After the forgotten bodyguarding duty and the spontaneous accident by Ameyoko, the night went by in an uneventful manner to Hajime's relief. Setting aside the earful he received from Kichiro and the others after he left the group without proper prior notice, nothing much transpired. They even forgave him in an instant and played a few rounds of cards with him before lights out.
"Still, who would've thought that you're actually not a delinquent? What were you doing these past few months?" Kichiro asked out of nowhere just when Shoichi and Shinji paired their last pair of cards in the third round of old maid.
With Kichiro and Hajime the only two left, the atmosphere in the room intensified as they bluffed and tricked each other with their movements and body language.
