Paradox

Open Secret

Finally, this school day was over. Chibiusa carefully peeked out the window at the schoolyard below, trying to see if that weird guy was lurking there waiting for her. She was relieved to find that the spot under the tree was now empty, so she and her friends made their way downstairs.

"Usa, are you coming to the temple with us? We can spend the afternoon together... Maybe Rei will let us off with less work," Ceres asked her on the way down the steps, but Chibiusa just shook her head thoughtfully. "No, Dad wanted to pick me up today. He has the day off and wanted to do something with me. I just hope he's already here, so that guy doesn't follow me again," she murmured.

Juno's eyes sparkled slightly. "If he had invited me for ice cream, I wouldn't have said no. You could do a lot worse... I mean, have you seen him? The guy looks almost like a model... and the other two are just as good-looking," she gushed, which only made Chibiusa snort indignantly.

"You can have him, I'm not interested in such a pushy idiot," she continued to fume about Seiya's persistent behavior.

By now, they had reached the parking lot and Mamoru had caught the last few words of his daughter. He was leaning against his car with his arms crossed and pushed his sunglasses up. "What pushy idiot?" he asked curiously, but his daughter just waved it off. "Oh, it's hardly worth mentioning. Glad you're here, Dad. Can we go now? I really want an ice cream sundae. Can we stop somewhere to get one?" she greeted him and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

Mamoru couldn't help but suppress a smile. In moments like these, she seemed like a spitting image of her mother. With a brief motion, he opened the passenger door for her. "Ice cream it is, then?" Chibiusa just nodded and slid into the seat. With a fleeting wave, she bid her friends goodbye, glad to leave school behind for the day. She tried to ignore her father's scrutinizing gaze, but she could almost feel it boring into her throughout the entire drive.

There was a tense atmosphere in the car, which persisted until she walked through the front door, armed with her ice cream. Mamoru followed her into the dining room and sat down next to her. Chibiusa quickly shoved a large spoonful of ice cream into her mouth, hoping the conversation would steer towards less tricky topics.

"How was school today?" he asked, and Chibiusa visibly relaxed at this opening. "Good," she mumbled, pulling out her classwork in hopes of avoiding the topic of boys altogether. "I need a signature."

Mamoru took the paper from her and glanced over the tasks. "You could've done better. Weren't these the exact exercises we practiced together beforehand?" he lightly admonished, pulling a pen from the top pocket of his jacket.

"It's a C. A C is a pass, so there's no need to complain," she tried to placate him immediately. He just shook his head and deftly signed the result he deemed inadequate. "I still think you could put more effort into school. A good education is important so you don't limit your future opportunities," he began his well-worn lecture.

Chibiusa just rolled her eyes; she had heard this speech so many times she could almost recite it along with him. "Yes, Dad, I promise I'll try harder on the next exam. Promise," she replied monotonously and pushed her empty ice cream cup to the center of the table.

Mamoru leaned back a little and studied his daughter. "Alright, now do you want to tell me who this pushy idiot was?" he probed, and Chibiusa's expression turned serious.

"Oh, it's hardly worth mentioning. Apparently, we have three new guys in the senior class as of today, and one of them was kind of weird and pushy," she began, looking up at the older man. "In what way do you mean pushy?" he inquired further.

Chibiusa had always had a good relationship with her father, and she occasionally told him about her other admirers. Mamoru was often proud of his daughter's reactions and found it fascinating how she handled the young men.