Don’t Look Back, Megumi Kato [27]

“Awesome! After a whole day of hard work, I’ve gotten so much inspiration for my game! Now I can make the characters more three-dimensional and lively. All this effort was totally worth it!”

Outside the mall, a boy with black-rimmed glasses pumped his fist in excitement, his face full of unconcealed joy.

“That’s great.”

Next to him, a girl who looked completely drained forced a tired smile, but there was something unreadable in her eyes.

The two were none other than Aki Tomoya and Kato Megumi, who had spent the whole day at Rokutenma Mall gathering material.

They’d circled the entire mall, checking out every store and every corner for reference, all for the sake of creating a better game with more realistic character designs.

But in the end, all their effort was being summed up by Tomoya alone, with no mention of Megumi’s own hard work—he only talked about his struggles and his game. Even in his mind, the game was always his, and he seemed completely blind to Megumi’s state or feelings.

All of this made Megumi’s heart feel strangely heavy and conflicted.

She’d worked just as hard, but Tomoya never seemed to notice—or value—her contributions. It was as if she were just a pawn, a tool for him to complete his game.

“Huh? Megumi, what’s wrong? You’ve seemed kind of out of it today.”

Tomoya, finally coming down from his high, looked over in confusion.

Facing his completely oblivious expression, Megumi just shook her head and said gently, “It’s nothing.”

“Glad to hear it. Honestly, I’m tired too—why don’t we find somewhere to rest?”

Tomoya wiped the sweat from his brow and glanced at Megumi, who was already glistening and worn out. “You must be exhausted after all that walking.”

“Mm.”

Megumi nodded quietly, her face calm and unreadable.

She just gazed at Tomoya, as if trying to peer into his true thoughts.

Can someone really be so dense that they can’t feel the mood or condition of others at all? Or… does Tomoya actually notice, but just doesn’t say anything? Is he just so self-centered that he can’t see anyone else?

Megumi felt a little lost.

Compared to Tomoya, I’m even less athletic. If he’s tired, how could I not be? And yet he never suggested a break—not until he himself was totally worn out. Only then did he finally say we should rest.

No matter how much you get lost in your own world, isn’t it impossible not to notice anyone else’s feelings? Unless… there’s literally no one else in your world at all.

If it were Izumi-kun, he’d probably notice right away if I was tired, and wouldn’t take all the credit for himself, either…

For some reason, a certain person’s image popped into her mind.

If it were him, he’d care about how I felt. He wouldn’t treat his own experience as the center of the universe.

Am I imagining things?

Megumi suddenly thought she saw two people through the café window—one was exactly the person she’d been thinking of.

And the other was a striking blonde girl in a yellow dress, her twin-tails shining bright.

How are those two together here? Do Sawamura-san and Izumi-kun actually know each other?

Megumi rubbed her eyes, barely believing what she saw.

They seemed to be chatting happily.

Something in Megumi’s heart twisted with a strange, sour feeling.

Maybe it’s just business? After all, being together doesn’t mean it’s a date—like how I’m with Tomoya now, but it’s just for club work.

She shook her head, brushing away the unnecessary thoughts.

Besides, Izumi-kun and I are just friends. I have no right to interfere in his private life.

“Megumi, what are you standing around for? There are benches over here!”

Tomoya called from a distant bench, waving her over.

“I’m coming.”

Megumi nodded and quietly walked over, choosing a seat noticeably far from Tomoya.

“Huh? Megumi, why are you sitting so far away?”

Tomoya asked, surprised to see her pick a spot over a meter away.

“Um… no reason. It just feels more comfortable here.”

Megumi paused, then answered calmly.

She didn’t really know why herself—she just instinctively wanted to keep some distance.

Am I worried Izumi-kun might see and misunderstand? Or do I just not want to be close to Tomoya?

Even Megumi wasn’t sure. All she knew was that her body had made the decision for her.

“I see.”

Tomoya didn’t seem to mind, staying excited as he continued, “Today was a huge success! I bet Kasumigaoka-senpai will be inspired by what we found. She’ll write even better scenarios and scripts for our club’s game!”

“…That’s nice.”

Megumi felt oddly stung by his words, and could only answer with a blank, neutral expression.

From the outside, even Kasumigaoka-senpai seems like just another tool for Tomoya, only there to make his game better… Maybe she’s just happy to help him, though?

But honestly, all the bickering between that upperclassman and Sawamura-san probably comes down to Tomoya, doesn’t it?

It’s like I’m the only one who joined willingly, or maybe just didn’t care either way…

Still, it feels weird, putting in all this effort and never getting any thanks.

“And once Eriri finishes the illustrations, the whole game will move forward! I’m so excited I can hardly wait!”

Tomoya kept talking, caught up in his own world.

Suddenly, his phone rang, cutting through the moment.

“Huh? Kasumigaoka-senpai?”

Tomoya glanced at the caller ID and looked over at Megumi in surprise. “Let me take this real quick, Megumi. Wait here, okay?”

“Okay.”

Megumi nodded, completely calm, not even a bit annoyed that he was avoiding her.

With her agreement, Tomoya hurried off to take the call somewhere private.

Megumi sat alone, quietly observing her surroundings.

But in truth, her gaze kept drifting back to that café.

She couldn’t help but care about why Izumi Yuu and Eriri were together.

She watched as a small figure exited the café—the golden twin-tails of Sawamura Eriri.

Megumi unconsciously let out a breath of relief.

At least they didn’t leave together. Who knows what might’ve happened otherwise…

Why am I so focused on Izumi-kun?

The realization unsettled her.

While she watched, Tomoya soon came rushing back.

“Senpai needs me for something urgent. I have to go! Let’s leave the rest for next time, okay? You can make it home on your own, right?”

Tomoya’s face was all anxiety—no apology.

Before Megumi could reply, he’d already dashed off toward the exit, leaving her alone.

“…Okay.”

She started to answer, only to realize Tomoya never gave her a chance.

She watched his retreating back in silence. In her dark eyes were disappointment, a touch of chill, a calm patience, and overwhelming speechlessness.

But not even a hint of anger or bitterness.

Megumi had thought she might be mad or frustrated. Instead, all she felt was let down, numb, and unappreciated—just an afterthought, cast aside whenever convenient.

She realized she couldn’t even muster up any anger at Tomoya anymore.

All his actions now only left her disappointed and a little disgusted, but not upset or jealous.

Time to go home.

She smoothed out her skirt, glancing at the white over-the-knee socks and miniskirt Eriri had suggested she wear, feeling a little down.

If Izumi-kun saw me like this, he’d probably like it and say something nice, wouldn’t he?
She smiled a little at the thought. Too bad he’s probably already gone home.

As the sky darkened and she felt hunger setting in, a gentle voice sounded by her ear.

“It looks like fate keeps bringing us together, Kato-san. Would you have dinner with me?”

Megumi slowly looked up at the handsome boy before her, the corners of her lips curving into a gentle, enchanting smile.

“If it’s you, of course I will.”

“Izumi-kun.”

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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!