Don’t Look Back, Megumi Kato [32]

“Ugh… that was so embarrassing! It was my first kiss. Yuu-kun won’t think I’m too easy, will he…?”

In the bathroom, Megumi sank deeper into the bathtub, her face flushed with a charming blush. Her phone rested on the bathtub’s edge.

Beneath the misty water, her fair and delicate figure shimmered faintly, captivating enough to steal anyone’s breath away.

Whether from the heat of the water or something else entirely, the girl’s exquisite face had turned bright red.

Recalling her daring move just now, Megumi felt an unprecedented wave of shame wash over her.

She’d never imagined she could do something so bold, nor could she even fully grasp why she'd suddenly acted so daringly.

At that moment, she had only thought: If I don't take action now—if I stay passive—I might regret it.

The result?

I really regret it now! It’s so embarrassing!

Yet, she still understood the difference between temporary regret and lifelong regret.

If she’d done nothing, that wouldn’t just be regret for a moment—it would haunt her forever.

“Blub-blub…”

She submerged her head under the water, as if rebooting her overloaded brain.

“I wonder if Yuu-kun has made it home yet,” Megumi murmured thoughtfully after resurfacing a few moments later. “Though, it feels like Yuu-kun’s relationship with his little sister is a bit… complicated.”

A woman’s sixth sense was frighteningly accurate.

Megumi didn’t even know Sagiri Izumi was Yuu’s step-sister, yet instinctively she sensed danger.

Ding!

Her phone chimed suddenly from the bathtub edge. A LINE notification had arrived.

She hastily dried her hands with a nearby towel, picked up the phone, and unlocked the screen, opening LINE.

But when she saw the sender was “Tomoya-kun,” disappointment instantly filled her eyes.

It was a delayed message of apology and concern from Tomoya Aki:

[Tomoya Aki]: Something urgent came up with Utaha-senpai’s work, and she really needed my help. I'm so sorry.

At first, Megumi instinctively felt reluctant to reply. But after a moment’s thought, ignoring him felt unnecessarily rude. After all, they were still clubmates, and she wasn’t a petty person.

She quickly typed a short reply:
[It's okay. I should thank you, actually.]

She wasn’t being sarcastic; she genuinely meant her gratitude.

If Tomoya hadn’t acted as he did today, Megumi might never have realized her true feelings.

The moment Tomoya abandoned her, focusing solely on the club without considering her feelings, she’d understood clearly that they had become two entirely separate individuals.

Without waiting for his reply, Megumi swiftly opened his profile and changed his name from Tomoya-kun to Aki-kun.

Then, after a slight hesitation, she opened another scarcely used chat with a green icon, changing Izumi-kun to Yuu-kun.

After finishing these changes, Megumi set down her phone, an expectant expression spreading across her face.

“I'll be visiting Yuu-kun’s house next week. He even promised to let me taste his cooking… I wonder how it’ll taste?” she murmured absently, completely ignoring the continuous buzzing of incoming messages.

---

“Ahh… Today’s meeting with Izumi-sensei was amazing! My motivation to work has improved drastically, and it’s given me so much creative inspiration. I still can’t believe Izumi-sensei turned out to be my neighbor, though—what a pleasant surprise!”

In her room, under bright lights, the golden-haired, twin-tailed girl enthusiastically worked at her drawing board, skillfully sketching a risqué illustration. Soon, an alluring young woman appeared vividly on the page.

Alongside her were two other characters: a slightly awkward, glasses-wearing boy, pressing his ear desperately against the door, clearly eavesdropping; and an attractive, warm-smiling, somewhat worldly-looking blond youth on the bed with the girl.

A classic NTR scenario!

Indeed, this was the latest masterpiece from Eriri Spencer Sawamura—no, rather from the renowned doujinshi artist Kashiwagi Eri!

“I’m drawing! I’m drawing! Quit rushing me! This new work will definitely be a bestseller!” Eriri grumbled as she quickly replied to her clubmates who were urging her on, continuing to illustrate energetically.

“The new story revolves around a girl disappointed in her oblivious childhood friend, who pushes her away despite knowing her feelings. She falls into the arms of the handsome new neighbor next door. The childhood friend can only listen helplessly, eavesdropping through the door, wallowing alone in regret and bitterness while shedding exactly three tears of anguish in the restroom.”

“Though the premise isn’t groundbreaking, combined with the techniques Izumi-sensei taught me today, it’s certain to reach a whole new level!”

Her sapphire eyes sparkled brightly, full of self-confidence and excitement.

Thanks to Izumi-sensei’s guidance, she felt the marker in her hand was practically glowing with inspiration.

After a long time, Eriri finally finished her draft. Contentedly organizing her sketches, she reached for her phone.

Upon unlocking it, she saw numerous LINE notifications.

“Could it be from Izumi-sensei?!” Excited, she hurriedly opened LINE.

Her smile abruptly disappeared when she saw they were all from Tomoya.

Dejected, Eriri opened the chat window and saw multiple late messages from him, filled with delayed concern and worry.

[Tomoya Aki]: Sorry about today, something urgent came up. Did you get home safely, Eriri?
[Tomoya Aki]: Eriri, why aren’t you responding? Did something happen to you?
[Tomoya Aki]: Damn it! Could that guy be dangerous? I’m heading to your house right now to speak with your parents!

The first message had been sent several hours ago, right when she started working. Seeing the last message from just ten minutes earlier, Eriri instantly panicked.

She quickly typed:
[I’m fine! I was just busy working! Tomoya, you idiot, don’t do anything rash! Izumi-sensei is an amazing and trustworthy person!]

After a while, Tomoya finally replied:
[You scared me! I thought something bad happened. Glad you’re safe.]

Annoyed, Eriri sent back:
[Nothing bad could happen when I’m with Izumi-sensei! He’s dependable and talented.]

Tomoya always sent unnecessary concern mixed with irritating implications. Worried she’d met a bad guy, yet also implying she should've canceled the appointment!

Tomoya’s next reply was quick:
[That’s good, but why are you constantly talking about Izumi-sensei?]

Eriri, growing increasingly irritated, typed briskly:
[None of your business! I’m going to shower and sleep!]

She immediately closed his chat window. After brief consideration, she opened another chat and carefully typed:
[Izumi-sensei, have you gotten home yet?]

The chat clearly read: Izumi-kun!

---

Outside Eriri’s house, Tomoya stared at his phone screen, looking utterly baffled.

“That’s odd… Megumi and Eriri seem a bit off today, almost indifferent toward me,” he muttered blankly, confused by the two chat windows that didn't even display 'read' marks yet.

Both girls' attitudes had completely reversed since last week.

He felt as if something important had slipped from his grasp.

Standing awkwardly, Tomoya felt a chill creep down his spine, an ominous sense of having lost something irreplaceable.

---

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!