When Kyousuke finished changing into his kendo uniform and stepped outside, he was relieved to see that the students from Kaihin High had already blended in nicely with the other schools.
Most of them were chatting happily with the others—mostly girls. It seemed that the presence of the "Rampaging Angels," who didn't exactly give off the friendliest vibe, had intimidated them at first, but now everyone was getting along fine.
Then, while Kyousuke was doing a headcount, his eyes suddenly narrowed.
Wait… is that Keiichi?
Sure enough, Katou Keiichi, Megumi's cousin had joined the group.
The guy was completely alone but somehow fit right in with the high school students.
As expected of a brilliant med student—he didn't look out of place at all.
If Kyousuke hadn't seen him just now, he probably would've forgotten the guy even existed.
Smiling faintly, Kyousuke raised his hand and gestured for someone to hand him his phone.
He snapped a quick photo of Keiichi mixing with the group and sent it to Megumi.
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[Kyousuke]: "Your cousin seems to be having a great time."
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Kyousuke grinned like a kid showing off good behavior, feeling that his "psychological counseling" session with Megumi yesterday hadn't been in vain.
As a little payback for her help, he was now doing his best to look after her cousin.
Megumi didn't reply right away.
After about two seconds, the message was marked as read, and then came her calm, composed reply—just like her.
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[Megumi]: "Keiichi's been looking forward to this day for a long time. Please make sure he experiences the beauty of kendo."
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A completely ordinary message—but it made Kyousuke laugh out loud.
Even through the screen, he could practically feel her suppressed irritation.
That guy Keiichi was always the center of attention at family gatherings, and he loved to force the Katou sisters to sit through commercials featuring Kyousuke whenever he got the chance.
If Megumi could see him struggle a little today, she'd probably be delighted.
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[Kyousuke]: "In return, Megumi, could you help take care of Kasuko at my house today?"
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He added that line quickly—partly because he didn't want her holding yesterday's argument against him.
Her rare burst of anger had been… a little scary.
This time, the message was read almost instantly—but the reply didn't come right away.
After a short pause, Megumi finally answered.
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[Megumi]: "Okay, I'll bring a present for little Kasuko too."
[Kyousuke]: "No sweets. She and Eriri already had way too much candy yesterday."
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Kyousuke sighed as he typed that last line.
Eriri's idea of cheering someone up was always to feed them something sweet.
So the two of them had gone on a sugar spree—chewing through bags of gummies, Kyousuke's homemade nougat, and the fruit candies Miki brought from her hometown.
Fortunately, Kyousuke's mother, Mikiko, was the type who believed, "If you get sick, take medicine; if your teeth go bad, just get dentures."
Otherwise, any other parent would've blown a gasket at the sight of two girls happily downing handfuls of sugar while chatting about life.
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[Megumi]: "Ok"
————————————————————————
After saying goodbye, Megumi set down her phone, her delicate brows furrowing as a troubled look crossed her face.
She rolled onto her side, hugged the blanket between her legs, and let out a muffled groan.
"Ugh… what should I do? Aunt Mikiko's definitely going to give me a kimono…"
The girl muttered to herself softly.
The moment Kyousuke said he wanted her to help take care of Kasuko, she already knew.
Even though Mikiko hadn't invited her to skip class with them before, that gentle woman clearly hadn't forgotten about her.
If Kyousuke only wanted her company, he would've said "come keep my mom company."
But the fact that he said "help take care of Kasuko" meant one thing—there'd be a perfect excuse for Mikiko to give her a gift afterward.
Even an expensive one.
Megumi's mind was as sharp as ever—quick, observant, and deeply attuned to social cues.
With just one casual sentence from Kyousuke, she could deduce everything behind it.
If Kyousuke knew how much she'd pieced together, he'd probably be relieved she hadn't caught him and Kasumigaoka-senpai sneaking around last time.
Eriri might be easy to fool—but not Megumi.
Still, being thought of like that—having someone buy things with you in mind—was a rare kind of happiness for her.
Especially since she was the kind of person even restaurant waiters often overlooked.
To her, that kindness meant a lot.
In truth, when she'd seen the pictures Eriri had shown off the other day, she couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.
And that was why she felt so conflicted now.
'Ahh… if Aunt Mikiko's giving me a kimono, does that mean she already sees me as family?'
'I just told him yesterday that I wanted to be helpful—and now my wish is already coming true…'
'But… Keiichi's not going to say something embarrassing about me to his friends, right?'
Her pure white cheeks flushed pink as the thought crossed her mind.
Feeling the heat rise, Megumi quickly buried her face in the blanket—but soon the blanket turned warm too.
So she flipped onto her back, waving her hand over her face to cool it down.
Her short bob spread out over the pillow, and strands of her bangs stuck to her forehead with a faint sheen of sweat.
From a distance, she looked as if she'd just finished something very intense.
'Clack—'
The door suddenly swung open.
Standing in the doorway was a woman who looked quite a bit like Megumi, only older and more mature.
'Bang!'
Before Megumi could even process what happened, the door shut again.
"Ah, sorry, sorry, Megumi! I didn't know you were already… exercising so early in the morning."
A teasing female voice called from the other side of the door.
'Exercising?'
Megumi blinked, completely bewildered.
Before she could even gather her thoughts, her mother's voice drifted up from downstairs:
"Megumi! Stop jumping around in your room or you'll make the ceiling collapse!"
"Oh, Mom," her sister replied, voice dripping with amusement, "she's not doing that kind of exercise. It's the kind you can do while lying down."
Katou Hiromi—or rather, Yoshinaga Hiromi now—laughed.
Back in her school days, she was far from the model student she claimed to be, often sneaking out on dates under the pretense of "group study."
Marriage hadn't changed her one bit—if anything, she'd evolved into the neighborhood gossip auntie, despite not even having kids yet.
"Sit-ups, huh? Careful not to strain your back!" their mother called out again.
Thanks to the paper-thin walls of their wooden house, her voice sounded as if she were standing right beside them.
Megumi, meanwhile, finally caught on to what her sister really meant.
After all, her vanity mirror sat right next to the bed.
A simple glance at her reflection told the whole story flushed cheeks, messy bangs, dewy eyes, and a bit of sweat on her skin.
She really did look like someone who'd been doing a very different kind of "workout."
…And it reminded her way too much of the time she'd accidentally walked in on her sister's "self-training" back in middle school.
Megumi opened her mouth to explain—but her mischievous sister spoke first.
"Ohh, so our little Megumi's finally reached that age, huh? Makes sense! If I had a teacher as handsome as Hojou-san, I'd be sprinting to the finish line too~~."
"...The finish line?"
The moment Megumi caught that double meaning in her sister's words, her cheeks, which had just cooled down, instantly flared red again.
Before she even realized it, she jumped up from the bed, her pale feet landing hard on the blanket as she stomped toward the door in two quick steps and yanked it open.
Yoshinaga Hiromi formerly Katou Hiromi—had been leaning casually against the doorframe with a teasing grin on her face.
She nearly lost her balance when the door flew open but managed to steady herself just in time by wrapping her arms around her sister's waist.
"Wow~ A seventeen-year-old's waist is something else! So firm, so smooth… I'm seriously jealous," Hiromi exclaimed dramatically as her hands gave Megumi's slim waist a mischievous squeeze.
A jolt like electricity ran up Megumi's spine.
Her body stiffened, and her short bob seemed to puff up as if charged with static.
Right then, their mother's voice echoed from downstairs again, thanks to the house's paper-thin wooden walls.
"Megumi! I told you, no jumping around in your room!"
Trying to ignore the lingering tingle, Megumi kept her face cold and expressionless as she replied sharply:
"Oh, what a surprise—seeing you here this early, Hiromi. What happened? Did your husband kick you out and you came running home?"
"What?!"
Their mother's voice immediately called out from below, "Hiromi! What's going on between you and Bunta? Did you two fight again?"
So yeah… terrible soundproofing does have its perks. No matter where you were in the house, Mom's lectures always found you.
"Mooom!" Hiromi shouted back helplessly.
Ever since her clueless husband had accidentally confessed that they'd been secretly dating back in college—and thanked her parents for being so "understanding"—her credibility at home had taken a nosedive.
"He just dropped me off, remember? You even asked him to take those side dishes to his office for lunch!"
That seemed to do the trick; their mother fell silent, probably going back to whatever she was doing in the kitchen.
"I'll have you know my husband and I are doing just fine, you brat," Hiromi said with mock offense.
Megumi coolly pried her sister's hands off her waist. "Sure. And just so you know, I recorded everything you just said.
I'll make sure Brother-in-law hears it. Since you two are so in love, I'm sure he won't mind stopping by later to drop off your luggage, right?"
Rather than looking panicked, Hiromi laughed and gave her sister a big thumbs-up.
"Heh~ You've gotten sharp, little sis."
Then, with a wicked grin, she added, "But you're forgetting—My husband's a huge fan of Hojou-sensei's books. Honestly, I think if he could, he'd turn into a woman just to marry him!"
That did it.
Even Saintly Megumi Katou, usually calm and composed, completely lost her composure.
She flicked her sister's hands away and puffed out her cheeks in frustration before plopping back down on the bed with an adorable scowl.
Hiromi, sensing victory, didn't stop there.
She flopped down beside her sister and unleashed another round of teasing that would make any gossip-loving housewife proud.
Within seconds, Megumi's face turned bright red, her mind spinning from the onslaught of embarrassing remarks.
"Ugh, you're so annoying! Seriously, you're impossible!"
Her voice came out half-whiny, half-defensive—completely different from her usual calm tone.
Only around her older sister, someone who knew her inside and out, would Megumi ever show this flustered side of herself.
She kept pushing at Hiromi's shoulder, trying to shove her out of the room.
"If I leave, who's going to give you advice, hmm?" Hiromi teased.
"I never asked for your advice…" Megumi muttered—but her pushing grew noticeably weaker.
Satisfied, Hiromi leaned close and whispered conspiratorially into her sister's ear.
Megumi hesitated, then quietly explained the whole situation she'd been worrying about.
"What—wait, WHAT?! Hojou-sensei's mother wants to give you—"
Hiromi's outburst was cut off mid-sentence as Megumi clamped a hand over her mouth, her glare sharp enough to kill.
Hiromi instantly froze. She knew that look well—her little sister could hold a grudge for months if she was really mad.
After a tense pause, Hiromi lowered her voice. "A kimono, huh? For your coming-of-age ceremony, maybe?"
Then she sighed, a little envious.
"Wow… lucky you. I had to rent mine, and it cost a fortune. You're really scoring big here. Even fans at book signings only get meal vouchers from Hojou-sensei, but you—you're getting a custom kimono!"
Megumi nodded quietly.
She knew all too well how generous Hojou could be.
When she'd once told her friend Rinko about the sea bream hotpot he'd cooked, Rinko actually went and researched the cost.
Fresh, in-season cherry bream of that size and quality was already pricey enough—but factoring in the other premium ingredients?
Even without counting the chef's effort, the meal was worth a small fortune.
That was exactly why Megumi felt torn now.
It was such an extravagant gift—too much for her to accept easily.
But it was from Hojou's mother, Mikiko… refusing would feel rude.
"Absolutely not, Megumi!"
Hiromi suddenly shouted, startling her.
"Eh?" Megumi blinked in confusion. Her sister had just been smiling mischievously—why the sudden serious tone?
"The wedding dress has to come from our family, not his!" Hiromi declared solemnly. "We're going to Hojou-sensei's house together to make that clear!"
Megumi's lips twitched.
'Yep. Talking to her was definitely a mistake.'
Hiromi managed to stay serious for all of one minute before breaking into laughter again.
"Still, though… what a mother-in-law. So kind, so generous—no wonder you were working out so early, huh? Gotta keep the husband happy~! You're really committed to becoming Mrs. Hojou!"
By that point, Megumi's head was practically steaming. Her sister's nonstop teasing overloaded her brain completely.
Even though she had her own life now, Hiromi still had an uncanny ability to strip away Megumi's calm façade and get right under her skin.
Still, between all the nonsense, Hiromi did manage to offer a few bits of real advice.
In the end, Megumi left the house carrying a jar of homemade pickles from her mother—headed to visit a friend.
"Going to Rinko's place?" her mother called out from the kitchen. "Why not invite her over here instead?"
"Not Rinko," Megumi answered honestly. "I'm going to see Eriri, the art club prodigy from school."
"Oh, I see. Then why not bring Rinko along too? She walked you home last night, didn't she?"
"Next time, for sure," Megumi promised, offering a polite smile before stepping out the door, silently apologizing to her best friend in her heart.