"Lab Rat? What do you mean?" Noen asked, his brow furrowing as he looked at Ignaz.
Ignaz leaned back into the airplane seat, letting out a long, tired breath. "Well, it would make sense for them, wouldn't it? I mean, you're the first person ever to have a different system. Not just a little tweaked, but... completely different."
Noen's eyes widened as the weight of that reality hit him. "That's true." He pulled out his phone and flicked through social media. His mentions were a chaotic mess of conspiracy theories and leaked footage. "With all this 'fame' I have, I'm honestly surprised more people aren't bugging me already."
Ignaz watched him with worried eyes. "Noen... everything's going to be okay, alright? I didn't tell you that to scare you. I just... you need to be prepared for what's coming."
Noen offered a small, warm smile. "Got it."
Just then, the intercom crackled to life: "Ladies and gentlemen, we have begun our descent. Next stop: Munich, Germany."
After landing, Noen wandered through the bustling Munich airport, scanning the sea of faces. Suddenly, someone lunged at him from behind, jumping onto his back.
"Noen! Long time no see, bro!"
Noen spun around, his face instantly lighting up with the first genuine joy he'd felt in days. "Eyyyy, Kai! Good to see you again!"
The two shook hands and pulled each other into a quick, firm hug.
"Our superstar is finally back home!" Kai beamed, his energy infectious.
Noen patted Kai on the shoulder, but his expression dimmed slightly. "Only for about a day and a half, though."
Kai's smile vanished. "A day and a half? Why so short?"
Noen sighed, looking at the terminal floor. "Long story short... I accidentally signed a contract that forces me to appear at events all over the world."
Kai looked into Noen's eyes, his worry growing. "And... what if you just don't do it?"
"Well... then the judges will be waiting for me."
"But the signing wasn't even legally binding, was it?" Kai pressed, his voice rising in frustration.
Noen let out a sharp, bitter exhale. "Probably not. But the guy has likely made a mountain of cash by now and probably has thirty lawyers on payroll. I'm only sixteen and damn fucking broke! I could never win this!"
Kai pulled Noen into a tight hug. "What about we head to my place first, both of you." he said, pulling back with a grin. "My Mother made Schnitzel."
Noen's face lit up with pure excitement. But beside them, Ignaz was already looking down at his watch, his expression tight. "I don't know, Noen... we don't exactly have a lot of time..."
Noen didn't argue. Instead, he simply looked at Ignaz with wide, pleading puppy eyes. Ignaz stared back for a second, but he couldn't hold out against that look. He let out a long, heavy sigh of defeat.
"Ok, ok," Ignaz muttered. "But only for a short bit! When I say we have to go, we go!"
Noen beamed. "Of course!"
"Come on, finally!" Kai shouted, already starting to jog ahead. "My house isn't far from here!"
Kai led the way, with Noen following close behind, while Ignaz trailed at the back, still looking slightly stressed but following along anyway.
Arriving at Kai's home, the group stood before a modest, welcoming door. Kai reached out and pressed the buzzer, the sound echoing lightly inside. A few moments later, the door swung open to reveal a young woman in her mid-thirties with a warm but curious expression.
"Well, look who we have here!" she said, a bright smile spreading across her face. "Kai, you're back already! And who did you bring with you?"
Kai stepped forward, gesturing to the two behind him. "This is Noen, a good friend from school."
The woman's eyes widened as she took a closer look at Noen's face. She looked genuinely stunned. "Noen... wait a minute... THE Noen? The one from the news? What are you doing here? How do you know him, honey?"
Kai gave a casual nod. "He goes... or, well, he went to the same school as me."
"Oh, is that so?" she replied, still looking a bit starstruck. Her gaze then shifted to the man standing a bit further back. "And who else is this?"
Ignaz shifted uncomfortably, avoiding eye contact. "I... I should probably just stay out here..."
"This is Ignaz," Kai cut in quickly. "A good friend of Noen's, right?"
Ignaz looked startled. "G-Good friend? No, no, we're just—"
"Yes! Exactly!" Noen interrupted proudly. He crossed his arms over his chest, turning around to give Ignaz a beaming, mischievous smile.
Ignaz let out a long, defeated sigh. "Y-Yeah..."
"Well then, come on in!" the woman invited, stepping back to let them through.
As Kai led the way inside, she leaned in and whispered sharply into his ear, "You could have told me your friend was THE Noen!"
Kai didn't say a word, just shrugged with a smirk playing on his lips.
"Sorry for the intrusion!" both Noen and Ignaz said in unison as they stepped over the threshold, carefully tucking their shoes into the rack by the door.
⸻
A figure entered the facility grounds, a long black jacket swaying as they walked with their head held low. The figure approached the main entrance gate, which remained tightly shut. Suddenly, a cold, distorted voice echoed over the loudspeakers above.
"IDENTIFY YOURSELF!"
A platform hissed as it rose from beneath the ground. On top of it sat a heavy weapon, its barrel swiveling to aim directly at the figure's chest.
The figure stopped and let out a light laugh, slowly raising their hands into the air. "It's me..."
The tension snapped. The platform immediately began to lower, the weapon vanishing back under the ground as quickly as it had appeared.
"Identification complete. Thank you for your cooperation... M5."
The barrier groaned open. The figure let a smile play on their lips as they reached up, casually adjusting their glasses.