Chapter 224: Ch 224: Joining the Association - Part 2

In the end, the association espers ended up escorting Noah back to his room.

He had told them that there was no need to do that and that he could simply wait for Alan or Daniel to finish and come to get him. But their shudder told him that it was not even an option. He had to comply with their request and head up.

However, despite helping him get to their floor, they could not access the main floor. As a result, Noah ended up waiting in the waiting hall.

It was a spacious place, with a lot of plants and other greenery. It was clear that a lot of money had been spent on this place.

And yet, there was an air of loneliness surrounding this garden waiting area, making Noah feel all alone as he stood there.

"Here, have something to drink while you wait. I apologise for keeping you here like this. You should not have to wait outside like this with us."

The esper leader sighed as he handed Noah a drink he had gotten from the vending machine.

Noah had never drunk any drinks from a vending machine before... or from a store, for that matter, unless they had been specifically made for espers and guides. As soon as he took a sip, the artificial flavour of the drink hit his tongue.

It tasted bad due to his heightened senses, but Noah made sure his dislike did not show on his face as he smiled at the esper leader.

"It’s fine. Waiting out here is not a problem. This is a lovely garden, and I like getting sunlight."

Since the floor was more than three storeys high, there was plenty of sunlight and a lot of plants.

Noah lay down under a large, shaded tree to prove his point, which made the esper leader let out a sigh.

"That’s good..."

Silence followed his words, and the esper leader looked concerned and relieved at the same time. His mannerisms were a little familiar, and Noah felt compelled to ask him a few questions.

"Hey, about your family..."

"Huh? What about my family? They are nice people who provide me with whatever I might need. Now that you are here, do you want to try and find yours as well? If you do a DNA test, you might be able to find them."

The esper leader suddenly looked excited at the prospect of Noah being able to find his family. But it made Noah feel nervous.

Did he want to find his family? He was not so sure.

Logically speaking, he knew he must have a donor who had helped create his body. But he had also been born in a lab, and that was all he knew.

Even if he did have parents, they likely knew he existed and wanted nothing to do with him.

And yet, now that the idea had been planted in his mind, it wouldn’t leave. He at least deserved to know who had brought him into this world, right?

His silence made the esper leader panic, and he quickly took his words back.

"If you don’t want to know, that is fine as well. There are plenty of people who never get a DNA test, like all of us in this force. We were all adopted into our families, and we never bothered to find our real ones."

Noah blinked as he tried to focus on what these people were saying. Now that he knew better, his shock was starting to subside.

Noah looked at the esper leader with a complicated expression, wondering how many things he had misunderstood about these people.

He was getting more and more certain about these esper’s real identities.

"Are all of you adopted, then?"

Noah asked, trying to keep his voice casual as he sat up beneath the tree.

"Most of us are, yes. We were all brought into our families when we were young. We were accepted, so none of us wanted to find our real families after this."

The esper leader scratched his cheek before continuing, looking somewhat embarrassed as he admitted.

"Besides, we have good families now, so there isn’t much reason for us to go looking for people who might not even want to meet us."

Noah lowered his eyes, letting those words settle in his mind as he wondered whether he would be able to think the same way if he ever found out who his biological parents were, because while he understood that there was no guarantee they would want anything to do with him, the possibility of finding out who had brought him into this world had already taken root in his heart.

Perhaps it was selfish of him to want answers when he had never even known what it meant to have a normal family.

But he could not help wondering whether his life would have turned out differently if he had been born somewhere else.

"Anyway, you don’t have to think about it right now. You have only just joined the association, and there are plenty of other things you need to worry about first."

The esper leader said, noticing Noah’s expression and quickly changing the subject.

Noah gave him a small smile, grateful that the man had not pressed him any further, before leaning back against the tree and looking towards the glass windows above them, where the sunlight streamed into the waiting area.

He had never imagined that joining the association would leave him thinking about his family, and he was beginning to wonder whether coming here had been a good idea after all, especially when he still had so many things to settle with the head researcher.

However, before he could dwell on those thoughts for much longer, the sound of footsteps caught his attention, and he turned his head to see two familiar figures walking towards the waiting area.

Alan and Daniel had finally returned.

The moment Alan spotted Noah sitting beneath the tree, his expression changed, and he quickened his pace while Daniel followed closely behind him, looking equally displeased when he noticed the group of espers standing nearby.

"Noah."

Alan called, his voice carrying a sweetness that made the esper leader beside Noah instinctively straighten his back.

Noah, on the other hand, simply smiled and waved at them as if he had done nothing wrong.

"Welcome back. I was waiting for you."