Having no sense of caution even with Tsumugu threatening to kill me, I said to him ironically, "You think your little threats can faze me? I could go full on naked to even the odds y'know."

Mako took my sarcasm seriously and stopped choking on stale potato chips to give one of her declarative species. As always, she looked completely serious when she did this.

"No!" she shouted at me. "A girl only reveals herself in full glory to the person she loves most in the world! Ryuuko, you don't honestly love Mr. Mohawk Man that deeply, do you?!" Ignoring my comment that she was missing the point, Mako went on, "After all, the reason you wear Senketsu is because you love him the most! You couldn't wear a piece of living clothing if you didn't love him. It would just be icky! This is what it means for a maiden to entrust her bare skin to someone!"

I wondered if there was something else Mako was trying to tell me other than staying clothed, but just then Senketsu said he WANTED me to wear him because otherwise I might catch cold. (By the way, Spring was already well underway.) Mako and Senketsu were both being so nonsensical and missing the point, I couldn't help but start laughing. The tension in the room suddenly lifted. Senketsu, Mako, and I were all giggling at and with each other. Tsumugu withdrew saying he "didn't feel like" shooting us anymore. After that, Mikisugi led us to a small spare room with two empty bunks that seemed more like barracks.

"Yaaay, bed!" cried Mako, leaping onto one of them. She looked up and studied me with her caramel eyes and lightly flushed cheeks. "Ryuuko-chan, we're on the same wavelength now! That means I understand what you're thinking about."

I blushed, hoping she hadn't noticed me glancing at her skirt when she leaped into bed. I put on a tough face and said that Mako couldn't possibly guess my thoughts.

"But I can," she insisted. "And to be honest, it's getting annoying!" She put on a stubborn expression, unaware of its cuteness. "You're thinking about me again, Ryuuko, when just earlier you were only thinking about Senketsu! You need to make up your mind."

"I need to make up MY mind?" I exclaimed, guessing what she had been trying to say. "YOU'RE the one who won't make up your mind about being with me! YOU'RE the one who lets Gamagori go after you!"

"Ryuuko-chan, you're just not being fair," Mako snapped with the beginnings of tears in her eyes. "You get so angry about the Gamagori thing, but you're allowed to make yourself naked in front of tons of other people because you want to combine with Senketsu or whatever that is! Don't you think I feel jealous sometimes too?"

I suddenly understood her outburst earlier and fell silent. I sat beside Mako on the bunk, and slowly took her hand. Both of our hands, I noticed, were trembling.

"I'm so, so sorry, Mako," I stated in a low voice. "I didn't know you'd been feeling this way. I know you don't quite understand Life Fibers, but I have to show my skin to transform and fight with Senketsu. I promise I don't do it because I want attention. And look, it's not about who I love more. I love you and Senketsu equally, but in different ways."

Mako wiped her eyes with her free hand and squeezed my hand with her other. "You love us—in different ways?" she sniffled.

"Yes," I nodded sincerely. "Senketsu is a friend, a battle partner, and someone I can always trust and count on. But I can't, well—I can't feel anything like 'romantic love' for another species… that's just not how it works. Mako, you're the one I feel THAT way about. I… I want to be able to kiss you… I want to take you on a date… I want you to stay with me, like, all the time. Dammit, I fell in love."

Mako hugged me suddenly. Somewhat surprised, I looked into her eyes. She was still crying a little, but she didn't look unhappy. Her body trembled and she moved her face closer to mine as if she was about to say something important. At the last moment, she smiled, closed her eyes, and quickly but fervently kissed my lips.

"Mako!" I almost shouted in surprise.

She leapt away from the bunk, blushing all the way up to her ears and saying, "Sorry Ryuuko, Mako got carried away! Um… I'm really happy to hear you feel this way about me… and I'm happy that you love me and Senketsu the same, in different ways. I won't be jealous anymore. But still, you see, my family might be treated bad by the rest of the alley people if it got out that I liked another girl. My dad might lose his clinic because of the reputation it would give us."

"Hmm, that IS a pretty serious problem," I admitted. "Those jerks in Honnou-town shouldn't judge love like that, but I have no problem believing they do think that way. I've got an idea, though, Mako."

"And I already know what your idea is," Mako bragged, "because I can read your mind, Ryuuko-chan. We can be a top secret, nobody-knows-but-us-and-Senketsu, super-ultra-hush-hush STEALTH COUPLE!"

Laughing wholeheartedly, I agreed. "I would love that. We won't make it obvious when we're around other people. We probably shouldn't risk dates yet. Oh, and don't worry," I added quickly, "I'm new to this whole thing too. It's almost as scary for me as for you. We'll go slowly, so we can trust each other each step of the way."

"I really do like you, Ryuuko," Mako smiled. "A whole lot."

***Break***

Night had fallen, and I had been outside in the ruins of Osaka talking to Senketsu and Mikisugi. Hearing Mikisugi explain the Mohawk Man's past proved somewhat interesting, but what happened next turned out infinitely more so.

Jakuzure briefly returned to the site of the above-ground headquarters she had destroyed. She looked ready to pounce at us at a moment's notice if one of us moved, but she initiated no attack. She put on a smug smile and said she figured she hadn't really destroyed ALL of us "naked apes." Then she threw something—a piece of cloth?—and I caught it out of the air perfectly. Actually, it was an envelope and enclosed letter.

"You came all this way to deliver a letter?" I asked, scowling.

"I would do anything for Satsuki-sama," the petite girl replied. "The content of that letter is for your eyes alone."

Jakuzure took to the air and left after that, and I opened the letter almost at once, not really caring that Mikisugi could probably see it too. If this was some kind of manipulation from Satsuki or Nui, then Nudist Beach should know about it too. The letter read,

"Matoi,

This letter serves as your invitation to the Grand Culture and Sports Festival. I have sent it in secret, and Jakuzure is the only one other one who knows of it. If you receive duplicates, or if you receive any form of letter or communication from Harime Nui, do not believe a word of it. She may convince you stay away from Honnouji, or she may attempt to establish false friendship with you. I have a very good reason for inviting you to the Festival personally. You will understand when you arrive. I hope to see you even stronger than you were during our previous battle, and smarter as well, though the second hope is probably pointless. Regards, Lady Kiryuuin Satsuki."

"Sounds like a trap," said Mikisugi as I closed the letter carelessly. "She called it the Grand Culture and Sports Festival, did she? I'll investigate this and see if anything noteworthy comes up. No, you can keep the letter, Ryuuko-kun. If I need to look at it again, I'll find you. Meanwhile, enjoy the great fortune of a personal letter from the marvelous Satsuki-sama."

"Shut the hell up," I said in response to his sarcasm.

After Mikisugi left, I realized to my surprise that a small, torn piece of paper had been slipped in the envelope beside Satsuki's Letter. I began to read it and felt more and more like it must be some kind of prank. There was no way this could be real.

"Listen, Transfer Student," I read the scrap of paper under my breath, "you had better obey Satsuki on this one. Come and help us fight. If you don't, then next time I see you, I swear I'll kill you. Do you have any idea how much time and effort Satsuki put into making you stronger? Just this once, trust her. And one more thing. What Satsuki said about Nui is the truth. Don't EVER make an alliance with her. Listen, that little girl is messed up. Besides being a puppet of the Life Fibers, that little bitch really, really hurt Satsuki-chan. She'll try and do the same to you, and even though we kind of hate your guts, we need you untampered. Signed, Jakuzure nonon."

I couldn't make heads or tails of this message, and thought it must be some kind of elaborate trap. Why would Satsuki need ME? And did she honestly think I would ever take her side? What the hell was that about making me stronger? All Satsuki ever did was bully people around and make me pissed off, I thought. And of course I would never ally myself with that Demon Nui. Why would Jakuzure ever think that? And what she mean about getting hurt?

"Makes no sense," I muttered. "I'm going to bed."