Fall in love in a weekwe get by

From that moment on, Volger could talk as much as he wanted about tides, elements and young creators; we had no time for him. Nothing helps brighten up a boring lecture more than excitement and two pieces of paper, ask any student. In addition, we had fundamentally different approaches. Norwood “shot” chaotically, sometimes it even seemed to me that he was poking at the sheet without looking and only then looking to see which cell fell out. I combed the field methodically, leaving no chance for the large ships, and along the way I also touched the small ones. With my system it was difficult to hit only single-decks, but overall it was superior to Norwood’s approach. I wonder when he will notice my strategy and how he will react?

I noticed it quickly. He grinned and wrote: “Your system is bad because it is too easy to calculate.” And he began to “shoot” according to the same pattern. I thought about whether to tell him my second secret of the game, and decided – even if it’s not interesting, the chances are too unequal. I wrote along with the next move: “Invent your own, you won’t find my ships using this system.”

“Have you taken into account that the enemy can adopt tactics on the fly? Not bad, Miss Blair!

"Experience, Dr. Norwood!"

"And if so? A8"

“We got it!”

“Yeah! I will make you together with your system!”

"Let's see!"

Very soon, both he and I had only our single-decks left intact. Norwood has two, and I have one. As sports commentators would say, the game has entered an acute phase. Pure luck – no system will help you figure out single-deck boats. Who's going to be lucky?

"D9"

I looked at my last ship in disbelief. How, how, Holmes?!

– Killed.

A deathly silence suddenly reigned in the hall, which I felt with my whole being, to the point of goosebumps. Like Volger’s gaze, and the students who turned to me, it seems, everything was as if on command.

– How?! – Herr Volger asked confusedly.

“A shot at cage D9, and not you,” I thought gloomily. How awkward it turned out. You had to get so carried away.

“Of course, with your progressive approach to intertidal pebbles and intertidal pebbles,” said Norwood with a surprisingly serious face. – I must admit, I was almost killed too. On the spot.

“Pebble?!” – I wrote when the reassured and inspired Volger began to broadcast again. What side do pebbles generally face towards metals?!

Probably the same as Venus and the young creators. Yeah. I'm killed on the spot, that's right.

“Another game?” – Norwood replied.

"Let's".

When Volger finally finished with the ebbs and flows and questions from enthusiastic students, the score was three to two in Norwood's favor, and I was desperate for coffee. Preferably with a cupcake, but the main thing is coffee. Clear your mind after the ebb of thoughtful intelligence. ? which is what I said, completely losing sight of the fact that there was a crowd of students around. I hope they won’t give me away; in the last rows, it seems, the fans were gathered not of Volger, but of Norwood.

Yes, it turns out that he has fans in his senior years. They don’t take autographs, but they are ready to take notes on his naval battle strategies. And they even asked when there would be a lecture and colloquium to replace those that were canceled for Volger. The most persistent were not frightened even by the “Sunday” voiced by Norwood.

But it scared me. Sunday will be my, our, sixth day. For some reason, it persistently seems that it is the last time, when it is really still possible to achieve something and do something. The seventh is already a line, summing up.

Well, thank you, Maskelyne! Not only did she force Norwood to work here through sheer meanness, but she also loads him with work on the weekends. Maybe we should spend some of the remaining time giving the headmistress some nasty “farewell gift”? How, for example, do they treat revealing articles in the press here? At home, I could easily start a very good hot scandal, not even on all the available material, but only on that which is easy to prove without rummaging through someone else’s personal life. But then at home, there I know all the moves and all the right people…

With these thoughts, I didn’t even notice how we reached the buffet. A crowd had gathered at the counter; it looked like everyone from the conference room had rushed here. I wasn’t the only one whose brain needed recharging after such a global outburst.

“The life-giving influence of alchemical genius,” Norwood commented. – Urgently cheer up and refresh yourself.

I looked doubtfully at the seething students, reminiscent of rush hour in the subway. The staff generally serve you without a queue, but you have to squeeze through!

– I can make coffee at the department – not that I really want to do this, but maybe it will really be easier?