The final question stayed on the screen.
One sentence.
That was all.
But somehow it felt heavier than every other problem combined.
The timer continued to move.
3:12
I read the question again.
Then again.
"…This can't be real," I whispered.
Ethan didn't respond immediately.
He was staring at the screen like he was trying to see through it.
"What are they asking?" I said.
"It's a strategy problem," he replied quietly.
"Meaning?"
"It has more than one correct method."
That made my stomach tighten.
Multiple methods meant something dangerous.
If we chose the wrong approach…
We could waste the remaining time.
Thinking Under Pressure
The audience was completely silent.
Across the stage, some teams had already started writing.
Others looked frozen.
Daniel from Westbrook leaned forward in his seat, writing quickly.
Confident.
Too confident.
Ethan noticed.
"He's rushing again."
"That worked for them earlier."
"Not this time."
He tapped the notebook.
"Think before writing."
I forced myself to slow down.
What was the question actually asking?
Not just the numbers.
Not just the pattern.
The logic behind the scenario.
Then something clicked.
"…Wait."
Ethan looked at me.
"What?"
"This problem assumes something."
"Yes."
"But what if that assumption is wrong?"
For the first time during the round, Ethan smiled slightly.
"There it is."
The Real Trick
The question wasn't about solving the scenario.
It was about challenging the initial assumption.
Once we removed that assumption, the entire structure of the problem changed.
And the answer became simpler.
Much simpler.
"Seriously?" I whispered.
"They wanted to see who would overthink it."
I quickly wrote the final solution.
The timer dropped lower.
0:54
I looked at Ethan.
"You sure?"
He reviewed the steps one last time.
Then nodded.
"Yes."
We put down the pen.
The End of the Round
The timer reached zero.
The buzzer sounded through the auditorium.
Round Three was over.
The judges collected the answer sheets again.
This time, the waiting felt unbearable.
Students in the audience were whispering excitedly.
Teachers looked anxious.
Across the stage, Daniel leaned back in his chair confidently.
He glanced at us.
Then smirked slightly.
He thought he had won.
I looked at Ethan.
"Do you think we got it right?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Then he said calmly,
"Yes."
That one word was enough to calm me down.
If Ethan was certain…
Then we probably had a chance.
The Final Results
After several minutes, the judges returned to the stage.
The entire auditorium went silent.
The head judge stepped forward.
"All teams performed exceptionally well today."
My heart started beating faster.
"However, only one team achieved the highest score in the final round."
A pause.
Then he continued.
"The winners of this year's Academic Challenge are…"
The silence in the room felt endless.
Then the judge finished the sentence.
"Ridgeway High."
For a moment, I couldn't move.
Then the audience exploded into cheers.
Our school section was shouting loudly.
I turned toward Ethan.
"…We won."
He nodded slightly.
"Yes."
Across the stage, Daniel looked stunned.
He stared at the scoreboard for a moment.
Then shook his head with a small laugh.
"Guess you were better today," he admitted.
In the Audience
As the celebration started, I noticed Clara standing near the back.
She was smiling.
Not smug.
Not jealous.
Just proud.
She caught Ethan's eye and gave a small nod.
He nodded back.
Because without her warning earlier…
We might have fallen into the traps too.
After Everything
As the auditorium slowly calmed down, I looked at Ethan again.
"We actually did it."
"Yes."
Then he added quietly,
"You did well."
That compliment meant more than the trophy.
Because once upon a time…
We had been rivals trying to beat each other.
Now…
We had just won together.
And somehow…
That felt even better.