A few days had passed since the Trio moved into the dormitory of Trimounts University. The boxes were mostly unpacked, the workshop was humming with the sound of servers, and the domestic routine was starting to feel… surprisingly natural.
Saria trudged down the hallway, her shoulders heavy from a grueling lecture on defensive Arts. As she swiped her keycard and the door hissed open, the smell of garlic, herbs, and simmering broth hit her like a warm hug.
"Welcome back, Saria."
Saria froze. Joshua was standing in the kitchen area, wearing a simple white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a dark apron tied around his waist. He looked every bit the devoted househusband, stirring a pot with one hand while the other held a tasting spoon. He turned toward her, giving her a warm, alluring smile that made the fluorescent dorm lights feel like sunset.
Saria was stunned. Even though they were officially a couple now, her heart still skipped several beats every time he looked at her like that.
Seeing her trying to regain her composure, Joshua's smile turned into a smug, playful grin. He leaned against the counter and decided to use the most dangerous weapon in his arsenal: the classic trope.
"So, my dear Saria," he started, his voice dropping into a silky baritone. "What would you like first? A bath? A meal? Or..."
He bridged the gap between them in two steps, leaning down to her ear. "...Me?"
The remark sent Saria's mind into an absolute tailspin. A visible puff of steam practically hissed from her burning crimson face.
"J-Joshua! Stop that!" she stammered, her hands flying up to cover her face.
Giggling at the satisfying result, Joshua took her stuff and led her to the dining table before he brought out delicacies to the table.
Once everything was set, Joshua sat along the left side of Saria with little distance between them.
"How did today go, my love?" Joshua chuckled, wrapping his arms around her waist. His long, black tail—thick and powerful with that distinct red axis—coiled affectionately around Saria's own tail, a gesture of deep intimacy that made her knees go weak.
"It was... fine. Boring," Saria managed to whisper, leaning into his chest despite her embarrassment.
"The biological urge for physical intimacy is a fascinating variable," a cold voice interrupted from the corner.
Kristen was sitting at the dining table, surrounded by holographic blueprints. She hadn't even looked up. "However, your current display of affection is increasing the room's ambient temperature by 1.2 degrees. Joshua, if you are finished flirting, the nutritional intake you promised is three minutes behind schedule."
Joshua sighed, pulling back from Saria but keeping a hand on her shoulder. "You know, Kristen, you could try being a little less 'clinical.' Since I'm the one handling the cooking, cleaning, and grocery shopping for this sanctuary, you might as well get used to a little domestic bliss."
Kristen adjusted her glasses, her eyes finally flickering toward them. "As long as the caloric intake remains consistent and the workspace remains sterile, your 'domestic bliss' is a tolerable inefficiency."
Joshua returned his focus to Saria, seeing that an agreement had been reached; as they remained in their world, a faint pink fluffy air formed.
Kristen could only sigh before putting down the instrument and eating her meal.
Despite its plain appearance in comparison to her chef's exaggerated and beautifully decorated mansion, the taste and warmth it provided more than compensated.
The warmth she hadn't felt since her parents died was now present whenever all three of them gathered. That wasn't something she was willing to trade.
After
Later that afternoon, the trio decided to head out for a quick supply run. But when they returned to the door of Room 402, something was wrong.
The air in the hallway felt heavy. Damp.
"Wait," Saria said, her sense of vigilance was heightened. "The pressure is off."
The floor in front of their door wasn't just wet; it was covered in a thick, vibrating layer of water that seemed to defy gravity, swirling in complex, hypnotic patterns. It was a high-level trap—a barrier of pure hydrological Arts.
"Another prank," Joshua muttered. He looked at the swirling water and saw a faint, mischievous silhouette hiding behind a nearby pillar.
Joshua didn't hesitate. He reached out and caught the hem of his right glove with his teeth, pulling it off. His bare hand—the hand that carried the 'Nullification' curse—was exposed to the air.
He stepped forward and plunged his hand directly into the heart of the water barrier.
FZZZZT!
The sound was like a hot iron hitting ice. The complex magical structure of the water shattered instantly. The mana holding it together was simply erased, causing the barrier to collapse into a harmless, mundane puddle on the floor.
"Alright, come out," Joshua called out, slipping his glove back on. "I know you're there."
From behind the pillar, a girl with long, pointed ears and light, messy hair skipped out. She wasn't upset that her trap had been dismantled; instead, her eyes were sparkling with intense curiosity.
"Wow! You really did it!" Muelsyse cheered, circling Joshua like a predator. "I've heard about 'Nullifiers' in textbooks, but seeing you delete a Grade-A barrier with a touch? That is so cool! I want in!"
"In where?" Saria asked, her voice like grinding stone.
"In your room! In your group!" Muelsyse beamed. "You guys are the most interesting things in this whole boring university!"
"No," Saria and Kristen said in perfect, cold unison.
Muelsyse didn't seem discouraged. She gave them a wink and a wave before vanishing into a splash of water, leaving them with a parting promise: "I'm a very persistent elf, you know!"
[The Breakthrough]
A few days later, the trio was hitting a wall.
They were testing the Arc Reactor Mark I prototype in their workshop. The power output was staggering, but the heat was unmanageable. The copper coils were turning cherry red, and the air in the room was becoming dangerously thin.
"The thermal dissipation is failing," Kristen stated, her voice tight. "We need a faster heat exchange, or the core will melt through the floor."
"I'm recalibrating the pressure here!" Joshua was occupied and his complexion was no better. "This is going nowhere, Saria could you give me a hand?"
"Sorry, this side is also occupied." Saria fair no better than previous two, constantly have to maintain calcification art to prevent the overwhelming heat from spreading out uncontrollably.
The situation got dare by second. At this rate, disaster would struck.
"I can't vent the air any faster!" Joshua shouted over the roar of the machine.
Suddenly, the window slid open. A familiar face popped in.
"Need a hand—or some cold water?"
Without waiting for an answer, Muelsyse hopped inside. She didn't use a clumsy bucket; she moved like a conductor. With a snap of her fingers, streams of super-cooled, high-density water surged from the air, coiling around the reactor's heat sinks in a perfect, pressurized cycle.
The temperature plummeted. The red glow faded to a stable, calm blue.
"Precision cooling," Muelsyse grinned. "Better than any fan, right?"
Joshua let out a deep sigh. "I feel like ten years of my life just shredded off," he said as his body gave out due to tension.
Kristen looked at the data. The efficiency had spiked by 35%. She adjusted her glasses. "Her integration into the thermal cycle is… optimal. I withdraw my objection. She may stay."
Saria looked at the Elf, who was currently leaning a little too close to Joshua to "check the gauges." Saria's tail lashed irritably. "Fine. She can join the room. But if she touches anything without permission, she's out."
Late that night, after Kristen had finally retired to her room, the dorm was quiet.
Joshua sat in the soundproofed workshop, his gloves off, his fingers dancing across the strings of his guitar. Saria sat on a stool nearby, her eyes closed, listening to the private show she loved so much. It was their secret—the only time the "Iron Wall" and the "Engineer" could just be two people in love.
Joshua began to sing a soft, soulful melody for his "Echo" channel.
"If the stars fall down, I'll be the one to catch the light…"
Suddenly, the vent cover in the ceiling clicked.
Muelsyse dropped down, landing silently on her feet. She held up her phone, which was already recording.
"So this is the secret project!" she whispered, her eyes wide with delight. "The Nullifier is a superstar! Oh, the girls in the dorms would kill for this footage."
Joshua stopped playing, his face pale. Saria stood up, her shield manifesting in her hand. "Delete that, Muelsyse. Now."
"Aww, don't be like that!" Muelsyse giggled, dodging behind a server rack. "I'll keep your little secret. I won't tell a soul... but in exchange, I want to be part of this. No more secrets from Mumu!"
She looked at Saria's murderous expression and Joshua's resigned sigh.
"Think of it as an exclusive VIP pass," Muelsyse winked. "And I might even help with the acoustics!"
Saria growled, her face turning red with both anger and embarrassment. Their private sanctuary had been officially invaded by a bubbly, blackmailing Sassy-Elf.
"I'm going to regret letting her in," Saria muttered.
"We already do, my dear," Joshua sighed, putting his guitar away. "We already do."