Gladly, today we didn't oversleep. Barely.

Keiko and I completely forgot to turn on our alarms last night — yeah, too busy… cuddling.

Now we’re sitting inside the hotel’s meeting hall at 9 a.m., with complimentary eye bags and invisible IV drips of caffeine running through our veins.

"Morning, guys!" Manna greeted, striding into the room with way too much energy for a Monday.

"Morning!" we all echoed like half-charged robots. The Hawaiian trio replied cheerfully in English, as usual.

I yawned so hard I almost dislocated my jaw but tried to play it cool. I glanced over — Miko and Aki were also battling their inner snooze demons.

"Miko, Aki, do you two want to go back to sleep?" Manna suddenly pointed them out like an anime villain catching the protagonists mid-scheme.

"OH! Of course not! I’m sorry!" they chorused, sitting up like schoolgirls caught chewing gum in class. I silently promised myself I wouldn’t get caught like them. But hey, the struggle is real.

The meeting began. Manna was presenting last year’s performance — growth here, market there — then talked about how we wouldn’t expand next year, instead focusing on the Hawaii branch.

Then suddenly—CRASH.

A loud clattering sound echoed through the hall, and all eyes turned.

It was Aki.

“Ohhh! AHHH!” she shrieked mid-fall, legs flying in the air. There she was, sprawled out like a fallen sack of rice. Everyone gasped.

I knew exactly what happened — homegirl fell asleep on her chair.

She immediately scrambled up and bowed 90 degrees. “I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY!”

I swear, I could hear Miko whispering prayers under her breath like a monk in panic mode.

“Aki,” Manna said, expression unreadable, “were you sleeping?”

Aki froze like a deer in headlights. “Y-Yes… I-I'm really sorry, ma’am.”

Manna sighed the sigh of a woman who had seen too much. “Sit back down.”

“Thank you, ma’am!” Aki said, practically shaking. She returned to her seat, face pale as chalk, clearly rethinking her life decisions.

“You’re lucky I’m in a good mood today,” Manna added, her voice calm but ominous. “But do it again, and I’ll give you punishment.”

“Yes! Thank you!” Aki squeaked. She folded her hands like she was about to recite the national anthem.

Meeting: 1. Aki: 0.

The rest of us were frozen in horror. I saw Miko trying not to hyperventilate.

Finally, after another hour of mostly trying to stay awake while pretending to care about Excel bar charts, we reached the moment we’d all been waiting for: the annual award ceremony.

First up, Keiko announced the yearly salary increase. Cheers all around. (Though internally I wondered if a 5% raise even covered my bubble tea habit.)

Then came the individual awards.

“Rookie of the Year goes to… Suzuka!”

Cue dramatic applause.

Suzuka stood up like she had just won an Oscar. “Thank you so much everyone! Thanks for always supporting me! This is for my fans! For the team! For world peace! For my mom, my cat, and the man who made me coffee this morning!”

We all clapped, but our smiles were frozen. Miko whispered to me, “Is she… okay?”

Keiko nodded with a deadpan face. “Let her finish. It’s her first award. Let her live.”

Next, “Best Employee goes to… Moana!”

Cheers erupted. Moana stood, radiant. She gave a speech in English — none of the Japanese, except the boss and Keiko knew what she said, but we clapped like it was the cure to cancer.

Then: “Most Diligent Employee goes to… Miko!”

Now THAT was well-earned.

Miko walked up, tears already forming. “I-I worked so hard. No vacation for 365 days. Even when I had a fever, I showed up. I only took two bathroom breaks per day!”

Everyone was cheering until she started describing how she skipped her brother’s wedding for a meeting. Keiko had to gently drag her away from the mic.

“Okay, Miko, save some drama for the documentary.”

Finally…

“Rising Star Award goes to… Ryuko!”

Wait, what?! Me?

I stood up awkwardly, heart racing. I hadn’t prepared anything! I walked up and grabbed the mic like it was on fire.

“Uh… thank you, everyone. Thank you Manna-san, Keiko, and all of you here who’ve supported me. I’ll keep doing my best from now on!”

Simple. Clean. Just like that.

Everyone clapped. Aki clapped too but didn’t dare make eye contact with Manna again.

After the meeting ended, we gathered for the lunch buffet. I took a second to breathe, staring out the window at the view.

I suddenly realized… this was probably my last team meeting like this. If everything goes as planned, next year I’ll be taking over the old man’s position. No more pretending to fall asleep in meetings — I'll be the one people fear.

Sentimental mode: activated.

Keiko walked beside me, nudging my arm. “Proud of you.”

I smiled. “Thanks. I miss holding you like this,” I said gently.

Keiko leaned in and smirked, “I miss your touch too.” Her hand brushed mine under the table.

Ah yes, love, danger, coffee breath, and chaotic coworkers — what a mix.