Chapter 8: Ch 8: Helping back to Room

"You are free to leave the medical wing now. I will call for you once our medical Esper comes back. Until then, try not to get hurt too much."

The hours after Noah ended up in the medical wing, he was discharged with a system full of pills that made him drowsy. The doctor did not seem that concerned about his condition and decided to send Noah on his way.

Typically, someone was supposed to come and get him, but Noah had no friends. So it was up to him to get back to his room somehow.

Not that it was going to be a problem.

This was not the first time he had been pumped full of drugs. And if he did not attain his freedom, then it would not be the last time either. Noah had long gotten used to moving around in such a condition.

However, that did not make the situation any better.

He was still seeing double, and it took him three tries to open the door to get out.

The doctor gave him a look filled with pity, and Noah hurriedly stepped out, only to knock his head into something hard.

"Ouch-!"

"It seems like being careless is your habit. Do you need my help?"

Alan stood outside the door, and his eager expression told Noah that he might have been waiting for him.

His presence surprised Noah so much that he lost track of what he was thinking and, instead of keeping calm, immediately pushed his finger against Alan’s chest to point at him. His strength could not pin Alan against the wall, but the Esper decided to humor him anyway.

But something felt wrong. The chest was far too firm, even for an Esper. And wasn’t his arm stretched out too much?

"Excuse me, but shouldn’t you be in class?"

Noah questioned, and his vision swam, causing him to see two Alans.

One of the Alans reached out to grab his extended hand and gently lowered it between the two blurry images he saw.

"I am here to help you. After all, I did promise you. And looking at your current condition...it seems like you really need my help."

Noah did not need Alan’s help, but the second he opened his mouth to say that, he began to feel his head spinning even harder.

"Darn it! Just how strong was the medicine that doctor gave me?"

Noah complained without meaning to. He hated the fact that he had to suppress his immunity if he wanted to continue passing as a B-class Guide. But the result was this mess.

Alan decided the best way to help Noah would be to wrap his arm around Noah’s shoulder and make him lean half his weight against him.

"Please don’t worry. I will help you with everything. We have an hour before class starts. Would you like me to take you back to your room?"

Alan asked, and Noah’s first instinct was to refuse.

An opportunistic Esper like Alan should not know where a Guide lived. It just did not feel right...

But wouldn’t it be fine? Alan would come back to his and Daniel’s room sooner or later for...stuff. Even their first time was supposed to happen in that shared room...

Sigh

"It seems like asking you to concentrate would be too much. Don’t worry. You don’t have to tell me where you live. I have a feeling I can figure it out just fine."

Alan sounded confident, and Noah had a feeling that his confidence was not unfounded. And just as Alan said, he somehow managed to find Noah’s room and even knocked on the door for him.

Meanwhile, Noah continued to drift in and out of focus, not really knowing what was going on and therefore not participating in anything.

He was even unaware of the loosening control he had over his powers.

So he obviously missed the moment when he slipped up for a second and allowed his guiding energy to flow.

But Alan did not miss that brief moment. He immediately looked at the Guide in his arms with a shocked expression that soon turned into amusement.

"It seems like you have a habit of hiding a lot from me. But the more you hide, the more intriguing you become. Make sure to show me even more later, alright?"

He whispered, but Noah only half-heard it. Alan deliberately shifted Noah in a way that made his head bob, almost as if he were nodding, and Alan’s smile widened.

"Ah, then it’s a promise. I won’t let you take it back later."

...

Knock

Daniel was getting ready to head to class early when someone knocked on the door. He quickly went to open it with an annoyed expression. He did not even need to ask who was at the door since it could only be Noah.

And if so, then why was he back? He had a broken bone, so he should be resting in the medical wing.

"Why are you back? Just skip the day and rest-"

Daniel opened the door, only to see Alan’s face smiling shyly back at him.

The Esper held Noah in his arms and gestured toward the inside of their room.

"May I bring Noah inside? Ah, you don’t have to look so suspicious of me. I decided to help Noah because I am the reason he got so badly hurt. If only I had caught him in time...but that’s why I decided to help him from now until his leg heals."

The fake concern and smile on Alan’s face made Daniel’s instincts rise.

His eyes kept shifting from Alan’s scheming face to Noah’s half-unconscious body in his arms before he made a quick decision and grabbed Noah’s arm to pull him over.

"Woah-! Take it easy. My head is spinning."

Noah complained, but Daniel buried Noah’s head against his shoulder to muffle his words. Meanwhile, his narrowed eyes looked at Alan with distrust.

"Thank you for bringing Noah back and offering to help him. But I think Noah will be fine even without your help. You should head back to your room now and get ready for class."

Daniel’s words were firm, and he decided to close the door before Alan could react.

Unfortunately, he was a little too slow, and Alan managed to grip the handle and keep the door open.