Sophia panicked even more after she responded. Kira looked directly into the boy's eyes and said, "Come with me."
The boy and his friends looked at Kira and Sophia in shock, but the boy followed without hesitation. As they walked a little farther, Kira suddenly knew his name.
"Tony, do you have a girlfriend?" she asked plainly.
Tony looked at her in confusion and replied, "No."
Kira was taken aback by his answer. She then turned to Sophia, whose face was flushed and who was avoiding her gaze. Kira immediately guessed that Sophia had seen Tony with another girl and assumed they were dating.
Turning back to Tony, Kira asked directly, "What do you think of my friend Sophia?"
Sophia was speechless, surprised by how casually Kira was playing matchmaker.
Tony looked at Sophia, who shyly avoided his gaze. In that moment, Tony seemed to realize what was happening. He took a deep breath and said, "I like Sophia."
Without hesitation, Kira impatiently told him, "Both of you need to talk about your feelings. You're not kids anymore — you're adults."
She then turned around and walked away coolly. Kira headed straight to the classroom, resting her head on her desk. Soon, her classmates returned from watching the match.
When Kira heard the scores, she remained expressionless, sitting with a poker face until the day's lessons ended. Just as she was about to leave, Sophia ran up to her, grinning from ear to ear.
"Kira, thank you! You're the best friend I could ask for. I love you!" Sophia exclaimed, then threw her arms around Kira's neck and pecked her cheek.
Kira looked at her with a raised eyebrow, a little surprised by her friend's exuberance.
Sophia, however, was too excited to notice. She eagerly shared her news. "He said we can go on a date! I think I'm going to be his girlfriend soon!"
Kira nodded silently, her expression still unreadable. She grabbed her schoolbag tightly, her face remaining composed. Sophia didn't seem to notice her friend's lack of reaction and skipped ahead, still smiling brightly.
The school bus pulled away, and Kira stepped down at the bus stop near her house. As she made her way off, she noticed two men in dark suits already waiting for her.
They approached with forced smiles and fake concern, pretending to care as they drew closer.
Kira studied their faces silently, her expression unreadable. She didn't say a word.
"Not bad for Samuel's daughter," one of them remarked, his tone slightly flatteringly. "You're very pretty. Your father was quite handsome in his youth, and he was dedicated to his studies—he has a real passion for physics. Like father, like daughter."
But Kira remained unmoved, her face cold and steady. Clutching her schoolbag tightly, she began to walk away.
One of the men called out, "Why don't you consider switching to physics? We can make that happen easily if you're interested."
Impatiently, Kira retorted, "Not interested," without breaking her stride.
The two men in black suits exchanged surprised glances. They were taken aback by her confidence—she looked them straight in the eye and refused their offer without hesitation. Their astonishment was evident.
One of them glanced in her direction, a hint of curiosity flickering in his eyes.
"This girl's not ordinary," he muttered. "I've looked into her academic record. Samuel was deliberately hiding her intelligence, her true potential."
His colleague grumbled, "He's doing everything he can to keep us from reaching him. He's making things too difficult."
The first shook his head. "If we bring him back without his consent, it'll stall the research. We can't afford that. We need to be patient."
Kira was eavesdropping from a distance, she arrived home to find her parents sitting beneath a tree, quietly talking. She didn't listen in on their conversation, but the sight of them together added a quiet comfort to her day.
Kira pushed open her door to find Pascal already inside. His eyes flicked up when he saw her.
"I've already found out who they are," Pascal said calmly.
Kira's lips pressed into a tight line. Her gaze hardened, cold and piercing. She hadn't asked for him to enter her room uninvited, and her anger simmered beneath her calm exterior. She retorted sharply, "Who are they?"
In frustration, she dropped her schoolbag with a thud.
Pascal's expression grew serious. His voice deepened. "They're not as simple as they look. Who are they approaching?"
Without hesitation, Kira answered, "My dad."
Pascal's eyes widened in shock. He suddenly shot to his feet, stunned.
He hesitated before speaking, voice weak and strained. "Your dad isn't simple either, is he? He's a physicist?"
Kira nodded casually. "Yes."
A heavy silence fell between them. Kira took this moment to organize her study desk and straighten her bed, her movements deliberate and calm.
After a few tense minutes, Pascal sighed heavily and said, "It's best you don't know…"
Before he could finish, Kira's expression darkened. She lunged at him, grabbing her own neck and hoisting him up from his chair with murderous intent, her eyes bloodshot and cold. Her voice was icy. "You came into my room to tell me what I should know, and now you're holding back? Are you fucking tired of living?"
Fear overtook Pascal. He hadn't expected her to be so aggressive. He struggled to free her grip, but her hold was like iron—unyielding.
Feeling suffocated, Pascal's panic grew as her grip tightened. Her eyes flickered strangely, ominously. Pascal's voice trembled as he gasped, "Not good… not good…"
He managed to utter, flustered, "Kira, stop! It's me, Pascal!"
Suddenly, her eyes returned to normal. She took a step back, clutching her head as pain twisted her face. She growled softly, overwhelmed.
Pascal quickly moved to reassure her. "I think your dad and those men are building a nuclear weapon. That's all I know."
With that, he leaped out of the window and vanished into the woods.
Kira's eyelids drooped as she stood there, contemplating Pascal's words. The situation was dire—her father, caught in a dangerous game, likely a pawn for the government. She understood: he was probably given no choice—either he continued with the nuclear program or face assassination.
Suddenly, she heard the distant sound of tires and an engine approaching her home. Her eyes narrowed as she guessed who it was.