Himeno: Mikan-chan, I was browsing through the web and found out that you were nominated for the Sailoli Contest 2008 and you even won against Chihiro from Spirited away in Group D. The Sailoli contest is an official contest. Mikan also got nominated for the SaiMoe contest 2005.
Mikan: But I didn't actually win the award. Still, I'm happy that I was nominated. It was a tough competition.
Himeno: There were a lot of Loli characters there. And you were the only Gakuen Alice Character to be ever nominated there. Even though you didn't win, it was still an honor to be nominated. A lot of people love you, Mikan-chan, including me.
Mikan: (Blushes) Arigato, Himeno-chan.
Himeno: The Sailoli Contest wasn't the only thing I've found interesting. In the Animage Annual Anime Grand Prix 2005, Mikan-chan got the 45th place in the favorite female category. And guess what? She's the only Gakuen Alice Character in the polls. Plus, in an official Japanese poll featured in Pahu Magazine, Mikan also got the 16th place for Best Female Characters in Manga. No other character was nominated, not even the male characters from Gakuen Alice.
Mikan: Umm…Himeno-chan…you don't have to tell the readers that…
Himeno: I just feel like saying this because I'm so happy for you, Mikan-chan.
Aoi: Congratulations, Mikan-chan! You're great!
Mikan: Aoi-chan…hehe…Arigato…
Himeno: I've received so many good reviews in the previous chapter. Everyone liked the Natsume and Mikan moment! I even liked it myself!
Mikan: I was kinda embarrassed by the kiss.
Himeno: But it was sweet, right? I know you loved the kiss!
Mikan: Well… (Blushes) I guess so… Why does Natsume like kissing me?
Himeno: Eh? I thought you would know it by now.
Mikan: Is it because he's a pervert?
Himeno: Mikan-chan, let's just say that Hyuuga likes kissing you because you're kissable.
Mikan: Huh? What's that supposed to mean?
Tsubasa: Himeno, please don't confuse my little kouhai further. I'm slightly disturbed that you made them kissed in the last chapter.
Himeno: Gomen, Tsubasa-senpai. Please don't get mad at me. I was just doing it for the fans.
Tsubasa: Well, those two are getting closer.
Mikan: Natsume and I are still friends. I'm glad we made up.
Tsubasa: Okay, you have Natsume… But there's another one.
Mikan: What?
Tsubasa: Love triangle, anyone?
Himeno: (Giggles) Please go on and read, minna-san. I don't own anything except the plot.
Natsume the Jerk
Episode 20: Love, Possession, Jealousy
"It's Mikan Sakura!" fan boys uttered at the sight of their favorite brunette idol as she stepped out of the limousine. "We've missed you, Sakura-san!" They truly did. Her days in the hospital were like decades for them. They wanted to see her loving smile, her pretty face, and her silky hair all in all. It was wonderful to have her back in school, looking so well.
"Welcome back, Sakura-san!" some girls screamed back, waving their hands at her.
"Mikan-chan, we're glad you're all right!" Boys exclaimed.
Mikan past by them, waving her hand, giving off smiles and greetings, and receiving flowers and gifts along the way. She was relieved to reach her locker so she could stuff all of the gifts inside. It was a handful. Three fan boys followed her up to there, asking for her autograph. She was gladly going to sign them when Natsume appeared and scared them off with a simple glare. Mikan pouted and looked up at his with a scowl. "Why did you do that?" she asked.
"They were annoying," Natsume said, getting his book out of the locker. "And I don't want any of them getting near you. They're nothing but a bunch of idiots." He shut the locker close and put the book inside his school bag.
Sighing, Mikan pushed her locker closed with extra effort, because the gifts made her locker crowded. "You're so mean. They're not idiots, Natsume. They're just being friendly with me." She was so used to getting attention from the fans and it didn't bother her if they were stalking her or asking for her autograph all the time. "Don't tell me you're going to scare off some girl fans of mine too?"
"Girl fans are fine," Natsume said with a shrug. "I just don't want boys."
Mikan shook her head in dismay. "Why not boys? I don't get you, Natsume." She picked up her school bag and looked at him.
The girl was really dense, Natsume thought. He was only driving the boys away due to his jealousy. He hated it when boys get too close to Mikan. Heck, it even bothered him to let her senior, who has been close to her for a very long time, to embrace her.
Inside the classroom was the same as outside. Mikan's classmates swarmed around her, welcoming her back with smiles and gifts. She never failed to maintain her trademark smile as she received the gifts one by one. Majority of the gifts were love letters from her fan boys. Natsume was so fed up with the fans, so he dragged her to her seat and threatened his classmates to back off. They really didn't want to face Natsume, especially when he was in a bad mood. Though most of them hated his guts, they still feared him.
"I thought it would never end," Mikan said with a sigh of relief. She placed down her gifts under her table and sat her school bag on the desk. "Natsume, you know, you act like you're my bodyguard—a very protective one to boot." She giggled as she turned to him.
Natsume abruptly sat down and shrugged. "You should learn to drive your fans away," he grumbled, pulling out his manga.
"Hey, fans are really important to me," Mikan said.
"Whatever…" Natsume replied nonchalantly as he started reading his manga. He thought he could have some peace and quiet from the fans, but he was wrong.
"Mikan-chan!!" two familiar voices uttered the brunette's name in excitement, and Natsume's brows twitched. He looked up from his manga and saw a pink-haired girl and blue-haired girl walking up to Mikan. Well, he didn't need to fret, since the two girls were good friends of the brunette. He shifted his eyes back at his manga and continued reading.
"Good to have you back, Mikan-chan," Anna Umenomiya said.
"So, how's your injury?" Nonoko Ogasawara asked. "Is it all better?"
Mikan nodded her head. "Yup!" she replied. "I can even go back to work. You know, we're almost done with Sakura Kiss."
Anna's blue eyes sparkled with delight. "Really? Care to give us some spoilers? I definitely love Sakura Kiss. It's one of the best romantic comedy drama ever."
Nonoko took Mikan's hand and shook it gently. "Oh, please, Mikan-chan…" she said. She was also into Sakura Kiss and she especially loved Mikan's character. "One little spoiler would do."
Mikan wasn't supposed to talk to the fans about the episodes, but she found it hard to resist Anna and Nonoko. "Okay, I'll tell you a bit," she said. "But promise me you won't tell it to anyone else, got it?" Anna and Nonoko swore that they would keep the spoilers a secret, and Mikan knew she could trust them. The two were really sweet girls.
In the midst of whispering, Yuu Tobita walked up to the girls and greeted them, "Good morning."
"Good morning, Iinchou," Mikan greeted back. She then remembered something and rummaged her back for the notes. "Iinchou, I want to thank you for lending me your notes. They were really helpful." She took out the notes and gave it to the blonde boy.
"You're very welcome, Mikan-chan," Yuu said. "Don't hesitate to ask for my help anytime, okay? As class representative, it's my duty to help my fellow classmates, especially in their studies. I trust that you're not left behind now."
True, she wasn't left behind with the lectures because of his notes. "Yeah, all thanks to you!" The new lessons in math were rather difficult to understand, but she had help from her manager and Natsume, though she had to force him to tutor her all night. "And you're notes are much easier to understand than the teacher's. You also have great penmanship."
Yuu slightly blushed as he chuckled. "Arigato, Mikan-chan…"
Minutes later, after Yuu, Nonoko, and Anna went back to their seats, Ruka Nogi arrived. Fan girls gawked at him and greeted him with a flirty smile. Ruka tried his best not to mind them as he went to his seat. However, he noticed that one fan girl wasn't smiling at him at all. It was none other than Sumire. He still remembered her words back at the cafeteria and how hurt she looked. Somehow he felt sorry for her, but he can't bring himself to like her. Just then, he saw Mikan and his lips curved into a smile in an instant. She was back in school again. Now class won't be boring for him anymore.
"Good morning, Ruka-pyon!" she said.
"O-ohayou…Sakura…" Ruka stuttered, his cheeks going red, as he sat down on his seat. "Um…Ohayou, Natsume." He heard from Mikan that Natsume was very close to changing back to his former and colder self. His best friend almost succumbed to the darkness again. Ruka didn't want the old Natsume back, the Natsume who didn't even treat him as a friend. He was happy to know that Mikan helped him by talking things with him. Ruka had considered Mikan to be the light for Natsume.
Natsume gave a quick nod in acknowledgement, pretending not to notice Ruka's blushing face. He knew that Ruka was blushing because of Mikan. Ruka wasn't his just his best friend anymore, he was a love rival.
The next class was Arts. Mikan and her classmates, except for Natsume because he got office called by the principal, were all in the Art Room with sketchpads in their hands. When the teacher instructed them to find a partner, all boys crowded around Mikan and asked her out. The teacher merely shook her head at the behavior of the boys. She looked over to the other side of the room and saw a lot of girls asking Ruka to be their partner. Grabbing her sketchpad, she slammed it hard on the table and got everyone's attention.
"I'll decide Sakura-san's and Nogi-san's partners," the teacher said, holding up a warning finger and glared at the students who were about to protest. "So there won't be any problems, I want the both of them to be partners for this little work. And I don't want to hear any complaints, understood?" She said in her strict tone, and the students just muttered an exasperated 'Yes… '
Ruka considered himself lucky to have Mikan as a partner. Although he felt nervous about sketching her, it was his chance to look at her more closely. "Let's do our best to draw each other, Sakura," he said, smiling handsomely at the brunette.
Mikan looked a little uneasy. "Um…Ruka-pyon, I'm not so confident about my drawing skills, but I'll do my best. I just hope you won't get offended by my drawing." She fiddled with her fingers as she held the sketchpad.
"Don't worry," Ruka assured her. "I'm sure you'll do a great drawing. You're a girl with many talents, I believe."
Mikan smiled cheerfully. "Thank you, Ruka-pyon!" she said. "Now, let's get started."
And so, the students started sketching their partners. Some did it with ease and poise, others weren't even serious and just fooled around, and those who cared were seriously working. Mikan was having a hard time getting the face right, but she was enjoying the work nevertheless. On the other hand, Ruka was doing well with his work. At the end of the period, students were required to place their work, finished or unfinished on the teacher's desk.
Before he could even stand up from his seat, Mikan went over to him and took a good look at the drawing. She gasped in surprise and hid her sketchbook behind her back. Her drawing was nothing compared to Ruka's. "Y-you're really good, Ruka-pyon," she said.
Ruka's face turned a little red and didn't dare to look up at Mikan. He just gazed his eyes on the drawing and smiled. It was truly a work of art. He had managed to capture every detail of Mikan. Her face looked perfect, as well as her innocent round eyes. He portrayed her long hair gracefully as if it was swaying with the wind. And her smile was the best part of all. "So, Sakura…Do…Do you like it?" he said, a little stuttering.
"I like it?" Mikan shook her head and suddenly gave Ruka a friendly hug. "As a matter of fact, I love it, Ruka-pyon!" she said, releasing him.
Ruka was sure that his face was as red as tomato. Mikan had just hugged him! What a big surprise for him. It felt so wonderful to be hugged by her, but his heart was pounding hard and fast. "A-Arigato…Sakura…" he meekly said. "Um…Now that…you've seen mine, c-can I see yours?" Man, he was stuttering badly due to his nervousness.
"Well, I don't know…" Mikan took a step backward and lightly laughed. "My drawing really sucks. Yours is way much better. You don't wanna see it, trust me."
"I'm sure it doesn't suck, so please let me see it," he said, extending his hand forward. "I do want to see how I look like in your drawing."
Mikan hugged her sketchpad and let out a sigh. "Fine…Don't get mad if it's really bad," she said, averting her eyes away from him, as she gave him the sketchpad.
Taking a look at the drawing, Ruka's lips instantly curved into a smile. Why wasn't she confident of her drawing skills? The drawing he was looking at was actually pretty good. Well, the face part and the eyes looked a little distorted, but other than that, the drawing was nice. "Not bad, Sakura…" he said. "Not bad at all. I like it."
"You're only saying that," Mikan said. "You can be honest with me."
"I am being honest, Sakura, and I say you're drawing is great."
"Really?" Mikan muttered as she looked at him hopefully.
Ruka nodded his head. He was totally telling the truth. "Yeah, really…" he replied.
"Arigato, Ruka-pyon!" Once again, she gave him a hug and made his face looked like a bright red bulb.
The two of them were the last to leave the classroom since they did some talking for a while. After submitting their work on the table, they went out and headed towards their classroom. On their way there, they encountered Raito Tsurugi, one of the delinquents in school who wasn't in good terms with Natsume.
Raito narrowed his topaz eyes at Ruka. It has been a long time since he last picked on Ruka. Raito was still mad as hell at Natsume for making him look like a fool several times, and he hated any person associated with him. "Where's your moronic best friend, Nogi?" he asked in a bitter voice. "I want to give him a piece of my mind." He clenched both his fists.
Ruka didn't want to get in trouble with Raito, so it was better to answer him. "He's probably at the classroom," he said, knowing that Natsume went to the principal's office earlier.
"Is that so?" Raito said, grabbing Ruka by the collar. "I want you to tell him this, Nogi, so listen up!" However, he wasn't able to continue talking because Mikan pushed him away from Ruka.
"Who do you think you are?!" Mikan exclaimed, grasping one hand on Ruka's sleeve. "Is that any way to talk to a someone? I guess you'll always be a jerk, Tsurugi-kun." She still remembered getting hurt by Raito's bullet when she saved Natsume.
Raito's face flushed up. "S-So what? I don't care if I'm a jerk!" He gritted his teeth and spun around. "Just tell that Hyuuga-bastard that I want to fight him!" To be frank, he was wanted to challenge Natsume, not only for the sake of his pride, but also for something else. He glanced at the brunette one more time, before he walked off with a shrug.
Mikan stuck out her tongue as she hugged Ruka's arm firmly. "What the heck is his problem anyway? He's always looking for trouble." She made a cute pout after sighing.
"Tsuguri has always been like that since elementary," Ruka said, scratching his cheek with a finger. Okay, he felt so awkward having Mikan clinging to his arm. It felt nice at the same time, but he couldn't actually move or breathe well with her being so close.
"What the hell are you guys doing?" A rude and very familiar voice spoke from behind them. Ruka and Mikan immediately turned to look behind. Mikan smiled at the sight of Natsume, while Ruka merely laughed nervously. Natsume had his eyes on Ruka's arm, which was in the arms of Mikan, and he felt the urge to tear them apart somehow.
"Natsume, how was your trip to the principal's office?" Mikan asked innocently. "Wait, why were you called anyway? You didn't cause trouble, did you?"
Instead of answering her question, he said, "Polka-dots, are you flirting with Ruka?"
Mikan's eyes grew wide. "What?! Me? Flirting?!" She shook her head vigorously. "I am not flirting with Ruka-pyon. What makes you say I am?"
Natsume's already cold expression just got colder. "The fact that you're holding on to him makes it clear," he plainly said, making Ruka turn red again.
Quickly she stepped away from Ruka. She blushed a bit because she didn't realize that she was clinging to him in the first place. "I was just holding onto him…" she said. "It wasn't flirting or anything."
"Yeah, right…" Natsume replied sarcastically.
"I wasn't flirting, okay?!" Mikan said, flailing one fist into the air. She then folded her arms and pouted cutely. "And so what if I was? Huh? Why do you seem so bothered about it?"
Natsume had only one reason and that was because he was jealous. "It annoys me to see you sticking close, so keep your distance." It wasn't what he really wanted to say, but it works for him.
Mikan arched a brow. "So, what if it annoys you?!" she uttered, shaking her head. "And you can't tell me what to do. If I want to stick close to Ruka-pyon, then I'll do it." She motioned over to Ruka and leaned a little bit on him as she smiled playfully at Natsume.
"Then that only proves you're a flirt," Natsume muttered. He was speaking in a controlled voice, but there was a hint of anger there. He grabbed Mikan's wrist and began dragging her all the way to the classroom, leaving an astonished Ruka behind.
Ruka found it odd to see Natsume do that. He was beginning to think that his best friend was plain old jealous. He had his suspicions before about his best friend. Natsume might be in love with the brunette. Well, that was the only logical reason to explain his behavior.
Last period of class was pretty boring for Mikan, and she almost slept. Basically, she and her classmates were dying of boredom. Only those academically serious were the ones listening. She was slowly drifting towards dreamland, yawning and getting comfy on her desk, when the bell rang. She jarred her eyes wide open and stretched out her arms. The bell signaled the end of classes. Finally it was dismissal time. She couldn't take much more of the boring lessons.
However, she can't go home yet. She still had cleaning duty. She did not complain about it, because she loved doing chores. Pretty unusual for a popular idol to love chores? Well, she was different. She loved to work. Before starting, she waited for all her classmates who weren't assigned for the day to leave. Yuu, her group-mate, and other two had started cleaning, as students left the classroom. Then she noticed Ruka and Natsume not moving from their seats.
"Aren't you guys going yet?" Mikan asked, walking up to them. "Class is already over and I'm sure you two aren't assigned to do cleaning today."
Ruka looked up at her with a smile and grabbed the broom from her. "Let me help you, Sakura," he said, standing up.
"Oh, it's all right," Mikan said, holding onto the broom handle. "I can take care of it. Thanks for the offer, Ruka-pyon."
Ruka shook his head and gently took her hand away from the broom. "I want to do this," he said. "Besides, if I help, we can get the job done in no time."
Natsume quirked an eyebrow as he pretended to read his manga. His best friend was certainly being a gentleman to Mikan, and he didn't like it. In fact, he didn't like it when Ruka was grabbing all of Mikan's attention. "Ruka, just leave the cleaning to her," he coldly said. "A job like cleaning is well-suited for someone like her."
"And what do you mean by that, Natsume?!" Mikan questioned him with a glare. "Were you trying to insult me again?"
He turned his head at her and sighed in frustration. "Wasn't it obvious, polka-dots?"
Resisting the urge to punch him, Mikan took the broom from Ruka and brushed the broom-hair against Natsume's cheek. "You're such a pervert!" she growled. She twirled the broom skillfully like a baton and walked away.
Ruka sat back down and lowered his gaze to the floor. "Natsume, why did you have to say that?" he asked. "You know, it feels like you don't want Mikan around me. No offence, but are you just irritated at her or is there something else?" This time, he looked straight at Natsume with clear blue eyes and a determined face.
"It's none of your concern," Natsume answered, turning back to his manga. "Besides, you really don't want to know." He flipped to the next page and placed both feet on top of the table.
"Well, I want to know, Natsume, so tell me now."
Natsume rolled his eyes and groaned. "Fine then…" He closed his manga and set his foot down. "You got one thing right. I don't want her being so close with you all the time. Even though she tends to be irritating, I'm not angry at her." He didn't want to reveal his feelings to anyone just yet—even to his best friend. He decided to stop talking. "I'm going…" Without making a fuss, he slipped his manga inside his bag, swung it over his shoulder, and walked out of the room.
Ruka just heard it right. Natsume didn't want Mikan being so close to him. That explained a lot. Ruka can't be wrong about this. His best friend actually liked Mikan Sakura and he admitted it kind of indirectly. "Natsume, I never would have expected this…" He looked over at the brunette who was sweeping on the other side of the room. The cheery expression on her face was an admirable sight to see as she hummed a melodious tune. Sakura, Natsume actually likes you. But I…I've also realized that I have feelings you too. It seems like Natsume is my rival.
End of Episode 20
Himeno: Well, the whole chapter mainly featured Hyuuga, Mikan-chan, and Ruka-pyon!! How was that?
Tsubasa: Nice going, Himeno-chan. The love triangle thing is sure interesting. Who will my little kouhai end up with?
Himeno: I'm not telling.
Tsubasa: Darn… Well, whoever she ends up with, the guy better take good care of her.
Himeno: Don't worry… Ruka-pyon is a charming gentleman and Hyuuga is a pretty good guy, though he's a pervert and a jerk.
Tsubasa: Will I be appearing in the next chapter?
Himeno: Um…Maybe a little…
Tsubasa: When are you going to tell them about my love life?
Himeno: Soon!
Tsubasa: How about not telling them for the rest of your life?
Himeno: No can do, senpai!
Tsubasa: (Sighs) Just as I thought.
Himeno: That's all for this chapter. Next chapter will feature a little Kokoroyomi and Permy moments. Let's give the fan girl some love too. Plus, most of you are curious about their relationship.
Tsubasa: Pretty interesting.
Himeno: Of course, more love triangle moments!! I'll try to add some humor in the next chapter. I'm not good with comedy, but I'll do my best.
Tsubasa: Let's end this by saying, please review and…
Himeno: No FLAMING!