The next morning was rough. My body ached all over from st night’s mess, and to make it worse, I felt guilty as hell about Junpei. He was still half-dead on the couch, groaning like he had just survived a war.

  I finished getting dressed, grabbed my bag, and hesitated before leaving. "Junpei, thanks for helping me st night," I said sincerely.

  He barely cracked open one eye and muttered, "Yeah, yeah. I was an idiot for getting drunk in the first pce." His voice was filled with regret, and I could almost see a mini Junpei inside his head shaking his fist at his life choices.

  "But hey, we did manage to pull it off," I tried to sound cheerful. "Even though it was a bit of a disaster."

  Junpei groaned. "‘A bit of a disaster?’ You made me charge at your boss like some drunken knight, and then we ran for our lives."

  I scratched my head. "Yeah… but it worked, right?"

  Junpei sighed dramatically and turned over on the couch, clearly done with life for today. I figured it was best to leave him be.

  I sprinted to work, barely making it in time. As soon as I stepped into Manna’s Kitchen, I was ambushed.

  Aki, Ruka, and Miko surrounded me like a pack of hungry wolves. "Spill!" Aki demanded.

  "How did it go?!" Ruka asked eagerly.

  Miko leaned in. "Did you fight him?!"

  I waved my hands. "Whoa, whoa! Rex! It wasn’t that dramatic… Okay, maybe it was."

  I quickly summarized what happened—the boss dragging Keiko to a bar, my failed attempt to sneak in, Junpei’s heroic but drunken intervention, and our grand escape.

  "Oh my god," Aki whispered, eyes wide. "That’s insane!"

  "That guy is dangerous," Ruka muttered. "Keiko’s lucky you got her out of there."

  Miko nodded enthusiastically. "Good job, Ryuko! You’re a hero!"

  I rubbed the back of my neck. "I still want to ask Keiko about everything, though… There’s something weird about all this."

  Aki cpped my back. "Don’t worry. We’ve got her back. Together."

  I smiled at my friends, feeling grateful. Then—

  BAM!

  The door swung open, and in walked Keiko.

  Everyone turned toward her, and for a moment, she looked startled by the sudden attention. Then, she smiled. "Morning, everyone."

  Aki, Ruka, and Miko immediately surrounded her like overprotective older sisters. "Are you okay?" "Did anything happen after?" "Do you need anything?"

  Keiko chuckled at their concern. "I’m okay, really. Thank you all."

  The others hesitated but eventually gave us some space, Aki giving me a you better make use of this kind of look before leaving the room.

  Keiko turned to me. "Morning, Ryuko."

  My heart did a weird thump, but I quickly pushed it down. "M-Morning, Keiko!"

  She tilted her head. "How’s your uncle?"

  I blinked. It took me a second to realize she meant Junpei. "Oh! Uh… he’s fine. Just… regretting his life choices."

  Keiko ughed softly. "I can imagine."

  I took a deep breath. This was my chance to ask about st night. Before I could, though—

  "You know," Keiko mused, looking thoughtful, "your uncle feels really familiar to me."

  Oh crap.

  My entire body tensed.

  "I think I know him from somewhere," she continued. "But I can’t quite pce it…"

  I nodded, pretending to be clueless. "Oh, huh. That’s interesting."

  Then—

  "Oh! His name’s Junpei, right?" Keiko’s eyes lit up. "I knew it! He was my husband's friend in high school!"

  My soul left my body.

  "Ohh, really?" I said, trying to keep my voice completely normal. "What a… small world!"

  Keiko chuckled. "Right? I mean, what are the odds?" She smiled at me. "So Junpei’s your uncle, huh? That’s kinda funny."

  Yeah. Hirious. Because I wasn’t actually Ryuko—I was Ryusei, her missing husband.

  She sighed. "Speaking of small worlds… I wonder where Ryusei is right now."

  I froze.

  "It’s been two months," she said softly. "And there’s still no sign of him."

  I swallowed hard. "The police haven’t found anything?"

  Keiko shook her head. "Nothing. It’s like he just vanished."

  I clenched my fists, feeling a painful twist in my chest.

  "He’s an adult, though," I muttered. "I’m sure he’s fine."

  Keiko smiled sadly. "I hope so. At the very least… I just want to know if he’s alive."

  I bit the inside of my cheek, feeling overwhelmed. I wanted to tell her. I wanted to reach for her. But I couldn’t.

  So I did the next best thing.

  I asked, "How’s Rin doing?"

  Keiko sighed. "At first, she acted tough. Said she didn’t care. But… I know my daughter." She looked down, voice quieter. "She does care. She’s just too stubborn to admit it."

  My heart ached. I remembered that st fight before my disappearance—Rin had been so angry with me. I had been so frustrated with her.

  And now…

  "Maybe she regrets it," Keiko murmured. "Maybe she wishes she could take back some of the things she said."

  I felt a lump in my throat. "Do you?"

  Keiko looked up at me, surprised. "What do you mean?"

  I hesitated before forcing a smile. "Do you wish you could take back some of the things you said to him?"

  Keiko blinked, then looked away. "I don’t know. Maybe." She exhaled. "I just… I thought we had all the time in the world."

  A long silence filled the air.

  And then, she smiled at me.

  "But enough about that," she said gently. "I don’t want to make you sad with my family drama."

  I forced a small chuckle. "Nah, I don’t mind. I love drama."

  Keiko ughed. "You’re ridiculous, Ryuko."

  I shrugged. "I try."

  For a moment, we just stood there. And in that moment, I realized—Keiko was opening up to me.

  Not as Ryusei.

  But as Ryuko.

  And even though my heart ached…

  I couldn’t help but smile.