On the way to her school, Emily didn''t grab his hand as she usually did.


    "Em?" he called gently.


    "What?" she replied, her tone short.


    "Are you mad at me?" Noah asked, smiling softly.


    She crossed her arms and looked away, her cheeks puffed slightly. "Hmph. It''s about time you noticed."


    Noah raised an eyebrow, feigning confusion. "Why? What did I do?" He kept his tone warm, knowing she needed to express her feelings.


    "You don''t love me anymore," she snorted, her arms tightening around herself.


    The words stung, though Noah could tell it wasn''t said with real malice. He crouched down slightly to meet her eye level, speaking softly.


    "Why do you say that, Em? Of course, I love you."


    Her lips quivered slightly before she snapped, "You don''t even spend time with me! You''re always busy."


    Noah nodded, his expression serious as he ced a hand on her shoulder. "You''re right. I''ve been so caught up with things that I haven''t spent as much time with you as I should."


    She sniffled slightly, still refusing to look at him directly. "Hmph."


    "But," Noah continued, tilting his head to catch her gaze, "how about this? We''ll go on a little tripter today. Just the two of us. Wherever you want."


    Her head snapped toward him, eyes wide. "Really? Anywhere?"


    He grinned and nodded. "Really. Anywhere you want."


    Her expression transformed instantly. A beaming smile spread across her face as sheunched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I love you, Noah!" she eximed.


    Noah hugged her back, ruffling her hair yfully. "I love you too, Em."


    As she skipped toward the school entrance, her earlier pout was reced by uncontainable excitement.


    After dropping Emily off, Noah drove straight to school, arriving just in time for his first ss. As he entered the room, the sound of morning chatter paused momentarily, and he took his seat ignoring the wave of curious nces.


    His first ss of the day was mathematics, taught by Ms. ra.


    As Noah entered, Ms. ra''s face lit up with a warm smile. "Long time no see, Mr. Noah. For a moment there, I thought you''d transferred to another high school."


    Noah gave a soft grin, scratching the back of his head. "How could I even think of switching high schools when I''ve got the best math teacher here? That would be a crime," he said, his voice yful.


    The ss chuckled softly, and Ms. ra shook her head with a lightugh. "ttery will get you nowhere, but I''ll let it slide this time. Go ahead and take your seat."


    Noah nodded, quickly finding his spot near Lily, who raised an eyebrow at him.


    "You are flirting with the school teacher now?" She muttered as Noah sat down.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Hm?" Noah said.


    "I said, good morning."


    "Oh, good morning," Noah replied with a smile.


    As the first bell rang, Ms ra pped her hands, signalling the start of the lesson. The chatter in the room died down instantly.


    "Alright, everyone," she began, her voice clear and authoritative. "As you all know, exam season starts next week. I hope you''re ready because this is the culmination of everything we''ve worked on over the past few months."


    She paced across the room, her gaze brieflynding on Lily and Noah. "We expect great things from you,"


    "For the past month, we''ve gone through mock tests, detailed preparation sessions, and even extra study groups after school. All of this was done to ensure you''re ready to excel."


    Pausing near the whiteboard, Ms. ra turned to face the ss. "Our school hasn''t ranked nationally for a long time now. This is our chance to change that, and I believe this group can make it happen."


    A murmur of agreement rippled through the room, though a few students exchanged nervous nces. Ms. ra''s belief in her students was well-known, but the pressure was high due to the close date of the exam.


    "Now, let''s go over the exam format onest time," she said, pulling up a slide on the projector. She spent the next twenty minutes detailing the structure, the types of questions to expect, and time management strategies.


    Her exnations were clear and precise, as always.


    "Remember," she concluded, "these exams are not just about testing your knowledge. They''re about showing how hard you have worked, and how much time you spent. Believe in yourselves, and I know you''ll make us proud."


    The bell rang just as she finished, signalling the end of the ss. Ms. ra smiled warmly. "Alright, that''s it for today. Study hard, and if you have anyst-minute doubts, don''t hesitate to ask me."


    As everyone left the ssroom, Ms. ra called out, "Noah, could you stay behind, please? I need to talk to you."


    Noah paused in the doorway, nodded, and turned back into the room.


    His ssmates shot curious nces at him, but he ignored them, stepping closer to Ms. ra''s desk as thest of the students left the ssroom.


    When the door clicked shut, Ms. ra looked up from the papers she was organizing. "Noah," she began, her tone firm but not unkind, "you''ve been doing well in your tests when you''re here, but you''ve missed several sses over the past weeks."


    Noah gave a faint smile. "I''ve been busy. The principal knows about it."


    Ms. ra nodded. "I''m aware. But we agreed that you''dplete the weekly tests to keep up. Have you set aside time to do this week''s?"


    "Sure," Noah replied easily. "I can do it during break time."


    She arched an eyebrow. "Break? That''s only fifteen minutes. You''re nning to finish an entire paper in that time?"


    He nodded, his confidence unwavering. "Fifteen minutes is plenty."


    Ms ra looked at him for a moment intrigued, she knew that he was very intelligent. "Alright," she said after a pause. "If you''re sure, I''ll have the paper ready for you then. Come back here during the break time."


    "Will do," Noah said, giving her a casual salute before leaving the room for his next ss.


    [Ultimate Choice System has been activated]


    [Option 1:...]