Free Web NovelChapter 104: Groupings
"Wait up, Keiichi!"
The voice was calm, and it didn’t show any signs of rush even though the person behind the voice was running through the crowd as fast as he could.
’Eh?! Hajime? Why is he running over here?’ Megumi turned away just when Kaori and Shizuka started nudging her so teasingly. An unprecedented situation and she was caught off guard. Her cheeks flushed, and she immediately covered her face with her shaky hands, all the while averting her gaze from Hajime who showed up out of nowhere.
"Ah, Hajime, what is it?" Keiichi asked with a somewhat heavy tone. There was an odd underlying message in his tone that screamed ’don’t get in the way’ as he spoke to Hajime with such clarity.
Then again, it’s not like Hajime could care less about the entire situation. If Mizunari Keiichi spelled trouble then it is his duty to push that trouble or to get rid of that trouble altogether if it’s a threat to Megumi. He was simply doing this out of his bodyguarding duty, not out of spite or jealousy towards Keiichi who clearly wanted to spend more time with Megumi, forcing his schedule on her without a second thought.
"Kichiro told me to go with you. We can’t separate as a group. That’s why I should at least accompany you if you’re going to separate from us." Hajime responded with a casual expression on his face, fully convincing Keiichi that he didn’t have any ulterior motives at all when he followed him like that. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
Unbeknownst to him though, Hajime was actually in denial. Of course, he did have an ulterior motive— to keep Megumi safe as her bodyguard. While this is a secret from Megumi, Hajime still had to go through with it since his job hangs in the balance here.
"Are you sure about this? We might go to some expensive places... and I’m not in the mood to treat you." Keiichi shrugged, shaking his head as he was totally oblivious to the sharp stares that Kaori and Shizuka gave him. If Hajime already screamed bad news all around him, then Keiichi screamed even more so— or at least, to Kaori and Shizuka that seemed to be the case.
"We’re going to enjoy the school trip, girls only. You guys can go back to your group." Kaori pouted, twirling her index finger in front of Hajime and Keiichi as she made her point. With a flick of her hair, she turned around grabbing Megumi and Shizuka by the hand. "Come on, you ladies, we’re going to enjoy this trip to the fullest, just the three of us." freewёbnoνel.com
The sudden turn of events caused Megumi to look down at the ground. She was stuck in a dilemma. In the first place, it was her fault that Keiichi was trying to force himself into joining the group. Heck, even his transfer was probably due to Megumi’s fault— for ditching him way back then. But what else could Megumi do? She thought that something bad had happened to Hajime and she just had to visit him.
’Either I let him into the group or not... there are downsides to both options... but if Hajime’s here... then I guess everything will be fine. If something goes wrong he can just brute force our way out of trouble, right? I mean... he’s an idiot and all but... he can be reliable...’ Megumi said to herself as she looked down in silence. Meanwhile, Kaori continued to drag the two of them out of the way.
Unlike Kaori, Shizuka was way more empathetic and she noticed the drastic shift in Megumi’s expression. Shizuka stomped her foot, causing Kaori to stop dragging the two of them.
"If they want to join, then they can, right? Sure we can enjoy the entire school trip with just the three of us but it’s pretty dangerous if we’re an all-girls group. It would only attract unwarranted trouble if we don’t have at least one guy with us." Shizuka explained, much to Megumi’s relief.
"Now that you mention it... there was an incident when a group almost got kidnapped during a field trip, right?" Kaori said, rubbing her chin while thinking. "I guess you’re right! You two! You can come but don’t you go causing any trouble." Kaori continued.
’Well, that worked out better than expected.’ Hajime inwardly heaved a sigh of relief.
Megumi also heaved a sigh of relief. At least she didn’t have to worry about the Mizunari Company backing down from the partnership. Just to be sure though, she dragged Keiichi by the corner and told him about the partnership. He lightheartedly agreed without a second thought.
"So, where are we going?" Hajime asked, walking side by side with Megumi since she was the only one he knew well amongst the group. Somehow, he could tell that Megumi and Keiichi knew each other. However, he didn’t want to ask them about it since that would be insensitive. Instead, he waited for Megumi to explain everything. After all, she’s bound to tell him about it... just, not now.
"About that, I’ll take care of that." Keiichi confidently said, cutting in between Hajime and Megumi. With this, he’d replaced Hajime in walking side by side with Megumi. "You just have to follow me, I know the best route here in Tokyo."
"Ou~!" Kaori cheered. Now that they don’t have to worry about stumbling into trouble, they can have all the fun they want.
"Does anyone want to eat first? My treat." Keiichi offered, his face chock-full of malice as he glanced towards Hajime. "Except for you. I’m treating everyone except you."
"Fine by me." Hajime indifferently reacted, angering Keiichi even more.
"Haah~ let’s see how long you can keep that up," Keiichi muttered to himself, fully aware that Hajime didn’t have the money, to begin with.
While he was celebrating in his thoughts, Megumi slowed her pace and briefly walked with Hajime. "Don’t worry about it, I’ll pay for you," Megumi whispered.
"No, it’s fine. I can handle myself." Hajime reassured her as he wore a smile on his face.
