Ayame Yomogawa really was busy.
The Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress had only just arrived.
The entire world had been swept up in the waves of the Industrial Revolution.
As society shifted from early modern to modern times, immortal monsters suddenly appeared.
Encased in iron-like skin, they could not be destroyed unless their hearts were crushed.Anyone bitten by them would die once… and then rise again, attacking the living.
These monsters, later called Kabane, multiplied explosively and spread across the globe.
To resist them, people in the Far Eastern island nation built fortified stations called Eki.
They sealed themselves inside and struggled to survive.
The only way to travel between stations was via armored steam locomotives—commonly called Hayajiro.
By trading resources between stations, humanity barely managed to maintain a fragile life.
Aragane Station.
A stronghold built on iron production and steam engineering.
A long rail line stretched outward, and on it sat a pitch-black train resembling a moving fortress.
People bustled around it nonstop.
As the daughter of the station’s ruling family, Ayame Yomogawa was responsible for organizing the repairs.
🛠️ Even something as miraculous as the chat group would have to wait until her duties were finished.
…
Meanwhile—
“???”
Shizuka Hiratsuka scratched her head.
Kato Megumi… who was that?
Why was she asking for leave?
Not thinking much of it, she approved the request.
…
“Megumi, what are you doing here?”
Just as Ethan arrived at the mall entrance, he spotted Kato Megumi standing there in a pure and cute outfit.
🛍️ He fell into silent contemplation.
Megumi looked at him calmly and greeted him in the same calm tone.”Mr.
Ethan.
Fancy seeing you here.”
Fancy?
Standing beside him, Mai Sakurajima twitched her lips.
Today was Wednesday.
You skipped school early in the morning and showed up at the mall?
Yeah.
What a coincidence.
Watching Megumi’s sweet and innocent outfit—and her unusually proactive behavior—Mai felt an inexplicable sense of urgency tightening in her chest.
Megumi’s gaze shifted to Mai as well.
“Mr. Ethan, this must be Mai Sakurajima from your strange chat group, right?”
“Oh?” Ethan looked surprised.
“Yeah, that’s her… Wait, Megumi, you can see her?”
Megumi nodded.
“I’m not sure why, but I can.”
“Maybe you two just resonate with each other,” Ethan said thoughtfully, after analyzing their situations.
“There’s a strange kind of presence like this?” Mai was shocked.
It felt so similar to her own situation.
But in reality, they were different.
In Ethan’s eyes, Kato Megumi looked like this:
Name: Kato Megumi
Level: 0
Ability: Mystic Presence 📊
Her power was Mystic Presence.
Also passive, but nowhere near as extreme as Mai’s.
As for why the two could see each other, Ethan had two guesses:
First, the chat group’s influence.
Second, their abilities resonating.
Either way, it was good news.
“Since Megumi happened to be here too, why not help Mai? As a guy, buying women’s underwear and stuff is a bit awkward.”
He could tell Megumi’s “coincidence” was way too perfect.But he didn’t expose it.
Because of the chat group, she must have seen those ridiculous transactions of his.
He wanted to know whether her opinion of him had changed.
At his suggestion—
“Sure,” Megumi agreed readily.
But then she suddenly turned to Mai.
“Mai Sakurajima, it doesn’t seem appropriate for you to stay at a boy’s house. If you need, you can stay at mine.”
The words sounded calm and friendly.
Yet Mai felt a sharp edge hidden beneath them.
She smiled perfectly.
“Thank you for the concern, Kato Megumi, but I’m only staying temporarily. It’s fine.”
“I trust Mr. Ethan wouldn’t hurt me. Besides, this is… a transaction.” 💼
“A transaction…” Megumi repeated thoughtfully, and said nothing more. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
…
With Megumi around, buying clothes and daily necessities for Mai became much easier.
Ethan was happy to relax.
While Mai was trying on clothes, the two waited outside the fitting room.
For the first time, Megumi asked Ethan something directly.
“Mr. Ethan… do you really have superpowers?” ‘💪
“Let me show you.”
Smiling, Ethan lightly tapped her cheek.
“!!”
Instantly, she felt an icy chill.
“That’s impressive,” Megumi said calmly, without showing surprise.
Then her tone suddenly shifted.
“So that means everything in the chat group is true. Mr. Ethan… did you sleep with Saeko Busujima?” 😳
“…!”
Ethan inhaled sharply.
He hadn’t expected her to be this blunt.
Still, after a brief moment of surprise, he shrugged.
“Yeah. Just a transaction.” 🤷♂️
Then he teased, “Did your opinion of me drop a lot?”
Megumi stared into his sapphire-like eyes for a long time before answering.
“…Yeah.”
She decided to be honest with herself.
It was unrealistic to say her feelings hadn’t changed at all.
“I know that was just a transaction for you, Ethan. So I won’t hate you for it, but I…” 💔
Kato Megumi wanted to continue.
“Alright, we’ll take these.”
Mai Sakurajima stepped out of the fitting room.
Hearing that Megumi wouldn’t hate him put Ethan in a good mood.
“Let’s go pay, then.”
“Mm.”
“… ”
Watching his back as he walked ahead, Megumi murmured softly, “But… I’m really jealous of them.” 🥺🥺
“…..”
“Chat Group: Harem Fights For Me”