“Exactly!” Noah kept nodding his fluffy head encouragingly, “You said that none of the people you questioned had anything to do with terrorists, right? However, you only questioned those that were on the list of people allowed entry into our lab, correct?”
The weariness on Fynn’s face was replaced with agitation, “The Ghost is among the people that we didn’t question! He is one of the personnel from the other 4 labs!” Then he slumped back into his chair, “Ah! We worked through the entire night and barely managed to finish questioning all these people, yet now we have to track down and question more than 4 times the amount of others who had access to the other labs!”
Noah felt that being a law enforcement officer was very pitiful, thus he mercifully extended a helping hand, “You might not need to do that. We can use the access logs to narrow down the potential suspects. Anyone who, according to the footage, entered the corridor that day AFTER Ghost’s entry was recorded is not a suspect. Anyone who left the lab before Ghost’s exit is also in the clear.”
Noah switched his light screen into pen mode, “It should be safe to assume, due to the personal nature of communicators, that Ghost is a single person. So as long as someone doesn’t fit the above requirements in only one of his visits, we can safely rule them out.”
As he spoke, Noah used his finger as a pen to nonchalantly cross names out of the personnel list one by one, “See this? According to the times, the Ghost was always meeting the councilor, and their meeting times are inconsistent. I assume it’s because they were trying to make their meetings unpredictable so as to not get caught. But this lack of consistency is helping us rule out so many people!”
The long list was cut down smaller and smaller by the moment, making Fynn’s eyes shinier and shinier. (✪◡✪)
Even Blackie couldn’t help but sigh in satisfaction, ‘Host… it’s only in times like these that I remember that worldborn are supposed to have high IQs… Ai, you hide yours too deeply!’ ╮(╯∀╰)╭
And when even Blackie was swooning over the brilliance of one amber-eyed, fluffy kitty, then nothing needed to be said about Levi. –The only thing preventing Astar Levi from hugging his baby to his bosom and showering him with kisses was not the father-in-law with flaring nostrils glowering at them from the side, but the fact that he, Levi, didn’t wish to interrupt his baby’s work!
Thus, the wild wolf Astar Levi exercised his utmost patience, quietly waiting for his baby to finish crossing out names, so he could wrap his wagging tail around him like a blanket.
“Really ought to thank the two for being so paranoid; we might even be able to rule out everyone but the perpetrator.” Noah’s pink mouth and curved amber eyes were smiling. All the way until he crossed out second to last name remaining on his list. Then his smile abruptly stiffened.
Because the only name remaining on the list was also the only name on the list he recognized.
“Well, I’ll be damned…” Fynn clicked his tongue, “No wonder Asan suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth… what was he supposed to do? Wait for us to come pick him up?”
Noah did not respond, but his bright eyes dimmed a bit.
When Asan was revealed to have been the higher up in charge of this project, he had hoped that it was just a coincidence that this hot potato had been tossed to him. He had thought that the boy had just been unlucky to get management over a project that had been eyed by the terrorists. When they couldn’t contact Asan, Noah had even been worried that something might have happened to him.
And when they identified that one of the unknown numbers might belong to councilor Desmond, Noah had even felt relieved. He had thought that, at most, Asan had been talked into something by the willy old fox without fully understanding what he was getting into.
But if the Ghost had been Asan all along, then how could Noah continue to deceive himself?
Would a decent person hire a Soother to perform a reverse-soothing on the berserk Fluxer, fully aware that it would cause a mental collapse and kill everyone in the vicinity?
Would a person, clueless about what he was getting into, get himself a second, unregistered communicator number to do dirty things with?
Would an innocent person be so paranoid as to cover his own tracks at every turn?
Fynn shook his head, “No wonder he found it easy to smuggle himself in! Who would be brave enough to tell his boss, whose mother owns the company, to follow the security protocol and wait for his turn to enter? Anyone with a non-negative EQ would hold the door open for him with a big smile like a gentleman fawning over a beauty!”
Levi keenly felt his baby’s good mood dwindle, and he immediately snuggled his precious to his chest –father-in-law be damned! His baby needed him right now!
(Blackie, ‘See that, host? Now that the wolf knows that getting all handsy works, guess what he will be doing in the future every time you are in a bad mood?’ (¬‿¬))
A squeak of protest could be heard coming from the dining room, but Levi turned a deaf ear to it. Just how horrible must his baby be feeling right now? To think that a person whom he had considered a friend in the past was now plotting how to kill him!
Noah was indeed feeling an unspeakably bitter taste in his mouth, coupled with a searing and stifling feeling in his chest. He didn’t even react when Levi pulled him into an embrace.
Aris was such a nice person! Sure, he was a bit young and inexperienced, a bit naïve, and definitely not as gifted in the IQ department as a worldborn… but he didn’t wrong anyone!
Yet not only did he lose his life so young, due to some ambitious and not entirely sane bastards, but as it turned out, one of the mentioned psychos turned to be a person he was previously close friends with!
Noah remembered the very first day he had come to this world, the day of the first terrorist attack, the day when the original Aris had died. That very day, he ran into Case and Asan at lunch.
Noah did not remember seeing any guilt in Asan’s eyes. Just scorn.
There was no awkwardness on his face either — just a cold sneer.
He, Noah, was a traveler that only came to this world recently. He wasn’t the one who was friends with Asan once upon a time, nor was he the one betrayed. In fact, personally, he didn’t even like Asan! But he still felt the piercing prick of pain all the same.
He was a worldborn that had no memories of his former life. These memories he had inherited from Aris were all he had. Though Noah’s sense of self had always been crystal clear, Aris’ life still seemed more real to him than his own life, which he could no longer remember.
He had gotten immersed in all those inherited memories, just like a viewer watching a movie, laughing and crying along with its characters. The other side might not be aware of his existence, but to him, he not only knew them – all of them – but he also felt as if Aris and him were the closest of kin. Even though the two of them had technically never met.
So was it painful? Of course, it was painful! How would his heart not ache?! This was not a faceless and nameless terrorist! This was a person he knew! A person that Aris had treated sincerely!
Yet what he got in return was a one-way ticket off this world…
It… it really wasn’t fair! Indignance and resentment intertwined within Noah, making it hard to breathe.
He closed his eyes and let out a long and heavy breath. These feelings were not productive. They would not help make anything better. He was only harming himself. He should step out and clear his head.
Noah immediately put that thought into practice. He stopped thinking and focused on just breathing. Luckily, the scent tickling his nose was inherently rather soothing. Mmm, he recognized this pleasant cologne. And this warm and wide chest. And the comfortable embrace that was like a big satin blanket, so cozy he didn’t want to move… It all made him feel very secure. Like everything was alright. Like he was exactly where he was supposed to be. Doing exactly what he was supposed to be doing. This foreign yet familiar warmth trickled into Noah’s heart, driving away the chill. And the careful caresses patted down all of his metaphorically raised fur. And thus, the turmoil within Noah settled back down as quickly as it had previously risen up. Seeing his unresponsive darling’s ears finally heat up after a long and nerve-racking delay, Levi let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Phew! If his baby had the presence of mind to feel shy, it me
Fynn understood the rationale, but it still didn’t feel right, “But why did the two have to meet up, anyway? If it was just a discussion, it could have been done remotely. Did the councilor come to pick up drugs and see the research results first hand? But since councilor Desmond had access to the lab, couldn’t he have just gone in and taken the drugs himself? Why the need to meet up?” This time, Noah was the one to speak up, “Would a paranoid person, such as Asan, trust the other to quietly take a few drug samples and see himself out? He had to be there to supervise the other and make sure he didn’t do anything he shouldn’t.” Fynn paused a moment to consider Noah’s words, then he spoke up again, “But if the councilor had access rights to the lab, couldn’t he have dropped in at any time, all by himself?” “What makes you think he had permanent access rights? Asan could have granted his number clearance each time they were supposed to meet and revoked them afte
After the matter of tuxedos was resolved, the natural progression of things led the two grooms to the topic of rings. Both wedding AND engagement rings! When Levi realized that he was getting married to his baby, yet not only had he not officially proposed, but his baby’s lovely hands didn’t even have his ring on, he felt so sour inside that his face scrunched up like a squeezed sponge. This needed to be corrected! Right now! (ꐦ °Д°) But how could he correct it when he didn’t even have the rings yet?! (ノಥ益ಥ)ノ ┻━┻ What was he supposed to do? Reuse the rings from the previous engagement? Of course he couldn’t do that!!! Even if there was no issue with the ring size and the feminine design, how could he let his precious wear things that were not just picked by someone else but even worn by someone else before?! Even if he used his feet to think, he still wouldn’t manage to come up with such a stupid idea! But, ah, the realization that those slen
This warning immediately roused Levi from his lethargic state, “Why be careful? Wouldn’t such a reality be a good thing? For a married couple to be happily in love, isn't that how it should be?” Noah fell silent for a moment, then his pink mouth opened to reveal what lay hidden in the depths of his heart, “That's only if it's mutual. If it's one-sided, it would just be sad.” Levi deeply stared into the little one’s two shiny orbs, “That’s only if it forever remains one-sided.” Then the bottomless abyss within the pool of blue was replaced with a shimmer of mischief, “But why would it be… ah! Don’t tell me you intend to seduce me and then dump me?!” Levi’s face warped into exaggerated shock and grief, “Ah, ah, you can’t play with hearts like this! You must take responsibility for me!” Noah’s melancholy was instantly broken, and his glorious bright red blush made its triumphant return. “Who–who–who is playing with hearts?! What ‘seduce and dump’?! And what ‘tak
Since neither Noah nor Levi were the ones who scheduled all that, they had to ask Maery to deal with… uh… canceling it? Maery, “No way! (︶^︶)ノI got two weeks off work for this! And now I don’t even need to bring that scourge along on my vacation! (ノ*^o^)ノ* Yatta!” In other words… “Dear brother, I don’t care where you go for your honeymoon, as for me, dead or alive, I am going to that spa!” (✧ᴗ✧)و Noah, “…” ( •᷄⌓•᷅ ) ‘…does that mean you intend to go with us – but not with us – on our honeymoon?’ Blackie shook his head, “Host, you are not asking the right questions here!”(︶^︶)ノ Blackie turned his virtual eyes towards Maery, “Do tell, o( ̄▽ ̄)d what plans have you made that would ensure your corpse gets smuggled into the spa? Come on, don’t keep us in suspense!” Noah, “…” (◞‸ლ) Feeling helpless due to both his sister AND his pesky system, Noah turned to his fiancé for help. Only to see the other crossing over prett
Noah looked at the loner wolf’s drooping ears and tail and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Something urgent popped up?” He guessed. Otherwise, why would Levi suddenly change his mind after coming out of a call with Astar daddy? The ‘ate a loss’ Astar Levi nodded his head weakly, “Mn. Extremely pressing. Has to be handled ASAP. I’m afraid I won’t be getting much rest tonight.” Then, seeing his baby’s concerned little face, he added, “Don’t worry. It’s only this one time. I’ll manage without soothing tonight, and you can soothe me to sleep tomorrow.” Blackie, ‘…Only this one time? ಠಿ_ಠ So you are saying that you intend to sleep WITHOUT my host only this ONE time?? ಠ_ಠ ‘…Host, how are you not picking up on this?!’ щ(゚Д゚щ) Seeing Levi’s determination despite the dejection, Noah didn’t wish to delay Levi from his urgent matter any longer. Though his heart ached for the other, what Levi needed right now were not empty words
And that’s how Astar Levi resisted the great temptation of sleeping with his baby tonight and resolved himself to stay up studying instead. With unwavering determination sparkling within his blue eyes, he gritted his teeth valiantly and declined his baby’s offer of soothing. Seeing his son turning back and heading for his own room, Cordia daddy’s face proudly blossomed into a victorious smirk. A smirk that would have turned upside down faster than the speed of light if only he knew that this win was actually a Pyrrhic victory. _(´ཀ`∠)_ ‘These pig teammates!!! (ꐦ °Д°) All of them…! All of them are working for the other team!!!’ (ノಥ益ಥ)ノ ┻━┻ ‘They are his parents, ah! Of course they are working for the other team!’ Blackie shook his virtual head in pity, ‘Tsk, tsk. No wonder the city lord of Astarea has his entire city in his pocket while you get schemed against by your own councilors! The difference in IQ is so big, ah!’
Worst still, even though these last few messy clauses were separated from the rest of the agreement in all ways, they were still considered to be a part of the agreement. And as such, once the contract was signed, everything on it would be valid indefinitely and could only be changed if both parties agreed to the change. Noah blinked his long eyelashes at the document and couldn’t help but complain, “The lawyer who worked on these last few clauses did a sloppy job …” And that wasn’t just Noah’s layman opinion. Education in this not-so-utopian world was rather streamlined. High schools were highly specialized, and university lectures and course materials were all available online, so everyone could study at their own pace. Those ready to spend more time and effort in their studies could finish their higher education years earlier. Which was exactly what Levi, Aris, and Maery had all done. In other words – yo, don't let Aris’ young age of 18 fool you! Aris, and