Chapter 174: Kato Megumi's Territory
Hearing Kato Megumi's words, Asagiri waited until she lowered her finger, then chuckled.
"That statement of yours is a little dangerous…"
"Megumi."
The moment she heard Asagiri call her by her given name, Kato Megumi's eyes brightened, and the corners of her lips lifted slightly.
"Mm. It is a little… no, very dangerous, Asagiri kun."
"Then let's go out."
"Go out? At this hour?"
"Yes."
Asagiri stood up from the sofa, extended a hand toward her, and invited her with a smile.
"Let's go to the convenience store."
"Honestly…"
Kato Megumi sighed softly, looking helpless on the surface, but a gentle smile still appeared on her face. She lightly placed her hand in his palm.
"You're taking control again."
…
After going downstairs, Kato Megumi, dressed only in a casual short sleeved top and thin jeans, did not feel cold. Summer was approaching, and even at two or three in the morning, the air was not chilly.
However…
Kato Megumi glanced at Asagiri, who was wearing a black short sleeved shirt and had deliberately put on a black jacket before leaving. He was holding her hand as they walked.
She suddenly pulled her hand back, rubbed her fair palms together, and gently blew warm air into them.
"It's a little…"
Before Kato Megumi could even finish the word "cold," a blur passed before her eyes. The next instant, a slight weight settled on her shoulders.
Asagiri had already taken off his jacket and draped it over her.
"Honestly…"
Seeing that, Kato Megumi could not help but laugh.
"Your reaction speed is way too fast. It makes me feel like my little trick was seen through immediately."
"Heh. Megumi, you're still far too inexperienced."
Asagiri smiled and shook his head, speaking in a deep, profound tone.
"It's already May. Why do you think I deliberately put on a jacket before going out?"
"Eh?"
Kato Megumi froze for a moment, then quickly caught on. A playful smile appeared on her face.
"So… in the end, you were the one with the most tricks."
Asagiri replied with complete seriousness,
"You're still far from being able to contend with a master like me."
"Sigh. Do we really have to compete even over something like this…?"
Kato Megumi sighed softly, but her lips still curved upward. She tightened the jacket around herself with both hands, then turned her head and gently sniffed the collar before murmuring,
"This jacket… smells like you."
Asagiri nodded at once, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Of course. As my personal clothing, this seemingly ordinary black jacket carries the aura of a strong person."
Kato Megumi went silent for a second.
"…I want to call you a mood killer, but if you weren't like this, then you wouldn't be the… you I know."
"Just now… you wanted to say 'the one I like,' didn't you?"
"Hm?"
Kato Megumi put on an innocent, puzzled expression and playfully asked back,
"Do you… really want to hear me say it?"
"No."
Asagiri shook his head, his tone calm.
"But if you had said it first, then I would have had to admit my feelings too. Since I only misheard it, though, let's just leave it there."
Kato Megumi had been caught completely off guard by that sudden reversal. A faint blush spread across her pretty face, and for a moment she did not know how to respond.
She wanted to hear Asagiri answer her feelings. But just moments ago, she had clearly been the one in control, and now Asagiri had seized the initiative again with a single sentence. That made her feel just a little unwilling to let it go.
…
After buying rice balls and instant bentos at the convenience store and bringing them back home to eat, Kato Megumi, who was already growing unbearably sleepy, suddenly grabbed Asagiri's hand before going to the guest room to sleep.
She stared into his eyes and asked with unusual seriousness,
"Where have Asuna and Kotoko kissed you?"
"Hoh. That's a pretty dangerous question."
Asagiri frowned slightly and replied in a meaningful tone,
"The places Asuna kissed are fairly normal. But some of the places Kotoko kissed… may be a little difficult to explain."
"Here…"
Kato Megumi raised a hand and lightly touched his cheek with a slender, fair finger. But then she shook her head and quietly muttered to herself,
"No need to ask. They've definitely kissed there. Your face… they've probably kissed every part of it."
"No."
"Hm? No?"
Kato Megumi looked at him with clear suspicion, and there was a trace of annoyance in her tone.
"I may get jealous, but… you can't tell such an obvious lie just to fool me."
"I'm not lying."
Asagiri answered with absolute sincerity.
"Every twenty four hours, I perform a refresh. So every part of my body right now is basically a first time."
"What kind of twisted logic is that…"
Kato Megumi sighed, then reached out and pulled down the collar of his short sleeved shirt a little, exposing his left shoulder.
She bent down slightly and bit it with extremely gentle force. Then she lifted her head, met his eyes, and said softly,
"This place… I'm claiming it first."
Asagiri chuckled.
"What, do you think this is some kind of Monopoly game where you plant a flag to claim territory first?"
"I don't care."
Kato Megumi replied almost playfully. Then she stood up and walked to the door of the guest room. Before closing it, she turned her head slightly and murmured,
"Well then… good night."
"Mm. Good night."
After closing the door behind her and lying down on the soft bed, Kato Megumi buried her face in the pillow.
She thought back over everything since meeting Asagiri. The team outing where he had found her so easily in the crowd. The moments when he understood what she was thinking and called her by name. Even further back, to the moment when Asagiri first invited her to join this special team…
The fluttering in Kato Megumi's chest grew stronger and stronger.
There was only one problem.
"Will Asuna and Kotoko… agree to let me join…?"
…
Several days later, on Friday, at the gate of Private Shuchiin Academy.
"Ah, finally free. I'm exhausted…"
Hearing Yuuki Asuna's relieved sigh, Asagiri, standing beside her, shrugged indifferently.
"Couldn't all the Student Council election prep just have been left to Fujiwara Chika and Kaguya Shinomiya? Why did you have to work so hard too?"
"How could I do that?"
Yuuki Asuna sighed, looking helpless.
"Once Shinomiya san gets elected, you and I will technically just be nominal members, that's true. But setting you aside, I still hold a Student Council position myself. I can't accept doing absolutely nothing and only being on the council because of your influence. Besides, Chika is my friend, and we don't have anything else going on these days. If she asks for help, of course I'm going to help."
"Sigh…"
Asagiri let out an exaggerated sigh, then put on a lonely expression as he spoke dramatically.
"Friendship has been taken care of, but as your boyfriend, I've been feeling a bit neglected these past few days."
"Don't start."
Yuuki Asuna had known Asagiri the longest and understood his personality perfectly. She rolled her eyes, then smiled in a meaningful way.
"Haven't you been quite busy yourself lately? You took Megumi home on Monday, and for the last two days you've been enjoying yourself with Meta and the others, haven't you?"
"What!?"
Asagiri's pupils widened instantly, and a look of unprecedented panic appeared on his face.
"How… how did you know I took Megumi home?"
"Aren't you overacting a little too much?"
Yuuki Asuna pushed his shoulder lightly, both annoyed and amused.
"You were the one who told me and Kotoko about it yourself the moment you arrived at Shuchiin on Tuesday morning. And now you're pretending to forget?"
Asagiri immediately smiled again.
"I was just trying to portray the image of a scumbag cheating on his girlfriend, getting caught, then panicking so hard he doesn't know what to do."
"Don't say nonsense."
Yuuki Asuna frowned at once and corrected him seriously.
"You're not a scumbag. Don't talk about yourself like that."
Then a somewhat complicated look appeared in her eyes, and she sighed softly.
"But Megumi also emailed me on Tuesday morning… What am I even supposed to make of that? A declaration of war? With her personality, that really doesn't seem like something she'd do…"
"You're overthinking it."
Asagiri shook his head, his tone calm.
"She just felt that if she didn't tell you, she would feel guilty and awkward."
"Is that so…"
Yuuki Asuna murmured softly to herself. Then she looked at Asagiri, who was still smiling faintly, and complained in a good natured voice,
"It's all your fault. Why do not only Kotoko and I, but now even Megumi also like…"
Halfway through, Yuuki Asuna stopped herself, then let out a helpless sigh.
"Forget it. Honestly, it makes sense that she would like you. Let's stop talking about that and go."
"Go? Where?"
Seeing the slightly puzzled look on Asagiri's face, Yuuki Asuna took two steps forward. Suppressing the embarrassment rising in her chest, she directly wrapped herself around his arm right there at the school gate, where students were coming and going.
Then she stood on tiptoe, leaned close to his ear, and whispered,
"Come shopping with me, then go home with me tonight."
"Shopping… clothes?"
"Yeah."
Seeing the change in Asagiri's expression the moment shopping was mentioned, Yuuki Asuna's lips curved. Her face was slightly red as she continued in a soft voice,
"If you come shopping with me, then as a reward for my handsome boyfriend… tonight I can wear whatever outfit you pick for me. No matter what kind of clothes, I'll wear them."
Asagiri answered without hesitation. His eyes were filled with an unprecedented firmness and resolve.
"Alright. Let's go."
Yuuki Asuna blushed even harder.
"Sure enough, the moment I mention that, you get excited, don't you? But you're not allowed to buy some… some really strange outfit…"
"Don't worry."
Asagiri nodded with complete sincerity, then slowly said,
"I can guarantee that, in my opinion, whatever I buy will not be strange at all."
.....
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