In the debate world, there are five unspoken rules. The first four are trivial; simple social laws that every sane person would understand.
But the last one. Now that's something.
Rule Number Five: Never, ever, under any circumstances, date your d...
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today's theme: illuminate
Hyunjin placed down three hundred-dollar bills. "I'm taking paid actor."
"Nope. Definitely someone he seduced into teaching behind all of our backs." Felix reached into his bag and pulled out a box of matcha kit-kats he had bought yesterday. He slapped it down on the table with a mischievous smile.
"You're all wrong. And stupid. It's gotta be Homer himself." Seungin coolly slid a fifty into the center, leaning back confidently.
Debate tournaments all had their own merits—their own way of scheduling, formatting, celebrating. Whereas Wellington had kept them on a suffocatingly, painfully tight schedule that made them run from one end of the Earth to the other, other places like All-American generally gave you a bit more leeway and time to travel. It all came down to whatever they thought would give you the best results, at the end of the day.
But if Wellington was that one teacher who required exactly six pages of homework every night and slammed their hands down if you so much as yawned, then Tokyo embodied the school counselor that insisted you call them by their first name and gave you peppermints whenever you visited.
They were on the other side of the spectrum—extremely laid back about almost everything, providing students with adequate time to mentally and physically prepare, done through loose schedules and long breaks.
Even the opening ceremony this morning had been a short cheerful one, where they all stood up, held hands, and chanted some weird vow to being a happy community. They had been let out about five minutes ago, and according to the staff, the first matches would be announced in ten minutes or so. Give them time to get ready, supposedly.
"Are you guys really fucking betting on my mystery partner?" Jisung exclaimed, walking over with Jeongin. They had been in charge of getting the complementary coffee at the cafeteria.
Jeongin perked up and ran over to their table. "Ooh! Me!" He pulled out his wallet. "I say Homer pranked him and he never showed up at all."
"Shouldn't you be, like, gearing up for your first match? Instead of getting up in my business?" Never mind that they had all picked up on Minho's fake name and were using it out of mockery to Jisung, he was going to bury them all for this.
Hyunjin gathered the money and the chocolates together in the center. "Technically, we should be saying that to you. Minutes away from your first match, and you're still lonely. Where is this mystery saviour, even?"
"Chan and Changbin went to register them right now, apparently. Jisung's partner slot is still TBD if you check it." Felix bounced in his seat. "My brother hasn't been around since like, all morning, so he's probably with the person."
He looked at Jisung. "Who do you think it is? Someone from the Academy?"
"It stresses me to think about it, so I've been blocking any theories." Jisung rubbed his temples. "Whether or not they're from the Academy, I just hope it'll go smoothly. If they're anything like Pierre, I'll scream and leave."
