Chapter 11 (Keisuke Satō)

Chapter 11 is the eleventh chapter of the Little Witch Academia manga series adaptation illustrated by Keisuke Satō.
==Overview==
Amanda is frustrated by the growing interest in Akko in studying, so she decides to steal the answers of the next exam for her to approve. Although Akko refuses the help, she feels she can not let the teachers discover Amanda and expel her, so she decides to return the answers in secret. At night, Akko ends up trapped in a magical trap that reduces her size. After Jasminka made her see her true feelings, Amanda decides to go with Lotte and Sucy to help Akko. However, they are all discovered by Finnelan. After Amanda decided to sacrifice herself to save her friends from the expulsion, Finnelan acknowledges that both Amanda and Akko have grown up so she punishes them only with a laundry task.
==Summary==
The chapter begins during the day after "Orange Submariner" in which Hannah and Barbara are horror-struck upon the news of Akko's heroic deed in saving a group of endangered fish that made it to the front page of the academy's newspapers. The two argue that the Japanese witch-in-training was supposedly got herself expelled as the result, much to Diana's annoyance because her roommates listened unquestioningly to her prediction regarding Akko's likelihood to leave Luna Nova someday as much as everyone else like some mindless drones, but keeps most of it to herself knowing it has yet to pass and won't occur in the same way they they imagine, let alone hope.
With her detention from attempted cheating in the other day had been taken care of, Akko continues studying at the library for the rest of exams ahead. Her change for better surprised Amanda who wanted to bring her along in the screening of Constanze's new film, "Sharks vs. Cowboys". But Akko refuses, and her absence in the aforementioned screening annoyed Amanda. Sucy also feels the same way while Lotte can't help but wonder about circumstances behind her friend's change. Just then, the academy's resident troublemaker comes up with an idea which may helpful for Akko, though that seemed to be less than noble.
Despite her resolve, Akko is nonetheless stuck in parts she barely able to comprehend. Amanda once again approaches the Japanese witch-in-training, this time with an answer sheet she just stole along with suggestion for her to cheat with it. Appalled by such proposal after what happened at the last time, Akko comically objects such idea, unknowingly hurt Amanda's feelings that the Irish-American dejectedly leaves the sheet within her friend's reach in case if the latter changes her mind. Though baffled by Amanda's response (more so as the brunette hears her briefly expresses her inner resentment towards magic under her breath), Akko nevertheless examines the answer sheet to see whether it is a real deal only to be interrupted by Lotte and Sucy. Informing her roommates about what had transpired in their dorm room so as to avoid unwanted attention from the teachers, the increasingly worried Akko expresses her dilemma over what to do with the answer sheet knowing its disappearance will become a major problem sooner or later. To Lotte's awe, the Japanese witch-in-training explained her change for better was motivated by her conversation with Pisces sometime during or after the fiasco with fish-like professor earlier and other things. The disinterested Sucy states that Amanda won't likely get caught in stealing the sheet and they'd better of burning it into crisp instead of returning it due to too risky. However, Akko, already feared the worst, determined to return the sheet one way or another that night lest Amanda would be expelled for her troubles.
The Japanese witch-in-training's endeavor to discreetly return the answer sheet doesn't go smoothly, however. While sneaking through Luna Nova's dark corridors, Akko accidentally triggered one of the professors' hidden magical traps which, to her horror, shrinks her into the size of adult human's hand in a dust-like explosion. This attracts the attention of nearby goblin and troll night patrols she clumsily evaded before getting chased by a cockroach. As if getting chased by some disgusting insect is awful enough, they soon chased by the goblin and troll night patrols until another patrol, this time an ibis bird/stork-like creature, unexpectedly eats the cockroach, much to their colleagues and Akko's disgust. Nevertheless, the Japanese witch-in-training uses the moment as the opportunity to escape.
In green team's dorm room, Amanda, still disgruntled by her previous conversation with Akko earlier, revealed her marred perspective regarding magic and (in lesser extent) study in general to Jasminka, all while reminiscing the day when her parents decided to force her to enroll at Luna Nova so as to maintain their family business and with it, ties with magic community at the expense of their own daughter's well-being following her grandmother's passing. Amanda's resentments dismayed Jasminka who, to her shock, questions the Irish-American whether she felt the same way to her and the rest of her friends and rightfully points out what truly mattered when it comes about magic being the morality of its user.
Just then, Lotte and Sucy show up to inform Amanda about Akko's disappearance just as the Japanese witch-in-training returns to the group. Unable to get their attention due to her bewitchment and even nearly stomped by one of the girls, she resorts to crawl into Lotte's clothes, freaking the daylight out of her Finnish friend (and nearly risking themselves getting caught by the panicked night patrols in the process had Amanda not gagged her) before emerging from her dress' collar, startling them. After hearing how she got herself into such predicament, Amanda offers to undo the spell before Sucy stops her, rightfully pointing out that they know little about whatever mystical boobytrap that shrunk their friend, let alone how it works. As her friends face the dilemma over their worsening situation, Amanda selflessly decides to clean up her messes even if that means she will be expelled in the process. Predictably, Akko objects such idea as the Irish-American's absence won't make her struggles to become the next Shiny Chariot a worthwhile one, leading the two arguing until Finnelan interrupts them and worse, finding the answer sheet they briefly forgotten about.
Bringing Amanda, Akko, Lotte, and Sucy into her office at once and undoing the spell that shrunk the Japanese witch-in-training along the way, Finnelan strictly instructs them to remain silent in response of their poor attempt to explain themselves. Rather than yelling at their faces as expected, the peculiarity of their situation prompts the strict professor to analyze it thoroughly, knowing that Amanda is the most capable out of four when it comes about sneaking through the academy's security systems to steal the answer sheet without triggering it and her friends' presence suggested teamwork between the four as unlikely as it sounded. Despite Akko's protest earlier, Amanda confessed her theft of the answer sheet anyway for her friends' sake. Impressed by Amanda and Akko's maturity, Finnelan gives the two an appropriate punishment by in form of another laundry task as she personally tells to the panicked Ursula who heard the girls' predicament later on before berating the latter for meeting her with her tracksuit as opposed of her teacher uniform...
==Order of appearances==
==Trivia==
*Running Gag: Gaëlle glares at Akko whenever she yells during her argument with Amanda
*The chapter reveals some of Amanda's past and that she was forced to attend Luna Nova, which loosely based on her proposed background as shown in the franchise's official panel at AnimeNEXT 2017.Interesting Little Witch Academia character backstory tidbits from TRIGGER Panel at AX2017 from Reddit.com
==References==
Category:Manga chapters
Category:Little Witch Academia (Keisuke Satō)