Time didn't move in chapters.
It moved in exams, tournaments, meals eaten too late at night, and conversations that felt ordinary until they became memories.
The foundation program lasted six months.
Six months that felt short while they were living it—and impossibly long once it was over.
The final exam week arrived quietly.
No countdown banners. No dramatic speeches. Just tired faces, coffee cups, empty energy drinks and notebooks filled with handwriting that grew messier the closer deadlines crept in.
They sat in the same hall they had once entered as strangers.
Now, they entered as something else.
Not family yet.
But no longer alone.
XH sat in the front row, spine straight, eyes calm. He wasn't nervous. Not because he knew everything—but because he trusted the work he had put in. Six months of consistency had done something to him. It had taught him patience.
JP sat two rows back, legs bouncing slightly, pretending not to care while caring deeply.
Kitty and June sat together, whispering last-minute clarifications, their heads close—not in romance, but in solidarity.
NS leaned back, expression unreadable. TZ stretched his shoulders, grinning like it was just another challenge.
The exam began.
Pens moved.
Silence fell.
And just like that, the foundation period ended.
Results Day
No one announced the rankings dramatically.
They found out through the portal.
One by one.
Phones buzzed.
Gasps. Laughter. A few curses.
XH checked first.
Rank: 1
He stared at the screen for a moment, then exhaled slowly.
JP checked next.
Rank: 2
"YES," he hissed, fist pumping quietly.
Kitty and June checked together.
Rank: 3 (tie)
They stared at each other for half a second.
Then smiled.
NS checked.
Rank: 4
TZ checked.
Rank: 5
TZ laughed. "Respectable."
NS nodded. "We survived."
They all had.
Every single one of them passed.
Not just scraped through—passed with enough confidence to make a decision.
And that decision, surprisingly, was unanimous.
They didn't celebrate immediately.
No shouting. No grand plans.
Someone suggested coffee.
No reason given.
No one disagreed.
The café sat two streets away from campus, warm lights spilling onto the pavement like an invitation. They took over the long table near the window, coats draped over chairs, bags piled carelessly at their feet.
Steam rose from cups.
Sugar packets tore.
Spoons clinked.
It felt… earned.
JP leaned back, stretching his arms. "Six months," he said. "Feels fake."
TZ laughed. "You say that every time we survive something."
NS stirred his drink slowly. "Survival counts."
Kitty cradled her cup with both hands, shoulders finally relaxed. June sat beside her, knees brushing under the table. Not on purpose. Not not on purpose either.
XH sat across from them, watching the steam curl upward, listening more than speaking.
The café noise softened around them. Conversations overlapped. Laughter faded in and out. Outside, people passed by, unaware that something fragile and important was happening in that small pocket of warmth.
June glanced at XH.
Just once.
Just long enough.
Their eyes met.
For half a second, everything else went quiet.
No dramatic spark. No confession.
Just a look that carried too much meaning for a place this ordinary.
Kitty noticed. Of course she did.
She didn't react. She never did right away.
She only took a sip of her coffee, eyes lowering, a small smile playing on her lips like she was storing something away for later.
JP said something dumb.
Everyone laughed.
The moment dissolved.
And that was the trick.
Nothing broke.
Nothing changed.
No lines were crossed.
No words were said that couldn't be taken back.
They left the café together, laughing louder than necessary, the cold biting at their cheeks, the future still far enough away to pretend it wasn't watching.
They thought this was an ending.
They thought this was the calm.
They didn't know this was the last quiet breath before everything started asking for answers.
Looking Back Without Knowing It
They didn't know these moments were being archived by memory.
They didn't know this was the softest part of the story.
They didn't know what was coming.
They just knew:
They had passed the foundation.
They had chosen to stay.
They had built something real.
At night, sometimes, XH would sit quietly and watch the others talk.
JP ranting.
TZ laughing.
NS listening.
Kitty and June chatting nearby with the other girls.
And he would think:
If time stopped here, it would be enough.