True to his protective nature, Haruto instantly stepped in front of Megumi, gently placing a hand over her eyes and turning her away to spare her from witnessing the gruesome aftermath.
"Don't look," Haruto murmured softly, keeping his voice steady and calm.
A few seconds later, once the chaotic scene was stable and onlookers were swarming to help, Haruto lowered his hand and looked down at her with genuine concern.
"Are you alright, Megumi?"
Megumi blinked, her expression slightly dazed as she processed the sudden turn of events, before giving a small nod.
"I... I'm alright. Thank you, Haruto-kun." She paused, glancing back at the commotion in the street.
"That person... wasn't that the boy from this morning?"
Haruto sighed quietly, offering her a reassuring, gentle smile. "Yeah, it was. But it looks like he lost control of his bike entirely. Thankfully, you're safe."
Seeing that emergency responders were already on their way and crowd control was handled, Haruto gently offered his hand.
"Come on, let's get you away from the noise. It's not safe to linger here."
Accepting his hand with a quiet nod, Megumi allowed Haruto to lead her away from the distressing scene, leaving the chaotic street behind them.
They finally reached the quiet residential street where Megumi lived, the afternoon sun casting long, golden shadows across the pavement.
"This is my stop," Megumi Kato said softly, coming to a gentle halt outside her family's home.
As she spoke, Haruto blinked, only just realizing that their fingers had remained tightly interlocked the entire walk home.
A soft, affectionate warmth flickered in his chest as he slowly let go of her hand.
He offered her a reassuring smile. "Alright, go on inside. Try not to let what happened back there weigh on your mind too much."
"Mm," Megumi nodded quietly.
Though her expression maintained its usual, tranquil composure, the deep, burning crimson blooming across the tips of her ears betrayed the racing of her heart and the full extent of her inner turmoil.
Without warning, she stepped closer, bridging the small distance between them.
"Thank you for helping me this morning..." she murmured, her voice barely a whisper. "...and for protecting me just now."
Pausing for a breathless second, her dark eyes flicked up to meet his.
Before he could respond, she rose up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips directly against his.
It wasn't a fleeting brush of hesitation.
The kiss was deliberate, soft, and lingering, the sweetness of it stealing the breath right out of his lungs.
Her hand lightly brushed against his chest to steady herself, her touch electric.
By the time she finally pulled back, her cheeks were burning fiercely.
Without missing a beat, she spun on her heel and hurried to her front door, her heart hammering against her ribs.
With her hand on the latch, she looked back over her shoulder, tilting her head with a rare, teasing glint in her eyes.
"It's just a thank you, Haruto-kun. Don't overthink it."
With that charming declaration, she slipped inside and closed the door, vanishing from sight.
Haruto stood rooted to the spot for a moment, a hand slowly rising to touch his lips where the lingering warmth of her kiss still seemed to burn.
A slow, knowing smile spread across his face. A thank you, huh?
He let out a low chuckle, shaking his head.
It was clear that Megumi Kato operated on entirely her own wavelength.
She wasn't the kind of girl who wore her heart on her sleeve or gave in easily to romantic clichés.
But that's fine, he thought, the challenge only heightening his interest.
That kiss was far from a simple expression of gratitude—it was a declaration.
With one last, lingering look at the closed door, Haruto turned and began the walk back to his own home, already anticipating their next meeting.
Inside the house, Megumi leaned heavily against the wooden door, her back pressed flat against it as if to anchor herself.
Her face was blazing red, burning so hot she could feel the heat radiating off her skin.
She brought both hands up to cover her flushed cheeks, trying and failing to steady her erratic breathing.
Hearing footsteps, she turned to see her older sister, Hiromi Kato, walking down the hallway.
Hiromi shared her familiar facial features, though her presence carried a more mature, composed aura.
Seeing her younger sister in such a visibly flustered state, Hiromi paused, tilting her head with mild curiosity.
"Megumi-chan, your face is completely red," Hiromi observed, stepping closer. "Are you feeling sick? Did something happen?"
Given Megumi's notoriously quiet, nearly invisible presence and her legendary poker face, panic was rarely her default reaction, making this rare flush all the more striking.
Trying desperately to regain her composure and flatten the corners of her heated face, Megumi forced her voice to remain level.
"It's nothing, Onee-san. I'm just... a little hot from the walk."
Hiromi studied her for a moment, clearly unconvinced by the excuse, but decided to let it slide with a gentle, knowing smile.
"Well, the weather is quite warm today. Why don't you go take a nice, long bath to cool down?"
"Mm," Megumi murmured, eager for the sanctuary of her room to process the overwhelming whirlwind of the afternoon.
The digital chimes of the chat group echoed through the quiet room just as Haruto stepped inside, the lingering warmth of Megumi's kiss still fresh on his mind.
A fresh set of notifications flashed across his vision.
[Ding! Shizue Izawa has joined the chat group!]
[Ding! Suzairugirāzegaruneru-buzegirureaguranzeruga Eruga has joined the chat group!]
New members had just entered the fold, but that second name was an absolute mouthful.
Mai Sakurajima walked out of the bedroom, a slightly bewildered expression on her face as she glanced at the floating system interface.
"Haruto-kun, this new member's name... it's absurdly long."
It truly was a linguistic marathon. Within seconds, the rest of the chat group members began chiming in with their own bewildered reactions.
Stella: "Hey! What kind of ridiculous name is that? It's way too long!"
Stella: "I've traveled across kingdoms and met plenty of royalty, but I've never seen anyone with a name that reads like a spell scroll."
Frieren: "It's my first time seeing something like this, too. Is it a prank name?"
Elf: "Please, just call me Elf."
Frieren: "? Are you an elf?"
Elf: "Yes, I am."
Shizue Izawa: "An elf... I actually have a Fire Spirit bound inside my body, too."
Haruto: "Let's just shorten your display name to Sui. And Frieren, yes, she's an elf from another World."
******
Advance Chapters are available on Patreon.
With Exclusive Character Arts On It.
So Be Sure To Check It out.
patreon.com/ITz_DeaD