On the other side of town. Anthony was glued to hisputer screen, awaiting the release of the exam scores. The clock struck eight, and he immediately punched in Mirabe’s ID and hit enter.


    His heart was racing, and his fingers were tightly gripping the mouse. As the page loaded and the scores appeared, Anthony was floored. He had expected Mirabe to do well, but another perfect score? That was beyond stimting.


    He remembered visiting Vincent earlier that day, post–exam, to inquire about the test. Vincent hadn’t seemed at ease.


    “Man, today’s paper was brutal, especially thatst physics question. I only managed to work through a bit of it, and I’m not even sure I got it right,” Vincent had confessed.


    Before Mirabe transferred to Parkside High School, Vincent had been the uncontested top student, consistently delivering ster performances. If even he was uncertain, the exam must have been a beast.


    Anthony felt dazed. He stood up, sshed some cold water on his face in the restroom, and came back to double–check the results. They were still the same: a perfect 200 out of 200.


    Prodigies had appeared in pastpetitions, but repeat perfect scores were unheard of. This meant something significant: this year, their nation wouldn’t be left off the leaderboard as in previous years.


    Grabbing his phone, Anthony didn’t care that it waste evening; he called Mr. Hammond. Mr. Hammond was about to check Mirabe’s scores himself, but Anthony’s call made that


    unnecessary.


    He was just as stunned, managing to keep his voice steady. “Have you checked Vincent’s score?” he asked.


    “Oh, right!” Anthony pped his forehead and switched his phone to speaker mode. “Got so carried away I almost forgot. Let me see… here it is, 186. That’s not low at all. I reckon he’s probably in second ce.”


    “That’s about what I expected,” Mr. Hammond said calmly.


    Anthony, letting go of the mouse<b>, </b>reflected aloud, “In past years, our school always got outshone by the folks from the neighboring state schools. This year, we finally get our moment in the sun.”


    Parkside High School was among the top five nationwide, and the other four schools were no slouches either. In previous years, no matter whatpetition they participated in, they’d been overshadowed by those schools. But this year, if Mirabe could snag a spot in the internationalpetition, Parkside High School would rise with the tide and climb beyond fifth ce.


    Chapter <b>257 </b>


    Glory has always belonged to the victors.


    In the meantime, after the noodle shop owner went to prepare the food, Mirabe took the opportunity to browse the adjacent antique store.


    Her timing was impable. As she returned to the noodle shop, the owner was just serving up a hearty bowl of noodles and cing it in front of her. The old man smiled and said, “Enjoy yourself. If you need anything, just tell me.” Mirabe nodded politely and then focused on the noodles.


    The rich bone broth coupled with the thin noodles, topped with a spicy minced pork and a sprinkling of diced scallions, made for an appetizing sight. The decorative vine patterns on the rim of the bowl added to the enticement.


    The aroma of the pork and chili wafted up, and Mirabe’s eyes sparkled with delight. It was just as she remembered, and in a rare moment, she took a photo with her phone.