75 Celebration
It was nearing the end of June.
The rainy season had settled in, and the days were filled with dreary rain.
Listless days drifted by.
In the morning, I headed to our usual meeting spot to go to school with Riri-chan.
“Suzuna-saaan, you’re free today, right?”
Riri-chan’s voice was unusually bright and cheerful.
A stark contrast to me, feeling gloomy along with the rainy weather.
“I’m free.”
Or rather, my schedule is always free.
“Ehehe… so what are we doing today? Your house?”
“Eh, yeah… my house is fine…”
“Hey, Suzuna, why are you so down? Do you even know what day it is today?”
“I… have a feeling…”
It’s June 24th.
I have a hunch, but I don’t have the courage to say it out loud.
I want Riri-chan to be the one to say it…
“It’s your birthday, Suzuna! You didn’t forget, did you?”
“Ah, no, I remember.”
I do remember my own birthday, at least.
But I wasn’t sure if Riri-chan was actually planning to celebrate, so I was hesitant.
I didn’t want to create an awkward atmosphere by asking for a celebration when she wasn’t planning one.
“Then I’ll go home after school and then head to your place. See you later.”
“Ah, okay. See you later…”
Riri-chan was unusually high-spirited.
I’m happy that she’s celebrating my birthday, but I don’t think it’s something to be so excited about.
“Alright, even though school is boring, I can do this for your birthday, right?”
“Ah, yeah.”
“You can do it, right?”
For some reason, she was demanding confirmation.
“I can do it…”
“Alright, let’s go to school!”
Do I have to be this energetic when celebrating Riri-chan’s birthday?
…I don’t think I can.
I really want to celebrate, but I don’t think I can match her energy level.
I headed to school, feeling strangely energized.
◇◇◇
Before I knew it, it was the end of the school day.
I felt restless all day today.
“Suzuna, school’s over!”
“Ah, yeah…”
As soon as homeroom ended, Riri-chan rushed to my desk.
“Let’s go home.”
“Th-That was fast…”
Her eagerness is overwhelming.
“There’s no point in staying at school any longer. It’s a waste of time.”
“Y-Yeah.”
Urged by Riri-chan’s “Hurry up, hurry up,” we left school earlier than anyone else.
◇◇◇
So, after parting ways with Riri-chan in the downtown area, I went home first.
But waiting is so tedious…
“Wh-What should I do…?”
I thought my uniform might be inappropriate, so I decided to change.
Since it was hot and humid even though it was the rainy season, I changed into a T-shirt and track pants.
W-Well… it’s loungewear, so it’s fine, right?
But changing clothes didn’t take long.
I fidgeted restlessly, sitting on the sofa and pacing around the living room.
The clock seemed to move slower than usual.
◇◇◇
Thirty minutes, which felt like an eternity, passed.
—Ding-dong
The doorbell rang, and I rushed to the entrance.
I opened the door.
“W-Welcome…”
“Suzuna, I’m here!”
Riri-chan, beaming, stood at the entrance.
She was wearing an oversized white T-shirt and black denim shorts, with a large tote bag on her shoulder.
Ah, this is bad…
Even though it’s a simple outfit, Riri-chan still looks stylish.
She’s wearing a necklace, and her T-shirt is neatly tucked in…
I messed up, I let my guard down.
I shouldn’t have gone full loungewear mode just because I’m at home.
“Come in.”
“Yay, it’s been a while!”
But Riri-chan didn’t seem to mind and entered the living room.
She seemed genuinely excited.
“Can I use the kitchen?”
Her eyes sparkled.
But… the kitchen…?
“What are you doing?”
“You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”
“Well, not yet, but…”
I just got home.
“Fufu, so I’m making you dinner.”
She said, and then took out an apron from her tote bag and put it on.
She also took out ingredients and seasonings. I realized that’s why she had such a large bag.
“Eh, are you sure…?”
“Of course!”
“I-I can help…”
“What are you saying? The birthday girl should relax and wait.”
I-Is that so…?
Riri-chan efficiently started cooking.
◇◇◇
“Alright, it’s done!”
A short while later, sandwiches, hamburger steak, teriyaki chicken, salad, and tomato soup were lined up on the table.
“Th-This is amazing…”
I always eat Riri-chan’s cooking, but this is on a different level.
Just looking at the dishes made my mouth water.
“Ehehe… and of course, I also have this.”
“This…?”
Riri-chan took out a white box from her tote bag.
A whole strawberry cake appeared.
“A cake is essential for a birthday, right?”
“D-Did you…?”
“Hmm?”
“Did you make this?”
“Of course!”
“S-Seriously…”
This is… too much. I’m speechless…
I felt overwhelmed by such a wonderful spread.
“Come on, eat, eat!”
“Ah, okay…”
Urged by Riri-chan, we sat down at the dining table.
“Here you go.”
Riri-chan’s eyes sparkled as she looked at me.
“Thank you…”
I should probably start with the hamburger steak, the main dish.
I picked up a knife and fork.
The meat was so tender that I could tell just from cutting it.
With each bite, the juices overflowed, and the demi-glace sauce had just the right flavor.
“S-So… how is it…?”
I put down my knife and fork and held my head in my hands.
“Eh, is it not good?”
“It’s… too delicious…”
I was speechless.
Not that I was planning on complaining.
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
The same thing happened when she made me pasta before.
This is the same.
“If you keep making this for me, I won’t be able to eat microwaved hamburger steak anymore…”
Or rather, it’s so good that I wonder if it’s even the same dish.
It’s like they share the same name but are completely different things.
“Ehehe… eat, eat!”
“Ah, okay…”
Everything Riri-chan makes is delicious.
There’s nothing to complain about.
But as I continued eating, I realized…
“I… I might be full…”
There’s too much food.
I’m a light eater, so I couldn’t finish all the dishes spread out on the table.
I probably haven’t even eaten a third.
“Ah, it’s okay. Don’t force yourself. I’ll eat the rest.”
Riri-chan had been watching me eat.
Even so…
“Can you eat all of this?”
I wondered if she could really finish it all.
“…I can.”
Riri-chan muttered shyly.
◇◇◇
Riri-chan really did finish all the leftovers.
It was satisfying to watch her eat so heartily.
“Thank you, Riri-chan. It was delicious.”
“I’m glad.”
Riri-chan beamed.
She’s smiling so brightly just from my thanks.
“Ah, wait, I almost forgot something important…”
Riri-chan rummaged through her tote bag as if she just remembered.
…Just how much stuff is in that bag?
“Here.”
She handed me a paper bag.
It seemed to contain something.
“…Can I open it?”
“Yeah, open it.”
I rustled open the bag, and the contents were familiar.
“Penguins…”
“Happy birthday, Suzuna.”
It was the same ones we saw at the general store the other day.
Both the gray and white and the blue and white ones.
A complete pair.
“I was wondering which one to get… You reacted the most to these penguins, Suzuna, so I got them. Are they okay?”
So that’s why she didn’t buy anything that day…
“Yeah, I’m happy. Thank you…”
I hugged the two penguins to my chest.
“They’re so cute!”
“Yeah, they are.”
I stroked the penguin’s head.
“No, you’re cute, Suzuna.”
I feel like we had this conversation before.
“Thank you… for everything…”
I’m truly happy.
But I don’t think I can repay her kindness.
“No, it’s fine. I’m happy that you’re happy, Suzuna.”
“Is that all it takes…?”
“Yeah, it’s the best.”
Is that why Riri-chan was so cheerful and energetic since this morning?
“It’s not a big deal, it’s just my birthday.”
“No, it’s special to me. I’m happy.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m the only one who can celebrate with you in this world, Suzuna. How can I not be happy about that?”
“That’s not a big dea—”
Or rather, it’s just because no one else wants to celebrate with me that I’m left alone with you. It’s not that special…
“There’s still cake. There’s always room for dessert, right?”
“Ah, okay…”
I don’t really have a separate stomach for dessert…
But my heart is full from the happiness of being celebrated by Riri-chan.
76 Unease
Time flew by at Riri-chan’s birthday celebration.
Before I knew it, it was late at night, and Riri-chan stood up, saying, “I should probably go home soon.”
The fun times quickly came to an end, and I felt a pang of loneliness at the thought of Riri-chan leaving.
“Good night, Suzuna.”
“Good night.”
I waved goodbye to Riri-chan at the entrance.
After she was out of sight, I closed the door and returned to the living room.
Riri-chan’s presence lingered, even though she was gone. It felt strange.
I wonder if she feels this way when I leave her house.
But Riri-chan probably has lots of friends to hang out with, so she might not feel that way.
The penguins were sitting on the dining table chairs.
The present Riri-chan gave me.
I picked them up.
“Shall we go together?”
Since they’ve only seen the living room, I decided to take them to my room.
I wondered where to put them and tried placing them on a shelf.
“…This isn’t right.”
I have a feeling I’ll be touching them frequently, so I want them somewhere more accessible.
Then I saw the bed. This might be a good spot.
I placed the penguins on the bed and covered them with the blanket.
“…Cute.”
They looked so comfortable.
I wanted to lie down with them.
I got ready for bed, turned off the lights, and lay down.
I moved slightly to the right, leaving the left side for the penguins.
I usually sleep alone, but from today onwards, these little ones will sleep with me.
“Nice to meet you.”
I wonder how much time I’ll spend with them.
I want to treasure them since they’re from Riri-chan.
◇◇◇
School gradually shifted towards preparations for the cultural festival in July.
The sports festival just ended, and now this. Students are so busy.
The cultural festival is also an important event in this dating sim, crucial for developing relationships between the protagonist and the heroines.
But I don’t have the energy to think about that right now.
I realized that I, who can’t even understand my own feelings, am in no position to manage other people’s romantic relationships.
“Suzuna, isn’t our class’s project terrible?”
One day during lunch break, Riri-chan was in a bad mood.
“Ah, well, it’s a classic, isn’t it? A maid cafe.”
Our class decided on a typical project.
And I know how it happened.
“Apparently, I’m going to be serving customers as a maid, no questions asked. Don’t I have a say in this?”
“Well… you’re… popular.”
Our class has Hinase Riri, the most popular girl in school.
If they want to attract customers using her beauty, a maid cafe is a good choice.
“I don’t want to do it…”
But Riri-chan, the person in question, was the most opposed.
It’s rare for her to complain this much.
“You hate it that much?”
“Well, I’ll probably be stared at, and I’m not good at that kind of thing.”
“Ah, is that so?”
“Why do you sound so surprised?”
“I thought you wouldn’t mind, since it happens to you all the time.”
“I hate it! I can’t handle it!”
Well, that’s true…
No one likes being stared at by strangers.
“Well, I wouldn’t mind showing you, Suzuna.”
Then she suddenly looked at me with a confident expression.
I wasn’t sure if she was joking or not.
◇◇◇
Preparations for the cultural festival gradually progressed.
Once the general roles were decided, we moved on to more detailed tasks.
“Amatsuki-san, would you be in charge of the cooking?”
The leader of the cooking team asked.
It’s not good to refuse after they specifically asked me.
I nodded obediently.
“Okay.”
“Great! Then…”
The conversation ended quickly, and the leader was about to move on to assigning tasks to other people when—
“Wait a minute!”
Riri-chan barged in.
She’s on the maid team, so she shouldn’t be involved in this discussion.
“Wh-What is it, Hinase-san…?”
The people in charge of cooking are mostly quiet and reserved.
The more outgoing students are on the maid team.
For better or worse, there’s a clear divide between the cooking team and the maid team.
Everyone was intimidated by being directly addressed by Riri-chan, the most glamorous among them.
It’s strange that I’m the one who can talk to her normally.
“I think Suzuna would be better suited for the… preliminary stages.”
“The preliminary stages? You mean… planning the menu or procuring the ingredients?”
“Exactly.”
Apparently, Riri-chan didn’t want me to cook.
She argued vehemently, and the cooking team leader nodded repeatedly.
“O-Okay… we’ll ask Amatsuki-san to do that.”
So I was indirectly told I was unfit for cooking and was put in charge of planning the menu and procuring the ingredients.
◇◇◇
Once the menu was decided, the ingredients and cooking methods were naturally determined.
My role was to purchase the ingredients, figure out how much we could make with them, and calculate the selling price to ensure profitability.
It was a perfect, unassuming behind-the-scenes task, suitable for me.
The boys in our class were mostly on the decoration team, decorating the classroom to look like a cafe.
I was in a corner of the noisy classroom, working on the calculations with a calculator.
“Hmm, it’s cuter than I expected.”
Tachibana-san’s voice.
The maid team had gathered in the center of the classroom.
Apparently, the maid outfits had arrived, and they were checking them out.
“Ugh… I have to wear this…”
Riri-chan, as always, looked disgusted.
“Riri, why don’t you try it on?”
Tachibana-san suggested, completely unfazed.
“Why me?”
“I think everyone wants to see you in it.”
The other girls nodded in agreement.
Even the boys, who were supposed to be decorating, stopped working.
You should be working, boys.
…But I’m not the type to say that, so I kept quiet.
“It’s fine, I’ll do it later.”
“What if the size doesn’t fit?”
Riri-chan tried to refuse, but Tachibana-san pressed on.
The others also seemed to be on Tachibana-san’s side, and the atmosphere in the class shifted towards making Riri-chan try it on.
I can’t watch this.
I stood up and left the classroom.
◇◇◇
The hallway was also crowded with people and materials for each class’s preparations.
I walked silently towards the back of the school amidst the noisy atmosphere.
Why couldn’t I bear to watch?
It’s natural for Riri-chan to be the center of attention.
And this is just the preparation stage.
Even more people will come to see Riri-chan once the actual festival starts.
I knew that, but the scene from earlier made it feel so real, and I felt disgusted.
“—Hinase, I like you. Please go out with me.”
I remembered the boy who confessed to Riri-chan during the sports festival.
Someone might confess to Riri-chan during the cultural festival too.
No, they definitely will.
And I hate that thought, even I’m surprised by how much.
I don’t want to accept that.
My mind raced, trying to figure out how to stop anyone from confessing to Riri-chan.
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