Chapter 14

When Amy arrived home, she noticed a blinking message on the answering machine. Almost automatically, she pressed the blinking button, assuming it was just her mother informing her that she couldn't make it for dinner. However, an unexpected voice greeted her on the tape – Taiki.

"Um... Amy?... It's Taiki... please call me back."

Quickly, Amy grabbed the phone and dialed the last number that had called. It rang a few times before someone answered.

"Hello, it's Kou," said an unfamiliar voice, presumably one of Taiki's brothers.

"Hi, Amy here. Taiki asked me to call him, is he available?"

"Oh, right. I almost forgot. It's Yaten speaking."

"Yaten, the one with the green eyes who was pursuing Minako," Amy pieced the information together.

There was a rustling sound on the other end. "Amy? Hello, it's me, Taiki."

"Hello, you wanted me to call you back? What's up?" Amy tried to sound calm despite her excitement.

"I wanted to ask if you've made any progress with the riddle?"

"No, I've tried a lot, but it's neither coordinates nor a conversion encryption, nor any of the other ones I could think of. The numbers are simply too large, and the colors at the ends of the rows confuse me."

"If you want... I mean, I could come over, and we can think about it together," Taiki stammered, feeling a bit shy.

A smile crept onto Amy's face. "I'd love that."

"Okay, then see you in a bit."

Bunny sat on a bench outside the hospital, waiting for Mamoru to finish work. She still tried to understand what was happening with that guy, why he had such an effect on her. After all, she didn't really know him. As a shadow fell over her face, she looked up. A pleasant tingling sensation spread through her as she felt guilty at the same time, like a stone in her stomach.

"Bunny? What are you doing here?" Mamoru asked happily and offered his hand to help her up. Bunny took his hand, feeling how familiar it was, and nestled into his arm. Mamoru put his arm protectively around her shoulders, sensing that something was wrong, but he wanted to wait for her to open up to him on her own.

"Come, let's go to my place first. Should we order something to eat, and then I'll drive you home?" Bunny was snuggled up to him, nodding as a response.

Mamoru noticed that Bunny seemed much quieter today than usual, and even during dinner, she hardly said a word. "Bunny, is everything okay with you?"

Bunny looked up from her noodles and gazed upwards, unable to meet his eyes. She fixated her eyes on a small spot on the wall next to his head.

"Yes, I just wanted to be with you. I missed you," she said, feeling the guilt gnawing at her. She wanted to tell him everything, but she was afraid of his reaction, afraid that he would leave her.

Mamoru gave her a loving smile. He stood up, took her hand, and pulled her into his arms. Bunny enjoyed the closeness; it felt so different, so tender and caring. She reached up and kissed him gently. But then she remembered that these lips had kissed someone else just moments before.

"Bunny, actually, I wanted to surprise you with this on Saturday, but since you're already here, go check under the bed in the bedroom," he said, leaning against the doorframe, observing her.

Bunny's eyes lit up. A surprise? For her? Curiously, she entered the bedroom, knelt in front of the bed, and pulled out a box from under it. Mamoru watched her.

"Is this it?" she asked, looking up at him with excitement, and he nodded. Carefully, she opened the box and looked inside, finding a stunning black, long evening dress with an elegant slit.

"Mamoru, this must have been incredibly expensive. I don't know if I can accept it," she said softly, but already held the dress in front of herself and twirled around. He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his head against her ear.

"But you can, and you will. I want all the other men in the room to be jealous of the beauty by my side," he said.

Bunny froze for a moment. Jealous? Her stomach churned again, and she fought back the tears. Then she forced herself to smile. "Thank you, it's breathtaking."

It was getting dark outside. Amy and Taiki were still sitting together in Amy's room, their heads together trying to solve the puzzle. Taiki went through the list of theories they had already ruled out, and it was getting longer. Thoughtfully, he leaned his head back. "You really went out of your way to make it difficult for yourself," he chuckled.

"Yes, that might be true," Amy laughed back.

"Okay, let's start from the beginning. Where did you find the note?"

Amy fetched her favorite book from the shelf and handed it to him. Taiki flipped through the book, hoping to find more notes. When he closed it again, he noticed something. Quickly, he pulled out the paper with the riddle.

"Amy, what if all this is related to the book? Look, here, behind the first row, it says 'blue,' and this book's title is also in blue."

"But of course! You're brilliant. Now I understand," Amy exclaimed and hugged Taiki enthusiastically. Initially, he was slightly overwhelmed by her reaction, but then he hugged her back for a moment.

"Do you want to tell me what it says now?" he asked, giving her some space.

"In the first row, it says, 'The Potion of Forgetfulness!' If something like that really exists... why did we drink it?"

Taiki took out the paper again. "We'll probably find out soon. Okay, let's continue."

He began reading the numbers, and Amy searched the books for the corresponding words. They didn't take long and quickly decoded the first row.

Amy kept reading what was written, but she couldn't fully comprehend it.

"Can you tell me what it says in the last row?" Taiki asked, giving her some space.

"In the last row, it says, 'Supernatural Exists!'"

Amy's forehead furrowed slightly. Had that been her own idea? Taiki hesitated for a moment, pondering whether to reveal everything at once. He could see how desperately Amy was trying to find a logical explanation. But there was none. If she really drank the Potion of Forgetfulness, all memories would be gone forever. This potion was so rare that he only knew about it from old stories.

He glanced at her. "Ready for the last row?"

Amy nodded and grabbed the red book. When she found the last word, she jumped up and ran to her closet. "What's going on?" Taiki asked.

Amy opened the closet, tapped the bottom of it, then skillfully pried off the floorboard. She handed it to Taiki, saying, "Look under the closet."

A few seconds later, she turned back to him, holding a small box in her hands.

She felt nervous because she didn't know what to expect from what she was about to find in the box. "Do you want me to leave?" Taiki asked, wanting to respect her privacy, but Amy shook her head. "Whatever is in here, I'm sure it has something to do with you as well. I'll probably have questions, and I'd be glad if you're here to answer them."

With trembling fingers, she opened the box, and on top of it was a letter. Amy took it out and unfolded it.

Amy,

If you are reading this letter, it means you have solved the puzzle. I truly hope it was necessary and not just out of curiosity. If that's the case, please stop here. It's for your own good.

Although it may be difficult to grasp at first, you were once a Sailor Warrior – Sailor Mercury. Together with your friends who were also part of the Sailor Team, you fought for peace on Earth and successfully battled various enemies. After the last battle, peace was restored, and we were all offered the Potion of Forgetfulness to live as ordinary girls. I drank this potion with a heavy heart. But believe me, it's better if you don't remember everything, focus on what lies ahead. The potion only affects two areas of your life: everything related to the Sailor Team and the supernatural, and a group of individuals who joined you from a planet called Euphe. You probably haven't heard of Euphe because it belongs to another solar system, but it exists. If, unexpectedly, our friends from there return, tell Taiki that you love him. I couldn't do it back then. Ensure that Yaten and Minako finally resolve their differences; they are meant for each other. And most importantly, Bunny and Seiya. Keep him away from her. Bunny never recovered from his departure and suffered for a long time until she could finally forget. Don't let him break her heart again.

I sincerely hope that there is still peace and that you have accomplished our goals. If new enemies should appear, you must contact Luna using the small blue computer that is included here. Luna will explain everything to you.

You won't remember this letter because I wrote it as Sailor Mercury. I did it one last time to preserve these memories.

All the best for the future, Sailor Mercury

Amy read the letter several times, occasionally glancing shyly at Taiki, who was sitting on her bed, waiting for her reaction.

"Where are you from?" Amy needed to verify if the information from the letter was true.

Taiki smiled. "I'm from Euphe, but that probably doesn't mean anything to you."

"Because it's a planet outside our solar system," she interrupted him. Amy stood up, feeling a strange flutter in her stomach, and handed him the letter.

She watched his expression change with each line, waiting for his response. Then he also stood up, wrapped his arms around her hips, and whispered, "I love you too." Slowly, he pulled her closer and gave her a delicate kiss on the lips.

They didn't know how long they stood like that, completely oblivious to everything else, happy that they had finally found each other.

"We have to talk to the others about this, as soon as possible. I'll call everyone to the temple tomorrow morning. Will you come too?" Amy asked after sorting through some of her thoughts.

"Yes, I'll convince Yaten and Seiya to come as well. I should be going now; it's already dark outside."

As the two left her room, Amy's mother just returned home. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed some movement near Amy's bedroom door. As she hadn't expected any visitors, she started chatting away.

"There was so much going on at the hospital today, you wouldn't believe it. One emergency after another, and as if that wasn't enough, the band canceled for Saturday. You remember, there's a ball for the new children's station. Oh, I didn't know you had company," she said, startled, as she saw Taiki standing behind her daughter.

"Good evening, Mrs. Mizuno. My name is Taiki Kou, and I'm a friend of your daughter's. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but if you're still looking for a band, my brothers and I have time for a performance on Saturday."

Amy's mother warmly shook Taiki's hand. "Nice to meet you, Taiki. That's a fantastic offer, thank you. Do you have experience with big performances?"

Taiki confirmed, giving her some additional information. They agreed to talk more about it over the phone the next day. Then Amy walked him to the door, Taiki stole a kiss from her, and he said his goodbyes.