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"So, are you going to reject me, Megumi-chan?"
As he spoke, Kai leaned in so close his lips were practically brushing her ear. His unique scent washed over her, making Megumi's heart race uncontrollably in her chest.
Reject him? Megumi had always considered herself an incredibly ordinary girl, destined to find a thoroughly ordinary romance sometime in the future. Dealing with an unrepentant scumbag was a variable she had never even considered.
She knew she should reject him outright. But for some inexplicable reason, the words completely died in her throat.
Someone who could spot her instantly in a crowded room, someone who would never ignore her, had finally appeared.
If she just let him slip away now... Megumi felt like she would regret it for the rest of her life.
"That's so unfair," Megumi murmured softly after a long silence, her head bowed.
"Hmm?" Kai raised an eyebrow in surprise.
In the next moment, still looking down, Megumi spoke in a muffled, deadpan voice.
"You already knew perfectly well that I wouldn't be able to say no. That's exactly why you said all that on purpose, isn't it?"
"..."
He was stunned for a fraction of a second before letting out a soft chuckle.
Because of her lack of presence, Megumi Kato's personality was vastly different from other typical heroines. Being constantly ignored made her feel overwhelmingly ordinary—very, very ordinary. She didn't think she was particularly beautiful or gentle. Deep down, she even harbored a slight inferiority complex.
"I'm not a god. How could I possibly know everything?"
His tone softened considerably. Reaching out, he gently pulled her into his embrace.
He felt her stiffen and struggle for a brief moment, but then she relaxed, closing her eyes and leaning her weight against him.
"All I know is that if I missed out on you, Megumi-chan, it would be a massive tragedy. Besides, I've already made up my mind. Even if you did reject me, I would just keep relentlessly pursuing you. The mere thought of you being with another guy actually makes me want to commit murder."
"Please don't misunderstand," Megumi quickly interjected upon hearing his last sentence. "I have no desire to visit you in prison."
"Don't worry, I'm not that impulsive."
"I'm just saying that regardless of whether you agree or not, you're mine. And absolutely no one is taking you away from me."
"I'll admit, I'm definitely not a good guy. But don't worry, I always take full responsibility. And you shouldn't doubt my... capabilities in that department."
Saying that, Kai lowered his head and stared deeply into Megumi's eyes.
"You're saying weird things again."
Clearly, the second half of his statement had conjured some specific imagery in her head. Especially when she recalled that Marin Kitagawa was literally physically incapable of walking to school today, a furious blush crept across Megumi's usually pale cheeks.
"I..."
Megumi genuinely didn't know how to respond to that.
But there was no denying the truth. Listening to Kai's domineering and possessive declaration didn't make her feel uncomfortable in the slightest. Instead, her heart practically soared with an inexplicable, fluttery joy.
"Alright, there's no need to rush into an answer."
Kai hadn't actually planned on forcing an immediate response out of her. After all, he had a lot of targets right now and needed to balance his time and attention carefully.
"I'll give you plenty of time to think it over, Megumi-chan. Just promise me you won't actively try to avoid me. Because if you do... I might just have to tie you up and keep you by my side."
"..."
His blatant threat made Megumi subconsciously pout in reproach.
"I wasn't avoiding you in the first place. It's just that you're always surrounded by other people."
She was clearly referring to their time in the classroom. He essentially glued himself to Yui Yuigahama's side, giving Megumi no opening to approach him.
"Haha, well, you know the truth now, Megumi-chan! Just come hang out with us! I can even introduce you to a few new friends."
"...I think I'll pass."
Megumi thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. It wasn't that she disliked the idea, but she would definitely feel very awkward and out of place.
"As long as I can see you... that's more than enough for me."
After hesitating for a moment, she softly confessed her true feelings.
"That's exactly why I said you were so cute, Megumi-chan."
A girl like this truly made a man's heart melt. Kai reached out and gently tipped her chin up. Realizing exactly what he was about to do, Megumi slowly fluttered her eyes closed.
[Quest Completed]
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The afternoon classes breezed by as easily as ever.
School was out before 3:00 PM.
"Hey, Kai! Let's go play some soccer!" Kakeru Tobe called out, trying to drag his friend out onto the field.
"I'll pass. Why would I want to run around getting drenched in sweat? I'd much rather spend that time hanging out with my gorgeous girlfriend."
Saying that, Kai smoothly wrapped an arm around Yui's waist.
"Yui, let's go hit the mall."
"S-Sure!"
Hearing the invitation, Yui agreed without a second thought. She desperately wanted to spend more time with her boyfriend too.
"Damn it all, you lucky bastard."
Seeing Kai living his best life made Tobe and the other guys so intensely jealous they were ready to spontaneously combust. Not too long ago, they had all been single losers together. How did he suddenly score such a sweet, perfect girlfriend??
"Hey, Hayama, why don't you ask Miura out shopping too?"
Thoroughly demoralized, they lost all motivation to play soccer and instead started aggressively egging Hayato Hayama on to ask Yumiko Miura out.
"You guys..."
Hearing their teasing, Hayato looked very helpless.
He had always firmly believed that the person he truly liked was Haruno Yukinoshita. But recently, for some inexplicable reason, Yumiko's growing distance was starting to make him feel a bizarre, unnatural sense of discomfort.
"Miura, how about—"
"I'm busy." Before Hayato could even finish his sentence, Yumiko immediately shot him down.
She then turned sharply toward Yui.
"Yui, didn't we agree to go check out that new line of cosmetics after school?"
"Eh? But..."
'Did we ever actually agree to that?' However, since Yui was notoriously terrible at saying no to her friends, she instantly found herself caught in a painful dilemma.
"Oh, whatever."
Easily reading the conflict on Yui's face, Yumiko decisively waved her hand.
"It's fine, we can just all go together! You guys were planning on hitting the mall anyway, right?"
"W-Well... alright then!"
Yui looked up and shot Kai a deeply apologetic glance. Their perfect, romantic date had just been crashed by a third party.
But did Kai actually mind? Of course not. In fact, he was absolutely thrilled by this development.
On the surface, however, he shot Yumiko a highly teasing smirk.
"Well, look at that. It seems the great 'Fire Queen' couldn't even wait for the exam results before volunteering to be our third wheel."
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