The past few days had been a blur for the group.
In the midst of everyone working diligently on the cafe while attending what little classes were still being held, the atmosphere around the academy had shifted significantly.
Though the festival preparations served as an excellent distraction, the students couldn't help but notice that there seemed to be a paradoxical lifeless vivacity around the campus. With most of the instructors gone and classes canceled, the plethora of free time that the students enjoyed had been a welcome novelty at first, but quickly devolved into a source of ennui.
The increased presence of imperial knights wandering around the academy grounds as well as frequent sightings of Duke Castellia wearing a grave expression only added to the heavy atmosphere that now hung over the campus. Most students weren't aware of what was going on at the northern border, but most knew that something big was happening.
Even so, they hoped that the upcoming festival would help lift up some of that gloom. Medrauta, Viviane, and the rest of their group weren't exempt from this hopeful escapism either despite being more aware of the situation than others.
With most of their preparations complete and the festival just around the corner, the group had decided on the tasks each member would perform for the cafe.
Naturally, Gwenhwyfar and Rosaline were placed in charge of advertising and drawing in customers thanks to their charisma while Viviane and Sakura would take on the role of serving the customers.
That left Leticia and Medrauta in the kitchen, a duty that neither of them disliked. After suffering the vileness of mess hall meals as squires, the two had acquired a penchant for cooking, and both of them were experienced with making meals for their ladies in any case.
For that reason, Medrauta sat on a desk as she pondered the cafe's prospective menu. She tapped her finger on an unfamiliar item as she turned to Sakura.
"So, what exactly is this, Lady Sakura?"
Sakura leaned over, peering at the dish that Medrauta had indicated. "Ah. I thought it would be interesting to include some of my homeland's traditional foods. Do not worry, I shall teach you how to make them. Essentially, it is roasted seaweed wrapped around rice and other ingredients."
Medrauta nodded eagerly. "I've always been interested in trying some Higashi cuisine for myself! I've only ever seen it in books."
"Excellent. Then we shall proceed apace once—"
The door slammed open violently, interrupting Sakura. Standing in the doorway was Viviane who was breathing heavily as she attempted to catch her breath. She'd gone to the staff room a few minutes ago in order to reserve a spot for the cafe and requisition ingredients they'd need to run it.
"T-There's a huge problem, everyone!" She exclaimed.
"Are you alright, Viviane?" Medrauta frowned, setting the menu down and making her way over to the noblewoman. Her face showed concern as she gazed upon Viviane's distraught expression. "What happened?"
Viviane nodded in response to Medrauta's first question. "I'm fine, but... I'm sorry, everyone. We won't be able to do the cafe."
"What?" Gwenhwyfar snapped. She'd been working on painting the finishing touches for the cafe's signboard, but she now turned her full attention to Viviane. Likewise, Leticia and Rosaline who had been working on finishing off the uniforms dropped what they were doing to stare at Viviane in disbelief.
"Oh dear..." Rosaline murmured. "Whyever not?"
"The instructors informed me that a majority of the academy's stockpile has been sent to the northern border in preparation for an attack from Kaslavna," Viviane replied with a shaky voice. "The food and ingredients they have here are reserved for the cafeteria and emergencies."
Well, that's worrying, Medrauta thought. "I see. Well, what about we use the stuff that Gwenhwyfar brought over? Your meals are sourced from a different stockpile, aren't they?"
The princess nodded in response. "Correct. Unfortunately, I did not envision such a situation occurring, so I'd only brought enough for myself and my servants. Regardless, this is absolutely ludicrous. So what if there's a bit more movement up there this year? It's not as if we're going to war!"
An awkward tension settled over the room at Gwenhwyfar's words. Of course, everyone wished for that to be true, but based on the little tidbits of information that had been floating around the academy over the past few days, war was a definite possibility as hostilities rose across the border.
Worse yet, Duke Castellia was still at the academy heading the investigation for the unauthorized imperial order. With the northern army missing its commander, an attack from Kaslavna would be more than devastating.
While a good number of seasoned knights and nobles had been sent from the capital to bolster the forces at the border, they still couldn't replace an experienced officer who was familiar with both the soldiers and the lay of the land.
"...Gwenhwyfar is right," Medrauta broke the silence first. "Besides, that's something we should leave the adults to handle. The question now is... What're we gonna do for the festival?"
"Well, we've already made all the costumes..." Sakura said despondently.
"And we've got all the signs and decor for the cafe too..." Leticia murmured, glancing at a cute piece of art that she and Rosaline had worked on together.
"Indeed," Gwenhwyfar crossed her arms. "I won't allow our work to go to waste!"
Everyone in the room shared the same sentiment. Yet, the question of what to do remained unanswered. Viviane pondered this as she paced back and forth deep in thought. Though she was a first-year, she'd visited the academy festival before when she was a child. After all, the event was supposed to be open to the public, and even squires competed in a special bracket of the tourney.
Hm... Maybe we could do some sort of attraction, like those moving ponies? Ah, no... That wouldn't work... Or how about... She scoured her mind for ideas, but found none.
"...How about some sort of athletic booth? Something like letting the visitors attempt to hit a knight with a water balloon?" Leticia suggested.
"Isn't that what Kate's group is doing?" Medrauta frowned.
"...Yeah, but... We could... wear the uniforms to put a spin on it or something?" Leticia followed up hopefully.
A resounding silence served as enough of an answer, and everyone sighed.
"There must be something we can do..." Sakura mused.
"...Athletic booth... Athletic..." Viviane's brow furrowed as she continued to pace around, muttering random words to herself. "...Water balloons... Water..."
Suddenly, Viviane stopped in place. Her eyes lit up with the spark of an idea. "Water! That's it! We've got water!" She exclaimed excitedly.
"What's this about water?" Medrauta asked.
"If we can't do a cafe, we can just do a bar instead! They've only sent food and cooking ingredients north, but they didn't mention anything about alcohol! Since the soldiers are preparing to fight, they probably won't be sending much of it over either!"
"Ufufu! A splendid idea, Lady Viviane!" Gwenhwyfar grinned.
"Indeed," Rosaline smiled. "That way, our work won't go to waste. The only thing we will need to adjust is the menu."
Viviane's idea had restored the group's morale, and everyone's excitement had been revitalized. Re-energized, the princess and Rosaline even went to brainstorm new ideas for the menu immediately. However, there was still one person who was yet to speak.
"Um... I hate to say this, but... We can't do a bar," Leticia said in the most apologetic tone she could manage. "Children will be at the festival."
Medrauta, Viviane, Rosaline, and Gwenhwyfar all stared at her as the light slowly drained from their eyes. Rosaline's grip tightened on the mock-up menu that she'd already started designing, crumpling the paper in her hands. Despite their irritation, they knew that Leticia was right.
So long as children were attending the festival, the instructors would never approve their idea. After all, it was meant to be an all-ages inclusive event, and a booth that prohibited entry to children was against the festival's core tenets.
Yet, even in this room now dominated by despair, one soul remained filled with hope.
Sakura smiled, her serenity washing over everyone else in an almost infectious way. Her calm demeanor and bright eyes drew the attention of all the other girls in the room.
"Don't worry. I have an idea."