Akko's head swimming when she finally opened her eyes. She was laying on her back, staring upwards at lights that seemed too harsh. She didn't bother to shift underneath the sterile, white sheets that had been draped over her. She was definitely feeling the aftermath of all the running around she had done.

When the world finally came into focus, she realized she was lying in a bed in the nurse's office.

Immediately, her hand snapped up to the back of her head, anxious and half-afraid of what she might find. She did not find the long tresses or the ponytail she had worn throughout her past. Her hair was short again. Just the way she had cut it herself.

And that meant that…she was back in the real world.

She quickly checked to confirm that Diana's magic was still coursing within her. She could no longer tap into it, however. It had separated itself from Akko's magic while she had slept, hanging off of her like dead weight.

She had been unconscious for...who knows how long, so it must've separated on its own. She could feel it calling out to return to its rightful place, like a pull in her belly.

'Maybe that means it'll be easy to give it back to Diana...I just gotta figure out...how, exactly.'

Still, a hoarse laugh escaped her throat as she laid her hand on the bare nape of her neck. The magic was safe. And she hadn't just escaped from the nightmare, she had beat it. She won. She had taken back her mind, and she was...

"-finally awake! Good heavens, Kagari!"

The boisterous voice of the academy nurse startled her. The woman lifted herself from her desk and made her way to Akko's bedside, playfully shaking her head at her.

"I don't think I'll ever have a more troublesome patient if I work here another hundred years!" The nurse said. "Now stop moving around so much, let me look at you. You know where you are, correct?"

"Y-yeah! This is Luna Nova, right? But what happened to everyone else? Diana, and the others! Are they-?" Akko groaned as her temples flashed. "Oww…"

The nurse tutted disapprovingly. "I told you not to worry. But you've never let me stop you before, clearly."

The nurse's hands were cold against her skin, but she seemed momentarily satisfied with her patient's physical condition. She took a seat on the foot of the bed with a calm expression.

"Everyone is fine, Miss Kagari." She said. "Including yourself, as a matter of fact. You've been out for a while, but the curse that was afflicting you was purged from your system early morning on the day before yesterday."

"It's...it's really gone, isn't it? For good?"

"Just once I'd like one of you to believe me the first time I say that." The nurse deadpanned. "We've been checking every few hours just to make sure. And there's no sign of it in your Mana signature or otherwise. You're safe now, Kagari."

Akko let out a breath that she had been holding for far too long. "It's over…I-it's finally over…"

She had been too close to passing out to fully appreciate it, until now. It was so freeing, knowing she could let go of all the stress, and knowing it wasn't just going to come back tenfold the next time she closed her eyes.

"...in any case," the nurse said. "The damage the parasite did is healing. We'd like to keep you in here for another night, however. Both to make absolutely sure, and...well, this doesn't seem to be life-threatening, but there's an abnormality in your magic. It's...a little like-"

"Like someone else's magic is in there too?"

"Uh...yes, that's...e-exactly right. Professor Ursula did say you'd know what it was when I brought it up to her. But either way, take it easy for once, okay? Your body, your mind, and your magic have been through a lot, and I don't want to see you in here for another month at minimum."

Akko supposed she could live with that. Considering her muscles protested with the slightest movement, she was perfectly fine with not having to walk back to her room tonight. Besides, it gave her time to think.

The nurse started back to her desk, and then paused in the middle of the floor.

"Oh, and...I don't know if you saw her yet, but…"

She turned, and with a smile that could only be described as sly, the nurse pointed just past her. Akko followed the line of her finger to the other side of her bed. A chair had been pulled up next to her bed. Her eyes widened.

Diana was sitting right next to her, fast asleep. Her arms, folded tightly over her chest, rose and fell with her silent snores.

"She really was here the whole time…" Akko said.

The nurse smiled. "Never left your side for a moment. You really have some amazing people in your life, Akko..." There was the slightest hint of admiration in her tone. "...Now please get rid of her for me, will you? I can't work with her hovering in here."

Akko rolled onto her stomach, and flopped her head back down on the pillow, her captivated gaze never tearing away for a second. She smiled so hard her cheeks ached.

Diana looked so disheveled. Her hair was blatantly uncombed. Her shirt collar was half-upturned, to say nothing of the rest of her uniform. How embarrassed she would be, if anyone else could see her like this.

Akko ignored the dull pain in her arms, and gently turned the sleeping girl's collar back down, carefully running her fingers along Diana's neck to smooth it out. She picked stray strands of hair hanging over her face, and set them to the side of her head, more like how Diana would want to be seen.

And her fingers drifted down from platinum blonde hair, tracing the outline of Diana's lips, soft enough as to not stir her from her well-earned sleep. All that had happened, and Diana was here, with her. She swore she had never felt more in love.

Groggily, Diana flicked her finger away. "Not now, Barbara…"

She looked so peaceful right now, more than she had in so long. Akko felt guilty for having to wake her. "Diana...?"

Diana slowly blinked. Half asleep, she gazed at her with lidded blue eyes. The handful of seconds might've lasted forever, until reality caught up with her. Diana snapped awake, and bolted upright.

"A-Akko!"

"...Hi." Akko managed to say. "I...I promised you I'd make it, didn't I?"

"You…" Diana swallowed. "...you did. Yes. A-and, no matter how many days it took, I never lost faith that you would."

"And...you kept your promise too. You're here."

Gradually, Diana returned Akko's hopeless grin. She kneeled, seemingly careful to touch her, but Akko, unwilling to wait another moment, wrapped her arms around her.

Diana pulled her closer, tighter. Any objections and doubts she might've had disappeared as her body melted into the embrace. Akko could feel her letting out a shaky breath against her.

"I...I thought I lost you…"

"I know, Akko." Diana whispered. "I know."

It hit her all at once. She hadn't allowed herself to react for so long. If she allowed every attack, allowed all the times she balanced on the razor's edge and came deathly close to falling, to get to her, she never would've made it.

She didn't feel ashamed to cry on Diana's shoulder anymore. For better or for worse, she knew who she was. She was a survivor.

Her hands tightened around the fabric of Diana's shirt. "T-thank you...for everything…a-and...I'm sorry."

"No...no, there's nothing to apologize for."

Akko pulled away, shaking her head. "I...I pushed you too far...made you worry. I lied and I went behind your back, a-and...I wasn't a good girlfriend. I'm...sorry, Diana."

It was Diana's turn now, to straighten out the folds in Akko's clothes as she ran her hand across her shoulder and down her arm.

"Then let be honest too." She said. "...even...even if I can't just forgive everything you did just like that...I don't blame you. It wouldn't be fair. You couldn't even feel safe in your own mind."

"...I know." Akko confessed. "But...I had to apologize anyway."

"And that alone speaks volumes about the type of girlfriend you truly are."

A pleasant tinge hit Akko's cheeks, and she could really only manage a small chuckle, wiping her eyes.

Though something Diana said made her pause.

"...when you said no matter how many days it took..." Akko's brows furrowed. "How long was I asleep this time?"

Diana bit her lower lip. "...well...the nurse informed us you actually purged the parasite on the day before yesterday, and...we've been taking care of you as much as we could on our end. So all that was wrong is...your body needed to catch up on sleep, and since you were already doing just that…"

She shook her head, and simply forced herself to say it straight out.

"It's...the 26th, Akko. You...slept through your birthday."

Akko deflated, sinking into her bedsheets. "Oh…"

"I'm sorry."

"No...I guess it's fine. If I had listened to you from the start…" She shook her head and focused on the task at hand. "Besides, if I was out that long that means you haven't had magic for days! I...I still have it in me, Diana! I have to give it back!"

Diana paused. "...Just rest, for now. You only just woke up, and it will-."

"No." Akko cut in. "I can't rest. I owe a lot more than this. I gotta make this right for you."

She squeezed Diana's hand back, and like a true witch, let herself sink into the energy flowing through her being. She knew Diana objected, but she also knew this was her responsibility.

She used her own magic like a crutch, pushing the foreign energy outwards. Diana's magic cried out to refill the void it had been stolen from, and she guided it along on its journey back to its rightful place.

But whatever flow she had built quickly stopped, and she suddenly felt like she was pushing against a brick wall. She could keep pushing it forward, but no matter how many waves she hit it with, it would never get through.

Her temples burned, and she had to stop. "Ow." She groaned, holding her forehead.

"Are you alright?"

"Something's...blocking it. It's right there, but I...I can't…" She tapped her chin. "Maybe the Noir Funnel…?"

"Disassembled. That kind of technology isn't allowed anyway. Look, I can't even imagine what you've been through, but you shouldn't push yourself right now."

Akko opened her mouth to protest, but for what she had in passion, she lacked in energy. She sighed.

"I don't wanna argue with you anymore. But you…" She ran a hand through her hair. "... you keep...giving. And I need to know how to make sure I don't take too much."

Diana pensively leaned back on her chair. "...I've sat on that question for the better part of four days now. I woke up not long after we broke off communication, and you kept sleeping. So I kept thinking about everything you told me, and whether you were right, and I did push myself too far."

"So...what did you decide...?"

Diana closed her eyes. "The mark of a Cavendish is to use every resource at my disposal for the good of others. I couldn't call myself worthy of Beatrix's House if I didn't raise a hand to help, and I couldn't call myself worthy of you, if I hadn't done what I did."

"M-maybe. And I barely made it even with your help. But it still worries me, Diana."

"And that's the other conclusion I came to." Diana said. "...you were right about me. I did lose track of myself in my grief. If you hadn't tried to stop me…I don't know if I would've caught myself until I was too late. So thank you."

Akko thought for a moment. "Wait...so what's blocking me is…"

The brick wall she had hit was Diana herself. The magic couldn't get through because Diana's defenses were blocking her, however subconsciously.

Akko swung her legs over the side of the bed, much to Diana's distress. "Wait, you shouldn't move around, you're not-!"

But Akko was already sitting across from her, and made a quick grab for her hands. "Diana, I can't ever thank you enough even if I had the rest of my life. So I gotta do this one thing for you, otherwise there's absolutely no way I'm gonna be able to rest. Don't you want your magic back?"

"What? I...of course I do. But-"

"No, no buts. Be selfish, Diana, just this once."

Diana looked like she wanted to argue the point more too. The conflict was clear on her features. But with Akko remaining steadfast and earnest, how could Diana say no?

"...I do." Diana said. "I want my magic back."

Akko beamed. "Then help me fix this for you like you fixed me!"

Diana laid her other hand atop of Akko's.

It was something that should not have worked, nor should have been strictly possible. It didn't come from Akko's belief in her own magic, because she honestly had no idea that it would work.

Rather, it was powered simply by her belief in them. In Diana, in herself, and that this was the right thing to do. And with the link that had once existed between them, Akko let the magic course through her hands to the girl, the witch, across from her.

She knew Diana wished for this too, because the dam parted ways.

The magic flowed through her being like an unstoppable river. Pushed forward by Akko's will and pulled along by Diana's desire, working in silent tandem. The echoes of the exchange rippled through the air. The very lights overhead flickered as the balance shifted from one to another.

Akko peeked open an eye, watching the emerald colored energy swirling around their joint hands like a vortex. She suddenly pulled Diana forward and pressed their lips together.

She supposed it could be called a thank you. But frankly, she just wanted to kiss her.

Diana's hand grabbed the back of her head and pulled her closer. Akko's heart skipped a beat as she felt Diana's lips curve into a smile against her own.

By the time they reluctantly pulled apart, the energy had long since settled. Diana's lashes fluttered. She was breathless. Akko, however was spent, and flopped back down onto the bed.

Once she regained her senses, Diana hesitantly picked her wand from her belt.

And with but a thought, the tip crackled with pure, magic energy, just as it should have.

"...I don't believe it..." Diana's voice was barely a whisper. "It's…it's back!"

Akko weakly grinned. "...told you I'd do it…"

"A-Akko...you...you beautiful wonderful girl! You...you actually…!"

She haphazardly kissed Akko again, quick and sloppy. It was always so rare to see her so outwardly emotional. And when she caught wind of the nurse, standing shocked at the other side of the room, Diana hid behind her hands with a helpless noise, somewhere between crying tears of joy and dying of embarrassment.

Akko couldn't describe what the noise did to her insides.

Only a short moment later, someone hurriedly knocked on the door and let herself in. "Excuse me?" Lotte said to the nurse. "We were out in the hall and we saw the lights flicker. Is everything-?"

She gasped, hands over her mouth. Akko's eyes lit up as they met Lotte's, and even more as she looked behind her, and saw everyone else.

"Y-you're...awake!" Lotte cried. "Oh my gosh! W-we were all so worried and-and-!"

Lotte and Sucy rushed her before anyone else could even speak, hopping onto the bed and squeezing their teammate tightly, beaming ear to ear. Lotte was beside herself, and even Sucy had a rare smile decorating her cheeks.

Akko couldn't return the hugs fast enough. "G-guys!"

Diana giggled. "Girls, please! Give her at least a second."

And then the rest bounded into the room. Amanda laughed out loud, and ruffled her hair. Hannah and Barbara, Jasminka and Constanze, none of them could contain themselves, excitedly talking over each other about how great it was she was awake, how much they missed her, and more than a few belated birthday wishes.

Akko could barely catch a single distinct word of any of it. But, turning red from all the affection, she understood the general gist.

"It was the lingering effects of the Mana Tapper." Croix said to Ursula. "The kid's magic was still stabilizing, and because her body hadn't closed it off yet, that was what allowed her to transfer the excess."

"It was a miracle, Croix." Ursula shot back. "She always was someone who wanted to share her magic with the world. That was just her working to make her dream come true."

"Ha. Yeah, no. If it wasn't that, then the only explanation is Diana's magic wanted to go back. Nature abhors a vacuum, right? The kid had two sets of magic in her, Diana had none, so it did all the work on its own."

"Or maybe she had a believing heart, and the strength of her friends to help her."

"Ugh, no, that makes no sense. Okay I got it. We all shared our magic with them with the Yggdrasil thing, right? So maybe, they're like natural mana conductors now!"

"It's magic, Croix! You don't always have to deconstruct it."

Akko's thoughts were too preoccupied to join in their speculation. Maybe one of the explanations was right, maybe not. It really didn't matter.

Not long after everyone left for the night, she had enjoyed a big, hearty meal, a hot shower, and then passed out. When she woke up the next day, after a peaceful, uninterrupted sleep, her hand immediately snapped to the back of her neck. As she checked out of the nurse's office, she suspected it would be a while until she could convince her brain the nightmares were over for good.

Diana, along with Headmistress Holbrooke, walked into the barren lab for what would be the final time, and Akko was anxious to hear what Diana had to say after having a night to herself to make sure her magic was well in truly in order.

"Miss Kagari!" Holbrooke cheerfully greeted her. "I heard you were given a clean bill of health, but it's a relief to my old heart to see you up and about again. How do you feel?"

"...Sore." Akko shrugged. "But I'm okay. Just glad to be done with the parasite."

"I can imagine. Speaking of that, you might be interested to know, the Remembrance Mirror had broken just the other day!"

"What? How did it break?"

"Magic mirrors have always been fickle things. So susceptible to changes in magic. That's how the parasite managed to worm its way in there, after all. There had been so much stress put on it, I suspect it was just pushed past her limits."

And with the Remembrance Mirror gone, and all the professors' work on the other mirrors, that meant no one else would have to go through what she did.

'Good.'

Holbrooke looked around the remains of the lab. "Normally, none of you wouldn't be allowed back in this tower, but of course, given the circumstances, I think we can forgive that, just this once." She said, with a kind smile. "You might call it a birthday treat."

Ursula clapped her hands together. "That's very generous of you, Headmistress!"

"We're also willing to strike this unfortunate detention from your record." Holbrooke said. "So...if you should happen to talk to your parents soon about...recent circumstances…"

Akko was about to ask what she meant by that, before the realization set in. It wasn't just a kind smile. It was also a 'please don't sue us' smile.

She laughed. "I'll be sure to tell them how many great friends I had here to help me get my act together!"

Holbrooke let out a sigh of relief. "That sounds quite lovely, indeed. While we can't officially approve of what you Nine did here, you should know, at least off the record, you've done a great wonder."

Ursula explained a few of the finer points of what had transpired to the aged headmistress. Croix, who still technically was not supposed to be here, kept to herself.

And somewhat shyly, Akko approached Diana. "So...how are you doing?"

"I could ask you the same thing. Did everything go alright at checkout?"

"Nurse is still mad at me for doing that, but...I don't mind. It was the right thing to do."

"I can understand her point. I can't express my gratitude for you cleaning this up for me...though I could've managed another day for you to recover."

"I made you wait long enough." Akko said. "So is it okay...?

Diana placed a finger to her chin. "It's all back, yes. And it's not lesser or even weaker in any way. You did good."

"But…?"

"It's...bent. It's almost like a stutter. It works. It's there. But it slips from me sometimes. After the strain the device put on it, I'm slightly out of sync with it."

Akko couldn't understand what it all meant, but she was disappointed Diana was still reaping the consequences.

"Don't blame yourself." Diana assured her. "It's still in me, thanks to you. And with some work, I suspect I'll be able to fix this completely. It'll just take some extra practice, that's all. In fact, there's something I should show you…"

Diana confidently waved her wand, and her magic sparkled at the tip of her wand. But nothing happened. Diana hummed, annoyed, and cast it again.

Within a moment, Diana's Mana Diagram was displayed between them. True to her words, the round, holographic plant was as full and lush as it always was. Not a piece of it was damaged or out of place.

Except, for one branch which Diana pointed to. "See that mark? It didn't exist a few days ago."

Its luster was far different from both the rest of the plant, and from Beatrix's ancestral marks. Beatrix's had a holy, ethereal glow to it, whereas the new branch had a darker, more wooden color to it.

"What is it?"

"For one witch to use another's magic should be impossible. But we managed to make our magics in-sync with one another, and they...mixed. This mark is, in essence, yours."

Akko's face scrunched up. "I...I mean maybe I handled it too rough, or-?"

Diana snorted. "Not like that. Beatrix and Woodward's blessings left a mark on you, as a sign of their influence. And when we checked your Signature again to ensure the parasite was gone, I left a similar mark on your signature. In some sense...we seemed to have casted a sort of blessing on one-another."

Akko's eyes widened. "So...we're like...linked now…like we're part of each other."

Diana's lips parted as she became acutely aware that Holbrooke, Ursula and Croix were all engaged in their exchange. She quickly dispelled the hologram, pretending she wasn't blushing.

"...T-that's perhaps...one way to phrase it, if you desired." She said. "In any case, that interference is what caused me to fall out of sync with my magic, and I should be able to overcome it with time."

"Well, if you ever fall back on your school stuff because of this stutter, then I'll help you out! I'll train with you every day until you don't even notice this stutter anymore!"

"I wouldn't ask you to do that." Diana said, almost instinctively.

"Dianaaaa…"

"Right, right, my apologies." Diana shook her head. "I would be honored if you took the time to do something like that for me."

The possibilities of what this new bond might entail made Akko excited. And if Diana was going to have to re-learn the basics for a short while, then Akko could gladly help her along until she got back to her usual, outstanding self.

Croix loudly cleared her throat, making herself known. "So we're all acknowledging I was the one who invented that spell, right? Plus that all my labor on the Mana Tapper that fixed this?"

"Oh, Croix…" Ursula sighed.

"Hey, I'm about to be blasted with a parole violation. I don't think it's that wrong to ask for a little credit…"

Akko turned to Holbrooke. "You're not gonna let Croix get in trouble, right? It was my fault she's here! And without her and Constanze, I never would've made it."

Holbrooke raised her brows. "Why, I don't what you're talking about. Miss Meridies never even set foot on Luna Nova grounds. As far as I know, she's been in the East Mogiana Republic this entire time. Isn't that right?"

The headmistress had a sly smile on her aged face. Croix was left speechless.

"I…" Croix quickly shut her mouth and caught on. "...You should reimburse Chariot's vacation days too."

"Of course."

"...and maybe give her a little bonus for her troubles."

Ursula blushed almost as red as her hair. "C-Croix!"

"Hey, once a supervillain…"

With a small chuckle, Croix turned to Akko.

Croix rubbed at the back of her neck. "Kid. Uh, Akko. I...should clear out of here before anyone else sees me and uh...I know things might've been awkward with our personal history, but I wanted to…"

Akko nodded. "Thanks, Croix. For everything."

Croix lightly patted the girl on the shoulder. "Y-yeah. Well, just...don't give Chariot any more stress, alright?"

With very genuine enthusiasm, rejuvenated by the first real success she had in so many years, she turned to her red haired partner.

"You ready to get back on vacation, Chari?"

"Oh?" Ursula teased. "I thought East Mogiana was a research trip."

Croix smirked. "You kidding? I think we earned a weekend to ourselves. We never did check out that one restaurant you told me about."

"I would be delighted…"Ursula performed a showy little curtsy with her dress as she took Croix's hand, before something suddenly caught her attention. "Oh! Wait, just a second, before we go!"

She left Croix's side and quickly enveloped Akko in her arms.

"I'm not sure how much it means coming from me, but...I'm proud of you. I can really see the amazing witch you're growing up to be."

"Ursula…"

"Still...it can be easy to fall back into bad habits. Just be sure you have someone to watch your back, okay?"

Akko glanced over her shoulder, where Croix and Diana were engaged in Luna Nova's most begrudging handshake.

"I think I got just the thing."

Ursula and Croix went back to vacation soon after, relieved to be able to have some time alone together without a ticking clock over their heads.

Diana had left to work a personal project, and Akko spent a solid chunk of the afternoon destressing, until she eventually met up with Hannah and Amanda, who were eager to catch up with her.

Amanda folded her arms behind her head. "I always knew you'd pull through, Akko. Never doubted ya for a second!"

Hannah's bemused smile made her wonder how true that really was. "You know, you...look nice today."

Akko nodded. "Got a good night's sleep for the first time in forever."

"Never taking those for granted again, huh?"

"Yeah! No kidding!"

They went out the cafeteria doors towards the field, and Akko enjoyed the cool air on her skin. It seemed like the perfect evening for a walk, which was likely why Hannah had insisted they go this way.

Hannah glanced at Amanda out of the corner of her eye. Amanda snuck her hand around Hannah's. It seemed far kinder than her usual, over-the-top shows of affection Akko expected. Maybe she longer had anything to prove either.

"I still can't believe you two are together." Akko mused.

"Heh." Amanda shrugged, unabashed. "It's pretty nice, all in all. Plus with all this drama done, it'll be nice to ditch school for a while and actually hang out together."

"Are you two going somewhere?" Akko said, and then gasped. "Is it a date?"

"Yeah, my date." Amanda smiled. "Hannah found a show in town, taking her out tomorrow. Actually got a nice night planned out."

"Though we were talking," Hannah said, "and do you and Diana wanna make it a double date? I'm sure you'd like the show. It's about the kinda adventure type stuff you're all about."

Akko shook her head. "Nah, you two go without me. I think I'm kind of all adventured out for a long time."

Amanda blinked. "Really? That doesn't really sound like you."

"I mean sure, I don't want things to get boring. The thing is, I used to think everything always went wrong for me. But after going through all that, I think…I might have it pretty good here as it is."

"You do realize you were unconscious for like half a week?"

"No, I know! But still, woke up, didn't I? I made all those dumb mistakes, and I still had all of you guys supporting me, and then I got the chance to fix most of them. And I got the best girlfriend in the world. As dumb as it is...I like my life."

Amanda gave her a playful knock on the shoulder. "Hell yeah, Kagari."

After a moment, Hannah quickly added, "Oh, and by the way you only got the second best girlfriend."

Akko elbowed her. "Ha! You wish!"

"I mean I'm sure Diana's...fine, I lived with her for a while, but like really if we're ranking them…"

Amanda pinched her temples. "Oh my god…"

"Maybe we do gotta go on a double date, sometime!" Akko challenged. "Just so you can see for yourselves how lucky I really am!"

"Sure, sure." Hannah evenly dismissed her. "But I'm just saying, Amanda and I have really hit it off while you were in the nurse's office, and I gotta say, I don't know how you think you could compare."

"God, stop." Amanda rolled her eyes. "You two are the most exhausting people…"

Hannah grinned to herself. It took a while, but eventually her mood proved once again infectious to Amanda.

The three of them turned the corner out towards the field.

"Anyway...I'm glad I got such great friends." Akko said, and then giggled. "Is that the wrong lesson to learn from this?"

"The whole thing was just a dumb accident, right?" Hannah said. "I don't think there's any lesson here. But I guess if you're happy, then no one's stopping you!"

"I'm excited to see what next year's gonna bring, but to be honest, I hope I can go the rest of the summer without any more-"

"Surprise!"

The collective shout nearly made Akko jump out of her skin.

Spread out across Luna Nova's field were banners, streamers, balloons and party refreshments, along with just about everyone she knew in school. Barbara and Lotte, Sucy and Jasminka, Wangari and the News Network, Molly and Sarah, Avery and Chloe.

Even Andrew and Frank had shown up, holding brightly wrapped presents. Amanda and Hannah happily brushed past her, right under a giant streamer with her name on it.

"Happy (Belated) Birthday, Akko!"

She could hardly believe her eyes. "Wait, is this…?"

Diana strolled over to her, looking quite pleased with herself, and hooked their hands together. "I realize it's rather late. But you didn't truly think we wouldn't celebrate your birthday, did you?"

"I...I thought you were working on a personal project!"

Sucy snickered. "This is the personal project, you dolt. Wipe that look off your face and come do something about this party we worked so hard on for you."

Jasminka snuck up behind Diana and Akko and cheerily ushered them forward towards the party, reveling in the dumbstruck look on the latter's face.

"You should join us, it's your party after all!" Jasminka said. "I even tried to make that cake you told Diana about. It's so soft and fluffy looking, you're going to love it!"

"Yeah!" Barbara said, raising her cup. "Come on, we got days' worth of stuff to catch up on now that you two are back!"

Lotte heartily agreed. "Have some fun, Akko! After all, you definitely deserve something to celebrate getting better!"

Constanze, with no Stanbot in sight, beamed ear to ear. "...Happy birthday." She spoke up.

Akko could only look between all the bright decorations and bright faces, wordlessly running a hand through her hair. She turned to Diana.

"You planned this?"

"In my defense, I planned this a long time ago." Diana said. "Certain complications arose, but you'd be surprised how quick everyone was to get re-organized when I asked last night."

"I...I don't know what to say…"

"You don't have to say anything. I've been working on this for a while, so if you'd like to repay me, then please just enjoy yourself. We can do some magic training and work out the rest tomorrow."

With so many people gathered here, just for her, how could Akko say no?

"...well, okay!" Akko relented. "This isn't really how I wanted my birthday to go, but I still gotta thank everyone else for working so hard!"

"You'll have plenty of time to figure it out, I suppose. You truly think after all of that, I'm going to leave you hanging?"

Akko and Diana, hand in hand, walked further into the school grounds, ready to join all their friends in a homely celebration.

"No, Akko." Diana said. "You're my silly girl."

A.N. But Supa wasn't Akko's birthday like four months ag- listen shut up.

...Actually, the original draft did have her wake up on time, buuut I decided to be meta.

Sooo glad this is finally done. Even with all the delays and setbacks, projects this long take a lot out of me mentally. But it's been fun too, and despite everything, I'm happy how it turned out and that don't happen too often! Thank you all for reading! I hope you all enjoyed it too!