Iqball was almost a foot taller than her, but she did not have to hurry while walking next to him.

"Whoa, check out their basketball arena! Ballqis, would you mind snapping a photo for me?" Iqball asked excitedly.

Ballqis framed the shot nicely.

It was easy taking a photo of someone who is photogenic.

Iqball pretended to love the photo she took of him. He could only admit to himself that it was just a ploy to get her to look at him.

They crossed a bridge and found the campus' library.

"Ballqis, smile!" he cried but pressed the shutter before she could.

Then he laughed as the frame popped out on his screen.

"Your face looks funny," he noted.

"Delete that," she hissed.

"Let's take a proper one of you first. You must look like you actually love being here," he commanded.

Her mouth dropped and he pressed the shutter button again.

"This one is funnier! I'm keeping this one!" Iqball exclaimed with a laugh.

A thud sounded as she punched him on his shoulders.

"You should always ask for permission before taking someone's photo," she reprimanded.

"Apologies. May I?" he asked ever so politely.

The girl stared at him.

Unbelievable! Ballqis thought.

"Oh you know what..." he said before swinging his arm around her shoulders.

Then click!

"I'm definitely keeping this selfie. Do give me your number so that I can send you the photos," he tried, knowing he had annoyed her.

To his surprise, Ballqis sighed and asked him to hand her his phone.

He thought he was about to get an earful from her.

Is she finally warming up to me? he thought excitedly.

He tap on the Contacts app and she keyed in the number before handing the phone back.

He immediately sent all the photos he had taken, and in his haste he even sent the photo of him at the basketball court.

"Thanks," said Ballqis without even checking.

"Hey I hope I didn't annoy you too much just now," he said, suddenly nervous.

It became quite clear to him that he was becoming a tad desperate for her to like him.

Gosh, this feels like high school again. Whoever said it was easy to forget your high school crush? Iqball could only entertain those thoughts for a few seconds.

Ballqis smiled a crooked one and motioned for them to keep walking.

The campus park was magnificent. Its beautiful water fountain was set in the middle of a brook. It had a solar, wind and water mill running, each with an electronic display to measure how much electricity each mill was producing.

"Imagine if T7 and his gang were to spend the rest of their lives here," Ballqis sighed.

She was getting too conscious of his presence. She must forget about Iqball, she told herself. Talk about fish, her brain commanded.

Iqball appeared to be thoughtful for a second.

"I doubt they'd let him near a place like this one," he noted.

"Why not? I do hope that's exactly what they did to the previous generation," Ballqis couldn't help but wish.

"The problem of invasive species. This country is pretty strict when it comes to safeguarding ecosystems. I didn't want to suggest this, especially in front of that talking fish, but I believe his grandpas and grandmas may have been incinerated," Iqball said as the walk on a path under a canopy of eucalyptus trees.

Ballqis had been harbouring similar suspicions.

"I suspect they poison the fish after a certain age. Or after it reproduced. Or simply kept in formalin tubs... In any case, a sad ending. Why wouldn't they just let the fish live on?"

"Maybe the cost of keeping too many fish wasn't included in the grant proposal, or maybe..." Iqball trailed as he stopped suddenly in front of Ballqis.

"They become monsters!" he jestered.

Ballqis laughed.

The sound was so alien. He had never heard her do so in their six years of non-friendship.

It was mesmering. And she looked even prettier.

"At least you're taking my monster joke better than Micah," she noted, pleased.

Iqball was snapped out of his micro trance at the sound of her voice.

"I was going to keep an eye on Micah but I think he has caught on to me, maybe you could keep observing him while I get some information from Mirna," he suggested.

The name pulled Ballqis out of her happy mood. She walked a little faster, trying to clear her brain but pretended to be interested in the campus' mini zoo they were approaching.

"Just a quick round before we head back to the expo hall, OK?" she requested.

Iqball complied.

They saw a family of koalas, a bunch of wallabies as well as several albino kangaroos from outside the zoo. Several bird species were eating fruits while a few types of snakes made Ballqis sprint back to the zoo's exit.

Iqball followed her pace, hoping he'd get to hear her cheerful voice once again. Her smile as she greeted the birds was such an addictive sight.

Ballqis may have changed her haircut, clothing style and even seemed more confident here than back in school. Iqball had to admit it was hard to recognise her without the perpetual hunch she was sporting back at school. However when she smile, the girl he once admired from afar seemed to pop out of her new shell.

He knew he's yet to let go of his high school crush.

Ballqis was quite relieved that she was able to maintain her composure. Perhaps she need not feel shy nor insecure whenever Iqball is around anymore.

We could be friends and have fun, Ballqis told herself.

We could have fun and eventually become more than friends, Iqball hoped to the skies.

The couple made it back to the expo hall with ten minutes to spare. Mrs Jogh came on time, ready to play host at the booth.

Mr Evans entered with Micah on tow.

"I have good news. Dinner tonight will be held at the Crest. We are all invited and there will be a lucky draw. I'm always lucky at lucky draws," he noted.

Micah handed them a dinner ticket each.

"Keep this until the end of the event," he noted.

"Ooh, I'm rarely lucky but I sure hope the prizes would be good," Mrs Jogh said.

"Top three prizes are cash. Not much, but who doesn't love cash, right? I heard there will be vouchers, gadgets and electronic goods too," said Micah.

"Ooh, I'd love to win an air-fryer. Frying is easy with that paraphernalia," Mrs Jogh giddily enthused as she kept her ticket in her purse.

Tilapia 7 was opening and closing his mouth rapidly.

Don't let her kill me, he sent to both Iqball and Ballqis.

Descreetly and independently, the duo eyed their entourage.

Iqball eyed tank number 7. The fish was flailing its fins, as if it was drowning.

Ballqis scanned Mrs Jogh, Mr Evans and Micah. None of them seemed to have picked up anything strange. They were still talking animatedly about lucky draw prizes.

Ballqis feigned enthusiasm.

Iqball could throw even a word in. His mind was preoccupied with the fish's plea.

Did you hear what T7 said? Ballqis inquired to Iqball simply with a crease in her brows.

Slowly, Iqball nodded.