BlackMangaka 004: Kato Megumi
"Annoying!"
The more I thought about it, the worse the rice ball in my hand tasted.
Why am I so hung up on such trivial matters?
Well, it's simple. Because I have no money!
At school, a mid-range yakiniku set lunch costs about 500 yen. That's 15,000 yen if you buy it every day for 30 days a month. But after excluding the regular holidays—four weeks and eight days—it's actually only 11,000 yen.
If I prepare meals myself, I'm confident I can keep the cost of three meals a day under 400 yen! Adding necessary condiments like oil, salt, and vinegar, my total monthly food expenses would be about 15,000 yen.
My parents are both university professors, specializing in archaeology. Though their field is niche, they're relatively famous in academic circles, so their income isn't low.
As their son, my living expenses shouldn't be tight. I receive seven Yukichi bills (70,000 yen) each month.
That might not sound like much at first, but for a high school sophomore living alone in Tokyo, it's more than enough—even without rent to worry about.
Yet somehow, it's already mid-April, and there isn't a single Yukichi in my pocket.
"Even if your favorite character's limited-edition figure is released, you should at least think about your budget!"
I tossed the rice ball's wrapper into the trash and sighed.
Having an otaku friend like Aki Tomoya means I naturally know a lot about those hobbies.
Thanks to that association, even though I'm good-looking and have excellent grades, I don't have many friends.
While anime is a major industry in Japan, openly declaring yourself an otaku still invites a degree of social stigma.
Still, I've received a few love letters.
But back then, my only love was for my "paper wives."
I threw the letters in the trash without even checking who sent them.
"At least look to see if they're cute before tossing them!"
I shook my head, lamenting my youthful ignorance.
"I wonder when I'll hear back about my manga."
I muttered to myself while thinking about the two chapters I needed to finish today.
If you want to serialize a manga in a magazine, you need at least three chapters. This ensures you have backup material for emergencies.
Besides, the real turning point in Madoka Magica happens in the third episode!
Thinking about those high-energy scenes brought a smile to my face.
As for how I'll survive the rest of the month with so little money?
Well, I could shamelessly borrow from friends or ask my parents.
No way am I getting a part-time job. That's too much effort when there are other ways out.
When I arrived in the classroom, there were still more than 10 minutes left before class began.
As an invisible person in the class, my arrival didn't attract much attention.
Except from one person…
"I thought that car accident last week had also taken you away, Nakahara-kun."
A light, relaxed tone broke the silence.
Her words might seem sharp, but there was no malice behind them—just a faint sense of concern.
I turned to the girl sitting next to me and smiled.
"Were you worried about me, Kato-san?"
So it was Kato Megumi who took me to the infirmary.
At 177 cm tall and weighing over 130 pounds, I'm not exactly light.
Anyone who's ever tried to support a drunk person knows how hard it is to move dead weight.
Now imagine carrying a fully unconscious person.
Did she really manage to haul me all the way there?
"So, you just happened to see me and stepped in to help?"
"Nakahara-san might not know this," Kato said flatly, her tone as calm as ever, "but even if I see a stray puppy on the roadside, I'll go to the convenience store to buy it a piece of ham."
Hearing her compare me to a stray puppy made me feel… complicated.
"Since we've known each other for almost a year, I thought our relationship would be better than that of a random puppy."
She added with a small, playful smile, "But it's good to see that you're fine now. Congratulations!"
Seriously? Did she just brush me off like that?
Still, I couldn't help but chuckle at her unique way of showing concern.
Kato Megumi is one of the few people I can call a "friend."
Our friendship started about a year ago when I noticed we were both "invisible people" in the class. Feeling a sense of camaraderie, I took the initiative to talk to her, and we naturally became friends.
At least, that's how I remember it.
But now that I've regained my past-life memories, I can't help but reexamine everything I know about Kato.
If she's anything like her anime counterpart, then there's no way she became friends with me out of "mutual sympathy."
"Wait, friends?"
A thought struck me.
Have either of us ever explicitly said we're friends?
From the time we met until now, I don't think either of us has used that word.
Am I overthinking this?
"Kato-san, have we really known each other for a year?" I asked, feigning confusion.
"I thought we'd been friends for much longer than that."
Kato blinked in surprise, her usually expressionless face showing a rare hint of doubt.
She reached out and placed her hand on my forehead.
"What are you doing?" I swatted her hand away, annoyed.
"Checking if you have a fever," she said matter-of-factly. "If you're not sick, then the shock you experienced last week must've really been severe."
I rolled my eyes. "Stop messing around."
Kato tilted her head and said thoughtfully, "Well, if you want to call us friends, then I guess we are."
Her clear, steady gaze met mine as she added, "I'm sorry for what I said earlier, Nakahara-kun."
"Kato!" I said with mock seriousness. "A simple apology isn't enough to show sincerity!"
"Oh?"
"You should at least…show...b " I coughed, reconsidering my words. "Never mind."
Considering our newly established friendship, being too bold might ruin everything.