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Chapter 3
That PERVERT!!! Argh!!! Natsume I want to strangle you!
Mikan was pacing back and fort inside her room... This day's a VERY, VERY, VERY bad day for her. For all the people in the world, why does it have to be them to see my panties? I mean, it's not that I wanted someone to see my underwear but… Argh! Why does it have to be him?
She stopped pacing and sat on the side of her bed. Then after a few seconds, her clock suddenly sounded reminding her that it's already 6 o'clock in the evening. She then remembered that Kauri- sama had requested her to go downstairs for dinner. Since she's part of the family now, she'll be eating with the Hyuugas every meal of the day. But she's thinking about skipping the dinner today…. She can tolerate eating with Youichi even though he's frequently annoying her but eating with his older brother gives her the head ache. Her blood boils with so much irritation and embarrassment. Just mentioning his name frustrates her very much! The nerve! What will happen to her further days while living with them under the same roof…? She sighed.
She remembered what grandpa told her last time when she gets angry. "When you feel rage in you and you want to let it out, just use the pillow, cover your mouth and shout the loudest as you can. Everybody's doing it, and it helps hahahaha!" So after that she's been doing it whenever she gets angry.
Mikan performed the procedure now… and she repeated it several times without noticing someone watching her outside her door.
Natsume POV
My stomach was already rumbling with hunger. Because of that girl, my stomach got hurt from laughing. But of course no one saw me laughing hysterically because I was hiding and I don't want them to know it. I have never than that again since I was a kid, and I realized it felt good. If I hadn't walked out of the room just in time, they must've caught me! I've tried my best to stay calm and serious, and it's a good thing my acting skills are of used.
I was the last one to enter the dining hall, at least that's what I believed when something caught my attention. That polka dots panty girl was out of sight. I asked Kauri where she was and she said that she was inside her room without coming out.
She must've been still thinking about the incident this morning…. Hehehe stupid….
"Hey Natsume!" Koko called.
"What?!"
"Your ward is still not here. What happened to her? Is she sick? Won't she eat dinner?"
Sick? Her? Nah….
"Am I her father to know everything she does??" I retorted.
"Um hello??? She's your responsibility, OF COURSE!" Koko shouted.
I crossed my arms across my chest and looked at him. Actually he's right…. Then I shifted my gaze towards my brother to know his reaction but as usual his face is expressionless, although his eyes told me that he agrees with Koko….
"Hn… fine." I went outside the hall leaving Koko still blabbing non- stop.
I can hear noises as I walked towards her room. While coming nearer and nearer, I can almost hear her shouts and curses.
What is this girl doing???
I opened her door just in time as I caught her shouting at her pillow and punching it while screaming my name with curses and insults at the top of her lungs. Despite with those bad words she let go from her little mouth, she still looked cute. What am I thinking?
End of POV
Mikan exhaled and shouted her last curse. "Natsume you PERVERT! PERVERT! PERVERT!" then she sighed.
Upon hearing it, Natsume can't help but to smirk. "Oi polka dots, are you done?"
"Wha- what are you doing here!" she shouted with shock pointing at him. This is the second time he caught her in a weird situation, damn!
"Watch you tongue little girl. And this is my Manor if you're forgetting about that important information. I can be wherever I want here."
Mikan raised her eyebrows. "Yeah but you're IN my room. And I have every authority inside these four walls, MY LORD!"
"Baka "
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" she yelled she can't believe there's a very bossy person like Natsume….
"I said you're stupid! Now get downstairs because everyone's waiting for YOU!"
Mikan stood up…. Her ears and nose are steaming with anger. (Anime style!) "Why YOU! You're even worst than the dictator I knew before!!!"
"And who may that person be?"
"IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"
(hehehe sorry Avien-chan..!)
She started towards him, not even considering that he's the Count. Count or Not he's still gonna get it! She threw stuffs at him but no matter how she did it, he just easily dodged it.
"Stop doing that and stay still!" she cried. She had a hard time targeting him.
Natsume laughed…. It was a nice laugh and it surprised her to hear it…. He was surprised too in his part because it was his first time to do that in front of a person. Not even his brother has heard it before. He'd only just smiled which are also rare to be seen.
Mikan stopped and looked at him. "Y- you laugh–"
"Hmph! don't even think about it polka dots." He warned while looking away.
Mikan suddenly found herself smiling. There's something in him after all…. Natsume saw it and raised his eyebrows.
"What are you smiling at?"
"That was something…." She went closer to him and whispered. "Let me guess… no one had seen the ever serious Count laugh before, right? It caught you off guard! Ahahaha!"
Natsume just looked at her as she laughs foolishly while his face returned to their impassive state…
"Shut that mouth of yours, before I seal them permanently. You looked stupid…" he blurted out suddenly.
What?!
He started to walk away but then paused in his tracks. His face is the most serious face she had ever seen in a person. Those red dangerous eyes gave her the chills. "To be quite frank with you little girl, this was not my intention and liking to be under this situation we're into. As far as I know I have no desire in having any responsibility or what so ever with someone, except my brother. However whether we both like it or not we have no choice and you're obligatory to follow my rules and orders here."
After he let those words out, he headed towards the dining hall leaving her standing there repeating the things he'd said in her head all over and over again. As he turned around the corner he saw his brother leaning on the wall with his hands inside his pockets.
There were silence among them but they still understood each other.
"Onii-chan wasn't that a bit harsh for her?" Youichi asked dimly like a whisper.
Natsume didn't bother to reply instead he placed his hand above his brother's head and smiled at him warmly. Youichi understood him directly and they both proceeded downstairs, together with silence enveloping them….
You- chan POV
… Welcome to the family Mikan- chan…
End of POV
After seven days….
Natsume and his best friend Ruka arranged to meet at the Town. Today he'll need someone to talk to about his new problem. And every time he got a problem that was out of his control he talked it with him only.
It was snowing outside and everybody's having a hard time with the weather. But being a fire caster, he only wore a simple black sweater and gray pants, without even being affected by the cold.
Climbing out from his car, Natsume headed towards the café where Ruka will be waiting for him. He pushed the door and briskly went inside. He also heard a couple of females murmuring and giggling with each other as he passed them. There's one who even tittered excitedly because she thought that Natsume had eyed contact her.
"Good day my lord." Said a red haired lady among the group.
But unfortunately Natsume only ignored them… (Poor girls hehehe)
"Hey! Natsume! Over here!"
The Count turned towards the corner and saw his blonde friend waving at him happily. He went towards the table and sat across him. Ruka's wearing a very thick blue jacket.
"Hey, what's the face, my lord???...hmm…. Hahahaha you know the title doesn't suit you Natsume"
"Tsk. Quit it Ruka… I'm not in the mood to laugh right now." He said as he looked outside the window.
Ruka laughed warmly, attracting the ladies inside the café…. They've been friends for almost many years already, starting it in the Academy years, and he knew the things that have been bothering him. Natsume is a person who can solve his problems easily and independently and he's not the verbal type to let everybody know that he's concerned for them.
"It's been awhile that we've talked like this…. After the problem with Persona, I thought nothing's going to bother you anymore. When was that again? It's been 2 to 3 years? So why now? What's with your ward that made you like this?"
It's been a week already since the ward arrived to the mansion. And until that day, everything becomes a wreck. The place became noisy with her shouts and she often disturbs him when he has a meeting….
"She's a head ache Ruka. And she's the first person to disobey my orders. She's so naïve and stubborn…"
Ruka listened and nodded. "I see… but did you ever scolded her?"
Natsume sighed. "Many times Ruka, many times. But she just blurted out her tongue at me."
Ruka shook his head. "No what I mean is, did you ever scolded her that made her cry?"
Natsume think about the times he ever made her cry, but shook his head. "No I guess she was too much of a baka to cry."
The blonde smiled…. Hmmm…
"I even planned to get rid of her by finding some suitors. I badly wanted her to get out from my sight"
"WHAT?! You did that??? Hahahaha! So how did it go?"
Natsume raised his eyebrows irritably. "Stop laughing it's not funny."
"Sorry Natsume but I can't help it. I can't imagine you writing the suitors' names for your ward's love life. It's unlike the count I knew. Well? How did it go?"
"That baka won't cooperate with me! How should I get rid of her if she won't even do what I ordered?!"
Ruka blinked for a sec then burst to laugher again. This time his laugher can be heard through out the café. Some customers checked them out curiously but they only ended up reprimanded by Natsume.
"Okay Natsume…. If you want, I'll help you out. Don't worry alright."
"Hn." He crossed his arms across his chest.
They spent their afternoon there eating and talking. They filled in the informations that were left emptied about their lives that they hadn't managed to catch up because of their busy works.
"Tell me what happened about you and Imai."
Was that a question or an order?
Ruka went silent for a while and smiled. "She's fine. We're fine."
"Fine? That's all?"
"I… um… I proposed to her last week. Hehehe…"
"Really? Then what? Spill it out Ruka; are you going to keep on things in suspense???"
The blonde went silent for a moment. He was reminiscing the previous things that had happened deeply. As Natsume watched his face, he noticed that in his eyes there were tears that were about to fall but were only being held back. What had happened between them?
"Hey… if you'll cry there in front of me, you'd better quit it." He turned to the window just in time to hide his concerned face. "It doesn't suit you. You don't have to force yourself if you don't want to tell me."
Ruka looked at him and smiled again. He blinked the tears away and leaned back against his chair. "Well hmm… she you see… she actually answered yes. But-"
Natsume watched him in the corner of his eye. "But???"
"Um… I held back. Hey it's n- not what you think! I- I just figured out that she's still busy making her #118th invention and it'll just-"
"Imai knew when to stop if it's needed to. She's not a dim-witted person and she knows how to prioritize things more than her inventions especially when it concerns you. You know that!" he interrupted.
"Yes I know that!" Ruka sighed. "I just want that she'll be free with problems about her work before we make that important decision. Besides it doesn't mean that I'll stop waiting, I'll still be here for her whenever she needs me, even though she keeps on black mailing me. Hehehehe…."
Natsume sighed with relief. He knew they'll be alright.
"Hn. Whatever." He turned to the window again while crossing his arms. "Love's stupid in the first place." He muttered suddenly.
"What did you say Natsume? Love's stupid? Hehehe…"
"Shut up! I'll never be like you lover- boy…"
"Hahahaha! Never say never, my lord."