The next morning, the classroom was noisier than usual.
Some students were shouting. Some were fighting for window seats. And some were still half asleep.
Then—
THUD!
Mota Master entered the classroom with his notebook under one arm.
But today— someone was standing beside him.
A new student.
The entire class became curious instantly.
"Who is he?" "New boy?" "Which village?"
The boy looked around calmly.
His name was Dip.
He looked confident. Sharp eyes. Simple clothes. And unlike most new students— he didn't look nervous at all.
Mota Master adjusted his glasses.
"Class," he announced, "this is Dip. From today onward, he will study with all of you."
Before he could continue—
Arko suddenly stood up excitedly.
"I KNOW HIM!"
The whole class turned toward Arko.
Then toward Dip.
Dip already looked tired somehow.
Mota Master sighed. "Of course you do."
Arko proudly pointed at him.
"His uncle lives near our house! He is his bhagne—his nephew!"
"Ohhhh…"
The students became interested immediately.
One boy whispered, "So they already know each other?"
Arko answered proudly himself, "Obviously."
Dip smirked slightly. "You decided that yourself."
The class laughed.
Mota Master pointed toward the empty spot beside Arko.
"Sit there."
Dip walked over and sat beside him.
The moment he sat down—
Arko leaned closer immediately.
"You came to our school too?"
Dip nodded. "My grandmother brought me here."
"Good." Arko grinned proudly. "Now this class has two dangerous people."
Dip looked at him silently for a second.
"...I just came to study."
"That's what all legends say first."
Nearby, Som slowly looked worried.
"One Arko was already difficult…"
As classes continued, everyone slowly noticed something.
Arko and Dip were strangely similar.
Both loved cartoons. Both enjoyed doing dumb and crazy things. Both laughed during serious moments. And both had dangerous levels of confidence for absolutely no reason.
But unlike Arko—
Dip was smarter.
Much smarter.
When Mota Master asked questions—
Dip answered quickly.
Math? Easy.
Reading? Easy.
Even handwriting?
Beautiful.
Arko stared at his notebook in betrayal.
"...How are your letters standing so straight?"
Dip shrugged proudly. "Skill."
During sports period, things became even worse for Arko.
Dip ran faster. Jumped higher. And somehow played every game properly.
Meanwhile—
Arko missed the football and kicked air.
THUD!
He fell dramatically.
The entire field laughed.
Dip walked over trying not to laugh.
"You okay?"
Arko pointed at the ground seriously. "The field attacked me."
Even Dip started laughing now.
And for the first time—
Arko felt like he had found someone exactly like him.
Someone who understood his stupidity…
and added more stupidity to it.
But the class did not know everything about Dip.
Far away from this noisy classroom… there was another home.
A poorer home.
Dip's parents had struggled for years to manage their family. Money was always short. Food was sometimes limited. And school expenses slowly became difficult.
They had two children.
One evening, after a long emotional discussion, Dip's grandmother gently told his parents:
"Let him stay with us for a while.
We will take care of him.
When things become better, you can bring him back."
His mother stayed silent for a long time after hearing those words.
Then slowly— she agreed.
Not because she wanted to send him away—
but because she wanted him to live comfortably. To study properly. To eat without worry.
That night, she quietly folded Dip's clothes herself.
And even though Dip tried to act normal—
he noticed the tears in her eyes.