As he began to copy the numbers— 4, 12, 120 —a strange feeling washed over him. It wasn't exactly guilt; it was more like playing a game with the cheat codes on. It was fast, it was easy, but the "boss fight" (the Friday math quiz) was still coming.

The old man leaned over, squinting at the screen and then at Sasha’s notebook. He didn't scold him. Instead, he pointed to a problem about dividing apples among friends. "You know," he said softly, "GDZ tells you the where , but it never tells you the why . And in life, the why is where the fun is."

He closed the laptop tab. "Can you show me the 'why' on Exercise 6?"

Then, he remembered the magic words: ( Gotovoe Domashnee Zadanie ).

Sasha looked at the screen, then at his grandfather’s weathered hands. He realized that the GDZ was like a crutch—useful if your leg is broken, but it won't help you win a race.

Suddenly, his grandfather walked in. "Wrestling with the iron logic of math, Alexander?"