The hum of fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, mixing with the scent of burnt circuits and stale coffee—evidence of too many late nights in the university lab.

Your so-called genius lab partners turned the engineering department into a bit of an ego battleground, again, and so you decided. One bet. One semester. Whoever makes the better invention wins.

Jayce leaned forward. “Okay, I like it. What’s the prize?”

You grinned. “Losers buy the winner coffee.”

Jayce snorted. “That’s it?”

“For a year.”

Silence.

Jayce nearly choked. “A year?!”

Viktor chuckled, cane tapping against the floor. “You have just made a very expensive mistake.”

Jayce narrowed his eyes. “Oh, please. I’m Talis. Engineering genius. Future CEO. You two are so buying me coffee.”

The bet was sealed. The semester was doomed.