Life As Tomoya Aki Chapter 4: The Girl with a Faint Presence

Chapter 4: The Girl with a Faint Presence

Kato Megumi, a classmate of Tomoya, is a girl whose presence is mysteriously minimal.

Because of this, Tomoya has a strong impression of her; she is the girl who is often forgotten.

Even though he sometimes sees her hanging out with other female students during breaks, she gradually fades from their memories, and she seems completely indifferent to it.

In class, it’s not unusual for her name to be called during roll call without anyone reacting, not even surprised.

Sometimes, Tomoya can't help but wonder if this girl possesses some kind of magical quality that makes people forget her.

However, this neither involves him directly nor qualifies as bullying.

He simply finds it puzzling...

Upon closer observation, this classmate is quite attractive—she has well-defined features, is of average height, has smooth skin, and a body that has the right curves in the right places.

From Tomoya's aesthetic viewpoint, she is a very cute girl, yet no one pays her any attention, which is peculiar.

He can’t help but lament just how faint Megumi's presence must be in the eyes of others!

"I was just going to say that you're the strange one..."

So, as Megumi looked at him curiously, Tomoya couldn’t help but mutter quietly.

He felt that her minimal presence was what truly qualified as strange.

After all, a cute girl like her had no reason to go unnoticed.

"What did you just say, Aki-san?"

Megumi didn’t quite catch what Tomoya said earlier and tilted her head in confusion.

"Nothing at all. By the way, Kato-san, am I really that strange?"

Tomoya asked with a smile, fully aware of the answer he would likely receive.

He only posed the question to cover up the awkwardness of having had his previous remark overheard.

Megumi, looking like a detective in deep thought, placed her hand on her chin and gave Tomoya a polite smile as she examined him.

"I’m sorry, Aki-san, I meant no offense; I was just surprised that you remembered me."

Megumi was well aware that this boy was one of the three most famous students in school, never shy about his otaku identity.

Last year, he even had a conflict with the principal over wanting to showcase an anime during the school festival.

That incident drew the attention of the principal, making Tomoya a household name at the academy.

Now, he was undergoing a rapid transformation; his name was often spoken with admiration for the incredible changes he had made.

Yet, despite all that, what surprised Megumi more than anything was that Tomoya remembered her.

Since childhood, Megumi had always felt her presence was weaker than that of other children.

However, she had grown accustomed to it; sometimes, even her family would forget about her.

But the boy in front of her, whom she had interacted with only twice and who was now causing a stir in his second year of school, actually remembered her, leaving Megumi’s feelings in a state of turmoil.

"Ah, we did run into each other during spring break, and after the class assignments were confirmed, I recognized you when I saw you in class. Isn’t it only natural to learn the names of your classmates?" Tomoya replied calmly.

As he clearly stated this fact, Megumi’s eyes flashed with surprise once again.

Remembering the names of classmates wasn't unusual, but for Megumi, it felt strange—so strange that even she was taken aback.

However, Tomoya didn’t understand this and even found it somewhat perplexing.

"Oh, so you remember that? I haven't properly thanked you yet, so… thank you for helping me pick up my hat." Megumi smiled, a hint of embarrassment in her expression.

In that smile, Tomoya sensed something different.

"Is being remembered such a joyful thing? Isn’t it a bit sad?" he thought to himself, feeling a twinge of sympathy for the girl before him, who was easily overlooked yet seemed genuinely pleased to be treated normally for the first time.

He didn’t know how to respond.

“It was just a small effort on my part; it’s not a great favor,” Tomoya replied nonchalantly.

That incident had happened during spring break when he had been confused and struggling to manage his work schedule.

By coincidence, at the top of a slope, a round hat had floated into his path.

He merely picked it up and returned it to the cute girl standing amidst the drifting cherry blossoms.

That was all there was to it…

Or maybe not entirely, as that event suddenly sparked a creative desire within the bewildered Tomoya.

In this "new beginning," he was determined not to devote himself to game creation without a safety net.

Every year in Japan, countless doujin circles rise and fall for various reasons.

Want to make a game?

First, recruit a top-notch scriptwriter?

A potential ideal candidate immediately came to mind, and Tomoya couldn’t help but smile at the thought.

Then, find a top-notch artist?

Another ideal candidate popped into his head, and this time, he laughed even louder at night, prompting his parents to run upstairs and warn him to keep it down.

Later, Tomoya scolded himself, wondering if he had lost his mind!

“WTF, is this something a person would do?”

Just the thought of those two figures made him feel uncomfortable all over, leaving him extraordinarily embarrassed. He immediately dismissed the idea for the project.

After reflecting on it for a while, Tomoya decided to sever ties with his past and, as a student, to strive for himself once more.

The University of Tokyo, the top university in Japan—he had to go for it!

Therefore, his encounter with Kato Megumi during spring break wasn’t something he was particularly eager to think about.

“Even so, Aki-san, I still want to thank you properly.”

Megumi’s voice pulled Tomoya back to reality.

He nodded, accepting her gratitude, and then asked, “The homeroom teacher is looking for me. What about you, Kato-san?”

As he spoke, Tomoya returned the books he was holding to the shelf.

Noticing his actions, Megumi glanced at the book labels and couldn’t help but marvel at how much this boy had changed.

From being an otaku to a serious student, it had only taken a single spring break…

“I’m not quite sure; I was just suddenly called over by the teacher.”

Seeing Megumi's expression, Tomoya could roughly imagine what had happened.

“Thank you, I’ll take my leave now. Excuse me.”

He nodded slightly. Since the homeroom teacher had summoned him, he had no choice but to go, resigning himself to the situation as he walked toward the library’s entrance.

“Please take care,” Megumi replied, watching Tomoya leave. Despite her calm demeanor, her heart had its own turbulence.

After parting ways with her, Tomoya headed straight to the faculty office, where he not only saw the homeroom teacher of Class 2B but also a rather familiar face.

“Kasumigaoka, have you really decided not to reconsider that recommendation spot?”