Warfare Augmented Intelligent Frame Unit

Chapter 123 - If Push Comes to Shove

Chapter 123 - If Push Comes to Shove

The three of them agreed it would be safer to continue our discussion in the relative privacy of my dorm room. Honestly, it was the first time my space felt this crowded. Usually, it was just Neil dropping by to tinker with tech, Remuel popping in for snacks and banter, or Myrrh coming over to check on me like a concerned sister—or something more.

"W-Wow. So this is your room, Zaft," Fei said, her wide golden eyes scanning the space with genuine curiosity. "Didn't expect you to be such a minimalist. Not exactly spotless, but definitely simple." Her gaze lingered on the dusty mini bookshelf beside my desk and the old plastic robot model standing proudly like a forgotten sentry.

"Why are you acting like it's some alien landscape?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her tone.

Fei scratched her cheek, a faint blush on her face. "It's actually my first time stepping into a guy's room. Makes me wonder what Neil's room looks like..."

That thought made me chuckle. Neil's room was the opposite of mine. I used to visit during our midterm cram sessions, and the place was always a sensory overload—anime and game posters plastered on every inch of the wall like a shrine to geekdom. Socks and shirts dangled from hooks, chairs, even his bed frame. Appliances? Oh, he had them all—microwave, rice cooker, blender—but since he lacked enough shelves or storage space, they were scattered around like part of a post-modern art exhibit.

I glanced at Neil now, hunched over his portable console in my room, fingers dancing across the holographic interface. Without warning, the lights flickered off for a second. Then a soft hum filled the air as my dorm room was bathed in pulsating blue neon from the circuit lines hidden in the walls—his doing. The ordinary space now shimmered with a sleek, cyberpunk glow, like we had just stepped into a sci-fi noir.

"I've disabled all the electronics in this room," Neil said, his voice calm.

I heard the familiar crinkling of foil—a sound that cut through the room like a red alert. I turned my head and, to my horror, saw Myrrh sitting cross-legged on my bed, casually tearing open a bag of my favorite sour cream potato chips—my chips, carefully stashed for a later, more sacred moment. She had already helped herself to a mouthful, chewing contentedly like she owned the place.

"So, what's the deal with that thing in the library?" Myrrh asked, voice muffled through chip-crunching, her tone as indifferent as if she were asking about the weather.

I pointed at her with a mix of disbelief and restrained fury. "Myrrh, opening my prized potato chips is one offense. Eating them on my bed? That's a war crime. I'm gonna wake up with ants crawling on me tomorrow."

She scoffed without missing a beat. "Stupid goon. There are no ants here in Xyraxis," she said, still chomping with zero remorse. Then, as if doubling down on her sins, she extended the bag toward Fei. "Want some?"

"Thanks!" Fei chirped and grabbed a reckless handful. I watched in silent agony as powdered MSG rained from her fingers like cursed snow, dusting my clean bed sheet with invisible regrets. She froze mid-bite. "Ah—sorry!" she blurted out with a sheepish smile.

I groaned, long and defeated. "My goodness..." There was no salvaging the situation now. I'd just borrow Neil's dry cleaner later and pray it could erase the flavor betrayal staining my bedding.

But priorities. First, I had to address the metaphorical kaiju in the room before any more chip-related atrocities occurred.

"The WMD Series activated earlier," I said flatly, shifting my attention to Myrrh. "It gave me a mission update- The Machine God's Gospel."