Chapter 4: Noir
After the end of his classes, Noir slowly strolled out of the academy, listening to music through his headphones.
The girls passing by gave him discreet glances, but none dared approach. This guy... he had rejected almost every girl in the academy so far. They had their pride too, so even if their hearts were racing, none had the courage to confront him.
Some of the boys had also tried to befriend him, but he never paid much attention to others. Throughout the entire academy, he had only one friend—or three in total, if you counted beyond the academy. It wasn't because Noir was introverted. On the contrary, he sometimes joined conversations he wasn't even needed in.
The real reason was simple: Noir only accepted those he deemed worthy.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that becoming Noir's friend alone made you the luckiest person alive—because he could literally help fulfill any desire you had. For example…
"Catch him, someone!"
"Bastard! Where are you running?!"
"Come here, baby. I'll give you something!"
"Oh? What is it?" asked a green-haired, green-eyed boy as he ran from three furious girls chasing him.
"How about the gift of castration?"
"No thanks. I'm allergic to gifts."
When the green-haired boy saw Noir, his eyes sparkled.
Somehow, he had messed up and gotten caught by his three girlfriends. Judging by their fury, his survival chances were low. He silently offered prayers to his ancestors.
But just as he opened his eyes after reminiscing, he saw his messiah—his only friend, Noir, walking away with headphones in his ears. He called out to him multiple times, but Noir couldn't hear him. So he ran straight toward him.
Noir, lost in his own little world, didn't hear the commotion until someone grabbed his leg.
"Noir! Noir! Please save me, buddy! My three girlfriends found out about my infidelity!" The green-haired boy dropped to his knees, clinging to Noir's legs.
"Oye, let go of my legs." Noir said with mild annoyance, before finally noticing the sorry state of his only friend—clothes torn and ragged, hair disheveled, and face swollen. "What happened, Alex? Who did this to you?"
"My… my girlfriends found out about my little affairs," Alex said, tears rolling down his cheeks.
"Girlfriends? More than one? Didn't you just break up with your twelfth last month? How do you already have new ones chasing you?" Noir raised an eyebrow. He clearly remembered drinking with him after the twelfth breakup.
"That was a whole month ago! Such a long time has passed," Alex replied, averting his gaze.
"Someone! Catch that cheater! Don't let him flee!" a woman's voice shouted from a distance.
Alex's eyes widened. "Hey! Could you ask your questions later?! Can't you see I'm in a life-or-death situation right now?!"
"Okay, okay. I get it. So basically, you need to escape, right?" Noir asked.
"Without a hitch!"
"Then brace yourself for a little pain," Noir said, lifting a finger. Alex suddenly found himself levitating. Noir pointed toward an open drainage ditch nearby.
"No… no! You can't do this," Alex protested, instantly realizing what was about to happen.
"It's your only option. Or would you prefer I call them over?" Noir smirked.
"No… they're more dangerous than that," Alex said, trembling. Those girls had literally pulled out a knife with castration in mind.
"Haha… You always seem to forget the power I granted you—especially when it matters most," Noir chuckled. This friend of his was quite the character, which was exactly why Noir had accepted him.
And Noir had a principle: he never did anything half-heartedly. So, he had even shared a small portion of his secret with Alex.
When Alex found out, he had demanded a power that would help with his "sex life." The most logical choice was [Enhanced Stamina], but since he was one of Noir's only friends, Noir granted him [Absolute Healing] instead. There was another reason too—Noir wanted to see how the boy would develop it.
It should be noted that Noir could grant powers he himself hadn't yet acquired.
"Ah! I completely forgot! No problem then, throw me into the holy waters! Ugh, that sounds wrong. I mean—I can survive anything thanks to this power," Alex finally sighed in relief.
"Let's see then." Noir's lips curled slightly.
An internal alarm rang in Alex's head. He had spent enough time with Noir to know—when Noir said "Let's see then," it meant incoming humiliation.
He quickly backed away and tried to run. But it was too late. Noir had already activated [Telekinesis].
"Noooo!" Alex's tear-stained face screamed in despair.
Noir burst into hearty laughter. "Oh, I forgot to mention—this drainage has been clogged for five years."
Alex's face went pale. "Noir, we're friends! You can't do this to me! I'll die from the smell alone!"
Noir chuckled. "Fufufu! Your dear friend here hasn't dated even once, and this is your fifteenth case of being chased by angry girlfriends. What do you expect?"
"You—you! But you reject hundreds of love letters every day! I just accepted what was offered to me! Now you're punishing me? Is our friendship so shallow?!"
"That changes nothing. And for the record, I am saving you—with a little punishment mixed in," Noir said before tossing Alex into the open drainage.
Burp Burp
"Gross…" Alex grumbled, equipping his headphones again.
Not long after, the three girls arrived and stopped in front of Noir. Alex unequipped his headphones, peeking up from the ditch.
A blonde girl asked, "Hey Noir, have you seen a guy with a lecherous face?"
*Burp* *Burp*
"Yes, someone with no redeeming qualities," the short girl added.
*Burp* *Burp*
"You can't tolerate him for even a minute," said the girl with glasses.
*Burp* *Burp*
Noir wanted to burst out laughing. Is that really how people saw Alex?
Still, as a good friend, he decided to help. "Oh? Are you perhaps talking about Alex Maxwell?"
The three girls nodded.
"Hmm… are you the reason he's attempting suicide?"
This time, they didn't nod. Instead, they looked at each other in shock.
"""Suicide?!"""
"Yes. Just a while ago, I saw him standing in front of this drainage muttering that he didn't deserve to live. That he had hurt three innocent girls and should die."
"Hmph! At least he realizes that much," the blonde huffed. The other two nodded.
Noir glanced toward them. "Again, I'm asking—are you the reason a mentally unwell person like him is attempting suicide?"
"Unwell? He seemed perfectly fine," the girl with glasses said.
Noir furrowed his brow. "Don't you know? Alex Maxwell has an incurable disease. He has less than a year left to live."
It was like a bomb had dropped on them.
"A-Are you serious? Less than a year?" the short girl stammered.
"Huh? Why would I lie? I only know because I overheard him muttering it—how in his final days, he just wanted to make happy memories with the three girls he's loved since childhood."
The girls' faces turned pale with guilt. Tears welled up in their eyes. Maybe… he was just trying to fulfill a final wish.
But Noir didn't give them time to recover. "So, are you the girls he was talking about?"
They didn't respond. Instead, panic overtook them.
"Where is he?!" the blonde asked urgently.
Noir pointed toward the drainage. "He said he wanted the worst death possible. So, he jumped in."
"Why didn't you stop him?!" All three were furious now. If he had seen it happen, why hadn't he done something?
"And why should I? He was correcting his mistakes. Why should I stop that?" Noir replied coldly and turned to leave.
The girls stared at his retreating back with a rising sense of hatred. To them, he was beautiful on the outside—but the worst kind of person on the inside.
As he walked away, Noir muttered, "You'd better hurry. Or you'll lose him."
The three girls quickly scattered to get help.
Noir had done his part. At least for the next year, Alex could shamelessly flaunt his girlfriends.
---
Noir then leisurely walked home.
As he neared his apartment, he turned into an alley.
*Tip* *Tap*
He walked until he hit a dead end.
Then, he lifted his right foot and stepped into the air. Instead of falling, he stood. His left foot followed. Then he sat midair as if resting on an invisible throne.
"Now, now. Let's stop this game of cat and mouse," he said, voice booming like thunder.
The darkness of the alley churned—and before Noir…
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Hii, Author Here!
I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If you have any suggestions, feel free to use comments. And if you liked it, then do what you do.
Babaye~