Free Web NovelChapter 83: Sleepless Night
It was rare for Hajime to be the first person to arrive at school... but today was one of those rare days.
Early morning and Hajime was already prepared for the school trip— his bag packed and his clothes somewhat decent. There was still a light mist outside due to the fog last night. Since the sun was still up, the misty air was still hanging low on the ground, giving it a serenely hazy atmosphere, almost to the point where it was creepy.
Last night was one of the weirdest nights Hajime had experienced in the past year. He was exhausted, and yet his eyes just wouldn’t shut. There was something about the thought of the school trip that gave him a different kind of energy. Even though he was only going on the school trip to look after Megumi, he was looking forward to it. He berated himself a couple of times throughout the night that he shouldn’t think of it as a school trip but it was pointless. He wasn’t able to stop himself from browsing through the phone Franz lent him and checking out the best cafes in Tokyo. After checking that, he slapped his face and told himself that he was going to sleep...
... but before his eyes completely succumbed to slumber, he thought that maybe he might wake up late since he would be sleeping late. And so he prepared everything he needed to bring and all the clothes that he was going to wear. And to put it up a notch, he decided to take a bath so he won’t have to tomorrow.
When he was back in bed, his hand impulsively reached for the phone. And this time he checked some of the famous sites in Tokyo. Slapping himself a second time, he told himself that this time, he really was going to sleep.
Long story short, Hajime didn’t get a single shut-eye last night and since there was nothing left to do, he decided to head out, lock up, and head to the school first thing in the morning. "What am I doing?" He asked himself, scratching his head.
Passing by the nearby park on his way to school, he remembered being beaten up that night by the debt collectors, then the next thing he knew, he was in the police station. ’Then there’s the favor from sensei... I haven’t even properly thanked her for it.’ Hajime continued his line of thought.
Once he got to Dai Yama High School, the front gates were already open, so he didn’t bother checking if it was okay to go in or not. He just walked straight through, then positioned himself on the stairs that led to the front entrance of the school building. There was still an hour before the scheduled meet-up so Hajime had a lot of time to kill.
’Aren’t I too early?’ Hajime said to himself with a sigh.
With nothing else to do, Hajime got up, did a couple of stretches, and decided to roam around the school building. This was his first time exploring the school after all these years so he felt a little pumped for it.
.....
A few minutes after Hajime’s exploration of the school building commenced, Akamine-sensei arrived at school— she arrived a little earlier than usual just like Hajime. She also couldn’t sleep last night, not because she was so looking forward to the school trip, but because she was worried for her students. They were going to Tokyo, a densely populated city with lots of scenic spots. It just screams of danger and Akamine-sensei had the responsibility to look after all her students. While her students would be together for the first half of the day, touring shrines and historical buildings, the latter part of the day was a free time wherein everyone was free to go wherever they want as long as they come back to the place where they’ll be staying for the night. This was the reason why groups were assigned to the class— they have to be together the entire day to lessen the risks of one of them getting lost or getting into trouble.
In any case, Akamine-sensei also prepared much earlier than usual and arrived at school earlier than usual. Despite her worries, she was actually in the good mood. This was one of those rare days where she doesn’t have to stay in the classroom for the whole day and complain about the summer heat.
’Wait a second... it’s hotter outside during the day, right? Right?!’ Akamine-sensei finally realized that the summer heat would be more overbearing during the school trip compared to being in the classroom.
Akamine-sensei shook her head and decided to focus on the positive side of things. The bottom line was, she wouldn’t be stuck inside the classroom for two days and one night— and that fact alone is something worth celebrating as a homeroom teacher.
"Hm~ hmmhmm~ hmhmm~" Akamine-sensei let her guard down as she started humming, doing some weird dance by the school halls since she knew she was the only one around. She acted as if she owned the place, even twirling around in a childish manner. This was her way of destressing but she didn’t want to show it to anyone since it was embarrassing.
Then again, she was unreservedly doing it in the hallways of the school. There she was, having the time of her life trying to calm her nerves before the fated school trip begins... freewebnσvel.cѳm
... and there was Hajime, by the other side of the hallway, accidentally stumbling upon Akamine-sensei’s display of a ritualic dance. Before Hajime could catch himself, he already let out a chuckle, almost choking on his saliva as he did so. A split second later he covered his mouth but it was already too late, Akamine-sensei heard his reaction and she immediately looked in his direction. freeweɓnovel.cøm
With nowhere to hide, all that Hajime could do was turn around in hopes that Akamine-sense won’t recognize him.
"Hajime?"
