I was doomed.

  No,

  beyond doomed.

  I was absolutely, completely, unquestionably doomed.

  Aki was staring at me like a cat who had just cornered a very guilty-looking mouse.

  "So, Ryuko... what really happened st night?" she asked, eyes twinkling with mischief.

  My face went pale. I quickly turned to Keiko, whispering like a desperate prisoner begging for mercy.

  "Keiko... help me..."

  I even tried putting on my best innocent, pleading expression, but I wasn’t sure if it looked adorable or just pathetic.

  Keiko, sensing my distress, stepped in. "Aki, what are you doing?"

  Aki instantly straightened up, looking slightly nervous. Of course—Keiko was the manager. Aki could tease me all day, but Keiko? That was different.

  "Ahhh, Keiko..." Aki fumbled, but she wasn’t about to back down. "Uhm... you know... did something happen between you and Ryuko st night?"

  Keiko blinked. "W-what do you mean?"

  Oh no. She’s stuttering. Why is she stuttering?! Hang in there, Keiko! Please don’t make this worse!

  Aki smirked at Keiko’s reaction and leaned in closer. "Well... you did come to work together today... Ryuko is wearing the same clothes as yesterday... and Ryuko’s hair smells just like yours... and you both were so te..."

  I choked on air. "H-HOW DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW MY HAIR SMELLS?!"

  Aki shrugged like she had just casually discovered a government secret. "I have my ways."

  Keiko’s face turned a light shade of red. "Of course not! It’s nothing like that!" she said firmly, clearing her throat. "Ryuko forgot her keys st night, so I let her stay over. And we... accidentally overslept. That’s all."

  I nodded so aggressively I nearly snapped my own neck. "Y-yeah! That’s exactly what happened! I was just being stupid, and Keiko was just helping me out!"

  Aki still looked unconvinced, but before she could press further, Ruka called out, "Oi! Break’s almost over! Get back to work!"

  I never thought I’d be grateful to Ruka, but at that moment, I could have kissed her feet.

  Aki shrugged and said, "Sorry guys. No need to be that nervous, I'm just teasing you guys. You're both girls anyways. It happens sometimes with friends."

  That's when I realized—right, we're both girls. Why did I feel so nervous about getting caught earlier? Isn't it was normal because we're both girls?

  As soon as Aki turned away, I let out the deepest sigh of relief. Keiko did the same.

  I gnced at her. "Keiko... why were you so nervous?"

  She paused, then quickly shook her head. "It’s nothing. Let’s just get back to work."

  Huh. Weird.

  I wondered why Keiko was nervous—she was usually direct and never overthought things like this; if her answer was no, it was a firm no, without hesitation.

  ---

  The rest of the shift passed without incident. Thank God.

  By closing time, I was exhausted. After everything that had happened in the st 24 hours, I just wanted to colpse and sleep for a week.

  When I finally got home, I found Junpei lounging on the couch, scrolling through his phone. The second he saw me, he smirked.

  "Sooooo... how was your romantic sleepover?"

  I groaned. "Please. Don’t. Start."

  Too te. He was already grinning like an idiot. "C’mon, spill! What actually happened?"

  I flopped onto the couch and sighed. "Long story short—I forgot my keys, you're fucking with your girlfriend. Keiko let me stay over, Rin almost murdered me with a broom, and Aki thinks I had a wild night."

  Junpei burst out ughing. "Wait, wait, wait—Rin attacked you?!"

  I grumbled, "She thought I was a burgr! Had me at broom-point and everything."

  Junpei was howling with ughter now. "Oh my God! How do you manage to get into these situations?!"

  I huffed, crossing my arms. "It’s a gift, obviously."

  Junpei wiped a tear from his eye. "And you had to clear up a misunderstanding with Aki?! This is gold!"

  "Yes, yes, ugh at my suffering," I muttered.

  Junpei grinned. "By the way... how was sleeping on the couch? You miss your old bed yet?"

  I gred at him. "Thanks to my young, healthy body, I have no back pain, thank you very much."

  Junpei smirked. "Yeah, yeah. But that’s what you're taking away from this?"

  I sighed, staring at my untouched beer. "... I know."

  Junpei stood up and stretched. "Honestly, you almost ruined your retionship with Keiko again. You really do have a talent for it."

  I pouted. "Don’t start."

  Junpei suddenly recoiled, dramatically clutching his chest. "Aghhh! Nooo! Not that face! It’s disgusting! I know it’s YOU inside!"

  I smirked and leaned in closer. "Oh, come on, Junpei~!"

  "NOOOOOOO!" He bolted to his room, fake-screaming like I was a monster.

  I ughed, shaking my head. "Dumbass."

  After that, I took a quick shower, flopped onto my bed, and passed out instantly.

  What. A. Day.