Jun, Sachiko, Tetsuya, and I started a new chat group to plan Kyōko's surprise party without her finding out. There wasn't much to plan, so we didn't use it much throughout the week. There were suggestions of asking Kyōko if she was going to be out on Sunday, but we didn't want to raise any suspicions or use excuses.
The day arrived and the four of us met at a mall one hour before noon to buy our gifts for Kyōko and a cake. We had no idea what cake Kyōko would prefer, so we chose the safe option of a chocolate cake.
We spent a little over an hour shopping before requesting a taxi big enough to fit the four of us and the stuff we bought. We used the trip to organize all of it in the gift wrap bags we also bought.
We got off the taxi in front of Kyōko's apartment building and stepped inside. Only then did I remember the little detail about getting into the apartment area.
"Welcome," said the receptionist in the lobby. "How may I help you?"
