The trip was over. Now, reality resumed. Mira needed a bath, a gallon of tea, and ideally, to collapse into bed and dissolve there like an emotionally exhausted mochi.

  At lunch break, Mira barely sat down before her friends pounced.

  “You look like a zombie,” Camille pointed out, squinting at her.

  “A jet-lagged zombie,” Elara added, poking at her cheek.

  "Seriously, why didn’t you contact us at all?" Valeria asked, arms crossed.

  Mira sighed, already expecting this. "Strict security. I was in the secretary team, so only registered devices were allowed. No personal phones, no outside communication—to prevent information leaks."

  Luca whistled. "Damn, sounds intense. So, who did you assist?"

  Mira froze. Oh no. There was no way she was telling them about Adrian. They would never let her live it down.

  She cleared her throat. "The university needed records, documents, reports… that was my main duty."

  Elias, who had been scrolling through his phone, suddenly smirked. "Wait. I wonder if the media’s covered the summit yet. Maybe we’ll find out who was there."

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Mira tensed. If they saw Adrian's name—

  And of course, Valeria leaned in with a grin. "Hey, wasn’t Adrian at the summit too?"

  Damn it.

  Her voice was as steady as she could manage. "The schedule was intensive. The security was strict. There was no chance to talk to him."

  Camille asked, suspicious. "Really? Not even once?"

  "Not a single chance. And I didn’t intend to. And it will never happen. Let me live in peace already."

  Her heart suddenly beat faster than it should when they mentioned his name.

  If she had a mirror now, her face would probably look completely red. She forced her tone to stay even.

  Luca leaned back, pretending to type on an invisible keyboard. “Analyzing target: Mira Larkspur. Defense—zero. Attack—zero. Keywords: Adrian Vale. Symptoms: eyes darting, blinking four times faster, red face level—two hundred percent in less than 3 seconds. Current mode: lying.”

  Camille burst out laughing. “Alright, tell us the truth. The summit ended on Sunday, you had no classes yesterday, and yet you only got back this morning. Were you two dating?”

  Elara rested her chin on her hand, studying Mira with mock suspicion. “From avoidance mode to fluster mode right after the trip. Did he propose?”

  Mira couldn’t lie—but she couldn’t tell the truth either. The only option left was to run.

  “I have no idea what you guys are talking about,” she said quickly, grabbing her bag. “I’ve got a meeting. I need to go.”

  Elias, calm as ever, spoke in the dry tone of a lawyer delivering a verdict. “The defendant has failed to defend herself and chosen silence. Proposal confirmed.”

  “You guys are ridiculous!” Mira shouted, her face burning as she stormed out of the lounge—her friends’ laughter echoing after her down the hall.

  The noisy, chaotic rhythm of campus life had officially returned to her world—with full volume and no mercy.