Himeno: Yay! I'm on Chapter 24 now!

Mikan: You've done so many chapters. I'm impressed.

Himeno: This is one of the longest stories I've ever written.

Mikan: You said that there will be a love triangle moments here. Who are the people in the love triangle? Permy, Kokoroyomi and…erm…

Himeno: No, it's not them, Mikan-chan.

Mikan: Eh? Then who?

Himeno: You'll find out yourself.

Mikan: Um…Okay…

Himeno: Let's get started! Gakuen Alice is not mine. I'm only borrowing the characters for this story.

Natsume the Jerk

Episode 24: Confusing Matters

"Natsume, you're having that Special Math Class again, right?" Mikan said after class has ended for the day. "The Math Olympics is nearing, and I can't wait to see you win."

The raven-haired boy didn't glance away from the current page of the manga he was reading. "How sure are you I'm going to win?" he muttered to the eager young brunette. "Now get lost. Aren't you going with Ruka today?"

"How rude!" she retorted. "I was just cheering you on. Hmph…"

Ruka gathered up his things and stood up from his seat. "Sakura, are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm ready!" she replied cheerfully.

"Don't get Ruka in trouble, polka-dots," Natsume said, pausing to glare at the brunette.

Mikan pouted as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Natsume! You're really annoying me!"

"Whatever…" Natsume returned his attention to his manga.

Mikan stuck out her tongue at Natsume before she went over to Ruka's side. "Come on, Ruka-pyon! Let's leave this pervert!" She wrapped her arm around Ruka's, making the blonde blush a little, and dragged him out of the classroom.

Once they were gone, Natsume sighed in frustration. "Damn her…" he muttered under his breath. He wanted to go with them, to keep an eye on them, and make sure they won't get close. But he had special lessons to attend to.

Sumire turned to face the prankster with one of her notorious glares, deadly and unwavering. "It's your fault why I'm in detention today," she muttered. "I wanna kill you so badly." She was in the detention room together with Kokoroyomi and Aoi. They were told to stay in the room for one hour and reflect on why they've skipped first period.

Kokoroyomi was folding a paper into a plane. "Hmm…Why is it my fault?" he said. "You know, Aoi-chan and I were about to head over to class when we saw you lingering around outside."

"What? You're saying it's my fault?" Her tone was heated.

He nodded his head plainly. "Who else?"

Sumire wanted to whack him hard but resisted. If she would cause trouble in detention, then she'll be in more serious trouble. "You're such a moron as usual, Kokoroyomi," she grumbled.

"But you know what, Shouda-san, when Kokoroyomi-oniichan saw you looking so sad, he really got worried," Aoi explained, knowing it would please her. "And I'm not joking about it."

"I…I don't care…" Sumire tensed. She rose slowly from her chair and walked to the window and looked out. The school garden was a nice view from where she was standing. "Hey, Kokoroyomi… What were you about to say to me this morning? You know, right before Jinno-sensei came."

Kokoroyomi smiled broadly. "Why do you want to know, permy?"

"Well, it's because…"

"Aoi-chan, the teacher won't be back soon, so would you mind leaving us alone for a while?" Kokoroyomi said.

Aoi nodded her head with a smile. "Of course!" she replied. "Good luck, Onii-chan!" She quickly walked out of the room in no less than ten seconds.

"Wait a minute…" Sumire spun around and pointed a finger at Kokoroyomi. "What are you planning to do? Are you going to play a prank on me again? Why did you ask Hyuuga-san to leave?" She spoke fast in quite a nervous yet serious tone.

For just a moment, Kokoroyomi showed a mischievous grin and the look in his eyes changed to one of earnestness. "Permy, do you really want to know?" he asked, his voice a bit deep. He was approaching her slowly.

Sumire looked down on the floor. "Just tell me already!" She was anxious to know.

Just then, Kokoroyomi pulled her to a hug. "Then I'll gladly tell you…" he whispered softly into her ear and Sumire's heart pounded loudly and fast. "Didn't you know? I… I've always loved you, Sumire…" He said her name with utmost importance.

And Sumire was stunned by the confession he just made. Kokoroyomi actually loved her? It was kind of unbelievable for her. But what if he was just pulling her leg again?

"Flashback"

She was in the fourth grade when she realized something important. She realized her feelings about Kokoroyomi. At first, she tried so hard to deny it. She even went all the trouble to form the Natsume-Ruka Fan Club so she'll focus her attention on them. However, with all the pranks Kokoroyomi does, there wasn't a day she wouldn't focus on him. After much thinking, she decided to tell Kokoroyomi how she feels just to settle her troubled heart.

"Even though you're the most annoying guy on earth," she said as she tried to keep eye contact on Kokoroyomi, "I…I…I love you, you idiot!"

"Hmm…Permy actually loves me...?" His happy face didn't change one bit. He wasn't the least bit affected by the confession. "Are you kidding me?"

Sumire shook her head violently. "I'm not kidding! I really love you!"

At this time, there were some students passing by, and Kokoroyomi took the opportunity to tease her. "Ah…Permy, that's no way to confess to a guy. You're never going to have a chance with those guys you admire. Anyway, I don't know if guys will like you. You're violent, hot-tempered, and stuck-up, not to mention not cute." He didn't mean to talk that way. "You have a long way to go."

Crushed and rejected, Sumire had the urge to cry at the very moment. But she was the type of girl who would not show weakness in front of others. In addition to that, some students were actually watching them, curious to know what was going on between them. "You…I told you what I felt and this is how you treat me?" She clenched her fists hard. She couldn't believe she just confessed to him. Why did she fall in love with him in the first place? She felt like an idiot! "I hate you! Don't ever come near me again!"

Kokoroyomi grinned at her. "I don't know about that," he said in a carefree tone.

From the look on his face, she knew he was just fooling around with her. "You're disgusting!" She spun around and ran away, tears trailing down her eyes. From that day forward, she didn't want to do anything with Kokoroyomi anymore. She wanted to forget him. However…

"End of Flashback"

She couldn't forget her feelings for him. She was probably crazy, but she really loved him. "Why are you telling me this now?!" she said, trying to push him away, but Kokoroyomi held onto her firmly. "Do you remember what you did to me after I confessed to you? You just humiliated me and rejected me like I'm just a piece of thrash."

Kokoroyomi nested his chin on the crook of her neck, tightening his grip around her. "I'm sorry… At that time, I didn't know what to do. You confessed to me all of a sudden, and I wanted to tell you my feelings, but I got nervous. Believe it or not, I really regretted teasing you back then. I know I've hurt your feelings so much. I'm really sorry, Sumire."

"You…" Sumire never thought of hearing such words coming from his mouth ever. He was being sorry for the things he had done. She somehow felt happy. "You're just an immature brat. You always do things without thinking things through. You've managed to hurt me before, and I got so angry at you. But I've never come to hate you. I've always loved you for that happy-go-lucky personality of yours."

Kokoroyomi pulled back to face her. "Sumire…" he muttered her name with a smile.

"So, what now?" Sumire said, her voice back to being arrogant again. "Are we officially an item?"

He let out a light laugh as he nodded his head. "I guess so…" He then brought his lips down to hers. This time, Sumire accepted him wholeheartedly.

"Are you ready to see it?" Ruka asked Mikan. They were in the enormous walk-in closet of Ruka's mother. They had just got there from school, and it was time for Ruka to show her the surprise.

"Yeah, I'm ready!" Mikan replied, looking excited.

Ruka opened one cabinet, revealing a pink-white gothic Lolita dress with frills, ribbons and a headdress. The dress was made out of the finest and high quality materials. "It's my mom's latest creation," he said, touching the dress. "And she wanted you to wear this first. Don't worry; she based it on your size." As he looked back at Mikan, he noticed how her eyes shimmered as she admired the dress.

"Wow! It's really beautiful, Ruka-pyon!" She walked up to the dress and stroked the fabric gently. "Your mom wants me to wear this? But…Why me?" she asked.

"Remember the time my mom made you wear those costumes when you were here?" Ruka said, and Mikan nodded her head in reply. "Well, since that day, she grew so fond of you. Gothic Lolita is the theme for the presentation next month, and she especially sent this dress over to let you try it on. She wanted to see how it looks."

"Your mom's in Paris right now, correct?"

"Yeah…"

"Why couldn't she have just picked one of the models over there? I mean, she didn't have to send this dress over here."

"Like I said, my mom's very fond of you, Sakura," Ruka told her as he removed the dress from the mannequin. "She wants you to try it on first. So, here you go." He handed the dress over to Mikan.

She raised it up for a good look and smiled. "Well, since your mom asked for it, I'll gladly wear this."

"I'll be waiting outside for you," Ruka said. "Just take your time, Sakura." He went out of the closer and closed the door behind him.

"Good afternoon, Ruka!" Ruka heard the photographer greet from the doorway. "I'm here to take pictures of your darling model!"

Ruka sat down on the couch and poured some tea into his cup. "Good of you to be early for a change, Tono-san," he said, sipping his tea.

The photographer took a seat right across the young rich boy and set his portable camera on the table. "I'm early today because I heard that the model Mrs. Nogi chose is a real cutie," he said, grinning widely. "And I heard you and her are pretty close. Is she your girlfriend or something?"

"Eh?" Ruka almost spilled his tea. "No! She's not my girlfriend…" Well, not yet, but Ruka planned on making her his girlfriend soon.

"Hmm…Is that so?" He raked his fingers through his shiny black hair before he cupped his chin. "Ruka, if she's my type, would you mind if I make her my girlfriend instead? No woman can ever resist me."

Ruka raised a brow. "Tono-san, you're such a playboy," he told him. "You already have tons of girls in Paris." Well, his mother's personal photographer has a strong penchant for cute and beautiful girls. The guy can even change girlfriends every month.

Meanwhile, Mikan was finished changing into the Gothic Lolita attire. It was her first time to wear something like that. She hoped she looked okay. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door. She clasped her hands together as she walked out. "Umm…Ruka-pyon, I'm done," she said timidly.

Both males turned to look at her. Their eyes grew wide as they were amazed with what they saw. Mikan was absolutely stunning in the dress. She looked more innocent than ever, and the pink shades suited her perfectly. Ruka was speechless as his cheeks turned red.

The photographer grabbed his portable camera and snapped a picture of her. "You're really cute!" he exclaimed, walking towards her. "So, you're the model Mrs. Nogi was talking about. She wasn't kidding when she said you were cute." She took her hand and placed a kiss on it.

Mikan slightly blushed and a placed her free hand on her cheek. "Um…Thank you very much, um…" She paused to stare at him for a while. He was handsome beyond imagination. He had silky black hair reaching up to his shoulders and alluring dark-brown eyes. "Who may you be?"

Ruka, who was a little jealous, stood up and spoke before the photographer could. "Sakura, he's Akira Tonouichi-san. He's my mom's personal photographer." He went over to Mikan's side and looked at the man. "You can call him Tono-san if you want."

Tono still had her hand in his hand. "Akira Tonouichi at your service, young miss," he said.

Mikan giggled. "Nice you to meet you, Tono-san," she said. "My name is—"

"I know who you are," he cut her off by placing a finger on her lips. "You're Mikan Sakura. I've listened to your songs and I love them."

"Really? Thank you!"

Tono would get close to any girl no matter how old she is, Ruka thought, just as long she was gorgeous. And Mikan was considered as one of the most beautiful teens in Japan in their generation. Ruka was bothered with the way Tono was talking to Mikan.

"I saw you in a lot of magazines, and I think the photographers did a good job capturing your good sides," Tono said, placing an arm over her shoulders. "I'll do my best to take a good picture of you. You can count of it. Maybe after this, I can take you out for dinner?"

"I would love to, Tono-san," Mikan replied.

"Then after dinner, maybe next week we could go on a date or something."

Ruka was seriously getting annoyed. Good thing he was a patient guy. "Tono-san, I hope you didn't forget why you're here in the first place," he said.

"Yeah, I know, Ruka," Tono said, removing his arm from Mikan. "I know you just want to get it over with so you can spend time with Mikan-chan here."

"What?!" Ruka exclaimed, blushing madly. "Stop saying nonsense. Just do your job."

Tono chuckled. "I was only kidding, Ruka," he said. He turned to Mikan and smiled. "Are you ready, Mikan-chan?"

"Yeah!"

The picture taking took place in the studio, which was the room right beside the dressing room. The studio had all the equipment a photographer needed. The latest and state-of-the-art camera was used to take pictures of Mikan. Tono made Mikan pose differently for each shot, of course, taking note of maintaining her innocence and cuteness. Gothic Lolita was the theme after all. And Mikan was used to posing for the camera, so she appeared naturally in every shot. Tono didn't have a hard time with her.

Ruka was sitting in the corner, silently admiring the brunette. His mother had definitely outdone herself with the dress. It was like she made the dress especially for Mikan. He made a mental note to get copies of the pictures later.

Mikan went straight to the dressing room right after the picture taking. Though she loved the gothic dress to bits, she couldn't move properly in it. Still, she was happy to be able to wear such a beautiful dress. She hoped that Ruka's mother will like the pictures Tono took.

Meanwhile, Tono was checking the pictures out in the digital camera. He was proud to be able to take such wonderful pictures. "Mrs. Nogi will love these!" he exclaimed, as Ruka approached him. "Your little girlfriend is sure adorable, Ruka."

Ruka blushed and turned his head away. "She's…not my girlfriend…" he muttered in a low voice.

Tono smirked at him. "Not your girlfriend yet," he said, "but soon, right?"

"Stop teasing me," Ruka said, looking up at Tono.

"Oh, come on, Ruka…" Tono pulled his head into a headlock. "It's quite obvious to me that you have a crush on her." He ruffled his hair up as he chuckled.

"Let me go," Ruka demanded, pushing himself away from Tono. "Okay…I have to admit… I do like Sakura…But please don't tell her."

Tono tapped his finger on his chin, pretending to think hard. "Do you want me to help you with her, Ruka? I happen to be an expert when it comes to love."

Ruka shook his head in reply. "You're more of an expert in picking up girls," he said with an exasperated sigh. "I don't really need help. I'll tell her my feelings soon."

"Ah… I can't believe Ruka is in love…" Tono patted his shoulder. "But she's an idol, so she must have tons of suitors. Won't you have a hard time?"

"Yeah…" In fact, his own best friend was his rival to Mikan. "But some suitors aren't going to stop me."

"That's the spirit, Ruka," Tono said. "I'll root for you all the way."

"Thanks…"

Mikan was finally done changing back to her school uniform. As she walked into the studio, she greeted the two boys with her friendly smile, and the two instantly turned their attention to her. "Tono-san, can I see the pictures?" she asked. "Did I look okay?"

Tono draped an arm over her shoulders. "More than okay…" he said. "You looked so cute in every picture."

"Thank you, Tono-san."

"By the way, I learned something new from Ruka. Did you know? He has a cru—"

"Tono-san, I think it's time for you to leave." Not wanting to be rude or anything, Ruka just didn't want Tono to spill out his secret crush on Mikan. If he was anything like Natsume, then Tono would probably be dead by now. "You still have to send the pictures to my mother. Remember, she wants them as soon as possible."

The older guy snickered like a sly fox. "Yeah, I know…" he said with a light laugh. "And hey, I was just teasing you, okay? I wasn't planning on saying it."

"Saying what?" Mikan asked out of curiosity.

Ruka smiled at him with a hint of annoyance. "Tono-san is just fooling around as usual," he said. "And now he must go, right?"

"I'm going…I'm going…" Tono started towards the door and reached for the knob. "It was nice working with you, Mikan, and Ruka, good luck with her." He winked an eye at him before he exited the studio.

Mikan looked over at Ruka. "Tono-san is really a fun guy," she said. "By the way, what did he mean about 'good luck with her'?"

The blonde boy slightly blushed as he mentally cursed Tono for almost giving away his secret again. Good thing Mikan was rather naïve. "Like I said, he just likes to fool around and he is definitely fond of teasing me. Just ignore what he said." He let out a nervous chuckle.

"Where's Mikan-chan?" Aoi asked her older brother when she arrived home. She had spent such a long time in detention. Jinno-sensei extended her time because he caught her standing outside the room. But she actually enjoyed her time there because of Kokoroyomi and Sumire.

Natsume was at the living room, reading a manga as usual. "She's with Ruka…" he replied nonchalantly. But he had no idea where they were as of that moment. All he knew was that Ruka had a surprise for Mikan. If it weren't for his Special Math Class, he could have gone with them.

"It's almost time for dinner," Aoi said as she looked at the wall clock. "Since Mikan-chan is not yet here, I should go ahead and make dinner." She looked pretty excited when she said that.

"You're not going anywhere near the kitchen, idiot," Natsume said, shutting his manga close. "I don't want you to ruin the kitchen."

The younger Hyuuga puffed up he cheeks. "Onii-chan, can't you have any faith in my cooking skills?" she said, placing her hands on her waist. "I've already taken lessons from Mikan-chan. I think I can cook a decent meal for the both of us."

Natsume shot her a glare. "Don't you dare," he threatened. It wasn't as if he didn't have faith in Aoi's cooking. He just wanted Mikan's homemade food.

"Onii-chan, you're so mean," Aoi pouted.

"And I don't care." Natsume rolled his eyes away from her.

"We're home!" a familiar yet cheerful voice exclaimed, making the Hyuuga siblings turn to the front door. Mikan and Ruka had just arrived, and the brunette was carrying a big tray of food with her. "I made dinner while I was at Ruka-pyon's mansion!"

Aoi was all smiles as she approached the two. She looked and took a sniff of the food. "Smells good, Mikan-chan!" she said. "I can't wait to dig in."

Natsume was happy to see that Mikan had cooked dinner for them, though his facial expression was still stoic as ever. He wouldn't miss Mikan's food for the world. But, when he shifted his eyes on Ruka, he wondered what his best friend did with Mikan. He was bothered by Ruka's surprise. "You two are late," he said unflappably. "Where were you?"

The blonde took a seat beside him and smiled casually at him. "Sakura and I had our little fun back at the mansion," he replied. "Sakura really liked the surprise I gave her. Isn't that right, Sakura?"

Setting the tray down on the living room table, Mikan sat down on the couch. "It was a great surprise," she said. "I also met a new friend today. His name is Tono-san! He's really nice and good-looking."

Okay, Natsume immediately got annoyed with the descriptions she just said about her newly found friend. Since he has been friends with Ruka for a long time, he also knew the people who worked closely with Mrs. Nogi. He was very familiar with Akira Tonouichi. "What is that annoying guy doing here in Japan? I thought he was with your mother, Ruka."

"Well… You see…" Ruka was about to explain but Mikan cut him off.

"He came here to take pictures of me, Natsume," Mikan answered.

Aoi came out of the kitchen, bringing four plates, spoons and forks with her. "I heard Tono-san's name. What are you guys talking about?" She sat down on the couch right across Mikan and set the tableware properly on the table.

"Tono-san took pictures of me in a Gothic Lolita dress," Mikan said.

"Gothic Lolita dress?!" Aoi started imagining her idol in the said dress and sighed dreamily. "I would like to see those pictures. I'm sure you looked absolutely gorgeous!"

Ruka took out his cellphone, flipped it open, and went to the image gallery menu. He picked the most beautiful photo of Mikan taken by Tono and handed the cellphone over to Aoi. "Tell me what you think, Aoi-chan…"

"WOW!" Aoi exclaimed, slightly blushing. "Mikan-chan, you look great! The dress suits you perfectly."

The brunette let out an awkward laugh as she scratched the back of her neck. "Not really..." she muttered, lowering her head. "All credit goes to the dress. It was made by Ruka-pyon's mother after all. It's no wonder it's beautiful."

"But the model is beautiful too!" Aoi said, only to make Mikan blush.

"My mother wanted Sakura to pose in this dress, which is why Tono-san personally came here to take the pictures," Ruka explained.

Natsume folded his arms over his chest. "And did he do something to polka-dots here during the pictorial?" He knew that Tono was a complete ladies-man.

"Hey, don't call me polka-dots, Natsume!" Mikan demanded, raising a clenched fist. "And Tono-san didn't do anything to me. He was nice."

"Whatever…" Natsume rolled his eyes away and shrugged. "Let's stop this nonsense chit-chatting. If we're not going to eat, the food will get cold."

Aoi and Mikan grabbed their spoon and fork, and together they said, "ITADAKIMASU!" Natsume only sighed at their childishness, while the blonde boy beside him smiled pleasingly.

Later that night, as everyone was asleep, Mikan snuck out of her room and went outside to the garden. She wasn't in the mood to sleep yet. As she walked around the garden, she noticed how lovely the plants were. Aoi once told her that Mr. Hyuuga loved taking care of the garden and when he died, Aoi took over the responsibility. Judging from the plants, Mikan could say that Aoi was doing a good job. She sat down under a tree, facing the house, and hugged her knees against her chest. She really had gotten used to living with the Hyuuga family. She was glad to have met Natsume and Aoi.

She looked up at the sky only to see clouds covering the moon. There were no stars tonight as well. She spent a few minutes staring at the sky, letting all of her memories of her wonderful school life flow. After that, she stood up, dusted some grass bits off her night gown, and went back to the house. Tomorrow will be another day of fun for her, she mused. There may be work at the studio again, but she loved her career. She was also thinking of taking Aoi to her work. She knew how much Aoi loved celebrities.

Before she reached the stairs, someone suddenly pulled her by the arm and pinned her against the wall. She was going to scream until the person covered her mouth with his hand. Anxiety struck her within seconds but she quickly eased up when she took a good look at the person. Annoyed, she brushed his hand away from her mouth and gritted her teeth. "What were you thinking, Natsume?" she asked, placing her hands on her waist. "Did you know that you scared me half to death? I thought you were a burglar or something."

Natsume placed his hands beside her head, caging her in like a predator that has caught his prey. He had his serious crimson eyes focused on her innocent ones. "You're going out with me on Sunday," he said in a stern voice.

Raising a brow and thinking how absurd he was, Mikan let out a chuckle. "Are you sick or something?" she asked in a sarcastic tone. "Coz I heard you telling me to go out with you."

The girl really has the habit of pissing him off whether intentionally or unintentionally. "You heard me, polka-dots," he said. "And I don't want to hear you saying no, understand?"

"And why should I go out with you?" Mikan retorted. "What are you planning?" She narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

He was getting impatient with her. He clamped his hands on her shoulder and leaned his face closer to hers. "Just go out with me and stop asking questions about it." He then released her and darted towards the stairs.

"Natsume…" Mikan muttered, watching the rude guy go up the stairs, wondering why he was so keen on having her go out with him. She thought about it for about a few minutes. "Maybe he just wants somebody to accompany him to buy a new manga. I think Ruka-pyon has plans on Sunday so he wants me to come along instead. I guess that must be the case." There was no other possible explanation. She was sure Natsume wouldn't ask her to go out with him like a date or anything.

End of Episode 24

Himeno: Hyuuga actually asked Mikan-chan on a date, but she doesn't think so. Ah…Mikan-chan is so naïve.

Natsume: She's a regular airhead.

Himeno: And you're a regular jerk. But I'll give you credit for asking her out. Oh, wait, it wasn't asking… It was more like demanding.

Natsume: What I do is none of your business, you idiotic author.

Himeno: Perverted moron, you better shut up. I'm the writer here. Do you want me to ruin your date with Mikan-chan?!"

Natsume: I'd like to see you try, idiot.

Himeno: You really piss me off.

Tsubasa: When am I appearing again?

Himeno: You're appearing in the next chapter along with Misaki-senpai.

Tsubasa: Misaki…um…

Himeno: You're love story will be revealed bits by bits. The readers are looking forward to it.

Tsubasa: Hehe… Is that so?

Himeno: Please don't forget to review this chapter. Seriously, no flaming since that's Natsume's job.