The Gentleman

After his shift, Hajime opted to go back to the park and rest for a few minutes there before heading to school for his afternoon classes. Just before he got there, however, he passed by a river, which called out to him since it was already the hottest part of the day. Forgetting his initial plans, Hajime stopped by the river and took a dip. Fortunately, he brought a plastic bag with him so he could pack his wet clothes after he was done enjoying the refreshingly cool water.

Passers-by saw him, playing around the river like a five-year-old kid during summer vacation. He didn't mind their prying stares, however, since he really did enjoy his dip by the river. A few minutes passed, and Hajime decided to continue his trek to school, otherwise, he'd receive yet another earful from Akamine-sensei if he turns up late for afternoon classes.

Breaking into a sprint, Hajime got to the school just when lunch break had ended. Had Takeda Nori not broken his back, Hajime would've arrived earlier. At least he wasn't late, and Akamine-sensei won't have other reasons to call him to her office.

Ignoring the stares of the students by the front entrance, Hajime indifferently headed to the classroom. As usual, everyone was having their lunch here instead of in the cafeteria. With a sigh, Hajime went to his seat, the rightmost desk by the back, right beside the window. The smell of delicious meals wafted throughout the classroom, causing Hajime's stomach to complain. 'Be quiet, you're embarrassing me.' He whispered as if his stomach would comply. In the end, he just buried his head in his bag and pretended to take a nap.

As soon as he got in, an eerie silence filled the classroom. For a moment, Hajime wondered if he was still in another nightmare. He shook his head. As for his classmates, they started whispering and muttering toward each other. Hajime didn't know why they did that, but one of the main reasons he assumed was that they were trying to rile him up by talking behind his back— that, or they were just trying their best to exclude him.

'Now that I think about it, lunch breaks are usually the noisiest time in the classroom but now, everyone was extremely quiet. Maybe I'm just thinking too much into things... nah, they're purposefully trying to get a reaction from me.' Hajime peeked from the gap between his desk and his bag. He could still clearly observe that they were talking in a hushed tone. Maybe about him? who knows.

While Hajime was trying to get a better view of all his classmates, he noticed that Megumi was actually not in class. Perplexed, he took another scan, thinking that he must've missed her while he was occupied with his thoughts. There were no signs of her whatsoever. 'Did she oversleep again? Why is she so laid-back about missing classes? She wasn't like that before, right?' With that thought, Hajime got his groove and he could finally take a nap.

.....

Slide.

Hajime couldn't tell how much time has passed but he was woken up by the sudden slide of the door, almost like a slam. Good thing Hajime's bag was covering his face, otherwise everyone would've seen him flinch when he woke up. Slowly, he removed his bag from his face. At the same time, all his classmates let out a series of exclamations as a new face entered the class.

As it turned out, someone handsome, entered the classroom. He wore a monocle on one of his eyes and a set of suit decorated him. His striking white hair and beard were also pretty noticeable. One look and everyone could tell that he isn't Japanese.

As he stood by the front, right beside Akamine-sensei, he adjusted his tie and lightly shook his shoulders, his chin doing this weird dance as he did so.

'Must be a new teacher... or a substitute? Wow, he looks gentlemanly to boot. I wonder how much his outfit costs.' Hajime said to himself. He could've sworn that he locked gazes with the new face. There was no time to confirm though since he quickly turned away. Without a second thought, Hajime returned the bag to his face, deciding to return to dreamland.

No one seemed to care about his disrespectful behavior though since they started asking questions to the gentleman beside Akamine-sensei. Things like where he came from, what his job was, or why he chose to visit the school, or if he was going to teach their class. Once again, the classroom was filled with noise, unlike the time when Hajime entered. Everyone was trying to get their question out as if they were part of the interrogation team or a team of interviewers in front of a famous actor. Either way, it was clamorous, at least for Hajime, that is.

"Quiet down, everyone." Akamine-sensei tried to gain control of the classroom but her class was simply out of control. They were just as excited as when they went on a sightseeing trip by the heart of Tokyo. There was something about the gentleman's aura that exudes mysteriousness, and everyone immediately noticed that.

Unbeknownst to them, however, the man actually had a different agenda. He didn't come in here for the sole purpose of garnering everyone's attention, much less put himself in the spotlight. Those were the least of his worries. Right now, there was an emergency, and if he couldn't put a stop to it, then he'll surely get in trouble. He was well aware of the current situation, that's why he didn't even bother listening to the students who asked him questions.

'He doesn't even look that great.' Hajime thought as he tried to doze off once again amidst the overbearing noise encompassing the classroom. 'Why don't they shut their mouths?! I'm trying to sleep here.'

"Ehrmm," the man then cleared his throat and walked toward the students. Each of them held their breath as the gentleman examined their faces. He was looking for someone, a specific person, and he believed that they met gazes a few moments ago. "Sasajima Hajime?"

"We need to talk."