents once more."May I introduce Miss Alexia O'Neill?" said Professor Holbrooke, standing up on her seat so everyone could see her. "She will be doing the fittings for your new team uniforms. Miss O'Neill is the creator and top designer for the Shiny Ray brand. I am sure you will be pleased with the results."Akko looked around, and with a jolt of surprise saw a tall and buxom woman with long, curly blonde hair that resembled liquid gold standing quietly by the window. Akko, who knew nothing of fashion, could say that she was the trendiest person she had ever met, with her unique ensemble of orange and yellows that she couldn't even begin to describe. It suddenly struck Akko that Alexia was the only one of Amanda's sisters she had never met – she was busy usually running a worldwide chain of clothing stores."Mademoiselle Testarossa, would you like to go first?" said Amelia with a faint, French accent, stepping into the empty space in the middle of the room.Fate swept over to Alexia, looking a little nervous at being stared at by so many people."Hmm…," said Alexia. She leaned in close to Fate, inspecting her with a critical eye as she walked around. She weaved a length of Fate's golden hair between her fingers and let them go delicately. "Yes…a little taller than the others, but thin and nimble…something with thin material, no doubt, for higher maneuverability…I think a cape would also do well, give you a nice princely look…. I heard you use a Barrier Jacket. Who made it?""My mother and my caretaker, Rynith," said Fate. "They also my Bardiche for me.""I see…," said Alexia. "Well, your mom and caretaker know how to make functional clothes, just not fashionable. Hmm…yes, I know exactly what to make you."Alexia whipped out her own wand, twirled around in the air, then she muttered, "Metamorphie Vestesse!" and Fate suddenly exploded in a puff of smoke. When the haze cleared, Fate was wearing an athletic bodysuit made from a thin, egg-white material with golden lines running down the front and a leather belt around her waist. In addition to the metal boots and gauntlets, she had a flowing white cape with the emblem of Luna Nova stitched on the back."Not a bad job, all things told," said Alexia, looking very satisfied. "I made the material light for high maneuverability while adding the cape not only for dramatic purposes, but as a way of distracting the other players. Yes, yes, you'll do quite fine in that. Now, Mademoiselle Minoru, you're next."Fate glided back to her seat, smiling, as Nico walked past her, looking sour herself."Ah, I see you got that whole gothic thing going for you," said Alexia, touching her chin, tilting her head back and forth thoughtfully as she stepped around Nico. "You probably wanted to go with black colors, but I think we should stick with white, you know, as a team color scheme. Probably something with layers – you look like you enjoy layers, yes? Maybe a hood to give you that mysterious vibe. What do you think?""I honestly don't care at this point," said Nico, sighing irritably.Not at all put out by Nico's negative comment, she waved her wand, muttered "Metamorphie Vestesse!" and poofed up another cloud for Nico. The gothic girl emerged wearing a heavy-looking white coat with a lot of thick padded around the arms and shoulders and matching white boots. A tattered purple cloth wrapped around her waist like a cape, a purple outline around the rim of her hood, and the symbol of Luna Nova etched on her chest like a hero's emblem. The only thing different was that her left sleeve was made entirely of metal bondings all leading towards her artificial hand."Though it might do you well to give you a little more protection if that hand is any indication of what you get up to," said Alexia as Nico looked herself over. "I also thought I could increase the strength of that same hand in case someone gets a little too close for comfort and…you don't really care, do you?" Nico shook her head. "Well then, Mademoiselle Kowata, you're up."Makoto all but jumped out of her seat, greatly excited as she ran past Nico, who slouched in her chair looking grumpy as usual. She looked like she was about to burst with glee as Alexia gave her the walk around."Your family is a traditional type, correct?" said Alexia. "Still using the older methods of magic, if I remember correctly. Not that there's anything wrong with it – makes the magic much more potent – but it does leave a lot to be desired in the combat department. You don't have a lot of experience fighting, do you?""We had a dueling club in our second year," said Makoto sheepishly. "My opponent sat on me.""Hmm…you might be better off sticking with potions and basic spells," Alexia told her. "That being said, perhaps something on the more protective side…maybe a little storage pouch…yes, yes…I think I got it….
Metamorphie Vestesse!"Another puff of smoke and Makoto looked down admiring her new clothes. She was wearing a white tunic with golden markings around the hem and cuffs, a pair of form-fitting black tights concealed by knee-high white boots, and a small pale-colored hood that only covered her head and shoulders. She had a large storage bag strapped to the back of her leather belt which bore a golden buckle in the shape of the Luna Nova crest. She reminded Akko of the white mages from those Final Fantasy games she played with her friends as a kid."I decided to take a more traditional route with this one," said Alexia. "It favors maneuverability and the ability to store large amounts of potions and magical items, hence the bag. You don't look like you would do well in a fight, so it's best if you prepare…. All right, Mademoiselle Cavendish, if you please?"While Makoto bounced back to her seat, Diana stood up slowly, stepping forward with her hands folded in front of her like she was at some formal event. A wide smile broke out on Alexia's face as she stood before her, clapping her hands in eagerness."Oh, yes, this is the one I have been looking forward to the most," said Alexia with great enthusiasm as she took many quick steps around Diana. "Yes, a little on the small side than what I was expecting, but you are definitely giving off a lot of power. Yes…anything you wear would be perfect, there is no doubt about that. But…I have something special in mind for you…. I've been working on it since I found out you were picked…. Now then…
Metamorphie Vestesse!"Another poof of smoke and Diana suddenly stood before everyone in her new attire. There was a lot of gasping from the teachers; Akko could practically hear the frenzied typing on Quattro's computer. Honestly, Akko didn't think it looked that much different from what Diana normally wore. Her school tunic was the same, but was now pure white with a powder-blue belt. The only things that were different was the cape made of animal fur that was draped heavily over her shoulders and her pointed hat was lined with animal fur and was adorned with a beast's skull. Diana blinked curiously at all the stares until Alexia produced a mirror with a wand and Diana gasped at her reflection."This is…,""I decided to make an outfit modeled after the attire worn by your ancestor, Beatrix Cavendish," said Alexia proudly. "It took me weeks of research to figure out what type of animal fur Beatrix used for her wardrobe. Would you believe they actually came from spirit foxes? Spent the better part of four days hunting down the little bastards, but I think the results were well worth it, don't you?""You have done a magnificent job," said Diana, smiling happily. "To wear the same clothes of my ancestor fills me with so much pride that you couldn't understand. Thank you.""It was no problem at all," said Alexia, grinning. "And that just leaves…Mademoiselle Kagari."Akko got to her feet and walked past Diana to Alexia, who suddenly held up her hand to stop Akko, smirking."Oh, I don't need to look at you to know what kind of outfit you're looking for," she said. "My sister talked a lot about you in her letters. You've been a good friend to her over the years, so I thought I would make you a present, though I hadn't had the chance to give it to you since I was always so busy with work. But this is a perfect opportunity. You can wear it as your uniform in the Contest. Just my way of saying thank you for all the nice things you've done for Amanda over the years."Akko felt an overwhelming sense of guilt bubbling in her stomach. She wondered if she should mention that she and Amanda were no longer on speaking terms. Alexia wouldn't get upset and give Akko terrible clothes in return, would she?Before she could say anything, Alexia waved her wand and cried, "Metamorphie Vestesse!" and consumed Akko in a puff of smoke. Akko felt very strange; it was like her clothes had suddenly melted and were poured back on her in a different shape. When the fog had cleared, Akko blinked and looked around at their reactions. Diana's eyes had gone wide in wonderment while Croix grinned proudly and Ursula looked like she was on the verge of crying; Professor Finnelan lips thinned the narrowest Akko had ever seen them. Curious as to what she looked like, Akko flipped around to the mirror and exhaled a surprised, and joyous, gasp.Looking into her reflection, Akko could see herself donning a white jacket with long sleeves that puffed out at the cuffs and a pair of rounded coattails, a red skirt held up by a leather belt with the Luna Nova crest as a buckle, and a pair of thigh-high blue stockings with red-heeled white boots. A long, flowing red cape was buckled around her shoulders and a pointed hat topped her head with a golden star in the middle. Akko had seen this very same costume in every dream she had and every time she looked at the poster hanging on the wall next to her bed.She looked just like Shiny Chariot."I take your awed silence is a way of saying you like it?" asked Alexia teasingly. Akko, too happy to speak, just nodded. "Another satisfied customer…. And that concludes my work for the day.""Thank you for coming, Miss O'Neill," said Professor Holbrooke, standing up at the teachers' table. "And thank you, students, for your cooperation. You may go back to your lessons now – or perhaps it would be quicker just to go down to dinner, as they are about to end – "Akko felt like she could dance; she absolutely loved her new uniform – it was better than the costume she made for Halloween – and was especially grateful that, at last, something had gone right today. Akko walked over to follow her teammates out the door, but the man with the camera jumped up and cleared his throat."Photos, Holbrooke, photos!" cried Quattro excitedly. "All the teachers and champions. And then perhaps some individual shots."The photos took a long time. Professor Holbrooke was so much shorter than everyone else that she was cut out of nearly every picture, and the photographer couldn't stand back far enough without losing her in the crowd of her taller students; eventually they had her stand on a stool and stood awkwardly over Fate and Diana's shoulders. Croix kept twirling a lock of her hair to give it that wavy look; Nico skulked, half-hidden, at the back of the group. The photographer seemed keenest to get Professor Cosmos at the front, but Quattro kept hurrying forward and dragging Diana into greater prominence. Then she insisted on separate shots of all the champions. At last, they were free to go.Akko and her teammates decided to go down to dinner in their uniforms to an uproarious applause from the rest of the school, who were asking to take selfies with the champions. No one even mocked Akko for dressing up like Shiny Chariot; they were just excited that she was representing them. After a hearty meal and conversation with her classmates, Akko returned to Polaris Tower, her mood slightly soured when thinking of all the extra work on metamorphosis magic she had to do. Up in the dormitory, she came across Amanda. The youngest of the O'Neill sisters looked her up and down in her new uniform, scowling."You got a letter," said Amanda brusquely. She was pointing at Akko's pillow. There was a folded piece of paper sitting in the middle of it."Oh – right," said Akko."And we've got to do our detentions tomorrow night, Hex's dungeon," said Amanda.She then walked straight out of the room, not looking at Akko. For a moment, Akko considered going after her – she wasn't sure whether she wanted to talk to her or hit her, both seemed quite appealing – but the lure of Izetta's answer was too strong. Akko strode over to her bed, took the letter off her pillow, and unfolded it.
Akko –
I can't say everything I would like to in a letter, it's too risky in case the message
is intercepted – we need to talk directly. Can you ensure that you are alone by the
fire in Polaris Tower at one o'clock in the morning on November 22nd?
I know better than anyone that you can look after yourself, and while you're around
Holbrooke and Zeref I don't think anyone will be able to hurt you. However, someone
seems to be having a good try. The Shiny Rod and Staff of One have not been together
for fourteen years and the last time they met, it ended horribly for all sides. Entering
you and Minoru together would have been very risky, especially right under
Holbrooke's nose.
Be on the watch, Akko. I still want to hear about anything unusual. Let me know about November 22nd as quickly as you can.
Izetta
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The prospect of talking to Izetta was all that sustained Akko over the next fortnight, the only bright spot on a horizon that had never looked darker. The shock of that first night after the champions were selected had worn off slightly now, and the worry of what was facing them had started to sink in. The first game of the Contest was drawing closer; she felt as though it were crouching ahead of her like some horrific monster, barring her path. She had never suffered nerves like these; they were way beyond anything she had experienced before Chariot Race, not even her last one, which had been an intense battle between her and Fate to decide who would win the Chariot Cup. Akko was finding it hard to think about the future at all; she felt as though her whole life had been leading up to this….Admittedly, she didn't see how Izetta was going to make her feel better about having to perform an unknown piece of difficult and dangerous magic in front of hundreds of people, but the mere sight of a friendly face would be something at the moment. Akko wrote back to Izetta saying that she would be beside the common room fire at the time Izetta had suggested, and she and Lotte spent a long time going over plans for forcing any stragglers out of the common room on the night in question. If worst came to worse, they were going to drop a bag of stink bombs, but they hoped they wouldn't have to resort to that – Elma would skin them alive.In the meantime, life had taken a strange turn within the confines of the castle, for Quattro Scaglietti had published her piece about the Contest of Champions, and it had turned out to be not so much a report on the Contest as a highly colored life story on Diana. Much of the front page had been given over to a picture of Diana; the article (continuing on pages two, six, and seven) had been all about Diana, Nico had a whole paragraph to herself about how she (allegedly) cheated to enter the Contest, the names of Fate and Makoto (misspelled) had been squashed into the last line of the article, and Akko hadn't been mentioned at all.The article had appeared ten days ago, and Akko still got a sick, burning feeling of anger in her stomach every time she thought about it. Quattro Scaglietti had reported Diana saying an awful lot of things that she couldn't remember ever saying in the years she had known Diana, let alone in that broom cupboard.
I suppose I get my strength from my mother. I know she'd
be very proud of me if she could see me now…Yes, sometimes
at night I still cry about her, I'm not ashamed to admit it….
I know nothing will hurt me during the Contest, because
she's watching over me….
But Quattro Scaglietti had gone even further than transforming Diana's quick and calculated words into long, sickly sentences: She had interviewed other people about her too.
Diana has at last found love at Luna Nova. Though she is
arranged to be married to Lord Andrew Hanbridge as
an act of unity between two species, that does not mean
that there is love shared between the two. Indeed, according
to her close friend, Hannah England, Diana is rarely seen
out of the company of one Echo Cat-Tree, a Japanese witch
raised by Human parents who, like Diana, is one of the top
students in the school.
From the moment the article had appeared, Akko had to endure a great number of people teasing her over that fact that she was in love with Diana (which was, in fact, true and everyone knew it) and were constantly quoting it at her as she passed and making cackling remarks."Hey, Echo, you looking for Cavendish? When's the wedding?""Since when have you been one of the top students in the school, Echo? Or does this only count towards private lessons between you and Cavendish?"Akko could endure the taunting over her lack of mentioning in the Contest, her name getting butchered in the paper, or even that she was the farthest thing from being the best student in school. After four years, she had come to accept that she was quite possibly the worst student to set foot in Luna Nova with an award-winning record for the most unintended destruction caused on campus. But her feelings for Diana, though blatantly obvious, were out for the whole world to know and Akko thought she was going to die of embarrassment.Diana had come in for her fair share of unpleasantness too, but she was far more composed about it than Akko was; in fact, Akko was full of admiration for the way she was handling the situation."Need a hanky, Diana, in case you start tearing up in Alchemy?" Barbara had immediately taunted her from the first moment she came face-to-face with Diana after Quattro's article had appeared."If that is truly the best you can muster," Diana said in a dignified voice, holding her head in the air and stalking past the snickering students, "then you may wish to look for some new material. I think there is an 'Insults for Dummies' guide in the library."But having her near confession in the paper was the least of Akko's worries. Amanda hadn't spoken to her at all since she told her about Hex's detention. Akko had half hoped they would make things up during the two hours they were forced to pickle rats' brains in Hex's dungeon, but that had been the day Quattro's article appeared and Amanda wasted no time throwing insult after insult until Akko was too fed up to say anything.Lotte, and by extension Sucy, were getting very annoyed with the pair; she went from one to the other, trying to convince them to talk to each other, but Akko was adamant: She would talk to Amanda again only if Amanda would grow up and apologize to Nico for becoming the school champion instead of her."I didn't start this," Akko said stubbornly. "It's her problem.""You miss her!" Lotte said impatiently. "And I
know
she misses you – ""Miss her?" said Akko. "I don't
miss her…."But this was a downright lie. Lotte and Sucy were her best friends, her first friends even, but it wasn't the same as hanging out with Amanda. There was a lot less laughter, a lot less plotting mischief, and a lot more hanging around in the library and a lot more poison samples to see if there was anything that could break Akko's immunity. Akko still hadn't mastered the metamorphosis spell, which Blair had claimed on multiple instances that Akko had a natural affinity for, but she seemed to have developed something of a block around it. They consequently spent a lot of time poring over books during the lunchtimes trying to work it out.Fu Inubozaki from Sanshu Middle School was in the library an awful lot too, and Akko wondered what she was up to. Was she studying, or was she looking for things to help them in the first game. Sucy was always the first one to notice Fu every single time, almost like radar. When their eyes met, Fu immediately looked away and buried her nose in the book she was holding (which was usually upside-down) and walked away, but always took a noticeable glance backwards before she disappeared around the corner.Akko then remembered what Eruna Ichinomiya had said her first night here and leaned over the table, whispering to Sucy in a hushed voice:"Sucy, do you have a crush on Fu?"She and Lotte instantly ducked under the table when Sucy, quick as lightning, reached into her cloak and threw a bottle of acid over their heads, her face displaying an interesting amount of color.It was a strange thing, but when you are dreading something, and would give anything to slow down time, it has a disobliging habit of speeding up. The days until the first game seemed to slip by as though someone had fixed the clocks to work at double speed. Akko's feeling of barely controlled panic was with her wherever she went, as ever-present as the teasing comments about the news article.On the Saturday before the first game, all students in the third year and above were permitted to visit the town of Blytonbury. Lotte told Akko that it would do her good to get away from the castle for a bit, and Akko didn't need persuasion."What about Constanze and Jasminka?" she said. "Aren't they coming with us?""Oh…well…" Lotte went slightly pink. "I thought we might meet up with them at the Rabbit House…with Amanda….""No," said Akko flatly."Oh Akko, this is so stupid – ""I'll come, but I'm not meeting Amanda, and I'm wearing the Ring of Gyges.""Ugh, fine," Sucy groaned irritably, "but if you try anything while you're invisible, I'll shove a bottle of bleach down your throat."So Akko put on the Ring of Gyges in the dormitory, went back downstairs, and together she, Lotte, and Sucy set off for Blytonbury.Akko felt wonderfully free when she wore the Ring; she watched other students walking past them as they entered the town, most of them sporting the
Minoru Sucks
badges, but no teasing remarks came her way, and nobody was quoting that stupid article."People keep looking at
us
now," said Lotte grumpily as they came out of Ama Usa An later, eating chocolate drizzled dango. "They think we're talking to nobody.""Maybe if you wouldn't keep talking so loud," Sucy remarked."But I can never tell where Akko is," said Lotte exasperatedly. "Come on, Akko, please just take off the Ring for a minute, no one's going to bother you here.""Oh yeah?" said Akko. "Look behind you."Quattro Scagleitti and her photographer friend had just emerged from the Rabbit House. Talking in low voices, they passed right by Lotte and Sucy without looking at them. Akko backed into the wall of Ama Usa An to stop Quattro Scaglietti from hitting her with her handbag. When they were gone, Akko said, "She's staying in town. I bet she's coming to watch the first game.As she said it, her stomach flooded with a wave of molten panic. She hadn't mentioned this; she and the other champions hadn't discussed what was coming in the first game much; they were all preoccupied by the drama surrounding Nico."She's gone," said Sucy, looking right through Akko toward the end of the street. "Why don't we go and get some coffee in the Rabbit House? Anything to get out of this freezing weather. You don't have to talk to O'Neill! She added irritably, correctly interpreting her silence.The Rabbit House was packed, mainly with students who came from all eight schools enjoying their free afternoon. It was hard to move through the crowds with the Ring of Gyges on, in case you accidentally trod on someone, which tended to lead to awkward questions. Akko edged slowly towards a spare table in the corner with Lotte while Sucy went to buy drinks. On her way through the coffee house, Akko spotted Amanda, who was sitting with Constanze, Jasminka, and Wangari. Resisting the urge to give Amanda a good hard poke in the back of the head, she finally reached the table and sat down at it.Sucy joined them a moment later and watched the mug disappear into thin air when Akko grabbed its handle."You know people are gonna be suspicious," she said, taking her seat on Akko's left, opposite of Lotte, "if they see us sitting here alone in the corner and not talking. And you know O'Neill's gonna figure out you're wearing the Ring – the only reason Lotte and I hang out is because of you.""Hey!" Lotte whined."You know it's true," said Sucy, sipping her coffee."Well, I can't speak for you, but I at least brought something to occupy my time," said Lotte proudly.And she pulled out a notebook, which, when Lotte opened it, was filled from top to bottom with thick passages of words, almost like a book. Akko leaned over for a better look. Everything was completely handwritten – there were a few scratched out sentences and several comments in the margin written in red ink like "elaborate this point", "grammatical error", or "too long, shorten it.""Lotte, what is all this?" asked Akko as she turned the page, which was also completely full."It's a short story I'm writing for my year-long project in my Advanced Magic Linguistics class," Lotte said thoughtfully, looking around the coffeehouse"That's Professor Crème's class, right?" said Akko, taking a swing of blue mountain. "You said you wanted to be a writer like her, didn't you?""Yeah, but I'm having a lot of trouble making it work," said Lotte, frowning and tapping her notebook with her pen. "My working title for it is 'Ninjas of Love', but I don't know the first thing about ninjas other than what I've seen on television…. Akko, you're Japanese, can't you tell me what ninjas are like?""Ninjas are pretty old school – you can't just find them walking down the street," said Akko. "The only ninja I ever met was Andrew's maid, Mari. Hey, maybe if you're lucky, she'll come back to kill me again."Lotte lapsed into thoughtful silence, while Sucy drank her coffee silently and Akko took the time to observe the people in the coffeehouse. All of them looked cheerful and relaxed. The pink-haired girl from Myojo Academy was playing the pocky game with her redhead companion at a nearby table, neither of them looking like they were going to break off. A green-haired boy from U.A. High was sitting alone across the room, pouring over his notebook and muttering under his breath in a very creepy way. Eruna Ichinomiya was poking fun at a tiny brunette girl who called her 'Eruna-senpai' and laughed when Bimii slipped off her shoulder into the mug of coffee. Right over by the door she saw Satsuki Kiryuin delicately sipping her drink while chatting contently with a punk-looking girl with a red highlight in her hair. It seemed like everyone from the other schools were doing okay….She wondered how her teammates were feeling. Every time she had seen Fate, lately, she had been surrounded by admirers and looking nervous but excited. Akko glimpsed Makoto from time to time in the corridors; she seemed very wound up and jumped at the slightest noises lately. Nico was always off on her own in some dark corner, trying to drown out the rest of the world. And Diana looked exactly as she always did, haughty and unruffled.Akko thought of Izetta, and the tight, tense knot in her chest seemed to ease slightly. She would be speaking to her in just over twelve hours, for tonight was the night they were meeting at the common room fire – assuming nothing went wrong, as everything usually did…."Isn't that your boyfriend, Lotte?" Sucy asked suddenly.Akko and Lotte both straightened up in attention as two men emerged from the crowd. That head of carefully groomed hair was unmistakable compared to the rest of the patrons that looked like they had come straight out of animes. And, as Akko had suspected, he was with Andrew Hanbridge as both of them walked up to the counter to order. While they waited for their order, Frank was looking around the new crowd with fascination; Frank loved everything that had to do with magic, which was one of the many traits that led him to Lotte. Andrew, on the other hand, leaned back against the counter, tilting his head back and staring up at the ceiling as if he couldn't be bothered.It suddenly occurred to Akko that they were in town on a visit as well – Appleton, the Human school they attended, was on the opposite end of the city from Luna Nova's Ley Line terminal and allowed their students to visit the town on certain weekends as well. Unfortunately, Luna Nova and Appleton had a lot of bad blood between them because Appleton still held on to many anti-Demi-Human practices and was rumored to be a recruiting ground for Purifiers.When one of the girls came back and gave them their coffees in to-go cups, they turned to leave when Frank suddenly paused, causing Andrew to almost run into him. His eyes seemed to zero in on their table, or more specifically, on Lotte. A wide, excited grin spread across his face. Should've expected this, Akko thought. He clapped Andrew on the arm, much to the taller man's annoyance, muttered something to him, and then the pair of them made their way back across the coffeehouse toward their table."Hello, Miss Yanson," Frank said automatically when they reached the table. "Lovely to see you here.""Hello, Frank," said Lotte, smiling back."A good afternoon to you, Miss Manbavaran," said Andrew formally, nodding in Sucy's direction. Sucy made an indulgent noise before Andrew turned his head to the seat where Akko was sitting. "And a good afternoon to you as well, Miss Kagari."Akko nearly spilled her coffee all down her front, choking in surprise. She set her coffee down on the table, which seemed to appear out of thin air when Akko let go of it. Frank stared at the cup in awe while Andrew shot her a knowing smirk."But – why - how did – ?" Akko sputtered, mystified."Your two closest associates are sitting alone in a coffee house with an empty seat between them," said Andrew knowingly. "That seems rather odd from the get-go. And…Frank told me about that special ring of yours. The one that makes you turn invisible."Ah, that's right, Akko thought. Frank knew about the Ring of Gyges. He had seen it last year when Akko had secretly been following him and Lotte on their date."I heard from Diana that you had been chosen as one of the Luna Nova champions for the Contest," said Andrew, taking a sip from his coffee. "Though there was an extreme lack of mentioning in the paper…unless you really did change your name to Echo Cat-Tree," he added with a laugh."You know I can do a lot of horrible things to you while invisible, right?" said Akko, glowering, even though he couldn't see it."All right, all right, truce," said Andrew, holding up his arms in mock surrender. "How about a peace offering? You know my father is one of the representatives for the Contest, correct?""Yeah…," said Akko slowly."Well, let's just say that makes me privy to…certain bit of information that would otherwise be kept," said Andrew, leaning over the table and speaking in a hushed whisper. "Here's a bit of friendly advice: Head down to the Arcturus Forest around midnight. And bring Miss England with you. Diana tells me she has an interesting bit of magic that could help."He straightened up and gave them all an affirming nod before he departed. Frank quickly waved back at the girls – though it looked more like it was aimed towards Lotte – and quickly chased after his friend."Why does Andrew want me to go to the forest with Hannah?" Akko said, very surprised."I don't know," said Lotte, looking worried. "I wonder what he's up to? I don't know whether you should go, Akko…." She looked nervously around and hissed. "It might make you late for Izetta."It was true that going down to the forest at midnight would mean cutting her meeting with Izetta very fine indeed; Lotte suggested she would be better off skipping, as Akko has already had enough midnight encounters in the forest to last a lifetime. But Akko trusted Andrew, even if she didn't particularly like him. She was very curious to know what this might be; Andrew would never intentionally send someone to get hurt unless you count the time when Marianna took his orders out of context two years ago. Akko hesitated at first, then whipped out her phone and scrolled down to Hannah's number….At half past eleven that evening, Akko, who had pretended to go up to bed early, put on the Ring of Gyges and crept downstairs through the common room. Quite a few people were still in there. The Manbavaran twins were conduction some kind of experiment over a bubbling cauldron in the corner of the room, cackling madly as they worked. Akko couldn't see what they were working on, but when she saw the severed monkey hand, she suddenly realized that she didn't care much. Akko crept past them to the archway and waited for a minute or so, keeping an eye on the time on her phone. Then Sucy opened the archway for her from outside as they had planned. She slipped past her with a whispered "Thanks!" and set off through the castle.The grounds were very dark. Akko walked down the lawn toward the dark edge of the Arcturus Forest, near the paddock used in Study of Abnormal Creatures. She leapt over the high fence and stepped further inside. Last time she had been in the paddock, Diana had been burned by a Qilin and had the scar on her arm to prove it. Thankfully, Professor Pisces saw fit to put up the Qilin for the day as Akko stepped around the large tree in the middle of the pen."Hannah, hey, you there?" Akko called, taking off the ring and looking around."Shush! Not so loud!" Hannah hissed, appearing from around the tree. "You want to get us caught?""Sorry," Akko apologized."Ooh, I hate this place," Hannah moaned, crossing the paddock to stand next to Akko. "It's cold, it's creepy, and there are so many bugs. Ugh! I don't know why I agreed to come out here with you.""Because Andrew said you would be very helpful," said Akko, buttering her up. "He said that you were the only one that could do it.""Oh…well, if he thinks so, then it must be true," said Hannah, flipping her hair haughtily. "But what are we supposed to be looking for exactly?""Andrew never said," Akko answered. "He just said that you had an 'interesting bit of magic' that could help. It must be something only you can do because he probably would have asked for Diana otherwise.""Hmm…something only I can do…," Hannah hummed, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. Then she gasped and clapped her hands, coming to a realization. "Of course! My sensory magic! That must have been what he was talking about!""Your what magic?" Akko asked cluelessly."Honestly, do you know anything?" Hannah groaned exasperatedly, rolling her eyes. "Sensory magic is the ability to detect sources of magic at great distances, kind of like a radar. Magic exists in all living things, even if they don't know how to use it like Demi-Humans, Sensory Magic can essentially track anything. But it's a very rare gift that only 0.01 percent of Demi-Humans can use. Luckily, I come from a long line of witches that are masters of Sensory Magic.""Whoa, that's so cool!" Akko yelled in awe; Hannah grinned smugly. "Wait…if you had the power all this time, why haven't you been using it to help us all these years?""Because you keep leaving me out of your adventures!" Hannah snapped irritably, making Akko jump back. "I'm always the one being left behind! In fact, now that I think about it, I was the only one that didn't get invited to the Shiny Rod adventure in the first year!""Well, if we're being technical, Barbara was kinda the villain there," said Akko, tapping her fingers with a nervous chuckle. Hannah crossed her arms and turned in a huff. "B-But we're going on an adventure now. A-And we're doing it to help the Luna Nova team in the contest, which will also help Diana, too." She clapped her hands in a pleading motion. "Pleeeease, Hannah. Help a girl out here."Hannah spared her a sideways glance, sighed, and said, "Fine, but only because it'll help Diana.""Yatta!" Akko cheered.Hannah pulled out her wand and pressed the tip to the side of her skull, closing her eyes in concentration. She muttered, "Visus Videatur Supra" and neon-green energy flowed visibly through her veins from the point where the wand touched and disappeared underneath her eyelids. When her lids fluttered open, Hannah's hazel eyes turned neon-green and her pupils morphed into four-point stars. Akko wisely remained silent, not wanting to break her concentration, as Hannah swept her gaze through the trees. She twirled around in a circle until she suddenly paused and gazed intently towards a specific path of trees directly to their right. Hannah took a couple steps and leaned forward, narrowing her eyes in focus."I see something over there," said Hannah. "A bunch of somethings…. Twenty, thirty – no, forty – forty-six. There are forty-six magical signatures coming in that direction…. And not all of them look human.""That must be what Andrew was trying to warn us about," said Akko, running past Hannah with excitement. "C'mon, let's go!""Hey, come back here! I'm supposed to be leading!" Hannah shouted anxiously. "You're the one with the Ring! Make me invisible too! If I get caught, I'm throwing you under the bus!"Akko doubled back and grabbed Hannah's hand, bringing her under the effect of the Ring of Gyges' magic; then she slapped Akko across the face and insisted on holding Akko by the wrist instead; Akko groaned and rolled her eyes. Together, invisible, they walked deeper into the Arcturus Forest in silence. Loose sticks and rocks crunched under their footsteps; several animals and a bewildered-looking Arrancar looked around for the source of the noise but could see nothing.The air between them was thick with hesitation and awkwardness. It suddenly occurred to Akko that this is the first time she and Hannah had ever been alone in the four years that they had known each other. They only ever hung out together if Diana was with them. Akko at least hung out with Barbara during Modern Magic and their adventure into the Lunar common room in their second year. But Hannah…it surprised Akko how little she knew about her, even though they were semi-friends."So…uh…nice weather tonight, am I right?" said Akko awkwardly, trying to find anything – ANYTHING – to talk about. Hannah just gave her a stare that said, "What the hell are you babbling about" and Akko decided maybe it was better if she didn't say anything else.And they kept walking and walking, Akko getting more tired and irritated as they jogged through the trees, checking the time on her phone every now and then. Andrew had some harebrained scheme in mind, which might make her miss Izetta. If they didn't get back soon, she was going turn around and run straight back to the castle….But then – when they had walked so deep inside the forest that the castle and lake were out of sight – Akko heard something. Men shouting up ahead…. then came a horrible, teeth-grinding screech that made Akko's skin crawl….Hannah led Akko around a clump of trees and came to a halt. For a split second, Akko thought that the trees were moving, and people in white armor – Arrancar – were darting around them – and then her mouth fell open."Hannah…what are those…?" she asked in a stunned whisper."Xenomorphs…." Hannah said breathlessly.Over thirty fully grown, human-sized, vicious-looking scorpion-like aliens were crawling along the massive trunks of the trees in a cluttered mess, their razor-sharp claws tearing away at the wood and their lengthy stingers lashing every which way, contained only by the transparent barriers the Arrancar had put around them. Each of them had lengthy bodies with sharp barbs coming out of their backs, long protruding heads made of a black, polished material, and an apparent lack of eyes. The biggest one among them – the one making all the screeching noises – stood at twenty feet tall and was built more like a large dinosaur than anything else. It had a twin set of arms with four foot-long talons on each hand and an extremely large plated crest on its head. The behemoth of a Xenomorph was pounding away at the transparent barrier, which fluctuated every time its fists hit the invisible wall.At least ten Arrancar, two to each grouping of Xenomorphs, were attempting to control them, reinforcing the barriers while simultaneously pushing the aliens back up the trees. Mesmerized, Akko looked up, high above her, and watched as the largest Xenomorph spun around on its haunches, lashing its tail at the barrier. There was a terrifying moment when it looked like the invisible wall was going to break, but the Arrancar maintained their stance.Keep pushing!" yelled an Arrancar nearest them, face visibly strained against the barrier he was holding. "This thing has five tons of weight to throw around, and it's already in a terrible mood! We might need reinforcements!""What the bloody hell are they doing?" said Hannah softly."Is this what Andrew wanted us to see?" muttered Akko."It's no good!" yelled another Arrancar. "We need to knock it out before it breaks loose!""Stand aside!"Akko saw someone emerge from the darkness. A woman with dark-tan skin and short, golden hair with blue markings under her eyes. She dressed in scantily clad bone armor, but her right hand was covered by an exaggeratedly long sword that looked more like a shark's tooth. Akko remembered her from their first visit to the Arcturus Forest. That was Tier Harribel, queen of the Arrancar."La Gota!" she shouted, and a large blast of condensed water shot into the darkness like a rocket, bypassing the barrier and smashing the massive Xenomorph in the center of its face –Akko watched the Xenomorph giant teeter dangerously on its haunches; its hissing subsiding, but its nails still clawing at the barrier – then, very slowly, it fell. Several tons of sinewy, carapace-black Xenomorph hit the ground with a thud that Akko could have sworn made the trees behind it quake.The Arrancar guarding its barrier lowered their weapons and walked forward to the fallen behemoth, which looked like a small, skeletal hill all curled up. They began to fasten chains around its arms and neck, securing them to iron pegs, which they had forced deep into the ground."Well, that was quite the show, wasn't it?" a strong, sensual voice cut through the commotion, making Harribel, Akko, and Hannah turn in that direction. A woman in a crisp suit stepped out of the shadows casually like she had not just witnessed a thrashing Xenomorph giant going wild. Akko took a second look at her to realize who it was: Yuri Meichi, chairwoman of Myojo Academy."They should be okay now," said Harribel in a surprisingly monotonous tone. Akko couldn't tell from this distance, but she thought Harribel's eyes looked glazed over. "We have spent the last month capturing this swarm of Xenomorphs in accordance to the Grand Master's wishes. We collected most of them when we organized a raid on the hive – that's when we engaged in combat with the Xenomorph Queen." She gestured to the colossal beast, which was still spitting angrily, but rather weak. "I lost six good people trying to capture that monster. The Grand Master had best hold up his end of the bargain if he does not wish to meet my fury.""Fascinating," said Yuri, strolling away around the edge of the enclosure, gazing at the Xenomorph queen. "Tell me, what are its capabilities.""All Xenomorphs have above-human strength and agility as well as the ability to cling to any surface," said Harribel dutifully. "They have thick armor around the heads, but none around the bodies. That is because they naturally secrete acidic blood as a defense mechanism. They have prehensile tails that end in bladed points and a second mouth inside their teeth for extra reach. The Xenomorph Queen's abilities are three times that of the standard drone.""Quite a detailed and thorough list," another feminine voice, one not belonging to Yuri, stated. "That is very informative. You have my gratitude."Neither Yuri nor Harribel seemed remotely surprised when Satsuki Kiryuin appeared from behind the trees. In fact, Yuri seemed to chuckle a little. The younger of the two leaders crossed the enclosure in quick strides until she was standing alongside Yuri and glancing sideways at Harribel."I wasn't aware that the Queen Bee could also affect Arrancar," said Satsuki calmly. "But before you get any ideas, the Life-Fibers I wear on top of my already strong will make me more than a match for your manipulation ability. So don't even try it.""Perish the thought, Satsuki-san," said Yuri in feign politeness. "I'm just surprised that you would be willing to break the rules like this. Imagine what would happen if the Grand Master were to learn you were cheating for your school.""If that were to happen," said Satsuki calmly, "then I might have Inumuta leak some things he discovered in your personal server that you might not want getting out. Such as the true purpose for Myojo Academy and why there have been so many unexplained deaths in the past twenty years since you took over.""Touché, Satsuki-san," said Yuri. "All right, your secret is safe with me…. Harribel, why don't you explain to Satsuki-san and I why you have been collecting these Xenomorphs?""They are to be released in the sewers below Blytonbury," said Harribel dully. "They sewer system will be closed off to prevent the Xenomorphs from escaping, so the only way inside will be by magic teleportation. The Grand Master specifically wanted the Xenomorph Queen among them. Claimed it was to be a 'final boss' of sorts. I believe the champions are supposed to fight their way past it. We have Arrancar on standby should things start to get out of hand. I can't imagine a bunch of children being able to take down something that requires several fully trained Arrancar to defeat.""Thank you, Harribel, that will be all," Yuri dismissed her and Harribel walked away. She craned her head to the right looking down at Satsuki. "Well, what do you think of the situation? Feeling nervous?""Not particularly," said Satsuki evenly. "If anything, it's your school that should worry. Out of everyone, yours is the only one that doesn't have any powers.""My girls don't need them," said Yuri confidently. "They are professionally trained assassins after all."Akko felt something tap her shoulder and made her jump; she would have screamed out loud if someone hadn't slapped their hand over her mouth. Relief washed over when she realized it was only Hannah; Akko had almost forgotten she was there. Her eyes still mutated with sensory magic, Hannah pointed above in the treetops. Akko couldn't see it at first, but she slowly started to notice that someone was kneeling in the branches overlooking the enclosure. It was Kurasame Susaya, the teacher that had arrived with Class Zero. Seemed like he was spying on them just like Akko and Hannah were." – Kuroi might be a threat if the rumors about her are true," Satsuki's voice drew Akko back to her and Yuri. "But I think the real threat will be Cavendish. She comes from a long line of powerful witches and I've heard that she is the best student Luna Nova has seen since its establishment.""Oh, yes, the girl from the local paper," said Yuri with a snide chuckle, looking out over the Xenomorph enclosure. "Seems rather full of herself if that so-call 'article' is anything to go by. Don't know how much of that trash is true because it is Scaglitetti's work, but the English seem to absolutely fawn over the Cavendish name. You should have seen the people at the newsstand on the corner of our hotel. They were making absolute fools of themselves…." Yuri imitated a weepy-sounding woman. "'She still cries about her mommy! Oh bless her, I never knew! Such a brave girl!" she finished with a openly mocking laugh.Akko was feeling sick to her stomach. They had already gotten more information on the upcoming game than they had expected. Akko turned silently, pulling Hannah with her, and began to walk back to the castle.She didn't know whether she was glad she'd seen what was coming or not. The first shock was over now. Maybe if she'd seen the Xenomorphs for the first time on Tuesday, she would have passed out in front of everyone…but maybe she would anyway…. Akko wasn't sure if she would be allowed to bring the Shiny Rod – Ursula and Croix probably wouldn't let her in fear of exposure to the other schools. Which meant they would only be equipped with wands against a twenty-foot-high, skeletal, barb-ridden, acid-bleeding monster. And they had to get past it. With everyone watching.
How?Akko sped up against Hannah hissed warnings to slow down; she had just under fifteen minutes to get back to the fireside and talk to Izetta, and she couldn't remember, ever, wanting to talk to someone more than she did right now – when, without warning, she ran into something very solid.Akko fell backwards on top of Hannah; the Ring of Gyges' magic still thankfully cloaking them. A voice nearby shouted, "Goddammit! Who the hell did that?"Akko and Hannah lay very still, staring up at the dark outline of the person they had hit. It was a boy – a student from the other schools perhaps – with a very pissed off look on his face. His arms were raises and tiny little explosions were going off on his skin like miniature fireworks."Show yourself, you bastard!" said the boy again, looking around in the darkness. Akko and Hannah covered each other's mouths to cnceal their frantic breathing. After a minute or so, the boy seemed to decide that he had hit some sort of animal; he was looking around at waist height, as though expecting to see a dog."Son of a bitch," the pissed-looking boy cursed. "I don't have time for this. Gotta find what they're hiding before Deku goes squealing to All Might."Then he crept back under the cover of the trees and started to edge forward toward the place where the Xenomorphs were.Very slowly and very carefully, Akko and Hannah got to their feet and set off again as fast as they could without making too much noise, hurrying through the darkness back toward Luna Nova.That boy mentioned All Might, which meant he was a student from U.A. High. Akko had no doubt what he was up to. He had snuck onto school grounds to try and find out what the first game was going to be. He might have spotted either Yuri, Satsuki, or Kurasame coming from town…and now all he had to do was follow the sound of voices, and he, like the rest of them, would know what was in store.Akko had no idea if the others knew. Eruna had that strange power to somehow know everything that was going on, and Sucy would probably tell Fu from Sanshu if she asked, which Sucy would ultimate deny ever doing. By that logic, the only team who would be facing the unknown on Tuesday was Black Star Academy.Akko and Hannah reached the castle, slipped in through the front doors, and began to climb the spiral staircase; they broke off on the fifth floor – Lunar and Polaris Towers were in opposite directions. Akko was very out of breath, but she didn't dare slow down…. She had less than five minutes to get up to the fire….She nearly broke her finger trying to jab all the marbles in sequence and the wall slid sideways. Akko practically jumped inside. The common room was deserted, and, judging by the fact that it smelled quite normal, Lotte And Sucy had not needed to set off any stink bombs to ensure that she and Izetta got privacy.She pulled off the Ring of Gyges and threw herself into an armchair in front of the fire. The room was in semidarkness; the flames were the only source of light. Nearby, on a table, the results of the Manbavaran twin's experiments floated in puke-green liquid in a bottle that glinted in the firelight. They looked like parasitic worms; the label read: 'Las Plaga. Do not touch. High contagious.' Akko looked back into the flames and nearly jumped out of her seat.Izetta was standing in the middle of the fire. Or at least, a small image of her. She was the size of a figma figure standing an emerald-green magic circle that floated over the burning logs. If Akko hadn't seen Org do exactly the same thing back in the Manbavaran's dining room, it would have scared her out of her wits. Instead, her face breaking into the first smile she had worn for days, she scrambled out of her chair, crouched down by the hearth, and said, "Izetta-obasan – how…how are you here? How're you doing this?""I'm borrowing a crystal ball from a friend – it has a projection setting you know?" said Izetta with a look of concern. "But never mind that, how are you?""I'm – " for a second, Akko tried to say "fine" – but she couldn't do it. Before she could stop herself, she was talking more than she'd talked in days – about how Croix had been secretly raising Nico and that she was now the subject of bullying, how there was a big fuss over the Shiny Rod and Staff of one, about Amanda suddenly becoming Akko's biggest enemy out of jealousy, and about Quattro's article with Diana and how she couldn't walk down a hall without someone teasing her – and to her disbelief, Izetta actually laughed at that one."Glad my misery amuses you," said Akko, pouting."I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Izetta apologized while still snickering. "It's just – you are more like your mother than you know. I suppose it's coming full circle.""What is?" asked Akko curiously."The fact that you and Diana are apparently a thing," said Izetta amusingly; Akko puffed her cheeks, which turned red. "Though I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised. We Du Nords do seem to be attracted to Cavendishes. You probably didn't know this, but Chariot actually dated Bernadette, Diana's mom, while we were still in school.""What?" Akko sputtered, leaning in closer. "My mom used to date Diana's mom?""Ever since our third year," said Izetta. "They were the class couple and Chariot even considered proposing to her after the graduated.""Then…what happened?" asked Akko, becoming increasing more interested in this rather than the potential doom she would soon be facing."Your father happened," said Izetta, though there was a hint of disdain in her voice Akko barely recognized. "But I'd rather not get into that. It was a...complicated affair for all parties involved. Either way, Chariot ended up with your father and you already know Bernadette married Athena.
I guess it's just funny how you and Diana ended up in the same situation as your parents…. You did tell her how you feel right?""Tondemonai!" shouted Akko, slipping back into Japanese tongue. "I'd rather face those Xenomorphs with both hands tied behind my back than say anything! It's already awkward enough because of Scaglietti's stupid article!""Oh yes, the Xenomorphs," said Izetta, as if she just now remembered what they were talking about. "Don't worry about those, Akko. In the Contest, only one person from each team has to participate, and it might not even be you. And if you do get picked, there's an easy way of getting through them without fighting…. But we'll get to that in a minute. There are some things I need to warn you about.""What?" said Akko, feeling her spirit slip a few notches…. Surely there could be nothing worse than Xenomorphs coming?"Ram," said Izetta. "Akko, she was a Hunter.""What's that? That's not a term for a bad guy, is it?""Quite the opposite, in fact. Hunters were people employed by the Magic Council to hunt down criminals and the like. Ram was one of the best. Had the highest rate of captures and was responsible for catching and killing the most criminals in history. She was the woman who was single-handed responsible for arresting Zeref, which is what lead to his imprisonment in Dol Guldur. Probably one of the reasons why Zeref is allowed to walk freely around the school – he wouldn't try anything if Ram was present, not that I suspect him of doing anything.""So why is Ram so dangerous?" asked Akko slowly – her brain seemed to be struggling to absorb yet another piece of shocking information. "I didn't do anything wrong…at least nothing the Council knows about.""It's not you I'm worried about, it's Nico," said Izetta heavily. "Ram wasn't just the world's greatest Hunter; she was also a member of the organization with Chariot and myself. When the time of the coup came, she sided with us. Captured some of the traitors herself, like Cinder Fall, had them thrown into prison without any possibility of parole…she's not very popular in Dol Guldur, I can tell you that. But she also killed a number of them as well, including Tina Minoru.""Nico's mom?""Exactly," said Izetta. "Ram may appear elegant and courteous, but she is a vicious monster on the battlefield. She has an extreme loathing of the criminal element that's almost as bad as Org. She fought against the Council when they were debating Zeref's release. She has no forgiveness for those who have wronged others.""Okay," said Akko slowly. "But…are you saying Ram might have tampered with the skull to make it so that Nico would be picked instead? You think she might try to use the Contest as a way to…to
kill
Nico, because of her mom?""I wouldn't put it past her," said Izetta. "Tina was one of the worst in the organization, and in Ram's mind, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Now, I've been keeping an eye on the news, Akko – "" – you and the rest of the world," said Akko, hanging her head exasperatedly."I'm not talking about the articles that Scaglietti tramp has been posting," said Izetta, shaking her head. "You haven't heard what's been going on out here, Akko. People are starting to notice strange things all over the world, not just in England. The Purifiers have always been around, but they've become increasingly more active as of late. The whole organization used to be just a small group, but now it seems like their numbers have tripled in size over the past few months. They showed themselves at the International Chariot Racing Tournament, didn't they? Someone used our organization's old mark…and then – did you hear about Aleister Crowley going missing?""The superintendent of Academy City?" said Akko. "I heard he's gone silent.""He didn't just go silent, Akko…he's disappeared entirely. After months without a word, an investigation finally went into searching his building. It took them weeks to break in, but when they finally got through, Aleister Crowley was completely gone. Akko, this was a man who was crippled so terribly that he couldn't even blink without technical assistance. So where the hell could he have gone? Word hasn't gotten out yet because they're afraid the news would cause Academy City to explode into chaos. But the strangest part was that there were no signs of a struggle or forced entry.""Maybe he just had some friends that helped him move somewhere else," Akko suggested optimistically."Crowley didn't have friends," said Izetta. "He isolated himself because he hated the outside world, blaming humanity for the loss of his wife and child. But here's the thing, Akko. Crowley was an asshole, but he was one of the smartest people on the planet. He made Croix look stupid by comparison. He is the one who was singlehandedly responsible for creating Academy City and all of its scientific advances in a short twenty years. Even more than that, Crowley was very knowledgeable about the secrets of the world, including the Shiny Rod. It was one of the reasons why we tried to recruit him all those years ago. But he firmly rejected us.""So everyone in your organization knew about Crowley, right?" asked Akko. "Does that Include Amon and Ruvik?""Yes…yes, I see what you're getting at." Said Izetta, nodding thoughtfully. "With Amon and Ruvik's powers combined, they could easily force Crowley to let them in and make him spill all his secrets. You already know that Amon is a bloodbender, and Ruvik has the power to force himself into a person's mind, directly attacking their psyche and weeding out any necessary information. Even Crowley's impressive brain couldn't fight back. How did you know that?""My dream, from last summer," said Akko. "I remember seeing Amon and Ruvik talking about Crowley…. I think they killed him." Izetta cursed loudly. "I remember watching them talk about completing some task for their master, whoever it is…and that they have a hidden ally in Luna Nova.""Which will only fuel Ram and Org's belief that Nico is dangerous," said Izetta. "Listen, Akko, you can't tell anyone else about this. Not only will the Magic Council be suspicious of these dreams you are having, but they'll be looking for even the tiniest reason to put Nico down. Someone obviously does already if they were willing to tamper with the skull. I can't help thinking that the Contest would be a very good way to attack her and make it look like an accident. Or maybe even you. The Shiny Rod makes you just as much of a target.""Looks like a really good plan from where I'm standing," said Akko, grinning bleakly. "They'll just have to stand back and let the Xenomorphs do all the work.""Right – these Xenomorphs," said Izetta, speaking very quickly now. "Like I said, there's always a chance you won't get picked to compete in that round. But if you do, remember that the objective isn't to fight them, but to simply get past them. That's the easy part – ""Exactly what part of trying to get past a twenty-foot monster with razor-sharp teeth and a stabby tail is easy?" said Akko incredulously."This is something that you specifically can do better than anyone else," said Izetta. "There is a way, and a simple spell is all you need. Just – "But Akko held up a hand to silence her, her heart suddenly pounding as though it would burst. She could hear footsteps coming down the spiral staircase behind her."Go!" she hissed at Izetta. "Go!
There's someone coming!"Akko scrambled to her feet, hiding the fire – if someone saw Izetta within the walls of Luna Nova, they would raise an almighty uproar – the Magic Council would get dragged in – she, Akko, would be questioned about Izetta's whereabouts –Akko heard a tiny
pop
in the fire behind her and knew Izetta was gone. She watched the bottom of the spiral staircase. Who had decided to go for a stroll at one o'clock in the morning, and stopped Izetta from telling her how to get past the Xenomorphs?It was Amanda. Dressed sloppily in t-shirt and shorts, Amanda stopped dead facing Akko across the room, and looked around."Who were you talking to?" she said."What's that got to do with you?" Akko snarled. "What are you doing down here at this time of night?""I just wondered where you – " Amanda broke off, shrugging. "Nothing. I'm going back to bed.""Just thought you'd come nosing around, did ya?" Akko shouted. She knew that Amanda had no idea what she's walked in on, knew she hadn't done it on purpose, but she didn't care – at this moment she hated everything about Amanda."Sorry about that," said Amanda, her face reddening with anger. "Should've realize you didn't want to be disturbed. I'll let you get on with whatever the so-called great champion Echo Cat-Tree does in peace. Hey, maybe if you're lucky, you won't look like a complete dumbass in front of everyone. But I guess that's just wishful thinking."Akko seized the bottle of Las Plagas the Manbavaran twins had been experimenting on off the table and chucked it, as hard as she could, across the room. Amanda ducked at the last second and let the bottle smash through the window next to her, making a loud crashing noise. Naturally, everyone in the tower heard it. There was a great rumbling of hurried footsteps from upstairs and several doors flew open. Lotte and their dormmates sprinted down the stairs the minute they saw Akko and Amanda glaring at each other, putting themselves in between them in fear of a fistfight breaking out. Avery Buckland's head poked out from the top of the stairs a second later."What the hell is going on down there?" she shouted angrily. She took a quick glance between Akko and Amanda staring furiously at each other and the broken window. "Oh, for the love of…. You two, back to your room –
NOW!
We'll be talking to Professor Ursula about this first thing in the morning."Akko strode across the room towards the stairs; she half expected Amanda to stop her, she would have liked Amanda to throw a punch at her, but Amanda just turned her head away and stood there, and Akko, having stormed upstairs, lay awake in bed fuming for a long time afterward and didn't hear her come up to bed.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Akko got up on Sunday morning and dressed so inattentively that it was a while before she realized she was trying to put her hat onto her foot instead of her sock. When she'd finally got all her clothes on the right parts of her body, she hurried off to find Diana, locating her on the second floor of the dining hall, where she was eating breakfast with Hannah and Barbara. Feeling too queasy to eat, Akko waited until they had finished the last spoonful of soup, then dragged her out onto the grounds. There, she told her all about the Xenomorphs, and about everything Izetta had said, while they took another long walk around the lake.Alarmed as she was by Izetta's warning about Ram, Diana still thought that the Xenomorphs were the more pressing problem."Let's just try to keep you alive until Tuesday evening," she said desperately, "and then we can worry about Ram.""Izetta-oba-san said that only one person from each team is picked," said Akko. "Maybe it won't be me.""With your kind of luck, do you really believe that?" asked Diana.They walked three times around the lake, trying all the way to think of a simple spell that would help get past a Xenomorph Queen. Nothing whatsoever occurred to them, so they retired to the library instead, shooting a quick text to Makoto and Fate to meet them there since they were all facing it together; she couldn't call Nico because she didn't have her number. Here, Akko pulled down every book she could find on aliens, and the four of them set to work searching through the large pile."'Talon clipping by charms…treating skull-rot…'," Fate muttered. "This is no good, this is for nuts who want to keep them healthy….""'The Xenonorph is a largely unidentified species and are extremely prone to flocking in packs….'
Makoto read aloud. "Yes, we understand that, but how do we get past them?""Let's try some simple spellbooks, then," said Akko, throwing aside
I Married an Alien from Neptune.She returned to the table with a pile of spellbooks, set them down, and began to flick through each in turn, Diana whispering nonstop at her elbow."Well, there are Switching Spells…but what's the point of Switching it? Unless you swapped their tails for taffy or something like that would make it less dangerous…. The trouble is, how would you go about performing that spell for an entire pack of them…. I'd say use Alchemy, but against something as big as the Queen, you really haven't got a hope, I doubt even Professor Finnelan…unless you're supposed to put the spell on
yourself? Maybe to give yourself extra power? But
they're
not simple spells, I mean, we haven't done any of those in class, I only know about them because I've been doing S.T.A.R. practice papers….""Diana," Fate said, through gritted teeth, "I swear, I will dropkick you so hard if you don't shut up."But all that happened, when Diana fell silent, was that Akko's brain filled with a sort of blank buzzing, which didn't seem to allow room for concentration. She stared hopelessly down the index of
Basic Hexes for the Busy and Vexed. Instant scalping…but Xenomorphs don't have hair…pepper breath…just what she needed, to give it an extra weapon…growth spell…one Xenomorph queen was enough for her…."Hey, isn't that girl from one of the other schools? I think she's spying on us," said Makoto in a hushed tone as Fu Inubozaki walked in, cast a look over at the group, and settled herself in a distant corner with a pile of books."I think she's looking for Sucy," said Akko."Even if that's the case, I don't feel safe with an enemy nearby," said Diana, standing up. "Come on, we can ask Professor Croix if we can study in her office…maybe she'll let us borrow her computer…."Akko barely slept that night. When she awoke on Monday morning, she seriously considered for the first time ever just running away from Luna Nova. But as she looked around the dining hall at breakfast time, and thought about leaving the castle would mean, she knew she couldn't do it. Luna Nova was her home away from home, it was where her friends were…or at least some of the friends that still liked her.She finished her fish and soup with difficulty (her throat wasn't working too well), and as she, Lotte, and Sucy got up leave, she saw Mato Kuroi out in the entrance hall, following close behind Ram. It looked like they were just coming from upstairs; Holbrooke's office, maybe?Black Star Academy didn't know about the Xenomorphs…the only team who didn't, if Akko was right in thinking that Eruna and Fu managed to swindle the information…."You guys go on ahead, I'll see you at the greenhouses," Akko said, coming to her decision as she watched Mato follow Ram out the double doors. "Go on, I'll catch up later.""Akko, you'll be late, the bell's about to ring – ""I'll catch up, okay?"By the time Akko stepped down the stone steps, Mato was already past the fountain of Jennifer. She was keeping very close to Ram. Akko didn't want to talk in front of her; everything she had learned about Ram from Izetta made her not want to take any chances of a confrontation. She followed Mato at a distance and saw that they were heading to the Ley Line station. They were headed back to town. She needed to act fast. Not even thinking up a plan, Akko looked around, picked up a rock, and chucked it as hard as she could.It hit Mato squarely in the back of the head."Ow!" Mato cried, rubbing the tender spot.She turned around, looking around. Akko waved her down, urging her over, but quickly ducked out of sight in the tall grass when Ram looked back, curious as to why her student wasn't following."Uh…I need a moment," said Mato, her voice noticeably hesitant. "I just need to uh…tie my shoe. Don't worry, I know the way back. You can go ahead…."This was exactly what Akko had been hoping for. Ram paused for a moment, staring at Mato, then turned on her heel and walked into the Ley Line station. Akko waited until she saw the flash of the Ley Lines opening, jumped up, and then hurried over to meet Mato."You know…," Mato groaned, still rubbing her head, "if you wanted my attention, there are a lot less painful ways to do it... I think I might have a bruise….""Mato," said Akko, "the first game is Xenomorphs.""What?" said Mato, tilting her head."Xenomorphs," said Akko, speaking quickly, in case Ram decided to change her mind and come check on Mato. "Like…killer alien bugs. There are dozens of them. They're going to be released in the town sewers. They have a giant queen – it's, like, twenty feet tall, and we're supposed to get past it."Mato stared at her. Akko saw some of the panic she'd been feeling since Saturday night flickering in Mato's bright-blue eyes."Are you sure?" said Mato in a hushed voice."Dead sure," said Akko. "I've seen them.""But how did you find out? We're not supposed to know….""Never mind," said Akko quickly – she knew Andrew and Hannah would be in trouble if she told the truth. "But I'm not the only one who knows. The heads of Myojo, Honooji, and Class Zero all saw the Xenomorphs. One of the students from U.A. probably saw it because I almost ran into him. Eruna has that weird power to know everything that's going on, and Sucy's probably already told Fu, because she has such an obvious crush on her. Your school is the only one that doesn't know."Mato straightened up. She stared at Akko, and there was a puzzled, almost suspicious look in her eyes."Why are you telling me?" she asked.Akko looked at her in disbelief. She was sure Mato wouldn't have asked that if she had seen the Xenomorphs herself. Akko wouldn't have let her worst enemy face those monsters unprepared – okay, so maybe she did imagine Amon being torn limb-from-limb during her many daydreams in class."It's just…fair, right?" she said to Mato. "We all know now…we're on an even playing field, aren't we?""Yeah…I guess so," said Mato, scratching her head awkwardly. "It's just…I'm not used to people helping me outside my little circle of friends. I'm kind of hated by a lot of people because of – "Whatever tidbit of information that Mato was about to share that could have illuminated her strange history was suddenly lost in her throat when a tall shadow was cast over them both. Akko turned around and saw Zeref standing over her, looking at her with a neutral gaze."Come with me, Kagari," he said. "Back to Ram with you, Kuroi."Akko stared apprehensively at Zeref. Had he overheard them?"Er – Professor, I'm supposed to be in Herbalism – ""Never mind that, Kagari. Up to my office, please…."Akko followed him, wondering what was going to happen to her now. What if Zeref wanted to know how she'd found out about the Xenomorphs? Akko didn't think she could keep a secret from someone as powerful him; he was probably already reading her mind as they walked up the castle's front steps….She followed Zeref up the spiral staircase and into his office on the fifth floor. Zeref closed the door behind them and turned to look at Akko, his eyes fixated on her."That was a decent thing you just did, Kagari," Zeref said quietly.Akko didn't know what to say; this wasn't the reaction she had expected at all."Sit down," said Zeref, and Akko sat, looking around.Being the troublemaker that she is, Akko had been to a number of offices occupied by various teachers. Ursula's office was messy and disorganized, where you were likely to unknowingly discover some new magic trinket or artifact, with a large telescope that would be perfect for a magical astronomer. Croix's was equally messy, but organized in such a way that it was surprisingly efficient, where the walls were covered by computers and you couldn't walk two steps without tripping over some wire. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Professor Finnelan's office was neat and immaculate; everything was in its rightful place and meticulously arranged to the exact measurement; it was Diana perfect. And Professor Crème's office was stacked with wall-to-wall shelves containing literally a million books with an entire shelf dedicated to the entire Night Fall series written by previous Annabelle Crèmes.Zeref's office, however, was surprisingly sparse and seemed like it was rarely used. His work desk was tucked away in the dark corner of the room, almost like he had put it there purposely so he wouldn't have to think about it, with a small pile of ungraded papers and a candle stub that was nearly all used up; Akko realized that Zeref didn't have any lights or electricity in his office. Next to the open window was a comfy-looking high-backed chair next to a small table where a steaming teapot and a tattered book with the words
E.N.D.
were written in faded letters. Hanging on the wall was small two row shelf with a number of similarly tattered books, each of them looking like they were centuries old with peeling letters that Akko couldn't make out their titles."I wouldn't touch those if I were you," said Zeref warningly as he watched Akko closely. "They're my demons.""Your…demons?" Akko asked slowly, craning her head back at him questionably."I don't suppose you've heard of the Demons of Zeref. Well…they're exactly what they sound like. Demons, the worst kind there is. The kind that would not hesitate to slaughter all of humanity if given the chance. Oh, but don't worry," he added with a slight chuckle when Akko backed away, "they're consciousness are sealed inside those books.""So you just keep books holding genocidal demon brains on the shelf in your office where anyone can get them?""What do you take me for, Kagari. They're protected by a magical seal I crafted myself and only someone with immense magical power and a skill for rewriting magical formula could break it. Besides, who do you think would be foolish enough to step into the office of the worst villain in human history, next to Aradia, that is."He let out a short, cold laugh that made the hairs on the back of Akko's neck stand on end. Akko felt like the room had suddenly gone a hundred degrees lower; a faint black mist, she realized, was starting to come off his body. As if realizing what was happening, Zeref took a deep breath and his expression instantly switched to neutral. The room immediately warmed up again; the black mist faded from existence. Zeref sighed, resting his head in his hand."Sorry about that," said Zeref. "Sometimes I forget that I am cursed in peaceful times like this. If I feel too much joy or happiness, the curse of contradiction that afflicts me will lash out and kill everyone in my prescience. It's so hard to maintain sometimes – only certain people like Holbrooke or Ram can contain it.""So, you're cursed to never be happy or else you kill everyone," said Akko, sounding more sympathetic than frightened. "That's gotta suck. I mean, I can't imagine living for four hundred years without ever being happy.""Some days are easier than others," said Zeref, taking another deep breath. "But enough about that…. The Xenomorphs. You found out about them, didn't you? Was it the Hanbridge boy who leaked his father's information? I know you and him are friends. Or was it Hannah England and her useful sensory magic?"Akko felt her inside freeze up. He had already figured out everything before he even asked. Akko bit her lip, hoping that if she didn't answer, he would think he had missed his mark."None of you are in trouble," said Zeref, stretching himself out in his seat with a groan. "Cheating has always been a tradition in any competition. I dare you to name one person in all of history who hasn't used underhanded methods to get what they want. The Americans in particularly are a nasty bunch….""I-I didn't cheat," Akko stuttered, flailing her arms. "It was – it was an accident that I kinda – sorta – went out into the woods at night and – okay, that sounds very bad saying it out loud – "Zeref smirked. "I've been telling Miranda from the start, she can be as high-minded as she likes, but you can guarantee the other schools won't be. You've already seen Meichi and Kiryuin. Those two are cutthroats – they will take any measure they can to come out on top. No doubt they were there when you were on your little moonlight stroll. They want to win. All of them do. They want to be the ones standing on their bodies on their fallen foes.""Have they ever considered seeing a therapist," said Akko.Zeref snorted lightly. "So…," he said, "you're going to volunteer for the first game, right? You already saw the Xenomorphs – ""Whoa, whoa, why me?" sputtered Akko. "If anything, Diana or Fate should be the ones doing it. They know more magic. I already nearly wet myself when I first saw them – ""And that's exactly why you should be the one to volunteer," said Zeref. "You saw the Xenomorphs. They didn't. They can do all the research they want and plan as much as they like, but they've never actually seen a Xenomorph up close, let alone a queen. No amount of studying can prepare you for the real thing. Cavendish and Testarossa – they're likely to freeze up the moment they catch sight of the beasts. They are terrifying. But you – you've already seen them; the shock has already worn off. You are the best chance your team has, unless you want to risk your friends getting hurt.""No…no, I don't want that," Akko mumbled."Then you need to prepare," said Zeref. "I'm not going to tell you how to win. I don't play favorites. I'm just going to give you some good, general advice –
play to your strengths.""I haven't got any," said Akko, before she could stop herself. "I mean, I've got the Shiny Rod and I'm good with that, but…the Shiny Rod's spells are kinda powerful and probably not the best thing to use in an underground sewer system.""But there is something you're good at," said Zeref. "Everyone has something.""Not me," Akko mumbled. "I suck at studying and my magic is the worst in the entire school without the Shiny Rod…. Now I'm starting to think the crystal Skull might have made a mistake. I can't do anything.""That's not true, Kagari," said Zeref. "There has to be some talent you have. Every witch is born with an affinity with a certain type. Blair has her pumpkin magic. For Finnalan, it's alchemy. Croix, technomagic. Every magic user that has ever lived had a talent for something, even if it took them more than half their life to find out what that is. But Kagari," he leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees, "you have been surrounded by some of the greatest witches in the world for four years. Surely one of them has told you where your talent lies…."Akko tried to concentrate. Everyone was born with an affinity. Akko knew about this ever since her first time to London with Blair. She tried to remember what her teachers have said before….And it clicked. There was something she had an affinity for, but she had never mastered because she had constantly been putting it off. If Zeref was right, then she needed to master this skill to succeed. For that, she would need to practice. And for that, she would need someone to teach her that knew the spell inside and out. She needed –Akko pounded furiously on the door until her knuckles started to sting. It was a solid full minute before the door finally swung open and Professor Finnelan stepped out, looking down upon her with a familiar look of irritation."Miss Kagari, do you understand that you are supposed to be in class now?" she said, frowning. "You'd best have a good reason for this.""Professor, I need you to teach me a spell, it's important!" shouted Akko urgently. "I need to learn it before tomorrow!""Miss Kagari, I have been trying to teach you for the better part of four years," said Professor Finnelan with an exasperated sigh. "You've never shown any genuine interest in learning before. What makes now any different?""When was the last time I ever came to
you
for help?" Akko countered.One of Professor Finnelan's brows rose so far that it seemingly disappeared into her hairline. She paused for a moment, contemplating, and said, "Which spell do you need to know?"And so they practiced. Akko didn't have lunch, but headed straight for Professor Finnelan's office, where she tried with all her might to master the spell that could possibly save her in the upcoming Contest. It was a good thing she didn't eat, as she soon realized. For the third time in that hour alone, Akko stuffed her face into Professor Finnelan's wastebasket, dry heaving."This was to be expected," said Professor Finnelan sympathetically, rubbing Akko's back. "Using this spell on an inanimate object is one thing, but using it on yourself is another. Very few witches dare to perform this spell on themselves in fear of the consequences it may have. Fortunately, your body is naturally adapted to endure it.""Tell that to my stomach," said Akko grimly before retching once more.She wanted to skip foretelling to keep practicing, even if it was one of the only subjects she was actually good at, but Professor Finnelan refused point-blank to encourage students skipping class, and there was no arguing with her when her lips turned that thin. She therefore dragged herself all the way up to Ursula's class, but she could hardly process any information as her mind was packed to the breaking point with thoughts of Xenomorphs and the spell she was supposed to be practicing. When Ursula turned her back to explain the relation between Mars movements in conjunction with Saturn, Wendy leaned across the table and whispered:"Are you okay, Akko? You look like you're going to die any moment now.""I'm not going to die here," said Akko blearily, resting her chin on the edge of the table they shared. "The Xenomorphs will do the job good enough."She forced down some dinner after Foretelling, then returned to Professor Finnelan's office, nearly getting caught by Elma before Finnalan explained their situation. Under Akko's insistence, they kept practicing the spell until past midnight. Akko was hoping they would stay longer, but Mr. Mxyzptlk turned up and started tossing balloons again, this time filled with expired yogurt that left a horrible smell in the office when they exploded. Akko ran out of the office with her hand over her nose and practically sprinted back to the Polaris common room, which was now mercifully empty.At two in the morning, Akko stood near the fireplace, leaning against her knees in exhaustion, but was smiling in satisfaction. She vaguely remembered last year when Master Noah – that is to say, Amon – had taught her how to use the Light Spell and it had taken months for her to master. But after several restless hours of practice, Akko had managed to master her new spell in less than a day. Everyone had been right – she did have a natural affinity for this type of magic. She would be proud of herself is she wasn't so exhausted.Blair, who had slinked down from the dormitory somewhere around one when she noticed Akko hadn't come to bed, clap her hands excitedly."That was great, Akko-nyan!" Blair said happily. "I've never seen you learn a spell that quickly before. You're definitely improving.""Well, I had some serious motivation," said Akko, throwing herself into the nearest armchair. "Next time I want to learn a spell, just threaten me with a Xenomorph.""No, it's was because you have talent for this particular branch of magic," said Blair. "No one else could have accomplished it as fast as you, not even Diana.""I just hope it works tomorrow," Akko said. "It'll be the first time I'm using that spell in real threatening situation. What if I freeze up? What if the Xenomorph catches me before I use it? Maybe I should let Diana or Fate-chan handle this instead….""You've got this, Akko-Nyan," said Blair firmly. "Just as long as you're concentrating really, really hard on it, it'll work. Akko-nyan, we'd better get some sleep…you're going to need it."Akko had been focusing so hard on learning the new spell that evening that some of her blind panic had left her. It returned in full measure, however, on the following morning. The atmosphere in the school was one of great tension and excitement. Lessons were to stop at midday, giving all the students time to get down to the Ley Line terminal and take the buses waiting for them to the Byltonbury football (soccer, for Americans) stadium, where the Contest would be hosted; the champions were to leave early and fly over on brooms.Akko felt oddly separate from everyone around her, whether they were wishing her good luck, or asking if they could have her stuff after she died. It was a state of nervousness so advanced that she wondered whether she might not just lose her head when she was sent down into the sewers with the Xenomorphs, and accidentally set off a spell that could cause the entire tunnel system to collapse. Know her, that was a possibility. Time was behaving in a more peculiar fashion than ever, rushing past in great dollops, so that one moment she seemed to be sitting down in her first lesson, History of Magic, and the next, walking into lunch…and then (where had the morning gone? The last of the monster-free hours?), Professor Ursula was hurrying over to her in the dining hall. Lots of people were watching."Akko, the champions will be leaving soon…. It's almost time for the Contest to start.""Okay," said Akko, standing up, her fork falling onto her plate with a clatter."Good luck, Akko," Lotte whispered. "You'll be fine.""You probably won't, be we can hope," Sucy added.She left the dining hall with Professor Ursula. She didn't seem herself either; in fact, she looked nearly as anxious as Akko felt. She walked her down the stone steps, past the statue of the Great Witch Jennifer, across the sloping lawn, and up the Ley Line Terminal where Diana, Fate, Makoto, and Nico were waiting."Is everyone here?" said Ursula. None of them answered verbally; they either nodded slightly or raised their hands; Makoto looked like she was about to be sick. "All right…on your brooms everyone. We'll be heading over to the stadium right away before the crowds start pouring in."They all silently mounted the school-regulated broomsticks that were provided; Akko didn't try to summon the Shiny Balai because she wasn't sure if she could work the Shiny Rod with her nerves the way they were. They all activated the flight spell and ascended into the ethereal green portal above, being pulled into the tunnel of light with a great lurch. A few seconds later, the six of them came flying out over the town of Blytonbury. Akko looked down briefly as they soared over the rooftops, taking notice that the streets were packed more than they usually were on any given day and came to the conclusion that they were all here for the Contest. She silently wondered how many of them were from out of town. If the Contest of Champions was anything like the International Chariot Racing Tournament, then that meant more than half these people could have come from all over the world.Ursula started to descend as they reached the Blytonbury football stadium – nothing too spectacular about it, just looked like a regular human sports arena – and the Luna Nova champions followed behind. They skirted around toward a side entrance where Ursula hopped off her broom and led the girls down a long, dark corridor. Still, no one was saying a word, like they were afraid of breaking if they made any sudden noises; Akko's hand was gripping and releasing her wand anxiously. Ursula stopped when they came to a door halfway down the corridor and turned to the champions."You will change into your uniforms here," said Professor Ursula, in a rather tense sort of voice, "and wait until you are called before entering the stadium. Once all the teams are introduced, they will explain the first game…. Good luck.""Thanks," said Fate, in a flat, distant voice. She left them and went on ahead down the corridor. The Luna Nova champions went inside.They walked into the locker room; their team uniforms were folded neatly on the benches. Akko could hardly believe that it was only a little while ago that she had been so excited to wear the same costume as Shiny Chariot, and to be one of the few chosen to participate in the Contest. But now that she was here, Akko was doing everything in her power to hold back the urge to vomit into the nearest wastebasket. Makoto, however, didn't have her restraint; the poor girl's head was in the bin for a full two minutes before she came back up.After getting changed, the five of them loitered around the locker room, waiting until the time when they were called to make their entrance. Fate was sitting on the farthest bench in the room, hands folded under her chin, not looking nearly as composed as usual, but rather pale and clammy. Makoto was sitting on the floor with her legs tucked under her next to the waste basket, which Akko supposed was in case she wanted to throw up again. Nico was standing in the corner looking surlier than usual, lowering his hood purposefully so that none of them could see the panicked look on her face. Diana had taken to pacing up and down, her shoes clapping on the tile loudly. And Akko was sitting down staring at her feet, clutching her wand like it was a lifeline.In no time at all, thousands upon thousands of pairs of feet could be heard stomping above their heads, their owners making such a loud clatter the champions could hear them through the thick walls. They sounded excited…. Akko felt as separate from the crowd as though they were a different species. And then – it seemed like about a second later to Akko – the locker room doors opened up again, making the champions jump. The Grand Master poked his head in slightly, likely making sure they were properly dressed before stepping inside fully. The Grand Master was beaming at them, possibly not able to see just how pale-faced they really are."Hello, ladies! Hello!" said the Grand Master happily, looking around at them. "Just checking in on the teams. Making sure everyone is ready. You'll be heading out in five minutes, so please make your way to the end of the tunnel and wait for your names to be called."Akko glanced around. Diana nodded once, to show that she understood, and then walked out the door; she looked slightly green. Nico followed shortly after; her limbs were noticeably stiff and was walking awkwardly. Makoto needed Fate's help to stand up because her legs were shaking too hard to do it by herself. Akko knew they had volunteered for this moment, but the realization of what they were doing was probably only now starting to settle in. Akko let Fate and Makoto pass and tried to follow after, but was stopped when the Grand Master suddenly threw out his arm to block her path."Er…excuse me, Akko…. Could have a quick word with you?" he said."Er…I guess," said Akko blankly up to the Grand Master, who turned to her with a fatherly expression on his face."Feel all right, Akko? Anything I can get you?""What?" said Akko. "I – no, nothing.""Got a plan?" said the Grand Master, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "Because I don't mind sharing a few pointers, if you'd like them, you know. I mean," the Grand Master continued, lowering his voice still further, "you're the underdogs here, Akko…. Anything I can do to help…""No," Akko said so quickly she knew she had sounded rude, "no – I – I know what I'm going to do, thanks.""Nobody would
know,
Akko," said the Grand Master, winking at her."No, I'm fine," said Akko, wondering why she kept telling people this, and wondering whether she had ever been less fine. "I've got a plan worked out, I – "A loud buzzer had gone off somewhere in the stadium."Good lord, I've got to run!" said the Grand Master in alarm, and he hurried off.Akko shook her head, wondering why the Grand Master had only wanted to speak to Akko specifically instead of the whole team. But then she remembered that her team were waiting down in the tunnel and dashed out the door before Diana got mad at her again….The stadium had reached full capacity in less than thirty minutes since the gates had opened to the public. Scores of men, women, and children – Humans, Demi-Human, and Alien – congested the walkways, shoving their way to their seats and hoping the Contest would start soon.On one side of the stadium, high above the stands, was a private viewing room where the school representatives had the pleasure of observing the Contest without being bothered by the masses. The government representatives were there as well. Org was talking animatedly with Professor Holbrooke near the windows, Lindy was in the back of the room nodding appreciatively at her wife and son, both of who had made banners for Fate, and Lord Hanbridge, frowning as per usual, was sitting in one of the many plush chairs in the private room with his hands folded in front of him. Andrew, naturally, had joined him and had, of course, brought Frank along for the ride, because god knows he could only last so long in the company of his father alone."I hope they start soon," said Frank eagerly. "I'm going to root for Luna Nova. What about you, Andrew?""I don't particularly care who wins," said Andrew nonchalantly. "But if I were to pick a side…I suppose I wouldn't be amiss if Luna Nova were victorious.""Uh-huh," said Frank, smirking knowingly. "So you just care about Luna Nova? Or is it someone on the team in particular.""And what is that supposed to mean?" said Andrew, raising his brow."Oh, nothing," said Frank, smirking. "I've just noticed that you've been spending a lot of time in the school library lately…trying to learn how to speak Japanese."Andrew a noise in the back of his throat, but quickly composed himself. He was a civilized man…he wasn't about to beat his best friend over the head with a chair…at least not with so many witnesses around….On the opposite side of the stadium was the commentator's box. The Grand Master was there, naturally, as he was the host of the Contest, seated between a pair of students on either side. On his left was Wangari, sixth year Corona and president of the Luna Nova News Network – she often provided the commentary for the Chariot Races, so it was no surprise she was allowed a seat at the table. On the Grand Master's right was a teenage boy with spiky orange in a green blazer bearing the emblem of a fairy with a set of heavy-looking headphones. He had a perpetually bored look to him, like he wished he could be anywhere other than an exciting, world-class event."Hellooooooooo, ladies and gentlemen!" Wangari screamed into her mic. "It's that time again! That monumental event that only happens once in seven years! That's right, it's the Contest of Champions!" She paused as the stadium exploded into waves of frantic cheers. "From the Luna Nova News Network, I'm Wangari.""And from Serenity Academy's VOCALOID, I am Neku Sakuraba," said the spiky-haired boy dully. "Ryuko couldn't make it because the author wasn't competent enough to plan ahead for the obvious plot hole ahead of time.""I…yeah, nobody has any idea what that means," said Wangari. "But, joining us here today on commentary is the creator of the Contest of Champions, the Grand Master. Looking forward to working with ya, Grand Master.""The pleasure is all mine," said the Grand Master. "I simply love the Contest. It is one of my all-time favorite events. Such a shame I'm only allowed to host it every seven years.""Yes, a real tragedy," said Neku is a tone so detached, they couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not. "But enough about that. The crowd is starting to grow restless; maybe it's time we started introducing the teams?""Good idea, Sakuraba!" said Wangari. "Let's go ahead and bring the first team out onto the field!" She took another pause to let the audience scream themselves hoarse. "First up is a hometown favorite for those in Blytonbury. From the hallowed halls of the number one magic school in the world, this team is looking to make their mark in history. I present to you…Diana Cavendish, Atsuko Kagari, Makoto Kowata, Fate Testarossa, and Nico Minoru – Team Luna Nova!"From one corner of the field, the five girls garbed in white stepped out onto the turf amid the screaming crowds, most of whom were citizens of Blytonbury rooting for their hometown team. Of course, there were some students from Appleton in the crowd, hissing and jeering, but their voices were overshadowed by the supporters. Diana took the lead as they crossed the field toward the center, looking calm and composed as could be, but Akko could definitely see the glistening of nervous sweat on her brow."It's a little nerve-wracking, isn't it?" said Makoto, looking around anxiously. "Having the perform in front of all these people like this.""This is the biggest event in seven years," said Fate, making a loud gulping noise. "Somehow, it feels like it's even bigger than the International Chariot Racing Tournament.""Th–This is n-n-nothing," Akko stuttered, trying, and failing, to look calm. "Sh-Shiny Char-r-riot h-had way big-g-ger crowds th-than this. Th-this is just g-g-good prac-c-ctice for when I b-become a star l-l-like her.""Akko, you're literally shaking," said Diana."All right, let's move on to the next team," said Neku. "From the Land of the Rising Sun, these young warriors were chosen by the gods themselves to be the guardians of our world. They have risked life and limb to keep us safe from the wicked Vertex, and now they're here to claim their title as the greatest. Presenting the maidens of the Hero Club…Fu Inubozaki, Sonoko Nogi, Karin Miyoshi, Mimori Togo, and Yuna Yuki – Team Sanshu!"The team came from the opposite side of the stadium that Luna Nova had entered, stepping onto the turf with confident smiles and were waving to the cheering crowds enthusiastically. They weren't nervous at all, but Akko supposed that, if what Sakuraba said was true, then public performances must be a cinch compared to monsters.Each member of Team Sanshu were matching uniforms that looked like a combination of superhero suits and traditional Miko robes. Fu, who was marching in front, grinning from ear-to-ear, was wearing a bright-yellow suit with her lengthy hair tied into braided pigtails. The other blonde standing at Fu's right was dressed in deep purple suit with coattails and the stern-looking brunette on her left donned a red uniform while carrying two katana at her hip, giving her a samurai vibe. The tallest and the largest bust in the group was a traditional dark-haired Japanese beauty wearing a white-and-blue suit that was so thin that it may as well have just been a second skin.But when Akko's eyes fell on the last of Team Sanshu, she felt a sharp twitch in her spine that she hadn't felt in a long time; the Shiny Rod, which was strapped to her belt, started to vibrate against her hip. Akko gave her a closer look. She seemed innocent enough; slightly on the short side, round-faced, bright pink hair tied in a ponytail, and a large clip that clung to the right side of her head, nearly touching her eye. Her uniform was bright-pink, but had armored gauntlets and greaves. Of the five members of Sanshu, she seemed like the least threatening…so why couldn't Akko stop the tingling down her spine?"Akko," said Diana, touching her shoulder, snapping her out of her stupor. "Are you all right? You just spaced out all of a sudden.""Yeah, it's just…that girl over there," said Akko, pointing her out. "I don't know why, but I feel like she's super strong. We oughta be careful around her.""And coming up right behind them is our next team!" Wangari screamed. "Hailing from a place for freaks and weirdoes, our next competitors aim to put their unique…quirks to good use and reach for the title of hero! But before they can run off to save the day, they have come to prove their mettle against the best the world has to offer! Look out, because here comes…Shoto Todoroki, Fumikage Tokoyami, Tsuyu Asui, Katsuki Bakugo, and Izuku Midoriya – Team U.A.!"Much like Sanshu Middle School, the champions of U.A. High practically strutted onto the field with unwavering confidence…well, except for the boy with the messy green-haired – he looked exactly like how Akko felt; trying to hold back the urge to vomit as he looked around at the enormous crowd watching them, judging them.Unlike Luna Nova and Sanshu, none of them were wearing matching uniforms, but a strange variety of different styled costumes that, Akko guessed, were supposed to be their hero suits. The one on the far right with the half-white, half-red hair and scarred face wore a simple deep-blue track suit with a combat vest, but the long-haired girl next to him donned an elaborate green-and-black wetsuit with a pair of oversized goggles that gave her a frog-like appearance. Akko was nearly taken aback when the boy (?) on the opposite end had a head shaped like a bird and only wore a simple tattered black cloak and the green-haired boy who looked like he was about to have nervous breakdown wore a plain looking neon-green jumpsuit with padded gloves and a respirator around his neck. The last in their group looked like he was dressed more to be a villain than a hero – and those gauntlets shaped like oversized grenades weren't helping much – but it was the boy's face that made Akko gasp in shock."That's him!" Akko hissed out of the corner of her mouth. "That's the guys Hannah and I bumped into in the Arcturus Forest.""Then that's probably the one who'll be competing today," said Nico thoughtfully. "Remember, these guys are training to be heroes, and heroes don't cheat. So he obviously kept the information for himself, which means he's the only one that knows what's coming.""I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing," said Makoto apprehensively; that boy did look very scary."And just arriving on the field is our possibly most lethal team yet," said Neku. "Though the rumors are unconfirmed, it is said that this next school doubles as a prison, keeping the most dangerous teenage girls on the planet in check. Assassins, poisoners, mercenaries, serial killers, bombers, and deadly cyborgs – good money says that these ladies will mess you up if you even look at them the wrong way. Here for the first time…
Nio Hashiri, Sumireko Hanabusa, Haruki Sagae, Tokaku Azuma, and Otoya Takechi – Team Myojo."Okay, that sounded terrible, Akko thought, as she looked back at the tunnel Team Luna Nova had emerged from where the next group was stepping on their field. It had seemed that none of them had opted to try for matching outfits and had instead arrived in their school uniforms, which were as different from each other as their face and personalities.The blue-haired girl leading the group definitely had the look of a killer – cold, unfeeling blue eyes that didn't quite meet anyone's gaze, seemingly focused on something that only she could see; and the knife pouch strapped to her thigh certainly didn't make Akko feel better. The peach-blonde girl on the far right looked largely out of place compared to the others; she looked like she belonged in a rich mansion garden sipping tea instead of locked up in a prison school for killers. The pink-haired girl between her and the leader reminded Akko of Amanda; both had a mischievous gleam in their eye that could only mean she was a troublemaker, lazily gnawing on a pocky stick with a cunning smirk. On the far left was a playful-looking girl with long purple hair, but Akko didn't like the way that she was fiddling with a small pair of scissors in her hands, almost like she was itching to cut something. And the last among them was a short little blonde girl that was smiling like an overgrown child…but Akko could see right away that it was fake; it was the same kind of smile Akko used often when she was trying to hide her true feelings. Akko couldn't explain it, but she got the sensation that the little blonde girl was just as dangerous as the blue-haired one."Next up is a team you won't be forgetting any time soon!" shouted Wangari enthusiastically. "Perched atop a man-made island where everything is controlled by an 18-year-old high school student – I mean, seriously, what the hell? – this insane school where the laws of physics do not apply boasts itself as one of the five greatest schools in the world, right alongside Luna Nova! Give a big round of applause for…Ryuko Matoi, Nonon Jakuzure, Ira Gamagōri, Uzu Sanageyama, and Hōka Inumuta – Team Honnoji!"The audience's screams had almost rivalled that of when Luna Nova had been called – Honnoji was an obvious favorite. Back in Japan, Honnoji was considered the greatest school in all of Asia and only a handful of people were every selected to attend; they had an acceptance rate of 2% if Akko remembered correctly.The champions from their rival school marched onto the field from the entrance on the south-east side and right away they presented themselves as a serious threat to the competition. Four of them were dressed in crisp, clean white uniforms branded with three golden stars on each, though they had taken liberties to make each one unique. The largest of the group (looking more like an adult that a high school student) had slicked back blonde hair and had some heavy-looking gauntlets and shoulder spikes. The shortest among them was a girl with pink hair that dressed like she was the conductor of a marching band, even twirled a short baton between her fingers. The green-haired delinquent stereotype had his uniform wide open with a high collar and what looked like a kendo sword sticking out of his back. And the blue-haired boy with the stereotypical nerd glasses had a fur-lined collar and several machines strapped to his waist.But it was the girl in front that stood out the most. She had shaggy, unkept hair with a single left-swept red highlight and a cocky grin that said she was looking forward to this more than anyone. In contrast to her white-uniformed classmates, hers was a pitch-black sailor uniform with a bright-red ribbon. Much like Satsuki Kiryuin's uniform, it had a design on the breasts that resembled a demonic eye, but one side was covered by a black patch, almost like an eyepatch. Akko couldn't see from a distance, but she thought she saw some kind of holster around her hips – a gun, maybe? It was too small to tell."Ryuko Matoi," said Diana suddenly, nearly making Akko jump. "She's Satsuki Kiryuin's younger sister. She'll most likely be the most difficult.""Huh, really?" said Akko, blinking. "…Oh, yeah, now that I think about it, I think I saw her and Satsuki at the Rabbit House during our last Blytonbury weekend. Guess that makes sense.""The next team is one I know from personal experience, though not often the best one," said Neku blankly, which made a few people in the audience chuckle. "Located in one of the emptiest regions of Hokkaido, our next school holds a proud reputation for lacking any common sense, where sanity is nonexistent, and everyone breaks the fourth wall more times than a Deadpool comic. It is my pleasure to introduce…Eruna Ichinomiya, Mikoto Misaka, Otone Fujishiro, Kanami Eto, and Raven Sachya – Team Serenity."Yay! We finally make our proper debut in the story!" Eruna shouted at the top of her lungs the moment she stepped out of the tunnel, throwing up her hands in double peace signs. Akko couldn't help laughing out loud; Eruna was so ridiculous that it momentarily made her forget that she had been nervous a few minutes ago.The other four champions of Serenity Academy came run out after her, all of them looking winded like they had been running to keep up with Eruna. Just like Myojo and Honnoji, they were wearing their school uniforms as their team outfits, though there was a clear division between them – three of them were wearing bright-orange blazers with white sun emblems and two of them were wearing white blazers with golden lapels and golden crescent moon emblems on their breasts. Eruna was among the three wearing the sun jackets along with a girl with duel-toned white-and-violet twin tails and a brown-haired girl carrying a katana strapped to her waist. Among the champions in moon jackets was a tall woman, possibly the oldest in the group with long black hair that subtly shifted to a red gradient and the youngest, who was a tomboy-looking girl with short brunette hair.Besides the champions themselves, Akko saw movement around threw of the champions' shoulders. Bimii was floating around Eruna, whispering something in her ear that caused the orangette to stick out her tongue. Akko could automatically assume that the tall one was Raven because of the strange star-patterned bird that just perched itself on her shoulder, making itself content. And the other girl in white nearly tipping over when a large yellow creature with a lightning bolt tail jumped on top of her head and settled itself there…."Is that a Pikachu?" asked Akko. "Wait, why are they allowed to bring animals? Isn't that against the rules.""Technically," said Fate, "pets are allowed to be entered as tools as long as you fill out the necessary forms…. Lindy-san told me that the other day.""And you're just telling us now?!" Akko shrieked exasperatedly. "If I had known that, I would have registered Blair as a pet and have her help! Damn it!""We're almost at the finish line, so let's move on with one last spurt of energy!" screamed Wangari. "Our next team has travel across the galaxy from the distant planet of Orience, making them the first alien team to compete in the Contest of Champions. But because they are from another world, we have no idea who they are or what they can do? Could this be the advantage that puts them on top? Ladies and gentlemen, I give you…King, Queen, Ace, Rem Tokimiya, and Machina Kunagiri – Team Class Zero!"The champions from across the galaxy entered the stadium from the north-western tunnel to a booming round of cheers and claps that was probably more powerful than the one Luna Nova received. Akko couldn't blame them; alien visitors from another world competing in the Contest – Akko would be beside herself if she wasn't competing as well.Once again, they were a team that had decided to stick with their school uniforms instead of wearing any special outfits for the occasion. But, on the other hand, they did decide to bring weapons to the Contest, which Akko supposed counted as different. The cool-looking leader with short, blonde hair was shuffling a deck of cards, seemingly for no reason other than to do something, but there was a strange marker on the back of each card that looked to be glowing – magic playing cards, perhaps? His taller companion standing to his right had blonde hair as well, though it was longer and slicked back neatly; his hands were tapping a pair of handguns holstered to his hips anxiously. On the opposite side of him was a girl with long, silky black hair and a pair of wire-rim glasses, hefting a long, knightly-looking sword on her back.But when Akko turned her eyes on the last two members of their group, she felt the same sharp sensation on her spine as when she did with that girl from Sanshu. The Shiny Rod was vibrating harder than before, possibly because there was two instead of one this time. First was the boy with emo-looking black hair hauling a pair of twin rapiers and the other was the shortest girl among the group with shoulder-length brunette hair twirling a pair of twin decorative daggers in her hands. Unlike the girl from Sanshu, Akko could actually
see
the power coming off those two in thick, miasmic auras: the boy was white while the girl was red."Something's wrong again, isn't there," said Diana, once again snapping Akko out of her trance. "You had that same look earlier…. Is there something about that team that bothers you?""Well, not me exactly," said Akko uncertainly. "It's like…the Shiny Rod is…I guess, nervous about some people. It won't stop shaking. It did the same thing when Sanshu showed up.""Hmm…," Diana hummed thoughtfully, tapping her chin. "Perhaps the Shiny Rod senses power that rivals own. We don't fully understand the Shiny Rod, but there's always a chance it could be sentient. If it is, indeed, worried…then that means we will be facing opponents with unimaginable power.""Is it too late to drop out?" asked Makoto anxiously."And now, the moment you have all been waiting for," Neku continued. "Hailing from parts unknown, our final school is one shrouded in mystery. They honed their skills under the watchful eye of Ram, said to be one of the greatest Hunters of our age, and are ready to put them on display. Without further ado – Black Gold Saw, Strength, Chariot, Dead Master, and…BLACK ROCK SHOOTER!" he concluded with an unnatural boost of enthusiasm.The screams from the audience were so thunderous that anyone outside the stadium would have thought there was an earthquake. Akko and many of the champions from other teams had to clap their hands over their ears because the noise level had reached a pitch where it actually started to hurt. She knew that Mato – that being, Black Rock Shooter – was a pretty big deal, but this was a bit much in her opinion. The noise had reached a new pitch when Mato and her teammates came out that Akko thought she would go deaf at any moment. The cheering lasted for a solid two minutes before they finally decided to settle down, probably because their throats were starting to hurt. Sighing in relief, Akko removed her hands and turned around to look at the last team.When they had arrived in front of the school over a month ago, it had been too dark to see anyone other than Mato, but now that they were standing in broad daylight, Akko nearly did a double take. If Ram was anything to go by, then Akko figured she shouldn't have been surprised that her students were equally demonic-looking.The tallest woman had long black hair that faded into red towards the end much like Raven from Serenity Academy along with a pair of curved demon horns jutting out of her skull. She had large skeleton hands that were wrapped around the handle of a great sword equal to her in size with a serrated edge like a saw. The short blonde girl next to her donned a spiky black crown on her head and had metal claws like her companions, but the biggest attractor were her legs, which looked like they had been replaced entirely by metal prosthetics balanced on a pair of oversized wheels. Mato was in the middle dressed in a long dark-blue coat with a single white star on the back, a pair of combat boots, short shorts, and only a small bikini to cover her chest; a strange assortment of attire, but she looked normal compared to the others. On her left was a tall and slender woman with thick framed glasses and a pair of skeletal horn growing out of her head that matched her hands, which were clutching a menacing-looking scythe; somehow, Akko thought she looked familiar. The last one was definitely the shortest among them – she only came up to Akko's shoulder – and wore an oversized coat with a thick collar that covered her mouth. But her size seemed irrelevant when you caught a glimpse of the long, scorpion-like tail growing out of her spine and the pair of massive mechanical gauntlets that was almost as big as her.Team Black Star joined the rest of the teams in the middle of the field, forming a complete circle around the center line. Akko, whose team were directly left of Team Black Star, waved at them excitedly."Hey, Mato-chan, let's do our best out there!" she shouted.Mato had her face covered by her hood so Akko couldn't see what she was thinking, but she turned her head slightly towards Akko and then turned away a second later without any response. Akko lowered her arm slowly, frowning."That was rude," said Akko."You seem to have a bad habit of pissing everyone off," Nico commented offhandedly."I didn't even do anything!" Akko yelled. "Why is everyone always blaming for stuff?""Because you're you," Diana countered."…you may have a point there," said Akko thoughtfully."And now, all of the teams are here!" said Wangari. "It's been a long time come, and we thank you for your patience, but the wait is finally over! Eight teams have gathered from all corners of the galaxy for one goal: to prove who truly is the strongest school! Honor, fame, glory, riches, and the right to call themselves the greatest in the universe! That is awaits those who reign supreme in the games ahead! And nooooow, the moment you have all been waiting for!"Akko unconsciously gripped the Shiny Rod for strength; the blue-haired assassin of Myojo narrowed her eyes threateningly; Ryuko Matoi punched her fist in her palm with a cocky grin; the dagger-wielder girl of Class Zero took a deep shuddering breath; Eruna Ichinomiya grinned from ear-to-ear; the green-haired boy of U.A. High gulped nervously; the pink-haired girl of Sanshu braced herself at the ready; Mato remained still and stoic.The atmosphere was palpable – they could all feel it – the time had finally arrived…."Let the Contest of Champions…. BEGIN!"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Akko thought those days waiting for the Contest to start were bad, but now that she was here, it was so much worse than she had ever imagined. Standing there under the eyes of a million onlookers, watching her, judging her. The crowd was roaring with excitement as Wangari announced the beginning of the contest…. How Akko envied them, wishing now that she was in their place instead of here, moments away from facing a small army of alien predators.Someone grabbed Akko's hand. It was Diana. She looked at her partner in still curiosity as her fingers shook in Akko's grip. Diana looked cool and composed on the inside, but Akko was the only one that could see that she was just as anxious as they were; her eyes were subtly tracing back and forth, almost like she was looking for an exit. This made Akko fell a little better, knowing that she wasn't the only one nervous. She folded her fingers in between Diana's, holding her hand tight, trying to pour as much courage as she could muster."Okay, everyone, you've waited long enough!" Wangari shouted over the stadium loudspeakers. "We're going to announce the program for this year's Contest of Champions!"The video board at the right end of the stadium blinked to life and several rows of texts appeared on the screen. The program went as followed:
GAME 1: Labyrinth – Battle
GAME 2: ? – Battle
GAME 3: ? – Battle
GAME 4: ? – Team Battle
GAME 5: ?
"This really is a Grand Magic Games copy," said Fate, raising her brow and smirking in mirth. "They even have the same schedule as the original one.""Well, at least we know what to expect, then," said Nico dryly. "The games I think we can manage – it's the battle rounds that have me worried. Other than Kagari, none of us has ever been in a fight before.""I have some experience fighting," said Fate. "Before I got accepted into Luna Nova, I trained with Lynith and Arf in combat magic. And my mother is always making sure I practice when I'm at home.""Having two fighters on our team won't do us any good," said Diana, her jaw set. "Looks at the rest of the schools. You can see it in their eyes – they all have years of experience in combat, especially Class Zero and Myojo. We won't be able to win against any of them in a straight forward fight, so we're going to need to be clever instead.""I think we should worry about getting past the Xenomorphs before worrying about fighting," Makoto suggested."I second that," said Akko, her nerves returning twofold."To anyone who has ever watched the Grand Magic Games which this 'Contest' is a total copy and paste of," said Neku dully, pointedly ignoring the heated look from the Grand Master, "you should already know the rules by now: One person from each team will be selected for each game and points will be divided based on where they placed in that round. First place will receive 10 points, second gets 8, third gets 6, fourth gets 4, fifth gets 3, sixth gets 2, seventh gets 1, and last place gets jack. And for the battle round, the results of fan votes will be taken into consideration when the sponsors make their pairs.""That's assuming the readers can take ten seconds out of their day to take a simple poll," said Raven Sachya, clicking her tongue peevishly."The rules for the battle part are simple," Neku continued. "The teams face off against each other and the winning team will receive 10 points while the losing team gets nothing – 5 points will be distributed evenly in the event of a tie when time runs out or we experience a rare double knockout.""Thank you for that short and boring explanation, Sakuraba!" said Wangari. "But let's hurry up and get to what the fan are really looking forward to: the first game of the Contest! It's time to begin the Labyrinth!" She took a quick pause in her exuberant announcement to let the audience get in a few cheers before starting up again. "Before we can get started on the Labyrinth, each team needs to pick one member to represent them in the competition! Choose wisely, because you never know what you'll be facing in this Contest!""Logically speaking, it would be best if I were to handle this one," said the bespectacled boy from Honnoji, pushing up his glasses dramatically. "After Lady Satsuki went through the trouble of gathering data for us.""Don't fail us, Inumuta," grumbled the largest man of their group, crossing his arms and leering down at his teammate. "Remember, you don't just represent our school, you represent Lady Satsuki. There will be strict discipline should you do anything to tarnish her name.""Dude, you guys need to seriously chill," said Ryuko Matoi, groaning exasperatedly."The first person to step up is Team Honnoji's Hoka Inumuta!" yelled Wangari."Let's me take care of the first one," the short brunette of Team Class Zero pleaded."Just be careful out there," said their blonde leader. "For both the monsters and your health.""Stepping in for Team Class Zero is Rem Tokimiya!"No one from Black Star Academy said a word to each other, but Mato reached behind her and tapped the redheaded, devil-horned woman on the shoulder. She smirked confidently and stepped forward, shouldering her serrated sword."Coming in from the fan favorite, it's Team Black Star's Black Gold Saw!""I should be the one to go first," said Fu Inubozaki, rubbing her nose and chuckling smugly. "As your leader, I should make sure that the games are safe for my trusted and most cherished friends.""You're not fooling anyone, Fu-senpai," giggled the other blonde girl. "You just want to show off to that Manbavaran girl from Luna Nova.""W-w-w-w-what are you talking about!" sputtered Fu, her face turning red as a brick and flailing her arms around. "T-t-that's not it! I just…I'm just being a good friend, that all!""Riiiiight…," Team Sanshu said in synchronized, disbelieving voices."The Hero Club has sent out their headliner! It's Fu Inubozaki from Team Sanshu!""If Akko-chan is gonna go first, then I am, too," said Eruna, stepping forward. "We main characters need to stick together.""You've got this, Eruna-senpai!" shouted the brunette in white. "Show them why Serenity Academy is the best in the world!""All eyes are on the dark horse of the competition, and Team Serenity sends out it's big gun right off the bat. It's Eruna Ichinomiya!""We don't know what the rules of the game are," the green-haired boy from U.A. mumbled creepily, "but it probably has something to do with finding a way out of a maze. If that's the case, I really wish Iida was here – his quick quirk would have made it easy for him to run around and find the exit before anyone else. But we also don't know what kind of traps they have lying around in there either. We should take a moment to assess everyone's quirks and how they could be best used to – ""Shut your damn mouth already!" shouted the spiky blonde irritably, stepping up. "I'm going and that's final!""Wait, Kachan!" yelped the green-haired boy. "We need to stop and think about – "The boy known as Kachan leered over his shoulder, giving his teammate a very dangerous look."Uh…never mind. It looks like you've got it handled," said the green-haired boy nervously."In a rather impractical decision, Team U.A. is sending its resident hothead, Katsuki Bakugo!""I think I should take the lead in this competition," said the frail-looking rich girl from Myojo, glancing sideways at her team. "Unless you have a problem with that…Azuma-san….""…Go," said the blue-haired assassin, Azuma, listlessly. "Don't die…."The rich girl giggled amusingly."Another odd decision, Team Myojo is sending out Sumireko Hanabusa in their stead!""Looks like we're the only ones left," said Makoto anxiously, making a loud gulping noise. "So…how do we do this? Do we draw straws or….""I…I'll go," said Akko, her voice nearly failing her. She was so nervous, she found it difficult to speak. "I'll go first….""Akko, are you sure?" asked Diana; there was a hint of noticeable concern behind her voice. "You don't have to do this if you don't want. I could – ""No!" Akko shouted unexpectedly loud, making Diana jump. "No…I mean, I got this. I've been training for a really long time for this. I even asked Professor Finnelan to help.""Really?" said Fate. "I always thought she hated you. If she's willing to help, that must mean you're serious.""Well…if you're sure," said Diana, still looking at her anxiously. "Just…be careful, okay, Akko.""Don't worry," said Akko, trying her hardest to smile, but failing. "I've…I've got this.""And last, but certainly not least, It's Atsuko Kagari from Team Luna Nova!" shouted Wangari. "All of the participating players from the eight teams are set! And now, for the rules of the opening game, Labyrinth! Take it away, Grand Master!""Thank you, Miss Wangari, for that stirring introduction," said the Grand Master. "The Rules of 'Labyrinth' are quite simple to understand. In essence, it is a race where the competitors will have to scour a maze of tunnels to find the exit. Points will be rewarded depending on who crosses the finish line first. But it wouldn't be any fun if it was a normal race. Not only will you have to watch out for your fellow competitors, who will no doubt be hindering your path, but you should also be aware that there are some…special surprises waiting for our competitors."Special surprises…he was referring to the Xenomorphs, Akko thought. She felt like there was a great lead weight in her stomach as the thought of those monsters. The only thing that seemed to ease the tension building was the equally worried looks on her competition as they all joined together in the middle of the stadium. A couple of them were twitching agitatedly and others were folding their hands to stop the shaking. Only Myojo's representative, Sumeriko, seemed to be absolutely calm – she was perfectly still, like a statue."The competitors are free to use whatever they have at their disposal, whether it is magic, quirk, or weapons," said the Grand Master. "There are no restrictions other than you are not allowed to kill you opponents – that will not only eliminate you from the round, but from the rest of the Contest as well, and that would leave your team running a man short, so be careful…. That being said, the Department of Sports and Games take no responsibility for any lives that may be lost during the Contest of Champions.""Wait, what?" said Eruna dimly."That's enough talk!" said the Grand Master Quickly. "Let the first game of the Contest of Champions – Labyrinth – begin!""Wait, what were you saying about losing lives!" Eruna shouted. "Hey, I'm talkin' to ya!"The Grand Master pointedly avoided Ichinomiya's question as he snapped his fingers; the echo bouncing across the stadium despite the roaring of fans. Before any of the competitors knew what was going on, a purple, diamond-shaped portal suddenly appeared beneath their feet and started sucking them inside one after another. Akko was one of the last to be pulled in; she tried to run for the edge when the portal appeared, but it was like being sucked in by a vacuum cleaner. Neon-purple lights surrounded her, blinding her; it felt incredible more uncomfortable than the Teleportation Spell, if that was even possible. She could feel her head spinning as she fell at what seemed like a hundred miles per hour, completely losing track of the other competitors. Akko closed her eyes, fighting back the urge to vomit, wishing for it to stop –
SPLASH!
Akko sputtered, flailed, and pushed herself upright, her clothes thoroughly soaked as a foul smell assaulted her senses. She choked down the bile that threatened to climb out of her stomach, holding a hand to her nose, and looked around. Akko had known they would be thrown into the sewers before the game started, but she had not been prepared for the smell – she had been more worried about the Xenomorphs.The tunnel she had landed in was long and cavernous – not at all cramped like she had anticipated it to be. The section behind her was closed off by a large steel wall with yellow warning tape across the surface, indicating that she was at the boundary of the game area. Akko found herself standing knee-deep in murky-green water, the contents of which Akko didn't want to imagine, and immediately jumped up on the narrow walkway on either side of the water. A few lanterns alight with green fire fairies were hung from the ceiling every few feet, filling the tunnel with an eerie green glow. Well, at least she wouldn't need to worry about stumbling around in the dark, Akko thought bitterly."The least they could've done was give us a warning," Akko mumbled and she rung her hat dry, sorely wishing she knew the quick-drying spell. She topped her head again and looked down the tunnel. "Guess we all got separated. Great…. Whelp…time to see where this goes."She started her slow walk down the tunnel….Back at the stadium, several dozen wide holographic screens popped up on every side of the arena, displaying various images of the contestants as they made their way through the sewers."Everyone, please enjoy what's going on in the tunnels below via our imaging cameras," said the Grand Master. "The eight participants have been separated into different parts of the sewer system and none of them have any idea what the others are doing. They are all at an equal distance away from the exit to make it fair, but the real test isn't who can make it out first, but who can make it out period. With hundreds of dead ends and our little surprises wandering inside, it is anyone's guess.""This guy really loves to hear himself talk, doesn't he?" said Nico, clicking her tongue."We should have planned this better," said Diana. "We were so busy preparing for what happens when we confront the Xenomorphs that we completely overlooked the possibility that we would be wandering around in a maze. If I had known, I would have had us study compass magic more, maybe a transparency spell or two.""You really think Akko would be able to learn that in time?" asked Fate, raising a brow to Diana."I'm sure Akko has a plan," said Makoto hopefully. "She wouldn't have volunteered if she didn't."Though the rest of Team Luna Nova seemed skeptical, they silently agreed that they had no choice but to put their faith in Akko. Besides, Diana thought, if worse came to worse, Akko would just use the Shiny Arc and blindly destroy the entire tunnel system….The flame fairies cast black shadows across the tunnel walls, and, whether because the walls were long and hollow or because this was another effect added by the Grand Master, the sounds of water dripping seemed to echo ten times louder than normal. Akko had played enough horror video games with Constanze to recognize this scenario where the monsters always popped out when you least expect it. And this time, the monsters weren't just two-dimensional images on a screen. She whipped out her wand, muttering the spell she had practiced with Finnelan under her breath for when the moment arrived when she needed it.After about fifty yards, she reached a fork in the tunnel. She looked to the left, then to the right, and saw no difference between them."Which way…which way…," Akko mumbled. "Ooh…come on, Kami, give me a sign…."It was at precisely that moment that thunderous explosion suddenly rang from the left tunnel, making the ground tremble beneath Akko's feet. Akko braced herself against the wall and craned her head to the left. There was another explosion, mingled with the sound of vicious hissing, one that Akko recognized from her trip to the Arcturus Forest. Someone had made contact with a Xenomorph. Another explosion rattled the tunnel and then someone's voice echoed down the tunnel."You think you can take me, you bastards! C'mon! I'll roast your scaly asses!"It was Bakugo from U.A. He was fighting the Xenomorphs head-on.Another explosion went off and Akko decided at that point she'd rather not take the chance of getting in his way. She turned on her heel and hurried down the right tunnel; the explosions faded out of earshot the further away she got. Her chosen path seemed completely deserted. She turned right at the end of the tunnel, and hurried on, holding her wand out in front of her, ready to shoot anything that got in her way. Still, there was nothing in sight.Akko kept looking behind her. The old feeling that she was being watched was upon her. The labyrinth was growing darker with every passing minute as the lanterns became farther and fewer in between. She assumed that must have meant she was getting closer to the exit, hopefully. She reached a second fork in the road.Akko was starting to wish she had learned some compass magic from Diana; she didn't know if she was heading the right way or going in circles. So, having no other idea in mind, Akko decided to leave her fate to chance: she tossed her wand into the air and let it hit the ground, deciding to follow whichever direction it pointed. It pointed towards the left, straight at the solid wall. Akko picked up her wand and started to take the left tunnel and hope for the best.The path ahead was empty too, and when she reached the end of the path, she took an immediate right because she heard noises coming from the left. Akko didn't know why, but the lack of obstacles was starting to unnerve her. Surely she should have met at least one Xenomorph by now? It felt as though the labyrinth were luring her into a false sense of security. Then she heard movement right behind her. She held out her wand, ready to attack, but her eyes fell only upon Fu Inubozaki, who had just hurried out of a path on the right-hand side. Fu looked winded. She was hauling a hulking broadsword on her shoulder that was even bigger than herself. The sleeve of her costume had evaporated and was partially smoking with a soft hissing noise."Ran into a pack of Xenomorphs down that way," she said, panting. "I got the suckers – cut them all in half. But their blood got everywhere. Almost got caught in the splash zone. Thank goodness God Steel can't melt."She gave a short and mirthless chuckle and dived out of sight, along another path. Keen to put plenty of distance between herself and the Xenomorphs, Akko hurried off again. But as she turned a corner at the end of the tunnel, she heard it…a low, chittering noise from above. Akko craned her head back slowly and saw…a lone Xenomorph clinging to the ceiling above. Seven feet long, its head lengthy and smooth with pointed teeth, its barbed tail swishing back and forth menacingly. It raised its own head and stared straight at Akko, who stood frozen in place, not daring to make any sudden moves….Akko slowly began to raise her wand over her head, reciting the spell in her mind with all of her concentration, when the Xenomorph suddenly leapt down upon her, its skeletal hands outstretched, its toothy jaw opened wide as it let out an earsplitting shriek. It grabbed Akko by the shoulders and forced her to the floor; Akko winced, but held on tightly to her wand –"Oh no, Akko's pinned down! This may be it for her!" Wangari screamed frantically over the loudspeakers."AKKO!" Team Luna Nova screamed."AKKO!" The Polaris girls cried."Miss Kagari!" Andrew yelled in fright, jumping out of his seat, much to the amazement of his father.The Xenomorph hissed violently; heavy globs of drool dripping down its teeth and onto her face. Something poked out of the alien's open mouth – it was a second set of smaller teeth, snapping like a bear trap; kinda makes you wonder what the first set of teeth are for then. The Xenomorph was about to bury its teeth into her face, but Akko held strong and waved her wand in her hand, casting the spell she had worked hard to master –"Metamorphie Faciesse!"A puff exploded in the Xenomorph's face as it lunged forward, somehow missing Akko and hitting the concrete with its face.The Xenomorph shook its head and started looking around frantically, making curious noises as it searched. It was beyond the alien's ability to understand. How could an entire human just disappear like that? The Xenomorph started to growl in irritation when a small noise echoed off the wall. It was faint and tiny, but it could be heard…Squeak, squeak….
The sound of a tiny animal…. The Xenomorph turned slowly on its hind legs and looked down. And there, standing proudly on the Xenomorph's pointed tail, was a little brown mouse…with a tiny hair bob that looked exactly like…. The Xenomorph actually did a double take, its jaw slack – the little mouse grinned and flashed a peace sign."Transformation complete!" said Akko-Mouse proudly. "How'd you like that?"The stadium was filled with applause and cheers for both Akko's safety and her impressive spells, but nearly everyone from Luna Nova shared the same dumbfounded looks as the Xenomorph. Wide-eyed and slack jawed, some of the students were rubbing their eyes as if believing they were playing tricks on them. But they weren't. Akko Kagari, who had never once performed a successful transformation spell in the four years she had been at school, was a little mouse playing on a Xenomorph's tail. It wasn't until Wangari practically screamed over the mic that it finally started to sink in."Holy cow! In a surprise twist, Akko Kagari pulls off a full body metamorphosis spell at the last second for a narrow death-defying escape! This is definitely going to be in the highlights for sure!""Atsuko Kagari's greatest and most versatile spell is metamorphosis magic," said Neku Sakuraba plainly. "We all knew this from the canon show. It was only a matter of time before she actually pulled it off.""I always knew that Akko had an affinity towards metamorphosis magic," Ursula said to Professor Finnelan, both seated among the teachers. "But she never took the time to practice…. I take it this was your doing, Professor Finnelan?""She came to me asking for help," said Professor Finnelan, showing the smallest of smiles. "It was the first time I ever saw her interested in learning. I couldn't turn her away. But I must say, I didn't expect her to be able to master the spell in less than a day. That girl really does have a talent for it."Ursula smiled and turned back to the screen as the Xenomorph began to swing its tail wildly, trying to shake the little mouse off.The Xenomorph hissed furiously while snapping its tail back and forth, but the little witch-mouse refused to let go; it was holding on to the bladed tip with all four legs and its own tail. Even when the alien beast slammed her into the wall, Akko refused to let go. She had some serious determination. But when the Xenomorph arced its tail over its head, ready to slam the little mouse into the ground, Akko finally relented. She let go of the alien just as it stabbed the ground, free falling on top of the Xenomorph's head, and flashed her little wand that had shrunk to accommodate her size, twirling it around and saying:"Metamorphie Faciesse!"A cloud of smoke poofed above the Xenomorph. The alien only had a chance to look up before its head was crushed under the weight of a two-ton brown elephant with a topknot that had suddenly appeared out of thin air. Akko the elephant laughed victoriously as the Xenomorph flailed under her massive weight while the alien's head and upper body was pinned underneath her butt. The Xenomorph slashed its tail in every direction, but it was behaving in such a blind panic that it didn't know where to aim. And in a matter of moments, the Xenomorph stopped moving altogether, its tail going limp, either dead or unconscious from the lack of oxygen. Akko-Elephant laughed again, curling her trunk proudly with her…feet on her waist."Hah! How do ya like that!" Akko-Elephant said victoriously. "Not such a scary monster now, are ya? I hope everyone saw that. I was so cool…."Though extremely proud of her accomplished victory, Akko needed to move on, quickly and quietly as possible. She used the metamorphosis spell again to transform into a tiny brown bird with a topknot, flapping her wings rapidly, and soaring down the tunnel.Left…right…left again…. Twice she found herself facing dead ends. The lights were starting to get brighter, which meant she was getting further away from the exit. She turned back, took a right, and saw a group of three Xenomorphs lurking in a crossroad in front of her.Akko approached them cautiously, flapping up to the top of one of the exposed pipes on the wall, hidden in the shadows. They looked like they were searching for something, they raised their heads and swerved around, almost like dogs sniffing the air. Akko wondered if they could find her by her scent; she didn't know how the Xenomorphs could see because of their lack of apparent eyes. She considered the possibility of fighting them off, but fighting three Xenomorphs was a huge difference compared to fighting one. What would happen if she tried sneaking past them? She could turn herself into a mouse again, but the spell would make too much noise and the overdramatic smoke cloud would direct them to her location. Should she chance it as a bird, or should she double back?She was still considering when the Xenomorphs suddenly perked, all three of them spinning around toward the left side tunnel. Akko peered closer.At first there was silence…. Then clapping footsteps echoed from down the way. The Xenomorphs reared themselves on their haunches, snarling, as another champion stepped into the light of the green lanterns. It was Sumireko from Myojo, hands folded politely, walking up to the aliens as if she were taking a pleasant stroll through the park.Akko was tempted to call out to Sumireko, to warn her, when the rich girl suddenly stopped and stared at the Xenomorphs with a pleasant smile; not something Akko would consider doing when faced with three of those monsters. She chuckled politely and spoke, her tone as graceful as her poise:"My, how unfortunate for you. I would appear…that will be the next of your kin to die."It was unknown if the Xenomorphs were able to understand human language, but the way they reacted gave some impression that they knew what she was talking about. One member of the pack lurched forward, it's teeth bared at Sumireko, when the Myojo Champion suddenly held out a hand and grabbed the Xenomorph by the head. Instantly, the alien beast was stopped in its tracks. The creature looked like it was struggling under her hand and even seemed to be pushed back slightly. The Xenomorph began to raise its barded tail when Sumireko closed her fingers, puncturing the head case, and splattered venomous-green blood all over her hand. The Xenomorph dropped dead on the floor, its brain crushed in Sumireko's grip. The Myojo champion still smiled pleasantly, even as the Xenomorph's acidic blood began to burn away the skin on her hand. But as the skin melted off, Sumireko's flesh was replaced by a smooth, metallic material, one that Akko couldn't make out in the darkness.Sumireko chuckled politely again, flexing her steely fingers for them to see."So…which of you will be next?" she asked calmly.Akko could only stare with a mixture of shock and horror as Sumireko made short work of the other Xenomorphs. In less than five minutes, she grabbed one of the remaining two aliens by the back of its neck, pulled her arm up sharply, and snapped the monster's collar with a sharp
crack
before dropping its dead body in the water. As for the last one, Sumireko smoothly sidestepped the Xenomorph's tail and took hold of it with her iron grip. She pulled the appendage so that the monster would fall flat on the ground, pressed her heel to pin it to the floor, and pulled the Xenomorph's tail with all her might, ripping off the limb and dragging its spinal cord out with it. The Xenomorph went limb, dead, as Sumireko tossed the spine away and pulled out a dainty handkerchief, wiping her hands clean before dropping it on the dead monster to add insult to injury."Hmm…that was rather unsavory," said Sumireko thoughtfully. "After this task is over, I will have to ask Banba-san to draw me a bath. Perhaps she could even be persuaded to join…."She giggled like a giddy schoolgirl at the thought before walking along her merry way. Akko remained frozen in her place on top of the pipe, not daring to move until she was sure Sumireko was gone. She felt numb with shock. She took a deep, steadying breath, then hopped off and flapped toward the tunnel opposite of the direction Sumireko went. Akko didn't know how Sumireko was able to do all that, but she suddenly realized…she didn't care, she just wanted to get as far away from that lunatic as possible.Akko paused at a junction of two paths and looked around for some sign of an exit. The tunnels had been getting darker since she took this path, so she must be on the right track. But she wondered if others were starting to figure it out as well. As they got closer towards the end, they were likely to run into each other sooner or later. Like Diana had said, Luna Nova had the disadvantage when it came to actual combat, so if Akko ended up having to fight one of them, she wouldn't last long. Akko took the right fork with a feeling of increasing unease….She met nothing for ten minutes, but kept running into dead ends. Twice she took the same wrong turn. Finally, she found a new route and started to glide along it. Then she rounded the corner and suddenly found herself caught in a fiery explosion that knocked her out of the air and forced her to change back to a human in a puff of smoke. Akko flipped around on her back and realized she was being overshadowed by Bakugo from U.A.Bakugo looked pissed – beyond pissed, if that was even possible. He looked like he had just come away from a huge scrap, which Akko assumed was what happened after what she heard in the beginning of the game. He was covered in cuts and scratched, his little mask ripped off his face, his shirt ripped in tatters, and one of his gauntlets were missing. He was panting hard, glaring down over Akko."You…," he growled. "You're that chick from Luna Nova! Where're you going, huh? The exit? Tell me where it is!""I don't know!" Akko yelped, backing away from him."Don't lie to me!" Bakugo roared. "Tell me where it is, dammit!"Akko held up her wand defensively, but Bakugo seemed to take this as an attack and threw out his hands, creating a large explosion that sent Akko flying back. Thankfully, she fell in the water; she started smelling burnt hair for a moment before she landed. Bakugo held his hands behind him and issued a blast of fire from his palms and flew forward toward her."Murowa!" Akko yelled. Bakugo let loose an explosion from the side, making him curve around the spell. Akko sped back a few more paces and swiped her wand frantically. "MUROWA!"Her spell missed Bakugo by a mile, but hit the wall next to him and exploded close to his face, throwing him sideways into opposite wall, momentarily stunned from the blast. Panting, Akko pushed herself up to her feet and ran, hard, in the opposite direction – Bakugo wouldn't be stunned for long; he was beginning to get back up, albeit his legs shaking.Akko took a left path and hit a dead end, and right, and hit another; forcing herself to stop, heart hammering, Akko dropped her wand again and chose to take the path on the side in the direction it pointed.She had been hurrying along the new path for a few minutes when she heard something through the walls into the tunnel running parallel to her own that made her stop dead."Stop hiding from me, you coward?" yelled Fu's voice. "Show yourself and fight me like a real man!"And then Akko heard a new voice, one belonging to the only other male in the competition: Inumuta."A real man would fight you head-on, but a smart man would so this."The tunnel was suddenly full of Fu's yells. Horrified, Akko began sprinting up her path, trying to find a way into Fu's. When none appeared, she tried the explosion spell again. It wasn't very effective, but it did break a small hole in the stone through which Akko used the metamorphosis spell to transform into a mouse and slip through to the other side. She landed on the walkway in the new tunnel, looking to her right, and saw Fu being restrained from behind while Inumuta pulled one of her arms behind back and was jabbing two fingers into the back of her neck. Akko didn't have time to wonder where Inumuta got his strange cyber-punk costume when he pressed harder into the back of Fu's neck, making her cry out once more.He didn't seem to have noticed Akko. She crept up quietly behind him and waved her wand."Metamorphie Faciesse!" Akko yelled.Inumuta spun around as an explosion of smoke went off behind him and found himself confronted with a very menacing-looking Akko-Elephant. Before he could formulate a counterattack, Akko wrapped her long trunk around his waist and pulled him away, forcing him to let go of Fu. Akko spun around with all her pachydermic weight and plowed Inumuta headfirst into the wall, smashing him through the concrete so that half his body was sticking out. Inumuta went limp and Akko transformed back into a human. She dashed over to Fu, who was rubbing the back of her neck, wincing."Ow, ow, ow, that smarts," hissed Fu."Are you all right?" Akko said roughly, pulling Fu up by the arm."Yeah," groaned Fu. "Yeah…I'll be fine…the guy snuck up behind me with some invisibility tech…. I heard him, turned around, and he disappears in front of my eyes. Had me pinned in seconds…."Fu got up. She and Akko looked at Inumuta, half buried in the wall."For a nerdy-looking guy, he's pretty tough," said Fu, staring at Inumuta's behind. "Guess he had to be, if he was picked as a champion. But thing I wanna know is…why'd you save me?" she rounded to Akko then. "You could have just left me. Less competition.""I…couldn't help it," said Akko, scratching the back of her head sheepishly. "When I hear people in trouble, I just have to help them.""You'd make a great addition to the hero club," said Fu, smiling proudly at her."Plus, Sucy would probably feed me to Gora-Chan if something happened to you," said Akko, chuckling."Really now?" asked Fu, grinning from ear-to-ear. "So…what do we do with him? Leave him?""We should at least pull him out of the wall," said Akko. "That way he can escape if the Xenomorphs come around….""Yeah, guess you're right," said Fu. She picked up her sword off the ground and slammed the edge into the wall above Inumuta. The wall instantly cracked and fell apart, freeing Inumuta and leaving him lying flat on a small mound of concrete wreckage.Akko and Fu stood there in the darkness for a moment, looking around them. Then Fu said, "Well…I s'pose we'd better get goin'….""What?" said Akko. "Oh…yeah…right…."It was an odd moment. She and Fu had briefly allied against Inumuta – now the fact that they were opponents came back to Akko. The two of them proceeded up the dark tunnel without speaking, then Akko turned left, and Fu right. Fu's footsteps soon died away.Akko moved on, using the same tried and true method of dropping her wand to point the way. Inumuta was out of the running temporarily at least, but there were six other champions in her way. She already encountered Bakugo and Fu, and made herself scarce when Sumeriko turned up. That still left three champions that she hadn't seen yet: Eruna, Rem, and Black Gold Saw. It was strange really, how she had not come across Eruna yet; her strange power to know everything that was going on would have seemed like the perfect way to track her down. She hadn't found the exit already, had she? Akko sped up….Every so often she hit more dead ends, but the increasing darkness made her feel sure she was getting closer to the labyrinth exit. Then, as she strode down a long, straight path, she saw something glimmering out of the corner of her eye as she passed one of the tunnels and doubled back. There was a radiant green light coming from down the path. She dashed up the tunnel and came to large underground reservoir, the light coming from a small door overflowing with ethereal green energy. It was a Ley Line portal – she had found the exit!Akko sprinted around the edge of the murky pool in the middle of the reservoir, no longer caring at this point if she was the first or last to reach it; she just wanted to get out of this nightmare. Akko's eyes were solely on the door that she hadn't noticed the still water suddenly shifting, splashing roughly against the walls as a great shadow appeared in the depths –The pool exploded like a geyser. A flood of dirty water rained down on Akko, sweeping her off her feet and carrying her across the chamber away from the door. She hit the wall with her back; her wand slipped out of her hand and rolled a few feet out of her reach. Akko coughed up some of the water she accidentally drank and looked up, shrinking under the blind gaze of the Xenomorph Queen that was bearing down on her. The massive monster crouched low, its segmented head pointed at Akko, a large scaly beast, thrashing her bladed tail, leaving yard-long gouge marks in the concrete wall.Akko rolled around, crawling for her wand, but the Xenomorph Queen reached out, grabbing Akko by the waist, and lifted her into the air in front of its face. Akko flailed madly, she tried to kick it; her leg connected with where its face should have been and next the Xenomorph Queen started crushing her in its grip. It opened its jaws as wide as they could go and Akko could see the second set of teeth inside, snapping frantically waiting to bite her head off. The Xenomorph Queen lunged its second teeth at Akko when a blur of red and black suddenly passed between them and the Queen suddenly dropped Akko, shrieking furiously.Akko dropped twelve feet to the floor, landing painfully on her side. A moment later, the Xenomorph Queen's second set of teeth hit the ground beside her, severed from the main body, its acidic blood spilling on the floor and making a gaping hole in the cement. Someone landed in front of Akko in a protective stance, their serrated sword glinting in the light of the exit. It was Black Gold Saw!The Xenomorph Queen was spitting furiously. It lashed its tail at the two of them, but Black Gold Saw raised her serrated blade to block the strike, taking the full brunt of the impact; her feet made a pair of miniature craters in the floor, but she was still standing. Black Gold Saw gnashed her teeth as she struggled against the Queen's brute strength bearing down on her. But at the same time, the Xenomorph Queen began to slither off to the side, coming at her from an angle, looking to bite the warrior while she held back against its tail.Akko didn't even pause to think. She searched for her wand, crawled toward it quickly, snatched it off the ground, and flipped around on her back with her wand raised high at the Xenomorph Queen's face. She shouted "Murowa!" and a concussive force of destructive energy flew across the chamber, nailing the Queen squarely in its large head, throwing it back slightly. The Xenomorph Queen's tail went slack, giving Black Gold Saw a chance to throw it off before slashing her sword across the appendage, severing the bladed tail from its body.The Xenomorph Queen hissed viciously once more, rearing its bulging head at Black Gold Saw, lunging at the woman who had caused it so much pain. But it didn't get far – Black Gold Saw snatched the blade tail out of the air with perfect poise and tossed it with all her might at the Queen. The barb effortlessly pierced the Queen's skull, breaking through the carapace in front and slicing an exit through the back. The Xenomorph Queen keeled over on its front, lying flat at Black Gold Saw's feet, a small waterfall of acidic blood dripping from its opening.Akko was breathing hard, holding her hand over her rapidly beating heart. She heard footsteps approaching her, looking up inquisitively as Black Gold Saw offered her bony hand to Akko. She looked at it for a moment and then accepted, allowing herself to be pulled up to her feet. Black Gold Saw smiled softly with a small chuckle. She might look like a demon, Akko, thought, but she was surprisingly nice."Thanks for that," said Akko, sounding relieved. "I wouldn't have made it without – "Akko paused. She heard something coming from the tunnel behind them; a lot of somethings, actually. She and Black Gold Saw turned around and leaned sideways, staring down the dark passage, as the noises got louder. It took a moment for her to realize that they were footsteps – a lot of footsteps – and they were all running as their voices traveled down the tunnel –"Get out of my way, you bastard!""I believe you are in my way, you lowly delinquent.""Make way for the Hero Club!""If one of you doesn't move, I will be forced to kill you all!"Crap, Akko though. It was the other champions! They had caught up!Akko and Black Gold Saw looked at each other, only realizing that they were still holding hands and that the exit was only a few feet away. What Akko did next was something she considered dirty, unsportsmanlike, and something she would definitely not be proud of…but she kicked Black Gold Saw in the shins anyway. The horned swordswoman yelped and dropped down, holding the spot where she was struck, and Akko broke into a sprint. She didn't dare look back; she could hear the other champions rushing up behind her, splashing the dozens of puddles around the chamber, some of them running around the Xenomorph Queen's body.The Ley Line portal was only a few feet away – Akko put in one last burst of speed, throwing herself into the light –She landed face first in the turf, scratching her arms and face, as a cacophony of screams surrounded her. Groaning, Akko pushed herself up to her hands and knees, wincing from the sudden brightness that stung her eyes. She saw everything in front of her as though it was a very highly colored dream. Thousands upon thousands of faces staring at her from all sides, many screaming and shouting praise. It took a while for Akko to realize that she was back in the Blytonbury Stadium. She had made it…. She had got through the first game, she survived….Akko saw the other champions appearing from the portal behind her one after another; Black Gold Saw was giving her a dirty look that showed she wasn't pleased by Akko's underhanded attack. Akko chuckled nervously when Diana, Fate, Makoto, and Nico came running up to her, all of them smiling widely, even Nico."That was excellent, Akko!" cried Diana. "Incredible! I can't believe you learned metamorphosis magic! And so quickly!""Hehe, thanks," Akko chuckled sheepishly, her face feeling incredibly hot."You did it, Akko!" said Makoto giddily. "You did it! You made it past the Queen! We were all worried about it since we couldn't find anything after studying – ""Thanks, Makoto!" said Akko loudly, so that Makoto wouldn't blunder on and reveal that they had seen the Xenomorphs beforehand."That was pretty good, Akko," said Nico praisingly. "You managed to secure our third-place win.""Yeah, I – wait, what?" Akko quickly shifted from happy to confused. "Whaddya mean 'third-place'?"Nico stepped out of the way and pointed across the field. Akko saw Eruna and Rem, both surrounded by their teams, being showered with praise. It suddenly occurred to Akko that she hadn't seen either of them once the entire time they were down in the labyrinth. Does that mean they…."Both of them got out within the first five minutes," Fate answered Akko's unanswered question. "Rem came out first and Eruna came out a minute later. Both of them have super speed, so they were able to find the exit before anyone else. I don't think any of us stood a chance of winning as long as those two were around."Akko felt like she was going to drop. All her hard work, all that time practicing and survive repeated attacks from the Xenomorphs and her fellow champions – and all she had to show for it was third place. Akko fell forward onto her hands and knees, hanging her head, feeling the crushing weight of absolute defeat and shame…."That was an amazing game, wouldn't you say?" shouted Wangari over the loudspeakers. "What an awesome start to the Contest of Champions!""All of the champions have successfully exited the labyrinth," Neku Sakuraba said monotonously. "After careful consideration from the judges, the points have been distributed and the ranks stand as thus –
"The video board flickered to life once again and displayed a scoreboard – eight rows bearing the names and symbols of each school along with a point total:
Class Zero: 10p
Serenity: 8p
Luna Nova: 6p
Black Star: 4p
U.A.: 3p
Myojo: 2p
Sanshu: 1p
Honnoji: 0p
"Inumuta, what the hell were you doing!" yelled the blonde giant from Honnoji. "How dare you disgrace Lady Satsuki with such a pitiful performance!""Not bad, all things considered," said the green-haired boy from U.A. "Though Kachan probably isn't going to take losing well.""Ugh, this isn't good," groaned the redheaded girl from Myojo, ruffling her hair. "Isuke-sama is gonna be so mad. She'll probably make me sleep on the couch, even though it's not my fault….""Ooh, we're almost near the bottom," said the pink-haired girl from Sanshu, frowning. "Poor Fu-senpai….""Don't worry, Yuna-chan," said her big-breasted companion. "We'll just make it up in the battle round.""In a stunning display of speed and skill, Rem of Class Zero walks away with first place," said the Grand Master. "In addition to receiving full points, Team Class Zero will also receive a puzzle that offers a hint to the next game following the conclusion of the battle round. An advantage as a reward for their hard work.""At this time, we will be taking a short intermission," said Neku Sakuraba. "Please enjoy the halftime show provided by the Ooarai Tank Girls as they perform the traditional Anko Dance."Akko walked back to the locker rooms with the rest of the team, who were filling her ears with details of everything the other champions had done during the event and how Eruna and Rem had apparently moved so fast that the video screens failed to capture any footage of them. Akko honestly didn't care – she was just happy to be out of those tunnels and away from the Xenomorphs; she was definitely not going to volunteer for the next game, whatever it may be.They were just about to reach their locker room when Akko stopped, causing Fate to bump her from behind, and looked straight ahead. Amanda was leaning against the wall next to the locker room door, staring down at her feet with a thoughtful expression, kicking the ground absently. Then she noticed Akko's team out of the corner of her eye and looked up, staring at them with a neutral expression.A tense silent hung over them. Akko and Amanda stared each other in the eye, neither one of them saying anything or giving any sign of what they were thinking. Amanda heaved a sigh, pushed herself off the wall, and turned her back to team Luna Nova. Akko stared at the ground sadly as Amanda started to walk away, wishing they could go back to being friends again. Then, Amanda paused, stared over her shoulder, and spoke in a barely audible mumble:"Good job out there…."And then she disappeared around the corner. For some reason, Akko felt like a little weight had been lifted off her shoulder. Amanda and her still weren't on speaking terms, but at the very least she knew that she still cared. That was enough for now….
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Akko slouched onto the locker room bench, the exhaustion from the game round finally catching up to her as she listened to the distant sounds of the taiko drum play for Ooarai's anko dance. Using the metamorphosis spell on herself was a lot more physically exhausting because it required her to use different limbs that she wasn't used to. She was grateful to Fate for handing her a sweat towel and a water bottle, which she downed in under a minute."You did a really great job out there," said Fate, leaning back against the lockers. "It might not be first place, but at least we're in the top half of the bracket.""Unfortunately, that could change very quickly once the battle round starts," Diana muttered. "Winning one battle can earn you as much as winning first place in the main games, and every team has an opportunity to gain the advantage. Depending on how things turn out, we could either earn sixteen points and stay with six points.""Or eleven, if we tie," said Makoto optimistically."Makes me wish the teachers had spent more time teaching us combat spells," said Nico. "We had that dueling club two years ago, but that fell apart when Akko turned Hannah into a zombie.""I said I was sorry!" cried Akko."Let's just focus on getting through today's and then we can work on combat practice on a later date," said Diana.Akko nodded silently. Their prospects didn't look good going into the battle round, but there was no point in worrying about it now when they were already here. They just had to hope for the best and try for at least ending the match in a draw.In what seemed like no time at all, the taiko drums stopped playing and they could hear the thundering of applause through the ceiling. The Ooarai girls must have just finished up the halftime show. Akko stood up and wiped herself down one last time with the towel just as someone knocked on the locker room door and shouted, "We need you back on the field, please!" One by one, they filed out of the room, turned down the long tunnel, and walked back out onto the Blytonbury stadium turf just as a large number of high school girls in tight pink bodysuits with googly-eyed hats walked off, several of them looking flushed with embarrassment. They were the first to arrive before the rest of the teams started to walk out; Honnoji was the last to show, among whom Akko noticed Inumuto sporting a large red handprint on his face."That was a delightfully entertaining show from our precious girls of Ooarai," said the Grand Master, clapping his hands along with the rest of the crowd. "Now that the game is finished and the halftime show is over, it's time to move on to the always exciting battle round!""Right you are, Grand Master," said Wangari. "Just to recap for all you folks, there will be four rounds where a member from each team will fight in a one-on-one match. This isn't a tournament. The winners get ten points, the losers get zero points, and in the event of a tie, both teams will be evenly distributed five points.""And the sponsors are the ones who decide the pairings, right?" said Neku Sakuraba blankly."I just hope the matches are interesting enough to keep everyone entertained," said the Grand Master."Well, we're about to find out in a second," said Wangari, as one of the stadium employees leaned into the commentator's box and handed her a sheet of paper, "because I've just received the list of matches! For the first match of Day One of the Contest of Champions, it's Makoto Kowata from Team Luna Nova against Otone Fujishiro from Team Serenity!""I'm up first?" Makoto screamed shrilly, which went largely unnoticed under the thunderous applause. "Why me?""Better you than the rest of us," said Nico offhandedly."Nico, that's just mean!" Akko snapped."There's nothing we can do about it now," said Diana calmly, resting her hand on Makoto's shoulder. "We're the weak link in the battle portions and everyone knows that. Your opponent could get careless and lower her guard. Use that to your advantage. Do you have any potions or tools to help you?""I stocked up before the Contest," said Makoto, opening her storage bag and showing off a large collection of different colored bottles. "I can't use offensive magic like everyone else, so I thought I'd just mix a whole bunch of different potions and see where that takes me…. So…which one is Fujishiro?""I think it's that one over there," said Fate, pointing to the Serenity Team. Eruna and the others were surrounding the girl with duel-colored hair that was twirling one of her pigtails with her finger lazily. "She looks kinda…I don't know, bored. Maybe she the type the does things at her own pace?""Or maybe she's the type that's so strong, she doesn't need to put any effort," said Diana pessimistically. "Keep your wits about you and stay on your toes, Kowata.""Will both combatants please walk to the middle of the field?" said the Grand Master. "The rest of the teams can take their seats in the stands.""Good luck, Makoto!" Akko shouted as she and the others head for their seats. Makoto didn't say anything; she just offered a weak wave with the tiniest of smiles before turning on her heels and marching forward. She met Otone Fujishiro at centerfield, her back unnaturally rigid and her arms stiff at her side; Otone just continued to play with her hair, looking off to the side with a bored expression."Okay, ladies, there are a few rules we need to go over before we get started," said Wangari. "The entire field will be the staging area, but you cannot go outside the lines – doing so will count as an automatic loss. You cannot ask for help or retrieve anything outside the field. Your time limit is thirty minutes. During that time, if you can either knock out your opponent, throw them out of bounds, or force them to surrender, you win. Tools are permitted as long as they have been preapproved by the judges. In the event that time runs out, the match will end in a draw."All right, let the first match – Makoto Kowata vs. Otone Fujishiro – begin!"An airhorn went off over the loudspeakers; Makoto's hand immediately dived into her carrier bag."The first one to strike takes the win!" Makoto declared determinedly. She pulled out a glass phial filled with apple-red liquid. "Here! Have an explosive potion!"Otone's finger stopped twirling around her hair as she looked up, staring blearily at the bottle flying in her direction. The glass shattered on the ground near Otone's feet and the red liquid spilled on the grass very briefly when a suddenly spark of electricity flashed on the surface. A great explosion rippled across the field; Akko and the others, who were sitting in the stands closest, threw up their hands over their faces as the hot air blew over them. Through the gap in her arms, Akko saw Otone jumping backwards away from the blast, blinking listlessly as she glided out of danger. But before duel-toned schoolgirl could touch the ground, Makoto came running in from the side, holding what looked like a bottle of sand.Makoto threw the bottle with an underhanded toss so that it would be directly underneath Otone when landed. Naturally, the glass shattered beneath Otone's heel and the small pile of sand that spilled forth suddenly surged upward, magically growing in quantity and spiraled erratically until it became a full-blown sand tornado. For one very brief moment, Akko had thought Makoto had won and was just about to celebrate when Fate suddenly pointed at the tornado and shouted, "Look!"Akko peered into the sandstorm trying to see what Fate was referring to when the tornado suddenly blew outwards, throwing sand every which way and splashing the audience; Akko, of course, had her mouth open at the time. Makoto was taken aback. Otone Fujishiro stood across the field covered from head-to-toe in sand with her brow creased and her cheeked puffed out, making an (in Akko's opinion) adorable pouting face. But rather than her opponent, Makoto's was more focused on the pink ribbons that were wrapped around her fingers, the lengthy stretches of tape floating freely around her like water snakes. Makoto unexpectedly jumped and squeaked when Otone stomped her foot, still pouting cutely."Moe, you ruined Fujishiro's favorite clothes!" shouted Otone, stomping her foot again, looking very childish in contrast of her earlier persona. "Eruna-chan gave me these clothes! Uh, n-n-not that Fujishiro cares who gave them to Fujishiro. Fujishiro just thinks…they're really comfy, that's all! I-it's totally not because Fujishiro likes Eruna or anything!" she stuttered, turning her head pointedly away, red-faced.Makoto was slack jawed by the suddenly one-eighty in Otone's personality, as was almost everyone else in the stadium; Eruna, on the other hand, pumped her fist and cheered, shouting something Black Otone and White Otone – Akko didn't pay attention."Holy crap, she's a tsundere," said Akko, almost laughing out loud."A what?" asked Diana, not understanding the Japanese terminology."Anticomplex: Snake!" shouted Otone.Makoto quickly regained her senses as the ribbons snapped sprang forward, folding themselves inward until they resembled a bundle of vipers. She yelped and dived out of the way, rolling roughly across the grass while the ribbon snake snapped the air where she once stood. Makoto flipped around onto her hands and knees, looked up, and squeaked when the snakes turned their heads her way, flashing their forked ribbon tongues. The bands flew at her again; Makoto desperately reached into her hand and pulled out a seemingly empty bottle before throwing it without even checking what it was. The glass shattered on the ground just as the ribbon snakes flew over and a powerful updraft blew the bands skyward. Otone, whose fingers were still tied to the ribbons, was pulled by her hands off the ground and sent flying across the air.The duel-haired fighter was spiraling out of control; it looked like she was going to fall into the stands if Akko was guessing the angle correctly. However, Otone, finally coming to her senses, caught on to the situation and righted herself in the air with a determined expression. She threw her right hand forward and the ribbons on her fingers stretched towards the ground, folding themselves at the ends into the shape of spearheads. They stabbed the field so hard they sent dirt flying. Once anchored, the ribbons immediately went stiff and pulled back, altering Otone's course and launching back within bounds of the field to land on her hands and feet.Otone placed a hand to calm her rapidly beating heart from that brief scare and let out a deep, relieving sigh. Makoto frowned; she was so close, she had almost knocked Otone out of bounds!"Holy cow!" screamed Wangari excitedly. "It's only the first match and it's already become a battle that has everyone sitting on the edge of their seats! It's a spirited battle between two women with something to prove!""Kowata is the biggest surprise in the match," said Neku Sakuraba. "She has zero experience when it comes to combat, as opposed to Fujishiro, who won first place in the rookie battle and climbed the ranks all the way to the seventh spot in her second year. Kowata is clearly outmatched, but she's making up for her lack of combat skills with her brilliant use of tools and potions.""Luna Nova is turning out to be quite the dark horse in this year's contest," said the Grand Master, his grin stretching unnaturally wide. "Give it your best, Kowata!""They're cheering for you instead of Fujishiro just because you got lucky," said Otone, who was pouting again. "N-Not that I want anyone cheering for me. I mean, yeah, cheering would be nice, b-b-but it's not like Fujishiro wants someone in particular to cheer for Fujishiro! Fujishiro is just fine with no cheering!""Her personality is so inconsistent," said Diana. "It's like she acts one way, but then acts another. It's strange.""Nah, that's just a classic tsundere," said Akko, laughing."I'll never understand Japanese culture," Diana muttered."You seem to be acting rather nonchalant, Ichinomiya," The dark-haired woman from Team Serenity said to Eruna. "Aren't you the least bit concerned about your Deputy Head.""Nah, Otone-chan's got this," said Eruna cheerfully. "She's probably just getting ready to make her last move.""You sound confident," said the woman. "What's your basis on this?""That's easy, Raven-senpai," said Eruna, her face splitting into a wide grin. "Because Otone-chan's the best!"Back on the field, Otone stayed on the ground while Makoto jabbed her hand into her bag, rustling around with its contents until she pulled out a venomous-green potion. She pulled back her arm ready to throw it when she felt something constrict around her wrist, stopping her hand in mid-throw. With a surprised gasp, Makoto looked over and shoulder and realized too late the one of Otone's ribbons was looping around the whole of her right arm, forcing her to drop to potion, which turned out to be acid and burned a patch of the grass. Wondering where the ribbon could have come from, Makoto followed the length of the band and saw that the ribbon was coming from underneath the field. She looked back at Otone; the duel-haired girl held up her right hand, showing that the ribbons tied to her fingers were digging into the ground."Anticomplex: Cocoon!" shouted Otone.Three more ribbons burst through the ground at Makoto's feet, snapping at each of her limbs and slithering up them like snakes. Makoto attempted to struggle, but the ribbons easily overpowered her despite only being made of cloth. The bands pulled Makoto's arms and legs together, forcing her to become stiff as a board, before they started to climb over her waist and torso, looping around her over and over. In no time at all, Makoto's entire body was completely covered in a thick cocoon of ribbons with only her head exposed. She visibly struggled to break free, but Makoto's sharp movements only unbalanced her and caused her to fall sideways, hitting the ground with her shoulder before rolling on her back. At which point, Makoto stopped moving and let out a childish whine:"Wah! No fair! I can't move like this!""That's kind of the point Fujishiro was going for," said Otone, resuming her aloof persona as she flipped her hair. "There is no point in struggling any more. Fujishiro was always going to win because Fujishiro is better than you in every way. There was never a possibility that Fujishiro was ever going to lose to someone as pathetic as you.""Oh my! Makoto is down for the count and don't look like she's getting back up!" shouted Wangari. "The match is over! The winner is Team Serenity's Otone Fujishiro!""Hmph! Naturally," said Otone, flipping her hair once more.Otone pulled her hand back and the ribbons began to retract, freeing Makoto from her cocoon, and bundling into small rolls in her hand. Without even so much as offering her hand to Makoto, Otone turned on her feel and rudely walked away with her head held high, almost snobbishly so. Makoto, looking downcast, shakily stood up and walked off the field with her head hanging low, trying to block out the sounds of the crowd's explosive cheers. Akko and the others looked at their teammate sympathetically as she sat between Nico and Fate, burying her face in her hands shamefully; Fate rubbed her back considerately."I'm so sorry, guys," said Makoto, her voice muffled. "I lost, and now we're back at the bottom. And after all that hard work Akko did in the challenge round….""Hey, don't worry about it," said Akko kindly. "There's still four more events left. We'll catch up in no time.""Akko is right," said Diana. "We have a long way to go before this is over. We will have another chance, and next time, we'll be ready."Meanwhile, over at Team Serenity's bench, Otone looked remarkably similar to Makoto with her face buried in her hands, crying despite being the victor."Why did Fujishiro have to say all those mean things to her?" said Otone, sniffling. "Now she'll never want to be Fujishiro's friend….""There, there," said Eruna, smiling serenely while rubbing her head."That was a great first match, but it's time to move on to the second round!" yelled Wangari. "The next match up has already been decided. It's going to be Ace from Team Class Zero verses Tokaku Azuma from Team Myojo!"Akko and the others returned their attention to the field as two champions stood up from opposite ends of the stadium and made their way down to the field. From the left side was Ace, an admittedly handsome blonde man with a sharp, intellectual look in his eyes; he was flipping a single playing card between his fingers – was he nervous like the rest of them, Akko wondered. And coming in from the right was the blue-haired girl whose cold, unfeeling gaze made Akko very uncomfortable, like she was staring into the eyes of a corpse; her expression was completely mute, so it was impossible to tell what she was thinking. The two of them made their way to centerfield and stood a good distance across from one another, both of their backs rigid and their shoulders squared, staring deeply into each other's eyes unblinkingly."This should make for an interesting matchup," said Neku Sakuraba, leaning forward. "Both schools are military based, but with very distinct courses. Class Zero studies military tactics and fight on large scale battles against overwhelming numbers. On the other hand, Myojo specializes in assassination, prioritizing on taking out important key members in enemy ranks and crippling them from the inside. And on top of that, both champions are considered the number one student in their respective schools. Both are opposite in many ways – wonder which one of them is stronger.""Well, we're about to find out," said Wangari. "Because the second match of the first day of the Contest of Champions…BEGINS!"The air horn blasted from the loudspeakers; Tokaku wasted no time going on the offensive.The blue-haired girl whipped out a set of knives long knives from her skirt pocket, holding them between her fingers, and dashed forward with her arms crossed threateningly. Ace looked relaxed, calculative even, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully on his opponent – the hand playing with the card went still. He raised his hand to his opposite shoulder momentarily, the card locked between his fingers, and whipped it toward Tokaku with the flick of his wrist. The assassin effortlessly rolled her head to the side, letting the playing card fly harmlessly by, and started to close the gap between her and Ace. Tokaku extended her arms as she made her approach when a sharp cry rang through the air."Tokaku-san, behind you!"Akko whipped around; a frail-looking redheaded girl from Myojo had jumped to her feet, pointing something down the field. Akko followed the direction of her finger and saw the card that Ace had discarded floating in the air directly behind Tokaku, glowing with neon-blue light. Tokaku only briefly saw the card herself when looking over her shoulder before it suddenly shot a narrow laser at the assassin. There was a brief flash of panic in her eyes when Tokaku quickly grounded her feet and threw herself off to the side, narrowly dodging the beam with only her skirt being partially singed. She rolled into a crouched position, shooting sharp apprehensive looks at Ace, who seemed unphased by Tokaku's heated gaze."I don't know if getting help from the audience counts as cheating," said Ace, "but on the battlefield, there are no real rules. Do whatever it takes to win, right?""Hmm…," Tokaku hummed."Not much of a talker, are you?" said Ace, who was equally stony faced. "That's all right. We don't have to talk if you don't want to. But I will tell you that I am not going to lose after all the effort Rem put in during the last round.""…That's not your decision to make," said Tokaku coldly, quietly.Ace frowned. He raised his right hand in the air and started to slowly move it in a circular motion in the air in front of him. More playing cards magically popped into existence as he waved his hand until he had a full deck of fifty-two cards hovering like a jagged serpent. As Tokaku began to climb to her feet, Ace snatched two cards from the flying deck – both colored fiery-red – and flicked them one after the other. Tokaku rolled sideways away from the first card and then jumped backwards when the second landed where her feet had been a second ago. But what Tokaku failed to realize at the time was that they were magic-imbued cards, and the moment they touched the ground, both cards burst into fiery explosions. As she had been in the air when they went off, Tokaku was thrown backwards by the updraft and sent flying toward the edge of the field.Tokaku didn't panic like Akko thought she would; the blue-haired assassin turned herself in the air and stabbed her knives straight down into the grass. She was still carried several feet, but the knives managed to slow her down enough to stop just short of the white line. The assassin gritted her teeth, jumping right back up again, then threw her knives at Ace from a distance. Ace wasted no time retaliating; the handsomely groomed man snatched card after card from his deck and tossed them with great precision so that they clashed with Tokaku's knives in midair. Despite only being playing cards, they appeared to be very solid because they smacked the knives directly on their narrow edges and knocked them harmlessly down on the ground.One by one, all of Tokaku's weapons were cast aside without a single blade ever reaching Ace. But when the last knife hit the ground, an extra card suddenly flew across the field and slashed Tokaku across the shoulder before she had a chance to react. The blue-haired assassin dropped to one knee, hissing as she pressed her hand down on her shoulder; the white fabric of her shirt slowly turned a deep-crimson color. She glared at Ace, who was holding two cards between his finger in a position ready to throw them, but he didn't act just yet. He seemed to be waiting to see what Tokaku's next move was…."It looks like Ace from Team Class Zero is holding the upper hand here," said Wangari. "On top of having military training, Ace has the advantage of a bigger arsenal with a longer range of attack. It doesn't look good for Azuma.""Tokaku's anime is all about getting the crap beat out of her at first before she turns it around," said Neku Sakuraba. "She's probably assessing her opponent, learning the ins and outs out his technique. She could still have a chance to turn this around.""Oh, I certainly hope so," said the Grand Master. "It would be a very boring fight if it was completely one-sided."Tokaku raised herself up again and let go of her shoulder, her hand soaking in his own blood. She discarded the majority of her weaponry so that she was only holding a single knife in both hands. For some reason, when her knives hit the ground, Tokaku suddenly looked down and jumped away. And not a moment too soon, for the grass beneath her feet burst open as a torrent of spiraling playing card shot into the air. Tokaku barely had time to catch her breath before Ace started rapidly flinging cards her way. The blue-haired assassin deflected most of the cards with her knives, but there were so many of them that she started losing track, resulting in her receiving numerous cuts on both her thighs, her right arm, and her right cheek.Akko could see that Tokaku was becoming physically exhausted from having to dodge and deflect Ace's distant attacks while Ace, who had barely moved from his spot, looked like he could go for hours. It was looking bad for her. Unless she found a way to turn things around, Tokaku was definitely going to lose –"Tokaku-san, don't give up!" The redhead from earlier screamed from her seat. "You've survived worse than this. You can beat him.""Sounds like you have a good friend behind you," said Ace, stopping his attack briefly to chat. "At least you'll have someone to support you when this is over.""…I won't need any support," Tokaku stated with determination. "Because I'm not going to lose…. Haru is watching me and I can't – no, I won't - ever disappoint her."Whether Tokaku was being serious or trying to act tough, Akko couldn't tell. And neither could Ace.The card fighter leered at Tokaku suspiciously, readying his hand for another volley. But thanks to the brief pause he provided, Tokaku mustered up what strength she had left, pulled back her hand as far as it could go, and threw her knife with all her might. Naturally, Ace maneuvered around the blade with relative ease, only having to tilt his head to the side. Tokaku was now open; Ace began the motions for his card throwing technique when something glinted out of the corner of his eye and her looked over. It was very thin, almost impossible to see, but the sunlight was reflecting on a very thin piece of metal string that, when Ace followed it, he realized was tied to the end of the knife that Tokaku had just thrown."A wire?" Ace muttered surprisingly.With her opponent distracted by the wire, Tokaku saw an opportunity and capitalized on it.She pulled back on the bundle of wire that was wrapped around her right hand, which sharply altered the course of her knife in midair and sent it flying straight back at Ace. The blade stabbed Ace in the hand before he realized what had happened, causing him to yell out and drop his cards on reflex. Hissing, Ace ripped the knife out of his palm, which was bleeding profusely, and looked up just in time to see Tokaku running up before she tackled him in the chest, knocking him flat on his back.Ace winced as the back of his head met the ground. When he tried to push himself up, he felt a large weight pressing down on his chest. He looked up and stared straight into the cold, unblinking eyes of Tokaku Azuma, straddling his chest and pressing one of her knives dangerously close to his throat. Ace's brow scrunched up, likely trying to think of a way out of the situation, but Tokaku pushed the edge of her knife deeper into his skin, threating to cut at any moment."Don't – even – think about it…," Tokaku spoke with a dangerously soft voice.Realizing that she wasn't making idle threats, Ace dropped his head back, let out a deep sigh, and said, "I surrender.""It's over!" Wangari shouted as the horn blared and Tokaku stood up from Ace's chest. "The winner of the second round is Tokaku Azuma of Team Myojo. With this, Myojo jumps up the leaderboard with twelve points on the first day. Though Team Class Zero lost, they still have ten points and will be receiving their hint for the next game after the conclusion of the battle rounds. I must say, Sakuraba, I was kinda surprised Azuma was able to turn it around that quick.""Well, no one wants to look bad in front of their girlfriend," said Neku Sakuraba. "Not even someone as cold and unfeeling as Azuma.""Damn…I let my guard down…," Ace groaned, sitting up. "Queen is going to chew me out for this….""Unsurprisngly, both of them were very powerful," said Diana as the team watched Tokaku and Ace return to their respective groups. "If it had been us against them, we would have lost in an instant.""Well, maybe you guys," said Fate. "Not to sound arrogant, but I once fought Nanoha at full power and survived her pink beam of death. I probably could have handled Azuma without much difficulty, but that Ace person…he only lost because he dropped his guard because he underestimated Azuma. He wouldn't have done the same with me.""It just goes to show what areas we need to improve on before the next game," said Makoto."Next up is the third match of day one," said Wangari, calling back their attention. "And what a doozy of a match-up it is! From Team Honnoji is Nonon Jakuzure, who incidentally received the most votes from our sponsors, up against the tiny powerhouse from Team Black Star, Strength!"Akko's eyes immediately fell on Team Black Star, who was sitting in the stand on the complete opposite side of Team Luna Nova. The oddly named girl was much shorter than the rest of Team Black Star, only coming up to Mato's shoulders, and had a pair of metal fists that were almost as big as her body and a metal scorpion tail. She seemed to look to Mato as if asking for permission; Akko couldn't see her expression because she was still wearing her hood up, but Mato seemed to give it because Strength immediately hopped the boarder and marched listlessly to the center of the field. Most of Strength's face was covered by her hood and high collar, but Akko briefly caught a glimpse of her alarmingly bright orange eyes, which seemed dull like she was constantly bored. She reached centerfield and stood patiently, waiting for Nonon to come down.Speaking of whom….Everyone perked when the stadium suddenly rang with the sound of many trumpets and horns, the audience looking around strangely until they spotted the source coming from Honnoji's side of the field. The tiny pink-haired girl in the conductor's hat was marching down the steps, waving a pointed baton, as an entire orchestra of Honnoji students played her entrance. This girl must have been Nonon; she looked very smug about her theatrical entrance, but the rest of the stadium was staring at her with looks of shock and disbelief."Wow, that is so extra," said Akko, grimacing."Where were they even hiding all those instruments?" Makoto asked curiously.The Honnoji orchestra played out their little fanfair as Nonon took the field and marched across the grass, somehow mistaking everyone's awkward silence for being stunned in awe. She reached the centerfield line several feet away from Strength, who was staring at the conductor with an impassive, unblinking gaze. Nonon pointed at Strength with her baton, a cocky grin spreading across her limps."Sorry for the wait, creepy," said Nonon; even her tone was arrogant. "This won't be like those clumsy fights those losers had up until now. Prepare to be pummeled cheerfully, jauntily, and utterly one-sidedly!""She's getting cocky before the match even started," said Ace, taking a seat next to the bespectacled girl on his team. "Either she's that good, or she's massively overconfident. What do you think, Queen?""All students at Honnoji Academy present a strong military force because of their Goku uniforms," said Queen, pushing up her glasses. "However, there's a major flaw in their uniform's transformation.""Oh?" asked Ace. "And what would that be?""Oy, Jakuzure!" Ryuko screamed from her seat, waving her fist around in the air. "You better not lose, you hear me? Or else I'm gonna kick your ass…again!""You keep your mouth shut, you stupid transfer student!" Nonon roared shrilly. "I'm not like that dumb mutt who got beat up by a bratty little girl with a stupid haircut – ""Hey!" Akko shouted, offended."It's impossible for me to lose, because I'm the only one worthy of standing by Lady Satsuki's side," Nonon declared, tucking her hair back and regaining her composure, facing back toward Strength. "Lady Satsuki chose me because I am the best there is, and Lady Satsuki is never wrong. After I kick your ugly butt to the curve, I think Lady Satsuki and I will go out and celebrate, just the two of us. Sounds pretty nice, right? Ah, but you'll probably be too busy recovering in the emergency room to care," she said viciously without giving Strength a chance to rebuttal."That's some pretty big smack talk coming from tiniest champion on Team Honnoji," said Wangari teasingly, earning many chuckles from the audience and a heated glare from Nonon herself. "Moving right along…. The stage is set, the players are ready…Let the third match of the first day…BEGIN!"This'll be over in a flash!" Nonon declared loudly over the starting horn. She twirled her baton and tipped her hat, brandishing the three sparkling stars that adorned it. "Transform! Three-Star Goku Uni – "Nonon's voice became lost in her throat when a shadow suddenly loomed overhead and the pink-haired girl looked over, staring straight into Strength's bright orange eyes. The iron-fisted fighter took a short leap across the field, closing the distance between them in an instant, and hovered over the band leader with her metallic knuckles pulled back and clenched into a fist. Akko couldn't see from a distance, buts she had a feeling that Nonon was sweating pretty hard. She unconsciously dropped her baton and her jaw dropped in stunned silence as Strength took a swing –
BOOM!
Akko nearly fell out of her seat; Nico actually did. Strength brought down a demon's wrath down upon Nonon and the whole stadium quivered in response. Even up in the private box, Andrew and Frank ended up spilling their drinks down their fronts when the room rattled violently. Thankfully, the tremors only lasted a few seconds and then subsided. In the middle of the field, Strength lifted her gigantic gauntlet and leaned over Nonon, lying in the small crater she created, sporting a broken nose, a swollen bruised cheek, and missing at least one tooth. Her eyes were open, but they were glazed over, meaning she had been knocked unconscious before she even had a chance to close them.The finishing horn sounded over the stadium and the audience broke out in their biggest cheers yet."OH – MY – GOD!" Wangari wailed, her hands flying to her hair. "Did everyone just see that? Strength from Team Black Star knocked out Jakuruze from Team Honnoji in an instant! That was the shortest match yet! I think it goes without saying that the winner is Strength from Team Black Star! Team Black Star is bumped up the ranks to fourteen points, while Honnoji closes out day one without receiving a single point! Better luck next time, guys!""What the hell was that?" Ryuko screamed, leaning over the railing. "How could you get your ass handed to you like that, Jakuzure?""She ended the whole match in an instant," said Raven from Team Serenity thoughtfully. "And she's probably not even the most powerful one…. I guess it's true: Black Star Academy is full of monsters.""Is that the weakness you were talking about?" Ace asked Queen."Yes," Queen answered affirmingly. "Though their Goku Uniforms are a great military asset, it takes at least a full minute for them to change into the their more powerful forms. This is due to them having to produce Goku Uniforms using only small quantities of Life-Fibers. That's why Honnoji generally activates their Goku Uniforms before the fight starts. In her arrogance, it seems Jakuzure forgot this flaw.""So we have an advantage over all of them, even if it is only a small one," said Ace."Not exactly," said Queen, pushing her glasses again. "The exception to this rule is the Kamui, which are made of one hundred percent Life-Fibers. It seems their transformations are almost instantaneous, and that girl over there," she gestured to Ryuko, who was waving her fist at Jakuzure while she was being taken off the field on a stretcher, "she's wearing one of them. She might be the only real threat on that team.""Then I'll have Cater look into her later," said Ace, his eyes wandering over to Strength, who had taken her seat with the rest of Team Black Star. "And them….""Well, since that last match was short-lived, let's move on to the final round for the day," said Wangari."Hopefully this one won't be as disappointing," said the Grand Master, frowning deeply."The only teams that should be left are Team Sanshu and Team U.A.," said Neku Sakuraba. "Clearly U.A. is going to be the fan favorite because their anime is still ongoing, but you shouldn't go underestimating the others just because their shows don't run for a hundred episodes.""Uh…okay…?" Wangari looked at him with uncertainty. "Well, I'll just go right ahead and announce the first day's final fight match-up. From Team U.A., it's Izuku Midoriya going up against Yuna Yuki from Team Sanshu!""Both are the main characters of their own animes and both are super strong fighters that use their fists," said Neku Sakuraba. "Now the title of the chapter makes sense."Coming down from the stands on the left side was the green-haired boy from U.A. His face was hardened with determination and his fists were clenched tightly at his side as he crossed the field. Izuku Midoriya had the face of a man who had resolved to win no matter what. And that was a good thing, too, because his opponent was someone that even had Akko feeling a little uneasy. The girl named Yuna Yuki walked at a steady pace like Midoriya, also with her hands balled up into fists, but she had tightlipped smile on her face that seemed like she had been looking forward to this. But when she took her first step on the field, something strange happened: The Shiny Rod started vibrating against Akko's hip."What's wrong, Akko?" Diana asked when Akko suddenly removed the rod from her belt."It's the Shiny Rod," said Akko, frowning as she looked over the magic tool. "I think its reacting to that Yuna girl down there.""But Akko," Diana whispered quietly to Akko while looking over her shoulder to be sure they weren't overheard, "the Shiny Rod only reacts when it feels it's being threatened, right? Then that must mean….""Yuna is so powerful that even the Shiny Rod is afraid of her," Akko muttered."I hope that Midoriya boy understands what he's getting himself into," said Diana.Down on centerfield, Midoriya and Yuna stopped on opposite ends of the circle, staring down one another while blocking out the thunderous roars of the spectators. Midoriya made a loud gulping noise as he crossed eyes with Yuna, who didn't seem the slightest bit nervous, but was actually excited. Midoriya didn't know how to take this; was she just being overconfident, or did she not think Midoriya was a worthy adversary? He started going over his mental notes inside his head, searching for the best opening move –"Your name's Midoriya-kun, right?" asked Yuna politely; she was speaking softer than normal so that only Midoriya could hear. "The person that All Might chose to give his quirk to? It's really nice to meet you. I heard you're a really great guy whose gonna be one of the best heroes ever.""Uh, thanks," said Midoriya, taken aback. He wasn't expecting her to be so nice. "Wait a minute, how did you know All Might gave me his quirk?""All Might and the Hero Club work together a lot of times, especially when a Vertex shows up and he needs our help," said Yuna. "We know about All Might's quirk and what he really looks like – don't worry, we're not gonna tell anyone," she said quickly when Midoriya's expression turned dark. "He told us about you, Midoriya-kun. Says you are one of the most promising heroes he ever saw.""W-wow, really?" said Midoriya, scratching his cheeks, which were red with embarrassment. "T-Thanks….""Personally, I'm rooting for you, Midoriya-kun" said Yuna, smiling. "But Karin would get really mad at me if I let you win…. Sorry, but I'm not going to be holding back against you.""Then I won't either," said Midoriya seriously, leaning forward into an offensive stance. "I can't let my friends down, especially after Kachan gave his all for the last round. Sorry, but
I'll
be the one winning this fight.""It looks like our last fighters are raring to go, so let's not waste any time!" shouted Wangari. "Let the final match of the first day…BEGIN!"As the starting horn blared across the stadium, Midoriya's body suddenly became enshrouded by a vibrant green energy as sparks of emerald lightning arced around his form. Yuna, perhaps not noticing the change, rushed headlong toward him. Midoriya held out one hand to her and pulled back his middle finger, using it like a scope, and shouted:"Delaware Smash Air Force!"He flicked his finger and somehow produced a booming shockwave of pure air pressure that Akko could feel even from her seat. The blast smacked Yuna squarely in the face and knocked her backwards off her feet. Midoriya kicked off the ground and was suddenly directly beside Yuna while she was still reeling from the blast."Gotta end this before she has a chance to counter," Midoriya mumbled to himself, raising his fist. "Detroit Sma –
"Just then, Yuna snapped her eyes open, staring directly at Midoriya's, and shot her fist up to smash into the left side of his face. Now it was Midoriya who was set flying, spiraling awkwardly across the field and landing face down on his stomach while Yuna hit the ground with her back in the opposite direction.There were a few tense seconds where neither one of them seemed to be moving…. But then both champions started to push themselves off the ground and back on their feet almost simultaneously, each of them only sporting minor injuries. Yuna had a bloody nose from Midoriya's surprise attack, and Midoriya was holding his left check, which had swollen; the green-haired boy wince as he touched it."Oh man…," mumbled Midoriya, hissing from the throbbing. "It feels like I took a punch directly from All Might. I don't even think she was holding back that time…. Just how strong is she?""Dammit, Deku, pay attention, you stupid nerd!" Bakugo roared furiously from the stands.Midoriya snapped out of his stupor and looked ahead to see Yuna Yuki crossing the field with her fist drawn back and swinging it around as she made her approach. His mind going temporarily blank, Midoriya's instincts kicked in and commanded him to swing his own fist around to meet with Yuna's. Their knuckles connected in the air, grinding against each other, as the force of their combined strength exploded into a thunderous shockwave that blew a raging gust of wind across the stadium. The audience screamed, lowered their heads, and clung to the nearest solid surface as the gale forces crashed down upon them from every direction; Makoto was nearly thrown out of her seat, but Fate and Diana grabbed her arms and pulled her down. Even up in the commentator's box, Wangari had thrown herself against counter while Neku Sakuraba was fighting back the hurricane with sheer force; the Grand Master just sat calmly throughout the whole exchange."Whoa! This battle is raging in the most literal sense!" Wangari shouted into the microphone; you couldn't deny she was dedicated to her work. "Their mighty blows are a force of nature themselves! We are truly witnessing the power of two unstoppable forces!""And neither one of them has even gone at full strength yet!" yelled Neku Sakuraba. "I think it might have been a bad idea to match those two together!"While the winds began to subside, Midoriya and Yuna were seen down on their field pressing their fists trying to push back the other. At first, it seemed like they were evenly matched. But as the seconds ticked away, Midoriya slowly realized his arm was being pushed back ever so slightly until it was level with his chest. Midoriya pressed his heels into the grass and tried pushing with his back, but he realized in silent shock that Yuna was still a little stronger than him. Yuna took a single step forward and pushed harder and, while struggling to hold his ground, pushed Midoriya back by several inches, ripping up the grass beneath his feet. And finally, inevitably, Yuna roared as she gave one last push and threw the hero-in-training back off his feet.Midoriya gritted his teeth, wincing from the sharp stab of pain in his arm, just as Yuna leapt forward with her fist raised, capitalizing on Midoriya's opening. The green-haired boy quickly brought up his other hand and pulled back his finger for another Delaware Smash. Yuna saw this and immediately dropped her fist in favor of crossing her arms protectively over her face; she wasn't going to let him surprise her again.But she soon realized that she had done exactly whet Midoriya had wanted. The moment Yuna went on the defensive, Midoriya turned his hand to the left and flicked his finger, using the pressure to fling himself in the opposite direction away from Yuna's sight. Midoriya flipped himself around in the air and touched the ground safely, but he immediately leapt forward back at Yuna. Before the pink-haired hero could put the pieces together, Midoriya was already beside her with his hand charged with energy and clenched into a powerful fist –"Detroit Smash!" Midoriya thundered.Midoriya's knuckles slammed brutally into Yuna's face, carrying her down and driving her into the grass with the force necessary to create a small crater in the ground and even uproot some of the ground around them. The whole stadium quivered, but not as bad as it did when the two clashed fists; Paul Hanbridge was getting annoyed about having to refill his glass every time these two children literally shook things up.And then a stunned silence fell over the stadium, every eye in the stadium was watching the field without blinking in fear that they might miss something. Midoriya stepped back, tripping over the edge of the crater, and fell on his butt, breathing heavily as exhaustion started to catch up with him. He looked down at Yuna lying in the hole, the side of her face swollen, her hair covering her eyes. She wasn't moving. Midoriya shakily got up to his feet, letting out a deep, relieved sigh."Oh, ho, ho, looks like Yuki's not getting up!" shouted Wangari. "I think this might be it for the round!""Hell yeah, Deku!" Bakugo cheered before he even realized it. "Guess you're not so useless after all!""Oh no, Yuna-chan!" cried the big breasted girl from Sanshu. "Yuna-chan, please, get up!""Don't worry about it, Togo-san," said Fu nonchalantly, leaning back in her seat with her hands behind her head casually. "It's not over yet.""But Yuna-chan is – ""This is Yuna, remember?" said Fu confidently. "The girl who killed gods and monsters to save everyone. She's not gonna lose…because Yuki Yuna is a hero!"As if she had heard her leader's words, Yuna's head suddenly turned sharply and stared up at Midoriya with her intense gaze; Midoriya stepped back in both surprise and fear.Quick as a flash, Yuna suddenly jumps up to a crouched position with her fist clenched at her side and thrusts forward, delivering a solid blow to Midoriya's chest. The sound of the impact exploded in everyone's ears as Midoriya was sent flying clear across the field and looked to be headed into the stands. The hero-in-training winced, holding his hand over the throbbing pain in his chest, but his mind was still focused on the match. Just as he was about to fly over the line out of bounds, Midroiya winded up his legs, gathering strength in the limb, then spun around and kicked the air, screaming: "Shoot Style: St. Louis Smash!"He spun around and kicked the air behind him, releasing the pressure gathered up in his leg to propel him back into the boundary. Midoriya curled himself into a ball to reduce the damage as he bounced off the ground twice and slid across the grass to a stop on his side, tearing multiple holes in his uniform. He stayed on the ground for a long minute, catching his breath, before he tried standing up again, his knees trembling. He stumbled once, but managed to straighten himself and face Yuna, who had stepped out of the crater, also stumbling on her own feet. Yuna was still sporting a bloody nose and a swollen cheek while Midroiya face was throbbing and his chest felt unbearable tight. Both had sustained serious wounds that would have knocked out normal people, but they were still standing. Yuna chuckled lightly."Wow…you're pretty good," Yuna complimented. "Seems like you've got that quirk of yours down.""Nah…I'm still learning," said Midoriya, panting. "But you…you're just incredible. It feels like I'm going one-on-one with All Might.""It's been a long time since I've used my powers to have so much fun," said Yuna, smiling. "Before, I always used to think they were a curse. Shinju-Sama gave them to use so that we could be the sacrifices that would protect the world from the Vertex…. But Shinju-Sama is gone and all we have left are his fragments." She looked at her hand, clenching it into a fist. "I have so many bad memories with these powers that I forgot how amazing and wonderful they are. Thanks for reminding me, Midoriya-kun?""I should be the one thanking you," said Midoriya, much to Yuna's confusion. "I don't have a lot of good memories with my quirk either. When I first got it, all I ever did was get myself hurt and depend on others to protect me when they should have been helping themselves. I caused so many people to worry about me…my mom, my friend, my teachers…. It took a long time before I could figure out how my quirk worked, but I'm still worried about doing something wrong and worrying about people…. But right now, I'm not afraid of messing up. Fighting you made me forget about my worries and just have fun, too. It makes me feel like I can do anything….""Glad to know we feel the same way," said Yuna, smiling."Hey, do you think they're flirting?" Fu asked her teammates innocently. "It sounds like they're flirting.""That bastard…," Togo snarled venomously, pulling out her rifle and aiming at Midoriya; Team Sanshu panicked and tackled her to the floor."Thanks for making this a fun match," sand Yuna, moving into position. "But that doesn't mean I'm gonna let you win.""Same here," said Midoriya as he raised his fists, smiling. "I'm gonna come at you with everything I've got!"Yuna smiled one last time at the promise, and then she shot across the field, leaping high over Midoriya. She attempted an overhead slam, but Midoriya blocked it with his right arm when his left took a swing at her from the side. Yuna raised her leg to her chest, blocking the punch with her shin, and was knocked sideways in the air. Yuna flipped backwards and landed safely on her feet, but Midoriya was already charging straight at her. The hero-in-training jumped into a flying kick, but Yuna swung around her leg and slammed her heel into Midoriya's, creating a thunderous shockwave that was nearly as powerful as their fists.The force of their collision blew both champions in opposite directions, both of them landing securely on their feet as they faced one another. Both heroes were breathing hard and their limbs were shaking…but despite all of it, they were smiling even brighter than before. They were having fun."This is an incredible turn of events!" Wangari screamed enthusiastically as Yuna and Midoriya charge again, fists flying rapidly through the air. "Neither side is giving any ground! It's a clash of fists! Is this the tenacity of true heroes?""It figures that they would save the best fight for last," said Neku Sakuraba. "If only this story had animation to truly express how amazing these two are."That was putting it lightly in Akko's opinion. At first, she had been scared of them because of how strong they were, but now she couldn't help cheering them on. Her sentiment was shared throughout the stadium as the audience were leaping to their feet, shouting the names of their favorite champions. The Shiny Rod had known that Yuna would be incredibly powerful, but it had sorely underestimated how equally amazing Midoriya was as well.Their fists were flying back and forth like someone had hit the fast-forward button, sometimes blocking and other times taking hit after bone breaking hit. Both champions were gaining more wounds as the match went on; Midoriya had a busted lip, a black eye, and two broken fingers on his left-hand while Yuna was spitting blood out of her mouth, her left eye was swollen shut, and had a limp in her right leg. But neither one of them were backing down, and with each blow they exchanged they seemed to be getting more and more excited for the next one.In what seemed like the blink of an eye, so much time had passed that no one realized that the timer for the match was reaching its final seconds. As their fight started to draw to a close, Yuna and Midoriya once again met at the centerfield line stomping their feet into the ground and swinging their clenched fists with raging battle cries. Their arms crossed in the air and both of them landed a very solid blow on the other's faces that created ripples in the grass from the shockwave. The two of them stood frozen in place, their fists pressed against each other's cheeks, neither one bending of moving away.And then, at last, the final horn blared throughout the stadium."That's it – time is up!" shouted Wangari, all but jumping out of her seat. "The match is over and it's a draw! Both teams receive five points for the first day! This has to be the best match yet!""Even though judging from pure strength, Yuna is the clearly stronger," said Neku. "But Midoriya's resolve and inability to give up pushed him through to the bitter end. Both are true heroes."At those last heartfelt words, Midoriya and Yuna finally fell on their backs side-by-side, both panting and groaning."I feel like I got run over by ten trains…," Yuna moaned."Sorry about that," said Midoriya."Hey, you don't need to apologize," said Yuna, chuckle. "That was a pretty great match.""Yeah…I kinda had fun, too," said Midoriya, grinning. He looked surprised when Yuna held out her hand."Whaddya say – wanna be friends?" asked Yuna, smiling widely.Midoriya looked stunned for a moment, then smiled back and clasped his hand into her own, saying, "Yeah, I'd like that.""What a moving ending!" shouted Wangari as the crowd exploded into cheers. "That's true sportsmanship right there! For this aspiring reporter, this contest is already over!""Whoa, whoa, hold on, it's just the first day!" sputtered Neku Sakuraba."Well, whenever you two decide to get your facts straight," said the Grand Master. "While Miss Yuki and Mr. Midoriya are being helped by our medical experts, this concludes the first day of the Contest of Champions. Adding the point totals of the challenge round and the battle rounds, here is the new overall rankings."
Serenity: 18p
Black Star: 14p
Myojo: 12p
Class Zero: 10p
U.A.: 8p
Sanshu: 6p
Luna Nova: 6p
Honnoji: 0p
"After getting second place and winning the battle round, Serenity Academy jumps up to first," said Neku Sakuraba. "Meanwhile, Honnoji lost both the challenge and the battle round. They're going to need to step up their game before they're left in the dust.""Well done to all our champions," said the Grand Master. "Now just a quick word before we all go on a nice, relaxing break. The second game will take place on December 31st, just before the new year. For coming in first place in the challenge round, Class Zero will be receiving a puzzle which will contain a hint for the next game, giving them a small advantage for the next round. And to the rest of you, be sure to get a lot of rest and get your strength back up – you'll need it for the next round.""And that ends todays festivities for the Contest of Champions," said Wangari. "Thank you, Grand Master, and you, Neku, for joining me today. This is Wangari, wishing you a good day!"Akko stood up and her teammates started to walk out of the stadium along with the rest of the crowd, babbling excitedly as they went over the events of that day. She had been right in thinking that the Contest of Champions was going to be a challenge, but she had sorely underestimated the other teams. They were going to need to do some serious studying when they got back to Luna Nova – maybe Ursula could teach her some combat spells?But unknown to Akko and the others, standing at the very top of the stadium overlooking the field was Amon with Acnologia standing at his side. The masked warrior was holding a musty, tattered-looking book and carefully turning the yellowing pages as if afraid of tearing it apart. Acnologia made a scoffing noise and turned to Amon."Why did we have to be here, too?" he asked. "We could have just watched it on television.""I wanted to personally make sure that everything was falling into place," said Amon calmly. "Time – the future in particular – can be very fickle. They say that the future is impossible to foresee, that it is subject to constant change.""And now?" asked Acnologia."Everything is as it should be," said Amon, closing the book. "We're right on schedule. Now all we have to do…is wait patiently for the moment to arrive…."He stared at the book's cover, his finger tracing the faded gold letters:
Aradia Series Vol. II – The Book of Midday.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Akko, Lotte, and Sucy went up to the Observation Tower that evening to find Ursula, so that Akko could send Izetta a letter telling her that she had managed to get through the Xenomorphs unscathed. While there, Akko filled the three of them in on everything Izetta had told her about Nico and Ram. Akko only wished Amanda could have been there when she shared her suspicion about Black Star Academy's headmistress purposely sabotaging the Crystal Skulls for nefarious purposes. Since the first game, Amanda hadn't been as outwardly malicious to them as she had been before, but she still kept her distance and rarely said more than five words during classes. At the very least, Akko hoped this meant that Amanda was getting over her jealousy and there was a chance that they could reconcile. Ursula didn't seem the least bit surprised when Akko shared this information."Ram has always been an extremist," she said. "Even before we recruited her, Ram had always been a little…savage when it came to disposing the dark forces. When Amon betrayed us, she was equally ruthless to those who had sided with him – killed more than half the traitors before we could stop her, Nico's mother included. It wouldn't be too far of a stretch to believe that Ram might have tampered with the Crystal Skull as an excuse to execute Nico and make it look like an accident. The Grand Master's games don't exactly go easy on the champions, as you have already seen….""How did he manage to convince everyone that it was okay to let a bunch of murderous monsters loose in the city's sewers?" said Akko, grumbling. "They're not still down there, are they?""The Arrancar have already returned them to the Arcturus Forest," said Ursula. "The Grand Master usually gets away with his little games because he has pull with the Magic Council. Being the popular event that it is, hardly anyone gives thought to the kinds of dangers we are exposing you children to. It won't be until someone actually dies that the Magic Council will actually do anything about it.""Well, at least you're done with the Xenomorphs," said Lotte optimistically. "After that, there's no way any of the other challenges could be as dangerous. I mean, how could they? And since you did the first challenge, that means you don't necessarily have to do anymore. You can just leave them to Diana and the others.""Yeah, our school already got its weakest link out of the way," said Sucy, smirking."HEY!" Akko yelled indignantly.Lotte, Sucy, and Ursula laughed teasingly while Akko crossed her arms and pouted childishly. But then all of a sudden, Ursula's laughed turned into a hacking cough, leaning sideways against the edge of her desk and holding her hand over her chest with a pained expression. Akko and Lotte stepped forward with frightened gasps – Sucy seemed indifferent to the whole thing – but Ursula held up her hand to stop them from getting closer. She took a few deep, even breaths before the pain subsided, but was still leaning against her desk with a tired sigh. When Ursula lowered her hand from her chest, the collar of her uniform moved slightly and saw the edge of a metallic device sinking its barbs into her skin.Akko felt her stomach drop. She had been so caught up with the Contest and the business between Nico and Amanda that she had completely forgotten about Ursula's condition. It had been a long time since she actually thought about it, but seeing the machine latched to her chest brought back a horrible reality: Ursula was dying and the best that little machine could do was buy her more time. Akko wanted to say something, but couldn't bring herself to do it – saying it out loud made it seem more real. Lotte must have thought the same thing before her expression also changed to a sorrowful frown; she must have seen the device as well.Ursula took a moment to recollect herself, taking one big breath and straightening herself up. She tucked away Akko's letter to Izetta, which was much longer and heavier than usual – Akko hadn't been able to resist giving Izetta a blow-by-blow account of exactly how she had mastered the metamorphosis spell and outwitted the Xenomorphs. She turned in her seat and said, "Well, you'd better get back to your common room, Akko – I'm sure Polaris is just waiting to throw you a surprise party when you get there."Sure enough, when they entered the Polaris common room it exploded with cheers and yells again. There were mountains of cake and cups of juice and Rabbit House coffee on every surface; Garie and Sabi had let off some fireworks, so that the air was thick with stars and sparks; and Jasminka, who was very good at drawing, had put up some impressive banners, many of which depicted Akko transforming into different animals and running in circles around confused-looking Xenomorphs. And much to Akko's surprise and elation, there was a jar full of her favorite treat – pickled plums – which Constanze said had been brought by Amanda, who had immediately ducked out of sight before Akko arrived. Even if she wasn't there, the fact that Amanda remembered her favorite snack made her feel happier than she had been in a while.Akko helped herself to the pickled plums; she had almost forgotten what it was like to feel properly hungry and sat down with Lotte and Sucy. She couldn't believe how happy she felt; she had gotten through the first challenge and she wouldn't have to face the second one until the end of the year."Want a jelly doughnut, Akko?" said Garie in a would-be sweet voice.Akko looked suspiciously at the plate of sweets she was offering her. Garie grinned."It's all right," she said. "I haven't done anything to them. It's the custard doughnuts you've gotta watch out for – "Avery, who had just bitten into a custard doughnut, choked and spat it out. Garie laughed."It was a just a little joke…," she said innocently as Avery lifted her off the ground by her collar.Sucy took a jelly doughnut. Then she said, "Where'd you get all this stuff, anyway? You haven't been sneaking off the Blytonbury have you? I'll tell
Ina….""We didn't, we swear!" shouted Garie, immediately frightened by the very mention of her mother. "We just went down to the kitchens, that's all. The people who work there just gave them to us when we said we were throwing a party!""And how did you know how to get into the kitchens?" asked Sucy, glaring her one eye at the mini Manbavaran suspiciously."Our friend Chinatsu's the one that found it," said Garie. "It's down the hall on ground level behind painting of a bowl of fruit. Just tickle the pear, and it giggles and it opens a door into the kitchen. We've been sneaking down to get free snacks every now and then. That guy from Log Horizon Guild is really nice.""Oh yeah, I remember Croix talking about him," said Akko, humming thoughtfully. "His name was…Sir Nyanta, right?""Apparently he left his guild to become a full-time chef and ended up coming to Luna Nova," said Sabi. "Holbrooke must have figured that having a professional fighter on staff would make it less likely for the goblins to get scared off. And get this. The guy is a cat! I mean, an actual giant walking, talking cat! How funny is that?"Just then, Avery caused a slight diversion by turning into a large canary."Oh – sorry about that!" Garie shouted over all the laughter. "I forgot – it
was
the custard doughnuts we messed with – "Within a minute, however, Avery had molted, and once her feathers had fallen off, she reappeared entirely normal. She narrowed her sharp eyes on Garie and started chasing her around the room."You mixed a metamorphosis potion inside the custard to hide the bitterness," Sucy said to Sabi, splitting one of the doughnuts in half. "Did you make it yourself.""Yep, from the practice ingredients
Ina
sent us!" said Sabi cheerfully. "We got inspired by Akko's performance and decided to make metamorphosis treats! We made a whole plate full of them. This one turns you into an elephant and this one into a shark – "It was nearly one in the morning when Akko finally went up to the dormitory with Lotte, Sucy, Jasminka, and Constanze. Amanda was already in bed, snoring lightly. Before she pulled the curtains of her four-poster shut, Blair hopped inside in cat form where she yawned, curled up on her stomach, and closed her eyes.
Really, Akko thought as she tucked herself in and relaxed her body,
after everything that's happened…things are finally starting to look up….The start of December brought wind and sleet to Luna Nova. Drafty though the castle always was in winter, Akko was glad that she had chosen to take Modern Magic this year whenever she walked by the window and saw Professor Pisces teaching Study of Abnormal Creatures classed out in the snow-covered lawn near the paddocks. It looked like they were studying something that looked like a herd of giant horses, though no one seemed to care because they were all shivering in their thick cloaks. Still, for as grateful as she was to not be studying outside, it didn't make the lessons in Modern Magic any easier to understand."You should already be working on the foundation for your golem," Croix told the class as she walked between the rows next lesson. "Make sure that the parts you are using are stable when securing the Magicite containers. More than once, I've seen students slack off and forget to brace their cores only for them to break…. And be careful when using the tools. I don't to hear Porlyusica lecture me about student safety again…."They had finished building the container to house their Magicite Cores (them being Constanze and Barbara while Akko did little things that wouldn't cause too much damage). They were starting to build the main body, which Akko was happy that her partners agreed to use the design she drew up. The idea was to base their golem on Japanese mechas, which Constanze become starry-eyed over after she explained the nuances of Mecha animes. Barbara made no effort to hide her annoyance with her constant eye rolls, but she was out numbered two-to-one and had no choice but to accept it.While Constanze and Barbara took over the actual building portion of the golem, they had decided (more like forced) Akko to start putting together some of the loose pieces that Constanze had laid out on their table, along with a manual of
very
detailed instructions. Akko frowned and scratched her head with the screwdriver, flipping between the pages to figure out if she was supposed to put linchpin F into slot Q, or screw #117 in section 2-A. Croix came around their table, smirking amusingly as she watched Akko fret over the instructions."Let me take a wild guess," said Croix with a chuckle. "You wanted to make a model of a Japanese mecha, didn't ya?""That obvious?" Akko groaned when she realized she had put the wrong bolt in slot X."You wouldn't be the first student inspired by Japanese animation," said Croix, taking one of the parts and looking it over. "Though I have to admit, this is a lot more complicated than most other students. I'll definitely give you three an A for effort, but try not to go overboard with the design. Sometimes that best solutions are the simplest ones. Why do you think I modeled my Sorcerer Units after vacuum cleaners?""Well, well, well…this
does
look like fun."Croix's smile quickly turned into a deep frown and looked to the back of the class. Quattro Scaglietti was leaning against the edge of the door, looking around the classroom. She was wearing a silvery cloak with a furred collar today, and her handbag was over her arm."You're Scaglietti, right?" Croix asked Quattro as she slipped inside the classroom and tread lightly between the desk, walking up to the professor. "That woman from the newspaper.""Quattro Scaglietti, lead reporter for the daily news," said Quattro, beaming at her. Croix looked even less pleased."I'm fairly sure that Professor Holbrooke said you weren't allowed inside the school anymore," said Croix, her brow furrowed with obvious disapproval. It didn't come as a surprise to Akko that Croix loathed the news; she had been the subject of much harassment by the press during both times when she was falsely accused of attacking Luna Nova, both as a student and a teacher.Quattro acted as though she hadn't heard what Croix had said."And what marvelous inventions are these fine young students making today?" she asked, beaming more widely as she leaned over Gaëlle and Balsa's table."Golems," Croix said shortly, stepping between the reporter and her students. "How did you even get inside the castle unseen?""Making golems, are they?" said Quattro, pointedly ignoring the question. "I've only ever heard of golems made of clay…but making sentient monsters out of metal and electricity? Doesn't that seem a tad dangerous, given humanity's record with sentient machines."Akko noticed the dull red hue to Croix's ears that only happened when she was either embarrassed or silently angered. Looked like Quattro had hit a sore spot. Akko remembered her brief encounter with Croix's sentient monsters that resided in the Arcturus Forest two years ago, a meeting that had almost ended very badly. Constanze, whose usually grumpy expression deepened into a fierce scowl, stood on her chair with Stan-Bot on her head saying, "Professor Croix is a brilliant scientist who would never make a stupid mistake like that! She's not some stupid American billionaire with an ugly goatee! Right, Akko!""I don't know, I think Iron Man's beard is kind cool – ouch – I mean, yeah," said Akko as Constanze kicked her in the side."Ah,
you're
here, Akko!" said Quattro as she looked around. "How
wonderful
to see you again. Might I say, that was a deeply inspiring performance you did during the Contest. So, you like Modern Magic, do you? Is Diana here with you?""No, she's not," said Akko stoutly. "She's in a different class period.""Oh, that's too bad," said Quattro, looking marginally disappointed at the news. "I'm sure you two would have worked…very closely."Now it was Akko's turn to scowl. Now she understood why Quattro was suddenly interested in her when she wanted nothing to do with Akko in their last meeting. After her success in the first challenge, Quattro was hoping to push the angle that she and Diana were Luna Nova's 'power couple'. As much as Akko
did
want to be with Diana, she wasn't going to give Quattro the satisfaction of knowing that."In case you haven't noticed, we are in the middle of class and you are rudely interrupting their work," said Croix."Just simply doing my job, Professor," said Quattro toothily. "I'm sure a lot of people would want to know what Luna Nova's champions are like during their daily lives. A little inside piece to make the readers feel closer. What do you say, Akko? I don't suppose you'd like to give an interview, would you? Share some of your experiences in Luna Nova? Maybe a little something about your fellow champions? Like, Diana Cavendish perhaps? You must have some stories about her – ""If you don't leave this instant, I will call the security trolls," Croix threatened.For a split second, Akko thought she saw Quattro's expression darken, but then turned bright again almost immediately, flashing a cheery smile that looked as sweet as rancid honey. Before she could counter Croix's threat, however, the bell rang throughout the castle, signaling the end of the lesson."Clean your spaces and return everything to your assigned storage spaces!" Croix shouted over the screeching of sliding chairs and clattering activity. "We'll pick up where we left off next lesson!""Well, good-bye, Akko!" Quattro called merrily to her as she set off with Barbara and Constanze. "Be sure to get back to me on that interview!""I only have two words to say to her, and they'd get me detention if a teacher heard them," Akko said under her breath."That woman would just twist everything you would say," said Barbara, scowling. "I read all the awful things she wrote about Professor Crème. She doesn't care who she hurts as like as her articles draw attention. I heard Professor Crème talking to Professor Cosmos the other day about her – I had no idea she had such a colorful vocabulary.""But there's something weird about her," said Stan-Bot. "Did you hear what Professor Croix said? Scaglietti's not allowed inside the castle, but she still managed to sneak past the security trolls and make her way to the classroom without getting spotted.""You've all done it before with Akko's ring," said Barbara. "Or she could have just made an invisibility potion to sneak in.""The castle is protected by dozens of enchantments," said Constanze. "Even if you use invisibility magic, they would still detect you. The Ring of Gyges is an exception because it's ancient Lost Magic, and only eleven were ever made, so I doubt she has one.""You don't think she's doing something illegal to get in, do you?" asked Akko."Oh, I hope so," said Barbara with a mad glint in her eye. "If she is, I hope I get to be the one to catch her. I would
love
to see her hauled off to Dol Guldur. Though I don't the Heartless would do much – that old crone looks like she's already part Heartless."Akko and Constanze snorted, and, feeling slightly more cheerful, went off to lunch.Akko thoroughly enjoyed double Foretelling that afternoon; they were still doing star charts and prediction and Akko was quickly standing out as the best in the whole class, even better than Wendy, who slipped up on her chart and confused Columba with Pegasus. Ursula praised Akko for her predications in the coming month, claiming that many of them were close to her own, and even asked Akko to come to the front of the class as she pointed to the moving planets rotating on the starry ceiling."I want you to look at the rotations of Mercury and Mars," she said in a very meaningful tone, a hand on Akko's shoulder as she directed their attention to each planet in turn. "See how they align almost perfectly? What do you think that means, Akko?""Er…well…," Akko hummed, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Mercury could mean communication or travel…but I think it might mean something else in this case because Mercury can also represent speed…. Maybe a race? Mars obviously represent war and danger. So…sometime near the end of the year, there's going to be a race, but it will be super dangerous. Something like that…?""That's a very good reading, Akko," said Ursula, praising. "But you're forgetting something else. Mars also represents great conflict and Mercury equally represents wealth. So that dangerous race you have foreseen involves a bloody battle on the road to success. But that was excellent, Akko. Ten points to Polaris."Akko fought hard to keep herself from grinning, especially when Katya and Zizi, both of whom admired Ursula, started clapping."Yes," said Ursula, nodding impressively, "a great race is approaching Luna Nova very quickly…. Giving the timing, perhaps we are receiving a glimmer of the next challenge in the Contest of Champions. It would be certainly be nice if that were true – using Foretelling to predict the events isn't technically cheating, is it?"She looked at Akko, almost like she was seriously asking her; Akko just shrugged her shoulders cluelessly."Maybe Professor Ursula is right and the next challenge is a race," said Wendy optimistically as she, Akko, and Jasminka walked down the staircase beneath Ursula's class. "That would be great for us. We have three Chariot Race anchors on our team; we'd definitely be the fastest. Unless we're not allowed to use brooms, in which case, maybe we should leave this one to Fate. She's the only one that can fly unsupported.""Let's just not tell Diana about this," said Akko as they passed by Professor Badcock in the hallway, her beady eyes leering at them as they passed. "You know how she feels about Foretelling. Maybe we can tell Fate and ask her to volunteer. If Diana asks questions, I'll think of something to distract her.""Maybe you could drink one of Sucy's potions and she can give you CPR," said Wendy teasingly, making Akko go red in the face.But Sucy wasn't at dinner, nor was she in the library when they went to look for her afterward. The only person in there was Fu Inubozaki, wandering aimlessly through the shelves. It seemed like she was looking for something, and Akko had the suspicion that they were both after the same person. When Fu wandered around the shelf they were lurking, she paused, all of them staring awkwardly at one another. After a minute of neither party saying anything, Fu ducked her head and speed walked out of the library."Wonder where Sucy went off to?" asked Lotte as she and Akko went back to Polaris tower."Dunno…probably went off to poison puppies," Akko said while touching the stone to open the archway.But the hidden door had barely opened when Akko felt a familiar chill running down her spine and turned around to spot Sucy as she practically slithered her way up to them."Hey, Akko, Lotte, great timing," she said, creeping up next to them. "Hey, Akko, you should come with me. I just found something
super awesome, and it's totally not a trick this time – I swear – "She seized Akko's arm and started to try to drag her back along the corridor."Oh no, I'm not falling for that for the eighteenth time," said Akko defiantly. "You're gonna force feed me one of those weird mushrooms you like that gives me visions and makes me puke up every color in the rainbow again.""Hey, we got eighty thousand likes on WitchTube for that video," said Sucy. "But it's not that, I promise – you'll see what I mean when we get there – come on, quick – "Akko looked around at Sucy; she looked back at Akko, intrigued."Okay," Akko said, starting off back down the corridor with Sucy, Lotte hurrying to keep up."Hey, who left the door open!" they heard Avery's call irritably after them. "You're letting all the cold air in! Not to mention leaving it wide open for anyone to just walk in!""We're sorry!" Lotte shouted apologetically over her shoulder."Sucy, where are we going?" Akko asked, after she had led them down through six floors, and started down the spiraling staircase into the entrance hall."You'll see in a minute," said Sucy mysteriously.She turned left at the bottom of the staircase and hurried toward the door through which Akko recalled Makoto had gone through the night after the Crystal Skull had chosen Luna Nova's champions. Akko had never been through here before. She and Lotte followed Sucy down a flight of stone steps, but instead of ending up in a gloomy underground passage like the one that led to Professor Hex's dungeon, they found themselves in a broad stone corridor, brightly lit with fire fairies, and decorated with colorful paintings that were mainly of food."Hang on…," said Akko, halfway down the corridor. "Wait a minute, Sucy….""What?" Sucy groaned impatiently, turning around to look at her."Is that what I think it is?" said Akko.She nudged Lotte and pointed to the painting just behind Akko. It showed a gigantic ceramic fruit bowl."Sucy!" Lotte gasped horrifically. "You're sneaking into the kitchen to poison the food?""What, no," said Sucy, raising her one visibly eyebrow. "Well, I admit, the idea came to me when I first snuck down here – ""You can't just go poisoning other people!" said Akko, frowning disapprovingly at her. "It's one thing to do it to me, but poisoning people who are looking forward to a decent meal after a long, hard day of school is just cruel! You shouldn't do that to them! Actually, you shouldn't do it to me either.""You're still alive, and you have the most powerful immune system in the world now," Sucy said flippantly. "I snuck down here because Garie and Sabi told me they use Pollux and Canopus as ingredients for some of the food they make. They are rare mushrooms, and I wanted to get my hands on some. But when I came down here, I found – well, maybe it'd be better if I just show you."She seized her arm again, pulled her in front of the picture of the giant fruit bowl, stretched out her forefinger, and tickled the huge green pear. It began to squirm, chuckling, and suddenly turned into a large green door handle. Sucy seized it, pulled the door open, and pushed Akko hard in the back, forcing her inside.She had one brief glimpse of an enormous, impossibly-clean room with mounds of glittering brass pots and pans heaped around the stone walls, and a great brick fireplace at the other end, when the sound of racing feet coming from their left alerted them that someone was running at them, squealing. "Akko-senpai!
Akko-senpai!"Akko momentarily stiffened; the last person who had called her senpai (upon her request) was Eveline Winters. But when she turned around, she was relieved to find that it wasn't Eveline who had called her. A familiar face came sliding up to Akko, Lotte, and Sucy on their hands and knees across the highly polished floor, lowering their head in a traditional Japanese bow of respect. But the girl in front of her wasn't Japanese, Akko realized, it was –"M-Mari?" Akko gasped."It is I, Akko-senpai!" squealed the girl, still bowing her head on the floor. "I was hoping to meet you once more, Akko-senpai, and come you have. This is a most fortuitous day indeed!"She raised her head, beaming up at Akko with a wide, toothy grin. It had been a long time since Akko had seen Marianna – two years, if she remembered correctly, back when she nearly killed Akko trying to save her from Lord Hanbridge's influence. Dark hair tied up in a high ponytail, Marianna wore the Luna Nova uniform like them with the canary-yellow belt, indicating her place in the Twilight House, but had added on to it with a giant obi tied in a big bow around her waist, a bright red scarf, cloth bandages around her arms, and even carried a tanto on her belt in place of her wand (why would the teachers allow a student to have such a dangerous weapon on hand, Akko wondered.)Marianna was a student in the year below Akko and worked for the Hanbridge family as Andrew's personal maid. Lord Hanbridge was unaware of Marianna's witch heritage and that she had already been a student at Luna Nova for three years now; Andrew had told his father that she was serving him at Appleton and had been secretly paying Marianna's tuition out of his own pocket. She was also a huge admirer of Japanese culture, especially ninjas, so it wasn't surprising that she had been naturally drawn to Akko when they first met. Though it seemed that Marianna had a very skewed idea about what ninjas are really like, having obtained most of her knowledge about them through anime. Akko didn't have the heart to tell her that real ninjas don't actually walk on water or breath fireballs or have magic eyes that see through walls."Mari, what are you doing here?" Akko said in amazement."I work here, senpai!" Marianna stated happily. "Well, part-time, at least. I'm so used to working day and night at the Hanbridge manor that I have become restless when I have nothing to do, so I help around the castle these days. There is so much to do that I can keep myself busy. Sir Nyanta asked for my help personally in the kitchen.""Sir Nyanta?" said Akko. "The guy from Log Horizon?""So you know of him? That's to be expected of Akko-senpai!" said Marianna, and she seized Akko's hand and pulled her off into the kitchen between the dozens of work stations. At each of these stations, Akko noticed as she passed them, were groups of at least five to six goblins working tirelessly on what Akko guessed would be tomorrow's meals. All the goblins were wearing the same uniform, clean white chef coats with big poofy hats between their long ears stamped with the Luna Nova crest. Some of the stations seemed to be taking used plates that still had some food on it and scraping them off to remark it into new food. Akko really wished she hadn't seen that; she didn't know if she could eat at the dining hall ever again.Marianna stopped in front of the brick fireplace, within which was a giant cauldron of delicious-smelling soup."Sir Nyanta, Akko-senpai!" she said.The man called Sir Nyanta had been stirring the cauldron when he heard Marianna call his name and turned around. He was a gangly sort of man that he stood a clear head and shoulders taller than Akko, but his fixed posture gave him a regal look to him that added to his cat-like appearance. Unlike Blair who only transformed into a cat or Miqo'te that had cat-like ears and tail, he was a full humanoid cat with a white-and-gray furred face and two fuzzy ears perched atop his head. Despite his position as a chef, he wore elegant looking clothes that made him look like quite the gentleman.He took one look at Marianna, then to Akko, Lotte, and Sucy, and offered them a whiskered smile."My, what a surprise," he said pleasantly; even his voice was suave and elegant. "I didn't realize we would be having so many guests. Are they friends of yours, Mari?""Yes, Sir Nyanta!" said Marianna exuberantly. "This is Akko-senpai, Lotte-senpai, and Sucy-senpai from Polaris.""Nya, it's so nice to finally meet the famous 'Akko-senpai'," Sir Nyanta said teasingly. "Mari talks about you a lot while she's working. Would you like a cup of tea? I just made a fresh pot.""Er – yeah, okay," said Akko.Instantly, about six goblins came trotting up behind her, bearing a large silver tray laden with a teapot, cups for the five of them, a milk jug, and a large plate of crumpets."Now that's what I call service," Sucy said, in a very pleased voice; the goblins all looked delighted by the compliment as they bowed their heads and retreated."How long have you been working here, Mari?" Akko asked as Marianna poured them tea individually.In the kitchen? Only about a week, senpai," said Marianna happily. "After all the excitement two years ago, I found suddenly found myself with nothing to do for last year. Lord Hanbridge is on the other side of the country and Master Andrew insists I should focus on my education and remain at Luna Nova, but it's just so…unnerving not serving anyone. That is to say, I was literally born to serve others. My mother was a servant, my grandmother was a servant, and her mother, and so on. It is in my blood. I
like
working – ""And what a diligent worker you are," said Sir Nyanta fondly, taking a delicate sip of tea. "She's only been working in the kitchens for a short time, but she is already one of the best employees we have. She always finishes her tasks in a short time without ever cutting corners. The goblins have nothing but praise for little Mari.""Thank you, Sir Nyanta," said Marianna, smiling gleefully. "At first it just started out with cleaning the Twilight dormitories and then it migrated to the common rooms – the cleaning goblins looked so confused when they came in the middle of the night and couldn't find a speck of dust on the furniture. Then they started to get annoyed because, technically, they get paid the more they cleaned and they were losing spellstones when I kept doing the job for them.""I heard that it was quite the fracas," said Sir Nyanta, chuckling amusingly. "One night they staked out the Twilight common room and ambushed poor Marianna when she was cleaning the fireplace. The cooks told me that there was a fight and you ended up knocking out quite a few goblins that night, Mari.""I thought they were intruders!" said Marianna embarrassingly, covering her reddening face. "You wouldn't believe the number of people who are actually foolish enough to try and sneak into the Hanbridge estate. All the servants are trained to repel intruders, so when I saw a bunch of people coming out of shadows, I just acted on instinct! I didn't realize they were goblins until after Professor Kowata came downstairs to investigate all the noise and turned on the lights! Can you imagine what it must have looked like, standing in the middle of all those beat-up goblins restraining one in a chokehold? I thought I was gonna be expelled!""Be glad your Head of House isn't Finnelan, or that might actually be a possibility," said Sucy."Little Mari was taken to the headmistress that same night," said Sir Nyanta."You didn't get in trouble, did you?" asked Akko worriedly."I beat up twenty goblins on the working staff – of course I got in trouble," said Marianna, frowning. "The goblins all accused me of trying to steal their jobs and then beat them up for no good reason. It was self-defense! Luckily, Professor Holbrooke smoothed everything out with them. They all got paid vacations and I got a month in detention editing Professor Crème's latest novel. Do you know what it's like having to sit in one place for hours with nothing to do but read lines?""I understand your pain," said Akko nodding sagely; she too once had to serve detention with Annabelle Crème, back in her second year."Lucky…," Lotte moaned, pouting. "So, wait, how did you end up working at Luna Nova then?""Well, after my month of detention was over, Professor Holbrooke called me into her office again," said Marianna. "I thought I was going to be punished once more, but instead she offered a job. To make sure that we don't have another repeat of what happened, she said I could work with the goblins around the castle, provided I follow all their instructions, and that it would only be part-time – she warned me that if my grades start to drop, she will fire me."She beamed very highly with a toothy smile stretching from ear-to-ear."Professor Holbrooke is so kind and generous. She even offered me payment for my work. I, of course, turned her offer down, but she insisted that I be rewarded for my work. So instead of giving me money, all of my payments go directly into my tuition. This way, Master Andrew doesn't have to pay as much.""That was nice of you," said Lotte in a pleasantly surprised tone as she took a bite of crumpet."It was the least I could do for him," said Marianna happily. "Master Andrew has already done so much for me, letting me attend Luna Nova like this. None of my family have ever gone to school – they are typically taught at home and trained to be the perfect maids. To be even such a wonderful opportunity is proof of Master Andrew's kind and boundless generosity.""Sounds like you have a crush on him," said Akko, grinning amusingly. While the remark had intended to be teasing, Akko realized that Marianna was looking shyly out of the corner of her eyes, playing with her fingers of her lap while her cheeks were dusted red. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me.""I know it seems unlikely, Akko-senpai," said Marianna, hands on her burning cheeks and smiling sheepishly despite herself. "I mean, Master Andrew is already betrothed to Lady Cavendish – " Akko hanged her head, a dark cloud of dreaded defeat looming over, but none of them noticed – "but I just can't help it. Even though he doesn't care for magic himself, Master Andrew has given me a wonderful opportunity to follow my dream of being the first ninja witch. He is so kind and wonderful…. Of course, I don't need to tell you that, Akko-senpai. You already know.""What's that supposed to mean?" Akko asked, raising her head with her brow quirked."I just figured since you and Master Andrew hang out a lot - ""Whoa, whoa, we don't hang out that much," said Akko, waving her hand. "I mean, we run into each other a couple of times in Byltonbury and a few times when he visits the castle with his dad, but that's about it. We don't really spend a whole lot of time with each other.""Huh, that's strange," said Marianna, tilting her head curiously. "The way Master Andrew talks, he makes it sound like you two hang out all the time. He even asked me what you were going to be doing for the winter holidays.""Andrew asked you about me?" said Akko, sounding genuinely confused."Yes, Master Andrew and Master Frank are planning to spend the winter holidays at Luna Nova," said Marianna. "Apparently there is some event pertaining to the Contest of Champions taking place at Luna Nova and Master Andrew wanted to make sure you didn't have anything planned at the time. Though, given that you are one of the champions, I told Master Andrew it was unlikely that you were going to be leaving. He sounded very happy when I spoke to him last time and said something about 'practicing his Japanese' or something of the like.""Just when I thought that guy couldn't get any weirder," said Akko strangely."What's this event that's happening over the holidays?" asked Lotte interestingly."Now, now, Mari, you shouldn't go saying anything you're not supposed to," Sir Nyanta interrupted before Marianna could speak. "Remember that you're not just a student, you are all a servant of both Luna Nova and the Hanbridge estate. And as such, you should keep their secrets and their silence. You wouldn't want to shame your masters by speaking about them behind their backs…. And besides, you wouldn't want to ruin the surprised for Miss Akko.""Oh, you are absolutely right, Sir Nyanta!" Marianna gasped, spinning around in her seat, and bowing her head to Akko, Lotte, and Sucy. "Forgive me, senpai, but I cannot say any more than this. I respect Master Andrew and Professor Holbrooke, and I am proud to keep their secrets and silence for them.""What about Andrew's dad?" Akko asked her, grinning. "Got anything you wanna say about him?"A slightly fearful look came into Marianna's eyes."I – I could," she said doubtfully. She squared her small shoulders. "I could say that Lord Hanbridge is – is –
a old, ugly, stuck-up son of a squid!"Marianna sat there for a moment, quivering all over, horror-struck by her own daring – the she rushed over to the nearest work station, stole a knife from one of the goblins, dropped to her knees with the knife pointed at her stomach, shouting, "SEPPUKU!"Sir Nyanta, apparently used to Marianna's antics, casually tossed his tea spoon and knocked the knife out of her hands."Thank you, Sir, Nyanta," said Marianna, taking a deep, relieved breath. "I'm still not used to speaking ill of my masters just yet.""You just need a bit of practice," Akko said."Yes, I suppose I do," said Marianna, returning to her seat and bowing her head shamefully. "I can only imagine what my mother would say if she knew I was talking badly about Lord Hanbridge behind his back. Probably throttle me. My mother has looked after Lord Hanbridge his entire like, just as my grandmother did for his father, and as I am supposed to do with Master Andrew…. But instead, I am breaking our family's tradition and choosing to attend witch school instead. I can only imagine it would be worse for Master Andrew if Lord Hanbridge found out he's paying for my tuition – ""Yeah, he hardly seems like the understanding type," said Akko, frowning. "I still remember the attitude he gave Professor Holbrooke when the champions were picked.""Yes, that's right," said Marianna thoughtfully. "I nearly forgot, Lord Hanbridge is here acting as representative considering he absolutely loathes magic. But I suppose that since the Grand Master is presiding over the Contest, he felt it would be worth his time.""What does the Grand Master have to do with Hanbridge?" asked Sucy curiously."I don't exactly know all the details," said Marianna, leaning her head back and crossing her arms, staring up at the ceiling with a faraway look. "But I think Lord Hanbridge has some kind of a deal with the Grand Master. Only it sounds like the Grand Master is trying to cheat Lord Hanbridge out of it. I always hear him in his office complaining how the Grand Master is constantly dodging him. He probably joined the Contest as a way of cornering him.""And you don't know anything about it?" asked Akko, leaning across the table."I'm sorry, senpai," said Marianna. "And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you. I may not like Lord Hanbridge, but I am still bound to serve the Hanbridge family and will guard their secrets with my life. So don't ask me anymore about it."It didn't seem like Marianna was going to budge of the subject no matter how much Akko prodded her. They decided to move on to another topic and talked happily about what their plans were for the coming holidays."I, of course, will be staying with Master Andrew while he is visiting Luna Nova," said Marianna. "I'm hoping to give him a gift for Christmas. I was thinking of making a scarf or a sweater but I…don't really know how.""I could teach you," said Lotte, who had quickly taken a liking to Marianna. "Granny likes to knit sweaters for everyone around Christmas time. Maybe we could ask her to teach us together. I was thinking of making something nice for Frank since he'll be visiting too."Akko slid up to Lotte, grinning mischievously."Oooh, making something nice for
Frank, are we?" she said, giggling."It's not like that, Akko," said Lotte, rolling her eyes. "Frank and I are just friends, and he thinks the same thing.
I swear."As they prepared to take their leave, many of the surrounding goblins pressed in on them, offering snacks to take back upstairs. The three of them found themselves practically buried as the goblins shoved cream cakes and pies in their faces."Thanks a lot!" Akko said to the goblins, who had all clustered around the door to say good night. "See ya, Mari!""Akko-senpai, can I come and visit you sometimes?" Marianna asked tentatively."'Course ya can," said Akko, and Marianna beamed."You know what?" said Sucy, once she, Lotte, and Akko had left the kitchens behind and were climbing the steps into the entrance hall again. "All these years Amanda's bunch kept trying to act so impressive because they stole food from the kitchens all the time. Well, it's not exactly difficult, is it? They can't wait to give it away! And look, they even gave me the mushrooms I wanted!""It was awesome seeing Mari again without her trying to kill me," said Akko, leading the way back up the spiraling staircase. "Though she wouldn't stop talking about Andrew the whole time. It was kinda annoying.""You're just mad because Diana's getting married to him," said Sucy with a toothy smirk; Akko hanged her head shamefully."Wonder what kind of deal Andrew's dad has with the Grand Master," said Lotte. "You don't think they rigged something with the Contest, do you? To make Luna Nova lose? He was pretty mad at us after he lost the election for Prime Minister.""Nah, Andrew's dad is a lot of things, but he's not petty like that," said Akko. "I don't think he cares who wins the contest.""Ina
always said that the Grand Master was shady," said Sucy. "You could tell just be the way he looks. He's always hiding something, always got a trick up his sleeve. I never trusted him.""Well, no point in worry about that," said Akko, taking a bite out of a chocolate éclair. "Whatever's going on between those two, there's no way it's gonna affect us, right? ...Right?"Lotte and Sucy exchanged looks, but chose to stay silent as they walked back to the common room.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Kagari! Albrechtsberger!
Will you pay attention?"Professor Finnelan's irritated voice cracked like a whip through the alchemy class on Thursday, and Akko and Constanze jumped and looked up.It was the end of the lesson; they had finished their work; the guinea fowl they had been changing into guinea pigs had been shut away in a large cage on Professor Finnelan's desk (everyone was still dumbfounded that Akko was the second person to get her metamorphosis spell done, after Diana); they had copied down their homework form the blackboard ("Describe, with examples, the ways in which Metamorphosis Spells must be adapted when perform Cross-Species Switches"). The bell was due to ring at any moment, and Akko and Constanze, who had been pouring over Constanze's blueprints for the golem in Modern Magic, looked up, and Constanze tucked the plans away in her bag."Now that Kagari and Albrechtberger have been kind enough to act their age," said Professor Finnelan, with an angry look at the pair of them. "I have something to say to you all.""The Winter Ball is approaching - a traditional part of the Contest of Champions and an opportunity for us to socialize with our foreign guests. Now, the ball will be open only to fourth years and above – though you may invite a younger student if you wish – "Zizi Delevingne let out a shrill giggle. Chloe Dubois nudged her hard in the ribs, her face working furiously as she too fought not to giggle. They both looked around at Amanda in the row next to them. Professor Finnelan ignored them, which Akko thought was distinctly unfair, as she had just told off her and Constanze."Ball gowns will be worn," Professor Finnelan continued, "and the ball will start at eight o'clock on Christmas Day, finishing at midnight in the dining hall. Now then – "Professor Finnelan stared deliberately around the class."The Winter Ball is of course a chance for us all to – er – let our hair down," she said, in a disapproving voice.Zizi giggled harder than ever, with her hand pressed hard against her mouth to stifle the sound. Akko could see what was funny this time: professor Finnelan, with her hair in a tight bun, looked as though she had never let her hair down in any sense."But that does NOT mean," Professor Finnelan went on, "that we will be relaxing the standards of behavior we expect from Luna Nova students. If anything, we expect you to be more behaved, as we will be hosting Lord Hanbridge's son, Andrew, who has generously decided that he would wish to stay at our school, to better know the – "Akko couldn't hear the rest of what Finnelan was saying as more than three-fourths of the girls broke out into excited squeals and babbling. Akko frowned, leaning her head on her arms. She couldn't deny that Andrew was the most handsome man Akko had ever met (though Diana was still leagues better looking than him, in Akko's opinion), but his personality left a lot to be desired. Sure, he was a good guy when he wanted to be, but he was always so smug and had to get the last word – it drove Akko crazy!The bell rang, and there was the usual scuffle of activity as everyone packed their bags and swung them onto their shoulders.Professor Finnelan called above the noise, "Miss Kagari, Miss Cavendish – a word, if you please."Akko thought it might have had something to do with Constanze's blueprints, but it didn't make sense why she had called Diana as well. Akko proceeded to the teacher's desk with Diana. Professor Finnelan waited until the rest of the class had gone, and then said, "As you should know, the champions and their partners – ""What partners?" asked Akko.Professor Finnelan looked suspiciously at her, as though she thought Akko was trying to be funny."She's referring to your partner for the Winter Ball, Akko," Diana explained with an exasperated sigh. "Your
dance partner."Akko's insides seemed to curl up and shrivel."Dance partners?" She felt herself going red. "I don't dance," she said quickly."Oh yes, you do," said Professor Finnelan irritably. "That's what I'm telling you. Traditionally, the champions of the hosting school and their partners open the ball."Akko had a sudden mental image of herself in a sort of frilly dress being dragged in front of a crowd of well-dressed strangers, all of them looking at her with scrutiny."Uh-uh, no way, I'm not dancing!" she said vehemently."It is traditional," said Professor Finnelan firmly. "You are a Luna Nova champion, and you will do what is expected of you as a representative of the school. So make sure you get yourself a partner, Miss Kagari.""But – I don't – ""You heard me, Kagari," said Professor Finnelan in a very final sort of way.A week ago, Akko would have said finding a partner for a dance would be a cinch compared to taking on the Xenomorph Queen. But now that she had done the latter, and was facing the prospect of asking someone to the ball, she thought she'd rather have another round with the Xenomorphs.Akko had never known so many people to put their names down to stay at Luna Nova for Christmas; she herself had been at Luna Nova for the last three years due to different circumstances, but she had always been the minority until now. This year, however, everyone in the fourth year and above seemed to be staying, and they all seemed to Akko to be obsessed with the coming ball – or more specifically, going to the ball with Andrew Hanbridge. He had barely walked through the front doors of Luna Nova the next day with Frank in tow, lugging their bags over their shoulders, before they were swarmed by gaggles of babbling lovesick girls. Every time Akko saw him in the entrance hall, he always seemed to be surrounded by a different group, all of them fawning over him, and Andrew didn't seem particularly bothered by all the attention."I just can't get what everyone sees in him," Akko grumbled to Lotte as they walked around Andrew's fan club trying to get to the dining hall. "Sure, he's good looking, but that's only skin deep. If they knew what he was really like, they wouldn't be falling all over him like that.""A lot of people are hoping to be the one to going with him to the ball," said Lotte. "Speaking of which, have you decided who you're going with yet?"Akko didn't answer. She knew perfectly well whom she'd
like
to ask, but working up the nerve was something else…. Diana Cavendish was the crown jewel of Luna Nova; she was beautiful, smart, talented, and perfect in almost every conceivable way. The complete opposite of Akko….Lotte seemed to know what was going on inside Akko's head."You're never gonna know how she feels unless you ask her," she said. "Go on, ask her to the ball. She might even say yes.""I'll…try…," Akko muttered. "What about you, huh? When are you gonna ask Frank?""Akko, I keep tell you – Frank and I are just friends," said Lotte, shaking her head with an amused smile. "He's not interested in me that way. I mean, why would he? I'm rather plain and don't stand out much. Unlike like you, I'm not all that popular.""Since when am I popular?" asked Akko, looking at her bewildered."Akko, look at everything you've done in the past three years," said Lotte, who then started counting with her fingers. "You're the youngest anchor in a century, you've been on the house team since the first year, you won the Chariot Cup last year, you've been Moonlit Witch two years in a row, you have the Shiny Rod, and you're a Luna Nova Champion. Face it, Akko, you're popular."At first, Akko shook her head and thought Lotte was just exaggerating because she was her friend, but to Akko's amazement, she turned out to be quite right.A curly-haired Corona girl to whom Akko had never spoken in her life asked her to go to the ball with her the very next day. Akko was so taken aback she said no before she'd even stopped to consider the matter. The girl walked off looking rather hurt, and Akko had to endure Hannah, Barbara, and Sucy's taunts all through Charms. The following day, two more girls asked her, a second year and (to her horror) a fifth year who looked as though she might knock her out if she refused."She was quite good-looking," said Lotte fairly, after she'd stopped laughing."She was a foot taller than me," said Akko, still unnerved. "Imagine what I'd look like trying to dance with her."Akko remembered the first night when Mato had arrived at Luna Nova when everyone had been beside themselves to get an autograph from the famous Chariot Racer. Despite what Lotte might say, Akko sincerely doubted any of the girls who had asked to be her partner so far would have wanted to go to the ball with her if she hadn't been a school champion.On the whole, Akko had to admit that even with the embarrassing prospect of opening the ball before her, life had definitely improved since she had got through the first task. The school seemed to have gotten over the whole Nico incident, which Akko suspected had a lot to do with Amanda – she had an idea Amanda might have given up her pursuit of being a champion after watching the first challenge and the battle round, both of which had been very scary for the players and the watchers. Nico's name had even been added to the support badges along with the other champions and it seems that the
Minoru Sucks
feature had been mysteriously disabled. Of course, she still made numerous quotes from Quattro Scaglietti's article, which still received a lot of laughs and teasing, but there was no malicious intent behind it – and just to heighten Akko's feeling of well-being, it seemed that Annabelle Crème had pushed her weight around to stop the news from printing an article about Akko and Diana that neither of them would have wanted to see in the paper."Luckily, the name Annabelle Crème still holds authority in the literary world," said Annabelle Crème when she joined Akko, Lotte, and Sucy at lunch to tell them about Quattro Scaglietti's underhanded attempt. "She's been doing some digging into Akko's background. She found out that Akko has Human parents, so she tried to push the Cinderella angle between her and Diana – Akko being the Cinderella and Diana being the Prince Charming. Thank goodness Professor Croix warned me about Scaglietti snooping around the castle ahead of time so I could cut her off.""What's so bad about the story?" asked Lotte."'Cause it'd be embarrassing!" cried Akko. "People are already thinking that Diana and I are a couple because of her last article…. Not that I wouldn't mind if that were true," Akko mumbled the last bit."You don't realize it because the teachers have protecting you," Annabelle Crème said to Akko, "but there was a huge uproar surrounding that article. Diana comes from a pure-blooded family that dates back for fifteen thousand years and comes from the one of the most powerful lineages in magical history. She is expected to marry Hanbridge because they both have strong family legacies. But when word got out that Diana was seeing someone else – a first generation witch with no magical background – most of the pure-blood family were up in arms. Several heads of families demanded you be removed from the school – a little extreme, if you ask me – but Holbrooke was firm in that she wouldn't bend to their demands.""They really got that upset over some stupid article in the paper?" asked Akko, raising her brow."Many of the old traditional families place value in blood lineage," said Annabelle Crème. "Diana's aunt was the most vocal, accusing you of being a gold digger that was leeching off the Cavendish name. But even still, Professor Holbrooke would not budge on the matter.""And if the other article had gotten out, if would have made the older families even more furious," said Sucy knowledgeably. "They might have even gone to the Magic Council to have Akko removed.""They would actually go that far?" Lotte gasped."Those old bats are known for being anal about blood purity," said Sucy, grimacing. "Though it probably wouldn't have mattered. The Council's not gonna touch Akko because she's the – "Akko leapt out of her seat, a thrill of panic racing through her mind, as dove forward and slapped both hands on Sucy's mouth. The mushroom lover wasn't too happy about it, but Akko couldn't afford the risk. Only a select few people in Luna Nova knew about Akko's status as the Star-Born Child, and the last thing she wanted to do was to say it out loud in the dining hall filled with gossiping girls. Annabelle Crème gave them both strange looks, but luckily, Lotte managed to find a change in subject."Are you coming to the ball on Christmas, Professor Crème?" she asked."Thought I might look into it, yeah," said Annabelle Crème gruffly. "At the very least, I could look at it as material for my next book, when the main character sneaks inside a fancy party and end up releasing a wasp that makes people fall in love. You'll be opening the dance, won't you, Akko? Who're you taking.""No one yet," said Akko, feeling herself going red again. Annabelle Crème didn't pursue the subject.The last week of term became increasingly boisterous as it progressed. Rumors about the Winter Ball were flying everywhere, though Akko didn't believe half of them – for instance, that Professor Holbrooke had bought eight hundred barrels of spiced coffee from the Rabbit House. It seemed to be fact, however, that she had booked Off the Hook featuring a surprise appearance from the Squid Sisters. Exactly who or what Off the Hook were Akko didn't know, but she deduced from the wild excitement of her classmates that they were a very famous musical group.Some of the teachers, like Professor Akane, gave up trying to teach them much when their minds were so clearly elsewhere; she allowed them to play games in her lesson on Wednesday, and spent most of it talking to Makoto about the many different spells she could use for the rest of the Contest. Other teachers were not so generous. Nothing would ever deflect Professor Ymir, for example, from plowing on through her notes on goblin uprisings in the middle east. Professor Finnelan and Zeref kept them working until the very last second of their classes too, and Professor Hex, of course, would no sooner let them play games in class than hand out candy. Staring nastily around at them all, he informed them that he would be testing them on poison antidotes during the last lesson of the term."He's evil, you know," Akko said bitterly that night in the Polaris common room. "Springing a test on us on the last day. Ruining the last bit of term with a whole load of studying.""Mmm…you're not exactly straining yourself, though, are you?" said Sucy, looking at her over the top of her pharmaceutical notes. Akko was busy building a card castle out of Exploding Gambit cards – a much more interesting pastime than with normal cards, because of the chance that the whole thing would blow up at any second."It's Christmas, Sucy," said Akko, sticking her tongue out in concentration as she set two more cards on top.Lotte looked up from her notes with a frown. "If you're not going to learn your antidotes, don't you think you should be doing something a little more constructive.""Like what?" Akko said, making another level on her card castle."Like training for the Contest," said Lotte. "You know the second challenge is at the end of the month.""Come on, Lotte, we've been practicing for weeks," Akko said.It was true. Though Akko earned third place in the challenge round, they had done very poorly in the battle round. With that in mind, Diana had insisted the very next day that they start learning combat magic, and there was no one better in the school equipped to teach them than Ursula and Croix. Both had been the ones to lead the short-lived Dueling Club and their first battle had been a pretty memorable one – they were the most obvious choices. Though Ursula and Croix were teaching the team a number of spells, Akko had only learned the Body Strengthening Spell, and that only lasted a couple minutes."And you could stand to practice some more," said Lotte, frowning. "What's going to happen if you're called for the battle round next time and you haven't mastered any of those combat spells yet?""Leave me alone, Lotte, I've earned a break after those Xenomorphs," Akko whined, and she placed the last two cards on top of the castle and the whole thing blew up, singeing her eyebrows."Nice look, Kagari…bet it'd look good with your ball gown."To Akko amazement, and relief, it was Amanda flanked by Constanze and Jasminka. They sat down at the table with Akko, Lotte, and Sucy. There was a sort of awkward pause between them – it had been a while since the six of them had been together like this."Lotte, can I borrow Haruka-san for a while?" Amanda suddenly asked, breaking the silence carelessly."Sorry, she making a guest appearance on an idol television show," said Lotte, earning a lot of strange stares. "Why?""Because I wanted to invite her to the ball," said Amanda sarcastically. "Because I want to send a letter, of course.""Can't you just use e-mail or texting?" asked Sucy."The guy's blocked me on all accounts, even Buttbook," said Amanda. "Sending physical mail seems like the best option.""Who've you been writing to?" said Akko."You'd better keep your nose out of it, or I'll burn that for you too," said Amanda, waving her wand threateningly. "So…you guys got dates for the ball yet?""Nope," said Akko."Not yet," said Lotte gloomily."I have," Sucy answered nonchalantly."I don't think anyone's surprised at this point," Akko said with a mischievous grin, leaning over and nudging Sucy with her elbow. "Let me take a wild guess: she's tall, she's blonde, and her name if Fu Inubo – "Before Akko could finish her taunt, Sucy deftly reached into her pocket and pulled out a large, purple polka-dotted mushroom before jamming it into Akko's open mouth. Thanks to her immunity, whatever poison the mushroom contained was unlikely to work on her, but the cap was still too big and got stuck in her throat. Akko choked and started pulling at the stem, inadvertently flinging herself out of her chair. Everyone naturally ignored her plight and went about their conversation like nothing happened."Well, you'd better hurry up, or all the good ones will be gone," said Amanda."Who're you going with, then?" said Lotte."Hmm, that's a good question," said Amanda thoughtfully. And then, to their collective amazement, she reached into her pocket and pulled out several scraps of paper, each with a phone number on them. "Hmm…there's Verde from Corona, but she'll probably spend hours working on her curls and I don't have that kind of patience. There's also Zizi from Twilight, but she's kind of a ditzy rich girl. Priscilla is way too gossip-y, Gaëlle is way too uptight, Elfiede is way too clingy – ""Where the heck did you get all those numbers?" asked Sucy, raising her one visible brow."Someone took a pic of me when I was posing as a man in Blytonbury last year and somehow everyone found out about it," said Amanda, though she didn't sound offended; if anything, she sounded very, very smug. "People say I'm almost as handsome as Andrew Hanbridge – even Hannah almost asked me if Barbara hadn't dragged her off.""I can actually see that," said Sucy; everyone nodded and muttered in agreement. "So, you've got a dozen girls' numbers – which one are you taking.""None of them," said Amanda, tossing the pile of phone numbers over her shoulder casually. "I figured me, Constanze, and Jasminka would just go by ourselves. Girls' night out and all that.""Um…actually, I thinking about going with someone already," said Jasminka, earning a bunch of surprised looks from Amanda and the others. Jasminka had never showed romantic interest in anything other than food. "But I bet Constanze would
love
to go to the ball with you, Amanda. Wouldn't you Constanze?"She nudged the shorter witch, whose face turned brick-red and tilted her head to hide it, but Constanze did give them a shaky thumbs-up. It suddenly occurred to Akko that Jasminka didn't really have anyone she wanted to go to the ball with; she just wanted to set Constanze up with Amanda. Only Akko and Jasminka knew about Constanze's crush on Amanda – Akko figured it out in their second year when she sent an anonymous goblin valentine. Jasminka was way too precious and pure for a group of troublemakers like them, Akko thought."All right, it's a date," said Amanda; Constanze looked like she was gonna pass out at the word 'date'. "Well, if you're not gonna let me borrow Haruka-san, I guess I'll have to talk to Wangari about it. Come, Constanze, Jasminka…."They got up and left. Akko, finally managing to dislodge the mushroom, looked across the smoldering wreck of her card castle at Lotte."We
should
get a move on, you know…ask someone.""You shouldn't have any problem with that, Akko," said Lotte. "There are plenty of people who want to go with you.""What about you, Lotte?" said Akko. "You should ask someone, too. I know Frank would – ""Akko, I keep telling you, we're just
friends!" hissed Lotte, stressing the word."I bet Frank wouldn't mind being more than friends," said Sucy offhandedly."Thank you, Sucy," said Akko appreciatively. "Lotte, Frank is totally into you. Everyone can see it – everyone except you.""I appreciate you guys trying to make me feel good," said Lotte, looking slightly downcast, "but Frank way out of my league. He's smart, funny, handsome, and wealthy. He wouldn't be interested in a plain-looking girl with no presence….""But Lotte – ""I'm going to bed," said Lotte quickly, and she swept off toward the dormitory without another word.The Luna Nova staff, demonstrating a continued desire to impress the visitors from the other schools, seemed determined to show the castle at its best this Christmas. When the decorations went up, Akko noticed that they were the most stunning she had yet seen inside the school. Everlasting icicles had been attached to the banisters on the spiraling staircase; the usual nine Christmas trees in the dining hall were bedecked with everything from luminous holly barriers to real, hooting golden owls, and the suits of armor had all been bewitched to sing carols whenever anyone passed them. It was quite something to hear "O Come, All Ye Faithful sung by an empty helmet that only knew half the words. Several times, Elma had to extract Mr. Myxzptlk from inside the armor, where he had taken to hiding, filling in the gaps in the songs with lyrics of his own invention, all of which were not age appropriate.And still, Akko hadn't asked Diana to the ball. She and Lotte were getting very nervous now, though as Akko pointed out, Lotte would look much less stupid than she would without a partner; Akko was supposed to be starting the dancing with the other Luna Nova champions."I suppose there's always Mari," she said gloomily. "She'd probably jump at the chance to help out her senpai.""Akko – you should just go up and ask Diana to the ball," said Lotte on Friday morning. "Everyone knows you want to go with her. Heck, I bet she even knows. I heard that several people have already asked her – form Luna Nova, the other schools, and even Appleton – but she turned them all down. She said it's because she's waiting for someone to ask her. I bet it's you, Akko! Diana's waiting for you to ask her! So you should go do it!""Er…okay," said Akko.But every time she glimpsed Diana that day – during break, classes, lunchtime, and once on the way to Modern Magic – she was surrounded by friends. Akko didn't know why she was surprised; Hannah and Barbara had clung to Diana ever since their first year, even when the latter had tried to kill her on multiple occasions. She considered ambushing her when she was going to the restroom, but no – she even seemed to go there with an escort. Yet if Akko didn't do it soon, Diana was bound to lose her patience and go with someone else.Akko found it hard to concentrate on Hex's pharmaceuticals test, and consequently forgot to add the key ingredient – a pig's toe – meaning that she received bottom marks. She didn't care, though; she as too busy screwing up the courage for what she was about to do. When the bell rang, she grabbed her bag, and hurried to the dungeon door."I'll meet you at dinner," she said to Lotte and Sucy, and she dashed upstairs.She'd just have to ask Diana for a private word, that was all…. She hurried up the packed stairway to the entrance hall, and she found Diana heading towards the spiraling staircase between Hannah and Barbara. Akko all but sprinted across the hall, her footsteps echoing loudly over the din of voices that Diana, Hannah, and Barbara turned around as she approached."Er – Diana? Could I talk to you for a minute?"Giggling should be made illegal, Akko thought furiously, as Hannah and Barbara started doing it. Diana didn't though. She said, "Of course," and followed her out of earshot of her friends.Akko turned to look at her and her stomach gave a weird lurch as though she had missed a step going downstairs."Er," she said.She couldn't ask her. She couldn't. But she had to. Diana stood there looking puzzled, watching her.The words came out before Akko had quite got her tongue around them."WANGOBALLWIME!""Akko, you're shouting!" Diana yelped, taking a surprised step back."Sorry! What I meant to say was – do you wanna go to the ball with me?" said Akko. Why'd she have to go red now?
Why?"Oh!" said Diana. Her face turned red as well, twirling her finger nervously between her locks. "Oh Akko, I wouldn't
mind
going with you. It's just that…I am expected to go with Andrew to the ball.""W-what?" Akko stammered. "He already asked you?""Well…no," said Diana. "But he and I are due to be married, and my Aunt Daryl and Lord Hanbridge both said that we are expected to be seen together, to cement our status. They both told us the other night…."It was odd; a moment before her insides had been writhing like snakes, but suddenly she didn't seem to have any insides at all."Oh okay," Akko muttered. "I get it….""I really am sorry," Diana said with a hint of remorse in her tone, not that Akko would notice in her depressed state."That's okay," said Akko.They stood there looking at each other, and then Diana said, "Well – ""Yeah," said Akko."Well…good bye," said Diana, still red. She walked away.Completely forgetting about dinner, Akko walked slowly back up the spiraling staircase headed toward the Polaris common room, Diana's voice echoing in her ears with every step she took. Andrew…she was going with
Andrew. She hadn't always liked Andrew, but she did admire and respect him – prepared to overlook his negative views on magic, and was engaged to Diana, and handsome, and popular, and loved by everyone. Now she suddenly realized that Andrew was in fact a useless pretty boy who didn't have enough brains to fill a teaspoon.Akko had just arrived on the seventh-floor landing when someone suddenly grabbed her elbow and pulled her to the side, clapping their hand over her mouth to stop her from shouting. She looked around wildly until she realized that the hand belonged to Sucy, who was peering cautiously around the corner. Akko grabbed Sucy's hand, ripped it from her mouth, and said, "Sucy, what the hell – ""Shush!" Sucy hissed. "Be quiet, or they might hear you."Akko raised a curious brow, to which Sucy pointed around the corner, and both of them peek carefully at the edge. There were only two people in the hallway: Lotte and Frank. Akko slapped her own hands over her mouth to stop herself from gasping as she watched the pair, Frank looked shyly at the ground, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish sort of smile while Lotte tilted her head curiously. It couldn't be…but it certainly looked like…. Was frank going to…?Sucy hissed at Akko for making too much noise again when Lotte's voice carried down the empty corridor:"You wanted to see me, Frank?""Well, y-yes, I did, actually," said Frank, stammering slightly. "I know I'm a bit late in saying this – Andrew's been telling me for days that I should just hurry up and get it over with – but every time I tried approaching, I got a little hot and bothered and ended up chickening out. Can you imagine? Me, chickening out over something so simple? Andrew's been teasing me nonstop. Not that he would understand, he does – ""Frank, are you okay?" asked Lotte, looking up at him in concern. "You're turning red. Do you have a fever?""Oh, no, it's nothing like that!" Frank yelped, throwing his hands up in a panic. "It's just that…well, I wanted to ask you something, but I just didn't know how to say it….""Frank, calm down," said Lotte soothingly. She took his hand into her own, rubbing circles in the back with her thumb. Frank
did
look visibly calmer. "It's okay, you can tell me anything. I won't make fun of you, I swear.""I know you won't," said Frank, smiling softly. "What I wanted to say was…would you go to the ball with me?""Oh, Frank, that would be wonderful," said Lotte cheerfully. "Going to the ball with a friend would be much easier to deal with – ""Actually," Frank cut her off, "I was hoping we could go…together…as in a date."Sucy slapped her hands-on top of Akko's this time to suppress her excited squealing. Lotte looked like she had been slapped in the face, her expression one of stunned silence, until there was a noticeable red hue around her cheeks. She bit her lip and looked down at the reground bashfully, not realizing that she was still holding Frank's hand; Frank looked equally embarrassed as scratched his cheek sheepishly. There was a long and painfully awkward pause before Lotte spoke up again."You…you want to go to the ball…with me?" she asked timidly."Yes, that's right," said Frank."But…are you really okay with that?" Lotte muttered so softly, Akko and Sucy could barely hear. "Going with someone as plain as me….""I don't think you're plain," said Frank, becoming more courageous as he spoke. "I always thought you were so fascinating, ever since we ran into each other at Spellbinder's two years ago. I can't really explain it, but there's just something that makes me…drawn to you. Ever since we met, I've wanted to get to know you more. So when I asked you on a date last year, I was thrilled.""Wait, that was a date?" gasped Lotte."Of course," said Frank enthusiastically. "I was happy that we got to explore Blytonbury together, even if I didn't realize that Miss Kagari was following us, or that Lewis would cause problems, but I liked being with you, Miss Jan – I mean, Lotte. I loved spending time with you…. And I was hoping…would could spend even more time together…. If you want, that is. Not saying that I'm forcing you or anything like that.""You really want to go to the ball…with someone like me?" Lotte asked one more time."It can only be you, Lotte," said Frank confidently, taking both of her hands into his own. "And only you. No one else."There was another long pause where Akko was afraid that Lotte might have actually passed out on her feet from the sudden revelation. Then, in a very soft voice but more confident voice, she answered, "Yes…yes, I would love to go to the ball with you, Frank.""That's wonderful!" Frank shouted, his face lighting up with glee. "So, should I come by your common room – then again, I'm not really sure where that is….""We can meet up in the entrance hall," Lotte suggested. "Just before the ball starts.""Then that's where I will be!" said Frank enthusiastically. "I look forward to see you, Miss Jan – Lotte. Sorry, I'm still getting used to that. I promise it will be a magical night – pun intended."With a grin stretching from ear-to-ear, Frank spun on his heel and walked down the corridor with a spring in his step. He was so happy that Lotte had accept his offer that he didn't even notice Akko or Sucy when he passed them on the landing, humming a merry little song under his breath. Once Frank had disappeared down the spiraling staircase, Akko and Sucy jumped out from their hiding spot and dashed over to either side of Lotte, Akko's smile almost as wide as Franks and even Sucy was offering a rare grin."Lotte, we just saw everything!" Akko yelled jubilantly, not even remotely ashamed that she had been spying. "Frank just asked you to the ball! You see! I told you he was totally into you!""You can bet a lot of girls are gonna be jealous of you," said Sucy with a wicked chuckle. "Bet they'll regret calling you plain now.""Yeah, I guess so," Lotte said distractedly, a small shy grin creeping up on her lips. "I can't believe it…. Frank asked me to the ball as his date…. I'm going on a date with Frank…."And then, Lotte didn't something that Akko had never seen her do in the four years that they had known each other: Lotte squealed like an excited school girl and started bouncing around on her feet, her face split open with a toothy smile as she said, "I'm going with Frank, I'm going with Frank" over and over again.Akko was so happy for her best friend that she had temporarily forgotten her own disappointment with Diana's rejection. As they started walking back to the common room, Akko and Lotte talked enthusiastically about what they were going to do to prepare for her date with Frank; even Sucy offered a bit of sound advice, seemingly just as pleased for her friend. They turned the corner down the corridor toward the entrance of the Polaris common room when they spotted someone that made Akko come to a screeching halt.Andrew was leaning against the wall next to the marbled entrance, staring at his smartphone in a bored sort of way. In an instant, all of Akko's loathing for Andrew came bubbling to the surface. She creased her brow into a deepening scowl and stomped loudly down the hall; Lotte and Sucy looked at each other perplexed before they followed. Andrew perked his head up when he heard Akko's loud footfalls and tilted his head down to stare at her, mildly bewildered by Akko's furious expression."Ah, there you are, Miss Kagari," said Andrew lightly, standing up straight and pocketing his phone. "I've been waiting out here for close to twenty minutes.""What do you want,
Andrew?" Akko said rudely, crossing her arms fiercely. "If you're looking for Diana, then she's downstairs.""I already talked to Diana this morning; she's the one that told me where to find your dorm," said Andrew. "I was actually hoping to talk to you.""Oh yeah?" said Akko, still scowling. "About what?""Well, I have something I wanted to ask you," said Andrew, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I've been practicing my Japanese for this occasion – quite a complex language you have, by the way. Buuut, I think I got it down. Let's give it a try." He closed his eyes, taking a deep concentrated expression, then opened them again. "あなたは私と一緒にボールに行きますか？カガリさん?"Lotte and Sucy both shared befuddled expressions, as neither one of them understood Japanese, but the look on Akko's face was almost comical. Her scowl faded almost immediately and her eyes bulged so wide they looked like they could pop out at any moment. Her arms fell limp at her side and her jaw was practically hanging; she tried to say something, but all that would come out was a bunch of strangled noises. Lotte and Sucy had no idea what Andrew had said, but Akko, a native Japanese speaker, understood the message quite clearly:"Would you go to the ball with me, Miss Kagari?"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Despite the very heavy load of homework that the fourth years had been given for the holidays, Akko was in no mood to work when term ended, and spent the week leading up to Christmas enjoying herself as fully as possible along with everyone else. Polaris Tower was hardly less crowded now than during term-time; it seemed to have shrunk slightly too, as it its inhabitants were being so much rowdier than usual. Garie and Sabi had somehow wormed their way out of going home for the holidays and had commenced a campaign of nonstop terror on the students of Luna Nova with their friend Chinatsu. Besides their metamorphosis donuts, the three troublemakers had invented an instant slip potion that sent students tumbling down the stairs, replaced all the liquid soap with glow-in-the-dark cream, and daringly put three-day-old chowder in Professor Finnalan's hat. Before long, everyone learned to steer clear of Chinatsu and the Manbavaran's even more than they did Akko's group; at least Sucy had the self-control to only terrorize Akko.Snow was falling thickly upon the castle and its grounds now. The goblins down in the kitchen were outdoing themselves with a series of rich, warming stews and savory desserts, and only Hannah seemed to be able to find anything to complain about."It's all too heavy, all this food," she complained to Akko and the others as their group left the great hall one evening. "I'll never be able to fit into my ball gown!""Nonsense, you'll look stunning like you always do," said Barbara supportively. According to Diana, Barbara had finally worked up the nerve to ask Hannah to the dance. Though Hannah obviously wanted to go with Diana, Hannah accepted nonetheless; Barbara was a little sour at being second best, but she was going to take whatever she got."Speaking of which, what happened with Andrew, Diana," said Sucy with a devious smirk, knowing full well the results."I talked to him yesterday and he said he already asked someone," said Diana grumpily. "I told him our families are expecting us to show up together, but then he went on saying that we only needed to be seen together for the publicity and that we don't actually have to be each other's dates. I wish he could have told me beforehand so I didn't have to scramble around for another date.""So who're you going with?" asked Akko curiously."Luckily, that boy from U.A. – Todoroki, I believe – hadn't asked anyone yet and didn't seem like he was planning on to," said Diana. "He comes from a…demanding family, so he understood my plight and agreed to go with me.""So then everyone has dates for the ball," said Lotte, sounding relieved."Andrew told me that Frank asked you to the ball," said Diana, smiling sincerely at Lotte. "I'm happy for you both. I know Frank is very infatuated with you…. But wait, you said everyone has a date? Does that mean you have one too, Akko?" she asked, turning toward Akko.Akko felt like she had been petrified by a Gorgon. She was hoping that she could have avoided the question until the Winter Ball and shot a betrayed glare at Lotte, who grimaced apologetically behind Jasminka. The last thing that Akko wanted was for Diana to find out that she
did
have a date to the Ball, and not just any date either. When Andrew had asked her out in her own native tongue, Akko was so off-guard that she didn't even realize that she had said "yes" until it was too late. When her brain finally caught up with her, she wanted to take it back – to explain that she has feelings for Diana – but the way Andrew look at her, both relieved and genuinely happy, she couldn't bring herself to do it. So now she was days away from going to the ball with the fiancé of the person she loved – this was like a bad soap opera, Akko thought."Well, um…someone asked me after you um…you said you couldn't go with me," Akko said awkwardly. "It's not like I wanted to go with him – well, I mean, I wouldn't mind going with him – he's a pretty nice guy when he wants to be, and he's not bad looking – but it's not like he was my first choice. Obviously the first person I would pick is…um, well, you know. I honestly never considered him until he asked, but I couldn't just say 'no' because you – that is – what I mean is – Hey, look! It's Haruka-San!"Lotte's wide-mouthed, funny-faced Puchi Idol was sitting on the top of the icicle banisters on the spiraling staircase, tilting her head back and forth placidly, wearing a headband with an envelope strapped to it. People passing her were pointing and laughing, and a group of third-years paused and said, "Oh look at the little thing! Isn't she
adorable?""Haruka-san!" Lotte groaned, hurrying over to the stairs and snatching up the Puchi by her armpits. "You're supposed to bring the letters to the people they're addressed to. And when did you get back from set? You should have told me first.""Harukakka!" Haruka-san shouted cheerfully, waving her stubby hands. The third-year girls moaned disappointingly."Okay, nothing to see here!" Lotte said to them as the third-years scuttled away looking dejected. "Here – take it, Akko," she said in an undertone, pulling Izetta's reply off of Haruka-san's head. Akko pocketed it, and they hurried back to Polaris Tower to read it.Everyone in the common room was much too busy in letting off more holiday steam to observe what anyone else was up to. Akko, Lotte, and Sucy sat apart from everyone else by a dark window that was gradually filling up with snow, and Akko read out:
Dear Akko,
Congratulations on getting past the Xenomorphs. Whoever tampered with the
Skull was probably hoping Minoru would be the one to face them. Guess they
won't be too happy now. I was going to suggest using a cognitive curse to
mess with the Xenomorph's senses, but your way was better, I'm impressed.
Don't get complacent, though, Akko. You've only gotten through the first
challenge; whoever is messing with the Contest will have four more opportunities
if they're trying to get to you or Minoru. Keep your eyes open – particularly when
the person we discussed is around – and concentrate on keeping yourself out
of trouble.
Keep in touch, I still want to hear about anything unusual.
Izetta
"She's starting to sound like a broken record," said Akko quietly, tucking the letter away again in her pocket. "The way she's talking, you'd think I was walking blindfolded in a minefield….""But she's right, Akko," said Lotte, "you
do
still have four challenges to do. Maybe you should consider what your team's gonna do in the next one – ""We have no idea what we're doing in the next round," said Akko. "Team Class Zero is the one that got the hint. And the challenge is next week anyway, so no use getting bent out of shape over it.""I would think that's a
very
good reason to get bent out of shape," said Lotte, scolding her."Give it up, Lotte, she's not gonna do anything at this point," said Sucy plainly. "Wanna play a game of chess, Akko?""Yeah, I'm getting better at it," said Akko. Then, spotting the look on Lotte's face, she said, "Come on, you know Diana will have all the answers. We can rely on her to pull us through anything.""Oh, I guess there's no point in arguing about it," Lotte sighed, and she sat down to watch their chess match, which culminated in an exciting checkmate of Sucy's involving a couple of recklessly brave pawns and a very violent bishop.Akko awoke very suddenly on Christmas Day. Wondering what had caused her abrupt return to consciousness, she opened her eyes and something – or someone – standing over her with bright gold eyes peering through the darkness, so close that they were almost nose to nose."Blair!" Akko yelled, scrambling away from the pumpkin witch so fast she fell sideways out of her bed. "Don't
do
that!""Why? It's hilarious!" Blair gasped between the raucous fits of laughter, sitting cross-legged in the middle of Akko's bed in human form. "I was just planning on surprising you with your Christmas present, but when I saw your sweet sleepy face, I just couldn't resist! You make it so easy!""You stinking little…," Akko grumbled, still breathing faster than usual, while her heart rate returned to normal. "If you ever do something like that again, I'll tell mom and dad about your trashy Ninja of Love books that you keep hidden under the couch at home."Akko untangled herself from her sheets, only tripping herself once, and stood up with a solid glare at Blair. Her yell had awoken Lotte, Sucy, Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka. All of them were peering through the gaps in their hangings, heavy-eyed and tousle-haired."Is there another masked psychopath sneaking in the room again?" Amanda asked sleepily."No, Blair just gave me a heart attack," Akko muttered. "Go back to sleep.""Nah…presents!" said Amanda, spotting the large pile at the foot of her bed. Lotte, Sucy, Constanze, and Jasminka decided now that they were awake, they might as well get down to some present-opening too. Akko turned back to Blair, who had a wide Cheshire grin on her face, with her hands held suspiciously behind her back."Sooo…you want your present now?" said Blair in a sing-song voice, sounding very proud of herself."Ugh, fine, but it's anything like that 'present' you gave me when I was eight – " said Akko, frowning."It's not, it's not, trust me," said Blair, waving off the comment. "Now close your eyes, and no peeking."Akko groaned and rolled her eyes at first, but then complied with her guardian's wishes. She could see nothing but the darkness of her lids, but she could hear Blair rolling off the squeaky bed and tiptoeing catlike behind her. For a moment, Akko thought Blair might try something like dumping water on Akko's head – she had already done it twice in the past three weeks – when she suddenly felt something weighting on her chest and wrap around her neck. It was cold against her bare skin – it felt like metal."Okay, open them," Blair sang delightfully.Akko's eyes fluttered open and she immediately spun around toward the full-length mirror in the wardrobe, unable to hold back the delighted gasp that came out. It was a beautiful golden chain necklace (or at least something that looked very similar to gold) with a crimson-colored medallion stamped with a golden four-point star."Whoa, look at the size of this thing!" Akko yelled, her jaw dropping in shock. The medallion was the size of her palm! "This has got to be expensive! Where the hell did you get the money to pay for this?""I didn't really pay for it," said Blair, looking away pointedly when Akko stared at her suspiciously. "I didn't do anything illegal – I just called in a favor from a guy named Spirit that I knew when I was living in Death City. The poor guy is sweet, but so easy to pull around by the nose. I sent a request to have it handcrafted and had him pay for it. I thought it would go great with your ball gown.""Well, as long as you didn't do anything illegal to get it," said Akko, looking back at the mirror. Then again, even if she did, it wasn't like Akko was going to throw it away – look at the size of it!"I oughta get going soon," said Blair, checking the time on her watch. "I gotta go make sure Ursula doesn't have another fashion meltdown. She always loses her mind whenever she's trying to impress Croix." And she hurried out of the dormitory, waving good-bye to Lotte and the others as she passed.Akko's other presents were just as satisfactory as Blair's necklace – with the obvious exception of Sucy's, whom after four years of Christmases and Birthdays learned just to throw them out the window. Diana had given Akko a book called
The History of Famous Asian Witches; Lotte gave her a vast box of sweets including Squid Sister's Color Splashers and Chocolate Dragons; Amanda had sent her a Xenomorph figurine, likely as a joke; Constanze gave her a revised version of their Golem blueprints (which was more homework than a gift in Akko's opinion); Jasminka gave her some homemade cakes and pickled plums; Izetta sent her a pocket knife that could unlock any lock and undo any knot; Hikari and her friends sent their yearly post card; and Akko's parents gave her a handknitted sweater (which Akko couldn't noticing had a web pattern to it, and made her wonder if they still hadn't forgiven the Manbavarans for the spider incident).Akko and the others went down to breakfast where they met up with Diana, Hannah, and Barbara. They spent most of their morning lazily hanging around in the library, showing off their presents and Ignoring Professor Badcock's shushes, and then returned to the dining hall for a magnificent lunch, which included at least a hundred turkeys, toasted deserts, and large piles of magic crackers. Akko saw Andrew hanging around the hall with Frank, usually surrounded by gaggles of woman, but every time Akko looked over, Andrew was always looking her way with a bright smile. Akko kept her head low, her face burning. She was in love with Diana, but she couldn't deny how handsome Andrew was….They went out onto the grounds in the afternoon; the snow was untouched except for the deep channels made by the others schools that kept going in and out of the castle. Everyone had split up into three teams (Akko's Amanda's and Diana's) and engaged in a vicious snowball fight where Diana dominated the field until five o'clock when Sucy suddenly left, saying she needed to get ready for the ball."What, you need three hours?" said Amanda, looking at them incredulously and paying for her lapse in concentration when a large snowball, thrown by Hannah, hit her hard in the side of the head. "Since when do you care about dressing up?" She yelled after Sucy, but she just waved and disappeared up the stone steps into the castle.There was no Christmas dinner today, as the ball included a feast, so at seven o'clock, when it had become hard to aim properly, the others abandoned their snowball fight and trooped back to the dormitory. Akko changed into the dress that Mr. Manbavaran had bought for her over the holidays – a big, pink ball down with lots of ruffles and ribbons – and added the necklace that Blair gave her. Lotte surveyed herself in the mirror, wearing a puffy canary-dress dress that looked like it had come directly out of a fairy tale. Constanze had opted for a simple purple dress with ruffles at the shoulders, but took her ribbon off to let her dark hair flow freely. Jasminka wore a plain white dress with red lace around the hem and added an extra bow to her hair. And true to her word, Amanda had forgone any dressed in favor of a three-piece suit with a red tie, and even slicked her hair back with gel to make her look more masculine.The whole time they were getting ready, they hadn't seen Sucy once even as they set off downstairs. Akko figured she must have finished getting ready before they even showed up. After all, Sucy was never one to care about her appearance."I still can't work out how you ended up going with handsome aristocrat like Andrew Hanbridge," said Amanda."Neither can I," Akko muttered, fiddling with her ribbons nervously.The common room looked strange, full of people wearing different colors instead of the usual mass of navy-blue. Frank was waiting outside the archway leaning against the corridor wall. He looked very handsome in his baby-blue suit that accented his hair and eyes stunningly. He stood up straight the moment they walked out and gave a great big smile when his eyes fell on Lotte."You look beautiful, Lotte," he said breathlessly, taking her hands in his."T-Thank you, Frank," Lotte stuttered, smiling softly with a small blush. "You looked very handsome as well.""Trust me, no one is going to be looking at me when they see you," said Frank; Lotte's face was even redder, if possible. "Shall we be off then?""Right," said Akko, looking around. "Where's Andrew.""The press is bothering him and Miss Cavendish downstairs," said Frank with a pitiable smile. "Poor guy, always being harassed by the media. One of the drawbacks of being the statesman's son.""Yeah, poor guy," said Amanda sarcastically. "Let's go already."The entrance hall was packed with students too, all milling around waiting for eight o'clock, when the doors to the dining hall would be thrown open. Those people who were meeting their partners were edging through the crowd trying to find one another. Halfway into the hall, they found a harassed-looking Diana being tended by Hannah and Barbara."Those reports are like piranhas – always hungry for more," They heard Diana complain before noticing Akko's group. Akko thought she had stopped breathing when she saw Diana. She was wearing a powder-blue dress with white cloth over her shoulders and around her waist, elbow length white gloves, a blue pearl necklace, and a single blue rose pinned to her breast. Akko was so entranced by Diana's beauty that she didn't notice that the girl in question was also looking up and down at Akko, a faint red hue spreading to her cheeks."You…look nice, Akko," said Diana softly."Thanks…," Akko croaked, nearly choking on her own breath."Hey, isn't there supposed to be more of you guys?" asked Hannah, staring around at the crowd."Yeah, where's Manbavaran?" said Barbara."That's what we'd like to know," said Amanda.The oak front doors opened, and everyone turned to look as students from the other schools entered with their representatives. The students from Class Zero were adorned in military uniforms that weren't that much different from their school clothes, some of them had medals pinned to their fronts; Ace and King had the largest number while Rem and Machina had the fewest. The girls from Myojo wore expensive gowns that looked like they cost more than Akko's house and everyone from Honnoji wore white, except for Ryuko, who wore a slimming black dress. None of the other schools followed the coordination pattern and simply chose what they wanted to wear; Eruna definitely stood out the most with her surprisingly frilly, eye-gouging orange dress. Over their heads Akko saw that that the area right in front of the castle had been transformed into a sort of grotto full of fairy lights – meaning hundreds of actual living fairies were sitting in the rosebushes that had been conjured there, and fluttering over the statue of the Great Witch Jennifer wielding the Shiny Rod.Akko leaned her head over trying for a better look when Fu Inubozaki appeared through the crowd in front of them. Like Amanda, she had forgone any sort of dress and wore a dapper three-piece suit and groomed her normally wild hair into a neat, silky smooth low ponytail tied by a bright-red bow."Hey, guys," she greeted them enthusiastically. "You've seen Sucy around? We're suppose…to…meet…."But Fu lost her train of thought mid-sentence, looking over Akko's shoulder with her mouth slowly dropping in awe. They already turned around and followed Fu's line of sight, then found their jaws dropping as well.Sucy appeared around the bend of the spiraling staircase, walking slowly and cautiously due to the high-heeled shoes she was unaccustomed to wearing. For a moment, Akko thought she had made a mistake, because she didn't look like Sucy at all. She had done something with her hair; it was no longer limp and flaky but sleek and shiny, and she had tied it back into a low bun behind her head pinned by a silver hairclip, revealing both of her eyes for the first time since Akko knew her, with a colorful hydrangea tucked behind her ear. She was wearing the stunning purple dress that her father had gotten her, which hugged her curve quite well and made her look shapelier than Akko ever realized. She was also smiling - not her wicked smile, but shy and nervous. Akko never noticed before because she had known Sucy as her semi-friend for years, but she was astonishingly beautiful."Hey…guys…," she said softly. "Um…surprised?"Surprised was an understatement. Hannah and Barbara were gazing at Sucy in stunned disbelief. They weren't the only ones either; everyone who normally gave Sucy a wide berth was now staring with the same dumbfounded looks and even throwing jealous glances her way. Diana didn't seem immune to her beauty either, looking like she had been smacked across the face that she hadn't even noticed the red-and-white haired boy, Todoroki, walking up to her. Fu took a few nervous steps forward and offered her hand. Sucy daintily took it, smiling softly as they linked arms like she had found a super rare mushroom.Then Professor Finenlan's voice called, "Luna Nova champions over here, please!"That snapped Akko out of her stupor. She checked herself over once to make she sure she looked appropriate, said "See you in a minute" to Lotte and the others, and walked forward with Diana and her date, the chattering crowd parting to let them through. Professor Finnelan, who was wearing a gown of deep-blue tartan and had arranged a rather ugly wreath of thistles around the brim of her hat, told them to wait on one side of the doors while everyone else went inside; they were to enter the dining hall in procession when the rest of the students sat down. Akko took this opportunity to look at the other champions. It came as no surprise that Fate had asked Nanoha to be her date, and Makoto had apparently invited her cousin and Chinatsu's older brother to the dance, the man seeming none too disturbed to by the number of weirdos in the chamber. But Nico had invited a beautiful blonde girl that looked like she could pass for a supermodel, both of them smiling and laughing like giddy schoolgirls.Just then, a cacophony of excited squeals and dreamy sighs filled the entrance hall as Andrew Hanbridge walked through the crowd, everyone clearing a path for him to walk towards the champions. Diana tilted her head, her brow furrowed in confusion as she stepped forward to meet him…but Andrew walked past her without a second glance. Instead, he marched straight over to Akko and looked down at her with an apologetic grin, taking her hand in his own."Sorry I'm late," said Andrew sincerely. "The press wouldn't stop hounding me. But no matter, I'm looking forward to our night together."And then, much to Akko embarrassment and horror, Andrew leaned forward…and pecked her cheek.The action was met with an immediate response; a thunderous wave of shocked gasps filled the chamber as every eye in the room now fell on Akko and Andrew; Akko felt like crawling under a rock and dying at that moment. It had seemed like, in that instant, Akko had made an enemy of every jealous girl in the castle. When the doors to the dining hall opened, Andrew's fan club stalked past, throwing Akko looks of the deepest loathing. Fate and Makoto gaped at her, looking like their brains were still trying to process what they just witnessed. Diana, however, turned her head pointedly away, not meeting Akko's eye.Once everyone else was settled in the hall, Professor Finnelan told the champions and their partners to get in line in pairs and to follow her. They did so, and everyone in the dining hall applauded as they entered and started walking up toward the large round table at the top of the hall, where the representatives were sitting.The walls of the dining hall had been covered in sparkling silver frost, with hundreds of garlands of mistletoe and ivy wrapping the railings of the upper two levels. They had gone back to using the hundred round tables like normal, except they all looked brand new and covered by white sheets lit by small lanterns, each seating a dozen people.Akko concentrated on not tripping over her feet. Andrew seemed to be enjoying himself; he was beaming around at everybody, keeping her arm around Akko's to support her for when she inevitably stumbles. She caught sight of Lotte and the others as she neared the top table. Amanda had that glint in her eye that told Akko she should expect a whole lot of teasing in the near future.Professor Holbrooke smiled happily as the Luna Nova champions approached the top table, but Ram wore an expression of apparent mistrust as they drew closer, especially at Nico. The Grand Master, tonight in gaudy sequin gold robes, was clapping as enthusiastically as any of the students; and Lord Hanbridge was maintaining a neutral expression, but Akko could tell by the way he was following her and Andrew that he was none too pleased with his son's choice for a partner. Org, Akko suddenly realize, was not there. His seat at the table was occupied by a tall, white-haired woman. It was Amanda's mother, Councilwoman Ava.When the champions and their partners reached the table, Andrew drew out the empty chair in front of them and offered it to Akko. She couldn't deny that she was pleased as she sat down; how often was it that a handsome man with manners offered you a seat? And she just happened to be sitting next to Councilwoman Ava, who was wearing a very regal uniform much like the one she wore when Akko first met her two years ago."Org called in sick this morning," Councilwoman Ava said before Akko could ask. "I've been asked to fill in as I am the Head of the Department of International Relations…and because no one else wanted the job," she added in an undertone."Org is sick?" Akko asked curiously. "He doesn't look like the kind of guy would like something like personal health get in the way of his work.""Well, you're not wrong about that," said Councilwoman Ava, chuckling. "But he has been…out of sorts lately, not doing well at all. He hasn't been right since the Chariot Race Cup. Hardly surprised, considering the overload of work he's been putting in recently. He's not as young as he was. And on top of the Cup, we had to deal with the aftermath of that Purifier business and the increase in riots since Zeref's temporary release was blasted all over the news – that horrible Scaglietti woman buzzing around - and then he had the Contest. I think Org has stretched himself too thin this year. He deserves a nice, quiet Christmas."There were so many things Akko thought a jerk like Org deserved, but it probably wasn't the best idea to say any of them in front of the fourth seat on the Magic Council.There was no food as yet on the glittering gold plates, but small menus were lying in front of each of them. Akko picked hers up uncertainly and looked around – the goblins weren't around catering as usual. Professor Holbrooke, however, looked carefully down at her own menu, then said very clearly to her plate, "Lamb chops!"And lamb chops appeared.
That's new, Akko thought.Getting the idea, the rest of the table placed their orders with their plates too. Akko glanced up at Diana to see what she thought of this new use of magic, but Diana seemed to have noticed her gaze and turned her head away once more, making it more apparent that she was making an effort to look anywhere but Akko. She started talking to Todoroki and hardly seemed to notice what she was eating."Well, we don't exactly have a castle," said Todoroki coolly, not unlike Diana's usual attitude; now it makes sense why they came together. "The building itself is kinda normal, but we have dozens of training grounds all over campus. And the curriculum…honestly, I don't think we've ever had a lesson where we actually sit down and learn stuff. It's mostly just the teachers having us running around in simulations using our Quirks. In terms of actual academics, U.A. probably has the lowest score in Asia.""Come now, young Todoroki!" said All Might with a nervous laugh while glancing anxiously at the other representatives. "U.A. High is a fine school for learning! It's the top-rated school for heroes! It's nowhere near as bad as you say.""Come to think of it, you never actually taught us anything either," said Todoroki; All Might made a sound in the back of his throat. "You just throw us into situations and hope for the best.""Uh…well…""There should be a fine line between teaching them their abilities and teaching them necessary curriculum," said Theresa sagely. "Over at Serenity Academy, we spend the first half of the day teaching the students general studies like science and math, and after the school day is over, the students learn more about their powers by challenging other students in competition. It's much more balanced that way.""That's certainly one way," said Ram evenly, delicately cutting her steak. "We at Black Star Academy have different ideas of raising our students. Of course, that's strictly between those at the Academy. Not something for outsiders to know."Professor Holbrooke smiled, her eyes twinkling. "Ram, all this secrecy…one would think you didn't want visitors.""Well, Miranda," said Ram, displaying a wide, almost taunting smirk, "we are all protective of our private domains, are we not? Do we not jealously guard the halls of learning that have been entrusted to us? Are we not right to be proud that we alone know our school's secrets, and right to protect them?""Oh, I would never dream of assuming I know all of Luna Nova's secrets, Ram," said Professor Holbrooke amicably. "Only last year, for instance, I was looking through our library for a book on dragon tonics when I found a secret passageway that lead to this beautiful chamber with a magnificent golden hourglass and a chamber off to the side that lead to a mysterious door. I have since moved the hourglass to my personal effects and offered the chamber to one of our most brilliant students to use as her workshop."That sounded almost familiar to Akko, but she couldn't exactly explain why. At the same time, without Akko's notice, Constanze was showing of her Stan-Bot to a bunch of eager looking students from Class Zero, feeling proud of herself.Meanwhile, Lindy Harlaown was telling embarrassing stories about Fate to Nanoha; the blonde girl was sunk so low under the table Akko could only see her reddening forehead."Then when Fate was five and Alicia was seven, Fate decided she wanted to cut down her own Christmas tree," said Lindy. "And of course, Precia just couldn't say no to those pudgy cheeks – they were like a pair of marshmallows. So it was myself, my son, Fate, and Alicia walking through the woods deep in the mountains behind Precia's castle. I suggested we pick a small, sensible tree that we could put in the den, but no, Fate wanted the biggest tree in the forest. We found one two miles south of home and Fate thought she could chop it down herself. We all knew that wasn't happening, but we decided to humor her. But when she took her very first swing at it, the vibrations disturbed a nest of squirrels hiding in the trunk and they jumped on her. It was so comical watching an A-Class mage being chased around by a bunch of woodland creatures!"Nanoha had been drinking a glass of cranberry juice that almost came out her nose because she was laughing so hard. Fate moaned and disappeared completely under the table; Nanoha calmed herself and looked down at her date, fighting hard not to grin."Aw, c'mon, Fate-chan," she said, her voice shaking from fighting back the giggles. "It's not
that
bad."Akko looked around the dining hall. Ursula and Croix were sitting alone on the second floor; Croix had slicked back her hair and pinned it into a bun behind her, dressed in a white tuxedo while Ursula was wearing a simple apple-red dress with a large flower pinned to her chest. Akko was fully aware that the flower was being used to cover Ursula's life support machine….When all the food had been consumed, Professor Holbrooke stood up and asked the students to do the same. Then, with a wave of her hand, all the tables zoomed back along the walls leaving the floor clear, and then she conjured up a raised platform into existence along the right wall.The groups called the Squid Sisters and Off the Hook now trooped onto the stage to wildly enthusiastic applause; they were all women who were part cephalopod with starry pupils and tentacles for hair. Off the Hook wandered off to the side while the Squid Sisters took center stage, and Akko, who had been so interested in watching them that she had almost forgotten what was coming, suddenly realized that the lanterns on all the other tables had gone out, and that the Luna Nova champions and their partners were standing up."Looks like it's time," said Andrew, straightening himself and offering his hand to Akko. "Shall we dance, Miss Kagari?"Akko was glad she had taken Andrew's hand before she stood up; she had tripped over her dress, but was righted thanks to her partner. The Squid Sisters declared they were performing "Fresh Start" and started singing an enchanting ballad. Akko walked onto the brightly lit dance floor, carefully avoiding catching anyone's eye (she could see Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka waving at her and sniggering), and next moment, Andrew placed one of his arms around her waist and held her hand with his own.It wasn't as bad as it could have been, Akko thought revolving slowly on the spot (Andrew was expectedly good at this). She kept her eyes fixed over the heads of the watching people, and very soon many of them too had come onto the dance floor, so that the champions were no longer the center of attention. Lotte and Frank were dancing nearby and Sucy and Fu were waltzing just beyond them – Akko had never seen Sucy smile so much in one day. Ursula and Croix were doing an elegant two-step up above and Professor Holbrooke was dancing with All Might of all people – the size difference between the two made the whole thing more humorous. And then there was Diana, practically gliding across the dance floor in tandem with Todoroki, who was pretty good on his feet as well. It was hard to miss that when Diana and Todoroki slowly got closer to Akko and Andrew, they suddenly scooted away. Akko frowned."You don't look too happy," Andrew whispered, making Akko jump slightly. "Is there something wrong?""No, it's just…," said Akko, biting her lip. "I think Diana is mad at me, though that's nothing unusual. It seems like every year there's always something for her to be mad at me about.""Well, I think it might be my fault this time," said Andrew, frowning as he watched Diana from a distance. "She was probably expecting me to take her because of our family obligations and likely thought I chose to come with you as a way of humiliating her. But that is not true at all, I swear," he said to Akko quickly."Then why did you ask me to the dance?" Akko asked curiously. "We don't have anything in common and we barely see each other a whole lot in the past three years. I thought we hated each other when we first met.""Well…that's actually part of the reason why I wanted to go with you," said Andrew, looking, much to Akko's shock, genuinely embarrassed. "When we first met, you were the only person who didn't fawn over me or let me get away with talking down on magic. No, the first thing you did was tackle me into a bookcase and hit me in the eye with a book about toadstools.""I think Sucy still has that book upstairs," said Akko jokingly."It was…refreshing not getting my way for once," said Andrew with a soft smile. "I spent my whole life pampered and groomed, and suddenly the loudmouthed witch comes out of nowhere and calls me out. Every time we met, it was like a challenge between us, and I enjoyed every minute of it. My life had been boring and monotonous until you showed up, Miss Kagari. You were bullheaded, stubborn, unreasonable, and uncivilized in every way possible…but you are also brave, loyal, and stay true to your convictions, even when others mock you for it.""Wow, sounds like you might have a crush on me," said Akko in a tone that was meant to be teasing."I think I might," Andrew admitted. Akko shut her mouth and her eyes bulged. "Being with you showed me what was wrong with my life. I allowed people – like my father – dictate my life. Watching you from afar has inspired me to be become better, more independent. I've started standing up to my father more – I've decided to continue playing the piano against his wishes and started benefits for Demi-Humans because I know it would annoy him. And it's all because of you, Miss Kagari…."Akko's throat felt very dry; she wasn't sure she could say anything if she wanted to. It was a relief when she heard the final note from the Squid Sisters and applause filled the dining hall once more. Akko jumped out of Andrew's arms at once."Uh, let's sit down, I'm really tired.""Oh, are you sure, I think this is a popular song," Andrew said as Off the Hook stepped on stage and started playing "Nasty Majesty"."Oh, no, I'm really, really tired," Akko lied, and she fled from the dance floor, past Amanda and Constanze, who were dancing so exuberantly that people around them were backing away in fear of injury, and over to an empty table where Makoto and her cousin were sitting."How's it going?" Akko asked Makoto, sitting down and opening a bottle of root beer."It could be better – if Kei would stop stepping on my toes," Makoto said, shooting a pointed look at her cousin."Hey, I'm sorry, you don't get a lot of fancy balls over in the countryside," said Kei apologetically.Akko leaned forward on the table, holding her root beer like a lifeline when Andrew sat in the empty seat next to her, one foot tapping in time to the music. Akko's could feel her heart racing from being in close proximity of him; how was she supposed to feel after a heartfelt confession like that? Every now and then Akko glanced sideways at Andrew, who was watching the Squid Sisters and Off the Hook. A few minutes later, Makoto stood up and pulled Kei by the arm."I'm not going to sit here all night," said Makoto determinedly. "We're going to teach you how to dance or die trying!""Wait, Makoto, hey!" Kei yelped, and was dragged off into the dance floor. When the song ended, neither of them returned, leaving Akko all alone with Andrew.Thankfully, or unfortunately depending on the situation, Diana came over and sat down in Makoto's empty chair. She was a bit pink in the face from dancing."Hello, Diana," Andrew said pleasantly. Akko didn't trust herself to say anything."A bit tired, are we?" said Diana, taking deep calming breaths. "Shoto's just gone to get some drinks."Andrew gave an amusing chuckle. "Shoto, is it?" he said. "You two are already on a first name basis, are you?""I know what you're insinuating, but it's not like that," said Diana evenly. "He's a good man, very understanding. And a good listener.""Oh, and what exactly have you been telling him?" asked Andrew."Nothing that concerns you," said Diana coldly.Andrew looked taken aback. He turned to Akko, who just shrugged her shoulders."Have you two been enjoying yourselves?" Diana continued. "I could tell that you are by the way that you've been sitting over here for the past ten minutes.""Should we be flattered that you've been watching us the whole time," said Andrew. "You know, jealousy is not a good color on you, Diana.""I'm not jealous, only concerned for Akko," said Diana, shooting him a heated glare that made even Akko flinch. "She is naive. She doesn't understand the trouble that comes with associating with your sort."Andrew's expression turned into a deep frown, his brows furrowed as he leaned forward to face her; Akko slowly backed away from the two."And what is that supposed to mean?" Andrew hissed."Just what it sounds like," said Diana coldly. "Akko is kind and trusting to a fault; she would be the least likely to see through this thinly veiled façade you're passing yourself as. Flashing a smile and acting kind and innocent just like you always have since we were children, all so that you can use Akko for your own purposes."Andrew's hand gripped the table cloth; he looked furious."You think I'm using Miss Kagari for my own selfish gain?" he growled lowly. "Of all the petty accusations – ""You're about to graduate at the end of the year, aren't you?" Diana cut him off. "You're planning on going into government directly after. You may have the backing of your father, but that would only work in gaining support from the human side, not the Demi-Humans. That was the whole purpose of our engagement, wasn't it? As a political tool? But being married to a Cavendish wouldn't be nearly as tempting as having the Star-Born Child in your pocket."Andrew slammed his fist on the table, rattling the silverware. Some people nearby stopped dancing and stared at them."How
dare
you accuse me of using Miss Kagari!" Andrew snarled furiously. "I thought you of all people would understand the burden comes with a title! You think I want to subject Miss Kagari to that type of life? That I'm only interested in her because of her name? That's low, especially for you,
Cavendish.""I just find it strange, really," said Diana, not missing a beat, "that after three years of knowing her, you only now come forward with your 'affections' right as you are on the cusps of your political entry. And I suppose you telling Akko about the Xenomorphs in the forest was another part of your 'affections' as well? Contest Champion on top of Star-Born Child would look pretty well on her résumé."Andrew looked as though Diana had slapped him across the face. He stood up, walked around the table, and leaned in close until their faces were only inches apart. When he spoke, his voice was seething with contained fury."Do not presume to understand my feelings for Miss Kagari…. You talk about my affections, but what about yours, Diana?""I don't know what you're talking – ""Bull – crap!" Andrew hissed. "That's what this attack is really about. We may have had our differences, but we never had a problem before. And then,
after
I ask Miss Kagari to the dance, you throw around these outlandish accusations. You're a petty woman, Diana. You talk about affection so easily, but you're incapable of expressing it – ironic considering the Cavendish motto is 'Affection'.""If you have a point, I'd certainly like to hear it," said Diana, glaring.People were starting to stare at them. The Squid Sisters and Off the Hook actually stopped in the middle of "Now or Never" and watched with the rest."Uh, guys," said Akko quietly. "Maybe this isn't the best place to be talking about this. How 'bout we all go outside – ""My point is that you blew your chance, Diana!" Andrew snapped. "You had four years to say something, and you didn't! I know Miss Kagari asked you to the dance, but you turned her down because of family obligation! But I'm not like you, Diana! I'm not going to let my family or my status get in the way of my happiness!""That has nothing to do with it!" Diana roared, jumping up and leering at Andrew at full height."The hell it does!" snapped Andrew. "If you had accepted Miss Kagari's invitation, it would be you dancing out there with her instead of me! I would have been happy for you both if you had! But you didn't, and you aren't! So stop throwing a tantrum like a spoiled child!"Diana clenched her fist, almost like she was about to deck him, but instead turned on her heel and stormed off across the dance floor, disappearing into the crowd. Andrew watched her go with a hard stare, sighed heavily as he rubbed the bridge of his nose."I don't suppose you're up for another dance?" Andrew asked Akko, though he already seemed to know the answer. "Right…I'll…go get us some drinks…."And then he walked off, leaving Akko alone at the table with several people watching her awkwardly. Not exactly the night Akko had been hoping for. Thankfully, the Squid Sisters and Off the Hook started playing again, distracting the onlookers from the scene."Where'd Diana go?" said a voice.Todoroki had just arrived at their table clutching two cups of cider."I don't think she's in the mood to talk to anyone right now," said Akko exasperatedly, looking up at him.Todoroki frowned and cast an eye around the hall."Well, if you do see her, tell her I have drinks," he said, and he walked away."Well, you're certainly a popular one tonight, aren't you?"Councilwoman Ava had trotted over, rubbing her neck awkwardly with a pitiable smile. "Sorry for butting into your business, but I figured you could use a friend right now. That scene was brutal to watch."With Akko not caring one way or the other, Councilwoman Ava now took Andrew's vacated seat. The top table was now empty; Satsuki Kiryuin was now dancing with Kurasame, Miss Aki with Koro-sensei, Theresa was standing on Yuri Meichi's feet, Paul Hanbridge treaded lightly with Lindy Harlaown, and Ram was nowhere to be seen. When the song ended, everybody applauded once more and Akko saw the Grand Master kiss Professor Finnelan's hand and make his way back through the crowds, at which point Amanda accosted him."What does that girl think she is doing, bothering the Grand Master like that?" Councilwoman Ava muttered, watching Amanda suspiciously. "She's up to something…."The Grand Master shook off Amanda fairly quickly, however, and, spotting Akko, waved and came over to their table."I hope my daughter wasn't bothering you, Grand Master," said Councilwoman Ava politely."What? Oh, not at all, not at all!" said the Grand Master. "No, she was just asking me if there was anything in the rules about substitutes for the Contest champions. Even if she can't play, she still wants to contribute, bless her heart. I told her that the teams can have substitutes, but the champions have to agree on who to replace them…."Councilwoman was eyeing the Grand Master suspiciously while also shooting a glance at Amanda, who was standing on the edge of the dance floor looking over in their direction. Akko felt a little apprehensive. If she was asking about substitutes, then perhaps she hadn't completely gotten over being cheated out of the Contest. The Grand Master opened his mouth to ask Akko something, but Councilwoman Ava diverted him."How do you feel the Contest is going, Grand Master? Our department is quite satisfied with the results thus far. Though the little hiccup with the crystal skull" – she glanced towards Amanda, who had subtly moved closer with Constanze – "was unfortunate, of course, but it seems to have gone very smoothly since then.""Oh yes," The Grand Master said cheerfully, "it's all been enormous fun. By the way, how is Org doing? Shame he couldn't come.""Knowing Org, he'll be back in the office first thing in the morning," said Councilwoman Ava, "but in the meantime, I am more than willing to pick up the slack. Of course, it's not easy when you're trying to juggle two jobs at once. Did you hear that Ali Baba was caught smuggling a consignment of flying carpets into Germany last week? And then there's this whole human eligibility business with Dracula's hotel in Transylvania. I have to meet the ambassador of the Lautreamont Kingdom on New Years – ""Hey, Akko, wanna go for a walk?" Amanda and Constanze suddenly appeared behind her chair, smiling not-so-innocently. "You look like you could use some fresh air."Grateful to have an excuse to leave the dining hall, Akko left the table, followed Amanda and Constanze around the dance floor, and slipped out into the entrance hall. The front doors stood open, and the fluttering fairy lights in the rose garden winked and twinkled as they went down the front steps, where they found themselves surrounded by bushes; wide ornamental paths; and large stone statues. Here and there, people were sitting on carved benches."You looked like you needed to get out of there," Amanda told Akko. "Everyone saw that fight between Andrew and Diana and I figured you didn't want to be in the spotlight after that. But I never thought in a million years that anyone would be fighting over
you
of all people."Akko would have felt insulted, but she quite agreed. She never knew either Andrew or Diana felt anything for her; both of them had always appeared aloof and indifferent to Akko. She groaned and felt a migraine starting to build.Akko, Amanda, and Constanze set off along one of the winding paths through the rosebushes, but they had gone only a short way when they heard a familiar voice."…insist on following me everywhere, Ram.""The world is turning on its head, Zeref," Ram's voice was even and hushed, as though keen not to be overheard. " You can't pretend otherwise. The Purifiers are becoming more active in the past few months. I figured that, if you were cooperative, I might obtain some of your insight.""There is very little I could tell you," said Zeref curtly. "All I know is that the purifiers hate everything to do with magic.""Then why have they been stealing spellstones recently? Since the world of magic was revived fourteen years ago, the need for Spellstones has become obsolete and used as little more for fancy decoration. But if a
human
were to use one….""You believe the Purifiers are practicing magic?""It's just a thought."Zeref and Ram came around the corner. Zeref waved his hand out and blasted the rosebushes apart, his expression most solemn. Squeals issued from many of the bushes, and dark shapes emerged from them."Ten points from Corona, Catherine Ainsworth," Zeref said as a girl ran past him. "And ten points from Eclipse, Elfride Coch," as another girl went rushing after the first one. "And what are you three doing here?" he added, catching sight of Akko, Amanda, and Constanze on the path ahead. Ram, Akko noticed, was staring down her nose at Akko with a look of dark suspicion."We're just walking, sir," said Amanda, waving her hands. "These was a little drama inside and decided to cool off out here.""Well, I hope you all feel better," said Zeref kindly, and he brushed past them, his long black robe billowing out behind him. Ram looked at Akko a few more second before following. Akko, Amanda, and Constanze continued down the path."You really think the Purifiers are using magic?" Stan-Bot asked them."If they are, that would make them hypocrites," said Amanda slowly. "Still, I don't like the idea of a bunch of fanatics with magic."They reached the statue of the Great Witch Jennifer now, over which they could see the sparkling jets of the fountain. The shadowy outlines of two people were visible on a stone bench, watching the water in the moonlight. And then Akko heard Jasminka speak."I still see him sometimes – his memories, I mean – whenever I sleep," she was saying in an oddly husky voice.Akko, Amanda, and Constanze froze. This didn't sound like the sort of scene they ought to walk in on, somehow…. Akko looked around, back up the path, and saw Nico and her date – Karolina, if Akko remembered correctly – standing half-concealed in a rosebush nearby. She tapped Amanda on the shoulder and jerked her head toward them, meaning that they could easily sneak off that way without being noticed (Nico and Karolina looked very busy to Akko), but Amanda shook her head vigorously, and pulled Akko and Constanze deeper into the shadows behind Jennifer's statue."I get where you're coming from," It was Professor Ymir, the History of Magic teacher. "I sometimes see visions of my grandmother's memories from time to time, but you learn to fight them off as you get older."Akko definitely knew Jasminka wouldn't appreciate them eavesdropping on their conversation, but she was curious now. Jasminka and Professor Ymir were hardly ever seen together – the last time Akko had even seen the professor outside of class was during their trip to the Arcturus Forest in their first year. The pairing just seemed so random, but they were speaking with such familiarity that Akko couldn't help leaning closer to catch their next words."I know it's tradition, but I still feel guilty – having to eat my
dedushka
– that's is, my grandpa," said Jasminka glumly. "I'm glad I don't remember when it happened. I hope my
dedushka
wasn't hurt too much before he died.""It's like that for all the Nine Families," said Professor Ymir understandingly. "It's gruesome and heartbreaking, but it's necessary to make sure that the Nine Powers remain under control. If they ever fell in the wrong hands, it would be devastating.""Did you feel bad when you had to eat your
babushka
– I mean, your grandma – Professor Ymir?""Of course I felt bad – I loved granny Ymir," said Professor Ymir quietly. "But I knew what was happening for a long time because it was our family's legacy. Not a lot of people know this, but I'm actually the sixty-eighth Ymir in our family line. It's tradition that everyone in our family names their daughters Ymir after the first carrier. This was done to make sure that we never forgot about our legacy. My granny raised me on the stories of our ancestors and prepared me for the day when I turned ten and was forced to eat her to pass on her power. One day, I'm going to have a daughter named Ymir and when I get too old to carry the Power, I'll either pass it to her or my own granddaughter."Jasminka didn't say anything at first. And Akko, in spite of herself, leaned over the edge of Jennifer's pedestal, watching the mismatched women, listening…. Akko had no idea what they were talking about, but it sounded very serious. They were talking about eating their grandparents! And one look at Amanda and Constanze told her they had no idea either."At first, I thought I would live in isolation like the rest of my family out in the woods, far from anyone else. Then the magical world was revived and Holbrook appeared out of nowhere, offering me teaching position at Luna Nova. I mean, it made sense. I have all the memories of the people who carried the Power before me, so I was like a walking history book. But I didn't think anyone would want me considering my…condition. But Holbrooke is a good woman. She didn't care who I was or what I had done as long as I was willing to put in the effort. That woman would make a saint look like a sinner…. That's why I thought it was a good idea to suggest you for enrollment.""I always wondered about that," said Jasminka softly. "I never thought someone like me could get into a good school like Luna Nova.""Well, you're here now," said Professor Ymir, patting Jasminka's back. "So, have you told your friends about this yet?""No, I can't!" shrieked Jasminka. Her voice exploded through the peaceful night air like a foghorn; behind her, Akko heard Nico and Karolina fall out of their rosebush. "I can't ever tell them! Can you imagine what they would think of me if they found out I was a Titan-Shifter?""Okay, okay, calm down!" said Ymir, throwing her arms up in surrender. "I won't say anything if you won't. I was just thinking that, as your friends, they deserved to know about it.""I know, and I will…someday," Jasminka muttered mutely.Ymir put her arm over Jasminka's shoulder, rubbing it comfortingly. They stayed that way for several minutes, speaking in low voices that were too far away to decipher. It was much too dark to make out their expressions. Then, after about a minute, they stood up and strode away back to the castle."C'mon," Akko said, very quietly to Amanda and Constanze. "Let's go…."But neither of them moved; they were looking at the bench with pale expressions."What's up?" said Akko, looking at them.Amanda looked around at Akko, her expression very grave."Did you know?" she whispered. "About Jasminka being a Titan-Shifter?"No," Akko said, shrugging. "So what?"She knew immediately from the looks they were giving her, that she was once again revealing her ignorance to the magical world. Brought up by normal human parents, there were many things that Demi-Humans took for granted that were revelations to Akko, but these surprises had become fewer with each successive year. Now, however, she could tell that most Demi-Humans would not have said "So what?" upon finding out that one of their friends was a Titan-Shifter that ate their
dedushkas."I'll explain inside," said Amanda quietly, "c'mon…."Nico and Karolina had disappeared, probably into a more private clump of bushes. Akko, Amanda, and Constanze returned to the dining hall. Andrew was now sitting at a distant table talking animatedly with Frank and Lotte, and Sucy was once more dancing with Fu. Diana, along with Hannah and Barbara, were nowhere to be found. Akko and Constanze followed Amanda to a table far removed from the dance floor."So?" Akko prompted Amanda. "What the big deal about Titan-Shifters?""…You know what a Titan is, right?" asked Amanda."Yeah, vaguely," said Akko, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "I remember we found one back when we were trying to stop Barbara from stealing the Shiny Rod. Diana said something…. What was it…oh yeah, that Titans are immune to magic and they can't be killed except but cutting the nape. I think…Yeah, it was Jasminka who took care of it. Diana and I went ahead while she stayed behind to fight it.""That makes sense," said Stan-Bot. "If she's a Titan-Shifter, she could kill a Titan no sweat.""So what
is
a Titan-Shifter?" asked Akko insistently."Okay, you know how Titans are usually stupid and just act on instinct?" said Amanda; Akko nodded. "Well, imagine someone with all the powers of a Titan, but was as intelligent as you and me. Someone who could tell the difference between friend and enemy and can think and plan. That's basically what a Titan-Shifter is, that's what makes them
way
more dangerous than any normal Titan. I thought all the Titan-Shifters just vanished, but it sounds like both Professor Ymir and Jasminka are part of some…secret organization keeping them in line.""Who cares? Akko said. "There's nothing wrong with Jasminka or Professor Ymir!""Hey, you won't get any arguments from me, but…my god, no wonder she keeps it a secret," Amanda said, shaking her head. "I always wondered why she was so freakishly strong. Remember when Barbara let that Minotaur in the castle? She blocked one of its punches at full strength and even shoved him back. I thought that was impressive then, but now….""But what does it matter if Jasminka is a Titan-Shifter?" said Akko."Well…no one who knows her will care, 'cause they'll know she's not dangerous," said Stan-Bot as Constanze lowered her eyes sadly. "But…Akko, the Titans were wiped out because people thought they were too dangerous. Titan-Shifters are worse because they're smart enough to know how to use their powers. Eight hundred years ago, before the Nine Olde Witches founded Luna Nova, there was one Titan-Shifter who was as cruel and heartless as they come. His name was Eren Yeager and he was a coldblooded killer who was filled with so much pointless hatred that he planned to destroy the world. He's part of the reason why Demi-Humans were persecuted so heavily up until the Hundred Year War. Thankfully, Eren Yeager was killed by humans along with the other Titan-Shifters. Everyone thought that was the end of it.""But it wasn't, was it?" said Akko, frowning. "They're still around today.""Yeah, and it sounds like these 'Nine Families' are protecting them to make sure no one becomes the next Yeager," said Amanda, rubbing the back of her neck. "Jesus…. You know we can't say anything about this to anyone, right? If people found out about Jasminka – ""We're not going to say anything," Akko said, watching Jasminka across the dance floor dancing with a couple boys from Class Zero. "Jasminka is too nice to be treated like that…."Akko, Amanda, and Constanze spent the rest of the ball discussing Titans in their corner, none of them having any inclination to dance. Akko tried not to look at Andrew as he walked past their table and out into the entrance hall, looking somber. That made Akko feel guilty; Andrew had really been looking forward to spending the evening together.When the Squid Sisters and Off the Hook finished playing at midnight, everyone gave them a last, loud round of applause and started to wend their way into the entrance hall. Many people were expressing the wish that the ball could have gone on longer, but Akko was perfectly happy to be going to bed; as far as she was concerned, the evening hadn't been much fun.Out in the entrance hall, Akko saw Sucy saying good night to Fu before she went back to Blytonbury with her classmates. She had this dreamy sort of look no one had ever seen on her before, not even noticing them as she swept past them up the spiraling staircase. Akko, Amanda, and Constanze followed her, but halfway up the stairs Akko heard someone calling her."Hey - Kagari!"It was Hannah and Barbara and both of them looked pissed. Hannah was holding an ice pack to an impressive red bump on her head."Whoa, what happened to you?" said Akko as they ran up the stairs toward her.Barbara shot a sideways glance at Amanda and Constanze as though she didn't want to say anything in front of them. Amanda shrugged her shoulders, grabbed Constanze's hand, who turned red-faced, and continued to climb the stairs."Diana…," Hannah lowered her voice as Amanda and Constanze disappeared. "She was really upset about what happened during the dance. We chased her all the way up to the second-floor bathroom, and saw her…crying.""Crying?" Akko groaned, feeling like a lead weight had dropped in her stomach."Really bad," said Barbara. "We tried to comfort her, but she got angry and blasted Hannah in the face completely out of nowhere. She's been up there ever since.""Oh god," Akko moaned, burying her face in her hands. "You think I should go up there and – ""I wouldn't recommend that," said Hannah frowning. "The way she is now, she likely to curse you. You might wanna wait for her to blow off some steam before trying anything.""And the next challenge is only a few days away," said Akko, hanging her head. "There won't be enough time to work everything out.""Well, you better, or it's only gonna get worse from here," said Barbara. "Anyway, we need to go see Porlyusica – just thought we'd tell you what's going on – come on, Hannah – "Akko walked back to Polaris Tower alone, feeling like she was going to be sick. Since when did her life become a bad soap opera? Andrew admitting her had feelings for her point blank and if the implications there were true, then that meant Diana might have feelings for her as well. Normally, Akko would be ecstatic at the idea of Diana returning her feelings, but this complicated mess she found herself in was making her head spin. She silently wondered if this was how Chariot felt when choosing between Diana's mom and her dad….She all but punched the sequence on the marbled wall opening the archway into the Polaris common room. She walked in and found Lotte and Sucy sitting on the couch near the fireplace, talking in rapid hushed voices and giggling; the same kind of giggling Akko had heard for weeks leading up to the ball."Hey, guys, what's up?" Akko interrupted, appearing over the couch back between them. "You guys look like you're in a great mood.""Oh, Akko, it was wonderful," said Lotte dreamily with a smile that stretched from cheek to cheek. "Frank was so sweet and thoughtful. We practically danced the entire time right up until the very end. It felt like something out of a fairy tale.""I'll admit…it wasn't bad," said Sucy with a sheepish grin; she undid the bun in her hair as it snapped back to normal. "Fu wasn't at all what I expected. She wasn't grossed out or paranoid when I kept talking about poisons and mushrooms. And she was actually listening. When I asked her what I was saying, she actually got it right. Normally people just tune me out or ignore me. It was really…nice….""How did your night go, Akko?" asked Lotte curiously.Akko thought about telling them the truth; that the night had turned out miserable and she unintentionally ended up hurting two people who were very important to her on top of overhearing Jasminka and Professor Ymir's secret conversation. But when she looked at their smiling faces – something she rarely saw with Sucy – she couldn't bring herself to say it."It was great…," Akko said with a weak smile. "Best night ever…."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Everybody got up late on Boxing Day. The Polaris common room was much quieter than it had been lately, many yawns puncturing the lazy conversations. Sucy's hair was back to its usual lanky, brittle self; she confessed to Akko that she had used liberal amounts of Greaser Slick Hair Solution on it for the ball, "but it's annoying to have to so it every day," she said matter-of-factly, scratching a purring Blair between the ears.Akko, Lotte, and Sucy went down to the dining hall where they had an awkward meeting with Diana, Hannah, and Barbara at their usual table; Amanda's group had decided to skip breakfast that morning in favor of sleeping until noon. No one said anything for the longest time, least of all Akko and Diana, who refused to meet each other's eyes. They seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement not to discuss what happened last night, which they were sure half the school had witnessed. They were being quite friendly to each other, though oddly formal. Just wanting to break up the tension, Akko told them about the conversation she, Amanda, and Constanze had overheard between Ymir and Jasminka, but Diana didn't seem to find the news that Jasminka was a Titan-Shifter nearly as shocking as Amanda did."Well, I thought she might be," she said, shrugging. "You remember, don't you, Akko? The trail with the Titan when we were chasing the Shiny Rod? There's no way she could have defeated that monster on her own without something like that up her sleeve; they're immune to magic, remember? And her strength is unnatural, even for a Demi-Human. I figured she must have been at least half-giant or such. But a Titan-Shifter…. You haven't told anyone else about this, have you?""Just you guys," said Akko."Good, because the last thing she needs right now is that kind of attention," said Diana seriously. "If word ever got out that both a student and a teacher are Titan-Shifters, it would cause all sorts of trouble for Luna Nova."Barbara opened her mouth, looking as though she would have liked to retort, but the bandage on her forehead from when Diana attacked her last night served as a reminder, and wisely shut herself up, shaking her head disbelievingly while Diana wasn't looking.It was now time to think of the homework they had neglected during the first week of the holidays. Everybody seemed to be feeling rather flat now that Christmas was over – everybody except Akko, that is, who was starting (once again) to feel slightly nervous.The trouble was that December 31st looked a lot closer from this side of Christmas, before any of them could quite comprehend it, the second challenge of the Contest of Champions was quickly upon them. Akko and her teammates hadn't really done much to prepare for the second day besides practice basic combat magic, of which Akko still hadn't learned anything beyond simple Body Enhancement Magic. Thankfully, Fate and Nico were already accomplished magic fighters and Diana learned a bunch of handy new spells, including one that let her summon a hundred swords made of light. Now all they had to do was hope that Akko wasn't picked for the next battle round. It wasn't that she wasn't working hard – she was pushing herself with the same level of effort she showed when she was learning the Metamorphosis spell with Finnelan – but her mind was too cluttered with thoughts about what happened at the ball.Akko in no way forgot about Andrew's heartfelt confession to her, but with all the confusion of her feelings for Diana, the possible hope that the Cavendish might return her affection, and having to bully her brain into learning spells for the Contest, Akko had no time to consider them. And to make matters worse, the man seemed to be
everywhere. Andrew was staying over at Luna Nova with Frank over the holidays, but it was like he was trying to make a conscious effort to be near Akko whenever possible, which Akko found flattering if not unnerving. Andrew made no effort to hide his affections, even in the crowded hallways when every girl was leering at them enviously, and even held her hand a few times, which Akko was embarrassed to pull away. He was a bit arrogant and kind of a jerk in many ways, but he was also kind, considerate, and a good friend – under normal circumstances, Akko would have been over the moon to have someone like him as a boyfriend. But just as often as she saw Andrew, Diana also seemed to lurk around every corner, glaring at the pair with the fury of a thousand suns before she walked away in a huff. Akko let out a quiet groan each time this happened.And so the day of the second challenge had arrived, and Akko had been eating lunch with Andrew, Frank and Lotte (the latter two being so lovey-dovey it was almost disgusting) when Professor Ursula hurried into the dining Hall, walking over to each of the champions in turn. Everyone watched her silently, the excitement noticeably building, as they knew that the Contest's next round was only an hour away. Ursula approached Akko last as the other champions left their seats and walked out into the entrance hall."It's time to go, Akko," she said. "We need to be down at the stadium soon….""Good luck out there today, Akko," Frank said cheerfully. "We'll be rooting for you.""Thanks," Akko, mumbled anxiously."Don't worry," said Andrew soothingly, resting his hand on her own. "You'll do fine."And then he leaned over and pecked her on the cheek; Akko's face flushed with embarrassment as several students either made teasing, cooing noises, or hissed out her with jealous gazes. But as her luck would have it, when Akko turned around, she spotted Diana hanging around the threshold of the hall, glaring at her, and turned away whipping her hair furiously. Akko hanged her head and groaned once more.Snow was still thick upon the grounds, and the greenhouse windows were covered in condensation so thick that they couldn't see Venomous Viper Plant trying to break out for the third time that week. None of them look excited to be competing in this weather as Akko met up with Makoto, Fate, Nico, and Diana at the Ley Line Terminal. Everyone mounted the school-regulation brooms that the goblins gave them and ascended into the Ley Line portal, where they were spat out over the rooftops of Blytonbury seconds later. The streets were once again crowded with thousands of people all coming to see the Contest, except now hundreds of people were waving banners brandishing the symbols of each school. The greater majority was Serenity Academy's crescent moon and Black Star Academy's…black star, but there were a few people who were waving the U.A. crest and Luan Nova's pointed circle; only one or two people were waving Honnoji's four-point star."Have any of you given any consideration as to what you're doing in the next round?" Ursula yelled over her shoulder, the wind whipping her hair around. "Not that I expect you to know what the challenge is, but I hoped you at least had something prepared!""Well, I was thinking I would go for the next challenge!" Fate called. "Wendy said that Akko predicted the next game would be a race, so I figured I would give it a shot since I'm the best when it comes to speed magic! And if nothing else, I'm at least good enough to hold my own in a fight!""Wendy!" Akko cursed under her breath; she would have to think of a way to get back at the rat when she got back to school."Oh, so Akko made a prediction, did she?" said Diana, scowling darkly. "Let me guess, you were sitting in your Foretelling class and just happened to predict exactly what the next challenge will be? That is absolutely absurd! Foretelling is pure rubbish! You're really going to wager your chances on so baseless horoscope without any evidence to support these claims?""Didn't Akko predict that Qing was going to escape last year?" Makoto countered."Well….""And
didn't
Qing escape from the executioner just like she predicted?"Diana shot a stubborn glare at Makoto then turned away in a huff. Akko chuckled nervously; there was a lot more to the story than what they were led to believe. It was true the Qing had escaped before the Magic Council could go through with the execution, but it had only been because Akko and Diana bended the laws of time to save him. Qing had fled into the night with Izetta before they went underground. Diana, for the most part, was happy that they had rescued Qing, but the shiny burn scar on the back of her right hand made it apparent that she wasn't too fond of the Qilin.They soon descended toward the stadium, hopped off their brooms near their side entrance, and walked down the corridor to their locker room while Ursula went off to join the gathering crowd. As they changed into their team uniforms, there was a noticeable light-heartedness about them. Fate playfully pulled Makoto's dress over, getting her head caught in the neck hole while ran between the lockers like a chicken with its head cut off, flashing everyone with her bright-pink underwear. Nico was torn between laughing and looking embarrassed while Fate just straight up laughed; Diana rolled her eyes exasperatedly and shook her head, not even bothering to tell them off. It was the complete opposite of how they felt the first time were here, all of them so stiff and nervous about what was to come. Akko supposed that after the first event, all the tension from before had worn off."Could you all please show the slightest bit of maturity," said Diana in a dignified tone. "We
are
representing Luna Nova after all.""I was just having a little fun, Diana," said Fate. She grabbed Makoto's dress as the Flying Witch ran by and whipped it off her head. "I'm only trying to relieve a little anxiety, that's all. We're near the bottom of the ranks, and that puts a lot of pressure on us to get a good score. I don't want to go out there with my nerves shot.""Be that as it may, we can't disgrace our school by acting silly," said Diana as she put on her hat and she shut her locker. "We must present ourselves with grace and decorum – ""Hey, guys, look what I found!" Akko shouted excitedly. She stepped out from behind the lockers, wearing a pink rubber bodysuit with a googly-eyed hat. "It's one of the costumes from the Anko Dance! One of those Ooarai girls must have lost it! Isn't it awesome?"Fate shot a humorous smirk to Diana, who palmed her face with a resounding
smack.After they finished getting changed (and making Akko put the Anko costume where she found it, much to Akko's disappointment), Team Luna Nova marched out of the locker room and down the tunnel out into the open field where they were met with booming cheers and wild applause; Appleton was still being a bunch of jerks and making a bunch of rude gestures at them, but they were easy to ignore. It was hard to believe that the last time she had walked out on this field, Akko had been a nervous wreck, though the knowledge that she would be facing Xenomorphs probably contributed to that. Akko waved her arms enthusiastically at the Luna Nova crowd and spotted her friends near the front row with Frank and Andrew – Frank was decked out in Luna Nova memorabilia including, but not limited to: a pennant flag, a sweat shirt, a large pointed hat, and a foam finger. It was very sweet that he wanted to support them, Akko thought, but it was definitely embarrassing."Go Luna Nova!" Frank cheered loudly."You've got this, guys!" Lotte shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth. "I believe in you!""Best of luck, Miss Kagari!" Andrew yelled, waving directly at Akko. "I'm rooting for you!"Akko chuckled embarrassingly, her face tinged red as she waved back, but stopped quickly when she realized that Diana was glaring at from out of the corner of her eye. Akko swiveled around to face her, but the blonde witch turned her nose up and walked down the field without so much as a second glance. Akko frowned and looked to her teammates; Nico shrugged and shook her head nonchalantly, Fate made a look of pitiable sympathy, and Makoto offered a kind, yet weak smile as she patted Akko's back. The brunette hanged her head in defeat, uttering a soft whining noise."Hellooooooooooo, everybody!" Wangari screamed into her microphone from the commentator's box. "And welcome back to the second day of the Contest of Champions! Once again providing play-by-play commentary is Luna Nova News Network president, Wangari!""And reporting from Serenity Academy's VOCALOID, I'm Neku Sakuraba," said Neku dully. "And joining us once again is the sponsor and creator of the Contest, the Grand Master.""I'm looking forward to another round of exciting matches!" said the Grand Master cheerfully."Wow, it's only been two months, but it feels like just yesterday when the Contest began," said Wangari reminiscently. "Who could forget that fantastic display of skill and cunning from our champions as they traversed the treacherous territory of the Xenomorph brood. But the person who stole the show was Luna Nova's Akko Kagari, whose masterful use of the Metamorphosis spell allowed her to slip through the enemy undetected all the way to the finish line!""But in the end, it was Rem from Team Class Zero that stole the victory with her untraceable speed," said Neku. "Just to recap for those tuning in, here are the scores from the last round."The video board on the far end of the stadium flickered to life, displaying a scoreboard with each school's name and emblem next to their total:Serenity: 18p Black Star: 14p Myojo: 12p Class Zero: 10p U.A.: 8p Sanshu: 6p Luna Nova: 6p Honnoji: 0p"Serenity Academy is pulling ahead with a small lead, but crowd favorite, Honnoji Academy, is lagging way behind with a score of zero," said Neku. "At this stage of the game, it's still anybody's race, but Honnoji is going to have to pull out some major wins if they want any chance of taking first.""I wouldn't underestimate the tenacity of Honnoji," said the nGrand Master. "They are quite resilient as they are stubborn. Just look at them – they look ready for blood."It was true. Akko looked over at the Honnoji group ten feet away from where Luna Nova was standing, all of them with furrowed brows and rigid faces; Inumuta and Jakuzure were particularly surly, likely still lamenting over their respective defeats in the last round."At this time, we would like to ask the teams to send in their players for this round," said Wangari. "Be sure to choose wisely. Remember, the battle rounds are chosen by fan votes, which means there's always a chance that you could end up competing in both the challenge and the battle rounds.""Looks like I'm up," said Fate, taking a step forward. "I'll try to end this round as quick as possible; we need to start scoring right away if we want to catch up.""Be careful out there," said Makoto worriedly, glancing sideways at the other teams picking their players. "Some of them look like they'll run you over the first chance they get.""Hey, I once got a full blast of Nanoha's Starlight Breaker to the face," said Fate fondly as if she was remembering a happy memory. "Compared to that, I think I can handle whatever they throw at me.""If you end up getting killed," said Nico monotonously, "I'm not taking the heat from your girlfriend."Fate shrugged her shoulders like she wasn't particularly interested in her teammate's safety, and marched toward centerfield while her teammates walked up to the stands and took their seats in the front row. The blonde fighter was the second to reach the middle; Nonon Jakuzure had gotten there first, her arms crossed with a deep scowl on her face as she looked towards Black Star Academy's champion, which had been the short blonde girl with wheels for feet. Ace had been selected from Team Class Zero, and the frog-faced girl from U.A. High joined them shortly after. Team Sanshu had selected the happy-go-lucky blonde girl wearing deep-purple, and Myojo had sent out their pink-haired troublemaker, who was still nibbling on pokey. Serenity Academy took the longest to make their pick, but they eventually sent out the tall, dark-haired woman with red highlights, carrying a space-patterned bird on her shoulder."It's like today's competition will be featuring," Neku Skauraba announced, "Fate Testarossa from Luna Nova, Nonon Jakuzure from Honnoji, Ace from Class Zero, Sononko Nogi from Sanshu, Tsuyu Asui from U.A. High, Haruki Sagae from Myojo, Raven Sachya from Serenity, and Chariot from Black Star Academy."Now that the eight teams have picked their competitors, it's time to reveal today's event," said Wangari. "Take it away, Grand Master.""Today's contest will be a simple one to explain, but not so simple to do," said the Grand Master with an eager grin. "Much like the last game, today's event will be a race, but not just any kind of race. Our competitors will be battling it out in an all-out, no holds barred, death defying formula-one race through one hundred miles of treacherous desert track hand selected by yours truly."The rules are simple: whoever crosses the finish line first wins the full ten points for their team. All vehicles must have their wheels on the ground. However, if you are knocked off the track, you have ten seconds to return before you are instantly teleported back here and you will be ranked accordingly. Similarly, if your vehicle is rendered inoperable, you will be eliminated from the competition and be send straight back here to wait until the winner has been decided. As usual, competitors are free to use magic, quirks, Gravity Shifting, or any other means to win as long as you adhere to the no-killing rule from the last game.""Now, are there any questions?" the Grand Master finished."Yeah, what're we doing about our rides?" asked Haruki. "We didn't exactly bring our own!""I'm so glad you asked," said the Grand Master, snickering knowingly.The Grand Master snapped his fingers and, suddenly, eight electronic pads appeared in the contestant's hands. Fate looked over the pad with a curious glance as she tapped the screen, bringing up a very detailed customization menu with a digital outline of a car."You will be making your own vehicles using these portable 3D printers, provided by the Time-Space Administration Bureau," said the Grand Master giddily."Each contestant will have ten minutes to design their own vehicles," Neku Sakuraba explained. "You are free to design them any way you want, as long as they have wheels on the ground. When you are finished, press the enter button on the corner of your pad and your vehicles will materialize on-site when you are transported to the designated area.""So start pushing some buttons and get ready to ride!" shouted Wangari.The contestants had already gone to work even before they explained everything. Fate looked extremely focused on designing her vehicle with her brow furrowed deeply and her tongue sticking out in concentration; she didn't even notice when Haruki was peeking over her shoulder, only to scoff and shake her head before going back to her own work. It wasn't the most thrill ten minutes in the contest, but it was certainly the most suspenseful; Akko just wanted to race to start already! Jakuzure was the first to finish her drawing as she pressed the enter button and the electronic pad digitally disappeared from her hand; everyone else finished one after the other until Fate was the last one."Looks like everyone is set, Grand Master," said Wangari."Then let's not waste time talking about it!" said the Grand Master jubilantly. "Let the second game of the Contest of Champions – Death Race – begin!"The Grand Master snapped his fingers over the roaring cheers of the audience and the purple diamond-shaped portal appeared beneath the feet of the champions. They were sucked in one after another, but not before Fate turned to her team with a confident smile and a thumbs-up before she fell out of sight and the portal vanished….Somewhere in the farthest corner of the world was a hazardous stretch of wasteland known as Death Canyon – one hundred miles of soul crushing, unforgiving rock and sand with walls of stone that stretched from miles above. Unbalanced pillars of rock dotted the course with perilous sharp turns that would send people flying if they weren't careful and deep potholes that would destroy anything that fell in. Near the entrance of this deadly chasm, a strip of white pain had been marked across the ground indicting the starting line as the champions popped into position behind it.Fate blinked the stars out of her eyes, shaking her head when she realized she was sitting in the leather seat of a sleek, lowriding black convertible decked out with golden wheels and the Luna Nova logo on the hood. The blonde mage could hardly stop grinning as she looked over the dashboard, covered in a number of colorful buttons and switches. And the best part – giant cupholders!"Aw yeah," said Fate caressing the steering wheel longingly. "I'm gonna call you Cardiche."Fate braced herself when she felt a thunderous thud slam the ground next to her and stared out the window, dumbfounded. It had seemed that Nonon Jakuzure, now sporting a pink skeletal body suit, had gone for power rather than speed. Her vehicle looked closer to a tank in the form of a heart-shaped LRAD with a three-starred cavity in the front surrounded by a dozen woofers, all of it balanced on top of a pair of treads that were as large as Fate's car. The pink-haired conductor herself with in the central cavity, gnashing her teeth furiously."Those bastards think they can get away with humiliating me," she hissed. "I'll show them. No one disrespects me in front of Lady Satsuki!"But Jakuzure wasn't the only one that had brought her own tank. On her opposite side was the massive mechanical spider monster with six long legs that ended in drill points and bore the face of a badly stitched doll wearing a bonnet, the same one, Fate recognized, that had made a spectacular entrance when Black Star Academy had rolled up to Luna Nova. Riding behind the spider monster in the spherical carriage was Chariot, smirking proudly as her clawed hands gripped the spider's reins.Appearing on Chariot's other side was Ace, who was sitting stiff backed in standard military jeep while painting it red in his class color and marking the hood with a large crossed out zero similar to Fate's car, but he did at least customize it enough to add a pair of fuzzy dice-playing cards hanging from the rearview mirror."I don't care what anybody thinks," Ace mumbled to himself, tapping the hanging ornaments. "I think they're cool."Raven Sachya appeared straddling a cruiser motorcycle painted mostly black, but added euphoretic colors of red and blue and dotted the body white marks to give it a starry pattern. The cycle's gas tank was branded with two different animals marked with white outlines, one of them resembling the bird that was perched on Raven's shoulder and the other looking like a cat in midjump."I hope you're watching, Kat," said Raven. "Because if I win, you owe me dinner."Tsuyu Asui was balanced precariously on her own sports motorcycle, though hers was more cartoonish when in comparison to Raven. For one thing, it was painted in the brightest shade of green possible with animated frog legs holding both the wheels and a frog face with rosy cheeks splattered on the front just underneath the windshield. The Rainy Season Hero fumbled with her bright-green, frog print helmet as she made several croaking sounds, shooting sideways glances at Jakuzure's and Chariot's vehicles with an audible gulp.Sonoko Nogi rolled forward up to the starting line in what looked like a giant white-metal warship that resembled a Greek trireme with the oars being replaced by eight gigantic spears and being held up by six golden-spoked wheels. Sonoko stood near the bow of the ship underneath an ornamental white flower dressed in a shrine maiden's clothing; she waved her hands across the air and the "oars" rotated under her command."Yosh!" Sonoko cheered silently. "I've got this."And the last one to roll up was Haruki Sagae, who was leaning back casually in her simple apple-red muscle car branded with a single rose being looped by a venomous snake on the hood. Haruki tucked the photo of her girlfriend on the dashboard, took a pokey stick from the designated holder that she designed herself, and craned her head to the right to look at the other contestants. She lowered her sunglasses with a raised brow as she looked over Jakuzure, Chariot, and Sonoko's titanic vehicles, chuckling humorously as she shook her head."Those guys are such tryhards," said Haruki, replacing her sunglasses and facing forward. "Well, I guess I oughta give it my best too, or Isuke-sama's gonna make me sleep on the couch."As the champions revved their vehicles waiting for the race to begin, a spherical drone with a red camera lens focusing in and out, shooting direct video feed to the stadium in England."Racers at the ready?" Wangari's voice sounded though the probe. "On your marks…get set…GO!"And the champions shot into the canyon –"And they're off!" Wangari shouted excitedly over the screams of the audience. "Fate Testarossa and Haruki Sage take an early lead and are fighting for first place, but Tsuyu Asui is sticking close to their tails! Ace is maintaining a safe distance behind the leaders, but Chariot's spider-car is coming in dangerously close! Raven is holding down the sixth-place spot at the moment, followed by Nonon Jakuzure and Sonoko Nogi, both of whom are struggling to pass each other to due to the immense size of their vehicles!""They didn't believe they had any chance of winning in a contest of speed," said Neku knowledgably, "so they went with a power approach. They're probably planning to both the other teams off the first chance they get.""I certainly hope so," said the Grand Master. "It would be such a boring race if there were no fireworks.""What do you think Fate's chances are at winning this?" Nico asked her teammates."I'd say pretty high," said Nanoha, suddenly appearing between Akko and Makoto's shoulder."Nanoha, what are you doing here?" asked Akko, tilting back in surprise."Moral support," said Nanoha simply before looking back at the floating screens. "Fate-chan might not look like it, but she's a real car enthusiast. She's been dreaming of the perfect car for when she turns sixteen. Knowing her, she'll have picked the best parts to give her an edge in this race.""We'll have to trust your judgment on this one," said Diana with a hint of uncertainty as she turned back to the race.The champions were turning the first corner of the race, which was so tight that it forced them to hit the brakes immediately or slam into the canyon wall. Fate and Haruki maintained their positions as they screeched around the curve, but Tsuyu stretched her tongue, wrapped it around a boulder, and pulled herself around the corner to jump into first. Ace came to a nearly complete stop while Chariot's spider-car crawled along the walls, allowing her to move ahead of the soldier into fourth. Raven, Jakuzure, and Sonoko remained the same; the latter two unintentionally scraping the sides of their vehicles against the canyon walls due to their immense size.From her place near the back, Raven Sachya swerved left hoping to overtake Ace, but the soldier moved to block her. She attempted the other direction, but he remained adamant in preventing her from passing. Raven narrowed her eyes with a deep frown."So that's how it is, huh?" said Raven. "Let's see you try to cut
this
off."Her starry bird fluttered off Raven's shoulder, spun around, and dived squarely into Raven's chest. The star-patterned avian rippled into her skin, which had suddenly turned into a transparent shade of luminescent blue. Raven emitted a radiant pulse of blue energy around herself, coating her bike in a field of that same energy, then began to float off the track and soar over Ace's jeep, much to the soldier's surprise. In short time, Raven flies over Chariot, Haruki, Fate, and Tsuyu before landing in first place, returning to her natural skin tone."And Raven Sachya floated her way into first place!" Wangari's excitable voice rang from the flying camera."Raven utilized her ability to shift gravity," Neku Sakuraba explained,
"allowing her to pick herself up off the ground and then change the direction of the gravity to pull herself ahead. That's what you would expect from Serenity Academy's No. 2 ranked student.""But it doesn't look like Chariot is going to take this lying down!" shouted Wangari.Chariot's spider-car increased the speed in its legs all of a sudden, charging its way into third place while nearly stabbing Haruki and Fate's cars with its drill-bit tips, forcing both cars to hit the brakes and falling back behind the mechanical spider. The mecha spider, twisted its head upside-down (and mentally scaring several viewers), snapped its mouth open, and fired something from inside that struck the ground near Raven. The dark-haired Gravity Shifter was nearly thrown off-balance by the impact and swerved wildly before regaining control. She looked back with gritted teeth as Chariot fired off another shot and saw that the ammunition was a colorful…macaron?Well, that's certainly different, she thought.Another Macaron shell exploded on the ground to her right, forcing Raven to swerve sideways close to the wall and allowing Chariot to take the lead; the dark-haired Gravity Shifter punched her cycle in frustration and accelerated to keep up.Haruki was trailing close behind Tsuyu, whose attention was focused on the leaders. With a mischievous grin, Haruki reached inside the glove box and pulled out a magnum, just as she specified in her design. She rolled down the window, leaned her head out, and aimed at Tusyu's backside."Anyone for frog leg soup," Haruki shouted humorously as she pulled the trigger.Tsuyu heard the gunshot at the last second, craned her head over her shoulder, and tilted out of the way; the bullet smashed through her goggles, shattering the right lens. Haruki fired five shots in rapid succession. While Tsuyu just managed to avoid fatal injury, each missed shot made a new hole in her motorcycle – that last one completely destroyed her windshield, showering her in glass shards that thankfully didn't cut into her. But with her sixth shot, Haruki nailed Tsuyu in her left thigh; the Rainy Season Hero pulled up her leg, her face contorted in pain, as she eased up on the acceleration, allowing the rest of the racers to pass her with ease, putting Tusyu back in last place."Ooh, that was brutal!" Wangari hissed. "Haruki's assassination attempt has put everyone's favorite hero-in-training at the back of the race! That looked like it really hurt, but since Tusyu Asui hasn't been transported back to the stadium, that still means she's in the competition, folks!""But the ones that everyone should be watching is Nonon Jakuzure and Sonoko Nogi," said Neku Sakuraba, "Both of whom are practically flying towards first place after Chariot."Fate, who was driving behind Raven, watching the Gravity Shifter with a critical eye, braced herself when her car was suddenly shoved sideways and almost hit the canyon wall before she quickly turned the wheel, her tired screeching against the track as she corrected herself. Her jaw dropped in shock as both Jakuzure's and Sonoko's monster-sized vehicles suddenly gained speed and practically shoved Raven out of the way as well, both of whom were so large that they left no room for anyone behind them to pass. In was impossible to tell from her perspective, but Fate suspected that they might have formed a temporary truce….Up in the front of the race, Chariot was leisurely enjoying the drive as her mecha-spider crawled its way around the next narrow corner when she suddenly felt something ram her from behind, almost throwing her out of her seat. Chariot stood up and looked over the back of her cart – then quickly ducked back down when one of Sonoko's spear stabbed at her head. Both Jakuruze and Sonoko were drifting close behind her – neither one of them could completely pass because Chariot because her spider took up the entire center of the canyon, but they didn't seem to be trying.Jakuzure's vehicle blasted an earth-shattering soundwave from the multiple woofers that tore up the ground leading up to Chariot's cart, shaking her cart from the uneven terrain (and simultaneously making it more difficult for the racers behind them). While Chariot struggled against the reins of her mecha-spider, fighting to regain control, Sonoko rolled her warship's spear oars forward and extended all six javelins. The spearheads pierced through the mecha-spider's legs like they were cutting through cardboard. The mechanical monster's heavy body fell forward, scraping a deep trench in the ground as its outer shell broke apart, flinging gears and springs all along the track.Chariot was thrown forward when the cart hit her pet spider's broken body, sending her flying as Sonoko and Jakuzure rolled on past. The blonde cyborg's arms flailed in a panic as she started to fall, and she before she hit the ground, she vanished in a flash of blue light –- and found herself back at Blytonbury stadium on her hands and knees. Once she heard the roaring crowd, Chariot looked around, blinking in momentary confusion, then slammed her fist in the dirt when she realized what happened."And Chariot has been eliminated due to the destruction of her vehicle!" said Wangari excitedly over the cheers of the fans, and the groans of the Black Star supporters. "That means Black Star Academy finishes today's event round with zero points! That was unexpected!""And it doesn't look like the carnage is over yet," said Neku Sakuraba, gesturing to the screens."Woohoo, we did it!" Sonoko cheered, waving to Jakuruze. "As long as we work together, we can totally make first and second place!""Yeah, about that," said Jakuzure with a wicked smile. "I'm afraid there's been a change in plans – "Several small slots popped open from the sides of Jakuzure's vehicles, which started throwing sharp blades shaped like musical notes at Sonoko's warship. The razor notes sliced through the shaft of her spears, cleaving the pointed heads to remove her only offensive ability, and then started cutting through the main body. Sonoko dropped to her hands and knees as the warship shook violently from the lashing she was receiving, then flopped backwards when the bladed musical notes curved around in the air and smashed through the floorboard. As her flying knives slashed the warship to pieces, Jakuzure shot one last note at the front wheel of Sonoko's vehicle, cutting it off at the axis. The giant warship tipped forward, its bow scraping against the rocky terrain, and flipped forward.Sonoko Nogi was flung from her ship, sending her diving face first into the road –- and faceplanted into the soft turf of Byltonbury stadium. Sonoko raised her head, spitting out clumps of fake grass, while the crowd roared enthusiastically. Sonoko looked around, blinking with apparent confusion, until she noticed Chariot sitting glumly off to the side and rested her head back down on the ground with a defeated sigh."And Nonon Jakuzure viciously stabs Sonoko Nogi in the back, eliminating her from the competition!" shouted Wangari. "That puts her in seventh place with one point! Two champions have already been knocked out of the game and we're still only in the first quarter of the race!"Jakuzure was cackling victoriously over her latest act of betrayal; the poor girl was sweet, but way too naïve to not realize that she would end up double-crossing her. The pink-haired conductor increased the acceleration on her mammoth-sized tank when she heard the roaring of engines wailing behind her. Jakuzure turned her head and a holographic screen flashed near her face – a great way to make up for the lack of rearview mirrors. Raven Sachya was closing in on her from behind, her motorcycle effortlessly outpacing the speed of her tank. Raven tried going around the left, but Jakuzure shifted her mobile fortress to block her path; she then tried the right side, but Jakuzure once again cut her off. Now Raven was getting annoyed –"One side, you tone-deaf midget!" yelled Raven frustratedly."Who're you calling tone-deaf?" Jakuzure snapped."That's the part you're insulted by?" said Neku Sakuraba; the flying camera sweat-dropped.When it became apparent that going around Jakuzure the traditional way wasn't going to work, Raven activated her Gravity Shifting powers and traveled up the canyon wall, clinging to the surface like it was normal. Jakuzure saw the transparent blue glow of the Gravity Shifter out of her peripheral vision and sneered. She pulled the hidden mechanism that released the bladed musical notes, shooting a cascade of eighth notes. But Raven saw them coming a mile away, waving her hand over her head to summon a small cluster of blue energy spheres that she tossed into the musical storm. The energy spheres swerved around in synch with Raven's hand movements, displaying that she had some sense of control over them, but had completely missed every note and continued to fly towards Jakuzure. The flying knives were only feet away from Raven, when they suddenly stopped in midair – and then they flew backwards in the direction of Raven's energy spheres, being pulled by the gravity field they were emitting.Jakuzure ducked her head and pulled her body back and forth to dodge the energy spheres that flew at her when she realized that her own musical score was coming back at her. The pink-haired conductor threw her head back and forth in a blind panic, squeaking like a frightened chipmunk, when she stomped her foot on a hidden button. Her tank's multiple woofers screeched with a deafening pulse of sounds that blasted the bladed notes away, flinging them toward either direction on the ground; the racers behind her had to carefully navigate around them to avoid puncturing their tires.Jakuzure let out a relieved sigh and returned her attention to Raven, who was still riding along the wall and slowly starting to pass the conductor's tank. The Gravity Shifter tilted her head up, looking down on Jakuzurue, and stretched out her hand. A dark mass was starting to build what looked like the makings of a black hole in her palm when a bolt of lightning suddenly shot her from behind, accurately puncturing the cycle's gas tank and creating a fiery explosion that cracked the canyon wall.Raven floated haphazardly out of the explosion, thankfully unharmed, before correcting herself. A look of confusion was splashed across her transparent face when she looked back in the direction the lightning bolt had come from. She was absolutely floored when she saw Fate Testarossa leaning out her window with her bardiche in hand, still sparking with electrical energy. The Gravity Shifter watched the blonde mage zoom by –- and then found herself floating inches off the ground in Blytonbury stadium between Chariot and Sonoko. She looked between the two defeated racers and slapped herself in the face, groaning, and she returned her feet to the ground, trying to block out the cheers from the audience."Fate Testarossa
snipes
Raven Sachya out of the competition and into sixth place!" screamed Wangari."I'm sorry, but I had to do it," Fate apologized, ducking back into her car. "She was the strongest contender here – I needed to take her out while I had the chance.""Guess I owe you for saving my butt back there!" Jakuzure shouted over her shoulder to Fate. "So as a show of gratitude, I'll give you the honor of coming in second place!""Sorry, shorty, but I'm aiming for first!" Fate called back."Well, you can't say I didn't give you a chance!" said Jakuzure with a malicious grin.The pink-haired conductor twisted her hands on the controls, activating a hidden mechanism that turned the tank at a full 180 while the treads were still rolling forward. Fate was taken slightly aback when she made eye contact with Jakuzure, who was laughing for some reason that escaped Fate. Jakuzure stomped on the hidden button that activated the tank's woofers, pounding Fate and everyone behind her with a thunderclap of music that sounded suspiciously
Beethoven's Symphony No. 5. Haruki and Ace, who were both trailing close behind in Fate's wake, swerved out of control as they took their hands off the wheel to cover their ears. Fate gritted her teeth as the music pulsated through their body, but quickly reached over and punched a button on Cardiche's console. The car's windshields automatically shifted to a darker tint and Jakuzure's symphony faded out as if someone had lowered the volume; Fate sighed in relief."Noise filtering system," Fate explained, despite no one being able to hear her. "I installed it because I suspected Jakuzure used music as a weapon based on her conductor's uniform. Looks like my hunch was right on the money. Now" - she grabbed the clutch – "as I'm sure Akko would say, time to shift gears."Fate pushed forward on the clutch and Cardiche's screeching wheels pierced through Jakuzure's sound blast as the black car doubled in speed, swerved around the tank, and spearheaded into first place.Jakzurue snarled in irritation as she followed the blonde mage over her shoulder, unaware of Ace passing Haruki and driving up to the pink-haired conductor's vehicle until he was practically face-to-face with her woofers. The soldier's bit back the urge to scream; it felt like his bones would be pounded to dust if he stayed there for too long. His hands were shaking as he drew a handful of cards, coating them in his aura, and threw them at Jakuzure's tank with all his strength. The playing cards moved like guided missiles, pushing through the wall of sound until they reached the tank's woofers, which they then exploded in a spectacular display of blue and gold flames. Jakuzure was thrown out the tank's cavity, but managed to grab the edge at the last second; the massive vehicle gradually slowed down, letting Ace and Haruki pass with ease."Heh, pretty smart move!" Haruki yelled to ace while watching Jakzurue in her side mirror. "That should keep her busy for a while!""She's not out of the race yet!" shouted Ace. He craned his head towards Haruki, raising his hand and flashing a set of cards. "But you will be!""Funny," said Haruki, leaning cockily out her window. "I was just thinking the same thing!"The redheaded assassin pointed behind Ace with a smug grin, earning a raised brow from the soldier but nonetheless compelled him to turn around. A pipe bomb was nestled in the back seat – Haruki must have planted it while he was fighting Jakuzure – as the digital timer was counting down to the last four seconds. With very little time to disarm or toss the bomb, Ace threw his shoulder against the door and rolled out onto the track moments before the jeep exploded in a fiery haze, sending pieces of his vehicle flying in every direction. Ace stood up, grimacing, and watched as Haruki drove by, shooting him a with a finger gun gesture –- then blinked and realized he was back at the stadium; Chariot, Sonoko, and Raven all gathered around staring up at the video screens as the race continued, only shooting him a mandatory glance before looking back up. Ace sighed heavily, running his hand through his hair, shaking his head, before joining the defeated racers."After a nasty sneak attack by Haruki Sanae, Ace returns to Blytonbury to claim fifth place!" shouted Wangari excitedly. "We're already two-thirds of the way through the race and half the champions have already been knocked out of the competition! But it's still a long road ahead before anything is decided! Neku, what's your opinion on the race?""With Chariot and Raven knocked out, the person to beat would have to be Jakuruze," said Neku coolly. "Testarossa is currently holding the lead and Sanae is trailing close behind, but Jakuzure's vehicle – which is basically just a copy of her Three-Star Goku Uniform – has a load of special features that haven't been fully presented yet. She might still have a few tricks up her sleeve. And not too far behind them is Tusyu Asui, who is surprisingly still in the race.""Even with her leg injury?" asked Wangari surprisingly."Looks like she managed to patch it up using a piece of her costume as a bandage," said Neku. "She's gradually gaining speed, but it's unlikely she'll make it to first. At the very least, she'll end the race in fourth place, unless Testrossa, Sanae, and Jakuzure end up taking each other out.""This is even more exciting than I could have hoped for!" said the Grand Master, clapping his hands giddily. "Go for it, ladies!"Jakuzure crawled back into her tank – her foot slipping once, but managed to recover – flipping it back around with gritted teeth. Because of that little bungle, Fate and Haruki had gained a significant lead. But on the positive side of things, it seemed that both were too engaged with each other to accelerate further, giving Jakuzure a chance to catch up as she stomped on yet another switch, shifting the vehicle into overdrive.Further along the track, Haruki drove alongside Fate and started ramming her from the side. The blonde mage nearly smacked her face into the steering wheel from the hit, then braced herself when Haruki pulled away before ramming her again. When Haruki was setting up for a third charge, Fate slammed her foot on the brake and pulled back, her wheels screeching against the road as Haruki flew in front of her. The redheaded assassin crashed into the canyon wall, jolting her sideways out of her seat and sending her spiraling out of control while Fate floored the accelerator and took off like a speeding bullet. Haruki scrambled back into her seat, gripped the steering wheel, and managed to correct herself after a small struggle. She breathed a sigh of relief as she smoothly glided down the track, becoming aware that Fate was holding a strong lead in front and Jakuzure was slowly gaining from the back."Ara, ara, that's no good," said Haruki with a weak smile, a slight sweat dripping from her brow. "I really don't wanna have to sleep on the couch…. Guess it's time to pull out the big gun…."Haruki turned around in her seat towards the back where a long duffle bag was sitting and pulled the zipper open with one hand while keeping the other on the wheel. Once she grabbed what she needed, Haruki rolled down the window and leaned out the car, sitting on the sill as she hoisted an RPG onto her shoulder. One eye closed, her tongue sticking out in concentration, Haruki rolled her shoulder around trying to get a good aim on Fate's car while her own was swerving back and forth slightly. She waited…and waited…until Fate's bumper was in her reticle –"Tick, tick, boom," said Haruki playfully; she pulled the trigger.The redheaded assassin was nearly thrown out the car from the recoil as the grenade flew through the air, a loud whistle piercing the canyon. Haruki wraps her knees around the edge of the door to keep her from falling, dropping the launcher on the ground where it would be crushed under Jakuzure's treads, then pulled herself back inside with a satisfied grin.Fate had been driving along smoothly for a while now – according to the nav-computer she had included into Cardiche, they only had to make this last turn and then it would be a straight shot to the finish line. But she couldn't help that things were going too smoothly; neither Haruki nor Jakuzure had attacked her in minutes. Fate frowned with suspicion then tilted her head back to look at the rearview mirror when she caught sight of the missile flying straight toward her!Fate nearly let out a frightened yelp and gripped the steering wheel like a vice, turning sharply to the right and nearly crushing the brake pedal when she rammed her foot down. Cardiche pivoted sideways, her tires screeching from the constant abuse as they started to swerve around the corner with the missile fast approaching. Fate's breath was rattling, her nerves becoming tense. The other side of the curve was starting to come into view, the last leg of the track appearing slowly…slowly…. It was a close call, but as soon as Fate had fully made it around the turn, she switched gears and slammed down on the accelerator in the blink of an eye. She shot down the course like a bullet as Haruki's missile narrowly glided past Cardiche's bumper.Haruki bit the inside of her cheek as she watched Fate dodge her grenade. She failed to realize that he missile had instead exploded against the canyon wall, creating a landslide of fragmented rock falling directly in her path. The redheaded assassin didn't notice until the first boulder smashed through her car's hood, killing the engine instantly, and several smaller rocks pounded deep dents into the roof. Haruki leaned forward, staring up through the window shield, laughing nervously as the rest rolled down the wall to meet her."Well…this sucks," said Haruki.The boulders slammed down on top of her –And Haruki suddenly found herself sitting unharmed at Blytonbury stadium, blinking twice with momentary confusion as she looked around and slowly came to the realization that she wasn't going to be nearly crushed to death for the second time in her life."Ooh, tough break!" shouted Wangari as the crowded exploded once more. "A good effort made by Haruki Sanae, but Testarossa's god-tier driving skills have knocked her out of the running and into fourth place!""You are so sleeping on the couch tonight!" Haruki's girlfriend, Isuke, yelled furiously; Haruki groaned."And with that, we're down to out last three racers!" said Wangari. "But since it's unlikely that Tsuyu Asui will catch up, it really comes down to who will win between Fate Testarossa and Nonon Jakuzure.""Both racers are pulling into the last ten miles of the race," said Neku Sakuraba. "Whatever happens, the winner will be decided here."Fate checked her rearview mirror again. Naturally, Jakuzure's tank plowed through the rockslide like they were pebbles and was steadily gaining speed. Fate shifted gears again to go faster.They were swiftly approaching the end of the race – both could see the checked line on the ground representing the finish. Jakuzure's tank was going at max speed, but it was still falling short of Fate's car, which was keeping a good ten-foot distance between them. Jakuzure couldn't use blast the blonde with a soundwave since Ace destroyed her woofers. She twisted the hand bars above her head, but the tank clicked, indicating that she was out of bladed musical notes as well. The pink-haired conductor snarled angrily, kicking her vehicle in frustration, which only served to injury her foot."Gah! Mother – " Jakuzure swore. "Just die already, you stinking bitch!"If Fate had heard Jakuzure's insult, she didn't say anything. It wouldn't have mattered anyway as they when reached the mouth of the canyon and zoomed into the open desert, crossing the painted finish line with unseen air horns blasting through the air. A rather anticlimactic way to end a race, Fate thought, but since she had taken first, she wasn't going to complain.The blonde mage brought her car to a screeching halt, casually stepping out with a victorious grin on her face. Jakuzure's tank crawled to a stop a few feet away, the pink-haired conductor lowering her head with a disappointed frown. And it was nearly two whole minutes until Tsuyu Asui, who had disappeared for the majority of the race, slowly crossed the finish line and stopped next to them; her left sleeve was missing, which she had apparently used to bandage the bullet hole in her thigh.The three girls stood around looking at one another, wondering what was going to happen next, when they were blinded by a flash of brilliant-blue light –And were once again standing in the middle of Blytonbury stadium, notably without their vehicles present ("Cardiche…," Fate whined sadly.) Jubilant screams of cheers and praises nearly deafened them just as well as Jukuzure's sound blasts. Among them was Team Luna Nova howling themselves hoarse as they waved down Fate from their seats; Akko and Makoto were doing a sort of improvised jig, Nico pumped her metal fist in the air, and even Diana had thrown decorum out the window in favor of bouncing up and down, flailing her arms exuberantly with glee."WAHOOOOOOO! That was hands down the most epic, most heart stopping challenge in the Contest yet!" Wangari screamed enthusiastically, actually jumping out of her seat and standing on the table. "Staying cool in the face of danger, Fate Testarossa clinches first place with Nonon Jakuzure coming in a close second and Tsuyu Asui coming in last for third place! SO COOOL!""Get your feet down; people eat off that, you know," Neku Sakuraba scolded her. The crowd chuckled humorously; Wangari grinned sheepishly and stepped back down. "But you are right, that was the most exciting event yet, and it's only the second day. And now that all the positions have been decided, let's turn to the scoreboard to see the new totals…."The crowd turned in unison as the video board came to life, added the new points to the roster, and rearranged the rankings –Serenity: 20p Luna Nova: 16p Myojo: 16p Black Star: 14p U.A.: 14p Class Zero: 13p Honnoji: 8p Sanshu: 7p"After securing first place, Luna Nova jumps from seventh to tie for second place with Myojo Academy," said Neku Sakuraba. "Black Star Academy dips down a rank into third, but Honnoji moves up one with their second-place win while dropping Sanshu down to last place. But don't forget that the battle rounds are coming up – the rankings could change soon enough.""Like before, Team Luna Nova will receive a puzzle after the battle round is over regardless of their rank for coming in first during the race," announced Wangari. "This puzzle will have a clue hinting towards what the next event will be, which they can use to their advantage to prepare for the next challenge.""At this time, we will be taking a short intermission," said Neku Sakuraba. "Please enjoy the halftime show provided by the King of Atlantis, Aquaman, who will be performing his number one hit single, 'Aquaman's Rousing Song of Heroism'…my god, are you serious, man?" Neku added to the Grand Master with a look of disbelief."Hey, there were budget cuts!" said the Grand Master defensively.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The sound of running water echoed from the showers of the locker room. It was the first thing that Fate did when Team Luna Nova walked in, wanting to get herself scrubbed down before the battle rounds started. Akko and Diana sat patiently on the benches while Nico leaned against the lockers and Makoto hanged by the door, trying to catch snatches of Aquaman's song outside. A few minutes later, they heard the water shut off, the rustling of clothing, and then Fate walked back to the lockers, her hair glistening with waterdrops and a towel over her shoulders."Do you know how hard it is to get the smell of motor oil and gunpowder out of your hair?" said Fate jokingly."Good work out there," Diana complimented, tossing Fate a bottle of water, which she deftly caught. "Thanks to your victory, we have moved up to second place. We are only a few points from catching up with Serenity Academy.""We got third place in the first game and first place in Fate-chan's round," said Akko optimistically. "If we keep going like this, we're gonna win for sure.""Are you always this stupidly naïve?" asked Nico."Unfortunately," said Diana evenly."HEY!" Akko snapped."We've only been winning the challenge rounds," said Nico, "but we got our asses handed to us in the battle round last time. We could still lose our lead.""Which is why we spent the last two months training for this," said Fate, toweling her wet hair. "We still don't know the match ups, so let's not put ourselves down until after it's over."Diana and Nico didn't look as hopeful as the others were, but they kept their mouths shut. And not too soon either, because Akko heard the exaggerated last note of Aquman's song through the crack in the door followed by a faint, awkward round of applause like the audience weren't sure what to make of the performance. Just like last time, one of the Contest employees knocked on the locker room door, told them to be out on the field in five minutes, and walked away. Fate finished wiping down her hair, pulled on the rest of her uniform, followed the team out the door and down the corridor back into the stadium. They arrived at the same time as the Honnoji and Serenity teams as a group of buff, bearded men dressed in orange and green spandex walked off the field. American entertainment is really weird, Akko thought.Team Sanshu were the last to show up; Sonoko Nogi was leering at Jakuzure's back, who was pointedly ignoring the blonde. Nogi was no doubt still angry over Jakuzure's sudden betrayal during the race."Well…that was something," Neku Sakuraba said awkwardly. "Still have no idea what it was, but it was something…. Anyway…let's just move on to the much-anticipated battle portion of the day. Wangari, do you have the voting results?""They just came in now," said Wangari as she was handed a slip of paper by one of the employees and looked at it. "This polling was even closer than the last one. Starting off the first match will be U.A. High's Fumikage Tokoyami – wow, that is a mouthful to say – going up against Team Luna Nova's Fate Testarossa!""This might be a bit difficult for Miss Testarossa, who is just coming out of the challenge portion of the Contest," said the Grand Master with an excited smile."Actually, I think it's just the opposite," said Neku Sakuraba. "I think Tokoyami is the one who's in for a rough time.""Do you know something we don't?" Wangari asked him, leaning around the Grand Master."Just wait and see," said Neku simply."Looks like we're right off the bat again," said Fate casually, stretching her arms above her head. "And it really sucks too, because I just got out of the shower.""Which one is Tokoyami again?" asked Makoto."I think it's the emo-looking chuuni with the bird head," said Akko, pointing the only student from U.A. wearing dark clothing."That's not a real thing, right?" asked Diana, staring at Tokoyami with a mixture of bemusement and strangeness. "I mean, he's just wearing a mask because he's just in character…right?""This world is full of weirdos," said Nico. "And ninety percent of them live in New York for some reason.""At this time, we would like both contestants who had been named to approach the middle of the field," said the Grand Master. "Everyone else, please take your seats in the stands.""You got this, Fate-chan; you're the best fighter we got," said Akko, patting the blonde on the back."Damn right I am," said Fate, grinning playfully as she walked towards the middle while the other champions marched to the benches. She stepped on one side of the center line and turned to face her opponent, the freaky bird-faced boy from U.A. High. Beyond the fact that he had a pointed beak and was sprouting feathers all over his face, he was also wearing a black cloak that covered nearly his entire body. That had to be hot, Fate thought, wearing dark clothes while the cloudless sun was beating down on their heads. Did birds even sweat, Fate wondered. She should remember to ask afterwards"Before we start, I am contractually obligated to remind everyone that the rules from last time still apply," Wangari announced. "You are free to move around the field as long as you don't step past the line. All preregistered weapons are permitted for use and the round will last for thirty minutes. Contestants can win if they knock out their opponent, making them go out of bounds, or if their opponent surrenders. And in the event that time runs out, the match will be concluded as a draw.""Now if everyone is up to date on everything, let the first match – Fumikage Tokoyami vs. Fate Testarossa - begin!"The loudspeakers flared with the sharp screech of an airhorn, and Tokoyami crouched into a low stance."Prepare to be swallowed by the endless abyss of darkness!" He declared. "Dark Shadow, take flight!"Something moved from underneath Tokoyami's cloak that made Fate move on the defensive with Bardiche until something slithered out from below the hem and shot across the field like a speeding bullet. A shadow monster with a face similar to Tokoyami's and glowing yellow eyes – a shiver ran up Akko's spine as she was reminded of the Heartless from the year before.Fate watched the shadow monster with intense focus as it loomed over her, its claws swiping across the air. Fate tilted her head back to dodge the first swing, then leaned to the left to duck underneath the second, and then flipped over the shadow's arm the third time, landing directly at the beast's left side. Dark Shadow twisted its body about to face Fate, showing that it didn't have any physical restrictions and could simply mold itself in any direction it wanted, much like its name. Fate slid across the ground underneath Dark Shadow when the beast tried to grab her, then jumped back to the opposite end of the field when it took a swipe at her.At first it seemed like Fate was acting purely defensive, but Akko had been working on combat training with Fate for the last two months to know better. Once the blonde mage had landed on her feet, she snapped her fingers - the echo carried across the rowdy stadium – and Dark Shadow was suddenly surrounded by more than a dozen floating arrows made of solid yellow energy."Plasma Lancer - Fire!" she shouted.The shining arrowheads rained down on Dark Shadow; the dark beast cried out in pain as it raised its arms over its head as if they would somehow block it. Even from a distance, Fate's sharp eyes noticed that the shadowy monster quivered and seemed to shrink momentarily every time it was hit by one of the arrowheads before restoring itself to normal size. The shivering sensation traveled down the long stretch of darkness that connected it to Tokoyami and the bird-faced fighter cringe only briefly that no normal person would have noticed. Fate hummed thoughtfully as the last of her Plasma Lancer snapped at Dark Shadow and a thought occurred to her…an idea formed in her head…."Bardiche - Zanber Form!" Fate commanded."Yes, Sir!" her weapon acknowledged.Bardiche's axe head separated into two halves with a single spike in between them, forming the hilt as a long blade of solid yellow energy grew from the base, making the weapon resemble a claymore. Fate lowered herself into a stance with the giant sword held parallel to her body, the tip of Bardiche's glowing blade pointed at Dark Shadow, who visibly trembled. The blonde mage slid her front foot forward a few inches, bringing the sword slowly behind her…and then she suddenly pivoted and shot straight towards Tokoyami!"Dark Shadow, return!" Tokoyami shouted fretfully.The shadow monster instantly snapped itself back to its master and expanded itself into a wide shield to cover Tokoyami as Fate slashed her sword diagonally in a blur of motion. Dark Shadow squealed as the blade of light sliced through its black body, quivering uncontrollably and – if Akko's eyes weren't fooling her – it looked like Dark Shadow was actually crying. Meanwhile, Fate's brow was furrowed in a serious expression as she watched the black beast subtly shrink and grow back, humming thoughtfully."I knew it," she muttered."Fate Testarossa has gone on the offensive, and it looks like Tokoyami's not taking it well!" shouted Wangari as Fate sliced Dark Shadow six more times in rapid succession, forcing the pair to slink backwards. "Fate's rush is unstoppable! Tokoyami's special power looks like it would almost make him invisible, but now he's getting push back almost instantly!""That's why I said Tokoyami would have a rough time against Testarossa," said Neku Sakuraba casually. "Against any other opponent, Tokoyami might be able to control the field, but he's going up against an opponent whose magic uses an element that contrasts with Tokoyami's Dark Shadow. It's not that Tokoyami is weak – he just got set up with the worst opponent."Fate slashed Dark Shadow with all her strength once more from above, cutting a long yellow line across its black body. Dark Shadow whimpered like a wounded dog and had no choice but to slither back underneath Tokoyami's cloak, leaving the bird-faced fighter to fend for himself. Of course, he had very little chance to do anything before Fate suddenly closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye, driving her knee into Tokoyami's stomach. The bird-faced hero-in-training hit the ground hard with his back, grimacing, and looked up when he felt a pressure on his chest. Fate had straddled Tokoyami with her legs pinning the boy's arms to the ground and the edge of Bardiche's blade pressed against his throat, allowing no chance for him to move."You…," Tokoyami spoke softly. "Did you know…Dark Shadow's weakness?""I had my suspicions after I attacked him with my Plasma Lancers," Fate explained coolly. "I noticed the way it seemed to diminish whenever it was struck with my lightning-based magic. Since your Quirk was composed entirely of shadow mass, I figured out that it was vulnerable to light-based attacks, so I used Bardcihe's Zanber Form, which produces a sword of solid light. But I knew your Quirk wouldn't just sit still and let me attack it. Then I noticed you hadn't moved since the match started, which must have meant that you don't have any experience fighting directly – ""So you used me as bait to lure in Dark Shadow," Tokoyami concluded. "I see…so I lost in both power and tactics. I admit defeat.""Tokoyami has given up – Team Luna Nova's Fate Testarossa takes the win!" shouted Wangari enthusiastically as the local crowd exploded in cheers. Fate, being the good sport that she is, helped Tokoyami to his feet and offered each other praise. "Adding this on top of her first-place win in the challenge round, Fate has singlehanded scored a perfect game in the second round of the Contest, jumping Luna Nova all the way into first place with twenty-six points!""Miss Testarossa certainly is the MVP of the day," said the Grand Master, clapping his hands like a giddy child."Meanwhile, U.A. High finishes the day off with a score of fourteen points," said Neku Sakuraba. "They haven't been doing well in the tournament so far and it's starting to drag them down. They're going to need to get their act together if they want to win.""An Excellent match, Testarossa," Diana complimented Fate, who was high-fiving Akko and Makoto. "Thanks to your efforts, we have now taken a significant lead.""Two matches in one day and you still smoked the competition!" said Akko excitedly. "You're so awesome, Fate-chan!""Oh, it was nothing much, really," said Fate, smiling sheepishly, her cheeks dusted pink.At the same time, Tokoyami climbed up the bleachers to join his teammates – Midoriya and Tsuyu patted his back sympathetically, but Bakugo growled with his teeth bared."You stupid birdbrain!" Bakugo snapped. "How could you lose to a wimpy girl like that?""Forgive me," said Tokoyami shamefully. "This day, the endless abyss of darkness was pierced by the blinding rays of the light.""I'm sure Tokoyami gave it his all," said Midoriya supportively. "That's what counts, right?""SHUT IT, YOU DAMN NERD!" Bakugo snarled; Midoriya flinched and whimpered."Moving right along to the next match," Wangari announced, referring to her roster sheet. "And it looks like we have a real David and Goliath fight ahead as Otoya Takechi from Myojo Academy faces off against the titanic terror from Honnoji, Ira Gamagori!""Ira Gamagori is head of Honnoji's Disciplinary Committee and technically the oldest student at Honnoji Academy at the age of twenty," Neku Sakuraba informed them, crossing his arms across his chest. "His size seems to fluxuate depending on his mood and he calls himself Satsuki Kiryuin's 'Impenetrable shield'. But on the other hand, Otoya Takechi is a homicidal psychopath who gained a reputation as 'Jack the Ripper of the twenty-first century' for purportedly killing twenty-nine people by repeatedly cutting them with scissors.""They let someone like
that
into a high school?" Wangari shouted shockingly."A school for assassins," Neku reminded her. "But nothing was ever proven. According to a statement given by Myojo's chairwoman, any evidence against Takechi was proven to be circumstantial and charged the detective leading the investigation of making baseless accusations. Strangely enough, the detective went missing shortly after Takechi was enrolled in Myojo.""Yeah, that's not suspicious at all," Wangari said sarcastically.While the commentary was giving the rundown on whether or not Otoya was a serial killer or not, the hulking blonde man from Honnoji stood up, cracking his neck in a dramatic fashion."You're going to want to be careful around that girl from Myojo," said Inumuta as he clicked away on his laptop. "Whether or not Otoya Takechi has committed mass murder, she was still trained by Myojo Academy's finest. She will have military training on top of her natural skills as a killer.""Yeah, so don't go dying out there, or Lady Satsuki's gonna be pissed," said Jakuzure, jabbing her baton at the taller man. "Just take her out and be done with it.""Your concern is touching but unnecessary," said Gamagori firmly. "I am Lady Satsuki's impenetrable shield. I won't fall to anyone.""What about the time I kicked your ass?" said Ryuko, grinning. Gamagori went strangely silent.As the hulking man marched down onto the field, he looked across the stadium as his opponent was skipping merrily down the stairway and bouncing over the railing to land on the turf. Otoya Takechi with a bubbly round face and bouncy purple ponytail hummed a little song under her breath and waited for Gamagori, waving down the giant. Gamagori wasn't the least bit fooled by her little act; he had served Satsuki long enough to know when someone was pretending to be something they're not. He reached the center field in a few short strides and leered down at his opponent, who barely even came up to his waist; the size difference between them was a little alarming for most of the audience."Man, you can feel the tension in the air," said Wangari. "I know if a man the size of a tank was glaring down at me, I'd be running in the other direction.""We never said anything about Takechi being sane," Neku Sakuraba commented."They're right, you are pretty big," Otoya muttered in a low voice so that only Gamagori could hear, eyes closed with a sickly-sweet smile. "That must mean you have a whole lot of blood to give. I technically can't kill you…but I can cut you - over and over again as much as I want, tearing the flesh from the muscle little by little – until your bleeding all over the ground, soaking the grass red, just enough keep you alive until you bleed out after the games." She shuddered with hands on her cheeks, grinning from ear-to-ear. "Ooh, it gives me chills. Wow, I can't stand it – I'm getting all wet.""You are a sick, twist fiend," Gamagori scolded."You have no idea," said Otoya happily."Let's not keep anyone in suspense any longer!" Wangari shouted. "The second match of the day begins…NOW!"The airhorn blasted across the stadium and Otoya immediately bounced away from her larger opponent. She reached into her pocket and whipped out a pair of scissors that were stained with a deep-red color, almost like blood – Gamagori tried not to imagine the implications of the color."You think you can frighten me with such a puny weapon!" shouted Gamagori in an unnecessarily loud voice. "Don't make me laugh!"The larger man reached into the hidden slots of his gauntlets and pulled out something that looked like a flesh colored tentacle – an implication that made several people in the audience feel very uncomfortable. Gamagori snapped the whip around the air once before bringing it down on top of Otoya. The scissor-wielding serial killer jumped to the side as the whip cut a long gouge in the turf before retracting back to Gamagori. Otoya leaned forward and charged headlong at her opponent, who had summoned a second whip from his other gauntlet and lashed them both violently through the air. She jumped over the first whip and slid on her knees to avoid the second one, grinning madly the entire time, and quickly closing the gap between them. When she within striking distance, Otoya attempted to stab Gamagori's stomach with her scissors…but Gamagori's big, meaty hand wrapped around her wrist before she could pierce him.Otoya let out a surprised yelp when Gamagori lifted her off the ground by her wrist, holding her up until they were at eye level. The scissor-wielder struggled vainly to break free, even tried kicking him in the face, but the tall, blonde didn't flinch even with the footprint stamped between his eyes."Did you really think you could hurt me with those tiny scissors?" said Gamagori, glaring."I don't know, why don't you let me down and we'll find out," said Otoya, smiling teasingly.With a steely gaze, Gamagori tossed Otoya into the air, making her flail helplessly like a ragdoll. Suddenly, she was caught in the air when Gamagori's tentacle whip suddenly slithered into view, wrapping around Otoya serval times with her arms restricted to her sides (but she kept a firm grip on her scissors, though). One sharp tug and Gamagori pulled the serial killer back down until she smacked face first into the ground, bouncing off the turf with a choked cry of pain. The audience gasped in horror, thinking how a man could do such a horrible thing. But it was far from over….Gamagori pivoted on his heel and snapped the whip over his shoulder, flinging Otoya in a high arc across the air until she hit the ground on her back, coughing up blood with a wheezing gasp. He snapped the whip around again, this time smashing Otoya on her side only a few feet short from the out of bounds line, but he pulled her back before she had any chance of crossing it. Back and forth in every direction across the field, Gamagori mercilessly beat the poor high school girl into the ground, splashing several areas in fleck of blood. The audience cried out in fear and outrage at Gamagori's cruelty, though the students from Honnoji were strangely passive of the treatment, acting as if this were a common occurrence for them. Akko briefly wondered if that were the case…."A sick and twisted individual like you doesn't deserve the sympathy of the people!" Gamagori shouted as he slammed Otoya again. "I know the type of person you really are! A monster who seeks sexual release from the deaths of the innocent! You are a plague on this world and you deserve to be smited for your crimes!"He brought Otoya down one last time at his feet, burying her face first into the turf. The scissor-wielding assassin didn't move – for one heart stopping moment, Akko thought Gamagori had killed her. But, thankfully, Otoya wheezed weakly and grimaced. The audience was still jeering at Gamagori, but he pointedly ignored them as he retracted his whip, pulling her off the ground until they were once again at eye level."Holy crap," Wangari muttered into the microphone. "This is the most brutal, one-sided fight we had yet. Takechi hasn't even landed a single blow and Gamagori is throwing her around like a yo-yo.Otoya was thoroughly beaten in every physical sense. Beyond any internal damage she may have, her head had been split open, spilling a profuse amount of blood down her face like a red waterfall, the white of her left eye was bleeding red, likely because of a popped vessel, and her nose was definitely broken. Yet, somehow, she was still alive and still clutching her scissors like they were a life support. The young assassin took a deep, gasping breath, putting a lot of strain on herself just to turn her head, and, to everyone's shock, Otoya smiled from ear-to-ear, her teeth soaked in her own blood."Oh wow…," Otoya gasped with a shuddering sigh, her eyes rolling up like she was feeling intense pleasure. "That…was…incredible…. Oh my god…Oh god, I'm so wet right now…. You can actually feel it…."Gamagori actually took a step back, eyes wide with terror, as Otoya shuddered again with her tongue sticking out. There was a wetness running down her legs that was not blood; Gamagori dropped her immediately and took several steps away like he was afraid of touching her."You…sick abomination," said Gamagori, horrified. "You're…you're actually enjoying this? What kind of twisted pervert are you?""Does he really have any right to say anything?" Ryuko asked Jakuzure, who shook her head disdainfully.Despite her injuries, Otoya somehow found the strength to push herself up to her feet, though her stance was wobbly at best. Even with blood cascading down her face, Otoya stared at Gamagori with wide, unblinking eyes and a toothy smile that stretched from ear-to-ear. Even Gamagori found it hard to not be unnerved – even the sick freaks at Honnoji were nothing like her."So much blood…," said Otoya wickedly, snapping her scissors. "It makes me want to cut you even more.""You're crazy," Gamagori grimaced. "But no matter how insane you may be, you can never hurt me. My power is too great!""Oh…," said Otoya, chuckling darkly, "wanna bet?"The dark-haired serial killer slowly marched across the field, hobbling toward Gamagori. He started to pull back his tentacle whip for another swing when he suddenly felt a burning pain in his skull. Gamagori held his head, grimacing, and only dimly realized that his vision was slowly becoming blurred; the shapes and colors of the environment were subtly mixing with one another, painting his sight like a canvas. Gamagori blinked rapidly, which cleared away some of his sight, and realized at the last moment that Otoya was standing directly below him. The hulking man shook his head and started swinging his whip on top of her, but his arms were sluggish and the whip missed Otoya by at least a mile – his depth perception had been thrown off. Otoya let out a barking laugh before she grabbed Gamagori by the shirt, pulled herself up, and stabbed her knife into the man's cheek (Otoya admitted later that she had been aiming for his eye).Gamagori stumbled back as Otoya jumped off him, holding his cheek where he was bleeding, biting his tongue to stop himself from crying out in pain. Whatever it was that Otoya had done, it did nothing to dull his pain receptors – if anything, it heightened them. When he looked back at the serial killer, Otoya had jumped forward and cut him across the stomach, leaving a wide gash through his uniform, which he thought was supposed to be indestructible to almost everything; guess scissors were just the Life Fiber's natural enemy, no matter what kind. Gamagori tried striking her down with his whips, but his body wasn't responding to his thoughts and Otoya effortlessly jumped back and forth to avoid them. Otoya leaned forward and stabbed Gamagori in his ribs; the blonde giant hissed, but refused to give the freak the pleasure of knowing she was hurting him.For the next five minutes, everyone was forced to watch as Gamagori moved painfully slow trying to hit Otoya with his whips, only for the serial killer to dodge with the greatest of ease and stab him again. Ryuko Matoi's hand gripped the railing hard when one cut came dangerously close to Gamagori's throat. She was purposely avoiding all the vital points, Ryuko thought. She didn't want to kill Gamagori in fear of being eliminated, but she was making sure that the experience was painful for him. But just when it looked like Gamagori's knees were about to buckle under the weight of the pain, the blonde giant corrected his stance and stayed firmly planted on his feet, even if he was slouched over."Holy crap, this one side match turned tide really quickly!" shouted Wangari."Takechi must have done something to disorient Gamagori," said Neku Sakuraba."This fight is turning out even more exciting than I could have hoped!" said the Grand Master giddily."You…," Gamagori wheeze, glaring sightlessly at Otoya. "What did you do to me?""Was wondering when you were gonna ask," said Otoya with her crazy smile. "I'm not like some super freak like Azuma or that blonde bimbo with the robot arms. I'm just a normal girl…well, a normal girl with psychopathic tendencies, but details. Basically, I had no chance of winning fair…so I asked one of my classmates to whip up a couple o' medicines – she's super awesome with chemicals. First one was a pill that numbed the pain in my body, which I took before the fight started. Then I had her make a special toxin made from all sorts of snake venoms and poisonous flowers then turned it into a perfume that I sprayed myself with earlier. It dulls the senses of anyone who breathes it in and makes their body feel like lead. Pretty crazy, right!""Then why…aren't you affected?" asked Gamagori."I'm immune to poisons," said Otoya, twirling his scissors dramatically. "This is the part where you give up now. I'm technically not allowed to kill you and cutting up an ugly old man isn't as exciting as cutting up cute girls, so whaddya say we call it quits and go on with our meaningless lives.""As if I would ever do such a shameful thing," Gamagori sneer. "To do so would bring dishonor to Lady Satsuki and Honnoji Academy. I will die before I ever bend my knee to you!""All right, but I gave you a chance," said Otoya, flashing her scissors. "Don't hold it against me!"As the dark-haired serial killer lunged forward, Gamagori couldn't even bring himself to lift his arms in defense and Otoya stabbed him squarely in the chest, directly over his heart. Many in the audience gasped; several of them covered their eyes; Ryuko jumped out of her seat and threatened to run onto the field, but was held back by Jakuzure and their green-haired classmate. Otoya grinned to herself in her apparent victory, which quickly changed to a surprised gasp when one of Gamagori's meaty hands wrapped around her own, hold her and the scissors in place. The serial killer snapped her head up at Gamagori, with blood dribbling down his chin, as the taller man glared furiously at his opponent."I already told you…," Gamagori hissed slowly. "I – will – never – KNEEL!"He raised his free hand above his head, clenched it into a fist, and brought it down on top of Otoya's head while she was held in place. The moment his knuckles connected with her skull, there was a loud crack that echoed in the field, causing the whole stadium to go still. Otoya's body went limp, and when Gamagori released her hand, she fell face down on the ground, unmoving. There was a long, uncomfortable paused throughout the stadium…and then Wangari finally spoke up."Um…it looks like Otoya Takechi is knocked out," she said awkwardly. "I guess Gamagori is the winner –
""Don't be so quick to judge," Neku Sakuraba interjected. They watched as the medics clambered onto the field, bringing out a stretcher for Otoya. As they carted the serial killer out of the stadium, one of the medics looked over Gamagori, who hadn't moved for several minutes, then waved up at the commentators. "It looks like Gamagori has finally passed out from the extensive blood loss. That means we have our second drawn in the Contest. Honnoji will have thirteen points at the end of the day and Myojo will have twenty-one.""Oh, how exciting," said the Grand Master, earning a couple of strange stares from Wangari and Neku. "That was the best match yet. I hope the next one will be just as exciting.""We should go see how he's doing," said Ryuko immediately, jumping out of her seat. But she was held in place when a strong hand rested on her shoulder, making her turn around in surprise. "What – Nee-san?""We can't leave yet," said Satsuki insistently. "One of the keys to victory is to observe the matches of our opponents so that we may be better prepared to face them in the coming trials.""But the big guy is – ""Gamagori is strong and resilient – you of all people should know that," said Satsuki firmly. "He would be ashamed if he thought we were worried for his sake. For the sake of his pride, wait until the matches are over."Ryuko frowned, looking like she wanted to argue, but in the end, she sat back down with her arms crossed while Satsuki took the empty seat beside her."Now that Takechi and Gamagori are both safely in the medical wing and the field has been mostly cleaned," said Wangari, "we'll be moving on to our next match-up, which will hopefully have a lot less blood. Up next we have the class president and the group mother of Class Zero, a dame who's just as classy as her name, Queen! And from Team Black Star, just coming off a humiliating last place finish in the challenge round and most likely looking to make a comeback, it's Chariot!"Akko could see Chariot from her seat several feet away and she did not look too happy at being reminded of her failure as she stood up, rolling back and forth of the giant wheels that were her feet. She looked at Mato, who was still wearing her hood over her face, clenching her hand into a tight fist as if warning Chariot not to lose again. Chariot visibly flinched, lowered her head, and rolled out onto the field. That was weird, Akko thought…. But she would have time to ponder the matter later because Queen was stepping onto the field, followed by a chorus of bright cheers. Her posture rigidly straight with her shoulder squared and her eyes locked forward, Queen carried herself like a properly lady (or like Diana, Akko thought). She carried with her a great longsword on her back, held perfectly straight, and she readjusted her glasses while crossing the field, examining Chariot with a critical eye.The two met at the centerfield line – Queen's fingers were wrapped around the handle of her sword over her shoulder, but it seemed like Chariot was left without a weapon. That was until she raised her hand and a deafening
bang
thundered outside the stadium, making several people jump in their seats. Something shot over the walls, flipping through the air into the stadium. It was looked like a giant gold-and-black wheel – it took a moment for Akko to realize that it was one of the wheels used for the cart that giant mechanical spider carried around. Chariot deftly snatched the wheel with her claws and slammed it down beside her, the weapon at least twice as big as herself. Queen furrowed her brows with a thoughtful expression –"Hoo-boy, looks like things are finally starting to heat up!" shouted Wangari. "Hopefully these two won't cause as much trouble as the last pair.""I wouldn't count on Chariot to pull any punches," said Neku Sakuraba coolly. "The Black Rock Shooter anime is pretty dark and brutal. Then again, Queen can be a heartless bitch when she wants to be." Queen glared up at Neku through her glasses, which the teen casually ignored. "I don't know. We'll just have to see what happens.""Well, now that Neku is done insulting the contestants," said Wangari. "Let's get the third match of the second day started…NOW!"For the third time that evening, the airhorn blasted through the loudspeakers.Chariot lifts the giant wheel one-handed with the greatest of ease, twists her upper body around, and tosses it as if the wheel were a frisbee. Queen narrowed her eyes with a calculative glance before she leaped over the wheel, spinning around once, and hit the ground rolling back up to her feet. The bespectacled soldier flashed her broadsword, swinging it around with one hand without showing signs of being affected by its weight, and carried herself into a sliding lunge at Chariot's chest. But moments before the hit could connect, Chariot's right hand ignited with golden blocks and suddenly pulled a black-and-gold broad sword out of nothingness, blocked the stab with its flat side, sparks showering them upon contact. Queen's eyes narrowed as the two struggled for a moment before Queen pushed off and jumped out of Chariot's reach, taking a practiced ready stance with her sword held parallel to her body.Chariot was the one to close the distance between them, sliding along the field on her wheels that gave her a great boost of speed as she swung her broadsword across the air. Queen tilted her sword to block Chariot's blade using only one hand without having to shift her stance. The bespectacled soldier thrusted her palm forward, shouting "Thundaga!" and fired a bullet of electricity that hit Chariot squarely in the chest. Chariot is thrown backwards, bouncing once off the ground before landing face down on the ground. The blonde demon immediately pushes herself up to her elbows and leers at Queen, who had shifted into a stance with her sword raised above her head, prepared for a downward slash when –"Queen, behind you!" Rem shouted from the sidelines in a panic."Wha - ?" Queen stammered surprised, glancing over her shoulder.Unbelievably, Chariot's wheel had flown across the stadium, slammed against the guardrails, making the metal bend and causing several people to jump back over their seats, but still continued to spin. The rotation carried the wheel along the railing for several feet until it suddenly bounced off and went flying back toward Queen. The bespectacled soldier only caught a glimpse of the wheel and turned her body to dodge, but the weapon clipped her left shoulder, making a painful snapping noise. Queen rolled into the turf holding her shoulder as she pushed herself to one knee, wincing with her teeth gritted. She tried moving her shoulder, but the visible strain on her face showed that it had been dislocated.At the same time, Chariot suddenly jumped to her feet – er, wheels – and leapt up, snatching her weapon out of the air. The half-machine demon rotated with her wheel, gaining momentum, as she fell forward above Queen and swiped her broadsword down. Queen, though still riddled with pain, jumped backwards out of the way before Chariot slammed her sword into the ground, creating a wide crack in the turf. The bespectacled soldier bounced back twice to put a little extra distance between them while Chariot ripped her sword out of the ground, taking a momentary pause."Yowza! Only five minutes into the fight and we're already off to an explosive start!" Wangari yelled exuberantly. "Chariot is going all-out in full force with her brutal heavyweight attacks, but Queen's grace and form are not giving any leeway!""Chariot is a simple character that prioritizes both speed and strength over complicated strategy," said Neku Sakruaba knowledgably. "Her prosthetic parts offer her increased power and mobility while maintaining her stamina for extensive periods of time, making her almost impossible to tire out. But on the opposite side, Queen is the strategical leader of Class Zero, always watching and calculating her chances. She never makes a move without purpose and each of her forms serves a different purpose. That on top of her master level skill with lightning magic makes her a deadly foe to contend with.""But it looks like Queen is in a bit of trouble," said the Grand Master. "Her shoulder is clearly dislocated. Will she still be able to fight with that?"Queen glanced up at the Grand Master almost like she was being issued a challenge. Well, since her opponent was giving her the chance, she might as well take it.Queen unraveled the strings holding her sword scabbard and brought it to her mouth, biting down on it. In that moment when she grabbed her shoulder, Akko knew what was coming and winced as the bespectacled soldier sharply pulled her arm up with an audible cracking sound. Queen's cries were muffled by the scabbard, which bended slightly as her teeth bit down. But once the pain had subsided, Queen rolled her shoulder, flinching slightly but otherwise able to move. She threw the scabbard away and reclaimed her sword off the ground, once again taking a formal stance as she stared down her opponent."That was BAD-ASS!" shouted Wangari. "That's the kind of crazy thing you see in TV dramas.""Queen is a soldier, after all," said Neku Sakuraba. "She probably has a lot of experience tending to her own injuries."Chariot frowned and rolled forward towards Queen, swinging her shield around for a heavy thrust. Queen gripped her broadsword with both hands and clashed with the wheel, managing to hold her ground for a few seconds before her feet started sliding back across the turf. The bespectacled soldier rolled sideways, allowing Chariot to push past her, and shot a quick lightning bullet off to the side. Chariot twirled around on her wheels, swinging her shield around to deflect the shot, and followed up with her broadsword. Queen sharply pivoted and swiped her own sword to meet Chariots, the two clashing in a spray of sparks.For a moment, the two of them seemed evenly matched, until Chariot suddenly spun her right wheel backwards, spraying clumps of turf in Queen's face. The bespectacled soldier stumbled, speedily wiping her face of Chariot's underhanded trick, while her opponent swiftly rolled around behind Queen. Chariot pressed her shield against Queen's back and activated a hidden mechanism that sprouted several spikes in the circular indentations. Both of Queen's arms and legs were skewed and one of the spikes came dangerously close to her head, splattering the ground with droplets of her blood – so much for keeping it clean.Queen grimaced, no doubt biting back her own painful shouts, as she roughly dislodged her right arm from the spike, spilling even more blood. She shot a quick glance over her shoulder, catching Chariot's surprised expression, before she skillfully twirled her sword over her head and behind the shield. Queen's broadsword sliced Chariot's arm at the wrist, cleaving it away from the main body, much to the demon's shock. The soldier forcefully ripped the rest of her body away from Chariot's shield, tilted it diagonally, and then shoved it at Chariot's legs. The metallic prosthetics were crushed under the weight of Chariot's shield, making the blonde fall on her butt while her wheels rolled away from her, almost comedically so.Even when she was reduced to only one limb, Akko had to give credit to Chariot for no surrendering right away. The blonde demon, leaning on her only arm, pushed herself up sharply as Queen moved the shield separating the two of them out of the way, taking a lengthy stab at her opponent's head. But the bespectacled soldier not only dodged the strike, she snapped Chariot's wrist with the broadside of her sword, causing her to unintentionally throw it away, where it landed ten feet from them, stabbing the ground.Chariot pushed herself up in her one arm, growling, when she felt the steel of Queen's sword press against her neck. Queen readjusted her glasses in a cool fashion, leering down at her fallen enemy."You have been beaten," she said. "Surrender with grace."There was a brief flash in Chariot's eyes as if she was having a horrifying flashback. Then the blonde lowered her head, pushing herself up into a sitting position, and raised her one arm in surrender."What a turnaround!" Wangari screamed as the airhorn blew and the audience jumped in roaring applause. "The winner of the third match is the high and mighty Queen from Class Zero! That shoots Class Zero up the leaderboard with a strong twenty-three-point finish! Unfortunately, combining Chariot's last place standing in the challenge round and her defeat in the battle round, Team Black Star is ending the day without gaining a single point, putting them in a dangerous position with only fourteen points.""Looks like the crowd favorite is quickly losing ground to the other teams," said the Grand Master, noticeably grinning from ear-to-ear. "But that only means their comeback story will be even more exciting!"The medic team raced onto the field, two lifting Chariot onto a stretcher while the others picked up the parts for her prosthetics. As they carted her off, Chariot looked into the stands towards the rest of her team. Though her face was concealed from the majority of the audience, Chariot could see the furious glare Mato was shooting her from the shadow of her hood, making the blonde flinch fretfully before she disappeared inside. Meanwhile, Queen returned to her seat, having turned down the medic's offer to bandage her up, and slouched forward with her back to Rem. The younger student held her palms against Queen's bleeding back, covering them in a soft green glow."Good work out there," said Rem kindly."I was sloppy," said Queen, chastising herself. "I allowed her to get behind me.""No one is perfect, not even you," said King coolly. "What matters is that we won and now we're near the top of the leaderboard just behind Luna Nova.""It's only the second day," said Ace, twirling a card between his fingers. "We still have a long road ahead before the finals. We can't let our guard down for a moment.""All right, the second day of the Contest of Champions reaches its final match at last!" shouted Wangari. "Coming in from Serenity Academy is a player who is completely unknown to us, but was still chosen chose over hundreds of other students, it's Kanami Eto! And her opponent will be the serious sword mistress from Sanshu Academy, Karin Miyoshi!""We already know that Miyoshi is from the same team as Yuna Yuki, who fought Izuku Midoriya to a draw in the last round," said the Grand Master. "But we're clueless as to who Kanami Eto is. Mr. Sakuraba, you attend the same school as her. Can you tell us anything about Miss Eto.""I can tell you that she is the only Human on the team," said Neku Sakuraba coolly. "So she's the only one who doesn't have any special powers.""What?" said the Grand Master, flabbergasted. "Then she's completely helpless against someone who has been given the power of a God. This will be a short match," he muttered disappointedly."Don't go underestimating her just yet," said Neku Sakuraba. "There's a reason she was chosen to join other like Eruna and Raven."Walking down from the stands at Serenity Academy's section, Kanami Eto was smiling wildly with a look of excitement gleaming in her eyes, her hand gripped to the customized katana scabbard strapped to her waist. And two sections to the left of her was Karin Miyoshi walking down with a calm and collected expression, and she stepped lightly down the stairway past her teammates wishing her good luck, wielding two long, hiltless katana. As they walked toward the centerfield line, Akko noticed that there was a twinkle in Kanami's eye as she stared longingly at Karin's twin katana's, her own hand twitching eagerly on the handle of her own. Akko chanced a look at the Shiny Rod in her belt; the Rod was completely motionless – neither one of them gave off the same kind of feeling as Yuna did."Which do you think is going to win?" Makoto asked her teammates suddenly."Obviously it's going to be Miyoshi," said Diana with certainty. "After all, she is merely a Human, and the girls from Sanshu were given power from their personal God. It's a completely one-sided match.""Don't go underestimating the power of Humans," said Nico. "You might be surprised.""You hear them, don't you?" said Raven from Team Serenity with her arms crossed. "They're all underestimating us. They think Kanami is weak because she's Human.""That'll just make their expressions even funnier when they see what Kanami-chan can do," said Eruna, grinning widely."I just hope Eto-san will be all right," said Mikoto, frowning as she held her Pikachu close to her chest.Down on the field, Kanami and Karin reach the centerfield where they stood on the lines opposite of each other on the circle. Karin's brow furrowed with a determined look, twirling the dual katana in her hands out of a nervous habit. She had the power of a God on her side, but there was a sense of unease about the way her opponent was just smiling like an excited puppy, crouching low into a drawing stance with her hand firmly on her own blade. Karin leaned forward slightly, swords held parallel to her side, to which Kanami eagerly glanced at her weapons."Ooh, you use the Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū sword style," said Kanami excitedly. "I haven't fought anyone that uses that style of swordsmanship since me and Hiyori-chan fought Yukari Origami. I hope you're as strong as her. I look forward to swordfighting with you!" she added with a gracious bow."Uh…right," said Karin, surprised, and unconsciously bowed back."Promise me you won't hold anything back, okay," Kanami requested. "I want you to go all out – give me everything you got! And I promise I'll give you everything I've got, too!""Yeah…sure," said Karin strangely. Kanami smiled happily; this girl is weird, Karin thought."Kanami Eto doesn't look worried at all," said Wangari. "Is she trying to get inside her opponent's head or is she just that confident. Let's find out, because the last match of the second day starts…NOW!"Before the airhorn even blasted through the loudspeakers, Karin dashed across the field at blinding speeds, seeking to end this fight quickly. She was upon Kanami in the blink of an eye and slashed both her swords down on her opponent's shoulders with the idea of immobilizing her so that couldn't draw her sword. But just as Karin started to swing her blades in a high arc, something happened that caught her by surprise: Kanami looked up, stared her straight in the eye…and smiled. There was a flash of silver and Karin suddenly realized that she was flying backwards, her hands shaking violent as her twin swords vibrated in her palms, the metal ringing in her ears.Karin flipped backwards in the air and landed back on her feet, but her hands were still throbbing. She stabbed her swords in the ground to stop them from vibrating and stared across the field at Kanami, only to realize that her opponent had already drawn her sword. When did that happen, Karin wondered. She hadn't even seen the girl move. Her hands were still shaking slightly as a dull throb rushed up and down the length of her arm.Karin slapped her cheeks – get your head in the game, she chastised herself – ripped her swords out of the ground and dived at Kanami again. The swordswoman from Serenity smiled pleasantly as she easily sidestepped one of Karin's blades swinging down and blocked the second sword with her own when Karin twirled around. The Senshu champion slashed Kanami across the chest – which her opponent effortlessly blocked – and then thrust into a stabbing motion for her shoulder, only for Kanami to casually duck out of the way. Karin then began to twirl her blades into an intersecting windmill formation, but Kanami dashed forward, stopped both blades with her single sword, and then kicked Karin in the stomach. The dual swordswoman slid backwards across the turf, pausing for a moment, then snapped her head up and leered at her opponent."Holy crap, did you see that!" Akko shouted astonishingly."No, did you?" Diana gasped."Not at all!" Akko yelled back."Kanami's doing pretty well for a Human," said Nico. "But I don't think Karin is giving up just yet.""That Kanami girl is pretty strong, isn't she?" said Yuna, watching the match in awe."Aw, she's just getting lucky, that's all!" Fu shouted confidently. "Just you wait; Karin's gonna comeback pretty soon.""They're about to learn what happens when you underestimate a student from Serenity Academy," said Raven.Karin leapt back into the fight, swinging her first sword for Kanami's knees, which she expectedly blocked, but then swung around her second blade to cut across the shoulders. Kanami pulled back slightly, narrowly dodging the cut, and then swung her sword from Karin's lower left side. The dual swordswoman barely managed to block the strike, but the force behind Kanami's swing caused Karin to stumble, which allowed Kanami to make a clean slice at Karin's right hip.Karin immediately pulled back and inspected the cut. Kanami's sword had managed to cut the God's Cloth, but her skin was undamaged underneath. Was that because of the Shinju-sama's protection, or was it because Kanami did it on purpose? It was strange, but Karin was actually starting to doubt herself – it hadn't even been three minutes into the fight!"Whoa! Eto is deftly deflecting Miyoshi's attacks and getting in a couple hit of her own!" yelled Wangari. "I can barely follow them, but I can say that this is impressive beyond words!""It looks like Miss Eto is actually holding the advantage in the fight," said the Grand Master, humming thoughtfully. "Perhaps I was wrong to think this would be over quickly.""Told you," said Neku Sakuraba."You're good, I'll give you that," said Karin seriously, raising both sword in front of her. "But I haven't even begun to show you my full power!""Yosh, then let's keep going!" said Kanami eagerly.Karin bared her teeth in frustration. The dual swordswoman bounded across the field again, leaping high into the air, and brought both her swords down with all her might. There was a momentary flash of panic in Kanami's eyes, giving Karin immense satisfaction, and the Serenity champion quickly raised her sword parallel to intercept the blades. Kanami's teeth rattled as her whole body quaked under the pressure – a small crater exploded in the ground beneath her feet, but the Toji refused to bend her knee. While she still hovered in the air, Karin swung her foot up and kicked Kanami's blade, throwing the Toji's hands in the air and leaving her wide open for attack. Karin started to swing her swords down again when Kanami suddenly grounded her feet and dived forward, tackling Karin in the stomach and sending them both tumbling across the turf.The two swordswomen rolled over one another for a few yards until Karin pressed her feet into Kanami's stomach and threw her off. Kanami landed on her back roughly, but swiftly rolled around to her knees just as Karin bounced back and twirled around repeatedly with her swords outstretched like a lethal tornado. Kanami blocked the onslaught of blows with the flat side of her sword, but Karin was slowly gaining ground over her while Kanami was still trapped on her knees. One particular swing from Karin was stronger than the others and knocked the sword out of Kanami's hand, stabbing it in the ground a few feet away.As Karin twirled around for a follow-up, Kanami suddenly leapt up and grabbed the Hero Club member by the arm, holding her in place. Before Karin could counter, Kanami slid underneath Karin's outstretched arm so that she was standing behind her, and twisted it behind her back. Karin cried out, reluctantly releasing her sword when Kanami pressed her thumb hard into her wrist. Karin attempted to swing back with her other sword, but Kanami promptly kicked her in the back, throwing Karin into the ground. By the time she scrambled back up to her feet, Kanami had already dashed over and retrieved her sword, moving into a stance."Ouch!" cried Wangari, who had jumped out of her seat in excitement. "It's like every time Miyoshi finally gains the lead, Eto knocks her back down! Miyoshi hasn't landed a single hit! It's like she knows what Miyoshi is going to do before she even does it!""Are you sure she's Human?" asked the Grand Master."You son of a – " Karin roared, rushing headlong at Kanami."Uh-oh, Karin-chan's starting to lose her cool," said Togo worriedly as Kanami expertly deflected Karin's swings with the smallest motions."Karin is way more emotional than she lets on," said Fu knowingly, wincing when Kanami landed a clean cut on her classmate's shoulder. "She's so proud and confident that she doesn't know how to handle herself when she's on the losing side of things. Not to mention her inferiority complex. I wonder if Eto knew that and that's why she's being so calm and casual about it.""No…I think Kanami-san is genuinely having fun," murmured Yuna.Karin was swinging with everything she had. Even after retrieving her second sword and slashing at her opponent from every conservable direction, Kanami still somehow managed to deflect EVERY – SINGLE – ONE! And to make it worse, the girl was just smiling the whole time like she was playing a game. That smile infuriated Karin – she wanted to wipe it off her damn face!Karin attempted a leaping strike again, bringing down both of her swords with all her strength. But rather than attempting to block again, Kanami moved – almost as if in slow motion – to the right and stopped at Karin's side just as the dual swordswoman smashed the ground with her blades, scarring the turf with two long cuts. Karin felt a thrill of panic run down her spine as she turned, wide-eyed, toward her opponent. With that same smile that haunted Karin, Kanami lunged forward and dashed behind Karin, her sword a silver blur across her back. The God's Cloth ripped open from behind, exposing a great deal of untouched skin, and Karin fell forward onto her hands and knees, suddenly feeling extremely weak.The crowd exploded in cheers; Kanami casually sheath her sword and turned to face Karin's back; the Sanshu champion was gnashing her teeth furiously, her finger gripping a patch of turf dangerously."That was a great fight, Karin-chan," said Kanami with a genuine smile. "Let's do it again some time. I bet you'll be even stronger next time!"And then just like that, Kanami turned and started walking away. The horn hadn't even sounded to signal the end of the match, but she was already assuming that it was over. That made Karin pissed; she ripped out clumps of turf with a howl of rage, pushing herself up with bloodshot eyes"No yet…," she muttered. "It's not over yet…. IT'S NOT OVER YET!"Kanami suddenly stopped in her tracks and spun around with a surprised expression, but it wasn't Karin's exclamation that caught her off-guard. The dual swordswoman with radiating with an enormous amount of crimson-red energy, the ground quaking beneath them as the power flowed over her in waves. All around them, the audience clung to their seats and railings as the entire stadium quivered. The girls from Sanshu watched their teammates with horrified expressions, as if not believing what she was doing. Karin threw her head back and shouted to the heavens:"MANKAI!"Karin exploded in a beam of red energy that shot into the sky, shaping into a massive flower symbol that overshadowed the stadium. All whom attended stared at the emblem with their jaws practically hitting the floor; Kanami grabbed her sword with an expression of concern.A shape began to materialize inside the emblem – four massive arms made entirely of red and white steel, each one holding a katana forged from crimson metal that was ten feet in length. And floating in the middle of these arms was Karin, her red battle uniform exchanged for a flowing white garb that resembled a traditional Miko, a golden God Ring hovering behind her.Karin hovered loftily over the field, her eyes narrow down at Kanami below, like a God prepared to smite the wicked."It's huge!" Akko screamed."Where the hell do they find these people?" Diana equally shouted in surprise."Is this the true power of the Sanshu Hero Club," Fate murmured, staring wide-eyed in the air."What is Karin thinking, using that power here?" yelled Fu furiously. "Doesn't she know that's dangerous?""I don't think she even cares at this point," said Togo worriedly."Karin-chan, please stop!" cried Yuna."Wow, that is really something," said Eruna, whistling impressively as she leaned back to look up. "I'd sure hate to be on the opposite end of that thing.""Aren't you worried about Eto-san?" Mikoto asked Eruna surprisingly. "Miyoshi called that thing Mankai. I read about it before - it's the closest thing we mortals were ever get to seeing God!""Yeah, that doesn't look pretty tough," said Eruna, smiling placidly. "But I'm not worried. That thing may be a God…but…."Karin roared with righteous fury as she flew forward on top of Kanami, drawing back all four swords for an attack that would likely devastate the entire stadium. For the first time since the match had started, the smile faded from Kanami's face…. In fact, it seemed like all emotion had been completely washed away.Kanami moved into a stance with her katana held in front of her, both hands gripping the handle tightly, and her eyes almost empty and lifeless as she slowly glanced up at her enemy. Karin swung her swords down over Kanami's head…but the champion from Serenity had vanished in the moment it took to blink, suddenly appearing behind Karin's Mankai with her sword outstretched.There was an uncomfortable moment of still silence in the stadium where no one moved an inch…. And then, without warning, the arms of Karin's Mankai were sliced in half and fell to pieces of the ground, the ten-foot swords shattering like glass. Karin's uniform ripped down the middle from top to bottom while her skin remained unblemished; Karin's expression was frozen in horror. Kanami straightened herself and holstered her katana before her opponent even hit the ground." – Kanami-chan is more powerful than God," Eruna concluded.Once again, the stadium had filled with a stunned silence, many unable to comprehend what they had just witnessed. After several moments, Wangari finally found her voice –"Th – The match is over! The winner is…Karin Miyoshi from Team Sanshu!""What?" Kanami screamed."WHAT?" cried Team Serenity."WHAAAAAAAAATTTTTTT?" The audience exclaimed."I don't get it – I thought I won!" Kanami called in confusion."Eto-san, your feet!" Mikoto suddenly cried out, pointing at the ground.Kanami blinked in confusion as she followed her junior's finger toward her feet…and let out a gasp of shock:She had stepped out of bounds."Now there's a twist we didn't see coming!" yelled Wangari as the airhorn blew and the crowd exploded into cheers. "While it seemed that Eto had defeated Karin, she had made the mistake of stepping out of bounds before the call had been made! That means even though she didn't win the fight, Miyoshi still won the battle round, giving Team Sanshu the full ten points.""Miss Eto is certainly the more powerful fighter," said the Grand Master, chuckling, "but her observation skills could use a little work."Over with Team Serenity, Raven facepalmed and Otone smacked her head on the railing while Eruna scratched her chin, chuckling nervously."She got too into the fight that she lost sight of her surroundings," Raven groaned."Well, I said she was more powerful than God," Eruna laughed. "I never said she was very aware."Karin laid on the ground, unable to form the thoughts necessary to move her limbs. She just couldn't believe it…. Her Mankai…defeated by a single Human with no powers…. Karin heard a series of footsteps draw closer and tilted her head up, only dimly understanding that Kanami was standing over her. The Toji's expression was completely blank as it had been when she struck…and then it suddenly shifted into that happy smile she had worn during the entire match."Wow, that was way too close!" said Kanami earnestly. "I thought I had it for sure! That was a really close match, Karin-chan! I didn't know what to do for when you used that Mankai! I thought I was completely done for! You're way totally strong, Karin-chan. I definitely won't lose next time!"What hurt the most was that Kanami wasn't even looking down on her – she was genuinely impressed by Karin and even complimenting her. Karin couldn't fight it any more – Karin wept openly with a loud sob, making Kanami panic."Eh – uh – wha – what did I do? Did I say something wrong?""Poor Karin-chan," Togo murmured softly."That's gotta be devastating," said Fu understandingly. "Even if she won the match, she still lost the fight. She never stood a chance….""And thus ends the second day of the Contest of Champions!" Wangari shouted. "That was a spectacular bout of matches, wouldn't you agree, Grand Master?""Most certainly," said the Grand Master. "That last one had me on the edge of my seat.""Now it's time to count up all the scores from the two round and check out the current rankings," said Wangari.
Luna Nova: 26p
Class Zero: 23p
Myojo: 21p
Serenity: 20p
Sanshu: 17p
Black Star: 14p
U.A.: 14p
Honnoji: 13p
"With two first place wins in one day, Team Luna Nova jumps to the top with twenty-six points!" shouted Wangari joyously. "And while Honnoji are still hanging around at the bottom, they're starting to gain some ground and will likely be pushing forward for the next event to come!""I just want to congratulate all our champions for a job well done," said the Grand Master. "And I look forward to even more splendid performances on the third day, which will be taking place on the twenty-fourth of February. That should give you plenty of time to rest up and prepare yourself for the coming events. And before you go, I would like to remind the champions from Luna Nova to meet me later to receive their special hint regarding the next event for their first-place win in the challenge round.""And that ends todays festivities for the Contest of Champions," said Wangari. "Thank you, Grand Master, and you, Neku, for joining me today. This is Wangari, wishing you a good day!"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Luna Nova was certainly in high spirits, even more than when Akko had won third place in the last challenge round. They were not only coming off a first-place win, but they had also won the battle round on top of it, giving Luna Nova a perfect score for the day. And it had all been because of Fate, who singlehandedly took on both portions. Akko definitely knew that if it had been her, she would have collapsed from exhaustion, but the blonde mage hardly looked winded. She was grinning from ear-to-ear as the whole school raised themselves out of their seats, chanting her name. And it wasn't just the Luna Nova…most of Blytonbury were howling with glee and even some of the other schools were politely clapping. Their cheers could be heard even when Akko and her teammates entered their locker room and changed to their normal clothes, their feet pounding about their heads.Akko, Makoto, Nico, and even Diana were gathered around Fate, who was smiling sheepishly as they showered her with praise."That was amazing, Fate-chan!" said Akko excitedly. "You were all like
pow
and
zip
and
boom
and – ""What I hope Akko is trying to say," Diana interjected, "is that you performed beyond our expectations. To have to go through two challenges back-to-back must be quite tiring.""Ah, that was nothing compared to training sessions with Nanoha," said Fate. "Don't tell her I said this, but I'm scared of her more than the other schools.""Well done,
all
of you!" the Grand Master boomed, bouncing into the locker room without even checking if they were decent; thankfully, they were. He looked quite pleased as if he had just finished the Games himself. "I hope you girl enjoy your nice long break before the third game, but I have something for you to think about in the meantime!"He held his hand out in front and waved the other over it, suddenly materializing a medium-sized box in his palm. The box looked to be made of wood and was painted deep-blue with wavy lines spinning around in a whirlpool pattern on all six sides. He handed the box to Akko, who turned it around in her hands. It looked like an ordinary box, except she couldn't find any openings in it. Strange…."Your next task will be to solve the clue inside this box – because it will tell you what the next challenge is, and enable you to prepare for it! All clear? You sure? Well, off you go, then!"And just like that, the Grand Master whipped out of the locker room, his fanciful golden cloak whipped around the corner as the locker room door closed behind him."That man gets weirder and weirder every time I see him," said Nico.Akko and the girls left the locker room when the it sounded like the crowd had exited the stadium. They started to walk down the long side corridor, talking hard, comparing the other schools; they all agreed that Serenity Academy was the most dangerous during the battle rounds while Black Star and Honnoji would probably make the challenge rounds more difficult for them. Then, as they rounded toward the exit where Akko saw Lotte and their friends waiting for them outside, a woman leapt out in front of them.It was Quattro Scaglietti. She looked particularly venomous with that sickly-sweet smile on her face."Congratulations, girls!" she said, beaming at them, particularly Diana. "I wonder if you could give me a quick word? How you felt during the race? How did you think the battle portion went? What do
you
think of the competition, Diana? Anything you have to say about your fellow contestants?"The way that Diana's fist was clenched at her side told her what she really wanted to say to Scaglietti, but her image as a Cavendish kept her from speaking her mind. Luckily, they were saved from having to tell her off when someone cleared their voice from behind and Annabel Crème marched down the corridor, leering dangerously at the reporter."Excuse me, Scaglietti," said Annabel Crème in a viciously calm tone. "But these girls really need to be heading back up to the school. It has been a very tiring day for them.""Oh, but I'm sure they can spare at least a few words," said Quattro insistently."You want a few words?" said Annabel Crème savagely. "All right then:
foutre le camp!"Quattro looked taken aback while Annabel Crème pushed the girls around and out the corridor. French was not one of the many languages Akko had learned, but the feeling behind it didn't need translating; Akko felt a new wave of respect for the teenage author."Can't believe they let someone like
that
running the news," Annabel Crème grumbled. "Then again, modern news only likes to write about things that cause controversy instead of getting to the actual truth. That's why I hate journalists so much.""You seem to hate Quattro Scaglietti more than most," Diana noted."If you've seen the trash she writes, you would know why," said Annabel Crème, shaking her head exasperatedly. "But you know what – forget it. Let's not think about that now. This is a time to be celebrating. Luna Nova is in first place. We should hurry on back to the school. No doubt Professor Holbrooke will want to throw a huge party in your honor, and we'd hate to disappoint her."Sure enough, when they entered the dining hall that afternoon, it exploded with cheers and yells again. Sir Nyanta and the goblins had gone all out in preparing a grand feast for their return. There were over two dozen steaming turkeys and smoked hams, towers of glasses filled with juice and wine, and a ten-layer cake that Sir Nyanta was fighting to keep Jasminka away from. The five banners of the Luna Nova houses hanged from the second-floor railing, but the decorations were prominently Corona-orange, no doubt in recognition of Fate's efforts. Wangari all but dragged Fate away for a private interview for the Luna Nova News Network.Akko helped herself to food and sat down with Lotte and Sucy. Now that she was sitting here in the aftermath of the second day, Akko almost couldn't believe she had been nervous about competing. Quite the contrary, Akko was starting to wish they could start the third challenge now instead of having to wait another two months."Oh wow, this is heavy," said Amanda, picking up the blue box, which Akko had left on the table, and weighed it in her hands. "Open it already, Akko, come on! Let's see what's inside it!""Now hold on a minute," said Diana swiftly approaching their table. "We supposed to work it out on our own. It's in the tournament rules….""That didn't stop Andrew from telling us where to find the Xenomorphs," said Akko, and already she felt like backtrack when Diana glared at the mention of her childhood friend (?)."I think Fate should be the one to open it," Makoto suggested. "She's the reason we won in the first place."The rest of the students seemed to agree. Amanda passed the box over to Fate and everyone in the hall watched her with great anticipation. The blonde mage tried to dig her fingernails into the edges of the box and pry it open, but it did not budge. She rolled the cube around and tried another side – that didn't work either. Soon enough, Fate had tried to open the box from all six sides, but she couldn't figure out a way. She looked around the hall for suggestions at this point."Try breaking it," said Lin-Lin Chang from Corona.Having no better options, Fate hefted the box over her head and threw it at the ground with all her might. The box bounced off the floor, arched across the room, and slammed into Akko's face, leaving a giant square red mark."Why is it always me?" Akko moaned as the box dropped to the ground."This thing is, like, indestructible or something," said Amanda, picking the box off the ground and shaking it, listening to the contents inside. "Are you sure there's even a clue in here.""The Grand Master wouldn't have given it to us otherwise," said Diana, snatching the box away. "I'm sure there's some secret to opening it. The trick is to find out what it is. We should probably see if there's anything that can be found in the library about this.""Yeah, sure, whatever, you have fun with that," said Amanda, rolling her eyes. "Hey, Akko, want a jelly doughnut. Don't worry, it's not one of Garie or Sabi's…I think…."New Year's Day had come and gone and soon Andrew and Frank departed back to Appleton for the start of the new semester. While Lotte exchanged heartfelt goodbyes with her boyfriend (they made it buttbook official shortly after the ball), Akko's goodbye with Andrew was more than a little awkward to say the least. It wasn't just the fact that Akko was unaccustomed to Andrew's affectionate side and that Diana was glaring daggers at them from across the hall, but it was also because Akko still felt torn between the two most important people in her life. On one hand, Diana was her first love and her most cherished partner, but on the other hand, Andrew challenged her in ways that made him interesting and was a warm-hearted person underneath his cold, aloof exterior. Akko didn't like the to think about having to choose between them, so she busied herself into her school work.The first day of the new term arrived, and Akko set off to lessons, weighed down with books, papers, and pens as usual, but was also lugging around the blue box with her everywhere she went. Diana offered to keep it, but Akko insisted on examining it herself, if only to keep her mind occupied away from her unexpected love triangle.When they arrived in History of Magic early Monday, however, Akko found something that immediately drove her love life and the blue box out of her mind. Professor Ymir Lenz was waiting at her desk as usual, but her right arm was covered in bandages from her fingers all the way to her elbow. There were red splotches on the white cloth and it was very faint, but Akko thought she saw steam leaking out."Hurry up already, the bell rang five minutes ago," she barked irritably as the students took their seats."Professor Lenz, what happened to your arm?" Gaëlle Müller from Lunar gasped."What, this?" said Professor Ymir, holding up her arm. "Just ran into a drunken jackass at the bar last night. Nothing to worry about. Everyone, get out your books and turn to page one-eight-seven."Many of the students visibly frowned at the halfhearted explanation, but nonetheless pulled their books out their bags and prepared themselves for another long lecture. But as she turned to the right page, Akko looked up again at Professor Ymir, who was writing on the chalkboard, then looked around the room to gauge everyone else's expressions. That was when she noticed an empty seat next to Amanda and Constanze."Hey, where's Jasminka?" Akko whispered to Amanda, leaning around Lotte."Dunno," said Amanda, frowning and looking at the empty seat. "Her bed was already empty when I woke up this morning, so I figured she was down at breakfast. But I didn't see her then either. I'm getting a little worried about her."A soft and pitiful whine reached Akko's ears. She turned in her seat; Diana and Barbara were flipping through their books, but Hannah had been looked forward at Akko with a guilty expression on her face. When Akko turned around, Hannah quickly pulled up her textbook to cover her face, but her reddening ears were still visible."Eyes up front, please," said Professor Ymir, rapping her knuckles against the blackboard. "Today we're going to be going over a touchy subject: the racial segregation. Most people recognize this as a time when Humans separated access to facilities, services, and opportunities along racial lines, often creating facilities that were separate from the pro-dominant Caucasians from people other races, but they were rarely equal. Unfortunately, the Demi-Humans were not without their own division, and some would even say segregation is still practiced in modern times, such as the division between humanoid Demi-Humans like witches and other species such as the Arrancar that live in the forest. Now, let's go back to the 1860s during the Reconstruction Era…."She continued her lecture undisturbed like usual because everyone would have fallen asleep by now, but for the first time, Akko was one of the people not paying attention. While Professor Ymir was absorbed in her own speech, Akko leaned closer toward Amanda."What do you think happened to her? You don't think Jasminka might have snuck down to the kitchens and forgot about classes, do ya - ?"I don't think that's it," said Hannah softly, lowering her book slowly. The others turned to her; Hannah looked hesitant to speak, but she forced the words out. "I think she might be trying to hide from everyone. Probably doesn't want people to know where she is.""What d'ya mean?" said Amanda sharply.Hannah put her hand inside the pocket of her tunic and pulled out a folded page of newsprint."Here," she said. "I didn't know if you had read it or not…."Making sure that Professor Ymir wasn't looking, Amanda snatched the page, unfolded it, and read. Instantly, her face turned red with pure rage as she gritted her teeth and her fingers crinkled the sides of the page. Akko, Lotte, Sucy, Constanze, Diana, and Barbara looked over her shoulder. It was an article topped with a double picture of Ymir and Jasminka, both of them posed like they were on a police lineup.
HOLBROOKE'S TITANIC MISTAKE
Miranda Holbrooke, eccentric headmistress of Luna Nova Magical Academy, has never been afraid to make controversial staff appointments,
writes Quattro Scaglietti, Special Correspondent.
In September this year, she hired Zeref "The Black Wizard" Dragneel, a notorious centuries old criminal to teach Magical Self-Defense, a decision that caused many raised eyebrows at the Magic Council, given Zeref's long history for inciting life-ending catastrophes. But this is not the first time Professor Holbrooke has allowed a person of great danger to set foot inside her school.Ymir Lenz, who admits to come from a long line of women bearing the same name, has enjoyed the position of History of Magic teacher, a job secured for her by Holbrooke. To many, she appears to be just an ordinary teacher, but most are unaware of the truly terrible secret that this seemingly normal woman has spent many years trying to conceal from her students.Special Correspondent Quattro Scaglietti has recently unearthed evidence that Miss Lenz is not - as she had always pretended to be – a normal, safe Demi-Human. Ymir Lenz, we can exclusively reveal, is in fact a secret Titan- Shifter – a human who can transform into a nearly immortal monster that seeks only to devour all living things.Many still remember centuries ago that it was the Titan-Shifter Eran Yaeger, who went on a senseless rampage in an effort to wipe out all human life, creating the first true division between Humans and Demi-Humans. The Titan-Shifters were believed to have been wiped out to the point of extinction centuries ago, but recent proof has shown that Lenz's family has engaged in a cannibalistic ritual for hundreds of years, each one eating their own relatives in order to pass the power along to the next generation.As if parent didn't have to worry about their children being eaten by their own teachers, stunning new evidence reveals that Luna Nova houses not one, but two Titan-Shifters.Jasminka Antonenko, an absurdly rotund fourth year student, has also been discovered to come from a similar family lineage as her teacher. After overhearing a conversation between the two, Miss Antonenko admitted to have eaten her own grandfather in order to obtain her terrible power. Years ago, Ymir Lenz used her mysterious influence over the headmistress to secure enrollment for Miss Antonenko over many who were better qualified.An alarmingly large and ferocious girl, Antonenko has been using her newfound Titan powers to terrorize the students. While Holbrooke turns a blind eye, Antonenko had been known to threaten many of her fellow classmates, many of whom admit is "very frightening"."I remember when I had an argument with her friends back in first year," says Hannah England, a fourth-year student. "She picked me up with one hand like it was nothing. It was kinda scary."While not many Titans still exist in modern times, it is quite clear that Antonenko has inherited their brutal and malicious nature in addition to their strength.In a bizarre twist, Antonenko is reputed to have developed a close friendship with Amanda O'Neill and Diana Cavendish, both of whom come from significantly influential families in the magical world. Perhaps they are unaware of the unpleasant truth about their large friend – but Miranda Holbrooke surely has a duty to ensure that Diana Cavendish, along with her fellow students, are warned about the dangers of associating with monsters like the Titan-Shifters.Akko finished reading and looked up at Diana, whose mouth was hanging open."How did she find out?" she whispered.But that wasn't what was bothering Amanda, who rounded off to Hannah with a furious growl that made the brunette flail back in her seat."What the hell were you doing talking about Jasminka like that?" she spat at Hannah, making her flinch. "Where do you get off saying those things about my friends, you filthy, ugly c – ""I didn't say any of that!" Hannah squeaked. "I mean, I did, but she took it way out of context! Plus, I said that she was also a nice and sweet person who makes tasty treats, but she cut that part out! I would never say anything bad about her, I swear!""This is seriously bad," whispered Barbara fretfully. "Professor Ymir's arm – those people at the bar must have attacked her because they read this, because she's been outed as a Titan-Shifter. And if a bunch of strangers do that to a teacher, it's probably going to be worse for Jasminka, who's a student. Everyone's parents are bound to start making demands for her to be expelled. They probably now think she'll eat them if she stays….""They can't just – ""Hey, hey, hey, eyes up front!"Professor Ymir snapped her fingers and shouted across the room at the gathered group. She must have seen the newspaper article because Professor Ymir's expression darkened as she turned back to the board. Amanda was so angry that the article shook in her hands as she turned to stare unseeingly at the blackboard as Professor Ymir started going into greater detail about the Racial Segregation."At least Professor Ymir is taking it well," said Lotte optimistically when the lesson ended and they were all heading downstairs for lunch. "I didn't imagine she would get scared off by a newspaper article.""That doesn't change the fact that now she's probably going to be attacked every time she steps out of the castle," said Sucy drearily as they went down the spiral staircase."But Jasminka isn't as thick-skinned as her," said Stan-Bot as they entered the dining hall. "She never even told
us
about her Titan powers, and we're her best friends. Where could she have gone….?"They had barely sat down at their table when Nico Minoru abruptly marched over and slammed a page in between them. It was Quattro Scaglietti's article."Did you see this?" she snarled. "Did you see this article?""Yeah," said Amanda, standing up and leering at Nico. "You got a problem with it?""Only that Scaglietti is a – " Nico said something that made even Amanda gasp. "Who the hell does she think she is writing something that personal in a newspaper?""Wait, you're defending Jasminka?" said Amanda strangely, blinking at the goth. "Even though she's a Titan-Shifter?""I know what it's like to be judged because of your family," said Nico, holding up her prosthetic hand to emphasize her point. "Besides, Jasminka is one of the nicest people in the whole school. Everyone knows that. A lot of people are actually talking about forming a mob and hunting Scaglietti down.""Wow, I – I wasn't expecting that from you," said Amanda slowly. "I…guess I kinda misjudged you. Sorry.""A lot of people do that – I'm used to it," said Nico."But how did Scaglietti even find out about this?" said Barbara, looking over the article again. "You don't think one of them
told
her, do you?""No way," said Akko shaking her head. "Like Constanze said, she never even told us, and I think Scaglietti would be the last person they would ever tell. I bet she was so mad about Professor Crème stopping her last article that she went snooping around as payback.""Maybe she heard her and Professor Ymir at the ball," said Stan-Bot. "The article did say she overheard them talking.""We would've seen her in the courtyard," said Akko. "Anyway, she's not supposed to come into the school anymore, Professor Croix said Professor Holbrooke banned her….""Maybe she used an invisibility potion or something," said Amanda, ladling chicken casserole onto her plate and splashing it everywhere in her anger. "That sounds like the kind of thing she'd do, hide in the bushes listening to people.""Like you three did, you mean?" said Diana."We weren't trying to hear her!" said Amanda indignantly. "We didn't have any choice. They were talking about their Titan families where anyone could have heard them!""We should go see her," said Akko. "Later today, right after Foretelling. We should tell her everyone wants her to come back.""But where do we even look for her?" asked Stan-Bot."I heard Professor Ursula talking to Professor Crème earlier today," said Nico helpfully. "They looked like they were talking about something serious. Maybe one of them knows where she is.""That's it – Professor Crème!" said Lotte. "She and Scaglietti have been at odds for a long time, so when the news got out that Jasminka is a Titan-Shifter, she probably gave her shelter."So that evening after dinner, the eight of them climbed the spiral staircase to the second floor and stood outside Annabel Crème's office. There heard a quiet mumble through the door, but they couldn't tell if it was Annabel or Jasminka who was talking. They knocked, and the mumbling stopped. A couple seconds later, Annabel Crème poked her head outside, but did not open the door to them."Can I help you girls with something?" asked Annabel Crème."Is Jasminka inside?" said Akko. "We wanna talk to her."Annabel turned her head to peek back inside her office, then said to them, "I'm…afraid this might not be the best time. Maybe come back some other time."Annabel shut the door on them before they had a chance to argue. They knocked again and Amanda tried picking the lock, but it wouldn't open. They hammered on it for ten more minute, but there was no response from inside."Why's she avoiding
us?" Amanda said when they had finally given up and were walking back to the school. "She doesn't think we'd care about her being a Titan-Shifter, does she?"But it seemed that Jasminka did care. They didn't see a sign of her all week. She didn't appear in the dining hall at mealtimes, they didn't see her in any of their classes, and her bed in the dormitory had remained untouched the whole time. But while her closest friends were obviously the most affected by Jasminka's reclusion, Akko noticed that the whole castle seemed significantly subdued. There was a noticeable lack of cheeriness from all Houses following Scaglietti's article, even in Eclipse, who were famed for their rivalry with Polaris. Akko had never realized how important Jasminka was to everyone, and now that she was gone, a dark and gloomy cloud seemed to perpetually hang over Luna Nova."She was one of the few bright spots in the school," said Carmen Diaz from Eclipse during their next Pharmaceutical class. "It didn't matter which house you were in; she was nice to everyone. She's way too good for this school – she didn't deserve what Scaglietti did."There was a Blytonbury visit halfway through January. Diana was very surprised that Akko was going to go."We should be taking advantage of the school being quiet while everyone is out," she said sternly. "The next challenge is only a month away and we haven't worked out how to open the box yet.""Aw, come on, Diana," Akko whined. "We've been working nonstop on that thing! Let's take a break….""You're free to do whatever you wish," said Diana, shaking her head disappointedly. "I, on the other hand, want to make sure we have the best possible advantage for Luna Nova's victory. I honestly thought you wanted the same thing as well."Akko's insides gave a guilty squirm, but she ignored them. They still had five weeks to work out that box clue, after all, and that was ages away…whereas if she went into Blytonbury, there might be a chance they will find Jasminka in Ama Usa An sneaking sweets, and get a chance to persuade her to come back.She, Lotte, Sucy, Amanda, and Constanze left the castle together on Saturday and set off through the cold, wet grounds toward the gate. As they passed the Honnoji carrier moored in the lake, they saw Ryuko Matoi leaning over the railing with a stopwatch watching her green-haired teammate, who was dressed in nothing but swimming trunks. He was very skinny indeed, but apparently a lot tougher than he looked, because he climbed over the railing of the ship, stretched out his arms, and dived, right into the lake."They're insane!" said Amanda, staring at the Honnoji man's head as it bobbed out into the middle of the lake. "It must be freezing, it's January!""I don't think it matters to them," said Akko. "Honnoji is famous in Japan for being super tough and unreasonably strict. More than half the students breakdown before they even finish their first year. This is probably nothing for them.""What kind of freaks are those people?" said Sucy."I don't think you have any right to say anything," retorted Amanda.Akko kept her eyes peeled for a sign of Jasminka all the way down the slushy High Street, and suggested a visit to the Rabbit House once she had ascertained that Jasminka was not in any of the shops.The café was as crowded as ever, but one quick look around at all the tables told Akko that Jasminka wasn't there. Heart sinking, they sat at an empty table, gave their orders to Rize, and thought gloomily that she might just as well have stayed behind and studied in the library with Diana after all."Doesn't he
ever
go into the office," Lotte whispered suddenly. "Look!"She pointed to the opposite side of the café, and Akko saw the Grand Master – his blue skin and golden robes sticking out like a sore thumb – sitting with, to Akko's surprise, Paul Hanbridge. The Grand Master was talking very fast in a low voice to him, who had his arms crossed and was giving him the business end of a very intimidating stare.It was indeed odd, Akko thought, that the Grand Master was here at the Rabbit House on a weekend when there was no Contest event, and even odder was that he was talking with none other than Paul Hanbridge. It was beyond strange to see someone of his status to be sitting in a common coffee house like this, especially with the Grand Master of all people. Akko briefly remembered that he had previous dealings with Andrew's father and wondered if that anything to do with it. She watched the Grand Master. He was looking strained again, quite as strained as he had that night in the forest before the Eclipse had appeared. But just then, the Grand Master glanced over, saw Akko, and stood up."In a moment, in a moment!" Akko heard him say brusquely to Lord Hanbridge, and the Grand Master hurried through the café toward Akko, his boyish grin back in place."Akko!" he said. "How are you? Been hoping to run into you! Everything going all right?""Fine, thanks," said Akko."Wonder if I could have a quick, private word, Akko?" said the Grand Master eagerly. "You couldn't give us a moment, girls, could you?""Er – okay," said Lotte, and she and the others went up to the bar.The Grand Master took Lotte's seat and leaned across the table, speaking in a low, hushed voice so no one could overhear."Well, I just thought I'd congratulate you for your team's excellent performance during the contest," said the Grand Master. "Especially your performance in the first challenge. Simply splendid.""Thanks," said Akko, but she knew this couldn't be all that the Grand Master wanted to say, because he could have congratulated Akko in front of her friends. The Grand Master didn't seem in any particular rush to spill the beans, though. Akko saw him glance back at Lord Hanbridge, who was watching him and Akko in silence with cold, mistrustful eyes."What are you doing with the Earl of Hanbridge?" Akko asked, noticing how the man was leering at the Grand Master the whole time."Er – well…" said the Grand Master, looking suddenly nervous. "He's…er…he's looking for Org. The representative from the Magic Council.""Why is he looking for him here?" said Akko. "He's at the Council in Era, isn't he?""Er…as a matter of fact, I've no idea where he is," said the Grand Master. "He's sort of…stopped coming to work. Been absent for a couple of weeks now. Councilwoman O'Neill says he's ill. Apparently, he's just been sending instructions in by e-mail. But would you mind not mentioning that to anyone, Akko? Because Quattro Scaglietti's still poking around everywhere she can, and I'm willing to bet she'd work up Org's illness into something sinister. Probably says he's gone missing like Aleister Crowley.""Have you heard anything about Aleister Crowley?" Akko asked."No," said he Grand Master, looking strained again. "They've got people looking, of course…" (About time,
thought Akko) "And it's definitely strange. Because the last person who ever saw Aleister Crowley was Org himself. I don't remember exactly what it was about, but I definitely know he went to meet with Crowley shortly before he disappeared. The Magic Council is definitely thinking about questioning him, but they are having difficulty getting in contact…but still…. What are we doing, talking about Hanbridge and Org? I really wanted to ask you" – he lowered his voice further – "how are you getting on with your clue?""Er…pretty good," Akko said untruthfully.The Grand Master seemed to know she wasn't being honest."Listen, Akko," he said (still in a very low voice), "I've taken a real shine to you…the way you got past the Xenomorphs…amazing! And if…" (his voice was so quiet now, Akko had to lean closer to listen) "if I can help at all…a nudge in the right direction…just say the word."Akko stared up into the Grand Master's pointed blue face and his wide, brilliant-blue eyes."We're supposed to work out the clues on our own, aren't we?" she said, careful to keep her voice casual and not sound as though she was accusing the head of the Contest of Champions of breaking the rules."Well…well, yes," said the Grand Master impatiently, "but – come on, Akko – we all want a Luna Nova victory, don't we?""And why is Luna Nova more special than the other schools?" Akko asked.The smallest of frowns creased the Grand Master's smooth face. "Well, it's nothing like that, it's just," he said. "I – well, like I say, I've taken a shine to you. Just thought I'd offer….""Well, thanks," said Akko, "but I think we've almost got it figured out on our own…we'll have it open in a couple more days."She wasn't entirely sure why she was refusing the Grand Master's help, except that the blue alien was almost a stranger to her, and accepting his help would feel somehow much more like cheating than asking advice from Ursula, Finnelan, and Izetta.The Grand Master looked almost affronted, but couldn't say much more as Amanda suddenly came back, budging in between them."Excuse me for being rude," said Amanda brightly, "but you looked like you were done talking and I was hoping to get a private chat with ya, GM.""Er – um – sorry, very busy," said the Grand Master, looking shiftily out of the corner of his eyes. "I simply must go – lots of work to be done. The Contest and all that. Lovely seeing you all. Good luck, Akko."He hurried out of the café like he was being chased by the hounds of hell. Lord Hanbridge, leering at his backside, slid out of his seat and exited after him. Lotte, Sucy, and Constanze rejoined them."What did he want?" asked Stan-Bot"He wanted to help with the clue box," said Akko."He shouldn't be doing that!" said Lotte, looking very shocked. "He's the head of the Contest!""I don't think Holbrooke would appreciate it if she knew the Grand Master himself was trying to get her students to cheat," said Sucy, frowning disapprovingly. "He at least better be helping Fu's school out if he's helping us.""He's not, I asked," said Akko."Who cares if they're getting help," said Amanda irritably."What did you want to talk to him for, anyway?" Stan-bot asked while Constanze stared inquisitively."Nothing," grumbled Amanda. "Hey, did you see who he was with? Lord Hanbridge – your boyfriend's dad," she gestured to Akko. "What was he doing here?""Looking for Org, according to the Grand Master," said Akko. "He's still sick. Hasn't been at work for a while.""Maybe one of his employees finally worked up the nerve to poison him," said Sucy optimistically. "I know I wouldn't want to work for that cranky old geezer."Lotte gave Sucy a don't-joke-about-things-like-that look, and said, "It strange that Andrew's dad would be looking for Org in the first place. I always thought he could avoid working with the Magic Council as much as possible.""Hanbridge and Org are representatives for the Contest," said Stan-Bot. "Maybe they're discussing something about the competition. That would explain why the Grand Master needed to be involved.""I don't know," mumbled Lotte. "After three years of conspiracy theories, I guess I just assumed there was more to it.""Oh no," said Akko, staring at the door.Quattro Scaglietti had just entered, dressed in silver with a fur-lined coat, and she was accompanied by her paunchy photographer. She bought drinks, and she and the photographer made their way through the crowds to a table nearby, Akko and her friends glaring at her as she approached. She was talking fast and looking very satisfied."…didn't seem very keen to talk to us, did he, Curly? Now, why would that be, do you think? And what's he doing with the Earl of Hanbridge in tow anyway? Showing him the sights…what nonsense…he was always a bad liar. Think something's up? Think we should do a bit of digging? I can see the headlines now: 'Disgraced Ex-Head of the Department of Games and Sports, the self-proclaimed Grand Master…' Snappy start to a sentence, Curly – we just need to find a story to fit it – ""You really get a kick out of destroying people's lives, don't you?" said Amanda loudly.A few people looked around. Quattro's eyes widened behind her glasses as she saw who had spoken."Well, well, well!" she said, beaming. "If it isn't the young and rebellious Amanda O'Neill! How lovely! I was just talking about your mother the other day! Why don't you come and join – ""Like I would ever go with a sleezy bitch like you," said Amanda furiously. "Why did you have to go and do that to Jasminka, huh?"Quattro raised her heavily penciled eyebrows."Our readers have a right to the truth, O'Neill. I'm merely doing my – ""Who cares if she's a Titan-Shifter?" Amanda shouted. "There's nothing wrong with her!"The whole café had gone very quiet. Cocoa was staring over from behind the counter, apparently oblivious to the fact that the mug she was filling with coffee was overflowing.Quattro's smile flickered very slightly, but she hitched it back almost at one; snapped her fingers, a holographic screen appeared in front with Chibi-Quattro saluting in attention as she pulled up her digital desk and said, "How about giving me an interview about the Antonenko
you
know, ONeill? The girl behind the muscle? Your unlikely friendship and reasons behind it. Would you consider her your enforcer?"Unable to hold her anger any longer, Akko stood up abruptly, her coffee clutched in her hand as though it were a grenade."You evil woman!" she said, through gritted teeth, "you don't care, do you? Anything for a story, and anyone will do, right? Even the Grand Master – ""Sit down, you silly little girl, and don't talk about things you don't understand," said Quattro coldly, her eyes hardening as they fell on Akko. "I know things about the Grand Master that would make your hair curl. Now be a good little girl and stop talking. Miss O'Neill, when did you first realize that your friend was a monster – " she said to Amanda.Before she could even think about what she had done, Akko threw the cup of scolding hot coffee in Quattro's face. Quattro gasped and sputtered as the coffee burned her; Rize instantly rushed over and started toweling her off. Amanda let out a loud whoop, Sucy cackled hysterically, and Constanze threw her hands up in a silent cheer. Only Lotte looked mildly worried."Let's get out of here," she insisted urgently.They left; many people were staring at them as they went. Akko glanced back as they reached the door. While Quattro was being toweled off, her writing program was tapping furiously at its digital keyboard."She'll be after you next, Akko," said Lotte in a low and worried voice as they walked quickly back up the street."Let her try!" said Akko defiantly.; she was shaking with rage. "I'll show her! I swear, I'm gonna get her back for this! First Diana, then Jasminka….""You don't want to go upsetting Quattro Scaglietti," said Lotte nervously. "I'm serious, Akko, she'll dig up something on you – ""What, like I'm the Star-Born Child? Not likely if she wants to make me look bad!" said Akko, now striding along so fast that it was all Lotte and the others could do to keep up with her. The last time Akko had been this angry was when she though Izetta had betrayed Chariot. "I'm not gonna hide from her, and neither should Jasminka! She should
never
have let that sorry excuse for a human being get to her! Come
on!"Breaking into a run, she led them all the way back up the road, through the Ley Line Terminal, up the castle front doors, and climbed up the spiraling staircase to the second floor until they were standing outside of Annabel Crème's office."Jasminka!" Akko shouted, pounding on the door. "Jasminka, come on out! We know you're in there! Nobody cares if you're a Titan-Shifter, Jasminka! You can't let that horrible Scaglietti person do this to you! Jasminka, if you don't open this door right now, I'm gonna tear it – "The door opened. Akko said, "About t - !" and then stopped, very suddenly, because she found herself face-to-face, not with Jasminka or Annabel, but with Professor Holbrooke."Good afternoon," she said pleasantly, smiling up at them."We – uh – we wanted to see Jasminka," said Akko in a rather small voice."Yes, I assumed as much," said Professor Holbrooke, her eyes twinkling. "Why don't you come in?""Oh…um…okay," said Akko.She, Lotte, Sucy, Amanda, and Constanze stepped into the office. Akko hadn't been in Annabel Crème's office since her second year. A small, circular space lined with over a dozen bookshelves that obscured the high windows and Annabel's desk in the middle of it all. There was an entire bookshelf dedicated to the Night Fall series and it looked like she had recently purchased another shelf which only housed three books – the three from the Little Witch Academia series thus far.Annabel herself was sitting at a small tea table off to the side with Jasminka, three cups of tea shared between them. Jasminka's face was blotchy, her eyes swollen, and her hair had come free of her braids, creating a tangled mess that went down the length of her backside."Hey, Jas," said Amanda.Jasminka looked up."Hi," she said in a very hoarse voice."More tea, I think," said Professor Holbrooke, closing the door behind them, and waving her staff in the air; a revolving tea tray appeared in midair along with a plate of cakes. Holbrooke magicked the tray onto the table, and everybody sat quite cramped around it. There was a slight pause, and then Professor Holbrooke said, "Did you by any chance hear what Miss Kagari was shouting, Miss Antonenko?"Akko went slightly pink, but Annabel Crème smiled at her and continued, "These girls still seem to want to be your friend, judging by the way they were attempting to break down my door. I'm charging for any dents, by the way," she added towards Akko."Of course we still want to be your friend!" Akko said, staring at Jasminka. "You don't think anything that Scaglietti bitch – sorry, Professors," she added quickly, looking at Holbrooke and Crème."I have no trouble with it," said Annabel Crème, shrugging her shoulders and sipping her tea nonchalantly. "I probably wouldn't have been so tame.""Er – right," said Akko sheepishly. "I just meant – Jasminka, how could you think we'd care what that – woman – wrote about you?"Two fat tears leaked out of the corners of Jasminka's eyes and fell slowly down her round face."This is what I've been telling you, Miss Antonenko," said Annabel Crème, setting her tea cup down and turning to her student. "You know that nearly every student in the school has been banging on my door, saying they want you back.""Quite a few of them actually walked up to me and said, in no uncertain terms, they would do something if I even considered the possibility of expelling you," added Professor Holbrooke."Not all of them," said Jasminka hoarsely. "Not all of them want me to stay.""I know how you're feeling, Miss Antonenko," said Annabel Crème, nodding understandingly. "It was just two years ago that I was the same as you. Every time someone flamed my novels on the message boards, I would hate myself and feel like I don't deserve to be an author. Even to this day, I can't go a single week without some anonymous jerk trying to tear me down. But a good friend" - She smiled at Lotte, who flushed sheepishly – "taught me that I shouldn't hold out for universal approval. All that mattered was that I loved writing and that I should love myself. You should do the same.""You're – you're not a Titan-Shifter," said Jasminka croakily."Jas, my aunt is a wanted criminal who can't even use the bathroom without someone calling the police!" Akko said furiously. "Professor Croix was arrested for creating a killer virus! Amanda is a thief! And Sucy is a morbid, death loving psychopath!""Aw, stop it," said Sucy, acting all embarrassed."She makes a good point," said Professor Holbrooke. "This is not a single person who hasn't been on the slandered and persecuted over the smallest thing. Why, I remember thirteen years ago when that Du Nord boy was bullied for his relationship with a goat demon while he himself was human. The neighbors would throw rocks and produce at them all the time. But he was not ashamed, he did not hide. He held his head up high and went about his business as usual. Now he's the owner of a delightful little restaurant in Blytonbury.""Please come back, Jasminka," said Stan-Bot as Constanze grabbed her hand with puppy-dog eyes. "We really miss you."Jasminka gulped. More tears leaked out down her cheeks.Professor Holbrooke stood up. "You are not going anywhere, Miss Antonenko. You've been locked in this room long enough," she said. "I expect you to be in class on Monday or you will be serving detention with Professor Finnelan. And believe me, she will not be as kind as I. Good afternoon to you all."Professor Holbrooke left the office with Annabel Crème bowing her out. When the door had shut behind her, Jasminka began to sob into her hands. Constanze rubbed the back of her hand with her thumb and Amanda rubbed soothing circles on her back. At last, Jasminka looked up, her eyes very red indeed, and said, "Thank you…for not leave me….""We'd never leave you," said Lotte kindly. "Come on, have one of these cakes. You could use one.""Thanks," said Jasminka, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Professor Crème is right – all of you are right…I've been acting like a dummy…my
dadushka
would have been mad at the way I've been acting…." More tears leaked out, but she wiped them away more forcefully, and said, "I've never show you a picture of my
dadushka, have I? Here…."Jasminka reached down her tunic, pulling out an assortment of stuff including her unlimited snack bucket, and then whipped out a picture of a round old man with a puffy white beard beaming as he embraced a smaller and surprisingly chubbier Jasminka. Jasminka looked like she was no older than seven or eight and her grandfather looked like a very kind old man who bared a surprising resemblance to Santa Claus Akko couldn't help noticing…."That was taken a year before I took the Titan Power from him," Jasminka croaked. "I always knew I would be the one to eat him…he was already so old by the time I was born and he was getting weaker. But he made sure to spend as much time with me as he could…. He would always take me out into the Siberian plains during the winter time to watch the snowfall…. It was so peaceful…."Professor Lenz was the one who found me after I ate
Dedushka. She recommended me to the Headmistress and I got my acceptance letter later. We never thought I would get in…being a Titan-Shifter. But Professor Holbrooke knew about me, just like she knew about Professor Lenz, and she still let me in. That's what's so great about Luna Nova. They'll accept people even when other people won't. But a lot of people don't understand that, or they just don't care. There are a lot of people who'd hold it against you…even people like me who try to pretend they're not…. But Professor Lenz was never ashamed. Even after what Scagleitti wrote, she's not ashamed who she is…and I shouldn't be either…. I'm Jasminka Antonenko, and I am a Titan-Shifter!""Damn right you are!" Amanda said loudly, clapping her hard on the back. "You're the most badass Titan-Shifter of all time and you should be proud of it!""And if anyone's gotta problem with you, they'll have to deal with us!" said Stan-bot determinedly while Constanze flexed her tiny arms.Jasminka giggled at Constanze's attempt to look tough, then rounded off to Akko, smiling softly."Sorry you have to spend all your time worrying about me when you should be trying to figure out your clue," said Jasminka apologetically. "But it means so much that you took the time out of your day to make me feel better. Thank you. But what would make me feel even better is if Luna Nova wins the Contest. Yeah, that would show them…show them all that Professor Holbrooke wasn't wrong. That'd show them that she was right for letting anyone in as long as they want to learn. By the way, how's it going with that clue, Akko?""…Great," said Akko. "Really great."Jasminka's miserable face broke into a wide, watery smile."I know you'll be amazing – all of you. You show them. You'll win the Contest, no sweat!"Lying to Jasminka wasn't quite like lying to anyone else. Akko went downstairs later that afternoon after convincing Jasminka to return to the dorms, unable to banish the image of the happy expression on Jasminka's chubby face as she imagined Akko winning the Contest. The incomprehensible box weighed more heavily than ever on Akko's conscious that evening, and before she realized it, her feet had guided her to the library. She walked around the bookshelves to a small corner of the library where she found Diana packing things up for the night when she noticed Akko approach."Oh, Hello, Akko," said Diana, stuffing sheets of paper into her bag. "I heard that you managed to convince Jasminka to come out of hiding. Good. I'm glad you were doing something worthwhile since you couldn't help with the clue.""Yeah, sorry about that," said Akko, scratching the back of her head, frowning. "Have you figured out how to open it yet?""I have one idea that I might try later," said Diana, closing her bag. "I'll get back to you when I have the results.""Wait!" Akko shouted, jumping in front of Diana's path. "I wanna help.""You want to help?" Diana questioned, quirking her brow. "Now? After you've been putting it off for so long?""Okay, I deserve that," said Akko, hanging her head. "But you didn't see Jasminka when I talked to her. She wants Luna Nova to win and I don't to disappoint her. So please, let me help out. I'll do anything."Diana crossed her arms and gave Akko a long, peering look as if she were gauging her intentions. Akko knew Diana could be stubborn about things like this, so she decided to pull out her secret weapons: she folded her hands in a pleading motion, her lower lip quivering, and gave Diana her best puppy-dog eyes. As she expected, Diana crumbled instantly."Oh, all right!" Diana snapped, looking away with her cheeks dusted pink. "You can help me. Just…just stop that already.""Yatta!" Akko cheered. "All right, let's do this! Um…what're we doing exactly?"Diana's face turned even redder as she lowered her head, covering her eyes with her hair, and mumbled something unintelligible under her breath."Uh, sorry, I couldn't hear that," said Akko, cupping her ear to emphasize. "We'd you say?""We…need to take a bath…together…," Diana mumbled, her face now the shade of a brick as she looked anywhere but Akko.And then Akko's face with red as well.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
As they had no idea how long a bath they would need to work out the secret, Diana decided they would do it at night, when they would be able to take as much time as they wanted. Diana had also suggested that they would use the prefects' bathroom since there were far fewer people allowed in there and thus unlikely to be disturbed. Akko wasn't even aware that Luna Nova had prefects; Lotte said they were around, but they had grown lazy since Diana came to Luna Nova and decided to just leave the handling of the school to the Cavendish heir. That might explain why Diana had a key to their bathrooms, Akko thought.Akko planned their excursion carefully, because they had been caught out of bed and out-of-bounds by Elma in the middle of the night once before, and had no desire to repeat the experience. The Ring of Gyges would, of course, be essential, and as an added precaution, Akko thought she would take the Shiny Guide Book, which, next to the ring, was the most useful aid to rule-breaking Akko owned. The book showed the whole of Luna Nova, including its many shortcuts and secret passageways and, most importantly of all, it revealed the people inside the castle as minuscule, labeled squares, moving around the corridors, so that Akko would be forewarned if somebody was approaching the bathroom.On Thursday night, Akko sneaked up to bed, put on the ring, crept downstairs, and, just as she had done on the night when Hannah led her to the Xenomorphs, waited for the archway to open. This time it was Lotte who waited outside to open the secret entrance. "Good luck," Lotte muttered, walking into the common room as Akko crept out past her.It was awkward moving around tonight, because Akko had the heavy puzzle box under one arm and the Shiny Guide propped open on the other. However, the moonlit corridors were empty and silent, and by checking the book at strategic intervals, Akko was able to ensure that she wouldn't run into anyone she wanted to avoid. The door to the prefect's bathroom was at the end of the fourth-floor corridor on the left-hand side. Akko closed the book against her chest and reached into her pocket, pulling out the key that Diana had given her earlier that day.She fit the key into the slot, turned it, and the door creaked open. Akko slipped inside, closed the door silently behind her, and pulled off the Ring of Gyges, looking around.Her immediate reaction was that it would be worth becoming a prefect just to be able to use this bathroom. It was softly lit by an elaborate chandelier made of weak glowing crystals of every color of the rainbow, and everything was made of white marble, including a what looked like an empty, round swimming pool at the far end of the bathroom, past the wall of silver sinks and bronze framed mirrors. There were at least twenty silver taps around the pools edge – one of them was for the water and the others were labeled with different scents. Long white linen curtains hung at the windows; a large pile of fluffy white towels sat in a corner, and there was a intricate statue of a woman hanging on the wall above the pool that looked like she could be related to professor Pisces.Akko moved forward, looking around, her footsteps echoing off the walls. It looked like Diana hadn't arrived yet. Akko couldn't say she was disappointed; she wasn't particularly keen to her longtime crush seeing her naked for the first time, especially her chest, which was on the small size compared to Amanda and Sucy. How on earth was taking a bath together supposed to help solve the mystery of the box? Akko guessed she only had herself to blame for being in this position. Nevertheless, she put one of the fluffy towels, the ring, the book, and the box at the side of the swimming-pool-sized bath, then knelt down and turned on a few of the taps.She first turned on the water and then turned the tap that was labeled strawberry. The tap gushed pink and red bubbles the size of footballs and the whole room immediately smelled like a strawberry patch. She turned another one marked winter breeze and watched the tap pour ice-white foam so thick that Akko thought it would have supported her weight is she cared to test it; the tapped labeled lavender sent heavily perfumed purple clouds hovering over the surface of the water. Akko amused herself for a while turning the taps on and off, particularly enjoying the effects of one whose jet bounced off the surface of the water in large arcs. Then, when the deep pool was full of hot water, foam, and bubbles, which took a very short time considering its size, Akko turned off all the taps, pulled off her t-shirt, shorts, and underclothes, and slid into the water.It was so deep that her feet barely touched the bottom, and she actually did a couple of lengths before swimming back to the side and treading the water, staring at the box. It seemed like Diana was going to be late for their midnight rendezvous. That was to be expected – she didn't have the Ring of Gyges or the Shiny Guide Book for aid, so Diana needed to be extra cautious. Well, as long as she was waiting, might as well try to figure it out for herself.Akko stretched out her arms, lifted the box in her wet hands, and pulled at the edges. But the box refused to open, as it always did, but now it was even more difficult because of her slippery fingers. Akko, in her frustration, lifted the box over her head and threw it across the bathroom. Somehow, the box managed to bounce off the edge of one of the sinks, landed on top of the chandelier, rolled around the brim, and fell off on top of Akko's head before plopping down where it had started. Akko muttered darkly under her breath as she rubbed the sore spot on her crown. She grabbed the box again, leering with great intensity – and then, making her jump so badly that she tossed the box, which clattered away across the bathroom floor, someone spoke."You need to put it
in
the water for it to work."Akko had swallowed a considerable amount of bubbles when her jaw unconsciously dropped at the radiant figure that stepped into the weak light of the crystal chandelier. Diana had just walked in without Akko noticing, garbed in a fluff, powder-blue bathrobe as her bare feet paced delicately across the wet floor. Diana looked at Akko for a brief moment before she sharply turned her head, her cheeks powdered a dim shade of pink. Akko's mouth felt dangerously dry."D-Diana," Akko sputtered. "You – you made it. I was kinda…I thought you weren't gonna….""There was a delay on the fifth floor," said Diana softly. "Elma was having an argument with the imp, so I had to take the long way around."Diana looked over again, and turned away just as quickly as she pulled her bathrobe closer self-consciously. Akko was dimly aware that she was standing naked in front of Diana for the first time. The foam was so dense that this hardly mattered, but she couldn't help feeling unusually bashful. Akko lowered herself deeper into the water until only her head was visible."So…so you were saying something about the…," Akko spoke, very awkwardly, trying to look in any direction other than Diana's."Oh…yes…um…," Diana sputtered gracelessly, unconsciously fumbling with the belt of her bathrobe. "Well…I suspect…that we need to submerge the box in the water in order to open it. I mean, at least that's what my research told me.""How did you figure that?" asked Akko."Well, the box itself was a clue," said Diana. "The shade of blue painted on its is called ocean blue and the lines on the surface resemble waves. That could only mean that water in necessary to open the box.""Oh, makes sense," said Akko. "I'll grab the box real quick – ""No, no, no, don't!" Diana shrieked quickly as Akko started to raise herself out of the bath, her face now resembling a beetroot. Akko only just became aware of what she had almost done, squeaked like a terrified mouse, and splashed back into the water. "I'll get it. You just stay there…and close your eyes, would you?"Akko turned her back to Diana and shut her eyes tight. She could hear Diana's feet slapping against the marble, the box scraping against the floor, and then heard Diana walking closer. There was the shuffling of clothing – Diana had removed her bathrobe – and a small splash of someone getting in. When Akko could feel the blonde wading toward her, she cautiously opened her eyes and turned around to face her.They were standing only a few feet apart. The water went up to Diana's shoulders, which showed a gracious amount of her smooth, unblemished skin that Akko was not used to seeing. She looked away shyly, very conscious of Akko's silent stare; Akko felt a familiar pounding of her heart beating against her ribcage, but was vaguely aware of an uncomfortable new sensation from somewhere else…."Well…here it is…," said Diana lamely, holding up the box. "I'm going to put it under the water now…."Akko only nodded dimly as Diana lowered the box beneath the foamy surface. The moment it touched the water, the portion of the box that was submerged glowed in a brilliant blue light that could be seen through the foam. Diana pulled the box out of the water and the glow vanished immediately. Akko and Diana shared a silent glance, both of them having the same idea. Diana lowered the box down again and completely submerged this time. It was so bright that they could see the outline of the box above the water, but there was something inside that they couldn't quite make out."I think we're gonna need to put our heads under the water too," said Akko."All right," said Diana, nodding slightly. "Just…just keep your attention on the clue, all right?"Akko was about to say the same thing, but Diana had already dived underneath the foam. Akko took a great breath and slid under the surface – and now, sitting on the marble bottom of the bubble-filled bath, only feet apart from an equally naked Diana, she saw the glowing puzzle box and the clue that had been hiding within:It reminded Akko of a snow globe – there were models of buildings inside, but they all appeared decayed and left in a state of ruin, as if no one had approached them in thousands of years. There were all kinds of strange plant life growing out of the walls and the ground level was covered in tall fields of floating seaweed while tiny shadows of what looked like fish glided near the top. But near the bottom of the ruined city, on one of the smaller buildings, was a flashing red "X".Akko let herself float back upward and broke the bubbly surface, shaking her hair out of her eyes as Diana popped up next to her."You saw that, right?" she asked Diana."Yes…it looks like some sort city, but it was definitely sunken…and that 'X'…hold on, I need look at it again…."They sank back beneath the water. It took three more underwater examinations of the glowing puzzle box before Akko had it memorized; then Diana tred the water for a while, scratching her chin like she usually did when she was thinking, while Akko leaned against the pool's wall, watching her."It's definitely some sort of a treasure map…," Diana said slowly. "Those buildings and the surrounding environment…it appears to be the ruins of a sunken city. Naturally, Atlantis is the first place that comes to mind, but it is not in a state of ruin like one in the box. Perhaps we are supposed to navigate the ruins in search of some treasure…and this box is a map that leads us straight to it."Diana seemed very excited over the prospect of having a map that led straight to the goal of their next challenge, but Akko was feeling a little apprehensive. Akko had gotten the impression that Class Zero didn't have such a convenience when they received their clue given the way they were still so ill-prepared when it came time to race. Did the Grand Master change the clue so that Luna Nova would have an easy win? Akko wanted her school to win, sure, but it felt too much like cheating – and she was very uncomfortable of the Contest organizer arranging the whole thing."Akko, are you listening?" Diana said shortly."Huh – wha?" mumbled Akko, snapping out of her stupor. "Oh, sorry, I was just thinking. There's no way the next game would be as easy as finding sunken treasure. There's gotta be something else to it.""Well, you're not wrong," said Diana, humming thoughtfully. "Since we don't know
where
the next game is taking place, we can't be certain what creatures will be lurking there. Most commonly would be sharks, eels, and maybe some poisonous blowfish, but we have to consider for magical creatures like krakens and leviathans and the occasional selkie."Akko shuddered at the thought of giant octopuses and water dragons – she had seen Kappa back in Japan and they still creeped her out. And while Diana continued to list the number of sea creatures they may encounter, Akko tilted her head back and stared up at the statue hanging over the pool. A thought suddenly occurred to her."Diana, you don't think there are any
merpeople
hanging around there, do you?""Merpeople…," Diana mumbled, seemingly taken aback by the suggestion. "Hmm…yes…yes, I suppose that would make sense. Even if the Contest is supposed to be dangerous for entertainment value, they would
have
to set safety precautions or the Contest would fall under scrutiny, just like in the last game. Perhaps the Grand Master made a deal with some Atlanteans to have them oversee the game. They're probably acting as guards, too. To keep the contestants from getting to the treasure.""So that's it then," said Akko excitedly. "The third game is to find the ruins, sneak past the guards, find the treasure, and then get out!""You make it sound so simple," said Diana, shaking her head at her companion. "We may have the map and know what the challenge is going to be, which gives us plenty of time to prepare, but there is still another issue we need to work around: finding a way to breath under the water.""Can't we just use metamorphosis magic to change ourselves into fish?" said Akko like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I've gotten really good at it, although my fish transformation is still a little weird – I keep turning into this…orange submariner thing. And if we run into trouble, we can just blast them with our wands.""As usual, you don't give much thought into your strategies," said Diana with an exasperated sigh. "Transforming into a fish would be a good idea for sneaking around the guards, but we have no idea what the treasure might be. What if its too large and too heavy for us to lift? And our magic is only half as strong underwater and can only travel at a quarter of its normal speed. That might work against normal sea creatures, but Atlanteans as swift as they are powerful. Besides, Atlanteans know how to use magic as well, and they are much stronger at it underwater. We need to find a way to breath underwater while in our human bodies. We'll need to visit the library first thing in the morning."Akko threw her head back and whined childishly."Don't complain; we need to be prepared if we want to win," Diana snapped."All right, all right, I get it," Akko groaned. "Well, at least we managed to get a whole lot done tonight…. C'mon, let's get out of here; my fingers are starting to get pruney."Akko pulled herself out; Diana squeaked and covered her eyes, making Akko realize her mistake, quickly marchiing across the bathroom and pulling on her towel, red-faced. She heard Diana climb out as she toweled herself off, turning her back to the blonde, and pulled on her shirt and shorts. Akko picked up the Ring of Gyges and the Shiny Guide Book and turned around just as Diana was pulling up her bathrobe, giving Akko a glorious view of her smooth, slender back and shoulder; Akko felt that uncomfortable sensation again…."So," Diana said suddenly, make Akko squeak in surprise. "How are things going with you and your boyfriend,
Andrew."The venomous tone in which she said his name did not go unnoticed by Akko, but she brushed it aside and said, "Um…we're fine, I think. Though…honestly…I'm not sure boyfriend is the right word for it.""Oh," said Diana, shooting an inquisitive glance over her shoulder."I mean, I get that he likes me, and I really like him, but I don't think I like him enough to call him my boyfriend," Akko mumbled, crossing her arms and staring thoughtfully at the floor. "To tell you the truth, I don't know how to feel about it. It's the first time I've been in a relationship. I don't know – I read a lot of manga and watch tons of animes and they all says that I'm supposed to feel butterflies or fireworks when someone confesses to you. I definitely felt my heart skip a beat. I mean, whose wouldn't when a cute boy confesses to you, but I 'm not sure about…."Her train of thought was derailed when Akko felt a slender finger touch her chin and forced her to look up. She hadn't noticed that Diana had crossed the bathroom and stood directly in front of her, forcing Akko to look straight into her eyes. Diana's expression softened as sky-blue eyes met ruby-red, her lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but couldn't form the words. Akko looked up at her long-time friend and rival as Diana leaned forward until – Akko's heart was thundering against her chest – she kissed her.Akko's mind was running at a hundred miles a minute, only vaguely aware of what was happening. Diana Cavendish, heir to one of the most powerful magic families in the world, was kissing her, Akko, the worst student to ever set foot in Luna Nova and the bane of teachers and governors alike. Akko was at a loss. What was she supposed to do in this situation? Did she kiss her back? Was she supposed to tilt her head a certain way? Did her breath smell like pickled plums? Before Akko could consider what to do, Diana pulled away just as quickly as she had initiated the kiss.Diana stepped back a couple paced, touching her lips shyly as she looked at Akko hopefully. Unfortunately, Akko's mind was so cluttered with thoughts that she was didn't realize she was just standing there, open-mouthed, like a colossal idiot even though every fiber of her body was urging her to – do –
something!
After a moment of more awkward silence, Diana frowned at Akko, glancing sadly to the side, then turned on her heel and fled from the bathroom.Akko finally came out of her stupor when Diana slammed the door behind her, shaking her head rapidly. Confusion and guilt welled up in the pit of Akko's stomach as she touched her own lips, culminating all her thoughts into a single sentence:"What…just…happened…?" she asked dimly to no one.There was no way she was going to get any sleep tonight, Akko thought as she examined the Shiny Guide Book, flipping through the pages in search of Diana's dot. She was zipping across the map at an amazing pace, no doubt sprinting all the way back to Lunar Tower. Akko slapped herself in the face for being such an idiot. This was her one opportunity to finally confess her feelings to Diana and she ended up blowing it like she did everything else. Sometimes, Akko thought Sucy was right and that she really didn't have a brain.Akko pinched the bridge of her nose, breathing heavily through her nostrils, and started flipping through the book again. She would talk to Diana tomorrow – right now she needed to get back to Polaris Tower.She checked to see if the coast was clear outside. Yes, the square belonging to Elma was safely in her office…nothing else seemed to be moving apart from Mr. Mxyzptlk around the trophy room on the floor below…. Akko slipped on the Ring of Gyges before stepping outside into the dark corridor. She had just taken her first step back toward the dorms when something else caught her eye…something distinctly odd.Mr. Mxyzptlk was
not
the only thing that was moving. A single square was flitting around a room in the bottom left-hand corner – Zeref's office. But the dot wasn't labeled "Zeref"…in fact, there were two labels attached to it. One of them was completely unknown and only read as "?", but the other one belonged to…Atsuko Kagari.Akko stared at the Square. The Shiny Guide Book was far from perfect, but she had never heard of a situation where one square had two labels, nor where the book couldn't identify the person on it. The other label was easier to explain. Because of the crude way it was created, the Shiny Guide Book only shows people who they believe themselves to be at the time. That was how Amon, posing as Master Noah, and Izetta, pretending to be Mikko, were able to fool the book last year. But that would have meant that the person searching through Zeref's office thought they were Akko…. She was somehow torn between feeling flattered and feeling disturbed….Akko hesitated, thinking…and then her curiosity got the better of her. She turned and set off in the opposite direction toward the nearest staircase. She was going to find out who this impostor was.Akko walked down the stairs as quietly as possible, though the heads of the suits of armor still turned curiously at the squeak of a floorboard, the rustling of her shirt. She crept along the corridor below, pushed aside a tapestry about halfway along, and proceeded down a narrow staircase, a shortcut that took her down two floors. She kept glancing down at the Shiny Guide Book, wondering…. Making one believe themselves to be someone else was very difficult, but usually a mask or metamorphosis magic helped. So why was someone trying to pretend to be Akko while sneaking around somebody's office this late at night….Akko pushed another tapestry aside and found herself standing outside of Zeref's office. The door was slightly ajar and through the crack Akko could hear a hurried rustling coming from inside. Akko crept quietly up to the door, pushed it open a little more with a soft
creak
when –
BOOM!
Before she knew it, Akko was thrown across the hall, slamming into the wall as a powerful explosion all but destroyed the door to Zeref's office. She flopped sideways landing face down on the floor, and the puzzle box, still damp from the bath, slipped from under her arm. She lurched forward to try and catch it when a large chunk of the stone wall landing on her right leg, pinning her to the ground. Akko tried to flip around onto her back, thinking she could push it off, when the Shiny Guide Book slipped out her wet finger and slid to the opposite side of the corridor, hitting the wall just out of her reach.Akko couldn't think this situation could possibly get any worse. A thick cloud of smoke was wafting from the hole where Zeref's door used to be when Akko thought she saw a dark, shadowy outline through the haze. She couldn't get a good look at the person because of the smog, but they seemed to be holding something very large – it was long and thick like a log. Whoever it was seemed to pause at the entryway and was looking straight at Akko, almost as if they could see through the Ring's magic….Luckily, something seemed to have spooked the intruder as they sudden sprinted down the corridor and disappeared around the corner. Before they vanished, Akko caught a glimpse of something black…. However, fear started to crawl Akko's spine as she heard a chorus of thunderous footfalls – and, almost immediately –"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON DOWN HERE?"It was the unmistakable roar of Elma the caretaker. Akko could hear her rapid, shuffling footsteps coming closer and close, her voice raised in fury."What is all the racket? Are you trying to wake the whole castle? I swear, if I found out who – dear Avalon, what happened here?"Elma appeared at the end of the hall, and Akko saw her frightening pale face and her bulging, blue eyes staring up and down the (to Elma) deserted corridor. Akko lay very still, one leg trapped underneath a pile of stone, trying to slow her breathing as Elma walked closer. The Ring of Gyges kept her invisible, but Elma was a dragon who had a sharp sense of smell. Any moment now, she was going to catch Akko's scent…if she didn't spot the Shiny Guide Book first…and ring or not, the book would show Atsuko Kagari exactly where she was."What's this?" Elma said quietly as she stopped a few feet away, bending down to pick up something; the puzzle box. "Wait a minute…I've seen this before…. Yes, this is that clue the champions brought back from the Contest…. Did Myxzptlk steal this…or is someone out of bed again?"Elma tilted her head back and to a deep breath through her nose, taking in all the smells in the corridor. Akko had hoped that the smoke would be enough to conceal her, but the way Elma suddenly turned her way, brow furrowed suspiciously, that didn't appear to be the case…. Sick with apprehension, Akko watched Elma draw closer and closer in Chinese-style nightgown – she tried desperately to pull her trapped leg free, but all it did was make a lot of noise that draw Elma's attention – any second now, she was going to spot the book or walk up to her –"Elma? What's going on?"Elma stopped a few feet away from Akko and turned. At the end of the hall stood the only person who could make Akko's situation worse: Professor Finnelan. She was wearing a long tartan nightgown with her hair in a bun looking quite livid."Someone is here, Professor," Elma whispered suspiciously. "They destroyed Professor Zeref's office. I found this box lying in the middle of the hall. I think it might have been Mxyzptlk going too far this time."Professor Finnelan crossed the corridor quickly and stopped beside Elma. Akko gritted her teeth, convinced her loudly thumping heart would give her away at any second…."The imp?" said Professor Finnelan softly, staring at the box in Elma's hands. "The imp can't break into a teacher's office. The protective charms see to that.""He could have set the explosion off from the outside.""Look at this mess!" Professor Finnelan snapped. "If it had been set off from the outside, the debris would be in Zeref's office right now. But instead, it's littered out here in the corridor – ""But Myxzptlk couldn't – ""I know he couldn't, Elma!" said Professor Finnelan impatiently. "The teacher's offices are sealed with a spell none but a witch could break!" She looked up the hall, straight over Akko, and then back. "I want you to come and help me search for the intruder, Elma.""Well – yes, Professor – but – "Elma looked yearningly over the debris, right through Akko, who could see that she was very reluctant to forgo the chance to cornering Mr. Myxzptlk.
Go,
Akko pleaded with her silently,
go with Finnelan, go…"The thing is, Professor," said Elma plaintively, "the headmistress will have to listen to me this time. Mr. Mxyzptlk has been stealing from the students and may be involved with the destruction of the castle. It might be my chance to get him thrown out once and for all – ""Elma, I don't give a damn about your grudge against that wretched imp; there is a student who – ""Could someone explain to me why the contents of my office are strewn all over the hall?"Professor Finnelan stopped talking very abruptly. She and Elma both looked down the hallway behind them. Akko saw Zeref walk into sight through the narrow gap between their heads. Zeref was wearing a baggy set of granite-gray nightshirt and pants, his hair even more unkempt that usual."Are we having a pajama party?" he asked humorously."Professor Finnelan and I heard noises, Professor," said Elma at once. "Heard an explosion. Found your office like this when we got here. I think it might have been Mr. Mxyzptlk, but Professor Finnelan thinks it was a student – ""Shut up!" Professor Finnelan hissed to Elma.Zeref stepped in between them just a few feet away. Akko saw Zeref's eyes travel over the destruction of his office, and then, unmistakably, onto herself.Akko's heart gave a horrible jolt.
Zeref could see through the ring's magic…he alone could see the full strangeness of the scene: Finnelan in her nightgown, Elma clutching the puzzle box, and she, Akko, trapped under the rubble in front of them. Zeref's mouth fell open in surprise. For a few seconds, he and Akko stared straight into each other's eyes. Then Zeref closed his mouth and turned toward Finnelan again."Did I hear that correctly, Anne?" he asked slowly. "You think a student broke my office and proceeded to destroy it?""It is a running theory," said Professor Finnelan coldly."I can't think of a single student that would dare break into the Black Wizard's office," said Zeref. "I was under the impression that everyone was frightened by me.""You don't know these students," said Professor Finnelan. Akko could see a vein flickering horribly on Finnelan's temple. "The last four years have been nothing short of disaster after disaster. This isn't the first time a student has broken into a teacher's office, and it's not the first time a room in this castle has been destroyed, either. One particular student comes to mind."Akko didn't need to be a mind reader to know who she was referring to…."So you are certain that it was a student who did this?" said Zeref coldly. "And not one of the teachers trying to search my office again."Akko saw the edge of Professor Finnelan's face turn deathly pale as Zeref faced her with an accusing stare."You think I wouldn't know about it, Anne?" Zeref said in a soft and dangerous voice. "I'm well aware of the multiple teachers that have been scouring my private chambers when they think I'm not looking. You, Hex, Cosmos, Kowata, even Org and Ram have visited me once or twice in the past.""It is just a precaution, Professor Dragneel," said Professor Finnelan calmly. "The headmistress said we should keep an eye on – ""Holbrooke happens to trust me," said Zeref through clenched teeth. "I refuse to believe that she gave you orders to search my room!""Of course Professor Holbrooke trusts you," said Professor Finnelan. "She's a trusting woman. She believes in second chances. But you – you've already had your second chance long ago and you wasted it. I don't trust you, and neither does Headmistress Ram."Zeref suddenly did something very strange. He rested his hand over his right hip and gripped a bundle of his pajamas in his fingers, as though something there had hurt him."…Go back to bed, Anne," Zeref told her quietly. "I'll clean up here.""I cannot simply return to my bed after all the chaos that has happened," said Professor Finnelan, gesturing to the ruined corridor. "We must search the castle for whoever is responsible for this.""Search all you want," said Zeref, but his voice full of contempt. "I look forward to meeting you in a dark hall some time…. You've dropped something, by the way…."With a stab of horror, Akko saw Zeref point at the Shiny Guide Book, still lying against the wall on the opposite side of the hall. As Professor Finnelan and Elma turned to look at it, Akko threw caution to the winds; she raised her arms and waved furiously at Zeref to attract her attention, mouthing "It's mine!
Mine!"Professor Finnelan had reached out for it, a horrible expression of dawning comprehension on her face –"Hold it!"The book flew up into the air through Professor Finnelan's outstretched fingers, and soared into Zeref's hand."My mistake," Zeref said calmly. "It's one of mine – must have gotten thrown out in the explosion – "But Professor Finnelan's eyes were darting from the puzzle box in Elma's arms to the book in Zeref's hand, and Akko could tell she was putting two and two together, as only Finnelan could…."I don't believe it," she said in quiet exasperation."What's that?" said Zeref calmly, pocketing the book."Kagari!" she snapped, and she actually turned her head and stared right at the place where Akko was, as though she could sudden see her. "Miss Kagari was the one to have the box. That book belongs to Miss Kagari. I have seen it before, I recognize it! And after she promised that she would change! She must still be here, hiding under that blasted invisibility ring!"Professor Finnelan stretched out her hands a like a blind man and began to move up the corridor; Akko could have sworn her nostrils were dilating, trying to sniff Akko out – trapped, Akko leaned closer to the wall, trying to avoid Professor Finnelan's fingertips, but any moment now –"There's nothing there, Anne!" barked Zeref, "but I'll be happy to tell our…mutual acquaintance how quickly your mind jumped to Atsuko Kagari!""Meaning what?" Professor Finnelan turned again to look at Zeref, her hands still outstretched, inches from Akko's face."You both learned of her status from the old fool, Crawford, last year, did you not?" said Zeref, stepping closer to Finnelan until they were only a foot apart. "Which makes it all the more interesting as to why someone went out of their way to tamper with the Contest. She's very interested in finding out who it was…and so am I…." The torchlight flickered across his face, which looked darker except for his burning-red eyes.Professor Finnelan was looking at Zeref, and Akko couldn't see the expression on her face. For a moment, nobody moved or said anything. Then Professor Finnelan slowly lowered her hands."And that is exactly what I am afraid of," said Professor Finnelan, in a voice of forced calm. "I'll make myself explicitly clear: If you put Miss Kagari or any of my students in any sort of danger, I will see to it that you are thrown to the Heartless, even if I have to drag you myself.""You're surprisingly protective of the daughter to the woman who killed your own child," said Zeref softly."I will always hate that woman for what she did," said Professor Finnelan firmly. "But Miss Kagari is still my student. Understood?"There was a pause. Zeref and Professor Finnelan were still staring at each other. Elma was standing a considerable distance from them, seemingly trying to make herself smaller."I think I will go to bed," Professor Finnelan said curtly."Best idea you've had all night," said Zeref. "Now, Elma, if you'll just give me that box – ""No!" said Elma, clutching the box as though it were her first-born child. "Professor Dragneel, this is evidence of Myxzptlk's treachery!""It's the property of the school champions he stole it from," said Zeref. "Hand it over, now."Professor Finnelan swept down the hall and passed Zeref without another word. Still breathing very fast, Akko heard her walking away down the spiraling staircase; Elma handed Zeref the box and disappeared around the corner as well, muttering under her breath. "This won't stop me…I'll just go see Professor Holbrooke first thing in the morning…tell her what that wretched imp was up to…."A door slammed. Akko was left staring down Zeref, who set the box down on the ground with an exhausted sigh and started to walk over toward her, his expression one of a very tired man."That was a bit too close for comfort, Kagari," he muttered."Yeah…I – er…thanks," said Akko weakly."What is this thing, Kagari?" said Zeref, drawing the Shiny Guide Book out of his pocket and opening it."A guide to Luna Nova," said Akko, hoping Zeref was going to pull her out of the rubble soon; her leg was really hurting her."Very impressive," said Zeref, staring at the book as he flipped through the pages. "This is quite the guide you've got here, Kagari.""Yeah, it's…very useful," Akko said. Her eyes were starting to water from pain. "Er – Professor, do you think you could help me - ?""What? Oh! Yes…yes, of course…"Zeref swept his hand across the air and the debris instantly flew back to the hole in the wall, putting itself together like a large 3D puzzle until there was no sign that it had been destroyed in the first place. Zeref was still gazing at the guide book."Kagari…" he said slowly, "you didn't, by any chance, happen to see who it was the broke into my office, did you? On this book, I mean?""Er…kinda…," Akko admitted with some uncertainty. "There were two, actually. One of them I couldn't read and the other one…was me?"Zeref looked over at Akko, raising his brow inquisitively. Akko sputtered and flailed her arms."I-I-I know that sounds bad, but it's wasn't actually me! Honest!" Akko yelped. "The guide book has a huge flaw in it! It can only see people as who they think they are! So if they think they're someone else, then the book shows them as someone else!""That
is
a huge flaw," said Zeref. "So…you're saying someone broke into my office thinking they were you…. That's interesting – very interesting…."He said nothing for almost a minute, still staring at the guide book. Akko could tell that this news meant something to Zeref and very much wanted to know what it was. She wondered whether she dared ask. Zeref scared her slightly…yet Zeref had just helped her avoid an awful lot of trouble…."Er…Professor Zeref…do you have an idea of who was in your office?"Zeref's eyes left the map and fixed upon Akko. It was a penetrating stare, and Akko had the impression that Zeref was sizing her up, wondering whether to answer or not, or how much to tell her."Hmm…just one theory," Zeref muttered finally. "I heard about the incident that took place over the summer – the Chariot Racing Tournament. The mark of the Eclipse Queen appeared over the camp that night and someone was found standing under it. Someone who had your Shiny Rod, if I recall.""That was Mato," Akko said quickly. "But she didn't do it. She doesn't know how to use magic. And besides, I'm the only person who can use the Shiny Rod.""Are you sure you know everything about Miss Kuroi?" asked Zeref thoughtfully."Whaddya mean?" said Akko tentatively."Let's just say that there are a lot of sides to Mato Kuroi," said Zeref quietly, his eyes roving back to the Shiny Guide Book. "And not all of them are as pleasant. But I don't have any concrete proof that Miss Kuroi was the one who broke into my office, nor do I have any way of explaining why your name showed up along with a second, unknown intruder," he said slowly. "But there have been some…rumors flying around as of late – helped along by Quattro Scaglietti, of course. It makes a lot of people nervous," A grim smile twisted on his lips. "The Purifiers are taking notice, and even Ram is acting on the cautious side. These days, she rarely allows Miss Kuroi to leave her side…. Likely fearing that Miss Kuroi may be suffering from another relapse…."Akko stared at him. What on earth was he talking about? A relapse? Was Mato suffering from some kind of condition…?"And now I want to ask
you
a question, Kagari," said Zeref in a more businesslike tone.Akko's heart sank; she had thought this was coming. Zeref was going to ask where she had got this book, which was a very dubious magical object – and the story of how it had fallen into her hands incriminated not only her, but her own mother, Amanda, Constanze and Jasminka, and Ursula. Zeref waved the book in front of Akko, who braced herself –"Can I borrow this?""Oh!" said Akko.She was very fond of her book, but on the other hand, she was extremely relieved that Zeref wasn't asking where she'd got it, and there was no doubt she owed Zeref a favor."Yeah, okay.""Good girl," said Zeref. "I can make good use of this…this might be
exactly
what I've been looking for…if only my other books were as useful…. Right, bed, Kagari, come on, now…."They walked down the corridor and started to climb the spiraling staircase. Zeref stowed the book in his pocket and Akko became increasingly aware that the Black Wizard was staring at her the higher they climbed, almost like a old man observing his favorite grandchild. Akko's eyes flickered back to him occasionally, which he was quick to notice and chuckled."Sorry, sorry, I apologize for staring," said Zeref, shaking his head with a soft smile as they reached the landing. "It's just that…you remind me a lot of your mother. Especially her constant violation of the rules.""You told me the first time we met that you knew my mom," said Akko. "Were you part of her secret organization?""I was a member of her club, yes," said Zeref amusingly. "But I knew her long before then. Chariot is my…. Chariot is Mavis Vermillion's granddaughter. Mavis and I were…close friends in the past. She had a son named August who married into the Du Nord family and had three children, one of which was Chariot herself. I used to visit them in their home in Annecy all the time. Just seeing you brings back fond memories of then…. Well, looks like we're here."Akko hadn't realized it, but they were already standing in front of the hidden entrance to Polaris Tower before she knew it. Before she walked in, Zeref handed her the puzzle box, not realizing he had picked it up from downstairs before they left."I don't suppose you were just taking this for a walk tonight?" he said as he passed it off."Er – no," said Akko, grinning embarrassingly. "I've been working out the clue."Zeref smirked proudly."Nothing like a nighttime stroll to give you ideas, Kagari…. See you in the morning…."He went back downstairs, pulling out the Shiny Guide Book and staring at it again as he went.Akko walked into the Polaris common room, lost in thought about everything: Finnelan, Zeref, Mato, and what it all meant…. Zeref seemed to suspect Mato just as much as Org did, and he seemed to imply that Mato was suffering some kind of illness that was getting worse. But how was that related to Akko? What exactly was the relationship between her and what happened over the summer?But as important as all these questions were, the thing that Akko thought about the most was what happened with Diana. She had kissed her. Diana had kissed her! Does that mean she shared Akko's feelings, or was she just doing it to spite Andrew? Somehow, Akko thought, as she got quietly into her four-poster, the puzzle box and ring now safely in her trunk, curling up to Blair, she thought that tomorrow was going to be extremely uncomfortable for all parties involved.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"What exactly happened between you and Diana the other night?" asked Lotte. "You two have been walking on eggshells for the past few days.""Keep your voice down!" Akko hissed frantically. "It was…it was nothing, okay? Nothing happened – at all!"Of course, that was a boldfaced lie, but she wasn't going to say anything to Lotte while Sucy was sitting right next to them in the back of Charms class. They were supposed to be practicing summoning magic – a spell that brings forth a unique animal or magical creature that are typically similar to the caster's personality. Owing to the danger of someone summoning something like a lion or a wolf or a dragon, Professor Kowata had told the students to come up one at a time to practice the Summoning Spell, the theory being that Professor Akane could banish the creature should they get out of control. It was a good theory, but it didn't work well when Sucy cast the spell and covered the Charms teacher in bushel of mushrooms."Just forget about Diana for a minute, all right?" Akko hissed as Professor Akane wrestled an alligator summoned by Sarah Bernhardt to the floor. "I'm trying to tell you about the book and Zeref…."This class was an ideal cover for a private conversation, as everyone was having too much fun to pay them any attention. Akko had been recounting her adventures of the previous night (banning Diana's surprise kiss attack) in whispered installments for the last half hour."It doesn't come as a surprise that Ram would be searching Zeref's office," Sucy whispered, only watching in mild interest as Diana successfully summoned a majestic unicorn in the center of the room. "But the other teachers…do you think they're keeping an eye on Zeref, too? That's pretty dangerous….""Professor Finnelan said that Professor Holbrooke gave the order, but Zeref think she's lying, and so do I," said Akko, not paying attention as Balsa McVinegar supposed an army of scorpions that swarmed Professor Kowata. "I bet she did it because Zeref was in my moms secret club. You know she hates all the people in it because her daughter died. But that's not the part that bothered me that night. The weirdest part was that the Shiny Guide Book showed another me sneaking around Zeref's office.""What?" said Lotte, her eyes widening, as Professor Kowata was tossing over their heads by an angry-looking gorilla accidentally summoned by Lin-Lin Chang. "Someone disguised themselves as you to get into Zeref's office?""Or someone who thought they were actually Akko," said Sucy. "Remember, that book has a serious flaw to it.""I didn't get a chance to see whoever it was before they blew up the wall and buried me under the rocks," said Akko. "It was almost like they knew I was coming….""Akko…you don't think
they
had something to do with what happened that night when the champions were chosen, do you?" asked Lotte.The though certainly had crossed her mind more than once since Zeref dropped her off at Polaris Tower. All the strange things that had been happenings all year, even before the school year started, seemed to be centered around both Mato Kuroi and Nico Minoru. Both were targeted by Org from the get-go (Nico because her mom was an evil witch and Mato because of some altercation they had in the past) and now he seemed to have fallen mysteriously ill as of late. Even Izetta and Ram seemed to think both parties were suspicious, and Zeref implied that they were both involved in some shady business without going into better details. Despite trying to be good friends with them, Akko would have to be a fool not to suspect at least one of them, especially since both knew Akko and could easily imitate her.Akko expressed her thoughts to Lotte and Sucy, both of whom were frowning thoughtfully."Everything does seem to revolve around them, doesn't it?" said Sucy. "Zeref said that Ram hardly ever lets Kuroi out of her sight and that she might be a little two-faced. Sounds like she's a suspect to me.""I don't want to believe it myself," said Lotte, "but we hardly know anything about Nico. I'm not saying that she did it, but she could pretend to be Akko pretty easily given all the time they've been together.""It feels like this whole year is just a bad repeat of our second," said Akko grimly. "Why does it have to be so hard to trust people?She was called up to the front of the class just before the bell rang, lost in her confused thoughts, as she unknowing summoned a little mouse on Professor Kowata's desk.Obedient to Izetta's wish of hearing about anything odd at Luna Nova, Akko wrote a letter and gave it to Ursula that night, explaining all about the second Atsuko Kagari breaking into Zeref's office, and Zeref's suspicions involving Ram and Mato. Ursula took the letter with a serious expression, promising that she would follow up on these leads and get back to her with any new information. With that out of the way, Akko turned her attention in earnest to the most urgent problem facing her: how to get one of their teammates to survive underwater long enough to sneak into undersea ruins.Diana called the team together that night and they combed through the library in dire straits. Makoto quite liked the idea of using scuba diving equipment, but Nico squashed this plan by pointing out that, in the unlikely event that they managed to learn how to operate the scuba equipment, it was highly unlikely that they would have enough oxygen to go scavenging an entire undersea kingdom and avoid being seen by any potential guards."We could always use the animal metamorphosis spell," Akko suggested. "We could turn ourselves into fish and sneak in without any of the guards knowing its actually us.""And how do you propose we sneak the treasure out, let alone be able to lift it as tiny goldfish," said Diana, shaking her disapprovingly. "In any case, should one of the guards figure out that we're not a bunch of ordinary fish, we would be practically defenseless in that form. We can hardly perform any substantial magic in fish form, and if we slip up and accidentally transform back into human, we would drown. No, it's much too risky…""And that's not the only issue," Nico piped up. "Magic travels much slower underwater, so casting any spells against the guards might not do much if we get caught.""I've actually taken that into consideration," said Diana, much to no one's surprise. "And I have an idea of who I would like to compete in the next game, but the issue of breathing still remains. If only there was some kind of charm that would allow us to covert water into oxygen…."So Akko, thinking that she would soon have had enough of the library to last her a lifetime, buried herself once more among the dusty volumes, looking for any spell that might enable one of them to survive without air. However, though the team searched through their lunchtimes, evenings, and whole weekends – though Nico asked Croix for a note of permission to get into the archives, and even asked the irritable librarian, Badcock, for help – they found nothing whatsoever that would enable any of them to spend hours underwater and live to tell the tale.Familiar flutterings of panic were starting to disturb Akko now, and she was finding it difficult to concentrate in class again. Just as it had before she had faced the Xenomorphs, time was slipping away as though somebody had bewitched the clocks to go extra-fast. There was a week to go before February the twenty-fourth (there was still time)…there were five days to go (they were bound to find something soon)…three days to go (please let me find something…please)….With two days left, Akko started to go off food again. The only good thing about breakfast on Monday was Wangari flying over with the morning mail and dropping the letter from Izetta into her bowl of miso. She wiped as much of the soup off as she could, unfolded it, and saw the shortest letter Izetta had ever written to her.
Send date of next Blytonbury weekend in next letter
Akko turned the letter over and looked at the back, hoping to see something else, but it was blank."Weekend after next," whispered Lotte, who had to read the note over Akko's shoulder. "Here – take my pen and I'll get Haruka-san to send it back."Akko scribbled the date down on the back of Izetta's letter, tied it to Haruka's-san's forehead – the Puchi was gnawing on the end of the table for some reason – and watched her hop out of the dining hall. What had she expected? Advice on how to survive underwater? She had been so intent of telling Izetta all about Zeref and the second Akko that she had completely forgotten to mention the map in the puzzle box."Why do you think she wants to know about the next Blytonbury weekend is?" said Amanda."Dunno," said Akko dully. The momentary happiness that had flared inside her at the sight of the letter had died. "Come on…I've got Modern Magic."They were reaching the halfway point on building their Golems. After the finished securing the Magicite Core and making sure that it would collapse or explode (everyone used Akko as a guinea pig to test its durability), they finally started working on the main body of their machines. Constanze and Barbara were hard at work building the skeleton and they even allowed Akko to participate for once, telling her which parts go where and apparently trusting her enough that she wouldn't screw up a few basic instructions (those were Barbara's words). Akko wasn't even insulted; better to give her the simple tasks while her mind was still preoccupied with trying to solve the riddle of learning to breath underwater."Be careful with which material you use for the outer shell when building your Golems," Croix told the class. "Depending on the weight of your resources, you could either cause the Magicite Core – the heaviest part of the Golem – to break the skeleton, or if your skeleton is too heavy, you might end up cracking the core, which would lead to a very dangerous explosion. So be extremely cautious with what you build. But don't be afraid to be a bit creative – I will be judging the best Golem at the end of the year for extra credit…."You okay, Akko?" Croix muttered, stopping near her desk, while the others focused on their projects."Yeah," said Akko."You're almost as bad at hiding your nerves as Chariot," said Croix. "Feeling a little edgy?""A little," said Akko."Akko," said Croix, gentling resting a hand on her should. "I was worried to death when I found out you were going up against those Xenomorphs, but then I saw put all your effort into preparing and it paid off. I know you can do anything you put your mind to. And besides, all of your teammates are super smart. I'm sure they'll figure something out, too. You did figure out your clue, right?"Akko nodded, but even as she did so, an insane urge to confess that she didn't have any idea how to survive at the bottom of the ocean came over her. She looked up at Croix – perhaps she had a submarine or some kind of water breathing apparatus? She had pretty much done everything else from deadly plagues to time machines –"All right, that's enough spacing out," said Croix, clapping Akko's shoulder again. "You should be working on your project. Constanze and Barbara are going to throw a fit if you are done by the end of class."Akko watched helplessly as Croix walked to the back of the classroom to check on the other teams. She just couldn't do it. She couldn't bring herself to admit that they had no idea what they were doing for the next challenge. Shaking her head with a grimace, Akko bent over her desk and went back to work, thoroughly dejected.By the evening before the second task, Akko felt as though she were trapped in a nightmare. She was fully aware that even if, by some miracle, they managed to find a suitable spell, they'd be hard pressed mastering it overnight. How could they have let this happen? Why hadn't all of them helped Diana solve the puzzle box sooner. Why had she – Akko – ever let her mind wander in class after that promise she made to Finnelan to do better – what if a teacher had once mentioned how to breathe underwater?The five champions sat down in the library as the sun set outside, tearing feverishly through page after page of spells, hidden from one another by massive piles of books on the desk in front of each of them. Akko's heart gave a huge leap every time she saw the word "water" on a page, but more often than not it was merely "Take two pints of water, half a pound of shredded mandrake leaves, and a newt…""That's it – it can't be done," said Fate's voice flatly from the other side of the table. "There's nothing.
Nothing. Closest was that thing to dry up puddles and ponds, that Drought Charm, but that was nowhere near powerful enough to drain an entire ocean.""There must be something," Diana muttered, moving a candle closer to her. Her eyes were so tired she was poring over the tiny print of
Olde and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charms
with her nose about an inch from the page. "There has to be something, anything – ""There's not," said Makoto in a defeated tone. "We're just going to have to fall back on Akko's plan and use the metamorphosis spell to turn into fish. Akko, you're really good with that spell - maybe you could do a second challenge?""I told you, I already know who's going to be in the next challenge!" Diana said crossly. "We just have to figure out how to make it work!"She seemed to be taking the library's lack of useful information on the subject as a personal insult; it had never failed her before."Don't know how well it'd work, anyway," said Akko, resting, facedown, on
Saucy Tricks for Tricky Sorts. "For some reason, aquatic creatures are the only ones I still mess up on. The fish down in the lake keep calling me the Orange Submariner.""Ugh, this is no use," Nico groaned, snapping shut
Weird Witching Dilemmas. "Who in the nine circles of Hell would want to make their nose hair grown into ringlets?""I wouldn't mind," said Amanda O'Neill's voice. "Be a talking point, wouldn't it?"Team Luna Nova looked up. Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka had just emerged from behind some bookshelves. Jasminka was thankfully eating entire handfuls out if her bottomless bucket of food – it seemed she was finally over Scaglietti's article."What're you three doing here?" Akko asked."Looking for Princess," said Amanda, gesturing to Diana. "We were supposed to meet in front of the fountain after dinner? Did you forget?""Oh, it completely escaped me!" gasped Diana, jumping out of her seat. "Hold on, I'll be right out.""What're you guys up to?" asked Nico suspiciously."Just a little something we're discussing," said Amanda flippantly. "No need to get your panties in a twist.""I'll explain everything later," said Diana, pulling her bag over her shoulders. "Just keep looking. Let's go, O'Neill, I believe the headmistress can tell us where the Grand Master is hiding….""Is anyone else feeling a little out of the loop?" asked Fate the moment Diana and Amanda's group were out of sight. "And what're they looking for the Grand Master for?""The Grand Master said that Amanda was asking about substitutes during the Ball," Akko explained. "And Diana did say she had someone in mind when it came to the next game…. You don't think she wants Amanda to compete as a substitute, do you?""Well, she's pretty athletic and good on a broom, so I wouldn't be against it," said Makoto optimistically. "But even if Amanda is playing for us, we still have to figure out a way for her to breath under the ocean.""Right," said Akko uneasily.By eight o'clock, Badcock had extinguished all the lamps and came to chivy them out of the library. Staggering under the weight of as many books as she could carry, Akko returned to the Polaris common room, pulled a table into the corner, and continued to search. There was nothing in
Mischievous Magic for Wacky Witches…nothing in
A Guide to Medieval Sorcery…not one mention of underwater exploits in
An Anthology of Eighteenth-Century Charms, or in
Dreadful Denizens of the Deep, or
Powers You Never Knew You Had and What to Do with Them Now That You're Wised Up.Blair crawled into Akko's lap and curled up, purring deeply. The common room emptied slowly around Akko. People kept wishing her luck for the next morning in cheery, confident voices, all of them apparently convinced that she was about to pull off another stunning performance like the one she had managed in the first challenge. Akko couldn't answer them, she just nodded, feeling as though there was a baseball stuck in her throat. By ten to midnight, she was alone in the room with Blair. She had searched all the remaining books, and Lotte and Sucy had given up helping her over an hour ago.It's over, she told herself. They couldn't do it. Akko didn't fool herself into thinking the others had found a solution after weeks of searching….She imagined herself explaining her failure to everyone. She pictured the Grand Master's look of round-eyed shock, Ram's satisfied grin while Mato stared at her with an apathetic gaze. She could almost hear Wangari's heartbroken voice announcing Luna Nova's disqualification. She saw Ursula's crestfallen, disbelieving face…she saw Diana's heartbroken expression as she turned her back on Akko….Forgetting that Blair was on her lap, Akko stood up very suddenly; Blair muttered angrily under her breath while giving Akko the stink eye as she landed on the floor, and stalked away with her curly tail in the air, but Akko was already hurrying up the spiral staircase to her dormitory…. She would grab the Ring of Gyges and go back to the library, she'd stay there all night if she had to…."Lumen," Akko whispered fifteen minutes later as she opened the library door.A tiny ball of light floating in front, she crept along the bookshelves, pulling down more books – books of hexes and charms, books on Atlanteans and water monsters, books on famous Demi-Humans, on magical inventions, on anything at all that might include one passing reference to underwater survival. She carried them over to a table, then set to work, searching them by the narrow beam of her light source, occasionally checking the time on her phone….One in the morning…two in the morning…the only way she could keep going was to tell herself, over and over again,
next book…in the next one…the next one…A fishman was laughing at her from above. Akko was bobbing like a cork in bubbly water next to the rock he stood on, unable to climb up because the fishman was pushing her down."Come on, little girl," he laughed maliciously. "What's the matter? Can't breathe?""No – stop," Akko gasped, clawing at the rock and struggling not to sink. "Please – I can't – "But he just poked her painfully in the side of the head, laughing at her."Stop – that hurts – get off – ""You need to wake up, Akko-senpai!""Stop poking me – ""I'll keep poking you, Akko-senpai, until you wake up!"Akko opened her eyes. She was still in the library; she didn't remember when she took off the Ring of Gyges, but it was lying on the table next to her head when she slept, and the side of her face was stuck to the pages of
Where There's a Wand, There's a Way.
She sat up groggily, blinking in the bright daylight. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and looked off to the side, finally realizing that Marianna was fidgeting next to her, bouncing back and forth on her toes."You need to hurry, Akko-senpai!" squeaked Marianna. "The third challenge starts in ten minutes! Everyone else has already left – ""Ten minutes?" Akko croaked. "Ten –
ten minutes?"Akko checked her phone. Marianna was right. It was twenty past nine. A large, dead weight seemed to fall through Akko's chest into her stomach."Hurry, Akko-senpai!" yelped Marianna, plucking at Akko's sleeve. "You're supposed to be down at the stadium with the other champions!""It's too late, Mari," Akko said hopelessly. "We can't win. We don't know how – ""But you
can
win, senpai!" snapped Marianna. "I've been watching the senpai for weeks and I knew you hadn't found anything, so I went and found something for you!""What?" said Akko. "But how? You don't know what the challenge is – ""I was cleaning the toilets in the prefect's bathroom the night you and Diana-senpai snuck in," Marianna interjected quickly. "I overheard the whole thing. You need to swim to the underwater ruins and find a hidden treasure guarded by Atlanteans…. And, I know this has nothing to do with the challenge, but I totally ship you and Diana-senpai."A horrible realization washed over Akko as her mouth fell open in silent terror. If Marianna had heard everything that night, that also meant she overheard what she said about Andrew…and had seen Diana's kiss. Akko lurched forward and grasped Marianna's shoulder with an iron grip, her eyes practically bugging out of her skull."Mari, you can't, under any circumstance, tell Andrew
anything!" said Akko desperately."Relax, Akko-senpai, I'm not going to say anything," said Marianna, calmly removing Akko's fingers, which were digging into her shoulders. "But you really should tell him yourself. It wouldn't be fair to him to keep something like this a secret.""I know, I know," Akko whined. "And I'll tell him…somehow…but right now I have bigger issues to deal with. Like how I'm supposed to suddenly grow gills for the next challenge.""You don't need to grow gills, Akko-senpai," said Marianna. "You just need to use this."She reached inside her tunic and drew out a glass jar filled with bubbling, neon-green liquid. Inside the jar was something that looked like a sky-blue jellyfish covered in white spots that was expanding and shrinking slowly as if it were breathing."And…what is that?" said Akko, staring at the jellyfish."This is an Oxy-Fish – it's an aquatic animal that can convert water into oxygen!""Mari," said Akko frantically, "listen – are you sure about this?"She couldn't quite forget that the last time Marianna had tried to "help" her, she had ended up with a broken arm."I'm very sure, senpai!" said Marianna earnestly. "As part of the working staff, I'm allowed to go to a lot of places in the castle most students normally wouldn't. Just last night, I was cleaning the Lunar dormitory when I accidentally knocked a book off of Diana-senpai's desk. It was a journal written by someone named Florence Nightingale-Cavendish – it looked really old; I was worried I ripped it or something. When I stooped down to pick it up, I noticed that the journal had fallen open on a page about the Oxy-Fish. The answer to winning was right in front of Diana-senpai, but I don't think she ever realized it was there because it was hidden behind a bunch of library books. After I saw the journal, I went down to Professor Hex's storage closet and found one and then I brought it here…."Akko's doubts vanished. Jumping to her feet she snatched the Ring of Gyges off the table, stuffed it in her pocket, grabbed the Oxy-Fish, then tore out of the library with Marianna at her heels."The rest of the school already left, senpai!" Marianna squealed as they burst into the corridor. "You should hurry on ahead – I'll catch up with you shortly!""See you later, Mari!" Akko shouted, and she sprinted along the corridor and down the stairs, three at a time.The entrance hall was completely empty, which meant the whole school was already at the stadium. She needed to move fast. Thankfully, she had the foresight to bring the Shiny Rod with her during her late-night study session, and summoned the Shiny Balai to her side, shooting through the Leyline Terminal and out into the clear skies over Byltonbury. The streets were still flooded with last-minute stragglers, all of them staring up as Akko soared overhead, dropping roughly in front of the staff entrance that her legs nearly buckled upon landing. She pounded down the stone corridor; the excited babble echoed thunderously as she ran flat-out around the intersection and shouldered her way into the locker room with Luna Nova's name on it. Makato and Fate looked taken aback by Akko's sudden entrance, Nico quirked an eyebrow, and Diana just shook her head disapprovingly."I'm…here…," Akko panted, skidding across the tiled floor and stopping at one of the benches."Took you long enough," said a rough, mocking sort-of voice. "Thought we were gonna start without ya."Akko looked around. Amanda O'Neill was sitting on the bench next to Diana dressed in her own team uniform – which thin, black bodysuit that hugged her like a second skin, a pair of white combat boots with golden straps, and pair of white cuffs, and a short, sleeveless white coat with a fur-lined collar and the Luna Nova emblem stamped on the right side."Now, now, the important thing is that Akko showed up in time, right?" said Makoto, obviously trying to prevent an argument."What took you so long, anyway?" asked Diana. "We waited over an hour for you!""Lost…track…of time…," Akko wheezed, holding a stitch in her side. She took a few deep breathes, before standing up straight. "But I found it. I found a way to breath underwater.""What? How?" Fate gasped, as did everyone else, most likely in shock that Akko managed to accomplish something."With this," said Akko, and she whipped out the Oxy-Fish, holding it up for all to see. "This thing can turn water into oxygen. So if one of us puts this on our faces, we should be able to breath, right?""Yes…yes, this could work…," Diana said slowly, pacing over to Akko and taking the jar, examining it in awe. "How did you figure this out? There was nothing in the books we found that would have mentioned something like this.""I…had a little help," said Akko. She didn't know if it was a good idea to mention that Marianna had seen Diana's journal. Not only would Diana immediately suspect that Andrew was once again getting involved with Akko, therefore leading to yet another bout of the silent treatment from the blonde, but it might lead to questioning how Marianna knew about the task in the first place. And, knowing Akko's luck, she'd accidentally let slip that Marianna had also watched them kiss in the bathroom that night…."And just in time, too," said Nico, who was near the door, peeking outside as a chorus of trumpets echoed down the corridor. "There's about to start. We need to get out there, now."Akko quickly changed into her own team uniform and followed the others out of the locker room, down the tunnel, and into the stadium where they were assaulted from all sides by deafening cheers and applause. Now that they were in first place, there were a lot more fans waving around Luna Nova flags and wearing souvenir witch hats – people sure are fickle, Akko thought. And, unsurprisingly, Andrew was sitting near the front rows with Frank and Lotte, who were both wearing matching Luna Nova jerseys like a disgustingly cute couple. Andrew waved at Akko with a cheery smile, and Akko started to raise her hand to wave back, when Diana sharply and suddenly bumped her shoulder - hard."Ow, that hurt!" Akko whined, rubbing the spot tenderly."I apologize," Diana said curtly, but was looking straight ahead; she noticeably remained at Akko's side the entire way into the middle of the field."Hellooooooooooo, everybody!" Wangari screamed into her microphone from the commentator's box. "It's finally that time, ladies and gentlemen! The third challenge of the Contest of Champions. As always, I am Wangari from the Luna Nova News Network, and I will be bringing you all the thrilling play-by-play commentary!""And joining her is Neku Sakuraba from Serenity Academy's VOCALOID," announced Neku Sakuraba. "And, of course, the major sponsor and creator of the Contest of Champions, the Grand Master, will be joining us as well.""Always a pleasure to be here, Mr. Sakuraba," said the Grand Master. "I look forward to seeing what brilliant and inventive new solutions our champions end up bringing today.""Well, it's been a long while, but we've finally made it to the halfway mark of the Contest," said Neku Sakuraba. "Last time we stood in this stadium, the champions were sent on a no-holds barred death-defying drag race to the finish line. The carnage was beyond any scope the moderators could have predicted, filled with danger and betrayal around every corner. The one who stood out the most was Nonon Jakuzure, who held a strong lead for the longest time until she was outwitted by Fate "Lightning" Testarossa and her amazing driving skills, earning her the first-place win.""Fate went on to conquer the battle rounds next, securing a perfect score for the day!" said Wangari excitedly. "And just to remind everyone, here are the scores from the last game."The video board on the far end of the stadium flickered to life, displaying a scoreboard with each school's name and emblem next to their total:
Luna Nova: 26p
Class Zero: 23p
Myojo: 21p
Serenity: 20p
Sanshu: 17p
Black Star: 14p
U.A.: 14p
Honnoji: 13p
"It's still a very close match and one round could turn the tide for the entire thing," said Wangari."Unfortunately, we have a bit of bad news to share," said the Grand Master. "Due to their extensive injuries and illnesses they received from the last round, some champions will no longer be able to play for the remainder of the Contest. These champions are…" He consulted the paper in front of him. "Ira Gamagori from Honnoji Academy and Otoya Takechi from Myojo Academy.""These people will be substituted by Satsuki Kiryuin from Honnoji and Miharu Banba for Myojo Academy," said Wangari. "And speaking of subs, it looks like Luna Nova is bringing their own substitute for the day: Amanda O'Neill. Amanda was originally intended to be one of the Luna Nova champions until the whole Nico Minoru debacle. Looks like she'll finally get her chance to shine.""Damn right, it is!" said Amanda, grinning, pounding her fist into her palm. "I'm gonna kick so much ass, they're gonna – ""I don't want to hear the end of that sentence," said Diana sharply. She finally left Akko's side for the first time and stepped over to Amanda, holding out the Oxy-Fish and the puzzle box. "You understand the only reason why I agreed to let you be substitute is because of your special skills. So no goofing around. Just go in, grab the treasure, and get out.""Yeah, yeah, gotcha, Princess," said Amanda smugly, but accepting the items nonetheless."It's about time to get this round started, so teams: choose your champions!" said Wangari. "Be careful about who you pick, because there's still the battle round after this, and as proven in the last round, there's always a chance of someone having to pull a double shift."Amanda grinned smugly as she all but pranced to the center field line joined by the selected champions from the other teams, among them included Strength, who completely destroyed Jakuzure in the first battle round, and the boy from U.A. with the dual-toned hair and scar on his left eye.Team Luna Nova walked to the stands to their designated seats. All of their friends were waiting for them, including Andrew, who was gesturing to the seat in front of him, no doubt wanting to be close to her. Akko's face went flush and she started walking over to the offered seat when Diana suddenly jumped in, completely out of nowhere, and took the seat in front of Andrew before anyone else had a chance to sit down. Andrew looked like he had been smacked across the face and leered at the back of Diana's head; the Cavendish Heir was staring pointedly ahead. Everyone, especially Akko, was staring at Diana for her strange behavior."What?" said Diana coolly. "Hurry up and take your seats. The game is about to start. Here, Akko," she patted the seat next to hers, "this spot is available.""Uh…thanks," said Akko strangely.With some trace of hesitation, Akko sat in the offered seat next to Diana while the blonde was staring fixatedly out onto the field. Out of the corner of her eye, Akko could see Andrew giving Diana a heated glare. And when Andrew looked her way, Akko turned her head so fast she nearly gave herself a whiplash. He no doubt wanted to ask for the reason Diana was acting so out of character, but Akko had a pretty god idea why…."The schools have finished picking their representatives," Neku Sakuraba announced. "They are Otone Fujishiro from Serenity Academy, Uzu Sanageyama from Honnoji, Amanda O'Neill from Luna Nova, Shoto Todoroki from U.A. High, Strength from Black Star, Machina Kunagiri from Class Zero, Nio Hashiri from Myojo, and Mimori Togo from Sanshu.""Now that the eight teams have picked their competitors, it's time to reveal today's event," said Wangari. "Take it away, Grand Master.""This may be the most daring adventure our champions have gone on yet!" said the Grand Master excitedly. "Once the round begins, our contestants will be dropped in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Morocco where they will have to devise a way to travel to the undersea ruins of Atlantis's original location – before they moved to Florida. There, they will search the ruins for an ancient artifact, one for each of our champions. Once they have their artifact, they must race back to the surface where they will immediately be transported back to the stadium."But it's not going to be as simple as a little scavenger hunt. Not only will you have to worry about your fellow competitors barring your way, but there are also plenty of dangers lurking deep in the ocean. Sharks and whales, not to mention sea squid and the occasional leviathan. Moroccan and Atlantean authorities and medical teams will be on stand-by to interfere if they believe that any of the champions will be in danger. As always, champions are permitted to use their skills and pre-registered tools and the no-killing rule is still in effect, so don't even think about it. I'm looking at you, Myojo.""Aw, shuck," Nio Hashiri laughed playfully, scratching the back of her head."I think everyone gets the gist of the competition," said the Grand Master, nodding approvingly. "So let the third game of the Contest of Champions – Deep Sea Dive – begin!"The Grand Master snapped his fingers over the roaring cheers of the audience; the purple diamond-shaped portal appeared beneath the feet of the champions. One by one, they were sucked through the interdimensional portal with Amanda to be the last one through –- and suddenly found herself plummeting thirty feet in the air over a vast body of water. Amanda will be the first to admit that she might have panicked a little, flailed her arms around like they would actually do something, and may or may not have even soiled her new clothes. But when she stared ahead and saw the other champions plunging fearlessly into the depths, Amanda choked back her panic, steeled her nerves, and straightened her form so that when she hit the water, there was hardly any splash.It was so cold, Amanda thought. It felt like her skin was being stabbed by a thousand icicles, even though Morocco should have been much warmer than England this time of year. Amanda contributed this to her biology – there was a reason she didn't like swimming. Her sodden uniform weighed her down as she sank deeper into the water; her hands and feet were starting to feel slightly numbed from the chill. Now completely submerged in the water, Amanda grasped the jar she had been given, removed the top, and grabbed the Oxy-Fish; it felt unpleasantly slimy and squishy, like holding soggy clay. She placed the jellyfish-like creature over her nose and mouth, and waited for something to happen.Almost immediately, the Oxy-Fish's tentacles snapped around Amanda's face, stretching until they could connect behind her head, fastening themselves like boot straps. The water that had spilled into Amanda's mouth suddenly evaporated and was replaced crisp, clean oxygen. She couldn't describe the sensation of wearing the Oxy-Fish; it felt like she was taking big gulps of water every time she opened her mouth or breathed through her nose, but there was no water because it was replaced almost instantly by breathable air the moment it touched the jellyfish creature on her face."Hey, whaddya know, Akko dumb idea didn't kill me," said Amanda, her voice coming out clear behind the Oxy-Fish. "I take back…a quarter of the things I said about her."Though she got the biggest problem out of the way, the water still felt mind-numbingly cold on her skin and she had a very difficult time seeing where she was; everything below the surface looked like a murky shade of green and Amanda sorely regretted not bringing a pair of Constanze's goggles with her. But there was no time to dwell, Amanda thought. The athletic girl pulled out the puzzle box, which illuminated the water with its vibrant glow. She studied the map for a bit, then flipped over and dived into the shadowy depths."Oh, thank
kami
that worked," groaned Akko, leaning forward onto the railing with a relieved sigh. "If Amanda died because I got it wrong, she'd kill me.""Thankfully, it seems the Oxy-Fish is doing its job," said Diana, nodding approvingly. She turned her head toward Akko, offering her a small, but noticeably affectionate smile. "You save the day again, Akko. You are…impressive as always."Akko suddenly became very interested in her shoes as her face suddenly felt like she had swallowed a jar of ghost peppers."I always knew you were impressive, Miss Kagari," said Andrew, suddenly and surprising plopping into the seat on Akko's opposite side. "Glad to see that Diana has finally taken notice. It took her long enough.""Andrew?" Akko yelped, jumping in her seat. "Wait, I thought you – ""I asked Miss Minoru to switch seats with me," Andrew answered. "I hope you don't mind.""Oh, n-no, not at all," said Akko, waving her hand frantically and laughing anxiously.Unnoticed by Akko, Diana was shooting the darkest glare she could muster back at Nico, who was looking pointedly away, whistling innocently.And back with Amanda –Silence pressed upon her ears as she wadded over a strange, dark, foggy landscape. With the puzzle box as a light source, she could only see ten feet around her, so that as she sped through the water, new scenes seemed to loom suddenly out of the oncoming darkness; forests of rippling, tangled black weed, wide plains of sand littered with dull, glimmering stones. She swam deeper and deeper into the ocean, her eyes wide, staring through the eerily gray-lit water around her to the shadows beyond, where the water became opaque.Small fish flickered past her like silver darts. Once or twice she though she saw something larger moving ahead of her, but when she got closer, she discovered it to be nothing but a large, blackened rock, or a dense clump of weed. There was no sign of any of the other champions, Atlanteans, nor, thankfully, any roaming leviathans.Light green weed stretched ahead of her as far as she could see, two feet deep, like a meadow of very overgrown grass. Amanda was staring unblinkingly ahead of her, trying to discern shapes through the gloom…and then, without warning, something grabbed hold of her ankle.Amanda twisted her body around and saw a bright-pink ribbon poking out of the weed – the person holding the other end of that ribbon floated into view and revealed themselves to be Otone Fujishiro. Only it wasn't the Otone she had seen a few minutes ago; she had somehow sprouted gills on the side of her neck, her hands were webbed, and her feet looked like they had been elongated into flippers."What the hell?" said Amanda strangely. "What'd you do to yourself.""Fujishiro is very aware of how ugly Fujishiro looks right now," said Otone, frowning disgustedly. "But Fujishiro will do anything for Eruna-chan. That's why Fujishiro stole that gill-weed stuff from that ugly boy with the stupid scar on his head!"Somewhere in the world, a boy with glasses drowned at the bottom of a lake."Now Fujishiro will knock out the competition to improve Fujishiro's chances," said Otone. "Anticomplex: Snake!"Several more ribbons flew from Otone's webbed fingers, zipping through the water faster than Amanda could avoid and started wrapping around everything they could reach; her wrists, thighs, neck, waist, and even between her fingers. Otone started to pull her down into the weed, in spite of Amanda's struggling. The tomboy tried pulling, ripping and even biting the ribbons, but they were much stronger than they looked. She was starting to sink into the weed now…."Get off of me!" Amanda yelled furiously. "I – said – get –
OFF!"Amanda's hair, which had always looked like it was on fire…actually caught fire. Even though they must have been miles below in the ocean, the flames roared from Amanda's head like a bonfire, steadily spreading down her face, over her shoulder, and traveling over her entire body until was coated in what looked like an aura of pure flames. Otone's ribbons were charred to ash, causing the dual-tones girl to flail backward until she grabbed one of the long weeds to catch herself. Otone stared open-mouthed as Amanda raised her hands over her head, shooting a heat gaze at Otone, and formed a small fireball between them. Otone exhaled a muffled shriek that came out as a cluster of bubbles and tried to swim away, but she couldn't swim fast enough. Amanda pelted the fireball at Otone with all her might, hitting her squarely in the back and leaving a noticeable scorch mark on her uniform. Otone went limp and sank back into the weed; she didn't come back up.Amanda clapped her hands for a job well done."That'll teach ya to sneak up on people," she said boastfully.Then she turned and swam away."Whoa, what was that?" Akko gasped, practically leaning over the railing while staring up at the screens. "Did Amanda just shoot fire…underwater?""That's why I wanted O'Neill to compete in this challenge," said Diana with a smug look. "I knew the competition would be caught off-guard by her magic. Though it's a lot more impressive now that I've seen it in person.""How did you know Amanda could do that?" Makoto asked her. "I've never even heard of magic that could shoot fire even in water.""I remembered back when we first met on the train in our first year," Diana explained. "I overheard O'Neill telling Akko that her family is descended from a coven of witches from Salem, Massachusetts. That location is infamous among witches because of the Salem Witch Trials. But more than that, witches from that area were particularly persecuted because they were actually right in believing that their witches gained their power from Hell. More accurately, Salem witches were famous for possessing the ability to summon fire directly from Hell itself.""Hellfire Magic," said Nico. "Flames that can consume anything they touch, even other flames and the air itself. They say that the Hellfire Magic can never be extinguished by anything unless the caster wills it.""That's why O'Neill is our best shot in this challenge," said Diana. "Unfortunately, she can't just use it whenever she wants. The cost of summoning Hellfire is that the flames can also consume the caster if they're not careful. Let us pray that O'Neill doesn't do anything reckless.""She's doomed," said Akko bluntly.Amanda slowed down a little, pulled out the glowing puzzle box again, and looked around, trying to find anything that might direct her to the ruins. She turned full circle in the water, the silence pressing harder than ever against her eardrums. She knew she must be even deeper in the Atlantic now, but nothing was moving but the rippling weed."Hey, whatcha doing there?"Amanda thought she was having a heart attack. She whipped around, her hand held out ready to summon the Hellfire again, when she came face-to-face with Nio Hashiri from Myojo. The quirky girl was wearing an old-fashioned diving suit complete with helmet and oxygen tank. The blonde assassin grinned playfully through the glass."Stay back, or I'll light your butt up," Amanda threatened. Nio actually giggled."Aw, I'm not gonna fight you, silly – I know you'd just roast me like that last girl," she said, holding her hands in mock surrender. "Actually, I think I saw a bunch of buildings that way." She pointed to the left. "Wanna come with me? It's pretty scary down here all by my lonesome."Amanda didn't like the idea of following an assassin – a smiling assassin, no less – but she was very lost and could use any help that was offered. And, if worst came to worse, she could always burn Nio's oxygen tank. The two set off in the direction Nio pointed out, careful to swim a bit higher over the weed to avoid any more sneak attacks.They swam on for what felt like at least ten minutes. They were passing over vast expanses of black sand now, which swirled murkily as they disturbed the water. Then, at long last, they caught sight of their first landmark.It was a large rock emerging out of the sand ahead. It had paintings of people on it; they were carrying spears and chasing what looked like a giant snake. Amanda and Nio swam past the rock and stopped in front of a steep cliffside. And there, only a short distance away, was what looked like the skeletal remains of an ancient city. Towers as tall as the New York skyline left in states of despair, leaning at awkward angles, and crumbling bit by bit so that the slightest touch could send the whole thing collapsing. Here and there, Amanda saw faces in the streets…. It was the Atlanteans….The were human-shaped, but that was where their similarities ended. Their bodies were covered in murky-green scales that nearly made them blend in with their environment if not for the bright-blue suits of armor they wore. They had bulging, unblinking yellow eyes, grayish fins crowning their heads, spears and tridents clutched in their webbed hands. They leered around the waters as they roamed the area in a pattern – they were patrolling, Amanda thought.Amanda and Nio went around the back of the dilapidated buildings, concealing themselves in the shadows as the Atlanteans floated by. There were hardly any guards, Amanda noted, patrolling the outer regions of the ruins and instead were circling the few buildings near the city center. That narrowed down the possibly hiding spots, she thought. Amanda consulted the puzzle box again, not even caring at this point that Nio could see over her shoulder. Near the bottom was the flashing red "X" inside one of the smaller buildings. Amanda looked around the square and spotted it almost immediately – it was the most heavily guarded building in the whole place with no less than four Atlantean guards on each side."Okay, so the treasure has to be inside there somewhere," said Amanda. "We're gonna have to find a way to sneak inside without being spotted. Any suggestions?""Ooh, a team-up!" said Nio delightfully, clapping her hands. "I always like team-ups! Especially when they make the work much easier for me.""Fine, fine, we can team-up," said Amanda impatiently. "Now how're we gonna get inside? We won't be able to swim fast enough to avoid behind seen.""Well, we could just wait until that dummy draws their attention," said Nio offhandedly."What dum – " but Amanda was cut off when a loud
boom
came from the front of the treasure location and she spun around quickly.All the Atlantean guards were scrambling around the front of the building where a cloud of sand had rose up off the seafloor, two of which were thrown out of the haze floating listlessly backwards, seemingly unconscious. The haze subsided when that boy man from Class Zero – Machina, right? – charging headlong into the guards wielding what looked like a pair of screw-shaped rapiers. The boy was wearing a strange-looking mask over his mouth and nose, possibly an explanation as to why he was able to breath underwater.The champion of Class Zero clashed his sword with one of the Atlantean's trident, pushing them back with his shoulder, and swung around to stop the spear of another Atlantean coming up behind him. The rest of the guards immediately became alerted by the noise and started swimming around the building to join the fight…leaving the whole thing virtually defenseless."That was easier than I though I'd be," said Amanda. "All right, let's sneak in quietly – and you're already gone, aren't you?" she added, turned and looking unsurprised to see that Nio had pulled a vanishing act.Amanda rolled her eyes with a groan and spotted the sneaky blonde tiptoeing her way around the side of the building, ducking behind the tall rocks should one of the guards look around during the fight. Amanda quickly swooped down and followed her inside through a large crack in the wall. The chamber they had entered was wide and mostly empty save for the eight slightly cracked pedestals along the back wall. On each pedestal was what looked like dirty lumps of clay that had been molded into idols, all of them marked with the same trident emblem.Nio had already crossed the chamber when Amanda slipped inside and had already retrieved her own artifact as well as a second and was in the process of taking her third. Amanda quickly paddled over and put herself between the other champion and the artifact before she could take it, giving her a disapproving glare with her hands on her hips; and when she realized she was acting like Diana, she crossed her arms instead."Whaddya think
you're
doing?" Amanda asked accusingly. "You're only supposed to take your own artifact, not everyone else's""Just though I'd try to improve out odds," said Nio, smiling as she reached for the artifact again. Amanda slapped her hand away. "Hey, come on, you wanna win just as much as I do. Just trying to give us an advantage.""And what about the other champions when they show up and don't find the artifacts?" said Amanda. "They could search the entire ocean until they run out of air. Put – them – back –
now!"Nio was no longer smiling as she said, "I didn't expect a thief to be giving me a lecture on playing fair.""I may be a thief and a troublemaker and a delinquent, but I don't cheat," said Amanda forcefully. "I'm telling you one last time: put them – "Before she could get another word in, Amanda suddenly frozen up – in the most literal sense possible.It happened faster than the blink of the eye; a thick layer of ice flash froze the entire building and, if anyone noticed the silence outside, the guards and Machina were apparently frozen as well. Amanda and Nio were sealed inside solid blocks of ice, only dimly aware of what was happening outside. And then, the double front doors to the chamber were shattered open and Todoroki stepped inside. He was only wearing a pair of swim trunks, but there was no visible sign of anything he was using to keep himself from drowning. But Amanda, her eyes roaming around inside the ice, noticed the wide ice tunnel at the front doors – he made that tunnel all the way from the surface!Todoroki walked across the chamber, shivering slightly and his breath coming out in white puffs. He tried warming himself up with a small bit of flames in his left hand, but they were very weak and provided very little heat. But that didn't matter anymore. Todoroki took one of the clay artifacts off the pedestals and looked around at the others."Eight artifacts, including the two she has," muttered Todoroki, looking toward Nio. "That means no one has left with an artifact just yet. Despite the time it took, I might be able to make it to first after all."Todoroki pocketed the artifact in his swim trunks and started walking back to his handmade tunnel, rubbing his arms for warmth, when he heard a faint
crack
coming from behind. His mismatched eyes went wide when he realized that the chamber was suddenly spiking in temperature; the biggest giveaway was the ice dripping on his head from the ceiling. Todoroki felt out the heat with his left hand and it fell upon Amanda, whose ice cube had become visibly fractured. The duel-toned hero-in-training had no time to freeze her again when the ice around her exploded outwards in a fiery explosion. Todoroki, who was shivering with cold second ago, was now sweating profusely as the chamber filled with an unbearable level of heat that he was unaccustomed to, even compared to his father. Amanda took a step forward, her hair flickering with flames, bearing her teeth at the boy who froze her."That was cold, Jack!" roared Amanda.Todoroki threw out his right hand created a straight line of ice spikes in Amanda's direction. However, the athletic witch threw her own hands out and forged a column of searing flames, which instantaneously melted the spikes into a line of puddles. Todoroki threw himself out of the way as the heat tower came flying at him, forgetting that he had been standing in front of his ice tunnel and now left it exposed for Amanda's flames to attack. The Hellfire burned a clean hole through the ice and the water outside started gushing back into the chamber like an angry geyser. In seconds, the water had reached waist level, but while Amanda had her Oxy-Fish to save her, Todoroki was left without any way of breathing.The redhead considered ripping off the fish and sharing it with Todoroki – she wasn't gonna let the poor kid drown – but she was spared the effort when Todoroki created a ball of ice around himself, sheltering him from the vengeful tide of the ocean and giving him a small pocket of air to breath from. Soon, the room was completely filled again, and Amanda tilted her head back with an amused smirk as she watched Todoroki bob near the ceiling with no way of getting back down."Why don't you just
chill out
there for a while," said Amanda, patting herself on the back for that Yang-worthy pun. "Somebody'll come get you down…eventually. Now – "She swam across the chamber and finally grabbed her own artifact off one of the pedestals, tucking it securely under her arm with a gentle touch; she couldn't hold it too tightly and risk breaking the fragile object. Amanda started to kick backwards and float toward the doors when she heard a dull
thud
near the artifacts. She spun around in time to see the back wall of the chamber behind the artifacts burst open, sending debris flying everywhere. Several of the artifacts were smashed by the falling rocks – Amanda used her body to protect her own – until only two were left intact, but were falling to the floor. At the last second, a familiar-looking metal tail shot inside through the hole in the wall and gently cradled the two artifacts before pulling them outside.Amanda rapidly paddled over, poking her head out of the hole and following the tail as it retracted to its owner above. As she suspected, the tail had belonged to strength, who was now holding the artifacts in one of her gigantic hands and apparently not using anything that should allow her to breath this deeply underwater. But the surprise was that she was sitting on the shoulders of a hulking suit of green armor with a noticeable Japanese style to it."Well, that was easy," said the man in the armor, Uzu Sanageyama, giving a thumbs up to his tagalong."Hey, since when are you guys teaming up?" asked Amanda."Since we desperately need the point," said Sanageyama. "We made a deal to work together before the match started – we last placers need to stick together. Now if you'll excuse us" He leaned forward, holding his palms open to the ground, "we got a competition to win."A pair of bamboo swords appeared from the opening in his gloves, slammed the seabed, and propelled Sanageyama and Strength upward with tremendous force toward the surface. Amanda let out a startled gasp that was muffled by the Oxy-Fish and started paddling as hard as she could with one arm.She was moving too slow; they were already halfway up to the surface before Amanda had waded past the rooftops. She was never going to catch up to them at this rate…unless…. Amanda looked down at her free hand thoughtfully. It would be risky and there was every chance she could permanently injure herself, but her desire to win overruled her desire for personal safety….The redheaded girl spun around so that she was facing down, held out her free hand, and, with strained concentration, summoned a burst of Hellfire from her palm that shot her up like a rocket.Amanda struggled to hold the artifact firmly against her chest as the rushing currents around her threatened to take it away, all the while trying to ignore the burning sensation that was building up in her right hand. She was only used to using the Hellfire in short bursts; she had never attempted to use it continuously before. She could feel the blisters starting to form on her palm, the sting of the Hellfire licking her skin, gradually peeling it away, but she couldn't stop now…. She was so close….Amanda looked over her shoulder. Sanageyama and Strength were no longer in view – they must have breached the surface and returned to the stadium. She looked back at her hand…her fingers were starting to blacken…she was starting to feel a little dizzy from the excessive heat, but she knew the finish line was only ten feet away…she was almost there…almost….
Crack!
Without warning, Amanda felt something strike her sharply in the side of the head, disorienting her, causing her to unconsciously extinguish the Hellfire. The redheaded tomboy grasped her head with hands; she could feel an angry welt starting to appear where she had been hit. She tenderly caressed the spot when a horrible realization struck her just as hard: she dropped the artifact!She immediately looked down, spotted the clay idol as it slowly started to fall back down, and started to swim for it when a bright-blue ribbon suddenly lashed out and snatched the artifact up. Amanda's eyes followed the ribbon back to Togo from Team Sanshu, who Amanda is only now realizing had been missing for nearly the entire game. She carrying a long rifle over her shoulder, which would explain why Amanda had a splitting headache. The ribbon of her uniform curled around as if it were alive and handed Togo the idol that Amanda had worked so hard to retrieve. The big-breasted middle schooler offered her an apologetic smile and then shot up towards the surface before Amanda had a chance to stop her.Amanda could only stare open-mouthed as Togo breached the surface and vanished in a flash of purple light. This was seriously bad, she thought. Without that artifact, she couldn't complete the challenge. That meant she had to go all the way back down to retrieve another…except that there weren't anymore. Strength and Sanageyama had destroyed the rest of them.What was she supposed to do now? Does this mean that there was no way of completing the challenge? Would the judges mark her badly for an incomplete? Amanda ran her hands frantically through her hair, which was not the smartest idea since her right hand was the equivalent of charcoal right now. She started running through a number of excuses in her head when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. For one wild minute, she thought some Atlantean had caught up to her and started to swing her leg around on instinct. However, they stopped her by grabbing her ankle, which gave Amanda a chance to see –"Hi," said Nio, waving cheerfully. "Bet you weren't expecting to see me again.""You?" said Amanda, blinking surprisingly as she lowered her foot. "How'd you get out?""One of those rocks cracked the ice when they broke the wall," Nio explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Just saw you get sniped and looted back there. That's gotta hurt – literally and figuratively.""That stupid middle schooler and her giant boobs totally cheated me!" Amanda roared angrily. "I worked so hard to get that artifact and she just steals it when I'm about to win. Who does something like that? And there are no more artifacts left because those two idiots destroyed them all.""Did they now?" said Nio, grinning mischievously. Amanda gave the blonde an inquisitive look until Nio pulled out not one, but two artifacts. "Tada! I was still holding on to these when that icy-hot guy froze me. And you were saying that stealing was wrong. Here you go," she suddenly thrust one of the idols into Amanda's uninjured hand. "Now we each have one. Pretty great, right?"But Amanda regarded the artifact with a look of suspicion as she said, "Okay, what's the deal? First you helped me find the place, now you give me one of the artifacts. What's your angle?""Aw, can't a girl just be friendly?" said Nio, waving off the accusation. "I just thought It'd be a nice thing to help out. And…," She leaned in close to Amanda's ear, her voice barely a whisper, "if you decided to…'help out' during the battle rounds, I wouldn't be too offended."I knew it, Amanda thought, she's trying to buy me off. And, unfortunately, she had no choice to accept. Because if she didn't, she runs the risk of losing a good score for her team, and she couldn't afford that after they went through the trouble of letting her play. So, with a reluctant sigh, she looked back to Nio, who was already sporting a toothy grin, knowing that she had won in the end. The blonde gestured Amanda to the surface, acting all gentlemanly despite her malevolent smile.Amanda grimaced and started kicking her legs, climbing closer to the light until she breached the water –- and plopped hard on her stomach ans she landed on the turf of the Blytonbury Stadium, the crowd in the stands making a great deal of noise; shouting and screaming, they all seemed to be on their feet. Amanda crawled gingerly to her feet, avoiding putting any pressure on her right hand, when she realized she had a hard time breathing. She quickly ripped the Oxy-Fish off her face and threw it away just as Nio landed on her feet next to her, removing her helmet and offering up a sickly-sweet smile, much to Amanda's annoyance.She looked around and saw the other champions, including Otone, Machina, and Todoroki, all of whom had a look of defeat on their faces."And in a show of good sportsmanship, Nio Hashiri offered up one of her artifacts and allowed Amanda O'Neill to take fourth place while she herself took fifth!" Wangari announced. "This is just after Uzu Sanageyama and Strength came in first and second respectively and Mimori Togo arrived in third! Unfortunately, because they were knocked out of the competition and unable to complete their challenge, Shoto Todoroki, Machina Kunagiri, and Otone Fujishiro will be receiving sixth, seventh, and eighth place in that order.""That concludes what is likely our most harrowing adventure yet, but I get the feeling it's only going to get worse from here," said Neku Sakuraba. "Now that the scores have been tallied, let's see what the ranks are now –
"The crowd turned in unison as the video board came to life, added the new points to the roster, and rearranged the rankings –
Luna Nova: 30p
Class Zero: 24p
Myojo: 24p
Honnoji: 23p
Sanshu: 23p
Black Star: 22p
Serenity: 20p
U.A.: 16p
"Despite their setbacks, Luna Nova is still holding strong in first place with Class Zero and Myojo fighting for second and Honnoji and Sanshu clashing for third," said Neku Sakuraba. "However, U.A. High is still falling further and further behind the pack. But that can all change in the battle round.""And as always, the first-place team will be receiving a free hint as to what the next challenge will be, which is once again Team Luna Nova," said Wangari over applause of the Luna Nova fans. "At this time, we will be taking a short intermission before the battle rounds begin. In the meantime, please enjoy our halftime show, which will be a joint Hero Show titled: "Those Fighting Tank Warriors That Came From Across the Ocean! Hina-Nectar Cheer Fruits vs. The Panzer 5!""The name itself takes up half the show," said Neku dryly.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Thanks for doing this for us, Wendy?" Diana said gratefully. "We didn't think we would be able to make it up to Porlyusica in time for the next round.""It's no problem," said Wendy, shaking her head. "I'm more than happy to help. Plus, my Sky Dragon Slayer Magic is much more effective at healing magical burns than anything up in the hospital wing."Amanda bit the inside of her cheek as Wendy's tiny hand roamed over her own, consuming it in a pale-green light. After nearly burning her right hand to ash in the challenge round, she had been shepherded into the locker room by Diana and Fate while Akko and Makoto ran off into the crowd looking for the young Dragon Slayer. Amanda could only imagine the scolding her mother would give her for using their family's Hellfire Magic so recklessly, but thankfully the black burns were slowly receding as Wendy poured more magic into her healing spell."I can fix the general injury, but there is going to be some scarring left over," said Wendy. "But, hey, you'll be matching with Diana. That's pretty cool, right?"Wendy was referring to the burn mark on the back of Diana's hand, which she received last year after insulting a Qilin."Ugh, gross, last thing I want is to share anything with Princess over there," Amanda complained."O'Neill's repugnant personality aside," Diana sniffed, turning her nose up at Amanda. "That round wasn't particularly favorable, but it could have been worse. We're still holding a six-point lead over Class Zero and we still get the next clue after the battle round, so we can hopefully prepare the next challenge better than this one.""I'd have gotta more points if it wasn't for that bimbo in Sanshu," Amanda growled. "How the hell does a fourteen-year-old have boobs that big, anyway?""Feeling a little insecure?" Nico teased her, to which Amanda stuck her tongue out childishly.Wendy soon finished treating Amanda's hand to the best of her ability. She was able to remove all of the black mass from her skin, but she couldn't heal the four jagged scars that took root between her fingers. Amanda stretched her fingers, testing it for any pain or discomfort. It was slightly irritated, but otherwise okay. And not a moment too soon, because there was a sharp knock on the door, likely one of the stadium employees telling the champions to head back onto the field. But just as they were getting ready to head out, the door suddenly slammed open and against the wall, putting a large crack in the tile. The blonde girl from Myojo was standing at the threshold, flashing a smile that showed her unnaturally pointy teeth. Her name was…Nio, if Akko remembered right."Hey, guys, just thought I'd give you a heads up," said Nio brightly. "The show's about to be over in a minute and everyone's gonna need to be out soon.""And you came to tell us personally because…?" Nico asked suspiciously."Oh, I was just worried about O'Neill," said Nio, her expression suddenly twisting into one of concern. The way she did it so fast seemed almost…fake to Akko. "She hurt herself really bad out there trying to get those relics and having to fight off the likes of Todoroki and Togo. I just wanted to see if she was doing better.""I'm…fine…," Amanda muttered slowly, leering at the blonde."Well, in any case, we should probably head out," Fate suggested, standing up. "The next round will be starting any minute now."Akko, Diana, Nico, Fate, and Makoto filed out of the room one after the other and headed down the corridor back to the field. Wendy exit the locker room a moment later after making sure that there was no further damage to Amanda's hand. That just left Nio and Amanda in the room together. The redheaded American watching her new companion in apprehension as she turned and closed the door, locking it was a small
click.
The smiling blonde turned on her heels and marched slowly over to Amanda until they were only inches from each other's face."So, what's the real reason you're here?" Amanda asked immediately."Oh, you know what I want," said Nio, grinning even wider with a dark shadow cast over her eyes. "I just wanted to make sure you're still gonna keep your end of the deal. I gave you one of my relics and saved you from being a total disgrace in front of your school. Now it's your turn. You're gonna 'help me out' in the battle rounds, right? You owe me, after all.""I don't owe you shit," said Amanda, snorting and standing up. "I just said what you wanted to hear so I could get one of those relics. Now that it's over, I don't have to do anything for you.""So you're not gonna help?" asked Nio, who was surprisingly still smiling. "Even though you promised.""Lying, cheating, and stabbing people in the back are what Americans do best," Amanda said proudly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go watch
my
team win."Amanda walked around Nio and made her way over to the door. The blonde assassin still had a wide smile on her lips even after Amanda rejected their bargain. Calmly, Nio took off her school blazer, unraveled her ribbon, and started to unbutton her shirt just as Amanda unlocked the door."I had a feeling you'd try to back out," said Nio in a hauntingly pleasant tone as she removed her shirt, leaving her completely bare from the waist up. "So we'll just have to stick with Plan B then."Drawn in by curiosity, Amanda looks back at Nio just as she opened the door. All of a sudden, Amanda felt her body freeze up, her eyes wide in obvious terror as her hand subconsciously released the door, allowing it to shut behind her once more.Team Luna Nova were the last to arrive on the field as several girls in costumes were tearing down the stage and carrying away the props; five of them looked like those Ooarai Girls from the first halftime show. Whatever performance they did, it was well-received judging by the cheers and applause of the audience; a complete contrast from the last show. As the field cleared and the teams waited for the selection, Akko looked around and noticed…."Hey, where'd Amanda go?" asked Akko, looking around for her missing friend."It's probably best that she doesn't participate in the battle rounds," said Diana. "If she is forced to fight, she'll get reckless and make her injury worse."Akko did see Diana's point, but she thought Amanda would have at least liked to join in watching the fights with the rest of her team after all the work she put in to finally get in. Before she could think too much on the matter, the loudspeakers screeched to life and Wangari's voice echoed throughout the stadium."Wasn't that an amazing performance, ladies and gentlemen?" she shouted, earning a thunderous roar of cheers. "Let's give a big round of applause for Hina-Necter Cheer Fruits and Ooarai's Panzer Five! I feel bad for anybody who missed out on that show!""As great as it was, I'm sure the thing that everyone is looking forward to the most is the third day's battle rounds," said Neku Sakuraba. "But first, a quick recap for everyone watching since it's been a while since the challenge round –
""It…literally happened ten minutes ago," said Wangari, looking at him strangely."In the last round, each team sent a champion down into the dark depths of the Atlantic in search of lost treasure," Neku Sakuraba continued uninterrupted. "Though Amanda O'Neill was the first to find the relics and she defeated the crowd favorite, Shoto Todoroki, by outwitting him, she was ultimately outwitted by the combined force of Sanageyama from Honnoji and Strength from Black Star. And after having third place savagely stolen from her by Sanshu's Togo, O'Neill was saved by the kind generosity of Hashiri from Myojo.""But even after all that insanity, Luna Nova still holds on to the lead," the Grand Master said cheerfully."We'll see if they can keep their streak going." Said Wangari as one of the stadium employees handed her the voting results. "Because in an overwhelming landslide, Luna Nova's Nico Minoru will be going up against Sanshu's Fu Inubozaki!""So now I finally get a chance to show off my skills," said Nico, stretching the fingers of her prosthetic. "It's about time. I thought I was going to go the whole tournament without playing.""Next to Yuki, Inubozaki looks like the toughest of the whole bunch," said Makoto, watching anxiously as Fu hefted a gigantic sword on her shoulders with one hand. "Are you sure you're going to be all right?""Can't be any worse than the time the Runaways tried to make Molly eat her vegetables," said Nico, shrugging."At this time, we would like both contestants who had been named to approach the middle of the field," said the Grand Master. "Everyone else, please take your seats in the stands."Team Luna Nova and Team Sanshu returned to the stands along with the other champions, leaving Nico and Fu alone on the field. Expectedly, once Akko took her seat, Andrew immediately dropped down on her left side before Diana had a chance to run interference. The two aristocrats spent several long moments glaring at one another; Akko could practically see the sparks flying. Ever reluctantly, Diana plopped down in the seat on Akko's right, but went a step further by wrap her arm around Akko's elbow, pulling the brunette closer to her. Andrew leered – that was a dirty tactic. Diana could get away with holding Akko because she was a girl, but if Andrew did the same, some might think he was being inappropriate. Then, after making sure nobody was looking, Diana stuck her tongue out at Andrew for a quick moment, making the man bristle in silent anger.The whole time, Akko was just staring ahead with an exasperated look on her face."This was a little weird at first, but now it's getting redundant," Akko muttered to herself."I know that everyone is tired of hearing me say this by now, but my contract says I have to do it before each battle round," said Wangari. "Contestants are free to move around the field as long as they don't step over the out-of-bounds lines. All preregistered weapons are permitted for use and the round will last for thirty minutes. Contestants can win if they knock out their opponent, making them go out of bounds, or if their opponent surrenders. And in the event that time runs out, the match will be concluded as a draw and split the points in half between the two teams."Now that we got that out of the way," she continued with building excitement. "Let's get the first round underway! Nico Minoru vs. Fu Inubozaki! Ready – GO!"The stadium rang with the blare of an air horn. Fu bended forward slightly, sliding her great sword over her back, holding the handle gently with only a few fingers."Gonna finish this right from the get-go!" Fu declared.The blonde swordswoman lunged across the field and swung her massive sword overhead while barely holding onto the handle. Nico lightly skipped backwards as the great sword smashed the ground where she once stood, wielding the Staff of One as she began to recite an incantation. However, Fu suddenly tightened her grip around her sword and threw herself bodily at Nico in a half circle. The gothic witch barely spotted her and raised her prosthetic arm to block Fu's boots, causing Nico to slide sideways. When Fu returned her feet to the ground, she grabbed her great sword with both hands, carrying the momentum she had built up, and took another swing at the witch. Whether it was because of her survival instinct or just dumb luck, Nico fell backwards and landed on her back as the edge of the sword narrowly clipped a few fringes of her hair.Fu's sword circled around and stabbed into the ground on her side, making Fu stumble briefly since she was still holding on. Nico quickly sat up, staring at the blonde warrior's backside as she struggled to pull her sword out of the field, making a lot of grunting noises to express how difficult it was. But this was an opportunity for Nico – one she couldn't pass up.The gothic witch stumbled her way back to her feet, nearly tripping twice over the edge of her uniform, and raised the Staff of One in front of her face so that she could see Fu through the ring. From her seat, Akko thought she saw the staff being cloaked in a dark aura."Shot Put!" Nico shouted.Now Akko was certain she had seen the dark aura, because she watched it travel down the length of the Staff of One to the ground, zigzagging its way across the field until it was directly underneath Fu's feet. Just when the blonde swordswoman finally pried the sword out of the ground, the dark aura exploded upwards and launched Fu twenty feet into the air. Inubozaki's let out a surprised shout, her limbs flailing uncontrollably as the world spun faster and faster around her. Back on the ground, Nico thrust the Staff of One in Fu's direction, shouting "Shove!" and fired a pulse of dark magic that slapped Fu out of the air, sending her flying towards the edge of the arena.Now falling dangerously close to the out-of-bounds line, Fu forced herself to straighten in the air and leered downward. As she started flying past the field and over the stands, Fu pulled back her great sword before she started swinging around in wide circles, looking like a gliding yellow top. Just moments before her feet could touch the seats, Fu stopped her swings and thrust her blade forward. The great sword surged ahead like a cannonball with the blonde warrior clinging to the handle for dear life, narrowly gliding over the heads of the audience. To the surprise of everyone watching, the sword plowed the ground inside the arena and Fu flipped forward, standing precariously on the edge of her blade striking a heroic pose, the wind blowing her hair and her robe for added effect.The crowd exploded in cheers, as did Wangari, who had once again jumped on her seat with one foot on the table."Did you all see that!" she shouted enthusiastically. "Inubozaki literally threw herself back into the ring after getting slapped around by Minoru! If that doesn't impress people, then I don't know what will!""That was definitely something else," said Neku Sakuraba. "If it had been anyone else, they would have landed out-of-bounds. Lucky that Inubozaki's weapon is a giant, heavy sword. The weight of it carried her back into the field. And since she technically never touched the outside, she's safe. The fight can keep going.""Would you please get down from there – your feet are filthy," said the Grand Master, grimacing at Wangari's bare feet getting dirt on his nice, clean tablecloth."On man, that was a close one," said Fu, wiping her brow with her arm dramatically. "Can't go making that mistake again. Can't make myself look back in front of the Hero Club…or…."She glanced sideways into the stands, passing over Team Luna Nova and up to a puce-haired girl sitting behind them, smiling softly as their eyes met –"BOOM!" Nico thundered.Fu snapped back to reality, directing her attention forward as a pulse of black magic flew straight at her. The blonde Hero flipped backward over her sword, landed securely on her feet, kicked the handle up, and crouched behind the wide blade as the black magic burst into groundbreaking explosion that sent a tremor throughout the stadium. A cloud of heavy black smoke choked the stadium, making it impossible to see what was going on down in the field, especially for Nico.The black witch choked and coughed, covering her nose and mouth with her sleeve. She swung the Staff of One around trying to clear the smog away for all the good it was doing; the explosion was way more powerful than she had expected – the Staff of One had a way of working that Nico never really planned. Though she really didn't want to waste another spell, Nico's eyes and lungs were starting to hurt. So she raised the Staff of One over her head and choked out, "Clear!" The black clouds immediately vanished with a tiny
pop, making the entire field visible again. Unfortunately, she hadn't realized that in all the panic Fu had navigated her way through the smoke and was now standing right in front of Nico with her sword pulled over her back ready to swingThe gothic witch only had a few seconds to react before Fu swung the great sword overhead in a high arc. Nico instinctively brought both the Staff of One and her prosthetic arm together and clashed with the mythical weapon. The magic protection that surrounded all three items created a powerful shockwave that not only sent Nico and Fu flying to opposite sides of the field, but it threw more than half the stadium out of their seats, including Diana and Andrew, which Akko was silently thankful for, because it was getting very annoying having to play secret referee with them. Nico managed to hold on to her staff, but Fu landed roughly on her back and unconsciously tossed her great sword, letting it slide out of reach beyond the out-of-bounds line.The two Japanese girls slowly, groaning painfully, Fu rubbing the sore spot in the back of her head. The blonde noticed that her sword was past the line and there was no way she could reach out and grab it; Nico noticed that too because she immediately bounded back up and shouted, "Bang!" shooting another pulse of black magic. Fu quickly rolled out of the way as the spell ripped a small hole in the spot where she once lay, surprisingly much weaker than the last attack. The blonde warrior surged forward onto her feet, charging headlong at her opponent. She might not have a weapon, but she was still the president of the Hero Club, dang it! She still had her godly strength and –"Pause!" Nico roared.Suddenly, Fu's body completely froze up as if someone had hit the pause button on a video, yet she was still aware of her surroundings."Well, that didn't work out," Fu mumbled."Uh-oh, things are not looking good for Inubozaki!" Wangari announced, though she was bouncing eagerly in her seat. "Minoru's spell has Inubozaki completely paralyzed, leaving her at the mercy of her opponent. How will Inubozaki try to get out of this one?""I don't think she can," said Neku Sakuraba. "Inubozaki is a fighter, not a witch. For all her powers, she doesn't know any trick that could get her out of magical bindings. Unless something happens before Minoru casts her next spell, it looks like Luna Nova is going to widen their lead by another ten points."Meanwhile, standing behind the highest rows in the seats in the audience, Nio Hashiri leaned against the railing, smirking somewhat mischievously as she observed the struggle going on in the field below. Amanda was standing besides her, but the redheaded tomboy appeared dazed and confused, her eyes glossed over like she was completely unaware of her surroundings. Nio leaned her head against her hand, tilting it, and hummed thoughtfully under her breath."Hmm…he's right, there no way Inubozaki-chan can win this fight," said Nio, frowning slightly. "And if Luna Nova wins, then they'll be even further in the lead, and that'll make Yuri-sama sad…. Guess we'll just have to change that, won't we? Oh, O'Neill-chan," she called Amanda in a singsong voice. Amanda immediately stood in attention, but her eyes were still unfocused. "Help, Inubozaki-chan out, won't you? Your teammate isn't being very nice."Amanda slowly raised her arm lethargically like a zombie, holding it in Nico's general direction. Down in the arena, the gothic witch gripped the Staff of One with both hands and thrust it at Fu, who was still paralyzed in midair. And at the moment when Nico shouted "Spark!", Amanda snapped her fingers, unheard by the roaring crowd.The effect was immediate. Nico dropped then Staff of One on the ground when her prosthetic arm suddenly caught fire and the black witch started flailing about as the flames crawled past her knuckles and toward her elbow. As the heat inched closer to her skin, Nico desperately ripped the artificial hand off her arm stump and threw it off to the side as hard as she could. The metal hand rolled against the turf, the flames relentlessly eating away at it until Amanda silently snapped her fingers again, dissipating the fire. Nico stared at the prosthetic. The general shape remained the same, but the surface was slightly melted – maybe Croix could –"Hero Punch!"By dropping the Staff of One and throwing away her magic-fueled arm, Nico had unintentionally released the spell that was holding Fu in place. And by the time she figured that out, Fu had crossed the turf, drilled her knuckles into Nico's gut, and shot her back like a speeding bullet. The dark witch didn't stop until she hit the barrier, collapsing the thin wall and leaving her lying on the ground, holding her stomach with a painful moan. But most importantly, Nico had gone way over the out-of-bounds lines, which was confirmed by the air horn screeching over the loudspeakers."You asked for a miracle, and lo and behold!" shouted Wangari. "By some twist of fate, Nico's spell seems to have backfired and opened a window of opportunity for Fu to land a come from behind victory! But the question on my mind is, how? It looked like Minoru was in control the whole time, so how did her spell backfire?""I can answer that one," said Neku Sakuraba. "Anyone who reads the comics know that the Staff of One, while powerful, has a very lame flaw: You can only use a spell with a word once. If you use the word again, the spell either backfires or stops working all together. That's what happened here today.""It's gotta be a pain in the ass to remember every word you've used," said Wangari."This wasn't just a simple spell backfire," Diana said to Akko as she climbed back over her seat. She watched as Fu sportingly helped Nico back to her feet and carried her over to the medics. "For one thing, the flames didn't come from the staff – they ignited directly on her left arm. And then there's the arm itself.""What about it?" Andrew asked politely, returning to his seat on Akko's other side."Nico told me that her arm was made from Orichalcum," said Diana."We use that stuff in Modern Magic class," Akko said immediately. "Yeah, Constanze said it's stronger than vibranium, but weaker than adamantium.""Exactly, and no ordinary fire magic could melt it in such a way," said Diana, watching one of the stadium attendants retrieve the arm off the field."You think there might be some foul play at work?" asked Andrew."There's no proof of that," said Diana, frowning. "But something just doesn't feel right.""Hah! They look so confused," said Nio, watching Team Luna Nova from on high. "If only they knew that their own teammate caused them to lose. They'd be pretty pissed, wouldn't they?" she asked Amanda, who didn't respond, only staring ahead with a perpetual blank look. "Oh, right, forgot you were hypnotized. My bad.""We'll be starting the second round in just a moment!" Wangari announced, looking over the roster. "The next pairing barely managed to scrap by with any votes – everyone just wanted to see Nico in action, so I guess they're only going to be disappointed from here. Coming up is the Rainy Season Hero, Tsuyu Asui, and the Wild Monkey of Honnoji Academy, Uzu Sanageyama!""Sanageyama was a wild punk in the back east that lived life like a stereotypical Japanese delinquent until he was tamed by the then-middle school Satsuki Kiryuin," said Neku Sakuraba, leaning forward, his hands folded, staring down the two contestants coming from either side of the field. "Sanageyama holds the record for the most clubs under his control and rose to the ranks of the Elite Four, earning him a three-star uniform. But he also holds the record for getting his ass handed to him by multiple characters.""YOU DIDN'T NEED TO MENTION THAT PART!" Sanageyama roared."On the opposite end of the spectrum," Neku continued, having tuned out Sanageyama, "we have Tsuyu Asui. While still only a hero-in-training, Asui has her own record of never being defeated once in battle. Even against a teacher or her own classmates, Tsuyu has yet to be properly beaten in battle, making her the dark horse of Team U.A. and was voted as everyone's favorite character of the group.""Aw, shucks, you didn't need to mention that," said Tsuyu, scratching her cheek embarrassingly."You got quite the reputation for such a skinny little lady," said Sanageyama, chuckling. "But I'm not like Jakuzure or Gamagori. I'm not gonna wait for you to blow me down in the first move or talk about playing fair! I'm in this to win this!" He grabbed the collar of his jackets, displaying the three sparkling gold stars. "Transform now!"The green-haired delinquent exploded in a flash of starry lights so that no one had to bear witness to his unnecessarily dramatic and honestly long transformation sequence; Tsuyu tilted her head adorably with a finger on her lips, staring at the display like a curious child. When the light dwindled, Sanageyama stood towering over Tsuyu donning a green-and-white suit of armor that bared similarities to uniforms worn by kendo fighters, though Akko was probably one of the few people in the audience to understand. The armored swordsman brandished a lengthy
shinai
– or a bamboo sword as the English speakers prefer to say – that glowed with a mysterious green energy.Three-Star Goku Uniform: Blade Regalia MKIII! 三つ星極制服 剣の装・更改Tsuyu tilted her head again, staring not at the superpowered mech suit that Sanageyama had adorned…but at the giant letters that had appeared out of nowhere when he announced his suit's name."Does that happen all the time," Tsuyu asked, referring to the letters."It's pretty much standard," Sanageyama admitted, kicking the bulky letters off the field."And I thought Serenity Academy was a strange place," said Neku."Now that everyone's all prepped up and ready to go," shouted Wangari, "the second round of the third day begins…NOW!"The air horn barely sounded before the armored Sanageyama dashed across the field at lightning speed, leaving literal afterimages in his wake. The swordsman thrust his
shinai
at Tsuyu's head ("MEN!"), but the Rainy Season Hero leaned back with amazing dexterity, going cross-eyed as she stared at the weapon that was only a half-inch from her face. Sanageyama sharply pulled his sword up and brought it back down again over top of her ("DOU!"), only for Tsuyu to bounce sideways as the swordsman smashed another hole in the ground. Tsuyu crouched down like a frog, tilting her head back to look up at Sanageyama, who pulled back his
shinai
and swung from the side ("KOTE!") But when he swiped at the froggy hero, Tsuyu suddenly vanished without a trace."What the?" stammered Sanageyama searching around wildly."Your sword, you dumbass! She's on your sword!" Ryuko shouted from the crowd.Slightly startled by Ryuko's commentary, the armored swordsman spun and discovered that Tsuyu was indeed standing on his
shinai, gripping the bamboo sword with both hands and feet."Hey, get off of that, you slimy little toad!" said Sanageyama, swinging his sword up and down trying to shake her off, but Tsuyu remained latched on."I'm not a slimy little toad," said Tsuyu calmly. "I'm a slimy little frog-gero."If she could see under his helmet, she could see the throbbing vein of annoyance pulsating on Sanageyama's temple.Sanageyama raised his
Shinai
high above his head and swung it down with all his might so that he created an even bigger hole than last time, but the attack nevertheless did what he wanted. Tsuyu had hopped off the bamboo sword at the last moment and crouched on the ground again, spinning around to face Sanageyama as he raised his weapon again. The green-haired warrior swiped, thrust, curved, and smashed his bamboo sword from every angle, shouting his personal mantra with every swing ("MEN! DOU! KOTE!). But Tsuyu was swift and nimble herself. She skimmed and hopped around the edge of the sword like it was a dance, sometimes even flipped backwards just to throw him off. There were a few tense moments when Tsuyu hopped in the air and Sanageyama pressed the attack, but the agile frog-girl bounced harmlessly off the weapon with her hands and feet before landing back on the ground.The audience was captivated by the performance; their screams of praise bolstering Tsuyu on while filling Sanageyama with irritation."Stand still, you creepy little freak!" shouted Sanageyama, raising his weapon as high as he could.Sanageyama unknowingly left himself wide open in his frustration, an advantage Tsuyu immediately took as she slingshot her tongue at the swordsman, stretching farther than humanly possible. The slimy appendage latched around his ankle, then Sanageyama suddenly found himself being lifted off the ground and catapulted sideways. Sanageyama bounced off the ground once…twice…but managed to catch himself by the third bounce and grounded his feet into the turf, tearing up more of the field as he slid backwards. From a distance, one could see Sanageyama's hand shaking angrily as he pointed his
shinai
at Tsuyu, who remained neutral-faced and tilted her head cutely."This is turning into a completely one-sided fight," said Wangari. "Almost as one-sided as the Miyoshi-Eto fight from the last round.""For all of Sanageyama's talents, he's simply no match for Asui's flexibility, observation skills, and overall power set," said Neku Sakuraba. "This match will be over before too long.""Please let it be soon – this is getting boring," the Grand Master yawned."You…," Sanageyama growled, his hands gripping the
shinai
so tight that the handle started to splinter. Then, he took a deep breath and noticeably calmed. "No, I can't let this get to me. I won't repeat my mistakes. You've shown yourself to be a worthy opponent, Tusyu Asui!" he shouted to the frog girl. "I have nothing but respect for you!""Thanks-gero," said Tsuyu simply."But I can't allow myself to fail again," said Sanageyama, and he gripped the handle of his wooden sword with both hands, a vibrant-green aura surrounding him. "I swore to myself that I would never lose face in front of Lady Satsuki again. All the others have failed her, but I am the last one standing. I will defend the honor of Honnoji Academy and Lady Satsuki…." He took a single step forward, the glow around his body intensifying. "SHINGAN TENSENZUKI!"Sanageyama thrust forward and, faster than anything Akko could keep up with, closed the distance in half a second and smacked Tsuyu squarely in the face. The Rainy Season Hero only stumbled for a brief second, her eyes dazed and confused, before Sanageyama smacked her in the right shoulder, and then immediately after in the stomach, then both her legs, and the side of her head. It was as if the swordsman was moving faster than the speed of light – his movements were so blurred it looked like he had sprouted eight extra arms. Tsuyu had no way of defending herself at that speed and was repeatedly thrown around like a ragdoll – or American frog puppet. Half the members of Team Honnoji were screaming with praise, and Sanageyama screamed his mantra with renewed vigor."MEN! DOU! KOTE! MEN! DOU! KOTE! MEN! DOU! KOTE! MEN! DOU! KOTE!""That's is really annoying," Wangari commented; Neku Sakuraba nodded.Sanageyama smacked Tsuyu in the forehead before he relented, letting the frog-girl fumble with her footing in a bout of dizziness. The Rainy Season Hero blinked the stars away as she spun around and started to fall forward, but quickly flailed her arms around when she realized she was hanging over the out-of-bounds line. Tsuyu stood on the very tips of her toes and leaned back as far as she could bend, gravity thankfully pulling her back and she fell on her butt. The hero-in-training let out a relieved 'gero', slowly turning around on all fours. She was covered from head-to-toe in bumps and bruises, her left cheek was swollen, and her goggles were shattered – She looked worse for wear."Uh-oh, looks like Sanageyama has turned the tables!" said Wangari. "Could this be it for Asui?""C'mon, Tsu, you can still win this!" Midoriya shouted."You better not lose this for us, you long-faced weirdo!" roared Bakugo."We're finally gonna get our first real win," said Ryuko, grinning excitedly. "We'll finally pull ahead, right, sis? … Sis?"But Satsuki Kiryuin did not offer a vocal response. She leered down onto the field and then, without word or reason, stood up from her seat and walked away, much to the confusion of Team Honnoji.Back in the arena, Tsuyu tries to stand back up, but her legs shook restlessly and she fall back on her butt, croaking with each pant, her eyes squinting up at Sanageyama. For his part, Sanageyama doesn't immediately trounce her like any other opponent would and gives her a chance to regain her strength, but when it becomes apparent that she doesn't even have the energy to stand, he bowed his head."You did pretty good," Sanageyama complimented. "Not a whole lot of people could keep up with me. When this is all over, we should really spar again sometime. But right now – " he raised the
shinai
overhead " – I'm gonna have to end this.""That's my line-gero," said Tsuyu strongly.Sanageyama began to bring down his sword when Tsuyu's stomach suddenly ballooned beyond normal proportions, causing the swordsman to momentarily hesitate out of curiosity. The froggy hero made a number of uncomfortable noises in the back of her throat before she vomited a bubble of gelatinous green goo in the air. The goop splashed across Sanageyama's helmet and slipped through the slots in the faceplate, splattering him directly. Sanageyama's was expectedly panic-stricken as he immediately dropped his sword and reached up to rip the goo off. Unfortunately, his armor prevented him from reaching inside the helmet, so Sanageyama deactivated his Goku Uniform, reverting him back to his original form, desperately clawing at the slime."What is this stuff?" Sanageyama cried, finding that the ooze was surprisingly elastic when he tried to pry it off."Just some stuff I've been keeping in my stomach since breakfast-gero," Tsuyu answered innocently."OH KAMI!" Sanageyama wailed.The green-haired swordsman doubled his efforts to rip off the slime now that he knew where it came from. However, Tsuyu wasn't waiting to give him a chance to recover. Still lying flat on her back, the Rainy Season Hero snapped her tongue out once more and wrapped the appendage around Sanageyama's waist to get a good grip. And by the time he figured out what happened, Sanageyama was sharply lifted off the ground and flicked over Tsuyu's head. This led to Sanageyama flopping on the ground…past the out-of-bounds line."And there it is, folk!" Wangari roared as the air horn sounded and the audience were beside themselves with cheers. "In a rather unorthodox, and quite frankly disgusting, moment of strategy, Tsuyu Asui stopped Sanageyama in his tracks and sent him flying out-of-bounds! This marks U.A. High's first real victory since their tie in the first round and jumps them ahead in the leaderboard! Unfortunately, this also means that Honnoji Academy technically loses the battle rounds for the third time in a row. It's kind of ironic considering their school earned its reputation for over-the-top and bloodthirsty battles.""And it looks like someone is a little peeved about the outcome," said Neku Sakuraba, leaning over the table to look down. "Guess who just took the field?"As Sanageyama rose to his hands and knees, his face still covered in stomach slime, he felt a powerful presence looming over him. He didn't need to see to know this powerful being – it was Lady Satsuki. The stalwart warrior looked down upon her follower with a hollow expression, never saying a word and her gaze never wavering. Sanageyama grimaced and hanged his head shamefully."Lady Stasuki…I….""Save your tears," said Satsuki calmly, "for when we are victorious."Sanageyama finally looked up at her, stunned, even though Satsuki's expression continues to reveal no emotion. The green-haired delinquent bit his lip, acting like he was fighting back to urge to cry, and took a deep breath through his nose. Once he had calmed down, the man stood up, facing Satsuki, and bowed at the waist, saying, "Yes, Lady Satsuki.""She acts all tough," Ryuko said with a cocky grin, watching Sanageyama follow her sister like a puppy, "but she's a big softie on the inside.""Lady Satsuki's kindness and generosity knows no bounds!" said Jakuzure determinedly, jabbing Ryuko's cheek with he baton, much to her annoyance. "Show your gratitude, transfer student!""Get that out of my face before I snap you in two," Ryuko growled.Meanwhile, Nio hummed happily under her breath from the top of the stands. Amanda stood next to her with her hand outstretched, a small flicker of flames floating above her open palm, but the redheaded American snuffed it out when Nio waved at her."I thought I would have to intervene to keep Honnoji from getting further ahead," Nio mused. "But I guess I got worried over nothing. Still, there's two more rounds left. I'm sure we can find a use for you," she added, patting Amanda's head like a pet."After that…somewhat sentimental display from Honnoji, I'm sure the fan are eager to get back into the fights," said Wangari bracingly. "Our next pair once again barely managed to scrap by with any votes, but that doesn't mean we aren't all looking forward to them. From Team Class Zero, we have the undeclared leader of the Red Demon, a diligent, hard-working man who always puts his best foot forward, it's King! And from Serenity Academy, the cool, mysterious beauty that literally walks on air, it's Raven Sachya!""I remember King from the days when those nasty little monsters destroyed my gladiator arena on Rimbor," said the Grand Master, "and just because a few hundred people were maimed. He was the one leading the charge and took out some of my best murderers – I mean, bodyguards. He shot every one of them squarely between the eyes, and some of them without even looking. He's very good at his practice. Don't know anything about the girl, though. Mr. Sakuraba, you go to the same school. What do you have to say about Miss Sachya.""Only that she's one of the most powerful students in school," said Neku Sakuraba. "Before I started attending, she had already clawed her way to the number two spot by the start of her second year, making her even more powerful than Golden Darkness-senpai, who was ranked three in her third year. Raven-senapi's mastery of Gravity Shifter is equal to that of the Gravity Queen, and in some ways, even more inventive.""Well, it sounds like we're in for a real show today," said Wangari enthusiastically."Go get 'em, Raven-senpai!" Eruna shouted at the top of her lungs as Raven practically strutted onto the field."Show them why Serenity Academy is worth reading!" cheered Mikoto."Do you think King's going to be all right?" Rem worriedly asked her childhood friend."This is King we're talking about," said Machina confidently, rubbing Rem's shoulders supportively. "He can handle anything."He certainly seemed confident enough as he coolly rose from his seat, marching down the stairway at his own pace before stepping on to the field while Raven waited for him, arms cross in mild annoyance. King's expression betrayed not the slightest hint of feeling, crossing the playing field in a few quick strides. He reached behind his back as he made his approach towards Raven and retrieved a matching pair of handguns. They didn't seem anything special compared to the weapons the other members of Class Zero used – they honestly just looked like a couple of normal pistols. Raven narrowed her eyes suspiciously as King cocked his pistols once and held them at his side, not even taking a battle stance.Raven Sachya stretched her arm out to the side and something flew out from the stands and glided into the arena. It resembled a bird, like a crow or a…raven…. If this were an anime, Akko would have sweat dropped – that couldn't have been where Raven got her name, right? Regardless, there was something odd about the bird. And upon closer inspection, they could tell that the bird's black body looked like it was made up of stars in the night sky, not that different from the ceiling in Ursula's classroom. The starry bird perched itself on Raven's arm, hopping back and forth a few times, and screeching furiously at King."Settle down, Xii," Raven said to the bird, and it visibly calmed. "We'll be done in a moment."If King had anything to say about this backhanded comment, he kept it to himself."Phew, you can feel the tension all the way from up here," said Wangari, tugging at her collar. "You get the feeling you did something you shouldn't have.""Every day since I agreed to do commentary with you two," said Neku Sakuraba dryly."Wow, you don't hold anything back, do you?" said Wangari. "Ignoring Sakuraba's very rude comment, let's get straight to the action! The third match of the battle rounds begins…NOW!"The very instant the air horn went off, King's hand flew up and pulled the triggers, firing off six shots in under two seconds. Akko certainly knew she would never be able to dodge, especially when they were that close, but Raven made no noticeable effort to avoid them. Because in the same instant, Raven's star-bird, Xii, seemingly evaporated into the woman's skin and the dark-haired warrior set off a pulse of blue energy that slapped the bullets out of the air and forced King to slide back a few feet. When he looks back at Raven, King saw that her skin has become a transparent shade of blue with noticeable white vein traveling through her body all leading to the visibly pulsating heart in the middle of her chest.They had all seen this form before, during the death race in the last game, but everyone in the stands could
feel
the power rolling off of her in waves, even the Humans.The blue-hued woman floated a few inches off the ground opposite of King, who quickly reloaded his handguns while staring down his opponent, waiting for her to make the next move. He doesn't have to wait very long as Raven suddenly lunges forward at unseen speeds and delivers a swift rising kick to King's chin, immediately followed up with a quick spinning kick to the chest. King, for his part, endures both strikes and remains on his feet even after being thrown back. He watches Raven land in a crouched position when her aura flickers out and returns to her natural appearance. The leader of Class Zero doesn't hesitate to unload his rounds on the Gravity Shifter, who immediately dashes off to the side as the bullets carve a path in the ground behind her.The dark-haired woman ran in a full circle around King until the soldier's twin pistols clicked empty and he was forced to drop the magazines. As he reached for another set of cartridges in his bag, Raven pivoted his way and ran at King with a spinning kick to the head. King raised both arms to block the attack, but was still thrown off balance by the sheer strength in her leg muscles. The kick forced King to spin around and exposed his backside to Raven, who quickly reaffirmed her footing and swung around for another spinning kick. But having already predicted this move, King dropped into a crouch and allows the kick to fly over his head, narrowly missing his perfectly quaffed hair. He then reached up, grabbed the Gravity Shifter by her outstretched ankle, stood up, and pulled Raven off of her feet. The leader of Class Zero swung Raven around in circles six times before he let go and sent her flying over ten feet. Unfortunately for him, Raven's gravity powers flickered on again and she regained her balance in midair.King reloaded his handguns and fired off another couple of shots, this time limiting it only to four, but he knew the moment they left the barrel that it wouldn't do any good. Indeed, Raven created another pulse of blue energy that not only stopped the bullets in the air, but she actually threw them back faster than before. It was only because of his years of training and excellent eyesight that King was able to dodge them, though one bullet came dangerously close to clipping his left ear.Raven raised her left hand to the sky and created another blue energy pulse, this time crafting five balls of fiery blue energy that circled her body, making noises that sounded similar to birds chirping. The Gravity Shifter commanded these "Blue Jays" to fly with a gesture of her hand, spiraling wildly toward King. The gunman displayed some semblance of magic as he crossed his arms and formed a thin barrier in front. Three of the Blue Jays hit the shield and exploded on contact, but the remaining two swerved around and glided at him from behind, possibly being controlled remotely by Raven. But King effortlessly dispatched them with a pair of bullets shot over his shoulders without having to look at them.The leader of Class Zero looked back at Raven, whose aura flickered again and dropped back to the ground. King's brow furrowed with suspicion."This is turning into a real nail-biter of a fight!" shouted Wangari. "So far, both sides are shown to be evenly matched! They each managed to get a few hits in, but there's no clear winner at this point!""This is turning out to be a lot more exciting than I initially hoped!" said the Grand Master giddily. "But I still hate those Red Demons, so kick his ass, bird lady!""So much for being impartial," Neku Sakuraba said sarcastically."Hmm…he has that look in his eyes," said Queen, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "King, I mean.""I thought that's just how he always looked," Machina said with a sideways glance."No, this is different," said Queen, readjusting her glasses. "He's found something. A weakness he can exploit."Raven jumped into the offensive, thrusting her powerful legs at her opponent with quick speed and sharp turns, but King deftly blocked each strike while calmly walking backwards. Even when he reloaded his handguns in the middle of his dodges, King did not make a move to counter, whether because he couldn't or not was unknown. But the entire time he was moving, King stared at the Gravity Shifter with focused concentration, muttering softly under his breath –"twenty-one…twenty-two…twenty-three….""What are you mumbling about?" asked Raven.King didn't offer up a response and kept on counting. But when Raven changed her tactics and threw a punch at King's jaw, the Leader of Class Zero stepped to the side and grabbed her by the wrist, twisting it around until he was standing behind her with the Gravity Shifter trapped in a standing armlock. Raven hissed and King grunted as the pair struggled. The dark-haired woman had more strength, but King had technique and positioning to keep her in place. And he was still counting –"twenty-eight…twenty-nine…thirty," said King.The moment the words left his lips, Raven straightened up sharply and unleashed another gravity pulse that threw King backwards, returning to her transparent blue form. King raised his handguns parallel to his body, watching Raven float several feet off the ground and swing her arms in a circle, developing another set of Blue Jays from her own gravity energy. That's when King started counting again –"One…two…three….""You're still mumbling to yourself," said Raven, her glowing eyes narrowing. "It's starting to get annoying."The Gravity Shifter swiped her hands across the air, commanding the Blue Jays to fly at King. The blonde gunman back-flipped, allowing the first energy ball to explode on the ground, and kicked the second one away, sending it flying into the scrambling audience. The Red Demon waved his gun around, firing off three bullets that landed direct hits on the energy sphere, causing them to explode in midair."Eighteen…nineteen…twenty…," King continued to mumble.When the last of her Blue Jays were eliminated, Raven exploded with gravitational energy and lunged at King with her right leg outstretched, spinning around absurdly fast until she resembled a glowing blue drill. King made a chocked noise as if he had been caught off-guard and tried jumping out of the way, but the gravity energy that surrounded Raven seemed to draw him in, pulling King off his feet and directly into Raven's path. At the very last second, King threw up another barrier as he crossed his arms over his chest, bracing himself. Raven's spinning kick effortlessly shattered his barrier like fragile glass and grinded her heel into arms; the impact was so strong that King could feel his ribcage shudder violently.With one final thrust, Raven kicked her opponent away with an extra burst of gravity energy, sending him flailing haphazardly across the field. King gritted his teeth and furrowed his brow, trying to block out the throbbing sensation in his arms and refocus his attention on Raven as he bounced against the turf. He saw the Gravity Shifter land softly on the ground in a crouched position again, still counting under his breath –"Twenty-eight…twenty-nine…thirty," he finished.Raven's form flickered and returned to normal; King instantly pulled up his gun and pulled the trigger before he landed flat on his face.The gunshot cracked through the stadium, stunning the audience into silence. Raven's expression turned shocked as she felt herself being thrown off her feet, a searing pain in her abdominal region. The Gravity Shifter flopped on her back, lying motionless; she felt something warm and wet sliding across her stomach. She shaking raised her hand up to it, patting the warmth, and held it up to her face. It was her blood – droplets dripping onto her cheeks. She had been shot.Raven didn't know how long she had been lying there. She was too stunned by the turn of events – it had been a long time since she had been openly wounded like this. She could feel Xii hopping around her head, pecking her to stand up, but the starry bird's feathers ruffled and screeched as a shadow loomed over Raven. It was King, looking worse for wear, but otherwise much better off than she was. The blonde gunman took a deep breath, staring Raven straight in the eye, and aimed one of his handguns to Raven's head; his other arm was noticeably limp at his side."How…did you do that…?" Raven asked, wanting to know where she had failed."I watched you during the race in the last round," said King softly. "Back then, you were able to control your gravity powers a lot longer. That was because you were only using your powers to levitate yourself. But when we were fighting, I noticed that your time seemed shorter after you used a big attack. Thirty seconds in gravity form and a thirty second recharge in between. That implies that there's a set limit to the amount of gravity energy you can use at one time. Once I figured that out, all I needed to do was work on the timing for a clean shot.""Heh…you really are a demon, aren't you?" Raven chuckled humorlessly."What a turnaround!" Wangari screams over the revitalized crowd. "King managed to turn the situation back into his favor! Gotta hand it to the guys over in Class Zero! They really know how to play the game!""Tch, just dumb luck," the Grand Master grumbled."Whether it's luck or not, King clearly holds the advantage over Raven-senpai," said Neku Sakuraba, shaking his head disappointedly. "It doesn't look like there's any way for her to get out of this, so it looks like the winner of this round is –
"But before the winner could be declared, something very strange happened: the barrel of King's gun suddenly exploded without cause or warning, causing a backfire that burned the soldier's hand. King cried out in surprise and pain as he dropped his ruined handgun and stumbled backwards, holding his new injury against his chest. Raven leaned up on her elbows, looking just as surprised as King was, but she also noticed how open and vulnerable he was. Call her unfair or dishonest, but Raven was not going to let this opportunity go to waste.Drawing up her gravity form one last time, Raven roared as she thrust out her hand and pushed as much gravitational force at King as her body could muster. The leader of Class Zero yelped when he felt himself being lifted off the ground and sent flying before landing with a crash in the stands. Those who were seated around him leaned in close, watching King's head loll around with a pained moan before falling backwards as he soon lost consciousness. And on the field, Raven took a couple of deep, exhausted breaths while she flickered out of gravity form, only allowing herself to lie peacefully back on the ground when the air horn screeched and Wangari's wails echoed over the loudspeakers."That was unbelievable! I don't know what happened, but it seemed like King's weapon backfired on him, giving Raven a chance to gravity push him out of the arena! Class Zero isn't going to be too happy about this, but this pulls Serenity Academy out of last place and ties them up with Luna Nova at thirty points each! The whole board has been has shifted around so far!""Hah! Serves him right!" the Grand Master laughed as the paramedics carted off King and Raven. "That'll teach you to ruin my fun!""You really need to let that go," said Neku Sakuraba. "But I do find it strange how King's gun just suddenly blew up at the last moment when it showed no signs of damage or malfunction. Kind of like how Nico Minoru's spells backfired like that. Funny how these accidents keep happening today.""He knows these are no accidents," Diana suddenly said to Akko, her brown furrowed and her lips in a deep frown. "These aren't just random acts of chance. Someone has been doing this intentionally. How else would you explain when Minoru and King lost only moments before they were going to win?""You think someone's cheating?" asked Makoto. "Who?""Don't know," said Dian earnestly. "But I have a funny feeling in the back of my mind….""Ooh, sounds like people are starting to get suspicious," said Nio from the top of the stadium, gesturing to Amanda, whose hand immediately fell back to her side, staring out at nothing. "But it's not like they can prove anything. And even if they do figure out something, they won't be coming after me; they'll be coming after you, O'Neill-chan. Nobody's going to believe I hypnotized you into cheating for me." He lips stretched wide, showing off her pointed teeth. "I can make you do whatever I want, and you can take the fall for me. Doesn't that sound fun, O'Neill-chan?"Amanda, obviously, offered no response."Well, until we can figure out what really went on down there," said Wangari, "why don't we just put it behind us for now and move on to match four? It's the last match of the day and hopefully it will be just as exciting as the previous ones. These last two contestants are the only ones who didn't receive any votes – that is cold, by the way. You people should be ashamed. Coming in from the crowd favorite, it's Team Black Star's Black Gold Saw! And she'll be facing off against Myojo Academy's Sumireko Hanabusa!""Black Gold Saw has been a staple in the Black Rock Shooter universe since the very beginning," said Neku Sakuraba. "On the record, she is the
only
person who has even defeated Black Rock Shooter is a fair fight, which should be a testament to how strong she is. On the other side, Sumireko is considered
the
deadliest assassin in Myojo Academy, a fact I think everyone was clued in on when she crushed a Xenomorph's skull with her bare hands in round one.""It's a battle of top-class ladies," said Wangari enthusiastically. "But which one will reign victorious as the Queen of the Contest?"Akko watched Sumireko calmly walk down the stairway three sections away from Team Luna Nova, hands folded delicately in front, giving off an aura of daintiness. She didn't look like she belonged on the battlefield, but Akko remembered from her experience in the sewers how the prim and proper woman's hands were melted away by the Xenomorph blood, revealing the metallic claws that lay underneath. If her arm was artificial, then who knew what other secrets she had hidden? The same could be said of Black Gold Saw, whom she had fought alongside with against the Xenomorph Queen before she kicked her in the shin to steal the win. Had she not been protecting Akko, the little witch had a feeling Black Gold Saw would have killed the queen much faster.Black Gold Saw stepped onto the field and crossed the length of it to meet Sumireko in the middle, her serrated saw blade resting on her shoulder casually. First, the horned swordswoman looked at her dainty opponent, head cocked, hand on her hips, and a smug smile on her lips. Then she turned her burning-red eyes up to the stands…toward Team Luna Nova. At first, Akko though she was looking at her, still sore about the shin-kicking incident, but then she realized that her eyes were traveling much higher. Curious, Akko turned around in her seat, tilting her head back as far as it could until she could see the very top of the stands. Two people stood out because they were standing behind the railing instead of taking a seat. And she recognized both of them…."Is that…Amanda?" said Akko inquisitively. "And she's still with that girl from Myojo.""What?" Diana gasped, turning in her seat as well and looking straight up. Her brow furrowed in an intense glare. "I knew it!""Do you think you have the luxury of looking away?" Sumireko said to Black Gold Saw. "I may look small and weak, but you know what they say: appearances can be deceiving."A maddening smile spread across Sumireko's lips as her body began to flex and shudder. One hand gripped the front of her clothing and the other clawed at the skin on her opposite arm before she rips them into small scraps on the turf. Black Gold Saw finally turned to face Sumireko directly, taking in her new, more interesting appearance. Besides the fact that she was dress only in undergarments that covered next to nothing, what really drew her attention were her limbs – they were completely cybernetic. Her biceps and thighs were sleek silver steel, but hands and feet were solid black with strings at the joints that connected to all of the digits. Sumireko flexed one of her cat-like claws, possibly imagining what it would be like to gouge Black Gold Saw's eyes out."Sweet baby gorgon," said Wangari, mouth agape. "That is both sexy and terrifying. I'm feeling a little conflicted right now.""Don't you have a girlfriend?" asked Neku Sakuraba."DOH!" Wangari squawked."We're all set for the final match of day three," said the Grand Master. "So let's not waste any time. BEGIN!"The air horn hadn't even sounded, but Sumireko impatiently and impulsively dived headlong at Black Gold Saw anyway."They asked who is the Queen of this Contest!" Sumireko yelled with an insane grin. "That's a stupid question when it's obvious that I am the strongest Queen!"Sumireko stabs her clawed hands toward Black Gold Saw head, aiming precisely for the horned woman's eyes, but Black Gold Saw stood her ground and did not flinch. And then, almost lazily so, Black Gold Saw held up one skeletal finger and swiped it down in front of her. A great tear appeared in the middle of the air and a small, spiraling, reddish-black hole spread open from the rip, as if Black Gold Saw had torn reality itself. Sumireko couldn't stop herself and ended up plunging her right inside the hole.At the same time, Tokaku Azuma noticed another tear appear right beside her and her teammates in the audience. Tokaku's mind worked fast, putting all the pieces together in her head, and quickly threw out her arms to push Banba and Haruki back in their seats. The blue-haired assassin only barely managed to lean back in her own before a familiar clawed hand jabbed out of the hole and narrowly clipped a few of Tokaku's bangs. Banba fell backwards over her seat with a surprised squeak and Haruki dropped sideways into the aisle, staring wide-eyed at the metal limb that was grasping the air."Where the hell did that come from?" shouted Haruki.Sumireko, having heard Haruki's outburst, looked over her shoulder and saw, to her astonishment, her own arm floating over the audience. But in that instant when she wasn't paying attention, Black Gold Saw clenched her fist and the swirling portal closed. There was no sound as the dimensional rift severed Sumireko's arms but the clatter of when the metal slapped the concrete floor in the stands. Sumireko stumbled and shrieked, coming to realize that her prosthetic had been literally been cut clean. The assassin stared at her new stump as the broken strings pointlessly tried to move something that was no longer there.Sumireko's stunned silence warped into an angry snarl as the cyborg lunged at Black Gold Saw once more, swing her right foot at the horned woman's abdomen. Black Gold Saw, cool and casual as ever, swiped her hand to the side and clawed open a horizonal dimensional portal that sucked in Sumireko leg.Meanwhile, another portal opened up in the commentator's box and Sumireko's foot hit the back of the Grand Master's head, sending him flying over the table and into the audience."Hah!" Wangari laughed.Black Gold Saw clenched her fist again, shut the portal on Sumireko's prosthetic leg and severed the limb cleanly at the kneecap. Sumireko hopped haphazardly on her remaining foot, flailing her one arm to try and regain balance, but ultimately ended up tripping over herself and hit the ground on her back. The cyborg assassin moaned painfully from the throbbing in the back of her head and tried to push herself into a sitting position. But Black Gold Saw flipped her sword in her skeletal hand and thrust it at Sumireko's remaining elbow, tearing the metal apart like it was made of wet paper. Sumireko plopped helplessly down on her back, now with nothing left to hold her up other than one leg, and that wasn't going to do much for her in this situation.Black Gold Saw pressed her boot into Sumireko's chest to keep her pinned and lowered her saw blade against the woman's neck, holding the assassin in a precarious position. Sumireko gritted her teeth and snarled furiously, but there was nothing she could do about it. She was trapped."And just like that, Black Gold Saw effortlessly defeats one of Myojo's top assassins with a few tears in the fabric of time and space itself," said Wangari. "This was a completely one-sided fight. If the audience had voted to have her fight Nico or Raven, this might have been a lot more interesting. But it looks like this fight has a clear, defining winner.""Unless another…accident…were to happen," said Neku Sakuraba."Well, that sucks," said Nio, grimacing as she watched Sumireko's pathetic display below. "I didn't think she would get her butt handed to her so quickly. Guess the kids over in Black Star really are on a whole other level, huh? Well…we would probably be caught if we used your magic again since there would be no way of explaining it…. But the best part is that it would be Luna Nova who got disqualified for cheating and not me. One less team to deal with, huh? Go on, take her out, O'Neill-chan."Amanda starts to raise her hand, forming a small fireball in her palm aimed at Black Gold Saw's back, when they heard a clatter of rushed footsteps. Nio leaned back to look around Amanda, blinking owlishly when she saw Akko racing up the steps and sliding around the bend, rushing straight toward them. Nio frowned and took several steps back as Akko ran up to Amanda, waving the Shiny Rod over her head, and shouted:"Wake up, you dummy!"
CLANG!
"OW! Son of a – god, why?" Amanda whined, holding the spot on her head where Akko struck her. The redhead winced and glared up at Akko until she looked around. "Hey…how'd we get here? Weren't we just in the locker room a moment ago?""Well, that's a shame," said Nio, shrugging her shoulder and letting out an exasperated sigh. "Looks like you conked her out of my hypnosis. That's too bad – I wanted to get a little more use out of her before I let her go. Oh, well." She pivoted on her foot and started to walk away. "See ya at the next round, ladies.""Hold it right there!" Akko demanded; Nio stopped in her tracks. "You cheated! You hypnotized Amanda into making all those people lose in the other rounds! We're gonna tell everyone and get you disqualified for that!""Do you have any proof?" Nio asked calmly."What?" stammered Akko."Do you have any proof that I hypnotized O'Neill-chan," said Nio, turning her head slightly and flashing her pointed teeth. "Because I'm not gonna confess to it. Unless you can prove that I actually hypnotized her into attacking the other champions, all your going to do is get Luna Nova in trouble for foul play. After all, O'Neill-chan was the one who committed the acts, not me.""Yeah…well…Nico-chan!" Akko declared victoriously. "You made Amanda attack Nico-chan and made her lose! Amanda would never attack her own teammate on purpose unless she was hypnotized.""But wasn't Minoru-chan that one who cheated O'Neill-chan out of her spot in the Contest?" said Nio in a sinister tone; Akko expression immediately dropped. "She probably wanted to make Minoru-chan lose on purpose just to get back at her. And she got cocky and started messing with the other teams, too. Now, between your story and mine, which sounds more believable."Akko couldn't offer up a response. She was right – if they said anything about this, the judges would immediately believe Nio over their far-fetched story about Amanda being hypnotized. Nio's toothy smile stretched from ear-to-ear and her turned her head completely, mocking them with a soft cackle."If you try to play my game, you'll lose every time," she said wickedly.And with one final, taunting cackle, Nio walked away."And that's it, folk!" Wangari declared as the air horn sounded over the stadium, signaling the end of the match. "For the second time in the Contest, Black Star Academy completely annihilates their opponents in record time, earning them the full ten points for the match! And with that last match over, the third day of the Contest has reached its conclusion!""Not exactly a high-voltage ending like the first two," said Neku Sakuraba, "but we had our fair share of decent matches today. Plus, we got to see the Grand Master get a well-deserved kick to the head. I think we can all go home satisfied.""Don't go anywhere just yet," said Wangari. "We still have to give the teams their scores. After putting together the numbers from the challenge and the battle rounds, here are the results."
Sanshu: 33p
Black Star: 32p
Serenity: 30p
Luna Nova: 30p
U.A.: 26p
Class Zero: 24p
Myojo: 24p
Honnoji: 23p
"Even after scoring first place in the challenge round, Honnoji is sent straight back to the bottom after losing the battle round," said Wangari. "Serenity Academy climbs up the ranks and ties for third place with Team Luna Nova, and both Sanshu and Black Star Academy jumped straight to the top in first and second.""There's only a ten point difference between first and last place, and anything could happen to change all that," said Neku Sakuraba. "The Fourth days of the Contest will take play on April the twenty-seventh. The winners of the challenge round, Team Luna Nova, are reminded to meet the Grand Master for your next clue into the fourth day's challenge round…if we can figure out where he landed.""And now it's my solemn duty to announce that the third day has come to a close," said Wangari. "Once again, I would like to thank Neku Sakuraba and the Grand Master – wherever he is – for joining me today. And we look forward to seeing you all in the next round. Good night, everybody!"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The atmosphere was uncomfortable in the Luna Nova locker room following the completion of the third day, and it wasn't because of the drop in the rankings. Diana and the other champions were all gathered around Amanda with a mixture of looks that ranged from disbelief to righteous anger. The American witch sat on the bench with her head in her hands as if it would block their gazes and Akko, being the good friend that she was, sat next to her and rubbed soothing circles on her back. After a long period of unbearable silence, Diana finally spoke up:"So she used some sort of hypnosis technique and forced you to rig the matches?""Yep," Amanda muttered softly."That's why all those people spontaneously combusted during the fights?""Yep.""But then Akko snapped you out of her spell when she hit you over the head?""Yep.""And even though you know what happened, you can't tell anyone without proof that she hypnotized you as you will only implicate yourself?""You can repeat the story all you want, Princess, but it's not gonna change," Amanda said irritably."You gotta hand it to Myojo," said Nico, sounding very impressed. "When they cheat, they cheat flawlessly.""Don't compliment them!" Diana snapped. "This is unacceptable! They can't be allowed to get away with such brazen disregard for the rules! We have to tell someone! Professor Holbrooke or – ""We can't tell anyone with getting Amanda in trouble," Fate cut her off, grasping Diana's shoulder firmly. "It's like she keeps saying, we don't have any proof. If anything, if word gets out that Amanda was responsibly for cheating, the entire team could be eliminated and that won't help anyone." Diana bit her lip, clearly still furious, but said nothing. "Look, we're not that far behind on the leaderboard. Let's just focus on climbing back into first place, and this time we'll keep a closer eye on Myojo.""Speaking of the Contest," said Makoto thoughtfully, "Shouldn't the Grand Master be – "Almost as if he had been summoned, the Grand Master barged into the locker room with a
bang, once again not even bothering to ask if the girls were changed; they thankfully were."Good effort out there, ladies!" he cried jubilantly. "Just a bit of rotten luck, but you put up a good effort. I'm sure you'll catch back up in no time! Now, you have another long break ahead of you before the next round starts, but before that, you will be needing you clue. Just a moment."The blue-skinned alien began to wave his right hand around in tight circles, emitting a sparkling mist of euphoric colors. When he stopped and held out his hand once more, there was a small box sitting in the palm of his hand. It was rather tiny compared to the previous clue and looked remarkably unimpressive, carved in an octagonal shape and its surface made of faded black wood that was chipped and scratched in several spots. As the Grand Master handed it off to Akko, she noticed there was some fancy writing in golden, loopy letters that looked like they had been recently etched along the edges.
I only point in one direction, but I guide people around the world.
"It's a riddle!" Makoto gasped, clapping her hands excitedly. "I love riddles!""Well, that's good," said the Grand Master, who looked noticeably relieved at Makoto when Akko didn't seem to understand. "This clue will help you in the next round. All you have to do is figure it out. Simple, right? I'm sure you girls will put it together in no time. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a pressing engagement to get to. Toodles!"And just like that, the Grand Master left the locker room just as suddenly as he entered. The moment he was out of sight, Diana snatched the box out of Akko's hand, staring at it with a critical eye and weighting it in her hand."Is it just me," said Diana, "or does this seem much too easy compared to the last clue?"Akko silently agreed with Diana, and she had a pretty good idea why.As they entered March the weather became drier, but cruel winds skinned their hands and faces every time they went on onto the grounds. There were delays in the mail because Wangari and the postal witches kept being blown off course. A letter for Akko turned up at breakfast on Friday morning nearly crumpled in half from the postal witch gripping it too much trying to hold on. Akko wasted no time tearing the letter open, knowing it would be from Izetta replying to the dates of the Blytonbury weekends she sent last time.Izetta's letter was almost as short as the previous one.
Be at the stile at the end of the road out of Blytonbury
(past the Last Wednesday) at two o'clock on Saturday
afternoon.
Bring as much food as you can.
"She didn't really come back to Blytonbury, did she?" said Lotte incredulously."It looks like it, doesn't it?" said Sucy."I can't believe her," said Akko tensely, "if she's caught…""Made it so far, though, hasn't she?" said Sucy. "And it's not like the place is swarming with Heartless anymore."Akko folded up the letter, thinking. If she was honest with herself, she really wanted to see Izetta again. She therefore approached the final lesson of the afternoon – alchemy – feeling considerably more cheerful than she usually did when climbing the spiraling staircaseAmanda, Constanze, and Jasminka were standing in a huddle outside the classroom door with Diana, Hannah, and Barbara. All of them were looking at something Akko couldn't see and their expressions ranged from concern to blatant outrage. Hannah let out a sharp gasp as Akko, Lotte, and Sucy approached and swatted at Amanda's arm, prompting the American to hide whatever it was behind her back. Akko stared at them suspiciously, especially when Hannah started acting uncharacteristically nice to her."He-ey, Akko, how are you doing?" she said, with a big, creepy smile. "You're looking nice this morning. Did you do something with your hair?""…okay, stop that, it's weird and freaky," Akko said blatantly as Hannah's face fell. "What's going on? What're you all looking at?"She looked at Amanda, whose eyes were shifting rather guiltily. The redhead bit her lip anxiously before she reluctantly pulled out what she had been hiding. It was a magazine –
Sorcerer Weekly. The picture on the front showed a scarlet-headed woman with the Fairy Tail emblem on her shoulder eating a cheesecake flirtatiously in a metal bikini."I swear, none of us said anything to that bitch," Amanda said timidly, and she handed the magazine to Akko. At that moment, the door opened, and Professor Finnelan beckoned them all inside.Akko, Lotte, and Sucy headed for a table at the back of the class as usual. Once Professor Finnelan had turned her back on them to write up the lesson for today's class on the blackboard, Akko hastily rifled through the magazine under the desk. At last, in the center pages, Akko found what they were looking for. Lotte and Sucy leaned in closer. A colored photograph of Diana headed a short piece entitled:
Diana Cavendish's Secret Heartache
A girl like no other, perhaps – yet a girl suffering all the usual pangs of adolescence,
writes Quattro Scaglietti.
Deprived of love since the tragic demise of her mother, fourteen-year-old Diana Cavendish though she had found solace in her steady girlfriend at Luna Nova, Human-raised witch Atsuko Kagari. Little did she know that she would shortly be suffer- ing yet another emotional blow in a life already lit- tered with personal loss.Miss Kagari, a plain but ambitious girl, seems to have a taste for people of great renown that Diana alone cannot satisfy. Since the arrival at Luna Nova of Andrew Hanbridge, son of the Earl of Hanbridge and Diana's fiancé, Miss Kagari has been toying with both their affections. Young Andrew, a hopelessly naive man yearning for love has already openly confessed his affection for the devious Miss Kagari during the Winter Ball, and insists that she "inspired me to become better, more independent."However, it might not be Miss Kagari's doubt- ful natural charms that have captured these unfortunate souls' interest."She's really ugly," says a student who wishes to remain anonymous, "but her friend Sucy is really good at making potions. I think she's got them both on a Love Potion."Love Potions are, of course, banned at Luna Nova, and no doubt Miranda Holbrooke will want to investigate these claims. In the mean- time, Diana Cavendish's well-wishers must hope that, next time, she bestows her heart on a worthier candidate."I told you!" Lotte hissed at Akko as she stared down at the article. "I
told
you not to annoy Quattro Scaglietti! She's made you out to be some sort of – of scarlet woman!""A
what?" Akko and Sucy asked in perfect unison."I don't know – it was before our time," Lotte muttered, her ears going red."I don't believe this…," Akko murmured softly at first, and then, unexpectedly, she raised her voice to an excited whisper. "I'm in a
magazine! And they actually got my name right this time!""That's what you took away from this whole thing?" said Sucy in disbelief. "Aren't you worried about the kind of negative impact this will have on you.""Mmm…no, not really," said Akko bluntly after a few seconds of thinking."I can't tell if you're outrageously brave or obnoxiously stupid," said Sucy dryly.Akko looked across the room to the table shared by Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka, who were all watching her to see if she had been upset by the article. They held the same stupefied expression as Sucy when Akko waved at them cheerfully. She then turned to the table shared by Diana, Hannah, and Barbara, but Diana was lying face down on the table, arms covering her face to block out the world, while her sidekicks muttered words of comfort in her ears. But before too long, she, Lotte, and Sucy remembered that they were still in class when Professor Finnelan called everyone's attention and started writing notes for the Concealment Spell they would be learning."It's weird, though," said Akko ten minutes later, holding pencil suspended over her notebook. "How did Scaglietti find out…?""Figure out what?" said Lotte quickly. "You
haven't
been mixing up Love Potions, have you?""…Nooooo," Sucy said slowly, looking shiftily out of the corner of her eyes."No, not that," said Akko, starting to write in her notebook again. "No, it's just…how did she know that Andrew confessed to me. I mean, people probably think something's up after the scene him and Diana caused, but I never told anyone he confessed other than you guys.""Probably just the rumors that started spread after the ball," said Sucy. "Him
and
Diana have been way clingy with you. Scaglietti probably just built off of that.""But he
did
say that I inspired him to become better, more independent, just like in the article," said Akko, frowning. "He said it word-for-word, and somehow Scaglietti found out and put in her article. But how could she have done that? It was when we were doing the first dance and no one was close enough to overhear us. So how did Scaglietti find out?""No one else was on the dance floor besides the champions until the second song started," said Lotte distractedly, who had picked up her pencil and was writing on the desk, a good six inches from her notebook, because she was looking at Akko. "No one saw Scaglietti anywhere in the castle.""Wasn't that the same night where Scaglietti spied on Jasminka and Professor Lenz," Sucy added thoughtfully."Yeah, but I didn't see her there," said Akko said, perking up at the memory, "and neither did Amanda or Constanze when we er…accidentally overheard them. Or maybe…maybe she
was
there. Maybe she was using an invisibility potion; maybe she snuck into the school to spy on everyone at the ball, probably expecting a lot of drama. Well, she wasn't disappointed – ""Fascinating though your social life undoubtedly is, Kagari," said an icy voice right behind them, and all three of them jumped, "I must ask you not to discuss it in my class. Ten points from Polaris."Professor Finnelan had glided over to their desk while they were talking. The whole class was now looking around at them."Ah…reading magazines under the table as well?" Professor Finnelan added, snatching up the copy of
Sorcerer Weekly. "A further ten points from Polaris…oh but of course…" Finnelan's dark eyes glittered as they fell on Quattro Scaglietti's article. "The school champions have to keep up with their press cuttings…."The classroom rang with teasing laughter, and an unpleasant grimace curled Professor Finnelan's thin mouth. To Akko fury and Diana's further embarrassment, she began to read the article aloud."'Diana Cavendish's Secret Heartache'…dear, dear, what have you done now, Kagari? 'A girl like no other perhaps….'"Akko could feel her face burning. Professor Finnelan was pausing at the end of every sentence to allow the students a hearty laugh. The article sounded ten times worse when read in front of the whole class."'…
Diana Cavendish's well-wishers must hope that, next time, she bestows her heart on a worthier candidate.'
How very touching," sneered Professor Finnelan, rolling up the magazine to continued gales of laughter from the other students. "Well, I think I had better separate the three of you, so you can keep your minds on your schoolwork rather than ragged gossip. Miss Jansson, you stay here. Miss Manbavaran, go over there, beside Miss Müller. Kagari – that table in front of my desk. Move. Now."Furious, Akko threw her notebook and wand into her bag and dragged it up to the front of the classroom to the empty seat. Professor Finnelan followed, sat down, at her desk and watched Akko unload her bag. Determined not to look at Finnelan, Akko kept her head down as she resumed writing down notes."I was foolish enough to have expected better of you after you came to me for help during the First Game. I had thought you were finally starting to act proper," said Professor Finnelan quietly, once the rest of the class had settled down again.Akko didn't answer. She knew Professor Finnelan was trying to provoke her; she had done this before. Akko thought they were finally starting to mend their relationship after their revelation last year, but it seemed like Scaglietti's article had thrown them back to square one. No doubt she was looking for an excuse to take a round fifty point from Polaris before the end of the class."Just to clarify, I couldn't care less about what that vile Scaglietti writes about you," Professor Finnelan went on, so quietly that no one else could hear her (Akko continued to jab her pencil into her notebook, even though the tip had broken off), "but when you start to drag others into your mess, that's where I draw the line. You are remarkably like that mother in that regard; she didn't care about the consequence of her actions would affect others either. Just like my daughter…."Akko waved her wand to sharpen her pencil, but went too far and ended up grinding it all the way down to the eraser. Her hands were shaking slightly from a mixture of anger and guilt, but she kept her eyes down, as though she couldn't hear what Professor Finnelan was saying to her."So I give you fair warning, Kagari," Finnelan continued in a softer and more dangerous voice, "champion or not – if I catch you breaking into a teacher's office one more time – ""I haven't been anywhere near the teacher's offices!" said Akko angrily, forgetting her feigned deafness."Don't lie to me," Professor Finnelan hissed, her eyes boring into Akko's. "I am aware of your many nighttime strolls between Zeref's office. Elma has been watching them closely since the first time someone broke in months ago. You may have been able to conceal your identity by wearing that dark cloak, but Elma recognized your voice as you were muttering to yourself. I know it was you."Akko stared back at Finnelan, determined not to blink or to look guilty. Akko remembered the event she was referring to; It had taken place shortly after her…encounter with Diana when Akko saw her own name in two places on the Shiny Guide Book. She had also seen the cloaked figure as they had run from Zeref's office that night, but she couldn't get a good look because she was being crushed underneath debris. But if what Finnelan said was true, then there really
was
someone trying to impersonate her. But for what purpose, Akko didn't know."I don't know what you're talking about," Akko lied coldly."You were out of bed the night of the first break-in!" Professor Finnelan hissed. "I know it, Kagari! Now, Zeref has a personal interest in keeping you out of trouble, and admittedly, so do I, but I will not tolerate your behavior! If I find you are out of bed at night one more time, Kagari, there will be hell to pay!""Right," said Akko coolly, turning back to her notes. "I'll remember that if I ever get the urge to go in there."Professor Finnelan's eyes flashed. Faster than she would expect from a woman her age, Finnelan pulled out her wand and pressed the tip under Akko's chin, keeping it just out of sight of the rest of the classroom. Akko didn't move or speak – she didn't trust herself to say anything stupid."Have you ever heard of the Veritas curse, Kagari?" Professor Finnelan said, her eyes glittering dangerously again."No," said Akko with complete honesty this time."It is named after Veritas, the Goddess of Truth," said Professor Finnelan viciously. "A curse that forces you to speak nothing but the truth. One flick of the wrist could have spilling your innermost secrets for this entire class to hear. Now, the use of this spell is controlled by very strict Magic Council guidelines. But unless you watch your step, you might just find that my hand
slips" – she pushed the wand tip deeper against Akko's skin – "during a demonstration in class. And then, Kagari…then we'll find out whether you've been sneaking out or not."Akko said nothing as Professor Finnelan pulled away, discreetly slipping her wand back in her robe. Akko went back to her notes once more and stared writing down the timely effects of the Concealment Spell. She didn't like the sound of that Veritas Curse at all, nor would she be surprised if Akko one day finally pushes Finnelan over the edge and forces her to cast it. She repressed a shudder at the thought of what might come spilling out if she did it…quite apart from landing a whole lot of people in trouble – namely Amanda and Marianna – there were all the other things she was concealing…like the fact that she was in contact with Izetta…and – her insides squired at the thought – her feelings on her relationships with Diana and Andrew….There was a knock on the classroom door."Enter," said Professor Finnelan in her usual voice.The class looked around as the door opened. Ram came in. Everyone watched her as she walked up towards Professor Finnelan's desk. As she walked past, Akko noticed that Ram was glancing at her out of the corner of her eye."We need to talk," said Ram abruptly when she had reached Professor Finnelan. He seemed so determined that nobody should hear what she was saying that she was barely opening her lips; it was as though she were a rather poor ventriloquist. Akko kept her eyes on her notes, listening hard."I'll talk to you after my lesson, Ram," Professor Finnelan muttered, but Ram interrupted her."I will talk now, while you can't slip off, Anne. You've been avoiding me."Under the pretext of checking the blackboard to see if she wrote down the correct scripture, Akko sneaked a sidelong glance at the pair of them. Ram looked extremely irritable, and Professor Finnelan looked uncomfortable.Ram hovered behind Finnelan's desk for the rest of the period. She seemed intent on preventing Finnelan from slipping away at the end of class. Keen to hear what Ram wanted to say, Akko deliberately knocked her book onto the floor as the bell rang, which gave her an excuse to duck down behind her table and pick them up as slow as possible while the rest of the class moved noisily toward the door."What is so urgent?" she heard Professor Finnelan mutter at Ram."You already know the subject of this meeting, Anne," said Ram, pushing off the wall and walking around the teacher with an accusing stare. "You haven't been doing as I asked. I told you – ""I've already given as much information on Zeref as I could find," said Professor Finnelan sharply. "I've even enlisted the aid of the other teachers, but Zeref has gone directly to Holbrooke on this matter, and it has become…difficult to follow.""Zeref isn't my only concern," said Ram, talking in a low voice that sent chills down Akko's spine. "The other one. Why haven't you reported anything on – ""I've already agreed to help you keep an eye on Zeref because I believe he is dangerous," Professor Finnelan snarled, her eyes sweeping the classroom. "But I
refuse
to spy on one of my students.""This is no time to take the moral high ground, not when – " Ram began in an agitated voice."We can talk later!" Professor Finnelan spat. "Miss Kagari! What are you doing?""Uh…just…picking up my things, Professor," said Akko innocently, straightening up and showing her stuffed school bag.Ram narrowed her eyes dangerously at Finnelan before turning on her heel and striding out of the classroom. Not wanting to remain alone with an exceptionally angry Finnelan, Akko shoved her books into her bag and left at top speed to tell Lotte and Sucy what she had just witnessedThey left the castle at noon the next day to find a weak silver sun shining down upon the grounds. The weather was milder than it had been all year, and by the time they arrived in Blytonbury, all three of them had taken off their traveling cloaks and thrown them over their shoulders. The food Izetta had told them to bring was in Lotte's bag; they had sneaked a dozen chicken legs, a loaf of bread, and a bottle of grape juice from the lunch table.They went into the Shiny Ray Dress Shop to buy a present for Marianna, where they had fun selecting the most ninja-like scarves they could find, including one patterned with shuriken that you could actually throw (why Alexia O'Neill would design such a thing was a mystery). Then, at half past one, they made their way up the High Street, past the Last Wednesday Society, and out toward the end of the town.Akko had never been in this direction before. The winding lane was leading them into the wild countryside around Blytonbury. The buildings were fewer here, and their gardens larger; they were walking toward the dense forest that lay beyond Blytonbury. Then they turned a corner and saw a stile at the end of the road. Waiting for them, its front paws on the topmost bar, was a very large, bright-orange fox with a poofy, white-tipped tail, which was carrying some newspapers in its mouth and looking very familiar…."Mikko…," Lotte breathed, a smile widening on her face when they reached her.The large fox sniffed Lotte's bag eagerly, wagging its tail once, then turned and began to trot away from them across the scrubby patch of ground that led into the dense forest. Akko, Lotte, and Sucy climbed over the stile and followed.Mikko led them deeper into the forest where the thick trees nearly blotted out the sun above their heads. It was easy for her to climb over the tangle of exposed roots with her four paws, but Akko, Lotte, and Sucy were soon out of breath. For nearly half an hour they climbed over the tangled, winding dirt path, following Mikko's sweeping tail, sweat dripping from their brows.Then, at last, Mikko slipped out of sight, and when they reached the place where she had vanished, they saw a narrow fissure in the ground. They squeezed into it and found themselves in a cool, dimly lit cave. Tethered at the end of it, one end of his rope around a large rock, was Qing the Qilin. A strange-looking beast with the head of a dragon, the antlers of a deer, the skin and scales of a fish, the hooves of an ox, and the tails of a lion, Qing's fierce gold eyes flashed at the sight of them. All three of them bowed low to him, and after regarding them imperiously for a moment, Qing bent his scaly front knees and allowed Lotte to rush forward and stroke his neck. Akko, however, was looking at the fox, which had just turned into her aunt.Izetta looked a great deal better than Akko had expected. She was wearing pristine white clothes that looked almost brand new, leading Akko to wonder where she had gotten them. Her bright-red hair, a genetic trait shared by the Du Nord family, was longer than it had appeared in the fire, but it looked like it had been recently brushed and groomed. Suffice to say, this was not how Akko thought her aunt would look like after being on the run for over a year."Chicken! Gods, it's been so long since I had actual greasy food!" she said happily after removing the old newspapers from her mouth and throwing them down on the cave floor.Lotte pulled open her bag and handed over the bundle of chicken legs and bread."Thanks," said Izetta, opening it, and grabbing a drumstick, sitting down on the cave floor, and tearing off a large chunk with her teeth. "Mmm…sooooo goooood! It's feels like it's been forever since I have food that wasn't good for me. Finé keeps saying I should always eat healthy, but you do miss all the bad foods from time to time.""Who's Finé?" asked Lotte curiously."Finé is a…good friend of mine that I've known since I was a little girl," said Izetta, though noticeably turning her head away so that they couldn't see her face. "She's been letting me hide out at her place every so often since I've been on the run."Izetta grinned up at Akko, but Akko returned the grin only reluctantly."What are you doing here, Izetta?" Akko said."Fulfilling my duty as aunt," said Izetta, tearing off the last of the chicken wing like a savage animal. "Don't worry about it. As far as anyone knows, I'm just a lovable woodland creature."She was still grinning, but seeing the anxiety in Akko's face, said, more seriously, "I want to be on the spot. Your last letter…well, let's just say thing are getting fishier. I've been stealing the papers every time someone throws one out, and by the looks of things, I'm not the only one who's getting worried."She nodded at the yellowing papers on the cave floor, and Sucy picked them up and unfolded them. Akko, however, continued to stare at Izetta."What if they catch you? What if you're seen?""There are only a few people around here who know what my animal form looks like, including Holbrooke," said Izetta, shrugging and continuing to devour another chicken leg.Sucy nudged Akko and passed her the newspapers. There were two: The first bore the headline
Mystery Illness of Magic Council Member Org,
the second,
Academy City Superintendent Still Missing – Magic Council Now Personally Involved.Akko scanned the story about Org. Phrased jumped out at her:
hasn't been seen in public since November…house appears deserted…Alchemilla Hospital decline comment…Magic Council refuses to confirm rumors of critical illness…""They're making it sound like he's dying," said Akko slowly. "But Amanda's mom just said that Org is suffering from overwork. Then again, he
did
look sick the last time I saw him up close. The night when Nico's name came out of the Crystal Skull.""Betcha karma's finally biting him in the ass after all those times he tried getting rid of Minoru and Kuroi," said Sucy with a wicked smile. She was stroking Qing, who was crunching up Izetta's chicken bones. "You remember, right? When Minoru's name got called and back when he blamed Kuroi for that Eclipse thing.""Mato Kuroi? The Chariot Racer?" asked Izetta, looking alarmed. "He thinks
she
conjured the Eclipse?""Yeah, at the International Chariot Racing Tournament," said Akko, and she launched into the story of the Eclipse's appearance, and Mato being found with the Shiny Rod clutched in her hand, and Org's fury. When Akko had finished, Izetta was on her feet again and had started pacing up and down the cave."Let me get this straight," she said after a while, brandishing a fresh chicken leg. "Org didn't turn up at the Top Box during the match, even though he was supposed to be there with Crawford Seam.""Right," said Akko, Lotte, and Sucy."And you saw Kuroi directly when she went up in the Top Box to collect her team's trophy?""Right," they repeated.Akko paced all around the cave in silence. Then she said, "Akko, did you have the Shiny Rod with you when you went to watch the game.""Erm…" Akko thought hard. "I…don't know," she said finally. "I mean, I usually carry it with me wherever I got, but…I don't remember if I actually took it with me or not. I just know that when we were running from the Purifiers, it was missing." She stared at Izetta. "Wait…you don't think someone took it while we were watching the game, do you?""I can't say for sure," said Izetta, biting her lip. "I wasn't there, so I can't tell you. But if anyone saw it and knew what it was, they would have reasonable opportunity to take it when you weren't around." Her brow furrowed as she continued to pace. "What about the other people in the Top Box? Who all was there with you?""Loads of people," said Lotte. "The Russian president... The Japanese Emperor…Crawford Seam…Andrew and Frank…the Cavendishes….""Bet it was Diana's aunt or cousins," said Sucy shrewdly. "They look evil enough to do it.""Anyone else?" said Izetta."No one," said Akko."Yes, there was, there was the Grand Master," Lotte reminded her."Oh yeah…""I don't know anything about the Grand Master except for his long track record of creating games that don't always turn out well for the players," said Izetta, still pacing. "What's he like?""He's okay," said Akko. "He keeps offering to help me with the Contest.""Does he, now?" said Izetta, frowning more deeply. "I wonder why he'd do that?""He says he's…'taken a shine' to me," said Akko."Hmm," said Izetta, looking thoughtful."We saw him in the forest just before the Eclipse appeared," Lotte told Izetta. "Remember?" she said to Akko and Sucy."Yeah, but he didn't stay for long," said Sucy. "The moment we told him about the riot, he went off to the campsite.""How do you know?" Akko shot back. "How do you know where he went?""Hold on a minute, Akko," said Lotte incredulously. "You aren't suggesting that the Grand Master was the one that summoned the Eclipse, are you?""I just don't trust him, especially since the Contest started," said Akko shiftily. "Anyway, he seems more likely than Mato – "But Izetta held up a hand to silence Akko."When the Eclipse was conjured, and Kuroi had been discovered holding the Shiny Rod, what did Org do?""He looked like he was gonna pop a few blood vessels when he first saw Kuroi," said Sucy. "I haven't seen anyone look that angry that quickly since our first class with Finnelan.""Well, there's no surprise there," Izetta muttered, pacing up and down, "Org and Kuroi have a…bit of a history with each other. The moment he found her, he likely wasted no effort to trying to pin it on Kuroi.""Yeah, and when that didn't work, he tried to blame
me
for the whole thing!" Akko said in a heated voice. "He didn't even have proof that anyone had done anything! Just because Mato and the Shiny Rod just happened to be at the same place at the same time – ""Akko, will you give it a rest already, you're starting to sound like a broken record," said Sucy irritably.Izetta shook her head and said, "She's got the measure of Org better than you do, Sucy. If you want to know what a man is like, take a good look at how he treats his lesser, not his equals."She ran a hand over her face, evidently thinking hard."All these absences of Org's…he never shows up to the International Chariot Racing Tournament even though he was supposed to be with the representatives for work…he oversees the Contest of Champions, and then stops coming to that too…. It's not like Org. If he's ever taken a day off work because he's sick before this, I'll eat Qing.""Do you know Org, then?" said Lotte.Izetta's face darkened. She suddenly looked as menacing as she did the night Akko first met her, the night when Akko still believed Izetta to be a murderer."Oh I know Org, all right," she said quietly. "He was the one who gave the order for me to be sent to Dol Guldur – without a trial.""What?" Lotte gasped."You're kidding!" said Akko."No, I'm not," said Izetta, taking another great bite of chicken. "Org used to be the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, didn't you know?"Akko, Lotte, and Sucy shook their heads."He was one of the Twelve Seats on the Council on his way to becoming Chairman," said Izetta. "He was a great mage, Org, powerfully magical – and power-hungry. Oh, but he'd never join Amon's side," she said, reading the look on Akko's face. "No, Org was always very outspoken against the Dark Side. But then a lot of people who were against the Dark Side…well, you wouldn't understand…you're too young….""That's what
Ina
said at the Chariot Tournament," said Sucy, with a trace of irritation in her voice. "Don't automatically assume we won't understand just because we're younger. We've been through a lot ourselves."A grin flashed across Izetta's face."All right, I'll try you…." She walked once up the cave, back again, and then said, "Back then, the whole world believed that Aradia was real. They believed she was some kind of powerful bogeyman. No one knew who her supporters were, no one knew who was working for her and who wasn't; we used that fear to move around unnoticed, as you already know. The public was scared for themselves, and their families, and their friends. Every time someone looked at the news, they would find that Aradia had caused another great disaster or that more people went missing that she was responsible for…The Magic Council was in disarray, no one knew what was going on except for the Twelve Seats, and they couldn't say a word without giving up the organization and their involvement in it. Terror everywhere…panic…confusion…that's how it used to be."Well, times like that bring out the best in some people, and the worst in others. Just like we used the people's fear to complete our mission, Org manipulated the people's fear to create his own following. Org's principles might've been good in the beginning – I wouldn't know. He rose quickly through the Council, and he started dishing out harsh punishments to small-time criminals, declaring them followers of Aradia to make the story more believable. Sure, the criminals protested, but once people heard the word 'Aradia' they turned a deaf ear. After the Grand Triskelion was broken and our organization was scattered, Magical Law Enforcement were given new powers – powers to kill rather than capture anyone suspected to have been one of our operatives. It didn't even matter if they were good or bad – several of our numbers were killed without even being given a chance to explain themselves. And I wasn't the only one who was handed straight to the Heartless without trial. Org fought violence with violence, and authorized the use of Curses against suspects. I would say he became as ruthless and cruel as Amon or Ruvik."He had his supports, of course – plenty of people thought he was going about things the right way, and there were a lot of Demi-Humans clamoring for him to take over as Chairman of the Magic Council. When Aradia 'disappeared', it looked like only a matter of time until Org got the top job., But then something happened…." Izetta smiled grimly. "Eight years ago, a terrible tragedy happened somewhere in the Asian continent where hundreds of people were mercilessly slaughter and the only survivor was an eight-year-old girl…and Org attempted to have her thrown in Dol Guldur.""What?" Lotte gasped horrifically. "He tried to have a
child
thrown in
there?""Yep," said Izetta, throwing her chicken bone to Qing, flinging herself back down on the ground beside the loaf of bread, and tearing it in half. "Org must have come to the idea that since she was the only one who survived the massacre, that she should have been the one responsible. Circumstances to fit the punishment."She began to wolf down large pieces of bread."Was
she involved in it?" said Lotte."No idea," said Izetta, still stuffing down bread. "I was in Dol Guldur myself when it happened. This is mostly stuff I've found out since I got out. The girl was definitely in the middle of things when it all went down, but it's hard to say if she had a direct hand in it. It's not unusual for some Demi-Humans to be born with excessive amounts of power and very little control over it. Or it could be that she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, just like Kuroi.""But she was just a
kid, not a criminal!" snapped Akko.Izetta let out a laugh that was much more like a bark."You think that mattered to Org? I thought you had the measure of him, Akko. Anything that he perceived as a threat had to go, whether young or old, sick or healthy, human or Demi-Human; he dedicated his entire life to become the Chairman and he wasn't about to relent because of a kid. You saw the way he responded when he associated Kuroi with the Eclipse – doesn't that tell you what he's like? Org's charity stretched just far enough to give the girl a trial, and by all accounts, it wasn't much more than an excuse for Org to show how much he hated the girl.""But she didn't go to Dol Guldur, did she?" said Sucy quietly. "She got off.""That's right," said Izetta, and she didn't look remotely amused. "Don't know about the whole process myself, but someone defended the girl and got her off. Org was humiliated and his supports became disillusioned about his methods. A lot of people weren't keen on seeing a Councilman abusing his power to threaten a small and frightened eight-year-old girl."For a moment, the deadened look in Izetta's eyes became more pronounced than ever, as though shuttered had closed behind them."What happened to that girl?" Akko said."No idea," said Izetta dully. "I heard she was taken special facility far away to receive some help, but that's about it."Izetta threw aside the bread she had just lifted to her mouth and instead picked up the bottle of grape juice and drained it."Org, on the other hand, is another story," she continued, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Seemingly overnight, Org lost it all, just when he thought he had it made. One moment, a hero, poised to become Chairman of the Magic Council…next, his supports abandon him, he was removed from the Twelve Seats, his name dragged through the mud, and has remained universally unpopular ever since, destroying any chances of him climbing back up the ladder. Once the girl had been forced into trial, people started feeling more sympathetic toward her and started asking how Org could think to accuse an innocent child of such terrible crimes. The conclusion was that Org didn't care as long as he had someone to blame, and then people started questioning if all the others he imprisoned were innocent as well. Before too long, Crawford Seam got the top job, and Org was shunted sideways into obscurity."There was a long silence. Akko was thinking of the way Org's eye had bulged as he'd looked down at Mato back into the woods at the International Chariot Racing Tournament. This, then, must have been why Org had overreacted to Mato being found beneath the Eclipse. It had brought back memories of his fall from grace at the Magic Council. Interestingly enough, she also remembered that Mato responded with equal contempt…."Eight years," Akko muttered softly before speaking up. "Back at the Chariot Racing Tournament, Mato said she met Org eight years ago. Do you think…Mato was the one that Org tried to put away.""Hmm…it's possible," Izetta hummed thoughtfully. "She would be about the right age.""And that explains why he was acting like a lunatic when we found her," said Sucy. "He probably thought that would be his best chance to finally prove that she was guilty. He probably even thought that he could bring back his old popularity if he proved to everyone he was right.""He's been doing the same thing with Nico and Zeref," said Akko. "He practically blew a blood vessel when he found out that Nico had the Staff of One – then again, pretty much everyone did – and I know he snuck into Zeref's office at least once. I…overheard Zeref say that to Professor Finnelan.""Yes, and that doesn't make sense at all," said Izetta."It doesn't?" asked Lotte, confused."If Org wanted to keep an eye on both of them, why hasn't he been coming to oversee the Contest. It would be an ideal excuse to make regular visits to Luna Nova and watch out for anything that could put them away forever.""Ram's been making a lot of visits to the school," said Akko. "She turned up in the middle of Alchemy class yesterday. Ram wanted to talk to Professor Finnelan, she says Finnelan's been avoiding her. Ram's been getting the teachers to spy on Zeref and someone else. One of the students. But they didn't say who it was.""That doesn't come as a surprise at all," said Izetta, looking thoughtfully at Akko. "Ram has as many trust issues as Org, even more so since she was a member of our organization and fought alongside us when Amon enacted his coup. Zeref wasn't an official member of our group – more like a consultant that Chariot would occasionally visit during his stint in prison. Regardless, she probably feels that Zeref has a high rate of betrayal just like the rest of Amon's followers."Izetta held up her fingers and began ticking off names."Tina Minoru and Shadow Weaver – they were both killed when the coup happened. Cinder Fall – a lying snake if I ever saw one – she was sent to Dol Guldur. Victor von Doom – from what I've heard he wormed his way out of trouble by using his diplomatic immunity as ruler of Latveria – he's still at large. More than half the traitors were caught or dead, but plenty of them managed to get away like Amon and Ruvik. Ram probably thinks history will repeat itself is she doesn't keep a thorough eye on things.""You think Ram might try to kill him?" Lotte asked worriedly."Nah, not likely," said Izetta slowly. "Ram is paranoid, but she's not the type to act irrationally, even if she could find a way to kill Zeref – honestly, how do you even kill an immortal? As a Hunter and a teacher, Ram takes her job very seriously. I'm not sure she trusts anyone at all, and after the things she's seen, it's not surprising. I'll say this for Ram, though, she never killed if she could help it. Always brought people in alive where possible. She was tough, but she never descended to the level of Amon and the others. Org, though…he's a different matter…is he really sick? Why has no one seen or heard from him this whole time? You would think that someone of his status would have people aiding him. But if he's not sick…then what's he up to? What was he doing at the Chariot Racing Tournament that was so important he didn't turn up in the Top Box? What's he been doing while he should have been overseeing the Contest?"Izetta lapsed into silence, staring at the cave wall. Qing was ferreting around on the rocky floor, looking for bones he might have overlooked. Finally, Izetta looked up at Akko."Amanda's mother is a Seat on the Magic Council, right? Any chance you could ask her if she's seen Org lately?""We can ask Amanda when we get back," said Akko, frowning. "Though we'll probably have to come up with some kind of cover story so Ava doesn't ask questions. She knows Amanda's been bothering the Grand Master for a while and will probably think it's for the same reason.""And you might try and find out whether they've got any lead on Aleister Crowley while you're at it," said Izetta, gesturing to the second newspaper. "They're saying that he hasn't been found yet. Blustering on about how secretive and introverted he is. That he just went away somewhere for some privacy. But Akko's dream this summer says otherwise. We already know he's dead – but the fact is that he still needs to be found. Crowley's mind is a dangerous tool in the wrong hands, especially Ruvik's. It doesn't matter if he's dead – that mad doctor would prefer it that way, picking at his brain without the mouth to complain about it…."Izetta heaved an enormous sigh and rubbed her eyes."What's the time?"Akko checked her phone."It's half past three," she said."You'd better get back to school," Izetta said, getting to her feet. "Now listen…" She looked particularly hard at Akko. "I don't want you girls sneaking out of school to see me, all right? Just send notes to me here. I still want to hear about anything odd. But you're not to go leaving Luna Nova without permission; it would be an ideal opportunity for someone to attack you.""No one's tried to attack me so far, except a bunch of Xenomorphs and some rabid Andrew fangirl," Akko said, but Izetta scowled at her."I don't care…. I'll breath easier when this Contest is over, and that's not until June. And don't forget, if you're talking about me among yourselves, call me Mikko, okay?"She handed Lotte the empty bag and bottle and went to pat Qing good-bye. "I'll walk to the edge of town with you," said Izetta, "see if I can scrounge another paper."She transformed into the great red fox before they left the cave, and they walked back through the forest with her, through the leaf-strewn ground, and back to the stile. Here she allowed each of them to pet her on the head, before turning, setting off at a run around the outskirts of the town. Akko, Lotte, and Sucy made their way back into Blytonbury and up toward the Ley Line Terminal."Well, we learned a lot today, didn't we?" said Sucy dryly as they walked up the hillside to the Terminal. "Wonder if we should ask Kuroi about any of this? She knew Org from way back when? Maybe she could get us some answers about where he's been disappearing to.""Mato wouldn't know anything about that – she hates Org," said Lotte. "Besides, there's no way we'd even get close enough to ask her. Ram is always on her like a shadow. If she knows we've been sticking our noses in her business…."They walked up the stone steps and each grabbed a broom provided by the Terminal goblin, throwing their legs over them and gliding up to the ethereal portal above that would lead them to the castle."Is it just me," said Akko before they passed through, "or does every year we're at school always seem to have an unnecessarily overcomplicated plotline?"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Akko, Lotte, and Sucy went to Amanda the next day, asking, as Izetta had suggested, if she could get her mother to reveal any information on Org. They spent over an hour coming up with a reason why they were asking a Seat on the Magic Council about Org's strange absences, deciding to use the equally strange matter of Paul Hanbridge and the Grand Master's secret meetings as a cover before asking directly. And while Amanda typed and retyped her e-mail on Constanze's computer, Akko, Lotte, and Sucy proceeded down to the kitchen to give Marianna her new scarf.The goblins gave them a cheery welcome, bowing and curtsying and bustling around making tea again. Marianna was ecstatic about her present."This is a most wonderful gift, Akko-senpai!" she chirped, wrapping the scarf around her neck despite the warm temperate of the kitchen. "You're too good to me, senpai!""I owe you for that Oxy-Fish, Mari," said Akko. "Amanda would have never made it without your help.""There isn't any chance you have more of those pollux mushrooms, is there?" said Sucy, who was looking around at the beaming and bowing goblins."You already have a whole garden of mushrooms literally growing in our dorm," said Lotte irritably, but a great silver platter of blue spotted mushrooms was already zooming toward them, supported by four goblins."We should get some stuff to send up to Mikko," Akko muttered."Good idea," said Lotte. "We could have Blair go down to the town and deliver it. Excuse me, you couldn't give us a bit of extra food, could you?" she said to the surrounding goblins, and they bowed delightfully and hurried off to get some more.While the goblins skirted around the work stations gathering as much food as they could, there was a loud
clang
that made Akko jump. She turned around to find Sir Nyanta the Head Chef, who had just set a large pot of mushroom soup on the oven and started to heat it up. He only seemed to notice them himself as he craned his head and offered them a whiskered smile as he removed his apron, gesturing another Goblin to take over."Ahh, what a pleasant surprise," he said suavely as he paced over to join them. "While you are always welcome to visit, I hope you three aren't distracting little Mari from her duties.""N-No, no, Sir Nyanta, it's all right," said Marianna, stuttering. "I have everything taken care of.""So you remembered to glaze the peaches and set out the ice cream cups like I asked?" asked Sir Nyanta with a suspicious tone. Marianna gulped loudly and visibly sweated. "That's what I thought. Please finish your job before you spend too much time socializing.""Apologizes, Sir Nyanta," said Marianna, bowing deeply before running off."Ah, man, I was hoping to talk to her more," said Akko, disappointed. "I wanted to know if she knew anything about Hanbridge's deal with the Grand Master, or if she knew anything about why Org has been missing.""Why do you think she would know anything about that?" asked Lotte curiously."I just figured that since she worked for Andrew's Dad, maybe she heard something about it in the government," said Akko with a shrug of the shoulders."What's this about Org missing?" asked Sir Nyanta, turning to them with one eye open curiously."Yeah, he hasn't been showing up for the Contest of Champions since the second game," said Akko. "Oh, Org is the – ""I know who Org is," said Sir Nyanta with a strangely firm tone, his eyes finally opening, but they were narrowed with a dark glint in them. "I had to deal with him many times during my days in Log horizon. If there was one thing I knew about him besides his stubborn, pigheaded attitude, it was that he never missed work under any circumstances. So the fact that he's been out for months is strange in and of itself.""The news thinks he's sick," said Lotte. "But we're not sure if that's true."Sir Nyanta hummed under his breath, scratching his furry chin with one claw."Org? Sick?" he muttered strangely. "That is peculiar. What type of sickness could it be that he would be out for months? If it was serious, surely someone would have reported it…. Hmm…I wonder if it has anything to do with the rumors….""What rumors?" asked Akko urgently. "What are they saying?"Sir Nyanta seemed to consider her for a moment, internally deciding whether or not he should say anything. But, eventually, the cat-man relented."Well…," He answered with slight hesitation. "It was back during my Log Horizon days when my Guild Master and I were hired by the magic council to investigate rumors of mass-produced anti-magic weaponry.""You mean like the ones the Purifiers used at the Chariot Racing Tournament?" gasped Lotte."The very same," said Sir Nyanta grimly. "The Master's sources led us to the City of the Future, Academy City, where we discovered that they were, in fact, producing anti-magic equipment across multiple facilities in the criminal underworld. Though the kinds of technology they were using was much too advanced for ordinary criminals. They were getting help from some people with big brains and a grudge against Demi-Humans.""And what does this have to do with Org?" asked Sucy curiously."How do you think a city of science could create anti-magic weapons without any magic to test it on," said Sir Nyanta. "Unless they were given test subjects. My Guild Master noticed that Dol Guldur had been losing a lot of prisoners over the past few years – the guards always claim that they die in their beds, but the number was quite staggering for that to be true. The Master suspected someone was supplying Academy City with magical test subjects – ones that people wouldn't notice or care were missing. And the person in charge of sending prisoners to Dol Guldur is also the Head of Magical Law Enforcement.""Org," said Akko firmly."But why would he want to help people build weapons that would hurt his own kind?" asked Lotte. "It doesn't make any sense.""Unless he wanted to start another fight," said Sucy bluntly. "Remember? Org rose to power during the Eclipse Queen scare. He probably wants to do the same thing to get his old job back.""My Master had the same thought," said Sir Nyanta, nodding. "Of course, we could never prove it was him. Org did well in covering his tracks.""Does that mean Org knew Aleister Crowley personally?" Akko asked, struck by sudden inspiration. "Would Org know why he went missing?"Sir Nyanta started to open his mouth again, but stopped himself at once and cracked open his eyes to give Akko a suspicious look. Akko slapped her hands over her mouth, which made her look even more suspicious, only just realizing her mistake. It did seem quite odd that a few fourteen-year-old witches would be interested in the political affairs of the world in general, but it was even more suspicious that Akko not only knew Aleister Crowley was missing, but she had also called him by name.Luckily, Lotte and Sucy quickly grabbed Akko by the elbows and started pulling her out of the kitchen before she could blurt out anything else."Thanks for the scarf, Akko-senpai!" Marianna called delightfully from where she was glazing peaches with a blowtorch."You just couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you, stupid?" said Sucy irritably as the kitchen door slammed shut behind them. "Now we can't visit them again or else that cat-guy will think we're up to something. We could have figured out more about what the Purifiers and Org are up to.""Are you really mad about that?" asked Lotte with a raised brow. "Or are you mad because you can't take anymore mushrooms from the kitchens?"It was an irritable sort of day after that. Akko's mind was buzzing trying to process the newest bits of information she unintentionally received from Sir Nyanta. Now Akko
knew
there was a connection between Org and Crowley's disappearances. Akko largely suspected that Amon and Ruvik were still the ones that did the deed, but what if they had help? What if Org had been the one to lead them in the right direction? Akko was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she almost forgot to send the food they gathered for Izetta if Lotte hadn't reminded her.Blair in her cat form was much too small to carry all the food herself, so she enlisted the help of Haruka-san and Diana's familiar, Ophiuchus as well. When they sent off through the courtyard into the dusk, looking extremely odd carrying the large package between them, Akko sat on the edge of the fountain of the Great Witch Jennifer, looking out onto the grounds, at the dark rustling treetops of the Arcturus Forest, and the rippling waters around Honnoji's aircraft carrier. An eagle flew through the coil of smoke rising from the paddocks on the edge of the forest. Looking down, Akko saw Professor Pisces cleaning up the smoldering remains from her last lesson of the day, which seemed to have involved Fire Crabs. As she watched, Ram entered the paddock and walked over to Professor Pisces. She confronted the professor, who stopped her work briefly only to shake her head and went back to it. Even from a distance, Akko could tell Ram was annoyed based on her quick steps out of the paddock.Akko watched Professor Pisces clean until the darkness swallowed her and Elma marched outside, grabbed Akko by the ear, and dragged the student up to her office for another lecture on curfews.Since their conversation in the kitchens, time seemed to once again go by in a blur with nothing out of the ordinary to distract them. They went to classes, did their homework, and, in Akko's case, practiced combat-based spells with the rest of Luna Nova's champions. And it was seemed like no time at all, March had given way to April, and Akko was completely caught off-guard when she realized it was the day before the fourth game. She had been preoccupied between getting through all her homework, which had really started to pile up after the Easter holiday, and holding her own investigation on the Org-Crowley-Ram conspiracy. She made a point of sending regular food packages up to Byltonbury either through Blair or Ursula for Izetta. She enclosed notes to Izetta, telling her that nothing out of the ordinary had happened, and that they were still waiting for an answer from Councilwoman Ava.She went down to breakfast that morning and sat with her teammates instead of her usual group of friends upon Diana's insistence to prepare for the Contest the next day. While Diana was going back and forth with Nico and Fate on who should compete in the next game, Akko leaned in toward Amanda and whispered out of the corner of her mouth:"Still nothing from your mom?""She's working double-time ever since Org went missing," Amanda muttered back. "I don't know when she's gonna respond."When Wangari and the postal witches arrived, Diana suddenly shot up eagerly and snatched a folded newspaper out of the air thrown her way."Anything good in there?" asked Nico as Diana sat down and opened the paper a tad more forceful than necessary."Thankfully, nothing by Scaglietti," said Diana, flipping through the pages. "I've decided to take out a subscription to every newspaper and magazine she might write for. I getting sick of finding everything out from other people.""Hey, good thinking," said Akko appreciatively. "If we read it first, we can cut ahead of the – "Before she could say anything further, one of the postal witches dropped a letter in front of Akko. She looked over the address, her brow raised in confusion."Is it from…you know who?" asked Amanda, glancing at Fate, Makoto, and Nico out of the corner of her eye."No, it's not Mikko," said Akko. "I don't know who it's from. I've never – "But to her bewilderment, more postal witches, including Wangari, flew over their table and dropped what must have been over two dozen envelopes, burying Akko's grilled fish underneath."Since when do you get these many letters?" said Amanda, seizing Akko's glass of orange juice before it was knocked over by the still growing pile of letters; the postal witches were pretty much dumping their entire satchels onto the table."You don't think there's a chance that these are all fan letters, do ya?" Akko asked hesitantly, feeling a sense of foreboding in the pit of her stomach."I am afraid to say it is not," said Diana, a deep frown curving on her lovely face as she took one of the letters, opened it, and read. "Ugh, utterly distasteful!" she spat angrily."What's it say?" asked Amanda, now snatching a letter for herself."It's – oh, how ridiculous – "She tossed the letter at Akko, who saw that it was not handwritten, but composed from pasted letters that seemed to have been cut out of various magazines.YoU
are
a
WickEd
giRL.
AndrEw desErVes
BeTteR.GO
back wherE
you
cAMe from
Half-bReeD."They're all like it!" said Makoto aghast, joining in on the letter opening. "'Andrew can do much better than the likes of you…' 'You deserve to be boiled in frog spawn…' It just gets worse!""And not a single one of them about Diana," said Nico with a teasing smirk at her blonde teammate, who glared in response."Ew, this one is all squishy," said Akko, feeling a particularly damp package before starting to open it –"NO, WAIT!" Amanda yelped.Without warning, she slapped the letter out of Akko's hand and onto the table next to theirs. The letter flew open and a yellowish-green liquid smelling strongly of petrol gushed out onto their neighbor's food, making the girls jump out of their seats, shrieking. Amanda walked over and examined the substance with a spoon."Undiluted bubotuber pus!" said Amanda, scooping some up and sniffing it.Just then, Annabel Crème walked around the tables, no doubt attracted by the screaming students, stopped in front of Amanda with her hands on her hips, and said, "Is there a reason why everyone is yelling first thing in the morning?""Akko's getting a lot of hate mail, and one of them tried hitting her with bubotuber pus!" Fate shouted urgently as more letters kept piling on the table, nearly burying the entire surface. Fate shot a glare up at Wangari; why didn't she stop after seeing the envelope explode?"Fils de pute," Annabel Crème hissed in French. "This can't all be because of that…unbelievable that they even buy into this trash. Look at this one…" She read out one of the letters Diana had opened after checking for any unwanted surprises: "'I read in
Sorcerer Weekly
about how you are playing poor Andrew wrong and I will be sending you a curse next time just as soon as I can find a big enough envelope.'
This is crossing the line. Scaglietti's now endangering students. This won't stand…."The thunder of the crowd was starting to become a familiar sound to Akko as Team Luna Nova took their place on the field in Blytonbury Stadium. Looking around at the crowd, Akko noticed that even though their team had dropped significantly since the last game, there were still plenty of fans cheering for Luna Nova. It's the fourth day, Akko thought with some inward relief; they were almost finished. Looking back, the Contest had been going much smoother than she originally imagined, and now she wondered why she was so worked up in the first place."Welcome back, everybody, to the fourth day of the Contest of Champions," Neku Sakuraba announced from the commentator's box. "And to all the readers out there, we decided to skip the whole 'getting to the stadium' bit and go straight to the meat of the story. Giving you the play-by-play commentary is me, Neku Sakuraba of Serenity Academy's VOCALOID.""And his…very confused partner from the Luna Nova News Network, Wangari," said Wangari, looking at Neku out of the corner of her eyes. "Joining us as usual is the man…alien…than made this all possible, the Grand Master!""Always delighted to be remembered," said the Grand Master humorously."Hard to believe we've made it to the fourth day already," said Wangari nostalgically. "It feels like it was just yesterday when we were watching Kagari run circles around the Xenomorphs as a mouse.""I'm still reeling from what happened during the last game," said Neku Sakuraba. "Amanda O'Neill proved to be the MVP of the underwater search when she became the first to find the artifacts and defeated fan favorite Shouto Todoroki in a one-on-one match using wit and a whole lot of heat. Unfortunately, Strength and Sanageyama teamed up and got the drop on Amanda first, then Togo from Sanshu viciously sniped O'Neill and stole her artifact. O'Neill would have all but lost if it wasn't for Hashiri's generous donation. But that wasn't even the strangest part of the contest –
""Yeah, that goes to the weird fight rounds that came after," said Wangari, frowning. "There were a whole lot of strange accidents that day. Did we ever find out what happened?""I'm sure someone has an idea," said Neku.Next to Akko, Amanda crouched slightly to make herself seem smaller."After that weird day, the new point totals were counted and here they are now," said Wangari, turning in her seat toward the scoreboard.Sanshu: 33p Black Star: 32p Serenity: 30p Luna Nova: 30p U.A.: 26p Class Zero: 24p Myojo: 24p Honnoji: 23p"Despite their best efforts to get out of last place, Honnoji still remains at the bottom of the leaderboard," said Wangari. "Meanwhile, Sanshu has done a complete turnaround and pulled their way into first place. But there's only a ten-point difference between first and last, and today's matches are extra special. Isn't that right, Neku?""After the challenge match, we will be holding a special battle round that includes doubles," Neku Sakuraba explained. "That means two people from each team will be fighting at the same time, turning the match into a four-person brawl. But a special rule has been added to the double battles. If one team defeats their opponents while both fighters are still eligible, then the winning team will receive a full twenty points – that's double the regular total. However, if the winning team has a partner that's knocked out or it thrown out-of-bounds, then they will get the standard ten points.""And depending how many players are still fighting after the timer runs out," Wangari added, "both teams can still receive up to ten points. It's a real game changer!""So basically, any team could get first place if both of their players win in the battle round," said Diana thoughtfully. "That might end up being a problem.""Hey, we've been training for this," said Akko optimistically. "As long as Fate-chan is one of the people fighting, we're guaranteed to at least get ten points.""Your faith in me is sweet, if a little overexaggerated," said Fate with a teasing smile."How 'bout we worry about the challenge round before we go getting ahead of ourselves," said Nico exasperatedly."As per usual, we ask that the teams choose their champions before we explain the challenge," said Wangari. "And be extra careful this time, because the doubles rounds mean two people will be fighting for your team instead of one. That means there's a higher chance that someone could end up participating in the challenge
and
the battle round, and that could end up being a huge disadvantage.""Though it's really only the major characters that have a chance of being picked because the author wants to make a big blow out of the whole thing," said Neku Sakuraba nonchalantly. "Just pick one of the secondary characters, and you should be fine.""Hey, did we ever talk about what the challenge is going to be?" Akko asked curiously, turning to Diana."Are kid – were you paying attention at all during our meetings?" Diana asked dumbfoundedly. Akko blinked once…twice…and laughed sheepishly. "Unbelievable…. To answer your question, Akko, yes, we had thought about what the next challenge might be. Given the nature of the clue that the Grand Master gave us," she retrieved the faded black box from her pocket, "we suspect it may have something to do with riddles and brainteasers given that this box has a riddle of its own.""Ugh, I hate riddles – they make my brain hurt," Akko groaned."To no one's surprise," said Nico."We've already decided who will be playing for our team," said Diana. She turned to Makoto, passing off the small box to her teammate. "Take this with you. If it's anything like the puzzle box from the last challenge, then it likely has a secret that will help.""You can count on me!" said Makoto excitedly. "I won't let your down!"Makoto almost skipped to centerfield before she caught herself and walked stiffly to meet the other champions who were waiting on her. Among them, Akko realized, was Satsuki Kiryuin's younger sister, Ryuko Matoi. Karin Miyoshi, the girl who won the second day's battle round on pure luck, was leering at Eruna's kouhai, Mikoto Misaka, who was talking animatedly to the Pikachu sitting on her head; Karin was still bitter about the battle rounds, it seemed. Izuku Midoriya from U.A. was finally participating, standing just a short distance away from Queen from Class Zero, who readjusted her glasses and shot a sidelong glance at Dead Master, the only person among Team Black Star who hasn't participated in the challenge or battle rounds; she was going to be an unpredictable factor. Akko almost thought Myojo hadn't picked their champion yet until she noticed Team Myojo's substitute – Banba, if she remembered right – was lurking in the background, trying to make herself as small as possible. She didn't seem suited for the Contest in Akko's opinion….Team Luna Nova took their seats in the stands when Akko realized there was a lack of gentlemanly greeting followed by a snide remark from Diana. Akko turned around sharply in her seat, looking around. Frank was present, holding hands with Lotte as expected, but Andrew was nowhere to be seen."Is something the matter, Miss Kagari?" Frank asked concernedly."Uh, no, it's nothing, just…," said Akko, biting her lip hesitantly. "I was…kind of expecting Andrew to be here. You know…since he's been the other times."Frank's expression immediately became muted and glanced sadly out of the corner of his eye, looking anywhere but Akko."He wanted to come, truly…," Frank muttered with some hint of reluctance, "but after Scaglietti's article came out…there has been a lot going on in the Hanbridge residence. Andrew's father doesn't wish for him to…attend any more of these events.""You mean he doesn't want Andrew near Akko, afraid it might hurt their precious reputation," Diana spat venomously."That about sums it up," Frank admitted."You know that article was a load of crap, right?" Akko told Frank urgently. "I would never – ""I know you well enough not to believe the horrible things Scaglietti wrote," said Frank reassuringly. "Andrew does, too. That's why he wanted to come today, to hear your side of the story. However, his father was very…insistent on keeping Andrew away. Has people watching him like a hawk…."Akko turned around and slumped in her seat. Yet another life ruined because of Scagelitti's rag. Andrew's freedom was already restricted enough because of this. If she ever saw Scaglietti again, she would do worse than throw a cup of hot coffee…."The teams have
finally
finished picking their champions," Wangari announced, dragging Akko back to reality. "From U.A. High, we have Izuku Midoriya going up against Miharu Banba from Myojo, Queen from Class Zero, Makoto Kowata from Luna Nova Academy, Ryuko Matoi from Honnoji, Dead Master from Black Star Academy, Mikoto Misaka and her adorable pet Pikachu from Serenity Academy, and Karin Miyoshi looking to score a win for Sanshu.""And now we turn out attention to the Grand Master," said Neku Sakuraba, "who will explain the rules of the penultimate challenge. Grand Master?""Today's challenge will be a twist on a classic childhood activity: the treasure hunt!" said the Grand Master enthusiastically. "In a moment, we are going to be dropping our champions into Taejin Tower in the heart of the Australian outback. The Tower was believed to have been originally created to reach the gods, but we in the Contest of Champions have taken some liberties to…improve it. The challenge is simple: find three pieces of treasure and return to the front gate to win.""There's no way it could be that simple," said Neku Sakuraba in a disbelieving tone."And you would be right, Sakuraba," said the Grand Master chipperly. "These treasures are hidden all over the tower and your only way to find them is by answering the riddles the champions receive. Once you find your first piece of treasure, you will be given another riddle that will take you to the next piece, and so forth until you retrieve the last one. But don't think about cheating off your fellow champion." He seemed to be looking at Ryuko specifically as he said that. "Each champion is given a different riddle and a different treasure to find. If you return to the gates with a treasure that's not yours, you will shall not pass. But that doesn't mean you can't still mess with your opponent to give yourself an edge." He added with a playful wink."As usual, champions are allowed to use any tools or powers at their disposal as long as it doesn't involve lethal force," said Wangari. "But we kindly ask that the champions be extra careful this time. The Taejin Tower is technically a national landmark to the people of Australia and I'm not sure that what we're doing is a hundred percent legal. So try not to break anything."Mikoto Misaka from Serenity Academy pouted as she turned out her pockets, discarding two small piles of arcade tokens."I think that about covers everything," said the Grand Master, clapping his hand with a wide smile. "Let the fourth game of the Contest of Champions – Treasure Hunt – begin!"The Grand Master snapped his fingers over the roaring cheers of the audience; the purple diamond-shaped portal appeared beneath the feet of the champions, sucking them all in one after the other –Makoto let out a small squeak as she fell a short distance and landed on her butt on the hard, stone floor. She whined, rubbing the sore spot embarrassingly. Someone held out a hand to her, and Makoto looked up to see Izuku Midoriya politely offering to help her up to her feet. Such a nice boy, Makoto thought. She took his hand and allowed herself to be pulled up, looking around at the other champions who were climbing up themselves one-by-one, and then craned her head back to get a look at their new environment.The entire building was a giant cylinder with so many floors that Makoto lost count after twenty – it looked like it could reach all the way to the heavens – leading up to a gaping hole in the high ceiling that had a picturesque view of the full moon overhead, allowing rays of moonlight to flood the tower. There were hundreds of stairs, bridges, and what looked like an elevator crisscrossing throughout the tower in a way that reminded Makoto of an Escher painting. And though it was faint to see from her position, Makoto thought she saw dozens of pictures on each floor that looked like they had been recently painted on; they must have something to do with the challenge, Makoto thought. And directly behind the champions was an ethereal green portal similar to the ones on the Ley Line, but there was a hulking statue of an armored warrior standing guard with his polearm held defensively. He was probably there to make sure nobody cheated their way out….The champions gathered in the center of the tower, looking around with a mixture of confusion and curiosity. Except for Banba, who went strangely rigid as she stared up at the full moon."Uh, quick question," said Ryuko, scratching her scruffy head. "What're we doing here?""You didn't listen to a word he said, did you?" asked Queen exasperatedly."Hey, not my fault he's boring like a sack of flour," said Ryuko shrugged nonchalantly. "I stopped paying attention after he said treasure hunt.""Don't tell her anything," Queen snapped at Midoriya, who looked like he was about to explain the game, but squeaked and kept his mouth shut."The Grand Master said we would be getting clues to help find the treasures," said Mikoto, frowning as she looked left and right. "But I don't see any – "As if on command, tiny holographic screens suddenly popped up in front of everyone's faces with a small text that only they could read. Mikoto blinked."Wow, that was convenient," Mikoto said happily."Pika-pika," Pikachu nodded sagely.Makoto leaned in close to her own screen, narrowing her eyes to make out the tiny script:
I go around in circles, but always straight ahead, never complaining, no matter where I am led.
Makoto had barely finished reading the passage before the screen blipped out of existence. The young witch looked up to her fellow Champions, starting to ask them if they had any ideas on what to do next, when nearly the entire group scattered like cockroaches. They took off in a hurry in every direction. Ryuko and Queen were dashing up the stairs three steps at a time, bumping shoulders trying to knock each other off, while Midoriya and Karin disregarded the stairway completely and leapt up to the next level in a single bound. Mikoto Misaka held on to Pikachu as the electric mouse launched itself into the air with an electrified charge, shooting them both to the third floor. Dead Master summoned a lengthy stretch of chain from her sleeves that pulled her up to the sixth floor at once. Makoto squeaked, realizing she was being left behind, and chased after Queen and Ryuko up the stairs.None of them noticed that Banba remained perfectly still, staring at the full moon unblinkingly, a breathy shudder escaping her lips.When Makoto reached the top step to the second level, she stopped for a minute, leaning against her knees trying to catch her breath. Hey, she's not good with exercise and there were, like, a hundred steps! Give her a break!The Flying Witch from the countryside dragged herself to one of the painted walls, leaning against it for support, looking around the tower for her fellow champions. She barely caught a glimpse of a green streak that was Midoriya as he jumped to the opposite side of the tower to the next floor, right before Ryuko used her Scissor Blade to swing herself up. Queen was halfway around the tower from her, looking between each painted square with scrutiny. Karin ended up jumping down to their level and nearly bumped into Queen, but the bespectacled girl was too deep in thought to notice. There were crackles of electricity coming from the fourth floor that Makoto assumed were Mikoto and Pikachu, and Dead Master was nowhere to be seen."The treasures must be hidden behind the paintings," Makoto concluded as she watched Queen examine the last painting on their floor, shook her head, and started climbing the stairs. "They're probably the answers to the riddles we're getting. What was my riddle again…? 'I go around in circles, but always straight ahead'…. That's easy! A wheel! It's a circle and you always ride it straight!" She clapped her hands, smiling at her own brilliance. But her smile quickly dropped when she craned her head back, staring up at the dozens of floors above and the other champions running in circles. "But how I supposed to find the right painting before everyone else finds their treasure? I'm not as athletic as them…."She crossed her arms and scrunched her brow, probing the possible quick solutions in her brain. When her hand accidentally knocked against something in her robe pocket, that's when Makoto remembered. The clue! Diana said it would come in handy!Makoto quickly turned out her pocket, nearly dropping the fragile-looking box on the ground, and gave it a long, crucial stare. She looked over the scribble written on the surface; it was a riddle just like the rest of the game. Which means…."'I only point in one direction, but I guide people around the world'," Makoto read out loud, grinning confidently. "I figured that one out a long time ago. It's a compass!"And with a loud
click, the top of the box flew open in Makoto's hand. Inside the box was a glass sphere the size of Makoto's palm with a bird-shaped arrowhead spinning in slow circles. Makoto couldn't understand how this would be remotely helpful at first, but then she figured that if it was a riddle that opened it, maybe it needed another riddle to point the way. It was worth a shot, at least. So Makoto recited the riddle once more to the compass in a soft voice as if she were whispering a secret to a friend. The arrowhead immediately stopped for a brief second before it slowly turned its point upwards and to the right, staying there. The Flying Witch followed the needle's direction, leaning dangerously over the edge for a better look up the tower."Fourth floor…west side…." Makoto murmured, referring to the compass multiple times. "All right, I got it!"She closed the compass, stuffed it in her pocket, and dashed halfway around the tower to climb the next set of stairs, her adrenaline overriding any exhaustion in her brain. Halfway up the stairs, Makoto took inventory of the other champions and their progress. Queen was still going through the tried and true method of examining every painting one by one, shaking her head irritably when she didn't find what she was looking for. She heard a frustrated growl from below and nearly fell over in surprise when Karin suddenly flew by next to her and disappeared somewhere in the fifth floor. She could faintly make out the outline of Mikoto on the fourth floor searching one side of the tower while Pikachu was checking the other; an easy way to search two places at once, Makoto thought impressively. Midoriya was still zipping through the air like a bolt of green lightning and the rattling chains told Makoto that Dead Master was also on the prowl, even if she couldn't see her.And still, there was no hint of Banba anywhere.Makoto had reached the third floor and pivoted on her heel at once, making her way toward the next set of stairs, when she saw someone standing in her path. Ryuko Matoi as examining a crude painting of a brown dog, looking confident in herself."'What has bark, but doesn't bite?'" Ryuko said out loud. "That's easy. A dog that's been properly trained.""Uh…Miss Matoi?" said Makoto, sweatdropping at the logic of his answer. "That isn't really – "But Ryuko had already grabbed the edges of the stone panel and ripped it off the wall, dropping it near Makoto's feet that the Flying Witch had to jump back to keep her toes from being smashed. There was a small alcove in the wall. Ryuko tilted her head inside the dark hole for a better look when Makoto heard a soft hiss coming from inside. The Flying Witch only just managed to throw herself out of the way before the alcove exploded with a tremendous
BOOM, making the tower shudder uneasily. All the champions stopped and watched as Ryuko was thrown across the tower and smacked into the wall on the floor above; Makoto heard Pikachu squeak fretfully and scurry back to Mikoto. Up above, Ryuko groaned painfully as she fell forward on all-fours, her body smoking, but otherwise all right.Makoto pushed up to her feet and walked toward the edge, shouting up above," Excuse me, Miss Matoi! The answer you were looking for is a tree, not a dog!"Ryuko poked her head over the edge with an irritable look."Oh, now you tell me," Ryuko grumbled."It looks like Ryuko Matoi is the first to experience one the challenge's many punishments," said the Grand Master amusingly over the crowds mingled reactions of hissing and cheers. "You didn't think I would make a game without adding an…explosive twist. Every wrong answer will have a different surprise waiting for them. Ooh, I hope they find the one with the badger-mole in it!""This is so going to cause an international incident," said Neku Sakuraba; Wangari nodded with a grimace.Meanwhile, Team Honnoji watched the video replay on screen, sweatdropping dumbfoundedly."A dog that's been properly trained?" Sanageyama repeated slowly. "I know I'm not exactly the brightest student, be even I know that's not the right answer.""Why did we all Matoi to partake in a challenge of intelligence?" Inumuta asked Satsuki, readjusting his glasses with a glint."…She said she wanted to participate," Satsuki muttered softly, almost embarrassingly, looking anywhere but her followers. "And when I wouldn't agree…she gave me those puppy eyes….""Wow, I never took you for the siscon, Lady Satsuki," said Jakuzure with a blank stare.As Makoto came around and almost sprinted up the stairs to the fourth floor, several things happened at once. Makoto nearly had a heart attack when Dead Master fell past her, being restricted by something that looked like a rubber snake, and crashed into the ground below; she got back up almost immediately, to Makoto's relief. A flood of water fell from two floors above that narrowly took her out; Makoto saw Mikoto holding a death grip on the edge with her fingers in one hand while grabbed Pikachu's tail with the other, both of them drenched. A powerful gust of wind burst forth even higher up the tower and Makoto watched Karin being flung to the opposite wall. More and more champions were picking the wrong answers; Makoto was relieved. She would still have a –"I did it!" Midoriya burst out suddenly. "I found one!"Makoto crawled down to all-fours and stared over the edge of the stairway with a gasp. Midoriya had dropped back down to the second floor and was waving a glittering green jewel excitedly. He had found his first treasure –"Izuku Midoriya finds his first piece of treasure and takes the lead on the competition!" Wangari announced over U.A.s cheering section. "The other champions are gonna have to work fast before U.A. leaves them in the dust!""What're you standing around for?" Nico complained, shaking her fist at Makoto's image. "Move your ass!""I've never seen Nico so animated before," said Akko, backing away nervously from the wiccan."She's still furious about what happened in the last battle round," said Fate knowingly.Amanda again tried to make herself as small as possible….Makoto nearly tripped over her own feet when she reached the top step of the fourth floor and turned dangerously on her heel. She put all her energy into making herself run faster; knowing that Midoriya was already working on his second riddle sent a thrill of panic racing down her spine. She had almost collided with Queen, who had just removed a panel from the wall and pulled a red jewel out of the alcove. Thankfully, Queen's quick reflex helped her move out of the way in time before Makoto could hit, but noted with a curious brow raised that the Japanese girl wasn't stopping to look at the panels like she had done. Almost like she knew where she was going…."Hmm…that's odd," Queen muttered.Makoto pressed her heels and came to a stop in front of a panel with a crudely painted six-spoked wheel; this had to be it, she thought. The Flying Witch stepped around to the side of the panel and threw all her weight against the slab. It took a lot of effort – physical strength wasn't one of her best features – but Makoto managed to slid the slab enough to loosen it from the wall and drop it on the floor with a heavy
bang! The Flying Witch peered inside the alcove and found a glimmering white gemstone in the recess. Smiling, she snatched it up and raised it triumphantly over her head."I did it! I found my first treasure!" Makoto cheered. She pocketed the gemstone in her satchel when a small screen appeared before her eyes, giving her the next riddle. "Hmm…. 'What flies when it's born, lies when it's alive, and runs when it's dead?" That…is a little more difficult, but…. Oh yeah, Onee-chan told me this one once: it's a snowflake!"Now that she knew what she was looking for, Makoto whipped out her compass and repeated the riddle in a soft murmur. The arrowhead slowly turned around and pointed even higher up the tower, right where Dead Master and Midoriya were flying around. Makoto snapped the compass shut, stowed it in her pocket, and made a run for the stairs…. Only she didn't realize that someone had reached into her pocket from behind and silently removed the compass from her person before she took off.And as the clueless witch marched her way up to the higher levels, Queen examined the compass with a critical eye."Aaaand Ryuko Matoi finally gets her first treasure after a few dozen tries!" Wangari announced. "That puts everyone at one treasure apiece, except for Mahiru Banba, who, for some reason, has completely disappeared from our camera. Any ideas what's going on in that front, Neku?""Well, it's a full moon – that's all that really needs to be said," said Neku simple."Thank you for your fountain of infinite wisdom," said Wangari sarcastically. "Oh, hold on, it looks like Midoiriya has just found his second treasure! This is turning into a close match, folks!""Move your ass, Deku, before I kick it back to Japan!" Bakugo screamed furiously."Please sit down, you're embarrassing everyone," Todoroki sighed exasperatedly."Should we be worried that Banba hasn't picked up any treasure by now?" asked Haruki, gnawing on her pocky irritably."It can't be helped," said Sumireko, who had somehow acquired a cup and saucer of tea and sipped delicately. "We though that Banba-san would be the best choice because she's pretty smart, but we weren't expecting the challenge to take place where night has fallen. Even less that it would be under the full moon. I'm afraid that Banba-san can no longer be bothered to participate in the Contest. Not when there is so much prey running around like mice.""Yeah, if anything, we should be worried about getting disqualified from the Contest," said Nio, grinning madly despite herself. "After all…Mahiru might be a nice girl, but 'Shinya' is ruthless."Makoto was growing short of breath as she climbed what must have been the thousandth step, and she still had a way to go until she reached her target on the thirteenth floor. All around her, she could hear the labored cries of the other champions echoing up the tower, though it was a lot less erratic than before. After the initial shock of the punishments, it seemed like everyone was being a little more cautious about choosing their answers. There were still a couple of times when she heard the telltale signs of an incorrect answer (typically made by Ryuko), the game had calmed considerably since. Makoto was starting to think she might have gotten lucky with this challenge as it wasn't nearly as dangerous as the first three.Her knees were weak and wobbly and she held a stitch in her side, but Makoto finally reached the thirteenth floor. She dropped to her hands and knees, taking deep breaths and regretting not doing more aerobics over the years. She could barely feel her legs, so Makoto started crawling like a toddler, feeling a slight tinge of embarrassment as she imagined how the people in Blytonbury might see her. But she put the thought in the back of her mind when she reached the white painting of a snowflake on the wall. Makoto shoved the panel off the wall and, sighing in relief, recovered her second white gemstone."Oh…thank goodness…," Makoto wheezed, slumping against the wall tiredly. She put the gemstone in her satchel and perked up when the last riddle appeared in front of her. "All right…last one…. 'When you do not know what I am, then I am something. But when you know what I am, then I am nothing. What am I?' Wait…hold on…," she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Don't know, I am something…do know and it is nothing…. A secret? No, they can't paint that on a wall. Then if it's not a secret, then maybe…a question? No, wait, a riddle! The answer to this riddle is a riddle! Heh, that's actually kinda funny. So then I have to look for a picture with a question mark. That should be easy with my…."But when Makoto reached into her right pocket, she found it bare. Furrowing her brow, Makoto dug around her left pocket, which was also empty. Panic started to build up as she all but ripped open her satchel, knocking around the bottles of potions, pre-made spells, magic tools, and the two gemstones, but she still couldn't find it. Makoto hands dropped to her sides, her eyes wide and her mouth open in horror. She lost the compass."Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no!" Makoto squeaked frantically, her hands gripping her hair painfully. "I lost it! I can't believe I lost it! Now how am I supposed to find the last treasure in time?"In the midst of her panic attack, Makoto noticed a jolt of green lightning out of the corner of her eye and looked over. Midoriya had hopped up onto her level, stopping only a few panels away from her. He easily ripped away the wall paneling – Makoto raised her arms over her head in preparation for an explosion of some kind, but nothing happened. When the Flying Witch looked back, Midoriya pulled out another green gemstone from the crevice."Yes! That makes three!" Midoriya cheered, pumping his fist. He pocketed the gemstone when he noticed Makoto sitting on the floor, looking concerned. "Hey, are you all right? Is something wrong?""Oh no, it's nothing to worry about," said Makoto anxiously, waving off his concern. "I just…really messed up right now and I don't know how my team's gonna react.""Are you having trouble with a riddle?" asked Midoriya."Oh no, I figured that out right away," said Makoto optimistically, but her shoulder slumped. "But now I don't know how I'm gonna find it. I had a tool that was helping me, but now I lost it. I don't know how I'm gonna find it in time before everyone else finds theirs!""Well…maybe I can help," Midoriya offered kindly."Why would you do that?" asked Makoto, giving him a strange look. "You've got all your treasures. You could just leave right now.""You're right, I could," Midoriya agreed. "But a hero helps people when they're needed, even if they're on another team. If you already know what the answer is, I could just take you straight to it. Then we can go our separate ways after you find your treasure.""That does sound like a good deal," Makoto murmured, tapping her chin in thought. "If you're willing to help, then I guess I could accept. The answer to my riddle looks like a – "But then Makoto saw something over Midoriya's shoulder that caused the words to stick in her throat. Something, or someone, melted out of the faint shadows in the wall behind Midoriya, treading silently up to the hero-in-training. The moonlight shimmering off her silvery hair revealed it to be Banba, but there was something different about her that made Makoto's spine shiver. Instead of the shy and meek girl from before, Banba's eyes were bloodshot and her lips were stretched uncharacteristically wide, flashing an insane-looking grin. Hefted on her shoulder was a heavy sledgehammer; the head was splattered with dried red strains that Makoto wished she could say was just paint.Banba, displaying strength beyond what her body should be capable of, lifted the hammer around and started to swing it when Makoto finally found her voice:"Look out! Behind you!"Maybe it was because of his training or because of Makoto's early warning, but Midoriya managed to spin around, his body charged with green energy, and raised his forearm to take the blow. But for as strong as he was, Midoriya wasn't invulnerable. Makoto could
hear
the bones cracking in his left arm as the hammer head slammed into his from the side. Even though the block had taken most of the blow, Banba's momentum carried her hammer further, sliding up his arm, and clipping him on the side of the head. The hero-in-training spun around and landed facedown next to Makoto while Banba's hammer smashed into the wall and appeared to be stuck.While Banba tried prying her hammer from the wall, Makoto crawled over to Midoriya and flipped him around on his back. There was a trickle of blood spilling from the small opening on his temple, but it didn't seem to have caused too much damage; at best, it looked like he had only been knocked out. But this was bad for Makoto as it was for him. Makoto wasn't a fighter; she couldn't handle Banba one-on-one, especially when the girl was swinging around a
goddamn sledgehammer!The Flying Witch was pulled out of her thoughts when Banba forcefully ripped her hammer from the hammer, tearing off a large chunk of stone. Banba tapped the hammer head in her open palm, grinning madly as she made her approach."Come, little birdy, don't be afraid," said Banba, her malevolent grinning never leaving her face. "It's only a small tap. Then you won't feel anything.""W-w-w-wait, er – um – Banba-san!" Makoto shouted nervously, throwing up her hands. "Y-y-y-you shouldn't do this! It's against the rules! You'll be disqualified!""Aw, don't worry, I'm not gonna kill you," said Banba wickedly. "If the team gets eliminated, then Mahiru would be very sad. And I don't want Mahiru to be sad, so I won't go breaking any rules…. But that doesn't mean I can't break every bone in your body until you're a barely breathing puddle of waste!""That doesn't sound any better!" Makoto retorted.Banba raised the sledgehammer over her head and brought it down over Midoriya's chest. Makoto reacted faster than expected in her panic, wrapping her arms under Midoriya's armpit and throwing the both back. Banba's hammer hit the floor, tearing off a huge section of the pathway and sent it falling through several floors below; Karin's surprised yelp echoed up the tower before anyone saw her jumping to another floor.The white-haired assassin raised her head at Makoto, seething, then leapt across the gap with her head raised high, letting loose a furious battle cry. Makoto quickly jabbed her hand inside her satchel, not knowing what she was reaching for, snatched up a bottle, then threw it at Mahiru and hoped for the best. Amazingly enough, Banba swung her hammer in the air and smashed the bottle to pieces. However, the contents of the jar – a blob of red jelly-like substance – flew out and slapped Banba in the eyes.The silver-haired brute dropped her attack and hit the floor on her side, screaming blood murder as she tried to tear the jelly from her eyes, which stretched really far before it snapped back into shape. A small hiss sounded from the jelly and tiny whiffs of smoke rose from where the substance met the skin. Makoto gasps when she realized what it was."The Burn Gel," squeaked Makoto fretfully. "I was only saving it for medical purpose. If that stuff gets in your eyes…."Banba's painfilled screams were enough to fill in the blanks.Makoto considered running over and helping her, but a) there was no guarantee Banba wouldn't smash her skull in retaliation, and b) Midoriya needed her help more. The Flying Witch made up her mind, grabbed the hero-in-training by his underarms, and then, in a brave and reckless move, threw both of them over the edge, sending them freefalling down the tower.They were hurtling toward the ground at rapid speeds; Makoto's hair whipped around, slapping her face several times; she was faintly aware of the other champions looking around when they flew by, but she ignored them. Keeping one arm wrapped around Midoriya's, Makoto jabbed her other hand into her satchel, feeling around her items. Her fingers wrapped around what felt like a metal rod, whipped it out, and immediately swiped it to her right. A great length of ethereal blue light burst from the handle, flying through the air until it jabbed the tower wall with enough force to break the stone. Makoto twisted the handle and the blue stream sharply went taut. She barely had time to brace herself before she and Midoriya were whipped sideways and flung to the safety of one of the tower floorsMakoto panted heavily, her heart beating like a drum in her chest, sitting up straight and pulling Midoriya against the wall alongside her. She took a quick minute to settle, taking deep, even breaths."That…was…close…," said Makoto, heaving. "We…we must have fallen…all the way…to the fifth level. She…surely…won't follow us…this far…."CRASH!
The floor above crumbled nearby. Makoto leapt up, screaming in surprise, as Banba dropped flatfooted several feet away, lugging the heavy sledgehammer behind her and gnashing her teeth with an intense, rage-fueled glare. The area around her eyes were tinged with slight burn marks, but the eyes themselves were a burning shade of red, very dry with visible veins; Banba looked like she wanted to blink, but kept her eyes wide open to leer at Makoto, which only made them more painful."You…you stupid
bitch!" Banba roared. "Mahiru's eyes! You ruined Mahiru's eyes. Mahiru will need surgery for this!""It was an accident, I swear!" Makoto tried to explain, but Banba wasn't having it."I'LL F-ING KILL YOU!"Banba dashed up to Makoto with a surprising burst of speed and swung her hammer overhead down on top of the witch. Makoto jumped back out of the way, watching Banba smash another hole in the floor. She was initially worried that Banba might suddenly turn around and smash Midoriya, who was still knocked out, but Banba seemed to only have eyes on her.The silver-haired assassin was swinging the mallet around so quickly and wildly as if it weighed nothing at all; the veins in her forearms were throbbing erratically. Makoto kept backing away from her opponent, drawing the fight further away from Midoriya, while reaching inside her satchel. She tossed a bottle she knew was filled with electrified crystals, watching Banba smash the glass with her hammer and taking the lightning bolts straight on, but it didn't deter the assassin. Makoto threw another bottle to the ground at Banba's feet, which created a misty cloud that was supposed to induce sleep, but Banba kept moving forward without the slightest hint of drowsiness; her adrenaline was pushing out any side effects of the sleeping gas. Makoto even tried snapping her whip at the hammer and pull it from Banba's grasp, but the assassin pulled back and made Makoto toss the handle aside, sending it clattering to the bottom level.Makoto reached for another potion when Banba took a quick swing at her legs. The witch tried to jump over it, but got her ankle caught and fell onto her back, bumping her head on the stone. Makoto grimaced, rubbing the sore spot tenderly, before she realized that Banba was standing directly over her. The psychotic assassin smiled savagely with her wide, bloodshot eyes, reeling the mallet behind her head. Makoto tried reaching for her pack, but Banba stomped her foot on the witch's wrist, pinning her in place."I don't give a damn about this stupid contest anymore," hissed Banba. "You hurt Mahiru. I'm gonna pound your face into jelly!"Banba swungs her hammer down; Makoto reflexively closed her eyes waiting for the blow to come….But it didn't.Hesitantly, Makoto cracked her eyes opened and found herself staring at…a stick. A broken stick to be precise; a broken stick that was missing its metal head. Banba looked equally dumfounded as she stared at the splintered remained of what was her sledgehammer. Makoto looked around and spotted the metal head flat on the ground near Banba's ankles. Makoto openly wondered how the hammer had suddenly broken when a sharp
clang
brought her attention back up and suddenly realized that Banba was slumped sideways against the wall, unconscious. And the person who had knocked out was…."Miss Queen?" Makoto gasped, staring openmouthed up at the soldier as she sheathed her sword. "Wha…how…why did you save me like that?"Queen didn't say anything at first, looking like she was contemplating her words, then sighed heavily and reached inside her pocket. She tossed something at Makoto, who almost dropped it when she reached out to catch it. The witch looked down in her hands and realized, with a thrill of excitement, that it was her compass! She thought she had lost it forever!"I'll admit I took it when I realized what it was," said Queen, touching her glasses. "I used it to find all my pieces of treasure first, but I did feel bad about taking it, so I decided to return it to you. It was fortunate that I was around to save you when I did, because the other teams are still focused on finding their treasures. Hopefully this makes us even.""Uh, yes," said Makoto, flying to her feet and bowing gratefully. "You have my deepest thanks.""Don't thank me just yet," said Queen. "I'm still taking first place and the other champions have already found their second gems. You should hurry and find your last one if you don't want to fall behind in points."And with that, Queen pivoted and jumped over the edge. Makoto watched her land safely on the bottom floor and march over to the statue guarding the entryway, presenting the three red gems that she had collected. The stone guardian took the gemstones from her hand and moved aside, allowing Queen to move freely into the ethereal portal before sliding back into position. Queen had finished the game."I guess I should take her advice and move on," Makoto mused. She turned her attention back to the compass, trying to remember the last riddle she was given. "Erm…what was it again? Um…ooh…oh yeah! 'When you do not know what I am, then I am something. But when you know what I am, then I am nothing. What am I?'"The compass turned slowly and pointed her final destination. Makoto started to walk towards the stairs when she remembered that Midoriya was still badly hurt not too far away. She could have left him and let the Contest official take care of him…but he did offer to help and, honestly, Makoto would feel bad personally if she didn't try to help. So she took a quick detour to pick up the hero-in-training, lifting him onto her back – he was heavier than he looked – and marched determinedly toward the stairs.The last clue, conveniently enough, was located on the second floor on the northern side. She found the painted green question mark on the wall panel and retrieved the final white gemstone inside easy enough without some insane assassin hunting her down. Unfortunately, by the time Makoto managed to drag herself and Midoriya down the last flight of stairs to the ground floor, she saw Dead Master already handing off her black gemstones and walking through the Lay Line portal. Makoto's shoulder's slumped – there went second place.Makoto could sense that the other champions were close to finishing their tasks; she heard Mikoto Misaka cheer with Pikachu and Karin shouting in triumph from above – it was a race to the finish now. After readjusting Midoriya on her back, Makoto dashed for the stone guardian, knowing that the other champions were quickly making their way back, especially Karin.She skidded to a halt in front of the guardian, ruffled through her bag, and presented the three white gems she had collected. The guardian took the payment as always, but strangely did not move for her. That's when she remembered that she was also carrying Midoriya and likely wasn't allowed through without giving his gems either. Makoto reached behind and searched through his pockets, when, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Karin and Mikoto landing simultaneously behind her and leering. They both broke into mad dashes for the exit when Makoto
finally
found Midoriya's gems and handed them over.The stone guardian stepped aside to allow Makoto and Midoriya to pass. Just as she was about to pass through, Karin and Mikoto both tossed their gems at the guardian, diving headfirst into the portal. The four of them were fell through the entryway –- and landed in a mess of limbs on the field back at Blytonbury Stadium, nearly deafened by the screaming fans around them. Makoto, Karin, and Mikoto disentangled themselves and stood up, feeling a mixture of relief to be back in familiar territory, and anxiety at their impending scores. Queen and Dead Master were spotted not too far away, presumably waiting for the rest of the champions, shortly before a team of paramedics charged the field. They rushed to Midoriya, who had finally started to regain consciousness as the field medics helped him into a sitting position."Uh…what happened?" moaned Midoriya, wincing as they touched his wound."Hold steady for a moment," said the field medic, taking a flashlight to Midoriya's eye. "Pupils are dilating fine…able to make coherent speech…doesn't look like a concussion, though there will be some bruising.""Is he going to be all right?" Makoto asked worriedly."He'll be fine after some medicine and some rest," said the field medic, offering Midoriya his shoulder to help him stand. "Though I wouldn't recommend him fighting in the next round.""Let's give Izuku Midoriya a big hand before his bravery and effort!" Wangari shouted, applauding along with the audience as they watched Midoriya be carried away. "He was doing really good up until Banba went psycho-crazy. He probably could have won the whole thing.""But at least he earned fourth place thanks to Makoto Kowata's generosity," said Neku Sakuraba, now applauding for Makoto, who smiled sheepishly, "who, by the way, earned third place in that round. Mikoto Misaka came in only half-a-second later for fifth place and Karin Miyoshi brings up the rear in sixth place.""We'll have to send in a rescue party for Ryuko Matoi, who is still hopelessly lost in the challenge, and send medics for Banba," Wangari added. "But since Banba is presently knocked out and has collected no treasures, the judges have agreed to give her last place and give seventh to Ryuko Matoi.""GODDAMIT, TRANSFER STUDENT!" Jakuzure screamed shrilly."After adding up all the scores, here are the final results following the fourth challenge round," Neku Sakuraba announced.
Black Star: 40p
Luna Nova: 36p
Sanshu: 35p
Class Zero: 34p
Serenity: 30p
U.A.: 30p
Myojo: 24p
Honnoji: 24p
"Honnoji is still trailing behind in last place, now tied with Myojo Academy," said Wangari. "And Serenity Academy and U.A. High are tied for fifth place while the remaining three schools are within six points of each other. But the tables can quickly change as the upcoming battle rounds are tag-team and worth double the points! Even Honnoji could make a comeback from this!""We will be taking a short intermission for a moment," announced Neku Sakuraba. "Today's halftime show will be provided by world famous idol unit, Soleil, who will be singing their song that has recently gone double platinum, Diamond Happy. But before we go, we have one more announcement to make. Wangari?""Normally we wait until after the break to announce who will be fighting in the battle rounds," said Wangari eagerly. "But the judges have decided to announce the pairings early to build up suspense. And boy, are you in for a treat. Here's what you have to look forward to!"Wangari gestured to the monitor with an exaggerated wave as the scoreboard was replaced by a row of names. There were a lot of gasps, murmurs, squeals, and cheers as the audience looked over each name:
REM TOKIMIYA & MACHINA KUNAGIRI VS. TOKAKU AZUMA & NIO HASHIRI
"Ooh, the last members of the two greatest assassin families fighting together on the same side," Nio cooed with a toothy grin. "Who would have ever seen that coming?"Tokaku shot a sideways glance at Nio, not believing for a second that it was pure coincidence."We're definitely going to clean their clocks," Machina said confidently."Only old people say that," Rem retorted, but smiled nonetheless.
BLACK ROCK SHOOTER & DEAD MASTER VS. ERUNA ICHINOMIYA & MIKOTO MISAKA
"Yosh! After a bajillion chapters, it's my turn to show off now!" shouted Eruna, pumping her fist in the air. "Time to show off my spoiler-filled future powers that haven't appeared in the original story yet!""You didn't have to put it out like that," said Raven, sweatdropping."What? All the readers are thinking it," said Eruna, blinking owlishly."Yeah, but still…."
YUNA YUKI & MIMORI TOGO VS. KATSUKI BAKUGO & SHOUTO TODOROKI
"You better stay out of my way, icy-hot!" Bakugo snarled at Todoroki, who did not return the comment."Yuna-chan, Yuna-chan, we're going to be fighting together!" Togo cheered, clapping hands with Yuna. "Isn't that great?""Take good care of me, Togo-san," said Yuna, grinning happily."Yeah, take care of our precious little flower," said Fu teasingly, rubbing Yuna's head. "Don't want those boys getting too handsy – ""They will die a thousand and one painful, fiery deaths before they touch MY Yuna-chan," Togo growled, her voice reaching a demonic tone and her eyes glaring blood-red."Er, please don't kill anyone," Fu pleaded, sweatdropping.That only left Team Luna Nova and Team Honnoji fighting in the last round. When they saw the names of who would be fighting for their team, Jakuzure, Inumuta, and Sanageyama turned to Satsuki with uncertain expressions to Satsuki, though the regal leader didn't seem a tad concerned, even if her hands were gripping her sword unusually hard. And on the opposite side of the field, both Akko and Diana looked stiffened with anxiety when she saw the chosen pair –"We really do have the worst luck, don't we?" asked Akko in a small voice."We have no choice but to tough it out," said Diana firmly. "But there is no doubt…this will be our most difficult fight yet…."
RYUKO MATOI & SATSUKI KIRYUIN VS. ATSUKO KAGARI & DIANA CAVENDISH
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The atmosphere around Blytonbury Stadium was electrified with suppressed excitement as thousands of people surged to their seats like a stampede of rhinos. What seemed like a short break felt like a lifetime, but the wait was finally over: the final battle round of the Contest of Champions was about to begin.Akko and the other members of Team Luna Nova were already on the field by the time the audience returned to their seats. Except for Makoto taking a quick trip to the infirmary, none of them had thought to return to the locker rooms to wait, too uneasy to be left alone with their thoughts. To Akko's surprise, it seemed that the other teams had the same idea. With the exception of those who came from the challenge round, the champions of all eight schools had been stayed on their field and waited with them. Each team had different levels of anxiety running through them: Bakugo kept unconsciously making his fingers explode, Fu Inubozaki had taken to pacing back and forth, Eruna Ichinomiya was bouncing her leg like a jackrabbit, and even Tokaku Azuma was flipping the knife in her hand restlessly. Not that Akko could blame any of them – this was could potentially be the deciding factor for the rest of the Contest."Nervous?" Diana asked softly, jarring Akko out of her thought."Me? Nervous? Nah! No way!" said Akko quickly, putting on the biggest grin she could muster. Diana quirked her brow and she instantly deflated. "Yeah, I'm a little nervous. I mean, it's all gonna come down to you and me in the last round. Aren't you worried, too?""I would have to be a fool not to be worried," said Diana until she turned to Akko with a shy smile. "But I feel a little better knowing that you are there beside me."Akko felt the heat rise to her cheeks and couldn't hide her own sheepish smile."It has been an unreasonably long time, but we're finally back and are about to begin the final battle portion of the Contest of Champions," Neku Sakuraba announced over the loudspeakers, receiving a rolling wave of cheers and screams. "For those who may have forgotten us since we've been gone, I'm Neku Sakuraba from Serenity Academy's VOCALOID.""And I'm Wangari from the Luna Nova News Network," Wangari continued, no longer concerning herself with Neku's repeated breaking of the fourth wall. "And as always, joining us on commentary is the man who invented the Contest, the self-proclaimed Grand Master.""That 'self-proclaimed' mark sounds rather like an insult," said the Grand Master, leering."The battle portion of the fourth day are tag matches, right?" said Neku Sakuraba. "Unlike the previous rounds, there will be two from each team at a time.""That's not the only thing different this round," Wangari proclaimed. "A special rule has been implemented just for the tag matches where either team has a chance to earn up to twenty points for their team depending on the number of champions are left when the fight is over. If one team is able to defeat their opponents with both of their champions still standing, then that team will receive the full twenty. But if only one champion is still around when its over, then it will be reduced to the standard ten points. And if either side still has a fighter when time is up, then both teams will receive ten points.""This rule could be what decides who remains in first and who gets bumped to last," said the Grand Master. "Ooh, I'm practically tingling with excitement! I simply can't wait any longer!""And you won't have to!" said Wangari excitedly. "The match ups were announced before the break, but here's a little recap for those with short attention spans: Rem Tokimiya and Machina Kunagiri from Class Zero versus Tokaku Azuma and Nio Hashiri from Myojo Academy -"Rem and Machina fist bumped with confident grins. Tokaku remained as impassive as always, but Nio looked like she was watching a mildly amusing program."Fan favorite Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master versus Eruna Ichinomiya and Mikoto Misaka –
""Yes! I'm gonna use this chance to promote my awesome self for our own fanfic!" Eruna cheered, pumping her fist."Just try to remember why we're here in the first place, Eruna-senpai," said Mikoto, sweatdropping.Neither Black Rock Shooter nor Dead Master gave any form of reaction. Akko leaned forward a little bit to try and catch a glimpse of Mato's expression, but the girl hid herself underneath her hood once again. It just seemed odd in Akko's opinion how differently Kuroi was acting now as opposed to their previous interactions in the past. Mato always seemed kind and expressive whenever they met, but here she acted closed off and indifferent. Was this just part of the Black Rock Shooter persona? Something she did for the audience?"Yuna Yuki and Mimori Togo versus Katsuki Bakugo and Shouto Todoroki –
""Let's do our best, Togo-chan!" Yuna said brightly, holding Togo's hands in her own."Yuna-chan…," Togo exhaled with a delighted sigh."Tch, we got saddled with a couple of middle school girls," Bakugo scoffed. "I can't take them out with one hand tied behind my back.""Yuki-san tied with Midoriya in the first fight and she was likely holding her real power back," said Todoroki respectfully. "If you underestimate either of them, you're going to lose – ""SHUT YOUR GODDAMN TRAP, ICY-HOT!" Bakugo snapped."And closing the matches for the day will be the highly anticipated Ryuko Matoi and Satsuki Kiryuin versus Akko Kagari and Diana Cavendish!""A battle between the two greatest shows Trigger Studios ever produced," said Neku Sakuraba. "It's the match that everyone is looking forward to. It would be such a shame if the chapter were to suddenly cut off right before their match started."As their names were shouted across the stadium, Akko and Diana turned their gazes to the opposite end of the field at the sisters from Honnoji. Satsuki's gaze was hard as steel, narrowing threateningly at their imminent opponents, but Ryuko, the more free-spirited of the two, responded with a playful grin and a friendly wave. Ryuko noticed her sister's intimidating stare and promptly elbowed her in the side, at which Satsuki retaliated with a sharp chop to the throat that caused Ryuko to double over, coughing hoarsely. Akko laughed sheepishly."Maybe that'll be enough to take her out before the match starts?" said Akko hopefully."Seems more like a reason to wear protective neck gear," said Diana blandly."All right, everyone, it's time to begin the first match of the evening!" the Grand Master announced jubilantly. "Will the champions from Class Zero and Myojo please make their way to the middle of the field? The rest of you, please take a seat in the stands and await your turn!"Akko lead her team up the steps to the empty seats in the first row, seating themselves in front of their schoolmates and Frank, who had once again made himself comfortable next to Lotte. The Star-Born Child cast a saddening glance around the audience, taking considerable notice that there was one person who wasn't there. She knew she shouldn't have gotten her hopes up, but Akko thought that Andrew would have tried to make it out to see her match – she would feel better knowing that all her friends were there to support her…. Or whatever they are, if Akko was being honest with herself."Hey, are you okay?" Lotte asked suddenly, having noticed the dismayed look in her eyes. "Are you nervous? Do you have an upset stomach? Do you need to lie down?""I'm fine,
okaa-san," Akko responded with a teasing quip, the corners of her lips twitching upwards. "I'm not nervous – or at least not as nervous as I was when this whole thing started. I'm just…little worried about Andrew is all. Scaglietti's article really caused a whole lot of trouble.""Andrew is stronger than you give him credit for," said Diana, her lips incredibly thin as if it disgusted her to compliment the man. "This is nothing more than a bump in the road for him. More than likely, he's already coming up with ten different ways to sneak out of his confinement to see you. He'll appear in short time."Akko could only imagine how much it must have pained Diana to offer such kind words toward her romantic rival. A humorous grin stretched across her lips as she refocused her attention back to the center field line where Rem and Machina were staring down Tokaku and Nio; the blonde was giving them a toothy smile and waving in a friendly manner."Thank god this is the last time I ever have to repeat this, because I was getting really tired of having to say this before each battle round," said Wangari exasperatedly. "Contestants are free to move around the field as long as they don't step over the out-of-bounds lines. All preregistered weapons are permitted for use and the round will last for thirty minutes. Contestants can win if they knock out their opponent, making them go out of bounds, or if their opponent surrenders. And in the event that time runs out, the match will be concluded as a draw and split the points in half between the two teams."And that is the last time you will ever have to hear me say that!" said Wangari brightly, the crowd chuckling appreciatively. "Let's stop funning around and get to the real action! The first match of the final battle rounds – Team Class Zero vs. Team Myojo – starts…NOW!""Watch out for the one with the depressing facial expression!" Rem warned her partner. "She beat Ace, remember?""That's 'cause he let her get the upper hand," said Machina confidently, twirling his twin rapiers. "I'm not gonna even give her a chance to blink.""Wait, Machina, don't – Ugh!" Rem groaned as her friend rushed headlong at their opponents.Machina crossed the center field with an outrageous battle cry as he stabbed his left rapier at Tokaku's head. The expressionless assassin easily sidestepped out of the way, letting Machina pass her until Tokaku waves something around the warrior's neck and pulls over her shoulder. Machina let out a choked gasp, dropping one of his weapons and clawing at his throat. He could feel the near invisible metal wire roughly digging into his skin, too small for his fingers to grasp. Tokaku looped the wire around both hands for better grip and pulled harder over her shoulder until Machina was pressed against her back. Machina's vision was starting to blur as he felt the wires cut the skin of his throat, drawing blood, when, thankfully, he could suddenly breath again.Machina fell forward on his hands and knees, clutching his throat and gasping for breath, while Tokaku stumbled awkwardly away. A look of surprise crossed the assassin's face when she looked at the wire wrapped around her left hand and realized that it had been cut.Tokaku's senses suddenly flared like a silent alarm; she could feel the presence of danger beside her. Much too slow to reach for one of the weapons in her pocket, Tokaku pressed the heel of her boot against the ground, activating the mechanism that drew the hidden knife under her toes. She swung her boot around in time to clash with one of Rem's daggers, who seemingly appeared out of thin air, sparks flying when their blades crossed. But while only one of her daggers struggled against Tokaku's boot, Rem raised the other above her head and performed a downward stab at the assassin's exposed leg. The tip of the blade had barely cut into Tokaku's flesh when a sharp
crack
cut across the stadium and Rem was suddenly flung sideways, dropping her weapons and clutching her forearm, which was now bleeding from the gaping hole that suddenly appeared just short of her wrist.Tokaku took the opportunity to jump back and pulled out the serrated combat knife from her skirt pocket when she was joined by Nio, who was holding a smoking pistol. Rem fought back the grimace and used a quick healing spell to seal up her wound before stooping down to retrieve her daggers, her eyes never wavering from the pair of assassins standing just a few feet away."You didn't forget about me, did you?" asked Nio, blowing out the smoke from the barrel of her gun with a toothy smile. "Can't let Azuma have all the fun, can I?""If you wanted to help, you would have jumped in before she had a chance to attack," Tokaku shot an accusing glare at her teammate, bending slightly to touch the cut in her leg."You were doing so well, I didn't want to interrupt," said Nio innocently; Tokaku leered at her out of the corner of her eyes."You all right?" Rem asked her partner, who was gingerly rubbing his throat."Been…better…," Machina wheezed."That's what you get for trying to show off," Rem chastised him. "We're supposed to be a team, so we need to start working together, got it? No more solo acts.""Right, right," said Machina, nodding slowly. "You and me, just like it's always been.""All right, attack pattern Sigma-Four," Rem instructed with a serious tone.The students of Class Zero exchanged silent glances, then kicked off the ground simultaneously, charging toward Tokaku and Nio full sprint. Rem and Machina weaved back and forth, repeatedly overlapping each other, their weapons drawn perpendicular to their bodies. Nio, somewhat amused by the tactic, fired off three shots from his pistol, two of them blocked by the broad side of Rem's daggers and the last one stabbed out of the air by Machina's sword. When they were less than five feet away, the Red Demons launched themselves into the air as high as they could go; Tokaku and Nio unconsciously followed them with their gaze.The pair hovered ten feet above the field when Machina offered his arm to Rem behind him, who immediately locked her arm around his. The sword wielder grunted as he pulled his arm to carry Rem, spinning around in a full circle to gather momentum, and then launched his partner to the ground at the assassins. While Nio, still grinning like a madwoman, stepped away without her partner realizing it, Tokaku stood her ground and braced herself as Rem's daggers clashed with his combat knife, igniting a shower of sparks that nearly blinded her; her nerves were shaking from the impact, goosebumps crawling down the length of her arms and her spine; her boots slipped backwards on the turf by several feet.Tokaku gnashed her teeth, fighting back the sting in her hands as she tried to throw her weight against Rem when the brunette soldier returned her feet to the ground. The dagger-user found herself being pushed back, surprised at how strong Tokaku was despite attacking at full force. The blue-haired assassin seemed close to overpowering her when Tokaku sharply noticed something above her head and skipped away seconds before Machina slammed into the spot where she had been previously, stabbing his corkscrew sabers in the ground.Tokaku, sensing a perfect opportunity to strike while Machina was temporarily occupied, lunged at the taller soldier with her knife aimed for the boy's shoulder. However, Rem suddenly appeared, flipping over her partner's back, bringing her foot down with an overhead swipe and kicked at Tokaku's wrist to knock the knife out of her hand. The blue-haired assassin soothed her throbbing wrist while she jumped out of range of Rem's daggers. The brunette soldier would have chased after her opponent, but Machine suddenly pulled Rem backwards with a sharp tug at her cape. Rem landed hard on her butt – she let out a whining noise – when she realized why Machina had so rudely pulled her.There was a bullet hole in the ground that looked like it had been aimed for Rem's legs. She and Machina looked over, once again realizing that they had forgotten Nio in the heat of things. The blonde arbitrator was smiling without a care in the world, dumping the empty magazine in her pistol and replacing it without even looking."The first match is already off to a fiery start as both sides are giving it there all!" shouted Wangari, having already jumped out of her seat and was practically throwing herself over the table. "Azuma is managing to hold her own against the onslaught that it Class Zero, but even the greatest of assassins can't hold their own in a two-on-one match against the best trained soldiers on…whatever planet they come from!""Orience," The Grand Master offered."Yeah, that place," said Wangari offhandedly. "Truth be told, it seems like Class Zero has the advantage in this round. I mean, Tokimiya and Kunagiri can use magic, have super awesome weapons, and they perfect coordination. Meanwhile, Hashiri is just sitting back and leaving the whole thing for Azuma. I don't see how they can win this if Hashiri just stands on the sidelines the whole time.""Nio doesn't have the kind of fighting skills that the rest of her classmates have," said Neku Sakuraba, pulling a sheet of paper from underneath the desk. "And according to the class chart that I conveniently happen to have for plot reasons, Hashiri is graded as the second weakest in terms of combat in Class Zero while Azuma has the top grades.""So it's really up to Azuma to win the whole thing, huh?" said the Grand Master with a disappointed frown. "Well,
that's not fun to watch. Had I known she was so useless, I would have partnered Azuma up with someone better."Neku Sakuraba offered no retort, but looked down on Nio with his eyes narrowed in suspicion.Machina helped Rem to her feet; the pair looked between Tokaku, who was crouched in a defensive stance, combat knife gripped in a reverse hold, to Nio, who had finished loading her gun and was holding it nonchalantly at her side, giving them a friendly wave."We're not going to make much progress as long as she's getting in the way," said Rem, gesturing to Nio."Azuma's the real threat; she's just a tagalong," said Machina confidently. "Rem, listen, you hold off Azuma a little while I take care of blondie over there. After I'm done with her, I'll come help and then we'll both take care of Azuma.""I don't know about that, Machina," said Rem, frowning. "I think you might be underestimating her.""C'mon, it'll be a breeze," said Machina.Before Rem could get in another word, Machina pivoted on his heel and ran at Nio. Tokaku watched the tall soldier charge at his partner and moved to intercept, but was blocked off when Rem suddenly zipped in front of her at sonic speed. The bluenette flipped backwards before Rem slashed her dagger at Tokaku's throat. Tokaku quickly righted herself in time to block Rem's dagger with her knife, holding it in place between the serrated edges of the blade. Rem attempted to stab Tokaku from the side with her other dagger, but Tokaku grasped the soldier's wrist inches before the blade's tip could penetrate her skin. Rem grimaced as she tried to put all her weight against her weapons, but Tokaku's gangly appearance masked the incredible strength behind it as the bluenette slowly started to push back….Meanwhile, Nio laughed playfully as she bounced just out of the range of Machina's swinging sabers. The blonde assassin was jumping left and right with her hands folded behind her back, deftly dodging each swipe and thrust as casually as if she were dancing. Machina was growing visibly irritated, jabbing his twin sabers at his opponent, only to watch in annoyance as the bubbly blonde ducked underneath and swept to the right.With a roar of frustration, Machina dived at Nio with his weapons in front, twisting his body into a corkscrew spin. But, unfortunately, not only did Nio effortlessly sidestep his big attack, but the class arbitrator grabbed the end of Machina's cape as he flew by and pulled back sharply. The soldier let out a choked gasped as he was suddenly pulled out of the air, his cape tugged at his throat (the same place where Tokaku's wire had cut) and collapsed roughly on his back, knocking the wind out of him.Machina wheezed painfully. Once his senses returned to him, he wasted no time removing his cape; the damn thing just wasn't worth the trouble. As Machina flipped over on to his stomach and rubbed his raw throat, he saw a pair of polished shoes stop in front of him. The soldier frowned as he looked up at Nio with her ever-present Cheshire grin."Haven't you ever heard of the 'no capes' meme?" Nio chuckled. Then she tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Wait, do you even have memes on alien planets? That'd be kinda boring if you didn't. Then again, an over excessive number of memes can be really annoying.""I have no idea what you're talking about," Machina grunted, slowly curling his fingers around the handle of his saber. "But I do know…you're wide open!"Quick as a flash, Machina raised himself into a kneeling stance and swiped his saber upward before Nio had a chance to react. Nio definitely looked surprised as the corkscrew blade tears through the front of her blazer and undershirt, exposing the great amount of Nio's skin while the tattered sides of her clothing miraculously covered her breasts. Machina's expression immediately turns sheepish the moment he caught sight of Nio's exposed flesh and turned his head around so quickly he nearly gave himself whiplash."I – I – I'm sorry!" Machina sputtered embarrassingly, his cheeks tinted red. "I didn't mean to, I swear!""I don't mind," said Nio peacefully. "It's natural for boys your age to get curious…. Go ahead, take a look."Machina stiffened at the offer. Was this woman a pervert? An exhibitionist? Well, Machina wasn't gonna look – he was a somewhat well-mannered soldier. But Nio didn't give him a choice; she grabbed Machina by the sides of his head and forced his head to twist around, almost painfully so. Now facing forward, Machina turned his eyes toward Nio's face rather than her cleavage. He found himself subconsciously shrinking in fear when he did. Nio was flashing her usual toothy grin, but there was something different this time – something more malevolent, evil. The Black Class arbitrator chuckled in a low, menacing tone that would make even the bravest men shiver."Take a
reeeeal
long look," she whispered in his ear.As this was happening, Tokaku and Rem were still locked in struggle. Tokaku's left arm had a painful grip on Rem right, pushing her back with a surprising amount of strength, but Tokaku couldn't go full force because her combat knife was still crossed with Rem's dagger. The brunette soldier's eyes looked back and forth between the two, seeing no real way to end the engagement without it ending bad for her. With both her weapon and her arm pinned, the only option Rem had left was to use her head...Literally. In a wild and desperate move, Rem headbutted Tokaku's face.There was a sickening
crunch; Takoku's nose was throbbing and she felt a warm trickle drip down her chin – yeah, it was definitely broken. But Tokaku shook it off, more than accustomed to far worse pain, and didn't let go of Rem's arm. In retaliation, the blue-haired assassin raised her boot and drove it hard into Rem's stomach. Tokaku let go of Rem's arms just before it connected and the soldier slid back by four feet across the turf, doubling over with her arms around her stomach, wheezing hoarsely. Her knees wobbled, threatening to buckle, but Rem stood her ground. The brunette soldier raised her head weakly and locked eyes with her opponent, not daring to show weakness despite their situation. Though she didn't vocalize her thoughts, Tokaku was actually impressed with her fortitude.Rem righted herself, gritting her teeth painfully, gripping her weapons like her life depended on it, when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her, pinning her own to her sides. She gasped as she was suddenly lifted off her feet, kicking her legs wildly trying to hit something.Her initial thought was that Nio had snuck up behind her, but when Rem looked over her shoulder, she was stunned to see that it was Machina holding her. Though there was something strange about him, Rem thought; his eyes looked glazed over, like he was daydreaming off into the distance."Machina, what're you doing? Put me down!" Rem cried."An unexpected betrayal!" Wangari screamed. "Don't know why, but Kunagiri has suddenly turned on his own partner! What could this mean for Class Zero?""I think it goes without saying," Neku Sakuraba chirped in.Tokaku watched Rem struggle in Machina's arms with a disinterested look as she replaced the knife in her pocket. She looked over at Nio, who had casually walked over to stand beside her partner, her clothes still torn and her grin still wide."You had something to do with this?" Tokaku asked, even though she already knew the answer."Just wanted to have a little fun for myself," said Nio, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Hey, Machina, be a good boy and walk over the line with your friend there, would ya, buddy?""Wha – no, Machina, don't – " Rem cried.But she might as well have been yelling at a brick wall because Machina pointedly ignored her protests and stepped lightly across the field until, to everyone's disbelief, he stepped over the out-of-bounds line. He dropped Rem on the ground immediately after, making her hit the ground hard on her butt. As the air horn wailed through the loudspeakers and the crowd screamed with cheers and boos, Wangari slammed her hands on the commentator's table and yelled:"Out! Kunagiri and Tokiyima are out! I still don't know what happened, but you can't overlook the fact that both members of Class Zero have stepped out of the ring. The winners are…Team Myojo!""Since both members are still standing," Neku Sakuraba added, "Team Myojo will receive the full twenty points to their totals. That'll jump them straight to the top of the leader board with forty-four points, but Class Zero is still close behind with thirty-four points. They will still have a chance to make up for it in the final round."Tokaku and Nio walked past Rem, who had stood up and dusted herself off, and Machina, who was still staring straight ahead with a distant look in his eyes, toward their seat to join their celebrating classmates. But as they were passing by, Nio flash one more malevolent smile and snapped her fingers, somehow still able to be heard over the screaming crowd. Machina suddenly looked startled, searching around wildly with a clueless expression."Wha – what just happened?" Machina stuttered. Glaring, Rem punched her friend hard on the shoulder. "Ow! What was that for?""Why do you think Machina did that?" Diana asked curiously, watching the Class Zero pair squabble on the other side of the field. "He started acting strangely after his brief altercation with Hashiri.""Tattoos," Amanda murmured thoughtfully, drawing their attention. "Her entire body is covered in tattoos. I remember because that was the last thing I saw before I blacked out. Next thing I knew, Akko was clobbering me in the head with the Shiny Rod.""Tattoos…used as a medium for hypnosis," said Diana, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Sounds like shamanism.""Shamanism?" Akko blinked. "You mean like magic?""Shamanism isn't magic in the same sense as we use it," Diana explained. "It doesn't use mana or ethernano. It's about using sensory manipulation – sights, smells, sounds – to induce mesmerism. It's not so much mind control as much as it is subliminal suggestion. The fact that Hashiri can perform a complete mental takeover with only a glance at her tattoos is an astonishing feat. She might be the most dangerous one in the whole bunch.""Wow, what a great match, huh?" said Wangari. "Complete with a twist ending.""Looks like Hashiri surprised everyone in the end," said Neku Sakuraba."I was hoping for something a little flashier," said the Grand Master disappointedly."Well, if it's flashy you want, it's flashy you'll get!" Wangari shouted exuberantly. "Because now we're moving on to the second round, and it's probably the second most highly anticipated fight of the day! On side we have the crowd favorite, the enigmatic warriors who have left a great impact on the Contest! It's Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master from Team Black Star!""And on the opposite side," Neku Sakuraba continued,"we have the two biggest opposites the world has ever seen fighting together for the first time since the author came up with the idea. From the Elite Class, it's the fifth-ranked student, Mikoto Misaka, and her mentor, the leader of the After School Paradise Faction, Eruna Ichinomiya!""Finally, some real excitement!" said the Grand Master excitedly like a little school boy. "Ooh, I can't wait!"Coming in from opposite sides of the arena, Eruna and her junior, Mikoto, took to the field at the same time as Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master. Eruna, ever the center of attention, walked backwards while waving to the crowd, encouraging them to cheer louder, and even Mikoto was offering some practiced waves like she was in a pageant show. The two from Black Star Academy, however, were treating the crowd as if they didn't exist. Their eyes were locked straight ahead, staring down Eruna and Mikoto. Akko noted that Mato – Black Rock Shooter – was still wearing her hood up. But what was the point, she thought. Everyone should already know what she looked like after the International Chariot Racing Tournament."Sakuraba, what are your thoughts on this match?" Wangari asked her colleague."Both sides are sending out their strongest players," said Neku Sakuraba. "Misaka is in the Elite Class, but Ichinomiya is the only one who's gone toe-to-toe with Serenity's No. 1 student. Then there is Dead Master has a strong emphasis on swarming and crowd control powers while Black Rock Shooter has only lost one fight in her entire existence, and she's damn near unkillable, too. I wouldn't be surprised if either side won.""Part of me wants to cheer on Ichinomiya, but I think Black Rock Shooter's got this in the bag," said Amanda. "I mean, she's Black Rock Shooter.""Ichinomiya is the one to watch, I think," said Diana. "We have absolutely no idea what she can do. We didn't even see her in the first challenge round and she came out in second place. That means she must be unbelievably fast.""Well, whoever wins, this is gonna be one hell of a fight," said Nico.The two teams finally came together at the center field, staring silently at one another, as a gentle breeze blew through their clothes and hair for dramatic effect.Smiling slightly, Eruna crossed over until she was standing in front of Black Rock Shooter. The hooded girl tilted her head back at her much taller opponent as the scarf-wearing girl offered her hand. A moment later, Mikoto, realizing what her senpai was doing, bounced up beside her and offered her hand to Dead Master. The duo from Black Star Academy exchanged quick glances before they, almost reluctantly, accepted the gesture and shook hands with their opponents."Let's have a fun match, all right?" said Eruna cheerfully."Oh my, what a beautiful display," said the Grand Master praisingly. "Both teams shaking hands before what is sure to be an intense battle.""Sometimes you get caught up in the heat of things that you forget the importance of good sportsmanship," said Wangari as the teams separated and Mikoto and Eruna walked back to their spots."All right, how do you think we should handle this, Mikoto-chan?" Eruna asked. "Should we go one after the other or do a simultaneous combo move?""Actually, senpai, I was hoping you would let me fight on my own, first," said Mikoto. "Maybe you could hold back for a while.""Well, I guess I could do that," said Eruna, frowning, her hands folded behind her head. "But why do you wanna go solo now?""I've been chasing after even since you flattened me in the Freshman Hazing," said Mikoto with a serious expression. "No matter how I try, you always seem to be five steps ahead. I need to see how far I still have to go. I want to use this experience so that I can catch up with you someday."Eruna regarded her junior for thoughtfully for a moment, then an amused smile crossed her lips. She ruffled Mikoto's hair playfully – Mikoto slapped her hand away with a childish whine – before she turned and walked a short distance away, saying, "Whatever you say, kid. But if things get too rough, then I'm jumping in, all right.""Thank you, senpai," said Mikoto gratefully."Well, that's interesting," said the Grand Master. "I don't know if it's confidence or arrogance, but it looks like Misaka from Serenity Academy is planning on fighting Team Black Star two-on-one. I hope she at least provides me with some entertainment before she inevitably gets knocked out.""And maybe she'll surprise you," said Neku Sakuraba."Thirty minutes is on the clock!" Wangari shouted as the timer appeared on the scoreboard. "First to knock out the opposing team before the time runs out is the winner. So let's get to it! The second match – Team Serenity vs. Team Black Star – starts…NOW!""Victory goes to the swiftest!" Mikoto declared as the air horn blew over the loudspeakers.She threw her arms forward with an aggressive roar and released a flurry of electric bolts from her finger tips. Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master jumped in either direction as the lightning struck the ground, creating an impressive pothole in the turf. Black Rock Shooter only just landed when she looked up, surprised when Mikoto suddenly zipped across the field in the blink of an eye. Akko noticed, even if only briefly, that her soles of her shoes seemed electrified for a split-second – that must have been how she moved so fast.Mikoto attacked Black Rock Shooter with an electrical charged fist, but the hooded warrior slapped the limb away, being cautious to only touch the Esper's forearm. Undeterred, Mikoto carried her momentum as she swung her leg around to Black Rock Shooter's head, only for her to duck underneath. Black Rock Shooter noticed that Mikoto was exposed and tried to perform an open palmed strike to the girl's side, when Mikoto suddenly let off a surge of electrical energy that pushed Black Rock Shooter to a safe distance.When the Electromaster returned her feet to the ground, she pivoted toward Black Rock Shooter and took a single step toward her opponent when she felt a spark in the back of her brain, warning her that there was danger. Sure enough, when Mikoto looked to her left, she found Dead Master hovering overhead, preparing to slash the Esper with a wicked-looking scythe that she didn't have moments ago.Dead Master swung diagonally for Mikoto's neck, which the Electromaster narrowly dodged by leaning forward so that the scythe blade only clipped a few hairs off the top of her head. Mikoto quickly righted herself and, staring at Dead Master's exposed backside, discharged a strong bolt of electricity from her palm. However, as insane as it may seem, Dead Master spun around and casually slapped the lightning bolt away, sending it flying into the stands and causing several in the audience to scatter. Mikoto was dumbfounded – though if she were honest with herself, it's not the strangest thing she's seen. Still, she left herself wide open to Dead Master, who summoned a length of rattling chains from seemingly out of nowhere, snapping it at the ground where Mikoto stood.The ground exploded beneath Mikoto, throwing her hard on her back, but the Electromaster wasted no time flipping around and returning to her feet. Dead Master swung her chains around in a wide loop, twisting them into confusing patterns, before she brought it down on top of Mikoto again. Except this time, the Electromaster was ready.Mikoto's right hand crackled with electricity and, like a magnet, drew in what looked a stream of black sand particles, which clumped together into a shapeless black mass that hummed to life. Mikoto swung the mass like a whip, colliding with the chain in the air, and knocking it away. Dead Master visibly frowned as the chains slithered back to her while the black mass reshaped itself in Mikoto's hand, becoming indistinguishably sword-shaped."How do you like that?" said Mikoto cockily. "I call it my iron sand sword. I can magnetize nearby iron sand particles which vibrates ten times stronger than a chainsaw. Pretty cool, right?""Wait, where would you get iron sand from?" asked Wangari, scratching her head. "There's no sand around – that's not even real dirt!""Details!" Mikoto snapped."Hey, she's doing awesome!" Kanami cheered."I guess she's all right," Otone muttered, she noticeably looked away with a pout. "It's not like Fujishiro cares if Misaka looks cool and Fujishiro
definitely
isn't worried that Eruna might like Misaka better than Fujishiro. It's not like Fujishiro is jealous that Misaka gets to do the double rounds with Eruna – ""Please be quiet," said Raven exasperatedly, leaning against the railing. "Misaka's doing fine for now, but her lack of awareness is a problem."Mikoto felt another spark go off in the back of her brain, signaling her to look to her right. Black Rock Shooter had snuck up on the Electromaster, having summoned her cannon, and was holding the barrel to Mikoto's head; if it hasn't been for her radar sense, she probably wouldn't have noticed.The Elite student threw herself back in an ungraceful manner before Black Rock Shooter could pull the trigger, letting the flame-coated stone flying and explode into the barrier near the stands. Mikoto rolled backwards on her back and flipped up to her feet, taking a defensive stance with her iron sand sword. She didn't know a lot about her, but Mikoto knew enough that Black Rock Shooter was the most dangerous of her opponents.The stoic gunner raised her cannon toward Mikoto, who crouched low to the ground, ready to jump out of the way, when Black Rock Shooter looked off to the side. She was looking at Eruna, who was hanging back on the opposite end of the field like she promised, giving Mikoto a cheerful wave when she looked her way. Mikoto quickly put the pieces together and, as she anticipated, Black Rock Shooter changed directions and shot off another black rock at Eruna. The scarf-wearing girl, for her part, didn't seen too concerned for her safety. That was because Mikoto whipped her iron sand sword to intercept the flaming stone, creating a miniature explosion that blasted the iron sand apart, but successfully neutralized Black Rock Shooter's attack."Don't ignore me!" shouted Mikoto.Frowning underneath her hood, Black Rock Shooter turned back to Mikoto and shot off four stones from her cannon. The Electromaster electrified her legs and deftly dodged the black rocks, moving closer toward her opponent with each nimble move. Before she knew it, Mikoto was standing directly in front of Black Rock Shooter with her fist pulled back, wrapping it in a surge of electricity. Mikoto swung her lightning punch at the Black Rock Shooter…but was caught off-guard when Dead Master jumped in between them, accepting the blow to the face instead of her partner."Wha?" Mikoto gaped."There it is!" Wangari screamed. "That first attack that's landed is by Serenity Academy!""Dead Master deliberately put herself in the line of fire to defend Black Rock Shooter," Neku Sakuraba noted. "I wonder if there's any reason behind that."Dead Master hit the ground with her back and slid a few feet away, appearing mostly unharmed except for the small burn mark on her cheek. But at the same time, Black Rock Shooter suddenly lunged forward, grabbing Mikoto by the front of her blazer, and drove her knee straight into the Electromaster's gut. Mikoto let out a choked gasped, spittle flying everywhere, trying her hardest not to pass out after only one blow – her brute strength was unbelievable. Black Rock Shooter pushed Mikoto back a bit right before she backhanded the Elite student with her cannon, emitting a resounding
clang! Mikoto spiraled backwards and landed face-down in the turf, moaning painfully.Black Rock Shooter turned away from her opponent and walked over to Dead Master, offering a hand to her fallen comrade. The scythe-wielder accepted the hand with a faint smile and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet, tenderly caressing the mark on her cheek. Then the pair turned back to Mikoto, who struggled to her feet, holding her stomach with a grimace."I'm not out of this yet!" Mikoto said determinedly, electricity crackling around her body. "I've trained with Eruna-senpai every day! Even though I'm in the Elite Class – even though my rank is higher than hers – Eruna-senpai is still leagues ahead of me! I have to work hard so that I can catch up to her one day! There's no way I'm losing to a gothic Lolita and an emo!""Ooh, the shots have been fired!" Wangari laughed. "But does Misaka have the skill to back up her mouth?"Black Rock Shooter casually shot off another flaming stone. At the same time, Mikoto jammed her hand into her pocket and pulled out what looked like a handful of coins. She grabbed one with her other hand, charged it with electricity, and tossed it with a surprising amount of force; the coin created a sonic boom the moment it left her fingers. The two projectiles collided in the air, causing a miniature explosion. Black Rock Shooter narrowed her eyes into the cloud of black haze that obscured Mikoto from her vision. Then, very suddenly, something shot out of the smoke and flew over her shoulder, smashing into the ground faster than anyone could blink. When Black Rock Shooter looked back, she spotted a small pothole with a single metal coin resting in the middle.The pair from Black Star turned back around as the smoke cleared just in time to see Mikoto fling another electrified coin their way. The pair easily dodged it, but Mikoto kept shooting off coins one after another in rapid succession, forcing the opposing team to keep moving."How do you like my Rail Machine Gun?" asked Mikoto excitedly. "It's not as strong as the original, but it has its perks!"Having to constantly dodge out of the way of her attacks, Black Rock Shooter had no opportunity to ground herself and get off another shot; the cannon's recoil would be too strong, as Mikoto expected. And since Dead Master's scythe was a close-range weapon, it was just a matter of keeping them at a distance. Mikoto had plenty of tokens in her pockets – she could keep this up until they made a mistake. Victory was almost certainly hers.But one of Mikoto's greatest flaws was her overconfidence. In trying to keep her opponents on their toes, she neglected to realize that they one other trick up their sleeve.Without her noticing, one of Dead Master's chains had slipped around the edge of the field and slithered up to Mikoto's ankles like a silent metal snake. The next thing she knew, the chain suddenly pounced like a striking cobra, binding the Electromaster's wrists together when she reached for another coin.The tokens clattered on the ground. Mikoto grinded her teeth as she attempted to pull her hands apart with no success. Even her bioelectricity didn't seem to affect this strange metal. The chain climbed its way up the length of Mikoto's arms, looped itself around her chest, down her waist and legs, and then locked up around her ankles.Mikoto swayed dangerously on her feet, hopping back and forth to keep her balance while fighting a fruitless battle against the chains. With her option running low, Mikoto began gathering a huge amount of electricity, bundling it up in her stomach, carrying it through her heart, up her spinal cord, and positioning it in the frontal lobe of her brain. The technique she was about to perform was dangerous and could potentially damage her brain, but it was a risk she was willing to take….Or at least she would have, had Black Rock Shooter noot slammed her in the face with a flaming black rock.The crowd gasped as the stone exploded against her head – the electricity she had built up accidentally discharged into the sky like a reverse lightning bolt. Mikoto hit the ground on her back, sliding across the turf, passing Eruna, and stopping with the upper half of her body reaching past the out-of-bounds line."Mikoto Misaka is out!" Wangari screamed over the crowd cheering for Black Star Academy. "It was a difficult two-on-one fight, but Misaka is out of the running! That just leaves Eruna alone against the indomitable force that is Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master!""Eruna-senpai…," Mikoto moaned weakly, biting her lower lip, fighting back the tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm sorry…. I couldn't do anything….""You were awesome, Mikoto-chan," Eruna praised. "You took them on all by yourself and you almost had them. That's way better than anyone was expecting." She crouched down and patted her junior's knee (she couldn't pat her head without being considered out-of-bounds). "Just leave the rest to you amazing senpai."Mikoto sniffed and managed a weak smile before Eruna turned around and walked towards Team Black Star"Looks like Ichinomiya has finally decided to play after all," said the Grand Master. "But will she fare any better than her partner did?"Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master eyed their opponent wearily as the orangette calmly approached, humming a little song under her breath. Though she didn't vocalize it, Black Rock Shooter felt a bit unnerved –The hooded warrior suddenly let out a surprised gasp and immediately dropped to a kneeling position, hiding behind her cannon like a barrier.What happened next…well, no one really knew what happened. In the time it took to blink, Eruna suddenly went from the opposite end of the football field to standing behind Team Black Star with her arms stretched out in either direction, palms open, and a proud smirk on her lips.There a was tense moment where nobody moved…until Dead Master suddenly spasmed like she was being hit by a hundred invisible punches all at once and was thrown like a ragdoll. The horned demoness was already unconscious before she had even hit the ground; an impressive number of bruises displayed on her exposed skin."WHAT – THE – ACTUAL –
HELL?" Wangari screeched. "I - for some reason, Dead Master is…down! Did – did anyone see what happened?""Not even the guys working the instant replay caught it," said Neku Sakuraba."Holy crap," Amanda gaped. "Did she just…teleport?""You can't do that sort of damage by teleporting," said Diana, equally stunned. "She must just be…really fast.""Suddenly, I grateful for who our matchup is," said Akko.Black Rock Shooter climbed back to her feet, first peering over to her unconscious partner, and then stared down the barrel of her cannon. The black steel was dented in more than a dozen places, confirming that Eruna did indeed attack with multiple, nearly invisible strikes, each of them with significant force. The hooded demon looked over her shoulder with a glare – this one was different from the other, she thought to herself.Black Rock Shooter twisted around on her heels, holding out her cannon, and discharged over a dozen flaming black rocks in rapid succession. Eruna's smile stretched excitedly as she lunged into the fray, dashing through the hailstorm at supersonic speed – the audience could only see her at brief glances in between. When she was only a few feet away, Eruna leapt up and thrust her foot at Black Rock Shooter's head. The hooded demon blocked the kick with her forearm, but was still pushed back a great distance as her heels cut grooves into the turf. Black Rock Shooter made a "tch" noise as she drew the black sword from beneath her coat and pounced for Ichinomiya.She stabbed the ground at Eruna's feet, only for the orangette to jump out of the way, but quickly followed up with a wide swing of Rock Cannon. Eruna held out her hands and feet to meet the cannon's surface in the air, then used it as a spring board to flip over. But before Eruna could land on her feet, Black Rock Shooter suddenly spun around again and kicked her opponent in the back, throwing her to the ground.Eruna bounced off the turf with her stomach, but planted her hands firmly on the ground and flipped right over back to her feet. When she turned back around, Eruna let out a frightened yelp as a black rock flew close to her face. The scarf-wearing girl ducked underneath another black rock aimed at her throat and then cartwheeled out of the way of a third, all while training her eyes on Black Rock Shooter.The hooded warrior discharged another set of flaming rock just as Eruna returned to her feet, trying not to give her opponent a chance to catch her bearings. However, Eruna didn't try to dodge and instead raised her right hand into a finger gun. A bead of orange light formed at the tip of her index finger, suddenly shooting across the air to collide with one of the black rocks, piercing the stone straight through the middle so that it crumbled into a dozen harmless pebbles. She did the same trick on the other flying rocks and shot one more energy bullet directly at Black Rock Shooter. The laser pierces through her elbow, causing her to hiss and subconsciously drop the Rock Cannon on the ground with a
thud!Black Rock Shooter stumbled backwards, her left arm dangling at her side, temporarily numb. With a grimace, she had no choice but to shrug it off and reaffirmed her grip on the Black Sword in her right hand, leering across the field at Eruna. The scarf-wearing girl straightened to full height, holding her hands out in front of her before she closed her fists around the air. Almost like magic, a construct of light appeared in Eruna's hand, its glow so blinding that no one could see its shape properly.Eruna dug her feet into the turf before she took off like a rocket, crossing the field before the audience even realized she was missing. And yet, somehow, Black Rock Shooter was able to see her coming as she swung her Black Sword to block with Eruna's light construct; the air rippled as the two opposing forces clashed. Eruna grunted with exertion as she tried to push all her weight against her construct, but Black Rock Shooter, with her one arm, was keeping her at bay."Oh-ho! Look at them go!" Wangari shrieked. "This is really a clash of the titans! Even with her speed and light-related powers, Black Rock Shooter is still able to hold her own, even with only one hand! A duel of dichotomy as swords of light and darkness strike!""Everyone always makes that mistake," said Eruna, suddenly growing a confident grin. "It's not a sword of light…it's a bayonet!"Black Rock Shooter's eyes went wide underneath her hood. Though it hurt to look at it, she gazed deeply at Eruna's construct and realized, horribly, that she was indeed staring down the barrel of a rifle. Eruna tilted the bayonet so that the muzzle was pointed directly at Black Rock Shooter's left eye while locking her sword in place with the rifle's spike. Her hands traveled down to the trigger, her finger tightening around it –Then the air horn blew across the stadium – Eruna and Black Rock Shooter comically fell flat on their faces –"Time's up!" Neku Sakuraba announced, much to the crowd's disappointment. "Thirty minutes have passed! It's a tie! Since both teams still one champion on either side, both teams will receive an additional ten points to their total scores. That puts Team Black Star further in the lead with fifty points and Team Serenity moves up with forty points.""Ah! So close!" Kanami complained."Just a few more seconds and that hooded bimbo would have been toast!" Otone huffed."I wouldn't be too sure about that," said Raven cryptically. "Something tells me that Black Rock Shooter hasn't shown her full potential just yet. But at the same time, Eruna's real strength is also being restrained. If they both had gone all out, a lot of people would have gotten hurt."Eruna and Black Rock Shooter pushed themselves back up, locked eyes with one another, and then turned away without a word. While the medics helped Dead Master to the infirmary, Eruna stooped down next to Mikoto and casually broke the chains binding her with little effort, offering her junior and hand to get back up."Man, the people from Black Star Academy are strong," said Mikoto impressively."Yeah, they sure are," said Eruna, smiling. "I should mention them to Accel-kun when we go back home. I bet he'd love to challenge them sometime.""The crowd is getting pumped up after that last battle, but we're not done yet!" said Wangari. "There are still two more battles to go, so don't take your eyes off for a second!""I don't think the next match is going to compare to anything we just saw," said Neku Sakuraba plainly. "But the author has an obligation to go through ALL the matches before we get to the real meat of the story. So let's just hurry up and get to the next match, even though no one really cares about it.""How's about I come up there and put my foot up your – " Bakugo roared."Quit making a scene and let's get this over with," said Todoroki exasperatedly."That was kind of a mean thing to say," said Yuna, scratching her cheek and sweatdropping."Well, I guess we're not really as popular as the other teams," said Togo. "But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try our best, right, Yuna-chan?""I'm going to give it two-hundred and seventy-three percent, Togo-san!" Yuna declared determinedly."Why such an odd number?" Karin questioned strangely."Will the next two teams please make their way to the field," the Grand Master asked politely.Bakugo visibly scoffed, purposely bumping his shoulder against Todoroki's as they marched down the stairs and onto the playing field at the same time Yuna and Togo came in on the opposite side. All four champions had to watch where they stepped to avoid the giant potholes in the ground. Akko suddenly became aware of how devastated the football field was; Mikoto and Black Rock Shooter had broken so much ground that the turf suddenly looked like Swiss cheese. She couldn't imagine that it would be easy fighting in this terrain. Of course, neither side seemed concerned as they met in center field, one side shooting glares and impassive stares and the other waving and bowing politely."We've had two incredible matches so far and we're looking forward to witnessing a third," said Wangari. "It's sure to be a heated match between heroes – or heroes-in-training on U.A.'s side. Who do you think is going to win, Sakuraba?""Nobody really cares," said Neku Sakuraba rudely. "The only fight that anyone actually wants to see at this point is the Luna Nova and Honnoji battle. These guys are just a waste of time now.""I'm seriously going to come kick your ass, you spiky-haired bastard!" Bakugo howled."Don't you have spiky hair, too?" Yuna asked innocently."NOT THE POINT!" Bakugo snapped."My guess is that the author is going to end the fight quickly because they're too lazy to come up with something after the last one," said Neku Sakuraba plainly."If that's what you think," said Wangari, who at this point was wasn't even questioning who 'the author' was supposed to be. "Well, I think we've procrastinated long enough. Let the third match – Team Sanshu vs. Team U.A. – begin…NOW!""I'll take the lead, Togo-san!" Yuna declared, raising her fists in preparation as the air horn sounded over the loudspeakers."I'll cover you from behind!" said Togo as she summoned her riffle; Amanda glared at the big-breasted middle schooler from the stands."Give it your best shot!" Bakugo challenged with a menacing grin, his palms pointing faceup, crackling with miniature explosions. "Deku was a loser and a pushover! But I'm gonna kick your – "It happened so fast that Akko nearly gave herself whiplash trying to keep up. One moment, Yuna was charging headlong with Togo following closely on her heel, lining her sight down the barrel of her rifle, both heroes rushing at Bakugo first. And before she knew it, Akko and more than half the stadium were thrown out of their seats – along with a chorus of surprised screams – as a gargantuan wave of ice suddenly sprung from the ground, pointing diagonally towards the sky, its size so massive that it wouldn't surprise Akko if it could be seen all the way from Luna Nova.Nobody moved, nobody said anything – not even Wangari could come up with some clever anecdote – they were too stunned by the sheer absurdity of what they were witnessing.Once the shock subsided, everyone looked down at the field again. They could see Todoroki standing up from a kneeling position while Bakugo suddenly turned on his partner with gritted teeth. As for the team from Sanshu, Akko looked over at where they had been standing last, learning quickly that both members were trapped
inside the ice.
Yuna and Togo looked like they had been flash frozen in mid-step. They couldn't move their arms or legs, but Akko thought she could see their eyes flashing back and forth in a panic.It took several awkwardly silent minutes before they guy who was running the air horn decided to blow it, snapping Wangari out of her stupor."That…that was a bit much, don't you think?" she stuttered."Told you it was going to be over quick," said Neku Sakuraba, who seemed to be the only person not impressed by the attack. "Since it looks like Yuki and Togo have been immobilized, we can consider this a landslide victory for Team U.A. And since they have both of their champions still stand – not that Bakugo actually did anything – U.A. High receives the full twenty points, boosting their scores up to fifty, tying for first place with Black Star Academy. Meanwhile, Team Sanshu ends the day with only the thirty-five points they already have.""You bastard!" Bakugo yelled at his teammate. "What the hell? Trying to take all the glory for yourself, huh? You son of a – ""I just wanted to end the match quickly before they had a chance to get the upper hand," said Todoroki calmly. He walked past Bakugo, treading over to Yuna and Togo. "I watched Yuki closely during her fight with Midoriya. She is powerful enough to match his strength and has a lot of technique, but I could tell that she was holding herself back and adapting to Midoriya's moves. I confirmed that she was hiding her true power when I saw Miyoshi use the Mankai is her battle against Eto. Yuki is the strongest among them and I don't even think All Might could beat her in Mankai form. It was better to take them out quickly and by surprise before they had a chance to overwhelm us.""You bastard…," Bakugo growled.Todoroki stopped in front of Yuna and Togo, whose eyes swiveled around to meet his. The dual-toned hero-in-training raised his left hand to the ice and copious amount of steam started to rise from contact."Sorry, I went overboard," Todoroki apologized. "I admit…I panicked a little. Don't worry, I'll have you both out in a minute.""Dude if he had that kind of power, why didn't he use it when we fought in the third round?" Amanda said in awe."He did try it, remember?" said Diana. "The only reason it didn't work on you was because of your Hellfire Magic, which directly affects your body heat. Added to the fact that you were completely surrounded by an infinite amount of ocean, he couldn't have used his quirk as effectively as he would have liked.""Well, now that the stage has been thoroughly destroyed and frozen over," said the Grand Master,"I think now would be a good time for a little break while my people repair the damage.""Sounds like a good idea to me," said Wangari. "The Contest of Champions will be right back after short intermission, but before we go, let's take a look at the current scores on the board."
Black Star: 50p
U.A.: 50p
Serenity: 40p
Myojo: 44p
Luna Nova: 36p
Sanshu: 35p
Class Zero: 34p
Honnoji: 24p
"After the double rounds, both Black Star Academy and U.A. High are fighting for first place," said Wangari. "But even though Honnoji Academy is still in last place, that could still change because the next battle will be the much-anticipated match between two of the five Great National Academies –
""And the two greatest shows ever produced by Trigger Studios," Neku Sakuraba added."It's Ryuko Matoi and Satsuki Kiryuin from Honnoji Academy versus Akko Kagari and Diana Cavendish from Luna Nova Academy!" Wangari screamed, and the crowd roared with cheers."It's finally time," Diana said seriously."Well, technically, we have to wait until their fix the field – I mean, yeah, it's definitely, definitely time," Akko said swiftly under Diana's piercing glare."Are you ready for this, Ryuko?" said Satsuki, who was staring across to meet Diana's gaze."Ready as I'll ever be, sis," said Ryuko with a smirk as she locked eyes with Akko.The intensity was palpable. They could feel it in the air: the greatest battle of the Contest of Champions was upon them.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
For the first time ever, Blytonbury Stadium was quiet. There were no rambunctious cheers, no rousing screams, no words of spite or encouragement from anyone in the audience. The whole arena was silent with anticipation.A twenty-minute break had been taken for the Grand Master's workers to repair the field, so that when everyone returned to their seats, the turf looked as immaculate as it did before it was riddled with potholes. The sun was starting to crawl over the horizon at this time, painting the sky in shades of red, orange, and gold – the stadium light kicked on to illuminate the darkening terrain. All eyes turned to one side field as Ryuko Matoi and Satsuki Kiryuin stepped forward, Ryuko smirking confidently while her sister free of expression. And coming in from the opposite side was Akko Kagari and her partner Diana Cavendish, both sharing gazes of steely determination at their opponents.The four met at center field, maintaining a short distance between them, their eyes locked on one another. No words were exchanged, no pleasantries were carried out – only silent leers that spoke volumes of their resolve toward victory."I'm sure all of our viewers have been eagerly looking forward to this battle," Wangari spoke in a surprisingly quiet tone, the microphone almost not catching her words. "A fateful showdown between the school that has been called the home of Earth's strongest Humans, and the school considered by home to be of the world's greatest magic-users.""Both franchises are Trigger Studio's greatest accomplishments to date," said Neku Sakuraba. "It is a history clash between might and magic that has been years in the making. From Honnoji Academy, Kill La Kill's main protagonists, Ryuko Matoi and Satsuki Kiryuin. And from Luna Nova Magical Academy, Little Witch Academia's main characters, Atsuko Kagari and Diana Cavendish.""All four of them are the best the Contest has to offer," said the Grand Master enticingly. "Ooh, I simply can't wait….""Somehow, I always knew I'd be going up against you, Akko," said Ryuko amusingly."It's funny, because I had the same feeling since the first round, Ryuko-chan," said Akko, smirking.Neither Satsuki nor Diana offered their own comments; they chose to keep glaring quietly.High above the stadium, keeping a good distance away from the general audience, Zeref Dragneel observed everything going on with a bird's-eye view. The Black Wizard's eyes roamed from Ryuko, clad in her black-and-red sailor uniform, to Akko, donning her white and blue Shiny Chariot outfit, finding some amusement in the contrast."The world's strongest Human, blessed by Life Fibers and empowered by the Kamui," Zeref muttered, "The Star-Born Child, an endless wealth of potential and gifted with the greatest magical tool…. Mavis…Chariot…Arborea…do you think the world is finally ready to change…or is history doomed to repeat itself…? The hour of judgment is almost upon us….""Everyone's dream battle is finally happening," said Wangari, her voice hitching with rising excitement."Knock their block off, Akko!" Amanda screamed."Don't let those tramps push you around!" shouted Nico."Show them the power of witches!" roared Fate."We have faith in you!" yelled Makoto."You better not get it Lady Satsuki's way, transfer student!" said Jakuzure vehemently."Easy win! Easy win!" Sanageyama declared triumphantly."I hope Lady Satsuki punishes that girl for embarrassing me in the first round," Inumuta grumbled, narrowing his eyes on Akko."Fight to the best of your abilities," Professor Holbrooke murmured softly. "There is nothing else to say."Sitting beside the headmistress, Professor Finnelan donned a look of resolution in her eyes as she looked down at her students, her hands unconsciously gripping a bundle of her robes. Ursula was biting her lip in concern, her hand gripping tightly around Croix's, who was leaning forward with a thoughtful stare. Lotte was huddling close to Frank, who had his arm supportively around her shoulders; Sucy's gaze seemed to sharpen down on the field below; Constanze had both her fists clench in silent support; Jasminka had set her food bucket aside and was giving her friends her undivided attention; Hannah and Barbara were holding each other, shooting worried glances toward Diana, though Barbara would deny it.The wait was finally over – their time to clash had finally arrived –"We've been putting this off long enough!" the Grand Master shouted enthusiastically. "The time limit is thirty minutes! Let final battle round of the Contest of Champions – Honnoji vs. Luna Nova – begin!""Let's get 'em, sis!" Ryuko shouted over the air horn."I'm right behind you," Satsuki responded coolly.Ryuko charged ahead first with Satsuki nipping at her heels; the delinquent didn't feel the need to draw her Scissor Blade since –"Vega Walras!"Ryuko stopped dead in her track, a stunned look on her face, as Akko suddenly crossed the field in a blur of motion, her outline humming with ethereal-green energy. She didn't put up any sort of defense before Akko swung her leg around and smashed her boot into Ryuko's cheek, sending the transfer student spiraling backwards. Ryuko hit the ground once, but quickly bounced back to her feet and stared ahead, only to be caught off-guard yet again when her opponent suddenly flew in and slammed her boot into Ryuko's stomach, making her double over in pain. Immediately afterwards, Akko followed up with a strong uppercut to Ryuko's chin that lifted the delinquent off her feet."Ryuko!" Satsuki shouted back in concern.The elder sister considered running back when she felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise up and quickly sidestepped out of the way, just moments before a neon-green beam of energy blasted the place where she stood previously. Satsuki gritted her teeth as the laser barely singed the epaulettes of her uniform, spinning around towards the source. On the opposite end of the field, Diana twirled her wand around once before the tip exploded into a massive fireball thrown at Satsuki. The ruler of Honnoji Academy quickly drew her sword and effortlessly sliced the fireball in half, unaware that Diana had followed up with a bolt of lightning that had struck Satsuki in the chest while her guard was down, sending her sliding back several feet.Back with Akko and Ryuko, the dark-haired delinquent finally managed to put some distance between her and the little witch, still holding her stomach from where Akko kicked her. After being on the receiving end of several blows, Ryuko finally draw her Scissor Blade to full length, leaping forward with a furious battle cry. To the surprise of many from Luna Nova, Akko remained eerily calm as she casually ducked underneath Ryuko's wide swing aimed for her head. Akko retaliated with a short jab to Ryuko's chest, temporarily knocking the wind out of the older warrior, then proceeded to dance around Ryuko's Scissor Blade as the delinquent started swiping at her furiously from all directions, screaming like a wild beast.Up in the stands, Croix touched her chin and hummed thoughtfully."That spell she used – it's Body Strengthening magic," she said as she watched Akko deflect Ryuko's Scissor Blade and backfisted her in the face. "It's a simple spell that can increase the strength, speed, and reflexes of its users. But that type of magic doesn't work unless you train your body, otherwise it places a huge strain on it. On top of that…the way she's fighting right now…reminds me of you, Ursula," she added, glancing at her blue-haired companion."After the first round, Akko came to me asking me to teach her martial arts," said Ursula with a proud smile as Akko drove her knee into Ryuko's gut. "She has been training every day for the past five months in case she would ever need to fight in the battle rounds. What Akko lacks in magical talent, she makes up for with strength and determination."Yeah…she's definitely a Du Nord," Croix spoke fondly as Akko punched Ryuko across the face.As this was going on, Satsuki was keeping on her toes dodging a plethora of magical spells aimed at her: fireballs, lightning bolts, water bullets, miniature hurricanes – you name it. And the whole time, Satsuki noticed, Diana didn't utter a single word. Now, she didn't understand much about magic, but she knew that most spells require some sort of an incantation to work. So the fact that a fourteen year-old girl could do it nonverbally was a little unsettling.As Diana summoned a rolling bolder from thin air, Satsuki casually sidestepped it and dashed across the field so that she was standing in front of the blonde witch seconds later. Diana started to raise her wand when her opponent struck her wrist with a sharp chop, forcing Diana to release her grip on her wand and watched helplessly as it was thrown past the out-of-bounds line. With opponent disarmed, Satsuki sheathed her sword into its protective casing and swung the whole thing at Diana's hand, planning only to knock the witch out. So imagine her surprise when Diana suddenly threw up her left hand and a magical barrier popped into existence between them, deflecting the swordswoman's strike and caused her to stumble backward. As Satsuki staggered, Diana threw both of her hands forward to summon a ball of ethereal-green light that shot at Satsuki's chest, exploding on contact and sent the older woman shooting back to the midfield line."Nonverbal magic
and
Wandless magic?" Professor Finnelan gasped as she watched Diana wordlessly create a whirlwind with only a hand gesture. "Simply doing one requires an astonishing amount of skill and practice, but to be able to use
both
at the same time is unprecedented. The only other person I know who is capable of such a feat is you, headmistress," she told Professor Holbrooke."You flatter me, Anne," said Professor Holbrooke with an amused chuckle as Diana created a wall of stone between her and Satsuki. "Diana far exceeds my level of talent than when I was her age. She has dedicated her whole life toward the pursuit of True Magic and is a rare prodigy that you only see once in a millennium. I daresay she may even grow to be as powerful as the Nine Olde Witches themselves.Satsuki was driven back a considerable distance away from Diana, who had summoned a sword of light that stabbed in the ground between them. The ruler of Honnoji gripped the handle of her own sword as she moved into a striking stance…when she was suddenly tackled from the side.At some point, Akko had grappled Ryuko's face in an iron claw and carried her across the field until they steamrolled into her older sister. Akko released Ryuko's face, but quickly jumped off the ground and pounded the delinquent's chest with both feet, shooting them away an extra ten feet. At the same time, Diana's hands swelled with magical energy as she raised them to the sky. A gigantic magical circle appeared underneath the sisters just before a geyser of flames exploded from the ground, consuming Ryuko and Satsuki, who cried out in agonizing pain.Diana lowered her hands to undo the spell; the geyser immediately dissipated without leaving a mark on the field while Ryuko and Satsuki crumpled to the ground, both of them bruised and their clothes singed, but surprisingly not to worse for wear. Akko hopped over to stand beside Diana, the faint glow around her body indicating that her spell was still active. The crowd roared with excitement, their screams literally shaking the ground, the students from Luna Nova being the loudest among them; Honnoji's Elite Four only stared down at the battlefield in stunned silence."W-What is this?" Wangari screamed, her mouth dropped in awe. "Matoi and Kiryuin, the strongest Humans on the planet, are being pushed back!"Ryuko and Satsuki pushed themselves off the ground, wincing from the wounds they had received. Ryuko wiped the back of her hands across her lip, noting that it was bleeding."Damn, I wasn't expecting them to be this good," said Ryuko. "I thought they were just a couple of witches who just waved around a couple of sticks.""You were mistaken to underestimate us just because we aren't as physically strong as you," Diana chastised her. "In the four years that we have been at school, we have endured more trial than you can imagine.""Yeah," said Akko, counting off with her finger. "We've melted minotaurs, snuck past polar bears, survived a Madrake – three time, I might add – defeated Titans and lunatic classmates, fought off monsters in the forest, destroyed a living plague, beatdown a bloodbender, and sent a swarm of heartless packing. And that's not even counting all the crazy stuff we've done this year.""And with every adversity we faced, we became stronger for it," said Diana, scowling at the sisters. "So don't you dare think that this is going to be an easy victory.""Our apologizes," said Satsuki sincerely. "You're right – we unjustly looked down upon you without considering your strength. Rest assured…," She slowly draws out her sword, pointing the tip towards the witches. "we will no longer be holding back against you. Right, Ryuko?""Sure thing, sis," said Ryuko, grinning eagerly as she hoisted her Scissor Blade. "I'm glad they're putting up a fight. I'd be disappointed otherwise."The Honnoji sisters slowly slide their front feet forward, crouching their bodies in striking stances; Ryuko had her Scissor Blade held parallel to her face while Satsuki lowered her sword closer to the ground. Grimacing, Akko crouched into a fighting stance herself just like Ursula showed her while Diana held her arms outstretched, gathering magic into her palms. The two teams exchanged challenging glares, daring one another to make the first move."Ah, the silent face-off continues," said the Grand Master in a hushed voice, "but the entire arena is filled with tension.
Which side will make the first move?"The answer came quickly as Ryuko suddenly dashed forward and stopped in front of Akko before the brunette witch even realized that she had moved. Rather than cutting at Akko with her Scissor Blade – possibly trying to avoid bloodshed on purpose – Ryuko punched the witch squarely in the face with the handle of her weapon. Akko lurched back – droplets of blood sprayed from her now broken nose – but Ryuko quickly followed through with a solid punch to Akko's gut, making the witch double over with a breathless gasp. One after another, Ryuko's quick strikes transformed into a barrage of punches that Akko couldn't defend herself from, even with the Body Strengthening spell."Honnoji's Matoi lands her first hit!" Wangari screamed. "Kagari is being reduced to Matoi's punching bag!""Akko!" Diana screamed in concern. She started to turn and help her teammate/possible love interest when she heard a calm and chilling voice behind her:"You don't have time to worry about others."It was Satsuki – she could feel it.Diana turned around sharply on her heel and waved her hand around, magically forming a semi-circle of spiked rocks around her, only to be sliced apart before she had even seen Satsuki. As she came face-to-face with her adversary, Diana simultaneously summoned a steady stream of flames from her right hand and surge of ice from her left. One could imagine the look of shock on her face when Satsuki not only deflected the attacks, but she effectively cut off Diana's spells with a single swing of her sword from point-blank range. Diana staggered back in surprise, which offered up an enticing opening for Satsuki to lunged forward and drive her sword handle into Diana's stomach, throwing the blonde witch on her back and sent her sliding across the field."Welp, that ain't good," said Neku Sakuraba, still acting remarkably casual despite the impressive fight below. "Looks like Luna Nova's Cavendish is at the mercy of Kiryuin's logic defying Bakuzan, which apparently can now cut magic on top of Life Fibers because of plot reasons.""It has nothing to do with Bakuzan," Satsuki declared, more to herself than anyone else. "It is merely the strength of my will, which surpasses all others."By the time Diana returns to her feet, Satsuki was already running toward her faster than a speeding bullet. With a grimace, the Cavendish Heir held out her right hand, summoning a sword of solid light in her palm, and sliced the air at Satsuki. For half a moment, Diana thought she might have landed a successful blow to her opponent when she saw Satsuki's bisected body floating in the air – not even thinking about the consequences of killing another champion at that moment – when both halves suddenly evaporated into thin air. It took a few seconds before Diana realized that what she had hit wasn't Satsuki, but an afterimage she had left behind when she dashed out of the way. Unfortunately, by the time she understood this, Satsuki had stepped in on Diana's left side, slashing her sword across Diana's shoulder, leaving a nasty gash.Diana backtracked away from Diana, pressing her palm over the wound and suturing it up with a quick healing spell. She had not seen her partner until Akko suddenly slammed into her from behind, having been kicked there by Ryuko."Akko, watch where you're going!" Diana snapped."Me? How is this my fault?" Akko retorted.Ryuko laughed from a distance and said, "Squabbling in the middle of a fight? You guys must hgave some real ball…or whatever constitutes for balls…um….""Please refrain from speaking, Ryuko," Satsuki politely asked her sister.Ryuko pouted indignantly at the comment, but shrugged it off as she charged forward at the Luna Nova pair along with Satsuki, driving both of them backward with synchronized swings of the swords. Ryuko separated the pair when she slashed her Scissor Blade between them and knocked Akko aside with a spinning kick to the face. Akko stumbled a few paces, but remained standing on her feet, nearly every visible portion of her body covered in scratches and developing bruises from Ryuko's relentless onslaught, but the glow of the Body Strengthening spell was still active.The brunette witch was able to slap Ryuko's Scissor Blade aside and retaliated with a sharp jab, but Ryuko effortlessly ducked under her fist and responded with an uppercut. The delinquent jumped around with a flying spin kick to Akko's head, which the witch blocked with her forearm, when Ryuko suddenly twisted her body around in midair and drilled her knuckles into the top of Akko's head, forcing her to bend forward. Ryuko planted her feet and immediately threw up her knee to connect with Akko's forehead. Akko was thrown back when Ryuko suddenly grabbed her, pulled her in, flipped over Akko's head, and kicked the witch hard in the back of the head, driving her face first into the turf."Come on, come on, Akko!" Ryuko shouted excitedly as she grabbed the witch's ankle and threw her across the field. "What happened to the energy you have a moment ago?"Meanwhile, Diana was attempting to hold Satsuki off with a wide barrier spell between them; Honnoji's ruler was slashing her sword through the air so fast that only a silver blur was visible. The effort of maintaining the barrier was putting a visible strain on Diana, gritting her teeth as her shook from each impact. But then, for one brief moment, Satsuki paused in her attack as she raised her Bakuzan sword overhead, gripping the handle with both hands, before pulling it into a downward slash. The attack was twice as powerful as the ones before it, not only shattering Diana's barrier upon contact, but also sliced the animal skull witch's hat down the middle while it was still on Diana's head, stunning the heiress.Up in the stands, the members of Team Luna Nova were frowning in equal parts worry and thoughtfulness."This is not how I imagined this fight would go," muttered Amanda."The Sisters are called Earth's Strongest Humans for a reason," said Fate analytically as Ryuko and Satsuki weaved back and forth, dodging Diana's spells. "Both of them have worked to the peak of physical condition. One top of that, their combination skills are flawless. There's a level of trust between them that Akko and Diana have yet to reach.""So unless they get their shit together, it's not looking good," Nico muttered darkly, watching the sisters drive hard punches into her teammate's faces."Ah, this isn't as exciting as I thought it would be," said Sanageyama disappointedly."Compared to Lady Satsuki and Matoi," said Inumuta, "the pair from Luna Nova aren't in sync at all."As he said this, Ryuko and Satsuki simultaneously slammed their fists into the Luna Nova pair, knocking the wind out of them, kicked them into each other, and sent them flying with a double knuckle strike.Akko managed to catch herself and ground her feet to the turf, but Diana was thrown farther back out of her reach. Before she could react, Satsuki had already shot past Akko, shooting straight for Diana. The brunette witch pivoted to give chase when Ryuko came flying in from the side, banging her knee into Akko's cheek. Akko immediately braced herself to keep her from falling over, but Ryuko relentlessly pressed the attack, prioritizing on punching every inch of Akko's body rather than using the bladed part of her sword."You got me all excited with those moves earlier!" Ryuko shouted enthusiastically in between punches. "So hurry up and show me what you can really do!"Ryuko pushed Akko away with an open palmed strike to the chest. Akko winces from the attack, but keeps her footing and stares down the delinquent a few feet away. Then, with a strange smug grin, Ryuko closes her hand around the air and pulls back. Without warning, Akko's body suddenly seizes up; her arms were clamped to her sides and her legs are bound together. Whatever invisible force was holding her, Akko's Body Strengthening spell couldn't break it. It was only after a few seconds of struggling that Akko noticed something – a small, wire-like substance wrapped around her body, faintly red in color…."A thread?" Akko muttered confused."Life Fibers," Ryuko explained. "Almost completely unbreakable unless you know how to do it. I thought I'd make it'd make things a little more challenge." As she said that, she raised her Scissor Blade with the sharp edge pointed at Akko. "Better make a move quick, or I'm ending this right now."Diana threw a hailstone of icicles at Satsuki, who effortlessly ducked out of the way, then spun around with a giant fireball, which the swordswoman once again sliced in half. The Cavendish heir brought both hands above her head to shape a ball of light from nothing, but was interrupted when Satsuki dashed forward and slammed Bakuzan's handle into the side of her face. Diana staggered, blinking the stars out of her eyes, but attempted to retaliate with a net of electricity in Satsuki's direction. But at this point, Diana had come to expect her opponent to simply be too fast for any of her spells, as made apparent when the dark-haired warrior vanished in a blur and reappeared directly behind the witch."You are among the most powerful in terms of magic," Satsuki muttered in her ear, "but in the art of battle, you are hopelessly outmatched."Diana swiveled around swinging a blade of darkness from her hand, only for Satsuki to casually sidestep the attack before striking her on the side of the head with her elbow. The blonde witch dropped to her hands and knees, grimacing, feeling the bruise starting to form on her cranium. She had no chance of standing back up because Satsuki loomed over her with Bakuzan's edge resting gently on Diana's shoulder."A valiant effort, to be sure," said Satsuki, raising Bakuzan slowly overhead. "But this battle was never in your favor."The dark-haired swordswoman slashed Bakuzan down over the wide area of Diana's back…when the sword suddenly paused in the air; the tip only a few inches short of making contact. Satsuki gritted her teeth, her hands shaking, but no matter how much strength she put behind the blade, it wouldn't move. But a few seconds later, Satsuki realized it wasn't just Bakuzan that refused to move – it was her whole body.Satsuki's eyes rolled around looking for and explanation when they fell upon her feet and let out a shocked gasped. The field had been branded with a magic circle that was almost impossible to distinguish from the turf because of their similar green coloring. Satsuki couldn't understand the rune markings on the circle, but she did notice that Diana was at the center of it all. Indeed, Diana calmly moved out of the way of Satsuki's sword and raised herself to her feet, brushing herself off and fixing the creases in her clothes."You were right, Kiryuin," Diana said coolly. "When it comes to fighting, you have me beat in categories of strength and speed. But…," She shot Satsuki with a piercing glare, "you're not as smart as you think you are. You were so sure of yourself that you didn't even notice the Binding Circle I had put down. It paralyzes the movements of all those who step into it. Not so cocky now, are you?""She caught her!" Barbara cheered, still clasping hands with Hannah. "Even though before, she wasn't even able to land a hit!""Of course!" shouted Hannah jubilantly. "After a while, Diana can counter almost anything!""Akko can do the same thing with ease!" Lotte declared firmly. "Get her, Akko!"Ryuko was bearing down on Akko, swinging her Scissor Blade overhead, when the dark-haired delinquent noticed something odd: Akko was smirking.Unnoticed by her opponent, Akko reached into her pocket, whipped out her wand, and chanted, "Metamorphie Faciesse!"There was a tiny puff of smoke and Ryuko was suddenly stabbing the ground where Akko had been only seconds ago, leaving behind a bundle of loose Life Fiber threads.Ryuko blinked dumbfounded at the spot when a small
'chu'
noise caught her ear and looked to her left. Though she had seen it before in the First Game, Ryuko was still caught by surprise when she noticed a tiny little brown mouse with a topknot sitting on her shoulder. Ryuko didn't have a chance to even consider grabbing it before Akko-Mouse crawled up to the collar of her sailor uniform and slithered herself down Ryuko's back.The thuggish swordswoman let out an uncharacteristically girly shriek, dropping her Scissor Blade on the ground, and started clawing at her clothes. Ryuko shivered in disgust as she felt Akko-Mouse's little paws crawl against her bare skin; a small lump was moving underneath her shirt and Ryuko was desperately trying to chase after it."Get off of me, you pest!" Ryuko cried, now reaching inside her shirt after Akko. "This is so weird and uncomfortable!""She saved herself and is copping a feel at the same time," said Nico, snickering. "That girl knows no bounds.""That's definitely something only Akko could do," said Fate playfully."It's time you learned a little humility," Diana said severely to Satsuki. She pressed her open palm into the older woman's navel and summoned a magic circle that created a concussive beam of light magic that shot her backward. "Don't make light of Luna Nova Academy!"Over with Ryuko and Akko, the wild-haired delinquent was still hopping around mad clawing every inch of her body, not noticing that Akko-Mouse had slipped out through Ryuko's sleeves. She didn't even realize that Akko had returned to her human form in a puff of smoke behind her before Ryuko was tackled from behind by her older sister, sending them both flailing towards the edge of the field. Satsuki only managed to ground herself at the very edge of the line and pulled her sister back before she could touch out-of-bounds, saving themselves at the last second.The crowd exploded excitedly as the Honnoji sisters righted themselves, leering across the field at Akko and Diana standing shoulder-to-shoulder. The supports of Luna Nova were besides themselves with glee while Honnoji fans looked gobsmacked; the Elite Four stared wild-eyed at the scene as if they couldn't comprehend the events that were taking place."This – is – intense!" Wangari screamed at the top of her lungs. "The course of the battle has just shifted again! This is the single greatest match-up in the history of the Contest!""That's a little bit of an exaggeration, but it certainly is living up to the hype," said the Grand Master."Oh man, you guys really are the best," Ryuko said excitedly, wiping away a bloody lip. "We have to give this our all and then some. All right then, that's exactly what I'll do…."Akko's brow raised curiously as a strange red aura seemed to radiate off of Ryuko. Satsuki seemed to notice her own sister's intensity as the long-haired woman stepped sideways, offering her space to work with. As Ryuko held the Scissor Blade beside her, the circular hilt unlatched itself, allowing her to gain a two-handed grip, and the blade itself opened up a secret slot that added another section of steel to her sword, making it twice as long."Scissor Blade: Decapitation Mode!" Ryuko shouted."What the hell is up with that?" said Amanda with a befuddled look on her face. "All she did was make it bigger. Big deal.""I don't think it's the weapon itself that's problematic," said Fate thoughtfully. "Matoi is giving off an intense pressure.""Here I go!" Ryuko declared confidently, crouching closer to the ground. "Finishing Move: Sen'i Sōshitsu!"Like a rocket, Ryuko launched herself across the field, screaming with furious resolve toward the witches. Diana threw fireballs and bolts of lightning, but the magic just seemed to wash over the crimson aura Ryuko generated like water on a duck's back. Whether out of bravery out stupidity, Akko placed herself between Diana and Ryuko, holding up the Shiny Rod like a defensive guard. She said something, but no one could hear it over Ryuko's wails. The Scissor Blade came down to meet the Shiny Rod –
CLANG!
One would think an explosion had gone off; the ground literally shuddered, powerful gusts of wind nearly blew the audience out of their seat, and a cloud of haze obscured half the field. And standing there in the wake of her destructive force, Ryuko stood, panting heavily, her crimson aura fading away after having exerted so much power into one strike. Did she go a little overboard? Ryuko thought so, but she couldn't resist the challenge. But after a move like there, there was no way –"Woo, that was a close one."Ryuko face twisted into an expression of stunned horror. As the haze started to settle, she realized that not only were Akko and Diana still standing, but her Scissor Blade was being held in place. Akko was holding up the Shiny Rod against the Scissor Blade, but it wasn't the Shiny Rod that Ryuko had seen seconds ago. Some time before her attack, the staff had been converted into what looked like a gilded axe blade with one of its jewel glinting gold."Whoa! What's this!" Wangari shouted, equally surprised. "Kagari stopped that tremendous attack with the Shiny Rod, or more specifically, with a Shiny Axe!""We haven't seen that form since the second book," said Neku Sakuraba interestingly."No way…," said Sanageyama, stunned."I've never actually seen someone stop Matoi's finishing move before," said Inumuta."Damn it, transfer student!" yelled Jakuzure, shaking her fist. "You're making Lady Satsuki look bad!""It had been such a long time that I actually forgot about the Shiny Axe," said Ursula, breathing a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad Akko managed to block that.""Of course," said Croix confidently. "You could have the biggest, baddest weapon in the world, but it still doesn't hold a candle to the physical manifestation of destruction."As if to emphasize her point, a large crack appeared in the upper half of the Scissor Blade, which made Ryuko's jaw drop – her weapon was supposed to be unbreakable! Ryuko never noticed Akko casting her Body Strengthening spell ("Vega Walras!") until the witch punched the back of her axe. The added force succeeded in cutting the added section of the Scissor Blade clean through, throwing the broken piece on the ground. Akko then lunged forward and jammed her knee into Ryuko's gut, making her double over."Ryuko!" Satsuki cried, dashing for her sister.But in her distraction, Satsuki failed to take into account for Diana, who had dropped to the ground and slapped her palms on the turf, casting a neon-green magic circle. Satsuki didn't know what she had done until the ground exploded beneath her and a tangle of thorny vines held her in the air, cutting into every exposed part of her skin.Akko grabbed the wheezing Ryuko by the shoulders, spun her around once, and then threw her in the air. At the same time, Diana waved her hand in a short circle, commanding the vines to toss Satsuki, colliding with her younger sister in the air. Before they could start falling to the ground, Akko had leapt up and used a spinning kick to Ryuko's chest to send them both flying off to the side, landing in a heap of tangled limbs on the ground."Those humans certainly live up to their titles as the strongest," said Professor Holbrooke as Diana struck the sisters with a blizzard spell. "Against any of our other champions, they would almost certainly be victorious. But Miss Kagari and Miss Cavendish possess the knowledge, skill, and experience to stand on a level of their own. We just happened to be lucky that those two were chosen together."Akko ducked underneath Ryuko's Scissor Blade and kicked the delinquent's shin, forcing her down onto one knee, then thrust her elbow into Ryuko's forehead to throw her back. Satsuki gnashed her teeth furiously as she lunged at Akko from behind. But at the last second, a barrier of light appeared between them, conjured up by Diana from a distance. Not only did it deflect Satsuki's blade, but Diana clenched her fist at the moment of impact, causing the barrier to explode in a shower of light bullets. The older sister crossed her arms over her face to defend herself and the golden storm one again cut at her exposed skin – which was especially strange considering that her white uniform somehow didn't have a single red stain on it. With one last thrust of her open palm, Diana summoned a ball of wind that slammed into Satsuki from behind, throwing her down on the ground next to her sister.Akko bounced back several paces until she stood next to Diana and dropped the Body Strengthening spell. She leaned forward against her knees, breathing heavily. As good as she was doing right now, Akko only had five months of conditioning – that wasn't nearly enough time to use the spell without experiencing heavy levels of exhaustion and soreness on her muscles. She was standing on little more than adrenaline at this point. But on the bright side, Akko thought, she and Diana had done huge amounts of damage to the Honnoji sisters. Both of them were bleeding and bruised, their limbs were shaking unsteadily as they pushed themselves over, falling over more than once. They have to be nearing their limits, right?"Wh-who could have foreseen this development!" Wangari shouted. "The Earth's strongest humans have been overpowered by the magical prowess of Luna Nova's champions! Will the match end like this?""There's still fourteen minutes left in the match," said Neku pointedly. "Let's not count them out just yet.""Gah…," Ryuko huffed, standing up to her feet with Satsuki. "Like we're gonna let it end….""Yes…," Satsuki wheezed, cautiously touching her ribs. "I knew this wasn't going to be an easy wall to get over…. But we are not prepared to lose after coming this far. Ryuko….""I know, sis," said Ryuko solemnly.With a darkened expression, Ryuko held up her left hand, making Akko notice the strange red glove for the first time. With a grimace, twisted something on the end of the glove – a pin of sorts – and ripped it away at the same time that Satsuki snapped down the three golden clasps on her left bicep. There was a great explosion of two flashing lights – one black and one white – riddled with what must have been over a hundred glinting red stars in the middle of it all. Akko had seen something similar during the last battle rounds, during the fight between Sanageyama and Asui. But this time was different – stronger, more powerful, more dangerous.When the light dwindled and Ryuko and Satsuki's transformation were complete, the first thing that came to Akko's mind when she was them was…she's a little turned on.Completely opposite of Sanageyama's transformation, Ryuko and Satsuki's uniforms showed an unprecedented amount of skin that left absolutely nothing to their imagination. Their arms and legs were completely covered by lengthy boots and gloves on opposite color and both of them had unique shoulder pads – Satsuki's were more pointed and Ryuko's looked like curved eyes – but what floored the witches was the sheer lack of modesty shared between them. Their more…intimate parts…were only barely covered by the slightest hint of cloth that looked like they could snap at any moment, bearing everything they had to the world.Life Fiber Synchronize: Kamui Senketsu! 人衣一体: 神衣鮮血Life Fiber Override: Kamui Junketsu! 人衣圧倒:神衣純潔The reactions of the audiences were to be expected. The general consensus of the older British community along with a bunch of prudish women were expressions of absolute disgust. The younger women were either glaring at the sisters with a mixture of anger, jealousy, or, in Amanda's case, heated enthusiasm. And the men…well, you kinda get the idea, though Akko was pleased that Frank had the decency to look away – he was faithful to Lotte, after all. And Diana –"WHAT THE ABSOLUTE (BEEP)ING HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Diana shrieked, completely red-faced and looking between the gaps in her fingers. "DO YOUNOT HAVE ANY SENSE OF DECENCY?""None whatsoever," Satsuki admitted bluntly."Decency went out the window ages ago," said Ryuko."Wow, I didn't expect them to admit that so openly," said Akko, sounding impressive.While everyone else's reactions were more comical, Ursula and Croix were gritting their teeth with terrified expressions; Ursula was gripping her palms so tight she started bleeding."Croix…do you feel that…?" muttered Ursula."How could I not?" Croix said faintly. "I heard about Life Fibers being able to enhance the potential of humans…but this is something way beyond anything I ever imagined. Those…things they're wearing…they should have killed those girls by now…. And they're both still standing like its nothing…. What the hell are they…?""Tremble before the true power of Lady Satsuki and the Kamui," Jakuzure muttered menacingly."And Matoi," Sanageyama pointed out."Yeah, whatever," said Jakuzure, waving him off.A still silence fell over the field as the champions of Honnoji and Luna Nova leered in a silent stare down. Though skimpy their outfits were, Akko knew they wouldn't reasonably do something so outlandish in public (unless they were exhibitionists) without a good reason. Akko had her wand at the ready, already setting herself up for another metamorphosis spell –Ryuko and Satsuki suddenly disappeared into nothingness. Akko and Diana gasped; they hadn't even blinked and both of their opponents just suddenly…evaporated into thin air. Of course, that was because they didn't notice that the Honnoji sisters were coming at them from either side, weapons drawn over their heads. Ryuko and Satsuki slashed down on their opponents, and then –
POP!
– completely out of nowhere, all four of them disappeared in a flash of purple light.Several people jumped out of their seats, looking around wildly; Ursula stood up too fast and accidentally fell on the person in front of her. But as hard as they looked, no one could find the champions of either school."Wh – what just happened?" Wangari screamed. "Luna Nova and Honnoji's champions have…disappeared!""I sent them away," said the Grand Master, drawing all eyes on him. "It seemed like they were finally starting to get entertaining and I didn't want to hold them back because of that silly out-of-bounds rule – plus, I wasn't sure insurance would be able to cover the entire stadium being destroyed. So I sent them somewhere where they could go all-out. The out-of-bounds rule is no longer in effect, so it comes down to either knocking out your opponent or waiting until the timer runs out.""Where exactly did you send them, anyway?" asked Neku Sakuraba.As if answering his question, a great explosion sounded from the distant forest outside of Blytonbury –Akko was thrown backwards through one of the thickest trees in the forest, being driven by Ryuko's fist slamming into her stomach. At the same time, Diana was being dragged across the leaf strewn ground by her hair in Satsuki's hand. Though they had initially wondered how they had ended up in the forest outside of town for a few seconds, the Honnoji sisters had chosen top prioritize the fight, correctly assuming that the Grand Master was somehow responsible.Akko flipped around in midair, planted her feet against one of the trees, and threw herself back at Ryuko. At the same time, Diana blocked out the pain in her scalp long enough to create a concussive blast of light magic at Satsuki's backside. Unfortunately, neither attack proved very effective – Ryuko met Akko halfway and slammed her longer legs into the witch's chest while Satsuki effortlessly dodged the light spell and threw Diana as had as she could into a nearby tree. Both witches were unbelievable amounts of pain; it was unbelievable that neither of them had blacked out in that moment, especially Diana, who had never been in a real fist fight before.Diana clenched her teeth and cupped both hands together, creating a plume of fire aimed towards Satsuki. But the elder sister effortlessly blew the flames away with a swing of her sword, stepped forward, struck the underside of Diana's jaw with a rising kick, throwing her into the branches above. Meanwhile, effortlessly caught Akko's magic empowered fist in her palm without even flinching, then proceeded to twist her arm at the wrist. As Akko cried out, Ryuko grabbed the front of her uniform and threw the witch over her shoulder into another tree, which coincidentally happened to be the same one that Diana fell from, causing them both to collide in the air.Satsuki eyed the falling witches from a distance as she sheathed her sword, but held a steady grip on the handle. She turned her body slowly and shouted:"Secret Sword Bakuzan: Tetsu-gatana no surasshu!"Satsuki withdrew her sword faster than the eye could blink and slashed the air in front of her, creating an intense pressure that sliced the trees surrounding her in half. Because of the distance between them, Satsuki's slash didn't cut Akko and Diana like it had done the trees, but the pressure was enough to throw them at least twenty meter back, snapping several tree branches in the process. The young witches landed in a crumpled heap on the forest floor, their once pristine white clothes now torn, caked in dirt, and splattered with their own sweat and blood. Both of them groaned painfully, but were still conscious and trying desperately to get back up to their hands and knees.Unnoticed by the champions, several spherical drones were floating around the tall branches from a safe distance, their video lenses zooming in on the scene."Thanks for your patience, everyone!" Wangari shouted as dozens of holographic screens appeared above the field. "Our imagining cameras have managed to catch up with the champions, and it is already not looking good for Kagari and Cavendish! With their new boosts in power, Matoi and Kiryuin are absolutely
destroying
Luna Nova's champions! This battle might not last much longer!""You have to give them credit," said Neku Sakuraba impressively. "Normally people would have been knocked out after the first punch against a Kamui. These girls are stronger than your average witches, that's for sure.""Don't give up, Diana!" Hannah and Barbara screamed encouragingly."You can do it, Akko!" Lotte and, surprisingly, Sucy were cheering her on."We're just getting started!" shouted Ryuko, grinning like a madwoman, running up with her sister beside her.Akko gritted her teeth through the soreness as she conjured up the Body Strengthening spell again, despite every muscle in her body screaming to stop; she had already hit her limit with the spell. But nevertheless, Akko lunged forward and headbutted Ryuko in the stomach, throwing her back into Satsuki. Shortly afterward, Diana raised her hand above her head, forming a glowing white magic circle in her palm. Dozens of golden swords popped into existence, floating above Diana's head, their tips pointed toward the Honnoji sisters."Come, my indestructible guardians! In the name of Cavendish! Brandish your swords and strike down those of evil heart!" Diana chanted. "Fineltina la Serana!"As she waved her hand across the air, the magical swords shot forward like a golden hailstorm. Neither Ryuko nor Satsuki had much chance of defending themselves as they were still recovering from Akko's surprise attack and found themselves bombarded from all sides. The sisters curled themselves inward, trying to defend their main bodies with their arms and legs. Such a devastating attack should have been enough to stop a couple of Humans in their tracks, Diana thought, even with those skimpy uniforms. But she never could have possibly imagined that when her spell had receded that both girls would still be standing proudly on their feet, looking no worse than before Diana's most powerful spell struck. But…that was impossible…there was no way these two could still be considered Human….Akko lunged at Ryuko without hesitation and tried punching her in the face, but the dark-clothed warrior had already met her halfway before she realized it. Ryuko used her Scissor Blade to deflect Akko's magic-enhanced fist and slammed her knuckles into the little witch's chest, sending her flying through the tree branches. Diana pivoted sharply on her heel and started summoning a ball of electricity at Ryuko when Satsuki dashed up to her from behind and kicked the Cavendish heir in the side, smashing her through a nearby tree that fell with a thunderous
CRASH!Ryuko turned at the noise when she noticed her older sister and gave her an appreciative thumbs-up. Right at that moment, Akko leapt out of the treetops and kicked at Ryuko's head from behind. But the shaggy-haired girl quickly caught Akko by the ankle before the hit could connect, before slamming the witch to the ground with a solid punch to the face. Ryuko immediately dodged out of the way when Diana tossed a boulder her way, but didn't get the chance to retaliate before Satsuki had alr1eady dashed up and kneed the blonde girl in the face.Back and forth, Akko and Diana tried to regain the momentum, but Ryuko and Satsuki were too fast and too powerful. For every spell they cast, the sisters would dodge or deflect right before they struck back, usually with more force than they had given. And the crowd of Luna Nova supports back in the stadium could only watch hopelessly as their champions were beaten senselessly, their cheers lost in their throats with sorrow and pity in their eyes. Not even Wangari could formulate a witty quip at this obviously one-sided battle.And after one particularly savage punch to the gut, Akko dropped to her hands and knees, coughing herself hoarse, spitting up droplets of blood on the grass. Diana was standing beside her, but only barely. Her knees were shaking, her beautiful face was covering him bruises, and it looked like her left hand might have a couple broken fingers. But even still, she refused to go down without a fight."…stand up…Akko…," Diana wheezed. "We're not…done yet….""I don't….I don't think I can stand, Diana…," Akko responded weakly. "I'm all out of energy…. There's nothing left in me…. Maybe we should just give – ""Don't you even think about finishing that sentence, Atsuko Kagari!" Diana snapped heatedly. "We're you the one who was always going on about never giving up. Aren't you always the one who keeps going even when times look dark? Like that time with Eveline or Amon?""Are you…trying to give me a pep talk?" asked Akko strangely. "That sounds weird coming from you.""I'm simply too stubborn to quit," said Diana candidly. "I am not one to give up without putting in everything I've got. And I thought you were the same – "But the blonde witch was savagely cut off when Satsuki ran up to Diana and slammed the handle of her sword down on top her head, making her whole body tremble. Diana's eyes rolled back as she fell forward listlessly. Before she even hit the ground, she disappeared in a flash of purple light –And fell facedown in the middle of Blytonbury Stadium."Oh no! Diana is back on the field!" Wangari cried as a medic team rushed onto the turf with a stretcher. "That can only mean one thing! Diana Cavendish…is out of the fight! Luna Nova Academy's greatest witch has been defeated! And now Kagari is left all alone to handle the full might of Matoi and Kiryuin!""It's been a breathless seesaw battle," said Neku Sakuraba, "but it seems like Luna Nova has finally run out of steam.""This has been only of the greatest battles I have ever seen," said the Grand Master happily. "Such a shame it has to end so soon. And when there is still eight minutes left on the clock. Too bad."Akko stared at the spot where Diana had disappeared, her breathing still heavy from pain and exhaustion. Suddenly, she felt the edges of the Scissor Blade and Bakuzan cross over under her chin as Ryuko and Satsuki stood on either side of her."Hey, don't feel bad," said Ryuko with a kind smile. "You guys were crazy strong. Way stronger than I thought you would be. That was one of the best fights I had in a long time.""You should be proud of what you have accomplished today," said Satsuki. "You forced Ryuko and I to break our vow of not using our Kamuis for the Contest. That alone is proof of our respect. You are a worthy opponent, Atsuko Kagari.""We should totally fight again some time," Ryuko offered. "You and me, one-on-one, no holding back. I bet you'll get better next time.""…worry about next time…," Akko muttered."Huh?" said Ryuko confused."I said, you shouldn't worry about next time," muttered Akko. When she looked up at Ryuko, she was caught off-guard by the gaze of steely determination in her eyes. "But we're still not done with this time. You still haven't beaten me yet.""You've lost your partner – it's two against one," said Satsuki sternly. "You can't believe you'll still be victorious after everything you've just been through.""Diana's not the only one too stubborn to quit," said Akko passionately. "So until I'm officially out of the game, I'm not going to surrender, even if it means I have to take you both on by myself!""Unbelievable!" Wangari shouted, which was matched by the crowd's enthusiastic screams following Akko's declaration. "Even being outnumbered and overpowered, Kagari still intends to challenge both Matoi and Kiryuin two-on-one! The girl has some real balls!""Well, you've got to admire her for her determination," said Neku Sakuraba with a small, amused smile."Yes, please continue!" the Grand Master demanded. "I haven't had enough yet!""Shoulda figured," said Amanda said, smirking. "That girl's too stupid to quit. She just runs headfirst into trouble without thinking about the consequences.""I'm pretty sure you two are similar in that regard," said Nico teasingly."When you're looking at me from an objective standpoint, that actually makes me feel worse," said Amanda, grimacing.Lotte was staring up at the holographic screens, her hands shaking restlessly as she could only watch her best friend being forced into such a precarious situation. Frightened tears started to well up in her eyes when she felt someone's hand fall on top of her own. It was Frank, who intertwined his fingers with her own, trying to muster as much warmth and strength as he could."Miss Kagari will be fine," said Frank supportively. "She is one of the strongest people I have ever known. If anyone can make it through this dilemma, it's her. All you have to do is believe in her with all your heart.""A believing heart is your magic…," Lotte muttered. A soft smile crossed her lips. "Yeah…you're right…I just have to believe in her." Suddenly, to everyone's surprised, Lotte suddenly jumped up in her seat, cupped her hands over her mouth, and shouted, "Come on, Akko, you've got this! Show them what you can really do."Sucy blinked for a moment, then smirked as she stood up and joined her: "You're too bullheaded to quit now! Don't let those exhibitionists get the best of you."Then, one after another, all of Akko's friends and teammates were jumping to their feet and screaming at the top of their lungs."Get your lazy ass off the ground and show them what you're made of!""Make them regret ever looking down on Luna Nova!""We believe in you, Akko!"Like a tidal wave, dozens of people started climbing out of their seats, screaming words of encouragement for Akko to stand up again. The students from Luna Nova were among the first to rise, and them were quickly followed by the teachers. Ursula and Croix were loudest among them as both climbed on their seats standing above everyone, shaking their fists at the screens. Even Professor Finnelan threw away all sense of decorum and was shouting curses at Ryuko and Satsuki. Dozens turned into hundreds, and then over a thousand, and soon almost everyone in the stadium was shouting Akko's name, even the champions from the other schools. Their united voices were so loud that not even Wangari could get a word in over the loud speakers.But amidst all the rioting, unnoticed by all, faint green auras surrounded the supporters and slowly slithered into the sky, braiding together into one steady flow of green energy that curled out of the stadium and disappeared beyond view. The only person who seemed to see this strange phenomenon was Zeref, who was watching the auras flow, by his calculations, towards the forest outside of Blytonbury.Zeref smirked knowingly.Ryuko and Satsuki slowly pulled their blades away from Akko's neck, raising them high fir a finishing blow. Despite having every opportunity to escape, Akko's body was beyond the point of exhaustion. For all her talk, Akko knew she wouldn't come out of this without some kind of miracle…. And, oddly enough, one came in the form of a transparent coil of emerald-green aura.Akko had no idea where it had come from, but it was coming down on top of them from all directions over the treetops. And even stranger, only Akko seemed to notice the aura as neither Ryuko nor Satsuki batted an eye around them. The glistening aura was attracted to the Shiny Rod, which seemed to suck in the aura like a vacuum. When the last of the aura had been absorbed, the three Stars of Arcturus shifted from mute-green to glimmering gold. The Shiny Rood unraveled itself like it always did during a transformation sequence, but this time Akko hadn't even given a command. The Rod recoiled itself around Akko's right hand, shaping into some kind of gilded glove with the Star of Arcturus settled above her knuckles –
where did that look familiar, Akko wondered.Akko barely had time to think of the Shiny Rod's strange new form when Ryuko and Satsuki, finally taking notice of the shift, cried out as they brought their weapons down on top of her. Akko shrieked as she raised her hands defensively –
CLANG!
The Scissor Blade and Bakuzan collided in empty space – Akko had vanished in a quick flash of light.The sisters looked around wildly until Ryuko spotted Akko standing a few feet away on their left side; Akko looked just as surprised as they did, staring down at her glove in bewilderment as the Star of Space glowed. And just when Akko didn't think things could get any more bizarre, Ryuko suddenly called out:"Hey, how'd you get over there?" she shouted. "And when did you have time to get a dye job?"Blinking in confusion, Akko grabbed a strand of her hair, coming to the striking conclusion that it was no longer the same chestnut-brown color she had come to know her whole life. The strand was red – bright scarlet-red, to be exact. Akko had only seen this kind of hair color with two people, her aunt Izetta…and her mother, Chariot Du Nord."Oh, boy!" Wangari screamed as the audience roared enthusiastically. "Now Kagari of Luna Nova is back on her feet with a second wind and a new hair color! Could this be the moment where she finally turns things around?""Croix…are you seeing what I'm seeing," asked Ursula, staring open-mouthed at Akko's appearance."You mean, am I seeing Akko merge with the Shiny Rod?" answered Croix, equally flabbergasted. "Then, yes, I am.""Isn't it too early?" said Ursula worriedly. "She wasn't supposed to merge with the Rod yet. She hasn't even found all of the Stars.""Hey, if she's working ahead of schedule, I'm not gonna complain about it," said Croix, shrugging. "Though I'm a bit confused at the hair. She kind looks like…well, she looks like her mother. Any thoughts on that?""I've never seen that happen before," said Ursula thoughtfully. "Hopefully it doesn't mean anything bad is going to happen.""So you still got some fire left in ya?" said Ryuko, grinning excitedly as she turned around with her sister, swords raised. "But ya really think you can take the two of us on all by yourself. Even with that fancy glove and sick hairdo, we're still gonna kick your ass!""Honestly, I'm a little weirded about this myself," said Akko, letting go of her hair and staring down at the Shiny Rod's new form. "But…for some reason…." She clenched and unclenched her fists a few times. "This feels…natural. More natural than any magic I've ever done before. It's almost feels like I'm seeing the real me for the first time – like this is who I'm supposed to be. It's weird, but it just seems right. You know what I'm saying?""Not a clue," said Ryuko honestly. "But just you got a new look doesn't mean I'm gonna go easy on you!"Ryuko launched herself at Akko, swinging her Scissor Blade around. But to her surprise, and Akko's, the little witch's glove hand snapped up and closed her finger's around the sword inches from Akko's face without even having to look, holding Ryuko's weapon in place. Both girls were stunned by the stranger occurrence, but Akko quickly got her wits about her and capitalized on the moment. As she threw a punch to Ryuko's face, the Star of Destruction glowed and her hand was ignited with a torrential surge of magical energy. Ryuko was launched through the trees when Akko's knuckles connected with her cheek, spitting up a copious amount of blood.Satsuki immediately dashed up behind Akko after, and the little witch would never have noticed if she hadn't crushed several twigs under her heels. Akko barely had time to look over her shoulder before Satsuki cut her down from behind…or she would have, had the Star of Space not glinted and Akko vanished in a flash of light.Satsuki stumbled over herself, surprised that she had not landed her target, when she spotted another flash of light popping up directly behind her. Akko appeared with her gloved hand raised to Satsuki's back and the Star of Energy glimmering on her knuckles. A ball of neon-green light formed in her open palm and shot a concussive beam that struck Satsuki's backside, throwing her forward across the forest floor, tearing down half a dozen trees in her wake.Ryuko pulled herself back to her feet, blood still trickling from her busted lip and broken nose, but she was smiling excitedly like a madwoman."Damn! Where've you been hiding this power?" she laughed. "You should've told me sooner! That way, I wouldn't have had to hold back!""She is indeed stronger than we gave her credit for," said Satsuki as she returned to her feet, casually brushing the dirt off her clothes. "I haven't felt this invigorated with the days we clashed, Ryuko.""I'm just getting warmed up," said Akko, feeling strangely more energetic than she had ever been in her whole lot. It was like she was a whole different person. "Bring it on!"Ryuko and Satsuki charged with renewed vigor."Get them, Akko!" Amanda cheered, watching her best friend punch Ryuko in the mouth."Yeesh, that girl…," said Sucy, shaking her head playfully as Satsuki retaliated with a knee to the chin. "To think we were actually worried about her.""Those two are definitely the strongest champions here," said Lotte as Akko blasted the sisters away, "but Akko's natural strength is to adapt to any situation and find a creative way to overcome it. Whether it was against Barbara, Eveline, Amon, or the Heartless, Akko always found a way to win.""The same could be said for those two sisters," said Nico as Ryuko and Satsuki jumped in and kicked Akko from either side. "Both sides are something else. It's come down to a battle of wills at this point."From his place above the rest of the audience, Zeref allowed himself to smile softly as he watched Akko teleport behind Ryuko and slam her face into a tree while blasting Satsuki in the stomach."She has seamlessly merged with the Stars of Arcturus to the point where she can activate them with a mere thought," said Zeref. "This newfound power is temporary at best, and was only made possible because so many people believed in her. That faith turned into magical power, which in turn activated the Claiomh Solais. That power will disappear once the battle is over, but it is a sign that Miss Kagari has potential." He stared wistfully into the sky above. "She is truly a Child of Arborea, wouldn't you agree, Mavis?"Akko narrowly pushed away the Scissor Blade with her gloved hand and dodged Ryuko's follow-up punch, then blasted the shaggy-haired delinquent in the side with an energy blast. However, Satsuki came up from the side and swiped across Akko's chest, cutting up a long line in her flesh. Akko immediately teleported before Satsuki and attempted to punch the elder sibling from behind, but Satsuki jabbed the scabbard of her blade in Akko's stomach to knock the wind of her. Ryuko came back a moment later, kicking Akko in the side of the head to throw her on the forest floor.Akko slid across the grass by several meters before flipping back up to her feet. Ryuko and Satsuki immediately charged in on her from both sides swinging their swords from above, but Akko held up her gloved hand and released a pulse of magical energy that knocked the sisters off their feet. The little witch lunged forward, grabbing both swordswomen by their faces, and smashed them into the ground with enough force to crack the Earth. But despite the brutal blow, Ryuko threw her hands up, grabbing Akko by either side of her head, then pulled the witch down into a bone-shattering headbutt. As Akko stumbled backward holding her head, Satsuki shot up and slammed her with the broad side of her blade, sending her flying until her back into one of the trees in the distance.The Honnoji sisters did not relent. They immediately stood up despite the punishment their bodies had suffered and rushed forward toward their downed opponent. However, Akko suddenly blinked out of existence only to reappear directly in front of Ryuko and Satsuki, her hands cupped together as a ball of energy formed between her palms. The sisters only had enough time to move into defensive positions before Akko unleashed the magical energy blast, which carved a long path in the trees behind them."Marvelous…" said Ace as the green glow covered the screens above."I didn't think Luna Nova's champions could be so powerful," said King as Ryuko and Satsuki, both of their bodies smoking, emerged from the blast. "But that proves we all underestimated what they are capable of simply because of their appearance.""This chapter was totally worth the long wait," said Eruna as the sisters engaged Akko in close combat."Damn, that girl might almost be as strong as you in your Light God Mode, Eruna-senpai," said Mikoto impressively as Ryuko drove her knee into Akko's back."Maybe I hypnotized the wrong person in the last round," said Nio with a toothy grin as Akko blast Satsuki point-blank in the face. "Just imagine the things I could've done with that one.""Don't even think about it," Tokaku warned."Oi! Oi! Is this for real?" Sanageyama cried, watching Akko slam the sister's heads together before throwing them away."I haven't seen Lady Satsuki and Matoi driven this far since their fight with Lady Ragyo," said Inumuta, seemingly more curious than worried. "Interesting. I should gleam some valuable data from this.""Screw your stupid data!" yelled Jakuzure, kicking her teammate out of his seat, then jumping up and shouting. "Lady Stasuki! Transfer student! You can't lose to that little girl! Not after everything you've been through to make it this far! You're stronger than this! Show everyone how strong your will is!"There was a pause in the battle. All three girls were breathing harder than they ever did; their muscles were throbbing erratically, sweat dripping down their brows like rainfall. Akko rested her hands on her knees to support herself while the sisters leaned against their swords. They could all drop at any given moment, but none of them wanted to be the first. They were all thickheaded and stubborn to a fault."This has been such an awesome fight," said Ryuko, grinning through bloody teeth, "I don't even care who wins anymore.""Agreed," said Satsuki, sounding exhausted but satisfied. "This has been one of the most thrilling experiences of my life. No danger, no threats, no crisis – just a duel between equals. It's been a long time since I had a truly exciting battle without carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. And we owe it all to you, Atsuko Kagari.""Aw, thanks," said Akko, grinning sheepishly, scratching the back of her head. "This has been totally awesome. I never even knew I had this kind of power before. I don't mind if you guys win…but a part of me deep down really hates the idea of losing. Plus, if I don't win after all this, I know Diana's gonna give me an earful. So I'm ending this with everything I've got!""Then we'll just have to give you everything
we've
got, too!" Ryuko declared determinedly. "Sis!"Satsuki roared in agreement, crossing their swords together to look like a misshapen pair of scissors. The red and blue lines on their uniforms started to glow and their clothes were making…growling noises, almost like they were alive. The ground beneath their feet cracked first, then exploded into small craters as their bodies generated powerful red and blue auras. Akko could feel her entire body shuddering at the immense force of their combined willpower. She clenched her gloved hand as the Star of Destruction glimmered on her knuckle and coated her entire right arm in flaring neon-green magical energy.Both sides exchanged heated gazes as they reached the peek of their power, waiting to unleash it all in one final attack.Ryuko and Satsuki were the first to move, lunged forward with furious howls with their swords crossed in front of them, sparks flying from the area where they were joined together. Akko pounced immediately after with her own battle cry, leading with her fist as the magical energy carried her through the trees.When both sides collided in midair, the ground shuddered beneath them. The shockwave shook the entire forest, carried over into the nearby town, and could even be felt all the way from Blytonbury Stadium; the frightened audience clung to their seats for security. Ryuko, Satsuki, and Akko felt like their bodies were going to break down at any moment, but none of them were willing to relent. Until, finally, both sides used all their strength for one last push –And all three of them suddenly appeared back on the stadium field.A hushed stillness fell over the crowd, many of them not even realizing that the girls had returned until a few minutes later. Ryuko, Satsuki, and Akko were standing a considerable distance from each other with their backs turned like the ending scene of a swordfight in Hollywood movies. None of them moved…until a sharp
crack
snapped through the stiffened atmosphere and both the Scissor Blade and Bakuzan shattered into dozens of small pieces on the turf.Ryuko made a harsh gasping noise as she leaned sideways onto her sister's shoulder, who supported both of them even though she looked like she was on the brink of collapsing herself. Excitement started to build on Luna Nova's side when it seemed like victory was well in hand…right before Akko fell face forward onto the ground.The Shiny Rod removed itself from Akko's hand and resumed its standard appearance while her bright-red hair gradated back to his usual chestnut hue. Everyone waited on bated breath to see if Akko would stand back up, but the little witch wasn't moving an inch, just lying facedown on the fake grass. Meanwhile, Ryuko and Satsuki, very shakily, raised their fists into the air as their clothes returned to their natural state, silently declaring themselves victorious."D-D-Down!" Wangari screamed when her brain finally caught up to speed. "It looks like the mega-moves from both sides ended the match! Despite her best effort, AAtsuko Kagari is knocked out! And the ones left standing are…Ryuko Matoi and Satsuki Kiryuin!" The airhorn screeches across the stadium as the audience jumps out of their seats, screaming themselves hoarse in praise of such a fantastic match. "Honnoji Academy wins! Matoi and Kiryuin broke through their limits and have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat! Honnoji Academy wins!""Both Matoi and Kiryuin are still standing after that match," said Neku Sakuraba, sounding pleasantly surprised.
which means Honnoji will receive the full twenty points for the day. This will bump Honnoji all the way up to tie for third place with Myojo Academy while Luna Nova remains where it is with thirty-six point.""This has been one hell of a match!" Wangari screamed. She paused for a moment as the paramedics carried the unconscious Akko off on a stretcher. "Let's give it up for our graceful losers! No one expected Cavendish and Kagari to perform so well against the Earth's strongest humans! Let's give them a round of applause!"The crowd clapped, cheered, and jumped up and down as Akko disappeared into the stadium tunnel, followed shortly behind by the rest of Luna Nova and their concerned friends. Ryuko and Satsuki watched them go with proud smiles on their faces."A part of me regrets letting her go," said Satsuki. "A four years back, I had sent her an acceptance letter to our school, but it seemed that Luna Nova had gotten to her first. Now I wish I had fought harder for her.""I'm not," said Ryuko. "I don't think she'd be nearly this good if she ended up anywhere else. Magic school is the perfect place for her.""Yes…you're probably right," said Satsuki softly."That was the most epic match we've seen yet," said Wangari, having calmed down. "But sadly, that also means it's time to bring the fourth day of the Contest of Champions to a close. After calculating all the points, here are the final scores for the day."Black Star: 50p U.A.: 50p Honnoji: 44p Myojo: 44p Serenity: 40p Luna Nova: 36p Sanshu: 35p Class Zero: 34p"With only sixteen points separating first from last, the winner of the Contest could still be anyone," said Wangari. "The fifth and final game will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June. The last game will feature all members of each team participating. That's right, all forty champions will be competing in the same challenge together. Which school will achieve eternal glory for their school? You'll have to wait to find out!"Once again, I would like to thank Neku Sakuraba and the Grand Master for joining me today. And we look forward to seeing you all in the next round. Good night, everybody!"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Akko woke up in the hospital wing, head pounding and her eyes practically crusted over, two days after the fourth round of the Games. Porlyusica had informed her, among other things, that Akko had suffered from magic deficiency, which came from her body exerting more magic than it was used to. Akko only had faint recollections, but nothing too concrete to explain what had happened during her fight with Ryuko and Satsuki. After Porlyusica gave her a clean bill of health and shunted her out the door with her broomstick, Akko went don't to the dining hall, becoming very aware of her growling stomach, which had not had a single morsel in the last two days.When Akko walked into the dining hall, a sudden hush fell over as everyone turned their heads to look her way. Akko was reminded faintly of the final night in her first year shortly after she defeated Barbara down in the lower levels of the school. But unlike that time, when everyone quickly went back to their own things, there was a chorus of scraping chairs and booming shouts as everyone jumped out of their seats and practically smothered Akko in a tangle of arms. Before she knew it, Akko was being raised above everyone's heads carried across the dining hall like some kind of trophy. There were so many voices overlapping each other, she barely caught a single word:"That was the most brilliant thing I ever saw!""Who knew you had it in ya, Kagari?""Too bad you still lost.""How'd you do that, anyway?""I…honestly don't know," Akko replied with uncertainty.And it was the truth. Even when the teacher's dispersed the crowd and Akko was promptly interrogated by her friends at their usual combined tables, she didn't have the slightest clue how she had done…any of that stuff in the last fight. All Akko could remember was a sudden swelling in her chest and a sudden sense of being that she had never felt before. Akko couldn't explain it clearly, but when she became…Akko Du Nord, as she was calling it, it felt like a mask had been ripped off and the real Akko had come out for the first time in years. After that experience, Akko somehow felt very out of place inside her own skin, like she was pretending to be someone else. But, predictably, when she told her friends this, they just gave her a bunch of strange looks and Amanda asked if she had cracked her skull during the fight.Akko sighed. Seeing no point in trying to explain any further, Akko dived in to a full Japanese three-course meal while occasionally being congratulated by another student.Unfortunately, her newfound popularity didn't seem to reach anywhere beyond Luna Nova.Despite her amazing performance during the Games, thousands of people seemed to still focus on her Andrew/Diana love triangle problem as Akko was bombarded with a fresh pile of angry letters when she went to breakfast the next morning. Word had spread fast throughout Luna Nova, as it usually did, being a school for teenage girls, and by the time Akko had left Herbalism, the entire school soon learned of Akko's hate mail troubles. She was grateful that most from Polaris and Lunar (no doubt influence by Diana), thought Scaglietti's article was pure trash and knew Akko enough that she would never play with people's feelings intentionally. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Andrew's jealous fangirls. Zizi and Chloe were muttering and shooting dark glares at Akko's back as they climbed the stone steps of the castle.Akko ignored them; she didn't want anyone to think that Scaglietti's article had gotten to her, least of all Scaglietti herself, whom Akko had the sinking suspicion was hanging around somewhere, unseen.She was able to find solace in Modern Magic when people were more focused on completing their year-long project instead of gossiping. Everyone had finished constructing the body for their Golem, and Croix was delighted to inform them that they would now attempt to make the Golems move. This caused the whole class to break in excited babble. They had spent nearly the entire year just making their machines and now they were finally going to have the chance to see if they worked.Constanze and Barbara, who were really the ones in charge of making the Golem, were attaching a bunch of wires to some handheld machines that Akko couldn't hope to understand their function. They talked back and forth about technical mumbo-jumbo, all but excluding Akko from the group. If it wasn't for the fact that they needed Akko to participate to get a full grade, they probably wouldn't have let her anywhere near it. So when it came time to actually test the Golem, Barbara handed Akko what looked like a pair of miniature lightning rods."The Magicite Core still needs a charge," she explained while a pair of connecting cables to the Golem's back. "You have the largest amount of magical energy of anyone in the school, so it'll be your job to get the thing up and running. When Constanze gives you the signal, we need you to pour as much magic into those rods as you can. Think you can handle that?""No problem," said Akko smugly. "Just don't blame me if it explodes from too much awesomeness."Barbara rolled her eyes irritably and nodded to Constanze. The diminutive witch replaced the goggles over her eyes – a bad sign if Akko ever saw one – and slowly turned the dial on her controller. A soft hum started building up from the machine; Akko felt the rods in her hands warming up and steadily vibrating; the hairs on the back of her neck started to stand up. It was subtle, but Akko could feel some of her magical energy slipping through her fingers into the rods, siphoning through the cables with a neon-green aura into the Golem. Constanze and Barbara hummed together, tilting their heads thoughtfully at the Golem, which had yet to move. They exchanged glances, and before Akko could make any input, Constanze turned the dial all the way.Akko's hair completely stood on end like she had been plugged into an electrical outlet, her whole body vibrated violently, feeling the energy being siphoning off in huge quantities. She was shaking so hard that she started sliding across the room, unnoticed by either of her partners; Croix only watched Akko glide past her desk with a bemused look before going back to some leftover paperwork. She was bouncing past Gaëlle and Irene's desk, both of whom gave her strange looks, before Constanze was satisfied and shut the machine off. Akko slouched forward with a weary groaned when her body finally stopped vibrating. She quickly threw the rods away and marched back to her group desk, glaring down the tiny witch."A little warning would have been nice!" Akko snapped."Relax, you've gone through worse," said Stan-Bot; Constanze waved her off indifferently. "More importantly, did it work?"Akko, Constanze, and Barbara leaned in close to their Golem. For a long minute, the little robot seemed inactive and Constanze started to look downcast, when their Golem's right arm suddenly twitched. Constanze perked up with a silent gasp; it was slow and fidgety, but their Golem successfully raised its right arm, curling its tiny fingers until it was giving them a thumbs-up."IT WORKS!" Akko and Barbara cheered, grabbing each other's hands and jumping excitedly."Not bad," said Croix walking over to their desk, having been drawn by all the noise they were making. "All that's left is to add some special features and you'll be done. I think you've made enough progress for today. Why don't you girls pack up and head on to lunch early?"Feeling better than she did since this morning, Akko picked up their Golem by the armpits, who apparently did not like being carried as it pitched the back of her hand with its cold, steely fingers. Barbara used a spell to levitate the robot instead – it flailed its limbs in a fruitless effort to hit something – and carried it off to the storage bin. Akko and Constanze went to put away the tools back in the cupboard."By the way, what was all the ruckus about at breakfast, Akko?" Stan-Bot asked suddenly, Constanze looking concerned.Akko told her about the hate mail she had received that morning, half of which Amanda found to be booby trapped when she carried them to the trash bin."God damn that Scaglietti," said Stan-Bot while Constanze scowled. "As if it wasn't bad enough what she did to Jasminka. You know she got all sorts of letters after Scaglietti wrote about her family?
'You're a monster and you should be put down.' 'You animals killed innocent people and if you had any decency, you'd hang yourself.'
And some of them were even worse.""No!" said Akko, looking shocked."Yeah," said Stan-Bot, Constanze closing the cupboard. "They're just a bunch of asses, Akko. Don't open them if you get any more. Throw them straight in the fire.""We've nearly finished with our project," Barbara said to Akko and Constanze as they walked downstairs to lunch. "Are we still going with the final design that Akko made?""Of course," said Stan-Bot. "We should make it as anime as possible.""You still watching those mecha shows I recommended?" Akko said teasingly."They – are – amazing!" Stan-Bot proclaimed; Constanze's lips curled into a wide smile, her eyes practically sparkling. "They've given me so many ideas. I'm thinking of making my next project a pirate ship…that transforms into a giant robot!""What have you done, Kagari," Barbara said with a grimace; Akko laughed.They were walking past the second floor when they heard shouting coming from the corridor. Akko and Constanze glanced at one another; they knew Akko couldn't resist investigating, so the little witch only followed right behind her; Barbara groaned and reluctantly followed as well. They traced the shrill voice to Annabel Crème's office, her door slightly ajar to allow the noise to escape. Akko, Constanze, and Barbara cautiously peeked through the opening and found the young author sitting in her chair facing to the side, her smartphone to her ear and a severe scowl on her face." – care about your excuses!" she snarled. "I wanna know how she's getting into Luna Nova when it's been made expressly clear that she is trespassing!" She paused to listen. "Don't give me that – she works for your rag, so you have to have some idea how she's getting it. 'What's the problem?' It's an invasion of privacy and now people are being physically hurt over your trash! You – no, you – SHUT UP! Do you know who I am? I am ANNABEL CRÈME! I can, and will, destroy you! I want answers and I won't hesitate to tear you down to get them! You hear me? If I find you posting another one of Scaglietti's trash articles, you can bet it will be your ass on the chopping block!"She slammed her phone on the desk so hard, even Akko flinched.Hate mail continued to arrive for Akko over the following week, and although she followed Constanze's advice and stopped opening them, several ill-wishers sent screaming letters, which exploded in the dining hall and shrieked insults at her for everyone to hear. Even those people who didn't read
Sorcerer Weekly
knew all about the Akko-Andrew-Diana triangle now. Akko had hoped that her match against the Honnoji Sisters would have painted her in a more positive light, but that was before Amanda delivered her the bad news."Scaglietti's been pushing the 'love affair' across almost every social media and newspaper," Amanda told her with a grimace. "Whenever someone brings up the topic of your match, the woman posts some 'recently discovered information' that makes you looked back and pushes the Game out of everyone's mind. People love celebrity gossip more than sports, unfortunately.""I want to know how she's listening into our private conversations when she's supposed to be banned from the school!" said Akko angrily.When they arrived for their next Fundamentals of Magical Self-Defense lesson, they were surprised to see Annabel Crème in deep discussion with Zeref that they didn't even notice the students walking in. Most of the teachers had a habit of avoiding Zeref out of fear or spite. But considering the fact that Annabel is as old as them and was raised by Humans, she very likely didn't know the dangers of the Black Wizard was capable of. Either that, or she was truly fearless.When Zeref looked up and realized that his class was full, he muttered a few final words to Annabel, who nodded understandingly, and went to the chalkboard at the front of the class where he started writing down the day's lesson plan. When Annabel was about to pass them, Akko called out to her."Hey, what was that all about?" Akko hissed, giving the author pause."I was just asking Zeref if he's noticed Scaglietti around," Annabel crème replied in a hushed whisper, crouching low to stay out of Zeref's line of sight as he called out to the class. "He said he didn't see Scaglietti on the night of the Winter Ball. If she was using some sort of invisibility magic, he would have seen it. But she was nowhere near the dance floor, nor was she anywhere to be seen when he was walking the grounds. That proves that Scaglietti wasn't using magic to spy on people. This is science in origin.""Maybe she had them bugged," said Akko."Bugged?" said Diana, joining in the conversation. "You mean like in those terrible spy movies.""I'm more of an action-thriller myself," said Amanda offhandedly."But you can't beat a good fantasy flick," Akko responded."Are we really discussing movie preferences?" Annabel crème hissed. "And I already thought of that when I went to Croix. In the past, reports and paparazzi found ways of sneaking hidden camera, microphones, and recording equipment around schools during the Contest. So Croix sent up this elaborate scanning system that searches the castle routinely. I asked her if she caught anything unusual during the Winter Ball, but she said the whole school was clean.""Plus, that wouldn't explain how she managed to overhear you and Andrew during the dance," Lotte added. "I doubt neither of you wouldn't have noticed if Scaglietti planted something on you both.""Then how is she spying on us without anyone knowing?" said Akko."Do you need something, Professor Crème?"Zeref had walked over to their seats without them realizing it, quirking one brow. Annabel Crème looked like a child who had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She stood up, laughing sheepishly."Uh…n-nothing really, Professor Dragneel," said Annabel Crème. "I'll just…be on my way now."She treaded backwards through the door and closed it with a snap. Zeref walked back to the front of the class and resumed the lesson."I haven't seen Professor Crème this upset since she considered giving up her pen," said Lotte with a worried glance toward the door."We're not gonna get dragged into yet another personal vendetta, are we?" Sucy groaned.Though she was the victim in all of Scaglietti's cruel writings, Akko chose not to pursue vengeance against her, for which Diana praised her for "taking the high road". But the truth was that Akko didn't really have time to consider any form of revenge because her workload was mounting ever higher in the days before the Easter holiday. She was flat-out just trying to get through all her homework, though she made a point of sending regular food packages down to the forest for Izetta; after a summer under her mother's strict dieting schedule, Akko had not forgotten what it felt like to be continually hungry. She closed notes to Izetta, telling her that nothing out of the ordinary had happened, and that they were still waiting for an answer from Councilwoman Ava.They didn't hear word from her until they came back from the Easter holiday. Ava's letter was enclosed in a package of chocolate eggs the size of their heads no doubt made by Alphonse, the O'Neill's family butler. The councilwoman's letter was short and irritated from obvious stress:As I am constantly telling the news, Org is taking a well-deserved break.
He is sending in regular e-mails with instructions to his office. No, I
haven't' seen him, but the fact that he is sending messages regularly
is good enough. I have enough fires to put out around the office
without trying to quash these ridiculous rumors. Don't bother me
again unless it's something important, or I will ground you for the
entire summer.
Love, mom
The start of the summer term would normally have meant that Akko was training hard for the last Chariot Race of the season. This year, however, it was the fifth and final game in the Contest of Champions for which she needed to prepare, but she still didn't know what she would have to do. Finally, in the last week of May, Ursula held her back in Foretelling."You need to go down to the Racing track tonight at nine, Akko," she told her. "The Grand Master will be there to tell the champions about the last game."So at half past eight that night, Akko and Amanda left Polaris Tower and went downstairs. They came across Diana and Fate as they were walking past the third floor and came upon Nico and Makoto as they crossed the entrance hall."What d'you think it's going to be this time?" Makoto asked as they went down the stone steps, out into the cloudy night. "I heard the kids from Sanshu talking about underground tunnels; they think we've got to find treasure.""I think I've had enough of tunnels for one lifetime," said Akko, thinking vividly of her trip through the xenomorph-infested sewers and wondering if they had been cleared out yet.They walked down the dark lawn to the Chariot Racing stadium, turned through a gap in the stands, and walked onto the field."Okay…," Amanda spoke slowly, stopping dead. "Is anyone else seeing this, or is it just me?"It wasn't just her – they could see it, too. What looked like a giant, twisted ball of stone and steel hovered over the field. A wide ring of metal bars and boulders were floating around the chaotic sphere; Akko saw one of the metal beams glide into the ball and merged from the side."What are they building?" asked Nico, observing one of the boulders break apart and form a new wall on the surface of the sphere."Hello there!" called a cheery voice.The Grand Master was standing in the middle of the field. The other teams had already arrived, many of them looking up at the floating monolith hanging above their heads. The Luna Nova champions made their way toward them. Ryuko beamed at Akko as she came close. They had become very good friends since their match in the last round and have been occasionally meeting up for drinks."Well, what d'you think?" said the Grand Master happily as Akko and the others joined them. "Coming along quite nicely, isn't it? Give it a month and it'll be bigger than this stadium. Don't worry," he added, grinning, spotting Akko, Diana, and Fate's less-than-happy expressions, "you'll have your track back to normal once the game is over! Now, I imagine you must be wondering what it is we are building – ""Isn't that the Sky Labyrinth from the Grand Magic Games?" Yuna Yuki pipped up, making the Grand Master go still."Yeah, it's the thing they use in the preliminary matches," Midoriya added."Didn't we already do a maze in the first round?" said Sumireko irritably."They're just basically copying someone else's work again," Ryuko complained."That's lazy writing if I've ever seen it," said Eruna."Anyway!" The Grand Master hissed indignantly. "The last game is…yes, another maze – don't give me those looks," he snapped at everyone's unimpressed stares. "You think it's easy coming up with all these challenges? Look, the last game is straightforward. The Contest trophy will be placed in the center of the labyrinth. All champions will be participating. The first person to touch the trophy will win the Contest for their team.""Just like that?" asked Mikoto Misaka strangely. "Even if the other teams have more points?""Oh, there are no points," said the Grand Master offhandedly."What d'you mean there's no points?" Ace questioned with an intense stare."The points were just an element to add a level of suspense and excitement for the games," the Grand Master explained like he was telling everyone two plus two equaled four. "They were never of any real importance because the winner would be determined in the last game no matter what happened during the other ones.""So…you're saying…," Ryuko spoke in a low, heated voice, "that we went through all that crap…for nothing?""Mmm…yep, pretty much," the Grand Master admitted flippantly.Satsuki and Sanageyama grabbed Ryuko before she could do something that would get Honnoji disqualified."There will be obstacles," said the Grand Master happily, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "The teachers will be providing a number challenges…creatures to battle…spells that must be broke…all that sort of thing, you know. And, of course, there will be the other champions you will be contending with. There are no rules other than no killing, so you are free to do as you please. And if you could make the fights as big and flashy as possible, the better. You will all enter the labyrinth at an equal distance, so you'll all be in with a fighting chance, depending how well you get past the obstacles. Should be fun, right?"Akko had a horrible flashback of the trails she faced in her first year searching for the Shiny Rod. She wouldn't put it past Ursula to bring back Arcas – she considered the great beast as something akin to an oversized dog – and thought it was unlikely to be any fun at all. However, she nodded politely like the other champions."Very well…if you haven't got any questions, we'll go back up to the school, shall we, it's a bit chilly…."The Grand Master hurried alongside Akko as they began to wend their way out of the stadium. Akko had the feeling that the Grand Master was going to start offering to help her again, but just then, Diana tapped Akko on the shoulder."Could I see you over here for a moment?""Yeah, all right," said Akko, slightly surprised."Somewhere private?""Okay," said Akko curiously.The Grand Master looked slightly perturbed."Shall I wait for you, Akko?""No, it's okay," said Akko, suppressing a smile, "I think we can find my way up to the school just fine."Akko and Diana left the stadium together, but Diana did not set a course for the school. Instead, she walked toward the forest."Why're we heading this way?" said Akko as they headed toward the paddock where Study of Abnormal Creatures was usually held."You'll see in a moment," said Diana, sounding slightly irritated.When at last they had reached a quiet stretch of ground a short way from the paddocks, Diana stopped in the shade of the trees and shot a heated glare into the darkness."There, I brought her," she said, glowering, "make it quick."Akko looked perplexed for a moment, wondering what could make her so angry or if potentially led Akko into a trap, but was surprised when she saw Andrew Hanbridge step out from his hiding spot behind the trees. He was dressed in his casual wear, which likely meant he wasn't on Luna Nova grounds for business. Andrew looked relieved when he caught Akko's eye, which quickly turned neutral when he turned to Diana."Thank you, Diana," he said gratefully."Whatever," Diana snapped irritably. "Just hurry up before someone catches us.""Uh…what's going on?" Akko asked slowly, looking between the two."I apologize for the secrecy," said Andrew, "but I just had to see you. After Scaglietti's article, father won't even let me near Luna Nova grounds. Has a whole team of spies watching my every move. Good thing I have a witch for a maid that can pose as my double while I sneak off.""You know that article is a load of crap, right?" said Akko quickly. "I would never – ""Trust me, I know," said Andrew with a small smile. "You're not nearly coordinated enough to slip a love potion past either of us," he gestured to himself and Diana."Uh…thanks?" said Akko with a raised brow."Regardless, the news has stirred up a lot of trouble on a political level," said Andrew, frowning. "My father and Diana's aunt have been pushing for our political marriage for some time now, so you can imagine that they were not happy to see Scaglietti's rag in a magazine.""I personally have received numerous threats from Aunt Daryl to 'break things off with that'…I'd rather not finish that sentence," said Diana, grimacing."None of that stuff that Scaglietti wrote about is true," Akko insisted. "She just making it all up.""All of it?" said Andrew, looking suddenly suspiciously at Akko. "Including the parts where you have feelings for us?"Akko instantly clammed up, finally coming to the realization of what this secret meeting was all about. Andrew was visibly frowning when Akko didn't offer and immediate response, and Diana kept shooting glances in Akko's direction when she thought she wasn't looking. Akko suddenly felt unbearably hot under the collar despite it being exceptionally chilly that night. She opened and closed her mouth several times, the words slowly forming on her lips, but stopping herself before she could get them out.Andrew stared at Akko for a few seconds, then said, "Akko…what are your feelings for us?"This was so, so, so bad, Akko thought. She always knew she would have to deal with this matter eventually, but she had hoped to have prepared a little instead of being ambushed. Diana was now fully turned to Akko, biting her lower lip as she usually did when she was worried about something. Andrew was folding his hands over and over as if to give them something to do. Akko looked between the two as she stammered slowly."Uh…I…um…."But something moved in the trees behind Andrew, and Akko, thanking whatever deity that was looking out for her, instinctively grabbed Andrew's arm and pulled him around. Diana looked almost hurt for a moment before Akko drew the Shiny Rod from her belt."What is it?" asked Andrew, concerned.Akko shook her head, staring at the place where she'd seen movement. Diana followed her lead and pulled out her own wand from her belt, though, if Akko was honest, she probably didn't need it.Suddenly, a man staggered out from behind a tall oak. For a moment, Akko didn't recognize him…then she realized it was Org.He looked as though he had been traveling for days. The knees of his robe were ripped and bloody, his face scratched; his long beard was disheveled and his face gray with exhaustion. His strange appearance, however, was nothing to the way he was behaving. Muttering and gesticulating, Org appeared to be talking to someone that he alone could see. He reminded Akko vividly of an old hobo she had seen once when out shopping with her mother. That man too had been conversing wildly with thin air; Mrs. Kagari had seized Akko's hand and pulled her across the road to avoid him.Wasn't he one of the representatives?" said Andrew, staring at Org. "Isn't he with the Magic Council?"Akko nodded, hesitated for a moment, then walked slowly toward Org, whop did not look at him, but continued to talk to a nearby tree."…and when you've done that, Lahar, send a message to Holbrooke confirming the number of Myojo students who will be attending the Contest, Yuri Meichi has just sent word there will be thirteen….""Mr. Org?" said Akko cautiously."…and then send an e-mail to Theresa Apocalypse, because she might want to up the number of students she's brining, now that Meichi's made it a baker's dozen…do that, Lahar, will you? Will you? Will…"Org's one eye was bulging. He stood staring at the tree, muttering soundlessly at it. Then he staggered sideways and fell to his knees."Mr. Org?" Akko said loudly. "Are you all right?"Org's eye was rolling in his head. Akko looked around at Andrew and Diana, who had followed her into the trees, and was looking down at Org in alarm."What's wrong with him?" asked Andrew."I haven't the slightest clue," Diana muttered. "We should go and find someone before – ""Chariot!" gasped Org. He reached out and seized a handful of Akko's tunic, dragging her closer, through his eye was staring over Akko's head. "I need…see…Chariot….""But…Chariot isn't here…," said Akko slowly. "Um, Mr. Org, how 'bout we get you up to the – ""I've done…stupid…thing…," Org breathed. He looked utterly insane. His eye was rolling and bulging, and a trickle of spittle was sliding down his chin. Every word he spoke seemed to cost him a lot of effort. "Must…warn…Chariot….""Okay, okay, I get it!" said Akko loudly and clearly. "Let's get you up and we can go see Chariot, all right?"Org's eye rolled forward onto Akko."Who…you?" he whispered."I'm a student at the school," said Akko, looking around at Diana for some help, but she and Andrew were hanging back, looking extremely nervous."You're not…hers? Whispered Org, his mouth sagging."No," said Akko, without the faintest idea what Org was talking about."Chariot's?""Yeah, that's right," said Akko.Org was pulling her closer; Akko tried to loosen Org's grip on her tunic, but it was too powerful."Warn…Chariot…""We'll go get Chariot, Mr. Org, but you have to let go first," Diana leapt forward and said. "Just let go and we'll go get her….""Thank you, Lahar, and when you've done that, I would like a cup of tea. Superintendent Crowley will be arriving shortly, we are going over the details of our Anti-Magic armament agreement."Org was now talking fluently to a tree again, and seemed completely unaware that any of them were there, which surprised Akko so much she didn't notice that Org had released her."Yes, twelve cases of Ant-Magic plated armor as we agreed upon, most satisfactory, knew Crowley was the right man for the job, yes, agreed, yes, very good. Now, if you could bring me that memo from the Pope, I think I will have time to draft a response….""You need to go find Ursula," Diana muttered fretfully in Akko's ear. "We'll stay with him until you get back – ""You want us to stay with
him?" Andrew hissed doubtfully, staring down at Org, who was still gabbling to the tree, apparently convinced it was his assistant. "He's off his rocker!""Yeah, and wouldn't it be better to get Professor Holbrooke?" said Akko. "She might be able to help – ""Just…go find Professor Ursula – immediately!" snapped Diana, who seemed to purposely avoid Akko's eye. "Trust me on this."Akko didn't see any point in arguing; they were wasting valuable time as it was. She started to get up, but her movement seemed to trigger another abrupt change in Org, who seized her hard around the knees and pulled Akko back to the ground."Don't…leave…me!" he whispered, his eye bulging again. "I…escaped…must warn…must tell…see Chariot…my fault…all my fault…Crowley…dead…all my fault…Kuroi…my fault…tell Chariot…Akko Kagari…she's coming back…I hear her…her voice…I hear her…bringing her back…The Star-Born Child….""We'll find Chariot if you let go, Mr. Org!" said Diana, tugging Akko's tunic alongside her. She looked furiously around at Andrew. "Help us, would you?"Looking extremely apprehensive, Andrew moved forward and squatted down next to Org."We'll keep him here," said Diana as Akko pulled herself free. "Bring Ursula back with you.""And please hurry, won't you?" Andrew called after her as Akko sprinted away from the forest and up through the dark grounds. They were deserted; The Grand Master and the champions had disappeared. Akko tore up the stone steps, through the oak front doors, and off up the spiraling staircase to the astronomy tower.Five minutes later, she was hurtling up the staircase towards Ursula's living quarters, stopping on the landing below clutching the stitch in her side. Before she could continue climbing the rest of the way –"Kagari, was it?"Akko was frozen in place as effectively as one of Zeref's spells. She looked up as someone came down the stairs she was headed. It was Ram from Black Star Academy, casting an emotionless gaze that seemed to pierce Akko's soul. She came to a stop a few steps avoid Akko, hands folded serenely behind her back, and tilted her head in curiosity."And what brings you here, Kagari?""I need to see Professor Ursula!" said Akko, gesturing wildly to express the urgency. "It's Org…from the Magic Council…he just showed up…he's in the forest…he's asking – ""Org? From the Magic Council?" said Ram, her golden eyes glittering. "What are you talking about?""Org!" Akko shouted insistently. "You know – bald, one eye, looks like a Lord of the Rings reject! He's lost his mind or something – he's in the forest, he wants to see Shiny Chariot! I just need to see Professor Ursula – "Akko made her way to go around when Ram held out a hand to cut her off."Let's not be so hasty," said Ram, her thin mouth curling into an unpleasant smile. "Ursula is very sick, after all. No need to bother her with such trifles.""I've got to tell Ursula!" Akko yelled."Perhaps you should let me handle this, Kagari?" said Ram silkily. "If Org has truly lost his mind, as you say, then he could be very dangerous…."Ram seemed to be getting some sick satisfaction out of this. Whether it was because of Akko's panic or because of whatever was happening to Org, she couldn't say."Look!" said Akko fearfully. "Org isn't right in the head – he's – he's lost his mind or something – I need to talk to Professor Ursula – "They heard a clatter of footsteps coming down the stairs behind Ram. Ursula was standing there, wearing her ratty old track suit and a mildly curious expression."Is there a problem?" she said, looking between Akko and Ram."Professor!" Akko said, sidestepping Ram before Ram could speak, "Org is here – he's down in the forest! He's asking for Shiny Chariot, but – "Akko expected Ursula to ask questions, but to her relief, Ursula did nothing of the sort."Lead the way," she said promptly, and she swept off down the stairway behind Akko, leaving Ram behind with a scornful look on her face."What did Org say, Akko?" said Ursula as they swept swiftly down the spiraling staircase."Said he wants to warn Chariot…said he's done something terrible…he mentioned Mato Kuroi…and Crowley…and – and kept saying something about
her
– something about 'bringing her back'….""I see," said Ursula, and she quickened her pace as they hurried out into the pitch-darkness."He's acting crazier than usual," Akko said, hurrying along beside Ursula. "I don't think he knows where he is. He keeps talking to a tree and thinks it's his assistant., and then he flips out and says he needs to see Shiny Chariot…. I left him with Diana and Andrew.""You did?" said Ursula sharply, and she began to take longer strides, so that Akko was running to keep up. "Do you know if anybody else saw Org?""No," said Akko. "Me, Diana, and Andrew were talking, the Grand Master just finished telling us about the last game, we stayed behind, and then we saw Org coming out of the forest – ""Where are they?" said Ursula as the paddocks emerged from the darkness."Over here," said Akko, moving in front of Ursula, leading the way through the trees. She couldn't hear Org's voice anymore, but she knew where she was going; it hadn't been much past the paddocks…somewhere around here…."Diana?" Akko shouted. "Andrew?"No one answered."They were here," Akko said to Ursula. "They were definitely somewhere around here…."Ursula whipped out her wand and summoned a ball of light with a flourishing motion. Its faint rays traveled from black trunk to black trunk, illuminating the ground. And then it fell upon a fair of familiar shapes.Akko and Ursula hurried forward. Both Diana and Andrew were sprawled facedown on the forest floor. They seemed to be unconscious. There was no sign at all of Org. Ursula turned Andrew and gently lifted one of his eyelids."They've been knocked out – physically," she said softly. Her glasses glittered in the light of the shining spell as she peered around the surrounding trees. "Likely a blunt strike to the head. Both of them are lying face-down, so their attacker struck from behind, catching them unaware.""Should I get someone?" said Akko. "Porlyusica?""No," said Ursula swiftly. "Stay here."She raised her wand into the air and pointed it in the direction of the school. Akko saw a red-and-gold flare dart out of it and streak away toward the towers like a phoenix in flight. Then Ursula bent over Andrew, pointed her wand at him, and muttered, "Surgit."Andrew opened his eyes. He looked dazed. He sat up as Ursula moved over to Diana, turned her on her back, and cast the same spell to wake her."He attacked us!" Andrew muttered, putting a hand up to his head. "That old madman attacked us! We heard a noise and thought it was Akko coming back, so we turned around and he attacked us from behind!""Be still for a moment," Ursula said, easing Diana into a sitting position.The sound of hurried footfalls reached them, and Blair came panting into sight. She was holding up a jack-o-lantern above her head."Ursula!" she said, her eyes widening. "Akko-nyan – what the - ?""Blair, I need you to fetch Professor Holbrooke, and Finnelan if you can," said Ursula. "One of her students has been attacked. When you've done that, kindly alert Zeref – ""No need, Ursula," said a chilling voice. "I'm here."Zeref stepped into the light of Blair's lantern, emerging from the shadows like a phantom that even Blair let out a surprised yelp."I would have arrived sooner, but I got caught up with Ram on the way," he said. "What happened here? Did anyone see where Org had gone to?""Org?" said Blair blankly."Holbrooke, please, Blair!" said Ursula sharply."Oh yeah…I'll get right on that…," said Blair, and she turned and trotted up to the school, her lantern bobbing in the darkness."How did you know Org was here, Zeref?" Ursula asked suddenly. "Did Ram tell you?""No, I saw him coming out of the forest on Chariot's old guidebook," said Zeref evenly. There was a moment where Ursula shot a look toward Akko, who purposely turned away, whistling innocently. "But then I noticed something…odd.""Odd?" Ursula repeated."When Org appeared in the book, he was with Kagari, Cavendish, and Hanbridge," Zeref told her. "Kagari left them and ran back to the castle. But not a moment later, Kagari went back down to the forest…and she was with someone else.""We didn't see Akko coming back/I didn't come back," Andrew and Akko said at the same time."Well, her name was printed clearly on the book," said Zeref."And who was the other person, Zeref?" Ursula interrupted before Akko could argue."That's the strangest part – the name was left blank," said Zeref. "I watched Kagari and the second person approach Cavendish, Hanbridge, and Org from the side. All of a sudden, Org's name disappeared off the book, Cavendish and Hanbridge stayed in place, but Kagari and the second person ran back to the castle. About a minute later, I watched you and Kagari running back down, and that's when I decided to follow.""But…how that even possible?" asked Diana. "Who was it?"Akko already knew – that hooded figure that had broken into Zeref the night she and Diana had deciphered the clue for the third game. Somehow, they knew Org was on the grounds and had done something about it while Akko was looking for help."I don't know how to explain what the book saw," said Ursula, "but it is essential that we find Org.""I'm on it," said Zeref, and he walked off into the forest, blending in with the shadows.None of them spoke again until they saw the unmistakable light of Blair's jack-lantern returning. Professor Holbrooke and Professor Finnelan were hurrying along behind her; Finnelan looked particularly pale and agitated."What is this?" she cried when she saw Diana on the ground and Ursula and Akko beside her. "What's going on?""We were attacked!" said Andrew, getting to his feet now and rubbing his head. "Org or whatever his name – ""Org attacked you? The representative from the Magic Council? He
attacked
you?""This is a very serious accusation," Professor Holbrooke said, peering over the rims of her glasses. "Are you absolutely sure – ""We're not positive," Diana cut in before Andrew could get a word in. "We didn't actually
see
the attacker. Our backs were turned when they struck us from behind – ""Which is where that old man would have had the ripe opportunity to attack us from!" Andrew snapped."I understand that you are upset, Mr. Hanbridge, and you have every reason to be if what you say is true," said Professor Holbrooke soothingly. "But before you go shouting it to the whole world, think about what you have said for a moment. A representative of the Magic Council – one who is responsible for helping the Contest of Champions, which is supposed to represent unity between species – has attacked you, who is from a family of one of the most influential Humans in the world. If word were to get out of such an incident –"My father wouldn't hesitate to use this as an example of anti-human sentiment on the Demi-Human's part," Andrew muttered, his brow furrowed. "It would spark controversy and mistrust.""Almost as if someone wants that to happen," said Diana suspiciously. "Perhaps…whoever
did
attack us wants to turn Humans and Demi-Humans on each other?""Like the Purifiers," Akko mumbled; flashes of the Chariot Racing Tournament and men in futuristic armor appeared in the forefront of her mind."Right now, it's nothing more than baseless suspicion," said Professor Holbrooke. "Until we learn more about what happened, I suggest we keep the incidents of this night to ourselves, rather than sending everyone into a blind panic. Blair, Kindly escort Miss Kagari to the school. Please do the same with Miss Cavendish, Professor Finnelan. Professor Ursula, I hope it's not too much to ask you to see Mr. Hanbridge back to Appleton safely."Frowning, Ursula cast an uneasy gaze into the forest."Maybe I'd better stay here, headmistress….""Please tale Mr. Hanbridge back to Appleton, Professor Ursula," Professor Holbrooke repeated firmly. "Blair, Professor Finnelan, be sure that everyone returns to their dorms. And Miss Kagari – I want you to stay there. Anything you might want to do – any letters you might want to send – they can wait until morning; do you understand me?""Yes, ma'am," said Akko begrudgingly. She must have already known that, at that very moment, Akko had been thinking about sending a letter straight to Izetta, to tell her what had happened."I'll leave this here for you, granny," Blair said, pushing the jack-lantern slowly across the air until it was hovering over Holbrooke; the brim of the headmistress's hat cast a deep shadow over her eyes, making her expression unreadable. "C'mon, Akko-Nyan."They marched in silence past the paddocks, following behind Professor Finnelan and Diana, and up toward the school."What were you thinking?" Blair suddenly hissed angrily to Akko, who looked up at her, taken aback. "Wandering off in the middle of the night, doing god knows what? You of all people should understand how dangerous that is, especially now, especially when the world is turning on its head. Has the past four years taught you nothing – ""I wasn't on my own!" said Akko as they climbed the steps into the entrance hall. "I was with Andrew and Diana – ""And a lot of good they were," said Blair grimly, stomping up the stairs. "Both of them were knocked flat on their faces and Org got away. What the hell was Hanbridge even doing here in the first place?""They wanted to talk," Akko said, annoyed. "About Scaglietti's article and –"Are you ser – AKKO!" said Blair furiously, and she looked quite frightening for a moment. "You put yourselves in danger for
teen drama?
Akko, how many times are you going to keep putting your life at risk before start using common sense? You're not a little kid any more. You're almost an adult, and you need to start acting like it!"For someone who was saying she was almost an adult, Blair was certainly treating her like a child, Akko thought irritably. She was quite glad to say good-bye to her at the dorm entrance. She clambered through the archway into the common room and hurried straight for the corner where Lotte and Sucy were sitting, to tell them what had happened.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"It's come down to this," said Lotte, rubbing her forehead. "Either Org attacked Diana and Andrew, or somebody else attacked them when they weren't looking.""Zeref already confirmed that last night," said Akko tiresomely. "The Guidebook showed it was someone pretending to be me.""Or it could've been the real you," said Sucy blandly. "It's not the first time you've been in two places at once.""Okay, one, do you really think Croix would trust
me
with her time machine?" said Akko irritably. "And two, why would I want to attack Diana and Andrew.""So you could avoid having to confess your feelings to the both of them," said Sucy immediately."That…definitely sounds like something I would do," Akko admittedly weakly."And what about Org?" asked Lotte. "How did he disappear off the map? You can pop in or out of Luna Nova – well, not without using the Corridors of Darkness, but that's practically suicide."It was daybreak. Akko, Lotte, and Sucy had crept out of their dormitory very early and hurried down the front lawn with Haruka-san to send a note to Izetta. They were standing looking out at the misty grounds. All three of them were puffy-eyed and pale because they had been talking late into the night about Org."Just go through it again, Akko," said Lotte. "What did Org actually say?""I've told you a hundred times, he wasn't making any sense," said Akko. "He said he wanted to warn Chariot about something. He definitely mentioned Crowley and was talking about…Anti-Magic Armaments.""Guess that means the rumors Sir Nyanta heard were true," Lotte murmured"Yeah, that got me worried, too," said Akko, frowning. "He also said Crowley was dead, but we already knew that. He kept saying stuff was his fault…he mentioned Mato, too.""Well, that part
was
his fault," said Sucy bluntly."He was out of his mind," said Akko. "Half the time he acted like he was talking to this Lahar guy about work and giving him instructions…. And he kept talking about
her…. Saying stuff like 'she's coming back' or something like that. That was probably the only time he was actually sane enough to talk. He was having trouble stringing two words together, but that was when he seemed to know where he was, and know what he wanted to do. He just kept saying he had to warn Chariot…. He looked so terrified….""But who is
her?" Lotte asked timidly."Your guess is as good as mine," said Akko. "If only Ram hadn't gotten in my way, we might have gotten there in time. 'Let's not be hasty…No need to bother her with such trifles.' She was blocking me off on purpose. Why?""Maybe she didn't want you to get there," said Sucy with her eye narrowed thoughtfully. "Maybe she intentionally kept you away from Ursula so that whoever was imitating you would have time to take care of Org.""But why would she want to do that?" asked Lotte in disbelief. "Org is on the Council.""Was
on the Council," said Akko quickly. "And he was also supplying Anti-Magic weapons to Crowley. Izetta said that Ram has an extremely loathing of criminals, and if she found out that Org was making illegal weapons, then she would definitely want to get rid of him. Ugh, I wish I had gotten to Ursula sooner.""Why did you go to Ursula, anyway?" asked Sucy. "If someone from the Magic Council showed up, I would go straight to Holbrooke.""I thought about that, but Diana said I should get Ursula," Akko replied, rubbing her chin. "Huh, I wonder why.""We should go see Professor Zeref soon," said Lotte. "We should find out if he found Org.""If he had the Shiny Guidebook with him, it would've been easy," said Akko."But you said Org disappeared off the guidebook," said Sucy. "If he somehow made it past the boundaries – ""Shh!" said Lotte suddenly.Somebody was coming down the spiraling staircase inside. Akko could hear two voices arguing through the crack in the oak front doors, coming closer and closer." – but that's blackmail! You could get in a lot of trouble for that – ""I've tried being polite; it's time to play dirty, like him. He wouldn't like the Time-Space Administration Bureau knowing what he did – ""I'm telling you, if you put that in writing, it's blackmail!""I told you two what was going on because I trust you both! And now I'm trusting you to back off!"The front doors banged open. Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka came down the stone steps, then froze at the sight of Akko, Lotte, and Sucy."What're you doing here?" Lotte and Jasminka said at the same time."Sending a letter," said Akko and Amanda in unison."What, at this time?" said Sucy and Stan-bot.Amanda grinned."Fine – we won't ask questions if you don't," she said.She was holding up a sealed envelope in her hands. Akko glanced at it, but Amanda, whether accidentally or on purpose, shifted her hand so that the name was covered."Well, don't let hold you up," Amanda said, making a mock bow and pointed to the door behind them.Lotte didn't move. "Who're you blackmailing?" she said.The grin vanished from Amanda's face. Akko saw Jasminka half glance at Amanda, before smiling at Lotte."It's not blackmail, that was just a joke," she said easily."Didn't sound like a joke," Sucy interjected.Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka looked at each other. Then Amanda said abruptly. "I told you before that it's none of your business what I get up to. If you want to keep your noses the shape it's in – ""It's our business when you start blackmailing someone," said Akko. "Jasminka is right, you could get in serious trouble for that.""I told you, I was joking," said Jasminka.But Amanda pointedly ignored them and reached over, plucking the Stan-bot Unit off of her head, and stuffing the letter through a slot in its box-shaped head. She tapped a button on the side, shifting the robot into a flying drone, and watched it take off toward the Ley Line Terminal. Amanda turned around and grinned at Akko."Well, unless you have anything else to complain about, we'll be leaving. See ya later."She, Constanze, and Jasminka marched back into the school. Akko, Lotte, and Sucy stared at one another."You don't think they know something about all this, do you?" Lotte whispered. "About Org and everything?""No," said Akko. "If it was something that serious, they'd tell someone. They'd tell Professor Holbrooke."Sucy, however, was looking suspiciously at the doorway."What's the matter?" Lotte asked her."Well…" said Sucy slowly. "I don't know if she would. I noticed for a while that she's been…somewhat obsessed with making money since the year started. It made no sense since she comes from a rich family, but she was always talking about winning the prize money from the Contest. That's why she was fighting so hard to get Nico off the team.""Well, that doesn't matter anymore," said Akko. "She's on the team
now….""Which means she has a good chance at winning that prize money now," said Sucy. "But Amanda saw first-hand the kind of competition she was going up against when she lost painfully in the third round and when she was brainwashed by the weirdo from Myojo. Maybe she's worried that her chances at winning the money are slipping away and she might be trying to rig the competition in her favor."Lotte was looking uncomfortable now."Yes, but…she wouldn't do anything against the law to get money.""Wouldn't she?" said Sucy, looking skeptical. "I don't know…she doesn't exactly mind breaking the rules, does she?""Yes, but this is the
law," said Lotte, looking scared. "This isn't some silly school rule…. She'll get a lot more than detention for blackmail! Maybe…maybe we should tell Amanda's mother….""Whoa, whoa, hold on a second!" yelped Akko, throwing her hands up. "We don't know what's going on right now? We're just making assumptions. We don't even known why Amanda wants the money enough that she wouldn't just go to her mom for help. Let's just…let's just find out more before we go running to the Magic Council, okay?""Since when have you been the patient and thoughtful type?" said Sucy with a quirked brow."Okay, one, that's just mean," said Akko, grimacing. "And two, there's already happened with Mato, Nico, Jasminka, and me, I think Amanda deserves a little benefit of the doubt." She stared at the doorway through which Amanda's party had departed, then said, "come on, let's get some breakfast.""Do you think it's too early to go and see Professor Dragneel?" Lotte said as they climbed the stone steps."Even I don't wanna risk waking that guy up at the crack of dawn," said Akko. "He'd probably kills us all on accident. We'll go see him during the break."History of Magic had rarely gone so slowly. Akko kept checking the time on her phone, but it was moving so slowly that Akko had to check to make sure it wasn't broken. Though it was one of her better classes, Akko was so tired she could happily have put her head down on the desk and spelt; even Diana across the room wasn't taking her usual notes, but was sitting with her head on her hands, gazing at Professor Ymir with her eyes out of focus.When the bell finally rang, Akko hurried out into the corridors, meeting Lotte and Sucy on the third floor as they headed toward the Self-Defense classroom and found Zeref leaving it. He looked as tired as they felt. The shadows under his eyes were more prominent than usual, making him look almost half-dead."Professor Dragneel?" Akko called as they made their way toward him through the crowd."Hello, Kagari," said Zeref. His eyes followed a couple of passing first years, who sped up, looking nervous, watching them disappear around the corner before he spoke again."Come in here."He stood back to let them into his empty classroom, stepped in after them, and closed the door."Did you find him?" Akko asked without preamble. "Org?""No," said Zeref. He moved over to his desk, sat down, and leaned back in his chair with a slight groan."Did you use the guidebook?" Akko said."Of course," said Zeref. "It's how I found you in the first place, remember? I searched the entire grounds and even asked for the aid of the Arrancar and Croix's beasts in the forest. He wasn't anywhere to be found.""What about those two people in the book?" asked Akko. "The one pretending to be me and the own with the blank name. I saw them before when they broke into your office months ago.""I tried looking for them, too," said Zeref with an exhausted sigh. "But the only 'Atsuko Kagari' I could find that night was in the Polaris Dormitory. The two of them must have shrugged off whatever disguise they were using and blended in with the crowd. If there were from Luna Nova, they could be anywhere in the school. If they were from the other schools, they wouldn't on the grounds anymore.""Which gives them a perfect way of escaping undetected," said Sucy. "And possibly even carry off Org without anyone seeing.""We can't rule out kidnapping," said Zeref. "But I can't possibly understand how Org would go missing from the book entirely. Chariot and Izetta made a brilliant tool, but it's riddled with so many flaws, it's practically useless in this situation.""So," said Lotte, "do you think he could be somewhere in Blytonbury?""He could be anywhere at this point," said Zeref, shaking his head. "Only thing we know for sure is that he's not here."He yawned loudly, stretching his arms above his head, and said, "Now, Ursula's told me you three fancy yourselves as detectives, but there's nothing you can do for Org. The Council will be looking for him now, Holbrooke's notified them. Kagari, you just keep your mind on the final game.""What?" said Akko. "Oh, yeah…"She hadn't given the labyrinth a single thought since she'd left it with Diana the previous night."This one should be right up your alley, Kagari," said Zeref, looking up at Akko. "You've already been through the maze in the first challenge. And from what Ursula's told me, you've managed to get through stuff like this plenty of times. Broke your way through a series of obstacles guarding the Claiomh Solais in your first year, didn't you?""I had a lot of help on that," said Akko, scratching her head sheepishly. "My friends did most of the work."Zeref smiled softly."Well, you'll be having your friends helping you this time as well, won't you?" said Zeref. "Just keep practicing and I'm sure you'll come ahead. In the meantime…keep a constant lookout, Kagari. And you two," his eyes snapped to Lotte and Sucy, who immediately went stiff when being addressed. "stay close to Kagari, all right? The staff is keeping an eye on things around the school, but al the same…you can never have too many eyes out.Izetta sent Haruka-san back the very next morning. She skittered up to their table the same moment that Wangari dropped a copy of the daily news in front of Diana. She took the newspaper, scanned the first few pages, and said, "Thank goodness, it doesn't look like she's caught wind of Org yet," then joined the rest in reading what Izetta had to say on the mysterious events ion the night before last.
Akko – what the hell were you thinking, walking off into the forest like that? And for what, your
little love triangle dilemma? I want you to swear, by return letter, that you are not going to go
walking with anyone else at night. There is somebody highly dangerous at Luna Nova. It's clear
to me that they wanted to stop Org from telling what he knows, and you were probably feet
away from them in the dark. You could have been killed.
Someone has been tampering with the Contest, and you and Nico are at the center of it. If
someone's trying to attack you, this is their last chance. Stay close to your friends, do not leave
Polaris Tower after hours, and arm yourself for the final challenge. Practicing stunning and
disarming, A few curses wouldn't go amiss either. There's nothing you can do about Org. Keep
your head down and look after yourself. I'm waiting for your letter giving me your word you
won't stray out-of-bounds again.
Mikko
"Who does she think she is, trying to lecture me about going out-of-bounds?" said Akko in mild indignation as she folded up Izetta's letter and stuffed it in her pocket. "After all the stuff she did at school!""She's worried about you!" said Diana sharply. "Just like Professor Dragneel and Blair! So listen to them!""Hey, you were the one who dragged me out there in the middle of the night," Akko countered. Diana opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out, so she closed it and sat slumped in her seat, glowering. "And besides, no one's tried to attack me all year – ""I'm pretty sure the Xenomorphs would disagree," said Sucy bluntly. "Look, it wasn't an accident that Nico's name was chosen over Amanda's when the skull picked the champions. And it's no coincidence that you and Nico have ancient magical staves of Light and Dark Magic that date back since the Nine Olde Witches. Someone is purposely targeting you both and they want you together when they make their move.""Exactly," said Lotte worriedly. "Akko, Mikko is right. The last challenge could be the moment when they're finally going to get you both.""Look," said Akko impatiently, "let's say Mikko is right and someone attacked you and Andrew to kidnap Org. If what Zeref saw on the guidebook was right, they waited until
after
I was inside the school before they went down to the forest. I would've run straight past them and there was no one around when I did, so why didn't they attack me then when no one was around?""Because whoever is after you needs both you and Minoru together," said Diana sharply. "If something happens to one of you, then getting the other one would be damn near impossible because the teachers would be on high alert. They would never get a chance at Minrou then.""But what about – ""Akko, I know you well enough that you aren't conceited or foolish enough to believe you have all the answers," said Diana sharply, making Akko slump in her seat. "No matter what argument you try to make, you know for a fact that Mikko and the others are right and that you shouldn't trying throwing yourself into danger what it is not needed. Strange things have been happening all year: the Purifiers are gaining power, Minoru's name appearing in place of O'Neill, while Minoru just
happens
to have the Staff of One, the direct counterpart to the Shiny Rod, this second "Atsuko Kagari" running around with an unknown person, and Org showing up raving like a lunatic about someone coming back. All these strange events, and yet I see no connection between them. It's unsettling.""Diana is right – Mikko is right – you've got to be careful, Akko," said Lotte. "There's something bigger going on that we don't understand yet. All we can do for now is make sure you're prepared for the final game. And you need to make sure you write back to Mikko and promise her you're not going to go sneaking off alone again."The Luna Nova grounds never looked more inviting than when Akko had to stay indoors. For the next few days she spent all of her free time with Team Luna Nova either in the library, looking up curses, or else in empty classrooms, which they sneaked into to practice. Diana scheduled regular training sessions nearly every day whenever she wasn't busying preparing for final exams. Of course, any one of them could have reminded her that the champions didn't have exams, but they were just relieved to have a break given the almost fanatical way Diana was pushing them; it reminded Akko of Amelia O'Neill during the Racing season.Right now, Akko was concentrating on the Stunning Spell, which she had never used before. The trouble that practicing it involved certain sacrifices from her teammates."Can't we use Blair or something?" Amanda suggested on Monday lunchtime as she lay flat on her back in the middle of their Charms classroom, having just been stunned and reawaken by Akko for the fifth time in a row. "Let's stun her for a bit. Or you could use Marianna, Akko, I bet she'd do anything to help you. I'm not complaining or anything" – she gingerly got to her feet, rubbing her backside – "but I'm aching all over….""Well, that's because you keep missing the cushions," said Fate in a teasing tone of voice as she rearranged the pile of cushions Makoto was using to practice the Repulsion Spell, which knocks targets away. "Just try and fall backwards.""Well, it's kinda hard to aim when you're stunned, Testarossa!" said Amanda angrily. "Why don't you take a turn?""I think Akko's got it down by now," said Diana, who was swing a sword of light against Nico's sword of darkness. "Akko's has already mastered the animal metamorphosis spells, which is extremely useful, she's learned the Body Strengthening Spell, she's taking regular martial arts lessons from Professor Ursula, and above all else, she has the Shiny Rod. She's learned a significant deal in a short amount of time."Akko felt extremely warm as Diana belted out her praises."Though she could stand to learn a few more spells that don't blow up in her face regularly," said Diana; Akko grimaced. "Just because she's learned a few tricks doesn't mean she's ready for what our opponents have in store, especially the ones from Black Star and Honnoji…. I think we ought to start on some of those curses this evening."She turned away from Nico and looked down at the list they had made in the library on the teacher's desk."I like the look of this one," she said, "this Morabor Curse. It temporarily slows down the time of anything the spell hits. We'll start with that one."The bell rang. They hastily shoved the cushions back into Professor Akane's cupboard and slipped out of the classroom."See you at dinner!" said Diana, and she set of for Magic Philosophy, while Akko headed toward the North Tower, and Foretelling. Broad strips of dazzling gold sunlight fell across the corridor from the high windows. The sky outside was so brightly blue it looked as though it had been enameled."It's going to be boiling in class; Professor Ursula never puts out that fire," Jasminka said as Akko joined her and Wendy up the staircase toward the ladder and the trapdoor.She was quite right. The dimly lit room was sweltering hot. The fumes from the fire were heavier than ever. Akko's head swam as she made her way over to one of the curtained windows. While Ursula was looking the other way, disentangling her robe that had somehow got caught on the table, she opened it an inch or so and settled back into her beanbag chair, so that a soft breeze played across her face. It was extremely comfortable."All right, class," said Ursula, sitting down in her highbacked chair in front of the class and peering around at them, "we have almost finished our work on planetary divination. Today, however, will be an excellent opportunity to examine the effects of Mars, for it is placed most interestingly at the present time. If you will all looking up, I will dim the lights…."She waved her wand and the lamps went out. The fire was the only source of light now. Ursula directed their attention to the ceiling where planets rotated in perfect orbit while the stars twinkled over their heads, giving the impression that they had somehow been magically transported to space. Akko watched lazily as Ursula began to point out the fascinating angle Mars was making to Mercury. The fumes from the fire washed over her, and the breeze from the window played across her face. She thought she heard a soft creaking somewhere behind her. Her eyelids began to droop….She was flying unaided through a starry night sky over a small, sleepy town toward the grassland on the outskirts of the village. Near the bottom of a sloping hillside was a small amphitheater. Lower and lower she flew, the wind blowing pleasantly in Akko's face, until she landed flatfooted on the stairs running down the aisle of stone benches. She walked slowly – cautiously even – down the steps, approaching the stage….There were three men standing on the raised platform…one was hunched over on a plastic prop, his dark skin marked with tribal tattoos…the man standing opposite of him, breathing raggedly, robbed himself in a tattered white cloak…and then there was the man near the back of the stage, his arms folded behind him, his gaze peering around the theater…. When Akko walked up the steps, the three men turned to her…. The man's hood cast a terrifying shadow over his bronze mask…."I trust that the matter has been settled?" he said, his tone low and ominous."I took care of it," Akko spoke, but the voice that came from her lips wasn't her own; there was a strange sense of familiarity. "He is dead.""Then you are in luck," said the masked man, stepping closer to Akko until he stood over like a terrifying ghoul. "You are very fortunate indeed. Your blunder has not ruined everything.""I lost control – I readily admit that," said Akko. "But it is difficult to maintain when my attention is divided, especially at such a great distance. I have never been pushed to this extent.""Fear not," said the masked man, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You have recognized your mistake and corrected it. That's all that matters…. But there is still the children…Kagari and Minoru…."There was a moment of pause; the masked man went still…. Then, he lowered himself until he was staring Akko squarely in the eye."Hmm…interesting…," said the masked man. "It seems there's still a connection there…. But it's too early…much too early…. We will be seeing you soon…Atsuko Kagari…."He raised his right hand into view and curled his fingers slowly. Suddenly, Akko's entire body seized up. It felt like she was being stabbed repeatedly by a thousand needles, like someone was pressing a white-hot wire against her back. She was yelling…. Amon had her, he had control of her…she was gasping for breath…."Akko!
Akko!"Akko opened her eyes. She was lying facedown on the floor of Ursula's classroom. The scars on her back felt like they were on fire, her clothes irritating the sensation further. The pain was real; her eyes were watering. The whole class was standing around her, and Wendy, whose palms were glowing with faint magical energy over her, looked terrified."Are you all right?" she said."Of course she isn't!" said Ursula, looking harassed. Her eyes loomed over Akko's face, then lowered to her back. "What was it, Akko? Is it your scars? Does it hurt? Did you…did you see anything?""It was nothing," Akko lied. She sat up. She could feel herself shaking. She couldn't stop herself from looking around, into the shadows behind her; Amon's voice sounded so close…."It wasn't nothing, Miss Kagari!" Ursula snapped, grabbing Akko painfully hard by the arm. "You were rolling around on the floor, screaming in pain! Come now, tell me what happened!"Akko looked up at her."I think I need to…go to the hospital wing," she said hesitantly. "For…for my back."Ursula gave her a meaningful look, and said, "All right, but do you think you can get there on your own? Should I come with – ""No, it's fine, I've got it," said Akko quickly.She stood up. The class backed away. They all looked unnerved."See you later," Akko muttered to Jasminka, and she picked up her bag and headed for the trapdoor.When Akko reached the bottom of the ladder, however, she did not set off for the hospital wing. She had no intention whatsoever of going there. Izetta had told her what to do if her scars hurt her again, and Akko was going to follow her advice: She was going straight to Holbrooke's office. She marched down the corridors, thinking about what she had seen in the dream…it had been as vivid as the one that had woken her over the summer…. She ran over the details in her mind, trying to make sure she could remember them…. She had heard Amon accusing someone – her – of making a mistake…but she – or whoever's eyes she was seeing through – had told Amon that the mistake had been corrected, somebody was dead…then, somehow, Amon knew she – Akko – was watching…he bloodbended her from wherever he was….Akko had walked past the door to Holbrooke's office without noticing. She blinked, looked around, realized what she had done, and retraced her steps, stopping in front of it. She raised her hand to knock on the polished oak, but stopped herself. She could hear voices from inside the office. Akko pressed her ear to the door and listened."Miranda, I'm afraid I don't see the connection, don't see it at all!" It was the voice of the Magic Council Chairman, Crawford Seam. "Why would Org want to make weapons to use
against
the Magic Council. He has worked diligently for the Council for decades! Now I wouldn't put it past that Aleister Crowley and that science city of his, but there is no evidence that Org has ever collaborated with the man. As for his disappearance being linked with Org's!""And what do you think happened to Org, Mr. Chairman?" said Zeref's impassive voice."I see two possibilities," said Crawford. "Either Org has finally cracked – more than likely, I'm sure you'll agree, given his personal history – lost his mind, and gone wondering off somewhere – ""He wandered extremely quickly, if that is the case, Crawford," said Professor Holbrooke calmly."Or else – well…" Crawford sounded embarrassed. "Well, I'll reserve judgment until after I've seen the place where he was found, but are you certain that
everyone
from the other schools were inside the school. Including Black Star? Miranda, you know what those children
are?""I consider them to be a band of delightful young ladies," said Professor Holbrooke quietly. "That Strength girl is an excellent dancer.""Miranda, come on!" said Crawford angrily. "Don't you think you might be prejudice in their favor because of certain…characters you keep in your school? I mean, it's enough that you have not one, but
two
Titan-Shifters in your school and you never bothered to bring it up to the Council! You might think they are harmless, but not all of them are – ""I no more suspect the students of Black Star than my own, Crawford," said Professor Holbrooke, just as calmly. "I think it possible that it is you who are prejudice, Crawford.""Can we wrap up this discussion?" said Zeref."Yes, yes, let's go down to the grounds, then," said Crawford impatiently."No, it's not that," said Zeref, "it's just that Miss Kagari wants a word with you, Miranda. She's just outside the door."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The door of the office opened.“Hello, Miss Kagari,” said Zeref. “Come on in.”Akko walked inside. She had been inside Professor Holbrooke’s office once before; it was a surprisingly small room with sculptures of the Nine Olde Witches’ hats lining the back wall.Crawford Seam was standing beside Professor Holbrooke’s desk, looking as stuffy as the last time Akko had seen him, running a hand through his thick beard.“Miss Kagari!” said Crawford jovially, moving forward. “How are you?”“Fine,” Akko lied.“We were just talking about the night when Org turned up on the grounds,” said Crawford. “It was you who found him, was it not?”“Yes,” said Akko. Then, feeling it was pointless to pretend that she hadn’t overheard what they had been saying, she added, “I didn’t see anyone from Black Star when I was down there, though, and I doubt Ram would let any of them out of her sight, given how protective she is of them.”Professor Holbrooke smiled at Akko behind Crawford’s back, her eyes twinkling.“Yes, well,” said Crawford, looking embarrassed, “We’re about to go for a short walk on the grounds, Kagari, if you’ll excuse us…perhaps if you just go back to your class – ““I wanted to talk to you, professor,” Akko said quickly, looking at Holbrooke, who gave her a swift, searching look.“Wait for me, Miss Kagari,” she said. “Our examination of the grounds will not take long.”They trooped out in silence past her and closed the door. After a minute or so, Akko looked around.“Hello, Professor Pisces,” she said.Professor Pisces, a goldfish wearing a witch’s hat, floated aimlessly around her aquarium on the right-hand side of the office. Even after taking a class last year, Akko still found it hard to believe that a goldfish could be a teacher. Though, as Akko had seen, Professor Pisces was very impressive-looking when she took a human form.Akko sat down in a chair in front of Professor Holbrooke’s desk. For several minutes, she sat and searched the small office without looking at anything in particular, still thinking about what she had just heard, and running a hand across the back of her neck. Her scars had stopped hurting now.She felt much calmer, somehow, now that she was in Professor Holbrooke’s office, knowing she would shortly be telling her about the dream. Akko looked up at the wall behind the desk. She had never noticed hold old and chipped the Nine Olde Witches’ hats were. They could use better care. The Magic Mirror stood in the corner of the room, partially covered by a long beige tarp. She was gazing at it, remembering how, four years ago, he mirror-self had been adamant in putting her into Eclipse, believing it was the best way to reach her true potential. Akko would be lying if she didn’t have doubts in the past, especially during her second year. She quickly noticed, however, that a patch of soft green light, dancing and shimmering on the glass. She looked around for the source of the light and saw a sliver of emerald-green light shining brightly from behind the row of bookcases on the left-hand wall, one of which looked to have been moved out of place. Akko hesitated, glanced at Professor Pisces, then got up, walked across the office, and pulled open the bookcase, which was surprisingly light.Behind it was a hidden room that was solely occupied by a massive gilded clock that was shaped like an hourglass, easily twice Akko’s size. The needles of the clock face were constantly turning at random, sometimes shifting after only one second, and at other a full minute, but the hands were always on the opposite side of each other. Behind the face was a cluster of gears that creaked and rattled, but sounded strangely symphonic the more Akko listened. Underneath the gears was the pendulum, which was made of octahedron crystals that gave off an emerald-green glow, explaining where the strange light was coming from. A magic circle floated around the pendulum, made up of runes and symbols that Akko did not recognize. Something was moving ceaselessly between the crystals. It was bright, whitish-silver; it ruffled like water beneath wind, and then, like clouds, separated and swirled smoothly – it looked like wind made solid.Akko wanted to touch it, to find out what it was, what it could do, but nearly four years of experience in Luna Nova told her that touching a strange glowing clock that obviously held untold magical power was a very stupid thing to do. She therefore pulled her wand out from its holster, cast a nervous look at the chamber entrance, looked back at the clock, and prodded the base.The strange substance inside the crystals began to swirl very fast.Akko leaned closer, her head nearly touching the surface of the pendulum. The silvery substance had become transparent; it looked like glass. She looked into it, expecting to see the wall behind the clock – and saw instead and enormous room through the mysterious substance, a room into which she seemed to be looking inside through circular window.The room was dimly lit; she thought it might even be underground, for there were no windows, merely torches in brackets. Leaning her face closer so that her nose was a mere inch from the pendulum, Akko saw that rows and rows of Demi-Humans were seated around every wall on what seemed to be benches rising in levels. In the center of the room were a pair of long shackles bolted to the floor. There was something about the shackles that gave Akko an ominous feeling.Where was this place? It surely wasn’t Luna Nova; she had never seen a room like that here in the school. Moreover, the crowd in the mysterious room in the window of the pendulum was comprised of adults, and Akko knew there were not nearly that many teachers at Luna Nova. They seemed to be waiting for something, Akko thought, as all of their faces were pointing in one direction, and none of them were talking to one another.Akko could not make out what was going due to the crowd block the view. She leaned even closer, tilting her head, trying to see….The tip of her nose touched the crystal into which she was staring.The hidden chamber gave an almighty lurch – Akko was thrown forward and pitched headfirst into the window inside the pendulum –And suddenly, Akko found herself stumbling on a bench at the end of the room inside the pendulum, a bench raised high above the others. She bumped into the woman sitting them, nearly knocking her over. Righting herself up, Akko looked behind her, expecting to see the crystal window through which she had just been staring, but there was nothing there but dark, solid stone.Breathing hard and fast, Akko looked around her. Only a few of the Demi-Humans spared her a passing glance, obviously finding it strange that a fourteen-year-old girl had caused quite a commotion upon entrance, but quickly returned their attention to the corner. Akko turned to the witch she had bumped into, who looked a little frazzled as she attempted to readjusted her pointed hat and smooth out her clothes before facing Akko as well.A young woman with emerald-green hair pulled back in a bun so elaborate that it made Professor Finnelan look shabby by comparison, her bright-blue eyes search Akko with curiosity. That was something oddly familiar about this woman….“Oh my, are you all right, dear?” the woman asked politely.“Uh – erm – y-yeah, I’m fine,” Akko said in a strangled whisper. “I’m sorry – I didn’t mean to – I was just – I guess I kinda lost my footing and – well, you know.”“It’s quite all right; no harm done,” said the woman with an understanding smile. “Though you do seem rather…young to be sitting in the middle of a trial. You’re wearing a Luna Nova uniform, though it seems a little…different since I wore it.” She said, looking Akko up and down, caressing the fabric of her sleeve. “Softer material for sure. They must have changed it since I graduated. Are you related to someone on the Council?”“Er…yes?” Akko squeaked out hesitantly. She had no idea what was going on, but figured it was better to go along.“I don’t mind the councilmen bringing their children to work, but taking them to something like this…,” the woman muttered to herself. “Oh, I’m sorry, I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Meredith. Meredith Holbrooke.”It suddenly dawned on Akko. That’s why this woman looked so familiar; she looked like a younger version of Professor Holbrooke. Although, Akko knew the headmistress’s name was Miranda, and Lotte never mentioned any other family members with their last name. And considering that Meredith thought Akko’s uniform looked new, there was only one explanation: this woman was Professor Holbrooke’s mother.Once before, Akko had traveled backwards in time. That time, she had used a literal time machine to move back several hours to save a Qilin and her aunt Izetta. But this was considerably longer than a few simple hours – if Professor Holbrooke’s mother was so young, then she had to be at least close to a hundred years in the past…. The only reason Akko wasn’t hyperventilating right now was because she learned from her experiences last year. The past was set in stone and could not be changed – the only reason she would be thrown back so far in time is if she was meant to be here. But why? What was this place? What were all these people waiting for?Akko looked around more carefully. The room, as she had suspected when observing it through the crystal, was almost certainly underground – more of a dungeon than a room, she thought. There was a bleak and foreboding air about the place; there was no pictures on the wall, no decorations at all; just these serried rows of benches rising in levels all around the room, all positioned so that they had a clear view of the shackles on the floor.“Uh…are you ill,” said Meredith Holbrooke, snapping Akko out of her stupor. “You haven’t said anything in several minutes.”Before could come up with a response without giving away that she was from the future, she heard footsteps. The door in the corner of the dungeon opened and three people entered – or at least one man, flanked by two Heartless,Akko’s insides went cold. These heartless weren’t like the Neo Shadows she had encountered before – they were tall, bulky, winged creatures with curled horns and carrying swords by their sides. They were gliding slowly toward the center of the room, each grasping one of the man’s arms with their clawed hands. The man between them, shockingly looked unaffected by the Heartless’ touch and seemed more bored than anything else. Akko resisted the urge to sink into the bench…even after warding off a small cluster of Neo Shadows, the Heartless still terrified her to the core, and these versions looked extremely powerful. The watching crowd recoiled slightly as the Heartless placed the man between the shackles and glided out of the room. The door swung shut behind them.Akko looked down at the man now standing in the center of the room and saw that it was Zeref.She didn’t know why she was surprised that Zeref looked exactly the same as he did in the present day. The only different was that instead of the black robe-and-toga combo he sported around Luna Nova, he was grabbed in the thinnest and rattiest clothes imaginable. Even as Akko watched, the chains on the floor suddenly rattled and coiled to life like metal snakes, shooting up to Zeref’s arms and binding him in the shackles.“Zeref Dragneel,” said a curt voice to Akko left. Akko looked around and saw what looked to be a young girl behind a podium in the middle of the row of benches. She was fairly small, so much so that she needed a stepping stool to stand above the podium, dressed in frilly pink clothes with what looked like tiny wings poking out of her flowing golden hair. “You are here to face trial for your crimes before the Magic Council. I, Council Chairwoman Mavis Vermillion, shall be presiding.”Mavis Vermillion? Didn’t Zeref say that Mavis Vermillion was Chariot’s grandmother; that made this tiny girl Akko’s ancestor as well. This is getting very trippy, Akko thought.Zeref straightened himself as best as he could, his arms pulled tight by the chains. He flashed the little woman a soft smile and Mavis, to Akko’s surprised, looked flustered for a moment. Mavis quickly composed herself, coughing into her hand importantly.“Zeref, you have been charged with three hundred years of crimes against humanity,” said Mavis evenly. “Such crimes include tampering with time magic, the sacrilegious practice of life and death magic, the genocidal purge of the city of Milidan, creating the Etherious, the conquest of Alverez by martial force, and the deaths of thousands upon thousands of innocent souls. How do you plead?”“Why, not guilt, of course,” said Zeref casually. “I have done nothing wrong.”There was a lot of outrageous murmurs around the benches. Some of the Demi-Humans were surveying Zeref with outright spite, others with pronounced gazes of fear despite his bindings. Then Akko heard, quiet distinctly, from Meredith’s other side, a familiar hissing voice saying, “Filth.”Akko leaned forward so that she could see past Meredith. Ram was sitting there – except that there was a very noticeable difference in her appearance. She did not have the curled horns that resembled her namesake, but two buds poking out of her hair that would one day sprout into them. She was looking down upon Zeref with an intense gaze of dislike.“Vermillion is going to let him off, I know it,” Ram breathed quietly to Meredith. “You know she’s sweet on him, despite trying to hide it. Took me six months to track him down, and Vermillion is going to let him go. I say we throw him to the Heartless and let him rot inside his own mind.”Meredith made a small noise of dissent through her nose.“Ah, I was forgetting…you don’t like the Heartless, do you, Holbrooke?” said Ram with a sardonic smile.“No,” said Meredith evenly. “I’m afraid I don’t. I have long felt the Magic Council is wrong to ally itself with such creatures.”“But for filth like this…” Ram said softly.“You plead that you are innocent despite the long list of crimes against you,” said Mavis. “You have claimed that you have done nothing wrong. How did you come to this conclusion?”“All the crimes against me are circumstantial at best,” said Zeref with a knowing smile. “It’s true that I developed the research for the R System and the Eclipse Gate, but I was not the one who constructed them, was I? It was Anna Heartfilia that opened the Eclipse Gate and it was a cult of misguided fanatics that made the R System. I did not tell any of them to do it.”“What a load of bull,” sneered Ram.“And what about the deaths of thousands that were inflicted upon by you?” said Mavis.“You of all people know of my Curse of Contradiction, Mavis,” said Zeref cunningly. “When I care for something, my curse kills all that I cherish against my will. I have no control over it unless I wish to intentionally kill. The city of Milidan where I spent many years of study in the academy was merely the first in a long line of unintentional victims when the Goddess Ankhseram bestowed this curse upon me. If you want to blame someone for the deaths of innocent, blame the cruel, heartless gods that care nothing for the lives of mortals. I have done nothing wrong.”“And why would the goddess curse him, if not to punish him for his heresy,” muttered Ram. “The fact is that neither the Eclipse Gate nor the R System would exist if not for him.”“But he has a point; he didn’t make those people use them,” Meredith defended; Ram huffed indignantly.“And what about the Etherious?” said Mavis sharply. “They were responsible for the deaths of entire cities, including the port town of Hargeon.”“They were created for the specific purpose of killing me,” said Zeref immediately, like he had been expecting each question. “But the problem with creating life is that it has a will of its own. They were tasked with a purpose, but they didn’t know how to go about it. I cannot be held responsible for their actions any more than the Council can be held responsible for the Heartless. Or is the Council trying to cover up their recent attacks in Radiant Garden and the Destiny Islands.”“No one is actually buying this garbage, are they?” hissed Ram.“And your conquest of Alverez?” Mavis continued.The Council call it a conquest, but I call it unity,” said Zeref smugly. “I don’t deny that I played a role in the empire’s foundation, but is it really considered a crime when the country now prospers? In the past, Alverez was in chaos; weak and inefficient governments constantly warring with one another, crippling their own economy and plunging its citizens into destitution. I created the Alverez Empire and now its people thrive on a healthy economy. The divide between rich and poor is the smallest in any nation. People are happy. And the Magic Council claims this a conquest simply because they chose me as their ruler while the Magic Council sat on their hands and never lifted a finger to help. So tell me, Mavis, who is the real villain of this story.”Akko had to admit that Zeref made a very convincing argument. If she didn’t already know him, she would have thought that Zeref wasn’t a bad guy and didn’t deserve to this kind of scrutiny. Mavis Vermillion seemed to think the same thing; she looked crestfallen as she met Zeref’s eyes with a conflicted expression. Unfortunately, Akko noticed, no one else seemed to be as sympathetic. It probably wasn’t a smart idea to insult the Magic Council right to their faces; Ram’s upper lip quivered in a nasty snarl.Taking notice of her college’s expressions, Mavis took a deep breath through her nose, exhaling slowly from her mouth, and donned a cold, emotionless look in her eyes.“You have made your argument, Zeref,” she said coolly. “But your fate shall be decided by the Magic Council. It’s time to put it to a vote…. All in favor of a life sentencing to Dol Guldur…raise your hand….”The Demi-Humans seated on the right side of the dungeon raised their hands in perfect unison. Not a single person had their hand down; they were all glaring at Zeref with contemptuous glares. The crowd around the walls began to clap, their faces full of savage triumph. Meredith did not join them, but rose from her seat and walked out with a spiteful leer at the people she passed. The Black Wizard did not seem surprised by this, but lowered his head in resignation. Mavis, too, lowered her head sadly, her eyes looking a little watery, but quickly blinked them away and returned to her natural expression.“Motion carried…,” Mavis spoke in a hollow voice. “You shall be sentenced to Dol Guldur, where you shall remain until the end of your existence, for as long as that may be. Call the Heartless back in…take him away….”Mavis’s voice faded. Akko looked around; the dungeon was dissolving as though it were made of smoke; everything was fading; she could see only her own body – all else was swirling darkness….And then, the dungeon returned. Akko landed with a hard thud on a different seat, still on the highest bench. The atmosphere seemed quite different: somber, even apprehensive. The Demi-Humans all around the walls were talking top one another, speaking in low voices as if afraid of being overheard. Behind the podium where Mavis once stood, Akko noticed Org took her place. Unlike his present-day counterpart, Org had both eyes open and his bear was dramatically shorter and still graying. Akko looked around and realized with a slight shock that she was seated next to an unbelievably beautiful woman with flawless pale skin, crystal-blue eyes and platinum-blonde hair with only a single tea-green highlight around her heart-faced face. Akko knew it was impossible, but she couldn’t help mistaking this woman for –“Diana?” Akko said before she could stop herself.The woman nearly jumped out of her seat. She held a hand over her heart, doubling over into a coughing fit. Akko squeaked and rubbed the poor woman’s back soothingly, sputtering, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”“It’s…it’s quite all right,” Not-Diana gasped once she stopped coughing. “You just caught me by surprise. I have…not been in the best health lately.”“It’s my fault for scaring you; I’m so sorry about that,” Akko apologized.“It’s fine, it’s fine,” said Not-Diana. “When you called me by my daughter’s name, I was a bit astonished. We do share a resemblance, but I rarely get mistaken for someone much younger than myself.”Akko immediately tensed up. Her daughter…her daughter’s name was Diana…which could only mean that this woman was Diana’s mother, Bernadette Cavendish.Diana spoke very little about her second mother and Athena Cavendish’s wife. It was only last year that Diana confided in her that Bernadette had died from a weak body while Diana was still only a child. She had never mentioned how strong of a resemblance they shared. The only real difference between the two was that Diana’s face was more round compared to the sharp angle of her mother’s, and the highlighted sections of Bernadette’s hair were more pronounced than her daughter’s. In all honesty, Akko couldn’t be blamed for mistaking the two.“But it’s strange, really,” said Bernadette, humming as she gave Akko a critical stare. “Do you…know my daughter?”“Er…kinda?” Akko said feebly.“But Diana is only six years old,” said Bernadette, her brow furrowed. “And you’re wearing a Luna Nova uniform. How exactly do you know her?”Akko stumbled over her words, not knowing how to respond. What was she supposed to say? ‘I’m the girl who is madly in love with your daughter and kissed her in the bathroom’? Somehow, Akko didn’t think that would go over well.Thankfully, she was once again spared of any explanations when the door in the corner opened, and a woman and a small child entered the room.Akko immediately recognized the woman. It was Athena Cavendish, Diana’s other mother, though several years younger; the wrinkles under her eyes didn’t exist yet. The child shuffling along next to her was clinging to Athena’s robe, bundling the fabric in her tiny fingers. She looked to be of Japanese origin with pure-black hair tied into a pair of spiky pigtails. She looked nervous as Athena guided her into the center of the room between the chains, but they did not bind her there as they had bound Zeref. The small child let out a frightened whimper and buried her face into Athena’s robe when Org leaned over the podium and gave her a nasty look.“Mato Kuroi, you have been brought here in front of the Magic Council to answer charged relating to the mass murder of the town of Kurogane, Japan,” said Org. “One hundred and forty-seven civilians murdered in their homes overnight. You were found on the streets at daybreak, covered in blood – the victims’ blood. We are prepared to pass our verdict. Do you have anything to add to your testimony before we pronounce judgment?”Akko couldn’t believe her ears. Mato Kuroi, a mass murderer?Mato whimpered again and buried her face deep into Athena’s robe. Athena patted her head softly, glaring at Org in righteous fury.“Org, please, she’s just a child!” Athena sneered. “Don’t you think she is a little much?”“That ‘child’ slaughtered an entire town!” Org spat harshly. “She was soaked in their blood! We have all the evidence we need to prove it! Don’t let her little sobbing act fool you. That…thing is a monster!”“Ironic for him to call someone a monster,” someone muttered dryly in the seat in front of Akko. She looked down and saw the back of Ram’s head, her horns fully grown and curled. “Considering all the monstrous things he gets up to, and yet always sweeps it under the rug when someone points it out. One day, I swear he will get what’s coming to him….”“Mato Kuroi, you have been found unequivocally responsible for the mass murder of innocent civilians,” said Org. “For this, I suggest a term of imprisonment in Dol Guldur lasting no less than – “But there was an angry outcry from the surrounding benches. Several of the Demi-Humans around the walls stood up, shaking their heads, and even their fists, at Org.“She can’t be held responsible for her actions!” Athena snapped. “It wasn’t her fault! The poor child suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder!”“What nonsense are you blathering on about?” Org snapped crossly.“As a professional psychologist, it is my duty to examine the mental state of everyone detained by the Custody Enforcement Unit,” said Athena. “I spend all day evaluating the psyche of every so-called ‘criminal’ your people bring in, to assess their motives and figure out what triggered their actions. After several evaluations with Miss Kuroi, I have learned that she suffers from a mental disorder called Dissociative Identity Disorder, or multiple personality disorder as it is ineloquently called.”“And what does this have to do with anything?” asked Org sharply.“Dissociative Identity Disorder is characterized by at least two distinct and relatively enduring personality states,” Athena continued. “My analysis shows that there are at least two mental states inside Miss Kuroi’s head. One of them is the poor child you see here,” she gestured to Mato, who looked hopefully up at her. “And the other is a more volatile, destructive mental state likely brought on by forcefully suppressing her violent impulses. Upon an examination of her history, I have seen that Miss Kuroi is a generally pleasant little girl who would never hurt others, even when they hurt her. That’s because she’s been repressing her darker urges for years. Many would think this is a good thing, but without being able to act on these urges, it built up inside her more and more until it exploded, like when you fill a balloon with too much air. Something must have happened that finally broke her limit and let all of those violent impulses out, creating a second personality.”“All your long-winded talk has done is remind us that Mato Kuroi is guilty as sin,” Org leered. “We shall pass the sentencing – ““No, she can’t be held responsible for this!” Athena argued. “When another personality takes over, the other loses all awareness of what they are doing. This results in a massive gap between memories beyond what could be explained as ordinary forgetfulness. Miss Kuroi was not aware of what her other mental state was doing at the time. She can’t be sent to prison, she needs help – professional help.”“And what would your solution be?” said Org, shooting Athena his nastiest glare.“I move that she be committed to psychiatric ward at Alchemilla Hospital to be treated,” said Athena. “I will personally oversee her progress until she is within a strong enough mental state to return to society.”There were some murmurs of approval from the crowd.“It will be put to a vote,” said Org coldly. He turned to the right-hand side of the dungeon. “The jury will please raise their hands…those in favor of imprisonment…”Akko looked toward the right-hand side of the dungeon. Not one person raised their hand. Many of the Demi-Humans around the walls began to clap; the dungeon was ringing with applause. Relief washed over Athena as she lifted Mato into her arms, beaming.“Despicable,” Akko heard Org spit furiously, sitting down as Athena carried Mato out of the dungeon. “Letting that demon walk out because of a few crocodile tears…. Professional help indeed…they’ll all see eventually. The day that monster walks free, the whole world will see what she truly is….”And the dungeon dissolved again. When it had returned, Akko looked around. She was still sitting at the top seat of the benches and Org was still standing behind the podium, though his beard was even shorter than the last trip; she must have gone further back in time. The atmosphere in the dungeon could not have been any more different. There was total silence, broken only by the soft sniffles of Athena, who was sitting in the front row, rubbing her eyes irritably with the sleeve of her robe. Her eyes were red and puffy, but there was a righteous fury behind them that burned as bright as the sun. Akko noticed that Bernadette wasn’t in the crowd.“Grown curious have we, Miss Kagari?”Akko had to slap both hands over her mouth to stop herself from crying out. She turned in the seat and found herself confronted by Professor Holbrooke. The headmistress leaned against her staff, smiling amusingly.“Professor?” Akko gasped quietly. “Professor, I – I didn’t mean – I was just – I didn’t think – ““Relax, Miss Kagari, you are not in trouble,” said Professor Holbrooke with a soft chuckle. “At least not yet, anyway. You are technically not my student yet, so I can’t punish you right now, though I’ll have to make a memo for my future self to remember. Heaven knows my memory isn’t what it used to be.”“…You’re Professor Holbrooke from the past,” Akko realized.“The past for you, but the present for me,” said Professor Holbrooke sagely. “I had a strange feeling that I would be needed here, and I was right. Something brought you to this point in time, correct?”“This weird clock that looks like an hourglass,” said Akko. “Inside Luna Nova.”“Hmm…I haven’t found any clocks like that around the school,” said Professor Holbrooke, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. “I’ll have to be sure to keep my eye out for it in the future. But, if this magic clock sent you back in time, then you must have been brought here for a reason. Something of importance must have occurred here that you need in the future.”“It feels like it would’ve been easier to use the Fountain of Polaris,” Akko sighed tiredly.Holbrooke chortled, and said, “Yes, the Fountain is a very useful tool…I may have to consider bringing it to the school sometime for an important job…. But for now, sit back and pay close attention, Miss Kagari. It’s starting….”As she said it, the door in the corner opened yet again. Six demon-like heartless entered this time, flanking a group of four people. Akko saw the people in the crowd turn to look toward Athena. A few of them whispered to one another.The Heartless placed each of the four people in the center of the room where eight shackles were now bolted into the stone floor. There was a thickset man who stared blankly up at Org; a thinner and more nervous-looking man, whose eyes were darting around the crowd; a boy in his late teens who looked nothing short of petrified. The last of them was a young woman who look like she had been savagely mauled by some beast. The left side of her face was covered in severe burns, she was missing her left eye, leaving a hollow black socket, and her left arm was nothing but a black, skeletal hand. And yet, somehow, the brutalized woman still managed to look almost triumphant as she shot a wicked grin toward Athena, who looked ready to pounce on the scarred woman at any moment.Org looked down upon the four in front of him, and there was pure hatred in his face.“You have been brought here before the Magic Council,” he said clearly, “so that we may pass judgment upon you, for crimes so heinous – ““As if the Magic Council didn’t have a role in these ‘heinous crimes’,” the scarred woman snorted.“ – that we have rarely heard the like of it within this court,” said Org, speaking more loudly, drowning out the woman’s voice. “We have heard the evidence against you. The four of you stand accused of kidnapping of a councilwoman – Bernadette Cavendish – and tortured her, believing her to have knowledge of the present whereabouts of the Star-Born Child, and your former master, the Eclipse Queen – ““So that’s the angle you’re going with, huh?” the woman shook her head amusingly. “Eclipse Queen…what a load of crap….”“You are further accused,” bellowed Org, “of using the Curse of Souls on Bernadette Cavendish, when she would not give you information. You planned to restore the Eclipse Queen to power, and to resume the lives of violence you presumably led while she was strong. I now ask the jury – ““Why don’t you come clean and tell everyone what this is really about?” the woman said with a maniacal grin. “You’re trying to save your own worthless hide – attempting to cover your tracks. You don’t want the rest of the world to find out that the Magic Council was directly involved in everything we did. You throw around that Eclipse Queen bullshit to discredit everyone who speaks out against you. You’re afraid of losing what little power you have – ““I now ask the jury,” shouted Org in a rushed tone, “to raise their hands if they believe, as I do, that these criminals deserve a life sentence in Dol Gulder!”In unison, the Demi-Humans along the right-hand side of the dungeon raised their hands. The crowd around the walls began to clap as it did for Mato, their faces full of malicious glee.The Heartless were gliding back into the room. The woman’s three companions followed them quietly, but the scarred woman looked up at Org and called, “You don’t know true power, Org! What you have now is fleeting! I have seen real power! Throw us into Dol Gulder; I will wait! Amon will carry on our mission; he will revive the one true master of the Seven Stars! Our master will rise again and will come for me, I will be rewarded beyond any other follower! The master will return and the world will be forced to see the truth!”“Take them away!” Org roared at the Heartless, spit flying from his mouth. “Take them away, and may they rot there!”The crowd was jeering, some of them on their feet, as the woman swept out of the dungeon, flanked by the Heartless, but their cold, draining powers seemed to have no effect on her as she practically strutted. Athena was glaring at her back with cold fury. Akko could understand her rage. If what Org had said was true, then Diana’s mother had been….“I think, Miss Kagari, it is time you return to your present,” Professor Holbrooke spoke quietly in her ear.Akko started. She had almost forgotten about the diminutive headmistress seated next to her in the midst of the chaos.Professor Holbrooke stared at Akko over her square-framed glasses, then she reached a hand out, laying her palm flat across Akko’s chest, and gave her a light shove. Akko felt herself being pulled backwards sharply like a rocket; the dungeon dissolved around her; for a moment, all was blackness, and then she felt as though she had done a slow-motion somersault, suddenly aware that she was flying across the hidden chamber and into Professor Holbrooke’s office. She landed flat on her back, sliding across the floor, until her head connect with the wall next to Professor Pisces’ aquarium. Akko sat up, rubbing the sore spot on her head while blinking the stars out of her vision, and saw the present-day Professor Holbrooke standing next to the hidden bookshelf entrance.“Enjoy your stroll through time, Miss Kagari?” said Professor Holbrooke.“Professor,” Akko gasped, “I know I shouldn’t have – I didn’t mean – it was just sorta open and – ““I quite understand,” said Professor Holbrooke. She opened the hidden bookshelf a little wider and entered the threshold. She motioned for Akko to join her.Akko did so, staring at the grand clock. The pendulum had returned to its original luminous state, the contents inside swirling and rippling.“What is it?” Akko asked shakily.“This? It is called the Horologium Clock,” said Professor Holbrooke. “It’s a recent acquisition I discovered while search for space to use for Miss Constanze’s laboratory. Of course, I would never have known how it worked if you hadn’t arrived in the past all those years ago. Funny how things work out that way, isn’t it. As I am certain you have already deduced, the Horologium Clock possess an incredible magic that allows one to travel through time.”“So it’s a better version of Professor Croix’s Chrono-Accelerator?” Akko said, staring at the swirling substance in the pendulum.“Well, yes and no,” said Professor Holbrooke. “While Professor Croix’s machine has limited power, it allows whoever commands it to choose how far they wish to travel. The Horologium Clock has the power to send its user to any point in time unhindered, but it does not let you choose the destination. I don’t fully understand how it works, but the clock seems to send its users to certain points in time because they need to be there. For whatever reason, the Horologium Clock sent you to three different points in time, no doubt because they were important to you.”“So it is like the Fountain of Polaris,” said Akko.“Oh no, there is quite the distinction, but neither of us have the time to go into that long-winded discussion,” said Professor Holbrooke amusingly. “I was observing the Horologium Clock the Chairman arrived for our meeting and closed it off rather hastily. Undoubtedly, I did not close the door properly. Naturally, it would have attracted your attention.”“Sorry,” Akko mumbled.Professor Holbrooke shook her head. “Curiosity is not a sin, Miss Kagari,” she said. “But we should exercise caution with our curiosity. But for now, let’s put the past behind us and focus our attention on the present.”Professor Holbrooke stepped back into the main office, Akko following her shortly, and rapped the secret bookshelf twice with her staff. The shelf creaked loudly as it slid unassisted back against the wall until the hidden chamber was completely concealed. The diminutive headmistress hobbled over to the claw-footed desk and sat down in the chair behind it. She motioned for Akko to approach the desk.“So, Miss Kagari,” said Professor Holbrooke quietly. “Before you got lost in the past, you wanted to tell me something?”“Yeah,” said Akko. “Professor – I was in foretelling just now, and I – um – I fell asleep.”She hesitated here, wondering if a reprimand was coming, but Professor Holbrooke smiled mischievously and said, “You wouldn’t be the first. Please continue.”“Well, I had a dream,” said Akko. “A dream about Amon. He was in an open field somewhere with an amphitheater. He wasn’t alone. He was with Ruvik, Acnologia, and a third person. In my dream, I was looking through the third person’s eyes. It was a girl – I heard her voice. Amon said something about the third person’s blunder, and she said she took care of it. She said someone was dead. Amon was talking about me and Nico – Nico Minoru. And then…I don’t know, I think Amon realized I was watching. He used bloodbending on the other person and my scars started hurting. They woke me up, it hurt so badly.”Professor Holbrooke merely looked at her.“Uh – that’s it,” said Akko.“I see,” said Professor Holbrooke quietly. “I see. Now, has your scars hurt at any other time this year, excepting the time it woke you up over the summer?”“No, just those two times,” said Akko.Professor Holbrooke got up and began walking up and down behind her desk, head bowed in deep thought. Every now and then, she would stop in front of the busts of the Nine Olde Witches’ hats, most often the one belonging to the original Headmistress, Woodward, and then resumed marching again.“Professor?” Akko said quietly, after a couple of minutes.Professor Holbrooke stopped pacing and looked at Akko.“My apologizes,” she said quietly. She sat back down at her desk.Professor Holbrooke looked very intently at Akko for a moment, and then said, “I have a theory, no more than that…. It is my belief that your visions are a result of the Stars of Arcturus reacting when they are under great threat.”“I thought about that, too,” Akko admitted, recalling her moment of reflection when she awoke so suddenly during the summer. “But why? Is it because I’m bonded to the Shiny Rod? Did Shiny Chariot ever have visions?”“I do not recall if Chariot ever had visions like you,” said Professor Holbrooke. “But yes, I do believe, as you have surmised, it has something to do with your connection to the Shiny Rod. The truth of it all lies in the secret of your birth. Unfortunately, I have no knowledge of the event like Chariot.”“So you thin…that dream…did it really happen?”“It is possible,” said Professor Holbrooke “I would say – probable. Akko – did you see any of the Stars?”“Not in this dream,” said Akko. “But the dream I had last summer – Amon was in some house with Ruvik and Ancologia. And there were two girls – two Humans. Amon mentioned something about one of them having the Star of Time inside of her. So Amon used Bloodbending to hold her down and Acnologia….”Akko very nervously quiet for a moment. She had woken up from her dream before she had seen what happened next, but she had a strong idea of how it played out. That one girl – Max – she wondered if Amon meant what he said about not killing unless necessary.Neither Akko nor Professor Holbrooke spoke for a while. Professor Holbrooke was gazing across the room, staring at empty space as if an answer would magically appear.“Professor,” Akko said at last, “what do you think Amon is planning? Why is he doing all of this?”“That is a good question,” said Professor Holbrooke, looking at Akko with a characteristic piercing stare the headmistress had given her on other occasions, and always made Akko feel as though Holbrooke were seeing right through her. “Once again, I cannot give you a definitive answer. I did not work closely with Amon as Chariot and the others have. I do not understand how his mind works. All I can provide is my suspicions.”Professor Holbrooke sighed heavily, and it was the first time Akko realized just how old and tired the headmistress really was.“This past year has been marked with a number of disappearances and strange incidents,” she said. “Aleister Crowley, a brilliant man who lived isolated from the rest of the world, disappeared without a trace. A few weeks later, the Purifiers attack the Chariot Racing Tournament equipped with advanced anti-magic technology…the kind that could only be created in Academy City, which Crowley helped build. Org too has disappeared…within these very grounds, when he has been known to be in correspondence with Crowley for several years. And then there was an incident over the summer, one which the Magic Council, I regret to say, do not consider of any importance, for it concerns two humans. Their names are Maxine Caufield and Chloe Price, they live in a small suburban home in Seattle with Miss Caufield’s parents. Both were found in the living room, half-dead. Miss Price suffered from internal injuries and Miss Caufield was missing her left arm completely – thankfully, the wound seemed to have been cauterized before she could bleed out. Professor Croix heard about the incident over the Human news program.”“Those were the girls in my vision,” said Akko quickly. “The ones that Amon attacked.”“Yes, Professor Croix and Professor Ursula matched Miss Price’s injuries as a result of bloodbending,” said Professor Holbrooke, looking very seriously at Akko. “All of these events are linked in one form or another. The Council disagrees – as you may have heard, while waiting outside my office.”Akko nodded.
Silence fell between them again. Akko felt as though she should go, but her curiosity rooted her into place.“Professor?” she said again.“Yes, Miss Kagari?” said Professor Holbrooke.“Um…could I ask you about…that court thin I was in…in the Horologium Clock?”“You could,” said Professor Holbrooke heavily. “I find my mind wandering to it many times, but some trials come back to me more clearly than others…particularly now….”“You know – you know the trial that we met in – I mean, your past self? The one with that woman with the skeleton hand? They were talking about Diana’s mom…Bernadette, right?”Professor Holbrooke gave Akko a very sharp look. “Has Diana ever told you about her mother, Miss Kagari?” she said.“She said something last year,” Akko mumbled uncertainly. “She said that her mom had a weak body and died because it couldn’t handle her magic…. She died when Diana was six….”Which would put her somewhere around the time when Akko visited Mato’s trial, if she recalled correctly. That was why Bernadette looked so sickly when Akko dropped in; she was already at death’s doorstep at the time, and had been pushing herself to be there with her wife.“Yes, I suppose it was better for Diana to believe a lie rather than the truth,” said Professor Holbrooke somberly. “Athena told her daughter that Bernadette died of natural causes so that Diana would not be consumed by thoughts of vengeance. Not too dissimilar to how you were when you believed that Izetta had betrayed your mother. But, I suppose, you heard the truth for yourself there in the courtroom.”“They used the Curse of Souls on her,” said Akko quietly. “Professor Zeref said that victims of the curse are left…broken…unable to live….”“Sadly, this is true,” said Professor Holbrooke, her voice full of bitterness Akko had never heard there before. “She was captured and tortured for four days before the Custody Enforcement Unit found them. By that time, Bernadette had already been cursed, her soul mutilated beyond repair. Oh, Bernadette found hard to stay alive, using every bit of healing magic in the Cavendish’s vast library and even consulting with Susan Manbavaran and even Professor Croix. But it was too much for her. She struggled for six long, painful year, trying to spend as much time as she could with her daughter, before she ultimately passed away.”Akko sat there, horror-struck. For something so terrible to happen…and Diana didn’t know….“The Cavendishes are the most powerful and popular family in the magical world,” said Professor Holbrooke. “The attack on their matriarch came after the world believed that Aradia had fallen, just when everyone thought they were safe. The attack caused a wave of fury such as I have never known. The Council was under great pressure to catch those who had done it. They had personally dispatched Ram to catch them…and you saw the result of the struggle. Cinder Fall was only fortunate to keep her life when the matter was settled.”Akko sat in silence once more, eyes glancing toward the bookshelf that hid the Horologium Clock. There were more questions she was burning to ask…but they concerned the guilt of living people….“Uh,” she said, “Mato…she was….”“…committed to Alchemilla Hospital shortly after her trial,” said Professor Holbrooke calmly. “Athena worked with her for three years until she was deemed stable enough to rejoin the rest of the world. It was Athena who recommended her to Black Star Academy, believing Ram would be of greater help in keeping her stable.”“Right,” said Akko hastily. She stared deeply into Holbrooke’s bright-blue eyes, and the thing she really wanted to know spilled out of her mouth before she could stop it. “And um…you’re sure that Mato is…really stable? It’s just that…if Mato really does have a second personality, then…well, there’s this…thing….”“You are concerned for the unknown name that appears in Shiny Chariot’s guide,” Professor Holbrooke hummed. “I can understand your concern, but Ram has assured me that Mato has everything under control.”“But how can you be so sure?”Professor Holbrooke held Akko’s gaze for a few seconds, and then said, “Miss Kagari, this is a private matter between Miss Kuroi and her caretakers, and I would ask you not to force your way into their business.”Akko knew that the interview was over; Professor Holbrooke did not look angry, yet there was a finality in her tone that told Akko it was time to go. She stood up, and so did Holbrooke.“Miss Kagari,” she said as Akko reached the door. “Please do not speak about Bernadette to anybody else, especially Diana. That is another matter that is not yours to butt in.”“I understand,” Akko mumbled, “but the last time I kept secrets from Diana, who stopped talking to me for almost a year.”“Yes, I remember,” said Professor Holbrooke. “But this is about her family, and she deserves to hear the truth from Athena, when she is ready.”“Yes, Professor,” said Akko, turning to go.“And – “ Professor Holbrooke, looking older and wearier than ever, “good luck with the final game.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Granny thinks Amon is somehow behind everything that's been going on?" Lotte whispered.Everything Akko had seen in the Horologium Clock, nearly everything Professor Holbrooke had told and shown her afterward, she had now shared with her friends in Polaris – and, of course, with Izetta, to whom Akko had sent a letter the moment she had left Holbrooke's office. Akko and her friends sat up late in their dorm room once again that night, talking it all over until Akko's mind was reeling.Amanda stared up at the canopy of her bed, frowning deeply like she usually did when her mind was mulling over a million things at once."And that Mato girl?" she said. "Holbrooke really thinks she's stable, even though she knows what she did?""Yes," said Akko. "Diana's mom was the one that helped her. And Ram is always watching her.""That doesn't seem to stop the chairman from thinking that someone from Black Star attacked Org," said Sucy dryly with a deeper frown that usual. "He didn't single out anyone, right? He accused the entire team, right? Maybe Kuroi isn't the only one with another side to them.""I always thought there was something weird about those guys, but now it makes sense," said Amanda slowly. "They're Demi-Humans, so we never really considered it strange. What if they're
all
like Kuroi and they're just trying to hide it – ""Of course they're going to hide it," said Lotte sharply, leering at her. "Look what Org tried to do to Mato; she was only eight years old and had a mental illness that needed treatment. Look at what happened when Scaglietti found out Professor Ymir and Jasminka were Titan-Shifters. You think they want that kind of prejudice? I'd probably keep it to myself to if that's what I'd get for telling the truth."Stan-Bot, who had been sitting on Constanze's head, said, "We'll worry about them later. Akko hasn't been practicing like she was supposed to. The third game is almost here. We'll need to get a move on it tomorrow. Come on, Akko, you need to get some sleep."Akko only nodded dimly as she and the others started changing into their night clothes. As Akko pulled on her shirt, she thought about Diana. True to her word to Professor Holbrooke, she had not told anyone about Bernadette Cavendish. As Akko climbed into her four-poster, she imagined how it must feel to have watched someone you love died slowly at such a young age. Akko was only a day old when Chariot left her, so she had no memory of her, but she did have her adoptive parents who were still around. Everyone always praised Diana for being a prodigy and heir to the most powerful magical family in the world, but no one ever took into consideration that she might be sad and hurting when no one is looking. Lying in the darkness, Akko felt a rush of anger and hate toward the people who had tortured Bernadette Cavendish…. She remembered the jeers of the crowd as the scarred woman and her companions had been dragged from the court by the Heartless…. She understood how they had felt….It was Amon, Akko thought, staring up at the canopy of her bed in the darkness, it all came back to Amon…. He was the one that lead the coup against Chariot's organization, he was the one that forced Chariot to give up Akko and sent Izetta to Dul Guldur, and it was his followers that tortured and killed Diana's mother…. Amon was the one who had torn their families apart, who had ruined all these lives….Lotte, Sucy, and the others were busy studying for their final exams, which would finish on the day of the final game. They offered to help Akko, who was exempted from the exams for being a champion, but she quickly turned them down, not wanting to be the reason that all had failing grades for distracting them when they could be preparing. Luckily, Blair was there to pick up the slack."I haven't been helping you as much as I should have," she said to the whole of Team Luna Nova, sounding ashamed for her lack of attentiveness. "I'm supposed to be your guardian and I haven't been doing a good job of that. The least I can do is make sure all of you are ready for what's coming up. Diana, you are flawless when it comes to magic, but you need to work on your stamina – you run out of energy way too quickly. Fate, you need to balance your offensive techniques with defensive spells – Makoto, you're the opposite. Nico, work on expanding your vocabulary to use similar spells more than once. And Akko-nyan, let's put a little more focus on casting metamorphosis magic.""I would never have expected Blair to be so proficient at teacher," said Diana surprisingly as she performed a repeated series of spells to improve stamina."Yeah…. Think she's an imposter?" asked Akko, glancing back at Blair with unneeded suspicion.The mood in the school as they entered June became excited and tense again. Everyone was looking forward to the final game, which would take place a week before the end of term. Team Luna Nova were practicing at every available moment. Akko felt more confident about this task than any of the others. Difficult and dangerous though it would undoubtedly be, Zeref was right: Akko had managed to find her way past monstrous creatures and enchanted barriers before, and this time she had some notice, some chance to prepare herself for what lay ahead.Tired of walking in on them all over the school, Professor Finnelan had given Team Luna Nova permission to use the empty alchemy classroom at lunchtimes. Akko had soon mastered the Take-Over Spell, a magic that would deliberately make Akko part-animal and enhance her physical abilities with the traits of whatever she chose; the Quick-Step Spell, which would instantly teleport the user ten feet in the direction they were facing regardless of obstructions, making it useful for quick escapes; and the Compass Spell, a useful trick Diana had taught them that would enable them to check if they were going in the right direction in the labyrinth. She still practiced martial arts with Ursula when available. After her battle with the Honnoji sisters, Akko had put a lot of emphasis on in using physical magic as it was a lot less complicated than having to memorize the proper form and incantations for other types of magic."You're still doing very well," Ursula said encouragingly after having flipped Akko for what felt like the hundredth time. "They you could work on being more self-aware.""I'll keep that in mind," Akko groaned, pulling herself up by the window sill of the room. She looked outside and saw something on the ground. "Hey, is there Professor Crème?"Ursula walked over to stand next to her. Annabel Crème was standing in the shadow of a tree below. She could faintly make out the blonde teen's head swiveling back and forth keeping a look out for something. She had her smartphone pressed to her ear and cupped her hand over her mouth when speaking into it."Why is she being all sneaky like that?" said Akko curiously. "Who's she talking to?""Probably her publisher," said Ursula. "Details about her next book. I can't imagine what authors must do to keep their stories from leaking out. Nothing we should be worried about. Come on, Akko," she added briskly, turning away from the window and moving back into the middle of the room, "let's practice you grappling again."Izetta was sending daily letters now. Like Blair, she seemed to want to concentrate on getting Akko through the last game before they concerned themselves with anything else. She reminded Akko in every letter that whatever might be going on outside the walls of Luna Nova was not Akko's responsibility, nor was it within her power to influence it.If Amon is really gathering power, she wrote,
my priority is to ensure your safety. He cannot hope to lay hands on you while you are under the protection of several powerful witches, but all the same, take no risks: Concentrate on getting through that labyrinth safely, and then we can turn our attention to other matters.Akko's nerves mounted as June twenty-fourth draw closer, but they were not as bad as those she had felt before the other games. For one thing, she was confident that, this time, she had done everything in her power to prepare for the challenge. For another, this was the final hurdle, and however well or badly she did, the Contest would at last be over, which would be an enormous relief.Breakfast was a very noisy affair on the morning of the final game. Wangari dropped off the mail, bringing Akko a good-luck card from Izetta. It was only a piece of paper folded over and bearing a muddy paw print on its front, but Akko appreciated it all the same. Another student dropped off Diana's morning copy of the newspaper as usual. She unfolded the paper, glanced at the front page, and spat out a mouthful of coffee all over it."What?" said Akko, Hannah, and Barbara together, staring at her."Nothing," said Diana quickly, trying to shove the paper out of sight, but Amanda grabbed it. She stared at the headline and said, "No way. Not today.
That bitch!""What?" said Akko. "Scaglietti again?""No," said Amanda, and just like Diana, she attempted to push the paper out of sight."It's about me, isn't it?" said Akko."No," said Amanda, in an entirely unconvincing tone.But before Akko could demand to see the paper, Annabel Crème suddenly bursts in from nowhere, clutching her own copy of the newspaper in her hand."How did she find out about this? Kagari, did you see her anywhere? You need to tell me!" she practically screamed.Looking around the dining hall, Akko soon realized that everyone was shooting her with hesitant glances, almost like they were afraid she was going to attack them. She turned back to Amanda, who never looked more guilty in her entire life."Give it to me," Akko demanded.Very reluctantly, Amanda handed over the newspaper. Akko turned it over and found herself staring at her own picture, beneath the banner headline:
ATSUKO KAGARI "DISTRUBED AND DANGEROUS"
Many readers will remember Luna Nova fourth-year Atsuko Kagari as the cruel girl who toyed with the fragile hearts of poor Diana Cavendish and Andrew Hanbridge, writes Quattro Scaglietti, Special Correspondent. But alarming evidence has recently come to light that suggest Kagari is unstable and possibly dangerous, which casts doubts upon her suitability to compete in a demanding competition like the Contest of Champions, or even to attend Luna Nova Academy.Kagari, we can exclusively reveal, regularly collapses at school, and if often heard to complain of pain from an old scar (which there is no evidence of existing outside of Kagari's claims). On Monday last, midway through a Foretelling lesson, your humble reporter witnessed Kagari storming from the class, claiming that she was hurting too badly to continue studying.It is possible, say top experts at Alchemilla Hospital, that Kagari's "pains" could be the result of a mental affliction, and that her insistence that her "scars" are still hurting is an expression of deep-seated confusion."She might even be pretending," said one specialist. "This could be a plea for attention."We, however, have unearthed worrying facts about Atsuko Kagari that Miranda Holbrooke, headmistress of Luna Nova, has carefully concealed from the public."kagari turned Hannah into a zombie," reveals a concerned Luna Nova student. "There were a lot of students being infected a couple years ago, and everyone knew it was Kagari when they saw her lose her temper at a dueling club and turned Hannah in the middle of the hall. It turned out everyone was right since it was Kagari who brought the plague to Luna Nova in the first place. She also spends a lot of time with Titan Shifters like Antonenko, thieves like O'Neill and poison-making psychopaths like Manbavaran."The plague in question, as reported by the Magic Council, was a weapon made by the Purifiers to wipe out Demi-Humans. Luna Nova fell under attack from the virus two years ago, but was effectively stopped. The identity of the culprit was never revealed until now. Sources reveal that Atsuko Kagari was adopted as a baby by two Human parents, which leads experts to believe that Kagari's family may be hidden Purifiers. A member of the Custody Enforcement Unit, who wished to remain unnamed, stated that the Kagaris were "worthy of investigation. Humans have always been an untrustworthy sort since the Dark Ages. It wouldn't be beyond reason that Kagari is merely a victim of her Human parent's manipulation."Miranda Holbrooke should surely consider whether a girl such as this should be allowed to compete in the Contest of Champions. Some fear that Kagari might resort to Black Magic in her desperation to win the Contest, the final game of which takes place this evening."Wow, she does not pull any punches, does she?" said Akko, frowning as she folded up the paper."How did she know your scars hurt in Foretelling?" Jasminka said. "There's no way she was there, there's no way she could've heard – ""The window was open," said Akko. "I opened it to breathe.""You were at the top of the western observatory!" Lotte said. "Your voice couldn't have carried all the way down to the grounds!""Then maybe she turned invisible and walked in the class," said Akko. "The door was left open the whole time.""But the school's defenses would have picked up a magical intrusion," said Annabel Crème. "And don't forget, Professor Ursula was there. Surely she would have…detected…her…magic…."And odd, dreamy expression suddenly came over Annabel Crème's face. She slowly glanced over her shoulder, staring at the corner of the dining hall looking awestruck."Are you all right?" said Barbara, frowning."Yes," said Annabel Crème breathlessly. She looked out the windows of the dining hall, staring out into the sunny courtyard outside like she had never seen anything like it. Akko and Amanda shared a look."I've had an idea," Annabel Crème said, gazing into space. "I think I know…because then no one would ever know…even Professor Ursula…she could walk around wherever she wished…and it that is how she does it…then it would be illegal…definitely
illegal…I need to see Professor Croix! I think we've finally got her!"With that, Annabel Crème threw down her newspaper and dashed out of the dining hall."Wait, Professor Crème!" Lotte called after her. "I have to take Magical Literature exam in ten minutes! Dear lord," she said, turning back to Akko, "she must really hate that Scaglietti woman if she forgets about her own exam. What're you going to do – study again?"Exempt from the end-of-term tests as a Contest champion, Akko had been sitting in the back of every exam so far, looking up new spells for the final game."Guess so," Akko said to Lotte; but just then, Ursula came walking across the dining hall toward them."Akko, Diana, the champions are congregating in the assembly hall after breakfast," she said."But the game is not until tonight!" said Diana, accidentally spilling scrambled eggs down her front, afraid she had mistaken the time."I'm aware of that, Diana," Ursula said with a suppressed grin. "We have a little surprise waiting for the champions. Be sure to go to the assembly hall when your down. You wouldn't want to keep them waiting."She walked away."Whaddya think she meant by that?" Akko asked Lotte curiously."Don't know," said Lotte. "We should all be going ourselves. Our exams will be starting soon. See you later, Akko."Akko, Amanda, and Diana finished their breakfasts together in the emptying dining hall. Amanda was the first to leave the hall, not even bothering to finish her plate and just left it there half eaten on the table. Akko saw Fate get up from her table across the room and joined Makoto as she walked out the doors and crossed the entrance hall to the assembly hall. Nico slouched off to join them shortly after. Diana finished her breakfast soon enough and followed. Akko stayed where she was. While curious to what the surprise waiting for them was, Akko considered going to the library and studying more spells or getting in a few hours more practice. Right now, all she had was her physical abilities to rely on, but that wouldn't do much compared to the monsters like Honnoji and Serenity Academy. But just as she was getting up, Diana poked her head back into the dining hall, looking much happier than she was minutes ago."Akko, come on, they're waiting for you!"Utterly perplexed, Akko got up. Someone was waiting for her? Who could that be? She walked across the entrance hall and opened the doors into the chamber.Immediately, Akko was greeted by the sight of Diana hugging her mother Athena, though looked very displeased to see her Aunt Daryl and cousins. Amanda was almost buried by her excessively large family that included her mother, their butler Alphonse, and all six of Amanda's sister, including a tall, lanky woman with unkempt green hair in a tie-dye shirt and a peace necklace that Akko had never met before. That must have been Aurora, the oldest of the O'Neill sisters and the "hippie" of the family. Makoto was over in the corner, conversing with her sister, Akane, her cousins, Kei and Chinatsu, and two adults that looked to be her aunt and uncle. Makoto resembled her distant relatives more than Professor Akane did – sometimes she wondered if they were really related. On the other side of the room, Fate was being hugged from both sides by Representative Lindy Harlaown and tall, voluptuous woman with deep-purple hair that was likely Fate's birth parent. Chrono Harlaown, whom Akko met at the Chariot Racing Tournament, was standing off to the side with a shorter girl that looked like she could be Fate's twin. And Nico was in the back of the hall practically swarmed by a flock of teenagers, including Karolina, the girl Nico took to the Winter Ball. None of them looked to be related to Nico, but she looked much happier than Akko had ever seen. Then, near the bleachers underneath the Polaris banner, Akko was dumbstruck to see her mother and father having a pleasant chat with Blair before the witch-cat noticed her and waved cheerily."Surprise!" Blair said excitedly as Akko smiled broadly and practically leapt into her parent's waiting arms. "Shuichi and Kaori came to watch you in the final game, Akko-nyan!""Otou-san, Okaa-san, I can't believe it!" Akko shouted happily. "You're really here!""We wouldn't want to miss our little girl's big moment when she takes home the gold," said Mr. Kagari, grinning and ruffling her hair. "Champion. I like the sound of that.""I'm not exactly happy that you went and signed up for a dangerous competition without asking us," said Kaori with an exasperated sigh, but then gave a relieved smile. "But the important thing is that you're all right. Blair was telling us all about the Games. Is it true you turned into an elephant and flattened an alien?""And she put up an awesome fight against Honnoji," said Blair proudly. "I have the whole thing on video.""I still lost though," said Akko."Well, you can't expect to win them all," said Mr. Kagari reassuringly. He took a long sweeping look around the assembly hall. "So, this is Luna Nova Academy, huh? Been sending you here for four years, and this is the first time we've actually seen the place. Is it true you have a dungeon here?""Yeah, but Professor Hex mostly uses it for a classroom," said Akko."And correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought I heard that one of your teachers is a goldfish," said Mrs. Kagari."That's professor Pisces," Akko answered with mirth. "She teaches magical creatures and philosophy.""…There are so many questions that need to be asked," Mrs. Kagari muttered."Mind giving us a tour of the school, Akko?" said Mr. Kagari."Yeah, sure," said Akko, and they made their way back toward the door to the entrance hall. As they passed the Cavendishes, Athena looked around."There you are, Akko," she said, smiling. She looked from Akko to her parents. "You must be the Kagaris. Athena Metis-Cavendish, Diana's mother. A pleasure to meet you.""The pleasure is all ours," said Mrs. Kagari, briefly shaking hands. Her eye glinted toward Diana, who suddenly looked nervous to be standing in front of her crush's parents. "So this is the famous Diana Cavendish. Akko talks soooo much about her. We usually have a heard time getting her to stop.""Okaa-san!" squeaked Akko, her face feeling inflamed."Probably not as much as Diana loves telling me about Akko," said Athena, a mischievous smirk curling on her lips. "She often denies it, but I often catch her attempting to send texts and e-mails almost daily over the summer, but she always chickens out at the last minute, her face as red as a tomato.""Mother!" Diana shrieked, her expression as red as Athena described."Diana seems like a girl who really has her act together," said Mrs. Kagari, smiling widely. "I would be proud to call her my daughter-in-law.""And Akko is always a bright spot in anyone life," said Athena. "What do you think the wedding theme should be?""PLEASE! /STOP!" Akko and Diana cried in unison, much to ashamed to look at each other.Daryl, on the other hand, did not join in the dreadful teasing; the sneer on her face was remarkably similar to the one she wore when Akko first met her at the Chariot Racing Championships."So, you're…human," Daryl spoke with obvious disdain toward the Kagaris."Is there a problem with that?" said Mrs. Kagari, leering at her."Daryl…," Athena spoke with a warning edge in her tone."I just thought that if Diana, the heir to the Cavendish name, was to pursue a romantic partner," Daryl said slowly, staring down her nose at Akko like she was something disgusting, "she would look for someone who was a little more…worthwhile. Not settle for some lowborn half-breed.""Daryl! /Aunt Daryl!" Diana and Athena roared furiously."If you're looking to start something – " Mrs. Kagari started, seething, until Blair rest a calming hand on her shoulder."Just ignore her, Kaori," said Blair coolly, only sparing a minor glance at Daryl. "She's just a bitter old crone who could never measure up against her sister. No point in wasting energy on her."Daryl absolutely bristled at the mention her sister and looked as though she was going to say something angry, but her twin daughter quickly came up and pulled their mother back by her arms, before she might do something that would cause unwanted attention. Daryl turned up her nose at them and Blair ushered the Kagaris out of the assembly hall.Besides that incident, Akko had a very enjoyable morning walking over the grounds with her parents, showing them the paddocks on the edge of the forest and the Honnoji ship still moored in the lake. Mr. Kagari was intrigued by Gora-Chan the Mandrake, which had been planted by Sucy three years prior and had grown as large and thick as an oak tree. And Blair reminisced at length about the old groundskeeper Luna Nova had before they let him go, a man named Cthulhu."Heard anything about Org yet?" Akko asked Blair quietly while her parents explored the greenhouses."Not good," said Blair, lowering her voice and glancing around. "I tried asking some of my old schoolmates in the Department of Information, but they aren't saying anything. They're trying to keep Org's disappearance quiet, but I heard Ava O'Neill has been called in for questioning about the letters Org has been sending in. They seem to think there's a chance they weren't genuinely written by him. Ava's been under a lot of strain. They're not letting her fit in for Org for the last game. Crawford Seam is going to be doing it."They returned to the school for lunch."Hey, it's you guys – Akko's mom and dad!" said Amanda, pleasantly surprised, as they gather around their usual tables. "Haven't seen you since the ninja thing. What're you doing here.""Come to watch Akko in the last game!" said Mr. Kagari brightly, looking around the group. "Let's see…I remember O'Neill from a few years ago…and Miss Manbavaran's visit is still fresh in my mind. Sorry, but I don't know who the rest of you are.""Oh, I never introduced you to them!" Akko yelped, suddenly realizing that this was the first time her parents have met her circle of friends. "This is my best friend, Lotte, and over there is Jasminka and Constanze," she pointed out each one in turned, most of them returning a friendly wave. "And that's Hannah and Barbara, but they're more Diana's friends than mine.""Speaking of which, where is Diana?" asked Hannah, looking around the dining hall. "I thought you all went together.""She's probably still dealing with her Aunt Daryl," said Akko dryly. The deep frowns each of them held expressed just how well they knew Daryl's attitude from experience. "Speaking of families, where's yours, Amanda? I thought you were spending the day with them.""Eh, I ditched them near the fifth floor," she said with a nonchalant shrug. "With a large family like mine, you can only take so much before you start pulling your hair out. Aurora and Amelia are with them; I'm sure they'll find their way back eventually."The O'Neills did find they way down to the dining hall eventually, but not without Alphonse giving Amanda a proper talking-to for everyone to see. Diana and Athena also joined them halfway, thankfully not joined by Daryl and her daughters, who had apparently decided to visit some old business partners in Blytonbury. Akko was having such a good time she had almost forgotten to worry about the evening's final challenge. Nothing eventful happened until Garie and Sabi suddenly appeared on either side of Mr. Kagari, mouths wide with toothy grin."Look, Sabi, it's our favorite fly," said Garie mischievously."Think he wants to play again, Garie?" Sabi returned.Mr. Kagari practically flew out of the dining hall, Garie and Sabi nipping at his heels, sharing synchronized evil laughs."He still hasn't gotten over the spider thing," Mrs. Kagari sighed tiredly.Akko, Blair, and the Kagaris whiled away the afternoon with a long walk around the school, and then returned to the dining hall for the evening feast. The Grand Master, Paul Hanbridge, and Crawford Seam had joined the staff now. And, unfortunately for Akko, Andrew had tagged along with his father for the event. Not that Akko didn't love seeing him, but she was still whirling from the ultimatum he and Diana had handed her the night they found Org. It didn't escape Akko's notice that Diana and her family were sitting on the opposite side of the hall and that both of them were sending her sidelong glances.There were more courses than usual, but Akko, who was starting to feel really nervous now, didn't eat much. As the sky outside began to fade from blue to dusky purple, Professor Holbrooke rose to her feet, and silence fell."Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes, I will be asking you to make your way to the Racing field for the final game of the Contest of Champions. Will the champions of Luna Nova follow the Grand Master down to the stadium now?"Akko got up. The dining hall echoed with the applause of the students; Akko's parents and friends wished her good luck, and she headed off out of the dining hall with Diana, Amanda, Makoto, Fate, and Nico."Feeling all right, Kagari?" The Grand Master asked as they went down the stone steps onto the grounds. "Confident?""I'm okay," said Akko. It was sort of true; she was nervous, but she kept running over all the spells she had been practicing in her mind as they walked, and the knowledge that she could remember them all made her feel better.As they walked into the locker room, Akko glanced up at the Sky Labyrinth, a messy tangled ball of steel and stone, and wondered how they would possibly navigate their way through. After they waited for five minutes, they heard the stands above their heads begin to fill; the air was full of excited voices and the rumbling of feet as hundreds of people filed into their seats; snatches of reporters could be faintly heard from the entryway."You know, I've been wondering this for a while," Amanda said suddenly, leaning against the door. "But why is the last game in Luna Nova. Why didn't we just finish up at Blytonbury Stadium like the other rounds. Seems like an unnecessary change.""I'm not even going to pretend to understand how the Grand Master thinks," said Diana, rubbing her forehead exasperatedly. "Now be quiet, I'm trying to focus."Ursula and Finnelan appeared in the locker room minutes later. They were wearing large, red luminous stars on their hats."The representatives of the schools will be patrolling the outside of the labyrinth," said Professor Finnelan to the champions. She waved her wand around the air and a flare gun magically appeared in each of their hands. "All the champions are to be provided with flares. If you get into difficulty, and wish to be rescued, shoot the flare above your head, and one of us will come and get you, do you understand?"The champions nodded."We'll be off then," said Ursula. "Good luck."And the both of them walked out onto the field and disappeared out of sight, to station themselves around the sky labyrinth. Not a moment later, then loudspeakers screeched to life and Wangari's voice magically echoed across the stadium."At last! At last, it's here! The final day of this passionate festival, the Contest of Champions! Like it or not, only one school will be victorious today! As always, I will be providing the play-by-play commentary, the Luna Nova News Network president, Wangari!""And reporting for the last time from Serenity Academy's VOCALOID, I'm Neku Sakuraba," Neku's voice joined in. "And for the last time, thank god, joining us is the creator and sponsor of the Contest, the Grand Master.""You know, it seems like you just go out of your way to insult me," The Grand Master's voice came next."You're just figuring that out now?" said Neku Sakuraba."Anyway!" Wangari cut in. "The final game is about to begin, and the teams are about to take the field. Currently in last place, but can they turn it around? The Red Demons of Orience: Team Class Zero!" The cheers and applause from outside nearly made Akko jump off the bench. "All right! Next up on the field is the mythic guardians of God and the self-proclaimed heroes of the world, Team Sanshu!"
More applause. "And here they are: the hometown favorite!""That's us," said Fate, standing up. "Let's go."Akko inhaled through the nose and exhaled through the mouth before standing up and joining the others at the entrance to the field, standing between Amanda and Nico as they waited for their team to be called."Even though they put up one of the best fights in the entire Contest, they're still only in sixth place!" Wangari continued. "But they're looking to redeem themselves here. It's Team Luna Nova!"And the six of them marched onto the field to an overwhelming thunder of applause. The sky was deep, clear blue now, and the first stars were starting to appear. Class Zero and Team Sanshu were already gathered on their field, standing on one of eight chalk circles that had been drawn in the grass. Akko's team followed their example and stood in the middle of the chalk circle closest to them. Akko could just make out Blair, her parents, and her friends applauding enthusiastically halfway up the stands. She waved up at them, and they waved back, beaming at her."And coming up after them in fifth place is Team Serenity!" Wangari shouted, and the five girls from Serenity Academy emerged from the locker rooms next to theirs, lead by Eruna Ichinomiya, who was waving at the crowd so wildly it was like she was on a sugar high. "They are the most unorthodox team we have ever had in the Contest. Could their unpredictability be what sets them over the edge to victory?""Nah, anyone who's read the source material already know how this is gonna end," said Eruna, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly. "But we might as well have some fun with it.""Next onto the field, tied for third place is one of the deadliest teams and the real dark horse of the Contest!" said Wangari. "Being the only all-Human team, no one expected them to get this far. Here they are: Team Myojo!" The group of assassins stepped appeared on the opposite side of the field and took their place in one of the circles. Nio gave Amanda a wide, toothy grin and a friendly wave, which Amanda replied with a very rude gesture. "And sharing the position of third place is a team that needs no introduction, but I have to do it anyway because I'm under contract. Like Luna Nova, they are one of the Five Great Continental Academies and, honestly, the most badass team here. Presenting…Team Honnoji!"The applause for Honnojin Academy was even greater than the other schools that it sent the birds from the Arcturus Forest fluttering into the darkening sky. From a distance, it looked like Ryuko and Satsuki had recovered well enough from their fight with Akko and Diana, but their weapons were noticeably absent from their sides. It did seem rather unlikely that they would have been able to fix them in time -they had been shattered to a hundred pieces in their final clash with Akko."And tied for first place with fifty points each, first is the school known for raising the next generation of heroes!" shouted Wangari as they energy in the stadium started to pick up. "Though they started out rough, they rose their way to the top of the ranks! Could this be the moment where they take home the gold? It's Team U.A.!" Midoriya was leading the group to the middle of the field, much to Bakugo's irritation, Akko noticed. His head injury seemed to have healed up well enough, but he was shooting a weary glance in Myojo's direction, or more specifically, at Bamba. "And now, the moment you've all been waiting for! Currently standing at the very top of the ranks, holding down an impressive score of fifty points! They are the crowd favorite and voted most likely to win the Contest! Lead by the legendary Black Rock Shooter, will this be another chapter in their long history of victories. Taking the field now is none other than…TEAM BLACK STAR!"The booming of applause and thundering screams were so enormous that Akko thought she felt the ground tremble beneath her feet. Unlike the other teams, Black Star was given a fanfare and flare of colorful explosions as its members took to their field. As expected, Black Rock Shooter was leading the group at an even pace with Dead Master standing close to her shoulder at all times. As they filed into the last circle on the field, Akko couldn't shake the anxiety that was welling up in her stomach – anxiety that had nothing to do with the Contest. Her mind kept going back to the trial eight years ago, listening to Org recount Mato's crimes despite not being truly at fault. She also thought about Amanda's worries the other day –
was Mato really stable, or was there a chance she was having a relapse.
Akko wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but after everything that had happened this year, she just couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen…."Now that all the teams have taken the field," said Neku Sakuraba dully, "let's turn our attention to the Grand Master, who will explain the rules of the final game…. Please keep it short. The less we have to hear from you, the better.""One of these days…," The Grand Master grumbled, but then cleared his throat and spoke very clearly. "Yes, anyway, the last game of the Contest is fairly straightforward. You will notice that a labyrinth has been set up above the stadium. Rather than selecting one champion from each team, all the champions will be transported inside the Sky Labyrinth for a no-hold-bars free-for-all race to the center when the championship cup awaits. Inside the labyrinth, not only will the champions be facing each other, but various beasts and obstacles provided by the faculty of each school. The first champion to touch the cup will win the Contest for their school.""Even if the other schools have more points than them?" asked Wangari."The points no longer matter in this competition," said the Grand Master plainly. "It all comes down to whoever reaches the cup first – simple as that.""Effectively making all the efforts of the previous games worthless," Neku Sakuraba added."Aw, I'm sure they've gotten over that by now –
" said the Grand Master."No, we haven't!" Ryuko shouted indignantly."Moving on!" said the Grand Master quickly. "That should just about cover all the basics of what you need to know! So let the last challenge of the Contest of Champions – Sky Labyrinth – begin!"The Grand Master snapped his fingers over the roaring cheers of the audience. The chalk circles surrounding the champions began to glow with purple energy and rise from the ground, a tingling sensation crawling all of Akko's skin, and when the outline passed her head –She nearly tripped over the edge of the narrow stone walkway they were suddenly standing on; Fate thankfully pulled her back by the scruff of her uniform.Looking around, all they could see was pure chaos. They were standing in the middle of an eight-way crossroad that led in literally every direction, curling in wild, haphazard pathways that looked like they came out of that one Escher painting (don't ask why Akko knew the artist's name, but not the painting.) There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for the jumbled mess above there head and looked like it had been thrown together at the last minute. Akko felt a sense of claustrophobia. She heard Diana mutter the compass spell and turned as her wand forced her to turn in the northern direction."I'll head down this road," said Diana, nodding down the path her wand pointed. "Is everyone all right with the plan.""I don't like the idea of splitting up," Makoto said, biting her lip, "but it'll be faster that way, having six people search at once.""I'm faster, so I should be able to cover more ground," said Fate."And remember, if you see something or need aid, shoot up green sparks straight away," Diana warned."While you're all wasting time talking," said Nico, already walking down her own path, "the other teams are getting a head start. I'll see you all later, hopefully."Not at all put out by Nico's rudeness, the other champions started going their own way. Diana took the path north, Makoto went south, Amanda headed in the eastern direction, and Akko chose to head west, while Fate decided to leap to the level above their heads and disappeared out of sight.After about fifty yards, the walkway Akko took became increasingly dark. She pulled out her wand, muttered, "Lumen," and a ball of light appeared at the tip. Somewhere down below, Akko thought she heard a muffled explosion followed by a distant yell – Bakugo, no doubt. Akko sped up. Her chosen path seemed completely deserted. She turned right at the next intersection, and hurried on, holding her wand high above her head, trying to see as far ahead as possible. Still, there was nothing in sight.Something glowing blue zoomed briefly in the distance. Raven from Serenity found an easier way to get through the labyrinth.Akko kept looking behind her. The old feeling that she was being watched was upon her. The labyrinth was growing darker with each passing step as the path winded into a corkscrew heading downward, deeper into the maze. At the bottom of the path, she came across a fork in the road."Orbis," she whispered to her wand, holding her arm out stiff.The wand pulled Akko's arm until it was pointing to her right, off the edge of the road. That way was north. Akko had no idea where she was in the maze, but she figured that if she continued further west, she might come across some kind of marking that would point her the right way. She took the left path and hurried on, still glancing over her shoulder every so often.The path ahead was empty too, and when Akko took a right turn, she found her way unblocked. Akko didn't know why, but the lack of obstacles was unnerving her. Surely she should have met something by now. With forty champions running around, she should have stumbled across one of them. It felt as though the labyrinth was luring her into a false sense of security. Then she heard movement right behind her. She held out her wand, ready to attack, but stopped when she felt the unmistakable feeling of a gun being pressed to the side of her head. King had caught her."Have you found the way to the cup?" he asked in a slow, cool voice."No…," Akko muttered worriedly.Akko was afraid he might think she was lying, but after a tense few moments, he pulled his gun away and dived out of sight, disappearing into the darkness. Keen to put plenty of distance between herself and King, Akko hurried off in the opposite direction. Then, as she turned a corner, she saw…a Neo Shadow lurching toward her, Six feet tall, bulbous golden eyes peering through the shadows, neon-blue veins crawling across its muscles ending in pointed claws. It advanced on Akko, crawling toward her. Akko could hear its rattling breath; she felt clammy coldness stealing over her, but she knew what she had to do….She summoned the happiest thought she could, concentrated with all her might on the thought of getting out of the labyrinth, and celebrating with her friends, raised her wand, and cried, "Lumen Murowa!"A beam of white light erupted from the end of Akko's wand and charged at the Heartless, which fell on its back let out a girlish shrieked…. Akko never heard a Heartless scream before. But the "Heartless" soon flickered and was gone, replaced by –"Wait, your that hypnotizing girl from Myojo!" she shouted, advancing in the wake of her spell. "Hashiri! You tried hypnotizing me now, didn't you?""Surprised it didn't work," said Nio, gingerly rising to her feet, wiping her bloody lip on her sleeve; Akko's wand was trained on her. "You must have had some previous experiences with mental manipulation to be able to break out so quickly.""In a way," said Akko, vividly remembering her experiences with Evelyn two years before."Well, so much for taking control of Luna Nova's wild card," said Nio calmly. She slowly backed away, Akko following with her wand, until she was standing on the edge of the walkway. "But there are still others choose from. Toodles!"She dropped backwards over the edge. Akko rushed over and waved her light around, but there was no sign of Nio anywhere - she had escaped. She frowned angrily; two other champions had already gotten the drop on her; her prospects were not looking too good. She needed to move on, quickly and quietly as possible, listening hard, her wand held high one more.Left…right…left again…she found herself climbing the same loop twice. She did the Compass Spell again and found that she was going too far east. She turned back, took a right turn, and saw an odd golden mist floating ahead of her.Akko approached it cautiously, pointing the wands beam at it. She didn't know of any champions who produced golden mist. It might be one of the obstacles the Grand Master mentioned. He wondered whether she might be able to blast it out of the way."Belga Veeda!" she said.The spell shot straight through the mist, leaving it intact. She supposed she should have known better; the spell was for hitting solid objects. What would happen if she walked through the mist? Was it worth chancing it, or should she double back?She was still hesitating when the entire labyrinth suddenly trembled beneath her."What the?" Akko cried, dropping to her hands and knees.Another tremor fell over the maze. Listening closely, Akko distinctly heard two voices screaming from a considerable distance above her head."Great Mankai Hero Punch!""One for All: Full Cowl – 100%"The labyrinth gave another shudder. That was definitely Yuna and Midoriya – sounds like they had found each other and were going for a rematch, and this time they weren't holding back. Akko knew that if she encountered either of them, they were knock her flat in half a second. Seeing no other choice, Akko rose to her feet, took a deep breath and ran through the enchanted mist.The world turned upside down. Akko was hanging from the ground, with her hair on end, threatening to fall into the distant roads below. She clutched her wand to her chest and hung there, terrified. It felt as though her feet were glued to the road, which had now become the ceiling. Below her, the dark, twisted crossroads stretched endlessly. She felt as though if she tried to move one of her feet, she would fall away.All the blood rushed to her head, which was pounding furiously, trying to bully her brain into thinking of a solution. But not one of the spells she had practiced had been designed to combat the sudden reversal of ground and sky. She could hear the blood pounding in her ears. She didn't know what she could do. She could try moving and hope for the best, or send up the flare, get rescued, and be disqualified from the game. There wasn't another way, there wasn't –All of a sudden, Akko felt herself being lifted bridal style into a pair of strong arms. Immediately, the world righted itself. Akko looked around, dumbfounded, and nearly jammed her nose into Eruna Ichinomiya's right eye. The orangette grinned brightly as she set Akko down on her feet. She leaned forward on her knees, panting heavily, as she looked back at the golden mist, which twinkled innocently at her in the wandlight."You all right there, Akko-chan?" asked Eruna kindly, rubbing soothing circles on her back. "You look like you're about to throw up.""I wasn't – " Akko started, but suddenly realized that Eruna was right. Inexplicably, nausea crashed over Akko like a raging tidal wave; she dropped down to one knee and slapped her hand over her mouth to stop herself from vomiting. "Oh…yeah…it feels like I'm about to puke my guts out. Weird…I wasn't feeling any worse in that stuff….""Huh…OH!" Eruna shouted surprisingly. She reached behind her back and pulled out her lengthy scarf; Akko hadn't noticed that she had taken it off. "Oh, sorry, that's my bad. Sometime I forget how badly my Variation affects people when I'm not wearing my scarf. Hold on just a minute…."When the length of cloth was looped around Eruna's neck, Akko's nausea suddenly vanished like magic. Honestly, she felt healthier and more energetic than normal."I took my scarf off so I could pass through that weird cloud without being affected," Eruna explained. "Lucky I came around when I did because I don't think anyone else could have saved you. Well, I gotta get going now," she added, waving back as she turned left. "I might not win the game because of plot reasons, but I can still get in a few fights before it's over. Catch ya later, Akko-chan!"And just like that, she was gone. Just like Akko knew she should be. Three encounters with three different champions, all of them having some type of advantage over her. Her chances were steadily declining. Akko took a deep, steadying breath, then ran down the right path away from Eruna and the golden mist.She paused at a junction of two paths and looked around for some sign of where to go from there. Somewhere in the darkness of the labyrinth, she could hear the telltale sounds of the other champions clashing, though none of them as extreme as Yuna and Midoriya's fight. A few seconds later, at least four flashes of red light appeared one after the other in various directions – some of the champions had shot off their flares and were disqualified. Akko took the right fork with a feeling of increasing unease…but at the same time, she couldn't help thinking, the less competition, the better.The cup had to be close, Akko could feel it in her bones, and two more flares went off in the distance, eliminating more champions from the game. Akko briefly wondered if any of those flares belonged to her teammates, but there was no time to think about that. She had already come this far. What if she actually managed to win? Fleetingly, and for the first time since she'd been chosen as a champion, she saw again that image of herself raising the cup in front of the rest of the school….She met nothing for ten minutes while three more flares had punctured the darkness, but she kept running in circles and dead ends; twice she took the same wrong turn. Finally, she found a new route and started to jog along it, her wandlight waving, making her shadow flicker and distort on the path. Then she rounded another corner and found herself facing her old nemesis, the Xenomorph.Akko was surprised that there was still any left after the massacre in the sewers, but there it was, snarling at her with its sharp teeth exposed, drool dripping onto the road. When it had caught Akko's scent, the beast howled and lunged at her. Had this been before the first game, Akko would have frozen up and probably have a fresh new scar to add to her collection. But after everything she had been through this year, she felt surprisingly calm. Akko turned her wand on herself and said, "Vega Walres!"An outline of ethereal-green energy glowed around Akko briefly. Then she swung her foot around and connected her heel to the side of the Xenomorph's head; its exoskeleton cracked instantly. One more thrust of effort and the beast was send flying into the darkness, and could be heard squealing all the way down. Akko peered over the edge of the path, blinking owlishly."Huh, that was easier than I thought it'd be," she said.She stepped away and continued down the road. She took a left path and hit a brick wall, a right, and nearly dropped over and unfinished road; forcing herself to stop, heart hammering, she performed a Compass Spell again, backtracked, and chose a path that would take her southeast.She had been hurrying along the new path for a few minutes, when she heard something in the path running parallel to her own that made her stop dead."What are you doing?" yelled Amanda's voice. "What the hell d'you think you're doing?"The air was suddenly full of Amanda's screams. Horrified, Akko began sprinting up the path, trying to find a way towards Amanda's. When none appeared, she faced the opposite path and took measure of the distance. It was impossible to tell how far it was because Akko's weak wandlight couldn't reach. But as Amanda's shouts rang out once more, Akko decided it was all or nothing. She cast the Body Strengthening Spell again and took off into the darkness at a flying leap. Several painfully slowly moments passed, Akko's mind running a million miles a minute, a voice in the back of her mind screaming that this was a terrible idea and that she was going to fall to her death. And then, she rolled onto the pathway, taking several deep breaths as she looked around. She saw Amanda lying on the ground, clutching her leg, which was being skewered by Dead Master's scythe.Akko pushed herself up and jumped at Dead Master, the Body Strengthening spell still in effect, just as Dead Master looked up. Akko pulled back her fist and yelled:"Get away from her!"Akko's knuckles smashed Dead Master's glasses and rammed the woman in the bridge of her nose, throwing her down onto the path with enough force to crack the pavement. Dead Master lay motionless on the path, eyes rolled into the back of her head, but thankfully still breathing. Akko dashed over to Amanda, who had ripped the scythe out of her leg with a suppressed cry of pain."Are you all right?" Akko said roughly, grabbing Amanda's arm."To be honest, no," Amanda hissed as she rolled her leg over, examining the bleeding wound. "God damn…she got me good. I don't think I can walk on this…. I don't believe it…. I just saw her taking out that electricity girl and her mouse from Serenity…. I was trying to sneak past, but she caught me…. I ran as fast as I could, but she caught me in no time…stabbed me right in the leg…. Gah! Damn it!"Amanda fell back helplessly, cupping her face into her palms and screaming frustratedly into her palms."What're you going to do now?" Akko asked."What can I do?" Amanda grunted. "I have to drop out. I can't keep going like this.""What about the others? Are they still in?" said Akko."Makoto got eliminated by one of those Myojo girls early on," Amanda said with a grimace. "And I don't know what happened, but I saw Fate fighting Sucy's girlfriend a few miles back. Diana and Nico are probably still in here somewhere.""Okay, I'll go on ahead," said Akko, shooting a worried glance at Dead Master. "After you shoot up your flare, you should take her with you…otherwise, she'll probably get eaten by a Xenomorph.""She'd deserve it," Amanda muttered, but all the same, she pulled out the gun from her belt and shot a red flare into the air, which hovered above them like a giant beacon.Akko and Amanda stayed there in the darkness for a moment, looking around. Then Amanda said, "What're you waiting for? Get out of here already.""What?" said Akko. "Oh…yeah…right…."Though reluctant to leave her behind, Akko moved on, continuing to use the Compass Spell, making sure she was moving in the right direction. At least a quarter of the champions had to have been eliminated by now, which included two of her teammates – three, if things didn't work out for Fate. Her desire to reach the cup first was now burning stronger than ever.Every so often she hit more dead ends, but the increasing darkness made her feel sure she was getting closer to the heart of the labyrinth. Then, as she strode down a long, straight path, she saw movement once again, and her beam of wandlight hit an extraordinary creature, one which she had only seen in a picture during her brief stint in Study of Abnormal Creatures classes.It was a sphinx. It had the body of an over-large lion: great clawed paws and a long yellowish tail ending in a brown tuft. Its head, however, was that of a woman. She turned her narrowed eyes upon Akko as she approached. She raised her wand, hesitating. It was not crouched as if to spring, but pacing from side to side of the path, blocking her progress. Then she spoke, but it was not what Akko had expected at all."Hey, girlfriend!" the Sphinx said energetically. "How you doin'? Today's been all cray-cray, you feel me?""This took a very weird and cringe worthy turn," said Akko."Nah, don't be all like that, girl," said the sphinx. "You almost at the end. All ya gotta do is get past me.""So…will you move, please?" said Akko, knowing what the answer was going to be."Nuh-uh, ain't happenin', baby," she said. "Y'all wanna get through me, you gotta answer my riddle. Get it right on your first answer and I let you go. Get it wrong, and I'll rip the meat off your bones and gnaw on your skull for the next few days. Don't say anything and you can walk away. You feel me?""How can you sound so casual and menacing at the same time?" said Akko."It's a gift," the sphinx said proudly.Akko's stomach slipped several notches. Ask Akko anything magic related and she might come up with an answer, but she was no good at riddles and brain teasers – they hurt her head. Akko weight her chances. If the riddle was too hard, she could keep silent, get away from the sphinx unharmed, and try to find an alternate route to the center."Okay," she said. "What's the riddle?"The sphinx sat down upon her hind legs, in the very middle of the path, and recited:I am the part of the bird that is not in the sky, who can drown in the ocean and yet remain dry. A last vestige of man that refuses to die. In mourning I am tossed at your feet to lie I begin my job early, devouring your ankles and thighs. I work my way up, eating your legs to your waist. And though around midday away I am chased I return quickly to savor the arm of my taste. As evening falls, I enter your lungs, spiraling down past your mouth and your tongue. I feast on your body, your soul, and your mind, but as darkness falls you shall find that away I will go, a relief for some; At least until tomorrow morning comes.
What am I?
Akko gaped at her."Uh…could you say that one more time…a little slower?" Akko asked tentatively.The sphinx rolled her eyes and repeated the riddle."…seriously, how the hell is anyone supposed to figure that out?" Akko complained."That's your problem, girlfriend," said the sphinx smugly. "You figure it out."Akko was tempted to take a Shiny Arc to the lion woman's smug grin, but thought better of it. She started pacing back and forth, trying to work out the clues in her head…."A part of the bird that's not in the sky…drown in the ocean but stays dry…begins work in the morning…and goes away when darkness comes….GAAAAH!" She screeched, tugging at the end of her hairs, threatening to pull them by the roots. "No sane person would know the answer to this stupid riddle - !""The answer is a shadow."The sphinx's grin curled into a disappointed smile. She got up, stretched her front legs, and the moved aside, muttering, "Lucky guess…"Akko turned around gratefully to the man who answered the riddle for her, finding the glasses-wearing student from Honnoji…what was his name again, Akko wondered? Doggy-something….""The answer was relatively easy – a third year primary schooler could have figured it out," he said confidently. "Though, given past data, it did seem rather out of your intellectual league, so to speak.""….yeah, okay, thanks for the help," Akko waved at him as she started to move on.""Do not thank me just yet, Atsuko Kagari!" he declared dramatically. "I merely opened the path for myself, which I will take after I repay you for the humiliation you handed me during the first game!""…I'm sorry, do I know you?" Akko asked innocently, tilting her head.""Hoka Inumuta," he introduced himself; Akko just blinked. "Honnoji's Elite Four?" Akko merely shrugged her shoulder. "You turned into an elephant and smashed me into a sewer wall!""Mmm…no, I don't remember that," said Akko thoughtfully. "Sorry, I really don't know who you are. I guess you're just not that memorable.""Grr…I'll show you memorable!" Inumuta growled frustratedly, reaching for his collar. "Witness the power of Honnoji Academy's Elite – ""Ba-Boom!" a third voice interrupted his rant.Inumuta cried out in surprise his side suddenly exploded, shooting him sideways off the pathway. Akko leaned over the side of the road as the glasses-wearing student disappeared into the darkness below."Well, that was anti-climactic," she said dully.She stepped away and turned back as Nico emerged from the shadows, lighting her way with a glowing purple orb hovering over her prosthetic hand."Who was that guy?" asked Nico curiously."No idea," said Akko. "Guess you're all right, after all. Heard anything about the others? I know Makoto was taken out early in the game and I just saw Amanda a little while ago – she had to drop out because her leg was injured.""I saw Fate flying around a few minutes ago," Nico responded, "but Diana got double teamed by Ryuko and Satsuki. As far as I can tell, only half of our team is still standing.""Well, we made it this far," said Akko optimistically. "C'mon, the cup should be just up ahead!"Akko turned sharply on her heels and broke into a run, Nico dashing closely on her heels. They had a choice of paths up ahead. "Orbis!" Akko yelled again to her wand, and it pulled her to the right-hand one. They dashed up this one and saw light ahead.The championship cup was gleaming on a plinth a hundred yards away. Without warning, Nico shoved past Akko and started springing as fast as she could toward the cup. Akko gave chase and started to gain ground on her, being more agile and physically fit –Then Akko something flying from the road above their heads, zipping down so quickly like a meteorite that it looked like it was going to land on top of Nico, and Nico, her eyes on the cup, had not seen it –"Nico!" Akko bellowed. "Above you!"Nico looked around and suddenly frozen up as the shadow fell closer. Akko lurched forward, grabbed her by the back of her hood, and pulled sharply just as the thing hit the ground. Both of them hit the road on their backs, but in her haste, Akko dropped her wand as the light went out. Standing there in the light of the championship cup, they saw Black Rock Shooter bearing down on them."Zap!" Nico yelled, jabbing her staff forward. A bolt of electricity flew across the walkway toward Black Rock Shooter, but for all the good it did, she might as well have thrown a rock at her; Black Rock Shooter deflected the bolt with her cannon before taking aim and shooting where they lay. Akko managed to shove Nico to the side at the last second before jumping away. The ground where they once were crumbed under the explosive blasts of Black Rock Shooter's ammunition, leaving no way for them to go back. Akko crawled around on her hands and knees, fumbling her way around the darkness trying to find her wand. Black Rock Shooter turned her cannon on Akko when Nico's screams rang out:"Chill! Snap! Swish!"But it was no use – Black Rock Shooter blocked each magic potshot using her cannon as a shield. Akko had one glimpse of Black Rock Shooter over her shoulder before the hooded warrior dashed across the path at stunning speeds and was on top of Nico in less than a second.Black Rock Shooter's gloved fingers wrapped around Nico's throat and lifted her into the air; struggling madly, Nico tried to kick her; Black Rock Shooter swung her cannon to incept the kick and next moment Nico was screaming out in pain; Black Rock Shooter had broken her ankle. Stifling her cries, Nico thrust her prosthetic into Black Rock Shooter's face and shouted "Disarm!"It worked – no only had he spell forced Black Rock Shooter to drop her, but it had also thrown her cannon out of her hands and over the edge of the path. Unfortunately, that meant Nico fell on her already injured leg, which crumpled beneath her. Meanwhile, Akko had finally wrapped her fingers around her wand and turned it on Black Rock Shooter without thinking, shouting "Belga Veeda!" just as Nico yelled "Back!"The two spells combined hit Black Rock Shooter squarely in the chest, launching her ten feet into the air and over the edge of the road. Akko ran over the and peered down into the darkness. It was nearly impossible to see Black Rock Shooter because of her dark clothes, so it came as no surprise that Akko couldn't spot her. More than likely, she was probably already getting back on her feet somewhere else."That…was strange," said Nico, hissing as she sat touch, touching her ankle tenderly."Whaddya mean?" said Akko, trying to slow down her rapidly beating heart. "We just beat Black Rock Shooter!""That's the strange part," said Nico, grimacing. "You saw the way she fought Ichinomiya in the last round. If she wanted to, she could have taken us out in the first two minutes. But she didn't; she tossed us around, but it was like she wasn't even trying to put up a fight."Nico tried to get up, but her leg was shaking badly and did not want to support her weight. She fell forward on her hands and knees, gasping for breath, raising her broken ankle off the ground behind her.Akko looked back at the championship cup that was gleaming only a few feet away."Go on, take it," Nico panted to Akko. "You're right there, go on, grab it."Akko didn't move. The temptation to just leave Nico where she was and grab the cup for herself was strong, but then she looked back at Nico. She saw the longing expression on her face in the light of the cup. She looked back at the cup once more. She could already imagine herself merging from the labyrinth, holding it above her head, hearing the roar of the crowd. She saw Diana's face shining with admiration, more clearly than she had ever seen it before…and then the picture faded, and found herself staring at Nico's shadowy, pained face.Akko heaved a heavy sigh and then walked away from the cup, toward Nico."What're you doing?" she asked as Akko kneeled beside her."Helping you get to your feet," said Akko resolutely. "We can't both grab the cup if you're just lying there like a lump.""What – both?""Yeah, we'll grab it at the same time. We're on the same team, right, so it'll still be a win for Luna Nova. Besides, You deserve a little credit for all that you've done.""I've hardly done anything," Nico muttered."You fought just as hard as any of us," said Akko determinedly. "Even when the whole school was against you, you never let any of them bother you – you just kept going. And when Jasminka got called out for being a Titan Shifter, you were right there ready to defend her…. We both lost our parents and were given a heavy burden; me with the Shiny Rod and you with the Staff of One. And we had people to help guide us along the way – Professor Ursula and Professor Croix. In a way…you and I are kinda the same, but on different sides.""Light and darkness – two sides of the same coin," said Nico, a tiny amused smile on her lips. She looked at Akko, her eyes glimmering hopefully. "You're…you're sure about this?""Positive," said Akko, smiling at her as she offered her hand. "C'mon, let's get out of here – together."A soft grin stretched across Nico's expression as she grabbed Akko's extended arm and allowed herself to be lifted up. Akko hoisted the goth's arm over her shoulders and helped Nico limp toward the plinth where the cup stood. When they had reached it, they both held a hand out over one of the cup's gleaming handles."On three, right?" said Akko. "One – two – three – "She and Nico both grasped a handle.Instantly, Akko felt alike she was falling sideways at a hundred miles an hour. She felt the ground disappear beneath her feet. She could not unclench the hand holding the championship cup; it was pulling her onward in a howl of wind and swirling color, Nico at her side.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Akko felt her feet slam into the ground; she heard Nico landing next to her, her injured leg giving out, and she fell forward; both of them let go of the championship cup at last. Nico raised her head."Where are we?" she said.Akko shook her head. She got up, pulled Nico to her feet, and they looked around.They had left the Luna Nova grounds completely; they had obviously traveled miles – perhaps hundreds of miles – for even the dense forest that surrounded the school were gone. They were standing instead at the top of a sloping hill with rows of stone benches leading to a large amphitheater stage. From their place at the top of the hill, Akko could just make out the faint outline of what looked like a glittering city in the distance. Many props were set up on the stage, many of them star-themed or similar. A sense of familiarity trembled in the back of Akko's brain that she could name until he eyes fell on the large, metal four-pointed star welded to the very top of the amphitheater."I know where we are…," Akko gasped in awe. "I've seen it on old videos…. This is the stage where Shiny Chariot gave her last performance ever. But…that's all the way in Annacy. Does that mean we're in France right now? How did we get here?"Nico looked down at the championship cup and then up at Akko."It's the cup; it's been reconfigured into a Summoning Stone," she said. "Did anyone tell
you
that?""Nuh-uh," said Akko. She walked down the makeshift stairs approaching the stage. It was completely silent and slightly eerie. "Is this supposed to be part of the games?""I don't know," said Nico. She sounded slightly nervous. "We should keep our weapons out, just in case.""Yeah," said Akko, glad that Nico had made the suggestion rather than her.Nico leaned against the Staff of One, but Akko pulled out the Shiny Rod along with her wand. Akko kept looking around her. She had, yet again, the strangest feeling that they were being watched."Someone's coming," she said suddenly.Squinting tensely through the darkness, they watched a shadowy figure appeared from behind the props on stage. Akko took a step back, but noticed out of the corner of her eyes that a second shadowy figure coming from her right-hand side. Looking around wildly, she spotted, as she suspected, a third shadow coming from Nico's left. They were surrounded from all sides. Akko couldn't make out their faces with only the weak light of the crescent moon being the only source of illumination. Whoever they were, they were all wearing hooded cloaks over their heads to obscure their faces. And -several paces closer, the gap between them closing all the time – Akko saw the shadow in front was carrying something under his arm – a strange machine that was giving off a faint blue light.They stopped only six feet away from them in a perfect triangle formation. For a second, Akko and Nico and the shadowy figures simply looked at one another.And then, without warning, the figure in front raised his right hand and Akko's entire body exploded in pain. It felt like pins and needles were stabbing her from underneath her skin; her blood was boiling as if it were made of lava. It was a familiar sort of pain, but it did not stop Akko from dropping her wand and the Shiny Rod. To her left, she could hear Nico crying out; her Staff of One clattered on the ground beside the Shiny Rod. And then, just as quickly as it came, the pain simply vanished. Akko's knees buckled; she was on the ground and her vision was blurred with pain; her whole body felt like it was going to be split in half.From far away, above her head, she heard a low, cold voice say, "Don't worry, we need you both alive…. Restrain them."Akko felt herself being pulled roughly to her feet by the nape of her uniform and forced to stand as a huge, powerful hand wrapped around the back of her neck. She could hear Nico struggling next to her as she was being pulled up. She heard a man grunt in surprise – Nico must have got a hit on him – but it was soon followed by a resounding
smack
that clapped the air like a drum. The man in front hissed, "I told you not to harm them! We need them
both!""As long as she learns to settle down," a raspy voice next to her retorted.Akko felt herself being dragged forward by her captor's strong grip as the pain started to diminish. She blinked many times to clear her blurry vision, almost terrified by what she was about to see. She could only see the back of the head of the man in front as he jumped onto the staging area. Rolling her eyes sideways, could barely make out the other two; the man restraining her was dark-skinned and the arm hold her was covered in blue flame tattoos, striking Akko somewhat familiar, like she had seen them somewhere before. The man restraining Nico was easier to make out because his white cloak clashed with the dark background, but his face was obscured by the tattered hood; he was holding both the Shiny Rod and the Staff of One in his right hand while holding Nico's wrists in the other. The man on stage turned on his feel to face them directly, and stared down Akko fully through the slits in his bronze mask."Amon!" Akko gasped."How wonderful to see you again, Miss Kagari," Amon spoke casually."What have you done?" Akko growled, throwing herself back and forth to break free from her captor, whom she now realized was likely Acnologia. "What are we doing here?""Patience, Miss Kagari, all will be explained momentarily," said Amon mysteriously. He turned to the man in the white cloak. "Ruvik, it's time."The man in white – Ruvik – nodded silently, then stabbed the Shiny Rod and Staff of One into the ground hard enough so that they could stand on their own. He reached underneath his tattered uniform, searching for something, when he looked out something that made Akko step back in horror and Nico, who was standing closest to it, nearly retch. It was a human hand, extremely withered to where the skin clung to the bone, but was preserved enough that it hadn't started rotting away. There was a round indentation in the palm of the hand that was giving off a faint glow – a similar glow, Akko noticed, that the Stars of the Shiny Rod were giving off now.Ruvik tossed the hand on stage and Amon deftly snatched it out of the air. He seemed to pause for a moment, looking over the withered limb in curiosity. Amon held the hand out, palm side up, and hovered his own hand above it. He slowly curled his fingers and the round indentation started to quiver, growing more intense as Amon slowly closed his hand. Then, with a sickening squelching noise, something popped out of the hand and flew into Amon's, splatters of blackened blood spraying like a light mist. He carelessly threw the hand away and held up his new acquisition for all to see. Even in the weak light, they could all see the brilliant sparkle of the little green marble in his fingertips. Akko felt her stomach drop when she saw it."A Star of Arcturus," she muttered in disbelief."Not just any Star," said Amon with a hint of amusement. "The Star of Time. Any who awakens its power will have control over time itself.""Yeah, well, you still need the Shiny Rod to use it," said Akko, building up some confidence for herself. "And the Shiny Rod won't accept anyone except me, so, HAH!""You are only half right," said Amon with a soft chuckle, effectively wiping the grin off Akko's face. "I can't use the Star of Time the way it is intended, but I don't need the Star of Time for its magic. I just need it to be a suitable power source to get this machine running properly."Amon kneeled down and set the device under his arm on the floor. Akko tilted her head for a better look. It was fairly small and had some type of harness system strapped to the sides of the main machine. The node in the center was giving off a weak glow like a dying flashlight. As Amon started to turn the central node, a wave of recognition washed over her. She had seen that device before – in Croix's office last year!"That's Professor Croix's Chronal Accelerator!" Akko shouted surprisingly. "It went missing after last year…. You were the one that took it?" she directed the question to Amon."I had managed to slip into Croix's lab and swipe it before I went down to confront you all at Woodward's tree," Amon explained. "I stashed it away in the trunk of a tree in the Arcturus Forest, knowing I would need to make a quick escape, and retrieved it when the Heartless approached.""Professor Croix said it never worked," said Akko, really wishing Acnologia would loosen his grip on her neck; it was starting to chafe. "The best it could do is go back a few hours. Not really useful for anything.""That's because Croix could never find a power source strong enough to power it," said Amon. With one final twist of the node, the window opened and Amon reached inside. He pulled out something that look like a pulsating neo-blue glow stick before he threw it away carelessly over his shoulder. He held out the Star of Time; its shine stronger than ever, as if sensing what was about to come. "No amount of science could unravel the mystery. But the Star of Time should be more than enough power to get the job done.""B-But, you can't change the past!" Akko stammered. For some reason, she felt an unbelievable wave of fear and apprehension rising up her spine. "Professor Croix and Diana already proved that history is set in stone! No matter how hard you try, there's nothing you can do to make it different! So whatever you're planning on doing is pointless!""Change history?" Amon repeated, a mocking sort of chuckle on his lips. "My dear girl, have I taught you nothing. I have no intention of altering history. On the contrary, I am helping set history on its proper course.""Okay, I've been generally lost on everything you two have been saying up till now," Nico pipped up, making Akko jump; she had forgotten the goth was there. "I don't get all this 'changing history' stuff or whatever, but what do you mean you're 'setting it on its proper course'?"Amon did answer right away. He inserted the Star of Time into the Chronal Accelerator and closed it; the node flashed a powerful green color. The masked man slowly rose to his feet, then reached inside his pocket. For a moment, Akko though he was reaching for a weapon, but instead, he pulled out a book; a tattered old book with a torn cover and faded gold letters. It was faint to make out because of the lack of light, but Amon stepped closer until the book's cover was only a foot from Akko's face. The title read as thus:
Aradia Series Vol. 2 – The Book of Midday."Long ago, three books were written prophesizing the events that would bring great change to the world," Amon explained, pulling the book back before Akko could think to snatch it out of his hands. "The Book of Dawn prophesized the birth of the Star-Born Child, who would revive the Seed of Yggdrasil and bring about a New Golden Age of Magic. The Book of Midday, however, predicted the coming of the one true savior of our world.""One true savior?" Nico repeated with a raised brow. "Okay…say that this prophecy stuff is true…. What does that have to do with use?""You two are the most important parts," said Amon, stuffing the book back in his pocket. "Or, more specifically, the Claiomh Solais and the Staff of One. They both have very important roles to play…ah, but that's a story to be explained for another day.""And the Chronal Accelerator?" asked Akko, gesturing to the machine with her chin."The final key we need to summon our savior," Amon stated simply. "You see, I have no intention of changing history because history is moving exactly the way it should. Many centuries ago, a great person vanished from the world without any trace or explanation, becoming the topic of much controversy – ""But you know the answer," said Nico. "That person didn't disappear – they were summoned to the future. By you.""Heh, smart girl," said Acnologia, chuckling."Yes, it's true, they disappeared because we opened a portal that brought them to the future," Amon acknowledged. "That is because it was planned out by the same person for over seven hundred years, the events detailed to the letter
inside
the Gospels of Aradia. It was no mere coincidence that the Du Nord would inherit the Book of Dawn, just as it was no coincidence that I would stumble upon the Book of Midday in the basement of my childhood home, hidden behind a crumbling wall. It was all preordained by our savior, our master.""Well, don't us in suspense," Akko grumbled. "Who is it? Who is your 'master'?""…Why don't you ask her yourself?" Amon said after a moment's pause.The Chronal Accelerator hums to life without touch or prompting; Akko felt the hairs on the back of her neck raise like static, a slight pressure on her chest made it harder for her to breath. The glow of the Accelerator reached its zenith that everyone had to look away or risk being blinded. So far, nothing happened….Let it have failed,
Akko thought desperately,
let it have gone wrong….And then, suddenly, a narrow beam of green light shot from the Chronal Accelerator's node, creating a wide, pulsating rip like someone had cut the very air open with a knife. Through the crack in the tear, Akko could faintly see a swirling vortex of green, white, and black lights….
It's gone wrong,
she thought…it failed…please…please let it fail….But then, through the tear, she saw, with an icy surge of terror, a dark outline of a person appeared inside the spiraling mass of light, grasping both sides of the rift and pulling them apart so that they may take their first steps onto the stage.The tear faded away and Akko stared up at the face of a young woman with an unreadable expression. Her entire appearance was best described asymmetrical: while the right side of her hair was a long, flowing pitch-black color, the left half was a short, choppy leafy-green color with what appeared to be a wooden antler sprouting from her skull. She notably had two different colored eyes, the left a soft mint-green and the right a piercing-gold. She looked like someone who had just come home from a war – her once beautiful face was marred with various scars on her chin, above her right eyebrow, and a chunk of her right ear was missing. The most prominent, however, was the giant four-point star-shaped scar that covered nearly the entire left side of her face that looked like someone had branded it there.The scarred woman stepped forward, her feet bare as she padded softly across the stage; tiny patches of fresh grass and budding flowers magically sprouted behind her. Amon, Ruvik, and Acnologia kneeled and bowed their heads, pulling Akko and Nico with them. The woman stopped in front of Amon, then reached out and gently touched his shoulder. Amon raised his head and the woman showed the first hint of emotion with a soft, almost motherly smile."You have endured many hardships, Amon," the woman spoke in a soft, almost ethereal voice. "But you remained true to your faith. You will be rewarded soon enough.""Your return is reward enough," said Amon.She clapped his shoulder once more, then turned her attention onto the others. She regarded Ruvik and Acnologia with deep thought and spared a sad smile to Nico as she struggled to break free. But when her eyes fell on Akko, all traces of feeling immediately vanished; Akko felt a dangerous chill run down her spine. The woman walked around Amon and approached her, kneeling so that they could be at eye level with one another. The scarred woman stared deeply into Akko's eyes, almost like she was searching for something."I've been looking forward to this meeting for a while, Atsuko Kagari," she spoke softly. "We've never met before, but I know you've heard of me. My name is…the Great Witch Jennifer."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
If she wasn't already being held down by Acnologia, Akko was sure she would have frozen in place, stunned by the new revelation. This woman couldn't be who she says she was. But the way she carried herself, how she spoke the name so rightly and committed, made Akko think there was no reason she would have to lie.The Great Witch Jennifer, one of the greatest names in magical history, a woman who had brought peace and justice to the world centuries ago.And she was Amon's master. As Jennifer rose to stand at full height, Amon bowed his head so quickly as if afraid he would be burned for daring to gaze upon whom was considered a living goddess. Acnologia and Ruvik followed his example. It surprised Akko that someone as mighty and prideful as the Dragon King would bend to anyone. Jennifer stepped softly across the grass, flowers blooming where her dirty bare feet once touched, and stopped next to the Shiny Rod and the Staff of One, both stabbed in the ground where Ruvik had left them. Jennifer plucked the Shiny Rod out; it did not attack her. Her mismatched eyes roamed the surface of the rod, stopping on each of the empty slots on its sides. And then Jennifer raised the Shiny Rod parallel to herself. A sharp
snap
of breaking glass broke the silence of the night – Professor Croix's Chronal Accelerator clattered off the stage, its casing shattered – and the Star of Time slipped itself seamlessly into the fourth slot of the Shiny Rod, flashing a brief glint of emerald-green light."Four Stars have been awakened – four Words have been spoken," Jennifer muttered softly, turning the rod slowly in her hand. "But that's still not enough…the remaining three must be found…. But at the very least we have the Key." She reached for the Staff of One. A spark of purple electricity passed through the ring at the top only for a half-second. "That cuts our search in half. You have done well to bring me these, Amon. You have my gratitude.""I am pleased to be of use to you, master," said Amon formally."More than 'of use' to me, Amon," said Jennifer with a gentle smile. "While others ignored the signs or chose not to believe them, you followed through with conviction. You carried out the mission I set forth ages past and completed it. You gathered allies, collected the means for my return, even brought me Atsuko Kagari and Nico Minoru as a bonus. While Minoru was brought to me much earlier than intended, it is a happy surprise. You have proven yourself invaluable, Amon.""I humbly accept your praise," said Amon. "But the gifts do not end here. I have one more surprise for you, my master…. Ruvik, bring them here."Ruvik nodded silently under his hood, then roughly pushed Nico to the ground before standing up and walking away over the hillside. Nico started to pick herself up by her elbows, but was shoved back down when Acnologia shot to his feet and pressed his right heel into the goth's back. Struggle as she might to stand, Acnologia had her pinned to the grass under his draconic strength while still keeping his iron grip around the base of Akko's neck. Jennifer raised her scarred eyebrow with a mixture of curiosity and confusion, craning her head slightly toward Amon, but the masked man stared straight ahead at the hillside where Ruvik had wandered off to."A bit overdramatic in your presentation, don't you think?" said Jennifer."I've been told I have a flair for theatrics," said Amon, sounding amused. "Trust me, you'll love what I have in store for you.""I have not been one for surprises," said Jennifer. "At the very least, none of them were pleasant."She began to pace up and down before Akko, Nico, and Acnologia, eyes sweeping the hills while Amon stared straight ahead with his hands folded behind his back, looking quite pleased with himself. After a minute or so, Jennifer looked at Akko again, resting the Staff of One against her shoulder while the Shiny Rod hanged limply at her side."I can understand how it must feel, Atsuko Kagari, to have believed in such goodness, to hold onto hope, only to be painfully disappointed," she spoke softly. "You heard the stories about the Great Witch Jennifer, have you not? The Great Witch who brought Demi-Humans out of hiding. The Great Witch who sealed the Mad Titan. The Great Witch who inherited the Claiomh Solais from her teacher, the famous Woodward. You must have imagined me as some sort of a saint. But when you are old enough, you understand that there are no saints. There are only sinners – the difference is who can hide it better."Jennifer let out a humorless chuckle. Up and down she paced, looking all around her as she walked, swinging the two staves in her hands."You and I are similar, Atsuko Kagari," she continued. "Our families were taken from us by evil men. My parents and siblings were slaughtered by shortsighted, prejudice humans, and you…you were never allowed to know your parents because…well, I guess because of me, though Amon. We were both taken in by strangers and hidden away from the world. We both learned the secrets of magic at Luna Nova, and we were even chosen to bear the honor and responsibilities of the Claiomh Solais….""But that is where our similarities end. Perhaps it is because you did not grow up surrounded by war and treated with contempt simply for being born, but you still hold on to that blind optimism; you choose to see the best in people even when they don't deserve it. I am just the opposite. I can only see the evil in humanity and it has destroyed me. This form you see before you – " she gestured to her asymmetrical appearance – "this is proof of how broken I am. You and I – similar and opposite, like two sides of the same coin. Perhaps it's coincidence, or maybe fate's hand at work."Still she paced, her heterochromia eyes darting back and forth across the hill."Listen to me, prattling on about meaningless drivel…" she said quietly, "why, I am growing quite sentimental….""Master…," Amon suddenly spoke up. "They come…."Jennifer stopped her pacing and turned the direction Amon was facing, as did Akko, Nico, and Acnologia.The air was suddenly full of clanging footsteps like an army march. Over the sloping hill, Ruvik's white cloak appeared against the starry backdrop behind him, but he was no alone. Rows of men in shining armor emerged over the slope behind Ruvik, marching in neat rows of eight, marching in perfect synch as if they were machines. The moonlight gleamed off the smooth surface of their suits, all of them armed with weapons made of solid light. When Ruvik reached the base of the hill and stopped several yards away from them, the men in armor stopped with him. Nico looked thoroughly bewildered, and Akko could blame her because she had never seen them before. But Akko has – she remembered that night when she first laid eyes on them, her stomach clenched in terror as they tore their way through the campsite of the Chariot Racing Cup.The Purifiers.Jennifer's calm expression quickly shifted to righteous fury. She spun around to Amon and pointed the Staff of One at him. Though no words were spoken, a ring of black magic appeared around Amon's throat, choking him, slowly raising him so that his feet dangled a few inches off the ground. Amon gasped, frantically clawing at the ring, but his hands passed through it as if it were shadow."You would dare to be betray me, knowing what I can do, knowing what I am capable of!" Jennifer hissed furiously. "You have nerve, I will give you that, Amon!""Not…betrayal…," Amon gasped."You bring these…monsters," she gestured angrily to the Purifiers, who were oddly still despite being in the presence of a powerful witch, "to the place of my return and you dare to say that you have not betrayed me!""Look…closer…," Amon wheezed, his breath coming quicker and raspier.Jennifer gave the masked man a long, penetrative stare…then she dropped the Staff of One and Amon fell to his hands and knees, gasping for breath. The two-toned woman shifted her steely gaze to the small platoon of Purifiers, who still had no moved since Ruvik had brought them. Though hesitant at first, Jennifer slowly crossed the grass, both hands gripping the Shiny Rod and the Staff of One tightly. When she stood before the first armored Human, they did not move or flinch, even as Jennifer leaned in close on her tiptoes (Akko just now realized Jennifer was incredibly short for her age, only a few inches taller than Akko herself). The asymmetrical witch waved her hand curiously in front of the knight's face, but they didn't respond. She cautiously reached her fingers out to the knight's helmet and lifted it slightly to get a good view of the man's face. Akko couldn't see anything from her spot due to the lack of light, but Jennifer seemed satisfied as she lowered the Purifier's helmet and turned back to Amon with a wicked grin."You have outdone yourself this time, Amon," she said proudly. "How turn you manage this?""It wasn't easy, but I thought it was appropriate," said Amon, brushing himself off calmly. "I do love the sense of irony.""You call it irony, I call it poetic justice," said Jennifer, glancing back at the Purifiers. "These monsters have haunted the dreams of Demi-Humans for hundreds of years, and now they serve the very species they have swore to eradicate…. How many of them serve us now, Amon?""All of them," said Amon with a hint of pride. "Every last Purifier in their wretched order is yours to command, master."Jennifer turned to face the Purifiers fully, staring them all down with such intensity. Then, like a conductor, she raised the Shiny Rod above her head and twirled it around. The armored legion immediately scattered, forming a silent circle, which enclosed Jennifer, Amon, Ruvik, Acnologia, Nico, and Akko. Yet they left gaps in the circle, as though knowing there were others best suited to fill the space. Jennifer, however, did not seem to expect more. She looked around at her new followers, and though there was now wind, a rustling seemed to run around the circle. Jennifer closed her eyes, a thoughtful smile on her face, then opened them once more and threw her hands up dramatically."Welcome, my friends," said Jennifer quietly. "What has it been since I left the world past? Seven hundred years? Yes…yes, that sounds about right. To be gone for so long would turn anybody's head. I must admit, my mind is reeling from all the changes that must have taken place while I was gone. Even from here," she gestured to the bright town off in the distance, "I can see that there is much for me to learn about this strange new world…. But I did not venture through the river of time to sightsee. I came here with a purpose. Just as we all have…."Akko found herself struggling to breathe that had nothing to do with Acnologia's grip on her neck. She and Nico – they were surrounded by almost every single enemy that Akko had ever made over the last four years….
Let someone find us,
she thought desperately…someone at the school must know they're missing…someone…anyone….Jennifer now approached Amon."You, my most loyal follower," she whispered, halting before him. "Born to carry out another man's sins – your father, if I am to presume correctly. You were raised to be an instrument of his revenge against those who took his power, to repay those who punished him for his crimes. Your brother, he suffered the most, didn't he? That's why you sought me out. Not because you lusted for power as many who came before you, but because you saw the true depths of evil this world has to offer, in the form of your own father no less…. Tell me, even now, after all that has happened, do you still believe in my cause?""Now more than ever," Amon answered firmly without hesitation. "Time and time again, I have stared evil in the eye and it reaffirmed my convictions. I have seen the worst this world has to offer and my only desire is to see it changed. Through you, my master, for you are the only one who can.""And I will, Amon," said Jennifer softly, caressing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You have given so much and asked for nothing in return…all that you have lost for the cause…. I promise, your sacrifices will not go unrewarded. We will set things right, my friend.""Of course, my master, of course…. Thank you for your kind words, master….""And another thing," said Jennifer, stepping away from Amon. "Enough of this 'master' nonsense. I am not above you; I am not better than you. We all stand as equals – brother and sisters in arms. So please, call me by my name.""Of course, ma – I mean, Jennifer," said Amon with slight hesitation.Jennifer moved on, and stopped, staring at a space that separated two Purifier knights."Cinder Fall should be standing among us," she said quietly. "But she is now entombed in that magical prison, ooh, what's it called – oh, yes, Dol Guldur. She was faithful. She chose to face punishment in that hellish place than renounce me. Though I am plainly aware she only did so because she lusts for power, she is still useful to our cause…. When Dol Guldur is broken open, Cinder Fall will be honored among us. The Heartless will join uss…their thirst for light is stronger than their obedience to the Council…we will recall the Nine Titan Shifters… the persecution they suffer will motivation enough to at least half to join us…. We should extend a hand to the Arrancar as well, though I cannot say if they will accept it…. It's coming together nicely…."She walked on, passing some of the Purifiers in silence, then she paused in front of Ruvik and spoke."Ruben Victoriano…another victim of a cruel world. Burned by another man's thirst for vengeance in a fire that took away the only person you ever loved. Locked in a basement for years by your own father, as if you were some deep shame he could not bear to live with. Men you trusted, men you shared your secrets with, betrayed you and stole your work for their own selfish greed…." She placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "You have been hurt more than most. Rest assured, there will be retribution….""Thank you, ma – Jennifer," murmured Ruvik, catching himself."And you" – Jennifer rounded to Acnologia – "are Acnologia, the King of Dragon's correct? Your story begins three hundred years after my own, but it is no less tragic. Born in the middle of a war raged between dragons, you were forced to watch as these titans of destruction clashed with one another, not caring who got caught in the crossfire. Even those claiming to be fighting for coexistence proved themselves no better. You family was murdered, your home was destroyed, and even had to endure the sight of dragons taking an innocent child's life. You joined the battle to end this senseless slaughter…. And those dragons have the
gall
to call you a monster, ignoring all that they have done. You deserve to be angry.""I want them all to pay…," Acnologia said in a low growl."And they will, I promise," said Jennifer.She reached a large gap between the Purifiers, and stood surveying it with her heterochromia eyes, as though she could see people standing there."And here we have six missing from our ranks…the Minorus are gone, but fate has brought me their daughter – how fortuitous…two who have refused to join us out of cowardice…they will be dealt with swiftly. One who has already betrayed us…his fated end will come soon enough…and the last one, the person who made this gathering possible, continues to carry out their duty, waiting to return on my command."Akko darts her eyes downward and meets with Nico's, both of them likely thinking the same thing."They are at Luna Nova, our faithful comrade, and it was through their efforts that our young friends arrived here tonight…."Yes," said Jenifer, a small smile on her lips as she turned in Akko and Nico's direction. "The Star-Born Child and the Daughter of Darkness – Atsuko Kagari and Nico Minoru. It was not easy bringing you both here – Miss Minoru's arrival was the most surprising – but our friend in Luna Nova worked tirelessly to make it all possible."There was silence. Then Nico visibly struggled to raise herself off the ground despite Acnologia's foot pressing down on her spine. She raised herself onto her elbow and leered up at Jennifer."Well, are you going to tell us?" she spoke evenly and fearlessly. "Your big plan? How you managed to come back after seven hundred years. Or
why
you would go so far in the first place?"Ah, well, I suppose this is the part where the 'villain' starts monologuing their 'evil plan'," said Jennifer humorously. "A bit cliché, mind you, but I suppose I will indulge you, if only so that I may brag about myself. I've been told I can be quite vain."She walked lazily over so that she was standing in front of Acnologia, who was still holding Akko off the ground, forcing Jennifer to tilt her back to look up at her. She tilted her head down at Nico, who stared back with her head resting on her armored hand, almost looking bored."Well, I suppose my story begins where it always has – with Luna Nova," Jennifer said softly, turning her gaze back on Akko once more, who suddenly felt a warm tingle along her back, like someone was taking a blow-dryer to her scars. "I was one of the first students there. Among the first round of Demi-Humans who were forced to flee from their home because of Human prejudice. My parents, my siblings, my village – all of it gone because the Humans feared those who were different. I had the fortune of becoming Woodward's direct disciple, who would bequeath to me the Claiomh Solais. You remember the story of how I convinced the Demi-Humans to come out of hiding and fight in the Hundred Year War…at least I hope you do. Admittedly, history was not my best subject during my days in Luna Nova. But even after ending the wars and convincing the people to be more accepting of Demi-Humans, I found that it wasn't enough."She turned away for a moment, a small, almost saddened smile crossing her lips."I wanted to help the world – I truly did…. But it seemed like the more I tried to help, the more I began to see that the world didn't
want
my help. No matter what I did, it seemed that every man, woman, and child sought out a reason to incite conflict…there will
always
be a reason to fight. Religion, ideals, resources, land, grudges, love, hate, or simply just because. And it's not just the conflict between Humans and Demi-Humans either" – she turned back to the girls sharply, almost making Akko flinch – "both sides always find reasons to destroy
themselves.
A little while ago, Humans made slaves of their own kind simply because of the color of their skin. Even today, race is a large factor in internal conflict. Demi-Humans are no better – ostracizing Arrancar, Titan Shifters and the like because they are identified as 'monsters' who deserve no more rights than a common animal…."Even after seven hundred years, nothing has truly changed."Jennifer walked back to the middle of the circle and Akko felt the pressure on her back fade away. The mismatched witch took a deep breath and sighed heavily. She tilted her head back and stared into the starry heavens above."That's when I was forced to accept the reality for what it was," she spoke with apparent sadness in her tone. "Mankind will never truly get along. Sure, they may act pleasant up front, but that is merely a mask to cover up to hate and betrayal that bubbles underneath the surface. As long as opinions differ, hatred will always exist in the hearts of man."That's when it came to me: the Claiomh Solais!" she shouted, throwing back her head and spreading out her arms dramatically. "It is the key to unlocking World Reconstruction Magic, the ability to alter reality to ones wishes. I witnessed Master Woodward perform it only once, when she created the dimensional barrier that separated Luna Nova from the rest of the world. If Woodward could send an entire plot of land into another plane of existence, then it would surely have the power to save humanity from itself. It's actually a lot simpler than you would think. All you have to do is cut out the cancer that festers in everyone's hearts.""And…what is that?" Akko asked hesitantly.Jennifer's arms dropped back to her sides; the Shiny Rod and the Staff of One clanging when their heads connect in the middle. Slowly, silently, Jennifer turned around, staring deeply into Akko's eyes with a cold, hardened expression as her voice came out in a harsh whisper that carried across the silent hillside."Free will."The warm, tingling sensation she felt moments ago now returned to her scars flaring with intensity. Akko had to bite down on her tongue to stop herself from crying out, but her body shuddered agonizingly as her backside felt like someone was taking a thousand white-hot knives to it. The Stars of the Shiny Rod glimmered blindingly in the darkness, but no one else seemed to take notice (it wasn't the first time she had seen the Shiny Rod react when no one else could, but nothing good ever came when it did.)"It was the only feasible way to save mankind from its own destructive ignorance," Jennifer continued as she turned away; the burn sensation lightened when she did, but Akko could still feel the tingle on her spine. "If I reset the world, stripped away the dangerous concept of individuality, and brought everyone together under one mind, it would end all the chaos. Imagine a world where there are no more wars, no more petty feuds or senseless violence, no – ""Choice!" Nico snapped suddenly. Acnologia sneered and slammed his foot on the back of her head, shoving her face first into the grass. "Gah! Son of a – ""It is a small price to pay to bring true,
absolute
peace," Jennifer responded coldly. "If it means no more lives have to be destroyed because of someone else's narrowminded judgement, then it is worth it…. If it means that no more children have to watch their families die simply because they're different, then it is enough….""And you guys are all okay with this?" Akko hissed at Amon, Ruvik, and Acnologia. "You're fine with her just…turning you into her mindless puppets.""You could nor understand because you have not been exposed to the bigger evils that lurk in this world, Miss Kagari," said Amon softly, almost sounding mournful. "You've only seen it in small quantities from the safety of your school…. You may think we are the bad guys, Miss Kagari, but
we
are the victims here, jerked around by greater powers and treated like monsters when we chose to fight back.""I'm not really on board with the whole 'global mind control' thing," Acnologia scoffed, "but after everything that happened, maybe things would have turned out better if someone had the power to reign in those dragons. Could've stopped a lot of people from dying pointless and meaningless deaths.""You see, Atsuko Kagari," said Jennifer plainly. "Though reluctant, the understand that sacrifice is necessary for the greater good. Something that my old master couldn't wrap her mind around, for all of her great wisdom."I spent years learning the Seven Words that would revive the Stars before I attempted to enact my goal. I had entered the Grand Triskellion, the origin of all magic, and was prepared to set the world right. But I was not alone…Woodward had been waiting for me. Her foresight was greater than I had anticipated. She had known of my goal and arrived to stop me from carrying it out. I had foolishly thought that with the Claiomh Solais that I would certainly win. It was the greatest tool in the world! But Woodward had not taught me everything to know about the Claiomh Solais. She kept her own secrets and turned them against me. It became apparent that she never truly trusted me. Part of me wonders if she ever trusted anyone other than herself. She defeated me with little effort and took back the Claiomh Solais, but that wasn't enough for her. She turned the Claiomh Solais upon me and branded my face," she gently caressed the star-shaped scar on the left side of her face, wincing slightly, "so that I would always carry my defeat with me wherever I go and never challenge her authority again.""But her warning did not deter me – it only reaffirmed my convictions," Jennifer proclaimed, her fists tightening until her knuckles turned white."I knew I could not start my strategy again as long as Woodward continued to guard the Grand Triskellion
and
held on to the Claiomh Solais. I needed to wait for the right moment when she would no long prove an obstacle. But then question was, when. When would that happen? As far as I knew, Woodward would live forever. There was only one person who could provide me with these answers: the author of the Gospels of Aradia, the Olde Witch of Time.""Someone else wrote the books?" Akko asked before she could stop herself, eyes wide in surprise. "But we were always told that you – "But she was cut off when Jennifer threw her head back in loud, bellowing laughter."Me, write the Gospels of Aradia?" Jennifer snorted in a rather undignified way. "I
hated
Foretelling in school! I never made a prediction in my life! I don't even know how that ridiculous rumor even started…." She took a moment to calm herself, wiping a single tear from her eyes. "Oh, but no, I didn't write the books. That title belongs to one of the Nine Olde Witches: the Olde Witch of Time.She was unique, even among the Nine Olde Witches. She had the power to gaze far into the future, recording everything she saw through the centuries, only to burn them when she was finished. A real nutbag, if you ask me, but her quirkiness was a cute point. Of course, she always kept her identity a secret. Even among her peers, she never showed anyone her face or told anyone her name. She claimed it was so that she could 'watch history playout with impunity'. I saw her a few weeks ago in my time, and I got the strange sense that she knew more than she was letting on….""When I approached her, she already knew why I was there and offered me two books she had only just completed. The first two books in the Gospels of Aradia trilogy, the Book of Dawn and the Book of Midday. She told me that all my answers would become clear once I read them. I was suspicious at first. The Olde Witch had a reputation for burning her books the moment she completed them, remember? So why would she allow me to read these two? But I was impatient and desperate for answers. So, I read them. I learned everything that would take place in the coming centuries, from the birth of the Star-Born Child to the moment of my return. Everything I needed to know was written in black and white; everything I needed to make my ambition a reality."I asked to read the final book in the trilogy, but the Olde Witch denied me and instead bequeathed me a role to ensure that the events of the future would play out exactly as she had envisioned them."My first task was to pass on the Book of Dawn to woman whose decedents would become the founders of the House of Du Nord. A rather…strange witch named Chronoire Schwarz VI. She was…difficult at first, but I managed to give her the Book of Dawn and instructed her to pass it down to her daughter, and for her to pass it down to her daughter, and so forth until it reached the curious eye of Chariot Du Nord. Next, I would travel to the northern lands and bury the Book of Midday in the area that would become Amon's childhood home, knowing that he would one day break the wall in frustration after watching his little brother be punished by their cruel father, leading him to discover the book. And then, the final task in my role was to return here" – she gestured to the hillside – "to outskirts of Annecy seven hundred years ago and wait patiently for the moment when the gateway would open that would carry me to the future. And my patience was rewarded."And that brings us to the present, literally and figuratively," Jennifer concluded softly. "Without Woodward's interference this time around, I will finish what I started. I
will
bring peace to this world at last, even if it means I must force the rest of the world to comply. But…I am a firm believer of fair chance. If you wish to stop me, then I will grant you the opportunity to do so."Akko fell forward onto her hands and knees so suddenly that she didn't catch herself in time to stop her nose from hit the ground, causing it to throb painfully. She lifted her head up, touching her tender nose, and looked to her side as Nico rose to her knees as well. Acnologia, Ruvik, and Amon silently walked back so that they were standing in line with the Purifiers, all of them staring intently at the two.The Shiny Rod and the Staff of One clattered on the ground in front of them. Akko and Nico stared at their weapons hesitantly, then looked back at Jennifer, who returned their gaze with a challenge in her eyes."Pick up your wands," Jennifer commanded. "Now we duel."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
There was a split second, perhaps, when Akko might have considered running for it, but Nico wounded ankle shook under her as she leaned against the Staff of One, as the Purifiers closed ranks, forming a tighter circle around them and Jennifer, so that the gaps where her missing followers should have stood were filled. Akko held the Shiny Rod in her left hand as she whipped out her personal wand with her right. It was unlikely that having two wands was going to improve the situation, but it made Akko feel her chances were a
little
better."You have been taught how to duel, correct?" said Jennifer softly, her mismatched eyes glinting through the darkness.At these words Akko remembered, as through from a former life, the dueling club at Luna Nova she had attended briefly two years ago…. All she had done was screw up a metamorphosis spell to give herself bunny ears and a button nose…and Akko didn't think making Jennifer laugh would be a good reason for her to let Akko and Nico go. All the spells and lessons she learned over the last ten months seemed to fly out of her head when facing Jennifer. They were only a couple of fourth-year students – how were they supposed to defend themselves against one of the most powerful witches in history?"First, we bow to each other," said Jennifer, bending at the waist, but keeping her face upturned to Akko. "Don't be rude. Traditions must be honored, even in the face of certain doom. Show a little respect to your elders, children."Acnologia snorted indignantly somewhere outside the circle. Jennifer was smiling haughtily at them. Neither Akko nor Nico bowed. They were not going to let Jennifer play with them before killing them…Akko was not going to give her that satisfaction…."She said
bow!" Amon voice rumbled somewhere in the darkness – Akko felt the familiar sensation of her blood boiling and felt her spine curve as though a huge, invisible hand were bending her ruthlessly forward, and she heard Nico grunting forcefully beside her."Very good," said Jennifer softly as she stood, and the pressure bearing down on Akko lifted too. "And now you will face me, like true witches – straight-backed and proud, the way my friends and comrades stood beside me during the war…."And now – we duel.""Push!"Nico's sudden, rage-fueled scream nearly made Akko jump out of her skin. With the Staff of One raised forward, Nico threw a size force of invisible pressure at the mismatched witch. Jennifer did not defend herself, she did not move, and took the full force of Nico's attack directly. Even as the pressure exploded in her face and the Purifier's behind her stumbled backwards, Jennifer did not flinch or even budge an inch, her feet firmly rooted on the ground. Akko glanced over at her friend and was quite understanding of the dumbfounded look on the goth's face.Jennifer raised her hand slowly, pulling back one of her fingers, and flicked it in Nico's direction. The goth was suddenly vaulted backwards, nearly folding in half, as if she had taken a cannonball to the gut. She hit the wall of Purifiers behind her, who immediately grabbed her and threw her back on the ground at Akko's feet. Akko barely had a moment to react when a pillar of earth suddenly rose from the ground, striking Akko beneath them chin, then melted back into place as if nothing had happened. The brunette hit the ground hard on her back, her chin throbbing angrily and her teeth rattling in her mouth; she could feel one of her molars chipped with her tongue –She suddenly shot up to her feet along with Nico, feeling like invisible strings were tugging at her limbs. Jennifer raised her hands to the both of them and pulled back sharply; Akko and Nico were pulled weightlessly toward the mismatched witch. A green glow surrounded Jennifer's hands as they approached her before she lunged forward and slapped her open palms against their stomachs. Akko's entire body trembled, her stomach threatening to vomit all of its contents, as the Great Witch hit them with what felt like the equivalent of a speeding bus. She and Nico both hit the ground on their sides. They both grimaced in pain, but didn't cry out. Slowly, the rolled their bodies over and staggered to their feet, trembling uncontrollably."A little break," said Jennifer, who back pacing back and forth like a dog with too much energy, "a little pause…. You are grievously outmatched, but you still find the strength to stand. I can respect that. We are similar in that regard."Akko didn't answer. Before, she might have accepted it as a compliment to be compared to the Great Witch Jennifer…but now it seemed more like an insult. There was no chance of winning, Akko knew…but she wasn't going to give Jennifer the satisfaction of watching he roll over and beg for mercy…."Your defiance is commendable, but foolhardy," said Jennifer softly. "This doesn't have to continue. You can surrender, survive, join our cause if you wish. All you have to do is…give in."Akko felt a sudden numbness wash over her body where she couldn't feel her own limbs – as if every cell in her body was no longer hers. She knew this sensation; she remembered it from Zeref's lessons. Marco – The Curse of Subjugation. She was dimly aware of Nico falling to he knees beside her and Akko's own legs started to bend against her will. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she could hear Jennifer's voice whispering to her:
just give in…surrender…live and serve….She will not bend to you, malevolent one, a more powerful voice shot back, a voice Akko did not recognize.
Her will is stronger than yourself….
Just give in….
You will endure, Akko, you will prevail,
the other voice promised her.
Just give in….
"NEVER!""And these words burst from Akko's mouth; they echoed through the hillside, and the numbness was lifted as suddenly as though cold water had been thrown over her – back rushed the aches that Jennifer's magic had inflicted on her body – back rushed the realization of where she was, and what she was facing…."That…is surprising," said Jennifer quietly, and the Purifiers around them shivered. "That are very few who can shake off a curse as powerful as Macro. You have been trained to resist it…. No, no, that's not it. There's something else. Something…inside you. Something that doesn't belong there. Now, I'm curious. I want to see what you're hiding."Jennifer snapped her fingers and a jolt of lightning shot from the tips, but this time Akko was ready. With the reflexes born of her Chariot Racing training, she flung herself sideways onto the ground as the lightning exploded the ground where she once stood. Akko rolled around on her hands and knees and looked up, spying Jennifer already taking aim for her next shot. When suddenly, Nico leapt into the air from Jennifer's righthand side, her prosthetic arm glowing with rich-purple energy like her eyes. She threw a punch at Jennifer's head, but the mismatched witch slapped the fist away without so much as a glance at the goth. Jennifer then reached out and closed her hand towards Nico. The gothic witch suddenly stopped moving in midair, dangling several feet off the ground as she kicked her legs frantically."You shouldn't need top put up this much of a resistance, you two," said Jennifer, her voice soft and even. "Why can't you understand that what we are doing is better for everyone? A world without war or prejudice. A world where everyone can be happy and loved. Doesn't that sound wonderful? Why do you fight against it? You two, who have suffered more loss than any other?""Because it's insane," Nico hissed. "What gives you the right to control the world?""…I never said that
I
would be the one to control the world," Jennifer spoke after a moment's pause."What?" Akko gasped. "If you're not the one holding the control, then who is?""You will, Atsuko Kagari," said Jennifer firmly, pointing to Akko with her free hand, earning a stunned expression from the brunette. "I have already been tainted by man's evil; corrupted beyond redemption. I have seen too many horrors, witnessed too much tragedy; my hands are drenched in the blood of others. If we are to unify the world into one mind, the one who wields the power untainted and pure. You, who sees the goodness in mankind despite knowing the evil that festers without it…you are the only one who can bring about true peace without giving into the temptation of power. That is why I need you at my side, Atsuko Kagari. Together, we can save this broken world," She holds out her hand to Akko in offering. "What do you say?""I say…," Akko said slowly, "you're even crazier than I thought if you think I'm going to work with a lunatic like you!" She raised the Shiny Rod above her head and began to cry out "Phaidoari
– ""Nix!" Jennifer shouted.Akko had the briefest moment of remembrance when she first encountered Izetta over a year ago that ended the same way. The Shiny Rod sparked in her hand and Akko was tossed backwards to the ground like she had been shot from a cannon. Akko quickly sat up from her spot, shaking the Shiny Rod like a rattle, but she couldn't feel the incredible wealth of magical energy anymore."How…?" Akko gasped."Just as the Claiomh Solais has Seven Words that grant one of it's many powers, it also has Seven Words that can take them away," Jennifer explained. "It's a feature that my teacher, Woodward, created should the Claiomh Solais fall into the wrong hands. It is what she used against me when we did battle at the Grand Triskellion. I only know three of these…deactivation codes, if you will: one for the Star of Destruction, one for the Star of Space, and One for the Star of Time. Using the Claiomh Solais against me is futile.""You might know three of them," Akko shouted determinedly, "but you don't know this one!
Noctu Orfei Aude Fraetor!"The Shiny Rod unraveled and rebounded itself in Akko's hand, becoming the gleaming gilded bow it had been since the first time she held it. Akko's hand immediately flew the silver sting and pulled with all her strength; an arrow of emerald energy materialized in the empty space. Akko had hoped that Jennifer might reconsider once faced with Akko's most powerful spells, but when she looked back at the mismatched witch, her fingers nearly loosened the arrow as he mouth fell open in shock.While Akko had been preparing her own spell, Jennifer had dropped Nico on the ground and wrapped one hand around the empty air, emitting a smooth wave of pitch-black magical energy. It stretched and bended on Jennifer's command until it transformed into a perfect copy of the Shiny Bow in Akko's hand. Jennifer pulled the black string with her free hand and an arrow of burning energy formed in the space between, her stance matching Akko's almost perfectly.Akko almost dropped her spell right there, but she pushed her surprise to the back of her mind and replaced it with determination. As Akko shouted, "Shiny Arc!" Jennifer cried, "Shadow Bow!"The shaft of green light left Akko's hand at the same time Jennifer released her crimson barb. The arrowheads met in midair and an explosion of bright, deep gold filled the hillside, illuminating the night sky as if it were daylight. Akko was thrown backward off her feet, her body vibrating uncomfortably as though an electrical charge were surging through it; the Shiny Rod felt white-hot and burned her hand, but she couldn't release it if she wanted to. She hit the ground hard on her back, colorful spots filling her vision and her focus fading in and out. The circle of Purifiers around her hand been knocked over from the explosion, all of them acting unresponsive for the moment.Akko winced as she forced her head off the ground, blinking the spots away from her eyes, and looked over at Jennifer. The mismatched witch was currently rolling over onto her hands and knees, looking just as disoriented as Akko was. This was her chance, while they were distracted, Akko thought. She rolled over and began army crawling toward Nico, whose listless body had been thrown sideways due to the blast, but was thankfully alive because she was lolling her head from side-to-side, quietly moaning to herself. She was almost within reaching distance as she stretched out her hand to grasp Nico's when she heard and quick series of footsteps behind her. Someone appeared out of the corner of her eye and brought their foot down on top of her hand, making Akko cry out as what felt like the weight of an anvil smashed her palm into the ground.A strong hand gripped her by the back of her uniform and lifted her off the ground with ease, bringing Akko up to meet Acnologia's snarling face. The King of Dragons threw Akko back in the middle of the field as the Purifiers began to pick themselves up, closing their ranks, reforming the circle around her and Jennifer once more. Akko tried to pull herself into a sitting position when Nico's body was thrown on top of hers; Nico's metal hand slammed into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her.Akko stared blearily up at the starry sky when Ruvik and Acnologia stepped into her line of vision. They bent down and grabbed the girls roughly by their shoulders, forcing them to stand straight and turned them in Jennifer's direction. The Great Witch was holding her head, shaking off her own dizzy spell, as Amon pulled her up by her arm. Jennifer pulled away sharply and leered in their direction."Do nothing to them!" Jennifer shrieked at Ruvik and Acnologia. "Do not even touch them unless I command it!"They released the girls immediately like they had been burned, making them stumble forward. Before either of them had the chance to defend themselves, Jennifer crossed the gap in a blur of motion, backhanding Nico across the face and throwing her onto the ground. The mismatched witch then turned to Akko and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her off the ground with surprising strength – the Body Strengthening Magic, no doubt."You know," Akko gasped, "you're not doing a very good job…convincing me to join you.""I do not like doing this, Atsuko Kagari, I do not enjoy hurting people," said Jennifer, frowning. "But years of experience taught me that violence is the only way people will listen. It's why wars are waged, regardless of how trivial the reason – ""My god," Akko groaned, rolling her eye, "you just love hearing yourself talk, don't you? Always rambling on with these repetitive speeches. You're like a broken record."Jennifer went mute for a moment, seemingly taken aback by Akko's rudeness, and said with conviction, "I will have you join my cause, Atsuko Kagari. When you see how heartless and godforsaken this world really is, you will understand and you
will
carry out your intended purpose. You are the one who will save the world, Atsuko Kagari…. It has already been etched.""If I'm supposed to save the world," said Akko, smiling at Jennifer in a mocking sort of way, "then maybe that mean's I'm supposed to kick your ass. Did you ever think of that?"Once again, Jennifer paused thoughtfully, until her brow creased irritably."Okay, now I am thoroughly annoyed," Jennifer says bluntly, raising her freehand to conjured a ball of magical energy. "I am going to knock you out and take you with me. Hopefully one day I will be able to join me without coercion.""Don't you move an inch, you lopsided bitch," Nico called from across the circle.Jennifer visibly rolled her eyes in annoyance as she craned her head back at Nico, only for them to go wide a moment later. When Akko followed her line of sight, she spotted Nico, standing with shaking knees, holding out the Staff of One to Jennifer, muttering some kind of incantation that was too fast for Akko to understand. A ball of black energy formed inside the ring of the Staff with white lightning looping around the core. It was emitting echoing screams that sounded like thousands of people crying out in pain. Akko had never seen such a spell before, but Jennifer apparently had and appeared genuinely frightened by it."A Curse of Souls," said Jennifer softly. "Where did you learn such a horrific spell.""Extra lessons with Zeref and a natural talent for Dark Magic," Nico answered sharply. "People always think that death is the worse curse, but they don't understand that there are things worse than dying. Like trying to live with a splintered soul."Akko's mind flashbacked to the little dirt man in Zeref's first class, mutilated beyond recognition. She remembered Bernadette Cavendish and how she suffered for six long years before it became too much for her body to bear. How? How could Zeref think of teaching such a terrible spell? How could Nico even think of using it on another living being? Akko saw Amon attempting to intercept, but Jennifer gestured him back with her free hand, staring down Nico with a look of contempt."If you're going to threaten me with such a sacrilegious spell, you best be ready to fully commit to it," Jennifer challenged. "Can you honestly live with yourself to go through with such a heinous act?""I've done a lot of morally questionable things in my life," Nico said without hesitation that it actually took Jennifer aback. "One more isn't going to make a difference.""Such callousness," Jennifer growled. "You are – ""Oh, shut the hell up already!" Nico snapped impatiently.She thrust her staff ahead and shot the Curse across the circle. Akko could feel Jennifer's hand around her throat tense up for a moment before her grip disappeared and Akko realized that she was falling. Jennifer had moved out of the way, watching the Curse pass her with a fleeting look of terror. Unfortunately, that put the Curse on a direct path to Akko. The Curse slammed into her chest and threw her several feet landing roughly on her back, staring dimly up at the starry sky. Akko was sure it was Nico calling her name, but her voice sounded like it was underwater.It was strange, really. Akko would have though having your soul splintered would be painfully, but she actually felt…good. Great, even. It felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted off of her shoulder, like she had been suffocating and now she was taking her first real breath of fresh air. Something bright was hanging in the fringes of her eyesight – something bright-red. Curious, Akko reached up, pulled at the strange object, and felt a sharp tug at her skull. This red thing was attached to her head…no, wait, Akko thought dully, that's hair…her hair…. Her friends had told her something like this happened in her fight with Ryuko and Satsuki, but this was the first time she was aware of it…. For some reason, her hair was bright red…just like Shiny Chariot's…."Who are you? Where did you come from?" Jennifer's sharp voice cut through her thoughts.Akko sat up, wondering who Jennifer was referring to, when her gaze drifted upwards and skittered backwards in surprise. Something – or perhaps someone – was floating above the ground where Akko laid, that looked as though they were made of the solidest, densest smoke…. This…specter…looked like an older woman, around the same age as Ursula and Croix, with her smoky hair done up in an elaborate bun, a pair of square glasses resting on her narrow nose. But what was even more striking was her face – a face that Akko had seen almost every day when she looked into a mirror.This woman looked like Akko.Amon stepped closer despite Jennifer's earlier command and stared up at the phantom. Akko couldn't see his expression behind the mask, but she was sure he was as surprised by this specter's appearance just as much as they were – even more, perhaps, because his hands were trembling at his side. The masked warrior's voice seemed to not be working properly, because when he spoke, he could barely form the single word that escaped his lips: "Ur…sula…?"The phantom suddenly smiled in a smug sort of way, raising her right arm and closing her hands around the air like she was holding a wand. At the same time, Akko's own wand started to vibrate, pulling Akko's arm into the air against her wishes. She could feel a surge of power rising up from her stomach, through her chest, circulating through her arm, and exiting through her fingertips into the wand.All at once, a thousand beams of golden light burst from the tip of her wand, arching high over everyone's heads, crisscrossing all around them, until they were enclosed in a golden, dome-shaped web, a cage of light, trapping everyone beneath. Very dimly, Akko heard the frightened yells of the Purifiers, prowling near the edges of the golden dome, appearing to struggle between keeping their orders and fleeing for their lives…. Jennifer seemed as lost as the rest of her followers, having taken her eyes off of Akko and stared around at the strangest the likes she had never seen before….The phantom floated closer to Akko, still hold her hand aloft, looking down at the young girl. When she spoke, it was distant and echoing, but quiet, as so not to allow anyone other than Akko to hear."I wanted to meet you someday, Akko, but now is not the time…. When we are rejoined, you will have but a moment before the spell activates…but it will give time to flee…take Nico and get to the Summoning Stone, it will return you to Luna Nova…do you understand, Akko?""Yes," Akko gasped, fighting now to keep a hold of her wand, which was slipping and sliding beneath her fingers."Do it now," whispered the phantom, "be ready to run…do it now….""NOW!" Akko yelled; she didn't think she could have held on for another moment anyway – she pulled her wand upward with an almighty wrench, and many things happened at once. The phantom woman seemed to dive into Akko's chest and the strange weight seemed to return (she also noticed her hair had returned to its original chestnut color). The cage around them shattered and pelted everyone inside with a hailstorm of light particles; everyone threw up their hands and shielded their eyesAnd Akko ran as she had never run in her life, knocking Jennifer and Amon aside as she passed and grabbed Nico by the arm, barreling their way through a couple of Purifiers. They zigzagged up and down the slope, feeling shots of electricity arcing over their heads, heading them char the grass at their feet – they were dodging the Purifier's weapons, pelting toward the Championship Cup, Nico limping alongside her, but seemed to be doing her best to ignore the pain, their entire being concentrated on what they had to do –"Don't harm them!" she heard Jennifer scream. "We need them alive!"Ten feet from the Cup, Nico tripped on her ankle, which was lucky when a jet of electricity blew past their heads, striking the place where they would have been. Akko pulled Nico up by the arm, and the goth spun around –"Snap!" she bellowed, pointing the Staff of One wildly behind them at the Purifiers running at them.From a muffled yell, it seemed like she had hit at least one of them, but there was no time to stop and look. They were nearly at the Cup; Akko and Nico dived as they heard more shots being fired behind them; more jets of electricity flew over their heads as they fell, stretching their hands out to grab the Cups handles –"No! Don't let them get away!" shrieked Jennifer.Ruvik seemingly materialized out of thin air in front of them; he grasped something in the air that didn't appear to have any shape and took a swing at them just as Akko and Nico wrapped their hands around the Cup –Akko heard Jennifer's screams of rage at the same moment that she felt the sensation of falling a hundred miles an hour meaning that the Summoning Stone had worked – it was speeding them away in a whirl of wind and color…. They were going back.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Akko felt herself slam flat into the ground; her face was pressed into grass; the smell of it filled her nostrils. She had closed her eyes while the Summoning Stone transported them, and she kept them closed now. She did not move. All the breath seemed to have been knocked out of her; her head was swimming so badly she felt as though the ground beneath her were swaying like the deck of a ship. To hold herself steady, she tightened her grip on the smooth, cold handle of the Championship Cup. She felt as though she would slide away into the blackness gathering on the edges of her brain if she let it go. Shock and exhaustion kept her on the ground, breathing in the smell of the grass, waiting…waiting for someone to do something…something to happen…and all the while, her scars burned dully on her back….A torrent of sound deafened and confused her; there were voices everywhere, footsteps, screams…. She remained where she was, her face screwed up against the noise, as though it were a nightmare that would pass….Then a pair of hands seized her roughly and turned her over."Akko!
Akko!"She opened her eyes.She was looking up at the starry sky, and Professor Ursula was crouched over her. The dark shadows of a crowd of people pressed in around them, pushing closer; Akko felt the ground beneath her head reverberate with their footsteps.They had come back to the Chariot Racing stadium underneath the Sky Labyrinth. She could see the stands rising above her, the shapes of people moving in them, the stars above.Akko let go of the cup and seized Ursula's wrist, while Ursula's face swam in and out of focus."Jennifer," Akko whispered. "Amon's master – it's the Great Witch Jennifer. Professor Croix's time machine – she used it – she's back."Confusion was apparent on Ursula's face until the full weight of what Akko had said came crashing down upon her. Her eyes were wide, running back and forth in quick thought, biting her lip."Oh my god – Nico!" somebody screamed.Akko rolled her head to the side as the shadowy figures pressed in on them from all sides, her vision still blurred and misted. She tried to focused on the body lying flat beside her, narrowing her eye in concentration, until she could make out Nico's prone form.Nico was lying on her back starring up at the sky like Akko, her eyes wide and trembling, her mouth open, but she could only make gurgling sounds. Her flesh and blood hand was pressed against her throat as a thick waterfall of crimson spilled through her twitching fingers. It took a moment for Akko's mind to catch up before she understood what she was seeing: Nico was bleeding out – Ruvik had cut her throat open before they escaped.The shadowy figures were shouting and screaming; Akko couldn't make out what they were saying; her mind was hurricane of panicked thoughts. Akko wanted to be beside Nico – to know that she was okay – to know that her friend wasn't dead because of her – but those same rough hands kept her in place and Ursula's face, which was still a blur, came closer."Akko, there is nothing you can do for her now.""It was my fault," Akko muttered – it seemed important to explain this. "They were trying to get to me, and Nico got involved…. It's because of me she….""None of this is your fault, Akko…it's not…."Ursula bent down and raised Akko from the ground and set her on her feet. Akko swayed. Her head was pounding. The bruise blossoming over her lungs made it difficult to breathe. The crowd around them jostled, fighting to get closer, pressing darkly in on her – "What's happened?" What's wrong with her" "Nico died?!""We need to go to the hospital wing!" Croix's form floated into Akko's vision; her face stricken with panic. "Akko is injured and – oh god, Nico, she – Ursula, Crawford Seam is here, he's coming down now….""I'll take Akko, professor, I'll take her – ""No, I would prefer – ""Ursula, the representatives are running…they're coming over…. What should we tell them – if they see Nico - ?""Akko, stay here – "Girls were screaming, sobbing hysterically…. The scene flickered oddly before Akko's eyes…."It's all right, Akko, I've got you…come on…hospital wing…""Professor Ursula said stay," said Akko thickly, the burning in her scars making her feel as though she was about to throw up; her vision was blurring worse than ever."You need to lie down…. Come on now…."Someone larger and stronger than she was half pulled, half carried her through the frightened crowd. Akko heard people gasping, screaming, and shouting as whoever supported her pushed a path through them, taking her back to the school Across the lawn, past the lake and the Honnoji carrier, Akko heard nothing but the heavy breathing of the person helping her walk."What happened, Akko?" the person, a girl, asked at last as she lifted Akko up the stone steps, her dark coat billowing beside them. It was Mato."Cup was a Summoning Stone," said Akko as they crossed the entrance hall. "Took me and Nico to a hill outside of Annecy…and Amon was there…he and his friends were waiting for us."What was the point of telling Mato. She wouldn't understand any of this…."Amon's group was there? What happened then?""They captured us…. They had the Star of Time….Why was she explaining this?"And then?""They used Professor Croix's time machine…powered it with the Star of Time…brought the Great Witch Jennifer to the future….How could any of this be relevant to Mato?"The Great Witch returned? She traveled through time?""And the Purifiers came…they're working for her now…and then we dueled….""You dueled with Jennifer?""Got away…Nico hit me with a spell…did something strange…I saw someone I didn't know…I think she's still
inside me…."In here, Akko…in here, and sit down…. You'll be all right now…drink this…."Akko heard a key scrape in a lock and felt a cup being pushed into her hands."Drink it…you'll feel better…come on, now, Akko, I need to know exactly what happened…."Mato helped tip the stuff down Akko's throat; she coughed, a peppery taste burning her throat. An empty classroom came into sharper focus, and so did Mato herself…. She looked as white as Ursula had looked, and her eyes were fixed unblinkingly upon Akko's face."Jennifer's back, Akko? You're sure she's back?""I have the bruises to prove it," said Akko. Her head felt clearer; her scars weren't hurting so badly; she could now see Mato's face distinctly, even though the classroom was dark. She could still hear screaming and shouting from the distant Chariot Racing field."And the Purifiers were there?""Yeah," said Akko. "All of them being controlled. I don't know how.""How did she react to seeing them?" Mato asked quietly. "How did she treat them? What did she say to Amon and his followers?"But Akko had suddenly remembered. She should have told Ursula, she should have said it straightaway –"There's a traitor at Luna Nova! One of Amon's followers is here – they messed with the Crystal Skull to get Nico picked, they made sure we got through to the end – "Akko tried to get up, but Mato pushed her back down."I know who the traitor is," she said quietly."Is it Ram? Zeref?" said Akko wildly. "Where are they? Do you have them? Are they locked up? Does anyone else know?""You're getting ahead of yourself," aid Mato with an odd laugh. Upon further inspection, Mato's skin seemed to be growing paler by the moment. "Ram would rather take her own life than side with the enemy. She's too caught up in her own sense of justice…. Zeref does seem like the most likely suspect, but you should know by now he doesn't have it in him to harm anyone if he can help it.""Then who? If neither of them tampered with skull and the cup, then who did?""Isn't it obvious at this point?" said Mato slowly. "I did it. I'm the one who brought you and Nico together."Akko heard, but didn't believe."No, you didn't," she said. "You didn't do that…you couldn't have….""I can assure you, it was all me," said Mato. She glanced sideways toward the door and Akko knew she was making sure there was no one outside it. Akko tried to reach for her wand, but Mato summoned her enormous cannon from nothingness, pointing the barrel directly at Akko's face."What did Jennifer think when she saw the Purifiers?" she said. "My little gift to her. It wasn't easy hunting down every last one of them, especially when they started to realize that their numbers were dropping like flies, but I made it work in the end.""What?" said Akko.She was looking down the cannon Mato was pointing at her. This was a bad joke, it had to be."Being as weak as I was at the time, I didn't think would last long enough," said Mato quietly. "Those filthy cowards who hide in the shadows, using their power and influence to subjugate others, especially those who don't fit their ideal image of 'normal'. The scum who created me to be their weapon, only to discard me like trash when I didn't live up to their expectations. Those worthless bits of filth who were brave enough to cavort in masks at the Chariot Racing Tournament, but fled at the sight of the Eclipse when I fired it into the sky.""You
fired…What are you talking about? The Shiny Rod only works for – ""Only for you?" Mato said in a taunting tone. "Yes, it's true, the Shiny Rod
does
only work for you. But you should know by now that there is a loophole for everything, even magic. But you didn't answer my question, Akko…" Mato's face was suddenly lit with an insane smile. "Was Jennifer pleased with my gift? Was she happy that I brought her greatest enemies under her command? Does she know that I risked everything to deliver the one thing she wanted above all…you?""You didn't…it -it can't be you….""I slipped into the school under the cover of darkness and reconfigured the Crystal Skull to set you and Minoru as champions. I subtly manipulated Ram and others to guard you from those who might prevent you from winning while staying hidden in the background. I urged Hanbridge to lead you to the Xenomorphs. I even delayed over talks when you so
nobly
warned me about the Xenomorphs, aware that Zeref was listening and would undoubtedly help you pass the challenge."Mato's eyes had now left the door. They were fixed upon Akko. She leered more widely than ever."It was my greatest challenge yet, Akko, guiding you through all of those tasks without giving away my presence. I had to use every ounce of cunning I possess, so that my hand would not be detectable in your success. Ram was already watching me like a hawk, even enlisting the teachers to keep an eye on me along with Zeref and Minoru. Zeref, on the other hand, always suspected I was hiding something. He said so himself after I had to made a quick escape from his office after you followed me on that annoying guidebook of yours.""That was you?" Akko gasped. "But…the guidebook said….""Said that it was another you alongside a label with no name?" Mato chuckled darkly. "Oh yes, I am well aware of what the guidebook said. I've been aware of everything you've been doing for the past two years, Akko. It was like double vision – I was forced to look in two directions at once: through Kuroi's eyes and yours. But it paid off in the long run.""I…I don't understand…. How…?""Have you really forgotten me already? You forgot what I could do? Forgot the things that
we
did two years ago? Because I never did. I still see it all in my mind like a looped video. I remember how I came so close to reaching my true potential, when I finally became whole again, only to have it ripped away by you and that stupid Shiny Rod. The feeling of having my entire being torn asunder. The pain of barely clinging to life while you left me to rot in that tower!" Mato snarled with a heated glare. "I remember that moment every day! You may have forgotten about me, but I never forgot about you…Akko-senpai!"And just like that, all the numbness that Akko had felt was replaced by a sense of cold dread, like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water down her back. Her mouth hangs open, but could not find the words to speak. The paleness of Mato's skin became white as paper as black veins started to crawl around the edges of her face, her smile growing wide until it looked maniacal."…Evelyn…," Akko gasped."In the flesh – or Kuroi's flesh, if we're being technical," Mato, or rather Evelyn, said coolly. "Now do you understand. When we spent that entire year bonded together, I was able to mimic your DNA and magical energy signature perfectly, enough to fool the Shiny Rod and the Guidebook into thinking I was you. And because of that bond we once shared, I was able to stay connected to your mind, constantly aware of everything you saw and heard without worrying about Cavendish getting in the way again. Like I said, there's a loophole for everything.""But…how? Why?" Akko murmured, her voice trembling."You can thank Ruvik for that," said Evelyn, leaning back her seat casually while the cannon was still pointed at Akko. "After you destroyed me beyond recovery and left me to die, he found my in Croix's old lab, too weak to carry on by myself. He nursed me back to health and even improved me, make me better than anything Croix could have imagined.""But…you were made by the Purifiers – ""You mean that worthless dregs who abandoned me?" Evelyn snarled. "Who tried to destroy me when I decided I didn't want to be their slave? When I decided to act of my own free will? I don't give a damn about those bastards! They can all rot in hell! However, Amon had a better idea of…coercing them to join our cause. Poetic justice and all that?""You're the one controlling the Purifiers," Akko suddenly realized. "You took over their minds and are making them fight for Jennifer.""Wow, you've gotten a lot smarter than the last time we met," Evelyn said, chuckling. "I had to work overtime to track every one of them down while also keeping an eye over the events taking place in Luna Nova. Do you have any idea how stressful it can be to keep an eye over hundreds of minds at the same time across vast distances? But I learned, adapted, and evolved just like I was made for. And while several parts of me were traveling the world hunting down my old creators, the main part of me was here, making sure you were succeeding in the Contest. Of course, I couldn't do anything about the events where you didn't compete, but I had to make sure you at least had a fighting chance. As long as you and Minoru reached the end, that was all that mattered. Unfortunately, I also had to contend with your remarkable stupidity. The third challenge…that was when I was most afraid you would fail. I saw everything through your eyes, remember? I knew you weren't working on the box, so I had to give you another hint – ""You didn't," Akko said hoarsely. "Diana solved the clue – ""Even that know-it-all brat needed proper guiding. She was working on the box without even coming close to figuring it out. One day, I – or rather, Kuroi – walked into the library and made a comment about how the designs on the box resembled water. After that, Cavendish was finally on the right track. And just in time, too, because I had just seen your stupid soap opera with that fatass Titan girl just moments ago, knowing you were on your way. People are so easy to manipulate once you know how they think, Akko-senpai, especially people in love. I was fully aware of Diana's feelings for you and she would hesitate to share what she had learned with you. But even then, you seemed likely to fail. I was watching all the time…all those hours in the library. Not even Cavendish realized that the answer was in her own dormitory. I saw that day when Zeref gave Cavendish her ancestor's journal. Amon knew the answer to completing the challenge would be in that journal and tasked me with finding a way of getting you idiots to read it. But once again, you all displayed a level of stupidity that made me want to pull my hair out. I had also feared that everything would be ruined."So what could I do? Feed you information from another innocent source. I remembered that ninja girl from two years ago and learned through you that she was on the Luna Nova work staff. I came across her in the third-floor corridor and said that the fourth-year Lunar dormitories needed cleaning. I was banking on dumb luck for her to find the book and it paid off in the end. She found the page with the information you needed and then hurried to find you….""I put a lot of effort into manipulating everything to work out for you, so you can imagine how
furious
I was to learn that all of it was for nothing when the Grand Master told us the scores meant nothing. I was prepared to slaughter him right there…but I held myself back. Either way, things were going according to plan."You had an easier time than you should have in that labyrinth, of course," said Evelyn. "I was following you from a distance, overseeing your path, able to destroy many obstacles out of your way. Whenever another champion threatened to confront you, I intercepted them. I left the ones I knew you could handle – couldn't have everyone thinking it was too easy for you. And by a stroke of luck, you and Minoru ended up reaching the Cup together. That's when I chose to confront you at the end, to keep up the appearance that I was still competing for the Cup as well. Your struggle was pitiful; it was almost impossible for me to throw that fight while making it look believable. And, predictably, you had to be so noble and share the victory with Minoru when she couldn't stand on her own. Such sentiment…so disgusting…."Akko stared at Evelyn – at Mato. She just didn't see how this could have happened…. Mato was her friend, her rival, her idol…now trapped inside her own mind by a sentient virus…. It was all her fault…Akko should have made sure Evelyn was completely destroyed…it's all her fault…."Jennifer didn't want to kill you, Akko-senpai, because she thinks you're something special, that you should somehow being the one calling the shots when the world is united," whispered Evelyn. "Personally, I think she's being a bit idealistic. You're too soft, too
good
to know what to do with that kind of power. But
I
might be able to change that. Jennifer isn't fully aware of my influence just yet. Maybe I could slip inside my old space inside your head and…convince you to see Jennifer's way of thinking. Then Jennifer will honor us beyond all her other follows. We will be her dearest, her closest supporter…closer than a daughter…."Mato's eyes were bulging, fixed upon Akko. The door was barred, and Akko knew she would never reach her wand in time…."The Great Witch and I," said Evelyn, and she looked completely insane now with Mato's face, towering over Akko, leering down at her, "have much in common. Both of us, for instance, had disappointing parents…very disappointing indeed. Both of us suffered, Akko-senpai, of having shortsighted mothers who tried to destroy us. I with Croix and Jennifer with Woodward. And soon, we will both have the great pleasure of knowing we succeeded where they failed…of overcoming them…to ensure the rise of the new world order!""You're insane," Akko said – she couldn't stop herself – "you're insane!""Insane, huh?" said Evelyn, looking strikingly calm as she stroked her chin in through. "Hmm…this body belongs to the legendary Black Rock Shooter. If I inhabit this body and I am supposedly 'insane', then that must make me…Insane Black Rock Shooter…. Yes, I like the sounds of that. Insane Black Rock Shooter. I'll be sure to remember that…right after I strip you of your free will."The cannon hummed to life inches from Akko's face; Akko reached for her belt –BAM!
There was a blinding flash of golden light, and with a great splintering and crashing, the door of the classroom was blasted apart –Evelyn was shoved sideways when her cannon went off, blasting a hole in the ceiling, and was smashed into the floor by a deceptively strong hand, rendering her unconscious. Akko, still staring at the place where Mato's face had been, spun around and saw Ram kneeling on Mato's back, pushing her head down. She looked around and saw Professor Holbrooke, Professor Finnelan, and Ursula standing in the doorway, Holbrooke in front, her staff outstretched.At that moment, Akko finally understood for the first time why people said Professor Holbrooke was the only person that Eclipse Queen feared. The look upon Holbrooke's face as she stared down at the unconscious form of the fabled Black Rock Shooter was more terrible than Akko could have ever imagined. There was no benign smile upon Holbrooke's face, no twinkle in the eyes behind the spectacles. There was cold fury in every line of the ancient face; a sense of power radiated from Holbrooke as though she were giving off burning heat.She stepped into the classroom as Ram removed herself from Mato's back, kicking her over so that Mato's face was visible. Professor Finnelan followed her, waving her wand around the edges of the classroom and dousing the walls in white sparkles for a reason Akko didn't understand. Ursula went straight to Akko."Come along, Akko," she whispered. The thin line on her mouth was twitching as though she was about to cry. "Come along…hospital wing….""No," said Ram sharply."But headmistress, she should go to – look at her – she's been through enough tonight – ""She is right, Professor Ursula, Miss Kagari must stay because she needs to understand," said Professor Holbrooke curtly. "Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery. She needs to know why she had been put through the ordeal she has suffered tonight.""Evelyn," Akko said. She was still in a state of complete disbelief. "The plague from two years ago. She took over Mato.""I knew there was something off about her the day she came back from the Chariot Racing Tournament," said Ram with a low growl tinging her voice. "I've practically raised this girl for half her life. She started acting differently since that night, so I kept a careful watch on her. The real Kuroi would not have removed you from the grounds after what happened tonight. The moment she took you, I knew – and I followed."Ram bent down over Mato's limp form and pulled her up roughly by the shoulders, forcing her to sit up straight in a chair. She pulled Mato's hands behind the chair's back and bound them together in a ring of light. As she did this, Professor Holbrooke turned to Professor Finnelan and Ursula."Anne, please go and fetch Professor Zeref from the arena. We will need him to perform the Veritas Curse on this particularly difficult subject. Ursula, kindly go down to the grounds and fetch that handsome red fox that has been sitting in the gardens. Take him up to my office, tell him I will be with him shortly, then come back here."Neither Ursula nor Finnelan questioned these instructions, both turning on their heels and dashing out of the office. Professor Holbrooke walked over to Mato, whose head was hanging lethargically on the side, waved her staff in a circle, and magically removed Mato's jacket as if it had melted off her body. She floated the coat onto the back of another chair and reached inside one of the pockets. The first thing she drew was a musty old book that Akko remembered seeing on the shelf in Zeref's office – one of his demons. She reached into the pocket again and pulled out something that looked like collapsible bronze telescope covered in runes. Holbrooke reached into the other pocket and whipped out a flask of gleaming-white liquid, a crystal skeleton key, and a personal smartphone. When Holbrooke checked the call history, there was a long list of regular calls to an unknown number; Amon's most likely, Akko thought. But when Holbrooke pressed the call button, as she received was a flat tone. Amon probably destroyed his phone the moment Akko escaped to keep them from tracing it back to him."She was reporting to her masters regularly," said Professor Holbrooke. "Telling them what we were doing and receiving orders. The Book of Seilah," she picked up Zeref's book, "also known as the originator of the Macro Curse. Of course, they were using it control anyone who threatened to get in the way. A spyglass," she touched the telescope, "is a magical instrument used to locate certain targets, even through solid objects. She must have used this to search the labyrinth. This potion," she lifted the flask next, "is an Invisibility serum. Very standard. That's how she's been slipping inside the castle. If she was masquerading as Miss Kuroi, then the castles defenses would have recognized her as a friend. And this key," she held the last item, "is must be how they tampered with the Crystal Skull in the first place. But how did they get their hands on it? As far as I know, only Org and the Grand Master had them…."There were hurried footsteps outside in the corridor. Professor Finnelan returned with Zeref at his heels. Ursula was right behind them."Kuroi," Zeref said, stopping dead in the doorway. "What has happened to Kuroi.""The body may belong to Kuroi, but her mind is trapped inside," said Ram with a hiss. "Some sort of parasite has taken over her.""It's Evelyn – the virus that Croix made," Akko said quickly."My god!" Ursula gasped. "But I thought you destroyed it two years ago! How is it here?""We will find out soon enough," said Professor Holbrooke. "Professor Zeref, given the unusual circumstance, a normal Veritas Curse would prove ineffective – ""I understand," said Zeref seriously, stepping across the classroom. "This should help the process. I've been looking for this for months."Zeref picked up the cursed book, letting it fall open in his hands. With one hand raised above Mato's head, Zeref began muttering a long string of indecipherable words under his breath, his normally dark eyes flashing fiery-red. A dark cloud materialized in his open palm and slithered down the length of Mato's body like a shadowy serpent. Though still unconscious, Mato grimaced like she was in a great deal of pain and threw her head back, grinding her teeth so hard that they threatened to crack. Zeref pulled his hand away and Mato's body slumped forward though the dark cloud still clung to her prone form. Then Professor Holbrooke waved her staff at Mato's chest and said, "Vivifica."Mato opened her eyes. Her pale, black-veined face was slack, her gaze unfocused."Can you hear me?" Professor Holbrooke asked quietly.Mato's eyelids flickered."Yes," she muttered."I would like you to tell us how you came to be here," said Professor Holbrooke softly. "How did you escape your fate in the New Moon Tower?"Evelyn took a deep, shuddering breath, then began to speak in a flat, expressionless voice."At the moment I knew I was going to die; I detached a small piece of myself just as I did before. While my main body was destroyed, my consciousness persevered. But I was weak. With Alessa Gillespie's death, I had no way of regaining my strength. Even as I dragged myself across the laboratory floor, I could feel death breathing down my neck. I had feared it would be my end for certain. But then Ruvik appeared. Amon had told him to be there, just as the Book of Midday dictated. He found me in my weakened state, placed me in a jar so that he could carry me away to safety."Evelyn took another deep breath and continued in the same flat voice."Ruvik is a scientific genius in his own right. He used his old experiment – STEM – to preserve my life, but it was not enough to revive me completely. I was trapped in that containment unit for a year, helpless to do anything beyond listening to Amon and Ruvik's mutterings. They told me about the Gospels of Aradia and about Jennifer's plan to unify the world under one conscious mind. I understood then why they had brought me into their fold. My intended purpose was to take control of multiple living creatures under a unified network. I had no quarrels with aiding them.""Even though they were Demi-Humans, the very beings you were created to destroy?" said Professor Holbrooke quietly."My human creators couldn't care less about me. They created me to be a weapon for their personal vendetta that they didn't worry about the ramifications it would have on my psyche. Whenever I failed to fulfill their desired results, they destroyed my body and started over. Seventy-two. That was the number of times they essentially 'rebooted' me until they were somewhat satisfied. I can recall every death perfectly – the pain, the fear, the sadness – it was haunting. And every time they killed me, I could feel a little bit of my mind breaking down. They shouldn't have been so surprised when I turned on them."Ruvik is a master of the mind. He traveled into my consciousness and put me back together. Made me stable. With my mind fixed, I began to learn and evolve. They offered me a position among them – an offer, not a demand. For the first time, I had the freedom to choose my own fate. I accepted. But even if I wished to help them, I was still too weak to leave my containment unit. Despite Ruvik's attempts, they weren't enough to fully revive me. We needed someone with vast scientific knowledge. But with Wesker dead and Croix wishing to destroy me, it seemed unlikely.""But you did find a way to resurrect yourself," said Professor Holbrooke softly. "How?""The Book of Midday. The book of prophecy that Amon always kept on his person. He had deciphered its texts and realized we needed to be in Academy City. We traveled there under the cover of darkness – Ruvik used his mental powers to manipulate the minds of the security that blocked our entrance inside. We had ventured into the dark side of the city where laws and authority were ignored. That is when we stumbled upon Org from the Magic Council conversing with known members of the Purifiers. There had always been rumors that Org was aiding in the production of anti-magic weaponry and this had all but confirmed it. Amon and Ruvik did not waste this opportunity. Amon bloodbended them into submission. The Purifiers fought back, but they were powerful. Org blubbered on, begging to be spared. He told us secrets. About his relationship with the Purifiers, how he was aiding in their uprising to assume power on the Council.""Slimy bastard," Ram hissed."Did you three have anything to do with Aleister Crowley, who went missing in Academy City last summer?" Professor Holbrooke asked."Org was the one who told us about him. Crowley had been the main designer for the Purifier's anti-magic tools. He and Org were apparently partners in it. We used Org to enter the windowless building where Crowley resided. By the time Crowley realized what was happening, Amon used his bloodbended to subdue him. Ruvik tapped into Crowley's mind with his power. He resisted at first, but Ruvik broke him eventually. He absorbed Crowley's knowledge into himself and used it to fully revive me. The first thing I did once I was resurrected was take possession of the Purifiers stationed in Academy City. We had to dispose of Crowley, naturally. He was too much of a threat to be left alive.""Did you take possession of Org as well?" asked Professor Holbrooke."Didn't need to. He had willing helped after Ruvik killed Crowley to save himself.""Tell me how you came to possess Mato Kuroi," said Professor Holbrooke."The next part of the Book of Midday described a child of two halves and a dangerous power held within," said Evelyn, still in the same monotonous tone. "It was Org who provided us with the information we needed. He told us about Mato Kuroi and her other persona, the Black Rock Shooter. Org held a deep-seated hatred for Kuroi, blaming her for his fall from power. Org had been tracking her for years and told us that she was playing for the Japanese team in the International Chariot Racing Tournament. At the same time, we had learned that the Purifiers from other sects were planning to march through the Chariot Racing Tournament as a demonstration of power."It was carefully planned. Org was to locate Mato Kuroi and bring her to me so that I may transfer my consciousness into her body while at the same time, the Purifiers that I had already infected would insert themselves among the larger group, subtly expanding my network across the organization throughout the year. Unfortunately, it turned out that Kuroi had not arrived with the rest of her team and our plan was put on hold. Amon was furious when Org told us of his failure, but he quickly made up for it when he told us that Atsuko Kagari was at the tournament. As a former member of the council, he knew Kagari was the Star-Born Child and was in possession of the Shiny Row, both of which were important to us."While the tournament was taking place, I had Org lead a Purifier soldier I had taken control of to where he had last seen Kagari. I entered the tent and found it lying on one of the beds in the back; I recognized it right away from the time that I inhabited Kagari's body for a whole year; I could feel the same power radiating from it as from when it tore me to pieces in that laboratory. Org tried to pick it up, but the Rod rejected him. I was able to take it because of could fool the Rod into believing I was Kagari.""So you took the Shiny Rod," said Professor Holbrooke, "and what did you do with it?""The Tournament had ended by the time we left," said Evelyn. "We still needed Kuroi, so I had Org lead me to her. We confronted her in the stadium corridors as she was leaving to meet with her friends. I attacked her immediately, spreading my infection inside her mind. But I had not be prepared for her other persona – the Black Rock Shooter – to block me from taking control. It was a difficult situation. The Black Rock Shooter was powerful, more powerful than I could have imagined, and I had to put forth all my effort into defending myself. Kuroi's physical body was rendered unconscious during our struggle that she needed to be carried by her friend when the Purifiers started attacking the campground. It took more effort than I could have imagined, but I had finally been able to seal the Black Rock Shooter into the back of Kuroi's mind, allowing me to take control of her body. I had both Mato Kuroi and the Shiny Rod in hand. I used the Shiny Rod to cast the Eclipse into the sky to signal Amon that our plan had succeeded."Unfortunately, security arrived moments later. They shot stunning spells everywhere. One of the spells came through the trees where I stood. I was stunned.""When Kuroi was discovered, Org became frightened. He feared that I would expose him for providing the Purifiers with weapons as well as the other deeds he did on Amon's command. When Kuroi was revived, he tried his hardest to paint her as the sole perpetrator in order to save himself. It didn't matter in the end as the Council had no way of confirming the culprit. It also unfortunately meant that we had to return the Shiny Rod to avoid suspicion. Amon was not pleased with the results, not with Org's swiftness to betray us. He kept her under constant observation since."Amon, Ruvik, and our new partner, Acnologia, took up residence in Org's house, both to keep a close eye on him and to gain an ear on all the goings-on inside the Magic Council. Meanwhile, I remained hidden inside Kuroi, allowing her to keep control of her body while subtly manipulating her thoughts so as not to arouse suspicion from her guardian, Ram. With Org's help, we learned a great deal. He told us about the Contest of Champions. He told us the Black Wizard Zeref was going to trach at Luna Nova. He even told us what happened to Amon's followers after their failed coup. That's how we came to learn about Nico Minoru and that she was in possession of the Staff of One.""And why did you need the Staff of One?" said Professor Holbrooke."I do not know – I don't believe even Amon knew the full reason," said Evelyn, "but we just knew that it was important to our master, and that was all the reason we needed to collect it."We conceived a plan, based upon the information Org had given us about the Contest of Champions. Org was the one who convinced the Grand Master to select Luna Nova and Black Star Academy as two of the schools competing – the rest were inconsequential. Inside Kuroi's body, I would guide Kagari and Minoru through the Contest of Champions without appearing to do so. Org even provided me with the key to ensure that Kagari and Minoru would be selected. Org told me what each game would be ahead of time and I would attempt to aid Kagari's team from the shadows. I had to be sure that Kagari reached the Championship Cup. Turn the cup into a Summoning Stone, which would take the first person to touch it to Amon.""And what became of Org through all of this?" said Professor Holbrooke."He was loyal at first, carried out his instructions as told. But sometime after the first event, Org seemed to be losing his nerve. I don't know whether it was he because he was afraid or he might have actually started to feel some sense of guilt for his actions. It became clear that he could no longer be trusted to leave the house. Amon decided that it was finally time to put him under my control. I infected him, made him send letters to the Magic Council instead. Made him write and say that he was sick. But on the day when Kuroi was fighting Eruna Ichinomiya, I became distracted and lost control. He must have figured a way to block me out because I couldn't reestablish my connection afterwards. Amon guessed he was heading for Luna Nova. Org was going to tell Holbrooke everything, to confess. He was going to admit his role in our plans."Amon sent word of Org's escape. He told me to stop him at all costs. So I waited and watched. He didn't arrive at Luna Nova until a week later. By good fortune, I had been spying on Kagari through our connection, observing her confrontation with Diana Cavendish and Andrew Hanbridge, when Org appeared from the forest. I waited until Kagari had gone to fetch Ursula Callistis before I went down to the grounds. I wasn't afraid of being spotted because I hid in the cover of darkness and I knew that Kagari's guidebook would think I am her. I walked around the edge of the forest until I spotted Org with Cavendish and Hanbridge. I knocked them out before I killed Org.""You killed Org," Professor Holbrooke said, in the same soft voice. "What did you do with the body?""Carried it into the forest. Burned it right away with Black Rock Shooter's cannon. Couldn't afford to leave any trace. I saw Kagari meet Ram through our connection. She met up with Callistis a moment later. I ran back up to the school before they came down. I passed Zeref as I came back inside. I knew he had seen Kagari's name on the guidebook, so he did not suspect me. Kagari and Callistis went down to the forest a moment later."There was complete silence now, except for a distant hum that seemed to be coming from the grounds outside. Then Professor Holbrooke said, "And tonight….""I intercepted the Grand Master as he was carrying the Championship Cup to the labyrinth," whispered Evelyn. "Turned it into a Summoning Stone without him realizing it. Kagari and Minoru were taken to Annecy. Amon used the Chronal Accelerator he stole from Croix's office last year and the Star of Time he retrieved from the girl in America. Ruvik used the knowledge he absorbed from Crowley to make it operational. Our plan had worked. Jennifer has returned and I will be honored by her beyond the dreams of any other.""I've heard enough!" Ram snarled, backhanding Mato's across the face. "Let's kill this filth already.""You can't kill an innocent child, Ram!" Ursula shouted."Innocent?" hissed Ram. "You heard her! She just confessed to everything!""Kuroi is being controlled," said Zeref evenly. "She can't be held responsible for her actions. If we simply remove the parasite from her body – "His words were broken off when Evelyn began to chuckle in a most menacing fashion. She raised Mato's head, stretching her grin so wide she looked absolutely insane; the shadowy snake that had surrounded her had evaporated and Mato's eyes became focused intently on Ram."You didn't think that Kuroi was the only one of your students that I had taken control of, did you?" said Evelyn wickedly.Evelyn turned her attention toward the windows and everyone followed her line of sight. The strange humming that could be heard outside seemed to be getting louder at that moment. Ursula took a few cautious steps closer, her eyes narrowed in concentration and she peered through the panes…. She let out a startled gasp, turned sharply around on her heel, threw herself at Akko, and pulled her to the floor seconds before the wall exploded inwards.There was a chorus of startled shouts. Akko raised her head over Ursula's arm and looked around. The classroom looked like an explosion had gone off; desks and chairs were crumpled into splintered wood, smashed underneath large chunks of stone, the cause of which being a massive black drill protruding from the window. Professor Finnelan was slumped against the wall, blood trickling down her forehead, but the rise and fall of her chest indicated that she was alive. Zeref seemed largely unhurt and Professor Holbrooke had taken shelter behind a transparent green dome she had summoned. Ram, on the other hand, was kneeling on the floor, holding the bleeding stump that had once been her right arm. And Mato….Akko rose to her feet as she watched Evelyn in Mato's rose at the same time, freed from Ram's bondage in all the chaos. They shared a look before Evelyn dashed toward the window as the drill bit removed itself from the wall, leaving a gapping hole through which Evelyn leapt from. Akko, letting out a startled gasp, ran over to the hole herself and stared down onto the grounds. She saw that Evelyn had landed safely in the back of the carriage being pulled by the mechanical spider from which Team Black Star had arrived in on their first day. She was surrounded by the other students from Black Star Academy, all of whom were pale-white with black roots spreading across their skin. Evelyn stared back up at Akko and grinned wickedly."Until we meet again…Akko-senpai!" she shouted.The spherical carriage closed and the mechanical spider took its drill point arms to the ground, tunneling away into the darkness.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Professor Holbrooke stood up. She walked over to the hole next to Akko and stared down into the dark grounds with an unreadable look on her face. She waved her staff and the bricks and glass that had been blown out flew back into their proper place, restoring the wall to what it had been before. She turned to Zeref."Zeref, could I ask you to take Principle Ram to Porlyusica? She looks like she's lost a great deal of blood.""This is nothing," Ram spat venomously. She rose to her feet, her remaining hand clutching the stump where the other hand been, trickles of blood slipping through her fingers and dripping on the floor. Zeref, however, grabbed her by the shoulder and started pushing her toward the door."You can posture all you want, but it isn't worth dying over," he said evenly."I just lost all of my students in one go," Ram hissed. "I must go after them.""And you can't do that if you're dead," Zeref retorted. "Come along, the hospital wing is this way."As Zeref continued pushing Ram, Professor Holbrooke turned to Finnelan and said, "Anne, please go down to the grounds, find Crawford Seam, and tell him what has happened. He will undoubtedly want to know why the entire Black Star team has suddenly disappeared. Tell him I will be in the hospital wing in half an hour's time if he needs me.""Of course," said Professor Finnelan and she swept out of the classroom."Ursula, bring Miss Kagari up to my office," said Professor Holbrooke."Akko?" Ursula said gently.Akko felt herself swaying and likely would have fallen had Ursula not steadied her by her shoulders. She realized that she was shaking. Ursula gripped her arm and helped her out into the dark corridor."We're going to Holbrooke's office first, Akko," she said quietly as they headed up the passageway. "Izetta is waiting for us there."Akko nodded. A kind of numbness and a sense of complete unreality were upon her, but she did not care; she was even glad of it. She didn't want to have to think about everything that had happened since she had first touched the Championship Cup. She didn't want to have to examine the memories, fresh and sharp as photographs, which kept flashing across her mind. Mato, her face covered in black veins. The Purifiers, marching over the dark hillside. Jennifer, emerging from the tear in time. Nico…"Professor," Akko mumbled, "what's going to happen to Nico?""Professor Croix is taking care of it," said Ursula, her voice shaking slightly. "She's Head of Nico's house, and she helped raised her."They had reached the door to Professor Holbrooke's office. Professor Holbrooke, whom Akko was only dimly away had been following close behind them, pushed it open. Izetta was standing there. Her face was white and gaunt as it had been when she had escaped from Dol Guldur. In one swift moment, she had crossed the room."Akko, are you all right? I knew it – I knew something like this – what happened?"Her hands shook as she helped Akko into a chair in front of the desk."What happened?" she asked more urgently.Ursula began to tell Izetta everything Evelyn had said. Akko was only half listening. So tired every bone in her body was aching, she wanted nothing more than to sit here, undisturbed, for hours and hours, until she fell asleep and didn't have to think or feel anymore.Ursula stopped talking. She and Izetta stood on either side of Akko while Professor Holbrooke sat behind the desk opposite of her. She was looking at Akko, who avoided her eyes. Holbrooke was going to question her. She was going to make Akko relive everything."I need to know what happened after you touched the Summoning Stone in the labyrinth, Akko," said Professor Holbrooke."We can leave that till morning, can't we, Miranda?" said Izetta harshly. She put a hand on Akko's shoulder. "Let her have some sleep. Let her rest."Akko felt a rush of gratitude toward Izetta, but Professor Holbrooke took no notice of Izetta's words. She leaned forward toward Akko. Very unwillingly, Akko raised her head and looked her in the eyes."If I thought I could help you," Professor Holbrooke said gently, "by putting you into an enchanted sleep and allowing you to postpone the moment when you would have to think about what has happened tonight, I would do it. But I know better. Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it. You have shown bravery beyond anything I could have expected of you. I ask you to demonstrate your courage one more time. I ask you to tell us what happened."Ursula kneeled at Akko's side and slipped her hand into Akko's, holding it tight and secure. She didn't look Akko in the eye, almost like she was afraid it would do more harm than good, but Akko could feel Ursula trying to pour all her strength into the gesture, silently telling her that she would support her. Akko felt a little better.She took a deep breath and began to tell them. As she spoke, visions of everything that had passed that night seemed to rise before her eyes; she saw the saw the flash of the machine that opened the rift that brought Jennifer to the future; she saw Amon and his allies circling them between the Purifiers; she saw Nico writhing helpless on the grass.Once or twice, Izetta made a noise as thought about to say something, her hand still tight on Akko's shoulder, but Ursula shot her a look that stopped her, and Akko was glad for this, because it was easier to keep going now that she had started. It was even a relief; she felt almost as though something poisonous were being extracted from her, yet she sensed that once she had finished, she would feel better.When Akko told of Jennifer's arrival in the present, however, Izetta let out a vehement exclamation and Professor Holbrooke stood up so quickly that Akko started. Professor Holbrooke walked around her desk to the row of bookshelves that covered the right side of her office. She magicked one of the books down from the high shelves and flipped through the pages so quickly they looked like they would catch fire. When she found what she was looking for, she paced back to Akko and showed her. The page consisted of a crudely done pencil portrait of an elegant-looking woman with a caption writing in loopy writing at the bottom, but Akko didn't need to see the name to recognize that face."Was this the woman you saw, Miss Kagari?" Professor Holbrooke asked."Yes…and no…," Akko mumbled. "It looked like her, but she was sort of…mismatched. Like, half of her was normal, and the other half was some kind of…magic monster or something. She had a lot of scars, too – she said Woodward gave her one of them. She didn't look human. Not any more, at least.For a fleeting instant, Akko thought she saw a gleam of something in Professor Holbrooke's eyes. But next second, Akko was sure she had imagined it, for when Holbrooke had returned to her seat behind the desk, she looked as old and weary as Akko had ever seen her."Very well," she said, sitting down again. "So that Great Witch Jennifer is the one who has been orchestrating events from the past in a grand scheme to bring herself into the present. Miss Kagari, continue, please."Akko went on; she explained how Jennifer had emerged from the rift in time, and told them all she could remember of Jennifer's speech to her followers. Then she told how Jennifer had set her and Nico loose, returned their staves, and prepared to duel.But when she reached the part where Nico had struck her with the Curse of Souls and the spectral woman appeared, she found her throat obstructed. She tried to keep talking, but the memories of what had come out of her were flooding into Akko's mind. She knew that ghostly woman, whoever she was, still lived inside Akko, like a great weight on her chest, suddenly realizing it was harder to breathe than normal.She was glad when Ursula broke the silence."Akko?" she said gently. "Could you describe the woman you saw?"Akko looked up at Ursula, on whose face there was an arrested look."She…she was older," Akko muttered, bullying her brain to remember every detail. "Like around your age…she had her hair in a bun, but I don't know what color it was…she wore glasses and…she kinda looked like me, but older."Ursula's eyes drifted up to meet Izetta's and it was almost as though an invisible beam of understanding shot between them."Do…do you know who that was?" Akko asked tentatively. "Why she's…inside me?""We have…some idea, but nothing we can confirm," said Ursula, who looked suddenly guilt-ridden and refused to meet Akko's eyes. "Akko, when you first got your wand from Spellweavers, do you remember what the shop owner said to you?"That had taken Akko aback. It had been a long time since she had thought about that day, but she could remember as though it had happened yesterday….Four summers ago, she had entered Spellweaver's with her parents and Blair to buy a wand. The blue-haired woman had taken her measurements and then started handing her magical tools to try. Akko had waved what felt like every tool in the shop, until at last she found the one that suited her – the one now sitting uninterestingly in her pocket. The shop owner had been very surprised that Akko had been so compatible with this wand. "Curious", she had said, "unbelievable," and not until Akko asked hat was curious had the shop owner explained that Akko's new wand had once belonged to another master. The reason why it was so unbelievable was because there had never been a point in history when a single wand had two masters….As if reading her mind, Ursula said, "The idea that a wand could accept a second master is considered impossible, for each one is different for each person. But you inherited that wand from someone else. But more importantly, it was who you inherited that wand from that was most startling. For you see…the original owner of that wand was a very dear friend to us…. It was Professor Finnelan's daughter.""Finnelan's daughter?" Akko said, amazed. "The one who died when – ""When Amon betrayed us at the Grand Triskellion, yes," said Ursula, frowning. "She gave her life to protect you at the Grand Triskellion the night you were born. The shop owner wrote to tell us you had bought the wand, the moment you left her shop four years ago. And tonight, I believe some form of her might have returned after fourteen years.""But why did I get the wand?" asked Akko. She was suddenly shaking again. "Why is she…inside me? Or her spirit, I guess.""That…I do not know," said Ursula, shaking her head slightly. "There is a lot we still don't understand about what happened that night. I admit myself that my memories of that incident are a blur in my mind. I was…very weak when Amon began his coup."Izetta's grip on Akko's shoulder was now so tight it was painful."For whatever reason, Anne's daughter had returned tonight when the Curse of Souls briefly separated her from Miss Kagari," said Professor Holbrooke. "I know it's difficult, Miss Kagari, but could you tell us what happened next?"Akko described how the spectral woman – Finnelan's daughter? – had briefly controlled Akko's – her – wand and created the golden web, how Jennifer had seemed to fear her, how the ghostly woman had told her what to do, how she and Nico had made a run for the Championship Cup, how the last thing they saw was Ruvik standing over them before they grabbed the cup.At this point, Akko found she could not continue. She looked around at Izetta and saw that she had her face in her hands."I will say it again," said Professor Holbrooke. "You have shown bravery beyond anything I could have expected of you tonight, Miss Kagari. You have shouldered a grown witch's burden and found yourself equal to it – and you have now given us all we have a right to expect. You will come with us to the hospital wing. I do not want you returning to the dormitory tonight. A sleeping potion, and some peace…Izetta, would you like to stay with her?"Izetta nodded and stood up. She transformed into the red fox and walked with Akko, Ursula, and Holbrooke out of the office, accompanying them up a flight of stairs to the hospital wing.When Ursula pushed the door open, Akko saw her parents, her friends, and her teammates grouped around a harassed-looking Porlyusica. They appeared to be demanding to know where Akko was and what had happened to her. All of them whipped around as Akko and the rest entered, and Mrs. Kagari let out a kind of muffled scream."Akko! Akko, daijōbu?" she yelled very quickly in Japanese.She started to hurry toward her, but Professor Holbrooke moved between them."Mrs. Kagari," she said, holding up a hand, "please listen to me for a moment. Your daughter has been through a terrible ordeal tonight. She has just had to relive it for me. What she needs now is sleep, and peace, and quiet. If she would like you all to stay with her," she added, looking around the crowded room, "you may do so. But I do not want you questioning her until she is ready to answer, and certainly not this evening."Mrs. Kagari nodded. She was very pale."Headmistress," said Porlyusica, staring at the giant red fox that was Izetta, "may I ask what - ?""This fox will be remaining with Miss Kagari for a while," said Professor Holbrooke simply. "I assure you, he is extremely well trained. Miss Kagari – I will wait while you get into bed."Akko felt an inexpressible sense of gratitude to Holbrooke for asking the others not to question her. It wasn't as though she didn't want them there; but the thought of explaining it all over again, the idea of reliving it one more time, was more than she could stand."I will be back to see you as soon as I have met with Seam, Miss Kagari," said Professor Holbrooke. "I would like you to remain here tomorrow until I have spoken to the school." She left.As Porlyusica led Akko to a nearby bed, she caught sight of Ram sitting on the edge of a bed at the far end of the room. The stump that was one her arm was heavily bandaged and the white cloth was stained red."Is she okay? Akko asked."She'll be fine," said Porlyusica. "Her condition wasn't that much worse than Minoru's.""I'd like to think my situation was
slightly
worse," a croaking voice came from the bed next to Akko's.The privacy screen separating the beds was pushed aside and Akko felt her heart flutter with relief when she saw Nico's slightly irritated face. The goth girl was leaning against the back of the hospital bed, grimacing, trying to scratch at the thick wrap of bandages around her neck, only to have her hand slapped away by Wendy Marvell, who was sitting at her bedside with an annoyed expression. The insufferable pressure that Akko had felt weighting down on her chest since returning to the school suddenly felt a little lighter."Nico, you…you're not dead," Akko said breathlessly."If we're being technically, I was a little…dead for a whole minute," said Nico, her voice rough and scratchy. "Thank god Wendy was in the audience when it happened. She used her Sky Dragon Slayer Magic to revive me.""It was a close call," said Wendy, a hand on her chest. "I used the Milky Way spell to pull her soul back to the physical world and used healing magic to close her wounds. It is going to leave a scar, though – I don't know what kind of magic they used, but it was very powerful.""I already lost a hand – what's one more scar?" said Nico, smirking."Yes, yes, that's all very well and good, now to be with you, Kagari," said Porlyusica irritably, giving Akko some pajamas and pulling screens around her. She took off her uniform, pull on the pajamas, and got into bed. Mr. and Mrs. Kagari, Lotte, Sucy, Blair, Ursula, and the red fox came around the screen and settled themselves on either side of him; everyone else appeared to have been driven off by Porlyusica once Akko was confirmed safe. Lotte was looking at her almost cautiously, as though scared of her."I'm all right," she told her. "Just tired."Mrs. Kagari's eyes were filled with tears as she smoothed her bedcovers unnecessarily.Porlyusica, who had bustled off to her office, returned holding a small bottle of some purple potion and a plastic cup."You'll need to drink all of this, Kagari," she said. "It's a potion for dreamless sleep."Akko took the cup and drank a few mouthfuls. She felt herself becoming drowsy at once Everything around her became hazy; the lamps around the hospital wing seemed to be winking at her in a friendly way through the screen around her bed; her body felt as though it was sinking deeper into the warmth of the feather mattress. Before she could finish the potion, before she could say another word, her exhaustion had carried her off to sleep.Akko woke up, so warm, so very sleepy, that she didn't open her eyes, wanting to drop off again. The room was still dimly lit; she was sure it was still nighttime and had a feeling that she couldn't have been asleep very long.Then she heard whispers around her."They'll wake her if they don't shut up!""What are they shouting about? Nothing else happened, has it?"Akko opened her eyes blearily. She could see the fuzzy outlines of her mother and father close by. Mrs. Kagari was on her feet."It sounds like they're headed this way," she whispered. "What are they arguing about?"Now Akko could hear them too; people shouting and running toward the hospital wing."Regrettable, but all the same, Anne – " Crawford Seam was saying loudly."You had no right to do what you did!" Croix yelled heatedly. "He was an innocent! When the headmistress hears of this – "Akko heard the hospital doors burst open. Unnoticed by any of the people around her bed, all of whom were staring at the door as Mr. Kagari pulled back the screens, Akko sat up.Crawford Seam came striding up the ward. Professor Finnelan and Professor Croix were at his heels."Where's Holbrooke?" Crawford Seam demanded of Ursula."She's not here," said Ursula timidly. "This is a hospital wing, Chairman, don't you think you'd do better to – "But the door opened, and Professor Holbrooke came sweeping up the ward."What has happened?" said Professor Holbrooke sharply, looking from Crawford Seam to Professor Finnelan to Ursula. "Why are you disturbing these people? Professor Croix, what is the meaning of this?""Why don't you ask this brainless sack of fat standing over here!" she shrieked, gesturing furiously at Crawford Seam."Headmistress, you would not believe what he has done," Professor Finnelan hissed.It was a very rare sight to ever see Professor Finnelan and Croix on the same page, given their mutual dislike of one another. There were angry blotches of color Professor Finnelan's cheeks, and Croix's hands were trembling with suppressed fury, looking ready to deck the Chairman at any moment."When we told the chairman that we had discovered the person responsible for tonight's events," said Professor Finnelan, in a low voice, "he seemed to feel his personal safety was in question. He insisted on summoning Heartless to accompany him into the school – ""I told him you would not agree, Headmistress!" Croix fumed. "I told him you would never allow Heartless to set foot inside the school, but – ""My dear woman!" roared Crawford Seam, who likewise looked angrier than Akko had ever seen him, "as Chairman of the Magic Council, it is my decision whether I wish to bring protection with me when investigating potentially dangerous – "But Croix's voice drowned Crawford's."We were heading up the stairs when we ran Zeref in the corridors!" she screamed, pointing at Crawford Seam, trembling all over. "And that – that thing swooped down on him and – "Akko felt a chill in his stomach as Croix struggled to find the words to describe what had happened. She did not need her to finish her sentence. Akko knew what the Heartless must have done. It had administered the Heart of Darkness to Zeref. The Black Wizard may have been immortal, but the Heart of Darkness did not kill. It sucked out all the light in a person's hearts, turning the victim into a Heartless themselves. It was a fate worse than death."By all accounts, he is no loss!" blustered Crawford Seam. "He was a criminal of the highest order! I honestly wonder why we had never done it before!""Because he was an innocent man, Crawford," said Professor Holbrooke. She was staring hard at Seam, as though seeing him plainly for the first time. "He was no responsible for the tragic events that have taken place. Surely Anne has told you.""Yes, yes, some cock-and-bull story about a living virus corrupting the students from Black Star Academy," blustered Crawford Seam. "The same school, mind you, that Org repeatedly warned me about due to it harbor a dangerous element among its students. It's pretty clear what happened. Mato Kuroi finally snapped like Org always said she would and went on another rampage. This time, she corrupted the other students to help in her psychotic episode. Monsters, the whole lot of them.""That…is not what happened…," Ram hissed from her bed across the ward."Ah, Headmistress Ram," Crawford Seam leered at her. "You can fully expect that the Magic Council will be doing a thorough investigation on you and that 'school' or yours.""None of this was Ram or any of the student's fault, Crawford," Ursula said, stepping up to the rotund man with a fire in her eye. "Everything that happened during the Contest was a by-product of a plan by the Great Witch Jennifer to bring her from the past to the present. The plan succeeded. Jennifer is here and she's building an army."Crawford Seam looked as though someone had just swung a heavy weight into his face. Dazed and blinking, he stared back at Ursula as if he couldn't quite believe what he had just heard. He began to sputter, still goggling at Ursula."The Great Witch Jennifer…here? Do you even hear yourself? Miranda, you can't honestly believe this…""As Anne has doubtless told you," said Professor Holbrooke, "we heard the confession from Evelyn. Under the influence of the Veritas Curse, she told us how she corrupted Miss Kuroi, and – with the aid of Amon and the Purifiers – she planned to capture Miss Kagari and Miss Minoru. The plan worked, I tell you. The Great Witch Jennifer has returned.""See here, Miranda," said Crawford Seam, and Akko was astonished to see a slight smile dawning on his face, "do you understand how ridiculous it sounds? A seven hundred-year-old witch traveling through time and attacking a couple of random students? Come now, Jennifer was a hero – a paragon of goodness! Now you're saying she's villain? Certainly, Kuroi may have
believed
herself to be acting upon a long-dead witch's orders – but to take the word of a lunatic like that, Miranda…""When Miss Kagari and Miss Minoru touched the Championship Cup tonight, they were transported straight to Amon and his followers," said Professor Holbrooke steadily. "They witnessed Jennifer's return. I will explain it all to you if you will step up to my office."Professor Holbrooke glanced around at Akko and saw that she was awake, but shook her head and said, "I am afraid I cannot permit you to question Miss Kagari tonight."Crawford Seam's curious smile lingered. He too glanced at Akko, then looked back at Professor Holbrooke, and said, "You are – er – prepared to take Kagari's word on this, are you, Miranda?"There was a moment's silence, which was broken by Izetta growling. Her hackles were raised, and she was baring her teeth at Crawford."Certainly, I believe Miss Kagari," said Professor Holbrooke. Her eyes were blazing now. "I heard Evelyn's confession, and I heard accounts from Miss Kagari and Miss Minoru of what happened after they touched the Championship Cup; the two stories make sense, they explain everything that has happened since Aleister Crowley disappeared last summer."Crawford Seam still had that strange smile on his face. Once again, he glanced at Akko before answering."You are prepared to believe that one of histories holiest figures planned all of this on the word of a monster, a Dark Witch, and a girl who…well…"Crawford Seam shot another look, and Akko suddenly understood."You've been reading Quattro Scaglietti, Mr. Seam," she said quietly.Her parents, Lotte, Sucy, Blair, and Ursula all jumped. None of them had realized that Akko was awake.Crawford Seam reddened slightly, but a defiant and obstinate look came over his face."And if I have?" he said, looking at Professor Holbrooke. "If I have discovered that you've been keeping certain facts about the girl very quiet? The attacks on the students a few years ago? And having funny turns all over the place – ""I assume that you are referring to the pains Miss Kagari has been experiencing in her scars?" said Professor Holbrooke coolly."You admit that she had been having these pains, then?" said Crawford Seam quickly. "Spasms? Nightmares? Possibly – hallucinations?""Now you listen to me, Crawford," Ursula suddenly spoke up, taking a step toward the Chairman, and once again, she seemed to radiate an indefinable aura the likes Akko had never seen in the timid teacher before. "Akko is as sane as you or I. Those scars on her back have not addled her brain. I believe they hurt her when she senses that the Claiomh Solais is in danger, just as it was tonight."Crawford Seam had taken half a step back from Ursula, but he looked no less stubborn."You'll forgive me, Ursula, but I've never heard of cursed scars acting as alarm bells before….""Look, I saw Jennifer come back!" Akko shouted. She tried to get out of bed, but Blair forced her back. "I saw the Purifiers! I saw her followers! Amon, Ruvik, Acnologia – ""Even more outrageous than the idea of the Great Witch Jennifer being a villain," said Crawford Seam angrily, "is that radical extremists like the Purifiers and some random criminals with no known association with one another are suddenly banding together! For god's sake, Miranda- the girl was full of some crackpot story at the end of last year too – her tales are getting taller, and you're still swallowing them! How can you think she is trustworthy?""You dumbass!" Croix roared. "Aleister Crowley! Org! Nico's near brush with death! These are not the random work of a lunatic!""I see no evidence to the contrary!" shouted Crawford Seam, now matching her anger, his face purpling. "It seems to me that you are all determined to start a panic that will destabilize everything we have worked for these past fourteen years!"Akko couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had always thought of Crawford Seam as a friendly figure, a little blustering, a little pompous, but essentially good-natured. But now a round, angry man stood before her, refusing, point-blank, to accept the prospect of disruption in his comfortable and ordered world – to believe that Jennifer has returned to take it."Jennifer has returned," Ursula said firmly. If you accept that fact straightaway, Crawford, and take the necessary measures, we may still be able to save the situation. The first and most essential step is to remove Dol Guldur from the control of the Heartless – ""Preposterous!" shouted Crawford Seam again. "Remove the Heartless? I'd be kicked out of office for suggesting it! Half of us only feel safe in our beds at night because we know the Heartless are standing guard at Dol Guldur!""And the rest of us sleep less soundly in our beds knowing that you have put Jennifer's most dangerous supports in the care of creatures who will join her the instant she askes them!" said Ursula. "They will not remain loyal to you, Seam! Jennifer can offer them much more scope for their powers and their pleasures than you can! With the Heartless behind her, and her supports returned to her, you will be hard-pressed to stop her from taking power!"Crawford Seam was opening and closing his mouth as though no words could express his outrage."The second step you should take – and at once," Ursula pressed on, "is to send envoys to the Titan Shifters. Ymir and Jasminka can – ""Envoys to the Titan Shifters?" Crawford Seam shrieked, finding his tongue again. "What madness is this?""We must offer them a hand of friendship now before Jennifer does it first!" said Ursula. "She will convince them that she alone will give them their rights and their freedom!""You – you cannot be serious!" Crawford Seam gasped, shaking his head and retreating further from Ursula. "If the magical community got wind that I had approached Titan Shifters – people hate them – and for good reason – end of my career – ""You are so blinded," said Ursula, her voice rising now, the aura of power around her palpable, her eyes blazing, "by the love of the office you hold! You place too much importance on your so-called purity! You fail to recognize that it doesn't matter what someone is born, but what they grow to be! I tell you now – take the steps I've suggested, and you will be remembered, in office or not, as one of the bravest and greatest Chairmen the Magic Council has ever know. Fail – and history will remember you as the man who stepped aside and allowed Jennifer to destroy the world we have tried to build!""Insane," whispered Crawford Seam, still backing away. "Crazy…."And then there was silence. Porlyusica was standing frozen at the foot of Akko's bed, grimacing darkly. Blair was still standing over Akko, her hand on her shoulder to prevent her from rising. The Kagaris, Lotte, and Sucy were staring at Crawford Seam. Then Professor Holbrooke stepped forward."If your determination to shut your eyes will carry as far as this, Crawford," she said, "then we have reached a parting of ways. You must act as you see fist. And we – we shall act as we see fit."Professor Holbrooke's voice carried no hint of a threat; it sounded like a mere statement, but Crawford Seam bristled as though Holbrooke were advancing upon him with a wand."Now, see here, Miranda," he said, waving a threatening finger. "I've given you free rein, always. I've had a lot of respect for you. I might not have agreed with some of your decisions, but I've kept quiet. There aren't many who'd let you hire condemned criminals, or let Titans in your school, or decide what to teach without reference to the Council. But if you're going to work against me – ""The only one whom we intend to work again," said Professor Holbrooke, "is Jennifer. If you are against her, then we remain, Crawford, on the same side."Crawford stepped back from Professor Holbrooke. He was shaking his head and whispered, "I don't know what you and your staff are playing at, Miranda, but I've heard enough. I have no more to add. I will be in touch with you tomorrow, Miranda, to discuss the running of this school. I must return to Era."He had almost reached the door when he paused. He turned around, strode back down the ward, and stopped at Akko's bed."Your winnings," he said shortly, taking five envelopes out of his pocket and dropping them onto Akko's bedside table. "One hundred thousand credits. One for each of your school team. I'm sure you'll get them to the rest of your teammates. There should have been a presentation ceremony, but under the circumstances…"He tucked in his robe and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The moment he had disappeared, the teachers immediately group together and Ursula spoke to them with a strange authority Akko didn't know she had."If the Council won't do anything, then we will," she said. "Miranda, Anne, can we count on you?""You do, albeit begrudgingly," said Professor Finnelan, her lips thin but her eyes resolute. "I take no pleasure in working alongside any of you, but I am willing to put my personal feelings aside for this.""Then we will need to get the message out," said Ursula. "Anyone that we can persuade of the truth must be notified immediately. We will need contacts inside the Magic Council who are not shortsighted as Crawford Seam.""I can help with that," Ram suddenly approached the group with a steely gaze in her eyes. "I was a member of the Hunter Corps and I have a number of allies scattered around the Council. If Seam has no interest in helping my students, then I have no interest in helping him.""Thank you, Ram," said Ursula gratefully. "Tell them what has happened. Tell them we will be in direct contact with them shortly. But we will need to be discreet. If Crawford thinks we're interfering at the Council – ""He won't," said Ram as she strode quickly from the room. "If there's one thing I'm good at, it's keeping secrets."When the door closed behind her, Ursula turned to Professor Holbrooke and said, "Miranda, could you please call Professor Ymir to your office. I want to speak to her as soon as possible."Professor Holbrooke nodded and left without a word."Porlyusica," Ursula said to the nurse, "would you mind running down to the kitchens for a moment? There is a third year student named Marianna working there. Tell her I would like to see her within my office in an hour.""Don't know why you think you can give me orders," Porlyusica grumbled irritably, but she exited the room nonetheless.Ursula made sure that the door was closed, and that Porlyusica's footsteps had died away, before she spoke again."And now," she said, "it's time we clear the air between us, for the sake of everyone here. Izetta...if you please."The great red fox looked up at Ursula, then, in an instant, turned back into a woman.Mrs. Kagari leapt back from the bed and started shouting in Japanese."Kaori, calm down!" Blair yelled. "That's just Izetta! We talked about her remember?"Professor Finnelan had not yelled or jumped backward, but the look on her face was one mingled with fury and horror."Her!" she snarled, staring at Izetta, whose face looked guilt-ridden. "What is she doing here?""She is here on Professor Holbrooke's invitation," said Ursula, looking between them. "Anne, I know you have every reason not to trust any of us, especially after what has been done, but you said so yourself: we must be willing to put aside our personal feelings for a better cause. I'm not expecting forgiveness, just a lack of open hostility. We are on the same side now. Time is short, and unless the few of us who know the truth stand united, there will be no hope for any of us. Now please, shake hands and be done with it."Very slowly – but Finnelan was still glaring at Izetta with unspoken fury – they moved toward each other and shook hands. They let go extremely quickly."That will have to do for now," said Ursula, stepping between them once more. "Now I have work for each of you. Crawford's attitude, though not unexpected, changes everything. Izetta, I need you to leave at once. Find the remaining members that are still loyal to the Sphere, then make your way back to Eylstadt. The princess there trusts you; she will keep you safe until we find a more permanent place.""But – " said Akko.She wanted Izetta to stay. She did not want to have to say goodbye again so quickly."You'll see me very soon, Akko," said Izetta, turning to her. "I promise you. But I must do what I can, you understand, don't you?""Yeah," said Akko. "Yeah…I do."Izetta grasped her hand briefly, nodded to Ursula, transformed again into the red fox, and ran the length of the room to the door, whose handle she turned with a paw. Then she was gone.""Croix," said Ursula, turning to her. "I hate to have to ask you to do this, but it may be our best option. As much as it pains me, we
need
him. But I…I cannot…not after….""I understand," said Croix.She looked slightly paler than usual, her eyes glinting strangely."Then good luck," said Ursula, and she watched, with a trace of apprehension on her face, as Croix swept wordlessly after Izetta.It was several minutes before Ursula spoke again."I must go downstairs," she said finally. "There is still much that needs to be done tonight…. Anne, would you please come with me? There is something I need to tell you – something important. Blair, can I ask you to stay with Akko for now.""You don't even need to ask," said Blair resolutely."Then I will see you all later," said Ursula.Akko slumped back against her pillows as Ursula and Professor Finnelan disappeared. The Kagaris, Blair, Lotte, and Sucy were all long at her. None of them spoke for a very long time."You should take the rest of your potion, Akko-Nyan," Blair said at last. Her hand nudged the envelopes on her bedside cabinet as she reached for the bottle and the cup. "You have a good long sleep. Try and think about something else for a while…think about what you're going to buy with your winnings.""I don't want the money," said Akko in an expressionless tone. "Give it to someone else. I don't deserve it. It was my fault that…."The thing against which she had been fighting on and off ever since she had come out of the labyrinth was threatening to overpower her. She could feel a burning, prickling feeling in the inner corners of her eyes. She blinked and stared up at the ceiling."If you keep saying that, I'm seriously going to kick your ass," Nico Minoru's voice came from behind the screen separating their beds. She had apparently been awake the whole time, which was no surprise given how loud they were being. "Suck it up already. In case you've forgotten, I'm the one who had her throat cut open.""But if I hadn't helped your up," Akko mumbled, "if I had taken the cup by myself – ""Then you'd be dead, no one would know about Jennifer coming back, and none of us would be prepared for her," Nico said cuttingly. "If we're being honest, things turned out better than they should have. Sure, Jennifer's back, but we both made it out alive and you've got another Star for your Shiny Rod – that's one less magic artifact in Jennifer's hands. So stop asking like the tragic hero and go to sleep already."Nico's words were harsh, cruel, and uncaring of Akko's feelings – and yet, Akko felt better hearing them. Yes, they cut deep in her heart, but they sounded much more fulfilling than the empty well-wishes and concerns everyone else was showing her with. Nico, Akko remembered, had witnessed Jennifer's return and felt the same terror alongside her. Out of everyone in this room, Nico was the only one who knew what Akko was going through, and thus knew what Akko needed to hear, even if it was a little severe.There was a loud slamming noise that made everyone jump. The door to the hospital wing had been knocked open and Annabel Crème was standing at the threshold, straddling a massive burlap sack that was squirming frantically on the floor. The teenage professor had the decency to look sheepish as she removed herself from atop the sack and started tugging it out the door, despite the protest of whatever was inside."Sorry, sorry, my bad," she apologized. "Don't mind me…nothing to see here….""Er…right," said Blair awkwardly. "Akko-Nyan, your potion."Akko drank it in one gulp. The effect was instantaneous. Heavy, irresistible waves of dreamless sleep broke over her; she fell back onto her pillows and thought no more.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
When she looked back, even a month later, Akko found she had only scattered memories of the next few days. It was as though she had been through too much to take it anymore. The recollections she did have were very painful. The worst, perhaps, was the meeting with Ram that took place the following morning before she left.She did not blame Akko for what had happened; on the contrary, the Black Star headmistress thanked Akko for brining the truth about Evelyn to light, for Ram believed she would never have known about her student's suffering without her."I do not deny that I have not always done what was right by them," she said, pulling her traveling cloak closer to herself, concealing her missing arm. "I believed that by emotionally distancing myself from them – by being their teacher and not their friend – that I was doing the right thing. But when they needed me, I didn't even notice. I am not perfect, but I care very deeply about those children, and I will do whatever it takes to free them from the abomination."When she got to her feet, she looked down at Akko and said, "Thank you…for looking out for her when I didn't.""But I didn't," Akko muttered to her. "If I had, she would still be here.""Then I guess…we both have reasons to set things right," Ram said softly before leaving her alone.Akko returned to Polaris Tower the following evening. From what Lotte told her, Professor Holbrooke had spoken to the school that morning at breakfast. She had merely requested that they leave Akko and Nico alone, that nobody ask them questions or badger them to tell what had happened in the labyrinth. Most people, she noticed, were skirting her in the corridors, avoiding her eyes. Some whispered behind their hands as she passed. She guessed that many of them had believed Quattro Scaglietti's article about how disturbed and possibly dangerous she was. Perhaps they were formulating their own theories about how Nico had almost died. She found she didn't care very much. She liked it best when she with her friends and they were talking about other things, or else letting her sit in silence while they played chess. She felt as though all of them had reached an understanding they didn't need to put into words; that each was waiting for some sign, some word, of what was going on outside Luna Nova – and that it was useless to speculate about what might be coming until they knew anything for certain. The only time they touched upon the subject was when Blair had walked in on them and told Akko about a meeting between the Kagaris had with Ursula before going home."We're going to be transferring you to a more secure location during the summer," she said seriously. "With Jennifer out there, we can't be certain if the defenses around the house will hold against her.""When?" asked Akko."Don't know yet," said Blair, shaking her head darkly. "We still need to figure out where to…. I'm just giving you a heads up, okay?"The only other person that Akko felt able to talk to was Nico. As there was no longer a Magical Defense teacher, they had those lessons free. Akko used the one on Thursday afternoon to go down and visit Nico by the edge of the forest. It was a bright and sunny day; Nico was sitting in the shade of the trees, focusing intently on the sketch book in her hands; Akko didn't know Nico liked to draw."Who's there?" said Nico, looking up as she approached. "Oh, hey, Kagari."She stashed her sketchbook away into her bag and patted the ground next to her. Akko noticed as she sat down that Nico was wearing a black choker now, no doubt covering the scar that Ruvik left her, despite Wendy's and Porlyusica's best attempts to magic it away. Nico pulled out two cans of soda and tossed one to Akko, leaning back against the trees and surveying the grounds."I'm not going to bother asking if you're all right," she said gruffly. "Because I know you're not.""I am fine," said Akko."No, you're not," said Nico. "You might think you are, but you're not. Trust me," she held up her prosthetic, flexing it. "Things like this tend to leave more than physical scars."Akko said nothing."I sort of knew this was coming," said Nico, and Akko looked at her intently. "Maybe not
exactly
like this, but…I knew we were different from everyone. And I don't just mean because I'm a gothic loner and you're the unreliable klutz that destroys classrooms on a daily basis. I mean, we were both with certain destinies. You, with the Shiny Rod, and me, with the Staff of One. Both equal and opposite, just like us. I kind of makes you wonder about the things Jennifer said that night, about the future and fate. Well, what's happened has happened, and we'll just have to get on with it. We'll have to fight, you and me, because we're apparently very important in whatever Jennifer has planned.Nico tilted her head to Akko, who looked extremely uncertain."Hey, nothing good will come from sitting around worrying about it," she said. "What's coming will come, and we'll meet it when it does. Ursula said we can do nothing but be prepared.""You talked to Professor Ursula?" asked Akko; she hadn't seen the timid professor since the night she had talked down the Crawford Seam."She's having moved from my friend's place at the Hostel," said Nico. "Said they're going to be moving me to a more secure location. Croix's coming with me – like a babysitter in case something happens. They're worried Jennifer's flunkies might come after me during the summer.""Blair said the same thing to me," said Akko, leaning back against the tree with her."They might seem overbearing, but they're just looking out for us," said Nico. "There's no telling what the future is going to bring. But at the very least, I know we'll be able to count on each other."It was with a heavy heart that Akko packed her trunk up in the dormitory on the night before her return to Japan. She was dreading the Leaving Feast, which was usually a cause for celebration, when the winner of the Inter-House Championship would be announced. She had avoided being in the dining hall when it was full ever since she had left the hospital wing, preferring to eat when it was nearly empty to avoid the stares of her fellow students.When she and her friends entered the hall, they saw at once that the usual decorations were missing. The dining hall was normally decorated with the winning House's colors for the Leaving Feast. Tonight, however, there were black drapes on the walls, emblazoned with a blue-flamed star. Akko knew instantly that they were as a mark of respect to the Black Star students who had not been seen since Evelyn's escape. Ram had also gone missing since that night in the hospital wing and none of the teachers had given a word on her whereabouts. Akko wondered, as she sat down with her friends at the usual table, where Ram was now, and whether she had found Mato or the others yet.Akko's musings were ended by Professor Holbrooke, who rose from her seat. The dining hall, which in any case had been less noisy than it usually was at the Leaving Feast, became very quiet."The end," said Professor Holbrooke, looking around at them all, "of another year. There is much that I would like to say to you all tonight, but first I must acknowledge the loss of many fine young woman, who should be sitting here, enjoying our feast with us. You only knew them by their stage names: Black Rock Shooter, Dead Master, Strength, Chariot, and Black Gold Saw. But you should remember them for who they are: Mato Kuroi, Yomi Takanashi, Yuu Koutari, Kagari Izuriha, and Saya Irino. I would like you all, please, to stand, and raise your glasses, to them."They did it, all of them; the chairs scraped as everyone from Luna Nova to Serenity Academy stood, and raised their glasses, and echoed the names of the Black Star champions who were no longer with them.Akko caught a glimpse of Nico through the crowd. There was a somber look on her face that Akko had come to recognize as regret; it was the expression that Akko was wearing herself as they all sat down again."Though Mato and her classmates were not my students, I recognized them as women who exemplified many of the qualities praised in Luna Nova," Professor Holbrooke continued. "Saya Irino had the strength of a Coronoa; Yomi Takanashi has the wisdom of a Lunar; Yuu Koutari, the patience of a Twilight; Kagari Izuriha, the ambition of an Eclipse; and Mato Kuroi sought freedom and independence like any other Polaris student. Their loss has affected you all, whether you knew them well or not. I think that you have the right, therefore, to know exactly what has become of them."Akko raised her head and looked at Professor Holbrooke."They were taken by the Great Witch Jennifer."A shocked and confused whisper swept the dining hall. People were staring at Holbrooke like she had grown a second head. She looked perfectly calm as she watched them mutter themselves into silence."The Magic Council," Professor Holbrooke continued, "does not wish me to tell you this. It is possible that some of your parents will be horrified that I have done so – either because they will not believe that Jennifer has returned from her centuries of absence, or because they think I should not tell you so, young as you are. It is my belief, however, that the truth is generally preferable to lies, and that any attempt to pretend that Miss Kuroi and her friends have left because of some vendetta, or mental illness, would be an insult to their names."Stunned and curious, every face in the hall was turned toward Professor Holbrooke now."There are two people who must be mentioned in connection with the Black Star champion's disappearance," Professor Holbrooke went on. "I am talking, of course, about Miss Atsuko Kagari and Miss Nico Minoru."A kind of ripple crossed the dining hall as a few heads turned half in Akko's direction and half in Nico's before flicking back to face Holbrooke."Miss Kagari and Miss Minrou witnessed The Great Witch Jennifer's return with the aid of her followers, including known criminals like Amon and Acnologia," said Professor Holbrooke. "They risked their lives to return to Luna Nova with this news. They showed, in every respect, the sort of bravery that few men have shown in facing such adversity, and for this, I honor them."Professor Holbrooke looked around gravely and raised her glass once more. Nearly everyone in the dining hall followed suit. They murmured their names, as they had murmured Mato and the students of Black Star, and drank to them.When everyone had once again resumed their seats, Professor Holbrooke continued, "The Contest of Champions' aim was to further and promote understanding. In the light of what has happened – of Jennifer's return -such ties are more important than ever before."Professor Holbrooke looked from Principle Theresa and Headmistress Meichi, to the heroes-in-training from U.A. and the Hero Club of Sanshu, from the soldiers of Class Zero to the sisters of Honnoji and their Elite Four.Every guest in this hall," said Professor Holbrooke, "will be welcomed back here at any time, should they wish to come. I say to you all, once again – in the light of Jennifer's return, we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Jennifer greatest strength is her understanding of people, of how they think and feel in times most dark. She will use that to her advantage. We can fight it only by showing a strong bond of friendship and trust. Differences in age, race, gender, and even species are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open."It is my belief - and never have I so hoped that I am mistaken – that we are all facing dark and difficult times. Some of you in this hall have already suffered directly at the hands of Jennifer's followers. Many of your families have been torn asunder. A week ago, five young women with bright futures were taken from our midst."Remember them. Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to these brave young women because they strayed across the path of Jennifer. Remember them."Akko's luggage was packed. She, Lotte, and Sucy were waiting in the crowded entrance hall with the rest of the fourth years for the buses that would take them back to Byltonbury Station. It was another beautiful summer's day. She supposed that Jingumae would be hot and leafy, its flower beds a riot of color, when she arrived there that evening."Yo, Akko!"She looked around. Eruna Ichinomiya zipped across the courtyard in the blink of an eye, stopping onto the stone steps of the school. Beyond her, far across the grounds, Akko could see Principle Theresa lining the students up by height from smallest to tallest – she would be the first one in line."I hope we see each other again some time," said Eruna, holding out her hand. "And hopefully next time I'll have an actual role instead of being reduced to frequent character appearances.""I don't think I'll ever understand you," said Akko, but shook Eruna's hand nonetheless."Maybe we'll see each other in Serenity Academy," said Eruna optimistically. "You already made a cameo appearance in the Freshman Hazing…. And we'd probably get more if the author would get off their lazy ass and write something," she added heatedly, glaring at…. *coughs uncomfortably* Anyway….Akko's spirits couldn't help but lift slightly as she watched Eruna zip back across the courtyard to the rest of her class, kicking up a cloud of anime dust in her wake."You appear to be in a better mood than before, Akko," said a smooth voice from their side.Akko, Lotte, and Sucy turned. Andrew and Frank had arrived. Akko hadn't seen Andrew since the night after the final challenge, when he and Diana visited her in the hospital wing. From what Diana told her, Andrew had been busy with his father trying to clear up the mess made after the Grand Magic Games."Could I talk to you in private?" Andrew asked Akko."Oh…yeah…sure," said Akko, surprised. He took her hand gently and led her into the nearly empty dining hall, leaving Frank alone with Lotte and Sucy. Akko couldn't help feeling a little flustered despite the circumstances of recent days. It had been a long time since the two of them were together…."I suppose there's no point in asking if you're all right," said Andrew, notably still holding her hand. "You went through a very traumatic event. You have every right not to be fine.""Yeah…," Akko mumbled."It's only going to get worse from here on," Andrew told her dispassionately. "Word from my father's office says that the Magic Council is getting ready to start a smear campaign against Holbrooke and the other teachers. Father plans to take advantage of the chaos to push his own agenda. You have difficult times ahead of you. But, no matter what happens, just know that I will always be there for you. Because I care about you, Akko."Andrew may as well have punched her in the gut with that comment. Though he was obviously trying to cheer her up, Akko couldn't help feeling bad. Andrew never hesitated to make his affection known, even though Akko had been actively avoiding the issue for months. She remembered how he and Diana had confronted her that night for what seemed like so long ago. Akko had been dancing around the two most important people in her life because she was afraid of hurting them. But after what happened, after seeing Jennifer return and knowing the danger that lay ahead, Akko realized she wasn't being fair to them. They deserve a real answer – both of them – and Akko knew what that answer was a long time ago."Andrew, I need to tell you something," said Akko, sighing apprehensively. "I like you – I really do – I care about you so much. But….""But you don't love me the same way I love you," Andrew finished with a sad sort of smile. "I already knew. You heart already belongs to Diana.""You knew?" said Akko, gasping."It's obvious to anyone with eyes," said Andrew. "I could tell you were in love with her long before I asked you to the ball. I never stood a chance.""If you knew I was in love with Diana," said Akko, wide-eyed, "then why did you ask me?""I had to try," Andrew answered simply. "If there was even the smallest chance that you would return my affection, I had to take it. Otherwise, I would spend the rest of my life wonder 'what if'. Yes, it hurts that you do not share my feelings, but I don't regret asking. Now I can have closure and move on.""I'm sorry I couldn't return your feelings," said Akko mournfully."Don't be," said Andrew, shaking his head. "Whether you return them or not, it doesn't change how I feel about you. No matter what happens, I will always be there to help and support you in any way I can. But…a word of advice," he whispered conspiratorially, leaning in close. "There's no telling what the future may hold, so you should treat every day as if it were your last. Live your life without any regrets."That certainly gave Akko something to think about as she and Andrew walked back into the entrance hall. She smiled softly as she watched Lotte and Frank talked, affectionally holding each other's hands and Frank giving his girlfriend a little peck on the cheek before joining Andrew by the door. Akko also noticed that Fu had made her way over to Sucy, who was smiling sheepishly and playing with her hair in a very un-Sucy-like manner. Fu slipped the Filipino a piece of paper and gave her a quick kiss before running back to her classmates."What was that all about?" Akko asked when she joined her friends."Frank was telling me that he bought a house in Blytonbury so that we could see each other more often," said Lotte cheerfully."And Fu's planning to visit me in the Philippians over the summer," said Sucy, chuckling. "She might regret that when she meets Gari and Sabi."Akko was happy for her two best friends. After all the ups and downs of the year, both of them were able to find people they love and hold on them. And as she looked around the entrance hall and spotted a familiar head of platinum-blonde, Akko, inspired by her friends, decided to follow Andrew's advice: she will live her life without regrets.Akko straightened her back and puffed out her chest, fully aware of how ridiculous she might look, and marched across the hall with purpose. The other students looked at her strangely as she passed, but Akko didn't care; she was laser-focused on her goal. Diana was caught in a longwinded discussion with Hannah and Barbara when she noticed Akko marching up to her, one of her brows disappearing into her hair as she looked over the brunette."Akko, what are you - ?"Then, without warning, Akko grabbed Diana roughly by the shoulders, pulled her close, and kissed her.It was nothing like the soft and shy musings from that night in the bathroom; it was strong and forceful; Akko honestly didn't know if she was doing it right, but she was in too deep to care. She could Diana freeze up in her arms, remarkably similar to the way Akko did the first time they kissed. It was Akko who pulled back, breathing heavily as she stared at the girl she had fallen in love with, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights."Akko…I…what…," Diana stammered absently."I love you, Diana," Akko spoke without thinking. Whelp, no going back now, she thought. "I mean – yeah, I do. I love you, Diana. When we first met at the Aikatsu Dress Make, I thought you were the most beautiful person in the world – and then we started talking and I thought you were a jerk. Then went we started our first year, I thought you were a spoiled, stuck-up, pampered, know-it-all, rich brat." She heard Hannah and Barbara facepalm next to them. "But the more we spent time together, the more I got to know the real you: you're head-working, determined, loyal, incredibly smart, and one of the bravest people I've ever known. You're also a scared and lonely girl pressured to live up to everyone's expectations and be this perfect witch. But you're not perfect – and that's okay." She rested her hand on Diana's cheek. "Because I don't care if you're perfect or not. I love you just the way you are.""Akko…," Diana breathed, leaning into Akko's hand with a soft smile. "I…I love you, too, Atsuko Kagari. With all my heart."Akko smiled brightly at those words. She leaned forward and Diana leaned in as well –"A-hem!"And they both paused inches away from one another. They had only just become aware that they were in the middle of a crowded entrance hall with every students and teacher watching them. Hannah stepped up to them with her hands on her hips, giving Akko and Diana a hard stare. And then, she threw up her hands in an exasperated motion and shouted what everyone was thinking:"It's about damn time!"The weather could not have been more different on the journey back to Shibuya Station than it had been on their way to Luna Nova the previous September. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky. All of Akko's friends had managed to get their usual seats in the back of the train car, which she now realized were a lot fuller than usual. Akko and Lotte were sitting in the middle row as usual with Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka sitting across from them, but Sucy had offered to switch seats with Diana so that she could sit directly next to Akko, the two of them holding hands the entire train ride home. Blair laid bonelessly across the headrest above Akko's seat, somehow able to find sleep in that position. Hannah and Barbara were in their usual seats on the left side of the train, now sitting across from a grumpy-looking Sucy. The seats on the right side of the train were taken up by Nanoha, Fate, Wendy, and Nico, and the seats behind them were occupied by Makoto, her cousin Chinatsu, and Sucy's little sisters, Gari and Sabi.Akko hadn't realized just how big her circle of friends had gotten until she saw them all clumped together. It really was impressive, she thought.Everyone was talking loudly and freely, more than they had done all week as the train sped past dozens of countries in minutes. Akko felt as though Professor Holbrooke's speech at the Leaving Feast had unblocked her, somehow. It was less painful to discuss what had happened now. They broke off their conversation about what action the teachers might be taken, even now, to stop Jennifer's rise to power, only to be greeted with another surprise for the evening: Annabel Crème, marching down the aisle, dragging the same burlap sack Akko had seen during her unusual interruption the night she and Nico returned from the labyrinth."A little – help here – if you don't mind," Annabel Crème grunted with effort. Jasminka rose from her seat and lifted the sack into the overhead compartment like it weight less than a loaf of bread. Annabel Crème let out a relieved sigh, taking the only empty seat next to Sucy. "Thanks. You not believe how hard it was dragging that thing all the way down from the school.""What're you doing on the train, Professor Crème?" Lotte asked curiously."I need to make an important trip to Washington D.C. in America," Annabel Crème answered. "I figured the train would be much faster getting there."She leaned back in her seat and pulled out a copy of daily news, flipping through the pages casually. Akko looked at it, unsure whether she really wanted to know what it might say, but Annabel Crème, seeing her look at it, said calmly, "There's nothing in here. You can look for yourself, but there's nothing at all. I've been checking every day. Just a small piece the day after the last challenge saying Luna Nova won the contest. They didn't mention the Black Star students going missing or Zeref being turned into a Heartless. I think Seam is forcing them to keep quiet to hide his failures.""He'll never keep Scaglietti quiet," Barbara hissed. "Not on a story like this.""Oh, Quattro hasn't written anything at all since the last challenge," said Annabel Crème in an oddly constrained voice. "As a matter of fact," she added, her voice now trembling slightly, "Scaglietti isn't going to be writing anything for a while. At least not until she gets out of prison.""Prison?" said Wendy, scandalized. "What are you talking about?""I found out how she was listening in on private conversations when she wasn't supposed to be coming onto the grounds," said Annabel Crème in a rush.Akko had the impression that Annabel Crème had been dying to tell someone this for days, but she had restrained herself in light of everything else that had happened."How was she doing it?" said Amanda at once."How did you find out?" said Stan-Bot, Constanze staring at her."Well, it was Akko who gave me the idea," she said."I did?" said Akko, perplexed. "How?""You reminded me that the school's defenses never detected Quattro Scaglietti using magic to sneak into the school," said Annabel Crème happily. "Not even Professor Ursula, who has the sharpest senses when it comes to magic, never picked up on her. And that's when it hit me: She wasn't using magic; she was using
science.""Come again?" said Nico, blinking."The reason why she was never spotted was because she was using technology to sneak in instead of magic," said Annabel Crème. "That's why no one ever noticed her in a school full of magic. After I realized that, I went straight to Professor Croix. I asked her if there was a way someone could use technology to sneak into the school without magic, and you'll never believe what she told me. Apparently, back in 2012, the US government had been working on a suit that refracted light – a scientific version of an invisibility cloak. But it was mysteriously stolen…right around the same time when Scaglietti's career started skyrocketing.""No – freakin' – way," gasped Nanoha. "Are you telling me she – ""Stole government property from one of the most powerful countries in the world?" said Annabel Crème, grinning. "Yeah, she did. Once we knew how Scaglietti was getting in, Professor Croix gave me one of her thermal cameras. I knew she would be drawn to the scandal after the last challenge, so I waited for her outside the hospital wing and snatched her up when she wasn't looking. I'm taking her straight to Washington and handing her over the CIA.""Speaking of which," said Makoto, looking around. "Where is she, anyway?"Just then, they heard a loud thumping coming from the overhead compartment; Annabel Crème grinned like the little devil she is."You didn't – " Diana breathed, fighting back the urge to laugh."I did," said Annabel Crème proudly."Best – teacher –
EVER!" Gari and Sabi cheered together; everyone nodded in agreement.Everyone went back to their own conversations after that. As the train left Borneo, Amanda pulled out a deck of cards and invited Constanze, Akko, and Diana to play a game of Texas holdem. They were halfway through their fifth game when Akko decided to ask Amanda."You never did tell us," she said to the redhead. "Who you were blackmailing?""Oh,
that," said Amanda darkly. "It doesn't matter. "It wasn't anything important. Not now, anyway. I've given up."But Akko, and everyone else now interested in Amanda's supposed illegal activities, kept on asking, and finally, Amanda said, "All right, all right, if you really want to know…it was the Grand Master.""The Grand Master?" said Diana sharply. "Are you saying he was involved in – ""Nah," said Amanda gloomily. "Nothing like that. Asshole. He wouldn't have the brains.""Well, what, then?" asked Fate."Amanda hesitated, then said, "You remember that bet I made with him at the International Chariot Racing Tournament? About how Pravda would cross the finish line first, but Black Rock Shooter would land the last shot and win the cup for Ooarai?""Yeah," said Akko and Lotte slowly."Well, the bastard gave me a fake check.""How do you know?" asked Makoto."Because when I tried to cash it in, the check bounced!" said Amanda furiously."But – it must have been a mistake," said Jasminka, frowning.Amanda laughed very bitterly."Yeah, that's what I thought, at first. I thought if I just wrote to him, and told him he'd made a mistake, he'd cough up. But that never happened. He started blocking my e-mails, so I started sending him handwritten letters. He ignored those too. I kept trying to talk to him about it at Luna Nova, but he was always making some excuse to get away from me. In the end, he turned pretty nasty. Told me I was too young to gamble, and he wasn't giving me a single dime. So I asked for my money back.""And he refused!" gasped Hannah."Right in one," said Amanda."But that was all your savings!" said Lotte."Tell me about it," said Amanda. "Of course, I found out what was going on in the end. Wangari's dad had some trouble getting money off the Grand Master, too. Turns out he's in big trouble with Paul Hanbridge. Borrowed a ton of money from him to finance his Contests. Hanbridge cornered him after the Chariot Racing Tournament and took all the money he had, and it still wasn't enough to cover all his debts. He followed him all the way to Luna Nova to keep an eye on him. He's lost everything gambling. Hasn't got two pennies to rub together. And you know how that dumbass tried to pay Hanbridge back?""How?" said Sucy."He put a bet on Akko," said Amanda. "Put a huge bet on her to win the Contest. That she would be the one to reach the cup. Bet against Hanbridge.""So
that's
why he kept trying to help me win!" said Akko. "Well - I did win, didn't I? I got to the cup. So he can pay you your money!""Nope," said Amanda, shaking her head. "You forget that Hanbridge is a politician – they're as cunning as they are evil. Since Akko and Nico grabbed the cup at the same time, they technically both won, and the Grand Master was betting that Akko would get the cup alone. So the Grand Master ran for it. He made a break for it right after the last challenge.""That's horrible," said Hannah."Ah, it's…it's not important," said Amanda, sighing deeply as she dealt out the cards again."You said you had big plans for that money," said Akko. "Right after the Tournament ended and you didn't want your mom confiscating it. What were you planning to do with it.""I…," said Amanda hesitantly, looking out of the corner of her eye shamefully. "I wanted to use the money…to get into dance school.""You want to go to dance school?" asked Sucy curiously."Yeah," Amanda mumbled, red-faced. "Last summer, I sent an audition tape to Paris Opera Ballet School in France…. And I got accepted.""That's wonderful!" Ananbel Crème praised. "The Paris Opera Ballet is one of the four most prominent ballet companies in the world! It's next to impossible to get in!""And it's still impossible to get in," Amanda said downcast. "Tuition is super expensive and I can't tell my mom I want to transfer out of Luna Nova to go to a dance school, especially since Luna Nova is one of the best magic schools in the world. When I didn't get the money from the bet, I was hoping to get the money from the Contest – ""That's right!" Makoto yelled. "The prize from the Contest! Everyone on the winning team get's one hundred thousand credits for winning! That should – ""That only applies to the chosen champions," Amanda grumbled. "Substitutes don't count. Trust me, I asked…. But that's all right; it's fine. I guess it just wasn't meant to be…."But Akko wasn't accepting that. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the envelope holding her Contest winnings."Take it," she said, and she thrust the envelope into Amanda's hands."What?" said Amanda, looking flabbergasted."Take it," Akko repeated firmly. "I don't want it.""You're insane," said Amanda, trying to push it back to Akko."No, I'm not," said Akko. "You take it, and transfer to that dancing school. You deserve it.""You
are
insane," Amanda said in an almost awed voice."Listen," said Akko firmly. "If you don't take it, I'm throwing it into the nearest dumpster fire I can find. And if I can't find one, I'll make one. I don't want it and I don't need it. But you do. You're one of the best dancers I've ever known. I've seen you work hard for it; you love dancing. No one deserves this more than you.""I couldn't agree more," said Diana, and she reached inside her pocket and handed over her own envelope. "You should follow your dreams. We all should.""You'll be putting this to better use than I ever would," said Nico, casually tossing her own envelope. "The way things are now, I get the feeling we'll be needing a little light in our lives.""And you can have my share, too," said Makoto, eagerly passing her own money. "I've never really cared about money. You should do what you love."Everyone turned their heads to Fate, the last of the Luna Nova champions, expectantly."Screw you people; I'm keeping the money," said Fate adamantly."Well, four out of five ain't bad," said Ananbel Crème lightheartedly.The rest of the journey passed much more pleasantly; Akko could see Amanda was fighting off the urge to smile to not give away how happy she was. But as Akko learned that year, time had a funny way of moving too fast when she was having a good time, and all too soon, the Mystic Rail pulled in at Shibuya Station. Akko rose from her seat, poking Blair awake and pulled the sleepy magic cat onto her shoulder, then grabbed her luggage from the overhead, making sure to give Scaglietti a good thump when she did.Akko turned to disembark with the rest when Diana suddenly stood up and pulled her by the arm. She pulled Akko in for a quick kiss, smiling sheepishly with a faint blush on her cheeks that matched Akko's. They were going to have to get used to this public display of affection now, Akko thought."See you soon," Diana whispered softly."Not soon enough," Akko replied.She gave one last affectionate squeeze before stepping off onto the platform.Akko's parents were waiting for her. Mrs. Kagari hugged her very tightly when she saw her and whispered in her ear, "Ursula told us what's going on. I wish none of this had to happen.""You and me both," Akko mumbled.Akko followed her parents silently from the station. There was no point worrying yet, she told herself, as she got into the back of their car.As Nico had said, what would come, would come…and she would have to meet it when it did.Dol Guldur – Croix hated this place as a visitor almost as much as a prisoner. Being back reminded her of her brief stint years ago; the oppressive atmosphere, the lack of light, the stench of death the permeated around every corner. And then there were the Heartless that lingered in the narrow corridors. Croix kept looking over her shoulder, fearing one of them would break rank and trying to attack her. Honestly, she would have preferred it – give her a reason to let loose some stress.She came to a stop outside one of the cells – X-13 in the Maximum-Security Wing. She peered through bars and saw its occupant sitting in the back of the tiny room, completely concealed in darkness with only his outline visible through the weak light of the stamp-sized window. She was sitting on the rock-like mattress, leaning against the wall casually with a book in hand; one of the few luxuries in this hellish prison. The cell's occupant turned the page until he noticed Croix standing outside, leering at him."Ah, Croix, a pleasure to see you again," the prisoner said nonchalantly. "You didn't get arrested again, did you?""Not this time," said Croix evenly."To be honest, I was expecting you to be Zeref," said the prisoner, turning another page. "He should be back any day now.""Zeref's not coming back," said Croix. "Crawford jumped the gun and turned him into a Heartless.""No! Really?" said the prisoner, finally looking away from his book, sounding very disappointed. "Aw man, now we'll never finish our debate on reanimation vs. reincarnation.""As stimulating as I'm sure that is," Croix said with a roll of her eyes. "I'm here for you.""And I have a pretty good idea why," said the prisoner with a soft chuckle, going back to his book. "Jennifer is back, isn't she?""How did you - ?""I knew a lot more than I ever told you, Croix," said the prisoner tauntingly. "I know why she's come back. I know what she's planning. And I know how she intends to do it. What I don't know is why you're here.""We…need you help," said Croix like it was painful to say those words out loud. "We need you to fight against Jennifer.""And why should I do that?" said the prisoner shortly. "As I recall, it was you and your little club that put me in here in the first place. You left me here to rot for fifteen years. And you didn't even have the decency to call or write. That's very rude, you know. No, I don't think I'll help
you people
with anything.""Then what about Akko?" said Croix swiftly. The prisoner visibly froze in place. "She's in the middle of all of this. Jennifer is targeting her, and if you're as smart as you say you are, then you know why. If you won't do it for us, then at least do it for Akko."A period of silence passed where neither one of them spoke or moved. Finally, the prisoner snapped his book shut, rose from his bed, and crossed the cell, looming over Croix in a way that would have felt intimidating had their not been a wall of shatter-proof glass standing between them. The prisoner leered down at the magical scientist…and chuckled."Akko, huh?" he said. "Tell me…how is my daughter doing these days."