Free Web NovelChapter 90: My Treat
To be fair, this was the first time Hajime volunteered to treat everyone. In the past, he could only wish for such a scenario to happen so now that the situation presented itself to him, Hajime didn’t hesitate to take his chance. There was an uncertainty in his voice as he called out his offer, but nevertheless, his offer reached Kichiro and the others’ ears while they stopped short on whatever it was they were occupied with. Not only did it sound uncharacteristic for Hajime to say such things, they also couldn’t believe that he had that much money on him.
Hajime was unsure whether his offer was the optimal course to take, causing him to avert his eyes and hesitate in an awkward manner in front of his group. But then again, he couldn’t think of anything where he’ll most likely spend his allowance for the school trip so he figured he’d just treat them.
Besides, it’s not like the Cat Cafe was a bad choice. At first, Hajime thought that it’d be boring inside but as it turned out it was way more relaxing than usual. freēwēbnovel.com
"Oi, are you sure about that?" Kichiro was well aware of how absurdly expensive the Cat Cafe could get, let alone the food they served. That’s why even he wouldn’t offer to treat anyone to food or drinks there.
Hajime simply nodded. After all, once the school trip is over, he had to give the money back to Mr. Kikuchi. Why would he save someone else’s money when he’d been tasked to spend it? Still, there was a slight feeling of guilt in his heart as he thought of the amount of money he could spend right then and there. It’s not his money, but spending it on something else besides his younger sister felt a little regretful.
Surprisingly, the first one to order was Shinji. He ordered a double-patty burger and an orange juice (which was the cheapest combo meal on the menu). "Thanks for the treat," Shinji muttered. He was too quiet and unnoticeable that they didn’t even see him order.
"Well, I won’t hold back then." Kichiro shook his fists in front of Hajime even though he didn’t mean what he said. Even though he despised Hajime because of his reputation in school, he also had a reputation to uphold. That’s why there was no way he’d stoop so low as to take advantage of Hajime’s goodwill.
.....
When the group returned an hour or so later for the orientation, their overall atmosphere and attitude changed for the better. Well, Shinji was the same as usual but Kichiro and Shoichi didn’t shun Hajime from the group anymore.
Hajime’s gesture wasn’t the only thing that convinced Kichiro that he wasn’t a bad person. In fact, that was only a small factor of the reasons which convinced him. As for the major reason, well, it was more of a bias, more than anything. ’There’s no way someone that’s heavily adored by cats is a bad person.
The Orientation passed by in a flash since it was just a rundown of the schedule for tomorrow. There was a minor alteration in regards to the schedule of the school trip and that is— the free time which was supposed to happen on the latter half of tomorrow would be moved to the next day. As for the tour, it will happen the whole day instead.
This was because one of the teachers voiced out that giving free time to the students in the afternoon whilst expecting them to return in the evening is extremely risky. Tokyo may be a bustling city but that’s what makes it all the more dangerous. Furthermore, looking for a lost student at night is more difficult. And that’s why the principal allowed the change in schedule.
When the orientation was over, it was another section of free time for the day. This time though, everyone was advised to return by five pm before the sun sets. Again, this was to ensure the student’s safety.
"Another free time, huh," Kichiro pressed his thumb against his chin as he thought of other places where their group could go without violating the curfew. Aside from Pika Pika Cat Cafe, he couldn’t think of any other place. The only other location he could think of were other cafes or parfait stands or well-known restaurants. While these were pretty good places, they were all related to food and Kichiro didn’t want to leave a bad impression on anyone. In the end, he kept all the suggestions to himself and proceeded to head to the room.
On the other hand, there was Shinji who headed straight to the room without a second thought after the orientation.
"Hajime," Kichiro called out of the blue just when they were heading up the stairs. "If you want to go somewhere just tell us. You don’t have to hold back."
"Sure, thanks," Hajime simply responded.
Even though it was still early in the afternoon, Hajime and his group had already taken out their futons and lazed around the entire afternoon. At first, Hajime thought that they should be enjoying the school trip as much as they want since it only comes once a year, then he remembered that the tour would last for the entire day tomorrow. In short, they had plenty of reasons to take it easy, at least, just for today.
’I think I’m forgetting something... ’ Hajime thought to himself just when Kichiro and Shoichi brought out a couple of junk foods from their backpacks. They even brought cards so no one would be bored while they rested. Still, that didn’t take away the inkling feeling that Hajime had in his mind.
That’s when he remembered.
"AH!" Hajime screamed out of the blue. Of course, how could he forget about that? After all, that’s the reason why he was even on the school trip, to begin with.
"I need to go somewhere. I’ll be back in a jiffy." Hajime jerked his thumb towards the door, leaving before Kichiro and the others could say anything.
