The following chapters take place around the same time as Super S!
This was an idea I've had on my mind for a while, so I hope you guys enjoy!
Harusuke woke up to the start of another day.
After going through his morning routine, he headed downstairs to make breakfast and greet his family. When he came down, he saw Ikuko cleaning the kitchen, Kenji tying his necktie to his suit, and Shingo lounging around. Luna was also sitting in the corner of the couch watching TV.
"Morning, everyone," greeted Harusuke.
"Good morning, Harusuke," said Ikuko cheerfully.
Harusuke then heard Kenji start complaining. "Gosh, dang it! Why can't I get this thing on?!"
Ikuko then went over to Kenji and helped him fix his tie.
"Thank you, honey!" he thanked gratefully. "What would I do without you?"
"Oh, come now, dear, you need more practice, is all," said Ikuko. "Although, I never get tired of you appreciating me."
Kenji then Ikuko a kiss before heading for the door. "I'll see you around, family," he said. "Have a good day!"
"You too, Dad!" Harusuke called back.
Kenji then left. Not too long before he left, Shingo got up.
"I going out, too," said Shingo. "I promised some friends I would hang out with them today, and I won't be home for a while."
"All right, Shingo," said Ikuko. "Make sure you stay out of trouble, and tell Mika I said hi."
Shingo's face went a bit pink. "W-Wait! Why bring up Mika?" he spoke flusteredly.
"Well, she's one of your closest friends, isn't she?" winked Ikuko. "And given your reaction, I wasn't too far off the mark."
Harusuke chuckled while Shingo went all the redder.
"Wh-whatever," said Shingo. "I'll see you later!"
He then promptly walked out the door with a huff.
Harusuke then went to the kitchen, put two slices of toast into the toaster, and spread some jam. "Looks like Shingo still has a small crush on that girl from the Kayamas," he thought. "I wonder if he still likes Ami, too? Although, there's nothing wrong with having multiple crushes. I can think of a few other people who can have them."
As he munched on his toast, he noticed that two people in their family hadn't shown themselves yet.
"Hey, Mom, do you know where Usagi and Chibiusa are?" he asked. "Are they still sleeping?"
"Last time I checked, they left earlier this morning," replied Ikuko. "They didn't say why they were going, but if I were to guess, they were probably heading for the Hikawa Shrine."
Harusuke then went over to Luna and Diana on the couch and spoke low enough for only them to hear.
"Say, Luna. Do you have any idea?" he whispered to her.
"They're meeting with the other girls at Fruit Parlor Crown," replied the black cat. "They said something about handling urgent business."
"Urgent business?" puzzled Harusuke.
"They also said to leave them be, and you couldn't be there," added Luna. "Something about their meeting being about girl talk."
Harusuke raised an eyebrow in suspicion but didn't think much. After all, despite being close with his sister, niece, and his other best friends, even he knew well enough that when it came to girl talk, it was something he should stay out of. However, that didn't make him all the more curious.
"I wonder what those girls could be up to this time?"
At Fruits Parlor Crown, Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako were all in a heated game of Rock, Paper, Scissors.
"Tie, go again!"
"Tie, go again!"
"Tie, go again!"
"Tie, go again!"
As they played, Usagi and Chibiusa could only watch on with exasperation.
You see, the four girls were debating on who would be the one to go on the following practice date with Harusuke. As per Minako's suggestion, the goal of going on them was to deepen the bonds between themselves to help Harusuke master his powers of Unison Fusion. In addition, this was also to help him get used to dates. But unfortunately, the four girls kept repeatedly tying simultaneously numerous times.
"Geez. It's insane how they keep tying multiple times," said Usagi. "But I don't know if I should be impressed or freaked out."
"Come on, you guys. You've been at this for almost fifteen minutes," complained Chibiusa. "Can't you all just decide already?"
"But none of us have won yet!" objected Rei.
"Yeah! I still got one more in me!" added Makoto.
"Girls, come on. You can't keep going like this," said Usagi. "Do you honestly play rock, paper, scissors for everything? And why are you even fighting about this anyway?"
"I want a redo of my practice date," said Minako. "In case you haven't noticed, it got interrupted, and I had my dreams violated by a bunch of clowns."
"But that still means you already had a turn," huffed Rei. "Let someone else get a chance this time."
"You're one to talk," interjected Makoto. "At least you've had the chance to go on dates."
"But I'd like to spend some time with Harusuke myself," said Ami. "After all, High School's coming up, and I would like to test his knowledge and see if he's up to date with his academics."
Everyone looked across at Ami, staring blankly, causing her to avert her eyes in embarrassment.
Chibiusa then got up. "All right. I think I know of a way to settle this once and for all," she said. "I'll be right back."
She left the table for a few seconds and returned with four straws. She then tore a fourth off one straw, a third from the second, one in half, and another fourth from the last.
"All right, here's how this is going work," the pink ordango said. "You're all going to draw straws. Whoever has the longest will be the next to take Uncle Sunny out on a practice date, and the order will be decided by shortest to longest. No complaints. No exceptions."
"Nice idea, Chibiusa," said Usagi. "That's my future daughter. Although, I can't help but get a sense of deja vu."
The girls all looked at one another and nodded in agreement.
"That's fair," said Rei. "I was getting a bit tired of tying repeatedly."
"Then, let's do this," said Makoto with a confident smirk.
"The probability of me getting the longest straw is twenty-five percent," said Ami importantly. "But I'm sure I can beat those odds."
"As the great goddess of Venus would say: give me victory or give me death!" Minako spoke with determined eyes.
Chibiusa mixed the straws while hiding the ends with her hands and presented them to the four girls. The four girls gazed grimly at the straws and then at each other, the tension growing palpable. Then, their hands each shot at the straws, each grasping one and giving it a sharp tug.
A bit later, Usagi and Chibiusa came home. The two of them were exhausted.
Harusuke was the first to greet them. "Hey there, you two. Welcome back," he said. "What's the matter with you two? You both look like you both got put through the wringer."
"You could say that," sighed Chibiusa. "We were trying to decide who your next practice date would be with."
Harusuke then remembered. "Oh yeah. Minako's idea from a while back. So, let me guess, the discussion turned into a game of rock, paper, scissors with several ties?"
Both Chibiusa and Usagi nodded.
"Luckily, thanks to Chibiusa, we've got the order picked out," smiled Usagi. "Take a look at this."
She then handed Harusuke a piece of paper. He then took it and gave it a quick read.
"So, am I to assume that this is the order of the who I'm going on practice dating with?" he asked.
"Yup. That's right," nodded Usagi.
"You know, I still think you're quite a lucky guy, Harusuke," said Chibiusa. "I mean, it's not every day where you get to date four different women even though they're just for practice. Although, I can't help but wonder if this two-timing. Or, in this case, four-timing."
"Who can say at this point?" shrugged Harusuke. "Either way, it's all for mastering my Unison Fusion powers, so we shouldn't try to think much of it. Plus, it's a chance for me to get to know everyone. And considering what's been happening lately, I could use the time to have fun and get to know everyone."
"So, what do you have in mind for your next practice date?" asked Usagi.
"To be honest, I'm not sure," said Harusuke. "Knowing the girls, they probably have some locations in mind, so I guess I'll wing it and go with the flow. Let's hope things don't end up like what happened with Minako."
He then started heading up the stairs.
"Until then, I better get myself ready. And by the way, Usagi and Chibiusa better not try and spy."
"Who? Us? We would never," she said innocently. "Right, Chibiusa?"
Chibiusa nodded in agreement.
Harusuke wasn't as convinced. "Just try to keep your love for romances in check, please," he sighed.
He then went upstairs.
Usagi smirked mischievously.
Chibiusa was quick to notice. "Usagi, what are you up to?" she questioned. "You know Uncle Sunny said not to spy."
"Chibiusa, my dear daughter, it is my duty to watch over your Uncle Sunny," Usagi said notably. "Besides, I refuse to stand idly by while there's a possible chance a love emergency could happen. And it's not spying, either. It's... observing."
Chibiusa could only sigh as Usagi began to scheme.
Back in his room, Harusuke was looking through his clothes, trying to decide on some clothes that would look best on him.
Then, he heard Ikuko call him.
"Harusuke, there's someone on the telephone for you!"
"Thanks, Mom! I'll be right there!" Harusuke called back.
He went over to the telephone and answered it.
"Hello? Oh, hey! So, you'll be the one going on a practice date with me next, huh? You must be excited. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be fine. I'm still a little green with this stuff, but I look forward to learning a lot from you. Yes? By the foundation at Juuban Park at ten? Sure. I'll be there. All right. I'll see you then. Bye."
As he then hung up, Harusuke took a deep breath.
"I wonder what's in store for me this time?"
He then returned to his room to prepare himself for the fated day of his next practice date.
Little did he know that throughout these practice dates, he would not just only grow experience but also grow in another specific way.
But that's for you to find out. ^^