132. Encounter. Continuation.

Once Megumi Kato had left, Jiang Yu no longer suppressed his curiosity. He looked toward Kyoko Kato and asked with a puzzled expression, "Kato-san... what is your relationship...?"

"Did you not hear how Megumi addressed me just now, Jiang-kun? 'Auntie,' of course! Besides, I believe I mentioned to you when we first met that I had a niece attending Toyogasaki. I never imagined you two would actually know each other."

As she spoke, Kyoko Kato looked Jiang Yu up and down, offering an explanation. However, there was something about that gaze... it made Jiang Yu feel quite strange.

Feeling uneasy under her scrutiny, Jiang Yu coughed twice, turned his head slightly to break their eye contact, and said, "I didn't know Kato back then, did I? Probably..."

At the same time, Jiang Yu silently grumbled to himself: Is Japan really this small? How is it possible that I have acquaintances in the two places I frequent most (school and the cafe)? Shouldn't my social skills be terrible? My character settings are falling apart!

Just as he was lost in these stray thoughts, Jiang Yu suddenly saw Kyoko Kato stand up, circle around from behind her desk, and approach with a heavy, bowed head.

Then, Kyoko Kato took a few quick steps and reached out with her right hand, aiming straight for Jiang Yu's left shoulder. Seeing this, Jiang Yu instinctively stepped back, attempting to evade her grasp.

Unfortunately, his minor evasive maneuver was a beat too slow, especially since Kyoko Kato had lunged forward with a large stride, rendering his futile effort completely meaningless.

With his left shoulder captured, Jiang Yu honestly stopped moving. He didn't really think Kyoko Kato would do anything to endanger his life. He merely looked up at the chandelier on the ceiling, let out a soft sigh, and asked with a hint of helplessness, "...What are you doing?"

Kyoko Kato released his shoulder and stepped back slightly. Her black pupils, identical to Megumi Kato’s, were filled with longing, and her eyes and brows brimmed with irrepressible curiosity.

Jiang Yu heard her say, with a hint of excitement, "I'm just so curious! I know a bit about Megumi's situation, but how did you two become friends? Jiang-kun, can you really notice her?"

Don't imitate Chitanda, you jerk! And what is this "can you really notice her" business? Since you already know about Kato's subtle presence issues, you elders should be putting in more effort!

"It—it was an accidental meeting. It's almost time, so I'm going to go change now!" Having said that, Jiang Yu hurriedly turned around, pushed the door open, and walked out, as if some unpredictable disaster would occur if he were even a second late.

Hearing this, Kyoko Kato checked the time on her phone. She didn't stop him, but watched his retreating back with a look of regret, muttering something to herself.

After leaving the office and heading straight for the changing room, Jiang Yu leaned his back against the wall, exhaling a long breath as he tried to calm his turbulent heart.

Auntie... huh? Is Japan really this small? How is it possible that the niece of my workplace boss is a fellow member of my club?

And I hadn't noticed at all before... Kato, is your stealth skill, or rather, your "Akarin" field, truly at max level?

Shaking his head to clear his wandering thoughts, Jiang Yu quickly changed into his work suit. He took a deep breath, opened the changing room door, and then...

"...Yo. Hello, Kato."

Standing before him was the bob-haired girl, holding a tray, seemingly on her way to the kitchen. Jiang Yu could only force an awkward smile and offer a greeting.

As for why this happened... one could only blame Kyoko Kato for setting the changing room in the hallway between the cafe lobby and the kitchen when she decorated the shop.

Megumi Kato didn't seem to expect to run into Jiang Yu here either. A flash of surprise crossed her eyes, but she maintained her usual calm demeanor and said lightly, "Let's talk later. It should be almost time for Jiang Yu-kun's shift to start. I'm going to the kitchen, so could you please move aside?"

"...Ah! Sorry..." Hearing this, Jiang Yu stepped aside and pressed himself against the wall, clearing the entire walkway for Megumi Kato.

Megumi Kato nodded at him, then headed straight for the kitchen.

Watching her back as she walked away in her maid outfit, Jiang Yu sighed, steadied himself, and headed toward the piano in the center of the stage.

What Jiang Yu failed to see was that Megumi Kato, halfway to her destination, suddenly stopped. She turned around, looked silently at his back as he walked toward the piano, shook her head slightly, and turned back to continue on her way.

After sitting down at the piano, Jiang Yu habitually scanned the room before beginning to play. Then, as if realizing something belatedly, he suddenly looked up toward the spot where a familiar figure from his memory sat.

There sat a girl with long black hair cascading down like a waterfall, a white headband resting like a cloud atop a mountain peak, adding a touch of worldly charm to her appearance.

The black-haired girl pursed her cherry-thin lips, one hand resting on the table to prop up her chin, the other on the laptop's trackpad. She wore a half-smile, clearly satisfied by Jiang Yu's look of surprise.

Avoiding the playful gaze of his unconventional senior, Jiang Yu managed a strained smile in response. He then lowered his head, swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and let his gaze turn calm once more. He placed his fingers on the black and white keys and began to play.

No matter what unexpected situation he encountered, once Jiang Yu decided to do something, he could always enter the zone quickly. This was one of the few advantages he possessed from his previous life (or so he believed).

As Jiang Yu’s fingertips applied slight pressure and depressed the first key, a soft, shallow melody began to ripple through the room like water.

The steel strings were struck by the wooden hammers, trembling as they emitted their own unique cry. The dust floating in the air seemed to shiver, cheering and dancing along.

The bright, non-glaring lights shone on Jiang Yu, seemingly casting a faint radiance over the boy focused on his performance.

Or perhaps, it was the boy himself, emitting a faint, dim glow—not particularly bright, yet soft enough to stir the heartstrings.

Utaha Kasumigaoka watched the focused boy on stage, lost in thought. Her wine-red eyes shimmered, and her fingers tapped the table unconsciously to the rhythm of the music.

The girl who had gone to the kitchen came back out, leaning against the hallway wall, watching Jiang Yu on stage, wondering what she was thinking.