"Hotaru, why haven't you been answering me?"
Hotaru stopped her fork in mid-air and sighed.
"When I say something you can at least respond!"
Hotaru looked calmly at the furious girl next to her.
"Because-" she slowly poked a pea, "-it's rude to talk with your mouth full."
"Huh?"
Mikan reddened as she looked down the long table and realised that almost everyone was looking at her open mouth in disgust. She fell silent and hurriedly wiped her mouth.
As usual, Hotaru hid her own amusement. Really, she thought, Mikan could be so stupidly adorable.
Hotaru bit into her watermelon slice and silently observed the next table.
There he was.
The other person who probably thought that Mikan, too, was adorable.
Hotaru wickedly patted her trusty camera, but she didn't think that Ruka would be looking in Mikan's direction today. He was staring off into blank space.
Hotaru guessed that the empty seat next to him must be the reason for his anxiety.
She took another bite.
Natsume had always moved in a totally different social circle from her, and because of all the bad rumours about him, she had been perfectly fine with that. But ever since Mikan came, it was as if Natsume and Ruka had been forced into her world.
Like the Predisposition Type musical.
Natsume had met her eyes and in that moment, both knew what the other was going to do. And, of course- Hotaru smiled a secret smile- she had started her ever-growing archive of Ruka photographs for handy blackmail material.
She neatly balanced her watermelon rind on the edge of the plate.
Oh well, future interaction with the two boys would probably be inevitable from now on. But there was something Mikan had said that made her wonder.
'In that way, he's just like Hotaru...'
What did Mikan mean?
The two girls had never had the time to relate to each other what had happened after Reo had taken Natsume away and Mikan had also never described her one week as Natsume's slave. And although virtually everyone except Mikan herself knew that Ruka liked her, Hotaru remembered that Mikan hadn't blushed while dancing with Ruka, yet her cheeks had been red when she came back from the washroom. (Had she gone to apply rouge? Hotaru quickly but reluctantly discounted that intriguing idea.)
Strange.
She must remember to do a bit of snooping and find out what happened.
"Imai-san, Misaki-sensei would like to see you in the drawing room now. Oh, or are you still eating?"
"No. I'm done."
Hotaru stood up and glanced at the clock- lunch hour would be ending in twenty minutes. And still no sign of Natsume.
"Hotaru-chan, we'll see you later at tea then."
She nodded and left the table.
Hotaru, you're too cold...
Mikan sniffled. And stabbed at a baby carrot.
Heartless girl!
She stabbed at a pea. And missed.
The fork clattered and Iinchou looked at her in concern.
"Mikan-chan, didn't you say you were going with Andou-senpai to pick Sonoo-senpai up from the hospital?"
"Oh!"
How could she have forgotten?
Mikan pushed away her plate and jumped out of her seat, nearly knocking Iinchou over.
"Mi...Mikan..."
"That's right, I almost forgot! Thanks, Iinchou!"
Mikan tore down the stairs. What would Tsubasa-senpai say? He would have been waiting at the Special Ability Type classroom for nearly twenty minutes now!
She swerved the corner, slipped on something and nearly fell onto someone.
"Hey, watch it!"
"Tsubasa-senpai!" She gasped. "You're here!"
"Well, that's because you weren't there. I thought that I had better check on you."
He smiled down at her.
"I'm sorry..."
"Don't worry about it. We can't go greet Kaname with a face like that, can we?" He patted her head and turned to Misaki. "Well then, let's go!"
Mikan turned to follow them and nearly slipped again.
"Leaving things around like that!"
Mikan stomped her feet in anger and snatched up the plastic packet, ready to fling it into the dustbin. Then she caught sight of the label: 'HYUUGA NATSUME'.
"Um, Mikan, is everything all right?"
Feeling slightly confused, she stared blankly at her seniors.
"Um, yeah."
Mikan dropped the packet into her skirt pocket and ran after them.
Ruka had seen Mikan go and wondered why suddenly, his friends all seemed to be in a hurry to leave. Even that dreaded Hotaru whose camera he had learnt to be wary of had left the lunch table early.
Where was Natsume?
At this rate, he wouldn't have the time to eat anything. Oh well, he would pack something back for Natsume then.
Ruka filled a lunchbox, then reflected that he had probably taken too much since Natsume hardly ate anything.
"Ruka-kun, are you going back?"
"Yeah."
Would Natsume still be in his room?
Ruka left the dining hall and headed for the dormitories. Although he would probably be rebuffed, Ruka didn't want to leave Natsume alone for too long. He had been acting too strangely as of late. Ruka sadly wished that Natsume wouldn't hold things back from him. Natsume had never cried since that night, but he never smiled either. Except when... Ruka turned back towards the junior dining hall.
Natsume would cheer up if Youichi came along.