[Arc 1] The Masterplan!

Sitting at his table, Siddharth's brain started flooding with ideas.

Can I replicate this writing and make a form that says the school is taking me on a picnic?
Could Sam mimic the writing of a form made with the help of a printing press?
He'll need to write everything accurately... every detail.

He clenched his fists slightly, eyes narrowing in concentration.

I can’t know until I talk to him. Should I go to his house?
If he can do it, then I’ll use the original 'academy admission test form' and make him replicate my parents’ signatures... I’ll hand that to the teacher.
Meanwhile, I’ll create another fake form saying the school is organizing a picnic. I’ll show that to my parents and take permission to go out under Ms. Dhwani’s guidance.

His fingers tapped the edge of the table.
But... wouldn't they notice?

A long breath.
No. This is no time for second thoughts.

He stood up, determination sharp in his eyes.

I’ll go to Sam’s house first. On the way, I’ll decide what to do. I’ll create... The Masterplan!
To get into the academy test!

His stomach growled.
“I’ll go eat lunch first,” he muttered.

He slipped into the kitchen, grabbed his lunch, and quickly finished it while his parents were still asleep. Before leaving, he scribbled a note and placed it on the table:

“I’m going outside to do something. Don’t worry, I’ll be back in time!”

This should keep them at ease… and give me the freedom to move without interference, he thought.

As he stepped out of the house, a new thought struck him.
I don’t know where Sam lives… but I know where Lalit does. I’ll ask him!

With that, he headed off.

---

A few minutes later, he arrived at a house painted in dull black. It had a small courtyard, where a couple of goats were tied to short wooden stakes hammered into the ground.

He called out loudly, “Lalit!”

Lalit stepped out; his expression wary.
“Wha… I… I told you already, I don’t know how to teach telekinesis! Why are you still after me?” he said, exasperated.

Siddharth replied coolly, “Is that so? Then just tell me where that fatty of your group lives. I’ll leave you alone.”

“You mean Sam?... I don’t know where he lives…”

Siddharth’s eyes narrowed, irritation creeping into his voice.
“What do you even know, huh? Are you of any use?”

Lalit hesitated, then said in a flat tone, “Though… Varsha might know. She knows where every classmate lives. You can ask her.”

Siddharth raised an eyebrow. “And where does she live?”

“Two lanes down, at the corner house,” Lalit answered before turning and walking away without another word.

He really hates me, Siddharth thought. Maybe it’s the way I spoke to them back in class. I’ll have to be more careful… if I keep pushing people away, I won’t be able to get anything done.

With that in mind, he continued walking, a little more thoughtful this time.

---

Upon reaching Varsha's house, a wooden house with hay roof and had a neem tree in her garden, and under that, "What do you want?" Varsha spoke while she held her pen touched to her head looking at him sitting on the charpai opened up her books.

“May I come in?” he asked, cautiously.

She glanced at him, eyebrow slightly raised. “Am I your teacher? Come in.”

As he stepped closer, she added, “Why are you suddenly so... active?”

“What does that even mean?” Siddharth tilted his head, clearly confused. “I just want you to tell me where Sam lives.”

“Nah,” she replied, flipping a page in her notebook. “Find him yourself.”

“What?” he muttered. What’s with this girl’s attitude?

Then, without looking up, she said, “What if you kill him?”

“…What?” He blinked. Has she lost her mind? “Are you serious? Do I look like a murderer?”

She cut him off sharply, her tone calm but pointed.
“You seemed like one by seeing how you talked to Aradhya yesterday. What do you expect people to think? One day, you act like the quiet kid who doesn’t care about anything—and the next, you’re talking to everyone,”

Siddharth paused. For a moment, even he didn’t know how to respond.

“That doesn’t make any sense, what does it have to do with me being murderer”

“Then why are you going to Sam if not to kill him? you can’t tell me, can you? I can’t tell you, just in case you were to harm him… but-but-but I can tell you, if you were to tell me the reason,”

Processing what she said, “You’re smarter than you look,” he finally muttered, face tightening with irritation. “Sorry, but I can’t tell you the exact reason. The one thing I can tell you is that there’s something I need to confirm with Sam—nothing more. Now please tell me where he lives?”

Varsha leaned back on the charpai, smirking. “Hehe. Topper for a reason. But then, how can I be sure what your real intentions are?” She tapped her chin playfully. “Still... since you asked nicely. He lives somewhere near the central market—around the main circle.”

“That’s vague,” Siddharth frowned. “Give me something more specific.”

“Eh… fine. I think his house is in the alley with the tea stall on the corner. That’s the only landmark I remember. Hihi~”

Without another word, Siddharth turned and walked away. “Bye.”

Varsha blinked. Seriously? He just ignored me like that?
She stuck out her tongue behind his back, “Idiot,” she mumbled, and went back to her books.

3.1

Siddharth was completely lost in thought as he made his way to Sam's house.

Wouldn't Mom and Dad notice? How long does the admission test even take? Days? Weeks? Or is it over in just a few hours?

The shorter it is, the easier it'll be to trick them. If I come back safe, they won’t even know I went. And if I get hurt… I’ll just say I was playing with friends and…

Friends…?

I don’t have any, lol. So that excuse won’t work. I’ll say I went into the jungle and slipped while exploring something. That sounds more believable.

But… what if it’s more than just a small injury? What if something goes wrong? Ugh, I’m overthinking it again! Let’s just get to Sam first. There’s so much I don’t know about the academy…

As he reached the Circle, Siddharth scanned the area for the tea stall that was at corner. Once he spotted it, he slipped into the narrow alley—only to sprint back out from the other side a few moments later, chased by barking dogs.

“What the heck was that? How am I supposed to get in there?” he muttered, catching his breath.

Just then, he spotted Sam sitting calmly in his father’s shop.

Wait… he’s here? Then why did Varsha tell me...?
Oh… I get it. That little witch wanted me to run in circles until I find Sam, for no reason. Thinking she outsmarted me, huh? I’ll deal with her later.

---

He walked straight toward Sam.

The moment Sam noticed him approaching, his expression shifted to pure terror. He quickly hid behind a book. Why is this boy here? Did I do something? Is he... here to kill me? Oh no, what if he’s an assassin? He thought.

“Why are you hiding?” Siddharth asked, puzzled.

“No, no, no! Please don’t kill me!” Sam cried, bowing down and grabbing Siddharth’s legs.

“Wh—what are you doing?” Siddharth stepped back, a confused look on his face. “Why are you so scared of me? What did I even do?”

“I-I thought you were here to assassinate me!”

Siddharth fell silent. Then, pointing to himself, he said flatly, “…Me? An assassin? A 10-year-old small kid? Do you really think I could assassinate someone as fat as a buffalo? And why would I waste my time assassinating you of all people? Even your talent is useless.”

“Ouch, that hurts,” Sam clutched his chest dramatically. “Though… I’m kind of relieved now. So, what do you want? Chips?” He laid out five different varieties on the counter.

“I need you to mimic an official document—something that looks like it came from a real printing press,” Siddharth said seriously.

“…You seemed like a sane person when you didn’t open your mouth until yesterday,” Sam muttered, blinking. “You know what I mean?”

“Can you do it or not?”

“No! It’s imposs—”
Siddharth passed out 5 coins of 50-Vs on the counter. [V is currency in this story]
“Wait… are you bribing me?” Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.
Siddharth silently added another 250 to the stack.
“I mean… it’s not impossible,” Sam said, his tone suddenly changing. “It’ll be hard, but doable. Come, let me show you something upstairs. Sis! Watch the shop for a bit, yeah?” he called out as he led the way.

“Now we’re talking.” Siddharth smirked and followed him up to the first floor.

---

After reaching the first floor, Sam made Siddharth sit on a mat while he rummaged through his shelf and pulled out a thick book.

“Look! This is my font book. I save every unique font I see in this collection,” Sam said, excitement gleaming in his eyes.

What a weird type of collection... Siddharth thought. “So, what's in it? The printing press font?”

“Yeah! I remember copying it down when our school got gifted a printing press by the academy when I was 10!” Sam grinned.

“Wait... You were 10? What’s your age now?” Siddharth asked.

“I'm 12.”

"You're two years older than me? Why?"

“Don’t say it like that. Our class mostly has 11-year-olds. You and Varsha are one year younger than usual, and I joined school an year later than average,” Sam explained.

“Aradhya is 10 too.”

“You know her?” Sam tilted his head, curious.

“No, never mind...” Siddharth trailed off, thoughts spiraling. She gaslighted me to thinking about her in unusual time because she talked to me way too much and said things no one would ever to me... that Idiot!

“So, what is it that you needed my ‘skills’ for?” Sam asked, switching the topic.

“I need you to create fake school form inviting students on a trip.”

“No way... you're telling me you’re helping the entire school bunk for fun?! You’re so co—"

“Shut up!” Siddharth snapped. “I never said that! I am doing it because I want to trick my parents to believe I am going on a trip while I am with Ms. Dhwani on the academy admission test”

Silence fell.

“Are you insane? Do you seriously think you can pass that test? There’s no way—you’ll just end up... dead,” Sam whispered, hand over his mouth.

Siddharth stared at him for a whole minute before finally speaking. “...You're not totally useless, you know?”

“What?” Sam blinked, confused.

He’s right though... I probably can't pass that test. Most participants are between 20 and 25 years old. The younger ones are too scared to try, and the older ones are already buried in responsibilities. So, I’ll change the plan—I'll just go there to gather information so that I can perform well when I attempt that next time. I’ll resign early before anyone gets suspicious. No more than one day…

“I don’t think it’s the right decision to deceive your elders just to risk your life,” Sam said, hesitantly.

“I’m not risking my life. I’ll just stay for a day, get what info I can, and resign when I feel like it as soon as possible. Do you think that’s possible? Resigning in the middle of the test?”

“Yeah, you can,” Sam replied.

“How do you know for sure?”

“My father told me.”

“But I thought people weren’t allowed to talk about what happens during the academy test? Isn’t that what the form says?”

“Yeah, but it’s not like the academy’s spying on us. If you’re alone, you can share anything.”

“Then why haven’t I heard anything about it from past participants?”

“Because they don’t want competition. If you tell the newbies nothing, they’re bound to fail. That’s how repeat test-takers increase their chances to win,” Sam explained.

“Makes sense...” Siddharth nodded slowly, then leaned forward, resting his chin on his palm. “But... what about the people who gave up? They have no reason to hide anything.”

Sam frowned. “Oh… I didn’t think of that.”
He shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe... something happens to them? Or maybe they just forget.”

“Hmmm... So, will you help me?” Siddharth asked looking into his eyes.

“What if you get caught? And blame me for helping you,” Sam said warily.

“Why would I do that? I won’t fail. I’m only gathering info, not taking the test. It’s just one day—how can I fail at that?”

“Yeah, true but—"

“Just trust me!”

“...Fine. I’ll do it. But please don’t tell anyone I helped you,” Sam gave in.

“And you don’t tell anyone that I’m deceiving others. Remember our 500-Vs contract?”

“Alright, alright. What do I need to do?”

“First, create a flawless consent form from the school inviting students to a picnic. You’ve got ten days. Here--” Siddharth handed him a form. “This one’s old. It already has my parents’ signatures. You’ll need to copy them onto the real academy admission form. Done.”

“There’s just one last problem. The official forms are printed using a special type of ink. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, I know. I just forgot. So, what do we do? Is there a shop that sells that kind of ink?”

“Not a chance. But... I think I...” Sam stopped mid-sentence.

“What? Why’d you stop?”

“Can I trust you? Will you promise not to tell anyone?”

“Do I look like the type to snitch?’

“Honestly... I don’t know.”

“Just say it!”

“I also stole the ink of printing press which was in printing room when I first saw it—just like I copied the font. Please, don’t tell anyone.”

“Where is it now?” Siddharth asked.

“I gave it to Raju for safekeeping in his Storage room. I was scared of getting caught.”

“Okay... Then go get it from him.”

“No way! What if someone who remembers that incident sees me taking that ink? You go. It’s your problem. Besides, no one will recognize you!” 

“But that makes it more suspicious. I'm the guy who barely talks. Suddenly showing up and asking for a long-lost item? That’ll raise eyebrows. And who would even remember that now? It’s been two years! No one’ll be suspicious of you now!”

Varsha even told me once how weird I look when I talk around people who barely hear me speak. I totally forgot.

“I don’t care! You go!” Sam insisted.

“Fine! I’ll go get it. Where does Raju live?”

“Five gullies ahead. Just ask anyone there. He’s the best cricket player around this area—everyone knows him.”

“Well then, see ya!” Siddharth ran downstairs.

Five gullies ahead, huh? Alright, let’s go. He took the path Sam had told him about, on a mission to find Raju.