Chapter 474
Norris explained everything clearly, then handed out room keys while everyone split up to settle in. The restaurant he brought them to turned out to be a popular local spot owned by another Chinese family, and Norris apparently knew the head chef personally. The other teacher on the trip was older and new to Altair, so he let Norris handle everything without question. Norris really had it all sorted, making sure every detail was covered.
The bistro was packed, and without Norris’s connection, they probably never would have found a table. Even if they had, the crowd would’ve scared them off. The chef finally got a break and came over, clapping Norris on the back and grinning. “Norris, it’s been forever. You haven’t changed a bit… still looking sharp.” That only made the students admire Norris more.
After lunch, Norris took everyone back to the hotel for some downtime. Now that they were full, the exhaustion hit all at once. As soon as they got to their rooms, everyone just crashed. Some kids were too nervous to sleep for long and got up after a little while to squeeze in some studying.
Claire, on the other hand, managed a full two-hour nap. When she blinked herself awake, Linsey was already at her desk, totally focused on a set of problems.
“Linsey, how long have you been up?” Claire asked, rubbing her eyes and heading for the bathroom to splash her face with cold water.
“I only slept an hour,” Linsey replied, not even looking up. Her discipline really impressed Claire.
“Aren’t you going to study, Claire?” Linsey finally asked, noticing her staring out the window instead of hitting the books.
“I just need to clear my head for a bit. I’m still stuck in sleep mode,” Claire said. She never saw the point in pushing herself as hard as Linsey and the others.
Not long after, someone messaged the group chat, asking if Claire was awake and wanted to talk through some problems. Claire checked with Linsey before inviting everyone who wanted to join over to their room. The space wasn’t big, so it felt packed once everyone squeezed in.
Across the hall, Carver from Aurelia popped his head out, giving them a look like he thought they were up to something.
“Solenia has that saying, right? Something about last-minute cramming being pointless?” he called, rolling his eyes.
Right then, Norris showed up and caught what Carver said. He cut in with a calm smile. “Actually, it’s cramming at the last minute sure it’s not perfect, but it helps review what you know,” he said. “Sounds to me like Aurelia is pretty confident about winning this year p>
Carver didn’t reply. Even though he acted sure of himself, he had done his homework on Norris. He found out Norris was already a professor, and pretty well-known in math circles, despite being so young. When he locked eyes with Norris nów, Carver looked way less sure of himself.
Finally, he just said, “Of course we are p>
Norris didn’t bother answering. He encouraged the students to keep reviewing and headed downstairs to the self-serve dining area, returning with a plate of fresh fruit for everyone. The students were blown way by now gought he was
They munched on the fruit while working through problems, and even Claire couldn’t escape everyone’s questions. Once Norris dropped in to help, the pressure finally eased.
Time flew, and before they knew it, it was dark outside. The group’s energy was still going strong, but hunger finally caught up with them. Norris had to remind them several times before anyone was willing to stop and go back for dinner.
By the time they got there, Aurelia’s team had already grabbed a table, and Cascadia’s group had arrived too. The second Claire walked in, Elvis from Cascadia spotted her and made a beeline over.
“Hey, I’m Elvis from Cascadia,” he said, giving her a friendly grin.
“Hi, I’m Claire, from Solenia.” She flashed him a smile before they started chatting. It was just some light small talk, but Claire managed to pick up tons of useful info about the Cascadia team without even trying.