Chapter 167: Hikari’s Dirty Secret.

The Golden Clover vibrated while Noah was eating breakfast, so he went still with the fork halfway to his mouth, looked at the phone, then looked at Emma, Sarah, and Ava.

Noah slowly set the fork down.

’Not now.’

The phone vibrated again.

Bzzzz.

Sarah raised an eyebrow.

"Aren’t you going to check that?"

"It’s not important."

Bzzzz.

Emma looked at him.

"It seems insistent."

"It’s nothing."

Ava narrowed her eyes.

"It’s definitely one of them."

Noah looked at her.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

Ava kept eating breakfast.

"Then check it."

Noah sighed, pulled out the phone, and the Golden Clover icon was open, so that was already enough to make him nervous.

Luckily, no one else could see the real content of the app, so he tapped the screen.

[NEW DELIVERY AVAILABLE.]

Noah raised his eyebrows slightly and another message appeared underneath.

[Magical item assigned to Hikari Amatsuki.]

’Finally.’

Several days had passed since he received the mission and Noah had already talked to Hikari.

He had already tried to convince her, failed, and the goddess still hadn’t delivered any item.

Noah had assumed it would appear immediately, like it had with the other girls, but no, nothing.

No item, no explanation, not even a taunt, but now, finally, it had arrived.

Noah kept reading.

[Reason for delay: Selection of the appropriate item required more time than expected.]

Noah frowned.

’What the hell does that mean!?’

Another line appeared.

[The goddess was deciding which item would be most appropriate for Hikari Amatsuki.]

Noah closed his eyes.

’Of course.’

He had forgotten that behind the system there was someone capable of wasting several days deciding unnecessary details.

Noah tapped the screen and a small light appeared under the table.

Noah immediately lowered his hand and caught something before it fell, but Ava was watching him.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing."

"You stuck your hand under the table."

"I dropped something."

"What?"

"A..."

Noah thought.

"...coin."

Ava held out a hand.

"Show it."

Noah looked at her.

"No."

"Then it wasn’t a coin."

Sarah intervened.

"Ava, let him eat breakfast in peace."

Ava clicked her tongue and Noah took the chance to quickly stash the item in his pocket, so he still hadn’t been able to get a good look at it.

He finished eating as soon as he could, then went up to his room, closed the door, and pulled out the item.

It was small, much more discreet than other magical items he had seen, and it looked like a brooch with a silver base while in the center it had a clear gem with a simple geometric shape.

It wasn’t over-the-top, but it also didn’t look like a childish accessory, and Noah turned it between his fingers.

"Hikari would probably approve of this."

The phone vibrated.

[Instruction: Hikari Amatsuki must put on the item and the transformation will activate automatically.]

Noah smiled.

"Perfect."

That solved the problem.

Hikari had asked for proof, so this was proof and proof impossible to deny.

Noah could bring her the item, have her put it on, wait for her to transform, and then ask her again if she accepted.

’She can’t say I’m joking after that.’

Noah put the brooch away.

His plan was simple, since he would look for her at the high school, preferably somewhere secluded, and show her the item.

Hikari would put it on, the transformation would happen, proof, recruitment, and done.

Noah smiled.

"This time for sure."

He stopped and remembered the last times he had thought something similar.

"I’m not going to say it’ll be easy."

He put the phone away.

"I’ll just say I have a plan."

That sounded safer.

For the rest of the day he couldn’t find Hikari, since she wasn’t in the library or in the classrooms where she usually studied and she didn’t show up in the cafeteria either.

Noah discreetly asked two students.

One said Hikari had left earlier and the other thought maybe she had outside activities, so Noah ended up accepting that he would have to wait.

’I’ll see her tomorrow.’

He headed home or at least that was his intention, since while he was walking down a street near his house, he saw someone ahead.

Familiar hair, orderly stride, and a simple bag.

Noah slowed down.

’Hikari.’

She was walking alone, she wasn’t wearing the full uniform, and she seemed to have come straight from the high school.

Noah was about to call out to her, but then Hikari crossed the street and went into a bookstore.

Noah stopped, looked at the place, which was large and had several floors.

It sold novels, academic material, magazines, and manga.

Noah thought for a few seconds.

’This could work.’

If Hikari was buying books, he could wait until she finished and then find a discreet spot.

Noah crossed the street and went in.

The interior was fairly quiet, since there were few people near the entrance.

Noah looked around, but he didn’t see Hikari, so he walked toward the shelves and nothing.

He went up a small staircase, but nothing there either.

’Where did she go?’

He advanced through a section of novels and then passed by study books, until he finally saw Hikari at the back in front of a counter.

Noah smiled.

’Good.’

He was going to approach, but then he saw what was in front of her and stopped, since there was a huge pile of manga.

Noah blinked.

Hikari was checking each volume with a completely serious expression while the clerk was pulling more copies out of a box.

Noah stayed still.

’That many?’

It didn’t seem strange by itself.

Hikari could read manga and Noah didn’t know all her tastes, so it was normal, but then he looked closer at the covers.

Two men hugging, another pair holding hands, a guy against a wall with another one too close, and another volume had a cover where two male characters were clearly about to kiss.

Noah frowned.

’Wait.’

He looked at all the manga and absolutely every single one was BL.

Noah froze.

’No way.’

He remembered that in the anime there were certain hints that Hikari had a secret taste, but they were small and in quick scenes.

Some weird reaction, a hidden magazine, ambiguous comments, but nothing like this.

Hikari picked up another volume and the clerk spoke.

"The special you reserved also came in."

Hikari’s eyes changed immediately and Noah noticed.

"It came in?"

"Yes."

"The limited edition?"

"That one."

"With the extra?"

"That too."

Hikari breathed slowly.

"Perfect."

Noah’s mouth opened slightly.

’Who are you?’

The clerk pulled out a small box, Hikari received it with both hands and examined it with almost absurd seriousness.

"I thought it would arrive next week."

"The shipment came early."

"Excellent."

Noah took a step back.

He shouldn’t see her, he definitely shouldn’t see her, since this seemed way too private, so Noah started to turn around.

Then an employee walked past behind him carrying boxes.

"Excuse me."

Noah had to move, but he gently bumped into a shelf and a book fell.

The sound wasn’t loud, but Hikari turned her head and Noah stayed still, so she saw him.

Both of them remained motionless and silent.

Noah slowly lowered his gaze to the manga and then looked back at her.

Hikari stayed completely still and Noah tried to speak.

"Hey."

Hikari didn’t answer and the clerk looked at both of them.

"Do you two know each other?"

Hikari reacted.

"No."

Noah’s eyes widened.

"What?"

Hikari looked at the clerk.

"I don’t know him."

Noah pointed at her.

"Hikari?"

She looked at him with a serious expression.

"Noah."

The clerk raised an eyebrow and Noah crossed his arms.

"So you do know me."

Hikari stayed silent while the clerk went back to arranging the volumes.

Noah wanted to leave, but then he saw something.

On the top of each manga there was a small white label, so Noah narrowed his eyes and read the first one.

[Reservation: Hikari Amatsuki.]

He looked at another.

[Reservation: Hikari Amatsuki.]

Another.

[Hikari Amatsuki.]

Noah slowly raised his gaze, but Hikari had seen exactly where he was looking and understood that she had been found out.