"Everyone stay calm! We have one hour before the concert starts!"
"We are calm, Yaten-kun! Relax. Although I am a little nervous myself, performing live in front of our friends again."
"Hahaha! I don't get it. Why are you guys so nervous? We performed in front of them before. There's nothing special about it. I'd never feel nervous performing in front of anyone special to me."
"How cool you are, Seiya-kun. Yet, I wonder if you would remain so cool when we are back on Kinmoku and we are about to perform for Yuine-chan?"
"Ah…"
"Yes. Ah… Indeed."
"Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten reminisce with their fans in Tokyo's oldest public park! The stars burn bright tonight no matter the danger that lurks!"
Valentin was sitting on his expensive leather sofa with exactly 35 bottles of Asahi beer and four 75cl bottles of plum wine on the oak wood table before him.
The Bavarian was content he was so drunk.
Otherwise, things might have gotten more violent with what he was being told. Or more to the point: by whom he was being told.
"Do you understand what I just said?" Faust frowned at the younger man.
Valentin looked up into the blue eyes of the man he considered responsible for the damnation of his and his sister's souls.
'The foul blue eyes of ragged swarthy Heinrich Faust.
I still can't comprehend what my sister saw in this man, not even after hundreds of years.
Give him a couple of horns like the devil he is and Faust would perfectly resemble a yak.
Yes. That's exactly what he looks like. A big swarthy yak.'
"I don't know what you're grinning at, Valentin," Heinrich said in an annoyed tone while crossing his eyes. "Did you understand what I said?"
"Héhéhé. Yak. I mean yes. You want me to waste another golem."
"You're not wasting…"
"He won't survive this. They'll all be there. There'll be no escape."
"Then you'll just have to apply some pressure and turn on the heat.
Mephistopheles says this is a chance to hit them with lasting impact," Faust explained while crossing his arms.
Valentin rolled his eyes and opened another bottle of Asahi beer.
After drinking heavily from the bottle, the athletic man in the gray trousers and light-blue shirt heaved a sigh.
"I never fought for such an incompetent commander," He growled.
"I'm only giving you the orders I received from Mephistopheles," Heinrich protested.
'Like the evil Lackey you are,' Valentin thought, forgetting for a moment the memories of pillaging Magdeburg under orders, which was the entire reason for his drinking bout that day.
"We have the advantage right now. They don't know who we are. We should be picking them off one by one instead of trying to weaken them with this psychological warfare.
If we tick them off they'll come at us with a fury.
They have the numerical advantage, remember? If they get more powerful in the process of this campaign - as we know they did in the past - we won't be able to beat them if they come at us all at once."
"Mephistopheles said he'd join the fight if that happens," Faust said. "Besides… What are you afraid of? You're already damned."
"I'm only afraid of what he might do to us if we fail. Doesn't that scare you, Herr Faust?"
Valentin drunkenly stared into Heinrich's eyes.
"The only thing that truly scares me is the thought that your sister will always look at me with those cold eyes," Was the unflinching answer.
"Good," Valentin sissed in anger despite his earlier merriment. "Now leave Dickkopf on the table and get out. "
Faust lowered his gaze.
For centuries, he had kept quiet in the face of Valentin's hostility, feeling deeply guilty over the fate of brother and sister.
But ever since Mephistopheles brought them to 1990's Tokyo the scholar and wizard started to feel unfairly treated by Valentin's constant nasty behavior and Gretchen's harsh coldness.
Placing the golem he created on the corner of the table among the dozens of empty bottles, Heinrich Faust calmly walked towards the door.
With his hand on the door handle, the man in the dark-brown trousers and beige vest over a red shirt paused.
"I'm sorry if it angers you, Valentin. But that's how I feel."
Faust cringed in pain when an empty bottle of plum wine hit him against the side of the head.
"Your buddy tricked my sister into feeding my mother poison as medicine!
And that redheaded bitch let him do it because the two of you couldn't keep your underwear on long enough to realize what a fiend you were fraternizing with!
I don't give a shit about your feelings, Heinrich Faust! I just want you to go! I want you to go away so that Gretchen and I can forget you are responsible for all our misery!"
Heinrich instinctively caressed the sore spot on his head. As a condemned soul he couldn't be wounded, but he sure as hell felt physical and emotional pain.
"Don't forget that I saw exactly where, when, and why you made your wish, Valentin," The resentfully repentant University professor whispered. "I have my shame and pain, but so do you. You are no better than me."
A weeping Valentin leaned forward and threw bottle after bottle at his antagonist.
"Get out of my apartment, you vile reprobate!" He yelled. "I shouldn't have to be put together with you all the time for what I did! None of us should!"
Using his magic to send the bottles neatly back to the table, Faust opened the door and walked out before Valentin did worse.
"I can't apologize enough for my part in our downfall," He called out from the hallway. "But I can't undo it. Just play your part. It's our only way out."
To Valentin's relief, the door finally closed behind Heinrich after that appeal.
Perhaps he said too much. Faust was right, Valentin knew they had to work together if they finally wanted deliverance from damnation.
Christopher Wagner had said as much.
But Valentin didn't trust Mephistopheles to hold up his part of the bargain.
And he didn't trust Faust to not be so stupid as to let the monster dupe them all once more.
Sometimes Valentin wondered if there might not be a way, after all, for them to go behind the devil's back and seek help from the Sailor Senshi.
But those times always ended with him thinking that perhaps a man who raped four women and slaughtered their families while Magdeburg went up in flames "because everyone was doing it" didn't really deserve to get saved.
In contrast to this scene of discord and contrary to what might be expected, the next day found a certain group at Hikawa Shrine in perfect harmony.
After having had a study session together after school, Asuka and Rei sat reading mangas and books respectively in the latter's bedroom while Usagi, who arrived later, was talking on her new cellphone and Diana napped on a pillow for her use beside Rei's bed.
"Hi Yaten-kun. How are you guys doing?" Usagi cheerfully asked the male idol as he and his brothers prepared for their open-air concert in Shiba Park. "I hope you are not too stressed out?"
"What do you mean, stressed out? We're never stressed out. We're professionals: We rehearse until we feel confident enough to deliver an entertaining show."
Sitting at a table backstage, Yaten didn't see the amused chuckle shared by Seiya and Taiki as the two stood behind him.
"Right…" Usagi laughed. "I'm glad to hear you're not nervous then. "Won't you get hungry on stage though?"
"We just had a couple of hamburgers," Yaten said. "Since we can't eat dinner until after the concert, the three of us usually have a light snack before the final soundcheck."
"Yes. It's not like we'll be able to fill our bellies with delicious yakisoba and takoyaki from the stalls during the concert," Usagi heard Taiki call out over the phone.
"Héhéhé!" Usagi laughed. "I'll be sure to visit the stalls when we come to see you guys perform. I don't know which stalls I'll visit though."
"All of them, obviously," Seiya joked to Yaten and Taiki's amusement.
"You'll visit two stalls and be content," Rei said while looking up from her book. "Have some respect for your companions."
Usagi's eyes checked on the innocently reading Asuka, knowing her friend meant to say bodyguards instead of companions.
"You don't have to escort me on an outing, Rei-chan," The seventeen-year-old in the short red skirt and light-purple blouse quietly muttered. "I'm not a child."
"I disagree," Yaten dryly commented. "The enemy seems to be targeting people who are close to you girls in your private lives. It's highly suspicious. You shouldn't be alone for prolonged amounts of time."
"Hmm… Maybe you're right, Yaten-kun. But they're not likely to bother us in public I think. Besides… Everyone at the concert will be overcome with emotion over your beautiful lyrics and music."
"Thank you for the compliment," Usagi heard Taiki saying. "We sure hope so."
"Anyway: our break is over, Usagi-chan," Seiya said. "Time for sound checks. We'll do our best so that you and your friends will see a great show when you get here."
"Alright. Good luck everyone. That's all I wanted to say. I'm sure the three of you will shine in the night like the stars that you are."
Rei looked up from her book with a grin as she heard the beep from Usagi's phone disconnecting.
"So Yaten-kun was nervous?" The blackette in the blue trousers and pink shirt with blue accents asked.
"As always," Usagi giggled."It's like he thinks we don't know. He's always trying to hide it."
"Poor guy," Asuka spoke up. "I bet he does that to look cool in front of his brothers."
"No he doesn't," Rei confided to her classmate behind the back of her hand. "Yaten-kun is a little proud. That's all. He's cute like that."
"Hahahaha. You mean like Margaret-chan?" Her friend with the mild mental disability laughed a little too loud. "She always tries to play it cool."
"And like someone else we know," Rei joked while grinning at Usagi.
"We could say the same about you, Rei-chan," The irritated blonde suavely shot back. "You're always shopping in expensive boutiques with Minako-chan and Setsuna-chan when the truth is that you can't afford the prices."
"Is that right?" Rei said while narrowing her eyes at her friend. "You don't think Usagi's hairstyle is something she simply does on the fly every morning, do you, Asuka-chan?"
"It's not?" The brunette asked while the situation reminded her of the arguments her parents sometimes had. "I thought…"
"Don't you dare, Rei-chan," Usagi threatened. "That's my trademark secret."
"Hohohoho!" Rei mockingly laughed. "Maybe I shouldn't disclose how much money Usagi spends on the hairdresser every week to get her pigtails looking just right and how much time she spends every morning…"
"Now you've done it, you traitor!" Usagi yelled while leaping onto her friend.
Asuka watched in dull surprise how Rei grabbed Usagi's wrists when the blonde started to pinch her cheeks and wrestled her friend to the floor.
"Let me go! Rei-chan, that was completely uncalled for! How would you feel if I spilled your makeup secrets?!"
"I have no makeup secrets, Usagi," A flushed Rei chuckled while straddling and pinning down her friend. "I have naturally beautiful skin."
"See how proud she is, Asuka-chan?!" Usagi exclaimed while squirming in Rei's grip.
"Why don't you just apologize, Rei-chan?" Diana yawned. "You shouldn't provoke Usagi-chan like that. It's far too stimulating for you."
"I… I don't know what you're talking about," A suddenly pale Rei protested while getting off her friend.
"That's better," Usagi muttered while dusting herself off. "Now how about that apology?"
"I apologize for spilling your makeup secrets," Rei grudgingly said while sitting beside the blonde. "I got caught up in the moment and thought it was funny."
"Apology accepted," Usagi huffed while glancing at her black-haired friend.
'They're like little children!' Asuka thought to herself as she observed the scene 'So cute.'
"Now kiss and make up!" The girl in the yellow blouse and long orange skirt enthusiastically spoke.
"Ah no…" Rei grinned awkwardly while dismissively waving her hand. "Let's just leave it at that. "Unless Usagi wants…"
"Oy-oy," Diana sighed and rolled her eyes before giving herself a good stretch.
"You're acting kind of weird, Rei-chan," Usagi finally coldly dashed her friend's hopes. "Let's just forget about it and head to Shiba Park. It's time."
"Are you sure you won't come with us, Asuka-chan?" Rei asked her classmate while she and Usagi got up. "It'll be a fun concert close to home."
"No, sorry Rei-chan," Asuka shook her head with some embarrassment. "I'm afraid that nasty buzzing in my ear I get when I'm nervous would get worse if I went to a concert. I'd rather pass. I can watch the Three Lights on television when they perform in Okinawa at the end of the year."
"How sad!" Usagi whimpered. "Still… It's nice that you will be able to watch Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten on television."
"It won't be the same, but it'll be a special show so I'm looking forward to it."
"And why do you insist on coming to the concert with us even though cats hate loud noises?" Rei asked Diana while picking up the satchel the white catten had climbed into.
"Ugh…" Diana cringed. "If I didn't need to come along as part of my mission I would stay home and chill on your bed, I assure you that much."
"And I assure you that wouldn't have happened in a million years," Rei deadpanned.
Asuka and Usagi watched how their friend opened the door to her bedroom and lead the way into the hallway.
When the trio walked onto the shrine's courtyard they were met by the sight of Makoto and Minako talking to Yuuichirou and his girlfriend, Megumi Sakurada.
"There they are!" Makoto said while waving at Rei, Usagi, and Asuka."We were wondering what took you guys so long. "The concert starts in less than an hour."
At six o'clock in the afternoon, the sun wasn't planning on setting yet.
Hikawa Shrine was bathed in a warm bright glow and everyone was dressed accordingly.
While Megumi and Yuuichirou were dressed in their miko uniforms, Minako wore a beautiful black-and-white blouse and a matching skirt from Sparkles. Makoto on her part was dressed in a blue suspender skirt with a yellow T-shirt.
"I was just asking Mako-chan how she was getting used to life at Hikawa Shrine," Minako said.
"We get along fine, don't we, everyone?" Makoto smiled while looking at Rei and Yuuichirou.
"Sure," The latter said. "We have lots of fun over dinner. Dinner time is the best"
"Especially when we get our dinner from a chef in training," Rei grinned.
"I try to steal with my eyes," Megumi laughed. "But I doubt I could ever serve what Mako-chan prepares for us."
"You guys praise me too much. You especially, Megumi-chan," Makoto chuckled. "I have to practice my skills anyway, so I love to do it while paying you in kind for my stay."
"You are very earnest in the pursuit of your career, Mako-chan," Yuuichirou smiled. "I've noticed the books you read. They're not just recipe books or technical books. You read many books on the history of cooking too and a lot of magazines about what's trending in the restaurant business."
"You too, Yuuichirou-kun?" Makoto laughed while waving her hand. "That's just normal interest if you are devoted to a profession. I'm just lucky to have been discovered by Ebihara-sensei."
"You guys sure read lots of technical books full of heavy matter," Usagi sighed. "Rei-chan is the same. I just saw a book on her bed titled: "Pike and Shot: From Late Medieval to Early Modern Infantry Warfare."
"Never mind that. With this new threat emerging it's only right for me to read up on tactics. Tactics!" Rei said while touching the blonde's nose with her finger. "Maybe I should lend out the books I read to the rest of you."
"No thanks," Minako deadpanned. "Let's take a good look at my new car instead!"
"What?"
"You bought a car?"
"Huhuh. Yes, I did," The blonde in the black-and-white outfit nodded proudly. "A beautiful silver Toyota Corolla. Come and have a look."
"Yes let's do that," Makoto grinned. "I'd love to see your first ride."
"We'll join you some other time, girls," Megumi said. "Yuuichirou-kun and I have work to do."
"Yes. I'm afraid so," Yuuichirou smiled. "Congratulations, Minako-chan. And have fun at the concert, everyone."
Following Minako's lead, Rei, Usagi, Makoto, and Asuka quickly descended the shrine's stairs to street level.
From the top of the stairs, Usagi could see the shiny silver roof of the 1997 Toyota Corolla her friend purchased with the money she earned from her modeling and singing career.
Its shiny silver paint job impressed her even more as she approached the car.
"Wow!" Asuka exclaimed, jumping up and down as they stood before the vehicle. "You're rich, Minako-chan!"
"Héhé. This set me back quite a bit though. But I'm happy I got a nice ride that allows me to let my hair loose."
"That'll be a sight in a hardtop," Rei quipped.
"Wanna see?" Minako grinned while leaning against the blackette. "Let's go to the concert in style."
"It's a Toyota. Not a Rolls Royce."
"Is someone a little jealous?" Minako teased her friend.
"Not of all the requests you'll be getting to drive your friends around," Rei smiled. "But it's a beautiful car. It suits you."
"Yes. Let's have a drive around town," Usagi giggled. "I have my sunglasses ready."
Rei rolled her eyes at the hype the car generated among her companions, but she admittedly enjoyed the prospect of driving around in the late afternoon sun.
"Can you drop me off at home, Mina-chan?"
"Sure thing, Asuka-chan," Minako suavely winked at the excited brunette. "Just hop in."
After having sat down for a short yoga session backstage, the Three Lights dusted off their shiny red-and-white costumes and picked up their respective instruments. Time had flown during the soundcheck. It was almost time to start the concert.
"Alright!" Seiya exclaimed. "I'm feeling great. I'm confident and full of energy. This is going to be an amazing show. Do you guys feel it too?"
"Will you listen to this guy?" Taiki grinned at Yaten while the silver-haired Kinmokuan strapped his bass guitar around his slender shoulders. "Who was the one moaning during soundcheck that nothing was going right?"
"Seiya-kun."
"And who was the one fidgeting over the shade of red of our suits?"
"Seiya-kun."
"Yeah-yeah. I know," Seiya chuckled. "But I especially want tonight's show to be perfect. I want to perform at my best as a thank you to our friends, who stood by us and tried to help us when times were toughest."
"Yes," Taiki smiled. "Our friends who tried to help us even if we weren't ready to accept that help."
"Hey, you guys are making me cry over here," Yaten complained. "Stop that mushy stuff, Seiya-kun. Just strap on your guitar."
"Hahaha!" Seiya laughed while doing as he was told. "Come now, Yaten-kun. Surely you feel the same?"
"I'm mainly looking forward to performing in front of our friends and family at home," Yaten said with a fond look in his eyes. "I think our first-ever show on Kinmoku is going to be magical. But I agree there is a strange atmosphere in the air tonight too."
The Three Lights listened to the hubbub coming from the thousands of people gathered on the other side of the curtain to hear them sing.
"Perhaps not especially a benevolent atmosphere," Taiki said with a foreboding look.
"Yes," Seiya nodded. "There's something or someone out there among the crowd.
I don't know how I can tell, but there is a strange atmosphere. Exactly as you said Yaten-kun."
Taiki watched the nervous looks of his brothers. He shared their concern.
There seemed a definite possibility of the evening not becoming the carefree event their friends had hoped for.
But he had no intention of going along with that possibility.
With nimble fingers, the red-haired Kinmokuan played a playful eighth-note melody on his keyboard.
The people in Shiba Park started to cheer and his brothers' ominous thoughts were instantly dispelled.
Taiki waited until the volume of the cheers faded and saw Yaten and Seiya grin and nod.
"If there is danger out there, our friends will handle it!" The young man smiled his ivory-white teeth bare. "Tonight it is our job to entertain them while they do, instead of helping them fight evil!"
"Right!" Seiya agreed. "For Usagi-Chan, Mamoru-kun, Haruka-kun, and Rei-chan!"
"For Hotaru-kun, Ami-Chan, and Minako-chan!" Yaten followed his example.
"For Mako-chan, Chibi-Usa-chan, Setsuna-chan, and Michiru-chan!" Taiki exclaimed.
As Seiya raised his hand, the curtain obscuring him and the rest of the band from view was pulled up to the beam about a dozen meters above him.
"Search for your love…!
Search for your love…!"
The crowd went wild as the Three Lights confidently opened with possibly their greatest hit.
"You'd always shine so bright, just like a little star!
I felt my heart ignite every time you smile!"
"That's interesting," Michiru said while moving her hips to the rhythm. "They must think highly of the songs on their new album."
"What's that?!" Haruka asked.
"I said: They must have a high opinion of their new songs to think they can afford to open with their biggest hit!"
Haruka nearly had to ask again what her lover was saying.
It was almost impossible to hear the greenette over the thousands of people singing along to the refrain of To A Shooting Star.
"Search for your love! I call up to the heavens!
Search for your love! To take away your sadness!"
Tokyo Tower - its lights shining in the early dusk - stood tall and proud behind their concert stage, while the Three Lights gave their all to entertain the people gathered among the cherry trees in Shiba Park.
While many people were standing up, most were sitting on the grass in groups.
Others were walking around, searching for friends or visiting the stalls where food and drinks were dispensed.
Haruka, Michiru, and Mamoru stood watching the concert with a few other people. The rest of the group was sitting and having a drink and a chat with the person next to them.
"Your scent remains! Oh, it still lingers!" Usagi sang while Rei tried to stare without being noticed at the cute way the blonde bobbed her head from side to side as she sang.
"To think Princess Kakyuu will hear this song performed on Kinmoku someday!" Makoto told Minako.
"I bet she'll be overjoyed! " The blonde smiled.
"Actually, "Chasing Comets" has been overtaking "To A Shooting Star" in popularity since the tour started!" Mamoru told Michiru. "But the songs from their new album are doing great too! I hear "Goodbye, Our Friends" is highly popular!"
"Say, why did you join us here, Setsuna-chan?!" The man in the blue jeans and red short-sleeved shirt heard Hotaru ask her housemate. "Music bores you and you said you'd enjoy having the house to yourself!"
Sitting among the blackette and her high-school friends, Setsuna looked away when she found Mamoru looking at her.
"I just thought it would be a waste not to share the fun of this concert with the rest of you!" The greenette in the stylish light-gray short skirt and shirt with a black jacket partially lied. "I don't care about music, but I enjoy hanging out with friends!"
"That's as good a reason for coming along as any, Setsuna-chan!" Yuna cheerfully patted the older girl on the shoulder. "Don't let Hotaru-kun's interrogation get to you! You'd think she's a police inspector who works for the Metropolitan Police Department on a police investigation to hear her talk!"
While Hotaru, Chibi-Usa, Carolina, Shingo, Emi, and the others laughed at the lame joke, Mamoru's mind started to torture him by wondering whether Setsuna decided to join the group so she could be close to him and consequently thought he was being ridiculously vain for believing such a thing.
"Do you remember when we crushed on them, girls?!" Makoto asked Minako and Ami.
"Erm… No. Can't say I do!" Ami said.
Her two friends gave her a knowing look while the last verses of "To A Shooting Star" were sung by their Kinmokuan friends.
"Tell me, where are you right now? (Moonlight Princess)
My beloved Princess.
Just answer me (Answer for me)"
"Hey, Minako-chan?! Usagi asked her friend. "Can you come along for a minute?! I'd like to get some takoyaki!"
"Takoyaki huh?!" Minako echoed. "Okay, I'll go! You want some, Mako-chan?!"
"No! I'm good! Can't be bothered with inferior products after having tasted Ebihara-sensei's takoyaki!"
"Careful, Mako-chan!" Chibi-Usa laughed. "You're turning into a snob!"
"Oh! Can you bring me a portion of takoyaki so I can feed Chibi-Usa-chan?!" Carolina said while getting up. "Here's money!"
"Don't think you're off the hook because of that slight interruption!" A cringing Ami heard a gleefully Rei say to her right.
"That's right!" Makoto grinned. "What was that talk about not remembering us crushing on the Three Lights?!"
"Did a certain someone not own a gold fan club membership card?!" Rei playfully pondered with her pointer finger on her lips.
"Is it possible that you feel too good to reminisce about our disappointments in love with your friends now that you have a boyfriend?!" Makoto teased while leaning closer with crossed arms. "Well… Even if he couldn't make it to the concert."
"Héhéhé," Ami simpered. "I was never seriously crushing on them though! You gotta believe me! Rei-chan?! Mako-chan?!"
"Rather than deploring Ryo couldn't be here tonight, Ami-chan will end up feeling relieved," Diana moaned. "What with the roasting you girls are putting her through."
The music was still loud for her, even with the wax earplugs she was wearing.
But the earplugs also allowed the white feline teenager to listen in on any conversation Rei was part of.
"I want to thank all of our loyal fans in Tokyo for showing up here at this beautiful location!" Seiya said through the microphone.
A great cacophony of cheering noises greeted his words.
"I know lots of our fans who would have liked to be here couldn't come for various reasons! I am happy we will still reach your hearts through our concert in Okinawa, which will be televised and…!"
Everyone in the crowd held their breath as Seiya nodded to Taiki, who continued the speech.
"... Which will be recorded on DVD so you can all watch the concert whenever you want and share fond memories with your friends!"
Another series of loud cheers made clear how happy the fans of the Three Lights were with this revelation.
"The Okinawa concert will be a special performance to commemorate us having disbanded the group 2 years ago by then!"
"As you know, we had been looking for a dear friend of ours when we started the group and were not in good shape emotionally at the start of our career!" Yate continued. "But we were happily reunited at the end of our career through the help of our special fans!"
"That is why…!" Seiya continued. "We dedicated this next song to our fans who throughout our career showed us a never-ending devotion! Our loving, wise, passionate, strong, beautiful fans! This is for you!"
Upon returning to their group, Usagi and Minako nearly bumped Carolina's takoyaki against the younger girl's clapping hands, since the Portuguese was cheering with the rest of the crowd at the opening melody of "Goodbye, Our Friends."
"You opened your hearts from the start,
When we first met!
Hearing our cries and our sighs,
Though we stayed cool!"
Minako and Chibi-Usa sang along like so many others in the crowd while Rei got up and joined Haruka and Michiru to get a better look at her Kinmokuan friends.
"Watch out, Rei-chan!" Makoto exclaimed while her friend moved to the left. "You're about to…!"
"Ow! I'm sorry!" Rei said as she bumped into a woman with long red hair.
"I apologize for my clumsiness. Are you hurt?!"
"Sister Angela!" Rei exclaimed upon recognizing her teacher.
"Oh?! It's you, Hino-san?!"
"Goodbye, our friends! Goodbye, our friends!
Your warm embraces will be missed!
We'll always carry you in our hearts!" Yaten sang with great joy.
"And one of us wanted to be…"
"Sister Angela!" Unazuki Furuhata yelled while trying to hide behind Makoto.
"You're not in high school anymore, Furuhata-san! You won't get called to the Principal's office because I saw you at a concert on a school evening!"
"Not this time at least," Unazuki peevishly muttered while revealing herself.
"Well well! Did you find a couple of your students, Sister Angela?!" A stout light-gray man in his late fifties asked while turning to Rei.
"Good evening, Pastor Hidaka!" Carolina greeted the minister of the Church of Saint Maria Magdalene.
"Oh! And here is a sheep from my own flock!" The pastor laughed.
"Mako-chan! Mako-chan!" Usagi sang. "Do you wanna come and get some Yakisoba with me?!"
"Yakisoba?! Sure! Why not?!" The brunette in the blue suspender skirt and yellow T-shirt shrugged.
"I'll come with you!" An uncomfortable-looking Unazuki called out and ran after her two friends.
"I didn't know priests and nuns visited pop music concerts on their time off!" Minako laughed at the man in the dark-blue trousers and gray shirt and the woman in the long red skirt and black blouse.
"Hahaha!" Pastor Ren Hidaka laughed. "Why would we not?! Don't you think the message of Jesus Christ is conveyed in the love and fellow-feeling of the songs the Three Lights sing?!"
"When the Three Lights came up in conversation with Pastor Hidaka, I mentioned the musical I directed!" Sister Angela explained. "Pastor Hidaka expressed his regret about being unable to purchase a ticket for the concert! So I shared the extra ticket I bought!"
"That is so like you!" Rei smiled at her teacher. "Isn't Sister Angela-sensei kind and selfless, Pastor Hidaka?!"
"She is very kind, Hino-san! I frequently have occasion to tell her so!" The man with the high forehead smiled.
"Oh, now you're both just complimenting me! Please go on!" Sister Angela giggled.
"Sister Angela also doesn't take no for an answer!"
"Oh! I know!" Rei nodded amusedly while her teacher rolled her eyes at the turn the conversation was taking.
"You can't believe how she nagged me to come to the concert with her!' Pastor Hidaka grinned as he moved his face closer to Rei's. "I felt I just had to give in or I wouldn't hear the end of it!"
"Oh? Well, she is very proud of the musical she directed starring the Three Lights when they had their breakthrough two years ago!" Rei smirked while talking conspiratorially with the elderly man.
Hotaru followed the conversation with interest while her friends Hikaru and Emi sang along to "Goodbye, Our Friends."
The black-bobbed tennis ace thought she was starting to understand how Rei's style of tough love worked.
Though she herself had been in somewhat of a foul mood since she got to the concert, even if she hadn't a clue as to the reason.
"That may be, but do you think it's an excellent performance or not, Pastor Hidaka?!" Sister Angela appealed to her friend with a frown.
"It's a great performance, Sister!" The Pastor smiled warmly. "I am forever indebted to you for your suggestion to come here!"
Carolina laughed out loud at how the priest stroked the ego of Seiya's number-one Catholic fan.
"This yakisoba is so good!" Unazuki gushed as she arrived back in the group with Usagi and Makoto.
"Meh. It's okay!" The latter shrugged while enjoying the noodles.
"Yakisoba is good! But I feel like having another portion of Takoyaki after dancing to "Don't Stop The Party!"
"I think you'll throw up if you dance after all you've eaten!" Chibi-Usa deadpanned.
"Be careful Usako!" Mamoru told his girlfriend. "Don't push yourself! If you feel sick, I'll take you to the restrooms!"
"Having more takoyaki would be such a waste, Usagi-chan!" Unazuki exclaimed while linking arms with the blonde. "You should try the okonomiyaki! They taste the same anyway, but you get a choice of toppings at the okonomiyaki stand!"
"Say, Rodrigues-san!" Pastor Hidaka asked Carolina. "Is your father happy with the Chinese woodcut print I sold him?!"
Chibi-Usa pricked her ears up when she heard the expensive hobby of her girlfriend's father mentioned.
"He is very happy, Pastor!" Carolina smiled. "Thank you very much! The print is still of very good quality!"
"What does the print depict?!" Chibi-Usa asked.
"It's an old illustration of three noblemen!" Pastor Hidaka said. "I found it among old family papers and thought Rodrigues-san's father would like it!"
"It's a Yuan Dynasty canvas print!" Carolina elaborated. "Father said it was a very lifelike design and well preserved! He was highly interested, with the woodcut design being such a high-quality portrait!"
"A Yuan dynasty canvas print?! Chibi-Usa whistled. "Your father must have paid a fortune for it!"
"I didn't give it away!" Pastor Hidaka laughed while the Three Lights started their next song. "But my asking price wasn't exorbitant!"
"Father can well afford it, Chibi-Usa-chan!" Carolina said while patting her girlfriend on the back. "Don't worry!"
"Have you visited the museum yet?!" Pastor Hidaka asked Chibi-Usa.
"No! I'm very curious!"
"I'll invite you over after finals! It's quite large! We'll need a good afternoon to see it all!"
"Rei-chan! Rei-chan!" An excited Usagi interrupted her friend's conversation with Sister Angela.
"What is it?!" Rei smirked. "You want me to come along on a visit to the okonomiyaki stall?!"
"You read my mind, Rei-chan!" Usagi grinned while putting her arm around the blackette's shoulder.
"Then we'll talk later, Hino-san!" Sister Angela said. "But I'll contact the newspaper club for the interview! Thank you for asking!"
"I look forward to reading the interview!" Rei smiled.
Sister Angela saw her student link arms with Usagi and smiled fondly.
"You are a true asset to T.A. Girls, Hino-san! Thank you for being such an amazing role model to our other girls!"
"Oh my!" Rei blushed. "I feel honored hearing this from you, Sensei!"
Usagi felt a warm glow inside at the words of praise for her friend.
But the sight of a proud Rei brought out her mischievous side.
While they started on their path towards the okonomiyaki stall the blonde grinned at her friend.
"Look at you, being all proud because you got praised by your favorite teacher, Rei-chan!"
"Of course, I feel happy getting praised by Sister Angela! You should know by now she's an admirable teacher with high standards!"
"So, what were the two of you talking about?!"
"I was asking her whether she would grant the newspaper club an interview about her career as a teacher!"
Usagi blinked her eyes at her friend.
"Why didn't they ask her for permission themselves?!" The blonde asked in confusion.
Rei grimaced embarrassedly.
"Well…!" She muttered. "It seems the members of our newspaper club are a bit shy!"
"What?! All of them?!"
"Every single one!" Rei sighed. "They go through five minutes of awkwardly mumbled words at the start of any interview or conversation! But once they get going they are good at coming up with questions that draw in their interviewee's attention."
"Good evening! I'll have a Kansai-style okonomiyaki with all the usual toppings!" Usagi told the blonde waitress with the short ponytail at the okonomiyaki stall.
"Clearly that's a talent I don't possess," Rei muttered.
The miko smiled fondly while seeing her friend excitedly hopping from foot to foot.
Meanwhile, her Kinmokuan friends from the Three Lights were setting the park alight with their fast-paced hip-hop song "Your Laughter Raises My Heartbeat" after the sun had finally set over Shiba Park.
"Giggle giggle, how you tickle with your voice so smooth!" Usagi tried to sing along.
"It's a riddle incredible to my irtritablell maint!"
"Hahaha!" Rei laughed. "Keep going, Usagi! "You'll get the hang of it.
"Oh?! Instead of laughing at my failure, could you do better, Rei-chan?!
"Fleeting through the bushes crushes, hiding in the wilderness!
Chuckle chuckle I hear as I walk around and search.
With your presence my sole compass in your tangled kingdom, Miss!"
Rei's confident delivery as she swung her hips to the beat and clapped her hands made Usagi feel excited and irritated at her friend's smugness in equal measure.
"That's great, Rei-chan! Hahaha!" She laughed. "You really do have a talent for music! Mina-Chan and Shingo both say so! It's surprising how you didn't take that talent any further!"
"Oh! Thank you!" The blonde reacted in surprise when she was handed her lavishly topped savory pancake on a folded cardboard plate.
"Thank you for your patronage, dear customer!" The girl at the stall bowed shortly when Usagi paid her. "Please enjoy your meal!"
"Me becoming an artist?!" Rei chuckled. "I'm over that! I'm with Kakyuu-chan: My voice will only be used to give pleasure to those I love! I won't use it to seek fame or fortune! Those I will achieve with my other talents! I have plenty of them after all!"
The duo walked among the several different groups of people sitting and standing around among the cherry trees, watching the concert of Three Lights, on their way back to their own group.
"Or maybe you want to dedicate your voice to your beloved?! Is there someone special in your life, Rei-chan?!" Usagi tried to ask suavely while feasting on her okonomiyaki. "Maybe Seiya-kun sent you heart thumping again?!"
Rei's mouth twitched into a grin. Then she sighed.
"You do realize you…!" She started before deciding it was best to leave the past in the past. "You do realize the lyrics of Your Laughter Raises My Heartbeat are about Seiya-kun's girlfriend, Iwaso Yuine-san?!"
For a moment, as Rei turned and looked her in the eyes, something in Usagi's mind wanted to tell Miko to fight for her love even if the one she loved was engaged to be married.
"You already finished that entire okonomiyaki?!" Rei asked with a lopsided grin.
"It was yummy!" Usagi shrugged. "But Unazuki was wrong! Just because an okonomiyaki has Otafuku sauce and mayonnaise on it doesn't make it the same as takoyaki!"
"No!" Rei laughed in genuine joy while slapping her hand to her forehead.
"So now I feel like having some takoyaki again!"
"Hahaha! hahaha! No! No!"
Usagi smiled as Rei advanced on her and put her hands on the shorter teen's shoulders.
"You should know when to stop, Usagi!" Rei calmly said. "Enough is enough! We are here to see the concert of our friends and you've been focused on food since we came here!"
"Phuh! What nonsense, Rei-chan! I've been listening to the music our friends are playing!"
"Yes, yes, yes! But let's just resist the call of the stomach, get some drinks, and get back to our friends!" Rei smiled while waving her pointer finger.
Feeling irritated by her friend's usual bossy behavior, Usagi joined her hands behind her back and leaned forward with a big grin.
"You're right, of course, Rei-chan!" The blonde smiled. "Let's get some drinks and join the group again!"
"That's better! Who's a good girl?! Usagi is a good girl, isn't she?!" Rei laughed while patting an annoyed Usagi on the head.
The miko turned towards a beverages stall and hailed one of the girls selling the refreshments.
"Can you get us four Coca-Colas?!" She exclaimed.
The girl with the long black ponytail was wearing a red T-shirt over a pair of white pants. She smiled and nodded before turning to the row of refrigerators behind her.
"Don't forget about us! Our love is strong!
Even under mortal danger, torn asunder by a cruel nature…!" Rei nodded her head from side to side while singing along with the Three Lights.
"True Love Conquers is amazing too, don't you think, Usagi?! The new album is pretty great!"
"Here are your drinks, Okyakusama!" The girl behind the counter said with a little bow while handing Rei her order.
"Here you go!" The miko said while ending the transaction by paying for the drinks.
"Huh?!" She addressed Usagi while turning around with the cans of cola in her arms. "Don't you think True Love…!"
It was then that Rei discovered Usagi had escaped both her attention and her surveillance.
"You wily mutt," The miko muttered in annoyance.