The Queen's Match │Hunter TOH x FemPopularGirl Reader

Chapter 3: Mix of Chaos

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Each gaze a glare, each word a dart, yet love lay hid within the heart.

- Passerine2007

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Hunter entered the classroom the next day, barely acknowledging your glare as he took his seat. He seemed as unbothered as ever, while you were fully prepared for the inevitable clash. 

You had both spent the last weeks at each other's throats in basically every class—and today, Terra Snapdragon's Advanced Engineering class was no exception.

The students sat upright, textbooks and notebooks open, as Terra strode into the room with her usual air of authority. She surveyed the class with piercing eyes before beginning the lecture.

She set her materials on the desk and greeted the class with a brief, "Morning, you sniveling weeds." Her voice was carrying the authority necessary, as even the usual murmurs of pre-class chatter quickly disappeared.

You sat nearly at the front, drumming your nails, perfectly manicured, against a designer notebook. At the back, Hunter Deamonne scribbled notes diligently.

The classroom was quiet, every student hanging on Professor Terra Snapdragon's words as she explained the intricate theories behind advanced mechanical compositions.

"We'll be continuing from this session on structural load distribution and stress testing for multi-level, mixed-material constructions, next class" she started. "As future engineers, you are going to be designing buildings, bridges, or large-scale infrastructures that must endure through several stressors: earthquakes, high winds, and material fatigue, among others."

She strode over to the board, drawing a simple model of a multilevel building structure. "Now, before we close the session today, let's discuss an open-ended question: What would you say is the optimum way to engineer maximum load-carrying capacity for a multi-level structure under variable load? Anyone?"

You raised your hand, looking brashly into Terra's face. She nodded to you, encouraging you to continue.

"Well," you started, "I'd argue for a dual-material support system that would consist of steel-reinforced concrete for the base of the structure and carbon-fiber beams for the upper part. Concrete does compressive stress well, so there it's perfect for the base, whereas carbon fiber boasts tremendous tensile strength and flexibility, allowing for shock absorption without losing its integrity. Using both materials would maximize efficiency in load distribution across the whole structure."

Hunter didn't even wait for you to finish before speaking up, earning a few amused glances from classmates who were used to your debates by now. "That's only assuming the materials are somewhere close to homogeneous under various loads, but carbon fiber does not have a strong enough return on investment when in steady, fluctuating stresses. Steel is much better with regard to yield strengths and tensile strengths- far better, all the way around, especially in high-rise buildings where load-baring is notoriously unpredictable".

[Author: DISCLAIMER. I have no idea what the fuck I'm talking about]

You give him a stern look. "Carbon fiber's weight-to-strength ratio alone makes it practical to use. While steel's good in terms of yield, it is too heavy for higher levels without compromising the base structure. With load-optimized materials, you're minimizing unnecessary weight on lower floors, keeping the entire structure much more resilient to stress."

Hunter shrugged. "It's not that simple to distribute the weight just putting lighter material at the top. Carbon fiber isn't efficient or reliable when we're talking about lateral stress—seismic load conditions like shifted weight not just up-down. Steel has tensile resiliency, puts it in a better position in those scenarios if we pre-tension it to maximize resistance."