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

Summer has finally arrived for the witches of Luna Nova, but Akko's discovery of the Horologium Chamber and the Grand Clock means it might be the longest one yet! With every day a repeat of that first fateful summer day, Akko and her friends have plenty of time to spare, and how else would Akko spend that time except with one of her closest, the kind and timid Lotte Jansson?

Chapter 1

In the West Dormitory Laundry, 10:15 AM. Akko and Lotte are busy at work handwashing and folding clothes for the students of Luna Nova, with a little help from some friendly custodian goblins. Lotte is happily humming as she folds a freshly cleaned uniform shirt. Akko, on the other hand, seems about ready to quit.

"Argh!" Akko groans as she places a messily-folded skirt into a hamper beside her. "I don't think I can do any more laundry without going insane…"

"It's alright if you want to take a break, Akko," Lotte says. "But I promised I'd get this done today, so you can go ahead and get breakfast if you want. I'll meet you later once I'm done here." She subtly adjusts her glasses before retrieving the skirt Akko put in the hamper, refolding it to perfection.

"Geez, Lotte…You're so dedicated…I wish I could be more like you!" The redhead blushes in response to Akko's praise, a shy smile on her face.

"Aw, it's really not that big of a deal…"

"Well, if you're staying around, I might as well tough it out! If I put my mind to it, I'm sure this laundry will be a piece of cake!" Reinvigorated, Akko enthusiastically returns to work, although the quality doesn't seem to have improved. Lotte lets out a small laugh.

"That's very much like you, Akko," she grins.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Akko responds as she checks over a shirt. "Tch, this stain won't come out…"

"Here, let me see…"

Lotte pulls out her wand, and a few magic words and a flash of green later, the unsightly stain has all but vanished.

"Wow!" Akko exclaims. "That's amazing, Lotte!"

"You really think so?" she replies as she stows her wand away. "I mean, it's just some basic household magic…Nothing special like what you and Diana do in the dungeons…"

Lotte suddenly looks sullen, losing focus in her laundry work. It doesn't take long for Akko to notice.

"Is something bothering you, Lotte?" she asks. "You look a little troubled."

"Well…" Lotte mumbles. "It's just…"

"Yes?"

"Sometimes I think…I'm just being a burden when we're adventuring in the Horologium Chamber…"

"What? Of course you aren't a burden!" Akko protests. "Sure, maybe you don't prefer to lead up front like Amanda or I do, but you definitely support the team!"

She smiles widely, trying to cheer Lotte up, but her words don't seem to reach her and the quiet girl still seems anxious. Her expression is hard to read, and she seems to be deep in thought.

"Maybe I should give her a minute," Akko mutters to herself in a low voice. "It's not like Lotte to be so uneasy, but knowing me, I might just make things worse…"

The two continue working in silence. The goblin custodians don't seem to notice or mind the uncomfortable atmosphere in the laundry room, and when the laundry is nearly complete they give grateful nods to the girls before leaving, trusting them to finish.

…

…

…

"I-I want to train with you, Akko!"

The abrupt break in silence takes Akko by surprise, especially since it's very unlike Lotte to speak up suddenly.

"Heh? Akko says, slightly perplexed by her close friend's statement. "Train…with me?"

"I…I don't want to feel like I'm holding the team back. I know that I can be doing better, I'm sure!"

Akko sees the expression on Lotte's face, and instantly knows she's being serious. It's the same look that she has when she's talking about fighting for rights for the school's faeries, or insisting Akko not engage in some dangerous/irresponsible activity (which is quite often, Akko hates to admit).

"W-Well, I'm not sure I'm the best training partner," Akko responds sheepishly. "I mean, I have a hard time exploring the dungeons too…"

"Please! I don't want to let you and Sucy and everyone else down..."

"You aren't!" is what Akko wants to say, but she realizes it probably won't help alleviate Lotte's insecurities. She wasn't sure what had gotten into Lotte, but still…she was one of Akko's best friends, and she helped Akko get into Luna Nova in the first place, so Akko at least owed it to her to help her build up some confidence.

"I guess a little training would be good for me, too," Akko relents, gaining a smile from her roommate.

"Really?! Thank you, Akko!"

"Ah, calm down! It's nothing to get too excited about, right? We'll just run some laps and practice our spells or something."

"Oh…running laps…" Lotte's cheerful demeanor quickly takes a U-turn. "My stamina isn't that good, so I don't know if I'll be able to keep up with you..."

"Don't get so down, Lotte!" Akko says, putting a hand on Lotte's shoulder to reassure the girl. "I'm not in great shape either! And we'll start slow, okay?"

Lotte looks at Akko, and then nods vigorously, her glasses bouncing on her nose as she does.

"O-Okay! I'm ready! Let's go!"

"Hey, hold on, we're not going right now! We can't fight a war on an empty stomach, can we?"

"W-We're going to fight a war, too?! That sounds dangerous, Akko! I…I don't know if I can do this!"

"Geez, it was a figure of speech…" Akko sighs. She could already tell this was not going to be easy. And why was Lotte acting so strangely? She rarely got so worked up about anything. Plus, Akko didn't exactly want to do any training…

…

With a mental slap to the face, Akko rallies herself. If it was for Lotte, she would do whatever she had to do to help her feel better! And the one thing the two girls had going for them was time, and a lot of it.

"Come on, let's finish this laundry and get some breakfast! We can start training in the afternoon, or tomorrow."

"Okay…Sounds like a plan! And you missed a spot there, Akko."

"Oh…did I?"

Before returning to work, Akko takes a moment to watch Lotte, who is back to tenderly folding clothes and humming softly. Lotte was interesting: sometimes, Akko felt she was the kind of support and stability Sucy and she herself needed to get through Luna Nova in one piece, but at other times it seemed like Lotte was the one who needed a shoulder to lean on.

"I guess that's what friends are for," Akko muses.

"Huh? Did you say something?"

"Uh, no, it's nothing…Argh, why won't this stain just hurry up and just disappear?!"

What's this? A magic note from the author? It reads: check back on Wednesdays and Saturdays for (hopefully) regular updates, and be sure to follow, favorite, and leave a review if you're enjoying the story!