Something You've Read Before
Chapter Twelve
Last Time the Event Happened
How cool it would be if Natsume punched Ken in the face just to show his concern for Mikan? That would score Natsume at least fifty points for the chivalry category and another fifty for the handsomeness category. It would also earn Natsume his first Medal of Valor straight from Mikan herself. That was too good to be true though especially in Mikan and Natsume's unclear relationship. The last thing Mikan wanted was to sabotage her own group and that would happen if Natsume wrote something on that report book of his that could raise the eyebrows of the Student Council members. Ken looked surprised but Mikan knew he was not worried even a little. Because Ken thought he could handle everything by his sweet and mean talk.
Mikan wanted to avoid negotiations to happen between the two gentlemen for it would lead to a possible brawl. Quickly, Mikan waved her hands repeatedly to show that she was fine. Too much smiling would be such a gave away so Mikan chose her timid smile and stepped nearer to Ken to prove that it was safe. Natsume eyed her all the time and she felt pressured by the stare. The stares the crew gave them did not go unnoticed especially by Mikan who felt responsible for causing such conflict.
"Ah, Ken was just showing me tricks!" Mikan exclaimed, making eye contact with Ken.
The trick part was not a lie because it was indeed what Ken tried to do but he would not miss how Mikan made it sound like a lie. Natsume did not buy the excuse, as expected.
"Don't even think for a second you can fool me, Polka."
Mikan sighed in defeat. "I am telling the truth," she said calmly and added, "Please, really, it's nothing. No harm done. We need to work on this next scene and Ken suggested that we practice."
"What scene?" Natsume asked quickly.
Mikan could not reply fast enough so Ken helped her. "Why do you even care, Hyuuga?" Ken snarled.
Challenges excited Natsume to the core because he knew that whatever it was, he would always win. That was how he was molded. Throwing a smirk and chuckling in sarcasm, Natsume insulted his foe. Ken was affected, clenched his fist in preparation. On the other hand, Mikan was annoyed on how these two behaved. Very similar to spoiled brats. Getting farther from the truth led Mikan to nowhere so she settled to honesty. The truth could set them all free anyways. She positioned herself in the middle of two buffoons who planned to resort to violence just to earn points for their ego.
Mikan could not remember the last time her breathing was this heavy, as if she just finished a 21K fun run. Her eyes met Natsume's glaring red orbs. She tried non-verbal communication to tell him to relax and there was no need for their temper to take over but Natsume seemed to be weak in voiceless contact. That was when she turned to Ken and snatched the script from his hand much to his mini struggle and surprise.
"It's a somewhat intimate scene. Here, you can borrow the script and read it for yourself. In fact, we can go over there and let me explain everything to you," Mikan said, grabbing Natsume's arm and slowly leading him away from Ken.
"You're not explaining anything to him without me," Ken called out, attracting the attention of the others.
Mikan gritted her teeth, kicking the ground subtly then turned her way to Ken, leaving Natsume amused on how this made Mikan all worked up. Her way of handling things were far from the way she handled Koko's dilemma. She was so confident and laidback during that time but now she was all over the place. It could be because she did not want to take sides and burn bridges. After all, everyone was her ally as of the moment. Mikan wanted to keep the blooming friendship she had with Ken and the others and Natsume was well aware of that. The only problem was if he cared in favor of Mikan.
"I'm waiting, Polka."
Mikan only signaled him to be patient before she approached Ken. "Please, Ken. I am trying to prevent a tension from exploding. Just help me out. Natsume thinks that you did or was about to do something bad and trust me when I say it will be bad if he reports this. The Student Council can stop us from production."
Ken barely listened to Mikan's plea because he was sure that she was just scolding him until he processed every word that was said. "Wait, aren't you angry with me?" he asked in astonishment.
Mikan gave an empty look, processing if Ken worried about her temper the whole time. It was her who thought he had some plot against her because of his work attitude.
"Not angry. I'm just finding it hard to adjust to your strictness and give in to your demands."
Ken only stared blankly at her. "Oh."
It was already a given fact that Ken was strict in terms of work and his friends knew this but they never really said it aloud or complained about his attitude so he concluded that it was normal to be demanding and be a perfectionist. After all, they all wanted to give a good show. There were times that he went over the top and people like Akihiro would remind him to chill. Today was a hectic day for everyone. They were up early morning and now that it was getting late, he still wanted them to work to their hardest without really thinking if they were mentally exhausted already.
Yui tapped Ken on the shoulder and asked, "Is everything alright with Hyuuga?"
A tint of worry was evident on Yui's usual relaxed tone of voice. Ken heaved a sigh and observed his crew, even caught Hiroki stealing some time to sleep at the back of the car. He did not even consider their energy level. He was so caught up on getting to Yura and Natsume's nerves that he thought the rest were as enthusiastic as him. Before this day, they also spent lot of late evenings to finish early the scenes they had to shoot during night time.
"Can you guys wait? I'll just talk to Natsume," Mikan announced.
"No, let's call it a day," Ken immediately responded, "Everyone, pack your bags! We are done for the day. We are all exhausted and dying to take a good rest. Aika, Yui, tomorrow we will discuss a few script changes. Please e-mail the first three drafts of the script with my comments included. Hiroki, remember to save the videos. And as for you Aki, sleep well. I want your face fresh as morning dew for tomorrow's seven am call time."
"Oh, that wouldn't be too hard," Akihiro said in giggles.
Aika stretched her extremities, fighting the draining feeling that was eating her. "Seriously Ken, I was waiting for you to end today's shoot. I am so tired."
"I know you are, Aika."
The writer gave Ken a neat smile and carried on with taking care of the equipment.
"Mikan?" called Ken.
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry about that. Although, I really don't intend to kiss you."
Mikan knew that. What was unexpected for her was Ken saying sorry. The time Mikan spent with Ken was short but she could already tell that he valued his pride more than anything. She tried her best to keep everything neutral but situations like this arise without warning. It was not really a big deal. It's just that every single thing that the Student Council found erratic, they would immediately take action especially if the cause was Ken and his doings. A history of conflict could not be erased that easily.
As Mikan observed Ken, she came up with words to describe him. He was sentimental, brave, talented, and he loved being with his friends. When the car engine roared, Ken already made steps to leave. For him, he said what he needed to say and tomorrow would be another day.
"It's alright. I think I understand now," Mikan replied before Ken was completely out of sight.
The Ken issue was resolved. It was time to confront things with the Vice President. Mikan slowly walked to where Natsume was sitting, his attention solely on the script she gave him earlier. Amazing how they always end up being alone, with each other, when they were supposed to be the persons deflecting each other. No matter what, Mikan liked to hear Natsume's commentary on the story that made her join Ken's team despite the odds.
"How was it? Was it any good as I said it is?"
Natsume closed the book, handing it over to Mikan. "Too mushy for my taste."
Mikan smiled secretively, quite happy that Natsume did not call it a trash or a piece of crap. She sat beside him, conscious of the distance she had to maintain. She had normal conversations with Natsume before but she was sure that he still considered her an eyesore of sorts so it was better not to be over-familiar.
"I hope you won't mention on your report all the bad things that happened tonight. Yours and Yura's presence really shook them. We were having such a fine day."
There was a moment of silence before Natsume blurted, "He tried to kiss you."
Mikan blushed, unconsciously touched her lips. "Eww, don't put it that way."
"That's the scene you're gonna do."
"I refused because I won't feel comfortable and he said that I'm not giving at my all which is partly true. You know what I realized today? I hate it when someone tells me what to do but the ugly part is I will do it anyway."
Good thing Mikan did not deny it or else Natsume would call her a liar right away. He knew that Ken and Mikan already straightened things out but he liked to know how she handled it. Mikan was not the type to conceal other's flaws just because they were friends or happened to belong on the same team.
"He tried something without your permission," Natsume reiterated.
How horrible it sounded coming from Natsume's mouth, Mikan could only giggle. Natsume's words were very caring but his tone said otherwise. He was not angry or worried. His voice even sounded disappointed in Mikan's perception and maybe it was because Natsume waited for something worse than that. Well, Mikan did not expect him to be. That would be so uncharacteristic of him. She expected him to be worried if Sumire or Yura, maybe Anna or Nonoko experienced the same. Him showing concern for his friends would be understandable but for her case, Mikan knew he would never. She was well-aware that Natsume was not very open to the idea of being friends with her.
He could be a good friend, though.
"Don't act so concern, Natsume," Mikan stated, teasing him slightly, "And we're actors, I am an actor as of the moment. Ken's the director and he just wants to squeeze more effort from me. He is very dedicated with this film, like on a personal level. He really has a story to tell."
"If you say so."
Just like that the argument ended.
"You won't report it, right?" she asked the second time.
Mikan pleaded indirectly and Natsume could understand why. Natsume could easily have taken their chance to officially enter in the contest and with all their efforts laid out, it would be a very big loss for their team. Natsume saw the sincerity on Mikan's eyes, a factor that helped him made the decision. He understood and nothing really went wrong so he considered their end-goal. Ken and his team were in fact veterans of Arts & Media Week and everyone knew that they would present a good show. Picking fights with the Student Council was something their group refused to avoid though but still Natsume weighed the pros and cons.
Many things happened already and they let it passed because they wanted to give Ken's team the right to participate but with all these incidents lined up, waiting to be written on his report, their team was on the edge. Mikan had confidence that Natsume would be fair to them no matter how unfair he treated her. Looking at Natsume, she realized that he too could have a hard time saying 'no' or 'yes'.
"Do you believe in love?" Mikan asked all of a sudden.
Natsume's face crinkled at the question. His face distorted, not even wanting to measure how cheesy that question was. "What the hell are you talking about now?" he asked, a bit disgusted.
Mikan was glad she caught his attention. "Because we are presenting a love story," she explained, "In one way or another, you could relate to it be it a romantic, platonic, family love. I know it sounds corny but I don't know a better way to describe our story. Surely, you know. You've read half of the script."
"Why don't you just get to the point?"
The brunette stood up, looking down at Natsume to emanate the aura of authroity. Carrying a wave of confidence, she began explaining, "I want Alice Academy to relate with this story. Just that. Please don't deprive us of that chance."
He was not a bad guy. Bad guys were cruel, unreasonable, and continuously refused to hear both sides. Natsume was far from that especially when it involved Student Council work. He tried to be very just and accommodating as much as possible. He liked serving and that was why he had no qualms when Ruka asked him to be his running mate. He had no better things to spend his time anyways. This time, he chose to forget what happened last year to believe in Mikan's words.
As for Mikan's request, Natsume could frankly decline it because he had every reason to but Mikan was also right. He had no difficulty relating to the story even if he just read it. The audience surely would enjoy the story better with moving and talking characters. Natsume nodded and Mikan cheered immediately.
"I am really tempted though," he noted.
Mikan smirked, saying, "Of course you are."
Comments like that made Natsume wonder if he opened too much of himself to Mikan Sakura. It was as if she observed enough to know him. Honestly, it was a scary thought but he could say the same for him because the more he wanted Mikan to stay away, the more chances he got to know her. At first, he resented the fact that she made conversations with him but eventually he had not given much thought to her sudden move of talking to him because he simply didn't mind it.
"About Ruka," Natsume changed the topic.
Mikan's ears perked automatically at the mention of her crush's name. She was then reminded of the quiet encounter she had with Ruka and how that helped her to advance and get out of the zone.
"What? Are you going to compliment my skill of getting noticed? Ruka knows I have a crush on him already. It's only a matter of time, Mr. Natsume Hyuuga."
How annoyingly true. What Mikan didn't know was that Ruka knew from the beginning. The president chose to subconsciously deny it but all the while, Ruka was aware. Mikan was right that it was only a matter of time until everything fell to its place. Nothing lasted forever and sooner than later, feelings were revealed in the most surprising ways.
Natsume hitched a breath before saying, "Yeah, about that, I still want you to stay away from him."
Disappointment became evident on Mikan's features. "But why?" she asked in utter confusion.
"For the same reason I had from the start," Natsume replied with poison in his tone, "You don't deserve him."
She was only a troublemaker and Ruka had enough troubles.
If only words could return to our mouths, Mikan would never feel as hopeless for a person this much.
The air-conditioning unit must have malfunctioned because this humidity was unfamiliar to Ruka or so he thought. He felt his clothes sticking to his skin, making him uncomfortable. He tried drinking three glasses of water in a row just to rehydrate and refreshed up but the inside and outside heat got the better of him. Rummaging through papers, he was far from ease and the person parallel to him noticed it spot-on. Stress slowly possessed him and it only built a higher tower on the coming days.
"Some are really going overboard with their projects. Isn't sticking to the budget one of our criteria? And this? What's with confusion? It has been told that students and faculty will share when it comes to votes but surely the students share the higher percentage. Why is this even an issue?"
Confusion was normal even if instructions were already explained. The students were very competitive this year because more attention was given to Arts & Media Week compared to the previous one. They had the issue Ken and the others which came up last year and it worked as a publicity for the annual event.
If Ruka was far from his usual laidback self, Hotaru was just at the perfect spot. "Ease up, Nogi," she reiterated.
Realization hit the president and that was when he took a deep breath to restart his self. He quickly reminded himself that there was time remaining to finish everything.
"How come you're so relaxed, Imai?" he asked, a bit jealous.
Hotaru could answer that without effort. "Because I'm not like you."
Ruka grinned, leaning back to his chair deeply. "And Mikan says that I am good with this."
A bit surprised at the simple revelation, Hotaru paused from her work to fully pay attention to Ruka. "You guys frequently talk?" she asked nonchalantly.
Ruka somehow felt victorious to get a reaction from Hotaru because when they were alone, their conversation was limited to things needed to be done as officers. No doubt it was boring but it was Ruka's only excuse to exchange words with her in order to get a glimpse of her mysterious personality. Inserting Mikan in the conversation was out of the blue but it gave him an advantage so he did everything to be relaxed and carried the sentences.
"Just recently. Why?"
Hotaru asked herself the same question. She had no idea why it affected her or why it was important. Maybe because Mikan would be glad to know that Ruka mentioned something she said to him. Although, telling her that made Hotaru felt on the edge.
"Nothing," she replied.
There she went again, attempting to end the conversation as if talking wasted so much energy. Ruka wanted their break to take longer so he went on. He was not really familiar to Mikan and Hotaru's friendship and if somebody asked him what he thought of it, his reply would be 'it was weird' which could be the perfect words to describe it. The kind of friend Hotaru and Mikan had was similar of those childhood buddies like him and Natsume but he agreed with Natsume's whims unlike Hotaru who always contradicted Mikan.
"I'm surprised you never mentioned her to us," Ruka commented, resuming his work on laptop.
Because Mikan had no intention of knowing them at first, to be fair. Before, Mikan never asked anything about committee work simply because she had no interest. Hotaru, knowing that Mikan was too focused on her self that time, never opened anything about the new people she met and thus she never mentioned Mikan to these new people. So, it came like a meteor when Mikan asked to be part of any committee just to know Ruka more. The reason was childish that was why Hotaru opposed, the reason Mikan had showed that she still had no interest with committee work and just wanted to join for romance.
"You should know by now that I'm not the most open person in town."
"Mikan's a great person. Not bad as a best friend, eh?"
It was hard being Mikan Sakura's best friend. Actually, it was emotional, too emotional that Hotaru learned the art of not showing too much feelings in front of others. Hotaru met Mikan in the most unconventional way, a story that she kept to herself all her life and it had to stay like that. She was reminded on the bitter reason why they met and why they became friends. Looking back at it and seeing it now, Hotaru was glad that things changed, at least.
Hotaru could not help but smile and said. "Yeah."
"Do you want something to eat?" Ruka offered, blushing at the outburst.
"I'm surprised you are doing your best to keep this conversation."
"Your one-liner answers won't stop me," Ruka replied, smirking.
"Stop you from what exactly?" Hotaru asked innocently but that was just a façade.
The blush on Ruka's face was so obvious that he had to turn his head away from Hotaru's eyes. "Ah, nothing! We can go back with the problem on hand."
Hotaru could not agree more. "I deposited the fund collected from the sponsors this morning during free period. I know that the Student Council's account is untouched but I suggest you to check it for yourself also. We all know that if the smallest discrepancy is detected, that would be too bad for our council."
"Thank you for the concern."
"It's not a concern, it's a warning."
Ruka faked a cough. "Sorry."
They went back into talking things related to work again and Ruka found it hard to diver their topic to the topic he wanted to talk with her. Quietness enveloped the Student Council office and other officers could come any time since classes were finished. Instead of stressing himself on how to advance his relationship with Hotaru, Ruka made the smarter choice to focus on his report. He had the rest of the year to be with her so that was something he looked forward to.
"Ruka."
"Natsume! You scared me."
Natsume dropped three pages of his report to Ruka's desk and rested on the couch nearby the window.
"I knocked but you two were too busy to hear me. By the way, that is my report."
Ruka scanned the paper. "How was Ken's group?" he asked as he began reading.
"Subtle as of the moment," Natsume replied quickly.
That was good news. At least, something went right today. "I just hope that don't have something up their sleeves this year. Mikan being with them helps, I guess."
"Already sent the invitation for our head juror for this year," Natsume added, scanning his phone.
"Did he reply? He comes highly recommended by the faculty."
Natsume smirked. "You mean by Mr. Narumi."
"So, nothing really happened with Ken's group? I find that so unusual," Hotaru said.
"It's the same old story of them fighting over stupid things."
Ruka frowned. "In short, something happened."
"Not enough to stop them from what they're doing."
Hotaru printed Koko's report that he sent via e-mail. She read it quickly then displayed an unsatisfied expression. She bid the two goodbye, claiming that she needed to find Koko to clarify things at the report. If Ken's group was behaving, it didn't automatically mean that they should relax and that other groups won't do rebellious acts. Caution was still heeded.
"How's Mikan then?" Rukas asked.
"Good, I guess."Natsume replied in the vaguest way, knowing fully that it was not what Ruka wanted as an answer. "You should really tell her before it's too late. She thinks she has hope," he added.
Ruka got scared of the idea. "I barely had the time to digest everything. I don't know if Imai has something to do with this."
"Or you could start with that, with telling Imai."
"And what? Get rejected in the harshest way?" Ruka counteracted.
Natsume frowned, not liking where this conversation was going. "Then think of something that could prevent that."
Ruka hated being pressured to the extent. He could not help but raise his voice sometimes. "I am thinking of a way, Natsume. But right now, I have more work to do than ever so this personal issue should be dealt next time. "
"If you say so. See you later."
Natsume barely stayed at the office when he decided to relax at home instead. His mother won't be there so peaceful time was expected. He could visit his father but he wanted to avoid traffic and just stay stress-free. When he passed by the academy's entrance gate, he saw Mikan and her groupies. Mikan waved at him but he chose to ignore her. No way would he face her after telling her that his opinion of her didn't change. He kept the image of her as The Troublemaker and that she was not worth it. That would be enough to broaden their distance.
"I'm assuming you said something to Hyuuga that enables us to continue doing this," Ken stated after witnessing Natsume's intentional act of blindness.
"They're not childish to stop us because of those things. You have conflicts, we understand. Not reason enough to pull us out," Mikan explained, unaffected by Natsume's rudeness.
Ken nodded, impressed at the maturity on the Student Council's part. "You're a good thing in our group, if you think of it. They could not forgive us for what we did last year."
"Something with presenting a different material from the one you submitted to them. You guys wanted to mock them or something?" Mikan asked, digging in for a Dorito.
"Actually, it is to mock them," Yui replied with a grin.
"For what reason?"
"We hate the Student Council."
Mikan was not convinced. "Is it really the Student Council or the people who run it?" she asked.
Aika tapped Mikan on the shoulders and placed the drink she brought from the cafeteria. "No worries though because you're not involved in this. If you think Ken approached you because you're close to them, you're wrong. It's just a bonus that you are close with them."
Mikan almost spat out her soda. "Now, how should I feel about that?"
"Relax, Mikan. We're not pulling the same stunt like we did last time. It's our final year here in Alice Academy and we want to graduate with no issues tagged on us," Akihiro explained.
"Don't worry. I am just focused on doing great on this film. It is a new experience that I want to remember my whole life," Mikan assured.
"That's really nice to hear," Ken said genuinely.
"But, don't you want to talk to Yura?" Mikan asked, earning stares and giggles from the crew. "Why are you laughing?" she asked, feeling stupid fro asking such question.
"Let the film speak for itself," Ken said with conviction.
"Good evening, sweet child of mine."
"Hello, Daddy."
The Sakura household was quiet that night. Mikan came home past seven and Narumi was already waiting for them to have dinner together. Plates were arranged on the table. Mikan made a quick cleanup to her room and went downstairs to fill her stomach. Mikan ate before coming home but there was no way she would miss this dinner. Their filming was finished and she knew Narumi had lots of questions, question he saved for tonight.
"How did your day go?"
Mikan automatically smiled. "Have you ever felt so accomplished in your life that when you're done doing something, you started to feel awful, wishing you can redo it again and again?"
"You had a great time," Narumi interpreted.
Mikan clapped her hands and joyfully said, "Yes, I did. And I am going to miss it terribly. Rumors filled me before this started, making me think that they are bad people but they are not. They are far from that. They are actually really amazing. I want o have friends like them. Friends who want to send you a message even if you drifted apart. Friends who cherished you even after hurting each other."
"Oh, dear, don't you have that already a long time ago?" Narumi asked, thoroughly amazed at his daughter's animated way of explaining things. And she talked so fast, too.
"That's why I feel very lucky."
"You don't care about school a year ago," Narumi teased.
"Well, I do now which made me remember. Can I watch their entry last year? I was absent that day and I refused to hear stories from Yuu and Hotaru. After a week, no one dared to talk about it. I know you have the copies of the entries. Just let me watch it."
Narumi had no second thoughts and replied, "Okay."
Arts and Media Week 2014
"Entry number 003 from Class 3A entitled True, Worst, Best."
"Ladies and gentlemen, you might be surprised what the hell I'm doing on this film but our group decided to do something effortless this year. What is that? You're about to find how rotten our school leaders are. Why don't we start from the lowest position and then we'll climb our way to the President."
"Before the school year commenced, a rumor involving our group and the Student Council began circulating all over our dear beloved Alice Academy. Remember the controversial win of our President Miko Tadashi? Alice Academy did not let Ken Nagihiko to win because of the super sweet request of Yura Otonashi who happens to be our current Vice President."
"It would be okay if Miko Tadashi is doing such a great job as president but sadly, no. Graft and corruption this early? Oh my gosh, how can you explain that to the Sports Club? They said we're rich but even the rich can become thieves, right? Here are the bank transactions of our prestigious Student Council and here are copies of the things they bought using the school's fund. They could not do this alone, of course. Without the aid of a higher up, this will be impossible. So, welcome Jinno-sensei in this dramatic story of spending the money that I don't own."
"Jinno-sensei's favorite student is our current P.R.O who persuaded him to be this council's adviser. That's when everything started. The next thing you will watch is the reenactment of everything dirty about the Student Council. This the truth, it is the worst, but to exposed them would be the best thing ever."
Mikan pressed the 'off' button, breathing deeply, her mind overflowed with thoughts.
"Not gonna finish it?"
Mikan hit the pillow on her lap. One could see she was trying to think of what to say next. "Jinno-sensei is my strict Math teacher last year. One day he did not come to class and it was announced that he would not be teaching at Alice Academy anymore and I was kind of happy because he made Math harder than it should be. I knew he was involved in a controversy but did they prove it?"
Narumi frowned, not knowing how to explain the cruelty behind it all. "Alice Academy does not tolerate controversies, Mikan. He was fired."
"Did he find another job that is also teaching?" Mikan asked, her voice raised.
"Mikan, I don't think that should be a concern of yours."
"Well, did he?" Mikan asked again.
"No, he did not. That is Alice Academy's power. They can ruin you."
"That is foolishness. Only because some students claim that he was involved? What if he had reasons?"
"You just called those students amazing earlier," Narumi reminded.
Mikan almost regretted saying that. She was used to living in the past and that controversy only happened a year ago. She began worrying if she trusted the wrong people. "What if they're planning bad again this year? They've done it before. They could do it again. What if they were doing another project besides what we shot?"
"Mikan, this happened a year ago. This has nothing to do on how you know them. They can't fake all the time. Besides, you should understand where they were coming from this."
"What do you mean?" Mikan asked in confusion.
"They're close friends who had bitter parting ways."
"But, that is too much."
For a high school student to ruin a life like that, it was indeed too much. Both parties were punished and were given second chances. Ken's group received less punishment because what they said turned out to be true. Jinno faced criticisms which made it more terrible. Narumi clearly remembered that day the faculty room was in havoc. Not one teacher took the side of Jinno and then almost everybody claimed that he was bad to work with, his attitude was rotten. Bad mouthing their co-worker as if he never helped them in the simplest way showed Narumi the unspoken truth that nobody would want to b against with the academy.
"Investigations happened and Jinno was found guilty. No charges were made against him though because his wife was sick, he was really struggling for money. He is not a teacher now but he is working on a newspaper company."
"How did Yura win this year's election if her name was tarnished by this controversy?"
"Because she did not do it."
"Ken lied."
Narumi was quick to explain. "Maybe or he just misinterpreted things. Is that so important now? It's a new year. These kids are much smarter and understanding now. You tell me. You did their film. It has a message, right?"
"Yes, it does. I hope we all get it because even I am is confused now."
"It's late. Please get some rest."
"Maybe later," Mikan replied, eyes glued to the black tv screen.
Staying calm was the hardest thing to do for Mikan so she took a leap and called Ken. It was late and it could be unimportant for him but it was important to her now. She did not expect him to agree but he still said okay, much to her relief. They planned to meet halfway, outside a convenience store near the academy. Mikan quickened her steps because she knew Ken would have a car. She would not make him wait long because it could change his mind. Her warm clothes were fine for the night's weather.
When she reached the convenience store, Ken was already waiting for her. He had seriousness in his face, expecting that Mikan would talk about what happened a year ago. He had no readied explanations because he had no excuses but he wanted to express his motivation for doing that.
"Recognized this?" Mikan asked, showing the black cd labeled True, Worst, Best.
Ken made a quiet laugh, running his hand on his face as if he was ashamed upon seeing the cd. "I thought they destroyed that already."
"Please explain this to me," Mikan asked.
"We already told you that you don't have to worry."
"You destroyed people's lives," Mikan spat.
Ken felt the tension and he did not like the way Mikan said those words. He already went through this and now he had to explain again and to a person who would be out of their lives once they premiered their film next week. "I am quite aware of that," he replied with stone-cold voice.
Mikan felt ashamed being associated with them. "No wonder they've always disliked you guys. No wonder they don't trust you."
How convenient for her to be angry when everything was finished. Ken thought he could not escape the past after all. It crawled to him repeatedly and every time he could only feel guilty even if everything was ironed out. There still lingered strings of regret, refusing to leave him alone. Maybe because it was still far from finish or maybe because what they did to make amends was not enough.
"You want an honest reply to that? I know, okay? I don't wonder why they don't trust us because we have given them every opportunity not to do so but this year we are joined the same event because we want to redeem ourselves."
Mikan wanted to punch Ken but all she could do was yell. "You guys are sick!"
Ken clenched his fists, refraining himself from meeting Mikan's anger. "I love Yura! Okay? I still love her and I was so in love with her that time. She won't talk to me and I tried everything just for her to say something to me but unfortunately, she's as hard-headed as a diamond. So, we thought of this. That stupid tape was what made Yura talked to me again. She said the harshest words. Alice Academy wanted to expel us and we're aware of that but our parents talked to them. Well, my parents are owners of Japan Inquirer after all. We screwed up. We repented. We wanted to make it up for everybody."
"Being in love is not reason enough to do those things. People change, Ken. You can't stop them from changing because we experience that every day. Yura did not become a bad person. Whatever happened to the two of you, I know it's private. Ugh, you are all so stupid!"
"I know. Asking for forgiveness is a process, we know. We're doing it step by step," Ken explained, calmly this time.
Mikan stared at him with dagger eyes, refusing to accept his honesty. "I hope you're telling the truth and I really, really wish you are genuine. I admire you guys. It would be a waste if you turned out to be villains when I admire you."
"Miko Tadashi may have not forgiven us but we compromised things with all of them. It's not all ironed out but we're getting there. This film is for Yura with pure intentions. I hope you did not change your mind about us."
"Let's see."
Ken sighed, shaking his head. "Almost everybody knows the story Mikan. I am actually surprised you are reacting this way now. Where were you on those days?"
Mikan bitterly laugh. "The students did not watch the whole thing last year. It was stopped from minute one, right? And I don't particularly care for stuff like that. I had more important things to work on."
"Hyuuga and the others did not tell a soul? I'm sure they watched it. On repeat."
"They don't want to tell me anything because they knew I would pry but they did warn me."
"Should I still expect you on our team?" Ken asked, hoping to hear a positive response.
Mikan tasted something awful in her mouth. "Shooting's done. As if I can back out now."
"Thank you."
Mikan rolled her eyes. "For what?"
"For understanding."
"Let me be clear. I still don't understand your actions. It was clearly irrational and crazy and stupid and mean. You just wanted revenge by mixing truth with lies. But, I am not involved with your issues. If the rest of the school is unaffected, I should be too. But, Yura is a friend and I want you to know that I help my friends. If you're really doing good, then I am in. Also, I did not miss the part that you own Japan Inquirer."
"What of it?"
"Jinno-sensei works there now, isn't he?"
Ken nodded. "Yes. We handled the hospital bills of his wife, too."
They were silent for a couple of minutes, just watching customers of the store who went in and out. No one wanted to talk first, savoring the moment to just think and reflect on their heated exchange of words. Crazy how she went from praising them and then one minute she argued with Ken. No wonder the Student Council was so cautious and always kept their annoying reminders. She should not have watched that video but for a second there, she thought she was ready to handle it and thought that it couldn't be too bad. She was wrong.
"Lesson learned?" Mikan asked finally.
"Yes."
Mikan gave a sad expression, still thinking about her Math teacher. "Good to know."
End of Chapter