Don’t Look Back, Megumi Kato [20]

Because it was Saturday, Izumi Yuu had the rare luxury of sleeping in.

He had just rolled over, ready to enjoy a little more morning laziness, when he was interrupted by two separate signals—one from Eromanga-sensei, in the form of floor-tapping Morse code, and the other from Kashiwagi Eiri, via LINE message.

The synchronicity of two future top-tier illustrators reaching out at once—was this the legendary telepathy between genius girls?

Yuu blinked his bleary eyes open and slowly woke up.

Saturday.

The dragon raises its head.

Another high-spirited day for the last dragon of Tokyo.

…Yeah, he might be the final Dragon in the entire city.

Shaking off his drowsy thoughts, Yuu picked up his phone from beside his pillow and checked the screen. There it was: a fresh message from Kashiwagi Eiri, who had just approved his friend request on LINE.

[1 PM today. Café near Rokutenma Mall. Be there on time, Izumi-sensei.]

There was a clear command in her tone.

Not that Yuu minded. Being punctual for a meeting—especially one resembling a date—was basic manners. Arriving late, especially on purpose, would earn you a ticket straight to pigeon stew.

He had no intention of making a bad impression on Eriri over something so trivial.

[Sure, Kashiwagi-sensei. Got it!]

After sending a short reply, Yuu shut off his phone and headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast—and lunch—for the already-hungry Sagiri.

Since he’d be eating out, there was no point making lunch for himself at home.

Before long, the air was filled with the rich aroma of curry rice, along with a fluffy tamagoyaki bento.

Yuu plated the curry over rice and added a small, elegant dessert—a mini cake, a chilled glass of premium milk, and the tamagoyaki bento—before placing everything on a tray.

Once it was ready, he carried the tray upstairs.

“Sagiri-chan, breakfast’s ready.”

He knocked lightly and called toward the room.

Moments later, the door creaked open, revealing Sagiri’s petite figure and her delicate, doll-like face.

“Whoa! That smells amazing! Nii-san, your cooking’s seriously the best!”

She sniffed the air greedily, eyes lighting up at the scent of curry.

“There’s even better food waiting for you in the future,” Yuu said with a gentle smile.

“Huh?! You’ve been hiding even better stuff from me?! That’s cheating! What is it? Why won’t you tell me?”

Sagiri puffed out her cheeks in protest, clearly displeased.

“You’re still too young, Sagiri-chan,” Yuu said, ruffling her soft silver hair like he was soothing a child. “Once you’re older, you’ll be able to enjoy it.”

And to be fair, next to Yuu she did look very much like a kid—barely reaching chest height.

Not to mention her adorably “impoverished yet rich” figure, which only added to that small, delicate impression.

“Nii-san… are you talking about something weird?”

Sagiri narrowed her eyes suspiciously. As someone who drew those kinds of illustrations, she was far from innocent.

She had every reason to question his phrasing.

[Exposed by the girl, you grow flustered and furious. Deciding to abandon all pretense of “pure love,” you unveil the lollipop you’ve saved for years—your prized delicacy—and offer it to her in bed. But first, you’ll need to procure a safe dose of syrup so she doesn’t—]

I’m not the one with the dirty mind here—that’s you, you degenerate narrator! I was talking about food! Literal food!

Yuu gave the inner voice a mental slap and cleared his throat.

“I mean liquor-infused mochi. Kids can’t have alcohol, remember? You’ll have to wait until you’re an adult to try it.”

“Ugh! That’s so sneaky!”

Sagiri’s face turned bright red. His response was too flawless, making her feel like she was the one being inappropriate.

With a little stomp of her pale, bare foot, she stepped down hard on Yuu’s slippered foot.

“Ow! Sagiri-chan, what was that for?!”

Yuu winced, giving her a bewildered look. “I haven’t even scolded you for your impure thoughts and you’re the one throwing a tantrum?”

“Blehhh~”

Sagiri stuck her tongue out smugly. “Adults are the ones who have to be reasonable. Kids don’t have to follow logic!”

[Faced with her refusal to be reasoned with, you remember a timeless truth: truth only exists within artillery range. So you decide to fire your own cannon—onto her petite frame—to teach her what truth really means. Just be sure not to—]

If you keep pushing like this, I will leave the country!

Yuu mentally slammed the breaks on the narrator’s garbage.

“You’ve got a point,” he said aloud with a nod.

Then, as petty payback, he reached out and pinched Sagiri’s soft cheek.

“But I’m your legal guardian right now. That gives me the right to scold you without needing a reason.”

“Ughhh! You’re the worst, Nii-san! A big meanie!”

She rubbed her reddened cheek and pouted in protest.

Yuu ignored her entirely.

As long as I have no morals, no one can criticize my morality.

Suddenly, Sagiri caught sight of the bento box on the tray and blinked in surprise.

“Huh? Are you going out today, Nii-san?”

It was rare for Yuu to pack a bento on the weekend. Normally, they ate lunch at home in separate rooms since he only worked part-time in the afternoon.

So the fact that he’d prepared a bento meant he was planning to be away during lunchtime.

For some reason, an uneasy feeling bloomed in Sagiri’s chest.

A subtle, instinctive fear—like her caretaker was about to be stolen away.

“Yeah. I have a meeting with someone around noon,” Yuu replied casually.

“…I see.”

Sagiri’s voice dropped as she looked down, her sapphire-blue eyes dimming slightly.

She opened her mouth several times, wanting to ask who he was meeting… but couldn’t quite bring herself to say it.

It would make it seem like she cared about where he was going—and how much.

“Don’t worry. I won’t be gone long. I’ll be back soon to keep Sagiri-chan company.”

Yuu knelt down slightly, gazing into her face with a warm smile.

“R-Really? Okay!”

Sagiri blinked in surprise—then quickly looked up, meeting his eyes.

Her smile was so bright, so radiant, it could melt the winter frost.

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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!