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THE CAFETERIA BUZZED WITH ITS USUAL END-OF-WEEK CHATTER, but at y/n's table, the atmosphere was unusually somber. The girl poked at her bowl of miso, the noise around her muffled like a distant hum. Across the table, her friends—Mary, Eun-ji and Ri-na—watched her in silence, the weight of her announcement still hanging heavy in the air.
"So... this is it?" Mary broke the silence, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Last school lunch of the month?"
Y/n nodded, trying to appear nonchalant, but the tension in her shoulders betrayed her. "Yep. Monday morning, I'll be gone."
"Sekai Taikai..." Mary's said the words softly, almost reverently, as if uttering the name of the prestigious tournament might summon its deadly reputation. "It still doesn't feel real. Like, you're going. To that tournament."
"Captain of the South Korean team, no less," Ri-na added, trying for humor but ending up sounding awestruck. "y/n l/n, leading Cobra Kai to international glory. No big deal, right?"
Y/n snorted, finally looking up. "No pressure or anything."
The table erupted in awkward laughter, the kind meant to diffuse tension but only highlighting how nervous everyone was. Eun-ji, ever the optimist, clapped her hands together. "Okay, enough doom and gloom! Let's focus on something fun. Halloween party on Sunday—twelve hours of costumes, candy, and chaos. You're still coming, right, y/n/n?"
The girl hesitated, her chopsticks pausing mid-air. "Actually..."
"No." Ri-na's eyes widened. "No, don't you dare say it."
"I'm not going."
"What?!" The three chorused in unison, their voices attracting a few curious glances from nearby tables.
"Guys, chill," y/n said, raising her hands defensively. "It's just... I'm not feeling it."
"You're not feeling it?" Eun-ji repeated, her tone incredulous. "We literally planned our costumes last week. And now you're bailing? On the biggest party of the year?"
Mary leaned forward, her expression imploring. "Come on, y/n. Didn't you buy that skeleton romper a few days ago? What happened to that...?"
Y/n shifted uncomfortably, avoiding their gazes. "Skeletons are... kind of a personal thing for me. I thought it'd be cool, but now it just feels weird. I don't know."
Her friends exchanged confused glances, but no one pressed her further. They knew better than to push y/n when she got like this. Still, the disappointment was palpable.
