Aarav walked through the halls of the college, his mind occupied with thoughts of studies, family matters, and his usual stream of calculations. But amid it all, one thing had eluded him: the very thing everyone else seemed to notice.
Despite the dramatic events in the cafeteria, the argument between Sayaka and Emma, and the strange energy hanging in the air, Aarav had no clue that both of them were now quietly fighting for his attention.
He thought of nothing else but the upcoming exams, the notes he'd need to go through, and how he was going to make sure his rank remained at the top. It was his usual focus—his only focus. Little did he know, his coldness and indifference were creating a storm around him, something that he hadn't even begun to comprehend.
In fact, Aarav's ignorance reached levels even beyond Sophia's typical airheadedness. He couldn't even fathom that the two girls who had been part of his world for months now, had grown to care about him in ways that went far beyond simple friendship or admiration.
Emma, who had always respected Aarav's genius, had found herself developing feelings for him. At first, it had been just admiration—his intelligence, his drive, his determination. But now, it was different. Emma was jealous, protective, and increasingly unable to shake the feeling that her connection with him was something deeper, something more intense than she was ready to admit. She had always been the older sister in their relationship, but now that dynamic was shifting. And yet, despite all the moments they shared, Aarav didn't notice.
Sayaka, the new girl, had been captivated by Aarav's quiet charm and his ability to speak Japanese. She had admired him from the moment they met, drawn not just to his genius but to his mysterious, aloof nature. It made her curious. And curiosity had slowly turned into attraction. She had watched him with Emma, with Karan, and with others in the cafeteria, thinking to herself that maybe, just maybe, he was someone worth getting to know on a deeper level. But Aarav didn't notice her subtle glances, the way her eyes lingered just a little longer whenever they spoke, or the quiet smile she wore when he shared his thoughts with her.
The rest of the world, it seemed, could see it—everyone could tell that both girls were vying for his attention. But not Aarav. Not him. He was just too wrapped up in his own world of equations, books, and rankings.
Karan, ever the observant idiot, had caught on quickly. He had been watching the dynamic shift, finding amusement in the way the girls interacted with Aarav. He had even tried to stir things up, teasing the girls about their feelings. But Aarav remained unmoved. To him, Karan's antics were just noise in the background, and the rest of the drama was simply a distraction from the things that mattered—things like his studies and rank.
And then, there was Sophia, who, though usually clueless about social dynamics, had seen the tension rise between Emma and Sayaka. It was clear as day to her that they were both harboring feelings for Aarav. But even she knew better than to point it out to him. After all, Aarav was someone who didn't let emotions cloud his thoughts. He was practical, focused, and most importantly, distant.
That was the paradox of Aarav: the more he distanced himself from others, the more they seemed to be drawn to him. But he didn't realize. It was as if he was blind to the emotions swirling around him.
As Aarav sat in his room that evening, books spread out in front of him, he thought back to the cafeteria incident. The argument between Emma and Sayaka was still fresh in his mind. But instead of pondering the dynamics between them, he found himself mulling over exams, assignments, and what would come next after he dominated the results. He hadn't even noticed how their behavior had changed—how Emma was more cautious around him, how Sayaka tried to find excuses to speak with him.
The irony wasn't lost on anyone except him: he was the biggest idiot in the room, and he didn't even know it.
But that would eventually change. The day would come when Aarav's indifference wouldn't be enough to shield him from the truth. The question was—how long would it take before he realized that the feelings of those around him were real? How long would it take for Aarav to understand that the heart of his world wasn't in textbooks and rankings, but in the people who cared for him?
For now, though, the answer was simple: Aarav was oblivious—a genius in his studies, but an idiot in matters of the heart.
And so, life moved on in its usual, complicated way. Sayaka, Emma, and even Karan all carried on with their own plans and frustrations, but none of them knew just how much they would eventually affect Aarav's world—whether he liked it or not.
In the hallway, Emma and Sayaka found themselves standing face-to-face by sheer accident. The moment their eyes met, a hushed silence seemed to fall over the hallway. Students from the nearby classrooms peeked out, sensing the tension in the air. The whispers started—"Is there going to be a fight?"—but they were all wrong.
Instead of the expected confrontation, both girls just stood there, their gazes locking, sharp and calculating. There was an odd air between them—no words, just a shared understanding. Emma tilted her head slightly, her expression cool, and Sayaka mirrored her, the faintest of smirks curling up at the corners of her lips.
The two of them exchanged a slow, deliberate handshake, a brief, yet symbolic gesture. No animosity in the grip—just the quiet realization that this moment was a battle of its own kind. As they released their hold, their eyes flickered, and the smirk on each of their faces deepened into something almost sinister, like two villains who had finally recognized each other's power.
Without a single word, they turned their backs in unison, their footsteps echoing off the walls as they walked away from each other. The students watched, still in disbelief, as the two girls left, not a hint of tension or aggression left in the air.
They didn't need to fight. They knew—each one had claimed their ground, silently, without a word. The hallway buzzed, the whispers now louder than ever. But Emma and Sayaka didn't care. Their power lay in the silence they shared.
The first-year students froze, their eyes widening in shock as Karan materialized out of thin air behind them, his usual smirk plastered across his face. He leaned in, peeking over their shoulders, mimicking their wide-eyed curiosity.
"Well, that's wholesome," Karan said with exaggerated delight, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Before anyone could react, poof, he disappeared again in a flash of light, only to reappear holding a large bucket of popcorn.
"Don't mind me," Karan added, popping a kernel into his mouth, completely unfazed by the bewildered stares of the students around him.
The first-year students exchanged looks, speechless. They had no idea who this guy was, but they were beginning to suspect that he might be the biggest mystery on campus. Karan didn't seem to care about the confusion around him, happily munching on his popcorn like he hadn't just made an entrance.
The hallway settled back into its normal routine, but everyone who had witnessed the brief encounter would remember it for quite some time.
The cafeteria buzzed with gossip as students exchanged whispers about the strange dynamics of the senior group. Everyone was trying to figure out the enigma that was the "topper squad."
First, there was Aarav: the perfect man, a genius with an air of quiet confidence that somehow made him seem untouchable. He was a walking contradiction—intellectually gifted yet emotionally distant, enigmatic in his own right. He barely interacted with anyone, and when he did, his deadpan expressions only made people more curious.
Then there was Karan: the genius who was undeniably charming, but also a master of chaos. He was brilliant, yes, but also loud, obnoxious, and a complete pervert—often crossing lines with his antics. He could summon things out of thin air with a snap of his fingers, which made him the subject of both awe and confusion. He was the kind of person you couldn't decide whether to laugh at or be irritated by.
Sayaka, the gorgeous one with a perfect balance of beauty and a deadly intensity, was a bit of a mystery to most people. She wasn't just stunning—she exuded an air of danger. Her yandere tendencies, paired with her near obsession with Aarav, had everyone on edge. Her quiet demeanor and strange possessiveness only added to the intrigue, making her seem both mesmerizing and a little scary.
Then there was Emma, beautiful and sweet, but utterly awkward in most social situations. Despite her charm, she couldn't seem to catch a break in the social scene. People often watched in curiosity as she fumbled her way through conversations, her shyness often getting the best of her. Still, there was something endearing about her, even if she didn't quite know how to fit in.
And finally, there was Sophia. She wasn't a genius, nor did she stand out in any particular way. In fact, she could be considered the most normal among the group—probably the only one who wasn't a walking contradiction. But that wasn't saying much. She often seemed lost, acting like the clueless airhead she was, but with a surprising streak of wit hidden beneath the surface. People often felt sorry for her, especially considering how she was often overshadowed by her more eccentric friends.
Heck, even the first-years—who had only just joined the school—seemed smarter than Sophia at times. The whole group left an impression, though none could quite figure them out. They were the strange, unpredictable seniors that no one dared approach without a bit of caution.
As they sat at the table, the first-year students who dared to speak of them did so in hushed tones. Some admired them, others avoided them, but all were fascinated.
There was no doubt about it—Aarav, Karan, Sayaka, Emma, and Sophia were definitely a team of unique and quirky individuals, and they would go down in campus history as the weirdest, most unpredictable group of seniors the school had ever seen.
The girl who had been talking about how weird the senior group was suddenly froze, her words catching in her throat. A startled silence swept over the table as the Principal—a man no one had expected to be sitting with them—was suddenly there, right beside them.
He had appeared so silently that it was almost as if he had materialized out of thin air. The students couldn't help but glance at him in surprise. No one had even heard the door open, nor had anyone noticed him slipping into the cafeteria. But there he was, sipping his coffee as if he had been sitting there all along, his sharp eyes watching the group intently.
The Principal was a weird one, too. No one really knew much about him other than that he was always in the background, a mystery even to the staff. With his quiet, almost ghostly presence, he had a way of showing up when least expected. And now, he was sitting among the students, casually engaging in the conversation about the peculiar senior squad.
It was then that one of the students nervously muttered, trying to backpedal on what they had said earlier. "U-uh, what I meant was... it's just... they're... unique! Yeah, unique!"
The Principal didn't respond immediately. Instead, he looked down at his coffee cup, swirling it in his hands with a thoughtful expression. His voice, when it came, was calm but laced with amusement. "Unique, you say? That's one way to describe them."
His sudden agreement startled the students even more. No one had ever heard him speak so freely about the seniors, especially not in the way he was now. They had always known him to be distant, rarely engaging with students in such a casual manner.
He gave a small smirk and looked at them from behind his glasses. "It's not every day that you see such an... eclectic group of students. It seems they've made quite an impression on you."
The students exchanged unsure glances, not knowing whether to laugh or feel more awkward about the whole situation. Was he in on the joke? Did he really understand just how bizarre his senior class was?
"Well," the Principal continued with a wry smile, "Sometimes, the most unusual people make the biggest impact."
The atmosphere turned a little lighter after that, though the students were still left wondering if they had somehow become part of a bigger joke, one they didn't fully understand. After a moment of silence, the Principal stood up without warning, his exit as quiet as his arrival.
"Enjoy your lunch," he said simply, before turning to leave. "And don't worry. You'll get used to them."
As soon as he was gone, the students were left in stunned silence, exchanging puzzled looks. One thing was for sure: if the Principal, of all people, thought the seniors were worth talking about, they were in for even more chaos than they had imagined.
As the Principal walked away from the table, his mind wandered back in time, a rare moment of reflection for him. He hadn't expected to be so nostalgic, but the sight of the students whispering and speculating about the weirdness of the current senior squad reminded him of his own school days, when things were... just as unconventional.
He had once been part of a strange and disjointed team back in his youth—a team of individuals who were just as odd, if not more so, than the group that now sat before him. The memory of those days flooded back: Arun, Rohan, Anna, and himself, all thrown together in a bond that, to outsiders, had appeared more like chaos than camaraderie. But in truth, they were a force to be reckoned with.
Arun, the genius, had always been the quiet leader of the group, focused on his studies and business ambitions even back then. But he had an aloofness that kept others at a distance, much like Aarav now. Rohan, on the other hand, was more eccentric—unpredictable in his genius, with a love for the sciences and a steady mind that grounded the others, even if it sometimes felt like he was from another world. And then there was Anna, the kind-hearted glue that held the whole group together. She always knew how to manage the chaos, how to soothe the rough edges, even when all else seemed to fall apart.
And then there was himself, Pravas—the observer, the quiet one who had often watched the others navigate the madness of their lives with a mix of awe and amusement. Much like the current seniors, they had been an unlikely team, but they had worked together with an unspoken understanding that connected them in ways that words couldn't describe.
He smiled softly to himself as he remembered their antics. Arun's serious nature had often been at odds with Rohan's spontaneous genius, and Anna's calm demeanor had been the balance between them. Yet, despite their differences, they had made it work. They were just as much a spectacle as the current generation—perhaps even more so.
As he continued down the hallway, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Some things never changed. The eccentricity, the genius, and the chaos—it all seemed to come full circle. And as much as the students tried to navigate their own weird world, he could see a similar pattern unfolding before him. The same unspoken bonds, the same quiet understanding that would eventually bring them all together in unexpected ways.
He didn't need to tell them that, though. They'd figure it out eventually, just like he and his old team had. And perhaps, like him, they would look back one day and realize how strange yet remarkable their time together had been.
With one last look at the students, still whispering amongst themselves, he turned the corner, the faintest smile still on his face, as memories of those days long past drifted through his mind.