Page 59 of Claim Me

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He nudges his tablet aside with one finger, then folds his hands.

"Twelve thousand, three hundred forty-seven times eighty-six."

Easy.

"One million, sixty-one thousand, eight hundred forty-two," I answer without hesitation.

A small nod. "Correct."

No praise, no surprise. Just ‘correct’? Show me a person who can give an answer in a -second span, it’s not that common, believe me, so I kinda expected a bit more, but oh well. I'm not done here.

I narrow my eyes a little. "Next."

"Four hundred ninety-seven thousand, eight hundred twelve times three hundred six."

Still easy.

I break it down in my head automatically, numbers sliding into place.

"One hundred fifty-two million, three hundred thirty thousand, four hundred seventy-two."

Blue watches me for a second longer this time, then inclines his head. "Yes."

His expression remains unreadable.

"Alright," he says. "Division. Eight million, four hundred seventy-two thousand, nine hundred sixteen divided by four thousand, three hundred seven."

A grin immediately tugs at my mouth.

Now that’s more like it.

I lean back slightly, already pulling the numbers apart in my head.

"Four thousand three hundred seven times two thousand is too high… nineteen hundred gets closer…"

I pause briefly, refining it.

Then the structure locks into place.

"One thousand, nine hundred sixty-six point three zero seven one seven," I say, only slowing slightly near the end as the decimals keep unfolding.

For the first time tonight, Blue’s expression shifts almost imperceptibly.

A small nod.

"Correct."

There’s a pause. I wait for at least a hint of admiration, but nothing comes.

"Okay," I say, with a more intense tone. "Let’s switch it up. Something harder."

His gaze changes, just slightly. Interest, maybe?

"Square roots," I insist. "Try me."

A faint pause, like he’s deciding how far to go.

"Approximate the square root of 7,389 to three decimal places."

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