(After their conversation ended, they parted ways in the corridor, heading to their respective classrooms. However, Ahmed and Misaki's presence in the school was no longer the same as before. The past days had left an indelible mark in the eyes of others: his protection of her in difficult situations, the match where he astounded everyone with his skill, and their frequent appearances together. All of this made their names echo in whispers through the school corridors.)
(Students would raise their eyes whenever Ahmed and Misaki passed together. Some merely offered a smile of admiration and faint whispers, others observed the scene with curiosity not devoid of envy, while in the glances of a small group, a mixture of questions and guesses shone: Are they just friends? Or is what binds them deeper than that?)
(Ahmed, walking with steady steps, felt the weight of these stares but pretended to be indifferent. Inside, he was trying to maintain his calm, for nothing mattered to him now except the challenge he had promised Misaki. As for Misaki, a blush would creep onto her cheeks every time she felt eyes following her. She tried to hide her fluster with a small, fleeting smile, but her heart would flutter whenever she recalled Ahmed's nighttime confession, and whenever she remembered his mysterious question that awaited her if she lost the game.)
(And between the whispers and the stares of the students, the two continued their school day in silence, as if they were living in another world, a world surrounded by invisible walls that no one but them could see. Although both tried to show composure, the inside of each one was preparing for what was to come after lessons ended. A challenge simple on its surface, but one that carried a promise of a moment that might change a lot.)