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The school day finally ended, but the excitement bubbling inside Trisha's heart refused to calm down as she made her way home. Behind her, her siblings chattered away non-stop, their voices mixing with the bustling streets like background music to their chaos.

The front door slammed open with a loud thud, and in the next second, Trisha and her siblings tumbled inside — bags flying in all directions like they were in the middle of some wild dance competition.

"Mummy! Hum ghar aa gaye!" Trisha yelled, kicking off her shoes carelessly at the entrance.

"Mummyyy!" Nirvan shouted louder, one of his shoes launching itself across the room like a missile.

"Jeez, Nirvan! Can't you keep your shoes in one place?!" Trisha snapped, ducking just in time to avoid his backpack, which came flying toward her head.

She sighed and flopped down dramatically onto the couch, her bag left abandoned somewhere near the door.

Meanwhile, Vritika, ever the calm one, called out, "Mummy! I'm going to freshen up," as she disappeared towards her room.

Kashvi, their mother, peeked out from the kitchen, her hands still busy with a ladle. "Arey! aa gaye tum log? Freshen up quickly, then we'll eat!" she said, smiling warmly.

"Theek hai, Mummy!" they replied in perfect sync.

While their mother went back to her cooking, Nirvan spotted his cricket bat in the corner of the living room.

His eyes lit up. Still in his crumpled school uniform, he grabbed it and started practicing imaginary shots, the bat slicing through the air with dramatic swooshes.

Trisha, who was still lying like a half-dead zombie on the couch, pulled off her hairtie lazily. She narrowed her eyes as Nirvan's bat started swinging dangerously close to her face.

"Oye! Lag jaayegi! Mat kar, bat side mein rakh de, Beta!" she warned, glaring at him.

Nirvan grinned cheekily, swaying the bat even closer. "Arey! Nahi lagegi bol raha hoon na, nahi lagegi! Chill kar!" He said with full swag.

Trisha gritted her teeth, her fingers twitching with the urge to snatch the bat away. "Aur beta, agar meri lag gyi na... then you're gone!" she threatened, pointing at him dramatically.

"Arey nahi lagegi! Experience hai mujhe!" Nirvan declared proudly, flipping the bat once like a pro-cricketer.

"Nahi maan raha na? Ruk jaa, batati hoon abhi!" Trisha huffed, sitting up and shouting toward the kitchen, "Mummy! Look, Nirvan is swinging the bat in front of my face!"

Kashvi's voice boomed back without missing a beat, "Nirvan! Put the bat down! And both of you go freshen up! I am just going to serve the food!"

At their mother's strict warning, Nirvan instantly dropped the bat like it had caught fire.

Without exchanging another word, both he and Trisha darted toward their rooms to freshen up — not wanting to test Kashvi's patience any further.

____________

A few minutes later, the three siblings gathered around the dining table.

The cozy aroma of dal, chawal, and aloo-gobhi filled the room, making their stomachs growl in anticipation.

Between mouthfuls of food and bursts of laughter, the trio launched into animated stories about their school day.

"Didi! Pata hai aaj school mein kya hua?" Nirvan said excitedly, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

Trisha, still munching on her food, froze for a second.

As soon as she heard the word school, her mind drifted — straight back to that moment.

The image of the two boys fighting... and then him.

Mahin.

The way he had stepped in, calm and composed, settling the chaos like some quiet hero.

His serious eyes, his calm voice... his whole vibe.

Without even realizing it, a soft blush crept onto her cheeks.

Nirvan, busy stuffing dal-chawal into his mouth, didn't notice. But Vritika, sharp as always, caught it instantly.

She nudged Nirvan under the table, giving him a "Dekha?" look.

"Arey Didi! What happened?" Nirvan teased, leaning in with a wicked grin.

Trisha snapped out of her dreamy thoughts, blinking rapidly. "Uh... Nothing! Leave it, tell me what happened at school!" she said quickly, trying to cover up, and shoved a big bite of rice into her mouth.

Nirvan, thankfully, got distracted and puffed out his chest proudly, like he had just fought in a battle.

"Arey Guys! Aaj ka din toh epic tha!" Nirvan said, his hands flying in the air as if he was describing a movie plot.

Trisha raised an eyebrow, her spoon halfway to her mouth. "What happened?"

"Wait for it!" Nirvan grinned, clearly in his element. "So, class mein nayi girl aayi thi, Vanya. Aur main apni hero entry maar raha tha in full Bollywood style, You know?" Nirvan exaggerated, flaring his arms out like he was in a movie scene.

Vritika leaned forward. "Oh, not this again. You did not."

"I did!" Nirvan said, grinning. "And that girl completely ignored my dramatic charm.." He dramatically clutched his heart. "It was like a slap to my... Hero ego."

Trisha rolled her eyes. "Drama much?"

"Chup na, Moti!" Nirvan said, waving her off. "So, I walked up to her and was all, 'Hey, Vanya, I'm Nirvan, the best thing that ever happened to this school.'"

Vritika scoffed. "You seriously said that?"

Nirvan nodded with complete seriousness. "100% true. And you know what she did?"

"What?" Trisha asked, looking more curious now.

"She just gave me this calm, innocent smile and said, 'I'm sure you are, Nirvan. But I'll take my time to figure that out.' And then—wait for it—she winked." Nirvan paused for dramatic effect. "And walked away like nothing happened."

Vritika blinked. "Whaaat?"

Nirvan nodded, his face a mix of shock and admiration. "Dude, she has this subtle power. Like, she doesn't need to shout or be loud... She just does that whole quiet but deadly thing. It was like she owned the room without even trying."

Trisha raised an eyebrow. "So, You got roasted by the quiet girl?"

"I got mesmerized by the quiet girl," Nirvan said, leaning back into the chair, his eyes wide like he had just experienced a spiritual awakening.

"I mean, sure, she has the presence of... a Queen!" He flicked his hair back dramatically, as if this was the most important realization of his life.

Vritika snickered. "Wow, Nirvan. I didn't know your ego could handle that kind of burn."

"Trust me, it's a lot harder to maintain a perfect ego when she's around,"

Nirvan admitted. "She's got that glow, you know? She doesn't even need to say much. And when she does, it's like, bam! Instant wisdom, wrapped in sass."

"Subtle, no?" Trisha teased, leaning in. "So, what happened next? You gonna go after her now?"

Nirvan shook his head. "Nah, I'm not that obvious. I'll just... you know, let her warm up to me. I'm too cool to chase after someone, especially not a girl who uses her quiet energy like a weapon."

Vritika laughed out loud. "You're such a Drama king, Nirvan! Just admit it—you've met your match."

Nirvan paused, staring into the distance dramatically, clearly lost in thought. "Yeah... maybe I have. And I'm okay with that."

"Tell me how was your first day? Viru!" Trisha asked while giggling on nirvan story.

"Mat puch!" Vritika sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes. "Firstly, the school changed my section and sent my best friend to another section, aur upar se alag-alag class ke namoone mere hi section mein daal diye!" She made a face.

"The superior among them is that boy... What was his name... Haa! Kiaan!" Vritika threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Pata hai as soon as he came he bumped into me and didn't even say sorry! Instead he said to me, 'Hey, Miss Cutie, look, I know I'm very charming, but that doesn't mean ki tum mujhse aise takraane ke bahaane dhundo.'' Vritika's eyes widened with disbelief.

"As soon as he said charming, literally mere muh se 'chee!' nikal gaya!" She scoffed, imitating the dramatic gesture as if she were pushing away something distasteful.

 "Phir kya hua?" Trisha leaned forward, all ears.

"Then what?" Vritika huffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder, totally unbothered. "I said that and went away, I ignored him, I didn't even look at this kind of chepda guy." She smirked, clearly pleased with herself.

"Kya, tune bas 'chee' kehkar chhod diya?!" Nirvan raised an eyebrow, as if unable to believe her.

 "Being our sister! Being the Khanna siblings, you let him go just like that?" He gasped dramatically. "

"How can you do this, Vritika Khanna? Puchta hai Bharat! India wants to know." Nirvan slammed his hand on the table. 

"Ouch!" He winced as the force of his dramatic gesture made his hand sting. "Josh -Josh mein zyada zor se lag gayi yaar!"

Trisha smacked his head. "Have you done the drama or do you still have to do more?" She chuckled, tapping her fingers on the table, ready for the next gossip. "Leave this, you tell me... was he handsome?"

"Kya! Handsome?" Vritika wrinkled her nose. "Aur woh, Brother ughh! What was that brother! Brother ughh!" She made a disgust face.

"If he is called handsome, then what will you call Virat Kohli?" She squinted her eyes.

"Lekin pata hai, When our class teacher introduced everyone, we came to know that he was the topper of his section last year..." She paused, smirking at her own witty comeback.

"But I topped the entire 9th class!" She mocked him, flipping her non-opened hair with all the sass in the world.

"Kya yaar, Viru! Tu bhi na!" Trisha burst out laughing, shaking her head at her sister's never-ending drama.

"Arey! you guys haven't eaten yet?"

Kashvi, their mother, popped her head out from the kitchen, a spoon in her hand, shaking her head at the chaos. "Jaldi khao, phir thoda rest karna, aur shaam ko homework bhi karna hai!"

"Abey! Haan yaar, homework bhi toh hai!" Nirvan threw his head back, pretending to cry.

"How can anyone give homework on the first day of school?" He flopped dramatically onto the chair, groaning as if the weight of the world had just been dumped on him.

Trisha rolled her eyes, giving him a playful nudge. "Arey hote hain kuch teachers jinke chull hoti hai, they can't see the kids happy. Take my chemistry teacher for example - he started teaching as soon as he came!"

She threw her hands up in the air, mimicking her teacher's stern voice. "Bas! 'I am your chemistry teacher, everyone calls me Tripathi Sir. I don't like noise in class at all. All the children will bring their chemistry books and notebooks every day, and during my period no one will drink water, no one will go to the washroom!'"

She scowled, shaking her head. "I mean if there is anything else left, tell me that too, there won't be as many rules in our school rulebook as Sodium Singh made."

"Sodium Singh?" Nirvan asked innocently, eyes wide, like he'd just discovered some grand secret.

"Abey, haa!" Trisha laughed, rolling her eyes.

"The whole class has named him — 'Sodium Singh!' Because instantly he reacts violently like a sodium in water. " She chuckled, her frustration melting into amusement as she imitated the teacher's strict demeanor again.

"I am lucky in this case!" Vritika piped up, leaning back in her chair with pride.

"There was no study in our class today and the teachers had a lot of fun! All the teachers are frank, everyone said, 'We will teach you comfortably, no hurry, no tension.'" She grinned, feeling victorious.

___________

After a bit of chit-chat, the three siblings decided it was time to watch TV — but there was one small problem: Mummy was sleeping. They had to be super careful if they didn't want to get caught.

Trisha, Nirvan, and Vritika tiptoed into the living room. Nirvan, with his usual enthusiasm, rushed to switch the TV on. Vritika, ever the planner, made her way to the kitchen to grab some colddrink, while Trisha seized the remote, sitting down on the couch with a grin.

"Oye! Remote idhar de, samjhi? It's my turn!" Nirvan said, trying to snatch the remote from Trisha, his face scrunched up in mock seriousness.

"Acha! So you don't watch TV at night, in our turn?" Trisha smirked, quickly hiding the remote behind her back.

"Kahan dekhta hoon? Dekhne deti ho tum dono. As soon as I pick up the remote, you both snatch it from me!" Nirvan's voice was filled with frustration as he lunged toward her, determined to get his hands on that remote.

"Jhoot mat bol!" Trisha raised her voice, her eyes narrowing. "Just the day before yesterday you were watching TV at night, when it was our turn! But we still let you watch it, samjha!"

"Have you both gone mad?" Vritika's voice rang out, cutting through the chaos.

"Both of you are fighting and shouting so loudly, Mummy will wake up, then dekhte rehna TV." She placed three glasses and a bottle of Fanta on the table with a frustrated sigh, the sound of the bottle opening filling the air.

"Iss suar ko bol, he started it!" Trisha pointed at Nirvan with exaggerated drama.

"Chup karo, and let me distribute the cold drinks first. You can fight over the remote later!" Vritika rolled her eyes, sitting down and uncapping the Fanta.

As Vritika poured the cold drink into the glasses, both Trisha and Nirvan leaned in, scrutinizing their glasses like they were about to be served gold.

"Tune mere glass par kam daala hai!" Nirvan said, squinting at his glass, making a face.

"Pagal hai kya? It has been given equally to everyone, look carefully, Andhey!" Vritika snapped, her patience clearly wearing thin.

"He is just like that, chindi kahin ka!" Trisha shot a look at Nirvan, her eyes full of mock disgust.

"Nahi, it means the person doesn't even ask for his share?" Nirvan crossed his arms, pretending to be hurt by the accusations.

"This is not called asking for a share, leechadpana kehte hai, jo tujhpe kut-kut ke bhara hai!" Vritika said, her voice laced with sarcasm as she glared at Nirvan.

"Zyada nahi bol rahi, ek maarunga na, udti hui jaayegi! Samjhi?" Nirvan raised his palm, trying to intimidate her, though his lips twitched with amusement.

"Acha, maarke dikha! Usko haath bhi laga ke dikha! Haath na tod diye na tere, tab boliyo!" Trisha shot back, leaning in with her eyes gleaming mischievously.

And just like that, the living room became a fighting ring — with hair being yanked, feet flying, and dramatic cries of "Mummy!" filling the air. The sound of vase crashing, echoes of angry shouts, and the heavy breathing of children in full-on war mode made the house feel like it was under siege.

Just as the chaos reached its peak, their mom, Kashvi, stumbled out of her room, rubbing her eyes. She froze, taking in the sight of her children destroying the living room.

Trisha, Nirvan, and Vritika immediately stopped mid-fight, their eyes widening in fear as they saw her standing there, fury radiating from her like an unstoppable force.

"Mummy! We were just playing... Hehehe!" Trisha said, her voice small, guilty, and full of half-hearted innocence.

"Haan mummy, bas khel rahe the, and nothing else!" Vritika added quickly, looking everywhere but at their mom.

"Acha! then how did this vase get broken?" Kashvi's voice was like thunder, her eyes narrowing into slits as she looked at the mess.

"Mummy... hawa se gir gaya, woh hawa chal rahi thi na!" Nirvan said, pointing randomly in the air, his voice a mix of nervousness and desperation.

"Pagal samjha hai kya mujhe?" Kashvi yelled, her face flushed with anger.

"Hein? Tumlog ko chain nahi hai na? Kutte-billiyon ki tarah ladna jaruri hai?" Her hands were on her hips, and she was practically vibrating with frustration. "Nahi matlab, It's not like you can keep some peace! Badtameez! Even nursery school kids don't cause as much damage as you people do! Aane do tumhare Papa ko, batati hoon tumhare kartooto ke baare mein!"

"Jaanwar, Aatankwaadi kahin ke!" she shouted, her voice echoing in the living room. "Now go to sleep!"

As soon as their mother's angry orders hit their ears, all three of them sulked off to their respective rooms, but not before taking their glasses of cold drink. 

____________

After a good afternoon nap, the T.R.I. agents decided to meet at Ridhima's house for Mission Naam Khoj.

First, Trisha went to Ira's house to pick her up. As she rang the bell, Ira's mother, Suhani Rao, opened the door with a heartwarming hug and a bright smile.

"Namaste, aunty," Trisha greeted her politely, touching her feet.

"Namaste! How are you? After how many days have you come? Bhool gayi thi kya hume?" Suhani teased warmly.

"Nahi Aunty! How can anyone forget you? You are the password of WiFi, the PIN of the credit card, and you are much more than super!" Trisha said dramatically, placing her hand on her chest like a Bollywood heroine.

Suhani laughed. "Chup kar, Nautanki! Bas makhan lagwa lo tujhse. Come in. Sit down, I'll call Ira."

She guided Trisha towards the couch.

"Iraaa! Rishu aayi hai, neeche aa!" Suhani called out.

"You sit, I'll bring something to eat or Tell me, what would you like to eat?" she asked sweetly.

"Aunty! Aapke haath ki karele ki sabzi tak awesome hoti hai." Trisha said, grinning. "But if you're asking, then special sandwiches, orange juice, and yes, chocolate pastries will work as well."

At that moment, Ira came downstairs rolling her eyes. "Aur kuch baaki hai toh woh bhi bol de, restaurant ka pura menu hi bol de banaane ke liye!"

Trisha laughed. "Arey nahi nahi, restaurant ka menu nahi chahiye!"

"Waise bhi, Ridhima ke ghar bhi jaana hai. I have to eat something there too." She waved her hands dramatically.

Both friends burst out laughing.

Soon, Suhani brought the food, and after demolishing it happily.

Trisha and Ira moved towards Ridhima's house for the next part of their mission.

As they reached Ridhima's house, they rang the bell once.

No response.

They rang it again. Still nothing.

"Why is she not opening the gate? We have been ringing the bell for so long, why is no one here to open it?" Trisha asked, frowning.

"Siblings behavior, Rishu!" Ira said, sighing.

"Hein? Matlab?" Trisha tried to peek inside the door.

Inside the house, a whole different battle was going on.

"Oye! Gate kholne jaa." Ridhima shouted at her older brother, Rishan, while folding clothes.

"Main kyun jaun? I just came back from college!" Rishaan replied, sprawled lazily on the sofa, his black hoodie slightly creased, hair artfully messy like he hadn't tried at all—and yet somehow, it worked. He had that kind of face: sharp jaw, soft smile, eyes that always seemed like they were listening even when his mouth was saying something sarcastic.

"Just? It's been two hours since you arrived!" Ridhima glared. "Main kaam kar rahi hoon, tu jaa!"

"Main kaam kar rahi hoon!" Rishan mimicked her in a squeaky voice. "You are not doing anything!"

Even while arguing, he managed to sound like he was half-laughing. He lounged like someone who had everything figured out but still enjoyed causing a little chaos on the side.

They kept fighting like WWE wrestlers while outside, Trisha and Ira rang the bell impatiently.

Finally, their mom, Isha Shah, stormed out, furious, yelling in Garhwali: "Kabar biti bell cha bajni! Sunayi nii denu tum duyo te? Behra wei gaya kya tum? Gate khola jaitey! Nii tah kapaal fod dyaan mien tumhar!"
( From how long the bell is ringing!can't you both hear it? Are you both deaf? Open the gate now or I'll break your heads!)

Both siblings started blaming each other immediately.

"Mummy, tell her to go!" Rishan said.

"Mummy, mujhe nahi isse kaho! Yeh Kutta kabhi nahi jaata gate kholne!" Ridhima fired back.

"Tameez se baat kar!" Rishaan warned, waving his palm at her—an almost comically parental gesture.

Ridhima mimicked him, "Tameez se baat kar!" and threw a cushion at him.

Before a full wrestling match could begin, Isha shook her head and muttered, "These two will never get along..." She walked to the door and opened it.

She smiled seeing Ira and Trisha. They greeted her politely, touching her feet.

"Arey! You both came after so many days! Where did you both go?" Isha asked in her sweet tone.

"Aunty, I went to my mama's place." Trisha answered.

"And I went to my grandmother for a holiday." Ira added.

"Acha, acha! Come inside. Yahaan toh yudh chhida hua hai." Isha sighed, leading them inside.

As they entered, they saw Ridhima pulling Rishaan's hair while he twisted her wrist. He elbowed her gently in the back—not really to hurt, more like making a point. He hissed in fake pain when she kicked his shin.

The moment she noticed Ira and Trisha, she froze, dusted herself off, and walked toward them, pretending nothing had happened.

Meanwhile, Rishaan stood up from the floor, straightened his hoodie, ran a hand through his hair like it mattered—and waved casually. "Namaste, baccho!"

"Namaste bhaiya!" Ira and Trisha greeted him.

"Dekha? This is how well behaved kids are. Tere jaise badtameez nahi jo bade bhai pe haath uthate hain!" Rishan said dramatically, though his soft smile said he wasn't really mad.

"Nikal jaa yahan se nahi toh aur pitega!" Ridhima warned and dragged Ira and Trisha towards her room.

"Are you fine?" Trisha asked, squinting at her. "Nahi matlab, thak toh nahi gayi ladte-ladte?"

"Yaar, How bad do you two fight?" Ira added.

"Yeh toh roz ka hai. Ignore it!" Ridhima waved it off. "You tell me, did you find out anything about the calm boy?"

Trisha sighed. "Nahi yaar! We don't even know his name yet."

"Don't worry! I have a solid plan." Ridhima said with a mischievous grin.

Just then, Isha entered with a tray. "Lo beta, samosa kha lo!"

"Arey aunty, iski kya zarurat thi!" Trisha said dramatically.

"Chup chaap kha le nahi toh main kha jaungi tera samosa!" Ridhima teased.

Trisha immediately grabbed a samosa. "Haan haan, kha rahi hoon!" she said while munching.

"So, what's the plan?" Ira asked, curious.

"Simple!" Ridhima started. "Tomorrow in the assembly, we will see which line he stands in. He will belong to the same class in which line he stands!"

"And what will happen by that?" Trisha asked, confused.

Ira rolled her eyes, mouth full of samosa. "If we get to know his class, we will talk to his classmates. You will get everything including his name and personality!"

"Exactly!" Ridhima agreed. "Aur jab naam mil gaya, toh Insta mil gaya. Stalking easy!"

Trisha's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Ooo, aisa kya! Toh theek hai, kal se mission start!"

She extended her hand dramatically. Ira and Ridhima placed their hands on hers.

Operation Calm Boy: OFFICIALLY ON!