PROLOGUE

"I was told by Mr. Narumi that we have to think of an event for Halloween," Mikan announced as soon as everybody gathered for the meeting.
"Should we do the usual Halloween dance?" Sumire asked.
"I would have wanted something different. We've done that costumer party every year. What do you think guys?" Mikan smiled.
Few people nodded but nobody really had any other idea other than the costume party. Mikan had been in charge of co-curricular activities for two years now due to Mr. Narumie's opinion that she always had great ideas for creativity. She was happy being in this committee and it never really mattered to her that they were only five in the committee. Her amiable personality always got her extra help when she needed it.
Sumire had been of much help when it comes to ideas, Mikan had placed her in charge of Christmas, whatever it was they had to do. She and Sumire didn't have the same conflict they had before and it seemed so far away like it never really happened.
The silence for more opinion has passed and nobody was better than anybody.
"I don't think anybody has a better idea than staying with costume parties," Sumire broke the silence as she wrote in her spiral notebook.
Mikan smiled.
"Thats true, " she said as she closed her small notebook. "Then let's just stay with that costume party, til we have a better idea."
A month has passed and everybody just stuck to the Halloween dance that they first thought of from the start. Everyday had been busy,
with all the designs to make and to put up. She used to have her meetings for around two hours and was now broken down to an hour and a half.
As soon as she dismissed the meeting, she noticed Mr. Narumi standing beneath the doorway.
"Mr. Narumi, why do you just stand there?" she said, walking towards him with a large smile on her pretty little face.
Mr. Narumi flashed his usual smile back to Mikan.
"Before I say anything, Mikan, I just want to apologize for this,
okay?" he said, his smile fading to something close to pity.
"For what?"
"We have requirements for students, you know that right?" Mr. Narumi continued as Mikan nodded in response. "I have a student who you would need to include into your co-curricular activities."
"That's it, Mr. Narumi?" Mikan laughed. "I thought it was something big or bad that you would have to apologize. I don't mind adding another person into our committee."
"That's the thing, Mikan, he's not just any other person."
"What do you mean?"
"Mikan, you would have to add Natsume with you."
There was a short pause. A pause needed for the news, not entirely such a big deal to Mikan but to others it would be, to sink in.
Natsume Hyuuga is the most popular boy in school. Silent but impulsive. Whatever he wants to do, he does it. Boys look up to him and some are even scared. Girls are not one to be driven off by fear of him or of what he can do, they like him too much to care. But Mikan had been ambivalent for so long. She never really liked his carelessness. She believed he used this to attract attention but then it seemed like it doesn't make sense since this is just an added feature for girls to like him. He was good-looking enough that he never really needed to exert effort to attract attention.
"Natsume? Why? He's not interested in this." Mikan told Mr. Narumi.
"Well, yes, a fact well-known to all of us, but he lacks co-curricular activities to help him pass this semester." Mr. Narumi could see Mikan's pretty face turn into complaint and before she could speak, he continued. "I know you think we could have placed him in a different committee but you're persuasive and maybe you could talk him into this."
Mikan sighed.
"Mr. Narumi, I don't think you're giving me a choice too."
Mr. Narumi managed to smile in Mikan's complaint. "I know you, Mikan.
He'll start tomorrow okay? And just for seven days, Mikan."
He placed his hand on Mikan's shoulder as he entrusted duty onto her shoulder, placed a smile on his face and left.

Natsume entered the room as soon as everybody had left. Mikan was fixing the room, almost ready to leave the room. She looked up and found Natsume walking inside the room, an hour and a half late.
"And this is how you're expecting to be included in our activities?"
she asked rhetorically without looking at him. "The meeting is done.
You might as well leave."
"I will do this under one condition," he began, disregarding everything Mikan had just said. She looked up at him again unamused,
stopped fixing her things to listen to him. "I will help but I will not attend the meetings."
"Then how will you know what we're planning? You would have a say in this."
"I don't care, just tell me where I have to help and I'll be there,"
he paused. "So are we on agreement?"
Mikan knew he needed her to be done with this but she wasn't one to make things harder for someone. Just to make things easier for them both, she nodded in agreement. Mikan was left with no other choice anyway if she wants to help him as well.
Natsume left the room when she agreed and then she followed.
Mikan and Natsume never really had a good relationship. It was more like built in love and hate or probably, just hate and just a tiny bit of care inside of it. She hated his negativity and he hated her happiness. But what she liked about him is his intent to listen without showing it. He seemed to be there, probably by chance or coincidence, when she feels down. Although that doesn't happen often anymore and that's the only time they get to talk. To be honest, Mikan doesn't need an added person in the committee and she knows that having Natsume would be like they're still five people in the group but knowing that Natsume's an addition somewhat delights her and something she won't admit even to herself.