Rise: “Wait. Those names...(Xano… Harvey… Savannah… All of the names are… or MOST of these names are people that visited us! And what does he mean by ‘They Hit me List’?)

Elijah: “Rise? What about those names? Did something happen? Is… Is it related to the Ten Kings?”

Rise: “Noel got in a fight with all of them.”

Mr. Abrams: “…”

This little brat did what?!

Noel: “Ha! Rise, you’re so funny. Hehehe~ stop exaggerating. I didn’t fight with ALL of them…”

Elijah: “...But, you fought with some of them?”

Noel: “...*Turns head away* Ah, the tv is on! Cool, who’s fighting right no---!

Ugh, it’s just Harvey. How lame. I hope he loses.”

Elijah: “Hmm… is it safe for me to believe that you fought with SOME of them, then? Since you placed a lot of emphasis on not fighting them ‘all’--”

Ian: “…Yeah, yeah! By phasing it in such a way, you make it sound as if you did fight – just not against ALL of the Kings! AHA~

...Ah. Waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait! You… you WHAT?! Fighting with ONE of them is dangerously stupid!! PLEASE tell me it’s not true, that you didn’t fight with anyone from the Ten Kings...! Right…?”

Noel: “...Not intentionally…”

Ian: “… AAAAAHHHH! You MORON! You freaking MORON, WHY would you pick MORE FIGHTS?!”

Rise: “Gahahahahaha! Ahahahaha, wait Ian. You don’t understand – it’s not Noel’s fault this time.”

Noel: “Rise…!”

{How strangely kind of him. Sticking up for me like th-}

Rise: “They were bullying him non-stop. He was on the verge of tears.(Hmph! Consider this my way of getting payback for that fib you told earlier!)”

Noel: “………I WAS NOT! DON”T YOU LIE YOU….you WEAKLING!”

Rise: “!! Grraaagh…! You wanna go pipsqueak?! I’ll teach you a lesson about who’s really weak!”

Noel: “Bring it on, you loser--”

Ophelia: “Noel…”

Noel: “Hm?

…

*Hand waves* It’s fine Ophelia – don’t let their fearful words scare you. The situation is fine! I’M fine. Okay?”

Ophelia: “...Okay. I trust you.”

The two smiled at one another, sharing a brief moment of serenity.

.

..

…

Yes, brief. It only managed to last long enough for Elijah to ask a question.

Elijah: “...Noel, then let me ask another question - I hope you don’t mind?”

Noel simply nodded without removing his peaceful gaze from Ophelia. He wasn’t registering the worry within Elijah’s voice in the slightest.

Elijah: “Ahem! Out of everybody that visited you guys, who were the ones that DIDN’T fight with you? And if possible, are you willing to share with us the names of those who, as Rise put it...’bullied’ you?”

(This is the way I should question him. Maybe this would be easier to find out. Besides, if Rise is telling the truth then those words on the Notepad this guy’s holding already contain the names of people he fought with. And he doesn’t seem too keen on sharing what this weird… list is for.)”

Noel: “Nobody bullied me! He’s just being dumb because he got beaten very badly in the forest by their lead mercenary~ Hehehe.”

Elijah: “You didn’t answer my-”

Rise: “Grrahh! Noel, you little trash talker! Keep spouting bullshit and see if I don’t-”

Noel: “Aaahh~ Mr. Abrams, Mr. Abrams, come quick! I’m being bullied!”

Brennan: “...”

Li Shun: “In… in Chinese cultivation novels...they call this behavior… “Seeking Death”...”

Elijah: “…”

Ian: “...(Note to self, whenever walking around campus grounds, stick with Ophelia. NOT Noel. He’s dangerous!)”

Alyandrea: “...Kid, you gotta be careful.

Haah. He shouldn’t pick fights with people much larger and stronger than him...”

Ian: “…*Mumbles*… Like you’re one to talk. You picked a fight with that fire girl that was a friend of Wayne’s…even though you’re so powerless.”

Alyandrea: “HUH?! I didn’t hear what you said Ian. SPEAK UP, so that I can clearly hear what you said…!!”

Ian: “MEEP! I – I-I wasn’t talking to you…! I-I was just thinking about Elijah’s earlier question that Noel didn’t answer!”

Alyandrea: “Oh.(You little… talking smack and getting away with it…)”

Ian: “Phew! Safe…”

Elijah: “Yes, that’s right! Noel, can you please answer my earlier questions?”

Noel: “I did! They didn’t bully me!”

Elijah: “…Not that part… the actual questions, if you’re willing to share the details…”

Noel: “Oh, that? Well…

.

..

…

Um, the only one that was genuine in visiting me was the Pharaoh guy… ah – no! There was that Russian Musician! Yeah. It was just him and the Egyptian Pharaoh guy...right Rise?”

{I’m not sure if I can trust the other people...and that Nilia lady, she’s weird. I don’t know what her deal is. Is she trying to help me or act condescending? I don’t buy that whole ‘bullying us to save us’ garbage. There’s something abnormal about her temperament…Her whole line of thinking is-}

Rise: “Humph! Who said you can talk to me, you little trash-twerp?”

Noel: “…You STUPID MUTTFACE-”

Elijah: “Guys! Noel, are you telling the truth? They’re the only ones you fought with?(That doesn’t seem right. If I recall, those two are the most fair of the remaining 8… not counting me or Rhys of course. Ah, I shouldn’t include myself anymore...haha… how embarrassing.)”

Alyandrea: “Oh, is that all? Just two? Well, that’s an improvement then! At least it is when you compare it to antagonizing the entire freshman student body. Ahahaha!!”

Li Shun: “That...can that still be considered seeking death? He only angered two freshman students who each have large numbers of followers. That’s not much, right? It shouldn’t be called ‘seeking death’ then, right?”

Noel: “What? No. Don’t be stupid. Oh – I didn’t mean- I’m sorry for saying that Elijah. I must be used to only having skunk-breath over there for a conversation partner.”

Rise: “… You knew what a skunk was, but not a dog? You’re weird.”

Noel couldn’t help but blush slightly out of embarrassment due to those words. He couldn’t help it! Skunk sprays were dangerous. And dogs...they were ust pets. for someone like him, even the most ferociously trained dog was cute. Besides he DID know...he only forgot back then, in the stadium dome.

Noel: “You...YOU’RE WIERD! At least I didn’t almost get one shotted! How long did I last fi-err, ahem! ...Stalling the VERY SAME opponent that nearly lopped your head off? If not for Mr. Abrams, you’d be a corpse right now!”

Rise: “What was that you damned stupid chihuahua?! You think you’re so sp-”

Noel: “*Coughs loudly to interrupt Rise*

Anyways Elijah, you’re mistaken. No, they weren’t the ones I fought with. On the contrary actually, it’s really the opposite. Heheh~ They’re the only ones that were nice to me.”

Elijah: “…”

Ophelia: “…”

Alyandrea: “Ahaha-

….

wait.”

Ian: “Doesn’t that mean...that you actually FOUGHT with the rest?!! Not counting Rhys or Elijah, that means out of the 8 remaining Kings...you have enmity with SIX of them?!”

Brennan: “You have beef with so many top students Noel… you – you…”

Li Shun: “Se-Seeking death...”

Rise: “Gahahaha! Right? It was really funny to watch. He was slammed against walls and laughed at for his words at the outside Assembly. It was kinda funny to watch them spouting nonsense about karma and whatnot~ Kind of annoying but still a little funny. Ahaha!”

Mr. Abrams: “Slammed against walls? Noel, who did this? Speak!”

Noel: “H-Harvey…!”

Ian: “MEEP!”

Alyandrea: “That asshole! What a fucking prick!”

Rhys: “...Harvey…”

Li Shun: “…Seeking death indeed. *Mumbles under his breath* Then again, I did the same not long ago. I’m always ‘seeking death’…whenever I go out to help heroes catch bad folk.

…

Rise, I didn’t hear anything funny in that statement. What about Noel being attacked is funny?”

Alyandrea: “Yeah, are you fucking crazy?! Why would you-!”

Rise: “Calm down. If I wasn’t around, that guy would’ve punched Noel’s brains out. Or tried to. See the crater above his head?”

Elijah: “O-Oh yeah...there’s actually a … crater…”

Brennan: “...(How’d we miss that?)”

Alyandrea: “You protected him? YOU?”

Ian: “...Really…?”

Rise: “Of course I did – what are you bastards trying to say?! That I’m some sort of villain?!”

Noel: “But you a-”

*Pa!*

Noel: “…Don’t waste food!”

Elijah: “Rise, don’t throw your chocolate drop at Noel! Hey- Noel! Don’t throw it back at him!

*Catches chocolate before it reaches Rise*”

Rise: “Heheh, weakling. Dumbass.”

Noel: “...O-Ophelia! Hand me my crumpled box of chocolates! I’m hungry!”

Ophelia: “Okay. … Here.”

Mr. Abrams: “Rise, language. Watch it. Noel, spill the details. Now. Who visited, and what happened between you two? I want details, so don’t you DARE leave anything out.”

Noel: “…That’s a lot of talking and remembering. They were just filler- I-I mean… heheh, they were only stuck up wannabe heroes without much better to do than to gloat. So I taught them a lesson.”

Ophelia: “’Taught them a lesson?’”

Noel: “Mhm! I mocked the brutish guy Harvey for losing. I laughed at that man Momo for being slow. Both Rise and I both made fun of Savannah for just being a substitute King~, That Orochi lady got really mad when I didn’t remember who she was at first. I guess she was pissed because she tried speaking to me like I was supposed to know her, or something. That probably embarrassed her.”

---