004. Megumi is Just a Normal Girl

Kanade waited in the shadows of a corridor corner, counting the moments until he was sure Shiina Mahiru had walked far enough away. Only then did he step out slowly into the open.

His hands were empty—he didn't have an umbrella.

But it wasn't because of some melancholic longing to let the rain wash away the sorrow of his failed love. It was simply because he had already handed the student council room keys to Shirogane Miyuki, meaning he could no longer access the spare umbrella stored there.

"Kind of regretting that now..." Kanade muttered to himself.

It would have been better to give Shirogane the keys tomorrow, he thought.

The rain continued to fall.

But it wasn't a big deal—just a little rain. He'd been caught in similar situations before.

As Kanade prepared to step into the downpour, a soft, airy voice reached his ears, accompanied by a faint scent of locust blossoms.

"Natsukawa-kun, good afternoon."

The voice was familiar, yet there was something subtle and indescribable about it.

Kanade immediately recognized who it was.

"Good afternoon, Katou-san."

Megumi Katou, the undeniable heroine of the Saekano project. Friendly and unassuming, she exuded an air of natural ease. Though her presence often seemed faint, bordering on invisible, she was actually graceful and understanding, with a knack for reading the emotions of others.

Some called her "Saint Megumi" or "Zhuge Katou," though she was, at her core, just an ordinary and lovable high school girl with her own small quirks.

"Wow, I'm surprised you still remember me after all this time, Natsukawa-kun," Megumi said, feigning surprise in her usual calm manner.

"It's not like I'm so forgetful I'd fail to recognize you," Kanade replied reflexively, a slight smile tugging at his lips.

This kind of banter brought back fond memories of their past interactions.

"Maybe, but ever since you became the student council president, we haven't seen you at all," she teased.

"Well... I've been busy with council work, you know..." Kanade averted his gaze, avoiding her eyes.

After all, how could he admit that he'd been so preoccupied chasing girls that he'd completely neglected his old friends? That would make him seem like the worst kind of person—one who valued romance over friendship.

Fortunately, Megumi was as understanding as ever and didn't call out his transparent excuse.

"So, what brings you here, Katou? Don't you have club activities to attend?"

"I ran into a poor, lonely puppy that seemed to need some attention, so I got held up."

"..."

Kanade's face flushed red with embarrassment, unsure of how to respond.

It was the first time anyone had referred to him like that. Did he really seem so pitiful in his current state?

"I fed it a little, and it looked much better afterward," she added.

"Oh... I see..."

Kanade's awkwardness deepened. He'd assumed she was metaphorically referring to him as a "lost puppy," only to realize she was literally talking about a dog. Luckily, he hadn't reacted too strongly—otherwise, it would have been even more embarrassing.

"Well, in that case, you should hurry to your club activities. Don't keep everyone waiting."

"That doesn't matter."

"It doesn't... matter?"

What did that mean? Was she suggesting that talking to him was more important? Or did she just genuinely see him as a pitiful puppy she couldn't leave behind?

"The club's been disbanded."

"..."

So, it wasn't what he thought.

"Wait... What? The club disbanded? What happened?" Kanade coughed lightly, trying to mask his surprise as he asked.

After all, he had once been part of that club. Unlike Katou, Kasumigaoka Utaha, and Sawamura Eriri, Kanade hadn't been personally invited by Aki Tomoya. Instead, he had joined through the club's recruitment process.

Initially, Kanade had worried his mediocre programming skills might not meet Aki's standards, thus denying him the chance to get closer to the heroines. But to his surprise, the recruitment requirements were absurdly stringent: no pay, no benefits—purely passion-driven.

Who but a fool would willingly stay under such conditions? It turned out that Kanade's ulterior motives made him the perfect candidate. Once Aki confirmed Kanade could independently handle programming tasks, he had practically begged him to join the club.

In the end, Kanade's "compensation" consisted of afternoon tea and snacks, as well as the right to play any game in Aki's collection.

Truthfully, Kanade hadn't cared about any of that. He only pretended to agree to conceal his real intentions.

Everything unfolded naturally after that. While fulfilling his duties, Kanade made his moves on the heroines. But while the process had been full of hope, the results had been crushing—his feelings were shattered one by one.

Those memories were ones Kanade preferred not to revisit. Still, hearing Megumi mention the club reignited his curiosity.

"Don't tell me it fell apart after I left..." he asked, his tone tinged with unease.

Complex emotions welled up inside him—guilt? Relief? Even he couldn't tell what he was feeling.

Technically, Kanade bore no responsibility. His tasks had long been completed before he left the club. But as a former member, he still felt some lingering connection.

And deep down, if the visual novel they had been working on—a bishoujo adventure game—had ever become a hit, Kanade couldn't deny he would have been proud of his contribution.

"No, no. Your work was finished ages ago," Megumi said, shaking her head with a gentle smile. "And the suggestions you left behind were really helpful. Eriri and the others made a lot of progress after implementing them."

"Then why...?"

"Because the game's done," Megumi replied matter-of-factly.

"Even Kasumigaoka-senpai and Aki-kun were amazed at how well it turned out. They said your contributions were invaluable."

"..."

Kanade wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but Megumi seemed to have a knack for dangling bits of information just to keep him curious. She had a way of saying things that piqued his attention, often answering questions in roundabout ways.

"And the disbanding?"

"Hmm... I think it was Kasumigaoka-senpai's idea. She said, 'Now that the game's finished, this little playgroup of ours has run its course.' Then she left, and the club disbanded."

"..."

Kanade wanted to protest that Megumi's phrasing made it sound like Kasumigaoka Utaha was the villain behind the dissolution.

But having read the original source material, he knew better. Utaha had always been the first to seek independence, so this wasn't out of character for her.

Still, knowing he hadn't been the cause of the club's end brought Kanade some relief.

Humans are strange creatures. Even if they don't consciously feel responsible for something, the moment someone else absolves them of that burden, they feel lighter.