Chapter 80: Microphone
That evening, Norelia took a contemplative sip from her coffee mug, sitting at the table in her private lecturer quarters.
Sitting directly across from her was a red-haired individual who regularly caused the petite genius to question why the universe’s physical asset allocation system had treated her so unfairly in the chest department.
"I finally managed to clear a window in my schedule after a full week of non-stop lab research and lectures just to spend some quality time with that idiot..." Norelia grumbled, her brow furrowing into a cute pout as she set her mug down. "And now he’s completely missing?"
Mira offered her an amused smile, thoroughly enjoying the tiny lecturer’s frustration. "Young Master mentioned it was a mandatory engagement date with Lady Aria today, Miss Norelia."
She then groaned, dramatically sinking her head onto the wooden table with a soft thud. "I wanted to spend the entire day locked in his room doing all sorts of shameless, lewd things, you know?!"
Norelia’s brow twitched violently. She hadn’t even been able to hold Eren’s hand properly for three consecutive minutes all week, while this busty maid and that giant barbarian were essentially devouring him daily. Truly an outrageous, unacceptable imbalance of resource distribution.
Norelia looked at the darkening sky outside her window. "It’s already evening. He should have concluded his political duty and returned by now."
The red-haired maid shook her head softly, her expression turning slightly thoughtful. "I checked his room just before coming over here, Miss Norelia. He wasn’t there."
Norelia pushed back her chair and stood. A decisive glint flashed in her red eyes.
"Well," Norelia declared, a sharp, calculating glint flashing behind her lenses. "I think I know exactly where that idiot is hiding right now."
***
Norelia grumbled in pure annoyance, her heels clicking echoed through the empty hallways as she navigated the empty campus building.
"Neglecting his lover for an entire week..." she muttered under her breath, her eyes narrowing behind her newly brought glasses. "I am going to give him a painful punishment the second I lay eyes on him."
She finally reached her intended destination: the research facility operated by the Vice Principal.
Pushing the heavy double doors open, she stepped into the dark workshop, save for a single spotlight illuminating the central workbench in the middle of the laboratory.
And right there sat the elusive idiot in discussion.
Eren was leaning over, completely absorbed in his work. He didn’t even notice her entry; his focus was entirely on the task as he precisely operated a mana-soldering apparatus, faint blue sparks illuminating his sharp, handsome face.
Norelia approached with silent steps, stopping right beside him. She crossed her arms over her chest and pulled her lips into an absolute pout, staring at the side of his head with judgment.
Eren continued soldering for another three seconds before speaking smoothly, without even turning his head. "You know, Miss Norelia... you look remarkably cute when you got that pout."
He finally set the soldering tool back onto its stand and turned to face her with a warm smile on his face. "Welcome, my always adorable, brilliant lecturer."
Norelia’s entire mental preparation instantly suffered a catastrophic crash.
She had spent the entire walk over mentally rehearsing how she was going to kick his butt, demand a formal apology, and aggressively contest for her fair share of his attention. But the second he offered her that fond smile, every ounce of her anger evaporated like cheap alcohol on a hot plate.
"Pervert," she muttered under her breath, her cheeks flushing a faint pink as she adjusted her glasses to hide her flustered state. "What are you doing here on a campus holiday?"
Eren patted the vacant stool right beside him. "Curious? Want to take a look at the current prototype?.
Norelia gave a deadpan nod—but instead of occupying the adjacent stool like a civilized professor, the petite genius stepped straight up to him, turned around, and planted her small butt right onto his lap.
She wiggled slightly, comfortably adjusting her weight and settling her thighs against his trousers to absorb his body heat. Once she was fully accommodated, the petite girl tilted her head back, resting her head against his shoulder to look up at his amused expression with a demanding gaze.
"Show me," she commanded.
Eren gently ran his fingers through her soft hair, leaning down to whisper into her ear. "You know, Miss Norelia... you look exceptionally gorgeous in those glasses when you’re trying to be intimidating."
Instead of swooning, the petite girl gave her hips a deliberate grind straight against the increasingly responsive rod trapped inside his trousers—a small, triumphant smirk tugging at her lips when she felt him stiffen beneath her.
"Nice try," the petite genius hummed, adjusting her frames with a cool, lazy expression. "I’m not a simple-minded barbarian like that swordmaster. I won’t be swayed by cheap verbal flattery. Now show me what you’re working on before I start the lecture about your incompetence as boyfriend."
Eren unrolls a detailed, hand-drawn blueprint before her. "Alright, look here. A while back, we successfully engineered an image-capturing device. So, my brilliant professor... what if we created a device that captures and records sound instead?"
Norelia’s brow lifted in immediate interest. "An audio-recording device using frequencies...? Is that even possible with our current material limits?"
"It doesn’t just exist in theory," Eren replied, offering a confident smirk. "I’ve already built a functional primary prototype and executed a live trial. It captures human speech with high fidelity."
Norelia turned her head, looking up at him with a glare. "If the thing is already fully operational... then what is the roadblock stalling your progress?"
Eren wrapped his arms more snugly around her, pulling her against him. "The size factor. The current one is way too bulky. I need this unit to be small enough to plant in an area without anyone ever noticing its existence. Think of it as a stealthy, non-living spy."
Norelia’s red eyes narrowed as she processed the implications. "And this is the high-priority project that consumed your entire evening and forced you to neglect me?"
"It is an emergency," Eren admitted. "I need it to be delivered to Aria by tomorrow morning for an important operation."
Norelia frowned, leaning down to inspect the miniaturized structural blueprint. She tapped her index finger against a specific cluster of mechanical gears and copper wiring. "Your structural density is completely inefficient, Eren. The mechanical components required for audio reception and storage literally cannot fit inside a casing this small."
"That was my exact conclusion," Eren agreed, nodding grimly.
Norelia let out a soft, smug huff.
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