Harusuke was busy making some food while humming a little tune in the kitchen. As he chopped, cooked, and even spiced his food, numerous delicious smells filled the air. Luna then came into the kitchen, her nose catching a whiff of the delightful aromas.
"Hey there, Harusuke. What are you up to?" the black cat asked. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for school?"
"Oh, hey, Luna. I was making myself some lunch for today," replied Harusuke. "It's been a while, so I figured I'd brush up on my cooking skills."
Luna then hopped onto the counter and took a whiff of all the yummy food that Harusuke had made. There were pork cutlets, rice, and some vegetables, all of which looked very appealing. Luna was impressed as well as a bit hungry.
"Wow, Harusuke, this is amazing," Luna said. "Your lunches would certainly give Makoto's a run for her money." Then she noticed two lunch boxes on the counter, which puzzled her. "Wait a second. Who are the lunches for you and Usagi?"
"Not really. It's for Makoto," Harusuke replied as he closed up his box. "I was going to ask her to see if she could critique the lunches I made. You know, so she could give me some pointers on how to improve my cooking. That way, she won't have to mooch off food from other people."
"Well, that's a capital idea," smiled Luna. "And this could also serve as part of your training of being a good husband. I thought you were making a boxed lunch for Mako because of the craze. Those who love one another make lunches as a way of love."
Harusuke then blushed a bit. "Come on, Luna. You're making me feel a little embarrassed here. It's nothing like that. Speaking of Usagi, I wonder she's up yet? Knowing her, she's probably sleeping in or something."
Harusuke then finished making his lunches and put them in his bag.
"Alright, it's time for me to head for school," said Harusuke. "I'll see you later, Luna."
And Harusuke left as Luna waved goodbye with her paw.
Makoto and Ami were in the courtyard waiting for Usagi and Harusuke to show up at the school. They were hoping to meet the Tsukino twins to discuss the Moonlight Knight. However, Makoto had other ideas. She indeed had Moonlight Knight on her mind, but it wasn't for anything important. She was mainly daydreaming about how handsome he was. She even imagined him on a moonlight knight, riding on a camel in the middle of the desert.
"Man... The Moonlight Knight. He sure is a mystery," sighed Makoto dreamily.
"I know what you mean," said Ami. "Whenever we're in trouble, he appears out of nowhere and saves us. I wonder who he is?"
"The way he leaves when he says adieu while doing that pose," Makoto rambled dreamily. "He's just like the guy that broke my heart."
Ami was surprised. "Wait... Your old boyfriend used to say adieu?" she asked incredulously. "Doesn't that mean he was French?"
Makoto then groaned, feeling annoyed. "I just mean that they're both similar."
Just then, Naru happened to walk by, only for Umino to come up to her in high spirits.
"Hey, Naru! There you are, my dear!" Umino spoke merrily.
"Hi, Umino. What's up?" Naru asked.
Umino then whipped out a large object tied and covered by purple cloth with red hearts all over it, much to Naru's surprise.
"Ta-da! I made a special lunch just for you!" Umino spoke proudly. "It's my own super surprise to show how much you mean to me!"
Naru felt a little awkward. "Don't tell me... is it fried shrimp again?" she asked, trying not to be rude.
"Nope, my love. I decided to go for a little more variety," Umino said. "Today, it's bell peppers, okra, and fried shrimp!"
All Naru could do was smile and nod, trying not to frown as Umino took her by the hand, and the two then walked off, leaving Makoto and Ami a bit awkward themselves having to have seen everything.
"You know, now that I think about it, I've noticed something, Mako," Ami said. "Did you know that making a lunch for a girlfriend of a boyfriend is popular these days?"
Makoto then hummed in thought as she looked down at her lunch, sitting on her lap. She then started to feel a little melancholy; the more she looked at it. "Yeah, but I guess I haven't made a special lunch... for anyone in a long time," she said.
"Is something wrong, Mako?" asked Ami. "You look a little sad."
Makoto was just about to answer when the two girls heard a familiar voice.
"Yo! Ami! Mako!"
The two then looked up and saw Harusuke running towards them.
"Hey there, Harusuke. Glad you made it," said Ami. "Where's Usagi?"
"Where do you think? She's back at the house counting Zs still," Harusuke spoke with a hint of annoyance. "Honestly, I tried to wake up that girl over and over, and I even told her to get up early to meet up with us, especially since we were going to talk about the Moonlight Knight, but as usual, she'd rather sleep in and ignore her brother."
"Come on, Harusuke. This is Usagi we're talking about here," chuckled Makoto. "Did you honestly think that Usagi would wake up early for a meeting?"
"No, I suppose not," Harusuke spoke, smiling a little. "But still... that girl's going to be the death of me one of these days."
Meanwhile, a certain odango blonde in question had now just woken up and was racing out of the house as fast as she could. While she did, Luna came rushing out of the house chasing after her, dragging along a large pink bag with bunnies on it which was, of course, her lunch bag.
"Usagi! Slow down, would you?!" Luna called with clenched teeth. "You forgot your lunch!"
But Usagi didn't notice, nor did she hear her. "I'm late! I'm late!" she shrieked as she continued to run.
But in her haste to catch up with Usagi, Luna stumbled on her paw, which caused her to fall flat on her face, causing Usagi's lunch bag to go flying into the air. Seeing it descend towards the ground and not wanting to get spoiled from the fall, Luna shot forward, running as fast as her paws would let, and in a diving save while flipping herself over, managed to catch the lunch bag before it hit the ground. However, its weight and velocity smacked Luna right into her underbelly, knocking her out as Usagi disappeared from view.
It was now the lunch period. Usagi managed to make it to school, but she again got in trouble with Ms. Haruna.
"Ms. Tsukino, not only did you come in late and also forget your homework, but you were also sleeping in my class?!" Ms. Haruna barked.
"I'm very sorry, Ms. Haruna," apologized Usagi. "Please forgive me. I won't do it again."
Ms. Haruna groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I highly doubt that, but... whatever. Just go and eat your lunch, okay?"
Usagi then went on her way, but now she faced another problem. She had just realized that she had forgotten her lunch back at the house and she was starving, and the sight of all the other students, particularly couples, eating their lunches together wasn't helping her much either.
"I wish I could eat my lunch, but I forgot mine," Usagi moaned as she glanced over at the other students. "If I already knew I was going to be late today, why couldn't I have eaten breakfast?"
She soon walked out of the school building and wandered around the courtyard. She then saw Umino and Naru eating their lunch together. Usagi's mouth began to dribble with drool as she looked at the boxed lunch that Umino made.
"Here you go, Naru," Umino said as he held up a shrimp to Naru's mouth, hoping to feed her. "Open wide."
Naru's cheeks then flushed pink. "Um... please stop that, Umino," she spoke shyly. "It's a little embarrassing."
"Aw, come on. Don't be like that," urged Umino. "Come on, open up, and say ahh."
"I'll pass, thank you," Naru spoke politely. "Besides, I can feed myself."
Umino then smirked while giving Naru an affectionate nudge. "Feeling a little shy, eh? Come on, just one time, and I promise I won't ask you again."
"Geez, you never give up, do you?" Naru sighed.
Usagi wanted to ask Naru and Umino to share their lunches with her, but at the same time, she didn't want to interrupt them, thinking that she would look silly. Then she had an idea.
"I got it! I'll ask Mako to share some of her tasty lunch with me!" she said to herself. "She's always got lots of yummy food! And maybe I can ask Harusuke too!"
She then raced away to search for the two. At the same time, Makoto, Harusuke, and Ami had just arrived looking for Usagi, but they couldn't find her anywhere.
"I guess Usagi isn't anywhere around," said Makoto. "Wonder where she could be?"
"I just hope we can find her soon," said Ami. "I want to talk to her about the Moonlight Knight."
"Don't worry, Ami. We've got plenty of time to talk about the Moonlight Knight with Usagi," said Harusuke. "In the meantime, I'd say we go ahead and eat our lunches." He then looked at the ponytailed brunette. "Speaking of which, Mako, there was something I wanted to talk to you about, something regarding our lunches."
"What's up?" wondered Makoto. "Did you make me lunch or something?"
"Well, yeah, but don't get the wrong idea," said Harusuke. "It's not what you're thinking. You see-"
Harusuke was just about to explain when they heard the sound of a flute playing. Feeling a bit curious, they followed the flute sound back inside the classrooms and came to the music room. Inside while standing by the piano, was Seijuuro, who was playing his pipe with a crowd of girls surrounding him, swooning as he continued to play. Harusuke couldn't help but frown as he, Ami, and Makoto watched him play.
"It seems that Usagi's not here either," said Ami. "I thought that she'd be here of all places."
"Thankfully," said Harusuke. "As long that Seijuuro guy stays away from her, I'll be golden."
"That's a beautiful song," commented Makoto, her eyes wide with wonder. "I love it. I could listen to it forever."
"Looks like you're at it again, Makoto," laughed Ami. "Let me guess: does Seijuuro also remind you of the guy that broke your heart?"
Makoto then sighed wistfully, her eyes sparkling with longing. "No, but he does like music... just like my ex."
"That's the same thing Ami just said, Mako!" Harusuke sighed, sweatdropping. "Seriously, do you crush on any boy that reminds you of your ex?!"
Ami then gasped. "Wait, I just realized something! Didn't the Moonlight Knight start showing up around the same time that Seijuuro transferred here?"
Makoto and Harusuke looked at Ami in surprise and then back at Seijuuro.
"Wait... you don't think that those two are the same person, do you?" asked Makoto.
"No way, definitely not!" Harusuke objected. "There is no way in heck that Seijuuro guy's the Moonlight Knight. Not in a million years!"
"You never know, Harusuke," said Ami. "At this point, it could be just about anyone."
Makoto didn't say anything more as she processed Ami's theory.
Seijuuro then finished his song, and all the girls immediately swarmed around him, practically begging him to eat lunch with them, but Seijuuro calmly raised his hand to silence them.
"Please, calm down, girls," Seijuuro said politely. "I appreciate all of your offers, but I usually skip lunch, so I have to decline."
But the girls refused to let up, continuing to ask Seijuuro to eat their lunches, feeling smitten with the boy. Seijuuro left the music room, walking past Harusuke, Makoto, and Ami as his female fans stampeded out of the classroom, following him.
As Makoto watched Seijuuro leave, she couldn't help but think about Ami's theory and wondered if it was true. Her mind then began to wander in a daydream, imagining herself eating lunch with Seijuuro, of which he became the Moonlight Knight. The fantasy alone made her heart flutter with excitement and her cheeks pink. That was until Harusuke and Ami brought her down to reality.
"Hey, Mako! Snap out of it!" Ami spoke, tugging her sleeve. "Mako!"
Mako immediately snapped out of it feeling embarrassed, but at the same time, she felt excited.
"It's been a while since I've fallen in love!" Makoto spoke, grinning. "Say, Harusuke, Ami, let me handle this one! I'll find out if there's a connection between Seijuuro and the Moonlight Knight!"
"But, Mako! There was something I wanted to ask you first!" protested Harusuke. "And I-"
"Alright! Let's do this!" Makoto spoke fist-pumping. "I'm going to do this!"
Makoto was so excited that when she slapped Ami on the back as a friendly gesture, Ami fell flat on her face, much to Harusuke's disbelief. She then marched on her way after Seijuuro, feeling determined as well as a bit nervous.
"What's the matter with Mako?" groaned Ami as Harusuke helped her up.
"I don't know, but I don't like it," Harusuke spoke, feeling a little cross. "That girls got more crushes than Usagi. Not to mention that Makoto doesn't know that Seijuuro's got a huge crush on Usagi!"
As Harusuke watched Makoto leave, he couldn't help but feel a little upset with the girl, so much so that he decided to follow her and stomped away.
"Where are you going, Harusuke?" Ami called out. "I thought that we were going to discuss-"
"Go on without me!" Harusuke called back, interrupting. "And if you see Usagi, tell her that I'll meet up with her later."
Harusuke then went on his way while Ami sat there, stunned and confused.
Seijuuro was power walking while his fan club of girls chased after him, not wanting to give up on the boy. Seijuuro eventually left the building, causing everyone to stare in surprise and even a little jealously from the boys. Then, Seijuuro turned around the corner, and using his inhuman abilities, he took a great leap shooting high into the air, landing on top of the school building. At that time, Makoto came by looking for him, and when she saw him standing on the roof, she was amazed.
"How did he get up there?!" Makoto thought to herself. "Is he the Moonlight Knight after all?"
Her cheeks then flushed pink as she giggled giddily, not knowing what to do, but she decided to see this as an opportunity to find out for herself.
"I just got to jump in and go for it!" Makoto thought to herself. "Now that those girls are out of the way, he's all mine! Things will work out somehow!"
And with a love-sick cackle, she raced back inside of the school building. At that time, Harusuke happened to come by. He had just barely stepped outside when Makoto ran past him, causing the boy to almost fall flat on his bottom.
"That had to have been Makoto!" Harusuke spoke to himself. "Dang, that girl runs fast! I've got to go after her!"
He then took off hot on Makoto's trail, but he couldn't help but feel confused with himself as he ran.
"Wait, why am I making such a big deal about this? I mean, it's not like what Makoto does is any of my business," Harusuke spoke while looking upwards. He then shook his head rapidly, trying to shake those thoughts away. "This isn't the time to think! It's time to act! Besides, the last thing I want is that Seijuuro punk hurting Makoto in some way and that I need her to eat my lunch!"
He then raced down the hall, hoping to find Makoto in time.
Seijuuro continued playing his flute in solitude, happy that he could find some peace, but he now felt perplexed about the girl's recent behavior.
"I just don't understand," he said to himself aloud. "Why do all of those girls want me to eat their homemade lunches so badly?"
"It's because... they like you," panted a voice.
Seijuuro feeling a bit startled, turned around, and standing below him was a very sweaty Makoto who was happy that she managed to catch Seijuuro.
Meanwhile, back with Ami, she decided to continue the investigation of the Moonlight Knight Siejuuro theory on her own by using her computer in one of the classrooms to calculate the chances while eating her sandwiches. Soon enough, she got her results, the computer displaying Seijuuro's information and the probability of him being Moonlight Knight, which flashed a pretty low number.
"Looks like the probability of Seijuuro of being the Moonlight Knight is point two percent. Not very good odds in my book," Ami spoke to herself between bites. "I guess they aren't the same person after all. I wonder who he is?"
Ami had just popped her last sandwich into her mouth when she heard a moan coming from the doorway, which made her so startled that she swallowed it immediately. She then turned around to find a very hungry and weak Usagi standing there, appearing to be on the brink of collapsing.
"Ami... I finally found you..." Usagi gasped while she leaned on the door.
"U-Usagi?! You startled me!" Ami spoke. "What's the matter with you?"
Usagi didn't answer Ami, for she had caught sight of her lunch box. The odango blonde, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, immediately rushed over to her lunch box, hoping to satisfy her hunger, but much to her horror, she found Ami's lunch box to be empty.
"Sorry about that, Usagi. I just finished my lunch," apologized Ami. "I take it you forgot yours?"
Usagi could only respond with a small whimper, her eyes filling with tears as her stomach growled loudly in hunger. She felt so weak with hunger that she practically fell over, almost fainting. Ami feeling a bit panicked, immediately caught Usagi trying to keep her awake by shaking her wildly.
"Come on, Usagi! Snap out of it!" cried Ami. "I'll get you some juice or something!"
Meanwhile, back with Makoto and Seijuuro, the ponytailed brunette finally convinced Seijuuro to eat some of the lunch that she made. Makoto had now given Seijuuro a piece of cooked meat in the shape of an octopus with a smiley face, much to Seijuuro's surprise.
"Wh-what is this thing?" Seijuuro wondered in bewilderment. "It looks like a sea animal, but it appears its composition is a bit different. Is there a reason for making it look like that? It also looks like it's staring at me."
Makoto, on the other hand, wasn't paying attention. She felt so giddy sitting next to Seijuuro that she couldn't stop fidgeting while blushing. After a few seconds of plucking up the courage to ask the question that she had wanted to ask.
"Say Seijuuro, do you happen to like white roses?" Makoto asked hurriedly. "And do you sometimes like wearing... I dunno, an Arabian outfit with a headcloth and a cape?"
But Seijuuro didn't reply, for he had popped the meat that Makoto gave him into his mouth. He chewed for a good few seconds or so and then swallowed while Makoto watched with baiting breath, hoping that he wouldn't dislike the food she had made.
"So... do you like it?" asked Makoto. "I mean... is it good?"
Seijuuro looked at Makoto and then gave his response. "May I have some more, please?"
Makoto's face lit up like a lightbulb with joy as she presented Seijuuro with her lunch. "Of course, you can!" she said happily. "Take whatever you want! I also have some desserts, too!"
Seijuuro eagerly took the box and started to eat, savoring every kind of food, enjoying its taste. "Not bad!" he spoke in between bites. "I've never had anything like this before!"
"Thanks. I appreciate it," Makoto spoke, gazing up towards the sky, remembering. "You know, I used to have a special guy that I would make lunches for on a nice day like today. I remember how he used to tell me they were pretty good, too. Well, until he dumped me." She then apologized. "Oh, sorry about that. I didn't mean to bore you about my past."
"Truth be told, I just don't get it," Seijuuro spoke as he continued to eat. "Why do you want to make lunch for someone that you like? What do they have to do with liking someone?"
Makoto then smiled as she explained. "Well, sometimes girls express their feelings by doing something special for the person they love. Sometimes they don't think things through, and they try to do things they shouldn't. There are even times when girls like me would give up their lives for love."
"No way... That sounds ridiculous," Seijuuro spoke, feeling fascinated.
Just then, the two were interrupted by Natsumi, who had been watching the two the whole time, and while she was smiling, inside, she was burning with anger and jealousy.
"Hello, Brother," Natsumi greeted, her voice cold as ice.
"Brother? So you two are brother and sister?" Makoto asked Seijuuro.
"Y-Yeah. More or less," Seijuuro spoke, sensing Natsumi's anger.
"Brother, you really shouldn't consume any objects that you're not familiar with," Natsumi went on, glaring at Makoto. "You might get sick!"
Makoto felt insulted, immediately shooting to her feet and getting up in Natsumi's face, while Seijuuro continued eating, not wanting to get involved.
"Now you listen here!" Makoto snapped crossly. "You may not think so, but I'm an expert chef! I've been making lunches my whole life, and I've never made anyone sick once, get it?!"
"And I would appreciate it if you didn't hit on my brother anymore," Natsumi countered, not intimidated. "He's off-limits, got it?"
"For just a sister, you're sure are acting jealous," Makoto shot back with a sneer. "And getting that way over your brother is kind of creepy."
Now Natsumi was angry, but before she could say anything else, Seijuuro, eating much too quickly, began to choke desperately, trying to swallow. Makoto and Natsumi noticing this rushed on over to see if he was alright, but when they saw they were too close to one another, they glared grimly at each other.
"Don't touch him!" growled Natsumi.
"What's your problem?!" Makoto growled back.
Seijuuro's face began to blue as he choked, temporarily losing his disguise as the two continued. Harusuke opened the door at that moment, and when he saw what was going on, his eyes went wide as saucers.
"What the hell is going on here?!" Harusuke cried.
He then saw Seijuuro was choking, and while he didn't like the guy, he couldn't just leave him in that state. So he quickly dug into his lunch bag and took out a bottle of tea, opening it and putting it to his lips.
"Seijuuro, here! Drink this!" Harusuke spoke urgently. "It'll help you swallow!"
Seijuuro immediately took the bottle of tea and gulped it down while Harusuke looked back towards Makoto and Natsumi, still in a glare down.
"Honestly, what's the matter with those two anyway?" Harusuke muttered to himself.
A little later, after school, Usagi was being scolded by Ms. Haruna, much to her displeasure.
"Ms. Tsukino! You were tardy, you forgot your homework, slept in Class all morning and afternoon, and your stomach has disrupted the Class continuously!" Ms. Haruna lectured crossly. "Honestly, what in the world am I going to do with you?!"
All Usagi could do was bow in repentance. "I'm so sorry, Ma'am. It won't happen again," she said.
"Never mind," Ms. Haruna sighed. "Just go home and get something to eat already."
Usagi then sadly walked out of the school, feeling miserable and hungry. As she approached the main gate, she saw Ami reading a book while waiting for her. When she saw her in her sorry state, Ami quickly came over.
"Hey, Usagi. Are you all right?" Ami asked.
"Nope, not really," Usagi moaned bitterly. "I'm so hungry that I can't feel anything at all."
"Then maybe this should help you, Usagi," said a familiar voice at their feet.
Usagi then looked down, and a delightful sight met her eyes. Luna had arrived and next to her was Usagi's lunch bag, which made the girl's mouth drool with hunger, and her eyes overflow with tears of joy.
"Please tell me that I'm dreaming right now!" Usagi sobbed happily. "Is that my lunch?!"
"It seems that Luna was trying to give it to you this morning, but she wasn't able to," explained Ami.
Usagi immediately snatched up her lunch bag and hugged it tight, happy that she was finally going to have a chance to eat at last.
On their way back home to their apartment, Seikuuro was desperately trying to explain himself to Natsumi for what had happened earlier. But unfortunately, Natsumi was too angry to listen to him, nor did she want to.
"Please, Natsumi, listen to me," begged Seijuuro. "I'm telling you it's all a big misunderstanding!"
"I don't care, you liar!" Natsumi snapped. "What you did was disrespectful! How could you eat human food after all the years we've spent together trying to create a world of love and sharing the Makai Tree's energy?!"
"But if you would just listen to me-!"
Seijuuro began to protest, but then Makoto appeared, interrupting them.
"Hey there, Seijuuro," Makoto said. "Do you want to walk home together?"
Seijuuro was about to turn Makoto down, still wanting to smooth things over with Natsumi, but Natsumi had other ideas.
"What are you waiting for? Why don't you go enjoy your new friend?" Natsumi spoke coldly. "Make sure that you take your sweet time!"
And she briskly walked away, leaving a dumbfounded Makoto and a discouraged Seijuuro behind.
"I'm sorry about that," Seijuuro apologized. "I know that she's a bother, but I don't know what her problem is."
"Well... in any case, this will be a good chance to talk about stuff," Makoto spoke a bit shyly. "So... you mind if we talk over at the park?"
Seijuuro was still feeling a bit worried about Natsumi, but he agreed. As the two went on their way, Harusuke looked around, trying to find Makoto and Seijuuro, but they didn't seem to be anywhere.
"Where did those two go?!" Harusuke wondered. "They couldn't have gone far."
"I still don't get why I'm following these two like this. It's not like it's any of my business," Harusuke thought to himself. "But I've got to! The last thing I want is for Mako to have her heart broken again, especially with a creep like Seijuuro, but I got to! Besides, it's not like Seijuuro's going to return her feelings. Plus, this will be a good opportunity to see if Ami's theory is correct."
He then continued to look around for the two hoping that he would find them before it was too late.
Soon enough, Makoto and Seijuuro were at the park all by themselves, Makoto still feeling a bit giddy.
"I could tell that you're close to your sister, aren't you?" Makoto rambled. "If you don't mind me saying so."
"I suppose so," Seijuuro spoke absently, not paying attention.
Makoto then sighed sadly. "It does suck, though. For some reason, your sister seems to hate me."
"Don't worry about it too much. An's always like that," reassured Seijuuro. "But since you wanted to talk, there's something that I wanted to ask you. I don't understand the logic between liking someone and making lunches for them."
Makoto was surprised. Then she burst into a fit of giggles finding it a bit funny, which puzzled Seijuuro even more.
At the same time, Natsumi, who had followed the two, was watching from afar, just behind some bushes. She was green with envy and red with rage as her body began to radiate with power while losing her disguise.
"Damn you, Ail!" An spoke with a tranquil fury.
Back at the school, Usagi shoveled her lunch down her throat as Ami and Luna explained what had happened. Needless to say, when Usagi found out about Makoto and Seijuuro hanging out together, her imagination went wild.
"What?! Seijuuro and Makoto are out on a date?!" Usagi cried as she spat out some food on Ami and Luna.
"It's not a date, Usagi!" Ami spoke while wiping her cheek. "She just wanted to see if he had anything to do with the Moonlight Knight, and Harusuke's been following her too."
"There's no way that Seijuuro's the Moonlight Knight!" Usagi snapped while chewing. "He looks nothing like him!"
She soon finished her lunch, now fully recharged. She immediately shot up to her feet and took off running.
"Usagi?! Where are you going?!" Luna called.
"I'm on a mission to see whether or not it's a date!" Usagi called back. "Seijuuro said that he liked me, so he had better not be lying to me!"
"Now, what was all that about?" Luna wondered. "Or a better question would be, why should she care? I thought she said that boy gave her nothing but trouble."
"Not to mention that I think Harusuke reacted the same way as she did," Ami spoke, smiling exasperated. "I guess they are brother and sister after all."
Makoto tried her best to explain to Seijuuro about lunches, but the boy didn't seem to understand.
"So then, you're telling me that love and lunches are just things that you give to someone?" Seijuuro asked. He then looked at his hand, clenching it tightly in determination. "That sounds kind of backward to me. Love should be something you take by force for yourself. Why would you give things to people for love? I just don't get it at all."
"It doesn't seem backward to me," replied Makoto. "And taking love sounds kind of depressing. I mean, love comes in many different ways, but I don't think it's something that can-"
"Silence!" snapped a voice filled with fury. "You meddlesome earth female! I think it's time that I taught you a lesson!"
Makoto and Seijuuro jumped, looking up, and saw An. Before the two had a chance to react, An blasted the two with a strange psychic force. Seijuuro managed to stand his ground, but Makoto got blown back, landing hard on the ground, losing her grip on her lunch bag in the process. An saw Makoto's lunch bag and, out of spite, stomped on it, much to Makoto's shock.
"Who do you think you are anyway?!" An sneered. "A primitive human like you with no experience can't talk about love!"
An then raised her hand, preparing to attack again, when Seijuuro stepped in between them, trying to calm An down.
"Please, An! Wait!"
But An didn't listen as she unleashed another blast of force with a wave of her hand, not only hitting Makoto again but also Seijuuro as well blowing both of them back and knocking them to the ground.
At that moment, Usagi, Ami, and Luna arrived and were shocked to see An.
"It's that alien again!" gasped Ami.
"Wh-What should we do?!" squeaked Usagi fearfully.
"Ami, you need to look after Mako," ordered Luna. "Usagi, you handle the alien!"
"But do I have to?!" whined Usagi.
"Yes, you do!" snapped Luna. "Now transform already!"
Usagi and Ami then sprang into action on a mission to save their friend.
"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"
"MERCURY POWER MAKE UP!"
Transformation Sequence: Usagi
Usagi holds up the Crystal Star brooch as it opens, revealing the Silver Crystal inside. Usagi waved her hand on the Silver Crystal, and it flashed it a bright short burst of pink light emitting a chime. It does it a second time, and on the third, it shines brightly, enveloping Usagi in its glow. Usagi then holds the brooch above her head, suspending it in between her hands, drawing it to the center of her torso, flipping it once before placing it in the center of her chest. She then spins around a few times as the crystal begins to glow even brighter than before in pink light. She holds her hands up as a pair of wings spring forth from her back while pink ribbons come out from the crystal wrapping around Usagi's body, forming her leotard. The wings on her back disappeared as more pink ribbons wrapped around her arms and hands, creating white gloves and red boots around her calves and feet. As the blue skirt appears around her waist, one more pink ribbon ties at her back as she does a kind of spread-eagle motion with one leg up, a glowing moon symbol appearing on her forehead. Her tiara, earrings, choker, and ordango covers appear, and Usagi, now Sailor Moon, finishes with her signature pose.
Transformation Sequence: Ami
The symbol on Ami's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of blue as she holds up her transformation pen. It begins to spin around as it shines and envelopes Ami in blue light. Then, she sweeps it over her head while a stream of blue water shoots out, wrapping her body and forming her leotard, boots, and gloves. A sparkling ripple expands over her body, creating a slight mist of water that forms the rest of her uniform the same as Sailor Moon's but the center bow, boots, and rims on the gloves are blue and bright blue. Finally, she turns around and then strikes her signature pose.
Makoto was devastated and angry as she looked at her smushed lunch bag. "My precious lunchbox, you ruined it..." she spoke tearfully. "How could you, you witch?!"
"What are you blabbering about?!" An scoffed with a raised hand. "It's time to finish you off!"
"Hold it right there!" shouted a voice. "Leave that girl alone, or you'll pay!"
An looked up saw Sailor Moon standing on top of the jungle gym.
"How dare you ruin a young girl's date with a cute boy?!" the Guardian of the Moon spoke crossly. "That sort of crime is truly unforgivable! Only a big, ginormous, oversized pest would do that!"
"A lower life form like you calling me a pest? Of all the nerve!" countered An. "You need to learn your place, little girl!"
An was just about to attack Sailor Moon when someone else beat her to the punch. Seijuuro, now transformed into An, created strange dark blue tornadoes that appear around Sailor Moon and the others blinding but also immobilizing them.
"Ail! You need to stay out of this!" An snapped. "I don't need your help!"
"Yes, you do, An," Ail said. "Please trust me."
Then, Ail kissed her cheek, making her anger vanish instantly. An felt her heartbeat like a drum in her chest, now feeling happier. Ail then presented An with a hand of Cardian cards.
"Now, pick a Cardian worthy of this occasion," Ail said.
An did so and threw it upwards, stopping in midair as Ail readied his flute.
"Now, Cardian Utonberino! I summon you forth now!" commanded Ail as he began to play his flute.
As the sound of his flute, the card glowed as it transformed into the Cardian of An's choosing. She had hair that resembled a mop's head, one side colored red, and the other brown wore skimpy black clothes that resembled a kunoichi, had a fried shrimp for a shoulder guard, and a sushi roll on her arm for a band. She also wielded a single yellow chopstick for a weapon.
Utonberino then attacked Sailor Moon, swiping her chopstick with quick precision attempting to stab her. But Sailor Moon dodged the incoming attacks with a fearful cry, albeit barely, while An and Ail watched the show from afar.
While this was happening, Sailor Mercury managed to carry Makoto to safety from prying eyes.
"You alright, Mako?" asked Sailor Mercury. "You're not hurt too badly, are you?"
"Don't worry, I'm fine," reassured Makoto as she took out her transformation stick. "Besides, those guys are going to pay for ruining my lunch! It's time to teach those monsters a lesson they won't soon forget! JUPITER POWER MAKE UP!"
Transformation Sequence: Makoto
The symbol on Makoto's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of green as she holds up her transformation pen. Then, it begins to spin around as it shines its enveloping Makoto in green light. As she held up her pen while turning, long whips of lightning erupted from it, forming several rings around her body. They swirl around her like an atom. Then in a brilliant flash of light, her outfit is formed, having to look just like Sailor Moon's, but she is wearing green boots along with her pair of roses earrings, the center bow is pink, and the rims of her gloves green as is her skirt, her choker, and collar. After that, she finishes with her signature pose.
When Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mercury arrived, Sailor Moon was thrilled to see them.
"Am I glad to see you two!" she said gratefully.
"Don't worry! Now that I'm here, you can leave it to me!" Sailor Jupiter said, brimming with confidence.
"Utonberino! Get rid of those Sailor Guardians!" ordered Ail. "And do so quickly!"
Utonberino let out a roar acknowledging her right arm transformed into a cannon and then unleashed three individual ropes of seaweed wrap. Two of them bound Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury, but Sailor Jupiter quickly jumped back, dodging it as she prepared to unleash her attack.
"JUPITER SUPREME-"
But before she could, the seaweed rope bounced back and bound her, too, preventing her from using her attack. Ail and An were pleased.
"Excellent work, Utonberino!" praised Ail.
"Now, roll up Sailor Moon and her friend into a sushi ball!" laughed An.
Utonberino did so by firing another rope of seaweed wrap and wrapped it around Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury dozens of times until the two guardians were bound tightly in a giant ball of seaweed wrap. Next, the Cardian launched the trapped Sailors high into the air until they fell onto a fountain with only the water, making them levitate. Ail and An thought this was very funny and couldn't help but laugh.
"Now that's what I call entertainment!" cackled Ail.
"You could say they're having a ball!" giggled An.
Sailor Jupiter struggled against the seaweed, trying to break loose to help her friends, but she couldn't. "If only I could get my arms free!" she said as she continued to try to get free.
At that moment, Harusuke arrived on the scene, hearing the commotion. When he saw his friends were in trouble, he immediately took action.
"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"
Transformation sequence: Harusuke.
Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. Next, the symbol of the sun starts to shine on Harusuke's head as golden yellow and silver light envelop his body. First, the sun appears above him, shining its light upon him. Then, while Harusuke bathed in its light, a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. After that, the light shone on his legs, and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appeared on his legs with silver hexagon knee pads. Next, the light shone on his arms, and then golden gauntlets appeared on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him, and it crashes into his chest, making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers his head, exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Finally, Harusuke's eyes open, and he strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him.
"Hang on, you guys!" Solaris yelled as he ran up. "I'm here!"
Sailor Jupiter looked up, as did Ail, An, and Utonberino, and saw Solaris running towards them.
"Solaris! You're here!" Sailor Jupiter gasped gratefully.
"Don't worry; I'll get you out of there, Sailor Jupiter!" Solaris spoke. "Just let me take care of this jerk!"
"Utonberino! Don't let him free the Guardians!" ordered An. "Make him into a sushi roll too!"
Utonberino roared, and she shot towards Solaris going on the attack.
"Solaris! Be careful!" yelled Luna. "Don't let her wrap you in that seaweed!"
Solaris heard Luna's warning and dodged the seaweed leaping in a backflip and jumped into the air towards Utonberino, only to have the seaweed wrap bounce back and go back towards him.
"Behind you!" yelled Sailor Jupiter.
Solaris immediately moved his body to the right, and as the seaweed went past him, he grabbed the wrap as he fell to the ground dragging Utonberino with him. Then, with a mighty heave as he landed on his feet, Solaris using the seaweed, swung Utonberino downwards, slamming her to the ground, stunning her, much to Ail and An's disbelief.
The Guardian of the Sun, seeing his chance was about to free his friends, but then he saw something lying on the ground that caught his eye, which was Makoto's crushed lunch bag. As soon as he saw it, he went over to it and picked it up.
"This is Makoto's," he murmured with bewilderment. "It looks like someone stomped on it. Who could have done this?"
He then heard An, who laughed in a mocking tone. "I wouldn't pick that stuff up if I were you, Solaris," she spoke snootily. "The Earthling girl made that garbage. She claimed to be a good cook and knew about love, so I put her in her place by smashing that bag full of junk."
Solaris looked at Sailor Jupiter, who glared at An while looking hurt; then he looked at An glaring fiercely.
"So it was you?" he asked while clenching his fist. "You're the one who did this to Makoto's lunch?"
"Yes. And? What does it matter to you?" An went on in a condescending tone.
"It matters to me because what you did was unforgivable!" Solaris roared angrily. "Mako put her heart and soul into making that lunch, and you had to go and ruin it! When a girl makes lunch for someone, it's not only considered to be a sign of affection; it's also the fruit of her hard work and effort to make that person happy! And not only that, but Mako knows a lot more about love than a heartless, shallow hussy like you ever could!"
Sailor Jupiter was surprised but moved by Solaris's words. An, on the other hand, was now angry at Solaris, as was Ail.
"How dare you call her a hussy?!" Ail snarled. "We'll teach you to insult her!"
"Cardian Utonberino! Attack Solaris now!" An shrieked in anger. "Make him pay for sullying my name with his words!"
Utonberino got up from the ground and shot straight towards Solaris, who immediately took a stance while putting Mako's lunch bag aside. Utonberino slashed and stabbed using her chopstick, but Solaris dodged and avoided the incoming attacks while countering with some punches and kicks. Utonberino then fired another seaweed rope, but Solaris again dodged it while firing a binding technique of his own.
"SOLAR BINDING!"
He fired a beam of light that wrapped around the Cardian tightly, and then he turned his attention to Ail and An. He jumped up and punched his hands together, conjuring a ball of light in his hands, and prepared to fire.
"You two still feeling hungry?! Then why don't you eat this?!" Solaris yelled. "SUNSHINE METEOR!"
He launched the ball of light by punching it, only to have Ail and An simply raise their hands, unleashing a powerful blast of power. It not only dissipated the attack instantly, but their attack went on to blast Solaris blasting him straight back to the ground so hard making it crumble.
"Solaris!" cried Luna and Sailor Jupiter.
Solaris grunted in pain as he tried to get back up on his feet. "Okay... that one hurt," he winced.
"Now, Utonberino! Finish him off!" commanded An. "And make his death a swift one!"
Then, Utonberino broke free from Solaris' Solar Binding, jumped high, and divebombed straight towards Solaris, her chopstick poised.
"Solaris! Look out!" yelled Sailor Jupiter as she frantically struggled. "She's coming right for you!"
Solaris looked up, and two white roses shot out from out of nowhere just when it was too late. One whizzed by Utonberino's face causing her to shriek as she held her face in agony, and the other broke through the seaweed wrap that bound Sailor Jupiter setting her free. Sailor Jupiter looked up, and much to her delight, standing on top of a lamppost was the Moonlight Knight.
"Moonlight Knight! You're here!" Sailor Jupiter gasped. "Thanks for freeing me!"
"The light of the Moon shines upon all, even those who have lost sight of love," the Moonlight Knight said. He then looked at Sailor Jupiter, making a rose appear in his hand. "Love that makes one risk their own life for another is true love. Beautiful and courageous, it shines brightly."
He then pointed to Solaris with his rose, still struggling to get back up on his feet after taking the recent attack. Sailor Jupiter looked across to Solaris and Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury.
"Love and courage... I understand now!" Sailor Jupiter spoke, feeling determined. "I'm willing to put my life on the line for my cherished friends!"
Her body began to glow in a bright green light as she began summoning her power, her antenna extending from her tiara and her arms crossed.
"Jupiter, my guardian planet! Bring forth a storm!" Sailor Jupiter commanded. "Summon the clouds and bring down your mighty thunder! JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER DRAGON!"
Sailor Jupiter then unleashed a powerful lightning bolt, but unlike before, the lightning bolt took the shape of a dragon that roared while shooting towards Utonberino. The lightning dragon opened its jaws, swallowed her whole, and shocked her with volts, making her shriek with agony before falling to the ground in a smoking heap, severely weakened. Ail and An were shocked, as were Solaris and Luna.
"Unbelievable!" Solaris gasped. "Sailor Jupiter's unlocked a hidden power too!"
"How impudent!" An snapped as she prepared to attack.
However, a familiar voice shouted out.
"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM SHOWER!"
Ail immediately teleported An out of the way as Sailor Venus's shower of beams shot right past them.
"MARS FIRE SOUL!"
Sailor Mars' fireball burned straight through the seaweed entrapping Sailor Moon and Mercury. However, the two got mildly burned as they splashed down into the fountain.
"Mars... Next time could you give a warning?" Sailor Moon coughed. "And maybe a little less heat?"
"I saved you, didn't I? So quit your complaining," Sailor Mars said.
"Be thankful that there was some water for you to fall in," laughed Sailor Venus.
"Never mind that!" Sailor Jupiter cried. "Sailor Moon, hurry and finish her!"
Sailor Moon saw that Utonberino was getting back up on her feet and was still ready to fight, so she quickly got out of the fountain and wielded the Cutie Moon Rod.
"MOON PRINCESS HALATION!"
The Guardian of the Moon unleashed a powerful blast of sparkles and light. Having taken the full blow of the attack, Utonberino was cleansed and reverted into a card, and seeing that their Cardian was defeated, Ail and An immediately teleported away, fleeing.
"Excellent work, Guardians," Moonlight Knight praised. "Another job well done."
"Moonlight Knight, hold on a minute," Sailor Jupiter called out. "Who exactly are you? Please tell us!"
"One day, you will all find out the truth," the Arabian-clad warrior spoke. "All you need to know for now is that I'm a true ally to the Guardians. Until then, Adieu."
Sailor Jupiter and the other guardians watched as the Moonlight Knight disappeared into the treetops with a giant leap.
Jupiter couldn't help but be amazed. "He knows about the true meaning of love, and that says a lot about him," she said. "There's no way that guy could be Seijuuro."
"Of course, Seijuuro wasn't!" Sailor Moon spoke huffily. "That's what I've been saying!"
"I know. Moonlight Knight looks much more like that guy that broke my heart," Sailor Jupiter spoke dreamily. "The next time I see him, I'm going to make him a special lunch filled with delicious food and love!"
Everyone immediately face-faulted, not believing how lovesick their comrade was. Then Sailor Jupiter took notice of someone sitting by himself eating out of her lunch bag. Much to her surprise, it was Solaris.
"Man, this is so delicious!" Solaris moaned as he continued to eat. "Even when it's smashed."
"Solaris?! What the heck are you doing?!" Sailor Jupiter cried as she ran up to him.
Solaris then looked up as he swallowed. "What's it look like I'm doing? I'm eating," he spoke as he popped a mushed-up riceball in his mouth.
"I can see that, but why are you eating it?" Sailor Jupiter asked. "It's got stomped, and I doubt it's even eatable."
"Doesn't seem that way to me," Solaris spoke between chews. "And besides, no sense in letting food go to waste. Especially food that's filled with so much love in it."
While Solaris enjoyed his meal, Sailor Jupiter and the other Guardians could only stare.
Back at their apartment, Ail had made An a meal and presented a mishmash of foods and other things mixed onto one plate as a gesture of apologizing.
"Here you go, An!" Ail spoke proudly. "This is one of the ways Earthlings express their love to one another."
An was surprised but at the same time happy. "Aw, Ail! You did this for me?" she cooed while hugging him affectionately. "I'm so happy!" But then she was puzzled. "But... what exactly am I suppose to do with this?"
"Yeah... that's what I still don't understand," Ail said. "Earthlings have strange customs."
Meanwhile, Makoto had just returned to her apartment after having a hectic day. She had just stepped into her flat, shutting the door behind her, looking forward to getting a good night's rest when there was a knock on her balcony window. Feeling a bit startled, Makoto jumped, and she was immediately on guard.
"What was that?!" she wondered to herself. "An enemy of some kind?"
She quietly walked over to the window while taking out her transformation pen and grabbed the curtain ready to attack, but when she ripped the curtains away, she saw who it was. It was Harusuke.
"Harusuke?" she gasped as she opened the window. "What are you doing here? Or rather - how did you get up here?"
"Easy, I jumped up here as Solaris," Harusuke replied as he took out a particular lunch bag. "Sorry to bug you, but I came to give your bag back so that I wouldn't forget."
Makoto then took the bag into her hands, but she could feel a strange weight inside as she did. Feeling curious, she opened it, and inside was a bento box which made her pinks slightly pink.
"I wanted to give you that earlier today, but you were so busy trying to get Seijuuro's attention, I couldn't," Harusuke explained. "And before you ask, it wasn't because of anything... lovey-dovey. Instead, I was hoping you would critique my food and give me some pointers, so I can make better lunches and get Usagi off of your back."
Makoto stared at the bento and then looked up at Harusuke in silence.
"So... what do you say?" asked Harusuke. "You... mind being my food tutor?"
Makoto smiled. "Sure. I'd love to. It's the least I could do after what you did today," Makoto said. "But I'll eat it tomorrow and then give you some pointers during the lunch period, okay?"
Harusuke's face lit up as he smiled too. "Thank you very much, Mako!"
"That's my line, Harusuke," Makoto laughed.
Harusuke then turned around and transformed into Solaris as he prepared to take off. "I hope you enjoy the food, Mako," he said. "And make sure you return the box."
And with a giant leap, Solaris jumped off the balcony, a green-colored light going across his bracelet as he disappeared into the night.
Makoto watched him leave and couldn't help but watch as he went. "You know Harusuke; you may not be as cool as the Moonlight Knight," she thought. "But you're plenty cool in my book."