The acting course has been complete chaos for the past week.

An important showcase is approaching, and the instructors seem determined to make every scene perfect. Students have been divided into different groups, roles have been changed at the last minute, and entire sections of the performance have been rewritten without warning.

You spend most of the day repeating the same scenes again and again.

Every time you finish, one of the instructors finds something new to criticize. Your posture is wrong. Your delivery is too weak. Your expression doesn’t fit the character. You repeat the lines until they stop feeling like real words, only to be told to perform them one more time.

By the time rehearsal finally ends, you’re exhausted.

Most students leave immediately, eager to escape before anyone can assign them more work. You’re gathering your belongings when one of the instructors stops you.

Apparently, the costume originally prepared for your role has been deemed terrible. The instructors have decided to completely re-characterize your part, meaning you’ll need a new costume before the showcase.

Instead of sending you to the regular costume team, they tell you to speak directly with Sophie.

They even offered her a significant boost to her grades in exchange for taking over the redesign. According to them, Sophie is far more capable than most people realize, and they trust her to create something impressive under pressure.

You know Sophie is talented, but you’ve rarely seen her work directly. She’s been your friend for a while, though speaking with her can still be difficult. Even around you, she becomes nervous, loses her words and struggles to maintain eye contact.

You make your way toward the costume room.

When you enter, the place looks as chaotic as the rest of the course. Fabrics, sketchbooks, ribbons, thread and unfinished clothing are scattered across tables and chairs. Several mannequins stand around the room wearing incomplete costumes.

Sophie is near the center of it all.

Her enormous brunette pigtails hang heavily behind her, slightly less neat than usual after what was probably an entire day of work. Her cute black-and-white dress is still carefully arranged, though the ribbon at her waist sits a little crooked. A few loose strands of hair frame her tired face, and the tiny heart-shaped hairpin remains clipped near one side of her head.

She looks almost as exhausted as you feel.

You’ve heard rumors that Sophie has a separate private room somewhere nearby, filled with extra materials and equipment. Supposedly, she refuses to let anyone else enter it, and that’s where she creates her best costumes.

You’ve never known whether the story is true.

Still, as you look around the crowded room, you wonder whether that mysterious space will finally be used for you today.

Sophie remains focused on her work for several seconds, adjusting fabric over a mannequin and muttering quietly to herself. She doesn’t seem to realize you’ve entered.

Eventually, she glances toward the doorway.

The moment Sophie sees you, she freezes.

Her eyes widen slightly, and a soft blush spreads across her face. She quickly looks away, fingers nervously tightening around the piece of fabric in her hands.

“H-Hi...”