Chapter 65: Noah between Iris, Luna, and Yume.
Noah turned around and Yume was watching him with a smile that seemed far too calm while Luna stood beside her.
"No one."
Yume glanced toward the door where Iris had left.
"It looked like you were following someone."
"I wasn’t following her."
"Was it a girl?"
Noah hesitated.
"I-It was a classmate named Iris."
Yume kept smiling, but in her mind several imaginary versions of herself appeared around a meeting table.
The first Yume slammed the table.
’We have a new rival!’
The second Yume raised a sheet of paper.
’Name: Iris Valentine. Same class as Noah. Daily contact. Threat level: extreme.’
A third Yume was dressed like an investigator.
’According to my sources, Noah has tried to approach her five times today.’
Another Yume started pacing in circles.
’First Luna and now a classmate.’
The main Yume tried to stay in control.
’Calm down, Noah surely has an explanation.’
A tiny version raised her hand.
’What if he wants to ask her out?’
All the Yumes started shouting, but Yume returned to reality when Noah spoke.
"I just need to talk to her."
"About what?"
"I can’t say it here."
Yume’s smile faded a little.
"Is it something private?"
"Not exactly."
"Then why can’t you say it?"
Noah looked at Luna, who showed no obvious reaction, but her eyes were fixed on him.
"It’s complicated."
Yume crossed her arms.
"Right."
Noah decided that continuing to look for Iris right then would only make things worse.
"Can I have lunch with you two?"
Yume answered before Luna could.
"Yes."
The three found a table and Noah sat across from both of them.
Yume kept watching him as she opened her food.
"Since when do you talk to Iris?"
"I don’t talk to her."
"But you were looking for her."
"Because I need to start talking to her."
Yume set her utensils down on the table.
"That doesn’t make the explanation any better."
"It’s not romantic!"
"I didn’t say it was."
"But your face did."
"My face is normal."
Noah glanced at Luna, who was eating in silence, and for a few seconds Noah thought Luna wasn’t upset.
Then she spoke.
"You didn’t seem to have much energy last night either."
Noah choked and started coughing hard, so Yume looked at him with concern.
"Are you okay?"
Noah quickly drank some water.
"Yeah!"
Luna continued eating.
"You were really tired."
Noah coughed again and Yume looked at Luna.
"Last night?"
Noah answered immediately.
"She means training!"
Luna looked up.
"There was no training last night."
Noah nearly dropped his glass and Yume frowned.
"Then what is she talking about?"
Luna observed Noah, who shook his head slightly, so she seemed to understand.
"I meant the previous training."
Yume looked at both of them.
"But you said last night."
"I misspoke."
Luna didn’t usually misspeak and Yume knew it, so the rest of lunch became much more tense.
Yume kept asking questions about Iris and Luna made brief comments that could be interpreted in different ways.
"You should eat more."
Luna said.
"I’m eating."
"It’s necessary to recover your energy."
Noah gripped his utensils tighter and Yume tilted her head.
"Recover from what?"
"From classes."
Noah answered, but Luna added.
"He had a long night."
Noah choked again and Yume stopped eating.
"Noah."
"Y-Yes?"
"Where were you last night?"
"At home."
Luna watched him and Noah looked back with concern.
She drank a little water and said nothing more.
Yume didn’t seem convinced, so the imaginary Yumes gathered again.
One of them pointed at a board with photos of Noah, Luna, and Iris.
’We have two open investigations.’
Another raised a document.
’Case one: Iris Valentine.’
A third hit a photograph of Luna.
’Case two: what Luna said.’
The main Yume started shaking.
’We need to gather information without seeming jealous.’
All the others looked at her.
’We already look jealous.’
Yume returned to reality and took Noah’s arm across the table.
"After class we’ll go to the station together."
Noah blinked.
"Why?"
"Because I want to spend time with my boyfriend."
Luna set her utensils down.
"I’ll go too."
Yume looked at her.
"I didn’t invite you."
"I don’t need an invitation to use the station."
"You could go later."
"You could too."
Noah decided to finish eating without intervening and, after lunch, returned to the classroom.
He checked his phone and found a message from Luna.
[Why do you need to talk to Valentine?]
Noah glanced toward the door before replying.
[It’s something related to the magical girls.]
The reply came quickly.
[Is she one too?]
[Not yet.]
[Then you have to do the same procedure you did with us?]
[Yes, so I have to give her her object to awaken her powers.]
Luna took several seconds and Noah thought the explanation had been enough.
Finally another message arrived.
[I understand.]
Noah relaxed, but then another appeared.
[Don’t stay alone with her.]
Noah frowned.
[I’ll probably have to in order to give her the object.]
[No.]
[Luna.]
[I can go with you.]
[Iris barely lets me get close, so if we both show up it’ll be worse.]
Luna took a moment to reply.
[Then talk to her in a visible place.]
Noah wrote.
[I don’t think she’s dangerous.]
Luna’s reply came immediately.
[I wasn’t either.]
Noah stared at the screen and remembered the previous night, so he put his phone away without answering.
When classes ended, Noah tried to approach Iris again, but she left the classroom before most of the students.
Noah quickly packed his things and ran after her.
He found her near the main entrance.
"Iris."
She stopped and Noah approached carefully.
"I promise I won’t take long."
Iris looked at the numerous students leaving the building.
"There are too many people."
"We can move to the side."
"No."
"Why?"
"I have to go."
"We can talk while we walk."
Iris took a step back.
"It wouldn’t be convenient."
"What wouldn’t be convenient?"
Iris noticed a group of students approaching, so she turned and started walking in the opposite direction from the station.
Noah followed her with his gaze and, meanwhile, Ren appeared beside him.
"Again."
"I just want to talk."
"That looks like stalking."
"I know."
Noah didn’t try to follow Iris.
The next day he decided to try the library and thought it would be the perfect place.
It was quiet, there were few people, and he could talk to her without drawing too much attention.
He found her sitting alone at a table in the back reading.
Noah approached quietly and sat across from her.
Iris looked up and Noah greeted her.
"Hi."
She closed the book while Noah spoke.
"I didn’t know you came to the library."
"I come sometimes."
Noah rested his hands on the table.
"I need to talk to you."
Iris looked toward the shelves.
"I can’t."
"Why?"
"I have to look for another book."
"I can help you."
"It’s not necessary."
Iris stood up, so Noah did too.
"Are you avoiding me?"
She stopped and Noah watched her closely.
"If I did something that made you uncomfortable, you can tell me."
"You didn’t do anything."
"Then I don’t understand."
Iris held the book against her chest.
"It’s not because of you."
"That’s what you said before."
"It’s the truth."
A librarian announced that a group activity would begin in one of the nearby rooms, so several students stood up and started walking there.
Iris looked at the group and her posture changed.
She gripped the book tighter and stepped back.
"I have to go."
Noah didn’t try to stop her.
Iris walked toward a secondary exit of the library while Noah remained standing.
This time it hadn’t just been because of him.
He had noticed the way Iris reacted when several people started approaching.
She didn’t seem annoyed, but uncomfortable.
For the rest of the day, Noah started paying more attention and discovered that Iris didn’t attend class meetings unless they were mandatory.
When groups were formed, she always asked to do the assignment alone.
During breaks, she avoided the main hallways.
In the cafeteria, she looked for distant tables and left if someone tried to sit nearby.
She also didn’t participate in club activities or stay in places with too many people.
Noah remembered all the times Iris had left.
Before class, she used an assignment as an excuse to leave.
During break, she used another entrance.
In the cafeteria, she escaped when Yume and Luna arrived.
When leaving the school, she avoided the groups exiting the building.
In the library, she left when an activity started.
Noah watched from afar as Iris walked alone down an almost empty hallway.
’Looks like she doesn’t hate me.’
That was a relief, but it also meant the problem was more complicated.
Iris Valentine wasn’t only distancing herself from Noah, she was distancing herself from everyone.