Don’t Look Back, Megumi Kato [35]

Hearing Sagiri’s voice, almost pleading in its tone, Izumi Yuu felt as if something had stabbed straight into his heart.

Their parents’ sudden accident had turned this sweet and cheerful girl into an introverted shut-in.

Well… perhaps "sweet and cheerful" wasn’t quite the right way to describe Sagiri.

After all, calling an R-18 illustrator "innocent" might be pushing it a bit far.

Nevertheless, the current Sagiri had no one but himself to rely on.

If he had to name someone else, there was always the guardian responsible for Sagiri’s psychological trauma, but that was hardly a reliable option.

“Don’t worry, Sagiri-chan. I'll never leave you alone,” Izumi said gently, stroking her soft silver hair soothingly.

“Really?” Sagiri raised her head cautiously, anxiety lingering in her eyes.

“Of course,” Izumi assured her with a warm smile. “I’ll always take care of Sagiri-chan.”

“Good! Anyone who lies has to swallow a thousand needles!” Hearing Izumi’s reassurance, Sagiri immediately brightened up and extended her delicate pinky finger.

Izumi chuckled softly at her adorable earnestness, linking his pinky with hers and gently shaking it.

Under the soft glow of moonlight, they sealed their promise.

Gently swinging their intertwined pinkies, Izumi asked playfully, “Can Sagiri-chan trust me now?”

Seeing how much the girl relied on him filled his heart with warmth. Being someone others depended on really was a rewarding feeling.

“Mhm...” After their pinky promise, Sagiri finally relaxed.

Yet realizing just how much she’d shown her dependence, Sagiri’s delicate cheeks quickly turned a bashful red.

Izumi watched her quietly, his lips curling into a tender smile at her shy reaction.

[Seeing this girl who relies on you so completely, your heart can't help but stir. She has nobody left except you. No matter what outrageous request you make, she’d have no choice but to accept! Even if you made her obediently kneel on the bed and turn her back to you, she’d have no power to resist. Thinking this, you quickly decide your next step...]

Utter filth!

Absolute depravity!

Sagiri-chan is still just a child!

Hearing the disgraceful narrator’s thoughts, Izumi harshly condemned such immoral behavior in his mind.

To think it would suggest preying on a helpless girl who trusted him!

Though admittedly, the narrator’s words implied Sagiri would only reluctantly accept his advances...

If only Sagiri accepted willingly…

No! Sagiri was his precious step-sister! How could he think such things? At least…not yet!

Izumi swiftly ignored the shameless narrator’s absurd commentary.

“Nii-san, your gaze was just impure!” Sagiri suddenly spoke up, glaring suspiciously at Izumi with clear disdain.

“Eh?!” Izumi flinched, startled that she’d somehow caught his fleeting thought.

How could she possibly notice?!

[At such a young age, she already possesses frighteningly sharp insight. Your cover is blown. She’s too dangerous to keep around! However, being merciful toward lovely maidens, you generously decide to grant her a dignified end—using your invincible spear to pierce straight through…]

Did you upgrade from a petty criminal in prison to a serial killer?! Izumi internally retorted, completely ignoring the narrator’s outrageous suggestion.

Putting on a composed expression, Izumi calmly said, “Sagiri-chan, you’re misunderstanding something. That was just a caring older brother’s gaze.”

“I'm an illustrator! Observation skills are essential—I memorize everything I see clearly to create realistic art! Your gaze just now was clearly from someone thinking indecent thoughts!” Sagiri retorted, her face reddening as her voice softened. “It felt really goo—I mean really awful! How dare you look at me like that!”

“If you don’t hurry up, Sagiri-chan, your food will get cold!” Izumi hastily changed the topic.

“What a crude attempt at changing the subject…” Sagiri muttered quietly but obediently picked up her dinner tray anyway.

Izumi exhaled deeply, relieved he’d finally pacified the difficult Sagiri.

Why did he feel a certain blonde loser paled terribly in comparison to Sagiri’s razor-sharp insight?

Both were genius illustrators, both drawing R-18 doujinshi—yet why did the gap feel so immense?

“Oh, by the way!” Sagiri suddenly spun around to face Izumi again.

“What is it?” Izumi immediately tensed, fearing another sudden interrogation.

“Nii-san, the person you met today was Kashiwagi-sensei, wasn’t it?” Sagiri asked curiously.

“Yes,” Izumi nodded slowly, his body remaining tense.

Could Sagiri possibly be jealous that someone else was illustrating his light novel?

But considering Kashiwagi Eri was an R-18 doujinshi artist—just like Eromanga-sensei—Sagiri most likely assumed Kashiwagi-sensei was another creepy middle-aged man. She probably had no idea it was actually Eriri.

“I really like Kashiwagi-sensei’s art style. I heard he’s having an autograph event soon. Nii-san, could you get me a signed copy of his latest artbook?” Sagiri asked eagerly, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement.

As fellow R-18 illustrators, Sagiri naturally admired Kashiwagi-sensei’s work. Both being young girls, their styles differed from the greasy middle-aged illustrators that filled the industry, creating a natural sense of artistic camaraderie.

Thanks to Kashiwagi Eri’s announcement tweet about her new work, Sagiri had easily figured out Izumi’s true reason for going out today.

[Hearing the girl’s request, you sneer inwardly. Ask that blonde loser for an autograph? It'd make more sense if you signed something for her instead! Your specialty is writing the character “正” (tally mark). You decide to write a few firm and righteous “正” characters on this Eromanga-sensei here first. Of course, certain preparations must be completed before signing…]

That's actually not a bad idea!

Izumi briefly considered adopting that as his signature method in the future.

He realized the narrator occasionally made surprisingly decent suggestions, even if they clearly weren’t suitable right now.

Seeing Sagiri’s hopeful expression, Izumi smiled warmly and nodded. “Sure. Kashiwagi-sensei actually wants my autograph too. I'll use that as an exchange.”

“Great!” Sagiri was instantly thrilled, setting her dinner aside and happily throwing herself into Izumi’s arms.

“Ugh—” Izumi staggered slightly, caught off guard by her embrace. Feeling Sagiri’s soft, petite frame against him, his heart immediately fluttered.

The ancients were right: Lolitas really do have their charm!

Unfortunately, now wasn’t the right season for harvesting that fruit.

Still, Izumi quietly savored the warm softness of Sagiri’s body against his own.

Her faint fragrance and delicate, smooth skin were utterly intoxicating.

It would have been perfect if certain areas weren’t being pressed awkwardly…

Even so, Izumi felt an undeniably sinister energy stirring within him.

“H-Huh?! Pervert!” Sagiri immediately noticed the reaction she’d caused. Blushing furiously, she dashed back into her room and slammed the door shut. Just before it closed, she let out a mortified cry of disgust.

Izumi, left alone and bewildered, could only stare helplessly at the firmly shut door.

He wore an innocent, misunderstood expression.

---

T/N: PERVERT!

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!