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2nd — CLASS THREE
Performance Score: 90.6
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Class Three erupted.
Cheers filled their section.
Sophie stared upward.
Second.
Her mouth opened.
Then closed.
Then opened again.
"We're second."
A classmate beside her laughed.
"We can see."
"We're second!"
This time she smiled.
Actually smiled.
Not the polite smile she used when trying to keep everyone comfortable.
Not the embarrassed one from the debrief.
Pure happiness.
Several Class Three students surrounded her almost immediately.
Questions.
Congratulations.
Someone grabbed her shoulders.
Another shouted that only one student had been eliminated before the final Citadel battle.
The boy who had been eliminated in the forest sat several rows behind them.
Sophie noticed him.
Her smile softened.
He noticed.
Then raised one hand.
Two fingers.
Second.
Sophie laughed.
Relief returned.
The Hermit waited until the noise dropped.
"Class Three scored highest in information utilization."
