All the Heroines are my Ex-girlfriends

Chapter 156: Kato Megumi Realizes

"Who are you?" Kato Megumi's voice lost its warmth. "You're not my Azuma."

As soon as she said that—

Kato Megumi took a step back.

She withdrew from the brightly lit classroom, retreating into the somewhat dim corridor.

The light and shadows obscured her face, making it hard to discern her expression in that moment.

The brilliant sunlight streamed through the classroom window, casting a golden glow on the wooden floor.

Standing amidst such golden light, one would normally feel warmth.

But at that moment, Miyamizu Mitsuha felt a chill to the bone.

Outside the window, the crisp sound of strikes echoed.

It was the sound of a baseball being hit during practice at the baseball club behind the classroom building.

Along with that, there were distant cheers.

But in this moment, those chaotic sounds only made the classroom, where Miyamizu Mitsuha stood alone, feel even more silent.

"W-What are you talking about?"

Miyamizu Mitsuha's voice was tinged with confusion.

"Where is Yukima Azuma?"

"I-I don't know what you mean..."

"Answer me! Where is Yukima Azuma really!?"

Kato Megumi's voice pierced through the air, cracking with tension.

At that moment, Miyamizu Mitsuha's eyes slowly adjusted to the light.

She could now clearly see the figure of the girl hiding in the darkness of the corridor, a place the sunlight couldn't reach.

That fragile girl, like a gust of wind, now showed no expression.

But in her deep, dark eyes, there was an overwhelming sense of fear, anger, and confusion.

Her hand tightly gripped the strap of her backpack.

She was holding it so tightly that her fingers turned pale.

That delicate, fragile girl had disappeared.

Now, Kato Megumi exuded an intense sense of pressure.

Miyamizu Mitsuha's breath seemed to halt.

Though their interaction had been brief,

The image of Kato Megumi's cuteness from before still lingered in her mind.

But now, the girl standing before her—

The gaze in her eyes.

In Miyamizu Mitsuha's life, she had only seen it once before.

It was the gaze of a friend she once knew—Suzume.

Suzume's mother had passed away when she was young, in a devastating earthquake.

The only things left for Suzume were a wooden chair missing a leg and an old phone that held a few photos and messages.

One day, Suzume's phone fell from the top floor of the school building.

Suzume raced down the stairs, running madly to retrieve it.

But when she picked it up, the phone, which held all her important memories, was shattered.

It was an old model, one that couldn't be repaired anymore.

At that moment, Suzume had that same look in her eyes.

The eyes of someone who had just lost the most important thing in their life.

Miyamizu Mitsuha couldn't quite recall the exact scene from that day.

But the expression of her friend had seemingly etched itself into her heart.

Not long after that, Suzume left Itomori town and transferred to another school.

Miyamizu Mitsuha had buried that memory deep within her.

She had always felt guilty for not being able to help her friend at the time.

And now, that same gaze appeared again before her.

Miyamizu Mitsuha's heart trembled violently.

She hoarsely said,

"I-I'm so sorry, I don't know how to explain it, but I'm sure Yukima-san is fine."

"We just swapped for a little while. He'll be back tomorrow."

Hearing Miyamizu Mitsuha's words,

Kato Megumi's heart eased slightly.

But her brows quickly furrowed again.

At this moment, as Kato Megumi looked at the person before her,

It seemed like something had shattered.

The person in front of her, who had the appearance of Yukima Azuma, suddenly crumbled and transformed into an adorable young girl.

Looking at her, she appeared to be around the same age.

Kato Megumi stared intently at this stranger.

Kato Megumi took several deep breaths, trying to steady her emotions.

"So, what about you? Who are you?"

"I'm Miyamizu Mitsuha, from Itomori town, Gifu Prefecture."

Miyamizu Mitsuha felt that she couldn't keep the truth hidden any longer and decided to straightforwardly reveal her identity.

Hearing this, Kato Megumi's heart stirred slightly.

Gifu Prefecture.

"Can you tell me more about yourself?" Kato Megumi asked further.

"Umm, actually I don't know much either. Since the day before yesterday, I suddenly swapped places with Yukima-san..."

Miyamizu Mitsuha honestly recounted everything that had happened in the past few days to Kato Megumi.

She felt that anyone who could show such a deep emotion for Yukima Azuma surely deserved to know the truth about him.

Kato Megumi listened intently as Miyamizu Mitsuha spoke.

Meanwhile, she quietly took out her phone, opened the map, and searched for "Itomori, Gifu Prefecture."

The search results matched exactly what Kato Megumi had remembered.

During her trip to Hokkaido, when she witnessed the Charlotte comet split in two and fall, Kato Megumi had sensed there was something Yukima Azuma had yet to tell her.

At that time, she hadn't felt it was the right moment to ask more.

She understood that if Yukima Azuma was hiding something, it was most likely for their sake.

So, after returning from Hokkaido, Kato Megumi had done a bit of research into the incident of the Charlotte comet fragment falling.

And the truth proved that she wasn't wrong.

The fragment of Charlotte had indeed fallen in the mountainous region of Gifu Prefecture.

But it had affected nearly a third of a small mountain town.

Around five hundred residents of that town had lost their lives because of this disaster.

Had she known about the tragedy she had witnessed during her trip, it would have certainly affected the rest of the journey.

And Kato Megumi clearly remembered.

The town that had been devastated by the Charlotte comet fragment.

It seemed to be called Itomori.

The girl in front of her.

She was likely not just swapped in space but also in time.

After grasping this, Kato Megumi vaguely guessed what Yukima Azuma might have done in Itomori from the past.

Looking at Miyamizu Mitsuha, who still knew nothing, Kato Megumi didn't say anything.

She took several deep breaths, fully calming herself.

Her voice returned to its usual gentle tone.

"I see now, I'm sorry, earlier I was too anxious and acted a little rude."

Upon hearing this, Miyamizu Mitsuha immediately waved her hand.

"It's okay! It's really okay! You don't have to apologize!"

She sighed. "I understand. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably react the same way."

Kato Megumi blinked.

She really is a kind person.

At this point, whether it was for Azuma or for this person in front of her, she should treat her well.

"If that's the case, then Miyamizu-san, you're like a guest in Tokyo now."

"Let me take you around a bit, show you Toyogasaki and even Tokyo itself."

Kato Megumi said with a smile.

Miyamizu Mitsuha's eyes widened upon hearing that.

The girl in front of her.

Her words and actions.

They seemed to eerily align with Yukima Azuma.

Just earlier, she hadn't mentioned anything from Yukima Azuma's notebook.

But Kato Megumi's thoughts were nearly identical to Yukima Azuma's.

Miyamizu Mitsuha suddenly understood why Kato Megumi had shown such emotions towards Yukima Azuma.

The two of them must be a very well-matched couple.

Not just emotionally close.

But it seemed like their souls were in sync too.

While Miyamizu Mitsuha was still lost in her thoughts, Kato Megumi waved her hand to get her attention. Without hesitation, Miyamizu Mitsuha rushed to catch up.

...

Kato Megumi began to take her role as a tour guide seriously.

Toyogasaki Private Academy was a high school, but it truly rivaled any tourist destination. In addition to the usual facilities such as the large sports field, gymnasium, swimming pool, and other common amenities, the school also had a small hill and an artificial pond at the back.

On the hill, there were no cherry blossoms, but instead, there were many fruit trees. Perhaps it symbolized the meaning of "peach trees filling the world" (Note: meaning a teacher of good caliber would have students everywhere – by ChadGPT).

However, due to growth issues, the trees that flourished the most were apple trees. During this season, although there were no fruits, the trees still had a unique beauty.

As for the pond at Toyogasaki, it was at its most beautiful right now because a variety of lotus flowers were blooming. From a distance, the scent of the flowers could already be smelled.

In addition to the lotus flowers, there were also several swans on the pond. This was Miyamizu Mitsuha's first time seeing swans. After just walking around the school grounds, she already felt thoroughly satisfied.

Before she knew it, under Kato Megumi's guidance, Miyamizu Mitsuha had spent the entire day touring the Toyogasaki campus.

It wasn't until dusk that she snapped out of her daze.

"Umm..."

"I guess it's time to head back, right?"

"Umu, you're right."

"Let's go, together."

"Eh?"

Miyamizu Mitsuha was taken aback.

Seeing her expression, Kato Megumi explained:

"I've rented a room at Azuma-san's place, sometimes I stay there."

This wasn't something that needed to be hidden. Although living together as high school students might be considered too casual by many, Kato Megumi didn't care what others thought. She only cared about the opinions of those who mattered to her.

After hearing Kato Megumi's explanation, Miyamizu Mitsuha couldn't help but widen her eyes.

Living together as high school students?

But then, thinking it over, Miyamizu Mitsuha felt that it made sense. The girl in front of her was incredibly cute, and she had a close relationship with the boy in question. It wouldn't be surprising if they lived together.

But then, just as she was processing this, Miyamizu Mitsuha recalled the girl with long, straight black hair whom she had met at Yukima's house.

"By the way… Is there anyone else at Yukima-san's house?" Miyamizu Mitsuha asked cautiously.

"Are you talking about Kasumigaoka-senpai? Senpai also rents a room at Azuma-san's place. You must have met her," Kato Megumi blinked.

She was a bit surprised that senpai couldn't see through Miyamizu Mitsuha..

"Umm… Yes, I did meet her once, but I barely managed to say a few words before I running away," Miyamizu Mitsuha blurted out.

Her mind was in a chaotic mess. The two girls in the picture on Yukima Azuma's phone—both were living with him. What was the relationship here?!

She was genuinely curious.