Don’t Look Back, Megumi Kato [1] & Synopsis

Izumi Yuu had transmigrated into a slice-of-life multiverse anime world.

His starting package included a younger sister—Izumi Sagiri. His next-door neighbor? Sawamura Eriri. At school, he crossed paths with Kato Megumi, Shinomiya Kaguya, and an upperclassman named Sakurajima Mai. His teacher wanted him to join the Service Club, and his part-time job? Oh, just happened to include a coworker named Gotou Hitori...

Except Izumi Yuu soon realized something was off about his so-called cheat ability. Namely—it was way too shady. And he had too many of them.

[Leverage the dirt you have on Kato Megumi. Make her submit to you. She will obey your every command.]

[The girl in front of you is fast asleep. If you can make the Shinomiya family’s eldest daughter yours—body and soul—you’ll never have to work another day in your life. You’ll rise straight to the upper echelons of Japanese society. All you have to worry about... is making sure you don’t end up at the bottom of Tokyo Bay.]

[Mai-senpai... you wouldn’t want anyone finding out you’ve been walking around campus in a bunny girl outfit, would you? Use that secret well, and you might just turn this national idol into your—]

[Bro, you smell so good! Looking at Totsuka Saika in front of you, you can’t help but…]

With the sinister voice of a narrator whispering temptations in his mind and the favorability meters floating above each girl’s head, Izumi Yuu fell deep into thought.

All I wanted was a wholesome romance, dammit!

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Death is like a cool summer night, offering peace and dreamless sleep.

At one point, Izumi Yuu had believed that.

But in the moment of his sudden death, he learned the truth: sometimes, death isn’t the end—it’s the start of something else entirely.

Yes, Izumi Yuu had been reincarnated.
And his new life? It began in a stitched-together Tokyo city full of slice-of-life anime worlds.

Orphaned, with a house and a younger sister to boot.
His neighbors? Sawamura Eriri.
His classmates? Kato Megumi.
Student council president? Shinomiya Kaguya.
Publishing senior? Kasumigaoka Utaha.
At school, he even had a super popular upperclassman named Sakurajima Mai.

And yet, even after half a year in this new life, Izumi Yuu had managed to avoid any real interaction with these anime heroines. At most, they were acquaintances—people he nodded at in passing.

In short, life after reincarnation wasn’t so bad... aside from his chronically empty bank account.

He even had the standard isekai cheat—actually, he had more than one.

But if he had a choice? Izumi Yuu felt like he could live just fine without those cheats.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he continued walking slowly up the hill.

There were still thirty minutes until school started. At his usual pace, it would take exactly twenty-seven minutes and thirty seconds to reach the school gates. Fifty seconds to walk to the classroom building. Ninety seconds up the stairs. Ten more to step through the door and sit at his desk.

Assuming nothing unexpected happens, he thought, nothing unexpected should happen.

Then, the next second—

A slender figure appeared in his line of sight.

A short-haired girl stood at the top of the hill. She wore a light pink jacket over a white dress, with a beret perched on her head. What Izumi could see was only her back—serene, elegant, quietly stunning.

Even from behind, it was obvious: this girl was beautiful.

And yet, despite her looks, she seemed to possess almost no presence at all. If he hadn’t been paying attention, Izumi might’ve walked right past her without even noticing.

The image, the scene—it all felt eerily familiar.

If things go as expected, Izumi thought as he stared at the girl’s back, her beret should come flying off in the next moment.

...I’ve done my best to stay out of the main characters’ way. How is it I still can’t avoid them?

This is going to be such a pain...

Yes, Izumi Yuu’s only goal was to survive in Tokyo. He had no intention of getting entangled with these anime heroines.

Because getting involved with them meant trouble—and trouble meant burning what little life energy he had left.

Even as someone who considered himself a champion of pure romance, Izumi Yuu despised Aki Tomoya and the way that scumbag toyed with girls’ feelings. The last thing he wanted was to watch these heroines get used and discarded again.

Speaking of, he thought grimly, I wonder if Megumi Kato and that bastard Aki Tomoya have already founded that idiotic game circle. Turned her into a tool, no doubt...

As his mind wandered, a soft flutter reached his face.

The girl’s beret had fallen—right onto him. Of course it had.

A light, pleasant scent of shampoo, mixed with the faint sweetness unique to girls, wafted into his nose.

Izumi picked up the beret and glanced toward the girl at the top of the hill.

She turned to face him, her expression calm, eyes locked on his. The breeze played gently with the hem of her white dress, revealing just the faintest sliver of pale lace beneath.

Kato Megumi stood there, watching the boy below.
He looked... vaguely familiar.

She mentally flipped through her memory. He was her classmate.
Unlike her, with her forgettable presence, Izumi Yuu was quite popular in their class—especially with the girls.

He was good-looking, after all.
Short black hair, tall and slender frame, flawless features, and an aloof elegance that made him seem like he belonged in a morning drama series. If he weren’t so antisocial, he’d be the total package.

At the same time, Izumi Yuu stared back up at Megumi, still holding her beret in his hands.

[You’re holding her beret. Two options immediately spring to mind:]

[Option one: take it and run. While the lingering scent of the girl remains, use that beret to enjoy a... delightful night alone.]

[Option two: use it to blackmail her. If she wants her beret back, she’ll have to do as you say—become your loyal servant, your lapdog. After all, that beret carries deep sentimental value. It’s the last keepsake left to her by her late grandmother!]

Yes, this was one of Izumi Yuu’s cheats—one of many.

Not that he wanted to admit it.

A scummy voice in his head constantly egging him on to do illegal, immoral things... this was what counted as a cheat in this world?

If he ever did listen to that narrator, he’d probably end up getting arrested long before he ever got to taste a four-course meal.

And honestly, his extreme shut-in of a little sister? She’d never come visit him in prison.

Blackmailing a girl with a keepsake from her dead grandmother?
Only this damn narrator could come up with something that low.

The scummiest of the scummy.

Izumi Yuu, out of habit, ignored the voice in his head.

If I actually followed that trash narrator’s advice, he thought, I’d be wearing handcuffs before sunset, bunking in a shared cell, and living out my golden years without ever worrying about constipation.

[Follow the narrator’s suggestion: Gain +1 Physique.]

[Refuse the narrator’s suggestion: Gain +1 Strength.]

Well... the narrator wasn’t completely useless. At least he gave Yuu stat boosts either way.

Izumi glanced at his stat panel. A light screen appeared in front of him—only visible to him.

It displayed his attributes:

[Host: Izumi Yuu]
[Age: 17]
[Physique: 7]
[Strength: 7]
[Agility: 8]
[Stamina: 10]
[Charm: 10]

The average human maxed out at 10, so overall, he was a pretty average high schooler.

His only standout stats were Stamina and Charm.
Charm-wise, he was basically walking bait for romance anime girls.
As for Stamina... he still wasn’t quite sure what it meant. He spaced out often enough that it didn’t seem to follow the usual definition.

[Scumbag narrator?]

[A stupid thought flickered through your head. This is your golden opportunity to shortcut through life! Time is running out! If you don’t take this chance to make a beautiful girl your loyal dog now, who knows when the next one will come?! You have to choose—will you be a coward for three seconds, or her master for life? The choice is yours!]

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T/N:

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!