Chapter 105: Iris and Ren in a Jealousy Fight.
When recess began, Noah barely had time to put his things away before Iris stood up.
"Come."
Noah looked at her.
"Where?"
"Before she shows up."
"Who?"
Iris watched him in silence, and Noah understood.
"Aria?"
Iris nodded.
"Let’s go."
Noah glanced toward Ren, who was talking with another classmate, then looked back at Iris.
"All right."
He followed her as Iris left the classroom and moved quickly through several hallways.
They went down some stairs, crossed a secondary section of the building, and finally reached a small outdoor space behind one of the academic buildings.
There were a few benches and some vending machines, but almost no one passed through there during recess, so Noah looked around.
"How do you know this place?"
"I always look for quiet spots to play."
"That makes sense."
Iris sat down, so Noah did the same, and for a few seconds neither of them spoke, but then Noah decided to ask.
"Do you really not like Aria?"
"No."
"Why?"
Iris crossed her arms.
"Because she’s Aria."
"That doesn’t explain much."
"It explains enough."
"Not to me."
Iris sighed and Noah waited, so she finally spoke.
"She’s a spoiled girl."
Noah blinked.
"Aria?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure we’re talking about the same person?"
Iris looked at him.
"She has money."
"That’s true."
"Her family has influence."
"Also true."
"She always gets what she wants."
"Probably."
"Then she’s a spoiled girl."
Noah stayed silent, because the description clashed too hard with what he remembered from the anime.
In the original story, Aria and Iris had a complicated but important relationship, and they had gradually grown closer.
The narrative portrayed Aria as dominant and used to getting results, while Iris was one of the few people who wasn’t impressed by her status.
That difference had been part of the appeal of their relationship, but now Iris seemed outright annoyed by her existence.
"Have you known her from before?"
"Yes."
Noah immediately became interested.
"Since when?"
"We overlapped at other schools."
"Were you friends?"
"No."
The answer was instantaneous.
"Classmates?"
"Some years."
"Did you talk?"
"Barely."
Noah frowned.
"Then where does all this rejection come from?"
Iris looked away.
"It was always the same."
"What did she do?"
"Everyone around her acted like she was special."
"Her family is pretty important."
"I don’t care."
"I see."
"If she wanted to join an activity, she joined."
Iris continued.
"If she wanted something, she got it... if she needed support, someone showed up... if there was a problem, someone solved it for her..."
Iris lowered her gaze slightly.
"Then they congratulated her like she’d done it all on her own."
Noah didn’t answer right away, but that explained an important part.
"So you don’t think she deserves what she has."
"No."
"That’s pretty harsh."
"It’s what I think."
"Do you know how hard she works?"
"I don’t care."
"Did you ever talk about that?"
"No."
Noah leaned back a little.
’This is nothing like what I remember.’
In the anime, the initial tension between them existed, but not like this, not with this level of contempt.
Besides, Iris seemed to have built almost her entire opinion of Aria from a distance, but when Noah was about to keep asking, they heard footsteps.
Iris looked toward the entrance of the small courtyard and saw that Ren had appeared, so Noah’s eyes widened.
"Did you follow us?"
Ren stopped.
"No."
Iris looked at her and Ren kept a serious expression.
"I just happened to come this way."
Noah observed the place.
"This spot is behind two buildings."
"I needed to walk."
"There are ten better places than this."
Ren ignored the comment, looked at Iris, then looked at Noah.
"What are you doing?"
"Talking."
Noah answered, and Ren crossed her arms.
"Alone?"
Iris frowned.
"Yes."
Ren looked at her.
"I asked Noah."
"Is there a problem with me answering?"
"You didn’t need to."
"I wanted to."
Noah looked at both of them.
’This is getting complicated.’
Ren turned back to him.
"I just wanted to know what kind of relationship you have with Iris."
Noah raised an eyebrow.
"We’re friends."
Iris glanced at him sideways and Ren asked immediately.
"Just friends?"
Noah started to suspect.
"Yes...?"
Ren stayed silent and Iris spoke.
"By the way, why do you care?"
"I don’t care."
"Then don’t ask."
"I’m just looking out for Noah."
Iris narrowed her eyes.
"He can look out for himself."
"Doesn’t seem like it."
"Why?"
"Because he keeps getting into trouble with girls nonstop."
Iris went still and Noah brought a hand to his face.
"Ren."
"What?"
"That sounded bad."
"I didn’t say anything untrue."
Iris stopped leaning against the bench.
"I’m not a problem."
Ren looked at her.
"I didn’t say your name."
"You were looking at me."
"You’re right in front of me."
"It’s not the same."
Ren breathed slowly.
"I just want to know why you brought him all the way out here."
"So Aria wouldn’t find him."
Ren went quiet, and that seemed to slightly change her attitude.
"Ah."
Iris crossed her arms.
"Are you satisfied now?"
"Partly."
"Partly?"
"You’re still alone with him."
Iris frowned.
"And?"
"And nothing."
"Then stop acting weird."
"I’m not acting weird."
"Yes you are."
"No."
Noah raised both hands.
"Enough!"
Both of them looked at him.
"Don’t argue over this."
Ren looked away.
"I wasn’t arguing."
Iris answered immediately.
"Neither was I."
Noah watched them.
"You were two sentences away from starting."
Neither of them replied, so Noah sighed.
"Ren, Iris brought me here to keep Aria from showing up."
"Fine."
"Iris, Ren probably came because..."
Noah stopped, because he couldn’t say directly that she was jealous, while Ren looked at him since he didn’t finish the clarification.
"Because what?"
"It doesn’t matter."
"Finish the sentence."
"No, trust me, it’s better this way."
Iris observed Ren carefully and then seemed to understand something.
"She’s jealous."
Ren went completely still at hearing that truth.
"No, of course not!"
"Yes, you’re really jealous."
"I’m not."
"Then you wouldn’t mind that we’re alone."
Ren clenched her jaw slightly.
"I don’t care."
"Perfect."
Iris moved a little closer to Noah, but Ren reacted immediately.
"What are you doing?!"
Iris looked at her.
"Sitting."
"You were already sitting."
"Now I’m more comfortable."
Noah stared straight ahead.
’This is childish.’
Ren took a step.
"Move away a little."
Iris smiled faintly.
"Why?"
"Because..."
A new voice interrupted.
"Finally found you."
The three of them turned and saw Aria standing at the entrance of the courtyard, and Noah closed his eyes.
’Of course, the one who was missing.’