A Failed Product... Suddenly Becomes Military Gear?

That morning, Deren felt something was off.

Not because his alarm didn't go off—he never set one.

But because the moment he opened his dorm room door...

"GOOD MORNING, DEREN!"

Kael was already standing outside holding… a brochure.

"There's a student tech exhibition today! And… there's a weird-looking weapon that looks exactly like the knife you threw during training yesterday!"

Deren rubbed his eyes.

"Knife…?"

"Yeah! They say it was made by an anonymous inventor and submitted through a special channel.

It even has its own booth in the main hall!"

…Clarice. This has your name all over it, Deren thought, sighing deeply.

At the academy's main hall…

The cadet tech exhibition was in full swing.

Booths lined with flashy and bizarre inventions:

Core-powered fans, armor that changed color, even anti-hunger candy.

And at the center of it all—

A booth with the logo Eidolon Tech (Anonymous Subsidiary) displayed one item:

Reactive Knife with Adaptive Auto-Throw Sensor

Deren stood in front of the display, reading the description:

"Designed by a mysterious cadet, this knife adjusts its throw angle based on user instinct, improving accuracy in emergency situations."

"…I literally just panicked and chucked it."

He glanced at the small print below:

"Demo version does not use active Core. Power system modified to comply with non-military tech regulations at the academy."

Deren raised an eyebrow.

Clarice even knows how to exploit legal loopholes. Impressive… and terrifying.

Someone tapped his shoulder. Deren turned around—

Lieutenant Sarka.

"Fascinating tool. This isn't a standard design.

Even central technicians say its principles are more efficient than some of our current military projects."

Deren gave a stiff smile.

"Total coincidence. Side effect. Pure accident."

"An accident that precise? You're getting more interesting by the day, Deren."

Deren coughed.

"In that case, may I… not attend special class this week?"

"Actually, I'm adding more sessions."

Elsewhere in the hall…

A tech-track cadet stared at Deren's knife display, fuming with jealousy.

"What the hell?! I spent three months building a drone, and everyone's praising a panic knife?!"

His friend patted him on the back.

"Maybe you need to panic and trip more often. Might help your rep."

That evening…

Deren returned to his room and found a package on his bed—from Clarice.

Inside:

Sales report: 1,200 pre-orders for the replica reactive knife. A letter from the academy suggesting he become a teaching assistant in the engineering department.

"…Clarice. We need to talk."

A hologram of Clarice flickered to life in mid-air.

"Talk about what? You got a bonus today.

That knife's being issued to the border patrol units next week."

"Wait. The version they displayed earlier… that was legal, right?"

"Of course. That was the demo model. No active Core.

I registered it as a 'mechanical reflex training tool.'

The government can't complain."

Deren stared at the ceiling.

"She's really mastered the art of making illegal stuff look perfectly legal.

I'm terrified… but also kinda impressed."

As usual…

it all started with an accident.