Chapter 14: Ch 14: First Class Assignment

Noah followed Daniel’s instructions for about an hour, but it was difficult to keep himself looking forward.

Alan’s gaze was almost exerting physical pressure on Noah, making him want to turn back and pay attention to him. But Daniel somehow caught wind of it and grabbed his hand, reminding Noah that he needed to look forward.

Thankfully, this war of nerves only lasted for the first hour because, by the second hour, it was time to start the actual course.

Their teacher quickly entered the class, and her eyes immediately roamed over the students. Her grin looked amused and sinister as she brought up her binder and slammed it onto the table.

"I see so many bright faces in the crowd. It reminds me of my own school days. And that makes me want to introduce our first assignment of the course. Of course, I will be assigning partners, so don’t get your hopes up."

A lot of people looked disappointed at their teacher’s words, but Noah saw it as a chance to break free from the esper-guide pair he needed to bring together.

If his memory served him right, then this would be the first catalyst that would spark the relationship between his targets.

The teacher continued to call out students until, finally, it was Alan’s turn.

"Alan, you will be paired up with Daniel for this. Do any of you have a problem?"

"I do!"

Daniel immediately raised his hand and stood up. He genuinely looked pissed off, but their teacher simply laughed at his anger.

"Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about it even if you have a problem. Please take a seat together. I will continue assigning partners."

And the names continued until there were only a few people left.

Noah’s name had not been called, but all the decent partners had already been taken off the list. He had a feeling his partner was not going to be a decent person.

And he was proven right when the teacher finally came to his name.

"Noah, you will be partnered with Ethan. And with that, this list is concluded. Please change seats to sit beside your partner."

The teacher ordered, and people quickly shuffled around to follow her instructions.

Noah also stood up, wanting to go over to his partner when Daniel grabbed his wrist and tugged him back.

"Don’t you dare leave me alone with that freak. Just keep sitting here. You have an excuse to do that as well."

Daniel hissed these words while pointing at Noah’s broken leg. And even Noah had to admit that his words made sense. In his situation, it was better for his partner to come to him instead of the other way around.

So he waited for his partner...only to not see him coming over.

Meanwhile, Alan walked over to the desk and gave them an amused look masked by his fake shyness.

"Where do I sit?"

"You can keep standing. Aren’t you an esper? This should be nothing for you."

Daniel pointed out, and for the first time, Noah noticed the slight irritation that flashed behind Alan’s mask, and it immediately made him act.

’This is not good. I cannot have them both start off on the wrong terms with each other.’

Noah immediately stood up and ignored the pain in his leg. He was aware of Daniel’s glare, but he ignored it and quickly made his way up the stairs toward his partner’s desk.

His partner did not even have the grace to lift his head and look at Noah as he approached. In fact, Noah was sure his partner was fast asleep despite the loud noise in the classroom.

’I have a feeling I will not be getting good grades in this class. I hope it’s not a tough assignment and I get a better partner for the next one.’

That was Noah’s hope, but their teacher decided to dash it with her next words.

"Be sure to get along well with your partners. You will be partnered up with them throughout the semester. Who knows, you might develop something more in the process!"

The teacher’s intention was clear, but for Noah, this was worse than a death sentence. At this point, he could only hope that his partner woke up and decided to help out a little.

Their teacher did not see his internal panic and finally explained the purpose behind her assignments.

"You shall be partners for the raid practices. We will be entering our first dungeon tomorrow, so mentally prepare yourselves. Now, you have an hour to get to know your partner and your partner only."

The teacher cast a few disapproving glances around the room, mainly at the espers who tried to sneakily change partners. Her resolute glare made them all quiet down.

Noah also sat down beside his partner with a doomed expression.

’Hey, this is not that bad, right? Alan and Daniel can get closer to each other during this assignment...’

But the two were not even speaking to each other. They were just glaring at each other, and not in a comfortable way.

So Noah quickly dragged his attention away.

’Should I wake my partner up?’

There was a moment when Noah almost reached out to touch his partner before deciding there was no point in doing so. Instead, he sat quietly through the first class.

His partner woke up during the last ten minutes, and Noah felt a spark of hope in his chest.

"Who...?"

His partner asked, half-asleep, and Noah decided to introduce himself.

"I am Noah, your partner for the rest of this semester. It’s nice to meet you-"

But his partner simply closed his eyes again and went back to sleep. His indifference felt deliberate, and Noah felt his optimism draining away at that behavior.

’This bastard! Should I smack him...’

But in the end, Noah decided not to do anything. As much as he wanted to get good grades, it was better not to build personal relationships.