Mirabe noticed two people standing behind her. She saved her progress on theputer, turned her head slightly, and looked at them with a hint of confusion.


    Zane had been about to ask why her calctions were slower today but figured she might be taking her time to be extra careful. So instead, he just said, "Keep doing your thing. Don''t mind us."


    Mirabe raised an eyebrow, said "Oh," and went back to her work. After ncing at her steps, she pondered for a few seconds and then deliberately slowed down even more.


    She was using a more straightforwardputational form than the standard methods, skipping many steps. To match the time others spent, she had to dial down her speed. Plus, to her senior colleagues, she was still a newbie inputing.


    Zane noticed this and was puzzled: “??"


    The afternoon passed with everyone in theb crunching data, and it wasn''t until after five that they wrapped up.


    Mirabe saved her work and shut down herputer. Jessie, who was packing up her drafts, looked up and asked, "Hey Mira, wanna grab dinner at the cafeteria? Maybe hang out at my dorm after?"


    Jessie was from out of state and, even as a grad student, still lived in the dorms. Not just her, but Linden and Kason too-they were the type who rarely left campus, fully immersed in their studies.


    Mirabe smiled, "I don''t live on campus."


    "Wait, you''re a local?" Jessie blinked in surprise.


    "Not exactly. My family has a ce here," Mirabe exined briefly.


    Jessie''s eyes widened, "Wow, I didn''t know you were loaded!"


    In Riverdale, where housing prices were sky-high, owning a ce meant serious cash. Jessie looked at her enviously.


    Seeing this, Mirabe quickly corrected, "Oh, I''m just staying with rtives." She nced at her watch. "I gotta go, or I''ll miss dinner."


    Jessie let out an "Ah," her mind wandering to something Mirabe had said, and suddenly sighed sympathetically, "Poor kid."


    Mirabe, already at the door, stumbled slightly.


    **


    At the campus gate.


    Mirabe got into the car, buckled her seatbelt, and nced around. She raised an eyebrow, "You got a new car?"


    Ah, the perks of being rich-behind the shabby exterior were high-end parts.


    James hummed softly, started the engine, and the car slowly pulled away. "The other one''s in for a service."


    Remembering thest incident, Mirabe nodded, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, andzily turned her gaze to the window. The window was rolled down just enough to stop at her nose.


    Next to them, a sedan was cruising with its window also half-down. The driver''s silhouette looked kind of familiar.


    Maybe it was her gaze, but the driver in the sedan turned to look her way. For a moment, his eyes seemed deep and intense before he looked away.


    Ben recognized Mirabe and smirked slightly-an expression she couldn''t see- before casually looking away.


    Ahead was a crossroad, the light green. In the next minute, both cars signaled to turn-one left, the other right.