Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Ayane Is a Villain with Noble Dreams.
Ayane opened her eyes and found Noah lying beside her.
Morning light streamed through the window, showing that Noah was still asleep.
Ayane watched him for several seconds without moving.
On her left hand she wore a ring, and Noah wore one too.
She lowered her gaze to the bands and felt her face beginning to heat up.
’I’m married.’
She looked at Noah again.
’I’m married to my prince!’
Noah slowly opened his eyes.
"Good morning, Ayane."
Ayane stopped breathing and Noah smiled.
"Did you sleep well?"
She tried to answer but couldn’t, so Noah sat up and kissed her forehead.
Ayane felt her whole body go weak.
"I’ll make breakfast."
Noah got out of bed and Ayane followed him with her eyes as he left the room.
’My husband is going to make breakfast.’
She covered her face with her hands.
’No, I have to help him. A good wife can’t stay in bed while her beloved works.’
Ayane got up quickly and walked toward the kitchen.
Noah stood in front of the stove wearing an apron, and when he saw her, he smiled.
"I thought you’d sleep a little longer."
Ayane clasped her hands in front of her chest.
"I wanted to be with you."
Noah walked over and hugged her.
"Then we’ll have breakfast together."
Ayane closed her eyes.
’I’m living the happy ending.’
Noah leaned toward her, and Ayane lifted her face so their lips were about to touch... until the sound of an alarm interrupted the moment.
Ayane opened her eyes and she was alone.
The ceiling of her room was gray.
There were no rings, no breakfast, no Noah in an apron, just her alarm clock on the table.
Ayane remained motionless for a few seconds, then grabbed a pillow and covered her face with it.
"It was a dream."
Her voice came out soft and she stayed like that for almost a minute.
Finally she moved the pillow aside.
’It felt too real.’
She checked the time. It was five thirty in the morning.
Ayane woke up at the same hour every day, so she turned off the alarm, made the bed, and opened the curtains.
Her routine never changed, so she showered, got dressed, and prepared a simple breakfast.
Rice, egg, and a cup of tea.
She sat alone at the table.
The dream returned to her mind and she looked at the empty chair.
’Noah could sit there.’
She imagined Noah sitting across from her.
"Thanks for breakfast, wife."
Ayane dropped her utensils and the sound jolted her back to reality.
"I shouldn’t be thinking about that so early."
She picked up the utensils and finished eating.
At six thirty she left her apartment.
She took the train to the high school and arrived before most of the students.
Ayane preferred to enter while the hallways were still nearly empty, since she didn’t like drawing attention.
At school she wore glasses, kept her hair tied back, and wore her uniform impeccably. She walked with her gaze lowered and avoided participating in any conversations that weren’t necessary.
Most of her classmates barely knew her and some didn’t even remember her name, but Ayane was fine with that.
She entered the classroom and took a seat in the third row.
She took out her notebooks and reviewed the homework before class started.
Two students walked in talking and one of them glanced toward Ayane.
"Does she always arrive this early?"
The other shrugged.
"I think so."
"What’s her name again?"
"I don’t know."
Ayane heard the conversation but didn’t react; she was used to it.
When the teacher arrived, she started a pop quiz and several students complained, but Ayane wrote her name and began answering.
She finished before everyone else.
She even double-checked every answer twice before turning in the sheet.
The teacher looked at her.
"Finished already, Kagetsu?"
"Yes."
The woman quickly scanned the first few questions.
"As always."
Ayane returned to her seat.
When class ended, the teacher posted the results of the previous assessment and Ayane had scored 98 points.
It was the second-highest score, since the first place belonged to another name.
Hikari Amatsuki with 100 points.
One student pointed at the list.
"Amatsuki got a perfect score again."
"She always does."
"Who’s Kagetsu?"
Ayane put away her notebooks without looking up.
’Second place again.’
She wasn’t upset; Hikari Amatsuki was recognized as one of the brightest students in the entire high school.
Ayane had never spoken to her and had no interest in competing openly.
Still, she mentally reviewed the two questions she had answered incorrectly.
’I need to study more.’
Classes continued normally.
Ayane only participated when the teacher called on her.
She ate lunch alone in a secluded corner of the library.
During a break, she took out her phone, which had a photo of Noah saved in a hidden folder.
She had gotten it from a security camera near the area where he had helped her, so the quality wasn’t perfect, but she could still make out his face.
Ayane stared at the image.
’My dear prince.’
She remembered the dream.
She imagined waking up beside him again, but she closed the folder when she heard footsteps.
A student walked past her without paying attention.
Ayane put away her phone.
After classes ended, she didn’t go straight home because she had a meeting with her team.
The agreed location was a children’s park in a low-traffic area.
When she arrived, Reina was sitting on a swing while Misaki stood next to a slide cleaning the scope of her magic rifle.
Ayane stopped in front of them.
Reina swung her legs.
"You’re two minutes late."
Ayane checked the time.
"I arrived three minutes early."
"Then the park clock is wrong."
Reina pointed at a cat-shaped decorative clock whose hands weren’t moving.
Misaki didn’t even look up.
"That clock has been broken for years."
Reina looked at her.
"That explains a lot."
Ayane breathed calmly.
"Let’s begin."
Reina kept swinging.
"Here?"
"This is the place we chose."
Misaki put away the tool she had been using.
"Chosen by you."
"It’s discreet."
Reina looked at a little girl playing in the sand a few meters away.
"We’re holding a criminal organization meeting next to a sandbox."
Ayane sat down on a small bench where her knees ended up way too high.
"It’s unlikely anyone will suspect us."
Misaki pointed at the swing.
"Reina is using a seat designed for six-year-old girls."
Reina stopped moving.
"I-I’m testing the equipment’s durability!"
"Sure."
Ayane opened a folder.
"Activity report."
Reina raised a hand.
"We ate."
Misaki looked at her.
"That doesn’t count."
"We need energy to complete missions."
Ayane picked up a pen.
"Investigation?"
Reina lowered her hand.
"No."
"Target surveillance?"
"No."
"Training?"
Reina glanced at Misaki and Misaki answered.
"We argued for an hour."
Ayane paused.
"That doesn’t count either."
"There was an exchange of attacks."
Reina smiled.
"I won."
Misaki lifted her rifle.
"No, you didn’t win."
Reina got off the swing.
"You missed three shots."
"Because Ayane ordered us not to destroy the building."
"Excuses."
Ayane closed the folder with force and both of them fell silent.
"This meeting is to show that our team remains active."
Reina sat down again.
"Then write that we’re active."
"I need details."
Misaki leaned against the slide.
"Write that we performed reconnaissance duties."
"Where?"
Misaki gestured around them.
"In this park."
Ayane looked at her and Misaki kept a straight face, but Reina let out a laugh, showing that Ayane had a lot of patience with both of them.
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