Chapter 35: Ch 35: One day, I was late to class

"What the hell is this luck? I am getting one bad piece of news after another. He’s sending Franklin? What’s next? The whole research department?"

Noah complained, but he felt relieved at the same time.

The fact that Franklin was being sent was the best possible scenario compared to any other researcher. That was because Franklin tended to keep to himself and did not expect much from Noah.

If he was being sent to keep an eye on Noah, then he would likely not interfere in his business. But the same could not be said for the other researchers.

"Besides, I still have time before he arrives. Maybe I can take care of the situation by then and disappear..."

That was wishful thinking, but Noah was not willing to rule it out just yet.

...

Noah had one of the most uncomfortable sleeps of his life.

His new room barely had enough space for him to lie down comfortably, and his arm kept throbbing the whole night. He woke up early, only to realize that his bathroom was not in the best condition, and that made him seek out the communal bathroom.

By the time he finished his morning routine, he was 10 minutes late to class, and since he was alone today, the teacher decided to punish him. Even his broken shoulder did not get him out of punishment.

That was how Noah found himself standing outside the classroom while everyone else studied inside.

Halfway through the lesson, Noah began to get bored and yawned, only to feel a sudden spark of energy around him. He quickly sidestepped, only to see something slam against the wall where he had been standing seconds ago.

He blinked and looked toward the other classroom in front of him, whose door was open, and noticed a few espers snickering while pointing toward him.

Their intention to bully him was clear, but Noah was not going to be an easy target. He sidestepped away from the open doorway so that he would no longer be visible to the other espers.

But that did nothing to stop their assault.

If anything, it made them even more active, and Noah barely managed to avoid the next attack before it exploded. It lightly grazed Noah’s side, but it took down the wall behind him.

"What the hell is happening here? Who used their powers in class?"

Their teacher yelled and immediately turned toward the students. But no one answered.

Noah, who was the likely victim of the espers’ power test, let out a sigh while he continued standing in the hallway.

The other class’s teacher had likely noticed what was happening, and he quickly closed the door to ensure nothing like this would happen again.

Noah was lucky to get away without being harmed, but he had a feeling that his ability to avoid their attacks would only make life harder for him.

"God, I really hate the situation I’m in. I wish I could drain them all dry and leave them suffering for what they’re doing. But noooo! I had to come in as a B-class guide who is powerless here...Sigh"

This was a bed Noah had made, so he had to lie in it, even if it sucked.

But at least this was better than becoming a guinea pig back at the lab. That would be the worst fate ever.

...

Noah was finally allowed back inside once the class was over, and he sat beside Ethan.

The sleeping esper immediately sat up as soon as Noah took his seat, and he had a guilty look on his face.

"Hey, were you late because of me?"

Ethan asked in a worried voice as he looked at Noah’s broken shoulder. But Noah was quick to shake his head to tell him that his shoulder had nothing to do with the current situation.

"I ran into some trouble this morning, but it would have happened with or without your involvement. So there is no need to feel guilty about this."

Noah reassured Ethan, but the esper still looked worried.

Before he could say anything, Noah sensed Daniel standing behind him, and that made Noah immediately turn around and give him a small wave.

"Can I help you with anything, Daniel? Ah, if you’re worried about my shoulder, then there’s no need to. I got it checked yesterday, and I should be able to get it healed today."

Noah gave him a bright smile, but the expression on Daniel’s face did not change.

Instead, he looked even more tense as he bit his lip in agitation.

"Who did this?"

He asked, and Noah let out a sigh. It seemed like Daniel was not going to give up until he got an answer. And unfortunately for Ethan, he did not realize when he needed to keep his mouth shut.

"I’m sorry. This was an accident, and I did not mean to cause this."

"So it was you—"

Daniel turned toward Ethan, and Noah had a feeling he knew what was about to happen.

As an SSS-class guide, there was one thing Daniel excelled at, and it was controlling reverse guiding to inflict immense pain on espers. And Daniel was about to do exactly that to Ethan.

"Hey, this is fine. Daniel, you need to calm down first and think rationally. We’re in a combat academy, so injuries are a given for a B-class guide, right?"

Noah reasoned, and everyone else let out a sigh before pulling back.

"Fine, I guess I can give your partner the benefit of the doubt. But I wonder how much longer I’ll be able to do that."

The tension in the air was just too much, and Daniel could only let out an awkward laugh as he watched the two of them.

Thankfully, no one killed each other, and lunchtime arrived. Noah sat with Daniel alone this time since the espers had a different schedule today, and he was finally able to ask him an important question.

"Did anything happen to your room last night? I think we should head there together to check it."

Noah pointed out, and Daniel nodded. They finished their lunch and headed toward Daniel’s room, only to see someone running away from it.