That night, Zu got herself ready to the band practice that Matsuri and Harumin had been nagging her about over the last week. "I'll be home late, Mama," she said in Yuzu's form and voice. "Just leave me dinner for when I get back." "Ok, take care, Yuzu!" said Ume. She perceived that her daughter still hadn't gotten over Mei's leaving them. Zu now stepped out of the apartment, her hair and lips darkening to a deathly black, and her pallid face stood as a stark and transfixing contrast to them. Zu's ensanguined eyes now were the very manifestation of intimidation itself, and her claws and tentacular protuberances prolifrated as a strangler fig's vine. She then went down the elevator, pondering Mei's last words to her in their conversation that afternoon. "That traitor would never even trouble to heal that fatal wound of mine," she said to herself. "But I will? What does it mean?" Zu's thoughts were interrupted by her cell phone once again. "Meet us at the Academy," Matsuri said in a text. "Eyebrow-chan gave us permission after Taniguchi-senpai and I cornered her about it. 😂😂😂" it continued. But Zu was not moved to laughter by the text. She replied, "Very well, I'll be there." Meanwhile, Mei was back in her grandfather's house, lost in thought. She was bent on restoring her lover, but couldn't wrap her mind completely around the conundrum. I can bring Yuzu back, she said, but only through healing a fatal wound? I can't possibly do it... Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted as her bedroom door opened to reveal Shō, and she noticed his face had confusion written all over it. But beyond that, Mei saw a certain apprehension in his eyes as he came in.

"Are you okay, now, Mei?" Shō asked, putting an arm around her. "Yes, Father. I feel fine now," Mei replied. "Well, in that case," said Shō, "I hope you don't mind if we could have a little bit of a talk just about now. It has to do with something that happened earlier, actually, after you woke up." Mei gave him a questioning look of surprise. "Why? What happened?" Her father hesitated, carefully choosing his words. "Mei," he sighed, "do you remember what I did?" She soon realized the meaning of what Shō just said. Something - or someONE, made him leave the room, she realized. "You mean when you left the room, Father?" "Uh, yeah, about that," Shō replied, fidgeting in his discomfort. "I have NEVER, in all my years on the planet, seen something that horrific. When you were in your coma, Mei, did you see anything?" Mei's eyes widened as she realized that Zu had revealed herself to him. "Did you see the same thing I did???" she demanded in horror. "Was it a fiend who looked like Yuzu?" Shō shrank back in cowering fear. "It was. And she told me to leave the room immediately lest I be harmed! What did she tell you?" "She -" Mei hesitated, knowing that if her father heard everything Zu had said, he would discover their now-severed relationship. "She told me her name was Zu, Father, and that her goal was to destroy me," she then said in a half-truth. Shō rose immediately in fright. "She told me the same thing, but what does it mean?" he wondered. Mei lowered her head. "I don't know, Father. I just don't know," she said. Some five-and-twenty minutes later, Zu arrived at the Academy once more. The other three were there already, with their instruments all plugged in and set up. Nene expressed her surprise at Himeko's decision. "I find it a surprise, Harumi-senpai," she said to the voluptuous one, "that the President would actually allow us to be here after the school closes." "Well, when you offer to give her free tickets to what she thinks is gonna be a cutesy concert, I'm not sure even Aihara Mei could refuse such an offer!" replied Harumin. "And, when you show Eyebrow-chan threatening pictures of herself flirting with Mei-onee-chan," added Matsuri, "doing so can become quite an effective weapon." She slyly teased Nene by whispering in her ear. "Oh, and by the way," she said, "you've been waiting all week for this, haven't you? Seeing your Haru-Yuzu ship before your eyes has been your guilty pleasure as long as I've known you." Nene blushed. She had no way of effectively denying Matsuri's correct guess. "Um, we are playing some of my favorite songs, anyway..." Matsuri only smiled knowingly as she turned to Harumin. "Well, Taniguchi-senpai," she flirted with a raised eyebrow and an arousing wink, "Yuzu-chan's certainly taking her time getting here." "Don't worry," Harumin replied, trying not to give away the fact that she was extremely wet, "Yuzucchi'll be here before long..." The door to the hall opened, and in came Zu. "I'm here, ladies. Let's get this rage rampage started."