Chapter 65: Day 2
Day two of the Academy Fest came faster than expected, arriving on the back of a cool morning breeze that carried the scent of distant mountains and the promise of chaos.
This time, we were prepared.
A lot had changed overnight. Our single, desperate stall had transformed into a small, efficient empire. We had more stock, mountains of it, delivered by a frantic but well-paid merchant before the sun had even risen. We had more ingredients, exotic spices and rare vegetables that Julie had only dreamed of working with. And we had more labor. We had doubled our staff with a handful of eager, part-time helpers from the academy’s culinary club, all of whom had tasted our ramen yesterday and were now practically disciples in our new church of flavor.
Our booth space itself had expanded. I had put in a formal, and perhaps slightly threatening, request to Headmistress Evelyn herself. She didn’t ask questions. She just gave me a faint, knowing smirk and signed off on the expansion, a gesture that was both a blessing and a warning.
We even had help from the nearby stalls. A few of our competitors, seeing the tide of public opinion turning so dramatically in our favor, had wisely chosen to collaborate, offering us their storage space and backup supply chains in case another stockout happened. Tables and benches, borrowed and "acquired," had expanded out into the walkways, their boundaries marked by floating, glowing sigils that gently redirected the flow of foot traffic.
Even Masha, my ever-critical and perpetually unimpressed maid, had to admit, "Now it looks like a war camp built for flavor."
In other words, we were ready.
Except we weren’t.
Because this time, the schedule had changed. The academy, in its infinite wisdom and deference to the power of wealth, had granted the high nobles an exclusive, early entry window—two extra hours to explore the festival grounds before the common students and the general public were allowed to enter.
"Of course," I muttered, my voice a low, bitter growl. "Privilege at its finest."
The team had barely set the burners to full flame when the first, elegant group of nobles emerged from the main hall, their silks and jewels glittering in the morning sun.
I was adjusting the rune timer above the main register when I sensed it.