Kato Megumi: Don't Look Back, I'm Tomoya-kun

"Huh? Sagiri, are those traces of paint on your hands?" Izumi Yu asked softly as he noticed faint blue marker stains on the girl's fair, delicate fingers.

Hearing his question, Sagiri didn't respond verbally. She simply nodded slightly, confirming Izumi Yu's guess.

"Are you working hard to become a skilled artist?" Izumi Yu continued, his tone gentle.

Once again, Sagiri gave no verbal response. She merely nodded, her movements understated yet affirmative.

"That's great! Actually, my dream has always been to become an illustrator!" Izumi Yu admitted with a mix of nostalgia and enthusiasm.

"Huh?!" For the first time, Sagiri's reaction broke her quiet demeanor. Though she didn't speak, her eyes widened in surprise, staring at her brother in confusion.

She clearly remembered that Izumi Yu had submitted a manuscript to a light novel publishing house two months ago. The manuscript had been approved just recently, and the publishing house was even preparing to have her collaborate with another artist on the illustrations for his novel.

Why, then, was her brother suddenly expressing interest in becoming an illustrator? Was he planning to compete with her for the job?

"But those are thoughts for the future. It's too early to talk about that now," Izumi Yu said, waving his hand dismissively when he noticed Sagiri's bewildered expression.

Sagiri's confused look lingered, as though she struggled with some of the nuances in his words. However, Izumi Yu had no intention of explaining further—he knew doing so would only lower her opinion of him.

Gu~!

The awkward silence was suddenly broken by the unmistakable sound of Sagiri's stomach rumbling, loud enough to echo like thunder.

[The girl is clearly hungry. You decide to let her taste your special dessert before dinner. But before that, you might want to check whether her teeth are unusually sharp.]

Izumi Yu habitually ignored the absurd remarks of the narrator in his head. Instead, he turned to Sagiri with a soft smile and said, "Sorry for being late today. Sagiri must be starving."

Hearing his apology, Sagiri's pale face turned crimson in an instant. It was as if steam were rising from her head. She held her omelet rice plate tightly in one hand while using her other to push Izumi Yu out of her room. Her small feet stomped the floor furiously, the sheer embarrassment overwhelming her.

[You glance at the girl's fair, petite feet and suddenly realize that you, too, might need some dessert to whet your appetite…]

Ignoring the narrator's increasingly bizarre commentary, Izumi Yu sighed and allowed himself to be pushed out of Sagiri's room.

Bang!

The door slammed shut behind him. Izumi Yu stood helplessly outside, shaking his head before deciding to head downstairs for dinner and check the latest updates regarding his light novel.

---

Just as he was about to descend the stairs, the door behind him suddenly opened again.

Sagiri peeked out, her flushed face visible for only a moment before she hurriedly threw a pile of clothes at Izumi Yu. Without even sparing him another glance, she disappeared back into her room, slamming the door shut once more. Her lingering embarrassment was evident.

Looking at the clothes now in his arms, Izumi Yu blinked in confusion. The pile consisted of a nightgown, a pink vest, a pair of panties, and some white stockings. A faint, sweet fragrance clung to the garments, particularly the underwear, which still carried a subtle milky scent.

Izumi Yu stared at the items in his hands, utterly dumbfounded. He then realized, to his horror, that Sagiri's underwear had landed directly on his face.

[These are the girl's undergarments, imbued with her scent and warmth. A perverse thought creeps into your mind—you could hide them in your room for your own pleasure…]

"Could you at least acknowledge how creepy that is?" Izumi Yu muttered flatly, carefully gathering Sagiri's clothes into a neat bundle while internally berating the narrator.

Yes, Izumi Yu admitted that he had a somewhat lecherous side, but he was by no means a degenerate! At least, not to that level.

Still, something caught his attention. "Wait… Sagiri-chan never wears socks. So why is there a pair of white stockings in her clothes?" he mused aloud, staring at the stockings in question with growing confusion.

Whether in his memories from his past life or the six months he'd spent in this world after his reincarnation, Sagiri had never once worn white stockings. So why now?

[You stare at the white stockings, and a realization dawns on you: the girl has feelings for you. After discovering your preference for white stockings, she wore them just to please you. Touched by her effort, you decide to visit her room tonight while she's asleep and help her put on a fresh pair. But first, you'll need to prepare brand-new stockings—and, considering her delicate body, a bottle of lubricant…]

"Could you not?!" Izumi Yu shouted internally, his focus shifting to the absurdity of the narrator's "plan."

But as much as he hated to admit it, one particular line from the narrator stuck with him.

"Sagiri-chan knew about my preferences, so she wore white stockings on purpose?" he murmured to himself, his voice trembling slightly.

The thought left Izumi Yu both flustered and alarmed. The information was far too overwhelming to process all at once. He couldn't deny that the narrator's words often held a disturbing level of accuracy. Still, how could Sagiri have possibly discovered something so personal about him?

Aside from his light novel manuscript, Izumi Yu was certain that no one else knew about his fetish—except for that nosy, trashy narrator in his head.

The only way anyone could know about such a private detail would be if the narrator had access to his thoughts directly, which, unfortunately, seemed to be the case.

Thinking of this, Izumi Yu pulled out his phone and logged into his email, a rare occurrence since he barely used it. Sure enough, there was a message from the publishing house editor that had arrived a few days ago. The email confirmed that his light novel had been accepted for publication and that the editorial team had already selected artists for the illustrations.

"Hiss~! So… Sagiri-chan wore it specially for me?!" Izumi Yu gasped aloud, staring at the white stockings in his hand. For a moment, they felt as heavy as a mountain.

While the news about the novel didn't surprise him—he'd been confident all along—this revelation did. Ever since Izumi Yu had discovered he'd transmigrated into a parallel world that lagged far behind in entertainment, he knew he had an edge.

Here, there were no so-called masterpieces from Japan, no cultural giants, no groundbreaking works of art. The entire entertainment industry, from anime to novels, games to music, and even film and television, was a barren wasteland.

Izumi Yu, being from a world filled with rich content, had seen this as an opportunity. With so much untapped potential, plagiarism was simply… contribution. After all, advancing the cultural scene of this world wasn't a crime—it was a duty.

Confident in his superior taste, Izumi Yu had submitted the manuscript of a well-loved story from his past world. Once submitted, he hadn't given it another thought, knowing rejection was impossible. And just as expected, the publishing house had quickly decided to proceed with his novel.

But now, it seemed like things had taken an unexpected turn.

"So, Sagiri-chan is the artist for my light novel, and she knew it was my work? And after learning about my… quirks, she actually bought white stockings just to cater to them?" Izumi Yu's mind raced as an incredible thought settled in his head.

"Does this mean I'm not a total failure? At least Sagiri-chan doesn't completely hate me after these six months…" A sense of relief washed over him as he reflected on the time he'd spent caring for Sagiri.

At least his efforts hadn't been in vain. She had come to trust him, maybe even like him.

[After uncovering this truth, you decide to hint at your sister complex in your next light novel and include some bolder elements—like strangling, rope bondage, puppy play, and—]

"Shut up!" Izumi Yu snapped, cutting off the narrator before it could finish its ridiculous suggestion.

"That's not even light novel territory anymore!"

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. If this trashy narrator kept pushing him, he might really consider switching careers. But not yet—not until he'd dominated the literary world.

"Anyway, let's start by washing Sagiri-chan's clothes," Izumi Yu muttered, shaking his head.

After tossing the clothes into the washing machine, Izumi Yu headed back to the living room. Sitting at the table, he began eating dinner, finally allowing himself a moment of peace.

---

[Ding! You've gained a small boost in strength.]

[Ding! You've gained a small boost in stamina.]

[PS: These bonuses come from rejecting the narrator's twisted proposal and not misusing Sagiri's white stockings.]

---

The narrator's voice echoed in his mind, and Izumi Yu immediately felt a surge of vitality in his body.

"Wait… so I can only gain bonuses when interacting with these anime heroines in specific ways?" Izumi Yu murmured thoughtfully.

It had taken him six months to "benefit" from Sagiri three times, and the bonuses weren't exactly something he could farm without limits. There had to be rules—perhaps a cooling-off period or special plot triggers.

"Forget it," Izumi Yu sighed, picking up his chopsticks. "What matters is that I'm making progress."

---

[Ding! Congratulations, host, on taking your first step in dominating Tokyo's literary world! Reward: 100,000 yen and a minor power boost.]

---

The sudden notification startled Izumi Yu, causing him to pause mid-bite. Glancing at the interface that appeared before him, his expression brightened.

Yes, aside from the trashy narration and favorability system, Izumi Yu had another tool: the Dominate Tokyo System.

The translucent screen floated before him, displaying his progress:

[Dominate Tokyo System]

Literary World:

① Publish a novel (✔ Completed)

② Achieve sales of 100,000 copies (To be completed – Reward unknown)

③ [Locked]

Music Industry:

① Perform a work or have someone else perform your work (To be completed – Reward unknown)

② [Locked]

Film and Television:

[Locked]

Gaming Industry:

[Locked]

---

The system's potential was limitless. By progressing in various entertainment fields, Izumi Yu could unlock new abilities and resources. But for now, he was focused on dominating the literary world.

"Looks like I'll have to find ways to keep interacting with these heroines to maximize my benefits," he mused, tapping the screen thoughtfully. "Still, I can't push too far, or I'll lose their favor…"

The narrator's voice chimed in again, this time with a rare hint of coherence.

[What if you leverage that four-eyed otaku's team to develop a game for you? That would be far more exciting.]

For once, Izumi Yu found himself agreeing with the narrator's idea. "Hmm… you might actually be onto something."

---

The next day started as usual.

Izumi Yu woke up, pressed down the familiar urge that greeted him every morning, and headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for himself and Sagiri.

Though she was still a hikikomori who had withdrawn from school, she needed to eat, and Izumi Yu had long taken it upon himself to ensure she was cared for.

As he cracked eggs into a bowl, he muttered, "One step at a time…"

No matter what challenges lay ahead, he was determined to dominate Tokyo's entertainment scene—and maybe, just maybe, he'd survive the chaotic antics of his trashy narrator along the way.