A little while later...
Quinny arrived and noticed a girl standing in front of the gate with cake all over her face. She immediately walked over and gently cleaned her face.
"There, all clean now," Quinny said with a smile.
However, the girl still looked upset and frustrated.
"Ah... thanks, but... MY MAKEUP! I spent so much time making myself look pretty..."
Quinny simply tilted her head.
"Oh, so you're the new member? But... why were you eating cake until it got all over your face?"
"Eating cake!? What do you mean!? Just look over there!" the girl exclaimed.
Quinny glanced to the side. She slightly lifted her eyepatch and saw the chaos unfolding, with Leona currently being ganged up on.
"Wow, why didn't Princess Leona invite me? Wait here for a second, I'll go settle this."
Quinny immediately ran inside, leaving the girl behind as she pulled out her staff.
From behind, Fanny jumped into the air with another cake in hand.
"TAKE THIS, YOU TROUBLEMAKER!"
Leona turned around and quickly covered her head.
But before the cake could hit her, Quinny suddenly appeared and knocked it away.
"Sorry I'm late."
"Huh? Quinny??" Leona asked in confusion.
Everyone immediately stopped.
"Ah... the place is such a mess now..." Yui said as she looked around.
The others could only grin awkwardly, finally realizing how far things had gotten.
"Huh? Why did everyone stop? Why's it so quiet now?" Lily asked while still holding the last remaining cake.
Violet immediately flicked her forehead.
"Alright, enough. You all should clean up this mess first... then go take a shower," Quinny said.
Everyone obeyed...
Except Leona.
"Me too? Ugh... I don't want to."
She tried to sneak away, but Nia immediately grabbed her.
"Don't even think about running away. This whole thing started because of you."
Nia dragged her away to help clean up.
Everyone began cleaning the headquarters together, while Quinny returned to the new member waiting outside.
Quinny looked at her and blinked in surprise.
"Huh? You're the same girl from earlier?"
"Hm? Ah, yeah. I just finished putting my makeup back on. Can I introduce myself now?" she asked.
Quinny stopped her.
"Wait, not here. Come inside first and introduce yourself to everyone."
"Ah, I see... I'm a little nervous, but alright... let's go!"
Quinny led her inside.
Meanwhile, everyone else was still cleaning, making them look more like maids than members.
"Keep cleaning, we'll head inside first," Quinny said while holding the new member's hand.
Every girl immediately shot Quinny a cold glare.
"Hey Leona, look at your maid. She's acting all smug now," Fanny grumbled.
Leona simply sighed.
"Hah... whatever. I'm exhausted. Just hurry up and finish cleaning before the new member starts thinking we're nobodies."
Just then, Vivi casually walked past Leona and followed Quinny inside.
"I'm going in first~"
Nia and Leona looked shocked.
"Hey! Why are you going inside? We're not done yet!" Leona shouted.
Then Nia suddenly realized something.
Vivi had hidden during the cake fight.
She hadn't been hit by a single cake...
Nor had she thrown any.
After teasing everyone one last time, Vivi casually entered the UNITY headquarters.
Leona growled in frustration and messed up her own hair.
"...Huh? Ugh..."
Her hair immediately became sticky because there was still cake stuck in it.
"How annoying."
---
Inside the headquarters, everything was much calmer.
The new member was already sitting together with Quinny, Charlotte, Julia, Sylvia, Zestia, and Viona.
Vivi joined them.
"Hello... so you're today's new member?"
The girl stood up and nodded.
"That's right! Should I introduce myself now?"
Vivi nodded.
"Go ahead."
The girl immediately introduced herself in her own energetic style.
"Yahoooo~ My name is Shokocha! I'm a gyaru girl! You can call me Shoko, or even Chocolate if you want! I wanted to come here not just because of that strange ticket... I heard this place is like a second home, right? That's what caught my interest... I want a new home and a new family. Will you accept me?"
Vivi gave her a small round of applause.
"Welcome, Shoko. You asked if you'll be accepted? The answer is obviously yes. In fact, even if you decide not to stay here, you're still part of UNITY now. That strange ticket is something special from the person who built UNITY."
Julia nodded.
"From now on, think of us as your family... and this place as your home."
Charlotte continued calmly.
"Just remember to behave."
Quinny placed a hand on Shoko's shoulder.
"You know? You can find everything you need here. Haha."
She pointed at Zestia and Viona.
"They're our chef and doctor. Honestly, I think every profession exists somewhere in UNITY. So whenever you need something or run into trouble, just call UNITY."
Shoko was completely speechless.
What kind of place is this...? she thought.
"Then... can I meet the person who built UNITY? I'm curious. Even though I've never met him, I already think he's amazing," Shoko asked.
Sylvia quietly walked over, picked up a framed photo, and handed it to her.
"Here."
Shoko looked at the photo.
He looked like an ordinary handsome guy...
Yet he had built something this incredible.
Vivi laughed.
"Yeah, I know exactly how you feel. Anyway, there's no need to question anything. Everything's perfectly safe here. And if you're still curious... just think of Nic as an Anomaly. That's what we heard from the UNITY members in the Northern Region."
Julia laughed as well.
"Haha... Anomaly? That's actually pretty fitting."
A little while later, everyone else had finished cleaning, taken a shower, and gathered in the living room.
Shoko briefly introduced herself again.
Lily, Yui, and Mika kept staring at her appearance.
"So sparkly... long nails... long eyelashes... wow..." Lily murmured.
Mika, meanwhile, was practically drooling.
"You said we can call you Chocolate earlier... Does that mean you're made of chocolate?"
Yui burst into laughter.
"Haha, no way! Be careful, Shoko. Mika might actually take a bite out of you!"
Shoko simply laughed softly before asking,
"So... what are we doing now?"
Everyone fell silent.
They honestly had no idea what to do since everyone happened to be free today.
Nia asked if anyone had an idea for something they could all do together.
Everyone immediately began thinking.
Lily raised her hand...
But Olivia immediately lowered it.
"I already know you're about to say something silly."
Lily could only grin awkwardly.
"Ugh... this elegant girl never lets me joke around."
Just then, Rika and Talia came downstairs.
The two of them had been playing games upstairs the whole time and had heard the conversation.
Talia walked down while casually spinning her fan.
"How about... starting today, we make a diary? We can take turns talking about our lives before meeting Nic, and what happened afterward. It's completely optional though. That's just my suggestion."
Rika nodded in agreement.
"Exactly. This way, we'll grow even closer, and no one has to hide anything anymore. Whether it's something good or bad, we'll face it together and help each other if there's still something left unresolved."
Vivi had no objections.
She asked everyone, including Shoko.
Without the slightest hesitation, they all agreed, unafraid of sharing their pasts.
Quinny looked at Leona.
"Are you sure, Princess Leona?"
Leona smiled gently.
"Why wouldn't I be? Don't worry, Quinny... Maybe it's finally time for us to let everything out."
Quinny smiled back and hugged Leona.
After that, everyone sat down in a large circle.
One by one, they would step into the center and tell their story.
Before they began, Nia stood up.
"Listen up! We listen, and we don't judge! We are UNITY!" she shouted firmly.
Everyone raised their voices together.
"WE ARE UNITY!"
To be continued...