Café D'Amour
Chapter X: Whole New Faces
"The Crown Prince has disappeared." Mikan sighed loudly. If everyone knew, what a problem it would be! she thought.
Ruka heard her. "Are you alright, Mikan?—Oh, I mean—"
"It's okay Ruka-pyon." Mikan smiled at his attempt, "I've just got something on my mind."
"Well, um, if you need someone to listen, I'm right here, alright?" He gave her shoulder a pat and walked away to tend to some of their morning patrons.
"How can that stupid prince be so stupid?" She said beneath her breath, suddenly angry that someone she didn't know could ruin her fantasies so easily, "I mean, the whole country's counting on him to take on the role of heir and he just runs off! Does he not care about his country? his family? I bet they are worried sick! Why in the world is the heir so irresponsible?"
"J'espère que vous ne vous référez pas à moi." Natsume smirked as he came near her to calculate a bill's total, "Je suis très responsable, merci beaucoup."
"What?"
"He said, 'I hope you're not referring to me,' and, 'I'm very responsible, thank you very much.'" Ruka came over to join them while Natsume walked away to give their remaining customers their bill, business was slow that morning.
"You're so lucky Ruka, your mother is French and beautiful." She mumbled, disliking the fact that they are both fluent in French while she can barely speak English. "You guys make me look so bad."
You are just as beautiful, he thought to himself. "How about I give you French lessons," Ruka smiled kindly, "for free." He made an "O" with this hand.
Mikan gasped, liking the possibilities that opened up if she could speak such an elegant language, "Ruka-pyon, you're so kind!"
Natsume returned, hearing everything they had said and earned a hateful glance from Mikan when he said, "Don't bother, she's helpless." If anything, I would rather give her damn lessons, Natsume thought unhappily. "Elle ne comprend rien, Nogi."(She understands nothing) He also made an "O" with his hand—but it represented something completely different.
Ruka surprised Mikan by laughing heartily, "Appelez-moi Ruka, s'il vous plaît."(Call me Ruka, please) Ruka wasn't sure exactly why, but he felt like he and Natsume could understand each other.
"Vous pouvez aussi m'appeler Natsume.'"(You may also call me Natsume.)
"I don't like this conversation you guys are having." Mikan pouted, not liking the fact that they left her out. "I'm going to take you up on that offer, Ruka-pyon!"
His head swivelled her way, "For real?" He grinned at the prospect of spending more time with her."When do you want to start? At my place? How about your apartment? What do you know—"
"I'm coming, too," interrupted Natsume, "I need a good laugh now and then." What a stupid excuse, he told himself. He felt it in his gut that Ruka was someone he could trust but, none-the-less, he still felt uneasy at the thought of them being alone together.
"Don't be such a party-pooper!" Not sure how she would handle being with Natsume outside of work, she looked to Ruka with pleading eyes, "Ruka-pyon would mind, wouldn't you?"
"Well," he looked at Natsume, trying to place the reason they seemed to have this connection, "No, not at all. He could help, too, Mikan." Ruka smiled.
I have a bad feeling about this. Mikan sighed, admitting defeat, "Fine, fine. The café will close tomorrow since Narumi-sensei will be on one of his mysterious trips again. We can either meet here, at the café, where this dude,"—she pointed at Natsume—"currently lives, or we can go to Ruka-pyon's." My apartment is not fit for anyone but me, she thought grimly.
"Let's meet at the café at around 10AM." Ruka glanced at Mikan, "I'm sure that's enough sleep-in time for you." She giggled while Natsume wrinkled his brows in an effort to control his emotions.
Ding ding!
"Tomorrow morning it is, then! I'll get it!" Rushing to the host's podium, Mikan grabbed a menu and welcomed the pink-haired costumer, "Irashaiamasen."
"Mikan-chan!" The costumer embraced Mikan before she had time to think, "Where have you been all summer? And you didn't even return my call!"
"Anna-chan!" Surprised and giddy now, she returned the hug, "I've been working, as you can see, and I was planning to return your call today, honest!"
"Ooooh, votre uniforme est très adorable!" She looked her up and down, "J'aime le sentiment français qu'il donne!"
(Your uniform is very adorable!/I love the French feeling is gives!)
Mikan rolled her eyes dramatically, "Am I the only one in Japan who can't speak French?"
"Oops, sorry," Anna smiled apologetically, "It is required of my profession to be fluent in several languages. Bonjour, Ruka-kun!" She waved energetically, leaned towards Mikan, and whispered, "Who's that delicious man chatting with him?"
Mikan couldn't help smiling at Anna's uncomprehensible connection between boys and food. "Name's Natsume," this became routine for her—many girls were interested in the pervert. Why? She could not understand either—and she spoke it like a well-rehearsed speech, "Japanese parents, born in France, speaks French fluently."
"Wow, he must be a lady-killer, then. But Misaki-sensei will always be the apple of my eyes." Mikan nodded, confirming both her statements, "Well, anyway, cute uniform or not, go change." She had a spark of determination in her eyes, "We're going shopping."
"What?" Mikan gaped, not believing her ears, "But I'm still working Anna-chan!"
"Can't you see that you need a whole new wardrobe? I could say that it's more for your benefit...but that would be lying." She sent her a wicked smile, "I'm really doing myself a favour—you need to look better than average for senior year or else it might hurt my reputation to go anywhere with you." She teased.
Narumi-sensei yelled from the kitchens, "You go ahead, Mikan-chan!" How he had heard was a mystery to them all, "Today's a slow day anyway, have fun!"
Mikan looked at Anna and saw that she would not be able to get herself out of it no matter how hard she fought. "Thanks a bunch, Narumi-sensei! Okay, Anna-chan, you win." She jogged up the stairs to the employee's room.
"So," Anna walked towards the boys at the counter, "which one of you is interested in our Mikan-chan?"
They both stared at her, incredulous, Ruka was the first to speak, "Don't be ridiculous, Anna-san." Natsume simply stood, observing her.
She grinned as Mikan came down the stairs, "That was fast, Mikan-chan!"
"I admit I'm a little excited now." Ruka waved while Natsume stayed silent, "Bye guys! Anna-chan, let's go!" She ran through the entrance.
"By the way, I find it interesting that neither of you denied it." She smiled a knowing one and followed Mikan out.
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"Mooooom!" She drawled it out, seemingly trying to get on her nerves, "That's not how love works!"
"Oh, I'll tell you how it works, honey,"—she stabbed a finger at her chest, emphasizing her point—"if I didn't know what it was then you wouldn't be standing here right this moment!"
"Ugh!" She threw up her hands, tired of listening to the same thing repeatedly, "Yes, yes—you found Dad, and married him at by the age of twenty. And here I am, almost reaching twenty-two—blah, blah-blah, blah-blah!" Resisting the urge to roll her eyes towards the ceiling, which was her mother's biggest pet peeve, she continued, "Will you feel better if I brought in just about any guy, then?"
"Well, be wise about your choices, of course." She wiped her hands on her apron and resumed stirring the steaming pot of soup in front of her, "Then I could judge him to see if he's worthy enough." In her pot, one of the vegetables floated to the top. It closely resembled a star. "What of Tsubasa? He's all grown up and has always been such a nice boy." She smiled, remembering all the moments he and her little Misaki played together.
She wriggled her nose in disapproval, an automatic response whenever her mother brought up Tsubasa as if he was a potential husband, "Tsubasa and I have been friends since like…ever! It is just wrong...Not right! A crime maybe!"
"Now, now, dear, keep an open mind." She scooped the star-shaped vegetable and fed it to her daughter to taste, "You wouldn't want to miss the one thing you've been searching for your whole life, would you?"
Misaki ate it obediently, gulped, and then sighed audibly, "I understand…but when it happens, it happens, okay? If it'll make you happier, I'll just give my number out more often." She kissed her chuckling mother's cheek before she turned to leave the kitchen. "Oh, and Mom? Your soup tastes amazing." Her mother smiled, appreciating the compliment as Misaki left.
Taking a sip of the steaming broth herself, she spoke lightly to herself, "You wouldn't want to miss the one thing especially when he's right in front of you, sweetheart."
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The brightly shining sun was proudly standing high up in the cloudless, clear, blue sky.
"Anna-chan!" A bead of sweat formed and slipped down, near her ear. "Although it's windy, it's still impossibly hot, so stop walking so fast! My body heat will keep rising in temperature and then I'll die from a heat-stroke!" Not to mention all this weight I am carrying around from one end of Central Town to the other! she thought helplessly. Her excitement had waned after their visit to the second store.
"Oh, quit whining!" Spotting another boutique, Anna rushed in. Her companion sighed with relief as the air conditioning hit her from above, "The reason why you were so quickly turned-down during your last audition was probably because of your terrible fashion sense!" Anna first picked up a basket, then a palm-sized, heart-shaped bottle of perfume on the nearest shelf, "Give me your wrist."
She did as was told. "Come on, my style isn't that bad. If it fits, then it works—who cares about fashion!" Anna sprayed a little and brought Mikan's wrist closer to her nose for a whiff. Liking it, she put the sample back and grabbed one of the newer ones behind it. Mikan, who never really had a say during the entire shopping trip, brought her wrist too close and inhaled deeply. She coughed at the strong fragrance and then cringed; glaring at her wrist like it was the ultimate enemy.
"Mikan, Mikan, Mikan." Her eyes were moving so quickly, comparing and combining pieces of clothing in her head like a calculator that crunches numbers, "That is the reason why your clothes look like they belong in the nineties,"—she glanced back at Mikan for a fraction of a second and swiftly continued her search—"make that the seventies." Anna already had five outfits in her waiting arms—and counting.
"Really?" Mikan looked down, feeling unsure of herself for the first time, "I didn't pass the audition because of the way I dress?"
Leading the way to the dressing room area, she thumped down on one of the couches. "Positive. Now put those bags down." She ordered and then hefted the load onto Mikan. "Try these on, Hun."
Obediently, Mikan entered the small room. From inside, she spoke to Anna, "Anna-chan, we've already been to five stores and, on average, you've picked out about six outfits from each store. I'm not sure if my budget can handle this. I mean, I'm like, working so little—just the café right now, actually. That audition didn't go so well either, so—"
"It's all on me."
"—that means I won't be gaining anything from that, and…" Mikan's voice faltered, then she squeaked two syllables: "Pardon?"
"I said that this is all a gift from me, alright?" Anna, who is already a respected chief at one of the most famous and luxurious five-star hotel named 'Bonheur,' would not have a problem with giving someone such a grand gift. She reached for a magazine on the table next to her and flipped through it, "Mikan-chan, just accept it, please. It's the least I can do."
"But…Anna-chan…all this…" Touched, Mikan thought she was ready to cry.
"Mikan-chan, aren't you in at least one outfit yet?" Anna stared at a model sporting an attractive, orange off-the-shoulder dress that fit snugly and fell, slanted and frilly, down the girl's long legs, stopping just beneath the knees. Making a mental note of its style and colour, she called out to Mikan, "Hurry up a little, I hardly get day-offs and we've still got a whole day ahead of us. Honestly—" Mikan opened the door wearing a striped green and white turtleneck sweater, a mid-thigh length plaid skirt, and decorative, knee-high socks. "Looks awesome. We'll take it. Next."
They ended up purchasing all eight outfits that Anna had put together, and Mikan, once again marvelled at her skill and good-eye for matching items. As they stepped out into the heat of the day, Mikan fumbled with all the bags on her arms and grabbed Anna's now ice-cold hands in her own, "Anna-chan, I don't know how to thank you."
"Just make sure you're presentable for the rest of your days, please." She smiled, clearly enjoying their time together. "And if you're good, I'll make you some cheesecake tonight."
"Cheesecake! Really?" She nodded. Mikan would've jumped with excitement if it weren't for the shopping bags weighing her down, "With mandarin oranges in 'em?"
The widely-known creative chief grinned at her, "Absolutely." Suddenly, Anna reversed Mikan's hold on her hands and began to drag her to the next store that caught her eye, "Come on, Mikan-chan, we still have a lot of work to do!" Mikan felt elated, glad to have someone who cared so much about her, "And I haven't even taught you the basics of make-up, yet!"
Mikan gave a dry remark, as befitted the situation, "Oh, well, we can't have that now, can we?" She heard a tune, faintly, "Anna-chan, your phone's a-ringing."
Anna dug into her purse, pulled out one of the latest cell phone models, and looked at it. "It's for you."
Confused, Mikan took it from her as Anna lifted some shopping bags off her, and pressed the 'accept' button, "Hello?"
"Mikan-chan, help!"
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"So let me get this straight." She looked her in the eye, unbelieving, "This guy here is the best you can do?"
Mikan glanced his way and nodded, unsure how to respond, "Uh huh."
"Oi." He was clearly annoyed as they were talking about him as though he was not there or was not listening. He whispered quietly enough for Mikan's ears only, "Why the hell did you bring me here, Polka?"
"I'll make it up to you later!" She promised in a fierce whisper.
Reading his expressions correctly, Misaki answered his indirectly asked question, "You're going to be my boyfriend for an hour."
"Quoi?" (What?)
"Holy guacamole!" she stared at him, then at Mikan, unbelieving. "Mikan, at least find one who can speak Japanese!"
"I spoke Japanese before I spoke French, oh-clever-one."
"You mean he's not good enough?" Mikan asked, surprised. Most girls thought Natsume was irresistible...not that she agreed at all.
"Heck no!"
Clearly a little offended, he rebutted even though he thought this whole conversation was outrageous, "Why the hell not?"
"Simple. He's not good-looking enough." This earned a giggle from Mikan.
"Excusez-moi?" His eyebrows knit closely together, doubting what he just heard her say. He knew he was not the perfect looking man in the world, but as arrogant as he was, he knew in his heart that he leaned toward the good-looking side of the appearance scale.
"Well, you don't look bad enough!"
"Huh?" blurted Mikan. "Aren't you contradicting yourself?"
"Am not." She picked up a marker on the nearby coffee table and moved closer to Natsume, "You see, to give off an attractive aura, you have to look like a bad boy...like this..." His body automatically shifted in the opposite direction than the girl who was advancing on him and unfortunately, she caught his chin in her iron-strong grip, "Oh, stop fidgeting!"
"Oh my," After seeing the shape of the drawing, it dawned on Mikan that Misaki had someone else on her mind. "Misaki-senpai...I think..."
"And...Voilà! Oh!" She giggled, surprised at herself, "There's a bit of French for 'ya." She had drawn a star at the outer corner of Natsume's left eye. "Ir-ri-sis-ta-ble! Hm. I quite like it. What do you think?" She passed him a mini mirror.
Mikan nearly gasped, "Eto…Misaki-senpai…"
"You just ruined my face, you crazy lady." Apparently, he was unhappy about the new look.
"It's not my fault you were born with a face that needed improvements."
"Misaki-senpai," Anna spoke out for the first time since their arrival at Misaki's home, "Look at what you've drawn carefully, please."
She looked and looked...and then squinted when she did not see the point. "I know I drew a star—like a dangerous boy!" She grinned.
"That's Tsubasa-senpai's star..." Mikan just had to say it.
"Oh." She stared and continued to stare until she made Natsume uncomfortable. "Oh!" She gasped as her hand flew to her lips.
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"That was a lot of fun!" Mikan skipped lightly on their walk back to the café for the evening shift, "Who would've thought that Misaki-senpai always had eyes for Tsubasa-senpai?"
"I find it very romantic as well." Anna smiled, thinking it a pleasant turn of events. She glanced at her wristwatch, "I think I'd best be on my way, Mikan-chan, I need to help out with the dinner menu. Do not forget to take care of all the nice things I bought for you today and to take care! Au revoir!" She gave her a quick hug, a nod in Natsume's direction, and was on her way to her own kitchen.
Natsume changed the mood of the conversation as he slowed his pace to walk next to her, "I find it a huge annoyance that I was dragged to an unknown place, insulted, and then dragged out without understanding anything that really went on.
"Aw, sorry Pervert!" She gave him her apologetic smile, "I couldn't bring Ruka because Misaki-senpai's mom already knows him."
"That doesn't tell me anything.
"It's a good thing Narumi-sensei let me take you too! Well, here's what happened..." she proceeded to explain Misaki's difficult position as the only child of a set of very loving parents, how he was the only one she could think of who could help Misaki besides Ruka, and how she had somehow unexpectedly fallen for her best friend.
Listening to her, only one question arose and he cut her off, "Why did you think of me second?"
"So in the end, she—huh?" Completely off-guard, she thought for a quick second and spoke honestly, "I don't really know. I guess it's 'cause Ruka-pyon's been there for me since...forever, so it's just natural for me to think of him first. I assume you're second because—"
"That's enough." He sped up, not wanting to speak more of it. The sudden, growing anger was both startling and humiliating. He will not tolerate any level of unreasonable jealousy, he told himself.
But then again, jealousy was not reasonable on any level to begin with.
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Author's Note: I trust that you are all were, or still are, good French students currently or back in your days that you know words like 'Bonjour' and 'Excusez-moi' by now...
But just in case, it means "hello" and "excuse me" :)
I also borrowed the name "Bonheur" from a manga called Shiawase Kissa Sanchoume. Really cute and an uplifting read!
Red Strings Of Fate