Previously

Have you ever heard of "The power of null"? The power of zero?" Making the three of them shook their heads with a "no" answer.

"I thought so, according to numerology, the power of zero or most commonly, the number 0 is the only number that represents all that is, including all potential. In a numerology chart, the interpretation usually relates to infinite possibilities, all or nothing, anything, or other barrier-free ideas. Zero is both closed and wide open. It means comprehensiveness, openness, wholeness, and infinity." Mahiko explained, making Lotte's eyes turned to stars, Sucy with an impressed look while Akko just scratch her head, obviously confuse by long answer of the wizard.

"In other words, with the power of null, I can change my staff into anything I can imagine like: a shield, sword, spear and a broom." Mahiko displayed its morphing magic in order making Akko and Lotte watched the staff change in awe.

"In contrast in turning it into everything, I can also harness it's power to negate different forms of magical attacks." Mahiko ended his explanation.

"That is so cool! You can actually be as strong as Shiny Chariot?!" Akko asked the wizard with glee making the wizard just chuckle at her childish claims.

"Maybe Lady Kagari. Who knows?" Mahiko said making the girl jump in glee.

"Maybe if I can harness this number 0, I can be a step closer in becoming a great witch, just as great as Shiny Chariot!"

"I would doubt that part Lady Kagari, as well as it would be nigh impossible to attain, especially with your enthusiastic behavior."

"How so? You have already have a staff that is made out of it." Sucy said, stopping her work in cleaning the tub.

"It took me a year straight to harness and make this staff out of the power of null, even if I manage to obtain just a very small fraction of that said magical power. It requires your full concentration, dedication and focus on harnessing it. And that is not all, that one year straight, was me meditating, not moving, not eating, not drinking, nor even sleeping. Making this staff out that said power took a great toll on me. After I have obtained it in my grasps, I have to go through several therapies in order to regain what I have lost in that one year of meditation." Mahiko explained his situation of attaining this staff. This got the three girls to shudder for what happened to Mahiko and what he has to go through in order to grabbed that said power.

"Were you hurt?" Sucy unexpectedly ask with her tone was that of concern.

"It's a pain in the ass Lady Manbavaran. A pain like nothing I have ever felt in my entire life." Mahiko

"Well, are you OK now?" Lotte asked with her voice same as Sucy's.

"Of course Lady Jansson. I am still moving just fine after the therapies many years ago." Mahiko said as he moves his wrists a little.

"It is a good thing that you said that it is almost impossible to attain such magic. I don't think I can wait that long just to get that staff." Akko shivered at the thought of herself going through the same thing as Mahiko.

"You can't wait on anything Akko." Sucy replied making the brunette annoyed by her remark.

"What do you mean I can't wait for anything?! I know how to wait you know?" Akko shouted back at the girl.

Akko and Sucy ontinue to argue, mostly Akko arguing, leaving Mahiko and Lotte as they sigh at their constant arguing antics. Lotte looked at the staff turned broom on Mahiko's hand, he noticed it and gave her the broom while he turns back to its original form, making the girl flinch by his action.

"You can touch Lady Jansson. I insist." Mahiko said, Lotte with her hands shaking slightly took the black broom from his hand. She gasps a little at the texture of the staff turned broom, but what truly got her to gasps is the power behind it.

"It truly is magic itself, the staff that has its source of magic. Like the legendary Shooting Star." Lotte was amaze by the power that the staff is giving off.

"But unlike Shooting Star, this staff can do so much more." Mahiko replied. They conversation was cut off by the loud bickering of the two witches. The both sighed once again, Lotte returned his staff back, once in his hands he morphed it back to a broom.

"Please don't tell anyone about this Lady Jansson, I want this to be kept in complete secrecy. I don't want this power to come into the wrong hands, especially those who wants to use for their own gain."

"Of course Mahiko. I can keep it a secret, we are friends after all."

"Yeah. Friends." He said as he still look at the two witches as they keep bickering.

"We better finish this so three can go sleep." Mahiko said, making the girl next to her look up and nod back.

The three resume their scrubbing and cleaning of the troll bath. When finish the cleaning, they all gone into their seperate ways, Mahiko going to his own dorm while the trio got to their own.

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((Author's Note: English Translation will be inside of the paranthesis "()".

Mahiko's POV

In Magical Pharmaceutics, being in class had made me remember one of things I am bad at. Potion making. Posion making I am good at, just throw in stuffs and chemicals on the test tubes or glasses such Hydrochloric Acid, Sulfuric Acid, Copper Sulfate, Sodium Hydroxide and etc. and let's not forget somethings like blood of an orc, death sticks and whatnot. This is practically one of the worst subjects that I have to handle in my magical life.

Today, we are to make a simple potion, any potion is acceptable as long as the professor see it fit and it has its medical purposes on many types of creatures. Now I am just doing what the instruction on the book said, and sometimes I look up to the chalk board and look at the other precautions that will prevent disruption. And from the book, I am just doing what it is said, and another thing that the book made me do that caused many students to eye me is this. I took hold a simple metal slab on my hand, I concentrate to turn the slab into a small turn table using alchemy, which it worked and grabbed a smaller and thinner metal slab and turned it into a disk. I leaned my staff down on the table, put the disk on the turn table and it started to play a specific music instructed by the book.

(Don't blame me for this, I love this scene. Start on 0:24)

The audio says it all, this is one of the procedures that the book instructed me to do, which caused all the eyes landing on me, I hate it sometimes. I absolutely hate having eyes stare directly on me. After finishing my potion, I just stood there at my own tabke, minding my own business while ignoring the eyes looking at me. I know that this is an embarrasing procedure that the book made me do, but it had to be done. I turned my head to the Red Trio's table (A/N: When he mentions "Red Trio" it always mention our three main protagonists, I always put the other team members on a different name.) and saw how they are doing, that is when Lady Kagari put on a tad bit too much of the "sugar" part, which caused her project to go boom. I just snickered at her efforts, but what can I say, she is trying to be a good, if not, a great witch like she always wanted to.

I turn my backs on them and examine my own creation, I want to pass my pharmaceuticals atleast, not like the last time I made one of these during my time with my mentors. While I kept om staring at it, I heard a ruckus from behind me, their voices obviously came from both Lady Kagari and Lady O'Neill. My guess is that Lady Kagari started it and Lady O'Neill return the favor which cause their current argument right now. After a few seconds of silence I thought that they were finished, but nope, an explosion happened and its shockwaved made my face slammed on the door of the oven.

"Punyemas naman oo. (For fuck's sake)." I sweared quietly in my native tongue as I hold my nose in pain.

After picking myself up, I brush off remnants of dusts on my clothes, pulled out a handkerchief and rubbed my face and hair to rid the stained black scorch marks caused by the explosion, which includes taking off my glasses, a good thing no one is looking at my direction as I quickly clean my glasses and placed them back on, trying to hide eyes, my mask protected me from the gasses from the explosion.

"Scrylla Yera Retoure!" A spell was incanted by the voice of Lady Diana. The flying debris were once floating in mid air for a moment until they flew back towards where it was were, time reversed until the table in which exploded was restored to its former figure.

I looked back at my creation that was inside of the oven, and looked like total shit. I messed this up yet again, I really wanted to pass atleast in this subject but it appears that I will expect bad grades on this one. I looked towards the group of Lady Diana, which the leader is scolding both Lady Kagari and Lady O'Neill for their tomfoolery while both Hannah and Barbara are completely talking down on the two of them. I never really liked those two since my first encounter with them during the broom flying class a few days ago, both snarky, obnoxious and talk about being sassy for no reason just to show dominance onto others. But they are still young, yet to be matured and disciplined, they will learn one way or another to not underestimate another person for their appearance.

"Hey Diana, look what I found in the botanical garden that we can use for our experiment." Hannah gained Lady Diana's attention as she pulled out something from her pocket. Something that caught my attention for a moment until my eyes widened from shock, reality hit me in the face from what Hannah brought out in the open.

Doom Shroom

How in the world did Hannah managed to enter my part of the botanical garden without waking him up, and without a single scratch on her as there are diurnal plants that can attack and can pack a punch with their bullets and other offense and defense mechanism if they have an unknown individual in the premises? How in the world did she get permission to enter my part of the garden with my consent and without my knowledge? Does she even know that the plants that are in my part are actually living and sentient? So many questions are bombarding into my mind that my body couldn't move and just stood there without even trying to do anything to prevent this mess to become even messier.

"Oi Hannah, where did you get that mushroom?" Lady Manbavaran asked the girl, walking closer her while I tried to regain my thoughts.

"From the botanical garden freaky face. I didn't know they have a bunch of mushrooms planted there." Hannah said to Lady Manbavaran, which she put on a little insult on her. It triggered me for a sudden but it fell on the back of my head and looked at the current situation, that made me snap back.

"Lady England, I suggest you put that plant down slowly." I instructed the girl as I slowly walked towards her, which she then looked at me with a skeptical look.

"What do you mean "put it down"? You want this mushroom to?"

"I mean it Lady England. You don't want the results of it when he is given a bad awakening." I warned her but it fell silent in her ears.

"Mahiko, do you know what this is?" Lady Diana asks me but I didn't answer as my focus is on Doom Shroom.

"Is it true that there are many mushrooms planted in the garden?" Lady Manbavaran, appeared next to me and also asked me but her question also fell deaf to my ears.

"Mahiko, what's going on? why are you so frightened by this mushroom?" Lotte was next to question me but like the other questions, they are unanswered.

"You mean this is thing is asleep?" Hannah asked and looked at the mushroom in her hand, which she smirked a bit and looked at me. "You mean being woken up like this?" What she did made my blood boil a little for her incompetent antic and my blood still in fear.

"Don't!" I warned but it was too late, she shook Doom Shroom so wildly, until she finished it. Doom Shroom's eyes opened immidiately and looked at his surrounding with his eyes first locked onto me.

"H-h-hey there little guy. Calm down. Calm down." I tried to cool Doom Shroom down from his rude awakening but it failed as Doom Shroom's eyes turned towards his captor Hannah.

"Oh dear." Doom Shroom looked at Hannah with his red eyes glaring at his captor. Hannah just gave Doom Shroom a crooked smile, obviously frightened by the glare the mushroom gave her, as well as Barbara, while Diana looked at it with a raised eyebrow. Hannah and Barbara's fear grew even further when Doom Shroom's head starts to expand.

"Take cover." I whispered in fear which most of the students heard, I unknowingly grabbed Lady Manbavaran's hand and ran where the other two are, I placed them behind and underneath the table and made them duck, while I still stood there and watch as Doom Shroom's head expands until it booms.

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Sucy's POV

After that hectic catastrophe that happened during the Magical Pharmaceutics, leaving the room completely useless because of the radiation level and the scorch marks all over the place with the equipments burnt to ashes. Luckily there are a few creatures that are capable of feeding radiation, so the room will return back to normal in a few days. Professor Finnelan and Professor Lukić scolded not only Akko and Amanda, but also Hannah and Barbara for causing the first explosion, and the second explosion which is the mini mushroom cloud explosion. Luckily everyone was OK for they already took cover the moment the mushroom's head expands, after the mushroom calmed down, Mahiko gently took it and ran outside and back to the botanical garden. For Akko and Amanda, they are to clean the base of Luna Nova Tower, while Hannah and Barbara are to Troll's bath, the same bath tub that we used to clean as a punishment for not only leaving the school premises but also ditching Professor Ursula's detention that day. While they are doing so, Lotte and I went back to our dorms, still in our uniform, finishing our homework from other subjects, such as Avian Language, White Magic and such.

Both Lotte and I are already finished as we just went to do want we usually do, Lotte reading a new volume of Night Fall on her bed while I am doing alchemy and potion making. While doing so, my mind went back to the mushroom that caused the explosion, I didn't know that there is an exploding kind of mushroom, and not only that, it is living (I mean, actually living) and the only person who know of this is a friend of ours, Mahiko. Hannah said that she found this mushroom in the botanical garden, and also included that there are more than just that kind of mushroom. I got giddy because of the thoughts of different kinds of mushroom that I can use, but seeing Mahiko's reaction from one particular mushroom, I may assume that he owns that mushroom, maybe with the other mushrooms that are planted in the botanical garden. While my mind is still lingering from the mushroom topic, it is then interrupted by a knock on our dorm's door.

"Hello? Lady Jansson? Lady Manbavaran?" A voice asks outside while still knocking on our door. The voice is clearly a male and we only know one student in this school who is a male. Lotte stood up from her bed, and opened the door, and what truly is a surprise is that Mahiko still in his uniform, out of all the students, stood outside of our dorm with his facial disguise.

"Mahiko? What are you doing here?" Lotte asked our tall friend.

"I kinda needs some help on a certain subject. Would you mind If I come inside Lady Jansson?" Mahiko asked us.

"Sure. Come In Mahiko." Lotte said as she opened the door all the way.

"Thank you Lady Jansson." Mahiko said as he was about to enter until he hit his forehead on the door frame, causing our friend to stagger a bit as he holds his forehead out of pain.

"Punyemas naman. Minsan talaga nakakairita maging matangkad. (EN: For fuck's sake. I really hate being tall sometimes)." He silently cursed as he slightly bends down for him to enter our dorm, unfortunately, I heard him and made me widened my eyes a little out of surprise on what he said. I kept my mouth close, wanting to know if my speculation about what he said is true about who he is.

"Are you alright Mahiko?" Lotte asked the tall wizard which he replied with a quiet yet pained voice.

"I am fine Lady Jansson." He straighten himself up as he entered the room. I know that we have already seen him up close, but his height still amazes me. Us three barely even reach his his neck when he stood up straight, it barely even reaches his shoulders. Genetics I guess or he is just one lucky guy to be very tall.

"So what are you in need of help for?" I asked the tall wizard as Lotte stood next to me. He had a small blush forming on his face even though his face mask is not doing a good job at hiding it.

"In Magical..... Pharmaceutics." He said like he is embarassed to say it outloud, making both Lotte and I looked at each other first then back at the wizard with a quizzical look on our faces.

"I suck at that subject. I really suck at it. J don't want to bother Professor Ursula since she is personally tutoring Lady Kagari and she is having a lot of work weighing on her shoulders. I know little to none from other students here, since I mostly associate myself with you three, maybe I can ask for your help on this one." Mahiko said his reasons on choosing us to help him on Magical Pharmaceutics.

I know that Mahiko is knowledgeable about many subjects, especially his advice on helping Akko on broom flying during our practice for the Annual Broom Relay (even though he didn't participate on the event) but it this actually suprises me, along with Lotte, and it is a good thing that Akko wasn't here or else she will throw a fit.

"It's OK if you all don't want to. I am OK with it." He said while waving his hands over his face out of embarassement. He guessed that our silence means no to him. Lotte starts calming the giant down with her gentle voice.

"We'll help Mahiko, but I am not that of a knowledgeable person. Maybe Sucy can help." Lotte said as she presented Mahiko to me. "She is a much more capable person when it comes alchemy and potion making. Right Sucy?." Lotte continued on, making me look at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah." Sucy neutrally answered Lotte's question.

"Then will you assist me then in Magical Pharmaceutics Lady Manbavaran?" Mahiko asked me for help.

I had to think for a moment for what I am going say and how I should answer him. I mean, there is nothing wrong on helping others, perhaps he could make a fine addition to my guinea pig collection. I could experiment on him using many potions that I have prepared like I always do to Akko, another thing is the mushrooms that Hannah said that Mahiko knew about in the botanical garden. But the way he tried to warn Hannah about it, made me rethink my thoughts on questioning him for a sample, I have knowledge on many kinds of mushrooms through the books that I have red during my time with my mother, but not the kind of mushrooms that Mahiko did I assume owns, a living and sentient mushroom. And seeing that this is my first time teaching other people that is not my sisters, and also, I might learn more about him, for the reasons of needing a disguise and where he is from and others, but I will hold those question back for awhile and get to know him better.

"Sure. Whatever. I can teach him." I said with my normally neutral voice, making Lotte smiled and looked at Mahiko that also sighed, and from the vibe he is giving off, he seems glad about my offer.

"Thank you for assisting me Lady Manbavaran. I can assure, I maybe bad at first but I will get use to your teachings." Mahiko said while I waved it off.

"Yeah. Yeah. And call me, Akko and Lotte by our first name, since we are already acquainted before, except for Akko which she insists on letting everyone call her by her nickname."

"And while you are assisting me on Magical Pharmaceutics, I will assists you others as well if you are OK with it."

"I am OK with you helping us Mahiko. You are also OK with this Sucy?" Lotte accepts Mahiko's request on helping them and asked me.

"Yeah. Sure." I said still using my neutral, uninterested voice.

"Ok then Lad- I mean Sucy, Lotte, when do I start?" Mahiko asked us both while still awkward in saying our first name.

"You can start the next day, since Professor Lukić didn't gave us any homework for Magical Pharmaceutics, so you don't have to worry about it today Mahiko." Lotte said as I went back on my work on the table, using a test tube holder, I grabbed a test tube filled tears of Flame Fae and placed it over a small alcohol lamp.

"OK then Lad- I mean Lotte. I will see you two tomorrow then." Mahiko said as he was about to exit our dorm, I heard him wince in pain again as he bumped his forehead on the door frame again.

"Lintik na pintuan na ito! Bakit kasi ang tangkad ko? (This cursed door! Why am I so tall?)" He muttered to himself as I heard him say his farewell to the both of us, which Lotte was the one who answered him for me, and heard the door lock.

"Do you think Akko is finished Sucy?" Lotte asked me, I only turned my eyes on her as I just shrug. There is no telling if that girl actually did her chore or she just slack off, Lotte just sighed and went back to her bed and resume her book reading while I also resumed on my potion making, after heating one test tube. I took another one from my test tube rack and poured the heated one onto the unheated one and start mixing them together while pouring a pinch of pink rock salt on it.

So he can speak tagalog as well. My guess is that he is Filipino, but I don't know if he is full-blooded who knows english very well or a half-blooded one, but who cares, another fact is that I found someone who can also speak my language as well.

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Third Person POV

The school is in a minor complication due dragons taking the Sorcerer's Stone, making everyone completely useless in the arts of magic. Akko and Amanda were the first to notice the dragons stealing the stone, both of them tried to stop them by following them on Amanda's broom but they were too far away for the broom to access its magic so they are force to notify the school's staff. When they both got their and notify them of the current situation, the staff members are already aware of their problem which Professor Lukić unintentionally brought forth what she calls "Dragon's wrath". Both Akko and Amanda tries to persuade the members in letting them aid with this problem, but Headmistress Holbrooke dismisses the idea which made Akko disagree with the Headmistress' decision but before their conversation turns more heated, Professor Finnelan had assigned them for an extra punishment or detention which is to do all of the school's laundry which made the two distraughted.

Later at night, the Trio and Amanda's group were now forced to do the entire school's laundry. Akko is just as upset as Sucy and Amanda. Akko asked why they are doing these chores instead of the workers which Lotte explained to her that without the Sorcerer's Stone, almost every magical creatures such as sprites, minotaurs, elves, faeries and such are inactive due to require a magical source to become active and more energetic, forcing the students to do their bidding until the staff members deal with the situation. Amanda remarked on how frightened were the staff members were about the situation involving the dragons, Sucy made the mood from all them worsen by explaining that in the old days that dragon's source of nourishments were witches blood, and they gain nutrients by sucking them dry until leaving them of flesh and bones but with the abscence of blood in their bodies, this story made the others shudder. Akko tried to rally her friends on going to retrieve the stone by themselves which Lotte recalled that there were dragons that used to reside in the Rastavan Ruins. Akko was about to go after it when Diana came in and scolded them that they should continue their chores and let the professors and the headmistress handled the situation, in doing so discouraged them in pursuing the stone, yet Akko's persistence tried to talk back to Diana but she turn Akko down. As Diana was about to leave, she bumped into someone that made her look up who she bumped into.

"Sorry about that Lady Diana." Mahiko apologizes while standing at the entrance as he notices the Red Trio and another group of three inside the room.

"Mahiko? What are you doing here?" Diana asked the tall wizard.

"I got bored in my dorm since I finished everything I am supposed to do. And my plants so happened to be asleep, even the nocturnal ones so I have no other place to go and no else to talk to except those trio." Mahiko pointed at Akko, Lotte and Sucy.

"Us?" Akko obliviously asked as she points herself and the rest of her friends/roommates.

"Yes Akko. You three." Mahiko sighed at the girl's oblivious nature, he looked at the sight of unfolded clean sheets inside a straw basket. Mahiko grimaced at the sight of it, he walked towards, places his staff near to a wall, grabs one sheet and starts folding them, and he kept on doing to the other unfolded sheets.

"I don't remember you being punished by Professor Finnelan, yet why fold them?" Diana raised one eyebrow

"Like I told you Lady Diana, I got bored in the dorm with nothing to do. As well as wanting to help them as much as possible, even though I am not punished by it." Mahiko simply said as he went back to folding the sheets with such speed that he is already at his 10th sheet.

"Then I trust you that you'll watch over them as they are still in detention." Diana said as she squint her eyes towards Akko and her friends.

"You can trust me Lady Diana. They are in my hands now. You can leave them to me." Mahiko assured the platinum blonde as he went back on his 27th sheet.

"Very well then Mahiko. I will leave them at your hands." Assured by his words, Diana left the student at the hands of Mahiko.

Akko and Amanda grumbled at the platinum blonde's attitude towards them and how she lectures them as if she is their superior. Akko then turned towards me, she was about to complain on why they should listen to Diana but Mahiko halts her before she can form words by raising his hand and placed his 32th sheet down to the basket filled with the other folded sheets.

"Before you can complain Akko, which I know you have the tendency to complain every once in a while."

"Hey!" Akko snarked back at the wizard's assumed insult.

"But I know your stubborness all to well thanks to observing your behavior from the past days and from your friends."

"Then you are a stalker then?" Amanda butted in the conversation which made the wizard groan out of annoyance and palms his face.

"I can assure that I am not a stalker Lady...."

"O'Neill. Amanda O'Neill. And cut the lady crap, for I am not into those lady-type of girls." Amanda said, introducing her full name to Mahiko.

"And these are my roommates/ friends. Jasminka Antonenko, the once who is still eating, and Constanze Amalie Von Braunschbank, Hooo what a long name, is the one is with the small robot." Amanda then introduce her other friends to the wizard.

"Thank you for the introduction Amanda. Now back to where I left off, I know your stubborness will get you in trouble Akko, but since you are doing this not only for you to become a good witch, but you are also doing this out of good will and good intention. So with that, I will let you do as you please."

"......... Nani?" Akko asked as she scratch her head in confusion. The everyone in the room (minus Lotte and Jasminka) facepalm the girl's occassional lack of sense.

"What I mean Akko is that I will let you all leave this room while I finish off all these sheets." Mahiko made it much more clearer to the Japanese girl.

"Ehh? But wouldn't get you in trouble Mahiko?" Akko questioned the wizard's words onto her.

"Only when you get caught Akko. Now ready yourselves Akko while I finish the rest of them." Mahiko returns to folding the other dried sheets from the clothes line.

"You sure about this Mahiko? I mean there is still the fetching of water and drying them." Lotte asked the wizard, concerned about leaving all of this laundry to himself.

"I will be fine Lotte. Besides I think water fetching and doing the laundry will be done in no time." Mahiko said as he points towards the two members of Amanda's group. Constanze build many washing machines while Jasminka, whose uniform sleeves are folded, is pumping water out of the manual water pump in such a fast pace.

"I will be alright here Akko. Now you and your friends get out there and show those dragons that you witches are not to be messed with." Akko became motivated by his words and just nodded back at him with a determined smile on her face.

"Here." Mahiko said as he threw something at Akko, which the girl caught. She looked at it and it is a small metal badge that has a red wifi signal on it.

"In case that you may have some trouble along the way Akko. That wifi signal is a special rune that I carved and made on that badge. Just press the badge as hard as you can and shout my name while pouring magic into it. That will tell me if you are in a dire situation and I will come by and help you." Mahiko explained what to do which made Akko nod at him.

"Thanks Mahiko-san. OK then. Everyone get your things ready. We are taking back our stone." Akko raised her fist up high for all to see. She quickly left the laundry room with Lotte, Amanda, Constanze and Jasminka shortly following her after, leaving Sucy to just slowly followed them. Before she can exit she looked back at Mahiko who is already at his 50th folded sheet.

"Are you sure that you will be OK with us leaving you here with our supposed chore? The professor's might also punished you for this." Sucy asked Mahiko with a concerned voice laced on her words.

"I told you Sucy. I am OK being here." Mahiko assured the apathetic looking girl which she slightly nod at him, but before she could leave, Mahiko called her out before saying a famous line from Star Wars.

"May the force be with you." Mahiko said, trying to lighten the girl's mood up, she then returned his words with a tiny small that can barely be seen.

"May the force be also with you Mahiko."

Mahiko was then left alone in the Laundry room and in his hands is the 57th folded sheet. He smiled at it and placed it with the other folded white sheet, he continued his folding while his mind wonders to the girls that left him to retrieve the school's source of magic, and maybe this could lighten their sentence.

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(Timeskip)

Third Person POV

Akko with her friends by her side, they went towards to Rastavan Ruins, to retrieve the school's Sorcerer's stone, leaving Mahiko to do their work. The tall wizard knew they will get caught one way or another and punished, he also knew that he will also be punished for cooperating in their escapade. So when Akko and her friends left the school perimeter, the only thing he did in the laundry room was folding the clean and dried sheets into neat stacks, the wizard counted about 500 sheets that he folded, and left the other sheets for the others to do if they are caught and punished by Professor Finnelan, in which the wizard tries to come up with a way to lighten there sentence.

The gang manage to reach the ruins with the help of Constanze's modified broom that tied the other's broom to it, Amanda notified that there broom's battery is filling up, noting them that they must be close to the stone. Before they could investigate the ruins up close, they were ambushed by the same dragons that took the Sorcerer's stone. The dragons caused all of them to split, some of them manage to bring down the dragons, which surprised them that these dragons are not really dragons, but machines. Before they could investigate the machines, screams of their friends caused Akko and Amanda to watch Sucy, Lotte, Constanze and Jasminka to be taken by the remaining dragons to unknown places of the ruins. Before the duo could follow them, they fell on a secret compartment that leads them to an unknown place, a place that is giant compared to them. They quietly looked at the room, until they saw their friends caged in by a bird or a hamster cage.

Before they could release their friends, the room rumbled a bit and saw an enormous silhouette entering the room. The two hide behind some large objects, observing the silhouette until it neared to their caged friends. Out of instict, Akko immediately went out of hiding and ran towards the giant figure, despite Amanda's whispered warning, the figure caught her before she could do anything to him. The figure opened the lights of the room and revealed that the figure was a dragon, and said to them that they were the ones that caused his security system, and went back to the cage and freed Akko and Amanda's friends. The dragons then said about expenses and interests that school must repay but all of them were confused by his statement, until Headmistress Holbrooke, Professor Badcock and Professor Lukić entered the room with a cargo of antique objects behind them, they were surprised by the appearance of their students inside of the dragons room, the three of them scolded the girls before the giant dragon took their attention away from the students. The trio staff members of the school tried to express their concern about the expenses and interest that the school is doing, but it only made the dragon be upset of their attempt to repay their debt to the dragon, and explained to them on why he took their sorcerer stone and how modern science and technology helped him manage his money.

Before he could continue any further, the voife of Diana Cavendish and Professor Finnelan entered the room with a big scroll behind their back. Then it turns out that the dragons only stole Luna Nova's Sorcerer's Stone because the school was in "debt" with the dragons for many years ago with the scroll or the pact between Luna Nova and them. Fafnir, the dragon who is responsible for the taking the stone, was exposed for a false statement that the school's expenses and interests are not apart of the deal, it was not even written in the contract. All of this became possible with the help of Diana Cavendish who manages to decipher the contract that is in Dragonese. This caused everyone who is present in the dragons office (Akko, Lotte, Sucy, Amanda, Jasminka, Constanze ) look at the dragon with an obvious disgust plastered on their faces, while the others remain neutral (Headmistress Holbrooke, Professor Badcock, Professor Lukić, Professor Finnelan and Diana).

This cause Fafnir the dragon to return the stone back to Luna Nova's property, much to everyones happiness but to his dismay. All them were about to leave the room and dragon to return to Luna Nova but Akko heard the dragon's muttering words about the end of magic in the modern world, which Akko enthusiastically disagree with him and said that there are people who still believe in magic, and that magic has the power to move the hearts of many people for many generations. Fafnir was skeptical about this, he disregard it and left them. The words that the young witch said made Fafnir feel a sense of nostalgia, made him realize that there are still people out there in the world that holds the same passion and enthusiasm as Akko, he has taken her words to heart.

The next day, Akko and Amanda's group were punished again, with the same punishment like yesterday. Instead of only the two of them, Mahiko was also with them, a professor specifically Professor Nelson, saw him folding the sheets last night which the wizard tried to come up an excuse on why he is doing this and not them. This made the professor assured but later she learned from the students who are witnesses during the night that the wizard insisted that the two teams to leave and retrieve the stone, which that excuse that the wizard said was a lie. When the two teams plus Diana, along with the professors and the headmistress returned to the school with the stone back in the campus, Professor Nelson reported to them about Mahiko being involved in the two teams' escapade. This made the professors and the headmistress scold the two teams, and told them that Mahiko will also be punished. And here they are now, in the laundry room with all of them doing their specific tasks and with Mahiko on the sidelines, quickly yet neatly folding as many sheets as he can.

"I guess you didn't my help after all Akko. You managed the situation just fine." Mahiko said and smiled at the girl, who awkwardly chuckles at him even though she couldn't see his smile thanks to his face mask.

"Sorry that you didn't get to help us Mahiko-san. You seem to want to help us from the beginning." Akko apologizes to him while she lifts another bag of unclean sheets of cloth.

"No worries Akko. I will get some action soon enough after all of this." Mahiko reassures her while he neatly folds as many clean cloths as fast as he can while she returns towards her friends and helps them.

While all of them were doing their own chore, with Amanda and Akko going at it again on their arguments with Lotte tried to calm them down, the staff of Mahiko that is leaning on a wall next to him, started vibrating and blinking colored blue. This made the wizard stop his chore, picked his staff up and went outside of the room for a more private conversation, when he saw there is no one present outside and the door closed of the room, he tapped his staff on the ground two times, until the crescent crown of the staff starts to glow and form a mirror-like projection inside.

"Eyo. Oh Hi Cuz! It has been a long time since I saw and heard of you. How were you? Good. Uh huh. I am doing good here as well. Students here are good, especially my friends. The professors? Yeah, they seem to be alright. What? You are coming here? When? How? OK, OK. It is a good thing that you called and said that you are coming, or else I'll be beating your ass for the sudden appearance. OK, see you soon Cuz." The conversation between Mahiko and his caller was short, but it is enough for the wizard to know what is going to happen. He ended the call by tapping his staff twice on the ground and his staff stopped glowing.

Mahiko sighed and went back to the laundry room with Amanda and Akko still going at it with Lotte trying to seperate them. He quietly went back to his task, placed his staff on the wall and started folded the clean sheets, being his 120th sheet.

'Time to prepare myself.' Mahiko thought to himself as he eyes focus on the task he is doing right now.

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Original Publish: July 25, 2020
Reedited Publish: Febuary 3, 2022