The Crush Formula | ONC 2020

ℂℍ𝔸ℙ𝕋𝔼ℝ 𝕀𝕍

The Next Day

An hour has passed by since my teammates and I arrived at the exam venue, apprehensively waiting for the exam in the auditorium. While the other students were talking about their studies, I scrutinized the practice questions that were written on the paper when Sophie whispered to my ear.

"Psst, psst, Michiko."

I turned my head towards her.

"What?"

"How many minutes do we have left before the prac exam?"

"Eight minutes, why?"

"I need to pee."

"Then go ahead."

Sophie stood up and walked up the stairs to the nearest exit. In the meantime, I continued looking over the practice problems for the practical exam, contemplating the experiments I might need to do later. I was marking out the problems that I already understood when I heard a faint sound of someone sitting down next to me.

At first, I paid little attention to it, thinking it might be just a rush of the air. I turned to get my bag when I realized that the sound came from a brown-haired boy staring at me with familiar green eyes. Wary of him, I brought out my water bottle and took a few sips from it before he said a thing.

"Hey."

My body jerked, shocked by his sudden approach; nonetheless, I remained calm and cool.

"Uh, hey," I greeted back.

"What's your name?"

"I'm Michiko Watanabe. And you?"

"Ivan Tesla."

Ivan Tesla. Wasn't he the guy who came in second at the International Junior Science Olympiad three years ago? I couldn't quite remember meeting him until I recalled who had won first place in that same contest.

"Wait." I paused before asking. "Aren't you the guy who came second in the Science Olympiad three years ago?"

"About that? True...but I have to digress for now," Ivan uttered, shivering a bit from nervousness. "And anyways, where are you from?"

"I'm from the U.S., and you must be from Russia?"

"Yes, I am. Are you nervous for the exam?"

"I could not say no, but I'm pretty confident that I would make it out alive."

"Impressive, Michiko, and can I tell you a joke before we get started?" Ivan lifted up one of his eyebrows, suggesting something to me from the way his eyes twinkled.

I crossed my arms, waiting for him to utter a word. "Alright, what?"

After a while, Ivan gave me a wily grin before he spoke, "Cupid cannot get me struck until he struck me with a..."

"Lightsaber," another voice said. I glanced in surprise, seeing none other than Minjun Kim towering above the two of us.

"Minjun!?" Ivan gasped, staring at him aghast.

"Hehehe, it's my name," Minjun chuckled half-heartedly.

"W-What are you doing here?"

Minjun raised one of his eyebrows before he responded. "A question? I see"

"I ask you. What are you doing here?"

"Watch me." Minjun climbed a step up on Sophie's chair before he stood tall with his classic smug.

While Ivan was still shocked by his presence, I was fuming inside. I wondered why Minjun would want to do that right before the exam started. Was he setting himself up for such unnecessary mockery?