The cold chilly wind that wandered through Hajime's house marked the end of the family dinner— a fleeting moment that made Hajime feel a sense of nostalgia, reminding him of the things he once had, which are gone forever.
Thanking him for the umpteenth time, Megumi and his parents slowly exited the house, expressing their gratitude for Hajime. Now that they thought about it, it had been a long time since the three of them last ate together. Since Megumi's dad was always busy working and finalizing deals, there was almost no time for the family to get together. Usually, it was just Megumi and her mom who would eat together.
"Um, here... Hajime... " Megumi's dad uttered, pulling out an envelope from his pockets.
Upon seeing the bulky envelope that Megumi's dad was trying to hand him, the first thought that occurred in Hajime's mind was the cliche scene in most novels and dramas where the rich family hands someone a hefty sum, just so they would get out of their son or daughter's life. Knowing Megumi's parents, however, Hajime knew that they wouldn't do such a thing. They were even glad that Megumi had made her first friend... why would they try to separate them when they were genuinely happy a few moments ago?
"I know it's not much, but here... take it." Megumi's dad said. His expression said that he wouldn't take no for an answer. Also, he didn't seem that forceful, so Hajime was confused as to why he was handing him some money.
Nevertheless, he accepted the money without thinking twice. He was in dire need of money. If someone were to hand him money out of goodwill, there's no way he wouldn't receive it. "Thank you so much, sir."
"Once again, thank you for keeping our daughter company, and for dealing with her selfishness." Ruffling her hair, Megumi's dad chuckled before opening the car doors.
"It's quite all right sir, it should be me who should thank your daughter," Hajime responded back since he thought it best to do so. "I mean... she was the one who cooked dinner.
"Right, now that I thought about it... Megumi has never cooked for her friends." Once again, Megumi's dad started teasing her out of nowhere. He then turned around and faced Hajime. "In any case, Hajime, thank you. Ever since my wife and I went on a business trip for a month a few years back, she became so uptight. She has not made any friends since then. Thank you so much for sticking by her. She may not know that she's already overstepping her boundaries, but I hope you'll understand and still choose to be her friend."
Hajime didn't have any words. Tight-lipped, he nodded his head in response. It may seem like he was acting out of respect and courtesy but the reality was, he was trying not to laugh at Megumi's situation. She was even worse than him when making friends and he found it somewhat hilarious. It would annoy her to no end if he laughed though so he tried to hold it in as much as he could.
"Well then, take care of yourself, Hajime, we'll be going." Megumi's dad nodded his head before all of them entered the car.
Megumi once again wore a flustered face as she entered the car with her parents. She seemed bothered, and embarrassed at the same time, so much so that she couldn't even manage eye contact with Hajime. She sat by the back seat, drooping her head even lower as her emotions sunk low.
Confused, Hajime just stared at her, waiting for her to look straight into his eyes and look down on him like she always does. Hajime knew all too well that Megumi does that to hide her true feelings... and yet, this time, there was no sign of her doing such a thing. She just stared at her feet, not even daring to look up.
"Megumi."
Revvvv! Kikuchi Koji finally started the car.
"Megumi," Hajime called once again. This time, he raised his voice a little bit— just a little bit so Megumi would properly hear her. She still didn't look up though.
"Megumi!" For the third time, Hajime rapped on the glass window. Since it was way too obvious, there's no way Megumi could ignore him. Her cheeks flushed, she rolled down the window and looked down on Hajime just like how she always does.
"What is it?" She hissed like a snake baring her fangs on her prey.
"Make sure you talk to your parents." Hajime hissed back. Even though Megumi was looking down on him once again, he didn't feel the least bit scared or irritated by it.
Megumi's eyes widened, and then she pursed her lips before she obediently nodded. "Bye," She said with a slight nod.
"Sure, take care." As Hajime said that, Megumi rolled up the windows. Megumi's dad pressed the horn once before they roared off, leaving Hajime alone once again.
A smile appeared on both Koji and Saori as their family drove off. Koji stole a glance towards the rear-view mirror, getting a good view of Megumi... and Hajime who was left behind. He snickered, shaking his head as if something ridiculous just happened. "What a small world, huh... what a small world it is." He said to himself.
"What was that dad?" Megumi asked since she didn't hear what her dad said clearly. She kept on thinking about Hajime's last words for her and this made her absent-minded for a few seconds. Of course, she knew exactly what to do, it's just that she didn't know how to approach it. Somehow, Hajime's words gave her more of that resolve she needed.
"Nothing, Hajime was it? Take care of him, will you?" Megumi's dad said out of the blue, leaving Megumi confused since it was supposed to be the other way around. Instead of asking Hajime to take care of her, her dad asked her to take care of Hajime.