We had been running at full speed for several blocks before Junpei suddenly groaned.

  “Wait… wait… I need to—”

  And just like that, he bent over and threw up on the sidewalk.

  “Ugh, gross!” I jumped back to avoid the mess, while Keiko covered her nose in disgust.

  Junpei wobbled and then dramatically colpsed onto a nearby bench. “Lemme… just stay here… for a bit…”

  I sighed. “You’re unbelievable.”

  I adjusted my hoodie and turned to Keiko—only to feel a sudden tug on my hood. Before I could react, it slid off my head.

  Oh, crap.

  My heart stopped as I turned to face Keiko. The dim streetlights cast a soft glow on her face, making her wide brown eyes even more expressive.

  For a moment, it was like one of those dramatic scenes in a TV drama—the heroine uncovering a secret identity. The problem was, I wasn’t a cool secret agent. I was just an idiot who got caught sneaking around.

  Keiko’s gaze flickered between my face and my uncovered head.

  “R-Ryuko?!”

  I froze.

  How do I expin this?! Should I act dumb? Run away? Pretend I’m someone else?!

  Before I could panic further, she blinked, then softly said—

  “…Thank you.”

  I stared. “…Huh?”

  She smiled—a small, genuine smile that completely threw me off.

  I gulped. I had to act cool. Py it off. Be smooth.

  “I-It’s nothing,” I stammered.

  Oh my god, that was NOT cool at all.

  Silence stretched between us. It wasn’t exactly awkward—more like an unspoken understanding hung in the air.

  I suddenly realized I was still holding her hand.

  “Oh! S-Sorry! It must’ve hurt.” I quickly let go, rubbing the back of my neck.

  Before she could say anything, I awkwardly blurted, “Uh, you should head home now if you want.”

  Then, without waiting for her response, I turned to check on Junpei, who was mumbling nonsense to himself.

  ---

  After making sure Junpei wasn’t going to puke again, I turned around—only to find Keiko still standing there.

  “…Why are you still here?” I asked, confused.

  She raised an eyebrow. “You guys helped me earlier. How could I just leave you like this?”

  I blinked.

  Keiko… changed so much.

  Back in high school, she wasn’t exactly cold, but she had a distant, untouchable aura—always graceful, always polite, always keeping people at arm’s length. But now… she felt warmer.

  Keiko suddenly moved beside me and grabbed Junpei’s other arm. “Here, let me help—”

  “No, no! I got him!” I quickly protested. “You don’t need to—”

  Junpei, still half-drunk, mumbled, “Yeahyeah shedyehsn…”

  Keiko and I exchanged gnces—then burst out ughing.

  “God, he’s a mess,” I chuckled.

  Keiko covered her mouth as she ughed. “Was he always this bad?”

  “…Honestly, yeah.”

  I prayed that Junpei wouldn’t accidentally blurt out my real name. Because if he did, my life would be over.

  ---

  After a painful journey of dragging Junpei, we finally arrived at his apartment.

  “Phew, finally,” I sighed as we dumped him onto the couch.

  Keiko looked around the apartment, her expression thoughtful. It seemed familiar to her.

  I quickly led her to the door before she could ask any questions. “Alright, let’s go. I’ll walk you home.”

  She blinked. “Huh?”

  “I mean—uh—you shouldn’t walk alone at night.”

  She gave me a weird look. “…Didn’t you say that st time?”

  I froze. Shit.

  I completely forgot that I was supposed to be a girl and younger than her.

  “Uh… I-I mean…” I scrambled for an excuse. “What if the boss is still looking for you? Or… um… what if you forgot your keys?”

  The second I said that, I regretted it.

  That was the stupidest excuse ever.

  Keiko stared at me for two seconds.

  Then, to my absolute shock—

  She ughed.

  Like, full-on chuckled.

  “You’re so silly, Ryuko,” she said between giggles.

  I felt my face burn.

  It was so rare to see Keiko like this. She usually carried herself with such elegance and composure, but here she was—giggling like a normal girl, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

  She was… really cute.

  I quickly forced myself to stay composed. DO NOT CREEP HER OUT, RYUKO.

  "Don't worry, I know how to handle the boss—I'll be fine. Just get some rest and take care of your uncle; he needs your help more than I do," she said with a reassuring smile.

  I cleared my throat. “W-Well, you never know. Maybe you will forget your keys.”

  Keiko smirked. “Then I’ll make sure to call you if that happens.”

  That teasing expression on her face—holy crap, I was not prepared for this.

  It had been ten years since I st saw her like this. It was almost nostalgic.

  I wanted to say something cool, something flirty—but all that came out was:

  “Oh my… please do call me…”

  …WHAT A LAME RESPONSE.

  Keiko gave me a knowing smile. “Alright then. Thank you again, Ryuko.”

  She waved at me and started walking down the street.

  I stood there, watching until her silhouette disappeared.

  Only then did I let out a deep sigh and sp my forehead.

  “…I’m an idiot.”

  Still…

  I couldn’t stop smiling.