Winning Grandpa's Heart?
After a long time, Mikan finally got the privilege to go home. She was given a week to be with her grandpa. And she was very excited about that. But there was a condition. Her partner, Natsume, must accompany her.
"What? Mr. Narumi, why Natsume? It should be Hotaru. I want Hotaru to come with me."
"Who said I want to come with you?" Hotaru answered.
"Hotaru?"
"Mikan, the higher-ups decided this. Natsume must accompany you or else...you can't go."
"Ah? I waited this for long and I don't want to lose this opportunity."
Mikan knelt down at Natsume and begged for his company. "Oh, Natsume, please, please, accompany me home," she said. "Whoa, it seems like you wanted Natsume to be your live-in partner!" Sumire exclaimed.
"It's not like that!" Mikan answered.
"Whatever," Natsume said.
Mr. Narumi brought them at Mikan's hometown. "Be good Natsume and don't try to run away. Mikan, please keep an eye on him and enjoy your privilege," Mr. Narumi reminded then he left.
"Hey, polka dot. You're living in a deserted place?"
"This is not a deserted place. This place is rural but not that far from the town."
"Oh well."
"Wait! Don't you dare run away from here, Natsume!"
"Why would I? I want to experience your odd lifestyle here."
"And how did you know that our lifestyle is odd? Hmp!"
"It is clearly seen in you."
They became so loud. That's why Mikan's grandpa came out of the house to see what was going on. He was surprised to see that it was Mikan. They were so happy to see each other again. Then her grandpa noticed Natsume. He struck Mikan and scolded her.
"You went here just to introduce me your boyfriend?"
"Grandpa, he is not my boyfriend! He is just my partner and classmate in the academy."
"Partner? It means you're a couple?"
"No, grandpa! He is just my classmate and he is the one to accompany me here instead of Hotaru."
Her grandpa could not understand it so they went inside the house to talk. Mikan told everything to her grandpa. "Now I get it. But most of all, it's nice that you came home."
It was late in the afternoon so they rested. Then evening came. Mikan helped her grandpa prepare dinner. Natsume had nothing to do so he just sat at a corner. He looked around the small traditional Japanese house he's into.
Lunch was ready and they started to eat. Natsume was a bit uncomfortable to seat on the tatami mats but he never let them knew that. But he never knew that Mikan's grandpa was watching him. Mikan's grandpa saw the look in the eye of Natsume. Then he accidentally sneezed in front of Natsume. "Yuck!" Natsume exclaimed.
"Oh, grandpa, are you alright?"
"I think I'm not," her grandpa said, sniffing.
Mikan found out that her grandpa was sick and he started to shiver. "Grandpa, you're sick," she said sadly, "It's because of me. You're all by yourself."
Mikan made her grandpa take a rest but her grandpa refused so she insisted. "Don't push yourself, grandpa. Take a rest and leave this house to me." Then she smiled. Her grandpa felt relieved.
Mikan started to clean the house before she would go to bed. She was collecting the dishes on the table when Natsume decided to help her. "I don't know how to do this but working together will make one job faster," he said. So Mikan let Natsume help her wash the dishes.
"I will wash the dishes. After that, you will wipe these up and put these in place. Get it?"
"So simple..."
Meanwhile, Mikan's grandpa could not help himself to keep an eye on them. Then he saw that the two were doing fine. That made him feel better.
And it was bedtime. Natsume knocked at Mikan's room. "Where will I sleep?" he asked. "You can't sleep here. Go outside," Mikan said. Then her grandpa said that Natsume would be sleeping in his room.
"No need. I'm fine at the living room."
"No you don't. You will sleep with me."
Grandpa pulled Natsume into his room. "Grandpa, are you sure? Are you already fine?" asked Mikan. "Yes, Mikan. Don't worry. A girl and a boy must not sleep in the same room. So this guy will sleep with me."
Natsume sat at a corner and then he closed his eyes. "You will sleep like that?" grandpa asked. Natsume did not bother. So Mikan's grandpa pulled Natsume beside him.
"You will sleep beside me."
"Don't touch me, old man. I don't want to sleep beside anybody."
"What did you just say? Old man...?"
"But it's true that you're old."
"You...—"
He did not continue what he was saying because he coughed badly. Natsume fixed the blanket and slept beside Mikan's grandpa. "I'm going to sleep now. You should too, old man. Your granddaughter will not like it if you will be sick again." Mikan's grandpa was surprised to hear that. Then he decided to sleep too.
Then it was dawn. It was a new day for Mikan's grandpa but not for Natsume. He did not have a good night sleep because Mikan's grandpa slept noisily.
"Wake up, kid. We have many things to do."
Natsume sighed.
"An early bird catches an early worm."
They went outside to welcome a new day.
"Are you feeling better now, grandpa?"
"Oh, yes, Mikan. I got the right amount of energy for our next business."
"What business?"
Mikan's grandpa wanted to cherish the given days to be with her granddaughter because he knew that Mikan was obliged to come back to the academy after a week. He also wanted to make perfect moments with his granddaughter while they were still together. "We will go fishing!"
They went to a nearby lake. Mikan started to fish while her grandpa was looking for a place where they could stay. But she could not catch one. Natsume, who was sitting on a big rock, just teased her. Though irritated, Mikan tried to catch a fish again. But still, she caught nothing. Natsume teased her more. So she answered, "You're teasing me but the truth is you can't catch fish either."
Natsume stood and went beside Mikan. He got a fishing rod. "I don't fish but I can catch fish." He started to fish and for just a while, he caught a big fish! "Oh, kid, you caught a big one. How about you, Mikan?" grandpa said.
"Grandpa..."
"Oh, don't worry. It's just early. Fishes will come soon. But let us eat first."
They ate their food under the shade of a big tree. Then they went off to start fishing. This time Mikan was determined to catch one. Her grandpa guided her. And soon, she caught one little fish. She immediately bragged it to Natsume. But Natsume already caught a pail of fish. Mikan was so ashamed.
Natsume smoothly went beside Mikan and teasingly taught her to fish. He held the fishing rod that Mikan was holding. He demonstrated it.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Teaching you how to fish, duh..."
"Did I ask you to do so?"
"You're so pitiful. Idiots like you can't fish right."
"I'm not an idiot! Hmp!"
Mikan was struggling because Natsume was so close to her like he was embracing her. "You're too loud. You're scaring the fishes away," Natsume said. Mikan suddenly looked at him. His face was in front of hers. Then Natsume happened to look at her too. They were stuck, looking at each others' eyes.
But before their faces became all red, their bait caught a big fish. Mikan was pulled by the struggling fish. Natsume rushed to help her not to fall on the lake. But it was too late. Both of them soon fell on the lake.
"What happened here?" grandpa exclaimed.
The two were all wet and Mikan was sneezing. Mikan's grandpa gave them warm towels and made a bonfire to heat them up. "What came into your minds?" grandpa scolded. But then, he knew that it was an accident. And he noticed the caring look in the eyes of Natsume for Mikan.
That night, grandpa saw Natsume outside, staring at the stars. He sat beside him.
"You like my granddaughter, don't you?"
"I don't know what you are talking about."
"I maybe old but I'm not slow."
Their talk became serious.
"Since she was a child, her friends were all girls. So I never counted the possibility that I will see her with guys. And now, I can't believe that she brought a guy with her here."
"Well, I guess you don't know your granddaughter at all."
Mikan's grandpa hit Natsume.
"I never opened Mikan's eyes about love. And I knew it will take a long time for her to notice that you're in love with her. That's why I wanted to know if you're the rightful man to own my Mikan!"
"What do you mean?"
"I will test you, kid."
The next day...
Mikan was woken up by the sound of wood chops. She thought it was her grandpa so she hurried to their backyard. She was surprised that it was Natsume who had chopped tons of wood. Then her grandpa came, carrying two pails. He gave it to Natsume to fetch water from the well.
Mikan prepared their breakfast. After eating, her grandpa and Natsume went out for their works to do. And Mikan cleaned the house and the backyard. This routine was repeated the following days.
One afternoon, Mikan saw Natsume chopping woods again. Then she noticed something. Mikan saw the determination in Natsume's face.
"Why are you doing this, Natsume?"
"It's none of your business."
"Chopping woods, fetching pails of water, helping my grandpa at work, lighting the stove, removing weeds – eh Natsume...could it be?"
"It's not what you think!"
"Could it be that, – you're doing this for money?"
"Why the heck you thought that?"
"You're doing this for grandpa to pay you."
"I thought this girl will know. So slow..." he whispered.
"What did you say?"
"Duh-uh, I want things to do so I won't be bored here. And I don't need money. Just go away. Mind your own business."
Mikan was about to answer and Natsume was looking at her. But she got suck looking at him again. That's why she suddenly remembered the day when they were so close, looking at each other's eyes. So she went away.
Mikan's grandpa asked Natsume to fix their roof. He got to remove and replace the broken ones. "This old man is taking advantage of me. I'm not a carpenter!" Natsume whispered.
"Got a problem there, kid?"
"Just give me a hammer."
Mikan saw her grandpa and Natsume outside. "What about this time?" she said suspiciously. Natsume was on their roof.
"This is too much, grandpa. Why you make him do all that kind of stuff?"
"You're going back the next day. I can't fix our house on my own. Since that kid can do it, I let him."
She knew that her grandpa did not answer her question right. She became more suspicious about what was going on between her grandpa and Natsume.
Hours passed but still Natsume was working on the roof and he was having a hard time. Mikan went outside to help him but Natsume refused to. "I'm just fastening the nails." He just pushed her away. She was pissed off and went away. Then it rained but Natsume did not bother. He was so wet but suddenly, someone prevented him to get wet. It was Mikan who sat beside him, holding an umbrella.
"Are you nuts? Why are you here?"
"You have no choice. I'm already here. You don't want me to help you with that so I'll help you with this."
Hearing that, Natsume continued with Mikan on his side. Soon, they finished it.
The days passed so quickly. Tomorrow, Mikan and Natsume would be going back to the academy. That night...
"Sure a week had gone so quickly," grandpa said.
"I guess you've run out of errands to command me."
"I did, today...just want to give you some considerations."
"Consideration?"
"I'll tell you tomorrow before you leave."
It was early in the morning when they started packing their things. Natsume lingered outside on one branch of a tree. Mikan was looking for him. Mr. Narumi would arrive any minute now.
"You were just here. Are you done packing up your things?"
"Why you seemed so excited leaving? I thought you want to stay here."
"I want to, but I still have to come back to the academy."
"Before, you're so desperate just to come back home and now...oh, never mind."
"You're wondering why." She smiled at him. He just looked away.
"You know, me and grandpa already talked about this. Even we'll be away again, our hearts will always be together as one. And I already spend a time with him, time to be with my friends again. There will always be a time when I can go back to where my heart is, in my grandpa and in my friends."
Mr. Narumi soon arrived. After grandpa bade 'until then' to Mikan, he turned to Natsume.
"You've been a really nice guy. It's in you."
"I'm already leaving and you still have time to kid me?"
"I'm telling the truth. I always kept an eye on you all that time. You really did a great job."
"Ok, fine. Whatsoever. I didn't need any incentive anyway."
They went outside, got to ride inside the academy's limousine, when grandpa bade goodbye to Natsume, saying his name.
"So long, Natsume."
"Same, you old man."
"No, call me grandpa."
"Ok, grandpa..."
"I'm expecting your presence again."
Mikan heard Natsume called her grandpa "grandpa." "When did you start calling my grandpa 'grandpa'? He's not your grandpa anyway."
"Not now."
"Not now?"
"You're being selfish."
Before Mikan could say a word, her grandpa told her to just get inside the car and don't make their leave so long. "Ok, grandpa! Come on, Natsume!" She happened to hold Natsume's hand as she went inside and waved at her grandpa. It was a really different experience for Natsume that earned him the approval of Mikan's grandpa. :D