Mishra came running again.
This time, he wasn't smiling.
"Sir," he said, irritation leaking into his voice, paan still working in his cheek, "Principal is calling you."
No "please."No friendliness.
Varun stood up without comment.
When he entered the Principal's office, the contractor—Javed—was already seated, legs crossed, tea cup resting comfortably in his hand.
The Principal leaned back in his chair, fingers interlocked, wearing the expression reserved for speeches.
"Varun ji," the Principal began warmly, "I have been hearing very good things about your class."
Varun remained standing.
"These students," the Principal continued, gesturing broadly, "are showing initiative. Discipline. Practical exposure."
Javed watched quietly.
"We want to encourage such talent," the Principal said. "The college will fully support this activity. You focus on work. Marks in exams will be taken care of."
Varun didn't react.
The Principal smiled wider, mistaking silence for humility.
"Our aim is motivation," he said. "When students feel encouraged, they perform better."
Varun spoke then, calmly.
"Sir," he said, "marks don't feed families."
The room paused.
The Principal blinked and looked toward Javed.
Javed nodded once, almost imperceptibly.
"Yes, yes," the Principal recovered quickly. "Money also. Of course. That will also be arranged."
Varun said nothing.
He already understood.
The Principal leaned forward now, tone shifting slightly.
"Contract value will be paid to the college," he said. "And the college will distribute payment to students."
Varun watched Javed closely.
Javed smiled politely.
"Sir," Javed said, "college will receive its thanks separately. Mithai, appreciation, everything."
The Principal relaxed.
"But for audit," Javed continued, "we have to show labor paid directly."
The Principal frowned slightly.
"So students will be paid directly?" he asked.
"Yes," Javed replied. "Cash. Daily. Signed attendance. Simple."
The Principal hesitated.
"But—"
"If the college receives labor payment," Javed said smoothly, "it goes through accounts. TDS. Questions. Delay."
The Principal nodded slowly.
"I understand," he said.
Varun did too.
This wasn't about caring for students.
This was about clean books on paper and flexible numbers in reality.
If money went to students in cash:
labor cost could be shown higher
margins could be adjusted later
no institutional ledger would challenge it
Everyone stayed protected.
Except the students—who would remain invisible.
The Principal smiled again, satisfied.
"This is a good opportunity," he said to Varun. "You should guide them properly."
Varun nodded once.
"I will," he said.
The meeting ended quickly after that.
Outside the office, Mishra stood pretending not to listen, but listening anyway.
As Varun walked back toward the class, the HUD flickered softly.
[POWER STRUCTURE CONFIRMED][TRANSPARENCY LEVEL: LOW][RISK: DELAYED EXPLOITATION]
Varun exhaled.
The system hadn't changed.
It had simply rebranded cooperation.
When he entered the classroom, the students looked up immediately.
"What happened, Sir?" Amit asked.
Varun didn't sugarcoat it.
"You will be paid," he said. "But you will also be used if you're not careful."
The room went quiet.
"This project is not your future," Varun continued. "It is your leverage."
He looked at them carefully.
"We take this work," he said, "to buy time, not to sell ourselves."
The HUD pulsed faintly.
[DECISION NODE APPROACHING]
Varun picked up the chalk.
"Tomorrow," he said, "we talk about contracts. Not cables."
Somewhere in the building, someone laughed.
Somewhere else, someone counted numbers.
And for the first time, Varun wasn't fighting the system anymore.
He was reading it.