Chung, unlike his two colleagues, was utterly confused. He didn't know who this beautiful lady was! Well, he's not alone— you lovely readers don't know either!
He tugged on Aisha's sleeve, knocking her out of her horrified state. "Aisha, who is the Minister of Mechanics?" Chung inquired in a whisper.
Aisha leaned over without ungluing her eyes from the lady. "The Minister of Mechanics is somebody voted by the Congress of Engineers, a group of stupendous creators from around the world, as the most bright and knowledgable person ever. The Minister travels from town to town, looking for breakthroughs in technology. Of course, Elsword and I never expected the Minister to be so... young. Or a girl."
Well, that explained a lot of things here, Chung thought to himself.
Rena clapped her hands together with a bright grin. "Minister, how about visiting the Titanium Welder? Our service is great, our quality is spectacular, and we have—"
The Minister held up her hand to silence Rena's speech. "Do not use what the opposite party has failed to do as an advantage."
"Yeah, don't talk about us like that! You guys aren't any better!" Elsword remarked, furious with the owner of the rivaling business but pleased that she was being knocked down as well. He didn't quite notice the comment about quality The Minister made, though.
Rena huffed loudly. "Please, Gearworks is such a new place that you need three people just to make useless objects! At The Titanium Welder, we only need one person to create amazing stuff!"
"But you guys copy what we do! There's nothing original about your ideas!" Elsword pointed an accusing finger her way.
"Your ideas?! They're ours! You guys are copying us!"
"No! You guys—"
"Enough!" The bickering between the two owners was interrupted by the irked Minister. Even through her poker face, one could tell she was set off by the two people. "I have traveled all around the world, but I've never met people as appalling and obnoxious as you two! The townsfolk told me about the two rivaling businesses fighting for a town title, but I had no such idea that it was truly this bad! "
"Sorry..." The two owners said while bending down to her in shame.
The Minister shook her head. "That won't cut it. The rivalry will continue until someone is bestowed Town Engineer. It must end now. And as Minister, I shall put an end to all of this."
Everybody looked at the Minister, including the surrounding townsfolk that happened to be watching as they passed.
"This shall be the final test that determines the best engineer. It is to be completed within thirty days, and the first to accomplish the task will receive the title."
The two rivals looked at each other before glaring and returning their gaze to the Minister with determined faces. Aisha and Chung simply blinked and waited for the test to be given. The Minister took her attention away from the owners and began speaking to the surrounding crowd with a calm and authoritative tone.
"As Minister, I have traveled around the world, studying the various technologies created by engineers. Artillery, houseware, even a machine ment for digging. There is one thing, however, that I have never seen. This is a test that will push these businesses to their limits. A test that will do the impossible."
She turned back to Rena and Elsword and pointed a single finger at the two. Her voice came out quieter and more relaxed.
"Gearworks and Titanium Welder, your final test is to fly around the world."
"Elsword, you huge idiot! Why would you accept something like that?!"
Nightfall was coming in town as the trio sat inside of the shop, contemplating the test. Contemplating loudly.
"I want to end this. I want that title."
Elsword, who sat in his nice leather chair, looked up at the wall where a picture frame was hanging. The picture depicted three kids sitting on a bench, one with purple hair and two with red. The purple haired girl sat on the edge while the brother and sister with red hair sat next to her. The brother, a smile lit on his face, held a pair of shiny new goggles in his hands.
Aisha, noticing Elsword's attention to the picture, frowned slightly. "I know your sister Elesis wanted you to become the Town Engineer, but this test is impossible! There's a reason nobody has flown in the sky! Just wait for another opportunity to get the title."
Elsword let his head fall forward, red bangs covering his face. "Aisha... My sister said to never back down from a challenge. She was the best engineer I knew... But she abandoned her dreams. She left town the moment she turned twelve and never came back. And you know what that one action told me?" Elsword looked back at Aisha with only one eye showing. "It told me, 'Becoming Town Engineer isn't worth it. It's not a challenge worth taking.'"
Aisha held a confused look on her face. That might have contradicted his reason for accepting. "I don't get it..."
"What I'm saying is, I don't want to become like her in such a way. She was at her best, but she gave up. She gave up everything that would happen if she got that title. She even expected me to follow in her steps, but I don't want to. I guess what I'm saying is... My last chance is here, and I need to take it."
Aisha huffed before crossing her arms. "Geez, overreact much?"
"He's got a point Aisha," Chung said, breaking into their conversation. "If he doesn't take this chance, Rena will take it and she'll be the Town Engineer. The Minister was very pretty."
Chung smiled warmly before jumping out of his seat when he realized his mistake. "I-I mean the Minister was pretty firm about it! She's not pretty!" His face blushed a deep red. "I mean, she is pretty! Actually, she's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen..." He awkwardly scratched his cheek while averting his eyes from the two.
Elsword and Aisha stared at him, blinking innocently. Never before had they seen their friend like this. "Do you... Like the Minister, Chung?" Aisha asked.
The girly boy stopped scratching and bashfully lowered his head. "A little... She's kinda cute..."
After a few more blinks, some awkward stares, and some uncomfortable shifting around from the blonde, Aisha giggled her head off. "That's so adorable! A puppy crush!"
"Don't listen to her, Chung; there's a reason why Aisha is single! I'll help set you and the Minister up!" Elsword confidently told him while standing and putting a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"W-Wha—"
"Talk about rude Elsword! Insulting me like that! Gosh!"
The owner chuckled before collapsing back into his chair, his hand resting on his quaint work desk. He had some fun friends.
"Well, I gotta get going," Chung said as he wrapped his scarf around his neck. "I'll see you two tomorrow morning!" The boy went out the door and hopped onto his bike, riding off.
Elsword sighed as his mind returned to the test. It was stressful just to think about, and it even put wrinkles on his forehead. Aisha looked at her best friend before sharing a similar expression and sitting on his table. She picked up the metal cube and pressed the red button. The toy transformed to unwinding sounds—
The toy...
"Aisha, that's it! You're a genius!" Elsword exclaimed, jumping out of his seat. He hugged the girl tightly, causing her slight surprise. Once releasing her, he sat back down and turned to his table, grabbing a pencil. "Aisha, get out the blueprint labeled 'Toy Plane'."