Akane stiffened. She recognized that voice! She maybe kinda sorta...tried to stab him. On accident. That was just one more reason not to burst into the room and interrupt! Surely Ales was going to be fine, right?

...Right...?

After seeing Mimi dash out the door, Akane was no longer quite so sure. He'd be angry if he found out she was eavesdropping, she was sure of it. Maybe she'd just take a peek around the corner. Leaning carefully around the edge of the door, she spotted him taking a step back.

Then her shoe slipped on the slick lab floors and before she knew it, she was facedown on the ground in a comical sprawl. Quickly she wrestled herself up, clapping a hand to her throbbing forehead. Dang it! She considered scrambling back out of sight, but with the sudden bang of her clumsiness, that really wasn't an option anymore.

"Oh, um...I just..." Was looking for the bathroom? No one would believe that considering how long she'd been working here. Giving up, Akane sighed. "It's not so shameful to want friends. I think everybody does, deep down. To have someone that supports you, even if you messed up, or if there are things you hate...I mean...knowing there's still one person that cares about you can make it easier to keep going. So...it's natural."