As the group split up, Soren and Sora headed off to order their food.
Meanwhile, Hyacinth and Aurora found an empty table and sat down.
Aurora's eyes darted around the cafeteria. From the outside, the place looked marvelous—and it was just as impressive inside.
Designed like a modern Korean, Japanese fusion cafeteria, it featured polished wooden tables, sleek hanging lanterns, and a clean, minimalistic aesthetic. Steam rose from rice bowls, and the scent of miso soup and grilled meat filled the air.
As she observed her surroundings, Aurora noticed something odd—Hyacinth hadn't said a word to her.
At first, she thought it was normal.
The main character was known to be aloof, and Aurora herself wasn't exactly talkative.
That's probably why she didn't immediately realize that Hyacinth had been staring blankly into space for quite some time.
The student sitting in front of Hyacinth didn't dare look back. Her stare was too intense—unblinking, almost suffocating.
"Huhu, I've been a good student for years... Why am I being targeted now?"
the poor student muttered under their breath, visibly sweating.
Aurora, still distracted by the cafeteria's layout and the food choices, bento boxes, kimchi stew, tonkatsu—didn't notice that the person beside her was in the middle of intimidating someone.
Hyacinth the person who started all of this, was thinking about her again.
No matter how hard Hyacinth tried to avoid it, she couldn't stop her thoughts from drifting back to her.
After all, that woman had once promised to marry her as soon as senior high school ended. But she broke that promise—again and again, like a cruel loop Hyacinth couldn't escape.
Even though Hyacinth was surrounded by friends, she still felt lonely.
Lonely in a way no one seemed to understand.
Of course, how could they? She never told anyone she had been in a relationship with Rose.
To others, it must have looked like a simple schoolgirl crush. But it wasn't. They had been together since Hyacinth turned seventeen.
And now, almost a year had passed—her eighteenth birthday was just around the corner.
Hyacinth clearly remembered the day they started dating. It was the first time she'd ever felt that kind of happiness.
Back then, she was excited and glowing with joy—after all, her long held crush had finally become hers.
Their first date took place in Hyacinth's backyard, surrounded by a garden in full bloom.
They were afraid that if anyone saw them dating in public, their real relationship would be exposed—and everything would fall apart.
So, they disguised it as a casual hangout between friends in the privacy of her yard. Fortunately, no servants were around at the time.
They sat together, chatting happily about anything and everything.
Rose's smile stood out like sunlight breaking through petals—it was even more vibrant than the flowers around them.
That moment burned itself into Hyacinth's memory. It played on repeat in her mind, vivid and fleeting, like a scene pulled straight from a romance novel—where the main character and the heroine share something quiet and beautiful.
What once was a happy memory for her had now become something painful—slowly breaking her apart, piece by piece.
"Why had she been so foolish back then?"
Why didn't she notice that Rose always suggested they stay indoors instead of going out in public Why hadn't she questioned it?
"Was she just a fool? Was she being played all along?"
Now, she understood why people say love makes you blind. She used to mock at people like that people who lost all sense of reason because of love. But in the end, she had become one of them.
If her younger self were reading this now, she would definitely mock her—for being so brainless when it came to love.
"It was too much."
She was on the verge of breaking when an elegant hand—speckled with faint white freckles calmly set a tray of food down in front of her.
"Haya, I got your favorite food!" Sora said with a cheerful smile from across the table.
"You didn't get it with your short arms—I was the one who got it!" Soren cut in, pinching Sora's nose with a teasing grin.
Aurora, who had been quietly observing Hyacinth, noticed earlier that she seemed downcast.
Without saying anything, she had texted the other two to bring Hyacinth's favorite food. Now, she gently slid a cold can of cola toward Hyacinth without a word.
Hyacinth was stunned. She parted her lips, but no sound came out at first. Forcing herself to speak, a soft whisper finally escaped. "...Thanks." Then she lowered her head.
Sora and Soren didn't hear it—it was too quiet, but Aurora, sitting right beside her, caught it clearly.
She didn't glance at Hyacinth. Instead, she silently pretended to focus on her meal.
Across from them, Sora and Soren began digging into their food. The two had already figured out something was wrong with Hyacinth, they chose to stay quiet.
The table was silent, but the atmosphere was calm and comforting.