The Wrong Summon: Flaw Repair Guide

"Right, dumb question. What do you need?" Jacob asked, cutting straight to the point.

Elaina didn't waste a second. "First of all, Dylan, get out. We're having a private conversation."

Dylan, unbothered, shrugged and peeled off his safety gear. "Sure, I was going to call it a day anyway."

He quickly left, not even bothering with a goodbye, and shut the door behind him with a soft click.

Silence lingered in the lab, heavy but not awkward. Elaina spun on her heel, her hazel eyes sharp, guarded. She didn't bother softening her expression.

"What do you offer?" she asked bluntly

"Uh, what?" Jacob blinked.

"You're weak," she stated, as if it was a simple fact like the sky being blue. "Weaker than me, for god's sake. And it's expensive to have another mouth to feed. Everyone here carries their own weight. Don't think you can just charm me like you did with the others."

Her voice wasn't hostile, just firm. Measured. A kid's body, but her words carried the weight of someone who'd already seen enough.

Jacob scratched his cheek awkwardly. "...You're right. I don't have anything to offer. Not yet. But fighting isn't all I can do." His blue eyes didn't waver. "I can help around the bar. Clean, cook, fix things. I'm a hard worker. I can promise you that much."

For a moment, Elaina just stared at him, as if trying to measure the sincerity in his bones.

Then she sighed, long and tired. "Sorry. I was a bit impulsive." She glanced at the door Dylan had just walked out of. "Mary's too nice. She picks up stray dogs all the time. That's how our little group came to be. I just…"

Her lips pressed into a thin line. "I just don't want her kindness to be taken advantage of."

Her gaze met his, this time more openly. "Jacob, I don't buy that god nonsense. The only god I believe in is Mary. She's the one who saved me. You're 110% human but as long as you pull your weight, I'll back off. Got it?"

"Human? What do you mean?" Jacob tries to keep his cool. 

"Cut the bullshit, I frankly don't give a fuck. Just don't cause any trouble." 

Jacob's lips quirked into an awkward smile. "Yes ma'am. You're pretty perceptive for a kid."

"I'm not a kid," she snapped, cheeks puffing slightly. "It's not that I'm perceptive. The others are just too laid-back. Emma and Rowan? They're friendly with everyone. Dylan's practically Mary's blind follower. And Mary... she's too trusting. If she says you're good, the others will fall in line, no questions asked."

"Sounds like Marinette's well loved."

"She's the leader for a reason," Elaina said, pride lacing her voice. "Even though she's the second youngest."

Jacob raised a brow. "Oh? How old is she?"

"Mary's twenty. Dylan's twenty-one. Rowan's twenty-five. Emma's twenty-three. And I'm twelve."

Jacob gave a low whistle. "Damn. Going through puberty and already one of the brains of the group? That's pretty impressive."

"Thank you. I know," she said, as if it was common knowledge. "Tinkering's always been my passion."

"Oh yeah, speaking of tech stuff, Rowan told me you'd love explaining this. Can you tell me how the item holder works?"

Elaina groaned. "Ugh, Emma!" She crossed her arms. "It's called a Dimensional Space Distorter, not item holder. DSD for short. Basically, it compresses objects down to their atomic forms and stores them in a pocket space. The mana built into the holder traps the atoms inside. Pure mana attracts those atoms and keeps them stable. It's like a magnetic field."

Her eyes lit up, her voice speeding up with excitement. "It's so cool, right? Something so tiny can hold so much."

Jacob chuckled. "That actually makes sense now. You're way smarter than me, kiddo."

"Hey! Don't think you're on my good side yet!" she barked, swatting away his hand when he tried to ruffle her hair. "You're barely passable."

"Sorry, sorry. I'll keep my hands to myself. Still, I'm glad we had this talk."

A brief silence passed between them. Elaina looked away, mumbling, "...Me too."

She cleared her throat, regaining her usual sharp tone. "Come on. I'll walk you to the training room. Rowan and Emma are probably still there."

Jacob smiled. "Thanks. Lead the way."

…

The sparring room was tucked away, one floor below. Elaina's boots tapped against the stairs as she led him down.

The moment they stepped inside, Rowan and Emma paused mid-fight. Both glanced up, grinning.

"Yo! Wanna join us?" Emma called, casually waving her crossbow.

Jacob tilted his head. "How'd you even notice us?"

"There was a ripple in my sound barrier," Rowan answered simply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You'll start noticing these things when you get stronger."

Of course. Because getting stronger solved everything here. Jacob exhaled, watching them with a quiet determination.

He'd catch up. Eventually. Probably.