"Mr. Fian—our computer science teacher—once explained about electric motors and micro linear actuators—which are typically used to move objects..." Julian said with a confident smile.

"But..." Julian continued, his expression immediately changing to one of less confidence.

Lavendina stared at him with a confused expression.

"...Since I can't see the inside directly, I can only guess, hehehe," Julian continued, chuckling and scratching the back of his head with his left hand, looking at Lavendina.

Lavendina smiled back at Julian, to keep his confidence from fading.

"In computer science, electricity is needed to move electronic components, right?" Lavendina asked, trying to lighten the awkward atmosphere and regain Julian's confidence.

Julian nodded.

"Then, do you know where my smart padlock's power source comes from?" Lavendina asked, looking at him curiously.

Julian didn't answer, instead turning the padlock over. When he looked at the back of the padlock, he found it was locked with four Security Torx bolts. Julian showed Lavendina the back of the padlock and replied.

"Can you see this rectangular, enclosed space behind the padlock?" Julian asked.

Lavendina nodded.

"I think this enclosed space is used for battery storage—it's large enough to hold two batteries. And let me guess, the batteries are rechargeable?" Julian asked.

"Hahaha, yes, that's right! I brought a charger to the school infirmary to recharge them" Lavendina replied with a chuckle.

Julian's confidence returned.

"Then, what's the space underneath for?" Lavendina asked.

"It looks like, it's for maintenance on this device—for example, in case of troubleshooting or just for lubricating" Julian replied.

"Hehehe~… this kid's speculation has been very interesting—making me want to continue my question" Lavendina thought to herself, smiling at Julian, who was still staring at the back of the padlock.

"Then, what if the end of the shackle is forced out? For example, if a thief is very strong and can pull the end of the shackle out" Lavendina asked.

Julian returned to his normal demeanor and answered Lavendina's question.

"Doesn't this device still have one security measure—the LIL'S that locks the BIG?" Julian replied with a small smile.

"So even if the end of the shackle is forced out, this lower hose section still won't open, because the BIG is still locked by its LIL'S" Julian continued.

"Interesting..." Lavendina thought to herself, her smile growing wider.

Suddenly, less than 40 meters away, the sounds of office and factory workers walking and talking could be heard. Seeing that, Lavendina thought to herself.

"I still want to ask, but it looks like lunchtime is almost over, so I'll just ask one last question~" Lavendina thought to herself, covering her lips with the end of her phone and glancing at the office and factory workers walking towards them.

Lavendina began to put the end of her phone back to her chin.

"Alright, Julian!... My last question, do you know how I use the smart padlock?" Lavendina asked.

"Of course, the first possibility is that you insert the hose into the hole on the right side of the padlock—until it hits the wall of the padlock. While holding the hose, you insert the end of the shackle and press it with your other hand—you press while gently shaking the hose you're holding to make sure the BIG is in the hose hole. Once you feel the BIG is in the hose hole, you start to slowly pull the hose out—to double-check that it's in..." Julian said, demonstrating how Lavendina used the smart padlock.

The pedestrians who had been walking towards them—began to pass them, some of them glancing at Julian, while others simply chatted among themselves. As they passed Julian and Lavendina, some of them began to discuss Julian.

"That kid is really good at explaining things, hihihi" one of the factory employees whispered, laughing.

"You're right! I hope he'll be successful in the future," replied his friend, smiling.

Hearing that whisper, Lavendina felt a little proud. Lavendina looked back at Julian who was still explaining.

"... Once you're sure, you remove your hand from the hose, then hold the shackle to prevent it from coming loose—using a hand not registered in the database..." Julian said.

"... After that, you place your registered finger on the fingerprint sensor. Once you've placed it, the fingerprint sensor will read your fingerprint and the LIL'S immediately enters the shackle and BIG holes simultaneously," Julian continued.

"And that's it—the padlock is locked, all you have to do is pull your finger away from the fingerprint sensor" Julian continued with a proud smile.

At that, Lavendina immediately smiled in admiration. She turned off the recording on her phone and put it back in her right skirt pocket.

"Hmm... the part about how I used the device is correct, but I don't know how it works—because I only saw the indicator light on the lock" Lavendina said with a gentle smile at Julian.

"Hahaha, I'm the same as you. I'm just guessing and not 100% sure yet" Julian said, laughing and scratching the back of his hair in embarrassment.

Lavendina smiled slightly and said,

"But…"

Lavendina began to approach Julian and put her arm around his right arm—which surprised Julian, causing his cheeks to blush.

"... I like the way you explained it" Lavendina continued softly.

"No wonder Lady Anindya likes you. It turns out you're not only strong, but also good at explaining things" she added.

"T-thank you…" Julian said nervously.

Lavendina began playing with her right index finger on Julian's uniform.

"If you ever argue with Lady Anindya, you can come to my place…" Lavendina said seductively.

Lavendina immediately leaned close to Julian's right ear and began whispering.

"... I'll c-o-m-f-o-r-t you~" Lavendina whispered seductively.

Anindya's Side

"CRACK!" the sound of chopsticks breaking from Anindya's tight grip.

"!!!!" Anindya's three friends were immediately shocked.

The three of them immediately stopped eating—their expressions turning to fear, even Wulan took cover behind Delima.

"W-what's wrong, Anindya?" Desy asked in a panic.

"Haa… I think I know who Julian is with…!" Anindya said with a sharp gaze and a deep voice.

The three friends exchanged glances. Shortly after, Desy said,

"D-don't mind, it's just your intuition. Julian must be sleeping right now" Desy said, trying to calm Anindya down.

"HAAA! I don't know, but after school I'll go to his house and demand an explanation!" Anindya said with a sharp gaze and a deep voice.

After that, Anindya ate, feeling annoyed.

Returning to Julian's side

Lavendina began to move away from Julian's ear, while Julian swallowed and began to glance at Lavendina—her seductive gaze and the scent of her perfume also began to linger. Julian steeled his resolve, then quickly pulled his arm out of Lavendina's embrace and said

"T-THANK YOU FOR… THE… COMPLIMENT! NOW I WANT TO GO HOME!" Julian shouted nervously.

Julian put the padlock he was holding in her bike basket and began to walk nervously away from Lavendina.

"Hehehe… he's getting shy~" Lavendina thought to herself, chuckling.

Lavendina stopped laughing when she saw Julian was already ten meters away, then she shouted,

"WHERE ARE YOU GOING, JULIAN?!"

Lavendina's shout made Julian stop walking—then he slowly looked back and saw Lavendina walking behind his bike seat and sitting sideways.

"Didn't you say you wanted to ride with me?" Lavendina asked softly.

"Y-yeah, but… I-should I be the one riding?!" Julian asked, pointing at himself with a surprised expression.

"Of course, as a man, you should give a girl a ride!" Lavendina replied, looking at him with a pout.

"Haa... Alright" Julian said, resignedly.

When Julian was in front of the bike, Lavendina offered her help

"Give me your bag, I'll carry it" Lavendina said.

"Okay… thank you" Julian replied quietly.

Julian handed his bag to Lavendina. As soon as he sat down, Lavendina suddenly hugged Julian tightly—holding on to keep from falling. Julian, who was staring straight ahead, was immediately startled, his cheeks blushed, and he began to pedal nervously.

~To be continued~

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.