Warfare Augmented Intelligent Frame Unit

Chapter 21 - Advanced Calculus

Chapter 21 – Advanced Calculus

"It's just a basic skill."

If you've spent any time at Orbital Tech, you've probably heard those words escape the lips of the most arrogant person on campus—Myrrh Alicent. It could practically be her catchphrase, always delivered with a sultry confidence that dripped with authority. She had a way of looking down on everyone she crossed paths with, her gaze slicing through people like they were beneath her.

But today? Karma had different plans, and it was Myrrh's turn to face it head-on.

For this day, we had Advanced Calculus, a subject notorious for causing dread. Our professor, Doctor Remus, had a reputation across the university for being a terror in the classroom. So, it was no surprise when he handed out a pop quiz—one hundred brutal items divided between WAIFUs and their support units. We only had one hour to solve them. That meant I had fifty questions to tackle, and my partner would take on the rest.

The room had been silent for what felt like ages, the kind of silence that suffocates the air. Myrrh, who prided herself on breezing through challenges, had been staring blankly at her test sheet for over fifteen minutes. Meanwhile, I had dived into my half of the quiz, feeling the strain of each complex problem, but something about Myrrh's stillness caught my eye.

I glanced at her, and what I saw nearly made me laugh out loud. Her wide eyes looked hollow, her sockets sunken like she hadn't slept in days. Her pale skin, drawn tight over her face, made her look like she had just walked out of a horror movie. And the way she raked her fingers through her hair, messing it up into wild strands, was the final touch. She was gritting her teeth as if enduring some unspeakable agony.

"Why the face? Are you constipated?" I whispered, unable to resist.

"I... I don't understand a thing," Myrrh hissed back, her voice strained. "Seriously, I don't get any of this... Hnnngh..."

I leaned in closer, a smirk forming on my lips. "It's just a basic skill," I said, throwing her infamous line right back at her.

"Hnnngh..." Her breath hitched, and then she began to cry, quietly, her tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. Frustration radiated off her like heat. "I think I'm going to fail... I'm going to flunk this subject... My scholarship..."

Watching Myrrh hit rock bottom like this was oddly satisfying—refreshing even. I'd pay a hundred bucks just to see that devastated look on her face again. Yet, as much as I reveled in her downfall, a part of me couldn't help but feel a little pity for her. I let out a deep sigh, knowing full well what I was about to say was stupid.

"Just answer whatever you can. I'll handle the rest," I offered, half-resenting myself for throwing her a lifeline.

Her wide, puppy-blue eyes locked onto mine, flickering with doubt. "B-but this is a partnership effort... Are you sure you can do it all on your own?" she asked, her voice small and fragile in a way that was completely unlike her usual self.

"What choice do we have?" I replied, shrugging. "I'm almost done with mine anyway. Let's switch."

We swapped our questionnaires and answer sheets, and I dove into the mountain of unanswered questions she had left behind. The clock was ticking, but I didn't let it faze me.

"T-thank you, Zaft. I owe you... another one," Myrrh murmured, her tone soft and defeated, a far cry from her usual haughty demeanor.

I didn't respond. My mind was already submerged in numbers. Math had always been my thing, ever since high school. Advanced Calculus might have been challenging for most, but for me, it was almost thrilling. Weird as it might sound, solving equations was like a mental high. Each problem was a puzzle, and the more complex it was, the more I wanted to tear into it.