"Hey, Onaka should know the direction!" Nisa suggested, turning to the girl with the most academy knowledge. She had to know where they were going, right?


    Onaka, looking slightly embarrassed, rubbed the back of her neck. "Actually, I don''t know either. The floors above the third are not accessible to students... so this is the first time I''ve been up here, too."


    Everyone groaned in unison, the weight of the situation beginning to sink in. Their enthusiasm had led them here, but now they were stuck, clueless about where to go next.


    "Oh, I forgot to give the directions to the students," she said nonchalantly,"But the path is easy enough. From the elevator, you go right first, then take two left turns, a right, and another left. That should lead you straight to Lab 7. It''s really simple—I''m sure they can figure it out, they are not kid anymore."


    Nehora was the first to recover, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "Let''s go this way! I''m sure this is the right direction," he said, pointing confidently toward the right side of the hallway.


    Nisa immediately shook her head. "We''re not allowed to wander around," she reminded him sternly. "Remember what sensei said? Stay on task."


    Tanaka, still calm as ever, raised an eyebrow. "I think this is some kind of test," he said with a chuckle, watching Nehora take off in the opposite direction.


    "What? But we haven''t even started our study yet!" Kaira exclaimed, looking confused. She glanced around, trying to understand what was going on. "Are we supposed to be testing ourselves already?"


    "You''re right," Eiko said, frowning as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "If this is some kind of test, we have to think even more carefully about what our next move is going to be."


    Kaira blinked and suddenly spoke up. "Emm, hey, don''t you think we''re missing someone?"


    The group looked around, immediately realizing that one person was missing.


    "It''s Nehora," they all murmured, a sense of realization hitting them at once.


    "Where did that idiot go this time?" Orasaki grumbled, her tone sharp with annoyance. Her eyes scanned the area, already dreading whatever mess Nehora had likely gotten himself into.


    Seko, pointed to the right. "I think he headed that way."


    Before anyone could say anything else, Orasaki''s fist flew toward Seko''s head with alarming speed, hitting him with a satisfying thud.


    "Why didn''t you stop him?" she demanded, her glare intense.


    Seko rubbed his head, a pained expression on his face. "Ow! What do you mean, ''stop him''? You know he just does whatever he wants!"


    Orasaki was already heading toward the direction Seko had pointed, muttering angrily under her breath.


    "We''re not allowed to wander around," Eiko said in protest, his voice filled with hesitation. "Remember what Katsegawa sensei said to us?"


    "Orasaki, wait!" Kaira called after her.


    Eiko sighed deeply. "So, we''re doing this, huh?"


    The rest of the group, resigned to the situation, followed Orasaki. There was no stopping her once she was set on something.


    "This time, I''m going to kill you, Nehora," Orasaki muttered darkly.


    It didn''t take long for them to catch up. Orasaki spotted Nehora standing in front of a large lab, peering curiously through the glass window. Someone inside the lab noticed Nehora standing outside.


    "There you are, Nehora!" she shouted, already moving to throw a punch at him.


    But as Orasaki advanced, Nehora darted inside the lab, narrowly avoiding her attack. Orasaki stumbled forward, tripping over her own feet and landing face-first on the floor. The impact echoed through the hallway as the rest of the group winced.


    "Seriously?" Orasaki groaned from the ground. "You just had to dodge me, didn''t you?"


    Inside the lab, Nehora stood up straight, completely unfazed by the near-miss. As he looked around, a calm voice interrupted his thoughts.


    "You must be the new student this year," a woman said, stepping into view from the back of the lab.


    Nehora turned toward her, surprised but quick to respond. "Yes, I''m Nehora," he said with a casual smile.


    The woman gave him a curious look and then shifted her gaze to the group entering behind him. "And they are your classmates?" she asked, her tone gentle yet inquisitive.


    "Uh, hey, you guys came here too?" Nehora asked, looking back at his friends.


    "We had no choice," Eiko said, his voice carrying a note of resignation. "Orasaki chased after you, so we couldn''t exactly just stay back and watch."


    The woman smiled, her expression warm but knowing. "Come in," she said, stepping aside to allow them all inside.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    "Thank you, Sensei," everyone said, their voices polite and respectful.


    "I''m Nirahatsu Osima," the woman introduced herself, giving a small bow. "It''s a pleasure to meet all of you."


    "It''s nice to meet you, Osima-sensei," the group echoed, bowing in return.


    As they entered the lab, the students were immediately struck by the sight before them a high-tech, advanced research facility that looked like something out of a science fiction novel. Machines hummed quietly, monitors blinked with mysterious data, and strange gadgets lay scattered across tables. It was clear they were standing in a place filled with cutting-edge technology.


    "Wow, there are so many amazing things here," Nehora said, his eyes lighting up as he looked around. He was practically glowing with excitement. "Sensei, can I take a look at these?"


    Osima nodded, though there was a warning note in her voice. "Sure, but be careful. Don''t touch anything you''re not supposed to."


    "Eh?" Orasaki raised an eyebrow, her gaze lingering on Nehora''s excited face. "Are you seriously going to start touching everything?"


    But Nehora had already moved toward too absorbed in the suit before him. It was sleek, metallic, and definitely reminiscent of something you''d see on a superhero—bright accents of gold and red, streamlined like a high-tech warrior''s second skin. The design was more than just flashy; it looked engineered for speed and power, with a range of complex features embedded into its surface.


    "Wow, this suit is so cool!" Nehora said, practically vibrating with enthusiasm. "Sensei, can I wear it just for one minute?"


    "No, you can''t," Osima replied, a playful smile tugging at her lips as she shook her head. "But I''ll let you look."


    The others, meanwhile, watched Nehora''s antics with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. It wasn''t a surprise that Nehora would be so captivated by something like this.


    "Why are you all standing there like that?" Osima asked, noticing that most of the group had remained by the door. "Don''t you want to take a look around?"


    "We can?" Seko asked, blinking in surprise. He hadn''t expected to be allowed to touch anything, let alone explore the lab.


    "Are you sure, Sensei?" Orasaki asked, still a little cautious.


    Osima smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I don''t mind. But just be careful and try not to touch anything you shouldn''t."


    Orasaki''s eyes lit up, and she immediately started wandering deeper into the lab, practically vibrating with excitement. "Thanks, Sensei!" she called back as she started looking at the various gadgets.


    Seko watched her for a moment, shaking his head. "Look at her," he muttered. "She''s like a kid in a candy store. It''s like a heavenly god herself came down to invite her into paradise."


    Orasaki spun around and glared at him. "What did you just say?" she demanded.


    Seko froze, his hands raised in mock surrender. "Ah, who me? No, you must be mistaken. I didn''t say anything."


    The others exchanged looks, trying to suppress their laughter, knowing full well that Seko had just stepped into a situation that could only end badly.


    Meanwhile, Akasino, who had been quietly observing a strange device on the table, suddenly raised a question. "Osima-sensei, what''s that?" she asked.


    Osima walked over to join her. "It''s a red beam," she explained, her voice steady and informative. "It''s used for shooting lasers over long distances. Still in development, though."


    "A red beam?" Akasino repeated, sounding intrigued. "That''s amazing!"


    "Osima-sensei," Onaka spoke up from another corner of the room. "Why is there a tablet here? Aren''t these kinds of things banned in the academy?"


    Osima chuckled lightly. "It''s not the kind of tablet you''re thinking of," she explained with a smile. "This is a tablet used for detecting enemy locations. But it''s still a prototype and isn''t fully functional yet."


    As the group continued to explore the dimly lit room, the air thick with the hum of technology and mystery, Nehora, now fully suited up, turned toward the boys with a mischievous grin plastered across his face. The sleek, metallic armor seemed to shimmer with an almost unnatural glow under the soft overhead lights.


    "Hey, look here," Nehora whispered in a low voice, clearly eager to show off his newfound.


    The boys, who had been distracted by their own curiosity, turned toward him at once. Their eyes widened as they took in the sight of Nehora clad in the suit.


    "Myra, do you see this?" Senaro asked, stepping closer. "Why is he wearing that? Didn''t Osima-sensei specifically say we can''t touch anything? And he''s wearing it?" His voice held a mix of confusion and disbelief.


    Myra frowned, his brow furrowing with concern. "Yeah, Nehora, didn''t Osima-sensei say—"


    "No need to panic," Nehora interrupted with a wave of his hand, his grin widening. He turned slightly to strike a pose, flexing an imaginary muscle in the suit. "I''ll take it off once we get a photo together. Just let me have my moment."


    "Photo?" The boys echoed in unison, their expressions a mixture of skepticism and curiosity.


    "Yeah," Nehora replied, nodding enthusiastically. "Let''s take a photo together in this suit. It''ll be legendary!"


    Myra, still a little wary, shook his head. "This is insane. You know we''re probably going to get in serious trouble for this, right?"


    Nehora just laughed, the sound rich with satisfaction. "Come on, relax. Osima-sensei won''t even know. And besides..." He gave the boys a sly look, "...who wouldn''t want to be in a photo with the coolest suit in the academy?"


    The boys exchanged uncertain glances but couldn''t help the small smiles creeping onto their faces. There was something about the excitement in Nehora''s eyes that was contagious.


    Senaro''s eyes lit up.With a swift movement, he grabbed the nearest camera from a nearby table. Without hesitating, he lined it up.


    "Hey, wait!" Nehora said, grinning. "If you hold the camera, you''re going to be missing from the picture."


    Senaro laughed. "Yeah, but someone has to hold the camera."


    Nehora thought for a moment before speaking up again. "No, this won''t do. Let''s ask one of the girls to take our picture."


    The boys exchanged looks. "No way," Seko said, shaking his head. "If we do that, they''ll tell Osima-sensei."


    "That''s exactly why we need someone who can''t tell Osima-sensei and will take our picture," Nehora said with a wink.


    Eiko raised an eyebrow. "There''s no one like that in the girls."


    "Oh, yes, there is," Nehora said with a sly smile.


    The boys looked at him, confused. "Eh?"


    Nehora leaned toward them, lowering his voice. "Hey, Onaka."


    Seko''s eyes widened. "There''s no way she''s going to take a picture for you," he muttered under his breath.


    Onaka, who had been quietly watching the scene unfold, noticed Nehora beckoning her over. She walked toward him, her curiosity piqued.


    "Why are you wearing that suit?" Onaka asked. "Didn''t Osima-sensei tell you not to do that?"


    Nehora grinned. "Listen, please take just one picture of us in the suit. I''ll take it off right after, I promise."


    Onaka hesitated, her gaze flicking between Nehora, the suit, and the others. It was clear she wasn''t thrilled about breaking the rules, but the look in Nehora''s eyes—like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar—was too tempting.


    Seko''s muttered comment echoed in the back of her mind, but she ignored it, weighing the situation. It wasn''t like she''d be the one getting in trouble... right?


    After a long pause, Onaka sighed, rolling her eyes. "Fine. One picture," she said, giving in at last. "But after this, you better take it off."


    Nehora''s grin grew wider, almost smug. "Thanks, Onaka! You''re the best."


    The camera clicked with a sharp sound, capturing the moment in perfect clarity. Nehora turned to Onaka, his smile radiating genuine excitement. "Want to take a picture too?" he asked, his voice bright with enthusiasm.


    The group of boys standing nearby froze mid-conversation. Uneasy glances darted between them.


    To be continue.......