There has been another victim. The same profile as the other ones, a young man who lost consciousness and was now hospitalized. According to Luna and Ami's research, it seemed all victims suffered the same fate: part of their life force had been sucked out.

"Those weren't just random cases, someone- or something, attacked those men," Luna said. "A new enemy, most likely."

"We don't know why they had part of their life force stolen, but it's fair to consider this is part of another ploy to gather human energy," Ami added. "Thankfully the victims' lives aren't at risk, but we can't predict how far this new enemy will go. Getting too much of your life force stolen could result in death."

Things were getting serious. They now knew there was an enemy out there who was most likely after humans' life force. The reason was still left unknown as well as their goal. Regardless, the Sailor Senshi had to stop them.

After leaving their headquarter at the arcade, Minako was left pondering, hesitating. She wandered through the local park, still deeply lost in her thoughts.

"Why are all the victims only men? And rather attractive ones, if I must say… Is there something special about their energy the enemy is after?" she wondered.

Still pondering on this, Minako didn't notice someone sneaking on her and jolted when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Aino-san! Good afternoon!"

Minako quickly turned back, only to discover her new 'friend'.

"Hanyuu-san…?"

Mimi smiled at her and Minako was filled with doubt. Was she their enemy, the one behind those attacks? If Hanyuu Mimi was truly Mimete from the Witches 5, why would she be collecting human energy? As far as she remembered, the Death Busters were after humans' pure heart crystals, not their energy.

"Hm? What's going on, Aino-san? You look rather down."

"Ah? Oh, it's nothing…! Just… school stuff," Minako replied, trying to act nonchalant.

"Oh, is that so? Then, how about doing something fun to get your mind off boring school stuff? I found a really cool club the other day if you wanna hang out there with me tonight."

That sounded like a very tempting offer but Minako wasn't sure. She still had to investigate this new enemy… though, if Mimi was somehow related to those attacks, then perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to keep an eye on her.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Minako nodded.

"Yay!"

"Ah, but isn't it Minako-san?"

Minako felt her heart skip a beat. She slowly turned back to confirm her doubt.

"Haruka-san…"

What was she doing here? Could it be… because of Mimi?

"I don't think I had the pleasure to meet your friend there," Haruka said with that smile that could charm any girl. "I didn't know you had other cute friends."

Mimi was immediately reduced to a blushing mess.

"C-Cute…? Aino-san, who's that handsome friend of yours?"

Was Haruka not recognizing Mimi as Mimete? Now that Minako thinks about it, Haruka never met Mimete as Hanyuu Mimi. Only she met Mimi. So there was no reason for Haruka to be suspecting her.

"I'm Tenoh Haruka, and who might you be?"

"I'm… I'm Hanyuu Mimi!"

Minako really felt bad for Michiru sometimes. Her girlfriend really couldn't help but charm every cute girl she met, and it seemed Mimi was her latest addition. And it seemed like Mimi was also mistaken regarding Haruka… like they all were at some point.

"Nice to meet you then, Mimi."

"N-No, the pleasure is mine…! Aino-san, I… have to go. See you later!"

And just like that Mimi had run off somewhere. Haruka let out a chuckle as Minako sighed.

"Why must you always do that…"

"Hm? Do what?" Haruka asked innocently.

"... Anyway, what are you doing here?"

Haruka's nonchalant expression suddenly turned stern.

"Luna called us. A new threat is stealing humans' life force."

"So you are already aware…"

"Michiru and Setsuna-san are investigating too. I just wanted to make sure you were all doing fine. Michiru has a bad feeling about this…"

"What kind of bad feeling?"

"Like a deja vu feeling. An old enemy who might come back."

Minako felt a chill running down her spine. An old enemy who would have come back? Minako really didn't like the sound of it.

"Could it be… the Death Busters!?"

Haruka looked at her, dumbfounded.

"Why are you thinking about the Death Busters specifically?"

"Eh? Oh, huh… I don't know. Just a wild guess," Minako shrugged off.

"Those guys were after pure heart crystals, not human energy… Although, what about life force specifically… hmm. I might have to discuss that with the others."

Minako didn't know if she helped or not. Haruka apparently wasn't suspecting the Death Busters and had no suspicion towards Mimi. Maybe it really was just a coincidence after all.

But this felt way too convenient to not be related at least to some degree. She definitely needed to keep a close eye on Mimi, without putting her at risk if she ended up being innocent. And for that, the outer senshi were the last people she should tell about.

"Well, if that's all, I have to go…" Minako excused herself.

"Hm, yeah. Same here. Let's keep each other updated if we find anything relevant."

Minako nodded and they both went their separate way, her heart filled with a feeling of guilt for hiding stuff from Haruka.

She really hoped that Hanyuu Mimi was innocent.

"See? I told you this place was cool!" Mimi said.

Minako couldn't deny this club had some great ambiance. Sitting at a table with Mimi, who was sipping her drink, she couldn't help but still feel uneasy. After all, she might be hanging out with the enemy at this very moment… but she would be lying if she said she wasn't enjoying herself a little bit.

"Yeah, it is."

"Does it help you ease your mind from school?"

"Eh? oh, right… yeah."

"I'm glad! So, about that friend of yours I saw earlier, Haruka-san right? Single or not?"

"Ah… Haruka-san does have a girlfriend, sorry."

"Thought so… Ahh, why are the most handsome guys taken-"

"Haruka-san is a girl though."

Mimi nearly spitted her drink.

"What!? That's not true…! … right? You're just making fun of me, right?"

"Nope. Haruka-san is handsome, but she is indeed a woman. She just prefers to dress more masculinely."

"I can't believe it… To think a girl would have made my heart flutter like that…"

"Don't beat yourself about it. We all went through that. And Haruka-san's flirty nature sure doesn't help."

Mimi looked pondering.

"Hm… maybe I still can…"

"I told you she has a girlfriend you know… That's a dead-end. Haruka-san and Michiru-san are probably one of the strongest couples I met. Nobody has a chance."

"Aw… Well, at least she called me cute."

Having crushes and falling in love, this sounded so human. Too human for a monster. Minako couldn't believe someone capable of love, any form of love, could be truly evil. She was the senshi of love after all. That was the one thing she could be confident about.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Mimi suddenly asked.

"I wish! As you said all the handsome guys are taken- and even Haruka-san."

"So you are single too."

"Yep, unfortunately."

Minako noticed that Mimi looked paler than usual, and seemed even a little bit tired. And yet, she suddenly jumped up with a beaming smile on her face.

"Do you wanna go dance?" she proposed.

"Huh? Oh, sure!"

Mimi grabbed her hand and led her to the dance floor. Mimi gave it her best and let her body move to the sound of music. Maybe she wasn't tired after all. Minako followed her pace, suddenly forgetting about her problems.

Then she noticed Mimi's movements were getting slower and she even started to waver. Sensing she might fall, Minako quickly caught her to hold up back.

"Hanyuu-san, are you alright? Do you feel unwell?"

Mimi clung to Minako's body like she was having trouble staying on her feet.

"I might… have moved too fast. I'm just feeling a little bit dizzy, that's all."

"Do you want to go sit back?"

"No, I'm fine… Hey, Aino-san…"

Mimi suddenly glanced at Minako in a way that gave her mixed feelings. Mimi was looking at her with such a sultry expression, that smile of hers really making Minako feel conflicted.

"Hanyuu-san…?"

"Do you like Haruka-san?"

"Eh!? Where is that coming from…!?"

"You said 'we all went through it', earlier, about falling for Haruka-san… Could it be… you swing that way?"

Now Minako was blushing madly.

"W-What?... No…! I mean, I… W-Why are you asking me that all of a sudden!?"

Mimi chuckled at her reaction.

"Wanna try?"

"Huh? Try what…?"

"Kissing another girl."

Minako's heart started to race.

"Uh… I… maybe…?"

"Me too."

Mimi was slowly getting closer to her. Minako could easily push her away, but part of her didn't want to. She wasn't fully opposed to the idea and what was about to happen.

"There are people around," Minako said weakly.

"They are all too busy to notice," Mimi reassured.

And it just happened. Mimi's lips pressed against hers, and it felt so soft. She felt like she could just melt at this instant. Her mind even started to get blurry…

No, this wasn't right. It wasn't just her mind, her entire body started to feel weaker. It felt like she was getting drained of her energy, and the more it continued, the dizzier she felt. It felt like some unknown force was sucking the life out of her, so much that she feared her heart would get snatched.

The music around her was nothing but a blur. Her body grew so weak that she went limp, nearly falling to the ground if it wasn't for Mimi clinging to her. When the latter finally broke the kiss Minako was barely conscious anymore.

"What is this energy…?" she heard Mimi mumble.

For a split second, Minako saw a black star flicker on Mimi's forehead and her eyes glowing red.

"H-Hanyuu…san…"

Mimi's appearance was back to normal as she looked down on her, seeming surprised.

"You're still conscious…?"

"... what…?"

Mimi's demeanour immediately changed as she showed what appeared to be concerns.

"Aino-san…!? Are you alright?"

Minako felt too weakened and dizzy to properly reply so all she could do was a grunt. Mimi lifted her up and let her support herself on her shoulder before helping her to sit on a chair.

"I wonder if I gave you a cold… that might be why I was feeling dizzy earlier," Mimi tried to explain unconvincingly.

A deep feeling of dread was creeping inside of Minako as she realized what had just happened. Mimi was acting flustered and frantically looking around her as if she was worried someone might have seen her.

"Hanyuu… Mime…"

"What is it, Aino-san? If you are feeling unwell, you can rest for a little. Do you want help to get home?"

Minako immediately felt alarmed when Mimi proposed that and could thank the fact she was still too weakened to actually react. Instead, she tried her best to give a polite smile.

"I… I think I'll be fine, t-thanks. I should… probably go home. Sorry."

Mimi stared at her as if she wasn't sure she was okay with this. Minako's heart was beating fast in her chest, hoping she wasn't showing how terrified she was. Mimi eventually smiled.

"Sure. No need to apologize. If you're feeling unwell, you should go home and rest. Are you sure you don't need help to get there-"

"I'm sure…! T-thanks for the offer though."

It required all her strength to actually get up and smiled back.

"If you say so. Call me if you need me, okay? I think I'm gonna stay here for a little bit more."

"O-Okay, I will. Thanks for inviting me, Hanyuu-san."

"No problem! And sorry… if I gave you a cold or something."

Minako began to walk away, slowly at first, and when she was sure Mimi couldn't see her anymore she rushed as far away as she could despite the extreme fatigue she was feeling. She felt extremely relieved that she managed to get away from there- from her, without raising any suspicions.

She had her energy drained- her life force sucked. There was no doubt anymore.

Minako pulled out her phone and as she continued to head home, dialled a number.

"Minako-chan?"

"Ami-chan, I know who's behind the recent attacks. The enemy might be the Death Busters, or at least some remaining members. Mimete from the Witches 5 just tried to steal my energy!"

Welp seems like the answer for last chapter's question was no.

Also yes, I wanted a Minako x Mimete moment and so I wrote one.