Chapter 14: You Owe Me One

A sigh left Hajime's mouth as he realized that he couldn't revert the current situation. He already let Megumi in and at this point, it would be rude if he drove him out of his house. Another sigh, and then he closed his eyes in frustration, awaiting Megumi's judgment on his dismal place that couldn't even be called a home.

"Hey, w...what's this?!" Megumi exclaimed, her eyes darting here and there as if every dirt caught her eyes. Hajime flinched in response. "Don't tell me you live here in this pigsty?!"

'Eh??? Pigsty? Shouldn't she be thankful that I saved her from those men? Who knows what could've happened if I weren't home? And now... is she criticizing my place right now? Well, I guess...Even I do it all the time.' Hajime coughed, everything in his mind didn't come out of his mouth, however. "How rude, this is my place." He simply answered.

Megumi didn't react at all despite Hajime's straightforward answer. Instead, she started looking around, keenly, as if her eyes were that of a hawk's. Meanwhile, Hajime just stayed right behind the door, observing her every movement. His heartbeat spiked, realizing that Megumi was obviously looking for proof of whether he's a delinquent or not. Her intentions were crystal clear in her eyes, after all— that mischievous yet focused gaze, she's plotting something and Hajime could sense it.

The nook and cranny of the living room were carefully scrutinized. Fortunately, Hajime didn't forget to close the door to his room, otherwise, Megumi would've examined it as well.

"What's this?" With a slight suspicion, Megumi gazed at Hajime from head to toe before holding out a small sachet filled with white powder. It was pretty obvious what she thought about at the sight of the suspicious substance.

"That's iodized salt. Ten yen apiece." Hajime didn't dilly-dally around with the answer since Megumi was one click away from calling the police. "Why would you even think I own something like that? Don't you know I'm poor enough as it is?"

"Then, care to explain this?" Megumi asked once again, this time, she was holding a bottle of beer.

"Water, you can open the cap and smell it. As I said, I'm hanging by a thread as it is, do you think I have the luxury to buy beer? If I had the money to buy beer, I'd much rather buy a meal for myself." Hajime defended himself a second time, but he was beginning to get curious about what Megumi would pick up next. And that's why he didn't tell her to stop.

"Then, how about this one? Are these..."

"Don't...even...say it. Those are candies, candies, okay?" Flustered, Hajime immediately interrupted Megumi and denied her suspicion. Since there was a slight discoloration on the candy wrappers, it was easy for someone to mistake it for something else.

Before Megumi could ask another question, though, Hajime immediately put on his jacket and opened the door. "I have to go, do you want me to drop you in school, or are you going anywhere else?"

"Hmm... and where are you going?" She asked, rubbing her chin while staring at Hajime. Although there weren't any signs of delinquency in his house (except for how filthy and dusty it was)

"And why do I need to tell you?" Hajime's brows furrowed.

Of course, he couldn't outright tell Megumi that he was working as a construction worker in the mornings. "I'm going, make sure you lock the doors when you leave."

"So the rumors were true after all." She muttered, sighing in disgust.

"Rumors? What are you talking about?" Hajime stopped short just when he was about to step out of the door. There were a lot of rumors involving him that he couldn't tell what Megumi was talking about. His curiosity piqued, he turned around and eyed Megumi.

"That you're meeting with women in questionable clothing!" She continued. "Now that you said that, I don't think I can trust your words about these being candies. Just you wait, I'll tell Akamine-sensei about this."

'This is such a pain! What's wrong with her?' Hajime scratched his head, he could feel a headache surfacing in his mind as he got a bit annoyed. "Look, Megumi, don't you think you're being unreasonable here? I mean, if I were that kind of person, I'd have done something to you by now. And don't forget, you still owe me one after I saved you from those three guys. Not only that, you might not know this but you're the first person I let into my house. This past year, no one except me has entered this house except me... so if you're going to accuse, shouldn't you at least thank me first?"

Megumi averted her gaze from Hajime. Only now did she realize that she was alone in an enclosed space with a guy. She blushed, but she maintained her strong front. "Hmph! Why are you calling me by my first name?" She couldn't refute what Hajime said, so she decided to nitpick him calling her by her first name.

Hajime shrugged as he continued his one-sided speech. "Well, think all you want, but I'm leaving right now." He calmly responded. "If you want me to take you to school or to your place, this is your last chance. If you don't want to then, just don't forget to close the door when you decide to leave."

"Hmph!"

"Well, have it your way then... Megumi," Hajime snickered, calling her by her first name for the second time, riling her up even more. Even though no one said it, he knew he won this time around against Megumi. Not only did he get away from calling her by her first name, but he also got away from teasing her. What's more, she couldn't retaliate so that was an added cherry on top.

Satisfied, Hajime breathed in a breath of fresh air as he got out of the house. It was his first day of work after his much-needed rest at the hospital. Up until now, he still has no idea who his benefactor was but he didn't really think too much about it. If he would've known, he would've swallowed the words he said to Megumi. He owed her one before she owed her, after all.

'Mmm... aren't I missing something here?' Hajime then asked himself a few minutes on his walk. All the colors drained from his face as he covered his mouth in embarrassment. Apparently, he realized it a little later compared to Megumi— that he just let Megumi inside, and for a moment back there, they were both alone in an enclosed space. Hajime's face instantly reddened.