Chapter 165: Reduced Budget for Everything.

Ayane had been looking for Noah for almost twenty minutes.

She had checked the main hallways, the library, the cafeteria, and the academic building.

She had even gone back past the place where she had last seen him, but nothing, Noah had disappeared.

Ayane stopped in front of a staircase and looked around.

’How could he disappear so quickly?’

She was sure she had followed him correctly.

Well, for most of the time, since there had been a moment when Noah went into a building and she had to pretend she was checking a poster because he looked back.

After that he had left through a side door, then gone up some stairs, then down again, and then back into another building.

Ayane narrowed her eyes.

’He gave me the slip.’

The idea bothered her, not because Noah had caught her following him, which was also a problem, but mainly because now she didn’t know why he was looking for Hikari Amatsuki.

That question had started taking up far too much space in her head.

’Why Hikari? Why did he need to talk to her? Why was it important? Why wouldn’t he tell me?’

Ayane tightened her grip a little on the folder she was carrying.

"It doesn’t matter."

A student walking by glanced at her, and Ayane lowered her voice.

"It’s none of my business."

She kept walking, but three steps later she stopped.

’But it could be magical girl business.’

That sounded better. Much better.

If Noah was making contact with Hikari for some reason related to the magical girls, the Great Mother, or any of the recent anomalies, Ayane needed to know.

It was logical, professional, and completely work-related. Nothing to do with anything else.

Ayane adjusted her glasses.

’I just need to find out what he wants from her.’

Her phone vibrated. She pulled it out and saw a message from Reina.

[Are you coming or not?]

Ayane closed her eyes. She had forgotten about the meeting. She checked the time and realized she was late, which was not normal for her.

[On my way.]

She put the phone away.

She wasn’t going to find Noah right now, and if she kept searching she would probably end up walking the entire high school grounds again.

Ayane headed for the exit and fifteen minutes later arrived at a nearby park.

It wasn’t the same playground where they had held one of their earlier meetings.

This time they had chosen a more discreet area with a few concrete tables, trees, and vending machines.

Ayane spotted Reina immediately. She was sitting at a table with an expression of pure misery.

In front of her was a small cup of instant noodles and nothing else.

Misaki sat on the opposite side of the table with several bullets laid out on a cloth, inspecting them one by one.

Ayane walked over.

"I’m here."

Reina slowly lifted her head.

"You’re late."

"I know."

"That never happens."

"I had something to do."

Misaki didn’t look up.

"Following Noah."

Ayane went still. Reina’s eyes widened.

"What?"

Ayane stared at Misaki.

"How do you know that?!"

Misaki picked up a bullet.

"Because my gun has the ability to see my targets even from far away."

Ayane stayed silent. Misaki continued.

"And when I used it to check what Noah was doing, I saw you hiding behind a pillar like a total stalker."

Reina looked at Ayane, then at Misaki, then back at Ayane.

"You were following Noah?"

"No, of course not."

Misaki spoke without emotion.

"Yeah. She was this close to throwing herself at him."

Ayane frowned.

"It wasn’t following him."

"Then what was it?"

"Surveillance."

Reina propped her elbow on the table.

"That’s just following him with professional vocabulary."

Ayane ignored the comment, looked at the noodles, then at Reina.

"Is that your lunch?"

Reina clenched her teeth.

"Yes."

Ayane examined the cup.

"There’s nothing in it."

"I noticed."

"Not even an egg."

"I know."

"No meat."

"Yeah."

"No vegetables."

Reina slammed her palm on the table.

"I know what it doesn’t have!"

A few people in the park glanced their way. Ayane spoke quietly.

"Keep it down."

Reina pointed at the noodles.

"I’m eating flavored hot water!"

"Then be grateful we can still afford the hot water."

Reina stared at her with pure betrayal.

"I hate you."

Misaki held a bullet up to the light.

"This one still works."

Ayane looked at what she was doing.

"What are you doing?"

"Reusing ammo."

Reina turned toward her.

"That sounds dangerous."

Misaki answered.

"Less dangerous than running out of bullets."

Ayane frowned.

"How many are you reusing?"

"Whatever I can recover."

"Since when have you been doing that?"

"Since our equipment budget got cut."

Reina raised a hand.

"I’d like the record to show that I deeply hate our punishment."

Ayane sat down.

"We already know."

"No. You don’t."

Reina pointed at her food.

"Before, I could order lunch."

Ayane stayed serious.

"You still can."

"This isn’t lunch."

"It’s food."

"It’s not enough."

"It does the job."

Reina stared at her.

"You talk like someone who would eat a nutrient pill for breakfast if it were legal."

Ayane didn’t answer. Reina opened her mouth.

"Wait."

She pointed at her.

"Would you?"

"That’s not relevant."

"You would!"

Misaki set a bullet down on the cloth.

"Me too."

Reina looked at both of them.

"I’m surrounded by psychopaths."

Ayane pulled out a small notebook.

"We have more important things."

She opened it. Several pages were filled with perfectly ordered columns: income, expenses, maintenance, equipment, transportation, food, emergencies.

Reina saw the notebook and her expression worsened.

"No."

Ayane looked up.

"What?"

"Don’t pull that out again."

"It’s the household budget."

"We’re a clandestine combat unit."

"And right now we’re a clandestine combat unit with limited resources."

Misaki nodded.

"That’s correct."

Reina pointed at the notebook.

"Why does it say household budget?"

"Because now we have to manage our finances like we’re living on a limited allowance."

"That’s humiliating!"

Ayane turned a page.

"It’s our situation."

The organization’s punishment had been clear. They had failed the mission to capture Noah.

Worse, they had directly interfered to keep other units from capturing him, and as a result their equipment priority had been lowered.

At first Reina had thought it wouldn’t be that bad. Then she discovered how much it actually cost to live, and she was not handling it well.

Ayane pointed at a column.

"This month we have to cut unnecessary expenses."

Reina raised a hand.

"I propose increasing the food budget."

"Denied."

"You didn’t even hear how much!"

"Denied."

"Just a little."

"I said denied."

"We need protein."

Misaki spoke.

"Buy eggs."

Reina looked at her.

"I want meat."

"Eggs have protein."

"It’s not the same."

Ayane kept reviewing the numbers.

"This week you’ve already spent too much on food."

Reina’s eyes went wide.

"Too much?"

"Yes."

"I ate three burgers!"

"Exactly."

"In the whole week!"

"You could have cooked."

"I don’t know how to cook."

"Learn."

Reina looked at Misaki.

"Defend me."

Misaki checked another bullet.

"Learn."

Reina slowly lowered her head.

"You two are awful."

Ayane pointed at another line.

"You also spent money on drinks."

"I need to drink."

"Then drink water."

"I wanted coffee."

"You can make coffee."

"Home coffee tastes different!"

Ayane closed her eyes.

"Reina."

"What?"

"We don’t have money."

Reina fell silent. Ayane opened her eyes again.

"That’s it."

Reina stared at her noodles.

"This is Noah’s fault."

Ayane reacted instantly.

"No."

Reina raised an eyebrow.

"No?"

"It’s not Noah’s fault. We failed to capture him because the mission was poorly planned."

Reina smiled.

"How quickly you defended him."

Ayane tightened her grip on the pen.

"I’m stating a fact."

"Sure."

Misaki spoke without looking up.

"You also tried to stop other units from capturing him."

Ayane went silent. Reina’s smile widened.

"That’s also a fact."

Ayane closed the notebook.

"Let’s get back to the budget."

"Don’t change the subject."

"The budget."

Reina laughed.

"You were following him today and now you’re defending him."

"I wasn’t following him."

"Sorry, surveillance."

"Exactly."

Reina was about to answer when a familiar voice interrupted the conversation.

"Money problems?"

Ayane went completely still. Misaki stopped checking the bullets. Reina lifted her head. They all recognized the voice.