The old Class VII dormitory, mid-morning. Trista was slowly coming back to life, its streets once again filled with vendors, students, and familiar sounds. The bakery, in particular, had a long line—news had spread quickly that it was open for business again.

Fie walked through the hallway of the dorm, a small paper bag in her hand. The scent of fresh pastries clung to it, faint but unmistakable. She didn't often buy things like this for anyone—not because she didn't care, but because it just wasn't something she thought about.

Still, Millium's words had stuck in her head all morning: "That's how you show you care about a gal!"

"I mean, I do care about Laura, so…" Fie had mumbled to herself at the bakery, pretending to examine the pastries as her cheeks burned slightly. Laura wasn't one for sweets, so she'd settled on a mildly sweet scone—something simple but carefully made, just like Laura herself.

She kept her pace casual as she made her way to Laura's room, though her thoughts were more chaotic than usual. It's no big deal. Just a scone. Not weird at all. She probably won't care anyway.

Just as Fie turned a corner, however, she came face-to-face with Laura, who looked equally surprised to see her. The taller girl had a familiar paper bag in her hand, and for a brief moment, they both froze, eyes flicking to the bags the other was holding.

"…Oh," Fie said, blinking.

Laura recovered first, smiling softly. "Fie. I was just coming to find you."

"Uh…" Fie stared at her for a second before holding up her bag. "I was… just coming to find you."

They stared at each other for a beat, processing the coincidence. Then Laura let out a soft, amused laugh, and Fie couldn't help but crack a grin.

"Well, this is unexpected," Laura said, holding her bag up slightly. "It seems we both had the same idea."

Fie raised an eyebrow, though her cheeks tinted pink. "You bought me something?"

"I did," Laura said. "And I'm quite curious to see what you've brought for me."

Fie huffed, trying to play it cool. "Pfft. Don't get all excited about it. It's nothing fancy." She held the bag out toward Laura, looking at the floor as she muttered, "I remembered you don't like really sweet stuff, so it's a scone. Thought you might like it."

Laura's expression softened as she took the bag. "Thank you, Fie. That's very thoughtful of you." She looked genuinely pleased, which made Fie's heart do a strange little flip.

Laura then extended her own bag toward Fie. "Here. I got something for you as well."

Fie accepted the bag, peeking inside. Inside was a small pastry—not overly sweet but decorated carefully, almost as if whoever made it had intended it to look elegant and cute at the same time. Fie blinked, her gaze flicking back up to Laura.

"It's a cream puff," Laura explained. "I know you enjoy sweets more than I do, so I thought this would suit you."

Fie's mouth twitched into a small smirk. "You really thought this through, huh?"

Laura chuckled lightly. "I suppose I did. Though it's not much—just a small gesture."

Fie looked back at the cream puff, the faintest smile tugging at her lips. "…It's nice." She hesitated before adding, "Thanks, Laura."

Laura tilted her head slightly, watching her. "You're very welcome. Though I must admit, I'm pleased you had the same thought."

"Millium's fault," Fie mumbled, looking off to the side. "She said something about showing you care for a girl by buying pastries."

Laura raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Is that so?"

Fie immediately realized her mistake, her eyes widening slightly. "Wait—not like that! She just—ugh." Fie groaned and rubbed the back of her neck. "Forget it. I thought you might like a scone. That's all."

Laura smiled warmly. "And I do."

The two stood there for a moment, an unspoken warmth passing between them. Fie shifted on her feet before finally speaking up.

"Want to eat them together?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

Laura's expression brightened. "I'd like that. Perhaps we could sit in the lounge?"

"Sure." Fie turned and started walking, pausing briefly to glance back at Laura. The simple act of eating pastries with Laura made her feel giddy, but that wasn't something she could say out loud.