The three days straight of "dates" with Keiko had somehow drained me. Not just physically but mentally. Every interaction, every glance, and every comment she made felt like she was onto something—like she was beginning to notice who I really was. But that was impossible, right?
"Maybe I'm just overthinking it," I muttered to myself, sighing deeply.
"What coincidence is it?" a voice suddenly whispered right into my ear.
"Gah!" I jumped, my heart nearly bursting out of my chest. "Aki! What the hell?!"
Aki, the self-proclaimed gossip queen, smirked as she leaned against the counter, arms crossed. "You’re being all dramatic again. So, how was your three-day streak of love and romance? You guys stopped after the third one. Hmmm... interesting!" She grinned mischievously. "You must thank me, huh? It was because of my advice—"
I quickly grabbed a towel and shoved it into her face before making my escape. "Nope, not dealing with this right now!"
"Hey! Wait—mmph!" Aki’s muffled protests echoed behind me as I fled outside.
Taking in a deep breath, I tried to calm my nerves. And then, as if fate wanted to mess with me even more, I spotted Keiko. She was struggling to carry a large trash bag to the bin.
"Do I help or not...?" I debated internally. I needed to put some distance between us, at least until I figured out how to act more naturally.
"Oi! Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to help me?" Keiko called out, raising an eyebrow.
I sighed. "I'm coming."
I helped her in silence, hoping she wouldn’t bring up anything suspicious.
"Today—"
"Sorry," I cut her off immediately. "I have something to do today."
Keiko blinked at me, tilting her head. "Huh? I wasn’t asking you out again."
Oh.
She smirked slightly before continuing, "I was going to say the repairman is coming today to install the fan."
"...Fan?"
Keiko sighed. "You forgot? The fan for the staff room? You're the one who complained about how hot it was in there."
Ah. My mind flashed back to that moment—the suffocating heat, Keiko’s flushed face, and me blurting out something about needing air circulation. My face turned red at the memory. "Oh. Right."
Keiko stretched her arms. "I was going to ask if you could help to monitor the repairman with me. But it's fine, you have plans."
She turned to leave, and I panicked.
"Wait!"
---
And that was how I ended up standing in the staff room at 10 PM, holding the fan while a repairman worked at a pace that made snails look fast. My arms were getting sore, and my patience was wearing thin.
Glancing to my right, I noticed Keiko sitting on a chair, dozing off. Her breathing was slow and steady, her face peaceful. Cute, I thought—
"Ouch!"
I yelped and immediately dropped the fan.
Keiko jolted awake. "W-what happened?!"
The repairman had somehow managed to hammer my left hand instead of the wall. Just my luck. I winced as Keiko rushed over, grabbing my injured hand with a worried expression.
"You really are hopeless sometimes," she muttered, expertly wrapping a bandage around my hand.
"It hurts!" I whined, hissing as she tightened it.
She chuckled. "Big baby. Also, didn’t you say you had plans today?"
"I... decided to do it tomorrow," I said, avoiding eye contact.
Keiko just smirked. "Right. Sure."
Finally, at 11:10 PM, the repairman finished. Keiko and I quickly locked up the store and dashed toward the station, trying to catch the last train.
"Faster!" Keiko shouted, running alongside me.
"I know!" I gasped, pushing my tired legs forward.
We arrived at 11:30 PM, just in time—
—or so we thought.
An announcement played over the speakers: "We apologize for the inconvenience. Due to technical issues, the last train has been canceled."
"WHAT?!" I screeched.
Keiko groaned. "Oh my god."
I dropped onto the station floor, utterly defeated. "Today is cursed."
Keiko sighed, looking around. "Let's just take a taxi."
I nodded, too exhausted to argue.
We walked for what felt like forever, but every taxi that passed was already occupied. Eventually, Keiko stopped, panting. "Looks like we’re walking. It’s not that far anyway."
I stayed silent, too tired to complain.
Finally, we reached the intersection where we had to part ways. It was past midnight already. I waved weakly. "Good night, have a good rest."
Keiko nodded and turned toward her street. I had just taken a few steps when her voice rang out.
"Ryuko!"
I turned around. "What now?"
Then she smiled and said something that made my entire body freeze.
"Happy Birthday!"
The world stood still. My breath caught in my throat.
How did she know?
I stared at her, unable to move, unable to react. The night breeze sent a shiver down my spine—or maybe it wasn’t the wind at all.
Keiko just smiled, waving casually before disappearing into the night, leaving me standing there with my heart pounding like a drum.
How did she know?
Was she testing me?
Or... was this just another coincidence?