All the Heroines are my Ex-girlfriends

Chapter 44: Kato Megumi: I'll Take Responsibility!

Since she said she would take responsibility, Kato Megumi followed Yukima Azuma back to his home.

The process left Yukima Azuma quite surprised.

He pulled out his keys and opened the large door of the apartment.

"Sorry for the trouble," Kato Megumi said as she stepped into the foyer.

Yukima Azuma glanced down the hallway toward the living room, and upon seeing that there were no small shoes belonging to Kasumigaoka-senpai, he suddenly remembered.

Earlier, Kasumigaoka Utaha had mentioned that she would be busy with work, promoting her fourth book at the Fushikawa publishing house. She would be home late and might not even have dinner here.

"It looks like Azuma-san's tenant isn't home?"

Kato Megumi looked into the empty living room, her gaze finally resting on the coffee machine in the kitchen.

"Yeah, that person has work today and won't be back until later."

Yukima Azuma replied truthfully.

He took a new pair of cherry blossom-colored slippers from the shoe cabinet.

Luckily, after the incident with Sora Ginko stepping on his slippers, Yukima Azuma had prepared some new pairs, and now was the time they came in handy.

Kato Megumi took the slippers and smiled softly.

She placed the pure white cat on the floor.

The cat cautiously looked around. Once it sensed no danger, it began sniffing around.

Kato Megumi and Yukima Azuma then found an empty room on the first floor.

After preparing essentials like a cat bed, climbing toys, and a litter box, Yukima Azuma continued with his tasks.

Once the litter was in place, he started to feel anxious.

"How do I teach it to use the litter box? If it goes everywhere… it'll be such a hassle."

He thought about Kasumigaoka Utaha's likely annoyed expression and felt a headache coming on.

"Hmm, it's not difficult," Kato Megumi said, stepping out of the room and bringing the cat back inside.

She placed it in the litter box.

Then, Kato Megumi took a cup of water from a corner of the room and poured it over the litter.

She continued by gently taking the cat's two small paws and started digging in the litter.

After just a few scoops, the cat instinctively began covering its waste.

Seeing this, Kato Megumi let go of its paws and clapped her hands together.

"Cats have an instinct to bury their waste to hide the scent and avoid detection by enemies. It's in their nature—just a little stimulation, and they do it right away."

Yukima Azuma clapped his hands in praise.

"Megumi-san, you're really good at this."

"It's nothing special. I just watched a few videos on YouTube to learn," Kato Megumi said, watching as the cat finished burying its waste and jumped out of the litter box.

She then took a toy wand from the new cat playset, opened the packaging, and handed it to the cat.

"You need to create a reward-and-punishment system. That way, it's easier to train a cat."

"Should we give it a name?" Kato Megumi asked, offering the cat some food as she looked up at Yukima Azuma.

Yukima Azuma nodded.

"Do you have any ideas, Megumi-san?"

"Since it's your adopted cat, Azuma-san, I think you should name it."

"Hmm..." Yukima Azuma looked at the cat and thought for a moment. "How about Shiratamaru?"

And so, the name Shiratamaru was decided.

"Shiratamaru, be a good cat," Kato Megumi called its name and gently scratched its chin.

Shiratamaru clearly wasn't used to its name yet.

However, it let out a happy "grr-grr" sound when Kato Megumi scratched it.

After settling everything for Shiratamaru, Yukima Azuma glanced at the clock and couldn't help but exclaim.

"It's late, past dinner time already."

It was inevitable; after class, they had to go to the animal rescue station, then wait for the cat to be bathed. It had taken up a lot of time.

"Stay and have dinner with me," Yukima Azuma suggested.

"Sure, is there anything I can help with?" Kato Megumi asked.

"Do you know how to cook, Megumi-san?"

"Just a little."

They both walked into the kitchen.

Kato Megumi's "just a little" was clearly very modest.

Although she was only assisting, her handling of the ingredients was swift and efficient, and the quality was excellent.

Sometimes, as soon as Yukima Azuma reached for something, she knew exactly which seasoning to hand him without needing to be told.

Though it was their first time working together, they were in perfect sync.

Before long, a full meal, full of flavor, was set on the table.

"Azuma-san, you're really good at cooking. And you're great at Chinese dishes, too," Kato Megumi said, admiring the spread on the table.

Yukima Azuma glanced at his cooking skill chart and saw he had reached level 6 in cooking. He nodded.

"Well, it seems that way. Actually, I'm not very familiar with some traditional Japanese dishes. I prefer Chinese food more."

"I can't drink coffee either. I only like tea."

Kato Megumi's unexpected comment almost made Yukima Azuma choke.

His gaze shifted toward the manual coffee maker beside him.

He once again felt that familiar sense of not knowing how to respond, just like before.

Kato Megumi... really is impressive!

.....

After finishing their meal, they both went back into the kitchen to wash the dishes.

To be honest, Yukima Azuma hadn't washed dishes in quite a while.

Since Kasumigaoka Utaha moved in, Yukima Azuma did all the cooking while Kasumigaoka Utaha took care of the dishes.

"It's getting late, I should be heading back," Kato Megumi said.

"Aren't you staying overnight?" Yukima Azuma asked.

"It feels a little... strange, staying over at Azuma-san's house for the first time," Kato Megumi replied.

"I was just asking out of courtesy. Don't refuse so seriously! No matter how many times you come, staying overnight at a boy's house still seems a little…" he trailed off.

"Well... if it's with you, Azuma-san, I guess it wouldn't be a problem," she added, her voice trailing off slightly.

Upon hearing Kato Megumi's murmured response, Yukima Azuma wasn't sure how to reply.

But before she left, Yukima Azuma reached out and handed Kato Megumi something.

Kato Megumi took it, her jasmine-like eyes glinting slightly.

"Could this be...?"

"Yes, it's the key to the apartment. I might need to ask for your help sometimes."

Yukima Azuma had only just realized how busy he had been lately as they ate.

"Actually, I'm still a professional player, and sometimes I have to go compete. I might not be able to take care of Shiratamaru, so I may need your help looking after it occasionally."

"Also, with the club... tomorrow I might have to stay late for club activities. Could you come by to feed Shiratamaru?"

Kato Megumi listened and nodded thoughtfully.

"I see. So, that's why you asked for time off yesterday?"

"Are you paying that much attention to these things?" Yukima Azuma asked, a little surprised.

"Yes, Azuma-kun, don't worry. I told you, I'll take responsibility," Kato Megumi affirmed.

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Happy new year, Wishing you a healthy and a good new start.

P/S: My country uses Lunar New Year so I forgot about it

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