Every participant in the Science Fair is at the science laboratory, preparing their projects for the showdown tomorrow. This includes the two infamous academic rivals and sworn mortal enemies: Kira and Kei.
Kira is known for her flashy yet organized projects and outputs, while Kei is known for his minimalistic yet also organized projects and outputs.
The two are at tables right next to each other.
Kira: Guess what, Kei? The magma that will flow out of my volcano once it explodes will be pink and glittery! Can you beat that?
She boasts confidently.
Kei: Who cares? As far as I'm concerned, magma is not pink and definitely has no glitter.
He retorts, not bothering to look in her direction as he is too busy with his own volcano.
Kira: Tch. Whatever.
She walks away to grab her box of art materials from the back of the lab. As she returns, she accidentally slips on the wet floor, causing the box to fly into her and Kei's projects, ruining his completely.
Kei: What the-Kira!!
Kei immediately removes the materials that destroyed his work, attempting to salvage it.
Kei: What have you done?!
Kira stands up, dusting her uniform off before rushing to her own project.
Kira: No, no, no!
She picks the box up along with her art materials, setting it aside before tending to her project.
The teacher facilitating the contest immediately approaches their table.
Teacher: What a disaster...
Kei: It's all her fault! She's so clumsy!
Kira: It's not my fault the floor happened to be wet!
Kei: Nuh-uh, don't blame the floor for your clumsiness. What do you even need these for, huh? You're so extra! You don't need to paint everything; you don't need to make everything flashy!
Teacher: Enough, both of you.
The two reluctantly quiet down, although they still attract glances from the other participants.
Teacher: The showdown will be tomorrow, and I don't think either of you will finish that in time. So how about you two partner up?
Kei & Kira: No, what?
Teacher: It's not a suggestion.
The two end up partnering together, redoing their projects.
---
Hours later, they are already halfway done.
Kira: Now, let's decorate it!
Kei: No. It's fine as it is.
Kira: No! We have to make it catchy; that way, we have a higher chance of winning.
Kei: Fine, I guess you're right about that.
Kira begins painting the base of the volcano, followed by the slope and summit, while Kei prepares the mixture for the magma.
Kira: You're doing the mixture? Let's add glitter!
Kei: No! Have you ever seen a volcano eject glitter?! It's supposed to be red-orange.
Kira: Where's your sense of creativity? Just a little.
Kei: No. Just finish painting that so it's dry by tomorrow.
Kira: Tch.
Kira continues painting the volcano. After she is done, she adds details and decorates the surroundings to catch the eye of the judges and audience.
Several minutes later, they are finally done.
Kira: The paint should be dry by tomorrow, I hope.
Kei: It has to be. If not, I'm blaming you.
---
The next day, the day of the showdown.
The pair arrives early at the science laboratory to check on their work. As expected, the paint is dry. They double-check the model to ensure that it is sturdy and accurate, then bring it to the competition area.
Kira: Did you bring the magma mixture? I have the baking soda with me.
Kei: Yeah, it's here.
Kira: Good.
Kira pours all of the 250 grams of baking soda inside the volcano, ready for it to react with the magma mixture later.
After long minutes, the showdown starts, and they are seventh in the queue.
When it is finally their turn, Kei pours the red-orange magma mixture inside, and the volcano erupts with smoke like a real volcano, earning applause from the audience and judges.
---
After the showdown, it is finally time to announce the winner.
Emcee: And there we have it, the different volcano models from different students. Everyone did a great job. However, only one will be considered the winner.
The tension in the crowd and among the participants thickens as they wait for the Emcee's announcement.
Emcee: And that is... Glittery Pink Dinosaurs!
The audience, contestants, and judges, along with Kira, all clap, while Kei seems a bit out of place.
Kei: Huh?... Glittery what?
Kira: It's us! We won!
Kei: We? Seriously? Glittery Pink Dinosaurs? What are you, a child?
Kira: You told me to handle the registration; I can't just put "Kira and Kei." I had to be creative. Regardless, we won, so that's all that matters.
Kei: Whatever. I have to say, you're not so bad.
Kira: You too; the mixture you made was amazing! It even released smoke effects.
Kei: And I like your design.
After receiving their certificates, they celebrate at a nearby cake shop.
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End
Word count: 823
