It was the weekend, and the weather remained clear.
"Morning, Gabriel."
Though it was nearly 10 a.m., Yoru greeted the girl before him.
"Yawn... morning." Gabriel wore pajamas, her hair messy and eyes ringed with dark circles as she yawned.
It was the first time Yoru had seen Gabriel in such a state.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
"Yeah, I can't beat the final boss in this game. Is there a walkthrough?" Gabriel pulled out a Switch from behind her.
It was the one Yoru had lent her.
"Walkthrough?" Yoru blinked at the black-eyed version of Gabriel.
So she wasn't very good at games after all. Who would've thought such a cute girl was also a gamer?
"Yeah, I'll send it over in a bit." Yoru didn't think much of it. Weekends were for playing anyway.
Gabriel waved her hand and walked back without saying anything more.
She closed the door behind her.
Yoru took a shower to rinse off the sweat from working out, then found a walkthrough online and sent it to Gabriel.
Not long after, he received a message from Megumi and rushed to answer the door.
"Sorry to intrude, Kitakami-kun." Megumi stood at the doorway with a calm expression, holding a small gift bag.
"Come in. There are slippers at the entrance." Yoru was a bit nervous.
He hadn't expected Megumi to really come.
A fat otaku like him, inviting a cute girl over—and they'd only met twice before!
Kato-san really was easy to get along with.
"Do you live alone, Kitakami-kun?"
Kato took off her shoes, revealing dainty feet in short white socks as she curiously peeked inside.
"Yes." Yoru nodded and led her to the living room.
San-san was already awake—his excuse for inviting her over.
If Sansan hadn't woken up, Yoru would've had to consider using artificial wake-up methods.
"Oh right, this is a little gift I brought for you. I thought you might like it." Megumi sat down and smiled softly as she placed the bag on the table.
"Thanks." Yoru sat beside her and opened the gift right away.
In Japan, it was considered polite to open gifts in front of the giver and express thanks immediately.
"There are two kinds of cookies and two pieces of cake. I figured you'd like them," said Megumi.
"Uh... thanks..."
Yoru saw the contents and immediately caught a whiff of the delicious scent. His thanks were a little awkward.
He really did like these treats, no doubt.
But during his diet, he even had to think twice about eating a piece of chocolate.
Cookies and cakes were totally off-limits!
Yet he couldn't refuse. The struggle was real.
"Looks like she's gained weight again..."
At that moment, Megumi picked up the chubby cat San-san and gently petted her, giving off a very serene vibe.
"She's just big-boned, not fat." Yoru smiled and reached out to pet San-san's overly round head.
"Really? No way!" Megumi was surprised, her small hand accidentally brushing against Yoru's.
Yoru tensed up but nodded while watching Megumi's expression.
She didn't seem to react much—or maybe she didn't care at all.
"Yes, I took her to a pet clinic for vaccinations," Yoru said with a slight smile.
"Meow~" San-san rolled on Megumi's soft thighs and let out a sweet purr.
"What do you usually do on weekends, Kato-san?" Yoru asked casually.
At the same time, a golden treasure chest slowly appeared above her head.
The progress bar beneath it ticked up—about one percent.
"I usually stay home or go out alone."
"This is actually my first time visiting a classmate's house."
Megumi looked up at Yoru with her usual flat expression.
She wasn't good at showing emotion or talking to people.
But when she was with Yoru, she didn't seem to have that problem.
"Huh? Then we're the same. Kato-san must be really popular, right?" Yoru looked surprised.
"Eh~"
"Not really..."
The girl sighed softly and shook her head.
"My name is plain, my looks are average, and my personality is almost invisible. No one in class pays attention to me."
"Even if someone remembers my name, they forget it after a few days."
As she spoke, her tone grew a little downcast.
"Is that so? But I think you're really cute, Kato-san!" Yoru blurted out without thinking.
Megumi's eyes widened, and the way she stroked the cat slowed down.
"Ah... I..."
"I'll go get some fruit and drinks."
Yoru realized his words were too direct and quickly stood up, heading to the kitchen in a hurry.
Megumi watched him disappear, then smiled softly.
She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, her face returning to its usual calm.
"So Kitakami-kun isn't as reserved as I thought—he can compliment people too."
"But... in his eyes, am I really that cute?"
In the kitchen, Yoru fumbled with fruit and drinks, glancing repeatedly toward the living room.
"Dang it, I blurted it out."
"She won't get mad, right?"
"No, wait. I complimented her. Why would she get mad?"
Yoru scratched his head, feeling uneasy but unable to pinpoint why.
After a bit of stalling, he finally brought out the drinks and fruit.
"Thanks. I'm really happy," Megumi said as Yoru returned.
"Really?" Yoru sat down again, a little awkwardly.
They continued chatting.
Yoru had thought Megumi was the type of super-popular girl he'd have nothing in common with.
But their conversation turned out to be very enjoyable.
Maybe lonely people are drawn to each other?
Megumi stayed at his place for about an hour, and soon it was lunchtime.
"Kato-san, want to grab lunch together?" Yoru couldn't possibly serve her his diet food.
Today wasn't a cheat day, but there were still diet-friendly options out there.
Like sushi—just avoid too much rice. Or a beef burger—just skip the sauce.
"Sure, let's go." Megumi thought for a moment and agreed.
After tidying up, Yoru and Megumi headed out.
Since Yoru wanted to spend more time with her, he suggested having lunch in Shibuya or Harajuku and then walking around afterward.
Megumi didn't refuse, but her calm expression made it hard for Yoru to read her thoughts.
In truth, Megumi was very happy.
Having someone to talk to, to hang out with—that made her feel warm inside.