Heartbeats and Illusions

For Natsukawa Kanade, life wasn't about grand gestures or dramatic epiphanies. It was about the quiet, everyday necessities—the meals that kept him grounded, the simple joys that made the monotony bearable. Conversations? Optional. Food? Non-negotiable.

And tonight's dinner? Nothing short of perfection.

Fried pork chops, golden potato pancakes, crisp tempura, and a bowl of hot, comforting miso soup. Kanade surveyed the ingredients with a sense of quiet satisfaction. Even if some celestial being came down to scold him, he could confidently say, "Hey, I'm living my best life."

Sure, someone might nitpick about the lack of vegetables, but Kanade was unapologetically a carnivore.

"Maybe I should pick up some snacks, too…" he muttered under his breath, his eyes scanning the shelves. "Though, if Shiina catches me, she'll have a field day lecturing me about my 'terrible diet.'"

He sighed dramatically, as though preparing for an imaginary argument. "Fine, I'll buy some cakes too. Call it a peace offering."

Still, the temptation of potato chips and soda loomed large. "I deserve a little fun, don't I?" Kanade reasoned, grabbing a bag of chips with a decisive nod.

His inner monologue, though entertaining, was interrupted by a faint, sweet aroma wafting through the store. It was the smell of freshly baked bread—a subtle, almost magical scent that tugged at his senses.

"What a nice smell," Kanade murmured, turning toward the source.

And that's when he saw her.

Standing a breath away was a girl with soft, cherry blossom-pink hair framing her delicate features. Her eyes sparkled with a quiet curiosity, her presence so startlingly close that Kanade instinctively took a step back.

"Good afternoon, Natsukawa-kun," she greeted, her voice as light as a spring breeze.

"Kato…" Kanade blinked, his brain catching up to the situation. "When did you… get here?"

Kato Megumi tilted her head slightly, a playful smile dancing on her lips. "Hmm, I think it was around the time Natsukawa-kun was debating whether or not to buy snacks?"

Kanade froze.

Had she been there the whole time?

Kato leaned forward, her hands clasped behind her back as she studied him with amusement. "I didn't want to disturb you while you were thinking," she said, her tone so matter-of-fact that Kanade almost believed she hadn't been silently judging his snack selection.

"Not scared, are you?" Kato teased, tilting her head in mock concern.

"Not at all," Kanade replied quickly, shaking his head.

In truth, her sudden proximity had caught him off guard. Though he didn't know her well, Kato's presence carried an unassuming charm—a gentle warmth that made her feel like a character straight out of a coming-of-age manga.

"So, are you here to pick up groceries?" Kanade asked, eager to shift the focus. "Running errands for your mom?"

Kato shook her head, pointing toward the side window of the store. "Nope. I just happened to be walking past. You can see this place from outside, you know?"

Kanade followed her gesture, nodding absently. Through the large glass pane, the soft glow of the store spilled into the street outside, creating a cozy, inviting scene.

After a brief exchange, the two paid for their items and stepped out into the evening air. The quiet buzz of the city streets served as a subtle backdrop to their footsteps, which fell in an unspoken rhythm.

"How was your weekend?" Kanade asked, breaking the silence.

"I went back to my hometown with my family," Kato replied, her voice calm yet warm. "What about you, Natsukawa-kun?"

Kanade hesitated, scratching the back of his neck. "Uh… I guess you could say I dabbled in some 'artistic pursuits.' Oh, and I visited Saitama. Just for fun."

As he spoke, a sudden thought struck him. "Oh, right!" Kanade stopped abruptly, setting his shopping bag down. After rummaging through its contents, he pulled out a neatly wrapped package.

"Here, a souvenir," he said, holding out a bag of chocolate sandwich cookies.

Kato blinked, surprised. "For me?"

"Yeah. It's not exactly a specialty of Saitama, but… I thought of you while I was there."

A soft blush dusted Kato's cheeks as she accepted the cookies, her fingers brushing against the wrapper. "Thank you, Natsukawa-kun."

Her voice was quiet, almost shy, as she added, "But I didn't prepare anything for you…"

Kanade waved off her concern with a chuckle. "Don't worry about it. It's just a little something. No strings attached."

Talking with Kato always left him feeling at ease. There was something inherently comforting about her presence—like the girl next door you'd always feel at home with.

As they continued down the street, Kanade found himself glancing her way, the image of her cherry blossom-like figure quietly etching itself into his mind. It was a feeling that lingered, soft yet undeniable.

"I feel like Natsukawa-kun is in a particularly good mood today," Kato Megumi remarked, her voice soft yet teasing. "Did something nice happen?"

"Is it that obvious?" Kanade blinked, caught off guard by her observation.

Kato nodded lightly; her expression unreadable yet somehow knowing.

"Well… if I had to say, I guess it's the fact that I'm back with the student council," Kanade admitted after a moment of thought.

"The student council?" Kato tilted her head slightly, her fingers brushing the hem of her skirt as she walked.

"Right. You probably already know, but I'm the student council president."

"Ah," Kato acknowledged with a small nod, urging him to continue.

"It was last Monday," Kanade began, his tone deliberate, almost rehearsed. "For personal reasons, I stepped down from the position temporarily." He paused, a flicker of something unspoken passing across his face. "But as of today, I've resumed my duties. I couldn't bear to leave the people in the council behind. That's the truth of it."

Kanade spoke with a casual air, as though recounting an everyday occurrence. Yet, beneath his words, there was a subtle weight, a hidden emotion he couldn't—or wouldn't—fully express.

Kato didn't miss it.

She remembered the first time she'd seen him after he stepped down. His usual confidence had been replaced by something raw and vulnerable, like a stray puppy left to weather a storm alone. It wasn't a sight she could easily forget.

"Natsukawa-kun," she began, her tone gentle but firm. "Do you remember what I told you that day?"

"…That I should be more willful?" Kanade replied hesitantly, scratching his cheek.

"Don't you want to be?"

"Kato really has a way of spoiling people," he muttered, shaking his head with a faint smile. "But maybe this is me being willful right now, huh?"

For a moment, Kato seemed taken aback. Then, with a faint pout, she puffed out her cheeks ever so slightly—a rare and fleeting display of emotion. "That's not the kind of 'willfulness' I meant, Natsukawa-kun."

Her subtle rebuke made Kanade chuckle. "Alright, alright. Speaking of which, there's something I've been meaning to ask you."

"I don't feel like talking to Natsukawa-kun right now," Kato said, her tone deadpan but her eyes sparkling mischievously.

"Eh? Seriously?" Kanade feigned shock, putting a hand to his chest in mock offense.

"…I'll decide after hearing what you want to say," Kato relented with a faint smile.

"Then you've already agreed to listen," Kanade teased, earning himself a small sigh from his companion.

"Fine. What is it?"

"Well… did you ever do something as a kid that made your parents really angry?" Kanade's question seemed to come out of nowhere, catching Kato slightly off guard.

"Hmm…" Kato glanced at him, curiosity flickering in her eyes, but she answered earnestly. "Yes. Once, when I was little, I got so absorbed in a TV show at a department store that I lost track of my parents." A light blush dusted her cheeks as she spoke, her usual composed demeanor momentarily slipping.

Kanade blinked in surprise. Seeing Kato flustered was a rare treat.

"My dad was furious," Kato continued, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as though trying to brush away the memory.

"Did you apologize?" Kanade asked, his tone serious.

"Of course. I even helped out with housework for several days to make up for it," Kato admitted, her cheeks still faintly pink.

"That's it?" Kanade tilted his head.

"I was just an elementary schooler," Kato countered, raising an eyebrow. "What else could I do?"

"I guess that makes sense…" Kanade murmured, nodding thoughtfully.

It wasn't the act itself that mattered, he realized—it was the intent behind it.

"So, apologizing and making amends… is that enough?" Kanade's voice was quiet, almost as though he was asking himself the question rather than Kato.

When it came to navigating life's intricate nuances, Kato Megumi's perspective was invaluable. Her upbringing in a normal, grounded environment had given her a practical understanding of how to navigate relationships with a sense of balance and tact. To Kanade, who often found himself lost in the labyrinth of his own thoughts, Kato's advice was like a compass pointing him toward clarity.

Whether she realized it or not, Kato had resolved countless doubts for him. In matters of human interaction, Kanade had come to trust her implicitly.

"It shouldn't be called compensation, Natsukawa-kun," Kato replied, her voice calm yet firm. "It's more about giving yourself peace of mind."

"Peace of mind?" Kanade echoed, his brows furrowing slightly.

"It's not about what others think or expect," Kato explained, her gaze steady. "It's about ensuring that you can move forward without regrets. If you misunderstand that, you might unintentionally create distance between yourself and others."

Her words were precise, like a well-aimed arrow hitting its mark. Kanade mulled them over, the weight of her insight slowly settling in.

The difference between apologizing out of obligation and apologizing to make peace with oneself was subtle but profound. The former could easily veer into a hollow act of pity, while the latter was a genuine gesture of self-reflection. Though the outcomes might appear the same, the motivations behind them shaped how others perceived you—and how you perceived yourself.

"I see," Kanade murmured, nodding. "Thank you, Kato. You always know how to cut through the noise."

Kato Megumi shook her head gently, her expression soft. "I don't think I've done anything special, Natsukawa-kun. You just needed someone to remind you of what you already knew."

Despite her modesty, Kanade understood the depth of her words. Though he wasn't ready to share everything with her, seeking her counsel in this way was his quiet acknowledgment of her importance in his life.

The cool evening breeze tousled Kato's hair, but it couldn't scatter the determination in her heart. She glanced at Kanade, her gaze steady and unwavering.

Even as the setting sun painted the horizon with hues of gold and crimson, its beauty paled in comparison to the boy walking beside her. To Kato Megumi, the fleeting radiance of the sunset was insignificant—her entire focus rested on the figure of Natsukawa Kanade.