It was the second week of lectures. Timetables were now stable, and the real pressure of university life had begun.
One Tuesday afternoon after a Calculus I lecture, as students packed up, a soft voice called behind Kingstar.
"Excuse me… you're Kingstar, right?"
He turned.
Standing there was a lady in a neat hijab, her books pressed tightly to her chest. Her voice was calm, but her eyes showed panic.
"Yes, that's me."
"I'm Adzara. Please… I've been trying to understand these topics. You answered almost everything today, and… I was wondering if you could help me before the quiz on Friday."
Kingstar hesitated for a second not because he didn't want to help but because this was the first time someone had asked him so directly, and also because she was different.
She wasn't trying to impress anyone.
She wasn't asking to flirt.
She just needed help.
"Sure," he replied, smiling. "We can meet after class tomorrow. At the department's back bench?"
Her face lit up.
"Jazaakum Allahu khayran," she said sincerely.
He didn't know the meaning, but from her expression, it sounded like thanks.
The next day, they met under a mango tree near the Mathematics block. Adzara asked honest, thoughtful questions, and Kingstar broke the concepts down with patience.
Over the next few days, it became a routine.
And after the quiz, Adzara walked up to him again with a wide smile.
"I think I'll pass, in shaa Allah."
From that day, the two became inseparable when it came to academic matters.
Others noticed too.
"Ei Prof, you get hijab assistant now o," someone teased.
But Kingstar ignored them.
Adzara respected his focus, and he respected her determination.
There was no romance. Not yet. Just something deeper forming a friendship grounded in purpose.