Free Web NovelChapter 137: History Brought To Light
"What?!" Megumi almost choked on her breath as she let out an exclamation. She couldn’t believe that the reason for her parents’ successful company was because of their friends from high school— and their friends from high school were none other than Hajime’s parents.
Kikuchi Koji turned away, wiping a stray tear from his eyes before he continued speaking. He remembered the desperation he had back in the day and also remembered the generosity of Seiji and Mizuki to them. The four of them were inseparable back in their school days, and even when they were already adults, they had helped each other through thick and thin.
"Back then, Seiji, Hajime’s dad, gave us the capital we needed to expand the business. We were elated. Not only did he save our business, but he also gave us the life we have now. I promised him that once our company had surpassed the value of his investment, we would pay him back, even if it meant giving him the majority of shares. He did deny the offer, but your mom and I decided to go through with it anyway."
"But... it didn’t happen. Before we could repay him, his family got into an accident, killing him and his wife. I had decided to give his share of the company to his children instead, but I couldn’t find them." Koji continued. "I guess it was their desperate action to save their children from whomever it was that caused the accident."
"That’s why we were surprised when you introduced us to your friend. If it were anyone else, we would’ve cut him off since you’re not ready for a relationship." This time, it was Saori, Megumi’s mom, who spoke. "Who would’ve thought that your friend would be none other than Hajime? What a small world indeed."
"We tried supporting him behind the scenes, paying for his unpaid utilities and all that. It was Franz who did everything, though. We merely gave him the money he needed." Koji continued.
Megumi’s face reddened while her parents talked about Hajime. The scenes of the incident started flashing in her mind, and she couldn’t help but admire Hajime’s heroic actions. He jumped into a fire without a shred of hesitation, and Megumi could tell that he didn’t do it because he was assigned as her bodyguard. There were plenty of times when he could’ve just run away, but he chose not to.
"Ah, there she goes. You can’t hide that blush on that face of yours, my daughter." Koji affectionately smiled at his daughter. More than anything, she was glad that Megumi was safe. It was all thanks to Hajime that she was safe, and she couldn’t thank the young man enough.
"Is..." Megumi trailed off, averting her gaze from her parents but the redness on her face reached all the way to her ears. "Is Hajime all right?"
Koji and Saori looked at each other before shaking their head. "Hajime still hasn’t woken up... but his vitals are stable." Koji relayed what the doctor had told him. From that doctor, he also came to know about Akiko, who was also in the same hospital.
"I... I see... I want to see him." Megumi said, getting up from her hospital bed. She wasn’t in any critical condition, she was just placed there due to exhaustion.
"Are you sure? Can you walk?" Saori asked, grabbing her daughter by the armpit and prompting her up. She was surprised to see that Megumi could carry herself. She had already recuperated, and there was no need for Saori to assist her.
’Hajime... so that’s what happened. And here we were, thinking that he was just a delinquent at school. If Akamine-sensei didn’t assign me to watch over him, I would’ve never known. I can’t believe he lived such a tragic life without telling anyone. How could he shoulder the world without anyone’s help?’ Megumi felt slightly mad that Hajime never asked for her help when he desperately needed it. While she felt worried about him, she also made a mental note to nag him once he woke up. freёwebnovel.com
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"Strange, I felt a strange chill just now," Hajime said to himself as soon as his eyes fluttered open. Despite the warm and cloudy weather of the late afternoon, he felt a chill up and down his spine. "Someone’s probably talking about me."
Suppressing a sneeze from coming out of his mouth, Hajime rolled to one side of the bed, turning away from the door. Just then, he heard the door slide open, and his impulse was to ease his breathing and pretend that he was still deep in slumber. freewebnøvel.coɱ
"Why are you pretending to sleep?" Kirisu, the nurse who had been taking care of his sister, entered the room and sat beside his bed. Hajime turned around in response, glad that it was just Kirisu who barged into his room without knocking.
"Ah, it’s just you, Kirisu-san. How’s Akiko doing?" Hajime asked, flinching in pain as he turned around. He wanted to roll to the other side of the bed because his shoulder had been throbbing in pain, and he didn’t want to put any weight on it.
"You’re asking me? Right now, you should be concerned about your well-being before your sister. Your sister’s doing better than you, and you’re worried for her?" Kirisu gently told him, setting the meal she was carrying on the desk by the side of the bed. "And also, what do you mean it’s just me? Just so you know, I didn’t leave your side the entire night. The other nurse wanted me to rest, but I looked after you."
"Wasn’t it because you wanted more overtime? I’m sure you’re saving up for an upcoming game release or something." Hajime teased. "In any case, thank you so much for looking after me and looking after my sister all this time. "
Kirisu’s face reddened with embarrassment, causing Hajime to smile wider.
"Oh, by the way, I guess you can’t walk outside like a normal person anymore." Kirisu thought that it was an opportune time to change the topic, and she succeeded.
"Why not?" Hajime asked. He couldn’t tell whether Kirisu was lying, or maybe she was teasing him.
"Have you seen the news?" Kirisu continued with a question.
