“You can see me.”
Megumi Kato’s face stayed calm and unreadable, but there was a real spark of surprise in her eyes.
Ren gave her a puzzled look.
He knew Megumi was often overlooked because of her weak presence, but she was right in front of him, waving her hand just inches from his face.
It would be impossible not to notice her.
“Sorry.” Megumi quickly lowered her hand after noticing his expression.
“I’m not a strange person or anything.
My name is Megumi Kato.
I’m a second-year in Class J.” She introduced herself in the same flat tone, obviously wanting to make sure he didn’t think she was weird.
“Ren.
Second-year, Class C.”
“Ren…” Megumi repeated his name quietly, almost as if she was making sure it was real.
After so long, she had finally found someone who noticed her.
“To be honest,” she continued, “over the past few days, my family, classmates, and even my teachers have all forgotten I exist.
Having someone actually see me makes me really happy.”
“They forgot you exist?”
Megumi’s presence was always faint, but it shouldn’t have gotten so bad that people forgot she existed.
Something else must have happened to her.
Ren chose not to go back to the clubroom yet.
He walked over to the bench where Megumi had been sitting and sat down.
“If you don’t mind, tell me what happened.”
“Okay.” Megumi nodded and sat down beside him.
Maybe it had just been too long since she talked to anyone, because Megumi ended up talking for a while.
Being overlooked for so long had made her distant.
She was used to people not noticing when she walked into a room, forgetting to call on her, or leaving her out of conversations.
“Sorry,” Megumi said when she finally realized how much time had passed.
“I haven’t talked to anyone in so long that I accidentally rambled.”
“It’s fine.”
Ren shook his head.
He didn’t mind listening.
More importantly, her story gave him enough to figure out what was going on.
“If you hadn’t been able to see me, I probably would have killed myself eventually,” Megumi said.
“I’m really glad you came along.”
She said something painfully serious in the same flat voice.
She was still just a high school girl.
Being forgotten by everyone would be torture for anyone, especially someone her age.
The relief in her words was clear, even if her face barely changed.
“I see.”
“Given the circumstances, what happened to you isn’t that surprising.”
Megumi looked at him.
“Do you know what’s wrong with me?”
“Yep.” He nodded and gave her a proper look.
Megumi wasn’t the type to catch everyone’s eye right away.
Her charm was graceful.
The longer you looked, the more you noticed her delicate features—she was cute, but in a subtle way.
“Long story short, I practice Exorcism arts,” Ren said.
“That’s probably why I can perceive you when no one else can.”
“Are you an onmyoji?” A faint trace of hope entered Megumi’s eyes.
“Yeah,” Ren said, nodding slightly.
“You could call me that.”
Megumi had read a little about onmyoji before, enough to understand the basics.
She looked at him again, hope flickering in her eyes.
“To be honest, your body was different from the start.
Having such a low presence might pass as a character quirk in a slice-of-life story, but in real life, it’s not normal…
Lately, the world’s spiritual energy has started to come back, and Yin energy has gotten stronger.
That Yin energy got into your body and changed your already faint presence, which caused your current problem.”
“Um…”
Spiritual energy returning.
Yin energy—all of these ideas were new to Megumi.
Still, only one question really mattered to her.
“Do you have a way to help me?”
“I do.”
“REALLY?
THANK YOU SO MUCH.”
Megumi immediately stood and bowed to him in gratitude.
“You don’t look very happy,” Ren noted.
Her expression remained as blank as ever.
“Sorry.
Because I was ignored so often, my expressions gradually became like this.”
“It’s fine.”
That blank expression was just part of who Megumi was.
“Well then.” Ren stood.
Megumi looked at him with anticipation.
“Kiss me.”
“…” Megumi’s mind went blank.
The request was so sudden that she could not process it at first.
She blinked once, then asked, “Did I mishear you?
“You heard me right…
I said kiss me.”
If his eyes hadn’t stayed calm and free of any bad intentions, Megumi might have thought he was messing with her.
“Let me explain,” Ren said.
“Some people in this world are born with unique constitutions.
I’m one of them…
My constitution is the exact opposite of yours, so my body contains a large amount of Positive Energy.
To put it simply, even my tears carry positive spiritual power.”
The Radiant Monarch Physique he got from his starter pack wasn’t just for show.
“If I use my Positive energy to suppress the Yin energy inside you, your presence should return for a short time.”
“A short time?” Megumi immediately caught the important part.
“Right.
A kiss can only transfer a small amount of Positive energy, and that energy will fade after a while.” Ren paused, then said, “If there was more direct physical contact, the effect would probably last longer.”
“M-MORE DIRECT PHYSICAL CONTACT?” Megumi’s composure nearly cracked.
“Let’s skip that option.”
They had just met.
Going that far was out of the question, even for someone as calm as Megumi.
She took a few slow breaths until her racing heart finally calmed down.
“I’m not exactly someone worth going to all this trouble for—so I doubt you’d go this far just to trick me into kissing you.”
“Wrong,” Ren said.
“You’re very cute.”
“Oh?” Megumi blinked in surprise.
When she saw he was serious, she lowered her head and looked away.
Her cheeks felt peculiarly warm.
“Are you ready?”
“I…
think so.”
Even she didn’t sound confident.
She had never had a boyfriend and had no experience with anything like this.
Ren didn’t plan to wait forever while she hesitated.
He reached out and gently pulled her closer.
“Mwah.”
He had asked for a kiss, and that was all he did.
Forcing anything beyond the agreed boundary was beneath him.
It helps new readers find it.
And of course, your Power Stones help push the story forward.
Thanks for reading.