Chapter 176: This is Aria’s reward, right?

Noah was still looking at his phone, since Hikari’s message remained on the screen.

[Tomorrow explain to me what I have to do to become a magical girl.]

It had worked.

After several attempts, questions about men, BL manga, a movie, and far too many strange situations, Hikari was finally willing to accept becoming a magical girl.

Noah should have felt satisfied, but instead he slowly lifted his gaze toward Aria, who was still smiling.

"Now I want my reward."

Noah put the phone away.

"What reward?"

"The one you just accepted."

"I didn’t accept anything."

"You thanked me."

"That doesn’t mean you can charge me for something."

Aria tilted her head slightly.

"Then I’ll withdraw my help."

"You can’t withdraw something you already did."

"You think I can’t?"

Noah sighed.

"Fine."

Aria smiled, at which Noah raised a finger.

"But first tell me what you want."

"I just want a date."

Noah blinked.

"That’s all?"

Aria raised an eyebrow.

"Are you disappointed?"

"No."

"It seemed like you were expecting something else."

"I wasn’t expecting anything."

"What a liar you are, my love."

Noah decided to ignore it.

"When?"

"Now."

"Now?"

"That’s right."

Noah checked the time.

"Aria, it’s already late."

"We have several hours."

"I have to go home."

"You can let them know."

"I also have things to do."

"You can do them tomorrow."

Noah looked at her and Aria kept a completely calm expression.

"This doesn’t feel like an invitation."

"Good that you noticed."

"That’s what I thought."

Aria took his hand.

"Let’s go."

"Wait."

She was already walking and Noah had to follow her.

"Aria!"

"Yes?"

"Where are we going?"

"Shopping."

Noah felt a bad premonition.

"I don’t need anything."

"I’ll decide that."

"That’s not how it works!"

It worked exactly like that.

The first stop was a clothing store, a place Noah knew, not because he had shopped there before, but because he had seen the prices from outside and decided never to look again.

Aria walked in with absolute naturalness and Noah stopped at the entrance.

"No."

Aria turned.

"What?"

"This place is too expensive."

"So?"

"That’s exactly why."

"I don’t understand the problem."

Noah pointed at a nearby jacket.

"That costs more than I make in weeks."

Aria looked at the tag.

"It’s cheap."

Noah’s eyes widened.

"Don’t say that!"

Aria took him by the arm.

"Stop complaining and come on."

"I’m not going to let you buy things like that."

"It’s my money."

"That doesn’t change anything."

Aria was already selecting clothes.

A shirt, a pair of pants, another shirt, a jacket, shoes while Noah followed her.

"Aria."

"Yes?"

"I don’t need all of that."

"I think you do."

"Why?"

"Because I want you to look good when we go out together."

Noah looked at her.

"Are you telling me I dress badly now?"

Aria thought for a few seconds.

"Not entirely."

"That sounded like a yes."

"You look good."

"I see."

"But you could look better."

Noah closed his eyes.

"Sure."

Aria chose another shirt.

"This would look good on you."

Noah looked at the price.

"No, thanks."

"I say yes."

"And I don’t want to."

Aria smiled.

"This is part of my reward, don’t forget."

Noah clenched his teeth.

"You’re abusing that word."

"It’s working."

An employee approached and Aria handed her several garments.

"Have him try these on."

Noah looked at her.

"Do I not get a say in this decision?"

The employee smiled.

"Looks like you don’t."

Noah sighed and ended up trying everything on.

Aria rejected two shirts, accepted three, added another jacket, bought shoes and also a watch.

Noah tried to stop her several times, but it didn’t work and when they left, Noah was carrying several bags.

"This is absurd."

Aria walked happily beside him.

"They look good on you."

"It wasn’t necessary."

"For me it was."

"Why?"

Aria looked at him.

"Because I’m going to marry you."

Noah almost tripped.

"Can you stop saying that so casually?"

"What’s the problem?"

"It’s just that there’s still a long way to go."

"But it will happen."

Noah didn’t answer and Aria kept walking.

"Besides, I already have several things prepared."

Noah felt another bad premonition.

"What things?"

"The place where we’ll live."

He stopped.

"What?"

Aria also stopped.

"A house."

"You already have a house?"

"Yes, that’s right."

"For us?"

"Of course, who else would it be for?"

Noah looked at her for several seconds.

"Aria."

"What?"

"We haven’t even finished high school."

"That’s why we’re preparing it."

"Preparing?"

"There are rooms I want to change."

"How many?"

"A few."

Noah started to worry.

"How many rooms does it have?"

Aria thought.

"Depends on whether you count the guest ones."

Noah closed his eyes.

"I don’t want to know."

Aria smiled.

"It also has a garden."

"Aria."

"And enough space if we have kids."

Noah opened his eyes.

"Aria!"

She laughed.

"What?"

"Don’t plan kids yet."

"Why?"

"Because we’re studying."

"That doesn’t stop us from planning."

Noah brought a hand to his forehead and Aria continued talking.

She had thought about where they would live, in which area, about the distance to their jobs, about rooms, about safety.

Even about the possibility of Ren living nearby or directly with them, depending on how everything evolved.

Noah listened to her growing more and more surprised.

"You’ve thought too much about this."

"Of course."

"Since when?"

"From before you accepted the engagement."

Noah fell silent.

"That doesn’t help."

Aria smiled.

"I like being prepared."

They continued walking and Aria took him to a café, then to an accessories store, to a bookstore, to another store where Noah completely refused to enter when he saw the prices, so Aria had to drag him.

In every place she found something she wanted to buy him and Noah managed to reject a few things, very few.

When they left the last store, it was already night and Noah looked at the bags.

"I’m going to have to invent an explanation."

"You can say I gifted them to you."

"That generates more questions."

"Then say they’re gifts from your fiancée."

"That generates even more."

Aria smiled.

"Better."

Noah looked at her.

"You’re doing it on purpose, right?"

"Of course."

A drop fell on Noah’s hand, so he looked up and several more drops started falling.

Aria lifted her gaze.

"It’s going to rain."

Noah frowned.

"We have to find shelter."

The rain increased rapidly, so both of them ran under the awning of a closed store while Noah protected the bags as best he could.

"Perfect."

Aria looked at the street.

"It’s getting worse."

"We’ll wait."

Several minutes passed and it didn’t improve, quite the opposite, so Noah took out his phone.

"There’s no transportation nearby."

Aria pointed to the other side of the street.

"There’s a hotel."

Noah slowly lifted his gaze.

"No way."

Aria smiled.

"I didn’t say anything."

"You thought it."

"We need to wait."

"We can wait here."

"In the cold?"

"I’m not cold."

Noah sneezed and Aria looked at him, at which Noah stayed serious.

"That doesn’t prove anything."

"Let’s go."

"Aria, I..."

"Just until it stops."

Noah observed the rain, then the bags, then the hotel and sighed.

"Just until it stops."

Aria smiled with a touch of mischief.

"Sure."