"Then, why do you keep on ditching it, do you have any excuse?" Somehow, instead of receiving a boost to her courage since her students were there, Akamine-sensei started fidgeting as her face reddened a little bit. She became more nervous instead due to the presence of her students.
Her question was repetitive as well. Hajime might not have noticed it but Akamine-sensei was actually trying her best to be considerate by not asking any personal questions. She thought that doing so might accidentally humiliate Hajime. No matter how furious or how anxious she was, she just couldn't bring herself to do something so underhanded.
In the end, she really is a kindhearted teacher.
Step!
A classmate suddenly stepped in between Hajime and Akamine-sensei.
Kikuchi Megumi
Her brown hair draped down to her waist. She removed her reading glasses, revealing the clear brown eyes that gazed down on the sitting Hajime. Of course, Hajime would feel inferior to her when she's around. After all, she almost scored a perfect score in the entrance exam while he scored barely above the passing grade. Her eyes seemed to stare daggers at Hajime while Hajime tried his best to keep his gaze averted from the two ladies.
"Megumi, I have something urgent that I need to tell you. is it okay if you could come to my office right now?" Akamine-sensei cleared her throat before addressing the top student in her class.
"I understand, Akamine-sensei," Megumi nodded, following right behind Akamine-sensei as she made her exit.
'Phew, that was close. I don't have the slightest idea why Akamine-sensei called Megumi to her office but I guess I'm in the clear for now. I felt like I was about to get chewed by that girl, sheesh.' Hajime told himself, scratching his head before he stood up, quietly making his way inside the classroom so he could finally take a nap.
"You know, I saw Hajime last night." One of them whispered.
"Really? Really? Where?" A few of them responded, getting drawn in by the topic
"At the coffee shop in the downtown area. He's talking to a lady wearing a nurse uniform. Isn't that weird?"
"Really?!" Another one exclaimed. "Isn't that suspicious?"
"I know right! Here, take a look at this." The first one told the group. "I took them a picture last night."
"Wait, what was that? Is that, by any chance, Hajime handing a bundle of money to that lady? No way!" The guy beside the first one interjected.
The group began glancing at Hajime and then at the picture one of his classmates showed the group. There was no mistaking it— it was really Hajime, talking to a girl in a nurse uniform.
Well, the student in question had plenty of chances to bring the topic up but he waited for Hajime to appear before talking about it. Obviously, he wanted Hajime to lose his composure and get in trouble, but Hajime flat-out ignored their provocation. He's too tired to deal with their useless banter anyways.
Furthermore, it's not like the rumors were true. They can gossip all they want but nothing will happen if he didn't do anything. Hajime clearly knew that he would be expelled if he reacted violently. He didn't want to play right into his classmates' hands.
'Let them do what they want, all of those are just rumors anyways.' Hajime told himself.
.....
Akamine-sensei's office was a small four-by-four room with a cabinet to the side, filled with different textbooks and some novels from her personal collection. A few stacks of paper, a pen, and a bento box could be seen on top of her desk which was in the middle of the room. There were a couple of chairs to the side of the office, just in case she had to talk to two or more students.
"Please sit down," Akamine-sensei said, heaving a sigh of relief as the cold air blew on her nape. She just turned on the air conditioning to her office, which made her feel a tad bit sleepy. She didn't want Megumi to notice that though so she wore a straight face.
Megumi didn't know why she was called to the teacher's office and at this point, she didn't dare ask. Her mind started replaying everything she did the past few days. As far as she knows, she never got into any trouble, except the time when she accidentally bumped a student in the cafeteria and her precious lunch fell. She did pay for her lunch and the situation was dealt with just like that. Aside from that, Megumi couldn't remember the time when she did something that would warrant being called into the teacher's office.
Unbeknownst to her, Akamine-sensei had been planning to call Megumi in her office to ask her for a favor but she just couldn't bring herself to do so. Fortunately, that scenario with Hajime happened and she was able to muster her courage to call Megumi into her office. 'Now what do I do?'
She was perfectly aware that Megumi had all the rights to decline the favor asked of her but she decided to try it out anyway, just in case the slight chance that Megumi would accept would happen. 'They're like oil and water after all. I've been eyeing them out ever since the start of the semester and I can tell that they don't get along.'
"Megumi,"
"Yes, ma'am?"
"What do you think of Hajime?" Akamine-sense asked out of the blue, causing Megumi to stiffen.
She couldn't tell where the question came from.
"Honestly, I don't think he and I would get along. He does whatever he wants and doesn't even care about his grades. He even causes trouble with the other students." Megumi crossed her arms as she spoke.
"I am aware of that, yes. However, you do know that out of everyone in our class, he's the only one with the lowest grades. Frankly, the overall reputation of our class is going down. Hajime's grades are pulling all of yours, decreasing the overall average grade of our class."
"..." Megumi didn't know where their homeroom teacher was getting at, but she didn't interrupt her.
"That's why I would like to ask you for a favor. Can you, you know, help him out a little bit? And no, I'm not asking you to help him with his grades, that would be counterproductive in more ways than one." Akamine-sensei continued, clasping her hands together, practically begging Megumi to help her out. "I just want you to observe him from time to time, see what he's up to. As a teacher, I can't really do that since I'm stumped with work. If you notice anything weird, report to me, and then I'll try to take over from there."
"So... I'll just observe him from afar from time to time? And then if I encounter any problems, I'd have to report it as soon as possible?"
"Yes... please?"