Kato Megumi: Don't Look Back, Tomoya-kun

"That guy is obviously a veteran in the love field!" There was a hint of anger in Tomoya Aki's voice.

"Tomoya-kun, it's not good behavior to always make malicious assumptions about someone you're not familiar with." Kasumigaoka Utaha's voice was cold as she spoke, clearly noticing Tomoya's jealousy toward Kato Megumi.

"I think so too. I've seen that classmate Izumi. He's very considerate toward his sister and often works several jobs to support the family. Someone like that can't be a bad person." Eriri, standing nearby, said with clear displeasure. "Tomoya, you shouldn't always jump to such conclusions. You weren't like this before!"

Eriri had clearly noticed Tomoya's special feelings for Kato Megumi, but his tendency to focus solely on the club made his behavior unbearable.

"You guys..." Hearing the three of them speak out against him, Tomoya's face darkened. He fell silent, his mouth clamping shut in disappointment.

"Achoo! Achoo!" Izumi Yu sneezed twice in quick succession as he left the academy. A confused look crossed his face as he rubbed his nose. "Weird… who's talking bad about me?"

After leaving Hiratsuka Shizuka's office, Izumi was heading straight to his part-time job.

[You sneezed twice and instinctively felt something was off. Someone must be gossiping about you. Reflecting on your day, you remember offending only two people: the four-eyed otaku and the beaker-wielding female teacher you lectured. Considering the teacher likely wouldn't want to dwell on it, the logical conclusion is obvious—it's the four-eyed otaku badmouthing you. Fueled by righteous indignation, you begin plotting your revenge. His club boasts two loyal followers besides the beautiful girl he fawns over. What if you lured them away, leaving him with nothing? Picture his despair as his paper-thin world collapses.]

"Stop right there! You want me to die or something?" Izumi muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes at the narrator's absurd suggestion.

If he truly did that, those two would probably have him hauled off by the police the very next day.

Still, there was no denying it—Aki Tomoya had most likely been badmouthing him.

---

"It's all thanks to Izumi-kun that our work went so smoothly today!" At the convenience store's entrance, the female manager beamed at him with enthusiasm. "Izumi-kun, you haven't eaten yet, have you? Would you like to come over to my place for dinner?"

[Hearing her invitation, your thoughts wander. Although her husband is likely at work, wouldn't it be neighborly to offer him some warmth after a long day of exploitation? But as a man of principle, you reject this slippery slope, imagining the chaos it might unleash.]

"Hold it right there!" Izumi cut off the train of thought. "This is heading straight into cuckoldry territory. I'm the God of Pure Love, not some soap opera villain."

Izumi studied the woman before him. Despite her age and slightly plump figure, she still retained a certain charm.

But no. He couldn't even dream of taking on her sports-student son in a fight. A one-on-two scenario was far from wise.

"Sorry, Manager, but my sister's waiting for me at home. I need to cook dinner for her," he said with a polite smile.

"Izumi-kun really is a good brother! I won't keep you, then," the manager replied, disappointed but still smiling warmly. "Be careful on your way home!"

"See you tomorrow!" Izumi waved as he turned to leave.

"See you tomorrow!" the manager replied, still waving.

---

"Um... Manager, I'm here." A soft voice came from behind Izumi as he was about to leave.

Izumi turned to see a petite figure enter the convenience store.

The girl had long pink hair, with her bangs covering her eyes, giving her a slightly gloomy look. Her outfit—a pink sports jacket paired with a pleated skirt—was a mix of mismatched casualness and charm. Peeking from behind her bangs were deep blue eyes.

"I'd like to introduce you two. This is Izumi Yu, one of our senior employees. And this is Goto Ichiri, a new hire. Though, your shifts are a bit staggered," the manager said cheerfully.

"Hello, Goto," Izumi greeted with mild recognition. He vaguely remembered an extremely introverted girl at school with the same name—likely the one standing in front of him now.

"Ah... Izumi-senpai… you… are..." Goto Ichiri stammered, clearly uncomfortable as she struggled to make eye contact. Severe social anxiety gripped her, but she summoned her courage to greet him.

[Faced with this shy junior, you could embrace your role as her senior, dominating her fragile sense of self. In this harsh workplace hierarchy, wouldn't it be fitting to command her completely, molding her into an obedient subordinate—or something more?]

"That's criminal behavior! I'm not some sleazy villain," Izumi thought furiously, cutting off the narrator.

Even as a senior, pushing her like that wouldn't help. If anything, it'd drive her further into her shell.

"This girl is shy, but very reliable," the manager chimed in with a smile. "It took her a lot of courage to communicate with me."

"Understood. Well, I'll leave you two to it," Izumi replied. As he turned to leave, his gaze lingered on Goto Ichiri briefly.

---

Suddenly, a light screen popped up in front of him.

[Name: Goto Ichiri]

[Age: 16]

[Status: A girl with social anxiety who wants to overcome her fears by forcing herself to interact with others through part-time work.]

[Favorability: 31 (A junior somewhat curious about you.)]

[Achievable Endings:]

①: Completely Broken.

Condition: Break into her life before her favorability reaches 70, leaving her utterly shattered.

(Reward: Obedience collar, 1 million yen.)

②: Ships Passing in the Night.

Condition: Let your paths diverge without making any real connection.

(Reward: None.)

③: Sunny and Cheerful Girl.

Condition: Raise her favorability to 70 or above and help her overcome her fears, leading her to a brighter personality.

(Reward: 2 random master-level skills, clairvoyance, 1 million yen.)

The first option was out of the question. It was barbaric and didn't align with his pure-love philosophy.

The second option was irrelevant.

The third? Attainable, and the rewards were tempting. Master-level skills and a million yen could go a long way.

"Ah… okay…" Goto Ichiri managed to mumble, her voice barely above a whisper as she tried to process Izumi's presence.

"Goto looks very cute. I'm sure you'll look amazing when you smile. Try smiling more often—you might find yourself even more popular," Izumi Yu whispered softly as he passed by Goto Ichiri.

"Ah?! C-cute?! Smile?! Popular?!" Goto Ichiri froze in place, her face turning red as she clumsily covered it with her hands. Her voice trembled with disbelief, but a hint of joy and obsession gleamed in her eyes.

For a moment, she was utterly flattered. Receiving such praise from someone as composed as Izumi Yu felt surreal. The girl's heart practically soared as if she might fly away at any second.

The favorability meter above her head visibly ticked upward.

[Name: Goto Ichiri.]

[Favorability: 35. (A junior who has some affection for you!)]

Seeing how easily Goto Ichiri's favor could be won, with nothing more than a few kind words, Izumi Yu's lips curved into a faint smirk.

Praise truly was the cheapest yet most effective gift in the world. Who knew simple compliments could work such wonders?

Today, Pure Love God of War Izumi Yu was victorious once again, navigating life as smoothly as ever!

After leaving the convenience store, Izumi Yu headed straight home.

Before long, he reached the front door of his house.

Although his parents hadn't left behind any inheritance when they passed away, the house—a spacious villa in Tokyo—was more than enough. It was worth a considerable amount, and at the very least, Izumi Yu didn't have to worry about paying off debts, buying a new home, or dealing with Tokyo's sky-high rent. His main focus was earning enough to cover daily expenses.

Pulling the key from his pocket, Izumi Yu unlocked the door and stepped into the darkness. The house was completely dark, except for a faint light filtering through the crack of a door on the second floor.

"I'm back!" he called out habitually as he slipped off his shoes.

As usual, there was no verbal response.

However, a faint knocking sound came from the floor above.

Izumi Yu smirked to himself. His stepsister, Izumi Sagiri, had heard him and was letting him know she was aware of his return.

Bang!

Switching into his house slippers, Izumi Yu turned on the lights, banishing the darkness.

Boom boom boom…

A rapid series of knocks followed almost immediately from upstairs.

It was her way of saying her stomach was growling, and she was ready for dinner—right now.

"Hah… You never give me a moment's peace, do you?" Izumi Yu sighed dramatically, shaking his head.

Reaching into the bag, Izumi Yu pulled out the ingredients the female store manager had generously given him on his way out. She often handed him discounted or free ingredients, knowing he had a younger sister to care for.

Of course, this generosity wasn't entirely altruistic—it was mainly thanks to Izumi Yu's handsome face. The manager wasn't handing out special treatment to just anyone.

Originally, Izumi Yu's cooking skills had been average at best, but life had forced him to improve. After his transmigration, his financial situation had been stretched to the limit, so he had no choice but to cook for himself and his sister.

Store-bought bento boxes, while cheap, were bland and unsatisfying, fit only for staving off hunger.

Through trial and error, Izumi Yu had honed his cooking skills to a professional level. He even joked to himself that he could probably dominate Tokyo's culinary scene without relying on anything but his cooking.

Before long, he whipped up two steaming bowls of his signature omelette rice. Picking up one bowl, he made his way to the second floor.

"Sagiri, dinner's ready," he said as he knocked on the door of her room.

The door creaked open almost instantly.

Standing just behind it was a silver-haired, blue-eyed girl. She wore a green hooded jacket over a pink nightgown that reached just above her knees, revealing two slender, porcelain-white legs and delicate bare feet.

Her facial features were doll-like in their perfection, as though sculpted from the finest porcelain, and her petite, delicate figure exuded an air of vulnerability.

Her toes, soft and round like candies, seemed to beg for attention—not that Izumi Yu paid any mind to such thoughts.

[Looking at the delicate girl before you, a twisted thought creeps into your mind. Sagiri, burdened with deep psychological trauma, avoids contact with the outside world and refuses to talk to strangers. No matter what you do, she'll accept it without resistance. The only 'drawback'? She's your stepsister with no blood relation to you.]

A birth within a birth! What nonsense!

Izumi Yu felt nothing but contempt for the trashy narrator invading his thoughts.

How was targeting an emotionally scarred girl any different from preying on someone helpless? It was disgusting!

Besides, wasn't the lack of blood relation supposed to be a positive in this situation? How did the narrator twist it into a "drawback"?

"Ignoring you," Izumi Yu muttered under his breath as he dismissed the intrusive narration and focused on the girl in front of him.

A light screen appeared, overlaying her figure:

[Name: Izumi Sagiri.]

[Age: Confidential.]

[Status: Reclusive artist with deep psychological trauma.]

[Favorability: 45 (A caregiver I like).]

Sagiri's blue eyes lit up at the sight of the omelette rice in Izumi Yu's hands. Her face remained shy, but her expression softened. She gently took the bowl from him and murmured in a barely audible voice, "Thank you."