Time passed quietly.
And then, Yuri came back.
Her eyes weren't nervous anymore. Her hands, once fidgety, now rested calmly by her side. I didn't need to ask. I could already tell that she did well.
She came toward us with a soft smile walking slowly.
"You know, I was asked about the history of various nations. The principal was really sincere. Not intimidating at all."
I nodded. "Seems like they already understand who we are."
Then gently, "Did anything... stand out?"
Yuri paused, thinking.
"Well, before I could even leave, the principal walked through a side door inside the room. I didn't even notice it at first. It just felt a bit strange."
She looked thoughtful. I have to make her understand I replied , "Ohh, It's an old custom here. It's considered disrespectful to see someone of higher position leave through a lower corridor. That inner door probably connects directly to his personal space."
From the corner, Riyushi looked up from his tablet, adjusting his glasses.
"Eash is right. It's in the campus protocol PSTU Rulebook, Article 6."
He tapped the screen and tilted it slightly to show us a list of unusual academy rules.
I saw Spark squinting at it like it was a treasure map.
"Dude, there's a rule about not disturbing cats in the library?" Spark whispered.
They all smiled.
Yeah, That was so PSTU.
One by one, our friends returned from their viva exams.
Spark.
Then Liliyan.
And finally Riyushi.
As Riyushi stepped out of the elevator, I noticed something others didn't. He looked... distracted. Like he had heard something he didn't want to believe. He kept his face calm, but I could sense the rest.
I could hear him thinking clearly. But I remained silent. This isn't the right time.
________
For me, my viva had happened earlier. It was supposed to be formal but it took an odd turn.
The principal had leaned back and asked,
"So... tell me. What do you think I'm thinking?"
I didn't blink.
"You're thinking, 'Does he know that I know about his father?'"
He didn't say anything.
Just smiled stiffly and changed the topic.
It wasn't a guess. It was the truth.
____________
That evening, the whole ship began glowing with lights.
A soft bell rang across the halls announcing that today's viva sessions had ended. The rest will continue tomorrow. Tonight, it was time to relax.
The deck opened. A soft breeze flowed in. Lights were dimmed just enough to look magical. Chairs circled round tables. Soft music played. Little robots floated around, offering drinks, desserts, or just being cute.
It felt like a mix of science and dreams.
The five of us stepped out together. It was one of those rare moments where nothing felt rushed.
Spark, as usual, was the first to disappear into the crowd. We watched him spin himself in circles like a kid who'd had too much sugar.
Suddenly, Riyushi turned to Yuri and Liliyan, eyebrow raised.
"What were you three talking about earlier?"
Liliyan replied casually, "Oh, just about our invisible roommate."
Yuri nodded. "We still haven't seen her. And no one knows when she comes or goes. But people are whispering, Spark told us that she might be a professor's daughter."
"Huh." Riyushi frowned. "Maybe she's staying somewhere else? Maybe her dad made arrangements."
Liliyan tilted her head. "So... she won't even meet us? What, does she have her own secret mansion or something?"
I stayed quiet. But I was listening.
Then, the music shifted.
It got louder.
Joyful. Fast.
People were starting to dance.
Laughter filled the air.
Spark grabbed Liliyan's hand with a wink.
"C'mon, partner in crime. Let's steal the spotlight."
And with that, they disappeared into the crowd.
Yuri laughed softly.
Riyushi just stared after them, deadpan.
"Unbelievable."
And we were watching everyone dancing and having fun.
Though nothing is making me excited here.
I was just thinking when this party will end.
Just then-
A loud siren cut through the music like a knife.
Everything stopped.
"Security Alert! Security Alert!
A confidential device has been stolen from the principal's office.
All students must return to their cabins.
Please remain calm. Authorities will arrive shortly."
People froze.
Then a quiet panic began to ripple through the crowd.
But I stood still.
Something wasn't right.
I stretched my thoughts-reaching into the minds around me.
Whispers.
Worries.
Questions.
But one mind... was missing.
The thief.
I couldn't hear them.
Why?!
Riyushi touched my arm gently. "Eash... come on."
"I need to check something first,"
I said.
"You can come if you want."
They hesitated but at last followed.
Spark and Liliyan joined us shortly.
I walked straight to the principal's office.
"Eash, are you crazy? The police are literally there!" Spark hissed.
"I know," I said softly. "And I'm hoping they're human."
I could tell they hadn't use any Robotic Investigator. Which was a good sign.
I entered the Office Room.
Noticed an Inspector. And scanned him quickly.
Name: Kartiz Akabane
Age: 38 years, 3 months, 15 days
Height: 6 feet
Ability: Experienced Police Inspector at PSTU
Mr. Kartiz was a tall, serious man with a well-maintained appearance.
I approached him outside the office and said, "Excuse me, sir. If you don't mind, I have something to discuss."
He nodded. "Come in. Do you have any information about the incident?"
I entered, and my friends stayed outside.
"I'm Eash Lorenas, a new student at PSTU," I introduced myself.
He shook my hand.
"Kartiz Akabane, Senior Inspector at the Private Investigation Department of PSTU."
I looked directly at him. "If you permit me, may I investigate this case? I promise I won't interfere with your work."
"And what's the logic behind this?" he asked.
"I've been here before the theft happened, and I'm sure you weren't. I believe I can gather information faster than you can. I won't lose."
Kartiz thought for a moment, then said, "You're right. You must be talented if you're here at PSTU. But I can't proceed without the principal's permission."
And then,
making all wondering, a small robotic blue bird landed on Officer's hand, and a hologram of Principal Helhead appeared.
"I'm giving permission to Eash Lorenas to investigate the case as he wishes, along with the police, as the project is urgently needed for PSTU,"
the principal said.
The bird flew away, and I couldn't help but smile to myself, Things are getting exciting now...
"Alright, Inspector Kartiz, can you tell me what the stolen item was?" I asked.
Though I knew everything already just reading their mind. Boring!
"Follow me," he said, leading me deeper into the office.
_____________
The office room was so big, well shaped. White walls are lighten with blue lights.
2 sides of the was are full of different gadgets staying in glass frame. I could understand they brought these in this ship so that they could show these to various country's scientists and get profit.
We arrived at a large desk, and Kartiz gestured toward a small device encased in glass.
"This is the Human Controller Device (HCD), invented by Professor Kalhen Mitsuha. And made by the psychology Department students of PSTU. It was supposed to be presented to Russian scientists today. But someone switched it with a fake."
I took the device without asking, examining it carefully. Something I could smell... Huh! Isn't it ___
It was really interesting, but I kept my reaction hidden.
"Who noticed the theft first?" I asked.
"The university secretary, Mr. Ukohama. He was supposed to hand it over to the scientists and noticed the theft."
Just then, Mr. Ukohama was called in. He looked like an elderly man who had worked here for many years.
Name: Andre Ukohama
Age: 67 years, 5 months, 29 days
Height: 5 feet 6 inches
Ability: Trustworthy Secretary at PSTU

I approached him directly. "You manage all the robot operations at PSTU, correct?"
"Yes," he replied.
"Did you notice any issues with the CCTV cameras outside and inside the room?"
My sharp voice made Mr. Ukohama felt embarrassed. Everyone looked at the CCTV camera-it wasn't blinking its usual blue light.
Kartiz said,
"Oh, shit. We just missed a chance to get some proof. Mr. Ukohama probably didn't check the security room."
"I checked yesterday. Everything was fine," Ukohama said slowly.
"But what about last night?" I asked.
"All electrical devices are turned off at night to save power.So I checked in the morning today."
His answer didn't sit well with me. "Let's go to the security office."
____________
Ukohama led us to the security office on the third floor.
Me along with the inspector and the secretary stood in front of the security office.
To open the door, it requires Ukohama's body scan.
The scanner of the door didn't work properly at first, and I had to show him the correct position to stand.
The door slid open from both sides.
The office inside was shining white. Thousands of Robots were sitting at their places, continuously doing their security duties. Every robot has their own computer on the desks.
Ukohaama walked up to the second desk in the third row.
What we saw surprised everyone!
The robots at the second and third desks were lying motionless, and the computers in front of them were also turned off. These two were actually the principal's CCTV monitors.
I noticed that another CCTV camera in the next row was also turned off in the same way. But I didn't say anything...
Ukohama quickly opened the computer screen of the disabled robot's desk .
It showed that the camera inside the room had been off since morning. Outside camera was turned off yesterday evening!
Although all the other cameras were turned on this morning, this two stayed off.
And the camera outside the room was turned off in the afternoon, at 3:41 PM.
But the strange thing was, at that time, My viva exam was happening. They could see me entering, and right after that, the camera turned off.
"Looks like you're on the list of suspects too, Eash," Kartiz said.
"That will be clear in time," I replied.
Mr. Ukohama then pointed out that the body scanner attached to the CCTV system had also been disabled!
"Let's investigate this more," I said, and we started looking into the monitors to find more clues....
_____________________________________
Around 10 o'clock, Eash entered his room. As soon as he entered, he was stunned to see an astonishing scene.
Riyushi and Spark were cuddling Ena in their laps and pampering her.
Eash pretended to be annoyed and said,
''Why are you guys making such a fuss over her? She just ran off from home. I should've punished her. "
Riyushi protested,
"How could you hide such a cute cat from us?"
Spark agreed,"Truly..."
Eash, knowing he couldn't win argue with them, quietly sat down on a nearby chair.
Ena, moving closer to Riyushi, snuggled up to her and meowed, looking at Eash as if trying to ask, "How do you like it?"
Eash turned his face away.
Spark then said,
"Look, Riyushi, the locket around her neck makes her look so sweet."
"Really beautiful. I've never seen a locket like this before. Where did you get it, Eash?"
Eash turned his gaze back to Ena, stared at her belt for a moment, reminded something! and suddenly became serious.
"What's wrong, Eash? You've gone silent?" Riyushi looked at him .
"No, nothing..."
At that moment, Ena jumped out of Riyushi's lap and landed on the floor.
The door in front of her opened automatically. Ena ran out in a flash.
"Ena, wait... where are you going?"
Eash immediately ran after her.
He couldn't run at 20 Mach speed here, as it might raise suspicion. So, he tried to run as naturally as possible, like a normal human.
After a while of chasing, Eash leaped and caught Ena. Both of them tumbled to the floor.
"If you do this again, I'll throw you straight off the ship. Let's see how well you can fly.''
Ena looked at him, almost crying, and meowed softly.
Eash picked her up and stood. He realized they were standing in front of a cabin. They had ended up on the third floor while running. Eash noticed the door above had a sign that read:
"Mr. Andre Ukohama
Secretary of PSTU"
____
A moment later, Eash returned to the room with Ena. His eyes showed-10:34:31 PM.
Riyushi immediately took Ena again.
"Tonight, Ena will stay with me, right Ena?"
"Meow..."
Just then, a soft "ting-tang" sound rang out.
Spark flopped down on the bed and said,
"What's the news on your investigation, Eash?"
"You'll know everything by tomorrow morning."
"What? Tomorrow morning! So soon?"
Eash gave a clever smile and went to bed.
Soon, everyone fell asleep. Everything was quiet, peaceful...
Be continued...