Chapter 107: Ch 107: Let’s rest and back out

"I should have acted the second I felt that you were sick. But I hesitated because you really looked like you wanted to participate. And because of that, I delayed bringing you here. I am sorry."

There was a lot to unpack in what Erin was saying.

From what Noah could tell, he was not lying. But he was not telling the full truth either. And this duality made Noah sigh and shake his head.

"It’s alright. I am the one who wanted to participate in this festival. But it looks like I won’t be able to now, even if I want to."

Noah tried to joke around, but the slight guilty expression did not fade away from Erin’s face. He opened his mouth to say something when Riku walked behind him and clasped him on the back.

"You should take it easy for now as well. Noah already collapsed, and we don’t want you to collapse because of your massive guilt as well. You should rest for now too."

Erin looked unhappy while being touched by Riku, but instead of attacking him, he decided to take a step forward and stand out of his range.

"Don’t worry. I am in peak condition. I...think I should get going now."

Erin made up an excuse before he bolted out of the medical room as if his back was on fire. Noah chuckled as he watched this before he turned toward Riku with an apologetic look on his face.

"I apologize on Professor Erin’s behalf. He is usually shy, so he might need some time apart from you."

Riku raised his eyebrow to show his surprise before he looked at the door Riku had closed behind his back.

"Huh? Are you and Professor Erin close? Is it a special relationship?"

"It’s not like that. We just...knew each other since childhood, so you can say we are close. He’s my precious friend."

Noah clarified, causing Riku to let out a chuckle.

"So, you are friends? I see. It seems like those kids have some competition after all. This will be fun."

Riku let out a chuckle while talking to himself, and Noah ignored his chuckle. He had a feeling Riku had a misunderstanding about his relationship with Erin.

But there was no point in clarifying it now. ℯℯ𝑙.

...

"Noah, are you alright? How did you end up here again? Tsk, and how did I not know until now? This finance committee is truly sucking up all my time. Maybe I should pretend to be sick as well to get out of it."

Daniel clutched Noah’s hand while he looked at his fellow guide with a worried expression.

His care shone clearly in his eyes, and Noah almost accepted his offer to test the waters before he decided against it.

"I don’t think it will be necessary. Honestly, I only collapsed because I did not have enough strength to continue. That should not mean that you should back down from the festival preparation either."

Especially since this preparation time allowed Daniel and Alan to finally spend time together. It was nice for their bond, so Noah wanted them to continue.

Besides, he felt fine now. The weakness spell was all but gone, leaving him just a little tired after what happened.

"I know you said you are fine. But still-!"

"Let it go, Daniel. If Noah says he is fine, then let’s choose to believe him."

Alan placed a hand on Daniel’s shoulder before he pulled his partner back a little. Noah could only watch with a gasp as the pair leaned against each other.

’Oh wow! They both have gotten closer. It is nice to see...’

Even if Noah’s heart gave a pang of loneliness, he forced himself to smile. He was going to lose his friendship soon anyway, so why not enjoy this while it lasts?

Noah was looking at the world with rose-tinted glasses, so he ignored the obvious looks of disgust the pair threw each other whenever Noah was not looking.

"Anyway, how are the preparations going? I was supposed to deliver documents, but I collapsed-"

"Don’t worry about it. We are managing somehow. Just focus on getting better for now."

Daniel stressed these words, and Noah nodded.

Noah smiled at Daniel before he leaned back against the pillow, feeling a little relieved that the two of them had come to check on him. Even if they were busy, they had still made the effort to visit him, and that made Noah feel strangely warm inside.

"You two should really get back to work. I don’t want you to fall behind because you are worrying about me."

"We are not that busy."

Alan answered immediately, but Daniel gave him a look that made him sigh.

"Alright, we are extremely busy, but that does not mean we can just ignore you."

Noah chuckled at their exchange before shaking his head.

"You really have gotten close."

The words slipped out before Noah could stop himself, and both Alan and Daniel suddenly went quiet.

Noah did not notice the strange looks they exchanged as he continued smiling.

"I am glad. I was worried you two would keep arguing forever."

Daniel’s expression became complicated, while Alan simply smiled.

"Of course we have gotten closer. We have had to spend a lot of time together lately."

"That’s good."

Noah smiled brightly, completely missing the way Alan’s eyes narrowed slightly. He had stressed these words out sarcastically, but Noah ignored his obvious implications and only heard what he wanted to hear.

He was still convinced that everything was moving according to the original story, and because of that, he did not notice how differently things were developing around him.

The system had not given him any new warnings either, which made Noah believe that he was finally on the right track.

Unfortunately, he had no idea that the biggest deviation from the original story was standing right beside his bed.

"Tsk, you both are still here? Get going now. The patient needs rest and you are disturbing that rest."

In the end, they got thrown out by Riku.