Kato Megumi stared intently at this stranger.
Kato Megumi took several deep breaths, trying to steady her emotions.
"So, what about you? Who are you?"
"I'm Miyamizu Mitsuha, from Itomori town, Gifu Prefecture."
Miyamizu Mitsuha felt that she couldn't keep the truth hidden any longer and decided to straightforwardly reveal her identity.
Hearing this, Kato Megumi's heart stirred slightly.
Gifu Prefecture.
"Can you tell me more about yourself?" Kato Megumi asked further.
"Umm, actually I don't know much either. Since the day before yesterday, I suddenly swapped places with Yukima-san..."
Miyamizu Mitsuha honestly recounted everything that had happened in the past few days to Kato Megumi.
She felt that anyone who could show such a deep emotion for Yukima Azuma surely deserved to know the truth about him.
Kato Megumi listened intently as Miyamizu Mitsuha spoke.
Meanwhile, she quietly took out her phone, opened the map, and searched for "Itomori, Gifu Prefecture."
The search results matched exactly what Kato Megumi had remembered.
During her trip to Hokkaido, when she witnessed the Charlotte comet split in two and fall, Kato Megumi had sensed there was something Yukima Azuma had yet to tell her.
At that time, she hadn't felt it was the right moment to ask more.
She understood that if Yukima Azuma was hiding something, it was most likely for their sake.
So, after returning from Hokkaido, Kato Megumi had done a bit of research into the incident of the Charlotte comet fragment falling.
And the truth proved that she wasn't wrong.
The fragment of Charlotte had indeed fallen in the mountainous region of Gifu Prefecture.
But it had affected nearly a third of a small mountain town.
Around five hundred residents of that town had lost their lives because of this disaster.
Had she known about the tragedy she had witnessed during her trip, it would have certainly affected the rest of the journey.
And Kato Megumi clearly remembered.
The town that had been devastated by the Charlotte comet fragment.
It seemed to be called Itomori.
The girl in front of her.
She was likely not just swapped in space but also in time.
After grasping this, Kato Megumi vaguely guessed what Yukima Azuma might have done in Itomori from the past.
Looking at Miyamizu Mitsuha, who still knew nothing, Kato Megumi didn't say anything.
She took several deep breaths, fully calming herself.
Her voice returned to its usual gentle tone.
"I see now, I'm sorry, earlier I was too anxious and acted a little rude."
Upon hearing this, Miyamizu Mitsuha immediately waved her hand.
"It's okay! It's really okay! You don't have to apologize!"
She sighed. "I understand. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably react the same way."
Kato Megumi blinked.
She really is a kind person.
At this point, whether it was for Azuma or for this person in front of her, she should treat her well.
"If that's the case, then Miyamizu-san, you're like a guest in Tokyo now."
"Let me take you around a bit, show you Toyogasaki and even Tokyo itself."
Kato Megumi said with a smile.
Miyamizu Mitsuha's eyes widened upon hearing that.
The girl in front of her.
Her words and actions.
They seemed to eerily align with Yukima Azuma.
Just earlier, she hadn't mentioned anything from Yukima Azuma's notebook.
But Kato Megumi's thoughts were nearly identical to Yukima Azuma's.
Miyamizu Mitsuha suddenly understood why Kato Megumi had shown such emotions towards Yukima Azuma.
The two of them must be a very well-matched couple.
Not just emotionally close.
But it seemed like their souls were in sync too.
While Miyamizu Mitsuha was still lost in her thoughts, Kato Megumi waved her hand to get her attention. Without hesitation, Miyamizu Mitsuha rushed to catch up.
...
Kato Megumi began to take her role as a tour guide seriously.
Toyogasaki Private Academy was a high school, but it truly rivaled any tourist destination. In addition to the usual facilities such as the large sports field, gymnasium, swimming pool, and other common amenities, the school also had a small hill and an artificial pond at the back.
On the hill, there were no cherry blossoms, but instead, there were many fruit trees. Perhaps it symbolized the meaning of "peach trees filling the world" (Note: meaning a teacher of good caliber would have students everywhere by ChadGPT).
However, due to growth issues, the trees that flourished the most were apple trees. During this season, although there were no fruits, the trees still had a unique beauty.
As for the pond at Toyogasaki, it was at its most beautiful right now because a variety of lotus flowers were blooming. From a distance, the scent of the flowers could already be smelled.
In addition to the lotus flowers, there were also several swans on the pond. This was Miyamizu Mitsuha's first time seeing swans. After just walking around the school grounds, she already felt thoroughly satisfied.
Before she knew it, under Kato Megumi's guidance, Miyamizu Mitsuha had spent the entire day touring the Toyogasaki campus.
It wasn't until dusk that she snapped out of her daze.
"Umm..."
"I guess it's time to head back, right?"
"Umu, you're right."
"Let's go, together."
"Eh?"
Miyamizu Mitsuha was taken aback.
Seeing her expression, Kato Megumi explained:
"I've rented a room at Azuma-san's place, sometimes I stay there."
This wasn't something that needed to be hidden. Although living together as high school students might be considered too casual by many, Kato Megumi didn't care what others thought. She only cared about the opinions of those who mattered to her.
After hearing Kato Megumi's explanation, Miyamizu Mitsuha couldn't help but widen her eyes.
Living together as high school students?
But then, thinking it over, Miyamizu Mitsuha felt that it made sense. The girl in front of her was incredibly cute, and she had a close relationship with the boy in question. It wouldn't be surprising if they lived together.
But then, just as she was processing this, Miyamizu Mitsuha recalled the girl with long, straight black hair whom she had met at Yukima's house.
"By the way Is there anyone else at Yukima-san's house?" Miyamizu Mitsuha asked cautiously.
"Are you talking about Kasumigaoka-senpai? Senpai also rents a room at Azuma-san's place. You must have met her," Kato Megumi blinked.
She was a bit surprised that senpai couldn't see through Miyamizu Mitsuha..
"Umm Yes, I did meet her once, but I barely managed to say a few words before I running away," Miyamizu Mitsuha blurted out.
Her mind was in a chaotic mess. The two girls in the picture on Yukima Azuma's phoneboth were living with him. What was the relationship here?!
She was genuinely curious.
Chapter 157: We Should Be Considered Lovers, Right?
Chapter 157: We Should Be Considered Lovers, Right?
"What is the relationship between Kato-san and Yukima-san?"
In the end, curiosity could not be suppressed.
On the way home, Miyamizu Mitsuha curiously asked.
Kato Megumi, the one being asked, placed a finger on her cheek and thought for a moment.
"Probably lovers, I guess." After some thought, Kato Megumi gave that answer.
This response was not surprising.
On the contrary, Miyamizu Mitsuha found Kato Megumi's way of phrasing it confusing.
Why say "probably"?
"That's strange. Aren't you two dating?"
Miyamizu Mitsuha felt that if someone as deeply affectionate as Kato Megumi were ignored and not given enough sense of security
That would be nothing short of a crime against heaven and earth.
Moreover, Kato Megumi was so gentle and adorable.
Kato Megumi saw through Miyamizu Mitsuha's thoughts.
Although explaining was a bit troublesome, Kato Megumi did not want others to misunderstand Yukima Azuma.
"Dating? The relationship between me and Azuma-san probably can't be defined that simply."
Kato Megumi gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
At the beginning of the school year, Kato Megumi had a cute bob haircut.
Now, her hair had grown a bit longer.
"Ne, Miyamizu-san, you got scared by me this morning, didn't you?" Kato Megumi said while tucking her hair, her finger pointing at herself.
Miyamizu Mitsuha nodded slightly.
She had indeed been frightened this morning.
A girl as grown as Kato Megumi
Silently appearing right beside her without making a single sound.
If the other party hadn't spoken first,
Miyamizu Mitsuha felt that she would not have noticed Kato Megumi's presence at all.
Seeing Miyamizu Mitsuha nod, Kato Megumi slightly lowered her eyes:
"Because I have very little presence."
Hearing this, Miyamizu Mitsuha opened her mouth
Wanting to refute.
After all, how could a girl as cute and gentle as Kato Megumi have a low presence?
But thinking it over carefully
Today, while walking around Toyogasaki with Kato Megumi,
There were indeed a few times when she spaced out and forgot about Kato Megumi's existence.
Her mouth, which was about to speak, suddenly didn't know what to say.
She even took a cold breath, finding it a little unbelievable.
"I've been like this since I was very young. In class group activities, I was almost always alone."
"Sometimes, even the teacher forgot to call my name during roll call, and my elementary school classmates completely failed to recognize me after moving up to middle school."
Kato Megumi lowered her eyes as she recounted her past.
The things that happened to Kato Megumi
Hearing them made Miyamizu Mitsuha feel sorrowful.
She herself felt a little down just from being teased by classmates a few times a day.
She couldn't even imagineif she had been ignored by others since childhood, how devastating that would be.
"But Azuma-san was able to notice me."
Kato Megumi's words made Miyamizu Mitsuha, who had been about to offer words of comfort, momentarily freeze.
"Azuma-san transferred into my class in middle school."
"Everyone had been with me for over two years, yet almost no one knew my name."
"But on the very first day he transferred in, Azuma-san came up to me and said: 'You're Kato Megumi, right?'"
"At that time, I found it unbelievable, but that was only the beginning."
"From the day he knew me, he never once forgot me. He always paid attention to me."
"He always said I had some kind of magic, but to me, the real magician was Azuma-san."
Kato Megumi's tone was very gentle.
A girl who was always light and subtle, never revealing her emotions
Yet now, she exuded a sweetness filled with happiness.
Because she was lowering her head
Miyamizu Mitsuha could not see Kato Megumi's expression.
At this moment, Kato Megumi's eyes were overflowing with emotions.
This morning, she had truly been startled.
The moment Miyamizu Mitsuha was scared by her
Kato Megumi felt a sense of emptiness inside.
Her Azuma, who could always notice her existence.
Her Azuma, who would gently smile at her and say that she had the pleasant scent of tuberoses.
Her Azuma, who had only her in his heart and in his eyeswhenever she tilted her head, he looked as if he had been struck by Cupid's arrow.
So, even if the person in front of her had the same appearance as Azuma, the same voice as Azuma, everything was the same
Kato Megumi could still immediately recognize that this was not her Azuma.
Up until now, Kato Megumi's heart was still empty.
She could feel that Yukima Azuma, the one who always noticed her, was not here.
But Kato Megumi still calmly conversed with Miyamizu Mitsuha.
She simply didn't want to cause any more trouble for her Azuma.
"What happened next? What happened next?"
Miyamizu Mitsuha had been completely drawn into Megumi and Azuma's story.
Kato Megumi withdrew her emotions, lifted her head, and blinked.
"I'll continue the story later. We're almost at the station."
...
The bullet train arrived at Shibuya Station.
The two got off and walked toward Yukima's house.
Seeing the silhouette of the apartment building from afar
Miyamizu Mitsuha suddenly remembered something important.
Inside that apartment, there was also another girl with long, straight black hair.
"Ah, how should I act to resemble Yukima-san the most?"
Miyamizu Mitsuha asked.
"The senpai in the apartment probably doesn't know about my situation yet."
"To avoid causing more trouble for Yukima-san, I want to try pretending a little."
Hearing this, Kato Megumi could only shake her head helplessly.
"I don't think you'll be able to fool her. Kasumigaoka-senpai is very smart."
Hearing this, Miyamizu Mitsuha looked unconvinced.
Yukima Azuma had stayed at her house, facing Yotsuha and her grandmother for seven whole days without exposing a single flaw.
And yet, for her, everyone could immediately tell something was off?
The reason she got exposed by Kato Megumi was simply because this gentle girl cared too much!
There was no way that everyone could see through her that easily!
Seeing Miyamizu Mitsuha's unconvinced expression,
Even though she knew it was probably futile, Kato Megumi still explained a little.
"Normally, Azuma-san calls Kasumigaoka-senpai 'Utaha-senpai' or simply 'senpai.'"
"Azuma-san and Kasumigaoka-senpai are very closeholding hands, head pats, that kind of thing is normal."
"And Kasumigaoka-senpai usually calls Azuma-san 'Lonely-kun.' If she refers to him as 'you' or 'him,' or if she keeps tapping or shaking her leg, it means she's angry."
After hearing this, Miyamizu Mitsuha's jaw dropped.
She really wanted to ask Kato Megumi if she ever got jealous when other girls were this close to Yukima Azuma.
But before she could ask
The two had already arrived at Yukima's doorstep.
Before they could even open the door, it was pushed open from the inside.
Kasumigaoka Utaha stood with her arms crossed,
Her wine-colored eyes staring at the two of them.
Miyamizu Mitsuha suddenly felt a chill down her spine.
It was clearly the middle of a sweltering summer, yet it felt as if a cold breeze from the Arctic was creeping through her collar.
Cautiously stepping into the apartment
She hadn't even had a chance to breathe a sigh of relief
When she heard Kasumigaoka Utaha speak:
"You, go stand over there. I have something to say to you."
Hearing this form of address, Miyamizu Mitsuha shuddered.
