Chapter 71: Time sure flies—flies like a butterfly

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Chapter 71: Time sure flies—flies like a butterfly

Saturday.

Three days after the Unit Test, the results were out. The weekends were approaching and along with weekends were approaching monsoon.

Ofcourse, being the favourite season of a particularly annoying species of insect —many people hated rainy season.

On this particular saturday, something was moving quietly through the ionosphere many miles above the surface of the planet; several somethings in fact, several dozen huge black chunky slab like somethings, huge as office buildings, silent as birds.

They soared with ease, basking in electromagnetic rays of sun, biding their time, grouping, preparing. The planet beneath them was almost perfectly oblivious of their presence, which was just how they wanted it for the moment.

Meanwhile, down on the ground, Takahashi Aoi found himself frowning as he gazed at the display board

1. Aeravat Indrath

2. Takahashi Aoi

3. Aurora Lewis

His name was displayed beneath the 'oh-so-great' Aeravat Indrath, a placement that did not sit well with him.

"Oh, come on, not again!"—Takahashi's ears perked up as he heard a voice, seemingly appearing out of thin air, from his right.

With a comical twist of his head, he turned to face the direction the voice came from, only to find the other guy doing the exact same thing simultaneously.

There stood a lanky fellow with jet-black hair and a pair of captivating brown eyes, gazing straight at Takahashi.

Who was this mere mortal, daring to interrupt his presence?

Of course, being the wealthy young master that he was, Takahashi had no knowledge of peasants. How could he possibly be acquainted with such common folks?

The peasant in question was James Reeves.

James shifted his gaze towards the leaderboards, casually turning his head.

His position on the rankings stood at a modest 578, nothing extraordinary, but certainly satisfying for him.

And there, high above on the prestigious second spot, was none other than Takahashi.

With a deliberate slowness, his gaze refocused on Takahashi, who welcomed him with an intense glare and a deep frown etched face.

Perplexity consumed James. 'What brings about this perpetual anger?' he pondered quietly. 'It's as if he harbors a deranged disdain for those he deems inferior. Like a contemptuous cockroach.'

But James knew he was no cockroach—he glanced downwards, reassuring himself.

"Why are you always angry?" James finally burst out, locking his eyes with Takahashi's.

"Roaming with smoldering rage..."

"Perpetually furious, driven by some invisible madness. Your face, so tightly creased."

To drive his point home, he contorted his own face into an exaggerated expression, imitating the anger radiating from Takahashi with absurd sounds — "Hnnghheh Henngh!"

In response, Takahashi's frown deepened. Fate, perhaps, intervened to spare James from the brunt of his wrath on that very day.

Without uttering a single word, Takahashi abruptly departed.

Unbeknownst to all this, a figure with pale features, raven-black hair, and eyes to match strolled down the hallway, lost in thoughts of how to salvage this accursed world.

***

Noah's POV(Point Of View):

The bustling streets of Krenada city mirrored the vibrant energy he remembered from his last visits.

Alas, such visits were a rarity for him.

Time didn't allowed him to—he was the best information agent of HymnNuntii. He was mostly busy doing his duty.

His duties dominated his existence.

Glancing at his watch, he counted down the minutes—Riya was due to arrive.

Lost in contemplation, he mentally retraced the contents of the papers—confidential documents that revealed the information he was tasked to gather about .

Information about a rather peculiar boy.

Riya Ahujja, an old acquaintance, had personally requested his assistance in uncovering details about this boy.

Being the top information agent of district 2, this mission was going to be a breeze—or so he thought.

As wisps of smoke from his cigar took on ethereal forms, his thoughts veered into uncharted territories.

Initially, there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary about this Noah Grey—a seemingly ordinary boy—that is... until he tried to dig up his past.

"Juan?", Suddenly a voice interrupted his thoughts and when he...

***

Riya's POV(Point Of View):

My gaze instinctively snapped towards a petite yet pristine building—Jbyurein Coffee Studios.

The café where I was supposed to met Juan.

Click!—As I stepped foot into the café, my eyes were captivated by the presence of a man, clad in a sharply tailored suit.

The alluring aroma of freshly brewed coffee and fragrant tea wafting through the air assaulted my nostrils, enthralling my senses.

Amidst the bustling crowd, the man stood distinguished, his black suit rendering him distinct, while a waft of smoke from his cigar set him apart from the rest.

I approached him, "Juan?"

"Oh, you're here?", he gestured for me to take a seat across the table, and without hesitation, I obliged.

"Apologies for any delay, the traffic was-"—My sentence trailed off as he swiftly interjected, his response dripping with humility. "Not a problem at all. I was busy with this anyway" he declared, brandishing a file in the air with his right hand.

While his left hand brought the cigar to his lips, exhaling a swirling plume of smoke.

Puff!

Puff!

As the ethereal tendrils of the cigar's vapor waltzed through the air, my gaze fixated on their tantalizing dance. Like their enigmatic swirls, my question hung in the air, eager for an answer. "Did you find anything?"

He took a deep breath—"Hnffffhaaaa!"

His gaze fixated on the window, instead of meeting my eyes, which was most unusual for someone who always appreciated the visual delights.

It seemed that his mind was captivated by something far more intriguing than momentary beauty.

"This boy... I've tried, but..." , his words trailed off leaving suspense in the air.

I couldn't resist the suspense; I interjected, refusing to let it leave me hanging—"But?"

"His file is restricted. Restricted by the central union. Do you understand the gravity of the matter, Riya?" he asked, his eyes piercing into mine with an ominous glint.

"His data...it's erased from the system."

"I am even uncertain if 'Noah Grey', as you call him, is his real name. Whoever this boy is..."—Juan shook his head as if to heavily imply a big 'No', " I strongly advise you to drop this matter."