"Hey, Kurusu!" I called out, sticking my head out of my doorway and into the hallway, "Do you have any nice dress clothes I can borrow?!"

"Hang on!" came the reply from downstairs

After Miia and I had arrived home, we quickly concurred that we would not attempt to cook the doro wat immediately. This was mainly due to our lack of knowledge of the techniques required to prepare it. Hence, we kept all the food items separately and clearly labeled them only to be handled by Miia and myself. Typically, I would be anxious about someone taking a nibble without permission; however, most housemates were quite considerate when respecting other people's possessions. The only person who I was slightly hesitant about was Papi, but she usually went outdoors to 'hunt' rather than rummaging through the kitchen.

This brought us to the present, where I was trying to figure out what I would wear tonight.

I stepped back inside, scowling as I surveyed my limited wardrobe. For some inexplicable reason, I had failed to get any clothing of my preference. The garments provided to me by the Cultural Exchange weren't bad by any means; indeed, they were perfectly adequate for any occasion. However, the problem was that they were so... drab. Almost every item, from shirts to socks, had no design or anything remotely attractive about them; they were simply one single color, and that was it.

It was pretty monotonous, and the only shirt that genuinely stood out was the "Guardians Of The Galaxy" tee I wore when I first arrived. Now that I had finally begun to earn my own money, I decided that a trip to the department store was at the top of my priority list.

The one thing that wasn't provided for me was, of course, dress clothes. They could've at least given me a stylish button-up that wasn't blander than a soggy cracker! Despite all the help, I was still left without the necessary attire.

"Why're you dressing up?" Suu asked from her pool.

"'Cause Smith asked me to," I answered, glancing briefly at her before shaking my head in resignation, "Unfortunately, it appears that neither of us remembered that I don't possess anything remotely extravagant."

"Oh. 'Kay." Suu shrunk further into the pool, blowing little bubbles of herself for entertainment.

A gentle knock at the door alerted Kurusu's arrival. "These may not be the perfect fit for you, as you are a bit smaller than me," he said while bringing in a selection of dark dress pants and a variety of button-up shirts. "But at least one of them should do the trick."

"Thanks, man," I said, gratefully taking the offered clothes. "I think I'm gonna go clothes shopping tomorrow after meeting with Mandroot."

"Sounds good," Kurusu nodded before frowning slightly. "So... why did Smith ask you to dress up again?"

"Maybe she had someplace somewhat special in mind for dinner," I suggested as I tried on the first shirt, a dull orange reminiscent of one I had back home, "I don't mind; I haven't dressed up since graduation after all."

"So... just so we're clear, it's not a date, right?" he asked, setting his hands on his hips.

I rolled my eyes. "No, it's not. Just two friends and coworkers, talking about... stuff."

"What kind of stuff?"

Oh, you know, dark and troubled pasts, horrible truths, baring open our souls, and telling Smith she was a manga character.

"Nothing weirder than usual," I answered with a smile as I checked myself in the mirror. I twisted my body to get a better look at the fit of the garment and noticed it was a bit baggy on the arms. Despite that, I was pretty satisfied with the overall look; nodding in approval, I asked, "Can I borrow this for tonight? It looks cool!"

Kurusu insisted that it was okay, waving his hand. "I won't pry too much," he said. "I was just curious, that's all. Oh, on a side note, Rachnee and Mero returned a few moments ago."

"Sweet," I replied as I pocked my wallet and phone, "How're they?"

"Mero seemed much happier," he said, his relieved smile confirming his joy. "Rachnee was tired from carrying Mero around all day like some kind of backpack with her webs, but she was still happy too."

"Huh. That's... awesome." And surprisingly sweet. Leave it to Rachnee to devise a clever solution to Mero's 'fish-out-of-water problem. Actually..., I had some time before Smith picked me up. Maybe I should talk to her. "Where's Rachnee at?"

"In her room resting, I think." The two of us walked out into the hallway. Suu seemed perfectly content bubbling herself (which was probably weird, but eh), so she stayed in the room for now. "Smith's picking you up soon, right?"

"In approximately twenty minutes," I checked my phone to confirm the time, "I'm going to spend my time conversing with Rachnee. Do you all have any plans for tonight?"

"Just chilling," Kurusu replied with a shrug, "Trying to figure out when we should go to the gym. Are you sure you're comfortable with any time slot?"

"Yeah. The only things I have are counselor sessions, and I can schedule those basically whenever I feel like it. Just plan out whatever's easiest for everyone."

"Sounds good," Kurusu said as he headed downstairs, "Well if I don't see you before you go, have fun."

"I'll try." Considering the subject matter of tonight... fun wasn't really in the cards. Oh well.

With a determined stride, I marched towards Rachnee's room, or, more accurately, the attic she had claimed as her own. Ascending the ladder, I rapped my knuckles on the makeshift door in the ceiling a few times and called out, "Hey, Rachnee! May I come in?"

The seconds ticked by in silence, and I wondered if she'd fallen asleep until I heard something shifting above me.

"It's open," came the tired reply.

I shoved open the door with a groan, the shrill screeching of its hinges grating on my ears. Once I shut it, I clambered up the rest of the way into the attic and spotted Rachnera lounging in a hammock woven from her webbing.

And also completely naked.

"Ugh!" I quickly shielded my eyes, trying to avoid looking at the undeniably attractive human portion of her body. "You could have warned me that you weren't dressed, you know!"

"But what would be the point of that?" she teased, and for some reason, I could almost see her smirk as she spoke. "Besides, I'm in the comfort of my room, so I can do whatever I want!"

"So you just strip down whenever you're alone?"

"Don't you?"

It annoyed me that I had to think about that. "... Sometimes," I admitted, "But I usually try and get dressed if someone wants to see me."

"'Usually,' eh? Perhaps I should test that statement one of these days," Rachnee snarked, "Maybe even sneak a pic for later use...."

"If that's really how you want to spend your time," I huffed, plopping down on the wooden floor and brushing aside some stray silk.

"Mm. And to what do I owe the illustrious Counselor the pleasure of his company?"

"I just..." Trying to figure out the words, I scratched my head. "I just wanted to know if you and Mero had fun while you were out."

"Oh? You're not upset that we broke the rules you humans claim to cherish so dearly?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm confident you can take care of yourself. I'm sure you two won't do anything too outrageous." I paused. "Speaking of which, are you going to get dressed? It's awkward talking like this while you're still in your birthday suit."

There was a brief silence before Rachnee broke it with a gentle chuckle. "I don't plan on getting out of this hammock until it's time for dinner," she said with a smile, "So you're out of luck, I'm afraid."

"Your room, your rules, I guess," I mumbled, rolling my eyes.

"Indeed," Rachnee chuckled some more before calming down with a smile, "Mero and I had a lot of fun together. She's an adorable girl, and it's obvious that she doesn't have many close friends."

"I got that impression, too," I said, "Which is why I'm glad you got her out of the house."

She sighed, "What other choice did I have? She was slowly wasting away in her pool of sorrow, mourning over you. It was quite heartbreaking to observe, in all honesty."

"... She was?" I asked, surprised. "I'd thought she seemed okay when I left last night...."

"The poor girl was putting on a brave face," Rachnee retorted bluntly, "And I had assumed that even you were astute enough to recognize that. Given your penchant for interfering in the affairs of others, you seem to be unaware of the impact you have on them."

"I apologize for 'interfering,' as I was only trying to help," I said heatedly, shaking my head and taking a deep breath to calm myself. I didn't want to get angry with her, and I knew her words had stung. "I understand that I may not have dealt with the situation with Mero as well as I could have, but I don't have much experience with this."

"That much is clear," Rachnee remarked, "... Though I apologize if my words sounded abrasive. I was merely informing you so that you may have more consideration in the future."

"Noted," I said grudgingly. Couldn't she accept my gratitude and be done with it? Tonight was already a challenge, and I didn't need any more complications. Was that an apology I had heard just then?

No, that was probably just my ears playing tricks on me.

"Just... thanks for taking Mero out," I said, pushing down the bothersome emotions that threatened to interfere, "She needs a friend around here, and it genuinely means a lot to me that you reached out to her as you did."

"Care to say that again? And look at me, too."

I squinted in confusion before quickly recalling why Rachnee had such an aversion to dishonesty from others. She probably wanted to gauge the truthfulness of my words by looking into my eyes. These people I lived with had so many oddities, but I had made a promise, and I was determined to keep it.

I turned to face her. Indeed, she was still naked, but I was over that now. It hardly mattered at this point.

"Thank you, Rachnera, for helping Mero," I said, deciding to forego anything extra. It would've been excessive and melodramatic, anyway, and I doubted Rachnee would appreciate that.

She stared at me long and hard, her six red eyes squinting as they looked me over. Finally, a slight smirk crossed her pale face.

"You're very welcome, Counselor," Rachnee replied, resting a claw gently against her cheek. "It seems that you are not feeling bothered now."

"I'm sorry, I was taken aback," I said, shrugging my shoulders and slightly smiling. "It's not like I haven't seen a naked woman before."

"Somehow, I doubt that perverted videos on the internet count in that regard," Rachnee tittered.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, how you wound me," I said dully, "Anyway, I'm heading out now. See ya later, Rachnee."

"Mhm."

As I descended the ladder, I could have sworn I saw a look of contemplation pass across Rachnee's face. I quickly brushed off my curiosity, knowing that I had to set aside my thoughts of her, and of everything else, for now.

It was time for Smith to learn the truth about me.

To be continued...