Beginning Note: Everytime I post this chapter I keep being presented with an error message. I'm trying again so please let me know if you're able to see this chapter!
Synopsis: 29-year-old Mikan has had a lot of regrets in her life. Not confessing her feelings for a boy she once loved back in her teens, not sticking up for herself when it was necessary, and remaining the greatest pushover in history. But all that changes when she comes across a woman named Yura, who gives her a box of candy that is found to have magical abilities to make one younger again. Frustrated with herself, Mikan decides to take a piece one day and from then on, her life takes an unexpected turn when she wakes up with the mind and body of an extroverted 18-year-old.
Disclaimer: this story is developed from the theme of the Chinese Movie Suddenly Seventeen. It does not follow the same plot nor will it ever. The only similarity will be the theme but all other input and plot is my own. In addition, Gakuen Alice belongs to Higuchi Tachibana.
It's Time For A Change!
Unlucky. A word I know all too well for my liking.
The same word that has plagued my family for centuries.
My mother used to tell me that our troubles resulted from the misfortune of an ancestor. This ancestor's suffering could have been avoided if it were not for her beauty.
Well, original beauty for the matter.
So growing up, my mother recited the same line over and over again: You will only find misfortune in beauty.
She warned me to stay away from societal notions of beauty as the standards were unrealistic and troublesome. What I needed to focus on was my future success.
But that success is still a reach.
For as long as I've been alive, never in my life did I believe anything could get better.
The curse of bad luck followed me everywhere I went, bothering me to exhaustion.
Where it began, I don't know. I never did fall victim to the ancestor story. But why it started is the begging question.
"Are you listening Miss Sakura?"
Listening wasn't the issue but understanding the task being delegated was. Sakura Mikan pushed the drooping glasses up the bridge of her nose. The rims were so wide and lens so thick that getting a clear depiction of her facial features was virtually impossible. She rubbed her nose, a gesture the person who asked her the question, found revolting.
"Please use the sanitizer before you touch anything." Mikan inspected her finger and shrugged her shoulders. Nothing of the slimy sort rested on the span of her finger. She was just getting rid of an itch. "Anyway, complete the items on this list and report to the boss before tomorrow morning." She was handed, or more like tossed, a sheet filled with numerous items impossible to finish by the end of the day.
"This is a lot to push on one person," Mikan grumbled. "I don't think I can get it all done before tomorrow morning."
"Then get a head start now." The sound of footsteps echoed as Mikan watched the retreating figure with contempt.
"Goodness, they always leave me with the heavy load of work to do," she bemoaned to herself and sat down in her cubicle revolving seat in a huff. As expected from her terrible luck, the chair rolled back from the sudden force and she fell on her bottom. A couple coworkers paused to watch her in amusement. "How embarrassing," she muttered before getting back up onto her seat.
Just as she started getting work done, another coworker of hers bothered her with an errand. "Hey Miss Sakura," said her male coworker named Mori Reo.
Mikan stopped typing on her keyboard and turned her head with a tight lipped smile. "Yes?" She didn't like this particular colleague of hers because of his habit of dropping his tasks on her. Instead of doing his job like he was supposed to, he spent time flirting with the other female workers, with the exception of her. His reputation stood as the aloof playboy who had the favor of the boss.
"Boss asked me to hand deliver this document to Sono Enterprise but I'm tied up right now with … ahem … other stuff at the moment," Reo said as his eyes wandered to a particularly attractive popular female in the office named Harada Misaki.
"I don't know because I already have all these items to get done," Mikan said as she held up the list. Normally she would have simply done the task with no complaints, but this time was different. A certain someone at the enterprise worked there and she absolutely did not want to see him by chance.
Reo ruffled his auburn hair and grinned, a silver premolar tooth showed. It was probably in place for aesthetic reasons. "C'mon man just this one time? Please, for me?" He pleaded with both hands clasped.
"But-" Mikan hesitated. She nervously bit her lip and her fingers curled in causing her knuckles to turn white.
"I won't ask you to do anything for me ever again after this." A blatant lie.
Mikan groaned as she rested her palms on her forehead. "You always say that," she muttered. Just speaking to him stressed her out.
"Okay but this time I'm serious," said Reo. He was never serious and would never be.
"Just give me the document," Mikan held out her hand without not looking at him. The envelope was given to her and she placed it on her desk.
"Thanks, you're a real pal. Have it delivered before 4pm or boss will get upset," Reo directed her, giving her a smirk before sauntering off after the office beauty.
Mikan heaved a sigh and stood up, document in hand. She rummaged through her purse and took out her beloved cellphone. The enterprise was located at a building a couple blocks away. She could get there in under ten minutes if her legs didn't fail her through the bustling crowd of commuters. She tucked her phone into her pants pocket and proceeded out the door of the office and down the glimmering hallway, curtesy of the sanitation staff.
A breeze fanned her face when the exit opened and she walked outside. Thank heavens she wore pants or the wind could expose her to the world. Her block heels clacked on the pavement as she made way to the dreaded building. Each step felt heavier the closer she got and her desire to turn around and run away exponentially rose. Her breathing quickened when the building came up in view and she paused for a moment.
"Oh goodness," She bemoaned, pressing the document closer to her chest. "I need to calm down, least I add further ridicule to myself," she prepped herself. After getting her breaths to slow down, she continued walking until she entered the building and reached the receptionist.
"Can I help you?" the monotonous voice of the receptionist deadpanned. He looked up at Mikan with expressionless eyes.
"I am supposed to deliver this envelope to Mr. Sono," Mikan replied. She scanned the reception area, taking in the atmosphere. There was an unhealthy amount of plants for show that made her eyes water. She figured it was an omen from the person she did not want to come across, that if she encountered him, it would mean bad news.
She focused her attention back to the receptionist who was busy with a telephone to his ear. "Mom, I told that you I don't want to go to an arranged marriage meeting. Stop introducing me to these ugly women," he barked into the phone. The volume of his voice resonated throughout the room, catching everyone's attention.
Mikan looked down, concealing her face with her locks. "Excuse me?" she said in hopes she could get the male's attention away from the telephone.
"What?" the receptionist snapped.
"I-I just need to deliver this and then leave," Mikan said.
The receptionist rolled his eyes. "Hand it over," he commanded her to which Mikan quickly followed. "Thirteenth floor," he said and gave the envelope back to her.
"Huh?" Mikan rose a brow. She didn't think this man was going to make her go all the way up to deliver the file. Couldn't she just leave it with him so their mail carriers could come get it? Something was telling her that he was being lazy.
"Do you have any further questions?" he drawled out, clearly distracted.
"Is it possible to leave it with you? I have to hurry back to my office and get work done," she asked.
"We don't do charity work here. You have two working feet so why not do it yourself?" the receptionist haughtily said.
Just as Mikan was about to say something, the elevator next the reception desk dinged and out came Sono Kaname: her worst enemy.
Alright, worst enemy was a bit harsh to use.
He existed as the man that dumped her back in high school, one week into their relationship. His excuse was that his poor grandmother contracted pneumonia and he needed to care for her. Initially, Mikan felt sympathetic towards his situation until she discovered the lie behind their relationship. She was a bet all along and the rule was Kaname had to last seven days before calling it quits for a couple hundred dollars.
The insult came from being worth only a couple hundred dollars.
Never mind that. Someone else had her heart. Besides, getting hung up over a man she knew only for a week was ridiculous. She didn't like even him. Someone showing interest in her made it exciting.
"Mikan?" Kaname said when he caught site of her. Mikan mentally screamed and forced herself to look at him. So she still couldn't shake the feeling of irritation whenever he was around. But she could muster up the courage to face him in order to lessen the burden of his presence.
"Hello," she managed to utter out.
"Fancy seeing you here." Kaname cheekily grinned at her, slightly aware of the effect his presence had on her. "Why are you here? Did you miss me that much?" he questioned. It was obvious how much he enjoyed teasing her.
Mikan thrusted the envelope in his direction and spat out, "This is for you." For once she was glad the thick rimmed spectacles kept her expression from being easily deciphered.
Kaname plucked the envelope out of her hand and tossed it to his bewildered receptionists who got smacked right in the face with the file. "Rui, have the mail carriers send it to my office," he instructed him. Mikan watched as the receptionist made a face and grumbled behind Kaname.
"I will be leaving now," she bowed her head and then tried to make a getaway but the grip on her forearm prevented her from reaching freedom.
"It's been so long since I last seen you. Why don't we get coffee?" Kaname suggested.
Mikan pulled her arm out of his grasp and spoke, "I have work to do." And it was a legitimate reason. She didn't forget the fact that there lay a long list of items to finish, waiting patiently on her desk back at the office.
Kaname clicked his tongue and leaned forward, his lips nearing her ears. "If you change your mind I'll be here." That was enough to get her feet moving out of the building, leaving a cloud of imaginary smoke in her wake.
She made it back to the building and to her desk only to see that her coworkers had left more of their assigned work for her to do. "Why?!" she groused. A female coworker sitting at the cubicle in front of her, reached out with a snickers bar in hand and Mikan gave her an incredulous look.
"Have a snicker," the female said, trying to bite back a smile. "You're not you when you're angry." A couple snorts came from beside them and Mikan then understood it was supposed to be a joke. Not in the mood to go along with it, she took the candy bar and placed it in her desk drawer.
"Thanks," she responded back, ignoring the annoyance that crossed her coworker's face, and sat down to continue her work.
"No fun," she heard the female say.
While Mikan typed up documents on the computer and ran around the office doing errands, the number of people dwindled with each passing hour. Soon only she remained in the office, with the exception of the boss who stayed late to get a head start for the next day.
She intertwined her fingers and stretched her arms up. The time read 7pm, three hours past clock out and she wouldn't even get paid for overtime work. A headache felt soon coming so she decided to take a short break to scroll through social media on her phone.
And it was the same old news. Old classmates getting hitched, having kids, or earning promotions at their dream jobs. Meanwhile, Mikan had a firm position in a menial job that hardly paid the bills. Not like her apartment even held a five-star rating, two star at best. So the bills could hardly be characterized as expensive for a middle class citizen. But in her case, it was.
A thought popped up in her mind and she slowly turned her head to peek at the lit office of her boss, before turning back to her phone.
Hyuuga Natsume
She typed the name in the search bar of the active application. A handsome face popped up on the screen and she kept scrolling down through the feed.
"I wonder if he's still with that Koizumi girl?" she pondered while flipping through images. "Hmm no pictures. Maybe they aren't together anymore?" She smiled to herself at the thought of it being a possibility. Chances were he could be single for a few weeks before finding the next A-lister to indulge in.
Mikan didn't know why the probability made her so giddy. It's not like a guy like him would ever consider her. Her role in this life was to be the unknown and unwanted background character. That kind of living was the natural order.
She pressed the phone to her chest and heavily sighed. No use in entertaining such a wild imagination.
"You're still here?" a baritone voice coming from behind startled her, causing the phone on her chest to slid down and almost hit the floor. By some random luck, it landed in the hand of the male behind her. She whipped her chair around to retrieve the device but became horrified when the person observed the image on her phone. Acting fast, Mikan grabbed the phone out of his hand and shifted to the side to put some distance between them.
"E-Excuse me sir!" she quickly bowed. "T-T-This isn't w-what it appears to b-be," she stuttered.
The man standing before her scratched the back of his hair. "It's alright. Raise your head up," he said and Mikan timidly did so. "You're working overtime when you don't get paid past your scheduled hours?" Thank goodness he didn't comment on why his image was clearly on her phone screen.
"I was told that you needed the items on the list to be completed before tomorrow morning," Mikan responded, albeit rather nervously. She watched as her superior's eyebrows furrowed.
"I told that damn assistant to divide up the work, not give it to one person," he groaned, pinching the skin between his brows. "Okay, go home," he dismissed her.
"B-But sir I haven't finished yet!" Mikan exclaimed. "I don't want to burden you!" she said too loudly, ultimately embarrassing herself by the unexpected bravado. Her cheeks tinted pink but the mess of her hair concealed them.
"No, I'll finish it myself. It's late so go home," he told her.
"I insist that in the least, you should allow me to help you by dividing up the work. T-That is if you don't mind," Mikan shyly replied. She received a contemplating look but then had her offer accepted, to her joy.
As suggested, the two of them divided up the remaining items and got busy. Work seemed more fun having someone you admired doing the same things as you. When he wasn't paying attention, Mikan gazed at him, appreciating his features. His hair the color of raven feathers, the sharpness of his nose and the chiseled features of his jaw. Hyuuga Natsume was the definition of perfection.
They finished by the time the clock struck midnight and both were equally exhausted. Mikan gathered her belongings together and put on her cardigan.
Her boss came out of his office, turning the light off and closing the door behind him. He motioned Mikan to follow him as he walked over to the elevator. "I'll drive you home. It's too dangerous for you to be alone in this dead night," he said and Mikan didn't argue. For the first time, she would be a passenger in the car of a celebrity. Maybe she wasn't so unlucky.
"Thank you," she said to him while entering the vehicle.
"Address?"
"Oh yes, I don't live too far from the office. I can tell you where it is."
It was a fifteen-minute drive from the company building to the apartment complex she lived. In other words, she got to spend the best fourteen minutes of her life with the man she admired and she couldn't be more elated. In the last minute, she felt a bubbling sensation in her abdomen and thought it to be the mysterious butterflies in the stomach. But the gurgling that resonated in the car said otherwise. Mikan mentally screamed, now wanting to get out of the car as soon as possible. During the whole day, her bowels had not made any noise but decided to come out of its silence at a crucial moment.
"This is the place," she quickly said when the complex came in sight. The car doors unlocked and Mikan fumbled to get her purse, undoubtedly still flustered by the incident. She opened the door and shakily stepped out. "Thank you so much for the ride," she bowed and as she was fixing her stance, the car sped off. She pouted at the vehicle disappearing in the distance and then spun around to make a beeline for the complex door.
Mikan inserted her key into her apartment door keyhole and she could here scratches from behind the door. "Whiskers!" She happily greeted her cat by crouching to the floor and rubbing the back of the feline's ears. She wrapped her arms around the cat's torso and lifted it up, using her foot to kick the door closed.
"Did you miss me?" she said as she petted her cat's fur. She set him back down and walked over to her bedroom to get ready for a much needed shower. After stripping herself of her sweat soaked attire, she threw a towel on herself and went inside the bathroom. She felt refreshed after cleaning herself off and went out to put on a change of comfortable clothes. Her idea of comfortable was wearing an oversized t-shirt and baggy sweatpants. She walked over to her bed and gathered the blanket in her arms and then walked out of her room to settle down on the living room sofa.
Tonight was the premier of a new show she had been eyeing during commercial breaks and she wanted to check it out to see if it was worth the hype. The actors had been hidden for the purposes of preserving everyone's anticipation.
She draped her blanket around her body and grabbed the remote to turn on the television. Once she reached the desired channel, she picked up her phone and began dialing the number for the local chicken delivery restaurant.
"Can I have a box of wings and a side order of sweetened radish?" she ordered and then hung up after it was confirmed.
'And now we bring you the pilot premier of the hit new series, The Young Old Woman' came a voice from the television. Mikan shifted her body to lay down on the sofa. Whiskers scurried over and leaped on to the sofa to snuggle next to her which she happily welcomed.
'Starring Koizumi Luna and Shuichi Sakurano. Directed by Anju L. Narumi and produced by Serio Rei." Mikan's mouth gaped open upon seeing the unparalleled beauty on the screen who held the interest of the man she admired.
"When did she become an actress?" she said as she observed the moving images of Luna plastered on her screen. Her cellphone began ringing and she sat up abruptly. Her sudden movement caused Whiskers to jump down and run off in some unknown direction while Mikan picked up her call.
"Hello?" she said.
"Mikan," came the voice of Hotaru. "Are you watching the premier?"
"Yes I am. You would not believe who the actress is!" Mikan exclaimed.
"I know who it is, that's why I called you," Hotaru scoffed. "I'm amazed her subpar acting got her this far," she commented.
"Maybe she got better?" Mikan pondered. "Taking acting classes and practicing?"
"I doubt that's the reason. It's more believable that her face and body helped her land this role. Just listening to her voice is grating to the ears."
Mikan couldn't help but agree with Hotaru's statement. Luna was rather stiff and her lines sounded so unnatural. If she didn't improve anytime soon, the show's hype would quickly die down.
"And I was so excited for this show," Mikan sighed.
"Might as well watch it to the end. Put me on speaker," Hotaru said and Mikan did so, placing the phone on the armrest of the sofa.
The two continued watching the premier, making comments every now and then about how terrible Luna's performance was. Thirty minutes in, a knock came from her door and Mikan quickly got up.
"Chicken delivery!" said the person behind the door.
"Coming!" Mikan responded back and looked into her purse for her wallet. Once she found it, she walked to the door and opened it.
"Twenty dollars please," said the delivery man. Mikan handed him the cash and was given the box. "Thank you for your service," the man said and then jogged toward the stairs.
Mikan closed the door and walked back into the living room to place the box on the coffee table in front. She opened the lid and took a whiff of the fried poultry, her mouth watering in the process.
"You'll gain a lot of weight with all that chicken you keep eating," Hotaru said through the phone.
"I'll also be gaining protein and a satiated hunger," Mikan countered. She picked up a drumstick and bit into the savory food.
Bzzzt
She looked down at her phone and saw a message notification from a friend of hers. "Sumire just texted me some link," she said to Hotaru. She opened the link and was surprised to see a flitter status that read: Engaged to Hyuuga Natsume. "What the-" Before she could continue, she received another link that showed Luna wearing what appeared to be an engagement ring.
"I think Luna just got engaged," Mikan said in disbelief. "I thought she had split up with Natsume when I couldn't find her photos on his page."
"Send me the link," Hotaru said. She promptly received the message and clicked on the link. "Take it with a grain of salt because I would know if my own cousin got engaged to that plastic woman."
"But why would she lie about such an important event?" Mikan questioned. "I can't see any reason to put it on social media if it isn't true." She didn't want to admit it but the idea of Natsume being engaged to Luna bothered her. Just when she thought they were done, her excitement had become short lived.
"We'll find out if it's true at the upcoming school reunion," Hotaru assured.
"Reunion?"
"You forgot about it."
It's not like she accidentally forgot. It was on purpose because she had no plans to go. Why be reminded that everyone had something going for them in their lives while she remained the same. Her high school memories were nightmares with the exception of the few good ones she made with her current friends. If she made a grand appearance at the reunion, surely the people who picked on her would have a field day.
"I don't want to go and be humiliated."
"If you dress up and take off those ridiculous glasses, I'm sure you'll be fine," Hotaru attempted to assuage her apprehension.
"Certain people will be there," Mikan pressed.
"Sono Kaname is an irrelevant who tricked you into dating him for seven days. That was eleven years ago. Get over it," Hotaru said in irritation.
"Okay and Natsume? How am I supposed to deal with that if Luna is really engaged to him?"
Hotaru sighed heavily. "If it's true then you'll need to get over your crush on him."
"I do not have a crush on him!" Mikan spouted.
"Alright you're undeniably in love with him," Hotaru said. It was a fact.
Mikan rubbed her temple. "What do you suggest I do then?"
"Change your current habits and try to adopt a new and less depressing outlook on life," Hotaru advised her. "Because if you don't fix that behavior, you're going to continue to brood and ultimately regret it in the end."
A part of Mikan knew Hotaru was right and that she should take her words seriously. Her friend wouldn't say anything unless she felt it important and Mikan knew she had her best interest at heart. However, to change herself seemed like an impossible task. It implied removing herself from the bubble of reclusiveness and putting herself out there. She couldn't just wake up one day a new and 'improved' person with the ability to tackle anything the world threw at her. Maybe she had gotten too comfortable living in the realm of bad luck.
"Remember that I only say this because I care about your wellbeing," Hotaru continued. "I have to go and tuck Mizuki in."
"Tell Mizu-tan I said I love her and she should have sweet dreams," Mikan said.
"Will do," replied Hotaru and the call disconnected.
Mikan turned her attention back to the screen. Koizumi Luna was making something out of her life, even if she couldn't act for her life. So shouldn't she use that as an opportunity/ picker up to set her life in motion?
Yura
Mikan suddenly remembered the name of that mysterious woman who gave her the duped box of candy. She stood up and walked into the kitchen in search of the box. A golden glowing light shone from behind one of her cupboards and she opened it up to find the light emitting from the box. She took it out the cupboard and set it on the counter. Her fingers tentatively opened the lid and the candy inside still remained intact. She counted that there were twenty inside, each specially decorated with intricate wrapper designs. She felt the satin under the lid and paused, coming across a strange lining.
"There's something in there," She said as she opened the drawer in front of her to take out a pair of scissors. Carefully, she cut along the line until she could see what lay underneath the cloth. Inside was a necklace and a card that had written word on it. Mikan took the card and brought it closer to her face.
It read:
Welcome to your fate Sakura Mikan. These candies have been specially made for your consumption. Please follow the directions carefully because any mistake will lead you into a horrible fate.
Please be mindful that each candy has its own side effects and will only show depending on your capability.
Take only one whole candy in a 24-hour period. No exceptions or you'll face consequences. Its lasting impact will depend on you, the user.
Refrain from sharing the candies and keep them safeguarded. Once the supply has diminished, you will not receive any more so be careful with what you decide.
The candies cannot be thrown away so eat all of them to completion and in the correct order as numbered.
The necklace is a protection charm so wear it at all times after taking the first candy. If you do not wear the necklace, you will face danger.
Lastly, enjoy because you're in for a wild adventure ahead.
"I must be going crazy to think some special effects lighting on a box with stale candy will change anything," Mikan laughed to herself and placed the card down. This had to be a practical joke. No way could sweets do anything for her.
"Do you want to change your fate or not?"
Those words spoken by Yura appeared in her mind. Her brows furrowed and she tapped the surface of the counter, trying to make a decision. She finally came to a conclusion and gazed back at the candies. She lifted the first candy and unraveled it.
It was fiery red.
"Here goes nothing." She plopped the hard delicacy in her mouth and bit down. A cinnamon flavor spread throughout her mouth as she chewed the candy until she swallowed. She waited to feel any significant changes in her body but felt none and frowned. "I knew this was a waste of time." Mikan closed the box lid in anger and turned around to go back to watching the show. Somehow, the room started to get blurry and turn dark. She soon found herself unconscious on the kitchen floor.
It was from this significant day my life began its drastic turn.
End Note: Whew! I finally got the chance to work on this chapter. I'll hopefully upload the next chapter after I finish my final exams.
Thanks for reading and please follow up with a review!
Rated T for minor adult themes and language.
Proof-read: 5/08/2017
Author: Napperon