"Mom! Dad! I'm home!" Kagura yelled as she burst through the door. Before she could hear her parents reply, she dashed up the stairs and threw off her clothing before heading straight for the shower. She quickly shampooed her hair and rinsed it out, then scrubbed her body down and turned off the water. She looked down at her watch.

3 minutes 21 seconds.

"New record." She thought to herself. Kagura shook her head back and forth to get rid of any excess water, then reached for a towel and began to dry her body. Once she was all dry, she slipped into a fresh pair of pajamas (a new T-shirt and set of sweat pants) and headed downstairs for dinner. She picked out a cup of microwaveable ramen from the cabinet and began to heat it up. Once it was ready to eat, she doused it with soy sauce, grabbed a pair of disposable chopsticks from the drawer, and went upstairs to her room. Upon entering the room, she placed the ramen on top of a small bookshelf next to her TV. She booted up her VCR and r GM 1ewound a tape that was left in there. Kagura gave thanks for her food, pressed play on the remote, and enjoyed her dinner and entertainment. After she was finished with her meal, she ditched the cup downstairs and turned off her VCR (after rewinding the tape) and in turn booted up her game console. She played a game she had gotten at the store a couple weeks ago for a few hours, then she powered it off and got ready for bed. Once she was done brushing her teeth, she began lifting her weights (as she normally did before going to sleep) and kept on going until her body was drained of all energy. Kagura shut off the lights in her room and got comfortable under the covers. She had hoped that by physically draining herself of any excess energy she might've had, it would make it easier for her to fall asleep and escape the mild excitement she felt from wanting to hang out with her friend. Unfortunately, her lack of energy didn't help, and she was kept awake by the thoughts of what may happen tomorrow. She continued to entertain each and every thought that entered into her mind, planning out and plotting every conversation that they may have. After a while, the thoughts began to take a negative turn, and she began to worry that her best was not enough. She thought more about how Kaorin and Sakaki were close, and began to question her own friendship with the cat living girl. Sakaki has already opened up to Kaorin about things, so why would she open up to anyone else about anything? Kagura slowly became plagued with the idea that Sakaki would not open up to her, and that tomorrow would all be for nothing. A seperate fear of being replaced by Kaorin began to grow inside her, and shortly after that her mind shifted focus onto yesterday's failed date. As fears of abandonment, replacement, and rejection piled up inside of her, she began to felt trapped by her emotions. Kagura sat up in bed, unsure of what to do next. Her bedsheets began to feel heavy, exacerbating her feelings of anxiety. She threw off the covers and began to pace around the room, routinely taking deep breaths and trying her best to collect her thoughts. As feelings of desperation and hopelessness grew inside her, she found herself in a position of helplessness and inescapable anxiety. Her heart was pounding, her mind was rushing, and she couldn't escape it. Kagura picked up her phone and scrolled through the contacts she had, looking for someone to call. It was only 10:30pm, surely someone must be up.

Chiyo-Chan? No.

Sakaki? No.

Yomi? No.

Kaorin...

"Maybe Kaorin's up." She thought to herself. Kagura dialed her number and waited patiently for her to pick up.

Kaorin and Chihiro were sitting comfortably next to eachother in Kaorin's room. The two of them were playing Mariokart on the TV. Kaorin was playing as Rosalina, and Chihiro was playing as Bowser Jr. "I can't believe you don't have Dry Bowser yet." Chihiro remarked as they finished their last race. "You play this game all the time, how come you haven't unlocked him?"

"Because, it's so hardddd." Kaorin playfully whined. "How come you want to play as him so bad, anyway?"

"Because he looks cool, I like his shell." Chihiro refuted. "I also saw some photos of his color pallet on the karts, I like that too."

"Then how come you don't play as normal Bowser? He has the same colors as Bowser Jr. pretty much, AND he has the shell, too." Kaorin retorted.

"Because..." Chihiro's voice trialed off. "...I think Bowser Jr. looks cute."

Kaorin stared for a moment then started to giggle. Chihiro went red. "How come you think he's cute?" Kaorin inquired.

"Because he's trying to be like his dad, he has a cute little mask and everything. He's like a mini-Bowser." Chihiro firmly replied.

"If he's so cute, why don't you marry him?" Kaorin playfully taunted.

"Come on, you know what I mean." Chihiro firmly stated. "Do you want to do another round or what?"

"Of course." Kaorin answered her friend. As they were beginning to set up the next set of races, Kaorin's phone began to buzz from across the room. "Wait a second." Kaorin told her friend, before getting up and walking over to her phone. She picked it up and answered.

"Hello, Kaorin speaking."

"Hey, Kaorin, it's me, Kagura." Kagura said. "Listen, I need some help."

"Oh?" Kaorin wondered. "What do you need help with?"

"I, uh-"

Kagura felt embarrassed.

"I need help praying." She finally spat out.

"Oh, really?" Kaorin further inquired.

"Who is it?" Chihiro asked. Kaorin turned around and batted her hand. "It's just Kagura." Kaorin replied.

"Well, yeah." Kagura answered. "I've never done it before, and you know a lot about it, so I was just wondering if you could tell me what to do."

"Yeah, of course, it's pretty simple really. You just ask God for what you need and then thank Him for what you already have."

"Hmm, and that's it?" Kagura asked.

"Mmmmmhm!" Kaorin confidently said.

"Hey Kaorin!" Kagura could hear Chihiro call from across the phone. Kaorin's side became quiet for a while. After a few seconds of mumbled sentences, she returned.

"Chihiro just reminded me, you also should apologize to God for stuff you've done wrong."

"Stuff I've done wrong?" Kagura asked.

"Yep!" Kaorin affirmed. "I have to get going now, I'll talk to you later!"

"Alright, goodbye."

Kagura hung up the phone and placed it back on the table. She got onto her knees and made the Sign of the Cross (she remembered it from going to Church earlier that day).

"Um..." She started off, unsure of what to say first. "Um...d-dear God, uh, um...I pray...I pray that Sakaki and me will be- no, that me and Sakaki will have a good time tomorrow, and that I'll be able to help her in some way."

She thought for a moment for something she was thankful for.

"Um, I'm thankful for...for...Sakaki! I'm thankful that she's my friend. And I'm also thankful for Kaorin, too. And Chihiro. They let me stay at their sleepover yesterday, and I had a really good time."

Kagura thought of something she should apologize for, thinking deeply about it. She eventually remembered something, but could barely whisper it.

"I...uh, I-I'm sorry that...that I kissed Kaorin. Please forgive me." She stuttered out. "Amen." She swiftly said, her whole face turning a shade of scarlet. Kagura slid back into bed and got comfortable under the covers. For some reason, she felt a lot better about things. She closed her eyes and began to drift into sleep.