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CHAPTER 19: SCRAPPED.metal

1. How it started:

MECH TEACHER 1: "Oh, just an FYI, we do have mandatory research projects, which I know, know, sucks!"

NPC 1: "I love doing research."

STEVEN: "I don't," -muttered, then out loud: "Can any exceptions be made?"

MECH TEACHER 1: "No."

STEVEN: <Dieze, please make a shareable copy of the ARTICLE>

Dieze: [Processing...] [ACTION COMPLETE!]

STEVEN: "Hey, so I was involved in research with this community a while ago. I have a letter of recommendation, want to see it?"

MAYO: "You worked here?"

ZERO: (unimportant words)

STEVEN: "Yes," (whispered).

MECH TEACHER 1: "THAT IS SO COOL? Who did you mentor under? MECH TEACHER 2? MECH TEACHER 3? Can I see it?"

[STEVEN shares it]

STEVEN: (Casually) "By the way, these research materials are... pretty interesting. I think the students here... no, the whole school would benefit from seeing them, don't you agree?"

MECH TEACHER 1: (Laughing) "Haha, this young man sure is promising! The enthusiasm of youth, always re-fresh-ing. Come, let's talk more about this research. You're certainly an exception!" (He claps Steven on the shoulder, guiding him away from the others.)

(The other students, Mayo and Zero included, go back to examining the lab, their curiosity piqued by the machinery around them. But Steven's attention is on the teacher, and a subtle edge creeps into his voice.)

STEVEN: "Exceptional. Thanks, you're too kind. And speaking of exceptions, about those research projects..."

MECH TEACHER 1: (His voice loses its cheerfulness) "Yes, about that. You have something specific in mind?"

STEVEN: "Just a small favor. I think my previous work would be enough, right? I worked so hard on those."

MECH TEACHER 1: (Eyeing the shared article, now slightly uneasy) "Let me think about it."

STEVEN: "I'm thinking about it too. By the way what's this?"

(The boy smirks, holding up his device, showing a video of MECH TEACHER 1 engaged in an impromptu dance-off in a public square, wearing a colorful cat maid outfit. The video shows a certain MECH TEACHER climbing on a table, and 'oh my...')

MECH TEACHER 1: (His face turns beet red as his jaw drops, eyes widening in horror) "Where... where did you find that?"

STEVEN: "Dunno."

MECH TEACHER 1: (Stuttering, clearly thrown off balance) "That was a charity event! It was for a good cause. I... I can't believe you would use this against me."

STEVEN: (Eyes glinting, with a smile spreading across his face.) "I'm not using it against you. We're working together aren't we..."

MECH TEACHER 1: (Defeated, he grits his teeth heavily) "YES. You're exempt from research. Please... don't share that video..."

STEVEN: (Innocently) "I don't even have a video. What video?"

- - -

The students returned their attention to the laboratory, their eyes wide with wonder and curiosity. MECH TEACHER 1 seemed oddly distracted, his face slightly flushed, and his cheerful demeanor replaced by a subdued tone.

Two students, clearly unimpressed by the mechanical marvels around them, sauntered through the lab with disdainful looks. "Is this all the Mech Division has to offer?" one of them sneered, kicking at a loose bolt on the floor. "Boring."