The significance of Hotaru's words flew right over Chibi Usa's pink little head.

She smiled warmly at her friend, the ruby eyes seeking out those of amethyst. She made a motion as if to reach across the table for Hotaru's hand, but the distance was somewhat awkward with their ice cream bowls in the way. The action remained incomplete. The look on the young teenager's face was one that Hotaru would have seen there so many times before—it may have reminded others of the same radiant love that Usagi so frequently projected. But it was not specific. It was not a true reply to the emotions Hotaru could barely admit she was feeling.

"I really like you, too, Hotaru-chan! ♥" Chibi Usa replied, her voice buoyant with conviction.

She did feel better now that the two of them had a moment to talk about this. The state of their interactions in the future... that was something she was beginning to admit to herself that she'd need to handle. Hotaru's suggestion of a misunderstanding, something similar to this one, didn't seem too far off the mark the longer Chibi Usa thought about it. The thought of having to actually do something about it—to actually approach Sailor Saturn and bring up a topic as awkward as their friendship—definitely made Chibi Usa uncomfortable. But you couldn't ignore something uncomfortable and expect it to fix itself.

Her experience here in this ice cream parlor, after the events of the past few days, made that even clearer.

"I'm so glad we could talk about this," she continued, regaining more and more of her customary good spirits. She picked up her spoon, now filled only with melted remains of what had been her ice cream. "I don't know how long I can stay here, in the 20th century, but I'd like to spend more time with you, Hotaru-chan."

The brief confession remained completely unaddressed.

Hotaru couldn't believe it. Had Chibiusa really not understood what she had accidentally blurted out? One side of her was relieved. She could pretend it had never happened now! They'd go back to eating ice cream and everything would be normal once again.

But the other part of her needed an answer. She couldn't just forget it and move on. But for now, Hotaru didn't have the energy or the courage to even think about confessing again. But how? Whatever method she decided on needed to be clear, or it was likely Chibiusa just wouldn't get her message.

"Y-yeah..." Hotaru said, putting on a smile for her. "That'd be great if we could..."

---------------

The next few days of school were awkward for a very different reason, though Hotaru kept up the illusion of nothing being wrong while she was with Chibiusa. She genuinely did enjoy being with her again, but it seemed that now that she knew the depth of her own feelings, it was so hard to stay calm around her. 

She couldn't look Chibiusa in the eyes for too long without heating up, and whenever she smiled at her, her stomach did a flip. Was this what a crush was like? She certainly wasn't going to ask anyone. Hotaru couldn't imagine the kind of advice Haruka -papa or Michiru-mama would give her for this...

Today, they were going to meet up outside for lunch break, and Hotaru was gathering her bravery for another possible attempt at telling the truth.

Chibi Usa practically skipped into school that morning, despite her new-found maturity, her mind abuzz with the happy anticipation of eating lunch with her very best friend. They weren't in the same class or even in the same grade level, so it wasn't as easy as it could otherwise be. Plus, the pink-haired schoolgirl was hard at work with some class projects and didn't necessarily have as much free time during the school day as would otherwise make such a meeting simpler to plan. But today—this was the day! The lunch that Ikuko-mama packed for her this morning was extra-perfect for sharing. Chibi Usa's 20th century mother figure always put loving attention into the food she sent her family off with, but today's was just a little bit more extravagant.

The teenager did her best to stay focused throughout the day. She had her grades to keep up, after all (thankfully she trended more towards her father's study habits than her mother's), so she couldn't let her hard work be totally set aside just because she was looking forward to the noon hour. Her classmates definitely noticed the pink-haired girl's bright spirits. Chibi Usa was known for being cheerful and animated, but it was even more pronounced in her words and actions today.

When the bell rang to signal lunch, she bolted from her seat and headed out to the shady spot in the school yard that she and Hotaru had agreed upon like a comet with teeny-tiny candy pink tails. Her keen eyes spotted the thin, slightly taller, dark-haired girl immediately. After all, she could recognize her dearest friend almost anywhere.

"Hotaru-chan~!" she called out, hurrying across the lawn just a hair shy of actually running. "Let's have lunch!"

Despite her nervous mood that followed her all that morning, Hotaru perked up when Chibiusa called out to her, a small smile on her face as her best friend met up with her. She couldn't bring herself to feel bad when she was around. The tree they were using as shade was an older cherry blossom one, big enough to cover a good sized area beyond where they sat. Even if they were technically in the open, it was private in a way. More private than she was used to, which gave this lunch break a different feel to her. 

Hotaru tried not to think of it as a date, because it certainly wasn't one.

"Sorry we couldn't get together sooner," she said, sitting down with her own lunch. Hotaru wasn't one for an extravagant bento, despite her parents being able to provide one if she wanted it. Instead, she tended to request noodles with a side of sushi or vegetables. The only thing that she outright wanted to reject was the milk that was sometimes packed. Hotaru knew that milk was healthy, but that didn't make it taste any better to her. 

"I didn't realize how busy school would be until now..." She reached for her drink, and to her surprise and annoyance, found milk. She still didn't quite buy Setsuna-mama's claims that it would help her grow taller. Wasn't she tall enough now? Hotaru couldn't stop herself from pulling a face.

Chibi Usa couldn't repress a giggle at Hotaru's reaction to the milk accompanying her lunch. She plopped down next to the upperclassman and opened her own lunch, only to immediately make a similar face. There were carrots in here! Ikuko-mama was definitely taking this opportunity to express her motherly feelings about things that two of her "rabbit children" consistently attempted to avoid. Well... at least they were cute carrots? They were shaped like little flowers, after all. Buuuuut that wouldn't make them taste any less like carrots.

The pink-haired girl grinned mischievously at her dark-haired friend, and gestured towards the scalloped-edge carrot slices tucked in a foil wrapper in her pink lunchbox.

"How about a trade, Hotaru-chan?" she offered with feigned slyness. She would definitely be willing to drink milk, which Chibi Usa generally enjoyed, in exchange for someone else taking these carrots off her hands.

As ironic as it might be, Hotaru completely sympathized with Chibiusa's carrot hate. And since she had no issues with vegetables...

A laugh slipped out of Hotaru as Chibiusa offered them to her like they were contraband instead of an innocent lunch item. She'd never traded lunches like this before, and it felt like they had their own little secret. It was silly, but she valued these moments the most.

"Only if you don't mind," she said, picking up the milk to exchange it.

The offending carrots now no longer her problem, Chibi Usa immediately poked the straw into the small carton of milk and took a sip. This was definitely the kind of trade she'd be willing to make in the future. At least there was more to her lunch than just not-so-tasty orange vegetables that she could share with Hotaru. She carefully spread out her bunny-patterned wrapping cloth as a makeshift picnic blanket, setting the tiers of her lunch box ontop of it.

As always, Ikuko-mama's cooking did not disappoint. Everything looked adorable, and Chibi Usa knew it would be just as delicious.

"If you'd like anything else, Hotaru-chan, please have some!" she encouraged, all smiles. It was so nice to be having lunch together! "Ikuko-mama made it just for us."

She picked up a cute shumai in a pink wrapper, nestled among similarly pastel friends, and popped it into her mouth.

"What's keeping you busy right now, Hotaru-chan?" she asked, thinking back to the dark-haired girl's earlier comment.

Chibi Usa was working hard for things with her own class. There would be a school fair soon, which created a flurry of activity for all of the students. Each class was determined to have the best stall, whether it be food, shopping, or activities they would be providing. There were already whispers among some of the boys and girls about who might ask who to get their love fortune told together or who might ask someone else to have tea together. The excitement in the air was tangible.

"T-thank you," Saturn said, though she wasn't sure why she was even still surprised over Chibiusa's generosity. Maybe she'd never get used to it...

"I'm in the advanced science class, so it's more reading work than in the other classes, but it's fun, so I don't mind." Hotaru had gotten so far ahead at home just reading Setsuna's textbooks from her college studies, that the school had placed her in the senior grade level of study for physics, but it did keep her from boredom with the more rigorous work. The stares she had gotten on her first day were unnerving though...

Her eye caught a poster on the school's wall, and she remembered that it was growing close to time for the culture festival. She'd never been to one of those before, so she was curious about how it would go.

"Chibiusa-chan, is your homeroom working on something for the festival?" she asked.

Chibi Usa nodded enthusiastically, the pink pigtails bouncing with emphasis.

"Of course! We're doing an art gallery!" she announced, eyes bright with excitement.

There had been a lot of debate over exactly what would be appropriate for her classroom, with a lot of initial interest in setting up a cafe... but they were just a little bit too slow with their proposal, and the classroom next door had gone forward with that same idea. Having two cafes side-by-side was just not cool. They had to come up with something else. Fortune telling, contests... all the usual choices were brought up, only to learn that another nearby classroom had already laid claim to it. Chibi Usa was the one to make the gallery suggestion, stemming from her own interest in artwork, and her classmates rallied around it quickly.

She explained this to Hotaru as she continued to enjoy the lunch Ikuko-mama had provided, her exposition animated and cheerful. It was so hard to restrict herself to not feel this kind of high spirits when working on something like this, after all.

"Since it's my suggestion, they'll have three works from me in the gallery. Will you come see it, Hotaru-chan? What is your class doing?"

"I'd love to visit your art gallery," Hotaru said, genuinely interested. She knew that Chibiusa was good at drawing and painting, and she seemed so excited about it that she wouldn't have said no anyway. 

"Um, I think we're doing a haunted house." The older kids had been set on it, and Hotaru hadn't really been for or against the idea. She wasn't very easy to scare in the first place, but the thought of going out of her way to startle people didn't sit well with her at the moment. "I'm not really sure how to contribute, to be honest..." she said, looking down at her lap.

Chibi Usa felt a flutter of excitement at Hotaru's agreement. She couldn't think of anyone she'd rather enjoy the school festival with. Chibi Usa had made other friends in her class—she just had such a bright energy around her and cheerful attitude that others seemed drawn closer—but none of them were important friends like Hotaru. Hotaru was her best friend, someone she had traveled back into the past specifically to see again. Who better to look at exhibits and eat snacks with at the culture fair?

Wow, a haunted house! Despite having a pretty low tolerance for scary things, Chibi Usa felt immediately intrigued. She didn't remember any of her previous schools doing something like that. This sounded very new and original! Of course Hotaru's class, filled with upperclassmen, would come up with something so interesting! She found herself wondering just how scary they'd be able to make it, given that it would be in one of the school classrooms.

The pink-haired student took a few more bites of their lunch as she pondered her friend's dilemma. How could Hotaru best contribute? After all, she probably didn't want to be directly involved in any of the scaring. That could accidentally bring back a reputation that had taken a while to settle down. But Hotaru was extremely smart, and Chibi Usa knew there had to be something she could do...

"Oh!" she exclaimed, almost dropping an octopus-shaped cocktail wiener. "What about lighting, Hotaru-chan? Do you still have all those lamps in your bedroom? I don't think you should risk bringing any of them to school, but maybe you could help them give the haunted house an appropriately spooky tone with lighting?"

"The lighting...?" Well she did gravitate towards lamps quite a bit, and Michiru-mama sometimes let her decide how dim a room should be when she was painting a subject. Maybe she could be good at mood lighting, and she wouldn't be actively scaring anyone that way. 

"I didn't even think about that, I should ask!" Hotaru said. She was sure there were some cheaper indoor lighting she could find at a store, and the classrooms had shades and adjustable lights too. "I was really worried about not being able to participate..." Despite not liking the idea originally, Hotaru did want to fit in at school and enjoy herself, and she didn't think her classmates would take it well if she didn't attempt to help.

Chibi Usa felt particularly pleased with herself for coming up with an idea. She grinned at Hotaru across the open lunch box, eating another octopus-shaped cocktail weiner—but without almost dropping it this time. She couldn't wait for the festival! They were going to have so much fun! She wanted to go hand-in-hand with Hotaru to every classroom's display or shop. Since they weren't in the same grade, they wouldn't be on any of the same "teams" for any events if this was a sports day, so cultural festival was even better!

Her mind was already whirling with ideas for her artwork. As usual, she was already coming up with ideas and preparing herself to execute them... but now that she had told Hotaru, who had sounded enthused by the idea, she really wanted to make something impressive. Chibi Usa knew she'd have to go over her ideas again, to really evaluate which were the best.

It was the day of the festival, and Hotaru had just finished setting all the lights she had picked out for her class's haunted house. Her classmates had been excited after hearing Chibiusa's mood lighting idea and were eager to see how it'd come out. She was especially proud of the lone light just at the entrance, where it flickered on and off and random intervals like a broken fuse. She didn't actually need to stay for the scaring part, so Hotaru decided to slip out and see if Chibiusa was done hanging up her paintings yet.

Before she could reach the stairway to the lower floor of the school, someone called out her name in the hallway. 

"Tomoe-san!" She stopped and turned around startled, but relaxed when she realized it was just two upperclassmen girls standing outside a brightly decorated classroom door. "Could you come over here for a moment? We could really use your help with something!" Hotaru hesitated, but she seemed really sincere, and Hotaru didn't want to let her down. It couldn't possibly take too long, right? 

"S-sure..." Before she knew what was going on, the girls cheered and dragged her into their classroom. 

Five minutes later, she had somehow ended up in a frilly black and white maid outfit, a silver tray in her hands. 

"Is this all really necessary?" Hotaru asked, blushing already. The girls nodded.

"Our class was doing a maid cafe, but one of our waitresses got sick last night and can't come in," one of them said. "We looked around for anyone who could fill in, but no one can cover her until the afternoon. Could you please help us out until lunch time?" she asked.

"Um..." Hotaru looked down at the ground. 

"Please, Tomoe-san? It fits you perfectly!" Hotaru sighed.

"Okay." How did she even get into this mess? She'd have to apologize to Chibiusa later for not meeting up with her...

It seemed strange that she hadn't spotted Hotaru yet today. They were going to explore the festival together, after all. It was true that Chibi Usa had gotten a little bit hung up trying to make everything just right for her classroom's gallery. There were some last-minute ordeals related to the size of finished artworks not being the same as the size submitted by the participants, with two girls in particular having a bit of a row related to so-and-so's art being too big and blocking a view of such-and-such's painting. They had to move some of their stands and lights and movable display walls to get things back to a good flow for traffic.

Still, she thought Hotaru would come to find her—or at least, be waiting for her. Chibi Usa twirled the end of a pink pigtail around her fingertip, kicking the soft toe of her indoor school shoes against the linoleum floor of the hallway. Every time she heard footsteps she glanced up eagerly, hoping it was Hotaru. Each time, it was just someone else.

She didn't wait for very long before she decided to head over to the other girl's classroom. Maybe Hotaru's participation with the haunted house was such a success that she was delayed, too! It would be so nice if Hotaru was on better terms with her classmates—not that Chibi Usa thought the other girl needed more friends, just that she wanted Hotaru to enjoy the school day the same way that she did. That cheerful thought settled some of her nerves, and she walked over with a spring in her step.

"Oh, Tomoe-san?" stated the girl wearing a ghost costume, standing right at the entrance to the classroom. "She finished up here, but I think they needed her help over there." The girl pointed to one of the other classrooms on the same floor.

"Thank you very much," Chibi Usa replied formally, bowing ever-so-slightly to the upperclassman.

It was great to hear that Hotaru was getting along so well with everyone that she was helping out somewhere else! Chibi Usa was practically humming to herself as she crossed the short distance. It was getting a bit more crowded now, with other students starting to partake in the festival. She couldn't wait to do the same with Hotaru-chan! ♥

She had barely peeked her pink head into the other doorway before a ponytailed young woman in a maid uniform and apron nearly dragged her into the room.

"Welcome home, mistress!" the girl chirped brightly, leading Chibi Usa to a small table so quickly that she couldn't explain why she was here. "One of the maids will be right with you!"

Hotaru had been getting "coached" on being a cafe maid behind the makeshift wall set up in the classroom, learning the menu and what she was supposed to say to customers. It was surprisingly a lot of content to remember, but Hotaru was good at recalling things. It was having the right attitude she was struggling with.

"Oh look, a customer! C'mon, Hotaru-san, you can take that one!" She was practically shoved out into the open before she could figure out what was going on, and pointed in the newly occupied table's direction. "Remember to smile, okay? That's the most important part!" Hotaru gulped and couldn't help but look down at her tray as she approached the table.

"H-hello, welcome to the cafe. Can I take your order?" She did her best to smile, even if she hadn't quite made eye contact with her customer. She hadn't even recognized her yet.

The voice was unmistakable. Chibi Usa would have recognized her friend's soft tone anywhere, after all, so she certainly recognized it here. What her eyes saw, however, confused her. Hotaru—the teenager who usually opted for simple and understated styles—wore something the pink-haired girl had never expected to see her in: a maid uniform!

For a moment Chibi Usa's mouth simply hung open, her mind blank of any words to say. What had made Hotaru decide to volunteer to work at the maid café? The underclassman knew that her best friend didn't really have an interest in this kind of thing... unless perhaps this was a sign of how out-of-touch the pair had become. Surprisingly, the short skirt, puffed sleeves, and endless ruffles of the outfit really suited the delicate girl—even the ruffled band perched on her dark hair seemed right at home there!

"H-hotaru-chan?" the befuddled customer finally squeaked out. "Is that... is that you?"

"Huh?" Hotaru looked up, and finally realized who was sitting at her table. "Chibiusa-chan?!" Her face was red as she tried to explain herself. 

"I-I um...I didn't mean to not meet up with you!" What if she thought Hotaru didn't want to hang out with her after all? "I kind of got...tied up here..." She looked away, not sure if she should tell how she was roped into all this.

Well, it seemed like Hotaru was still Hotaru—at least insomuch as she had not willingly volunteered to participate in the café. Chibi Usa's spirits lifted slightly when her friend opened with an explanation. She really had a hard time believing that her closest friend would just abandon her and ignore the plans that they had made, but it was even better to hear it from Hotaru. The nagging worries creeping in the back of her mind were brushed away with those words. She felt completely restored to her normal cheerful self.

The pink-haired girl smiled at her friend, resisting the urge to giggle.

Hotaru-chan, you are really so cute! ♥

"Well, it isn't what we planned, but I guess we can spend time together here—as long as I follow the instructions for the café, right?"

Around her were tables with other customers being served by other students acting in their roles as maids. The sound of chatter and laughter echoed in the classroom. Some were playing small games, apparently connected with a small fee or additional purchase. Others decorated food with sauce and dessert with whipped cream, pretending to cast "magic spells" in the process. Chibi Usa didn't know how long Hotaru planned to help out, but maybe she could talk to her friend as long as she was a really devoted customer.

Surely Mamo-chan would understand if she spent all of the pocket money he had loaned her for today. It was for a good cause, wasn't it?

She let out a relieved sigh when Chibiusa smiled at her. She had never meant to stand her up like this, but she was happy she understood what had actually happened.

"Wait, you really don't mind staying here?" she asked. "I don't really know the rules here that well since I just started, but...I'll try my best." Hotaru really hoped she remembered all the maid services her upperclassmen had quickly gone over with her, because her mind seemed to go blank when she got too nervous. "Please, order anything you'd like off the menu." She handed Chibiusa the laminated piece of pink paper to look over.

She mused over the menu for a moment, her bright eyes flickering across the items, services, and costs. Chibi Usa had to make the most of the budget she had with her—she couldn't waste it all on something expensive right now, or she'd have to leave too soon. Based on the notes written here, she was allowed to stay in the maid café as long as she was actively ordering, whether it be food and drink or additional bonuses.

She'd start slow, then. Her first order had to include a "meal set" with something edible and a beverage. Maybe this one?

"I'd like the strawberry choco parfait set, please," the pink-haired girl read, pointing to the small photo as she did so. It seemed to show a scoop of pink ice cream topped with whipped cream, strawberries, and chocolate sauce alongside a mug of hot cocoa.

"Oh, and I'll add the 'Special Decoration', too," she commented with a smile. It suggested that they'd play some kind of silly game with a spinner that would select a "special mystery topping" for either her parfait or warm beverage. Maybe Hotaru would draw something cute with the whipped cream! Chibi Usa couldn't resist a muffled giggle as she wondered what her normally-reserved best friend would do. She'd find out soon!

Hotaru pulled out a small notepad and wrote down Chibiusa's decisions as she made them.

"I'll get those for you right now!" she said with a smile, trying to get back into her maid role. The parfait was easy enough, but she had no idea what the Special Decoration would be until it was chosen. It couldn't possibly be too difficult, so Hotaru wasn't worried.

She slipped past the set of curtains that had been set up in the back of the classroom to "hide" the kitchen area, and handed her order to the students handling the snacks. There wasn't much to do now except wait for it to be completed, which would take a few minutes.

She kicked her legs aimlessly and reviewed the decor of the classroom while she waited for Hotaru to return. The upperclassman of this homeroom had done very well trying to disguise the utilitarian nature of the space just enough to carry the intended atmosphere of a cute café. The curtains hiding the setup area for food, drinks, and other preparations concealed without being distracting. The desks, rearranged as tables, were covered with table cloths and carefully set. Soft music was playing in the background, but not loud enough to be a distraction. Perhaps this was something she could keep in mind for a future project, Chibi Usa mused to herself, as if she'd have other years of normal school ahead of her. As if she didn't have to return to the future eventually.

It was easy to forget that, here.

"Here you go!" The strawberry parfait, presented in a fake glass meant to look like fancy crystal, was placed on her tray next to a cup of hot chocolate. Beside it was a little spinner with a series of words and pictures on it. Hotaru hadn't had time to look at the spinner at all, so she didn't even know what choices Chibiusa would have when they played. in a way, it'd be fun for both of them, she thought. After thanking the "chef", Hotaru maneuvered back to the table she was assigned to.

"Sorry for the wait," she said to Chibiusa, before placing each item down in front of her. The spinner went last, away from the rest of the food so there wasn't as much of a risk of spilling everything int he process of using it. "This is kind of my first time I'm doing a Special Decoration," Hotaru admitted with a smile. "So it's a mystery even to me!"

Hotaru's honesty and that gentle smile of hers were some of the many things Chibi Usa cherished about her best friend. The ruby eyes stared up at her for just a second too long, her attention momentarily distracted by thoughts like those, before she reacted and replied to the order brought forth by her "maid". That apron and the puff sleeves of the uniform really were adorable on Hotaru!

"Thank you!" she responded cheerfully, reaching over to observe the spinner. "A mystery, huh?"

The words and pictures almost seemed like nonsense, when she read them, but Chibi Usa figured it was all part of the maid café allure. There had been a lot of other students peeking into the doorway even just during the short time she'd been sitting here. The café didn't have a single empty table remaining, and they had started taking a list of waiting potential customers. The more practical side of Chibi Usa thought of the set up for an event like this and the prices charged on the menu, admiring what a successful fundraising endeavor this must be. Perhaps next year she could arrange something like it with her own class.

"So I just spin this?" she commented, only moments before giving the arrow a twirl.

It halted, pointing towards a picture that looked like a rainbow-coloured cloud and the phrase "Fuwa Fuwa". Well, at least thematically that made sense. But what would it be?

Fuwa Fuwa? Hotaru thought back to what her upperclassman had explained to her about the spinner, and flipped it over to check what it said on the back. The cloud meant... Oh, the special whipped cream! 

"Oh, that one's the rainbow cream! I'll go get it!" Eager to try it out, Hotaru excused herself from the table again, and then returned with a rainbow decorated can. She had no idea how they managed to get the rainbow whipped cream to come out of a spray can, but it was impressive. 

"It goes on top of your hot chocolate," she explained, shaking the can up and taking the lid off. She held it over the mug and pressed down on the dispenser. The whipped cream looked almost tie-dyed as it came out, creating a rainbow swirl on top of the hot chocolate.

The pink-haired girl giggled at the discovery that she had landed on fancy whipped cream. Ever her mother's daughter, that wasn't something she was going to object to! Whatever sweets-based sorcery the planners of this class had come up with, it was definitely impressing their ruby-eyed guest. The whipped cream really did look like a rainbow, fading gently from one colour to the next. Chibi Usa almost doubted that it would be edible, but when she took a sip it tasted exactly like normal whipped cream.

She cupped her hands around the warm mug and smiled at Hotaru.

"Are you having fun helping here, Hotaru-chan?" she asked, taking another glance around the decorated classroom and the bustle of maids and customers. It really didn't seem like the kind of thing her often-sombre best friend tended to prefer, but the dark-haired girl looked perfect in the uniform and Chibi Usa didn't have any complaints about the service! Perhaps this meant that Hotaru was having a much better time in school now than she was when they first met, when Hotaru was attending her father's suspicious Infinity Academy.

"Huh?" Having been distracted by Chibiusa's reaction to the drink, Hotaru took a moment to process her question. Was she having fun? Well, she hadn't intended to get roped into helping at another classroom's cafe, but once she had gotten over her nervousness, it didn't bother her much at all.

"I...hadn't really thought about it, but I guess I am..." she said with a smaller smile. School in general had been strangely...nice. After the first couple of weeks passed and the rumors died down, anyway. She felt closer to a normal student than she had in a long time. Even with her placement in a higher than usual grade, her classmates had been friendly enough to her. "I didn't expect to be enjoying myself in school, to be honest," Hotaru admitted.

She could have leaped across the table, but somehow she restrained herself, instead opting for an awkward slide forward so that she could excitedly grab her best friend's hands with her own. The cheerful ruby eyes and beaming smile would have seemed gigantic so close to Hotaru's own. Chibi Usa couldn't believe that she had just heard Hotaru refer to herself as enjoying things. The pink-haired girl's own excitement stemmed from the fact that she so thoroughly believed that Hotaru deserved all of this—deserved to be happy!

"That's wonderful, Hotaru-chan!" she exclaimed. "Oh! Are you going to be free soon? Let's keep this 'fun train' rolling on! I want to show you the art exhibit!"

All the thoughts in her head somehow escaped her when Chibiusa grabbed her hands, and Hotaru took longer than normal to react. Every time she got too close, Hotaru couldn't help but freeze up a little. She really needed to find a way to get control over it... or try and confess again. She dropped that idea quickly. No, she had to find the right moment.

"O-oh, right! Your art exhibit!" she said, smiling back at her. "Once lunch time comes, they said I could leave, so it shouldn't be too long now."