Himeno: This chapter will be shorter than the last one.
Aoi: Himeno-chan, we can I get to meet Mikan-chan?
Himeno: Oh, you're gonna meet her in this chapter.
Aoi: Really?
Himeno: Yup!
Aoi: Hooray!
Mikan: Yay!
Natsume: Shut up, you two!
Mikan: And why should we listen to you, jerk?
Aoi: Onii-chan, don't be rude!
Himeno: Let's get started.
Kokoroyomi: (I wonder when I will appear…) this author doesn't own this series.
Raito: And I belong to JC-Zala!
Natsume the Jerk
Episode 3: My New Model
When class was over, the students started talking about the fight between Natsume and three notorious boys.
"Can you imagine," Sumire Shouda exclaimed to the small group of fan girls clustered around her. "Those awful boys practically murdered our Natsume-kun!"
Wakako Usumu, the vice-president of the Natsume-Ruka fan club, nodded vigorously. She had short dark-blue hair with a small pigtail. "They have no right to hit Natsume-kun!"
"I wish those boys will get expelled," Sumire said, folding her arms.
"Yeah!" Usumu agreed.
The class representative, a cute blonde boy with glasses, interrupted the girls' unpleasant thoughts with a cough. "Please excuse me, but the cleaning crew for today needs to do their job now."
The fan girls glanced at him. No one had reasons to stay in the room any longer, so they couldn't bicker at the class representative. They usually don't respect boys, except for Natsume and Ruka. The girls took their bags and hurried off to the door.
Meanwhile, Anna and Nonoko were thinking not of the incident in the lunchroom, but about not being able to show Mikan around. They wanted to be really close with the brunette, not because of her popularity, but because of friendship.
So when Mikan approached them, Anna and Nonoko quickly bowed their heads.
"No need to apologize," Mikan said.
"But you haven't seen the whole school yet," Ann said, twisting the dirty rag in her hand.
"And you don't have a taping today," Nonoko added.
"It's all right!" Mikan assured them. "There are still other days! Come on, girls, cheer up!"
Anna and Nonoko put on a smile.
"You three are getting along fine," the class representative said as he walked over to the girls. He glanced at Mikan and showed her a perfect set of teeth. "I haven't introduced myself to you yet."
"You're the class rep of this class, right?" Mikan asked, placing a finger at the tip of her chin.
The blonde boy nodded. "My name is Yuu Tobita," he introduced properly and politely. "Feel free to call me Iinchou like the rest."
"Iinchou," Mikan said, "let's be friends, okay?" She beamed him a high-class smile.
"Sure… I would be delighted to."
"Thank you, Iinchou."
Mikan walked outside and spotted Natsume and Ruka loitering on the school lawn. Ruka's blue-eyes saddened as he talked to Natsume.
As Mikan passed by, Natsume suddenly looked at her.
"Hey, polka-dots," he called Mikan by that ridiculous nickname again.
"That's not my name, Natsume," Mikan told the jerk. "Plus, I'm not even wearing polka-dots today!"
Natsume nodded. "You're right…" he muttered as he stood up. "You're wearing a pink-laced panty, correct?" His face looked stoic.
"WHAT?!!" Mikan's face turned red with anger. "You saw? When?"
"I have my ways," he simply said, looking bored.
"BAKA HENTAI!!!" she screamed.
Natsume, annoyed with her loud voice, pulled her closer to him by tugging her silky hair. "Shut up, polka-dots."
"Stop it," Ruka said. He wished his best friend would stop picking on Mikan. Was it really a big crime for Mikan to throw away Natsume's manga? Ruka already saw Natsume retrieving his manga again after Mikan threw it out the window. He didn't understand why Natsume continued teasing Mikan as if he was interested in her. Wait, hold that thought… Natsume, interested? No, that can't be…
"You're really annoying, little girl," Natsume said as he released her hair.
"You're the one to talk, jerk!" Mikan retorted, stomping on her foot. "If you want me to pay for that stupid manga of yours, then you can forget it. I don't owe you a single cent!"
Natsume shrugged. "I don't care about the manga anymore."
"Then why do you keep picking on me?" Mikan said, all flustered.
"It's more fun to pick on you than anyone else," he replied flatly, rolling his eyes.
"You're such an idiot!" Mikan yelled out.
Ruka gasped silently at Natsume's words. His best friend actually enjoys teasing Mikan? For five long years, Natsume continuously ignored other people. But ever since Mikan came, Natsume had changed a bit, and Ruka could see that very well. It was Ruka's first time to see Natsume giving attention to a girl, other than Aoi. Weird, yes! Maybe, Ruka thought, maybe Mikan was the key to change Natsume for the better.
Ruka smiled secretly, as the two continue to argue.
"I've had enough of you, Natsume!" Mikan drawled, spinning around. "I don't want to waste anymore time with you."
"Then go home, already," Natsume concluded.
Mikan restrained herself from responding to Natsume. Instead, she turned to Ruka and smiled. "Ruka-pyon, see you later!" she chirped. She ran off, whipping her long auburn hair back, and left the two boys in shock.
"Ruka-pyon?" the two popular boys muttered in unison. Both of them knew what 'pyon' means, but Natsume wondered why the hell Mikan called his best friend that. On the other hand, Ruka realized that Mikan called him 'pyon' because of the rabbit she saw with him last night.
Ruka blushed in embarrassment and hoped that Natsume will not ask him any questions regarding the new nickname.
Natsume didn't' seem to care and started walking away.
"Ah! Natsume, wait up!" Ruka uttered, and then he went after his friend.
When Ruka arrived home, Mrs. Nogi called out, "About time, Ruka! Hurry and get to the table—dinner's almost ready."
"Okay, mom," Ruka said, hurrying upstairs to put his bag in his room. He came back downstairs and, much to his surprise, he saw Mikan Sakura talking to his mother.
"You're the perfect model for my new trends of fashion, dear," Mrs. Nogi assured Mikan, pausing to give her a quick hug. "I'm glad you took my offer."
Ruka, observing Mikan's radiant smile, couldn't help blushing ten shades of red.
"There you are, Ruka," Mrs. Nogi called, snapping Ruka back to reality.
"Konbawa, Ruka-pyon!" Mikan greeted happily.
"Sakura, what are you doing here?" Ruka asked.
Mrs. Nogi took the liberty of answering for the sweet brunette. "Didn't I tell you? Mikan-chan is my new model for my new clothes. Isn't that great?" Ruka's mom was a famous fashion designer—a skilled one to boot.
"And I'll be glad to showcase your mom's clothes," Mikan said.
"Some of my new clothes are already set," Mrs. Nogi said, looking excited. "And I wanted Mikan-chan to try them on later, which is why I invited her for dinner."
"Okay, I understand," Ruka answered.
Mrs. Nogi chattered her fashion shows all the way through dinner.
"By the way, you and Mikan-chan are classmates, am I right?" Mrs. Nogi asked, tactfully changing the subject.
"Yes, mom," Ruka told her.
Mikan sipped her cup of orange juice. "Ruka-pyon is really a nice guy, Mrs. Nogi." She put down the cup and took a bite of her steak.
"Of course!" Mrs. Nogi's eyes sparkled like stars. "My Ru-chan is the best." Spoken like a true mother who cared for her son very much, Mrs. Nogi liked to baby Ruka as much as possible, much to Ruka's dismay.
Ruka groaned. "Mom, I told you to stop calling me that." He didn't like the nickname, Ru-chan, one bit.
"Ru-chan is a cute name," Mrs. Nogi replied. "And I like the name, Ruka-pyon, too!"
Ruka's face flushed red in embarrassment.
"I agree with your mom, Ruka-pyon!" Mikan added, wiping her mouth with a clean table napkin.
And Ruka just sank in his chair, trying to hide his very red face.
After dinner, Ruka went up to his room. Fortunately, he didn't have a lot of homework. He wanted to visit the park again to spy on Natsume, but knew it would be a waste of time. His best friend, being the stupidly cold-hearted being, wouldn't want his presence there anyway.
He sat in silence for several minutes, worrying over Natsume, when Mikan came into his mind.
Then Ruka bit his lip. Would that be right? He jumped off the bed and began to pace up and down. Would Sakura help him with deal with Natsume?
He shook his head and hurried to the dressing room at the east wing of the mansion. Walking through the hallway, he soon arrived at the said place and opened the door.
To his utter amazement, he saw a striking beauty before him. "S-Sakura?" He was speechless.
Mikan looked exactly like a princess in the creamy-white ball gown—carnation pink tube, a white bolero with puffed long sleeves and pink frills in the end, for the top part, and a long balloon white skirt, enveloped with three layers of pink and white sashes, for the bottom part. She wore a pair of white closed-shoes, and her long auburn hair was tied in a half-ponytail style with a milky-white ribbon. The gown really complimented her porcelain skin, her perfect curves, and her innocent hazel orbs.
Ruka was so stunned at her beauty that for a moment he couldn't react.
"So, Ruka-pyon," Mikan said, breaking the brief silence between them, "what do you think?" She twirled around before facing the blonde boy again.
Nerves struck him. "Cu…Cut….Cue..." Ruka was awfully stuttering.
"Ru-chan, I made the right choice choosing Mikan-chan to be my model for the year!" Mrs. Nogi said excitedly. "Doesn't she look stunning in my beautiful designed gown?"
Stunning…? She's the definition of beauty… Ruka thought, but he simply nodded. Why can't he say 'cute' or 'pretty' to her when he could say it casually to the previous models of his mother? He didn't understand his feelings.
"Good morning, Ruka-pyon." Mikan smiled sweetly at the blonde boy the next morning. "Thanks for dinner last night. It was great."
A little flushed, Ruka smiled back at her. "You're welcome. I'm sorry if my mom turned you into a human doll last night. She practically forced you to wear so many costumes."
Mikan shook her head. "Nah, it's okay. Besides, I like your mom!" She walked toward her seat and sat down. She noticed that the seat beside her was still empty. "Ruka-pyon, where's Natsume?"
Ruka hesitated before answering. "Aoi, Natsume's younger sister, called me and informed me that Natsume didn't come home last night after dinner," he said at last.
"That guy actually has a younger sister?" Mikan sounded surprised.
"Yeah, he does," Ruka replied. "But Aoi is a lot different from Natsume. You could say that she acts a lot like you."
"How's she's doing?" Mikan asked, concerned written on her face. "Natsume didn't come home last night. I bet Aoi-chan was worried sick."
"I saw her this morning and I can't really say that she's fine. I guess she didn't get much sleep last night, judging from the way her eyes looked."
"Poor Aoi-chan…" Mikan lowered her head and stared at her desk. "Does Natsume even care about Aoi-chan?"
Ruka stayed silent, unsure of what to answer. Natsume had stopped caring for anyone after his parents died. Aoi tried to warm up to him, but he always shooed her away. Every time Natsume makes Aoi cries, Ruka will try his best to cheer up the girl.
At the end of day, Natsume didn't show up for class.
Ruka knew that Natsume was ditching classes again, but the fact that he didn't come home last night made him more worried. What the heck was he doing?
The Natsume-Ruka fan club girls approached Ruka, as he was packing his stuff into his schoolbag.
"Ruka-kun, where's Natsume-kun?" Usumu asked.
"I don't know," Ruka answered plainly. He wasn't even looking at them.
"We're all worried about him, Ruka-kun," Sumire said, putting a pitiful look. "It's all because of those guys. Natsume-kun couldn't come to school today, because he's probably tired."
Natsume ditches school whenever he wants, and not because of a stupid fight.
Sumire's lips curved into a smile. "Ruka-kun, are you free today?"
"And why?" Ruka inserted the last notebook into his bag.
"Please go out with me!" Sumire said excitedly.
The other girls groaned.
"President, we wanna spend time with Ruka-kun too!"
"Don't be selfish, president!" Usumu added.
"I'm the president of the Natsume-Ruka fan club. I have every right to have a date with either Natsume-kun or Ruka-kun first!" She faced them with a wide smug, treating herself so highly above the rest.
"I'm busy today." Ruka sighed. Him going out with one of the fan club girls will be the day he dies, he thought bitterly. He brightened as he caught sight of Mikan standing by the door way talking to Anna and Nonoko.
"Please excuse me." Ruka hurried towards Mikan, anxious to get way from the girls.
"That Sakura!" Usumu clenched her fists. "She's stealing Ruka-kun away from us."
Sumire glared at the brunette. "She's the reason why Ruka-kun won't go out with us," she grumbled.
How dumb can they get? Ruka will never go out with them—even if Mikan wasn't around. Ruka doesn't like girls who were overly obsessed.
"President, we have to do something about that Sakura," Usumu said, folding her arms.
Sumire nodded her head in agreement. "I have an idea," she said, smiling slyly.
"We're here," Ruka said as soon as he and Mikan had arrived at a particular classroom of a freshman class, Class 1-C. "Aoi's probably here, since it's her cleaning duty today."
Ruka slid the door open and saw four students inside busy cleaning the room. He called the attention of one guy who was arranging the chairs near the door. "Excuse me…"
The guy turned around, but the first thing he saw was not Ruka, but Mikan. "Am I dreaming?!" The guy rubbed his eyes and opened them wide. "It's really her! Mikan Sakura!"
With the guy's outburst, the rest of the cleaning crew turned to the doorway.
"Ruka-senpai is here with Mikan Sakura!" Two girls shouted in unison.
"Mikan Sakura…?" a girl with raven-hair muttered, looking surprised.
The two girls and the guy approached Mikan and Ruka, with hearts in their eyes. "Sakura-san, please sign our autograph book!" the three said at the same time.
Mikan giggled. "Okay," she said. She took out a pen and swiftly signed their books. "There you go!"
"Thank you, Sakura-san! We're really big fan of yours!" again they spoke like triplets.
"You're welcome," Mikan replied, flashing them a well-toothed smile.
"Ruka-senpai, it's so good of you to bring Sakura-san here!" The two girls happened to be Ruka's admirers, but they weren't part of the fan club.
"No problem…" Ruka shrugged, glancing across the room to see if Aoi was around. He spotted Aoi by the window staring dreamingly at Mikan.Oh yeah… Aoi admires Sakura…
Ruka, Mikan, and Aoi walked home slowly. Ruka did suggest taking his limo, but Aoi and Mikan preferred walking, and skating for Mikan's case.
"It's such an honor to meet you, Sakura-san!" Aoi said cheerfully, her face red with excitement. "I was right all along. You're way cuter in person!
Mikan observed that Aoi had the same hair and eye color as her brother, Natsume. "Thank you, Aoi-chan," she replied.
Aoi gasped. "You know my name?"
"Ruka-pyon told me about you."
"Ru-chan did?" Aoi turned to Ruka who was walking beside Mikan. "Thanks so much!"
Ruka flushed. That nickname again, he thought indignantly.
"You're a lot different from your brother," Mikan admitted. "You're nicer than him."
"It's hard to believe that we're actually related, huh?" Aoi giggled like the sweet girl she was.
Mikan nodded. "Unfortunately for me, Natsume is my assigned partner and seatmate." Mikan twirled around and started skating backwards. "Sorry for saying this, but you're brother is really mean. He likes picking on me."
"Ru-chan told me that you threw his manga on your first day of class," Aoi said in amazement. "You have a lot of guts! I like that!"
Mikan stared at the sky, which was getting dark. "But because of that, he keeps messing with me. If he hates me, then why can't he leave me alone?"
Ruka and Aoi exchanged glances. Last night, when Aoi called Ruka, Ruka told her about Natsume's interaction with Mikan.
"Mikan-san—"
"Call me Mikan-chan, Aoi-chan!" Mikan told her as she spun around.
Aoi smiled widely. "Mikan-chan!" She held Mikan's hand and gazed at her hazel orbs. "Let's be friends!"
Mikan nodded her head. "Sure!"
Upon arriving at the park, Mikan told her friends that she needed to meet up with her manager at her mansion right away. She bid them good-bye and dashed off down the street.
"Ru-chan, Mikan-chan is really nice," Aoi muttered, clasping her hands. "Now I admire her even more!"
"She might be the person who can help us get through to Natsume," Ruka said.
"I agree…" Aoi placed a hand on her cheek and sighed. "But I wonder where Onii-chan is right now. I hope he's okay."
Ruka, knowing how strong Natsume was, assured Aoi that he was fine. Plus, it wasn't Natsume's first time for not going home. In the past, Natsume had done it a lot of times, the longest being 4 days.
End of Episode 3
Himeno: Time to rest…
Natsume: Lazy author, get up and get to work.
Himeno: Jerk, let me rest for a bit. I'm tired!
Natsume: Idiot.
Mikan: Oh, be quiet!
Natsume: Tell that to yourself.
Mikan: Hmph… Arrogant guy.
Himeno: You two, please don't fight. Anyway, I'll update as soon as possible. I'm getting less sleep these days and school is killing me.
Anna: Maybe I should bake you some cookies, Himeno-chan!
Himeno: Arigato, Anna-chan! You're cookies will surely replenish my strength. Reviewers, please tell me what you think. Sorry for not writing about Natsume here. He'll be in the next chapter. I have more surprises in store for Natsume. Watch out for it. No flaming please.