Chapter 21

Friday's Child is…

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It was freezing, exactly the right temperature for her to keep her head cool. If Mikan spent any more minutes under the running sink, she'd get a cold. But she didn't move from the running water. If she got a cold, she would get a rest. Exactly what she needed right now, a rest to cool off her head after last night.

A shadow stopped next to her at the courtyard's outdoor sink. The water stopped. Mikan frowned and looked up through the wet brown hair towards Luca.

"Who let you into the school?" she asked.

"Aoi got a private key. Does it matter? Natsume texted her this morning saying 'it's off.' What happened?"

Mikan reached up, turning on the valve and letting the running water soak her. "Go away."

"Oh, that's real mature." Luca switched off the valve again. "Come on, you're wasting the water. I became a humanitarian to stop someone from wasting the earth resource just like this."

"Then you failed." Mikan turned on the valve again. "I'm tired."

"Then go to sleep." Luca turned off the valve.

"Can't. I still got five more classes to teach." Mikan pushed herself off the sink, head up flipping the hair back, ignoring the water down her shirt. "I need to think."

"And you can do that under a running water? That's not a recycled water, I may add, and it wastes so much energy that can be used by a lot of thirsty children in the third world country?"

"Actually, I do have some ideas thanks to the water," said Mikan. She took out the hair band from her wet pocket and tied her wet hair. "What are you doing here?"

"I was called as a witness for the financial fraud." Luca scratched his brow under Mikan's questioning glance. "Yuri and Hayate came just now to your house. We were there, so they asked us to come as a witness for the fraud."

"What fraud?" Mikan blinked and felt the gigantic diamond attached to the ring in her hand. She slid her hand behind her back. "What fraud?"

"It's—well, you know Natsume's been charged with financial fraud for buying apartments and cars with empty accounts? So the detectives are here now, in his office, investigating him."

"That's ridiculous!" Mikan groaned. "If they are familiar with Natsume at all, they'll know there's no way he can do something like that!"

"There's also the fact that he does have no money." Luca grimaced. "At all. His account is blank. He got several joint account with Aoi and even those accounts were drained."

Mikan didn't have to ask by whom. She relaxed her tense neck and closed her eyes. "All right. I see."

"You seem awfully calm by someone who has just been dumped by a broke headmaster that's going to jail."

"If I think the day starts real bad, there's no way it can be even worse." Mikan massaged her nape. "Can I ask you a favour?"

"Say it."

"I need to go somewhere, do something. Can I ask you to be my substitute for my five classes?"

Luca went closer, unsure of what he just heard. "Me? I—wait, are you playing truant now? Or… hey, do you have something to do with the fraud?"

"Not yet," said Mikan. Luca's brow shot up. "Okay, thanks. Bye."

"But…" Luca was speechless when Mikan turned away and ran into the school. "But what do I know about sports? Seriously?"

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"Is Nat—the headmaster inside?"

The aging secretary looked at her from the top of her wiry glasses. She didn't care to stand up from her desk in front of the headmaster's office just for this one. "No."

"But the detectives are here, right?"

"Yes, but the headmaster is not here, Miss Sakura. Is there anything you need to say to him? I can tell him when he returns."

Mikan frowned. "No, I think I can talk to my fiancé without anyone's help. But thanks." She turned and walked away.

"Your ex-fiance, you mean? Clearly the headmaster is a bright man, and he knew better than to marry below his rank."

Mikan stopped. There was no way Natsume would tell this secretary about that. Telling Luca and their friends were one thing, but his secretary had nothing to do with the wedding. "He told you about that?"

The secretary raised her chin, now looking smug. "What do you think, Miss Sakura?"

"I think you need a bigger glass for eavesdropping. Clearly your cup," Mikan said, motioning to the secretary's tiny tea cup next to her stack of papers, "isn't big enough to hear clearly." She ignored the glare she received from the middle-aged woman, and left.

How long had she been listening to everything that happened in his office?

The headmaster turned to the clinic door when it slid open. Mikan walked in, eyes meeting his. The man turned back to the baby sleeping in his arms, taking a resigned breath.

"Mikan," said Nonoko. She sat on the cot, hand raised to her. "Hey, I'm so happy to see you."

"Hi there," Mikan said, walking to the cot next to Natsume's chair and squeezing her hand. "You look better now."

"Yeah… sorry about what happened last night. I bet you got a shock." Nonoko grimaced. "So Natsume really told no one about what we did, huh. I thought he would at least tell you."

So now you know. Mikan shrugged. "It's okay. I was surprised, but it's fine, I get over it."

Natsume ran his tongue over his dry bottom lip, but he kept his head down and said nothing.

"There're detectives in your office, headmaster," said Mikan. Natsume looked up at her. "I think you need to meet them as fast as you can."

He gave her something resembling a scowl. "I think I already knew that."

"About the baby," Mikan said, "does he have a name?"

"Akira," said Nonoko. "Means bright."

How fitting. "I won't get burned by his fire, so what about giving Akira to me?" she said and received a deep frown for her troubles. "Think about it, headmaster. Who else in here can hold him without receiving mortal damage when he cries?" Mikan turned to Nonoko. "Do you have his bottles ready? I can keep him tethered to me while I'm teaching classes."

There was no way to put Akira down without burning the furniture. Nonoko watched the baby in Natsume's arms. She had touched and kissed the baby earlier, but then the little one woke up and started crying. She had scooted back with heartache as her own son burned in flames. The headmaster had been quiet since he came into the clinic. He said nothing when he calmed the baby down. The only time Akira was not crying was when he fell asleep.

"If it's not a hassle for you," Nonoko said. "Natsume, you need to go to your office and do your job, right? So I think it's better if Mikan hold him for now. You two can switch often."

Natsume said nothing when he stood and handed Akira over to Mikan. The woman took the baby, her face impassive when she looked down. The headmaster waited for a while for Mikan to say something, but she kept watching the baby.

He clenched his teeth and strode to the door. "I'll be here after lunch."

Mikan peered at him and shrugged. "Do whatever you want."

Nonoko saw Natsume opened the door and left. She frowned. "Are you two fighting?"

Mikan smiled. "When are we not fighting? Anyway, do you have the bottles and diapers? I'll go pick up some baby sling from the playground room, then I need to work."

"Sure, I do." Nonoko pushed herself from the bed and walked to the small fridge. "I was thinking about getting some fireproof bassinet…"

"I'll go get it later," said Mikan. "For now it's better if I—I mean the two of us taking care of him, we're familiar with Fire Alice and babies." She considered the baby in her arms. "What's the deal with this?"

"The deal?"

"There must be something for him in return. I don't think Natsume will do this out of pity. What exactly did you and your husband offer for him in return for his gene?"

Nonoko stopped rummaging in the fridge and looked at her. "Um."

"Well, that's a start."

Nonoko chuckled. "Uh—wait, I'm just surprised you think about that immediately after all the shock you must've gotten last night."

It wasn't an immediate thought, but sleepless night and icy water did wonders to her brain. There was also the fact that she had spent almost an hour after Natsume's confession to bury herself in grief. She was disgusted by the fact that she did nothing. How ridiculous it was to accept the ultimatum just like that. She was furious with the way she couldn't make him understand. What was she, the princess in that weak-princessy dead-sleeping tale? Where was her unicorn and golden hair? This whole drama was excruciating and feeble.

Mikan had to do something. After her intimate newfound friendship with the outdoor sink and the glorious water that ran from it, she finally formed a plan. Well, a rough plan, but still a plan, better than lying in that glass coffin and waiting for the prince that never came.

"We build a lab," said Nonoko.

Mikan froze.

Lab. Natsume is stealing Alice from the unsuspecting students…

She closed her eyes. "Is this Lab to st—take Alice away from the user?"

"Hey, how do you know?" Nonoko watched Mikan struggle for a breath. "Are you okay?"

Focus. It's… running water. Focus on the running water.

"Natsume was doing it for the kids who don't want to be here," said Nonoko again. "It was close to impossible to register a lab for Alice purpose in Japan, so we have to register in the States."

Wait. "For the kids?"

"Yes. We give kids who want to go home a second chance. If they still want to go home after a year of being in the Academy, the lab will be customized to take away their Alice and store it for a better purpose. The only way someone who has entered the Academy can leave and life their life as a normal person is when their Alice is gone."

Unsuspecting my ass, Koizumi. What the hell you were trying to do to my head? "For better purpose like what?"

"We're still discussing about that. By the way, Natsume got this idea after those incidents we had in our school year. He was angry about the way users got their Alice taken, but he saw how some actually were happy because this means they can leave. So it got him thinking."

Because it was too late for him. He was in too deep.

Too late for us. But not for the kids.

"There's no way the board let him do this…" Mikan trailed off. "Unless… if he's the headmaster and… if another headmaster propose this idea and make this lab seems like it'll expand the Alice Academy…"

"Right."

The negative rumour was spread on purpose. It was the only way the board would let Natsume and Nonoko build a lab in order to accumulate Alices.

"When they find out what the lab is really for, you three will be in deep trouble."

Nonoko grimaced. "We'll think about it later, okay?"

When I see you again, Koizumi, I'm going to smack your face so hard you'll forget everything about the lab. I can't believe I fell for it.

Someone knocked on the door. Both women turned and saw Hotaru walked in. Her clothes looked haggard and her hair was messy. With a tired motion she waved her hand, a small clear bottle of pills in it.

"I think this one is a success," said Hotaru. "We'll put one pill for one bottle and maybe it'll suppress his Alice."

"Maybe?" said Nonoko. "What's the side effects?"

Hotaru bit her lip and frowned to the ceiling. "Hey, did they install more lamps in here?"

Nonoko glared at her friend. "Seriously? You made pills for my son without sleeping and you don't even know if there's side effect?"

"Shush, don't yell," Hotaru mumbled, her free hand rose and massaged her temple. "What time is this?"

"Same as yesterday," said Mikan. "You're seriously thinking about giving a newborn a strange pill that you don't know will or will not work?"

"Yeah well, I can spend about a few more hours testing for side effects give or take before I faint." Hotaru took a step back, frowning at a sterile metal end table near her. "…Or maybe less. Did that table just move?"

"Just go to sleep here," said Nonoko. "We have beds! A lot of it! Please sleep before you end up making a bad decision, especially regarding my son."

"Heh," Hotaru said, walking to the cot across from Nonoko's. "A bit too late for that, right? Bad decision five years ago."

"Which I'm so thankful for right now," said Nonoko. "It's the best decision you ever made."

Hotaru lay on the bed, glancing at the baby in Mikan's arms. She smiled. "Yeaah, it was, wasn't it?"

"So what's your deal?" asked Mikan. "What did you get in return for him?"

Hotaru answered with a long snore, eyes already closed. Mikan sighed. The sports teacher looked at Nonoko.

"When Akira turned three years old, he'll be Hotaru's prodigy," said Nonoko. "Best offer we ever heard from anyone. She'll teach him whatever he needs to know. Hotaru will teach my son." Nonoko beamed. "Isn't that amazing? I don't know if she thinks it'll be a win-win situation, because from my point of view, it's going to be profitable only for us."

Mikan decided not to tell Nonoko about Hotaru's dream of having a perfect bloodline, perfect prodigy and perfect heir that will continue her work. She knew which side would end up having the most profits decades from now.

Perfect, indeed. What else is better than the son of Invention Alice user and Fire user, with their brains and looks combined together that you don't even have to give birth and raise yourself?

"Yeah," said Mikan. "Hotaru's great like that." She hoped the sarcasm wasn't heard in her voice.

"She's so kind. Such a good friend. Oh, speaking of which…" Nonoko walked to Hotaru's side and took the pill from her hand. "I think I knew better than trust her for something like chemistry. I'll test this out myself. Who knows what kind of 'invention' Hotaru was thinking about when she made this."

It took another ten minutes before Mikan walked out of the infirmary with baby in one hand and a big bag filled with infant bottles and diapers in another hand.

"What was he thinking?" mumbled Mikan as she paced through the hall. "You look exactly like him. If last night didn't happen, did he think the secret will be safe forever? Add twenty years and there'll be World War four when I see his face in you."

Akira mumbled and shifted, but stay asleep as his carrier walked outside the main Academy building.

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"So you really don't have any money?" Yuri smacked the document on top of his table. He usually yelled at someone who did this, but now he couldn't care any less. "Why did you buy those apartments and cars then?"

"I told you six times already," mumbled Natsume, face hidden behind folded fingers. His eyes closed as he tried to calm himself. It was useless fighting with cops. Especially Alice Academy veterans. "I didn't buy those things. I was tricked. My money was drained."

"By who?" asked Hayate, his arms folded as he sat across from him, chin raised. "You told us your account was 'supposedly' safe. Who else could drain your money from you but yourself?"

Well, there was Aoi. And Mikan, but he knew they wouldn't do that to him. Aoi was rich from her practices. Mikan wouldn't need to trick him for money since she was about to be missus Hyuuga anyway. Or 'was about to be'.

Natsume frowned, counting the time when… nah, couldn't be. Even if she wanted to, she would never have time. She had always been either with him, Luca, Sumire or Hotaru. Neither of the three latter people in the list had motives for money. As much money as he had, it's not worth their friendships.

Which means this could only be done by someone close to him… that he had no time to check up close for activity. But who?

Koizumi had to have some peon in here.

The door was opened. "Mr. Hyuuga," called his secretary, "You told me to check up on Mikan Sakura's movements, right? She just left the Academy."

"What?" Natsume stood up. "Wait, she… she has classes!" And my son!

"The gate guards reported she left the Academy with your car, Mr. Hyuuga. She was wearing a sling on her body and there is a big bag in the car. There's something inside the sling. Should I call for a substitute?"

Why? Why did Mikan leave… unless…

"Oh boy," Yuri mumbled. "Mikan? But she's…"

Slowly, Natsume sat. He stared at the warrant paper on his desk. There should be some explanation for this, but he couldn't summon any of it.

Mikan?

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"Why are you still here, kid?"

Sweaty from the project, dirt-streaked Yoichi looked up from his latest brick. "Oh, hey," he greeted the chief builder. The old man faced him with a paper in his hand. He gave the paper to him. "What's this?"

"Your passport and your plane ticket. You're going home."

"What?" Yoichi removed his hard hat and stared at his papers. "What's going on?" He stood, following the man out of the construction area. "Hey, why now?"

"Don't blame me," said the chief. "The man who ordered this home said you're no longer needed, so you need to go home."

Yoichi frowned. "What do you mean, I'm no longer needed? He took me across the ocean, threw me here and left me for days only to send me back now?"

"I guess the adoption didn't go through," said the old man. "I dunno. Why do you ask me? Ask him, he's supposed to be your dad or something, right?"

"Or something," grumbled Yoichi. "Seriously? I have to go now? But the kitchen area only need fifteen more bricks!"

"It's almost midnight, kid. You have to leave in the morning, so just go and pack your stuff. You weren't here to build stuff anyway, we're just playing with you."

Yoichi bit his lips. He looked down to his papers, and to the kitchen area he was about to finish tonight before he went to sleep in the builders' tent. "Thanks then," he said, pocketing the papers and walked back.

"Hey, come on… seriously?"

"He didn't call me, he called you to send me home," said Yoichi. "What am I, a kid? I'm almost eighteen. If I want to finish up the kitchen, I'll finish the damn kitchen. I can stay here with or without him once I turn eighteen anyway." Well, maybe not, he thought, but he won't stop doing the construction. It excited him too much to build something from the scratch and see it turn to completion. He had been helping to build the bathroom, the living room and the mansion's nursery. It was too good for him to stop now. Natsume be damned. He wanted Yoichi to leave? He had to come here and drag him out. He wasn't about to stop.

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Sumire was scowling at her when she arrived outside of her house.

"Nice place," said Mikan, eyes studying the small estate. It was built with a minimalism theme, with only black and white paint all over several cubic walls with massive windows. Three dogs in various sizes and breeds were sitting in the front yard, each looking at them with curiosity. Mikan saw five fat Persian cats lounging on the terrace, two more sitting on the balcony on the second floor. "Not the kind I'll be interested in living in, but it seems expensive."

"Why is Natsume texting me," demanded Sumire, walking to her car, "that the 'wedding's off'? How could you? I spend the worse week of my life taking care of your wedding! And now you're telling me it didn't work out? How could you!"

"Get in," said Mikan, opening the passenger door. "We need to pick up some more stuff for the wedding."

"Are you crazy?" Sumire yelled at her as she sat in the car. "Why do you want to buy more stuff now? Tell me what happened—what the hell is in that!" she screamed when she saw the infant in Mikan's sling. Mikan had put the sling forward on her chest, held by the safety belt and all while she drove. It wasn't safe, but she's not in the mood to extinguish car fire.

"Just a baby. Close the door," said Mikan.

Sumire stared at her incredulously, but she shut the car door.

"Listen," Mikan said, steering the car away from Sumire's house before the wedding planner could jump out. "Natsume's broke. As in, really broke. Now he's also about to go to jail."

Sumire opened her mouth and stared at Mikan.

"Say something?"

"I… I never held a wedding in jail," said Sumire, holding her forehead. "Wait… that could be a perfect place for the ceremony, though… yes, yes, that big dining area and those cell doors can be deco—"

"You don't even ask why he's going to jail," said Mikan, eyes on the road as she drove their car out of Sumire's complex.

"What do I care about that? I'm not a cop," scoffed Sumire. "Okay, so prison wedding." She shrugged. "Eh, I can do worse. So we got the place now all set."

"I'm not going to marry him in jail."

"No?" Sumire glared. "Then why did you tell me about that? I was thinking it's good to have a set place after all night looking for a place for tomorrow's wedding! Do you realize it's tomorrow! Tomorrow! Today's Saturday, so tomorrow you're going to marry him! Then the groom texted me saying 'it's off'. It's on broadcast text, which means he's not pranking me or he's pranking everyone! Off! Off! Do you know how much time and energy I spend for our wedding? Howcouldthishappenandnowyour sayinghesgoingtojailbutyourn otgonnamarryhimthere—"

"Ookay," said Mikan, raising a hand stopping Sumire. "You're panicking. Stop. Deep breath. And out. Deep breath…"

"You're supposed to be the one panicking! I'm not the Bridezilla here!" yelled Sumire, banging the back of her head to the headrest. "Why? Why? Just when I thought this could be my hundredth wedding and I can put this in my resume as the most ridiculous wedding I can host in just one week…"

"You managed ninety nine weddings?" asked Mikan. "Huh. Wow."

A whine was all she got in reply.

"Let's say I don't have money for the cake, but I need one. Your company can take care of the bill until I got money to pay you, right?" Mikan heard a growl. "Well…"

"Yes, my company will pay for it!" Sumire snapped. "What's the point now? Hotaru paid for Natsume and your suit and dress, then my company paid for the bridesmaid's dresses, then there's still that best man's suit for Luca that has to be delivered today. Also, invitation, that's supposed to be at least delivered to everyone today! Today! Because you know what? The wedding's tomorrow! Tomorrow! Does that mean anything to you? And you know what? We have something you probably forget! We have no PLACE! And the groom said the wedding's OFF!"

Mikan waited until the woman beside her stopped fuming and waving her arms as harsh as she could all over the place. "…Done?"

"No, I'm not done!"

"I have a place for tomorrow. I actually am very sure that place will not be booked by anyone else, at all."

Sumire stopped whatever curse she was about to spew. The wedding organizer stared at Mikan.

"Invitation…" Mikan sighed. "Yeah, I don't like it either, but let's just send email to everyone. Digital's the way to go these days. Your company can manage to do that when you're with me, right?"

Sumire nodded, still not saying a thing.

"About the groom…" Mikan waved her fingers in the air. "He's nuts. You know, the groomzilla. With the cops on his tail and all."

"What Natsume had done to warrant prison?" asked Sumire, now calmly smoothing the dashboard of Natsume's car. "He's finally killing someone?"

Finally? Does everyone think he's going to go wacky one day? "Just… things. Not too bad of a thing. Just… money problems."

"Ah, corruption."

If only. "Okay, so I'm going to drop you at the wedding store to choose my cake, because I have somewhere to go."

"Where?"

Mikan didn't meet Sumire's eye. "Several stops. To calm the groomzilla. Oh yeah, do you have a legal license to sign the form?"

"For family registry change? Yeah, sure. You'll need that when you apply for the Green Card familial relationship visa. I'm licensed to register the form for the couples. We need to go to the registry building today… tomorrow's Sunday, nobody's working there. Today… I think Koko's around. He'll help."

"Great," said Mikan. She smiled at Sumire who was counting something with her fingers. "You know what? I'm so glad you're my wedding organizer. Natsume couldn't choose a better organizer than you."

Sumire frowned. "Are you high right now?"

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To Be Continued…