Chapter 168: Ch 168: Kids will be Kids - Part 1

"Don’t come near us. Noah, tell him that you don’t want to play with him."

Noah looked at Daniel’s pouting face with an awkward smile and then at the esper asking him to play with him. The hopeful esper was a few years older than Noah, but he had a child-like innocence to him.

Not only him, but most of the kids here actually felt like kids and not like grown-ups who knew what they were going through.

And every time Noah saw this, he felt his heart breaking.

’We all deserve so much better than this. But there seems to be nothing I can do about this situation for now.’

For now, Noah needed to stay put and pretend he was a dumb kid as well. But he was planning something behind the scenes that would help these kids escape.

And if it meant that he had to act dumb to fool everyone, then he was more than willing to play that role.

As a result, he had become a kind of big-brother figure for these kids, and they often came to him to seek answers he did not even have. It made him feel guilty every time this happened, but if he could help these kids out, then he did not mind a bit.

However, the only problem was currently clutching at his arm and ensuring he wouldn’t be able to move.

Noah let out a sigh and lightly tapped at Daniel’s arm to stop him from clutching so tightly.

"Daniel, we should not be greedy. Why don’t you come and play with us as well? Look, Alan is getting along with everyone just fine."

Noah pointed out towards Alan, who had been dragged away by a guide long ago. Right now, Alan sat at a makeshift tea table, pretending to drink the invisible tea in front of him.

However, he was not as well-behaved as Noah pointed out either, since the tablemates he was sitting with looked stiff and awkward. Still, the fact that he was willing to entertain the other kids was more than enough.

Daniel glared at Alan from where he was clutching Noah, with an envious look in his eyes. But he quickly diverted his eyes once he noticed Noah staring. The other guide bit his lip before he forced the words out.

"I don’t want to. Having you with me is more than enough. I do not need anyone else."

Noah felt like he was at a loss for words. He had no idea what he could even say to convince Daniel. But since he did not want to play, Noah could not bring himself to leave the shy kid alone. So he had to turn down the offer to play as well.

He turned to look at the hopeful kid and passed him a kind smile.

"I am sorry. It seems like I won’t be able to play today. Perhaps, another time?"

He asked, and the kid looked crestfallen at first, but he quickly picked himself up with a smile.

"Alright, I got it. I will wait for you to come and play with us soon."

These kids were good-natured, so they got along well with each other. Noah felt reassured seeing them play like this as well. But he also flinched when he felt Daniel’s grip tighten on his arm.

Someone sure was not happy to be here.

...

"I drank tea...or well, pretended to, and then I was given imaginary biscuits. Do you think they taste good? I had candy once and it was sweet and also—"

Alan babbled these words with an excited face as he held Noah’s shoulder. He was talking fast, but not a single word was getting blurred. He had talent as a rapper if his esper business did not pay out...

But no! Alan had to be an esper since he was destined to save the world. Noah did not have the luxury to think of other thoughts in his mind right now.

He absent-mindedly nodded at Alan’s words, not even paying attention to what he was saying right now. All he knew was that he was having fun.

But the more he babbled, the more annoyed Daniel looked by his side. It was clear that something was bugging him, so Noah decided to ask him outright.

"Daniel, what is wrong? Is there anything I can help you with?"

Noah asked, and Daniel looked startled at first, but then he got angry and decided to grumble.

"This is not fair. I am the one who spent the day with you. So why are you paying attention to Alan more? You should pay attention to me."

These words were likely only meant for Noah’s ears, but Alan had sharp hearing as well. So he took offence to them and grabbed Noah’s other side.

With tearful eyes, Alan looked at him, pretending to be hurt by what was happening and demanding justice.

"Noah, this is not fair! I played with these kids because you wanted us to get along and be nice. Are you not happy because of it?"

Alan was a bastard who knew what he was doing. He was purposely trying to rile Daniel up by speaking like this, and it was working.

The guide looked ready to hit Alan, and he pretended to hide behind Noah to get away from it. It was a play that Noah saw quite often, and he let out a sigh.

"Daniel, play nice with Alan. He is trying his best to get along with others. You should try and be a little like him as well. You cannot remain dependent on me forever."

Noah pointed out, and Daniel looked betrayed. His eyes were wide, and he put his lip in agitation before he spoke.

"This is not fair! H-He is playing you, and you keep falling for it again and again. Alan is not playing with other kids, but he is just pretending to. He is not a good kid."

Daniel had a lot of grievances, and for good reason.

Noah knew all of this as well, but despite that, he knew that Alan had a good heart underneath all this.