The ride back to the workshop was a mix of excitement and exhaustion. Haruto slumped in the back seat of Aiko's compact car, his head leaning against the window. Mina, in the passenger seat, was already scrolling through her notes, muttering to herself about upgrades and adjustments.
"That went better than expected," Haruto said, breaking the silence.
Aiko glanced at him in the rearview mirror. "Better, yes. But not enough. We need to show them something that's not just promising but undeniable."
Haruto straightened up. "What do you mean?"
Mina turned to face him. "She means we need to step it up. The prototype worked, sure, but it was a controlled environment. Investors like those people want proof that it can function under real-world conditions."
"Real-world conditions…" Haruto echoed, his mind racing.
By the time they returned to the workshop, the weight of their task had fully sunk in. Haruto dropped his satchel onto the nearest table and stared at the prototype. The crystal, now dormant, seemed to mock him with its silence.
"We need a full-scale model," Aiko said, pulling her laptop out and opening a spreadsheet. "Something that can power a small facility or a building for a sustained period. That's the kind of demonstration they're asking for."
Haruto ran a hand through his hair. "That's a huge leap from where we are now."
"That's why it'll impress them," Mina said, already grabbing tools from her workbench. "But it means working around the clock. No shortcuts, no excuses."
---
The Challenges Begin
The next few weeks were grueling. The team divided their tasks: Mina focused on engineering a larger, more stable crystal housing, Aiko worked on securing raw materials and balancing the finances, and Haruto poured over the core resonance technology, trying to optimize the crystal's energy output.
Late one night, Haruto sat alone in the workshop, his notebook filled with crossed-out formulas and scribbled diagrams. The faint hum of a test rig was the only sound, the crystal glowing faintly on the workbench.
"This has to work," he whispered to himself.
The door creaked open, and Aiko stepped in, holding two cups of coffee. She placed one beside Haruto and sat across from him.
"You're pushing yourself too hard," she said softly.
Haruto shook his head. "If we don't push, we'll never get there."
Aiko studied him for a moment. "I know this means everything to you. But remember, you're not alone in this."
Haruto looked up, meeting her steady gaze. For a moment, the weight on his shoulders felt lighter. "Thanks, Aiko," he said, managing a small smile.
---
A Critical Failure
A week later, disaster struck. During a test of the new prototype, the crystal emitted a loud crack and went dark. Mina cursed under her breath, pulling the power supply and checking the connections.
"It overheated," she said grimly, holding up a scorched component. "We pushed it too far."
Haruto's stomach sank. "Can we fix it?"
Mina shrugged. "Eventually. But it's going to set us back."
Aiko walked over, her expression unreadable. "We can't afford delays. The investors are expecting results in less than a month."
The weight of her words hung in the air. Haruto clenched his fists, frustration bubbling to the surface. "We're running out of time, money, and materials. How are we supposed to make this work?"
"We keep trying," Mina said firmly, her voice cutting through the tension. "Failures are part of the process. We'll figure it out."
---
A Breakthrough
Days turned into nights as the team worked tirelessly to salvage the project. Haruto poured over every detail, determined to find a solution. It was during one of these long nights that inspiration struck.
He had been staring at a graph of resonance frequencies when he noticed a pattern. The crystal seemed to stabilize better at certain intervals, almost as if it was syncing with an external rhythm.
"What if…" Haruto murmured, grabbing a pen and sketching a new design.
By the time Mina arrived the next morning, Haruto had already built a small prototype of his new idea. He explained it to her, his words tumbling out in a rush.
"It's brilliant," Mina said, grinning. "Crazy, but brilliant. Let's try it."
The new prototype performed better than they had hoped. The crystal emitted a steady glow for over an hour, its energy output consistent and stable.
"This is it," Aiko said, her voice filled with awe. "This is what we need to show them."
---