The exam hall was quiet except for the ticking clock.
"Time's up," the teacher announced, walking slowly toward the students.
Finn gripped his pen tightly, a wave of regret crashing over him. His brows furrowed, jaw clenched, eyes darting between the last question and the teacher's approaching footsteps. Just one more sentence…
"I'm sorry," the teacher said gently as he stood beside him. "Time is over."
Finn's shoulders slumped. His expression, a mix of guilt and helplessness, said it all. He let go of the pen with trembling fingers and pushed the half-finished sheet away. His gaze dropped to the desk, haunted by the thought: I couldn't help that boy… not in time.
As the teacher moved down the rows collecting papers, Finn just sat there, lost in his own storm.
Then—soft footsteps approached.
"Hey... really," a voice said, hesitant but sincere. Finn looked up.
It was the boy from earlier—the one Finn had helped. He was smiling now, cheeks still blotchy from crying earlier, but his eyes sparkled with gratitude.
"Because of you… I finished my paper. Thank you."
Finn blinked. For a second, everything stilled. Then, his lips curled into a small, honest smile.
"It's okay," he replied quietly. For the first time that day, something felt… lighter inside him.
"Alright, your exam is over!" the teacher called out. "You can leave now. Results will be declared tomorrow."
Finn stood and walked out with the others.
To his surprise, right outside the classroom, Fanny, Isla, and Leon were waiting for him.
"You guys waited?" he asked, a little stunned.
Leon stepped forward with his usual grin. "How'd it go?"
Finn looked down. "I did what I could… but I couldn't finish the last question."
Leon slapped a hand on Finn's back. "Forget it, man. You gave it your all. Let's go eat something."
"Yeah… okay," Finn replied, but his face still carried a trace of that sadness.
Fanny noticed. She frowned.
Then, without warning—SMACK!
"Ow! Are you crazy?!" Finn yelped, rubbing the back of his head.
Fanny stood there, arms crossed, eyes narrowed. "Can you stop acting like you need sympathy?"
"I don't need your sympathy!" Finn snapped back.
"Then stop sulking like a lost puppy!"
They started bickering right in the hallway. Leon and Isla glanced at each other—then smiled.
"She did that on purpose," Isla whispered.
"Yeah," Leon nodded. "Trying to cheer him up in her own… violent way."
"Hey, you two," Leon cut in. "You've got a fight tomorrow. Duo match. Instead of fighting each other, how about training together?"
Finn and Fanny stopped mid-argument. Their heads slowly turned to Leon, confused.
"Wait… our fight is tomorrow?" they said in unison, wide-eyed.
Suddenly, both shouted, "No way! We forgot!" and bolted toward the training ground.
Leon and Isla watched them run.
"These two are weird," Leon muttered, shaking his head.
They followed and soon arrived at the training ground—only to freeze in shock.
Finn and Fanny were actually fighting.
No, not practicing.
They were hurling real attacks at each other, clashing with full force. Purple auras sparked around them as they charged.
Leon's eyes narrowed. "They're serious?!"
Isla looked worried. "This is bad…"
Suddenly, with a flick of Leon's hand, his telekinetic power activated. Both Finn and Fanny rose into the air, still struggling.
Leon shouted, "What the hell are you two doing?! You're supposed to fight the twin brothers tomorrow, not each other!"
Finn, suspended mid-air, glared at Fanny. "I'd rather die than be on a team with this lunatic!"
Fanny's face turned red. "You bastard! You think I want to team up with a pea-brained fool like you?!"
Their angry shouts echoed, both hovering high in the air thanks to Leon's powers.
Then… the wind blew.
Fanny's frock fluttered slightly.
Leon's eyes accidentally caught a glimpse and his cheeks turned bright red.
Fanny noticed.
Her face shifted—from confused, to embarrassed, to deadly.
"Leon," she growled through gritted teeth, her eyes glowing with rage. "Put me down. Now. Or you'll be in your grave in one minute."
Leon panicked and dropped them both.
As they hit the ground with a thud, Leon turned to Isla. "How do we get them to actually work together before the match?"
Isla crossed her arms, thinking. Then her eyes lit up. "I might have something that'll convince Fanny to cooperate."
Leon raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
She hesitated, looked away. "It's… a girl thing. I can't tell you."
Leon immediately backed off. "Right! Sorry. Got it. My bad."
Then Isla smirked. "You have anything for Finn?"
Leon tapped his chin. "Hmm… yeah, actually… I do have something."
Isla leaned closer, curious. "Really? What is it?"
Leon scratched his head awkwardly. "Uhh… boy thing. I can't tell you either."
"Fair enough," Isla laughed.
"But how do we get the message to them?" he asked. "They're too busy fighting to hear us."
Isla snapped her fingers. "We write it down! On slips of paper. Throw it at them."
"Genius!" Leon said, pulling out a notebook and pen. They both scribbled down their offers and rolled up the notes.
"Hey! Finn! Fanny!" Isla shouted. "Catch this!"
"We're busy!" they yelled back.
"Just do it!" Leon insisted. "For me!"
"Ugh, fine!" Finn and Fanny grumbled in sync, holding their hands out.
Leon and Isla threw the slips—but a gust of wind blew them in the wrong direction.
They didn't notice.
Finn caught Fanny's slip.
He opened it and read aloud:
"If you cooperate with Finn, I'll give you the Suni herb. It helps you lose weight without dieting."
Leon blinked. "Wait, that's not mine…"
Then realization hit.
He looked at Isla, who was red-faced and looking anywhere but at him.
"…You wrote that for Fanny, didn't you?"
She nodded silently, embarrassed.
Finn stared at the slip, stunned—then burst into laughter.
"You really want to lose weight without quitting your panda snacks?! Hahaha!"
Fanny's face turned red. With a murderous expression, she lunged at him.
But then she remembered—she still had her slip.
She opened it.
Her eyes widened.
And then… she blushed.
Hard.