The Affection Multiplier - Chapter 154: It does. (Patreon)

“After 28 years, he contacted me of his own accord to make another deal with me.” The way she’s speaking now, it feels like she’s swallowing her anger to keep a composed and polite attitude, yet you can still feel the venom that coats her words. “He promised he’d let me meet Jonathan if I accepted your application into the academy.”

You think you can hear what’s left unspoken in her repressed emotions. She feels it was her right to meet her son, yet your father is doing his thing and playing even more mental games with everyone around. 

On his part, Jonathan looks mostly unimpressed. He leans back on the couch, looks straight at Mrs. Hayes and holds his hands together over his lap. There’s an air of authority around him that you rarely get to see, and it’s even more impressive that he can give off that feeling in the headmistress’ house.

“Thank you for being honest with us. At least, that’s the feeling I get. I don’t think you were being dishonest in any way.” He admits. “I assume you have no issue with me confirming this story with my father at a later date?”

Mrs. Hayes nods. “He’ll tell you the same.”

“Very good. Now, let me be crystal clear, Mrs. Elena Hayes.” Jonathan starts. “The way I see it, you wanted to meet me as much as I wanted to meet you. However, I think our reasons differ. I’m here to understand my true origins, to get a sense of closure for a part of my life that has always seem incomplete. And now I have it. I understand that you’re the one who gave birth to me, however, and forgive me for being blunt, you’re not my mother.” He says, and if the words had any effect on Mrs. Hayes, she doesn’t show it. “My mother is back in Japan with our father and our sister. 

“Again, let me be clear. I hold no ill feelings towards you regarding this matter. The decisions back then were taken by a person who no longer exists. The you from 28 years ago is different than the one before me now. If you have any questions for me, I’d be happy to answer. If you’d like for us to speak alone, I can do that, too.

“However, I have one very important question.” He glares at Mrs. Hayes. “What does this have anything to do with the treatment you’ve been giving my brother at your academy, Mrs. Elena Hayes?”

Here it is. This is the question you’ve wanted to ask all along and your brother just did it for you. His presence has so much more weight to it than yours. Coming from him, it’s a clear demand for answers. If it had come from you…

“What do you mean?” Mrs. Hayes asks, defensively but composed.

Here’s when Emma steps in. “Don’t play dumb, mother!” She also glares at the headmistress. “The ‘room’ you gave him was a disgrace, you’re stricter with him in following the rules than with any other girl in the school and have shown clear signs of wanting him out!”

“He has been provided with a room that covers all basic needs, has full access to the school facilities and has been informed of how the school works. Have any of the benefits of being a student here ever been denied to him?”

You clench your fist as frustration at her words rises in your chest. You’ve always known these would be her arguments. On a surface level, there’s nothing wrong. Besides, she’s left you alone ever since the picture incident. If you say that Olivia and her group admitted to being explicitly told by her to mess with you so that you’d retaliate and give her an excuse to kick you out, she’d no doubt deny it. It might probably even give the girls serious troubles.

Swallowing your frustration feels just like swallowing a solid rock. You want to complain, yell and demand compensation for everything she’s done. Even your legs tremble for a couple of seconds as you clench your toes. 

But that won’t solve anything.

You spare a quick glance to your brother. A part of you wishes you could leave everything to him. You’re 100% sure he could come up with something to put the headmistress in her place and off your case. Yet when Jonathan looks back at you, he does so with an expectant look in his eyes.

“What are you gonna do, Dave?”

You can practically hear his words in your head, and you chastise yourself for just wanting to rely on him. You know you need to solve your own problems. Still, it wouldn’t hurt him to lend a hand.

…Well, you just hope he’ll step up if you screw up.

“Mrs. Hayes, I have yet to forget the words you told me on my first day, so I’ rather neither of us pretend that everything’s normal.” After all, she told you to your face that you’d never have a roof over your head if you broke the rules. “However, it’s not like I don’t understand your situation. Our father forced your hand to allow me in, and I never had any desire to come study at Hayes Academy in the first place. We’re both in a situation we don’t want because of a very self-centered man.”

The headmistress looks at you with a sharp gaze that’s just short of being a glare. Yet you don’t look away. Since Emma is here, you’re reminded of your goals. The things you want are no longer just for you.

“However, if I’ve learned anything from constantly being put in situations like this, is that I might as well make the best out of a bad situation.” You tell her with an honest smile. “Despite everything, I feel like I’ve been able to grow in your academy, Mrs. Hayes. Not only intellectually, but socially as well. Do you want to know why?”

“Please, enlighten me.” She waves her hand for you to go ahead before taking a sip from her tea.

“Diversity.” You tell her. “Before coming to Hayes Academy, most of my acquaintances were men, but not only that, they were people who would share my immediate interests. When I got here, it was a shock. I was suddenly thrust into an almost alien space.” You chuckle as if it’s a joke. Emma chuckles with you and Jonathan grin at the comparison.

“It was very difficult to get along with people at first. I tried, but most would just push me away. And then I had a terrible thought,” You look at Mrs. Hayes straight in the eyes. “What if the situation was reversed? What if there was a girl in an all-boys school? Even worse, what if this girl had only ever gone to all-girls schools before?”

In the corner of your vision, you see Emma opening her mouth to speak, then closing it as if holding back. You know she’s one of the teachers who support a co-ed academy, but if she were to give her opinion now, it might lead to her mother shutting the idea down since it would turn into yet another attempt by her daughter to convince her. However, coming from a different person offers another point of view.

“That’s something that happens more than you’d think, brother.” Jonathan adds, surprisingly. “A high percentage of Hayes Academy students end up in jobs with a very uneven male-to-female ratio, one way or the other. Meaning they either run to their comfort zone, a workspace of women only, or are thrust into hostile environments with no experience to fall back on to defend themselves. But you knew that, right Mrs. Hayes?”

Mrs. Hayes bites her lip hearing the cold, hard facts. You actually didn’t know that. That’s useful information. And it should surprise you that Jonathan even knows, but also not really.

“The reason I was able to overcome this situation was because I had experience to fall back on, as Jonathan said. My school was co-ed, so at the very least, I had an idea of what to expect. Thanks to that, I was able to make friends here at Hayes that mean the world to me.”

Okay, sadly that’s a big, fat lie. At least on your reasons for overcoming the situation. That’s 60% the Affection Multiplier, 40% Emma being the angel that she is. But Mrs. Hayes doesn’t need to know that. She needs to believe there is worth in you being in her academy.

“If you’ll allow me,” Emma starts. It seems she couldn’t contain herself. “I do see a different attitude from the students in the classes he’s in. Not only is there more discipline, but I recently made a comparison of this year’s midterms and previous years for the literature tests. I believe his presence alone has shifted the view of many girls regarding men in general, as answers concerning male characters in the books were painted in a more positive light this year. I prepared a document for you to look over, if you wish to do so at a later date.”

Okay, that’s good. That’s just more data.

“Mrs. Hayes, my point is that I can see worth in being here, despite my initial reluctance. Is it possible for you to see worth in it as well? I’m willing to work with you and the teachers if it would in any way be a benefit for both of us.”

Yes, both of you. Selflessness won’t work on her. If you’re shooting for a business-like approach, the only way she’ll believe your intentions is if you also aim to get something in return.

Mrs. Hayes stays silent for several seconds. She drinks from her porcelain cup before setting it down on the coffee table, interlacing her fingers and setting her hand over her lap. Then, she has an answer.

“You really are Joseph’s son. It’s almost enough to make me mad.” She shakes her head. “I’ll take what you’ve said into consideration, but I make no promise. Even more so, I won’t believe you have anything of worth to offer my academy if your results during finals are lacking in any way.”

“I understand. I believe that’s fair.” No, it’s not, dammit!

“Emma, I’m going to want to see the final tests myself by Friday to make sure the difficulty is up to our standards. Please tell this to the other teachers as well.”

“…” You can almost see Emma swallowing her complaints. “Very well.”

“Now, if that’s all, I would like to speak to Mr. Jonathan in private. Would it be too much to ask?”

“No, that’s perfectly acceptable.” Jonathan nods.

“Then I’ll take David back to his place.” Emma says as she stands up. “It’s been a pleasure to meet you, Jonathan. I hope we can talk more on another occasion.”

“Likewise.” Jonathan stands up to shake Emma’s hand.

You thank Mrs. Hayes for her time and leave with Emma.