In the department, they asked several students about Nikhil, but none of them seemed to know him. Hoping for some clarity, they went to the office and asked a clerk about him. To their surprise, the clerk had no idea who Nikhil was. In fact, he even added that there was no one by that name in the department.
Luna was confused. How could that be possible? Nikhil had told her himself that he was a student of this department. He had shared stories, showed her around, and was clearly familiar with everything. Even Anya looked puzzled. Disappointed and unsure, the two of them left and went to a nearby café just outside the campus to get something to eat.
They each ordered something to drink and snack on. While waiting, they talked over everything that had happened.
Luna leaned in, frustration in her voice. "How can this be possible, Anya? Nikhil showed me this college, told me this was his department. He knew everything about it. There's no way he's not a student here."
Anya replied, "Maybe he was lying? And if he wasn't, how come not even one person remembers him?"
Luna couldn't deny that—it was a valid point.
As they continued speaking, not loudly but clearly enough, a few people from the next table overheard them. One of them stood up and approached them.
"Are you talking about Nikhil from the Computer Science department?" he asked.
Both girls responded at once, "Yes!"
He looked a bit surprised and asked how they knew him. They explained everything—how Luna met him, how he helped her, and everything that followed. The guy listened closely, his expression shifting.
"I was his classmate," he finally said. "Nikhil was a really nice guy… but he suddenly disappeared about a year ago. No one knows what happened to him."
Luna blinked. "But then why did the clerk not know anything? He said there was no one named Nikhil."
The guy nodded thoughtfully. "Well, that kind of makes sense. The clerk you spoke to joined the college only about eight months ago—months after Nikhil disappeared."
Anya then asked, "Bhaiya, do you have his contact info? Or maybe know where he lives?"
"Sorry to disappoint you," he said gently. "We weren't that close. I don't have his contact. But maybe you can talk to a professor in our department—they'll definitely have his details in the student register."
Luna replied, "Thank you, but we're not familiar with any of the teachers here."
"Don't worry about that," he said with a small smile. "I'll introduce you to one of them. I'm sure they'll understand your situation."
Luna thanked him sincerely. After finishing their drinks and snacks, the three of them headed back toward the Computer Science department.