The much anticipated February 1st finally arrived.
Asahi had arranged to meet Fuyuka slightly later than usual. Sure enough, the intercom rang at the right time. That was his cue to kill the lights in his apartment. He made his way through the dark, aided by his phone’s flashlight, and opened the door nonchalantly.
“Good eveni—umm... Why is it pitch black here?” Fuyuka asked.
“Sorry about that. I tripped the main breaker by accident.”
“How did you manage that?”
“You know, I was just messing around and tripped it. Happens to the best of us.”
It was a clumsy excuse, even by his own assessment, but he stuck with it. Fuyuka, for her part, didn’t seem to find it suspicious at all. She followed Asahi after she removed her shoes at the entrance.
“It feels a bit strange being in the room when it’s all dark like this... even though I’ve been here so many times before,” she commented.
“Afraid?”
“Wh-Who, me? Of the dark? Neve—Eep!” She shrieked and grasped his clothes. “D-Did you hear that just now?”
“It’s just your footsteps, Fuyuka.”
“No, it was coming from over there! In front of us!”
“Must be your imagination. Anyway, wait here, okay? I’ll go flip the breaker,” he said.
It weighed on his heart to leave Fuyuka behind when she was so frightened, but he bore through it.
One, two, three! He counted in his mind, then turned on the electricity.
Bright light engulfed the room, and everyone winced at the sudden contrast.
“Huh?” Fuyuka gawked after her sight had gradually adapted, speechless at the sight which lay before her.
“Fuyu-Fuyu!”
“Hey there, Himuro!”
“Fuyuka!”
Hinami, Chiaki, and Asahi called her name and popped the crackers they held in their hands. A tumultuous crackling sound arose, accompanied by a faint burning aroma that hung in the air.
“Happy birthday!” they shouted in unison.
“What the... My birthday?” Fuyuka faltered. She remained rooted to the spot, dumbfounded.
Chiaki and Hinami exchanged glances and smirked, obviously thrilled with how surprised she was. Everything had gone according to plan.
“The three of us got together and figured we’d surprise you on your birthday!” Hinami exclaimed.
“Yup, we’ve been waiting for a while,” Chiaki added.
“The Obnoxious Couple” seemed incredibly proud and utterly satisfied with how the surprise had been a success. Why wouldn’t they be? They had been meticulously planning the party for a while, and had been busy with the preparations since that afternoon.
The walls of Asahi’s apartment—normally a plain, uniform white—were now furbished with colorful helium balloons and round paper garlands. On top of these, the phrase: “Happy Birthday, Fuyu-Fuyu!” had been written in large red letters.
“Did you make all of this food, too?” Fuyuka asked.
“You betcha! It was mostly Asahi, but I helped!” Hinami explained.
“The cooking team benched me, so I was in charge of decorations,” Chiaki said.
The table was garnished with an arrangement of sumptuous dishes, all of which catered to Fuyuka’s taste. Though it had been garnished to inspire joy in Fuyuka, it still pleased the organizers greatly. Still, the spread had hit the mark; there was no doubt that the most elated of them all was the one it had been made for—Fuyuka.
“Asahi, Aoba, Kikkawa... Thank you... I can’t describe how happy I am right now,” Fuyuka said. Tears gathered in her eyes and began to roll down her cheeks. Although it would normally be a cause for concern, these were tears of joy. She wiped her eyes and smiled with unbridled glee. “This is all so much. Do I even deserve something this wonderful?”
“‘Course you do, girl! It’s your b-day! You know we’re gonna party hard!”
“Preach, Hina. It’s your day, Himuro! Better enjoy it to the fullest!” Chiaki added.
“The Obnoxious Couple” were having the time of their lives in the background.
“Told you they were great people,” Asahi whispered to Fuyuka.
“You were right! They’re wonderful friends.”
Fuyuka brushed away another trail of tears, then beamed so brightly that it warmed Asahi’s heart. The living room was particularly lively today, brimming with smiles and laughter.
✦ ✦ ✦
＊
The four of them relaxed on the sofa after they’d enjoyed dinner and finished washing the dishes.
All eyes were on the TV, which had the character select screen of a fighting game displayed on it. This particular game boasted a wide range of characters to choose from, and featured deep mechanics while also sporting a deceptively simple goal: launch the opponent off the stage.
After everybody selected a character, the teams—Asahi and Fuyuka versus “The Obnoxious Couple”—were thrown into battle.
“What the—Asahi! No items!” Chiaki yelled.
“You heard my Chii-pie! Fight like a man!”
“Pretty rich coming from the guys who chose the arena to be like this,” Asahi retorted.
He and Chiaki were veterans at the game. Although Hinami was more of a casual player, she could still put up a good fight. Fuyuka, on the other hand, was a complete beginner. It was her first time playing the game, so she wasn’t used to the complicated controls. At the moment, she was just strolling along the platform.
“It looks pretty bad, Hina! We’re getting wrecked by Asahi even though he’s basically solo!”
“Change of plans—let’s focus on Fuyuka!”
“The Obnoxious Couple” set their sights on mercilessly striking down the newbie.
“Ah! Wh-What do I do, Asahi?!” Fuyuka pleaded.
“Just press the red button on the controller,” Asahi said, employing nimble movements to provide cover for her.
“O-Okay!”
She followed his instructions. Within a second, her character began to glow in a rainbow gleam, then unleashed a brilliant beam in front of her.
“Wha—! I thought we all made a deal, no special moves!” Chiaki protested.
“We’ve been knocked off the stage, it’s over,” Hinami groaned.
The word “WINNER” appeared on screen in giant letters, congratulating the pair’s victory.
“Did you see that, Asahi? We did it!” Fuyuka exclaimed.
She threw up her hand in Asahi’s direction, seeking a high five. Asahi timidly inched his palm closer to give her one, producing a gentle clap sound.
“Dammit. You’re telling me our love just wasn’t deep enough to win...?” Chiaki whined.
“Sounds more like a skill issue, man,” Asahi replied.
“Oh, hell no! You didn’t just go there! One more!”
A series of rematches commenced with the same teams as before. Chiaki and Hinami were able to win the first round, but Asahi and Fuyuka secured the second victory. They played an additional round with shuffled teams before switching to a different game.
They chose a racing game next. Fuyuka thoroughly had fun with it, squealing like a delighted child despite struggling with the controls.
“There are so many curves on this course! It’s so difficult to navigate!”
“Better get used to it soon, or you’re gonna smash against the walls,” Asahi warned.
“I’m doing my best, but... I can’t make the turns properly,” she said, mimicking her character’s attempts to drift with her body.
Her upper body would occasionally brush against Asahi’s shoulder or head when she swayed sideways, her cheeks flushed red each time. Her blush was adorable, and it proved increasingly challenging for Asahi to remain composed.
The curtains of the evening slowly drew over the sky as the four of them continued to play games into the small hours of the night.