After dinner, Kanade Natsukawa took a leisurely stroll by the lakeside. To his surprise, he ran into a familiar face—Megumi Kato.
By late April, the cherry blossoms that once blanketed the town had quietly fallen, replaced by lush green foliage.
The gentle evening breeze rustled the branches, scattering shadows across the ground and playfully lifting the hem of Megumi's skirt and her hair. Most girls might flusteredly hold their skirt down, asking in a mix of indignation and embarrassment, "Did you see anything?"
But this was Megumi Kato—calm and poised as ever. Instead, she tilted her head slightly and greeted him in her usual serene tone.
"Good evening, Natsukawa-kun."
"Good evening, Kato," Kanade replied, nodding politely. "Have you had dinner yet?"
"Yes."
"Would you like to walk with me?"
"Sure."
And so, they strolled side by side.
"Did you find out who your partner is for the courage test?" Kanade asked.
"Yes, I saw the name on the board," Megumi replied, nodding lightly. "She's a very pretty girl… I'm a little envious."
"Uh… But you're really cute, Kato—easily as much as anyone else, if not more. There's no need to feel envious."
Although often described as the "background heroine," everyone knew there were no unattractive girls in anime. Even if Kato were a side character, she would still be the type of beauty to turn heads.
However, despite Kanade's straightforward compliment, Megumi didn't appear particularly pleased. Her tone remained steady, her voice clear and soft.
"As expected of you, Natsukawa-kun. Even after so long, you can still say things like that so effortlessly."
"Uh… I was just being honest," Kanade said, feeling a bit awkward.
Was it just him, or did Kato seem less upbeat than usual?
"It's a line from a game," she said. "You don't need to be so tense, Natsukawa-kun."
"…Oh, alright." He exhaled in relief, though he couldn't quite explain why her words had made him feel nervous in the first place.
"But hearing you say that does make me happy," Megumi admitted, shaking her head softly. Taking a step forward, she turned to face him, her gaze steady.
"Still, is it really okay for you to spend time with me like this? You're the student council president; you must be very busy."
Standing there in the fading light of sunset, she tilted her head slightly, as if they were simply chatting over tea.
"It's fine," Kanade replied, shaking his head. "I've taken care of everything I needed to. All that's left is to head to the venue when it's time."
In truth, he had been the one to invite her for this walk, but that didn't matter. Their friendship had grown to the point where such details felt inconsequential.
Though, in reality, Kanade and Kato had never been particularly close. Even during their time in the same club, their interactions had been minimal—he had spoken far more with Tomoya Aki than with her.
The turning point had been that rainy evening after school when she invited him to walk home together. It was then that Megumi taught him the importance of self-reflection, a lesson that set many other events in motion.
Since then, their encounters had been mostly serendipitous, yet each one naturally led to easy conversations about school, family, and everyday life—just like old friends.
Even so, she had quietly secured a spot in Kanade's heart, earning the title of a rare confidante without even trying.
In his eyes, she was one of the most comfortable people to be around.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, they began walking shoulder-to-shoulder along the lakeside. As the opening ceremony approached, Kanade decided to voice the curiosity he had kept to himself.
"Maybe it's just me," he began, "but I feel like you give off a different vibe every time we meet."
"Oh?" Megumi's expression remained calm, her brown eyes blinking curiously as she gazed at him. "Can you describe it in more detail?"
"Well… When we first met at the start of school, you seemed… like someone very dependable, almost like an adult. I felt like I could ask you anything and get a thoughtful response."
Kanade paused, organizing his thoughts.
"Then there was the time we ran into each other at the supermarket—it felt like we instantly became close friends who could talk about anything."
"Hmm…" Megumi nodded slightly, encouraging him to continue.
"And then, when I saw you at the mall with Mahiru, it felt like you'd turned into… I don't know, some kind of 'love guru.'" Kanade hesitated, unsure if he was phrasing it correctly.
Back then, he remembered how Mahiru and Megumi had whispered to each other before Mahiru emerged in a stunning Lolita outfit, later asking for his thoughts on it. That was when the idea of Megumi acting as some kind of romantic strategist first struck him.
But now that he thought about it, wasn't it ironic?
In Kanade's mind, Megumi was someone too composed and mature to be involved in something as frivolous as teenage romance. She was the type you'd expect to skip the dating phase and go straight to marriage.
Entrusting her to guide Mahiru in romance felt… odd. Besides, his relationship with Mahiru wasn't what Megumi might have assumed.
"And then there's today…" Kanade trailed off, hesitating to finish his sentence.
"What about today?" Megumi asked, her serene expression unchanging. Her calmness was almost unsettling, as if she were discussing someone else entirely.
"Uh… Promise you won't get mad?" Kanade asked, cautiously.
"Of course."
"Well… Today, you kind of feel like… a friend who's upset about being ignored for too long?"
The words felt clumsy, and Kanade immediately regretted them. He had almost said "girlfriend" but decided that would be crossing a line. Even someone as composed as Megumi might take offense to a comment that bordered on harassment.
He glanced at her, nervously gauging her reaction.
"…"
But Megumi's silence was unreadable.
Maybe I shouldn't have brought it up at all… Kanade thought, now feeling the weight of his words more than ever.