(Note: The Exam Specials interrupt the Dead Moon arc. Their storylines take place before the Dead Moon arc, during the time that Usagi and her friends were applying to high schools.)

Exam 1: Mako-chan's Depression



A man walks into Makoto's house carrying a bouquet of roses. Makoto comes out with a platter of food. "Welcome home, honey!" she calls to the man. "Since today's our one year marriage anniversary, I've made all kinds of treats!" The man thanks her, but says that he smells something burning. Makoto wakes up from her dream and runs to the kitchen. While she was napping, she burned a meatloaf. A commercial for JAL Airlines comes on TV, and she jumps at the sound of the plane.

The doorbell rings. The other girls come in a set up for an entrance exam study session. She offers them camomille tea to help them relax. Ami hears "relax" and says that they've had enough tea and enough relaxation--it's time to study!

After studying for a while, Makoto gets bored and sleepy. She jumps up and starts bringing the girls a delicious dinner. They all rave over how good everything is, and Makoto says that it only took her one night to prepare. Ami tells her that interrupting her studies for cooking is unacceptable and she is not to do that anymore. At that moment, the JAL commercial comes on again. Makoto jumps and explains that ever since her parents were killed in a plane crash, she's never liked the sound of airplanes.

The clock strikes eleven, and Makoto thanks the girls for coming for tea and dinner. As they leave, Usagi says that she thought they went for studying.

At one in the morning, Makoto is still cleaning her apartment. She finally calls it quits and thinks to herself that exams will be easy with Ami for a study partner.

In school, Makoto gets a test back. She scored a 40%. Ami of course got a 100%. Feeling depressed, Makoto visits the gardening club's room. One of the boys reminds her that ninth grade students have to take important exams and aren't allowed to participate in clubs.

Usagi and Makoto meet at the Crown Fruit Parlor and sample one of Unazuki's new hibiscus teas. The sour taste makes them pucker their lips. Unazuki claims that the sour taste will keep them awake when they study. She takes them over to the shop where she bought it, Pri-Pri. In addition to tea, the shop also sells jewelry boxes and cushions. Makoto falls in love immediately, and is upset when Usagi pries her away to go study.

When the girls study at Makoto's again, she tries to get out of studying by offering them tea. This time, Ami stops her. She brought green tea and she will prepare it so Makoto can study. Not to give up so easily, Makoto breaks out another delicious one-night-to-prepare dinner. Ami goes ballistic: "Exam students have to eat Cup Ramen! If you have the time to cook, you should be working problems!" Then, Ami swipes a finger across the counter. When no dust comes off, she yells at Makoto for cleaning instead of studying. Makoto says that she just wants to relax and be happy and drink tea with her friends. Ami tsks, saying that Makoto is trying to escape reality. Makoto collapses, and Rei pronounces her dead.

"We don't have time to be dead!" screams Ami. "Let's get cracking!"

At night, a strange girls pops out of bubbles and steam in front of Pri-Pri. Her outfit looks like an abbriviated version of Rei's shrine uniform. She is the genus loci named Touhii-chan who has been in China for the past four thousand years and has only just returned to Japan. She's attracted to the sweet smells coming from the store and decides to haunt it. "This shop hs lots of young, escaping prey. Using this spirit of sugar, I can gather more and more escaping kiddies."

Makoto did poorly on a test again: this time she got a 50%. To chase away her disappointment, she goes to Pri-Pri and buys tea, scones, and brownies. However, the new saleperson is Touhii-chan in disguise.

When the girls meet for their study session, Usagi is already complaining about how strict Ami is. "As Shakespeare says," quotes Ami, "'Knowledge is the wing wherewith we fly to heaven!'"

"But," counters a cool Rei, "as Bacon says, 'To spend too much time in studies is sloth.'"

Usagi and Minako are confused, of course. "Is she talking about the bacon you eat?"

Makoto spreads her purchases from Pri-Pri on the table. Suddenly, she starts talking about not caring about high school; all she wants to do is eat and be happy. She collapses to the ground as Touhii-chan rises out of the food. She says she's filled Makoto with sugar spirit, weakening her will. Usagi starts bawling that Makoto can't die yet because they haven't gotten into high school and they haven't gone shopping in Shibuya.

Usagi's tears bring Makoto back to her senses. She transforms into Sailor Jupiter and attacks Touhii-chan with Jupiter Coconut Cyclone, destroying her in a puff of smoke. "Since I've beaten the enemy," says Sailor Jupiter, "my exam is complete." She collapses in exhaustion.

The next spring, Makoto is wearing a Juuban High uniform.

On to Exam 2

On to Act 39

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