I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy

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“Wow, you’re leaving already?”

Adella asked with wide eyes.

It was puzzling for her that Isabella and Enya, who had been here for less than twenty minutes, suddenly announced their departure.

Enya replied with an awkward expression.

“Well… something came up. We have to rush back.”

“Hmm… all three of you?”

Adella squinted as she looked at Enya, Isabella, and Claire.

The three exchanged glances and then nodded slightly.

Adella opened her mouth.

“…Alright. If it’s urgent, I guess there’s no helping it. Go on in.”

Although it was suspicious that they had come to see Ed and Lucas and were now rushing away, Adella decided not to press further.

Children’s matters are children’s matters.

It didn’t seem like her business to intrude.

“I’m sorry for coming unannounced and leaving so suddenly. I’ll visit again next time.”

“Hehe. Sure. Feel free to come anytime.”

With that, Adella sent off her unexpected guests with a smile.

She felt a flutter of excitement at the prospect of the dining table being lively again after a long time, but she couldn’t hold back the kids who were in such a hurry to leave.

Adella sighed and said to the attendant beside her.

“I suppose I need to simplify the dinner menu. Just set a place for Lord Fix.”

“Yes, as you command.”

*

Enya, Isabella, and Claire trudged away from the Elmar Territory with blank faces.

Even though they had left the territory a while ago, they walked down the road slumped, not saying a word to each other.

They were still in shock from what they had just witnessed.

‘Could it be that Lucas really was Edgar’s lover?’

The scene they had seen just moments before.

It was Lucas, sobbing uncontrollably.

They couldn’t tell from afar what had caused him to cry, but the fact that Lucas had “shed tears” was a tremendous shock for them.

The thought of that ever-smug Lucas, who always laughed brightly, shedding tears like a child was something they had never dared to imagine.

How could Lucas show such vulnerability?

That boisterous person who always lived life to the fullest.

‘What on earth did Edgar show him? What could Lucas have seen to…?’

But the real problem was the moment Lucas had burst into tears.

Wasn’t it right after Edgar projected a hologram with some kind of video, and Lucas had started to cry while watching it?

Could that video have been about a parallel universe with Edgar and Lucas?

In other words, a world where the two of them were lovers.

‘If I think about it that way, everything makes sense. Including the way Edgar looked at Lucas.’

Above all, the way Edgar gazed at Lucas with a nostalgic look.

That gaze held deep emotions.

It couldn’t simply be seen as a friendship; the depth in Edgar’s eyes suggested something much more suspicious was at play.

“Ahhh!! I can’t believe it!”

At that moment, Enya suddenly screamed, taking a deep breath in and out.

She turned to Clare and Isabella, who were staring at her with serious expressions.

“How can this be? It makes no sense! Until now, Edgar has never shown any signs of liking a man! But of all people, it had to be Lucas? That Lucas? No way!”

Enya vigorously denied the theory of Lucas and Edgar being a couple, insisting that if Edgar was the person she knew, there was no way that could be true.

Clare sighed and spoke.

“Then how do you explain what we saw today? Two men, and not just anyone, but Lucas, crying like that—does that sound reasonable to you?”

“………”

“Something is definitely going on. There was something between them…!”

However, they could not deny what they had witnessed.

Lucas, sobbing, with Edgar comforting him.

And behind that scene, they had been diligently training together, now far too friendly.

Enya slapped her forehead.

Even though Edgar was already surrounded by women, having Lucas step in would be more than she could handle.

Especially growing up in the Empire, where same-sex marriage was prohibited, Enya found it hard to accept that fact.

“Let’s just keep a closer watch for a bit longer.”

Isabella felt the same way.

Despite having gathered ample circumstantial evidence, she decided to trust Edgar for now and keep an eye on the situation.

Clare sighed and said.

“Then let’s give it a week. Just one more week, and if Edgar and Lucas’s relationship is still suspicious then, we need to act. I don’t want to lose Lucas to Edgar…”

Clare had already felt the pang of losing a friend when Isabella and Enya became close to Edgar.

But she couldn’t lose Lucas, who she had been secretly in love with.

Seeing the man she loved, not just with anyone else, but with another man, was something she couldn’t bear to just leave as is.

And so, the three of them decided on a one-week grace period.

***

“Unbelievable…”

A week passed.

Ultimately, the conclusion of the trio was that “Edgar and Lucas do indeed share a special relationship.”

After observing Edgar closely over the days, they noticed he literally visited the Elmar Territory almost every day, spending time with Lucas.

Not to mention, it was not uncommon for them to be the ones initiating contact.

They could only hang out briefly when they approached him first.

Edgar never sought them out.

“Is his heart… cooling off? Is it Lucas that only catches his eye now?”

It seemed that Edgar had completely fallen for Lucas.

He had been going over to his territory without fail, or inviting him over to his own place to hang out all night.

It was time to take action.

As much as they loved Edgar, they could not respect such ludicrous tastes.

Most importantly, if Edgar and Lucas really were together, it would shatter the four of them’s childhood friends group that had endured since childhood.

They had to prevent that from happening at all costs.

“What’s this? Everyone’s gathered here?”

Just then, a desperately familiar voice invaded their ears.

It was Edgar Fix.

The subject of the entire commotion had finally appeared at the tavern.

“Ed!?”

“What brings you here…?”

“…? What does it look like? I just stopped by. I wanted to grab a drink since it’s been a while.”

Edgar said, pulling out a chair and sitting beside Clare.

Clare narrowed her eyes at him and asked.

“What about Lucas?”

“…? Lucas? He’s probably sleeping in my office right now. He used up too much energy.”

“…What?”

The faces of the trio stiffened.

Lucas was…

Sleeping in Edgar’s territory…?

And he used up so much energy that he would be unable to wake up for a while?

– Swoooosh…

Isabella’s eyes slowly darkened as denial surged within her.

– Flutter…

Enya’s sword trembled aggressively inside its sheath, responding to her rising killing intent.

Clare also shadowed her face and quietly began to warm up her mana.

“………Guys?”

“Should we kill him…? Should we kill him…? Should we kill him…?”

“Are both of them already at that stage…? Haha…hahaha…hahahaha…”

Edgar looked at the three of them with a bewildered expression.

It was clear to him that none of them were in their right minds.

What could they possibly be thinking to react like that?

Meanwhile, Clare glared at Edgar and posed a critical question.

“Ed. Are you serious? Do you seriously have feelings for Lucas?”

“… Serious?”

Edgar replied, utterly bewildered, as if he didn’t understand what they were talking about.

Isabella spoke with vacant eyes.

“We… already know everything… You have feelings for Lucas, don’t you? You were lovers in your past life…”

Isabella spoke, floating in a hologram that recovered much of her former prowess.

Yet, Edgar answered with a look of disbelief.

“…??? Lovers? So you’re saying Lucas and I are lovers?”

“…………”

The awkward trio flinched at Edgar’s strong denial, exchanging glances.

Eventually, Enya spoke.

“Weren’t you just with Lucas until a moment ago…?”

“… Yeah. I was with him. Why?”

“If that’s the case… then you… you slept together… like in the same bed… sweating together… expending your energy… that kind of thing…”

Enya couldn’t finish her sentence, her face vividly overheated.

But it was obvious what her words implied.

Edgar’s shoulders trembled in fury.

“Ugh!”

And then he promptly vomited.

To think they would misunderstand him to have such a relationship with Lucas, who he wasn’t even biologically related to!

Just imagining it made him want to hurl.

“What kind of absurd nonsense is that?!”

And Edgar immediately rebutted with a bright red face against the trio’s claims.

Isabella’s denial evaporated in an instant.

“Wasn’t it… Both of you were playing train games…?”

“No! What nonsense is that?!”

For the first time, Edgar showed clear signs of panic.

Even someone like him, who could see through any crisis, was now blushing brightly and yelling.

“No! Absolutely not! Ugh! What crazy thought is that? Absolutely not!”

“But then… why was Lucas in your office…?”

“He was helping with training! Lucas is at the beginning stage of awakening! It’s an important time, so I’m just sticking around to help him!”

The trio, still bewildered, looked at each other.

Afterward, they bombarded Edgar with all the questions they had been holding.

And Edgar perfectly refuted each suspicion.

“Then… why was Lucas crying like that in front of you…? I can’t even imagine him crying in front of anyone.”

And he posed the last and biggest question that had caused their misunderstanding.

Edgar scratched the back of his head and answered.

“Ha… I know a bit about Lucas’s father. I just showed him that memory. To help him resolve his inferiority complex and feelings of resentment toward his father…”

The trio stared at Edgar with blank faces.

To think all of this had arisen from their own misunderstandings.

The trio’s faces turned red with shame and guilt.

“…S-Sorry. We made a ridiculous misunderstanding… I apologize if it upset you.”

Clare, who had actively supported the idea that Edgar was gay, sincerely apologized to him.

Now knowing that she had no personal relationships between Lucas and Edgar, she could apologize to Edgar with a light heart.

“Thank goodness… I was worried about what to do if Lucas was included…”

Enya wiped a tear, visibly relieved.

The stress that had built up exploded all at once, and she ended up crying.

Isabella bowed her head and said.

“…Honestly, there was another reason we misunderstood you. It’s because you hang out with Lucas every day… but you never come to see us. It’s been nearly two weeks, and we haven’t heard a word from you.”

Feeling slighted due to the complete lack of connection with Edgar lately, both Isabella and Enya had been building up their hurt feelings.

But they couldn’t voice their complaints.

Because Edgar was such a busy person, and he was someone who had big responsibilities…

It would be selfish to constrain him just because he didn’t attend to them…

So they endured, believing that it was their fate to carry the burden of loving someone so remarkable like him.

But amidst it all, they began to feel quite slighted about his time with Lucas.

Feeling like he could spend time with someone like Lucas, why weren’t they prioritized?

“…I’m sorry. I couldn’t come looking for you because my heart wasn’t settled yet.”

In response, Edgar readily apologized for neglecting Isabella and Enya.

He said he couldn’t reach out to them first because he hadn’t sorted out his own feelings yet.

When Isabella and Enya curiously asked him what he meant, Edgar explained.

“No matter who I go to… it would hurt someone. If I come to you, Enya, Isabella would be hurt. If I go to Isabella, Enya would be hurt. More than that, I thought both of your issues had been resolved. So Isabella solved her family’s issues, and Enya found the answer to her martial arts. That’s why I was paying more attention to Lucas. I believe all of you have… great potential.”

Enya and Isabella nodded.

To think Edgar had such great intentions.

Feeling embarrassed about how they had been contributing to Edgar being portrayed as gay, they took stock of their actions.

“I… I’m fine. I won’t be hurt even if I see Isabella.”

But then, Enya made a bombastic declaration.

With a determined look, she continued her bold statement.

“You just wanted to save Isabella, didn’t you? And in all those lives where you saved her, you became lovers…”

“…………”

“I can… accept it. I won’t ask you to give up your precious part for my desires. I like all of those aspects of you…”

Enya poured out her genuine feelings, aided by her tipsiness.

Edgar and Isabella looked at her with blank faces.

Clare also observed Enya, who used to only think of herself, transform into someone who expressed consideration.

However, taking note of the suddenly focused attention and atmosphere, Enya unwittingly blurted out an image she had harbored.

“Three-way is also possible!”

“……?”

There was an awkward silence among the four.

Isabella gave a ‘Huh?’ snort of laughter and frowned.

Clare put her hand to her forehead, retracting her previous thoughts about Enya.

She realized that Enya hadn’t grown into someone considerate but was merely a pervert.

After all, Enya had shown these suspicious tendencies since she was very young.

“In fact, I didn’t quite imagine it either.”

Then suddenly, Isabella supported Enya’s self-bombing.

Everyone stared at her in surprise.

Isabella raised an enigmatic smile with red cheeks.

“I’m not as pure as I appear. I don’t know if it’s due to the negative influences, but… I could easily mix it up; filthy and ugly could work together.”

“………”

Enya’s wild proposal was met with equal flair from Isabella, creating a strangely flowing conversation.

Edgar’s face turned as red as a beet.

Beads of cold sweat dripped down as he pinched his thigh.

Seeing his state made both Isabella and Enya share the same thought.

‘So cute…!’

Edgar, who was once cold and composed, was now frozen stiff with embarrassment.

Enya grinned and gently stroked Edgar’s thigh.

With an alluring smile, she whispered to him.

“I’m the same. If it’s you, Ed… I could fall infinitely.”

Isabella’s playful side activated.

“I’m also ready to ‘serve’ any time if it’s Edgar. If someone is to crush me, it’d be very exciting if it were you♥”

With two temptresses blowing sweet nothings, Edgar’s back was drenched in cold sweat.

With Isabella and Enya growing sensually irresistible, they were now pressing against him, making his mind whirl.

“You, what are you… saying right now?!”

At that moment, Clare glared at them with a face that looked about to explode.

She signaled them to pay attention to the people around.

Realizing how the attention was focusing on them, Isabella and Enya cleared their throats and distanced themselves from Edgar.

An awkward silence enveloped the four.

“Well, anyway!”

Then, Enya broke the silence first.

After taking a sip of beer, she looked at Edgar and said.

“We don’t need to worry about getting hurt… Neither I nor Isabella do. I don’t want to burden you even a little. You can do as your heart leads.”

Edgar, who was remarkable in many regards, would inevitably have many relationships.

Enya resolved to understand Edgar.

Isabella also, after abandoning Edgar in the previous lives, decided to let go of her jealousy for his sake this time.

Sharing love with someone else is an affront to one’s pride, but if it’s with someone like Edgar, she could accept it.

He was too dazzling a person to monopolize for herself.

“Thank you for understanding.”

Thus, Edgar began to pave his way into a brand-new world line.

A world line where he could meet both Isabella and Enya simultaneously.

Unintentionally, his harem life had begun.