As Sailor Mars patrolled Juuban Park under the cover of dusk, she stayed on high alert. Jewelry store robberies had been on the rise, and rumor had it that even a modest engagement ring was enough to make people targets. Rei couldn't ignore the sense of unease that came with each new report; something strange was definitely happening, and she had a strong suspicion it wasn't just greedy humans behind the crime wave.
Tonight, she sensed a different energy—a presence she couldn’t immediately identify. In a nearby clearing, she spotted a young couple, oblivious to the world as the man went down on one knee. The woman gasped, her hands covering her mouth in delighted shock. Rei almost smiled at, but as the man slid the ring onto his fiancée's finger, her senses flared. The inhuman presence was close and growing stronger by the second.
Her expression grew steely. Is the monster after the ring? she wondered. She stepped into the shadow of the trees, mentally preparing to summon her fire powers.
“Whoever’s out there,” she said, scowling into the shadows suspiciously, “I suggest you show yourself now. I won’t let you ruin this moment.”