Ying: I think I am going to make this a one-shot. I don't want to do another long series anymore. I got this idea while reading a story online so, here goes nothing.

If there's ever a time when you are having problems with love affairs, you might come across this shop called Love for rent. The beautiful yet mysterious lady boss and the handsome yet quiet helper will solve all your problems as long as you are willing to pay the price. Well then, dear customer, welcome to the Love rental shop!

I am Mikan Sakura, 19 years old. I am a graduating student of Alice academy this year. Sitting under one of the trees near the northern woods, I have been thinking. What am I thinking? Well, maybe because I have been thinking about a lot of things therefore, I have already lost track of what I am thinking about.

Touching one of the pockets of my skirt, I pulled out a name card. It was pink in color and there are only three words on it, Love for Rent. I remember I got this from Anna this morning but I can't remember why she gave it to me. It's just a simple card but for some reason, it had caught my attention.

Afternoon lessons have just ended. Hotaru went back to her lab again. I decided to go to central town to get some of my favourite candy, alone. On the bus, I have been thinking about this problem. Should I stop him or should I just let it go? The boy that I have been friends with since I came to this school is going to leave soon, until now, after nine years, and then I realized that I am in love with him. This is such a depressing issue.

I got off the bus but I didn't go for the candy first. I just walked and walked aimlessly. Suddenly, I found out that I am in an unfamiliar place. Just then, I saw a house. It's not big, in fact, it looked kind of small. There are bushes of roses surrounding the house. There's a sign outside the house saying: Love for Rent. I didn't know there's such a place in our school. I walked towards the front door. Suddenly, the door opened by itself. I looked inside, there's no one inside. I thought for awhile but it felt like my legs has it own mind and I started walking inside.

Though, from the outside, this house look small but it had a really long corridor. I was quite shocked. I continued walking in. For some reason, I felt scared but I wanted to see more. Don't know for how long, I have finally reached the end of the corridor because there's another door in front of me. I knocked on the door, hoping to get some answer. I know it's wrong to just come into people's house without permission but curiosity has got the better of me. I knocked on the door again, much louder than before. Just when, I wanted to open the door myself, I heard footsteps but it's not coming from the inside of the house.

There's a girl running towards me from the front of the corridor. She's a very beautiful girl. She's wearing a blue dress with a watering can in her right hand and she had long and silky black hair that reaches her waist. I was quite surprised because usually in books or comics when there's a shop like this, you will expect someone more mysterious and older not a girl around my age. That girl stood in front of me, pushed her hair that is sticking to her face behind her ears and said: "Welcome!" It's as though, she had already expected my arrival.

The girl led me into the room. It was like a living room. She sat down on the sofa and asked me to take a sit too. Just then, a door on the left side of the room opened, a brown hair guy came in with tea and cookies. He left them on the coffee table and left the room through the same door. I felt quite awkward as I came into a stranger's house without a reason.

"Welcome to Love for Rent, my dear customer. You must be having some problems since you have arrived here." The girl spoke.

I felt even more awkward. "Erm, I also don't know why I am here. I think…. I think I will be leaving then." I stood up, preparing to leave.

"I am afraid that would be wrong, my dear customer. If you keep running away, no body will ever understand what you are thinking." The girl said while looking up from her cup.

"But…." I stopped walking.

"There are no buts, my dear customer. I will grant your wish. However, what is your wish?" The girl walked towards me and held my hands.

"My……wish…."

It's just a simple conversion but it seems as if there's magic, I am brought back to the past.

"NATSUME!"

"Natsume, why are you not laughing? I laughed until my stomach hurts."

"Natsume, you idiot, are you trying to kill yourself?!"

"Natsume….."

I have been so used to calling this name that it has became a part of my life.

"Polka-dots?"

I was called back to my senses with this familiar voice. Then, I realized I was standing in front of Natsume's room.

"What are you doing here? Well, anyway, come in then."

I looked around the room. The furniture is gone. A few boxes are leaving around the room.

"There's no place to sit since I am getting ready to leave tonight." Natsume said while giving me, my favorite juice.

Natsume was asked to go to England for a training that will last a few years. He didn't need to take care of those un-important things in his room but he still stayed, not sure why, maybe because he's missing this place. The place that has the memories of him and Mikan. Everything is all cleared but there still, the juice that Mikan loves in the fridge, what does this mean? And now, looking at her, drinking her favourite juice, should I say something? Well, if I should, then what can I say?

"Mikan…"

"Erm, Natsume?"

"Yes?"

"You are going to leave later, right?"

"Yes."

"You are going to England, right?"

"Yes."

"Then….. Will you come back?"

"…….."

Natsume did not reply. Will he come back? Well, he thinks he will. Even though, he thinks that way, he can't reply. He can't promise her anything. Promise her something that even he thinks is too far away.

"Natsume…"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"……."

For the first time, Mikan said something that has always been deep in her heart, maybe because it's too deep that she never realized it. There's nothing to be afraid, there's no feeling of being shy, it's as though, she is just stating a fact. Why are we keeping the habit of ours, well, it seems that we finally understand it.

Looking at the sky, the plane that Natsume is in has flown away. There are no more feelings of uncertain and afraid. We will have a bright future. Even though, there is no promises made. If we believe, we will have our happy future…………

Once again, Mikan is outside the shop called Love for Rent. This time, she didn't go in. The girl was standing outside, smiling at her. She handed her an item. It was the alice stone that Natsume gave her, the first present from him. She wasn't sad about giving it away, because the most precious item is already in her heart, forever and never going to be gone.

Opening her eyes, it was another morning. It's just that this time, she will not be able to see Natsume again. Mikan woke up, she looked in the mirror, the necklace with Natsume's alice stone is no longer there…..

"You actually got this kind of payment…."

"Yup, this is also something very precious. It's first love after all…." The girl answered the voice from nowhere. She looked at the red alice stone and put it in the one of the many drawers in front of her.

Ying: So how is it? I hope it's ok. The first time, I am doing something like this. I really like it.