Chapter 96: Ch 96: Visiting Ethan - Part 1

In the end, Noah’s uneasiness won, and he decided to visit Ethan in the end.

Convincing Alan was easy since the esper was only half-paying attention to him. He was nodding at anything Noah asked, and before he knew it, he had agreed to show Noah to Ethan’s room.

Of course, Alan started pouting the second he realized what Noah had actually asked of him, but it was too late by this point.

"Ugh, my room is close to here. Why don’t we go there? I can check on Ethan for you in the meantime-"

"Alan, this is something I need to do, so please stay out of it. Also, thank you for bringing me here. Now, please wait outside and do not come in, no matter what you hear from the inside."

Noah told Alan, who looked like he had been shot. The esper clutched his cheek and gave Noah a betrayed look that asked how he could say something like this.

"Daniel, did you hear what Noah asked of me? Oh! The horror! How could he betray me like this? You are not going to betray me as well, right?"

Alan asked Daniel while leaning against the wall dramatically, but Daniel ignored him and stepped behind Noah to show his silent support.

"Do you want me to come with you as well? We don’t know what Ethan’s condition is, but it might become easier to manage if there are two of us to hold him back."

Daniel made a good point, and under usual circumstances, Noah would have agreed to let him come in.

But it felt too dangerous to let him inside at the moment. Something about the situation was making Noah’s danger sensors work in overdrive.

"I appreciate the offer, but I need you to stay out and hold Alan back for me. Somehow, I have a feeling that he would be a bigger problem than whatever Ethan is going to do to me."

Noah pointed out, which seemed to make Daniel look a little more worried about him.

"If it is going to be dangerous-"

"Hey, stop excluding me from this conversation. In fact, take me inside with you already. There is no point in me being out here at all."

Alan decided to press his arm above Daniel’s shoulder while leaning toward Noah, but Noah just sighed and pushed him back.

"No! Both of you stay out here. And remember, do not come inside no matter what you hear. I will be out with Ethan soon enough."

This warning was mainly for Alan, who had supernatural senses. Despite the soundproofing done around the dorms for espers, Noah had no doubt that he could still hear whatever was going on inside Ethan’s room.

’But the fact that he is not stopping me must mean that he either trusts me to be able to handle it, or he is planning to break in and enter anyway. But since I put Daniel in charge of him, it likely won’t happen...right?’

Well, it was not like Noah had a choice in this matter. He had to trust these two because he knew that if he didn’t, then there was no one else who would either.

...

Noah took a deep breath before he opened the door slightly and stepped inside.

"Ethan, I am here to talk to you. Are you here?"

Noah asked carefully while closing and locking the door behind him. He did not want to give other people an unnecessary show.

Ethan’s room was not huge, but it was dark enough to the point where he could not see anything.

He almost let out a curse when his foot collided with something in the dark room and started to throb in pain. But Noah ignored that and continued to keep walking. He had a feeling he was close to finding Ethan.

"Ethan, say something if you can hear me. I want to talk to you about something."

Noah called out into the dark before he tensed. One second, he was walking, and the next, he had a wild, animal-like figure rushing toward him.

The flash of teeth and shining eyes indicated that it was an esper that had lost control. And considering where he was, there could only be one person who was like this—Ethan.

Noah barely had enough time to raise his arms before Ethan crashed into him and pushed him against the wall.

The impact knocked the breath out of Noah, but he quickly realized that Ethan was not trying to hurt him intentionally. His entire body was trembling, and his breathing was so rough that Noah could feel the heat of it against his neck.

"Ethan, calm down. It’s me."

Noah tried to speak calmly, but Ethan only growled in response.

His eyes were glowing brightly in the darkness, and his hands were gripping Noah’s shoulders with enough strength to hurt.

Noah could feel the unstable esper energy surrounding him, and it was clear that Ethan had completely lost control of his abilities.

’This is bad. He must have been suppressing his powers for too long.’

Noah slowly reached up and placed one hand against Ethan’s cheek.

"Look at me. You know me, right? I am Noah."

The moment Noah said his name, Ethan’s body froze. His glowing eyes focused on Noah, and for a few seconds, neither of them moved.

Then Ethan’s expression changed.

"Noah..."

His voice was hoarse and almost broken.

"Yes. I am here."

Noah answered softly, and Ethan suddenly lowered his head onto Noah’s shoulder.

"I...I did not want you to see me like this. But I...cannot control this either. The teachers...they gave me something to mess me up."

Ethan confessed as he tried his best to hold back from fighting and tearing into Noah. It must have been hard but it was going to be fine soon.

Well, as soon as Noah found a way to hold him still and give him the calming pills. Could Ethan even swallow them in his current condition or would Noah have to force him to take them?