"Riko, honey, can you check the mail before you leave?"
"Yeah, Mom!"
Riko grabbed her shoes on her way out of the apartment, going down the hall and checking the mailbox. She still had five minutes before she had to meet her friends for school.
She opened the mailbox's door and her eyes zeroed in on a magazine sitting on top of the bills. Her eyes went wide, and she gasped. "Oh my gosh, my copy of Pop*Tween came in!" she squealed, snatching up the mail and running back to the apartment.
Pop*Tween was a fashion magazine aimed at pre-adolescent girls and young teenagers. Riko had been a subscriber since she was eight - back then, the fashion hadn't interested her very much, but she loved the embarrassing moments section, pop culture reviews, and the advice column. The appreciation for the fashion came just a year ago, so now she felt she could enjoy her magazine all the more.
She dropped the mail onto the small end table in the hall, ran to the couch, and flung herself down to read a little before she had to go. Four minutes left... she could probably read one embarrassing moment, or a few paragraphs of a movie review.
But when she opened the reader write-in section, there was an advertisement on the opposite page. Riko glanced at it, and once again her eyes grew wide.
The girl in the ad was holding her hand up to face the camera, showing off a gorgeous diamond ring. It was cut into the shape of a teardrop, and had beautiful pink wings on either side of it, and a rose-gold band. In the ad, it reflected rainbow prisms in the light that danced across the model's face. Riko wasn't sure if that happened in real life, but the ring itself...
"Riko, it's time to go!" called her mother, Ena, from the kitchen.
"Mom!" Riko leaped off the couch and ran to her mom, brandishing the magazine in her face. "Mom, Mom, can I have this ring?!"
"That ring? Hmmm..."
Outside the apartment building, Kaoru and Meiko stood waiting for Riko. The two of them were talking quietly about the latest episode of a new TV show when they heard her approach. "Girls!" yelled Riko, "Girls, girls!"
"Hm? What's up, Riko?" asked Meiko.
Riko stopped in front of them, puffing out her chest. She grinned broadly, then shoved her cell phone in their faces. On the screen was a photo of the ad. "My Mom's gonna buy me this ring!"
OP: Your Glow
Episode 11:
"Precious Feelings Reflected In Jewelry!"
"Hey, is it just me or is Chino in a really good mood today?" asked Kumi around a mouthful of fried rice. She was looking across the grounds, over to Riko and her two friends. The other four in her group looked as well, watching as Riko excitedly talked and showed Kaoru and Meiko a picture on her phone. The other two girls were listening raptly, their eyes sparkling like diamonds. Riko herself had a slight flush to her face, her eyes growing more excitedly as she looked back at her phone. Her lunch sat forgotten on her lap, only two bites taken from it. Whatever was on her phone, it had clearly distracted her from any hunger.
"What do you think she's looking at?" Kazu asked, following his question with a drink of lemonade.
"Maybe she won a contest? Like a sweepstakes?" offered Rui.
"You have to be 18 or older to enter a sweepstakes. I don't think it's that."
"Nuh-uh, Haru. I've heard of middle-schoolers winning things like that!"
Suddenly, Riko looked up and saw them.
The group yelped and immediately went back to their lunches, eating quickly and trying to pretend they hadn't been watching. But it was too late. A few moments later, Riko stood behind Kumi, one hand on her hip while her other hand brandished her cell phone.
"I~ saw~ you~" she sang, waving her phone a little. "I bet you wanna see too, right?"
"Not really," muttered Kazu. Masako nudged him in the side.
"See it and weep!" Riko laughed, shoving her phone into the middle of the group. Kazu and Masako were closest, so they saw the picture first; everyone else leaned in to see.
Kumi's eyes went wide when she saw the photo. "Ooooh, that's pretty. I like the rainbows."
"Not the picture, stupid, the ring!" Riko snapped, then smiled brightly. "Mom's buying me this~"
"Really? It looks awfully expensive..." murmured Haru.
"Well, just because your parents are stingy and don't buy you nice things doesn't mean my mom is. I asked this morning, and she said she'll look for it while I'm at school today!" Riko chortled to herself, pressing her phone to her chest. "I bet you're all really jealous right now. You're so jealous it's making you stupid."
Masako sighed. "We're really not..."
"Hey," began Rui, sounding concerned. "Are you sure your Mom's gonna buy you that, though? That's like, a real gem, right?"
"Of course she is! She said she would!" Riko snapped. She puffed her cheeks out, glaring down at the others, as if offended anyone would dare suggest such a thing. "My mom's not a liar - are you trying to say she is?"
"No no no!" Haru cried before anyone else could respond, quickly shaking her head and holding up her hands in defense. "Of course not!"
"Good. Because if someone was…" Riko paused, then snorted derisively, tossing her hair. "Never mind. You're just jealous of me, anyway. I'm going back to eat." And with that, she stalked back over to her friends, her anger melting away as she could be heard excitedly gushing about her new present.
Kazu was the first to react, sighing and shaking his head as he went back to his food. "Man," he grumbled, taking another bite of grilled fish. "I do not get why girls are all obsessed with jewelry. Rings aren't even that special. Er…." He suddenly paused, glancing up and noticing how the four girls he sat with were all glaring at him. "But I mean your rings all look cool! I mean-"
Masako frowned, wordlessly lifted her bento box, and smacked it on top of Kazu's head, the boy letting out a faint 'ow.'
Meanwhile, Ena Chino walked leisurely through the shopping district, humming a gentle tune as she peered through the windows. The weather was getting warmer, so many of the mannequins in the storefronts were getting new outfits. She paused in front of one such mannequin, one wearing an orange blouse with ruffles along the bottom, and a flouncy yellow skirt. She smiled, leaning in close to get a better look. "Riko would like this," she said to herself.
With that, she went inside the shop, making a beeline for the children's section. It was moderately crowded with various parents, but not too bad. Ena only had to say "pardon me" once as she looked for the outfit she'd seen. Along the way, she grabbed a few other items that looked to be in Riko's tastes.
Ena felt her smile growing wider as she held her items. She couldn't wait to see the look on Riko's face. Imagine, to be able to come home from school and see new clothes laid out for you! Ena wished she had been so lucky.
On her way to the register, she passed a small jewelry display - and stopped. She took two steps backwards, looking down at the glass container.
There, sitting in a little red box, was a ring. It was cut into the shape of a diamond, had pale blue wings on either side of it, and sat atop a rose-gold band. Ena put a finger to her lips. "Isn't this what Riko showed me this morning…?" she pondered aloud. After a moment, she lifted an arm to wave down an employee. "Excuse me! Could I have this, please?"
Fifteen minutes later, Ena walked out with a sparkly purple shopping bag, and a ring box tucked safely in her purse.
As she walked, a memory flitted to the surface of her mind.
Five-year-old Riko stood in front of a crane game, her chubby little hands pressed against the glass as she made eye contact with a pink teddy bear. She turned and looked up, her eyes sparkling. "Mommy!" she cried. "Can I have this?!"
"Let's see what I can do, Riko..." Ena said with a tired smile as she dug through her coin purse.
The present Ena smiled a more easygoing smile, looking down at her purse. "She'll be so happy…"
The momentary distraction was just enough to make her bump into someone, their shoulders briefly colliding. "Oh! I'm so sorry!"
The person she bumped into, a young man in grown and white, with a gold coat and brown hair, just waved her off. "It's nothing," he muttered quietly. And he kept walking, not even looking back to see Ena watching him with a look of mild concern at his demeanor.
Of course, the one she bumped into was Electrum. He put his hands in his pockets as he walked through the crowded street. For a brief moment, his eyes flitted around, watching for anyone who had some grief, or a conflicted heart. But then he sighed, shaking his head and looking back at the ground. No. No, his heart wasn't fully in it today…
"Electrum," Onyx's voice intoned.
Electrum stood at attention. "Brother."
"I need you to harvest more dark energy. I need to be fully awakened. Sterling was able to gather some, but it's still not enough… I can count on you, can't I?"
Electrum paused. Onyx sounded so cold. And the way he mentioned Sterling, how dismissive he was of her efforts… He glanced over at her, noting her embarrassed flinch.
He'd really changed since the attack on the kingdom, hadn't he? Electrum inhaled deeply, and nodded.
"Yes, Brother."
But still. Still, he wasn't feeling up to it. Maybe it was the way Electrum had spoken to him. He couldn't recall being spoken to like that, not by anybody.
"This is ridiculous," he grumped. "I'm acting like a child, feeling upset because of someone's tone of voice…" Yet even as he said that… Even as he said that, it didn't change his mood at all. With a heavy sigh, he continued walking, as the sun shone down on him and a stream of people flowed past.
"Meiko, you think I should wear the ring on my right hand, or my left?"
"What kind of outfits do you think look best with it?"
"Mom is so great for buying this for me, isn't she, everyone?"
"Aaaauuuugh, I can't take it anymore!" Masako cried, covering her ears.
It was gym class, and the kids were all playing a game of soccer outside.
Or rather, everyone but Riko was playing soccer. She didn't have her phone out, having left it in her school bag in the locker room, but she was talking endlessly about the ring she was sure to get. Meiko and Kaoru were being bombarded by a parade of questions about what to coordinate it with, but everyone else had to continue hearing her bragging. It got to the point where the rest of the class was giving her a wide berth on the soccer field, something the gym teacher noticed.
Unfortunately, after pulling the rest of the class aside and giving them all a stern lecture on including everyone in the game, he made sure it didn't happen again. So now everyone was stuck hearing about-
"The ring, the ring, the ring, I swear I'm going to explode if I have to hear about that stupid ring one more time!" Masako groaned, her hands moving to her face to scrub at her eyes.
"Y-Yeah, it's getting a bit much…" Kumi agreed.
"Maybe she's just excited…" Haru whispered.
"I don't care, she's being annoying! She keeps shoving the picture in our faces and talking about her mom getting it for her, over and over! My mom could get me a ring like that if I asked but you don't see me bragging about it! Or asking, for that matter!"
"Girls, come on…" Haru whimpered.
"Hey! You three!" shouted the gym teacher all of a sudden. "Stop gossiping and get your heads in the game!"
"Yes, sir!" the three cried at once.
Eyecatch 1: Kumi, Masako, Haru, and Rui are shown one by one wearing a princess dress in their theme colors. Then the four pose in front of a mirror together as the Crown Jewels Pretty Cure logo appears in the corner.
Eyecatch 2: Kumi is shown in front of a vanity, holding a series of earrings up in front of her. She cycles through pink hearts, blue diamonds, yellow teardrops, and green clovers before settling on white crowns. She then clips the crown earrings onto Glimmer's ears as the Crown Jewels Pretty Cure logo appears in the corner.
Finally, finally, the final bell rang.
Ms Abe called out over the commotion as kids grabbed their bags and left. "Remember the homework!"
Everyone suddenly stopped, staring.
Ms Abe smiled. "There is no homework!" she laughed. "Alright, everyone have a great weekend!"
The four girls and Kazu walked down the outside stairs together, Kazu and Kumi at the front with the other three bringing up the rear. Rui smiled down at her friends from her place on a higher stair. "You guys wanna go to McDonalds tomorrow? I got my allowance, so I can treat you guys."
"Hmmm, I dunno," said Kazu. "I heard a new ice-cream parlor was opening up on Karasuma. There's an arcade right next to it!"
"We could always check out Carousel Delights," said Kumi. "They always put out new jewelry on Saturdays!"
"Aw, Kumi, I don't like jewelry…" groaned Kazu.
"Besides," came a new voice, just as the group reached the bottom of the stairs. "Why would anyone go to Carousel Delights when they can get a ring like mine?"
Everyone groaned internally, turning around and looking at - you guessed it - Riko. She stood on the bottom stair with her hands on her hips, her head tossed slightly. On either side of her were Meiko and Kaoru, who were looking slightly embarrassed. Meiko reached out and tugged Riko's sleeve. "Riko, we're blocking the stairs, let's go."
"As I was saying," Riko went on as if she hadn't heard. "When you could have a ring like mine, there's no need to go to a frumpy place like Carousel Delights!"
"Hey!" Kumi shouted, stomping a sneakered foot. "You like Carousel Delights - I know for a fact you got your earrings from last week from there, so don't even start it!"
"Oh, sweet, naive Natsukawa… that was before I found higher-quality jewelry. That was before Mom said she'd buy-"
"Would you cut it out already?" snapped Rui. "We get it, you think you're so great because of your dumb ring-"
"Hey! It's not dumb!"
"-that your mom isn't even gonna get you! I checked on my phone, that's expensive! Nobody's mom just drops money for a ring like that for no reason!"
"Uh, mine would," sneered Riko, crossing her arms. "Because my mom loves me!"
"You know, you keep going on and on about your dumb ring," Rui continued. "But I bet you're not even getting it. Your mom probably said 'we'll see,' or something, and you thought it was 'yes.'"
"No! She did say she'd buy it!"
"It's either she said we'll see or you're just making stuff up!"
"Why would I make that up?!"
"Because you're annoying!" Before anyone could respond, Rui yelled, unable to take it anymore. "You're super, super, super annoying!"
The three girls before them just stared. Meiko and Kaoru had their mouths covered, glancing at each other in shock. Riko just gaped like a fish on dry land, her eyes wide and her face pale. Then her expression screwed up into a glare, and she stormed past the other group, shoving Rui on the shoulder as she passed. Meiko and Kaoru ran after her, calling for her to please slow down.
Once they were out of sight, Rui and Kazu covertly low-fived.
"Stupid girls…" Riko fumed as she marched down the street, swinging her backpack angrily. "They don't know what they're even talking about. Mom promised she was getting me that ring. Mom promised."
Adults weren't supposed to break promises. Especially moms. That wasn't allowed. Everybody knew that.
And Riko's mom had never broken a promise! Not once!
"Of course I'll come to your kindergarten show, Riko!"
"Sure, I'll make cupcakes for your class on your birthday."
"Of course we'll go to the movies this weekend! How about we go to dinner, too?"
"Yes, you can have that for your birthday, honey."
"I'm happy to spoil you a bit, Riko! You're my special little girl, after all!"
Each and every time her mom had promised her something, she saw it through. That was her mom's way.
Her mom did get her that ring, and she'd wear it to school, and then rub it in everyone's faces!
She picked up her pace as her apartment building came into view, breaking into a run after crossing the street. She ran up the flight of stairs, down the hall. She flung open the door, grinning excitedly when she heard the muffled sounds of her mom's favorite show in the apartment. "Mom!" she yelled. "I'm home!"
"Welcome home, Riko!" Ena called back, coming into the room. "I've got a surprise for you~"
"A surprise, for me?!" Riko cried, eyes wide and sparkling. A tiny dark part of her swelled with pride. She was right. Rui was wrong. Everyone being a jerk was wrong!
Then Ena held out the little box. "Open it, Riko, go on~"
And the lid was lifted.
And the ring
was
wrong.
Outside, Meiko and Kaoru were slowly approaching the apartment building steps. "You think Byron and Izumi were too mean?" Meiko asked.
"Totally!" agreed Kaoru. "They're totally just jealous. When we see Riko's ring, we'll tell everyone at school that-"
What they were going to tell them, she didn't get to say. Because at that very moment there was the sound of a door slamming open, and a high-pitched, loud shriek of "I HATE YOU, MOOOOM!"
Seconds later, Riko came barreling down the stairs and ran through her friends, vanishing into the crowded street.
"Wh- Riko!?" the girls cried.
"Riko!" Ena cried, running down stairs and past the girls as well. "Riko, come back! Rikoooo!"
But Riko was already too far away. She pushed her way through crowds of people, running across streets, ducking around buildings… She didn't look where she was going, nor did she care. Her vision was blurred with tears, and her throat felt tight as she lifted a fist and scrubbed them away.
She finally stumbled to a stop, next to a dumpster. Perfect. I belong here, she thought miserably, dropping into a crouch and hiding her face in her arms. She felt miserable. First there was stupid Rui and her stupid friends… then her mom got her a knock-off ring after she'd spent the entire day telling everyone she was getting the real thing… and then…
...and then she had to yell that to her own mother.
She was the worst.
"I hate this…" she hiccuped. "I hate everything!"
Her chest felt so tight it nearly hurt to breathe. Anxiety and heartbreak sat in it like a stone. An ice-cold stone.
...actually, it. It felt very cold. The ice was spreading. That wasn't. That wasn't normal. Riko gasped for breath, dizzy as her vision darkened and the city fell away. She grabbed at her chest as the ice deepened, a roar in her ears.
And then she fell into darkness.
"Don't you think you were a little harsh?" asked Haru timidly. The group walked down the street, past Carousel Delights and towards the new ice-cream shop.
Rui shook her head. "No way. I was getting sick of her bragging and I'm not even in your class. I can't imagine how much it sucked for the rest of you!"
"Well… I did want to tell her off," admitted Kazu.
"But still, there were better ways," Haru mumbled.
"Riko!" a voice drifted towards them.
Against Rui's protests, Kumi stopped, glancing towards the source of the shouting. It sounded worried, which in turn worried her. Sure enough, she could see Kaoru and Meiko running down the street, hands cupped around their mouths, shouting for Riko. And trailing behind them, cell phone in hand, was a woman who looked like an older version of Riko, but with long hair curling down her back. That must be her mom, Kumi thought. But what's going on?
"Riiii-kooo!" shouted Kaoru, jogging towards the group. She frowned anxiously, lowering her hands as she looked at Kumi. "Hey, uhm, have you guys seen Riko since school got out?"
Everyone looked at each other, frowning. Rui bit her lip, then shook her head. "No, none of us have," she admitted. "Is something wrong?"
"Excuse me?" the woman called as she too approached. "You all are Riko's friends, right? Have any of you seen her, or know where she might have gone?"
"Riko's missing?" Rui gasped.
"She ran out of our apartment earlier and we can't find her!" Ms Chino cried, clutching her phone tighter. "She was upset about something, and the next thing I know…" Her eyes began to shine, her lips trembling. "She's never acted like this, I don't know where…" she began, a tiny sob punctuating her sentence.
"Ms Chino, don't cry!" Kaoru and Meiko hugged her, looking anxious themselves. "We'll find her!"
"Yeah, I bet she went to Carousel Delights!"
"Or McDonalds! Everyone goes there!"
"Meiko, stupid, that means she might not be there because she knows that's where we'd look!"
"Well, I don't have any more ideas, Kaoru!"
"I know, I know, I'm sorry, I'm just scared- With all the monster attacks happening-"
"It's okay, you two." Ms Chino drew a deep breath, steeling her nerves to be strong for the kids. She couldn't fall apart in front of Riko's classmates. They needed someone strong. She put a hand on each of the two girls' heads, trying to smile. "It's okay… it's okay, you're right, we'll find her…"
"Do you need us to help look?" Kazu asked suddenly. Even if he didn't like her, the thought of her being missing was horrible.
Ms Chino smiled gratefully at him. "Could you? Please, and if she shows up at your home, tell me-"
But she didn't get to say anything further. The ground suddenly shook as if there'd been an explosion, knocking nearly everyone off-balance. Everyone grabbed each other to remain upright, and in Kumi's bag, Glimmer shivered. "Kumi!" she hissed, catching the girl's attention. "It's another one!"
"Another one?" Kumi cried back. "You don't think it's-"
"HYAAAAAAH!" an Electrum-made Usugurai rose up above the low buildings, its furnace-like mouth open in an agonized scream. But this time, something felt different. The inky blackness that made its form was pulsating and moving even faster than any of the previous ones, and when it shrieked again, black and red bits of magma fell from its mouth and onto the rooftops. The pieces were too small to do permanent damage to the buildings, but if it hit a person…
And that scream sounded an awful lot like-
"Riko?!" Meiko screamed, covering her cheeks with her hands. "Riko, is that you?!"
"Go awaaaaay!" the Usugurai screamed, thrashing its head and charging into the streets where everyone else was.
People scattered, screaming in alarm and grabbing anyone else they could. That included Ms Chino, who seized Meiko and Kaoru by the arms, then ran at the group and tried to usher them into a nearby building. "All of you, over here!" she cried.
Kazu ended up being pushed in front of Ms Chino, while the other four girls ran at either side of her. But that didn't last for long; the four looked to one another and used the commotion and crowds to their advantage, ducking away.
"Change! Elegant Crown Jewel!"
"Summer's jewel is full of love! Cure Ruby!"
"Winter's jewel is filled with light! Cure Diamond!"
"Autumn's jewel is filled with truth! Cure Topaz!"
"Spring's jewel is filled with energy! Cure Emerald!"
"The sparkling jewels! Crown Jewels Pretty Cure!"
The four Pretty Cure ran out into the street from behind the brick wall they'd transformed by, racing towards the Usugurai as it screamed and charged towards them.
Up above, unseen, Electrum hid on a rooftop, watching mutely. His face held no joy; if anything, he looked more resigned, tired, his eyes lined and dull.
"Riko!" yelled Cure Ruby. "Riko, it's okay! You have to stop!"
"Go away!" the Usugurai screamed again. "All of you, just go awaaay!" At that last word, the Usugurai opened its mouth wide, spraying shadow and magma onto the street. Pretty Cure had to jump out of the way quickly, flying into the air to avoid getting hit. The road sizzled under the attack, smoking slightly.
Glimmer, jumping onto a bench, gasped. "Girls! Something's different about this one! It's got a new attack!"
"But how's that possible?!" gasped Topaz. She landed gracefully, arms at her sides, near the Usugurai's back legs. Scanning for the bright spot and Riko's Sparkle, she went on, "What could have changed?"
"I don't know - but don't let your guard down!"
"Roger!" the four girls yelled.
"Go away! Don't look at me, don't talk to me! I'm so embarraaaaaassed!"
"Embarrassed?" Emerald echoed.
"My ring's wrong, my friends are gonna laugh, and I told Mom I hated her! I can't go back home, I can't, I caaaan't!" the Usugurai screamed again, lowering its head and charging.
"Nobody's gonna laugh!" Emerald shouted, running towards it. She grabbed the Usugurai by the snout, digging her feet into the ground. "I promise! It'll be alright! Girls, see the Sparkle yet?"
"Over here!" Diamond yelled. She was at the Usugurai's right side, pointing to its abdomen. "On the right!"
"Great! Diamond, could you- gyah!" Emerald suddenly yelped when the Usugurai lifted its head and began to frantically shake Emerald off. "Whoa-a-a-a-a-a!" she screamed, shutting her eyes against the dizziness.
"This is the worst! This is the woooorst!"
"Riko?! Riko, honey, is that you?!"
To the girls' shock and horror, Ms Chino stood in the street, staring wide-eyed at the monster. "Riko?!" she called again.
"Ma'am!" yelled Topaz in alarm, "get out of here!"
"That's - that's my daughter, isn't it? Is that you, Riko?! Riko, honey, I swear I'm not angry!"
"No! Go away! Go away go away!"
"Were you upset about the ring?" Rather than run, Ms Chino took a few steps closer. "What was it that upset you? I thought you wanted that ring?"
"It was wrong! It was the wrong one! But…" The Usugurai's voice broke a little, and with one mighty toss, she finally flung Emerald off her snout and high into the air. Emerald shrieked as she sailed upwards, higher than she'd ever gone before.
But… but as she floated above the town, she looked down. She quickly scanned the area, and- yes! There was the Riko statue! And… and if she could aim it just right as she went back down… Emerald grit her teeth and prepared herself as her body began to fall back to Earth.
"But I yelled at Mom! Mom bought me the ring in the first place and I yelled at her!"
To Pretty Cure's surprise, the Usugurai seemed to actually be calming down in a way. Shadows and magma still flickered from her body and dropped to the ground, the inky black aura still funneled dark energy into the sky, and her voice was still warped and furious. But she wasn't charging or thrashing her head anymore. She was actually lowering it as Ena drew closer, tentatively holding out her hands.
"Riko… Riko, it'll be okay…" Ena whispered.
"R...really?"
"I promise."
Emerald heard the entire thing as she neared the Usugurai once more. Without hesitation, she flung her arms out when she spotted the bright Sparkle in the shadows. "Pretty Cure Emerald Storm!"
The attack surged at the Usugurai, miraculously avoiding Ena Chino. The Usugurai closed its eyes as it lowered its head, touching its muzzle to Ena's forehead, and then it was engulfed in bright light…
Riko blinked, gasping loudly. She was still sitting near the dumpster, but now suddenly there was Pretty Cure in front of her. The green one stood with her hands out, a concerned look on her face that faded to relief quickly. And then Riko understood what had happened.
"I - Was I a monster?!" she gasped.
"Riko!"
"Mom!" Riko paled, scrambling to her feet. She swayed a little, and then nearly fell over again when her mom tackled her in a hug. "M-Mom?!"
"Oh, honey…" Ena whispered. "Riko… Riko, what happened? What had you so upset?"
Riko stared, trying to remember. When it came back to her, she ducked her head in shame. "The… the ring. The ring was wrong…"
"Is that why you ran out of the apartment?"
"...y-yeah… I-I really wanted that one, and you got me a different one and… and I thought it meant… I thought it meant you didn't care…"
"Didn't care?! Honey!" Ena hugged her again, closer this time. "Honey, I love you very much. I bought you the ring I found because I knew you'd like it and it'd make you happy. I could never not care about you."
"But… but what about when I said I hated you? Even then?"
"Even then."
Riko's eyes teared up, and she ducked her head again. Finally, she brought her arms up and hugged Ena tightly.
Pretty Cure stepped back as Meiko and Kaoru ran onto the scene too, joining in a group hug. Emerald coughed. "Well… let's get out of here and find Kazu."
"Yeah, I bet he's worried, too. Since we keep disappearing all the time."
Ruby sighed.
Monday at school, Riko stood in the middle of the room during lunch, flaunting her ring. "Isn't it gorgeous?" she said. "It's all shimmery and rainbow in the light, and it fits me perfectly! And Mom says when I outgrow it, we can either get it resized or I can put it on a chain."
"It's really nice, Riko!" said Meiko. "Er, but didn't you say you were getting-"
"Don't be dumb, Meiko," Riko scoffed. "I said Mom was getting me one like the ring in the magazine, not the real thing. It's way expensive, someone could steal it from me!"
"Ohhhh."
"Yeah, I'll probably get it when I'm older and get a safe. Or for a high school graduation gift." Riko grinned, turning her hand this way and that. "But isn't it pretty? Mom loves me so much."
In the back of the room, the four girls and Kazu watched with varying levels of disinterest.
"Well," said Masako, "we got over one problem and have another."
"Don't worry," said Haru. "When she gets bored, she'll stop… in about a week."
"But she's happy, I guess," said Kumi with a small smile. "That part's okay."
"Yeah, because I don't have to hear it all the time," laughed Rui.
Kazu just shook his head. He really did not get girls and jewelry.
ED: Miracles Can Happen