Gakuen Alice: The Remake: Chapter 1
...xXx...
"Hotaru!" The pig-tailed girl exclaimed while running towards the raven-haired girl that stood not far from a black limo.
Hotaru slowly turned around to look at the girl. "Mikan."
They stared at each other for a good minute.
It was Hotaru who broke the staring contest. "Time is short. If you have something to tell me, tell me now."
"Why did you send such an important letter through tortoise mail?" Mikan asked as tears started forming in her eyes.
"If I told you earlier, you would have looked at me every day with eyes full of tears," she replied nonchalantly, and Mikan let her tears roll down her face.
Hotaru patted her head. "You don't have to cry like this. I'll be back for summer and winter vacation. Besides, we will write letters."
Convinced, Mikan wiped her tears. She smiled. "Okay."
...xXx...
It's been six months… I wrote a letter every day, and this is what I get? She stared at the postcard with dull eyes.
It's very hot this summer and it makes me feel tired, so I'm not going back. There's air conditioning here. It's very nice. Please send me watermelons.
—Hotaru
Mikan sighed and started walking to her school.
Before she reached her classroom, she heard her classmates talking about her and Hotaru.
"Ever since Hotaru quit this school, Mikan has really been down, but Hotaru is also a bit cold. Maybe she made a lot of new friends and forgot about us here. No matter how you look at it, Tokyo is more interesting than this small village."
Maybe that's right… Mikan sighed dejectedly, but she shook her head; she didn't believe Hotaru would think like that.
"But my dad said, 'I'm glad my child isn't an Alice like Hotaru'… My dad said that Alice Academy, where Hotaru went, is like a jail, and once you get in, even your parents have difficulties seeing you."
Mikan straightened and stayed still to hear more.
"What is that?"
"Alice people are considered as national treasures, so the government founded that school to protect them from accidents and getting kidnapped. They aren't even allowed to talk on the phone unless it's really important. That's why Hotaru's parents moved around a lot in order to avoid the government detectives."
"But if they had escaped for so long, why did they agree to go to the school now?"
"It seems that they get money from the government by enrolling Hotaru at Alice Academy. After Hotaru heard about this, she immediately said she would go."
What is that supposed to mean? Mikan asked herself. She didn't know if she should believe what they said or not.
...xXx...
When the students finally left after the homeroom, a tear rolled down her face. Is what they said true?
"Mrs. Imai, thanks to your daughter, our school has financially recovered."
Imai? Mikan sat up from her seat instantly and blinked her tears away.
"The school was about to be closed down, so we are really grateful."
Mikan took a peek from the classroom door. It's the principal and Hotaru's mother!
"This is my daughter's wish. My daughter was very fond of this town. Transferring so many times has left her without friends, but she finally found a true friend at this school. She wanted to save this school… even though it meant she had to go. From the moment we realised that she was an 'Alice', my husband and I knew that this day would be inevitable…" Hotaru's mother said gently.
"Mrs. Imai…" The principal murmured.
Hotaru's mother smiled. "I'm happy that my daughter could act so selflessly. That child doesn't show feelings. This is the only way she knows how… to show her loved ones that she cares…"
Mikan slid the door open. Both Hotaru's mother and the principal looked at her in surprise.
"What you said just now, is it true?" Mikan asked at once. "Hotaru… went to Alice for the sake of our school?" Tears started forming in her eyes. "Why didn't she say anything?"
"It's not anyone's fault, Mikan. It was just a matter of time. Hotaru couldn't avoid not going to that school forever. Hotaru really likes Mikan and everybody here. She must have chosen… to leave in a way that makes you least sad," Hotaru's mother said softly.
Mikan closed her eyes as she tried not to let her tears fall.
...xXx...
"My granddaughter has run away from home!" A high pitch voice exclaimed. Mikan's grandpa cried, "That brat, she even took my private savings."
Grandpa,
I'm sorry. I don't want to end things with Hotaru like this; I've decided. I must see Hotaru once more. I will come back as soon as I can.
—Mikan
Mikan stood at the entrance of Alice Academy as she looked at the school gate. How could she get in? That was what she thought at the moment. Then, two shady guys approached her.
"Hey miss, what are you doing here by yourself?" one of the guys asked.
"W-what?" Mikan said fearfully. She still remembered what her friends told her about getting kidnapped. Though she wasn't an Alice, she was sure that being kidnapped wasn't a good thing.
"Please come with us if you want to go to this school," the second guy offered.
Refusing them, she shook her head, but the first guy insisted, "Come on, please come with us."
She started to panic. When she was about to scream for help, a voice greeted them, "Just a minute."
They turned to look at (the) source and found out that it was a blond man.
"Where are you going to take this little kitty-cat?" he asked with a smile.
Mikan went dumbfounded. Little kitty-cat? Me? Little kitty-cat?
"It's nothing, really. She's our friend who wanted to see this school," the second guy replied quickly.
Mikan was about to object, but the first guy covered her month to shut her up.
"Let… us… say… good… bye…" The blond man said to the guys suddenly.
A few seconds later, the guys replied to him in unison, "Yes…"
After they left, the blond man turned to look at Mikan. "Are you alright?"
Mikan nodded while looking at the man suspiciously. "Who are you?"
"I'm a teacher of Alice Academy," he replied and said with a smile, "You should also go home now."
Mikan blinked, unaffected by his smile.
The blond man sweat dropped. She seems totally unaffected…
Then, he looked at Mikan thoughtfully. This girl…
After a few moments Mikan started, "I came here to find my friend."
"Do you want to enrol into this school?" The man asked instead, and Mikan narrowed her eyes for being ignored.
"No, I just want to find my friend," she replied flatly.
The man thought for a minute before answering, "But I can't let you because only an Alice can go to this school. If you want to find your friend, you will have to enrol into this school."
She remained silent as she pondered what to do. She came to Tokyo because she wanted to settle things with Hotaru, not enrol into the school.
After a few minutes she finally asked, "I'm not a genius. How could I enrol into this school?"
"The true meaning of Alice is not being a genius. It actually means natural born powers," the man replied.
She looked at him thoughtfully before responding, "Still, I'm not an Alice. I don't have any natural born powers."
The man began, "We will find out about that with a few tests, and I'm sure you will make it. Just call me Narumi-sensei, I—"
KABOOM!
Mikan fell to the ground instantly. She coughed a few times as she tried to clear the smoke around her. Then a hand was offered to her. "Mikan-chan, are you alright?"
She accepted the hand, and both of them saw a boy who looked around the same age as her, standing up on the wall. She stared at the boy blankly. A black cat?
"He's the academy's youngest but most talented student of all… Natsume Hyuuga…" Narumi-sensei said.
Mikan stared at the boy. Natsume Hyuuga…
"Natsume!" Narumi-sensei exclaimed when he saw him tried to run away. He threw his whip at him while saying, "Don't run away."
Mikan was shocked as Natsume was knocked to the ground along with his mask. Her eyes widened when she finally saw his face. She quickly approached him. "Hey, are you okay!"
When Natsume was about to use his Alice, Narumi-sensei stepped on his hand. "Before you use your power, I will use mine, and you will end up being embarrassed like before."
"Crazy teacher…!" Natsume gritted his teeth.
Narumi-sensei grabbed the collar of his shirt and whispered into his ear, "This is the rewarding punishment for you."
Natsume flushed and passed out within seconds.
Mikan stunned. What was happening?
The unconscious Natsume was put onto Narumi's shoulder as he spoke, "It's time. We should go."
Mikan blinked in confusion. Then, the gate of the academy slowly opened. She looked at the school in awe.
Still smiling, Narumi-sensei said, "Welcome to Alice Academy, Mikan Sakura."