One Day at Shalle's Office
The air in Shalle's office was thick with tension as sunlight spilled across Mash Burnedead's face, cornered by three girls with gleaming, determined eyes.
"Please, Sensei! Lend us your strength!" Utaha pleaded, voice brimming with fervor.
"It's just… a quick check," Mash said, stepping back slightly.
"For us, your body!" Kotori urged, eyes blazing.
"Well…" Mash faltered, uneasy under their relentless enthusiasm.
The trio hailed from Millennium Science School's Engineering Club, a powerhouse known for crafting and repairing weapons. Renowned for its "Meisters," the club excelled in hardware and software, their inventions treasured across Kivotos. They also maintained mechanical facilities city-wide, wielding significant influence.
Utaha Shiraishi: Hardware prodigy, earnest, responsible, and dedicated. Kotori Toyomi: Erudite, versed in mechanics, history, and astronomy, but prone to unstoppable chatter when excited. Hibiki Nekozuka: Reserved, with unmatched engineering brilliance, dressed flamboyantly.
Mash nearly agreed but recalled Rin's warning after his combat test: "Don't let anyone study your body. Your strength could inspire dangerous weapons." He'd promised to refuse.
"I promised Rin-san," Mash said.
"Please! A tank-crushing body is beyond rare!" Utaha begged.
"We'll never get this data again!" Kotori added.
"I was too excited to sleep!" Hibiki confessed.
Mash hesitated. Utaha smirked. "How about we make you high-tech training gear?"
"Tempting, but my promise…" Mash replied.
"A weapon, then!" Utaha offered.
"My fists are enough," Mash said.
"…An automatic cream puff machine?" Hibiki suggested.
"I'm in," Mash said instantly.
"What!?" Kotori gasped.
"Zero hesitation!" Utaha exclaimed.
"All for cream puffs?" Hibiki asked.
"Decided! Let's test him!" Utaha declared.
"Experiment!?" Kotori squeaked.
"Bring it," Mash said.
They dragged Mash to the Engineering Club's workshop.
Engineering Club Workshop
The room was a chaotic symphony of broken weapons, half-built robots, and tech clutter—a true engineer's haven.
"Ready, Kotori, Hibiki?" Utaha asked.
"Measurement devices perfect," Kotori said.
"Good to go!" Hibiki added.
"Sensei, change into something comfy," Utaha instructed.
Mash swapped into his black training wear, revealing chiseled abs. The trio froze.
"Ready… everyone?" Utaha stammered.
"Sorry, those muscles are unreal," Kotori said.
(Are guys that ripped? Or just Sensei?) Hibiki thought.
"My muscles have names," Mash said proudly.
"Names?" Utaha asked.
"This is Kevin, this is Mike…" Mash pointed.
"Personal names!?" Kotori yelped.
"Then Tom, Kim, Yamada, Koji, Satomi…" Mash continued.
"Stop! Too much!" Utaha begged.
Hibiki deemed Mash a weirdo, Kotori puzzled over named muscles, and Utaha sighed at another eccentric.
Physical Tests
Test 1: Grip Strength
"Grip this super-power tester. It handles 500kg," Utaha said.
"Really?" Mash asked.
"Go for it," Kotori urged.
Mash squeezed. Crunch!
"Uh… what!?" the trio gasped.
"Broke easily," Mash said.
"Gorillas couldn't break it!" Utaha cried.
"Just a light grip…" Kotori muttered.
"How much is it?" Mash asked.
"Unmeasurable grip strength," Hibiki concluded.
"Next!" Utaha said.
Test 2: Shot Put
A 2-ton shot put, elephant-heavy. Mash tossed it. Whoosh!
It pierced the 1m-thick wall, soaring skyward.
"The wall!" Kotori wailed.
"Unmeasurable," Hibiki sighed. "Next."
Test 3: Sit-Ups & Push-Ups
A counter tracked Mash's reps. "Huff, huff, huff…"
Beep-beep-beep! The counter surged.
"It's going crazy!" Kotori shouted.
"More data—!" Hibiki started.
Psssh! Crackle! BOOM! The machine exploded.
"Sorry," Mash said.
"It's… experimental," Utaha said.
"Next!" Hibiki urged.
Test 4: Side-to-Side Jumps
"Huff, huff, huff…"
"Three Senseis!?" Kotori gasped.
"Afterimages at 0.1 seconds?" Hibiki calculated.
"What!?" Utaha said. "Next!"
Test 5: Weightlifting
"Easy," Mash said, lifting 10 tons.
"Ten tons!?" Kotori shrieked.
"I lift this daily," Mash said.
"Next," Hibiki groaned.
Test 6: Vertical Jump
Mash leaped. Whoosh! He vanished through the ceiling.
"He's gone!" Utaha yelled.
"The ceiling's destroyed!" Kotori cried.
"Will he return?" Hibiki asked.
"Not much oxygen up there," Mash said, landing after 10 seconds.
"Next!" Utaha shouted.
Test 7: 1,500m Run
"Hamstring Magic: Big Bang Dash!" Mash vanished, finishing instantly.
The trio gaped. "Unmeasurable," Hibiki muttered.
"Next," Utaha said.
Test 8: Whac-A-Mole
Whack-whack-whack!
"The moles!" Kotori cried.
"Kinda sad," Hibiki said.
"Unmeasurable!" Utaha said. "Last one!"
Test 9: Punching Machine
BOOM!
"Gone…" Kotori whispered.
"Knew it," Hibiki sighed.
"How do you get that strong!?" Utaha demanded.
"Training and cream puffs," Mash said.
"That's impossible!" they shouted.
All tests yielded unmeasurable results.
Results
"Mash-sensei's too strong," Utaha concluded.
"That's all we got!?" Kotori said.
"No weapon can match him," Hibiki added.
"Sorry I wasn't helpful," Mash said.
"Our fault for underestimating you," Utaha replied. "We'll make the cream puff machine, plus weapons and training gear."
"Really?" Mash asked.
"Thanks for cooperating," Kotori said.
"Though it was useless," Hibiki muttered.
"We might make something small from this," Utaha said.
"Come back anytime," Hibiki added.
"Sure," Mash said, flexing. "Right, guys?"
"Yep, we'll be back!" Mash said in a falsetto, mimicking his muscles.
The trio's abs metaphorically collapsed, halting their work.
Weeks Later, Shalle
"Sensei! The electric bill's insane! What's this machine!?" Yuuka yelled, spotting the cream puff maker and Mash's gravity dumbbell.
"Automatic Cream Puff Machine 01 and Gravity Dumbbell!" Mash said, nodding with the dumbbell.
"Engineering Club!?" Yuuka guessed.
"Correct," Mash said.
"They made this!? The bill's a million a day! Scrap it!" Yuuka demanded.
"No way!" Mash pleaded.
"Raise this dumbbell, and—oops!" Mash dropped it.
Crash! The floor cracked.
"It goes up to 100 tons! More muscle gains. Join me, Yuuka!" Mash urged.
"No way!" Yuuka snapped.
The machine was returned, and Mash sulked, slacking off work.
Elsewhere
"Fufu, Engineering Club's security is weak. Stealing Mash's data is child's play for a genius hacker like me," a voice gloated.
"Let's see… the data that wrecked Decagrammaton… All… unmeasurable!?"
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