Aarav felt the heavy hand of the physics teacher, Mr. Ranganathan, lift from his shoulder. His mind, still reeling from the sight of Ayushi sitting so close, snapped back into focus. He was staring at the ground, remembering the man's furious demand: "Get out!"
Normally, Aarav would have been crushed by the humiliation and the prospect of twenty scorching laps around the field. The old Aarav would have mumbled an apology and retreated. But the Aarav who had died and been reborn two years into the past felt only a strange, almost manic clarity.
He looked up, meeting Mr. Ranganathan's enraged eyes with a calm, steady gaze that surprised even himself.
"Sir," Aarav said, his voice level and clear, cutting through the silence of the hallway. "I accept the punishment for being late. But if you'll permit me, I'd like to address your question."
Mr. Ranganathan blinked, his imposing frame momentarily frozen by the student's unexpected defiance. "My question? You dare interrupt me to discuss the syllabus, Mr. Aarav?"
"It was about the Principle of Minimum Drag," Aarav corrected, a small, confident smile touching his lips. "You asked if I was aware of it. Yes, sir. It is the concept used to maximize efficiency by reducing resistance, particularly in aeronautics and fluid dynamics. We seek a shape that experiences the lowest possible drag force."
He paused, glancing momentarily back at the classroom door, knowing Ayushi was just on the other side. This wasn't about physics. This was about proving he wasn't the same hesitant boy.
"If I am to run twenty laps, sir, the most efficient method to complete that punishment and return to class with minimum drag is not to run at all," Aarav continued.
The teacher's face began to redden. "Are you mocking me? Get out!"
"Hear me out, sir," Aarav insisted, stepping slightly closer. "The principle is based on minimizing the time the drag force acts on a body. The time it takes me to run 20 laps is cap T sub r u n end-sub. However, I propose an alternative method with an elapsed time of cap T sub a l t end-sub, where cap T sub a l t end-sub is much less than cap T sub r u n end-sub."
He didn't need to actually know the advanced physics of drag right now; he just needed to use the jargon to shock the teacher. The knowledge from his past life—the life where he had nearly completed his MBA and spent countless hours studying efficient processes—was beginning to surface, sharpened by the cosmic intervention.
"The most efficient method to reduce the drag on my education, and to comply with your authority while maximizing the learning outcome, is to perform an immediate, verifiable action that demonstrates remorse and comprehension. I suggest I submit a five-page analysis of the Principle of Minimum Drag and its application in urban engineering by tomorrow morning."
The hallway was silent. Mr. Ranganathan was breathing heavily, his fury warring with genuine astonishment. No student had ever dared to use his own subject to argue their way out of a punishment. The boy's confidence was unnerving.
"Five pages, handwritten, by 8 AM tomorrow, Mr. Aarav," the teacher growled, pointing a stern finger. "Not a minute late. If it's less than perfect, you will run forty laps."
Aarav nodded sharply, the triumph buzzing beneath his skin. "Understood, sir. Thank you."
Mr. Ranganathan turned, threw one last look of bewildered suspicion at Aarav, and slammed the classroom door shut.
Aarav stood alone in the quiet hallway. He had just bought himself a day—a day he could spend focusing on his mission, not sweating laps. His heart thrummed, not just from the adrenaline of the confrontation, but from the simple, overwhelming knowledge that he had outsmarted fate, even in a small way.
He looked at the closed classroom door, his eyes dark with fierce resolve. Ayushi was in there, protected for now. His second chance had officially begun. The hesitation that had killed them both two years later was gone, replaced by an absolute, fearless determination.
I won't just protect her from a truck, he thought. I'll protect her from everything, including my own cowardice.
He turned, not toward the college gate to escape, but toward the library. He needed those five pages, and more importantly, he needed to start planning his first move to get close to her.