wrapping it up!

By the time we made it back to the academy, the sun was beginning to set, casting warm hues of orange and pink across the sky. Diana's cafe managers helped us unload the neatly packed pastries, teas, and other treats, and soon enough, we were standing outside the classroom that would soon be transformed into our festival café.

I was exhausted.

Physically? No, I had plenty of energy left.

Mentally? Oh, absolutely.

Too much had happened today. Diana was too much. And the worst part? I knew she wasn't even close to being done with her antics.

"Welcome back, Diana and Sera," Claire greeted, a knowing glint in her violet eyes. She leaned forward with a mischievous smile, her hands on her hips. "Hope you two had fun."

I immediately tensed.

Tessa, who had been leaning casually against the desk, perked up with interest. "Oh? Fun, huh? Do tell."

Lillian and Camille, who had been going over decorations, also glanced up.

Camille rested her chin in her palm, looking at me expectantly. "Sera, why do you look like you've been through a whole novel's worth of drama?"

Diana let out a soft chuckle, far too smug for my liking.

"Oh, we had an absolute blast," she said, placing a hand on her chest like she was reminiscing about some grand, romantic adventure.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Diana."

"Hmm?" she hummed innocently.

"Don't. Start."

Lillian, ever graceful, turned to me, her soft gaze laced with curiosity. "Did something happen?"

I opened my mouth to deny everything, but—

"Oh, nothing much," Diana said, oh-so-casually. "We just went on a lovely stroll, had a little snack, met an adorable elderly couple who mistook us for lovers, held hands, and—oh! I even got a hug. It was quite romantic, really."

The room fell into silence.

Then—

"HUH?!" Claire practically yelled.

Tessa arched a brow, looking at me like I had personally betrayed her.

Camille leaned forward, her ice-blue eyes filled with pure interest. "You hugged Diana?"

I wanted to disappear.

"I—It wasn't like that!" I stammered, my face heating up to a concerning degree. "It was situational! She—She caught me off guard! She started flirting, and then the couple was there, and then she—"

"Flirting, huh?" Tessa cut in, smirking. "I see, I see."

"You don't see anything!"

Lillian, ever so composed, simply chuckled behind her hand. "It sounds like you two had a wonderful time."

I turned to her, desperate. "Lillian, please. You have to believe me. She's making it sound way worse than it was!"

Lillian's smile was far too gentle. "Oh, I believe you, Sera."

…That made it worse.

Diana simply patted my head, her smirk only growing. "No need to be so flustered, love. It's adorable."

"Stop. Calling. Me. That."

Claire gasped, dramatically pointing at Diana. "Wait a second! Are you trying to steal Sera?!"

Tessa crossed her arms. "Not happening."

Camille smirked, resting a hand under her chin. "I don't know, ladies. It sounds like Sera might be enjoying the attention."

My soul left my body.

Lillian, Tessa, Claire, and Camille were all watching me, their expressions ranging from amusement to… something else entirely.

I let out the deepest sigh of my life.

Why me? Why always me?!

"Listen. Nothing happened. I swear. Now, can we please—"

Diana suddenly leaned in way too close, her voice low and utterly entertained.

"But what if I wanted something to happen?"

Oh. My. God.

The entire room erupted into chaos. 

"Leave some of Sera for me!" Claire dramatically declared, lunging toward me before I could even process what was happening.

"AH! CLAIRE! GET OFF ME!" I squealed as she practically wrapped herself around me, pulling me into a suffocating hug.

Tessa laughed, arms crossed as she watched with an amused smirk. "You see, this is why I stayed quiet. The moment you get caught up in the whirlwind that is Sera Vandren's love life, you'll never get out."

"Love life?!" I choked, still struggling in Claire's grip.

Diana, not missing a beat, simply tilted her head in faux innocence. "Oh, come now, Claire. There's plenty of Sera to go around. No need to be greedy."

Camille, who had been sipping tea far too calmly throughout all of this, finally set her cup down with a smirk. "Diana's right. There's no need to rush. We have all the time in the world to claim her attention."

Lillian, ever the picture of grace, simply chuckled behind her hand. "Now, now, let's not overwhelm Sera too much. After all, we still have a festival to prepare for."

THANK YOU, LILLIAN. Finally, someone sane!

Groaning, I pried Claire off of me, fixing my now disheveled uniform. My face was burning, my soul was halfway to the afterlife, and I was seconds away from dramatically collapsing to the floor.

"Well?" I said, forcing my voice to remain as neutral as possible despite my rapidly increasing blood pressure. "Shouldn't we be focusing more on the actual café? It's almost time for the festival. Do we have everything?"

Claire, still grinning like an imp, finally turned her attention to the long list of paper in her hands.

"Hmm, let's see…" she muttered, tapping her chin. "Food, check. Materials, check. Outfits, check. Everything seems to be in order."

I exhaled, relieved. "So all that's left is—"

Claire clapped her hands together. "Now we just need to decorate everything to make it look like an actual maid café!"

Ah. Right. The biggest part of all.

Tessa let out a long sigh, throwing herself onto one of the desks. "Great. More work."

"You literally did nothing yet," Camille pointed out dryly.

"That's not true. I have mentally prepared myself for all of this," Tessa shot back.

Camille rolled her eyes but smirked. "Sure, sure."

Lillian smiled softly. "Well, if we all work together, it shouldn't take too long."

"Exactly!" Claire beamed. "Now, let's divide up the tasks so we can get this place festival-ready!"

And just like that, my fate was sealed once again.

As the hours ticked by, the classroom slowly transformed before our eyes. Even though it had already turned to night, we stayed behind a little longer to make sure every detail was perfect. Ms. Sinclair's classroom no longer looked like a typical study space—it had become a full-fledged maid café.

The desks had been rearranged into cozy little seating areas, complete with lace tablecloths and flower centerpieces. String lights adorned the walls, casting a warm glow that made the space feel intimate and inviting. A large decorative sign reading "The Enchanted Rose Café" hung near the entrance, its elegant calligraphy adding an extra touch of charm.

I stepped back, wiping my hands on my skirt as I surveyed our work. It looked… really good. Better than I ever expected.

But something nagged at me.

This never happened in the novel.

I had already accepted that things were changing, that I couldn't predict the plot anymore, and that I should just let things happen as they would. But no matter how much I told myself that, it still felt surreal.

This world is no longer following a script.

It's just life.

Just as I was getting lost in my thoughts, a familiar voice called from the doorway.

"You girls are still here?"

I turned toward the entrance and found myself face to face with none other than Ms. Sinclair.

"Ms. Sinclair," I greeted, blinking at her sudden appearance.

She raised an eyebrow, pushing up her glasses as she took in the transformed classroom. "Well, this is certainly unexpected."

"We wanted to make sure everything was perfect for the festival," Lillian said, smiling warmly.

Ms. Sinclair sighed, shaking her head with a small, amused smile. "You all put in a lot of work. I hope you plan on getting some rest before the big day."

"Of course," Claire chimed in. "We just got a little carried away. But look at it! Doesn't it look amazing?"

Ms. Sinclair glanced around the room, her sharp eyes scanning every detail. Then, after a pause, she nodded in approval. "I'll admit, I'm impressed. I never expected my classroom to turn into a fully functional café."

Diana grinned, tilting her head playfully. "Are you saying you'll be our first customer, Professor?"

Ms. Sinclair chuckled. "We'll see."

Her gaze landed on me, lingering for a moment longer than necessary. "And you, Sera? How are you feeling about all of this?"

I hesitated, glancing around at my friends, at the space we had created together. I should have felt exhausted, maybe even overwhelmed. But instead, I felt… satisfied.

"I think…" I started, then smiled. "I think this is going to be really fun."

Ms. Sinclair's expression softened slightly, but there was something else in her gaze—something thoughtful, almost unreadable. "Good," she said finally. "Then I'll look forward to seeing how this all turns out."

And with that, she turned toward the door.

"Now, all of you, go get some rest," she said firmly, glancing over her shoulder. "I'll have no one slacking in class just because they spent all night decorating."

With a few tired laughs and murmurs of agreement, we all began gathering our things, ready to finally call it a night.

But as I walked toward the exit, I felt Ms. Sinclair's eyes on me one last time.

And for some reason, that small moment made my heart skip a beat.