A week and a little more had passed since their lips met on Star Hill. Summer sunlight beat down mercilessly on the grounds of Hikawa Shrine, the drone of cicadas clinging to the mind from morning onward. In a corner of the shrine office, Rei sat at her desk, staring at her phone as if her soul had slipped away. On the screen: her message thread with Tsukasa. *"Tonight's sunset was a mix of orange and purple — it looked just like Mars. I wish I could have shown it to you, Rei-san."* "[whispers] …Idiot." Her chest tightened sharply. Happy, and yet it hurt. Tsukasa hadn't replied in two hours now. The messages showed as read, though. (Who's he with? Some girl? A kouhai from his club?) A warning bell rang somewhere in her head. She knew it was Eros's power at work. But her fingers moved on their own, opening and closing the messaging app over and over. "[angry] Oh, for the love of—!" She grabbed the stack of *ofuda* on her desk and squeezed it tight. The paper crumpled in her grip. "[scared] It's starting again." The words Eros had spoken to her that night on Star Hill echoed in her ears. *"Next time, I'll reach even deeper."* It hadn't been an empty threat. Even now, her heart was being slowly, steadily eroded. "Rei, you're pacing the hallway again." A voice from behind made her jump. She spun around to find her grandfather, Hino Kazuo — his graying hair topped with a Shinto priest's *eboshi* cap — standing there with an exasperated look. The fan in his wrinkled hand flapped back and forth, stirring the air around his face. "[angry] N-Nothing! I was just half-asleep!" "You've been up for three hours. Quite the claim." Kazuo let out a deep sigh. "If you're feeling feverish, go splash some sacred water on yourself. It's about that star-obsessed boy, isn't it." "[angry] N-No, it's not…!" Her face went hot in an instant. Kazuo grinned, as if he saw right through everything. "I've got prayers to prepare. If you're going to make a racket, do it out back on the hill." Fanning himself with lazy flaps, Kazuo retreated toward the main hall. Rei collapsed onto her desk, face burning crimson. "[crying] I can't take this anymore…" Mid-afternoon. The cafeteria at Touto University. Tray in hand, Rei stopped dead at the entrance. A vast, buzzing space. The smell of curry and the chatter of students mingled into the usual lunchtime atmosphere. (Where are you, Tsukasa-kun?) She scanned the room. —Found him. A table by the window. Pale, light-blue hair swayed softly in the sunlight. And beside him, a girl she didn't recognize. Brown hair down to her shoulders. Hashimoto, a first-year and new member of the astronomy club. Shorter than Rei, with small-animal eyes — the cute type. "[excited] Senpai, I don't get this part either~" Hashimoto spread her notebook open and placed a hand on Tsukasa's arm. —In that instant. *Snap.* Something inside Rei's head broke. "[cold] …What do you think you're doing." Before she knew it, Rei was standing right in front of their table. Her tray slammed against the neighboring table with a loud crash. A male student's bowl of udon tipped over, soup spilling across the tabletop. "Whoa!" "[surprised] Hino-san…?" Tsukasa's eyes went wide. Hashimoto looked up at Rei in confusion. Her hand was still touching Tsukasa's arm. "[angry] Get that hand off him." "Huh…?" In the next instant, Rei grabbed Hashimoto by the shoulders and yanked her away with all her strength. "Eek!" The chair toppled backward, and Hashimoto landed hard on her backside. "[angry] Stay away from MY Tsukasa!" Every gaze in the cafeteria snapped to Rei at once. Dead silence fell. Only the sound of someone catching their breath — then immediately, the buzz of hushed whispers spread. "Isn't that bad?" "That's Hino Rei, right?" "She has a boyfriend?" "That girl looks like she's about to cry." The moment after she screamed, Rei realized what she'd done. Both hands trembled uncontrollably. (What am I doing? In public, in front of everyone…) "[scared] …Ah." "Rei-san." Tsukasa rose quietly and stepped in front of her. His silver eyes looked straight into hers. Not angry. Not exasperated. Just worried — gentle eyes. "[gentle] It's okay." He stretched out both arms and wrapped her softly in an embrace. Pressed against Tsukasa's chest, Rei could hear the steady thump of his heartbeat. Warm. "[whispers] I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" "[gentle] It's okay. But… thank you." His whisper in her ear drained the tension from her shoulders. The stares from everyone around them stung, but inside Tsukasa's arms was a safe zone. —At that same moment, in a shadowed corner of the cafeteria. Long, pale-purple hair swayed gently in the breeze from the air conditioning. Eros bared his white teeth in a grin. "[laughing] Delicious, that jealousy. The finest appetizer for the *Koi no Odo*." His odd eyes — deep crimson on the right, gold on the left — twisted with delight. "[cold] It's about time for the main course. Thanatos." Behind him, the darkness rippled, and a tall figure cloaked in black emerged. —After school. Behind the Central Library, where few people passed. A place hemmed in by high walls, where damp air stagnated and no eyes could reach. Rei stood with her head down, still holding Tsukasa's hand. "[whispers] About earlier… I'm sorry." "[gentle] It's already fine." "[angry] It's not fine! I'm your… girlfriend, and I did something so shameful." Tsukasa let out a small laugh. "[gentle] You called yourself my girlfriend. That made me happy." "[surprised] …Huh?" She looked up to see Tsukasa scratching the bridge of his nose, embarrassed. "[embarrassed] You know… like it's official now? Kind of." "[angry] Y-You idiot! That was… I mean…" Just as Rei tried to protest, Tsukasa's phone buzzed. "Hm?" The moment he opened the screen, the color drained from his face. "What's wrong?" "[scared] …No, it's nothing." He hurriedly closed the screen. "Show me." "I-It's fine, really." "[angry] I said show me!" The instant Rei reached for it, Tsukasa stepped back. "[serious] …Please go home ahead of me. Something urgent came up." His voice was trembling slightly. "Wait, Tsukasa-kun!" But Tsukasa was already running, vanishing behind the shadow of the library building. Rei's phone buzzed. *"Please go home first."* "[scared] What is this…?" A cold, unpleasant sweat trickled down her back. The message that had reached Tsukasa's phone. Sender unknown. *"Come to the Star Hill observation deck. Alone. If you don't, Hino Rei's identity as Sailor Mars will be exposed to the entire university. This is between you and me. Don't involve her."* As he leapt onto the bus, Tsukasa bit his lip hard. (If Rei-san's identity gets exposed, she might not be able to fight anymore. That's the one thing I can't let happen.) An hour and a half later. The Star Hill observation deck. Twilight was approaching, the sky beginning to stain itself ultramarine. No one else was on the hilltop. "[breathless] …I came. Just like you said." Tsukasa stood at the center of the deck, out of breath. "[cold] You've done well, boy." From behind him came a voice that seemed to crawl up from the depths of the earth. Before Tsukasa could even turn, a mist-like liquid was sprayed into his face. A cloyingly sweet smell. "Gah—!" His vision warped and twisted. His legs lost all strength. "[cold] Spirit-sealing gas. It won't work on you, but it's quite effective on shrine maidens." Tsukasa collapsed heavily to the ground. The tall man in the black cloak — Thanatos. His face was hidden in the shadow of his hood. Only his mouth was visible, curved into a smile. "[cold] Now the bait is set. The real prey isn't you — it's that woman." The man's hand grabbed Tsukasa by the hair and began dragging him away. At that same moment, Rei — having bolted from the university — was in a taxi racing toward Tsukasa's phone GPS signal. Just before she climbed in, the space before her eyes rippled. "[sarcastic] Well, well, shrine maiden. Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Long, pale-purple hair. Odd eyes. A mouth edged with black markings. "[angry] This is your doing, isn't it!" "[laughing] Correct. But you're already too late." A slip of paper appeared in Eros's hand. "[cold] Isozaki is currently in the hands of my lieutenant, Thanatos. If you wish to see him, come here." The paper showed a map. A location north of Azabu-Juban, an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the industrial district. "[angry] If you've done anything to Tsukasa-kun, I will never forgive you!" Rei transformed on the spot. White light swirled around her. Her shrine maiden robes vanished, replaced by a crimson battle uniform. Sailor Mars. With flames at her back, she raced toward the abandoned factory. —The abandoned factory. A vast space with rusted steel beams laid bare, the ceiling high. Sunset light streamed through broken windows, dyeing the dust orange. "Tsukasa-kun!" Deep inside the factory. Bound to an iron pipe, Tsukasa hung limp and unconscious. "[angry] How dare you…!" "Mars Sniper!" She raised her right hand and fired. —But. Nothing came from her fingertips. "Huh…?" Once more. "Mars Sniper!" Misfire. A sensation of spiritual power draining steadily out of her body. Like a bucket with its bottom knocked out, her strength was flowing away somewhere. "[scared] Why… my flames won't…!" "[cold] A spirit-sealing barrier has been placed over this entire factory." From the dimness, the man in the black cloak emerged. "I am Thanatos, lieutenant to Lord Eros. Your spiritual power is now completely sealed." The man snapped his fingers. *Click.* From the ground at Rei's feet, chains shot forth. *Clink.* They coiled around her right ankle. "[angry] What are you—!" Before she could struggle, cold metal closed around both wrists as well. "[cold] Do not move." The chains pulled taut, forcing Rei to her knees. With a rush, her transformation was forcibly undone. Sailor Mars's battle uniform dissolved into particles of light, leaving her back in her shrine maiden attire. "[scared] No—!" "[cold] The most potent *Koi no Odo* is the despair and pleasure of the moment one's purity is stolen." The man seized Rei's chin and forced her face upward. From deep within the hood, dark eyes peered out. "[cold] If you want him to live, submit to me quietly. Refuse, and—" He jerked his chin toward Tsukasa. A thin wire was wrapped around the unconscious boy's neck. "[scared] Tsukasa-kun…!" "[cold] You have two choices. Offer yourself, or he dies." Rei bit her lip. (I can't fight. No spiritual power. My *ofuda* are useless.) Her knees trembled. "[whispers] …Promise me. If I do what you say, you'll let Tsukasa-kun go." "[cold] Naturally. What I want is only your *Koi no Odo*." The man's finger traced Rei's cheek. A fingertip cold as a snake's. "[crying] …Fine." Just then, Tsukasa's eyelids fluttered faintly. "[whispers] …Rei… san…" A voice like an exhaled breath. His fingers moved slightly against the ground. Thanatos still hadn't noticed. "[cold] Then, shall we begin?" The man's hand reached toward the collar of Rei's shrine maiden robes. Rei closed her eyes. Please. Someone. Save Tsukasa-kun. Zero spiritual power. Chains on her legs. The person she treasured most held hostage before her eyes. A pitch-black despair enveloped the three of them.