"Hey, Hotaru-chan! You're here again? Seems like you're trying to steal the show."
"Show? I'm just tagging along with you two though, Minako-chan."
"Good. Because I'm the movie star here, just so you know."
"If you wanna be a movie star you better learn how to stay awake."
"Ah, Yaten-kun… Quit nagging. You are far more handsome when you're spoiling me."
"Me spoiling you? That'll be the day. Let's go to your friend's restaurant if you want to be treated like a prima donna."
"Good idea. We might even walk into an old friend at Haru No Ike."
"Or we might walk into a new enemy. Hey, you jerk! If you try to wound a maiden's pure heart I'll restrain you!"
"See? I knew Hotaru-chan would try to steal the show."
"The puppet master becomes the puppet! There's always a bigger fish in the pond."
The air in the dressing room of Juuban Municipal High School Tennis Club Pink Pikas was warm and steamy when Hotaru sat down on a bench in between the rows of lockers to pull her white shirt over her head.
Hikari and Yuri were dressing themselves from the opposite row of lockers, seated on the benches lined up before them.
Other club members were either dressing themselves from the larger group of lockers on the other side of the aisle or were still in the showers.
Pulling on her school uniform shirt, Hikari noticed her tall friend humming along to Ai No Shojo's new ballad, Summertime Heartbeat, which played on the radio in the trainer's office down the hallway.
"You can hear Minako-chan's longing so poignantly when she sings she wants the boy in the song to hold her," The greenette said. "Makes you wonder if she has a secret boyfriend somewhere. Don't you think so, Hotaru-kun?"
"Hahaha!" The person who actually had a secret boyfriend nervously laughed. "I'm afraid if Minako had a boyfriend the tabloids would have pictures of them by now."
"Yeah," Yuri nodded in agreement, slipping her arms through the sleeves of her shirt "They have these spy cameras. And they'll stake out a celebrity's house and follow them around in disguise. It's really scary."
"Alright then," Hikari smiled, rolling her eyes at the girl with the long blonde ponytail. "Maybe not a boyfriend then. But Minako-chan might have a lost love somewhere?"
The girl with the large curly green ponytail gazed expectantly at her club kouhai, who sat tying the laces of her black running shoes.
"I honestly don't know about any of that, Hikari-senpai," Hotaru said without looking up. "We're friends, but I know Minako-chan and the others mainly through Chibi-Usa-chan. Before last year I didn't even see much of them, so I can't say I know much about their love lives."
"Sounds like Hikari-chan might be a tabloid journalist in disguise," Yuri teased. "You better shield Minako-chan from her, Hotaru-kun."
"I was only making some small talk, guys," Hikari sighed theatrically at the good-humored chuckle shared by Yuri and Hotaru. "You know I don't care about romance."
Her friends glanced at each other while sweatdropping.
"I'm nervous about the All-Japan regional preliminaries. That's all," Their captain continued while leaving her seat and closing her locker. "I want us to make it to the prefectural finals at the least. With you on board, I know we can do better, Hotaru-kun. Much better."
"You're sure putting a lot of pressure on my shoulders, Hikari-senpai" Hotaru grinned sheepishly. "I just hope I can keep up with you guys."
"Yes," Hikari smiled while rolling her eyes at Hotaru's usual self-deprecation. "And If things go well I asked Moritaka-sensei to get you into the Osaka Mayor's Cup. I can't wait to measure ourselves against Honjo High."
"Hang on, Hikari-chan," Hotaru rose in protest. "The Osaka Mayor's Cup? I told you I need my study time now I'm in High School. I only joined the Pink Pika's to have some fun."
"Alright… Hey everyone!" Hikari shouted at the girls getting dressed at the other side of the dressing room while pointing at her friend's right bicep.
Her friends and kouhai looked in the direction of the arguing duo.
"Does this coal mining excavator look like it belongs to someone who sees sports as a casual pastime?"
"Nope." "Not a chance. Haha!" "No way." "Is Hotaru-kun being a pain again?"
Concerned about her duties as a Sailor Senshi as much as about her time with Shingo and her actual study time, Hotaru nonetheless saw herself forced to concede to the facts.
"Oh fine. I'll compete in your Mayor's Cup and the All-Japan team and individual competitions. But that's it, Hikari-senpai! The rest of my time is my own."
"Oh good," A woman's voice came from the hallway beyond the dressing room. "You're still here."
Hotaru and Hikari turned to the woman with the short black ponytail who appeared there in a pink skirt and pink polo shirt.
"Hello, Moritaka-sensei," Hotaru greeted the club's trainer. "Is something wrong?"
"I wondered if you already left," Natsue Moritaka dryly explained. "Nagahasu-sensei came to my office just now to discuss something with you."
"That's strange," Hotaru reacted. "Why didn't she approach me after class? I'll go see her."
Swinging her schoolbag and sports bag over her shoulders Hotaru followed her trainer down the hallway, her thoughts turning towards food.
Shizuko Usui made her a delicious bento for lunch with seasoned chicken breast slices and crispy broccoli karaage with a lemon mayonnaise dip. For dinner, however, Hotaru planned to fetch something from a convenience store on her way to cram school as usual.
Licking her lips, she resolved to think of something else instead of yearning for the meal she had earlier.
The next moment what popped into Hotaru's mind with an eerie thrilling sensation was an alarming doubt about whether she shouldn't find an excuse to escape the meeting she was headed toward.
The black-bobbed young athlete remembered the first time she saw her present homeroom teacher about half a year ago and the strange smile with which Kaito Nagahasu regarded her in the school's sports hall that day.
Back then, Hotaru had the unnerving feeling that Kaito knew exactly who she was.
"Oh good. You came," The woman in question smiled when Hotaru exited the front door of the building that housed the Pink Pikas trainer's office, equipment stockroom, and dressing room.
"Sensei!" Hotaru bowed with a sheepish grin while recovering from her dark musings. "You wanted to talk to me?"
The black-bobbed tomboy expectantly regarded the slightly shorter woman with the large dark-purple braid.
It didn't seem to Hotaru like her teacher was about to scold her. Rather, the young woman in the blue shirt and black skirt seemed elated to see her.
"Yes," The girl's homeroom and English teacher nodded while closing her eyes for a moment. "I heard you asked a fellow student to tutor you in English, Tomoe-san?"
"Ah," Hotaru chuckled while rubbing the back of her neck. "Yes. I asked Rina-chan if she liked the idea. But she didn't think she would be much service to me as a tutor."
"I see," Kaito nodded. "Disappointing."
Hotaru nodded in agreement.
"I think we have both realized by now, Tomoe-san that you require help from someone who knows what they're doing. You mentioned that your goal is to become a medical doctor?"
"Yes, Sensei," Hotaru nodded. "I am fascinated by biology and I want to help people."
Kaito's lips curled into a smile.
"You are a noble person, Tomoe-san.
Strictly speaking, a thorough knowledge of the English language is not a prerequisite for medical studies. There are however international avenues of learning and employment you would close yourself off from if you do not train yourself to acquire a professional working proficiency of the English language.
You follow an English course at cram school, I assume?"
"I do," Hotaru grimaced with a shrug. "But I still have difficulties understanding many things. Even though Sensei tries to help me all he can, he has to divide his attention."
"As is to be expected, sadly," Kaito nodded. "I have been thinking about the matter lately and I may be able to tutor you if you are willing to accept my help.
"Really?!" Hotaru eagerly exclaimed. "Thank you Nagahasu-sensei. That is so kind of you."
"I take it you accept then," Kaito smiled. "The main hurdle would be to find a corresponding empty spot in our agendas. How much free time do you have between club activities and cram school?"
"I don't attend cram school on Wednesdays. But I already have Ami-chan tutoring me in organic chemistry at eight. I suppose…"
Hotaru grimaced as Shingo popped into her mind when she was about to sacrifice their allotted time together.
"On Tuesdays, I have an hour and a half between club and cram school," She reconsidered. "If we stop at seven I can get there in time if I run."
"Let's not put too much pressure on you," Kaito smiled. "I'll bring you to cram school in my car after our lesson. This way you can give the lesson your undivided attention instead of worrying whether you'll make it in time."
"Oh, but I wouldn't worry," Hotaru chuckled. "I can get there quite fast. My top speed is…"
"I believe you," Kaito laughed. "But I insist. I'll also provide a dinner for both of us, which will be included in the price for the lessons, so we can eat in comfort while I teach you."
"See you tomorrow, Hotaru-kun!" the two heard a couple of girls call out.
Hotaru smiled and waved at Yuri, Fubuki, and Miyumi who walked out of the club building behind her.
"See you tomorrow, everyone!" She heard Hikari call out when the greenette exited the building behind them and walked in the opposite direction.
"See you tomorrow, Senpai!" Hotaru greeted her friend.
"You attend different cram schools?" Kaito asked. "You don't mind that?"
"Can't be helped," Her tall student shrugged. "My cram school provides lessons with a bigger focus on biology and exact sciences. But I made friends there too."
"Good," Kaito smiled. "Not everyone is fortunate enough to be liked by others, and contrary to what others like to claim, such people are not to blame for their own misfortune. I'll let you know my price on Thursday after class. If you accept, we'll meet next Tuesday after club practice in your homeroom class. Have a nice evening."
"Thank you, Nagahasu-sensei," Hotaru smiled and waved as the woman turned and walked back to the main school building. "Enjoy your evening."
Looking up at the slowly setting sun, the Pinka Pika club member started traversing the schoolyard towards the corner of the huge H-shaped main building.
The panicked sensation from earlier was almost utterly forgotten as Hotaru mused on her luck in securing her homeroom teacher as an English tutor after she failed to get Rina's help.
'Nagahasu-sensei seems very kind,' Hotaru smiled to herself during her vigorous walk. 'She'll even provide dinner and drive me to cram school. But I hope she's not getting us anything fancier than a store-bought bento. I'll decline her offer to provide dinner if that's the case.'
"You are very heavy, you know that?!" The black-bobbed stoic suddenly heard from around the corner where the entrance to the school was situated.
"What?! Yaten-kun, you dummy. Don't you know girls are sensitive about their weight?"
"I don't care! And if you can complain so loud I think you can walk on your own feet."
"Hey, Yaten-kun! Minako-chan!" Hotaru called out to the pair as they came into view after clearing the corner.
The blackette saw a peevish Yaten turn his head to see who approached him. The boy carried both his and Minako's schoolbags over his left shoulder while he tried to support the latter as she hung over his right shoulder while plodding forward.
"Did something happen to Minako-chan?" His tall friend worriedly inquired at the sight.
"She asked me to help her study the lines for her upcoming movie after class," Yaten sullenly spoke while Hotaru came closer. "So instead of going home, I sat with her on the stairs to the roof and read the lines of the other characters to her. Can you believe she had the nerve to fall asleep on me?!"
"I didn't fall asleep on you," Minako muttered while hanging over the white-haired boy's shoulder with her eyelids lowered. "I'm resting on you now because you are so kind and knightly to carry me to cram school, Yaten-kun."
"And you think we'll get anywhere like this?" Her Kinmokuan friend retorted. "It'll take hours to get there like this."
"Don't worry, Yaten-kun," Hotaru smiled. "I'll take Minako-chan from here."
To her dismay, an exhausted Minako felt Hotaru take hold of her right arm and leg and lift the blonde over her shoulders in a fireman's carry.
"Ah… It was so nice to be princess-carried by cool Yaten-kun," She softly whined to the amusement of her grinning younger friend.
"As if I'd princess-carry you," A much relieved Yaten muttered while the trio continued their journey together.
Watching traffic go by while carrying Minako over her shoulders, Hotaru continued reflecting on her conversation with her homeroom teacher
Yaten - on his part - was quietly walking beside the blackette and occasionally checked on the gentle features of Minako's lovely sleeping face.
The Kinmokuan heard a sound escape his taller companion when Hotaru realized another instance of luck had befallen her, allowing the deepening of friendship with two of her fellow Senshi.
"Minako-chan seems completely exhausted, hey Yaten-kun? She must have worked hard at the recording studio and rehearsing her role for the movie."
"Phuh!" Hotaru's white-haired friend huffed dismissively. "When we were searching for Queen Kakyuu, Taiki, Seiya, and I had full days of class, rehearsals for the movie we starred in, and song rehearsals before going to cram school, just like her. We didn't sag in a heap like a bag of rice and beg people to carry us home like she's doing now."
"Not everyone is the same though," Hotaru retorted with some annoyance. "If Minako-chan has less stamina than you guys have that's not her fault. I don't mind helping her out if I can."
Yaten quietly glanced at the high school athlete and exhaled.
"If you say so," He proudly conceded. "She did her best while we rehearsed her role in any case and accepted constructive criticism. When she kept telling us last year that she wanted to become an idol we had our doubts, but she turned out a very professional entertainer."
"Say, Yaten-kun," The Kinmokuan unexpectedly heard his companion whisper conspiratorially. "Is Minako-chan really asleep?"
Yaten regarded the serious purple eyes of her friend. Then he quietly checked Minako's sleeping face.
He and Hotaru listened for the blonde's breathing but that was not to be with the sounds of traffic nearby.
"I think she is," The Kinmokuan in the black Juuban High uniform whispered.
"Emi-chan and Yuna-chan pester me with questions about Minako-chan's movie," Hotaru whispered while rolling her eyes. "Honestly, I think they're closer to her than I am at this point, but since you had to read the lines of the other characters, could you share something I can satisfy them with?"
"Something about the movie, huh?" Yaten repeated while staring at the tall strapping teen in the Juuban High sailor uniform.
"It doesn't have to be much," His companion smiled. "The name of the hero for instance."
'She's kind of cool,' The Sailor Starlight pondered as he observed Hotaru's shape against the red and orange light of the lowering sun and stared into the blackette's earnestly expecting eyes. 'Hard to believe she used to be so slight. Isn't she as tall as Seiya-kun now?'
"The name of the hero, huh?" The Kinmokuan muttered. "Maybe I can describe him so I don't technically share any information.
He's a kind young man. He's a little intense in his feelings, but not what you might call a passionate man.
Rather, he seems a little melancholy and romantic. But not in a gloomy way. It's more like he's a little clingy and proud."
"Oh?" Hotaru smiled while thinking of her boyfriend, Shingo. "I can imagine that. Sounds cute."
"Cute huh?" Yaten blushed slightly while looking ahead, thinking of himself. "Maybe I'm not forming my thoughts very well. He's got an artist's soul. He's very devoted to the woman he loves but also his art. That gets him into trouble…"
"Thanks, Yaten-kun," Hotaru interrupted the older boy. "Emi-chan and Yuna-chan will have to be content with that."
They had wandered onto the parking lot of a local convenience store.
Yaten saw Hotaru gently lower the unmoving Minako onto a bench near the entrance.
The Pink Pika club member took care to rest the body of her older friend against her school and sports bags while watching the blonde's face for signs of discomfort.
"I'm getting something to drink and a bento for dinner," Hotaru said as she straightened up against the red light of the setting spring sun. "I'll get Minako-chan something light to eat since she still has cram school to attend. Do you want something, Yaten-kun?"
"Could you get me an egg sandwich and a slice of cheesecake, please?" The Kinmokuan asked. "And a can of matcha iced tea. I'll give you money."
"I didn't know you had a sweet tooth, Yaten-kun?" Hotaru grinned while accepting the money.
"I don't generally," Her white-haired friend chuckled. "But I like cakes."
"Alright then. I'll be right back," Hotaru waved while entering the convenience store.
Quietly exhaling through his nose, Yaten lowered his and Minako's schoolbags onto the concrete floor of the small car park before sitting next to Minako.
The boy with the long white ponytail stared at the horizon with his sharp green eyes.
He figured Kinmoku was in the opposite direction at that moment, but it was out there somewhere.
It was bright and alive, cheering and struggling and people were happy and suffering.
But they were alive.
It felt so good to be here on Earth, knowing that.
Of course, there had been troubles. Yaten hoped their Queen was okay.
But the fears and pain were mostly in the past now.
They would start their so-called reunion tour in late spring. Then around the end of summer, they'd go home again.
A nervous grin appeared on Yaten's face.
They were lucky their studies on Earth had been accepted for advancing to their fourth year of Orientation School.
He and his brothers had to take supplementary lessons of course. That was to be expected.
Teenagers in Japan were taught so much useless culturally determined brain fill compared to the skills and vital knowledge Orientation School taught.
Next year he'd start medical training. It was so exciting…
"Hotaru-chan is so princely, isn't she?" Yaten heard to his left, prompting the young man to narrow his eyes and glance at Minako.
"But if the two of you thought I could sleep while being carried like a bag of rice, you're sorely mistaken."
Minako lazily glared at her white-haired friend while resting her cheek on Hotaru's schoolbag.
"I'm not apologizing for saying all that stuff about the hero of your movie. That's the risk you take when you show someone else confidential information."
"You're a fellow idol, Yaten-kun" Minako scolded the boy who stubbornly sat with folded arms. "I expected some solidarity from you."
"Oh please. You disclosed half the content of your movie's script to those friends of Hotaru-kun, the way you babble whenever they hang around you."
"What a lie," Minako huffed. "I do not."
"You sure do, Minako-chan," They heard Hotaru take Yaten's side behind them. "I don't want to be rude, but you seem a little addicted to the attention."
"Pfft. I don't have secrets among friends. That's all," Minako retorted to save face.
She watched Hotaru hand Yaten a wrapped egg sandwich, a can of iced tea, a small cardboard box, and a strip of paper with some money.
"I got this for you, Minako-chan," The blackette smiled while sitting to her left. "It's good you're up so you can eat. Although you still seem drowsy.
Do you eat enough vegetables? Maybe you need vitamin supplements. They might help if your weekly schedule is proving too much for your body to handle."
"Thank you, Hotaru-chan," Minako simpered upon accepting a bento box with wakame rice, a namasu salad of carrot and daikon, a few bite-size pieces of tamagoyaki, a small okra salad, and some pickled vegetables. "I'll keep your advice in mind."
With the sun finally setting, the trio ate their meals.
A few customers of the convenience store to their rear entered and left while the sky turned from copper to dark-gray and from dark-gray to black.
Yaten was pondering his medical studies on Kinmoku and Hotaru was looking forward to a date at the movies with Shingo, Chibi-Usa, and the latter's senpai in the art club who apparently invited herself.
"But you know," Minako drew their attention to her when they were halfway through their meal. "If I could get a boyfriend like you, Hotaru-chan, I'd never give him up."
"Oh? I'm not relevant anymore?" Yaten grinned.
"Thanks for the compliment, Minako-chan," Hotaru smiled before gulping from her bottle of water. "Ah…
I hope you find a boy like that. But aren't you dating that idol? The guy with the sunglasses?"
"How about you two?" Minako tactically ignored the question. "Isn't there some nice girl on Kinmoku pining for her Yaten-kun to return home?"
"I'll have to disappoint you," Yaten dryly replied. "I have no girlfriend and I'm not currently looking for romance."
"How boring," Minako pouted. "You're supposed to be an idol. Have some scandalous relationships already."
"I'm hanging out with you," Her white-haired friend deadpanned. "My relationships don't need to be more scandalous than that."
"Ha... ha. What about you, Hotaru-chan? Is there a boy in the tennis club whose sexy thighs make you feel all sweaty?"
Hotaru took a moment to consider the thighs of her friends in Juuban's Blue Badger tennis club.
"Sorry. Can't say that they do," The black-haired stoic replied.
"So the two of you are single too, huh?" Minako sighed in defeat.
Hotaru watched the blonde stare up at the moon in dismay.
"You know," Her friend finally said. "I've dated a lot of guys. A lot of guys. And it's not hard to find boys who want to go on a date with me. But it doesn't take much time for any of them to lose interest."
"Well…" Hotaru tried. "We're still young. Maybe most boys just aren't ready for a long-term relationship."
"I've started to get kind of sad thoughts sometimes… Usagi has her dream prince. But what about the rest of us? Why couldn't her mother have some handsome friends of Mamoru-kun's from the old Earth Kingdom reincarnate with us?"
"Hey Minako-chan," Hotaru said with a concerned look while rubbing the older girl's shoulder. "Are you okay? You got friends, remember?"
"Thanks, Hotaru-chan," Minako smiled. "I just get a little lonely sometimes.
I wish I could meet a kind person who passionately wants to be with me. Someone who can read my mind and respects the things I care about."
"Asking for a lot, are we?" Yaten reacted while closing his eyes and folding his arms.
"...Someone who would break the law so he could be with me."
"Isn't that one of your song lyrics?" Hotaru grimaced.
"What are you even saying?" Yaten calmly stated while Minako dried her tears with a handkerchief. "You haven't got time nor energy for a boyfriend. What are you going to do if you had one? Use him as a body pillow?"
"I guess you have a point," His friend smiled grudgingly. "But I'd still like someone to hold me when I'm in my dressing room after a show."
"Maybe you're simply feeling a little melancholy at moments like that because you're so tired, Minako-chan," Hotaru smiled.
"You don't need a boyfriend who can read your mind. You just need to remember you have friends who love you."
"H-hey!" The glamorous idol Ai No Shojo giggled when her strapping friend lifted the blonde on her lap and cuddled her.
"I know the pain of depression, Minako-chan," Hotaru whispered. "Remember we are here for you. Enjoy your life. Some day that person will find you."
'Haha. Thanks, you guys," Minako smiled while the younger girl hugged her cheek.
"I guess you're right: Why pine after one man who loves me passionately when I have two semi-men who love me dearly?"
"Semi-men?" Yaten frowned in affront.
"Time to pack up," Hotaru said, coldly depositing Minako onto the bench again before gathering their empty cans and boxes.
"I'd like to get to cram school early and chat with my friends."
Seven minutes later, the trio traversed a zebra crossing after passing a large playground/park to their right.
The streets were bathed in artificial light, aiding pedestrians during the evening commute.
"And that is how - not just the three of us every time we transform, but all of us about three to four times during our lifetimes - can switch gender," Yaten explained to a half-bored/half-enraptured audience.
"Amazing!" Hotaru exclaimed while Minako was plodding along, supported by her younger friend. "Kinmukoan biology is amazing."
"On average, we can switch from male to female or vice versa about four times from birth onwards," Her white-haired friend eruditely continued. "With three times being the absolute minimum on record. But many have been able to switch gender five times during their lifetime and some outliers even managed six times."
While Yaten walked in front and Hotaru supported Minako with her right arm, the girls passed by the 8-shaped windows in the side of their friend Makoto's part-time place of employment, Haru No Ike.
Absentmindedly plodding along, Minako accidentally bumped into a young woman a little taller than her who was wearing a pretty light-green dress with a short skirt and yellow sash and yellow high-heeled shoes on her feet.
"Oh!" The girl with the long high orange ponytail exclaimed. "I'm sorry. I was daydreaming. Are you hurt?"
Hotaru and Yaten stopped and turned while dazed Minako looked up at the young woman.
"Oh! Unazuki-chan!" The blonde exclaimed.
"Minako-chan!" Motoki's sister smiled gratefully.
"We haven't seen you in ages," Minako remembered with more energy than she had been capable of thus far. "How are you?"
"Well…" Unazuki's expression turned from a smile to a frown. "I haven't seen you guys at the Fruits Parlor Crown. Nor at the Game Center Crown."
"No…" Minaki sighed. "Life got busy."
"I know," Unazuki smiled somewhat. "You're a big star now."
"What with Motoki-kun studying with Reika in England now and us having a new place to hang out here in Haru No Ike since Makoto started working here, I guess we haven't been coming by a lot. Sorry."
The blonde shrugged and noticed the wry smile of her acquaintance.
"Hey, guys!" She called out to her companions. "Let me introduce you to an old friend of mine. This is Furuhata Unazuki-san.
This is Juuban High's tennis ace, Tomoe Hotaru-san."
"Hahaha! I'm hardly the club's ace," Hotaru sweatdropped. "Nice to meet you, Furuhata-san."
"And this handsome heartbreaker is - as you know - Yaten-kun of Three Lights fame."
"Nice to meet you both," Unazuki returned the bow of the two. "Wow. I'm in the company of stars."
"You sure are," Minako winked. "But can I ask if something's bothering you, Unazuki-chan? You seem out of sorts."
Unazuki couldn't return the blonde's gaze and stared at the flags of the walkway underneath her feet.
"Turns out starting university might not be the big adventure I thought it would be," She quietly confessed.
Hotaru and Minako observed the orangette with concern when she - visibly bothered - glanced up at them.
"If there's trouble in your life you can tell us, Unazuki-chan," Minako smiled encouragingly. "We may have lost touch but we always enjoyed your company and care about your wellbeing."
"Ah…" Her friend sighed. "Maybe I'm overreacting. I'm embarrassed."
"But you might feel better if you talk about it," Hotaru smiled.
Unazuki looked up into the confident gaze of the tall handsome teen and somehow felt courage radiating from the blackette into herself.
"Ever since Motoki left, but even earlier than that… Since it became clear that my friends at T.A. Girls' were aiming for different universities than I was upon starting our final year we started to hang out less," She finally shared. "I haven't seen them outside of class since Christmas.
Classes are hard at University and I'm not making any friends.
I'm afraid of telling Motoki how lonely I feel because he'd be worried, and when I tell our parents they just say I should take heart and trust things will improve."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Unazuki-chan," Minako reacted. "If any of us had known we'd have made more of an effort to keep in touch. But you don't mean to tell me you haven't got any friends?"
"There's a few people," Unazuki shrugged. "I get along with the rest of the staff at the Fruits Parlor Crown and the Game Center Crown. But we don't hang out.
I have about two friends left from my high school days and one guy is taking an interest in me at my faculty.
I don't know if he wants something from me besides friendship. I'd rather he not at this point, honestly."
"That's not much," Yaten interjected behind Hotaru and Minako. "But it's hopeful if you are finally making a friend at university. And you still have a few friends from before."
To his surprise, the white-haired Kinmokuan saw Unazuki's expression turn sadder than before.
"That's another problem," Unazuki bitterly sighed. "A middle school classmate of my brother's whom I befriended but my brother lost contact with since high school is meeting me here in a few minutes to have dinner at Haru No Ike.
We used to get along well, although he made me feel like this occasionally in the past.
But lately, it feels like whenever we meet - even though we might joke and laugh - he's been throwing in several nasty remarks about me. I don't understand why he's acting that way."
Hotaru frowned while Unazuki looked around since her friend could arrive any minute.
"Sounds strange," The blackette observed. "Can you give an example?"
"For instance, Botan-kun might complain about his own part-time job to me and I'd sympathize with him.
But whenever I complain about some customer or something that went wrong at work, he rolls his eyes and acts like I'm being ridiculous.
He's been telling me lately that I'm paranoid and imagine people are mean to me when they actually aren't. Like when a man on the train started bullying me because I accidentally brushed his leather coat with my shoes."
"It's ideal for a stalker or another abusive person if he can make his victim or common friends think his toxic treatment is just their victim's imagination," Hotaru considered while getting a bit worked up about the thought of Unazuki being taken advantage of in that way.
"I don't know what to do. I'm afraid of losing his friendship. But it is really starting to seem like he doesn't actually like me and enjoys making me feel more miserable than I already am."
"Here's an idea," Minako heard Yaten announce. "We have some time before cram school starts. How about we wait for your friend to arrive and after you find a table we'll enter the restaurant and take a table near you so we can eavesdrop on your conversation? We'll meet up afterward and share our conclusions."
"Good plan," Hotaru nodded firmly.
"That… If you would do that for me, I'll be very grateful," Unazuki smiled, taking heart from the trio's support.
A few minutes later, Minako and Yaten found Hotaru sitting at a table on one side of a pillar near the small bridge over the indoor pond around which the restaurant's name and theme were centered.
Like all the wooden pillars that supported the ceiling of the wide restaurant, the one behind Hotaru's back and the area of the ceiling above it were exquisitely painted to resemble a blossoming cherry tree.
"They're behind me," Hotaru whispered when the two idols took their seats.
"It was a good plan to have you enter before us and them," Yaten whispered. "You're tall enough to stand out so we and Furuhata-san could find you.
This way she could try and get a table near you and if she couldn't for whatever reason, we could still try to get a table near her and ask you to join us "
"Let's be quiet now and try to hear what they're saying," Minako concluded, to which Hotaru nodded while sipping her glass of matcha tea.
The young man Unazuki shared a table with was of average height, lean, and muscular.
Botan Aburaya had a thin mustache, short and wavy dark-brown hair, and sideburns.
The boy in the blue checkered shirt and black trousers wasn't much of an athlete but regularly maintained his physique in the gym.
Botan wasn't exactly handsome, but his somewhat comical and at the same time manly facial features made him seem an unassuming buddy to young men and a dependable jokester to young women.
After his one-year relationship with his latest girlfriend ended two months ago a few girls in school quickly made their intentions to replace her clear to him.
"I'm sorry it took so long to meet up with you'" Botan smiled while opening the menu on the table. "I've been busy with my friends and family so I realized too late I was neglecting my responsibility with you."
Something felt wrong to Unazuki. He used such terms before. As if instead of being her friend, he was her caretaker.
"That's alright," she timidly replied while her companion surveyed the list of drinks. "I know you're busy."
"And we talked on the phone," Botan recalled. "This cod seems appetizing."
Unazuki pursed her lips. Botan always cut the usually two-minute phone calls short because he claimed it felt impersonal and unsociable to converse without being face to face. But she nodded her agreement.
"I know what I'll have," Her friend said upon closing the menu. "So… What's been going on in your life?"
"I… erm…" Unazuki nervously muttered while hurriedly choosing a dish.
Botan smiled. He enjoyed this sort of control.
"I'm sorry," He apologized. "I know you like to take your time reading the menu when we eat out."
"It's just professional interest," Unazuki chuckled - as always, not immediately seeing any harm in his words while her brain as if on instinct made up some kind of excuse.
"Sounds innocent enough," Minako said in a low voice while Hotaru drank her iced tea with an ominous scowl.
"I don't know about that," Yaten pondered. "He said something strange at first."
"Welcome to Haru No Ike, Okyaku-sama," A waitress with bright vermillion hair done up in a bun addressed the trio. "Where it is springtime all year round. You have chosen a wonderful spot near our pond to enjoy your evening hanami. Can I take your orders, please?"
"Yes. She'll have a caffé lungo," Yaten said. "And I'll have a matcha green tea."
"I'll have another iced tea," Hotaru added.
"Thank you, Okyaku-sama," Martha Schwerdtlein smiled. "I'll be back soon with your orders. Please enjoy your stay."
"This waitress looks European?" Yaten voiced what he thought he had learned about Earth's hominid races.
"Moreau-san is a new waitress whom Ebihara-san got a work permit on the recommendation and request of a friend and ex-colleague from Paris," Minako explained. "Mako-chan says her name is Moreau Marthé-san. It seems she's a very talented singer."
"... and then he suggested as a joke that I get a dog," Unazuki enthusiastically narrated a conversation between her and the boy in her faculty who befriended her.
"I laughed. But I was reminded of that person who let her dog pee against my bicycle."
"Ah yes," Her friend haughtily sighed with a roll of his eyes. "That again."
Unazuki instantly felt and looked small.
Botan found it so amusing how the orangette could naively talk without expecting any harm, but if he said the right thing in the right tone it seemed like turning her on mute for an instant.
That combination of naivety and sensitivity was a wonder to the young man.
Far from having any romantic interest in Unazuki, nor she in him, he found it amazingly diverting to play with her emotions and control her reactions like a doll.
"Welcome to Haru No Ike, Okyaku-sama," Martha Schwerdtlein greeted the young man and his victim at their table. "Where it is springtime all year round. Can I take your order, please?"
"Ah, yes," Botan smiled pleasantly. "I'll have the black cod with miso and a lemon chuhai."
"I'll have the oven-roasted salmon," Unazuki hurriedly chose a dish. "And a melon soda."
"Thank you. I'll return with your drinks shortly," Martha bowed before adding with a particular smile: "Please enjoy your stay."
The woman in the white shirt and the black skirt and apron didn't see any other new arrivals, so she walked toward the bar.
"It is a most detestable sin to take advantage of a person who looks to you for friendship," The German noblewoman muttered under her breath when she passed by the door to the restrooms. "Hilverding, I have ascertained your target. Take heed and know that I watch over your endeavor."
Unnoticed by Haru No Ike's clientele, Martha stealthily took a clay ball from the pouch in her apron and dropped it near the door.
Ten minutes later, after they had received their orders, Unazuki and Botan fell to reminiscing about their high school days.
"... And then, Hagamori-sensei punished me along with the three of them," The latter laughed. "I'm surprised you remember that.
Man… Hanamori-sensei sure had it in for Yasu-kun and me."
"He sure did," Unazuki laughed along. "I was shocked when we ran into him that one time. You were right. He does resemble Lupin III."
"Nownow, Unazuki-chan," Botan severely reprimanded his companion. "That's not something you should say about another person. We're not 16 anymore."
Unazuki blushed in mortification at the unexpected remark.
"I'm going to the toilet," Hotaru peevishly told her friends.
Minako saw the blackette get up and leave without saying anything more.
Still struggling with fatigue, she closed her eyes and let her head hang for a minute.
"This guy is some piece of work," Yaten sighed.
"Hey? Why did Hotaru-chan take her bags with her to the toilet?" Minako asked the Kinmokuan when the realization hit her.
"Here are the dishes you ordered, Okyaku-sama," Martha Schwerdtlein smiled while placing Unazuki's salmon before her.
"I noticed when you came to take our orders earlier," Botan amicably said as his cod was placed before him. "But you seem European. I hope you don't mind me asking. Are you perhaps French?"
"You guessed correctly, Okyaku-sama," Martha lied. "From the area of Alsace-Lorraine. I came to your beautiful country as part of an agreement made with a certain gentleman."
"France is such a beautiful country as well," Unazuki gushed. "There are so many beautiful buildings. I hope to visit sometime."
"I think you will enjoy your stay if you do. And the wine," Martha giggled, remembering an old fondness of hers. "Please enjoy your dinner."
Unazuki saw her companion split his chopsticks, wondering what her friends must think of what they heard so far.
She watched her mouthwatering salmon and picked up her own chopsticks.
Maybe they'd tell her there was nothing wrong with what Botan said to her. Perhaps she really was being paranoid, like he said.
Nevertheless, the things Botan said made her feel terrible. No matter if they were objectively ordinary remarks or not.
'Perhaps,' Unazuki reflected. 'I should try and find professional help. I feel so lonely and depressed anyway.
But that would be so scary. Going to a therapist? I wouldn't even know how to start.'
"That's a nice idea actually," She heard Botan say. "Visiting France. Perhaps we could try that to celebrate when we graduate from university. We always did have…"
Botan looked to his left upon noticing someone was standing by his table.
He looked up at a tall young woman with a black bob who wore a green skirt and beige jacket which seemed hastily pulled over other clothing.
The girl had two large bags swung over her shoulder and had a rather menacing stature.
But Botan felt like her unsettling glare would have sent chills down his spine had her physique been half as impressive.
"Ex… Excuse me," He stammered quietly. His voice sounded ridiculous to his ears. "Can I help you?"
Before he could react, the young woman's hand went for his scalp.
Botan cringed as his hair was wildly rubbed and yelped in his protest when he realized his assailant was smearing a wet substance in his hair.
"Hey!" The young man exclaimed in a weak high voice while Hotaru walked towards the restaurant's entrance as if nothing happened.
"She… I think she smeared some hand soap in your hair, Botan-kun," Unazuki timidly observed.
Only Minako and a man sitting a few tables behind Botan had seen what happened. So quick and stealthily had the attack been performed.
Botan put his hand to his hair and heaved an annoyed sigh when he saw his palm covered in foam.
"Nice…" Yaten sighed when Minako explained to him what happened. "Very classy, Hotaru-kun. So much for eavesdropping on them while going unnoticed."
"Well… I think we both felt like doing that by this time," His blonde friend yawned while crawling out of her seat. "Instead of pepping me up, all this coffee does is make me have to pee. I'll see you in a minute Yaten-chan. Don't worry: I won't follow Hotaru-chan's example."
Yaten coldly watched his fellow idol drag herself to the toilet before once more tuning his ear to the conversation behind him.
He didn't hear Botan nor Unazuki's voices anymore though.
Moving to Minako's seat and arching his neck, the boy with the long white ponytail noticed Unazuki was similarly left on her own.
"I guess that leaves me some time to relax then," He muttered. "I'll just look at the koi in the pond."
Folding his arms across his chest, the Kinmokuan gazed at the beautiful white, black, yellow, and orange fish swimming around in the oval 6 by 3 meters pond.
An eight-year-old girl stood with her mother at the edge on the other side of the pond and pointed at the small bridge over the water.
Wondering whether Hotaru had decided to go to her cram school and leave him in the restaurant with Minako, Yaten felt a little lonely and frustrated.
"The two of you better not leave me behind like this," He sulked under his breath.
While Minako walked into the restaurant's ladies' room, Botan stood before the mirror over one of three off-white porcelain sinks that serviced the gentlemen's restroom.
"What the hell was that crazy girl's deal anyway?" The young man cursed while trying to get his hair in a decent state employing water and copious amounts of paper towels.
Bending over, he once more splashed water from the faucet over his scalp, trying to rub out the foam.
"Oh well, I might be lucky she didn't do worse. You never know with those types."
The still unnerved young man turned off the faucet, drying his hair with the paper towels in his right hand, when the hairs on his back stood on edge in a sudden spell of otherworldly fear.
The boy in the blue checkered shirt and black trousers howled in terror when his reflection showed the figure of a faceless naked gray man standing behind him.
Hilverding made sure he didn't howl for long.
Sitting in her cubicle in the ladies' restroom, Venus was shaken out of her fatigue by the nearby scream.
"That sounds like trouble!" The blonde exclaimed.
In instinct, she started to pull up the skirt of her uniform, pulled it down again thinking it didn't matter, and finally pulled her skirt up and left the toilet seat.
The Venus symbol activated on the beautiful orange Venus Orb as Minako exclaimed her transformation command: "Venus Crystal Power, Make Up!"
Minako raised her Crystal Change Rod in her right hand, the Venus Orb attaching itself to the rod.
The orange Venus symbol then launched itself from the orb of the Crystal Change Rod and a ribbon of yellow stars streamed from the star on top.
The young woman twirled around her axis while the bright streamer morphed into a collection of stars that flashed around her as her long blonde hair streamed upward.
Standing with her feet daintily close together, Minako raised the Crystal Change Rod in her right hand while resting her left hand on her hip.
The collection of stars gathered around Minako's reclining body, forming her beautiful orange ballerinas and ankle straps, the two long yellow ribbons attached to the back of her skirt trailing around her from the large yellow bow on her lower back, her orange skirt, her long white gloves, her white leotard and the shiny yellow heart at the center of the blue bow over her breasts, her segmented white shoulder pads, her orange neckerchief, the red bow in her hair, and the golden tiara with the shiny yellow crystal on her forehead.
Super Sailor Venus spun around once more and opened her eyes as if waking up while her long blonde hair slowly lowered over her shoulders and back.
A shiny yellow wreath of roses appeared behind her as she struck a lovely pose with her right arm raised and her left arm gracefully resting in front of her thin waist.
Back in the restaurant, people screamed in panic when they saw the large figure of Hilverding exit the toilet area dressed in handsome carmine red trousers and a matching doublet with a red carmine cloth crown adorning the head which wore Botan's face.
Yaten ducked and hid below his table when long threads shot out from the creature's hands and ensnared a male customer with messy graying red hair in a pale-orange shirt and blue trousers and his fearfully yelping blonde date who was dressed in a short-skirted sleeveless light-brown dress sitting near the windows.
"Come closer, everyone! Let us watch the antics of Hilverding's puppets!" The monster exclaimed as a theatrical invitation. "Tonight these two playthings of mine will divert the customers of this beautiful establishment with their jittery movements and amusing expressions!"
Its two victims wailed helplessly as Hilverdig had them march towards the bridge over the indoor pond with great comical strides.
"It is the purpose of comical and strange marionettes to entertain the common people!" Hilverding joyfully declared while Unazuki and the other customers watched on in horror how the arms and legs of his two wailing victims flailed about according to the way he pulled the strings attached to them.
"Let me help you all forget the boredom and trials of your daily lives through the clownesque reactions I engender in these lone eccentric creatures!"
'For the love of our Queen!' Yaten despaired, crouching underneath his hiding place. 'I can't transform with all these people around. I'll have to try and make a dash for the toilets.'
"Ah…" Hilverding grinned gleefully when his gaze landed on Unazuki's fright-stricken green eyes.
"Here is a lonely eccentric puppet that already caused Hilverding lots of amusement in the past with her humiliated blushes and confused reactions," The creature grinned at the shocked girl with the high and long ponytail. "Let me show you all how entertaining her chaotic emotional life can be."
"Comedy should be entertaining to each and all!" A female voice exclaimed behind the surprised puppet master. "Not just to the merry masses!"
The carmine-clad giant turned to see Super Sailor Venus standing at the restroom door with her arms akimbo.
Hifumi Ebihara stood beside her, glaring with folded arms at the creature that caused such ruckus in his restaurant.
"Entertainment should not be created by exploiting the pain of the lonely! On the contrary, entertainment should lift the spirits of the suffering and heal their loneliness!
If you continue to pull the strings of those too insecure to sever the threads of your power, in the name of Venus, I will bring the divine punishment of love!" Venus warned while pointing her finger at her enemy.
"Good people of Minato-ku!" Hilverding joyfully exclaimed. "Let me entertain you with this new beautiful puppet of mine!"
Raising his right hand towards a fearfully wincing and recoiling Sailor Venus, Hiverding launched five threads at the Senshi with the red bow in her hair but frowned in dismay when they harmlessly fell to the floor after bumping into some sort of invisible wall.
Hifumi Ebihara moved aside when he saw a grim Super Sailor Saturn come to Venus's side.
Hilverding's two victims, released from his control thanks to the Senshi's Silence Wall bubble fleed the bridge over the pond behind the restrained monster.
"Those glowing digits on its forehead already counted down to 19," Saturn observed while Hilverding repeatedly launched more strings at the walls of his invisible prison. "Venus! You better deal with him fast!"
"Venus!"
The symbol of Venus appeared in the palm of Venus's hand, spawning a shower of sparkles.
The Senshi of Love and Beauty blew a kiss on the palm of her left hand in the shape of a shiny yellow heart.
Standing with her left leg forward and her right leg back, she pulled her left hand behind her head.
"Love and beauty shock!"
Extending her left arm to the side, Venus revealed a ring of bright yellow hearts that circled her until it merged into a single radiant heart.
Upon launching the attack toward Hilverding, however, she felt a dizzy spell overwhelm her and lost her balance.
"Hey!" Super Sailor Saturn exclaimed as she caught the blonde in her arms. "Keep it together, Venus!"
Due to her concern about her fellow Senshi's sudden collapse, Saturn's Silence Wall bubble dissolved.
"Thank you for your patronage, kind people!" Hilverding exclaimed upon seeing his chance to escape. "You were a wonderful audience, but I must leave you to bring joy to the citizens of another town!"
The clay creature released Botan and spouted its body into the pond behind him to the shock of the koi inside.
Venus's badly aimed attack ineffectually flashed itself out against the wall above the restaurant's streetside windows, resulting in a decorative heart-shaped discoloration.
"Dammit!" Yaten exclaimed while he rushed forward and grasped in the pond.
The white-haired idol frantically watched the liquified clay body of Hilverding enter the drainage system and disappear into Haru No Ike's plumbing.
Saturn deposited Venus in a chair near Unazuki and ran towards her Kinmokuan friend.
"It got away," The latter sighed in defeat when the black-bobbed Senshi kneeled beside him.
After Saturn and Venus managed to slip out and de-transform during the commotion following the attack, the three Juuban High students decided to keep Unazuki company at her table for the rest of the evening.
"I think you were brave to tell Aburaya-san you don't want to see him anymore and that your friendship is over," Yaten said in an attempt to comfort the orangette in the green dress before bringing a glass of kiwi lemonade to his lips.
"Yes," Unazuki sadly nodded. "I imagine he will try to talk himself back into my life though."
"I hope he won't take his frustration out on you because of what I did," Hotaru sighed with a sleeping Minako sitting to her left. "I apologize for any trouble my actions might cause you."
"On the contrary, Tomoe-san," Unazuki chuckled as the younger girl bowed her head.
"I was shocked when you attacked Botan-kun, but when he went to the toilet I felt such catharsis. As if you liberated me from his hold with that single action."
"It was very satisfying to see him sit stunned with shock while his hair was covered in foam," Hotaru laughed.
"He looked just like a clown," Unazuki joined in.
"But I hope you remember after today:" The black-bobbed stoic sitting opposite her said. "In exchange for parting with a bad friend today, you gained two good friends."
Unazuki turned to her right and saw Yaten nodding sagely.
"I don't ditch cram school for just any person," The Kinmokuan shared without an ounce of irony in his voice. "The three of us don't have free time to spare, but whenever you feel lonely I hope you won't have reservations about contacting us."
"Same here!" Hotaru smiled, pulling a pocketbook out of her school bag. "Let's exchange contact info right away, Unazuki-chan."
In contrast to the cheerful mood among the four girls, several hours later that evening, Martha Schwerdtlein after her working hours arrived in the apartment rented for her to deliver news of her failure to a person she invariable dreaded to contact.
Clothed in a white robe, the redhead carefully stepped onto the genkan and got onto her knees.
Breathing nervously, she slowly drew a summoning circle on the floor with a piece of chalk.
Stepping back, Martha muttered the same curse that had made her a possession of her present master so many years ago.
"If it is the will of God that I am forever to live in fear, either for the results of his bad temper when at home or for my possible destitution if he dies while soldiering, let the devil take him at once so that I at least have the hope of laying my fortune in the hands of a better man!"
At once, a column of gray mist rose from the circle in front of her.
Martha instinctively recoiled from the violent swirling fog and snow.
"To what do I owe this summoning, Hochwohlgeboren Frau Schwerdtlein?" A booming voice demanded.
With some apprehension, the Bavarian bowed her head and answered the question.
"Excuse me for bringing you bad news, Master," She submissively spoke. "But I'm afraid Hilverding failed in his task. Two Senshi arrived on the scene who thwarted him in his mission."
Carefully raising her eyes towards the tumultuous gray and white column, Martha noticed the slow reaction to her statement.
"Two, you say," The voice of her master dispassionately repeated. "Can you tell me who they were?"
"They appeared to be Sailor Venus and Sailor Saturn, I think. Though the latter seemed taller than you described."
"Good," The booming voice concluded. "Let us not count this early failure as defeat. Our plans are not so easily foiled."
Martha shuddered to hear the anticipatory pleasure in the voice of the creature she conversed with.
"Let our dear friend Doktor Faust provide you with another golem, sweet Martha. And persevere in your efforts."
"Yes Master," The vermillionette bowed.
"Frau Schwerdtlein?"
Naively, the doomed soul raised her head once more to the tempestuous column.
"I still remember the taste of your lips during those times when you kissed me so eagerly," Her master gleefully chuckled while to Martha's horror, a monstrous red tongue appeared inside the fog before the column disappeared.
With shuddering breath, the woman got to her knees and pulled a damp cloth from a bucket by her feet to wipe the summoning circle from the floor.
Then she hurried with the bucket to the bathroom, not even bothering to turn on the light, and emptied its contents in the toilet before flushing it.
"Do not worry," Martha spoke in turmoil while she washed and wrung the cloth under the faucet. "He does not seem to realize you are here. You shall trust my vow to protect you, as I will never again fail to help a friend."
Heaving a sigh of relief, she draped the cloth over the edge of her bucket and deposited both under the sink.
"As long as you stay here, you will be safe," Martha kindly smiled while turning towards the bath behind her. "And you have an easy means of escape in the improbable situation that any of the Senshi finds us here."
The child-sized clay homunculus sitting in the bath calmly watched her movements, its blue eyes shining in the faint light falling on him from the hallway, the features of his face slightly comical but manly, his hair a dark brown.
"Nay," Martha Schwerdtlein corrected herself while taking comfort from the presence of the silent creature. "Rather than a friend, I shall treat you like the child I never had."