Just then, a car pulled up beside them. As the window rolled down, Parth instantly let go of her hand.
Nayan looked at Vedanshi and said calmly, "Vedanshi, get in."
Without a word, she walked over and sat in the back seat. Nayan turned to Parth, his eyes blazing. "You better not be seen anywhere near Vedanshi again. Got it?"
And with that, the car sped away, leaving Parth standing alone on the roadside.
After they left, Parth slapped the handlebar of his bike in frustration.
"Damn, man! Why does this guy keep interrupting?" he muttered, running a hand through his thick hair before speeding off into the night.
Meanwhile, inside the car, Vedanshi sat silently. A few minutes later, she lifted her head—and let out a startled scream.
Mithil had leaned toward her, his face unexpectedly close.
He had only bent down to hand her a water bottle, but her sudden scream startled him so much that he screamed too.
Sitting in the passenger seat beside Nayan, Mithil looked bewildered.
"What's going on? Why are you two screaming like you've seen a ghost?" Nayan asked, glancing at them in confusion.
"She screamed first, so I screamed too! I thought something was wrong," Mithil blurted out.
Nayan returned his focus to the road, and silence settled over the car like a thick fog.
Breaking the silence, Mithil turned toward Vedanshi.
"So… you're Vedanshi?"
Vedanshi nodded.
"You've got a pretty good sense of humor," Mithil said with a grin.
Nayan shot him a questioning look.
"I meant her, not you," Mithil clarified, gesturing toward the back seat.
Nayan gave him a sharp glare but couldn't help the faint smile that tugged at his lips.
"I read your report, by the way," Mithil continued. "You did some incredible work. Out of the seven segments of that site, only three have been decoded so far—and one of those was yours. That's impressive. I even heard you missed an entire academic year back then. Still, you managed to solve that puzzle from home. That's remarkable."
"That discovery could be a major breakthrough for the archaeology of Nagot. If you're interested, we could continue working on it together. You could join us in the field. Solving even one segment is a huge achievement," Mithil added, his tone now more serious.
"No sir, it's really nothing compared to what you all have done," Vedanshi said humbly. "You've discovered so many hidden forts and ancient temples around here. You and Nayan sir—there's no comparison. I've read all your research papers. In such a short time, you've published four, and Nayan sir has published eight. I honestly feel lucky to be studying here. I'll get to learn so much from you both."
Mithil smiled and replied, "By the way, there's one more important rule we forgot to mention. Each of you has to choose a professor to work with. That forms your group. Depending on your field of interest, you'll get to do extra lab work with your chosen professor. Everyone even gets their own mini lab space. Normally, this is reserved for PhD students, but we've extended it to you all so you can gain deeper knowledge. Make sure to inform your batchmates too."
Vedanshi's eyes lit up with excitement. "What? Really?" she exclaimed, like a child who'd just been handed their favorite toy. Her reaction made Nayan smile softly.
"You could join me, you know," Mithil offered playfully. "We'd get along well. Nayan's way too strict—he really makes his students work hard," he added with a wink in Nayan's direction.
"No way! Nayan sir isn't strict at all. He's actually very kind and supportive. And he teaches brilliantly," Vedanshi blurted out, almost defensively.
Mithil burst into laughter, while Vedanshi blushed slightly at her own enthusiasm. Nayan ran a hand through his thick black hair and gave Mithil a crooked smile. Mithil made a face in mock defeat.
"I knew it! This guy always does this. Steals all the good students—especially the girls," Mithil muttered with exaggerated annoyance.
As Mithil spoke, Nayan shot him a stern look and said, "Mithil, behave yourself. She's a student—you can't talk to me like that in front of her." And with that, he gave Mithil a light smack on the head.
"Oh really? People should know you only look decent," Mithil retorted.
"Oh, have you forgotten what you did to me during postgrad?" Nayan fired back. "You picked the best professor for yourself and lied to me—sent me to that grumpy one saying he takes students on trips every week. I endured him for two whole years! Not once did he take us anywhere. I only got to go because I was a good student and tagged along with other groups."
"And now you're getting revenge by stealing all the good students," Mithil grumbled, grabbing a newspaper lying nearby and swatting Nayan with it.
Vedanshi watched in astonishment. They were bickering like children.
"That was today's paper, you idiot! I haven't even read it yet. And look where we are—on a bridge. If you get any more violent, I'll toss you off right here," Nayan warned.
"See, Vedanshi? I told you—he's a violent beast. Stay away from him. He only looks innocent. You should join my group," Mithil said.
Vedanshi nodded playfully. Nayan turned to glare at her, and she quickly shook her head vigorously in protest.
"Don't be scared of him, Vedanshi. I'm here for you. By the way, you look gorgeous today," Mithil added with a grin.
Nayan widened his eyes at Mithil, clearly unimpressed.
"Thank you, sir," Vedanshi replied politely.
Mithil gave Nayan a crooked glance and smiled smugly. Nayan just shook his head.
Vedanshi gazed out the window, her short hair fluttering gently in the breeze. A while ago, Parth's presence had unsettled her—but now, she was smiling again. Seeing her like that made Nayan smile too. Mithil noticed and gave him a sideways glance. Nayan responded with a subtle look, and Mithil simply shook his head.
Nayan's focus was on the road, but a strange concern began to surface on his face. His expressions shifted subtly, and Vedanshi, watching him through the side mirror, sensed something unusual. Though his eyes remained fixed on driving, she tried to read his face.
Suddenly, Nayan pulled the car over and turned to her.
"Vedanshi, we would've dropped you home, but we've got something important to take care of here, and we're running late. Would you mind heading from here on your own?"
"No problem, sir. I'll go easily. Thank you so much for the ride," Vedanshi replied, stepping out of the car.
She glanced around and thought to herself, "What could sir possibly have to do here? This is a courthouse. Maybe it's something urgent. I'm probably overthinking." She muttered under her breath and walked ahead.
Mithil also got out, and Nayan parked the car properly before stepping out. He looked in the direction Vedanshi had gone and let out a deep sigh. Mithil placed a hand on his shoulder, and the two of them headed inside.
It was 5 PM when Vedanshi and her friends sat together at a restaurant. The place wasn't too crowded, so she'd called them over, saying she had something important to discuss.
They were seated around a round table, and a mountain of snacks sat in front of Sagar and Nikhil, who were stuffing their faces without pause. Vedanshi looked at Akshay and said,
"These two are hopeless. If eating were an Olympic sport, they'd definitely bring glory to the nation."
Vedanshi and Akshay sipped their tea.
"So, what's going on, Vedanshi? You called us here for something important?" Akshay asked.
Sagar's ears perked up. "Yeah, what's the matter?" he asked, mouth still full. Nikhil paused and looked at Vedanshi with curiosity.
"It's just… something's been on my mind. I wanted to hear your thoughts," Vedanshi said.
"What kind of thoughts? What's going on?" Sagar asked, surprised. Akshay and Nikhil leaned in, listening closely.
Vedanshi began, "Remember when we visited the riverside site? That dumping ground—the place where all the town's garbage is dumped?"
Everyone nodded.
"We've seen that since we were kids. What's so special about it?" Sagar asked, puzzled.