Sometimes, people just need a reaction. Whether it's a grin, a groan, or even a punch in the gut—anything is better than silence. Because silence, that awful pause after you act, hits like a critical blow. It makes you feel like the world just pressed the mute button on you... and now you're the clown left hanging.
That's exactly how Natsukawa Kanade felt right now.
"I'm sorry! That was way too sudden!" Kanade dropped to his knees in a dramatic dogeza, forehead nearly kissing the floor. "It was just a moment of weakness! A total lapse in judgment! Please forgive me!"
"..."
Still no reply. Still that brutal silence.
He didn't dare raise his head. He had misread Katou Megumi.
He thought she'd react like Eriri—maybe with a huff, maybe a dramatic pout or a tsundere slap—but at least something he could work with. Then he could fake a flustered response, say something cheeky, and score a few points of affection along the way. Easy. Classic romcom tactic.
But instead… she just stared at him.
With an expression that could only be described as: "What is this idiot doing?"
Which, well… yeah. Made him feel like an idiot.
"Technically speaking, what Kanade-kun did was… a bit too much," Megumi finally said, her voice as calm as a still pond.
"…Tch."
But Kanade wasn't fooled. Megumi never showed her cards on the surface—but deep down, she had to be at least a little annoyed. Still, he couldn't confirm it, since his face was still glued to the floor like a samurai seeking divine forgiveness.
"It's okay with me. But for other people… next time, maybe give some warning first, ne?"
That reply.
Kanade froze.
Wait... it's okay? Did I just… get forgiven?
Sure, the "next time" part was a bit concerning—was she implying this might happen again? Or just offering advice for future poor souls he might ambush? Either way, it sounded like a soft pass. A green light. A miracle.
He felt a wave of relief crashing over him, and he was about to rise when—
"But I'm still curious," Megumi added, tone unchanged but somehow… sharper. "Why did Kanade-kun suddenly do something so rude? And… so skillfully, I might add."
Pft—Wait, what?! Skillfully!?
"No way! No way no way no way!" Kanade's voice cracked slightly as he buried his head even lower. "There was no skill involved! None at all! It was just… a heat-of-the-moment kind of thing! A momentary lapse in judgment! A total brain glitch!"
He could feel an invisible pressure radiating from Megumi. The weight of a composed honor student who could smile gently while pressing your soul to the ground.
"…Well, if I had to say… I guess I have tried it on Eriri before…"
Ah. There it was. The truth slipping out like an accidental critical hit.
Back when he was trying to win Eriri's heart, he'd tested every romantic tactic known to man—and anime. Bold moves, calculated risks, emotional feints… everything short of confessing on a rooftop under the cherry blossoms. Of course, he hadn't started with physical closeness. That came after he was sure they'd built some rapport. The key thing was that, despite her loud protests, Eriri's little happy reactions were impossible to miss.
So, naturally, he assumed Katou might respond similarly.
"…"
Megumi didn't say anything. She just blinked slowly, as if trying to decide how to process this mountain of foolishness.
Luckily for Kanade, salvation came from a familiar, sharp-voiced angel.
"Huh? Did I just hear my name?"
Eriri.
"Nope! Nothing to do with you. Back to studying, okay?" Kanade replied instantly, like a salaryman avoiding his boss on a Monday morning.
"Oh…" Eriri nodded, her head already sinking back into her notebook. She had finally caught a rhythm with the English problems and wasn't about to let any nonsense knock her out of the zone.
For the sake of the promised reward time—Eriri was giving it her all!
"..."
"..."
Somehow, the little interruption had cleared the awkward tension in the room.
When Megumi finally spoke again, her voice was lighter. Still composed, but… maybe with a sprinkle of fond exasperation?
"Mou… By the way, how long does Kanade-kun plan to keep prostrating like that? We do still have studying to do."
They both lowered their voices instinctively. No need to interrupt Eriri again now that she was in the zone.
"Right, right… I'll get up now," Kanade muttered sheepishly. He sat up slowly, stealing only a quick glance toward Megumi from the corner of his eye.
She was already focused on her notes again, cool and elegant as ever.
That's it? he thought, blinking in mild disbelief. It's really over?
The entire incident, as clumsy and cringe-worthy as it had been, was dismissed just like that?
Kanade had been expecting something more—maybe a lecture, a snide remark, or even a mental scolding. But this was… oddly simple. Maybe even too simple.
He couldn't help but wonder—
Was this forgiveness… just a little too easy?
That thought kept buzzing in Natsukawa Kanade's head like a mosquito refusing to leave. Sure, this entire encounter had been a bit twisty, maybe even mildly embarrassing—but compared to the kind of chaos he'd weathered before? This was nothing. Barely a side quest. Yet somehow… something still felt off.
The "forgiveness" he'd received seemed way too clean, too effortless. It was almost suspiciously smooth.
"Katou-san," he asked in a softer voice, his tone slightly uncertain. "You're… not angry anymore?"
He really hoped that was the case. Kanade had always believed it was better to vent anger then and there—boom, out in the open—rather than let it stew silently. Holding it in, even just overnight, could turn it into something way worse. And if he was the cause of it?
Well, the least he could do was make it right.
"I mean, I probably don't have the right to say this, but… if there's anything I can do to make up for it, anything at all, please tell me." His voice was earnest now.
"Seriously. Whatever it is, as long as it's within my power—I'll do it."
That's when Katou Megumi looked at him.
Not in her usual, composed, vaguely expressionless way. No—this time, there was something different in her gaze. Something slightly… off.
A flash of emotion.
And, wait—was that actual anger?
Kanade blinked in confusion. That didn't add up. Up until a second ago, she had seemed totally unfazed. But now? His instincts were screaming that she'd just gotten genuinely annoyed.
The weird thing was… it hadn't been when he did the dumb thing earlier.
It was now, right after he offered to compensate her for it.
Why?
What did he say that flipped the switch?
"…I'm not angry."
There it was. The classic line.
Kanade froze.
Nope. Nope nope nope. That was definitely the kind of "I'm not angry" that meant she was actually very angry. It was textbook tsundere behavior. The kind that, if you didn't resolve it quickly, would stick with her for days—and haunt you for weeks.
Megumi continued, her voice as calm and neutral as ever, "Actually, until Natsukawa-kun brought up compensating me, I didn't really feel like being angry at all."
"…" Kanade didn't say a word.
Because… yeah. That actually sounded very Megumi-like. It made sense.
"I didn't even mind if you thought I was being petty, honestly…"
"No way! Not even close!" Kanade blurted, waving his hands frantically. "I've never thought that about you! If anything, I've always thought Katou-san was super gentle and patient—like, the kind of person who could be my… my… mom."
Ah.
He immediately regretted it.
Megumi stared at him, and the silence that followed was so thick it could suffocate a bear.
"A mom role, huh…" she muttered, her expression unreadable.
"W-wait, no! That's not what I meant!" Kanade waved both hands in panic, practically short-circuiting. "It's just, you know, a common thing in ACG stuff! Like when a character is mature, calm, understanding, kind… like, uh, classic "Motherly Aura" types! I didn't mean you're old or anything, I swear!"
Katou tilted her head, still eyeing him. Then, to his shock, she let out a small sigh—and even smiled a little.
"I didn't take it that way," she said, as if he was the one who needed comforting now. "It's fine. I spent enough time in the club to understand most ACG references. I know what you meant."
"Ohhh, that's a relief… seriously…" Kanade slumped back like he'd just survived a boss battle. "I was really worried for a second there. But yeah, that's all I meant—definitely never thought you were petty."
"It's fine. I really don't mind." Katou waved it off. Her calm composure returned, but now with a subtle shift—like she was steering the conversation somewhere else. "But on a different note…"
Kanade felt her tone change slightly.
"Do you remember what I told you before?"
"Uh… before…" Kanade tilted his head slightly, scratching his cheek with a troubled expression. Honestly, they'd had so many conversations—some casual, some serious—that he couldn't immediately figure out which one she meant.
But based on the mood, the situation, and her sudden question…
"Was it… when you told me not to be so formal around you?" he ventured cautiously.
Katou Megumi shook her head gently, a soft smile curling at the edge of her lips. "That's important, sure. But that's not the point this time."
"Ugh…" Kanade furrowed his brow and tried again, but no other answer came to mind. His brain felt like it was buffering at 2%—he knew there was an answer, but it just wouldn't load.
"It's something only relevant to Natsukawa-kun," Katou offered, throwing him a lifeline in the form of a subtle hint.
Only about him?
That finally made something click.
Kanade's expression shifted to one of mild realization—followed immediately by visible hesitation. His lips opened, but the words got caught in his throat.
It wasn't embarrassment that held him back. It was more like… doubt. Was the answer he had in mind really related to this situation?
Still, he had to try.
"I remember what you said…" he began, slowly. "But… does 'let me be selfish' really have anything to do with this?" He looked at her with genuine confusion. "I mean, you're upset about the whole head-patting thing, right? Isn't that because I got carried away and acted kinda… frivolously?"
Katou let out a small sigh, then looked at him with calm, patient eyes. "It seems Natsukawa-kun still doesn't quite get what I meant," she said, her tone soft but firm. "If you truly understood, you wouldn't have said something like, 'I'll do anything to make it up to you.'"
Kanade fell silent.
He didn't have a proper retort. Her words struck a chord somewhere deep in him, but he couldn't yet explain why. It was like trying to describe a feeling you only halfway understood.
"Only someone who constantly ignores their own feelings would say that kind of thing so casually, right?" she continued, her voice like a mirror gently reflecting his inner world.
That… that was the moment something clicked.
He finally understood what had been bothering him all along.
"No," he said, straightening his posture, his tone resolute now. "You're not wrong in what you said. But it doesn't apply to me anymore. Not now."
Katou blinked in surprise as Kanade met her gaze fully for the first time since the incident.
"Back then, yeah… maybe I would've said something like that because I didn't value myself," Kanade admitted. "But that's not who I am now. What you told me before—about allowing myself to be selfish sometimes—I didn't just listen. I took it to heart. And I started living like that."
He wasn't exaggerating.
Rejoining the student council, reconnecting with people he thought he'd lost, piecing together the shattered fragments of friendships—it wasn't for anyone else.
He did it because he wanted to.
He wanted to laugh and chat and just exist with everyone. He wanted to live a life he could be proud of.
And yeah, maybe he still got nervous. Maybe that old fear of being disliked still poked at him from time to time. But it wasn't suffocating anymore. It had transformed from anxiety into something more manageable, something he could smile through.
Even when he compromised or did things that were a bit inconvenient, it wasn't about appeasing anyone—it was because he genuinely wanted to preserve those relationships. The intent had changed.
"So yes, I said I'd do anything to make it up to you. But that wasn't because I was being self-effacing. It's because I genuinely felt I messed up. I touched you without asking, and I knew that was wrong."
He placed a hand over his chest and smiled awkwardly. "So yeah… I wanted to make it right. It was more for my own peace of mind than anything else."
Kanade paused, then let out a slightly embarrassed chuckle.
"In fact, if I'm being completely honest…" he mumbled, rubbing the back of his head, "if exchanging a few promises meant I got to pat Katou-san's head, that's a deal I'd gladly take any day…"
The moment those words left his mouth, he wanted to smack himself.
Katou stared at him, blinking slowly, as if she were trying to decide whether to scold him or laugh.
"…So greedy," she finally said, voice faint and almost shy.
"I-I didn't mean it that way!" Kanade flailed slightly, cheeks tinged with red. "I'm not some ero protagonist or anything! It's just that… I mean, Katou-san is really cute. Like, the kind of cute that sneaks up on you and hits you like a truck!"
Kanade quickly looked away, embarrassed.
Today, Katou wasn't just the usual low-key, supportive classmate. She was dressed in that "neighborhood girl" style outfit—the same one she'd shown him yesterday—and it was dangerously adorable.
Sparkly. Bulingbuling, as the otaku would say.
She wasn't just a background character today. She was the main heroine, for sure.
"E-Eh… hearing you say that makes me kinda happy, but also…" Katou's voice wavered. She averted her eyes, cheeks slightly flushed.
Wait… did I say all that out loud?!
Kanade's brain glitched for a second.
"Ahem! L-Like I was saying… I just wanted to praise you, Katou-san. You've been working so hard, and I noticed. That's all there was to it!" He coughed and tried to play it cool. "Of course, the apology was 100% serious too. You were right—I should've asked you first."
And then it hit him.
Katou had said it earlier—"You have to ask the person concerned first before doing that."
Did that mean… if he asked permission next time, it'd be okay?
His heart began to beat faster.
Wait, does that mean… I can headpat Katou-san again? With permission?
He felt like he'd unlocked a hidden route.
He'd already had similar experiences with others—Shinomiya, Yukinoshita, Eriri, even his upperclassman. Heck, he'd collected a decent number of headpats. He was basically building a whole headpat harem at this point.
Earlier, he hadn't even paid attention to how it felt. He'd been too flustered. But now?
Maybe now I can take my time and really appreciate it…
Katou blinked as Kanade suddenly leaned forward, his eyes shining with mischievous energy.
"Umm… Katou-san," he said, trying to sound polite and innocent, "I know this is sudden, but… can I touch your head again? Just once? Please?"
A pause.
Then—
"Moshi moshi? Is this the police? Yes, I'd like to report a sexual harassment incident in progress…"
Kanade froze.
"EH?! I-it's a joke, right?! Don't actually call them!"