The soft glow of morning sunlight filtered through the blanket fort, casting warm hues over the sleepy faces of the group. One by one, they began to stir awake-some groggily rubbing their eyes, others clutching their blankets like shields against reality.
Lumine was the first to check her phone, her screen lighting up with an absurd number of unread messages.
"School Group Chat: Sakura Academy Class B-2 ð¸"
Ms. Yae Miko: "Good morning, everyone~ Just a quick update: due to scheduling conflicts, the PROM has been moved to THIS FRIDAY! That's right, less than a week away. I expect all of you to shine ⨠Don't disappoint me. xoxo ð"
Lumine's eyes widened. "Wait... what?!"
"What's wrong?" Aether yawned, still half-asleep, hair sticking in every direction.
"The prom... it's... this Friday!"
Chaos erupted instantly.
Venti shot up so fast he nearly headbutted Amber, clutching his soda can like it was a lifeline. "WHAT?! That's-THAT'S SO CLOSE!"
Amber, who was still tangled in a blanket, dramatically fell backward. "Oh no, my dress isn't ready!"
Ayaka, ever graceful even in moments of panic, calmly adjusted her hair. "We need to finalize our outfits and partners..."
Albedo pushed up his glasses, his calm demeanor slightly cracking. "Statistically speaking, we have less time for preparation than anticipated. This... complicates things."
Kazuha chuckled lightly, resting his chin on his hand. "Looks like we'll be busy this week."
Scaramouche, leaning against the fort's entrance with his arms crossed, smirked. "Great. A bunch of panicking idiots. As entertaining as this is, you do realize stressing over it won't magically make time slow down, right?"
Aether pointed accusingly at Scaramouche. "Says the guy who hasn't even picked out a suit yet!"
Scaramouche's smirk faltered for a moment before he rolled his eyes. "I have plans, thank you very much."
Lumine sighed, trying to break the rising chaos. "Okay, okay, everyone calm down! We'll sort everything out. First things first-outfits. Then we'll worry about dance partners and everything else."
Amber raised a hand dramatically. "Who wants to go shopping after class?!"
Venti groaned, flopping back onto the pile of pillows. "Do we have to? Shopping is exhausting."
Ayaka smiled sweetly at him. "You'd rather have Ms. Yae Miko pick out your outfit for you?"
Venti's eyes widened in horror. "Okay, shopping it is!"
Snowball, oblivious to the panic, purred contently in Lumine's lap.
As the group slowly began untangling themselves from the fort, grabbing their phones and snacks, Albedo's calm voice cut through the noise. "If we're going to do this efficiently, we'll need a plan. Amber, Ayaka, Lumine-you handle the outfits. Aether and Venti can handle decorations if needed. Scaramouche and I will take care of... other logistics."
Scaramouche arched a brow. "Other logistics? What am I, a delivery boy now?"
Albedo gave him a pointed look. "Would you rather pick flowers for the ballroom instead?"
Scaramouche shut his mouth, crossing his arms with an irritated huff.
As the group slowly filed out of the blanket fort and prepared for their day, the atmosphere buzzed with excitement and nerves. Prom was no longer some distant event on the calendar-it was happening, and it was happening soon.
Lumine glanced around at her friends, a soft smile playing on her lips. Whatever chaos awaited them this week, she was certain of one thing: they'd face it together.
Eek I ain't memorising rn ððð