Chapter 37 : Chapter 37
Chapter 37 : Priorities
After a few hours, the party atmosphere began to settle down.
Realizing that classes were scheduled for the next day and that they shouldn't show up in a drunken stupor, students began to leave one by one.
That lightning-fast Volt guy was running around picking up plastic cups, and Sal couldn't tell if he was genuinely trying to help or if he had been roped into it by Victoria.
Victoria was sitting at the edge of the stage, and various students were lining up to ask her questions.
She looked like a leader, and indeed, many students seemed to rely on her.
Interest in the stage had waned rapidly after the naked commotion, and the drinking only continued for about another hour after that.
While the drinks and music remained, the party eventually flowed into a typical conclusion where students gathered in small groups to chat.
Everyone, including Melanie, left soon after, and Divinity had to stifle several yawns over the next hour.
Sal offered to walk her back to the dormitory, but she shook her head and yawned again.
"No, I'm fine."
Standing up, she stretched her arms high above her head.
Divinity spoke with a slightly strained voice while stretching tautly.
"Starting tomorrow, I'll be back in those dull gray clothes. Seriously, those clothes do nothing for me."
Saying that, she stood in front of Sal and spun around once, striking a pose.
It was a gesture asking what he thought.
When Sal hesitated to answer, Divinity burst into laughter.
"You can say I look pretty. Everyone admits it eventually."
Sal nodded immediately and said.
"You're really pretty. Very pretty."
Divinity shook her head and laughed.
The two walked up the stairs of the circular auditorium with smiles on their faces.
Following behind her, Sal inadvertently admired how well her jeans fit her.
"Those jeans really suit you."
Sal threw the comment out cautiously, and laughter came from ahead.
"Good, that's better. Thanks for noticing."
Divinity laughed and walked while swaying her hips from side to side.
Sal had no complaints about that sight at all.
Unlike with Hannah, Sal felt comfortable when he was with Divinity.
His usual jokes came out naturally, and there was no need to be unnecessarily careful or tense.
Sal just didn't want to do anything that would threaten their relationship.
This was a relationship that had only started a week ago.
They might be together for the next three years, and he didn't want to make everything awkward with a single impulsive mistake.
Reaching the top of the stairs, Divinity turned her head and smiled.
"Every morning when I see your face, you're smiling. It's almost unnecessary to tell you to have fun."
As she turned toward the dormitory, Sal caught her with a question he had been wondering about.
"Do you ever see your own future? Like who you end up with or something."
He didn't know if the question was rude, but the moment he saw Divinity's sad smile, Sal regretted asking.
She simply shrugged her shoulders.
"In the futures I've seen so far, I was always alone. Whether that's because I had too much work or because I pushed people away, I don't know..."
Divinity sighed and pointed to her eyes.
"Since I can't see the emotions behind the actions, I can't know why my future self is like that. But thanks to you, I realized something. Don't just look at what the scene shows, but understand the surrounding context."
Sal looked at her quietly, and Divinity tried to change the mood with a joke.
"Sorry, I brought the mood down for no reason. Well, let's just think of it this way. Not every future becomes reality, so we don't know yet! How about that?"
Her joke sounded somewhat forced, but Sal responded with a smile.
Divinity turned back toward the dormitory and shouted over her shoulder.
"Besides, we're heroes! Saving lives is our job, we didn't come here to be the protagonists of a happy ending!"
Sal was lost in thought for a moment at Divinity's words.
Wondering what to say.
Then, seeing Divinity's receding figure, he hurriedly shouted.
"Good night!"
Divinity waved her hand once and disappeared toward her tower.
Turning back to look down, only traces of the party remained, and Hannah was nowhere to be seen.
Victoria was still directing the cleanup, and Sal was slightly surprised to see her acting so responsibly.
Instead of going down to help everyone, Sal thought he should probably get some sleep.
He recalled what Divinity had said.
Of course, there was a part of him looking forward to what events would bring a smile to his face in the future... but what weighed on his mind more was Divinity's expression.
He couldn't imagine someone like her meeting a lonely end.
If such a future existed, it must be the result of her own choices.
She was smart, cheerful, strong... and incredibly powerful and beautiful to boot.
Sal shook his head, trying to understand.
She was virtually close to the 'perfect woman.'
At that thought, Sal stopped walking.
Was he perhaps liking her in that way?
Shaking his head, Sal wished this thought was due to alcohol, but he was as sober as he had been at the start of the party.
After pondering for a moment, he realized he was overcomplicating everything.
He and Divinity were friends, and there was no problem between them.
Victoria had only tried to provoke Hannah, and she hadn't succeeded.
There was no need to make life more complicated.
Sal nodded.
There was nothing more to think about.
Now was the time to focus on classes, projects, and his future.
Everything else could be put on the back burner.
Finally arriving at the lobby, Sal reached the elevator area and only then noticed Hannah sitting on a nearby chair.
There was a water bottle in front of her.
As Sal approached her, Hannah's expression seemed to suddenly droop.
Before he could even speak, she bit her lip and said.
"Sal, I'm sorry... can we postpone our talk to another day? I promise, I'll make it up to you."
Hannah looked at Sal with faintly hopeful eyes, and he nodded.
"Of course. Are you okay?"
Hannah sighed a mix of relief and irritation, pointing her hand toward the circular auditorium outside.
"It's just... because of Victoria. She insisted on reporting those guys, so I have to write a statement too."
She pointed to the water bottle in front of her.
"I need to sober up before writing it... I can't write it while drunk. But seriously, I don't know why we have to do this now. We could just do it tomorrow!"
Hannah let out an annoyed sigh and closed her eyes.
Then she took Sal's hand and squeezed it lightly.
"I mean it. I'll definitely make it up to you."
After saying that, she picked up the water bottle and left the lobby.
Sal was left there, with no plans remaining for tonight.
***
"Sal, are you doing this on purpose?"
Upgrade said sarcastically as Sal entered the workshop.
She pointed to the clock hanging above the elevator.
"You've only been out for five hours! You're supposed to drink, pass out, do something stupid, and then come back! The things you do now will remain in your memory forever! You'll have plenty of time to be stuck in the workshop later, you know?"
Sal brushed off her nagging as if it were nothing and headed to his workbench.
But Upgrade stood up from her seat and raised her palm to stop him.
"There are some guys who have no choice but to be stuck in the workshop. Kids who get treated like background scenery even if they go to parties, there are plenty of them in our workshop."
Her eyes scanned Sal up and down nonchalantly, and Sal felt a strange surge of pride seeing her nod in satisfaction.
"With looks like that, I don't think that's the problem. You dressed up decently, didn't you? It might be worth upgrading your uniform by ditching that messy blanket shirt."
Sal laughed and headed to his desk.
"There's something you should know; originally, I wasn't planning on coming into the workshop. But I suddenly remembered Vanessa saying she'd leave some cores for me. She said it's an early reward for the commission. Did they arrive?"
Sal looked at Upgrade with eyes full of anticipation.
She put her hands on her hips and sighed.
"If I say they arrived, you're obviously going to start working right now, aren't you?"
Instead of answering, Sal just smiled brightly.
Upgrade grumbled as if groaning.
"It's all set up in Room 17. Please, just don't stay up all night."
"Yes, understood!"
One wall was covered with a blueprint board filled with glowing designs, and in the center sat a wide workbench with beams of light passing through it.
Above it, complex multi-functional crafting equipment hung from the ceiling.
Besides that, the only thing that caught Sal's eye was a long sofa placed on the opposite side of the workbench.
The air conditioner was pumping out cool air, and Sal quite liked the chill.
Sal pulled down an engraving tool from the multi-functional equipment, surprised by the almost negligible resistance from the connected cable.
It was equipped with a laser cutter, a 3D printer, and even a small industrial furnace.
Then Sal turned to the fancy box placed on the floor, which he had saved for the best moment.
His name was engraved on the box, adding a luxurious feel to the whole package.
Mythos.
Sal smiled as he opened the box.
Inside the drawers organized like trays, individually packaged cores revealed themselves. Each core had an appraisal tag attached, and there were far more materials than expected, including various fabric scraps, metal ingots, and vials containing colorful liquids.
Sal carefully organized the case, suppressing the urge to take everything out and look at it.
He didn't have much time, and he didn't want to repeat the mistake of working all night.
Swallowing his regret, Sal put the wonderful materials back into the case and took out only what he needed immediately.
All his creativity was screaming to make the evolving dagger right now, but Sal suppressed that impulse, remembering the promise he made to himself.
On the other side of the table lay Watcher's sniper rifle.
Although he had never manufactured parts himself before, everything had a beginning.
Normally, he would have wanted to dive straight into modification, but Sal decided to approach it slowly, as he had learned from Upgrade.
He took out a new sheet of sketch paper and began to examine the rifle meticulously from every angle.
Just as he had done with the dagger earlier, he transferred the weapon's dimensions, component structure, mounting methods, and usable elements onto the blueprint one by one.
It proceeded much faster than expected, and Sal smiled with satisfaction.
His practice was finally starting to see the light.
Just then, Upgrade entered the room and flopped onto the sofa.
"Alright, spill it now. Why did you come back here? Isn't it the rule to drink until you're drunk there?"
Sal continued to draw precise lines, alternating his gaze between the blueprint and the sniper rifle.
"The party was almost over. The guy selling drinks packed up early, and people looked tired."
Upgrade turned her head to look at Sal.
"Did you at least make some friends? Please, I've been here all day. Tell me something interesting!"
Sal shrugged his shoulders while continuing to work.
"I made one good friend. You've seen her, right? Divinity."
Upgrade let out a groan-like sigh and sat up to get a proper look at Sal.
"That's it? No scandals? Really?"
She shook her head side to side and stood up from her seat, about to walk toward the door when Sal spoke up.
"Ah, there was almost a fight."
"Finally!"
Upgrade spun around and ran back to the sofa, her face full of anticipation.
"Tell me everything! Don't leave anything out!"
Sal paused his blueprint work and told her about what happened at the party, the confrontation with the second-years, and Victoria's intervention.
But Upgrade raised her palm to stop him.
"Wait, who is this Hannah girl? She danced with you? You know how to dance too?!"
Sal burst into laughter at the barrage of questions.
Upgrade stood in front of him with her arms wide open.
"I'm sorry, but there's only one way to verify if you're real. You have to show me that dance right now!"
Sal looked at her with disbelief, then eventually burst out laughing.
Upgrade shook her head and said.
"I can lock this room and make it so you can't work except during core hours. The choice is yours!"
She waited with both arms raised, and Sal finally put down his pen as if resigned.
Letting out a small groan, Sal took her hand, spun her around, and began the steps.
"Ta-da~"
Sal exclaimed in a monotone voice, tapping his toes on the tiled floor.
"Can I go back to drawing the blueprint now?"
Upgrade made a contemplating face but didn't let go of his hand.
"I think I need more opinions?"
With those words, Upgrade spun around, opened the workshop door, and went outside.
Sal was dragged along in the flow and followed her out.
"Did everyone know? That we had such an amazing dancer hiding among us?"
A few tired faces looked at them, and Upgrade raised her hand high with an elegant gesture.
The laughter bursting between her words and her exaggerated dance moves threatened almost every workbench.
"Since he won't go to the party, we have to bring the party to him!"
Sal looked back at the box of materials and the unfinished blueprint with regretful eyes for the last time, and at that moment, Upgrade grabbed his shoulder.
"Now, Mr. Argento... show us a dance worthy of someone from the auction house!"
Whistles and cheers erupted from all over the workshop, and Sal burst into laughter.
Seeing Upgrade looking at him with a grinning face, Sal finally spoke as if resigned.
"Screw it, let's do this."