Chapter 4: Ch 4: An Important Material for the First Mission

[An important mission item has been discovered. Please hand the workbook over to Subject G-002 for the smooth progress of the mission.]

The System appeared in front of Noah’s eyes just as he was about to head out of the room. His hands were already gripping the door handle, but he quickly let go and headed back inside to grab the book in question.

It was lying innocently on Daniel’s table, but Noah hesitated to touch it. He did not want to cross any boundaries by invading the other Guide’s space.

However, he was willing to do it if it was necessary.

After all, the worst that could happen was Daniel getting angry at him. But that was already his reality, so Noah found himself not caring as much.

He quickly left his room and found himself lost in the sea of students trying to get to their assigned classrooms.

There were a lot of clusters outside, mainly because today was the first day of class and no one wanted to be late. It was hard for Noah to force his way through as well, but he eventually reached his classroom and slipped inside without being noticed.

[Subject G-002 found. Please head toward the subject to ensure the smooth execution of the assigned mission.]

With the System guiding him, Noah slipped into the seat beside Daniel and extended the book toward him.

Daniel looked at him with a startled yet curious expression, and Noah simply plastered a smile on his face.

"Here, you forgot this in our room, so I brought it along. Make sure you don’t lose it again, alright?"

Noah’s smile remained plastered on his face and did not falter even under Daniel’s glare. In the end, the other Guide was forced to accept the notebook with a nod.

That was supposed to be the end of Noah’s interference in today’s lessons, but he could feel the intense gaze of someone boring into the back of his head, analyzing what he was trying to do.

Noah looked up, only to see Alan staring at him. His eyes were filled with amusement as well as questions.

But the person Alan was supposed to keep his eyes on was not Noah. That was why Noah immediately looked down. He was showing Alan that there was nothing worth paying attention to by trying to test him.

And finally, his message got across because Alan turned his head toward the front where the teacher was standing.

Noah was safe now, and he could concentrate on class.

...

The first hour of Noah’s academy life was filled with lectures.

The teacher seemed well aware of how rowdy students their age could get, so warnings were handed out to everyone regarding what they were and were not allowed to do. But the papers they handed out were not ordinary papers.

They melted into the students’ skin and would act like shackles in case things became dangerous around them.

Noah had come across information regarding these papers while preparing for his life at the academy.

According to his research, the thing responsible for producing these papers was an SSS-Class artifact, and as far as anyone knew, it was the only SSS-Class artifact ever discovered, even in the original story.

In fact, the only SSS-Class classifications ever mentioned in the original source were the two main leads and this special artifact.

The fact that Noah himself was also SSS-Class was never mentioned, but that was because he had only a minor role in the original source. It had piqued his curiosity and led him to do more research. But unfortunately, he never came across another SSS-Class classification.

Heck, even coming across an SS-Class or S-Class classification was rare.

’I have a feeling that the labs have a hand in creating all these objects, but I cannot prove it. Not that any of it truly matters. The only thing I need to be concerned about is making sure the world does not end.’

Noah was going to distance himself from Espers, Guides, and whatever dangers lurked in the shadows once he was finally free.

"Alright everyone, now that we have completed our oaths, we can get started on our first lesson. I am also well aware that the Espers have not received their materials yet, so the Guides will have to share with them. Please move closer to a Guide if you can."

Many Espers looked ecstatic at this news and immediately locked eyes with the nearest Guide. Meanwhile, the Guides looked uncomfortable with the arrangement.

Noah did not have this problem. He had already branded himself as a weird person by mumbling to himself and getting lost in thought. Many Espers also seemed to know that he had a low guiding rank, so they avoided him.

It was the best arrangement he could have asked for. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

’I am not getting harassed by Espers, and Alan will drive away any Espers who try to approach Daniel. This is a win-win situation.’

Or at least, it was supposed to be.

But Alan decided that Noah was a far more interesting target than Daniel, and instead dragged his chair over to Noah’s other side rather than sharing with Daniel.

Noah, who was busy daydreaming, had not expected Alan to make such a move. His eyes snapped open, and he looked at Alan with a bewildered expression.

"What are you doing?"

Noah asked in a quiet voice, suddenly looking up at Alan. But Alan looked completely unbothered by the question and simply sat down beside him.

"I am going to share the book with you like the teacher asked us to. Why? Is that a problem?"

Alan’s smile dared Noah to refuse, and he immediately looked toward Daniel for help.

But Daniel did not even look at him.

’Hey, mister, what are you doing? Don’t you see that I’m trying to help you with your future here? Pull your own weight.’

Somehow, Daniel heard his silent prayers and turned to look back at him with a strange expression. Then he reached out toward Noah.

’Finally! Grab your Esper so that I don’t have to worry about him...what are you doing?’

Daniel did reach toward them...

Only to wrap his arm around Noah’s shoulders and tug him to his side.

And Alan?

Instead of looking shocked, he simply grabbed Noah’s other arm and tugged him back.

Somehow, Noah had become the object of a tug-of-war between the two.

...

...

Make sure to leave me power stones