Free Web NovelChapter 105: Sushi Place
Hajime’s reassuring gaze and soft-spoken manner were way too different from his casual demeanor that Megumi felt like her heart skipped a little. She turned around, hiding her expression by pulling down on her bangs but that was as ineffective as it was unnecessary.
For a brief moment, Keiichi saw Megumi’s reaction and he was oddly confused. As far as he knows, Hajime may very well be the poorest student in their class (as mentioned before, he did background checks on everyone), and judging from that fact, there was no way Megumi would see or treat him as an equal. Nevertheless, expressions don’t lie and what he just saw made him inwardly ask questions.
His curiosity was leaning onto asking Hajime what that was all about. He couldn’t ring himself to ask Megumi since that would be weird. While this wasn’t the first time they spent time with each other, they weren’t close enough to be asking such personal questions. But after everything he said to Hajime, even antagonizing him about his financial issues, he couldn’t bring himself to ask him the question as well so he was left wondering what to do next.
"So, where are we eating? Are we stopping by at a cafe?" Kaori asked out of nowhere since Keiichi didn’t add to the cliffhanger of an announcement he made a few moments ago. He just mentioned something about treating everyone to a meal except for Hajime... that’s it.
"I have a pretty nice plan set up." Keiichi glanced towards Megumi, then glared at Hajime with a slightly threatening look.
Had it not been for the crowd, Hajime would’ve probably already grabbed Keiichi by the face and slammed him to the ground. That was just an over-exaggeration though. There was no way Hajime would do something like that even if his classmates pissed him off.
The group walked through the city streets, eyeing every shop and making small talk with each other. While Keiichi set up a very tight fence around Megumi, keeping her to himself in their conversation, Kaori and Shizuka decided to get to know Hajime a little better. To them, Hajime was more than just a delinquent since they’d heard quite a few good things about him. And after being aware that Megumi actually gets along with Hajime, their curiosities were piqued, and they just had to take Hajime with a grain of salt.
’I mean, Megumi’s friends with him so he shouldn’t be all that bad, right?’ Kaori asked herself, totally forgetting that Megumi had always looked down on Hajime ever since the beginning of the school year.
As for Shizuka, she couldn’t care less about Hajime’s reputation. She knows how rumors go. And she’d rather not partake in any of it.
"Hi, Hajime!" Kaori asked, walking beside Hajime as Shizuka also caught up and walked beside her.
"Hi?" Hajime mumbled, unsure as to why Kaori was striking up a conversation out of the blue.
"Hehhe~" Kaori chuckled.
"..."
"..."
’What?! That’s it?!’ Hajime exclaimed in his mind, staring at Kaori who just said hi. Then there’s Shizuka who kept glancing at him without saying a word. It was pretty weird, but Hajime didn’t know what to ask them.
A few moments later, the group arrived in front of a fancy restaurant. It was a sushi place, and Hajime had a rough estimate of how expensive the place could be. Still, he didn’t have any problems with it since he had some money to spare— it wasn’t actually his money, but Megumi’s dad’s money. ƒгeewebnovёl.com
"Everyone get in!" Keiichi enthusiastically gestured, opening the door for everyone. "Don’t be shy," He continued.
"Ehh? Sushi for breakfast?" Kaori muttered, grabbing Hajime by the hand. "Hey, Hajime, why don’t we go over there? Let’s grab some burgers or something?"
"I’m fine either way," Shizuka casually called out, following Keiichi’s lead. As much as she wanted to go with Kaori’s suggestion, she could never say no to free sushi even if it was breakfast.
"I’m staying," Hajime called out. He didn’t budge no matter how hard Kaori tugged at his arm. He couldn’t just stand down from Keiichi’s challenge. Even if it was expensive, his pride just wouldn’t allow him to lose right then and there. But then again, if he didn’t have the money, then he’d rightfully decline. He’s not an overly prideful man but a realist. There’s a way for him to eat with the group so why not?
"Fine then." Kaori pouted, following Shizuka and Megumi to the sushi place.
"Are you sure about this? I’m not going to treat you with anything, you know," Keiichi whispered just as Hajime was heading inside.
"I’ll be fine." Hajime shrugged. "How about you? You’re going to pay for four people, right?" Hajime asked, a smirk appearing on his face.
Because everyone was already inside, Keiichi didn’t bother opening the door for one more second. He then face Hajime and crossed his arms on his chest. "Oh please, even if it’s everyone here, I can pay for their sushi, no sweat."
Hajime snickered. ’You fell right into my trap.’ He said in his mind before he turned around to address everyone in the restaurant. "DID YOU HEAR THAT, EVERYONE?! SUSHI’S ON HIM! EAT ALL YOU WANT! IT’S A CELEBRATION!" frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Everyone turned toward Hajime with a blank stare before they realized that someone just offered to buy their food for free. They didn’t even need a guarantee, they just started cheering for Keiichi. Meanwhile, Keiichi was caught off guard and he almost took a step backward out of impulse.
"Don’t worry, I’ll be paying for myself," Hajime said, patting Keiichi on the shoulder before he made his way to the counter. He didn’t speak another word for fear that Keiichi might sue him or something. But then again, it was worth the revenge after he embarrassed Hajime in front of everyone.
"Are you sure about paying for everyone? It’s quite expensive, you know." Kaori asked after checking the menu and seating herself beside Hajime.
Even if Keiichi admitted that it was really expensive, there was no way he could back down now. The people who were celebrating the offer had already ordered a couple more plates, putting Keiichi at the point of no return. If he were to tell everyone that it was just a prank, then he’d receive unwanted hate from them— That wouldn’t look great in the family’s company image.
"Yeah, of course, it’s not that expensive," Keiichi said, trying to convince himself as his animosity towards Hajime grew.
