Chapter 4: Conked Out Usual's
The rainstorm had ended and the gray mist and clouds have been swept away in the night by the wind. The wind itself had ceased and a brilliant, deep blue sky arched high over the academy. Here and there, high, high in the arched blueness floated small clouds of snow-white fleece.
All of these were taken in by our blond-headed friend who was staring outside the window of his classroom. His heart was thumping and his hands were shaking a little, much to his delight and excitement.
He was actually waiting for a certain brunette to appear so he could, at least prepare himself before she asks him out. Yes it's not a date; although he wished it was and that he need not suffer the butterflies in his stomach, but it wasn't and he is indeed, feeling nervous about it.
Nervous because he's still not sure if Mikan would really give him the other ticket and second was the fear that he might destroy this opportunity like he did in the others. It just feels so weird when he thinks it all over since it was already queer to start with, having that blackmailer the reason this was possible.
Ruka turned to look at his confidant (and worst nightmare) and was not surprised to see that her nose was stuck in a book, considering that this was one of her routine and it was typical of her to follow it.
As of now, there were only three of them inside the classroom. The president of the class was tending the ornamental plants and Ruka remembered just now that he offered to help him, after he saw the look in the president's face.
The written look on Yuu Tobita's face was the sort you make whenever you wonder what the person you're looking at was worried of.
Ruka received the same stare when he entered the classroom awhile ago, and he smiled inside for he knew well what the president was thinking of. Everybody in the academy follows their routine and it was untypical of Ruka to break it by coming to class without his best friend.
"Relax," he told the seemingly stunned Yuu, "I just went ahead of him."
He had told the president to relax, for it always meant something whenever this routine of his was broken. He said it for he knew that it was not only him who feels troubled whenever Natsume was out, dealing with things no one should and could relax about.
"NATSUUUME!"
Ruka was still looking at the president when a loud shrill cry pervaded the premises which almost caused Yuu to drop the light watering can he was holding. Ruka quickly turned about even though he already knew whose voice it was, only to find out that the certain brunette he was waiting for had an unnerving look on her green-smeared face and was after his best friend who effortlessly ran away from her.
It was not long when Yuu joined Ruka by the window and watched how Natsume dodged every blow that Mikan's slender body could afford to give. He looked at Ruka and saw that he was now staring at the raven-haired girl across the room, just as he had found him only a short time ago. Yuu had sensed that Hotaru, the vice president of the class and his friend, was already annoyed for she had placed her book down and was now looking past them and into the window, her deep violet eyes filled with irritation.
The president shifted his eyes back to Ruka who was bushing a little and was now looking at the floor. What an odd morning this is, not mentioning the rainstorm that went off in the night, pretending it had never been there and never meant to come again.
It was barely a minute when they heard clinking, most likely from a wrench being used to tighten a screw of something. Ruka and Yuu looked at the only inventor inside the room and saw that she was sitting up on her heels, fixing something under her desk.
This had been added in her routine lately and the two reckoned that this new invention of hers has something to do with her avoidance of Mikan's morning habit of hugging her as if she had been gone for years.
"COME BACK HERE YOU IDIOT!"
Another howl rang which brought Yuu to his senses.
"A-ah!" he yelped, approaching the door to calm down his other friend before she drives anyone else, especially the teachers, mad.
"Natsume you son of a pig---!" Mikan was heard screaming outside. She had plunged her, hopefully, last punch when Natsume moved at the side after kicking the door open and grabbed her arm, pulling her inside and letting her fall flat on her face.
Natsume was clever enough to realize that Mikan's small frame had drained all of its energy (and knows too well that it would recover sooner or later) that he returned to his normal pace when he entered the classroom.
"Plain green huh? It suits your face." Natsume regarded and poor Mikan knew too well that it was her underwear he was specifying.
"-And your mind." She continued, her face still on the floor for it seemed just now that she has sour buttermilk in her veins instead of vivacious that of a child's blood.
"Mikan-chan," Yuu's comforting voice called, helping Mikan to her feet by slumping her other arm around his neck and supporting her body with his.
"Oooh, I'm glad I've got a friend in you!" Mikan managed to say, although all Yuu heard was a murmur.
Natsume walked to his seat, eyeing Ruka who greeted him with a 'what was that all about?' look. He was standing beside the desk of Natsume, holding a smaller version of Yuu's watering tin.
"I just did what Youichi asked me to do." Natsume chuckled, a not-so rare occurrence nowadays. Ruka shook his head and continued to water the plants, and was careful not to give away his tenseness.
Natsume fished out his 'He is My Master' manga from the compartment and had begun to listen in spite of himself to the ranting of Mikan. She had called him names, remembering all the bad language that she had picked up at her county and from Natsume himself. In fact Mikan was surprised at how much she knew. So was Yuu, who had never heard anything like it before.
Natsume impassively ignored Mikan's outburst as he read his manga. He had too much when Mikan gave way to a frenzy of kicking, shouting and insulting, not to mention the punching and flailing at him. Despite the unproblematic evasion of her attacks, he felt exhausted too.
"I hate him so much, that---that jerk!" Mikan said, rubbing her face with the wet handkerchief Yuu had given her. He had dipped his hankie in the water present in his canister and offered it to somehow clear the smudged ink on her face. She was already sitting on her seat with Yuu gaping with concern at her humiliating green face.
"There, there Mikan-chan…I'm sure the ink would go off soon." Yuu comforted his friend with a pat on her back. It was then that Hotaru returned to her seat, keeping the wrench with her other tools and continued to read what she had stopped with awhile ago.
"Did it vanish?" Mikan asked, her eyes flashed all the signs of fret. Yuu furrowed his eyebrow and shook his head.
"I'm afraid the ink had gone real dry."
"Oh no!" Mikan cried, as she rubbed the cloth against her face harsher than before. She stopped as she felt how swollen her face had become, which caused her to whimper even more.
"M-Mikan-chan…" Yuu called, looking at others for support. But everybody seemed busy and it looked as if it was all up to him again to clean this mess. He sighed as he saw the hopeless face of his friend and can't help but feel sorry for her. He placed himself in her position…
What if their classmates enter the classroom now and see her like this? What more humiliation must she need to prove that she is indeed, doomed to failure?
Yuu looked at Mikan's so-called best friend and stood up, walking his way to her. Hotaru glanced back at him, knowing what he would ask her. She sighed as she moved her stare at her best friend and spoke in her famous droning voice.
"Mikan, come here." Hotaru commanded, and Mikan turned up and looked at her with tears brimming in her eyes. She stood up and found her way to her best friend.
"You're humiliating." Hotaru began.
Mikan sniffed.
"You look really silly." Hotaru added.
Mikan sobbed.
"You're uglier." Hotaru noted.
Mikan sniveled.
"But you're my best friend, and I'm going to help you." Hotaru ended.
Mikan looked up at her with this, feeling all so happy now that she wanted to give her a hug. Hotaru is her best friend after all, and it wouldn't hurt to hug her, would it?
"Oh Hotaru," she brushed her tears and leapt from the ground to pay her gratitude. "Hotaruuuuuuuu!"
But before she even touch a strand of her best friend's silky hair, something came out of the desk. It was a giant silver cylinder that closed around Mikan, and it was so interesting that even Natsume dropped his manga to see if Hotaru's invention would blow the annoying person inside.
It took five seconds of clanks and clatter inside the cylinder and a 'poof!' when the innovation opened and disintegrated itself back inside the desk of its creator, revealing a clean and sparkling Mikan.
"This is wonderful!" Yuu beamed, checking if there are stains left in Mikan's face, but there was none. Natsume returned to his manga, and Ruka resumed his half-done job before anyone sees his beet red face.
Yuu and Mikan danced, hopping up and down while holding hands and chanting silly 'this is wonderful!' exclamations. When they stopped, Mikan lunged forward to hug her best friend but she was once again interrupted when Hotaru slapped two cards on her face.
"Here," she offered with the same voice when the word was used inside the school barn. Mikan massaged her face while she took the tickets to look at them.
"Geez Hotaru, all I want is to hug you for the kindness you've shown---what are these?"
"Mikan-chan! Th-those are---!" Yuu attempted to speak but had stopped in the middle, much to his awe.
"Huh?" Clueless Mikan asked, facing the class president.
"But how did you get them Imai-san?" Yuu asked, now facing Hotaru who shrugged and continued reading.
"Iinchou, what are these?" Mikan persisted, brandishing the tickets in front of Yuu.
"Those are Class S passes to the upcoming race that I'm going to host!" Yuu exclaimed which made Ruka look at them. Natsume saw this and wondered why his best friend was sweating buckets. Ruka returned to his business with a grimace and it didn't escape Natsume's eyes also.
"You mean the marathon Hotaru is joining?" Mikan asked with her fully-recovered energy.
"Yes," Yuu answered, suddenly looking confused. "And they're given only to the spectators of the academy. If unusually not sold out, they would sell it to students with thousand of Rabbits per se."
Mikan looked at Hotaru, tears of happiness now flowing in her cheeks. Unlike Ruka, she didn't question Hotaru's sudden thoughtfulness because as I said before, she is after all, Mikan's best friend.
She sniffed and held tight on the tickets and decided to accomplish her goal of hugging Hotaru now that she feels really, really blissful.
"HOTARUUU!"
But she failed, because a punching glove hurtled out of Hotaru's desk and sent Mikan flying towards the wall beside the door.
"Don't push it." Hotaru said, along with the ringing of the bell.
Other classmates entered and they all looked at the person who seemed to be stuck in the wall. They all recognized who it was instantly and asked what she was doing there. They asked not because they weren't used to see Mikan stuck on a wall, but because they weren't used to see her inside the classroom before they enter.
"Hey what are these?" Anna, another one of Mikan's friends picked up the two tickets that Mikan dropped as she was thrown away. Nonoko, who is Anna's best friend and Mikan's friend too, studied the tickets and gave a louder cry than Yuu's when he saw those expensive cards.
The other students who seemed to be uninterested with Mikan's usual stuck-on-the-wall exhibit found their seats and continued to chat with their neighboring classmates about the newly-opened joke shop in Central Town.
"Hotaru gave them to me." Mikan replied with a triumphant face, regaining herself quickly as she dropped down from the wall.
"But what are you going to do with two tickets?" Nonoko asked, snatching the glossy cards from her best friend.
"I don't…I don't know." Mikan said almost in a whisper. When Sumire entered the classroom and overheard the conversation, she can't help but poke her nose in their business.
"You should ask someone to sit with you in the Class S box---"
"A-AH!"
Everybody looked at the back when they heard someone suddenly barked. They found three-star Ruka with wet pants, and it was so hilarious that Hotaru instantly turned around and caught his picture.
CLICK!
"Something bothering you Ruka?" Natsume asked, picking the watering can his best friend dropped when he gave an involuntary jump. It was the reason why his pants got wet.
"N-nothing really---" Ruka stammered, seizing the watering can from Natsume and glaring at the others who have amusing glitters in their eyes.
"-You should try Hotaru's new invention Ruka-pyon!" Mikan suddenly snapped, taking the tickets from Sumire who almost dribbled all over it. "You saw how I managed to get out of the mess right?" She winked at Ruka as she stopped half-way near him.
Ruka looked at Hotaru whose eyes shone the same twinkle whenever she has blackmailing ideas in her mind. He gulped and shook his head feverishly, blushing furiously all the same.
"Hmm? Don't worry it's not frightening at all." Mikan reassured, already taking Ruka's hands with hers, which of course, made him redder. "Oh Ruka! Are you sick or something?" Mikan had let go of his hands and raised one of hers to check Ruka's forehead.
"I---I---" Ruka tried to speak but it seemed as if he was tongue-tied and even if he wasn't, he wouldn't find the right words to say to her. His heart was throbbing so much, more and more when he saw Kokoroyomi's eyes looking at him and probably, past through his thoughts.
"-I'm not ill!" Ruka turned around, pressing his hand over his chest to somehow calm the thriving beating of his heart. Mikan blinked twice and suddenly, something committed in her memory.
What was Ruka doing here when Natsume was sitting there at the last steps to the dormitory? Did he really just wait for her to perform that practical joke of his?
Mikan's hands shook terribly as she remembered the disturbing thoughts but stopped when she felt the tickets were being crumpled in them. She thought of what could possibly make Natsume regret that he ever did that to her. And then she flicked her fingers which made Anna, Nonoko, Yuu, Sumire and several other heads turn at her.
"That's it!" she cried in joy, standing in front of Ruka now. "Will you please join me in the box?" She asked bluntly and the class roared with prolonged 'what's' and 'impossible's' along with their thunderstruck faces.
Ruka shifted his panicky eyes from the others' amused faces and at Natsume who was in one of his unhappy, disagreeable ways wherein he sat still, reading his manga and did not intend to look as if he were interested.
"A-ah…" Ruka searched the classroom, seeking support and suddenly stopped when he saw Hotaru looking at him with the same blazing violet eyes that made him sure everything was going to be fine. It took Mikan to grab his hands to wake him up and her pleading eyes to finally give his sweet reply.
"Oh alright," Ruka answered, looking away.
"Oh thank you so much Ruka-pyon!" Mikan soared and flung her arms around Ruka's neck, hugging him as tight as she would Hotaru, if only she'd let him hug her.
Several brows shot up at them and Ruka flushed in all shades of pink. When he sought approval from Hotaru, she was reading yet again and appeared completely oblivious to this.
Ponpokopi no Bebenben!
Heidi Howdy Ho! Welcome to Kero's---I mean Hiyono-chin's corner. Donguri korokoro ponpokopiiii! I'm sorry for the late and long update. Did I make it tedious to read again? Mou! Well anyway, here are the notes I have for you this time!
(1) What's up with the chapter title? Ponpokopi no hohogekyo! 'Conked Out' means broken, and 'Usual's' refer to the routines of the students. Fufufu…I'm sure you've got it now, ne?
(2) How come everyone knew suddenly what Natsume has been doing for the Academy? I just assumed that they did, since after all, 2 years have passed ne?
(3) Natsume-kun did something for Youichi! What does that mean? It has something to do with the newly-opened joke shop in Central Town. Fufufufu! And of course, I wouldn't mention it if it won't have something to do with our story ne? Hee!
(4) H-hey! I thought Mikan-chan chased Natsume-kun into the park trees? Yep she did. And if you would remember, the Middle School is located somewhere near a park surrounded by trees. So yep, that pretty much sums it up.
(5) I've specified a certain manga for Natsume-kun, entitled as 'He is My Master' or in its Japanese translation 'Kore ga Atashi no Goshujin-sama' because it is ecchi and we all know that Natsume-kun can be a little off the hook with that stuff. Fufufu…just like what Mikan-chan managed to say: her current plain green panty suits his mind.
That's all folks! Thank you for all your support! Please don't forget to ask someone to read this because I want to know if I should continue this err…slow-paced fic. Fufufufu! And please and thank you lurkers, for your reviews! wink, wink…