Homecooked Meal

Relief and ire were written all over Hajime's face as he gently closed the door. His every being wanted to slam the door before screaming at Megumi for being so casual despite her family being worried sick about her. Regardless, he breathed and maintained his composure, grabbing a handful of peanuts and eating it in front of Megumi. "And, what are you doing here?"

"What do you mean? I've been staying here since morning." Megumi asked. "How about you? Why did you run straight here after school? I thought you always waste your time at the nearby park?"

"And how did you know that?" Hajime's brows furrowed, his gaze piercing through Megumi's soul like a sharp two-edged sword.

"Eek~"

'Well, whatever, at least she's not in any trouble.' Hajime said to himself, inwardly relieved. 'It's not like I'm worried or anything.'

As if reading his mind, Megumi's lips slowly curved upward as her eyes turned into slits. She was smiling mischievously, emphasizing her gesture by gently patting her lips with the tips of her fingers. "Oh, were you worried about me?" She asked.

"Why would I be?" Hajime rebutted, averting his gaze from Megumi. "I'll be calling Franz-san later on so you should be ready." Before Megumi could tell him that he didn't have a phone, Hajime showed her what Franz-san gave him earlier.

"Mou~ fine. But let me stay for a bit and eat dinner with you. That's my way of thanking you for letting me stay here. Oh, and also, I already cleaned everything so you can head straight to sleep later."

Hajime didn't really say yes or no to Megumi's request as he headed straight to the kitchen. There, he was greeted by a very warm and hospitable scent— a scent that he had never smelled for more than a year now. It was the smell of curry, of a home-cooked meal. 'No wonder there were still embers in my coal stove. She must've cooked it a few minutes ago.'

Unbeknownst to Hajime, Megumi actually planned everything so she would stay for dinner. Of course, now that everything's set and done, there's no chance Hajime would deny her request. That would be ungrateful for him after all. With dinner cooked, the only thing Hajime could do was concede and eat with her. Besides, she cooked more than enough for Hajime and herself.

There's no way Hajime could eat all of it, and it's not like he has a refrigerator in the first place.

"You already cooked, how can I say no." Hajime sighed. "What didn't you understand when I said not to get involved with me so much?" His second sentence was spoken a wee bit quieter, causing Megumi to wonder what he just said.

"What did you say?" Megumi asked, curious.

"Nothing," A sigh left Hajime's mouth. "You even cooked rice?"

"No, I bought it at the convenience store." She continued. "Who would've thought they sell cooked rice there. I wasn't planning to cook curry at first but after I saw the rice for sale... I just had to do it. Perfect timing though, since I was craving curry."

"Yeah, right."

Ever since Megumi interacted with him, Hajime had been experiencing a series of firsts that brought back warm and nostalgic memories. Although he wasn't expecting her to do anything at all, she would always get involved, a busybody, for the lack of a better term. Despite sticking her nose in Hajime's business, she doesn't really exceed her boundaries, and somehow, Hajime never felt uncomfortable around her. Starting from his first date, first visitor, first dinner, and now a home-cooked meal, everything was like new memories. A part of Hajime's mind told him that he didn't deserve any of this, that he didn't deserve Megumi as a friend. Although he wanted these moments to last a little longer, he knew that he couldn't give them back to Megumi. There's really nothing he could offer her, and that's why he was trying his best to push her away. At this rate, she would just get exhausted about this one-way friendship— or so that's what Hajime thought.

What he didn't know, however, was that Megumi actually enjoyed the peace she experienced at his place, the solitude, as if she had a home of her own. It was like a breath of fresh air from all the pressure and the expectations she felt back in their household and at school. Of course, she didn't tell her what she felt to Hajime since he would most definitely cut her off and be angry at her. That would be indifferent of her if she told Hajime that she enjoyed the experience of living alone since Hajime never enjoyed his life full of difficulties.

Hajime returned to the living room, carrying two bowls on hand and a set of chopsticks. He didn't speak a word when he set them on the table. "If your parents, and I mean your parents, not the butler, get angry at you for staying over at someone else's house, I'm done for. You know that, right? I'm a guy, you're a girl, that's pretty straightforward, don't you think?"

"Don't sweat out the small stuff. Besides, it's not like I wanted to stay over. It couldn't be helped." She lightheartedly said. She acted that way so Hajime wouldn't ask her why she missed out on school.

After two more trips to the kitchen, Hajime finally set everything on the table, clapped his hands, and said the usual 'let's eat' phrase before digging in. Megumi let out a sigh of relief since Hajime seemed to have forgotten that she missed out on school.

"Let's eat," Megumi said after Hajime. A mouthful of curry was all it took to rejuvenate her. Nothing beats curry when one has a craving for it. Well, nothing really beats any food if you crave it.

"So, why did you miss out on school? It's unlike you to be absent, you know." Hajime asked out of the blue. "Did something happen?"

"Urk~" Megumi almost choked on the curry.