"Hey!" Maki has to catch herself a little once Nico's pulled back her counter-weight. She sits back, hands on the bench so her shoulders hitch. She's about to complain, but that might extend their bickering for far longer.

And Nico just asked her to list what she likes about her and Maki can feel even her ears warm.

"I- I like you because..." Maki tries to relax or else she's never going to get through this. Her instinct always is to never let her guard down, and she's trying to this time. "I like how passionate you are. And you're really very smart and resourceful. You care a lot about your friends and family. How nice you can be, when you're not trying so hard." The more Maki talks, the less she looks directly at Nico, until she's looking down at her own knees.

"And... Nico-chan is very cute too."