The next day, Nagato arrived at the bus stop in the appointed time. Megumi was already waiting for him there.
"Good morning, Megumi-san"
"Oh- G-Good morning, Nagato-senpai!" She hadn't noticed his arrival, but was glad that he came.
"Did you have a good breakfast?"
"Yeah, I guess"
"I'm asking cause there's always food at my family's house, just in case you feel hungry..."
"I'm fine for now" Megumi tried to act cool, but she was really happy that someone cared about her.
The bus arrived a couple seconds later, so they hopped on to get to Hinamizawa.
Some people looked strange at them, but nobody dared to say anything.
As the city disappeared and more vegetation was in sight, the two students looked out the window to gaze at the outside.
Once they arrived in Hinamizawa, they got off along with a handful of people and walked through the dusty road.
"It's very different from Okinomiya" Megumi pointed out.
"Yeah. My parents say that in their youth the city was a lot smaller than it is now, but as the years went by, more people moved to the area and the city continued growing. On the other hand, Hinamizawa remained almost the same size, and it still has its village atmosphere!"
"I see. The surroundings are really beautiful"
"Yeah, I really used to play around them a lot when I was a kid"
"I assume you have friends here"
"To be blunt, I only have one friend in the village. Well, at least that is not blood related, cause I have a cousin that lives here as well, but she is more of a sister than a friend to me"
"I see"
"Do you have any siblings Megumi-san?"
"No... Not anymore..." Her eyes seemed as empty as an endless cosmic void.
"Oh, I... I'm sorry to hear that"
"Don't worry. It's not like you can feel my pain anyway. No one does"
"Megumi..." Nagato was surprised that the girl was so full of despair.
"However..." She looked him in the eye. "Even if you can't share my pain, you've been good towards me. I wouldn't call you a friend right away, but I do like you Nagato, although you're not N"
"I see. Well, I think you're a nice person too. I am quite solitary myself, so I know more or less how you feel at school, but if you have no friends... I guess, I wouldn't mind being your first..." He put his hands in his pockets as he said that.
"I think it's a bit soon..." She looked away.
"Heh..."
"But given my current situation, I guess I don't have much of a choice" She looked back.
"There's no need... No need to rush!"
"No. I want to have at least someone... Someone to rely on"
"Megumi-san..." He was surprised at first, but then he smiled. "Don't worry, anything you need, I'll at least try to help you with it"
"Thanks, Nagato-senpai"
"Man, could you drop that of Senpai already? It's kinda bothering"
"It would be disrespectful to call an upperclassman by his name alone"
"Then, what about Nagato-kun?"
"I still think that calling you that is a bit rude..."
"Whatever, suit yourself then"
They walked for another while until Nagato stopped in front of a large gate with "Sonozaki" engraved in a stone tablet on the side. It was the entrance to the Sonozaki Estate.
"This is it"
"Your family has a big house" She looked at the size of the manor.
"Yeah. But my parents didn't buy this house. The manor has been passed through the Sonozaki family for generations"
"I see. Is your father at home at this time?"
"Yeah, he works at night, so he should be about to go to bed"
Nagato opened the gate with his keys and walked to the building followed by Megumi, who was inspecting her surroundings. They entered the house moments after.
Inside it was really quiet. Nagato continued going further inside while Megumi caught glance of a couple pictures laying on a wooden table.
"Tousan!" He surprised him.
"Wow, now this is a surprise! What brings you here today Nagato?" Amuro was drinking a glass of water in the dining room and seemed happy to see him.
The two sat in the japanese style floor.
"I have kind of an odd feeling about something"
"Huh? How's that?"
"Well, the other day Mikoto said that she had given me a call last saturday, but I did not remember such a thing. I was surprised to find that what she said was true, but I passed it off as something trivial..."
"It does sound trivial so far..." Amuro agreed.
"...But it didn't matter how hard I tried to remember, it was as if my mind had erased that memory, and it didn't end there. Things got weirder after she appeared" Nagato pointed Megumi who was entering the room.
"Pleased to meet you, I am Asahara Megumi" She saluted.
"N-Nagato! I-Is she...?" Amuro was speechless as he pointed at her.
"She isn't my girlfriend! Geez, why would I tell you that story just to introduce her?"
"Sorry, it's just that it's the first time I see you with an outsider that's not Himiko-chan..." Amuro apologized.
"Hi-Mi-ko" Megumi coldly repeated to herself as she sat in the floor as well.
"Going back to our main topic, the reason I decided to bring her is because she witnessed a very odd phenomena"
"That somehow is connected to your suspected memory-loss?" Amuro predicted.
"Exactly. Megumi-san, would you mind telling him what happened last saturday?"
"Alright" She agreed. "I think it was about, five PM that day, I was playing Beatmania at the local Arcade, when I noticed that someone was playing DDR in a fierce manner"
"DDR? Oh, that dancing game with the four arrows!" Amuro seemed to remember.
"Yeah. I became curious about him, so I got closer. After he finished his round, he noticed me and invited me to play as well. There was no competition, but he helped me and gave me tips to improve. I had never met someone of such... Warm nature before, so I asked for his name, but he was evasive about that"
"Call me N" She remembered hearing him say.
"However, he did offer to share his number with me, so I accepted and gave him mine as well, and I remember him adding my contact"
"I see. Where do things get strange though?" Amuro inquired.
"On Monday when I went to school, I was very happy to find N at the school cafeteria. However, when I talked to him, he told me that he didn't know me. Due to past experiences, I thought that your son was being rude to me on purpose, but I am quite familiar with that anyway, so I decided to leave"
"Wait a second. So you mistook this N guy for Nagato?"
"Yes, I forgot to mention that they look almost the same. Their only difference is that N's fringe covers his other eye, so I thought he had green eyes" Megumi clarified.
"I see..." Amuro seemed a bit uneasy.
"After that deal at the cafeteria happened, I couldn't just let things fly. I decided to wait for Megumi-san and ask her what the hell had happened. After hearing her story, I thought that it was all just a bad joke, since I never go to the Arcade, but it seems that it was true" Nagato showed his father the contact of Asahara Megumi in his phone. "This was on my phone for some reason, and I can swear that I had never spoken to Megumi-san before"
"I also felt that Nagato-senpai was very different from N and that he wasn't lying about not having met me" Megumi added.
"And looking back, I think that Mikoto's call was around the time Megumi says she met me, or N, or... Whatever..." The whole deal was tiring him out.
"I understand. So you came to me looking for answers?" Amuro smiled.
"Honestly, I came asking for help, but if you know something, I'd be happy if you told me. After all, you always know about magic and stuff"
"Alright. You see Nagato, I think I know what's happening, but there's something I'd like to confirm..."
"What is it?"
"Have you looked at yourself in the mirror recently?"
"Huh? No, I... I don't think I have..." It seemed like an odd question.
"I see... Would you mind showing me the eye you're covering?"
"Okay..."
As he moved his green fringe to uncover his eye, Megumi noticed that something wasn't right.
"Nagato-senpai, you told me that you had a purple eye and a green one, didn't you?" She asked.
"Yeah, it has always been like that..." Nagato repeated.
"No. It's just that you cannot remember..." Amuro revealed.
"What?!" He was caught of guard. "Wait... What do you... What do you mean? Haha" He thought he was teasing him.
"To be honest, I never thought such a thing would happen back then. But it seems that my actions had more consequences than I thought..."
"Tousan, what are you saying?"
"That there's something I've been hiding from you" Amuro had a look of distaste.
"What? Is that true?" Nagato didn't believe his ears.
"I gotta admit that, it is"
"But... Why?"
"Because it would be such an unbearable pain that I didn't want you to remember..."
"Tousan... What... What happened?"
"You... You weren't always an only child, Nagato"
"What the...?"
"I still remember the day your mother gave birth... We were so happy... As happy as we could ever be..." Amuro smiled with joy as he remembered. "And it was an even greater surprise when we found out that it was two children... What a shock that was..."
"You mean I... I had a twin?"
"We gave him the name... Nagito, since the probability of having twins is so low, your mother thought that luck was a fitting title for that unexpected second child, as well as the fact that it sounded similar to Nagato"
Both Nagato and Megumi were speechless.
"For seven years, you lived happily. I remember how you would play all day together. It was amazing that even when you two looked the same, you were in fact quite different when it came to art. You, Nagato, were always a musical prodigy; Nagito, on the other hand, could paint and draw beautifully without much effort. You would ask him to draw your favourite characters from Anime and Manga, while he would ask you to play his favourite songs on koto"
"But... That makes no sense! How come I don't have any memories of him?!"
"That is..." Amuro had difficulty explaining that part. "You see, a tragedy occurred on your 7th birthday"
"Huh?"
"Up to this day, we don't know what happened... But that day, that April 14... Nagito was fatally wounded and you were brought here unconscious"
"What kind of wound was it?!"
"He had been stabbed, and by the shape of the wound I concluded that it was no normal knife, it was a ceremonial dagger"
"As if... Someone tried to sacrifice him for a ritual?" Megumi asked.
"Exactly. However, he managed to escape somehow, and also brought an unconscious Nagato in his arms back home. It seems they were on the forest, but that is just an assumption, Nagito was too weak to tell me anything more than..."
An image of the tragic moment appeared in Amuro's mind.
"Tousan, Kasan... I love you. Don't worry... I'll always be watching over... Nagato..." Nagito said as his green eyes were losing colour.
Amuro's eyes let a pair of tears escape. The face he made indicated that he hated crying, but remembering that terrible moment forced his eyes to give up to the emotion.
"Tousan..." Nagato put his hand on his father's shoulder.
"I'm alright..." He smiled again. "It's just that... No father should ever bury his son"
Megumi and Nagato felt moved by his words.
"And that's why..." Amuro continued. "That's why I decided that I wouldn't let Nagito die that day"
"No way..." Nagato couldn't make sense of those words.
"I used all the Mana I had in my body to cast a spell that allowed me to deposit Nagito's soul inside your body, Nagato"
"Mana?" Megumi repeated.
"Magical energy. There's no point in hiding it now, after what you've seen. You can try all you want to find a scientific answer to this as well, but you won't find any" Amuro replied.
"No, I believe you"
"So, all those stories about Demons and Gods were... That was all true?" Nagato asked him.
"Every one of them"
"Damn..."
"But going back to the important, from the very first moment Nagito's Soul was within you, your eyes changed. Ever since then, you've had those different coloured eyes, one belonging to you and the other to Nagito"
"So N is... Nagito?" Megumi asked.
"That's what I suspect" Amuro answered.
"But, how did I lose my memory?" Nagato asked.
"Well, that's something I don't know even today. After you woke up that day, you had lost every memory of your twin. Because of that, we told everyone to pretend that Nagito had never existed while they were with you. I thought of telling you as you grew up, but you seemed so happy now, that I thought that telling you the truth wouldn't be beneficial in any way"
"Goddammit!" Nagato cursed as he hardly pressed his fist against his leg.
"I-I'm sorry..."
"Like, I understand you... But still, a part of me is angry that you guys lied to me all these years... I feel like an idiot"
"Nagato-" Amuro tried to comfort him but was interrupted.
"Nagato-senpai..." Megumi looked him in the eyes. "You shouldn't feel down because of this. Sometimes the truth is harsh, but if you look at the bright side of things, your brother is alive, and he exists within you" She smiled at him.
"Megumi-san... T-Thank you" Nagato seemed to cheer up a little seeing her beautiful face comforting him.
"It seems you've made good friends in the city, Nagato" Amuro was happy.
"Yeah... Even though I met her yesterday, haha"
"I don't understand the reason Nagito appeared after so long..." Amuro muttered.
"I don't understand either. But it seems that when he does, I lose memory of anything that happens while he is in control"
"Has something abnormal or odd happened in the city recently, maybe at school?"
"Not that I recall" Nagato replied.
Amuro looked at Megumi and she shook her head.
"*sigh* I guess we don't have enough information to elaborate a theory then..." He drank the last sip of the glass of water.
"Are you going to bed now?" Nagato asked his father.
"I think I should. *yawn* It was quite a night..."
"What do you work at?" Megumi asked him.
"He's oblivious sometimes, but I doubt he really says it..." Nagato thought as his father opened his mouth.
"I'm a Yakuza boss in this area" Amuro smiled.
"He said it!" Nagato couldn't believe it.
"I see" Megumi replied stoic.
"And she's totally calm about it!" Nagato was at his limit.
"Welp, if you guys will excuse me, I gotta go to bed" Amuro stood up and staryed leaving. "And again, I'm sorry, Nagato"
"Don't worry, I'm fine now... Where's mom?"
" Oh, she's at the shrine planning Watanagashi with Rika-chan, I mean Furude-san" Amuro slipped.
"Oh. Maybe I could go there and visit Furude-obasan"
"Heh, I bet you guys aren't going back to school for the day..."
"Absolutely not. That's why I'm gonna show Megumi-san around the village"
"Hahaha. Well, have fun, I'll go grab some Zs"
"Goodbye, Sonozaki-san" Megumi told him.
"Bye, Megumi-san, it was a pleasure. Please take good care of Nagato (I know he can be a bit difficult at times, but I'm sure you'll manage). If Nagito shows up, just make sure he doesn't interact with random people. If it's family or friends they'll understand, but I can't say the same of other people"
"I understand"
Amuro left the dining room and went to his and Mion's bedroom.
"Should we go to the shrine then?" Nagato invited.
"I'd be glad to" She smiled but looked away a bit embarrassed.
"Well, we got a whole day to enjoy everything Hinamizawa has to offer. Just... Try not to get lost"
"Alright"
They left the Sonozaki Estate and walked to the other side of the village, so Megumi continued to enjoy herself with the country breeze and the sight of the peaceful site.
Once they arrived at the shrine, they climbed the stairs to the top.
Sitting there were Mion and Rika talking. Rika was as tall as Bernkastel, but had grown a pair of breasts her counterpart didn't manage to obtain (to get an idea, watch the start of the second episode of Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni Kira).
"Oi, Kasan!" He walked towards her.
"Huh?" Mion was talking when she heard her son's voice calling. "N-Nagato?! How in the world...?"
"It turns out I had more important stuff than school today, so I paid a visit"
"Hi, Nagato-kun. You've grown quite a bit since last time" Rika told him.
"Is that so? I see myself the same as always"
"Well, I didn't see you since last year, so I guess I'm able to tell the difference"
"If you say so Furude-obasa-" He received a hit in the head.
"Fu-ru-de-san" Rika gave him a grim look as she corrected the way to address her.
"Sorry, sorry, Furude-san! Geez..."
"By the way, Nagato... Who's that cute girl behind you?" Mion asked.
"Is she your girlfriend? Nagato, you're such a stud..." Rika teased him.
"Sorry for not introducing myself, I just couldn't find the right time. I'm Asahara Megumi, a... friend, of Nagato-senpai" She still wasn't used to that fact.
"Nice to meet you, Megumi-san. I'm Sonozaki Mion, Nagato's mother. It's a pleasure meeting you"
"And I'm Furude Rika, a family friend. Nice to meet you"
"It's a pleasure for me as well" Megumi politely replied.
"I'm always happy to meet Nagato's friends, mostly because he isn't very good at making them" Mion said bluntly.
"I'm not very good at that either, but I don't really care... I believe Nagato is the same"
"Even if he is, it's good to have people worth your time and trust" She smiled at her.
"I understand"
"So you are not Nagato-kun's girlfriend? Too bad... I was hoping you'd be" Rika said.
"Rika-san what are you saying? We've only known each other for two days!" Nagato replied.
"Two days? And you're friends already? Good, it's only a matter of time then..." She whispered with a naughty look on her face.
"Whatever... I'm gonna show Megumi-san around. Do you mind if we enter the Saiguden as well?"
"No, it's open. You two are old enough to not be frightened by the tools in there" Rika replied.
"Thanks, Rika-san"
"Thanks" Megumi said as well.
They were about to leave, but Mion stopped them.
"Wait, Nagato" She said with a sweet voice.
"Huh, what is it?"
Mion punched him in the head.
"Nghh..." He made a sound of pain.
"That's for skipping class" She gave him a grim look.
"I was expecting something like that anyway" He was smiling, though it did hurt.
"Well... Be at home for lunch, ok?"
"Yes ma'am"
This time nothing stopped them from continuing the tour.
Nagato guided Megumi towards the Saiguden.
"This is a very old building that contains ceremonial tools used by the villagers from ages ago during Watanagashi. You see, today, the meaning of that word has been changed to cotton drifting, but originally, it meant intestine harvest"
"I didn't expect a peaceful village like this to have such a bloody past"
"Many things are not what they seem. Who knows? Maybe I could be telling a lie to hide the fact that we sacrifice human beings even today, and I'm actually luring you here to sacrifice you to Oyashiro-sama..." He gave an evil grin at her.
"I feel no bloodlust in you. Even if you try your hardest to make an evil expression, the truth is that you don't have such an intent"
"Heh, I guess not"
"And who is this Oyashiro-sama?"
"It's the village's deity. It's said to protect us and the village itself from all kinds of menaces"
"And you believe in it?"
"I'm not sure... Dad told me some stories about it, and even though they sound pretty much unbelievable, without the existence of Oyashiro-sama there are some events that are left with no other possible explanation"
"Your dad spoke about something called Mana..." She recalled.
"Oh that. Well, ever since I was little, he always did magic tricks and stuff. You know, like creating fire with one hand or appearing and disappearing a small object. As a kid I thought those were just tricks, but as I grew up I noticed that the things he did were far beyond the abilities of even the best illusionist you could find on TV. When I was 13 he confessed to me that he wasn't entirely human, and because of that he had some kind of affinity with magical energy, which he calls Mana. I gotta ask you to keep that a secret though, as not many people know about that"
"Don't worry. I'm pretty sure he told me just because there was no other way, given the fact that I had witnessed such an unreal event"
"Glad you understand"
"However... Don't you have any powers or something of that kind?"
"Well... I've always been superior in every physical ability to normal humans, but aside from that, I've never been able to use magic if that's your question"
"I see..."
Nagato thought she was just replying politely, but Megumi perfectly understood his explanation.
"So, aside from the forest, there isn't much more to see here. Would you mind if we paid a visit to my friend at school?"
"Not at all, but I would like to go deeper into the forest later if it's possible"
"No problem. We can go after lunch"
"At what time can we leave the village?"
"By bus, it could be at 18:30 or 19:30 if you want to leave before dinner. If it's after dinner, I could ask one of my dad's men to take us by car at any time really. Which do you prefer?"
"I think it's better if we head back at 19:30"
"Oh right, you've got to return to your family"
"Not exactly. But, I'd rather be back for dinner"
"No problem. I'll just tell mom not to expect us for that meal"
"Thanks"
"Don't mention it"
They kept walking for a while, until Nagato pointed a familiar building that came in sight.
"That's Hinamizawa's school. Children of all ages study there, due to the low number of people in the area"
"So you could've graduated here instead?"
"Yeah. However, after so many years in the same place, I grew a bit tired of it"
"It's understandable. For many years I only knew my house and its surroundings. Me and my brothers were home-schooled. My father and my mother taught us everything they thought was important, and now that I've been in real schools I can assure that their teachings were good, as I've never had any difficulty with classes and tests"
"But..." Nagato knew it wasn't perfect.
"It was really boring. In the end, we were always around the same spaces, didn't meet any other people and couldn't really imagine what the world outside was like"
"Wait. So as a child you never left your house?"
"No, not once"
"Damn, that sure must've been harsh"
"Maybe. But it's all in the past now. In the present, I'm free to go wherever I want" She smiled as she looked at the clear sky above them.
"That's great then. Honestly, I've always taken the freedom my parents gave me for granted, but hearing your story I can't help but feel like a spoiled brat..."
"You shouldn't feel that way. You were lucky that your parents were more permissive, that's all. Mine were overprotective, but I don't hate them for that"
"Where do you go back though? You said that you didn't return to your parents"
"I said not exactly. I live alone in Okinomiya, but there is a tutor that comes to see me a couple times a week and takes care of me"
"Ah, I see..." Nagato replied as he understood, but he felt that Megumi's situation was rather odd. "Why would she be with a tutor instead of her parents or at least some kind of relative?" He thought.
"Changing the topic a bit, how do you plan to see your friend if we're past the time for Break?"
"That's quite simple, actually" Nagato smirked as he showed her a Mail he sent to Ryuu.
"Oh, I'm still not used to cells that much, so I tend to forget about their different uses. I'm actually amazed that a place like this has good connection"
"Well, my family took care of that part since my dad's bussiness requires it, you know?"
"It does make sense"
"Let's go, Ryuu should be on his way to the bathrooms outside"
"Your friend's name is Ryuu?" She asked while they walked into a small forest.
"Yeah, Maebara Ryuu. He's a year younger than me, but we've been together since we were just babies, cause our parents are very good friends"
"Are you... Are you planning to ask him about Nagito?"
"Well, I guess it was pretty obvious given the circumstances" He gave a stoic look to Megumi.
"I was just asking. I think it's only natural that you do so"
"Ah, I almost forgot, follow me from here on, cause there are traps along the way"
"Traps?"
"Yeah. My ex-sensei is crazy about them and creates the most elaborate traps. She would take us here and teach us how to do some ourselves, but honestly, I don't remember how to do even one of them"
Around the school there was now a broader fence that covered the perimeter almost completely, however, every student knew that there was a little "blind spot" through the forest. However, this place was filled with traps that only a student of Satoko would be able to recognize.
Nagato carefully passed through the place and Megumi followed, until they were inside the school grounds.
"Good, now we just have to find Ryuu"
"Nn" She made a sound of agreement.
They went to the appointed area and there was the orange-haired young man.
"Nagato! Now, this is a surprise!" Ryuu put his arm around him and left his hand in his shoulder as a sign of camaraderie.
"Yeah, I skipped school today and came home for the day"
"Well, it's not that rare that you skip class and come here... But bringing a beauty along? Damn man, I don't know what to say!"
"Not again... Look, I've told like half this town that she's just a friend, ok?"
"Okay, okay. Anyway, I have to introduce myself. Maebara Ryuu, it's a pleasure" He friendly smiled at her.
"Asahara Megumi, likewise"
"Now that we have that out of the way..." Nagato started. "I know that you've got to return to class, so I'll make it quick: I know about my deceased twin brother. I want you to tell me everything you know about Sonozaki Nagito" He looked at Ryuu in the eyes as he demanded an answer.
Ryuu looked down and processed the information he had just heard for a moment.
"You are angry with me, aren't you?" Ryuu asked with a forced smile without raising his head.
"I would be lying if I said that I'm fine with it..."
"Heh, what kind of best friend am I?"
"But, I understand why you guys did it. I don't have any harsh feelings on you, or anyone really. All I want is to hear about my brother"
"Really? Then I guess this is the best I can do" Ryuu took a deep breath, and then continued:
"Nagito was always the calm type. You were more rash and aggressive, but I guess Nagito was a bit more mature for some reason.
I used to play with you two a lot, but in the end, you were the one who I had more fun with. Nagito got bored after an hour or two with us. He would start reading a book or drawing something while we kept running around.
I was little though, so I don't remember anything aside from that, however, I get the feeling that after the incident you became a lot more like Nagito. I'm sorry that I can't tell you more" Ryuu concluded.
"No, it's good enough. Thank you Ryuu, and don't worry, you are my best friend indeed" Nagato put his hand on his friend's shoulder and smiled at him.
"How did you find out though?"
"Because Nagito came back" Megumi replied. "I met him, and then went to Nagato thinking they were the same person"
"...But they weren't" Ryuu understood. "Sonozaki-san once told me that it was possible that this happened, but that it was far-fetched"
"It happened though. And I'm not really troubled by it, but I try and try to remember him... To no avail" Nagato put his hands inside his pockets.
"That's why you wanted to hear what I knew about him..."
"Yeah... I still have the hope that I will remember him if I hear something in particular"
"Hum... I think your parents would be the best for that, then" Ryuu raised his index finger.
"Yeah, I know. Guess I just wanted to give it a shot anyways"
"Well, I told you everything I knew, so I think I'll be going back to class"
"You've been outside for a while now, you better get going. Thanks, Ryuu"
"I owed you that much. We could go hang out in Okinomiya one of these days"
"Yeah, why not?"
"The same goes for you, Megumi-san"
"Ah... Well, if Nagato-senpai doesn't mind, I would be glad to hang out with you two" She smiled and looked away.
"Let's do that sometime in the near future then. We could bring Mikoto along as well" Ryuu remembered.
"As long as she doesn't cling to me like she always does, I wouldn't mind" Nagato replied.
"It's settled then, have fun for the rest of the day!" Ryuu said goodbye.
As his friend disappeared from their sight, Nagato kicked a rock that was laying around out of frustration.
"Damn it... I was hoping he'd know something more... You know, more specific"
"But he's right. You'd have better luck asking your mother"
"Yes, that's true. Actually, we should be near lunchtime, so we should head back to the manor"
They started going back through the little forest, when Megumi stepped in a mysterious terrain filled with leaves.
"MEGUMI!" Nagato yelled as he noticed.
"Huh?" Was all she could mutter as she started falling.
Nagato was quick enough to get to the spot, so he extended his arm and was able to catch Megumi by the wrist in the last possible moment.
"No, Nagato-senpai, you might fall too... I-I'm letting go!"
"Don't talk shit to me... I'm getting you out!"
He pulled her back as carefully as he could and once she was safe he checked if she had been injured.
"Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah... I think so" She still had high adrenaline levels due to the unexpected misfortune.
"Great. Those booby traps aren't so dangerous, but you could have gotten a bruise or two if you fell in a wrong position"
"Thank you Nagato-kun, you saved me" Her gray eyes shined as she thanked her savior.
"That's what friends are for, so don't do stupid things like that" Even though he scolded her, he smiled relieved.
"Sorry..."
They continued the road even more carefully, until they were out of the treacherous place.
Once they were back in the manor, they smelled a delicious aroma coming from the kitchen.
"Do you like tonkatsu Megumi-san?"
"I think I've never tasted it before"
"Then this is your lucky day" Nagato knew how outstanding his mother's cuisine was.
They entered the dining room and found that everything was in place for lunch.
"So, how was the tour?" Mion asked his son.
"It was alright, I guess. I do want Megumi-san to come for Watanagashi so she can really enjoy something special from the village"
"Yes, Nagato-senpai told me that it's something quite unique" Megumi agreed.
"Back in the good old days, this old man would go play and eat with all his friends at the festival..." Mion was lost in the memories.
"Who is she talking about Nagato-senpai?" Megumi whispered.
"Oh that, it's just some weird way of speaking mom has, but she is referring to herself"
"Ah, I see"
"...Your father would eat thrice what a normal human would be able to eat though, so he always won that kind of competitions" She finished without noticing their little chat.
"About that, should I go wake him up?"
"Don't worry, I made sure the smell would reach him. He should be up in no time!" She knew how much her husband loved her cooking.
"*yawn* Dear, is that smell... Tonkatsu?" Amuro did just as she predicted, since he was sniffing the smell that came from the food.
"Of course. I wanted to make something special since Nagato brought a friend" She smiled at Megumi.
"Oh, you're back! Sorry not to notice but I was just waking up..." He scratched the back of his head like he used to do when he was embarrassed.
"Don't worry, Tousan, we know you work hard"
"It must be really exhausting staying up all night" Megumi added.
"Does Megumi-san know about...?" Mion got a bit worried.
"Yep, she knows he's a Yakuza Boss" Nagato confirmed it.
"Is that so...? Ahahahahaha..." She nervously laughed.
"I don't care about that, Sonozaki-san, so you don't need to worry" Megumi calmed her with a warm smile.
"Phew... I was afraid you'd become afraid of us if you knew that information" She sighed in relief.
"Megumi-san is a strong girl, I can tell just by looking at her. Knowing such a trivial thing wouldn't affect her" Amuro added.
Like on cue, the stomachs of both father and son growled in demand for food.
"Well then, shall we have lunch? I'll bring the pork and the sauce right away, so you just take a seat"
"Yeah!" The men replied full of enthusiasm.
Moments later everyone was enjoying the delicious meal Mion had cooked. The fried pieces of pork were perfectly cooked and the sweet sauce complimented its flavour in a way that it became even more tasty.
"So, how is it, Megumi-san?" She wanted the guest's opinion.
"It's simply delicious, Sonozaki-san... I think- I think I've never eaten something this good before!" Her eyes shined and she took three more pieces in a flash.
"Really? That makes me so happy. I can teach you how to make it next time you come to the house!"
"If it's not a bother, I would be really glad" She smiled and blushed a little.
"I'm looking forward to teaching you. I used to cook a lot with Nagato's cousin, Mikoto-chan back in the day, but ever since she's attending that part-time job she hasn't been much around the village for anything other than school"
"I see, then I'll try to come as soon as possible"
Once everyone finished lunch, Amuro was about to stand and go back to bed.
"Well, it sure was delicious, honey, but I think I'll *yawn* ...go back to my slumber"
"Wait, Tousan. I need you to stay for a little while"
"Oh, I see. I won't deny your request then" He wanted to be responsible with his decission.
"Is something the matter, Nagato?" Mion was surprised.
Megumi gave him an understanding look before he decided to speak again.
"Tousan, Kasan, I want you to tell me about my brother. To be precise, a memory you think may help me remember Nagito"
~~~~X~~~~
Finally I finished this second chapter. University is not that hard, but it does demand a lot of my time. For now, the plot is really friendly in the way that there is no real threat affecting this world, but don't worry, sooner or later... It will be stained with blood.
Evhron out.