After the performance ended, everyone prepared to head home.

Ijichi Nijika stayed behind at the live house—after all, her older sister was the owner, so she had to wait until the place closed before going home together.

The others were escorted by Shin to the subway station, where they would each take the train home.

Originally, Shin had planned to drive them back, but there were too many people, and his car couldn't fit everyone comfortably, so he gave up on the idea.

It wasn't like he could just use Instant Transmission to send them all home one by one, right? The others still didn't know about his "supernatural abilities."

"See you tomorrow, Shin..."

Gotou Hitori waved at him from inside the subway, a slightly peculiar smile on her face.

Nowadays, Gotou Hitori no longer acted as timid and hesitant around Shin as she used to—though her smile was still a bit odd.

But that was only because she hadn't smiled much in the past, so her expressions still seemed a little unnatural. It wasn't like her smile carried any strange intentions.

Shin waved back as the subway departed.

Now, the only one left by his side was Kato Megumi. He turned to her and asked curiously,

"Megumi, is there something you wanted to talk to me about?"

Indeed, Shin knew which area Megumi lived in—but the subway stop near her home had already passed, and she hadn't made any move to get off.

So, he guessed that she must have something to say, which was why she had stayed behind after seeing everyone else off, leaving just the two of them alone.

"You're really sharp, Shin."

Megumi's expression remained as calm as ever, her faint smile giving no hint of her deeper thoughts.

"Do you remember, Shin? You once said that sooner or later, I'd also move out and live separately from my parents."

Hearing this, Shin immediately recalled the memory.

It wasn't long after he had awakened the "Infinite Terror VR Game." One rainy day after school, he had brought Megumi to his house to take shelter from the rain.

At the time, Megumi had been surprised that Shin was already living alone at such a young age, and he had casually mentioned that she would eventually do the same.

Who would've thought that such an offhand remark would stick with her so clearly? In fact, Shin himself might have forgotten about it if more time had passed.

"I did say that... So what? Are you planning to move out too?"

"That's the idea. I've mentioned before, haven't I? Sometimes I think, 'It'd be nice to have my own private space.'"

A serene smile lingered on Megumi's face as she looked at Shin with a hint of anticipation in her eyes.

"So... does your place have a spare room for me?"

Seeing her expression, Shin immediately understood her intention—she wanted to move in with him.

Come to think of it, in the original work, Megumi's parents were quite open-minded about this sort of thing and didn't mind her moving out at a young age.

Perhaps they trusted that Megumi wasn't the type to make impulsive decisions. They had faith in her judgment.

"While I did say you'd eventually leave your parents and live on your own..."

Shin grinned teasingly.

"'Over a decade early' is pushing it, don't you think?"

"That was *my* line, Shin. Don't use my own words to tease me."

Megumi sighed. "'Over a decade early is pushing it'" was exactly what she had said in response to Shin's remark that day.

At first, she thought he might have forgotten their conversation from that rainy afternoon. But now, it seemed he remembered it clearly—which secretly pleased her a little.

"If it's about a room, my place definitely has plenty to spare... But are you sure about this, Megumi?"

Noticing the faint happiness in her expression, Shin continued.

"You've visited my place before. You already know what it's like, right?"

Right now, the one thing Shin's home didn't lack was space. His mansion had plenty of unused rooms, so setting aside one for Megumi wouldn't be a problem.

But Megumi had already been to his house and met the other girls living there.

She wasn't stupid—she had to have noticed that the relationships between those girls and Shin weren't exactly ordinary.

Yet she still brought up the idea of moving in. That alone told Shin that she had likely already prepared herself mentally.

"...Of course. I'm not letting you off that easily, Shin."

Megumi understood what he meant, but she had no intention of backing down. Instead, she looked at him with a slightly provocative glint in her eyes.

Though her expressions were usually unreadable, the occasional flicker of emotion in her gaze could be surprisingly alluring.

"So, when do you plan to move in? Surely not today, right?"

Seeing that she was resolved, Shin didn't press further. Instead, he glanced down at Megumi's hands.

All she was carrying was her school bag—no luggage or anything else. Clearly, she hadn't brought any belongings with her.

"Hmm... probably in the next couple of days. I'll need to go back and pack properly first."

After a brief pause, Megumi smiled.

Though she wanted to move in as soon as possible—that way, she could spend more time with Shin—she couldn't very well bring her things over before getting his approval.

She had been fairly confident he wouldn't refuse, but what if something unexpected happened and she couldn't move in right away? Carrying luggage around for no reason would just be a hassle.

"Then let me take you home. Should I drive you?"

Now that he knew why Megumi had stayed behind, Shin offered.

With just her left, he could easily drive her back.

In fact, he was even considering using Instant Transmission to take her home right then and there.

After all, once Megumi moved in, she'd quickly realize that his household wasn't just made up of humans—Tohru and Kanna were dragons.

Exposure to supernatural abilities would be inevitable at that point, so using Instant Transmission now could be considered an early adjustment.

"No need. I'll take the subway back."

But Megumi, not wanting to trouble him, simply shook her head.

Before leaving, however, she stood on her tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss to his lips.

"You comforted everyone in Kessoku Band today, but you haven't comforted me yet—consider this my compensation."

With that light kiss, Megumi's cheeks tinged faintly pink as she turned and walked away.

To be continued…

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