The Extra is a Genius!?-Chapter 180: Morning, Memory, and a Mess

The morning sun filtered through the tall windows of the dormitory, its golden light stretching lazily across the wooden floorboards and reaching the foot of Noel’s bed.

He lay there, eyes open, unmoving.

One arm was pinned beneath Elyra, her head resting comfortably against his shoulder. Her black hair, still loosely braided, had come undone during the night and now spilled across his chest.

On the other side, Elena breathed softly, her platinum hair cascading over the edge of the mattress, one hand resting gently against his ribs.

Noel blinked.

’Did I sleep? Barely. Two hours, maybe. Noir, you traitor.’ freēwēbnovel.com

He shifted his head slightly and looked at the empty chair across the room. Noir had curled up there the night before, refusing to share the bed with "that much emotional tension," as he imagined she’d say—if she could talk.

’What am I even supposed to do in this situation? Just pretend it’s normal? Act like having two girls sleeping on either side of me isn’t giving me a light stroke?’

He exhaled, careful not to move too much.

The silence in the room was peaceful—but it buzzed with unspoken things, memories of kisses, flushed faces, and a door that should’ve never opened at that hour.

’Who knows what they were thinking. They looked completely drunk yesterday. I guess I’ll find out when they wake up.’

He closed his eyes again, not expecting rest—just preparing for the chaos to come.

Movement stirred at his side.

Noel turned slightly as Elyra let out a soft breath and slowly blinked her eyes open. Her long black lashes fluttered for a moment before her grey eyes focused on the ceiling above.

She yawned.

Then noticed exactly where she was—and on whom.

"...Morning," Noel said quietly, his voice half amused, half resigned.

Elyra turned her head toward him, her black braid now half undone and pointing in wild directions. She gave a tired smile. "Morning, Noel."

He expected a comment. Maybe something flirty, maybe something smug.

But instead—

"Sorry, I’ve got to run," she added quickly, sitting up and brushing her hair back with one hand.

Noel raised a brow. "Isn’t today the first day of class?"

"Yup. And I have to meet with Seraphina before it all starts. There’s a ton to go over." She stood, smoothing her dress with quick motions, still clearly in a rush.

"You know," Noel muttered as he sat up slightly, "maybe drinking the night before a big day wasn’t your brightest plan."

Elyra gave him a sideways smirk as she tied her braid back with practiced ease. "Probably. But you wouldn’t understand."

Before he could protest, she leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "See you later, boyfriend."

She walked to the door, adjusting her clothes and tying a ribbon around her wrist.

Noel watched her go, the door closing gently behind her.

He turned his head.

Now it was just him... and Elena.

Still sound asleep.

She was still curled up under the blanket, her platinum hair draped over the pillow like silver threads. Noel watched quietly as her fingers twitched once... then again.

A low murmur escaped her lips, and finally, her amber eyes fluttered open.

She blinked, once, twice—then sat up slowly.

"...Good morning, Elena," Noel said.

She turned to him.

Then around the room.

Then back to him again.

"...Good morning?" she replied slowly. Her voice cracked slightly, and she looked around again, as if double-checking that she really was in his room.

Her face paled. "Wait. Why am I in your room?"

Noel looked at her calmly, leaning back slightly against the headboard.

"Well, how do I put this—"

Before he could finish, Elena shot forward and pressed her hand over his mouth, cheeks already turning pink.

"Don’t say anything."

Noel raised a brow but didn’t resist.

Her eyes went wide for a second. The fog in her mind was clearing.

One by one, the pieces fell into place: walking the streets of Valon, following Elyra into Mirae’s, sipping wine in a private room, Elyra’s teasing words... and then her own bold declaration.

’Oh no,’ she thought, burying her face in both hands. ’I actually went through with it... I marched in here like some drunk war general and—’

Her ears turned bright red. Not just red—crimson.

Noel blinked. "So... I guess that means you remember?"

"...Give me a minute," she mumbled, still hiding her face. "Let me calm down first."

Noel laid back down with a sigh, folding his arms behind his head.

He still had a couple of hours before class.

And clearly, this morning wasn’t done being chaotic just yet.

Roughly ten minutes passed.

Elena had spent most of that time sitting on the edge of the bed, hands clasped in her lap, head tilted forward just enough to let her hair shield her face.

Noir, now fully awake, sat lazily in the chair she’d stolen the night before, watching the two of them with her glowing eyes half-lidded.

Finally, Elena exhaled and turned to face him.

"Okay... I can talk now."

Noel rolled his head to the side. "So... what was all that about?"

She hesitated. Her fingers fidgeted in her lap, twisting the edge of the blanket.

"El—Elyra provoked me," she said quickly. "She said some things... like how my place was in danger. I don’t know. I panicked. I got bold. I wasn’t thinking clearly."

She avoided his eyes.

"But I... I wanted to do it. Not just because she said something. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time."

Noel sat up, crossing his arms over his knees. "I see."

He looked at her, then smiled faintly. "For what it’s worth... I was planning to confess to you this week."

Elena’s eyes widened. "What?"

"You remember that place I took you and Selene?

She nodded slowly.

"I was going to take you there again. Just us this time. Make it official."

Her face flushed instantly, the red spreading all the way to the tips of her pointed ears.

"You’re serious?" she asked, voice cracking just a bit.

"Yeah. But it looks like you beat me to it," Noel chuckled. "Still, nothing says we can’t go again. Just... this time as a couple."

Elena’s expression softened. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and nodded. "Yes. Let’s go."

There was a short, peaceful silence between them.

Then Noel tilted his head. "Mind if I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"What were you and Elyra talking about on the ship? Before I arrived with Marcus and Charlotte."

Elena’s lips curled into a mysterious smile.

"That’s a secret."

"...Really?"

"Yup. Let’s just say it’s something between us girls."

Noel leaned back again, pretending to groan. "Fine, fine. I won’t dig."

He glanced at the clock on the wall. "But I think Seraphina and Elyra are waiting for you by now."

Elena turned—and her eyes widened.

"I have forty minutes?!"

Elena stood up in a flash, nearly tripping over the edge of the blanket. Her expression shifted from sweet embarrassment to full-blown panic as she grabbed her boots, cloak, and the small satchel she had brought with her.

"I still need to fix my hair, change, eat something—ugh, why did we drink so much!?"

Noel watched from the bed, arms crossed behind his head again, amused.

"Calm down. You’ve got time. Barely."

"You’re not helping!"

Noir yawned dramatically from the chair, hopping down and strolling over to sit beside Noel, curling her tail around herself like nothing in the world could disturb her peace.

Elena tightened her satchel and rushed toward the door, stopping just before opening it. She turned, her hand hovering on the handle.

Her face was still red.

But this time, her eyes were calm.

"I’ll see you later, Noel."

He gave her a small nod. "Yeah. Have a good first day."

That earned a small smile from her, despite the fluster.

And just as she began to open the door, she paused once more.

"...Bye, boyfriend."

The word came out quickly—hurried, soft.

She didn’t wait for his reaction. She disappeared into the hallway with a quiet click of the door.

Noel sat up slightly, staring at the now-closed door.

A moment passed.

He glanced down at Noir, who looked up at him with those glowing violet eyes.

"...She really said it."

Noir blinked once and returned to curling into her shadowy nap position.

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