This is a Hotaru/Ruka segment.


SIMPLIFIED EXPRESSION

- Work out the angles to sustain the attraction.

Chapter Two | F of G

The following days that transpired was unimaginable.

Sumire Shouda, aka Permy, and her gang were crying their eyes out every now and then –cursing and promising to themselves Mikan would one day feel her wrath and get the revenge she deserves. Koko was grinning and smirking almost all the time, earning a smack in the head from the infamous fire-caster every time he does that. Hotaru was getting richer every second. Ruka was, well, being bullied by the Ice Queen as always. Everyone's normal behavior went haywire after the unexpected change.

Those werethe things that took place after that night, during those moments. Those moments when, during recess, lunch and dinner, Mikan and Natsume would be seen together. The reason? For tutorial purposes. Quite funny! But wherever they go, a certain electrifying black aura seems to follow them from behind. Addition to that, the sound of a croaking frog too. Whether their teacher is stalking them, they aren't too sure. But, either way, Mikan was also determined to increase her grade. No matter what.

Natsume would be pulling her in random places. Well, not literally. It's just that, wherever he goes, Mikan would follow. He'd just tell her "let's go," and they'd go to another destination –the Sakura tree, the library, in the classroom, anywhere. The reason was obvious. Natsume was getting pissed. For what reason? It was because he sensed it wasn't only Jinno that's following them, stalking them. Let's just say, there's an additional two more presence right in their tails.

Earlier this morning, when everyone was still asleep, there was a loud knock in one of the dormitory rooms.

Though Ruka was still too tired and sleepy to answer the person, the chilly aura he got gave him no other option but to get up.

"What do you want Imai?" he asked the moment he opened the door. His eyes groggy and his voice raspy from the unexpected waking up call, or knock.

"Here, take this camera. You'll come with me this afternoon. I have some things for you to do," another very well-known monotonous person replied, aka the Ice Queen.

"I'm busy."

"Do I look like I'm giving you another option? In case you forgot, I have an embarrassing picture of you with me. I could sell it anytime and anywhere to any person in this Academy, and you'd be in deep trouble," she blackmailed, showing to him the picture she took for proof.

"F-fine," he finally gave up.

"Nice doing business with you, Nogi," she said before taking her exit.

.

Somewhere behind a bush, "let's go," another voice commanded before they went away. One was riding some scooter, while the other was on the back of a baby elephant. They've been following a certain couple for almost the whole day –in the library, you name it. And, yes, both were riding the same scooter and the same baby elephant even as they went inside the library to stalk. The caretaker robot allowed them, too afraid to go against its maker.

A girl with raven hair was taking pictures of a certain idiot and a certain fire-caster walking together at different angles, making sure she get a good view for a good story to publish to the whole students and teachers. While she's doing so, she'd been ordering a particular blond lad to go to different places, mostly the Central Town, to buy her some memory cards or anything that pleases her –sometimes a drink, crab puffs, and whatnots. Though Ruka was at his limits, he couldn't afford to see a piss off Hotaru, especially if what she's holding contains an embarrassing piece about him. He couldn't risk himself. He could, would not dare try.

"Hey, Hotaru, aren't you going way overboard? Mikan is your best friend, you know," Ruka stated as a matter of fact.

"All things start from good chemistries. Now, we'll just have to apply physics and work out with the angles to sustain the attractions," Hotaru mumbled. One eye closed as the other looked past the viewfinder, trying to find a good image. She wanted to test, to see and check whether the depth and distance was just right. She slightly adjusted the focusing ring before finally taking a shot of the scene.

"Wait, are you playing matchmaking? Seriously, you'd be deep fried once Natsume hears this," Ruka commented, readying another memory card for her to use. Honestly, the last click was the six hundredth plus click for the day, eating more than three 4GB memory cards.

"Do I look like I cared?" she replied.

"No." Well, her answer was obvious enough.

"Good. You understand. Anyway, here, clean this," she instructed before handing to him the camera she got. At the same time, she retrieved the camera Ruka had been holding, the one she gave him early this morning.

She took a few more good shots before Natsume stood up once again and pulled the brunette to who knows where.

"Let's go!"

"You know what? I think I'm done with this Imai. I've been following you for God knows how long."

"Is that complain I hear from you, Nogi?" she asked, looking back at him with the same emotionless façade. Her eyes were in-between deadly and amusement. He couldn't exactly point out which of the two. Or probably both. But, whichever, he too was pissed off. And maybe it is best that she knew it too. Or not.

"Since when did even you start ordering me?"

"Let's see. Since the time I beat you down in a Physics test, got you ranked down to a demigod when I was faster than you in Tetris, obliterated you with a piston shot at a good angle in Minecraft and got a photo of you sulking and baby talking with Piyo," she answered.

"What if I ask for a rebattle?" he suggested.

"In Tetris? I have no time to walk back to the computer lab and-"

This was the right time, he thought to himself. The atmosphere he set was to his advantage, or was it really? Still, one way or the other, he knew she walked straight into his perfectly-planned trap. She'll be the first to raise the white flag this time. He was sure of it.

"No. Not in Tetris, in Physics! Let's see if who could get who tongue-tied. If you win, fine, I'll do whatever you say. If I win, you have to stop ordering me and do what I say," he explained the mechanics.

Currently, Hotaru was pissed with this. Not that she was angry because of the challenge Ruka offered her. It was the fact that he was wasting her precious time to take good angles of the couple walking away. Wanting to get over this absurdity in an instant, she accepted the challenge.

"Also, you'll have to pay me five thousand rabbits, for wasting my time and for making Mikan and Natsume get away," she added.

"Fine!" he agreed without thinking.

"Okay, I'll be starting. You have to guess this. I am commonly attracted to a rare particle, a dense and hard solid, at 8g. What is it? If you want hints, it is dandelion in color made out of soft materials," he asked. A smirk could be seen in his face, thinking he had the upper hand.

"There is no such gravitational force exceeding millions of a million, genius. And the object isn't actually made out of soft materials," she answered.

"Okay, it might not necessarily be soft. But there exist an object with a certain g like that. Its properties made it able to do so. Then, what is it?"

"Albert Einstein."

For a short while, a nerve-racking atmosphere emanated between the two.

"So, you do get it? You know, what I'm trying to mean," he asked, not knowing what he would react to her possible answers.

"What if I do?" she challenged.

"Heartless…" he commented.

"Ba-ka! You're the one who's not thinking! Both shared the same equation, right?" she spoke out of the blue before walking away.

"I-mai," he silently whispered. No words were left to speak. No good statement to retort –in his case. Then, he knew he had lost –again. This was an unexpected response. And now, he was practically caught speechless and tongue-tied, too stunned to have a comeback.

"Anyway, if you already have the money with you, give it to me cash. Also, I'm expecting you to…," she further instructed, snapping Ruka out of his trance.

Chapter Two ends | TO BE CONTINUED


2/3

Probably the easiest among the easiest. Albert Einstein meant another thing. Figure it out. Anyway, thanks for the support. Not yet edited. So, forgive me for my grammars.