The sun was barely up when Keito woke up that morning, the sound of his alarm ringing obnoxiously in his ears. He groaned, lazily smacking the clock until it stopped.
"Ugh... why did I set it this early?" Keito muttered, rubbing his eyes.
But then he remembered—he had promised Ayumi he'd pack her school bag and get everything ready before she left with Kota and Max.
"Right, right... big brother duties," he mumbled, dragging himself out of bed like a zombie.
After washing his face and brushing his teeth, Keito headed to the kitchen. He prepared Ayumi's breakfast—a simple but delicious combo of eggs, bacon, and toast. As the smell of food filled the air, Ayumi's tiny footsteps echoed from the stairs.
"Good morning, Keito!" Ayumi chirped, rubbing her eyes as she walked into the kitchen.
"Morning, sleepyhead." Keito smiled. "Breakfast is ready."
Ayumi's eyes lit up as she sat at the table. "Wow! You made bacon today? Are you feeling okay?" she teased, giggling.
"Ha ha, very funny," Keito said, rolling his eyes but smiling. "Eat up before Kota comes."
As Ayumi ate, Keito double-checked her school bag, making sure she had her homework, notebooks, and lunch.
"Ready to go?" he asked after she finished eating.
"Yup!" Ayumi said, grabbing her bag.
Just as she was about to leave, the familiar sound of a car horn echoed from outside.
"That's Kota and Uncle Max," Ayumi said excitedly, rushing toward the door.
Keito watched her go with a soft smile.
"Be good, okay?" he called out.
"I always am!" Ayumi shouted back, waving.
As the door closed behind her, Keito finally let out a deep sigh.
"Okay... I've got a little time before work," he muttered, stretching his arms.
He looked at the clock.
"Maybe I'll rest a bit..."
Fifteen minutes turned into an hour.
When Keito finally woke up, he shot out of bed, panicking.
"Crap, I overslept!"
He rushed through his morning routine, quickly changing into his work clothes—a neatly pressed shirt, tie, and slacks.
"Okay... I'm ready."
As Keito walked toward the parking lot, he spotted a familiar figure near his car.
It was her.
Hanaka.
Hanaka, his boss.
Her name meant "flower" in Japanese, and honestly... Keito thought it suited her perfectly.
Hanaka Tachibana wasn't just any boss—she was the boss.
Beautiful. Elegant. Confident.
And completely out of his league.
"Good morning, Keito," Hanaka greeted him with her usual warm smile.
"M-Morning, Ma'am!" Keito replied, standing a little too straight like a soldier.
"Relax, Keito. I'm not going to bite." She giggled softly, her almond-shaped eyes twinkling.
"S-Sorry," Keito stammered, his face already turning pink.
They both walked toward the office together, and Keito tried his best to focus on anything but how close Hanaka was standing to him.
"So... how was your weekend?" Hanaka asked casually.
"Oh... uh... good! Spent some time with Ayumi," Keito replied, scratching the back of his neck.
"That's sweet," Hanaka said with a gentle smile. "You're a good big brother, Keito."
"Ah... I'm just doing my best," Keito mumbled, his face heating up again.
They entered the building, and Keito quickly headed to his desk to start the day.
Hours Later...
Keito was in the zone, finishing his tasks faster than ever.
"Man... I'm killing it today," he murmured, typing away like a machine.
After finishing everything, Keito leaned back in his chair with a satisfied sigh.
"Okay... I've got some time to kill."
He pulled out his phone and decided to check his social media.
"Let's see what's happening..."
As he scrolled, Keito laughed at funny memes and animal videos.
"Haha, look at this dog," Keito snickered, watching a video of a golden retriever trying to fit a giant stick through a tiny door.
Then...
He scrolled a little more...
And that's when it happened.
WHAM.
His thumb froze.
His eyes widened.
There, staring back at him from his screen, was a picture.
A picture of Hanaka.
In a bikini.
Chilling in a pool.
Sunglasses on her head.
A cocktail in her hand.
And her... uh... assets looking... very... noticeable.
Keito's jaw dropped.
"W-WHAT THE—?!"
His phone slipped from his hands and landed face down on his desk.
Keito blinked.
Then blinked again.
"D-Did I just...?"
He slowly picked up his phone, as if touching it would somehow set off an alarm.
Nope. It was still there.
His boss.
In a bikini.
Keito's face turned bright red.
"WHY IS THIS ON MY FEED?!"
He looked around, panicking.
Nobody noticed.
"Okay, okay..." he whispered, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "Just... just scroll past it. Pretend you never saw it."
But his brain refused to cooperate.
His eyes lingered on the picture for just a second too long.
Why is she so...?
No, stop it, Keito.
Don't think about it.
But then...
FLASHBACKS.
—
"Keito, do you want to grab dinner sometime? My treat."
—
"Sometimes... I like to do something special for the people I care about."
—
"Maybe we should take a vacation together someday... you know, to relax."
—
Keito's face was practically on fire.
"W-Wait a minute..."
His heart was pounding.
"Those... weren't just random conversations, were they?"
He shook his head, trying to clear the intrusive thoughts.
"No, no, no! She's just being friendly! Yeah, that's it!"
But even as he tried to convince himself, the memories kept playing in his head.
Hanaka smiling at him a little too warmly.
Hanaka laughing at jokes that weren't even funny.
Hanaka 'accidentally' brushing her hand against his.
"OH. MY. GOD."
Keito covered his face with both hands.
"Crap, crap, crap..."
Was his boss flirting with him?!
"No way..."
Keito took a deep breath, trying to calm down.
"I'm just overthinking this," he muttered. "She's probably like that with everyone..."
But deep down...
A tiny voice whispered:
What if...?
Keito groaned, leaning back in his chair.
"Why is my life suddenly turning into a romcom?"
—
Meanwhile...
At her desk, Hanaka was tapping her fingers on the table, her eyes glued to her phone.
"Still nothing?" she murmured, checking her notifications.
Her gaze shifted toward Keito, who looked like he was having an existential crisis.
Hanaka narrowed her eyes.
"Come on, Keito..." she whispered. "How many hints do I have to drop?"
She let out a sigh, cr
ossing her arms.
"I won't give up that easily."
Her lips curled into a determined smile.
"You're mine, Keito... you just don't know it yet."
And with that...
The chapter ended—leaving Keito completely clueless about what was coming next.