Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Doubts, Jealousy, and Observation.
The morning was splendid, but Noah boarded the train with a strange feeling that something was going to go wrong.
Ren was already sitting by a window.
"Good morning, Ren."
"Good morning, Noah."
Noah took his seat and for a few seconds silence reigned.
Then Ren spoke.
"What did you do with Luna?"
Noah almost choked on his own saliva.
"What?"
"You and Luna..."
"Nothing happened!"
Ren observed him.
"Noah."
"What?"
"I gave you her number."
"Yes."
"Then you asked her out."
"Yeah?"
"And then you both disappeared."
"..."
Ren crossed his arms.
"What happened?"
Noah began thinking quickly.
He couldn’t tell him that he was recruiting magical girls, nor that a goddess was sending him artifacts through his phone, and he definitely couldn’t mention the bet with the goddess.
"We just talked."
"You just talked?"
"Yes..."
"And Yume?"
"We talked too."
Ren remained silent.
"Noah."
"Yes?"
"Are you dating two girls at the same time!?"
"No!"
Several passengers turned to look at him and Noah lowered his voice.
"No."
Ren seemed more and more worried.
"Then why do you need to see them outside of class?"
"It’s complicated."
"That phrase never helps."
Noah sighed.
"We’re just talking."
Ren brought a hand to his forehead.
"Your moms are going to kill me."
"What do my moms have to do with this?"
"I got you the numbers."
"And I appreciate it."
"When they find out you’re letting yourself get corrupted by scheming students, they’re going to blame me."
"I’m not letting myself get corrupted by anyone!"
Ren seemed genuinely concerned.
"Noah."
"What?"
"I’m going to be honest."
"That’s scary."
"I’m considering calling your moms."
"Don’t do it!"
"Maybe we’re still in time."
"I already told you not to!"
"We can still save your future."
"Are you even listening to me?"
Ren sighed.
"Fine."
Noah let out a breath.
"Thanks."
"But if a third girl shows up, I’m making the call."
"That’s not going to happen!"
’At least I think so...’
The universe heard that statement and probably started laughing.
Noah decided to change the subject.
"By the way."
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for the numbers."
"No problem."
"But now that I think about it."
Ren raised an eyebrow.
"How did you get them?"
"The numbers?"
"Yes."
"It was through work."
Noah blinked.
"Work?"
Ren nodded.
"Once the student council asked me for help."
"Why?"
"They had to contact some outstanding students who had just enrolled."
"Yume and Luna?"
"Exactly."
Noah understood immediately and it made sense, since both stood out even before becoming magical girls.
"And they gave you their numbers for that?"
"Yes."
"I see."
There was a pause and then Noah remembered something.
"Wait."
"What?"
"You’re also a first-year."
"Yes."
"So why did they ask you for help?"
Ren shrugged.
"The student council president knows me."
After a silence, Noah blinked.
"That doesn’t answer the question!"
"I know."
"Then explain."
"I don’t want to."
"Come on, Ren, I’m your best friend."
"I already said no."
Noah gave up, but that conversation stirred something in his memory.
’The student council president.’
He remembered perfectly who she was.
Aria Celestia is one of the most popular characters in the anime because she was beautiful, intelligent, sometimes dangerous, and, according to canon, engaged to Ren.
Noah frowned.
’Wait.’
In the anime, Ren was a girl, but in this reality, Ren was a guy.
That could be a sign that other things in this world were different from the anime.
’So what happened with the engagement?’
And more importantly.
’Will there be a big change in how Iris is treated?’
He remembered perfectly the romantic mess that existed between those three, which formed an interesting love triangle, and now everything had probably changed.
’I can’t deny it, I really want to meet Aria.’
For the first time he began to feel curious.
The train kept moving and shortly after they arrived at the high school.
During break, Noah was eating lunch with Ren and everything seemed calm, but that calm lasted less than a minute.
Yume appeared walking casually, or at least trying to.
"Oh, what a coincidence."
She said as she stopped in front of them.
Noah looked up.
"Hi, Yume."
"H-Hi, Noah."
Yume smiled.
"I was just passing by."
It was such a terrible lie that even Noah noticed, but before he could respond, another voice appeared.
"That’s not true."
Yume froze.
"Eh?"
Luna had just arrived.
Luna crossed her arms.
"Anyone could tell you weren’t just passing by."
Yume smiled a very dangerous smile.
"What do you mean?"
"I saw you."
"Saw me do what?"
"Looking table by table."
The only immediate response was silence.
Ren slowly set his lunch down on the table.
"Noah."
"Yes?"
"Why do I feel like a storm is coming?"
"I don’t know."
Luna pointed at Yume.
"You walked through the entire cafeteria."
"What an imagination you have."
"You also checked the courtyard."
"That was a coincidence."
"And the library."
"I-I had to return a book!"
"And the gym."
"That... I just felt like exercising!"
"And the teachers’ office."
"That was a mistake!"
Noah started eating because it was safer.
Yume looked at Luna.
"How do you know all that!?"
"Because I followed you."
Silence.
"You followed me!?"
"Yes."
"Do you know that’s weird?"
"Says the person who inspected half the school."
"I wasn’t looking for anyone!"
"Sure."
"I seriously wasn’t looking for my... I mean for Noah!"
"You almost slipped."
Both girls smiled, but neither looked happy.
Noah decided to intervene since it was the perfect moment and, who knows, maybe he could even bring them closer, strengthen their friendship, and fix the canon.
"You two should get along, girls."
Both looked at him.
"Why!?"
They asked at the same time, to which Noah smiled and whispered.
"You’re both magical girls."
"..."
"And you have things in common."
"..."
"And you train together."
"..."
"And..."
The atmosphere got worse.
’Why did it get worse!?’
Yume crossed her arms.
"Luna always tries to show off."
"Yume destroyed a fountain."
"It was an accident!"
"You also destroyed a wall."
"That was another accident!"
"And a bench."
"I get it!"
Noah felt like he was losing control of the situation until Ren decided to intervene.
"Alright."
Both looked at him.
"If you don’t calm down, I’ll have to call the principal."
Surprisingly, it worked... for three seconds.
Then Luna spoke.
"And who named you authority?"
Ren blinked while Yume nodded.
"Exactly."
"I’m just trying to help."
"All because your family has influence?"
Luna asked and Ren frowned.
"That has nothing to do with it!"
"Sure."
Luna replied and Yume nodded again.
"Besides."
Ren felt a bad premonition.
"What?"
Yume pointed at him.
"Don’t think I haven’t noticed."
"Noticed what?"
"You’re trying to make a move on my beloved!"
"..."
Noah kept eating and Ren froze.
"Your what?"
"My beloved!"
"Who?"
Yume pointed at Noah.
Ren looked at Noah, then at Yume, and his face began to blush.
"How did you know... I mean, why do you think that?"
Both girls looked at him with frightening gazes.
"Damn husband-stealer!"
Five minutes later, the three people were arguing, except Noah, who continued eating calmly.
He had already learned something important: sometimes the best strategy was simply to eat.
After classes, the magical girls’ training continued.
They had started less than half a week ago, but the routine was already starting to feel normal and that was strange.
"Try to control the power."
Noah advised.
"Understood."
Yume replied, so that two seconds later a parked car went flying.
Silence fell.
They observed the remains and Yume slowly lowered her hand.
"..."
Noah closed his eyes.
"Luna."
"Yes?"
"How many things did she destroy today?"
"I lost count."
"I see."
Yume looked like she wanted to disappear.
"I’m sorry."
"It doesn’t matter anymore."
Noah replied because he had reached a point where apologies no longer fixed anything.
Then something happened: several windows appeared in front of him.
[Reward obtained.]
[Monster Detection.]
[Reward obtained.]
[Minor Healing.]
[Reward obtained.]
[Magic Resistance.]
"Eh?"
Yume tilted her head.
"What’s wrong?"
"It’s nothing."
Noah observed the windows.
’More rewards and abilities.’
This time they seemed useful, at least more than "Pretty Face."
At night he decided to contact the goddess.
The white screen appeared and she smiled.
"Hello, my future stud."
"I need answers."
"How aggressive."
"What are these abilities for?"
The goddess observed the list.
"You’ll need them."
"That’s not an answer."
"I know."
"Then answer."
"I’m not obligated to answer."
"Why?"
"Because."
"Don’t dodge the questions."
"You really will be a difficult stud to tame."
Noah clenched his teeth.
"Explain yourself!"
The goddess smiled.
"Trust me."
"I don’t trust you one bit."
"How rude."
And the communication ended.
Noah stared at the screen.
’Useless.’
He put away his phone.
’I can’t believe I’m going to train the protagonists of an anime again tomorrow.’
That made him pause because he suddenly realized something that had never existed in the anime.
He, Yume, and Luna trained together, ate together, and talked almost every day.
They were creating a completely new routine that had never happened in the original story.
Noah looked at the sky from his bedroom window.
’This wasn’t in the canon.’
That was precisely what worried him, because with every day that passed he knew a little less about the future and, the more time passed, that story looked less and less like the anime he remembered.
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