"Last time we met, you said I looked familiar," Juniper said, setting down her bottle. Her voice wasced with ice. "Do I still look familiar now?"


    Harold was so intimidated by her powerful aura that he was rendered speechless. Did she think he had been trying to hit on her? That wasn''t it at all!


    "You..." Harold opened his mouth to exin, but was immediately cut off.


    "What are you supposed to call me?" the girl asked. She was a good head shorter than him, still in her school uniform with her hair tied in a messy bun, yet she radiated an imposing authority.


    Harold''s mouth opened and closed before he finally managed to utter a single word: "Grandmaster."


    "Louder," Junipermanded, her tone sharp. How dare this little punk challenge her authority? Shanley wouldn''t even need to lift a finger; she''d skin him alive herself.


    “Grandmaster,” Harold repeated, his voice much clearer this time. A man nearing thirty, he now stood with his head bowed like a scolded cat.


    Satisfied, Juniper gestured him over to theb bench. “Come here," she ordered gruffly. "Show me what you can do. If you''re not good enough, I''m telling Baldy Fox the deal''s off."


    “Understood.” Harold''s brow furrowed as he obediently walked over. It was strange. He had never been treated like this before and should have been angry. But for some reason... her bossiness was strangelyforting. He didn''t just like seeing her; he liked hearing her speak.


    Could it be? Was his assistant right? Had he fallen for his Grandmaster at first sight?


    "Keep staring and I''ll gouge your eyes out," Juniper threatened, ring at him.


    If it weren''t for that piece of red sandalwood she wanted from Baldy Fox, she wouldn''t be wasting her time with him.


    "My apologies.” Harold quickly averted his gaze and focused on her instructions.


    He was, as it turned out, quite intelligent. He understood everything she exined and could answer all her questions. Juniper''s dislike for him diminished by a microscopic 0.00001%.


    ...


    Two hourster, with Juniper''s guidance, Harold sessfullypleted the first stage of development for a new drug.


    “Grandmaster, what do you do for a living?" Harold asked quietly, ncing at her. Juniper, still holding a scalpel, shot him a look that clearly said, "Are you serious?"


    "That''s not what I meant," Harold


    tonined. "I''m just curious


    quick


    You''re still a student. How did you


    be so skilled in mo


    "You know who Einstein is, right?" Juniper asked nonchntly as she removed her gloves.


    "I do," Harold replied,pletely baffled.


    “Well,” Juniper said, "this has nothing to do with him."


    The subtext was clear: mind your own business.


    Harold couldn''t help but smile. His Grandmaster certainly had personality.


    “When do the elections for Global Medical Alliance Association begin?" Juniper asked, tossing her gloves into the trash bin.


    "In twenty-five days."


    That would be mid-June, right after her final exams.


    "Alright.” Juniper finished disinfecting herself and looked at Harold. "From now on,


    we''ll meet here every Tuesday and Saturday."


    "Okay," Harold replied obediently. In


    just two short hours, he had


    witnessed her incredible talen


    She


    was so young, yet her medical skills


    were astounding, even surpassing his own.


    In the field of medicine, there were only three people he truly admired: the legendary Dr. Nocturne, his own teacher, and now a third had been added to the list-his grandmaster.