Notes: Episode 134, "Makoto's Friendhip! A Girl Who Adores a Pegasus". Or, "The one with Mako's writer friend."

Episode 134

"Do you think she knows other celebrities?"

They were twenty minutes into this outing, and Minako hadn't shut up for even two of them.

Rei swirled her spoon in her tea. Tea was calming. Tea knew how to not drive its friends crazy. "I dunno. Maybe?"

"I bet she does." Minako's eyes had that far-away look again. Rei wondered if she even needed to be here. Considered leaving to test the theory. "Mako-chan's moved around so much and been to so many different schools, it would seem statistically likely."

"You have no idea what statistics even ARE, do you?"

"They're things that make whatever I want to believe seem really possible!"

It was actually hard to argue that definition. 'Why don't you ask her, if you want to know so badly?" Rei said.

Minako looked at Rei like she was infinitely stupid. "She didn't tell us about Tomoko-sensei, you think she's going to come clean about anyone else?"

"We never asked her about Tomoko."

"So what are we supposed to do," Minako said, pinching together all the crumbs on her muffin wrapper, "ask her about every possible celebrity?"

"Would that be a problem for you?"

Minako popped the smooshed muffin remains into her mouth. "No. But there are A LOT of celebrities, so we'll be a while."

Rei rolled her eyes. "You and celebrities. It's embarrassing."

Those were fighting words. "Says the person who wanted three signed copies of a book she hasn't even read."

If that was supposed to sting, Rei didn't even flinch. She sat back in her seat and lifted her chin proudly. "That was just smart, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Right, because you've never—"

The sound of something hitting the table stopped Minako in mid-sentence. There, in front of her, was a well-worn copy of the very first Sailor V manga. Minako looked at it, a fond smile creeping across her face, like she was seeing an old friend for the first time after a long separation. Then the manga was flanked by two other volumes, identical except for their pristine, untouched condition. Minako's eyes flicked to Rei in confusion.

Rei was holding out a marker.

Minako picked up the worn manga and flipped to the front. "This is a first printing," she said with a note of awe. She carefully checked the others. "They all are. How did you get three of these?"

"Smart," Rei repeated, and waggled the marker at Minako. Minako took it, but still looked confused. Rei lifted her eyebrows meaningfully at the book in Minako's hand. "'Celebrities are worth more than regular people', right?"

Beaming, Minako grabbed the marker and, after a final glance and reassuring nod, began to sign the manga. Her strokes were hesitant, despite having practiced her autograph for hours in her room. That surprised her. But the second signature was more confident, and by the third she felt like an old hand. A very satisfied old hand.

She capped the marker and handed it back to Rei, feeling very proud of herself. She watched as Rei fanned the still-wet ink.

"You know now I think about it, fans are really worth just as much as celebrities," Minako said.

"Oh?"

"You can't possibly have a celebrity without them." Minako nodded to herself and her newfound sage wisdom.

Rei carefully tucked the manga back in her bag. "So fans are worth more than regular people?"

"My fans are."

"Well of course."

"And okay maybe they're not worth QUITE as much as celebrities."

Rei dipped her finger in her tea and flicked it at Minako. "Ruining the moment."

Minako tossed her wadded up straw wrapper at Rei. "You're such a fangirl."