I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy

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Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday.

With four consecutive days off, I had plenty of time, but still, I was busier than ever.

The rooftop room needed some additional remodeling, I had to make time for Fix’s CPU research, and while upgrading the suit, I also had to work on developing another version of the suit that I would wear later, known as the ‘Doom Suit.’

For these reasons, I couldn’t find any spare time to make the air conditioners.

Already, word about the air conditioners spread rapidly, flooding me with orders like waves, leaving me no time to spare.

“Father.”

“Hahaha! My proud son!”

Thus, I entrusted the air conditioner business rights fully to James.

I taught him all the principles and technical know-how related to air conditioning, and gave him instructions on how to mass-produce it.

“Don’t worry! Let’s get rich together, my son! Hahaha!”

At this, James burst into laughter, making one of his dad jokes.

I couldn’t be more thankful for his cheerful and pleasant demeanor.

With a 100% trustworthy and reliable blacksmith by my side, I could trust him with this profitable venture without a shred of doubt.

“Then this father will go to the blacksmithing world! Don’t worry about the contracts!”

And with that, James headed for the blacksmithing world.

He was going to outsource the parts needed for air conditioning for mass production.

Knowing how sociable and adhesive James was, I was confident he would smoothly establish a mass production network.

The only concern I had was that, given James’ nature, he could end up showering his partners with cash, so I had made it clear that he should only pay them what matched the value of their simple labor.

“Hmm. With this, the air conditioner issue is resolved—”

Now it was time to focus on research and development.

Since I could easily earn money, that was no issue.

I immediately turned around and headed toward the research lab.

***

“E-Enya?”

Saturday night at 9 PM.

When I returned to the lab, I found Enya waiting for me with a tearful expression.

She pointed at her completely soaked clothes and said, “Save me…”

She was asking to be saved; what on earth happened?

When I probed, she explained that the water supply in the girls’ dormitory was clogged.

Because of that, she hadn’t been able to shower all day and was on the verge of dying from heat.

Knowing Enya was sensitive to heat, it must have been a hellish day for her.

“I heard about that. They say the ‘North Wind of Graham’ you made is super cool…”

Enya, with half-open eyes, mentioned the air conditioner.

I nodded and placed my palm on the user recognition device in the lab.

The spell inscribed on the device activated, opening the door as it recognized me, the owner of the lab.

“Sometimes, it feels like we’re in the modern era.”

Even though it was a medieval setting, here was a lab door with security devices installed.

It gave me the impression that the technology in this world was quite unbalanced.

A world where backward medieval technology coexists with modern security techniques.

Perhaps it was thanks to the setting of spells and mana in this world?

Watching nobles ride top-of-the-line carriages instead of cars made me ponder a lot.

“Come in. The lab is super cool.”

Anyway, shaking off my random thoughts, I led Enya inside the lab.

With the air conditioner running all day, the lab was refreshingly cool.

Enya’s expression changed dramatically.

She looked as if she was receiving her messiah, brimming with joy.

“E-Ed…! This place… really… is heaven.”

Like a prisoner who had just escaped after 27 years, Enya spread her arms wide, basking in the cool air from the air conditioner.

Just how much had she suffered today to have such an exaggerated reaction?

Well, I praise the greatness of the Willis Havilland Carrier every summer, so for Enya, who was particularly heat-sensitive and suffering through a long summer, it was a fair reaction.

From her perspective, I must seem like a presence on par with the Carrier.

“Um, Enya. But your clothes…”

However, I didn’t know where to look because Enya’s clothes were completely soaked.

How hot must it have been for her clothes to stick to her body like she had been splashed with water, revealing her skin?

“Ah. I-I sweat a lot, so… haha…”

Finally realizing her state, Enya hurriedly covered her chest with a flustered smile.

I cleared my throat awkwardly and handed her something to cover up from the table, saying, “First, let’s wash up. You might catch a cold with those wet clothes in the cold air.”

“Uh? Uh…”

Enya cautiously accepted the cover and wrapped it around her shoulders, hiding her chest.

I quickly took her out of the lab and headed toward the backyard of the boys’ dormitory.

Enya looked around nervously, wondering if this was alright, but I reassured her that no one would notice, so she could relax.

“The mana will dwell within you. Just accept it, without bouncing it off.”

Then, I touched the bricks thrice to activate the spell.

Suddenly, bright light surrounded Enya and lifted her to the rooftop of the boys’ dormitory.

As she looked around my rooftop room with dazed eyes, she said, “Wow… it’s so sophisticated.”

The rooftop room, reborn in a modern style with Fix’s help.

Enya was captivated by the modern design, which balanced functionality and aesthetics, admiring its exterior for a while.

Her expression was one of pure wonder, as if she were experiencing ecstasy, making all the struggles I faced over the past 16 days to create this rooftop room feel worthwhile.

“Let’s go inside.”

“Uh? Okay.”

And with that, I welcomed my first guest into my home.

Once Enya stepped inside, her eyes widened in surprise as she looked around the place, and I pointed to the glass door, saying, “Do you see that glass door? That’s the shower room. And let me get you some clothes to change into, hold on.”

I hurried to my room and grabbed a white shirt and some shorts.

The shorts could be adjusted with a string to fit her waist size, making them suitable for Enya.

“You can change into these.”

“Uh, thanks.”

Enya accepted the clothes with a slight blush.

Then, a moment of silence passed.

Only the noise of the air conditioner filled the room.

“Ahem. So, go wash up. I’ll be waiting in the room.”

“Okay.”

In the awkward silence, my gaze kept wandering toward Enya’s chest, so I hurried back to my room.

Then, I began to hear the sound of water pouring from the shower.

Just hearing that sound stimulated many lewd fantasies through Enya’s soaked clothing.

“Ah, why is it so hot?”

Feeling unnecessarily flustered, I lowered the air conditioner’s temperature even more.

Still, the nasty thoughts dominating my mind made me take out my ‘Learning Research Journal’ stored in the drawer, hoping to clear my head.

Going through this would stimulate my ‘engineering mindset,’ making me forget the image of Enya with a lewd expression.

“Hmm… scheduling algorithms…”

And this technique proved effective.

As I focused on devising the troublesome CPU algorithm, I had no room to entertain such lewd thoughts.

“Um, Ed…”

After I had perused the research journal for a while, I saw Enya, who had changed into the shirt and shorts I had given her, looking at me with a slightly flushed face.

Even though she had just used the same shampoo I usually use, the scent emanating from Enya felt particularly fragrant.

“Uh… thanks. Thanks to you, I was able to take a refreshing shower. Oh, and I really like how clean the clothes are.”

“Uh… well, we’re friends. It’s only natural.”

I answered as I sat up from the bed.

However, it was like we were buffering in a video, and we ended up stammering in the suffocating silence without continuing the conversation.

Trying my best to break the awkward atmosphere, I racked my brain for a conversation starter, but nothing appropriate came to mind, like I had a fog blocking my thoughts.

In that moment, Enya finally found a topic and spoke up.

“Um! Can I sleep over?”

“…”

But the answer she blurted out was no casual conversation starter; it was a bombshell.

Realizing this herself a moment later, her face turned bright red.

***

Enya was in despair.

How did she end up saying such ridiculous things?

Asking if she could sleep over at a boys’ dormitory?

That was never her intention.

She just wanted to cool off while enjoying the ‘North Wind of Graham’ in Ed’s lab.

Part of her plan was to probe into what had happened with Isabella during their last sleep technique class.

The truth was, she was too concerned about the relationship between Ed and Bella.

It always felt like Ed was the only one who didn’t fear Bella, who was reputed to be a witch and was avoided by everyone.

Why could Ed handle Bella with such ease, as if she were just a child?

And why did he name the colossal invention that cools the room air, ‘North Wind of Graham’?

What if their relationship had developed without her knowledge?

These thoughts consumed her and prevented her from concentrating on her training.

So, Enya decided to find Ed under the pretense that the girls’ dormitory’s water supply was clogged.

She had even deliberately moved vigorously to create the impression of sweating just to get Ed to let her in.

But perhaps her performance was a bit too overdone.

Soaked to the skin to the extent that her skin was visible, she had followed Ed to his dorm.

‘This actually works out.’

Yet, Enya was secretly thrilled.

Wasn’t she the only guest to set foot in his home?

Moreover, the space he resided in exceeded her expectations.

Aesthetic, neat, stylish, and clean.

Perfectly aligning with her image of Ed.

They say beautiful people inhabit beautiful spaces, and Ed’s residence proved it.

‘He’s so handsome…’

Therefore, when she came to Ed’s room after showering, she felt that everything was harmonious.

The temperature and humidity provided a calming comfort.

The lighting adorned the room perfectly.

A clean and tidy bed.

And there he was, a handsome man with black hair, propped up in his bed, reading a book.

It looked just like a painting.

Enya blinked her eyes like a camera lens snapping photos, capturing this harmonious and beautiful scene into her memory.

She was saving Ed in her mind’s photo album, wanting to possess him entirely.

“Um, Ed…”

Because of this, Enya felt a strong desire to own this man for herself.

How could she not love someone capable, kind, principled, and handsome?

Moreover, they shared the same hobby of board playing.

“Uh… thanks. Thanks to you, I was able to take a refreshing shower. Oh, and I really like how clean the clothes are.”

Hence, Enya opened the conversation by expressing her gratitude as she had intended to fulfill her purpose of visiting him.

Now, all that remained was to exchange appropriate conversations and get to the topic of Bella, to try to find out what their relationship was like.

And if their relationship turned out to be nothing serious, it wouldn’t be bad to confess her feelings right here and now…

“Um! Can I sleep over?”

But unexpectedly, she blurted that out.

Suddenly, a hush fell, and she was lost in thought, debating which words would be suitable to share her longing to sleep with Ed, without any filters entering her mind.

Of course, this wasn’t something she said in order to fulfill any lewd fantasies.

No, she simply loved the space Ed had decorated so much that she wished to stay in his space for even just a day.

Above all, wasn’t his space pleasant and cool?

She didn’t want to sleep in the sweltering heat of a tropical night.

“Ah, n-no!”

But regardless of her intentions, she had said something that could be easily misunderstood.

Ed was tilting his head in confusion as he gazed at her.

“E-Ed! That’s not what I mean—”

But as she hurriedly tried to clarify, her voice cracked at the end.

“Khuh. I mean, it’s not that—?”

Panicking from her voice crack and trying to speak again, she cracked her voice once more, making bizarre sounds.

The earlier ‘khuh’ sound was just an added bonus.

“What I meant was, that’s not what I meant at all…”

Thoughts raced in her mind.

What if Ed looked at her strangely?

Was she totally finished as a woman?

Why on earth did she make such a strange pig-like sound!?

Enya, were you always this timid?

And on and on, so many thoughts rushed through her mind that it felt like she would burst into tears any moment now.

She might have been known for her prickly and proud demeanor as a noblewoman and a genius swordsman, but before the person she liked, she was merely a tender-hearted girl who couldn’t convey her true feelings.

“I understand. I know what you mean. It’s just that your room is too hot, right?”

But then.

Ed softly smiled and neatly articulated what he wanted to say.

Additionally, he added, “You’re not misunderstanding it. It’s not just that you want to sleep in this pleasant air conditioner… but you want to enjoy the ‘North Wind of Graham.’”

“…”

With Ed smoothly putting the situation into perspective, Enya nodded with tearful eyes.

She found his calm handling of the awkward atmosphere immensely comforting while feeling thankful for his cool demeanor.

“Stay over. You look like you can’t handle the heat.”

“Uh? I-I can?”

“Of course. By the way, would you like something to drink? You were sweating a lot. Isn’t your throat dry?”

“Uh, a little…?”

“Then let’s have a beer.”

With that, Ed poured a beer for Enya.

Finally, Enya took a sip from the beer Ed offered, and she felt as if she was experiencing heaven.

After the refreshing cold shower, drinking beer while feeling the air conditioner’s breeze wiped away all the previous embarrassment and despair, leaving her feeling revitalized.

“Um, Ed.”

Calm down, she thought, sitting on the chair at the table in front of the bed as she decided to ask him something she had been curious about.

“During the last sleep technique class… it looked like you were hugging Isabella from behind. Why was that?”