Don’t Look Back, Megumi Kato [9]

Inside the academy, in the clubroom—

“Megumi, you really trust strangers too easily! That kind of flaw could get you into serious trouble one day! I was late this morning because of that guy!”

Aki Tomoya sat in the clubroom, pushing up his black-rimmed glasses as he lectured Kato Megumi with a stern expression.

“Eh? Tomoya-kun, why are you always so hostile toward Izumi-kun? You were late because of your own choices—how is that his fault? And also… why are you so concerned about me, really?”

Megumi sat calmly in her chair, looking directly at him as she asked question after question.

The moment she spoke up in Izumi Yuu’s defense, Tomoya’s face twisted slightly.

He hadn’t expected Megumi to be so objective—so willing to hold him accountable.

Across the room, two other girls who had been focused on their work both raised their heads to watch the exchange.

“Hey... Utaha, what are they talking about? It kinda sounds like a love triangle, doesn’t it?”

The blonde girl looked over at the black-haired one, clearly confused. She had just been about to call her by name politely, but then thought better of it—given how they never got along—and dropped the honorific altogether.

These two were none other than the other members of blessing software: Sawamura Spencer Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha.

“If you're that curious, Sawamura-san, you could always ask them yourself,” Utaha said flatly.

“Tch~!”

Eriri clicked her tongue and crossed her arms.
No way she was walking over there to ask.
Utaha clearly wanted to know too—she just didn’t want to admit it.

So instead, Eriri tilted her head, ears perked, and listened carefully to the conversation.

“I don’t have anything against Izumi-kun personally!”

Tomoya waved his hands, flustered, clearly aware of the other two girls now paying attention.

“I just think Megumi shouldn’t trust people so easily. That kind of naivety could be dangerous! I’m looking out for her because she’s a key member of our team. If something happened to her, our whole project would suffer. Izumi-kun seems like the kind of guy who’s too good with girls, and I don’t want him messing with her emotions. Our priority should be finishing the game and preparing for the showcase!”

“Izumi-kun?”

Both Utaha and Eriri picked up on the name instantly, curiosity piqued.

So something had happened between Kato Megumi and this “Izumi” guy?
And Tomoya just happened to see it?

They both eased slightly, but interest lingered in their expressions.

Popular with girls, huh?

“Wait… don’t tell me it’s that guy?”

Eriri muttered to herself, eyebrows furrowing.

Her neighbor’s name was Izumi, too. He was ridiculously good-looking and went to the same school. They hadn’t interacted much—his family had only moved in recently, and his parents were reportedly gone. Their relationship was more “nodding acquaintances” than childhood friends.

“Which guy?” Utaha asked quietly.

“Find out yourself!”

Eriri smirked smugly, taking the rare opportunity to shut Utaha down for once.

“Then don’t say anything at all.”

Utaha shrugged, indifferent.

Back at the center of the conversation, Megumi’s gaze turned a little colder.

She still hadn’t heard Tomoya give a real answer.
Or rather, maybe she had—and it only made her more uncomfortable.

Especially his suspicion toward Izumi Yuu.
It stirred something in her that she couldn’t quite name.

“Izumi-kun’s not like that,” she said seriously. “He’s kind. Gentle. He’s thoughtful and emotionally perceptive.”

Hearing Megumi openly defend Izumi again, Tomoya’s face darkened.

“That’s exactly the problem! Guys like that know how to win girls over! And now he’s got your full trust after one day?!”

Megumi hesitated.

“…But Tomoya-kun, didn’t I also agree to join this club and become your heroine after only meeting you once or twice?”

Her voice was calm but pointed.

“And Izumi-kun was polite to you today. Yet you keep targeting him. Isn’t that… a bit unfair?”

Tomoya’s mouth opened—but no words came out.

Because what she said was true.
He had asked Megumi to join the club right after meeting her.
He was the one who benefited from her naivety.
Not Izumi.

All he could do was turn away and punch the wall in frustration.

Watching his reaction, Megumi pressed her lips together.

She knew what it meant—that Tomoya did feel something for her.
But if all he could talk about was “finishing the project” and “roles” and “assets,” then what did that say about how he saw her?

As a person?

She remembered Izumi Yuu’s soft voice, his unspoken attentiveness, how he never expected anything in return.

That... was different.

“So what exactly happened?” Eriri finally gave in and asked.

“Why so serious all of a sudden? Kato—don’t tell me you’re in love or something?! We’re teammates, okay? You can’t leave me out of the loop!”

“No, it’s not like that,” Megumi said, shaking her head.

“I just lost my hat on the way to school this morning. Izumi-kun picked it up for me. And since we were running late, he pulled me along so we wouldn’t miss class. That’s it. But Tomoya-kun saw us holding hands and… jumped to conclusions.”

“Pfft. That’s it?” Eriri scoffed.

“I thought it was something serious.”

“I don’t know…” Utaha murmured. “Kato-san, the way you talk about this Izumi-kun doesn’t sound like someone you just met. He must be very impressive.”

Bang!

Tomoya slammed his fist into the wall again.
A trickle of blood seeped from his knuckles.

“That guy’s obviously a player!” he snapped.

“Tomoya-kun,” Utaha said icily, “jumping to conclusions about someone you don’t know well isn’t a great look.”

“I agree,” Eriri added, arms crossed.

“I’ve seen Izumi-kun, too. He’s serious about taking care of his sister and works multiple part-time jobs to cover their expenses. A guy like that isn’t some sleazeball. You’re being paranoid.”

She could see that Tomoya had feelings for Megumi.
But the way he kept hiding behind “project logistics” was just pathetic.

“You two—!”

Tomoya turned, stunned.

Three girls.
All defending him—an outsider.
All turning their backs on Tomoya.

He fell silent, face stormy with barely contained bitterness.

---

“Achoo—! Achoo—!”

Izumi Yuu sneezed twice in a row, confusion flickering across his face.
Weird. Who’s talking smack about me?

He had left campus directly after his meeting with Hiratsuka-sensei and was on his way to his part-time job.

[Two sneezes. You know what that means. Someone’s gossiping behind your back. You mentally rewind the day’s events and narrow it down: only two suspects. One—a bespectacled otaku. Two—a morally bankrupt female teacher you just put in her place. The latter wouldn’t dare bring up your name now… so the truth is clear! It’s that damn four-eyed nerd, choking on his own resentment! You immediately hatch a plan for revenge. His club has three girls: one sweet heroine, and two loyal lapdogs. You’ll take everything from him. First, you ambush the lapdogs after school, knock them out, drag them away, and film some delicious—]

Do you have a death wish?!

Izumi rolled his eyes so hard they nearly got stuck.

If he ever tried that, the next day’s headlines would read:
"High school student arrested for kidnapping, school in uproar."

No doubt both Utaha and Eriri would deliver retribution faster than the Tokyo PD.

Still… it probably was Aki Tomoya running his mouth again. No doubt about it.

---

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!