World's Best Protagonist [BL]

I thought I was safe from another interrogation, but as soon as I opened the door to the captain’s Sanctum, and saw him sitting on the couch with his gaze directly on mine as if he had been waiting for my arrival, I immediately regretted coming back.

"You should know I don’t believe that bullshit."

I knew it. He’s not a captain for no reason.

"Which one? The kidnapping or Etienne’s kindness?" I asked as I stood at the edge of the couch, like a child who received a scolding.

"Etienne is kind, but Noir is a liar. He must have tricked Etienne into healing you. So, the kidnapping must be true. But what I can’t figure out was the reason behind it." Claude narrowed his eyes at me. "Why did he kidnap you?"

Did I know that he would interrogate me as soon as I came home? No. But I still did weave a plausible explanation in case he decided to probe.

"He wanted me to be his exclusive Minder. I refused the first time he brought that up, during my training, so he kidnapped me to, uh, show me that, uh, that he also has a Sanctum. He believes that I’m living here because I counsel you."

It wasn’t a lie, but I was uncomfortable telling him that. He eyed me suspiciously, but sensing that I was telling the truth, he looked away and sighed.

"Anything else happened?"

I shook my head. "He just offered me money to convince me, but I declined. After that you came, and he let me go."

"So, the convincing took a day and a half?"

"Noir is the most stubborn person I met. He wouldn’t let me go until I agreed. So, I’m really grateful you came...?"

Why did he come to Noir’s Sanctum again anyway? And how did he know that I’d been locked up in Noir’s place for a day and a half?

Claude seemed convinced about Noir’s stubbornness. He stopped sending me doubtful gazes and jerked his head at the other couch, telling me to sit. I did right away. The bars of chocolates in my pockets rustled and caught his attention.

He stared at it for a minute, before looking away and saying nonchalantly, "Allen sent a box of chocolates. It’s in the fridge. You can take everything."

My eyes widened in shock. "How about you?"

"I don’t like sweets."

"Alright, then. I’m going to take everything. Thank you," I stood to check if it was true. As I was leaving, I heard him mumbling.

"I hope your teeth rot."

What the hell? If he’s going to be like that, he shouldn’t offer it then! But who cares? He already gave it to me, so it’s mine.

Without knowing I was followed, I checked the box and was amazed. It was a brand from a famous chocolate factory. Super expensive too. I took one and tasted it, and man~ it tasted like heaven!

This is the best to replenish my decreased blood sugar after not eating proper food for almost more than a day.

I only noticed the captain again when his hand shot past my side and took one. He unwrapped the chocolate and threw it in his mouth.

"You said you don’t like sweets?"

"But I didn’t say I don’t eat them. This is too sweet." He grimaced. Threw the wrapper to me and leaned on the edge of the counter. He crossed his arms over his chest and began talking again.

"Living on your own can be dangerous. You already know about those underground overlords, so I don’t need to explain to you why you’re a perfect target for them."

"Isn’t that the reason why I’m training hard? I can use my ability within a minute, and I’m learning physical combat training."

"You don’t know how strong they are. Don’t be so confident."

I couldn’t answer. I’m indeed feeling confident now that I learned to use my awakened ability, but is it really so dangerous for me to live alone?

"That will only happen if they know about me, right?"

"Who’s to say that they don’t? Not all Seekers are loyal to the organization. Some of them sell information to earn extra money. You wouldn’t have been that interesting to them if you hadn’t saved me back then. They may not know you’re awakened ability, but they may think you’re a useful Minder. Those overlords kidnap Minders too, just so you know."

"Are you trying to scare me?"

"What change? You don’t seem afraid when you run in my poisonous mist. Why do you think I’d scare you now? I’m just telling the truth and laying out the possibility. Think about it properly, Jade. I know living with me might be uncomfortable, but it’s better than being a captive, or worse, dead."

I stayed the night in the captain’s Sanctum, brooding over what he said.

It’s not like it’s uncomfortable, but sometimes, Seekers bring Minders to their space to help each other. Allen did say that Claude doesn’t like relying on Minders too much, that was why he went berserk before.

But if he decided to bring an exclusive Minder, then that’s where it will become uncomfortable. The Sanctum only has one bedroom. The room I’m staying in is just a storage space large enough for a single bed and a small closet.

Another thing why I wanted to move is because I don’t have space to stack my books. I’m torn. Haa...

Morning came and I still couldn’t decide.

I went to the NSA with Claude. He headed straight to the commander’s office after telling me to wait at the training center.

On the way, I bumped into Allen.

"The way the captain’s asked around about your whereabouts yesterday made me think that you’re in trouble. You looked fine though. I worried for nothing," Allen sighed in relief.

My brows furrowed in confusion. "He did what?"

Allen looked as confused as I was. "He went hours looking for you...?"

Even he wasn’t sure. I mean, why would Claude do that? Is he that worried about me getting snatched by the dark lords?

"So, where were you?"

"Ah, Noir kidnapped me."

"He did what?!" Allen shouted, his eyes bulging out of his socket. He looked around and then pulled me to the corner instantly. "Did you report him? Is that why I don’t see him today in the team’s quarters?"

Allen sounded like he was hoping I reported Noir, which made me wonder what in the hell Noir did for Allen to react this way.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I forgot to do that. Should I?"

"After accepting my bribe?" Noir appeared out of nowhere, to my surprise.

Allen’s face distorted. Noir just grinned at the blatant hateful reaction from him. What’s with these two? The tension between them...kinda like between two lovers quarreling.

I shrugged my shoulders and stopped thinking about it. Noir’s bringing up the bars of chocolates—which I didn’t know was a bribe—reminded me of yesterday.

I turned to Allen and said, "By the way, thank you for the box of chocolates you gave the captain. They ended up in my stomach. I really like them."

Allen tilted his head, bewildered. "What chocolates? I don’t like sweets so I rarely buy them."

Noir added, "You didn’t eat them without the captain’s permission, right? The captain’s obsessed with this world’s chocolates, so he’ll get mad if he finds out his favorite snacks’ missing."

My mouth fell in shock. Noir took that as a yes and laughed annoyingly at me. He aimed his index finger at me and shot me like it was a gun.

"RIP, Jade."

He dragged Allen away and left, leaving me dumbfounded.