It was already mid-morning when I finally woke up. The sunlight slipped through the tiny gap in my curtains, slapping me straight in the face like some divine punishment for staying up too late. But hey — today was my day off. And for once, no shifts, no angry customers, and no Junpei dragging me into some nonsense.
Well… at least that’s what I thought.
After yawning like a bear in hibernation, I reached for my phone on the nightstand. My eyes squinted at the screen. One notification. A message from Keiko.
"Good luck at your cooking lesson today! Don’t forget to take pictures of your dish! Love!"
I grinned like an idiot. Look at that. Keiko actually cheering me on. It was rare to get this kind of soft side from her. I giggled a little to myself, not gonna lie. If anyone saw me acting like this, I’d lose all my bro points.
I typed back a quick reply.
"Thanks. I’ll bring you something home."
After getting myself ready, I headed out to the cooking lesson. It was smoother than I expected. The instructor was a bit stiff, but I managed to make a passable plate of omurice and even traded phone numbers with a few people there — broadening my connections just like I promised myself. Life was looking good.
For a solid two hours.
As I stood outside the building, about to message Keiko that I was done and ready to head home, my phone buzzed again. This time, a different name.
Junpei.
I stared at it. Something in my gut already told me this was bad. Because Junpei never texts me unless it’s to drag me into chaos or to beg me for help.
And the sheer number of messages made me gulp.
"What now..." I sighed and swiped it open.
Massive block of messages. Like, ridiculous.
I scrolled. His messages started normal-ish.
"Bro thanks, owe you big time."
"She’s kinda nice man."
Alright, no problem there. I kept scrolling.
Then things started to get weird.
_"DUDE… OH NO… HELP ME PLSSSSS."
_"I’M DEAD MEAT BROO."
And then — the one message that made my heart drop into my stomach.
_"BROO!! I ACCIDENTALY SLPET WHT HER!"
My eyes widened. I even said it out loud.
“WHAT THE HELL JUNPEI!”
People passing by turned to look at me like I was a madman. Great, now I was that guy yelling at his phone on the sidewalk.
I nervously kept scrolling.
_"WE'RE BITH DRYNK!"
_"I HAD SEX WHIT RUKS, NO CONDOMS!"
"HLP HLEP HEPLLL."
And then the cherry on top.
_"BUT SHE’S REALLY AMAZING IN BED. BOMB BODY BOMB ENERGY!"
…No typo.
That one message had zero mistakes.
I groaned.
“Why is this what you manage to type perfectly, you pervert.”
I could already see it — Junpei and Ruka, both drunk out of their minds, stumbling into something neither of them planned. And now, naturally, Junpei was having a full-blown meltdown.
I took a deep breath and typed a reply.
"Congratulations, you're gonna be a dad soon."
Not five seconds later, my phone rang.
Junpei.
I sighed. “Here we go.”
And picked it up.
“HELLO?? BRO WHAT THE HELL IS THAT REPLY?!” Junpei screamed so loud I had to pull the phone away from my ear.
I smirked.
“Well, what did you expect, genius? You banged her without protection. What am I supposed to say — ‘Good job champ?’”
“Damn it, man! This isn’t funny!” he groaned.
“Actually, it’s hilarious. You finally get with Ruka and you can’t even remember half of it.”
I could hear him pacing through the phone.
“Dude… I swear… I didn't plan this. We just kept drinking, and the next thing I knew, we were in my bed. And now she’s being all chill about it and it’s freaking me out more!”
I snorted.
“Ruka? Chill? Are you sure she remembers what happened?”
"Yes! She had just woken up, looked at me, went 'oh' when she realized she was naked next to me, got dressed and then just said goodbye. Bro… what if she hates me?"
I leaned against a pole, watching the city move around me as I sighed. “Junpei… you’re both adults. You got drunk, did the deed. Now you guys face it. You’ve been saying you’re looking for someone serious anyway. Maybe it’s fate.”
“FATE MY ASS.” Junpei yelled.
I laughed.
“I mean, you called her 'amazing in bed' and ‘bomb body’ in a text, so clearly you’re into her.”
“BRO I WAS DRUNK! But she was indeed amazing in bed.”
“Yeah yeah, keep telling yourself that.”
He groaned again.
“Look… you gotta man up, alright? Talk to her properly. Ask what she wants, where her head’s at. You can’t just freak out and hide from it. Be a decent human, Junpei.”
He was quiet for a moment.
Then, softer.
“Yeah… you’re right. Damn it, Ryusei. When did you get all mature?”
I smiled and said over the call, “Well… that’s it then. Just take responsibility, no matter what happens.” I paused for a moment before adding, “Don’t make the same mistakes I did back then.” A bittersweet smile tugged at my lips.
On the other end, Junpei’s voice softened, “Oi… you’re doing your best now. Thanks man, I owe you one.”
“You owe me a hundred. Now go fix your disaster.”
We hung up, and I let out a long sigh, staring up at the sky.
What a mess.
So much for my peaceful off day.
Yeah… maybe life was a little chaotic, but I couldn’t complain. Friends like these made it worth it.
And somewhere deep down, I was rooting for those two idiots. Maybe — just maybe — they’d figure things out.
But first, it was time for me to finally head home, maybe grab a drink at home while waiting for Keiko and Rin, and pray that Junpei didn’t do anything else stupid before the day was over.