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Chapter 190 by K5Rakitan K5Rakitan

How does Joan's day of volunteering go?

More kids recognize her.

Having thoroughly studied the map in her volunteer packet the night before, Tamara knew exactly where they needed to be and how to get there. She led Joan down wide red brick paths, past pristine lawns with perfectly manicured trees and majestic stone dormitories.

A team of teenagers wearing floppy chicken hats skipped past them. One noticed Joan and stopped, but another teammate grabbed his hand, and they got back to skipping. Apparently they had to get somewhere on time. Joan realized that any delays might cause her to be late as well and picked up her walking pace, smiling to herself and avoiding eye contact with strangers as she and Tamara hurried to a three-story brick building containing a lecture hall and numerous small classrooms.

Joan checked in with the Impromptu Competition captain's assistant and sat next to Tamara. Once everyone had arrived, the captain herself gave everyone a pep talk and a few reminders. Joan had heard most of it before, but this year, a new rule had popped up overnight. "And if anybody mentions the W-word, including team coaches and parents, you tell them to say companion instead. If they persist in using it, assess a one-point unsportsmanlike conduct penalty."

Joan itched to raise her hand and explain that she actually liked the W-word but decided not to push her luck. After all, teams never received a warning before being penalized for an F-bomb or even a minor profanity. Walt himself had probably issued this directive after thorough consideration. Besides, the organization had to maintain certain standards in order to appease sensitive groups of people. While Joan didn't like pandering to certain sensitivities, she knew the organization would do the most good by catering to the broadest audience possible. Besides, her own mother wouldn't have let her compete in Imagination of the Mind if it had a reputation for strong language.

The day started easily enough. The enormous lecture hall served as the waiting room for the Impromptu Competition, and a judge would appear in the doorway every other minute to summon a team. Meanwhile, the Impromptu Competition captain watched the room like a hawk, trading out with her assistant whenever she had to be somewhere else. Tamara busted out her bumblebee song again, and many teams came down to the podium to present their own silly songs, make armpit farts, or burp the alphabet.

One kid stared hard at Joan's nametag before yelling, "I know you! You're Kaiba's whore!"

How does Joan respond?

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