Chapter 26: Ch 26: Let’s Change Seats

’This is beyond embarrassing. I don’t think I can even look Daniel in the eyes after what happened.’

Noah had noticed Daniel’s uneasy sleep and had also realized it was likely caused by a nightmare. He should not have reacted to that touch as intensely as he did.

And yet, his body had apparently not gotten the memo because it was making him suffer.

He quickly took a cold shower before he went out, and Daniel went into the shower after him, slamming the door shut with a loud bang.

’He clearly remembers what happened, and he does not look happy about it.’

Noah had a feeling that things were about to get awkward, and he was right. Daniel accompanied him to class, but the air between them was not the same as it had been in their room.

Noah was not sure if this day could get any worse...but it apparently did.

...

"Everyone, please sit with your partners. These will be your assigned seats for the whole semester, so make sure you make friends with your partner."

Noah dreaded having to get up and walk over to where his partner was. His leg was throbbing at the mere idea of moving. But one look at Ethan told him that the lazy esper was not going to make an effort to come down.

So he had no choice but to get up...

Except, Daniel decided to grab his hand and force him to keep sitting.

"You don’t need to change your seat. Your partner should make an effort to come down and get you."

Daniel reminded Noah, and he did not disagree with this. But he also had a feeling it was not going to happen.

"I will be fine. My partner...looks like he’s sleeping. It should be fine for me to make my way over and sit beside him. The seat is empty as well."

Noah pointed out, but the frown on Daniel’s face did not ease. Noah was aware of the eyes looking at him, and he could even feel their teacher’s impatience, urging him to hurry up.

But Daniel was making it impossible for Noah to get up.

And then Alan decided to join them. He walked toward their table and gave them both a startled look. But Noah noticed the esper’s eyes narrowing behind his mask, and anger was starting to seep into them.

Noah wanted to pull his arm back, but it was of no use.

’Hey, don’t get angry at me! Your crush is the one who is grabbing onto me right now.’

Noah wanted to yell this out loud, but his instincts told him that it would be a one-way ticket to hell.

So instead, he decided to remind Daniel that he had a partner he needed to sit with as well.

"Daniel, Alan is here. I should get up, or he won’t be able to take this seat-"

Noah tried to tug his hand away once more, but Daniel’s grip tightened even more.

"Alan can keep standing, or he’s free to find another seat. But I am not letting you walk with that injured foot. You already put enough strain on it yesterday."

The way Daniel’s hand had started to stroke his wrist made Noah shiver. He could feel those soft but cold fingers brushing against his skin.

But he could not relax.

The more Daniel touched him, the worse Alan’s expression became until he decided he did not want to take it anymore.

Noah was almost sure he was about to get hit, but luckily for him, he did not become a victim of Alan.

Instead, the esper walked toward the upper seats where Ethan was sleeping. He grabbed him by the back of his collar before picking him up.

It was almost funny to see someone as tall and bulky as Ethan being picked up like a cat, and Alan almost dropped him onto Daniel’s lap.

Luckily for Daniel, he noticed this and got up before the extra weight could be dropped on top of him.

"Tsk, what do you think you are doing?"

Daniel sounded pissed, and he had every reason to be. But Alan just laughed off his annoyance while looking at him with a proud expression.

"Well, since Noah was going to have trouble getting to his partner, I decided to bring his partner to him. Don’t you think this works just fine?"

He asked in a cheerful voice, but Noah could not feel an ounce of warmth from him.

Meanwhile, Ethan, who had just been thrown into his new seat, looked confused as he rubbed his head to gather his thoughts.

"What is happening here?"

He asked, only to realize that he was no longer at his table and his partner was nowhere in sight.

"Ah, you are finally awake? You worried me when you didn’t come to sit beside Noah after the teacher called for it. So I decided to move you. You better be grateful for this, alright?"

Alan wrapped his arm around Ethan’s shoulder as he said those words. Although his voice was soft, the threat behind them was clear to anyone who was listening.

Most people would have chuckled and not thought much of it since Alan’s easy-going nature was well known.

But Ethan, the one being threatened, felt a chill run down his spine. He had a feeling he would die if he ever tried to disobey Alan.

So even if he wanted to be lazy, he nodded to show that he understood.

Alan patted his shoulder before he started walking toward the table Ethan had vacated.

"Guide Daniel, let’s sit back at our seats now. The teacher is waiting for us before she can resume her lesson."

The teacher, who had suddenly been addressed, looked embarrassed. But she quickly coughed to compose herself before turning her attention back to the board.

"Alright, we will continue from where we left off yesterday. You all better pay attention." 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

Just like that, things returned to normal...well, as normal as they could be under the current circumstances. But Noah quickly noticed that he was getting more than a few stares from the people around him.

And the first person to ask him a question was none other than his partner.