Don’t Look Back, Megumi Kato [31]

"It's gotten late. Let me walk you home."

When Megumi Kato and Izumi Yuu stepped out of the shopping mall, Tokyo was already blanketed in the night. There were no stars visible, just the city’s neon glow and bustling lights.

The intoxicating night air carried a gentle breeze, soothing their hearts.

Glancing up at the night sky, Izumi Yuu turned toward Megumi Kato, proposing softly to escort her home.

Hearing his words, a subtle joy flashed across Megumi's eyes, and she replied gently, "That would be great. Thank you, Izumi-kun."

A warm feeling welled up within her. Although it was merely a small gesture, escorting a girl home was common courtesy—expected regardless of whether they were friends or something more.

Yet, Tomoya Aki’s previous disappointing behavior had unintentionally boosted her goodwill towards Izumi.

Had Tomoya not callously abandoned her to please Utaha Kasumigaoka, Megumi might never have realized someone could behave so inconsiderately.

"It's nothing special, just something I ought to do." Seeing her delight, Izumi Yuu spoke softly, "Rather, it’s a bit sad, even heartbreaking, to see you so happy over something this trivial."

"Hmm... now that you put it that way, even I’m starting to pity myself," Megumi said, slightly taken aback before laughing quietly. "But Tomoya-kun and I have always been just clubmates—ordinary friends at most. It’s perfectly normal for him to prioritize someone he truly cares about."

Previously, Megumi would never have specifically emphasized her ordinary friendship with Tomoya.

But recently, Tomoya had become truly just a friend to her—nothing more, nothing less.

For someone positioned so distantly, Megumi certainly wouldn’t expect much from him anymore.

At most, she planned to quietly withdraw from the club once the current project was complete—unless something unexpected happened.

After all, everyone had been working hard together for a long time, and unless necessary, Megumi didn’t want to give up midway.

That decision had nothing to do with Tomoya; it was simply part of her own nature.

"You’re exceptionally understanding and gentle, Megumi. If it were another girl, they might've thrown a tantrum by now," Izumi commented, looking at Megumi’s serene face as they walked together towards her home.

No wonder she earned the nickname "Saint Megumi." Her temperament truly was saint-like.

Even after Tomoya’s awful behavior, she hadn't shown any anger.

Of course, part of it was that Megumi had become thoroughly disillusioned with Tomoya, gradually pushing him to the margins of her world.

If Megumi still had romantic feelings for him, even if she didn't show it outwardly, she'd surely feel upset.

Girls were often like that—extremely tolerant toward strangers, yet demanding with those they liked.

Or perhaps everyone was like that, just more pronounced with girls towards someone special.

They held the people they cared about to impossibly high standards.

"Gentle and understanding? Maybe…" Megumi tilted her head, considering briefly. "Though I wouldn’t say I never get angry. It’s just, this particular situation really doesn’t seem worth being upset about."

Seeing her puzzled expression, Izumi Yuu smiled gently, "Perhaps it's because you never expected much from Aki-san from the start. Without expectations, there's no disappointment, and thus no anger or sadness. People only feel intense anger when something deeply matters to them, and extreme calm when it doesn't."

"Is that so? Your words seem to both make sense and not at all," Megumi muttered softly, glancing thoughtfully at Izumi. "But that actually might describe how I feel."

"People only get emotional over someone who matters to them," Izumi chuckled. "As for those who don't matter, unless they directly harm your interests, there’s no reason to get angry."

"Huh?! Izumi-kun, you're making a lot of sense." Megumi blinked, slightly startled by his insight.

Then, secretly glancing at Izumi, a thought suddenly arose in her mind.

If it were Izumi abandoning her to please another girl, she might feel... unhappy?

The thought was uncertain, yet imagining such a scenario suddenly made her chest feel tight, as though a fire had been lit inside.

Thinking of this, Megumi shot Izumi an irritated glance.

Great, now she had successfully simulated the scenario and managed to get herself upset!

"What’s wrong, Megumi?" Noticing her sudden silence, Izumi asked with mild confusion.

"Nothing." Hearing Izumi’s soothing voice, Megumi quickly snapped out of her imagined scenario, calmly replying, "I just realized something important about myself."

"It's good that you figured it out," Izumi said with a pleasant smile curving on his lips.

Excellent. It seemed Megumi was now aware of her own feelings.

Now that she’d taken the first step, the final one wasn't far off.

"It’s all thanks to you, Izumi-kun…" Megumi turned slightly, looking gently at the young man beside her.

"I didn’t really do anything. I just helped you see things more objectively," Izumi shook his head mildly, speaking neutrally. "But how you think and act—that’s all on you. It has nothing to do with me."

Izumi admitted he’d played some tricks in his subtle rivalry with Tomoya.

But he'd only ever nudged things along objectively; Tomoya’s own shortcomings were the root cause.

In other words, if Tomoya had truly been a good person, Megumi wouldn’t have grown so disillusioned.

At least, if Tomoya had clearly expressed himself, things might have turned out differently.

Chatting leisurely, the two continued walking toward Megumi's home.

Under the clear moonlight, their casual stroll resembled that of a couple.

"I'm home," Megumi murmured softly, glancing toward the building with a slight trace of reluctance.

[You glance toward the girl’s empty house and decide to make up some excuse, like being thirsty, to enter her home. Given the girl's usual lack of vigilance, she'll surely agree. Once you've successfully entered her house, control shifts entirely into your hands. You can then say it's too late and that your home's door is locked, using this as an excuse to stay overnight. Afterward, pretend you can't sleep on the floor and sneak into the girl's bed. At this point, the performance begins]:

• 21:00 “I promise I won’t do anything!”

• 21:05 “You smell so nice!”

• 21:10 “Can I kiss you?”

• 21:20 “It feels a little hot, doesn’t it?”

• 21:25 “Maybe you should take off your clothes.”

• 21:26 “Your body is so soft!”

• 21:27 “Can I hug you?”

• 21:28 “Haha, hugging you really turns me on!”

• 21:29 “You’re irresistible!”

• 21:30 “Can I touch your cute butt?”

• 21:31 “Sorry, I didn’t mean to unhook that!”

• 21:32 “Can I just rub it a little?”

• 21:33 “Just rubbing! I won’t put it in!”

• 21:34 “I swear it wasn’t intentional!”

• 21:34 “Does that feel good?”

• 21:35 “Call me Daddy!”

• 21:35 “Whose loyal dog are you?”

• 21:35 “Say it out loud!”

• 21:35 “I’m finished!”

• 21:36 “Let me see it dripping out!”

• 21:37 “You can go wash up now!”

Listening to the absurd, meticulously timed narrative playing in his mind, Izumi’s mouth twitched in disbelief.

How many times do I have to say—I’m not a three-minute guy! You’re the one lasting three minutes, your whole family are three-minute finishers!

He mentally cursed. This scenario was absurdly precise, and why was the critical part so short?!

"I’ll stop here." Ignoring the intrusive scenario, Izumi glanced at Megumi’s darkened house, preparing to bid her goodnight.

"Would you like to come in for a moment?" Megumi hesitated briefly. "You must be thirsty after all that walking."

"No thanks. My little sister has been waiting at home for a while. Sagiri will starve if I don’t return soon," Izumi shook his head.

He knew Megumi’s invitation was just polite courtesy and didn’t expect anything more.

Instead of sipping water awkwardly, he’d rather head home quickly to make dinner for Sagiri.

He could already picture Sagiri’s resentful, starving expression clearly.

"You're really a caring big brother," Megumi said with a gentle smile, not insisting further.

"Leaving my sister home alone for so long hardly qualifies me as caring," Izumi sighed helplessly.

"Can you close your eyes, Izumi-kun?" Megumi suddenly asked, gathering her courage.

"Huh? Sure," Izumi said in surprise, obediently closing his eyes.

In the next moment, something soft and sweet, carrying a hint of cherry blossom fragrance, gently pressed against his lips.

Before Izumi could open his eyes, the sensation vanished.

"All right, you can open your eyes now," Megumi smiled mischievously, looking satisfied.

"Um... just now, was that...?" Izumi slowly opened his eyes, looking at Megumi uncertainly.

"It's a secret!" With a rare playful smile, Megumi placed a finger to her lips, then quickly turned away and entered her home.

"Megumi is definitely more complicated than she seems," Izumi murmured thoughtfully, touching his lips. "That was my first kiss… Good thing it resets every day at midnight."

If not for his extensive theoretical experience, he might have completely lost his composure to her teasing.

Meanwhile, Megumi’s affection gauge quietly ticked upward.

[Name: Megumi Kato]
[Status: A heroine who found a new direction]
[Affection: 65 (Secretly harboring feelings for you)]

"I should figure out how to make it up to Sagiri," Izumi sighed, feeling troubled. "Hopefully it’s not too late to apologize."

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T/N: 3 minutes...

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!