Noel: "No."

Aeron: "...Are you sure you don't want to reconsider?"

Noel: "NOPE. I'm good."

Aeron: "You do realize this school can only protect you for 5 years...right? Once you leave-"

Noel: "I-I'll never leave! Once I reach the end I'll keep failing. I'll be a student forever! Then you'll HAVE to leave me alone!"

Aeron: "Do you honestly think this is a realistic plan? Hahaha, you'll end up scaring all the other kids when you're the only grandpa taking courses with them."

Noel: "...They'll be scared of me?"

Aeron: "Oh of course~ Mhm, but don't you worry! If you tell me how you convinced Boman to take your side, then I will swear to you a soul oath that for the next 50 years, I shall leave you alone. Hm? That sounds good, right?"

Noel: "...H-How long... did you say?"

Aeron: "50. Whole. Years~"

Noel: "DEAL! DEAL~ DEAL~ DEAL~!!"

Aeron: "Haha, okay okay! So just tell me-"

Noel: "Not-uh, nope! Not until I see this... Soul Oath thing for myself. Why have I never heard of it before?"

Aeron: "Obviously because you're too young to know about methods to mess with someone's soul. Now listen up! Just this once, I will break tradition and explain to you one way to use a soul oath. The Soul Oath that father used before to prove that he wasn't lying is NOT the true way to use this technique. Originally, it is literally to make a vow, and establish rules between multiple people. When used alone, one can make a promise that shouldn't be broken. When used with more than one who know how to make a Soul Oath: Then special things happen to them~"

Noel: "Wh...What special-"

Aeron: "Nope. Not telling. Be grateful I'm even SHOWING how to make an oath on your own, without anyone else present."

Before Noel's eyes, his brother started chanting something in Latin. His body pushed out a white flow of energy and he began speaking in English again.

Aeron: "I Aeron Malierano, hereby vow to never lay a single finger on my baby brother, Noel Tyler Malierano, with any form of negative or positive intention for 50 years...after he shares with me the details on how he convinced Boman to help him deliver a note to Father. I swear this on my Soul and should I break this vow: let my soul code scatter into the Aether."

The white energy brightened just a bit around his body, managing to release a few sparkling dots of light around his neck before dying down. If one looked closely to his soul, they would notice something strange, but..

Noel: "That's it? How... lackluster..."

Aeron: "Not everything needs to be flashy, little Ty."

Noel: "You could've at least screamed a little..."

Aeron: "I'll do the 'you' 50 years from now a favor and pretend I didn't hear that~ Now, tell me. How did you manage to win Boman over? What exactly did you... COULD YOU even promise him? Let me just say that we, your older brothers and sisters, have tried just about everything. From helping him with his duties, to watching the younger ones – like yourself. He ignored it all. What could've POSSIBLY attracted his attention so much that he'd take your side over mine?"

Noel: "I promised him that I'll behave."

Aeron: "…"

Noel: "Yep. That's what I promised him. I'm not as rich as all of you and Father doesn't really PAY me much from missions, and sometimes I don't get paid anything at all. I can't afford to get him anything good, so that's not even an option. Besides, I'm 12! What can I possibly do for him that’s related to work that he couldn't just do himself, and faster? That's when I remembered. Back then, when I shadowed him...he looked at me for a few seconds. Usually he ignores everyone. But when I was breaking the rules... afterwards I remembered the stories Seiran and Seiyan told me about all of you trying to "understand" Boman, and it hit me..."

Aeron: "...What...did you come to learn?"

Aeron: "(As silly as it may be, something this immature and ignorant twelve year old did, managed to soften Boman's heart enough that he would stop whatever he had been tasked with taking care of, to maneuver around me and deliver Father the letter I had been trying to block! Just what is it Noel could have discovered? His next answer is the key!!)"

Noel: "Well...It was something I actually never thought about before. I just...had an epiphany, sorta. I realized that…

Boman must be stressed out with us.

All the stories you guys told me...well now they just sound like we've been bothering him way too much."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Aeron: "......."

Noel: "It's the truth!"

Aeron: "...."

Noel: "Hello...?"

Aeron: "...ha.

Haha.

Hahaha!

You... You're kidding. You have to be, right? You must be!

Such a thing is...! Wait – No! It has to be true! That's it! It must be! It's the only thing that makes sense now! Hahaha Boman... I've finally figured you out now~"

Noel: "Hey, brother Aeron. That reminds me... didn't you say earlier that you've never lost in persuading others so you earned the nickname "Devil-Tongue"? Then what about what you said before on how you couldn't convince Boman to ever take your side?"

Aeron: "...There are some people that don’t classify as human little Ty. They’re practically machines with skin – purely emotionless.

I have to go now, and I won't be around for a while. Take care of things over here! Bye~"

Noel: "Hey! Answer my question first! You... stupid brother of mine. Jeez, like a tornado.

.

.

.

W-Wait a minute!

If Boman handed Father my letter, then Brother wasn't here for me. That lady said something about him being a teacher, too...

If he's not here for me... Then why did Aeron come to school? Could...something ELSE involving the family be happening?"

…

{Whatever. Forget about it, Noel, forget about it! Anyways, I managed to actually win this time!}

Noel: "Haha... I... I... I did it... I actually DID IT FOR ONCE!"

Mr. Abrams: "Did what?"

Noel: "I beat my bro—Aah! Who-

…

Ahem. May I please, know who you are sir? Sorry, but you startled me."

Mr. Abrams: "Drop the act, you devious little prodigy."

Noel: "...but I'm not acting..."

Mr. Abrams: "You've been missing for a while now. Take me to the others, I'll send you all over as one big package."

Noel: "...Did... did I do something wrong?! I don't think I did anything that deserves punish-"

Mr. Abrams: "Oh? Knocking out 5 sidekick-level students doesn’t count? And I don't even know what happened to that other guy. Where'd he go, anyways?"

Noel: "The hospital... I mean, wait! You saw that too?! *Steps back*

Are you- Are you a pervert?! Why do I keep meeting you people today?!"

Mr. Abrams: "...No... I'm your homeroom teacher. I don't know about any other...I mean any perverts, but I do know a NON-COMBATANT shouldn't be able to knock out so many super-powered kids in the span of time it takes to breathe."

Noel: "Don't exaggerate... I wasn't that fast...this time."

The teacher yawned a little as he brings forward a glowing light blue clipboard with a neon blue outline.

Mr. Abrams: "Okay Noel. Is that your real name?"

Noel: "Yes."

*Ding!*

For an instant, the blue clipboard flashed bright gree, before returning to light neon blue.

Mr. Abrams: "Did you come here to cause any sort of harm to the students or faculty?"

Noel: "No."

*Ding!*

Mr. Abrams: "Are you going to cause any sort of trouble whatsoever?"

Noel: "I...don't know? At the very least, I don't plan to."

*Ding!*

Mr. Abrams: "Did you try to kill those students earlier today who were beating the girl up?"

Noel: "No, I just wanted to scare them. Teach them a little bit of what they did to others..."

*Ding!*

Mr. Abrams: "One last question – What are your plans while you're attending this school?"

Noel: "I... I just wanna learn. Learn how to... um... not... not hurt people. Really badly..."

*Ding!*

With each 'ding' came a sentence or two: stating exactly what Noel and Mr. Abrams discussed, solidifying on the technological clipboard. Eventually, it vanished out of thin air, and the man clasped his hands together.

Mr. Abrams: "Okay, that wraps up my side of things. Now that you're answers came out as true, I can say welcome to Hero High. Yaaay......."

Noel: "Uh...Mr...homeroom teacher-"

Mr. Abrams: "Abrams. Mr. Abrams."

Noel: "Well...how did you know... I did all of that?"

Mr. Abrams: "All of what?"

Noel: "Um... how long were you watching me?"

Mr. Abrams: "since you sent your classmate to shake the entire first floor of the building."

Noel: "But...but! Then how did you kno-"

Mr. Abrams: "Okay! Time to catch up with the others."

Noel: "But Mr. Abrams I'm not supposed to get found out, that's the condition! My Father, Father he-"

Mr. Abrams: "*Yawns* I dunno what you're talking about kid. I don't know anything, and I didn't see anything. I don't wanna know anything and I don't WANNA see anything like before. Do you get me?"

Noel: "I... I got you."

Mr. Abrams: "Good! Now you can just keep pretending that you have no powers and behave yourself like a good little non-combatant."

Noel: "Wha- I wasn't pretending!! I really don't have any powers!"

Mr. Abrams: "Uh..huh... And how in the world did you manage to move so fast?"

Noel: "Hahaha! Please don't make fun of me, sir. I'm still really slow. I'm not good enough compared to my brothers and sisters, I already know that so you don't have to patronize me or anything."

Mr. Abrams: "Uh.....huh. So what you're telling me is...those kids from before...were just slow?"

Noel: "Mhm!"

Mr. Abrams: "...Did your family send you here to make fun of us? Do you not know how fast you are compared to others your age?"

Noel: "...Sir, I don't mean to be rude, but are you slow too like those guys from before? Because I'm not fast, I'm normal. Running normally isn't a power unless you break past the limits of the speed of sound, and that's BARELY qualifying as the absolute slowest speed - related superpower."

Mr. Abrams: "Haah, I see how this is going to play out already. Whatever. Face your culture shock when the orientation games begin. You can just watch from the stands. For now be ready: because we're going to fetch the others and head back before the assembly begins. Oh! Seems that animal whispering kid, Brennan was going to enter this building too. Damn, just what is with all of you idiots! Ahh screw it. I'll send him here and teleport you 6 together!"

Noel: "Umm...Mr. Abrams, what's an assembly?"

Mr. Abrams: "..."

---