By Sunday evening, PK was satisfied.
The setup was complete.
Everything functioned exactly as planned.
He returned to the dorm as if nothing had changed.
The night passed easily—games, casual conversation, familiar noise. His roommates were energetic, loud, and carefree, exactly as they always were.
At one point, Rich leaned closer to Sam and Max, lowering his voice just enough to sound important.
"Did you hear?" he said. "Lana and Luna got eliminated in the hacking competition. They tried really hard."
PK didn't react.
But he listened.
Monday arrived.
Classes resumed as usual, but the atmosphere felt different.
When PK entered the classroom, a crowd had gathered around one table.
Lana and Luna.
Students offered encouragement, questions, sympathetic smiles. Some were genuinely concerned; others were simply curious.
PK noticed the details.
Their cheeks were slightly puffed.
Their eyes faintly red.
They had cried.
Later, during a break, fragments of conversation reached him.
Lana and Luna were identical twins from the Law family—one of the top five families in Z City. Their parents had passed away when they were young. Since then, their mother's sister had raised them.
Despite their background, they were reserved.
Quiet.
Distant.
Rarely engaging unless necessary.
PK observed them once more before looking away.
Loss shaped people differently.
Some became louder.
Others sharper.
And some—
Learned to stand alone.