Chapter 174: Hikari wants to share her tastes and something more with Noah.

Noah received Hikari’s message before he finished breakfast.

[Are you free after class?]

Noah read the screen twice, then checked the time. It was way too early for anyone to invite him to something for no reason, so he replied.

[Depends.]

Hikari took less than a minute.

[I want to watch a movie.]

Noah raised an eyebrow.

[And why do you need me to go?]

The answer came almost immediately.

[BL adaptation.]

Noah closed his eyes.

’Here we go again.’

That explained everything.

[You want to check the scenes.]

[Yes.]

Noah let out a small laugh. Hikari was way too predictable about some things.

[Fine.]

[See you at 4:10 by the north entrance.]

Noah looked at the message. She hadn’t even asked if that time worked for him.

’Definitely Hikari.’

He put his phone away. Ava, sitting across the table, was watching him.

"You’re smiling."

Noah looked up.

"No, I just remembered something funny."

Ava didn’t buy it.

"Who texted you?"

"Nobody."

Ava narrowed her eyes.

"You’ve already got another one."

Noah sighed.

"I’m going to class."

He stood up before the interrogation could start.

During the day he tried to focus, but he couldn’t manage it very well.

Not because he was nervous about going out with Hikari. It wasn’t a date. They were just going to watch a movie.

A BL movie for academic reasons, according to Hikari. For research purposes.

’This still sounds weird.’

When classes ended, Noah arrived at the north entrance. Hikari was already there, of course.

She was wearing simple casual clothes, nothing too flashy, and Noah looked at her for a few seconds. It was strange seeing her without the uniform.

Hikari raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You were staring."

"I’m just not used to seeing you like this."

"Like what?"

"Without the uniform."

Hikari looked at her clothes.

"It’s normal clothes."

"I know."

"Then it doesn’t matter."

Noah smiled.

"Alright."

Hikari started walking.

"We don’t have much time."

Noah followed her.

"Does the movie start soon?"

"In forty minutes."

"That’s plenty."

"I want to buy the tickets first."

"You didn’t buy them online?"

Hikari stopped. Noah noticed something off.

"What?"

She looked away.

"I didn’t want it showing up in my history."

Noah took a second, then started laughing. Hikari frowned.

"It’s not funny."

"It is to me."

"Someone could find it."

"Who’s going to check your purchase history?"

"Doesn’t matter."

"Your secret’s way too serious for you."

"It is."

Noah kept laughing, so Hikari picked up the pace. They reached the theater with time to spare.

Hikari bought the tickets in cash. Noah watched the whole thing.

"You’re really committed to this."

"Precaution."

"I’d call it paranoia."

"This is precaution."

Noah raised his hands.

"Whatever you say."

They went into the theater. It wasn’t full, which seemed to put Hikari at ease, so they sat near the center.

Noah looked at the screen.

"So what am I supposed to do?"

"Observe."

"That’s what I figured."

"And tell me which situations seem realistic."

"I’m not a consultant."

"Today you are."

Noah sighed.

"Fine."

The movie started. For the first twenty minutes, nothing particularly strange happened.

Two guys met at college, became friends, and studied together.

Noah glanced at Hikari. She was completely focused, taking notes on her phone. He leaned in a little.

"You’re writing?"

"Yes."

"In a movie theater."

"The brightness is low."

"That’s not what I meant."

Hikari didn’t answer. On the screen, one of the leads lent the other his jacket. Hikari leaned in slightly.

"Realistic?"

Noah answered quietly.

"Could be."

She wrote something down. Later, they shared food.

"That?"

"Yeah."

Hikari wrote again.

Then came a scene where one of the characters fell asleep on the other’s shoulder for almost half an hour.

Hikari turned slowly. Noah looked at her.

"I already told you that scene’s a no."

She made a small face.

"It could happen."

She wrote.

The movie continued. In another scene, one of the leads shoved the other against a wall during an argument.

Hikari looked at Noah.

"No."

"I didn’t even ask."

"I already knew what you were going to ask."

"Fine."

Hikari wrote something.

Noah started enjoying the movie more than he’d expected, not because of the romance, but because of Hikari’s reactions.

Every time a scene got too over-the-top, she looked at him. Every time Noah said something was normal, her expression improved a little.

In one scene, the two leads just stared at each other for way too long.

Hikari leaned in.

"That?"

Noah hesitated.

"Depends."

"On what?"

"On whether the guys swing the other way."

Hikari stopped writing. She looked at the screen, then at Noah.

"Then it’s realistic."

"You could say that."

She nodded. Noah didn’t think too hard about the way Hikari looked at him afterward.

The movie ended two hours later. They left the theater. Hikari had a lot of notes, way too many, really.

Noah looked at her phone.

"How much did you write?"

"Seventy-two observations."

Noah’s eyes widened.

"Seventy-two?"

"Some of them are really short."

"That doesn’t make it better."

Hikari put her phone away.

"They changed too much from the manga."

Noah raised an eyebrow.

"You’ve read it?"

"Yes."

"Then why did you want to watch the movie?"

"To compare."

"Of course."

Hikari started walking. Noah followed.

"Did you like it?"

"As an adaptation, no."

"As a movie?"

"Average."

"And as BL?"

Hikari thought.

"Five out of ten."

Noah laughed.

"You’re strict."

"They changed the development."

"Yeah, that sucks."

Hikari looked at him.

"You get it?"

"Yeah. When an adaptation changes the original story too much, it usually bothers people."

Hikari looked surprised. Noah continued.

"Especially if they cut important scenes."

"Exactly."

"And then they change something just to speed things up."

Hikari nodded.

"Yes, that’s the worst."

The two kept talking as they walked.

The conversation started with the movie, then moved to the manga, then to adaptations in general.

Hikari criticized three series Noah had never even heard of. She explained why one couple had good development, why another was poorly written, and why one adaptation had completely ruined a character.

Noah listened, answering sometimes and sometimes just letting her talk.

It was the first time he’d seen Hikari talk this much.

They ended up at a small stall near the station that sold drinks and some food.

Noah bought a drink. Hikari ordered tea. They sat at a small table while Hikari kept talking.

"And the problem is the adaptation cut the festival scene."

Noah took a sip.

"Was it important?"

"Very."

"Why?"

"Because that’s where one of them realizes he’s jealous."

"Then yeah, it was important."

"Exactly."

Hikari looked happy that Noah understood. Then she took a sip of tea.

"Besides, I have the figure from that scene."

Noah raised an eyebrow.

"Figure?"

Hikari went still. Noah smiled.

"You have merch?"

"No, well..."

"You just said it."

"I misspoke."

"Hikari."

She looked down.

"I have... a few things..."

"How many?"

"A few."

"That’s not a number."

"You don’t need to know."

Noah smiled.

"Are those hidden too?"

Hikari stayed quiet. Noah’s eyes widened.

"They *are* hidden!"

"Keep your voice down."

"Where?"

"I’m not telling you."

"Your room?"

"Maybe."

"A closet?"

Hikari looked at him. Noah laughed.

"So the closet."

"I didn’t confirm anything."

"Your face did."

Hikari drank tea so she wouldn’t have to answer. Noah watched her.

She was so different from the girl he saw at school. There, Hikari was serious, controlled, polite, and always proper.

Now she was talking for minutes about fictional couples, getting mad at adaptations, hiding figures, stashing manga, and all of it seemed to genuinely matter to her.

Noah smiled.

"I’m glad you have something you like this much."

Hikari set her cup on the table and looked at him.

"What?"

"Just that."

"You don’t think it’s weird?"

"No, of course not."

"A lot of people would."

"Then it doesn’t matter what they think."

Hikari stayed quiet. Noah continued.

"Besides, everyone has something they’d rather keep private."

"You too?"

Noah thought.

"Yeah, me too."

Hikari looked interested.

"What is it?"

"If I tell you, it stops being private."

She looked at him, then smiled a little.

"That’s true."

There was a silence that wasn’t uncomfortable. Hikari looked at her tea, then spoke.

"Thanks."

Noah raised an eyebrow.

"For what?"

"For listening."

"It was nothing."

"It was a lot for me."

Noah didn’t answer. Hikari looked up.

"I don’t usually talk about this."

"I already figured."

"And I can’t do it with many people either."

"I get it."

"But with you it wasn’t uncomfortable."

Noah smiled.

"I’m glad to hear that."

Hikari looked at him. The silence returned, but this time it was different. Noah noticed it. Hikari did too.

She didn’t look away. Noah started to feel uncomfortable, not because he wanted to leave, but the opposite, and that was what worried him.

Hikari was too close. He didn’t know when it had happened. Maybe when she leaned in to talk, or when she pulled the chair closer.

Noah could see her eyes too clearly. Hikari was watching him in silence. Noah swallowed.

’Hikari...’

She leaned in a little. Noah didn’t move. For a second he thought she was going to ask him something, but she didn’t speak. She just came a little closer.

Noah felt like he should stop her. He also felt like he didn’t want to. Their faces were too close.

Hikari blinked. Noah opened his mouth slightly. Then a voice sounded behind them.

"What a coincidence."

Noah recognized that voice and knew right away the situation was about to get complicated.