Chapter 20: Favor for a Favor

"Let's see here," Akamine-sensei clicked her tongue before turning on the camera. Her heart rate increased from nervousness as the gallery of the camera started to load. A curious expression became evident on Akamine-sensei's face. She wondered why Natsumi would interrupt such a meeting just to hand her a camera. Did she have footage of something questionable happening at school? Can't it wait? No, maybe it was related to the incident.

Maybe.

Akamine-sensei crossed her fingers in hopes that the camera really did contain footage of what transpired that day. That way, the blatant accusations and exchange of insults will finally come to a halt, and she could finally get some rest from all the altercations.

Seconds later, a video popped up on the screen, and a faint voice could be heard. Akamine-sensei watched as the scenes unfolded in front of her eyes. Her eyes were glued to the screen, not daring to miss a single frame of the high-quality video.

And yes, it was footage of how the college student beat up Hajime without him even fighting back. Well, he did fight back; it's just that the person who took the video started running away as soon as he saw Hajime bloodied on the ground.

Hajime was lucky; had the person recorded a few seconds later, he would've witnessed a bloodbath caused by yours truly. However, it's as if fate was giving Hajime a pat on the back, and that scene wasn't recorded. Because of that, only Hajime's suffering had proof, and the college students couldn't do anything about it.

Meanwhile, Natsumi walked out of Akamine-sensei's office, her face flushed. 'I'll make sure to thank Hiroto for lending me his camera and allowing me to see that footage. All's well that end's well, I guess. Besides, those college students deserved it.'

The wrath in Akamine-sensei's eyes became even more intense as she repeated the video two more times before showing it to the parents. She didn't speak a single word nor let out a sound from her mouth. And even then, the parents felt Akamine-sensei's bloodthirst firsthand. They averted their eyes from her as they watched the video, thinking that something might explode within her if they didn't do as she pleased.

"You dare ask for a meeting and barge into my office when your sons were the culprits all along, what two-faced sons of— oh wait, you mentioned something about compensation, right? Or do you want me to take legal action? This is attempted murder right here. Even if you pay your lawyers and your sons get away scot-free, just one click and everyone will see that video on youtube. I'm not threatening you all, not in the least bit. I'm just stating the facts here." Not once did Akamine-sensei raise her voice, but her anger was on the verge of pouring forth. It was obvious from how her voice unsteadily shook.

There was no need for further discussions, and the parents compromised to settle. Akamine-sensei also made it clear that she would release the video if their sons lurked around the school. Of course, there was no place for negotiations, so all they could do was nod along as Akamine-sensei calmly gave them the facts. At the end of the day, she did promise the parents that the video won't be uploaded online, but they had to pool at least three million yen (Akamine-sensei based the number on how many days Hajime was absent from work— a million yen per day,) and send it to Hajime. Hajime knew that was outright blackmail, but Akamine-sensei called it old-fashioned settlement. The principal didn't speak up about the subject either, probably because he had seen one too many settlements, such as what had now transpired in front of him.

"Justice prevails," Hajime joked while lightly pumping his fist. Megumi's head suddenly popped out from his right shoulder though, causing him to flinch and take a few steps away from her. "What do you want?"

'All that just for three million yen?' Megumi said to herself, but she didn't bring it up right to Hajime's face. Instead, she started the conversation about something else. "I witnessed the whole thing. You beat all those college students to a pulp, right? How did you do that when they already hit you on the head? Are you an alien?"

"Hah, an alien? Did you hit your head or something?" Hajime shot back, but he immediately swallowed his words when he recalled the goodwill that Megumi did toward his house. He slightly bowed his head. "Thank you for the- um, you know... cleaning the house."

"Don't misunderstand, I only did that to return your favor." Megumi flicked her hair before heading to class.

"Suit yourself, thanks anyway," Hajime muttered, his brows furrowed. He still can't comprehend why Megumi hated him so much. But then again, it's not like he wanted her to like him. Out of the question.

There were plenty of times when Megumi could've brought up the fact about her driver. She could've easily told Hajime that she paid his medical bills out of her own pockets. That favor is much weightier compared to how he protected her from the thugs, after all.

However, after seeing the state of Hajime's living quarters and realizing that he had to work as a construction worker in order to sustain himself, she decided to keep it to herself. It was the right call to maintain anonymity when they paid his bills. Otherwise, Hajime might feel greatly indebted to her.

While the thought of Hajime esteeming her sounds too good to be true, it was overruled by a dreadful feeling. Somehow, Megumi didn't want Hajime or anyone else to feel obligated to her. And it's not like she did all that to gain leverage on him. And that's why she kept it to herself in the end. 'You may have gotten out of this situation, but next time you cause trouble, I won't be covering for you. No, I'll even frame you when the time comes.' Megumi vowed to herself, mimicking Hajime as she clenched her fist and pumped it.