The Samsung alarm broke the silence at 5:30 a.m.

Izhan dismissed it with a tap and stared at the empty corner of her room.

“Another day to survive.”

Yesterday's complaint categorisation came flooding back. It was so tedious that she wished she had a second monitor for her laptop.

“Can't believe I ended up in this sector.”

She shook the thought away.

“Still... the mystery must be solved.”

Her mind drifted to Krishna's vault.

After performing her Subuh prayer, she dressed in a black blouse, a maroon hijab, and a matching skirt before packing her lunch. PPDKB had no canteen, after all.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the district, Krishna was getting ready for work. He was determined to keep his 6:00 a.m. streak.

Before leaving, he unlocked his phone and opened X.

A direct message from his online mutual, Pans, had arrived.

Pans: Hi, Kris. Have a blast today. Can't wait to hear another mystery story from you.

Krishna smiled and typed a reply.

Kris: Appreciate it. Knowing my job, a "quiet day" usually means it's only quiet for now.

Izhan arrived early at PPDKB.

After punching in, she switched on the lights in Block B, boiled a kettle of water, and did her favourite part—turning on the Wi-Fi.

“First come, first served.”

With everything ready, boredom soon crept in.

She wandered over to Block A, where the top management offices were located. On her way to the pantry, she admired the surprisingly well-stocked snack corner.

Thud!

A loud bang made her freeze.

“Mice...?”

Another bang echoed down the corridor.

Curiosity got the better of her.

The sound had come from the DEO's office.

She gently pushed the door open.

Krishna was crouching under his desk, wrestling with a tangled mess of cables.

He looked up.

“That,” he said with a sigh, “was one big mouse.”

Izhan crouched beside him and lifted the loose cables to clear his view.

“Thanks, Izhan.”

“My pleasure.”

While Krishna rearranged the cables beneath his desk, her eyes drifted to the vault for a brief moment.

“All done.”

Izhan quickly shifted her attention back to Krishna.

Krishna stood and returned to his computer.

Izhan noticed that SISPAA was already open on the screen.

Curiosity got the better of her.

“Sir... do you mind if I watch you use the system?”

Krishna smiled. He was never the type of leader to dismiss a curious intern.

“Of course. You do not have direct access to SISPAA, but you're welcome to observe how I work through it.”

Krishna moved the cursor across the tabs.

Aduan Baharu. Dalam Siasatan. Selesai.

Each tab displayed a number.

“This is where JPNS forwards new complaints to us,” he explained.

He clicked Aduan Baharu.

2 complaints received.

Izhan let out a quiet laugh.

“So... that's my next batch of work.”

Krishna clicked the next tab.

Dalam Siasatan.

“These are the ongoing cases,” he explained. “Rozman and I decide whether we should visit the school ourselves or have the PGB—Pengetua or Guru Besar—come to us.”

Izhan's eyes lit up.

“So... there's a chance to go into the field?”

Krishna chuckled.

“You do enjoy a good adventure, don't you?”

Krishna clicked the final tab.

Selesai.

“This is where a case reaches its conclusion,” he said. “Based on the findings, I decide whether the complaint is based or baseless.”

Izhan adjusted her hijab.

“How do you determine that, sir?”

“If the evidence is solid and the statements support one another, it's categorised as based.”

“And if they don't?”

“Then it's baseless.”

Izhan nodded slowly.

“So... we're basically a mini court, playing detective.”

She paused before grinning.

“Just without the dead bodies.”

“Having fun?”

Rozman stood at the door.

“Hey, Rosie. Our curious intern cat just met the mouse,” Krishna said, pointing at himself.

Rozman pinched the bridge of his nose.

“You and your animal analogies.”

“And you just used my nickname in front of her.”

Izhan watched the two of them for a moment.

There was something familiar in the way they interacted—too comfortable for just colleagues.

Even the nickname stood out.

“Rosie...?” she thought. That sounds unusually soft for him.

She stayed quiet, observing.

“Rozman called Izhan into his room for the usual complaint organisation work.

“Well, can’t be helped,” Rozman said.

“Let’s go. The boss has his own work to handle too.”

Izhan received her first case file.

A PK Kokurikulum from SK Victoria—reportedly always outstation.

She frowned slightly.

“Hmm… this officer seems extremely active with external programmes.”

Rozman glanced at the notes.

“Yes. Zumba coach, netball coach, even dance coach.”

He exhaled.

“But rarely present for ministry-level programmes.”

Izhan skimmed the complainant log.

Headmaster Lansa herself had submitted the report.

OYD: Mr Lai

Izhan began sorting the statements into structured boxes in Microsoft Word.

The template was simple but effective: statement, evidence, outcome.

As she worked through it, the case slowly formed a coherent flow in her mind.

Her role was not just transcription—it was justification. A bridge between complainant and OYD when their narratives clashed.

She treated it like a critical layer in PPDKB’s decision-making process.

Rozman leaned slightly beside her.

“Your skill is useful in this sector.”

Izhan glanced up. “Why?”

“One wrong interpretation,” he said, “and the whole case spirals.”

He paused.

“Think of it like a system. Controlled inputs, controlled outcomes.”

Izhan nodded slowly.

“The more unstable the inputs, the harder it is to contain the outcome.”

Rozman looked at her.

“That’s why precision matters here.”

Izhan finished sorting the statements and handed her compiled notes to Rozman before they presented it to Krishna.

“We’re still lacking evidence,” Rozman said after reviewing the document.

He scanned the first point.

“OYD trained netball players outside the headmaster’s knowledge.”

“We’ll need the school attendance records,” he muttered.

His eyes moved to the next entry.

“OYD was in Perak during the school’s co-curricular meeting.”

Izhan paused for a moment.

“His travel itinerary might confirm that.”

Rozman looked up sharply.

“…That’s a good lead.”

The duo headed toward Krishna’s office, but Rozman stopped just short of the door.

“Looks like the boss is in a Google Meet with JPNS.”

Through the slightly open door, they heard a voice from the speaker.

“PPDKB… why does your complainant keep rating you so low?”

The voice belonged to the State Education Director.

A brief silence followed.

Krishna’s voice came through the call, calm but firm.

“What exactly do you mean by ‘low rating’, Director?”

The State Education Director’s voice returned through the speaker.

“Your solutions have always been a gamble.”

Krishna replied calmly, “I choose what is right, even if it is difficult, to preserve integrity.”

A brief silence filled the call.

“Understood, KB DEO,” the Director said at last. “You are still dealing with the elephant in the room from three years ago.”

Outside the office, Izhan and Rozman exchanged a glance.

Krishna added, “But this time, Datuk… we will make amends.”

“We have a new mender with a strong forensic linguistics background. Even if it is only temporary.”

The meeting ended just as Rozman knocked on the door.

“Sir, we have new findings,” Rozman said.

“It’s ready,” Izhan added, holding up her laptop for Krishna to review.

He skimmed the draft and smirked.

“Another school visit.”

Rozman nudged Izhan lightly. “This is his favourite part.”

Krishna looked at her.

“This will be your first field visit.”

Rozman blinked. “We can bring her along?”

Krishna took a slow sip of his coffee.

“Study purpose, right, Izhan?”

Izhan nodded eagerly.

Krishna reassured her.

“Rozman will also be present. He’s your supervisor.”

Izhan bowed slightly.

“Thank you for the opportunity, sir!”

She left the room with an excited expression, Rozman following behind her.

As the day ended, Krishna powered down his computer and punched out.

He got into his blue Subaru Forester and opened X.

A message from Pans was waiting.

Pans: How was your day? Any new mysteries?

Krishna smirked and replied.

Kris: Nothing for now. But tomorrow will be different. We’ve got a new case—and a new team member involved.

Three dots appeared.

Pans: Wow… sounds like you’ve got support in your team.

Another message followed shortly after.

Pans: See you in the next adventure! You must have recorded all your detective work somewhere.

Krishna turned off the screen and started his drive home.

Back at her place, Izhan updated her logbook. Next to her Microsoft Word template, she kept a simple tracking tab of her own.

A new notification blinked on it.

She glanced at it—and smirked.

Tomorrow was going to be interesting.