Chapter 90: Ch 90: For the Better

The session ended soon after, and everyone was thrown out of the dungeon.

Noah still felt a sense of uneasiness even as his feet hit the ground, but he was not sure whether it was because of his close brush with death or because of his memories resurfacing.

He quickly looked around and noticed Professor Erin, who was being interrogated by the other professors. He was laughing and waving his hand, but his body looked tense.

’Should I go and help him?’

Unknown to Noah, he had already taken a few steps toward his professor when he felt a sudden arm holding his shoulder in place.

Then, a heavy body leaned against his back, and Noah’s legs protested at being made to endure all this weight.

"Alan, what are you doing? Stop trying to cause Noah trouble. Noah, are you alright? You are free to stab Alan with a knife to get him off. Here, use mine."

Daniel appeared in front of Noah with a worried expression before he handed Noah a sharp knife.

If Noah wanted to, he could twist his hand and hit Alan in a place where it would hurt.

But he did not want to hurt Alan that badly, so he shook his head and gave the knife back to a pouting Daniel.

"I am fine. Alan is a little heavy, but it’s nothing I cannot handle."

Noah assured him, and Alan let out a laugh as he somehow became even heavier.

"See, Noah has no trouble handling my weight. We are such a good match already. Now, can you guide me as well, Noah? Daniel was so stingy, and it hurt a lot when he guided me. I just need a little help from you."

Alan tried to beg, and Noah hated to admit it, but it was working.

He was starting to feel concerned about Alan, so he opened his channels just enough to pass for B-class guiding.

Alan gripped his arms harshly, and Noah felt his nails digging into his arms before he suddenly let go, leaving marks behind.

"It’s not enough. Give me more."

Alan whispered as he rested his head against Noah’s shoulder and started sucking the energy out of him.

’Darn it! Alan is too strong. But I need to hold on tight.’

Noah was trying to keep the door open just enough to let small parts of guiding out, but Alan had lost control, and he was trying to force his way through those gates and get to his guiding.

It was painful for Noah, but Alan was not in the right state of mind to know what he was doing.

’Darn it! Why is he like this? Is Daniel not giving him enough guiding? But shouldn’t they be compatible and start to get comfortable with each other? Or...did something go wrong?’

Noah’s breathing was so laboured by this point that it was clear what was happening.

"Alan! You brute! Let go of Noah right now!"

Daniel hit the esper’s back, who looked like he was struggling to pull himself together. But it looked too hard.

"I am...trying. But my body..."

This was an accident likely caused by a lack of guiding, so in a way, it was both Daniel and Alan’s fault things had gotten this bad.

As per academy rules, espers could only ask for guiding from their designated guide pair or from the medical wing. But the medical wing had no guide currently due to the students’ constant mishandling and blatant disregard for guides, even facility ones.

Not that it mattered for this situation.

"Darn it! Noah-"

"It’s fine. I should be able to handle it...I think...even if it’s hard..."

Noah was not supposed to do it, but he could take it for Alan’s sake. He could feel the esper getting more and more stable by the second.

But honestly, how had he gotten to this point? He tried to find answers on Daniel’s face, but it only served to make Daniel look away.

’Fuck! Is Daniel starting to think that it’s his fault? I doubt that it’s because of his lack of guiding. It’s just shitty circumstances.’

Noah had no idea how biased he was toward these two, but what he did know was that everyone was looking at them. Moreover, his body was starting to feel heavier, making him want to sleep.

’No, I cannot fall asleep. If I do, then my control over my guiding will go away. I need to make sure...I don’t let my secret out...’

Someone grabbed Alan and pulled him off Noah. The sudden loss of weight made him gasp out in relief, and he looked behind to see who had helped him, only to see Professor Erin’s face.

"I think you have done more than enough. Please get the rest of your guiding from your partner. I am afraid that a B-class guide like Student Noah cannot handle you anymore."

Alan looked like he wanted to protest, but there were too many eyes on him. But at one point, even that did not look like it was enough.

And then he looked at Noah’s face before he bit his lip and decided to change his mind.

"It seems like I lost control because Noah’s guiding felt far too good. None of this would happen if the teachers just changed our partners. I feel like I am far too compatible with Noah-"

"And far too dangerous for him as well. Anyway, since this was an accident, no charges will be pressed this time. Everyone should return to their rooms now."

Erin quickly started to order the students back, but they looked like they wanted to know more.

Moreover, Alan refused to move or loosen his grip on Noah.

"Student Alan, please hand Student Noah over to me. I will take him to the medical wing to get checked out."

Alan’s grip tightened, but it was Noah who decided to defy him this time. He looked back at Alan with a look that asked for understanding, and Alan slowly let him go.

Once he was free, Noah headed toward Erin silently.

He saw the betrayal in Alan’s eyes as well as caution in Daniel’s. But right now, he wanted to face neither of them.

Instead, he wanted to confirm the truth from Erin’s mouth about his identity.