Don’t Look Back, Megumi Kato [29]

"Did I say something upsetting?"

When Megumi heard Yuu’s gentle words, she paused for a moment.

Should I feel upset? Normally, yes, I suppose.

After all, Tomoya had invited her out to the mall this weekend, only to abandon her midway for Kasumigaoka-senpai. In a sense, that was even worse than being stood up outright.

Yet, strangely, Megumi felt almost no emotional fluctuation. Neither outwardly nor inwardly did she experience any particular reaction.

It was as if Tomoya was slowly becoming someone irrelevant, not even a close friend anymore—let alone someone who had once made her heart flutter.

"It's okay," Megumi replied softly, shaking her head gently and smiling at Yuu’s apologetic expression. "It's not really that upsetting. Actually, I'm more pleasantly surprised to have met you here, Izumi-kun."

The moment those words left her mouth, Megumi felt her cheeks heat up slightly. She nervously placed her delicate hands between her neatly closed thighs, uncertain why she had spoken so directly.

But she meant every word.

The mild annoyance of Tomoya leaving her behind was vastly outweighed by the happiness of meeting Yuu here and receiving an invitation from him for dinner.

Yuu, caught off guard by her straightforwardness, paused briefly. As he watched her shy yet utterly earnest expression, his heart felt a powerful jolt.

A cute girl speaking so openly like this is far too unfair!

Fortunately, he’d lived through two lifetimes and managed to hold onto some measure of composure—just barely.

Resting his hands comfortably on the table, Yuu met her clear, bright eyes with a gentle smile.

"To receive your approval, Kato-san… I feel truly honored."

"Approval?" Megumi tilted her head slightly, mulling it over.

"I guess that's one way to put it, but calling it an honor seems a little exaggerated." She waved her hands dismissively but admitted, "It’s just that the feeling you give me, Izumi-kun, really is different from Tomoya-kun."

Yuu leaned back into his seat, adopting a relaxed posture and asked curiously, "How exactly am I different?"

"When I’m with Tomoya-kun, I always feel like I’m just there to listen. He talks endlessly about his dreams, his ideals, and his own opinions about how I should be, trying desperately to mold me into his perfect 2D heroine," Megumi said frankly, without hesitation.

"Yet he's never satisfied and can never clearly explain what he’s dissatisfied with. It’s exhausting. And he’s so dense about other people's feelings and emotions; it’s always ambiguous and confusing."

She paused, thoughtfully gazing at Yuu before continuing with genuine sincerity, "But being with you, Izumi-kun, feels comfortable and relaxing. I can just be myself without trying so hard to match someone else’s ideals."

As Megumi spoke, a serene and heartfelt smile surfaced on her face.

No matter how perfect or ideal Tomoya-kun’s imagined heroines might be, none of them are me.

Megumi had no interest in becoming the idealized character Tomoya kept describing. After all, no one truly wishes to live according to someone else's vision of perfection.

Meeting Yuu’s gentle gaze, she whispered softly, "So…being with you really feels nice, Izumi-kun."

Facing Megumi’s earnest, heartfelt confession and her beautifully tranquil smile—one that seemed to reach deep into his soul—even Yuu, tempered by his past experiences with internet harpies, felt deeply moved.

[Something’s off! Very off! As a veteran of countless romantic battles, you instantly realize this girl has developed feelings for you! She’s begun craving you and is even planning to turn the tables and conquer you directly. But you’ve been in this game far too long—no trick can fool you! Now’s the perfect moment to drop a devastating line: “Woman, who gave you the ridiculous idea I enjoy spending time with you?” Then you promptly walk away, becoming the perfect Sigma male!]

Wait, hold on! You’ve got a screw loose, haven’t you?! Before, you constantly tried to push me toward crime and chasing women. Now, Megumi openly shows interest, and you suddenly want me to kick her away?! You’re just determined to ruin my happiness, aren’t you, you bastard narrator!

Yuu was dumbfounded by his internal narrator’s sudden shift in personality.

Did this jerk actually have a second persona or something?

Previously, he’d tried convincing Yuu to commit crimes left and right. Now, the moment a legitimate chance at happiness appeared—no crime required—this degenerate narrator switched gears to advocating “Sigma male” behavior?!

If Yuu hadn’t already mastered how to filter out and extract only the key points, he’d seriously consider giving this worthless narrator a beating.

Has Kato-san really developed feelings for me? She’s already started craving me?

Despite the narrator's usual nonsense, Yuu had learned to trust it when it provided critical insights like this.

This meant Megumi’s original feelings for Tomoya had basically disappeared, leaving only a hollow friendship—if even that. At this rate, their friendship itself was probably doomed.

Ever since Yuu pierced through the thin layer of self-deception surrounding Tomoya’s behavior, Megumi could no longer ignore or rationalize it away.

People are often like this.

They might see the truth clearly but refuse to accept it until someone else exposes it bluntly, forcing them to face reality.

Of course, some remain stubbornly blind no matter how much reality hits them. Such individuals aren't just lovesick fools—they’re missing some crucial wiring in their brains.

Pulling himself out of these thoughts, Yuu smiled warmly and told Megumi, "You’re gentle and thoughtful, Kato-san—very kind and caring. It feels genuinely nice being around you as well."

Having said his piece, Yuu relaxed in his seat, calmly crossing his legs and watching as Megumi's outward composure visibly cracked beneath the surface.

Such ambiguous compliments were perfect. They were just subtle enough not to seem forced but potent enough to completely overload her internal CPU. It was exactly how a master played the game.

Always keep the initiative securely in your own hands; that was the secret to never losing.

As a disciple trained directly under the great masters, Yuu had long internalized these methods.

Hearing Yuu’s gentle yet strangely mature compliment, Megumi felt her cheeks flush a deeper shade of red. She lowered her gaze shyly and quietly murmured, "Um… Thank you for saying that, Izumi-kun."

Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, feeling like it might leap right out at any moment.

Why did his description sound like something you'd say about a future wife?

After all, attributes like gentleness, thoughtfulness, kindness, and caring were exactly what you’d associate with a perfect housewife.

Megumi’s mind was racing, struggling to decipher Yuu’s true intentions.

Does he really mean anything deeper by it?

Her brain was spinning frantically, trying to analyze his motives and hidden meanings.

No… I think I'm overheating! Megumi.exe has stopped working!

---

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!