Red lily (3)

Here is the translation of the chapter into English:

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Noah's eyes widened, and suddenly, all the times she mentioned something about his future came rushing back to his mind like a whirlwind of memories and confusion. In disbelief, he frowned and pointed a finger at the sky. "No... this is a nightmare. I shouldn't have read that book of tales today."

"Hey, even though I'm gorgeous, I'm not the Snow Woman. Relax, I don't eat children," the woman said, gesturing with her hand as she waved casually at the boy, trying to ease the tension with a touch of humor.

The boy looked at her with a disdainful expression and replied, "Well, the illustration of her was much prettier than you."

The woman let out a soft laugh, shaking her head with a smile that showed she had expected that response. "It seems some things never change," she remarked, with a gleam in her eyes that mixed nostalgia and acceptance. "Now, could you stop pinching yourself?" She pointed at the boy, who was trying, unsuccessfully, to wake up from what he believed to be a strange dream.

The woman then turned towards the boy's house, her expression becoming more serious. "I have a lot to tell you," she said, her voice now laden with a calm urgency. "And I also need to explain why all this is happening."

Inside Noah's house, both were sitting on a red cushion on the floor.

Two hours later, Noah remained completely paralyzed, unable to process everything he had just heard. His expression was frozen, with his mouth slightly open and one eye wider than the other, as if his brain was struggling to grasp at least half of what he had just heard. "That was... terrifying."

The woman, noticing Noah's reaction, couldn't help but smile. "Ah, so you've always been like this since you were a child," she commented as she gently tapped her cheek with her finger.

"How am I supposed to react to this? You literally told me my entire life..." Noah muttered, still dazed. Realizing what he had just said, he raised his left eyebrow, a mix of curiosity and suspicion beginning to form in his mind. "Now that I think about it, how do you know so many details?"

The woman sighed, placing her hand on her face and crossing her legs in a gesture that suggested both exhaustion and an attempt at patience. "You're not going to drop this, are you?" she asked, as if already expecting his persistence.

Noah extended his arms forward in a gesture of confusion. "It's a lot for me to process," he admitted, staring at the woman, as if trying to understand her might somehow help clarify the confusion in his mind. "So, I'm just saying the first thing that comes to mind... Like, for instance..."

He then pointed at her, his eyes fixed on hers as he asked the question, "What was our relationship? I mean, look at what just happened, and everything you know about me... it's like..."

The woman brought her hand to the back of her neck, showing slight discomfort, as if she were touching on a subject more delicate than she'd like. "Well, that I can't reveal," she began, hesitating for a moment before continuing. "But I can say that... we traveled together many times, and those trips were long and tedious. So, yes, you could say that your future self knows as much about me as I'm comfortable admitting." She shrugged and shook her head, as if that was the best answer he could get at that moment.

Then, the woman stood up from the cushion, brushing her hands together as if dusting them off. Her eyes met Noah's once more. "But anyway, I think it's best to give you some time to digest everything you've heard. There's still one last important thing to do before we part ways," she said, her voice taking on a more serious tone.

Outside the house, with her hands resting on her back, the woman stretched, while her mind wandered in thoughts. 'How many hours have passed? The memory implantation process takes only a few seconds, but who knows how much time he'll need to adjust his mind to all of this...'

She sighed, relaxing her shoulders, as her thoughts continued to drift. 'Well, Mr. Library probably won't have trouble organizing some thoughts...' Reflecting on this, the woman brought her hand to her mouth, muffling a giggle that escaped involuntarily.