Gosh, These Heroines Are Impossible!

Finally, lunch break! Freedom at last! >_>

I practically dashed toward the cafeteria, the heavenly aroma of food filling the air. My pace quickened with every step as if the promise of a warm meal was the only thing tethering me to sanity after surviving that class. "Please give me all the food you can, Miss!" I said in my head as I approached the counter, watching with undisguised glee as my plate was piled high with an assortment of dishes.

Compared to the bland, overcooked mush I used to eat in my previous life's school cafeteria, this was a feast fit for royalty. Tender roasted meats, fresh bread, steaming soups, and colorful vegetables—it was almost overwhelming. The academy may have been a maze of stress and chaos, but at least they knew how to feed their students.

Most of the seats were still empty since I had bolted out of class like my life depended on it, so I made my way to a table at the far edge of the room, hoping to savor this moment of peace. I plopped down, letting out a contented sigh, and began to eat. Each bite was a reminder of how much better this life was in at least one respect. The flavors were rich and comforting, enough to momentarily distract me from my usual worries.

As the cafeteria began to fill up with students, the hum of chatter and the clinking of utensils surrounded me, but I paid it little mind. For once, I was alone, away from curious glances, probing questions, and the disconcerting smiles of certain heroines and professors. It was a brief but blissful reprieve.

While chewing on a particularly delightful piece of bread, my thoughts wandered. The students here were surprisingly... normal. In the novel, they had been described in vague, almost robotic terms, serving as mere background noise to the main characters. But now, they felt alive—laughing, complaining, even arguing over trivial things like who had cut in line. It was unnerving how human they seemed.

And then there were the main characters themselves—Camille, Diana, Evelyn, Vivienne. None of them were acting quite like their novel counterparts. Camille had always been written as aloof and enigmatic, yet she seemed playful and almost overly friendly toward me. Diana, meanwhile, was far too intense and calculating, even for the so-called "villainous heroine" she was supposed to be. The professors, too, had layers I hadn't expected. Were they evolving, adapting to the changes I had brought into the story? Or had they always been like this, and the novel had simply glossed over their depth?

I was in the middle of dissecting this unnerving thought when my peace was abruptly interrupted.

A tray clattered onto the table, and someone sat down beside me, far too close for comfort.

I glanced up, already dreading who it might be—and my suspicions were confirmed. Claire Clovis.

The third heroine.

Unlike Camille or Diana, Claire wasn't nobility. She was a commoner, and a prodigious genius who had clawed her way into this prestigious academy through sheer talent and determination. In the novel, she was the relatable underdog, the heroine readers were supposed to root for. But to me, she was just another complication in a story I was desperately trying to escape.

"Hi, Sera!" she chirped, her voice bright and cheerful. Her violet eyes sparkled with curiosity as she smiled at me, completely oblivious to—or perhaps fully aware of—my desire to be left alone.

"Claire," I greeted stiffly, forcing a polite smile. "What brings you here?"

"Oh, I just thought it'd be nice to sit with you! You looked so lonely over here all by yourself," she said, tilting her head as if she were genuinely concerned.

I resisted the urge to sigh. Of course she'd come over. In the novel, Claire was described as kind and empathetic to a fault, the sort of person who couldn't ignore someone sitting alone. "I'm fine, really. Just enjoying the quiet," I said, hoping she'd take the hint.

But Claire Clovis wasn't the type to take hints. "Well, I'll keep you company then!" she declared, already digging into her food.

Great. Just great. My peaceful lunch was officially ruined. 

Well, at least it wasn't Camille or Diana—

"Sera? I didn't know you made a new friend other than me. I'm kind of jealous you didn't tell me before," came a teasing voice.

I froze mid-bite, a sinking feeling pooling in my stomach. Slowly, I turned my head to see Camille standing there, her radiant platinum hair catching the light as she smiled at me with a mischievous glint in her ice-blue eyes.

Oh no. (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

Before I could even muster a response, another voice joined in.

"So, the Sera Vandren can make friends after all? How unexpected," Diana said, sliding gracefully into the seat across from me, her golden-blonde hair cascading over her shoulder as she rested her chin on her hand. Her green eyes gleamed with amusement as she added, "Is she the reason you dashed out of class so quickly and came straight here?"

I stared at them, feeling the walls of the cafeteria close in on me. Great. Instead of one of them, both of them had decided to join me. Why did the universe hate me?

Claire, oblivious to my internal screaming, looked between the two new arrivals with a curious expression. "Oh, are you friends with Sera too?" she asked cheerfully.

Camille chuckled, her gaze never leaving me. "Friends? You could say that. Though I'd like to think I'm her favorite."

Diana smirked, her tone dripping with mock sweetness. "Favorite? Don't get ahead of yourself, Camille. We all know Sera has… a unique way of showing her affections."

I wanted to sink into the floor. Or maybe get struck by lightning. Either would be preferable to enduring this.

"Uh, you're all mistaken," I blurted out, trying to salvage the situation. "We're just… classmates. Nothing more."

Camille's eyes sparkled with amusement as she leaned closer to me, resting her chin on her hand. "Oh, Sera, you wound me. After everything we've been through in class, you'd reduce me to just a classmate?"

Diana raised an eyebrow, her smirk widening. "Classmate or not, you seem to attract quite a bit of attention, don't you? First Ms. Roselle, and now this."

Claire blinked, her cheerful demeanor faltering slightly as she glanced at me. "Wait, what's this about Ms. Roselle?"

"Nothing!" I practically shouted, my face heating up. "Absolutely nothing. Can we not talk about this while I'm trying to eat?"

Camille giggled, clearly enjoying my discomfort, while Diana's smirk deepened, and Claire looked increasingly confused.

This was it. This was how I was going to die. Not in some grand magical duel or an epic confrontation, but here in the cafeteria, surrounded by three heroines who seemed hell-bent on driving me to the brink of insanity..

"Though, I must say, I'm genuinely surprised," Diana mused, her voice cool and measured as she delicately cut into her food. She even managed to make eating look graceful and sophisticated. "The rumors didn't quite make you out to be… like this."

I blinked, caught off guard. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Before I could press further, Claire jumped to my defense, practically throwing herself into the conversation—and onto me. "Hey! Sera isn't a bad person!" she declared, wrapping her arms around my shoulders like we were lifelong best friends.

"H-Hey!" I stammered, squirming under her grip. "Don't you think you're a bit too—"

"Relax, Claire," Camille interjected smoothly, her voice as light and teasing as ever. "I'm sure Diana didn't mean it that way. It's just… well, you were portrayed a little differently, weren't you?"

I shot her a sharp look. "What rumors?"

Diana smirked, leaning forward slightly as if she were sharing a secret. "Exactly what I said. The girl who was painted as some kind of evil incarnate is, surprisingly, quite… normal. Dare I say, even charming."

My jaw clenched. "Normal? Charming? Is this some kind of joke?"

Claire, still clinging to me, nodded vigorously. "That's what I've been saying! Sera's really nice once you get to know her!"

You don't even know me!

Camille tilted her head, her ice-blue eyes sparkling with amusement. "It's not so much about whether or not you're nice, Sera. It's more that… well, you've already managed to surprise us. And that's not easy to do."

I groaned internally, feeling a headache start to form. "Can we not talk about me like I'm not here?"

"Oh, we're including you," Diana said with a sly smile, her green eyes glinting mischievously. "Isn't that right, Sera?"

This was my life now. A twisted version of the original story where the supposed villainess had to endure not one, not two, but three heroines who clearly had too much fun at my expense. And worse, I couldn't escape because Claire still had her arms locked around my shoulders.

Seriously, could I get struck by lightning now?