“I am sensitive soul; I feel with the moon, I use to be judged for my indifference, now I see their all just hiding behind false truths.”
― Nikki Rowe
The door to Megan’s office was left open so Hiro only rapped the back of his knuckle on the door as he briskly walked past it.
Hiro intended to make this meeting quick, he and Lunamor agreed to finalize the contents of their terms and agreement (because yes, a hundred times yes upon his insistence, they do need a written contract) later and knowing just how impatient Lunamor is, she might end up following him all the way to the Math department if she ever gets bored waiting for him.
Thankfully, Megan was still hunched over desk and appeared to be working on some important-looking paperwork when Hiro entered the room.
She seemed busy even though office hours are officially 10 minutes over for today… however, once she looked up and saw Hiro entering, she sat up and smiled warmly at him, “Hiro, hi! Thank you for coming.”
“Of course,” Hiro nodded at her cordially.
“Please, take a seat.”
Hiro waved off the invitation and remained standing in the middle of the room, calmly folding his hands behind his back. Best to be on his feet to make this quick, “No, thank you. Is there something you need to tell me, Megan?”
“Oh, that! Right, where is it…?,” Megan looked around her desk for a moment before picking up a copy for today's school newspaper. It looked crinkled, like someone had held and clenched on the poor paper too tightly, “Ah, here it is. I wanted to talk with you about this… article.”
Hiro resisted the urge to wince.
Well, would you look at that?
They made it to the school’s front page.
Thankfully, Hiro managed to keep his face calm as he allowed himself to stare at the newspaper featuring a stolen photo of him and Lunamor walking from Selene’s for a moment or two. However, Megan must have been expecting something more because she followed that up with: “Hiro, may I be blunt?”
He had a feeling she will be even if he say no.
“By all means,” Hiro said, eyebrows raising.
“Are you sure the two of you aren’t… dating?”
Good thing Lunamor had dragged him all the way to Mt. Moon just to talk about their bizarre arrangement last Sunday.
“If I may be frank, Megan, I really don’t think that’s any of your business,” Hiro intones, half-turning his body a bit from her as he did so, a vicious stab of satisfaction wormed its way to his chest when he saw the flare of irritation in Megan’s eyes at his clear deflection, “Will that be all? I’m in a hurry.”
“I think you’re forgetting that I’m the head of this department, professor,” Megan drawls, brows knitting together as she lowers the paper back on her desk with an ominous-sounding thud. “So yes, I believe I have every right to know if you are getting involved with a student.”
Playing that card already? Hiro shook his head at her, sighing exasperatedly, albeit a bit too loudly just to make a point.
To be honest, Hiro was usually a stickler for rules. He would never ever date a student, let alone even think on it. But desperate times calls for desperate measures and those blasted rumors as well as the fucking paparazzi forced Lunamor’s hand to drag him into this mess.
And Hiro was one to hold grudges.
“No, Megan. We’re not together.”
“This paper says otherwise.”
“Alright fine, me and Lunamor do go out together during mealtimes because we have to talk about subjects she’d missed in class–”
“Which you wouldn’t even have to bother to do if only that girl actually shows up in my class like a regular student,” Megan interrupted, huffing.
Hiro’s entire body jolted.
For some reason, something about that tone just rubbed at him the wrong way. “If I may ask,” Hiro began in a slow, falsely polite tone, “…what does that supposed to mean?”
“Exactly what it means.” Megan levelled him with a pointed stare, “That girl should stop hogging and wasting your time, considering you are no longer her professor.”
And who’s fault was that?!
“With all due respect ma’am, that girl is not even a regular student, no matter how much you insist or want her to be,” Hiro retorted, as he calmly fixed his glasses a bit in place before returning her stare with a cool glare, “Have you forgotten she’s handling an enterprise and is even considered as an official working student by the academy?”
“Your point being?”
“The academy has great consideration for those kinds of students,” Hiro snapped, “…which is why I fail to understand why you are reacting as though Ms. Lunamor was slacking off.”
Megan’s eyes narrowed.
For a moment, the entire office was quiet.
“…you’re avoiding the question,” Megan remarked, tersely.
“No. I already answered it.”
“Oh, come on, Hiro!” Megan rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms, “And you seriously expect me to believe that?!”
No.
But Hiro didn’t really care.
“Believe what you want,” he snapped, turning to walk out.
“Did she pay you?”
Hiro froze.
…What?
Whirling around to look at Megan to see if she was making a joke, or if he somehow heard her wrong, Hiro was torn if he should be relieved or unnerved that Megan looks so dead serious as she steadily looks back at him.
This time, Hiro couldn’t quite stop the sheer offense from coloring his tone as he blurted out an outraged “EXCUSE ME?!”
Megan winced, “Well, that came out wrong.”
“Did you just seriously insinuated–?”
“NO! That’s not what I meant!” Megan abruptly stood up, slamming her palms flat on the table at the way Hiro’s voice kept on rising, “I… I misspoke.” Hiro gritted his teeth to keep himself from yelling again at that, “What I mean to ask if Lunamor is trying to hire you is all.”
“Like a… a job offer?”
Megan stares at him expectantly.
Hiro snorts as he shook his head.
Of all the things to assume… “Yeah, right. As if. And even if she did, I wouldn’t bother to accept, let alone consider working for her, anyway.”
Lunamor as a boss sound like a nightmare.
“Oh? Why not?” Megan raised an eyebrow, “From what I heard, having a job in Luna Enterprises can be very good no matter what the department or position and the pay is nothing to scoff at too.”
Hiro remembered Luna Enterprises, the sheer size of the building that was practically the embodiment of wealth, the employees that tried so hard not to gawk at their too-young lady boss not-so-subtly showing him around. Despite the clear gob smacked look on their faces, they all looked like professionals.
Yes, working in Luna Enterprises might be a dream job for some people and a sure-way ticket to getting a larger salary but it doesn’t matter. Hiro wasn’t interested working there.
What’s the point if he’s not happy?
And while most of Hiro’s paycheck does end up going straight to his sister’s medical bills and savings for her future (or so he truly hopes), he can still afford to live his life the way he wants it.
A perk of being a workaholic, he suppose.
“I like my job, thank you very much.”
Megan sighed as she slowly slumped back to her seat, she already knew that, of course. Hell, everyone in the academy knows (no thanks to Anderson’s crude jokes) just how passionate and serious Hiro is when it comes to teaching, “…Did I ever tell you that I very nearly worked on Luna Enterprises back then?”
“No…?” Hiro didn't really get where Megan was going with this conversation, but he thinks he’s about to find out anyway, “Not that I know of.”
“I was young and at the peak of my career. And as one of the greatest animators of my time, I honestly thought that I could easily get a job in Crescent, way back in New York. You know that animation studio was considered as one of the big deals when it comes to computer animated feature films, right?”
Hiro wasn’t even aware that Lunamor’s family owns Crescent Animation Studios–or so Megan implies. That company was literally older than Lunamor!
“Yes. Still is. And…?”
“Well, I didn't get the job, that’s what,”
“Oh.”
“Yes, oh.” Was her wry response, one of her eyebrow’s twitching clearly at a particular memory, “And after all these years, I still never understood why… it should have been easy for me to get the job. For fuck’s sake, Colorado should have been begging me on his hands and knees to work on his old man’s company at that point!”
Hiro very nearly flinched at that.
This is… getting out of hand.
“Working for Lunamor isn’t bound to disappoint, you know,” Megan said, looking a bit calm down compared to the last three seconds of her outburst, “Accept the offer. I would be very interested in hearing all about what you do there.”
Hiro tried not to let his jaw drop on the ground at that. He swear he did. There is no way Megan is all but implying that he spy on Lunamor now, right?
Right?!
He didn’t like where this is going.
If Megan is still holding on to some sort of misplaced grudge against Lunamor (or on Lunamor’s brother), there is no way Hiro is going to be a part of it.
He resisted the urge to let out another sigh, “I think there’s been a misunderstanding here. Look, I just told you that Lunamor did not even offered me for a job… and even if she did, I'm not interested no matter how much money she waves at my face. Megan, don’t get me wrong, but I love my job and I do enjoy teaching here.”
Hiro wanted Megan to give his class back as well if he was being honest but eh, best not be greedy right now.
Making math easier for his students is his passion. Being an educator is what makes him happy. And ever since he was a little kid, it has always been his dream to become a teacher too, like his dad.
He’s already content with what he have.
Megan though, apparently wasn’t, “Did you know that majority of the professors in this academy used to have different occupations before they retired to just being a teacher?”
Hiro narrowed his eyes at her.
“We’re not just teachers.”
“No, we’re not, but I don’t think a prestigious academy would even want to have such an inexperienced and young professor such as you. Especially not someone who spends too much of his free time with one of his wealthiest students.”
For a moment, Hiro wasn’t quite sure he even understood what the hell Megan was talking about as he stared at her.
He tried to process, to come up with another interpretation of what she could possibly mean. But there’s no going around it–that was a threat.
She’s threatening him.
It wasn't an open threat, but Megan wasn’t mincing her words. And Hiro couldn't afford to get fired either. He was literally the only one paying up the bills just to keep his sister breathing, this job is literally his source of income, getting fired with such an absurd reason would make it very difficult (if not, impossible) to find another job real quick.
Megan was still going on and on about how it would be a shame if his teaching license got revoked but it was okay because Lunamor would love to hire him if he just asked but Hiro wasn’t listening to that shit anymore.
His mind was whirling with too many thoughts at once to even care what the hell the old hag was prattling about.
If he loses his teaching license, he’ll never be allowed to teach. And with Hiro’s savings he’s sure all of that money would only last for a year or at least two for his sister’s hospital bills without leaving them both to even spare should his sister wake up, if she even wakes up.
Hiro’s hands clenched into a fist at the thought. No. Akira will wake up. She has to wake up. He wouldn’t be able to accept the alternative. He won’t.
But… his options aren’t looking good.
If Hiro didn't resign–and soon, then he would be fired with such an awful (not-really-made-up reason), and either way, Hiro just unofficially lost his job.
Not wanting to listen for another second, Hiro turned and walked out of Megan’s office without a word. That’s it. All of his respect for the woman he once considered as his friend for years was gone–wiped out of existence.
What’s worse, it wasn’t even because she had some sort of misplaced grudge against Lunamor. No, Hiro didn’t care about that. Not his business, not his concern. Hiro was just absolutely livid that she was seriously trying to use him to get payback in some sick and twisted way against someone who wasn’t even personally involved it.
The nerve of that woman.
And… and Megan not being accepted in some animation studios was long ago, shouldn’t she have been over that by now?
But no.
Instead, Megan just had to involve him with her personal affairs. Hell, she was even aware that Hiro needed this job and was the only one supporting his sister’s hospital bill! HE LITERALLY CONFIDED IN HER FOR MONTHS!
As Hiro got back to his office to pick up his things (he made a mental note that maybe he should start making his resignation letter too once he got home), he found someone on his seat.
Silver-gray eyes stared up at him.
Hiro closed the door behind him.
“We need to talk.”
Megan wasn’t the only one who knows how to hold grudges.