The Empty Thorne

Tuesday Morning – Class 1-A

The second Mr. Brooks stapled the Cultural Festival notice to the front board; the class collectively lost its mind.

"WE'RE DOING A CAFÉ."

"No, a haunted house!"

"Let's do a haunted café."

"Let's put Jay in a butler suit."

"Let's put Jay in nothing—"

"SOFIA."

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Ten Minutes Later – Actual Planning Begins

Mr. Brooks sipped his coffee, already exhausted. "Alright, goblins. Ideas. Now."

Emma stood up first—because of course she did.

"Class 1-A should aim for something elegant but unique. A themed experience. Maybe a fantasy element. We want to stand out, not copy."

Sofia raised her hand. "Okay but hear me out: café, but make it royalty. Jay's the prince. We're the court. I'm the scandalous noble lady."

"Why is Jay the prince again?" Miles asked.

Tyler coughed. "Have you seen his jawline?"

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The Debate Spiral Begins

Luna: "A quiet café with gentle music and costume sketches."

Noah: "We perform a stage play where the prince is secretly a vampire."

Amaya (quietly): "I think… a café is nice…"

Miles: "What if we did something athletic instead?"

Sofia: "No one is coming to eat bench presses, Miles."

Emma scribbled furiously in her planner, muttering about "costume rotations" and "traffic flow."

I raised my hand. "What if we compromise?"

Everyone paused.

"A Royal Fantasy Café," I said. "Café setup, themed costumes. Each section could have a different kingdom style. Emma handles logistics, Sofia handles atmosphere, Luna designs costumes—"

Sofia clapped. "YES. The café of dreams."

Emma frowned. "It's… workable."

Tyler: "Can I be a dragon?"

Brooks: "Only if you breathe coffee instead of fire."

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Later – Roles and Assignments

With barely controlled chaos, the class scribbled names into sign-up sheets for different sections.

Menu team. Decoration. Stage & theme.

I was automatically signed up as "Lead Role – Crown Prince."

I didn't even see who wrote it.

Sofia winked at me from across the room.

Emma was already designing my costume on graph paper.

Amaya was helping Luna organize her sketches.

And in the middle of it all, I stood frozen, watching this incredible madness swirl around me.

And for once?

It felt… kinda perfect.

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Lunchtime – More Madness

"I already have six girls who want to be your café attendants," Sofia whispered as she sat down beside me.

"Did I sign up for that?"

"No. But your face did."

"Remind me to wear a mask tomorrow."

She patted my shoulder. "Too late. You're the attraction now."

Emma arrived with three pages of designs.

"This is your collar. I gave you a royal chain, and we'll need to style your hair."

"I'm not a mannequin—"

"Yes, but you're aesthetically pleasing, so your opinion ranks second."

I sighed.

Tyler dropped a tray beside me. "Dude, you're gonna have girls lining up just to sit near you."

I blinked. "That already happens."

Tyler pointed a fry at me. "EXACTLY."

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After School – The Calm

As everyone packed up, Amaya walked beside me.

She didn't say anything right away. Just hummed softly, watching her shoes as we stepped onto the path home.

"You, okay?" I asked.

She smiled faintly. "It's nice. Everyone's excited."

"Yeah. I didn't expect to be the 'café prince,' though."

"You'll look good."

I blinked. "Huh?"

She paused, then looked up.

"You'll look good in anything."

Her cheeks flushed. "I-I mean—because Luna's good at costumes, and you're tall, and—"

I laughed, nudging her gently. "Thanks, Amaya."

She didn't answer.

But her hand brushed mine again.

And this time?

She didn't pull away.

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Later That Night – Group Chat Explosion

Sofia: I'm buying feathers. Don't ask

Emma: No glitter near the menu section. I'm serious

Tyler: I call dibs on dramatic entrance music

Luna: Prince Jay… sketch progress…

Noah: I VOLUNTEER AS THE RIVAL PRINCE

Me: …why does this feel like an RPG campaign?

Sofia: because you're the final boss

Emma: because we're all battling over you

Amaya: because you're worth the effort

Miles: because I'm gonna beat you at something. Just wait.