The nerd was too composed for Setsuka's liking. The other man, Suzuki, sputtered like a good boy, but not the nerd. He kept his composure.

"Setsuka-san," said Ren, his smile a roughly plastered mask. "What are you doing here?"

Setsuka's pout slipped into a frown. "What does it look like I'm doing? Getting a dress. You didn't answer the question. Do you like it?"

She took a twirl, making a slow show of it as she watched his reaction over her shoulder.

"Ah, yeah. You would look good in anything I guess." He said it in the most boring, nice-guy way possible. Like, "Oh, yes, the weather is nice." Or "Work was fine today, I guess." This was not what Setsuka wanted. Hell, she knew she could produce a better result. She should. She was Setsuka Heel for hell's sake. She knew how appealing she was.

A smile crept up her lips. If that was how he was going to play, that just meant more fun for her. Maybe it was better this way.

She placed a manicured hand on his chest and then started to circle him, letting her nails drag slowly after. She felt his breath catch under her fingers. Though she couldn't see his eyes through the glasses, she knew he was watching her closely.

"What an unenthusiastic answer," she murmured. Her hand crossed to his shoulder. "Makes a girl sad that she even tried." It trailed along his back. "I guess I'll have to find an even bolder dress." She reached up and spread her fingers across the back of his neck.

A shiver ran through Ren's body. She felt the vibrations of it, the press of his neck hair standing on end against the pads of her fingers. Something hot spread through her own chest. His skin felt so warm and soft under her hands. She wanted to feel more. To know what it was like to run her fingers through his hair. Kyoko had done it once. Kyoko had let him place his head on her lap and play with his hair. Surely Setsuka deserved the same.

She did as she wanted and reached up further. It was easy since the nerd was hunched, almost as if he wanted this. Her fingers crept into his hair.

Ren turned around, breaking contact. He stooped even more, rubbing his neck furiously with an awkward grin. It was the sort of flustered one might expect from a socially inept nerd. Not from someone who supposedly found her attractive and for a moment, she despaired.

Then she saw his eyes over the rim of his glasses. To those watching from behind his back, he looked and sounded every ounce like the nerd the group was familiar with. His eyes, however, told a completely different story.

Ah, there you are.

Intense and laser-focused, the emperor was finally present.

"S-sorry," said Ren in an apologetic voice that did not match his eyes. "I'm a little ticklish."

"Don't worry about it." She reached up again, taking advantage of his slouch to lace her fingers together behind his neck. Ren let out an almost inaudible grunt that was definitely not part of his persona. "Just means we have to get used to touching each other a little bit more." She tugged him ever so slightly closer.

Ren's eyes widened as the emperor disappeared. Red blossomed across his cheeks. It spread to his ears, and she felt the warmth of it across his neck through her hands. Setsuko's heart thudded hard in reaction. His hands hovered on either side of her, obviously torn between wanting to hold her and whatever else it was that held him back.

This was what she wanted. To throw him off balance. To see with her own eyes this supposed "attraction" he had toward her. Or her owner, whatever. They were the same. Despite knowing how bold Setsuka was, he had not expected her to do this. Not modest, traditional Kyoko. But Sexy-chan had been right. This dress made her feel confident.

Or maybe it was the mess of a man it had helped to create in front of her. How easily he had become putty under her hands with just a little less fabric and a little more skin contact. She had his full, intense attention.

It wasn't enough. She wanted to reach up on tiptoe and press her lips to his throat. To find that juncture between pleasure and pain. To hear him gasp as she bit down to stake her claim for all the other girls to see. This man was hers, and he always had been.

"S-Setuka-san," said Ren, but it held a bite of a warning to it. Hints of the emperor had returned.

She ignored the warning. She leaned closer. Her hand moved to his jaw, reaching up for his glasses, and began to pull them off.

Ren seized both her hands.

His posture changed. He was no longer gangly and awkward; his every move was powerful and deliberate. She recognized this man, but it wasn't the one that she had been trying to pull out.

"Setsu," growled Cain's low and dangerous voice. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"And why not?" said Setsuka. "What are you even doing here? You ruined my fun."

"I'm trying to stop you from doing something stupid."

He stood to his full height, still holding her wrists. While it wasn't Tsuruga Ren, she was still pleased. She loved her brother. Loved the emboldening sensation of her brother's attention on her. It made her feel alive and seen and so much more.

She finally cracked a knowing smile. She knew what desires lurked behind her brother's eyes now. The master of that body wanted the master of hers. It had always been there, that desire. It was a part of Cain just as surely as her master's feelings had become a part of her devotion to him.

And her brother still had no idea that she knew.

It made her want to tease him.

"You know how I've missed you," she cooed.

"We were retired, Setsu, you know that."

"But that doesn't mean I like it."

They remained close. She had almost pressed against him to reach his glasses due to his height, something she was doubly aware of due to her current state of attire. Or lack of it. She gave her shoulders a small shake to draw attention to her dress. His eyes flashed dangerously behind his glasses at the gesture.

"What do you think?" said Setsuka. "Of the dress?"

"You make everything look good," said Cain in his typical deadpan way.

"Not you too?" Cain was apparently a lot better at keeping himself in control than Nerd-Ren had been. Boo. "Fine. Whatever. Can you get it for me, Nii-san? I was thinking of wearing it tonight at the party."

"No," he said, and Setsuka cheered at the note of irritation in his voice. "I'll buy you every other dress in this store, but not this one."

"Knowing you Nii-san, you mean that literally. I have no use for three dozen dresses."

"So? If you want them then it's my obligation as your brother to get them for you."

"You know I'll just make you return them."

His grip on her wrist tightened ever so slightly. It made her breath hitch. He disliked the idea that she would reject his presents to her. She saw his irritation. Felt the possessive grip that wanted to lavish her with gifts.

"You're not getting this dress," he said in a voice that expected to be obeyed. "Go get changed."

"But Nii-san—"

"—Setsuka."

"Fine," she yielded. "But that's going to be a little hard if you continue to hold me."

She wriggled her wrists. He watched the movement for a full five seconds as if struggling with something. Then let go.

She resisted the urge to rub at the spots, not from pain, but to remember the place with their skin connected. She was sorely tempted to keep teasing him, but something was kicking at the back of her mind.

Ah, that was probably Kyoko.

Fine, I guess I'll be happy with that. For now.

She strode past him, intending to give him a good view of her bare back. After two steps, she paused, unable to resist one last trick. Looking over her shoulder, she kept her expression perfectly innocent and just managed to catch his eyes springing up to her face away from her backside.

Excellent.

"Did you want to join me in the changing room?" she said. "You could help me with the zipper."

The almost nonexistent zipper.

"No." He was so obnoxiously composed she scowled more from that than the answer. "Now go get changed."

She pursed her lips. "Killjoy." Then blew a kiss before waltzing past the other girls and back into the changing room.

Kyoko didn't return to her body until she was fully dressed.

Then she was curled up on the floor, a gooey puddle of embarrassment.

What the actual hell! What was that? Why would Setsuka do that?

No. She was not going to blame it all on her character. Kyoko could have stopped it. She just didn't want to. Because being Kyoko had been too embarrassing.

Which was silly because now she had made it worse!

I bet I looked so stupid.

She pounded the floor for the thousandth time. What sort of woman did Tsuruga-san think she was now? Did he think her a flirt? A floozy? That she threw her body at every man who looked twice at her?

Someone knocked on her door.

"Kyoko-san?" came Saukra's voice. "I'm sure you're a mess in there, but it's time to leave. You have to come out."

Goodbye, my dignity. I'm ready to face the music and hear life's cackles. You're a ruthless conductor. I commit the rest of my shame to your name. I shall bear no more of this and give myself up to your whims.

With her head held high, Kyoko opened the door.

Only Sakura met her. The woman blinked in surprise, obviously not expecting Kyoko's composure.

"I have decided there is nothing I can do that will bring me any more embarrassment," said Kyoko. "I will not be afraid of anything anymore."

Sakura raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Does that include confessing to him?"

Kyoko shrank in on herself. "No. I was lying. I'm even more afraid now."

Sakura sighed, gathering Kyoko into her arms as they walked out of the boutique.

"I promise it's okay," said Sakura. "I don't know what happened, or why you guys acted like that, but he didn't look mad. Not at all."

"But he probably thinks poorly of me now! I was so… so… exposed!" She put her face into her hands and wailed. "And then Setsu-chan made it so much worse."

"Honestly, I think this Setsu-chan, whoever it was you became, made it much better, not worse. Man, I wish I'd had my camera."

Kyoko was about to push herself out of the arms of her traitor, blurting words of betrayal and Brutus, when a store worker stopped them from leaving. In a fit of paranoia, Kyoko thought they were going to be banned from the store due to her behavior. But the woman was polite as she stopped them, straining from the weight of four rectangular bags filled with sleek boxes in various colors.

"Excuse me, Miss? Are you Kyoko-sama?"

"Yes?"

The woman held out the bags. "The gentleman from before bought these. He instructed me to give them to you after you left. He said it may take you a while but that I'd know you by your bright orange hair and—" she hesitated a moment, looking embarrassed. "—and your depressed demeanor."

Well, Ren had described her alright. But what was with the bags? She glanced at Sakura, but the woman looked just as confused.

"Right," said Kyoko, taking them by reflex more than anything. "Thanks."

She did her best to inspect the insides as they walked back to the bus, encumbered as she was by the four bags. Each seemed to hold one large box and several smaller ones of various sizes and colors. She recognized a few brand names written in fancy calligraphy.

"What do you think this is?" said Kyoko.

"If I had to guess," said Sakura. "I think they're dresses. He did threaten to buy you dresses."

Kyoko groaned. "Yeah, he did." Which meant she should turn around and return every single item. But they could see the bus and the attendants could see them and they were waving in irritation because they were late, and Kyoko doubted Ren had stuck the receipts it the bag… That just wasn't going to happen right now.

As Sakura and Kyoko climbed in, Kyoko caught the eye of Maria, who sat in one of the front row seats. The Chibi-devil looked Kyoko up and down, giving a devious smile.

"Sorry," she said in fake sincerity. "I hope you didn't run into any of the boys while shopping. There was a mix-up with the times between the buses."

It was at times like this that the similarities between granddaughter and grandfather were so vivid that Kyoko could not distinguish between the two. This child was destined to be as great a force of nature as Lory.

"Maria-chan," said Kyoko sweetly. "You're officially uninvited to all of my future birthday parties forever."

Tears immediately welled in Maria's eyes. "Y-you can't mean that Onee-sama!"

"I can and I do. And your crocodile tears don't fool me, you forget how we met."

The tears immediately dried up. Maria leaned back in her chair and waved them away. "Fine. Then go sit in the back and wait like the others. We're still waiting on a few idiots that managed to make it back even later than you two."

Kyoko swallowed down her irritation with Maria and marched Sakura to the back, the bus now twice as full now that dozens of large boxes and bags filled the previously empty seats. They found a spot near the middle, throwing their burdens into the empty seat between them.

"Should we open them now?" said Sakura.

Kyoko did not want to open them. She wanted to throw them and her memories of the entire encounter into the trash. Whatever Ren had purchased for her, she seriously doubted it was the tasteful goth outfits Cain would purchase for his sister. Ren had purchased these dresses, which meant… something. She had no idea.

He likes me.

But she had also just teased the ever-loving hell out of him. Setsuka or no, Kyoko had been behind that. She had let it happen. Many of those desires Setsuka had acted on were latent desires Kyoko had shoved deep within her. Ren was sure to be disgusted if he ever found out.

"Let's leave them for now," said Kyoko, kicking one of the bags under the chair in front of her. The move did not go unnoticed by Sakura who eyed her carefully.

"You really are quite the actress," said Sakura. "It seemed like you were a completely different person. Like, if you were somehow two people, I would believe that."

"Thanks," said Kyoko, not listening. She curled up in the chair like a pill bug and stayed there.

She was such an idiot. She should have never tried on that dress. She should have never tried to be sexy. She was just an ugly unappealing idiot. So what if Setsuka or even Natsu could look sexy? Kyoko didn't have that confidence. The second Ren showed up she'd run just as surely as if she'd physically bolted from the room.

What must he think of me?

Was he embarrassed by her behavior? Kyoko sure as hell was. He hadn't approved. Cain had made sure to let her know that. She should never have tried to seduce Japan's sexiest bachelor with her flat body.

Her thoughts continued to stew in the pot of self-flagellation the whole bus ride home. She wanted nothing more than to sprint to her room, lock the door, and never come out. She was stopped from doing just that by one of the techs the moment they arrived.

"We need to do group interviews," said the tech. "You two are the first group of girls."

She and Sakura weren't even allowed to place their purchases in their rooms. They were just quickly shoved into one of the lounge rooms and directed to sit on a loveseat as techs flitted about with cables and lights. Two seconds later, Bow-san, Sexy-chan and Hime were shoved into the opposite sofa, their bags scattering across the ground as well. Bow-San's expression lit up the second she spotted Kyoko.

"Girl," said Bow-San with such breathless anticipation she could have been standing outside a Best Buy on Black Friday pre-online-shopping era. "What was that back at the shop?"

Kyoko was saved from the humiliation of answering by Ryou. He strode into the room with purpose, cutting her off.

"Nope. Don't speak yet. We want genuine conversation and reactions. We will be going over a lot in a short time, so I'll keep you guys on task."

He settled into the armchair facing the women, shuffling a stack of cards and notes in his hands.

"It's the first engagement party and we want to set the scene for the audience. Much like with personal interviews, this is your time to show the audience what's really going on. Now, while I know a lot, I don't know everything. So, there will be time at the end to talk about things you want to address, but right now we are going to prompt you guys on a few key things."

He wasted no time launching into topics, starting with Sexy-chan and Bow-San. They addressed the drama with Yoshio. Their feelings, frustrations, and their new friendship as well as any potential new suitors they were eyeing. The women were happy to answer, going into more detail about how they felt tricked and betrayed by Yoshio. Kyoko got the sense the women could have gone on for hours, but Ryou was expertly able to keep their discussion on task, highlighting the important moments and overall feelings while also helping them feel like their side was being heard. It was honestly impressive. This was the first time Kyoko had seen his interview skills, save for her own, and she now knew why Maria had made him the host.

The same thing happened with Hime and her general overview of her romance with Suzuki. It was much shorter as there was little drama, but he got Hime cooing happily about her beloved fiancé.

He then jumped to Sakura, eyes quickly taking in her position next to Kyoko on the loveseat.

"Now, you two," he said. "Last I'd heard there was a rejection and request for space. But that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. Is there more going on that we should be aware of?"

"Nothing more than friendship," said Sakira easily. "We talked, I sucked up my feelings and now I am Kyoko-san's number one cheerleader."

"So, no hard feelings," said Ryou, looking as if that was disappointing.

"None whatsoever," said Sakura, which Kyoko appreciated. She had gotten the sense after seeing Sakura's entirely red face in the store that all the romantic feelings may not have fully dissipated. But it seemed Sakura wasn't going to make it an issue.

Ryou rolled with the answer as if it was what he expected. "I did hear that something happened while you guys were shopping. Some sort of incident with you two and the men?"

Despite the slightly incorrect statement, Kyoko was pretty sure she knew what the man was talking about and wanted nothing more than to gloss over the whole thing. Before she could do just that, Hime-san jumped in.

"Yes! What was all that Kyoko-san?" said Hime, leaning forward in the chair. "The other two said it was a bet? But what was up with that whole thing with Ren?"

"We all want to know what that was," said Bow-San. Her smile was more of a grimace, irritation hidden behind her doe-eyed stare that dripped with honey. "I thought you said you didn't know how to flirt."

"I don't!" Kyoko felt like a wind-up doll. "Look. I freaked out, okay? I didn't know R-Ren-san would be there!"

"Usually when I freak out," said Bow-San dryly, "I might jump back. Maybe yell for a second, stutter, or flush. Not strut up to my crush and suggest he help me undress in the dressing room."

If blacking out was an option, Kyoko would have taken it by now. There was more than enough heat produced by the combination of the lighting equipment and the burn of embarrassment. She may have also briefly considered jumping out the window.

"That wasn't me!" she screeched. "That was Setsu-chan."

There was a brief pause where everyone stared.

"Setsu…chan?"

"Look—" How best to explain this? "—I'm a method actor, okay? Once I make these characters, they sort of, live rent-free in my brain, able to jump into my skin at a moment's notice. I was freaked out after seeing R-Ren-san there and wanted to escape and so…."

She trailed off as the looks of confusion shifted to alarm.

"You have multiple personalities or something?" said Sexy-chan. "Not judging. Just curious."

"They become a part of me," said Kyoko. "When you spend that long creating a character, dissecting their likes and dislikes, hopes, fears, and what they love. It's almost like you recreate yourself into a whole other person. So, sort of, but not really. When you stop playing them it's almost like saying goodbye to a good friend. And with Setsu-chan… there were days I was portraying her for 12 hours straight. Often more. And that dress is her style, and she would not have been embarrassed to wear it at all. So, I sort of…. let her take over?"

There was a beat of silence. Everyone stared with varying levels of incredulity and amusement. It was Ryou-san that ended up breaking the silence.

"Would someone mind explaining what happened for the audience?"

Kyoko let her head fall into her hands and stayed there as the three women on the other couch launched into their explanation with glee. It was apparent they all thought this was very amusing and deserved to be retold with details and demonstrations. Hime stood up, taking Kyoko's role as she sashayed toward a standing Sexy-chan, her giggles ruining the reenactment. Kyoko watched none of it, Sakura patting her on the back on occasion in sympathy.

"But that poor boy," said Hime-san, having reached the end of Kyoko's part. "The second Kyoko-san disappeared behind her door he was sputtering. Honestly, I was surprised he lasted that long."

"Come to think of it, he kept it together pretty well," said Bow-san. "Even seemed like a different person for a while there."

"He's a method actor as well," said Kyoko into her hands. "Played opposite Setsu-chan."

It didn't matter she was spilling all these previously kept secrets. The world knew Tsuruga Ren had been BJ and thus, had been the actor Cain. What most people didn't know was who had played his sister during the whole production. That secret had been kept at Kyoko's behest. She had been too embarrassed to be associated with Ren in such a strange sexually tense situation. The lack of explanation caused the rumors to run wild.

They died down quickly due to a lack of evidence or any updates. Setsuka had turned into an urban legend among the other workers and actors who had witnessed her. It also helped that Ren avoided answering any questions out of consideration of her feelings.

She doubted anyone would put two and two together anyway. Setsu was considered deep lore at this point even among the Ren fandom. No, the only people who would likely pinpoint who she was were those who had been on set and seen her.

…except due to Tsuruga Ren's popularity, this run of the show was likely to garner a ton of attention, and thus, someone would eventually out who exactly Setsuka had been.

Thank goodness it's obvious nothing has ever happened between us. I was underage at that point.

Amid this internal crisis, someone walked to Kyoko and slapped a hand on her back. Kyoko looked up on instinct into the kind expression of Sexy-chan.

"Well, Kyoko-san," she said. "I have some good news. First, is that Ren-san isn't gay."

Kyoko grimaced. "That was never a question."

"Second," continued Sexy-chan as if she hadn't heard her. "is that you don't need flirting lessons. Just let this Setsu-chan take over and you guys won't make it to the bedroom before he rips the dress off you."

This time Kyoko did black out.

By the time she returned, Bow-san was laughing. Something about their future role play in the bedroom being epic. Kyoko did not need that image in her head, no thank you.

"Well, poo, looks like we were wrong," said Hime, her voice much closer than Kyoko had remembered.

That's when she realized that all four of the women were on their feet, Kyoko's shopping bags open. The contents were being torn into with the enthusiasm of five-year-olds on Christmas.

Kyoko surged to her feet. "What are you doing?"

"Told you she blue-screened," said Sexy-chan.

"I told them Ren-san had bought you some clothes," said Sakura. The traitor held a pair of shoes, trying to determine which dress they went with. "Then Ashiya-chan said Ren-san had likely bought the black dress. I said he probably didn't. We're going to figure out who was right."

"Looks like Sakura was," said Hime, yanking the last dress out of its box. "Well, this one is still sexier than anything I would expect Kyoko to wear."

The dress had a v-neck, though not even close to as long as the previous dress had been. That was where the similarities pretty much ended. The top portion was white with open bishop sleeves and a short, paneled, blue skirt. It gave Kyoko the impression of a uniform.

This didn't seem like a dress Kyoko would wear. What had Ren been thinking? It tickled something in the back of her mind. Curious, she considered the other dresses.

Bow-san held a dress that looked more Chinese in style than Japanese. It was dark green with a keyhole high neckline and a set of long black gloves. The green transitioned into a pattern of white, black, and green flowers near the bottom of the long skirt which had a pair of thigh-long slits on each side.

Sakura held a dress that was black, long, and sleek with a turtleneck collar. Lace covered the long sleeves and much of the bodice portion. It was very plain compared to the others.

It was the dress Sexy-chan held that put the pieces together. The color was a bright shocking pink, not quite as gaudy and obnoxious as the curse she wore, but at least a wannabe cousin. It also looked like a stereotypical formal uniform, a mid-length pencil skirt with quarter-length sleeves and a white ribbon that hung from the collar. It also came with a matching double-breasted cape jacket.

Her soft "Oh," of understanding snagged the attention of all the other girls.

"What is it?" said Bow-san, who was full-on pouting at this point. "You can make sense of this eclectic mess of styles Tsuruga Ren-san got for you?"

"It's not important," said Kyoko. "Look, Ryou-san is signaling for us to finish. Others need to do their group interviews."

Sexy-chan threw her dress onto the couch like the spawn of hell it was trying to imitate. She then took three long steps, settled a casual elbow on Kyoko's shoulder, and smiled like a used car salesman.

"Here's the thing," said Sexy-chan. "You wore a very sexy dress. It caused a certain reaction in your boyfriend. As the initiator of such an event, I have a certain level of care invested in this drama. So, Ryou-san and the others can wait their turn because I'm not moving until you spill your guts as to why he chose these dresses."

"That was a very unnecessary amount of malice in that cohesion," said Kyoko. Her inner demons had loved every second.

Sexy-chan's smile stretched. "What malice? Can't you see I'm smiling?"

"Fine, I get it. Just stop smiling like that." Kyoko shrugged off Sexy-chan, motioning to the white and blue dress. "This one is Natsu-chan." She pointed to the black dress. "Mio-sama." To the green. "Momiji-san," and last to the pink monstrosity. "My Love-me uniform. He gave me dresses related to some of the roles I've played." She paused for a second. "I think he was telling me that I can be anyone I need to be around him if needed…just not Setsu-chan."

Don't do it again.

She could practically hear those words from him, see his intense expression. She felt it was true, even if she didn't have any solid evidence to support it.

Sexy-chan let out a loud short laugh.

"He's saying he doesn't want you to dress all sexy where anyone can see you." She snickered into her hand. "Looks like I was wrong. You have a possessive one."

"That's not it," said Hime. "He was probably thinking of Kyoko-san's comfort since she's so shy around him."

Sexy-chan gave her a look. "I wouldn't call Kyoko-san shy."

"She is when it comes to Ren-san."

"I'm with Ashya-san on this one," said Sakura. "Ren-san one hundred percent does not want other men to see Kyoko dressed like that."

They continued to bicker over Ren's intentions. Kyoko was more than happy to shut them all out and focus on putting away the dresses. Ryou eventually managed to make them stop and ordered them to help and move out of the way for the next group as they had indeed gone way over their time. He muttered something about not even getting to everything as he practically had to kick Hime out the door.

As Kyoko took the last box from Bow-san, she noticed the woman looked pensive.

"Something wrong?' said Kyoko.

Bow-san blinked a few times before giving one of her trademark cute shrugs with a wink.

"No problems," she said. "Besides my boy troubles, of course."

"Of course," echoed Kyoko. "Thank you for the help with the bags."

She and Sakura were finally able to escape the cameras and drop everything in Kyoko's room. Once there, they collapsed onto the bed, their burdens scattering onto the floor.

"I want to take a nap before the party," grumbled Sakura. "We have time, right?"

"I don't want to go," groaned Kyoko. "I can't face Ren-san again after that."

There was a shuffling, and then Kyoko was smacked in the face with a pillow. She sputtered, barely recovering from the shock before getting smacked again.

"Hey!"

"I'm not going to sit and listen to your stupid bellyaching," said Sakura, bringing the pillow down for a third time. "He didn't think you looked stupid." She raised the pillow again, but Kyoko scrambled off the bed. It slapped into the covers. "And if he did, who cares? You were freaking hot and if he backs off because of that—" Kyoko dived behind a chair as another pillow flew overhead. "—I'll just snatch you away right under his nose!"

There was a creak and Kyoko looked up to see Sakura with another pillow raised over her head. She looked like a woman possessed of a mission, frazzled and exasperated.

"He wasn't the only one who took the time to get you a dress," said Sakura. "And unlike him, I got one I know you'll like. So you can wear that instead of hiding behind one of your billion personas and have a decent talk about how he felt when he saw you in that dress. Capiche?"

"Uh, Capiche."

Mercifully, Sakura lowered the pillow. She yanked open her own purchases and pulled out a long glittering dress. It was one of the dresses Kyoko had tried on, and consequently, the one she had liked the most. It was a deep purple princess gown with a tulle skirt and off-the-shoulder sleeves. The best part was the stars and constellations subtly stitched into the fabric. They winked and twinkled in the light.

It was beautiful. And it was way too nice of a present for someone as underserving as Kyoko.

"I'll pay you back," said Kyoko.

"You will not," said Sakura. "And thanks to our shoe swap I know your size, so you can't give me the excuse of not having anything that matches. And besides." She threw back her hair with a flourish, looking entirely too proud of herself. "It will provide me with endless pleasure if you were to wear the dress I bought for you instead of one of the ones that Ren-san did. I can't wait to tease him about it. Or do you have a different dress you would rather wear?"

Kyoko didn't. And she knew without asking that Maria would not let her off the set again. Not for this reason.

Plus, it felt good to be chastised for being stupid.

Sakura was right. Kyoko was being dramatic. Ren hadn't said outright that he was disgusted with her attempt at being sexy. There was no point in catastrophizing. She would hear his answer and then revert to being a mess.

Kyoko strode forward, taking the dress.

"Thanks, I owe you one," said Kyoko, and Sakura beamed. "But I get the feeling that this is more about you being able to tease him than me."

"…If I say yes, will you wear the dress?"

Thanks for reading!

And Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!