Saito scrolled aimlessly through social media on his phone, still savoring the lingering taste of the breakfast Hikari had made. A small, content smile played on his lips.

Riiing—

His phone buzzed. The screen flashed: Manager (Game Co.)

He answered, already sensing trouble.

“Hey, Saito. Sorry to call on your day off, but we’ve run into a situation here. A few critical bugs just popped up—think you could drop by the office?”

Saito sighed, but his voice remained calm. “Yeah, I got you. I’ll be there soon.”

He closed the call, packed up his laptop, slung his bag over his shoulder, and headed out.

A towering building stood before him. He entered, tapping his foot in the elevator, watching the floor numbers tick upward. A yawn escaped him.

In the office room, he spotted Fumi, already glued to a computer.

“Yo, Saito!” Fumi waved. “You’re just in time. Players are going nuts—they can’t log in again. Wanna help squash this bug?”

“Sure thing,” Saito said, placing his bag on the table and booting up his laptop. “Let’s kill it.”

For the next hour, the room was filled with typing, mouse clicks, and focused silence.

Eventually, Saito leaned back and stretched. “That’s it. Should be fixed now.”

“Testing it now…” Fumi said, eyes scanning the screen. A beat passed. “Yep. Login system’s stable again. You did it.”

Just then, the manager walked in, looking relieved. “You two really saved the day—on your off-day, no less.” He pulled out something from his coat pocket. “Here. A little thank-you.”

He handed them four tickets of Flower Bay.

“Take someone special. Enjoy yourselves,” the manager added with a grin.

Saito opened his mouth. “You know I don’t hav—”

But he stopped mid-sentence. Glancing at the tickets, he paused, smiled faintly, and slipped two of them into his pocket.

“Thanks. I’m heading out.”

“Whoa, where are you going?” Fumi called after him.

“I’ll tell you later,” Saito replied over his shoulder, already heading for the elevator.

The train ride back was quiet. Saito checked the time. 11:24 AM. Still early.

Back at the apartment complex, he stood before Hikari’s door. He hesitated for a moment, then knocked.

Click.

Hikari opened the door, slightly surprised, cheeks tinged with pink when she saw him.

“Saito? Something up?”

Saito rubbed the back of his neck. “Actually… I, uh, got two tickets of Flower bay Garden from work. Just a small thank-you gift from the manager.”

He paused, voice softer. “Thought maybe… if you’re free, you’d want to go with me?”

Hikari blinked, eyes widening. “W–With you?F-Flower bay garden?”

She felt her face heating up.

“Is this a date? Are we… is he asking me out?”

Her thoughts raced. “No, no. It’s just neighbors hanging out. Totally normal.”

Saito noticed her hesitation and added, “Of course, if you don’t want to, that’s fine—”

“Wait!” Hikari cut in, flustered. “I-I can go. It’s not like I have plans today anyway…”

Saito gave a light smile. “Cool. I’ll wait downstairs. Get ready.”

He turned to leave, a subtle warmth in his voice. “It’ll be fun.”

As the door closed, Hikari leaned against it, heart fluttering.

“…Is it really just a trip?” she whispered to herself.