"Today marks day two in what is expected to be one of Tokyo's hottest heatwaves on record. Meteorologists are predicting high temperatures of 38 - 40 degrees celsius well into next week. The evening weather is currently at a low of 34 degrees and is expected to rise again…"

Usagi turned the television off and balanced the cell phone on her shoulder, "Yes, I promise I'm leaving now Rei!"

Usagi could practically hear her friends eyes rolling in disbelief on the other end of the line.

"I'll be out the door in five minutes! I have to make sure the house is locked up since everyone is out of town."

Usagi jumped as Rei's voice could be heard loud and clear on the other end, "YOU JUST SAID YOU WERE LEAVING NOW!"

"See you soon!" Usagi said, quickly hanging up before Rei spiraled into a tirade.

The 19-year-old blonde let out a sigh as she looked around the big empty house. Her younger brother, Shingo, was currently on a two week school trip through the Ryukyu islands and her parents had volunteered to chaperone — leaving Usagi home alone.

The timing of that trip could not have been better, she thought bitterly.

Usagi had been looking forward to having the house to herself while her family would be out of town. Having just graduated from high school — she was excited at the idea of being able to come and go as she pleased, eat what she wanted, sleep when she wanted and do it all under the watchful eye of no one except her cat, Luna.

But, the same day her family left was the day the summer heat skyrocketed. The change in temperature had been so drastic, the public had been advised to stay indoors during the first 24 hours.

Never one to shy away from an excuse to catch up on the latest J-dramas or re-read some of her favorite manga...Usagi hadn't initially been put off by the idea of being holed up in the house by herself. But, after the second day of being stuck inside, her experiment in living as an independent adult had very quickly started to feel like house arrest.

Now that evening had fallen and the temperatures cooled a little, she was desperate to leave the house and have some quality time with her best friends at the Crown Cafe, their favorite place in Tokyo.

Usagi still couldn't believe that after so many years of doing practically everything together, they would all be embarking on their own paths in just six weeks.

Minako, her fellow partner in crime, had been modeling part-time for local magazines throughout high school. But, now was pursuing modeling as a career and would be traveling away from home for weeks on end. Rei, the fierce one in the group, was departing on a four month long meditation retreat in Nepal and had already hinted that she was considering taking two months to travel around Australia after that. Usagi, Makoto and Ami would be the ones who would at least still be in Tokyo full-time. The talented Makoto had landed an apprenticeship to a renowned gourmet pastry chef at his restaurant in Ginza and Ami (to no one's surprise) had been accepted into the prestigious Keio University to study medicine. Meanwhile, Usagi was starting her first semester at Tokyo Polytechnic University to study photography.

Life as they knew it was changing and while Usagi was proud of her friends and excited for their new lives, she was also sad and nostalgic for the life they were leaving behind. In many ways, it was their last summer together and she didn't want to take one single moment for granted.

Usagi moved quickly through the house to check that all the windows and doors were securely locked. As she slipped on her summer sandals and smoothed out her light yellow summer dress, she started loading up her purse with the essentials.

Wallet – check, phone – check, house keys – check.

Usagi's eyes fell on her brand new Nikon Z6 camera that had been a graduation/birthday present from her parents.

Just take the camera....

Before she could debate the decision further, her phone beeped.

"Tsukino Usagi you better be out the door by now!"

"I'm going! I'm going" she muttered to herself.

She gave one last look into the living room and laughed as she caught sight of Luna stretched out in front of the air conditioner, looking as if she could care less about anything else in the world.

"Bye Luna, don't wait up!" before throwing open the door and stepping outside.

The hot humid air quickly seemed to permeate every pore. She felt as though she had stepped into a sauna. The sun had already begun to set, making the sky a blend of purple and orange. Usagi could see the lights of Tokyo Tower and hear the faint hum of traffic from the center of Azabu-Juban. It looked like it would be a pleasant evening….except that the heat and humidity was nearly suffocating.

She took a few deep breaths and reminded herself why she was leaving the confines of an air conditioned space to begin with.

"There is a milkshake at the end of this ten minute walk…There is a milkshake at the end of this ten minute walk…"

And with that, she set out.

Tokyo, like most major cities, didn't slow down. Its inhabitants were constantly moving and buzzing around the city. Azabu-Juban was no exception; shops remained lit up and open well into the evening, izakayas were practically overflowing with salary men looking to wind down after a long day, students from nearby Keio could be seen crammed in late night cafes or noodle shops with books propped open, and commuters would steadily pour out of the various exits of the metro.

But, as Usagi approached the main area of her neighborhood this was not what she found. The streets were almost quiet, with only a few people walking on the pavement. Most shops, with the exception of the local Family Mart, were closed. The number of cars on the street was the same, but they didn't seem to be moving nearly as fast as usual. In fact, nothing seemed to be moving as fast as usual. The heatwave had brought a slowness to the city and it was no surprise as to why.

She had been walking for maybe eight minutes and she already felt as though she needed a shower and a change of clothes. The heat weighed on her and she felt herself slouch further as she made slow progress towards the one building that seemed to be full of light and life. Unlike the rest of the street, the Crown was lit up like a carnival. And like moths to the flame, it seemed to be attracting all the pedestrians to its doors.

Usagi felt the sweat trickle down her back as she made the last few yards towards the cafe. She walked past people milling outside the entrance eating rapidly melting ice cream out of to-go cups or smoking cigarettes while they chatted with friends.

"Finally!" she sighed, breathing the recycled cold air into her lungs as she stepped through the sliding glass doors.

"Hey, Usagi!" Motoki shouted over his shoulder as he filled what looked to be a very long list of orders.

Usagi waved, still breathing in the delicious cold air.

The Crown was practically overflowing with people. It was mainly a young crowd full of teenagers and twenty-somethings who, like Usagi, had scrambled to the Crown for ice cream, blasting central air and a chance to escape their houses.

She spotted an empty bar stool and quickly made her way over to collapse onto it. Catching her breath, she shouted at the sandy-haired cafe worker, "Hey Motoki, have you seen the girls come in?"

"Huh?! Oh…no I haven't seen them yet but there are so many people coming and going, I might have missed them!"

Usagi turned in the bar stool and tried to survey the room of packed people. It was a relief to be there but at the same time...the place seemed a little different. The spacious cafe felt almost claustrophobic with all the bodies milling around and the lighting even seemed a little dimmer than normal. There was an almost heady sort of atmosphere about the place.

People were packed in a lot closer than usual and speaking loudly to be heard over the many other conversations around them. There was an underlying intimacy in the exchanges that wasn't the norm for a crowd at the Crown.

She spotted a couple at the back wall. The girl was leaning against it while the guy she was talking to leaned close to her saying something in her ear, all the while running his fingers lightly up and down her arm…

Usagi shivered almost as though it had been her skin that had been touched.

She quickly turned back around, feeling a flush in her cheeks…and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror behind the bar.

Oh god…I'm a mess.

One of her buns was almost completely undone and her dress was damp with sweat, creating the same effect as if she had just stepped out from the rain.

"Did you swim here Odango Atama?" came a low-baritone voice that she would know anywhere.

Usagi looked up into the amused face of her long-time nemesis, Chiba Mamoru. The tall undergraduate student was looking as if he had just effortlessly stepped out of the pages of a magazine to grace her…or rather curse her…with his presence. His messy black hair still fell perfectly into his dark blue eyes and he looked comfortable in his blue jeans and grey t-shirt. Not to mention there wasn't a drop of sweat on his ridiculously perfect face. Whereas per usual…she looked not so perfect.

Of course, it's not an embarrassing moment until Mamoru-baka is here to witness it, she thought glumly.

She leveled him with a glare as she tried to fix her hair.

The fact was Mamoru had been witness to many many many of her embarrassing moments over the last four years. Every bad test score, every time she tripped and fell flat on her face (sometimes bringing people with her) and every time she happened to have the occasional meltdown — Mamoru was present for all of it and always ready with some joke or sarcastic remark. His entire presence only served to make her feel small and childish.

There was the time they had gotten into a huge argument on the metro when Mamoru, of all people, had noticed that Usagi had gotten an actual odango she had been eating for lunch stuck in her hair and not realized it. "Looks like Odango Atama isn't just a clever nickname anymore," was a phrase that still haunted her whenever she felt like eating odango dumplings.

Mamoru loved to get a rise out of her and he knew exactly which buttons to press to do it. Whereas every insult she hurled at him, even when witty, just seemed to slide off him. More often than not, he would just give her his trademark smirk and look as nonchalant as humanly possible.

However, there were the rare instances when she seemed to hit on a sore spot and that was when their real bickering kicked off...sometimes to outlandish proportions. One of these incidents had just been last year when they had run into each other at a nearby Lawson and had gotten into a particularly loud and heated argument because she had told him he had no business owning a motorcycle if he was going to drive it like an 80-year-old man. What had resulted from that one comment was the two of them yelling at each other at top volume in the middle of the check-out line. They were both subsequently banned from the conbini for three months.

Usagi and Mamoru's constant war with each other was news to absolutely no one in Azabu-Juban and in Usagi's mind, it would probably never change. With the exception of Usagi, he was known as a polite, reserved and serious student who would likely go far. But to Usagi, he seemed to exist to antagonize her.

Usagi finished fixing her hair and noticed Mamoru was still looking in her direction. She followed his eye-line and realized one of her dress straps had fallen down leaving her shoulder bare.

She quickly moved to pull it back up and noticed he was still staring at her bare skin.

But, before she could call him out on it, Motoki walked over to pour her some cold water.

"Are you okay?" Motoki asked his friend.

Mamoru quickly snapped out of his reverie and gave a shrug. "Just watching Odango melt over there."

"And you seem to be enjoying the view," Usagi responded. Mamoru frowned at her but didn't seem to have a comeback.

1 point to Usagi, 0 to Mamoru-baka!

"Your usual double chocolate milk shake with extra whipped cream, I take it?" Motoki asked.

Usagi smiled, "You know me so well, Motoki."

"If knowing you're addicted to double chocolate milk shakes is all it takes to know you Odango Atama, the entire district is intimately acquainted with you."

"The same standard applies to you then, baka! Who drinks hot coffee in the middle of a heatwave?!" she said gesturing to the steaming mug in front of the dark-haired man.

Mamoru shrugged, "What can I say? Some of us can brave the heat better than others."

Then as if to prove his point, he took a large gulp of hot coffee.

"Oh, don't let him fool you, Usagi." Motoki said as he came back with her milkshake. "Mamoru has been here for over an hour and the first thing he ordered was an iced coffee. Not to mention — he's wearing one of my spare t-shirts while his dries off in the back. He was drenched in sweat when he walked in."

Mamoru gave his friend a look of utter betrayal.

"Oh really?!" she said ignoring the way her stomach flipped at the idea of Mamoru sweaty and shirtless. "God forbid Chiba Mamoru suffer the effects of the weather like the rest of us mere mortals."

"Are you saying I'm a god, Odango?" he responded smugly.

Usagi rolled her eyes.

"Ugh…speaking of the 'effects of the weather'…" Motoki grumbled as he glared over at the same teenage couple Usagi had spotted earlier, now making out against the back wall .

"Hey! This is a family place, take it somewhere else!" he shouted.

Usagi giggled into her shake, as the couple in question hurried out the front door, red-faced and heads bowed in embarrassment.

"Geeze Motoki, next you'll be spraying water on them to break them up!"

Motoki sighed. "I hate being that guy but it's getting ridiculous. Yesterday, I found a couple of college kids tearing each other's clothes off in the bathroom."

Usagi let out another laugh but quickly turned it into a not-so-convincing cough as Motoki remained stony faced.

"It's the heatwave…" he said, gesturing to no one in particular. "This happens every time we have one, people start getting…"

"horny?" Usagi supplied.

Motoki's ears turned red as he nodded, obviously uncomfortable.

Usagi felt the strap of her dress slide down her shoulder again and as she went to pull it back up her gaze caught Mamoru's and this time she found no mocking smirk or condescending look.

He quickly looked back down to the book in front of him

"There does seem to be something a bit…different about the crowd tonight," she hurriedly said, focusing her attention back on Motoki.

The cafe worker shrugged his shoulders in exasperation as he poured Usagi another glass of water.

"Heatwaves always seem to make people do crazy things. Inhibitions get lowered, people take more chances and there is a lot more …hooking up."

"Did somebody say 'hooking up?" A waitress with a high pony-tail and mischievous smile appeared at Motoki's side.

"Unazuki, you're just in time. Your brother was just educating us on the 'effects' the heatwave has been having on the clientele." Mamoru said in a bored voice without looking up from his book.

"Yeah, I'll say!" Unazuki laughed. "People have been pairing off left and right over the last two days."

"But, speaking of pairing off…" Unazuki's eyes lit up as she turned towards Usagi. "Did Motoki tell you that Seijuro Ginga, that hot classmate of yours, was in here looking for you?"

Usagi spluttered. "W..What?!"

The waitress just giggled. "Yeah, he came in earlier this week and asked if you were around. It happened last week too, didn't it Toki?"

Usagi noticed that Motoki shared a look with Mamoru, who was now giving his full attention to the conversation. "Yeah, he's been in here a few times."

"Oh." Usagi was genuinely at a loss for words. Seijuro was a nice guy and really cute. He had always seemed interested when they were in school but it never developed past flirting.

Unazuki pressed on, "So…you think he's going to ask you out?"

Usagi felt her cheeks turn pink as Unazuki and Motoki looked at her expectantly. Mamoru, on the other hand, had returned to his book, but Usagi got the distinct impression he wasn't actually reading it.

"Um….."

"Usagi!"

She turned to find a very irritated looking girl heading her way and actually sighed in relief.

"Hey Rei….how ya been?" Usagi said innocently.

The fiery looking girl wasn't having it. "We've all been here for the last 20 minutes wandering when you were going to show!"

Usagi glanced at her phone and saw sure enough, four missed text messages alerting her that her friends were indeed at the cafe and buried in a back corner behind the crowds of people.

At least she had the decency to look somewhat guilty. "Sorry, the heat was horrible and my mind just became so focused on one thing….milkshakes."

Rei rolled her eyes. "Some things will never change. C'mon…we have booth competition."

Usagi waved good-bye to Motoki and Unazuki over her shoulder as she was led away by her raven-haired friend.

"Booth competition?" Usagi asked, confused.

"You'll see." Rei said pointedly as they pushed through the crowd to a back corner.

Since the summer had started, the Crown had way more customers outside their regulars. This resulted in there being far more people than seats, meaning that tables and booths became prime real estate. The last few weeks had made finding a place to sit a bit more inconvenient, but most people were polite about the situation and shared the tables communally when possible.

So, Usagi was fairly surprised when Rei led her to what could only be described as a Mexican stand-off.

Ami, the quiet blue-haired girl of the group, sat upright on the very inside of the booth against the window while Makoto sat next to her but facing the outside, allowing her long legs to sprawl out over the rest of the seat. Then Minako sat on the top of the table cross-legged. All three of them were adamantly staring down a familiar group of girls who were in much the same position across from them in the same booth.

"Of course," Usagi groaned. "The Evil Three."

Natsumi, Anzu and Kanoko were three girls that had been in their graduating class…and had a reputation for being downright evil, hence the title.

While Usagi had never had any run-ins with them, she still vividly remembered the times she found Ami crying in the bathroom after Anzu had spread a vicious rumor about her in revenge for Ami not letting her cheat off her test. Then there was the time Makoto had been called to the principal's office because she had stood up to Kanoko after she had tripped a new student. Kanoko had used Makoto's past record of getting into fights against her and told the principal that she had threatened her with violence.

Then of course there was the time Minako had dared to flirt with a guy that Natsumi had her eyes on. It had resulted in Minako having "slut" spray painted across her locker. Minako, never one to accept defeat, got her revenge. An "anonymous" call about Natsumi supposedly being in possession of drugs on school campus resulted in her locker being searched. But, instead of finding drugs, they found a locker overflowing with robot porn magazines and photos. What was more, the school administrator had timed their search to take place at lunch, when the hallway would be busy with students.

Needless to say, no one was talking about Minako being a slut anymore since everyone was far too preoccupied with Natsumi's fetish for robots. It got the Evil Three off their backs for the remainder of the year.

But, then summer came.

Natsumi, Anzu and Kanoko had unfortunately been coming into the Crown along with the crop of non-regulars. On every one of those days, they would take advantage of some lone person who was saving a table for a group of friends by saying they just wanted to sit there for a moment. Then when the person's friends would show up, they would refuse to leave by claiming there wasn't enough room for everyone and since their entire group was their first, it only seemed fair. Everyone was too polite to fight about it.

Until now.

"I'm so sorry." Anzu drawled, obviously not in the least apologetic. "But, my friends and I were sitting here first and I think it's fair that we get the booth."

"You were not here first," Makoto said through clenched teeth. "Our friend Rei…" Makoto gestured towards the fiery girl, "was here first and saving the table for the rest of us when you shoved your way in."

Rei looked around a little sheepishly.

Understanding suddenly dawned on Usagi. Rei, who hadn't gone to the same school as the rest of their friends, didn't realize who these girls were when she likely told them they could sit for a moment until the rest of their group had arrived.

Rei let out a sigh of exasperation.

"This is stupid. It's a booth…"

But, the look Minako, Ami, and Makoto sent Rei made it clear that this was not just about a place to sit.

The Crown was their place. It was where they spent most of their free time year-round. It was their last summer of freedom before they headed off into the abyss of jobs and university and they wanted to spend as much time as they could with each other here. The fact that these self-important psychos decided to show-up and push them out would just not stand.

This was their home turf and these bitches were trying to drive them out.

Natsumi just smiled and looked around the room, a few people were watching the stand-off with some amusement.

Usagi watched Minako carefully. The pretty blonde had stayed perfectly still in her cross-legged position on top of the table as she stared down the Evil Three. But, she knew her friend well enough to know that Minako was determined to not let these girls win.

Natsumi seemed to be reading Minako's mind and met her glare head on. "We are not leaving this table. So, what are you going to do about it?"

Makoto seemed to begin to lunge across the table, "I'll show you what I'm going to do about it.." but Ami held her back.

For the first time since Usagi arrived — the bluenette spoke. "Name your terms," she said, all shyness and sweetness gone from her usual tone.

"Excuse me…" Anzu said, sounding confused.

But, Ami ignored her and continued to address Natsumi.

"Like you said…you're not leaving the table and neither are we. So, unless you want to waste the rest of your night here waiting us out…I suggest we find another way of resolving this."

Natsumi quirked her eyebrow at Ami and seemed to consider her for a moment before speaking, "You obviously have something in mind…."

"I think a simple wager should suffice."

The Evil Three looked at Ami in obvious surprise. After all, she was the shy resident genius that had been easy prey for their vindictive rumors and mocking throughout school. But, Usagi and the rest of the girls also knew that when Ami wanted to be, she could be coldly calculating.

Natsumi seemed to consider Ami for a moment before looking at Anzu and Kanoko.

"And whoever wins this little bet, leaves the booth?" Kanoko asked, sounding bored.

But, Ami eyes flashed. "I was thinking more that whoever wins, forfeits the Crown as their hang-out for the rest of the summer."

Usagi gasped, "Ami...no!"

"Oh look, it's Tsukino." Natsumi said eyeing Usagi in a way that made Usagi wary.

Natsumi whispered something to Anzu, who stood up and looked towards the front of the cafe. After a moment, she nodded at Natsumi.

Natsumi leaned back and seemed to really consider Ami for what was probably the first time.

"We set the terms."

"No." Minako said almost immediately.

Usagi felt wary as Natsumi gave her a blood curdling grin and continued.

"…or we continue to have this little dance with you for the rest of the summer. Just think, every day of the week, all three of us will personally be here to ensure none of you are having a good time."

She then leaned in so that her face was only two inches away from Minako, "And trust me…it is no waste of my time to ensure your summer is ruined after what you put me through last term."

"Yeah…about that…I've been meaning to ask you if the robotic claw game over there is just creating too much excitement for you." Minako retorted.

Now it was Anzu's turn to hold Natsumi back.

Kanoko turned back to Ami, "We set the terms of the bet, take it or leave it."

Ami looked around at her friends and after a moment gave a firm nod.

The Evil Three whispered among themselves for less than a minute before they addressed the five friends.

Kanoko spoke.

"The terms of the bet are….which ever girl can first get Chiba Mamoru to kiss them before the end of the evening, will win the right to the Crown for the rest of the summer."

Usagi frowned and saw that her expression was reflected on the faces of her friends.

Whatever they had expected, this had been far from it.

Aside from being her perpetual nemesis, Usagi hated to admit that Mamoru had a sizable fan club. It wasn't simply the fact that he was extremely good looking, smart and polite (to everyone except Usagi). But, his reserved nature and the fact that no girl (or guy) could capture his interest had made him all the more sought after. Ami once said he was the "white whale," whatever that meant, for many of Azabu-Juban's female and (some of the male) population.

So, setting a bet where a girl would have to get him to kiss her seemed a fairly tough contest.

"Chiba? The guy could very well be asexual given how little interest he has ever shown to anyone. But, you think you can get him to kiss one of you before the end of the night?" Makoto said in disbelief.

Natsumi smiled, "There hasn't been a man yet that has been able to resist me," then glanced at Minako. "But, if you don't feel as confident in your chances..."

Minako stared down Natsumi for a long moment before confidently stating, "I think we can handle it."

Natsumi looked at Minako. "Well, I'm glad to hear you say that, but it's not really about if you can handle it."

"What do you mean?" Rei asked.

Kanoko responded.

"The terms of the bet aren't about which of us can get Chiba to kiss them. That would be absolute mayhem. It will be down to just two girls, one from each of our groups. Natsumi will be from ours and…"

Usagi felt a knot begin to form in her stomach as Natsumi looked at her and flashed a jubilant smile.

"Tsukino will be yours."

Authors Note:

Hope you all enjoyed the first installment! While the story is currently rated T, there is a chance it may turn into an M rated fic. Thank you!