At Ashi's House- Evening Time
Ashi sat cross-legged on her bed, absentmindedly twisting the corner of her hoodie string while Dikshita lays nearly, scrolling through her phone.
After few seconds of silence, Dikshita suddenly looked up.
"So…after that kidnapping incident, did your father finally listen to you? Did he say you don't have to go to the US now?"
Ashi's fingers paused for a moment.
"He didn't exactly say it directly," she murmured. "But…he's not forcing me anymore."
"But seriously," Dikshita continued, sitting up now, "that mysterious guy literally saved us that day. If he hadn't come there on time-"
Ashi look away.
For some strange reason, the memory returned too vividly.
The black hoodie.
That calm voice.
Those sharp eyes hidden beneath the dim light.
Dikshita narrowed her eyes mischievously.
"Ohooo…"
"What?"
"You're thinking about him."
"I'm not."
"You are."
Ashi grabbed a pillow and threw it at her. "Shut up."
Dikshita laughed loudly. "Ashiii…don't tell me you've started falling for your mysterious 'Shadow Hunk'."
Ashi almost choked. "What? No! Are you insane? Who said that? Why would I even like him?"
"Because every time his topic comes up, your expression changes."
"It does not."
"It literally does."
Ashi quickly picked up her water bottle just to avoid eye contact. "You watch too many dramas."
"And you deny too much."
"I swear I'll throw you out of this room."
After a moment, Dikshita leaned back against the pillow with a grin. "Fine, fine. I'll stop teasing you."
"You better."
"But if someday you marry that mysterious man, I will remind everyone this conversation happened first."
Ashi gave her a warning look.
"Goodnight, okay I'm going bye Mrs. Shadow Hunk."
"DIKSHITA!"
At School
The English period was supposed to be peaceful.
The teacher was writing grammar notes on the board.
And at the very last bench—
Keshav was busy drawing a mustache on Reyansh's passport-sized photo.
"You're crossing limits," Reyansh warned quietly.
"No," Keshav replied thoughtfully, "I'm improving your personality."
"You made me look like a retired magician."
"Exactly the thing I wanted to do."
Aarohi nearly snorted laughing.
"Can you people be serious for once?" Ayaan whispered while trying to write notes.
Keshav slowly turned toward him with an offended expression. "Ayaan… education is important, but comedy is what separates us from animals."
"We are literally studying Shakespeare, Keshav."
"And what did Shakespeare do?" he whispered dramatically. "Entertainment."
Reyansh grabbed his photo back. "Give me that."
Keshav had already slipped the edited photo inside Ayaan's notebook.
Three minutes later—
"Everyone," the teacher announced, "submit your notebooks."
Reyansh froze.
Keshav looked out the window peacefully like a man detached from worldly problems.
The notebooks reached the teacher one by one.
Then—
The teacher slowly lifted the tiny photo between two fingers.
Drawn mustache.
Sunglasses.
The words 'International Uncle' written below it.
The classroom nearly died controlling their laugh.
"Ayaan, why in your copy Reyansh's this type of photo is there. It was not expected from you" the teacher said slowly, "would you like to explain this?"
Reyansh immediately pointed at Keshav. "He did it, ma'am it's not Ayaan's fault."
Traitor.
The class burst out laughing while Keshav clutched his chest dramatically.
"Reyansh," he whispered painfully, "after all our memories together?"
Reyansh sticks his tongue out mocking him.
Even the teacher looked like she was struggling not to laugh.
But Keshav wasn't done.
He suddenly stood up respectfully. "Ma'am, actually this artwork represents modern society's internal conflict."
The teacher blinked. "What?"
"Yes," he continued with full confidence. "The mustache symbolizes maturity. The sunglasses represent hidden pain."
Aarohi dropped her pen laughing.
"And the 'International Uncle' part?"
Keshav looked at Reyansh.
"That…" he sighed, "…is destiny."
The class exploded again.
Even Aarohi had buried her face in her arms trying not to laugh too loudly.
Reyansh looked ready to transfer schools.
The teacher finally gave up and shook her head. "Keshav, one day your jokes will destroy you."
Keshav smiled lazily and leaned back in his chair.
"No, ma'am," he said lightly. "They save me."
But then Aarohi threw a paper ball at his head.
"The idiot you are." Aarohi said.
And just like that, Keshav grinned again—
Careless, annoying, endlessly funny—Top of Form
And the class kept laughing around him.
During Lunch Break
Aarohi was peacefully eating her lunch.
Keshav suddenly slid onto the bench beside her with the confidence of a hero entering in slow motion.
"Tell me something," he said suspiciously, narrowing his eyes. "That new transferred girl… when is she coming?"
Aarohi looked at him with pure judgment while chewing her paratha.
"After one week but why you are thinking about it so much, the teacher has given me the charge of it."
"One week?" Keshav frowned dramatically. "Impossible."
Aarohi raised a brow. "What impossible? Principal ma'am herself said it."
Keshav leaned closer and whispered like he was leaking national secrets.
"I heard she's coming tomorrow."
Aarohi instantly froze.
"Tomorrow?!"
"Yeah," he nodded seriously. "I think plans changed."
Aarohi's eyes widened as she started mentally replaying every announcement from school assembly in her mind.
"Wait… did ma'am say next week or this week…? No no… maybe one of my friends were saying next Wednesday… or was it tomorrow Wednesday—"
The moment her brain entered buffering mode, Keshav's eyes slowly drifted toward her lunchbox like a criminal spotting treasure.
A mischievous smirk appeared on his face.
"Aarohi…"
"Hm?"
"You know what's your problem is?"
"What?"
"You think too much."
And before she could react—
SNATCH.
Keshav grabbed the lunchbox and bolted away like a wanted fugitive.
Aarohi stood up so fast her chair had an almost trauma.
"KESHAVVV!"
Keshav ran towards the class room door and ran out of the classroom. Aarohi ran to catch him.
The entire corridor turned to look.
Keshav sprinted backwards while holding the lunchbox above his head proudly.
"Thank you for donating food to the needy!"
"That's my lunch!"
"Correction," he yelled dramatically, opening the lid while running, "Our lunch. Communism."
Aarohi started chasing him with murderous speed.
"You fraud! You lied about the transfer student?!"
Keshav took a bite from her paneer paratha and closed his eyes emotionally.
"Some lies are necessary for human survival and yes the transfer student will come next week, don't always overthink Aarohi otherwise I will always take this type of steps to trouble you."
He laughed.
"COME BACK HERE!"
"Catch me first, Miss Memory Loss!"
"You thief!"
"No," he corrected proudly, pointing at himself. "I'm an opportunist."
Students around them laughed as Aarohi chased him furiously across the whole block of their floor. Even teachers passing nearby shook their heads with tired amusement.
When Aarohi finally caught him by the collar, breathing heavily, Keshav raised both hands dramatically.
"Violence. In an educational institution. I'm disappointed."
"You ate HALF of it!"
He looked at the paratha thoughtfully. "Correction. Slightly more than half."
"Keshav, give it back."
"No."
"Keshav."
"No means no. Respect my decision."
He opened the lid again and gasped happily.
"OH MY GOD… paneer paratha survived the accident. Miracles still exist."
Just then—
A calm voice came from behind.
"Give her lunchbox back."
Everyone turned.
Ayaan stood there with one hand inside his pocket, looking at Keshav with that silent dangerous expression which automatically reduced people's life expectancy.
Keshav blinked once.
Then casually took another bite.
"No."
Ayaan stared at him.
"Keshav."
"No."
"A last warning."
Keshav nodded seriously.
"And this is my last bite."
CHOMP.
The nearby students silently stepped back because they could already sense funeral music approaching.
Ayaan exhaled slowly.
"Fine."
He adjusted his watch calmly.
"Then I'm not doing your three day's pending homework."
Silence.
Keshav froze mid-chew.
Aarohi's eyes widened.
Some students whispered, "Bro hit at his weakest point."
Keshav slowly turned towards Ayaan.
"You wouldn't."
" Yeah, you heard right I wouldn't."
"You promised."
"And you promised to stop stealing food during lunch break."
"That promise was emotionally impossible to maintain."
Ayaan folded his arms.
" Give the lunchbox, now."
Keshav looked at the paneer paratha…
Then at Ayaan…
Then at the mountain of unfinished homework waiting for him at home.
His soul visibly left his body for two seconds.
With extreme heartbreak, he slowly walked toward Aarohi and returned the lunchbox like a defeated warrior surrendering his kingdom.
Aarohi snatched it instantly.
"Good."
Keshav pointed at Ayaan with betrayal in his eyes.
"You know what hurts the most?"
Ayaan looked uninterested. "What?"
"You didn't save Aarohi…"
He placed a hand dramatically on his chest.
"You did betrayal."
Everyone laughed who were present at the collider.
Bottom of Form
At an Unknown Place
Far beneath the silent city, pale monitor light shimmered across a secluded underground chamber.
Security footage flickered endlessly across the screens—students whispering nervously, faculty attempting to contain panic, flames devouring fragments of the principal's office.
A lone figure sat amidst the darkness, concealed completely within shadow.
A black glove slipped from his hand and fell soundlessly beside a partially scorched file carrying the academy's insignia.
He observed the screens in silence before a faint smile curved against the darkness.
Then, finally—
A calm voice emerged.
"A seventeen-second delay in the alarm system…"
His fingers glided across the keyboard with effortless precision.
"A temporary distortion in the surveillance feed…"
Another screen darkened.
"And a selectively accelerated ignition points near the archive shelves."
A soft chuckle escaped him.
"All it took was three minutes."
The glow of the monitors reflected briefly against unseen eyes.
"And not one of them realized the fire was placed there intentionally, the teachers and the principle think it's their fault."
Then quietly—
He gave an evil smile.
He said, "No one can understand why the fire incident happened and who did it."