I groaned as I opened my eyes, my head spinning slightly. A mild headache lingered, reminding me of the drinks from last night. Wait—what did I do last night? My birthday had come and gone in a blur, and the last thing I remembered was drinking with Junpei.
I sat up, stretching my arms when my elbow bumped into something. A bag? Confused, I glanced down and noticed a neatly folded note resting on top of it. My curiosity piqued, I picked it up and read the words scribbled across it.
"Don’t be late for work!"
The signature at the bottom sent a jolt through my body.
Keiko!
I screamed, my voice echoing through the small apartment. What? How? My mind scrambled to piece together the events of last night. Did Keiko come here? Why?
With shaking hands, I peeked inside the bag and gasped. A cake. The very same one I had bought the day before my birthday from that popular café.
Junpei had insisted I get one, despite my indifference toward cake. "A birthday isn’t a birthday without a cake!" he’d said. In reality, I later found out he was just planning to give it to his girlfriend.
That entire day had been such a chaotic mess that I completely forgot to bring the cake home.
Did Keiko really come here just to drop this off?
I rubbed my temples, trying to recall. I wasn’t that drunk—just tipsy. Right? It should be fine…
My eyes darted back to the note. Don’t be late for work!
“Oh crap!” I jumped to my feet, rushing to get ready.
---
I arrived at work panting, sweat dripping down my forehead from my frantic run. I barely had time to catch my breath before greeting the other staff members on my way to the staff room.
The moment I stepped inside, I exhaled in relief. The fan I had helped install was working perfectly, cooling the room and making it much more comfortable.
I smiled, feeling a sense of pride despite the bruises I had gotten from the installation process. My hand had been hammered a few times, but it was all worth it.
Just as I turned to leave, I nearly screamed as I saw her standing there.
“Oh my god!”
Keiko, startled by my reaction, frowned. “Geez… why are you like that?”
“I—I wasn’t expecting you there!” I quickly apologized, still trying to calm my racing heart. “Sorry.” I moved to step past her but hesitated.
I need to ask.
“Keiko…” I started, my voice uncertain.
“Hm?” she responded, her gaze curious.
"How did you know it was my birthday?" I asked, curious.
She tilted her head. "Oh, from your ID card."
Relief washed over me. Junpei, I give you a point now. I thought to myself. At least he hadn’t blurted out anything unnecessary.
“Also... Did you… come to my place last night?” My stomach twisted in anticipation.
Keiko’s expression shifted as she crossed her arms. “What? You don’t remember?”
Oh no.
My heart sank. “I-I do!” I blurted out, but the nervous sweat forming on my forehead betrayed me.
Keiko smirked. “You were pretty wild last night.”
I choked on air. “W-what do you mean?”
“Well,” she continued nonchalantly, “you said you missed me.”
My breath hitched. Wait. I said that?
“And then…” she paused for dramatic effect, “you hugged me.”
I definitely did that. My face burned in embarrassment as the fragmented memories of last night flooded back.
“Oh, and you also said I smelled nice.” Keiko added, her smirk widening.
“Stop it!” I yelped, covering my face. “I get it, I get it!”
Keiko chuckled before the room fell into a brief silence. I sighed, feeling the weight of my humiliation settle in.
“…I’m really sorry for what happened last night,” I muttered. “It must’ve been uncomfortable for you.”
Keiko shook her head. “It’s okay.” Then, after a moment’s hesitation, she added, “Why were you drinking alone on your birthday? Sorry, but I’ve never seen a young girl get drunk alone on her birthday.”
I blinked at her, surprised by the genuine concern in her voice.
Keiko had changed. She was more social, more open. It was different from the quiet, reserved Keiko I had once known—or maybe I had never truly known her at all.
She continued, “I don’t mean to pry, but I was a little worried about you. Maybe you’re going through something? Feeling lonely?” Her voice softened. “As your senior, I just felt responsible.”
My chest tightened at her words.
I forced a smile. “Ahh… it’s just my thing, haha. Nothing serious, don’t worry.” I hesitated before adding, “But… thanks for asking.”
Keiko didn’t push further. Instead, she looked thoughtful before saying something that completely threw me off guard.
“You really remind me of my husband. You guys even have the same birthday...”
I froze, my heart stopping for a split second.
What did she mean by that? My mind went blank. Was this my cue? Should I confess now?
"Ahh… sorry, I didn’t mean anything weird by saying that. You must be uncomfortable. I’m really sorry," Keiko quickly added, looking flustered.
She turned to leave, but before I knew it, I grabbed her hand.
“I love you.”
The words tumbled out before I could stop them. Well, this was definitely different from the 'confession' I had imagined in my head.
Keiko froze. Her eyes widened in confusion.
"I… I love you. I really mean it," I repeated, my voice quieter this time. I said it, even though I didn’t plan to confess like this at first, but it had been so long since I could bring myself to say these words to her—even now, as someone who wasn’t Ryusei. She must think I was a crazy girl right now.
Keiko blinked, her lips parting slightly. Then, slowly, she exhaled and looked at me with an expression I couldn’t quite decipher.
Then she coming back to her senses. She slowly shook her head. "I’m sorry, but I can’t return those feelings."
I smiled, though it felt a little forced. “I—I know. It’s okay.”
I bowed politely and turned toward the front.
Then, I noticed.
Aki stood right outside the door, a mischievous grin on her face.
“Damn,” I muttered under my breath. “You were eavesdropping, weren’t you?”
Aki smirked. “Oh, don’t mind me~ Just enjoying the drama.”
I sighed, rubbing my temples. Great. Just great.
With a resigned sigh, I pushed past her, mentally preparing myself for the rest of the workday.