The moment we arrived at the hotel, I realized something crucial—I completely forgot about the sleeping arrangements. Who was I going to share a room with?! I started panicking internally. Please, let me be with Keiko. Please, not with the boss.
"How do we usually decide rooms?" I asked cautiously, hoping it was something simple like seniority.
"Well..." Ruka trailed off, looking at the others.
"Should we play a game?" Manna suggested, a sly grin on her face.
A game? Oh no. What kind of cruel fate would that bring?
Manna then chuckled, waving off her own idea. "Just kidding. We're not teenagers."
I let out a relieved sigh.
"You guys decide for yourselves," Manna continued. "I have my own room. There are two rooms left—one for two people and one for three. Figure it out."
Before anyone else could react, I seized the opportunity. "I'll take the two-person room with Keiko!" I declared, confident and proud.
The room fell silent for a second before Aki, Ruka, and Miko all booed at me in unison.
"Eh?! Who do you think you are just deciding like that?" Aki pouted.
"Yeah, newbie, you don’t have that kind of authority yet," Ruka teased.
Manna chuckled at our bickering like a mother watching her kids argue over a toy.
But then, I had an idea. "Alright, then let Keiko decide." I smirked. Keiko was the highest-ranking after the boss, and I knew—no, I believed—she would pick me.
Keiko took a moment, scanning the group. "I'll take the room for two..." She looked at me, and I grinned in anticipation, waiting for my name to be spoken.
"Ruka, would you come with me?"
My smile froze.
My soul left my body.
What. Just. Happened?
Ruka blinked in surprise but nodded. "Sure."
Meanwhile, I was experiencing a mental breakdown. Why, Keiko? Why?! My head is spinning with a thousand 'whys' right now.
"Ryuko? Hellooo?" Aki waved a hand in front of my face.
Aki's voice snapped me back to my senses, and I realized the others were already gone.
"Oh... uh... nothing," I mumbled, still in shock.
Aki smirked and threw her arm around my shoulder. "Heyyy... I know what you're thinking."
Oh no. This was bad. Aki talking nonsense was never a good thing.
She leaned in. "You’re totally upset Keiko didn’t pick you, huh?"
Well, she’s right, but the last thing I want right now is to be teased by someone like her. I turned away, trying to escape her nonsense.
"Hey, don’t give up, my friend," she continued, keeping pace with me. "Not everything always goes as we want, but—"
I shot her a glare.
She shut up immediately. "Oops. My bad. I’ll stop talking now."
"Good," I muttered.
A moment of silence passed.
Then I heard it.
Aki, right behind me, humming a sad, broken-hearted love song.
This girl was the worst.
I sped up my pace, hoping to escape before she started singing the lyrics.
---
The dining hall of the hotel was filled with the delicious aroma of fancy hotel food.
"Woahhh... this looks amazing!" Aki and Miko gasped.
I nodded in agreement. "Finally, something to make up for my suffering."
Keiko and Ruka arrived, and I instinctively pouted at Keiko, still salty about the room situation.
Dinner was lively, full of laughter, teasing, and a very tense moment when Aki accidentally bit into wasabi and almost started crying.
After we finished eating, it was time for the main event—celebrating Manna’s birthday.
We all sang for her as she sat there, trying to act cool. But when we gave her a cake, she couldn't hide the tiny smile creeping onto her face.
"Aww, the boss is pretending she doesn’t like it," Ruka teased.
Manna scoffed. "Shut up. Eat your cake."
Her attempt at staying composed only made her look cuter.
Then came the announcements.
Manna stood up. "Alright, time for the yearly bonus announcements."
We all held our breath.
"Employee of the Year—Ruka."
We cheered as Ruka proudly accepted her prize.
"Rookie of the Year—Ryuko."
I blinked. "...Wait, I was the only rookie this year."
Miko snorted. "So basically, you won by default."
"Still counts!" I argued.
Laughter filled the room as we celebrated. Everything was going smoothly—until Manna suddenly turned serious.
"One more thing," she said, glancing at Keiko. "Especially for you, Keiko."
Keiko looked up, confused. "Huh?"
Manna took a deep breath. "I've decided to open another branch this August... in Hawaii."
The entire room froze.
Wait.
Hawaii?! That's not even in Japan!
"And I want you, Keiko, to move there for three months to help me supervise the opening of the branch," Manna said.
Keiko and I screamed in unison.
"WHAT?!"