"Nice disguise,"
Those two words made Megumi's heart stop beating because it meant that Hajime knew all along that she was following him. And somehow, Hajime hid that fact until she was caught in the end. Hence, Megumi received maximum embarrassment.
Now, Megumi had no escape. She could tell as she stared right through Hajime's eyes. Panic-stricken, she turned around and headed in the opposite direction, hoping that doing so would prompt Hajime to take a step back and leave.
"And where are you going?" Hajime asked, catching up to Megumi and walking by her side.
"Home," Megumi straightforwardly answered without looking at Hajime at all. She couldn't tell why her face reddened every time she stared at Hajime, and that's why she kept avoiding his gaze.
Hajime could tell that Megumi couldn't look at him. Teasing her, he stood in front of her, just so she won't have any choice but to stare at him. Even then, Megumi turned around and headed in a different direction, One could tell that she was trying really hard to avoid Hajime at all costs.
Out of desperation, Megumi quickened her pace, leaving Hajime behind after he sincerely thanked her. Scratching his head, Hajime headed back home, wondering why Megumi acted that way when he was just trying to thank her properly. Well, he did tease her a tad bit a few moments ago but it still didn't warrant her avoiding him. In the end, Hajime was left with even more questions, both for Megumi and Natsumi who were acting weirdly today.
Since Hajime really didn't bring a single cent on their date, there was nothing for him to do but go home.
The night was still young, and the bustling downtown just got even busier as the night wore on. Hajime felt all the more suffocated as the crowd got bigger, everyone shoulder to shoulder as they walked their own paths.
Somehow, the distant memory of his parents occurred in his mind, and he remembered their last visit downtown. Then again, his parents were almost always never home in the first place, so that memory occurred more than five years ago. Hajime couldn't remember all its details, the only clear detail he could recall was when they ate ice cream together.
Walking home, Hajime felt the tranquility of solitude once again as he breathed the cool night air. Not a star could be seen in the sky as gloomy clouds hung low, but that didn't dampen Hajime's mood. It was finally peaceful, quiet, the silent part of the neighborhood where the cumbersome white noise of downtown won't reach.
Another stopover by the park near his house did the trick, and he once again returned to his comfort zone, the shell where he hid himself for the past year. All the thoughts about Megumi and Natsumi flew past his mind once again, and he was then reminded of the grim reality that faced him. It's as if a switch was turned in his head and he woke up from the dreamy dream that he experienced— getting a bento, being invited out, watching a movie, eating out... he realized he had no time for all those nonsense. That he didn't deserve that much when someone was experiencing the exact opposite. Call it beating oneself down but that's exactly what Hajime had to do to wake up.
Once more, he returned to the trellis he frequented and lay down on his back, hoping that the days where he had to wallow in despair would soon end. But that was just wishful thinking. If he doesn't act on it, then nothing will happen. Nothing will happen at all.
But then again, it's not like something would change even if he did everything he could. He was stuck in a cold and a hard place, and there was nothing he could do about it... except wait.
"Another day tomorrow, another day of work." With a sigh, Hajime forced a smile on his face as he recalled the events that transpired that day. Somehow, it gave him the strength to move forward, and for what it's worth, it did give him a change of pace.
Without further ado, he headed back home, renewed, and hopefully prepared for the menial labor of construction work tomorrow.
.....
Megumi sat by the window seat, pouting as she tried to wrack her brain and find the underlying cause of her bashfulness. She couldn't make heads or tails of it however since this was the first time she'd ever been close to someone of the opposite gender. There was an urge for her to pull her hair out but Franz was by the driver's seat, and she didn't want to embarrass herself any further.
While Megumi was trapped in her confusion, Franz continued driving, worried that Megumi might go crazy if things continued the way it was going. He wanted to help, but upon seeing the drama close up, he knew he was unworthy of offering what little bit of advice he had up his sleeves. Besides, Megumi won't learn anything if he just spoonfed her the lessons he learned throughout life. In order to make the best out of this experience, Franz knew that Megumi had to figure it out by herself. It was easy for him to outright tell Megumi that she was, in fact, attracted to Hajime. But what good would it do except make things awkward between him and her when nothing was set in stone yet? Furthermore, Franz knew that he had no part in their lives, he was a mere butler of the Kikuchi household and their personal driver. There's no chance he'd meddle between the lives of the young miss and her love interest.
By the time they reached home, Megumi's parents were waiting for her by the front door— which came as a surprise since they never waited for her. Usually, they'd still be at work by this time, or they'd head straight to sleep as soon as they got home. But somehow, they were by the front door, waiting.
"Mom? Dad?" Megumi asked as she stepped out of the limousine.