Max scratched his head. “So… your cube presses paper.”
“Correct,” said XR-3000.
“And my machine sorts books.”
“With a 73 percent error rate,” XR-3000 added politely.
“Hey!” said Max.
Ben grinned. “Maybe it’s just sorting the wrong material.”
Max thought. “You mean… not a book sorter… but…”
“Paper sorter,” said XR-3000.
His eyes glowed green. “Big machine + small idea.”
Together they pushed Max’s device next to the RePaper cube.
XR-3000 connected a few cables. Very carefully.
“New function is being installed,” he explained.
This time Max pulled the lever very carefully.
The machine began to hum softly.
A stack of waste paper was placed inside.
This time nothing flew through the air.
The machine sorted:
Smooth paper here. Thick cardboard there. Colored craft paper in its own compartment.
XR-3000 collected the scraps. Pressed them. Formed new cubes.
After a few minutes, small, sturdy paper blocks lay on the table.
“From trash to material,” said Ben proudly.
Lena was amazed. “And we can craft from it again!”
Mr. Krüger stepped closer. “That is… impressive.”
Max smiled cautiously. “Teamwork.”
XR-3000 nodded. “Optimization through cooperation.”
But suddenly the machine began beeping again.
“What now?” asked Ben.
XR-3000 scanned the inside.
“Unknown object detected.”
Slowly he pulled something from the conveyor belt.
It was… a homework notebook.
With Ben’s name on it.