At 9 PM, Haru contacted the driver to pick up Megumi and escort her downstairs.
"Yukinoshita is amazing."
As they reached the building entrance, Megumi suddenly spoke up.
Haru turned his head to look at her. She was looking back at him too, her eyes shimmering under the city nightscape.
"Amazing? In what way?"
He wasn't quite sure what she meant.
Megumi let out a soft breath, like she was weighing her words carefully.
"In every way. From the way she pressured Utaha-senpai right from the start… to the way she completely ignored my signal. It's like she stuck to her intentions from beginning to end."
Just as Haru was about to respond, Megumi's voice grew even quieter.
"Did you notice? Once again, I was left out."
Once again?
Haru blinked. And then it hit him.
The keyword here was again—this wasn't the first time she felt this way.
"Do you like Utaha-senpai?" she asked plainly, though her tone was calm.
"I do," Haru answered, without evasion or denial.
"What about Yukinoshita? If you're going to be that kind of playboy, she must be furious with you."
Haru nodded. That much, he couldn't deny either.
Megumi fell silent.
Under the low night sky and the flickering city lights, framed by the glow of traffic and street lamps, her figure seemed to be wrapped in a gentle halo.
She had been present the whole time during the King's Game. But in the end, whether it was Yukino or Utaha, neither of them really acknowledged her presence.
Almost like they had silently agreed to leave her out.
Just like the last hot spring trip.
She knew full well—Utaha was wary of her, and Yukino considered her formidable.
Yet the moment she wanted to get involved, the two of them, as if lowering their guard, simply ignored her altogether.
She'd told Haru before: being overlooked made her uncomfortable. Sometimes it even hurt.
Sensing the tension, Haru tried to say something to ease the mood."Kato, I—"
But before he could finish, a nostalgic voice called out from the side:
"Ah, youth is truly a wonderful thing~"
Both Haru and Megumi turned toward the sound.
An old man was walking with a little girl, likely his granddaughter. He looked at them with warm eyes full of memories.
"My son used to stand here too, whispering sweet nothings to his wife late at night, right outside their apartment. Just like you two."
Haru winced.
"Sir, it's not like that—"
"Not like that? Ah, young people always get shy. My son was the same. But you're a couple, right? Sweet talk is only natural—you don't need to be embarrassed."
The old man beamed knowingly, and his granddaughter curiously peeked at them.
Haru didn't want to argue further, but Megumi suddenly bowed politely and said,
"Thank you for your kind words. I'll take them to heart."
"That's the spirit! Wishing you both happiness~"
The old man waved cheerfully and strolled off with his granddaughter.
Watching their backs, Haru wasn't so much embarrassed as he was exasperated.
"You don't mind being misunderstood anymore?"
Megumi, hands folded behind her back, said softly with a smile,
"It's rare to be noticed like that. And if someone mistakes me for your girlfriend, I'd rather take it as a blessing than try to correct it."
Haru let out a helpless laugh and glanced at her fair, glowing face.
"So I should be thanking you for the reminder?"
Megumi tilted her head playfully, her demeanor far livelier than before.
"If you want to thank me, I'll accept it properly."
Then, as if just remembering something, she added,
"Right—what were you trying to say earlier?"
"I forgot," Haru said with a sigh. "You threw me off so much I lost my train of thought."
"I see."
Megumi brought her finger to her chin like she was thinking deeply.
After a moment, she tapped her chin and said softly to herself,
"I get it now. Amamiya-kun may be like a superhero when it comes to serious matters, but in daily life… you're a bit of a dense playboy."
"I won't deny the playboy part," Haru said, "but what do you mean by dense?"
Megumi lowered her hands and gently clasped them at her waist, standing demurely.
Then she said quietly,
"There were four of us in that game. Even if they chose to ignore me, why did you ignore me too?"
Haru froze.
All her earlier comments had been leading up to this one point.
If her playful line about being mistaken as his girlfriend was the setup—
This was the real, honest reveal of her feelings after being excluded by both Yukino and Utaha.
In the glow of the streetlights, her eyes sparkled like the ocean reflecting starlight. Her long lashes fluttered like tiny butterflies, casting soft shadows over her flushed cheeks.
Haru stared at her, watching the faint red bloom on her face as she grew more shy.
After a long pause, he tried to lighten the mood.
"You call me a playboy, and then say something like this to me? You're gonna give me the wrong idea."
"If you do get the wrong idea instead of brushing it off, I might be happy about that."
She lifted her chin slightly, eyes still brimming with a quiet determination. Her brows arched subtly as if expressing protest, or maybe anticipation.
Haru could clearly feel her heart racing. Despite her flustered breathing, she was trying to stay composed.
At this moment, all the lights around them seemed to fade, leaving only her gaze—bright as the stars, illuminating the night.
"Amamiya-kun… I'm very curious about you."
Surprised by her sudden shift in tone, Haru asked,
"Curious about what?"
"A lot of things."
She spoke slowly, as if narrating something ordinary.
"Thanks to your help and guidance, I've gotten so much stronger. My endurance, agility, reflexes… I can feel myself improving."
Haru smiled at that.
"That's the charm of training."
But Megumi shook her head.
"If it were just that, I'd probably need to get a medical checkup."
"Oh? Why?"
She blinked cutely.
"Because in all my years, I've never felt this much physical change. If it wasn't because of you, it'd feel like a sudden mutation or something. I'd definitely need to see a doctor."
"Fair point. In that case, maybe I'm the one who needs a checkup."
Megumi didn't follow up on that joke. She simply smiled, hands still behind her back, her tone soft:
"Looks like you won't ignore me anymore."
Haru wanted to argue—he hadn't meant to ignore her. He was focused on dealing cards to Yukino, and between her and Utaha clashing, he barely had time to focus on anything else.
But he knew Megumi didn't want to hear excuses.
So instead, he just nodded.
"Okay."
Megumi lowered her eyes, her tone unreadable.
"You suddenly got so gentle. You know… sometimes gentleness can become cruelty."
Just as Haru opened his mouth to respond, he caught the scent of her faint floral perfume.
She stepped closer and hugged him softly.
Her chest gently pressed against him, her breath tickling his collar.
And at the same time, she whispered,
"Someone like you, who could've easily dodged that like a superhero—but didn't… that's exactly why I've figured you out."
Haru was stunned.
She had him completely figured out.
~~~~~~~~~~
You can support me by subscribing on Patreon and read upto 5 chapters ahead.
patreon.com/Ranabir_20