Chapter 37: Chapter 37: The Negotiation for Noah.
Mirai immediately recognized the girl as someone with a presence that was hard to ignore. She walked with confidence, wore a serious expression, and her eyes landed first on Noah, then on her.
Noah looked both relieved and worried at the same time.
"Luna."
Mirai heard the name.
’Luna.’
The girl stopped beside Noah.
"Is everything okay?"
Noah answered quickly.
"Yeah, I was just giving her back her wallet."
Luna looked at Mirai.
"I see."
Luna’s gaze wasn’t aggressive, but Mirai felt like she was being evaluated, so the conclusion was obvious.
’She’s his girlfriend.’
There was no other explanation.
A girl had suddenly appeared, called him by name, positioned herself beside him, and looked at him with that confidence. Plus, Noah seemed to know her well.
Mirai swallowed.
’He’s already taken.’
The thought hurt her immediately, but it didn’t defeat her. A relationship didn’t necessarily close every door.
Mirai straightened up.
"I understand the situation."
Noah frowned.
"What situation?"
Mirai looked directly at Luna.
"I don’t want to cause any problems."
Luna remained silent.
"But we can talk about it."
Noah blinked.
"Talk about what?"
Mirai continued, more seriously.
"I understand that I arrived late and that you’re already with him. I’m not going to deny that it hurts me, even though we just met."
Noah’s eyes widened.
"What?"
"But I’m willing to negotiate."
Luna’s expression didn’t change.
"Negotiate?"
"Yes. I’m not asking to take your main spot, so I can accept a secondary position at first. I can also contribute financially once I finish my studies. I know how to cook a few basic things, I’m tidy, and I don’t have any debts."
Noah went completely still.
"Luna, I think she believes that you and I..."
He tried to clarify, but Luna interrupted him.
"No."
Noah looked at her.
"Luna?"
Luna took a step toward Mirai.
"I can support him myself, so I’m not interested in sharing him."
Noah short-circuited for a second.
Mirai’s eyes widened.
’She supports him.’
The phrase hit hard.
’So the relationship is already serious.’
Mirai clutched the wallet against her chest.
"I understand."
Noah reacted.
"No, wait, that’s not true. Luna and I are just..."
Luna took Noah’s hand.
"We’re leaving."
Noah stared at their joined hands.
"Luna, wait..."
"Walk."
"But..."
Luna started moving and pulled him along with her.
Noah managed to turn toward Mirai.
"This is a misunderstanding!"
Mirai watched them walk away.
Luna didn’t let go of Noah’s hand. He seemed to be trying to explain himself, but the black-haired girl wasn’t giving him the chance.
Mirai stayed on the sidewalk, her heart beating fast.
’A misunderstanding.’
Noah’s words repeated in her head.
’What part was the misunderstanding? That they’re not a couple? That she doesn’t support him? That she is willing to share him?’
She had no answers, but she did have one certainty.
That boy existed. He was kind. His name was Noah. And Luna was an obstacle.
Mirai took a deep breath.
"I won’t give up."
Then she looked around and realized she had said it out loud, so a woman walking nearby gave her a strange look.
Mirai coughed.
"It was just a personal reflection."
The woman quickened her pace.
Mirai put away her wallet and continued walking home, though her mind was no longer on the path but on Noah, on his eyes, on his voice, and on the way he had returned her wallet like it was the most normal thing in the world.
When she got home, her mother was preparing dinner and Yume was sitting at the table checking her phone.
"I’m back."
Mirai said. Her mother poked her head out from the kitchen.
"Welcome home. Wash your hands, dinner is almost ready."
Yume looked up.
"Welcome home, Mirai."
Mirai noticed that Yume seemed to be in a good mood.
Normally she would have made some comment about it, but she didn’t have the energy, so she washed her hands, sat at the table, and waited in silence.
During dinner, her mother immediately noticed something was up.
"Mirai, you’re being really quiet."
"I’m thinking."
"That’s usually dangerous."
Yume smiled a little, but Mirai didn’t react.
Her mother set down her utensils.
"Did something happen on the way?"
"No."
"With your friends?"
"No."
"Then what is it?"
Mirai looked at her plate.
"I wish I had a boyfriend."
Yume choked on her water, coughed hard, and slammed her hand on the table.
Her mother got alarmed.
"Yume!"
Mirai also looked at her.
"Are you okay?"
Yume raised a hand while she kept coughing.
"Yes... yes... I’m fine..."
Her voice sounded way too nervous, so Mirai narrowed her eyes.
"Are you sure?"
Yume nodded quickly.
"Yes! I just drank the water wrong!"
"Drank it wrong?"
"Yeah, it happens sometimes."
Mirai observed her, but Yume avoided looking at her directly and grabbed a napkin.
Her mother sighed.
"Be more careful."
"Yeah."
Mirai kept watching her for a few more seconds.
’What a weird reaction.’
If she had been in better shape, she would have pressed, but that day her head was occupied with someone else.
Her mother picked the conversation back up.
"Why are you saying that all of a sudden, Mirai?"
Mirai rested her cheek on one hand.
"Today I heard that one of my classmates might have a fiancé."
"A guy?"
"Yeah."
Her mother raised her eyebrows.
"That really is rare."
"Everyone said she probably cheated."
Yume drank water again, this time very carefully.
Mirai sighed.
"Then I met someone."
Yume went very still.
Her mother smiled with curiosity.
"Someone?"
"A guy."
Yume gripped her glass tighter and Mirai looked up at the ceiling.
"He gave me back my wallet, he was kind, he goes to the high school and his name is Noah."
Yume choked again, this time less forcefully but enough for both of them to look at her.
"Again?"
Mirai asked while Yume coughed.
"Sorry."
Her mother frowned.
"Yume, are you sure you’re okay?"
"Yes, I’m perfectly fine."
Mirai observed her sister.
’She’s acting weird.’
But her mother kept talking.
"Noah, you said? Nice name."
"Yeah."
Mirai lowered her gaze.
"But it looks like he already has someone."
Yume tensed up.
"He has someone!?"
Her voice came out way too fast.
Mirai looked at her.
"That’s what it seems like."
"Who!?"
"A girl named Luna."
Yume set her glass down on the table with too much force.
"Luna?"
Mirai blinked.
"Do you know her?"
Yume froze for a second and then smiled unnaturally.
"Ah... no... well, yes... she’s a classmate from high school and I’ve seen her a few times."
Mirai kept observing her.
"What a coincidence."
"Yeah... quite the coincidence..."
Her mother looked at one and then the other.
"This world is small."
Yume murmured something depressed.
"Too small..."
Mirai didn’t quite catch it.
After dinner, Mirai helped clear the plates, though she was much more distracted than usual. Her mother told her to go rest, and Yume left for her room with a quick excuse about pending homework.
Mirai went upstairs shortly after.
She entered her room, closed the door, and dropped onto the bed. For several minutes she stared at the ceiling.
’Noah.’
She had met a guy purely by chance.
Mirai turned onto her side and hugged a pillow.
’Maybe they’re not a couple.’
Noah had tried to say something.
"We’re just..."
He hadn’t finished the sentence.
’Just friends? Just classmates? Just acquaintances?’
Luna had interrupted him way too quickly.
’I want to see him again.’
The thought was intense and clear.
Mirai clasped her hands in front of her face, even though she wasn’t especially religious.
"Goddess, I know I don’t usually ask for things."
She stopped, because that wasn’t entirely true, she had asked for several things before.
"Well, maybe I do ask for things, but this time I’m serious."
She hugged the pillow tighter.
"Please let me see Noah again."
She stayed silent for a few seconds.
"And if possible, without Luna around."
She thought a little more.
"And if it’s not too much to ask, that he doesn’t have a girlfriend."
Another pause.
"Or that she’s willing to share Noah."
She opened her eyes.
"That last part sounded bad."
She covered her face with the pillow.
"I can’t believe I negotiated with a stranger over a guy I had just met."
But she didn’t completely regret it. For the first time in a long while, Mirai felt that the possibility of having a boyfriend wasn’t some distant fantasy. So if the goddess gave her a second chance, she wasn’t going to waste it.
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