Those Crazy Years with My Friends

Angela has a group of strange friends. Even though each one is only a little over ten years old, none of them seems remotely normal.

One has a little red flower on her head. When she misses her midnight snack, she angrily chews out a bottomless pit...

One loses ten games in a row and blows away every house within twenty meters on the spot...

One loves hacking at her roommate in the middle of the night and stewing up strange-tasting soup...

One has no physical form and loves dressing up as a ghost to scare people, then slipping inside their bodies...

One can grow eight spider legs from her back and hangs from the eaves every day, just one step away from becoming a real spider...

So there's definitely something wrong with the orphanage where she lives!

And isn't her name weird, too? Why on earth is she called that?!

1. Red Spider

The black-haired, blue-eyed girl folded her arms and scoffed. "I've got spider genes, the kind belonging to those pitch-black spiders by your feet... So I'm not even human, okay? How can you not understand something so simple?"

"If you keep looking so pitiful, like anyone can bully you," she leaned toward Angela, the corner of her mouth curling into a bloodthirsty smile, "I'll kill you."

"I run this orphanage, so even if you crawl out with broken arms and legs, no one will save you~ Poor little Angela~"

2. The Blue-Eyed Promise

The little girl's head flower bounced cheerfully as she stared at Angela with sparkling blue eyes. "Angela's eyes are so pretty, and Angela smells so good. Nana hasn't had her midnight snack today. Can I eat Angela?"

The girl's friend wore a smile and the air of a gentle older sister. "I can make sure you'll be eaten by Nana without any pain. I promise it'll be quick."

3. Muddy Lily

The flaxen-haired girl clung desperately to the light-purple-eyed girl, climbing her like a cat scrambling up a cat tree. "Aether! Let's have a romantic double suicide tonight! Eat me with all your love, then pick a dewy lily to lay on your chest and have someone bury you alive!"

Her face flushed with excitement as she gestured wildly. "Like this, like this! Then we'll be together forever!"

The light-purple-eyed girl calmly patted her head. "Maybe next time. I think the soup I made last time woke Angela next door."

4. Waiting for the Morning Sun

The best friends high-fived.

Flesh-colored, hairless ears peeked out from the top of Yin Chao's head, and the tips of wolf-like teeth could just be seen at the corner of her lips. She smiled shyly and sweetly. "High-five?"

Yin Lu's translucent body floated in midair. At her words, she dove straight into Yin Chao's body, her voice full of cheerful excitement. "I'm your humanoid ability, so I can't high-five you! Just slap your left hand against your right!"

Reader's Guide:

1. This is an ensemble story about a group of girls growing up together.

2. Includes girls' love (but not exclusively), yandere characters, crazies, werewolves, ghosts, man-eating flowers...

3. The story explores the complicated, hard-to-define feelings between girls. It's probably a story that's both depressing and healing.

4. This is a revised version of an old draft. The writing is rough and the prose is terrible, so please prepare yourself before reading QAQ. I love reading the comments, so if you like it, please leave one!

5. I'll post each arc all at once after finishing it!

6. This is extremely anime-style, extremely anime-style!!!

Theme: I'm lucky to have met you, and I hope you feel the same