Kato Megumi: Don't Look Back, Tomoya-kun

At least he wouldn't dare to steal from anyone so blatantly in school.

"Huh?!" Shizuka Hiratsuka's expression shifted from surprise to helplessness, and she couldn't help but cover her face with her hands.

So, this guy looks handsome, well-behaved, and is a beautiful boy with excellent academic performance, but deep down, he's actually a chuunibyou?!

But at this age, it's normal. Everyone goes through the middle school phase!

Shizuka Hiratsuka understood Izumi Yu's behavior in her heart.

The so-called "friction" mostly refers to seeing some misbehaving students choose to escape, while the "lost lamb" should refer to a little wild cat that has gone astray.

Shizuka Hiratsuka didn't continue with an in-depth discussion about Izumi Yuu's chuunibyou tendencies.

Shizuka crossed her legs, flicked the ash from her cigarette, and looked at Izumi Yuu seriously. "I'm sure you know why I called you here, Izumi-san?"

[Your mind raced as you began to think about the other party's intentions. Fortunately, you're quite intelligent and quickly guessed the truth! An older, single woman called her student to her office after school—there's no other possibility than that she wants to have an exciting after-school class. But before that, you need to ensure the confidentiality of this matter and check for any cameras around to prevent others from catching you…]

What the hell is this after-school class? What kind of handle is that?!

Izumi Yuu habitually ignored the narrator's imagination.

He looked at Shizuka Hiratsuka with a heavy expression, gazing into her eyes as he said, "I think I know."

Hiratsuka Shizuka put out the cigarette in her hand, twisted it in the ashtray, snapped her fingers, and said, "It's good that you know. You haven't joined any clubs for an entire school year. You must sign up for a club now—both for your credits and your personal growth."

She looked at Izumi Yuu seriously and continued, "Do you have any favorite clubs now? The girl who was late with you today seems to have joined a gaming club called 'Blesng Software.' Do you want to consider it?"

"Not considering it!" Izumi Yuu rejected bluntly.

"Oh?" Seeing his quick rejection, Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at him in surprise. Obviously, she didn't expect him to refuse so decisively. She didn't know what gossips lay behind it. However, Hiratsuka Shizuka was not one to delve into rumors. Instead, she continued, "Then, I have a club that was just established not long ago, and I'm the advisory teacher. Currently, there's only one girl serving as the director. We're short of manpower. Are you interested?"

"Could it be the Service Club?" Izumi Yuu asked, his face showing a subtle expression.

"Huh?! You're quite well-informed! You even know about this!" A surprised look appeared on Hiratsuka Shizuka's face as she looked at Izumi Yuu.

The club had only been established two days ago, and it was likely that no one in the school, except for the student council, herself, and the involved person, knew about it. She hadn't expected Izumi Yuu to be aware.

Nonsense!

Izumi Yuu couldn't help but roll his eyes in his mind.

In the novels I read from a certain cat in my previous life, there's always a plot where Shizuka Hiratsuka persuades someone to join the club, and the target is always the Service Club!

But I never thought I'd become the protagonist in Hiratsuka Shizuka's story.

[Oh?! The Service Department! That name is very imaginative! There's only one girl there right now, so you can ask her to serve you. As the head of the Service Department, she won't refuse. With your beauty and appearance, it'll be easy to become the top girl in the club. From now on, you'll just lie back and enjoy the attention of countless beautiful girls. But first, you might need to prepare some blue pills and plenty of small umbrellas.]

"They're essentially a jack-of-all-trades shop, not a sex shop at all!"

After mentally complaining about this nonsense, Izumi Yuu looked at Hiratsuka Shizuka with a sad face and said, "Teacher Hiratsuka, as you know, my parents are both deceased, leaving behind only a half-sister. But she has a serious mental illness and cannot communicate normally with others. My parents didn't leave me any inheritance, so I have to study hard every day and work several part-time jobs to support the family and pay for my sister's medical treatment. Otherwise, my sister and I will starve to death on the streets! Participating in club activities would just waste my time!"

After saying this, Izumi Yuu squeezed out two tears, looking very pitiful.

It wasn't entirely a lie.

His family was indeed struggling financially. His parents left no property except for a house, and Izumi Yuu had to earn his tuition and living expenses for himself and his sister. Medical costs were another burden.

I'm sorry, my poor sister, that you developed a mental illness!

But not using your funeral as an excuse to take leave is the last kindness I can show you!

"Huh?!" Seeing Izumi Yuu shed a few tears, Hiratsuka Shizuka was momentarily confused.

I'm not kidding, I'm just asking you to join a club. Why does he act like I'm some villain trying to destroy his family?

Izumi Yuu wiped away the two dried tears with his sleeve, and Hiratsuka Shizuka could only raise her hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. Let's put the club issue on hold for now."

"Great!" Izumi Yuu instantly turned from sadness to joy, looking at Hiratsuka Shizuka with gratitude. "I knew you wouldn't force anyone."

"We've already agreed that you must join a club this semester. I'm just giving you time to think about it now." Shizuka Hiratsuka said seriously. "Of course, I will provide financial assistance to the best of my ability, but you must perform well in club activities."

Shizuka Hiratsuka was not unreasonable; she wouldn't let Izumi Yuu's participation in a club affect his sister's medical treatment.

However, as an instructor, Shizuka Hiratsuka had to make sure that Izumi Yuu participated in a club to enrich and grow as a person.

"I'll think about it." Izumi Yuu said with an embarrassed look.

"No room for negotiation! Otherwise, you'll never leave this office!" Shizuka Hiratsuka stared at him with an unyielding attitude. "The Homecoming Club will ruin you! You're still young, and I can't watch you go astray!"

[The woman in front of you immediately reminds you of three words: forced love! The overbearing rich woman falls for me—this is a path you never imagined! But a picture emerges: you're locked in a dark dungeon, the other party holding a teaching stick, stepping on you, and whipping you, making you moan with a blushing face. But before that, you need to prepare a happy rich woman ball to please her…]

Don't even go there!

I was wondering why the sky was clear; it turns out it was you, the horrible narrator, making it rainless!

"Teacher, you're making this very difficult for me!" Izumi Yuu said, slightly embarrassed.

"But you've never interacted with anyone in the academy. You're just too aloof. Do you know that many of your classmates say you're handsome, but a little too distant?" Shizuka Hiratsuka softened her expression and said gently. "Joining a club will help you learn how to interact with others, which will be very beneficial to your future life!"

"But teacher, part-time work also involves interpersonal communication." Izumi Yuu replied sincerely.

"That's different! How can you compare socializing with guests to socializing with friends?" Seeing Izumi Yuu's stubbornness, Hiratsuka Shizuka's veins bulged. She could only say patiently, "Once you participate in club activities, you won't be able to stop. It will have a huge impact on your mood, your life, and even your future."

After saying this, Hiratsuka Shizuka couldn't help but feel extremely proud.

A lonely, socially-phobic student, successfully guided by a kind and passionate teacher toward a bright future—this is the kind of plot only found in authentic and passionate comics!

She raised her tea and took a sip, imagining whether her actions would go down in history.

"But my guests are very satisfied with my conversation, especially the 50-year-old female guest last time. She even gave me a gift." Izumi Yuu said seriously.

"Pfft!" Hiratsuka Shizuka spit out her tea, looking at Izumi Yuu in horror. "What kind of part-time job are you doing?!"

Such a good-looking boy... Could he have gone into that line of work?!

The horrifying thought crossed her mind.

Izumi Yuu looked at Hiratsuka Shizuka's horrified expression and said helplessly, "Working part-time in a convenience store."

Although he didn't know what Hiratsuka Shizuka was thinking, it was certainly something awful, and very likely something akin to the narrator's filthy imagination.

"Huh..." Seeing Izumi Yuu's genuine expression, Hiratsuka Shizuka sighed in relief, then said seriously, "Anyway, you must join a club within two months. As for your sister's medical expenses, I'll help you find a way, so don't worry too much."

"I understand." Seeing that Hiratsuka Shizuka wasn't going to let him leave unless he agreed, Izumi Yuu had no choice but to compromise.

"That's good enough, let's go." Shizuka Hiratsuka waved her hand with satisfaction, glad that the conversation was moving forward.

"Then I'll go first." Izumi Yuu nodded slightly and walked toward the office door.

"This guy is quite well-behaved!" Seeing that Izumi Yuu didn't continue to argue, Hiratsuka Shizuka's impression of him improved slightly.

Izumi Yuu opened the door, walked behind it, and suddenly turned around to look at Hiratsuka Shizuka. "Also, Hiratsuka-sensei, if you're too masculine—smoking, drinking, fighting, racing cars all day, and able to knock down a tree with one punch—and if you're too tough, you may not be able to find a boyfriend at the age of 37, you know?"

After saying that, Izumi Yuu slammed the door shut, cutting off any further possibility of a counterattack from her.

"This damn kid! I take back my previous comment!" Shizuka Hiratsuka felt the veins on her forehead bulging and her blood vessels throbbing. She could only angrily punch the table in front of her.

Boom!

A huge hole appeared on the table, but Hiratsuka Shizuka's fist remained unharmed, just slightly red, with no sign of injury.

Inside the school, in the club activity room.

"Mei, you are too unguarded towards outsiders! This shortcoming could easily bring you trouble and danger! For example, I was late for school today because of this guy!" Aki Tomoya, sitting in the club activity room, adjusted his black-framed glasses and looked at Kato Megumi seriously as he spoke.

"Huh?! Why does Tomoya-kun always target Izumi-kun? It's obviously your own fault that you're late, so how can you take your anger out on Izumi-kun? And why is Tomoya-kun so concerned about me today?" Kato Megumi asked calmly while sitting in a chair, firing off her questions one after another.

When Aki Tomoya heard Kato Megumi defending Izumi Yu, his expression darkened.

Clearly, he hadn't expected Kato Megumi to be so fair and objective, assigning the blame for his tardiness to himself.

Meanwhile, the blonde girl and the black-haired girl who were working in the activity room also raised their heads, looking curiously at the exchange between the two.

"Hey, utaha kasumi... do you know what these two are talking about? Why does it sound like a love triangle?" the blonde girl asked the black-haired girl with some confusion. She was about to address her politely, but remembering that the two usually disliked each other, she quickly retracted the honorific.

These two were the other members of the "blessing software" club, Eriri Sawamura and Utaha Kasumigaoka.

"If you're so curious, Sawamura, you can ask them directly," Kasumigaoka Utaha replied indifferently.

"Tsk~!"

Naturally, Eriri Sawamura, too embarrassed to ask, sneered with disdain. Seeing Kasumigaoka Utaha pretend to be indifferent while clearly concerned, she shifted her focus back to listening intently to the conversation between Kato Megumi and Aki Tomoya.

"I don't mean to target that Izumi classmate!" Aki Tomoya, hearing Kato Megumi's question and feeling the intense gazes of the other two, panicked a little. "I just think you shouldn't trust others so easily. Otherwise, you might end up in trouble or danger! The reason I care about kato so much is that she's an important member of our club. Losing anyone would have a huge impact on us. Of course, I don't want anything to happen to kato. That Izumi guy seems to be very popular with girls. I'm worried he'll deceive and manipulate her feelings. Our priority now is to successfully complete our work and present it at the press conference!"

"Izumi-san?" Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri both immediately latched onto the key words, their curiosity piqued.

So something had happened between Kato Megumi and this Izumi guy, and Tomoya had witnessed it?

After hearing Tomoya Aki's explanation, the two of them felt a little more at ease. But they also became curious about this Izumi.

Very popular with girls?

"Could it be that guy?" Eriri muttered, as if recalling something.

She remembered that her neighbor's name was Izumi, and the boy was quite handsome. Coincidentally, they also attended the same school.

It just so happened that his family had only recently moved in, and since her parents had an accident, their families hadn't interacted much. They only knew each other casually but weren't exactly friends, let alone childhood sweethearts.

"Which guy?" Kasumigaoka Utaha asked softly.

"If you want to know, go ask yourself!" After getting the chance to retaliate, Eriri snorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Forget it if you don't want to say," Kasumigaoka Utaha remarked indifferently.

After hearing Tomoya Aki's explanation, Kato Megumi looked at him with a hint of coldness in her eyes.

She still hadn't received a clear response from Tomoya, or rather, she had gotten one, but it only made her feel disgusted.

Moreover, after hearing Aki Tomoya's malicious speculations about Izumi Yu, Kato Megumi felt a wave of complex emotions rising within her.

"Izumi-kun is not like that," Kato Megumi said seriously, taking a deep breath. "He's very gentle and kind, and he's especially considerate of others' feelings!"

Hearing Kato Megumi speak so highly of Izumi Yu, Aki Tomoya's face grew even darker. "Doesn't this just prove that he's good at charming girls? He's already earned all your trust on the first day!"

Seeing Tomoya Aki's increasingly ugly expression, Kato Megumi hesitated before speaking again. "But... it's precisely because of this character that I agreed to Tomoya's request. Even though I'd only met him twice, I became a member of the 'blesng software' club. And Izumi-kun was so polite to Tomoya-kun, yet Tomoya-kun keeps targeting him like this. It doesn't seem right, does it?"

As Kato Megumi spoke, Tomoya Aki's face became even more twisted in frustration. He turned abruptly and slammed his fist against the wall with a loud crash, blood seeping from the impact.

Kato Megumi felt a sense of coldness towards Tomoya Aki. His outburst only solidified her belief that something about his behavior was off.

Looking at Tomoya Aki's back, Kato Megumi gently pursed her lips. Though her expression remained neutral, a complex swirl of emotions churned inside her.

Being able to see Tomoya Aki react so strongly, especially out of concern for Izumi Yu, hinted that Tomoya might have some special feelings for her.

But when she thought about Tomoya Aki's repeated assertions that he only wanted her help for the club's game production, Kato Megumi felt more confusion and subtle unease.

She couldn't shake the feeling that the situation wasn't as it seemed.

She felt like a pawn in a game.

The thought of Izumi Yu came to her mind again. Despite only having just met him, he was always so gentle with her and mindful of her emotions. He had no ulterior motives, yet he treated her with the utmost care.

"So, what happened? Why are you two so serious? Could it be that Kano... Kato-san is in love?" Eriri, unable to contain her curiosity any longer, asked with a puzzled look. "We're in the same club! You can't exclude me from this!"

"We're not in a relationship," Kato Megumi shook her head and said calmly. "It's just that I lost my hat on the way to school today. Fortunately, Izumi-kun picked it up for me. If he hadn't run with me, I would've been late. As a result, Tomoya-kun saw us holding hands and mistakenly thought we were in a relationship."

"So that's it. I thought it was something big!" Eriri pouted.

"I can see that Kato's attitude towards Izumi is more than what you'd expect from someone you just met," Kasumigaoka Utaha pointed out. "I bet Izumi must be someone special, making you like him a lot."

Bang!

Suddenly, a loud noise rang out from Tomoya Aki's direction. He had punched the wall with such force that blood began to seep from the wound.