Don’t Look Back, Megumi Kato [15]

“Tomoya?! What are you doing here?!”

A surprised voice rang out from behind, making Aki Tomoya—who had been spying on a certain pair—jump like he’d been electrocuted.

“Huh?! Eriri?! What the hell are you doing here?!” Startled, Tomoya clutched at his chest, flustered and rattled as he looked at the blonde girl in front of him.

“I saw you sneaking around here like a creep, so I came to see what you were up to.”
Sawamura Spencer Eriri shrugged, then glanced toward the two figures walking off in the distance. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“Wait, isn’t that Kato-san’s back? And the guy with her—isn’t that the Izumi guy you were talking about yesterday? Don’t tell me you came all the way here just to spy on them?!”

To be fair, her instincts were spot-on.

Eriri had picked up on Tomoya’s intent the moment she noticed his strange behavior—and saw those two together.

“No! I just happened to pass by!” Tomoya denied it instantly, waving his hands. “Don’t say weird stuff like that, Eriri!”

“Hmph. Why do you look so guilty, then? We’ve known each other since we were kids—you seriously think you can hide stuff from me?”

She crossed her arms, visibly annoyed. “Wait… don’t tell me you’re jealous because Kato-san was being close with another guy?”

Tomoya froze for a moment… then rushed to deny it again.

“No way! Me and Megumi are just clubmates. And friends! Why would I be jealous?!”

“Whatever. Your business, not mine. If you’re going to mope because you’re crushing on someone, it has nothing to do with me.”

Snorting, Eriri walked right past him, leaving Tomoya standing there.

But that guy… She looked toward Izumi Yuu’s silhouette, a trace of curiosity flickering in her eyes.

He actually noticed Kato-san… and got along with her so easily? That’s kind of surprising.

If it weren’t for Tomoya, Eriri honestly wouldn’t have paid Kato Megumi any attention at all.

It wasn’t that Megumi was average—more like her presence was paper-thin. Unless she actively made noise, people naturally overlooked her… like a pebble on the roadside.

“Mm… something feels off.”

Megumi muttered quietly as she walked ahead.

For some reason, she felt a prickling sensation—like someone was watching her.

“Kato-san? Something wrong?” Yuu asked gently.

“It’s nothing. Might be my imagination… I just feel like someone’s staring at us.” Megumi looked a bit unsettled.

“Pfft~ Kato-san, you really are cute. Who would be staring at us? Maybe they just envy how happy we look together?”

Yuu chuckled softly.

“Wh—?! Izumi-kun, you really like making jokes like that, huh?!”

Her cheeks turned slightly red as she sped up toward their classroom.

I wasn’t joking, Yuu thought with a smile, though he didn’t say it out loud.

[As the girl sinks deeper into your orbit, you stay composed. Because behind the pitiful protagonist’s gaze… is yet another set of eyes. One of his loyal lapdogs. You could steal her too—right in front of him. Make her your obedient little plaything, licking your—]

Yuu didn’t need to hear any more to understand—besides Tomoya, there was another observer behind them.

He glanced back and spotted a familiar head of blonde hair trailing behind.

Eriri, huh? Come to think of it, we’ve got a meeting scheduled tomorrow with the publisher.

Yuu rubbed his chin thoughtfully, a faint smile on his lips.

No need to force an interaction now. If he tried too hard, it might backfire. Sometimes, the best results came from letting things flow naturally.

With that in mind, he turned forward and caught up with Megumi.

They entered the classroom just as the bell rang. Most of the students were already in their seats.

Naturally, their synchronized arrival didn’t go unnoticed.

High school girls, after all, had a sixth sense for gossip.

If it had just been a one-off, it wouldn’t have mattered. But walking to school together multiple days in a row? That raised eyebrows.

Usually, only couples or soon-to-be couples acted that close.

Soon, rumors of Megumi and Yuu being a couple began circulating—first within the class, then across the grade, and eventually throughout the whole school.

Of course, it was all speculation for now—no solid proof.

But that didn’t matter.

Because, as everyone knew, the more a rumor spreads… the more it mutates.

“You hear about 2-C? Izumi Yuu and Kato Megumi are totally dating. They came to school together again today!”

“No, no—he is dating her. It’s every day now.”

“Did you hear? Izumi from 2-C got into Kato’s elementary school!”

Okay—maybe it was starting to get out of hand.

Yuu had expected gossip, sure. But even he didn’t think it would escalate to this level. And before he’d even touched her hand, people were acting like he’d already—

Naturally, all of this reached the ears of the most affected party—Aki Tomoya.

“Dammit!!! Megumi’s my heroine! How could she end up dating that guy?! Quit spreading lies!!”

Tomoya clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white, face twisted with frustration as he tried to shut down a group of gossiping girls.

“Huh? Aki-kun, are you dating Kato-san?” one girl asked innocently.

“Wha—?! Of course not!” Tomoya shook his head frantically.

“Ohhh, so it’s just a one-sided crush?” the girl responded flatly.

“In that case, you might want to give up while you’re ahead. Izumi-kun is way better than you—better grades, better looks. And even though he’s not in a club, I heard he stays home to take care of his mentally ill sister. That’s, like, ridiculously admirable~”

“That’s not true! Megumi and I are clubmates! She’s my heroine! There’s no way she’d date anyone else!” Tomoya snapped, his voice rising.

“Ugh, get real. You’re not even her boyfriend. If she likes someone more competent, that’s perfectly normal.”

The girls exchanged looks and rolled their eyes.

“No! You don’t understand our bond!” Tomoya practically screamed. “You have no idea what’s between me and Megumi!”

“Wow. Full-blown chuuni. He’s beyond help.”

They shook their heads in disdain and walked away.

Up until now, they’d just thought of Tomoya as a bit of a loner otaku—not exactly likable, but not awful either.

Now they realized he wasn’t just delusional, he was insufferable.

“Idiots! All of you! All you see is Izumi Yuu’s polished façade! You don’t know anything!!”

Tomoya shouted in his head, feeling like the whole world had turned against him.

---

After school.

Yuu glanced at Megumi, who was quietly packing her things. He walked over to her desk.

“Want to walk together, Kato-san?” he asked with a smile.

“Huh? But I’m not far from the clubroom. I’ve got activities today,” she said softly, looking up at him.

Her gaze darted away almost immediately, and her heart skipped a beat.

She must’ve heard the rumors too. And now, looking at Yuu felt… different. Some unfamiliar emotion stirred in her chest.

“That’s fine. I’m leaving campus anyway, so we can go together part of the way.”

“Mm… okay then.” She hesitated, then gave a small nod. “But I can only walk with you to the school gate.”

“That’s more than enough.”

“…Why do you want to walk with me, Izumi-kun?” she asked as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

Yuu met her eyes, gaze unwavering.

“Because—even if it’s just for a moment—I want to be with Kato-san.”

“…Huh?!”

Megumi’s pale cheeks instantly flushed crimson.

Was that… a confession?!

Her brain felt like it had just short-circuited.

---

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!