The scent emanating from Kato Megumi wasn't perfume, but the natural fragrance of a girl.
Although a gentle breeze was blowing, the umbrella she held created a space where the scent lingered, occasionally teasing his nose, making him tingle.
His nose itched, and so did his heart.
To alleviate his awkwardness, the boy initiated a shallow conversation, hoping to shift his focus.
"Kato-san, how was your weekend?"
"Not great, actually. The hand I used to punch still hurts. See?"
With just those words, Haruhiro raised the white flag.
He was reminded of the girl's valiant feat, her one-hit knockout of Anzai Rento.
She was so cool!
However, the boy also noticed a bruise on the girl's wrist. Kato Megumi wasn't a professional fighter, so she hadn't learned any punching techniques.
The human body's surface is irregular, especially the face, which is uneven due to facial features.
But when a normal person punches, due to posture issues, their fist is usually vertical. Or at a 45-degree angle, meaning the back of their hand faces upward or diagonally upward.
However, this posture is incorrect. If you punch someone like this, it's easy for your wrist to slip off their body when you make contact, causing wrist injury because the wrist joint is not fixed.
The correct posture should be with the palm facing downward, meaning the back of the hand should be horizontal. A punch delivered this way provides better protection for the wrist joint.
Kato Megumi knew nothing about this. Plus, she had acted impulsively, striking in anger. As a result, besides Anzai Rento paying the price with his nose, Kato Megumi's wrist was also injured.
"Does it hurt a lot?" Haruhiro looked at the girl's wrist with concern. The bruise was particularly noticeable against her fair skin.
He felt he should do something, both out of a sense of obligation and out of compassion. She had acted in his defense.
"Just a little," Kato Megumi said. "But I've rested for two days, and it's much better now." She suddenly felt no pain in her wrist, feeling a surge of warmth at the boy's concern.
The girl mischievously thought, "Thanks to Anzai-kun, and thanks to his nose. Don't forget to give me another opportunity like this next time!"
Haruhiro carefully examined her and found that she had minimal limitations in movement. Apart from the bruise, she seemed to be okay. After confirming that there was no bone fracture, he said, "I know it's a bit late, but if you don't have anything planned after school today, would you come to my place?"
"Come to your place?" The girl raised an eyebrow, tilting her head slightly to look at the boy.
Did he finally get it? He was actually asking a girl to his house.
The thought deepened Kato Megumi's gratitude towards Anzai Rento!
She definitely needed to learn boxing techniques to aim better and hit harder next time!
As for a broken nose, Anzai-kun wouldn't mind, right?
But the girl had clearly misinterpreted Haruhiro's intention.
He invited her to his house simply because he had some medicine at home specifically for treating bruises and sprains.
In his previous life, he had also been a mischievous and trouble-making kid. He was constantly getting into fights, ending up with bruises and welts. His father would always bring out the family medicine and carefully apply it to his injuries.
Once everything was done, he would then administer a family punishment by beating him up.
You can have my scars, but not those from other people…
That was the way of his generation.
As he grew older, Haruhiro naturally memorized the medicine's formula. It was another version of "familiarity breeds mastery."
Although Kato Megumi's wrist didn't seem very serious, Haruhiro was still worried. He believed his family's medicine would help her recover faster.
But when he saw the girl's questioning gaze, he assumed she was hesitant to go to a boy's house alone. He quickly said, "If you don't want to come, it's fine. I can bring the medicine to your house tonight." He knew where she lived because he had walked her home before.
He was willing to go the extra mile, that was no problem.
As long as Kato Megumi recovered soon, that was all that mattered.
"Medicine? My family has some, but it doesn't really work. Mom used some on me, but it didn't ease the pain at all," Kato Megumi pouted in frustration, remembering how she had endured the pain.
"This is different. My family's medicine uses a special formula. Don't worry, Kato-san, it will be fine with just two applications!" Haruhiro was 100% confident in his family's medicine.
Even after transmigration, he still used it occasionally, and it always worked.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Haruhiro. I trust you." The girl's words were calm.
But those three words, "I trust you," made Haruhiro's heart soar.
"Is something wrong with me lately?" The boy thought, "My current state feels so strange."
…
Anzai Rento was absent. While the teacher didn't give a reason, Haruhiro learned the truth from Eriri.
He went for plastic surgery.
Kato Megumi's full-force punch had shattered his nasal bone, with fragments embedded in his flesh. Simple surgery couldn't restore his previous appearance, so he had no choice but to undergo plastic surgery.
Fortunately, the surgery expenses were covered by the Sawamura family.
Even if the Sawamura family could use their influence to suppress the incident, they still had to pay the necessary compensation since Kato Megumi had acted first.
Eriri, in a good mood, took on the expense without drawing on the wealth she had acquired through certain business dealings.
Her monthly allowance plus the red envelopes she received during the New Year were already enough to make her richer than most people in Japan.
Of course, she didn't tell Haruhiro or Kato Megumi about the expenses.
The current Eriri was no longer the same Eriri from a few days ago. She had learned a valuable lesson.
True friends don't constantly bring up money.
And Kato Megumi and Haruhiro were good friends whom Eriri recognized!