The week of the competition eventually arrives.
This is a grand competition for their school, and all of the students are both anxious and excited.
"...Jane, Ashtria I hope you two the best okay!" Teacher Ann said
feeling nervous for the two of them. She then looks in Ashtria's direction. Ashtria also looks back at her teacher, she can see the teacher's emotions through her eyes.
Ashtria only smiled at her, and after that they all head towards the school's gymnasium, where this 'grand school event will take place.
Not long after that the competition starts.
In this school there is a total of three sets of students, the first, second and third years, each year had ten sections from best to worst. In this Quiz Bee competition, each year will have at least two or three representatives.
The first years had a total of twenty-one participants, some classes had three or two representatives, the second years had a total of twenty-two participants. While the third years had the highest number of participants because their overall participants is a total of thirty.
This competition will last up to five days.
The first day is for the competition of first years against each other, the second day is for the second years, then third for third years.
Days passed, the fourth day of the competition eventually came.
Now there were only eight participants left, three of them were from first years, they were the representative of the second class of first years. And of course, in the second year, Ashtria and Jane managed to win all of the Quiz stages. Teacher Ann and their classmates were quite surprised. That's because of how high the score Ashtria got on the Quiz Bee Competition.
Then there are the third years, for third years their students also came from their first class section. And one of the participants is Raign's brother, who is the current student council's current President.
But unlike the first to third days of the competition, today's competition is a bit different. Because this time all of the participants will choose their very opponent.
It's already the fourth day so the competition is starting to get more difficult.
...
"I want to know how smart the youngest yet the smartest
student of second years." a third-year participant said.
"Famonte Ashtria, from the first section of second years! Do you accept the challenge or withdraw and pick a different opponent?" the host asked Ashtria.
Ashtria step forward, "I accept it." she said without even a hint of emotion in her face, you can see that she is a calm and collected person despite her young age.
Each of the students then proceeds to pick their desired opponents. After that the competition starts.
They make a draw first to determine the students that will compete first.
The third-year student let Ashtria draw for the both of them, she got the number four, the last number.
They will be the last pair who will compete for today's competition.
The other participants head down to the side of the stage to wait and watch. The third-year girl suddenly approaches Ashtria, she looks down at her, her eyes trying to intimidate her.
But Ashtria just stared back at her without emotions on her face.
"Oh~ a brave one huh!" the third-year student grins and teases her, "Then we will see who's gonna win in the end," she said and walks away.
"Sorry about that." someone said after the third-year student left, Ashtria look at her back, the one who spoke is none other than the student councils President and Raign's big brother Raile Hilstone.
"Shaina is just overly curious about you, but she's a good person, she just wants to test you since you're popular you know."
Raile Hilstone is one of the popular students in this school, he's the person whose always at the top, he's not only smart but also handsome.
Both he and Raign have the same chocolate brown shade of hair and eyes, both also have the same moderately white skin tone, tall nose bridge, and thin lips. He also wears silver glasses that only add a point to his charm and his height were probably 180 centimeters.
He is currently eighteen years old, he became a student council when he was in his second year, and he was re-elected this year because of his good management and leadership in their school.
He is a good example for his peers.
"Popular? Not at all." Ashtria mutters, "Wait, don't tell me you don't know how popular you are?" he asked, Ashtria only look at him without reaction.
"Wait you don't know?" he asked, seemingly surprised.
"You are so popular to the point the news about you being one of the youngest ever who advances a class, was written in a newspaper and also reported in the news report of our country years ago. How can you say you are not popular?"
Actually, Ashtria is aware that many people knows her, but she didn't expected that she is that popular, she only looks at him trying to confirm if he's saying the truth or not.
"You don't know?" he asked again, she shook her head no, "Okay, now you know," he said and laughed.
All the girls in his surrounding blushes, and at the same time glare in Ashtria's direction.
...
The competition continues.
In this round of competition there are a total of twenty questions for each pair, like before there is a buzzer. The first one who will press the buzzer will be the one who will be given a chance to answer.
Unlike before, the representatives can help each other to answer the questions. But today they have to answer the questions without anyone's help.
The time for the third pair arrives, it's Jane vs a third-year student.
The battle starts.
At first, Jane is doing well, she answered the first three questions with ease, giving her three points, but upon arriving at the fourth question Jane suddenly starts losing.
The questions were starting to get harder, now there were only two remaining questions. Jane has four points, the same as her opponent. Jane is starting to get nervous because she's already trembling, the same with her voice.
Now the eighth question arrives, Jane widens her eyes, that's because the question isn't in the guide-sheets at all.
Ashtria observes, and she saw all of Jane's reactions, Ashtria look towards the wide screen where the question are displayed.
Ashtria can remember this question perfectly, even if its not in the guide-sheets its in the textbook in chemistry. In the end Jane didn't manage to answer the question.
This is the one Ashtria was talking about.
The school giving the participants guide sheets was only a mere front. The truth is that guide-sheets can only provide seventy percent of the answer for the competition.
The school did this because the person they wanted to choose is a wise student that can adapt quickly to different kinds of situations.
That's because the All High School Competition is not a joke, the participants will be the top students who are carefully picked by their own schools, and all of them are already tested.
They all already won against the other students in their schools, but some are hand-picked by their school's professionals. Meaning they're the smartest amongst all the smartest in their schools.
Now it is the time for the last question.
The question appeared on the screen, Jane's expression became even more nervous.
This question isn't in the guidebook either.
The third-year student presses the button immediately after the countdown, he answers the question with ease.
Jane lost, and all of their classmates, including their homeroom teacher, Teacher Ann cheered her up and said she did well. She only smiled at them with a tear-eyed face.
She and Ashtria's eyes met, Ashtria smiled lightly and nodded in her direction. After that she stood up.
It's now finally the fourth pair, it is Ashtria against the third year earlier. Ashtria walk onto the stage, while the host announces her name and her opponent's name.
Shaina the third-year girl smiled cockily toward Ashtria.
Ashtria smiled back confidently at her, after that, the both of them face the stage.
The fourth battle, which is the final battle for today begins.