The flickering fluorescent lights buzzed faintly overhead in the cramped Tokyo research lab, casting an unsteady glow that matched the monotony settling in Kaito Shun's chest. Seventeen years old, standing before a vast whiteboard crowded with intricate mathematical equations most professors would dread, he felt neither pressure nor awe—only a mild excitement at the challenge. To him, these weren't insurmountable problems but puzzles waiting to be solved.
Professor Nakamura leaned in closer, eyes scanning the complex formulas with a mixture of disbelief and admiration. "Shun-kun, I have to say… your calculations are extraordinary. You've cracked what our entire team has struggled with for over half a year—and you did it in three days."
Kaito gave a small bow, eyes lowered in polite respect. "It's about looking at the problem differently. The variables needed another angle."
