Prompt: A modern magical high school AU where Noelle's life suddenly turns into an otome game—and she absolutely refuses to be the losing heroine.
—
(Noelle Silva has entered the chat.)
—
It was supposed to be a normal Monday.
Which, in hindsight, was already suspicious.
The sun was shining.
Birds were chirping.
Charmy hadn't caused a food explosion in three whole days.
So obviously—something terrible was going to happen.
And of course, it happened to her.
She was walking across the courtyard. Late. Again.
Her bag was slipping off her shoulder. Her skirt was catching the wind.
She was muttering curses under her breath.
Typical morning.
Then she saw him.
Asta.
Grinning.
Waving to someone across the way. Shirt sleeves rolled up. Hair messier than usual.
She blinked.
The sun hit his smile just right.
Gross, she thought automatically. Why is he so shiny? Stop glowing like an anime protagonist.
She looked away.
Bad choice.
Because the next thing she knew, someone bumped into her—hard.
Her heel twisted.
Gravity betrayed her.
Her life flashed before her eyes.
But she didn't hit the ground.
Nope.
She crashed directly into Asta's chest.
There was a splash.
A yell.
A CRASH.
Then silence.
And wetness.
Lots of wetness.
She was in the damn fountain.
Noelle blinked. Water dripped down her bangs.
She was straddling Asta's lap.
His hands were on her waist.
WHY WERE HIS HANDS ON HER WAIST—
He looked up at her, wide-eyed, blinking like a soggy puppy.
"Are you okay?"
OH MY GOD.
She scrambled off him so fast she elbowed him in the nose.
"WHY WOULD YOU—NO, YOU IDIOT—WHY DID YOU GRAB ME LIKE THAT?!"
Asta, still smiling like a golden retriever: "You were falling! I couldn't let you hit the ground!"
He saved her. He actually saved her. From falling. Into a fountain. That they both landed in anyway.
And now there was a crowd.
Of course there was a crowd.
Mimosa gasped, hands over her mouth.
Rebecca took a photo.
Nero stared blankly, dead-eyed and still.
Yuno walked by without breaking stride.
Someone in the crowd whispered, "Wait, was that a love confession flag?"
Noelle's face turned volcanic.
"I—YOU—THIS ISN'T—SHUT UP!"
She jumped out of the fountain and ran.
Water squelched in her shoes. Her soaked uniform clung in all the wrong places.
Asta called after her, "Noelle, wait! You forgot your—"
She didn't care.
She had to get out of there.
—
Ten minutes later, Noelle slammed the bathroom door behind her.
Dripping. Red-faced. Mentally unwell.
She grabbed the edge of the sink.
What. Was. That.
Fountain. Lap. Hands. Crowd.
Her mind raced. Her soul left her body.
Then she looked in the mirror.
And she saw it.
The sparkles.
The blush.
The dripping wet heroine in distress look.
This is a shoujo anime.
No. Worse.
This is a full-on otome game opening.
And she had just triggered the inciting incident.
The first damn event on Asta's romance route.
She slammed her fist against the counter.
"No. Nope. Absolutely not. I REFUSE TO BE THE DEFAULT HEROINE."
She didn't even like Asta like that.
He was loud. He was stupid. He was too nice. He had zero magical talent and way too much upper body strength.
She didn't like him.
She didn't.
She just—
...remembered how warm his hands were.
And how he looked at her like she actually mattered.
Shut up, brain.
—
She went home early.
Blamed it on catching a cold from falling in the fountain.
(Half true.)
Collapsed into bed.
Pulled the covers over her head.
And that's when the fever dream hit.
—
She was standing in a giant rose garden.
Music played softly in the background.
A voice echoed from above.
"Welcome, Player. Choose your Route."
"What?"
Five portraits appeared in the sky.
Asta. Yuno. Mimosa. Rebecca. Nero.
They glowed ominously.
"Warning: Love Meter Activated."
Noelle screamed.
"No. No, no, no—this isn't happening. I'm not in a dating sim. I REFUSE TO BE IN A DATING SIM!"
Too late.
"Main Route: Asta. Difficulty: Idiot-Proof. Progress: 3%"
"Wait, 3%?! From the fountain thing?!"
"Rival Routes unlocked: Mimosa, Rebecca, Yuno, Nero."
"YUNO?!" Noelle shrieked. "Why is Yuno on the board?!"
The voice was cold and merciless.
"Affection levels: rising."
Noelle clutched her head.
—
She woke up gasping.
Covered in sweat.
Staring at the ceiling.
It was morning.
Birds chirped.
Someone was yelling outside. Probably Magna.
She rolled over and saw it.
Her school planner.
And next to it... a new notebook.
She didn't remember writing anything.
But there it was.
The cover read:
"Operation: WIN ASTA'S LOVE – Rivals, Routes, and Romance Flags."
In glitter pen.
"I blacked out and made a love strategy. Oh god. I'm in too deep."
—
She dragged herself to school.
Hair perfect. Uniform flawless.
Heart in shambles.
She saw Asta at the front gate.
Waving to people. Carrying someone's books.
Being disgustingly radiant.
He noticed her.
Brightened instantly.
"Noelle! You're not sick anymore! That's great!"
She froze.
Every word from his mouth sounded like sparkly text box dialogue now.
"I'm glad you're better! Do you want to sit with me at lunch today?"
Affection +10.
She blinked.
She had two options.
Option A: Say yes.
Option B: Yell at him and run away.
...
She chose Option C.
Stare at him in silence. Turn bright red. Then yell, "WHY WOULD I WANT TO SIT WITH A LOSER LIKE YOU?!"
And run away.
—
Behind a tree, she clutched her notebook.
Flipped to a fresh page.
Scrawled:
DAY ONE: Fountain Flag triggered.
Target remains oblivious.
Mimosa hovered nearby.
Yuno is acting weird.
Nero... keeps staring at me.
Conclusion: THE GAME HAS BEGUN.
—
The day started like any other.
Noelle had her notebook.
Her hair was flawless.
She'd color-coded her "Rival Threat Level" chart during homeroom.
She was ready.
This was war.
—
And then came Mimosa.
The golden girl. The flower princess.
The natural otome heroine.
She approached Asta with a smile so bright it could melt glaciers.
"Good morning, Asta." she sang, holding out a hand-packed bento.
It sparkled. Literally sparkled.
Noelle blinked.
No. She wouldn't. She didn't—
"I made this for you. I hope you enjoy it!"
Asta took it, delighted. "Whoa! Thanks, Mimosa!"
Noelle's eye twitched.
Did she just offer a full-course lunch before first period?
Are those sakura petals in the rice?!
Mimosa turned, met Noelle's gaze, and smiled sweetly.
Like a lion politely acknowledging another predator.
Threat Level: S-tier.
Noelle scribbled it down.
—
Next came Rebecca.
Casual. Effortless. Dangerously relatable.
She wasn't flashy. She didn't sparkle.
She just… got him.
Noelle watched them chat outside the gym.
Rebecca tossed Asta a towel.
They fist-bumped.
Then he said something and she laughed so hard she doubled over.
Noelle didn't even hear the joke.
But Asta laughed too. The dumb, adorable kind that made his eyes scrunch up.
Ugh. Gross.
Rebecca high-fived him.
Then walked away like it wasn't a boss move.
Noelle stared.
That was chemistry. Natural, frightening chemistry.
Threat Level: Sleeper Agent-tier.
Lurks in the shadows. Attacks with normalcy.
RUNNING UNDER THE RADAR.
She added a red skull emoji.
—
Then there was Nero.
Noelle hadn't even considered Nero a threat.
She barely spoke. She barely blinked.
She was more bird than girl.
But now… she was always there.
In the background.
Watching.
Asta would say something dumb—"I wonder if gravity's heavier in the mornings!"—and Nero would nod.
Like it made sense.
Like he made sense.
Sometimes she even perched behind him on the bench.
Like a tiny, judgmental gargoyle.
Noelle caught her once.
Just staring.
At her.
Unmoving. Unblinking.
The moment stretched out like a horror movie.
Noelle took a step back. "What?"
Nero blinked once.
"…You're behind on affection points."
Then flew away.
LITERALLY FLEW AWAY.
Threat Level: Eldritch Entity-tier.
Knows too much. May or may not control the game engine.
Noelle closed her notebook and whispered a prayer.
—
And then…
There was Yuno.
The final boss.
Noelle had thought he was just Asta's weirdly attached childhood friend.
Nothing romantic. Just rivalry. Mutual obsession. Constant staring. Intense declarations of eternal acknowledgment.
...Okay, maybe there was something there.
But she was wrong.
So, so wrong.
Because that afternoon, Asta flung open the classroom door like a shounen protagonist (as usual), and shouted—
"YUNO! YOU'RE MY MOST PRECIOUS PERSON!"
Everything stopped.
Noelle dropped her pencil.
Yuno looked up from his book.
"...Why are you yelling that at me?"
Asta grinned. "I dunno! Just felt like it!"
Noelle gripped her desk.
Precious?! PRECIOUS?! What the hell was that?!
Yuno blinked. Turned a page. "Stop being loud."
Threat Level: ???
She started scribbling.
Yuno: Ambiguous affection rating.
Plausible BL route.
Asta confirmed 'precious' status.
Proceed with extreme caution.
Also, how the HELL is he hotter when he's annoyed?!
—
By lunch, Noelle was a wreck.
Her notebook looked like a manifesto.
Her pen was out of ink.
Her blood pressure was in the sky.
She sat on the rooftop, fuming, stabbing her rice with chopsticks.
Then the door creaked open.
And of course, it was Asta.
"Hey! There you are!" he said, flopping down beside her with zero hesitation.
Noelle stiffened.
She couldn't even look at him.
He leaned forward. "Are you mad at me or something?"
"No," she lied.
"You've been avoiding me all day."
"No, I haven't."
"You ran away from me in the hallway."
"I had gym."
"I was in that gym."
DAMN IT.
She clenched her fists.
Asta leaned in, squinting at her lunch.
"Did you forget to pack anything?"
"No."
He handed her a steamed bun.
"Here. I had extras."
She stared at it.
Her brain short-circuited.
This was a kindness flag.
A small, sincere offering.
He was feeding her.
The otome game music swelled in her head.
Affection +5.
She took it.
"Th-thanks."
Asta grinned.
Noelle wanted to scream.
—
Back in her room, she opened the notebook.
Taped the bun wrapper to the page.
Labeled it: "SIGNIFICANT MEAL EXCHANGE – Route Progress: 6%"
Below that, she wrote:
Rivals are growing bolder.
Mimosa too elegant.
Rebecca too relatable.
Nero defies physics.
Yuno… needs to stop being vaguely hot.
She paused.
Then added:
But I won't lose.
I am Noelle Silva.
This is MY route.
And underlined it three times.
—
Noelle had a plan.
Several, actually.
They were all outlined in her Otome Counterattack Binder:
"The Ultimate Route Progression Playbook: Tsundere Edition."
Tab 1: "Accidental Proximity."
Tab 2: "Damsel-In-Distress Moments."
Tab 3: "Emergency Illness Flags."
Tab 4: "Baking." (circled in red. multiple warnings.)
She chose Tab 2.
—
The Fall-Into-His-Arms Maneuver.
Classic. Reliable. Universally understood.
She scoped the hallway. No obstacles.
Shoes tied. Wind angle calculated.
Asta was approaching.
Fast.
She bolted. A "trip." A yelp. A slight shove from gravity.
It was perfect.
Until she misjudged.
Instead of falling into his arms, she tripped past him.
Crashing into a janitor's cart.
Brooms flew. A bucket launched.
She emerged soaking wet, with a mop on her head.
Asta blinked.
"...Noelle? Are you okay?"
She stood.
Dignity drowned.
"...I'm fine."
He offered his hand. She took it.
The janitor sobbed quietly behind them.
—
Later that week: The "Fake Sick to Get Noticed" Strat.
She sat dramatically at her desk.
Head down. Palms cold. Skin pale (thanks to a light powder dusting).
Asta passed by.
Did a double-take.
Knelt beside her like a hero.
"Noelle! You okay?!"
Her heart pounded.
It's working. It's actually working.
"...I think I have a fever," she whispered weakly.
Asta placed his hand on her forehead.
Warm. Calloused. Illegal.
He squinted. "You don't feel hot."
She forced a cough. A delicate, maidenly one.
He frowned.
"...Did you eat lunch?"
"...N-no..."
He stood.
And five minutes later came back—
With a full meal tray.
Sat beside her.
And watched her eat.
Like a mom.
Affection gained: 0.
Dignity lost: all.
—
Her next scheme: "Kitchen Catastrophe."
It was a risky move.
Noelle had never cooked before.
Her idea of baking was asking the butler to preheat the oven.
Still. If Mimosa could deliver sakura rice, she could deliver cookies.
Probably.
—
Two hours later, the kitchen looked like a war zone.
There was flour on the ceiling.
The batter was suspiciously… sentient.
She kept going.
She was fighting for love.
—
She brought the finished "cookies" to the courtyard.
Asta was training. Shirt half-off. Laughing in the sunlight.
She felt her brain blue-screen.
Focus.
"Hey! Peasant!" she called, hurling the container at him.
Smooth.
He caught it, grinning. "What's this?"
"...Cookies. For… research purposes."
He popped one into his mouth.
Noelle froze.
Wait. WAIT.
That was the burnt one.
He chewed. Blinked.
Then smiled.
"It's... crunchy!"
He's trying not to die.
"Water?" she offered quickly.
He nodded. Eyes watering. "Please."
She handed him a bottle.
It was vinegar.
He choked. She screamed. Someone in the bushes screamed louder.
Later, she found out that was Nero.
—
She went home. Collapsed onto her bed. Face down.
Her soul left her body somewhere between "It's crunchy!" and "Why does this water burn?!"
She pulled her binder out from under her pillow.
Flipped to the back page.
Wrote:
*Attempted:
Fall-into-arms: FAIL.
Sick day sympathy: FAIL.
Homemade treats: CRIMINAL OFFENSE.*
She sighed.
Stared at the ceiling.
Why is this so hard?
—
The next day, she tried to act normal.
No schemes. No traps. No vinegar.
Just… normal.
Asta saw her in the hallway.
Waved like nothing happened. "Hey Noelle!"
She blinked.
"...Why are you still talking to me?"
"Huh?"
"I tried to poison you yesterday."
He laughed. Actually laughed.
"You're just a weirdly competitive friend, that's all."
She froze.
Weirdly.
Competitive.
Friend.
He patted her head.
Head pat.
Like a dog.
Or a child.
She screamed into a locker later.
—
At lunch, Mimosa handed him a new bento.
Rebecca passed him a rice ball with his name on it in seaweed.
Nero handed him a rare potion. For no reason.
Yuno stared at him across the courtyard.
Intense. Brooding. Suspiciously sparkly.
Asta smiled at all of them.
Noelle clenched her fists.
I am losing this game.
—
That night, she sat by the window.
Binder open. Moonlight dramatic.
She sipped tea like a tragic heroine.
(Iced tea. From a can. But still.)
What am I doing wrong?
I'm cute. I'm rich. I'm semi-violent but in a charming way.
She closed her eyes.
No more schemes.
Next time…
She'd just talk to him.
Like a normal girl.
Like a person.
She wrote it down in huge letters.
NO MORE SCHEMES.
Then underlined it.
Twice.
And added a small note:
Unless opportunity arises naturally. Or emergency flirting is required.
—
It started with the School Festival.
Of course it did.
Every otome game had one. It was a rite of passage. A chance to make real progress with the love interest.
Couples confessed under the stars.
Kisses happened behind food stalls.
Fireworks exploded at emotionally convenient moments.
It was destiny.
It was scripted.
And Noelle was going to win this route if it killed her.
—
"Black Bulls Cafe!" Magna shouted, smacking a banner onto a broken table.
Gordon whispered something horrifying in the corner.
Luck had already eaten the profits.
Vanessa was drinking the profits.
Charmy was the profits.
Asta turned to her, bright-eyed and smiling. "This is gonna be awesome, right, Noelle?!"
She nodded.
Don't blow it.
Don't blow it.
Don't—
"You're gonna wear the maid outfit, right?"
She stared.
"…what."
"Vanessa said all the girls are doing it!"
Vanessa winked from behind a curtain. "All part of the marketing, sweetie."
Noelle's brain caught fire.
She marched into the supply closet like a soldier going to war.
—
Ten minutes later, she emerged.
Short skirt. Frills. Thigh-highs. Black ribbons.
Absolutely illegal levels of tsundere damage.
Asta saw her.
Choked on his drink.
"N-Noelle?! You look—!"
She raised a finger.
"Say anything and I drown you in tea."
He grinned.
"I was gonna say you look really cool!"
She blinked.
"…Cool?"
"Yeah! Like a battle maid!"
…Not what she was aiming for, but he looked so proud.
So she let it slide.
—
The festival started.
Crowds flooded in.
The Black Bulls Cafe was chaos incarnate.
Noelle served tea with all the grace of a magical landmine.
Three girls tried to flirt with Asta. One ran away crying. Another gave him a love letter. He used it as a coaster.
Noelle got in a full-on fight with Mimosa in the hallway over table placements.
Charmy broke it up by rolling between them in a dessert cart.
Rebecca stopped by with her siblings. Asta gave them all cookies. The youngest called Noelle a scary princess.
Yuno showed up. Didn't buy anything. Just stood near Asta silently for five full minutes.
Noelle watched.
HE'S DOING THE SHOUJO LOVE INTEREST WALL LEAN.
NO ONE ELSE CAN SEE IT BUT I CAN. I KNOW WHAT THIS IS.
Yuno finally spoke: "You have something on your face."
Wiped frosting off Asta's cheek with his thumb.
Noelle screamed into a teacup.
—
And yet, despite all of it…
She was kind of having fun?
Asta kept smiling at her. Laughing at her weird jokes. Standing next to her without realizing what it was doing to her respiratory system.
He helped her fix a loose ribbon in her hair.
Told her he liked her "fire."
He carried a stack of trays for her. Complimented her "balance." (She fell immediately after.)
They laughed. Like friends.
But also like…
More.
—
Then came the Lantern Event.
An end-of-festival tradition. Students made paper lanterns and released them into the sky with a wish.
It was a romantic goldmine.
Noelle wrote her wish in tiny, trembling letters.
I wish he'd see me. Just once. Like I see him.
She didn't look at Asta's paper. She couldn't. She'd combust.
They stood together in the field. The stars were out. The lanterns were glowing.
He smiled at her. "Ready?"
She nodded.
They released them.
They floated up, side by side.
Just like them.
Her heart was going so stupid fast she couldn't hear the music anymore.
And then—
"NOELLE!"
A voice cut through everything.
Mimosa. Glowing. Perfect. Holding a tray of drinks like a goddess descended from heaven. "I've been looking everywhere! Want to join us for the afterparty?"
Asta turned. "Oh, cool!"
Noelle's jaw dropped.
STOP LYING! YOU WEREN'T EVEN LOOKING FOR ME, YOU BIMBO!
She opened her mouth.
Closed it.
Looked at her lantern, still drifting up.
Looked at him.
He smiled at her again. "You coming too, Noelle?"
She blinked.
Her brain said: Throw Mimosa into the koi pond.
Her heart said: Don't ruin the moment.
She forced a smile.
"…I'll catch up."
—
She watched them walk off.
Felt the cold hit her all at once.
She sat on the bench. Alone.
Stared at the stars like they'd betrayed her personally.
"…Stupid festival," she muttered. "Stupid maid dress. Stupid beautiful Mimosa. Stupid Asta and his perfect stupid shoulders—"
A soft sound interrupted her.
She turned.
Nero. Perched on the fence.
No words. Just a long, knowing blink.
Noelle scowled.
"…Don't say anything."
Nero tilted her head.
Still silent.
Then flew off.
—
Noelle sighed.
Crossed her arms.
"This isn't over," she whispered.
Because it wasn't.
This was just a plot twist.
A late-game shake-up.
An obstacle on the path to her happy ending.
She adjusted her ribbon. Stood up.
Fireworks exploded behind her.
She didn't look back.
I'm going to win this route. Even if it kills me.
—
Noelle did not cry.
She did not cry.
She did dramatically stare out a window for two hours while rain fell in cinematic sheets behind her.
Asta was fine.
He still smiled at her. Still called her "awesome" when she nearly flooded the hallway trying to clean a spill. Still asked if she wanted to spar with him after school.
It was worse somehow.
Because now she knew—no matter how close she got, he'd always stay just out of reach.
Friendzoned. By the human embodiment of sunshine.
She wiped a tear off her cheek and immediately denied it existed.
—
Then came The Incident.
—
It started normal.
They were out training.
She was hurling water spheres at him while pretending not to aim at his stupid perfect face.
Then thunder cracked. Clouds rolled in.
And because fate hated her, the heavens opened up with the kind of downpour that makes main characters confess things.
"Guess we should head back!" Asta shouted over the storm.
She nodded, hair plastered to her forehead.
They ran.
Halfway there, he slipped.
Noelle caught him instinctively, magic reacting before her brain did.
They landed.
Him on the ground.
Her on top of him.
Rain. Mud. Physical proximity. Otome-grade tension.
"…Are you okay?" she asked, blinking water from her lashes.
He stared up at her.
Eyes wide.
Face red.
Voice soft. "Noelle…"
IT'S HAPPENING.
She froze.
Heartbeat going full anime opening.
"…Yeah?" she whispered.
A pause.
"You're really strong."
She blinked.
Then blinked again.
"…That's it?"
"I mean—yeah! You caught me like it was nothing! Super cool!"
Noelle stood up.
Backed away slowly.
Emotionally imploded.
—
She didn't talk to him for three days.
Vanessa called it "a tsundere spiral."
Charmy gave her a whole cake and patted her head.
Yami told her to "get over herself" but also offered her his coat, which made it worse somehow.
And Mimosa… Mimosa tried to be nice.
Which made her suspicious.
Which made her mad.
Which made her spiral harder.
—
And then.
The rumor started.
Apparently, Rebecca confessed to Asta behind the gym.
He hadn't said yes.
But he hadn't said no either.
Noelle heard about it from Secre, who just dropped it into conversation like it wasn't soul-crushing.
"I thought you'd want to know. You looked like you were about to declare war on a flowerpot earlier."
Noelle clenched her jaw.
Stared at the horizon like it owed her money.
So this is how the route ends.
I lose to the childhood friend with good baking skills and stable emotional expression.
Fine.
Fine.
She would retire from this dumb otome game.
Live in a volcano.
Date nobody.
Let the other routes burn.
She was done.
—
Then Asta knocked on her door.
She opened it mid-snarl.
"What."
He blinked. "…Hi?"
She crossed her arms. "Shouldn't you be out accepting love confessions?"
He scratched his head. "Huh? Oh, that. I told her no."
Noelle paused.
"…What?"
"I said I wasn't looking for anything like that right now."
Another pause.
"…Right now?"
He shrugged. "Yeah. There's someone else I think I like. But I'm not sure if she likes me."
Noelle's brain screamed so loudly it probably echoed.
Her heart leapt.
Her pride panic-slapped it back down.
"…Do I know her?"
Asta looked right at her.
And smiled.
"You're really pretty when you're mad, you know?"
—
She slammed the door.
Stared at it.
Then opened it again and grabbed his shirt.
"You unbelievable moron."
"Wait—"
"You made me think I was losing!"
"What—"
"You—YOU IDIOT!" she shouted, face scarlet, hands shaking. "I've been—! You've been—! For MONTHS—!"
Rain started again. Because of course it did.
Asta blinked as she pulled him forward.
"I love you, okay?! There! I said it! You're an idiot and I love you and you don't make sense and I want to punch you but I also want to kiss you and I don't know what to do with that!"
Silence.
Long, dripping, thunder-filled silence.
Then—
Asta smiled.
And picked her up like it was nothing.
Carried her inside like a freaking princess.
"Noelle?"
"…Yeah?"
"I've liked you since you tried to drown me in soup."
She gaped.
"…That was one time."
"And it was so cool."
—
They stood there, soaked, hearts hammering.
Then she kissed him.
Right on the mouth.
No tsundere backpedaling. No internal screaming.
Just finally.
—
Down the hall, Luck cheered. "I KNEW IT!"
Vanessa won 20,000 yul from a betting pool.
Yuno just closed his book and muttered, "Finally."
Nero said nothing. But she smirked.
—
Noelle couldn't stop smiling.
She was soaked. Freezing. Still kind of mad.
But she was smiling.
Because finally, she wasn't chasing the route anymore.
She won it.
—
The Aftermath (Bonus Routes?)
(a.k.a. "I Confessed and All I Got Was a Boyfriend, a Headache, and Existential Terror.")
—
Noelle Silva had a boyfriend now.
An actual boyfriend.
She woke up the next morning and tried to pretend it was normal.
Did her hair. Put on her uniform. Rehearsed her usual haughty-but-not-really-haughty strut in the mirror.
Totally normal.
Then she looked at her reflection and whispered, "I kissed him."
And immediately started screaming into a pillow.
—
They met in the hallway before class.
Noelle spotted him and felt every atom in her body combust.
He waved. Bright. Oblivious. Adorable.
Then jogged over and said, "Good morning, babe!"
Babe.
She froze.
Glitched like a cursed magic item.
Babe?! He said BABE? In public??
A second later, she instinctively uppercut him into a locker.
"…I panicked," she muttered, cheeks glowing.
Asta gave her a thumbs-up from the floor. "That's my girl!"
—
Enter: the Rivals.
Because post-confession peace was not in the cards.
—
Mimosa found her at lunch.
Perfect curls. Sweet smile. Voice like a court summons.
"I'm happy for you," she said, setting down her tray like she wasn't about to start a duel. "Truly."
Noelle blinked. "Thanks?"
"But just so you know… if you ever hurt him, I'll replace you so gracefully you won't even notice until he's mine."
Noelle nearly choked on her juice.
Mimosa took a delicate bite of a sandwich and smiled. "Bon appétit."
—
Rebecca was worse.
She hugged Noelle.
Hugged her.
"I'm so glad he finally noticed," she said brightly. "You guys are adorable! I mean, I could've been happy with him, but you deserve it."
Noelle was paralyzed.
How do you fight someone that nice?
How do you one-up a girl who calls your relationship "sweet" while making your boyfriend lunchboxes "just as friends?"
You don't. You just live in fear.
—
Nero said nothing, as usual.
But when she flew past Noelle during class, she paused.
Landed on her head.
Smirked.
And whispered, "Took you long enough."
Noelle blinked. "Wait. Were you shipping us?"
Nero flapped off without another word, like a smug little bat demon.
—
And then there was Yuno.
Noelle cornered him during study period.
"So. You didn't actually like him, right?"
Yuno stared at her like she was a beetle he found on his sleeve.
"…Why would you think that?"
"You always show up when he's emotionally vulnerable!"
"I'm his best friend… and his brother."
"You helped him pick out shampoo."
"He asked for help."
"You called him your 'most precious person!'"
Yuno sighed. Closed his book. "Because he is."
Noelle opened her mouth.
Closed it.
"…Okay that's fair."
Yuno nodded. "Also, I'm into girls. Specifically not one who keeps calling me a 'BL route obstacle.'"
She stared.
Then flushed red. "Is it Bell?"
He looked away. "No comment."
—
The Black Bulls threw a celebration party.
Vanessa got everyone drunk on enchanted punch. Charmy made heart-shaped snacks. Magna lit fireworks inside the base. Yami said "don't break up or I'll break you," and left.
Finral gave Asta a 'Congrats on Finally Scoring' card.
Asta, of course, had no idea what that meant.
Noelle buried her face in a cushion and tried to disappear.
—
And yet.
Later that night.
Under the stars, with fireflies buzzing and Luck still trying to duel tree branches in the background—
Noelle sat beside Asta on the roof.
Her head rested on his shoulder.
His hand was in hers.
No rivals. No delusions. No schemes.
Just them.
"…You're not gonna wake up one day and regret this, right?" she asked quietly.
He looked down at her.
Smiled.
"I spent months thinking I didn't have a chance with you."
She blinked.
"…You what now."
"I mean—come on, you're a princess. You've got magic. You're smart. I'm just…"
He trailed off.
Noelle stared.
Then punched his arm. "Don't say stuff like that."
"Ow—"
"You're mine now, you get that?"
His eyes lit up.
"Yeah. I get that."
—
Somewhere in the distance, Mimosa practiced fencing against a tree.
Rebecca embroidered matching gloves.
Yuno reevaluated his life choices.
Nero recorded all of it.
And Noelle?
She fell asleep on her boyfriend's shoulder, heart full, dreams loud.
—
But the nightmares still came sometimes.
Alternate timelines. Shimmering filters. Different routes.
Bonus Route 1: Asta x Mimosa.
Graceful. Stable. Politely tragic.
Bonus Route 2: Asta x Rebecca.
Wholesome. Relatable. Home-cooked feelings.
Bonus Route 3: Asta x Yuno.
Shounen-ai levels of soul connection.
Bonus Route 4: Asta x Sister Lily. (Morally questionable but so very likeable).
"...Get out of my subconscious."
—
Noelle woke up gasping.
Looked at the boy beside her.
Asta smiled. "Nightmare?"
She nodded.
He leaned closer. "Want me to stay?"
She grabbed his hoodie sleeve. "Don't move."
He didn't.
—
Game cleared.
Noelle Silva: 1
Everyone else: 0
(…for now.)