On another day, the gang met up at the Hikawa Shrine as they always did. It was a warm and sunny day.
As usual, all of the others were already there, waiting for a certain ordango twin-tailed blonde to arrive along with her brother and future daughter. And before long, they soon came jogging up.
"Sorry we're late, guys!" apologized Usagi. "We got a bit held up."
"More like someone took her sweet time getting ready before we came here," said Luna flatly. "But I suppose we should be used to this by now."
"So, what's up?" asked Harusuke. "Anything special to report?"
"Actually, yes," said Minako. "Us girls were talking, and over the past few practice dates, you've pretty much got the idea of how a date is supposed to work."
"So, after some thinking, we've decided that we think you're ready for the next step," smiled Rei.
Harusuke was surprised. "That's great, but… I didn't even know there was a next step to this whole thing."
"Neither did I," agreed Chibiusa.
"Me either," said Usagi. "So, what did you guys have in mind? You're just going to go on more practice dates with him, right?"
"Yes, but unlike the last practice dates, there's going to be a bit of a challenge," Makoto said with a wink. "It's something that only Harusuke can do."
"What kind of challenge?" asked Harusuke.
"Well, if you recall, on the last few practice dates, we've planned them ourselves," said Ami. "This time, we would like for you to plan them."
"Me?" repeated Harusuke while pointing at himself.
"Yep," confirmed Minako. "When it comes to dates, either the guy or the girl can plan the date. But most of the time, the guy is usually the one who plans them. So, this time around, we'd like you to plan the next practice dates. It'll be a great opportunity for you to show us what you learned, help you learn how to plan some dates on your own, and boost your confidence."
"Is that so?" Harusuke hummed. "Well, that does seem to be quite the challenge, but I think I can handle it."
"And by the way, you can't ask Usagi or Chibiusa for any help either," Rei added.
"But why not?!" Usagi protested. "I can give him lots of dating advice!"
"Yeah! Me too!" pouted Chibiusa.
"Usagi, I hate to break it to you, but whenever you try to give someone dating advice, it always ends up in chaos in some form or some way," Minako pointed out.
"The same could be said for you, Minako," Artemis quipped.
"Besides, this will be a chance for your big bro to try and figure out some dates on his own," said Rei. "Otherwise, it wouldn't be much of a challenge for Harusuke, now would it?"
"And Chibiusa, you're still a bit young," added Ami. "While you're matured a bit for your age, you're still a bit inexperienced in certain aspects of love."
Both the ordango girls could only pout sulkily. But Harusuke gave them each a head pat.
"Don't worry about it, you two. I'll be fine," Harusuke soothed. "I mean, they aren't wrong with what they said. Or do you two don't have any faith in your uncle/brother?"
"Well, no. It's not like we don't," said Usagi. "But still… I was hoping to give you a list of all the dating hotspots in Juuban. "
"And I was going to give you a lot of love advice quotes I saw in Mama Ikuko's magazines," said Chibiusa.
"Hold on a second. You mean you actually read that stuff?!" Usagi blurted out. "I knew it!"
"Well, anyway, that's your assignment for the next part of your training, Harusuke," said Minako. "Anything goes; just don't make it too expensive or crazy. And you're free to do research wherever you please so long as it doesn't come from Usagi and Chibiusa."
"Roger that," said Harusuke. "I'll do my best."
After that, Usagi's group started for home.
As they walked, Harusuke was busy thinking of what he would do for whoever he planned to have another practice date with.
"Are you feeling a bit worried, Harusuke?" asked Luna.
"Well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't," replied Harusuke. "But at the same time, I feel a bit excited for some reason. I am looking forward to spending more time with them, but maybe it's also the thrill of the challenge."
"I still think that you should let us help you," said Usagi. "You know I never miss a chance to lend a hand when there's a dating emergency involved."
"And who said this is a dating emergency? Harusuke technically isn't even dating anyone in the first place," said Luna. "Besides, this is something Harusuke has to do, even though this is completely ridiculous. I don't understand why everyone seems so gung ho about this whole thing."
"You say that, Luna, but don't act like you're not interested in dating and love," Chibiusa said cheekily. "After all, we know that you're already planning out your wedding with Artemis by looking through some wedding magazines."
The black cat immediately went a bright shade of red in the face as she yowled. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about!"
Everyone could only look at Luna with some sly grins while she turned away with a huff.
"Well, getting back to me, I'll be all right," said Harusuke. "I just need to brainstorm some ideas for dates that are suitable for each person. I'm pretty sure I can think of something. Until then, what do you say we all go for some pork buns? We still got a bit of time to kill."
"Pork buns?!" exclaimed Usagi and Chibiusa, their eyes gleaming with hunger and excitement. "We'd love some!"
After a while, the Tsukino group soon came home after their trip to the shops. When they did, Harusuke went straight to his room and set to work brainstorming ideas for his practice dates.
First, he went through his closet, picking different yet suitable outfits. Then, he thought about the many places to go on a date that would be good for each girl and then wrote it down on a notepad. But as he did that, he then realized something which made him pause.
"What a second. Now that I think about it, who am I supposed to be taking on the next practice date?" Harusuke wondered aloud. "I don't think Minako or anyone else mentioned anything about who was supposed to be next."
He crossed his arms while tapping his chin.
"Did they forget or something? Or is this supposed to be another test for me to do?" he questioned to himself. "Well, I wouldn't put it past her if she didn't tell me deliberately if it was Minako, but it could also mean that she, along with the others, just forgot to tell me."
He hummed thoughtfully.
"Maybe I can use this as an opportunity to take the initiative. I'll just do what the girls did to pick their order. Only in my situation, I'll just do this."
He ripped off a blank page from his notebook and wrote down the names of his friends. Then, he looked around his room until his eyes fell upon a small cap inside of his closet.
"Ah! That'll work!"
Harusuke grabbed the cap and dropped the pieces of paper inside of it. He then closed his eyes, gave the four slips of paper inside a few quick tussles, and picked one at random. When he saw the name of the paper, he made his decision. He then went on to make his dating plan while picking his outfit to wear. It took a bit of time, but his plan was soon set, and he picked his outfit.
From there, Harusuke then made a call on the phone.
"Hey. So, I didn't hear anyone mention who I was supposed to take on a practice date next, so I went and made the decision myself and am choosing you. That is - if you don't mind. Just so we're clear, I went for the drawing from the hat strategy, and your name was picked. Yes. Yes, I have something in mind. How about we meet up over at the train station around next week? Great. I, uh, hope to see you there."
After he finished his call, Harusuke let out a sigh of relief.
"Well, that was a bit nerve-wracking. In any case, guess there's no turning back now. Gotta keep on trucking as they say."
Then, there was a knock on the door, and Chibiusa peered into the room.
"Hey, Uncle Sunny. Mommy Ikuko says dinner's ready."
"Oh, thank you, Chibusa. I'm coming," Harusuke replied.
Harusuke then followed Chibiusa downstairs and joined the rest of the family in the kitchen. They soon took their seats and enjoyed their meal.
After they ate, Harusuke helped clean the table with Usagi while Ikuko did the dishes, and Chibiusa fed Luna and Diana. As they did, Kenji came into the room.
"Hey, Harusuke. Mind if I talk to you for a second? I got something to show you."
"Sure thing, Dad," replied Harusuke. "Usagi, you think you can…"
"Don't worry. I got this," smiled Usagi.
Harusuke then went over to his father and followed him to the living room. "What's up, Dad?" he asked.
"So, I was out and about at work today, and I happened to see this earlier today," said Kenji. "Take a look."
He then handed Harusuke a paper flyer with a picture of a particular building and big, bold letters that read: "Juuban Annual Gem And Mineral Show At The Juuban Museum. Open To Public."
"A gem exhibit, huh?" murmured Harusuke.
"Well, I happened to notice that you were looking at a book about gemstones, and I thought that it would be something that you'd be interested in," explained Kenji. "I'm not sure if Usagi and Chibiusa would like this sort of thing, but maybe you can go with your friends. I think it'd be quite an interesting experience."
"Yeah. I think I'll look into it," said Harusuke. "Thanks, Dad."
Kenji then walked off, leaving Harusuke to skim over the flyer some more.
"You know… This actually might be a nice idea for the girls and me," Harusuke said thoughtfully. "It'll might be a great place to go for our practice dates. After all, we're still debating on our fusion names, and while we have the book Specter gave us, maybe seeing the minerals in person may give us some ideas. And technically, since this is coming from my old man, I ain't breaking the rules of the challenge, so this is legit."
He then started back to his room while absently looking at the flyer. But as he did, he couldn't help but start thinking.
"I wonder why I'm feeling so excited about this?" he thought. "Maybe it's because I'm getting used to going on these practice dates?"
Harusuke then recalled all the practice dates he went on, and in every single one of them, he had a lot of fun.
"I must admit, ever since I ended up getting tricked by Zoisite, the aspect of dating still gets me nervous, and it still does. But… I suppose I'm starting to get over it. And I owe it all to the girls."
He smiled to himself as he chuckled.
"Guess I'd better make due these practice dates as my way of saying thanks. Hopefully, I can make a good impression."
And with that, he went up to his room to get ready for bed.