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Rajan fumbled a small box out of his pocket. "He said there are five inside."

"Got it," Lyra replied, slipping the items away and glancing at him. "Anything else?"

Rajan shook his head as he cast a quick, nervous glance at Zinnia. "Uh, no, boss. I'll, uh, be going then."

Without waiting for a response, he bolted.

"Hey..." Zinnia called after him, but he was already gone, disappearing like a scared bunny. She turned to Lyra with a curious look. "Is he one of yours?"

Lyra raised an eyebrow but didn't bother to answer. Instead, she simply started walking away.

Zinnia, tall and a little pouty, latched onto Mandy, who had been trying to make a quiet escape. "You know him, right?"

Mandy let out a sigh, tugging at her messy ponytail. "Rajan? He's a senior. Works part-time at the factory, like me, but he's mostly busy with school."

Zinnia's "oh" came out slow, like she'd pieced together something important.