Chapter 38
The air in the classroom was stiffer than usual. Tables pushed to the sides, rows cleared. A projector cast a low blue light on the wall. The long table at the front had four panelists seated—one of them, Miss Herrera, arms crossed loosely, flipping through printed research papers.
Kairi stood with Zoe and Maya near the front, waiting to be called. Namamawis na iyong palad niya. Her papers were slightly crinkled sa sobrang higpit ng hawak niya.
"I swear," she muttered under her breath. "If I forget even one line—"
"You won't," bulong ni Zoe pabalik.
"Speak for yourself," Kairi replied. "My brain's soup. And I feel like I'm about to throw up"
Zoe whispered, "Just breathe."
"I am breathing," Kairi muttered. "That's the problem. Every breath feels like a countdown to death."
Maya gave her a reassuring pat sa likod. "Relax. Just do what you always do."
"This isn't class," Kairi hissed, glancing at the panel table. Her eyes caught Miss Herrera's for half a second. She looked down immediately. "It's different. She's different. She's in full panelist mode."
"Group One, you may begin," tawag ng research teacher nila.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Kairi hesitated for a moment before moving to set up the laptop. Her fingers were unsteady as she plugged in the HDMI cable, trying not to let the shaking show. She clicked the mouse, and the projector flickered to life, casting the first slide onto the wall.
She glanced quickly at the panel table, then back at Zoe, who was ready to start. Kairi took a deep breath and stepped aside, forcing her hands to stop trembling as she stood beside Maya.
Zoe stepped forward. "Good morning. We are Group One and our study is titled 'A Theoretical Framework for Human-AI Interaction in Autonomous Service Systems.' I'm Zoe Soriano, with Maya Alcaraz and Kairi Lei Ferrer."
Zoe began with the background—the rise of AI-driven customer service systems, the relevance in public sectors like transport and healthcare, and the gap in current frameworks when it came to modeling human response.
Maya followed, smooth at kalmado, outlining their objective and conceptual framework.
Then came Kairi.
She took a half-step forward, hoping her nerves would behave.
"We explored existing models of AI-human interaction, like trust calibration theory and user behavior matrices, and proposed a framework that accounts for human hesitation, perceived autonomy, and response latency.
These were applied to scenarios in self-service AI systems, like kiosks and virtual check-ins. .."
Nag-waver nang bahagya ang boses niya sa salitang "check-ins," and her eyes flicked to Miss Herrera—who was writing something. Not reacting. Not looking up. Just writing.
Shit, she's writing. That's bad. Or is that good? Is that worse?
Kairi forced herself to finish. She did. Barely.
They wrapped up, thanked the panel, and stood frozen. Parang mga suspect sa police lineup.
Panelist 1, isang composed na middle-aged woman, asked, "Can you elaborate on how your framework considers outlier behavior? Particularly people who reject or bypass AI systems entirely?"
Maya answered, calm and clear. Pero halos hindi na ito ma-process ni Kairi, overpowered by the sound of her own heartbeat.
Panelist 2, a younger guy with circular glasses, asked, "Your proposal assumes ideal function on the AI's side. Did you consider system errors or how humans respond when the AI fails?"
Zoe took that on, referencing one of the diagrams from the appendix.
Then dumating na ang question ni Sir Delfin na kilalang-kilala for his abstract questions.
He leaned back. "So, if the system adapts based on human input, and the human adapts based on system behavior...which one leads the interaction loop? How does your framework define the initiator in a mutual-adaptation model?"
Kairi blinked. What the hell does that even mean?
There was a tense beat of silence.
Zoe opened her mouth—then closed it. Maya glanced at them both.
Kairi took in a sharp breath, panic crawling up her throat.
Then Miss Herrera spoke—not to Kairi, but neutrally, to the room.
"Perhaps what Sir Delfin is asking is who drives the dominant interaction—does the AI's programmed adaptability dictate the flow, or is it the human's unpredictability that shapes the loop?"
Kairi latched onto that like a lifeline.
"Yes," she said, stepping forward slightly. "Thank you, Miss—uh, I mean—"
She cleared her throat. "Our framework identifies the human as the initiator in real-time settings.
While the AI adapts faster computationally, the human's input still determines context.
The AI's 'response' doesn't originate from intention—it reflects back behavior, adjusting variables based on human cues.
So the loop exists, but the seed of the interaction is always human. "
Sir Delfin gave a slow nod. "Hmm...okay."
Kairi exhaled through her nose, almost shaking.
Then it was Miss Herrera's turn.
She lowered the printed paper in front of her. "I have a few points."
Oh, shit. Here we go.
"Your review of literature needs restructuring. The references are there, but the flow feels stitched—almost like each section was written separately and just compiled. I'd recommend a more integrated discussion."
Kairi wanted to melt into her socks.
"Also," Miss Herrera continued, flipping a page. "Your formatting needs refinement. Your discussion section is too brief. And your figures—especially Figure 3—are hard to interpret without proper legends. Be mindful."
Pero bago pa siya tuluyang mawasak—
"That said," dagdag ni Miss Herrera, still not looking up. "The framing of your objectives was clear. Your methodology was consistent. And you handled a theoretical topic with a fair amount of restraint, and your framework shows strong logical flow."
Kairi blinked.
Then Miss Herrera looked up—just once, her eyes on Kairi. She didn't smile. But something subtle shifted in her gaze.
"Thank you," Zoe said quickly. "We appreciate your time."
Their research teacher motioned them to return to their seats.
As they stepped back—
Maya whispered, "You killed that answer."
Zoe added, "When Miss Herrera paraphrased that mess of a question, I nearly cried."
Staring ahead, Kairi was still processing everything.
"She didn't roast us," Maya murmured.
"She kind of did," Kairi said. "But not with fire. Just with, like...hot tea."
Tahimik na nagtawanan sina Zoe at Maya.
And Kairi, slowly, finally let herself breathe.
The rest of the day passed in a blur.
Sunod-sunod ang presentations ng mga kaklase nila—some confident, others halatang nanginginig pa.
May mga medyo sablay sa pagsagot, pero meron ding nabigyan ng palakpakan.
The panelists didn't go easy on anyone—lalo na si Sir Delfin na mukhang sobrang nag-e-enjoy manggulat ng estudyante sa kalagitnaan ng QA.
Si Miss Herrera naman, as expected, stayed sharp but fair. Professional. Walang pinapanigan.
Kairi didn't get to talk to her again.
Not during breaks, not during the short lunch recess when their group huddled together in one corner of the campus cafeteria, replaying what had just happened like survivors of a storm.
And definitely not after the presentations ended and the faculty dismissed them with a reminder about submission deadlines.
Kairi saw her walk out of the building once—papers in hand, head slightly tilted as she replied to another teacher beside her. She didn't turn. Didn't glance Kairi's way.
But Kairi watched.