Reincarnation: Yukino Yukinoshita Is My Childhood Sweetheart

Saturday.

Haru had plans to meet Yukino and the others in the afternoon, but he headed to school right after lunch.

Since it was the weekend, the school was noticeably quieter, with fewer students around. As he greeted familiar faces on his way, he mulled over the upcoming sparring session.

He had visited the karate club two days prior. The club president, a third-year student, turned out to be quite approachable.

After some digging, Haru learned that the president had once reached the top 32 in a karate competition held in Osaka—an impressive feat. Haru praised the senior for his achievements and expressed a keen interest in karate, requesting a lesson. The senior readily agreed.

"I haven't sparred with Senior Oyama yet, but based on my current [Fitness Level 7], I should be able to hold my own in a fair match."

Haru trained daily, testing his limits whenever his skills leveled up. No one understood his physical abilities better than he did.

Whether it was agility or strength, his stats far exceeded the average person. Coupled with his previous combat training, achieving a balanced match seemed entirely feasible.

As Haru stood by the baseball field, casually watching the team practice to kill time, a voice called out from behind him.

"Amamiya-kun, why are you here alone?"

The voice was soft and feminine, accompanied by a faint, pleasant fragrance. It was a mix of a girl's natural scent blended with traces of body wash and shampoo.

What surprised Haru, however, was that despite his heightened senses, he only noticed the scent and presence the moment she spoke.

He turned around swiftly—and froze.

Megumi Kato.

Her name popped into his mind immediately.

No wonder I didn't notice anything earlier.

Yu thought to himself. With her almost supernatural ability to fade into the background, she could easily be a top-tier assassin in a ninja anime.

"My club has some business to take care of, so I came early. May I ask who you are?"

Although Haru knew her name, they had never interacted before. He feigned curiosity.

"I'm Megumi Kato from Class E. I left something at school and came back to get it. When I saw you standing here alone, I thought I'd come say hi."

Her voice was calm and measured but pleasing to the ear.

"Nice to meet you, Kato-san."

Haru nodded as if just realizing who she was, though he was secretly curious about why she approached him.

"You're wondering why I'm talking to you, aren't you?" Megumi asked, seemingly reading his mind.

"Yes," Haru replied bluntly.

Megumi didn't answer right away. Her clear eyes studied his face, as if trying to make sense of something.

"Is there something on my face?" Haru asked.

She shook her head. "I'm just surprised."

"Surprised about what?"

"That you don't seem to remember me."

"?"

Haru immediately thought back to his encounters with Eriri and Utaha.

How many 2D heroines have been watching me since childhood?

Was my high jump performance really that incredible?

"Have we met before?"

He tried hard to recall but couldn't place her anywhere in his memories.

Megumi's gaze remained steady. "You were probably focused on the competition that day, so you didn't notice me."

Another case like Eriri and Utaha, huh?

Haru decided to probe further. "Did we go to the same elementary school?"

"No, but I saw you that day. I was standing right behind you."

"I see. My apologies. I must've been too engrossed in the event to notice my surroundings."

"Amamiya-kun, that's a lie~"

Megumi's calm eyes seemed to flicker with emotion as she said this lightly. "I remember a very pretty lady talking to you that day. Afterward, you spent time with an adorable girl."

"Well, technically not a lie. I didn't know that lady, and the girl you mentioned was a classmate."

Haru was genuinely surprised. Unlike Eriri and Utaha, Megumi hadn't just seen him—she had been observing him.

Standing beside him now, Megumi glanced at the energetic baseball players. "That cute girl was Yukinoshita-san, wasn't she?"

"Yeah," Haru replied.

He clearly remembered that day when Yukino handed him a handkerchief. He had joked with her out of habit, making her blush in embarrassment.

Megumi didn't continue the topic immediately.

After watching the baseball practice a little longer, she turned to Haru and asked, "Is it true that you had a conflict with a senior?"

"Yes, but it's all resolved now."

She let out a soft "Oh," adding, "Senior Takano has been acting very differently these days. He doesn't even raise his voice at classmates anymore."

Haru caught the nuance in her words. "You've been observing him?"

"Not really. I just happened to notice when I saw him."

Haru doubted her casual tone.

Changing the subject, Megumi suddenly said, "I should get going. See you around."

"Take care," Haru replied.

Yet she didn't leave.

Just as Haru was about to ask why, Megumi seemed to recall something. Tilting her head slightly, she met his gaze directly.

"Can we exchange contact information?"

The way she tilted her head, combined with her short, bobbed hair, was unexpectedly cute.

Haru couldn't think of a reason to refuse.

After all, she had brought up their childhood encounter and was friendly throughout their conversation. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that her decision to ask for his contact information only at the end wasn't entirely spontaneous.

As they exchanged numbers, Haru casually asked, "It's been over a month since school started. Why mention our childhood encounter only now? Did you just remember it?"

Megumi, busy editing his name in her contacts, answered in her usual calm tone, "I recognized you on the first day of school."

"Then why…"

"I hadn't decided on a reason to talk to you."

"And today you figured it out?"

"No. I heard about your good reputation, so I thought talking to you wouldn't need a reason. When I saw you today, I just went for it." Her answer was startlingly honest.

"…Fair enough."

This time, Megumi waved her hand lightly and walked away.

Her hair swayed gently with her steps, leaving behind a graceful, youthful image.

Haru watched her retreating figure. Their conversation had been so ordinary—so uneventful—that it felt like ripples barely formed.

Throughout the exchange, Megumi maintained a calm and composed demeanor, steering the flow of their talk effortlessly.

When Haru is facing Yukino or Utaha, he can control the rhythm of the conversation.

"She's my type as well" Haru concluded.

At 2:30 PM, Yukino and the others arrived.

Haru quickly noticed that Yui occasionally stole glances at him. When he caught her, she would blush and quickly look away.

He assumed she was still thinking about last night's "document directory" and simply greeted everyone.

The group's arrival at the karate club caused quite a stir.

After all, Haru had brought along four girls, making them the center of attention.

The karate club currently only had one female member.

"Amamiya-kun, will you come back to spar with me again?"

During the warm-up, Club President Oyama Kento grabbed Haru's arm, his face full of hope.

"If you're hoping I'll introduce you to some girls, you're out of luck," Haru replied bluntly.

To his surprise, the senior waved it off. "That's not necessary. If you come around more often, girls will naturally show up to watch."

Then, as if embarrassed, he added, "By the way, I heard you're always eager to help others. Is that true?"

Haru gave him a suspicious look. "What do you need help with?"

"How can we make our club more appealing to girls?" The senior asked with utmost sincerity.

"Sorry, I can't teach that," Haru replied with a sigh.

"But you can!" The senior's eyes burned with determination, more fervent than any streamer chasing views.

The sight of two people whispering to each other didn't go unnoticed by the onlookers.

Among them was Yukino, whose attention had been fixed on Haru since the moment they arrived.

"What are the two club presidents whispering about? It looks so secretive," a curious girl in their group asked.

Yukino shared her curiosity.

She had observed the karate club president's expression shift from eager anticipation at the start of the conversation to a mix of resignation and disappointment by the end.

When Haru returned to their group, Yukino wasted no time. "What were you two discussing? The senior's expression looked... odd."

 Haru replied matter-of-factly, "Senior Oyama wanted me to help him find a girlfriend."

As he spoke, Haru subtly glanced over at the three girls in his club.

Ever since the "Megumi Kato incident," he couldn't help but view everyone with suspicion.

Yukino noticed his strange behavior and leaned closer to ask in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

Haru lowered his voice to match hers. "Remember the coincidences with Sawamura-san and Kasumigaoka-senpai? I ran into something similar again today."

"What kind of coincidence..." Yukino trailed off mid-sentence, realization dawning on her face.

Her expression shifted, becoming serious. "Another one?"