diff --git a/hqc-kem/src/reed_solomon.rs b/hqc-kem/src/reed_solomon.rs
index 7466f41..0993d83 100644
--- a/hqc-kem/src/reed_solomon.rs
+++ b/hqc-kem/src/reed_solomon.rs
@@ -141,8 +141,8 @@ fn compute_error_values(error_values: &mut [u16], z: &[u16], error: &[u8; 256],
         for j in 0..p.delta {
             // Proper constant-time eq: both are u16
             let diff = (j as u16) ^ delta_counter;
-            let zero_mask =
-                0u16.wrapping_sub(((diff as u32 | diff.wrapping_neg() as u32) >> 31) as u16);
+            let diff_u32 = diff as u32;
+            let zero_mask = 0u16.wrapping_sub(((diff_u32 | diff_u32.wrapping_neg()) >> 31) as u16);
             let eq_mask2 = !zero_mask; // 0xFFFF if j == delta_counter
 
             beta_j[j] ^= found_mask & eq_mask2 & GF_EXP[i];
@@ -184,8 +184,8 @@ fn compute_error_values(error_values: &mut [u16], z: &[u16], error: &[u8; 256],
 
         for j in 0..p.delta {
             let diff = (j as u16) ^ delta_counter;
-            let zero_mask =
-                0u16.wrapping_sub(((diff as u32 | diff.wrapping_neg() as u32) >> 31) as u16);
+            let diff_u32 = diff as u32;
+            let zero_mask = 0u16.wrapping_sub(((diff_u32 | diff_u32.wrapping_neg()) >> 31) as u16);
             let eq_mask = !zero_mask;
 
             error_values[i] ^= found_mask & eq_mask & e_j[j];