Chapter 223: The Great Mother and the Magical Girls.

Noah couldn’t understand why the Great Mother had left him with his memories, while Ava watched him with growing curiosity.

"Noah."

Noah looked up.

"Yes?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I’m fine."

"You don’t look fine."

Noah tried to smile.

"I was just thinking."

Ava narrowed her eyes slightly.

"About Stella?"

"..."

"Are you interested in actresses now, too?"

Noah blinked.

"What?"

Ava crossed her arms.

"You already have enough girls around you."

Noah sighed.

"This has nothing to do with that."

"That’s what you always say."

"Ava."

"What?"

"I just wanted to ask you something."

She studied him for several seconds before looking away.

"Fine."

Noah felt somewhat relieved, but Ava wasn’t finished yet.

"Although, if Stella had really come to our house, I would remember it."

Noah looked up.

"Why?"

Ava looked at him as though the answer were obvious.

"Because she’s a famous actress."

"..."

"And because I wouldn’t let another strange woman get close to you without knowing what she wants."

Noah closed his eyes.

’Yep, that’s definitely still Ava.’

She picked up her phone again.

"Besides, if a famous actress had been here, Mom would definitely have taken pictures."

Noah opened his eyes.

’Pictures.’

For a few seconds, he considered checking whether there was any evidence of that visit.

But then he remembered that if the Great Mother had decided to erase everyone’s memories, she had probably also taken measures to eliminate any evidence.

’I can’t assume I’ll find anything.’

Even so, the possibility remained, but Ava spoke again.

"Noah?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you so interested in this visit that supposedly happened?"

Noah remained silent, unable to explain the truth to her.

Not without telling her about the Great Mother, the magical girls, and all the dangers he had tried to keep away from his family, so he finally shook his head.

"It’s nothing. Maybe I’m remembering a few things wrong."

Ava studied him.

"You don’t usually get things this mixed up."

Noah smiled faintly.

"I’ve had a rough day."

She sighed.

"Then you should get some rest."

"I will."

Noah stood up, but before he could leave, Ava called out to him again.

"By the way, Noah."

He stopped.

"What is it?"

Ava looked at him with a slightly more serious expression.

"If someone’s bothering you, you can tell me."

Noah blinked.

"..."

"I don’t care who it is."

He smiled.

"I know."

Ava nodded.

"Good."

Noah approached her and briefly patted her head.

"Thanks for worrying about me."

Ava froze, and her cheeks turned slightly pink.

"N-Noah..."

But Noah was already walking away.

"I’m going to rest for a bit before dinner."

Ava watched him climb the stairs, then raised a hand to her head as she thought.

’He can’t just do things like that out of nowhere.’

Back in his room, Noah closed the door and sat down at his desk.

His conversation with Luna had ended much better than he had expected.

He had managed to explain his boundaries to her, and although she wasn’t completely satisfied, she had agreed to respect them.

He still needed to talk to the others about his upcoming meeting with Ayane, but now a different concern had arisen.

Noah opened a notebook and wrote down several names.

[Emma, Sarah, Ava, Great Mother.]

Then he stared at them.

’If Ava doesn’t remember the visit, there’s a good chance someone altered her memories.’

He picked up his pen and wrote a question underneath.

[Why do I still have my memories?]

He thought for a moment.

There might be some difference between him and Ava.

Perhaps one of his magical abilities had protected him, or maybe the Great Mother had deliberately decided to let him remember.

Noah frowned.

’I have no proof of either possibility.’

And that was precisely what worried him the most.

If some ability had protected him, he needed to figure out which one, but if the Great Mother had allowed him to keep his memories...

’Then she might be waiting for me to do something.’

Noah set his pen down on the desk and recalled the times the organization had tried to capture him.

He also remembered that Ayane, Reina, and Misaki had previously intervened to prevent him from falling into the Great Mother’s hands.

Those three girls were still part of that organization, and Ayane had just asked to speak with him again.

Noah looked at his phone.

’Maybe I should ask her.’

But he immediately shook his head.

’No.’

He didn’t want to turn that meeting into an interrogation, since Ayane had asked to speak with him about a personal matter.

And after what had happened with Luna, Noah understood better than before how important it was to respect private conversations.

If an appropriate opportunity to discuss the organization came up later, he could do so.

But he wouldn’t use Ayane just to obtain information.

Noah closed the notebook, then picked up his phone again. His conversation with Ayane was still open.

They still hadn’t agreed on when to meet.

Further down were Luna’s messages, and he also had some unfinished conversations with Yume, Iris, Aria, and Ren.

Noah sighed.

’I definitely have a lot of things to sort out.’

For a long time, whenever an uncomfortable situation arose, he preferred to wait for it to resolve itself, but he was beginning to understand that this approach wasn’t always enough.

He loved Luna just as he loved the others, and he also cared about Ayane, although he still didn’t know how he would respond to her possible feelings.

However, that didn’t mean he had to accept any kind of behavior just to avoid upsetting someone.

’I can’t keep letting the others make every decision for me.’

He looked at the notebook again.

The Great Mother was a different problem, and one he couldn’t solve simply by talking, but even in that case, he needed to start making his own decisions.

Noah put away his phone and stood up.

For now, he had two clear objectives.

Talk to his girlfriends in person before meeting with Ayane, and find out what had really happened during Stella’s visit.

Because there was something he couldn’t understand.

The Great Mother had managed to erase Ava’s memories and had probably eliminated other evidence of her presence as well, but he still remembered everything.

Noah looked out the window.

’Why?’

He couldn’t find an answer.

For the first time since that strange visit, he began to wonder whether retaining those memories was really an advantage, or whether the Great Mother had some reason for leaving them intact.