Loosely based on the events of Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time

Summer is here for the witches of Luna Nova, but Akko's discovery of the Horologium Chamber and a strange clock mean it's going to be a long break! Caught in a time loop and forced to repeat the same first day of summer over and over, Akko has a lot of time on her hands, and what better way to spend that time than with Diana Cavendish, the talented and elegant star student?

Chapter 1

In the Library, 4:23 PM. Akko and Diana are sitting across a large table, with stacks of books laid out in front of them. Warm beams of light stream in from the wide glass windows. Akko gently hums as she flips through the pages of her book. Diana, though trying her best to focus on her book, seems increasingly irritated with her, and finally speaks up.

"Akko."

"Hmm? What is it, Diana?"

"Why…are you here, exactly?"

"I thought I already told you…I'm here to help you research the Horologium Chamber so we can fix the flow of time and get everything back to normal."

Diana sighs, turning a page of her book.

"Yes, you said that," she starts, "but I'm unsure of how going through your collection of Shiny Chariot trading cards is accomplishing that goal."

Akko pouts. "Hey, researching is difficult, so I'm taking a break!" she says.

"You opened one book and tried reading for five minutes before you gave up."

"It was a very intimidating book with lots of big words!"

Diana chuckles. "No wonder you fared so poorly on these last exams, Akko," she teases.

"Hey, how do you know about that!?" Akko huffs. Diana always knows how to get her worked up, and her grades are a particular weak point.

"Oh, I was just discussing it with Professor Finnelan earlier today. She says it's been many years since a student failed the transformation magic test in such stunning fashion."

"I already apologized to that rabbit family, okay?"

"How about the magic literature test?"

"Aw…who could understand that stuff anyways? The first section was basically unreadable!"

"That section was in Japanese, Akko."

Akko groans, and puts her head down on the table. Diana could be so annoying sometimes! But what was she supposed to say back to the girl with perfect grades and a spotless record?

Feeling dejected, she takes her prized card out of its sleeve and holds it in her hands: an Ultra Rare, Limited Release, Holographic Shiny Chariot in mint condition. It makes her feel a little better, and she smiles. Diana seems to notice, and gently snatches the card from Akko.

"Hey! Give that back!" Akko reaches out to grab the card back, but Diana simply turns away out of reach, leaving Akko cursing her short arms.

Diana briefly surveys the card of Akko's red-haired idol, and then slides it back across the table to the flustered girl.

"You shouldn't waste your time with such silly things," Diana chides as she turns her attention back to the text. "Real witches should be studying and perfecting their talent, not chasing childish fantasies."

Akko takes back her card and brings it close to her face, looking a little hurt.

"I'll chase my childish fantasies if I want to…"

…

…

…

The awkward silence that follows proves to be a bit too much for Diana. The star student purses her lips, and then quietly clears her throat.

"What I meant to say was, why don't you try studying a little harder? Have you considered getting a tutor?" she says.

Akko brushes her oak-colored hair aside sheepishly. "Well…Professor Ursula tries to help me out, but sometimes I feel like I'm too much for her…"

"Professor Ursula can be a bit…absent-minded…at times," Diana says, pausing to choose her words carefully.

Akko nods in agreement.

…

…

…

"Ahem." Diana clears her throat again, the intentionality much clearer than the first time. "Why don't I tutor you, Akko?"

"Oh," Akko says. "That's a little…unexpected." Diana raises an eyebrow at the young witch.

"How so?"

"Well," Akko mumbles, barely audible even in the stillness of the Luna Nova library. "I always thought you hated me or something."

"Hate is quite a strong word," Diana retorts. "Certainly, I often find myself annoyed or put off by your shenanigans and undisciplined attitude, but I would never say I hate you."

Akko coughs softly, suddenly finding the shelf in the corner to be very interesting. Was that supposed to be some kind of compliment? If so, it wasn't very flattering.

"That's very nice of you to offer, Diana," she mutters, still looking away. "But don't you have anything better to do, like researching the Horologium Chamber?"

Diana sighs and shakes her head, closing the thick textbook she had been reading with a dull thud.

"I'm afraid there isn't much on the Horologium Chamber at all in this library, and certainly nothing about restoring the correct flow of time," she responds. "It seems that for the time being, we're stuck repeating the first day of summer break."

"Oh."

"Yes…So while we explore the dungeons in the Horologium Chamber for more information, we have plenty of time to spend studying."

Uncharacteristically, Akko pauses to think before she says anything. Studying was hardly the first thing she wanted to do during summer break, but there was only so much to do around the school when time was repeating itself every day…And if Diana was offering, it must mean there was some hope for her academic future at least…

"Ak-ko."

The light rise and fall in pitch of Diana's voice brings the witch out of her thoughts. Normally, that was how Diana addressed her when she was annoyed, or lecturing her, or berating her for whatever reason. But this time, it sounds gentler, calmer.

Diana had already stood up, and was walking towards the library exit. "You don't have to decide right now," she says without breaking her stride. "Meet me here tomorrow at 8 AM if you would like to accept my offer."

"8 AM?!" Akko turns to protest, but is only met with the back of Diana's tall and slim figure standing in the library doorway. The late afternoon light seems to outline her perfectly, and Akko can't help but be a little jealous about how pretty she is.

"I won't go easy on you, even if we're in these unusual circumstances together. I promised the headmistress I would watch over the students of Luna Nova this summer break, and I'll most likely have to watch over one particular student especially well. So please, 8 AM tomorrow." Akko has no chance to respond as the library door quietly shuts behind the star student, leaving her alone in the afternoon light of the library.

"Watch over one particular student especially well…" Akko mumbles to herself as she sits down and idly thumbs over her prized Chariot card. She can almost feel where Diana's fingers held it.

"She means me, right?"