The next morning, Krit arrived at school with a mission.
Which immediately worried everyone.
"Good morning."
"No," Mali said.
Krit blinked.
"I just said good morning."
"You have that look."
"What look?"
"The look that means you're about to ruin someone's day."
Phuwin glanced up from his desk.
"…Probably ours."
"Wow," Krit said. "The trust in this friendship is incredible."
First period hadn't even started when Krit pulled out a folded piece of paper.
Mali sighed.
"What's that?"
"A scientific experiment."
"That sounds illegal."
"It isn't."
"That's exactly what someone doing something illegal would say."
Krit ignored her.
Then dramatically unfolded the paper.
At the top were four words:
THINGS WE DON'T UNDERSTAND
Phuwin immediately laughed.
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"Absolutely not," Mali said.
"Too late."
Krit slammed the paper onto the desk.
"We spend all day pretending we know things."
"We don't pretend," Phuwin replied.
"We literally don't know anything."
"Fair."
"Exactly."
Krit pointed at the paper.
"So. We make a list."
Mali looked down.
Love Adults Taxes Why teachers assign homework on Fridays
"…Taxes?"
"I'm planning ahead."
"You're seventeen."
"Exactly."
Phuwin grabbed the pen.
Added:
Why people say 'be yourself' then judge you for it
The three of them stared at it.
"…Okay," Mali admitted.
"That one's actually good."
"Thank you."
"I hate that it's good."
Mali took the pen next.
After a moment, she wrote:
How people know what they want to do forever
The mood shifted slightly.
Not sad.
Just real.
Because that one hit.
"Wow."
Krit looked at it.
"That's depressing."
"Thank you."
"I mean it."
"I know."
The bell rang.
Mr. Chai entered.
Everyone scrambled.
The list disappeared into a notebook immediately.
During class, Phuwin couldn't stop thinking about it.
Not the list.
The question.
How do people know?
His parents always talked like there was a plan.
Teachers talked like there was a plan.
Adults talked like there was a plan.
But whenever he looked around—
everyone seemed like they were making things up.
At lunch, the list came back.
Now it had more additions.
Why friendships change Why some people leave without explaining Why everyone pretends to be okay
Nobody admitted who wrote number nine.
Nobody had to.
"Okay."
Krit tapped the page.
"Let's answer one."
"Why?"
"Because we're scientists."
"No we're not."
"Details."
He pointed to number one.
Love.
Immediately everyone groaned.
"No."
"Yes."
"We've done this already."
"We haven't solved it."
"Because it's impossible."
"Exactly."
Mali stole the paper.
"New rule."
"Oh no."
"We don't answer anything."
"What?"
"We just collect questions."
Krit frowned.
"That sounds useless."
"Not really."
Phuwin looked at the growing list.
And weirdly—
it made sense.
Because every time they thought they understood something—
another question appeared.
After school, they ended up at a small convenience store near the train station.
The one with plastic chairs outside.
The one students always crowded around.
Krit bought snacks.
Too many snacks.
"Why did you buy all of that?"
"Because happiness is temporary."
"That's not an answer."
"Neither is life."
Mali laughed.
Phuwin nearly choked on his drink.
"Stop talking like an internet quote."
"I am the internet quote."
"You absolutely are not."
The city was loud around them.
Students passing.
Cars moving.
Music from somewhere nearby.
Life happening.
A group of younger students walked by.
One of them pointed at a university advertisement hanging across the street.
"That's where I want to go."
The others nodded.
Talking about future plans.
Dream schools.
Dream jobs.
Dream lives.
The trio watched them disappear.
Then—
"…Do you guys actually have a plan?"
Phuwin asked.
For once—
nobody answered immediately.
Krit looked down.
Mali looked away.
And suddenly the question felt heavier than expected.
"…Not really," Mali admitted.
"Same."
Phuwin looked at Krit.
"You?"
Krit shrugged.
"I have ideas."
"That's not a plan."
"Exactly."
Silence.
The kind that wasn't uncomfortable.
Just honest.
Then Krit suddenly grabbed the list.
Added a final line.
Number eleven.
Is everyone pretending, or is it just us?
The three of them stared at it.
Then burst out laughing.
Because somehow—
that felt like the most accurate question on the page.
As the sun started setting over the city, the list folded back into Krit's bag.
Not finished.
Not solved.
Just growing.
Like everything else in their lives.
End of Chapter 19