He walked up and returned the beret to her.
“Thanks.”
Megumi put it back on gratefully, then tilted her head in confusion.
Her bright eyes studied Ethan without blinking.
“Hm? Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?”
“Yes. Don’t move.”
To his surprise, she actually nodded.
She reached up with her pale hand and plucked a cherry blossom petal from his hair.
“There really was something?”
Ethan blinked in surprise.
After tossing the petal aside, Megumi asked curiously,
“Why does it feel like you’re focusing on my face today?”
Megumi was observant.
She had known since childhood about her weak presence.
Even her parents and sister weren’t immune to it.
Ethan wasn’t special in that regard.
He used to unconsciously overlook her too, his gaze unable to stay focused.
It was her problem.
But…
Ethan was still special to her.🤔
She had seen him carve part of her name into desks, chairs, and every book just to remember her.
She had seen him pinch his own thigh whenever his eyes started to drift while talking to her, forcing himself to stay focused.
But today, he felt even more different.
His gaze hasn’t left my face once.
Without thinking, Ethan reached out and brushed the strands of hair blown across her face behind her ear.
He smiled softly.
“It’s nothing. I just realized today that your beauty is one of a kind.”
Megumi’s face, which had never been good at showing emotion, stayed as calm as ever.
“Thanks for the compliment. Let’s head to school.”
Even her gratitude sounded flat.
But the faint blush on her ears and the barely noticeable curve at the corner of her lips gave away how she really felt.
The two of them walked side by side toward school.
At the bottom of the slope, a bespectacled boy stood frozen, holding his bicycle as he stared at their backs.
🚲The hand he’d lifted to catch a falling hat slowly dropped.
A wave of disappointment washed over him.
His name was Aki Tomoya.
A classic, textbook otaku.
Just moments ago, he had witnessed what he believed was the encounter that would change his fate.
His racing heartbeat screamed that this had been a destined meeting.
And yet he had completely missed it.
Because of the guy chatting happily with her.
Aki Tomoya nearly wanted to beat his chest in despair.
But he quickly pulled himself together, lifting his head with renewed determination.
They wore the same school uniform.
He would find her.
…
Who was Aki Tomoya?
Ethan couldn’t care less.
As soon as the break between classes started, he was summoned to the office by his homeroom teacher.
Shizuka Hiratsuka held his report card and sighed.
“I really feel like your grades could go even higher. Why are you always just a little short?”
Maybe it was because Ethan was genuinely likable and had a face that could easily be called the most handsome in the entire school.
Sharp brows, bright eyes, and a kind of masculinity that made people look twice.
Even Hayato Hayama, famous for being handsome, couldn’t quite beat him in popularity among the girls.
And yet Ethan wasn’t nearly as socially active as Hayama.
Especially when it came to grades.
Shizuka shook her head at the familiar result, hovering just outside the top 100.
Ethan shrugged.
“It is what it is.”
He hadn’t cared much about grades before.
Now he cared even less.
Why did people chase good universities?
Better jobs.
Easier money.
But money wasn’t exactly a problem for him anymore.
Inside the private space granted by the chat group sat a stash of gold bars and jewelry he’d casually taken from Saeko’s world.
💰
Money still had its uses, of course.
He planned to exchange some today and move into a new place.That tiny apartment was unbearable.
At the very least, he needed a three-bedroom apartment with a living room and dining room.
Seeing his indifferent attitude, Hiratsuka sighed helplessly.
“If you want to improve your grades, you could check out the Service Club. Maybe someone there can help.”
Ethan didn’t misunderstand.
He knew exactly what it was.
Yukino Yukinoshita’s club.
“Sure, I’ll take a look sometime,” he replied casually.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back.”
“That’s all.”
Once he left the office, Ethan had no intention of visiting the Service Club.
He didn’t need it.
His mind worked perfectly fine now.
If he took another exam, he could shock everyone.
He turned the corner of the hallway.
Destination: the library.
…
Mai Sakurajima wandered aimlessly through the library in her bunny suit, sighing in frustration.
Her condition was getting worse.
In her near-invisible state, she could take things without anyone noticing.
👻 But whenever she bought food, she still left money on the table.
That was her moral line.
Now she faced a serious problem.
She only had enough cash left for one more meal.
Withdrawing money was impossible.
No one could see her.
At this rate, she wouldn’t even be able to buy food.
She desperately wanted to find a way to return to normal.
She didn’t want to cross the moral line… like her mother had.
The memory of refusing her mother’s unreasonable advertisement contract when she was young tightened her fists.
“Mm!”
Suddenly, she bumped into someone.
“Sorry!” she blurted out instinctively.
Then it hit her.
She shouldn’t be able to bump into anyone.
She jerked her head up.
The face she saw was both unfamiliar and strangely familiar.
“I-it’s you?!”
He casually draped his jacket over her bunny outfit.
“Mai Sakurajima. Let’s talk.”👀
“…..”
“Chat Group: Harem Fights For Me”