The sun shone brightly over Sakura University, but inside Room 304, chaos ruled. The Worst Squad had gathered around a table cluttered with wires, gears, glue, and stray screws.
"Okay, team," Mika said, bouncing on her heels, pink hair swaying like a soft ribbon in motion. "Our mission: build a robot for the Science Festival. Something flashy, something cool, something that screams… 'We might fail, but we look awesome doing it!'"
Riku, blue hair sticking up in every direction, leaned back on a chair and grinned. "Or we could just make it explode. That's kinda our style, right?"
Haru, munching on a leftover snack, waved a tiny wrench. "I… I think it's supposed to move, not self-destruct," he said, crumbs falling on the table.
Kai, clutching a notebook with detailed sketches, looked at the robot pieces with wide eyes. "Uh… this looks complicated. How do we even start?"
"Step one: ignore the panic!" Mika declared dramatically, pointing at Kai like a general. "Step two: chaos! Step three: somehow make it work before the festival!"
Sora, calm and composed, rolled her eyes. "Or… maybe we follow a plan?"
"Plans are boring!" Riku shouted, tossing a gear into the air and catching it like a juggling ball. "We are the Worst Squad! Boring is forbidden!"
---
The Assembly Begins
Hours passed. Wires tangled, glue dried on fingers, and the robot's arm fell off three times. Kai tried attaching the wheels correctly, but the robot rolled sideways, hit Mika's backpack, and sent a stack of notebooks flying.
"Not again!" Mika shrieked, ducking. "That was my limited-edition manga!"
Haru tried to help but slipped on a spilled snack and landed face-first on the table. The robot's arm flopped onto his back like a defeated mechanical pet.
Kai laughed nervously, "I… I think it's supposed to stand upright…"
"Nope!" Riku said, giving a dramatic bow. "It stands… however it wants!"
---
First Success
By evening, the robot looked… oddly functional. One wheel wobbled, the arm twitched, and its "eye" (a blinking LED) flickered like it had a mind of its own.
Mika clapped her hands. "Behold! The marvel of chaos! The genius of failure! And yet… somehow, it works!"
Kai smiled. "It… actually moves. Kind of."
Riku grinned, giving Kai a playful shove. "See, newbie? Failing is fun!"
Sora added, "And teamwork is the key. Even chaos can work if we stick together."
Kai's heart warmed. For the first time since joining the university, he felt he belonged—not because he was perfect, but because everyone here accepted mistakes… and celebrated them.
---
Lesson of the Day
That night, Kai wrote in his notebook, doodling little anime-style sketches of the squad: Mika with a triumphant pose, Riku with sparks flying around him, Sora rolling her eyes, and Haru with glue in his hair.
"Sometimes, failure is the first step to friendship. Sometimes, chaos leads to joy. And sometimes… the worst squads make the best memories."
And in that moment, Kai realized: this was only the beginning of their wild, messy, unforgettable journey.