The next day,

"Hey Adi," Kranthi excitedly called as he went forward to give a bear hug to Aditya. He was wearing a traditional red coloured Kurta with golden dhoti (customary men's garment) and was looking unusually handsome.

"Stop dude, my shirt will be wrinkled if you hug me," Aditya moved to the side as he dodged Kranthi. Kranthi looked at Aditya with a hurtful expression as he said, "Adi, how could you be like this? What happened to the BFF (best friend forever) oath that we took when we were in fifth grade? Is avoiding a wrinkle on your shirt more important than my hug?"

"Stop overacting, White buffalo. I am wearing is a new shirt. Today is the cultural fest. The night when average girls become beautiful and beautiful girls become goddesses. I spent a lot of time to dress up so that I could have some good time with them. How can I show myself to these damsels with a rumpled shirt? So, this evening, I am not your BFF. Our oath resumes from tomorrow morning. Now go and try if some girl might be interested in you." Aditya said in a haughty tone as he scoffed at Kranthi.

Aditya donned a silky black slim fit shirt with a white coloured collar on the inside. In addition to that, he wore khaki coloured jeans with dark brown casual shoes. Maahi had bought these clothes for him.

Kranthi looked at Aditya with anger as he said, "Adi, since you are pushing me away to mingle with some girls. I curse you that no girl would be interested in you today and you will also become a laughing stock among them." Kranthi stomped off after he said those words.

Aditya snorted when he heard those words, "as if there are things like curses. Okay, time to enjoy." He walked as he looked at the extravagant decorations. The school has not shied away from spending money to satisfy the eminent personalities, who were coming today.

It was evening time, and bright lights illuminated the venue. These lights cast diverse shadows on the old school building as they passed through the trees. Boys and girls of various ages were present. Some were helping with the decorations while some were socialising. As it was a school, not much 'skin' show was allowed. So most of the girls turned towards ethnic wear.

Aditya was shocked by the fact that, after the fiasco of terrorists, the school still went ahead with the programs. The shocking incident had denigrated into a topic of gossip and nothing more. As they were no casualties, even the media did not seem to be interested.

The fact that these terrorists were shot by arrows was pressed down by elder sister Saira, so this information was not leaked. Devoid of this exciting part, the failed attempt of these terrorists was submerged by other critical incidents.

On the same day, there was a similar incident in the Capital in which two civilians were killed. That news was given more comprehensive coverage. The only news related to this affair was that the Chief Minister of the state would address this issue, in a public meeting. The meeting was going to be held tomorrow morning.

But the anti-terrorist squad took the matter of arrows seriously. Many officers had scanned the school for the saviour but couldn't find anyone. The fingerprints on the arrows were fake anyway as Aditya had modified them with Tya's camouflage ability, before shooting. All the electronic evidence was edited by Tya as well, so no visuals of Aditya or Faizal and others could be found. As for Faizal and others, they had already escaped with the archery equipment while Aditya went to meet Kumari and others.

Aditya had expected to get some 'advantages' from the traumatic experience of the girls. He thought that at least one among Kumari and Anupama or both (if he was lucky) would come for his assistance. Aditya anticipated that they would hug him tightly and cry because they were frightened. Reality disappointed him as neither of them did anything even remotely like hugging him. Anupama remained calm while Kumari came over and described her experience.

Indeed, both girls were shaken, but they turned out to be stronger than Aditya expected. It was a good thing but a little disappointing. Yu Yan might have climbed onto him if she was present in the same position. He remembered when she had almost cried when Karan had bullied her.

If there was one thing that changed completely after this incident, it would be that Kumari was smitten by the 'Art of Archery'. Even before this fiasco, she was attracted to archery. But those three arrows seemed to have imprinted themselves in her heart. Kumari had also tried to find her saviour, but how could she succeed when no one could. Only Saira was privy to this information.

Elder sister Saira was impressed with Aditya's skill display. As strange as it sounded, she was gratified that Aditya had taken the final step of 'taking a life'. Saira was even more happy at the way that Aditya handled himself. It was clear that his psyche was not affected. Aditya had to thank Taarini for this phenomenon. He had confronted this issue and resolved his heart knot, beforehand, because of her warning.

It sent chills running over Aditya's back when he thought what would have happened if he was not mentally prepared. If he had hesitated even for a few seconds, Kumari would have been killed. Aditya would have to live his whole life regretting his indecisiveness. Also, if he had released the arrow in time and Kumari was saved, Aditya's heart would have been affected because of these deaths caused by him. But neither of them happened. This event increased Aditya's gratitude for Taarini's timely wake-up call.

Saira had also warned Aditya that something terrible might happen in the next two days. She asked him to be careful and vigilant. When Aditya revealed that he would be leaving the city for these two days along with Taarini, Saira let out a sigh of relief. She did not disclose any information as it was related to that 'Organisation'. Even with Aditya's skill, Saira did not change her opinion that he should stay away from 'those' people.

"Elder brother Aditya, how am I looking today?" an adorable girl's voice pulled Aditya from his thoughts. Aditya's eyes lit up when he saw Yu Yan, who was looking splendid in a black and gold Chinese traditional dress (cheongsam). Golden embroidery glittered on the black silk material.

The dress hugged Yu Yan's body tightly, revealing her gymnastic figure. A pair of long black heels accompanied this dress which pushed Yu Yan's height to the level of his neck. Her dark, straight hair was styled into a Chinese braided bun along with two glittering earrings. Yu Yan looked a few years older in this dress, but the baby fat on her cheeks gave her away. Her eyes formed crescent moons as she smiled at Aditya and walked towards him.

"oh, looks like we have a little princess here. I wonder why she sounds like Yu Yan, though?" Aditya said as he put up a 'curious' expression as he held his chin with his hand.

"elder brother Aditya, I am Yu Yan. You are too much," Yu Yan pouted her lips as she stamped her feet. Aditya laughed as he pointed at his black shirt, "I did not expect that we both will wear matching colours. Come, let us go and find the others."

Yu Yan also giggled as she said, "Elder brother Aditya, my mother brought this dress for me from Beijing. I liked it when I saw it. So, I wanted to show this dress to elder brother Aditya."

"Oh, I never asked before. How did you end up in India?" Aditya curiously asked. Now that he was becoming accustomed to Yu Yan, Aditya wanted to know about her.

Yu Yan smiled when she saw that Aditya was interested to know about her. She answered, "my father has a company in Bangalore, which acts as a medium for Chinese companies to invest in Indian startups. He had come to India in the late 1990s as an exchange student to the Capital and had stayed here ever since. My mother was a Chinese diplomat who was stationed in India at that time. Both of them met, fell in love and got married. I was born in China and grew a few years there before I came to live with my father."

Aditya nodded when he heard Yu Yan's background. He had heard that many Chinese companies were willing to invest in Indian startups. Many of these startups have become famous and successful also. Aditya and Yu Yan conversed as they made way for the school building.

"Adi, come here. Where have you been? I have been waiting for you?" Kavya shouted in a hurried voice. Kavya looked pleasant in a white and gold Anamika dress.

"Why are you waiting for me?" Aditya asked when he looked at Anupama in the distance. Anupama looked fabulous in a peach coloured short peplum shirt, paired with rust dyed Indian raw silk bell bottom. The dress encapsulated contemporary embellishments and fused in harmony with an elusive design.

Aditya smiled at Anupama as he allowed himself to be dragged by Kavya. Kavya led him into a makeup room and pushed him into a chair. She turned towards Anupama and said, "Anu, I want you to get him ready."

"Ready?" Aditya asked as he looked at Kavya with a puzzled expression. Aditya suddenly spotted Jatin in a peacock costume. He burst out laughing when he saw her as he teased, "Jatin, finally you realised that you are as 'proud' as a peacock?"

Jatin sneered at Aditya, "as if you are any better. Didn't you always boast that your eyes were similar to a tiger's? Now, not just eyes, you can also become a tiger."

"What does that mean..." Aditya was about to ask when he saw Kavya come with a tiger costume. Kavya threw that tiger costume at Aditya, "Anu, I want him ready in ten minutes. We can have a rehearsal before the play begins."

Aditya remembered the other day when Kavya asked him to play a role. Now he understood why Bhadra and Jatin looked at him with strange expressions. Aditya gritted his teeth when he imagined himself in this tiger's costume.

Aditya realised that his best buddies duped him. Also, Aditya was reminded of Kranthi's curse of becoming a laughing stock. 'Did that fatty have black spots on his tongue?' (There is folklore which states that whatever a person, with black spots on his tongue, says becomes true.)

"Where is that idiot Bhadra?" Aditya asked Jatin while gnashing his teeth. Before Jatin could reply, Kavya, who was about to leave, stopped. She turned and looked at Aditya with a sharp gaze, "What did you call Bhadra?"

"Hehe, it's nothing, sister-in-law. Please be on your way," Aditya forcefully smiled at Kavya. Kavya snorted as she went away. "Yu Yan, you come with me," Kavya held Yu Yan's hand and went towards the stage. Aditya escaped with the tiger costume.

Jatin couldn't hold back his laughter when he saw Aditya dressed in a tiger costume. All his elegance had vanished. Anupama's lips pursed as if she was trying not to laugh. Aditya knew that he could forget about having any fun today.

Aditya sat on the makeup chair while Anupama came and started to apply a little touch-up on his face. She drew black stripes on yellow base so that his face could integrate perfectly with the costume. A pleasant fragrance drifted into Adiya's nose as Anupama face came near his eyes.

After Anupama was done with the work, Aditya made sure that Kavya was not present and asked Jatin, "where is that jerk?" Before Jatin could answer, a voice was heard, "are you talking about me?" Aditya turned to discover a sturdy figure in a bear costume. Aditya doubtfully asked, "Bhadra?"

The 'Bear' nodded. Aditya sat in his place, looking resigned when he saw Bhadra's costume. If Kavya did not leave Bhadra, why would she spare him?

A peal of soft laughter escaped Anupama's lips as she could not restrain herself anymore. Aditya looked at Jatin and asked, "What is the theme of the play?"

"It's a basic theme — environmental conservation and protection. The play starts with a group of villagers cutting down a forest. After some time, wild animals start appearing in the village because the forest has been cut. Some people get hurt because of the tiger and bear attacks. The humans realise their mistake and stop cutting the forest and plant new trees. The wild animals go back to the forest." Jatin answered.

Aditya felt that the people might sleep in the middle of this play. He held his forehead and asked, "who was the genius behind this play?"

"Kavya, of course."

"No wonder."