Chapitre 37: Searching

A few minutes prior,

The day just started but Franz Schwarz was already in hot water. Beads of sweat formed on his face as if he had just come out of a sauna. He was panicking, no doubt, but he felt something worse in him, making him grow impatient by the second— fear.

Yesterday, he assumed that Megumi didn't bother calling him so he could drive her home. Because of that, he just headed home and clocked out for the day. Well, not really clock out but return to his post since he's also the butler of the Kikuchi household and he pretty much resides in their house. To his surprise, however, he was told that Megumi hasn't come home and no one could contact him ever since. In haste, Franz narrated everything that happened to Megumi's father and he immediately set out to look for Megumi. However, Mr. Kikuchi didn't worry at all, saying that Hajime could keep her safe or something along those lines. Franz wondered whether Megumi's dad was just trying to calm him down, but he was advised to look for her tomorrow, much to his puzzlement.

He couldn't put his finger around the decision of his employer but nevertheless, he obeyed, setting out early in the morning to look for Megumi himself. His first destination was Hajime's house but based on what he saw, Hajime was actually alone. Unbeknownst to him, Megumi was actually staying in Hajime's bedroom and he left her there since he had an early shift for construction work.

Because of that, Franz didn't have any choice but to approach Hajime, but he fell asleep in his car while watching him work in construction from afar. By the time he woke up, Hajime was already on his way to school. He drove as fast as he could, actually overtaking Hajime since he took a dip by the river.

.....

Back to the present,

Franz Schwarz adjusted his collar and tie once again in a routinely manner before reaching out to his pocket. He pulled out a piece of paper, a paper that Hajime instantly recognized as a calling card. "Call me if anything happens."

"Sure, but just so you know, I can't guarantee anything. And also, I don't have a phone." Hajime responded, but he still took the calling card anyway out of courtesy.

A look of confusion was written all over Franz's face as he stared at Hajime. 'I knew he was poor but who would've thought he was that poor. That's quite unexpected.' He told himself, adjusting his collar for the umpteenth time since it was getting rather tight around his neck. After hesitating for a few seconds, he rummaged through his suit's back pocket and pulled out a phone, handing it to Hajime. "You at least know how to use a phone, right? You can borrow this."

Well, there was no getting out of this one for Hajime and he nodded along, accepting the cellphone. Of course, he knows how to use a cellphone. It would be weirder if he didn't.

"Update me when you see her," Franz said. In a flash, he had already cleared the school grounds and got back in his car, probably to continue his search for the young miss.

As for Hajime, he balanced the phone in one hand, he couldn't believe that someone just handed him a phone without thinking twice. 'Should I sell it? This must've cost a fortune, right?' He asked himself, then shook his head. How could he think of such a thing when Franz was currently desperately looking for Megumi. "Where did she go, though. Did she stay at my place? What is she thinking?" Hajime scratched his head in slight annoyance before heading back to class.

The rest of the afternoon class went over Hajime's head. There wasn't a single sliver of focus on his mind since he was, in every sense, worried for Megumi. Of course, there's a good possibility that Megumi was just lounging about in his house, but what happened yesterday invaded Hajime's mind and he couldn't help but overthink. What if the debt collectors found her there and she accidentally opened the door? What if she was kidnapped by them? What if they actually stopped chasing them so they could trail them back home? All those thoughts made Hajime uneasy and there were a couple of moments when he wanted to bolt out of the classroom without explaining anything to their homeroom teacher. Of course, even though Hajime and Megumi weren't on the best of terms, he still felt concerned for her. It's not like they genuinely hate each other to the core, after all. It's just that, their personality clashed, and aren't really amicable with each other.

Ding!

When the bell rang, Hajime didn't wait for the usual stand-up, thank the teacher, and bow routine. He got out of the classroom without saying another word and sprinted towards his house. Judging from what the class heard, it seemed like Megumi was off-radar, or maybe it was just some sort of elaborate prank but Akamine-sensei thought otherwise. She had been observing Hajime ever since the afternoon classes start and worriedness was written all over his face. He continued to tap his leg in an impatient manner, which is a clear sign that he wanted to get out of class as soon as possible. Akamine-sensei was aware that Hajime had never acted like this before. Something must've really happened.

Well, Akamine-sensei didn't feel at all offended by Hajime's actions. Nevertheless, she knew she'd have to call him to her office tomorrow, just for formality since she didn't want to look biased in front of her class.

Hajime had never run this fast in his life, so much so that he wondered if Megumi really was worth worrying about. 'Of course, she is, stupid. She may hate you, but she did give you dinner last night.' Hajime told himself.

Sigh~ why did she even get involved with my life anyway?

It didn't take long before Hajime found himself in front of his house. He unlocked the door and swung it open. There was Megumi, reading a book while munching on a bowl of peanuts.

"Oh, you're back." She casually greeted, waving one arm towards Hajime. "Want some peanuts?"