Don’t Look Back, Megumi Kato [40]

Thump, thump, thump!

Fortunately, Sagiri's timely stomping upstairs eased the awkward tension between Izumi Yuu and Jinno Megumi.

“Hah! I knew Sagiri-chan cared deeply about you, Yuu-kun! See? My method was pretty effective, wasn't it?” Megumi quickly covered up her embarrassment, feigning pride.

“I’d call it more of a terrible idea,” Izumi said flatly, glancing at the girl beside him.

“But Sagiri-chan still won’t come out...” Pretending not to hear Izumi’s jab, Megumi tilted her head up to look at Sagiri’s tightly closed door and pouted in disappointment.

Her original plan had been to use intimacy with Izumi to provoke Sagiri into leaving her room. After all, she’d sensed Sagiri held special feelings for Izumi. But so far, her plan clearly hadn’t succeeded—aside from confirming her suspicion that Sagiri was indeed jealous.

“I told you, only genuine affection can get Sagiri-chan to willingly leave her room,” Izumi said helplessly.

“Then… Shouldn’t Yuu-kun at least try something physical? Wouldn’t that be a quicker way to build affection?” Megumi tilted her head innocently as she asked.

Hearing those words, Izumi had to pause and mentally double-check.

Nope… that definitely wasn’t the shameless narrator in my head talking just now.

Those two really were disturbingly similar. Sometimes, Izumi couldn't even distinguish between their voices anymore.

“I think it’d be easier if it were you, Megumi,” Izumi replied casually.

“Hah?! I—I just remembered I have something to do at home! I’ll be going now!” Megumi jumped to her feet, flustered by his response. “But I’ll be back!”

[Seeing the girl preparing to flee in panic, you can’t help but smirk. No prey you’ve set your sights on can ever escape from your grasp. If she runs, you chase. She can’t possibly fly away! You decide to drag her back, imprisoning her in your basement dungeon where you’ll thoroughly savor every inch of her delicious...]

What kind of domineering CEO forced-love drama is this?!
Besides, I’m a proper, decent person! I don’t even have a basement dungeon!

Ignoring the intrusive voice, Izumi gently smiled at Megumi. “Regardless, thank you on Sagiri-chan’s behalf. I appreciate your concern.”

Izumi could tell Megumi genuinely wanted to help Sagiri. Her actions weren’t entirely selfish—if they were, she wouldn’t persistently try to help even when the odds seemed slim.

Even if her methods were… questionable.

“You’re too polite, Yuu-kun. I just want to do everything I can for Sagiri-chan. She’s my classmate, after all.” Megumi bowed slightly, her face flushing suddenly before she quickly bolted out the door.

“Hmm… her embarrassment just now felt strangely intense,” Izumi mused thoughtfully as he watched the girl fleeing in embarrassment.

Was I really that intimidating?
No way, right?
Touching his own face doubtfully, Izumi concluded the issue was entirely with Megumi herself.

Shaking his head lightly, Izumi headed upstairs and gently knocked on Sagiri’s door.

“Finally! That sneaky, hypocritical woman is gone!” Sagiri muttered irritably, releasing her clenched fists upon sensing Megumi’s departure.

But when Izumi knocked, Sagiri immediately shouted through the door, sounding deeply annoyed, “Stupid Nii-san! Why did you bring that girl into our house?! And you two even had such an intimate chat!”

The thought of what Izumi and Megumi might have done together only deepened her agitation.

“She’s your classmate, after all, and genuinely wanted to help you. It’s not like I could just send her away immediately. And since you wouldn’t meet her, I had no choice but to entertain her myself,” Izumi explained helplessly.

“Hmph! No matter how many times she comes, I won’t step out of my room!” Sagiri huffed childishly, sprawling on the floor and angrily pounding her limbs like a tantrum-throwing child.

“Alright, alright, I understand.” Izumi chose to calmly soothe her for now.

“And…you two really didn’t do anything indecent, right?” Sagiri suddenly asked, her voice serious yet filled with nervous tension.

“How could anything like that happen?” Izumi replied gently. “She just said some weird things, that’s all.”

“Really?” Sagiri still sounded doubtful. “Then why did I hear her shouting something about dying?”

“It’s true,” Izumi replied smoothly, without missing a beat. “She just grabbed hold of my…weakness and mistakenly thought it might kill her.”

“Oh… I see,” Sagiri nodded, only partially convinced.

But something still feels strange…

She could understand the fear of getting killed to silence a witness, but what kind of "weakness" could possibly make Megumi react so dramatically?

And what exactly was this weakness Izumi was hiding from her?!

Sagiri’s curiosity burned intensely.

---

“Phew…That…that was terrifying!” Megumi sighed heavily after leaving Izumi’s house, leaning against a nearby wall to steady her racing heartbeat.

The shocking sensation she’d felt earlier still lingered vividly in her mind.

“Is Sagiri-chan actually in danger?! After all, Yuu-kun definitely doesn’t seem to view her as just a sibling. And both of them are clearly aware they aren’t blood-related,” Megumi mumbled nervously to herself, jealousy flashing briefly in her eyes. “Still, Sagiri-chan would probably enjoy it… Ahh, she’s so lucky! Having such a perfect stepbrother all to herself, she’s definitely winning at life!”

Lost in wild fantasies, Megumi walked absentmindedly toward home, nearly colliding with a black-haired boy wearing thick-framed glasses.

Fortunately, she snapped back to reality in time to dodge him.

“Sorry!” Megumi quickly apologized.

However, the boy completely ignored her, continuing forward while muttering distractedly, “Eriri seemed off yesterday. Maybe I should check on her today...”

“Tch, rude glasses-wearing otaku!” Megumi scowled, annoyed by his lack of response.

He doesn’t even have basic manners!

She could clearly sense a dense aura of otaku around him—completely opposite from the confident atmosphere of a normie.

---

Megumi’s visit was nothing more than a minor interruption to Izumi’s day.

As Izumi settled in to enjoy a relaxing weekend afternoon, his phone buzzed suddenly. A message from Eriri popped onto the screen.

[Kashiwagi Eri]: Izumi-sensei, we have a problem with the draft. Could you please come over to my house for a bit?

Izumi replied, puzzled:

[Didn’t we already confirm everything yesterday?]

Could Eriri have gotten addicted to discussing “details” with him?
You’re such a greedy little kitty, Eriri~!

She must have been waiting anxiously because her reply was instantaneous:

[Kashiwagi Eri]: I just realized I was so focused on how to portray the heroine’s erotic expressions that I completely forgot to design the protagonist, Aki-kun’s sprites! To avoid further issues, could you come over so we can finalize the details in person?

Izumi considered it briefly. He didn’t have anything planned, and this was also a good opportunity to ask Eriri for a signed artbook—something that might ease Sagiri’s lingering jealousy.

He typed back quickly:

[Understood. I’ll be there soon!]

After pocketing his phone and putting on his jacket, Izumi informed Sagiri briefly and headed out.

Eriri’s house was just ten meters away. Within moments, he was at the Sawamura mansion’s front door.

Ding-Dong.

After pressing the doorbell, Izumi heard footsteps approaching rapidly from inside.

“Hellooo~!! Welcome~!”

As the door swung open, a lovely woman in a kimono greeted Izumi cheerfully, smiling sweetly.

“Huh?!” Izumi froze, taken aback.

She bore an uncanny resemblance to Eriri.
Wait… Eriri never said anyone else would be home!

---

This is a fan translation of 加藤惠别回头，我是伦也君 by 故人归 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!