Chapter 7: Ch 7: Allow me to help you

Daniel did not stick around for much longer.

Once he realized that Noah was going to keep acting like this, he decided he did not want to waste his time here. He must have been disappointed enough in Noah by now.

However, the one who did stay around was the annoying Esper who could have prevented all this.

Alan was lying on the bed adjacent to Noah’s with his eyes closed and an arm pulled over his eyes. The doctor had prescribed some sleeping pills to him that were likely not going to do anything for him.

And yet, Alan was pretending that he had been knocked out by those pills.

No one moved for a few minutes, and Noah decided to go to sleep as well. But just as he was about to fall unconscious, he felt another presence on his bed.

Noah tensed immediately as he felt that new presence beside him, but he pretended not to notice.

Warm breath hit his neck and a hand touched his injured leg, causing pain to erupt where he had been injured. A pained noise escaped his mouth, but neither the hand pulled back nor did that presence.

Instead, a soft voice spoke to him.

"Are you disappointed in me? I apologize for not saving you. I just froze and my body refused to act."

Alan’s voice was soft and scared. If Noah did not know better, he might have even felt sorry for him.

But he did know better...

Not that it amounted to anything.

His mission was to bring Subject E-001 and G-002 together, and to do that, he needed to stay close to both Alan and Daniel until they felt comfortable with each other.

No matter what grievances he had, he had to swallow them for the sake of his mission and act stupid.

"Hmm, it’s not a problem. As I told Daniel, things like these happen. Besides, the important thing is that I am still alive and well. Once the medical Esper comes back, I will be healed as well. See, not a problem...ouch."

Noah tried to move his leg to show that it was fine, but the pain made him flinch and let out a complaint.

But he did not fail to notice how Alan’s eyes went blank as he looked at Noah’s broken leg with a fascinated expression.

"Aren’t you sad that your broken leg will make you sit out the start of the academy?"

Sad? Noah was pissed. But he would take his revenge in his own time. And it had nothing to do with either Alan or Daniel.

Alan was not done asking questions yet, and Noah’s silence did not deter him.

Instead of stepping back, he decided to reach out and hold Noah’s cast once more.

"Thinking back on it, this broken leg is kind of my fault. I could have prevented it if I had acted a little faster. Would you give me a chance to make it up to you? I can help you out until your leg is healed."

Noah immediately wanted to say no to that offer.

As much as he wanted to stay close to Alan, he did not want Alan to become closer to or interested in him. But the offer itself was not bad. This was a way to keep Alan closer to him, and being closer to Noah would mean Alan was closer to Daniel as well.

So, maybe this was the best solution considering everything else.

’Darn it! I really do not want to be closer to Alan. This crazy son of a bitch will likely get me killed.’

Of course, none of this could be said out loud, and all Noah did was give Alan a smile.

"Are you sure you want to help me? It would be boring, and I am sure you have other important stuff to do."

’Like stalk Daniel because you find him interesting...Hey, is that why you want to help me out? Now I feel like I need to take a step back.’

So many emotions passed through Noah’s mind, but he did his best to keep them from showing on his face. Alan returned his smile with a nervous one before nodding.

"I am sure. It won’t be much trouble. Besides, as I said, this was somewhat my fault, so I would like to make up for it."

In the end, Noah had no choice but to back down, and that was how he gained a shadow.

...

’He’s interesting. How can anyone’s face go through so many expressions in such a short time? Is he even aware of the faces he is making right now? They’re so amusing.’

Alan felt satisfied with his choice not to save Noah when he fell. He could have easily prevented the injury, but there was something satisfying about seeing the shorter Guide lying defenseless in front of him.

It felt...familiar and right in a way that nothing had felt before.

At the same time, Alan also felt angry that someone had dared to mess with someone he was interested in.

These pests did not know their place in society, and that was why they were lingering around something they should not even look at. It made Alan want to crush these bugs and separate them from Noah.

Coincidentally, this list also included Daniel.

A Guide should have been the last thing Alan worried about in such a situation, especially when the other person in question was an SSS-grade Guide. He might be the only match for Alan in the future.

Despite knowing this, Alan’s instincts refused to budge, and that made Alan more curious than anything else.

That was the reason he had proposed becoming Noah’s hands and feet for the next few days—to find out his own feelings and what he wanted from Noah.

Alan pretended to leave the decision in Noah’s hands, but he was not going to follow that decision. If Noah said no, then Alan was willing to harass him until he agreed.

He was prepared for a long chase when Noah gave him what he wanted.

"Alright. If you want to help me, then I won’t stop you. But don’t do too much, alright? You can quit whenever you feel like it."

Noah’s words were too easygoing, but his expression was a mixture of shock, amusement, and horror.

He truly was a mystery Alan could not wait to unravel.

Unfortunately, this interest was likely temporary. Even if Noah was a Guide, his grade was recorded as only B-class. Sooner or later, Alan would let go of him and find someone who could handle him.

Or maybe he would end up killing Noah before that due to his corruption.

It was all up to their luck now.