Gakuen Alice: The Remake: Chapter 7
...xXx...
"Whoa… That's unbelievable."
"The new girl was just like Hotaru, a double when she joined us."
"I'm happy for you, Mikan," Yuu said with a smile.
Mikan smiled back. "Thank you, Yuu."
After witnessing the whole thing, Natsume stood up and left the classroom.
Before Ruka could follow him, he spoke, "You don't have to follow me, Ruka. I'm fine."
Ruka did what he wanted and left him alone.
Mikan secretly watched him leave the classroom. Not long after that, she excused herself to meet Jinno-sensei at the Faculty Room.
...xXx...
Narumi-sensei smiled as he saw Mikan. "Mikan-chan! I have heard from Jinno-sensei that he had decided your star level. Congratulations!"
Mikan thanked him before looking around the faculty room but found that Jinno-sensei was not around. "I'm looking for Jinno-sensei, Narumi-sensei."
"Ah, I know. This is the list of references he left for you," he said as he pulled out a piece of paper.
Mikan took it and read the content. She nodded in approval. "Thank you, Narumi-sensei."
Narumi-sensei smiled. "You're welcome, Mikan-chan. Good luck with your studies and before I forget, please ask Iinchou to guide you to the dormitory. A room has been prepared for you since your star level has already been decided."
After telling Narumi-sensei that she understood, she left the faculty room. Closing the door behind her, she leaned against it for a while and sighed. She put the paper on her pocket before exploring the school alone.
...xXx...
Looking at the nurse that was in the reception, Mikan called, "Excuse me."
The nurse looked up and smiled. "Ah, you're the new girl. Mikan Sakura, right?"
Mikan sweat dropped. She didn't mind being popular around the school… but at the hospital? She was sure that she didn't like the idea.
"Yes, it's me." Mikan smiled back.
The nurse looked at her, questioningly. "Do you need something, Sakura-san?"
Mikan pondered for a while before asking, "Nurse-san, do you know who brought me here yesterday? I hope you could tell me."
The nurses giggled like a high school girl. "Yes. Of course I know, but I can't tell you who he is."
Mikan narrowed her eyes. "May I know why?"
The nurse looked at her apologetically. "That person has threatened us not to tell you."
She had a good guess as to who would threaten someone with his death glare. Looking back at the nurse, she asked, "Was it Natsume?"
The nurse gasped, and Mikan nodded. "I will take that as a 'yes'."
Before the nurse started panicking, Mikan assured her, "Don't worry, I won't tell him."
The nurse sighed in relief. "Thank you. Do you need something else, Sakura-san?"
Mikan tapped her chin. "I'd like to have a first-aid kit. Would you mind giving me one?"
Smiling, the nurse shook her head. "No, I don't mind. Please wait here for a while, Sakura-san."
Mikan nodded and waited for the nurse. After getting the first aid kit, Mikan thanked the nurse and walked out of the hospital. She sighed. She didn't know where she could find Natsume. Yeah, right. She had purposely gone to the hospital so that she could get the information of who brought her to the hospital yesterday, and it was him. She didn't know what she should feel at the moment. She was angry but happy that he had come and brought her to the hospital.
"Arrogant jerk," she muttered to herself and smiled inwardly, I guess I can forgive him now.
...xXx...
Natsume closed his eyes to endure the pain he was getting from the mask. Right after he brought Mikan to the hospital, he was caught by Persona. He was punished severely for trying to run away from the school. Leaning against the tree, he tried to calm down. He was lucky that he only needed to wear the mask for another hour. He snapped his eyes open when he heard footsteps. He was surprised to find that it was Mikan and she was carrying a first-aid kit. He pretended to be asleep and stayed still. She crouched down and studied his form. Sighing, she took a seat beside his injured knee. Opening the first-aid kit, she took out the necessary things to clean up his wounds. He tried not to flinch when she started cleaning his wounds. Suddenly, she stopped.
"I'm sorry. You will have to bear it for a while," she said while looking at him.
He was unsure whether she knew he was awake or not. She continued tending his wounds. After that, she proceeded to his hand and did the same process again. Lastly, she looked at the one that was on his neck. She didn't know how to tend that one since his head was bent down. She moved closer to him.
"Let me. This will be the last," she said softly.
He sighed inwardly and let her access his neck.
After a few minutes, she sighed in relief. "You'll be fine now."
A soft click was heard as she closed the first-aid kit. "I don't know how you got those marks, and I won't ask you to tell me if you don't want to."
She got on her knees. "I do this not because I want your attention, Hyuuga-san. I'm just doing this as your partner."
It surprised her to hear that her voice sounded so calm. Mentally, she snorted, As his partner, huh?
Before she could stand up and leave, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her down, which made her sit on his lap. She was shocked, and the next thing she knew was that he was hugging her. She was speechless, but, after a few moments, she smiled.
"Is this how you ask for forgiveness?" she asked.
He replied by tightening his hold.
She took it as a "yes" and hugged him back to assure him that she forgave him.
After a moment, they broke the hug. Before getting up, she touched his injured neck and whispered, "Get well soon, Natsume…"
...xXx...
Mikan combed her long hair. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. After meeting with Natsume, she was guided to the dormitory and met with Auntie Takahashi. Something unbelievable yet undeniable true was the dinner that they got was also based on their star level. She was glad that she was a double.
Then, suddenly, she heard something. She walked out of her room and saw two kids crying and looking for their mother. As she could see, Auntie Takahashi was trying to calm them. She approached them and immediately crouched down. She wiped the little girl's and little boy's tears.
"Please don't cry…" she gently hushed them then asked the little girl, "What's your name?"
The little girl hiccupped. "Eri."
Mikan turned to look at the little boy, and he told her with sad voice, "Kira."
Mikan smiled. "Nice to meet you, Eri-chan and Kira-kun."
"If it's OK with you both, Onee-san will stay with you until you fall asleep," Mikan said with a warm smile, and finally they stopped crying. Mikan stayed with them both and read a story for them before they went to sleep. Auntie Takahashi smiled at Mikan gratefully. She smiled back and said good night to her before going back to her own room.
...xXx...
During Jinno-sensei's class, no one made a noise, especially Sumire since he had marked her as a troublemaker. Sumire cried mentally as she really regretted messing around with the new girl a.k.a. Mikan Sakura.
Mikan was half listening to Jinno-sensei, and every once in a while she would steal glances at Natsume. She was glad that he was fine now, but deep down her heart, she was still sad. Natsume still acted like she was nothing to him. She sighed mentally. She really couldn't understand him at all. What he was thinking? She would have to find some time to talk to him, she decided. After the homeroom was over, she immediately approached Jinno-sensei to thank him again and asked him a few questions about the lesson.
As the class watched the teacher and the student, they came to one conclusion: Mikan Sakura had become Jinno-sensei's favourite student.
After Jinno-sensei left the room, Mikan walked back to her seat and gathered her books.
"I'm glad you're fine now," Mikan whispered before leaving the classroom.
Natsume smiled mentally. He was sure that her words referred to no one but him. He was happy that she thought a lot about him.
