Chapter 217: Reina and Misaki get Ayane to talk.

Reina approached Ayane.

"Boss."

"Yes?"

"How was your date with Noah?"

Ayane stopped moving her hand and, for the first time that morning, reacted. Reina noticed it immediately.

’Aha!’

"Because yesterday you two spent quite a while talking alone."

Ayane lowered her gaze.

"We didn’t do anything weird."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Then what was it?"

"A conversation."

"A romantic one?"

"No."

"Did you confess?"

Ayane stayed silent, and Reina smiled even wider.

"Don’t tell me he kissed you?"

"..."

"Or did you kiss him?"

Ayane gripped the pen tighter, and Reina leaned in closer.

"Or maybe...?"

"Reina."

Ayane’s voice sounded a little firmer. Reina straightened up, satisfied.

"Finally!"

But Ayane simply continued.

"Could you let me work?"

"..."

Reina slowly returned to her seat, and Misaki watched her.

"Satisfied?"

"No."

"Then finish your breakfast."

Reina picked up a pastry, but this time she didn’t seem interested in eating it. She looked at Ayane again.

’What the hell happened yesterday?’

The meeting ended without Ayane scolding either of them.

That should have been cause for celebration, but Reina was growing more and more worried, and even Misaki had stopped reviewing the reports.

Finally, when Ayane began putting away her documents, Reina lightly slammed both hands on the table.

"Enough already!"

Ayane looked up.

"What’s wrong with you?"

"That’s what I want to know!"

Misaki sighed.

"Reina..."

"No! This isn’t normal!"

Reina pointed at Ayane.

"I’ve been trying to make you mad all morning and nothing’s working!"

Ayane blinked.

"Why would you want to make me mad?"

"Because you always get mad!"

"That’s not true."

Reina looked at Misaki, who stayed quiet, and Ayane frowned.

"Misaki?"

"I’d rather not answer."

Reina pointed at their leader again.

"See?!"

Ayane sighed.

"Can we act like adults?"

"That’s what I’m trying to do!"

"Doesn’t look like it."

Reina opened her mouth, then closed it, and finally dropped back into her chair.

"Fine."

She crossed her arms.

"Then I’m just going to ask directly."

Ayane watched her.

"What happened yesterday with Noah?"

Silence fell immediately, and Ayane looked away.

"Nothing important."

Misaki stepped in.

"Ayane."

"Yes?"

"You don’t have to tell us anything private if you don’t want to."

Ayane seemed to relax.

"Thanks."

"But you’ve been acting completely different since yesterday."

"..."

"You haven’t paid attention to the reports, you haven’t gotten annoyed about the expenses, and you’ve barely reacted to any of Reina’s provocations."

"And they were excellent provocations!"

Reina added, but Misaki ignored her.

"If something’s bothering you, you should talk about it."

Ayane stayed quiet. She looked at Reina, then at Misaki, and finally lowered her head.

"I don’t think you can help me."

Reina leaned forward right away.

"Try us!"

Ayane hesitated. For several seconds she seemed to debate whether to stay silent or speak, but finally she sighed.

"Yesterday..."

Reina held her breath.

"When Noah and I were talking..."

"Yes!"

"Reina, shut up."

Misaki ordered.

"Okay."

Ayane clasped her hands on the table.

"I wanted to tell him something important."

Reina grinned.

"A confession!"

Ayane blushed.

"I didn’t say that!"

"But that’s what it was, right?"

"..."

Misaki looked at Ayane, who lowered her head even further.

"...Yes."

Reina threw her arms up.

"I knew it!"

"Keep your voice down!"

"Our leader finally worked up the courage to confess!"

Ayane covered her face.

"Please stop saying that!"

Reina started laughing, and Misaki, though she also looked surprised, kept a calmer attitude.

"And what did Noah say?"

Ayane stayed silent, and Reina stopped laughing.

"Did he turn you down?"

"No."

"Then he accepted?"

"Not that either."

Reina blinked.

"What do you mean, not that either?"

Ayane clenched her fists.

"Because I couldn’t finish!"

Misaki raised an eyebrow.

"What happened?"

Ayane took a deep breath and then spoke.

"A girl suddenly appeared next to Noah."

Reina tilted her head.

"A girl?"

"Luna Tsukino."

Misaki straightened slightly, and Ayane continued.

"She showed up, grabbed Noah’s face, and kissed him."

"..."

Reina slowly opened her mouth. Then her lips started trembling, and Ayane pointed at her right away.

"Don’t you dare laugh!"

"I’m not...!"

Reina tried to hold it in, but it didn’t work.

"HAHAHAHA!"

She leaned over the table and started laughing uncontrollably.

"No way!"

Ayane was completely red.

"I knew you’d react like that!"

"It’s just...!"

Reina tried to catch her breath.

"You were in the middle of confessing and another girl showed up to kiss him!"

"Don’t say it like that!"

"And what did she do after that?!"

Ayane pressed her lips together.

"...She said something."

Reina managed to calm down enough to listen.

"What did she say?"

Ayane closed her eyes.

"That the girlfriend slots were already full."

There was silence for two seconds, and then Reina started laughing even harder.

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

Misaki brought a hand to her forehead.

"Reina..."

"GIRLFRIEND SLOTS FULL?!"

Ayane covered her ears.

"Stop yelling!"

"She didn’t even let you submit your application!"

"IT’S NOT AN APPLICATION!"

"You got rejected before you could even confess!"

"NOAH DIDN’T REJECT ME!"

Reina went still, then smiled.

"Ah."

Ayane realized too late what she’d just said.

"..."

Reina rested her elbows on the table.

"So you still have hope."

Ayane quickly looked away.

"I didn’t say that."

"You just did."

"No."

"You practically shouted it."

"Reina!"

Misaki raised a hand.

"Hold on."

Both of them looked at her. Misaki’s expression had changed.

"You’re saying she appeared out of nowhere?"

Ayane blinked.

"Huh?"

"That Luna girl."

Misaki leaned forward slightly.

"Did she come in through a door?"

Ayane shook her head.

"Not that I noticed."

"Did you hear her footsteps?"

"No."

"Was she hiding behind something?"

Ayane thought for a few seconds, then shook her head again.

"There wasn’t anywhere she could have been hiding."

Misaki frowned.

"Then..."

Ayane nodded slowly.

"It seemed like she’d been invisible the whole time."

Reina stopped smiling for just a moment, then raised a hand.

"Hold up."

Misaki looked at her.

"What?"

"Before we talk about that, I need to ask an important question."

Ayane sighed.

"What is it?"

Reina looked straight at her.

"Did you seriously believe that girl could decide how many girlfriends Noah is allowed to have?"

Ayane froze.

"..."

Reina waited. Misaki waited too. Finally Ayane answered.

"Well..."

Reina’s eyes went wide.

"SERIOUSLY?!"

"I already told you not to yell at me!"

"Ayane!"

Reina stood up.

"You’re one of the smartest students at that high school you go to!"

"I know!"

"You can analyze military operations, manage resources, and memorize entire documents!"

"Yes!"

"BUT SOME GIRL TELLS YOU THERE ARE NO MORE SLOTS LEFT AND YOU JUST GIVE UP?!"

Ayane opened her mouth, then closed it.

"..."

Misaki sighed.

"Reina’s right about one thing."

Ayane looked at her in disbelief.

"You too?"

"Just because Luna said that doesn’t mean Noah made that decision."

"..."

Ayane slowly lowered her hands.

"It doesn’t?"

Reina grabbed her head with both hands.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT DOESN’T?!"

Misaki ignored her.

"Noah never told you he didn’t want to go out with you, right?"

Ayane shook her head.

"No."

"Did he ask you to stop talking to him?"

"No, of course not."

"Did he say he didn’t want to see you anymore?"

"No."

Misaki nodded.

"Then you don’t actually have an answer from Noah."

Ayane stayed still. It seemed so obvious, and yet she hadn’t considered it.

’That’s true.’

Hope lit up Ayane’s face.