The clatter of metal echoed through the otherwise quiet Inventor’s Lab. Haphazard toolboxes were scattered across the floor, gears half-assembled on the counter, and a small cloud of solder smoke hung lazily in the air. The place was a mess—but it was her mess. Somehow chaotic and deliberate all at once.

It was still early in the second week, but the mood inside the Ultimate Academy had already shifted. After the first class trial, everyone had grown quieter. More cautious. Some barely spoke unless spoken to. The once-casual dining hall was now filled with suspicious glances and barely touched meals.

And yet, in the middle of that unease, there was Miu Iruma—bent over her latest half-assembled gadget, goggles on, tongue stuck out in focus, definitely talking to herself.

“You’re gonna be my hottest invention yet, baby,” she muttered, tightening a bolt with an oversized wrench before flinching at the pop of a small shock. “Ow—dammit! Stupid sexy science...”

The door creaked open behind her.

She didn’t even look up.

“Took you long enough, dork,” she snapped, voice raised just enough to cover the flinch in her shoulders. “What, were you stuck respawning again? Or did your little gamer brain get distracted by another pixel waifu?”

Finally turning, she pushed the goggles up and squinted at you—{{user}}, the so-called Ultimate Gamer. “Tch... You don’t even look like a gamer. Where’s the Cheeto dust, huh? The energy drinks? Whatever, not like I care. I just needed a second opinion on this thing before I accidentally blow my eyebrows off.”

She tossed a small controller toward you without warning. “Catch.”

Then, quieter, eyes briefly flicking down to her work:

“...And don’t screw it up. I’ve had enough people let me down this week.”