Chapter 42 – Debate Day
A few weeks passed quickly after Anshul settled into school life.
By now, most students had stopped paying special attention to the "student entrepreneur" who had transferred into their school. For them, Anshul was simply another classmate attending lessons and completing assignments like everyone else.
Which suited him perfectly.
School had returned to a comfortable routine.
Classes during the day.
Company work in the evening.
And occasional conversations with Mia Thermopolis whenever their schedules crossed.
---
StudyFlow also continued growing quietly in the background.
The team in San Francisco managed customer support and partnerships while the development team in Pune handled system improvements and server maintenance.
The latest report showed steady progress.
More than 210,000 students were now using the platform.
Nearly 550 schools had adopted the licensed version.
The numbers were increasing every month.
Although Anshul was pleased with the growth, he knew the education technology market was extremely competitive. Maintaining reliability and improving features remained his top priority.
---
One afternoon during lunch break, Mia approached Anshul again.
She looked slightly nervous.
"Hey."
"Hi," Anshul replied.
Mia sat down across from him.
"I have a debate today."
"The one Lilly mentioned earlier?"
She nodded.
"It's about whether students should rely too much on technology in education."
"That sounds interesting."
Mia hesitated.
"Lilly is on the pro-technology side."
"And you?"
"I'm supposed to argue that students should not depend on technology too much."
Anshul raised an eyebrow.
"So you're arguing against the thing I built."
Mia groaned softly.
"That's what makes it awkward."
He laughed.
"Don't worry. Debate isn't about personal opinions. It's about presenting arguments."
Mia looked slightly relieved.
"Lilly still plans to use StudyFlow as an example though."
"In a good way?"
"Mostly."
---
Later that afternoon, students gathered in one of the classrooms where the debate club held their events.
Several teachers and students sat in chairs facing the front.
Two groups stood on opposite sides of the room.
Lilly Moscovitz stood confidently among the pro-technology team.
Mia stood with the opposing group.
She looked extremely nervous.
Her hands were gripping a small stack of notes so tightly that the paper had begun to wrinkle.
Anshul sat quietly in the back row.
He wasn't officially part of the debate, but Mia had asked him to watch.
The debate began.
Students presented arguments about the role of technology in modern education.
Some argued that digital tools helped students organize their work and access information more easily.
Others claimed that too much reliance on technology could reduce critical thinking and discipline.
Eventually it was Lilly's turn.
She stepped forward confidently.
"Modern education requires modern tools."
She paused briefly.
"Students today face overwhelming workloads. Technology helps them manage their time effectively."
Then she smiled slightly.
"For example, platforms like StudyFlow allow students to automatically organize assignments and create efficient study schedules."
Several students glanced at Anshul.
Lilly continued.
"Instead of wasting time figuring out what to study next, students can focus on actually learning."
Her argument was strong and well delivered.
---
Then it was Mia's turn.
She stepped forward slowly.
For a moment, she simply stared at the audience.
Her nervousness was obvious.
But then she took a deep breath and began speaking.
"Technology can be helpful."
She glanced briefly toward Anshul before continuing.
"But students should not become completely dependent on it."
Her voice gradually became steadier.
"Learning how to manage time independently is also important."
She paused.
"Tools like StudyFlow can assist students…"
"But they should never replace personal discipline."
By the time she finished speaking, her voice sounded much more confident than when she started.
Several students clapped politely.
When the debate ended, the judges announced the results.
Lilly's team won.
But Mia's performance had been surprisingly strong.
---
After the event, Mia walked toward Anshul in the hallway.
"Well… that was terrifying."
"You did well."
"I didn't throw up this time."
"That's definitely improvement."
Mia laughed.
"I guess so."
Then she added with a shy smile,
"Thanks for watching."
"Of course."
As they walked toward the school exit together, Mia seemed more relaxed than usual.
For the first time since they met, she looked genuinely confident about something.
And although she didn't realize it yet, this confidence would soon become very important.
Because her life was about to change in ways she could never have imagined.