APS:
Initiating data analysis.
(As soon as the data analysis began,)
after a short while, words started floating before his eyes.
[Departmental Compatibility Scan]
[• Fine Arts
Creative freedom: High
External validation: Low (in the early years)
Self-expression: Maximum
Risk: Directionless growth if unmanaged]
[• Business / Management
Structure: High
Immediate results: Medium–High
Competition: High
Identity pressure: High]
[• Science / Engineering
Predictability: Medium
Cognitive load: High
Emotional alignment: Low]
[• Social Sciences
Intellectual depth: High
Career velocity: Slow
Inner stability: Medium]
---
APS:
Based on your behavioral pattern—
You tend to bend quickly under pressure.
But you grow when given autonomy.
Your greatest weakness: lack of direction.
Your greatest strength: observation.
Krish swallowed in surprise.
It was true.
APS:
Therefore, the optimal path is not single-department brilliance,
but dual-axis growth.
Krish frowned.
"What do you mean?"
For the first time, APS did something it never had before—it asked a question.
APS:
Do you only want to survive…
or do you want to slowly build your own identity?
Krish's gaze returned to the notice board.
Under Fine Arts, it read—
Drawing & Painting
Visual Expression
A faint itch spread through his fingers.
The same feeling he used to get as a child, whenever he held a pencil.
But then the BMS conversation echoed in his mind—
"BMS has good placements."
APS detected the hesitation.
APS:
Short-term safety will not give you confidence.
Long-term chaos will break you.
A pause. Then—
APS:
[Solution: Anchor + Engine Model]
Two words appeared on the screen—
ANCHOR: Fine Arts
ENGINE: Business / Management Exposure
APS:
Choose a major where you can breathe.
Choose electives or a minor where you learn how to move forward.
The system's complexity was too much for his mind to process at once.
But after a few moments, Krish's heartbeat began to steady.
For the first time, a "choice" didn't feel like a gamble.
It felt like a plan.
APS:
Fine Arts will give you an identity.
Business will give you direction.
APS:
Identity without direction is drift.
Direction without identity is emptiness.
Krish slowly closed his eyes.
He imagined himself—
in the middle of a crowd,
Not trying to fit into any one group.
Just…
walking his own path.
He opened his eyes.
He pulled out his phone, filled in his college form on the website, and submitted it.
The moment he did, a system panel opened:
Department Registration: Pending
Seeing the notification, his thumb paused—hovering over the registration button.
Then again—
The selection cursor stopped at Fine Arts.
He hadn't confirmed it yet.
---
Just then, another panel opened.
[Decision Window Active – 6 Days 20 Hours Remaining]
Krish knew—
this wasn't just about choosing a department.
---
In fact, this decision was going to affect his future as well.
For a moment, Krish hesitated. But due to his lack of practical knowledge, he chose to trust the system's analysis.
Immediately after that, he clicked Confirm.
The moment it was confirmed, a new message popped up on the window.
[Congratulations, Host: REGISTRATION COMPLETED]
[Major Department: Department of Fine Arts (Visual Arts – Drawing & Painting)]
[Minor Department: Department of Commerce – Business Studies / Management]
[ACADEMIC TRACK INITIALIZED:]
Anchor Department: Fine Arts
Engine Department: Business & Management Studies
[On record, it will appear as:]
BFA (Fine Arts) with Minor in Business Studies
For a few seconds, Krish simply stared at the screen.
No excitement.
No fear.
Just… a strange sense of calm.
As if someone had lifted a burden off his shoulders—
a burden he had been carrying for years without realizing it.
The system sent its final notification.
APS:
[Decision locked.]
[Identity path initialized.]
[Adaptive growth protocols will activate gradually.]
As soon as the last line stabilized on the screen, the window automatically minimized.
His gaze returned to the campus.
A signboard pointed in one direction—
Visual Arts Block →
Almost unconsciously, he started walking that way.
The path leading to the Fine Arts department passed through a quieter part of the campus.
Less crowd.
Less noise.
As he walked, countless questions about the future filled his mind—
and he didn't know how he would cope with them.
Soon, the Fine Arts building came into view.
Posters covered the walls—exhibitions, workshops, open studios, and much more.
A few students were sitting outside the building.
Someone was sketching.
Someone sat on the ground, cleaning brushes.
No one paid much attention to him.
And that…
Krish liked.
Here, no one compared themselves to others.
No one judged anyone.
Everyone was simply absorbed in their own work.
Just then, the system flickered softly again, and a transparent window appeared.
[Phase Update]
Current Status: Declared Major
Next Objective:
• Attend Orientation
• Observe peer dynamics
• Identify growth-compatible environment
After reading the information on the system panel, he nodded slightly.
He had to attend the orientation.
Observe people.
Understand himself.
He took his first step toward the Fine Arts building. Everything felt new—and strangely unfamiliar.
Then a voice called out from behind him.
"Hey, Fine Arts?"
Krish stopped and turned around.
It was a senior—sketchbook in hand, charcoal stains on his fingers.
"Orientation?" the senior asked.
Krish nodded.
The senior smiled faintly.
"Good choice," he said, and walked on.
Krish found it a little strange.
No one had ever spoken to him like that before—with such normalcy. Being spoken to directly was one thing; no one had ever treated him like a human being before.
He had always been treated like a stray dog. People judged him based on his ugly looks and pig-like body, bullying him constantly.
But ever since the transformation, everything had stopped—strangely, completely.
…No one looked at him like garbage anymore.
That feeling wasn't sudden.
It was like a noise that had always been ringing in your ears—and then one day, it suddenly stopped. Only then do you realize it had been there at all.
Krish stood there for a few seconds.
The senior was gone.
But the words "Good choice" still echoed in his ears.
Good choice.
Those words were new to him.
For him, choices had never been good or bad—
only compulsions,
burdens he was forced to carry.
He started walking again.
The moment he stepped inside the Fine Arts building,
a faint smell of paint and wet paper filled the air.
Strangely—
that smell didn't suffocate him.
The corridor inside was open.
The doors weren't closed.
Some canvases lay on the floor; others leaned against the walls, left there to dry.
This place wasn't governed by rules—
it was governed by process.
For a few seconds, the system gave no input.
Then—
APS:
[Environmental Response: Positive]
[Stress markers: Reduced]
[Observation: Host posture relaxed]
Unconsciously, Krish looked at his hands.
They weren't trembling.
The orientation hall was located behind the Fine Arts block.
Outside, a group of first-year students had gathered.
Some were nervous.
Some overconfident.
Some just scrolling through their phones.
Earlier, Krish would have been the third type.
But not anymore.
"Drawing & Painting?"
a boy asked him.
"No," Krish replied.
"It's my first year. For now, it's foundation."
"Ooo!"
"I'm Sculpture, second year," the boy said.
"Name—Raghav."
"Krish," he replied.
Ding!
[Peer Interaction: Neutral → Healthy]
Soon, the orientation began.
The professor didn't start with the syllabus.
Instead, he asked a question first—
"Why are you all here?"
The class stirred.
Some students gave vague answers—
"Passion."
"Freedom."
"Parents allowed."
The professor smiled.
"Fine Arts is not about talent," he said.
"It's about staying when confusion starts."
That line settled deep inside Krish.
After the introduction, the professor began talking about Fine Arts.
"Fine Arts is not merely about learning how to draw or paint.
It is a disciplined way of seeing, thinking, and responding to the world.
In Fine Arts, students don't just learn techniques—they learn observation, patience, critical thinking, and visual language.
Every line, colour, and form becomes a decision, and every decision reflects thought."
"People often think Fine Arts is about talent.
But talent is only the starting point.
Fine Arts is about showing up every day, training your eye, training your hand, and most importantly, training your mind.
Art is not created when you feel inspired—it is created when you are disciplined."
"In today's world, Fine Arts extends far beyond galleries and studios.
It influences design, branding, film, animation, advertising, and even digital economies."
After explaining so much about Fine Arts, there was a short question-and-answer session.
This was the final segment of the orientation, based on interaction between students and professors.
The professor thanked everyone one last time and stepped down from the stage.
Immediately after that, a senior announced that the new session would begin the following week.
While welcoming everyone, he also announced the fresher's party and invited both freshers and seniors.
The moment the party was mentioned, excitement erupted among the students. They cheered and shouted so loudly that the senior's voice could barely be heard.
It was a fresher's party—strictly for students only.
No teachers would be present.
Which meant the students were free to enjoy themselves to their hearts' content—without anyone to stop them.
With this electrifying news, the orientation came to an end.
After the orientation, students began leaving. A different kind of glow was visible on everyone's faces. They looked extremely excited about the upcoming fresher's party.
As he exited the orientation hall, Krish noticed that the Commerce and Management students were heading toward another building—
fast steps, loud plans, conversations about internships.
Krish watched them.
He knew—
he had to go there too.
But not yet.
For now, he needed to put down roots here.
On the Fine Arts campus ground, he sat on a bench and opened his notebook.
The first page—
was no longer blank.
He had written down all the thoughts running through his mind after the orientation ended.
Then the system delivered its final update.
[Phase 1 Initiated: Foundation]
[Primary Task: Consistency over Validation]
Krish closed the notebook.
The campus crowd had grown much thicker now. Seniors had arrived too—some from second year, some from third.
But for the first time—
He was standing by his decision.
And that…
was the greatest transformation of all.
The crowd on campus kept growing,
but for Krish, the world seemed to slow down a little.
People were passing by—
laughing, talking, discussing internships over phone calls—
but all of it had turned into background noise.
Krish stood up from the bench.
He slipped the notebook back into his bag and took one last look toward the Fine Arts ground.
---