Chapter 36 The Truth

As he carefully walked to the front door to his home, he readied a shadowy essence in the palm of his hand, staying prepared for anything. Placing his hand on the handle, he slowly opened it, pulling the door open as sunlight seeped through.

"Emily?" He said in surprise.

To his confusion, the hazel-haired girl he'd just got done texting was on his doorstep, holding tupperware in her hands.

"Hey! I thought I'd check up on you for myself–I was already on my way over before you texted, actually," Emily smiled before frowning, "...Is it a bad time?"

"Err…" He scratched his head before shaking his head with a smile, "No, it's fine."

As he stepped aside to let her in, his heart skipped a beat as he remembered Yukio was still in the house, though as he looked towards the kitchen, there was no shine of the azure-haired man.

'Nice thinking,' Noah thought.

It definitely would've been a difficult one to explain, having a male like Yukio who had rather 'flashy' aspects to his appearance like ear-piercings and dazzling eyes, being alone with him while he was 'supposedly' sick.

"Are you feeling alright? Sorry if I made you get up from bed," Emily asked, apologizing as she looked up at him.

He closed the front door behind the girl before faking a cough, "No, it's alright–don't worry."

It was the first time he'd actually brought Emily inside his house, and the first time he had a girl from school alone with him in his own home. Though he wasn't as flustered as he once would have been as his mind was currently filled with thoughts of a more grand scale.

For the moment, he tried using the opportunity to calm down and take a breath, though, as he brought Emily to his room.

"Is anybody else home right now?" Emily asked, glancing around the hall.

"Nope," Noah answered, "My mom's always busy with work, same with my dad but well, he's been out of state for awhile."

"Oh…so you've been all alone, then?" Emily said to him.

He didn't know why, but her question struck a chord within him for a moment, but he brushed it aside with a smile, "Yeah. It's nice, though."

"I see. Well, I'm always available if you need somebody to hang out with," Emily told him.

"Thanks. I'll take you up on that," he chuckled.

As he entered his room, allowing the track member inside, the girl looked surprised by how clean and organized it was: all of his papers were neatly stacked on his desk, wiped clean of any crumbs or dust, his bed was bed without a wrinkle on the bed sheets, and the wooden floorboards were sparkly clean.

"Wow, your room is really…tidy," Emily remarked.

"Is that surprising?" Noah laughed.

"N-no, it's just…I guess I imagine most boys to be a bit messy, is all," Emily smiled.

After a few moments of awkward silence, as Emily seemed unadjusted to the idea of being alone in a boy's room and Noah not particularly being in the most affable state with his exhausted body and worn mind, Emily seemed to remember the very item she held in her hands.

"Oh!" Emily said, handing him the tupperware.

"What's this?" He asked, accepting it.

As he posed the question, he popped the lid open, being greeted by a sweet aroma of sugary desserts.

"Cookies?" He said in surprise.

"Mhm. Baked them myself," Emily said with a proud smile.

They were sizable, chunky chocolate-chip cookies–among his favorites, though he was a bit confused on how they served something that was supposed to be sick, but he appreciated it nonetheless, closing the lid.

"They look delicious, thanks," he smiled.

"Oh–you don't need to eat them right now, they're just for when you're feeling better," Emily assured him, returning his smile.

Another few moments of silence persisted as the young man's mind was clearly stuck on other things, which Emily seemed to notice as she stood up.

"I'll let you rest up now, alright? Just text me if you need anything, okay?" Emily said.

"Of course. Thanks, Emily," he nodded.

As he saw her out, going to the front door with her, they exchanged a small kiss before he closed the door behind her, letting out a quiet sigh.

"Quite the player, I see."

"--!"

Noah was caught off-guard by the familiar, playful voice as he turned around to see Yukio leaning against the hallway wall.

"...You never left, did you?" Noah asked.

"Nope," Yukio smirked, "Just made it so neither of you could see me."

"Well, stop that,," Noah said, walking past him as he headed back up to his room.

Yukio followed him up the stairs, "You mess with people's perception all the time, don't you?"

"Don't push it," Noah told him sternly.

"Alright, alright," Yukio put his hands up in submission with a smile, "Still, you could sense me if you tried with that 'sensory' ability of yours. It's not like I was trying to hide from you, just the girl."

Noah ignored his words as he headed back into his room, letting out a sigh as he fixed his unkempt, jet-black tufts.

"Still though, she's a looker, that one," Yukio said, peering out of the window momentarily, "You've got good taste, my friend."

Still not responding, Noah moved over to his closet, parting the fine-wooden doors as they creaked before he moved his hanging t-shirts out of the way to reveal the locked, magical seal.

"I feel as though I'm being ignored here," Yukio teased.

Noah glanced back, "Remember what we were discussing earlier?"

"Huh? Oh, you mean about tucking tail and high-tailing it out of this city? Yeah, sorry, friend, but a few minutes didn't sway my mind," Yukio said, brushing his fingers through his azure locks.

Without directly responding, Noah simply swiped his finger across the dormant seal, unlocking the magecraft that locked the closet doorway to the subspace as he gestured for Yukio to follow him.

"...Err, what're you showing me? Narnia?" Yukio joked.

"Just follow me," Noah said, "I'll show you why running isn't necessary."

Curious, Yukio went silent as he obliged his ally's words, following Noah through the unseen doorway tucked away in the closet as they both stepped through the hidden rift.

As the Loki system user stepped through, blinking a few times as his eyes adjusted to the change in scenery, he was taken by surprise by the sight of the exuberant mansion that he now stood in, surrounded by luxury at every corner: vast rooms with lavish furniture and paintings, home theaters, and pools embedded in the floor.

"What is this…? An illusion?" Yukio asked in awe.

Noah opened the fridge in the sparkling-clean kitchen, revealing a host of items stored within it as he took out an already prepared smoothie, pouring the strawberry-banana smoothie into two cups, one for him and his guest.

"It's not an illusion," Noah told Yukio, handing the youthful man the nutritional drink, "This is real."