The next day, at exactly 5:00 AM, Ayaan and Anshuman stood outside Kira's dorm room.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
No response.
Anshuman knocked again.
A few moments later, the door slowly opened.
Kira stood there half asleep.
Her hair was messy and her eyes were barely open.
"Why are you both here..."
Ayaan replied immediately.
"Get ready."
Kira looked at the sky.
It was still dark.
"It's so early..."
Ayaan stared at her.
Kira instantly sighed.
"Okay, fine."
The door closed.
Ayaan and Anshuman waited outside.
A few minutes later, Kira came out wearing sports shorts, a T-shirt, and running shoes.
She still looked sleepy.
Ayaan looked at her.
"Let's go."
As they started walking, Kira looked at Anshuman.
"Why does he act like this all the time?"
Anshuman laughed.
"He's just like that."
"Since when?"
"Always."
Kira looked at Ayaan.
Ayaan ignored the conversation.
A few moments later, they reached the academy track.
Ayaan stopped.
"Today we'll do a 5-kilometer run."
Kira froze.
"Five kilometers?!"
Ayaan nodded.
"But first, warm-up."
Kira looked like she wanted to go back to bed.
Anshuman laughed.
"Welcome to training."
Kira sighed dramatically.
"I already regret becoming friends with you two."
Neither Ayaan nor Anshuman seemed surprised by that response.
Ayaan began stretching.
"Start warming up."
Kira reluctantly joined them while Anshuman continued laughing at her suffering.
After warming up for a few minutes, Kira suddenly placed a hand on her back.
"My back is hurting a little."
Ayaan looked at her.
"No excuses."
Kira frowned.
"I'm serious."
"It actually hurts."
Ayaan walked over.
"Lay down."
Kira blinked.
"What?"
"Lay down on the ground."
Confused, she did as he said.
Anshuman watched with curiosity.
Ayaan looked at her back for a moment.
Then he pressed and tapped a few spots.
"Here?"
"No."
"Here?"
"A little."
Ayaan adjusted his hand position and gave a firm knock near the tense muscle.
Kira suddenly sat up.
Her eyes widened.
She twisted her body from side to side.
"Wait."
"The pain is gone."
She looked at Ayaan.
"Are you a therapist or something?"
Ayaan stood up.
"No."
Then he turned toward the track.
"Let's start running."
Kira stared at him.
"That's it?"
"You just fixed my back and that's your response?"
Ayaan had already started walking.
Anshuman laughed.
"You'll get used to him."
Kira sighed and stood up.
"I doubt that."
The three moved to the track.
Ayaan took the lead.
Anshuman followed.
Kira reluctantly got into position.
Then Ayaan spoke.
"Five kilometers."
"Let's go."
And the morning run finally began.
After running for about 2 kilometers, Kira finally slowed down.
She placed her hands on her knees and started breathing heavily.
"I want to rest."
Ayaan looked at her.
"If you want to improve physically, you have to follow my routine."
Kira stared at him.
"If I follow your routine, I'll be dead."
Anshuman immediately burst out laughing.
"That's why he's Ayaan."
Kira pointed at Ayaan.
"He's not normal."
Ayaan ignored the comment.
"Let's run one more kilometer."
Kira looked like she was about to refuse.
Then she sighed.
"Fine."
The three started running again.
After completing the extra kilometer, they headed toward a nearby park inside the academy.
The morning sun was beginning to rise.
A few students were already exercising there.
Ayaan stopped in an open area.
"Let's start with fifty push-ups."
Kira froze.
"What?"
Anshuman laughed.
"That's above normal for most people."
Ayaan glanced at him.
"Anshuman."
Anshuman immediately understood.
"I know."
Ayaan lowered his voice.
"Don't forget we're hiding our true identity and capability."
Anshuman nodded.
"I know."
Kira looked between them.
"What are you two talking about?"
"Nothing." they replied almost simultaneously.
Kira narrowed her eyes.
She clearly didn't believe them.
Ayaan pointed toward the ground.
"Kira. Start."
Kira looked down.
Then back at Ayaan.
Then down again.
"Fifty?"
"Fifty."
"That's torture."
"Start."
Kira sighed dramatically and got into position.
"If I collapse, I'm blaming both of you."
Anshuman sat down on a nearby bench.
"Noted."
Kira began doing push-ups while Anshuman counted and Ayaan watched with his usual calm expression, making sure she didn't give up halfway through.
After finishing the exercise, Kira fell onto a bench.
She looked completely exhausted.
"I was about to die because of Ayaan."
Anshuman laughed.
"You're still alive."
"Barely."
Kira replied.
Ayaan handed her a bottle of water.
"You'll have to come at 5 AM daily."
Kira almost dropped the bottle.
"Daily?!"
"Yes."
"That's cruel."
"It's training."
Kira looked at Anshuman.
"Help me."
Anshuman smiled.
"Sorry. I agree with him."
Kira sighed dramatically.
"I need better friends."
The two ignored her complaint.
The days passed quickly.
Every morning, Kira trained with them.
Every evening, the three studied together.
Slowly, Kira's stamina improved.
Her grades improved as well.
Before anyone realized it—
The day of the first academic examination arrived.
The classroom was completely silent.
Students looked nervous.
The teacher distributed the papers.
One by one, every student received their test.
Finally—
The Mathematics Examination began.
Ayaan looked at the question paper.
His eyes moved across the questions.
Then he glanced toward Anshuman.
Anshuman was already looking at him.
For a brief moment, their eyes met.
Neither spoke.
Neither needed to.
They immediately understood what the other was thinking.
The questions were far easier than they expected.
Much easier.
However—
They also understood something else.
Showing their true ability would attract attention.
Attention was the last thing they wanted.
A few seconds later, both looked back at their papers.
Then they started writing.
Around them, students were already struggling.
Some were stuck on the first pages.
Others looked nervous.
Meanwhile, Ayaan and Anshuman calmly continued solving questions while carefully controlling the pace of their answers.
The first examination had begun.
After the mathematics exam ended, the students handed in their papers and left the classroom for the break.
Ayaan and Anshuman sat near a window in the corridor.
Students around them were discussing the questions.
Some looked confident.
Others looked worried.
Anshuman looked outside.
"What do you think happens now?"
Ayaan replied calmly.
"We'll find out soon enough."
"You think the exam was difficult?"
"No."
"Same."
The two continued talking while the rest of the day passed.
Eventually, the final period arrived.
The students returned to Class 1-D.
The classroom was noisy.
Then the teacher entered carrying a stack of papers.
Everyone immediately became quiet.
The teacher placed the papers on her desk.
"The mathematics papers have been checked."
The entire classroom froze.
"Already?!"
"That fast?"
"How?"
The teacher ignored the reactions.
"The academy uses an automated checking system."
She picked up the papers.
"I'll now return your results."
One by one, students received their papers.
Some smiled.
Some looked disappointed.
Some looked completely defeated.
After handing out the papers, the teacher looked around the room.
"Now."
"Everyone will announce their score."
The students looked at each other.
The teacher continued.
"Tell the class how many marks you scored out of 100."
One student stood up.
"62."
Another followed.
"71."
Then another.
"54."
One by one, students revealed their scores.
The atmosphere became tense.
Everyone was comparing results.
Trying to figure out who had performed well.
And who had not.
Soon, the teacher's attention moved toward the students who had not spoken yet.
Including Ayaan and Anshuman.
The classroom became quiet.
Most of the students had already announced their scores.
The teacher looked around the room.
Then her eyes stopped on Ayaan and Anshuman.
"You two haven't spoken yet."
Several students turned toward them.
The teacher pointed toward Anshuman first.
"Anshuman. Tell everyone your marks."
Anshuman looked at his paper.
Then stood up.
"83 out of 100."
The class reacted immediately.
"83?!"
"That's one of the highest scores so far."
"Seriously?"
Anshuman sat back down casually.
The teacher then looked at Ayaan.
"Ayaan."
"Your marks."
The entire class turned toward him.
Ayaan stood up.
He looked at his paper.
Then replied calmly.
"84 out of 100."
The room became even quieter.
"One mark higher?"
"What?"
"Those two are smart."
Several students began whispering.
Meanwhile, Anshuman looked at Ayaan.
Ayaan looked at Anshuman.
Neither said anything.
But both understood exactly what had happened.
They had intentionally scored high enough to be useful—
But not high enough to attract too much attention.
The teacher nodded.
"Good scores."
She then looked at the class.
"The highest score in Class 1-D is 89."
A few students looked surprised.
The teacher continued.
"However, these scores alone will not determine the rankings."
"The physical examination is still ahead."
The atmosphere immediately became serious again.
Everyone knew that the academic phase was only half of the battle.
The real competition between the classes had only just begun.
After the classes got over, Ayaan and Anshuman packed their bags and headed back toward their dormitory.
Students all around the campus were discussing their exam results.
Some were happy.
Some were disappointed.
Ayaan and Anshuman ignored the noise and continued walking.
When they reached their floor, they immediately noticed someone standing in front of their room.
It was Kira.
She was waiting outside the door with her arms crossed.
Anshuman raised an eyebrow.
"What happened?"
Kira looked around the hallway.
"I'll tell you."
Then she pointed at the door.
"But first, let's get inside."
Ayaan unlocked the room.
The three entered.
The door closed behind them.
Kira immediately sat down on the couch.
Unlike her usual self, she looked serious.
Anshuman noticed it too.
"Now you're making me curious."
Kira took a deep breath.
Ayaan sat across from her.
"What happened?"
The room became quiet as both Ayaan and Anshuman waited for her answer.
Kira smiled and looked at both of them.
"Thank you, both of you."
Anshuman tilted his head.
"For what?"
Kira proudly held up her paper.
"I scored 79 in Maths."
Ayaan nodded.
"Great."
Kira then looked at them.
"How much did you two score?"
Anshuman replied,
"I got 83."
Kira looked impressed.
Then she turned toward Ayaan.
Ayaan answered calmly.
"84."
"Oh."
Kira smiled.
"That's nice."
Ayaan put his bag down.
"Tomorrow is the Science exam."
Kira immediately sighed.
"Yes."
The three sat down around the table.
Books opened.
Notes spread across the desk.
For the next few hours, they revised Science.
Anshuman explained difficult concepts.
Kira kept asking questions.
Ayaan occasionally corrected mistakes and solved numerical problems.
Eventually, they finished revising and went to sleep.
The next day arrived.
The students entered their classrooms.
The atmosphere was tense.
The Science examination was about to begin.
The teacher entered carrying a stack of papers.
She started distributing them.
One by one, every student received their question paper.
"You may begin."
The exam started.
Pens immediately began moving across the pages.
Kira focused harder than usual.
Anshuman calmly answered questions.
Ayaan silently wrote his answers.
Hours later, the examination ended.
The papers were collected.
The rest of the day passed quickly.
Finally, the last period arrived.
The teacher entered the classroom carrying the checked papers.
The students looked shocked.
"Already?"
"Again?!"
The teacher ignored the reactions and started handing out the results.
After everyone received their paper, she looked at the class.
"Announce your scores."
One by one, students stood up.
"58."
"69."
"74."
"81."
The scores continued.
Then it was Kira's turn.
She stood up.
"82 out of 100."
Several students looked surprised.
Kira smiled proudly.
Then the teacher looked at Anshuman.
"Anshuman."
He stood up.
"85 out of 100."
The class started whispering again.
"He improved."
"That's high."
Then the teacher looked at Ayaan.
"Ayaan."
Ayaan stood up calmly.
"86 out of 100."
The whispers became louder.
"Again?"
"He's one mark above Anshuman."
"Those two are always near the top."
Ayaan sat back down.
The teacher then wrote something on the board.
Current Class 1-D Top Scores
Ayaan — 86
Anshuman — 85
Kira — 82
The classroom looked surprised.
Not because of Ayaan and Anshuman.
But because Kira had suddenly entered the top group of the class.
Kira looked at the two and smiled.
She knew exactly who had helped her get there.
Meanwhile, Ayaan looked out the window.
The academic exams were almost over.
Soon, the physical examinations would begin.
After the Science results were announced, the students slowly began leaving the classroom.
Kira walked beside Ayaan and Anshuman.
Anshuman suddenly remembered something.
"Wait."
"How are you in Class 1-D now?"
Kira smiled.
"Because of you two."
Both of them looked at her.
"What do you mean?"
Kira laughed.
"I requested a class transfer."
"Why?"
She looked at them as if the answer was obvious.
"Because we're friends."
Anshuman laughed.
"That's your reason?"
"Yes."
Ayaan didn't say anything.
Kira smiled.
"And it worked."
The three continued walking until they eventually separated for the evening.
Later that night, Ayaan and Anshuman were in their room.
Anshuman was sitting at his desk while Ayaan was reviewing some notes.
After a few minutes, Ayaan spoke.
"We can rely on Kira now."
Anshuman nodded.
"Yeah."
"I think so too."
The two returned to their work.
The next day arrived.
It was the final academic examination.
SST.
Many students looked relieved because it was the last written test.
The teacher distributed the papers.
"Begin."
The exam started.
Students immediately began writing.
Kira looked confident.
Anshuman was relaxed.
Ayaan calmly read through every question.
As he solved the paper, he noticed something.
SST was one of Kira's strongest subjects.
If he scored higher than both Kira and Anshuman here, people would start noticing a pattern.
Maths.
Science.
And now SST.
Too much attention wasn't useful.
So he carefully adjusted his answers.
Not enough to perform poorly.
Just enough.
Hours later, the exam ended.
The papers were collected.
The day passed.
Finally, the last period arrived.
The teacher entered carrying the checked papers.
The class once again looked shocked by the speed.
The teacher handed out every paper.
Then she looked at the students.
"Let's announce the results."
One by one, students revealed their scores.
Eventually, it was Kira's turn.
She stood up confidently.
"91 out of 100."
The class reacted immediately.
"91?!"
"That's the highest I've heard so far!"
Kira smiled proudly.
Then came Anshuman.
"87 out of 100."
More whispers spread through the room.
Finally, the teacher looked at Ayaan.
"Ayaan."
Ayaan stood up.
He glanced at his paper.
Then answered calmly.
"85 out of 100."
Some students looked surprised.
Others simply nodded.
Kira immediately grinned.
"Looks like I won this one."
Anshuman laughed.
"You definitely did."
Ayaan sat down without reacting.
The teacher wrote the highest scores on the board.
SST Results
Kira — 91
Anshuman — 87
Ayaan — 85
The bell eventually rang.
The academic examinations were now complete.
All that remained was the physical examination that would help decide the fate of every first-year class.