Mari's yukata skips to the bathroom floor as she stands. Akko's face reddens, and then relaxes. "Mari, are you wearing old-fashioned underwear, too? You're too much!" she giggles. Mari has the hadajuban partly untfastened, a serious look on her face. "Akko, I..." She straightens out the robe, gathers her yukata from the floor, and smiles at Akko. "I'll make tea. You take a bath first. I can wait." Mari lets herself out, closing the hall door behind her, and letting out a big sigh. Outside the bathroom door, Mari clenches her fists and grimaces. "Why couldn't I say it?" she thinks. "What if I never tell Akko how I feel?" Inside the bathroom, Akko stares at the door for a minute before struggling to untie the obi and take off the yukata Mari's mom lent her. "How did Mari make this look so easy?" she grumbles. She finally drops the yukata on the floor and looks at herself in a mirror, wearing camisole and panties. Then she smiles. "A hadajuban! Mari is so old-fashioned and cute..." She undresses, leaving her clothes and the yukata in a pile on the floor, and sits on the stool to bathe. After rinsing, she slips into the steaming tub. A while later, the bathroom door creaks open, and Akko quickly sinks into the water up to her eyes. Mari pokes her head in the bathroom and whispers, "Akko, the tea is ready. Come to my room when you're done" Then she goes back to the hallway. After their baths, Akko and Mari are having tea in Mari's room. Akko looks around at all the books and the serious surroundings. Both girls are sitting on Mari's bed, in pajamas. Akko thinks to herself, "Does she really read all these books? Why would she want to be friends with a make-up test taker like me?" Mari looks serious. "Akko, I almost made a big mistake today. I almost..." she turns away to hide her face. "I'm so glad you emailed me last night. I think you saved me." "But Mari, you're the one who saved me - from Harada's friend!" Mari looks directly into Akko's eyes. "Akko, he invited me to the festival just after you did. If you hadn't sent me that email, I might have gone with him and that guy who attacked you!" "But...wha-?" Akko stammers and gets off the bed, hands on hips. "You would have gone with him?" Looking up at Akko, Mari says, "I was making myself believe it would be okay, Akko. I thought I could get to like him more. He acted so nice. You're my best friend, Akko, and I almost threw that away. I won't let anything take away my best friend!" Akko looks stunned, and thinks to herself "not anything?" Mari shuts her eyes and clenches her fists. "I was so afraid I would lose you if I told you the truth. I feel like the worst, most disgusting person in the world. Like I let down the most important person in my life." "But you didn't let me down, Mari! I..." Mari's head slumps forward and she covers her eyes with one hand. Akko stands in front of where Mari is sitting with her legs over the edge of the bed, grabs her by the shoulder and says, "I'm happy, Mari, because now I know you'll always be there to protect me, like you did today. And now I think I know why." "I didn't let myself think it at first, but every since that day, whenever I wasn't with you, I thought about you, and when I was with you, I just got so nervous I couldn't stand it. Like when you kissed me in my sleep that time, and then you couldn't even look at me. That's how I was, and I think that's what it's supposed to feel like, but I just didn't get it." Mari looks up, wide-eyed, and whispers, "Akko, you knew! You knew I was talking about you!" Her hair is hanging over one side of her face. Akko moves closer, brushing back Mari's hair. "Not right away, Mari. I couldn't understand what I was feeling." Akko bends her knees, almost sitting on Mari's lap now, and whispers into Mari's ear, "But I do now."
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