<code 1>: Infinite Loop;

Chapter 2

"Crucial 'to, guys," dagdag pa niya. "One wrong feature, one wrong prompt... we could do more harm than good."

Napaisip ako. "Hmm. Siguro meron naman? I mean, baka yung event mismo ang magpo-provide ng professionals to guide us. Miss May did say it's a big collab project."

"I hope so," Ariseki muttered, now scrolling through the event brief sa phone niya. "Kasi, if we're doing MindMesh, we need legit input. Hindi enough na tech side lang."

"Maybe I'll ask Ms. May the next time," dagdag ko, habang sinusulat sa Notes app yung reminder.

"Gawin mo na ngayon," sagot ni Sylrax habang nagta-type na rin sa laptop niya. "The earlier we confirm, the better. Kung wala silang psych collab, we'll have to find one on our own. Baka may kakilala si Syntra from her electives."

"Actually..." napaisip ako. "May naka-group ako dati sa GE subject ko, psych major siya. Medyo nerdy, pero sobrang insightful."

"Perfect. Text mo na rin," sabi ni Ariseki. "We need her brain."

Habang sila ay nagba-brainstorm na ng possible features ng system— emotion-based journaling, AI-driven mood detection, safe vent spaces — ako naman ay nag-send na ng message kay Ms. May.

To: Miss May

Miss May, good afternoon po. I just wanted to ask if the Hackathon will include psych or mental health professionals we could consult for the project, since the theme is sensitive. Thank you!

Hindi pa man ako nare-replyan, nagpatuloy na kami sa mga ginagawa namin, dahil sakto na din na time na ng mga next subjects namin.

When I got home, agad ko silang chinat na mag meeting kami sa discord, kasi nakareceive na ako ng reply galing kay Miss May.

"Guys," I called their attention on the screen of my computer, while I'm scrolling through my inbox. "She replied."

"She said... 'Yes, there will be professionals present during the event. We are also assigning a few psych majors from partner schools who will act as guides and data validators for each group.'"

"Let's gooo," si Hexine, sabay fist bump kay Sylrax.

"At least hindi tayo nagbubuo ng system nang paasa lang sa gut feel," dagdag ni Ariseki.

"Kaya nga eh, edi dapat lalo natin na mas galingan dito. Malay niyo magkaroon pa tayo partnership soon" sabi ni Aunix, which is may point naman. Malay nga naman soon diba, edi mas secured na ang future job namin.

"Wow, sana all may vision sa buhay," pang-aasar ni Syl habang inaabot ang charger niya sa ilalim ng mesa. "Pero in fairness, may sense ka dun Aunix. That's future-ready thinking."

"Dapat lang, noh?" ngumiti si Aunix. "Gusto niyo bang maburo lang 'yang mga skills niyo after grad? Ako hindi."

Napangiti ako habang pinapanood silang magbatuhan ng comments. Seryoso pero may halong kulitan. This team? We actually had a shot—hindi lang sa hackathon, pero pati na rin sa real world.

"Okay guys," sabay balik ko sa inbox ko. "Since may go signal na from the organizers and miss May, I'll start drafting our project outline. Let's brainstorm properly tomorrow."

"Game!" sabay-sabay nilang sagot. The fire in our eyes? It's getting stronger.

And we're just getting started.

Weeks and days passed, and finally, the most awaited event had arrived.

We came prepared for this—countless sleepless nights, brainstorming sessions sa café, and group calls na umaabot ng madaling araw. This wasn't just a school activity for us anymore. It became a mission. A goal. A point we needed to prove.