Chapter Text
“I still don’t get why we’re even doing this! It’s so stupid!”
Akko’s complaints echoed off of the cave walls, the sound reverberating and disappearing into its darkened depths. She white-knuckled the stone in her hand, tossing it to the ground with a frustrated scowl. Diana resisted the urge to roll her eyes when her girlfriend began to grumble about ‘pointless assignments’ and ‘boring rocks’.
The pair had decided to work together on their latest magic pharmaceutics project for Professor Lukić. While Diana was normally fond of her pharmacology studies, even she had to admit that ore hunting in a damp cave wasn’t really her idea of enthralling.
She wouldn’t throw a tantrum over it, of course—but there were other things she would rather be doing on a Friday morning. Sorting through ordinary stones in hopes of finding a single gram of Orichalconium wasn’t at the top of her list.
Akko showed far less restraint in containing her frustrations.
“How come we can’t pick up these dumb rocks at the magic item café? Or order them online?” she whined, squinting at a new piece of ore in her palm. “That’d be way easier!”
When the stone didn’t meet her standards, she wailed in disgruntlement and chucked it into the growing pile at her feet.
“And how do you suppose we would have found what we needed in times of old?” Diana asked, using the light of her wand to examine the stone walls around her. “Learning how to properly locate resources is an important part of being a witch. You shouldn’t rely on shops and the internet for everything, Akko.”
“But this is the 21st century, not 1342!” Akko bit back. “We should forget all this stuff and adapt to the times!”
“Surely if we did that then no one would know where to find anything. Then the shops would never have the items we need in stock,” Diana reasoned. “Even traditional methods have their merits to some.”
“Don’t be smart with me,” Akko snipped. “You know what I meant!”
Diana clicked her tongue. “Regardless of how you feel, we still need to complete our task.” She narrowed her gaze on Akko. “And things would go far faster if you complained less.”
“Can you blame me?” Akko scoffed, kicking at her rock pile. “I’m stuck in some dirty cave picking up rocks all day! Don’t you wanna be doing something more exciting?”
“I find this quite enjoyable, actually,” Diana lied, and when she was met with silence she glanced over her shoulder. With the way Akko was staring at her, one may have assumed Diana had announced that she loved watching paint dry. “What?”
“There’s no way you seriously think collecting rocks is 'enjoyable'.”
Diana didn’t even have the chance to counter as Akko perked up and clapped her hands. “I know! How about we do something that’s actually fun together this weekend? We could go to the festival they’re having in Blytonbury on Sunday!” She grinned devilishly, elbowing Diana in the side. “You know—a real date. No rocks allowed.”
A smile tugged at the corners of Diana’s mouth as she brushed Akko off. “As lovely as that sounds, I won’t be able to attend.”
“Wha!?” Akko bleated. “Why not?”
“Madame Ural is going to be visiting Luna Nova on Sunday, and Professor Finnelan has asked me to provide her with a tour of campus,” Diana explained, picking up a brush from the tool kit at her feet. “Apparently she’s considering giving Luna Nova a generous donation, so it’s important that we leave a good impression.”
“Madame Ural?” Akko glanced up in thought. “Isn’t she that fancy book lady who came to the Samhain Festival last year? What does she need a tour of campus for?” Her expression twisted with confusion. “I thought she was an alumni?”
“Much has changed since she attended Luna Nova,” Diana replied. “I believe she wants to see if the work that’s being done here is worth the donation.”
Akko puffed her cheeks, placing her hands on her hips. “Of course it is! Why wouldn’t it be? Luna Nova’s the best magic school in the whole world!”
“Might I remind you that Luna Nova wasn’t exactly looked upon favorably by most until recently?” Diana deadpanned. “Even those within magical society believed it to be in a state of decline. That’s why we need to show our alumni that we’re doing everything we can to contribute to the new age of magic.”
Akko’s face scrunched, considering Diana’s words. “I guess I get what you mean…” she caved begrudgingly. “Well, if it’s gonna help Luna Nova, then that’s fine.” She flashed Diana a bright smile. “We’ll just need to have our date tomorrow instead!”
Diana hummed in amusement. “And what did you have in mind?”
“I dunno. Anything that’s not ore hunting,” Akko thought, putting a hand to her chin with twinkling eyes. “Maybe we can get ice cream! Or see a movie! Or both!”
And just like that Akko was whisked away into a world of fantasies. She rambled on and on about the adventures they could embark on for their date. Although she didn’t mean to, Diana found herself tuning out Akko’s blabbering when her attention was captured by something peculiar gleaming along the cave walls.
She pushed away the stray dirt in the cracks with her brush. When she lifted her wand, tiny particles shimmered in a rainbow hue back at her. Her mouth parted in realization at what she was seeing.
“Diana?” Akko prodded, sounding half-annoyed. “Are you listening?”
Diana blinked, turning to Akko. “Oh. Forgive me, Akko. I was distracted,” she apologized, but Akko wasn’t moved. Diana waved a hand to beckon her over. “Come see this.”
Akko scuffled toward her, crouching down beside her. She raised a confused brow, unsure of what she was supposed to be looking at. “What is it…?”
Diana ran her fingers along the cracks, outlining the specks. “Trace amounts of Adamantinium.”
“Adaman-what-ium?”
“Adamantinium—a rare type of magical ore,” Diana clarified. “It can be difficult to work with, but when used successfully it does wonders in a large array of elixirs. It’s widely sought after by witches and merchants for its value.”
“So… what you’re saying is…” Akko started, her grin growing as understanding dawned on her, “if we scrounge up some of this stuff we’d get an A on our report for sure!”
“It certainly wouldn’t hurt our chances,” Diana agreed. “At the very least, I’d like to have some for my own collection.” She scratched a nail against one of the flakes embedded in the wall. “But none of this is enough to produce a proper sample.”
Akko used her wand to follow the specks that had marked themselves across the cave. The trail ran several yards down, into a small hole near the ground. Akko got down on her hands and knees to peek inside.
“It sorta looks like the trail leads into this little opening.”
Diana followed close behind. “Yes, you’re right,” she noted, observing the opening herself; it couldn’t have been any more than a foot and a half in diameter. “It doesn’t appear as if we would be able to fit, though…”
Snickering, Akko straightened herself out and brushed the dirt off of her skirt. “Well, luckily for you, I happen to be a bit of an expert in the art of squeezing my way through tricky situations!”
She stepped back and held her wand out in front of her.
“Metamorphie Faciesse!”
There was a popping sound and a puff of smoke as Akko’s human form vanished into thin air. Seconds later, a small orange mouse took its place. She squeaked and threw her paws up victoriously. “Ta-da! Now I’ll fit no problem!”
“Metamorphosis magic.” Diana smiled. “That’s a brilliant idea.”
Akko grinned, rubbing at the back of her neck. “Thanks. I’m full of them,” she acknowledged without a hint of modesty in her tone. “Now, I’ll just go on in, grab some sparkly rocks, and we’ll be right on our way to an A!”
Without another word, Akko scurried toward the hole on all fours at an eager pace. But before she could get any further, Diana reached down and picked her up by the tail. Akko squeaked in alarm as Diana raised her to eye-level.
“Wait a moment. You don’t know what else is in there,” Diana scolded, placing Akko back on the ground. “I’m not about to let you go alone.”
Reeling back in surprise, Akko watched on as Diana gave a small wave of her own wand.
“Metamorphie Faciesse.”
A second pop echoed throughout the cave as Diana’s form disappeared into a cloud of smoke and a new one replaced it. Akko blinked a few times as she registered what was in front of her, but quickly faltered from surprised to annoyed.
“Tch,” Akko curled her lip. “Seriously? A weasel? It’s almost like you’re trying to one-up me, Diana.”
Although Diana was not as frequent of a partaker in metamorphosis magic as Akko was, she did occasionally find herself using it in difficult situations. And if she was going to be squeezing and squirming her way through tight cracks, then she thought it best to take a form suited to such activities.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Diana dismissed, turning her head away and using her paws to smooth out her white fur. “I simply find this to be a more practical form.”
Akko snorted. “Yeah, yeah. C’mon,” she groused, running on ahead. “Let’s find some rocks!”
Being a weasel had its perks. For one, her heightened sense of smell made keeping track of Akko in the dark far easier. The scent of plums and mowed grass that Diana had become so accustomed to over the past year overwhelmed her at every turn, letting her know that her girlfriend was never too far away.
Having increased flexibility and night vision was an added bonus, too. It certainly made moving about the cave less onerous, at the very least. It felt a little odd being able to do things she would normally be barred from doing in her human form. Though, there was an odd sense of satisfaction that came with squeezing through a particularly tight spot or catching something in the dark she may have typically missed.
Perhaps she was beginning to understand the appeal Akko saw in this sort of magic.
However, Diana’s heightened senses meant null when she was so caught up in her thoughts that she failed to notice Akko had halted in the middle of the path. She barely avoided stepping on her tail, stumbling to the side so she wouldn’t land flat on her face. She held back the immediate impulse to scold her.
“What is it?”
“Don’t you smell that?” Akko asked, her nose twitching toward the low-hanging ceiling. “Something’s kinda… metally?”
Nothing that Diana had noticed up to that point seemed out of the ordinary. Then again, even as a mouse, Akko did give off a powerful scent—and she had been so distracted with keeping track of it that she may have missed something.
Stepping past Akko, Diana lifted her own nose into the air. She closed her eyes, focusing beyond the fruity aroma wafting off of her girlfriend. The first thing to draw her attention was the musty, wetness of the cave. Though, there was a faint sharpness that lingered along its edges—a scent that could almost be described as... metallic.
“I smell it, too,” Diana confirmed. “Adamantinium can be made up of different types of alloys. It’s possible that we may be near—”
“Let’s go check it out!” Akko enthused, dashing onward without warning.
“Akko!” Diana scowled, giving chase. “Be careful!”
Laughter and the scent of plums faded into the distance as Akko took off—her small form becoming enveloped by the darkness. Even with night vision at her disposal, Diana lost sight of her. She inwardly scolded her tiny legs for failing to keep up and letting Akko escape. For heaven’s sake, she was a weasel—weren’t weasels supposed to be able to keep up with mice?
Deciding she didn’t wish to entertain that thought more than she needed to, Diana instead shifted her focus back onto finding Akko. She called out to her once, then again, and was met with no response. Letting out a long breath, she reconsidered her strategy. If Akko was following that metallic scent trail then theoretically following that same trail herself would, in turn, lead her to Akko.
Lifting her nose into the air, Diana inhaled and opened her mind’s eye to her surroundings. Sure enough, the sharp, metallic scent stung her nostrils even stronger with plums and grass out of the way. She allowed the trail to lead her through the cave’s twists and turns, wondering how Akko moved fast enough not to leave a single trace of herself behind.
Every once in a while Diana would attempt to call out to her girlfriend in vain, and her irritability grew each time she was met with no response. As Diana was coming to the conclusion that Akko would be on the receiving end of a very firm reprimanding when they were reunited, something strange pricked at her nose.
It wasn’t the scent of plums, grass, or even metal. In fact, Diana wasn’t sure how to describe it. Earthy, perhaps? It was more subdued than Akko’s pungent fruity scent, but not as hidden away as the metallic one, either. It was intriguing and left Diana wondering if Akko had picked up on it, too.
Almost subconsciously, Diana’s feet began to move in the direction of the odor, and the closer she got, the stronger it became. Any trace of metal or musty cave walls vanished as the earthy scent grew more overpowering.
When Diana could see a faintly glowing light in the distance, she knew that was where it had to be coming from.
She approached with caution, carefully studying the odd lights. It was only when she got close enough that she realized what she was seeing; the walls around her were lined with mushrooms, unlike any Diana had seen in the past. They were no larger than a golf ball, but dozens of them covered the walls and ceiling all around her. The most peculiar part about them was the faint, teal-colored glow radiating off of their white-spotted skins.
Diana wasn’t sure what to make of them. Were they naturally occurring flora? Or were they growing as a result of the magic energy flowing within the caves’ walls? If so, she wondered what sort of results collecting a sample would wield?
Her curious nature got the better of her, and Diana found herself stepping forward to inspect the fungi closer. But as she did, something soft crunched beneath her paw. Furrowing her brows, she lifted it, only to see a flattened mushroom pressed into the ground.
That was when it happened.
A burst of teal spores sprayed from the crushed fungus into the air. Diana didn’t even have the chance to react as the spores blanketed around her—tips of white fur coated in a jade dust. She yelped in alarm, jumping back as the spores that were left behind settled onto the ground below.
She attempted to shake the spores from her fur, but as her throat clenched into a knot, Diana knew she wasn’t fast enough. Her airways burned and she heaved a violent cough. Once the coughing started, she couldn’t keep it from stopping. Again and again she wheezed out labored breaths, feeling as if she had swallowed sand.
For once in her life, Diana was unable to think. The only thought that crossed her mind was getting herself to breathe. Her head throbbed as her eyesight blurred in and out of focus. She stumbled over her own paws and her jaw made hard contact with the bedrock below.
She winced in pain, attempting to lift herself from the ground, but her legs held her down like an anchor. Soon enough, her whole body was washed over with an overwhelming heaviness, as though it was being crushed into the earth itself.
Before she knew it, her vision had faded to black.
“Diana!? Diana!!”
The muffled voice pushed its way through the violent ringing in Diana’s ears. She slowly forced her eyes open, seeing a round silhouette take shape against the glowing walls. As her vision came into focus, the circular ears and orange fur in front of her struck Diana as being familiar.
“Akko…?”
“Diana!” Akko beamed from ear to ear. “You’re awake! Are you okay!?” she asked, her tone quickly shifting to something more apologetic. “I’m so sorry! I thought you were right behind me and—! What happened to you!?”
That was the question of the hour, wasn’t it? The ringing in Diana’s ears began to fade as she lifted her throbbing head off of the ground. With her vision finally in full focus, her gaze shifted onto the glowing walls behind her.
Right, the mushrooms—she had breathed in their spores, hadn’t she? The memory seeped its way back into the crevasses of her mind and she immediately fought back the urge to cough. How long had she been out? Seconds? Minutes? Longer? She almost didn’t want to know the answer.
“It was…” she winced, forcing herself to stand back up, “those mushrooms.”
“What?” Akko blinked. “Those are mushrooms?” She scurried over to inspect them. “They don’t look like anything Sucy’s ever brought home…”
Diana inhaled sharply, pressing a paw atop Akko’s tail to stop her. “Stay away from them,” she warned, causing Akko to squeak out in alarm. “I’m not sure what happened but they… released spores when I touched one.” She lifted her paw, freeing Akko from her grip. “That was when I…”
Admitting that she had passed out in the depths of an unfamiliar cave was easier said than done. Diana bit her tongue, allowing her unfinished sentence to hang in the empty space between them.
Fortunately, Akko took the hint and pressed on with, “And… how are you feeling now?” she asked, frowning. “It sounds pretty serious if it had an effect like that on you.”
How was she feeling…?
That gave Diana pause.
Prior to falling unconscious she felt as though she was being suffocated. She was so dizzy that she couldn’t stand up right. Even after waking up her body ached as though it had been run over by a minotaur.
What she had failed to notice was that, within moments of waking, the pain had faded. Her lungs were as clear as if she had never inhaled the spores at all. Yes, there were minor aches and pains, but beyond that there was… nothing.
“I… feel unexpectedly well, actually,” Diana mused, glancing down at herself. “A little sore, perhaps… but I think I’m all right.”
“Are you sure?” Akko questioned, her expression stitched with worry. “I mean, passing out is sort of a big deal. Maybe we should get you back to Luna Nova just in case.”
“I suppose that isn’t the worst idea…” Diana conceded. That was when her memory jogged and an important piece of information came back to her: The reason that they were in this situation to begin with. “The Adamantinium. Did you find it?”
Akko flinched and gritted her teeth. “Y-yeah, about that…” she managed, folding her ears back. “That scent trail led me to a big pile of nothing.” She scrunched in on herself. “I couldn’t find it anywhere.”
Perfect—it had all been for naught, then. Diana was sure that she and Akko would have been able to find it had they not been separated. However, she was too exhausted and too worried about what she may have inhaled to bother with scolding Akko right then.
“I see…” Diana sighed, and Akko perked up at the possibility of not being reprimanded. “Then we’ll need to make due with what we collected today instead. It should be sufficient enough to—!”
“C’mon, Diana!” Akko groaned in disbelief. “You just got sprayed by some freaky mushroom and you’re honestly worried about school right now!? Focus on yourself!”
A nagging voice in the back of Diana’s mind told her Akko was right. She heaved a tired breath. “I’ll do that once we get back to Luna Nova,” she resigned. “For now, let’s move away from here.”
Akko seemed satisfied with that answer and turned her back on the walls of fungi.
Diana didn’t.
Her eyes lingered on the mushrooms illuminating the space behind them for a moment longer. Something didn’t sit right with her. How could it be that there were no after-effects from inhaling those spores? Especially when she had such a violent reaction originally?
By all matters of speaking, she was fine. Her breathing was back to normal, and the aches and pains had mostly faded. There was nothing noteworthy that stuck out as feeling especially wrong… But, at the same time, there was still something lingering that didn’t feel quite right. She was unable to put it into words, but there was a dreadful sensation creeping within her that she wasn’t able to shake.
Diana couldn’t remember the last time she was so relieved to see daylight or to smell fresh air. While the trek back to the outside world wasn’t especially long, it definitely felt that way. Fortunately, whether it was out of concern for Diana or guilt over having run off earlier, Akko stayed at a much steadier pace on their way out.
With the cave opening, Adamantinium, and luminous mushrooms behind them, Akko seized the opportunity to revert back to her human form. She stretched her arms to the sky as a content grunt escaped her throat. “Well, that was an adventure,” she yawned. “It’s not even noon yet and I’m exhausted.”
Now, that was a sentiment Diana vehemently agreed with. Her outings with Akko always found a way of exhausting her, but that morning in particular had been something else entirely. Stretching her legs and shaking her fur after squeezing her way through the last of the cracks in the wall, Diana decided she had done enough scurrying around on all fours for one day.
Closing her eyes, she focused her energy on reversing the spell. But upon opening them back up, she froze. She was still just as small, fluffy, and weasel-like as she had been a minute ago.
The spell didn’t work.
Why hadn’t the spell worked?
Clicking her tongue, Diana attempted to focus once more. She envisioned her human form in her mind, clear as day. She could feel the magic coursing through her, but when it came time for the spell’s release something was… wrong. It was almost as if it was being blocked from its exit—repeatedly ramming itself into an invisible wall that refused to budge.
What was happening?
“Diana? Is everything okay?”
Akko was staring down at her, perplexed. Diana growled in frustration, turning her head away from the girl who was currently towering over her. The situation was more embarrassing than she cared to admit. She gave the transformation another shot, but once again the magic that swelled inside of her died down before it could release.
“I…” Diana started, growing more frustrated, “can’t seem to change back.”
“Wait,” Akko gaped, crouching down. “Are you serious?”
“Of course I am,” Diana snipped. “I’m not sure what’s wrong. I…” She gritted her teeth as Akko’s concern grew. “I’m focusing all of my energy properly. So I’m not sure why I can’t—!”
A thought came to her: If she couldn’t break the spell herself, then perhaps she could have someone else try doing so for her. She snapped her eyes up to look at Akko. “Akko. I want you to use metamorphosis magic on me.”
Akko’s face dropped as she reeled back. “What!?”
“If I can’t release the spell myself, then having someone else do it for me is at least worth a try,” Diana pressed, averting her eyes as the shame sunk in. “I’m not sure why I can’t do it, but I would much rather not be in this form any longer than necessary.”
Akko’s mouth opened to speak, but then closed again. She pursed her lips, lulling her head from side to side in consideration. Finally, she rose to her feet. “Well… Okay,” she agreed hesitantly, taking a step back and pulling out her wand.
Diana watched on as Akko looked her up and down, gripping at the handle nervously. “Is everything all right?”
Akko shifted in place, scratching at the back of her neck. “It’s just…. Are you sure you can trust me with this?” she asked, chewing her lip. “I mean, what if I mess up and make it worse?”
A sigh escaped Diana’s nostrils. Honestly, the last thing she needed in that moment was for Akko to have a sudden lack of confidence. Giving a curt nod, she assured, “I know I can trust you, Akko.”
But Akko still hesitated. She lifted her wand, as if to cast the spell, then lowered it to her side once more. Whining quietly, she rolled the handle in her hand and squirmed in discomfort. Diana groaned inwardly. She supposed that if positive reinforcement wasn’t going to work, then there was one other way that was guaranteed to get a reaction out of her.
“Well, if you’re unable to do it, then I won’t force you,” Diana hummed, sitting down and turning her nose up. “I simply thought you said you had ‘perfected’ metamorphosis magic.” When she let out a long sigh of disappointment, Akko perked up. “Or are you that uncertain of your own abilities?”
Hearing that appeared to be the confidence boost that Akko needed. Her cheeks burned with heat as she gritted her teeth into an angry scowl. “Of course not!” she rebutted venomously with a stomp of her foot. “I’ll show you the greatest metamorphosis spell you’ve ever seen!”
Diana did everything in her power not to smirk as Akko stretched out her arm, rolling up her sleeves. “Just you watch!” She tightened her grip on the wand, jutting it forward. “Metamorphie Faciesse!”
A burst of green energy erupted from the tip of Akko’s wand. Diana braced herself for the hit as the light came hurtling toward her. To Akko’s credit, the spell had been casted perfectly—her form was good, her pronunciation was flawless, and the spell’s energy was totally in-tact.
But what Diana hadn’t been prepared for was what happened next.
It was akin to watching a bullet hit steel. As soon as the spell made contact with Diana, it ricocheted off of her and bounced back in Akko’s direction. Diana gasped in alarm, but fortunately, Akko’s reflexes were sharp. She dodge out of the way with a surprised yelp as the spell narrowly avoided the side of her head and crashed into the rock wall behind her.
Diana starred in stunned silence at the cloud of dirt that rose off of the wall. Akko had been the one to cast the spell this time around, and yet she still remained a weasel. But what had been stranger was the fact that the spell hadn’t even tried to take effect on her—it had been totally repelled.
Akko’s prior confidence washed away as her face melted into a frown. “See!? I told you I’d mess it up!”
“No, I…” Diana struggled, trying desperately to put the pieces together. “That wasn’t you. It was a rebound.”
“A rebound?”
“Yes. Did you notice the way your spell bounced off of me?” Diana knitted her brows, placing a paw to her mouth. “Something isn’t right.”
Why wasn’t their magic working? No. Akko’s metamorphosis spell fired off just fine. It wasn’t until it had reached Diana that things went south. So, perhaps the proper question should have been: why wasn’t Diana’s magic working? And why was it repelling Akko’s?
A long silence hung between them. A sinking feeling settled in Diana’s core as a horrifying realization fell upon her. Akko seemed to be thinking the same thing, her face falling as she hesitantly asked, “Do... you think it was those mushrooms?”
“I believe…” Diana’s mouth dried, “that is a very strong possibility, yes.”
Her thoughts raced in a panic. What type of mushroom could have an impact like this? How hadn’t she heard of such a thing until now? Could it have been a curse? Or a hex? She felt fine… Well, mostly fine if one wasn’t considering the whole weasel thing. But if she couldn’t use magic or have magic used on her then how was she supposed to reverse this?
Before Diana could get too deep into her own thoughts, Akko let out a frustrated whine and collapsed to her knees. “What do we do, Diana!?” she lamented dramatically, pulling down on the rim of her hat. “You’re not gonna be stuck like this forever, are you!?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Diana barked. “I’m sure this is easily reversible; we just need to figure out how.”
But Akko ignored her, pressing on in a panic with, “This is all my fault, isn’t it!? If I hadn’t run off then you wouldn’t have found those mushrooms! I mean,” she reached down, lifting Diana off the floor and into the air, “look at you!”
Diana squeaked at being picked up so suddenly, her fur bristling in embarrassment as she was hoisted up to Akko’s eye-level. “I-I,” she stammered, trying to squirm out of Akko’s grasp, “I am very well aware of my current circumstances, thank you very much!” She huffed in annoyance as her legs dangled uselessly beneath her. “Now please, calm down. This isn’t your fault. It’s mine.”
Akko blinked in surprise at the response, settling down as Diana avoided meeting her stare. “I wasn’t careful enough around unfamiliar flora. I allowed my curiosity to get the better of me and…” she trailed off, taking a deep breath. “Regardless—don’t fret yourself with self-blame. Let’s focus on finding a solution instead.”
Akko’s frown deepened and she nodded in understanding as she carefully placed Diana back onto the ground. She bit her lip, pressing a fist to her mouth. “Well, what should we do, then?”
“I’m not sure,” Diana reluctantly admitted. “I’m fairly certain that this is a result of the spores, so I suppose we should start there. If we can identify those mushrooms, then we can figure out a cure.”
“Maybe we can ask a teacher what to do! They probably know more about this kind of thing than us,” Akko eagerly suggested. “I bet Professor Ursula would be more than willing to help you out!”
Diana’s heart stilled.
That was a thought she hadn’t considered: Tell a teacher about her little slip-up? It was already bad enough that Akko knew about Diana’s current predicament—but knowing that a professor, especially one who was once her childhood idol, could find out about it was somehow so much worse.
For that moment and that moment alone, Diana was glad she wasn’t a human, because she was sure that if she was then her cheeks would burn more shades of red than she could feasibly count.
“I…” Diana hesitated, “would prefer if we considered other options first.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?” Akko gawked. “You’re a weasel, Diana!”
“Exactly,” Diana stressed, turning her head away. “The last thing I want is for anyone on staff to see me like this.”
“...Wait.” Akko narrowed her eyes, leaning in. “Are you seriously worried about your reputation right now?”
Diana’s fur bristled at the accusation. “I-I am simply suggesting that if we are able to find a solution ourselves then we should do so without troubling the professors.”
Akko smirked deviously. “Or I could march right into Professor Finnelan’s office and tell her that her prized student is stuck as a ferret.” She put a hand to her mouth, snickering to herself. “The look on her face would be priceless!”
Diana glared. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“I won’t, I won’t,” Akko assured. “Just let me entertain the thought. Jeez.” She crossed her arms. “But seriously... Are you sure you don’t want to tell someone about this…? I mean, what if this is serious?” She gasped, perking up. “Or what if we asked Sucy to help? She’s not a teacher!”
“Absolutely not,” Diana snapped without a hint of hesitation.
“But she’s, like, the mushroom queen!” Akko argued. “I’m only saying she’s an option. She knows way more about mushrooms than you or I combined.”
“I would much rather us at least give an honest attempt at trying to figure this out on our own first,” Diana pressed. “Please, Akko. I want to keep this matter as private as we can.”
Akko deflated, considering her words. She finally let out a resigned sigh. “Okay, fine…” she conceded, turning her nose up. “But if things start to get weird I’m telling the teachers.”
“Yes, well…” Diana cleared her throat, “we’ll cross that bridge if we come to it.” She approached Akko, climbing up onto her shoulder. “For now, let’s head back to Luna Nova. I’m sure that the library will have the answers we seek, and then we can be done with this mess.”
“And if it doesn’t?” Akko challenged
“Then we will cross that bridge if we come to it,” Diana repeated, her tone sharper as annoyance trickled along its edges.
With a roll of her eyes, Akko forfeited the argument. She quickly gathered up the last of their things that were scattered about the cave’s entrance. Once everything was collected, she turned on her heel and marched in the direction of the school.
There was a small sense of shame that sat in Diana’s core at needing to hitch a ride on Akko’s shoulder on the way back to Luna Nova. But she supposed that the sooner they found a solution, the sooner she wouldn’t need to partake in embarrassing situations like this any longer.
She had no reason to worry. Everything was going to go swimmingly, and she would be back to herself before lunch.
...Wouldn’t she?
…