Megumi's eyes went wide with shock. The drowsiness she felt was absolutely gone now. "What?!" She exclaimed, thinking that Franz was messing with her.
"Yes, young miss," Franz responded with his usual monotonous work-mode voice.
"I knew it! So I wasn't seeing things back there." Megumi said to herself, drooping a bit forward to look at herself in the rearview mirror. After adjusting her bangs a little bit and checking if there was some dirt on her face, she breathed in a lungful of air to ease her nervousness.
.....
"I guess it's time. I better get going then." Mrs. Kikuchi picked up her bag, just when Hajime was finishing up his coffee. It was by far the sweetest thing he's ever had— not the occasion, no, but the matcha frappe that he ordered with Mrs. Kikuchi. That, paired with a honey-glazed donut made Hajimei's tongue long for water. To be fair, it did taste good, it's just that Hajime wasn't used to eating too many sweets... probably because for the past year, he hardly ate anything.
"I'll be waiting for your updates. All the best!"
Hajime heaved a sigh of relief. Now that her intimidating presence was gone, he could finally breathe— 'Not that she's overwhelming, no way, it's just that she's Megumi's mom and not to mention the wife of one of the richest guys around. Of course, I'd be frightened a bit, just a bit.'
With another sigh, Hajime stared at the trellis with the bougainvillea vine, recalling what Megumi's mom told him just a few minutes ago. Did she make up the meaning of these flowers? Hajime wondered to himself but there was no way of knowing so he didn't dwell on the thought. Even without the meaning in mind, though, Hajime still found the vine mesmerizing, calming his heart. It was like staring at cherry blossoms at the beginning of spring.
Lost in thought, he definitely didn't notice the limousine that pulled up in front of the coffee shop.
"Hajime! Ha-ji-me!" Megumi cupped her mouth to amplify her voice. Hajime didn't notice her, though, he just continued staring at the bougainvillea like an idiot.
Beep beep!
Hajime craned his neck to see why a random car was honking its horn right at the coffee shop.
'Wait, that limousine looks familiar.'
"Get in!" Megumi offered, unlocking the side door and prompting him to go inside the car.
Hajime gulped; the last thing he expected was to see Megumi and Franz pick him up from school... and what perfect timing, now that he's Megumi's bodyguard and all. 'Then again, this makes my job easier. If I'm with her, there's no need to watch over her, right?" Hajime said to himself.
Meanwhile, Franz couldn't help but chuckle under his breath. Megumi was the only one in the family who is oblivious to the recruitment, and that amused him a little bit. He could tell that something interesting was bound to happen soon now that Hajime didn't have a choice but to stick close to his client.
'I've been observing the kid for a while now, and all I could say is that he's the most resilient kid I've ever met. If only he didn't meet such misfortune, he'd have been a successful student by now.' Franz inwardly said, watching Hajime and Megumi lightly argue about the space where they were supposed to seat.
"No, don't cross that line! That's your spot!"
"You were the one who asked me to get in, though. It's not like I asked for a lift or anything."
"W-what are you talking about?! No one's asking you. It was Franz, he was the one who picked you up."
"But you were the one who told me to get in. Sheesh."
"Please settle down young miss, young sir, I don't want you falling all over each other on your way to school." Franz joined in on the tease, maintaining his poker face. It took every cell in his body to suppress his laughter at that point.
'I'm just glad that he's getting some help, even if it's just a little. He still doesn't know that I'm paying for his water bills, does he? Well, if he did, he'd have told me to stop hahha. Best keep it a secret for as long as I can.'
With that thought in mind, Franz stepped on the pedal, and the limousine sped off. While Hajime and Megumi continued their light banter, he proceeded to use every left and right turn as an opportunity to make them fall over each other. He was a skilled driver, and every turn was never missed.
"Don't touch me!"
"You're the one touching me!" Said Hajime as Megumi fell on his lap.
"Not too aggressive, young miss." Franz teased.
"Franz!" Megumi pouted, her face reddening.
The trip to school was more enjoyable and thrilling than expected— or at least, to Franz, it was. Megumi won't admit it, but this was the first time she ever rode a car with a friend, so she didn't dislike it one bit. In fact, she was even a tad bit dejected that the road trip came to an end.
"Have a great day at school, young miss, young sir." Franz waved them off before he drove towards the parking lot.
'That's weird.' Megumi said to herself. Ever since Franz became a part of their household, she rarely saw him smile. But today, she caught a glimpse of him slightly curving his lips upward every single time they made a turn. It was undeniable that he was enjoying himself. Again, Megumi was surprised to know that side of Franz. It's as if she didn't know him at all.
"That was the first time someone called me a young sir," Hajime said to himself, holding his head up in confidence as he adjusted his collar. "I feel like I can do anything today." There was an air of arrogance in his voice, but to those that didn't know, it was all just an act since Hajime was a nervous wreck on his first day on the field as a personal bodyguard of a certain someone beside him.
"Yeah, and for once, you're attending the morning classes. Did you eat something weird?" Megumi eyed him suspiciously. She did find him by the Moonlight Coffee Shop, and she knew just how pricey it could get in that place. It's unequivocally expensive, and she was perfectly aware that Hajime couldn't afford it. 'He even rejected me when I invited him to a fast food restaurant. What's going on here?' She asked herself.
"Probably; how about you? It's a first for you to offer me a ride." Hajime teased, reenacting the way she fell on his lap a couple of times during the trip.
"Stop it, you! Just you wait; I'll get back at you, big time." Megumi hissed.
During their squabble, someone in the background who was running through the school entrance with a toast in her mouth suddenly stopped short in her tracks. "Hajime? Megumi? Did they come to school together?" She asked herself, staring at the two as if they were a new school couple.
It was none other than Kurumi Natsumi.