Day after day went by, and still—nothing changed. I was still stuck as Ryuko. No magical lightning strikes. No sudden mirror portals. No random old hag in a dark alley saying, “You may return to your body, young man.” Nope. Nada. Zilch.
And now here we are, February 26th. Rin’s 17th birthday.
Last year was a complete disaster. But this year? Oh no, this year I was gonna make it special.
---
Keiko and I sneaked out after work to buy a cake. A big, fluffy, cream-covered, strawberry-loaded cake from that nice bakery with the fancy gold ribbons.
Honestly, I wanted to bake one myself, but there was no way I could pull that off at home without Rin sniffing out my plan like a bloodhound.
So we got the cake. Check.
Then it was time for the meal prep. Back at home, we were hustling in the kitchen like contestants on some chaotic cooking show.
“Careful with the eggs, you’re gonna break—”
SPLAT.
Yup. I broke it.
Keiko sighed, wiping my cheek with a damp cloth. “Geez, you’re hopeless.”
“Hey, hey, it’s all part of the process,” I grinned, striking a dramatic chef pose, spatula in hand.
We made Rin’s favorite omelette rice, spicy karaage chicken, and even threw in some potato croquettes. It smelled so good the kitchen could’ve seduced a whole army.
Meanwhile, Rin was holed up in her room like the little gremlin she was, probably playing one of those shooting games or watching dramas while ugly crying over some handsome male lead or maybe... uhmm... the pretty female lead.
Keiko called Chiyori about ten minutes ago to come over. She was down for it. Guess even shy girls like surprise parties.
Finally, everything was ready. The table looked like a feast straight out of a cozy anime slice-of-life episode. Chiyori arrived with a gift bag in hand, looking all flustered but excited. Keiko quickly hid the cake in the kitchen.
Then came the moment of truth.
Keiko went to Rin’s door.
“Rin! Dinner time!”
“Eh? Wait, I’m in the middle of a game,” Rin’s muffled voice called back from her room.
“Just come down, dummy.”
And then—bam. The door opened.
Rin shuffled in, wearing her hoodie and pajama pants, hair a mess, and glasses slightly crooked. Adorable.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY RIN!” we yelled.
Chiyori brought out the cake with the candles lit, the glow lighting up Rin’s surprised face. It was priceless. She blinked a few times, mouth hanging open like a fish, then slowly smiled.
I rolled a 1. Of course.
“Ahahaha! Sis goes first!” Rin grinned like she just won a million yen.
Whatever. Bring it.
“Truth or dare?” Chiyori asked softly.
“Dare. Always dare.”
Keiko snorted. “You’re asking for it.”
I picked a card from the dare pile and read it out loud.
“Call a sushi restaurant and order a pizza.”
The girls giggled. Keiko actually laughed out loud. Was this the first time I made her laugh like that in ages?
“Easy. Watch and learn,” I smirked.
I put my phone on speaker and called the nearest sushi place.
“Hello, this is Sushi-ya. How may I assist you?” a polite lady’s voice came through the phone.
“Yes, hi! I want to order! Can I get a, uh, pizza?”
Silence.
“…Excuse me?”
“You know, a pizza? Pepperoni maybe?”
“…We don’t—wait, actually, we have a sushi pizza special.”
I froze.
What the hell is a sushi pizza?!
The girls all stared at me, holding back laughter.
“Uhhh… sure, one of those.”
I hung up and slammed my forehead on the table.
“God… they actually had a sushi pizza. This country is insane.”
Keiko burst out laughing again, tears in her eyes. Chiyori giggled. Even Rin cracked up.
The game continued. The others took easy dares like singing a love song, doing a silly dance, or attempting a tongue twister.
Then it was my turn again.
I drew another dare card.
And immediately regretted my existence.
“Hug the person on your right and compliment them.”
I glanced to my right.
It was Chiyori.
Not Keiko.
Not Rin.
Chiyori.
I repeat, it was CHIYORI!
I could feel Keiko’s eyes drilling into the side of my skull… and Rin’s too, like twin lasers aimed right at me.
Chiyori blinked, looking up at me innocently. She had no idea she was about to become a casualty in this emotional battlefield.
God, please. End me now.
I gulped.
“Well… a dare’s a dare,” I forced a grin.
I awkwardly leaned in and hugged Chiyori. She squeaked in surprise, her face turning bright red.
“You’re, uh, really… uh… pure and sweet… like a… baby rabbit?” I mumbled.
Kill me.
Rin howled in dramatic jealousy, while Keiko’s lips twitched, her gaze burning into me with a jealousy of her own.
I pulled away, sweating buckets.
“Th-there, done. Your turn, Chiyori.”
The game continued with more dares and laughs. Eventually, Keiko got a dare to piggyback Rin around the room, and even Chiyori had to do an impression of a famous actor. It was chaos. But the good kind.
Then it came to Rin’s turn — she picked truth, and when she flipped the card, it read, “How do you feel about your father?” I gulped, a knot tightening in my chest. I wasn’t ready for this… and from the way Rin’s expression faltered, neither was she.