Chapter 278
Mirabella ascended the stairs to the third–floor corridor and surveyed the area – all offices as far as the eye could see. She pulled out her phone and shot a quick message to Mr. Hammond via Messenger.
It wasn’t long before Mr. Hammond emerged from an office at the very end of the hallway. Spotting Mirabella, he waved her over with a casual flip of his hand.
With measured strides, Mirabella approached him. “Mr. Hammond,” she greeted, nodding slightly.
Today. Mr. Hammond’s face bore none of its usual stern austerity. Instead, he was practically beaming with a joyous radiance. “Mirabella, you got here pretty quick,” he remarked with a hint of cheeriness in his voice.
He began walking back into his office, with Mirabella following suit. Inside, there were three other teachers. One had been an invigilator for the past few days, another was the physics professor referred to by Matthew at lunch, and the third was someone Mirabella hadn’t met before. Mirabella greeted the three teachers with a polite nod of acknowledgment.
The unfamiliar man, who turned out to be the head of the records department, held a document in his hand. Upon Mirabella’s entrance, he looked up, with a playful jab at the ready. “Hammond, do all the bright sparks at your school also come with such high–caliber looks?”
Mr. Hammond’s eyebrows arched mischievously. “Absolutely. Our school is all about substance and style – we’ve earned our stripes.”
The head shook his head slightly, then handed Mirabella the document along with a pen. “Young lady, fill this out for us, will you? There’s a desk by the window – take a seat there.”
Mirabella thanked him, took the documents, and made her way to the indicated desk. She sat down and began to fill out the form with earnest precision. It was similar to an enrollment form but far more detailed, even requiring her to specify her intended major after graduation.
Meanwhile, the physics professor, who had been sipping water, sidled up to Mr. Hammond and inquired, “Hey, Hammond, I’m curious. With scores like Mirabella’s in physics, why didn’t she compete in last year’s Physics Olympiad?”
The professor’s interest had piqued after seeing the final contest results, especially when he learned that someone had solved his challenging physics problem. He had dug up the student’s test paper for a closer look and was astounded by the sheer talent on display. The final problem he issued was a high–caliber physics question, developed based on international competition standards, a brain teaser so sophisticated that even university freshmen might struggle to unravel it promptly. However, this teen prodigy, Mirabella from Parkside High School tamed this beast of a problem. But what’s even more astonishing is that, she tackled it using the solution methods endorsed at an international competition level.
Mr. Hammond glanced at the professor. “Because last year, she wasn’t a student at our
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Chapter 278
Parkside High School.”
The professor expressed his regret. “If she had competed in the Olympiad last year, she might have ranked well.”
Mr. Hammond paused before sighing. “Yeah, that problem from last year that only one person solved? That would’ve been a piece of cake for our Mirabella. If she had participated, we’re not just talking about ranking – she could’ve been a contender for the top spot.”
The professor blinked, and then his realization dawned. “Wait, Hammond, are you saying she could’ve solved that physics problem?”
Mr. Hammond straightened up, and his pride was evident. “Oh, that? Piece of cake. A mere trifle.”
He mentally kicked himself for not saving the solution on his phone – it would’ve saved him from having to convince everyone that, yes, it was indeed true.
