The next morning, Evan stepped into the cool morning air with the chauffeur aunty. The car ride to the campus was quiet but pleasant, the city humming softly as it woke up for the day. He had spent the night thinking about his decision to join the robotics club, something entirely outside his comfort zone as a business major. But curiosity and a nudge from Finn had sealed the deal.

  When they arrived near the club building, Evan’s eyes immediately caught sight of Finn waiting outside. Finn wore a simple sweater with a snug fit and jeans that highlighted his small stature. His wavy hair framed his face neatly, and the friendly smile he gave Evan made him seem even more approachable.

  “Morning,” Finn greeted him cheerfully. “Ready to see what the club’s all about?”

  Evan returned the smile, nodding. “Yeah, lead the way.”

  As they walked together through the corridors, the soft murmur of students filled the air. The club building wasn’t as bustling as the main campus, but it had its own kind of energy. Just as they were passing a group of girls, Evan caught a whispered comment.

  “Look, another cutie joined the nerdy club. I’m so jealous,” one of them said, her tone light but teasing.

  Evan’s face flushed as he heard the words, and he gnced at Finn, unsure of how to react. Finn gave him a wry smile and shrugged.

  “Ignore them,” Finn said simply, though his tone carried a hint of amusement.

  Evan tried to py it off, but the comment stayed with him, leaving him feeling uncomfortably self-conscious. He could see Finn as the “cute” type, but him? That felt strange and out of pce. This reversed dynamic was still something he struggled to get used to.

  When they reached the club room, Finn opened the door and stepped inside, motioning for Evan to follow. The room was spacious but packed with equipment and tools. One side of the room held a few spare PCs, their monitors glowing softly. The rest of the space was divided into four areas, each with desks, toolkits, and what looked like ongoing projects. Large cupboards lined the far wall, likely filled with components and materials. Posters of past competitions were pstered across one side, alongside a few handmade signs that gave the room a cozy, albeit slightly chaotic, atmosphere. A 3D printer sat prominently on one table, alongside other mysterious gadgets that Evan couldn’t identify.

  “Wow,” Evan said, taking it all in. “It’s… a lot, but it’s nice.”

  Finn chuckled. “Yeah, it’s a little messy, but you get used to it. Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

  The club members were already gathered in small groups, chatting or tinkering with their projects. All of them were women, ranging from seniors to first-years. As Finn introduced Evan, he noticed the girls’ reactions—some acted shy, their gazes flitting to him and Finn before quickly looking away. It wasn’t surprising, given the societal norms, but it still felt odd to Evan to be on the receiving end of such attention.

  The club leader, a confident senior with short hair and a warm demeanor, stepped forward to greet him. “Welcome to the club, Evan. We’re gd to have you here.”

  She quickly introduced the rest of the members, though Evan could barely keep up with all the names. Once the introductions were done, Finn tugged at his sleeve. “Come on, let me show you around.”

  Finn’s excitement was palpable as he guided Evan through the different areas of the room. He expined the purpose of the 3D printer, demonstrated how some of the tools worked, and eagerly pointed out the projects being worked on. Evan couldn’t help but find Finn’s enthusiasm endearing. It was like watching someone talk about their favorite thing in the world, their eyes lighting up with every word.

  The first team they visited was working on a maze-solving robot for an upcoming competition. Two girls, both a little nervous but polite, greeted Evan and Finn as they entered the workspace. Their voices were soft, and their movements quick, as they demonstrated the robot’s ability to navigate through a simple maze.

  Evan nodded, genuinely impressed by the precision of the robot's movements. "That’s impressive," he said, gncing up at the girls. "You’ve made good progress."

  The girls exchanged a quick, shy gnce before one of them spoke. "We’ve still got some fine-tuning to do with the sensors," she said, her voice quieter than before.

  Evan smiled warmly. "I’m sure you’ll get it perfect soon." The girls flushed at his words, clearly not used to receiving praise, especially from someone like him.

  He couldn’t help but notice their reactions. It was strange, still, being the one admired for a change. He was slowly getting used to the role, but it felt like a constant reminder of how different things were now.

  The next team was led by the club leader, a confident girl with short, sleek bck hair. She smiled widely as she welcomed them to their area, where a surveilnce drone was set up for testing. "This is our project," she said proudly. "We’re focusing on long-range surveilnce. The prototype’s doing well so far."

  Evan stepped closer as one of the girls quickly fired up the computer. A simution showed the drone lifting off from the table, hovering steadily before gently nding back down.

  “Nice work,” Evan said, offering a small cp of approval. The girls lit up at his praise, their faces glowing with excitement.

  "Thank you," the leader replied, her voice warm. "We’re really excited about this one."

  Evan chuckled, teasing slightly, “You’ll have to invite me when you do your first real flight.”

  The girls exchanged gleeful looks, clearly fttered by his comment. "Of course!" one of them replied eagerly, and Evan couldn’t help but smile. There was something about their genuine excitement that made him feel at ease.

  As they moved on, Finn expined that one team was absent. "They’re busy with another project," Finn said. "They’re working on smart home automation. It’s a bit complicated, but they’re making progress."

  Evan raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Smart home automation?" he repeated. "That sounds like it could be really useful."

  Finn nodded. "Yeah, they’re focusing on making everyday tasks easier with a fully integrated system. Lights, temperature control, security—it’s all connected. It’s not the fshiest project, but it’s definitely something that could have an impact."

  "That’s impressive," Evan said.

  With that, Finn led Evan toward his own team’s workspace. "This is where we’re working," Finn said with a grin. "This is Theo."

  Evan looked at the robot—a small, round, Roomba-like bot with four wheels. It wasn’t much to look at yet, but there was something undeniably intriguing about it.

  Finn chuckled, noticing Evan’s curious expression. "Yeah, I know it’s not much yet, but we’re making progress. We’re still in the early prototype stage."

  "Let’s see it in action," Evan said, eager to see how the team was handling things.

  Finn nodded and walked over to the robot, flipping a switch to power it on. The bot’s lights blinked to life. Finn then moved to the ptop on the table, quickly typing something on the keypad.

  On the screen, a 3D map of the surrounding area began to form, with various cameras and depth sensors mapping the space in real time. It was like watching a digital representation of the room being built right before his eyes.

  "This is the navigation system," Finn expined. "The bot uses a combination of depth sensors and cameras to map out the space and create a 3D model of its surroundings."

  Evan leaned in closer, intrigued by the smooth operation of the system. "That’s impressive."

  Finn smiled. "Watch this." He clicked on a point on the 3D map dispyed on the computer screen. The robot responded immediately, moving smoothly across the floor, following the direction Finn had chosen. The wheels rolled steadily, and after a few moments, the bot arrived at the designated spot, stopping with a soft beep.

  "That’s pretty cool," Evan said, clearly impressed by how quickly and accurately the bot moved.

  Another girl from Finn’s team, who had been quietly watching the demonstration, spoke up. "Our goal is to make it fully autonomous," she expined. "We want it to be able to navigate around obstacles on its own and help deliver things around the room. We’re even pnning to integrate voice commands, so it’ll be like a little chore robot—just send it to fetch things for you."

  Evan raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. "That sounds like a game changer," he said, imagining how useful a robot like that could be. "I could see that being really helpful for lots of different purposes."

  "Exactly!" the girl said, clearly excited. "Once we get all the systems working, it’ll be a lot more efficient."

  Evan looked back at the robot, a smile creeping onto his face. "I have to say, I’m impressed. All of you have some really cool projects going on here."

  Finn grinned. "Thanks, Evan. We’re all excited to have you here, too."

  Evan nodded, feeling the enthusiasm of the group start to rub off on him. "I’m excited to work with you guys, too. I’ll contribute however I can."

  As Evan settled into a chair behind Finn, watching him work on the robot, the atmosphere in the room felt comfortable. He observed Finn moving between the computer and the bot, setting things up, expining various parts of the system. Evan found himself easing into the situation, taking in all the little details.

  Then, from somewhere behind him, he caught a soft murmur. It was one of the girls from the drone team, and her voice was teasing, though low enough that Evan wasn’t sure if she meant for him to hear it.

  “Having these guys here is really motivating,” she said, her words light and pyful.

  He shifted in his chair, trying not to draw attention to the discomfort he felt. He didn’t respond, instead choosing to let it slide. After all, he was still getting used to things here. Thinking back to his old life, he recalled how motivated he’d felt whenever a pretty girl had joined the part-time job he’d worked at. The way her presence had been enough to make him want to do a little better, focus a little more.

  He briefly wondered if she had ever felt the same way about all the attention. The thought made him sigh quietly.

  He let it go. It was just another odd thing to adjust to in this new world. Evan figured it was no use overthinking it. With a half-hearted chuckle, he shifted his attention back to Finn, who was now typing away at the computer, expining something about the software.

  “Alright, let me show you the basics of the software we’re using,” Finn said, looking over at Evan. “This is where all the magic happens.”

  Evan nodded, more out of curiosity than any real intention to dive in. He watched as Finn walked him through the interface, pointing out different tools on the screen. It didn’t take long for the complexity to hit him—the sheer amount of information coming at him was overwhelming, like trying to follow a whirlwind.

  Finn noticed his distracted expression. “Don’t worry,” he said with a grin. “It’s a lot to take in, but you’ll get the hang of it.”

  Evan smiled weakly, though he wasn’t sure he’d ever need to “get the hang of it.” The terms and functions were already swirling around in his head, and it all felt like a blur.

  The room settled back into its rhythm as Finn continued to expin, but Evan’s attention drifted. He wasn’t really interested in mastering the software—he was just trying to get a feel for it. The more Finn talked, the more the words seemed to float over his head, and he found himself feeling a bit out of pce. The team was friendly, but the mix of new information and the constant attention he seemed to attract made everything feel more exhausting than he’d anticipated.

  For now, he let the details slip away and focused on staying present, hoping it would feel less overwhelming with time.

  LunarEcho