Quiet, nearly silent groans echoed through the class. Eyes fought to stay open and under desks, hands were fidgeting while puncturing their palms impatiently. This was the typical for last period in Ms. Haruki's class. But, quietly there were maybe two or three students amongst the class still able to listen intently to Haruki's teachings. And then there was Hideki, who had already dozed off ten minutes into last period. Of course Haruki noticed this, but being the cruel sadistic person she was, she decided to wait until after the class was over to awake him. Maybe even after school, if the bell didn't wake him up.
"Hideki, wake up!" Ayane whispered when Ms. Haruki's back was turned. Ayane jabbed him gently with her pencil a number of times before he woke up.
"Hideki, why is it so hard for you to stay awake in class?" Ayane whispered to the finally awake Hideki.
"How should I know?" Hideki asked as he rubbed his eyes.
Ayane rolled her eyes and was about to nag him when suddenly Ms. Haruki called on her.
"Manaka, would you like to read the paragraph on page sixty-nine?" Ms. Haruki asked, taking notice that Hideki was now awake.
"Of course." Ayane looked back to her book and began to read.
Soon after five minutes, the bell for the indication for the end of the school day rang. The students ,minus a certain someone, in class flooded out into the hallways.
"Hideki, can you spare a few minutes for us to discuss a certain subject?" Ms. Haruki asked as she leaned against the class door.
"Look, if it's about that History thing where the kid has to where the dunce hat in America, let's just say I'm not ok with it!" Hideki declared.
Intolerant as ever, Haruki showed her passive and aggressive side.
"Who cares if you're against it? Why not let the world know that you're known in my class as Hideki the dunce?!" She asked.
"That's because I'm not a dunce outside this class!" Hideki yelled.
"Hideki..." Ms. Haruki gritted her teeth.
"Haruki..." Hideki gnashed his teeth. Ms. Haruki leaned away from the door and stood straight. She went to take something from her desk. During those few seconds he had, Hideki looked at the unprotected class door. If he could create a diversion that would distract Haruki long enough, he could escape this dreaded class. No wonder Hideki claimed himself not a dunce outside of school. He would rather sleep away a lesson and use the most of his mental power for escaping strategies.
"Forget the diversion." Hideki said in his head as he was about to take off.
"Too slow Kurozora!" Ms. Haruki hollered, batting him down with her 'Exclusively for Hideki the dunce' fan.
"Did you just keep me after class to smack me?!" Hideki asked from the floor.
"No, I actually need to inform of the fact that you are lacking a mandatory credit." Haruki stated with irritation.
"What credit?" Hideki asked as he stood up.
"The Club credit." Haruki responded as she held out a page of mandatory credits to him.
"Uh..." Hideki droned as he looked at the credit sheet. It seemed he had no other option but to join a club. But of course, that didn't seem likely to happen, he was too busy being Hatred anyways.
"Isn't there anything else I can do?" Hideki asked.
"Like hell I'd know!" Haruki asked as she stuck up her nose.
"Actually..."
"What? What is it?" Hideki asked desperately.
"There's no way you'd do it! Not in a million years!" She scoffed hysterically.
"What is it?!" Hideki shouted.
"The volunteer credit!" Haruki spat," And the only way you're getting that credit is by doing forty-eight hours of community service. In other words, two days of labour!"
"Labour." Those words smashed down onto Hideki.
"Good luck!" She cried sinisterly as she let him leave her room.
"Labour.." Hideki groaned as he made his way out of the school. He couldn't stand the idea of working for two days, not entirely because he was lazy, but partly because his lack of focus would most likely overtake him two hours in. And besides, where could he find a place willing to help him attain this apparently elusive volunteer credit? This school was weird, considering clubs were usually created for fun, not for a credit in order to graduate. It seemed Midorikage was quite intent on getting kids to bond over common interests or something.
"You're making us help you help clean out your neighbor's garage all weekend?" Jonetsu repeated to Sensaina.
Hideki heard this as the three girls walked by him.
"Would that count as community service?" He asked himself.
"Well, it's only this weekend, plus it's not going to be the three of us only. My neighbor will help and so will her daughter and a few of her other kids." Sensaina stated.
"How old are these kids?" Haruko skeptically asked.
"I think they're all in their thirties." Sensaina said.
Hideki, gaining sudden interest in the girls' conversation, followed them up until a certain point in which the girls caught onto his following.
"Hideki, what are you doing?" Jonetsu asked uninterestedly.
"Do you think what your doing for this weekend would count as community service?" He hesitantly asked.
Sensaina thought for a moment while Jonetsu and Haruko glared up to him.
"I think so." Sensaina finally replied.
"Then, would you mind me coming along to help?" Hideki asked timidly.
Before Sensaina could respond, Jonetsu stood up in front of Hideki.
"Why do you need to do community service?" She asked obnoxiously.
"To get the volunteer credit." He responded.
"Well, I think it'd be great if you came along." Sensaina said calmly.
Jonetsu 'hmphed' Hideki and Haruko simply stared at Sensaina, knowing she was hiding her excitement now that Hideki was joining them.
"You know where my house is right? Come by tomorrow morning and we'll all head to my neighbor's place!" Sensaina said.
"Al-alright, I'll see you tomorrow then!" Hideki said as he walked away.
"Later!" Sensaina called.
The next day was Saturday and while walking to Sensaina's house, Hideki felt something aching in his chest.
"Why is my heart beating so quickly while I'm walking to her house?" Hideki asked himself aloud.
"Is this what a crush is like?" He asked aloud again. He laughed off the thought he regarded as ridiculous and continued walking. He remembered his first few times talking to Ayane and how vague this feeling was to it. But for some reason, his heart doesn't beat as fast as it used to when he was around Ayane. Maybe it was because of her countless crushes and few boyfriends that caused Hideki's feelings to fade. Despite her docile, elegant exterior, deep down she was a bit boy-crazy.
He soon arrived at the Utahime household.
" 'Morning Hideki!" Sensaina beamed. The three girls stood in Sensaina's frontyard.
" 'Morning." Hideki grinned, attempting to wink but ultimately with little success due to being too tired and suddenly awkward around Sensaina.
"Well, we're all here now, so shouldn't we be going?" Jonetsu asked impatiently.
"Right!" Sensaina exclaimed as she led the way.
"It's such a sunny day!" Haruko interjected as she looked up to the sky.
"Kinda weird, considering it's late October.." Jonetsu noted.
"We're here!" Sensaina said as she stopped in front of a yellow house that reminded Haruko of conjoined twins.
"What's up with that house?!" Haruko gawked.
"It's called a duplex. A typically two-story side by side building being joined by one wall. Usually made for two families." Jonetsu explained.
Haruko, now semi-understanding the dynamics of this house, followed Sensaina to the front door. Sensaina rang the doorbell and waited at the doorstep patiently.
The door swung open and in the doorway was a short curly red-headed woman with an age up for debate. Her smile was a prominent feature of hers and as she saw Sensaina, she hugged her.
"Oh, Sensaina it's so good to see you!" The woman beamed as she broke the hug.
"Mrs. Giannino, it's nice to see you too!" Sensaina greeted.
"Oh please, call me Marianne!" The woman said.
"So, what do you need help with first?" Haruko asked as she looked at a few boxes laying around.
Marianne grinned at Haruko "Well we'll just have to-"
Her phone's calypso ringtone went off suddenly.
"-Just a minute." She said to Haruko," Hello?"
"How long do you think this will take-kore?" Doki asked, keeping herself out of Hideki and Marianne's eyesight.
"Most likely the entire weekend." Sensaina responded.
Suddenly, Marianne began to yell into what sounded to be Italian into her phone.
"Fine, I'll go in." Marianne reluctantly said. She hung up her phone and smiled to the girls.
"Something came up at work, I'll be gone for a few hours and I'll be right back." Marianne said.
"Ok then." Sensaina said.
"Hey, who's that?" Jonetsu asked, watching a car rolling by the sidewalk.
"That's my daughter." She responded.
A woman came out of the car with a very young girl beside her.
"Thank you coming Bettina." Marianne said. She threw on a grin and crouched down to the little girl," It's nice to see you again Angela."
"Grandma!" The little girl cried as she threw her arms around Marianne's waist," Today's going to be super fun!"
"Oh of course it will." Marianne said reassuringly," But Grandma has to do something for a few hours so I won't be here the entire time."
Angela looked like she was about to bawl but something seemed to have stopped her. Her Grandma was surprised at this motion.
"She seems to have control today." Marianne noted.
"Well, we went to a wedding yesterday and now Angela is a bit obsessed with the whole marriage concept." Bettina explained," I told her she'd get to experience marriage when she grows up so I guess this is her own little way of growing up."
"Grandma?" Angela tugged on her grandmother's long skirt.
"Yes dear, what is it?" Marianne asked.
"Who are they?" Angela pointed to Sensaina and the others.
"That's my neighbor and her friends." Marianne responded.
"I'm Sensaina." Sensaina beamed.
"Name's Jonetsu." Jonetsu greeted.
"Haruko!" Haruko greeted.
"I'm Hideki." Hideki greeted.
"Hideki.." Angela repeated to herself quietly. Angela blushed as her mother received instruction from her grandmother.
"That's it? We'll have it done soon, don't worry mom." Bettina said.
Bettina crouched down to face her daughter," Angela, would you like to help clean?"
"Absolutely!" Angela hollered, surprising her mother with her reaction.
"Because then.." Angela started. She suddenly ran up and tightly hugged Hideki.
"I'll get to work with my future husband Hideki!" She cried as she hugged him.
"Future.." Haruko trailed off.
"..Husband..." Jonetsu continued.
"...Hideki?!" Sensaina finished.
"Um.." Hideki said awkwardly as Angela clung to him. Angela giggled childishly and after she broke the embrace, she clung onto his right arm.
"Well this is going to be a long day.." Haruko said as she sat onto Marianne's doorstep.
"Desu.." Toki droned.
Soon, the girls and Hideki began to clean out Marianne's garage and as they did so, they discussed their surprise with Angela's sudden declaration of love.
"She's only four, so why is she falling for a guy twice, or even thrice, her height?" Sensaina asked.
"Remember, her mom said she just discovered the whole marriage concept." Jonetsu pointed out.
"But why does it have to be Hideki?" Sensaina questioned childishly.
"Aren't first loves just the cutest little things?" Haruko said as she picked up a box.
"Haruko, that's a pretty large box," Hideki noted," Are you sure you don't need help carrying that?"
"Huh? Aw no, I'm fine." Haruko reassured.
"Well, I'm impressed." Hideki stated.
Haruko winked and brought the box over to Bettina. Angela saw the look on Hideki's face as Haruko carried the box and felt jealousy for the first time in her life. She didn't actually know what 'impressed' meant, but to her, it must've meant he thought Haruko was better than her. Angela then spotted a box that seemed to weigh more than her and instantly attempted to lift it up.
"Angela, maybe I should lift the box." Sensaina suggested.
"No, I can do it." Angela said, still struggling to lift the box. For a few moments, she finally lifted the box but only to have it crash down onto her feet.
"Ow!" Angela cried as she ripped her feet from under the box.
"Angela are you alright?" Jonetsu asked.
"I'm fine." Angela said as she turned her back to Jonetsu.
"Oh, I bet she needs some cheering up!" Haruko exclaimed. She then proceeded to make faces she found funny in front of Angela.
"Are you stupid?" Angela asked. She walked away from the fazed out Haruko.
"But it gets them every time." Haruko stated quietly.
Angela cheerfully ran up to Hideki.
"Do you want to have lunch now?" She asked.
"It's a little early," Hideki said in an attempt to make Angela go away.
"Awh.." Angela said as she scowled.
"Maybe a little bit later, I promise." Hideki said as he crouched down to her, not realizing he was just giving Angela more hope.
"I spy a little brunette in a pink sailor fuku who has the hots for Hideki!" Haruko chimed.
"You don't say?" Jonetsu deadpanned.
"Like I don't have enough competition.." Sensaina groaned. It was bad enough having to deal with Ayane, but now Angela too? Come to think of it, it looked like Ignis kind of liked him too..
Angela then skipped towards her mother.
"Mom, can I go make snacks?" Angela asked.
"Well.." Her mother said hesitantly," Alright, but only easy things to make, I don't want you making a mess of grandma's kitchen. Got it?"
"Got it!" Angela cheered. She skipped to the opened sidedoor and went into the kitchen. She grabbed a nearby stool and looked at the empty counter in front of her.
"I wish I brought my Simple Make oven.." Angela moaned. She then opened a few cupboards, but not without standing on the counter itself to open said cupboards. She found a pack of pink icing but had to restrain herself with all her might to not eat it, just so she could seem ladylike for Hideki. She also found rainbow sprinkles and again, forced herself not to touch them. She closed what seemed to be the confection cupboards and jumped off the counter. She then moved the stood to the counter on the other side of the kitchen and looked through the cupboards there. She soon found a package of lemonade powder.
"This isn't so hard to make!" She exclaimed. She went through the other cupboards and found a pitcher along with a set of matching cups and ice from the freezer. She took water from the tap and began to to stir the poured lemonade powder in the water-filled pitcher with a giant wooden spoon that her grandmother kept handy on the counter. Sensaina walked in and found the little girl stirring up the lemonade.
"Angela, are you making lemonade for us?" Sensaina asked.
"Yep!" Angela said. She was actually making the lemonade for of course her and Hideki but with the amount of water she received from the tap, it seemed there would be enough for all.
"Keep up the good work!" Sensaina beamed.
Sensaina's praise made Angela feel, good about herself. Soon enough, her lemonade was finished and it looked pretty good. Satisfied with her stirring skills, she then poured equal amounts of lemonade into separate cups and popped ice into each cup. Then she found a tray and placed every cup on, and finally went outside with the tray.
"Did somebody make us lemonade?" Haruko asked as she spotted Angela with the tray in her hands. Angela smiled and began to walk faster. As she looked towards the girls, expressions of distress came onto their faces.
Jonetsu shouted,"Angela, watch out out for the-!"
Suddenly, Angela tripped on a toy racecar that fell from a box and the glasses shattered and cut up her knees. It wasn't too much of a bloody mess, thankfully, but there still was a bit of blood.
"Angela, are you alright?" Sensaina asked as everyone gathered around her. It seemed like she was about to bawl again, but she did nothing but smile it off.
"Angela, let's go get you cleaned up." Bettina said as she took Angela inside. Angela nodded and the two went to bandage her up.
"Poor Angela.." Haruko said. The girls felt sorry for her and Hideki did feel slightly sorry too, but at the moment, his thoughts were somewhere else. A few minutes ago, he bumped into Sensaina and he felt his heart beginning to race.
"Could this be a crush?" Hideki asked in his head as he picked up another box. He was perspiring from his palms, but not because it was a hot day or because he was carrying boxes. He felt the need to let his thoughts wander and so he thought of Angela.
"It's surprising she didn't cry, even after that.." He thought," Why was she being so persistent?" He sighed and went to carry away another box.
Inside, Bettina had just finished bandaging up her daughter's scraped up knees.
"Thanks goodness it wasn't a deep cut. But I'll still have to.." Bettina brought out a spray bottle and Angela cringed as she looked at it.
The substance from inside the bottle gave a stinging feel and Angela bit her lip and thrashed her legs on the kitchen counter. Bettina then left her daughter to pick up the remaining glass with Jonetsu outside. As her mother left, Angela leapt down from the counter and began to willingly clean the plastic pitcher.
Hideki then walked inside and Angela turned away blushing. There was an awkward silence between them for a few moments, then finally Angela spoke up.
"I'm going to marry you Hideki." Angela declared in a determined tone.
"Oh dear, again with this?" Hideki asked.
"Yes!" Angela cried," Because..I plan to be your one and only wife!"
Hideki felt awkward again as the little girl stood in front him with her hopeful hazel eyes. He was physically and mentally cornered, his green eyes stared down at Angela hopelessly.
"But, wouldn't it be weird since I'm older?" Hideki asked.
"No! I love you so it's fine!" Angela declared. Hideki could've easily just said ok to this, but all those thoughts that came with Sensaina, they cluttered his mind and thinking rationally and just telling Angela what she wanted to hear didn't seem like an option right.
Hideki then confessed," But...I'm already in love."
Angela then said dejectedly," What?"
Without hesitation, it appeared someone had extracted Angela's dreamstone as it started to float in midair.
"Why don't I be of help?" A sultry feminine voice echoed in the kitchen. Hydra appeared before him.
"Oh it's you." Hideki said uninterestedly. He sighed and closed his eyes.
"Well, at least she would be able to put it to use." He thought.
"Alright, fine." Hideki held out the dreamstone to Hydra," Just go summon it outside."
"My pleasure." Hydra grinned once she vanished, leaving Hideki alone with his thoughts.
"What a horrible thing to do, but it's not like I meant to do that, I think..." Hideki sighed to himself.
"This isn't getting anywhere!" Haruko shouted impatiently as she sat on a box.
"That's only because the neighborhood cat took one of the ornaments from that box and now Bettina has to go find the cat." Sensaina said.
"Do you think we should go check up on Angela?" Jonetsu asked.
"Hola!" Hydra said, not silencing the 'h' in hola.
"What is she doing here?" Haruko asked, lowering her voice to a whisper.
"Look what I have~!" Hydra singsonged holding up Angela's corrupted dreamstone. She then pointed to the box Haruko was sitting on.
"Escape, Malvoid!" She shouted.
"Malvoid!" The monsterfied box shouted. Suddenly an usual sheet of fog filled the area, not even Hydra knew where it was coming from.
"Transform now-desu!" Toki cried while Haruko's dreamkeeper, with Meihime's dreamstone inside, was in her small hands.
"I didn't realize Meihime's dreamstone could create fog." Haruko stated as she took her dreamkeeper from Toki.
"Pretty Cure, Dream On!" The girls shouted as they transformed.
"Singing the Everlasting Melody, Cure Songstress!" Songstress announced.
"Joining two hearts together, Cure Matchmaker!" Matchmaker announced.
"Growing everything in a lifeless land, Cure Garden!" Garden announced.
"Guardians of dreams, side by side, together we are..Dream High! Pretty Cure!"
The fog cleared up and the Cures were face to feet with the Malvoid.
"I don't even care about how they got here anymore, just finish them!" Hydra whined, unwilling to put two and two together.
The Malvoid obeyed and so a fight between the Cures and the Malvoid began.
"Pretty Cure, Bouquet of Radiance!" Garden shouted as she emitted green and pink flowers from her palm.
"Garden got a new attack-kore." Doki observed.
Matchmaker threw countless amounts of punches and kicks, with Songstress mimicking her fellow Cure.
"No good!" Songstress cried.
"What's also no good is your complaining!" Matchmaker said while she beat the Malvoid.
Songstress gasped as realization hit her," Do you think this could be..Angela's dreamstone?"
Matchmaker stopped attacking for a moment to respond.
"Maybe." She said stoically.
"That's just too cruel, how could she take Angela's dreamstone?" Songstress asked," She's just a kid.."
"Songstress, this is no time to be sulking!" Garden shouted as she threw numerous punches to the unflinching Malvoid.
"Right," Songstress said as she shook off her feeling of reluctance and pity.
"Pretty Cure, Melody of Madness!" Songstress cried as she shot pink and purple music notes to the Malvoid.
"Why are they blaming me?" Hydra asked nonchalantly," It's not like I'm the one who took this dreamstone. Either way.."
Hydra glowered her eyes to her Malvoid," Get rid of them."
The Malvoid now took this fight seriously and began to attack. The Malvoid charged and threw the Cures to their feet.
"She's cheating!" Garden cried.
Hydra rolled down her eyelid and stuck her tongue out to Garden.
"We have to end this!" Matchmaker cried.
"Wow, I didn't realize these girls could get so cheesy.." Hydra said as she blinked for a few moments.
"But it's not like I'm going to get anywhere with this weak Malvoid made from some ignorant little girl's dreamstone." Hydra sighed," To think she thought she could win the love of a man like him."
"That wasn't just any love.." Matchmaker said solemnly as she walked forward," That was...her first love!"
"So? I can't see a difference between that and every other 'love'." Hydra bunnyquoted as she rested herself on top of her Malvoid.
Matchmaker snickered," Love seems to be something you people of Malevolent are unable to feel."
"Are you kidding me?" Hydra scoffed as she sat herself up," Ignis loved chocolate, Raika loved that Alejandro, and Tsuchiyo loves his stupid gold boots..but those loves are absolutely nothing, compared to my love for Hatred!"
"That may count as love, but that love seems untrue and that's why..I'll get rid of you unloving Majors of Malevolent, one by one!" Matchmaker declared.
The Destiny Casket opened on its and out from the Casket appeared the Cures' scepters.
"Shapeshift! Lovestruck Scepter!" Matchmaker shouted as she formed a heart in midair with the ring.
"Joy and Passion, the power of love!" Matchmaker chanted.
"Pretty Cure, Lovely Oasis!" Matchmaker cried as the atmosphere turned red and smothered the Malvoid with a load of hearts.
"Awake!" She shouted, this time striking a pose while cleaning the Malvoid.
The box was restored and Hydra left infuriated.
"Thank goodness it looks like nothing ever happened." Sensaina sighed.
Bettina came back with the ornament and after another day of hard work, she decided to sign Hideki's form for his volunteer credit.
"Thank you so much!" Hideki said.
"You deserved it." Bettina responded. As the day was done, Angela and her mother were about ready to leave. After the dreamstone incident, she simply regarded Hideki's decline as a dream and her hope returned.
"Mom, let me do something before we go." She said.
"What is that?" Bettina asked.
Angela turned to face Hideki," I'll never forget you, my very first love!"
Hideki reddened and the girls laughed as Angela's mother's car drove off.