"I'm Caroline. It was nice meeting you."
Caroline pulled a yellow candy from her bag and held it out to him.
Denzel glanced at it, unimpressed. "Do I look like a child?"
"It's a token of apology," Caroline said calmly, her hand still extended. "And I only have candies with me." She tilted her head slightly. "I've got other flavors too—apple, strawberry, orange…"
After a brief pause, Denzel took the candy. "I'll take this. Now turn off the light when you leave."
He dropped back onto the sofa, already closing his eyes.
The group turned to leave.
Denzel looked at the candy once more. Then he grabbed a poster from the nearby table, covered his face with it, and spoke from beneath it, his voice low.
"Joining the council won't shield you from bullying. We can warn them, keep things under control while you're on campus, as long as we're nearby. But once you step outside, we can't stop them or hold them accountable."
He paused. "You didn't hear any of this from me. Now leave—without a word."
Marcus immediately took Caroline's hand and led her out. Daisy and Kevin followed.
As they walked, Marcus sent a message to the group chat:
Don't reveal your expressions. CCTV is present. Let's go to the Nova Dome.
When they reached the Nova Dome and confirmed no one else was around, all four of them let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"This looks like an open theater," Daisy said, glancing around. "How did you even know about this place?"
"Do they tell the names of conference halls and open theaters during the campus tour now?" Kevin added.
"Not all of them," Marcus replied. "Just enough for freshers to know. We found the rest while exploring on our own."
They sat down, placing their bags to the side, quietly taking in the view for a moment.
After a few seconds, Kevin broke the silence. "What was all that back there?"
Caroline answered honestly. "Most of it was true. Except Derik's actual target was Marko, not me. I had to change it to make an impact."
"What?" Kevin snapped, his calm slipping as he turned toward Marcus. "Bro, he flirted with you?"
"No," Marcus replied instantly.
"Then what about him trying to touch you?" Caroline cut in.
"Cheez." Marcus tilted his head, glaring at her, clearly not amused.
"Oh, right," Caroline said lightly. "He didn't touch you. Must've been my imagination."
Marcus stepped closer. "Stop it."
Caroline stood up and moved away, speaking as she did. "He put one hand on your shoulder and leaned in like he was about to hug you. What do you call that, if not flirting?"
Kevin and Daisy exchanged confused looks, unsure what was real and what was exaggerated.
"Cheez, stop. You know it wasn't a hug," Marcus said, chasing after her.
"You two look like a couple teasing each other," Daisy laughed.
"We are not a couple," Marcus and Caroline said at the same time, stopping mid-step.
"Enough," Marcus said, returning to his seat. "We need to prepare for what's coming."
Caroline sat down as well. "Before that, I need to clear a few things."
She looked at Daisy and Kevin. "First—it's barely been a day since we met, yet you trusted us enough to skip class and play along. I want you to know we truly appreciate that. We're glad to have roommates—and friends—like you."
She held Daisy's hands as she continued.
"Second, things are going to get tougher from now on. Even before we joined this college—after we received the admission letter—we came across enough stories, videos, and warnings during our research to know ragging wasn't something minor here. Marcus and I decided back then that we wouldn't submit to it or pretend it didn't exist."
She paused briefly.
"What we didn't know was how many people were involved, or how deep it actually ran. After today, it's clear the situation is far more serious than what we expected."
Caroline looked between Daisy and Kevin.
"This is your first day here. You've already been pulled into something that provokes seniors without even choosing to. That's why we're giving you a choice now. You don't owe us anything, and we won't blame you for stepping back."
"Are you sure you can stop the ragging?" Kevin asked.
"There's no way to know without trying. And this isn't the kind of ragging that fades—it's bullying."
"So if we fail," Kevin said slowly, "our college life could turn into hell—"
"Or worse," Marcus interrupted. "They didn't stop the night drills even after one day. They call all freshers, and no warden believes them. This has been happening for two years. Even the administration couldn't act, despite the risk to their reputation."
He looked at all of them. "We're not just risking four years or a degree. We're risking our future—our lives."
Kevin leaned back, stretching his arms. "Alright then. Let's do this."
After a moment, Daisy spoke up. "Caroline… can I call you Cheez too, if I help?"
Marcus and Caroline exchanged a glance.
Caroline studied Daisy's face. She didn't see naïveté—only warmth and resolve. "Daisy, are you sure? You heard the audio. As long as you avoid seniors, you still have a chance at a peaceful college life."
Daisy met her gaze steadily. "I'm the youngest in my family. Everyone was so protective that it felt suffocating. I fought with them to join this college, just so I could live in the dorms and face things on my own."
She smiled faintly. "Avoiding problems won't prepare me for the world outside. I'm scared, yes—even thinking about confronting seniors makes my chest tight. But when I saw you this morning, I felt better. I want to be like that. I don't want to hide or run away, hoping things won't flip someday."
She squeezed Caroline's hands. "I want to be your friend. And friends help each other."
"You know," Caroline said softly, smiling back, "you have a charming smile—just like your name."
"Well, I'm Daisy for a reason," Daisy shrugged, making everyone giggle.
"So I'm calling you Cheez now," Daisy declared.
"Childish," Kevin said flatly. "I'll stick to calling you normally."
Marcus suddenly remembered something. "Cheez. Give me a candy."
"I have two oranges, two strawberries, two blueberries, two bananas, and one mango," Caroline said, peeking into her bag. "What do you want?"
"Strawberry," Marcus said.
"Me too," Daisy added.
"I—" Kevin started.
"Give me Kevin's share," Marcus cut in. "He doesn't like childish candies."
"Candies aren't childish," Kevin said, extending his hand. "They're good for health. I want blueberry."
Caroline handed him one.
"Good for health?" Marcus laughed. "Why don't you tell that to my doctor?"
Kevin ignored him, closing his eyes as he savored the candy.
"So," Daisy said, pointing at him, "who's the child now?"
They all laughed—if only for a moment—forgetting the troubles waiting ahead.