By the second week after the tournament, Callie and Cammy officially became students at the college.
And somehow…
The campus energy changed again.
Not dramatically.
Not loudly.
But enough that Axiom noticed it immediately.
Mostly because wherever the two girls went—
People stared.
Not only because they were beautiful.
Though they absolutely were.
But because they moved together like they existed in perfect sync.
Callie with her confident stride, golden-brown eyes sharp with energy and challenge.
Cammy softer beside her, quieter, sweeter, but somehow just as magnetic.
Together?
They drew attention without even trying.
And now—
Both of them kept texting him.
That morning during animation class, Axiom's phone buzzed under the desk.
Callie:
Captain. Free period. Cafeteria. Move.
Axiom stared at the message.
Then another immediately came.
Cammy:
😊 please come
Axiom sighed quietly.
Beth glanced over from the computer beside him.
"…What?"
Axiom tilted the phone slightly.
Beth read the messages.
Then slowly looked at him.
"…You have two girls summoning you like RPG party members."
Axiom smirked.
"I think I unlocked a side quest."
Beth narrowed her eyes.
"…Idiot."
But she smiled anyway.
Professor Harris looked up from his coffee.
"If you two are done flirting with your monitors…"
The class instantly went quiet.
Beth turned bright red.
"We're not flirting!"
Harris sipped his coffee.
"Mhm."
Axiom looked away before he laughed out loud.
By the time his class ended, Axiom headed toward the cafeteria.
And before he even entered—
Sense activated naturally.
Two familiar presences.
Warm.
Bright.
Easy to recognize now.
Callie's Dama felt like sharp sunlight.
Cammy's felt softer, calmer, flowing like water over stone.
Axiom smiled slightly without realizing it.
He entered the cafeteria.
And immediately spotted them.
Callie waved him over dramatically from across the room.
"CAPTAIN!"
Half the cafeteria turned.
Axiom stopped walking.
"…You do realize other people exist in here, right?"
Callie grinned.
"I know."
"That's why I said it louder."
Cammy covered her mouth, laughing softly.
Axiom walked over shaking his head.
"You're both dangerous."
Callie pointed at the seat beside them.
"Sit."
Axiom sat.
Immediately, Callie stole one of his fries.
"…That's mine."
"Not anymore."
Cammy smiled innocently and took one too.
"…Traitor," Axiom said softly.
Cammy giggled.
"You sat between us. That was your first mistake."
Axiom stared at her.
"…You're learning from Callie."
Callie looked proud.
"She's evolving."
Cammy laughed harder.
The three of them talked while eating.
And unlike with most people—
Conversation with them never felt forced.
Callie talked big.
Loud energy.
Competitive stories.
Trash talk from old basketball games.
Arguments with referees.
Cammy filled in the gaps.
Correcting exaggerations.
Adding details.
Sometimes gently exposing when Callie was being dramatic.
"I was NOT dramatic."
"You threw a shoe."
"It was emotional strategy."
Axiom nearly choked laughing.
Cammy pointed.
"See? Even he knows."
Callie crossed her arms.
"You're both against me."
Axiom nodded.
"We formed an alliance ten seconds ago."
Cammy raised her hand toward him.
Axiom high-fived her immediately.
Callie stared at both of them in betrayal.
"…Unbelievable."
Then she laughed too.
After eating, they headed to the gym.
Not official practice.
Just them.
The empty side court near the back.
Callie bounced a basketball toward Axiom.
"Alright, captain."
"Show us what weird thing you learned overnight."
Axiom caught the ball.
"…That sounds concerning."
"It is."
Cammy sat on the bleachers briefly, watching them with a smile before joining in too.
And just like before—
The rhythm returned naturally.
Movement.
Dribbling.
Passing.
Laughter.
Callie challenged him constantly.
Trying to steal the ball.
Trying to force him into bad angles.
Cammy moved differently.
Quick.
Fluid.
Reading openings before they existed.
Axiom adapted to both of them.
And every time he trained with them—
His understanding of instinctive Dama deepened.
Because unlike him—
They weren't thinking about it.
Their bodies simply knew.
At one point, Callie rushed him aggressively, trying to steal the ball.
Axiom pivoted suddenly.
She slipped slightly—
And instinctively grabbed his shirt to steady herself.
The two froze for half a second.
Close.
Very close.
Callie blinked.
Axiom looked down slightly.
Callie immediately let go.
"…You saw nothing."
Cammy burst out laughing from behind them.
"I definitely saw it."
Callie pointed instantly.
"Silence."
Axiom smirked slightly.
"…So aggressive."
Callie looked away.
"…You're annoying."
But her ears were slightly red.
Axiom noticed.
Said nothing.
Mostly because he valued his continued survival.
Eventually the warning bell rang.
Students began moving through the halls again.
Callie stretched.
"Ugh. Class."
Cammy sighed softly.
"I don't wanna go."
Axiom spun the ball once on his finger before catching it.
"You two literally just started college."
"Exactly," Callie replied. "I'm already tired."
Cammy laughed softly.
Callie looked toward Axiom.
"You heading to lunch?"
"Yeah."
Callie nodded.
"Alright."
Then she pointed at him seriously.
"Same time tomorrow."
Cammy smiled.
"Please?"
Axiom laughed quietly.
"…You're both adding yourselves into my schedule."
Callie smirked.
"Correct."
Cammy nodded proudly.
"We live there now."
Axiom shook his head.
"…Dangerous."
Callie leaned closer slightly.
"You like it."
Axiom paused.
Then smirked faintly.
"…Maybe."
Callie grinned triumphantly.
"I knew it."
Then the two girls headed off toward class together.
Walking side by side like always.
Callie talking animatedly.
Cammy laughing softly beside her.
Axiom watched them disappear down the hallway.
And strangely enough—
His day felt quieter after they left.
He realized then—
Somewhere along the way—
Hanging out with Callie and Cammy had stopped feeling like something extra.
It had become part of his routine.
A part he looked forward to.
The Days Between Greatness: ARC
The Jaguars were halfway through practice when the gym doors opened.
At first, nobody paid attention.
Most of the team was too focused on the scrimmage.
Reggie was running point.
Jason was posting up.
Devon had just missed what should have been an easy layup.
The coach was already rubbing his temples.
Then the doors opened.
And every male player in the gym immediately stopped paying attention to basketball.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Two girls walked into the gym.
One blonde.
One brunette.
Both beautiful.
Both athletic.
Both carrying themselves with the confidence of people who knew exactly who they were.
The ball bounced away forgotten.
Devon blinked.
"Damn."
Jason nodded.
"Damn."
Another player lowered his water bottle.
"Who are they?"
Reggie turned.
Then recognized them.
His eyes widened.
"No way."
The girls spotted Axiom immediately.
Callie waved.
"Captain!"
The entire gym froze.
Every Jaguar slowly turned toward Axiom.
Axiom immediately knew where this was going.
And he hated it.
Devon pointed.
"Captain?"
Jason pointed.
"CAPTAIN?"
Another player looked horrified.
"Captain knows girls?"
Axiom sighed.
"I regret all of you."
The team burst out laughing.
Callie and Cammy walked over.
Callie immediately stole Axiom's water bottle.
Axiom watched.
"..."
"..."
"..."
She took a drink.
"Thanks."
"That was mine."
"It was ours."
Cammy giggled.
The Jaguars stared.
Reggie slowly walked over.
He looked at Axiom.
Then at the girls.
Then back to Axiom.
"...Captain."
Axiom already knew.
"No."
"Captain."
"No."
"Explain."
The entire team nodded.
"Explain."
Axiom sighed.
"They're my friends."
Callie immediately wrapped an arm around his shoulder.
"We're his friends."
Cammy nodded sweetly.
"Very good friends."
The gym exploded.
"NO WAY."
"CAPTAIN GOT GAME."
"WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?"
"HE WAS A NERD TWO WEEKS AGO."
Axiom buried his face in his hand.
"This is why I don't talk to people."
Callie laughed.
Cammy laughed.
The Jaguars would not stop laughing.
Even Coach looked amused.
Practice resumed.
At least...
It tried to.
Callie and Cammy sat on the bleachers.
Watching.
For about three minutes.
Then Callie started talking.
"...That defense is terrible."
Jason nearly tripped.
"What?"
Callie pointed.
"You."
Jason pointed at himself.
"Me?"
"Yes, you."
She pointed again.
"Why are you standing there?"
"I'm defending."
"No you're not."
Jason looked offended.
The team looked offended.
Callie looked completely serious.
A few possessions later.
"Why did he shoot that?"
The gym went quiet.
Devon had just taken a heavily contested three.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Devon looked at Callie.
"It was open."
"It absolutely wasn't."
"It kinda was."
"It kinda wasn't."
Five minutes later.
"Your passing sucks."
The entire team stopped.
Reggie blinked.
"My passing?"
"Not you."
She pointed.
"Him."
The player she pointed at looked wounded.
"Hey!"
Cammy tried covering her mouth.
She was laughing too hard.
Eventually the Jaguars had enough.
Jason crossed his arms.
"Alright."
Callie looked at him.
"What?"
"If you're so good..."
Jason pointed toward the court.
"...then show us."
The gym went silent.
Callie's smile slowly grew.
Dangerously.
Cammy immediately recognized the smile.
"Oh no."
Axiom recognized the smile too.
He almost felt bad for the team.
Almost.
Callie stood up.
"Okay."
The Jaguars smirked.
Most of them thought this would be funny.
Ten minutes later...
Nobody was laughing.
Callie had absolutely destroyed them.
Not because she was stronger.
Not because she was taller.
Not because she was faster.
Though she was surprisingly fast.
No.
She destroyed them because her basketball IQ was insane.
Every fake worked.
Every crossover worked.
Every pass worked.
Every shot worked.
Every defensive read worked.
Jason got crossed so badly he nearly sat down.
Devon got baited into jumping three times in one possession.
One player actually celebrated stealing the ball.
Only to realize Callie had intentionally let him take it.
The next possession she stole it back.
Immediately.
The Jaguars slowly started realizing something horrifying.
Callie wasn't trying very hard.
The score kept climbing.
Finally.
One play.
One final play.
Reggie got serious.
Really serious.
The vice captain planted his feet.
Focused.
Locked in.
Callie smiled.
"Finally."
She crossed left.
Crossed right.
Spun.
Stepped back.
Then launched a three.
SWOOSH.
Nothing but net.
Silence.
The gym stared.
Callie lowered her arm.
Turned.
And walked away.
The Jaguars looked traumatized.
Jason sat down.
"I don't want to play anymore."
Devon pointed.
"Captain."
Axiom looked at him.
"What?"
"Your friends are terrifying."
Cammy giggled.
Callie looked proud.
Axiom nodded.
"Yeah."
"You get used to it."
The Jaguars all looked at him.
"No."
"No, you don't."
The entire gym burst into laughter.
Even Coach.
Even Reggie.
Even Callie.
And for the next hour, the Jaguars listened very carefully every time Callie pointed out one of their mistakes.
Because after watching her play...
Nobody wanted to argue anymore. 😆🏀
Friday morning.
For once, Axiom had arrived before everyone else.
Not because he was training.
Not because he was studying.
Not because he was trying to avoid attention.
Simply because Callie had sent him a text at 7:02 a.m.
Callie:Food.
Cammy:😊 cafeteria
That was the entire conversation.
Yet somehow he knew exactly what they meant.
Axiom sat at a table in the cafeteria.
Callie was sitting across from him.
Cammy beside him.
The three were sharing breakfast.
Or rather...
Callie was stealing pieces of everyone else's breakfast.
"That's my hash brown."
Callie pointed.
"Correction."
She took a bite.
"Our hash brown."
Axiom sighed.
Cammy laughed softly.
"You keep leaving food unattended."
"It was literally in my hand."
"Skill issue."
Axiom stared.
Callie smirked.
Cammy nearly choked trying not to laugh.
Then—
A familiar voice appeared behind them.
"Morning."
Beth.
The moment Beth arrived—
Everyone froze.
Beth:
"..."
Callie:
"..."
Cammy:
"..."
Axiom:
"Uh oh."
The silence lasted exactly three seconds.
Then Callie stood up.
Walked around the table.
And immediately hugged Beth.
Beth froze.
Completely.
Callie smiled.
"You're Beth."
Beth blinked.
"...How do you know my name?"
Callie pointed at Axiom.
"He talks about you."
Axiom nearly died.
"AHEM."
Cammy giggled.
Beth turned slowly toward him.
Very slowly.
"Axiom."
"Yes?"
"You talk about me?"
Axiom looked around.
Searching desperately for an escape route.
There wasn't one.
Callie sat back down.
"Oh yeah."
Beth's face became slightly red.
Cammy nodded.
"He says you're really smart."
Axiom buried his face in his hands.
"I hate all of you."
Beth sat down beside him.
Not across.
Beside.
Axiom noticed.
Callie noticed.
Cammy noticed.
Beth realized they noticed.
And instantly regretted every life decision that led to this moment.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Callie smiled.
Dangerously.
"Oh."
Beth immediately looked away.
Cammy giggled again.
Axiom looked toward the ceiling.
"Professor Leo save me."
Unfortunately for him—
The girls were getting along.
Very well.
Five minutes later.
Callie:
"So you're the animation girl."
Beth:
"...Animation girl?"
Cammy nodded.
"Axiom likes talking about animation."
Beth looked at Axiom.
Axiom looked at his breakfast.
Very interested in the breakfast.
Callie leaned forward.
"Tell us about your character designs."
Beth blinked.
Then immediately became interested.
For the next ten minutes—
They talked.
And somehow...
They all clicked.
Callie liked Beth's confidence.
Beth liked Callie's honesty.
Cammy liked both of them.
The problem?
They also all liked talking to Axiom.
Which led to...
Beth:
"Axiom, remember that animation transition I showed you yesterday?"
Callie immediately answered.
"Yeah, he told us."
Beth looked at her.
"I wasn't asking you."
Callie nodded.
"I know."
Cammy nearly fell over laughing.
Axiom knew immediately.
This was going to become a problem.
A cute problem.
But definitely a problem.
A few minutes later—
Cammy:
"Axiom, did you finish your assignment?"
Beth answered first.
"He finished it two days ago."
Cammy blinked.
"I wasn't asking you."
Beth smiled.
"I know."
Callie immediately started laughing.
Now it was Beth's turn.
Axiom lowered his head onto the table.
"I'm surrounded."
The three girls ignored him.
Competition had begun.
Not toxic.
Not jealous.
Not mean.
Just...
Each wanting a little more of his attention.
Callie would ask him questions first.
Beth would steal conversations.
Cammy would quietly pull on his sleeve whenever she wanted his attention.
And somehow...
It was adorable.
By the time the bell rang—
The four had become an unofficial group.
Callie stood up.
"We're eating together again."
Beth adjusted her glasses.
"Who decided that?"
Callie pointed at herself.
"I did."
Beth opened her mouth.
Paused.
Thought about it.
Then sighed.
"...Fine."
Cammy smiled brightly.
"Yay."
Then all three girls looked at Axiom.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Axiom immediately recognized danger.
"What?"
Callie grinned.
"Nothing."
Beth smiled.
"Nothing."
Cammy smiled too.
"Nothing."
Axiom had watched enough anime to know that when three girls said nothing at the exact same time...
It absolutely meant something.
And somehow—
He had the feeling his life had just become significantly more complicated.
And if the smiles on their faces were anything to go by...
The three of them knew it too. 😆