With the math portion over, others immediately started firing questions from different subjects to try and stump her. Literature, foreign languages, integrated sciences... they came at her from all angles, one after another, but she was like a universal answering machine. There wasn't a question they could think of that she couldn't answer.
Watching her, Salma and the other teachers were dumbfounded. Was she even human? Or some kind of deity? How could she be this brilliant?
"My god," the Dean of Students said, his hand trembling as he took a sip of water. He tried to compose himself. "I almost expelled this little firecracker. Thank goodness she set me straight."
The subject teachers, mouths agape, saw their pale faces flush with color, their eyes shining. A moment ago, they were hanging their heads, avoiding the cameras. Now, they stood tall and proud like fighting roosters, their faces beaming. A perfect score! The top student in the nation! And they were her teachers!
Online, public opinion flipped in an instant. Many became instant fans, affectionately calling her the "Human Question Bank" and joking that she should launch an app for solving difficult problems. If you were stuck on something, you could just ask her.
"That's that problem..." Juniper's throat was dry. She took a sip of water, her gaze sharp. "There are ten minutes until five. Anyone else?"
"I have one!" a man in the corner raised his hand confidently. "I have a problem that, to this day, no one has been able to solve."
He was a researcher from a well-known mathematical institute. His team had been wrestling with this problem for ages without a breakthrough. He figured he'd try his luck here.
After reading the problem, Juniper's brow furrowed slightly, her cool eyes looking intense. Surprisingly, she didn't answer immediately like before.
After a half-minute of silence, the crowd grew restless, murmuring amongst themselves. Had this problem finally stumped her? So, she wasn't omniscient after all.
"Juniper, can you solve it?" the man asked earnestly.
"No," she replied without hesitation. "I can't answer this one."
She couldn't answer it? She just admitted it so easily? Everyone remembered her bold claim before the press conference began: if she got a single question wrong, she would admit her scores were fake. It looked like she was about to eat her words.
"Juniper doesn't look too good..." The Dean stood up abruptly, his expression grave. "I saw the problem. It is incredibly difficult."
"That's going too far, using a problem like that to trip her up," another teacher complained.
"I know this problem," Salma said, her hands clenched, her voice raspy. "It's from the math institute, based on experimental data. They've been trying to solve it for a long time, but no one has succeeded."
It was far harder than anything before; it was perfectly normal for Juniper not to be able to solve it. But if she couldn't, would the reporters, the audience, and the millions of viewers online let her off the hook?
"An investigation? Doubts? Is there any proof more direct or more badass than this?!"
"Mr. Tate's sister is a genius. When you can't beat them, you slander them. Let's hear you now!"
"By the way, does anyone know where this legend lives? I need to know which direction to pray in every morning!"
"Unbelievable! This year's top scorer isn't from Eclara High, but Aurora High! Aurora High is about to take off!"
"No doubt about it. Forget being shut down; applications to Aurora High are going to skyrocket this year."
"Any other questions?" Seeing that no one else was speaking up, and the murmurs of "cheating" had died down, Juniper's lips curved into a smile that held a sharp, cold edge. "Since there are none, I don't want to see any more slander about my school, my teachers, or my family online. Adding names to a lawsuit is a simple matter of lifting a finger."
"Oh, and by the way..." Juniper added, her eyes cold and a mocking smile on her face, "Aurora High produced the top scorer and placed ten students in the top ranks of the state. You can choke on your jealousy, but it won't change a thing. Yes, I'm talking to you, Eclara High."

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