The following day.

It is now Friday, the fifth day of the Concorde Summit.

In the Hearthgarden Kitchen, Chef Tulliver clapped her hands together once, calling for the team’s attention. “Alright, that’s it for dinner service, folks! Job well done, everyone.”

Applause and light cheers rolled through the kitchen as soon as the announcement sank in for everyone.

Aya, standing at her station, wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, then let out a relieved sigh. Lunch service earlier had been tough enough, but dinner had been a whole other challenge as usual.

Thankfully, she was able to push through it after spending some time with Raveena yesterday. It’s almost like she felt re-energized.

“And not to mention… it’s a good thing I spent last night studying today’s menu,” she thought, glancing at the empty platters stacked nearby. Her hard work had paid off today.

She began sprucing up her used utensils, setting them aside so the cleaning crew could take over. That’s when she heard Richard Calloway’s voice call out to her.

“Evenin’, Aya.”

She looked up to see him approaching, his usual friendly smile in place.

“Oh! Good evening, Richard,” she greeted back warmly.

“You did great today. As usual.”

Aya’s smile widened, and she shook her head modestly. “Thank you. But everyone did just as great as well of course!”

Richard gave a small nod at that, then scratched the back of his neck. “So… uh, about that invitation I gave you last time.”

“Invitation?”

“You know, we never really got the chance to talk about it again properly. I figured it wouldn’t be nice to nag you, especially since, well, last time kinda got you really flustered.”

Aya’s ears twitched as the memory slammed into her. “Right! I got so shy that I ended up poofing into my rabbit form!”

“Ah… yes. I’m sorry about that. I just… wasn’t prepared for something like that, so when I got back I couldn’t bring myself to talk about it right away,” she answered with a sheepish smile.

Richard shook his head. “Hey, it’s fine. Really. If you’re still not comfortable, then no pressure. We can always have that dinner some other time, maybe when we’re both back at Saint Maribelle’s.”

Aya’s smile faltered a little. "I’d hate to turn him down again…” she thought.

Normally, she had no trouble refusing love-related invitations. She’d done it plenty of times back at Saint Maribelle’s when someone tried to confess. But somehow, Richard’s offer didn’t feel like the usual shallow sort.

There was a sincerity in it… and maybe she could at least take him up on it once.

She looked back up at him. “Well… if you’re free tonight, we could go out!”

Richard’s ears instantly shot upright, and his tail gave an enthusiastic wag. “Really?”

“Yes, really. Besides, it’s probably a good chance since tomorrow’s the banquet, and we’ll both be busy.”

“Okay then! Shall we head back to the cabin to get dressed? I’ll walk with you.”

Aya nodded. “Of course. But I’ll need to tidy up myself first in the restrooms, I got a bit too sweaty after tonight’s service.”

“Right, right,” Richard nodded. “I’ll wait for you outside the venue.”

With that, he strode off toward Ciela and the others, tail still wagging.

Aya watched him from her station, tilting her head slightly as she saw him lean in to speak to them. She couldn’t hear the words over the clatter of pans and the last bursts of conversation, but judging by the way Juniper and Petra suddenly clapped in unison, then both turned to look at her with grins that could only mean trouble, she had a pretty good guess.

Richard offered a quick round of farewells to the group, even to Chef Tulliver, before exiting the kitchen. The moment the door swung shut behind him, Petra and Juniper made a beeline for Aya.

Juniper spoke up first. “Is it true? You’re going out on a date?”

Aya giggled softly. “Yes, it’s… something like that.”

Petra fanned her face dramatically. “I did not expect things to develop this quickly! You know, Richard’s had his curiosity on you since last year.”

“Last year?”

“Mhm!” Petra nodded firmly. “You were a second-year, he was a fifth-year. I swear, every time you were around, his tail would give him away.”

Juniper smirked. “Yup. Dog-boy has it bad.”

As the three of them lingered in their little corner of gossip, they heard Chef Tulliver’s voice again. “Alright, culinary team, clear the kitchen so the cleaning crew can take over!”

A chorus of “Yes, Chef!” rose from Ciela and the others in response.

Right away, Juniper turned back to Aya. “Are you stopping by the restrooms first?”

Aya nodded. “Yes! I’d like to fix myself before walking back to the cabins.”

“Then we’ll go together,” Petra said.

With that decided, Aya, Juniper, and Petra grabbed their belongings and headed toward the kitchen exit. On the way, they passed by Ciela, who was still poring over her clipboard, reviewing notes.

“Hey, you coming with us to the restroom?” Juniper asked.

Ciela shook her head with a small smile. “I’ll stay behind. I still need to go over a few things with Chef Tulliver about tomorrow’s banquet.”

Just then, Orin strolled past between them, stretching his arms. “I’m heading back to the cabin, bath, then snooze. See you all there.”

“Good work today!” Aya, Juniper, and Petra chimed in together, waving as he headed out.

Then the three of them slipped out of the kitchen and made their way down the halls.

Now in the restrooms, Aya stood in front of the wide mirror, fingers working at the ties of her twin tails until her hair spilled loose over her shoulders. Juniper, leaning one elbow against the marble counter, flicked her cat tail idly while watching Aya’s reflection.

“So… what exactly are your expectations for this dinner date with Richard later?”

Aya froze mid-motion. “Eh? Expectations?”

Petra, standing on Aya’s other side and fluffing her squirrel tail, joined in. “Yeah! Like… how your ideal dinner date should go? And does this mean you’re actually open to dating him?”

Hearing the words ‘dating’, Aya blushed. “I… wouldn’t jump straight into actual dating. But if you’re asking how I’d take it… well, just like any other girl would, I guess. I just want a peaceful, fun evening with him. Nothing more complicated than that.”

Petra clapped her hands together while also trying to stifle a squeal. “I cannot believe it. The same Aya who’s famous for rejecting confessions by handing out baked treats, didn’t say no to Richard? The boys back at Saint Maribelle’s are gonna cry into their pillows when they find out!”

Aya giggled, brushing her hair forward over one shoulder. “It’s not like I planned it. I just felt like… his invitation was more heartfelt. He really seemed like he wanted to have dinner with me, to just enjoy the time.”

Juniper tilted her head. “So you’re saying… this isn’t him confessing?”

Aya shook her head lightly. “Mm-nay, he never said anything like that. For all we know, he might just want to get to know me better and share a nice dinner. That’s all.”

Petra then looked past Aya and toward Juniper. “Speaking of interest… you know, last time Aya poofed on us? When she came back, she was with Raveena Vesper.”

Juniper raised a brow. “Raveena who?”

“Raveena Vesper!” Petra repeated. “That panther-folk transfer student! You have to know who I mean, the one with, y’know… the bad rumors?”

Aya’s ear twitched. Slowly, she turned her head toward Petra with a smile that wasn’t entirely sweet. “Petra, please don’t say it like that.”

Petra’s ears flicked back. “Right—sorry! I mean… the one with the, um, probably-made-up rumors?”

“Ohhh, that one. Yeah, I’ve heard of her. So… what about Vesper?”

Petra shrugged. “Nothing special, really. Just figured I’d mention it. But when I met her face to face… she’s like… something else. She’s really tall, and her hair with these red streaks looked amazing, and she also has this really intimidating vibe.”

“Intimidating?”

Petra nodded. “Yup, but I just chalked it up to Miss Vesper being the quiet type.”

Aya chuckled. “That’s true, she is just the quiet type. She’s not exactly quick to feel comfortable around people.”

“Ooh… so you two are close, then?” Juniper asked.

“Hmm… I wouldn’t say too close… but I’d like to think we’re good friends. She’s kind, in her own way.”

“How long’ve you known her?” Juniper asked, flicking her ear.

“Since the first few weeks of January,” Aya replied.

Petra tapped her chin thoughtfully. “For a panther-folk, she does seem… pretty chill. But it kinda looked like she didn’t like it when I mentioned that people talk about her on campus.”

Aya’s smile dimmed. “I can understand why she wouldn’t. How would you feel if you transferred to a new school, trying to start fresh… only to have bad rumors waiting for you the moment you arrived?”

Juniper and Petra exchanged a look, then nodded in agreement.

“That’s why,” Aya added while tying up her twin tails again neatly, “I’d like to make sure people don’t misunderstand her. As much as I can.”

“Well… knowing you, you’ll make it happen. You’ve got that whole ‘making people feel welcome whether they like it or not’ thing down,” Juniper said, smirking.

“I think so too,” Petra nodded.

“Anyway!” Juniper then nudged Aya’s elbow. “Enough about Miss Mysterious Panther. As for Richard’s dinner date… Good luck, and have fun~”

Aya smiled at them through the mirror. “Thank you.”

“Oh, and don’t forget to give me the details after!” Juniper joked, prompting a small laugh from Aya.

“I wouldn’t exactly tell everything, but… I’ll do my best!”