"Huh?! Kato-san is moving in with Shin?!"
Inside the Paranormal Research Club's room, Hitori Gotō's shocked voice echoed.
After a leisurely morning of classes, their usual lunch group had gathered once again in the small clubroom. The atmosphere had been as harmonious as ever as they chatted about recent developments and class affairs—until Megumi Kato casually mentioned her plans to move into Shin's home.
"Mm. Shin-kun and I talked about it before. He said that one day, I'd have to leave my parents and live independently. I thought it made sense."
Facing the stares of the other girls, Megumi Kato remained perfectly calm, as if her words weren't anything shocking.
"So I discussed it with my family, and they were happy for me to learn self-reliance. They gave me permission to move out."
It had to be said—Megumi Kato's parents were incredibly lax. They hadn't even met Shin before, yet they'd casually allowed their daughter to move in with a boy.
Of course, it might've been because Megumi Kato had always been so dependable that her parents trusted she wouldn't do anything reckless.
Though Shin himself felt he was obviously a dangerous person—after all, he'd already devoured Megumi Kato completely.
"R-Really…?"
Eriri was utterly dumbfounded by Megumi Kato's declaration. Strangely enough, her reasoning did make some sense.
For these sheltered girls, the idea of independent living was already an alluring concept.
No parents to nag them, complete freedom to do whatever they wanted—staying up late, snacking at night without scolding—just thinking about it was thrilling.
Unfortunately, most parents would never agree to something so outrageous. At the very least, Eriri was certain that Eriri's mother, Sayuri, would never permit it.
Only Megumi Kato's parents would indulge her like this.
And more importantly… both Eriri and Hitori Gotō knew exactly what kind of person Shin was.
If Megumi Kato moved in with him, it was impossible to believe nothing would happen between them.
Eriri herself had already been intimate with Shin and knew full well he was a carnivorous type. Once Megumi Kato lived with him, it wouldn't be long before they reached negative distance.
As for Ikuya , she'd known for a while that Shin and Megumi Kato had already done it. Once they lived together, wouldn't they be going at it day and night?
Among the girls present, only Gotō Hitori was still clueless, completely unaware of why the mood had suddenly turned so tense.
Ignorance truly was bliss—at least Gotō Hitori didn't have to feel distressed over this.
"That's so nice… Too bad my parents would never let me move out while still in high school."
Though she envied Megumi Kato getting to live with Shin, Ikuyo Kita knew her own parents would never agree.
She nibbled at her bento in frustration, wondering if there was any way to convince them.
Despite her outgoing personality and many friends, Ikuyo had a history of unreliable decisions—like when she'd first joined Kessoku Band, intending to buy a guitar but accidentally purchasing a bass instead. She'd only recovered thanks to Yamada Ryō buying it off her.
Given her track record, her parents would never trust her to live alone.
"Same with my family…"
Eriri sighed. Her situation was even more extreme.
Sayuri Sawamura seemed to have already sensed something—whenever Eriri mentioned Shin, her mother would grow visibly tense.
So Eriri could already imagine how she would react if she said she wanted to move in with Shin.
After echoing Ikuyo's sentiment, she glanced curiously at Gotō Hitori.
"What about your parents, Gotō-san?"
"Eh? M-Me…?"
Gotō Hitori froze. She'd never actually considered moving in with Shin.
Eriri and Ikuyo were only thinking this way because they knew living with Shin would inevitably lead to physical developments in their relationship.
Gotō Hitori, however, was far more innocent—she hadn't even considered that possibility.
Though she did want to grow closer to Shin, she hadn't thought about that kind of closeness.
Still, since Eriri had asked, she pondered for a moment before answering:
"Well… my family probably wouldn't trust me to live alone either. But if it's with Shin-kun, they might actually agree?"
She thought about her parents and younger sister—they all seemed quite interested in Shin.
Her mother, Gotō Michiyo, often remarked at home that she'd "already trust Hitori to Shin-kun's care," which never failed to make Gotō Hitori blush furiously.
Considering their attitude, she figured her family wouldn't object if she said she was moving in with Shin.
In fact, they might even throw a grand farewell party, celebrating her first step out of her social anxiety shell.
---
After lunch, Shin was pulled aside by Eriri.
"So you're really living with Kato now?"
In the now-empty clubroom, Eriri's voice carried a hint of jealousy.
"Pretty much. What, didn't you hear at lunch?"
Shin smirked at her—Eriri had never been to his place, so she didn't know the full situation.
His home already had more girls than just Megumi Kato. If she was going to be jealous, she shouldn't focus on just one.
"Did you keep me here just to confirm that?"
"Of course not."
Eriri rolled her eyes, then fidgeted slightly before speaking.
"Actually… I wanted to ask if you're free soon. My mom said she'd like to invite you over for dinner."
Though Eriri thought Shin and her mom had already met at the comic convention, a home visit would be more formal.
In other words—a classic meet-the-parents scenario.
Sayuri Sawamura Of course, in reality, Shin and Sayuri had already crossed paths at that café beneath the hotel.
"Soon? How about tomorrow?"
Shin stroked his chin in thought before answering.
Tonight was definitely out—he had to help Megumi Kato move her things.
To be continued…
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