As Arianna began to direct several questions at Jeff, no matter how many times she tried or how difficult she made them, he was still able to give his answers confidently. The most frustrating part for her was that every single response from him was not only answered clearly but was also supported with statistics. Each reply seemed to come with a new set of data, and even when she tried to press further by asking for proof or questioning whether the information was credible, Jeff only used the opportunity to reinforce his stand even more firmly. Because of this, she eventually lost as the allotted time ran out, but that did not mean she was weak on her own. If it had not been Jeff who stood as her opponent, there was a great chance that she would have secured the victory for herself. However, luck was not on her side today. With the next match beginning, the spotlight shifted to Arven and Lyra. As the round started, Arven stepped forward and confidently delivered his speech. In his address, he strongly reaffirmed the belief that K to 12 represents the future of education, emphasizing its role in shaping the skills and opportunities of the next generation. He followed it by sharing some hypothetical examples of students who became successful because of the K to 12 program. His entire speech revolved around this point, and it managed to capture the full attention of his classmates, who listened carefully to his claims. After Arven finished, Lyra also stepped onto the stage to deliver her own speech. Even though her presentation was not as strong or polished as Arianna’s earlier performance, she was still someone who could not be taken lightly. Her words carried a certain weight, and it was clear that she had prepared herself to argue from this. As the debate continued, the momentum of victory slowly leaned toward the boys’ team, their points pushing them slightly closer to the win with each passing round. The exchanges grew more intense, but in the end, it was clear that the boys had secured the advantage, and by the conclusion of the debate, they were declared the winners. When Teacher Arianna finally stood to announce the results, the boys could not contain their excitement. They erupted into cheers and claps that echoed throughout the room, celebrating their hard-earned triumph. Jeff, naturally, felt proud and deeply satisfied with the victory, joining in the joyous celebration as the boys’ side rejoiced together. While Jeff was enjoying the moment and glancing at the other side of the team, he suddenly felt a sharp and intense gaze directed at him. Looking for it and as he find the culprit he quickly realized it was none other than Arianna. She was staring at him intently while pouting, her expression making her appear almost like a spoiled princess who had just tasted something unbearably bitter. Her narrowed eyes and sulking lips revealed her frustration, though she still carried a certain charm in the way she reacted. Arianna kept her eyes locked on him for a while, unwilling to back down. However, the instant those golden eyes of his stared right back at her, she puffed up her cheeks in protest. She let out a soft humph, and quickly turned away as she returned to her seat, trying to hide her embarrassment. Seeing her silly actions, Jeff could not help but laugh inwardly. He did not fully understand the reason, but, there was something about seeing a girl make that kind of expression that he secretly found endearing, and he realized that he rather liked it. Then a loud clap suddenly echoed through the room as Teacher Annie called everyone’s attention. She firmly instructed them to return to their seats. Newest update provıded by 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡✶𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚✶𝙣𝙚𝙩 After carefully grading each participant, she announced that several representatives from the boys’ team would now be exempted from the upcoming exams. In addition, she reminded everyone that those who had not actively participated in the debate would still be given the promised points, just as she had promised beforehand. This announcement caused the boys to break into loud cheers of celebration. But when she noticed the downcast expressions of the girls, she decided to be considerate. To keep things fair, she awarded the same additional points to the representatives of the girls’ team that she had earlier given to the boys who had not participated in the debates. As for the other girls who had also not taken part in the debate, she granted them half of the points as a form of encouragement, making sure no one felt completely left out. With that final adjustment and the atmosphere in the room lightening once more, the class officially came to a close. Celeste, who had already sat at her desk, was still in turmoil. Her eyes were fixed on the surface of the desk in front of her as she struggled to fathom how she had even lost. It was because of one mistake, one slip-up, that she had fallen short. She hated it, truly hated it. Losing had never been part of her vocabulary, but if it really had to be a loss, it should have been to the right opponent, not to some mindless, idiotic womanizer. Just recalling how she had stuttered and how unsteady her answers had been, made her hate herself to the core. Yet some of that hatred was also directed toward Andre, who had somehow been tied to her humiliation in ways she could not forget. Andre, together with Mark and Lester, kept boasting loudly about how he had managed to defeat Celeste in the debate. He did not even care if his voice can be heard across the room for her to hear, literally showing no concern for the sting, it might cause. 1st: Special thanks to ’Essos👑’ – the GOAT of the month, for both the rewarding gifts and golden tickets! Much love, brotha! 2nd: Special shoutout to ’Shawn_Martz👑’ – The same GOAT of this month, for all the amazing gifts! You’re absolutely RAD! 3rd: Big thanks to ’Pat_funding👑’ for the unwavering support since the very start of my journey and for the golden tickets and gifts!