Chapter 169: A Very Awkward Exchange for Noah.

Noah was starting to regret having agreed to carry some of Hikari’s shopping bags, not because they weighed too much, though they did, but mainly because every time he looked at the bags he remembered exactly what they contained.

It was hard to process that a girl could read so many BL mangas, and although he had tried not to think too much about it, it hadn’t worked.

Hikari walked beside him with two additional bags.

Ever since they left the bookstore, she had recovered a large part of her usual attitude, like the straight back, calm pace, and serious expression.

If Noah hadn’t known what she had just bought, he would have thought she was carrying academic books.

"Is it much farther?"

Hikari answered without looking at him.

"My house is about fifteen minutes away."

Noah looked at the bags.

"Fifteen?"

"Yes."

"Minutes?"

"That’s what I said."

Noah breathed and Hikari finally looked at him.

"Are you tired?"

"No."

"You look tired."

"I’m not tired."

He took another five steps.

"Maybe a little."

Hikari pointed to a small plaza located to the side of the street.

"We can stop."

Noah didn’t argue.

"Perfect."

They went in and saw that there were a few benches, trees, and a small area with tables.

It wasn’t especially large, but at that hour it was fairly quiet.

Hikari chose a bench away from the main path and Noah set the bags on the ground.

"Finally."

Hikari placed hers with much more care.

"You shouldn’t complain so much."

"I’m carrying a lot of mangas and they don’t weigh little."

"You only have fourteen."

Noah looked at her.

"That doesn’t help."

Hikari sat down and Noah did the same.

For a few seconds neither of them spoke, so Hikari checked the bags while Noah took out his phone.

He still had pending the real reason he had wanted to look for her.

The magical object was still in his pocket and he hadn’t forgotten it, only that now the conversation was quite different from what he had imagined.

Noah looked at Hikari.

"About earlier."

She lifted her gaze.

"The mangas?"

"No."

Hikari seemed to relax slightly.

"That weird proposal, right?"

Her expression turned serious again.

"I understand."

Noah put the phone away.

"You told me you needed proof."

"That’s right."

"I have it."

Hikari watched him.

"Now?"

"Yes."

Noah brought a hand to his pocket and was about to take out the brooch, but Hikari spoke first.

"I’ll think about it."

Noah stopped.

"What?"

"I’ll think about your proposal."

Noah opened his eyes a little.

"Seriously?"

"Yes, that’s why I’m telling you."

That had been too easy, so Noah narrowed his eyes.

"What do you want?"

Hikari stayed silent and Noah pointed at her.

"I knew it."

"You don’t know anything."

"You have a condition, don’t you?"

Hikari looked toward the bags and then back at him.

"A small one."

"I refuse."

"You haven’t heard it yet."

"When someone says ’a small condition,’ it’s never small."

Hikari crossed her hands over her legs.

"I want to ask you some questions."

Noah blinked.

"Questions?"

"Exactly what you heard."

"About magical girls?"

"No."

Noah kept staring at her.

"Then about what?"

Hikari remained serious, too serious.

"About men."

There was a brief silence.

Noah took a few seconds to answer.

"What?"

"I need information."

"What kind of information?"

"Real information from a specimen."

Noah observed her with distrust and Hikari continued.

"Currently there are very few men."

"Yeah, I already noticed."

"That makes finding reliable information about their interpersonal relationships complicated."

Noah started to understand even though he didn’t want to understand, but he was starting to.

Hikari pointed at the bags.

"I want to check how realistic some situations that happen in those visual products are."

Noah closed his eyes.

"No, I’m not helping you with your weird fantasies."

"Then I won’t accept the magical girls thing."

Noah opened his eyes.

"That’s blackmail!"

"It’s a condition."

"Seriously, are you willing to go all the way?"

"All for the sake of my research."

Noah looked at the bags, then at Hikari, and then at the bags again.

’I can’t believe this.’

However, if answering a few questions got Hikari to seriously consider becoming a magical girl, it wasn’t an especially difficult condition, probably.

"Fine."

Hikari immediately opened her bag and Noah frowned.

"What are you doing?"

She took out a notebook.

"I’ll take notes."

"You had that prepared?"

"I always carry a notebook."

She took out a pen and Noah looked at the sky.

"Of course."

Hikari opened a new page, wrote something, and Noah tried to read, but she covered the sheet.

"Don’t look."

"I’m participating in your research."

"That doesn’t mean you can see my notes."

Noah sighed.

"Just ask."

Hikari settled in.

"Let’s start with something simple."

"Alright."

"Do men usually have male friends?"

Noah blinked.

"Of course they do."

Hikari wrote immediately.

"Often?"

"Yes."

"More than female friends?"

"Depends on the person."

Hikari wrote again and Noah observed.

"That one was normal."

"I told you."

"Continue."

Hikari raised the pen.

"When two men are good friends, do they usually spend time alone?"

"Yes."

"Eat together?"

"Sometimes."

"Go to the movies?"

"Could happen."

"Sleep in the same room?"

Noah thought.

"Yes, for example, if someone stays over at the other’s place."

Hikari wrote faster and Noah raised an eyebrow.

"What are you checking?"

"Nothing yet."

"Sure."

Hikari moved to the next question.

"Do men hug?"

Noah thought a little more.

"Yes...?"

"A lot?"

"Depends."

"Every day?"

"We’re not that affectionate with each other."

Hikari stayed still, looked at the notebook, and then took out one of the mangas.

Noah opened his eyes.

"You brought it to compare?"

"No."

She opened a marked page and Noah saw a scene where two male students hugged when they arrived at class.

Hikari took the pen, crossed something out, and Noah felt immediate discomfort.

"What did you just do?"

"Correct an inconsistency."

"You don’t have to cross it out."

"I want to distinguish the realistic elements."

"It’s fiction."

"It has to maintain a certain coherence."

Noah breathed.

’This is going to get worse.’

Hikari continued.

"Does a man usually touch another man’s hair while they’re talking?"

Noah looked at her.

"No, of course not."

Hikari lowered her gaze and crossed out something else, at which Noah felt like he had done something wrong.

"Well, in some rare circumstance, it could happen."

Hikari immediately raised the pen.

"Often?"

"No."

She crossed it out and Noah closed his eyes.

"I’m destroying your manga."

"I’m gathering information."

"That sounds worse."

Hikari went on.

"When two men are sitting together, does one usually rest his head on the other’s shoulder...?"

"..."

"...for thirty minutes?"

Noah hesitated.

"It’s not impossible, but..."

Hikari noted something.

"Does that mean it’s realistic?"

"Not necessarily."

"Define."

"Depends on the relationship they have?"

Hikari stopped writing.

"What relationship?"

"Close friends joking around with each other."

"So two close friends could do it?"

"Yes, as a joke."

Hikari smiled slightly and Noah saw her.

’I guess she only hears the yes.’

Hikari looked for another volume and opened a page.

"This."

Noah looked.

Two guys walking under an umbrella.

"What?"

"Would two men share an umbrella?"

Noah looked at her.

"Yes, if there’s no other choice."

Hikari wrote something with a lot of satisfaction.

"Excellent."

"Why excellent?"

"Nothing."

Hikari closed that manga, took out another, and Noah started to worry.

"How many questions do you have?"

"Several."

"How many?"

"I didn’t count them."

"That worries me."

"Second section."

Noah opened his eyes.

"There were sections?"

"Well yeah, duh."

Hikari looked at her notes.

"Physical contact."

Noah immediately regretted accepting.

"Ask, so this torture ends."

"Do men hold hands?"

Noah answered.

"Not normally."

Hikari stayed motionless.

"Never?"

"I didn’t say never."

"Between friends?"

"I’d doubt they were just friends."

Hikari opened another manga, looked for a page, and crossed it out.

Noah watched another scene die in front of him.

"Maybe in some cultures..."

Hikari lifted her gaze.

"Do you know any?"

"No."

She crossed out harder and Noah felt guilt.

"Sorry."

"It’s fine."

Hikari sounded serious, too serious.

"It doesn’t seem like it’s fine."

"Next question."

She turned the page of her notes.

"Do men usually sit on each other’s laps?"

Noah looked at her.

"No."

Hikari took a moment to react.

"Never?"

"I can’t say never."

He had to count the femboys.

"Between close friends?"

"No, that’s not normal."

Hikari closed her eyes, took out a manga, opened it, and crossed out several times, at which Noah opened his eyes wide.

"How many times does that appear?"

Hikari didn’t answer and took out a fourth.

"Hikari!"

"I’m checking."

"Don’t destroy them all."

"I’m not destroying them."

"You’re filling them with marks."

"They’re notes."

Noah looked at the pile.

’I’m really destroying her dreams.’

Hikari went back to writing.

"What do they do then?"

"What?"

"Male friends."

Noah stayed still, since the question seemed simple, but for the first time since the conversation began he realized something strange.

Ever since he had arrived in that world, he hadn’t had any male friends.