Anime Crossover: My Online Romance is Megumi Kato

"Let's find a place to sit and rest for a while. Standing here isn't going to help." Yuta Kijima thought about finding a quiet place to rest, otherwise the groceries they bought would still be sitting next to their shoes.

Nishimiya Shoko nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Yuta Kijima picked up the shopping bag at his feet and set off.

Nishimiya Shoko quickly picked up the ingredients, jogged a few steps, and followed behind Kijima Yuta, without walking alongside him.

Apart from the sounds of vehicles on the road, there was suddenly only silence between the two.

However, there was nothing he could do. Even if Kijima Yuta wanted to speak, he couldn't open his mouth, and Nishimiya Shoko probably couldn't hear what he said.

If you have the chance, you must ask her about the range of sound her hearing aid can hear, otherwise you won't be able to have a chat when you're busy with both hands like this.

Nishimiya Shoko followed behind Kijima Yuta with her head slightly lowered, subconsciously chasing after his retreating figure.

She never imagined that someone could learn sign language in such a short time, just to chat with such a friend. Moreover, what had just happened kept lingering in her mind; the "warrior" who suddenly appeared when she was in trouble seemed to bring her inner peace just by having him by her side.

"Bang~"

Unaware that Yuta Kijima had suddenly stopped, Shoko Nishimiya bumped into his back before she could stop herself.

Yuta Kijima also felt the vibration from his back and curiously turned to look at Shoko Nishimiya.

Nishimiya Shoko's eyes immediately turned red, and she hurriedly shook her head.

"?"

What happened? How did it suddenly turn out like this?

Yuta Kijima was a little puzzled, but he didn't think much of it. He gestured with his eyes to an empty bench and then walked over with his little follower.

This made Nishimiya Shoko, who was following behind, extremely shy.

Why am I completely out of sorts today...?

Normally, because of her hearing impairment, she would concentrate very hard on observing her surroundings when she walked on the street, but today she was really dizzy.

After sitting down on a bench, Yuta Kijima finally freed his hands.

When Nishimiya Shoko saw this, her face flushed slightly, and she carefully sat down next to Kijima Yuta.

Yuta Kijima enjoys sitting on a bench by the street watching pedestrians hurry by, and now he cherishes his youth even more.

"Okay, so why did you go shopping alone today, Nishimiya-kun? I remember you usually go straight home after school, and it's only on Wednesdays that you secretly take some time to feed the koi fish." Kijima Yuta asked curiously (using sign language).

“I… just wanted to do some things independently within my capabilities, so… today I thought I’d buy some snacks for my sister and some groceries as well.” Nishimiya Shoko raised her face and quickly expressed herself in sign language.

“Actually, I could have succeeded right away today!” At this point, Nishimiya Shoko’s expression visibly fell. “But… my wallet, my wallet is gone.”

"Thanks to Kijima-kun, otherwise I would never have had the chance to come out alone again..." Nishimiya Shoko's eyes were filled with gratitude.

“ε=(?ο｀*)))sigh”

Yuta Kijima let out a soft sigh.

He understood that if Nishimiya Shoko wanted to live a normal life in this metropolis, she would have to endure different treatment. Her family didn't want to keep her under their watchful eyes; they were just worried about the girl.

"It's okay, what happened today didn't happen to you."

"Oh, right! I'll bring you the money next time, Kijima-kun," Nishimiya Shoko hurriedly said.

Yuta Kijima nodded. He wouldn't generously suggest that he didn't need to pay it back, even though he certainly had the means now.

To truly be friends with Nishimiya Shoko, you can't have any ulterior motives; just treat them like normal people.

Kijima Yuta said, "Nishimiya-kun, um... you can just call me by my name from now on—Yuta, you don't need to call me Kijima-kun anymore, I'm not used to hearing that title."

"Alas!"

Nishimiya Shoko didn't make any movement with her hands, but unexpectedly let out a sound of surprise.

The timid girl immediately tensed up, pressing her right hand to her chest, a blush rising on her face.

After all, in island nations, only very close friends can call each other by name; it is considered extremely impolite to call someone by their name without permission.

“I think ‘Kijima-kun’ sounds a bit awkward, but of course you don’t have to listen to me if you think it’s impolite,” said Yuta Kijima.

When Nishimiya Shoko saw Kijima Yuta sign, she nervously waved her hands in front of her, "No, no! I... I'm just a little excited..."

Seeing the girl in front of him blush again, Kijima Yuta said in a serious tone, "Aren't we friends? This kind of thing is normal, Shoko..."

“Hmm…of course we’re friends.” Nishimiya Shoko stared intently at Kijima Yuta’s profile.

Chapter 48 Youthful Troubles

After Yuta Kijima did a lot of work on Shoko Nishimiya's mindset, she had completely adjusted her attitude.

"Shoko, shall I take you home?"

Seeing that quite a bit of time had passed, Kijima Yuta decided to take Nishimiya Shoko home. She had already spent a long time shopping by herself today, and if it got any later, the others would definitely worry about her.

"Uh... okay." The joy on Nishimiya Shoko's pretty face quickly cooled down.

She hadn't had a friend who could talk to her for this long in a long time, especially using sign language.

Normally, only her family members can communicate with her so fluently in sign language. Yuta Kijima is her first special friend!

Unfortunately, happy times always pass too quickly, which made Nishimiya Shoko's little face full of unhappiness.

Yuta Kijima couldn't understand what Shoko Nishimiya was thinking, but seeing her frozen face, he couldn't help but smile.

He mistakenly thought that Nishimiya Shoko hadn't been out alone for a long time and was a little tired of having fun.

But he couldn't do anything about it. Even if he could keep playing with Shoko, he couldn't, otherwise Shoko's family would call the police, and he might get arrested for abducting a naive girl.

“Alright, Shoko, we’ll have plenty of time to play together in the future. If you don’t go back soon, your family will be angry.” Yuta Kijima analyzed the situation that Shoko Nishimiya would face if she went home late.

Nishimiya Shoko dejectedly indicated that she understood, like a salted fish that had lost its dreams...

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

It's a few minutes' walk from Nishimiya Shoko's house.

Nishimiya Shoko, carrying shopping bags, looked in the direction of her home, a slight look of reluctance on her face.

Today's experience was nothing to Yuta Kijima, but it was truly unforgettable for her. The journey home was short, yet felt somewhat long, and she didn't know when they would meet again.

Seeing this, Yuta Kijima put down his bag: "You should go home now. Wait for me at the bridge after school tomorrow..."

"If there's a chance in the future, I'll introduce you to some other friends. They're all very nice people." Yuta Kijima knew what was going on just by looking at Shoko Nishimiya.

It's like a child who doesn't want to go home after playing outside.

"Uh-huh!"

Nishimiya Shoko nodded excitedly as she saw Kijima Yuta's promise.

We can meet again tomorrow.

He also said he would introduce me to some friends. "Them?" I wonder if they'll be easy to get along with.

Nishimiya Shoko thought Yuta was really great!

Seeing Nishimiya Shoko finally leave with a smile on her face, Kijima Yuta also found it inexplicably funny.

He's just a little kid.

[Sign Language Level 3: 35/100]

As expected, practical experience grows much faster. Since reaching level 3, gaining experience from videos and books has become much slower, not as fast as this chat with Shoko.

However, it is usually supported for daily use at level 3.

"I'm back~"

Yuta Kijima is already familiar with the customs of the island nation, although it still feels a bit awkward to talk about them.

I didn't expect that chatting with Nishimiya Shoko like this would last until almost six o'clock. I wonder if she got scolded for going home so late.

Thinking about it, Yuta Kijima took out his phone and sent a message, "Shoko, I'm home now. Did you get scolded for coming home so late today?"

The reply came quickly.

"I got scolded, hehe."

"I left my wallet at home. I'll return it to you when we meet tomorrow, Yuta."

When Yuta Kijima saw the message, he was full of questions. Had the child been traumatized?

"Okay, don't be so careless next time you go out," Kijima Yuta reminded him. If he hadn't run into him this time, things would have been troublesome, but he had to make sure this never happened again.

"Okay! I'm going to eat now, see you tomorrow!"

Yuta Kijima shook his head. It seemed that Shoko was in a very good mood. He couldn't help but laugh when he saw this message.

"See you tomorrow."

After putting the ingredients from his tote bag into the refrigerator and taking out a few more items for today's meal, Yuta Kijima began cooking.

There's nothing to worry about this week. I'll just tutor Hui as usual, see that silly girl Nishimiya Shoko again tomorrow, and participate in Tomoya's club activities this weekend...

After pondering a few questions for a while, Yuta Kijima yawned. It's definitely a human flaw to want to sleep right after eating.

I've finished my writing task for today; it's already 9:30 PM. I'm taking a day off and won't be exercising. My physical condition is already quite good; it would be impolite to exercise further.

As he finished washing up and was getting ready for bed, his phone next to him was flashing with unread messages.

He picked up the phone with his right hand.

Nishimiya Shoko: Goodnight, Yuta. Thank you so much for meeting me today! (Unread)

Kato Megumi: Yuta, I feel like your tutoring is even more effective than the school teachers! Maybe you could become a tutor someday. (Unread)

Machida Sonoko: Kijima-sensei, hehe, have you finished writing your second volume yet? (Unread)

Yuta Kijima automatically ignored the last message, determined not to let Machida's unhealthy practices prevail.

First, I sent a message to Nishimiya Shoko, telling her that her friend didn't need to say these things anymore, and then said goodnight before swiping out the chat interface with her.

That way, I can spend the rest of the time chatting with Hui.

"I've only been teaching Hui for two days, it can't be that bad."

Yuta Kijima didn't think his tutoring had such great magic, but with his current level, he was more than capable of teaching students. He simply used what he considered to be the simplest method to teach Megumi.

"Really? I feel like none of my teachers are as good as you. But my foundation is too weak, so it will take me a while to catch up," Kato Megumi messaged.

Yuta Kijima coughed lightly, surprised that Megumi spoke so highly of him. "Don't worry, Megumi, we'll take the top two spots in the first year together!"