The four didn’t need to wait long in front of Shaw’s office for the man to show up and let them in.
Wearing an omnipresent gentle smile, he gave the four a polite nod, “Gentlemen, I apologize for keeping you waiting. Things are always hectic around here, more so the last two days.”
“No, no! It’s us who showed up uninvited even though we knew how busy you must be!” Noah hurried to refute.
When Shaw’s forest green eyes, partially hidden behind thin glasses, landed on Noah, they visibly softened, “Aris. Are you alright? I’ve heard you’ve had a rough two days.”
Seeing that clearly doting look directed at his baby, Levi’s face scrunched up in a mix of outrage and exasperation.
‘Baby… are all of your friends actually friend-zoned love rivals of mine?!?’
(ノಥ益ಥ)ノ ┻━┻
‘Darn it! My baby is too much of a seductress!! Attracting bees and butterflies wherever he goes!’
So worrying!!
Levi really wanted to lock him up somewhere where only he could see him, lest one of these days someone stole away his precious treasure!
Unaware of the dark thoughts running through Levi’s head, Noah sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, “I don’t dare call it rough. I’ve just had two unpleasant encounters, it’s you guys who are working your asses off.”
Shaw shook his head, his gaze towards Noah warmed up even further, “Don’t sell yourself short. We might be working long hours, but from start to end, our lives had not once been on the line.”
Embarrassed from the implied praise, Noah’s ears flushed a bit. Levi, who always paid attention to Noah first and everyone else second, felt as if he had been struck by lightning from the clear skies.
Don’t tell him his precious darling had feelings for this sissy doctor?!?
That can’t be!!! That definitely was not the case!!
Levi’s mind struggled to come up with an excuse as to why it would be impossible for his baby to develop feelings for someone other than him, Levi.
Right! His baby said he would be marrying a wife in the future! Thus, his baby wasn’t gay, case solved!
Blackie choked on his metaphorical popcorn. 😂🤣 ‘And you think him not being gay is better news than him having hots for a guy other than you?! Do you have brain damage?! Ask anyone, anyone! There isn’t a single person out there that would rather have their crush interested in a gender they don’t belong in than have them crushing on someone else!! It’s a difference between having slim chances and having no chance at all!!!’
It would seem, Levi, too, found that “comforting” thought not as comforting as he had initially thought it to be because, at this point, his facial expression couldn’t possibly get any uglier.
Damn it all!!!
It would seem that he needed to employ drastic measures! A whole horde of vicious pigs was eyeing his delicious little cabbage! He wouldn’t be able to rest easy if he took even one step away from his darling! He had to come up with a way to glue himself to his baby 24/7 as soon as possible! ASAP! Critical! Top priority!!
Noah, who was still feeling a bit embarrassed by the praise, hurried to change the topic. “Let me introduce you guys,” he turned towards Levi and Fynn, “this is Shaw, a personal friend of mine. A high-ranked Scanner, currently a vice-chief of diagnostics, and one of the best doctors in the hospital.”
Scanners could, as their name implied, do 3D scans of people and objects, accurately finding issues, defects, foreign objects and substances, and everything else that can be revealed through a scan. They were highly valued in many different industries, thus, not many chose the hard life of a doctor.
Shaw’s chest rumbled with a warm chuckle, “You are too generous with your praise. One of the youngest doctors, yes, but one of the best is a title I am still unworthy of carrying.”
“Too modest as always,” Noah’s eyes curved along with his smile. “Shaw, this is Astar Levi, my future brother-in-law,” he motioned towards Levi.
Shaw’s smile became a bit strained as he nodded politely in Levi’s direction.
“And this is inspector Fynn, currently investigating the recent two cases of power rampage. And that is my new bodyguard Trey” – Noah teasingly added – “yes, the old man finally retired.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you– “ Shaw’s confident and polite tone wavered when his eyes passed over Levi’s ferocious facial expression “…all.”
After the pleasantries, Noah cut to the chase, “Shaw, the reason why we wanted to talk to you is because we suspect–“
“Wait,” Fynn interrupted, “Standard procedure. Were you or anyone you know involved in causing the power rampage incident in any way?”
“No,” Shaw’s eyebrows furrowed helplessly.
“Alright,” Fynn nodded to Noah, “You may continue what you were saying.”
Noah coughed and threw Shaw a sheepish grin, “As I was saying, we wanted to talk to you because we suspect that the power rampages are caused by some kind of a drug. What are your thoughts on the matter?”
Shaw pondered over it, his eyebrows slightly scrunching up in thought. “As you know, I am a high-ranked Scanner, so my scans can detect foreign substances, as well as viruses and bacteria. I’ve scanned both the Blazer and the Fluxer, specifically looking for the presence of drugs; however, I didn’t detect any foreign substances in their bodies.”
“Do you mean to say it wasn’t a drug?” Noah’s shoulders slumped.
However, Shaw shook his head, “No, what I’m saying is that if it is a drug, it is a volatile compound that dissolves quickly, leaving no visible trace on the body. It is also possible that it comes in the form of energy that gets directly absorbed by the victim’s mental power. I can only scan the material things such as the body. Scanning the victim’s mental power is not something I am capable of.”
Fynn perked up at the new line of thought, “Do you know of any substances that could affect mental power?”
Shaw shook his head again, “No, however, pharmaceutical companies had been looking for a way to affect mental power for centuries. It wouldn’t be surprising if they finally found it.”
“Why were they searching for a way to affect mental power?” Noah cocked his head to the side, looking at a loss.
Fynn smiled at him affectionately, “Put into terms you young people would understand, they are trying to produce a ‘Mana Potion’.”
“Pfft,” Noah’s chuckle, as always, was a delight to one’s auditory senses. He gently yet playfully elbowed Shaw, “What young people? You are only 26 yourself!”
Levi’s eyebrow kept twitching as his hands itched to pull that little seductress into his arms and proclaim his ownership to all love rivals present.
“So, they are searching for something that would help restore mental power. That would indeed sell out like hotcakes.” Fynn rubbed his chin in thought.
Shaw chuckled at Noah’s antics and attempted to rub the little one’s cute fluffy head, but was intercepted by Levi, who put his paws on Noah’s head first, giving Shaw a stink-eye.
Shaw could only awkwardly lower his raised hand. Ah, this lord of Astarea was really fierce. Really made one worry about his future wife…
Blackie turned to look at mentioned future wife, Noah, with a big smirk on his face. ‘Ah, really fierce~ Really fierce… in bed…’
(≖‿≖)
“Doctor, what do we need to do to confirm whether a drug is behind it and identify it?” Fynn fully concentrated on the case, tuning out Levi’s sourpuss antics.“If the cause of all this is a drug, and a drug that would be detectable via my scanning ability, then for me to be able to detect and isolate it, I would need a blood sample that had been taken before the drug had fully dissolved. In other words, if it is a fast-acting drug, it should be a blood sample that has been taken shortly after the drug had been administered.”“And how would such a drug be administered?” Fynn leaned back in his chair. “Or
The second question on Fynn’s list of usually asked questions was: “Does your husband have anyone who would want to harm him?”The madam paused to blow her nose before answering, “My husband is a very open-minded person who conducts himself with dignity. But…” Her hand holding the handkerchief clenched tighter, “…just because he conducts himself properly doesn’t mean others would do the same.”She sighed with deep exhaustion, “My husband is the kind of man that wouldn’t start a conflict, but definitely won’t run away from one started by others.”
After obtaining Noah’s precious promise, Levi could finally leave with a peace of mind. Though he was still very reluctant to part with his darling, he, Levi, had much work to do. And he could do none of it in the presence of his baby.And so, Levi left the city lord’s mansion, followed by Trey, who had been tasked with ensuring Levi boarded the Maglev train safely.The two men walked in silence until they had left the premises of the city lord’s mansion. Only when Noah could no longer see them or hear them, did the perfectly harmonious air between them turn chilly.
After returning to his own mansion, Levi got busy. He issued many orders left and right, driving his secretary close to tears.While delegating everything that needed to be done, he even remembered Peyton, the vulgar asshole they ran into this morning.Of course he remembered! As if he could forget a person who antagonized his baby!Whoever dared to wrong his baby should be prepared for the consequences! Not one shall be spared! Rawr! Let them see just how unreasonable and petty Astar Levi can be!
After dragging her tired body back home, Levi’s fiancée and Noah’s elder sister, opened her communicator to find her fiancé had sent her a baffling message: “We need to talk. Urgently. As soon as you are free. Critical importance.”(・―・)Urgent talk of critical importance?With her???She snorted a laugh. Knowing the temper of her fiancé, if it was indeed something important, he wo
Though Noah had asked Levi what happened, even after a long moment, he received no response.Of course he received no response! What could Levi possibly say to explain all this?!?‘I saw a photo of you straddling Trey that drove me batshit crazy, so I had a nightmare and ended up destroying half the house??’(ノಥ益ಥ)ノ ┻━┻Fucking hell! He was better off
Noticing that Levi had forgotten about his previous words of resting along the way, Noah diligently reminded him, “Rest your eyes for a bit.”How could Levi sleep when his baby could be in danger at any moment? Levi glanced towards Noah, who was sitting next to him.“…”Ah, forget it. He’d oblige and just pretend that he was sleeping. At least that way, his baby would feel more at ease.Le
Noah’s already pink face got even redder from the bellyful of grievances and indignation he felt right now.This absolutely couldn’t go on! Determined to get his message across this time, he turned towards the completely unperturbed Levi. The other responded with a raised eyebrow as if to cluelessly ask what’s wrong.Noah felt as if he was punching cotton; his pent-up frustration simply had no way to be vented out! He took a deep breath to calm himself down, in the process of which he puffed up his cheeks like an adorable little pufferfish.