Here is the third conversation Noelle has to have and the first with a definite rival since realizing that she is in love with Asta. This was the hardest one to title because the girl Noelle is confronting doesn't fit one of the 5 main -dere types in my opinion and is not a classic waifu but I found a type that fit her after a little digging down the -dere rabbit hole and learning that there are way more -dere types then the 5 main ones. The explanation for why I determined that she is a hajidere (as well as what one is) is at the end so if y'all are curious that is where my reasoning is. As for where in the show's timeline this takes place after the events in episode 134 in a hypothetical setting where Noelle can confront the rival who appears in that episode so there are spoilers from some of the episodes between 126 and 135. That is all I have to say for now as there are no questions to answer so sit back and enjoy Noelle's latest conversation.
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Black Clover franchise.
Summary - After the party to honor Sister Theresa at the Vermillion Residence it is too late for Noelle and Asta to go home so they accept Fuegoleon's offer to spend the night. Thanks to other actions taken by Mereoleona, Noelle is about to have a bath with someone she is almost certain is a rival. Looks like it is time for a confrontation with her cousin.
Speaking with the Hajidere
Noelle sighed in relief as she stepped into the girls' communal bath at the Vermillion residence and sat down in the warm water that reached to just below her armpits as she let the soaking ease her muscles. It had certainly been an interesting day to say the least but now it was over, and she got to enjoy a proper royal bath to relax after it.
The day had started normally enough for her, by her standards at least. Noelle had been with Asta, Charmy, Gordon, Luck, Magna, and Nero in her bird form as they returned from a second kidnapping by Mereoleona for a training session at a strong magic region volcano. Well second for Noelle and Asta at least, first for the others who had yet to experience Mereoleona's recruitment strategy.
Mereoleona had just shown up at the Black Bulls hideout the day before, grabbed everyone in the common room at the time with her flaming cat paws, after busting down their door on top of Magna, and took them with her to meet up with the Crimson Lion Kings at the volcano. There she told them that they were going beneath it this time to reach a better hot spring that was down there compared to the one that was on top of the volcano.
That had only been a ruse as the real reason had been to find an intelligent magical creature that was hunting the other magical creatures there and destroy it. Well, for the most part they wanted to destroy it, Charmy wanted to eat it, but she always wanted to eat new creatures.
In the process of trying to reach the hot springs and running into the creature, they had found a dungeon under the volcano. As they had already regained enough mana to continue, Noelle, Asta, Luck, Magna, Leopold Vermillion, and some guy called Randall who was the Vice-Captain of the Crimson Lion Kings all ventured into the dungeon to search for magical items while the others recovered. Ok, Asta didn't have any mana, but he'd recovered enough energy to continue which was what counted.
While there they had split up and of course Noelle had ended up alone with Asta, which she was not complaining about as they worked best together. Neither did she internally complain when they had set off numerous traps in their part and Asta ended up princess carrying her to safety when a wall of lava was coming for them, though she wouldn't tell that idiot that she'd liked it as she wasn't ready to tell him that she was in love with him.
It turned out that they were the second group back after Luck and Magna, but Leo and Randall hadn't returned. They had taken the right path and found the monster, as well as the ancient artifact that had created it. Leo had defeated the monster but destroyed the artifact with his flames in the process so as punishment he and Asta, who had also pissed off Mereoleona, weren't allowed into the hot springs until they searched the dungeon for something useful. Instead, they ended up in some stupid competition as they often did and didn't find anything while the others enjoyed the hot spring.
That had been yesterday. Today they had returned to the hideout glad to be away from Mereoleona and her crazy training regime. They were ready to resume their own kind of training with their squad. Of course, as soon as that was brought up as they were about to enter the hideout, the door burst outwards, crushed Magna for a third time, and Mereoleona was standing there waiting for them having beaten them back. She then kidnapped Asta and Noelle again and dragged them off to the capital as they were needed for something there.
That something turned out to be a special occasion to celebrate Sister Theresa's 15th anniversary of joining the sisterhood and not some horrific training as they had feared. It was being held by Mereoleona and Fuegoleon because Sister Theresa had once been a Magic Knight in the same squad as them and had personally trained both royals in their Fire Magic before retiring and joining the sisterhood. She now lived in Nean where she ran the church and orphanage there and loved it more than being in the capital.
Noelle had heard of her skills from Asta as she hadn't been there when Asta, Sister Theresa, and Gauche had faced Sally and the Mud Monster the psycho scientist had created in the caves near Nean when they went there to save the abducted children. Theresa had been badly wounded when Patry showed up but thanks to Gauche and the timely arrival of Finral and Captain Yami she'd been brought to safety in time to save her life. She had returned to her normal self and that included not wanting to be at a dinner honoring her as she felt it could be used for others who actually needed the food.
That was why she'd only accepted the invitation if the orphans she looked after, including Gauche's little sister Marie, could come and have the fancy food and play with the Magic Knights who had been gathered for the dinner. The Vermillions had agreed to that but had selected the guests, which meant Noelle and Asta, as well as Kirsch and Mimosa Vermillion, Mereoleona and Fuegoleon's cousins, for the dinner. Leo had gotten out of it by claiming to be training while Nero was around in her bird form but only because she never left Asta's side, except for the bath where she at least went to the female ones.
Of course, the dinner had been a mixed bag. It had started fun as they played with the kids, did party tricks to various degrees of success, and generally enjoyed themselves and the excellent food the Vermillion's servants had prepared for them. Put Asta in a room with kids and he was great, and really adorable with them not that Noelle would admit that to him even if she could admit it to herself now. Alas, as with basically anything involving Mereoleona Vermillion, it devolved into violence.
One thing led to another and Mereoleona and Fuegoleon ended up bringing up past grievances that devolved into a full-scale brawl with their Fire Magic the way only siblings could. Of course, that led to Kirsch being his usual narcissistic self when commenting on his relationship with Mimosa who had finally had enough of her brother's antics and attacked him. Noelle suspected that it wasn't just years of frustration with Kirsch, which was totally justified, but the presence of Asta that prompted Mimosa's actions to violently defend herself in that moment.
At first Sister Theresa let them fight it out but when it became too much and began to scare the kids, along with the surprise reveal that Gauche had persuaded Grey to use her Transformation Magic to transform him into a kid so he could spy on his sister when he'd tried to protect her and was thrown into a wall, she put a stop to the fight. She stopped the Fire Mages with her own hands, showing her own skill and the respect the two had for in the process, while using a spell to create a flaming leopard that broke up Mimosa and Kirsch's battle.
She then scolded all 4 of them while Asta and Noelle comforted the kids and Gauche remained where he was slumped against a far wall. After that she left with the kids and promised they could host her again in 85 years if they wanted to as the siblings apologized for their shameful actions.
Yes, it had been an eventful day to say the least, but it was finally over. Due to the late hour, Fuegoleon had insisted that they all stay the night and then head home in the morning and that meant that it was time for a bath before heading to bed. However, not all of them were present.
Gauche, for his transgression of trespassing, infiltrating the children, and because Mereoleona had found his obsession with his sister extremely creepy, had been ordered to clean up before Mereoleona kidnapped him for some of her trademark special training. Kirsch had chosen that moment to make some narcissistic comment about his own beauty in his classic ability to not read a room and added to Mereoleona's anger. That was why she'd kidnapped him as well so as to show him the true beauty of nature.
Noelle did not feel bad for the two men's plight, they'd brought it on themselves, and she was just glad that she wasn't being kidnapped by the insane eldest Vermillion for once. That had left her and Mimosa for the girls' bath while Fuegoleon and Asta had gone to the men's bath where Leo would join them. Nero was still in her bird form and likely in the bathroom with Noelle, but she knew the other girl wouldn't reveal herself, so she was going to be alone with Mimosa when she got here.
It was almost certain that the guys would turn it into some training thing that deepened their bonds and rivalry while remaining calm thanks to Fuegoleon. Of course, Noelle had to avoid imagining Asta in a bath less she get flushed from the thought, as well as aroused at the image of a naked Asta, and pass out in the bath from it. She may have finally accepted the truth she'd long denied until Captain Charlotte had made her confront it but that didn't mean that her love for Asta didn't cause her to get flustered every time she thought about him in that sense.
"How's the temperature Noelle?" Mimosa asked breaking Noelle out of her thoughts as she turned to see her cousin walking towards the bath. "Is it good?"
"It's amazing Mimosa." Noelle said with a smile. "Perfect, just as I would expect from a royal house."
"That is good." Mimosa said discarding her towel and putting it on a nearby hook before getting into the bath a respectful distance from Noelle but still close enough to talk. "Yes it is lovely today."
Noelle had taken that moment to look over her rival. While she hadn't confirmed it, she was all but certain that Mimosa had a massive crush on Asta. Noelle had suspected it since after the dungeon where she'd run into Mimosa when they met her, Yuno, and Sir Spectacles on the way to the War Merits Ceremony that they'd been invited to despite not being honored at it.
Mimosa had acted extremely shy the moment Asta thanked her for saving his life with her healing magic, something Noelle was also grateful for but wouldn't admit it to Mimosa, and almost ran away from him. When Noelle had asked Mimosa about her reaction, Mimosa had blushed and panicked admitting that she was now always thinking of Asta and had this strange feeling in her chest when she thought of him. Naturally, that had made Noelle extremely jealous for reasons she didn't understand at the time, and she proceeded to panic with Mimosa rather than focus on Mimosa falling for Asta.
Since then, Noelle had gotten jealous of her cousin's closeness with Asta whenever they were around and she never knew why she was so jealous, though it never caused problems with her friendship with Mimosa. Well deep down she did but she was in denial to herself until she finally pushed past her limits and admitted to herself that she loved that damned dork. Now that she could admit it though, she'd been keeping a close eye on Mimosa and was certain the girl felt the same way that she did about Asta though probably not as deeply as she did.
While Noelle was still far from being able to tell Asta himself that she loved him, she was able to tell herself that which had been a start. It also meant that she was finally able to address her rampant jealousy in a healthier way. It was why she'd decided to do use it to confront her rivals for Asta and make it clear that she was going to win. She just needed the right time to do so.
She'd already confronted one potential rival in her teammate and friend Nero. The ancient girl who'd spent 5 centuries as a bird was still an enigma to Noelle as Nero was often emotionless around everyone. Well everyone except Asta who brought out her annoyance and even a smile which made Noelle furious with jealousy as it really showed how cute Nero was. It was also why Noelle wasn't sure if Nero liked Asta in a romantic way, so she had confronted the girl in her room a few days back about it to try and clear the air with her.
That confrontation had not gone the way Noelle had hoped. She'd hoped that Nero would reassure her that she didn't have feelings for Asta and thus remove herself as a rival that Noelle had to deal with. Alas, Nero had admitted that Asta was just the kinda guy she would fall for but because of her lost love, who she never got the chance to confess to, she was hesitant to develop feelings for Asta beyond loyalty. That said, she didn't rule them out in the future and had made it clear that Noelle should consider her a rival at the moment, which Noelle did.
Naturally, the fact that Nero could now transform into a bird at will and spend a lot of time in that form, often perched on Asta's head, did nothing for Noelle's poor heart and her serious insecurities over her feelings for Asta. However, she just had to deal with that and for the moment Nero was with Asta as she was somewhere in the bathroom in bird form, so she wasn't seeing Asta naked thus not making Noelle jealous for the moment.
That did leave Mimosa though and now was as good a time as ever for Noelle to confront her cousin and declare her a rival for Asta's heart. That was why she'd checked Mimosa out when she got into the bath and that had not helped her insecurities at all.
Noelle knew that she was beautiful in a classic sense, but Mimosa was cute in her own right and in a more approachable, homely way which her ability to cook helped. Add in that she was naturally kind and sweet compared to Noelle's iciness and that was another plus in the brunette's favor. Lastly there was the fact that Mimosa was more well-endowed compared to Noelle and she couldn't help but be jealous of that.
"It's almost as nice as the hot spring I was in yesterday." Noelle said once Mimosa was comfortable in the bath and slowly getting the conversation to where she wanted it as she recalled Mimosa being all in a tizzy when she learned that Asta and Yuno had been to a hot spring a while back. "More controlled warmth but there is something that you can't get from a bath that only a natural hot spring can provide. The one yesterday really made my skin silky smooth, even Asta noticed."
"Oh, you were in a hot spring yesterday." Mimosa said before she suddenly blushed when she realized that if Noelle was in one then Asta had to be there as well and that got her all flushed imagining Asta in one, and jealous that Noelle got to be there for it even if she wasn't sure how her cousin felt about the boy she had a huge crush on. "W, was Asta there as well? I mean you said he noticed your skin, which does look great by the way, but that doesn't mean that he was in the hot spring with you, right?"
"Yes he was there with me." Noelle said with a smile that Mimosa couldn't help but read into as she began to feel her heartbeat pick up at all the ideas going through her mind of Asta being with Noelle. "We were together with a few other teammates in the common room when Mereoleona kidnapped us for some special training."
"Hot spring training?" Mimosa asked confused though her fluster was still there, she just used her confusion to center herself. "That doesn't sound like her at all."
"Well, we had to get to the hot springs, and they are both on top of and underneath an active volcano in a strong magic region." Noelle said as if it was nothing though just the memory of them terrified her despite all she'd gotten from the training sessions. "The first time we climbed it, that was night of the Star Awards Festival, the second time we went into the underground part."
"Ah that does sound more like her." Mimosa said with a nod though she was still uneasy about the whole thing and wishing she'd been there with Asta as well. "I do hope that the hot springs were separated by gender."
"Well, the first time it wasn't until one of the two Blue Rose Knights who'd been kidnapped with us used her Earth Magic to do so." Noelle said recalling how Sol had ensured that they were segregated though if she hadn't been there Noelle didn't doubt that Mereoleona would have insisted on them all being naked together, she wouldn't put anything past that woman anymore. "Which was good though being so close to a naked Asta was nerve wracking at times even if I knew the wall wasn't going to come down."
"I don't think I could handle it." Mimosa admitted though she was now on edge that Noelle would bring something like that up. "And the second time? You weren't naked with him were you?"
"Oh, Asta wasn't allowed into the hot springs yesterday though again someone segregated them with Earth Magic." Noelle said sadly as she did wish he'd gotten to enjoy them. "Leo had screwed up and destroyed the artifact in the dungeon we found and Asta did something stupid, so Mereoleona punished them by making them spend the night scouring the dungeon for other artifacts that could be useful in the coming war but alas they found nothing."
"That is good." Mimosa said with a sigh of relief though she wasn't sure why she was relieved that Noelle wasn't near Asta while both were naked, it wasn't as if Noelle like him the way she did, did she? "I mean it's a shame that Asta didn't get to enjoy the hot springs and didn't find any artifacts but at least it was segregated."
"Yes, after the princess carry I was a little too flustered to be near Dorksta." Noelle said and grinned at the sudden eep that Mimosa let out at her words. "I think I may have fainted if I'd know we were naked near each other."
"P, p, p, p, p, princess carry!" Mimosa exclaimed her eyes wide and face red at the thought of Asta carrying Noelle in the most romantic way, a way he'd never carried her as he'd only carried her on his back when they were in the Shadow Palace. "A, a, a, Asta carried you l, l, l, like that."
"Well, there was a wall of flames coming for us, so he scooped me up and into his arms to sprint out of the dungeon with me like that as it was the fasted way to save us due to my mana being too low for my Valkyrie Armor." Noelle said allowing her joy at the feeling to come out now that she was alone with only Mimosa and Nero so she could let her guard down, plus it helped fluster the former. "It was the second time he carried me like that in fact."
"S, s, s, second?" Mimosa asked, she was now reading a lot more into the relationship her cousin had with her crush, and she wasn't liking it.
"The first time was down on the beach when I finally gained control of my magic." Noelle said recalling that night fondly as it was the night when she first saw the Black Bulls as her true family because they were all there supporting her and showing how much they loved her. "I managed it, but my exhaustion broke the spell and I fell. Asta caught me in his arms before I hit the ground. I slapped him for that."
"That does sound more like you." Mimosa said with a sigh, she was still wary but at least it seemed like her fears weren't warranted if Noelle acted like that. "And the second time was to save your life so it's not like you two are an item or anything."
"Yes my insecurities really flared up back then." Noelle said with a sigh. "Plus, it was in front of the squad so no matter how much I enjoyed it, he had to be slapped for holding me like that. Still, it is an amazing feeling when Asta carries me like that."
"Enjoyed it!" Mimosa squealed; he heart now trying to pound out her chest as Noelle reignited her worries. "You enjoyed Asta carrying you like that?"
"Why yes I did." Noelle said enjoying the position she had right now as Mimosa was beet red and more flustered then she'd ever seen her cousin get, it all confirmed that Mimosa had feelings for Asta. "I'll never admit it to him of course but I can to myself now that I've come to terms with a few things. He gets a pass for yesterday as it was to save me but normally he'd get a slap for it. Still, it was better than his first suggestion of hopping on his back."
"Noelle?" Mimosa said unable to take it anymore and needing confirmation if for no other reason than to avoid a potential heart attack. "Do you…"
"Love him, yes, yes I do." Noelle said turning to look at a now horrified Mimosa who was white eyed, slack jawed, and bright red. "Took me a long time, and some rather blunt confrontation from an unlikely source, but I have pushed past my denial and accepted the truth of my feelings for him. I love Asta. Course you know the feeling well seeing as you like him too."
"I, I, I, well." Mimosa stuttered as she tried to handle what she was hearing from her cousin, it was so unlike Noelle to be like this, and while she knew the Silva had gotten more confident lately, openly admitting who she loved, and it being the same person as who Mimosa liked, was not what she expected. "It, it's, n, n, n, not l, l, l, like that."
"Please Mimosa, you're a terrible liar." Noelle said kindly. "Plus, you've already basically admitted it to me back before the War Merits Ceremony though neither of us understood our feelings for him back then. Don't try to deny it, and I should know I am an expert in denying feelings, especially ones that are directed towards Asta."
"Fine." Mimosa said with a long sigh. "I admit it, I know I like Asta in a romantic sense but just thinking of my feelings makes me shy, especially around him. At first I wasn't sure what the feelings were but by the end of the ceremony, when he stood up for you to your own brothers and sister, I knew that I had a crush."
"At least you could accept them from basically the start." Noelle said leaning back in the bath and looking up to the ceiling to see Nero staring down at her listening intently to the whole conversation, but Noelle ignored the bird as she continued. "I couldn't and acted out because of them."
"Well, we are different on that front Noelle." Mimosa pointed out. "Thanks to both what I saw as a child and my healing, I developed compassion at a young age and that allowed me to be more in touch with my feelings when I began to fall for someone like Asta. You had a very different childhood and that made you guarded of your emotions because of what your siblings wrongfully put you through and you used your royalty to hide it behind a veneer of arrogance and indifference. It just took someone as amazing as Asta to bring out the real you."
"That it did, though I will never admit it to the idiot as it would give him an even bigger head then he already has." Noelle said with a smile. "I still use it as a defense mechanism though, you are right there Mimosa. It's ingrained into me, but in time, as I spend longer with the Black Bulls and away from my family, it should lessen. That said, even now that I know that what I feel for Asta is true love, I am still like I always am around, and I doubt it will change. In fact, it might get worse now that I know what my feelings are."
"And I am still really shy and nervous around him." Mimosa admitted with a slight blush at just the thought of being around Asta. "Though it goes after a bit of time with him, it's the initial meeting that always flusters me. Regardless, I still can't believe that you have been able to accept your feelings Noelle."
"Well, I've had them since I first saw Asta in action when we went on our first mission to Saussy Village." Noelle said emphasizing that it was their first mission so before Mimosa met Asta showing her rival who'd liked him longer. "But between my pride, insecurities, no clue why I felt the way I did around him, and his low born status I couldn't accept them, so I was in a deep denial to myself. Despite this I kept getting flustered around him, or jealous when another girl did anything towards him without knowing it. I was always worried another girl would capture his heart and then deny that I liked him that way."
"Yeah I know that feeling, well mostly as I wasn't in denial like you were." Mimosa said. "I've been worried a few times with you doing things that frustrated me or showed me that you might have more than friendship in your heart for Asta but the main one was that psycho from the Midnight Sun."
"Oh Sally, yeah she's a straight up psycho bitch who is clearly into Asta as well." Noelle said gritting her teeth at the memory of the girl, especially because she was so touchy with Asta while wearing his clothes and Noelle would never admit to how she knew what Asta's underclothes looked like. "I hope to never see her again now that she's in prison, but I doubt I'll be that lucky as Asta did promise to be a research subject for her, so she's bound to show up again someday. If she does show up though, I will make it clear who Asta belongs to."
"And that is?" Mimosa said her own courage coming up now that she was fully aware of the fact that her cousin was also her rival for Asta. "Because he's currently single so fair game as far as I'm concerned. Now that I know that you like him too, I can't sit idly by anymore. I've got to step up my game and get Asta to notice me as more than a friend."
"I had a feeling that would be the case once I confronted you." Noelle said turning and locking eyes with Mimosa, ignoring that they were in a bath together or that Nero was no doubt watching the exchange intently from above them. "And that makes you my rival to Asta's heart Mimosa and I will win be the one to win it."
"Not of I win it first." Mimosa said seriously back. "Now that all this is in the open we can be proper rivals for him without trying to guess if the other is also into him. You may have the advantage being on the same squad as him, but your own insecurities will hold you back."
"I'm not the only rival who is a Black Bull." Noelle said glancing up to where she'd last seen the bird knowing that she was listening in on them. "Nero might be one as well."
"The bird?" Mimosa asked confused before remembering that she was actually a cute girl who'd been sealed as a bird for 500 years and yelping. "Oh yeah she's almost certainly a threat."
"I spoke with her recently and while she doesn't know if she is into Asta like we are, she told me to not rule her out as he is her type." Noelle said to clarify where Nero was in this war for Asta. "So, it is best to keep that in mind and not underestimate her."
"I won't." Mimosa said before realizing something. "Are there any more rivals that we have to deal with? I know you are the main one while Nero and that Sally psycho must be considered but this is Asta we're talking about, he has to have other women after him."
"He does, at least two others I am sure of." Noelle said before correcting herself. "Ok, 3 but the third is little Marie, Gauche's sister who you met today, and she is too young to be a serious threat yet. Besides, Gauche has already tried to kill Asta on multiple occasions because of her little crush on him so he will be a good barrier for us on that front."
"Yeah, I don't see her as a rival at the moment." Mimosa said remembering the cute girl who'd been one of the orphans they'd played with earlier. "But there are two others you said."
"The most serious threat is a girl called Rebecca." Noelle said remembering the woman clearly. "She's got a crush on Asta and has embraced it while suspecting my feelings at least."
"Rebecca?" Mimosa asked confused as she'd never heard of that woman before. "Who is she?"
"She's a tall, attractive, redhead commoner from the village of Nean." Noelle said. "She met Asta at a mixer Finral took him to and they bonded over the fact that they have multiple younger siblings, well foster in Asta's case as they are the other orphans he grew up with, but they are his siblings as far as anyone is concerned."
"I know about them, I met them on my first mission." Mimosa said much to Noelle's surprise. "I know that Yuno and Asta see them as family."
"You did?" Noelle asked surprised, she didn't know that Mimosa had been to Hage as well. "I only recently met them when I accompanied Asta back to Hage where we ran into Yuno on the way. That was an interesting and at time embarrassing but calm adventure by my standards and it was great to see Asta like that with the kids, not that I don't know how amazing he is with them."
"They are great." Mimosa agreed. "And they all look up to Asta and Yuno. I met them because the noble prick we were escorting at the time demanded we go there in what turned out to be part of his revenge plot against Yuno for beating him in the Magic Knights Selection Exam and ensuring that he wasn't selected by any squad, but his plan failed. Long story for another time."
"As is my own trip to Hage." Noelle said ignoring that she had insisted on taking Asta there herself so that she could see where her love had grown up and meet his family, though her plan to show them that she was marriage material failed the moment she crashed into him when he proposed out of nowhere and got all flustered when she learned he wrote about her when he sent letters home. "I was talking about Rebecca and the threat she poses."
"Yes you said that she was a serious rival." Mimosa said. "How so?"
"Well other than her feelings for Asta, she shares a lot of things with him that we can never share which helped them get along when they first met." Noelle said. "She's the oldest sibling and looks after the others the way Asta does, she's also a commoner like him, and she works hard to provide for them. She has things we royals can't match that might appeal to Asta. Add in that she's an excellent cook and she's perfect wife material, even Asta admitted it to her though he has no clue she likes him."
"Oh no." Mimosa said her eyes wide before she realized something. "Wait, how do you know all this?"
"I, er, may or may not have follow Asta to both the mixer and the follow up date thing he had with Rebecca on his next day off." Noelle said embarrassed at her actions but now that she knew they were out of her love for Asta they were totally justified in her mind. "And I may or may not have gotten a job as a waitress to spy on the mixer and then dressed up as an old lady to spy on the second meeting in the restaurant that she worked at."
Noelle specifically did not mention that she had heard Asta admit he had his heart set one someone, someone who she thought was herself but knowing Asta he was too stupid to admit it to her. It of course caused her no end of grief, especially now that she'd accepted her feelings for him, but it was her saving grace in the sense that it gave her an edge on her rivals. She just wasn't ready to confess to him yet.
"That doesn't sound like you at all." Mimosa said as she tried to process what Noelle had said. "You actually got a job as a waitress?"
"Well, more bar wench as the commoners would call it but yes I did do that." Noelle admitted. "I was terrible at it as I didn't care for the job, I just needed a disguise to stalk Asta."
"And you didn't realize that all this meant you liked him?" Mimosa asked. "That is not rational behavior Noelle, especially for you."
"Deep in denial and lying to myself, remember." Noelle said. "Now it all makes sense but back then I made multiple excuses to justify my actions and not admit the real reason I was doing what I was doing. Besides, the second time turned out to be a good idea."
"It did?" Mimosa asked confused.
"Yes because I was able to help when the children of the village, including two of Rebecca's siblings, were kidnapped." Noelle said. "It was awkward at first when I suddenly appeared and Rebecca instantly saw me as a rival, as I did her even if I wasn't able to admit it to myself back then, but I was able to stay there and keep an eye out while contacting HQ while Asta, Gauche, and Sister Theresa went to get save the children. It is what got Yami there in time to face Patry and then three more Captains to face the Third Eye."
"I see, that is good then." Mimosa said.
"Yes though it also meant that I had to watch Rebecca kiss Asta in front of me once it was all done and we were about to leave to report in, shortly after you, Yuno, and Sir Spectacles left in fact." Noelle said as Mimosa screamed at the thought making the same face Noelle did when it happened. "Yeah that was my reaction, and it was just a kiss on the cheek as well. I was shocked, horrified, and extremely jealous."
"She really is a serious threat." Mimosa said with a sigh. "Very well, I will keep an eye out for her as well, though I doubt I will ever run into her and Asta at the same time, I hope. Who's the last one."
"My friend Kahono from the Underwater Temple." Noelle said. "She proposed a double date so that she was with Asta, and I was with her brother at the Star Awards Festival, and she looked awfully close to him the entire time."
Noelle again decided against revealing something Asta had said to Mimosa, this time that he had admitted to liking Noelle a lot. She was willing to be open with her cousin and rival regarding her feelings for Asta, but she was going to keep any advantage she had over Mimosa.
"That's not good." Mimosa said unsure who this new rival was. "Is she as bad as the other one?"
"I don't think so as she has less contact with the Kingdom due to where she lives." Noelle said shaking her head. "But I will still confront her the next time I see her just to make it clear that Asta will be mine."
"Or mine, I will beat you Noelle." Mimosa said before something hit her. "You know, this now makes us a bit like Asta and Yuno in a sense. We are rivals chasing after the same goal with everything we got."
"That we are." Noelle said with a grin. "And I will be the one who wins Asta."
"Dream on, it will be I who gets Asta in the end." Mimosa said as she grinned back at Noelle. "Though I am curious, how did he capture your heart Noelle?"
"It all started when he praised me for my magic potential despite me being a total bitch to him when we first met." Noelle said with a smile at the memory, and a little bit of shame for how she acted at first. "He was the first to do so, so I decided to befriend him. The feelings began to blossom when I saw his true nature in Saussy Village. It was our first mission and began as a routine one but…"
Noelle continued with her tale of how she fell for Asta, and how Charlotte had forced her to confront her feelings for him recently as she and Mimosa washed up and traded stories. It was nice to talk openly about this and it was clear that it wouldn't affect their friendship. If anything, it deepened it as they could now be open to each other and had a rivalry to focus on similar to how Asta and Yuno had one on who would become the next Wizard King.
However, this one was focused on who would capture Asta's heart. Noelle knew one thing. No matter how many rivals she had to face, she would put all of those women in their places because she was going to be the one who married Asta.
Ah, there is Mimosa's chapter for y'all to enjoy. I want to start by thanking those who gave suggestions for what -dere Mimosa is, they were useful and gave me a base to work off. I used them to find a wiki that is dedicated to explaining the many, many, types of -dere in anime (yes that actually exists) and based on the descriptions Mimosa doesn't fit a standard deredere character. Mimosa has a lot of deredere qualities but where she differs from them is that she is not open about her feelings for Asta but rather extremely shy and bashful around him whenever he first appears, though she does get over it quickly, and derederes are usually ok with other rivals but Mimosa is shown to be jealous of both Noelle and Sally when they are close to Asta or show more of their feelings. The other suggestion I got for Mimosa was hiyakasudere which are characters who playful and like to tease their love interest in coy ways which Mimosa does a little but not to the level. However, looking over the site I found hajidere under the shy type of -dere and one look showed that this is Mimosa's true -dere type. Hajideres are characters who are a subset of danderes but rather than being shy around everyone, they are only shy around their love interests, and it can be quite extreme. In fact, Mimosa is actually listed on the site as an example of an anime character who is a hajidere so that pretty much confirmed it for me, so I went with that. For those curious, other good examples of hajideres are Serena from Pokémon XY and to a lesser extent Ochaco Uraraka from My Hero Academia. Anyway, sorry for the long rant, had to explain my choice in title for this one as Mimosa is a hard one to classify. By now y'all should know who is next so get ready because it should be coming soon. That is all I have for now, please let me know what you think in your reviews and PMs as I do like hearing from y'all and don't forget to follow and favorite my work.
Stringdog