Don’t Look Back, Megumi Kato [34]

Sagiri took another sharp sniff, confirming again she hadn’t been mistaken.

A dark shadow immediately fell across her delicate, doll-like face.

Looking grimly at Izumi, Sagiri accused, “Nii-san smells different from when he left. You smell like another girl’s perfume! Plus, you didn’t make dinner for yourself, meaning you ate outside before coming home. You wouldn’t eat alone outside, so the only reason you'd be this late is that you were eating with another girl!”

A woman’s detective skills when catching a cheater could rival a certain elementary-school-aged shinigami detective.

With just these minor details, Sagiri had accurately deduced his entire evening itinerary and even pinpointed the reason he came back late.

Her slender, pale hands balled tightly into little fists, clearly showing she was deeply agitated.

"Huh?!" Izumi froze, dumbfounded, staring at the usually shy shut-in standing before him.

Is this really my socially anxious little step-sister?!

With such sharp observation and logical reasoning, she could easily apply for a position at Tokyo Police Headquarters!

[Looking at the girl before you, a surge of killing intent arises. She deduced everything from your scent alone. Such a dangerous girl can't be left alive. But before dealing with her permanently, you consider enjoying her first. After all, silver-haired girls have always been your weakness—especially your step-sister! As a man who appreciates delicate feet, it would be a shame to waste her flawless, bare feet. Being thrifty, you decide that before eliminating her, you should first unwrap this brand-new, untouched—]

Even you acknowledged Sagiri-chan as my step-sister! She’s my precious family! And I'm not into feet! Stop spreading lies—I’ll sue you for slander!

Izumi vehemently protested against the increasingly ridiculous inner narration, directly choosing to ignore its absurd ranting.

Looking again at Sagiri’s increasingly gloomy face, Izumi hastily explained, "Today, I ran into a classmate. She was going through some personal issues, so I stayed to comfort her. By the time we finished talking, it was late, so I walked her home. That's why I returned late. Sagiri-chan, you're understanding and kind—you’ll forgive me, right?"

One lie could lead to endless others, so Izumi opted for honesty—after all, it was technically true.

"Hmph! Spending time with another girl outside and leaving me alone at home—Nii-san, you're terrible! And now you're saying these things, making me seem childish if I don't forgive you!" Sagiri hugged her cushion angrily, her cheeks puffing out like an adorable, irritated pufferfish.

Looking at Izumi, she almost wanted to bite him out of frustration.

Doing something like this and then using cunning words to make her forgive him—if she didn't forgive him, she’d look immature and petty! Such a devious tactic!

“Wait a second! If you were only comforting her, then why do you smell like her perfume?!” Sagiri suddenly grew suspicious, eyeing Izumi skeptically. “You’d only pick up that much scent if you had physical contact with her!”

Izumi, who had been about to sigh in relief, froze once again.

Sagiri leaned in even closer, sniffing intently before adding with an increasingly hostile tone, "The scent is strong enough that you must’ve at least hugged her!"

"I didn’t hug her! And nothing else happened, either!" Izumi quickly denied it.

Indeed, he hadn’t hugged Megumi. As for anything else—well, he had closed his eyes at the critical moment, so he wasn’t entirely sure what Megumi had done. Even now, he wasn’t certain whether she had kissed him or simply brushed something soft against his lips. After all, it had happened faster than the speed of thought itself.

Sagiri carefully scrutinized Izumi. Seeing he didn't show signs of guilt or deceit, she asked doubtfully, "Really?"

"Of course!" Izumi answered earnestly, his gaze sincere and unwavering.

"But… Nii-san never used to get involved in other people’s problems. Um… You aren’t dating her, are you?" Sagiri suddenly thought of something. Clutching her pillow tightly, she looked blankly at Izumi, her voice trembling slightly.

Her expression grew more unsettling, as though on the verge of breaking down.

An instinctive chill ran down Izumi’s spine. He had a horrifying vision of Sagiri snapping and brandishing a kitchen knife to carve him up the next second.

I absolutely refuse to die at the hands of a yandere little sister!

"No!" Izumi quickly clarified. "She and I are just classmates who happen to get along."

Whether they would date in the future was uncertain, but right now they genuinely weren’t a couple.

Izumi knew that saying too much might make things worse, so he kept his explanation brief and truthful enough. Currently, his relationship with Megumi was indeed just friendship—no deception involved.

“Alright…” Sagiri stared at Izumi carefully, eventually relaxing after seeing no signs of dishonesty.

"Phew…" Izumi finally breathed out, relieved he’d somehow survived the interrogation.

"Nii-san…" Sagiri lowered her eyes, quietly calling out to him, her voice filled with sorrow and loneliness.

"Hmm? What’s wrong, Sagiri-chan?" Seeing her sudden sadness, Izumi felt a pang of unexplained heartache.

“If you really end up dating someone, please don’t leave me all alone…” Sagiri’s voice dropped to a faint whisper, thick with unmistakable fear and loneliness.

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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!