It's as if a switch was turned on in Akamine-sensei's mind as soon as she entered her apartment. Somehow, her determination when it comes to cleaning her room was renewed and she started clearing out her space no matter how tired she was. Her urge to eat and drink beer was great, but she suppressed them, disciplining herself. 'I should finish everything first before I eat.' She told herself as she started dumping out trashbags after trashbags.
She was surprised to see how many clothes she have scattered all over her apartment, and by the time she was done stuffing them in her hamper, she was met with another cleaning duty— the dishes.
Somehow, Hajime's presence a few moments ago lit a fire within her, reminding her that she should do her best as well. Right now, Hajime doesn't know it but from time to time, Megumi would report to Akamine-sensei about him.
And it's not like Megumi actually tells her everything. Nevertheless, she tells her all the information she needed regarding Hajime. That's why she was aware of the reason why Hajime always misses out on morning classes. As to why Hajime needed money, Akamine-sensei could only wonder since Megumi didn't really tell her why.
Also, Akamine-sensei was oblivious to the fact that Hajime's parents are dead. Had she known, everything else would've fallen into place and she'd completely understand why Hajime acts like that. Even so, she still found Hajime's actions inexcusable since he wasn't really doing anything about his reputation at school.
"What am I going to do with the kid?" She asked herself in frustration, just when she started working on the floors, dusting and mopping them. Even though she wanted to remove Hajime from her mind, she couldn't stop thinking about him— not in a weird sort of way, but because he was her student so she can't help but worry about him.
Still, what happened at the convenience store made her see Hajime in a new light. Just as she thought, he wasn't the type to go around beating everybody up. He was a good kid, and right now he just couldn't be bothered with fixing his reputation in school.
"If only he knew that it would be much easier for him to get along with everyone instead of shunning all of them," Akamine-sensei said to herself with a sigh, finally done with mopping the floor.
Just when she turned on the television and started cooking cupped noodles and opening a can of beer, her phone began to ring. 'Weird, I wasn't expecting anyone to call me tonight. Did something happen at home? Or maybe it's one of my students who got in trouble?'
Ring! Ring!
It was an unknown number, and no matter how hard Akamine-sensei tried to think if she recognized the number from before but she couldn't remember anything. Nevertheless, she answered, hoping that it wouldn't be a scam, at least.
"Hello, Rie Akamine speaking, who is this?"
"Oh, big sis, how are you doing! I just got out of the station. You did say your house is near downtown right? Where is it?" A cute and vibrant voice spoke at the other end of the line.
It was none other than Fuuka Akamine, Akamine-sensei's younger sister.
"Fuuka? What are you doing here? And why did you come here this late at night?" Akamine-sensei somehow panicked as her mind absorbed the words of her younger sister. While she hasn't confirmed yet whether Fuuka was telling a lie or not, she believed what she said. After all, her sister isn't really a fan of telling lies.
"I uh... I wanted to surprise you but it got a little crowded in the station... and I kind of got a little bit lost... " She trailed off. Akamine-sensei could imagine her shutting her eyes while she awaited her older sister's reprimand.
"Why did you come here in the first place, and you didn't have to go through all that just to surprise me, you should've told me in advance so I could come to pick you up."
"Don't worry! I can find my way to your place. I just need a bit of a refresher." Fuuka announced. She was a bit scared that her older sister might yell at her through the phone and she was relieved that her sister didn't do it. That's why she regained her confidence and assured her sister, even though she wasn't sure whether she could find her way or not.
"Are you sure about that? Don't worry, I'll you up right now. Where are you?"
And there was the question that Fuuka dreaded the most. As soon as her sister said that, she gulped, and it was as if time stopped for her. Her lips began to utter a series of 'uh's as she felt the anxiousness creeping up from within her system.
She didn't know where she was right now.
A few moments ago, she was confident that she'd be able to find her way, but unfortunately, much has changed in the place due to the series of construction projects going around and this made her lose her bearings. By the time she realized that she was lost, her phone was already drained and the last familiar landmark she saw was already a way away. And just when she was on the verge of tearing up, she found a landline by the corner of the road. Fortunately, she remembered her sister's number.
...
Back to the present, beads of sweat poured from Fuuka's forehead as she forced herself to tell her sister the truth despite the backlash that would come soon after. "I... I don't know..." She whimpered. "All I know is that I'm somewhere near your place. There's a landline, and that's what I used to call you."
'That must be the landline near the convenience store.' Akamine-sensei told herself. "All right, just stay where you are, all right? I'll pick you up."
"Oum~" She answered, sniffling. As she hung up, she couldn't help but be teary-eyed. It was already nighttime after all, and last time she heard, this part of the town was dangerous, especially at night.
And as if on cue, a man was approaching her out of nowhere.