Meanwhile, we see Saamyn and Nazar. The two of them are inside Nazar’s office.

  Saamyn sat quietly, while Nazar seemed to be searching for a book. After a while, failing to find it, Nazar returned to his seat.

  A faint frustration lingered on his face, quickly hidden behind calm. In a polite voice, he said to Saamyn:— “Sorry for making you sit here like this. I was looking for a book on the history of World War 3, but I couldn’t find it. Maybe I’ll have to check the library.”

  The topic carried an unspoken weight. Saamyn gave a faint smile and replied calmly:— “No problem.”

  Nazar nodded and asked:— “So tell me, what did you come here to talk about?”

  After a moment of silence, Saamyn answered in a calm, steady tone:— “Nothing serious. I just came to see you… and to ask how it feels living as a human in this school.”

  The question felt deeper than it sounded. Hearing this, Nazar smiled faintly. Then, in a joyful voice, he said:— “I don’t even know how to thank you. Because of your words, most of the students here no longer fear me — they actually respect me now.”

  Gratitude softened his expression. Just as Nazar was about to continue, a voice came from the intercom speaker:— “President, may I come in?”

  The sudden voice broke the quiet rhythm of the room. Through the speaker, Nazar replied:— “Yes, you may.”

  When the door opened, we saw Rinah Amatsuq standing outside. Seeing her, a gentle smile appeared on Nazar’s face — something Saamyn also noticed.

  It was a smile he didn’t realize he was wearing. As Rinah entered, she looked slightly surprised to see Saamyn there, but without much reaction, she quietly walked in.

  Her surprise faded quickly into composure. Standing before Nazar, she greeted in a calm voice:— “Good afternoon, President.”

  Nazar gave a faint smile and replied cheerfully:— “You can be casual with me in front of Saamyn.”

  The words carried a subtle warmth. Rinah looked a bit surprised but said nothing. She sat down before Nazar, then glanced at Saamyn, who sat calmly with a soft smile on his face. In a gentle tone, Nazar asked Rinah:— “So, tell me, why have you come to see me?”

  His words startled Rinah slightly. Shyly, she answered:— “N-no reason… I just wanted to see you.”

  Her fingers tightened slightly as she spoke. Nazar looked at her with soft eyes and said sweetly:— “You came just to see me? That makes me really happy.”

  His voice was honest, almost unguarded. Then the two of them began talking casually.

  Saamyn remained silent, simply listening. His silence felt intentional. The two were so lost in conversation that it almost seemed as if they had forgotten Saamyn was still there.

  After a while, Rinah said joyfully:— Alright “then, I should get going now.”

  With that, she left the room. The air felt emptier after she was gone. Nazar’s gentle gaze lingered on the door even after she was gone.

  He didn’t realize how long he stood there. When Rinah had fully left, Saamyn calmly asked:— “So, have you decided?”

  His tone was gentle, yet knowing. Nazar looked at him slowly and asked:— “About what?”

  With a faint smile, Saamyn replied:— “About asking Amatsuq out on a date.”

  At this, Nazar grew slightly nervous and hurriedly said:— “W-what are you talking about? We’re just friends. Yes, I might have said those things before, but that doesn’t mean a date…”

  The denial sounded weaker than intended. Saamyn gave a small smile and said gently:— “Don’t try to hide it. Both you and I know that you like Rinah. You just don’t want to admit it.”

  The words landed calmly — but precisely. Nazar fell silent for a moment. Conflict flickered in his eyes. Then, in a slightly deep voice, he said:— “Maybe you’re right… But… What should I do now?”

  In a gentle voice, Saamyn answered:— “The Lumina Festival is coming up. I say you confess your feelings that day.”

  The suggestion carried quiet hope. After a moment’s silence, Nazar looked at Saamyn with soft eyes and said in a tender voice:— “Thank you, Saamyn.”

  The gratitude felt sincere. Saamyn didn’t reply — he just gave a faint smile. It hid emotions he never voiced.

  It was school break time.

  All the students began leaving their classrooms. The hallway filled with familiar noise. After everyone had gone, Rayn, Yuqeen, Mayya, and Haarun approached Saamyn. Haarun, in a playful tone, said:— “So, shall we go?”

  Saamyn stood up and replied calmly, in a soft voice:— “Not yet. I’ll go to the library first.”

  His decision sounded firm. The four of them didn’t react. They assumed that with exams coming up in a few days, Saamyn probably wanted to pick up some books. Rayn, in a calm voice, said:— “Alright, then we’ll come along with you.”

  Looking at Yuqeen, Mayya, and Haarun, Rayn added joyfully:— “What do you say?”

  The three nodded together in agreement. Meanwhile, Ymraan sat at his seat, clearly annoyed. Whispering to himself in frustration, he muttered:— “I usually stay away from books. And now they’re all talking about going to the library. Will my suffering ever end?”

  His frustration was painfully obvious. Some time later, everyone started heading toward the library. Rayn took out his phone and started texting Sa’ut. Seeing this, Haarun asked in a low voice:— “Who are you texting?”

  Rayn replied in a straightforward tone:— “Sa’ut. I thought we should call him too.”

  After a while, Sa’ut also arrived at the library. The library at Lumynara High was one of the largest rooms in the school.

  It had around 50 to 60 bookshelves, thousands of colorful books, and sunlight streaming through large windows made the room bright.

  In the middle, several long tables and chairs were arranged for studying or group work. On the walls hung clocks and portraits, and a small reading corner sat in one corner.

  Overall, it was a spacious, orderly, and clean library where both students and teachers could study.

  The place felt unusually calm. Once inside, they began looking around. They noticed that no one was there at that moment.

  The silence felt deliberate. Saamyn walked toward the History section. There, he saw Nazar pulling books from the shelves one by one. Rinah Amatsuq was also with him, helping him search.

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  Saamyn slowly approached Nazar and, in a calm voice, asked:— “Have you found the World War 3 book, Nazar?”

  Nazar was slightly surprised to hear Saamyn’s voice, as it was so calm and soft. He hadn’t noticed Saamyn approaching and didn’t realize when he had come so close.

  Saamyn’s presence was almost ghost-like. After a pause, Nazar replied calmly:— “No, not yet. It seems impossible to find that book among all these.”

  The shelves seemed endless. After a while, Nazar continued:— “History books aren’t often read by students. So no one really knows where this book is kept.”

  Rinah stood quietly to the side, listening to their conversation. Her attention never wavered.

  Hearing Nazar, Saamyn stepped a little closer. Both Nazar and Rinah looked at him with curiosity. Something unspoken hung between the three of them.

  Saamyn walked a few steps and suddenly stopped. It was as if he had known exactly where to stop. He pulled out a book from the side and, in a mysterious tone, said:— “Are you looking for this book?”

  The atmosphere shifted instantly. Seeing the book in Saamyn’s hands, both of them were extremely surprised.

  Disbelief flickered across their faces. Nazar hurried over and, in an excited voice, said:— “We’ve been searching for this book for so long, but couldn’t find it. How did you get it?”

  Saamyn gave a small smile and replied in a deep voice:— “Just like that… I got it.”

  His tone carried quiet confidence. Meanwhile, Ymraan was quietly sitting on a chair. He looked bored — but alert.

  After wandering around for a while, Rayn, Yuqeen, Mayya, and Haarun came over and sat together.

  Haarun, in a playful tone, asked Rayn:— “Hey Rayn, I was just roaming around the library for no reason. But what were you looking for?”

  Rayn replied in a calm, straightforward voice:— “Nothing, really. Just wandering.”

  Then Rayn looked a little confused and asked:— ‘Can anyone tell me where the one who wanted to come here has gone?”

  Concern slipped into his voice. All three shook their heads, saying “no.”

  Haarun, smiling a little, asked Rayn again:— “Rayn, what is Saamyn to you? I mean… how do you see him?”

  Rayn narrowed his eyes at Haarun and whispered:— “I don’t know what’s going on in your head.”

  Then, after a short pause, he answered calmly:— “Saamyn? To be honest, to me, he’s like an elder brother.”

  The words were sincere. Hearing this, Haarun got excited and said loudly:— “Yeah! Same for me!”

  Mayya gently leaned toward Haarun and said:— “Don’t talk so loudly, we’re in the library.”

  Haarun replied in a playful tone:— “Don’t worry, there’s no one else in here right now.”

  Hearing that, Mayya stayed quiet. Ymraan, on the other hand, just sat silently, listening to their conversation.

  After a moment of silence, Yuqeen spoke softly:— “What Rayn said is true. When we’re around Siddarik, we feel safe… as if an elder brother is protecting us.”

  A sense of trust filled the group. Everyone looked at Yuqeen and nodded in agreement. Just then, Ymraan got up from his seat, walked toward them, and said in an irritated voice:— “If your family drama is over, can we leave now?”

  His patience was clearly thinning. Before anyone could respond, Sa’ut, Hinnah, and Riyy entered. Haarun whispered to Rayn:— “Look, doesn’t it seem like Riyy is spending a little too much time with Sa’ut? What do you think?”

  Rayn whispered back:— “I don’t think anything. But I know you’re convinced there’s definitely something going on.”

  Riyy came up to them and said in a playful voice:— “We didn’t get late, did we?”

  Ymraan slowly turned around to look at Riyy and replied with an attitude:— “It would have been better if you hadn’t come at all.”

  The words landed like a slap. Hearing Ymraan, Yuqeen, Mayya, and Hinnah were surprised, because Ymraan had directly criticized the President. Riyy closed her eyes and whispered, slightly angrily:— “Just by coming, I already feel insulted.”

  Annoyance crept into his calm fa?ade. Before anyone could respond, Satsuqy appeared from behind and asked in a straightforward voice:— “What are you all doing here at this time?”

  Riyy turned to see Satsuqy and immediately ran over to Rayn. Panic flashed across his eyes. Satsuqy looked on in surprise, thinking to himself:— “Why did Riyy run away like that just by seeing me?”

  Meanwhile, Riyy, excited and nervous, spoke softly to Rayn:— “Taqeesh, now tell me, what should I do?”

  Rayn replied in a straightforward voice:— “How should I tell you? You know what you’re going to do.”

  Yuqeen, Mayya, and Hinnah went over to Satsuqy. Meanwhile, Riyy, nervously staring at Rayn, exclaimed:— “Taqeesh, you made our year’s best girl your girlfriend. So now, tell me, what should I do?”

  His confidence had vanished. As Rayn was about to reply, Saamyn, Nazar, and Rinah arrived. Seeing Nazar, everyone went silent, a little surprised.

  Ymraan, watching everyone arrive one by one, shouted loudly:— “A little while ago, there was no one here. Now people are arriving one after another. With so many people, it’s going to be hard for the writer to do their work.”

  Only Ymraan found himself funny. No one really understood what Ymraan meant. Meanwhile, Nazar looked around calmly and said in a gentle voice:— “There are a lot of people here. I’m saying, whatever needs to be said, say it while sitting down.”

  Authority returned to his voice. Everyone was surprised to see Nazar in the library. But no one said anything — they simply agreed with his words.

  Then they all moved toward the largest table in the library. The table was long, with benches stretched out on either side. Originally, it had been made for the teachers, but since no teacher was around at that moment, everyone sat down.

  An uneasy silence followed. The girls sat on one side, and the boys on the other. After a brief silence, Nazar addressed them:— “Why haven’t you all gone home yet? By this time, everyone else has already left.”

  Rayn replied politely:— “President, actually Saamyn wanted to come to the library. So we thought we’d come along with him.”

  Then Sa’ut added in a polite voice:— “Rayn was the one who messaged us to come.”

  After that, Satsuqy spoke politely as well:— “I was on my way to the Head Office when I saw Riyy and the other two going somewhere. I only came with them to ask where they were heading.”

  Once everyone finished speaking, Riyy pointed playfully at Rinah and asked Nazar with a mischievous smile:— “Alright, that’s fine. But first tell me — who’s the girl with you?”

  The question was intentional. Only then did everyone realize that, in the crowd, they hadn’t noticed this detail at all. Suddenly, all eyes turned toward Rinah.

  Having so many people stare at her at once made Rinah flustered and nervous. Her cheeks turned red, and her heartbeat quickened.

  She felt completely exposed. Nazar, though slightly uneasy himself, didn’t let anyone notice.

  Composing himself, he answered calmly:— “Her name is Rinah Amatsuq. Rinah is intelligent and cautious by nature. That’s why I included her in the Council of Crown. She also helps me with my paperwork.”

  His explanation sounded rehearsed. Riyy, grinning, replied teasingly:— “Oh, is that so! I thought it was something else. But let me tell you this — bringing someone into the Council of Crown without informing me… that I definitely can’t digest.”

  Under his breath, Nazar muttered in a low, irritated tone:— “One day, you’ll pay for this…”

  The irritation was genuine. Just then, Haarun suddenly broke into a smile and said cheerfully:— “Whatever the case, thanks to this library excuse, we’ve all gathered here today. Maybe now we’ll get to know each other even better.”

  He was clearly nervous. Hearing him, everyone turned their eyes toward Haarun. Everyone turned to look at Haarun, which made him flustered.

  He quickly said:— “No, I mean… What I’m trying to say is, if everyone knows each other’s names, it would be nice.”

  Nazar agreed with Haarun’s words. Then, one by one, everyone began introducing themselves in different tones:

  Polite and calm voices:

  — My name is Nazar aev Kurgaan.

  — My name is Rayn Taqeesh.

  — My name is Saamyn Siddarik.

  — My name is Satsuqy aev Aokam.

  — My name is Mayya Shizqar.

  Playful voices:

  — My name is Haarun aev Inazum.

  — My name is Riyy aev Kazahaya.

  — My name is Hinnah aev Yumaygah.

  Soft and sweet voices:

  — My name is Yuqeen aev Hanabirah.

  — My name is Rinah Amatsuq.

  With attitude:

  — My name is Sa’ut aev Raidanji.

  — My name is Ymraan Sarqaan.

  The group finally felt complete. After everyone had introduced themselves, Yuqeen asked Nazar in a polite tone:— “President, amidst everything, we forgot to ask one thing. What were you doing here?”

  Nazar showed the book to everyone and replied in a slightly playful tone:— “Oh, I… I was searching for a history book on World War 3.”

  Curiosity spread instantly. Seeing the book on World War 3 in Nazar’s hands, everyone grew curious, eager to know what was written about the war.

  Nazar continued:— “This book may seem simple at first glance, but it’s not. The book itself is a mystery.”

  The tension subtly rose. Sa’ut asked in a serious tone:— “President, I don’t know what’s in this book. I mean, why is it considered a mystery?”

  Nazar replied in a calm tone:— “That’s a good question. This book was created three years ago. And World War 3 occurred in 2065, which is 54 years ago.”

  Sa’ut asked again:— “I understand that, but I still don’t get what makes it a mystery.”

  Nazar chuckled slightly and then replied in a joyful tone:— “The mystery is this: World War 3 lasted for three years. It was the largest war in history. Yet very few people know what actually happened during it.”

  Hearing this, everyone was surprised — except Saamyn and Ymraan. After a moment of silence, Saamyn spoke to Nazar in a mysterious tone:— “Nazar, you are correct, but do you know that in the book you hold, some of it is true, and the rest is false?”

  Shock rippled through the group. Hearing Saamyn, even Nazar was astonished, and both Nazar and Riyy couldn’t believe it.

  Riyy nervously asked Saamyn:— “If the book contains mostly falsehoods, then what is actually true?”

  Hearing Riyy, Saamyn closed his eyes for a moment. Then, slowly opening them, he whispered with a mysterious smile:— “World War 3 is a mystery.”

  The silence that followed was heavy.