That "supersecret project".
I actually hadn't planned to write a sequel for this, but it was suggested multiple times, so...yeah. And a big thank you to Nessie-san, Cha-Cha-Cheesecake, and Alliene, for the inspiring reviews on Granny Panties! ;u; I was too lazy to give a proper reply (which I feel extremely guilty about) so I dedicate this to you three!
Note: There is an OC in here. But she is relevant to the plot, so fear not!
DISCLAIMER: Arii doesn't own Gakuen Alice.
Smooth Moves
Ruka was not going to let Hotaru get away with what she did.
So, when the lunch bell rang, he made his way quickly to the School Newspaper Club's meeting room. He knew that on Tuesdays, the students responsible for writing and printing the school newspaper were excused from their classes to work all day on it so it could be handed out on Wednesday. They usually took a break during lunch, which was when the room would be empty and Ruka could enter and complete his task without any interruptions.
It must be noted that the room was locked during lunch, but the door was always accidentally left open a crack by a forgetful girl named Teru, who seemed to be terminally unable to close doors properly. She would have been kicked out of the club a long time ago, but she was a valued writer and a hard worker - two traits that helped to put together a decent newspaper - so they put up with her.
Today, however, Ruka would benefit from her fault.
As he had predicted, the door was opened just the slightest. Ruka looked up the hall and then down it - being spotted by anyone could mean getting ratted out - and slipped inside.
Much to his delight, everything had been left out - photos were scattered on the round table in the center of the room and all the half- and completely finished documents on the computers were still up. The printer was whirring gently, and a few papers were sitting on top of it.
Perfect.
The first thing Ruka did was sift through the pictures on the table. Sure enough, the picture he came there for in the first place was there - the picture of him with the puppies. He still blushed a little in angry embarrassment when he saw it. Quickly he crumpled the picture up in his fist and shoved it in his pocket, and was about to leave when he thought of something else: what if they had made copies?
So he checked the copy machine and almost choked when he found a dozen more copies. Tearing them to unidentifiable shreds and tossing them out the window, he then sat down in front of the computer and went through all of the documents open. Initially he had decided to simply delete all of the documents because it would be easier, but the kindness in his heart didn't allow him to feel okay with just destroying all of the group's hard work. So he looked until he found the article with the picture on it and deleted that one, plus two others so it wouldn't seem too obvious, then left the computer.
After one last thorough search of the room, Ruka checked his watch. About twenty-six minutes had passed. Time really does fly, Ruka thought as he started to head towards the door -
"Goddammit, Teru!"
He froze as he heard voices up the hall.
"What do you mean you don't remember if you closed the door this time or not? We keep telling you and telling you, one day someone's going to go in there and do God knows what! The door's locked because we don't want that, and you're supposed to close it all the way so it stays like - see, it is open, idiot!"
The School Newspaper Club left lunch early. Shit.
In a panic, Ruka ran to the closet and flung it open, squeezing himself between the floor and the bottom shelf, and closed the door just as the leader of the club walked in.
"What the...?" Ruka heard him mutter. Footsteps began pacing around the room as more voices entered. Then there was a shriek.
"One of the photos are gone! The one Imai-san gave us!"
"Eh!?"
Shadows moved around under the door, and Ruka squeezed his eyes shut and prayed one of them didn't decide to check the closet as they scurried around.
"...She's right! It's gone! And so are the copies!"
"Three of the articles I was writing are gone too," a girl's voice spoke up in a languid manner - the girl he assumed to be Teru. "The one with the picture on it. And the other two I don't remember. They must've been deleted."
"Dammit! I knew someone was going to come in here sooner or later! This is all your fault, Teru!" the club leader yelled.
"I'm sorry," Teru said in a tone that did not sound all that sorry.
"You'd better be! Now, we need to think about who would do something like this...maybe..."
Ruka curled up tighter and groaned inwardly. It was going to be a long afternoon.
Mikan looked around her sixth period study hall classroom and smiled to herself. She hadn't seen Natsume at all today, but the thought of the satisfaction she would feel after she showed him her "surprise" was enough to keep her in line, so she was being a good girl and patiently waiting.
Wait'll he gets a look at me! I bet his jaw will drop and he'll have a miniature heart attack...then he'll regret ever saying I have granny panties and I'll make him admit that he was wrong and I was right and I AM SEXY.
Mikan chuckled in a semi-deranged manner before composing herself and nudging Hotaru. "Ne, Hotaru, I haven't seen Ruka since fourth period. Do you think he left school early?"
"How should I know?" she grumbled. Hotaru had been in a bad mood ever since lunch ended, for a reason Mikan felt was wise to not inquire on. Instead, she just shrugged and left her alone, burying her face in a textbook to not actually study but instead think about her soon-to-occur victory.
I'll show you, Natsume. I'll show you that I CAN be the hot girlfriend every guy dreams of! You'll be so enchanted, you'll ask for my hand in marriage, which I will swiftly decline because you doubted me!
...And then, having made my point, I'll change my mind and accept it because. You know. You're my boyfriend and all. Even though I'm too young to be married...
Mikan peeked over her textbook at Hotaru, who was texting someone on her phone. She got a brief look at the message before she hit Send and saw Ruka as the recipient, along with "-op hiding you motherfu-", so she guessed she was trying to learn his whereabouts in her usual insensitive manner.
"Ne, Hotaru," she said, poking her.
"What do you want now?" she asked irritably, then held a hand up. "No, wait; I already know what your'e going to to ask. You're going to ask me if I know where Natsume is, too. And my answer is this: he's your boyfriend, you idiot. I'm not keeping tabs on him."
Mikan frowned. "Well, if you put it that way..." she mumbled, turning away and sticking her nose in her textbook again. Hotaru glanced at her out of the corner of her eye to make sure she wasn't looking, then sent another text message out.
"...!"
Anna sat upright in her seat. Sumire and Yuu, who were sitting nearby, jumped at her sudden movement and turned to look at her.
"I feel a disturbance in the force..." she muttered.
Sumire wrinkled her nose. "Is it the drool all over your cheek?" she asked, crooking a finger with a well-manicured nail towards her face. Even though Misaki-sensei was Anna's favorite teacher for reasons not quite related to Chemistry, Anna had a bad habit of falling asleep during the class. And drooling.
Ignoring her comment, Anna wiped her face off with her hand and wiped her hand on her shirt - eliciting a disgusted noise from Sumire - and said, "Something's changed here. Something feels...different."
"Maybe it's your phone?" Yuu responded, motioning subtly to her pocket so the teacher, Misaki-sensei, wouldn't notice. "I can hear it vibrating. Someone's trying to call you." Then he and Sumire faced forwards again as to not attract attention.
Anna briefly glanced at Misaki-sensei, who was writing out some complicated formula on the board that she didn't understand one bit - an unfortunate result of sleeping through class. Oh well. She'd copy Yuu's notes sometime later.
From: Suzuki T.
To: Umenomiya A.
Subject: [no subject]
Hello, is this Umenomiya-san's phone?
Received 2013/1/19, 2:45:13
Anna blinked. Who the heck was Suzuki T.?
Reply? [Yes] No
From: Umenomiya A.
To: Suzuki T.
Subject: RE: [no subject]
Yes, it is. Can I ask who's, uh, texting?
Sent 2013/1/19, 2:47:34
From: Suzuki T.
To: Umenomiya A.
Subject: RE:RE: [no subject]
Suzuki Teru. From Foreign Languages.
Received 2013/1/19, 2:48:01
Reply? [Yes] No
From: Umenomiya A.
To: Suzuki T.
Subject: RE:RE:RE: [no subject]
Ohhhh. Yes, I know you. What is it?
Sent 2013/1/19, 2:48:22
From: Suzuki T.
To: Umenomiya A.
Subject: RE:RE:RE:RE: [no subject]
Listen, I know this is sudden, but can you meet me after school? I need your help with something.
Received 2013/1/19, 2:48:59
Reply? [Yes] No
From: Umenomiya A.
To: Suzuki T.
Subject: RE:RE:RE:RE:RE: [no subject]
Uh, sure, I guess. What for?
Sent 2013/1/19, 2:49:17
From: Suzuki T.
To: Umenomiya A.
Subject: RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE: [no subject]
Let's save it until then.
Received 2013/1/19, 2:49:30
Reply? Yes [No]
"...?" Well, that was strange. Teru hardly ever talked to her, except when they had to work together on the off chance they were paired up as partners for classwork. They didn't even have any friends in common. So why would she randomly ask Anna for help?
Curious, Anna thought as Misaki-sensei called, "Umenomiya?"
She jumped and feigned complete attention, blushing slightly. "Y-yes, Sensei?"
However, Misaki-sensei saw right through her act and narrowed his eyes, pointing to the board. "Please write out the formula for 'ammonium hydroxide and hydronium acetate yields ammonium acetate and hydronium hydroxide' and balance it."
Anna gulped. "Uh..."
From: Nogi R.
To: Hyuuga N.
Subject: YOUUUUUUUUU.
IT'S BEEN A WHOLE SCHOOL DAY. SEVEN. WHOLE. HOURS. AND YOU WERE NOT THERE FOR ANY OF THEM.
Sent 2013/1/19, 3:37:01
From: Hyuuga N.
To: Nogi R.
Subject: ...
Ruka, have you smoked something?
Received 2013/1/19, 3:39:11
Reply? [Yes] No
From: Nogi R.
To: Hyuuga N.
Subject: YOU IDIOT.
THIS IS NOT RUKA. HE LET ME BORROW HIS PHONE BECAUSE MINE RAN OUT OF BATTERY AND HOTARU WOULDN'T LET ME USE HERS.
Sent 2013/1/19, 3:41:29
From: Hyuuga N.
To: Nogi R.
Subject: I should've known.
What do you want, Polka?
Received 2013/1/19, 3:43:05
Reply? [Yes] No
From: Nogi R.
To: Hyuuga N.
Subject: JERK.
DON'T SAY IT LIKE I'M BOTHERING YOU. WHERE. WERE. YOU.
Sent 2013/1/19, 3:43:52
From: Hyuuga N.
To: Nogi R.
Subject: You are.
I was home. Aoi caught the flu and my parents had to go to work, so I stayed home to take care of her. Now can you stop raping the caps lock?
Received 2013/1/19, 3:44:23
Reply? [Yes] No
From: Nogi R.
To: Hyuuga N.
Subject: NO.
YOU COULD'VE GIVEN ME SOME SORT OF WARNING. I WAS WORRIED ABOUT YOU, ASSHOLE.
Sent 2013/1/19, 3:44:44
From: Hyuuga N.
To: Nogi R.
Subject: I'm touched.
Then why didn't you just call me? You probably want something from me, anyways.
Received 2013/1/19, 3:45:09
Reply? [Yes] No
From: Nogi R.
To: Hyuuga N.
Subject: I DO NOT!
QUIT BEING SUCH AN INCONSIDERATE DOUCHEBAG.
Sent 2013/1/19, 3:45:38
From: Hyuuga N.
To: Nogi R.
Subject: Right.
I can read you like a book, Polka. You probably just made that face like the one you made when that bookstore owner caught you stealing that book you couldn't afford. Now are you done? I can hear Aoi puking again and, judging from the location of the sound, I don't think she made it to the toilet this time.
Received 2013/1/19, 3:46:00
Reply? [Yes] No
From: Nogi R.
To: Hyuuga N.
Subject: ...
...Way too much information.
Sent 2013/1/19, 3:46:20
"Ugghhhhhhh." Mikan scowled and rolled over on her stomach, banging her fist on the floor. "This isn't fair!"
Hotaru, sitting at her desk, looked down at her. "One, stop banging on my floor. Two, that's the sixteenth time you've said that in the past hour," she replied tonelessly.
"Yeah, because it's not! Now I have to wait until tomorrow, during homeroom! That's a whole - " Mikan quickly counted on her fingers. " - fourteen hours! Why did Aoi have to catch the flu today, of all days!?"
"Actually, she technically didn't catch it today." Hotaru folded her hands in her lap. "Influenza's incubation period is normally two days, meaning the germs entered her system sometime on Friday and she's just now experiencing the symptoms - "
"Stop!" Mikan groaned, covering her ears. "You are so not helping!"
Hotaru shrugged before returning back to her work. She seemed to be in a better mood than earlier, so whatever had happened to her must've blown over, Mikan thought idly as she cradled her head in her hands.
"Ne, Hotaru. What were you mad about earlier?"
"None of your business."
"You're such a meanie," Mikan pouted, even though she was vaguely expecting that answer. For a few moments there was silence between them.
"...Don't you have more important things to worry about? Like the fact that since Natsume is taking care of Aoi and she's still in her contagious stage, there's a risk that he might catch the flu too - "
"Ugghhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
The next day, a sharp chill went down Sumire's spine as she walked up the path that led to Alice Academy.
"We're being watched," she whispered to Anna, who was walking beside her. "And not in a nice way, either." Anna raised an eyebrow and discreetly peered over her shoulder, then sighed.
"It's only Suzuki-san."
"Suzuki? As in, Suzuki Teru? That girl in the School Newspaper Club who sits all the way in the back of the room in all her classes and talks to herself?" Sumire grabbed Anna's shoulders and shook her hard. "You know her!?"
"A little. She asked me to do something for her after school yesterday," Anna said in a voice so innocent it made Sumire want to tear her own head off. Or Anna's.
"Anna, there are rumors that she's a - " She peeked over her shoulder and saw Teru trailing behind them a fair distance away, staring at them, and shivered. " - you know! A stalker!"
"So? They're just rumors."
"What if she met you yesterday only so that she could follow you home and find out where you live!?"
"Sumire, you are way too dramatic for your own good. It was nothing like that. She's a decent person, okay?" Before Sumire could retort, Anna turned around and waved. "Hey, Suzuki-san! Over here!"
"What are you doing you stupid - " Sumire shut up when Teru suddenly appeared next to Anna.
"Good morning, Umenomiya-san." Teru glanced at Sumire. "...Shouda-san."
"Good morning, Suzuki-san!" both girls said in unison, Anna in a cheery voice and Sumire sounding mildly disturbed.
They walked in silence for a few minutes before Teru said, "Well, I'll be on my way now," and sped up her pace, walking ahead of the girls.
"...Anna." Sumire stared straight ahead, lips pursed.
"If you're just going to bad-mouth Suzuki-san some more, I'm not - "
"What, exactly, did she need you for yesterday?"
"Oh! Maybe you could help! You see, she..."
Mikan burst into homeroom with a large smile on her face. "Good morning, everyone!" she yelled in a manner that was ten times more obnoxious than usual.
A few students murmured a greeting back, while others smiled and waved at her as her eyes drifted across the room. Some moments later she spotted Natsume in his usual seat and grinned. Target acquired.
"Natsume!" She sauntered over to his desk and parked her rear right on top of it, crossing her legs with a coy smile she tried to mask. "You came to school! Is Aoi better?"
"Get off my desk, Polka." When she didn't budge, he shoved her. "And, clearly, she must be if I came."
She pouted, crossing her arms. "Well, jeez! I was only asking a question!" Tossing her head dramatically, she turned on her heel and went to the desk across from his, sitting on it and crossing her legs again, a little higher than before.
However, Natsume didn't even glance at her. "Polka, put your legs down before someone sees your panties and you throw a fit. This isn't a strip club."
"My legs aren't even up that high, so ha!"
When he didn't respond, Mikan looked at him curiously. She was about to ask him what was wrong, but at that moment the homeroom teacher walked in and everyone scurried to their seats, so she simply muttered, "Whatever," and went to her seat. But as the teacher droned on, something gnawed at the back of her mind - and that was that Natsume didn't seem like his usual self.
What in the world was wrong with him?
...Okay I'll be completely honest here: I have no idea where this story is going. But there will be a third part, so be happy. Also note that there was a plot within the plot, merely for my own amusement, which is why it's long. I also realize that this part is kinda...dull. But that's because it's the rising action, so stay tuned!
ULTIMATE PLOT TWIST: Teru turns out to be an actual stalker.
But that probably won't happen. Probably.
Anyways, thanks for reading!
~Ariisha-chan