Living in the Heart of Tokyo

After chatting with Mitsuha for a while longer, Kyousuke finally turned and headed downstairs.

He had promised to help Mitsuha and Yotsuba find a bathroom, after all.

If he stayed away too long, who knew what sort of ruthless words Utaha-senpai might throw at him—or how sharp Yukinoshita's gaze might become?

"Wait for me, okay? Once I finish my bath, I'll teach you how to dance~"

Just before stepping into the room, Mitsuha turned back and shot him a playful, alluring glance.

"Got it," Kyousuke replied softly.

Though in truth, he'd have preferred to slip into the adjacent room and help Mitsuha bathe directly—but sadly, that would remain a fantasy for now.

As he descended the stairs, he found Yotsuba's two friends crowding around Kato Megumi, bombarding her with endless questions.

"Are you an alien too?! Are you from the 'You Can't See Me' Planet?!" Kayo's entire little face was practically pressed against Megumi's.

It was less an interview and more an interrogation.

It seemed the two girls had picked up on something unusual about Kato Megumi.

Under their barrage of weird questions, Megumi's usually calm, pale face actually showed rare signs of confusion.

Apparently, even her experience in handling kids as a Kato family sister wasn't enough when it came to these two little weirdos.

"Everyone has their own unique traits. Carelessly calling someone an alien because of them is quite rude, you know? I imagine that two girls who dream of meeting aliens wouldn't want to be treated like outcasts at school either."

Kyousuke stepped in, grabbing each girl by the head and gently pulling them back to give Megumi some breathing space.

There's a fine line between "adorable" and "annoying," and once that line is crossed, even cuteness becomes tiresome.

In mastering that balance, Sakura was a true expert.

Watching the two girls lower their heads thoughtfully, Kyousuke gave a small nod of approval.

As expected from someone who once guided so many delinquents onto the right path—he really was a life mentor.

"But... the whole school already knows we're aliens," Sachiko said hesitantly.

"We even founded the Cosmic Radio Wave Club!" Kayo eagerly pulled out a small card, her familiar move making Yukinoshita instinctively take a step back.

Unfolded, the card revealed a disk-shaped UFO shining a pale blue light onto illustrated versions of Yotsuba and her friends.

'Hmm... you girls might just be worthy successors to Yukinoshita's legacy,' Kyousuke thought with amusement as he casually handed the two oddballs off to Eriri without further comment.

"Hojou, about Katou-san's request to the Service Club yesterday—what are your thoughts?"

Dressed in casual blue loungewear, Yukinoshita turned her sharp gaze to Kyousuke.

Having just suffered a small defeat to Mitsuha upstairs, she was clearly eager to score a win here.

Megumi barely had time to escape from the clutches of two troublesome girls before she was thrust into the role of research subject again.

"A request, huh..."

Kyousuke casually moved the sofa he'd pushed aside earlier back into place.

The hefty piece of furniture—easily dozens of kilos—was handled as effortlessly as a toy in his hands.

He sat down, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he looked at Megumi.

"Change starts from the surface. If you dyed your hair white, I bet by next week you'd be the talk of the school the moment you walked through the gates."

"Ah..."

Katou Megumi let out a soft gasp, clearly not expecting Kyousuke to suggest something so drastic.

"Not a bad idea at all," Sakura chimed in from the sidelines, arms crossed as she nodded in admiration.

"If Megumi dyed her hair white, her whole aura would fade even more... maybe even those dark lines around her would vanish completely. Total decolorization."

"That's absurd. Stop joking and take this seriously," Yukinoshita snapped, her brows furrowed and voice stern, perfectly fitting her role as club president.

"Haha, relax, relax. Katou, don't worry—that kind of 'new girl makeover' only works on the first day of school. You're in your second year now; that trick won't fly."

Kyousuke waved his hand, his expression growing a touch more serious.

In truth, ever since he first met this unusual girl, he'd been thinking about how to make Katou Megumi stand out more.

And it wasn't just Yukinoshita who saw potential in this as a research project—Kyousuke was genuinely curious.

If Megumi suddenly became more noticeable, could she still maintain that calm, barely-there aura of hers?

Just like he told Sachiko and Kayo: Megumi's plainness wasn't a flaw—it was a feature, an essential part of her charm.

It was because she blended in so perfectly that she could see the world so lightly, without burden.

But what if that quiet heart of hers was suddenly weighed down by something? What would she become then?

"To boost your presence, we first need to understand what 'presence' is made of."

Kyousuke straightened his back and looked Megumi in the eye.

"Presence generally comes from two things—your physical being and your mental state. Dyeing your hair, like I said, is a change to the physical side.

But honestly, even without Yukinoshita's objection, I wouldn't have started there.

From my perspective as a guy, Megumi, you're already perfect—your hairstyle, your face, your figure... all flawless. For someone who looks like you not to be a popular figure at school is, in itself, strange."

Kyousuke's gaze slowly traveled down from Megumi's head to the rest of her, ignoring the loose loungewear she had on and mentally picturing her in her school uniform—recalling just how lovely her figure really was.

Listening intently, Megumi never imagined that this was how Kyousuke saw her.

She never thought he found it odd that she wasn't as popular as someone like Eriri.

And when his eyes wandered like that, she felt as though an invisible hand gently caressed her delicate skin, gliding slowly from her neck, to her chest, down to her thighs and tiny feet—making the fine hairs on her body stand on end.

"Hairstyle... face... figure..."

Hearing those words leave Kyousuke's lips felt like a cool breeze brushing against her heated skin, easing the warmth that had unexpectedly built up inside her.

At Kyousuke's words, Yukinoshita and Sakura couldn't help but glance over at Megumi.

Even Kasumigaoka, who'd been buried in a novel until now, raised her gaze.

Her wine-red eyes sharpened suddenly, and even the soft white glow of the living room seemed tinged with red under her intense stare.

Compared to Kyousuke's casual observation, this was closer to a full-body scan.

Hairstyle—just a simple bob cut.

Her face—an ordinary beauty with a slender, delicate jawline that matched the bob well, and also suited the pink loungewear she wore. But... nothing breathtaking.

Just... pleasant.

Her eyes—large, but a very normal color. Not dazzling like Naoka's chaotic, jewel-like irises, nor as striking as Eriri's glassy blue ones.

Wait... hold on. Why did it feel like there was nothing behind those eyes?

Kasumigaoka frowned.

She was often called indifferent, but that was only because most things held no value to her. But Megumi... did she have nothing she cared about, either?

No—that couldn't be right. She was looking at Kyousuke.

Shaking her head, Kasumigaoka sighed.

Maybe she'd just been reading too many novels. There was no way you could read that much from someone's eyes.

All in all, her facial features were pleasant, but not striking.

Everything was in just the right place—nothing stood out, nothing clashed. If you had to describe it, it was simply... comfortable.

From what she'd seen of Megumi in her school uniform, her figure was also perfectly average—her chest wasn't as full as Kasumigaoka's, her legs not as long, her waist not as slender as Eriri's. All in all, it was a body that gave off a pleasant, comfortable feeling.

To sum it up—Katou Megumi was a perfectly "comfortable" ordinary girl.

Wait... how many times had she just thought the word comfortable?

Kasumigaoka Utaha blinked, her body shifting upright from its lazy slump against the sofa.

Comfortable...

The thing she herself was most criticized for was being aloof, unapproachable—the very opposite of "comfortable."

And Eriri? Sure, people called her the approachable, perfect ojou-sama... but if someone needed to be labeled "approachable," didn't that imply she wasn't actually close to normal people at all?

That she was on a pedestal—distant and admired—not truly "comfortable"?

"You noticed it too, didn't you, Utaha-senpai?"

Of course, Kyousuke, with his maxed-out observation skills, caught her reaction immediately.

With a knowing smile, he saw that Sakura and Yukinoshita were also listening now and continued.

"Katou-san doesn't have any striking features—but that's exactly why she's the most perfect ordinary girl."

Normally, telling a girl she was "ordinary" would be a painful insult.

But Kyousuke didn't bother to explain—he knew Megumi's personality was perfectly suited to understand what he meant.

And even if she didn't get it, she wouldn't care enough to be upset. If she were angry, she'd just say it outright.

In that sense... Sakura was even easier.

She was always brimming with energy, as if nothing in the world could ever truly make her sad.

Anyone who knew the two girls would say that Sakura's sunny disposition had surely rubbed off from Kyousuke himself—after all, he was that kind of person: someone whose presence naturally changed those around him.

But only Kyousuke knew the truth.

To him, Sakura was the real sun.

She attracted everything, forgave everything, illuminated everything, pulled everything into her orbit. To be drawn by that light—that was his happiness.

And yet, that same Sakura was fragile.

There would come a day when she would tire, when her light would dim.

When her endless energy finally ran out... when those who basked in her glow drifted away... just how lonely would she be then?

That's why—if people claimed Sakura became who she was because of him—then Kyousuke would proudly declare: he would take responsibility for his sun, forever.

"Hojou...?"

Kato Megumi's quiet voice called him back.

She was staring right at him—but though his gaze rested on her, she could feel that his mind had wandered far away.

She'd only just gotten used to having his attention—and now that it drifted, she felt strangely reluctant to let it go.

"Ah... Sorry. Zoned out for a moment," Kyousuke quickly apologized, snapping back to reality.

Thinking about one girl while looking at another—what a violation of his personal code. He was supposed to be fair, like Yukinoshita.

Kasumigaoka, watching all this unfold, gave him a curious, unreadable look.

She thought he'd been staring blankly at Megumi.

'So I've been fooled...'

She had assumed that the one who cared least was actually the buyer who wanted most.

But now... it was Katou Megumi herself who understood the real art of shopping—playing disinterest perfectly, like someone who could leave the store at any moment. That was the ultimate bargaining skill.

For the first time in a long while, the black-haired, red-eyed beauty felt like a clever fox who'd just been outwitted by a chicken.

"Well, your analysis is sound... so what next? According to you..."

Yukinoshita paused briefly.

"...Katou-san's appearance really is fine as it is."

It was her honest conclusion after observing Megumi closely—and it surprised even her.

She never imagined that a girl with such faint presence that even her memory often forgot her name could possess such a lovely appearance.

How fascinating.

If they succeeded in this request, her mastery of human nature would surely improve by leaps and bounds.

Maybe even the great unsolved problem—how excellent people can live comfortably in this flawed world—could finally be solved.

Perhaps even Sakura's strange personality, or Kyousuke's scoundrel nature, could be corrected in the process.

Somewhere along the way, Yukinoshita had mentally rewritten Sakura's original request into this far grander challenge.

Well, of course—falling in love with someone like Hojou, as absurd as that was, was something even she—a supposedly flawless person—could never do.

Instead, she was fascinated by something else entirely: How had Hojou gathered so many girls willingly around him? She was deeply curious.

Understanding that mystery might also help her realize her dream of changing the world.

After all, even her father—the great man he was—needed capable people to support him.

Why did so many excellent girls, each only slightly less "perfect" than herself, gather around Kyousuke? She wanted to know.

Even now, this well-read, genius girl, who knew things about the universe that others thought were myths, had yet to realize the simple truth:

'Curiosity is just one disguise of love.'

"So... what next? You're going to 'rebuild' Katou-san's mind now?" she asked, a little excitement creeping into her voice.

"Um... Yukinoshita-san? I think I understand what you mean, but that sounds really scary when you put it that way~"

Katou Megumi timidly raised her hand.

'Rebuild her mind?'

That sounded way too much like brainwashing.

Was Yukinoshita planning to make her do weird things in public to boost her presence? After all, crazy people certainly left strong impressions.

"Katou-san. Mental adjustment doesn't mean hypnosis..." Yukinoshita began seriously.

"Hyp...nosis? Yukinoshita-san, what are you talking about?" Megumi tilted her head in genuine confusion.

"..."

Yukinoshita froze.

She couldn't exactly admit that she'd just read all that nonsense off Megumi's face using her "mastery of the human heart," could she?

"...Though I probably shouldn't be the one to say this," Kasumigaoka suddenly spoke up, lifting her book to half-cover her face.

Her rich burgundy eyes peeking over the top with playful sharpness, "but as high school girls who are still physically and mentally developing, I think we should stay away from such unhealthy influences... otherwise someone might end up a total idiot like that fool."

She glanced teasingly at Yukinoshita.

Yukinoshita turned slowly, drawing a deep breath, her chest rising and falling sharply.

No one could tell if she was suppressing fury—or carefully building it.

When she finally spoke, her voice was filled with the kind of cold that could freeze someone into dust:

"...Hypnosis is a common and effective psychological therapy. It's not the unhealthy thing you're imagining."

"On the contrary, ignorance is the greatest obstacle in the path of a young person's growth. I sincerely hope that Kasumigaoka-senpai, who is about to shed her status as a high school girl, remembers that."

'Liar,' Katou Megumi thought quietly.

She knew this was a lie made of truths.

After all, she had been thinking strange, wild things—just as Yukinoshita suspected.

But Yukinoshita really was amazing.

She could turn ice-cold and rational in an instant the moment Kasumigaoka provoked her... even though she became a fool whenever someone used simple reverse psychology on her.

Was this the natural contradiction of all women?

Megumi blinked, thoughtful.

After her frigid declaration, Yukinoshita subtly shifted her seat a little closer to Kato Megumi...

"Also, I know I'm just a guest here and probably have no right to complain... but you just kicked me in the butt with your foot."

"Oh my, so sorry, so sorry," Utaha replied, clearly without a shred of sincerity, "My legs are just so long, you see... it troubles me all the time~"

She tucked her legs up under her silk dress, revealing even more of their smooth, flawless shape.

It was an elegant, unintentional show-off that made Yukinoshita bristle with quiet irritation.

After all, she was perfectly confident in her own figure—including her legs.

She'd even compared them against models in magazines—whether in shape, proportion, or length, hers were flawless.

But! She would never use those perfect legs to casually kick someone's backside!

Glancing down at her own legs, now hidden beneath loose blue cotton pants, Yukinoshita felt even more annoyed.

If she were wearing her school uniform skirt, that woman surely wouldn't dare act so smug.

"Pfft... wahahaha~ Sorry, sorry! I just remembered something funny!"

Naturally, the only person who could laugh out loud like this, ignoring the mood entirely, was Yamauchi Sakura.

She didn't want to laugh—but seeing Yukinoshita's rare frustrated expression, like she was ready to drop her pants to settle who had the better legs, was simply too adorable to resist.

Now, under Yukinoshita's sharp glare, she quickly tried to explain.

"Really! I was just thinking about how happy I am that Megumi's finally going to become super popular! Isn't that right, Hojou?"

"Exactly!"

Kyousuke nodded enthusiastically, glad that the conversation had returned to the main topic.

"Just like Yukinoshita said, this so-called 'mental transformation' doesn't mean... er... hypnosis or anything like that. Techniques like that aren't exactly useful for what we're trying to achieve. If we really went that far, it wouldn't be a makeover—it'd be full-on personality reconstruction. That's definitely not our goal."

He shot Kato Megumi a gentle smile, as if to say, 'Don't worry. We're not going to brainwash you. Besides, I don't have that kind of power anyway.'

If he did have that power, he'd probably seal it away.

Or maybe he'd use it for world peace.

After all, as a proper high school boy, such lofty ideals were only fitting.

Seeing that reassuring smile, Megumi's already calm heart relaxed a little more.

"As for what we'll actually do... we need to start with something concrete. First, let's identify this: what is Katou Megumi's most obvious trait? What do people think of first when they see her?"

'What's the first thing that comes to mind when people see me?'

Megumi repeated the question in her heart, then looked down at herself.

'Probably... like seeing air—they don't even notice and just shift their gaze elsewhere...'

Thankfully, Kyousuke couldn't read her mind—or he'd be heartbroken.

Among all the beautiful girls in this house, there wasn't a single one who thought so pitifully of themselves... except Megumi, apparently.

Yukinoshita also raised her right hand thoughtfully, striking her usual "thinking pose."

The first things people noticed were always on the physical level—appearance—but they'd already confirmed that Megumi's looks were flawless.

Which meant it had to be the other layer that her appearance represented—something else entirely...

"I know!"

Sakura, who'd been perched at the corner of the sofa the whole time, suddenly bounced to her feet, her face lighting up with pride.

"Of course—it's the fact that she's a high school girl! I mean, being a JK is something you only get to do once in your life! When people see that uniform, you just know they're thinking, 'Ahh, how nice—it's a high school girl.' Right, Kyousuke?"

She turned to Kyousuke expectantly.

He hesitated for a moment but then nodded firmly.

"Right, but I'd say it's not just the 'high school girl' part—it's the student identity itself. Like Utaha-senpai here—she barely interacts with anyone at school, probably even less than Katou when it comes to presence.

But because she's held the top spot in her grade for two straight years without fail, she's still an object of admiration for all the students."

Kyousuke hurried to finish his point before Yukinoshita could hit him with her trademark "scumbag glare."

Hearing her name, Kasumigaoka glanced up from her book and nodded slightly in approval.

Kyousuke was right.

When you were truly excellent, you didn't need to do anything to stand out—people's attention would naturally be drawn to you.

Ordinary people would project their own unreachable hopes and dreams onto such figures, wrapping them in fantasies more dazzling than reality.

Kasumigaoka completely agreed with Kyousuke's method.

If you wanted to increase someone's presence, the simplest way was to become better—to improve.

It was like Yukinoshita's lofty, laughable dream of changing the world.

In the end, her troubles stemmed from having grand visions but not quite enough strength to realize them.

And yet... if she weren't good enough, why would Sakura and Kyousuke bother to get swept along in her antics?

Just like herself—even without this perfect face and body, her talent alone would make her the center of attention.

To Kasumigaoka, if Megumi wanted more presence, all she had to do was let her natural strengths show. No need for this complicated plan.

But of course, she kept that thought to herself.

After all... Kyousuke's high school life needed these little entertainments to stay fun.

And she was more than happy to sit back, watch... and wait for her chance.

"Just?"

Megumi's soft voice broke the silence, her mouth forming a small 'o.'

"Hojou... that's two straight years of being top of the class, you know? Every midterm, every final—not a single exception. Even the tiny surprise quizzes—she's always first. That's not something you can sum up with a mere 'just'..."

"Ahem... of course, I'm not expecting you to reach that level," Kyousuke coughed awkwardly. "To achieve something like that... well, we might actually need the methods Yukinoshita was suggesting earlier..."

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