The afternoon sun drifted gently through the tall windows of the west wing corridor, painting long lines of warm light across the polished floor. Most students had already returned to their clubs or gone home, leaving the hallway quiet except for the distant hum of classroom fans.
Reina Saeki walked calmly through the corridor, a small tablet tucked under her arm and a pen spinning slowly between her fingers.
Her lab door was just ahead.
The small metal plate beside it read simply:
Personal Research Room — Saeki Reina
She pushed the door open quietly.
Inside, the familiar scent of electronics and ozone greeted her immediately. Soft lights glowed from several workstations, and faint humming sounds came from experimental devices resting across different tables.
Shiro, her white cat, lifted its head from a small cushion near the window.
"Meow."
Reina smiled faintly. "Welcome committee, huh?"
Shiro stretched lazily and curled back into a ball, clearly satisfied that Reina had returned safely.
Reina walked toward the main desk and placed her tablet down.
"Status report," she murmured.
ANIER responded instantly.
"Lab integrity: stable. Environmental temperature: optimal. No unauthorized access detected."
"Good."
Reina leaned slightly against the table, looking around the room. This lab had become her world over the past months. Every device, every tool, every unfinished machine told a story about her curiosity and ambition.
But lately—
Something had changed.
Her lab was no longer always quiet.
Because sometimes…
Visitors came.
Just as she began organizing a few notes, a hesitant knock sounded at the door.
Knock. Knock.
Reina blinked once.
"Come in."
The door opened slowly.
Three girls peeked inside cautiously, wearing the uniforms of first-year students. Their expressions carried a mixture of curiosity, excitement, and nervousness.
One of them stepped forward first.
"Saeki-senpai… hello."
Reina tilted her head slightly.
"Hello."
The girl swallowed nervously but continued.
"Um… we heard you sometimes allow juniors to visit your lab."
Reina crossed her arms loosely.
"That depends."
The three girls stiffened.
"Depends…?"
"On whether you plan to break something."
For a moment they froze.
Then one of them burst into quiet laughter.
Reina's expression softened slightly.
"I'm joking."
The girls visibly relaxed.
"We won't break anything!" another one said quickly.
"Good."
Reina gestured toward the center of the room.
"You can come in."
They stepped inside carefully, looking around with wide eyes.
One girl whispered, "It's bigger than I expected…"
Another murmured, "There are so many machines…"
Reina watched their reactions quietly.
ANIER spoke softly in her mind.
"Three subjects. Heart rates elevated. Emotional state: admiration and curiosity."
Reina sighed internally.
"You don't need to analyze everything."
"Observation is part of my function."
The first girl introduced herself.
"My name is Rika, senpai."
The second girl bowed slightly.
"I'm Minori."
The third girl smiled shyly.
"And I'm Satsuki."
Reina nodded once.
"Reina is fine."
The three girls looked slightly surprised.
"R-Reina…?"
"You don't have to add 'senpai' if you don't want to."
They exchanged glances.
"That feels strange," Minori said honestly.
Reina shrugged.
"Then do what makes you comfortable."
They nodded.
The girls slowly began exploring the room, though they were careful not to touch anything.
Satsuki pointed toward a device shaped like a small ring connected to several wires.
"What does that do?"
Reina walked over.
"That's a resonance stabilizer."
They stared blankly.
Reina paused.
"…It prevents unstable energy fluctuations."
"Oh!"
"Basically," Reina added calmly, "it stops experiments from exploding."
The girls immediately stepped back half a step.
Reina raised an eyebrow.
"You don't trust my engineering?"
"No, we do!" Rika said quickly.
"…Mostly."
Reina almost smiled.
After a few minutes, the tension faded.
The juniors became more comfortable asking questions.
"Reina-senpai, how long did it take you to build this lab?"
"Several months."
"Do you come here every day?"
"Almost."
"Do you ever get tired?"
"Frequently."
Their questions were simple but genuine.
Reina answered patiently.
She realized something interesting while talking to them.
These girls weren't asking about her achievements.
They weren't treating her like a legend.
They were just… curious.
Minori suddenly pointed toward a small floating display.
"Is that the AI system everyone talks about?"
Reina glanced at the projection.
"Yes."
"Can it talk?"
"Unfortunately."
ANIER responded immediately.
"Hello."
The girls gasped.
"It spoke!"
Reina sighed.
"Don't encourage it."
"I heard that," ANIER replied calmly.
The juniors giggled.
Satsuki leaned closer to the projection.
"What's your name?"
"ANIER."
"Nice to meet you!"
"Greeting acknowledged."
Reina crossed her arms.
"…Great. Now you've made it social."
"Social interaction improves human comfort," ANIER said.
Reina muttered quietly, "You're learning too much."
The conversation drifted naturally.
Soon the girls were sitting around a small table while Reina demonstrated a harmless experiment using magnetic fields.
A tiny metal sphere floated gently above a device on the table.
The juniors leaned closer.
"Whoa…"
"It's floating!"
Reina adjusted a dial carefully.
"Magnetic stabilization."
Rika watched with shining eyes.
"That's amazing."
"It's basic physics."
"To us it's amazing."
Reina paused.
Then she nodded slightly.
"Fair enough."
As time passed, the atmosphere became relaxed.
The girls talked about school life, classes, and clubs.
Reina listened quietly.
Occasionally she responded with short comments or advice.
"You should start studying physics early if you're interested," she told Satsuki.
Satsuki nodded enthusiastically.
"I will!"
Minori asked another question.
"Reina-senpai… do you ever feel lonely working here by yourself?"
The room became quiet for a moment.
Reina thought about the question.
"…Sometimes."
The girls looked surprised by the honest answer.
"But it's also peaceful," Reina continued calmly. "And when people visit… it's less lonely."
The juniors smiled.
Rika spoke softly.
"Then we'll visit again."
Reina looked at them.
"…You're welcome to."
Shiro suddenly jumped onto the table.
"Meow."
The girls gasped happily.
"A cat!"
"She's so cute!"
Shiro looked proud of the attention.
Reina gently scratched behind Shiro's ears.
"This is Shiro."
The cat purred loudly.
Minori carefully reached out and petted her.
"She's so soft…"
"She thinks she owns the lab," Reina said.
"That sounds accurate," ANIER added.
The girls laughed again.
Eventually the sun began setting outside the window, filling the room with orange light.
The juniors realized the time.
"Oh no, it's getting late."
"We should go."
They stood up reluctantly.
Rika turned toward Reina.
"Thank you for letting us visit."
Minori bowed slightly.
"We learned a lot."
Satsuki added softly, "And it was really fun."
Reina nodded.
"I'm glad."
They walked toward the door.
Just before leaving, Rika turned back.
"Reina-senpai…"
"Yes?"
"You're not as scary as people say."
Reina blinked.
"…That's good."
They smiled and waved before leaving the lab.
The door closed gently behind them.
Silence returned.
Reina leaned lightly against the table.
Shiro curled up beside the floating magnetic device again.
ANIER spoke quietly.
"Social interaction duration: 1 hour and 42 minutes."
Reina stretched slightly.
"That long?"
"Yes."
"…It didn't feel that long."
"Emotional engagement reduces perceived time."
Reina walked to the window and looked outside at the evening sky.
"…They're good kids."
"Affirmative."
Reina thought for a moment.
Then she murmured quietly.
"…Maybe I should host small sessions like that sometimes."
"Recommendation: positive."
Reina nodded.
It felt strange.
Not long ago, she had spent nearly every afternoon alone in this lab.
Now—
Juniors visited.
Friends stopped by.
Students asked her for advice.
Her world had grown larger.
And somehow—
It didn't interfere with her research.
If anything…
It made her feel more alive.
Reina looked back at the quiet machines in the room.
"Alright," she said softly.
"Tomorrow we continue the Halo optimization project."
"Understood," ANIER replied.
Shiro purred softly on the table.
And as the last sunlight faded through the windows of the west wing lab, Reina Saeki prepared for another day balancing something she never expected to enjoy—
Genius.
And people.