Something You've Read Before
Chapter Fourteen
Experiment
Subaru woke up on the perfect side of the bed. Yesterday, he spent all of his hours trying to find the most fitting intervention for his most favorite person in the world. It was clearly a risk but Subaru was willing to go all the way to be able to get deeper into Mikan's thoughts. He prepared breakfast for him and Hotaru which he only did out of his good mood. Back at Akita, Subaru preferred take out and reheat foods which was not ideal for a doctor. He already informed Mikan last night to make a detour at their house so he only needed to wait a few minutes before he introduced the man of the hour.
The kitchen at the Imai residence had always been the quietest part of the house. Hotaru had always been the kind of person who wanted to do things independently thus she refused to employ maids or an assistant. Her parents forced her that she needed someone at least to clean the house or cook for her since they were not around all the time but Hotaru did not agree with the idea. It was safe to say that she lived alone because Mr. and Mrs. Imai barely stayed at home ever since they expanded internationally. The utensils and kitchen gadgets in the house were almost untouched. Like her brother, Hotaru favored reheats and take outs.
It came as a slight surprise to witness her brother cooking rice, frying fish, sautéing vegetables, and dicing fruits. White plates were meticulously placed on the table with fresh covers. The crystal glasses were out of their drawers and now filled with cucumber shake. Subaru gleefully placed the dishes on the table one by one as Hotaru only watched him. Without a doubt, Subaru was up to something. Then, she realized how weird Subaru was yesterday, smirking inwardly and making quiet maniacal giggles.
"Eat well," Subaru said with a smile.
Hotaru could say that this was the first proper meal she had in a long time. The way her stomach filled today was full of satisfaction unlike when feeling satiety after eating a full course meal at a restaurant or fast food. Subaru looked satisfied with his delicious meal as evidenced by his nonstop talking on where he learned the basics and complexities of cooking. It seemed like any other skill in medicine, Subaru paid much effort on being a decent cook.
"With all those knowledge in your head, you're still lazy when it comes to cooking," Hotaru jabbed.
Subaru almost choked at the truth. No matter how fascinating cooking was, he still found more enjoyment on reading books and conversing with his patients. When they finished eating, Hotaru volunteered to wash the dishes saying that she missed the feeling of lathered sponge on her hands. Subaru's face crinkled upon hearing that but he let it go. He then went to the living room and grabbed an outdated newspaper.
"What's the cat for?" Hotaru asked. She was suddenly in the living room, her hands still wet with traces of bubbles signifying she was not finished with her task but the stern look on her face made her question important.
Subaru did not even bother to look at his sister's eyes when he said, "You'll see."
The door bell rang in perfect timing with Hotaru's just finished task. Subaru quickly ran toward the back of their house to which Hotaru sighed. She opened the door for Mikan who greeted her with a tight hug. Mikan rarely went to Hotaru's place because it felt so empty and creepy. Hotaru knew about this and she understood it very well. She knew Mikan was not a fan of extreme quietness, her too but that was not a very important thing to learn about. The way Mikan acted revealed that she did not have any idea of Subaru's wicked plan and as she wandered around the house praising its neatness and space, Subaru came into the scene.
Mikan crinkled her nose, her hands shaking a bit. "What the heck is this? You know very well I hate cats."
Resistance. It had always been Mikan's first reaction to everything he did. It didn't matter if it will help her or not, she always resisted. When Subaru learned that Mikan was still wary of animals, cats to be particular, he instantly checked his book and latest research studies on Immersion Therapy. Before arriving to Tokyo, he already had a list on what was the most suitable intervention for the brunette and when he settled for an animal, he informed Narumi about it and settled things with Alice Academy. For Mikan, it was not exactly phobia but Subaru wanted to give it a shot, to see how she would take care of a living thing she had no feelings for.
"The more reason I am putting him under your care," Subaru explained, transferring the cat's cage to Mikan's hands.
Mikan dropped the cage but Subaru was quick to catch it. Staring nervously at the moving creature inside the silver cage, Mikan said, "No way. I have school and I can't bring pets."
"Not if you have permission," Subaru stated proudly to which Hotaru rolled her eyes, "I happened to get close with the high school principal during our dinner the other day. I talked him out if it without disclosing anything so don't you worry."
Mikan stomped her feet, pouting at the situation. "You don't play fair," she whined.
"What I only have in mind is your best interest," Subaru said as he suddenly turned serious, "Take care of Neko just today and when the day ends, tell me what you learned about and from the cat."
Being sympathetic was a trait Subaru did not want to change in him, it was also a must being in the medical field. He knew that Mikan gradually accepted responsibilities this year but only to satisfy herself. He wanted Mikan to accept a complete stranger to her life and he settled for a cat.
"Ugh, you're hopeless!" Mikan yelled as she violently snatched the cat from Subaru.
The fur terrified Mikan a lot. When she examined the cat carefully, she found out that it was a Persian cat, white in color and extremely furry. From time to time, Neko opened his mouth but no sound came out. His body curled onto her arms the entire time. Mikan was horrified because she was not used handling animals and never liked any of them before. She was sensitive on how they smell and the things they did to get a house dirtied. There was no incident that a dog or a cat or any animal bit or scared her but she was just naturally unaffectionate when it came to animals.
"Mikan, we have to go. Come on," Hotaru called out from the front door, "Bye. See you tonight, Subaru."
"I hate this day already," Mikan mumbled as she struggled on finding the right position for the cat in her arms.
Hotaru eyed his brother sharply for putting a show like this, rolling her eyes as she saw Mikan still resisting even if the cat was on her arms already. "Double time, Mikan. Since we are gonna walk, you know we should be off earlier."
"Coming!"
All the way to Alice Academy, Mikan kept mumbling on how spontaneous her day started and that babysitting a cat was too much. Neko was indeed cute but his movements sent chills to Mikan. Hotaru would occasionally pat Neko's head, earning a comment from Mikan that she should take care of Neko instead of her and lie to Subaru about the realizations for the day. Immediately, Hotaru smacked Mikan on the head, knowing fully that they could never deceive Subaru.
"Seriously, I thought he's gonna talk to me about today's results and here I am with a cat."
"He would never do that. I even asked him how he judged the entries and all I got was a smirk," Hotaru informed.
"Still no match with your big brother?" Mikan teased.
Hotaru sighed deeply. "We are not in a competition," she insisted.
Mikan shrugged her shoulders, already seeing the entrance gate of their school. "That's not what I mean," she muttered.
It appeared that they had enough time before classes started. Mikan was awfully early at the Imais and the house's distance from Alice Academy was not too far. Upon travelling the hallway, they met with Yuu who automatically recalled the school rules on bringing pets.
"Good morning to you two. Mikan, what is that? No pets are allowed here in the academy."
"It's an experiment and Neko has permission," Mikan explained.
"Let me guess. Dr. Imai put you into this," Yuu said as he eyed the cat. He could not help but feel its fur and Neko shook his body in response.
"My brother is pilot testing things with Mikan."
"He has always been like that," Yuu commented, obviously displeased with this new Subaru experiment but he chose to ask Mikan a different question to avert the topic, "They're gonna announce the winners today. Are you feeling nervous?"
Mikan refuted Yuu's assumption by shaking her head as she observed Neko scratching his own hair. "Not at all. We felt like we won already. You see, I think Yura made up with Ken and the others."
"You put up such a good film that does not aim to win?" Yuu asked incredulously.
Maybe winning was second on their goal or maybe third but Mikan couldn't believe that everyone thought they were aiming the top spot. It could be because Ken's team showed pride in what they did and it gave people the idea that this team was out to win. Mikan gave Yuu a relenting look before smiling. Well, she had no time to refute what others thought of them and waiting for the result was like waiting for classes to end, it was not a very special thing but something anticipated. Being recognized for her talent in acting was also not on Mikan's agenda.
"I must admit winning a place would be a good bonus," Mikan mumbled as her train of thought seized her then snapped out of it upon hearing a cat's whining, "Be quiet, Neko!" she said.
Yuu scratched the back of his head as he commented, "For a charming person, you sure lose yours with a cat."
There was no reply coming from Mikan and both Yuu and Hotaru understood their friend's indifferent action toward the pet. First of all, taking care of the cat was forced upon her. Second, being responsible for someone was a duty Mikan forgot a long time ago. Third and simply, she was not fond of animals. Subaru had always been bold in confronting Mikan, doing interventions she hated the most. That never stopped him before and this did not stop him now.
As the three were about to part, Sumire approached them and showed the text message she sent to every Student Council officer earlier. The time of the year came wherein they planned a relaxing outing instead of a stressful event. Sumire had always marked this week with hearts and balloons on her calendar.
"Guys, got the message? Meeting at four today. To discuss our trip. Yey! This is why I wanted Arts & Media to be over and done with," Sumire happily announced.
"What trip?" Mikan asked quickly.
"To celebrate major event successes like this Arts & Media Week, the Student Council traditionally holds an out of town trip as a form of thanks to everyone who contributed," Yuu answered. He had been part of several events and fully knew what this trip was for as he attended a few of them.
"Oh, that's how you went to Nagoya last year," Mikan recalled.
Hotaru nodded, reminiscing about that tedious trip. "That was after the Sports Fest," she informed.
Although these trips earned negative comments from other students, the administrators of the school insisted to continue it to give motivation to student leaders and prevent burnout from work. A little fun, as long as it didn't affect their classes, had always been a welcomed idea by the board members. Mikan was quite oblivious of this reward until today and she debated whether to feel excited or worry about it.
No response from Mikan and the only words that left her mouth were 'See you later' to Sumire, Hotaru, and Yuu. The brunette was too engrossed with her cat but her sight did not fail her when Ruka was just few meters from her.
"Ruka! Thank goodness. I've been trying to find you all morning."
Ruka was quite surprised that Mikan was searching for him but he was more surprised to see the cat in her arms.
"I know we're friends and I love animals but I will still not allow that cat in school," Ruka heftily reminded.
Mikan smiled nervously. Every officer she met scolded her about the cat. They were too strict. "I have permission from the principal," she immediately cleared.
"Oh? How?"
Mikan let out a long giggle, hugging Neko tighter. "Long story. Listen, I wanted to talk you about something. Do you have free time?"
"After our meeting, sure. Can you wait that long?"
"I think I can wait," Mikan said with a smile.
Not asking what would they be talking about clearly presented that these two knew what the conversation was for. As Ruka looked at the brunette's calm façade, he could not help but gather the same feeling. Of course, Ruka was a bit nervous because Mikan made him feel that way but he would not dare to say no because there were things that he wanted to clear with her. Natsume stressed out that he should start wiping the mist with Mikan and Hotaru and what perfect timing Mikan gave today.
"Okay. Catch you later."
"Oh, and can we talk somewhere private?" Mikan requested.
Ruka gave out a smirk, teasing with his words. "What? Are you gonna kill me or something?"
"Close," Mikan replied.
With a nod, Ruka couldn't agree more. "Alright. See you after the meeting."
Her request went well and she hoped later would go better. As Mikan made steps towards her classroom, Neko started being irritated as shown by his whines and non-stop movement. His claws scratched Mikan but only made a shallow damage. Mikan could not imagine bringing Neko as she confessed everything to Ruka. Neko's sound could easily shift the mood.
"Stay still, Neko. Seriously, what do you want?" Mikan said out of annoyance. She paused walking for a while to position the cat differently but Neko jumped from her arms. Mikan groaned, breathing deeply and ran to get Neko who effortlessly soared to a tree. "Oh, great. I have to get back to class and you wanted to walk back and forth in that tree branch? Why don't you just resort to cooperation and get down? If you want to get back to your real owner, just follow what I say."
Talking to Neko was stupid but Mikan was not equipped with skills on climbing trees. Being on her skirt uniform put her in lots of disadvantages, too. She then searched for a stick long enough to at least push Neko from the branch then catch for him. Mikan found one but her height was not enough to even reach the glimpse of the tree branch. Jumping in place was a futile attempt so she settled for the broken chair she found at the back of the school. The chair was far from stable but as long as she balanced her body, it would survive. Neko shook his own body, shedding tremendously as if he didn't do it for the longest time. Mikan sneezed at the smell.
Patrolling the hallways was a weekly assignment given to student officers. Koko was assigned to check the east wing while Natsume guarded the west wing. Twenty minutes was the allotted time to finish checking the hallways, scolding student who were out to skip or cut classes. Officers were tasked to do this before classes start, every break time, and after classes. The hallway was empty on Natsume's area but his sharp eyes took notice of Mikan's commotion at The Walk.
"Polka, what the hell are you doing? It is almost time. Go to your class."
Mikan checked if she really heard Natsume and when she was proven correct, she ignored his orders and continued rescuing Neko.
"I would if I can."
Natsume was displeased and went to Mikan. "Now, what is your problem this time?"
Mikan jumped from the chair one last time and still failed to grab Neko who was now on the upper part of the tree. "Are you good with cats?" she asked, slightly desperate.
Taking a look at the Persian cat, Natsume replied with a straight face, "Well, I don't hate them."
Mikan clapped her hands, wiping her sweat. "Nice. Can you ask Neko to go down?"
Based on the situation, Natsume easily concluded that Mikan was not good with cats and taking care of them. He had no idea why the cat was permitted inside the school but he reminded himself to ask later. Natsume would assume that the Persian was just a stray but when Mikan mentioned a name, he knew that the cat was under her responsibilities.
Natsume did not move an inch from where he stood.
"You shouldn't blackmail cats. They know it when a person should be trusted or not."
Mikan frowned at him, disappointed that help was not offered. "I would follow your advice but I'm not fond of cats. Thanks, anyways."
"Get back to class," Natsume reminded.
"I'm on it. Woah!" Mikan insisted as she attempted to jump higher using the chair. When she felt like flying because of the altitude of her jump, determination trumped her and was able to touch Neko's body but the cat was smarter than her. Neko jumped from the tree, landing briefly to her face, and started running. "Neko! Come back you rebellious cat! What are you standing there? Help me catch him."
Natsume watched Mikan ran for her life to catch the white cat. He glanced at his watch, groaning because he was already late then he watched Mikan again, mumbling, "Not a boring moment with you."
Then, Natsume followed Mikan. He hated running with his life but situations like this required him to show his athleticism. Neko was hard to catch because of undetermined patterns, jumping from one place to another. The cat jumped a two-meter fence effortlessly and Mikan jumped the same face skillfully but failed on having a perfect landing.
"Ouch!" Mikan yelped as she rapidly checked if she gained bruises. Looked like she was free from wounds and humiliation was something she would deal later on.
Natsume wanted to laugh and mock her for displaying such comedic feat but Neko was escaping. He then pulled Mikan's arms to help her stand up, saying, "He's getting out of sight, Polka Dots. I thought you're in the Sports Club. Run faster."
"You don't have to tell me that," Mikan pointed out and indeed ran faster, "Neko! Come back here this instant."
"You kids! Don't step on the grass!" the gardener of the Botanic Greenhouse yelled at them.
"Sorry!" Mikan yelled back.
They almost toured the entire Alice Academy just to find Neko but they did not see even the shadow of the cat. They also paid visit to abandoned rooms and spaces of the school but found no one. Sweating all over, the fair weather did not help an inch to ease the hotness they were feeling. Natsume started to feel dryness on his mouth as he looked up at the clouded skies. He decided to sit on the ground for a bit, appreciating the cool air. He wiped his sweat using his forearm then paid attention to the still energetic Mikan.
"Neko! Neko!" Mikan repeatedly called out. She didn't know anything that could call Neko's attention other than calling his name.
Natsume surveyed the scene, taking note of the school's quietness. "Neko might not be inside the school anymore," he blurted out.
Mikan covered her head with her arms and slumped on the ground just beside Natsume. She looked mortified, her heart racing like it wanted to escape her chest. "No, no way. That is a bigger problem. What if he caught in accident? Went down in manhole? Involved in dog fights? No! Subaru would kill me! Take back what you said. Take it back. That can't happen."
Rolling his eyes, Natsume found Mikan's reaction exaggerating. "Why is that cat with you anyways?" he asked finally.
"It's an experiment. I need to report what I learned from the cat at the end of the day but it seems like I will be reporting to the police instead so they could help me search for Neko," Mikan cried, rubbing her legs to the ground that left dirt stains on her uniform.
To say that she cared deeply for Neko was a lie but losing the cat might lead her to various consequences such as a punishment from Subaru, being tagged as an irresponsible caretaker, her guilt won't leave her, her father would be disappointed also. It could be worse if they found Neko in a bad position. Recklessness would forever be embedded to her. Mikan began hitting her head lightly as regret washed over her face.
Natsume simply grabbed Mikan's hand to stop hurting herself. "Lighten up," he said and poked her on the forehead.
Mikan stared at Natsume's beautiful crimson orbs. She gulped as she was mesmerized by how captivating his eyes were. "Sorry. Maybe it's just hunger that's getting into my head. I am also dehydrated."
"Then let's grab lunch," Natsume suggested, pulling Mikan up.
"But we need to find Neko first," Mikan stated, dusting out her legs.
"We will eat first then search for him. We may cross paths with Neko on our way to the cafeteria. It is past lunch so not much people will be there, makes it easier to find him."
"Okay."
The least delicious dishes of the day were the only left food at the school cafeteria. Natsume rarely ate their because he preferred eating at their bistro or at Glassroots but eating at the cafeteria once in a while was not a bad and it was better not to leave school. He went in line first, followed by Mikan who looked in deep thought choosing what to eat. After placing his meal on the empty table near the door, he went to get two glasses of water. He knew he would be coming back for more water later on. Natsume chose omurice as the main course and sautéed vegetables in honey and garlic as side dish. He ate slowly, chewing carefully the food because indigestion should not get in his way today. He still needed to do lots of walking and running unless Neko was found early.
Mikan interrogated the cafeteria crew if they saw a Persian cat roaming around the vicinity but sadly they didn't notice anything. She then went to order baked macaroni, omurice, milk and melon bread, and a bowl of fruit salad. She stayed quiet while eating, busy with her phone.
"You're really a pig. How can you eat so much?" Natsume voice out his observation.
"Oh, please. Food is happiness. I would never deprive myself of happiness," Mikan explained rather enthusiastically, "I got an idea. I will group message everyone on my contacts, telling them to notify me once they see a white, fat cat. I will also post Neko's photo on social media."
"Good that you have photos of him."
Mikan smirked. "Actually, I don't but I saw similar faces of his race on the internet. That will do."
Less than ten people were currently eating on the wide cafeteria, not much astonishment there because lunch break was far from over. Anybody could tell that they skipped classes because mostly teachers and random visitors were coming to eat but nobody reprimanded them about it. Maybe because they knew Mikan because of Narumi and they knew Natsume for being the vice president of the council. Mikan seemed to like the cafeteria food as she gushed over every single bite she took. That moment was a first. Until the other day, Natsume was avoiding Mikan and now he was having lunch with her. What a complete turn of situation.
When they finished eating, Mikan barely received helpful notifications on her post about Neko and no one still texted her. Her heavy stomach did lighten up her mood a bit, thanking Natsume for suggesting they eat first. Natsume was nonchalant about it. They walked more slowly this time as they carefully watched every corner of every direction of the hallways. It was tiring on their eyes and painful on their heads. Mikan started feeling guilty about dragging Natsume into this mess. No wonder why he tried avoiding her. She always brought problems.
But, Natsume did not complain and even he himself wondered why he actually enjoyed this little search and rescue operation they established. Mikan made small talks, randomly talking about her childhood and Subaru's weird ways. Natsume made comments once in a while but he enjoyed more listening to her. Their walk fest halted when a group of students was cheering at the bulletin board just walks away from the main entrance of the school.
"What's the commotion about?" Mikan asked.
Natsume checked the time. "It's the result. Wanna see if you won?"
The score for every category that each entry got was transparently displayed on the results board. The student votes played a major role, making a film not much favored by the faculty soaring places because of their vote. Mikan quickly took a peek, tracing their group's name with her finger and when she found it, she immediately rejoiced.
"Oh, god, we got third place! Awesomeness! And Akihiro is best actor. I have to tell this to them," she exclaimed and escaped the crowd, "Oh, they're calling me already."
Natsume watched her talk to Ken and the others in an intent manner. She was smiling, laughing, making jokes, forcing Ken to treat them to an amusement park. No trace of regret or disappointment on her face that forced Natsume to question her real feelings.
"Are you not upset that you only placed third?" Natsume asked. The entry of the first year students won first place.
Mikan pointed at herself, shaking her head. "Me? Upset? No way. This is more than what we asked for. We only wanted to convey the message of love and forgiveness. Winning isn't our thing. Besides, Yura and Ken made up so I felt like the champion in some ways."
"And here I thought that Nagihiko is obsessed with titles."
"If you get to know him better, you'll be surprised to find out that he's not for the glitz and glamour at all," Mikan suggested hopefully.
Natsume hated the idea already. "Yeah, maybe in my next lifetime."
The crowd slowly dispersed but Mikan all could think about was how hilariously choosy Natsume when it came to making friends but judging his circle of friends, he really did choose the best. Mikan wondered if she was a good addition on that circle.
"I'm sorry you missed classes. You got involved. Again. You can leave me now and you have a meeting at four so you must be on your way," Mikan said out of the blue.
Kinda like crazy but Natsume felt upset when Mikan said that. He wished to end this Neko search party with sincerity and Mikan was kicking him out. Maybe it was out of guilt because he was supposed to be a role model, patrolling the halls to reprimand students skipping classes and yet he had done it because she forced him to. But, Natsume did not feel forced. It was actually okay if the teachers reproached him for this.
"We need to find him first. Besides, I had fun."
Heat crept up to her cheeks when she heard that. Mikan never expected him to say that he had a good time.
"Really? You did?" Mikan asked for confirmation, stuttering frivolously but Natsume ignore her this time. She pouted at his refusal to repeat what he said but she was interrupted with a text froman unknown number. "Someone saw a white cat at the elementary school building," Mikan informed with urgency.
"Let's go then," Natsume said and they started running.
"Neko! Finally," Mikan yelped.
Neko's white fur darkened with grease and dirt but Mikan ignored it, beaming to hug the cat tightly as not to let him escape again. They spent all day trying to find him, searching every room, every floor, asking every person they met on their way. She did not actually bonded with Neko throughout the day but Mikan learned a lot and she could not wait to report everything to Subaru. She felt her eyes dampening as she thought of the physical hardships she experienced to find him. Mikan felt like a mother finding her lost first born.
"Oh, you stupid cat. Don't make me worry too much," Mikan sneered but her face wet with tears.
Natsume caressed the cat as he observed Mikan who was crying out of happiness. "Learn to behave next time, Neko."
"Oh, you must be hungry," Mikan remembered.
It was a touching reunion. Mikan who was adamant of Neko earlier was now showing enough affection. Natsume guessed that she really did worry of the consequences and searching outside Alice Academy was, without a doubt, a frivolous task. They only went circles with Neko and if they had split up then the higher chances of finding the cat faster but Natsume didn't mind. It was enjoyable to see Mikan in such state.
"I need to go now," Natsume reminded.
Neko was half-sleep in Mikan's arms. "Hey, thank you for helping me. I am sorry for dragging you into this mess. It was not my intention but you're the only person there so…"
"I told you it's fine."
Mikan believed him. No one could deny that Natsume had a sense of volunteerism behind that poker face of his. He could be cold but that was just an appearance. She tickled Neko slightly to wake him up.
"Okay. Neko, give Natsume your precious thanks now," Mikan said and brought the cat close to Natsume's face. He was blinded by Neko's fur as the cat's cheek touched his and when Neko was brought back to Mikan's arms, he saw her giggling with her nose a bit red and cheeks flushed. "Alright. That kiss would do. Bye."
Natsume hated it when Mikan made such an impact to him but she was oblivious of it and that gesture was no excuse.
Without further ado, Ruka began the meeting by highlighting their objectives. He wanted the meeting to be quick and productive. The teachers also wanted their proposal to be delivered this week because approving things at Alice Academy usually took longer than expected. Everyone was in complete attendance so clashing opinions could be discussed as early as now. Ruka actually anticipated Natsume to be absent because he heard that the vice president didn't attend classes today which was odd.
"We went to a hot spring last year. Have you guys don't have better suggestion?" Ruka snapped.
Everyone was silent until Hotaru made her suggestion. "The beach," she said.
Ruka found an excuse to look at her straightly. "What?" he asked even though he was fully aware of the suggestion.
"We should go to the beach this time," Hotaru repeated.
Everyone nodded but Sumire was ecstatic. She rose from her seat, displaying her excitement for the trip as if it was approved already. "I love your suggestion, Hotaru. I'm gonna buy the ultimate swim wear, floaters, Koko should have dazzling board shorts."
Koko imagined what his girlfriend just said and he was not happy about it. He was not exactly proud to show off his hairy legs and arms. "Don't talk about my outfit," Koko mumbled, frowning.
They suggested a hot spring, a tour at the mountains, a food trip, and a charity event. Everyone wanted to go somewhere and everyone had disagreements. Thinking of the beach was easy but no one immediately recommended it. Hotaru knew what she wanted from the start, she just waited for others to tell their ideas but when no one thought of the beach, she took the opportunity. She had a reason for advocating so.
"We can play beach volleyball, have bonfire, roast marshmallows. I agree that the beach would be fun," Yura added. She felt excitement, too.
"What about you, Natsume? Do you agree with the suggestion?" Ruka asked.
Natsume quickly thought of the advantages and disadvantages but since Hotaru said it, it meant that everything would be fine. He nodded and said, "No problem with me."
Ruka's tensed features lightened because they finally had something agreed upon. "Cool. We can search for places to go. I would like us to stick to a budget, also not too far from Tokyo. Everyone can join but a signed waiver is a requirement."
"We can discuss the probable locations tomorrow. I'm gonna work on it all night," Sumire announced.
"Tell me immediately so I can make temporary calculations," Hotaru reminded.
"Sure."
This was the good thing about these people. No need to order them what to do because they knew what their exact responsibilities were. Ruka felt proud as their president once again. When they agreed on something, they reached conclusion fast enough.
"You're obviously excited," Koko teased to his girlfriend.
Sumire displayed a pompous expression. "Ha! Because we never did this as friends. We always go to those boring places."
Yura begged to disagree. "That museum tour wasn't boring. I actually enjoyed it."
"What the, Yura? Are you ten?" Sumire stated in disbelief.
That museum tour was actually last year, held after Alice Academy hosted the annual journalism competition of the region. Entertaining different schools with quite number of delegates was tiring and they had to make arrangements on where the participants should sleep because some schools were far and travelling back and forth would be a waste of time. Almost all the officers faced trials back then because things refused to cooperate with their plan. In order to be reminded of peace and relaxation, they chose an out of town museum that they had big expectations from but only delivered dullness for their adventurous taste.
Ruka wrapped up the meeting, feeling satisfied with the outcome. "The dates of this out of town trip will be depends on when Alice Academy approves it. I hope everything will go fine. This meeting is done. Thank you."
He did not mean to be slow but Ruka's pace was obviously slower than his usual walk. Mikan requested somewhere private and the first thing he thought was the rooftop at the elementary school building. The steel door was left opened signifying that Mikan was already there. It was not easy for Ruka to make an excuse on why he was not going home with the others, he made up such an unbelievable lie on which he was sure Natsume saw through. But, Ruka could not just say that Mikan wanted to talk to him privately in such a casual way. Keeping this rendezvous low key was the best way to deal with it.
"Sorry. I'm late. I tried to end the meeting quickly though."
Mikan's back was facing him. It was evident she was gazing at the sun set and how its palette spread throughout the city. When Mikan noticed his arrival, she quickly turned around with Neko visibly absent from her arms. Ruka had experiences like this before and every time he had no idea how to handle it. He knew of what Mikan felt for her and he made her aware that he knew but they didn't really discuss about it. Ruka could not think of a single moment that Mikan really expressed what she felt for him. It was all praises and positivity coming from her.
Their interactions were not enough to solidify their friendship but it was safe to say their friendship could last depending on the situations and conformities. Ruka wanted to know her better and he wished that this event would not affect their friendship. Here was Ruka's problem: Mikan was acting strange and he could not fathom why.
"No worries," Mikan rebuked, "So, did you guys have a good talk?"
Her casualness made Ruka's knees weaker. She actually made him feel as if he's the one who was going to confess.
"Nothing's settled yet but it's okay," Ruka managed to say.
Mikan felt relieved hearing that, her smile turned to a serious expression. "Good then. Listen, I know this is out of the blue and I might say things that might shock you but I can't keep this forever."
"I have things to say, too."
At least, Ruka wanted that clear.
"I am ready to listen."
Ruka walked closer to her. It was hard hearing her from his distance and from the strong blow of wind. "I am ready, too."
She could express her feelings in any way she wanted, right? Mikan was such a darling but also an observant creepy girl. People should stop underestimating her all the time. Seriously.
"Here it goes. Ruka, I—"
End of Chapter
Thank you so much for the reviews last chapter. I did not expect SYRB to start gaining readers. It was such a pleasure to read your comments. I hope you liked this one.