“It’s fine. It’s tough for a high school student to buy books like these myself. They’re expensive, and I’m not sure I could understand them even if I could afford to buy them. I’ve glanced through a few at the library before, though.”
“I also thought about getting you a sex toy, but I was afraid I might get arrested for providing restricted goods to a minor and chickened out.”
“I’m glad you got me the philosophy books instead.”
“Sorry for being boring.”
I wished she wouldn’t apologize with such a solemn look on her face. It made me think she might have been serious about the sex toy. The temperature gap between those two gift options was enough to make me catch a cold.
“Thank you,” I said at last. I felt especially happy, maybe because the gift had been a surprise, just like Fujinami’s corn soup.
I thought I’d be happier with a present if I had the chance to coordinate beforehand, but receiving one I didn’t expect was pretty nice, too.
A lot of the books in the sack were old, so I suspected the text would be a challenge. But being a book addict, I was looking forward to sinking my teeth into them. I was sure I’d get plenty of hours of reading out of the selection.
When I finished my shift and got home, Akiko was out working at the bar, but Dad was still awake. Had he and Ayase waited up for me? Ayase had made an extravagant dinner. I wasn’t sure if it was for my birthday or if she’d simply had more time on her hands because it was Sunday. We had roast beef with salad and potato soup.
“Dinner looks particularly lovely today,” remarked Dad as he took a seat. “Oh, that’s right. It’s Yuuta’s birthday.”
“You remembered,” I said, surprised.
Dad looked a little disappointed. “Of course I did.”
“Since we planned to celebrate Ayase’s and my birthdays together on Christmas, I thought it might slip your mind until the twenty-fourth.”
“Well, maybe I wouldn’t have remembered if Saki hadn’t prepared a birthday feast for you.”
“So you did forget!”
“Ha-ha-ha!”
“Think you can laugh your way out of this?”
He kept laughing, but I wasn’t really mad. We often had exchanges like this.
“Okay, guys.” Ayase smiled wryly and handed me a steaming hot bowl of rice.
I accepted it and set out chopsticks for three on the table. Then I poured tea for everyone and brought out plates.
Dad was responsible for wiping down the table. He’d naturally started doing it after Akiko and Ayase moved in. In the past, he and I had never wiped down the table before we ate. We’d only clean up if something spilled.
Since she worked as a bartender, Akiko had a habit of always keeping the table clean. I suspected she’d influenced Ayase, and now Dad and I were being influenced by the two of them.
We all sat down and began eating.
Dad took a bite of roast beef and exclaimed, “It’s delicious! Saki, you really are a fabulous cook.”
“Dad, didn’t you say the same thing yesterday?” I retorted.
“I did, and I’ll keep saying it, because Saki’s cooking is fantastic!”
I wondered if this was what you called a doting parent.
As usual, Ayase dismissed the compliment, looking a little embarrassed. According to her, she’d simply used the rice cooker to make the roast beef.
“The rice cooker?” I asked.
“Yeah. You can make puddings and pancakes with a rice cooker, too. These days, they’re pretty versatile.”
“Really? Wow.”
I’d made rice with meat and vegetables in the rice cooker before, but I never dreamed you could use it for so many different things.
The roast beef had cooked evenly and had a wonderful pink color on the inside. It was nice and tender, and when I bit into it, the juices filled my mouth. The sweet sauce, along with the flavor of onions and soy sauce, blended perfectly with the rice, and…
“I could keep eating this forever.”
“Thanks,” said Ayase, smiling. “In that case, it was worth the effort.”
Did that mean she’d done all this for my birthday? At the thought, I felt a twinge of joy. Realizing I’d stopped moving my chopsticks, I hurried to shovel down the rest of the rice in my bowl.
“I’m having seconds,” I said, standing up to get more rice. I was mostly just trying to hide my embarrassment.
After dinner, Dad went to fill the bathtub, leaving Ayase and me to do the dishes.
“Come to my room later,” she said, whispering in my ear.
My heart leaped.
Ayase began to silently move her lips, forming the words “Your present.”
I might not be a lip-reader, but I understood right away.
Once I was sure Dad was in the bath, I went to Ayase’s room and knocked on her door.
She opened it and moved aside, and I shuffled in. She’d been waiting for me.
“Okay,” she said. “First, I have something for you from Maaya.”
“…You mean a present? For me? Really?”
She nodded.
This was my fourth surprise. I never imagined that Maru, Fujinami, Yomiuri, and now Narasaka would all be giving me birthday presents.
“This one is from Maaya.” She handed me a gift-wrapped book.
Four people had surprised me with gifts, and three of the four had given me books…
“…Do I seem like that much of a book nerd to everyone?”
“Huh? But it’s true, isn’t it?” she asked with a straight face.
I smiled wryly at that, then began tearing off the wrapping. The title of the book was The Seven Laws for Winning Your True Love’s Heart. Something was wedged between two pages. It almost fell out, but I pressed it back into place. It was a thick card with “Happy Birthday” written inside, along with a handwritten message from Narasaka.
Read this and win Saki’s heart. ♡
I must have made a strange face.
“Huh? What’s the matter?” asked Ayase.
“Nothing. Nothing at all.”
I closed the book and covered it back up with wrapping paper.
What on earth was she getting at? Geez. I’ll just pretend I didn’t see it.
“And this one’s from me.” Ayase handed me her present next.
It was wrapped neatly in red paper. I opened it and saw that it was a neck warmer, just as she had promised. It was made of soft, fluffy material that felt nice against my skin. She said she chose a bright color so I would be more visible to motorists while riding my bike home at night.
It wasn’t a surprise, but I was happy all the same.
“Happy birthday,” she said.
“Thanks.”
“Though we’ll have to wait till Christmas for the cake and candles.”
“True, but the same goes for you. We’ll celebrate as a family with our parents.”
“Yeah.”
A week later, it would be my turn to give Ayase a gift. Her birthday would fall on Sunday, too…
Thinking over it again, I realized we’d overlooked something when we came up with our plan. We were sneaking around to give each other gifts, but…
“Siblings give each other presents, don’t they? So maybe it’s okay to do it out in the open. What do you think?”
“It’s hard to know where to draw the line. But it’d be nice not to have to worry so much.”
That gave me an idea.
“How about we adjust our shifts at work so we can get off early and go out to dinner?”
“What? …Dinner?” Ayase frowned for a second, then looked me in the eye. “I guess our birthdays only come once a year.”
“I’ll look for a restaurant.”
“Okay. Let’s do it.”
That was when Dad called out, “I’m out of the bath!”
I froze for a moment, but then I heard him close his bedroom door, and the house went quiet again.
I told Ayase I’d text her with more details later and then left her room.