The cake shop was just 600 meters from the restaurant—but to me, it might as well have been 6 meters. It felt way too close. I mean, seriously, couldn’t we have gone to one on top of Mount Fuji or something? Maybe get lost on the way? Anything to extend this… date.

“Hey! Don’t just stand there like a statue,” Keiko called out, waving at me with that mildly annoyed but cute expression. “Help me.”

I sighed dramatically and walked over with slow, exaggerated steps. “What can I help with, my princess?”

She blinked, cheeks tinged pink, and turned away. “Forget it then. I’ll get it myself.”

“Aw… sorry.” I scratched the back of my neck. “I don’t even know what the boss likes. But I believe in your taste.”

She let out a loud sigh. “Right. Why did I even invite you again? I could’ve done this alone.”

I shrugged, playing it cool. “Maybe… you just missed me?”

Keiko turned sharply, glaring at me with narrowed eyes. “Ugh! What’s gotten into you today? Why are you flirting so much?!”

“I dunno.” I looked away innocently. “Just felt like it. Sorry.”

She rolled her eyes again but with a slight upward curve of her lips. “You need to tone it down. Don’t forget we’re on a company trip.”

“Yes, ma’am!” I did a mock salute like some soldier. Keiko giggled a little. Just a little.

After finally picking out the cake—something simple and cool, just like Manna-san’s vibe—we made our way back to the restaurant.

Keiko had already messaged Ruka to help coordinate the surprise. We snuck into the back to prepare the cake, lit the candles, and I told Keiko, “You go in a bit later. I’ll pretend I just got back.”

Keiko nodded and handed me the lighter. “Don’t mess up.”

“No pressure or anything,” I muttered.

As I slid into my seat back at the table, Aki turned to me with squinted eyes. “Where were you, Ryuko? You took forever.”

“Bathroom. Sudden stomach emergency,” I replied flatly with zero shame.

“Too much spicy tofu?” Miko quipped.

Before I could answer, Keiko appeared behind me holding the cake. I quickly nudged Aki. “Start singing.”

“In Japanese or English?”

“What? Any version—go!”

Aki stood up and with the confidence of a tone-deaf rockstar, belted out:

“Happii basudei toooo yooouuu~”

Everyone burst out laughing but joined in anyway, clapping and singing along with her broken English-Japanese remix. The moment was chaotic, off-key, and somehow absolutely perfect.

“Happiiii basudei dear Mannaaa-sannnn~!”

Manna gasped, eyes wide with surprise, hands covering her mouth. “You guys!! Oh my god—thank you! I didn’t expect this!”

We all clapped and cheered. She looked so touched by the whole thing. One by one, we gave her our best wishes and a small hug. I looked over at Keiko, who quietly smiled with pride. It was her idea, after all.

Once the little celebration ended, we finally headed to the hotel for check-in.

As we were lining up, I leaned closer to Keiko and whispered, “Hey… so, can we… um, sleep together?”

Keiko blinked at me, not even reacting dramatically this time. “Sure. Manna-san actually requested to sleep alone tonight. She wants some peace.”

I nodded like I’d just won the lottery.

But of course, nothing escapes Aki’s radar.

She wiggled her eyebrows at me. “Ohoho? Someone’s in a very good mood today.”

“What? No!” I waved her off.

“Don’t be too naughty at night, okay?” she said with a loud whisper and a devilish grin.

I facepalmed and walked off. I wasn’t even going to dignify that with a response.

Evening came and with no official events until tomorrow, we had some free time. As soon as I got into the room, I flopped onto the bed with a dramatic sigh.

“Ahhhh… this feels amazing. I’m so tired.”

Keiko giggled and began unpacking her things. “I’ll take a shower first, okay?”

“Yeah, go ahead,” I mumbled into the pillow, eyes already half-closed.

And then… the moment.

I sat up to check if I could reach for the water bottle beside the bed—and that’s when I noticed it.

My eyes widened.

The bathroom.

The see-through bathroom.

It was all clear glass—all of it. No curtain. No fog effect. Nothing.

And inside… was Keiko. Naked. Showering.

I immediately turned red. My heart skipped like a bad YouTube video buffering.

Oh no. OHHH NO.

Why does it look like a love hotel?!

I wanted to shut my eyes. But also… not. And then I hated myself for that thought.

Keiko finished up and walked out wrapped in a towel, drying her hair.

She looked at me. “Huh? What’s wrong? Your face is all red.”

I gulped. “Are you sure you didn’t accidentally book a love hotel?”

Keiko’s eyes widened. “What? Why would I book a love hotel for a company trip?!”

I pointed toward the bathroom with a shaky finger. “It’s… see-through.”

She gasped and spun around to look. “OH MY GOD!”

I held my head in my hands. “I swear I didn’t peek. But also, I did. But unintentionally. But not really. Okay, I’m sorry.”

Keiko just stood there frozen, towel still on her head. “Wait—what about the others?!”

“That’s what I was thinking!”

She jumped into her clothes in record time and bolted out the room, muttering something about “professionalism” and “what if Miko’s room is like this too?!”

I scrambled after her.

As we checked the other rooms one by one like hotel inspectors, we found out… only our room had the clear bathroom.

Ruka laughed for five minutes straight.

Miko said, “Lucky~” in the most teasing tone ever.

Aki simply said, “I told you not to be naughty.”

After the initial chaos, we both rushed down to the front desk to report the situation. Keiko, flustered and red-faced, explained that the bathroom glass in our room was see-through and clearly a mistake.

The receptionist widened her eyes and apologized profusely, bowing multiple times. “It was supposed to be covered! We recently changed the sticker film and must have missed that one,” she said.

Unfortunately, the hotel was fully booked, so they couldn’t move us to another room. As compensation, they offered our room free for both nights. Honestly, I didn’t mind much—just a little embarrassed knowing the others might have heard about it.

Keiko and I could only stand there and accept everything.

I let out a dry sigh in my head. “What a room with a view this is...”