Chapter 60: Girls' Bonding

The three girls left the school grounds together. They stopped by a donut shop to get something to eat first. There was a short line in front of the shop. After buying a donut for each of them, they then headed to Angelie's apartment. Angelie walked between Sanaka and Mimi.

"How is it living alone, Angelie-san?"

Sanaka looked at Angelie while nibbling on her donut.

"It's… okay, I guess? I get to do what I want, but I'm also responsible for everything. Cooking, cleaning, doing laundry. So, you could say it has its good and bad points."

Angelie looked up at the sky as she answered Sanaka's question.

"Sounds like all bad points to me. What about your hobbies? Do you even have time for those?"

Sanaka frowned upon hearing Angelie's answer.

"I still do. I mean, I'm staying in a small apartment. There's not much to clean anyway."

Angelie smiled at Sanaka.

"Well, now I appreciate my mom and dad still taking care of me… Oh, and I don't mean anything bad about it, Angelie-san!"

Sanaka got flustered as she looked at Angelie.

"No worries, Sanaka-san. I know what you mean… But I decided to live alone for my own sake. So, I don't really feel bad about it."

Angelie got a determined look on her face. She then smiled at Sanaka.

"While I am not complaining, I find it harder to live with others than to live alone. Even though we still have our mother taking care of us, I am the one who handles most of the housework."

Mimi spoke up and the two girls looked at her.

"I'm sorry I brought up this topic. I realize I sound like a spoiled brat, being an only child that depends on my parents for everything…"

Sanaka looked down while walking.

"As I have said, I wasn't complaining. I was just comparing our situations and didn't have any intention of judging you. Although, I am glad that you appreciate your life with your parents. Others take it for granted."

Mimi smiled toward Sanaka.

"She's right, Sanaka-san. We have our own circumstances, but as long as we enjoy and don't take it for granted, then everything will be fine! And we're just some friends sharing our lives with one another. There's nothing wrong with that, right?"

Angelie put her hand on Sanaka's shoulder and then smiled at her.

"Thanks, Angelie-san, Mimi-san. I was actually worried that I offended the two of you… But since I didn't, there's one other thing I want to say!"

Sanaka stepped in front of Angelie and Mimi. She faced the two girls as everyone stopped walking. Sanaka then bent over to bow at Angelie and Mimi. She became quiet all of a sudden.

"What's the matter, Sanaka-san?"

Angelie reached out her hand, but before she could touch the bent over and quiet girl, Sanaka suddenly spoke up.

"I've been putting off saying this for a while now. But now seemed like a good time to do it. My parents have been very eager to meet my friends! They've been asking me for a while now, ever since I joined the Help Club… "

Sanaka stood up straight after saying her request out loud. She then looked straight into the eyes of Angelie and Mimi.

"It would be my honor, Sanaka-san."

Mimi tilted her head and smiled at Sanaka.

"Me too, of course! I'd be happy to meet them. But why haven't you said anything before now?"

Angelie took Sanaka's hand and held it tightly.

"I've always thought it would be a bother to you guys, so I never said anything… And it's not like I doubted you were my friends or anything, but I haven't had any friends before so I didn't know what to do… But when you said earlier to never take things for granted, I realized that there might be a time that my parents won't have the time to meet you… Or that you won't be my friends anymore, so—"

"What are you talking about?! We'll always be your friends!"

Angelie gripped Sanaka's hand with both of her hands. Mimi then nodded as she smiled gently.

"I also consider Akuma and Kiba-kun friends… I hope you don't mind going with them?"

Sanaka cautiously looked at the two girls in front of her. Her gaze switched back and forth.

"Well, I guess I have to reconsider our friendship, then."

Mimi closed her eyes and turned her head sideways. She then slowly opened her eye and peeked at the reaction of Angelie and Sanaka. The two of them were holding their laughter. Then, all three of them laughed out loud.

---

After a while, they finally reached Angelie's apartment. The three of them went up the stairs. Angelie walked ahead so she could open the door. Once it was opened, Angelie invited the two girls to go inside. The three of them then entered. Mimi and Sanaka looked around the room with their eyes. The room was clean and everything inside was organized and neatly arranged.

"Make yourself at home. You can sit anywhere you like. Sorry if the place is a bit messy."

Angelie headed to her small refrigerator.

"A bit messy? My own bedroom is a lot more of a mess than your apartment, Angelie-san!"

Sanaka was walking around the room and looking at the picture frames that were on top of a small cabinet. There were pictures of Angelie as a child and one where she was with her parents.

"Oh, shoot. I don't have bottled tea left. I'll just head to the convenience store quickly. Just make yourselves comfortable."

Angelie closed the door of the refrigerator and hurriedly stepped outside of her apartment.

Mimi was already sitting on the floor, in front of the small table that was in the middle of the room. She looked around the room while seated. Mimi then saw that Angelie still had her laundry hanging outside on the balcony. The curtains of the balcony door were moved to the side so the outside was clearly seen.

Mimi stood up and went to the sliding glass door and then opened it. She took the hanger with the clothes attached to it. Mimi brought it back inside the room and closed the sliding door. While walking back to her seat, something colored yellow fell off from the hanger. Sanaka saw it and decided to pick it up.

"Hey, Mimi-san. Something fell off. Let me get it—"

Sanaka couldn't speak as she saw what it was she picked up.

"What's the matter, Sanaka-san—"

Mimi's eyes widened as she saw what Sanaka was holding in her hands.

---

Angelie exited the convenience store with a bag of bottled tea and some ingredients for cooking. She headed back to her apartment.

"Hmm. I wonder what I should make for dinner? And I probably should have cleaned up some more before inviting them inside. Oh, I think I left my laundry hanging outside—"

When Angelie realized that her laundry could be seen by the two, she dashed back to her apartment. She noisily ran up the stairs and ran toward her apartment. She hurriedly opened the door.

"My laundry—"

Angelie froze up as she saw Mimi and Sanaka each holding one part of a two-piece yellow swimsuit.

Mimi was holding the upper part of the swimsuit, while Sanaka had the lower part. The two of them were staring at the piece of clothing they respectively had in their hands. All of Angelie's other laundry was on the floor.

"You… wore this…?"

Mimi slowly turned her head to look at the frozen Angelie.

"It… it has barely any cloth in it!"

Sanaka's widened eyes shifted its gaze toward Angelie.

"I can explain!"

Angelie dropped the plastic bags she was carrying.

---

The three of them sat around the small table. The swimsuit was placed at the center of the table. Mimi and Sanaka were waiting for the silent Angelie to speak up.

Angelie then recounted the events of what happened the previous days and how she ended up wearing the yellow bikini.

"I wanted to repay Yuurei-chan so I decided to wear the swimsuit. And even when she didn't show up yesterday, I just had to prove to that idiot Demon Lord that I could already swim. I only had that swimsuit with me, so I just wore it even if I was too embarrassed…"

Angelie looked down at her lap while she was talking.

"What if there were some unscrupulous individuals who might harass you?!"

Mimi clenched her fists.

"Well, there were… But that pathetic Demon Lord helped me out of it—"

"See? It was his fault for not stopping you from wearing that! It happened because of him!"

Mimi slammed the table with her closed fist.

"It wasn't that bad, Mimi-san. Oh, I was also scouted to join a swimsuit competition. I won that, so not everything that happened was terrible, see?"

Angelie tried to appease Mimi. Angelie motioned her hands for Mimi to calm down.

"You… you won a swimsuit competition?!"

Sanaka's jaw dropped.

"Yes… but I'm sure it was just some beginner's luck or something."

Angelie awkwardly smiled at Sanaka.

"The tiny confidence I had left have been shattered to pieces, Angelie-san. I can never wear a swimsuit again!"

Sanaka rested her head on the table as she sobbed loudly.