Tala, who was instructed to choose her first teammate, let her gaze wander until it landed on someone.
It was a girl with long hair. Upon seeing this, the three team leaders, except for Jeff, visibly reacted, their eyes trembling as they silently cursed their luck. The girl Tala chose was known for being smart and responsible.
"Ralya Bautista," Tala said with a giggle, while Eve nodded in acknowledgment.
"Alright then, for those who were chosen first, take a pen and write down the names of your classmates that was selected in your group. Since your team leader is currently in the process of recruiting," Eve said to the class.
So Ralya took a pen and a one-fourth sheet of paper, then wrote down Tala's name along with her own.
Next was Celeste. She let her eyes wander across the room before speaking.
"I choose you, Michael Rama," she said, pointing at a tall guy who was about the same height as Andre, but with a much more handsome face and an athletic presence.
Michael took out a pen and wrote his name down. He was clearly pleased, knowing his group would not be weak.
He was relieved not to be placed in the failing section.
"Ariana," Eve called out.
Ariana nodded and called out the name that had come to her mind.
"Jian Francisco," she said, causing Celeste to freeze in surprise and fight the urge to slap her own forehead.
She had completely forgotten about Jian, who was exceptionally smart in both academics and sports.
All she could do was sigh, reminding herself to stay more focused next time.
Jian was a well-known basketball player in their class, often regarded as the MVP whenever he played.
His skills on the court were top tier, but Jeff had never seen him play and was unaware of his true ability.
"Arven," Eve called out next.
"I choose Ann," Arven bellowed, like ash choosing pikachu.
Hearing this, Jeff chuckled, already expecting it. Ann was Arven's girlfriend, a somewhat smart girl, and also Jeff's close friend.
She had a tomboyish nature, which made it easy for Jeff to interact with her without awkwardness.
She was his first real female best friend in this school.
"Lyra," Eve called next.
Lyra made her choice and picked her own best friend, "Erica Villanueva."
Then Eve turned to Jeff.
"Choose your team members, Jeff," she said.
"Sure thing, teacher," Jeff responded with a confident smile.
As many classmates, mostly boys, raised their hands and shouted, "Me! Me!" Jeff glanced around. Most of them were his friends, and he gladly welcomed them.
"Mark Belgira, come," he called out.
His choice made the teacher narrow her eyes for a moment, but in the end, she simply shrugged.
Jeff was not the type to chase academic excellence. For him, as long as he enjoyed the process, that was enough.
So his choices clearly showed that his target was his friends, giving a glimpse into the likely low power rating of his team.
With that, the next round of selection began. One by one, Jeff's close friends were chosen.
While the other four team leaders aimed for the most capable students, Jeff focused on picking his friends.
"Now that everyone has a group, the order in which I called the team leaders will determine your group number. I want each group to gather now. You will have twenty-five minutes to discuss your research title so I can review and revise it if necessary. Understood?" Eve said to the five team leaders and the rest of the class.
With that, the students gathered with their respective groups, taking their seats and forming small huddles.
Since Jeff's group was called last, they were group five and gathered at the very back of the room.
There were about seven classmates in his group, two girls and five boys.
Three of them were familiar faces: Mark, Lester, and Andre. The next one was Ryan, and the last was Villar, a chubby guy he was also close with.
The two girls were Althea and Grace, both of whom he had a good relationship with. Since they wanted to join his group, he had no reason to refuse.
"So now that we've gathered, what kind of research title should we come up with?" he asked, looking around at the group.
They all fell silent, thinking for a moment. After about a minute, Ryan raised his hand and offered a suggestion.
"What about something related to phones? Since phones have become a big hurdle for us students, right?" Ryan suggested.
Lester, Andre, and Villar nodded in agreement, thinking it was a good idea. The two girls, Althea and Grace, simply looked at Jeff, waiting for his response.
Jeff placed a hand on his chin and replied, "The idea isn't bad, but it's a bit too simple. And if I'm not mistaken, it's probably overused. Most of the other groups might come up with something similar, like 'What Are the Effects of Cellphone Addiction Among Students?' that's what you had in mind, right?" he said, looking at Ryan.
Ryan simply nodded, dumbfounded since he hadn't thought that far ahead, not even to the point of forming a proper title.
"Okay, let's just list our first idea for now before deciding. Any more bright ideas?" Jeff asked, looking around the group.
"I have one," Althea said, and Jeff nodded at her to continue.
"What about something related to trash segregation?" she suggested.
Jeff nodded again, considering the idea. "Alright, I'll write that down. That makes two. Any more?"
He then let his gaze wander across his team members and saw that they had run out of ideas. So he decided to propose his own.
"Mine is something a bit extraordinary, and I'm not sure if all of you will approve it. So, do you want to hear it?" Jeff asked.
Hearing this, Ryan and the rest grew curious, their interest clearly showing on their faces.
Seeing their reactions, Jeff smiled and began to speak.
"What I have in mind is an offline virtual school system powered by AI that can help students with learning and more," Jeff began.
"It would have a lot of functions. In simple terms, it's like a teacher powered by AI, one that can give study tips, correct writing errors, fix grammar problems, and other related tasks."
"So, how about it?" Jeff asked, noticing the way everyone was now staring at him with a mix of surprise and disbelief.
Lester was the first to react, "Jeff, what do you mean by an AI teacher? An offline virtual school system? Just hearing the name already makes my head spin. That sounds impossible."
Ryan also nodded, clearly feeling incredulous. "Yeah, he's right. It's not that I don't agree with you, but it sounds impossible. I've never heard of an AI doing something like that. In films, maybe, but in real life? No way," he added.
"Yeah, Jeff, this sounds more like a dream," Althea agreed.
"If we try something like this, it'll be way too complicated. I think we should go with something easier, something that doesn't require too much time or effort."
Seeing their doubtful expressions and hesitant tone, Jeff chuckled.
"Look, when I suggested this, it means I'm confident we can pull it off. And if we go with this idea, doesn't that make our research unique and different from all the others?"
Hearing the word unique, the group fell silent for a moment. Then Mark looked at Jeff, seeking some confirmation.
"Don't tell me you're the one who's actually going to make that AI thingy you're talking about?"
Jeff nodded in response, "Yes, it's me. So just leave that part to me. If I'm right, I can finish it by tomorrow, and I'll show it to all of you," he said confidently.
Seeing the certainty in his expression, the group finally accepted his idea.
Jeff smiled, wrote down the title of their research study, and walked toward the teacher to submit it.