Test 2: Spring into action! The Second Scout
"C'mon, hurry up, Naru! We're almost there!"
As usual, Mitsune Konno had all the energy. Naru was less enthusiastic about their sudden trip to the arcade. Although she liked playing the UFO catcher machine, the place was usually loud and full of people.
Fortunately, the crowds today were gathered around only a few games. One group was watching in awe as a blonde girl was racking up high scores on a dancing machine. She certainly was full of energy, Naru thought. Another bunch was in a line to one side of a fighting game, waiting their turn to challenge a tall girl with pale white skin and long black hair, who never seemed to lose.
"The place is certainly lively today," Kitsune remarked as they went to the counter to make tokens. A young man with a name tag which proclaimed him as "Haitani Masayuki" happily changed their quarters, and unsuccessfully tried to flirt with them. He was lucky that they merely ignored him and walked away.
There was only one girl ahead of them at the catcher machine. She appeared to be having bad luck.
"What are you trying to catch?" Naru asked her. The girl turned around in surprise, seeing that a few people had shown up behind her. In some small embarrassment, the girl apologized for being in the way and ran off.
"I only asked her a question."
"Some people are like that, Naru."
"Hey! The machines have little Liddo-kun plushies this week!"
"Jeditaro, why have you returned empty-handed?" The dark being known as Kanako was not pleased.
"Kanako-sama, a powerful enemy interfered. Sailor Hina Moon."
"A soldier of Hina? How... unexpected." She thought for a moment. "Continue your mission, and destroy her if she interferes again."
"Understood."
Tama flew across the town, on her usual search for the soldiers of Hina. She had been fortunate that one had found her first, but she couldn't take a break, not with dark forces lurking again.
She had secretly followed Naru to the arcade, knowing that people gathered there for entertainment. And she felt unusual powers there, but couldn't narrow it down to any one person. Then, a small surge of energy occurred when a girl ran out of the arcade. Tama decided to follow her and investigate that energy.
The girl had run straight home. Tama could hear loud voices inside arguing, not aware of the girl's arrival. She had heard too, and didn't enter the house. Tama landed quietly to her side, and approached as a normal turtle would. "Myuh."
The girl looked down at the little creature, sat down beside it, and patted it. "A turtle in our yard. How odd. But you are better company than my parents right now."
Later, as Naru and Kitsune left the arcade, Naru with her new Liddo-kuns (having captured two in 34 tries), they ran into Keitaro, who had flyers under one arm and was posting one on a telephone pole as they passed.
"Watcha doing, Keitaro?" Kitsune asked in her nonchalant voice.
"He turned and smiled, wiping some sweat off his brow. "posting advertisements. But I doubt you two would be interested. The Hinata House is preparing to rent rooms."
They were surprised, although both Naru and Kitsune were interested for different reasons. Kitsune was immediately interested in a house that had instant hot springs access and (hopefully) a cheap rent. Naru thought of Tama, and a room as a base, but she thought it improper to live with a guy she barely knew.
Keitaro saw they were in deep thought. "Well, I have more posters to put up. Call me if you know anyone who needs a place to stay." And then he went on, leaving them to talk about the novel development.
Naru found out that her family had seen one of the posters when she got home. Her father tried to convince her to apply for a room, because it would give her more space than the room she currently shared with Mei.
"And it'll be good for studying to have your own room."
"But the caretaker is a jerk! I don't want to live with someone like that."
"Just give it a try, Naru. If you don't change your mind after a week, you don't have to stay."
Naru begrudgingly agreed, although deep down she felt curious about what it would be like to live in such a grand house.
Keitaro was still putting up flyers when the sun began to set. 'Just a few more poles on this block, and I'll call it a night.'
"Myuh myuh." Keitaro knew that sound anywhere. He looked into a neighboring yard, and saw Tama sitting next to a girl who appeared to be crying.
"Oh, I see Tama-chan is trying to cheer you up."
"Tama?" The girl said quietly, without looking up.
"Yes. Tama is a really intelligent turtle, and a very odd one. She probably flew to even get here."
"Flew... flew?" She looked up at him skeptically.
Keitaro chuckled. "Yup, I'll show you. Here, Tama-chan." He put his arm out, and the girl watched in amazement as the turtle put its flippers forwards, flapped slightly, and darted up to his arm like a glider.
"Wow, that's so cool!" Her words had a little more enthusiasm.
"You aren't the first person to say that." He then remembered his errand. "Sorry, I have to go. I have to finish putting up these flyers for Hinata House, which has so many extra rooms they are renting some out now. But I don't think we'll have many applications."
"Why not?" She seemed peculiarly interested, and less shy by the minute.
"Who knows. Maybe people are afraid the rent will be expensive. But it probably wouldn't be. My family only needs a slight income from this venture to be satisfied. But this business is probably boring you. Have a good night, but don't stay out too long or you'll catch cold!" And he left, while she continued pondering on a newly formed idea.
When Naru and Kitsune went to the arcade the next day, the second day in a row, things seemed busier than usual. People were at nearly every game. Haitani, the counter guy, was talking to another young man, whom Kitsune remembered being called "Kentaro" at the party.
Once again, as Naru approached the catcher machine, that girl was there, although apparently lost in some other thought, for she wasn't really playing it. This time Naru was ready to greet her, not surprise her.
Naru tapped her on the shoulder, and held out a Liddo-kun to her as she turned around. "I'm sorry I scared you the other day. I have this extra one if you want it."
The girl looked up at her. "I'm not in your way?"
"Not when we take turns. Here." And she put the toy into the girl's hand. "I'm Naru. This is my friend Kitsune." Kitsune smirked behind her friend's back.
"I'm... my name is... Shinobu. Shinobu Maehara."
Naru smiled welcomingly. "I'm pleased to meet you."
As the new friend began to slowly smile back, a haze began to cross the floor of the arcaade, and Naru suddenly noticed that Tama had landed on her shoulder. Shinobu noticed too.
"You must be a friend of Tama's," she said quietly.
"So you have met Tama too?" Naru asked curiously.
"Yeah, on my lawn last night. Then a guy came and got her."
"Oh that caretaker. I think his name was Keitaro."
"Keitaro..."
Then, with a sudden break in the conversation, they noticed that the arcade was suddenly silent. Looking around, they saw everyone else had fainted, even Kitsune, who had just finished a game on a nearby racing machine.
Jeditaro noticed that only two people were left standing. "I forgot to infuse the catcher machine. Oh well, guess I'll leave the cleanup to Avatar." And he sent an orb of dark energy into a nearby fighting machine. The machine became a creature with a lightly armored humanoid form.
"Drain their energy, and collect the other's afterwards," he told the creature, and phased out of the room.
Avatar went in the wrong order, leaving the two girls to stare as he collected the energy of the unconscious crowd. Naru was ready for a fight, except she was concerned about Shinobu, who was close to fainting. But when Jeditaro left, Tama had flown to perch on Shinobu's shoulder, and whispered in her ear.
"You are strong, though quiet. You are a soldier of Hina, I am sure of it."
Shinobu looked to the side to see the turtle holding an odd pen in its flipper. "You can talk too?"
"She is a soldier too?" Naru said in surprise at the same time.
"Naru, transform and show her. Then she will know how," Tama said in a louder voice.
"Okay, let's save this arcade." She held out her watch. "Hina Moon Power!"
Shinobu watched in shock as her new friend took on a new outfit, a beautiful white sailor suit with pink ribbons.
"Now, you try, Shinobu, second soldier of Hina," Tama told her, and flew off her shoulder.
"Um... alright. If it'll help." She took the pen, and saw a familiar symbol. "Hina... Mercury Power!"
Having finished collecting the energy, Avatar then turned looking for two scared girls, but found instead two sailor suited soldiers, one with pink and one with blue.
"Halt! Give those people back their energy! They need that to stay active, especially in an arcade! We will punish you! For I am the soldier of Love and Justice, Sailor Hina Moon!"
"And I'm the soldier of Hot Springs, Hina Mercury!"
"And together, your game is over!" They said together.
Avatar charged at them, and attacked with punches and kicks, as if in a fighter game.
Naru thought, 'I'm not used to defending, so I'll just try pure offense.'
"Hina Ascend Punch!" She gave a quick uppercut, to some effect. Avatar retreated slightly, then fired a white orb at Naru, who was caught off guard.
"Naru!" Hina Mercury reached a hand in front of her to block the attack, which suddenly had an object materialize in it. The projectile hit the object, and ricocheted, hitting a wall to the side.
Hina Moon looked down at the object. "A... frying pan?"
"Um, it was all that I could think of related to hot water."
"Well, trust your gut, although that is truly iron-ic." They both giggled.
They turned just as Avatar prepared another projectile.
"Batter up!" The projectile fired. Shinobu deflected it again, then prepared a counterattack. "Frying pan... boomerang!" And she flung the pan at Avatar, hitting him across his forehead, dizzying him.
"And now, to finish him!" Hina Moon said. "Hina Moon Retribution!" And the pink blast took Avatar out of existence.
"Flawless victory!" They both yelled, and laughed.
The next day, things had calmed down. Everyone blamed faulty ventilation for yesterday's incident.
Naru told Kitsune about her dad's proposition about Hinata House, which was very agreeable to her, since she wanted to go there too. So they both went there to talk to Keitaro.
He was surprised to have anyone to accept the offers, let alone two pretty girls. And all three were happily surprised, when a few minutes later a third prett girl showed up.
"Shinobu, why are you here?" Naru asked in astonishment.
"My parents... have been fighting lately, and I told them I didn't want to hear it, and then I said that I knew a place I could stay for cheap. So, they agreed, for my sake. And Tama is here, too, and I always wanted a pet." She winked at Naru.
Keitaro was happy for Shinobu. She seemed to be happier than when he last saw her, although he had no clue what Naru and Shinobu were really thinking. It was enough to him that they were happy, and pretty.
And so, that day, Hinata House acquired three new members!
Extra Credit Preview! Who is this new girl at school, who's always happy? Even with such bad luck! Tama knows that where there's smoke, there's fire. And where there's fire, Hina Mars is sure to be! I just wish she'd stop burning down buildings by accident. Stay tuned!
End Test 2