＊
“I suppose it’s about time, eh?” Chiaki asked, winking at Hinami.
“Mhmm,” Hinami nodded as she looked at Asahi. He returned her gesture.
“Are you guys going home?” Fuyuka asked, looking slightly dejected.
“Not just yet,” Hinami replied with a shake of her head.
Asahi headed to the kitchen and removed a white box from the fridge. Fuyuka—her curiosity piqued—stared at him with interest.
“Nuh-uh-uh, no peeking allowed! You just sit there and look pretty for now!”
“B-But why?”
“You’ll see in a second.”
“You heard Chii-pie,” Hinami added.
The pair ushered Fuyuka into the same chair she’d sat at to eat dinner. Asahi was making the final preparations. He emptied the contents of the box onto a white plate and cautiously carried it over so that it wouldn’t fall apart.
“Again, happy birthday, Fuyuka,” Asahi said softly.
He held a handmade shortcake, which was decorated with simple, yet elegantly piped whipped cream and elaborately cut fruits. A chocolate name plate sat proudly in the center of the cake, displaying Fuyuka’s name and congratulatory wishes in a creamy white.
“Is this...?”
“You guessed it—it’s your very own birthday cake! Asahi here worked his butt off on this one,” Hinami said.
“Yup, it was all him,” Chiaki added.
Due to time constraints, Asahi had only had the day before to make the cake, but he’d spared no effort in baking it. He’d had his mother—a renowned pastry chef—supervise the whole process beforehand, and the paste was sensational as a result.
“Here’s your share.” Asahi divided the cake into four slices using a long kitchen knife, and gave the piece with the chocolate plate to Fuyuka.
She elegantly removed a bite-size piece from the tip and brought the fork to her mouth. She nibbled on it, and the longer she chewed, the wider her grin became.
“So, what d’you think?” Asahi asked.
“It’s delicious!” she exclaimed, beaming so dazzlingly that one feared they might go blind if they looked too long.
They both shared a special moment as Chiaki and Hinami receded from view, smirking as they gazed at the other two from behind. After a while, “The Obnoxious Couple” took out gift bags of their own.
“Have this, Fuyu-Fuyu! Your present!”
“Here’s one from me too.”
“Presents for me? You honestly shouldn’t have...”
“Don’t be like that! It’s your special day.”
“You said it, Hina! Making the main girl happy is what it’s all about!”
Fuyuka decided to open the presents right then and there. She carefully peeled off the wrapping. She received a set of three essential oils from Chiaki, each with its own mood to be enjoyed. Hinami had given her a jar of skin lotion—the latest offering from the brand Fuyuka used, and which was well-known overseas.
Guess you can always opt for Hinami’s approach if you’re both girls.
The two presents clearly had a lot of thought put into them, and were both practical and sensible. Fuyuka expressed her profound gratitude for them multiple times.
“Here, Fuyuka.” Asahi handed over a paper bag, which Fuyuka gladly accepted.
“Can I open it?”
Asahi gave her an approving nod, and she immediately began unpacking the item inside. The gift Asahi had painstakingly chosen—after a great deal of consideration—was a light-blue apron with a lovely snowman embroidered on it.
“Whoa, it’s super cute! That’s gonna look amazing on you!” Hinami exclaimed.
“Hell yeah, it will! D’you know how long it took him to pick that one? Ages, man! I’m telling you!”
“You promised not to say that!” Asahi cried.
Amidst the varied reactions to the gift, Fuyuka—who had raised the apron closer to examine it—responded, “Thank you so much, Asahi. This gift is so like you. It’s fantastic. I’ll start using it tomorrow!” She paused, then continued, “Thank you, everyone, for throwing this wonderful birthday party for me! I mean it from the bottom of my heart.”
Fuyuka beamed, holding the apron tightly. Her words of gratitude brought a smile to everyone’s face, and they all felt that the party had been more than worth it.
The four of them relished the remainder of their sweet night together until it was time for “The Obnoxious Couple” to leave.
✦ ✦ ✦
＊
“Fuyuka,” Asahi called out.
“Yes, what is it?” she replied cheerfully.
The party had come to an end, and “The Obnoxious Couple” were already on their way home. All of them had helped clean up the room before the rowdy pair departed.
She sounds like she had fun today, he thought before he pulled out a tiny, white, rectangular box. “I actually have one more gift for you.”
If any onlookers were to magically appear in the room, they could’ve easily mistaken this interaction for a proposal. He felt butterflies in his stomach. Fuyuka seemed a bit tense too, for some reason. A peculiar atmosphere pervaded the room, though Asahi attempted to dispel it by breathing deeply and calming himself.
“You can tell me if you don’t like it, okay? I’m satisfying myself more than anything by giving you this.”
With that, he opened the white box.
“Gorgeous...” she muttered.
The box was padded with blue velveteen, and atop it was a pair of glistening metal, snowflake-shaped earrings. Asahi had loved them from the first time he’d laid eyes on them; they had instantly reminded him of Fuyuka.
“These are clip-on?” she asked.
“Yeah, they just slide on and hold onto your ears.”
“That’s good to hear. It would’ve taken me some courage to pierce mine.” Fuyuka noted. She lifted both of her hands to her ears, holding the jewelry in her fingertips. “How do they look?”
She drew up her black hair, unveiling her small ears underneath. The earrings flickered and sparkled splendidly by her earlobes. It was a perfect match combined with Fuyuka’s glamor.
“Beautiful—I mean, the earrings! They’re great on you,” Asahi sputtered, mortified that he unintentionally repeated what he’d mumbled back on Christmas Eve.
Seeing him flustered, Fuyuka smiled enchantingly and took a step forward. Despite being next to him, she spoke in a hushed voice, “I’d be delighted with anything you got for me. As long as it’s from you.”
Asahi’s ears were dyed pink upon hearing her tender whisper. Fuyuka’s own ears reached the same hue, and he could only wonder if the new earrings were to blame.
Their bodies and hearts had set ablaze, heedless of the frosty month of February which had only just begun.