[Obsidian Residence - Living Room]
A few weeks later.
The envelope sat on the coffee table. It was heavy, cream-colored, and stamped with the holographic seal of Trimounts University.
Joshua sat on the sofa, elbows on his knees, hands clasped tight. As a transmigrator, he knew the future, but he also knew that he was the variable that didn't exist in the original timeline. His "Nullification" trait was a double-edged sword: either the university would see it as a revolutionary anomaly, or they would see him as a defect.
"You are overthinking it," Saria said softly.
She sat next to him, her posture relaxed but alert. She reached out, her hand resting firmly on his shoulder. It wasn't a gesture of pity; it was a grounding anchor.
"I built the engine specs perfectly," Joshua muttered, staring at the seal. "But if the admissions board is made up of conservative Casters, they'll toss it in the trash."
"Then they are fools," Saria stated simply. "And we will build our own lab without them."
Joshua turned to look at her. Saria looked steady, immovable—a pillar of strength that had supported him not because he was weak, but because she believed in his vision.
He took a deep breath, the tension shifting into resolve.
"Saria," Joshua said, his voice steady.
"Hm?"
"If I open this... and if I got in... I'm going to do something. Something I've been waiting to do for a long time."
Saria blinked. She saw the intensity in his mismatched eyes.
"Is that a threat?" she asked playfully, though her tail twitched nervously against the cushions.
"It's a promise," Joshua replied.
He reached out and tore the seal.
The paper made a sharp rip in the quiet room. He unfolded the letter. His eyes scanned the header, skipping the pleasantries and landing on the bold text in the center.
STATUS: ACCEPTED.Department: Advanced Engineering (Special Dispensation).
Joshua let out a breath he felt like he'd been holding for a month. A grin broke across his face—confident, relieved, and triumphant.
"I'm in," he announced. "Full ride."
Saria's eyes lit up. She grabbed his arm, squeezing tight. "I knew it! Joshua, that's—"
"I'm in," Joshua repeated, cutting her off gently. He turned fully toward her, catching her hand before she could pull away. "So now, I keep my promise."
Saria went still. The celebration paused.
"Saria," Joshua said, his voice dropping to a sincere, warm tone. "We've been partners for years. You've supported my inventions, bought me materials when I was broke, and stood by me when everyone else thought I was just a 'Nullifier.' You are the strongest person I know."
He squeezed her hand, his thumb brushing over her knuckles.
"But I'm done being just your friend. I want to be the man standing next to you. I want to build the future with you, not just beside you."
He looked her dead in the eyes.
"Be my girlfriend, Saria."
Saria stared at him. Her mouth opened slightly, then closed. A flush of red started at her neck and raced up to the tips of her pointed ears.
"You..." she stammered, trying to maintain her composure but failing miserably. "You really waited for the letter to say that? What if you got rejected?"
"Then I would have worked harder until I was worthy," Joshua shrugged effortlessly. "But I didn't get rejected."
Saria let out a shaky laugh. She leaned forward, resting her forehead against his shoulder to hide her burning face.
"You are an idiot," she mumbled into his shirt. "But... yes. Obviously, yes."
"OH, THANK THE STARS!"
BANG!
The kitchen door flew open as if kicked by a SWAT team.
Latina Obsidian stood there, holding a confetti cannon in one hand and a tray of cookies in the other. She pulled the trigger.
POP!
A cloud of glitter exploded over the newly coupled pair.
"Mother!" Joshua groaned, shielding his eyes. "Were you listening at the door?!"
"Listening? I was praying!" Latina squealed, rushing over. She grabbed Saria's face and kissed her forehead loudly. "Finally! Do you know how hard it is to watch you two dance around each other? I was about to lock you in the closet until you figured it out!"
Latina did a little twirl, giggling uncontrollably. "My son is a university student and he finally confessed! Oh, I need a cake. A 'Finally' cake!"
"Mom, please," Joshua sighed, picking glitter out of his hair, though he was smiling.
Saria, usually the picture of stoicism, was buried in her hands, her tail thumping a rapid, embarrassed rhythm against the floor.
[Trimounts University - One Month Later]
The move-in day was chaotic. The elevator to the 4th floor was packed with students carrying spellbooks and wands.
Joshua carried a box of delicate circuit boards. Saria carried... everything else. She walked down the hallway with a massive trunk on one shoulder and two suitcases in her hands.
"Room 402," Joshua read on the keycard. "Shared Suite. Two bedrooms, one common area."
He hesitated at the door. "You know, the roster said our roommate is from the Particle Physics department. Probably some stuck-up noble kid who wants to study 'High Arts'."
"If they are annoying," Saria stated calmly, "I will soundproof the walls. With them inside."
Joshua swiped the card. The door slid open.
They stepped inside.
The common room was pristine. The air conditioning was set to a crisp, perfect temperature. The windows were programmed to filter out excess UV light.
Standing in the middle of the room, organizing a stack of books on the coffee table, was a girl with short blonde hair and glasses.
She looked up as they entered. A small, genuine smile touched her lips—a rare expression that she showed almost no one else.
"You're late," Kristen Wright said softly. "I was beginning to think the admissions office lost your paperwork."
Joshua blinked, surprised. "Kristen?"
"Wright?" Saria lowered the suitcases, her guard dropping instantly. "You are our roommate?"
"I had to hack the housing algorithm to make it happen," Kristen admitted, adjusting her glasses. She walked over to them, looking relieved. "Do you have any idea how many people tried to room with me? The director's nephew, the heir to the Loken Williams fortune... sycophants, all of them."
She looked at Joshua and Saria with a look of genuine camaraderie.
"They want the 'Wright' name. They want my money. You two..." She gestured to Joshua's grease-stained shirt and Saria's worn gloves. "You two just want to break the laws of physics. That is the only company I can tolerate."
Joshua grinned, realizing what she had done. She had created a sanctuary for the three of them—the outcasts of genius.
"Thanks, Kristen," Joshua said. "It's good to see you."
Kristen nodded, then her eyes drifted to Saria's hand. It was resting possessively on Joshua's arm.
Kristen's eyebrows shot up. A spark of amusement lit up her golden eyes.
"Oh?" She looked between them. "Did the variable finally resolve itself?"
"We are dating," Joshua announced proudly.
"Finally," Kristen sighed, turning back to her table. "The unspoken tension between you two during our last meet-up was statistically inefficient. Now you can actually focus on your work."
She picked up a datapad and held it out to Joshua.
"Speaking of work... I saved you the workshop on the left. I need you to look at my drone stabilizers. They're drifting, and none of the 'geniuses' in my department understand torque."
She looked at Saria.
"And Saria, I calibrated the security system to your biometric specs. No one gets in unless you say so."
Saria looked at the room, then at Kristen. For the first time, she didn't see a rival or an annoyance. She saw a friend who was just as lonely at the top as she was.
Saria smiled.
"Acceptable," Saria said warmly. "Good work, Kristen."
[The Hallway]
As the door to Room 402 slid shut, locking the three friends inside their private world, the hallway fell silent.
But in the shadows near the water fountain, the air rippled.
A small figure stepped out from the distortion. She had long, pointed ears and a mischievous smile that curled like a cat's. She held a student roster in her hand, tapping her finger on three names.
Kristen Wright. Saria. Joshua Obsidian.
"The Wright Heiress, The Diamond Wall, and The Anomaly," she giggled, her voice like bubbling water.
She looked at the closed door, her eyes gleaming not with malice but with intense curiosity.
"That room is full of monsters," Muelsyse whispered to herself, gathering moisture from the air into a small, floating ball.
"I wonder if they have room for one more?"