"By the way, thanks to Kei explaining everything, I finally learned who Hojou Kyousuke really is."
"It's honestly kind of scary—how can someone so young have so many titles?"
"Mmm~~"
Megumi Kato switched her phone to speaker and opened up the group chat interface.
———————————————————————
"Hojou Kyousuke!?" —Keiichi Kato
"You mean the Hojou Kyousuke? The author of One Punch Man, Attack on Titan, The Devotion of Suspect X, Sword Art Online?"
"The one who won the national middle school kendo championship twice?"
"Where did you meet him, Megumi? He doesn't even go to your school, right? Did you get his autograph?"
"Ahhh, why wasn't it me who met him? If only I'd skipped school today!"
———————————————————————
"..."
Big Brother Keiichi really is a hardcore fan—just like those idol stans.
Megumi let out a quiet giggle.
"You saw Kei's messages, right?"
"I did~~"
"So come on, tell me how you got to know such a big name! Even your brother-in-law is curious—he's hoping you can get an autograph from Hojou-san for him."
Ugh...
Listening to the voice coming from her phone, Megumi rested her chin on her pillow, sinking half her face into the soft fabric.
So much for keeping it cool, Megumi.
All it took was one slip of emotion and now it's snowballed.
You've still got a long way to go in your training.
'Now I have to come up with a decent excuse to brush off Keiichi—no, not an excuse, a "stance."'
Her thoughts running wild, Megumi casually said, "We just met at the school gate, that's all."
"And then you went up and talked to him!?"
"Megumi!! I'm so proud of you! My little sister's finally growing up!" her sister shouted dramatically.
"Eh? Um... wait a minute. Why does everyone assume I was the one doing the approaching? Can't I be the one who got approached for once~~?"
Only when she was talking with her sister would Megumi so openly express her girlish side.
"Ehhh!? Come on, spill the details!"
"Let me think~~ Actually, Hojou-kun came to see two other girls from our school."
"Ohh, I knew it. So it was just a random flirtation while he was bored. Typical of a flashy Japanese writer. Totally fits my mental image of them."
"I've got stuff to do, I'm hanging up~~"
Without waiting for a reply, Megumi hung up the call.
Geez, ever since her sister got married, she'd totally lost that Kato-sisters vibe.
She talked so bluntly now.
Sawamura Eriri... and senior Kasumigaoka Utaha—Fushinosaki's two reigning school beauties.
'Of course I know Hojou came for them.'
One's the ace of the art club, a prodigy who was selected for the Young Artists Award in Tokyo during her very first year.
The other's a genius girl ranked top of the class since year one, already on track to be admitted to Hitotsubashi University by recommendation.
Someone like Hojou, with his star status, obviously has friends of that caliber.
She wouldn't be surprised even if he got invited to a royal banquet.
But still... he called out my name. And the cake tonight... he paid for it.
A tune started playing—Miyamoto Yuna's newest single, a favorite among young girls.
"Moshi moshi~~~"
"Megumi, hanging up on people like that is totally rude, you know. It's even worse if the other person is a guy."
"It wasn't just random—I really did have something to do~~ Besides, I picked up again later, didn't I? From a girl's perspective, that's not exactly bad manners, right?"
Megumi replied while texting back Yamauchi Sakura.
Another thing she'd learned from her sister: treat every date seriously—dress up, put on makeup, and be precisely three minutes late.
No more, no less. More is rude, less isn't effective.
Once you arrive, you can tailor your reaction based on the guy's attitude.
Most guys won't mind just three minutes.
But if he's the nitpicky type, then just say, "Sorry, I'm late," right away.
Unfortunately, like her nearly-invisible presence that seemed to embody "hidden in plain sight," she'd never once gotten a chance to use these tricks in her 17 years of life.
Even when going out with relatives' kids, her mom would start hurrying her hours in advance.
"You can't be like that, Megumi. Even if it's just a random encounter, people who actually notice you are pretty rare. You should treasure that."
Yoshinaga Hiromi said.
As her older sister, no one understood Megumi's low-key presence better than she did.
It was practically magic in the real world.
"Mm-hmm~ I'm just at home, so I'll ask Hojou-kun to message me when he arrives. Sorry for the trouble, everyone."
She finished the message and sent it to Yamauchi Sakura.
Just like her sister said—even though they'd exchanged contact info, Megumi didn't have much confidence in tomorrow's date.
No expectations, no disappointment.
If she didn't act too excited about the plan, then if he forgot, he wouldn't feel too guilty, and she wouldn't feel too awkward.
And if she didn't expect anything in the first place, she wouldn't be hurt by a no-show.
"Let things go and don't dwell on them"—that was one of her life philosophies. Stay calm.
But unexpectedly, the "date after school tomorrow" turned into "he's coming over with the manga and novels tonight."
A feeling she'd never had before—being valued.
———————————————————————
"Hahaha, actually it was Kyousuke who reminded me. I totally forgot about you after I got home. So sorry!" —Yamauchi Sakura
———————————————————————
Hmm… Ohhh, sōka（そうか）. Just like at the café, Sakura's warm and enthusiastic, but…
But still, that feeling of being noticed—it grew a little stronger.
Back at the café, Hojou didn't say much.
But what he did say felt like he could see right through her.
He seemed distant and hard to approach. Yet, even when Sakura had completely forgotten her, he remembered.
That's just… hmm~~ kind of nice, actually~~
"Megumi?" her sister asked suspiciously.
"So don't talk about me like I'm some kind of near-expired food, just waiting to slap on a 50%-off red sticker and give away to the first guy who walks by."
She couldn't let her happiness show—not with her sister listening.
Otherwise, she'd laugh loud enough to be heard in the next city over.
"Oh my, Megumi—you're acting weird!"
Hiromi instantly picked up on the change in her sister's tone.
If it were the usual Megumi, she'd brush off a comment like that with a bored, "Yeah, yeah, I know." She wouldn't be sounding all huffy and defensive.
Even though she only used basic drugstore skincare products, Megumi had still taken good care of her face—now looking more radiant and cute than ever.
Right now, it was tinged with a shy blush—absolutely adorable.
"We just met. It's nothing special. We just exchanged contact info, that's all…"
'Knock knock'
"Megumi, Keiichi says your phone's been busy. He says it's urgent." Her mother's voice came from outside the door.
"...Ah. That voice. I haven't heard Mom's in a while."
A few seconds passed.
Guessing their mom had walked away, Hiromi finally replied on the phone.
"You were just back for New Year's, weren't you? And you only got married last June!"
"Isn't this the kind of thing you're supposed to say after at least five years of marriage—when you're in a fight with your husband and crying into your mom's arms?"
"You're so mean, Megumi." Yoshinaga Hiromi giggled. "Bunta and I are doing great! Something like that wouldn't happen until at least year seven, if ever."
Megumi Kato smiled faintly at that, then switched to her cousin's chat window.
It was still flooded with unread messages. She didn't even need to look to know they were all about Hojou.
After a moment's thought, she tapped out a reply.
———————————————————————
"Hojou-san is coming to my house later. If you want, Keiichi, I can ask him for an autograph."
———————————————————————
She hit send.
A moment passed before the reply came, followed immediately by three exclamation marks:
———————————————————————
"He's coming to your house!? Megumi, are you serious right now? There's no way someone like you could actually know Hojou-san!"
"Stop joking around. Where did you even meet him? Was it at a signing event? Why isn't there anything online about it? Tell me, I need to go tomorrow too!"
"Megumi..."
———————————————————————
Ugh. And this is why she didn't like talking to Keiichi.
Or to any of the Kato boys, really.
Her sisters were always the considerate type.
Asking politely if she could get an autograph or maybe introduce them—but the boys just couldn't believe that someone like her could possibly know someone like Hojou.
Well… to be fair, it did make sense.
Go to school.
Clean the classroom.
Come home.
Watch trashy soap operas.
Sleep.
Repeat. That kind of mundane life suited her.
It was what people expected of someone like her.
And yet… his voice had called out to her.
"Katou Megumi."
Clear and elegant—better than any NHK announcer's pronunciation. Smooth and beautiful.
That voice came from Hojou Kyousuke himself.
She, the utterly unremarkable Megumi, had met him.
Every Tuesday, like clockwork, in front of a door she'd passed through a hundred times without anyone ever saying her name.
He—someone she'd never met before—recognized her.
Remembered her. Even after going home, he still recalled things about her.
Girls her age were supposed to fantasize about romantic things, sure—but this kind of situation? Not even once had it crossed her mind.
Honestly, it was a little depressing.
A girl as plain as her couldn't even imagine a fairytale-like encounter like this.
And yet… here it was.
———————————————————————
"So, do you want the autograph or not?"
———————————————————————
She sent it.
Sakura had said the book she lent her was a treasured collector's edition.
She could just show that to Keiichi later.
———————————————————————
"Yes, yes, yes! If you're messing with me, I swear I'm telling Uncle!" —Keiichi Kato
———————————————————————
Ugh… what a pain.
She regretted bringing it up already. This is what happens when you abandon your principles, Megumi.
She felt a mild pang of regret—but that was the thing about Megumi.
Nothing ever lingered long in her heart. Her regret, like everything else, was fleeting.
She'd just wanted to brag a little.
Who knew her cousin would blow up like this?
Her sisters were all level-headed, but the boys in the Kato family were like spoiled brats.
They'd even tattled during her older sister's dates—spilling the news the moment they caught wind of anything.
———————————————————————
"Kato-senpai, I'm here. It's the third house in the alley west of the disaster shelter square, right?" —Hojou Kyousuke
———————————————————————
"Yup~ That's right. Hang on, I'll be right out."
———————————————————————
She shot off the reply without hesitation.
'Crap! He's already here?'
Tossing her phone onto the bed, Megumi ran barefoot to the hallway window, the soft slap of her feet echoing on the floor.
She peered down.
Under the warm yellow glow of the streetlight, at the corner of her family's yard, a black motorcycle sat silently.
Its headlight was off, but even under the dim streetlamp, her sharp eyes recognized him instantly—Hojou Kyousuke, perched sideways on the bike.
He wasn't in his black school uniform from earlier.
Now he wore grey sweatpants and a white hoodie.
It didn't exactly match the sleek black bike beneath him, but it gave off a more casual, human feel.
He had his head down, seemingly lost in thought.
No phone in sight, unlike most boys his age who would've been swiping away to pass the time.
Now she understood why he arrived so fast—he probably came straight over without even changing properly.
She was used to being forgotten.
At group events, it wasn't until roll call that people remembered to include her.
That's why she was usually the one rushing in late.
But now… someone had hurried over just to see her.
That might've been a first.
"Megumi? What are you doing? Keiichi's still blowing up my phone—I can't even watch TV in peace," her mom called out from upstairs.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it," she mumbled as she hurried back into her room, threw on a jacket, and dashed downstairs, brushing past her mom.
"Where are you going?"
"A friend's here to see me!"
She was well aware that running downstairs in a flurry went against her usual low-key persona—but right now, she couldn't care less.
Not enough time to change, not enough patience for her usual rules.
Meanwhile, the phone abandoned on her bed buzzed again.
"Megumi? Hello? What are you doing? If you don't answer I'm hanging up..."
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Hojou-san."
She had only run a few steps, but Megumi was slightly out of breath.
"No, no," Kyousuke shook his head.
"I should be the one apologizing, showing up so late. And it's barely been two minutes since I messaged you. Thanks for coming out, Kato-senpai."
"Mm~ No, that's not it… Sakura lent me some precious manga and novels, and you came all the way out here late at night to return them. I should be thanking you."
She clasped her hands politely in front of her and gave a small bow.
Under the dim light of the streetlamp, in her lacy white nightdress, a red jacket draped over her shoulders, and simple white flats on her feet.
She looked like a figure from a painting—graceful and charming.
Hojou Kyousuke was surprised.
Just a simple change of outfit and Megumi's entire presence had transformed.
In her school uniform, she vanished easily into crowds, like she didn't belong anywhere.
He used to think the uniforms at Toyogasaki looked amazing on girls like Eriri and Utaha-senpai, like they were custom tailored.
But on Megumi, it was like Clark Kent's glasses—it concealed everything that made her special.
"Hojou-san?" Megumi glanced down at her nightdress, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.
"Ah… sorry. You look really nice. I honestly didn't realize that was sleepwear—I thought you'd just gotten back from going out."
'Nice…?'
Megumi turned the word over in her mind, and her black eyes sparkled just a bit.
Girls like Sawamura—that's what people usually meant when they said "pretty."
She was just… average. You can't take compliments like that seriously, Megumi.
Eriri...
Eriri and Utaha-senpai were the type of girls character designers dreamed of—so put-together that even on weekends, they'd wear their school uniforms out, just for convenience.
If it were any other students, it might be understandable—they probably wanted to get the most out of the pricey uniforms before they had to switch them out.
But those two? They just couldn't be bothered to change clothes.
Eriri, like Shouko now, had completely become Naoka's personal dress-up doll.
Their outfits for going out were entirely picked and styled by this aspiring fashion designer.
As for Utaha-senpai—well, with her, it didn't matter what she wore.
The moment she paired it with black stockings, her fashion level would skyrocket a hundred levels.
At home though? Don't even ask.
One wore kiddie pajamas, and the other looked like she couldn't afford pajamas at all.
"Hehe, well, I think you look really pretty, Kato-senpai."
'Wait, no—what am I doing?'
'I can't let myself become the kind of guy Utaha-senpai says gets all hot and bothered just by looking at girls! I came here to deliver something!'
Kyousuke's eyes couldn't help but drift to her pale, slender legs beneath the hem of her skirt, and her arms, soft and lightly downed, glowing under the warm yellow light.
She was so effortlessly beautiful it would make anyone looking at her yearn for something they couldn't quite name.
But Hojou Kyousuke was a well-trained warrior.
He wouldn't recklessly release his charm when it wasn't called for.
He quickly snapped back to his senses.
Good.
'Next time Utaha-senpai or Eriri calls me a cold-hearted playboy, I'll use this as proof that I can restrain myself!'
"Thank you for the compliment, Hojou-kun," Megumi said, parting her lips slightly in a soft, sincere voice.
The steadfast warrior Kyousuke just smiled and handed her the paper bag he'd brought.
"I actually wanted to give you a set of your own, but Sakura insisted on lending you hers. She said her books are magical."
Inside the bag were mostly volumes labeled with a big, bold "1."
"I'll read them gratefully and with care." She gave a polite bow.
Once again, that warm feeling of being valued spread through her chest.
Whether it was Yamauchi or Hojou, they were both such kind people.
"Don't force yourself, okay? It's not exactly a manga girls usually go for," Kyousuke said gently.
Even someone like Eriri—an extreme otaku—hardly touched male-oriented shonen manga that weren't her own work.
Expecting Megumi to dive into one right away might be asking a bit much.
"It's not forcing at all, Hojou-kun~~"
Her smile was completely natural, unguarded, and full of joy.
The flower bud slowly lifted, violet petals gently unfurling—beneath the hush of night, a pure white epiphyllum bloomed in silence.
Fleeting, yes—but all the more beautiful and precious because of it.
"Well, I'll head home now. See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow~~"
Unusually, Megumi didn't follow her typical principle of "Once it's over, it's over—don't linger, don't look back."
She stood in place, watching until the red tail lights of Kyousuke's motorcycle disappeared around the street corner before finally turning to go back inside.
"Was that Ryoko? Why didn't you invite her in?" her mother, Tomoko, asked.
Her father, Daiichirou, lowered his newspaper to look at her too.
"It wasn't Ryoko," Megumi replied while taking off her shoes, her mind racing.
She tried to recall how her sister usually handled their parents' questions after sneaking back in from a date with her brother-in-law.
The thought made her blush.
She didn't even have to act suspicious—just speak calmly like usual.
She'd worked so hard to build the image of "Megumi doesn't do anything worrisome" in her parents' minds.
She couldn't ruin that now.
"Not Ryoko?" The couple exchanged glances.
Daiichirou set his paper aside.
"It's a friend I met this semester—since we got reshuffled into new classes. She got really excited talking about manga and even insisted on lending me a bunch of books."
Megumi's brain kicked into high gear, drawing on years of practiced social techniques to craft a response that was completely truthful, yet totally parent-safe.
"I see. You should invite her in for tea next time," Tomoko said, clearly understanding—especially since Megumi had referred to the friend as "she."
"But it's already pretty late~~" Megumi plopped onto the sofa, figuring she might as well drink the tea herself.
She casually placed a manga volume on her lap.
"That's true. Next time then. I'll make some snacks for you two."
"Thanks, Mom~~" she said sweetly, sipping the tea to hide the brief flicker of guilt on her face.
After sitting for a couple of minutes, she finally picked up the paper bag and went upstairs.
'Phew—'
It felt like she had just pulled off something monumental.
Megumi sank onto her bed with a long exhale.
She was about to replay her conversation with Kyousuke in her head when her phone, jolted by her movement, lit up—and there it was: an open call screen.
Oh no.
She forgot to say goodbye to her sister!
'Let's just hang up quietly… pretend I fell asleep~~' she decided cheerfully and slowly reached for the phone.
"Megumi, you're home, aren't you?! You left your poor sister hanging! I'm telling Mom you've got a boyfriend!"
Megumi let out a resigned sigh and quickly plugged in her earphones.
"I told you, we're just friends. A boyfriend? Please. If we went on a date, I'd probably get left behind in the mall."
"Hahaha! Still the funniest jokes when they're self-roasts from you, Megumi," Hiromi Yoshinaga laughed loudly in her ear.
Megumi was glad she'd plugged in her earphones… and also kind of wished she hadn't.
Her sister was so loud.
"Yeah, yeah, sure. Something's up though~~"
"Wait, this is The Devotion of Suspect X, with serial number 1?!"
Even Megumi, usually calm and collected, couldn't help but gasp in surprise at the rare edition Yamauchi Sakura had called her treasured copy.
After meeting Kyousuke, she'd looked him up online on her walk home.
His accolades were all clearly listed on his profile page—this novel had been shortlisted for major awards like the Booksellers' Award and the Tokyo Mystery Writers Prize.
It was hugely popular.
She had even picked up a third-print edition from a bookstore on her way home.
But this? This was the first edition.
The first copy of the first edition!
Wasn't this the kind of item you gave to your mentor, or an esteemed member of the writers' guild?
Megumi sat frozen in awe, her mind drifting alongside her sister's voice in her ear, wondering how much this book might be worth someday—after Hojou-kun dies, no less.
"Video call, video call! I wanna see it too!" Hiromi whined.
Megumi ignored her and leaned back against the wall, legs stretched straight out in front of her on the bed.
She opened the book to the first page.
"To Sakura—may you always be healthy. —Hojou Kyousuke."
The black ink looked almost printed, and the message itself couldn't have been more ordinary.
But Megumi immediately felt the depth of Hojou Kyousuke's affection for Yamauchi Sakura.
Wasn't that how it always was in dramas?
When a child was born, the father would shout grand aspirations about success and glory, while the mother would quietly whisper, "Just grow up healthy."
Her excitement cooled a little, her mind now caught on something else.
Kyousuke had said he wanted to give her a separate set.
Would he have written a message for her too?
It didn't need to be anything special.
Just something… normal like this. That would be more than enough.
"Megumi! I'm seriously going to get mad! Do you think your dear sister is some kind of goldfish in a tank?"
"You only remember to toss in some food or tap the glass when it suits you, and the rest of the time you ignore me for years—seriously..."
Ugh... married women are so annoying.
Shouldn't she be off enjoying her blissful wedded life at this hour instead of pestering her little sister?
Megumi muttered silently in her heart but didn't dare say it out loud.
If she did, her sister—who had become increasingly unrestrained after getting married—would probably storm over to their house first thing tomorrow.
———————————————————————
At the Yoshinaga household—
"How was it, Hiromi? Was it really that Hojou Kyousuke?"
Yoshinaga Bunta couldn't hold back his excitement.
He was a die-hard fan of Hojou Kyousuke—attending every one of his book signings without fail, collecting every new print run of his books the moment they released.
"I told you, Megumi wouldn't lie. It's definitely that famous Hojou Kyousuke," Hiromi said confidently.
"The first edition, first copy… I can't believe such a rare treasure was still in Hojou-sensei's possession!"
"No wonder in all those photos posted by his friends from school on his website, not a single one had a serial number under 20."
As a fan with money to spare, Bunta had tried to purchase one of those prized limited editions himself.
But only one anonymous collector had ever shown off a copy with serial number six—and that person had absolutely no intention of selling.
They were even investigating who owned the top five copies.
———————————————————————
[Photo Attachment] — From Megumi Kato
———————————————————————
Hiromi opened the message, and sure enough—it was the very same "First Edition, No. 1" her sister had described.
"This is incredible... Am I really going to be related by marriage to Hojou-sensei!?"
Yoshinaga Bunta clutched his head in disbelief, overwhelmed with joy.
———————————————————————
Back at the Kato household—
Megumi never imagined she'd get the rare chance to witness her "family's pride," her cousin Keiichi Kato, acting this way.
"Please, Megumi, I'm begging you—just let me see it, even just once! That book… If there's any way, I'd love to say something to Hojou-san too!"
Keiichi pleaded earnestly.
He wasn't just a fan of Hojou Kyousuke's writing—he was also a hardcore admirer of his kendo skills.
Even though he loved the sport, Keiichi didn't have the talent for it and had to focus on keeping his grades up.
His only joy was watching match recordings and dreaming.
Though Hojou's official record was only from middle school tournaments, every high school kendo competitor in Tokyo knew the legend.
Even the reigning champions—Higashi High, who had won the national high school championships two years in a row—admitted defeat.
It was said that even if all five of their starting members fought him at once, they wouldn't stand a chance.
How did people know that?
Because every time Higashi High competed, they brought along a cardboard standee of Hojou Kyousuke, with the words "Absolutely Unbeatable" written in bold black marker on the back—declaring him their mentor and coach.