The clock on Lumine's phone read 1:47 AM, yet sleep was nowhere near her mind. After Scaramouche's dramatic exit earlier, she had been left flustered and wide awake. Her room was dimly lit by the faint glow of her phone screen as she lay on her stomach, scrolling through the endless notifications from the group chat.
Group Chat Name: Chaotic Circle of Friends (formerly 'Absolute Chaos')
Venti: New group chat name. You're welcome.
Amber: I swear you change it every week.
Kazuha: It's fitting, though.
Ayaka: It does match the energy here...
Albedo: Can we focus? We were talking about Miss Aratani.
Lumine squinted at the name change and snorted quietly. "Chaotic Circle of Friends, huh? Accurate."
She cracked her knuckles and joined in.
Lumine: Miss Aratani? Oh no, what did she do this time?
Amber: SHE GAVE ME A ZERO ON MY ESSAY BECAUSE I USED PINK HIGHLIGHTERS.
Venti: Tragic. She saw your aesthetic and said 'no vibes detected.'
Ayaka: I still don't understand why she has a personal vendetta against stationary supplies.
Albedo: She told me, and I quote, 'Science should not sparkle, Albedo.'
Lumine: Okay but WHY does that sound like something she'd actually say?
Amber sent a crying emoji while Venti spammed the chat with a string of clown emojis.
Kazuha: And don't even get me started on Eri. That girl gives 'pick me energy' a new definition.
Amber: SHE SAID 'I'm not like other girls, I actually study' RIGHT AFTER I GOT MY ESSAY BACK.
Venti: Meanwhile, her grades look like expired yogurt.
Ayaka: Venti, please. ð
Lumine: I swear she raises her hand for every question just to answer incorrectly.
Albedo: Do you all remember when she said the mitochondria was 'the powerhouse of the... animal kingdom'?
Amber: I CHOKED ON MY WATER.
Lumine covered her mouth with her pillow to muffle her laughter. Her phone buzzed again with more chaotic messages.
Venti: I'd rather fight Miss Aratani in a Walmart parking lot at 3 AM than sit next to Eri in Biology.
Kazuha: Oddly specific, but valid.
Amber: Not the Walmart parking lot...
Lumine typed quickly, her thumbs flying over the screen.
Lumine: Imagine Eri trying to flirt with Albedo during lab class again.
Albedo: I'm still recovering from her 'Albedo, you're like a periodic table... because you've got all the elements of perfection.'
Venti: YIKES.
Amber: I'M SCREAMING.
Kazuha: I'd pay money to un-hear that line.
The chat spiraled into laughter as everyone started sharing exaggerated scenarios of Miss Aratani and Eri in increasingly absurd situations.
---
2:30 AM - Gossip Continues
The messages began to slow down as Amber sent a string of sleepy emojis, signaling her defeat against exhaustion. Ayaka followed shortly after, leaving Venti, Albedo, Kazuha, and Lumine still online.
Venti: Okay, okay, let's plan something. A hangout this weekend?
Albedo: Somewhere that doesn't involve Eri or Miss Aratani existing.
Lumine: We could go bowling? Or karaoke?
Kazuha: I'm fine with anything as long as Venti doesn't sing 'Bohemian Rhapsody' five times in a row again.
Venti: Excuse me, it's called ART.
Albedo: It's called TORTURE.
Lumine: It's called me needing earplugs.
Their argument quickly escalated into Venti defending his karaoke rights while Albedo threatened to bring noise-canceling headphones next time. Lumine's quiet laughter filled the stillness of her room as her phone buzzed with their endless banter.
---
3:00 AM
Eventually, Kazuha logged off, leaving only Lumine, Albedo, and Venti still active.
Venti: Lumine, why are you still awake?
Albedo: It's 3 AM. You should sleep.
Lumine: Pot, meet kettle. You two are awake too.
Venti: Fair point.
Albedo: Touché.
Lumine sighed, her phone dropping onto the bed as she turned her head to the side. The faint sound of Scaramouche shifting in his cat form caught her attention. He was curled at the foot of her bed, tail flicking lazily, though his indigo eyes were half-open, watching her.
"Still awake, huh, Kuni?" she whispered softly.
The cat gave her a look that screamed 'obviously'.
Her phone buzzed again.
Venti: Fine, let's all sleep. Tomorrow's going to be chaos anyway.
Albedo: Goodnight, everyone.
Lumine: Night, nerds.
The group chat finally went silent.
Lumine set her phone on her nightstand and turned off the lamp. Her room was plunged into darkness, save for the faint glow of the city lights filtering through her window.
She glanced at Kuni, who stretched and jumped off the bed. For a moment, she wondered if he was about to transform back into Scaramouche, but instead, he settled on her chair and closed his eyes.
"Goodnight, Kuni," Lumine whispered, finally letting her exhaustion pull her into sleep.
The night outside was calm, but the group chat-now forever renamed 'Chaotic Circle of Friends'-promised more madness in the days to come.
End of Chapter 38