Kato Megumi's Test

In the end, they still hadn't come up with any real plan for bringing the class together, and everyone began preparing to leave.

Since this was Kato's first time at This School, she didn't know where the dormitories were.

Akasaka had no choice but to show her the way, so the two of them set off together toward the student dorms.

On the way, Akasaka kept asking Kato how she'd managed to guess what he was thinking.

Kato Megumi answered honestly.

"Ever since I was little, I've been troubled by how little presence I have."

"To get people to notice me, I learned to judge what they might do and think from their words and actions."

"Over time, I became the way I am now."

"Maybe it has something to do with the environment I grew up in. I'm pretty good at reading people."

Akasaka's mouth twitched.

That was some way of reading people. Wasn't that practically mind reading?

Kato Megumi seemed to see right through Akasaka's thoughts again. The corners of her lips gradually curled into a lovely smile. She suddenly felt like teasing Akasaka-kun, and her steps grew lighter.

"Akasaka-kun, want to guess what I'm thinking?"

Akasaka waved a hand.

"No way. I already know I won't get it right, so why would I even try?"

Kato spoke in a leisurely tone.

"If you can guess what I'm thinking, Akasaka-kun, I'll help you earn a lot of points."

Akasaka stopped in his tracks. Dense beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

He looked at Kato Megumi in disbelief, as if she were a monster...

"You... knew?"

"That I wanted to use you..."

Kato Megumi's expression was calm.

"I knew from the moment I first saw you."

Kato Megumi silently added to herself:

[But more than that, I'm interested in the fact that you noticed me...]

With his intentions exposed, Akasaka didn't try to hide them. He admitted everything openly.

"That's right! I want to use your help to earn a huge number of points. I'm short on money."

"My parents have racked up a lot of debt outside, and I need to earn a lot of points at school to pay it off. After graduation, I can convert them into cash."

Akasaka Ryunosuke told Kato Megumi everything about his situation. There was no point in hiding it anymore.

When facing someone who could see through his thoughts, sincerity was his only weapon. He might as well tell the truth.

Kato Megumi nodded, only half understanding.

"I don't really know what Akasaka-san wants to use me for, but you're not planning to do anything dangerous, are you?"

Akasaka raised a hand and promised her. "Absolutely not!"

Kato Megumi nodded.

"I understand, Akasaka-kun. But why should I help you earn points?"

Kato Megumi tilted her head adorably.

Akasaka was instantly at a loss for words.

Kato Megumi turned her head away and fell silent.

After a long while, Akasaka let out a breath, as if he'd made up his mind.

"Kato-san, do you still mean what you said?"

"That if I guess what you're thinking, you'll help me earn points."

Kato Megumi looked troubled.

"I can, I suppose. Go ahead and guess, Akasaka-san."

Kato Megumi stood perfectly still, her face expressionless.

"Uh... I just guess? No hints?"

Kato Megumi said nothing. She was like a wooden doll, clearly already in character.

Akasaka had no choice but to grit his teeth and guess, drawing on what he knew about her from his previous life.

After thinking for a moment, Akasaka said, "Kato, you're lonely, aren't you?"

Kato Megumi...

"Please don't say something so obvious, okay?"

"Anyone could see that, Akasaka-san."

"Fair enough..." Seeing that approach wasn't working, Akasaka decided to try something else.

Akasaka scratched his head in desperation and paced back and forth. Then he suddenly thought of something, and his eyes lit up.

"Why don't I list your measurements, Kato-san?"

"If you dare say them out loud, I'm calling the police, Akasaka-san."

Kato Megumi pulled out her phone without changing expression. Her finger had pressed the last button; all that remained was to place the call.

Akasaka hurriedly stopped her.

"Let me think! Just give me one more chance!"

"Fine, I'll give you one more chance, Akasaka-kun."

With that, Kato Megumi lowered her phone and muttered softly,

"How do you even know my measurements?"

Unfortunately, she'd said it so quietly that Akasaka didn't hear. He didn't have time to listen anyway.

He'd already tried every possible way to win Kato Megumi over.

No, wait! Why call it winning her over? It was supposed to be a partnership.

Kato Megumi watched Akasaka scratch his head and fret, her expressionless face unchanged. A sudden feeling of delight welled up inside her.

No boy had ever been this flustered over her before. She rather liked the feeling...

Because of Akasaka, the little-devil side of Kato Megumi's nature was gradually coming out.

Akasaka thought back to what he knew about her from his previous life and sighed.

"Fine, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I'll just say it all at once!"

Akasaka went up to Kato Megumi and, like a Deadpool, told her everything he knew about her without considering whether she could take it.

"Kato-san, you're a very ordinary girl..."

"I know that, Akasaka-san. Please don't say things that we both already know."

Akasaka's mouth twisted, and he sounded a little annoyed.

"Don't interrupt me! I haven't finished."

Kato Megumi pretended to zip her lips shut with her hand, lightly running it across them to show she wouldn't speak.

Akasaka tried to get back on track. Looking seriously at Kato Megumi before him, he said...

"You're a very ordinary girl, as ordinary as they come."

"Your grades are average."

"Your looks are ordinary."

"And you're practically invisible."

"There's no other girl in the world as extraordinarily ordinary as you."

Kato Megumi's gaze gradually turned vacant. She suddenly felt like hitting someone.

But Akasaka changed course.

"Although you're plain and ordinary, that's actually a charm that belongs only to you."

Akasaka pushed up the nonexistent glasses on his face, intending to pour out all his affection for this character from his previous life.

He rested a hand on Kato Megumi's shoulder and stared straight at her.

Kato Megumi's body trembled. She was a little nervous, and her heart occasionally beat faster.

She was curious about what kind of person she was in this boy's eyes...

Akasaka spoke earnestly to Kato Megumi.

"Kato, you're thoughtful and can pick up on what other people are thinking. That's a talent not many people have."

"And you're wonderful. You're not nearly as ordinary as you think."

"At least in my eyes, you're an undeniable beauty."

Kato Megumi's face flushed, and her heart thumped wildly.

But Akasaka's direct assault wasn't over. He continued pouring out words that sounded like a confession.

"Other people may think you're ordinary, but to me, you're the one and only heroine I acknowledge."

"Kato-san, you're a very kind girl. To me, you shine brighter than any other girl."

"I want us to get along not because we're using each other, but because I want us to be close friends. Will you be my friend, Kato...?"

Akasaka held out his hand, waiting for Kato Megumi's response.

He'd done his best. Whether he could win Kato Megumi over was now up to fate.

He'd told her everything he knew about her from his previous life, without holding anything back. All that remained was to wait for her answer.

Kato Megumi's eyes shifted slightly, and her cheeks felt a little warm.

She kept twirling a strand of her hair, her voice tinged with embarrassment.

"Akasaka-kun, you're quite the sly one. You've seen right through me."

Akasaka's heart leaped with joy.

"Then will you be mine?!"

"Please don't say things that could be misunderstood, Akasaka-san. We're not that kind of..."

"Ah, sorry, sorry. I got a little carried away."

Kato Megumi calmly held out her hand.

"Then I hope we get along from now on, Akasaka-kun."

I froze for a moment, then realized what she meant and quickly shook her hand, afraid she might change her mind.

"Ah, I hope we get along, too, Kato-san."

Kato Megumi casually made a small request.

"From now on, don't call me Kato-san. Just call me Kato. We're friends now, so 'classmate' sounds too distant."

"Uh, all right. Got it. I'll call you Kato from now on."

Akasaka didn't give it much thought.

He wasn't from around here, so he had no idea that calling someone by their given name was very intimate.

Only close friends, relatives, or lovers addressed each other that way.

He also hadn't realized that Kato had been calling him Akasaka-kun, rather than just Akasaka.

That was one of Kato Megumi's little schemes.

As the only person who could notice her, she'd already taken Akasaka for her own, without telling him.

Akasaka had no idea about Kato Megumi's little scheme.

At that moment, he was still delighted to have Kato Megumi as an ally.

After all, she was a Crowned Assassin. Did he even understand how much the title "Crowned" was worth?

She was the kind of person who could kill you right in front of your eyes, and you wouldn't even know who had done it.

Of course, that was an exaggeration. Kato Megumi wasn't quite that incredible.

If you paid close attention, you could still sense her.