Akko is missing?
There was some kind of commotion in town, and the three of us got separated.
That was hours ago.
I see... And then?
We looked all around, but we couldn't find her anywhere.
I figured she headed back before we did, but obviously she's not here.
What should we do?
She might be in trouble or something.
It'll be fine.
Walk me through exactly what happened.
I understand.
I think it would be best if we first informed Professor Ursula.
Yeah, you're right.
I'll go meet with her.
You should let me do it.
Akko may return in the meantime.
I will let you know if there are any developments.
Okay.
Thank you, Diana.
Since I was a child, I had a dream.
To become a witch that would make everyone smile.
I wanted it more than anything.
Even so, my abilities were less than stellar.
Don't lose hope.
Believing in yourself is your magic.
No matter how many times I failed,
my dream to fill people's hearts with excitement and joy kept me going.
Eventually, a rod with seven stars appeared before me.
I was told that once the Seven Words were revived,
one would have access to the powerful world-altering magic.
Surely, magic like that could make everyone happy.
With guidance from Professor Woodward, I began my search for the Seven Words.
I was able to find and revive six of the seven words.
However, the last word eluded my grasp.
I thought if I hoped with all of my heart to make everyone smile,
perhaps that would be enough to revive the seventh word.
"Believing in yourself is your magic."
That was magnificent.
Tell me, what would you say to having a bigger audience?
I wanted to make more and more people happy.
I toured all over the world.
Eventually, negative comments began to emerge.
You've gotta make your magic acts more entertaining!
It's been awhile, hasn't it?
Croix!
I'm trying to find a new type of magic.
Something nobody's seen before.
Well, there's something I've been researching you might find useful.
But it's still in the early stages of development.
What is it?
It's called Dream Fuel Spirit.
It converts the energy of dreams into magical power.
By using it, you could boost your magic power
and put on more extravagant shows.
And so my act reached new heights.
Did you see all the smiles on those faces out there?
It was amazing!
So much unbridled power...
There's no doubt in my mind this will help
put the magic world back on top where it belongs.
What?
I...
When you compare it to everything people stand to gain by this,
the sacrifices are worth it.
"Sacrifices"?
Dream Fuel Spirit operates by stealing the energy of dreams,
converting it into magic power.
Wait a minute...
you never told me it stole them!
Didn't I?
Well, it's of little consequence.
But...
what happens to all of those people?
They simply lose a fraction of their magic talent, that's all.
Ordinary people have no use for that talent to begin with...
so they won't miss it.
Now, I will say, if someone from a witch's family were there,
then it might be a problem.
Though I sincerely doubt anyone like that would be attending
a performance of this nature.
You lied to me, Croix.
Tell me, why on Earth would you do this?
If that's the price to pay, then I don't want it!
Even if it grants you power?
You naïve little girl!
It's because of that idealistic attitude that you can't find the last word!
You have a sacred duty to uphold
and that's to obtain the world-altering magic.
Yet here you are!
Wasting all of your time on this stupid show!
Just what are you thinking?
You're scaring me.
Why did you call it the Shiny Rod?
How idiotically childish.
Do you really think that the Claiomh Solais chose you
so that it could be used for such a juvenile display?
Why?
Why'd it choose you... and not me?
I don't know the answer to that.
I just know that I wanna use magic to make everyone happy.
That's all I know how to do.
You really don't get it.
A show like this will fade away and be forgotten.
Just like the fate of magic in this world.
I can't help you any longer.
I need to follow my own path.
Goodbye.
After that, I refused to use the Dream Fuel Spirit ever again.
I've told you!
People want to see something innovative that
-puts them at the edge of their seats! -Is it true?
Will magic be forgotten?
Don't you have anything new?
I thought this'd be more fun.
Is that all you got?
Noctu Orfei...
Aude Fraetor!
That's amazing.
I have to erase their memories!
It's Diana.
Could I speak with you? It's very important.
How can I help you?
It seems nobody has seen Akko since she went into town.
Do you know anything?
You were with her earlier, weren't you?
I'm so sorry.
Why are you apologizing?
Earlier today, we never did finish our talk.
Can we do that now?
Unfortunately, I'm rather busy at the moment.
Then I'll come right out and ask you instead.
I know that there's no record of any student here named Ursula Callistis.
Your real name is...
Chariot Du Nord.
You're Shiny Chariot, aren't you?
I am.
That is correct.
And you were with her earlier?
Please tell me what happened.
All right.
And this affected the people who saw your show?
I really upset Akko when I told her everything.
Why didn't you go and chase after her then?
You came back by yourself, while Akko's out there all alone somewhere.
Say something, Professor!
I'm sorry...
I can't be of any help to her now.
What are you talking about?
I'm sure that she needs you now more than ever!
I can't...
I have to take care of other matters right now.
You want me to believe that something could possibly
be more important than Akko right now?
I won't hound you on this any longer.
The rest of us will find Akko.
I'm disappointed in you...
not about who you were then, but who you are now.
Please take care of her for me.
So I heard Akko hasn't come back yet.
Yes.
It's possible that she's still in town.
Did you find anything out?
No way!
Is that really true?
The reason Akko can't fly is Chariot's fault?
The way Akko loves Chariot, she must've taken that really hard.
You gotta wonder if she's not gonna come back...
Don't even say that!
There's no way she'd leave things like this.
I'm... sure you're right.
Sorry, I wasn't thinking.
There's something I don't get.
How does Ursula know about all this?
We can talk about that later.
Finding Akko is what's important right now.
Well, I'm coming with you!
I'll go as well!
I'll try heading out to the station to look for her there.
That's a good idea.
Then I'll try searching for her along the Leyline.
Got it.
Let's go!
Akko!
Come on, Akko!
If you don't come back, I swear I'll never forgive you.
It figures.
Akko always did have a way of getting us to follow her.
Sucy!
So she wasn't near the station?
Doesn't seem like it. Nothing over here either.
Let's go check out the field just to be sure.
Come on.
It's too much...
thinking that she might be gone.
I can't...
Until now...
I never even thought about the possibility that one day she might be gone.
What do I do?
What do I do if Akko doesn't come back?
It'll be okay.
Really?
Akko's a big dummy.
There's no way she'll be able to hide from us for long.
Yeah.
I bet she'll be back before you know it, saying how hungry she is or something.
Akko!
Have you warmed up a bit?
It's freezing out.
I can't believe you were actually sitting out there this entire time.
I talked to Professor Ursula.
She told me what happened between you and Chariot.
Listen, Akko...
there's something that I'd like to show you.
A premium Chariot card?
I understand that you were an avid collector.
But why would you have something like this?
When I was little, I was a big admirer of Shiny Chariot as well.
What?
You were a fan? Is that really true?
More than you could know.
I remember early on, she had already been drawing some controversy.
I had to collect these in secret as a result.
Being able to go see her show seemed to be an impossibility.
Even so, that didn't stop me from dreaming about it.
Then, one day, my mother arranged a trip overseas, and fulfilled my dream at last.
You traveled just to see her show?
We did. To your country.
So we saw the same performance...
It was wonderful.
I recall that night as if it were yesterday.
But, in actuality, there was a time when she couldn't use magic.
So...
that was the reason why you couldn't use magic back then?
You already knew about all that?
I did. I heard it from Andrew.
He also told me how you never gave up,
and worked hard to be able to use your magic again.
Is that so?
What happened to us was unfortunate.
There's no denying that fact.
But I have no sympathy for you.
I'm certain you can regain your power.
What I've gone through should be proof of that fact.
I should've known...
that's so you.
Both our powers were absorbed in the exact same way.
But you worked really hard and became an amazing witch.
Meanwhile, here I am still not being able to fly yet.
Do you know why I didn't give up back then?
Wasn't it so you could become the head of your family?
Certainly, that was part of it.
But if that had been my only motivation,
I would've surely become overwhelmed and given up long ago.
We're actually quite similar.
What?
Just like you, I was so enchanted by Chariot's magic.
I remember when I saw her for the first time.
My heart was pounding so hard from excitement.
It was then that I realized how much I loved magic.
That amazing feeling she left me with...
is what gave me the strength to keep going and persevere.
However, the more I learned about magic,
the more I learned of the expectations people had for me,
and so in due time, I grew apart from Chariot.
I had to leave childish things in the past.
I convinced myself that I had to grow up and locked those dreams away.
But the reason I chose to go to Luna Nova
was because that was the school Chariot attended.
To be honest, I didn't much care for you when we first met.
Why?
You kept talking about how much you loved Chariot,
and you were so bad at your studies.
You would do all sorts of reckless things
which would get everyone else into trouble.
Yet somehow, you managed to pull off these amazing feats I could never do.
Your magic had a strange charm to it.
I envied you. I really did.
Come on, that's impossible.
Come to think of it, perhaps the reason I wanted to leave Luna Nova
was because I wanted to get away from you,
because I knew that you were closer to Chariot than I would ever be.
Diana...
I want to give this to you.
Perhaps its message will help you.
Is believing in myself really enough though?
I know it is.
That's what makes you special, Akko.
That magic within you...
no one else can rival.
Lotte...
I'm so glad you're here!
Hey, it's okay!
You're not actually leaving, right?
Are you gonna pack up and quit school?
Lotte...
No, of course not!
I've still gotta chase my dream.
I won't leave until that happens!
You promise?
Yes, I promise.
I'm sorry to make you worry.
Thank you so much.
There you are, Akko!
You guys! You came here to find me, too?
Akko says that she's not leaving!
Ya see?
I told you that was gonna be the case.
Hey, you all must be freezing.
Here ya go.
It's all on the house.
Thank you!
Hey, Akko... are those some tears I see by any chance?
No!
I... just got something stuck in my eye!
Don't lie. You're totally crying.
No, I'm not!
Seriously, we can see the tears.
What?
You're right on time.
I thought that you might enjoy witnessing my latest work.
This is...
That's right, Noire Fuel Spirit.
This is all the energy I've collected.
I have you to thank in part.
I was able to perfect this device
using the data collected from the Dream Fuel Spirit.
Your assistance was much appreciated.
Very soon...
my plan will be ready to proceed to its ultimate stage.
I won't let you.
I'll stop you here and now.
Translated by: Lana Sofer