Black Clover - By My Side (Asta X Noelle)

Chapter 17: Lost

[It appeared as though humanity would be destroyed by demons. But a single mage saved them all. He was called the wizard king, and he became a legend.]

Asta POV:

The Royal Selection is tomorrow, and I've spent everyday preparing for it. Each day I've pushed my body to its limit. However, currently, I'm lying down on my bed. Today, I'm deciding to take it easy. I spent this past week training by myself. Noelle and I promised to train together, but since the incident where I overheard her, I feel like she's been avoiding me. I don't know what's up with her, but I couldn't let it distract me too much. I really do want to see her, though. She's been training by the lake with Vanessa, and when she isn't training, she locks herself up in her room. Something must be going on, but I have no clue what to do about it. Obviously, she doesn't want to talk, so I didn't want to force my way in, but now I'm getting worried. Maybe I should talk to Finral? He would know what to do. I get out of my bed and walk into the hallway. I walk down the winding hallways of our base in search of Finral. Why is this place such a maze? After many twists and turns, I finally find my way into the common room where some of our members are gathered.

"Hey, guys! Has anyone seen Finral?"

"Hi there, Asta. Is there any reason, in particular, you're looking for Finral," Vanessa says while sitting up on the couch.

"I just wanted to ask him about something," I say, nervously laughing. I don't want everyone to know that things are awkward between Noelle and me. 

Unbeknownst to me, Gordon was offering to help me. If only he spoke louder, "Asta, my best friend. I noticed that things between you and Noelle have been a little weird lately. Normally you two are laughing happily together, but recently I haven't seen you two together at all. If there's anything I can do to help, or if you need someone to talk to, you can always come to me. We are members of the same squad and best friends."

"Well, I haven't seen him recently, but earlier he and Gauche went off somewhere. I think Finral wanted Gauche to help him train. They might still be out there," Vanessa throws herself back onto the couch pillow and nuzzles her head on top of it, allowing herself to get comfortable. 

"Thanks a lot, Vanessa," I say as I run out the door. I make my way through the forest, looking for signs of Finral and Gauche. Where could they be? Hopefully, they didn't go anywhere using Finral's spatial magic. Nevertheless, I run around the forest aimlessly trying to find them. 

 Today was meant to be a rest day for me before the selections, but somehow I spent it running around looking for Finral. The sun is starting to set, and I couldn't even find him. In defeat, I start to make my way back towards the base. I don't even know how far I wandered off. I could be miles away at this point. I trudge through the forest, racing against the setting sun. After hours of running around, my legs are starting to get tired. I'm also starting to get hungry. It feels like my stomach is starting to eat itself. I lean against a nearby tree for support and look into the distance. As I gaze around, through the trees, I see a light. Maybe it's someone with food! In a hurry, I make my way towards the light. As I get closer, my stomach starts to growl more. I run past the trees, running into a clearing in the forest, and to my surprise, the source of the light is revealed. 

"Wait? What are you doing out here, Captain Yami?" I asked, visibly confused. 

"Oh, it's just you kid," he says while smoking a cigarette over a fire. "I came out here for fresh air."

"All the way out here? Aren't we really far from the base?"

"What," he says, looking at me like I'm an idiot, "it's like a five-minute walk in that direction," he says, pointing in the direction I came from.

"What? No way! I just came from there," I say, laughing awkwardly.

"Dumbass."

 "Well, I'll be on my way," I turn around and start to walk back.

"Hey, kid, hold on."

I turn back around and face the captain, "yeah? What's up?"

"Come here and sit down with me for a bit. Enjoy the night. It seems you've been lost, so take a break."

Trying to avoid making him mad, I listen and sit down across from him, in front of the fire. Honestly, I just wanted to go back to the base, though. I still need to talk to Finral. 

"So kid, tell me what's going on between you and Noelle."

"W-W-What do you mean by that, Captain Yami," I say, losing my composure. 

"Don't bother. I noticed you two have been acting weird for the past week. It's a captain's job to look after his squadmates. So just tell me what's up."

Taken aback by his offer, I stare at the fire without saying a word. Captain Yami doesn't say anything either. In fact, he just stares at the fire with me. Finally, my thoughts on this entire week rise to the surface, "So, like, the other day I kind of overheard Noelle and Vanessa talking about something. It regarded me. I'm pretty sure they don't know that I heard, nor do I know what they were really talking about. But since then, its felt like Noelle has been avoiding me. I want to say something to her, but if I did, then she would know I was listening when I probably wasn't supposed to. I'm honestly kind of unsure of what to do? Should I just wait for her, or do I talk to her?"

Captain Yami stares at me without saying a word. Then, he takes the cigarette he's been smoking out his mouth, "listen, kid, I don't have all that much experience about this kind of thing. Honestly, this is something you should ask that lazy good for nothing Finral. But what I can say is that as your captain, I've seen you two get through a lot of sticky situations together. You two work well together, always backing each other up. For the past week, anybody can tell that you've been lost," Captain Yami pauses and starts to throw more wood into the fire. As he does, sparks fly, "telling her how you feel is definitely the best thing to do. No point in bottling it up and worrying yourself to death, now is there?"

His words hit me hard, and I sit there in awe. Finally, my senses come back to me, "Thank you, Captain Yami," I swiftly get up and run towards the base. I'm going to talk to her now!

"Go get em, kid," Captain Yami shouts as I run away.

Honestly, thank you, captain.

[Chapter 17 end]