PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE

Chapter 36: Sweet Tooth For Love

It was now the middle of October and the leaves started to change vibrant colors and fall upon the ground. The students adjusted to school life by now and were busy balancing their interests with their studies – a cycle as prevalent as the shift between day and night. Normally, JunJun would be struggling to keep up with her homework since her intelligence was as average as her siblings'. With Midori's help however, she was earning higher marks on her assignments than she expected. They weren't as high as Midori's, but JunJun was satisfied with how much her hard work was paying off.

On a Friday afternoon during the day's late study period, Chibi-Usa and the Yoeda sisters sat around a table working on some math problems.

"Mmmmngh… Geez, I don't get this at all!" PallaPalla whined.

"Seriously? How many times do I have to show you the same thing?" CereCere groaned and showed her how to do it.

Chibi-Usa rested her weary head on the table and groaned, "I don't wanna do this… I wanna go to Makoto's and help with her baking…"

"Man, don't say that…" VesVes smacked her forehead upon her papers in boredom. Earlier, Chibi-Usa had received a text message from their good friend Kino Makoto inviting them to assist with her baking a variety of desserts for Minako's birthday on October 22nd. There was only one stipulation; they were not allowed to go unless they finished their homework. Dealing with boring math problems meant nothing when the thought of fresh aromas and colorful sweets hung over them like a stormy marshmallow cloud.

"Hee hee! I already finished!" JunJun grinned, showing them her work in a bragging manner. "I have no problem going to Makoto's to help her out!"

"Hey, that's no fair!" PallaPalla squeaked. "How'd you get so many done so fast!?"

"'Cause Midori's been helping me out when we go to school while you guys are fast asleep! We study until the doors open, and by then I have a good idea of what the teacher's gonna show us during the day! Everything's easy-peasy now!"

"That sounds nice," CereCere moaned, not particularly thrilled by her sister's swagger. "I wish she'd join our study group."

"We can't do that!" Chibi-Usa implored. "You know she has that super-important paper to work on, and I don't want us to get in the way of that!"

"Ah, speaking of which… Do you really think she needs to go to primary school with us?"

"Um… Well, Ami already asked her that, and…"

"I know she doesn't like talking about it, but I honestly think she's wasting her time. She'd be better off going to Infinity Academy. At least they would determine her IQ and place her in the appropriate grade. I almost feel like she's dragging her feet through the mud like this."

"It's her decision, though."

"I know. I just wish I knew the reason behind it. Could it have anything to do with us being Sailor Soldiers? Does she really want to stay near us for safety's sake?"

JunJun frowned, then said, "Maybe I can talk to her about what we think while we're at Makoto's. She should at least know that we're worried about her."

VesVes grumpily said, "You can try, if you want."

"Then I'm gonna head out now! Have fun with your math problems, ladies! Hee hee hee!"

The others groaned simultaneously as JunJun departed with a skip in her step. She didn't have to go very far to find Midori; she was in the computer lounge working on her thesis. A couple of other students surrounded the studious girl as she typed away without paying attention to them.

JunJun heard one girl remark, "Come on! Join our study group already!"

"I already declined," Midori murmured, her eyes glued to the monitor.

"Why!? Everyone knows how smart you are! Or is it that you're such a snob that you don't want to be with us 'stupid' people!?"

"You're free to assume what you want, but my answer will not change."

The girl suddenly pressed the button to turn the monitor off, forcing Midori to stop typing and glare at her with venom in her eyes. Before the situation could get out of control, JunJun barged in and yelled, "Hey! That's enough already!"

"JunJun! You're friends with the snob, aren't you!? Make her join our study group!" the angry student demanded.

"Why should I!? If she doesn't want to hang around with you, then I'll do what I can to make you leave her alone!"

Midori saved her work and silently packed up her bag during the argument. If she was bothered by this immature spat between girls, she didn't show it. JunJun and the other students would have gotten into a real fight had she not stepped between them and said in a flat tone, "I thought we were in grade five, not kindergarten. If you want my help that badly, you should reflect upon your distasteful behavior first. Forcing others to do your bidding will not get you anywhere in life. Until you realize that, don't bother me with your infantile bossing behavior anymore."

With that, Midori left the computer room without looking back at the furious students. JunJun chased after her and exclaimed, "Man, they have some nerve! That was awesome how you told them off though! They had their jaws to the floor!"

"People like that aren't worth the time," her friend muttered. "To be frank, they're not the only ones who have been harassing me to help them with their studies."

"Why are you turning everyone down like that anyway? Don't you think that they want to be friends with you?"

"I simply have no interest in acting as some bully's intellectual crutch to abuse for their own benefit. I have analyzed their behavior, and I firmly believe they would have subjected me to such treatment down the line. I have neither the time nor energy to deal with such needless drama."

JunJun seemed put off as she said, "But you have no problem showing me how to do the work… Does that mean you think of me the same way?"

"Your case is different. You've demonstrated that you are willing to put in the effort to learn. The key difference between you and those lambasting harpies is the level of sincerity you have towards furthering your education."

"Oh… I see… Thanks, I guess?"

Midori shrugged and said, "In any case, I'll have to arrange for me to have a private study room if that nonsense persists. I can only tolerate so much foolishness before I get a migraine."

"Ah, speaking of that, are you done your homework for today?"

"Naturally. Why do you ask?"

JunJun explained about Makoto's invitation, and Midori thought about it for a moment.

If memory serves me correct, Kino Makoto is the civilian identity of Sailor Jupiter. I see… Any opportunity I have to gather information on this planet's Sailor Soldiers is one I should take advantage of.

She said, "All right. Mind you that I have next to no experience when it comes to home economics."

"Don't worry 'bout that. Makoto's such an awesome teacher that you'll become a pro by the end of the day!"

The duo left school for the day and took a flying taxi to the house in question. It was a humble mansion tucked at the edge of a small apple orchard, with several gardens and a greenhouse situated in the backyard. The girls approached the front door, and Midori was about to ring the doorbell but JunJun brusquely opened the door wide open and called out, "Yoo hoo! We're here, Makoto!"

"Come on in, JunJun!" they heard a woman call out from the kitchen. They found her running around fetching bowls, utensils and ingredients from the fridge and cupboards. The invigorating scents of cinnamon and pumpkin filled the air thanks to some pumpkin pies that were cooling on a rack. Makoto kept her mid-length brown hair in its usual ponytail, but she also wore a decorated bandana to keep her bangs out of her face. An apron was tied over her casual clothes, making her look like a traditional housewife.

When Makoto noticed Midori, the woman asked, "Is this your friend from next door that Chibi-Usa's told me about?"

"Yep! Her name's Midori," JunJun introduced them, and the quiet girl gave her a simple nod.

"Where are the others?"

"They're dealing with homework. We've done ours ahead of time so we could come and help you!"

"Great! Minako's birthday is coming up this weekend and I need all the help I can get! How much do both of you know about baking?"

"A little," Midori murmured. "Just don't expect any fantastic decorating skills from me. I'm not particularly fond of abstract designs unless I have a guide to follow."

"I'm not too shabby myself, but I'm best as a taste tester!" JunJun chuckled and rubbed her nose.

Makoto laughed and tossed them an apron each. "Just be sure not to eat all of the chocolate chips. One time, I had to buy extra bags because Minako kept eating them all."

With that, the girls got to work preparing a variety of baked goods throughout the day. Mid-evening approached with them having finished some cookies, fruit squares, tarts and pies, and they were moving on to several dozen cupcakes. The girls were genuinely surprised that Makoto's kitchen rivaled a professional bakery's, equipped with two baking ovens, a walk-in fridge, and a separate room for dry goods. After all, Makoto made her living as an at-home dessert caterer, and her kitchen needed to meet her business needs.

JunJun and Makoto slipped some cupcake trays into one of the ovens, and the former exclaimed, "Man, I can never get over just how awesome your kitchen is. It's like I'm working at a real restaurant, minus the cranky customers and yelling chefs!"

"A lot of people have said the same thing," Makoto smiled. "But really, I owe a lot of it to Masato. He was the one who bought all of this for me. There's no way I would have been able to afford it otherwise, so I owe it to him to work as hard as I can with this equipment."

"Who's Masato?" Midori asked while whipping the icing.

"He's my fiancé, Sanjouin Masato. Just like with Ami and Shougo, as well as Minako and Kunihiko, we're planning on getting married on the same day as them."

"I bet it'll be a real storm in here to prepare for that!" JunJun remarked.

"I don't even think this kitchen will be enough!" Makoto exclaimed.

As the others chatted about these grandiose plans, Midori continued her task with an absent gaze. She recalled the dream she had about herself and Sailor Manganese Dragon a while ago and how she was about to talk about a man she was dating. She sighed and kept her concerns to herself, not wanting to dampen the jovial mood. Makoto leaned over Midori and observed her handiwork, then commented, "That's not too bad. Did you learn how to do that from somewhere else?"

"Sort of."

"Who taught you? Your mom? Your dad?"

"No… There was a guy I once knew…"

"Ah!?" JunJun gasped. "I never thought I'd heard the words 'Midori' and 'guy' in the same sentence!"

"Don't get your mind in a perverted tangent. He was simply a male friend I had back in Osaka," Midori chided, maintaining the lie that she was from western Japan.

Makoto laughed at Midori's snappy comeback and said, "Yeah, that's perfectly fine! I had a boyfriend or two back in the day!"

"I think there's a distinction between 'male friend' and 'boyfriend', Miss Kino…"

"I remember the first time I went out with a boy. I thought I was in a dream that I didn't want to wake up from!"

"You're not listening to me, are you?"

JunJun chuckled and exclaimed, "Big mistake there, Midori! You've got her thinking about her notorious 'old boyfriend' again!"

Midori desperately tried to change the subject and asked JunJun, "What about you? Is there a male you would consider special?"

"Nah, I'm too young for that! Oh, but that means you're too young for that as well…"

Well that backfired badly, Midori thought. She made another attempt by asking Makoto, "You said you were engaged to a Sanjouin fellow, right? Is he the 'old boyfriend' in question?"

"No, no!" Makoto said. "That was a long time ago! I met Masato and fell head over heels in love with him, and wouldn't you know it, he felt the same way about me. Masato's been showering me with all kinds of gifts, even though I've told him he doesn't need to."

"Does he know about the old boyfriend?"

"I've told him about it, but I've begged him not to worry about it!"

From the way he's spoiling you, I don't think he's taken your advice. Could he possibly be jealous of some old flame distracting his fiancée?

"Ah, look at the time!" Makoto exclaimed. "We got so lost talking about boys that it's almost nighttime! You both really helped me out! I can finish up here, but I don't want you two to go home alone in the dark! Let me find my car keys and I'll drive you!"

"No, it's okay. We can manage-" JunJun offered, but that was when they heard the garage door winding open. A tall man with wavy brown hair and blue eyes wearing high-class casual attire stepped through the side door and said with a wave, "I'm back."

"Perfect timing, Masato," Makoto replied. "I was about to drive JunJun and Midori home, but I wonder if you could take them for a spin in your Ferrari."

"Hm? I don't mind."

"Thanks, and sorry! I have a lot of cleaning up to do here!"

Masato must have felt a little awkward from the sudden request, so Midori said, "Don't mind our intrusion. We can walk home if that would be more suitable for you."

"No, don't worry about it. She tends to be like that when she's absorbed in her work," he grinned bemusedly. He let the girls into his car and drove toward Ginza. JunJun seemed fascinated with riding in such an expensive car, but Midori didn't appear interested.

Apropos of nothing, Masato said, "From the way Makoto's cheeks were flustered, she must have been gushing about that old boyfriend of hers, am I wrong?"

"… Sort of," Midori murmured.

"I thought so. Whenever she meets someone new, she has to take the opportunity to talk about him."

"Do I sense a bit of jealousy?" JunJun grinned slyly, and Midori smacked her shoulder to make her behave. She kept her gaze upon Masato as they passed Osa-P. His eyes drifted upon the sign, and Midori noticed a hint of forlorn emotions hiding behind his stoic stare.

She decided to prod him a little by asking, "Is there something about that store that's got you interested?"

"Hm? It's nothing, really. I… I, uh, was thinking of buying something for Makoto from there," he stammered.

Midori wanted to ask JunJun something, but that was when she noticed her cringing a little. She thought about the store for a moment and recalled who the owner was; Osaka Naru. She was quite a lovely young woman… who almost resembled Makoto with the wavy short hair. Midori raised an eyebrow and frowned sourly.

Uh oh… Does Masato have his own dirty laundry to sort through with Ms. Osaka? From the way JunJun's reacting, that might be the case…