Wait, You Can Read a Mecha’s Heart?

[Mecha x Military Academy x Tournament x Monster Battles]

[Your favorites are my biggest motivation to keep writing! O(∩_∩)O~~]

The unlucky Shi Xi transmigrated, becoming an unregistered resident on a trash planet who couldn't even afford clean water.

On her first day as an adult, the System finally showed up with her golden finger. It bestowed a skill on her, then quickly fell asleep due to a lack of energy.

With debt collectors after her, poor Shi Xi had no choice but to grit her teeth and install the golden finger herself.

The skill description said that once installation was complete, she could read the thoughts of the first thing she saw after opening her eyes.

Shi Xi deliberately picked a sunny day with clear skies and good light, then headed to the busiest garbage dump on the planet to make sure that the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes would be a person.

But something went wrong while the golden finger was loading, and someone knocked her down.

When she opened her eyes again, the first thing she saw was a battered lump of iron that looked like it had been buried underground for ages.

"Ding! Skill loaded. Enjoy!"

Shi Xi, making the interstellar-friendly hand gesture: ...Oh, come on! Is heaven messing with me? Does this rusty old lump of iron even have a mind?

※

Shi Xi failed to turn her life around and bought a ticket in the middle of the night to flee her debts. By chance, she ran into a troubled rich merchant who needed something repaired.

Shi Xi, user of the pat-and-fix method and a small-appliance repair specialist on the trash planet, shouted in delight:

"I'm great at repairs! I've been fixing things for more than ten years. I'm a seasoned pro, so you've come to the right person!"

After making her bold claim, she arrived at the job site and looked up at a mecha that nearly reached the ceiling.

Shi Xi, whose neck hurt from looking up for so long: ...Tsk. Maybe I can do without the seasoned-pro title.

Just as she turned to leave, a furious voice suddenly came from inside the repair room:

"I hate leopard print! I hate leopard print! I hate leopard print! I hate leopard print, damn it! It's so ugly!"

She looked around, and her gaze finally landed on the mecha covered in "wild leopard print."

Wait, the heart of a mecha counts as a mind too?

Shi Xi tried communicating with "him." ...Um, should I ask your owner to give you a new paint job?

"Wild Leopard Print": Yes! And tell him I like fiery red!

Shi Xi decided to give it a try and did as he asked.

The next day, the mecha stood before Shi Xi with its new paint job.

The delighted merchant enthusiastically shook her hand. "Master Shi! You really are a seasoned pro! You're even better than the second-level mechanic I paid a fortune to bring from the Imperial Star!"

Shi Xi, expressionless: ...Do you know your mecha is calling you an idiot?

※

From then on, thanks to the merchant's recommendations, more and more people came to Shi Xi to have their mechas repaired.

Shi Xi set aside How to Become a Mecha Repair Master in Three Days: Just Follow My Lead.

She closed her eyes in despair. Everyone calls me a mecha master, but I can't even understand a mecha blueprint!

As Shi Xi packed her things to run away, she received an acceptance letter she had no recollection of applying for.

Merchant: A master is a master indeed! Even at your level, you haven't forgotten to review the basics. Don't worry, I'll cover all your food expenses while you're studying!

Shi Xi was sent off to the Empire's top military academy, with no chance to escape.

Sitting in the classroom, she was surrounded by elite students, all prodigies among prodigies.

Shi Xi, who couldn't understand a word of class, nearly wept. Someone, save me!

※

In her first semester at the academy, not a single mecha soldier wanted to team up with the transfer student who'd gotten in through connections.

By her Nth semester, the top five students in the mecha soldier program were fighting each other to get a chance to be teammates with the transfer student.

Shi Xi: Don't rush, all of you. I'll work with each of you in turn. I've got this!

Blurb written: December 25, 2025

[Quick notes]

1. The main plot is the focus, and there is a male lead.

2. Very long story with a slow pace.

3. The author's writing skills are limited, and the prose is amateurish.

Dear readers, please buy with caution. If you don't like it, run! Run and don't look back, cut your losses in time, and I hope you soon find a story that's right for you. Mwah~

Theme: Keep striving, keep working hard