Chapter 172: Noah is discovered with Hikari in something suspicious.

Noah and Hikari finally arrived at a commercial street lined with several small shops.

Hikari slowed her pace, adjusted her hair, checked her uniform, and glanced both ways while Noah watched her.

"You’re way too nervous."

"I’m not nervous."

"You look like someone about to commit a crime."

"Don’t exaggerate."

"You’ve checked the street five times."

Hikari checked a sixth time and Noah smiled.

"Now it’s six."

"Don’t count."

The shop was a few meters ahead.

It wasn’t especially large, and from the outside it looked like an ordinary manga store, but a small sign in the corner indicated it specialized in male romance.

Hikari took a breath.

"Let’s go."

She went in and Noah followed.

Neither of them noticed the three girls across the street.

Yume was holding a drink, Luna stood beside her, and Iris was looking at her phone.

The three of them had planned to buy a few things before training, and Yume was the first to stop.

"Is that Noah?"

Luna turned while Iris looked up, and all three saw Noah walking into a shop with a girl.

The silence in the air was tense, and Yume slowly tightened her grip on the cup.

"Who is she?"

Luna watched the door.

"I don’t know."

Iris started typing on her phone and Yume looked at her.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking it up."

Luna raised an eyebrow.

"Looking up what?"

Iris enlarged a photo she had taken quickly.

"Her face."

Yume’s eyes widened.

"You took a picture of her?"

"Yes."

Luna kept staring at the entrance.

"Do we know her?"

Iris shook her head.

"No idea who she is."

Yume frowned.

"They’re alone."

Luna answered.

"Yeah."

"After school."

"Exactly."

"Going into a store together."

"Yep, together."

Yume looked at her.

"You’re not helping."

Luna remained far too serious.

"I’m confirming what we saw."

Iris typed something and Yume glanced at her phone.

"What are you doing now?"

"Searching for students."

Yume’s eyes widened further.

"How?"

"On social media."

Luna finally looked at Iris.

"Find her name."

Yume spun around quickly.

"Luna?!"

"We need to know who she is."

Yume blinked. Of the three, she had expected Luna to be the calmest, but she wasn’t calm at all.

Inside the store, Noah had no idea what was going on.

Hikari walked between the shelves, and her behavior had completely changed.

She was still serious, but she stopped in front of almost every new release, picked up volumes, checked editions, compared covers, and read summaries.

Noah walked behind her.

"I thought you came for something specific."

"I did."

Hikari grabbed three manga and Noah pointed at her hands.

"That’s three things."

"I’m comparing."

She took a fourth.

"Four."

"This one’s different."

"Sure, different."

Hikari handed him two.

"Hold these."

Noah took them.

"Now I’m an assistant. Great."

"It’s temporary."

Hikari continued while Noah looked at a cover of two men in suits.

"Is this one for research too?"

"Exactly."

"Is your whole collection research?"

Hikari answered without looking at him.

"Most of it."

"That sounds like an excuse."

"It isn’t."

Noah’s phone vibrated, so he pulled it out and saw a message from Yume.

[What are you doing?]

Noah replied.

[Buying something.]

The answer came immediately.

[WITH WHO?]

Noah froze.

’How...?’

Another message arrived, this time from Luna.

[Where are you?]

Noah frowned and answered.

[In a store.]

Luna replied.

[I already know.]

Noah slowly raised his head and looked around.

’No way.’

Another message came in, this one from Iris.

[Hikari Amatsuki.]

Noah’s eyes went wide. He looked at Hikari, then back at the phone, where Iris continued.

[Excellent grades.]

[Academic involvement.]

[No problematic history.]

Noah started typing.

[WHAT ARE YOU DOING?]

Iris answered.

[Investigating.]

Noah closed his eyes.

’This can’t be happening.’

Hikari approached.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing."

The phone vibrated again. It was Yume.

[WHY ARE YOU WITH HER?]

Noah replied.

[It’s for something important.]

Yume sent.

[WHAT IMPORTANT THING?]

Noah answered.

[I can’t explain it right now.]

Three seconds later another message from Yume arrived.

[THAT SOUNDS WORSE.]

Noah sighed while Hikari watched him.

"You’re distracted."

"I’ve got problems."

"Related to the store?"

"Not exactly."

A new message, this time from Luna.

[Is this a date?]

Noah answered immediately.

[NO.]

Luna hesitated.

[Are you sure?]

Noah blinked.

[WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?]

Luna wrote.

[I’m asking if you’re sure.]

[HOW COULD I NOT BE SURE?]

Luna took a moment.

[You’ve started relationships in weird ways before.]

Noah was left without a reply.

’She can’t use that against me.’

Another message from Iris.

[I found her profile.]

Noah immediately sent.

[STOP LOOKING!]

Iris refused.

[No.]

[WHY?]

[She’s with you.]

Noah stared hard at the screen.

’This is ridiculous.’

Yume sent another message.

[DO YOU THINK SHE’S CUTE?]

Noah hesitated, since any answer was dangerous.

[Why are you asking that?]

[ANSWER.]

Noah didn’t reply, and Yume told him.

[NOT ANSWERING IS ALSO AN ANSWER.]

"No."

Hikari looked up.

"What?"

"I wasn’t talking to you."

"I see."

Noah kept typing.

[It’s not a date.]

Luna replied before Yume.

[Then explain what you’re doing.]

Noah looked around, because he couldn’t write something like:

[I’m helping Hikari secretly buy BL so she’ll agree to become a magical girl.]

It was too absurd even for him.

[I’m helping her with some shopping.]

Luna answered first.

[That’s worse.]

Noah’s eyes widened.

[WHY WORSE?]

[Because it’s personal.]

Noah just stared. Incredibly, Luna was the most suspicious of them all.

Yume was jealous and Iris was investigating, but Luna was analyzing every sentence like it was an indirect confession.

Hikari placed another manga on Noah’s arms.

"This one too."

Noah looked at her.

"How many are you going to buy?"

"Depends."

The phone vibrated with a message from Iris.

[What is she buying?]

Noah slowly raised his eyes, looked around, then toward the entrance, and through the glass he saw movement across the street.

There were three figures, one with pink hair, one with black, and one albino.

Noah closed his eyes.

"This is not good."

Hikari looked at him.

"What’s wrong?"

"We have a problem."

"How?"

Noah discreetly pointed toward the window, so Hikari looked and saw Yume, Luna, and Iris.

She went completely still, and Noah watched the color drain from her face.

"Do you know them?"

"Yes. Very well."

Hikari looked at the manga, then at them, then back at the manga.

"No..."

Noah raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"They can’t see me."

"I think they already did."

Hikari clenched one of the volumes.

"That’s not true."

"Definitely is."

"Are they from the high school?"

"Yes."

Hikari closed her eyes. The undercover operation had just failed.

"Noah."

"Yeah?"

"You have to do something."

"What?"

"Tell them you were looking for a gift."

Noah looked at her.

"For who?"

Hikari thought.

"You decide."

"That was your plan!"

"Improvise."

Noah let out a nervous laugh.

"I can’t believe this."