Caution tape was put on the door to the cafe, and Emilio and Valerie were sitting inside.

“Maybe I should go back to school,” said Emilio.

“Yeah, you probably should,” said Valerie.

“What are you going to do?”

“Live on the streets with the rats, I guess,” Valerie groaned. “No school or business will want me once Ms. Mortis tears up my reputation for good.”

“If I manage to start a new business, I’ll make sure to look around for you outside and rescue you,” said Emilio. Valerie responded with a sarcastic “thanks.”

The cafe door opened and Jayden walked in. He had a neutral expression on his face.

“Just quickly spit it out,” said Valerie. “I’ve already gone through all the stages of grief.”

“Not even a hello? You don’t even know what happened at our meeting. This situation is not so simple.” He smiled a bit. “I met one of your employees.” Emilio side-eyed Jayden nervously. “Do you have any more servants you’re keeping secret?” Jayden was joking but Valerie got defensive.

“No, he’s the only other worker besides us. We made an agreement that was sealed into a contract when he first came here. We’re paying him appropriately.”

“Relax. I talked to him the other day. I’m sure you’ve been taking good care of him. Anyways, let’s discuss what will happen next for Cafe En Gard.” Jayden made his way to the break room. Valerie and Emilio followed, believing Jayden’s nonchalant attitude to be unfitting for the doom that they were expecting.

A week passed by since Lucas had last been at the cafe. He felt a bit empty, with nowhere to go after school. Final exams were coming up, and he had a lot more time to study than he did before. The afternoons and evenings in his apartment were dull and kind of sad.

One day, after a long study session, he decided to take a break. On his way out of his room, he saw his Cafe En Gard uniform folded up on a chair, right where he left it. He decided to put the apron on, just because he felt like it. He wanted to look at himself in the mirror outside in the hallway, but as he opened the door of his apartment and stepped through, he found himself stepping on dark flooring that definitely wasn’t the hallway flooring. He looked around and realized he was inside Cafe En Gard.

“Huh?” Lucas was so confused it made him dizzy.

“Hm? Oh, you’re here!” Emilio said, behind the counter. Valerie, who was next to him, looked up from the counter. She gasped and then smiled widely.

“Oh, thank goodness! I thought we’d never see you again!”

“How did I get here? I was just at my apartment.”

“A magician never reveals their secrets,” Valerie said laughing. “Though, I’m not a magician. Anyway, this was the only way we could possibly have you come back. We threw out the letter you sent us a long time ago, so we don’t have your address to send you another letter.” She looked at Lucas’ clothes. “You didn’t even put on the full uniform!”

“Was I supposed to?”

“I suppose not. We also didn’t intend for you to work anymore. Remember our agreement? I’ll give you your last paycheck today!”

“What about Cafe En Gard? What’s going to happen to this place?” Lucas asked. Valerie and Emilio noticed his concerned tone.

“I guess you really did come here that day,” Emilio said. “Quite a bit has happened since then.”

“You don’t have to worry about us!” Valerie interjected. “Cafe En Gard is here to stay! Well, not to stay in Nascenshire. But the business will continue on!”

“But, that guy, he said something about violations and this place coming to an end.”

“Ah, we did make some unwise choices. It has been a rough week, seeing the outcomes of such decisions,” Valerie said. “Let’s say, a miracle happened! It took a lot of work and effort from different people, but everything will be okay after all. Things may even become better!”

“Though, we won’t be seeing you anymore,” Emilio added. “I guess that’s a good thing, that you don’t need us anymore and you can stop working. Is it bad that I’m a bit sad?”

“Oh, save all those feelings for later! Let’s get this place packed up. We won’t be using this space anymore.”

They cleaned up all the kitchen equipment and put them in boxes. Lucas wondered if there should be something to cushion the glassware, but Valerie told him not to worry about it.

“Can we tear these up? I don’t think we’ll need them anymore,” Emilio called out from the break room. Valerie went in to see what Emilio was referring to.

“I think we should keep those records around, just in case something happens.”

“So much for a new start,” said Emilio. Valerie smiled as she tucked the papers away in a box.

“Alright, let’s put all the boxes on the table in the break room. The heavy ones can just go under the table,” Valerie said. After they managed to get all the boxes into the break room, they stacked all the chairs and put them to the walls. “Oh my, the lilies have withered,” Valerie said as she looked at the flower pots. “I thought they would last a bit longer. Should I get new ones?”

“Maybe we should get fake plants for decor,” suggested Emilio. “I like the peace lilies, though. Even if they’re not real lilies,” he said, looking at Lucas with a grin.

Once Valerie declared they finished cleaning up the cafe, she took an envelope out of her pocket.

“Last order of business for today! Here’s your paycheck!” She presented the envelope to Lucas with both hands, to which Lucas accepted with both hands. “Thanks for everything! We really thank you for all that you’ve done for us.”

“This is really the last time we’ll see you,” Emilio said, putting his hands to his cheeks. “Where did all the time go?”

“Let’s walk him out together,” Valerie said, putting her hand on Emilio’s shoulder. They walked together with Lucas to the door, and Valerie opened up the door for Lucas for the final time. Lucas stepped outside and turned around.

“Thank you, both of you, for helping me. I hope everything goes well for you and this cafe. This is quite a special place.”

Valerie and Emilio embraced Lucas in a group hug. They then waved to him, and he waved back as he walked away with a smile on his face. It was a bittersweet walk back to his apartment. 

The spring sunset colored Nascenshire in warm hues. Graduation was around the corner, and Lucas expected himself to be happy, in the sense of feeling celebratory. While he was happy, it was more in the sense of gratitude. The school year had a terrible start, but he was thankful for how things unfolded.