The following day.
In The Briarrest Cabin's main sitting room, the culinary team of students from Saint Maribelle's Academy stood in a neat line. With Ciela at the center, and on both her sides were Aya, Richard, Orin, Petra, who was smiling despite the exhaustion, and Juniper. Beside them sat their luggage, travel bags neatly packed and ready.
Across from them stood Mr. Smithson, Professor Barlowe, and Chef Tulliver herself.
Chef Tulliver had just finished speaking, announcing that since the Summit's final day was little more than farewells and light catering, the original Hearthgarden Kitchen team would handle things from here. The students were to be dismissed early, allowed to return to Saint Maribelle's ahead of schedule.
The announcement from the head chef lifted the team's spirits. And with their heads held high, they awaited the last few words of acknowledgement from Chef Tulliver.
All except Aya.
Her eyes were downcast in shame as she remembered the incident she caused in the kitchen.
Even after the moments she had enjoyed with Raveena last night, the guilt still clung to her.
"I ruined my place in the banquet. I dragged them back. Even if everyone carried on without me, it doesn't change what I did… what I couldn't do."
Aya's ears drooped lower as the others stood tall beside her. The Summit should have been a shining memory to take home. Instead, it felt like her endnote was only failure.
Even as Mr. Smithson and Professor Barlowe spoke, their voices were drowned out by her own shame. Even Chef Tulliver's words of encouragement sounded muffled, as if she were hearing them through water.
Until…
"Aya."
Aya's ears shot up, her chest jolting. Quickly, she looked up at Chef Tulliver, who was peering at her from the front of the room.
"Y-yes?"
"Is something wrong?" the hedgehog-folk asked.
Aya shook her head quickly. "N-nothing, Chef."
Chef Tulliver narrowed her eyes, then sighed, crossing her arms. "You're sure?"
Her question, Aya couldn't answer.
"This is it, isn't it? It's either I keep quiet and hide behind the others… or I own up to it."
The team had depended on her. Even as a substitute, she had taken on their trust, shared in their burden. And she failed them.
But despite all that… she couldn't let it end without saying something.
So, with trembling lips, Aya stepped forward.
Her teammates could only look at her in surprise as she bowed deeply.
"I… I want to apologize," Her voice cracked, but she forced herself to go on. "Last night, during the banquet… I made a terrible mistake. I lost focus. I caused an accident that no proper chef should ever let happen. I wasn't careful, and I let everyone down."
Her hands clenched, her head still lowered.
"I… I'm so sorry. For holding all of you back."
Silence followed her words, stretching long enough that Aya could hear nothing but the pounding of her own heartbeat. The dizziness crept back in, not from the fever this time, but from her nerves.
But then came a warm touch.
"Aya."
Chef Tulliver's voice called out in a tone softer than before. "Raise your head."
Aya swallowed hard, lifting her chin hesitantly. Her blurred vision steadied enough to see the faces of her teammates, each one looking back at her with small, reassuring smiles. Even Chef Tulliver herself wore one.
"There's no need to dwell on it," the hedgehog-folk said. "Yes, it was a mistake. But mistakes are not the end of the world. They are lessons. And you… are still a student."
"B-but…"
Chef Tulliver shook her head, cutting her off gently. "Ciela told me you came down with a fever last night. That alone explains a great deal. With the number of days and hours you all poured into this Summit, overwork was inevitable. For someone with no prior experience on this scale of service, it's natural you'd reach your limit."
"Still… I should've been more careful, Chef…"
"It's all right, Aya. Take it for what it is. A learning experience. It's not as though you ruined the entire Concorde Summit, is it?"
At that, Aya could only answer with a nod.
"In fact," Chef Tulliver added with a faint chuckle, "you'd be surprised how many blunders even seasoned professionals make in their kitchens. Accidents happen. The only real failure is refusing to learn from them."
Before Aya could respond, another voice joined in. It was Professor Barlowe's.
"So please, Miss Ribbuns. Return to the academy smiling with your team. One terrible night does not erase the worth of the work you've given on all the others."
Aya's ears twitched as she looked up at him, eyes wide.
"You kept pace with them. That alone, for a substitute with no prior experience at this scale, is commendable."
As he said that, murmurs of agreement rippled through the group.
"He's right. Aya, you didn't ruin anything for us. So don't beat yourself up too much about it!" Juniper said with a shrug.
Petra quickly added with a bright smile, "Yeah! We made it through together. No one here's upset with you."
Aya's throat tightened once again as tears began to sting her eyes, but for a different reason this time.
Beside her, Richard nodded and smiled. "And next time? If you're not feeling well, just tell us. There's no shame in it. Better that you stay safe than push yourself until you can't stand."
"Even Richard's got worse mess-ups in the kitchen than you," Orin sighed.
"Hey! That was last year! And besides, didn't I tell you to keep quiet about it?!" Richard groaned.
Orin shrugged. "That's on you, man. I never said I'd keep quiet."
Aya let out a shaky laugh at their banter, her ears trembling as she lifted a hand to brush her eyes. Hearing their words was just the thing she needed to feel at ease, loosening the knot that had been choking her since the banquet.
"T-thank you, everyone!" she said with all the gratefulness in her heart.
At that, Mr. Smithson clapped his hands once to grab their attention. "Now it seems that everything is in order. Let's not drag this out. Best you all do your final checks before we take Saint Maribelle's culinary team to the station, the train will arrive soon."
"Yes, sir!" the group chorused, and at once everyone bent to gather their bags and tidy up their belongings.
Aya crouched by her luggage and checked if she had wrapped her knives and folded her apron and uniforms inside properly. Then, she took one last look at a few of her belongings to make sure she didn't forget anything.
Once done she zipped her bags shut, a shadow fell across her, it was Richard's.
"How are you feeling?" the dog-folk asked, tail swishing slowly behind him. "Ciela mentioned a friend of yours watched over you last night."
Aya nodded and smiled. "Mm… that was Raveena. She stayed with me. And yes, I'm feeling a little better now. But once we're back at the academy, I'll need to rest some more."
"Raveena?" Richard echoed. "Why does that sound familiar?"
"Raveena Vesper! She's a new student at the academy, same year as me. But… she had a rough start. There were a lot of not-so-kind things being said about her."
"Rough start, huh? What, was she some kind of delinquent?"
Aya let out a sigh, shaking her head firmly. "Mm-nay… nothing like that. She's… kind. Just misunderstood."
Richard studied her face a moment, then gave a small shrug. "Well, if you say so. I was hoping to thank her myself for looking after you. Perhaps pass that along for me when we're back at the academy?"
"Of course I will. And… thank you too, Richard, for your concern."
"No problem. Honestly, if I hadn't been so dead tired after the banquet, I would've kept an eye on you myself. But…" he chuckled, "looks like someone beat me to it. All good though."
Now with all finished with the rest of their final checks, the team gathered together before their superiors, offering bows and words of thanks. Chef Tulliver listened with a big smile as each student expressed their gratitude.
"Thank you for guiding us through the Summit, Chef," Ciela said on behalf of them all.
"Of course, thank you all as well for your hard work," Chef Tulliver nodded. "Remember this experience, because I'll be calling on you again when I need Saint Maribelle's team, okay?"
The team answered in a chorus one last time. "Yes, Chef!"
Now with their farewells made, bags slung over shoulders, and suitcases carried. The Saint Maribelle's culinary team stepped out of The Briarrest Cabin and into the outside morning air, following the path that led them down toward Rosequartz Town's train station.
Toward home.