Chapter 113.
Moonlit Birthday (8)
Walking a few minutes outside the inn, we reached a clearing where there were no trees around. The sky above was filled with countless stars.
I’m not very knowledgeable about constellations. I’ve heard of the Winter Triangle and the Winter Hexagon… maybe I’ll look them up someday.
What a view you can’t get in the city. How wonderful.
It’s getting late and a bit chilly. Later, it’ll be nice to warm up in the open-air bath.
But first… I want to share this starry sky with everyone. No—first, I want to show it to her.
To that beautiful girl, whose beauty rivals this night sky… I want her to see this. And in this mood, I want to give this to her.
I sneak a glance at the item I’ve kept tucked close all this time.
“Hmm?”
Someone is walking toward us from the inn.
Their footsteps get closer, and the moonlight reveals them.
“Tsukiyo…”
The fact that she’s coming… at the perfect timing.
I rush to her side.
“Tsukiyo, look at this sky! Isn’t it beautiful?”
“Yes, it is.”
Huh? Her reaction seems… muted. Usually, she’d say something like, “Wow, it’s amazing!” in that clear, bright voice of hers.
Now that I notice, Tsukiyo’s expression is tense. She looks… angry.
“What’s wrong?”
“Taiyō… I’m very angry right now. Do you know why?”
Just a few minutes ago, she was smiling.
Her gaze is serious, directly on me. There’s none of the lightheartedness from earlier today while snowboarding or at the bath.
“This is the second strongest anger I’ve felt in my life.”
“Uh… the strongest?”
“The time when you cornered me, and I ran to the bathroom.”
“Both… involve me!?”
Something I did must have made her angry… I replay today’s events in my head.
It must have been after the bath. What did I do?
“Was it that dinner portions were too small?”
“No.”
“That my favorite fried shrimp wasn’t served?”
“No.”
“That time I took the fatty tuna sushi you were aiming for… right in front of you?”
“Ah! So you did it on purpose! That’s awful!”
That’s not it either… I can’t think of anything else.
“Why are all your guesses about food?”
“You’re always so kind… your smiling face is so charming that I can’t imagine being angry at anything else.”
“Ugh! D-Don’t say such heart-throbbing things!”
I didn’t mean to make her heart flutter…
Tsukiyo’s cheeks turn red, and her big round eyes look away.
“…Taiyō, when is your birthday?”
“…How do you know that?”
“You dropped your card case.”
Tsukiyo hands me the card case. Damn, I dropped it. My student ID is in the first slot, which has my birthday on it.
“Taiyō, happy 17th birthday…”
“…Thank you.”
Right—February 7th is both Tsukiyo’s birthday and mine.
Tsukiyo leans forward.
“Why didn’t you say anything!? If you had… we could’ve celebrated together!”
“Everyone wanted to celebrate your birthday. Mine… it doesn’t matter.”
“Do you really feel that way!?”
Her tone sharpens. She’s so heated… did I really make such a huge mistake?
I recall her words in the private bath earlier:
We all think of you as a precious friend.
Everyone had nodded to her words. I should have understood sooner.
“Sorry, I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. I was only thinking about celebrating you… and put myself second.”
“That’s always the case! You always care about others, about someone else! You don’t care about yourself at all!”
Tsukiyo continues, her voice trembling.
“I wanted to celebrate too. I’ve been thinking for so long about what birthday present I could get you!”
I couldn’t say a word. She thought of me that much… Of course, she did.
Since May, when we first started having birthday celebrations in our group, we’d celebrated everyone’s birthdays—though not as big as today. I’d always participated, suggested presents.
I could celebrate others, but I’d never been celebrated. I had assumed it from the start. So when we planned Tsukiyo’s birthday, I knew our birthdays were the same—but I didn’t tell anyone.
“It’s not too late. Tell everyone now.”
“Don’t! Don’t do that!”
I lost my temper and said it sharply. Tsukiyo flinched and looked down.
Damn… I didn’t mean to scare her. I calm myself.
“It’s fine. As long as everyone’s having fun, that’s enough… That’s plenty.”
“I… can’t accept that.”
“Then…”
I don’t want to be celebrated in this situation. If I were, everyone would feel awkward—and that’s worse.
But Tsukiyo showing me her feelings and wanting to celebrate me is more than enough.
I don’t need anyone else to celebrate me.
I pull Tsukiyo’s hand toward me, and in the same motion, hug her tightly with both arms.
My left hand wraps around her waist; my right hand moves to her chestnut hair. I hug her smoothly, surprising even myself.
“Ah…”
“Then celebrate me. I don’t need anyone else. If it’s just you, Tsukiyo, that’s enough.”
“…That’s unfair.”
Tsukiyo looks like she might cry. Words catch in her throat; her usual clear voice doesn’t come out.
I cherish this side of her—the emotions she only shows me.
I loosen my arms… and let her go.
“I won’t be satisfied, but if it’s what you want… I’ll endure it.”
“Thank you… I’m sorry.”
“…The night sky is beautiful, isn’t it?”
I turn and look back, nodding deeply at her words.
Yes… it really is beautiful. We look up at the sky together, enjoying this star-filled night, just the two of us.
