"K-Keiko... k-k-keiko..."
My voice was barely above a whisper. I wanted to ask her about the cake message, but the words just wouldn't come out. My brain had completely shut down. My heart was pounding like crazy. My hands felt like jelly.
I was in super shock.
"Ryuko, where's the cake? You've been standing there like a statue for five whole minutes!" Aki complained, snapping me out of my daze.
She turned to look at me and suddenly recoiled in horror. "Whoa, whoa, what happened to you?! Why do you look like your soul just left your body?! Did you see a ghost or something?!"
I didn't even register her words. My mouth kept mumbling the only name stuck in my head.
"Huh? Why are you whispering her name like a lost puppy?" Aki frowned. Then, before I could stop her, she shouted across the room, "KEIKO! RYUKO'S CALLING FOR YOU!"
Keiko turned toward us and started walking over.
This is not what I wanted! Not now! Not while my brain was still rebooting!
"STOP!" I suddenly screamed.
Keiko stopped in her tracks, looking surprised.
Aki, Ruka, and Miko all stared at me like I had completely lost my mind.
"What the heck is wrong with you, Ryuko?!" Aki squinted. "Are you... possessed?"
I didn't answer. Instead, I grabbed the cake with both hands and thrust it toward Keiko like I was offering my soul to her.
Keiko blinked. "Uh... it's a cake, Ryuko. We bought it together, remember?"
"EXACTLY!" I yelled, pointing at it with a shaky finger. My face felt hotter than a furnace.
Everyone was now looking at me like I was some sort of escaped mental patient.
"Do you remember," I continued, "when we bought it? Do you remember what you said about the cake message?!"
Keiko smiled softly. "Of course, it was just an hour ago."
I shoved the cake closer to her. "Then LOOK AT IT!"
She finally took a closer look.
The room fell silent.
This was the moment of truth.
Here I was. Emotionally destroyed.
Aki, Ruka, and Miko had already collapsed into a pile of uncontrollable laughter.
"HAHAHAHA! Oh my god, Ryuko!" Aki wheezed. "I can't- I can't breathe! This is too funny!"
"AHHHH, THIS IS HILARIOUS!" Ruka slammed the floor while laughing. "Ryuko, you had SO MUCH CONFIDENCE!"
"Ryuko, I can't believe you thought she was confessing to you!" Miko wiped tears from her eyes.
Flashback Mode: Activated
Just a few minutes ago...
Keiko's eyes widened as she stared at the message on the cake.
Keiko quickly denied the message, waving her hands frantically, "N-No! This is wrong!"
"This must have been accidentally mixed up by the shop!" she blurted out.
My entire soul collapsed on the spot.
Meanwhile, I was dying of embarrassment.
I just sat there in complete silence, wishing the ground would swallow me whole.
Keiko, on the other hand, simply smiled softly and let out a small chuckle.
I stared at her in horror.
Even she's laughing at me?!
"The real message I wrote was 'Congratulations on your new home.'" Keiko finally explained.
Keiko added, "The cake is also a bit different, see?" She pointed it out, and I realized she was right...
It was just a normal congratulatory message. Nothing romantic. No confession.
I misunderstood everything.
I sighed deeply and slumped onto the table.
"...Can this party be over now?" I mumbled.
I had never wanted to go to bed so badly in my life.
But for some reason...
Even though I knew it was a mistake...
Even though I knew it wasn't real...
A small part of me still felt disappointed.
I didn't want to know.
For now, I just wanted to sleep and forget this ever happened.