Noah and Enel wandered through the garden to kill time while waiting for the bell to ring.
"Was that your girlfriend?" Enel asked curiously, glancing at Noah with a look that seemed hopeful for a positive answer.
"She's not," Noah replied, slightly uneasy about Enel's speculation.
Enel sighed, sounding a little disappointed. He really did seem to be hoping that Noah and Luo Yan were together.
"B-By the way, do you know how to find the ones who did those graffiti?" Enel asked nervously, his usual awkwardness returning.
"I can…" Noah said calmly, then glanced sideways at Enel with a curious look.
"But I won't try to find them," he added with a faint smile, gazing off into the horizon.
"W-Why not?" Enel asked, confused and a little uneasy.
"I don't want to draw attention to myself," Noah said softly, as he noticed the old man, Eldon Eeveryn, sweeping fallen leaves in the distance.
"Then is it possible to search for them in secret?" Enel asked, intrigued, now noticing where Noah was looking.
"I don't know," Noah said quietly, then added, "I'll be back in a moment," before heading off toward Eldon, leaving Enel behind.
Noah approached the old man, who seemed not to have noticed him since he didn't look his way.
"Excuse me…" Noah said, interrupting Eldon's sweeping. The old man stopped and turned toward Noah, remaining silent for a moment, which made Noah a little nervous.
"…Who are you?" Eldon asked, puzzled.
"H-Huh?! I-It's me, N-Noah Grace!" Noah replied, shocked at having been forgotten. Eldon let out a small laugh before suddenly breaking into a violent cough as if he were about to die.
"I-I'm joking. I remember you, boy Noah," Eldon said, finally stopping his coughing fit, though he looked like he'd nearly collapsed.
"So, what do you want?" Eldon asked, opening his right eye to reveal a sky-blue iris that eyed Noah with curiosity.
"I came to thank you for yesterday. I realized something important that I needed to see. If it weren't for you, I'd still be lost," Noah said quietly, looking down at Eldon.
"I don't remember doing anything worth thanking me for… but anyway, did you figure out what you need to do now?" the old man asked, his voice carrying the weight of years of wisdom.
"Yes, thanks to you," Noah replied, expressing his gratitude once more before walking away.
Eldon watched Noah go, stroking his long white beard. A reflection of a clock spun rapidly in his blue eye.
"That boy is truly strange. No matter how much I tried, yesterday and today, I still can't see his past or future—not even his age… It seems a monster has arrived at the university..., I think I'll do my brat of a son a favor and let him know," the old man thought to himself as he resumed sweeping the fallen leaves.
From a distance, Noah noticed someone with Enel. Enel looked more flustered than usual, but from the boy's hair and build, Noah could tell who it was—it was Cyprian Harmon.
"So, when is Noah coming back?" Cyprian asked Enel, who was hiding behind a tree.
"I-I-I d-don't know—!" Enel stammered, biting his tongue in the final word from nervousness.
Cyprian felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Noah Grace standing behind him.
"What are you doing here?" Noah asked in a quiet, cold tone, wearing a faint, chilly smile.
The moment Enel heard Noah's voice, he rushed to hide behind him like a child clinging to their mother for protection.
"You finally came. I've been looking for you since our last encounter," Cyprian said, finally seeming relieved after a long search.
"Why were you looking for me?" Noah asked, feeling his fake smile begin to crack. He no longer wanted to pretend to be friendly toward Cyprian.
"I wanted to apologize for what I tried to do," Cyprian said, bowing toward Noah in a sincere gesture, which surprised Noah a little.
"A-Apologize?" Noah asked, a bit tense and shocked.
Cyprian straightened up after the bow.
"Yes, I realized what I did was stupid. My plan was so bad it completely backfired," Cyprian admitted, acknowledging that pretending to lose against Noah had failed.
That plan really was stupid—especially since he didn't even follow through with it and ended up picking a fight with Luo Yan instead of me, Noah thought silently, giving Cyprian a look that made the latter realize just how foolish his idea had been.
"I should've faked my death instead of pretending to lose. How idiotic of me!" Cyprian said dramatically, tears in his eyes as he clenched his fist. He really didn't realize just how much of a fool he was.
"Anyway, don't worry about it. It's in the past. Just don't try anything that dumb again, especially if it involves me," Noah said, furrowing his brows in annoyance.
"Don't worry about that! I won't do anything that could hurt you again—this is a promise between brothers!" Cyprian said with a wide, excited grin.
"Brothers…?" Noah muttered weakly, a little uneasy about how suddenly Cyprian was acting so open and close.
"Well then, I'll leave you for now, brother!" Cyprian said, waving goodbye as he walked off and vanished from sight, leaving Noah and Enel alone.
Enel moved from hiding behind Noah to standing beside him, his expression full of the usual confusion and nervousness as he stared down the path Cyprian had taken.
"H-He's weird," Enel said, clearly unsettled. Noah nodded in agreement.
"Anyway, let's head to class now," Noah said, trying to change the subject.
Enel nodded in agreement, and the two headed toward the university building. Since Noah hadn't enrolled in any classes yet, he just followed Enel to his usual class. They arrived at the class—it was a science lab. Many students were running experiments or laughing and chatting before Noah and Enel entered. But as soon as they stepped in, the cheerful atmosphere vanished, and silence filled the room. You could only hear vague whispers spreading quickly among the students.
Noah followed Enel, who walked briskly with his head down, avoiding the students' gazes. This made Noah smile nervously, thinking he might have caused Enel to be in such an awkward position.
They took a clean white table, its glossy surface reflecting the glow of the fluorescent lights hanging above. Everything on it was arranged with such precision it seemed as if only someone who knew exactly what they were doing ever used it.
Glass test tubes lined a metal rack, some filled with clear liquids, others in shades of blue and yellow, each marked with precise measurements on the outside. Nearby, a conical flask connected to a rubber tube led to a small electronic pump that pulsed with a soft green light at each beat.
A digital microscope with a black metallic surface stood at the edge of the table, its lenses focused on a flat glass slide. Beside it sat a small pair of tweezers, neatly folded gloves, and a transparent box filled with colorful test strips.
There was also a small metal box with precise slots for samples, internally cooled, releasing a light mist each time it opened. Everything on the table was so meticulously organized it looked like whoever used it didn't dare make a single mistake.
Noah glanced at Enel beside him, who seemed to have forgotten all his nervousness once he sat in silence, watching the experiments the other students were conducting. He looked like he was recording their steps and results entirely in his mind.
"He's really focused," Noah thought, amazed by how Enel seemed to have forgotten the world and was completely immersed in his own thoughts and inner world.