CHAPTER 88: [88] DON’T OPEN ME UP

The corridors of Catalyst Academy transformed as Class 1-D followed Professor Valdez toward the Support Department. The pristine marble floors and crystal accents of the academic wing gave way to industrial flooring and exposed piping. Xavier noticed the walls changing from the sleek white of the classroom areas to a more utilitarian gray, marked with colorful warning signs and safety procedures.

"Is that... heavy metal?" The blonde haired guy asked, cocking his head as the faint sound of music grew louder with each step.

Shit, I still don’t know his name.

"Support students have different... working preferences," Professor Valdez said, her tone suggesting this was a diplomatic phrasing.

As they rounded the corner, the music became unmistakable—a thundering bassline and screaming guitars echoed down the corridor, accompanied by rhythmic clanging and the whirr of machinery. The hallway vibrated with the combined sounds.

"They’re allowed to play music that loud?" Sayuri asked, her green eyes wide.

"The Support Department operates under different regulations," Professor Valdez explained. "Their results justify certain... accommodations."

Xavier hung back slightly walking beside Nolan Traore. The shorter student clutched his tablet to his chest, his eyes darting nervously behind his thick glasses.

"You okay?" Xavier asked.

Nolan jumped slightly. "Oh! Y-yes, just a bit... nervous. The Support Department can be unpredictable."

"You’ve been here before?"

"A few times after school." Nolan pushed his glasses up his nose. "I’ve submitted some design concepts. Theoretical applications of Essentia circuits in protective gear."

Xavier raised an eyebrow. "That sounds advanced."

"It’s just applied mathematics and material science," Nolan said, then seemed to catch himself. "I mean... it’s nothing special."

As they walked, Nolan gradually became more animated, his stutter fading as he described his ideas.

"The problem with most defensive gear is that it’s static," he explained, gesturing with his hands. "But if you integrate crystal lattices that respond to Essentia signatures, you could create adaptive protection that—"

"DAMN IT, NOEL!" a man’s voice bellowed from behind a set of double doors beside them.

Xavier barely had time to register the warning before a deafening boom shook the hallway. The doors blasted outward in an explosion of smoke and debris. Something hurtled directly toward Nolan.

Xavier didn’t think—he moved. He shoved Nolan sideways with enough force to send the smaller student sprawling safely against the wall. Something slammed into Xavier’s chest, knocking him backward onto the floor.

"Xavier!"

"Valentine!"

"Xavier-san!"

Through the billowing smoke, Xavier could make out Professor Valdez rushing toward him. He braced for the pain of whatever metal fragment had hit him, but instead felt something... soft?

As the smoke began to clear, Xavier was staring into a pair of brilliant royal blue eyes. A young woman with matching blue hair grinned down at him, her face inches from his own.

"Wow! You caught me!" she exclaimed, as if being launched across a hallway by an explosion was a normal occurrence.

"NOEL!" A short, stocky man with a singed beard appeared in the doorway, his face red with anger. "What did I tell you about calibrating the pressure valves before—" He stopped abruptly, noticing the crowd of students in the hallway. "Oh. Class 1-D. You’re early."

The blue-haired woman—Noel, apparently—made no move to get off Xavier. Instead, she twisted around to face the bearded man. "No one died! It’s fine!"

"Could you get off me?" Xavier asked, coughing slightly from the smoke.

Noel turned back to look at him, her attention snapping back as if she’d forgotten she was sitting on top of a person. "My bad!" She placed a hand on his chest to push herself up, then paused. Her fingers pressed against his pectoral muscles. "Hmm..."

Her blue eyes widened with fascination. "Such sharp and defined lines, truly beautiful..." Her hands began exploring his chest with clinical interest. "Can I open you up and take a look?"

"WHAT?" Several female voices from Class 1-D shouted in unison.

Was she talking about dissecting him?

The bearded man groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Noel, we’ve talked about this. You can’t just—"

"I meant his Essentia pathways!" Noel protested, still perched on Xavier’s stomach. "Look at how the energy flows through his meridians! It’s so structured, like a circuit board! I’ve never seen anything like it!"

"Get off my student, Noel," Professor Valdez said, her voice carrying a dangerous chill.

"Fine, fine." Noel rolled her eyes and bounced to her feet with surprising agility. She extended a hand to Xavier. "Sorry about that. Sometimes I get carried away."

Xavier took her hand cautiously and stood up, brushing dust from his uniform. "No problem. Just maybe warn people before you start talking about opening them up."

The bearded man approached, looking exhausted in a way that suggested this was a regular occurrence. "I’m Dr. Reeves, head of the Support Department. And this is Noel Stark, our most... innovative student."

Dr. Reeves sighed. "Class 1-D, welcome to the Support Department. We weren’t expecting you for another hour, but since you’re here, we might as well begin."

Professor Valdez nodded. "My students have completed their combat outfit designs and are ready to begin the fabrication process."

"Ooh, new projects!" Noel clapped her hands together, her earlier mishap apparently forgotten. "Let me see, let me see!" She darted forward and snatched Xavier’s tablet from the floor.

Her blue eyes scanned the design rapidly, her expression shifting from curiosity to intense focus. "Hmm, interesting... crystal-weave base layer... adaptive memory fabric... impact redistribution systems..." She looked up at Xavier with newfound respect. "This is actually good. Did you design this yourself?"

"With some help," Xavier admitted, glancing at Calypso.

Noel followed his gaze to Calypso, then back to Xavier. "Oh? Let me see!"

Noel moved on, grabbing Calypso’s tablet. "Let’s see yours... oh! Kimono-inspired with crystal-thread reinforcement and Essentia stabilizers! Very nice."

Noel turned to the bearded man. "I want to work on these two! Dr. Reeves, can I take the Valentine projects? PLEASE?"

Dr. Reeves looked like he wanted to refuse but instead nodded reluctantly. "Just ...try not to explode anything else today. Or anyone."

"I won’t I promise!" Noel said with a grin that did nothing to inspire confidence.

Xavier exchanged a look with Calypso, who seemed equally uncertain about entrusting their combat gear to someone who had just been launched across a hallway by her own experiment.

"Don’t worry," Noel said, noticing their expressions. "I only blow up my own projects a lot. Client work gets the premium treatment. Only a 20% chance!"

Dr. Reeves cleared his throat, glancing at the rest of Class 1-D. "Alright, everyone. We’ll pair you with Support Department students based on compatibility with your design requirements."

Before Xavier could process what was happening, Noel grabbed both him and Calypso by their wrists. "Come on, you two! I’ve got the perfect workstation!"

"Wait—" Xavier started, but Noel was already dragging them down the corridor.

As they were pulled away, Xavier noticed several Support students watching them with unmistakable pity in their eyes. One lanky student with red hair mouthed what looked like "good luck" while another made the sign of the cross over his chest.

"Are we being sacrificed?" Calypso whispered to Xavier.

"I heard that!" Noel called over her shoulder without slowing down. "And it’s not sacrifice, it’s science! Sometimes they overlap, but that’s just coincidence."