The girls stood among the crowd, watching Noa and Hana closely.
He could immediately tell that they recognized Hana by the look on their faces, and instead of offering a greeting smile, all they did was judge.
Seeing this, Noa's chest tightened in anger.
He wanted to find out more about the situation and, if necessary, teach these girls a lesson.
Yet he forced himself to smile.
He didn't want Hana to see the storm in his heart, as it would make her even more guilty and hesitant.
Clutching the box tightly, she was already shrinking behind Noa.
Her brother was her only shield in life.
Though Noa hated the situation, he still enjoyed seeing Hana lean on him. Suddenly, she peeked up at him, as if asking what she should do.
Noa leaned down. "You are fine. You have me with you, and don't you dare think that I am disappointed in you."
The little girl leaned closer.
Her eyes darted between Noa, the girls, and stopped at the crowd.
The people around them still buzzed with energy, whispering words of awe and jealousy. "Did he actually spend four hundred bucks on that thing?" someone muttered.
"He is insane!"
"…Or he is filthy rich."
Right at the center of attention stood Noa.
He had the cocky smile on his face—fully playing the part of a rich young master who didn't know where to spend his money.
Hana saw everything and grinned softly.
The previous anxiety was nowhere to be found. She even forgot about the girls, remembering to have fun with her brother.
Noa, however, noticed how the trio looked at Hana.
At first, they displayed fake superiority with their chins held high.
However, as the crowd became awed by Noa and saw Hana's presence beside him, the girls' expressions shifted.
If before they had shown only disdain, now their faces revealed curiosity and surprise.
With that, Noa's grin widened.
He had no intention of letting this opportunity slip by. Then he crouched so Hana would hear his words, his eyes glimmering with playful intent.
"How about we show these brats how cool we are? Don't you want them to know that they messed with the wrong siblings?"
Hana's lips remained closed for a moment.
A hint of hesitation and surprise appeared on her expression. "Brother, you figured it out?"
"Of course," Noa snorted, his smile vanishing for a split second. "And I would never let anyone bully my adorable little sister."
"Do we have to?" she asked, almost giving in. "I mean, their families are rich and powerful. Aren't you scared?"
Noa shook his head. "We don't have to. But I want to do this. I told you we came here to have some fun," he said, winking at her.
Hana hesitated for a moment.
But she, too, wanted to do something.
Fun.
This one simple word held new meaning to her these past few days. Turns out her brother was more daring than she believed, and she liked his new side. "Okay. Let's do this."
"Good girl," Noa said with a chuckle.
Then he didn't waste even a second and marched towards the trio. "You three. My little sister told me that you are her friends. Why don't you join us? It's my treat."
He spoke politely.
But there was something off about his voice.
Hana was the only one who noticed it, and a chill went down her spine.
[New Quest Available]
Noa, meanwhile, was greeted with a mission, making his smile widen even more.
[Demonstrate that Hana isn't a poor, helpless girl, but someone protected, cherished, and loved by standing by her side. Don't forget to spend everything down to the last dollar.]
'Perfect,' Noa exclaimed to himself. 'That's what I was planning to do anyway.'
He then didn't wait for the trio's reply and bought enough tokens to overflow the buckets they were holding. Tossing the biggest one to Hana, he added playfully, "Let's go. We have a lot to use."
The girls froze.
They exchanged glances, not sure what was going on.
But they didn't even get to say a word—Noa was already moving ahead.
That's when he got a better look at them.
The tallest one was Mika. With her designer clothes that screamed "Daddy's money," she looked arrogant and carried herself like she owned the place.
Behind her stood Rina, and with brown curly hair, she didn't seem entirely confident.
Yes, she thought herself superior to Hana, but her nervousness upon Noa's approach gave her façade away.
The last one was Lina.
She had a sneer on her face, curious to see what Hana's brother wanted to do.
Seeing her, Noa got a feeling that she was someone who enjoyed bullying others to make herself feel better—especially after noticing that she wasn't as rich-looking as the other two.
Despite their thoughts, the next couple of minutes turned into a show.
Every time the girls tried to speak, Noa cut them off, offering them to check out a new machine while also tossing them additional tokens.
He didn't care about money.
Some games were more expensive than others.
He was spending his entire week's salary within minutes, but he didn't even bat an eye.
Hana, at his side, kept laughing. Though she wasn't winning every game, Noa made sure to keep her in the spotlight, only choosing games she wanted to play.
The trio, however, never got the chance to do anything they wanted.
Noa was smooth in controlling the situation.
As a result, the girls were forced to follow him around without even realizing it. But even when they did so, it wasn't like Noa would allow them to dictate their actions.
Mika gritted her teeth.
She hated seeing Hana smile—especially when she couldn't draw attention to herself.
Hana was someone she had looked down on for an entire year. But now, not only did she wear a prettier dress than she did, she also got the chance to spend time with her family.
The other girls shared the same feelings.
By the end of the evening, Hana's arms were full of prizes.
Her cheeks were flushed with joy.
The trio played the games—perhaps more than they had ever before. But strangely, they didn't have the same cheerful face Hana had.
Noa didn't try to hide his cocky grin. "So…" he started, his voice sharper than before. "Still think my sister is someone you can mess with?"
None of the girls expected Noa to confront them suddenly.
The silence was deafening.
Hana no longer showed any signs of anxiousness. She had locked eyes with her bullies, her eyes shining with pride.
With that, the siblings left the arcade building.
They had experienced everything they wanted to do and try.
To their surprise, the girls also followed them out, clearly not ready to let the night end without having the last word.
Just then—
Noa got a brand new system notification.
[Quest Completed]
[Requirement: Demonstrate that Hana isn't a poor, helpless girl, but someone protected, cherished, and loved by standing by her side. Don't forget to spend everything down to the last dollar.]
[Reward: Aston Martin DB11]