Akko Kagari and the White Witch

Chapter One: Stan-Bot Delivery Service

Akko was never the most attentive student even before she went to Luna Nova. When summer holidays came around, she always put off her homework until the last minute so that she could go play with Hikari and the others on the beach, and this time was no different.

It was nearly midnight, and she was lying on her stomach in bed, blankets drawn over her head like a tent, a flashlight in one hand and her History of Magic book propped open against the pillow as she turned to chapter six (Witchcraft of the 14th Century). Akko moved the tip of her pen down the page, frowning as she looked for something that would help her essay assignment: "Choose a human or Demi-Human of note from the 14th Century and discuss how and why they were accomplished.

Akko had chosen to write her report on Chaika Gaz the Coffin Princess and one of the Nine Olde Witches. Her pen paused at the top of a likely-looking paragraph. Akko moved her flashlight a little closer to the book, and read:

The Coffin Princess Chaika was not one person, but a title carried
by numerous orphaned girls kidnapped and brainwashed by the
then Evil King, Arthur Gaz. The most famous among them was
Chaika Trabant, for her defeat of the Evil King and recognition
as a member of the Nine Olde Witches. Chaika Trabant was an
exceptional witch even among other Chaika for her skill with
high-precision magic and a general understanding of advance
combat technology. Chaika Tranbant was renowned for her
battlefield prowess and is widely regarded as the inventor of
modern military magic. During the Hundred Years War, Chaika
Tranbant was credited for building the defensive barriers that
surrounds Luna Nova Magical Academy alongside Grimoire
Master Zero. Her military magic has served as a foundation
for many war heroes including Mavis Vermillion –

Akko took the pen she had been unconsciously gnawing on and began to write, pausing every now and then to listen, listening for the sounds of her dad's heavy snoring down the hall, or the shuffling of her mom's feet when she got up to go to the bathroom. Blair's soft purrs were coming from her cat bed in the corner, so she was safe in that regard. She highly doubted that either women would be happy about her staying up past her bedtime, even if it was for homework.

Shuichi and Kaori Kagari loved Akko, even if they had a hard time understanding her. It wasn't from a lack of trying, but raising a Demi-Human who would end up on the roof after sneezing or accidentally turned the kitchen blue when she tried to use magic to wash the dishes made things a little difficult. For you see, Mr. and Mrs. Kagari were not Demi-humans. They had found Akko on their doorstep one morning thirteen years ago curled up with a purple cat and a green bauble. They had always wanted a child for their own, so they took Akko and raised her to be as normal as normal could be, even if she hung out with the most unusual crowd. It wasn't until she turned eleven that Akko found out the truth: she was a witch and her real mother was the famous Shiny Chariot whom she looked up to since she was a child. When Akko received her letter from Luna Nova Magical Academy, they were afraid Akko might be heading into trouble (and they weren't wrong), but they learned to accept it and told her they were so proud.

But being a witch and going to a school of magic didn't make her any better of a student. Quite the contrary, Akko Kagari was famous in Luna Nova as the worst student to ever set foot in the academy. She was always falling asleep in class, she could barely perform the simplest of spells, and she was getting in trouble every other day for something. Teachers feared the very sight of her walking into their classroom and had added protective barriers to the classrooms when Akko started blowing things up repeatedly. She had a particularly acidic relationship with Professor Finnelan, the Alchemy teacher, who would love nothing more than an excuse to expel Akko and be rid of her once and for all. Thank goodness Akko was proficient in the literary subjects like History of Magic and Magic Astrology or Professor Finnelan would certainly get her wish.

And yet, despite her numerous flaws, she was still chosen by the Claiomh Solais – AKA the Shiny Rod – the single most powerful magical artifact in the world. She couldn't understand why the Shiny Rod had bonded with her. She sucked when it came to magic. If anything, it would have been better off in the hands of her rival (and schoolgirl crush) Diana Cavendish. Unlike Akko, Diana was the best student in Luna Nova, even surpassing some of the teachers in skill and knowledge. But yet, the Shiny Rod chose her. Not that Akko was complaining, mind you; she was ecstatic. The previous wielder of the Shiny Rod had been Shiny Chariot and was Akko's best bet of finding out what happened to her parents. In the past two years, Akko had collected two of the Seven Stars of Arcturus and both times had been the result of a near-death experience. If the pattern repeated itself, it was likely she would find the third Star by the end of this year, though she kindly wishes she could avoid the near-death part….

Of course, she would have never made it this far without her friends helping her along the way. Lotte, Akko's best friend at Luna Nova, had always stood by her side even when everyone else had turned against her last year during the Purifier Plague. Her support was what really pushed her through that dark time. And then there was Sucy, her part-friend and part-nightmare; a morbid little witch who specialized in poisons and fantasized about mutilations. She regularly used Akko as a Guinea pig for her experiments, most of the time when she was asleep and unable to defend herself. And Akko could never forget Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka – the trio with a deserved reputation for being even bigger troublemakers than Akko, and they did it on purpose. With Amanda's thief skills combined with Constanze intelligence and Jasminka's strength, they were the most formidable group since Sly Cooper.

It had been a while since she had heard word from any of them, coming up to the third week without a message from anyone. Akko started to wonder if Marianna was tampering with her e-mails like last year. She was lucky enough to have her old school friends to distract her over the summer. Keeping up with Hikari, an overly active vampire, was tiring enough, but when you combined that with Shinobu's blonde obsession on top of having five blondes in her group of friends, it was a surefire recipe for disaster. They still had to work on weekends to pay for the damages at that one maid café….

Akko finished writing about Chaika Tranbant and paused to listen again. The silence in the dark house was broken only by the distant, grunting snores of her father. It must be very late, Akko thought. Her eyes were itching with tiredness. Perhaps she'd finish this essay tomorrow night….

She closed the cover on her History of Magic book, got out of bed, and put her essay, flashlight and textbook into her bedside drawer. Then she stood up, stretched, and checked the time on the luminous alarm clock on top of her dresser.

It was one o'clock in the morning. Akko's stomach gave a funny jolt. She had been thirteen years old, without realizing it, for a whole hour. It honestly felt strange to be here after thirteen years of her life. After everything that had happened in the past two years, Akko was amazed she had even lived to become a teenager. She didn't know if she was supposed to feel anything different now that she had passed adolescence – did Demi-humans go through magical puberty?

Akko walked across the dark room, past Blair's cat bed, to the open window. She leaned on the sill, the cool night air pleasant on her face after a long time under the blankets. As she allowed her mind to wander over the past couple years, one of Akko's bangs kept falling over her eyes, which was starting to get annoying every time she pushed it out of the way. She really should consider getting it cut, but then again, what's the point?

Akko, though still rather small and skinny for her age, had grown a few inches over the last year. Her long, brunette hair, however, was just as it always had been – stubbornly untidy, no matter what she did to it. Her eyes had as faint hint of redness to them, which she inherited from Chariot, and stretched across her back, running down from her neck to the base of her spine, were seven scars perfectly chiseled like four-pointed stars.

Of all the unusual things about Akko, these scars were perhaps the most extraordinary of all. Her parents had kept the truth about these scars for the first ten years of her life until the day she received her letter to Luna Nova and Blair explained everything. Akko was the Star-Born Child – a prophesied symbol whose birth would open the doors to the New Golden Age of Magic, releasing magic that had once been trapped in the Lay Lines so that Demi-humans could walk freely. It was also her unusual birth that led to the death of Aradia, the enigmatic dark witch that had terrorized the world without ever revealing her presence. To this day, many still believed that Aradia was still alive and many still feared to speak her name. Akko had never encountered Aradia herself, but she could hear the fear in everyone's voice when she was mentioned….

No one other than her friends know about Akko's secret and she prefers to keep it that way. She had seen how everyone flocked to Diana because of her family name and Akko had to give credit to her for not just blasting everyone when they started to get annoying. Every once in a while, Akko traced the scars on her back, contemplating their meaning. It didn't escape her notice that the positioning of the scars was exactly the same as those on the Shiny Rod. There had to be connection there somewhere, but she couldn't figure out what it could be.

She was gazing absently over the rooftops, mulling over the significance of her scars and the Shiny Rod, when she spotted something above.

Silhouetted against the blue moon, and growing larger every moment, was a swarm of large, strangely shaped creatures, and they were flying in Akko's direction. She stood quite still, watching them sink lower and lower. For a split second she hesitated, her hand on the window latch, wondering whether to slam it shut. But then the swarm soared over one of the street lamps, and Akko, realizing what they were, leapt aside.

Through the window buzzed what must have been half a dozen flying drones with tiny propellers keeping them aloft; Blair somehow managed to remain asleep despite the noise. They were each carrying large packages of various sizes. Akko recognized the drones at once – they were Constanze's Stan-bots, only it looked like she had figured out how to mass produce them. They dropped the packages on Akko's bed, made a quick beeping noise, and flew out of the room just as quickly as they came.

Akko stayed rooted in her spot for a moment, blinking absently at the strangeness of it all, before turning back to the small mountain of parcels that covered more than half her bed. At the top of the pile, on top of a thin, square package wrapped in black and gold paper, was a letter with the Luna Nova crest. Akko decided to set it aside for a moment, saving it for last, and picked up the next package, which was wrapped in mint-green paper covered in gear print. She ripped it open and discovered a square silver box. She knew right away what it was – it was a Stan-bot, although it was slightly smaller than than the ones that had come through her window; it only fit into the palm of her hand. None the less, Akko giggled and pressed the button, watching the tiny box transform into a miniature Stan-bot that looked up at her and waved. It's so cute, Akko thought.

She set the tiny Stan-bot on the nightstand and noticed that there was a piece of paper still in the wrapping. She pulled it out and realized that it was a newspaper clipping. Akko sat on her bed, smoothed it out over her lap, and read:

TEENAGE GERMAN GIRL RECEIVES ARACHNE GENIUS GRANT

Constanze Amalie von Braunschbank Albrechtsberger has won the annual
Arachne Genius Grant for her contributions to Magical Science. At the stunning
age of thirteen, Constanze (etc.) Albrechtsberger is the youngest member to
ever receive this prestigious award.

Many great scholars and inventors from all over the world were in attendance
for Constanze's acceptance award, including Magitronic inventor, Croix Meridies,
Head of the Magical Research and Development, Presea Testrossa, Superintendant
of Academy City, Aleister Crowley, World Leader in Alchemy Science, Edward Elric,
CEO of Capsule Corporation, Bulma Briefs, and famous White Wizard Noah

Constanze has yet to reveal what she plans on doing with the grant, but Professor
Croix Marides told our reporters, "Whatever she has planned, I'm certain it will be
world-changing. I am proud to teach such a bright young girl and I know Master
Noah will agree with me when he starts at Luna Nova this year".

Though she had been approached by the Magic Council, Miss Albrechtsberger
has decided that she will return to Luna Nova Magical Academy to finish her
education. She is currently in her third year.

Akko scanned the provided photograph and a grin spread across her face as she saw Constanze holding a trophy with a big smile and a Stan-bot at her hip surrounded by several men and women all kneeling to match Constanze's height. Constanze was incredibly tiny for her age, so much so that she barely came up to Akko's waist, and it didn't look like she had grown since the last time they met. The other people must have been the other scientists mentioned because kneeling directly to Constanze's left was Professor Croix, smiling proudly into the camera.

Akko was happy to see that Croix was doing well after everything that had happened last year. She had always been a good teacher to them and Constanze was so lucky to have a kind mentor like her just as Akko was lucky to have someone like Ursula on her side.

Akko couldn't think of anyone who deserved to win such an award than Constanze, who was always inventing new and creative techno-magic ever since Akko met her. It wouldn't surprise her if Constanze revolutionized the way magic worked in the future.

She set the clipping aside and unwrapped the next package, which had donut wrapping paper – this had to be Jasminka. Akko ripped off the paper and found a square box underneath. She opened the box and couldn't hold back a smile when she found a delicious-looking chocolate cake topped with strawberries with "Happy Birthday, Akko" written in red icing. Jasminka was a culinary master that always made the best sweets. To be able to get a cake from her was a rare privilege indeed.

There was a letter tucked between the folds of the box, but it didn't appear to be in Jasminka's handwriting. One look at the untidy scrawl on the front and Akko knew at once that it belonged to Amanda O'Neill. That figured, Akko thought. Amanda was the richest among her friends next to Diana, but she was too lazy and cheap to go out and get her own gift, so she piggybacked on Jasminka's. Akko rolled her at her delinquent friend's antics and unfolded the letter

Hey, Akko,

Happy Birthday!

You lived to see another year! I know, I'm shocked, too.

I'm actually over here in Moscow with my mom on a very important business meeting – something to do with the Magic Council or whatever –
And I ran into Jasminka at the Red Square. I asked my mom if I could spend the rest of the break here, so that's why I'm sending this letter with
the cake – I don't wanna hear any complaining about not getting a gift from you. You never got me a present last year.

It's actually pretty cool over here. Jas's family are amazing cooks, even better than Alphonse (please don't tell him I said that). I've been touring
around Moscow for a while and they have some pretty interesting stuff; not to mention a lot of valuables that I'm sure the president wouldn't
mind letting me "borrow".

By the way, did you see the newspaper about Constanze? I always believed in that tiny genius. You think she wouldn't mind sharing some of that
grant money with me, do you? I could use a little to buy myself a new broom since mom is still sour about me breaking the last one.

Akko remembered only too well the occasion when Amanda's old broom had snapped. It had happened when they flew all the way to Luna Nova from New York and ended up crashing into a giant Mandrake on the school grounds that Sucy affectionately named Gora-chan.

We're heading up to London to get our new books the week before school starts. Any chance of meeting you there? Try not to do something
stupid that'll get you expelled, like blowing up a relative. Then again, this is you we're talking about.

Amanda

Akko snorted and set aside the cake and letter, then reached around for her next present. The paper had a lot of wet marks and there was a horrible smell coming from it and – wait, is it gurgling? Akko held the package out at arm's length and noticed that a letter seemed to be stuck on the bottom. Akko carefully peeling it off and saw Sucy's name written in loopy writing. Akko had a very bad feeling about it, very familiar with what Sucy considers a present. She pried the paper open and read:

Happy Birthday, Akko. If you've made it this long, then you definitely have a strong immune system to resist all my poisons. Speaking of which, I'm sending you a new type of venom. I was hoping you could –

Akko didn't even finish reading – she chucked the letter and the package out the window. She was fairly certain she heard something that sounded like the pavement being melted.

She let out and exasperated sigh and turned to the rest of her presents, hoping they would be better. She opened a humble package wrapped in plain paper. Inside was a bronze bracelet that looked a little big to fit on Akko's wrist. A note fell out and Akko saw Lotte's name scribbled on the front.

Hello, Akko,

Happy birthday. I hope you're doing well.

I wanted to give you something since I couldn't get anything last year. This is called a Truth Bracelet. If anyone around you is lying, the bracelet
will vibrate. I thought you could use something like this after last year. Granny says that it wouldn't work well in school because students are
always lying about doing their homework, but I thought you might like it.

Have you thought about my offer about coming to visit? I know there isn't a whole lot of magic stuff in Espoo, but it'd be nice to have a friend
around to hang out with. I could show you my family's shop, too. Also, did you hear about Constanze. She's so amazing! Getting a prestigious
award like that.

Amanda says we're meeting up on the last day of holidays. Think you can make it? I hope you can.

Love from,

Lotte.

Akko put the Truth Bracelet on her bedside tables, where it remained perfectly still, reflecting the luminous numbers of her clock. She really wished she had this last year; it would have saved her a whole lot of trouble with Eveline. She looked at it happily for a few seconds, then picked up the next package.

Inside this, too, there was a present, a card, and a letter, this time from – Akko's heart jumped up to her throat – Diana.

Dear, Akko

I wish to extend a sincere happy birthday from myself, Hannah, and Barbara.

We are currently on holiday in France at the moment and I wasn't certain how I was going to send this to you – human mail can be so unreliable –
but then one of Miss Albrechtsberger's drones turned up. I think she wanted to make sure you got something for your birthday this year. I bought
your present on a recommendation from Barbara. She said it was a thank-you present for helping Hannah and I last year. And speaking of Miss
Albrechtsberger, I suppose you saw the news as well. Though I am not particularly keen towards magic-fueled technology, I cannot deny the
hard work she must have put in to earned such a prestigious award. Barbara is a little jealous, even if she won't admit it. I guess she was hoping
to be Professor Croix's favorite.

I hope you remembered to do your summer homework. I myself am learned many interesting local facts on magical history here. I've rewritten my
entire History of Magic essay to include some things that were not in the textbook. I hope it's not too long – it's six sheets more than Professor Lenz
asked for.

I received word that everyone will be in London in the last week of the holidays. Perhaps we shall meet there. Although, be warned, I know Andrew
will be in the city as well on official business with his father at that time. Promise me you two won't get into another fight. If we cannot meet, then I
shall see you on the Mystic Rail on September first.

Sincerely,
Diana Cavendish

Akko couldn't stop grinning as she stared at the name written in fancy letting, knowing it was Diana's hand that wrote it. She sighed as she put the letter aside and picked up her present. It was very heavy. Knowing Diana, she was sure it would be a large book full of very difficult spells – but it wasn't. Her heart gave a huge bound as she ripped back the paper and saw a sleek black leather case, with silver words stamped across it, reading Broomstick Maintenance Kit.

"Wow, Diana!" Akko whispered, unzipping the case to look inside.

There was a large jar of high-finish broom polish, a pair of gleaming silver tail-twig clippers, a tiny brass compass to clip on your broom for long journeys (which seemed useless since Shooting Star had a better sense of direction than any human or Demi-human) and a Handbook of Do-It-Yourself Broomcare.

Apart from her friends, the thing that Akko missed most about Luna Nova was Chariot Racing, the most popular sport in the magical world – highly dangerous, very exciting, and played on broomsticks. With the sentient broom Shooting Star as her lifelong partner, Akko gained recognition as the greatest Racing in Luna Nova and had been the youngest person in a century to be picked for one of the Luna Nova House teams. Akko missed riding on Shooting Star whether it was for a race or just for a joyride. She loved the weightless feeling she got as they soared high above the clouds with the wind whipping in her face.

Akko put the leather case aside and picked up her last package. It was small and thin – roughly the size of a book. She saw the professional neon-green letters scribbled on the black and gold paper and recognized the signature at once: this was from Annabel Crème, the author of Nightfall and Magical Literature teacher at Luna Nova. Akko had become good friends with Annabel at the end of last year.

She tore off the paper and glimpsed at the extravagantly cover of the new book that fell into her lap. The front was bursting with color as the main protagonist – their face obscured by their pointed hat – soared across the cover on her broomstick, leaving a looped trail in her wake. Within the trail were many people and creatures that we likely characters in the book including a majestic dragon rearing its head in front of a white tower. And tucked in the corner of the book near the end of the witch's broom was the title: Little Witch Academia Vol 1: A New Beginning.

"So cooool!" squeaked Akko. She could definitely see how the protagonist resembled herself; Akko was honored that Annabel would model a character after her. She set the book aside with a muffled squeal of excitement and reached for Annabel's card.

Happy birthday, Akko!

Do you like the new book? It turned out even better than I had expected. Writing a new book is a whole lot easier when you start with a clean slate.
I can make the world how I want it instead of following the formula made by the previous Annabels. My publisher thinks it will be my best work
yet. And even though only one book has been made, an animation studio called Trigger thinks they can turn it into an OVA. Night Fall never had its
own animation before! It's so exciting!

I'm really glad you and Lotte decided to take Magic Literature for your elective again this year. We'll actually be going over Little Witch Academia
in the second term, so I thought you might like one. I autographed it, of course, and I even sent one to Lotte – I'm sure she'll be over the moon.

I look forward to seeing you in class.

Best wishes,
Annabel Crème

Akko hadn't really considered taking Magic Literature again after Annabel's disaster term last year, but she figured she deserved to be given a second chance. And Lotte was very, very insistent. She put Annabel's card next to the others, grinning more broadly than ever. Now there was only the letter from Luna Nova left.

Noticing that it was thicker than usual, Akko slit open the envelope, pulled out the first piece of paper within, and read:

Dear Miss Kagari,

Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Mystic Rail will arrive at your nearest train station and will be
expected to leave at eleven o'clock.

Third years are permitted to visit the town of Byltonbury on certain weekends. Please give the enclosed permission form for your parent
or guardian to sign.

A list of books for next year is enclosed.

Yours sincerely,
Professor A. Finnelan
Deputy Headmistress

Akko had only seen Blytonbury from the station where the Mystic Rail dropped them off, but she never had the chance to go through the town since they had taken the traditional first year path and, of course, she missed the station entirely in her second year. According to the rumors, there were a number of amazing shops that catered to human and Demi-humans, including the famous Rabbit House café. It would be wonderful to visit the town on weekends with her friends.

She looked over at the alarm clock. It was now two o'clock in the morning.

Deciding that she'd worry about the Blytonbury form when she woke up, Akko got back into bed and reached up to cross off another day on the calendar she used to count down the days until her return to Luna Nova. She lay her head down, eyes open, facing her birthday cards.

Extremely unusual though she was, at that moment Akko Kagari felt just like everyone else – glad that it was her birthday.

This was a nice, relaxing chapter to recap everything that had happened over the past two books and to catch up on how everyone had been doing since the end of the last book (and a little bit of info dumping too). I would like to point out that Constanze's award is an important plot point for her character, but it won't be revealed until later books. If you can figure out why, I will be very impressed. I know quite a lot of people have been waiting for this book (mostly due to Izetta), so I hope I can do it justice.

Next chapter: Aunt Kirai's Big Mistake