As expected, the skill levels of the other participants were terrible.
"You know, like with phones, they have non-removable batteries built in, right? They're all one piece....?"
"....."
"But it's inconvenient if the battery dies while youre out, right? And carrying a power bank can be heavy. So we thought about it... what if the battery could be made removable..."
"...."
"Make it so, you know, you can easily insert and remove the battery. You can charge several spare ones in advance, and when the battery you're using runs out, swap it with a fully charged one. And when charging, you can charge them all together at once... Of course, with current technology, that's probably quite difficult.."
The first team of freshmen boys tried
to explain this and that, but the judges'
faces only looked unimpressed.
And no Wonder they were. Phone batteries had always been removable and detachable, and it was only in recent years that they had become non-removable.
'...Lost technology, huh.'
And why do they keep using phrases like 'you know~' and 'you can~' in their
presentation?
Finally, the presentation came to an end.
"....The end."
"Alright, thank you for your effort. Now, we will move on to the judges' Q&A session."
After the first-year boys' presentation,
following Teacher Han Ari's guidance,
the judges picked up the microphone with somewhat unenthusiastic expressions.
"....Hehe, where do I even begin pointing out...."
The Principal, who took the microphone first, laughed with an expression of utter bewilderment.
The first-year boys' team waited quietly for the response.
Their faces showed no sign of understanding what the problem was; if anything, they looked rather confident.
"...First off, do you know this technology already existed?"
"....."
The boys on stage glanced at each other's faces, and the Principal chuckled again before continuing.
"Phone batteries were originally removable. It's only recently that they have become built-in."
"...."
"To say that it's impossible with the current technology, well, that's quite something..."
The boys' faces gradually turned red. Soon after, the Vice Principal beside him also picked up the microphone, her stern glasses glinting.
"...In my opinion, it seems there was a lack of basic research from the start. From now on, before diving into a topic you want to explore, please first investigate whether it already exists or not. Good work."
" Y-Yes, thank you...."
The boys from the first team hurriedly bowed and stepped down from the stage.
Gyeongwon and I subtly exchanged glances.
"...Club Prez."
"Yeah."
The guy pushed up his glasses, as if he had something to say.
Before he could speak, I nodded first.
"I agree."
"Right?"
"Yeah."
Latecomers to the competition.
It was almost laughable how far below the mark they were, especially considering how tense we had been about having more competitors.
'....I wonder if the other teams are similar.'
That would be a relief.
The first-years hurriedly came down from the stage and took their seats.
My face felt hot just watching them.
[Special ability Lip Reading has
activated.]
["...Giving them a zero seems a bit harsh..."]
["As for me, for now..."]
The judges took a brief moment to discuss the scores among themselves, and then the host, Teacher Han Ari, picked up the microphone once again.
"Alright, the second participating team. 27th12th', please come up and begin your presentation."
At Teacher Han Ari's words, a large group of chubby-looking boys, looking Somewhat dull, swarmed onto the stage.
And the dumbest-looking one among them grabbed the microphone.
"Hel. lo. We. Are. Team. 27th12th. From Class 5. Grade 1. Today. Our. Presentation. Topic. Is."
The boy looked rather clueless, seemingly giving a presentation for the first time in his life.
Gyeongwon and I both let out a sigh.
"I didn't expect it to be this bad, Prez."
"Indeed."
It was like the boarding house, where
everyone was invited to take on the
challenge of passing the civil service exam, and there were bound to be a lot of fakes.
But even so, this didn't feel like high school students, more like middle schoolers. No, even that's too generous, it felt like an elementary school talent show.
The judges' faces slowly hardened at
yet another low-quality presentation. +
[Products That Run on Electricity
Around Us]
Participating Team: Team 27th 12th
"Around us. There are. Many products. That run on. Electricity. So. We decided. To research. On it."
As soon as he finished speaking and put down the microphone, another boy who looked just as dumb grabbed the laptop and clicked the mouse a few times.
Then, in the blink of an eye, the PPT whizzed by.
[Thank you for listening.]
"First slide..."
The boy who had been holding the
microphone and presenting gestured with a clueless expression for someone to flip the slides back.
"Forward. Forward... one more slide forward.."
"...."
Click- click-
In the quiet music room.
Only the sound of the mouse frantically clicking through slides echoed quietly.
"Forward. A bit more... the one before that..."
"...."
The audience waited quietly, staring at the quickly scrolling PPT screen.
"Uh, forward. No, backward. That one just now. The one right behind that. No, not that one..."
"...."
"No, we just passed it... go back..."
Just as someone let out a sigh, the slide had finally returned to its original position.
"Ah, here. Um. So. The items. We explored. Are. As follows."
[Things that run on electricity: hair dryer, washing machine, iron, mobile phone, radio ]
'Damn... are these guys in high school or what, picking a topic like this.'
"We. Couldn't write down. All the other items. Because there were too many. Please. Understand. That."
Watching this was so painful that I let out a long sigh.
That's what the research competition was like for ordinary students.
For them, who had only ever lived through rote learning and solving exam problems, this kind of free-spirited approach to choosing a topic and exploring it was completely foreign.
The guy standing on the stage probably wasn't this much of an idiot. I think he might have been the Class President in another class.
However, the level of Nakseong High
students, no. The average level of high school students in South Korea was exactly at that level.
"The problem. With electric appliances. Is that. They increase. The electricity.
Bill."
"....."
"Then. It leads to. Environmental pollution. Thank you."
The presenter bowed.
Reluctant, scattered applause faintly echoed through the music room.
Clap, clap, clap...
Then, the Principal, chuckling lightly, was once again the first to pick up the microphone.
"Well, the presentation on products that run on electricity... we have enjoyed it all."
"Thank. You."
"But this will eventually have to be presented as an actual exhibit. What kind of entry do you plan to submit based on the topic you have researched...?"
The team that presented looked at each other's faces in response to the Principal, who trailed off while smiling.
Then another student, who also seemed somewhat dumb, picked up the microphone and answered in his place.
"...Ultimately, we were. Planning. To exhibit. Products. That do not use. Electricity."
"Hmm? What does that mean?"
The Principal asked, widening his eyes with a smile.
"Could you please explain it one more time? I didn't quite understand just now."
"So, you see..."
The presenter and the other male students huddled together and whispered among themselves for a moment.
"...So, the products that use electricity,which we just presented. We planned to replace them with products that don't use electricity... and then exhibit them."
"Oh, really!?"
The Principal made a gesture of surprise.
"Is that even possible? And come to think of it, there was no mention of such content in the PPT itself, was there!?"
"....."
"Did you just come up with this idea on the spot?"
As the Principal asked casually, the participants could only exchange glances with each other.
Soon, the Principal let out a hearty laugh.
"Alright, that's enough. Thank you for your efforts. You may go back now."
"...Yes."
The silly-looking male students bowed in unison and returned to their seats.
A few applauded softly.
Clap, clap, clap....
" Hmm."
"Haa..."
Me and Gyeongwon both let out a sigh with indifferent expressions and leaned back in our chairs.
Some students could be seen nodding with puzzled expressions, as if they hadn't understood what was happening, it was probably because they were on the same level.
But for us, who were at a much higher level, it was clear.
This competition right now...
Was far below standard.
"Joon.."
Soon, Sunah, sitting beside Gyeongwon, poked her head out towards me, and whispered,
"I think ours is much better..."
I respond gave Sunah a quick thumbs-up.
"Obviously."
"Yeah..."
Sunah, who had been whispering, straightened her posture again.
I was grateful that Sunah understood.
"Alright, then the third participating team. 'Bandit Cats,' please come forward."
Finally, the Vice Class President Chaerin and the church girl Yeseul from the front row stood up.
Gyeongwon and I, who had been lazily slumped back in our seats, straightened our posture.
This was partly because I felt a bit tense seeing the Vice Class President take the stage.
'....She seems pretty confident.'
Although we hadn't talked much, her grades were good, and she always answered well in class.
I often got the impression that she was sharp and brimming with confidence.
Judging from how I made her cry during that apocalypse incident before, she doesn't seem to have developed an immunity to emotional clashes with others.
Chaerin, the confident female Vice Class President, surprisingly cries easily at the slightest provocation.
It seemed like she would deliver the
presentation well, so if she had brought a good item this time, she could potentially pose quite a threat to us.
"Hello, we are the team 'Bandit Cats' from Grade 1, Class 3. Nice to meet you~"
Clap, clap, clap-
The audience erupted in applause as Chaerin greeted them energetically.
After the two male teams in a row had just made fools of themselves before stepping down, the confident attitude of the female students seemed to liven up the atmosphere a bit.
"The research topic we will present today is free feeding stations for stray cats. If you look here-"
'...As expected, Chaerin is the one presenting.'
In this two-person female team, the confident Chaerin handled the presentation, while the meticulous-looking Yeseul operated the PowerPoint slides on the laptop.
Ping~
The screen flashed with a cute sound
effect.
Unlike the slides made by the male students who simply slapped together text and images, the presentations were beautifully designed with animations, each sentence moving perfectly along with the presentation's timing.
Indeed, as you'd expect from sharp and meticulous female students, in terms of quality alone, their PowerPoint was almost on par with the one Gyeongwon had created for us.
'But the problem is the content.'
The presentation was excellent, and the PPT itself was well-made.
But the real question was just how scientifically beneficial the content within it truly was.
That was the main focus of this competition, after all.
If we couldn't persuade the judges there, no matter how good the PPT or how well we presented, it would still just be an empty shell.
"..By installing these automatic feeders in every neighborhood-"
"Hmm..."
Beside me, Gyeongwon pushed up his glasses and observed Chaerin's presentation with keen interest.
With a meaningful expression, his face was focused, perhaps thinking the same thing as I was.
'Free feeding stations for stray cats...'
Hmm...' Chaerin continued her presentation in a clear and crisp tone, smoothly delivering what she had prepared.
But from my perspective, it seemed a bit ambiguous.
'..The content is a bit...'
The judges' reactions this time would reveal whether or not they have a discerning eye.
".....That's all. Thank you!"
Chaerin concluded her presentation with a cheerful voice, and a loud applause erupted.
Clap clap clap clap clap clap-
Regardless of the content, it was finally a proper presentation.
Soon after, the microphone was passed around the judges' panel for a brief moment. As she had done since the first team, Teacher Choi Jungim once again waved her hand and declined the microphone.
After the brief handover, this time, the strict middle-aged Vice Principal was the first to take hold of it.
"I listened carefully to your presentation. Well done,"
Chaerin bowed her head slightly.
The Vice Principal's, holding the microphone, finally revealed a faint smile, replacing her usual sternness.
Many parents were present for this event, at least they've managed to maintain appearances, perhaps she was glad about that.
"Before we ask a few questions, let me summarize the content... The whole point is to install an automatic feeder for stray cats, right? That would eliminate the problem of them knocking over and rummaging through
nearby trash cans, and we could use that to add more functionality."
"Yes!"
Chaerin answered with a bright smile.
However, despite the Vice Principal's
satisfied smile, the questions she posed
were quite sharp.
"But... aren't there far more issues with stray cats beyond just trash cans? Are there really many instances of them overturning trash cans? I personally haven't seen much of that."
The Vice Principal pointed out the shortcomings of the research topic gently, all while maintaining her smile.
Although she often came across as harsh to us, that must have been because we were opponents. but the way she spoke there revealed a gentle, seasoned grace cultivated over decade in the teaching profession.
"When it comes to the issues with cats, isn't it mostly about them gathering and howling noisily at night? That's probably the biggest complaint people have about stray cats."
"Right.. Yes."
"However, the aspect mentioned in this presentation about cats overturning trash cans while searching for food..Honestly, it's an unfamiliar issue to me as someone living in an apartment. I've never experienced it myself, so this is the first time I'm even aware such a problem exists. And as for the
proposed solution of establishing free feeding stations, that is, automatic feeders? I can't help but wonder... how is this fundamentally different from the 'cat moms' we see these days, which has become a social nuisance?"
The Vice Principal, apart from being satisfied that the presentation had gone
well and saved face in front of the parents, gently pointed out the content with astute criticism.
And at that penetrating question, Chaerin, who had been smiling with a bright expression, suddenly looked a little flustered.
"Ah, that part... well, you see..."
Chaerin whispered something to Yeseul for a moment.
"is that even allowed?"
If discussing opinions after being asked a question was allowed, then there was no need to worry about our team's weaknesses, Jinhee and Sunah.
Soon, Chaerin confidently picked up the microphone again and answered.
"Of course, there are many issues surrounding stray cats, but our goal is not to solve all of them. Instead, we selected one specific problem and worked on it. As for the differen ces from 'cat moms'... First of all, the purpose of our research is not simply about feeding cats. It involves incorporating multiple functions within the feeding station to help map out a roadmap for the stray cats in that neighborhood, which is where the
difference lies."
"Is that so?"
What exactly do you plan to accomplish by creating a roadmap? And is it even possible to plan something so complex with just a
feeding machine?
There were many points that could have been criticized, but the Vice Principal let them pass with a tone of gentle laughter.
It felt as if she just wanted to move on.
Soon, the Vice Principal tried to pass the microphone to the Principal, but the Principal waved it off with a laugh.
Then, without passing it to Teacher Choi Jungim, the microphone was handed directly to Teacher Han Ari this time.
"Teacher Han Ari? Do you have anything to say?"
"Huh? Ahaha.. Well, then.."
Teacher Han Ari took the microphone with an awkward smile.
After letting out a thoughtful hum and a soft laugh, the teacher then posed a question.
"Actually, the intention and everything was good. It was quite cute, very much like what you'd expect from female students... I liked it."
Chaerin smiled brightly and murmured a thank you.
"But... since this is a science exhibition, there really needs to be a deeper, more scientific aspect to explore. This...well."
Teacher Han Ari gave an awkward,troubled smile.
"Actually, automatic cat feeders are already widely available on the market, right? It's just a matter of adding a few features and installing them on the streets. But adding those features doesn't necessarily require
scientific exploration... Since it's mostly
about coding, I'm not sure where or how to explore this further. It's not like the students suddenly learned programming just to create this... if you could have perhaps addressed that part..."
As the question trailed off and ended, Chaerin once again nodded brightly and answered.
"Yes, as you mentioned, automatic feeders are already available on the market. Adding features or modifications, as you pointed out, is something developers would handle
through coding. It's not something we can do, and it wouldn't align with the purpose of the competition anyway. However, our goal isn't just to create the device itself, it's to use it to build a roadmap for the stray cats in the
neighborhood. Because of that, we believe there's enough scientific value to explore."
"What do you mean by a roadmap.."
"By adding a few basic timers inside the machine, we can collect and statistically analyze data on how many cats come and go, how much food they eat, which areas have higher populations, and more. Then,
we could ultimately create a full distribution map of the stray cats in the neighborhood, and based on that, various further studies could be possible. Like how many cats live there, when they roam around...."
"Is that so...?"
Teacher Han Ari smiled and pulled the
microphone away from her lips.
"I didn't notice this part in the PPT, perhaps because it was briefly mentioned. If it had been emphasized more, the necessity of this research might have come a across much more clearly."
"Ahaha.."
Chaerin let out an awkward laugh, and it seemed like the questioning was coming to an end.
'..Hmm.'
I raised an eyebrow.
At first, I thought it was just on the level of a wannabe cat mom.
But hearing it put that way, it did sound a bit more substantial.
'...Still, it's all just pie in the sky talk.'
It was all just speculation; if we do this, then that will happen. They were not actually building the machine, nor were they coding the program themselves. Plus, it was questionable whether the data that would come out of this would even be precise enough to map the stray cats' population.
The kind of conclusion that could be drawn from a feeder would simply be based on how much the cats ate. It wouldn't really be enough to determine their habitat anyway.
Gyeongwon seemed to have the same thought, nodding with a hmm' expression.
Identifying the entire population through free feeding stations and exploring management strategies based on that, while in reality, free
meal services and temporary shelters for the homeless already serve a somewhat similar function.
Chaerin's team not only failed to effectively present this, but also lacked scientific depth and practicality.
To put it bluntly, if cats in an area consume too much feed, it would be assumed the population there is high. Would Chaerin go there herself with scissors and perform neutering?
'But after neutering, she finds out that it was just cats visiting from another neighborhood.'
Thinking about it again, they were a step below us.
We didn't rely on speculation, we explained everything clearly using scientific principles and even brought a physical model we built ourselves to demonstrate it.
'These people should have the insight to recognize that.'
Soon, the judges nodded to each other and began marking on their papers as they scored.
[Special ability Lip Reading has
activated.]
["Well, at this level...."]
["Anyone has anything more to ask?"]
After the scoring was finished, Teacher Han Ari, holding the microphone, nodded toward Chaerin and Yeseul.
"Yes, thank you for your hard work. You may step down now."
"Thank you~"
The two girls bowed their heads and returned to their seats, while the students applauded with slightly louder claps.
For one, both were quite pretty, they delivered their presentation well, and their content was better than the teams that had presented so far.
"Next up, the fourth participating team,'Four Lost Stars' please come forward."
Another group of unfamiliar first-year
students swarmed onto the stage.
"...Mostly first-years, I see."
"They're still at the age where they have illusions about this kind of competition."
Gyeongwon pushed up his glasses.
"Hello, the topic we'll be presenting today is...."
I craned my neck and looked toward the Chemistry Club seniors.
They were still waiting expressionlesslv for their turn.
'...We're the fifth in line. It looks like those seniors are after us.'
Once the current fourth team finished, it was our turn right after.
Because of that, the members were too tense to even process the presentation content, exchanging anxious glances with each other.
I sent encouragingglances to Hayoon at the very end, who wore a calm expression, and also to Dukhun, who was squirming nervously.
We could win this.