Date: April 21, 2026 (Tuesday)
Time: 5:45 PM
Location: Sports Stadium
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The afternoon sun had lost its harshness, replaced by the stretching amber shadows of early evening. The air smelled of cooling asphalt and freshly cut grass from the athletic fields.
Sterling Leo stood by the chain-link fence, tightening the laces of his new neon-orange running shoes. He was wearing the Zenith Academy track uniform—a sleek, aerodynamic design that emphasized his athletic build. Even standing still, he looked kinetic.
"Alright," Leo said, standing up and stamping his feet to test the grip.
"Coach says practice runs until 7:30 PM today. We're doing interval training."
He looked at Albert and Maya.
"That's more than one and a half hours. Seriously, guys, don't wait. Just go home."
Track and Field practice began from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM.
Albert nodded immediately. This was the opening he had been calculating since the first day of school when they walked home together.
This is the logical break point. If we leave now, the 'Trio' dynamic is temporarily suspended. Tomorrow, Maya and Leo will have a topic of conversation—his first practice—that I can't participate in. That exclusion is healthy. It creates a bridge between them that I can't walk on.
"Leo is right," Albert said, shifting his backpack strap. "Two hours is inefficient. I have some reading to do, and standing around the bleachers is a waste of time. We should head back."
He turned to Maya, expecting her to agree. Or better yet, expecting her to say she would stay and watch Leo, leaving Albert to walk home alone. That would be the ideal scenario.
But Maya didn't move. She stood firmly between them, clutching her school bag with both hands. Her knuckles were white.
"No," she said.
Leo blinked. "Maya? It's going to be boring. I'm just running in circles."
"We always walk home together," Maya said, her voice stubborn but slightly trembling. "That's the rule. Since first grade. Just because we're in high school doesn't mean we stop being us."
"It's not about stopping," Leo sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's about the clock. You're going to be sitting on a hard metal bench for two hours doing nothing."
"I won't be doing nothing. I have homework," Maya insisted. She looked at Albert with pleading eyes. "Right, Albert? We can wait. We can just hang out somewhere on campus until he's done."
Albert felt a heavy weight settle in his stomach.
She's terrified. She thinks if she lets us separate even once, the thread will snap. She's fighting entropy with pure sentimentality. And she's looking at me to back her up. If I say no, I'm the villain who broke the group. If I say yes, I'm the burden that keeps them from evolving.
"I..." Albert started, looking at the ground. "I can't wait at the bleachers, Maya. It's too loud. I need silence."
"Then let's go to the library!" Maya beamed, thinking she had solved the puzzle. "The library stays open until 20:00. We can study there while Leo runs!"
Albert looked at Leo. Leo looked at Albert. They shared a split-second of understanding. Leo knew Albert didn't want to be babysat. Albert knew Leo wanted Maya to watch him run.
"I'm going to the library," Albert said clearly. "Alone."
Maya's smile faltered. "Alone? But... I can come with you."
"No," Albert lied, his voice cold. "I need absolute focus. I'm researching a complex topic. If you're there, I'll be distracted. You should go watch Leo. He needs support."
Albert turned his back on them. It was a calculated social rudeness. A tactical shove.
"Go to the field, Maya. I'll see you guys at the gate at 7:30."
Before she could argue, Albert walked away. He walked fast, heading toward the main building. He didn't look back.
There. I forced the choice. I removed myself from the equation. Now she has two options: Go to the empty library by herself, or go to the track field where her crush is looking cool in a uniform. It's a 99% probability she chooses the field. Go, Maya. Go be the main heroine.
Albert reached the corner of the building. He stopped because he couldn't help himself. He peeked back around the brick edge to confirm his hypothesis.
He saw Leo jogging towards the Sports Stadium the field, waving at the coach.
And then he saw Maya.
She wasn't walking toward the field.
She wasn't following Albert to the library.
She was walking toward the "Student Lounge"—a generic, vending-machine-filled waiting area in the center of the campus. It had no view of the track. It had no books. It was a neutral, sterile box.
Albert froze.
She... she chose neither. Why?
Then, the realization hit him like a punch on the gut.
Guilt. If she went to the field, she would feel guilty for abandoning me. If she followed me, she would feel guilty for not supporting Leo. So she chose the third option: punish herself. She's going to sit in a plastic chair for more than one and a half hours, staring at a wall, just so she doesn't have to choose between us.
Albert leaned his head against the cold brick wall. He closed his eyes.
"I'm the worst," he whispered to the empty air. "I tried to set her free, and I just built her a prison. As long as I'm part of this group, she will never let herself be happy."
He pushed off the wall. He couldn't fix it. Not today. The only thing he could do was hold up his end of the bargain and vanish until 7:30 PM.
Every step away from Maya felt like a physical weight being added to his backpack. He could still see her face—that stubborn, slightly trembling smile as she watched him walk away. She was sitting there right now. Alone. In a plastic chair. Staring at a vending machine for more than one a half hours.
His chest tightened. Despite the pain in his chest, he continued walking.
To reach the Library, Albert had to cross the "Academy Plaza."
It was a massive, intimidating expanse of open space, designed by an architect who clearly prioritized grandeur over pedestrian survival. The plaza was a 600-meter oval of polished grey granite, completely exposed to the elements.
The 'Sea of Granite.' Look at it. No roof. No walkways. Just an endless flat surface that absorbs heat all day and radiates it back at night. From here, the Library Portico looks close, but that's a forced perspective trick. That is about a 300-meter trek. If a sudden downpour hit right now, anyone standing in the center would be soaked before they could sprint halfway to the door. It is a structural kill zone. This plaza is inefficient.
He adjusted his backpack straps, feeling the reassuring weight of his own compact umbrella tucked in his school bag. Preparedness was the only defense against bad architecture.
The plaza was loud, a chaotic ecosystem of after-school energy. It was a wall of noise that Albert had to physically push through.
Albert navigated the crowd in the Academy Plaza, clutching his bag strap. The noise of hundreds of students heading to club activities washed over him like a tide.
He passed a bench near the walkway where two students were huddled over a tablet—a boy in a Soccer track suit and a girl holding a Volleyball clipboard.
They weren't flirting; they were panic-scrolling.
"Did you get the PDF attachment from the Federation?" the Soccer Manager asked, her voice tight. 'The '2026 Guideline Revision'?"
"Just saw it," the Volleyball girl sighed, tapping the screen. "Look at **Page 39**. The amendments for the Track & Field sector are brutal."
"**'Dual Check-In'**?" The girl squinted at the screen. "Verify at Sub-Venue 50 minutes prior? That disrupts the entire warm-up flow. If they miss that **Time Buffer**, it's an instant DQ."
"I know. I'm just glad Volleyball didn't get hit with that," she muttered. "Track managers are going to have a heart attack if they see this."
They are most likely managers of the soccer club and volleyball club. Must be nice attending a club.
Albert continued walking.
To his right, a group of girls were huddled around a smartphone, squealing.
"No way! That color is totally out of season," one laughed, adjusting her skirt.
"You have to get the matte finish or it looks cheap."
To his left, three boys with loosened ties were arguing passionately about a video game patch.
"They nerfed the sniper rifle again," one groaned, staring at his phone screen.
"The hitbox is broken. And I dropped two ranks on Friday night because of the lag. I swear, the dorm internetalways crashes right when the weekend starts. It's unplayable."
Albert kept his head down, clutching his bag straps. The silver caffeine keychain jingled softly, a tiny sound lost in the roar of the crowd.
A group of basketball club members jogged past him, weaving through the groups.
"Did you see that gorgeous girl carrying an umbrella? It's not even raining." One guy laughed, spinning a ball on his finger and jerking his chin toward the fountain. "She's got an eyepatch and a cape—wait, no, that's just her blazer. She looks like she walked out of an anime."
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Endnote of Chapter 27
Historically, Albert, Maya, and Leo had always walked to and from school as a trio.
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Logic Engine Log of Chapter 27
Constants:
*Track and Field practice schedule is 18:00 to 19:30
*Albert carries a Compact Umbrella because he is always prepared for rain.
*Albert always has the silver Caffeine Keychain.
*The 2026 Federation PDF on page 39 mandates a Dual Check-In and strict Time Buffer that risks an instant DQ.
*Internet crashes on Friday Night.