A murmur of protest. The lookout girl’s head snapped up. Taro hesitated. "I'm fine here."
She continued the charade. "Let's try a practice problem. Taro, would you balance this equation for us?" She pointed to a complex reaction: C₆H₁₂O₆ + O₂ → CO₂ + H₂O . A murmur of protest
Taro Kishimoto. The science prodigy. The chess champion. The suspected data mule for the Phantom Circuit, a cyber-criminal syndicate that had been leaking state secrets through encoded messages hidden in academic papers. '" she said. "It's less paperwork."
She began her "lesson," writing on the whiteboard in neat, shaky letters: 2H₂ + O₂ → 2H₂O . As she explained mole ratios, her eyes weren't on the equations. They were cataloging. A murmur of protest
"I prefer the term 'tutor,'" she said. "It's less paperwork."