Chapter 222: Megumi’s Feelings

Yuuki Asuna and Iwanaga Kotoko both blushed at that sudden direct hit and, for a moment, neither of them knew how to respond. Kato Megumi’s face also carried a faint flush, but even when caught off guard like this, she still maintained her usual calm and gentle tone.

"You really are good at making girls happy, Asagiri-kun."

Noticing the subtle jealousy hidden in Kato Megumi’s words, as well as the emphasis she put on his name at the end, Yuuki Asuna and Iwanaga Kotoko exchanged a glance. Then Yuuki Asuna smiled and said,

"Well... are you all thirsty? Kotoko and I will take Hat inside first and get some drinks."

Right after that, Yuuki Asuna and Iwanaga Kotoko led Hat Mita, who still looked completely lost and had no idea what was going on, back into the villa, leaving the beach to Asagiri and Kato Megumi.

After they left, Kato Megumi lowered her head and said softly,

"Sorry. I was like that just now... I was being willful, wasn’t I...?"

Asagiri nodded.

"You were being willful. Completely unlike your usual self."

Hearing that, a trace of sadness appeared in Kato Megumi’s eyes.

"So it really was obvious..."

Before she could say anything more, Asagiri suddenly reached out and gently rubbed her head. Then, with a smile, he changed the subject.

"But you only show that side when you’re with people you’re close to, right? So from my point of view, that isn’t a bad thing."

Kato Megumi looked up at him with the expression of a wronged little kitten.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Hmph."

Kato Megumi stood up and deliberately turned her face away from him, her hands hanging by her sides as she spoke in a soft voice.

"I’m still angry... This time, this time I definitely won’t forgive you that easily..."

Halfway through her sentence, she felt Asagiri take her hand. Instantly, the force behind her complaint weakened.

"It won’t be that easy this time..."

Before Kato Megumi could finish, Asagiri gently pulled her into his arms. Feeling the warmth of his chest and hearing his heartbeat, Kato Megumi wrapped her arms around his waist, rested her cheek against him, and whispered softly,

"Almost. Just a little more, and I can forgive you."

Kato Megumi looked up, only to see Asagiri about to kiss her. She immediately lifted her right hand and gently pressed a fair, slender index finger against his lips, pouting.

"No kissing yet. Do you know why I’m angry?"

"What kind of question is that?"

Asagiri shook his head honestly.

"Even if I have high emotional intelligence, I’m not a fortune teller. I really don’t know why you’re angry."

"Mhm..."

Kato Megumi did not get angry at that. Instead, she replied in a gentle tone,

"That’s true. If I don’t explain it clearly and only make you guess, that would be too willful of me. Isn’t direct communication better?"

"Indeed."

"Then I’ll say it directly."

Kato Megumi first gave him a gentle smile, then returned to that faintly sulking Sage Megumi mode and said with fake annoyance,

"You’ve already told Asuna and Kotoko that you like them. So when are you going to say the ’like’ you owe me from last time, and the ’like’ I owe you? When you said that line just now, you were talking to all three of us, me, Asuna, and Kotoko. But only I still haven’t said my feelings out loud. That’s unfair, and it makes me feel a little lonely..."

"I like you, Megumi."

Hearing Asagiri suddenly say it so directly, Kato Megumi’s eyes trembled slightly.

"Say it again."

Asagiri said softly,

"I like you, Kato Megumi."

"I like you too..."

Kato Megumi hugged him more tightly, stood on her toes, and kissed him.

"Asagiri."

...

Meanwhile, inside the living room of the villa, while Asagiri and Kato Megumi were confessing their feelings to each other on the beach.

"Um... Asuna, Kotoko."

Hearing Hat Mita call out to them, Yuuki Asuna looked up and saw her looking hesitant and shy. She smiled and teased her.

"What’s with you all of a sudden? Why are you acting so cautious? That’s not like you."

"Um..."

Hat Mita hesitated, took a few deep breaths, then looked up and directly faced Yuuki Asuna and Iwanaga Kotoko, who were sitting there.

"I want to sleep with Player!"

The air suddenly went silent.

Several seconds later, Iwanaga Kotoko finally reacted. She looked at Hat Mita in disbelief and asked,

"The ’sleep’ you’re talking about... you don’t just mean literally sleeping, right?"

"That’s right!"

Hat Mita clenched her fists, her eyes full of determination as if she were accepting an important mission.

"I want to become more, more, more intimate with Player!"

"Uh..."

Seeing the complicated expressions on Yuuki Asuna’s and Iwanaga Kotoko’s faces, Hat Mita quickly added,

"Of course, I’m not trying to steal your boyfriend. Player is a special existence to all of us Mitas. I just want to become closer to him. Besides, tomorrow you’re all going to play at the beach, right? Player didn’t consume too much stamina in the last Dungeon, so if one of you two goes with him tonight, you might not even be able to get out of bed tomorrow. For your first beach trip, being too tired would affect your fun, right? So let me volunteer as the vanguard and help spend some of Player’s energy first. Then tomorrow night, I can hand him back to you. How about it?"

"That’s not the real issue. To be honest, we were already mentally prepared for your relationship with him. It’s just..."

Iwanaga Kotoko studied Hat Mita thoughtfully, then got straight to the point.

"That whole speech just now doesn’t sound like something you came up with yourself. It sounds more like Kind Mita’s style."

"Yes, yes, absolutely right!"

Hat Mita nodded rapidly, smiling.

"That was the speech Kind Mita helped me come up with. She was too embarrassed to say it herself, so I, the one most familiar with you, came to say it instead~"

"I get the general idea, but..."

Yuuki Asuna frowned slightly, still confused.

"Before today, you should have had a lot of chances, right? He isn’t with us every single night. You must have had opportunities to be alone with him. So why..."

"Why didn’t I just act first and report later? No, no, no, NONONO."

Hat Mita waved her hands, crossed her arms over her chest, and said with a sweet smile,

"You are Player’s official girlfriends. As his Personas, and as his Mitas, we can’t cause trouble for Player. If I did something like that, Player would definitely tell you honestly. Even if neither of you is petty, I still need to get your permission first before taking that next step. Otherwise, wouldn’t I become a stray cat?"

After hearing Hat Mita out, Yuuki Asuna and Iwanaga Kotoko both wore rather complicated expressions.

To say she was a stray cat... Hat Mita was too simple and straightforward to have that level of scheming. But to say she had no intention of declaring war at all...

Marching up in front of the two official girlfriends and openly asking to sleep with their boyfriend was already a declaration of war in itself.

...

A short while later, inside the master bedroom on the second floor of the villa.

Asagiri, who had just finished washing up and was about to turn off the lights and sleep, suddenly saw someone quietly open the door, sneak inside, then dart straight onto the bed. The next moment, a pair of hands covered his eyes.

"Guess who I am?"

"What kind of game is this? Meta title request? Then I’ll say... a cute cat girl with a slim waist, long legs, a curvy figure, and absolute obedience to me."

"Tch... Even though I moved so fast, you still figured out my true identity..."

Hat Mita released her hands from his eyes. The blue cat ear hat was still perched on her head, and her blue gloves were still on her hands as well.

Although she had already broken free from the limitations of being a "program" after becoming Asagiri’s Persona, she firmly believed that the hat and gloves were part of her cutest features. She had no intention of taking them off.

"But aside from ’cat girl,’ you got everything right~"

Hat Mita burrowed into Asagiri’s arms like a real cat, then looked up at him with slightly flushed cheeks and a soft voice.

"Player... I asked them properly. So... can I stay tonight?"

Facing the girl in his arms, Asagiri remained calm, merely smiling faintly.

"No. At a time like this, I still have to ask Asuna, Kotoko, and Megumi for permission first."

"Don’t worry, Hat already asked~ They all agreed~"

"I know you asked. But shouldn’t I still show a proper attitude first?"

Asagiri smiled, then pulled Hat Mita more securely into his arms.

"Mm..."

Hat Mita’s body trembled lightly, and a blush spread over her soft skin.

"Player..."

The lights were quietly turned off. Beyond the curtains, the sea breeze drifted in softly, and the sound of waves echoed faintly through the night.

...

The next morning, on the beach outside the villa.

Asagiri, already changed into his swim trunks, was standing there waiting for Iwanaga Kotoko, Yuuki Asuna, and Kato Megumi to come out after changing into their swimsuits.

"Um... I’m coming out now, okay?"

Hearing Yuuki Asuna’s voice and seeing the door open by only a tiny crack, with her peeking out from inside in embarrassment, Asagiri smiled.

"Hurry up. I can’t wait."

.....

[If you don’t want to wait for the next update, read 10–50 Chapters ahead on P@treon.]

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