St. Mary's Convent was a relic of the British era—stone walls, high ceilings, and teachers who believed discipline was the only way to the soul. For a five-year-old, it was a place of play. For Ashutosh Pathak, it was a cage.
As he walked into his classroom, the smell of chalk and old wood hit him. His teacher, Sister Mary, was currently pointing to a blackboard where the letter 'G' was written in giant, shaky script.
"G is for Goat, children. Repeat after me," she said with a tired smile.
"G is for Goat!" the chorus of thirty children screamed.
Ashutosh sat at his small wooden desk, his Eidetic Memory feeling like a high-powered engine being forced to idle. He looked at his notebook. While other kids were struggling to draw a circle, he was mentally calculating the ROI (Return on Investment) of his father's new packaging unit.
'I can't do this for a year,' he thought. 'I'll lose my mind.'
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: QUEST LIVE]
Objective: Demand a double-promotion.
Current Progress: Attend the Principal's office.
During the lunch break, while his brothers were busy playing football with a plastic ball, Ashutosh didn't head for the canteen. He straightened his tie, smoothed his shorts, and walked straight toward the heavy teak doors of the Principal's office.
The secretary, a middle-aged woman with a large bindi, looked down at him. "Yes, little one? Did you lose your tiffin box?"
"No, Ma'am," Ashutosh said, using a hint of his Business Negotiation (Lv 1). He kept his voice polite but firm, his eyes steady. "I am Ashutosh Pathak from Upper KG. I would like to speak with Mother Superior regarding my academic placement. It is a matter of time management."
The secretary blinked. She had never heard a five-year-old say 'academic placement,' let alone 'time management.' She was so stunned that she stood up and knocked on the inner door.
"Mother Superior? There is... a student here. He says it's urgent."
A moment later, Ashutosh was sitting in a large chair, his feet dangling several inches above the floor. Across from him sat Mother Superior, a woman whose face was like a wrinkled map of stern kindness.
"Ashutosh, isn't it? The Pathak boy," she said, peering over her spectacles. "Sister Mary says you were staring at the wall during the alphabet lesson. Is something wrong?"
"Mother, with all due respect, I was staring at the wall because I already know the alphabet," Ashutosh replied. He leaned forward slightly, his "Fiery" personality channeled into a calm, charismatic aura. "In fact, I have already completed the curriculum for Class 1 and Class 2 during my fever break. Staying in Upper KG is a waste of the school's resources and my potential."
Mother Superior suppressed a smile. "Oh? You've completed Class 2? That involves multiplication and reading full paragraphs, Ashutosh."
"Test me," he challenged.
She pulled a book from her shelf—a collection of English poetry—and pushed it toward him. "Read the third stanza."
Ashutosh didn't hesitate. He read the complex Victorian English with perfect rhythm and pronunciation, his modern soul easily navigating the language. Then, he took a pen from her desk and, on a scrap of paper, solved a multi-digit multiplication problem she scribbled down.
The room went silent. Mother Superior's expression shifted from amusement to genuine shock.
"Who taught you this? Your Nana, the Chief Justice?"
"I taught myself, Mother. I have a very clear memory," Ashutosh lied smoothly. "I don't want to play with blocks. I want to study History, Geography, and Science. I want to be in Class 3."
Mother Superior tapped her desk. "A five-year-old in Class 3? You'll be sitting with eight-year-olds. They will be much bigger than you."
"Size is for wrestlers, Mother. Intelligence is for leaders," Ashutosh said, a spark of that 25-year-old director's confidence shining through.
She looked at him for a long time. She saw a child, but the eyes... the eyes were ancient. "I will have to call your father and Nana. If they agree, and if you pass a formal entrance exam for Class 3 tomorrow, I will allow the double-promotion."
[DING! Quest Requirement Met: Demand Made.]
[Potential Reward Pending: Exam Success.]
As Ashutosh walked out of the office, he felt the thrill of the win. But as he reached the playground, he saw his mother, Savitri, standing at the gate with his younger sister Ananya. She had come to drop off a sweater because the clouds had moved in.
Seeing her cheerful, loving face, Ashutosh's "Kind-hearted" side took over. He ran to her, hugging her waist.
"Maa! I'm going to be in the big class!"
"What? What big class?" Savitri asked, confused, as she adjusted his collar.
"I talked to the Principal! I'm skipping grades!"
Savitri looked at him with a mix of pride and worry. She knelt down, wiping a smudge of dust from his cheek. "Ashu, my Kanha... you are growing up too fast. Are you sure you want this? You won't have time to be a child."
Ashutosh looked at his mother's warm eyes. He realized that while he wanted the empire, she just wanted him to have a childhood. He softened his tone.
"Maa, I'll still play with Ananya every day. I promise. But my head feels heavy when I have to sit still and do nothing. I want to learn so I can help Papa sooner."
Savitri sighed, a proud tear in her eye. "You are just like your Nana. Very well. If this makes you happy, we will support you."
Ananya, however, pouted. "If Ashu-bhaiya goes to the big class, he won't share his tiffin with me!"
Ashutosh laughed, pulling a small piece of chocolate from his pocket—something he had saved from his own morning treat—and gave it to her. "I'll always share with you, Choti. Even when I'm the King of the world."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Preparation for Exam initiated.
Allocating 200 Skill Points to [Public Speaking]...
Public Speaking: Lv 1 (100/500)