A meeting with Megan

“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 later (because yes, a hundred times yes upon his insistence, they do need a written contract)… 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 for so long, “Ah yes, here it is. I’ve been meaning 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?”

Hiro raised his brows. 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–he pointedly made it sure that he hadn’t bothered to deny the accusation… yet. “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? How droll. 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.”

Hiro’s brows instantly furrowed.

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 not just handling an enterprise, but also leading it at such a young age? Or that she is even considered as an official working student by the academy?”

“Your point being?”

“My point being, that 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 when we clearly both know she did not.”

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! You're just defending her!” 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.”

He furrowed his brows, “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 supposed.

“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. Then. she asked:

“…Did I ever tell you that I very nearly worked on Luna Enterprises back then?”