Don’t Look Back, Megumi Kato [26]

For a moment, the two sat in silence.

After a brief lull, Eriri was the first to speak up.

“Besides that, there’s actually something really important I wanted to talk to you about today, Izumi-sensei!” Eriri said seriously, fixing Yuu with a determined look.

“Oh? What is it, Kashiwagi-sensei?” Yuu replied mildly.

“I want to be the very first to read the continuation of your new work!” Eriri’s expression was dead serious as she locked eyes with him.

“That’s all? Of course. I thought it was something major.” Yuu smiled. “Since you’re my novel’s illustrator, you have every right to see my drafts before anyone else.”

“No, Izumi-sensei, you don’t get it!”

Seeing his easy reaction, Eriri suddenly shot up from her chair, leaning across the table with feverish intensity.

“You have no idea what your novels mean to me! The way you write—so provocative, yet never vulgar, blending art and literature—it’s a treasure in the history of light novels! It’s your words that made me realize what kind of art I truly want to create. This is my lifelong dream and passion! Only your writing can inspire me! Only you can reach the deepest part of my heart—!”

“Kashiwagi-sensei, please—don’t say things like that out loud in a place like this!”

Realizing every head in the café was now turned their way, Yuu hurriedly stood up, trying to stop Eriri from going any further.

Couples and customers alike were now staring at them as if they were some rare, endangered species.

Even though Yuu already knew about the intense, fanatical, and obsessive side hidden beneath Eriri’s ojou-sama mask, seeing her let it all out in public was still a different kind of embarrassment.

Please, don’t reveal your entire XP in public like this!

[Oh ho! Seeing the girl in front of you, you feel a collision of souls! But it’s not enough—far from enough! What you two need now is a collision of bodies! Only by colliding on both levels can you achieve double the pleasure!]

What kind of chuuni, cringy commentary is that?! The only collision I want right now is an escape route! Don’t try to dress up your filthy thoughts in such highfalutin terms!

Yuu mentally tore into the narrator.

“Huff… huff… huff…”

Feeling everyone’s eyes on her, Eriri took several deep breaths, trying desperately to calm down.

Oh no! What embarrassing things did I just say?!

Once the adrenaline faded, she felt her brain was about to crash.

She’d just exposed her true otaku self in front of everyone. And she’d said such humiliating things!

It felt like she’d laid her entire self bare to Izumi Yuu.

Her heart was filled with a shame she’d never experienced before.

Nooo! Why did I have to do something so embarrassing?

She shook her head furiously, her golden twin tails spinning like helicopter blades.

Seeing her weaponized twin tails, Yuu shuddered internally.

If she hit me with those, I’d probably start bleeding!

[You gaze at her twin tails, which are practically works of art, and a wicked impulse rises in your heart. As a seasoned driver, you’ve never gotten your hands on a set of twin-tail steering wheels before—but now’s your chance! As long as you leverage your “handle” on her, you can have a brand new steering wheel to play with…]

This car isn’t headed for kindergarten! And you seriously plan on riding the same “handle” your whole life?!

Yuu rolled his eyes at the narrator again.

Not to mention I don’t even have my license yet! That’d be unlicensed driving… Not that this car even needs a license to drive, but still.

“I get how you feel, Kashiwagi-sensei. The moment I first saw your work, I felt a true collision of art and soul, too.”

Ignoring the narrator’s rambling, Yuu straightened up, fixed his gaze on Eriri’s… twin tails, and said solemnly, “So don’t worry—my next manuscript will go to you first, even before the publisher.”

“That’s great! Izumi-sensei, you’re such a reliable partner~!”

Eriri’s joy instantly overpowered her embarrassment.

“I’ll put my whole heart into your future illustrations!”

“Thanks, Kashiwagi-sensei. If you ever get the chance, maybe you could help me out with my own humble little dream, too.”

Yuu smiled, reclining back.

“Your dream? You mean, being an illustrator?”

Eriri remembered what he’d said earlier, patted her flat chest, gave a huge thumbs-up, and declared, “Leave it to me! I’ll definitely help you make your dream come true!”

“With your promise, I can rest easy.” Yuu grinned.

“And… one more thing.”

Suddenly, Eriri stood up and came over to Yuu’s side, backing him into the corner.

“Something else, Kashiwagi-sensei?” Yuu raised an eyebrow, a bit puzzled.

“I want you to keep my real identity a secret at school. Can you promise that, Izumi-kun?”

Eriri gave him a sweet but dangerous smile.

“Otherwise, I might just drag you down with me. You wouldn’t want the other girls finding out you’re the author of racy light novels, would you?”

She pressed her pale, slender leg against Yuu’s side, using her height advantage to look down at him—like a dark saint passing judgment on a follower.

Yuu could clearly smell the faint lily scent from her body, feel the softness and tension in her leg, and sense the dangerous closeness of their situation.

It was such a reversal—he was the victim and she was the aggressor.

“That kind of threat doesn’t really work on me.” Yuu smiled slyly.

“But don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret. Let’s just call it a mutual exchange of secrets. Sounds pretty romantic, doesn’t it?”

At his words, Eriri was suddenly swallowed up by a wave of embarrassment. Her pale skin blushed deep pink, as if blood was about to drip from her cheeks.

“Wh-what?! Mutual exchange of secrets? Don’t say stuff that’s so embarrassing!”

Eriri tried to cover her nerves with bluster, but her fluster was obvious.

It was the kind of line you only heard from people about to fall in love—and for a girl who’d never been in a relationship, it was overwhelming.

Yet… there was a hint of sweetness in it, too.

“So, does that put your mind at ease, Sawamura-san?” Yuu smiled.

“Fine…”

Eriri took a deep breath, turned her head away, and mumbled, “I’ll trust you this once! I still have a lot of work to do for the club, so I have to get going! Spending so much time with you today was just because I needed a break—not because I wanted to hang out with you any longer, okay?!”

“Sure, sure. I’m looking forward to our next meeting, Kashiwagi-sensei.”

Watching Eriri’s textbook tsundere routine, Yuu couldn’t help but find it amusing.

No wonder Aki Tomoya had been able to take advantage of her for so long.

But really, if Eriri weren’t so tsundere, she wouldn’t be nearly as cute.

You just have to take everything she says and flip it around.

And at least tsunderes are better than those girls who fake sincerity but lie about everything.

Thinking that, Yuu’s gaze toward Eriri grew more playful.

“What are you laughing at?! I’m telling the truth!”

Feeling Yuu’s teasing gaze, Eriri stomped her foot in embarrassment.

“Nothing,” Yuu said, feigning seriousness.

“I don’t believe you! Why are you laughing? Don’t tell me you don’t believe what I said!”
Eriri bared her cute fangs, grumbling in frustration—completely forgetting she was supposed to be rushing back to work.

[With so many fascinating sides to this girl, your darkest desires start to surface. If you locked her up in a dungeon, you could have a month’s worth of fun and never get bored. But before you put your plan into action, make sure not to leave any evidence for the police—her father’s a diplomat, so the search would be relentless. Oh, and don’t forget the sleeping pills; they’ll help you carry out your plan…]

You’re really trying to get me killed, aren’t you?!

Hearing the narrator’s latest “suggestion,” Yuu shivered, rolling his eyes hard.

These little tricks aren’t enough for this sleazy narrator anymore! It’s gotten to the point of illegal confinement—who knows what’s next?!

---

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!