To clarify: that last chapter's end had almost nothing to do with Natsume it was more focused on his dad. Proof:
"Mr. Hyuuga was a serious man and his son's wedding was vital for future plans."
Why NATSUME was there is a bit more different. You'll see.
Billion Dollar Bride
"It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life"
-Rita Rudner
Ayne looked up- blushing immediately. His silver hair was silky and stopped just before his shoulders and his bangs could hide his teal eyes. He wore a white button down shirt and some dark jeans and he had an ear piercing, it was like a devilish angel- so hot its cool.
"You-chan~ I thought you'd never get here." Mikan smirked at him
"Well so sorry that some chokers take longer than usual to get." He rolled his eyes as he threw a small bag at her- aiming for her head but she unfortunately caught it with ease, "Why is this house so big?"
"So slow people like you would learn how to be faster." Mikan said simply. She got up from her position and placed a hand on his head, "Don't eat my maid while I go change." She warned, still wearing her hospital gown- much to her displeasure.
He made a hn sound and mumbled 'no promises'. He looked over at Ayne then shook his head.
"W-what is it, never seen a maid before?" Ayne shot at him; trying her best to not stare in his presence. She usually would sit by and try to be cute and shy; but this guy honestly looked at her as if she was low class!
"More like, I've never seen an odd looking maid before. Seriously, your hair is weird." He got a manga from Mikan's bookshelf and silently ploppedbeside her.
She held her breath for a bit. Sure she's been close to attractive guys but usually she'd have no interest in them. What do you do when a hot guy insults you; then you insult him back-
When you like him?
"Well I'm-"
"I'm in for serious trouble when Hotaru gets here… Play nice You-chan?" Mikan inquired as she walked in the room. She wore a simple black T-shirt that said "Neko" on it, and black jeans. She looked so elegant even though the clothes were so simple, she was practically glowing!
"Heh." He stated simply.
Mikan narrowed her eyes at him and looked over to Ayne. "This is Youichi Hijiri; the miniature devil." Mikan gestured to him; imagining little horns growing out his hair
"And this is Ayne-"
However before Ayne could make a sound to complete Mikan's sentence the door bursts open, revealing a tall woman with a very stoic expression that was practically glued on her face.
The room suddenly felt colder…
"Umenomiya- the daughter of that famous chef you adore so much. Glutton" She stated; mumbling the last part but kept an icy stare on the maid- not in the mood for pettiness. Ayne darted her eyes from the woman over to Mikan. Instead of being saved by her mistress, Mikan was looking in the other direction.
"And you are in trouble." She turned to Mikan, who, gave a little 'eep' sound before looking in her lap like a little child ready to be scolded
"And…just who are you?" Ayne cried at the gothic person.
Her purple eyes glowed with a devilish smirk, "Hotaru Imai." She stated, "Don't ever forget it… Now for you Mikan, my punishment…"
It took her about a minute to continue; the room was very still. Even the uncaring Youichi didn't budge.
"You're wearing a corset during the dinner party."
"Aw…"
Mikan got out the bath and put on her robe before exiting the bathroom. You-chan was on the couch; playing Xbox, Ayne was sitting on the bed and Hotaru paced back and forth near her.
Hotaru stopped, "Took you long enough…" Mikan muttered a 'sorry' as Hotaru snapped her fingers.
Instantly maids came in with four racks of dresses. "The theme is cocktail dress." Hotaru said bluntly as she got a magazine to read
Mikan wondered around the rows of outfits; all kinds of colors were shown, brown; pink; blue; purple; red; white and so on. Some were very revealing and others a little too…covering- Most dresses looked good but missed something…something real important. Like that oomph that a dress should have. As if the top to one dress is better for the bottom of another one- which made Mikan quite stressed especially to see the low V-necks; apparently Hotaru's maid didn't look through these thoroughly. Mikan Sakura would not go that low on a dress- literally- V-necks are absolutely too much for her, sure she'd look great in one but she was taught to go classy, somewhat elegant or plain and simple for whatever reason. Lace was elegant and seductive you know, but a V-neck screamed "Attention whore, look at my over-sized breasts." Of course, even near the people she was used to- her irritation would not be seen on her face- a classic move she was also taught.
I raised a brow at Mikan, how could she act as if this was natural…my maids don't even do that! I looked back up at Hotaru's icy beauty, I suppose I was too shocked to notice that THE Hotaru Imai was scolding me… Though thinking of it, why is she spoiling Mikan like this? Also, Mikan has a perfect figure (sorta) so why did she need a corset? They talked to each other like close friends… Well! When school starts at least I'd have a story so great that even 'The Great Aiko' would be silenced. God that girl was the devil- I swear ever since grade school she's been-
Before I could think and rant more about how evil Aiko was, I saw Mikan step out the walk-in closet with a stunning gold dress.
"So, where's the corset?" I couldn't help but ask.
"It's a mechanic one that will comfortably wrap on the waist, giving one that hour glass shape- or in Mikan's case, making breathing a level harder. It sells for 2,500 thousand in Japan, France, America, Canada, and New England with an added payment of shipping and handling." Hotaru explained simply.
"Oh, bring in the maid outfits; I want Ayne-chan to look cute." Mikan smiled as she sat down on her bed, reaching for a golden brush.
She looked so happy and…adorable. Was it even right for someone of her age to be so freakishly cute? I mean, I don't think I can compare with her! Even so, there were so many questionable things.
Just who is Mikan Sakura, exactly?
A maid fixed my tie, while reminding me of the usual- be good and don't insult people, nonsense of such. I simply stared out the window- hoping something would give me a sign of who would be the lady I marry. The faster I get out this competition, the better.
"Natsume-sama, do you understand? There isn't much for me to go over with you, just be sure to hand out the first few 'good bye' gifts."
"Yeah, sure, whatever you say." I replied with boredom.
The half moon shined brilliantly in the sky; illuminating the fountain that proudly stood in front the mansion…More like; the money waste stood shamefully in the presence of the moon in front a giant unneeded house. I headed out into the limo; grabbing a martini I swirled it in slight frustration. Most the day was wasted in preparations…
Now a dinner at the new Starry Night restaurant; something father had established. The limo sped up; I stared out of the window as I tried to rethink a few things…
Starting with that idiot contestant who performed to the point that she fainted; and instead of thanking me she threw her shoe at me. If I wasn't there that idiot would have been seriously injured…Well, not like she's going to last long. Even if she managed to survive the contestant eliminations; I'll ensure she's out of my mansion- sooner or later.
Father left me a paper with a few contestants who would make a great bride right off the bat…
Most of them sluts; Luna Koizomi; Sumire Shoulda; Mikan Sakura- wait… This idiot is actually a good choice. Yeah. Nice list dad; you made it splendidly via alcohol.
The moment I walked inside- I caught onto an unbearable whiff of perfume; which was flowing from one woman who had a very short red dress with ruffles. She looked pretty decent though with her seaweed green bob and green eyes- of course she wasn't perfect either; smile too big; eyes too wide; she had a loud evil laugh and revealed too much on the first night. That sort of wife would stare you down so hard you'd shiver- then at night she'd progress to wearing less and less until she wears nothing- by the time she does that it'd be three months into the marriage. She held a wine glass in hand and chatted amongst her posse- if there was one type of girl I'd completely avoid marrying- or even dating for that fact is just that simple.
The slutty gossiper who could ruin an image in a matter of hours was on the 'dump' list.
…Of course- that didn't stop them from being on the 'play around with' list- gullible beings that'd brag to their friends of their times and experiences. This could lead to; however; the lies and gossip that ruins images for the player. It's not possible to ruin Natsume Hyuuga's image though; not with all this fame.
Then I saw the idiot from earlier- hair curled; gold dress that fitted perfectly on her small waist; showed of her wonderful cu- wait no. She's not something to be worked up over. More focused on anything else; she was piling food onto her plate; a small smile on her face. What a pig.
I silently jogged up the stairs to take my seat at my exclusive balcony table (less fan girl drool near me that way). A paper lay there; explaining the rules and conditions of this 'war'…
Rules to be abided by Natusme Hyuuga:
No sex
you're not allowed to kick out a contestant on your own will
no 'playboy' acts
you may not 'woo' anyone with money and gifts
don't physically hurt someone
Wow…
Rules to be abided by Contestants:
No sex (with ANYONE)
You may not seduce any judge other than Hyuuga Natsume
No spending over 500,000 a day
No spending over 1 million in a month
Not allowed out the mansion after curfew( 12 AM) unless given the ability to do so
Not allowed to be an idiot that would lower reputation
If you flirt with another bachelor- you may be removed from this competition
Mikan crinkled her nose in frustration; so Hyuuga didn't get a curfew but she did? She wouldn't have anywhere to go- but this is still vexing. She looked over to Ayne who was fidgeting in her strapless maid's outfit- which puffed out a frilled a bit at the bottom which reached her knees and had the traditional bow in the back. It was a sky blue color with a white bow; which complemented her well.
"This is such a weird outfit…" she mumbled
Mikan put down her fork and smiled, "Oh you'll get used to it."
"Ehh?"
"Mikan's a lolicon…and a nerd." Hotaru said as she sat down in her graceful black gown; her hair in its perfect little bob and her hands filled with a plate of crabs.
"Aren't you supposed to be sitting on the balcony?" Mikan asked; ignoring the whole lolicon topic
"And miss the pictures I'd get for eBay? No way in hell; time is money; therefore I should be earning something every second of the day and night"
And to think their bet was only food related… though it would be very pricey- Mikan's a bottomless pit and Hotaru likes five star and classy types of restaurants- a no win duo. When combined- the person paying for the food would have wished he only had the free appetizers.
"So; how do you two know each other?" Ayne asked
"Childhood friends."
"Family thing."
The two looked at each other in slight shock
"Um, sorry- we… were childhood friends; so close it was like family. Like I'd sleep over her house a lot and whatnot; you know- that sorta thing." Mikan waved of hastily. Luckily; her phone went off and she quietly excused herself; slipping outside in the moonlit garden for her call.
Without even touching his food; Natsume went outside. With many girls staring at you- and the weight of everything you own and have to deal for, the room suddenly felt so suffocated. The Garden was composed of mostly roses that were lit by small little lights; there was a fountain and a great number of trees. Few stars shone within the sky and the peaceful sound of the wind blowing through the trees made him feel calm again…
That is until he heard her.
"I don't care if you had a deadline- I need those a bit more early than usual and I'll pay extra if I have to. Ok; yeah I see. Well no its not- Hey I'm a busy person too and- oh I got to take this; hold on. Yeah? Move it up? That's going to collide with my schedule… Really; is that so? I see how it can be a problem. Haha; ok I'll be there- have a nice night. Ok I'm back. Uh huh… yeah… in a month… You don't understand here; I don't get that article; neither of us gets the money. Oh really? Do I have to call my organization and ensure I get it? Ok then. Thank you; have a wonderful night."
A small clap was heard and followed by a heavy sigh.
"Quite a call there" he said as he walked toward her. She sat gracefully by the fountain with a small frown on her face; her long hair was pulled in a half ponytail and curled- actually it almost touched the water. He took a seat right next to her.
"Eh… Not in the mood to fight with you Hyuuga. What are you doing out here?" She looked at him tiredly
"Fresh air."
Mikan stopped admiring to roses to look over at him; his ruffled hair was highlighted in the moonlight and his cologne was suffocating-ly delicious. If you got closer- the more you'd notice; like how dark his crimson eyes could get and how deep yet slow his breathing pattern could be and-
Natsume looked right at her. An idiot; she was; captivating she somehow was too. The brunette glowed in the moonlight; her golden dress complimented her milky skin and her chocolate eyes stared at him with wonder. Suddenly he was hungry; and bent over to seize her lips.
"Mikan; Hyuuga its time to go in." Hotaru's cold and blunt voice cut through their small moment
Mikan made a small sigh of relief before going in; feeling eyes staring on her back once again.
"What was that?" Hotaru inquired at her friend as she paced up with her.
"I…don't know." Mikan mumbled- her eyes scanned the room; avoiding Hotaru and light pink was on her cheeks.
Mikan's breathing was faster; she looked around the room frantically and would poke at her food. In fact there even was a period where Mikan would just talk to herself in French. Hotaru just smirked.
So this is how it is huh?
In good time; Hotaru proceeded to the stage and explained a few things of how the competition would work. Also how out of 53 girls; only 10 would be remaining today and gave her curt apology along with the added fact that they will receive a $2,000 check for being able to even come so far. She mentioned how there would be a star system and how the girls would be secretly graded- on what; she didn't mention. Also there would be a little 'event' every day that'd be the base of the girls' scores- the bride would be announced on February the 14th...or sooner. A whole bunch of other things; blah blah blah nonsense
Before you knew it the dinner ended; and Mikan found herself dumbfounded and lost. All the star ranks went in their own special limo now- however where did she go?
"Oi; you have to ride with me you idiot." Natsume called out to her.
She stared at him; leaning on the limo as if he was god or something. "Why do I have to?" She suddenly couldn't look in his eyes again; but soon felt a strange force moving her and before she knew it she was in the limo.
"Since you were too stupid to listen; I'll repeat what Imai said. You have to ride with me tonight and get the privilege to sleep in the same room as me but only for tonight."
"Yeah sure." She wasn't really paying attention because she spotted a laptop and started tapping away. It wasn't until she had time to think as her game loaded that his words made sense. She looked back at him; her stomach lurched. Her face grew hot with the anticipation… she might get raped or something!
"Wait… what?"
To be Continued...
Yeah; I'm working on a "adding more per chapter" thing for this story.
Everyone~ It's My birthday today x3 (yes, June 29th) so for my birthday gift I would love it that you reviewed for Snowie~chan!
More updates comming soon.