Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 378

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They threw everything they had at each other, but the fierce loyalty and idealized defense from her classmates and alumni were undeniable.

Acting as the class president, Mira finally called out, "Alright, alright, that's enough. Let's get back to studying. Let them perform their little one-man shows. When the time comes, we'll shut them up with real results."

Someone echoed her sentiment. "Exactly! We'll crush them with our actual skills and leave them speechless."

The classroom quickly quieted down, leaving only the sound of flipping pages.

Two days later, when the district competition results were finally revealed, the joint forum was uncharacteristically silent.

That morning, the principal made a point to announce the scores to the entire faculty and student body after morning assembly. Everyone waited with bated breath.

Mira already knew that Melvion Central High School had won.

Mira had secured the highest overall score in the entire district—a massive point of pride and a bragging right for the school.

But out of the five subjects, Mira had only placed first in the district in three, a reality that forced her to stay alert.

In the English competition, Mira had only managed third place.

First place went to the Academy's Logan Gentry. His father was a diplomat, and he had been raised fully bilingual from birth.

Second place went to another Academy student. Rumor had it they were biracial, with a parent from an English-speaking country, also raising them entirely bilingual.

Meanwhile, Mira had settled for third.

First place in the district math competition went to Zander May, also from the Academy.

It seemed that their sheer arrogance a few days prior hadn't been entirely baseless; they genuinely had the skills to back it up.

"There is always someone better" wasn't just an empty proverb. It was a harsh truth Mira had to respect.

And this was only the district level. What about the provincial competition?

Aethelgard University only accepted a few dozen students from the entire province each year. A single misstep could cost her everything.

People later dug up the fact that Zander's mother was a math professor at Melvion University, granting him an immense innate advantage.

Naturally, given her current net worth, that amount of money was insignificant.

But it represented pure honor. The knowledge she acquired was hers alone.

Elara took home one second place and one third place, earning a total of one thousand two hundred dollars.

Harvey and Wesley each secured a second-place finish.

Unfortunately, Mira's close friends, Liora and Celine, hadn't cracked the top three in any subject, meaning they wouldn't be advancing to the provincial competitions. The world was ruthlessly Darwinian like that.

But this time, Melvion Central High School had dominated the district rankings overall.

The entire school was celebrating. On the athletic field, a massive crowd of students swarmed around Mira and her friends.

"Ah—!"

Class was about to start, and as Mira's group headed toward the academic building, a sudden shriek ripped through the air behind them.

Turning around, they saw someone sprawled out on the ground.