Chapter 73: Ch 73: Creature of Habit

Humans were creatures of habit. Once a thing happened enough times, they started to adapt to it.

And no matter how Noah felt about this situation, he was a human as well. So waking up a few times between Alan and Daniel was enough to no longer make him panic. Instead, he felt a little comforted to have these two here.

Unfortunately, he could not be lazy and stay in bed the whole day.

Due to the head researcher’s words, Noah suddenly felt like he was on a time crunch. He wanted to take care of this ’Senior Kris’ situation before the representative from the academy arrived.

’Besides, I want to hear the result of what I did. I have a feeling it would be entertaining.’

Noah was more than interested in the outcome his ’gift’ would bring, so he opened the door a little and started to get ready.

Around 10 minutes later, a blood-curdling scream echoed inside the room, waking up Alan and Daniel instantly.

They looked at the door that was barely an inch open and then frowned.

"What happened? Why did someone scream like their life depended on it?"

Daniel asked with an annoyed frown before he noticed what time it was and started to get up and get ready as well.

Noah could only shake his head to indicate he had no idea what happened.

It left Alan as the only one who could head out and check what happened. But the esper looked like he had no intention of heading out, which was a shame.

’It seems like I won’t be able to get a detailed explanation of what happened. But oh well, it should be fine. After all, I got one of the results I wanted.’

Noah had successfully made Kris uncomfortable and paranoid. Now he just needed to follow up on it, and his plan would succeed.

...

Lunchtime arrived quickly, and Noah’s mood felt even better. It was because he had run into Senior Kris on his way to class, and the esper looked out of it.

He did not even recognize Daniel when he accidentally bumped into him, and instead, he quickly ran away before anyone could find fault with him. His suspicious and guarded eyes kept looking around, almost as if he wanted to find the culprit.

’I am sure he will head to the teachers and try to get them involved. I will need to account for their interference.’

Noah made a mental note, now completely lost in his thoughts. So he did not notice it when Ethan started talking.

He only paid attention to what was going on when Ethan decided to grab his shoulder and shake him.

"Hey...are you alright?"

Ethan asked in a concerned voice as he noticed how distracted Noah was. But Noah only smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.

"I am great...No, I am better than great. You don’t need to worry about me. Today, I feel like I can do anything."

Noah told Ethan, who looked unsure of his words. But he decided not to question Noah, which was the right choice.

The classes ended quickly, and finally, it was time to head back to Alan’s room. And then it was the same concern as last time—how to be alone so that he could execute the next part of his plan.

To make that possible, he needed Alan and Daniel to leave him alone. But he doubted the two of them would leave him alone in Alan’s room for the second day in a row...

"Noah, I am sorry to ask this of you, but can you stay in my room alone today? Both Alan and I will be investigating that monster attack. And as much as I want to take you along...it would be for the better if you stay in the room and rest."

Daniel looked pained when he spoke these words, but Noah could not help but feel glad at his decision.

It stung a little to be asked to stay back, but his rationality soon took over, and he realized that the relationship between Alan and Daniel was finally progressing in the direction he needed it to.

They were starting to get closer, and soon, Noah would have no place between them.

That thought made his heart hurt a little, and loneliness started to creep inside his mind. The feeling made his stomach drop, and he suddenly felt like it would be better to hide away in a dark corner and just stay there.

After all, what was he even doing here if no one wanted him here? It would be better for him to disappear—

[Thoughts perimeter not permitted. Forceful mentality change will be initiated. The host is being asked to comply with these changes.]

And just like that, his lonely thoughts evaporated into thin air. It was not a complete omission, and he did recall the sensation of what happened, but he no longer felt like being alone was a bad thing.

’The system sure comes in handy at these times. I wonder if I should keep it around once I gain my freedom...’

Unfortunately, it was not in his hands.

The system was not something he could control. It acted on its own and made sure to act out on its own as well.

But it was enough about the system. For now, Noah could see that both Alan and Daniel were waiting for his answer, and he needed to reassure them that it was fine to leave him alone.

"I will be fine alone. This won’t be my first time, right? Besides, you both should enjoy yourself on your date. And if you get closer, make sure to tell me, alright? I will get out of the way."

Noah teased, but he was 100% sincere in his words. He would take a step back once it was time.

"Hey, don’t be mistaken. We are not together. We are just—"

Alan put a hand over Daniel’s face to stop his complaining while smiling at Noah.

"We should take our leave now. The teachers will start tightening the security soon, so we need to finish our investigation before that."