Chapter 109

"... You're welcome, it's what I should do." He glanced to the side.

"Um, let me introduce myself first. My name is Kato Megumi, and I'm a student at a nearby high school." She pressed her hand to her chest as she introduced herself.

Image: "First came the sage, then came heaven", Location: "Images/1759500728-100446961-113927221. jpg"

A note from the author:

Um, some readers think that this place and the previous place with Touma are rather low-class, and I explained it in the comments section. It's basically to maintain the original character settings and, as far as possible, avoid using the author's big hand, making it difficult for them to meet and get to know each other through normal means.

But since many readers dislike it, the subsequent plot will avoid anything that lowers the tone.

Volume 1: The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies: Chapter 146 The Only Ordinary Person in Japan

"Miss Kato, right? My name is Sakurakoji Talent. It's nice to meet you."

"Miss Sakurakoji's surname is very beautiful and rare, completely different from mine," Kato Megumi said with some longing.

"Huh?" His voice suddenly deepened.

"W-What's wrong?" Kato Megumi was startled by his sudden reaction.

"No, it's nothing." Sakurakoji Talent replied casually, resting his long fingers on his chin as if deep in thought. "I see. Even the most classic techniques depend on the person executing them... I've learned something."

"Are you sure everything's okay?" Kato Megumi asked Kokoro, noticing his puzzled expression.

"It's really no problem. It's just that I'm a little surprised that I haven't been misunderstood in a long time."

"Misunderstand?"

"Well, actually—" Sakurakoji Talent lowered his arm and met her gaze, "I'm a man."

"Huh?" Kato Megumi's usually impassive expression froze for a moment, then after a few seconds, "Huh, huh, huh--"

She hurriedly bowed again. "I'm so sorry, you clearly helped me, and I still made this mistake!"

"No, it's okay, it's not the first time anyway..." He suddenly felt a little upset and decided to change the subject.

"Kato-san said you're a student at a nearby school, right? May I ask which school you attend?"

"Oh, okay, it's Toyonosaki Academy. I'll be a second-year student there next semester."

"Toyonosaki?" He looked back at her beautiful face, examined her closely for a while, and then feigned surprise.

As expected of the female lead from "Saekano," even in the face of that scene, even when facing herself, her tone didn't fluctuate much. You couldn't tell the difference unless you listened carefully. She was practically a self-propelled human AI reader.

"What's wrong?" Kato Megumi tilted her head slightly.

"It's nothing, it's just that I have two acquaintances in Toyonosaki, and we might meet again later." He replied with a slight smile, foreshadowing a future meeting.

"Is that so? What a coincidence." Although she said this, there was no surprise in her tone.

"Um, yes, uh..." Just as he was about to continue the conversation, Sakurakoji Talent suddenly became speechless.

What should I say now?

He turned his gaze back to her, hoping to find some clues.

Compared to Kasumigaoka Utaha or Kawaragi Momoka, whose looks and style are immediately striking and have a filter-like, highlighting effect, her cuteness can only be noticed by paying special attention.

Like a supporting female character in a street poster promoting anime, hidden by the protagonist's perspective and spotlight, but upon closer inspection, her looks are actually just as good as the main character's.

Thinking about it carefully, her grades, talents, and family background were all unremarkable; she was truly just an ordinary girl. He frowned slightly.

If you're talking about being special, she really is quite special. Of all the people I've known so far, she's probably the first and only one who most closely resembles a normal person...

This is precisely why Sakurakoji Talent is even more troubled. Although he did this in the heat of the moment, he now realizes that he hasn't actually planned how to get closer to her.

Even if you wanted to assign her some tasks to increase interaction, it seems there's not much she can do...

Damn it, do ordinary people still exist in Japan these days?

They cheated without telling you, didn't they? He started to get a headache and couldn't help but grit his teeth and click his tongue.

There's no need to elaborate now. In the conventional sense, Sakurakoji Talent is a genius with excellent looks and a privileged family background.

However, he was not without flaws. Apart from physical factors, his biggest flaw was that his illness had led him to live a life of seclusion, which meant that, apart from the knowledge and skills he had acquired, he was quite lacking in "common sense."

The lack of common sense here doesn't refer to the kind of Shiina Mashiro who can't even take care of herself and is completely ignorant of the outside world.

Rather, he was completely unaware of the topics and hobbies that ordinary people his age—especially in Japan —would typically have. This was evident from the fact that he had hardly ever played video games.

Therefore, compared to those talented young ladies who have a special skill and can easily find common ground, it is Kato Megumi, who seems like an ordinary passerby at first glance, who makes him feel more elusive and at a loss for how to approach her.

Although he has gotten by relatively easily because he has encountered mostly abnormal people, he has only now realized how difficult it is to bridge the gap with "ordinary strangers"!

What should I say? Academic performance? That's ridiculous.

Talking about makeup and dressing up, musical performances, clothing design, cooking skills, writing books and making games, the prices of luxury goods, and foreign language proficiency... wouldn't that just be him showing off one-sidedly?

What are young people these days focused on every day? How can I establish a connection with her? Should I continue shopping with her later, or just leave?

Are we going to force her to become interested in something, just like in the original work? That would be too unreasonable...

"Brainstorm, get to work!" His brain, working at full speed, caused fine steam to seep from the back of his head. He racked his brains for ages without any results. His eyes gradually closed. Ah, whatever, let it all end. I'm tired...

"By the way, did you really call for someone just now?" Seeing that he didn't speak for a long time, Kato Megumi kicked her canvas shoes with her hands behind her back and could only try to start a conversation herself.

"How could that be? I was just trying to scare him." Sakurakoji Talent came to his senses, thought for a moment, and then took over the conversation.

"Oh, is that so? I was just wondering if I should wait here for the security personnel to come."

"Haha, that would be a bit troublesome too."

"Is that so? Hehe."

"Ha ha..."

"Hehe..."

"..."

"..."

After they finished speaking, the two stared at each other, both awkwardly stunned, unsure of what to say.

Sakurakoji Talent suddenly realized how lucky it was to have someone like Ichiji Nijika or Anwa Subaru in the crowd, a little sun who could effortlessly discuss normal topics.

I'm sorry, Nijika, 486... I underestimated you guys before.

Kato Megumi also felt a surge of heat, two beads of sweat appearing on her forehead. She unconsciously fanned herself with her hand, standing uneasily in place, stealing glances at him.

What should I do? The air seems to have frozen. What should I say? Should I talk about what my classmates are talking about at school?

But Sakurakoji-san is so refined, he probably wouldn't be interested in those things, right? What if it would be even more awkward if I told him?

Finally, she mustered her courage and broke the ice. "Um, to thank you for helping me earlier, how about I treat you to something to eat? It's almost lunchtime anyway."

"Is it okay?" he asked tentatively.

"Of course, it's my pleasure. Is there anything you'd like to eat, Sakurakoji-san?" Kato Megumi smiled and nodded.

"I'm fine with anything, I'm not picky." After doing something like this, he inevitably felt a little guilty, so he wouldn't dare to ask for anything else.

Damn it, not only did he do it, but afterwards he couldn't even find a topic to change the mood. This is truly the most humiliating day of Sakurakoji Talent's life! He frowned in grief and anger, biting his thumbnail.

"Shall we go to that restaurant over there?" She pointed to a shop sign not far away, which looked like a fast food restaurant.

"No problem."

Fifteen minutes later, the two sat facing each other at a square table in the store, picked up the hamburgers that were served, and began to eat.

After a brief silence, a voice rang out; this time it was Sakurakoji Talent.

"Didn't Kato-san come shopping here with any friends today?"

Although he was caught off guard by the sudden attack, after this period of calm, he sorted out his thoughts and regained his former self. First, he started with the most recent events.

"Yeah, I'd like to be like that too, but for some reason, I've never had many friends growing up," Kato Megumi said, swallowing a bite of her hamburger with a mix of regret and acceptance.

With traits like yours, forget about making friends, I even worry that your family might occasionally forget about you— Sakurakoji Talent took a sip of cola, speechless.

"What a pity, I thought you were a pretty nice person, Kato-san."

"Thank you for the compliment, Sakurakoji-san as well."

No, to you, I'm just a villain.

"Have you bought everything? Do you need me to help you check?"

"Not yet. I was planning to go shopping one last time before school starts, but I haven't found anything I like until just now."

"Then I'll go with you later. Don't let my appearance fool you, I'm very confident in my judgment!"

"No, even if you say that about yourself, Sakurakoji-san, in my opinion... umm... nothing at all." Kato Megumi shook her head halfway through her sentence, her eyes filled with a complicated expression.

"If I could ask you for a favor, it would be a huge help, but is it really possible?"

"Of course! Consider this a return gift." He held up a French fry and smiled at her.

"This is to thank you..." Kato Megumi nodded with a helpless expression, "I understand, then I'll trouble you later."

"Learn!"

What kind of clothes does Kato-san want to buy?

After the meal, the two went into a clothing store spanning several storefronts on the third floor, where Sakurakoji Talent asked her a question.

"There aren't any special requirements, anything suitable for spring is fine."

"Is that so...?"

As he walked among the clothes racks, Sakurakoji Talent suddenly felt a little dazed and stopped in his tracks, feeling as if this scene seemed strangely familiar.

So that's how it is! Ugh...

Despite feeling a bit anxious, he hadn't forgotten what he needed to do.

"Then I'll choose one for you according to my aesthetic sense. Please forgive me if it's not good-looking."

"It's not that exaggerated. I wouldn't have paid if it didn't look good."

"Understood, let's begin."

"Thank you so much today, Sakurakoji-san. The clothes you chose are all very nice; you've been a great help."

More than an hour later, Kato Megumi, carrying several large bags of clothes, stood at the mall entrance with Sakurakoji Talent, and said happily.

Although his voice remained largely flat, the smile on his lips seemed a little more genuine than before.

"I'm sorry, not only did you help me today, but I also took up so much of your time."

"No, it's what I should do." He truly meant it. "Now that today's task is finished, let's meet again next time. Bye-bye~"

"Ah, um! Goodbye." Kato Megumi smiled faintly and raised her arm.

He responded with a slight smile, then turned and left.

I didn't ask for her contact information; my purpose today was simply to get to know her before the start of the semester and plant a seed for a possible Mirai.

After all, her activities didn't overlap with his, and they practically had no common ground. Without actively creating opportunities, there was almost no chance of them getting to know each other later.

But he found it hard to accept obtaining contact information through this method.

He felt really awkward walking under the bright sunshine and blue sky, his Hands in the warm pockets of his coat, looking up at the blue and white sky, and couldn't help but think this.

Oh well, let nature take its course.

Volume 1: The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies: Chapter 147 In short, it's really nice.

The next day, to be precise, was the 30th day of March—Sunday morning.