Megumi hastily followed Hajime out of the coffee shop, slightly bowing down towards the waiter that saw her out. As soon as Hajime exited, he stepped foot into the crowd as if trying to lose her tail. This made Megumi panic a little bit, and she soon followed him into the crowd. A moment later, the crowd dissipated, diverging their separate ways.
"Where did he go?" Megumi asked, turning around as she scanned every face on the street. Hajime was nowhere to be found, he was able to shake her off despite not knowing he was being followed. (Megumi still believed that Hajime had no idea about her actions.)
At the same time, Hajime managed to slip past her, sneaking behind her without revealing his presence. That same mischievous smile spread across his face as he extended both his index and middle finger, forming his hand into the shape of a gun. 'Hehe~' Hajime laughed inwardly before pointing the 'gun' on her hips.
A squeal left Megumi's lips. Before she could swivel, however, Hajime put a hand on her shoulders, then whispered softly in her ears. His breath made Megumi shiver and quake in fear, her legs turning into jelly. Due to shock, she dropped the coffee she just brought. This made Hajime feel pity but he went through with the prank anyway.
"Move and I'll shoot. Give me your wallet and your phone," Hajime growled, pressing her hand on Megumi's hips even harder.
"H-h-here. P-please, don't hurt me." Megumi slowly handed her wallet and phone to Hajime without even putting up a fight. "You can have it, please, just leave me alone." She continued. This time, Hajime flinched at her reaction. She began choking on her tears as they streamed down her cheeks.
'Did I... che~ looks like I went too far, huh. What am I even thinking?' Hajime berated himself in his mind. Without thinking twice, he grabbed her by the shoulders and whirled her around. Megumi had no time to react so her body went along with the momentum while she wore a surprised expression on his face.
"Hajime?" Megumi sniffled.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... it was just a joke." Hajime didn't know how to justify his actions. Then again, he was able to get back at Megumi for stalking her. Her reaction was a bit unexpected though.
"Joke, my butt," Megumi embarrassingly wiped off the tears on her face as she sniffled a couple more times. At that moment, she truly believed that a gun was pointed right at her hip. Her mind suddenly shut down for a second there, and before she knew it, the dams in her eyes opened and tears steadily flowed from them.
"I'll pay you back for the coffee... why were you following us in the first place?" Hajime asked, still holding onto Megumi's shoulders so she would calm down.
"I was only following you, stupid." Megumi shot back.
'Isn't that... worse?' It took a couple of seconds before Hajime realized what Megumi meant when she said that. By now, the passers-by were already getting curious about their lover's quarrel that some of them even scooted nearer so they could listen in on what the fight was all about. From the looks of it, Hajime and Megumi seemed like they came straight out of a drama. They were fighting in the middle of the street after all as if no one was present.
'So if she wasn't following us... and she was following me... wait... why is she stalking me in the first place? No no, it's too early to jump to conclusions.' Hajime intensely shook his head. Perish the thought!
Nevertheless, he kept his guard up and took one step back. He couldn't think of a possible reason why Megumi would be following him, and this made him oddly suspicious of her gesture. 'Why was she following me in the first place? Megumi doesn't seem like the type to stalk someone'
"So, what do you want with me?" Hajime finally asked. "You do know I don't have money, right? What are your ulterior motives?"
"I-I just ended up seeing you on the way. You were meeting a suspicious lady... who is she?" Megumi raised one of her brows as she asked Hajime the prying question.
"Answer me first. You think I wouldn't notice? I've been running away from debt collectors for a long time. I know the smell of being followed. You were following me way before I met up with that lady" Hajime shot back in an instant, diverting the question and sending the pressure back to where it came from.
"I... I just... I told you I just happened to pass by!" Megumi gritted her teeth. "And also... I was curious... you didn't seem like the type to go downtown on weekends."
Megumi's response was valid, that much Hajime knew. Even he didn't see himself as someone who would go downtown during weekends. He'd rather spend his alone time at home, or at the park. Those were his usual routine for the weekend after all. "Fair enough," Hajime said. His jittery nerves were starting to calm down.
"Back to my question— "
Gulp!
"— who was the lady?" Megumi asked once again, her eyes turning into slits, this time, as if she was looking right into Hajime's very soul.
"..."
"All I can say is— she's an acquaintance... of my parents. You don't need to know more than that. Does that answer your question?" Hajime asked. "I'll be off then."
In truth, Megumi was worried that the rumors turned out to be true. But just like what occurred to her, everything was not as they seem. Although it was clear that Hajime was really meeting someone in a nurse uniform, it didn't warrant the rumor that he was into those kinds of things. Besides, their conversation seemed to lean more on the confidential side so Megumi didn't bother asking him any questions, despite how curious she was at the moment. Initially, she followed Hajime so some of her questions would be answered... who would've thought it will have a totally opposite effect and she'd be left with even more questions in her head.
"W-w-wait!" Megumi desperately called out, grabbing Hajime by the arm before he could completely turn around.
"What?"
'Wait... did I just call out to Hajime? What am I doing? Megumi, stop it! Are you crazy?!' Megumi was conflicted about her actions but it was already done. She already called out for Hajime before he made his leave. She didn't think up a reason why though. It was an impulse. She did it out of impulse. As to why, she could only wonder.
"What?" Hajime repeated.
"Y-you... you! Come with me!" Megumi voiced out.
"And why would I do that? As far as I know, this girl who's telling me to come with her had been stalking me for a few minutes now. Should I report you to the police?" Hajime asked, pointing at a nearby police station.
"Y-y-you still need to pay me back for coffee, right?" Megumi said with a slight smile. She finally found a reason even though it took her a couple of seconds. "Accompany me today, then you won't have to pay a single cent!" She haughtily offered.
"Are you seriously asking me out on a date after stalking me?" Hajime shot back. He still hasn't gotten over the fact that the number one student in their year, let alone the class representative, stalked him. Well, he was just messing around though, this was one of those times where he could tease Megumi, and he was going to savor that moment for now.
A light smile spread across his face. "So, where are we going?"