PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE

Chapter 14: Intellectual Boundaries

Within the hour, the blue skies of Ginza started to slowly turn darker, although it was still bright enough to see without street lamps. PallaPalla and Midori left the apartment complex and walked side by side down the sidewalk towards Shinbashi district. They didn't talk much along the way since PallaPalla was preoccupied with playing video games on her handheld console while walking. Midori even had to stop her from absently walking onto an intersection while the light was red.

Once PallaPalla had mentioned the name of Japan's foremost doctor and researcher, Mizuno Ami, Midori found it impossible to refuse accompanying her to this study session. True, Midori didn't need the doctor's services, but she found it prudent to at least make her acquaintance early on. In addition, Midori knew that 'Mizuno Ami' was the civilian identity of Sailor Mercury, the Sailor Soldier she had just listened to on the spying device. It would be the perfect opportunity for her to observe both Sailors Pallas and Mercury in person, in case an Erisian decided to attack tonight.

After reaching Shinbashi, PallaPalla switched her console's function from gaming to GPS satellite to try and help them find the Mizuno residence.

"Um," Midori interjected, "this isn't your first time here, correct? Why do you still need a GPS to guide you?"

PallaPalla chuckled, "I keep forgetting! All of the buildings look the same, so I've always confused them before. One time I got so lost that I couldn't keep my appointment, so I just gave up and went home. Chibi-Usa gave this to me as a birthday present, and it's been a real lifesaver!"

"I see..." was Midori's unenthusiastic reply.

"Okay, so we go this way! We better hurry! We only have five minutes left!"

PallaPalla suddenly grabbed Midori's wrist and made her run with her towards a particular mansion. It doubled as a small clinic in the front and a residence in the back. The sign on the front had the traditional asklepian symbol plastered between the kanji for 'Mizuno'.

"Here we are! This is the Mizuno Clinic, where Dr. Mizuno works as a family prattishnier!" PallaPalla exclaimed.

"You mean 'practitioner', yes?"

"Something like that! We have to go around the back!"

The duo hurried along the quaint sidewalk to the backyard, where they found a blue-haired young woman in her mid-20s sitting on the back porch reading a novel. The woman removed her glasses and said, "You're here, PallaPalla."

"Yeah! I hope I'm not too late, Miss Ami!"

"You're right on time, actually. I just got back from work, and... Oh?" Ami blinked upon noticing Midori. "Who is this?"

PallaPalla shoved her annoyed friend in front and exclaimed, "This is our neighbor from the apartment we live in. Her name's Inuken Midori!"

"Good evening, doctor. She requested me to escort her here. I will wait in your living quarters until you are finished," Midori replied.

"Are you sure that's okay? Our sessions usually take up to two hours," Ami wondered.

"I am required to complete a mock thesis for the end of this week. I will utilize this interval to at least get the basics finalized."

"Who are you writing your paper for?" the doctor asked as she led the girls inside.

"Just for Crystal Seminar. It is a dissertation that serves to prepare students for university."

"I remember those," Ami said fondly, feeling awash with nostalgia. "Even today, I still fall back on Crystal Seminar's model for writing papers. So what is the topic you have chosen?"

"Utilizing GPS satellites to track wanted criminals based upon forensic DNA submitted to an international database."

Ami and PallaPalla blinked a few times. As PallaPalla was too stumped to ask what all of that gobbledygook meant, Ami intervened to ask, "D-Don't you think that's a little too advanced?"

"What part of it is too advanced, may I ask?"

"Even when I did mock theses, they were usually historical biographies of doctors and researchers who contributed to modern society. Such a topic would be quite difficult to complete without knowledge of forensics, DNA, medical terms, databasing techniques and computer sciences, not to mention the possibility of fraud or errors."

Midori gruffly sat down on a loveseat and retorted, "Did you forget that this is nothing more than a mock paper? It is not meant to be taken so seriously. My findings will be rudimentary at best; I do not intend to change the world as we know it. Allay such concerns and focus on tutoring PallaPalla. I am capable of handling my own affairs."

"S-Sure, if you say so," Ami sweated nervously. Although they shared the same desire for knowledge, Ami felt quite put off by Midori's attitude. It wasn't a holier-than-thou sort of vibe, but Ami felt like she had been abruptly pushed away and told to mind her own business.

As PallaPalla was growing fidgety with boredom, a fourth figure entered the living room. This person was taller than any of the girls and had back-length orange hair tied into a low ponytail. He wore a simple t-shirt and pants while wiping his wet hands with a towel.

"You're finally here, PallaPalla," he grinned.

"It's been a while, Mr. Shougo!" the girl waved cheerfully at him. "What did you make for me today?"

"Hey, hey, don't be such a spoiled brat. Just because I make cookies often doesn't mean I make them just for you."

"You meanie! Then can I take some flowers home?"

"You better not do that. Ami might think that I'm cheating on her."

Everyone except Midori laughed at his joke. Ami leaned in towards Midori and told her in a low voice so the others wouldn't hear, "That's my fiancé, Masuyoshi Shougo. He's a florist for a shop nearby, and he helps me out with the clinic whenever he can."

"I see. Congratulations," Midori replied in a jejune manner while glancing around at the unusual number of roses placed in vases around the house. She wasn't really interested in Shougo, as she was more concerned with unpacking her books and getting ready for some much-desired quiet study time. She could hear Ami and PallaPalla introducing her to him, so she just gave him a slight nod and tried to go back to reading.

Shougo picked up one of Midori's books and commented with a whistle, "'Forensic DNA Profiling', huh? That's some pretty technical stuff for someone your age."

"I already told her that, but she insisted on researching some futuristic topics," Ami giggled. "It's rather charming to see someone thinking outside the box at such a young age."

"No kidding."

Midori slammed her textbook shut so loud that the noise reverberated across the hallways, startling everyone into silence.

"How frustrating..." she growled.

PallaPalla was bug eyed. She whimpered, "What's the matter, Midori?"

"Is there supposed to be an age limit in what my curiosities are? Do I have to retard my learning capabilities in order to mimic other people my age? Do I need to veil my intellectual capacity to curb such persistently annoying and uncalled for remarks? Everywhere I go, it is always the same thing; I'm too advanced, or I'm pursuing the impossible, or I shouldn't be in this or that school. Either I sacrifice my desire for learning to conform to the hive-minded masses, or I maintain my stance and risk constant rejection. Japan has defined that border, and I must strafe either one or the other without compromise."

Ami raised her hands in defense and uttered, "Midori, I'm sorry. We didn't know..."

Midori gave the doctor a sharp look, effectively shutting her up.

"It is just as I theorized. This country's extreme left-wing ideology has resulted in entire generations of children being subjected to an unbroken, homogeneous education that hasn't evolved since the days of their ancestors. They are constantly preparing for exams designed to be the outside world's measure of 'testing' their capabilities. In reality, intellectual minds are merely being manufactured through these intense processes with little forethought to the individual's future goals.

"Those who cannot conform to this system, whether through impaired learning like PallaPalla or excessive mental capacity such as myself, are deemed failures and/or outcasts both within and without. This also explains Japan's unusually high rate of suicides; committing seppuku to atone for these perceived faults is silently approved as homage to the lost ways of the samurai - a small way of holding on to their rapidly declining culture. This country does a stellar job of hiding its communist and traditionalist stigmas behind a curtain of democracy, high GDP ratings, and technological advancements."

Shougo looked rather befuddled, but Ami felt the sting of the younger girl's words and grabbed her arm nervously.

"Midori, I don't understand what you're saying..." PallaPalla moaned and fidgeted. "You're using lots of those hard words again, and you sound really mad about something."

"Pardon me," the green-haired girl apologized vapidly, settling down after her rant. "It's nothing more than my usual jaded rambling. You and Dr. Mizuno should get started on your studies."

"Okay. But if you're ever mad about something, you can talk to me. Just don't use those big words."

"I'll keep that in mind."