Chapter 203: Ch 203: Shifting the Blame - Part 2

Noah was worried about Daniel. But he had a feeling that letting Alan deal with him would be for the best.

That way, Noah wouldn’t have to keep feeling guilty for coming between the pair.

So instead of going after them, he suppressed his feelings and decided to clean up the dining table for dinner.

At least, that had been his plan until he saw the phone in front of him ringing with no one around.

Noah looked around for Alan or Daniel, but no one was to be seen. It made him worried, and he hesitated before he reached for the phone and decided to pick it up himself.

"Hello. May I know who is speaking?"

Noah asked politely. But unfortunately, he did not get the same reply back from the other side.

Instead of being polite, the person on the other side started to curse him.

"Darn it! Why are you picking up the phone so late? Do you have any idea what I am going through because of your selfishness? How long do you think others can keep covering for you two? And how long is your break going to be? We are only indulging you two because of your grade, so you better come back before we run out of patience."

The fact that this was all said in one single breath was impressive and concerning at the same time. It made Noah feel worried, and he was not sure what he should say to the person on the other side.

Were they... expecting a response from him?

"Excuse me, but the owner of this phone is out right now. Would you like me to pass them a message?"

Noah asked politely, and the other side paused speaking, likely taken aback.

He heard a loud sigh from the other side before they decided to apologise to him and ask him to bring the other two on the phone.

"Ah, I apologise. I am the phone owner’s superior from the esper-guide division. We have been trying to get in touch with them for the past few days, but their phone has no signal. Would you let them know to call us back?"

The reply came back politely this time, but Noah could hear the edge of frustration in the speaker’s voice. And that made him feel sorry for the speaker. They sounded truly tired.

"I will let them know. Please do not worry."

Noah promised, and the person on the other side let out a sigh of relief and replied.

"Yes, please do. We will compensate you if you do this for us-"

"No, it is fine. I am doing this because I want to, not because I want something. I will cut the call now."

Noah put the phone down and let out a tired sigh. He had no idea why Alan and Daniel refused to take this call. But he had a feeling it was related to him.

And if so, he likely needed to talk to them about it.

So he wanted them to come back while sitting at the dining table. He was sure they would be back any second now.

As expected, Alan entered the room first with a happy smile on his face, and Daniel entered not long after with a sorry expression.

"Are you feeling better now?"

Noah asked Daniel as he sat down in his seat. His question made the other guide flinch before he nodded.

"I feel fine now. Well, better than before, so that is good. You don’t need to worry about me too much..."

Daniel promised, and Noah nodded. He allowed the pair to settle down first before asking any questions, but they noticed that he was waiting for something.

So Alan decided to bring it up.

"Is there anything you want to ask us, Noah?"

Daniel decided to turn the question towards him, and he caught Noah off guard. He did not know how to bring up the topic he wanted to talk about.

But since this opportunity had been presented to him, it was time to make use of it.

"Actually, I attended a call on your phones and I received some unexpected news. Is there a reason you are not going back to the Esper-Guide Commission despite them contacting you to come back?"

Noah asked in a concerned voice as he looked at the pair in front of him. They looked just as taken aback as he was.

Alan let out a sigh before he replied.

"Well, it seems like we can no longer hide the truth from you. Honestly, I did not want to bring this up before, but now I feel like I have no choice but to say it. We want to leave the unit because they are unethical and cause us trouble. Look at what they did to Daniel already. He is sick because of them."

Alan was a little melodramatic, but he was likely telling the truth. Daniel was just a little bit paler at the thought of going back.

Noah would actually like them to go back, but that was only because he knew that it would be the best outcome for them. But if this terrified them so much, then there was no point in sending them back.

"I see. You both should make yourselves comfortable in the meantime. Stay as long as you would like."

Noah told the pair, and they relaxed instantly.

He decided to bring them a snack while keeping an eye on them at the same time.

Somehow, he had a feeling that Alan meant more when he said that Daniel was sick. But Noah did not feel like uncovering that just yet.

After all, it was often said that ignorance was bliss. And he wanted to live in this bliss just a little bit longer.

He also decided to ignore the look Alan and Daniel exchanged once he gave them permission to stay around him. He did not want to put any burden on them.