The sun was high, and the campus lawn shimmered with laughter.
Aiyumi sat quietly under the shade, sketchbook open, completely lost in her art. Her pencil danced — lines, shapes, dreams.
But peace never lasted long around them.
"Oi, Aiyumi!" Sayaka called, plopping down beside her. "Are you sketching again? You're gonna draw us as villains, aren't you?"
Aiyumi smirked. "Maybe…"
Before Sayaka could respond, Haruna arrived with iced coffees.
"She already did," Haruna teased. "Last week she drew Nozomi as a detective solving the case of missing lunch boxes."
Everyone laughed — except Nozomi, who adjusted her glasses dramatically. "I would find the culprit though."
Then came Yua, Emi, and Aiko, dragging their chairs closer like a full-blown gossip army.
"Okay, girls," Aiko announced with her soft giggle, "today's mission — annoy Aiyumi until she stops being Miss Calm Queen."
Emi added, "Yeah, she acts like she's immune to chaos."
Sayaka smirked, "Challenge accepted."
Before Aiyumi could react, they started — stealing her pencils, tossing paper planes, and pretending to act out her "serious face" while drawing.
Aiyumi sighed. "You're all so immature."
"See!" Sayaka pointed. "That's the exact face! The 'I'm too mature for this nonsense' look!"
The group burst into uncontrollable laughter. Even Aiyumi couldn't hold her smile anymore — the soft corners of her lips gave her away.
Haruna grinned. "Mission complete. The queen has smiled."
For a moment, the world slowed down — sunlight, laughter, friendship.
No assignments, no pressure, no loneliness — just the seven of them, their laughter echoing through the campus like wind chimes. 🌸