Chapter 16

A "patter~" sound rang out.

Kato Megumi opened the umbrella in her hand, took a step forward to Kitakami Yoru's side, and held the umbrella over both their heads.

The umbrella was just enough to accommodate two people, shielding them from the increasingly strong wind and rain.

"If you need to, I can take Kitakami-san to the station, or find a place to hide from the rain."

Kato Megumi shortened the net and tucked it under her arm; her slender little hand reached out from under the umbrella, and the wind blew raindrops onto her fair palm.

The rain was getting heavier, and gusts of wind blew by from time to time.

"C... can you?" Kitakami Yoru's pupils slowly dilated as he looked at the cute girl in front of him, asking with a bit of disbelief.

"Why wouldn't I be able to?" Kato Megumi tilted her head in confusion instead, then gestured for him to follow.

"Oh, oh!"

Holding the black cat in one arm and the things he had bought in the other, Kitakami Yoru shrank under the umbrella.

Kato Megumi silently held the umbrella high, took the fat loser beside her away from under the tree, and slowly walked away.

After some distance, Kitakami Yoru stole a glance at Kato Megumi's cute profile and really couldn't help but ask:

"Classmate, why are you willing to take me to the station? Aren't you afraid of me? Don't you think I'm disgusting?"

"During the field trip... they... they..."

"They all thought I was the criminal who stole Kasumigaoka Utaha's panties and stockings!"

Hearing this, Kato Megumi turned to look at Kitakami Yoru and said after a moment of contemplation:

"I just saw everything, the way Kitakami-san tried so hard to climb the tree."

"Actually..."

Kitakami Yoru listened intently to the girl beside him as she continued.

The next second.

Kato Megumi seemed to have thought of something funny and couldn't help but smile: "Hee hee, it was a bit comical when you fell down..."

Kato Megumi immediately realized something was wrong, quickly covered her little mouth, and turned her head to the other side.

Kitakami Yoru swallowed his saliva.

The girl beside him smiled gently and cutely, and even showed a bit of shyness.

But, what exactly was it for!

It was killing him with anxiety, but he also felt a bit embarrassed for some reason and didn't know how to urge her.

Finally, Kato Megumi calmed down and replied seriously: "Because I don't think Kitakami-san, who worked so hard like that, looks like a criminal."

"Besides, Senior Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't manage to find any direct evidence, did she?"

"..."

"Thank you."

Kitakami Yoru looked at Kato Megumi's face, as if wanting to remember her, and thanked her sincerely.

A faint joy and a special emotion that he didn't know how to describe welled up in his heart.

There was still someone willing to believe him.

This female classmate is really great!

Actually, Kato Megumi had one more reason for believing Kitakami Yoru.

Because lonely people attract lonely people; those of the same kind understand each other better.

The seemingly innocent, quiet, and cute girl also had unspeakable hidden troubles that she couldn't solve.

That was that her name was ordinary, she had no personality, and her presence was extremely faint, making it very easy for people to ignore her.

In class, classmates had been together for half a year, or even a year.

There were still many people who couldn't call her by her name and couldn't remember her.

Kato Megumi was very troubled by this.

"No need to thank me, it wasn't Kitakami-san's fault to begin with, right?" the girl replied.

"Yeah... actually, I've been thinking about tracking down the criminal because I have a small clue."

"I was too nervous at the time and didn't remember it."

Kitakami Yoru looked ahead, watching the hazy street scene as he spoke.

"Hm?" Kato Megumi turned her head curiously.

"At that time, in the middle of the night, I went to the bungalow to shower. Everyone was already asleep, and not a single person was awake."

"When I came out of the shower, I noticed a mobile phone light flickering near my tent. Because it was someone who wanted to bully me, destroy my tent, or something like that..."

"I ran back quickly. I must have startled the other person, and the light disappeared afterward. I didn't notice anything unusual at the time."

"It's possible that was the criminal, but of course, it could also just be someone who got up in the night..."

Recalling this, Kitakami Yoru observed Kato Megumi's expression at the same time.

He made an unexpected discovery.

Kato Megumi's eyebrows were gradually furrowing, and her eyes revealed a trace of doubt.

And? And uncertainty?!!!

"You... do you know something?!" Kitakami Yoru immediately asked nervously.

"Ah, sorry, I just remembered some things... I don't know anything." Kato Megumi paused and apologized, looking slightly troubled.

A look of disappointment clearly appeared on Kitakami Yoru's face; he sighed and buried his head.

Sure enough, it wasn't that easy to find clues and the criminal.

After walking for a little while longer, Kato Megumi took Kitakami Yoru to the station.

Before leaving, Kitakami Yoru stood at the entrance of the station and asked for Kato Megumi's name hesitantly.

Today, he was truly grateful to her for helping him and being willing to believe in him.

"Kitakami-san, my name is Kato Megumi." Kato Megumi answered with some trouble.

The reason she hadn't told Kitakami Yoru her name was because she felt it was troublesome and purely unnecessary.

Anyway, Kitakami Yoru wouldn't remember her either.

Perhaps tomorrow, or the day after, he would turn around and forget about her, with her faint presence.

"Thank you, Kato-san." Kitakami Yoru nodded, hugged the black cat and his luggage, and got on the train.

"Goodbye."

"Ya-ay~ I really envy the popular Senior Kasumigaoka Utaha."

Kato Megumi turned around while holding her umbrella and let out a faint sigh.

Compared to the dazzling Kasumigaoka Utaha, she was just a background character.

16: Let's just call you San-san

Thanks to Kato Megumi taking Kitakami Yoru to the station.

On the way home by train, the rain had stopped, and Kitakami Yoru returned home safe and sound.

It was just that the fat cat in his arms was a little restless.

However, it was fine.

This wasn't a purely wild cat; the name tag on its neck meant that this cat had once been raised by someone.

Now it might have been abandoned, or it ran away and couldn't find its home.

Cats like this have a greatly reduced wariness toward humans and are very easy to tame.

After Kitakami Yoru changed his shoes and closed the door, he put the fat cat down and let it run around.

It was just that this fat cat was a little beyond Kitakami Yoru's expectations.

It just stood quietly at the entrance, staring at him with its large eyes, neither running away nor hiding.

Kitakami Yoru didn't have time to pay attention to this fat cat for the moment; he carried the bag inside, and the fat cat stayed quietly in the entrance.

After putting away the review books and seasonings he had bought, Kitakami Yoru returned to the entrance and caught the fat cat:

"Hmm? Do you know that you're going to be fed and housed?"

"That's why you're not struggling or resisting anymore?"

"Meow meow~"

The fat cat didn't know what it was thinking; it meowed twice and let itself be held by the scruff of its neck.

Kitakami Yoru brought the fat cat into the shower room, placed a water basin on the floor, and carefully put it inside.

It didn't struggle; instead, it jumped directly into the water basin and shook its body.