Post-Test Aftereffects [2]

"Hmm... It's just as I thought," Aisam murmured as he gazed out the window of his dormitory's living room.

The campus was eerily quiet. Barely any students were visible, and those who were walked silently, their whispers barely audible in the stillness of the academy.

"Should I ask my neighbor what's going on, if he's in his room?" he wondered aloud. Stepping outside his room, he crossed the hall and stood before the door opposite his.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

'Maybe he's not home,' Aisam thought, turning to leave. Just then, he heard a voice from within.

"Who's there?"

'So he is home,' Aisam realized. He turned back. "I want to ask you a question if you have a moment. Could you please answer it for me?"

"What's it? I'll answer from inside my room; I don't want to waste a minute of my holiday," the neighbor replied, sounding preoccupied.

"Okay, no problem," Aisam said softly. "Is today the only holiday? And do you know why?"