Don’t Look Back, Megumi Kato [10]

“Thanks to you, Izumi-kun, business went smoothly again today~!”

Outside the convenience store, the cheerful female manager smiled warmly at Izumi Yuu.

“You haven’t eaten dinner yet, right? How about coming over to my place tonight? I’ll cook you something.”

[Hearing the married woman’s invitation, your mind begins to wander. Her husband’s probably still grinding away at work, clueless about what’s happening at home. You, being the kind soul you are, decide to offer a touch of warmth to this overworked salaryman’s cold, soupless table—by satisfying his wife’s...]

Cut it out!

This is not the path of wholesome romance!

Izumi Yuu, battle-hardened champion of pure love, instantly shut down the narrator’s degeneracy.

Still, he glanced at the manager in front of him—late thirties, body subtly fuller after having a child, but still charming in a mature, sultry kind of way.

Not bad, actually...

If only her husband and athletic, black-skinned-white-socks-wearing sports-club son weren’t a package deal.

Izumi silently mourned. One v. two isn’t exactly a winnable fight.

Besides, I am a Pure-Love Warrior, damn it!

“I’ll pass. My little sister’s waiting for me at home—gotta make dinner.”

He shook his head with a calm smile.

“Ara~ What a good big brother Izumi-kun is~ Then I won’t keep you.”

The manager’s eyes twinkled with slight disappointment, but she kept up her smile.

“Be careful on your way home~!”

“Thanks. See you tomorrow!”

Izumi waved politely.

“See you~!” the manager replied brightly.

“Um... manager, I’m here...”

A soft, timid voice called from behind.

Izumi turned—and saw a petite figure standing at the convenience store entrance.

She had long pink hair, thick bangs that obscured her eyes, and an almost gloomy aura.

Her outfit was mismatched—a pink sports jacket on top and a pleated skirt below.
It didn’t really go, but somehow, it was charming in a clumsy, quirky sort of way.

Through the fringe, he caught a glimpse of shimmering blue eyes.

“Perfect timing!” the manager beamed.

“Izumi-kun, this is Gotou Hitori, our new hire. You two just missed overlapping shifts!”

“Gotou, nice to meet you.”

Izumi nodded, somewhat surprised.

He vaguely recalled hearing about a reclusive girl named Gotou in school—it might’ve been her.

“Ah... I-Izumi... s-senpai... h-hello...”

Gotou Hitori struggled to meet his eyes. Her voice was soft and halting.

Social anxiety gripped her so tightly she nearly turned and fled.
But with great effort, she forced herself to stay, face flushed as she tried to greet him.

[This girl clearly has social anxiety. But you, kind senior that you are, feel compelled to help her adapt to society—through the “sink or swim” approach. In Japan’s rigid, hierarchical workplace culture, senpai hold absolute authority. You can order her to do anything. She wouldn’t dare resist. This is your stage! Make her your obedient—]

You’ve really gone off the deep end, huh?

Izumi rolled his eyes.

Let’s not traumatize the poor girl by giving her a sneak preview of post-graduation corporate hell.

“She’s a bit shy,” the manager said with a gentle smile.

“Took quite a bit of coaxing just to get her to talk to me, but she’s reliable.”

“Then I won’t keep you two,” Izumi said with a polite nod.

He glanced at Gotou one more time—and something lit up in his eyes.

A glowing panel appeared above her head.

[Name: Gotou Hitori]
[Age: 16]
[Status: Socially anxious girl forcing herself to work part-time in hopes of overcoming her fear of human interaction.]
[Affection: 31 (Junior who’s a bit curious about you)]

Current possible endings:

[① The Completely Withdrawn Girl — Condition: Violate her trust before her affection reaches 70, breaking her spirit completely.]
(Reward: Obedience Collar™, 1,000,000 yen)

[② Strangers Who Never Connect — Condition: Maintain distance; paths never cross again.]
(Reward: None)

[③ Sunshine Girl — Condition: Raise affection above 70 and help her step out of her shell, becoming cheerful and outgoing.]
(Reward: 2 random Master-level skills, Divine Sight, 1,000,000 yen)

Izumi’s eyebrow twitched.

Option One is just pure evil. I’m not a freaking predator.

Option Two? Meh, meaningless.

Option Three… honestly? Sounds doable. And the rewards are solid.

He nodded inwardly. Looks like this is a path worth investing in.

“Ah... o-okay...”

Gotou felt her heart skip a beat as she met his gaze. His eyes were strangely warm, piercing—yet kind.

“You’re pretty cute, Gotou,” Izumi said softly as he passed by her.

“I bet your smile’s even cuter. You should smile more—you’d be really popular.”

“C-Cute?! Smile?! P-Popular?!”

Her whole body jolted as if struck by lightning.

She clutched her cheek and stared after him with a dazed, dreamlike expression.

Compliments were something she almost never received—much less from boys.

And now, her head was spinning.

Above her, the affection gauge ticked up.

[Name: Gotou Hitori]
[Affection: 35 (Junior with a budding crush on you)]

Izumi smiled faintly.

So easy.
No false promises. Just a few kind words, and she’s floating.

Praise really was the cheapest, most effective gift in the world.

Today’s adventures as the Pure-Love Sea King Izumi Yuu?

A complete success.

---

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!