"Leave her alone Luna. I will never forgive you if you hurt my best friend" Hotaru threatened as she glared at Luna and te gang
"Who is she? Best friend? I don't get it!" Koko said
"It's seems like the school's Ice Queen has a best friend, this is interesting" said Natsume as he keeps an eye to Mikan
"I have a feeling that this year will be interesting" Ruka said
"Maybe she can be my girlfriend" Tsubasa said dreamily
"Hotaru san! What are you saying? you are super rich! You shouldn't befriend poor people like her. You can be my friend you know!" Luna pleaded
"But she is my friend and that is final!" Hotaru replied
"FRIEND? Don't make fun of us! You don't even talk to anyone here in our class. How can you have a commoner best friend if you isolated yourself even on elites!" Shouted surprising by Ruka
"I don't care if you don't believe me, as long as I know that I'm telling the truth" Hotaru answered Ruka which made him frozen on the spot
"WHAT! The Ice Queen really has a friend?" shouted by the whole class
"I can't believe it!" said by a girl
"Me too, she is one of the most respected student in our class. She is also rich too, how come that she has a commoner friend?" added by another girl
"Maybe that Sakura girl befriend her so that she can have her money" said by a boy
And the whole class started talking about the two. It easily spread around the academy and everyone cannot believe that the Ice Queen really has a friend.
Many student speak ill about Mikan because they thought that Mikan is only after Hotaru's money but some people are saying some nice words about her
"I'm so glad that Hotaru has a best friend!" said Anna
"Yeah me too! Maybe she can be the way so that Hotaru will be able to open to us" said Misaki
"We can gain more friends again Anna, Misaki!" Nonoko shouted cheerfully
~At the Rooftop~
"Long time no see Mikan Sakura or should I say Yukihara?" Hotaru provoke Mikan
"Don't say such thing! Someone may hear you" Mikan warned Hotaru
"Why are you here? I don't heard that the heiress of Imai family is studying here" Mikan ask Hotaru
"I should be the one asking that to you! I don't know that you will come here. It's been years Mikan" Hotaru shouted and after that, she warmly smile at Mikan and her warm smile turns into a sorrowful smile.
She said "You grown up, you also change. What happened to you?" she asked Mikan looking worried.
Mikan told her story after she was kicked out of the mansion. How she stole and fought just to get food, how she begged for food and no one even gave her a piece of bread. And how she become Sakura.
"I don't know that you have experience such hardships. I'm sorry Mikan" Hotaru said as water falls from her eyes.
"Why are you crying Hotaru? Don't worry I'm fine now!" Mikan told her
"You Idiot, don't tell me you forgot? When we were young, I swear to protect you yet I failed" Hotaru sobbed
"Don't worry, its fine now" Mikan reassured hr
"Why are you here?" Hotaru asked Mikan
"I'm going to take back what is supposed to be mine" Mikan told her
"Then its my turn to protect you" said Hotaru
"What do you mean Hotaru?" Mikan asked
"This path is dangerous if you have no back up. You have to gain more friends so that many people will support you. That is the law of this world, this is why this academy is established to have a great relation to other powerful family."
Hotaru told Mikan what does she need and how much power does she need.
"Then please help me gain friends" Mikan requested
"No, I don't have friends here" Hotaru told Mikan
"How come the heiress of Imai has no friends?" Mikan asked
"I find them annoying. You have to gain friends on your own and be careful, you have to learn how to read other people so that you will know who is your enemy or who is your friend" said Hotaru
"Yeah! I know how to read peoples mind. I'm used to it" Mikan told Hotaru with a small sad face on her eyes
"Let's go back to the class. It's already time" Said Mikan
They are walking in silent when Hotaru was called at the Head Masters office to make a report about some business.
"So in the end, I walk alone to the class" she sigh and walk again to the class. When she entered the class, everyone was already around her.
"How dare you befriend Hotaru sama!" shouted by a girl
"I know why you befriend her, so that you can have her money right?" said by another girl
"You should go back to you world, you don't belong here" said by another ugly girl
"Stop!" shouted by a girl called Luna. She walks toward her and pulled her hair that makes Mikan shout
"ouch! Stop it!" Mikan shouted
"Don't ever go near Hotaru san because she is suppose to be friend with us" Luna threatened"
"Poor little girl, she will experience triple hell" said Ruka as he sigh and they suddenly heard Mikan talk back at Luna
"Hotaru don't like you because you are so ugly Luna" said Kana coldly
"What did you say, do you really want to get beaten?" Luna threatened and Mikan suddenly whispered something to Luna that makes her frightened.
"That's not true!" Luna defended herself as tears falls from her eyes.
"Why are you crying Luna Yu…ki…ha…ra sama? Mikan asked in a provoking way
"I will never forgive you!" Luna shouted as she run away from the class and bumped on Hotaru
"What happened to her Mikan?" ask Hotaru with a hint of interest
"She dare threatened me so I also threatened her" Mikan said
"You shouldn't do that, you are revealing the truth!" shouted Hotaru
"I'm just stating the fact and don't worry I don't have any intentions now" Mikan reassured her
The class now is filled with questions around Mikan. Everyone saw her as a mysterious person now and not dirty little trash.
"Who is that Mikan? This is the first time that Luna looks terrified and she even cry!" said Koko
"Yeah, Luna never cries nor feel scared. This is indeed very first time and she cried to a commoner!" said Tsubasa
"We have to make an investigation" Natsume said in front of his group and and all agree..
"That Mikan girl is really interesting, this year will be fun" Natsume thought as smirk appears on his face.
Next day
Mikan got to school early as she expected, she is the first to enter the class. She proceed to her assigned seat and wait until the class start. Unexpectedly, someone entered the class without her noticing
"That's my seat little girl, get lost" the boy threatened
"excuse me but this is the seat that sensei assigned to me" Mikan retorted
"I don't care and get lost because you will never grab my attention" the boy said
"How dare you! I won't drool in front of you and I will NEVER take a liking on you" Mikan shouted
"I don't believe you, sooner or later you will fall for me because you're like all the girls here." The boy said with a little amusement.
"I will never fall for someone as arrogant as you" said Mikan
"No you will fall for me because you girls are an idiot" said Natsume
"Who's an idiot? I can beat you in the exam" Mikan said. "I really hate it if I am called an idiot"
"Then let's make a bet. If I can beat you in the exam, you will be my slave for 3 months" Natsume said and Mikan added "But if I can beat you in the exam, you will be my slave for 3 whole month"
"I'm Natsume Hyuga, the heir of Hyuga Corp." the boy said who's name is Natsume
"I'm Mikan Sakura, nice meeting you Natsume" Mikan greeted while she rolled her eyes.
It makes Natsume more amuse because this is the first time a girl never fall from him despite the fact of his looks and money.
"You can share my seat since it's a bet, so I may know if you are cheating or not" Natsume said
"I never cheat, maybe you are the one cheating. You're just saying it so that I will not blame you!" Mikan said as she eyed Natsume from head to toe
"You cheater!"
"You are the cheater"
"No I don't cheat" said Mikan
"Yes you are!" said Natsume
"No I'm not!"
"Yes you are!"
"No I'm not!"
And their argument began not noticing that many people begun entering the class wondering how on earth Natsume loses his temper on such a girl.
"Mikan what's happening?" Hotaru asked entering on the argument of the two
"That bastard, he wont let me sit on my assigned seat" Mikan said angrily and Hotaru smash her head with her hand
"Ouch! Whats that for?" Mikan asked
"That's not your assigned seat Idiot, you sit beside me" Mikan said
The whole class laughed including Luna and her gang, Yuu, Koko, Tsubasa, Ruka and also NATSUME?
"I thought you are super genius but now, I think I'm wrong" Koko shouted while laughing
This scene makes Mikan look embarrassed to the point that are going to cry then suddenly, Ruka patted her head and said
"That's okay, everyone had an embarrassing moments. It just happen to be that it's your turn" Ruka comforted
"I'm so relieved that someone in this class can understand me" Mikan smiled
"No problem, I just want to be friends with you" said Ruka
It amused Hotaru because she notice a pair of crimson eyes look at the two with a jealous feeling
"Let's go to your assigned seat Mikan" said Hotaru and makes the class laughed more but it was easily interrupt when Natsume hold Mikan's hand
"Hey what's going on, Natsume sama stop that Mikan and hold her hand!" this make the girls go crazy
"Natsume, why are you stopping Mikan to proceed to her own seat?" Hotaru ask coldly
"She will sit beside me" Natsume said furiously that makes everyone shocked.
"Natsume what's going on?" Tsubasa asked
"We have a bet, if she loses to me in the exam she will be my slave and if I loses to her, I will be her slave" Natsume stated about the bet.
"Then why are you letting her to sit on your special seat?" Ruka asked out of the blue
"of course! To know if she is cheating or not" Natsume answered
"But is that only the reason Natsume?" Hotaru asked
"I have no more reason to that" said Natsume
But Hotaru and Ruka know that there is a deeper reason why Natsume wanted Mikan to sit beside him. Hotaru looked at Ruka and is telling something.
"We have to talk Ruka" said Hotaru