Chapter 119: Ch 119: Don’t look for trouble

Ethan sighed, and as soon as the class ended, he decided to head back to his room with a pale face.

When Noah asked him why he looked like this, the esper had only one answer-

"I am preparing to head into battle, so I need to mentally prepare myself. Ugh, I really don’t want to hear what my parents have to say regarding all this."

With those words, Ethan headed back to his room, and Noah decided to inform Erin of his recent plans as well.

Both Daniel and Alan wanted to accompany him when he visited Erin, but he made the meeting sound like a counselling session that had been mandated after the festival attack.

And it was only after reminding both Daniel and Alan of their own medical evaluations that Noah was left alone.

Luckily, Erin was in his room and working on some papers when Noah knocked and entered. The professor lowered his fake glasses and welcomed Noah with a cheerful smile.

"Noah, what are you doing here? What help can I give you today? You don’t have to be shy about asking for help."

Erin grinned as he continued to reassure Noah and drag him toward the chairs to sit at the same time.

Noah allowed himself to be dragged, but he let out a sigh as soon as his back touched the chair.

"So, what brings you here?"

Erin took a deep breath and calmed himself down. But it was still hard for him to control his excitement.

It felt a little odd to see Erin acting like this, almost as if he was trying to hide something. But Noah decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. If what he was worried about was so important, then he would tell Noah about it.

Meanwhile...

"You heard about the academy sending us back home for some time, right? What are your plans for it?"

Noah asked, and Erin’s smile finally fell.

"Well, unfortunately, the teachers are not getting time off. They are piling far too much on our plates...Ah, but that would mean you would have to head back to the labs, right? This is not good! Do you want to stay with me? I can apply for it and-"

"No, that’s fine. We are all planning to head to Ethan’s house for now. Alan forced him to take us in for the vacation."

Erin looked relieved, but not completely. There was still a hint of suspicion in his eyes that Noah felt like exploring.

This time, he decided to outright ask Erin what was wrong.

"Erin, what is bothering you? Just tell me outright."

Noah’s firm nature made Erin look away at first. But then he sighed and decided to open his mouth.

"I don’t have a problem with all of this. Just...I feel like I need to give you a warning. Your nature is far too curious, and that is usually a good thing. But just this time, don’t look around too much, alright? It will be better for your mental health."

Erin wanted to say more, and Noah had a feeling he knew about something but was not willing to tell him.

’Should I press for more information? I have a feeling Erin is hiding something important from me.’

"Can you not talk in riddles? If there is something you want to tell me, then say it outright."

Erin sighed and shook his head.

"It is not that I know something, but that I have a bad feeling about it. As you know, a beast like me hardly has instincts that fail. So please, heed my warning and keep to yourself."

Noah had no choice but to nod when Erin was asking like this.

...

Erin watched Noah leave his room with a heavy heart. He could not help but feel like he was partaking in a stupid joke.

After all, Ethan’s parents were employees of the labs, but from a different section than the ones that experimented on Noah and him. They belonged to the civil branch but volunteered their kid for research purposes and to get promotions.

Of course, that was a thing in the past. But people like those had a lot of skeletons to bury in their closets.

But for now, all Ethan could do was look after things from the shadows.

Erin looked at his compiled notes, which he had been gathering against the labs in order to try and help Noah as much as he could after he was gone.

He carefully checked everything he had written down, making sure that nothing important was missing. These notes were his only backup plan, and Erin knew that if something happened to him, Noah would need something that could help him understand the truth.

But the second he put everything down, his phone suddenly vibrated.

Erin frowned before picking it up and looking at the message that had appeared on the screen.

It was from the labs.

They were ordering him to return immediately and bring Noah with him for a check-up.

Erin stared at the message for a few seconds before letting out a tired sigh. Of course, they would choose this moment to remind him that he was still under their control.

He quickly typed out a reply, keeping his response as normal as possible.

"I will be there."

Erin put his phone away and leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.

Unfortunately, there was one small problem.

Noah had already made other plans for the vacation, meaning Erin would have to return to the labs alone.

’Well, at least that means Noah will be safe for now.’

Erin closed his eyes and tried to convince himself that this was a good thing.

[Bring Noah along with you for the routine checkup..]

An additional message followed and for the first time in his life, Erin decided to reply back to the labs with a negative.

"I am afraid Noah has already made important plans and it will look suspicious if they are cancelled now. I will head back alone this time."