"Could it be, Natsukawa-kun, that you actually have some sort of superpower?"
After a long silence, Megumi Kato finally spoke, her calm words catching Kanade off guard.
"Of course not. No matter how you look at it, I'm just an ordinary guy, right?" Kanade sighed in relief, noticing that she didn't seem angry. He shook his head in response.
"But ordinary people wouldn't think like that, let alone articulate their feelings so well…"
Twisting a strand of her hair with her finger, Megumi glanced at him, her tone light and playful. Then, like a cat strolling gracefully, she began to walk along the lakeside.
"I didn't realize Natsukawa-kun paid such close attention to the things between us."
"Uh… but you're not mad? Even though I said that…"
"Why would I be mad?" She stopped and turned to him, her gaze calm as ever.
"Because… saying you felt neglected sounded like I was arrogantly assuming, 'You care about me, right?' It's such a self-absorbed thing to say…" Kanade explained awkwardly.
"But it's true."
"Huh?" Kanade blinked, stunned.
"I did feel neglected." Megumi nodded lightly, her expression as composed as ever.
"After all, I helped you find Eriri, yet I didn't even get a single thank-you."
"Oh, so you meant that…" Kanade finally pieced it together.
The incident hadn't been that long ago, yet it had completely slipped his mind. He had indeed found Eriri by the lakeside thanks to Megumi's reminder, resolving their misunderstanding. While it was true that the situation had been urgent at the time, enough time had passed for him to properly thank her, yet he had entirely forgotten.
So was Megumi upset about that?
Kanade watched as Megumi gently tucked her windblown hair behind her ear and crouched down, holding her skirt in place. She plucked a small wildflower from the ground and toyed with it delicately.
It was a serene and picturesque scene, yet something about it made Kanade feel like he was on the verge of understanding something deeper.
Superpower… ordinary person… attention…
Pieces of a puzzle came together in his mind. Finally, a plausible explanation emerged.
Someone like Megumi, who always seemed unbothered, likely wasn't overly concerned about the lack of thanks. What she truly cared about, Kanade realized, was being valued.
Not necessarily being favored, but at least treated equally.
He recalled Megumi's unique trait—her remarkable ability to blend into the background. It was like an EX-level passive skill that made her presence almost undetectable. Kanade had witnessed it before: if she wasn't within his line of sight, she could appear anywhere the next moment, as if out of nowhere.
Megumi had likely spent much of her life feeling invisible. That might have been why she so easily agreed to join a club she wasn't particularly interested in—because it could have been one of her first experiences of being actively invited to something.
To Megumi, Kanade and their friends probably represented some of the few meaningful relationships she had, relationships she cherished deeply.
Yet, as a girl, she was still human—prone to jealousy and longing for recognition. Watching Kanade shower attention on someone else, like Eriri, likely stirred up feelings of envy she didn't know how to express.
Because Megumi was just like any other girl.
No matter how composed and mature she seemed, she also wanted to be noticed, cared for, and appreciated as a friend.
This realization hit Kanade hard.
"...Natsukawa-kun?"
"…"
"Natsukawa-kun."
"Ah! I'm here!" Snapping out of his thoughts, Kanade realized he had been lost in his own mind, completely forgetting he was mid-conversation.
"Personally, I don't mind," Megumi said softly, "but you really shouldn't ignore girls when you're talking to them."
"It's not okay!" Kanade immediately refuted her.
Now that he understood why Megumi's demeanor changed with each interaction, he couldn't just let her self-effacing behavior continue.
"That was my fault just now, so I owe you an apology—sorry!" Kanade bowed deeply.
Before Megumi could respond, he launched into a rapid-fire explanation, letting his thoughts pour out.
"But that aside, I can't accept the way you think about this, Kato!"
"What do you mean by 'it's okay because it's me'? You're a girl too! Why should you have to keep compromising like this? Just like you told me before, if I can act more selfishly, why can't you?"
"We're friends, right? And friends are supposed to have disagreements and complaints—that's completely normal! You should feel free to tell me whatever's on your mind, even if it's just venting. Honestly, I'd welcome it!"
"Because that's what friends are for—to support each other, to pay attention to one another, and to lend a hand when it's needed."
"So what if we don't always agree? That's perfectly normal! Every one of us is unique, with our own thoughts and perspectives. Even if we don't see eye to eye, it won't change the fact that we're friends!"
"…"