Usagi sighed, almost too happy to abandon her
current sad thoughts for the amazingly less-
depressing subject of math. She rolled onto
her stomach and plucked her abused pencil
from the grass. "Yeah, yeah. The devil's tool, I
tell ya. Math surely began somewhere in hell.
I wonder if they make you do math equations there.
I can see it now: an eternity of 'if train A leaves
from Tokyo at 2 pm, and train B leaves Kyoto at 4,
and the wind is blowing at 35 kilometers per hour
while a sparrow flies 50 meters overhead, how long
will it take the old, three-legged man who lives
on 10th street to get to the corner store...
without his shoes on?"

Minako broke out into a fit of giggles. "It sounds
like torment enough for me. Math sucks!"

"Math is actually a vital component of a well-
rounded education," intoned a deep voice as a
shadow fell upon them.

Minako's eyes got impossibly wide and she huddled
next to Usagi. "Oh my god, I think the devil actually
heard you, Usagi," she hissed fearfully.

Usagi, however, was less impressed. "And speaking
of the devil," she sighed, "ladies and gentlemen,
Satan himself (Mamoru)." She craned her neck upwards,
bitter that, no matter what, her world did seem to
revolve around this man. "Satan, how do you do it?
You always pop out of nowhere at just the right times."

"Call it a gift,"