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The beginning of the school year: It was a very mixed emotional time for one Atsuko “Akko” Kagari. But for the most part she was practically vibrating with excitement at seeing her friends, favorite teachers, & working towards continuing to study her absolute favorite subject in school: Psychology. Oh, and she would get private tutoring time with Professor Ursula this year! Being a top student in the class (well, basically a somewhat-above-average student in the only subject she seemed to pass every year), she had elected for extra hours this year as a senior. She couldn’t wait!
Dashing down the main walkway that ultimately lead to the elegant steps up to Luna Nova Academy, she spotted her best friends Lotte & Sucy mingling on the right under a large willow tree. Lotte seemed to have a distressed look on her face, looking on as Sucy held something in a large vial. Akko sighed somewhat…Typical Sucy with her horrid experiments kicking off another year.
“Lotte! Sucy! Hiiii!” Akko belted as she ran up to them. Lotte turned with a soft but warm smile as she greeted her long-time, overly-exuberant friend. “Akko, hi. How was your summer?”
“Great! But I missed you guys!! Being back in Osaka to visit with Okaasan & Otousan was great for a while..but then they got all weird towards the end, acting like empty-nesters & taking me out for treats too much & never leaving me alone. Like, I love them, but happy to be back here with Oba in England…And you guys! And we have a whole new year!”
After her initial wave of hello, Sucy mainly ignored Akko’s chattering away as she pulled a small syringe filled with a viscous, foul-smelling clear liquid & squirted it into the erlenmeyer flask she held. The subject in the vial, some small white, clayish stone, turned green temporarily & then produced a large billowing puff of acrid smoke.
“ACGHK!!” Akko shrieked & coughed. “Sucy!! What did you do?!” Lotte followed Akko’s hacking, fanning away the smoke quickly from herself & the others. Sucy cackled, her predictions on mixing the acid with the rare earth element correct. She herself seemed unperturbed by the fumes at all.
“I’m investigating the properties of this mineral I found on a dig; Apparently it reacts violently with the glacial hydrochloric acid I procured, indicating its basic nature as I predicted,”. Akko, eyes still watering, took on an exasperated expression at her friend’s chemistry antics, while Lotte looking uneasy waved her new textbook around frantically trying to avoid possible attention (& dizziness) the lingering smoke could cause.
“Where in the heck did you get that acid from??” Akko demanded, but 2 seconds later a booming voice & an arm wrapped around Akko’s neck in a tight squeeze answered her question.
“‘Suppp Bitches!” Amanda greeted loudly slowly choking Akko around in her hold. Constanze, accompanied by her ever-present Stanbot (her senior project, although she already was top of the class at robotics; Amanda jokingly tried to ‘set-it-up’ romantically with her Roomba), & Jasminka with her ever-present bag of chips, followed while greeting all of the gang warmly with wishes they had a good summer.
“Mppphhh…Amanda…Getoffme..” Akko was turning a little purple while struggling to remove the American’s vice-like hold. Amanda released her grip on a once-again gasping Akko. “Jeeze, Kagari, haven’t seen you in ages, just tryna kick off our senior year on a good note, don’t get so affectionate with me!” She threw a peace sign to Lotte who in turn smiled at the ridiculous girl & shared how she missed her, & acknowledged Sucy: “Glad you put that stuff to good use, whatever it is. Wasn’t easy to sneak it out of the chemical supply closet,”
Sucy cackled again, giving a very-rare dap to the Red-head. “Guess I owe you one, or whatever, O’Neill,”.
“Ahh, don’t mention it, I think that shit is better in the hands of someone who knows their shit rather than that quack chem-prof Lukic..”
“…I’d Hardly call Professor, and Doctor, Lukic a ‘quack’, Miss O’Neill,” said an icy cold voice behind the small throng. The voice brought Akko out of her semi-stupor from being gassed & lack of air. Oh No…God, seriously, already???
The six turned to face none other than their senior class president (and, captain of the cricket team, and, swim team, and mock trial, and the emerging leaders’ club, and teaching assistant for a dozen classes, and…that may be it…Akko couldn’t remember the rest..). Flanked on either side of her were the ever-present Hannah & Barbara (senior class treasurer & secretary, respectively, and possible parasites that symbiotically coexisted with Madame president).
Diana Cavendish surveyed the group with disdain, but ultimately her eyes fell on Akko. She looked down in a somewhat sneer, “Toying around with school-property is a crime, especially doing so on school grounds, and on the first day of term..Well, what a start to another record-breaking year of debauchery,”. She sniffed pedantically, Hannah & Barbara giggling automatically. Akko, as well as several others in their group, flushed with annoyance - what right did she have to tell them off like a teacher! She was always around getting on their case!
“Why don’t you step-off! We just got back, we’re not in class yet, stop being so dramatic!” Akko stood & shouted back to Diana, whose gaze was still for whatever reason held on Akko, even if Sucy was the actual source of the mishap.
“Yeah, fuck right off Cavendish!” Amanda growled. Behind her Lotte & Jasminka winced at her vulgarity, knowing Diana had more than one professor’s ear, & moreso, their power at her will if she snapped her fingers.
“Juvenile, O’Neill,” Diana released her stare from Akko & turned. “At least this institution will be free of your delinquency the following year. If you manage to escape expulsion somehow…You’ll graduate to land yourself in the finest accommodations the public penal system has,”
Amanda flushed angry red & looked about to retort before Akko marched over & got right in Diana’s face.
“What is your issue?! We were minding our own business, and you appear out of nowhere! Why don’t you guys like…Like…Take a short hike off a long bridge or something!” Lotte again winced behind her, a bit embarrassed by her friend’s misuse of the common saying.
Diana’s face flashed (for a split second) in surprised & lost her words as Akko had come right up to her, barely inches from her own face, while unleashing her diatribe. Collecting herself quickly, she leaned slightly away & scoffed: “Luckily, term does not start officially until the first bell signaling classes has rung…So I won’t risk my attendance on this ridiculousness any longer…Adieu..” She spoke to Akko & the others, and with an exaggerated flip of her long blonde hair, she turned & sauntered off towards the entrance. Hannah & Barbara followed, not before Hannah shot an annoyed glance at Amanda, who even still flustered managed to shoot back at her a smirk & an obvious wink.
Akko stood with her fists clenched. “WHAT is her PROBLEM? She is always such a jerk! Like she looks for us to get us in trouble!” Constanze gave a thumbs down; Jasminka & Sucy just gave a shrug, like an ‘ignore it’ gesture; Lotte looked semi-concerned but tried to smooth it over (she was class Vice-President, she worked with the other girls a lot, or..had to..); Amanda still stood semi-fuming watching their retreating figures. “Who cares,” the red-head spewed. “She’s Di-Ahn-Uh CaHH-Ven-dIIsh,” emphasizing the syllables in a mockingly formal tone, “She doesn’t need a reason..”.
When the first bell to call them to class suddenly rang this signaled the end of the moment. Begrudgingly, the girls gathered their bags and headed up the school steps, Akko still lost in mild anger about their school year kick-off interactions. She didn’t hear Lotte call out ‘Watch out Akko!’ as she walked face-first into the doorframe while distractedly still thinking. Many students around her giggled. A few guys behind her shouted ‘Nice!’ while laughing their heads off.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
The first few classes passed by without much excitement. It was the, ‘Syllabus’ week of the semester, Akko reminded herself, so she even got away with snoozing through most of Lukic’s advanced chemistry class without being punished. A few snickering guys did try to look up her shorter (shorter-than-regulation, somehow) skirt when she was dozing, until Sucy sprayed them all with some sulfur-based chemical that almost emptied the classroom. It sometimes was handy to have friends with deadly chemical knowledge she lamented, despite too often in the past on the receiving end of their effects inadvertently.
Psychology may have been Akko’s favorite subject, but LUNCH had to be the second. Eating was a competitive sport for some people; If the psych career never panned-out, Akko felt that was what she was destined for.
Almost lunch period & close to her psych class, Akko was jubilated. With her next class a walk to the other side of Luna Nova, she popped her ear buds in.
‘Haangin round, downtown by myself, and I’ve had too much caffeine…’
Akko lip-belted silently to herself, oblivious to her surroundings as she did a not-so-refined shuffle to her next class down the hall. Quite a few heads turned & giggled, most knowing her & ignoring her immediately due to ‘Akko being Akko,’. Andrew Hanbridge turner after being poked by his best friend Frank, and saw the clumsy but somehow still-slightly graceful brunette pirouette down the crowded school hall to her music, forcing many moving students to their sides. He had to smile at his friend; Akko had character and was not afraid to put it on full display…
“…I Smell Sexxx and Caaan-daaay-“ BAM! Akko flat-faced into..oh, you have got to be kidding…. none other than stick-up-her-ass, always telling her off, Diana Cavendish.
Diana was flat on her backside as was Akko, but she seemed to be a bit stunned, as she hadn’t yet looked down to acknowledge nor collect her large pile of books she dropped due to their interaction from in front of her. Instead she gaped at Akko for a second, perhaps so taken aback, but she just looked at a loss for words, so uncharacteristic. Their clash almost placed her right in Akko’s lap…Akko was about to stutter out a half-hearted apology, until Diana seemed to collect herself five seconds later and stood up dusting off her perfect uniform.
“Miss Kagari…”
“Akko,” growled the recipient readdressing her own self. If she was going to insult her, do it right.
“..Very well..Akko,”, Diana sneered, “The way you treat your grades and carry yourself are beyond anyones control but your own…But if you could so kindly refrain from assaulting other students with your remarkable clumsiness and unawareness of your surroundings, that would be especially appreciable,” she finished with a flick over her shoulder of the long, blonde hair.
Akko was fired up. Who was she, always telling her off?! “First of all, I have LOTS of professors who I’m their fave student!” Thinking of the one Possible one in her head but refusing to let that stop her,.. “Second! I’m a focused force to be reckoned with, you bet!” She flexed her bicep & took a step forward as Diana looked on [seemingly, or trying hard to look] unimpressed.
“And third, Marcy Playground is a classic…-Tho not like you’d enjoy EITHER sex or candy, you’re too bitter and probably will never enjoy havin either in your perfect, prissy life!” Akko glared at her. Several students of the seemingly hundreds watching ‘Oooohed,’ at that hard ‘burn’.
Diana flushed dark at that statement. She…She-The nerve of that girl!
As Diana was about to retort hard, she felt two identical grips on her perfect blouse’s shoulders…Han and Barb pulling her away. Equally, Lotte & Sucy turned up to grip Akko’s arms before she marched anymore towards Diana in a fury. The two girls exchanged one last loathing glare at each other.
“Man, they need to seriously fuck & get it over with,” Frank commented as Andrew rolled his eyes but agreed silently in his head. The tension was killing them all.
____________________________________________________________________________
Lunchtime was normally a short reprieve for Diana from her tedious life. She tried to temporarily discard the constant need to be perfect, of having to reply automatically with the correct answer, or aid someone in their homework, or somewhat unwillingly let them copy her own work. Yet her attention that day at the midday meal was directed to another stressful matter, well if she had to be honest, made her quite distracted.
It started innocently enough: Andrew Hanbridge walked his way over to Akko’s table, greeting them all with a charming smile, with Akko jumping up & hugging him close to his shoulders (Akko had grown quite a bit since their first greeting, she almost leveled him….Well, she at least met him almost at his chin…) She chatted animatedly with him, a look of sheer excitement pinned to her face.
Diana turned her head away…No need to be bothered by the inferior conversing around her, she convinced herself, now completely unfocused on Barbara & Hannah & the myriad of desperate girls who popped up hoping to get closer to Diana herself to have some association possibly with the heiress. Of course the usual guys who sought Diana’s admiration eventually sauntered around, but she ignored them completely with honest disinterest as she always did, & they then honed in on Hannah & Barbara as well as others. Diana saw a small flick of a head & red hair from a nearby table as Hannah giggled loudly (almost showingly) but it was gone as fast as it appeared.
Despite politely turning down the mouth-breather fellow senior in front of her who couldn’t initially seem to see her absolute ignoring him as any sort of hint, Diana tuned out his droning, braggart voice to have her attention once again caught at a familiar table across the cafeteria: Louis Blackwell leaning in on Akko. Louis was a friend of Andrew’s, no doubt how he slithered over there in the first place….
Akko was considered a flunk & almost toxic in their first year of Academy…But after having proved herself, bringing her marks up, getting a few of the (hell, MANY guys like Andrew) to take more than minor notice of her, she really grew into herself by their senior year. She was actually somewhat of a leader in their senior class, Diana hated to admit (as Diana herself held the reserved title of THE leader).. Yet, unfortunately with this recognition, the brunette seemed to already attract also the prowlers & slimeballs like Louis Blackwell…
Lounging all lackadaisical in the empty chair at Akko, Sucy, & Lotte’s typical lunch table, Louis twirled his fingers in the air, seeming to be speaking of some sort of show for something to the girls. Diana felt relieved (well only because he was such a fool, & glad others saw!) as Akko looked ultimately unimpressed, then tried conversing back with Andrew in a friendly way. Louis seemed indignant, and leaned his way back into Akko specifically.
It took everything in Diana’s being to not burst up to put a stop to the so-inappropriate situation practically right in front of her (yet, somehow across the cafeteria). Hannah & Barbara rolled their eyes too knowingly.
So what if Louis was making a pass at Akko?! Akko was attractive, and if Andrew was not making one yet…Wait, why was Andrew right there?? Was this foul-play? Something more (or, whatever) motivated Diana to stand up and march over much to Hannah & Barbara’s verbal protests.
“…Like some time on a quality yacht?” Louis was drawling, his face close to Akko’s disgusted one as Diana neared. Andrew looked torn between interrupting & indifference. Diana huffed. She placed her immaculately-manicured hand on Louis’ shoulder.
“Excuse me,” she said softly but assertively, “I don’t believe Akko is interested in your most-recent, pervy-scheme of seduction at the detriment to your family’s wealth, Louis,”. A determined stare down & profound flip of her long, blonde hair sealed the statement, while a lot of students started to whisper & stare. Andrew felt indecisive. Akko looked up as shocked as can be…Uh, Diana is here?…
“Running around butting into everyone’s business as usual, eh Cavendish? You couldn’t get a date if you paid for one, everyone knows your prude-ass isn’t worth the cost of the dinner. Get lost and go associate with your only friends, the faculty,” Louis sneered back as he began to turn on his heel.
“Hey, that’s not true!” A new, smaller hand jumped to grab Louis’ arm. Diana turned. A-Akko?
“You’re the sleaze who has to promise expensive dinners to get girls to go even near you! Psh, I wouldn’t touch you with a ten-foot pole! You or your stupid yacht, which is probably more like a dinghy, nowhere near as long as you think…”
Everyone looking on started laughing at Akko’s remark & insinuation. Louis now looked murderous, Diana somewhat nonplussed but holding her composure. Not everyone else was amused, apparently…
“Kagari!! Blackwell!! Cavendish!!”
“Kagari! Blackwell! Cavendish!” Professor Finnelan’s booming, screechy voice echoed across the hall. “Stop it right now! You are ruining the essence of this fine institution with your fighting! And coming from Seniors!” A vein pulsed in Finnelan’s head near the temple…Wow, Akko thought, usually that didn’t show up until Akko was rattling off her third excuse of the week why she couldn’t hand in her homework….
Finnelan marched right up to them: “Blackwell! See me after your last class, you’ll be restocking the chemical supply closet for Prof Lukic,” Louis, coward as always, winced & shuddered, thinking of their creepy chemistry professor…
“Lucky…” Sucy mumbled under her breath to no one.
“Kagari…Cavendish,” Akko faltered & was ready to accept the detention she got dished on the regular…Diana, however, completely paled and look mortified, as if this possibly couldn’t be happening to her…She almost looked over her shoulder for the ‘other’, delinquent “Diana Cavendish” that Professor Finnelan HAD to be referring to….
“You will both be resorting the discarded books in the library this afternoon,” she looked down her crooked nose at them. “Report after your last class of the day,”. Akko sighed but was almost amused at the almost-shaking Diana next to her. If she was truthful she felt a smile creep onto her face. Heehee, little Miss Perfect, how bout a taste of your own medicine?…
_____________________________________________________________________________________
“You stay with your pile and I will stay with mine,” the blonde demanded, gesturing separately to the two enormous stacks of lazily discarded books on opposite sides of the vast library. Diana turned around with a huff after giving the order that wasn’t asked for, with Akko staring after & sticking her tongue out in her own version of retribution when Diana’s back was turned. It was after the last class: They had both reported as requested to the library, where Professor Finnelan relegated them to the task of putting the used books away until it was tidy again.
’Who the hell reads this much anymore anyway?!’ Akko thought grumpily, wondering why everyone didn’t just use Wikipedia for everything like she did. She was struck by the thought that the person she was stuck with for the seemingly endless evening ahead may be one of the culprits & she shot another angered glance over her shoulder to said person. ‘Stupid Diana, stupid Louis, stupid first day..”. What a start to a year…
Silence ensued for about an hour. It was driving Akko crazy- She was not a silent nor patient person, and this insipid task was taking years off her life, not being able to talk or run or do something other than mindless work. Diana’s jaw was clenched too, as though she was also suffering from the pure monotony & lack of some stimulating conversation or task, but she put up a front of carrying on anyway.
Akko began to stew over the possibilities of what led her here…All arrows pointing from her mind to the icy, tattletale, standoffish blonde about 50 ft away from her. Akko’s annoyance swelled until it distracted her enough from her task at hand to miss the landing place for the tome in her hand.
THUMP!!
The loud sound echoed through the mahogany shelved walls & startled both girls so. After collecting herself Diana shot her ever-annoyed look at Akko, & turned to resume her task. Akko again picked up her thought-thread of anger towards the blonde at what got them both here - Mind you, BOTH of them had a hand in it - in the first place. Diana would never admit that she had a cause in it or why, it all started today when Akko was talking to Andrew, then Louis…then…Andrew…
Classmates speculated for years whether (WHEN, more like it) Diana and Andrew would get together…Now students assumed Akko & Andrew were practically an item…
Ohh....Akko thought as all the pieces came together [seemingly] for her. Diana was just jealous of her friendship with Andrew. Enough to get them both thrown in detention the first day of term! Akko flared up again. This was, for once, not her fault. Diana had an issue with her friendship with Andrew, and she would admit it to her face!
THUMP!!
The giant tome hit the floor (intentionally this time) again.
Diana turned her quick attention & annoyance to tell Akko off (as usual), until she saw the shorter girl staring daggers at her.
“Pick that up, it is old literature & we have to resume our task til we’re-“
“I know why we’re here, and I know why you’re upset at me,” Akko spoke defiantly.
Diana composed her reaction to that & resumed her placidness. “Honestly, you couldn’t be more incorrigible if you tried..Finish your task and I’ll finish mine, then we can remove ourselves from this situation,”
“So you like him, you’re just jealous, that’s why you come after me?” Akko almost spat.
“Like- Like what? I don’t presume to know what the hell you’re referring to..”
“Ohhh, don’t give me that,” Akko laughed sardonically. She had had it with Cavendish, but believed she finally found her tell.
“You like Andrew, just admit it! This is the whole damn reason why we’re here!” Akko had had enough. She knew Diana was a very private person in regards to showing emotions and feelings but denying Akko’s assertion right to her face was too much…Besides, it explained a lot, about how Diana seemed to always focus her intensity at Akko [like it was her fault Andrew & her were friends], how she always seemed to interrupt their friendly interactions, how she had turned so red earlier in the cafeteria…
“YOU don’t know anything!” Diana shot back with a pointed finger. “You’re completely mad,”.
“I only am because you won’t admit it, won’t admit the reason you hate me so much!”
“I do not loathe you, I don’t - I don’t - This is absurd, I don’t see how you concluded this!..”
“You’re always on my case, always around to watch me & wait for me to mess up so you can saunter over to tell me off! What is your deal with me then?!”
Akko was fired up. She was too upset at first to notice Diana had started to flush, but as seconds passed in the silence where she waited for a response, she noticed the growing blush on the taller girl’s cheeks. In her anger Akko couldn’t process any of this initially, but as she then watched the normally quick-witted girl open her mouth to retort, then close it a few times, her anger transitioned to more impatience and confusion. What the hell, she couldn’t just spit it out already?
Diana, meanwhile, had reached a very deep crimson flush, staring down the Japanese girl in a mix of anger, frustration, and complete embarrassment at not being able nor willing to formulate her next words…The girl across from hers’ expression had changed to less angry & more expectant/curious. Diana swallowed, had she already revealed too much? She opened & closed her mouth but nothing came out.
Akko dropped most of her anger & slightly cocked her head still waiting. “Diana? What? Say something!”
She couldn’t hold it back longer. This was eating her from the inside out, and obviously had spilled over to the outside world, was shattering her appearance to others of her perfection as well as tarnishing her perfect academic record, possibly her sanity…She croaked out “..You,”…then quickly turned her head down staring at the floor wishing she could melt into it. If only she had magical abilities to do so…
Akko stared, now completely confused, not letting up til she got her admission she was right. “Excuse me? ‘You' what? You’re not throwing this on me, I don’t care, and I don’t even like books, they’re probably all here from all your stupid study sessions. Boy, when I at least thought you had the honor to admit it’s your fault to my face and why -“
“Stop, no,” Diana said out loud, still staring directly at the ground, “I-I- It’s…It’s you…Not Andrew…”. She willed herself to keep her feet planted and not bolt from the room like her talented brain urged her to…But the dam was busted, she had to get this out.
Again Akko cocked her head, confused as ever. “If you’re still trying to pin this on me -“ ‘Dense as ever, she’s making things harder,’ thought Diana, so she spoke louder. “No. You. You - y-you indicated I had romantic interest in Andrew, b-but no…It’s not him..It’s….” Her voice dropped down in volume as Akko practically had to lean in to hear the last, “..You.”
It was like staring at one of Professor Babcock’s long calculus equations on the board in class…Nothing was making sense. Diana hated her..Akko thought. She examined the girl in front of her, thinking hard, somewhat dumbstruck about what she THINK she just head. HER? As in Akko??…. She said “You”, right?? How is that possible? How does that make sense? But Akko finally noticed Diana’s current state, face completely down and absolutely red all over, not looking her in the eye, no semblance whatsoever of anger, ….What?
As cliche as ever, it hit her at once: Diana wasn’t jealous because she wanted Andrew’s attention…She wasn’t paying attention to Akko more to get her in trouble, or seemingly focusing her stares on her because she hated her…
WHAT.
Akko backed up til she hit a nearby table , then leaned against it as a necessity to keep her up. Three years, she figured this girl hated her, and now she was confessing feelings for her?? Was this the weirdest crush confession ever?? Diana hadn’t moved, looking like she was still willing to be one with the floorboards. ‘I should, uh, say something,’ as Akko’s gears turned finally overcoming the initial shock. The other girl looked so red & woeful that Akko felt something she never felt before for Diana Cavendish: sympathy. That was a new one. But Akko was never one to hold any grudges or bad-feelings; She got along with & could make friends with practically everyone with her good-nature. Diana may be prickly sometimes, and a huge bitch occasionally, and got Akko in detention more than once, but..She was clearly honest here and dead-embarrassed about it.
Akko slowly walked over, not sure what to expect (were Hannah & Barbara in some closet somewhere about to jump out laughing?), but up closer she could see Diana still looked dismayed and almost in a tailspin, mentally. Yet, she was still beautiful as always, her long wavy locks cascading across her face & shoulders hiding a significant amount of her flush. Akko didn’t think she had ever been this close to Diana before without already being castigated or facing down a sneer. Up-close, without her typical disdainful smirk or frown of disapproval, Diana was…Quite beautiful.
“H-hey,” Akko stammered, “Well, I guess, uh, um…Thanks for telling me?” She stretched one arm behind her head sheepishly & unsure what to do next or say. “I, um, uh, think you’re-you’re..not bad too…Like you know, now you’re not for once lecturing me or reporting me to Finnelan, or, um, not hating me in general,”. Finally, Diana raised her eyes.
“I- I didn’t detest you, ever Akko. Or plot to get you in trouble. I-I j-just, I don’t know…You drove me crazy at first, with the obnoxiousness and the unorthodox way you carried on your studies, and the charades and scheming with O’Neill….I found myself obsessing over setting you right…But..b-but then I found, I don’t know..Drawn to you?”
Akko still couldn’t believe she was hearing these words from Diana Cavendish. THE Diana. That only six hours ago she swore was her enemy/rival…Was she that oblivious to this??
Diana, now looking more burdened at how to continue, sunk to the floor. Akko hesitantly knelt next to her. The blonde girl was still silent, so unpredictable. Being quite touchy-feely herself, the brunette girl laid a hand on her shoulder. Diana jerked up, looked at the hand, & then at Akko slowly with wide eyes. Akko smiled back reassuringly; It was easier than coming up with what to say, so she just expressed some comfort physically…& slowly Diana’s face eased up. She almost had a small upward turn in her mouth that Akko noticed. Man, she was so much prettier when not telling people off…
Some new emotions hit Akko in those moments. While she realized she never had thought of Diana before in any capacity beyond just a day-ruiner, she remembered again the reasons why she seemed to always be around. And what the source was. And how she sort of was looking at Akko now. And how jealous she had become when Andrew talked to Akko…Her heart thumped a bit…And she was so close, well, closer than she had ever been before, and Akko just noticed the faint aroma of Diana’s perfume…
Bringing her other hand that wasn’t resting on a shoulder up, Akko placed it gently on Diana’s right cheek. If Diana was red before, this took it to a new level, because looking at Akko gazing back at her with her hand on her face brought back the heat. ‘Oh-Oh my god,’. Not really sure what she was doing but knowing the moment & her sudden feelings made it feel right, Akko leaned down to press her lips against Diana’s.
______________ A FEW HOURS LATER___________________________________________
“Fuck this, I’m getting myself a cone!”
“Amanda!” Lotte chastised. “We had promised we’d wait for Akko. It’s our senior year! Who knows where we all will be at this point next year!” They had been waiting for 20 minutes or so for Akko to show up to walk to their usual ice cream parlor place.
Lotte had a point. Sighing heavily (patience not her strong suit), Amanda leaned back against the wall of the upper hall facing the atrium to the cafeteria, hands stretched behind her head. Least this first day of term landed on a Thursday this year, but if Akko didn’t get here soon, she’d….she’d…Uhhhhh…WHAAA….
Amanda (along with every other member of the group) had to run over to lean on the marble bannister overlooking said atrium to actually look at what they were seeing, or thought they saw…
Diana and Akko, talking quietly, smiling, waking so close that their hands almost were brushing…until Diana seemed to notice & jerked away quick, glancing to both sides of them nervously finding no one staring…it wasn’t exactly unjustified paranoia…Wangari & her sneaky crew were suspect to be anywhere at all times…
“Hey,” Akko turned & took one of Diana’s hands in both of hers “Um, this is still weird, but, uh, wana hang out sometime..like, not in detention? I..I won’t sing vulgar lyrics, or bring my weird friends,..”. She broke into a huge smile seeing Diana actually smile herself, and emit a small but very audible, genuine chuckle.
“..I guess, I’d like that,” the taller girl responded. She felt the warmth of the brunette’s hands on her own almost warming up her cheeks again as she stammered into her face. ‘Diana, move! Do something!’
With no option else she could think of, she leaned down & quickly smooched Akko hard, causing the Japanese girl to drop her hands in sudden surprise. Almost as surprised herself, Diana drew back wide-eyed, waved a bit, reminded “Don’t run in the halls…tty soon…” and was gone.
Akko stood there for a bit. Did she just kiss Diana- Again - & now in the same hall she had almost gotten in a fist-fight with merely eight hours earlier?! She giggled and meandered in a fog over to the stairwell. Maybe Diana had a type of fetish (she laughed internally)..She’ll ask her when she…When… Uhhh…Oh. Shit.
Five pairs of inquiring eyes met her when she rounded the hall to the stone steps. Most had expectant, wide grins that Akko paled at.
“Hm, well, what a kick off for this year,”. Of course the redhead was the first to speak up. Akko couldn’t meet Amanda’s eyes as she smirked harder than anyone. “Details, babe, what’s Cavendish like in bed?”
“Amanda!” Lotte scolded yet all of them became silent ready to hang on Akko’s every word.
What a kickoff indeed.