"Fried chicken!" Fuuka exclaimed.
Fuuka's genuine reaction spoke for everyone since they were all thinking the same thing. Even without Franz opening one of the boxes he set on the table, they could tell that the contents of the box were none other than deep-fried chicken. The smell was unmistakable, causing their stomachs to grumble in response to the food suddenly presented.
"I'll go get the cups. Do you have enough cups for all of us?" Megumi asked before Hajime could completely take in what's going on.
In silence, Hajime nodded at Megumi before she headed to the kitchen cupboards. Hajime was beginning to think that this was all pre-planned by Megumi but he knew she wasn't that conniving. If ever, Franz actually saved the awkwardness of the gathering when he brought food for the table.
Seeing that Megumi was just as surprised as everyone else, Hajime immediately knew that Franz acted of his own accord. 'Can he do that? But then again, it's not like he's in their household. Currently, he's not Megumi's butler but another visitor.' Hajime said to himself.
"Please dig in," Franz formally bowed his head down as he opened one of the boxes.
The scent of the fried chicken was stronger now, encouraging them to grab a piece and devour it. Hajime, for one, hasn't eaten in three days. Seeing fried chicken in front of him was actually pretty tempting. 'If I'm not careful, I might eat a great portion of it. Relax, Hajime, you shouldn't embarass yourself in front of these girls.' He said to himself as he breathed in and out. That didn't help with calming his nerves down however, and it was further proven by the fact that he was the first one to grab a piece of chicken, digging in before anyone else did.
By the time Megumi came back with five cups after scouring the cupboards, Hajime had already eaten two fried chicken. With a slightly disgusted expression on his face, she stared at Hajime who was busy stuffing himself with fried chicken. No one, not even Franz has gotten one piece yet and then there's Hajime, who was already on his third piece.
A second or so later, Hajime finally got back to his senses when his hunger had abated a bit. At that moment, he noticed that he was the only one eating and he stared at the others who were staring at him as well. 'Oh shoot!' Hajime said in his mind as his eyes glanced from one person to the other— Franz, Natsumi, Fuuka, then finally at Megumi who still gave him the ugly look.
Hajime somehow found Megumi's expression hilarious which prompted him to laugh. He totally forgot that his mouth was still filled with fried chicken and by the time he recognized his mistake, it was already too late. Coughing furiously, he tried to spit out the large chunk of fried chicken meat stuck in his throat.
"Water... wa-ter..." Hajime groaned while pounding on his chest.
Megumi immediately poured soft drinks on one cup and gave it to Hajime. Although she wasn't at direct fault here, she could tell that Hajime choked because of her. That's why she didn't complain when she served a glass of soft drink at Hajime. "Serves you right for eating like a maniac." Megumi commented. "Relax, it's not like the frid chicken would run somewhere if you don't eat them that fast."
Before Megumi knew what she was doing, she had already invaded Hajime's personal space as she patted him on the back.
'What on the— ' Hajime almost screamed out loud as his face reddened in embarrassment. Megumi didn't realize that what she was doing was the sole cause of Hajime's flustered face.
"..."
Well, to everyone in the room including Hajime and Franz, they were sure that Megumi didn't notice what she did at all. Her expression remained unchanged as she finished patting Hajime on the back and serving him another glass of soft drinks. She then proceeded to serve the rest with a glass before she grabbed a piece of fried chicken.
'W-w-what did I just do?! AARGHHH!' In her mind, however, Megumi was already panicking. It was only by a stroke of luck that she managed to maintain a straight expression on her face throughout the entire happening.
Needless to say, both Fuuka and Natsumi were mildly infuriated by Megumi's display of friendship. Somehow, they felt left behind even though they didn't plan on making a move on Hajime. Fuuka, for one, felt as if she just lost on a fight... but that feeling was gone a split second later after she took a bite of fried chicken.
"Ah, that hits the spot! I haven't had fried chicken in so long!" She squealed.
"It does... it's so tasty." Natsumi couldn't tell why she felt like she just admitted defeat. Nevertheless, the fried chicken was really tasty.
"It's the young miss's favorite. I'm glad that it is to your liking. Please have another piece, young sir. We apologize for showing up without prior notice." Franz spoke. Even though the situation was quite awkward at first, he was overall glad that Megumi found some new friends.
"It's all right," Hajime brushed off as his mind recalled the times when Megumi visited her. Now that he thought about it, since when did Megumi drop by WITH prior notice? All the time, she'd either show up out of the blue or force Hajime into letting her in.
And now that he thought about it. Since when did he last have fried chicken? A smile formed on Hajime's face as he ate another piece, then another, then another. His appeased expression while eating was contagious, and pretty soon, everyone was enjoying each other's company, talking over chicken and soft drinks as the night wore on.
"Hahh~ I'm stuffed!" Fuuka announced before she rummaged through her pockets. "Rie-nee gave me a couple of change, who wants some ice cream!"
Natsumi and Megumi raised their hands without speaking a word. They were both embarassed to admit that they want ice cream, but at the same time they didn't want to pass up the opportunity.
"All right! Ice cream! Ice cream!"
Meanwhile, Hajime's social battery has drained out and all he wanted after eating such good food was to sleep. 'Are they even going home?' Hajime sighed.
And just when the group was about to head out to grab some ice cream by the nearby convenience store, another series of knock interrupted them.
"Hello? Hajime, are you inside?" Another familiar voice could be heard from the outside.
'Great, another one,' Hajime said to himself, heaving a sigh.