Meanwhile, Raiz kept casting suspicious glances her way, unsure whether Aisha was plotting something—or simply daydreaming.
When the break bell rang, everyone stood and headed for the canteen. Aisha wandered aimlessly, searching for ideas, until the bell rang again.
Raiz is tall. My short hands won't easily reach his head.
"Should I compliment his hair, like in some old story?" she muttered to herself.
"'Raiz, your hair looks great.'" Just imagining it made her cringe. "Rina would make a huge scene if she saw me acting that desperate."
She quickly discarded the idea.
Suddenly, the system reminded her:
[Host. Please note that your remaining quest time is one hour.]
Aisha clicked her tongue, cursing the strange system in her mind.
Then the bell rang. Raiz's figure began approaching the classroom. Just before he fully stepped inside, an idea flashed through Aisha's head.
Her eyes darted to the blackboard. She quickly dragged a chair over and climbed onto it, pretending to adjust something.
Standing on the chair, Aisha moved her hands as if she were seriously fixing the board. A few seconds later, Raiz entered the room.
Seeing her up there, Raiz instinctively looked up.
"What is she doing…?" he murmured.
At the same time, Aisha lowered herself halfway, trying to reach Raiz's head as required by the quest. But because Raiz suddenly looked up, the distance was off.
The chair wobbled.
"A—no!"
Aisha lost her balance, her body tipping forward.
Without thinking, Raiz quickly reached out and grabbed Aisha's head, stopping her from falling. Their faces were suddenly very close—just for a few seconds, but long enough to make Aisha freeze.
That reflex gave her the chance she needed.
Her hand lifted and brushed Raiz's head—brief, awkward, but sufficient.
Aisha smiled faintly.
"Done," she whispered to herself.
Raiz lowered his hands. Aisha climbed down from the chair as if nothing had happened.
Nothing at all.
"Mm… sorry," she said quickly. "It wasn't intentional. I almost fell, so I reacted and grabbed your head."
Raiz frowned slightly, then pretended to accept the explanation.
"Alright," he said shortly, walking to his seat.
But as he turned away, the corner of his lips lifted.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
[DING! Congratulations, Host. You have completed the side quest. Reward: Basic Mathematics Mastery Level 1 has been delivered to Aisha's brain.]
[Ding!] Congratulations, Host. Your affinity with Raiz has increased by 20 points.
Status Record:
Name: Raiz
Age: 16
Appearance: Fair
Affinity Level: Normal — 30]
"Seriously?"
Aisha nearly jumped for joy reading the system message.
Then she frowned.
"Delivered… to my brain?" she muttered, blinking. "What does that even mean?"
She raised her hand and lightly tapped her own head, half-expecting pain, dizziness—anything.
Nothing happened.
For a moment, she thought the reward might be fake.
Then, without thinking, she glanced at the math problems on the paper in front of her. The numbers that once looked incomprehensible now felt… strangely familiar. The steps surfaced effortlessly, as if she had known them all along.
Aisha froze.
"…Oh."
A slow smile spread across her face.
"So that's what it means," she whispered, half amazed, half annoyed. "You could've just said I'd suddenly understand math."
She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms.
"Tsk. Annoying System Qadar… but fine," she muttered. "I'll admit it. This is useful."
Later, Aisha asked Nisa to check her work. A few minutes passed before Nisa handed the paper back.
"You got a perfect score," Nisa said, giving her a thumbs-up.
Aisha smiled widely—filled with happiness and quiet gratitude.
[DING! Aisha… a new side quest has been issued.]
Quest: Restrain your anger for three days. Reward: Full mastery of all Basic and Intermediate Science levels.
Aisha stared at the glowing words for a long moment, barely blinking.
"…Huh?"
Her brows slowly drew together. "Why is the reward so huge?"
She exhaled quietly, lowering her voice as if the words themselves might hear her.
"Isn't this… excessive? This feels way too generous."
Her gaze flicked around the room, making sure no one was watching.
"And honestly," she murmured, "this feels suspicious."
She wasn't wrong.
That night, when Aisha and Bela returned to the dormitory, they froze just inside the doorway.
Several students were using their phones.
Dim screens glowed beneath blankets—some girls giggled softly, others lay silent, scrolling with practiced ease. The room buzzed with quiet rebellion.
As the oldest students in the dorm, Aisha and Bela knew what that meant.
Responsibility.
Aisha drew in a slow breath. She exchanged a glance with Bela, then gave her a small, encouraging smile.
Bela stepped forward.
"Girls," she said firmly, though her shoulders were tense. "This is a pesantren. Phones aren't allowed. You all know the rules."
No one responded.
They acted as if they hadn't heard her at all, eyes fixed on their screens, fingers moving faster.
Heat crept into Aisha's chest.
Bela tugged lightly at her sleeve, a silent plea to leave it—but Aisha spoke first.
"Didn't you hear what Bela just said?" Her tone sharpened despite herself.
She reached out and took a phone from one of the girls.
Bela almost stopped her.
The room went still.
Every face turned toward them.
Then someone scoffed.
"Ugh, you're so dramatic," Dina said, her voice dripping with mockery. "Why don't you just shut up? We're enjoying ourselves. If you want, you can use your phones too. We'll all stay quiet. Fair, right?"
The words hit harder than expected.
Aisha and Bela froze.
Aisha's breath caught. The retort was already on her tongue—sharp, unforgiving—
Then—
[Quest: Restrain your anger for three days.]
The reminder rang loud and clear in her mind.
Aisha clenched her fists. Her nails dug into her palms as she forced the words back down.
She lowered her head and inhaled slowly.
"…Astaghfirullah," she whispered.
Behind her calm expression, one truth stood unmistakably clear.
This quest was no joke.
And holding back her anger was far harder than touching Raiz's head.
No wonder the reward was so absurd.
This is strange, Aisha thought. "They've never been this rude before," Bela whispered beside her.
Just then, Rina stepped into the dorm.
Her eyes met Aisha's.
Before Rina could say anything—before the tension could snap—Aisha turned away. She took Bela's hand and pulled her toward the door.
Not long after, dorm supervisors arrived to handle the situation.
Aisha didn't look back.