Several intense points of light were all Noah could see as he slowly opened his eyes; all around him, he heard various distant words spoken in different tones and voices. As he listened, Noah realized that it was clearly an argument – no, even a fight – and he wondered why those people were speaking so quietly.
'Where am I...? I wasn't at that girl's house... the general's daughter? Then, who are these people whispering beside me?'
Noah didn't feel well; all his senses were in disarray. His vision was awful—he could only make out blurred patches even with his eyes open. His hearing wasn't any better, as the voices surrounding him—voices he used to catch easily without even trying—now emerged in almost inaudible whispers.
He couldn't understand everything they were saying; the first thing he heard was someone say,
"Lying? Of course! That... psychological protection."
Shortly after, another added,
"Protection... that... exists!"
Barely grasping the subject, Noah decided to wait until his eyes and ears returned to normal. He had no other choice; after hearing those strange voices, he tried moving his right arm a little and, as expected, felt pain when he did.
However, Noah noticed that this pain was different from before—it was much weaker and, in a way, more bearable. As he pondered this, he clearly heard someone say,
"Stop, be quiet!"
And upon hearing that, he thought,
'Ah, so it was her mother... then the other must be...'
"What? Why are you...?"
After hearing the two speak more clearly, Noah realized that he was still in Sophia's house, yet he wondered,
'So where is she...?'
For although he had distinctly heard the voices of her father and her mother, Sophia's voice had not yet been heard.
Then even those earlier voices fell silent. After the last two phrases, a sudden hush descended. But along with that silence, a shadow dimmed the points of light Noah saw, leaving him with only a blurred vision. In that haze, he could barely make out the face above him—a man, apparently with a neatly trimmed beard.
"Hey, get off me, I don't like this kind of game!" Noah shouted, irritated by how strange that image appeared—blurry, smeared, and utterly jumbled.
"But how is it possible... is he really alright..." said Mr. Radiance, his expression one of surprise, as he stepped back a little from Noah.
Crying, Sophia stepped forward and—seemingly forgetting about the state of the boy's body—leaped onto him.
"Oh my...!" exclaimed Sophia's mother, astonished at what her daughter was doing.
"Hey, it's..."
Noah thought about telling her to back off, but when he felt the tears streaming down and soaking his clothes, he fell silent, stunned as he mused:
*"This is really strange... very strange. And I don't know if I can ever get used to this... or even if I want to. If I do, what will happen when someone—people like that—appear before me again? How much will this change affect me?"*
"...Who are you...?" he asked, feigning ignorance even of the title of Sophia's father, "Where am I?"
"Don't worry, we won't harm you. You are in the home of the Radiance family," replied Sophia's mother, her voice so beautiful it seemed to instill tranquility in anyone who heard it. She bowed slightly, then straightened up and continued, "I would like to thank you for having saved my daughter... but I prefer not to do that in this situation. So, first, I am the Lady of the Radiance family, Alice Radiance, and this is my husband, Arthur Radiance."
Feeling as though he were being hypnotized, Noah averted his gaze and began to observe his surroundings. Surveying the condition of the room, he said,
— ...Your family doesn't seem to be doing very well, it appears.
Trying to change the subject—since remembering the reason he helped Sophia filled him with shame—he continued.
"Hmm, I admit that's true," she smiled. "But these particular damages were caused recently, you know? We haven't had time to fix them yet."
Noah recalled how pristine the room had been before, but he couldn't pinpoint any moment in his memories when it might have changed, apart from that strange Qi absorption episode.
"That wasn't..." he began.
Alice nodded, smiling—Noah sensed she was taking the joke about their family's financial situation very seriously.
"...Pardon me... I'll pay for the damages."
"It's not necessary," Arthur said. "My daughter's life is priceless. And certainly, it's not worth bothering over a simple room."
"Still..." Noah insisted, "...or perhaps you could consider some help with paying for the damages caused to the city."
Alice and Arthur exchanged glances. She nodded, and picking up on it, he replied:
— Well... if you insist, fine. But there's no need to rush—take your time. Recover first, and then we'll discuss it.
"....Okay."
During that brief moment of silence, Noah had time to feel his strangely empty stomach and notice the odd warmth in his chest—he had never felt so heated before.
A warm, welcoming atmosphere in which he didn't belong—it evoked envy—and stirred up old sorrows within him.
"...Because I never had a family like that either...?" he murmured, more emotional than usual. Being surrounded by good people and genuine feelings clearly had an effect, after all.
"Sorry, did you say something...?" Alice asked, uncertain about his words.
"No, I—"
"'I'm hungry,'" Sophia interjected, the only one who heard him clearly—as she rested her head against Noah's chest, near his heart—"...He said he was hungry."
"Ah, of course, I'll ask someone to bring something... Will a soup do? I guess that would be the easiest thing to eat right now, right?"
Noah nodded shyly. He glanced at Sophia—the smiling girl at his side—and the guilt for his earlier thoughts only deepened. Being treated so kindly by all of them wasn't helping.
"I've already contacted a doctor," Arthur added, perhaps trying to console him—Noah wasn't entirely sure. "He'll be here soon to see if there's any way to help with your recovery."
"...I understand... thank you."
Being treated well isn't the worst thing. The worst part for Noah was that he always expected the worst, yet these people kept trying to make him feel better. He felt that this was affecting his mind in a way no one had ever managed before—reaching his emotional side while setting aside his wounded, pensive self.
"...May I ask something...?" he spoke hesitantly. He might regret that decision in the next moment.
"...Of course, feel free," came the reply.
"...Could I stay here for a few more days...?"
Arthur looked perplexed. In his view, even though Noah had inexplicably improved in just a few hours, he was still merely an injured boy, unable to walk or run properly, and therefore, naturally, he would remain under his family's care until he recovered.
'...Does he really think that we're going to kick him out...?' he wondered, not understanding.
"Of course... Stay as long as you think necessary."
"...Thank you..." Noah said, his voice oddly nasally—something he only remembered hearing as a child when his parents scolded him. Uncontrollable tears welled in his eyes and, without him noticing, streamed down his face. "I... I will repay you for this..."
Disconcerted, father and daughter looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Sophia then took a piece of cloth and, tenderly, continued to wipe away the tears Noah could not hold back.