"Noele!!"
Felum's palms and feet spouted out flames, jetting himself towards Noele.
"A-are you okay? Are you good?"
Noele nodded.
Felum quickly helped him up. At the same time, he shot malicious gazes towards Vinny.
"Vinny, you coward!"
Hearing Felum's raised voice... it frightened her.
"I, I didn't mean to go this far! But he was insulting me!"
"You're still making excuses, huh?" Felum's eyes turned cold.
Vinny shuddered as she felt the piercing coldness of his gaze.
Felum let out a long breath, his tense expression easing up. After putting Noele's arm around his shoulders, he carried Noele downstairs to the infirmary.
Not long after Felum and Noele left the rooftop, it started to rain.
Vinny stood still, letting herself be drizzled in the rain. The 100-note she initially took became wet.
'Ah, oh no, the money...'
She quickly covered the money with her body, protecting it with all her might.
Before long, tears started falling from her eyes.
-----
Megna arrived in the infirmary.
"Noele!"
Noele opened his eyes. He abruptly sat up and saw Megna panting as she leaned against the doorway.
"...You ran in those heels?"
Megna ignored his comments and observed his injuries.
"This... who did this to you?"
"Ah, er, I just fell from the stairs, haha." Noele didn't want Megna to know that he was bullied, by a gal no less.
Megna pursed her lips. Ever since middle school, when everyone first touched the Compatibility Orb and got their first rating, Noele had been bullied by his peers.
'If... I didn't suppress his powers, he wouldn't be bullied. Popular, even.' Megna got teary-eyed every time she saw him in an injured state. 'It's my fault he's like this.'
However, another memory resurfaced in her mind.
Megna was hugging Noele from behind, as tightly as she could.
"Noele, don't do it! Please, I'm begging you..."
After a moment's hesitation, he pushed her away.
"...Shut up! I do what I want to!"
Megna's breath became hurried as this memory played over and over in her mind.
"Megna? You okay?" Noele noticed her expression become darker. He reached out his hand.
Megna slapped it away out of instinct.
"Ah! I, I'm sorry, Noele."
"Aiya, you don't have to be so aggressive." Noele softly massaged his hand.
The image of him being soft-spoken and gentle like this... It was completely different to the Noele in her memory.
'...Yes, that's right. I have to prevent that from happening at all costs. It's too late to regret now.'
Megna smiled deep in her heart, cherishing this peaceful moment.
She headed to the sink, took out the Mana Suppressing Pill, and mixed it with a glass of water, then gave it to Noele.
"Ah, thanks. I was getting parched."
Watching the entire glass being gulped by Noele, Megna felt bittersweet.
"I'll be going then. Oh, and I want something light for dinner."
"Okay, see you later."
As Noele disappeared from Megna's line of sight, her smile faded.
When she opened the infirmary door, there was someone standing in the doorway.
Felum was carrying plastic bags on both his arms. His eyes were filled with suspicion as he looked at Megna.
'The Flame Emperor in his youth. How ironic that he and Noele are friends now.' Megna silently chuckled in her mind.
All of a sudden, Felum dragged her out of the infirmary and into a corner. Pinning her to a wall, he inched his face close.
"What do you want from me??" Megna was bewildered.
"You... what did you put in his drink?"
'Ah.' In Megna's mind, everything clicked. "It was just his medicine."
"Medicine? What kind of medicine looks like a Mana Suppressing Pill?!" Malice flowed from Felum's eyes as his entire body started to emanate heat.
Megna gulped. 'Even in high school, the Flame Emperor is already this adept in controlling his mana... A true prodigy.'
"It, it was a Mana Suppressing Pill? I didn't know. I was just tasked with feeding it to Noele by his father."
In her mind, Megna was already apologizing to her future father-in-law.
'Feigning ignorance, huh?' Felum reduced the temperature he was letting out. "Do you seriously think I believe you? What kind of father feeds his son a Mana Suppressing Pill?"
"I don't know why either. All I know is I need to feed him this medicine secretly."
Felum stayed silent for a second, before he retreated a few steps, continuing to look suspiciously towards Megna.
"I... I'll let it go for now. But you need to stop feeding him the Mana Suppressing Pill."
"..." Inside, Megna was giving him multiple middle fingers. 'Why should I listen to what a kid like you who doesn't know anything has to say?'
Felum pointed to his eyes, and then to Megna. "I'm watching you."
As he walked away, Megna stuck out her tongue at his back. 'Watching me, my ass...'
-----
Noele clenched the blanket as he thought of how he ended up on this white bed.
"I'm... so powerless."
He couldn't even dodge Vinny's attacks properly, much less fight back. What would have happened to him if Felum didn't arrive?
'This is no good. I can't be as weak as this.' Noele bit his lip.
"Guess who's back?"
"...Flame Emperor?"
"..." Felum slowly turned around and left the infirmary.
"Wait, wait, I was just kidding. Don't leave. You have my lunch."
Felum rolled his eyes before sitting beside Noele.
Soon enough, both of them started eating their lunch.
"Are you sure this is allowed? Did you ask Mrs. Nerse?"
"I'm sure it'll be fine." Felum grabbed a fried shrimp from Noele's lunchbox and ate it.
"You didn't ask then..." Noele sighed as he grabbed an octopus hotdog and ate it whole.
Silence filled the room as they continued eating.
Quietly, Felum's fork inched towards Noele's lunchbox once more...
Noele was staring directly at the fork that pierced a hotdog and traveled back to Felum's mouth.
With Noele's eyes on his mouth, he started chewing...
"Hey, listen. If you're just gonna eat from my lunchbox, why don't I just make you one?"
"...It would feel gross, so no."
"What if I was a girl then?"
"Are you?"
"Am I?"
"..." Felum was rendered speechless. 'He's copying my schtick from this morning!'
"Well, if you're not taking the offer, you can stop eatin-"
Felum had already stolen another hotdog and was chewing it.
"..." Noele. "Stop eating my side dishes!!"