Chapter 108: Ch 108: A bomb threat

Noah felt fine after two days, and even Riku declared that he had a clean bill of health and did not need to worry about his fever.

But Erin had still not been convinced and dragged Noah back to his room.

All he had been allowed to do was go to class, hang out with Daniel and Alan (sometimes Ethan) for an hour, and then go back to the room.

It was a dull experience, and life felt monotonous. But Noah did not have the confidence needed to say anything to Erin, especially when he made that worried face of his.

Somehow, Noah ended up feeling guilty whenever he saw the pained expression on Erin’s face and ended up doing what Erin wanted before he knew it.

’Ugh, how am I so weak for his face? I don’t romantically like Erin. I am sure of this. But that face...’

Was it because he had raised Erin since he was a chick and that was what made Noah weak to him? Or was there another reason behind his feelings? Even Noah had a hard time thinking about it.

But at least the week ended, and it was finally time for the festival. Erin did not want Noah to attend, but Noah ended up negotiating his way into meeting with Alan and Daniel, who were roaming together.

"Alan, Daniel-"

Noah started to call out before he suddenly realized what he was doing.

He was ruining their date, which was beyond rude. They finally had some free time to spend after working so hard, so Noah should ideally keep his head out of it.

’Ah, I will give them some time to spend with each other. I am sure they will become closer after this festival. They might even forget all about me and become involved with each other.’

That was likely never going to happen, but Noah still flinched at his own thoughts and shook his head.

"I don’t think something like this would ever happen. I should leave them alone for now. I am sure it will be fine..."

Noah assured himself while taking a few steps back. He had to force himself to get away from the situation before he was truly unable to step back.

[Warning: The festival is in danger. There has been a bomb planted around the festival, intending to cause a blast and harm the attendees. Please make sure to defuse it in time to prevent a tragedy.]

Noah froze the second he read the system’s warning, and the small smile that had been on his face disappeared completely.

’A bomb?’

He immediately looked around the festival grounds, trying to figure out where something like that could have been hidden.

There were too many students and teachers moving around, and the decorations had been placed everywhere, making it nearly impossible to notice anything suspicious from the outside.

’Why now? The festival has barely started. I am sure that nothing like this was supposed to happen in the original...’

That could only mean that this was a new development .

Noah’s mind quickly began going through everything he remembered from the original story. But all he could think about were some cute moments that made Noah and Alan close. There was no such threat.

That was the problem.

He could no longer depend entirely on the original plot to know what would happen next.

Noah clenched his fists and tried to calm himself down before anyone noticed his strange behavior.

’First, I need to find the bomb. Then I can figure out who planted it.’

The system had not given him a location, which meant he would have to search for it himself.

Noah glanced toward Alan and Daniel, who were still standing together a short distance away.

For a moment, he considered telling them what was happening, but he immediately rejected the idea.

’No. If I involve them, they might get hurt.’

Besides, Alan and Daniel were not supposed to be involved in this part of the story yet. If Noah could deal with the problem himself, there was no reason to drag them into it.

He quietly turned away from them and started walking toward the quieter side of the festival grounds.

However, he had only taken a few steps when someone suddenly grabbed his wrist.

"Noah, where are you going in such a hurry? Is...everything alright?"

Erin caught up to him in the crowd but he was not alone. He had Ethan with him and they seemed to be discussing something important.

Their presence froze Noah and he felt like he should not be saying anything to them.

First, he was not even fully aware of the threat he was facing, so he did not cause panic. But at the same time...

’I likely won’t be able to cover this festival on my own. Having Ethan and Erin help me will make it far easier to cover the ground...’

But at the same time, this was Noah’s problem. He was the one who had gotten the mission, so he needed to be the one to control the threats as well. He should not be involving others...

"Tsk, you think too much, Noah. I know you have an independent personality, but sometimes, it is better to rely on other people as well."

Ethan nodded at Erin’s words, showing that he agreed and Noah had no choice but to relent at the pressure.

"Alright, but we need to be careful. I don’t know where the bomb is, and I don’t know when it is supposed to go off either."

Noah finally admitted, causing both Erin and Ethan to look at him with serious expressions.

"A bomb?"

Ethan repeated in a low voice, and Noah nodded before quickly explaining what the system had told him without mentioning the system itself.

"I received a warning that there is a bomb somewhere around the festival grounds. I don’t know how reliable the information is, but I don’t want to take any chances."

Erin’s expression immediately became serious.

"Then we should start searching right away. Ethan, cover the eastern side while I take the western side. Noah, stay between us and don’t wander off alone."

Noah wanted to argue, but he knew Erin was right.

"Fine, but if you find anything suspicious, don’t touch it. Just call me over."

With that agreement, the three of them began moving through the crowd, each of them carefully searching for anything that looked out of place.