Mikan's Little Twin

Chapter 80: Painful love*

Izumi runs out of his brother's office after hearing of the engagement between Yuka and the ESP. He sprints away, not able to fathom the idea. The blonde teacher had run away to there after his embrace with Yuka and confessed to Yukihira-Principal along with Jinno-Sensei. Both had obviously been no help to the teacher and then had told him of the arranged marriage.

"Wow! You guys are practicing how to make Alice stones? You can do that at this age? Really?!" Yuka praises the two little boys as she looks at their Alice stones that they had created.

"Take it, Nee-chan!"
"No! Take mine!"

Both Shuuichi and Subaru offer their rocks to the older girl only for her to politely decline them. Their cheerful faces fall in despair as she says that she cannot accept the beautiful stones. They then go on clinging to the crouched Yuka and arguing with one another about who she belongs to.

Their childish banter fades out of hearing as Yuka ponders in the previous actions of Yukihira-Sensei.

"Hey, Yuka. I finally found you. Ever since that, you've been avoiding me. What are you planning on doing?" Yuka looks up at the fuming Izumi in shock as he glares down at her. "The one who confessed was you. Are you planning to continue like this? As the elementary principal's puppet for the rest of your life? You didn't even discuss it with anyone around you." He fumes. His words cause the two little boys along with Narumi to stare at the scene. "I heard that you agreed to marry that guy. What's going on?" He demands to know.

Others that are around look at the confrontation in surprise, Narumi calling out to Yuka if that was true.

He doesn't stop there, instead the teacher keeps interrogating Yuka. "What in the world are you thinking? I can't understand you at all. At first, you hated his guts and now all of a sudden you like him? Love him?"

"The one who doesn't understand is you, Sensei!" Yuka exclaims, causing his hazel eyes to enlarge. "One moment, you come out of nowhere and tell me off, the next moment you do 'that' kind of thing and now you are so angry." The girl boils in frustration as she tries to comprehend his intentions. "If you're worrying about me as a student, then don't do 'that' kind of thing again. Also... after a lot of thinking, I came to my decision. Why do I have to stand here and be told off by Sensei?"

The teacher is about to retort but her next words catch him off guard.

"Sensei knows exactly how I feel but you pretended you didn't know and ignored it. Since my existence isn't particularly special to you, then please don't do things that will give me false hope. Stop hurting me! That's enough... just please leave me alone."

Yuka runs from the audience that they had gathered. Everyone is silent for a moment until a fuming and scary looking Yukihira goes barreling after Yuka. She runs in slight fear as he yells after her.

"If you already said that you like me, then don't go to another man's side!" He shouts, causing Yuka to slow down. "You won't go, right, Yuka?" He pants.

Realizing his actions, he holds his head in anger towards himself. "Crap, I lost it." He mutters before finally saying the words that Yuka has yearned to hear for years. "Towards Yuka... I like you."

He opens his eyes to see hot tears streaming down a shocked Yuka's face. "Come on, Yuka. Move those feet of yours and come to my side. You're worries, your pain, give them all to me. As a man... I.. only belong to you, Yuka."

Throughout all of their journeys together and moments with one another, Izumi has finally come to realize.

"I love you, Yuka."