Chapter 42: Chapter 42: A Tense Conversation.
Mirai sat in the chair at Yume’s desk with an expression far too serious for the situation.
Yume stood in front of her, her face red and her shoulders tense.
Noah, for his part, remained beside the bed, unsure whether he should sit, stay standing, or try to disappear from the room.
The door was closed.
"First question."
Mirai said.
Yume took a step forward.
"Mirai, don’t do this."
"I’m going to."
"You don’t have the right to interrogate us."
"I walked into my house and found my sister on top of the guy I met yesterday, so I have several questions."
Noah raised a hand.
"To be precise, I was on the bottom because she pushed me."
Yume spun toward him.
"Noah."
"Sorry, I got nervous."
Mirai narrowed her eyes.
"So she pushed you?"
Yume blushed even harder.
"That’s not important!"
"It’s very important."
"Of course it’s not!"
Mirai rested an arm on the desk.
"Yume, I’m going to ask this directly. Is Noah your boyfriend?"
Yume went rigid and lowered her voice immediately.
"Yes."
Mirai leaned forward.
"Since when?"
"Not long."
"That’s not a date."
"You don’t need to know that."
"I’m your sister."
"That doesn’t make you a civil registry official."
Mirai decided not to press for now and pointed at both of them.
"From what I was told, that Luna girl isn’t Noah’s partner, right?"
Noah spoke quickly.
"That’s right."
Mirai looked at him.
"Yesterday it seemed like something else."
"It was a misunderstanding."
"She told me she could support you by herself."
Noah closed his eyes for a second.
"Yeah, that didn’t help either."
Noah felt the room growing harder to bear.
Mirai, on the other hand, seemed more and more interested, so she leaned back against the chair.
"Good."
There was a pause and Yume breathed with relief.
"Then that’s it, there’s nothing more to talk about."
Mirai raised an eyebrow.
"I didn’t say that."
Yume tensed up again.
"What else is there?"
Mirai looked at Noah.
"I want to know why he can’t be with me too."
The room fell silent.
Noah didn’t blink next to Yume.
The sentence hung between the three of them with no one knowing how to react right away, and finally Noah spoke.
"What?"
Mirai kept her calm.
"I asked why Noah can’t be with me too."
Noah opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again.
"I don’t have an answer prepared for that."
"You can think of one."
"I think I’d need more time."
Yume reacted abruptly.
"Mirai!"
Mirai looked at her sister.
"What?"
"How can you ask that!?"
"With words...?"
"Don’t mess with me!"
"I just answered your question."
Yume took another step toward her.
"Noah is my boyfriend."
"I know."
"Then you can’t ask to be with him too."
"Yes I can."
"I told you no!"
"I just did."
Yume clenched her fists, at which Noah raised both hands.
"Wait, wait a moment!"
Mirai looked at him calmly.
"Yes?"
Noah tried to organize his thoughts.
"Mirai, we met yesterday."
"Correct."
"I returned a wallet to you."
"Yes."
"We didn’t have a real conversation."
"It was brief, but important to me."
"Important to get your wallet back, right?"
"And to meet you."
Noah was left speechless for a few seconds and Yume spoke with desperation.
"Don’t turn a simple action into destiny!"
Mirai looked at her.
"I didn’t say destiny."
"You’re implying it!"
"No, I’m just saying I met a kind, responsible guy who’s decent enough to return a wallet instead of ignoring it, so that’s already more than many can say."
Noah felt uncomfortable.
"That’s a pretty low standard."
Mirai looked at him.
"Come on, you know that in this world that’s enough to start."
Noah didn’t know how to respond and Yume stepped between the two of them.
"There’s no starting!"
Mirai sighed.
"Yume, you’re reacting way too dramatically."
"Of course I’m reacting dramatically! You’re trying to ask my boyfriend to date you too!"
"Lower your voice."
"No, you lower your intentions!"
Noah looked at the door in terror.
"Yume, your mom..."
Yume immediately covered her mouth and Mirai crossed her legs.
"So you really don’t want Mom to find out."
Yume spoke in a low voice.
"Mirai, please, don’t say anything."
"Depends."
Yume paled.
"Depends on what?"
"On whether you listen to my proposal seriously."
"There’s no proposal."
"Yes there is."
Noah swallowed.
"Mirai, I think this is going way too far."
"I just want to remind you of something important."
Mirai raised a finger.
"Remember that the government has created several incentives for families that manage to establish reproductive marriages with men."
Noah went still while Yume covered her face.
"Mirai, don’t start with that."
"It’s important, and besides, Noah seems like he doesn’t know much about the subject."
Noah looked at her.
"I didn’t know exactly that."
Mirai nodded, satisfied.
"Then I should explain it."
Yume grabbed Noah by the arm.
"He doesn’t need an explanation."
"Of course he does."
"He doesn’t need it!"
Mirai continued anyway.
"There are economic subsidies for households that formalize a marriage with a man and have children, so, depending on the number of members, family income, and legal commitment, the support can cover housing, education, health, and tax benefits."
Noah felt his head growing heavy.
"Does that exist?"
"Yes..."
Yume murmured.
"Yes it does..."
Noah looked at her.
"Yume?"
She avoided his gaze.
"It’s something the government does because of the male birth crisis, but that doesn’t mean it has anything to do with us."
Mirai pointed at Yume.
"That’s a selfish interpretation."
"Mirai."
Mirai looked at Noah.
"If you were with Yume and me, the family would have more stability, not just emotional but also economic, and the possibility of accessing subsidies would increase if formalized correctly."
Noah looked completely confused.
"Are you saying you want to share a partner with your sister for money?"
Mirai straightened up.
"Not just for money."
Yume looked at her with suspicion.
"Oh, no?"
Mirai took a deep breath.
"Also because I like Noah."
Noah went rigid while Yume opened her mouth and Mirai continued.
"But it would be irresponsible to ignore the economic benefits."
Yume raised her hands.
"You can’t say something like that so casually!"
"I’m doing this for the family’s future."
"Noah is not an object!"
"I know, that’s why I’m talking to him."
Noah pointed at himself.
"I appreciate you including me in the conversation, but I still don’t understand how we went from a wallet to family subsidies."
Mirai looked at him with complete seriousness.
"Progress can be fast if the parties cooperate."
"I’m not going to cooperate!"
Yume said.
"I’m not asking for your permission."
"I’m his girlfriend!"
"Of course you’re a main part of the negotiation."
Yume took a deep breath, as if trying not to scream.
"There is no negotiation."
Mirai turned toward Noah.
"What do you think?"
Noah felt both of them looking at him.
Yume with fear and Mirai with expectation.
Noah wanted to answer firmly, but his mind was still trying to adapt to the logic of this world.
"I..."
Yume squeezed his arm.
"Noah."
He looked at her and noticed her anxiety, which helped him focus.
"Mirai, I understand that this has logic for you, but for me it’s not that simple, since I’m dating Yume."
Yume relaxed a little, but Mirai observed him.
"That’s not a definitive rejection, so I still have a chance."
Yume tensed up again.
"Yes it was a rejection!"
Mirai tilted her head.
"What he said wasn’t exact."
"Don’t try to find loopholes."
Yume pointed at her sister, but Mirai didn’t flinch.
"I’m just saying what I understood."
"You’re being dangerous."
"Noah doesn’t seem to be in danger."
"I am!"
Noah looked at Yume.
"You?"
Yume spoke in a low voice, but with panic.
"If Mom hears any of this, she’s going to get involved."
Mirai nodded.
"Probably."
Yume spun toward her.
"Don’t say that so calmly!"
"But it’s the truth."
"I don’t want Mom to pressure Noah into dating you too."
Mirai thought for a second.
"Mom might say it would be good to strengthen the family."
Yume grabbed her head.
"Exactly! That’s what I want to avoid!"
Noah grew even more nervous.
"Would your mom actually do that?"
Yume looked at him.
"My mom wants Mirai and me to have stability, so if she finds out I’m secretly dating you, first she’ll get angry, then she’ll get really happy, then she’ll ask when I’m officially introducing you, and finally she’ll want to bring Mirai in so the family has more economic stability."
Mirai raised a hand.
"She wouldn’t be completely wrong."
"Mirai!"
"I’m just saying the data exists."
"I don’t need data."
"Data helps make good decisions."
"Not when you’re trying to steal my boyfriend!"
Mirai frowned.
"I’m not trying to steal him."
"How is that not stealing?"
"I’m just asking for inclusion."
Noah covered his face.
’This can’t be happening.’
Yume turned toward him.
"Noah, don’t listen to her."
"I’m trying to process everything she said."
"Don’t process anything."
Mirai stood up from the chair.
"Yume, think calmly. We would both benefit, and besides, sooner or later you’re going to have to share him with other girls, so why not start with me?"
"For Noah that’s really weird!"
Mirai looked at Noah.
"Is it weird for you?"
Noah was honest.
"Yes, very."
Mirai seemed to make a mental note.
"Then we’d have to adapt it gradually."
Yume took a step toward her.
"You’re not adapting anything."
"Why are you so selfish?"
Yume froze.
"Selfish!?"
Mirai crossed her arms.
"You found a good catch, hid him, and didn’t tell anyone."
Yume lowered her voice.
"I hid him because I wanted to live my relationship peacefully."
"And because you didn’t want to share."
"Because he’s my boyfriend!"
Mirai looked at her firmly.
"Yume, in this house we’ve always shared responsibilities, expenses, food, even chores."
"Don’t compare Noah to chores!"
"I’m not comparing him, I’m just saying that important family decisions are discussed."
Noah raised a hand.
"I want to remind everyone that I’m a person."
Mirai looked at him.
"Relax, I’m aware."
"It doesn’t feel like it."
"Then I’ll do better next time."
Yume moved closer to Noah and hugged his arm tightly.
"There’s nothing to improve because Noah isn’t a family plan, he’s my boyfriend and I love him."
The room fell silent.
Noah and Mirai looked at Yume, who seemed to realize what she had just said, but she didn’t back down.
"I love him, that’s why I don’t want you treating him like an object."
Noah felt the tension in his chest shift.
"Yume..."
Mirai stayed quiet for a few seconds and then spoke with less harshness.
"I didn’t say you didn’t love him."
"Then respect what I have with Noah."
"I do respect it."
"So you’ll stop asking to be with him?"
Mirai took too long to answer, at which Yume narrowed her eyes.
"Mirai."
"I’m thinking about it."
"Don’t think."
Noah sighed.
Mirai looked at her younger sister.
"Yume, even if you love him, that doesn’t eliminate the fact that a shared relationship could bring benefits."
Yume panicked again.
"Don’t use that word!"
"Shared?"
"No!"
"Relationship?"
"Not that either!"
"Boyfriend?"
Yume lunged at her and covered her mouth with both hands.
"That one even less!"
Mirai tried to pull her away and Yume whispered desperately.
"Do you want Mom to hear?"
Mirai spoke against her hands.
"Mmmff."
"I can’t understand you."
Mirai pointed at her mouth and Yume slowly let go, at which Mirai took a breath.
"I said Mom hasn’t arrived yet."
At that exact moment, the sound of the front door opening downstairs was heard and the three people in the room froze.
Then a voice came from the entrance.
"I’m home!"
Yume paled while Mirai looked toward the door and Noah felt all the blood drain from his face.
The sisters’ mother had arrived.
Footsteps were heard on the ground floor and then bags being set on a table.
"Yume, Mirai, are you upstairs?"
Yume and Mirai slowly turned toward Noah while their mother’s voice sounded again from below.
"Is someone with you?"
Yume opened her mouth but no sound came out while Mirai crossed her arms and Noah felt the problem had just moved to a worse level.
Yume, with a trembling voice, answered.
"We’re busy!"
There was a pause from downstairs.
"Busy with what?"
Yume looked at Noah while Mirai smiled faintly.
Noah slowly shook his head, Yume swallowed, and before any of them could think of a good response, footsteps were heard climbing the stairs.
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