Chapter 110: Noah is doomed.
After listening to Aria’s statement, Yume looked at Noah.
"What?"
Noah raised both hands.
"She kissed me."
"That’s what she just said."
"I didn’t kiss her back."
Yume turned toward Aria.
"Did you kiss him?"
"Yes."
Luna spoke in a cold voice.
"We already talked about that."
Aria looked at her.
"I remember your reaction."
Yume turned toward Luna.
"You were there?"
"Yes."
"And you didn’t tell me either?"
Luna stayed silent and Noah saw the problem immediately.
Now Yume seemed upset with everyone.
’This is a disaster.’
Yume took a deep breath, then looked back at Aria.
"Listen to me."
Aria watched her.
"Don’t kiss Noah again."
"I can’t promise that."
Yume took a step.
"Then I’ll say it another way."
Luna took another step as well.
"You’d better promise."
Aria looked at both of them, but she didn’t seem intimidated, quite the opposite.
"Interesting."
Noah stepped between them.
"Enough."
Yume looked at him.
"Noah, get out of there."
"No."
Luna spoke.
"You shouldn’t be in the middle."
"Precisely because I know you, I’m staying in the middle."
Iris approached as well.
"I don’t want Aria kissing him again either."
Aria sighed.
"You too, Miss Unknown?"
"Yes."
Ren spoke.
"For once I agree."
Aria looked at her.
"You can’t claim absolutely anything."
Ren frowned.
"I’m not claiming him!"
"Then don’t interfere."
"I interfere because you’re persistent."
Iris pointed at Aria.
"And spoiled."
Aria turned toward her.
"That again."
Yume looked at Iris.
"What happened?"
Iris answered.
"Aria thinks she can get everything she wants."
"I already noticed that."
Aria breathed slowly.
"I don’t need to hear this from five people."
Noah corrected.
"Six."
Aria looked at him.
"You too?"
"I’ve been telling you that from the beginning."
Luna crossed her arms.
"Then it should be obvious."
Aria fell silent and Noah believed for a moment that the argument might end, but then Aria looked at him.
"It doesn’t seem like talking is going to solve this."
Noah frowned.
"What are you thinking?"
Aria stepped closer and Noah backed up a little.
"Aria."
She gently held his face and Noah’s eyes widened.
"W-Wait!"
Aria kissed him directly on the lips.
Everything happened too fast and Noah remained motionless, just like the rest of the group.
Aria pulled away and Noah stared at her in disbelief.
"What are you doing?"
Aria smiled.
"Making my intention clear."
Yume reacted first.
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!"
Luna took a step.
"Aria."
Her voice made Noah turn immediately and Luna’s expression was dangerously calm.
Iris advanced.
"Are you crazy?!"
Ren too.
"Why did you do that?!"
Aria looked at the four of them.
"It was a kiss."
"I KNOW!"
Yume shouted and Noah tried to stop her.
"Yume."
"Noah, wait."
"No."
Luna was already next to Aria.
"I warned you."
Aria looked at her.
"I don’t remember accepting your warning."
"That wasn’t a negotiation."
Iris positioned herself on the other side.
"You’re incredibly irritating."
"And you keep interfering for no reason."
"The reason is right in front of me!"
Ren pointed at Aria.
"This is exactly why I don’t want to continue with that engagement!"
Aria turned toward her.
"You weren’t included in this conversation."
"Now you are!"
The voices began to mix and Noah tried to intervene.
"Enough!"
No one listened to him.
Yume was arguing with Aria, Luna was arguing with Aria, Iris was arguing with Aria and Ren too, while Aria answered all of them without backing down.
Noah watched the group.
’How did we get to this?’
Then the bell rang and everyone fell silent for a second.
The sound indicated that recess was over and Noah had never been so grateful to hear a bell.
"Recess is over."
He said immediately, but Yume didn’t take her eyes off Aria.
"This isn’t over."
Luna nodded.
"That’s right."
Iris also seemed to want to continue and Aria was completely calm.
Noah pointed toward the buildings.
"We have classes."
Yume looked at the clock.
"We can be a little late."
"I don’t think so."
Luna spoke.
"Thirty seconds would be enough."
"I don’t want to know what for."
Iris took a step toward Aria.
"I just need to tell her one more thing."
"Girls, it’s time for us to go."
Ren spoke.
"I need several."
"Ren, calm down."
Aria looked at Noah.
"We can continue later."
Noah started walking.
"Everyone to class."
Yume followed him with Luna and Iris went behind, while Ren hesitated a moment before following them and Aria was the last to leave.
Although the bell had ended the argument, Noah knew it hadn’t solved absolutely anything and that was confirmed over the following days.
Yume began appearing next to Noah practically every recess.
If he left the classroom, she appeared.
If he went to the cafeteria, Yume tried to sit next to him.
If he had a few free minutes, he received a message.
[Where are you?]
Noah quickly learned that ignoring it only prompted a second message.
[Noah.]
And then a third.
[I’m looking for you.]
Luna was no less constant, since she waited for him after some classes, appeared during lunches, sent him messages asking if he needed anything and even started using the training excuse more frequently to get time with him.
"We need to review the strategies."
Luna would say.
"Now?"
"Yes."
"But we train tomorrow."
"Exactly."
Iris also changed.
Before it was normal for her to spend a large part of the day in silence, but now she looked for opportunities to talk with Noah.
She showed him games, sent recommendations, waited for him after class and, when Aria appeared, Iris found some reason to stay.
Ren also began approaching more frequently.
Sometimes she said she needed to talk about classes, other times she simply walked with Noah and, if any of the others appeared, Ren didn’t take long to ask what they were doing.
Noah had noticed the jealousy perfectly, but Ren kept denying them.
And Aria, who was probably the worst, because Aria didn’t try to hide absolutely anything.
"Have lunch with me."
"I can’t."
"Then tomorrow."
"I don’t know if I can either."
"I’ll reserve time."
"You can’t reserve my time."
"I already did."
Noah sighed every time, but the biggest problem was still the golden star.
Noah had taken too long to give it to her and now every attempt ended the same.
One afternoon he found Aria alone near the student council.
’Perfect.’
Noah approached.
"Aria."
She turned.
"Noah."
"I need to give you something."
He put his hand in his pocket, but then Yume appeared.
"Noah."
Noah closed his eyes.
’No.’
Another day he tried after classes when Aria was walking alone and Noah caught up to her.
"Wait."
Aria stopped.
"Will you finally accept?"
"No, it’s not that..."
He took out the star, but Iris appeared from a hallway.
"Noah."
Noah put it away again.
’This can’t be.’
The next day he tried again during lunch when Aria was sitting alone.
Noah approached.
"This time for sure."
"What?"
"Just take this."
He put his hand in his pocket, but Luna appeared behind him.
"What are you going to give her?"
Noah froze.
"A thing."
"What thing?"
"It’s..."
Aria interrupted him with a smile.
"Something private."
Luna looked at her and Noah put the star away again.
"Later."
Aria frowned.
"You always say that."
"I know."
Even Ren managed to interrupt an attempt without knowing it.
Noah found Aria in front of the library and approached.
"Aria, I have something important."
"I’m listening."
Noah finally took out the star, but Ren appeared.
"Noah."
Noah turned, Ren saw Aria and her expression changed.
"What are you doing?"
Noah looked at the star in his hand and decided to put the object away.
"Nothing."
At the end of the week, Noah was sitting alone in his room.
He took out the golden star and held it in front of him.
The mission was still incomplete.
Aria still didn’t have her powers and now getting close to her without someone appearing was practically impossible.
Noah let his head fall back.
"I should have given it to her the first day."
His phone vibrated, so Noah checked it.
[Yume: What are you doing tomorrow during lunch?]
Before he could answer, another message arrived.
[Luna: I need to talk to you tomorrow.]
Then another.
[Iris: I found a game I want to show you.]
And another.
[Ren: Can we talk tomorrow?]
Noah stared at the screen and then a fifth message appeared.
[Aria: Tomorrow I want to have lunch with you. I won’t accept an excuse.]
Noah left the phone on the bed and looked at the ceiling.
"..."
Then he closed his eyes.
"I’m doomed."