So this is a more light hearted chapter to relax everyone out there reading, I think we need some comedy!
Chapter Eighteen: Project Hustle.
"Usagi-chan, since when did you start dating Mamoru-san?" Umino blurted out, causing Usagi to blush madly. The whole class was staring at her putting down their chopstick in sneaky confusion. Usagi sunk down eating her lunch from under her table.
"Umino.." She murmured angrily.
"You ask too many dumb questions Umino!" Naru shouted hitting him with a large atlas book, forcing him to fall hard to the ground. Naru turned around smiling, hoping to get Usagi out from under her desk. When Usagi did get out, Naru insisted they eat lunch outside since it was a beautiful day. They were sitting on the ground chatting about their partners and the project, when Usagi started to feel sick. She hated the fact that she was partnered with the monster Akio, but was happy to know that she would always have Mamoru there.
"Usagi-chan, Miko told me that Akio guy is really bad and wanted me to warn you again to be careful." Naru explained. Usagi nodded, there was a small silence as they ate, when suddenly Umino jumped from Naru's back, giving them both a minor heart attack.
"I hear that Akio's father is the owner and CEO of the most successful company in Tokyo and in the US, and in Canada too." Umino didn't seem to notice that Naru and Usagi had fallen back and were breathing heavily from the panic he caused. He straightened his glasses looking at their twitching bodies.
"Hey what's wrong? It's not good to roll around in the grass, you'll get your uniforms dirty." He stated. Naru shot up and hit him hard across the head.
"STOP JUMPING OUT OF THE WEIRDEST PLACES!" And sent Umino to the sky. Usagi relaxed. Naru smiled nervously. They talked for a few more minutes waiting for Umino to fall back down to earth. When he did, Naru splashed water on him to revive him.
"Ah Naru-chan you are too nice." Umino smiled untangling his body, forgetting that she was the one who launched him to the sky moments before.
"Usagi-chan, are you really going out with Mamoru?" Naru whispered. She wanted to know how it all happened and why she suddenly started to like him. Usagi was silently blushing.
"Oh I get it now, it's because he saved you from the nasty robber?" Naru smirked poking a finger in Usagi's arm. Usagi blushed again stuttering to explain.
"Well Mamoru-san seems to really care for you, he won't even let you be alone with your partner for the project." Umino added. Naru smiled with big hearts in her eyes.
"Oh that's so romantic!" She was blushing at the thought of someone doing that for her, and she cupped her face with her own hands trying to picture a handsome man on a white horse rescuing her from a robber.
"Naru-chan if that's what you like, I forbid you to do your project with Miko-san." Umino's face burst into Naru's dream bubble, as he replaced the handsome man on the white horse, with himself on a grey donkey. Her lips twitched in annoyance.
"Ahh I told you to stop jumping out of crazy places!" And she belted him down once again. Usagi smiled and looked up to the sky, she really was lucky to have Mamoru.
'Mamo-chan…'she thought.
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Mamoru was sitting in the middle of Umino and Usagi. They were in the library waiting for Akio, who showed up late again. He didn't seem too bothered to say his hello's to anyone, not even Usagi. Mamoru sensed a strange aura surrounding Akio, a darkness that he never saw before. Usagi didn't make eye contact with him, instead she focused on her research of stars and planets. Mamoru noticed how uncomfortable Usagi became when Akio pulled his chair sitting next to her. He was taking out his text books when Mamoru slowly started to move Usagi's chair closer to his. Usagi looked up confused feeling like she was slowly moving, she looked down to her seat and noticed Mamoru's hand pulling the chair. She looked up to him, but he was looking at his book. She blushed and went back to her book.
"Mamoru-san, so should we do earthquakes and natural disasters?" Umino asked taking out a few large heavy books from his bag and stacking them beside him. Mamoru looked terrified as he watched Umino take out the large books.
"Uh sure Umino. But do you think we really need that many books?" Mamoru asked. He was the top student in his college but even he found it unnecessary to look through that many books.
"We need to concretely research all the different books written by different scientists, such as Dr. Michael Pheens, a renowned scientist from Europe and of course Dr.Christoph Mcknitty from Scotland, and Dr.'s Lisa Trotter and Kelsey Norms from the US, and our very own Dr. Fujimaro Takahashi." Umino was picking up and showing each of the authors' books as he went on to great details of the researchers' works and experiments. He had even prepared a chart outlining the schedule of the research they had to do and the research the authors did.
"I think that if we calculate the amount of time we spend actually doing the research versus the time we spend putting it together, the research will take us the longest if we don't do it right. It's a proven fact that students who don't properly research their material often run into trouble when compiling their information." Umino continued. Large sweat drops hang off of Mamoru's head as he listened to Umino talk some more about the project.
"Well that's good. What do you have so far?" Mamoru asked wondering if Umino even had any research done. Umino smiled and jumped out of his chair and pulled out a very large chart full of information that he put together from the research he did.
"There is a major earthquake vault running down British Columbia, cutting through heavily populated area of Vancouver. It's active and I think it will probably aid in our project to research that city." Mamoru, Usagi's and even Akio's eyes became small dots and more sweat drops fell down their heads. Mamoru's smiled twitched.
"Ah I see." He said trying to gesture for Umino to sit back down.
"That's all very good Umino, but this isn't a research paper for scientists, this is a project report for your teacher. You should just relax a bit and do what you think is best to fit the project requirements." Mamoru whispered, hoping that the eager young boy would get it.
"Sometimes, teachers have to mark a lot of papers, and when they see a really large project handed in full of extra's they get annoyed and don't really pay attention, and that might cost you marks." Mamoru added. Umino's glasses bulged out, realizing the truth in Mamoru's statement.
"That's why I might have only gotten 99 percent on my report on South African tree frogs." He screamed loudly, grabbing the attention of everyone in the library. Mamoru ducked slightly, so did Usagi and Akio, embarrassed by Umino's loud out bursts.
"Don't worry Mamoru-san, I won't let you down. I won't fail you on this project. I will do my very best, NO my absolute best, NONO my 100 percent incredibly beyond my absolute best!" Umino was standing on the table with a Tokyo flag waving in the background. He was confident and dedicated. Mamoru, Usagi, and Akio ducked their heads on to the table waiting for Umino to quiet down. The librarian sh'd the crazed junior school boy.
"Where did that flag come from?" Mamoru muttered under his breath. Usagi twitched embarrassed that Umino was making such a big scene.
A few hours had past, and Umino had finally calmed down and was working on the project, madly reading and taking notes. He was so fast that the table caught on fire once, and the whole library smelled of BBQ. Umino, with his hands scorched, was quietly and very calmly writing notes. Mamoru realized how much he would need to coach him, and thought up a system of giving him certain books to research on a certain aspect of the project.
Akio had made light dialogue with Usagi about the project, he wasn't ashamed or bothered by the fact that she put him in jail. Usagi was uncomfortable, even more so knowing that he just didn't care about what he did. She was furious at the fact that he didn't even say sorry, not that she would forgive him (she would not make the same mistake twice). Her rage was building up every time he spoke to her about the project.
"I have to get going now. I can't make it tomorrow at 4, we'll have to meet up at 7" Akio said putting his things in his bag. He was grinning. Usagi looked up at him, wondering what he was so happy about.
"Fine." She said turning her head back down to her paper. She didn't want to make it look like she was at all bothered by him, it was obvious that if she made it look like she was weak; he would only feed on that. Akio smirked as he walked out, Mamoru turned to Usagi asking her what he had said.
"He want's to meet up at 7 tomorrow. He can't make it at 4. That jerk didn't even ask, he just said it." She whispered back a bit annoyed. Mamoru pet her back and reassured her. He was very proud of her, she seemed stronger some how. He had thought that she would be sad and quiet, but she was smiling and talkative. They were looking deep into each other's eyes, their lips quivering to touch.
"Mamoru-san, how do you like this pie chart. Or maybe I should make a line chart instead. What do you think Mamoru-san?" Umino shot up from Mamoru's back, freaking the couple out of their minds. Mamoru and Usagi recovered and sighed wondering of Umino would ever change.
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Mamoru was driving Usagi home. He passed the park sighing, he was thinking about taking her there some day soon. He was wondering what other things Usagi liked, the things that interested her other than food, sleeping, comics, and arcade games. He smiled to himself thinking about all the times he had teased her and the fights that would break out between them. If he had acted a bit nicer to her, maybe he would have been the object of her affection instead of Motoki.
"Mamo-chan? Are you okay?" Usagi asked noticing his silent smile. He looked over to her still smiling, wondering how he had lived his life without her. She smiled back.
"I'm fine. Just wondering why we never got along before Odango atama?" He smirked. Usagi narrowed her eyes a bit smiling at him.
"Don't call me that, I'm Usako, USAKO!" She shouted back with a cute pouty smile. Mamoru laughed. He suddenly stopped the car to the side and leaned over in one swift movement. He locked his lips with hers holding on to hands. Usagi was surprised but returned the kiss with a soft shade of pink blushing her face.
"Thanks Usako" Mamoru said pulling back to his seat.
"For what?" She asked a bit confused with his movements.
"For coming into my life." He smiled, pulling back on to the road.
"By the way Usako, did you notice something different about Akio today?" He asked.
"No, he's the same big jerk he was before." Usagi's face was twisted and disgusted at the sound of his name. She wondered why Mamoru was asking her.
"It's strange, he felt different today, more …" Mamoru wasn't sure where he had felt that type of aura before, but quickly shook his head and went back to his current task, taking Usagi home.
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"Usagi-chan, are you sure you still want to be his partner?" Luna asked jumping on to her bed. Usagi was falling asleep fast, somehow all the studying and researching was tiring her out. Perhaps it was because studying was something foreign to her.
"It's okay Luna-chan, I'll be fine, I can handle it." She smiled yawning. She turned to her side and turned the light off.
"I'm very proud of you Usagi-chan, you don't even feel like you're the same –" Usagi turned over on top of Luna's little cat body, crushing her. She was snoring loudly and she already messed the bed up, with her arms up and her legs sprawled over the bed.
"Ohh Usagi-chan." Luna sighed sadly.