The café hums softly with background chatter and the aroma of coffee as the group finally begins their project discussion.
Elara straightens her notebook and looks at Noah.
"Noah, can you show me the drawing you worked on?"
Noah pulls out her folder and places a sheet on the table. The moment Elara sees it, her eyes light up. It isn't just a drawing—it looks like a professionally designed poster. The composition is strong, the details thoughtful, and the message powerful without being loud.
"This is amazing," Elara says sincerely. "You've turned the concept into something visual and impactful. I really love it."
Noah shrugs, trying to act casual, though she is clearly pleased.
"I just drew what felt right."
Elara then turns toward Lucien.
"Lucien, how do you think we should arrange everything?"
Lucien leans back in his chair, completely confident.
"We start with Noah's visuals to grab attention, then move into Victor's written explanation, and end with Alice's part. That way, it flows naturally and feels complete."
Elara nods, smiling.
"That's actually a great structure."
Lucien smirks. "Of course it is."
Next, Elara looks at Victor.
"Victor, may I see what you wrote?"
Victor silently hands her his notebook. She flips through the pages slowly, taking in the neat handwriting and clear explanations.
"This is beautifully written," she says. "Your handwriting is so clean, and the way you explain feminism is simple but meaningful."
Victor gives a small nod, pretending not to care, though his faint smile gives him away.
Finally, Elara turns to Alice.
"Alice, your part?"
Alice slides his laptop toward her.
"I wrote everything there. It's more like a personal journal, but connected to our topic."
Elara begins reading. At first, she scans casually. Then she slows down. Alice hasn't written textbook definitions—he has written real-life observations, personal reflections, and moments he has witnessed. There's even a section about Princess Diana, focusing on her strength, empathy, and the pressure she carried with grace.
Elara looks up, genuinely impressed.
"You didn't just write information. You wrote honesty."
Alice shrugs slightly.
"That felt more real to me."
For a brief moment, the table is quiet.
Then Noah suddenly breaks the silence.
"Alice, how about we exchange names?"
Alice blinks. "Why would we do that?"
Noah grins.
"Because your name sounds more like a girl's name, and mine sounds more like a boy's. Maybe the universe made a mistake."
Alice bursts into laughter.
"Ah, so that's the problem. Must have been a technical error."
Everyone laughs—except Victor, who exhales deeply and shakes his head.
Lucien chuckles.
"The project is finished, but the chaos clearly isn't."
Elara claps her hands lightly.
"Alright, everyone. Since we're done, let's get some coffee."
Alice immediately raises his hand.
"Yes. I fully support this idea."
The moment the waiter leaves after taking their coffee order, peace lasts exactly three seconds.
Lucien taps the table thoughtfully.
"So, technically speaking, my planning is what saved this project."
Noah turns slowly toward him.
"Oh? That's interesting, because without my drawings, your 'planning' would look like a blank notebook."
Lucien raises an eyebrow.
"Please. Visuals only work if someone knows where to place them."
Alice leans forward, enjoying this far too much.
"Wow. I love how you both are arguing over imaginary crowns."
Noah points at Alice.
"At least I contributed something real. What did you do? Type feelings?"
Alice gasps dramatically.
"These are premium emotions. Very expensive."
Elara rubs her temple.
"Can we not fight for five minutes?"
Lucien smirks.
"This isn't a fight. This is a discussion."
Noah laughs.
"Then why are you already losing?"
Lucien places a hand on his chest.
"I am not losing. I am being misunderstood."
Alice claps slowly.
"This is better than the coffee."
Victor exhales sharply and continues staring at his notebook, clearly trying to ignore all of them.
Noah suddenly leans closer to Alice.
"By the way, Alice, how many girlfriends do you have right now?"
Alice smiles proudly.
"That information is classified."
Lucien snorts.
"Translation: too many to count."
Elara looks at Alice warningly.
"Do not embarrass us in public."
Alice grins.
"No promises."
Victor finally closes his notebook—slowly, carefully, like someone reaching their final limit.
"Enough."
Everyone freezes.
Victor looks up, his expression calm but dangerous.
"You ordered coffee. Not chaos."
Lucien opens his mouth.
"Victor, we were just—"
Victor raises one finger.
"No."
Alice whispers dramatically.
"Oh wow. The finger is up."
Victor turns to Alice.
"And you—stop treating everything like a comedy show."
Alice nods seriously.
"Understood. Completely. Absolutely."
Two seconds pass.
Alice then whispers to Noah,
"Did you hear how scary he sounded?"
Victor slams his palm lightly on the table.
"I heard that."
Noah laughs.
"He has super hearing now too?"
Victor stands up slightly from his chair.
"I am surrounded by adults who behave like children."
Lucien smirks.
"Admit it. You would miss us."
Victor sighs deeply and sits back down.
"I already regret knowing all of you."
Just then, the waiter returns with their coffee.
The moment the cups touch the table, Alice cheers softly.
"The peace offering has arrived."
Noah grabs her cup.
"If this spills, I'm blaming Lucien."
Lucien scoffs.
"If it spills, it's because Alice breathed too loudly."
Elara takes a sip and smiles.
"This is actually really good."
Victor takes his coffee, finally relaxing—just a little.
"See? Silence and coffee. A perfect combination."
Alice raises his cup.
"To teamwork."
Everyone raises theirs.
Then Alice adds,
"And to Victor, for surviving us."
Victor glares at him over the rim of his cup.
"One day, I will stop surviving and start abandoning."
They all laugh, even Victor—though he pretends he didn't.
And just like that, the café fills with noise again, but this time, it feels warm. Messy. Familiar.
While they are quietly drinking their coffee, laughing softly after all the chaos, Elara's smile suddenly fades.
Her eyes stop on something across the café.
A few tables away, a young man is standing far too close to a girl. At first, it looks normal—until Elara notices the angle of his phone. The camera is tilted unnaturally low, hidden near his side.
Her breath catches.
The girl doesn't notice anything. She's scrolling on her phone, unaware that the man is secretly taking pictures under her skirt.
Elara pushes her chair back and stands up immediately.
Without hesitation, she walks straight toward him, snatches the phone from his hand, and holds it tightly.
"What do you think you're doing?" Elara says sharply.
The boy panics.
"Give my phone back!"
"You'll get it back," Elara replies coldly, "after you delete every picture you took."
He reaches for the phone aggressively.
"That's my phone!"
Elara steps back.
"This phone stays with me until those pictures are gone."
She opens the gallery herself. The proof is there.
Her jaw tightens as she starts deleting them one by one.
The boy's face twists with anger. He moves closer, raising his voice, clearly about to cross another line.
That's when Alice steps in.
In one swift motion, Alice punches him, forcing the boy back. Chairs scrape loudly, people shout, and the café erupts into chaos.
Lucien and Victor immediately move to support Alice, standing between the man and the girls.
The victim—the girl whose pictures were taken—stands frozen near the wall, shaking, her face pale with shock and fear.
The café staff rushes over, shouting for everyone to stop. Within moments, security intervenes and forces all of them outside.
Before leaving, Elara makes sure the phone is clean. Every picture is deleted. She hands the phone back without a word.
Outside the café, the air feels heavy.
Elara walks straight toward the girl and gently places a hand on her arm.
"It's okay now," she says softly. "You're safe."
The girl looks about five years older than them, her hands trembling.
"Thank you," she whispers. "I didn't even know what was happening."
"My name is Hannah Müller,"
Elara smiles reassuringly.
"You were brave. You didn't do anything wrong."
As Hannah steps aside to calm herself, Elara suddenly notices something else.
Blood.
Alice's knuckles are bleeding.
Her heart drops.
Without saying a word, Elara turns and runs.
Alice watches her go, confused. He looks at Noah.
"Why did she leave?"
Noah frowns.
"I don't know…"
Alice swallows hard. For a second, he thinks the worst—that maybe she couldn't handle it, that maybe she didn't want to be involved.
Then Elara comes running back.
She's holding a small medical box.
"Sit down," she says firmly.
Alice blinks.
"…Oh."
She kneels in front of him, carefully cleaning the blood from his hand. Her movements are gentle but focused.
"Next time," she mutters, "try not to hurt yourself while being a hero."
Alice watches her quietly, something unreadable in his eyes.
Nearby, Noah is cleaning Lucien's arm, scolding him nonstop.
Victor has a cut on his face.
Before Elara can reach him, Hannah steps forward.
"May I?" she asks Victor softly.
Victor nods.
Hannah carefully cleans the injury on his face. Victor doesn't look away—not even once. He just watches her, silent, attentive, almost stunned.
For the first time since everything happened, the tension slowly eases.
They are hurt. Shaken.
But they stood up for someone.
And that mattered.