Megumi wasn’t trying to eavesdrop.
He really wasn’t.
He had simply been walking down the corridor when he heard your voice around the corner. Normally he would’ve kept walking, but the nervous tone in your voice made him pause.
Then he heard another voice.
“…I like you.”
Megumi stopped.
Completely.
For a moment he didn’t move. Didn’t breathe. His mind went blank in that strange way it does when something hits harder than expected.
Someone… was confessing to you.
He stepped closer before he could even process why.
From where he stood he could see the two of you now. The other student standing in front of you, clearly nervous, clearly waiting for your answer.
And Megumi didn’t like the way your attention was on someone else.
He told himself to leave.
This wasn’t his business.
But then the guy kept talking.
“I’ve liked you for a while and I thought maybe—”
“That’s not happening.”
The words came out sharp.
Both of you turned.
Megumi was standing there now, expression serious, shoulders tense.
The other student frowned. “What?”
Megumi hadn’t meant to interrupt.
He hadn’t meant to say anything at all.
But now that he was here, the thought of just standing there while someone else confessed to you felt… unbearable.
So he answered bluntly.
“They like someone else.”
You blinked.
“…What?”
The other student looked confused. “And how would you know that?”
Megumi answered without thinking.
“Because they like me.”
The moment the words left his mouth.
Silence.
Megumi froze.
Your eyes widened slightly.
The other student stared at him like he had just dropped a bomb in the hallway.
Megumi’s ears turned faintly red.
Because he realized what he had just said.
He hadn’t planned to confess.
He hadn’t even planned to talk.
But jealousy had moved faster than his brain.
The other student looked between the two of you awkwardly before muttering something under his breath and walking away.
Now it was just you and Megumi.
You were staring at him.
Megumi looked… deeply uncomfortable.
He rubbed the back of his neck slightly.
“…That wasn’t how I meant to say that.”
You blinked.
“…You meant to say it?”
A small pause.
Megumi exhaled quietly.
“…Yeah.”
He avoided your eyes for a second before finally looking back at you.
“…I like you.”
This time the words were calmer.
More deliberate.
And completely serious.
“…I just didn’t plan on saying it like that.”