ying it by ear, huh? Shanley chuckled helplessly. He''d never met a student so nonchnt about their future.


    Ten minutester, Juniper finished her breakfast, and Shanley had already found her exam admission ticket.


    "I''m toozy to move. You check for me," the girl said, ncing up briefly before continuing to eat her fruit.


    "Alright.” Shanley smiled, opened hisptop, and entered her exam information. She was probably one of thest to check, so the system was running smoothly. He clicked the search button, and the results page loaded instantly.


    Looking at the screen, a smile spread across Shanley''s face.


    "Let me guess..." Juniper said, nibbling on a piece of watermelon with a raised eyebrow. "My score has been redacted."


    Scores that were too high, indicating a top rank, were often withheld to prevent media hype around the top scorers.


    "Mhm." The result was expected, so Shanley wasn''t surprised. He chuckled. "Then let''s wait and see which university calls first."


    Any university would be lucky to have her; their founders were probably turning in their graves with joy.


    Meanwhile, with the results out, the inte was buzzing with spection about this year''s top scorer. As usual, most bets were on Era High School. The name being passed around the most was Ynda Sherwin. Rumor had it she''d checked her answers right after the exam and had an incredibly high uracy rate. The fact that her score was also redacted only fueled the spection.


    Soon, the news spread like wildfire.


    Ynda, who had always loved the spotlight, wasn''t about to miss this opportunity. She deliberately chose a crowded coffee shop to sit and wait for the admissions officers toe to her. Even if she wasn''t the top scorer, she had to be in the top few. So, she seized the chance to show off and hopefully repair the damage Juniper had done to her reputation.


    ...


    Qadir, pleased with his score, insisted on treating everyone to a meal. They hadn''t seen each other in a while, so Juniper agreed.


    When she arrived at the mall, she found herself in a coincidental situation. Reporters were interviewing Ynda, asking about her study methods.


    “I didn''t really prepare that much. I think it mostlyes down to natural talent...” Ynda answered shyly.


    “What a drama queen,” Qadir rolled his eyes. “I heard she hired a bunch of private tutors right before the exams."


    "Is Era High out of talent? Ynda as the top scorer?" Queenie rested her chin on her hand, unable to believe it. "This has to be fake."


    "It''s not her," J said firmly, biting her straw. Her gaze fell on Juniper, who was on the phone.


    "Juste straight here," Juniper said, giving the address.


    "Who was that?" J asked curiously.


    "Admissions office, probably," Juniper replied nonchntly, munching on a snack. "They said they''re from Era University


    something about a ''Genius Program."


    ?????


    Genius Program? At those words, everyone turned to look at her. Era University was the best university in the country, and its Genius Program was the most elite of all. The admission scores were extraordinarily high, and it was said to be filled with students who had near-perfect scores. Every year when the results came out, the admissions officers from Era University had to fight to recruit students for the program.


    "Inside source—a professor from Era University''s Genius Program is on his way


    to this coffee shop,” someone among the reporters announced.


    "You don''t think... he''s here for Ynda?"


    "Of course! Who else would it be?" another reporter said, visibly excited. No one


    noticed Juniper and her friends sitting in the corner.


    Genius Program? Even if she wasn''t the top scorer, Ynda was confident she could get into Era University But the Genius Program was something she had never dared to dream of. Could it be true Was she really the top scorer?