From the shadows of the mortal world... your gaze has awakened something.
Do you dare to keep reading the scriptures of this forbidden novel?
Then listen well, curious soul.
I have opened a digital temple on Ko-fi.
With a simple offering of $1, you will help me summon sacred illustrations:
authentic portraits of the beings that inhabit this story.
But every pact deserves a reward:
The faithful will receive personalized, unique images... and perhaps, a secret reserved only for the chosen ones.
[Make your offering here]
https://ko-fi.com/gremory0zero
-----------
Sweep, sweep, sweep.
—Haha—.
Sighing in boredom, his stomach growling at the scent of food, he stops to lean on his broom and watch the group of girls eating their bento.
—Why are you stopping? Quick, hurry up, you need to finish this before the break ends.
—You seem to be enjoying other people's pain.
—Who knows?—.
—...—.
Ignoring Hikari who was eating with gusto to the point of irritating Javier, he ignored her and Manami, Setsuna and Sekai as best he could who were together, having no choice but to think about anything.
-I'm hungry, my stomach is growling, why did this happen to me?... I remember that it goes back thousands of years, when the Goddess Amaterasu saw her servant sweeping so carelessly in her temple, he was punished by not eating and his task will always be to sweep the temple, without the ascension of being part of the pantheon of the Gods of Japan. Since then, legend has it... cough, cough... Excuse the slip, the truth is that thanks to me and only me making the celebration and although the teacher got a big surprise I still ended up scolded and I was forced to sweep the class for a month, when I finished, but since the floor was full of confetti, I had to start at recess time... what a shame. Ah! Touma's phrase from (majutsu no index). Well, never mind... Let's continue with my internal monologue-.
Appearing passive on the outside, Javier's imagination wanders in his absence, until someone taps him on the shoulder.
—Mmm, oh, Ryuto my friend, you'll help me finish, right?
Happy to see Ryuto, Javier taps him on the shoulder several times before handing him a broom.
—I'm not going to help you—.
Having cramps in his lips, Javier's cheerful eyes changed to mean ones.
—Tch… so what are you here for? She speaks quickly while sweeping.
Turning his back, Ryuto watched the girls staring at them for a moment. He leaned closer to speak in a low voice.
—You know you're the least likely person to help you, or you don't remember the racket you made last night.
Showing some anger in his tone of voice, he continued speaking.
—... Your requests for sale were accepted—.
—Good news, by the way, how many of those magic veins do you have in hand?
—...—.
He noticed too late the trap that had been set, and his family fell into it. Frowning, he answered.
—I never thought I would be so easily fooled by the brilliance of your words—.
"You're mistaken. You simply assumed I knew the common sense of underworld trading. But don't blame yourself, or to put it in the words of one merchant to another, I have no interest in glittering stones and those I don't need."
Returning to sweeping, as if it were none of his business, Ryuto stiffened before the paradigm that is Javier, unsure how to deal with him in the future, and heard Javier's mocking yet serious voice.
—Besides, I'm just fattening up the Dragon, who likes to eat shiny stones, while gathering information the world sees as unnecessary.
—Fuu, every Sunday someone will come to collect the shipment. I'll be the Ryuto clan's intermediary, notifying you of auctions and other locations around the world.
—Excellent, I'll count on you—.
—Well, what you wanted will be delivered to you tonight and I'll take the first shipment.
—Okay—.
—Hey, what are you two babbling about?
Joining Sekai, who had finished eating, their seriousness as skilled actors transformed into a friendly, informal chat.
—Listen Sekai, this guy who says he's my friend, doesn't want to help me... Sekai, my friend—.
—Stop, oh… you didn't warn me about anything and now you want me to help you, well no—.
Refusing, he crossed his arms.
—Ehhhh, cheapskate, it's hard to help others.
Continuing to sweep while pouting, Sekai approaches Ryuto.
—Ryuto-kun, do I want to ask you something about yesterday?—.
—Tell me what it is.
—Okino-san told me yesterday that you and Javier had some business to do. I don't want to be nosy, but you know everything was weird yesterday, so... But it's okay if you don't want to tell me anything! Haha—.
Smiling stiffly at Ryuto's change in mood, he took a step back.
—Don't worry Sekai, that bad friend of Haya, just helped me sell a house abroad, as his family has connections there and there in real estate among other things that his father manages, seeing that the house had a good location, he gave me a good total price satisfied, now only the paperwork is missing and everything is resolved—.
—... That's true, I'm sorry if I scared you Saionji-san, but I'd rather not talk about those kinds of things at school—.
Ryuto could only apologize for the rudeness he showed to a girl from out of that world, with the easy and well-timed excuse that Javier gave him.
Accepting Ryuto's apology, Sekai turned her gaze to Javier, scooping the confetti into a shovel.
—... Umm, your parents shouldn't be in charge of that—.
—Sekai, there are some things that are best not talked about—.
Seeing the small, lonely smile, Sekai, who didn't understand what he meant at the moment, realized the truth and, about to apologize for her lack of tact, Javier interrupted her.
—Your words aren't necessary, Sekai, and that goes for all of you who were listening. The last thing I want is words like that... now let's get back to sweeping, I'm running out of time.
Continuing to sweep, Sekai's group, who had heard everything, fell silent at Javier's forceful words. Saddened, feeling that he had touched on a topic he shouldn't have, Sekai went to sit down.
Ryuto with an annoyed grimace seeing how he treated the girls, stopped when he remembered his past.
Tin, ton, tin, ton.
As the bell rang for fifth period, the literature teacher entered.
Everyone sat in their seats, Setsuna glancing to her side every now and then. Javier, noticing, wrote a note at the end of his notebook.
Javier: [Something happens]
Setsuna: [About yesterday, I'm sorry, I think I confused several things]
Javier: [Misunderstanding… oh, you mean I want a harem for myself]
Setsuna's body trembled as she read, her pen hitting the paper heavily.
Setsuna: [I correct myself! You are the worst trash, stay away from me and Sekai]
Javier: [I think the same, you have to stay away from me or else you'll get caught in a net that's impossible to get out of... Set-chan♥]
Leaving the crushed cheek on the desk, see what reaction Setsuna will have.
Setsuna: … [Never call me that again]
Javier: [You're right, I won't call you Set-chan anymore, just Setsuna now. What do you think if we go this afternoon to eat the sweets we couldn't yesterday, alone or do you want to go with Sekai, my cousin and little Rinka-chan?]
Setsuna: [I also don't allow you to call me by my name, only my last name and I never want to go where you are, much less alone, do you understand?]
Javier: [Understood, we'll talk about this later]
—I told you I wouldn't talk to you—.
In a low voice and with an annoyed look, which had no effect on a guy like Javier.
—Okay… Set-chan—.
—Kuuu—.
Staring at the blackboard, ignoring Setsuna's piercing gaze, time passed and it was time to leave.
—Mmmmm, I'll finally eat something... Sekai, Kiyoura-san, I'll see you at the club and don't forget that we're going to eat sweets at the bakery, we didn't go yesterday—.
Running off, Javier disappears into the crowd of students leaving their classrooms, leaving Sekai and Setsuna behind.
—Setsuna, what's wrong with you and Javier? You seem to be having a fight. Did something happen?
—Nothing important, just remember to never be alone with him.
—Mmm, what do you mean by that?—.
—What you heard—.
—That doesn't tell me anything, talk! I know something happened while I was in class.
Persisting on her speaking, Setsuna picks up her bag and takes her hand.
—Come with me and don't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you, do you understand?
—... It-it's okay—.
Nervous at the seriousness that Setsuna showed, Sekai just let herself be led into an empty room.
—It'll be fine here—.
—Seriously, what's wrong, are you scaring me?—.
—First, the reason I'm mad at him is because I overheard a conversation with someone saying he wants a harem of girls.
-Harem?!-.
—Sshi, you speak too loudly.
—Sorry, but a harem is certainly the worst, but you didn't hear wrong. You know there are those kinds of light novels where the protagonist has a bunch of girls chasing him? You're not mistaken.
—No. He confirmed it himself.
Stopping the conversation when she saw how he reacted, Sekai, not doubting Setsuna's words, understood the words that had been said to him before.
—I understand, don't worry, if that guy dares to make a pass at me, he'll get kicked in the balls.
—I'd rather you weren't violent, but I accept.
—So what do we do, resign as members of the astronomy club?—.
—No, as long as he doesn't do anything, there's no reason to leave. You wanted the roof so we could eat alone, there's no reason to turn this down for him.
Making a promise, the two girls, not to get more involved than necessary, left the empty classroom.
Javier, who had finished eating his bento, puts it in his bag, to whisper something.
—I can suppress myself up to this point—.
Suddenly his face turned pale, and he began to cough violently.
—Cough, cough, cough, cough... ah, ah, ah, ah... Th-this is getting ugly—.
He said with fear when he saw the blood that fell to the floor and on his hand that tried to cover his mouth.
Not having the strength to get up, he decided to lean against the wall as the blood evaporated like mist.
—This is… killing me. I thought it was just a passing flu… but I can't hide the fact that something's wrong. Fuck!—
He stamped on it with all the strength a sick human could muster, and with the other hand he grabbed his hair, making it disheveled.
—At first I thought about asking the Gods of this world who have no enmity with me, but everything went to hell, whether they are dead and the shadows of dead Gods are of no use… The only one who could help me or would have an interest in saving me would be Irina, the Futanari Goddess—.
Javier, who understood that he was an outcast in the circle of Core Gods, due to what his predecessor did, but having no one to turn to, could only risk starting a conversation when he is more vulnerable than ever.
—For now, I have to stay calm and suppress any symptoms that appear with my star core energy. Shit, dying once again without having achieved anything I wanted… I think the only thing I initially aimed for was to live with beautiful girls in a house and have intimacy, though not penetration. Aaaah, as for my life as a student.
Taking out his touch screen, he goes directly to the School Days icon, looks at the full-body images of Sekai, Setsuna, Manami and other girls.
(Friendship 0-100) (Love 0-100) (Unconditional love 0-100)
{Sekai Saionji. Friendship: 56-12}
{Setsuna Kiyoura. Friendship: 30-24}
{Manami Kanroji. Friendship, 60}
{Hikari Kuroda. Friendship, 70}
—Oh, Setsuna must have told Sekai about my plan to have a harem. I understand Manami seeing me as her friend, but I thought Hikari was younger, but the tallest of all the girls they had interacted with.—
Getting up when he felt that his limbs no longer felt like they were carrying lead, he stood up, leaning on the edge of the window, which welcomed him with a gentle breeze.
—If I die before then, my promise to Sayaka and the one I made with Shio won't be fulfilled... and just yesterday I promised her that I would help Rinka meet her brother... life turns out to be crazy... one day I'm fine and the next you die and become the hentai God and the next day you're dying from an unknown illness.
Looking into the distance, already knowing that his destiny could not be reversed, he had to intervene, even if it meant humbling himself before another God to be told how to be saved.
—I'm telling you, it wouldn't come out, this time here... here... and this other one, no matter when we fix the bugs, they'll come out more like a loop!—.
—I'm so sorry! I didn't realize, I'll fix it right away!... Aoyama, pass me the flash drive with the 4e8b program!—.
-Where is?!-.
—On the shelf next to you—.
-Loud, authoritative voice, but one that knows how to do its job and the others follow it, mmm not bad, now that I remember, there's another club next door, and I'll go see what they are-.
Interested, Javier goes outside and looks at the sign above the door.
{Programming Club}
—Programming, if I remember correctly, the president of this club had the same last name as the protagonist of Iron Man: Tony Stark, what's the girl's name... I remembered! Stark Rei-san—.
{Door opening}
Looking down as the door opened, Javier found himself standing in front of Stark Rei, president of the programming club. But instead of the smile she had during the presentation, her face was frightening, as if she were wearing it. She looked pretty, though, all things considered, with her arms crossed, firming her chest.
[Name: Stark Rei.
Age: 18.
Measurements: C 87/56/99.
Height: 1.62 cm.
Personality: Kind, forceful, optimistic, stubborn, sadistic
Erogenous zones: thighs, ears, soles of the feet, knee.]
Javier examined the girl named Stark Rei for the first time. Her body was well-proportioned beneath her uniform, accentuating her natural charm. She had wavy, chestnut-brown hair with two strands of hair on either side falling to her breasts, and turquoise eyes.
-Who are you?-.
Reacting somewhat annoyed to Javier's presence, he just greets her.
—Hi, I'm from the newly created astronomy club, my name is Javier Valderrama, but you can call me Javier, we'll be neighbors from now on, sempai—.
—Mmm, now that I remember, there was that club... and what do you want, you know, we're busy now—.
—Nothing, but let me congratulate you on your creation in the presentation, but it would have been better if you had changed the program to... and put a few more lines like... so you could have improved the image quality, among other things. Well, goodbye, I don't want to bother you.
Giving a long tongue twister for what was master's-level programming, Rei's eyes lit up as she took Javier's arm. Stark Rei aggressively escorted him into the club room, closing the door.
—Ouch, what's wrong with you, throwing yourself at me like that!—.
Reproaching the treatment as he looked up, finding healthy thighs wrapped in black pantyhose.
—I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, tell me how you realized that problem and how you solved it—.
Clasping my hands in apology, I look at him hopefully.
—Ummm...—.
Sitting cross-legged, he looks up to meet Rei's eyes.
—I refuse—.
Javier said smiling.
—Oh, tell me what you want to tell me while I'm in this club, I can do it—.
—I don't know... but, since you say it like that, do you know of a store that sells graphics tablets that are quality products?
—Do you want to be an artist or a cartoonist? Don't be. Come to this sacred space of programming.
—It's not just a govi for me, I'm also the president of the astronomy club, but I wouldn't mind working together on something I have in mind for the festival.
-If I live for that day, that is-.
"I'd love to hear it. It's a shame you're already at another club, but you can come to this one anytime. I know a few shops about the charts. I can take you there if you want."
"I'd love to, since you'll be teaching me. Let me tell you where I noticed it and help you out a bit, but why don't you introduce me to your friends first?"
Standing up, Javier looks at the boys who are looking at him with resentment for many reasons, one of which when he looked up he almost saw inside the short skirt that Rei was wearing.
They were two boys and two girls, and those two were also upset, more specifically jealous.
—Ah, sorry, the one sitting over there is called Aoyama Kunihiko, he's a second-year, he's the vice president of the programming club, he wants to specialize in cybersecurity—.
Height 1.70, short black hair, brown eyes, wore computer glasses, only nodded when introduced.
—Next up is Fujiwara Jumpei, also a second-year, who wants to specialize in web development and create apps.
Nodding while a computer was connected to the drone, he had longish black hair with strands covering his forehead, and light blue eyes. He was almost 5'6".
—Next is my childhood friend, we've been together since we were babies, Imagawa Arisa, she wants to specialize in augmented reality.
The girl only glanced at him before continuing on, wearing contact lenses on top of a device connected to the computer. She had a more developed body than Rei, with D-cup breasts, a tight waist, and wide hips, pushing her skirt out over her buttocks, which was truly perfect for having a child.
He had shoulder-length blond hair tied back in a ponytail. Some strands fell from his sideburns to his shoulder. He had light green eyes and a pretty face.
—Last but not least, Fuyuki Mizuho, who wants to specialize in virtual reality, is a second-year student.
Holding a tablet, she nodded and went back to her work. Dark greenish-blue hair, maroon eyes, and normal glasses. Her body was the least developed to the point of being a legal loli, as she was 157 cm tall, had B-cup breasts, a small waist, and somewhat well-formed hips, but she still had a feminine figure.
—A pleasure for everyone—.
Raising my hand, I greet everyone, to see Rei.
—And what do you specialize in?—.
—Right, right, my mistake, I want to specialize in programming and create a new, more specific network. I want to create a new branch of programming, one that is perfect for all programs, and that leaves aside all those damn thousands of programming programs. You say it's cool, right?
—Ooo, very... cool and all, but there's a big, little flaw in your plan.
—Oh, tell me, I'm all ears.
Showing a competitive side in what he loved most, Javier walks towards the boy named Fujiwara.
—This is a simple problem to solve if you want to create an algorithm from scratch. You should know some basics. No—.
—Kuuu, you're right... and you know it—.
Knowing the mistake of putting up a front, he approaches, putting all his attention on what Javier would say.
—Oh, I thought you would refute my words, but you are honest when you are wrong.
—Umm, don't tease me when I'm wrong, I'm sincere and I said it, but when I don't know, I don't know, denying it would delay any progress, you understand—.
Haughty in his argument, Javier nodded at seeing someone with a good head on his shoulders and arrogant when he needs to be.
—Fuyimura-san, right, run the program—.
With his hand on the table and another on the back of Jumpei's seat, Javier looked like a different person.
—O-okay… I've tried several ways to get the algorithm to work, but I can't get it to run correctly, I get error after error—.
-Shit, what is this pressure this guy emanates-.
Feeling intimidated by Javier's pressure like a boss to his subordinate when reviewing the monthly balance.
—I understand... What exactly are you trying to do?—.
—Optimize the drone's response; it still shows a significant delay and fails to follow commands when using augmented reality with contact lenses.
Approaching Rei's friend, Imagawa Arisa intervened, and hearing what she said, Javier looked at Rei seriously.
—Everyone is working on this project—.
—Yes, Ari and I will soon have to leave the club so we can focus on our studies to get into a good university. We'll be leaving the club, so you could say it's our last project.
Understanding what Rei meant, Javier looked at everyone and said.
—Can you show me all the programs you made in your respective area, as well as the basic algorithm for the Drone?—
Approaching each of the respective programming club members' desks, he took his time reviewing each one's screen and algorithm, explaining it to them.
—I've checked and there are no errors in everyone's programs—.
Everyone was relieved to hear this, and Javier continued explaining.
—But there is a total failure when all these programs complement each other, and the other reason for the failure is that the drone's capacity cannot support the program.
—Wait, that drone is brand new! Its hardware and software specifications are far superior to any other, so how could it possibly run on the algorithm you're installing?
—I understand your anger, Rei-sempai, but you saw how hot the processor gets when the program runs. I think by the time they turn on the drone, it might burst into flames. The best solution, if you don't want to change anything, would be to install a Hydrotitol gel plate. If you don't want it to turn out like Ikaros from Greek mythology, whose wings melted when he got too close to the sun.
—Hug—.
—It's because our immersion program is wrong.
Speaking for the first time, the loli Fuyuki Mizuho, Javier shook his head.
—It's not bad, but the reality is that it's very heavy and puts a strain on the drone's system. If you really want it to work without the Hydrotitol gel plate, you'd have to buy a drone with two R cores, a much better cooling system than the Hydrotitol gel. Since you're using a cutting-edge virtual reality system like this, that would be the bare minimum.
Feeling the heavy atmosphere, Rei shakes her head, forcing a smile.
—I understand, thanks for that advice and the other problems.
—... Since you're the programmer Rei-sempai, you'll have to try a little harder even if your fingers get cramped.
—Hey, what do you mean?—.
—Let's not waste time, we need to have it ready by seven.—
—Wait, what do you mean, ready at seven?
Without listening to Rei's protests, he made her sit in front of the computer, connecting it to the drone.
—Listen Rei-sempai, the problem you have is the overheating and how slow the program runs, so we're going to put an algorithm in place that will stabilize these deficiencies to a certain extent.
—Aaah, what are you talking about?
—Less moving your tongue and more your hand, write…—.
Rei was reluctant from the start, so Javier had to repeat it three times while pressuring her like a boss with his subordinate, until Rei's fingers got cramped. Switching to Arisa, and experiencing the same problem, Kunihiko sat down, and so they continued.
Although everyone wanted to protest at being in charge, a complete stranger, they couldn't help but realize during the three hours they spent writing the algorithm that Javier was a programming expert. When the only sound they could make was the keys and Javier's voice in unison, both suddenly stopped.
—Cough, cough, s-sorry, I'm going to get some water in my backpack, Rei-sempai, that's enough, rest, I'll be right back—.
—Y-yes—.
Javier left, not noticing Rei's nervousness and the anxious looks of the programming group who looked at the drone and the program they had just made.
Javier, who entered the club room, saw Sekai and Setsuna talking about various things, but when they saw him arrive they fell silent.
—I thought you girls had already left—.
—Mmm, it's half past five! The hour flew by so quickly.
—... Sekai, you should practice, dissemble, it shows on your face.
—Uh, uh… Ahahaha—.
Laughing out loud at Sekai's confusion at the thought of being pulled the wool over her eyes, her face turned red.
—No, but seriously, Sekai, you're bad at hiding your feelings, you should work better at it in the future.
Taking everything in his bag, Setsuna, who hadn't said anything, continued reading her book.
—Uagh… for some reason you always make me upset, Javier—.
—That's because you're easy to read, by the way, don't bother coming here if you don't want to. Sekai, you already have the key to get onto the terrace, just make sure Sensei Tenma doesn't find out.
—... Javier—.
—Kiyoura-san—.
—Hey, what's with those glassy eyes?
—Tch, Sekai, I thought you had that insight to notice the environment, but I see that I was wrong.
-What do you mean?-.
—Don't you realize, when he said my name I could feel the love with which he said it and I responded, the only thing missing was the pink atmosphere around us to get lost in our gazes—.
—I didn't do it, I was completely serious and I don't even care about you, you pervert.
—Mooo, so shy Kiyoura-san—.
—As I said, it's not that, because when I'm serious, you come out with your delusions!—.
—I do it on purpose, look at that being with such a pretty face, wasted with a serious and calm expression, what a total waste, don't you believe, Sekai—.
—Why are you bringing me in?... But seriously, Setsuna, it's a waste with such a pretty face.
—Ah!—.
—True, you knew you understood me, Sekai. Imagine her with a beautiful smile in a pink dress and say, I am Setsuna, the magician who will bring love into your life.
—H-hey—.
"—Oh, oh, that's very good and if you put some ruffles and bows and pigtails on it it would look even better—.
—Let them listen to me—.
—You're good, Sekai, and if we try a different logic, the Setsuna gang member. Hey, brats! Don't you know this neighborhood is controlled by the Kiyoura gang?
—Nooo, not that, Setsuna has to look moe, let's add a cat headband and a black cat tail—.
—What, thing...fuu, Sekai-sempai, I give you my respects—.
—Mm, I'll take it for your inexperience, you still have a long way to go, disciple—.
-Yeah-.
Setsuna, embarrassed, after the nonsense Sekai and Javier said, raises her trembling fist and with fire in her eyes.
—I'm telling you to stop!!!—.
—Ittai—.
—Ouch… why do you hit me too, Setsuna?
Cowering while holding her head in pain, Sekai with teary eyes looked at her.
—Why do you say that? Listening to you talk like that made me feel ashamed. What else could it be?
—See, Sekai is rude, speak... sorry—.
Apologizing after being glared at by Setsuna, she put her hands on her waist, not lowering her anger.
—Sekai I told you before—.
—Ahahaha, sorry—.
—I can't believe you forget in just a few seconds—.
—It wasn't my fault, it was his—.
—Hey, don't blame me, your mistakes are yours, I shouldn't blame them on others.
—If you're the one who came to talk to me—.
—Hey brat, learn your lesson and don't play at being adults ouch, Set-chan, bad, it hurts me what would happen if I become stupid—.
—I already told you not to call me Set-chan, now let's go, Sekai—
—Hey, Set-chan? What, what, what happened?—
Sekai, who was about to enter harassment mode, was stopped by Setsuna's gaze, leaving with her head down and the suitcase on her shoulders. Setsuna gave one last look to Javier who waved goodbye with a smile to get even with the sliding door.
—Wow, she's angry.
Enjoying the situation, Javier takes the last sip of the water bottle.
—Ready and recharged, now on we go—.
—We did it, ohhhhhh!—.
Hearing the shouts of joy coming from the programming club, Javier returned and upon opening the door found himself in a scene of celebration, the girls hugging and jumping, while the boys also didn't hold back, giving each other a firm handshake and a short hug.
—Looks like the program went well.
—Javier, thank you!—.
Rei heard Javier's voice, walked towards him and hugged him.
—Ohh, you must be so happy to hug a boy you barely know, Rei-sempai—.
Blushing, either from shyness or from how happy she was, Rei took a few steps back, regaining her composure, but her voice betrayed her.
—I-I'm sorry, but seriously, thank you so much. If it weren't for you, I don't think we would have been able to make it by tomorrow.
—For tomorrow? There's something special tomorrow.
—That's right, we didn't tell you, we're entering a programming and robotics competition, which will be held at the Tokyo racetrack, entry is open.
Aoyama Kunihiko answered
—Effort, dedication, and sleepless nights are what it takes to be a good programmer.
Imagawa Arisa continued, confusing Javier with his words.
—Mmm, what's that?—.
—The slogan of the contest—.
Fujiwara Jumpei replied, fondling the silver-colored casing of the four-propeller drone on the table.
—Ohh, that makes sense, programming isn't easy, you need dedication to learn it and sleepless nights to make a program that keeps you up at night—.
—It's true, ever since we started high school, Rei and I have skipped classes to attend that day, and we take programming courses in our respective areas during vacations or weekends. If they're short, we'll go to courses and forums.
—Doesn't it cost money? Your parents give it to you.
—No, we work part-time with our parents' permission and the allowances they give us, and we buy most of the tools.
—Hey, Ari, stop talking, it's time to get to work, Javier, you can help us work out the missing details.
—Okay, let's start with Imagawa-sempai and Fuyuki-sempai's program first.
Being a joint effort between the two girls, they understood that it was something much more complicated than programming, since it involved entering a person's mind, reading the small brain discharges, which control the human body.
For that case, in addition to Imagawa Arisa's augmented reality contact lenses, Fuyuki Mizuho had built two electrodes that were used to read the small electrical discharges from the brain and to be able to move the drone with the mind.
Javier, who only had to fix a few glitches to get it to work with the drone's new operating system, left the team, who had done all the work, to Aoyama Kunihiko, the club's vice president and the cybersecurity developer. There wasn't much to fix in his program either, other than increasing security so ambient electromagnetic waves wouldn't interfere with the electrodes. Javier had nothing more to teach him.
The last Fujiwara Jumpei who specialized in application development, like Kunihiko, had to strengthen the interface program to adapt to the new program and ensure that the application would flow without crashing due to information overload, since it was the link between the two parties.
—... There you go, with this, the human-machine interface won't crash the moment a customer wants to know the limits of what it can do—.
—Javier, is it okay for you to stay so late?—.
Noticing that it was dark outside, he looks at Rin who had asked him to take out his phone.
—Wow, it's eight o'clock at night. Well, I don't think it'll be a problem if I'm a little late. Are you guys okay with staying this late?
"Our parents already know about the contest and that we're staying late. The principal and teachers also know we're staying late, so there won't be a problem."
Aoyama Kunihiko explained and thinking about it for a bit, Javier sent a message to Rinka that he would be late home.
—Well, I'm done here, guys.
—Thank you very much and sorry for getting you into this mess, but without your help we wouldn't have finished today or tomorrow and we certainly wouldn't have gone—.
-Wow, what a dedicated and capable young lady!-.
Javier thought, and the others joined in.
—It couldn't be helped, Rei-sempai changed everything we had prepared at the last minute.
—To Kunihiko-kun, don't say that in front of Javier—.
—Why are you acting so innocent now, sempai, when I warned you that the expenses were excessive and we had no more experience?
—You too, Mari-chan—.
—That day you kept refuting what we would do, saying that we wouldn't be noticed by the judges if we didn't do something out of place.
—Hey, you'll be joining them too, Ari.
—And with your famous phrase you said: a true programmer burns his eyelashes and gets cramps.
—Waaaa! Stop it, I'm not ashamed in front of the kohai!
—Ahahahahaha—. x 4
Laughing at the mockery of her president, Rei, with red cheeks and watery eyes from wanting to cry in embarrassment, looked at Javier to see what he would say, but he remained silent and said nothing.
—You'll see, you'll pay me later, don't come crying after that.
Calming down from one moment to the next, noticing the rigid atmosphere, Javier realizes that all five pairs of eyes were on the drone, but he didn't dare take that step.
—Rei-sempai—.
—Y- yes... tell me Javier-kun—.
—I thought we were done with the hard part, time to test that kid in the field.
—N-no, we're rushing things, Javier-kun. You know the program will take a long time to install, and it might be fully installed by tomorrow.
—Y-yes, besides, it's already dark outside, there would be no way to see how it works, better tomorrow with more time—.
—There are still relevant checks to be made before turning on the drone, due to possible problems.
—What's with these dandengle excuses?—.
Looking at the rest of the group, who were nervous about trying their creation and failing, they looked away. Javier, scratching the back of his neck, said to them all.
—Stop making excuses. Tomorrow isn't an important day for you. If you're afraid of failure now, what are you going to do the day after tomorrow when you have a much more demanding project and you make mistakes out of fear of failing and being labeled as failures?
Scolded, Rei Stark laughed self-deprecatingly at his lack of experience before the troubles.
"I never expected a kohai to scold me. Come, boys, tonight we'll test whether our three-year-long effort is successful or not."
—Yes!—. x 4.
—Ari, take the cameras to record from start to finish—.
—Kunihiko-kun, Jumpei-kun, you guys take care of the drone, I'll take the computers.
—Mari-chan has the contact lenses and electrodes, now let's head to the patio—.
—Why aren't we going to the terrace? I have the keys.
—Seriously! But why do you have them?—.
—I didn't say before that I was from the astronomy club—.
Nodding, Rin began to gather up her cables and laptop.
—Can I help with anything?—.
—You've done enough, rest for a while while we head to the terrace, since you can't leave, now that you've put some of your intelligence into this project—.
Nodding, he sits down so as not to be a hindrance to the others.
"Young people full of energy and dreams, something adults who are on the path of responsibility and knowing what life is all about lack. They remind me of myself when I was young. Of course, I was never smart enough to dictate programming codes, but I can't do that being the hentai god."
Filled with nostalgia, Javier begins to remember the happier college days before stepping out into the real world.
"Being inexperienced is a good thing, because you can grow, but I was stupid about it. My college professor warned me many times, but I didn't listen and ended up like a trailer... Ahh, what bitter memories. I always told myself that I should have listened, at least then my college life would have been more vanilla, but no, I screwed up and ended up where I am today."
Resigned that he couldn't change his past, he got up and followed the group who had gathered what they would use and need.
Arriving at the terrace, a gentle, dry wind greeted them, signaling that summer was upon us. Moving, they began to prepare, positioning the cameras with their bases in different directions. President Rei moved her hands rapidly, inputting the joint program via the USB cable.
—Looks like they're ready now—.
—It only takes a few minutes or so for the program to download and install... Why are you holding a fire extinguisher?
—Ah, this, I thought of the saying, better safe than sorry and brought it—.
Shown the red fire extinguisher, Rei raised her eyebrows showing her bad mood.
—That's not rubbing salt into the wound and bringing bad luck, it's almost like telling it to catch fire.
—Ahahaha, what things you say, Rei-sempai, those kinds of things will never happen, how can you have those kinds of thoughts?—.
—... I feel nervous, if you keep that thing in sight, you can claim it—.
—Okay, I'll lie down here and watch from this side.
—Javier. What's the reason you're helping?—
—Easy, talking to a beauty like Rei-sempai—.
—Ehehehe, are you an idiot or what?
—Men are idiots to have a beauty at our side—.
—Oh, really? Well, I think I'll use the idiot men to my advantage a little more.
—Ohh, aslo, aslo, but my services can no longer be rewarded by your beauty—.
—So... What do you need?—
—Glud, w-how about a handmade bento?
—Just that. Nothing else?—
—I'll settle for that, it'll help them when they get stuck.
—Seriously, it was cheaper for me.—
—Well, I hope my food isn't cheap, like just making a sandwich and that's it or buying something from the store like a bento box and saying you made it by hand.
—Tch, and I was thinking of giving you something store-bought.
—Ehehehe, I'm not easy to fool, Rei-sempai...—.
Chatting in a relaxed atmosphere, everyone finished their work, setting the cameras to night mode. Rei, having installed the drone software, would also be in charge of activating and controlling the drone. Mari helped her put on her contact lenses, while Arisa placed the electrodes on each side of her head, specifically her temples.
Feeling a tense atmosphere, they watched the drone activate and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but no one could relax, as the most difficult part was yet to come.
As the minutes passed, everyone saw Rin sweating from concentrating.
-spin!-.
—It moved!—.
Jumpei exclaimed with joy as he watched the 360-degree camera spin. Kunihiko couldn't take his eyes off the screen, which displayed Rin's brain data and signals simultaneously, but on another laptop, Arisa reviewed the incoming data and gave the go-ahead to continue.
—I don't see any problem here, how are you feeling, Rei?!—.
-Excellent-.
—Okay, now try flying the drone.
—Okay, I'll try.
Rei, who felt uncomfortable sweating so much while concentrating, endured it while enjoying a 360-degree view through the drone's camera, and in one corner, she could see the drone and its various hardware functions.
—The monitoring system says the hardware is overheating, but it's within the acceptable range; beyond that… all systems are green.
Rei said excitedly, as the sporadic shaped propellers began to spin until they became fluid without stopping.
—No problem! I-I'll get up!—
As the drone left the ground, a heart-pounding excitement formed throughout the programming club.
—C-change of address—.
Just hearing Rei's voice made the excitement more palpable, eh just like she said, the drone moved to the left, back to the right with small movements and then plums.
—Rei! The hardware is exceeding its heat limits, you need to bring the drone down immediately.
Baam!
—Kyaa!!—.
Hearing the dull sound of something exploding, followed by Rei's scream, not knowing what was happening, all they saw was the Drone falling in front of them in flames, disappearing from their sight, as it fell from a great height to the ground of the school.