Mew Amai

Episode 8 Part 1

"I'm going to do everything I can to be more helpful around here!"

Retasu's announcement drew looks from the girls, who were prepping for the café to open. "Where is this coming from all of a sudden?" Mint asked. "It's not sudden! I've been thinking about it for a while! Everyone's so amazing, working hard, shining in their own special ways!"

She listed off each girl's specialty. "Amai-san and her love of spreading happiness! Ichigo-san and her passion for romance! Mint-san and her desire to reach ever higher! Zakuro-san and her devotion to being her true self! And Pudding-san and her dedication to constant practice! Reacting on that made me realize something: I'm completely useless!"

Amai spoke up. "But Retasu, you work so hard. I think you're fine just the way you..." "I'm not!" That set Reatsu on a whirlwind of things; doing dishes, serving, trying to please customers. By the end of the day, she was glum and half-dead.

"Retasu, are you okay?" Ichigo asked. The greenette just slumped. "You went way too overboard." Mint commented.

"Hey, girls." Keiichiro got their attention. "Good work today." Ryou spoke next. "The café is closed this weekend, so you'll have those days off."

"Why?" Amai asked, and Keiichiro answered her. "We're hosting an event for our regulars, a cruise through Tokyo Bay featuring new Café Mew Mew desserts."

"Eh?!" Everyone gasped. Pudding and Ichigo's eyes sparkled. "I wanna go!" "I wanna try all the new desserts!" The two girls stood on a table. "Working day-in, day-out is crushing us! We demand proper work-life vacations!" Ichigo shouted, Pudding agreeing with her. "Ichigo, you mean work-life balance, not work-life vacations." Amai corrected her.

Ryou sighed. 'Fine." He turned to Retasu, who looked downright dejected. "Hey, are you alright?" Retasu got up and panicked. "Y-yes, I'm so sorry!" She bowed a bunch of times, making Ryou sweat drop. "You're fine; I'm not mad at you." His words, unfortunately, didn't improve her mood.

The next day, everyone was lined up on the dock where the ship was, gaping at the size of it. "No way! Is this for real?!" Ichigo's mouth was wide open. Ryou grinned. "That's my yacht."

"Yours?!" Amai was speechless. He owned this ship? "Wait, that's WAY too big to be a yacht!" Ichigo said. Pudding sprung up in front of the group. "It's huge!" A couple smaller children, all looking to be the same age, joined her.

Retasu looked at the newcomers curiously. "Pudding-san, who are these?" Pudding turned around, arms open wide. "My awesome little siblings!" She named them one by one, their little arms raising up in greeting after introductions.

Amai gushed. "Oh, they're adorable, Pudding!" Ichigo's hands clapped, a sweet look on her face. "They're so cute!" "The more the merrier." Mint said, Zakuro greeting the children.

"I had to invite them to try our new desserts!" The kids cheered, everybody smiling at how cute they were. Keiichiro told them they could eat as much as they wanted, which brightened their mood even more, especially when he said there was a surprise later for everyone.

"All right, let's go in!" Retasu said, guiding Pudding's siblings to the boat. Amai got worried. "She's going overboard again." Ryou agreed. "Yeah."

On the ship, when it was no more than a couple seconds out, Retasu was gripping the railing on deck, her face blue. "Retasu? Are you alright?" The girl fell to her knees, Mint holding her shoulders. "I-I'm sorry. I don't really know how to swim." She held a hand to her mouth, looking like she'd be sick. The girls pitied her.

A little later, Retasu had settled down and was sitting on a bench while the girls looked out from the railing, marveling at the beautiful blue before them. Amai was by herself, but not far from the others. She took in a deep breath. "It's so wonderful out here." Her eyes scanned the vast body of water, mesmerized by the crystal-clear look of it. "We're fighting for this, too. Not just what's on land."

Keiichiro's voice came over the loudspeakers. "Thank you for your patience. We are now ready to begin our event."

Ryou walked up. "Right! You girls go get changed." "Eh, changed?"

Inside the yacht, in a spacious dining room/ballroom, the girls admired their new outfits. Ichigo was in a strapless pink gown with ruffles on the bust, Mint in a purple dress with a corset front and tank/off-shoulder sleeves, Zakuro in a high slit, halter top indigo dress, Pudding in a short, princess-like dress of pale blue and white sleeves, and Retasu in a yellow dress with a blue undershirt. Amai was the only one missing, taking a few extra minutes.

"You all look lovely, mademoiselles." Keiichiro commented, dressed in a black tux. "Though, we seem to be missing one beauty from this group."

"Sorry I'm late." Turning around, everyone went starstruck. Amai looked amazing, decked in a white knee-length gown that was decorated with gold flowers all around it, off-the-shoulder sleeves, and corset back with a gold ribbon. Almost everyone in the room, in fact, took notice of her and whispered of how beautiful she was.

Keiichiro smiled widely. "You look wonderful, Amai. Why, Aphrodite, the Goddess of Beauty herself, would be green with envy." Amai blushed. "Oh, stop it."

He directed them to the table lined with sweets. "Now, indulge yourselves!" No sooner had the words come out of his mouth that the girls glued themselves to the table, enjoying all the delicious wonders that was presented. Amai melted over a piece of cake, the flavors dancing on her tongue. Looking to her left, she smiled when she saw Retasu helping one of Pudding's siblings, offering him some of her dessert. She was just so kind all the time. Amai wondered why she felt the need to push herself so much but decided to let her friend figure it out herself for right now.

Swallowing the last of her cake, she sighed happily. "That was so good. Keiichiro is an amazing pastry chef." Ryou, standing not far away from her, caught her attention. He was dressed in a grey suit with a blue stone on the collar, a red fancy ruffle connected to it. He almost looked different.

He noticed her staring and walked over to her. "What? Are you not used to these sort of affairs?" She shuffled, facing the other way. "Well, a little bit. I'm not someone of high-class like Mint is, so I don't really fit into spaces like this." His hand halted her, grasping onto hers gently. She looked up at him. "It's time to dance. Shall we?"

He didn't wait for her answer as he walked them to the dance floor. "W-wait!" Reaching an open spot, he took her in his arms, positioning them. Amai knew how to dance, but she had never done so at an event this big before. Her heart hammered with her nerves. Soon, they fell into a gentle sway, dancing in perfect sync.

"It's weird. I'm dancing with Ryou and I sort of like it." Amai closed her eyes. "It's a nice feeling."

She was unaware of all her teammates eyes on her and Ryou, commenting on how they were having a good time together. Something in her stirred, however, and she broke apart from her partner. "I-I'm going to get some fresh air. Excuse me."

She left the room, heading out to the deck. Leaning her arms against the railing, she sighed. "My heart's still racing, why is it racing? I hardly know Ryou." Her eyes trailed up at the golden sunset. "The sunset is beautiful on the water."

Just then, an image of eyes of the same color appeared in her mind. Eyes that belonged to a certain alien. Amai's heart thumped louder. "Oh, why am I thinking of Kisshu now?! Just because his eyes are the same beautiful color... ah!" Her head fell into her arms. Great, now she was thinking of TWO boys.

"Come on, heart. Get it together!"