Self-Invite

"They are debt collectors, right? Why are they after you?" Megumi asked such an obvious question in an attempt to break the silence. Up until now, she was still on Hajime's back, itching to get down and walk by herself even though she couldn't do so. There was nothing she could do but endure the humiliation so she tried to take her mind off of it by talking.

"It just happened." Hajime nonchalantly responded. "Where should I drop you?"

"At your house?" Megumi stretched the last word as if unsure of what she just asked. Inwardly, she started screaming about why she invited herself to his place but after pondering about it, she realized that that indeed was the best course of action. Why? Because anywhere else is a risk. The debt collectors might still be around and she'd just be a burden to Hajime if they were caught again. Hajime may be fit enough to carry her while sprinting, but she's perfectly aware that he was already tired from all that running around— that, and the fact that he's still carrying her around struck a chord in her heart, or rather, conscience.

"My house?! Do you hear yourself right now?" Hajime couldn't believe how brazen Megumi was.

"Why? Anywhere else and the debt collectors are bound to find you. Besides," Megumi pulled her phone from his pocket. "It's drained. I can't contact our driver... nor my parents."

"Then to the police station we go, right?" Hajime teased.

"What?! No, my parents would freak out!" Megumi barked back, almost leaning too far forward that Hajime lurched a bit.

"Careful, do you want me to drop you?" Hajime said, slightly irritated. "Accompany her, she said, it would be fun she said." He mumbled.

Megumi pouted, but she didn't dare say anything back. She knew Hajime all too well and he wouldn't think twice about dropping her in the middle of nowhere. 'I should just grin and bear it. Just bear with it until we reached his place.'

The sound of Hajime's rhythmic ragged breathing made Megumi a bit uncomfortable, so much so that she wanted him to take a break for a minute or two. However, she knew she didn't have the right to ask that since she was the one who was a burden to him. Besides, it would just be a great blow to his pride, not to mention the annoyance that would ensue, which could lead to him dropping Megumi in the middle of the road.

From time to time, Megumi's sprained ankle would hurt, making her flinch. Even though she tried not to, her body impulsively moved on its own, much to her embarrassment.

"We're almost there, just endure it for a few more minutes," Hajime assured her. "Do you need to buy something from the convenience store? We're almost there."

The sight of the convenience store made Megumi think of a couple of things she wanted to purchase— most of them are food, of course. The heat wasn't getting any better and her stomach had started grumbling. She wasn't the one doing all the heavy lifting and yet she was much hungrier than Hajime.

"In that case," Megumi muttered.

...

A few minutes later.

By the bench right outside the convenience store, Megumi comfortably sat as she waited for Hajime to come out. She didn't bother repeating everything she said since Hajime just nodded along and told her to wait there.

'I guess he can be quite dependable at times. No! What are you thinking, Megumi?! Stop it!' There was an inner war going on in her mind, and she was always too late to notice it. While a part of her admired Hajime for his straightforwardness, there was also a good part of her that hated him due to his bad reputation.

Ever since they met on the first day of school, she had vowed to herself that she would never associate herself with him. She never understood why Hajime could be so casual in his studies and why he was always getting in trouble. Slowly, she started getting curious about him, unbeknownst to her. Ultimately, that led to her always observing her— yes, she had been observing Hajime way before their homeroom teacher told her to.

Of course, she only did so at school. And the sole reason why she observed him from afar was that he was the total opposite of her. she wondered how such a person could exist, thus piquing her curiosity. Slowly, she started uncovering the sides of Hajime that no one knew. Although she wasn't certain yet, she could tell that Hajime wasn't really that bad. He just doesn't have a modicum of concern when it comes to his reputation, causing it to aggravate to the point that he was labeled the number one delinquent of their batch.

"Sorry, did you wait long?" Hajime asked, realizing that he had left Megumi under direct sunlight. Fortunately, she was still wearing her wide-brimmed hat, which blocked most of the rays. Nevertheless, her hat was helpless against the heat, and she was already sweating buckets by the time Hajime arrived. "Why did you have to buy a lot, though? If you're going to buy this much food, then you should've bought the entire convenience store or something."

"Don't overexaggerate, it's just three plastic bags." Megumi shrugged it off as if she was the one who would carry them in the first place.

"Yeah, you're going to have to pay me for my services, ma'am. How am I supposed to carry these three bags with you?"

"I believe in you! And sure, I'm not letting you do all these for free." Megumi confidently answered as she crossed her arms. It was already obvious why she let Hajime buy all those groceries but Hajime was too out of it that he didn't even realize her ulterior motives.

"Right, right, said the person who wanted me to accompany her just because I dropped her coffee." Even though Hajime complained, he still turned his back on Megumi, urging her to hop on. On Hajime's side, he was already too dizzy to notice such details. Since he was responsible for Megumi's well-being (he accompanied her, after all), his first priority was to secure her safety. After that, he just wanted to rest. All that running around was exhausting enough as it was, and now he still had to carry her along with her groceries. 'What a drag,' He complained once more, this time in his thoughts.