Chapter 19: HELIOS’ members barging in my workplace

I was on my fourth teaching session with Kono Kazuhiko when Kudo Shigeru barged in his room tagged along with Nakatomi Shouta by his side with an apologetic face.

“Kumiko-chan!” Kudo Shigeru screamed with a desperate look.

“What again?” I asked despite being tired of his antics.”I’m in the middle of my work, so I’ll appreciate it that you don’t bother me now, Shigeru-san.”

“That’s right, Shigeru-san!” Nakatomi Shouta tried to intervene. “We should talk to her later.”

“But if I don’t talk to her now, I won’t ever find time to talk to her in the future!” Kudo Shigeru exclaimed to Nakatomi Shouta. “Do you know how many times she ignored my calls and messages?”

“That’s…” Nakatomi Shouta, troubled, looked at me and I avoided eye-contact. 

“See! She’s not even denying it!” Kudo Shigeru shouted with teary eyes.

“That’s because you keep calling me when I’m at school or at work”, I said, annoyed and stood up. “And also, you keep spamming me with your messages and emoticons! The notifications are annoying as hell!”

“What?! Hell-” Kudo Shigeru was astonished at words. “Then why do you keep avoiding meeting me?”

“That’s cause-!” I hesitated for a second. “I knew that you’ll be a pain to entertain so I purposely tried to avoid you!”

“What?!” Kudo Shigeru screamed.

My employee, Asata Hiroshi’s friend, was beside the door and looked perplexed at how to stop our quarrel.

Meanwhile, Nakatomi Shouta got behind me to take my student, Kono Kazuhiko, out of the room. 

He also closed the door and let us argue for a hot ten minutes. 

After those ten minutes, Kudo Shigeru and I panted, tired from our fight.

Nakatomi Shouta then slowly opened the door and smiled.

“Are you guys done?” he asked.

“Yes…” Kudo Shigeru and I simultaneously said, looking exhausted.

“Is that so?” Asata Hiroshi suddenly appeared from the door, startling both  Kudo Shigeru and I. He was smiling despite the angry aura he was emitting.“I believe that I’m not done with you guys though.”

“Wha- Hiroshi-san! Why are you here?” Kudo Shigeru fumbled with his words. “What about your work?”

“I finished just a while ago and I was on my way to go home, but then I received a call from Shouta-kun that you were creating trouble at my friend’s house, Shigeru-kun”, he calmly said with a smile but it was pretty obvious that he was angry. “So I didn’t have a choice to come here despite being tired.”

Kudo Shigeru was speechless and so was I since we didn’t want to say something that could make him angrier. 

Asata Hiroshi then asked his friend to borrow us for a while while the two of us made eye contact to confirm that we were going to get scolded.

Since we wanted to have some privacy, Kono Kazuhiko offered his room for us and so the three members of HELIOS and I were locked in his room.

“Alright”, HELIOS’ leader began. “Shigeru-kun, you may defend yourself.”

“Yes!” Kudo Shigeru exclaimed. “I only decided to come here because Kumiko-chan wouldn’t respond to my calls and messages and kept avoiding meeting me!”

“I already told you! That’s because-” I got cut off.

“Kumiko-chan, talk only when I’m telling to”, Asata Hiroshi ordered me.

“Ok…” I pouted and looked at Nakatomi Shouta who was behind Asata Hiroshi, hoping that he could help me. He shrugged his shoulders as a sign that there was nothing that he could do.

“And for you, Shigeru-kun!” Asata Hiroshi looked back at Kudo Shigeru to scold him. “Even if Kumiko-chan is avoiding you, that doesn’t mean that you should disturb her work place.”

Kudo Shigeru looked down, seemingly reflecting on his actions.

“Do you think that because she works under my friend that it’s fine to come and go to his house as you please?” Asata Hiroshi continued.

“No…” Kudo Shigeru sounded dejected.

“And you, Kumiko-chan”, Asata Hiroshi looked at me to scold me. “I know that Shigeru-kun may be slightly annoying but you shouldn’t treat him like this. I know that you actually don’t hate him.”

“Yes…” I reflected on my actions.”I also felt bad that I avoided him sometimes because I was too tired to be involved with his antics. I’m sorry, Shigeru-san.”

“Good”, Asata Hiroshi sounded satisfied.

“You-” Kudo Shigeru looked at me, baffled. “You call that an apology?!”

“Shigeru-kun!” Asata Hiroshi exclaimed. “It’s true that you're sometimes too much of a pain to handle. So forgive her already!”

“Wah~ You too, Hiroshi-san?!” Kudo Shigeru looked at him with disbelief. “Don’t tell me that you’re the same Shouta-kun?”

“Well…” Nakatomi Shouta avoided eye contact with him.

The room was silent. Asata Hiroshi, Nakatomi Shouta and I couldn’t utter another word since Kudo Shigeru seemed perplexed and offended by our thoughts.

He tried to make eye contact with any of us but we all avoided him as we all felt guilty from feeling that way.

That’s how my first argument with Kudo Shigeru ended that day.