Luna enhanced the images she captured of the recent fight, especially those of that mysterious new individual. Luna zoomed on the girl dressed as a white cat, her face hidden by a thin red mask.

"I was hoping to learn more about those new monsters and that dark energy, but now I'm more worried about this strange individual," Luna said.

"Where does she even come from?" Artemis wondered.

"I could definitely feel something cosmic coming from her, and that attack she used… a senshi perhaps?" Rei proposed.

"Regardless, she's not from here. Or even this solar system," Michiru added.

"We can't trust her," Haruka concluded.

"For once, I agree with you," Minako said.

"What? Why!?" Usagi exclaimed. "She said she was an ally…"

"You really shouldn't believe everything people tell you," Setsuna replied. "This is how you get deceived."

"She helped us against the monster!" Usagi insisted.

"She didn't even tell us her name," Makoto replied. "She just said that she was a 'new ally'."

"Yeah, I don't know if I'd trust someone you just introduced themselves as my new ally. Sounds pretty sus to me," Minako agreed.

"I have to admit, it is a little bit suspicious," Ami said.

"Tuxedo Mask didn't tell us his name right away but he was still our ally!" Usagi tried to argue back.

"Yeah, but we ended up knowing him!" Minako replied. "Do we know this catgirl? No."

"Maybe we do?"

"Usagi-chan, please. I think I'd remember if we met a girl dressed as a white cat! That'd be pretty hard to forget."

"And with this mask on, we couldn't recognize her anyway," Makoto added.

"Only suspicious people wear masks anyway!" Minako said.

"Huh, Minako, you wore one as Sailor V-" Artemis tried to say.

"Anyway, what is she supposed to be? A cat burglar? We can never trust those feline menaces!" Minako continued.

"...I'm going to ignore this blatant discriminatory comment towards my species," Artemis said.

"You are all being so unfair! If we could just talk with her-"

"You're the one being unreasonable," Haruka interrupted her. "We don't know anything about this girl. As far as I'm concerned, she's an invader from outside our solar system and I'll treat her as such. You better be careful if you see her again- all of you."

As she said that Haruka turned back and walked away, followed by her fellow outer senshi, and left the headquarter. Usagi turned to her inner guardians, hoping for some moral support from them.

"Girls, please-"

"I'm sorry, Usagi-chan, but Haruka-san and the others are right," Rei said. "We can't just blindly trust this girl."

"Rei-chan…?"

"I'll have to agree with Haruka-san too. This girl seems too suspicious," Makoto said.

"Mako-chan…!"

"Sorry I just can't trust that masked cat," Minako shrugged.

"Minako-chan…!?"

Usagi then turned to Ami, her last hope. Ami looked down, a guilty expression on her face.

"I'm sorry, Usagi-chan… but I have to agree with the others. It's too soon to trust her."

"Ami-chan…"

Without any more words, the inner senshi left the headquarter. Luna and Artemis continued to analyze the pictures they got while Usagi sat down, a feeling of dismay washing over her.

"When you give me that call, I was expecting you'd ask something else of me," Karasuma admitted.

The talent agent was leading Minako through the studio. The blonde girl was looking around in awe, barely even thinking about what happened with Usagi recently. She really needed something more pleasant to change to focus on today.

"Why did you think I was calling you?" Minako asked.

"I don't know, blackmail me? Money? Not just be Reiko's assistant for the day…"

"What!? Who wouldn't want to spend the day with the Aya Reiko? Anyway, what I don't get in money, I get paid in experience."

"Brat."

"Dreadful woman!"

"... You know what, I can respect that. And after that, I won't have to see you ever again, and same for you, and you get to spend the day with Reiko. So this is a win-win situation."

"Exactly!"

Both of them nodded in agreement in their mutual dislike of each other.

"Anyway, this is Reiko's dressing-room. As per your request, you'll be her assistant for today. Don't screw up, and… good luck."

For what started to be concern towards her client ended up sounding like pity towards Minako, which left the latter confused. But she quickly tossed that thought away and knocked at the door.

"Yeah? Karasuma-san?"

"No, it's me, Aino Minako."

"Who?"

"Huh… we met at the park the other day… I'm your new assistant for the day!"

"Oh? Come on in then!"

Minako sighed and opened the door. She was welcomed by the sight of Reiko sitting on a desk chair and rotating on herself.

"Huh… Aya-san?"

Reiko did one more turn on herself before stopping to face Minako, a beaming smile on her face.

"Hi, new assistant!"

"...I'm Aino Minako, as I said we met at the park the other day-"

"Oh, right! Aino-san, then. And you are my new assistant?"

"Yes, only for the one day though."

"Hm, I see, I see…" Reiko replied, with a pondering look.

Silence. Minako simply stared at Reiko awkwardly, waiting for her to add something. When the latter continued to remain quiet, Minako spoke again.

"So… do you need anything?"

"Hm? I don't know. You tell me, you're my assistant."

"Huh?"

"Karasuma-san usually deals with that kind of stuff for me, so… I guess you'll have to just improvise? Can't be that hard."

"...Uh?"

Reiko went back to spin on her chair, leaving Minako confused as to what she was even supposed to do in the first place.

Maybe using her one favour from Karasuma to be Reiko's assistant for the day had been a mistake after all.

There was no other way to put it. Someone was spying on her.

After leaving the arcade, Usagi felt observed. Even if she kept changing paths on her way home, she kept having this feeling she was being watched.

" Am I just imagining things? Could it be the enemy? " she wondered.

Usagi stopped in the nearest park, hoping whoever was following her would drop their guard. She acted as if she didn't notice, walking around as if she was just going for a walk, while discreetly looking at people around her.

" Whoever is following me might be hiding among them now… "

Usagi spotted someone who seemed to be hiding behind a newspaper. They were keeping it wide open in front of their face in a clear attempt to hide behind it. Nobody actually read a newspaper that way except on television, obviously.

" Suspicious… "

Usagi pretended to not have noticed and did a few more steps before quickly turning back. For a split-second, she saw the person behind the newspaper staring at her before hiding back behind it.

"Ah-ha! I knew it!"

Before they could do anything, Usagi rushed towards them and ripped out the newspaper from their hands.

"Gyah!?"

Usagi remained quiet, surprised to discover a tiny woman behind that newspaper. She was barely reaching Usagi's shoulders, seemingly around four feet tall. She had white hair tied up in curled pigtails and was wearing a fedora hat. If it wasn't from her professional outfit, Usagi might have mistaken her for a kid.

"... Who are you?" Usagi asked.

"T-That's none of your business…!"

"Huh!? You're the one following me around, missy!"

"M-Missy!? I'm an adult! And I wasn't 'following you around', I was… looking for Tenou Haruka."

Usagi froze when she heard that. Who was that girl and how did she know Haruka? And what did she want from her friend?

Could she be… the enemy!?

"How do you know Haruka-san!?" Usagi asked.

"Well, duh, who wouldn't know the famous car race driver Tenou Haruka!? The real question is, how do you know her?"

"Eh…? What… What do you mean?"

"I saw you talking to Tenou Haruka yesterday! Are you friends? What's your relationship!?"

Usagi remained confused for a moment. So this girl… was just following her around because she saw her talk with Haruka? Could she be…?

"Are you a Haruka-san's fan?" Usagi asked.

"W-What…? No…! Not really per se… but I do have a thing for stars…!"

"...Stars…?"

"You know, famous people! People who shine brightly and inspire people all around them with their light!"

"...Oh! Celebrities! So, you're like a total groupie!?"

"Yeah yeah, whatever you wanna call it. You still haven't answered my question."

"Ah… Well, Haruka-san is a friend, yeah…"

"And are Tenou Haruka and Kaiou Michiru dating?"

"... What?"

"The famous violinist and painter Kaiou Michiru! Or are you seeing Haruka-san without her knowing-"

"Woah! I'm not sure I like what you're implying here lady! Just so you know, I have a boyfriend who's currently studying in America!"

"Huh-uh, I see, but about Tenou Haruka and Kaiou Michiru-"

"Why don't you ask Haruka-san yourself if you're such a fan? Haruka-san is actually very nice and approachable… especially with girls."

"Oh… no thanks. I'd prefer to keep this strictly professional, you see. I'm the type who admires stars from afar but would never seek their lights for myself."

"Uh…? Okay? So you're just too shy to talk to her directly?"

"That's not what I said…! Ugh, whatever. Talking to you seems like a waste of time. I'll find someone else to ask…"

As the girl started to walk away Usagi suddenly grabbed her wrist.

"W-Wait…! I didn't mean to offend you. But following random people around just because they are friends with Haruka-san isn't the right way to go… so let me help you in some way."

"Huh!? Why?"

"Because… Do I need a reason to help someone?"

"Hm, I suppose you don't… Then okay."

"Great! Oh, by the way, my name is Tsukino Usagi!"

"Tsukino Usagi. Interesting name," she replied. "And I'm Nezu Chuuko. Nice to meet you."

Minako was wandering around in the studio, looking for Karasuma. She had questions for her regarding Reiko's next TV appearance, but the agent was nowhere to be seen. And all Reiko seemed to care about and want from her new assistant was food.

" Damn Karasuma-san! Dreadful woman! She knew how things would go with Aya Reiko and didn't warn me! 'Good luck' my ass! "

Minako sighed. She stopped for a moment to rest but then noticed a familiar figure.

"Michiru-san!?"

Michiru turned back and, at first surprised, smiled.

"Oh, Minako-san. What might you be doing here?"

"I could ask you the same!"

"I'm actually here for work. I have a TV appearance to make, with a TV idol…"

"Wait… don't you mean… with Aya Reiko!?"

"Oh? How do you know?"

"I can't believe this! No one told me! I'm supposed to be her assistant for the day and nobody thinks it would be wise to tell me?"

"Huh? You're Aya-san's assistant now? Since when?"

"Since I bother her and her agent on their dat- Anyway, it's just for the day"

"Ah, I see. Good luck."

"What is it with people telling me 'good luck'? Is Aya-san actually an unpleasant person?"

"Oh, no. She's actually quite nice. As someone to hang out with. But as someone to work with… she can be quite a handful. Her agent has the patience of a saint."

"That Karasuma woman!? No! She's so horrendous!"

"Well, she's certainly not the most friendly person out there, but as an agent, I respect her. It's like the opposite of Aya-san. Not someone you'd want to hang out with, but easy to work with."

"Huh… Maybe they balance each other well then… Wait, you know those two!? How? Is it because you're all, you know…"

"Working in the same industry?"

"...Yeah, exactly! The art industry!" Minako replied, embarrassed.

"We met in the studio a couple of times. But this is the first time I'm actually doing a collaboration with them."

"Oh… I should probably go remind her that again. Because I have the feeling she might have forgotten.

Michiru nodded at that.

"Good idea."

"Aya-san! You're needed on set soon- Oh, you got something on your face," Minako said as she entered the dressing room.

Reiko was buttoning up her shirt and looked at her.

"Oh? Something on my face? Like, my nose?"

"No, I mean, like, something added… Is that a new lipstick? Since when do you wear red lipstick?"

"I don't wear red lipstick… It doesn't suit me," Reiko said, dubious, as she used a tissue to wipe her lips. "Oh, I did have some red lipstick on my mouth. Weird."

"You may not wear that brand, but I know someone who wears red lipstick, someone close to you…"

"Ah! You're right! Karasuma-san do wear red lipstic! And it does suit her well. She probably got some of it on my lips then. Thanks, Aino-san, you're such a reliable assistant!"

"What…. Anyway, the show is about to start-"

"I'm on my way! Thanks again for your input!"

Reiko finished up removing the red lipstick from her mouth and headed for the set, while Minako sighed, following her.

Michiru was always there, sitting on one of the two armchairs on the set. The camera wasn't on yet and the live audience was waiting for the show to begin.

"Oh, I'm doing a show with Kaiou-san today?" Reiko commented.

"Yes, I told you earlier!" Minako said, starting to lose patience.

"Ah. Sorry, I must have not been listening then. I tend to do that when I'm eating."

"Yeah, I noticed. Anyway, just… go already. The show is about to start."

"Okay!"

Without further ado, Reiko walked on stage and the camera went on as she sat down neat Michiru.

"Good afternoon everyone! I am your host, Aya Reiko, and today my guest is Kaiou Michiru!"

"Hi, Aya-san. It's a pleasure to be here with you today."

"Now, I'm going to be honest with you. I actually had no idea you were going to be there so this is a complete surprise for me so I sure hope you know what we are supposed to do now, because I sure don't know."

The crowd laughed.

"No, I'm serious! I have a new assistant today and even though she told me about the planning, I didn't listen. And nobody ever tells me anything in this studio! All they do is give me scripts I can't bother to read. What am I supposed to do?"

Laughs again. Reiko sighed.

"Well, since you are all so insistent in laughing at me, how about our guest introduce herself? So, Kaiou-san, I've heard you're somewhat of an artist."

"Well, I am a known violinist."

"Violinist? I thought you were a painter?"

"Being a violinist is my career, painting is more of a hobby for me. So I am both."

"Wow, impressive! Playing the violin while painting at the same time? Such multitasking skill!"

"I don't actually play and paint at the same time-"

"Please everyone, a round of applause for my very talented guest Kaiou Michiru-san!"

The crowd clapped and cheered.

"And I heard you were somewhat of a singer," Michiru replied.

"Huh, who told you that? Was it Karasuma-san?"

"Well, this is the reason why I'm here, actually," she continued, pulling out her violin. "For a collab."

"Oh! Right! How could I have forgotten that! You do the music and I do the singing. It all makes sense now!"

The crowd laughed.

"Do you have any preferences?" Michiru asked.

"Hm, I'd say tall, dapper, a little bit broody-"

"I mean in music."

"Oh. I do ballads."

"Perfect. Then how about something like this…" Michiru said as she started to play.

As usual, Michiru's melody was impeccable.

"Hm, yeah, I think that will do just fine!"

And Reiko started to sing. It wasn't the first time Minako heard her, but it felt different to hear her in person rather than on television. All the frustration she felt towards her was just instantly washed away and her body felt so light. All her worries felt so insignificant and she could just let herself be gently rocked by Reiko's song. There was just something so bewitching in her voice, and it mixed so well with Michiru's violin, like they were both on the same wave.

When they both finished, the crowd immediately started to applause and cheer.

"Aww, there's no need to exaggerate like that. It was totally just improvised," Reiko said.

Minako suddenly noticed that Michiru was strangely glancing at Reiko but before she could have any thought about this, a scream came out from the crowd.

"Ahh! A monster!"

A shadowy creature with red glowy eyes suddenly rushed towards the set, seemingly heading for Reiko.

" Oh no! Now isn't the time! I have to contact the others! " Minako thought.

Much to her surprise, Reiko didn't seem worried. Surprised, maybe, but afraid? Not at all. The idol rose up from her seat with a stoic expression.

"Everyone, stay calm!" Reiko suddenly declared.

Just as she asked, the crowd remained calm. Even Minako felt the need to comply with her demand and stayed calm. Reiko then smiled.

"I, Aya Reiko, shall defeat this monster!"

I have way too much fun writing Aya Reiko.