Title: Buy Me With Your Love
Chapter Three
I remembered asking my uncle once about my parents' whereabouts, he responded by smiling and pointing up the ceiling. At the age of four, I thought my parents were living in the attic, I guess I was wrong. At the age of six, I accidentally found an old photo of him and a girl, when I asked him was that girl my aunt, he responded by, "How I wish, Mikan." Right after I turned eighteen, Uncle Narumi has already reached his limit, his last words were "Forgive me, forgive me." Five months passed since that day and I still do not know what he was asking for forgiveness for.
Uncle Narumi had always been a strong believer in Christ. He believed in the existence of heaven and hell, of angel and demons, and of eternal life. He was a man that I would always look up to. He told me that demons were everywhere, but my demon took form of a human named Natsume Hyuuga.
It has already been two days since I signed the contract and he has been making me work nonstop. There are times he would make unreasonable orders like summoning me in his room just to order me to reach him the remote control which was just a few meters away from him.
"Where are you going?" asked Koko, a brown-haired boy who is still in high school and has been working under Yuu Tobita's gardening committee. For the last two days, I have managed to know and memorize half of the household's names and faces.
"School." I reply.
"But isn't it your vacation?" he asks once again as he snips another weed.
"I'm part of the student government, they require me to attend meetings," I reply once again. "School would start next week though."
He wipes a sweat from his forehead and comments, "That's early."
I smile weakly. "True." Before I could manage to leave, Koko asks me one last question. "What's your role in the student government?"
"Vice-president for internal affairs."
Alice University is a prestigious school built by the rich, attended by the privileged, and made for the poor. Alice U scholarships are given based from a student's academic capability, finance stability and performance level in extra-curricular activities. Since I fitted the scholarship's requirements, I got the chance to be part of Alice University.
"Good morning, Mikan!" greets one student as I arrive in the campus.
"Mikan-sama, how do you do?" another asks.
Soon a flock of students start to gather around me. It's surprising how the school is currently in vacation but there are quite a number of students in the campus. It must be because they are planning for the next batch of students' welcoming in their organizations.
"Mikan, did you get the chance to approve Archery Club's upcoming event?" asks a student.
Ah, I remember that one. The Archery Club is petitioning for having a huge and festive parade which requires a huge budget. Some of Alice University's students can be really spoiled brats. I remember not accepting that request and putting it in the disapproved drawer. "I'll see to it." I lie.
There really are times that I have to lie. These students are only nice to me since I'm the one who approves of their ideas and events, so they're sucking up to me even though they detest my history of me being poor and indebted.
As I arrive in the conference room, I see the other three heads of the executive offices. Anna Umenomiya is the executive secretary, her office is in charge of keeping the documents and its information and transcribing the minutes of the meeting. One of her people is currently with us to document the entire meeting. Hotaru Imai is the executive treasurer, she is in charge of approving the funds and budget of every student organization. Youichi Hijiri is the youngest among all of us and is the vice president of external affairs, his office basically is in charge of off-campus activities and events.
As I take my seat beside Youichi, all of us continue to wait for the president. After a few minutes, Subaru Imai enters the room and we all stand up to greet him.
"Since next week is the start of our school year, most of the student organizations are in the campus preparing their booths to welcome the students. Have you disapproved any ideas they submitted?"
Ah, the Archery Club.
-;-
After three hours of discussing every organization's requests, the meeting has finally ended. I stretch out my arms and look outside the window. Outside the campus, a black limousine is parked. There are a couple of paparazzi flooding the area and are taking pictures of the car and the school. It must be another celebrity student who committed a scandal.
"Hotaru," Subaru calls his sister. "Mother told me to tell you that you must attend tonight's business party. You can't keep on rejecting every invitation you receive."
Hotaru rolls her eyes and plugs her earphones into her ears, but Subaru pulls them, much to his sister's annoyance. "It's boriiiiiing." Her voice drags. "I can't stand those kinds of parties."
"But this party's desserts are made by my company!" Anna argues. "Oh, you must come, Hotaru. You have to try the chocolate lava cakes I baked."
"Are there any cream puffs?" Youichi asked.
Anna nodded gleefully.
"I guess I'll attend then." Youichi says.
This kind of conversation is very usual to us. Among the five, I am the only one who could not relate to anything they say. Anna glances at me and catches me looking at them, "Do you want to come, Mikan? You better try the carrot cakes my mom personally decorated and made."
I smile ruefully. "Sorry, I can't."
"Awww," Anna moans. "That's too bad then."
I do want to attend though. Who wouldn't want to attend an extravagant party full of expensive meals and pretty sights? It's just that I didn't have anything in my closet that would fit the event. I usually have tees, jeans and clothes from shops of hand-me-downs.
I give out a yawn and accidentally look outside once again. This time, I choke. Everyone in the room looks at me and Youichi pats my back and asks, "Are you okay? Your face says like it saw a ghost."
A ghost? It isn't a ghost. It is the devil. In the black limousine, surrounded by countless of paparazzi, I saw Natsume Hyuuga staring right at me and motioning his index finger to come to him.
"I have to go n-now." I tell everyone and before they could ask anymore question, I rush out of the room and towards the campus gate.
I see Alice U's students slowly occupy the area near the campus gate. Some of them are howling and screaming while some are taking their iPhones and Samsung gadgets to take a picture.
"What's happening?" I ask one student who's near me.
"Natsumehyuugaishere." It comes out as a rushed spurt. "He's so hot! I can't believe he's picking up someone here! It must be his girlfriend!"
I gulp. A girlfriend? If only they knew, he's not picking up his lover, he's fetching his slave. I brush past a couple more students and finally reach the outside gate. One of the school guards stops me, but Andou cuts him off and gestures me to go inside the vehicle as soon as possible.
When everyone sees me entering the car, all the noise died and silence lingers in the air.
"Oh, it's Sakura." I hear them whisper.
I close the car's door and all of Natsume Hyuuga's bodyguards immediately ride their respective cars.
"Why did you do this?" I shout at him.
Hyuuga cocks a brow and looks at me harshly. "No thanks? How ungrateful."
"I didn't ask you to fetch me!" This time I see the driver glance at me sternly.
"It is part of the contract, Miss Sakura." He tells me. "It assures me that you would not escape from me and I already notified Alice University's admins that from now on you are not allowed to go outside the campus without my permission."
I drop a jaw. Who is Natsume Hyuuga to tell Alice University, the country's leading academic institution, what to do? "It's not part of the contract, Hyuuga."
His eyebrow knits. "That's Sir Natsume Hyuuga to you, Miss Sakura," he corrects me and it begins to anger me how he corrects my mistakes. "And to make the facts straight, it is part of the contract. It is in page 68, line 5, Miss Sakura. Did you even read the contract?"
I clench my fists to the point I see white lines starting to appear. Truth is I didn't get to read the contract since I've been busy because I've been answering every beck and call he made.
"You didn't have to fetch me yourself," I say. "Look at the trouble you are brewing. Paparazzi and the wild crowd."
He chuckles. "Just my mere appearance causes quite a stir, doesn't it?"
I suppress the urge to slap him.
"True though," he suddenly says. "I didn't have to pick you up myself. It's not part of the contract."
"Then why did you?" I ask him.
He smirks. "Because you and I," he leans in close to whisper. "Have a party to attend to."
I suddenly feel a warm sensation in my cheeks. "P-Party?"
"My associate is throwing a party and it requires an escort, so you have to do." He explains. "It is, after all, part of your contract." He emphasizes the last word very clearly.
The odds of Hyuuga asking me to a party and the officers talking about a party seem too coincidental. It didn't take me long to add the two are the same.
"I don't have anything to wear." I immediately inform him.
He stays silent and I begin to worry.
"Andou, take the next left turn and stop by Gioppe's. I'm afraid we have to make a detour."
"W-Wait, I can't afford anything from Gioppe's." I tell him.
"Who says you're going to pay?" he asks with a smile.