Chapter 14 Uncertain Feelings

Ciara lay on her bed, engrossed in a myriad of thoughts.

Everything Trevor Netherlore had said, as well as their implications, began replaying in her mind.

She had always been treated special because of her family's status but never had she thought she would be a special examinee among other talented individuals—especially in an Institution that valued merit above all.

She had only one person to thank for this—Noir Novo.

She was a bit upset at him though.

"The least he could have done was to show up." Ciara murmured under her breath.

When she left the venue, only Galand and Lorna waited for her. They were in the Reception, where countless guardians and aides of the various examinees had also been waiting.

When she asked about Noir, their response had made her all the more upset.

"Oh, we haven't got a clue."

Not even the two knew where he was or what he was up to.

"That jerk! After going through all the trouble of training me, the least he could do was watch my performance." Ciara grumbled as she turned on her bed.

Why did she care so much about Noir watching her performance anyway? She barely knew the guy.

Sure, he had rescued her from certain doom, guarded her to Artemis, and even trained her for a short while, but all of that had been within the span of three days.

Strictly speaking, they were strangers.

Plus he was going to get his payment, so there was no need for any attachment or emotional bias in their employer-employee relationship.

'Still…' Ciara found her mind wandering as her eyes closed.

"Young Lady, it's Noir… May I come in?" A sudden voice rang, accompanied by a knock.

"A-ah?!" The girl was caught off guard, causing her to give out a surprised yelp.

Ciara wasn't prepared for this… not yet!

She still had to rehearse how she would chew him out and reprimand him for abandoning her.

No matter what the reason was, he was still her bodyguard. It made no sense for him to have left her like that, right?

Also…

'Crap! I have to hurry and—'

… Ciara was currently in her undergarments.

"Miss, I'm coming in." Noir's voice emerged once more, not wasting any time.

"W-wai—!!!"

Before Ciara could verbally respond to him, he had opened the door.

'Curse his speed.' She thought to herself with a helpless expression as she saw the door being flung open.

'What can I do?' Only one thing could answer her desperation, at this point.

>WHOOSH!<

Ciara could push her body past its limits and grabbed her bedsheet—using it to cover her body before it was too late.

"Am I interrupting something?" Noir entered the room in a gentle stride, cluelessly noticing Ciara's discomfort.

"Y-you… never mind." Ciara stuttered, breaking into a relieved sigh.

She figured it would be a waste of energy to point out how Noir's actions were inappropriate on so many levels.

Since the man was oblivious to these things, the most he would do was apologize for what he had done—ultimately placing Ciara on the losing end.

"I came here to inform you… about the termination of our agreement." Noir landed the bombshell while the young lady was still in thought.

"U-uh?!"

Ciara was not ready to hear that.

She had somehow forgotten that Noir was only a temporary employee.

The agreement was for Noir to guard her until she secured her admission, which she had already.

This meant that Noir was now free to go.

"So, this… is farewell?" Ciara muttered, casting a disbelieving gaze at the blank expression of the man in front of her.

Even though they had only known each other for a short while, it felt strange to say goodbye just like this.

"Of course not."

"Eh?" Ciara gave a puzzling response.

Wasn't he leaving? Did that mean he could actually be staying? She was only confused even further.

"T-then, that means…"

"Yes. I'll be here until your father arrives. He is to come by today, or so I've been told. Once he arrives, and I receive my payment, I will leave." Noir's heartbreaking response was delivered bluntly.

"O-Oh… I see." Unbridled disappointment washed over Ciara.

"I can tell what you're thinking."

"Y-You can?" Ciara's eyes sparkled a bit in surprise… and a bit of embarrassment.

Noir was a powerful person, so it was only expected that he would be perceptive. Did he perhaps notice her hesitation to see him go?

"Yes. If you're worried about the 'Forced Activation', don't worry about it. There are no side effects.

Also, just because you're Tier 2 now doesn't mean you can take it easy. Your Level is still low…."

'U-uh…?" Ciara's mind went blank with confusion.

"… Plus, you've not discovered your Class and your Elemental Attribute. You have to keep training and working hard, but I have no doubt about it… you'll get stronger, so don't worry." Noir gave a thumbs up, flashing her a sincere smile of encouragement.

'WHAT IS HE TALKING ABOUT?'

Ciara didn't even know where to begin as she stared at the clueless man in front of her.

'He is speaking so off-point!'

She had not even been thinking about any of the things he said, not in the slightest. Couldn't Noir read the mood?

Maybe he had a communication disorder or something…

"Oh, that's a relief. Just what I wanted to hear. Thank you, Sir Noir." Ciara strained a smile, albeit sarcastic.

Noir nodded at her words, clearly pleased with himself.

"Of course, of course."

"Anything else?" Ciara's eyes and lips were twitching at this point, but her smile miraculously remained intact.

"No. That's about it." Noir's response was flat.

'Urk! This guy…'

"Sir Galand and Miss Lorna are in their rooms downstairs, just in case you need anything. I'll be outside."

"Ok then…" Ciara's voice was hoarse at this point.

Awkward silence finally ensued between the both of them. Perhaps they were waiting for the other to say something, or they had both run out of things to talk about.

"W-well then… I better take my leave." Noir uttered, apparently flustered, as he made for the door.

"S-Sure…" Ciara replied, totally feeling the same way.

It didn't take long for him to exit the room, softly closing the door as he stepped out.

For a moment, even after Noir left, Ciara remained silent as she stared blankly into space.

But, this only lasted for a few seconds.

"AHHHHHHHHH" A scream pierced the air.

"That Idiot!"

Truthfully speaking, she was upset at both herself and him for the awkward display that ensued between them.

How could a person be so clueless and oblivious? Also… how could she have expected anything more from him?

"MFFFFFFFFF!!!" She made more muffled screams, turning and tossing on her bed.

'Why does he have to look so innocent while being clueless? He's dark and shady one time, and then another time he looks so… cute…?'

"Oh, what am I even saying?" Ciara found her thoughts floating in a particular direction, so she tried to use her logic to pull herself to reality.

How did she even feel about Noir? It was clear to her that she didn't view him as a regular person.

Sure, by his looks, he looked to be twenty, at most. That would make him at least about 5 years older than her.

Ciara had never been too fond of boys, and to be honest, she wasn't sure what that she ever would.

Her attachments to Noir were not romantic in any way… at least that was how she felt—and she wasn't going to lie to herself.

She looked up to him, and she felt a sense of gratitude to him, that much was a given.

'But… what are these expectations I have toward him?'

Ciara wanted him to give her more attention and she wanted him to display as much emotion as she showed to him.

She was also interested in his story and his past—not that any of those mattered at this point.

It was clear that Noir felt no attachment or emotion toward her at all.

'He's so cold and indifferent towards me The guy even treats Galand and Lorna better—at least, in terms of conversation!'

There were only two times he smiled around her—and those moments were nice, but that was it.

"I should stop overthinking this." Ciara told herself as she sighed.

After all, Noir couldn't even be bothered to watch her examinations.

*

[A/N]

[Not an excuse, but Noir was lost during that period]

*

"Father will be here later today. I should probably get out of bed soon…"

As Ciara had that thought, her bed seemed to suck her deeper into its embrace. A smile permeated her face as she closed her eyes.

"Maybe in five minutes…"