Chapter 166: Megumi Kato — Senpai, Are You Mad?

Haru honestly had no real interest in underground idols.

To him, no matter how hard those aspiring girls worked or how pretty they might be, none of them could compare to Yukino.

Even if they had great figures, they couldn't match Utaha.

Even the sweetest and most considerate personalities didn't hold a candle to the girl currently beside him—Megumi.

Of course, Megumi's secretively sly side was also one of her most charming traits.

But because she was so good at hiding her feelings, Haru could never be completely sure if she had romantic feelings for him. Despite all the signs, he still doubted himself.

If it hadn't been for years of being "trained" by Haruno, Haru would probably be the type to mutter, "I really don't get it... I can't tell at all."

Pushing aside those thoughts, Haru turned to the girl hugging a giant plush toy beside him. "What do you think, Kato?"

He hadn't rejected Furukawa and the others' suggestion to check out the underground idols—not because he was interested, but because he felt bad. Last time, he'd bailed on them, and flaking twice in a row wouldn't be cool.

"You guys go ahead," Megumi said with her usual gentle understanding. "I've got to head home for dinner."

Once again, she showed just how considerate she could be.

Haru didn't insist, and simply watched her leave before heading off with his friends.

But Megumi hadn't gotten far when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

It was a message from Utaha.

Apparently, Utaha had some free time and asked if Megumi wanted to swing by Haru's place to mooch a meal together.

Megumi, who had originally planned to eat at home, immediately changed her mind.

She typed back: Sure.

Then called her family to let them know.

Fifteen minutes later, she arrived at Haru's front door—only to see a tall, beautiful figure already standing there.

"You're here," Utaha said. "I rang the bell earlier, but it seems like he's not home yet. By the way… why are you carrying such a massive cat plushie? Just bought it?"

Megumi leaned against the wall to rest her arms, still holding the large orange cat. "Haru's still out with his friends. But he'll definitely be back soon."

Utaha raised an eyebrow. "And how do you know that?"

"Because I was just with him."

"…???"

Utaha stood there in a daze.

Her mind worked quickly. "Wait… did he win that plushie for you?" she asked, her tone turning subtly sharp near the end.

Megumi, as calm as ever, replied, "He won it at a mall event."

She then briefly explained the event.

Utaha's red lips parted slightly, her expression complex. She looked like she wanted to say something, but couldn't find the right words.

It wasn't until a full five seconds passed that she managed to ask, trying to maintain her composure, "Megumi… are you hiding something from me?"

Megumi shot back without missing a beat, "Everyone has their secrets, don't you think, Utaha-senpai? It's not really something you should be asking."

That caught Utaha off guard. "You're right, but… something feels off."

Then, something clicked in her mind. "This plushie… doesn't it look exactly like that orange cat he has at home?"

"It's cute, isn't it?"

"I—I wasn't looking at how cute it was."

Utaha shook her head, her expression now slightly more serious. "By the way, why did you take a photo of me last time?"

Megumi didn't avert her gaze. "Don't you think your actions were a little strange that day, Utaha-senpai?"

Utaha's cheeks flushed a faint red.

"If I hadn't been the one in the living room," Megumi continued, "and it had been someone like Hayakawa or the others, things might have gone... very badly."

"…You have a point."

Utaha looked away awkwardly. She had been unusually bold that day. In truth, it was because of something Yukino had said that pushed her into such a reckless act.

Not that she regretted it entirely.

Honestly, it had been thrilling—exciting even. That mischievous, almost illicit joy of doing something naughty and getting away with it...

It had felt… kind of amazing.

The more she thought about it now, the more suspicious she felt.

Has our friendship changed?

Are you stabbing me in the back now?

No matter how she looked at it, Utaha couldn't come up with a solid reason why Megumi would've taken that picture.

Don't tell me… she kept a backup?

The thought sent a jolt down her spine, and she quickly turned to look.

Megumi still had that usual gentle, harmless expression, looking like someone easy to tease.

"Megumi, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"You don't… happen to have any extra copies of that photo you took… right?"

Utaha tried to keep her tone light, like they were just chatting.

Megumi looked at her with a hint of confusion. "Senpai, are you… suspicious of me?"

"No, no, not at all. Just thought I'd ask, randomly."

Utaha lied.

Megumi simply said, "I didn't keep a backup."

Utaha finally breathed a silent sigh of relief and tried to steer the conversation elsewhere. "I was just asking out of curiosity. You're not mad, right? Anyway, when do you think he'll be back? Should we give him a call?"

"He should be back soon," Megumi replied, completely ignoring the earlier question.

"…Why are you so sure?"

Utaha kept her tone warm—this was just a way to keep the mood light.

But Megumi's answer was almost too casual: "He's probably out with his friends at that underground idol event. Knowing Haru, he wouldn't be interested in that sort of thing. But he wouldn't want to disappoint them either, so he likely just tagged along. He'll probably take a quick look and come right back."

Utaha stood frozen, her mental CPU running at full capacity.

Wasn't that a bit… too detailed?

When did you start knowing him so well? Have you been watching him this closely all along?

And if so… why?

Her mind was spinning.

Just then, Megumi spoke again. "Senpai, you don't have a key to Haru's place, do you? If you did, we could just wait inside."

Utaha shook her head. "No, I don't have one."

And then—she watched as Megumi reached into her pocket…

…and pulled out a keyring.

A chill went straight down her spine.

Why does she have a key to his house?

Did I miss something?

Is this the betrayal of friendship I've been fearing?!

But before her mind could spiral any further, Megumi calmly slipped the keys back into her pocket and muttered, "These are for my house."

"Huh?"

Utaha was stunned.

Megumi slowly turned her head to meet her gaze and said quietly, "I was just joking. You're not mad… are you, senpai?"

Utaha: "…"

What a sharp blade.

She finally realized—Megumi had been upset earlier when Utaha questioned her.

At the very least, she definitely took it to heart.

Utaha took a few deep breaths, her chest visibly rising and falling. "You almost had me there."

Megumi averted her eyes, saying nothing more.

Not long after, Haru finally came back.

Seeing the two girls standing outside his door, he looked confused. "You two waited here this whole time? Why didn't you just call me?"

"Megumi said you'd be back soon, so I didn't bother."

Utaha's tone was calm, but there was still a hint of awkwardness lingering from earlier.

As Haru took out his key and opened the door, Utaha couldn't help but glance at his hand—

—Yukino probably has a key to his place too. I want one.

Once inside, the three sat down in the living room.

Utaha was the first to speak up. "I just finished my writing work for the day and thought I'd swing by and ask for your advice."

"About your script?" Haru asked while pouring tea, glancing at Megumi, who had placed the orange cat plushie beside her.

She seemed to really like that thing.

"Not the script—it's the massage," Utaha corrected him.

Haru paused. "…Are you serious?"

Don't tell me she's still obsessed with that Tidecaller technique…Even if you learn it, it's not like it'll help much!

"Why not? You taught both Yukino and me last time, remember?"

Utaha replied casually, then turned toward Megumi with a sudden thought. "Since Megumi's here too, why don't we do a mini-lesson for the two of us?"

Haru looked at her, curious. "Do I get to know why you're taking this so seriously?"

Utaha smiled. "Let's just say… Yukino and I still haven't settled who's ahead in this little competition."

The truth was, after Yukino secretly recorded a video of her making those "shameful moaning" noises during the last session, Utaha had become desperate to regain her dignity.

Her plan was simple: Master Haru's Tidecaller massage technique, then convince (manipulate) Yukino into a session of her own.

And when that time comes, I'll be the one making her moan in return.

Sweet revenge.

Megumi chimed in, "I've got a lot to learn lately, so I'll skip this one."

Then, after a pause, she added, "But I don't mind watching you two."

Haru set his teacup down. "So I should postpone cooking for now?"

"I'm not hungry yet," Utaha quickly replied.

Megumi nodded in agreement.

Seeing both girls so eager, Haru didn't refuse.

In his mind, teaching a useful skill wasn't a bad thing. And with his ability, it was easy enough to demonstrate.

But Utaha's obsession with the Tidecaller technique was starting to weird him out a little.

"Just like last time, want me to massage you again?" he asked Utaha, who was already smiling.

"How about we let Megumi go first this time? She hasn't tried it yet—it'd be good for her to relax."

Utaha jumped in before he could respond.

The last session had been too humiliating—she hadn't even been able to pay attention, much less learn anything. No way was she doing that again.

Haru turned to Megumi.

"Will Amamiya-kun give me a massage? Sure."

She agreed without hesitation.

Megumi obediently lay down on the sofa, and Utaha grabbed a small stool, watching closely with great interest.

"Let's start with the back."

Haru didn't go near Megumi's legs—after all, their relationship hadn't reached that level yet.