Now All That's Left Is for You to Arrive
“F-f-f-finally, today’s the day. It’s the decisive battle, right? I’ll give it my all. Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!”
From the very start of that morning, Caramel had been restless. More than anything, she had been muttering to herself nonstop.
“Okay, okay, stay calm, Caramel… Check everything one by one. So our precious Eve can have the best birthday ever. First~ I confirmed the food order~ The cake just needs to be picked up. Eve’s friends will arrive in the afternoon, and then I…”
Being emotionally expressive was one of her strengths, but it was rare to see Caramel quite like this. Even before an important exam not long ago, she had spent the whole day yawning and saying things like “Yawn~ I stayed up all night because a new volume came out… Zzzz…” then chattered away about the novel’s plot, what the protagonist did, and every last bit of TMI. Her nerves were usually that thick.
When I pointed this out, Caramel pouted with a sulky expression. “Th-that’s not particularly important!”
“So you’re saying Eve’s birthday matters more than your exam.”
“Are you saying that’s not true?!”
“To me, it’s a more important day than your exam.”
“It is for me too?! Please don’t take my love for Eve lightly?!”
I tried offering the usual lecture—you should still care about your test to some degree—but it fell on deaf ears. Honestly, making such a fuss over one little girl’s birthday…
…No. If we were talking about making a fuss, I who had stayed up all night over her birthday present had no right to speak.
At any rate, if I left Caramel like this, the sharp-eyed Eve would sniff out the surprise in no time. I handed her a single pill that eased tension.
“…Th-thank you…”
Her hands trembled as she swallowed the medicine. Just then, the bell chimed and a customer walked in.
“…Ah, Mr. Zeke, welcome. Hangover cure again?”
“Been a while, Doc. And… the part-timer girl, too.”
He still couldn’t remember Caramel’s name after a full year. He probably didn’t know mine, either. As usual, he scanned the shop while looking for his hangover remedy.
“Where’s the little miss?”
It seemed he couldn’t remember Eve’s name, either.
“She’s out back playing with a stray cat right now.”
“Perfect timing. Sniff!”
“Did you need something from Eve?”
Instead of answering, he pulled a palm-sized box from his coat and held it out. It was wrapped with surprising care.
“Here. Pass it to her for me, Doc.”
“…What is it?”
“A gift, obviously. I’m not so clueless that I’d ignore the birthday of the little lady who greets me every single day.”
He sounded a bit gruff, as if embarrassed. So he had come all this way after simply hearing it was her birthday. Even without saying it outright, it was clear he thought Eve was adorable.
“…Thank you, Mr. Zeke.”
“It’s not for you. Why are you thanking me?”
“Still.”
“Anyway, tell her congratulations from me. See you tomorrow.”
“If possible, I’d rather see you somewhere other than the pharmacy.”
“Then how about the pub like last time?”
“Haha, I only said that because I hope you’ll cut back on the drinking…”
Zeke waved his hand instead of answering. He never once got irritated by the pharmacist’s daily nagging, but expecting him to actually drink less was probably too much.
After he left, I hid the gift on top of the cabinet. Right on cue, Eve returned from playing with the cat. Caramel seized the moment and greeted her in a creaky voice.
“E-E-E-Eve, you’re back??”
“...?”
I had definitely given her medicine that was effective for relieving tension…?
If I left the child with Caramel, the surprise would be exposed faster than instant noodles could cook. I was certain of it. I clapped my hands lightly to shift the mood.
“Eve. Did you have fun with the cat?”
“Yes, I had fun.”
“Then let’s wash your hands first.”
“I’ll go wash up.”
She answered obediently and trotted off toward the sink. Watching her small back, I added one more thing.
“Oh, and Nina was looking for you this morning. She called.”
“Nina…?”
Eve perked up at her friend’s name.
“Something about… an operation? She said there was a strategy meeting. That you’d understand if I told you.”
“Yes~”
Eve nodded after a small delay. I had made up a plausible excuse, but I had already asked Nina for a separate favor. To keep the surprise birthday party hidden from Eve, someone had to distract her. Nina had gladly taken on that role. Of course, I had no idea what exactly this “strategy meeting” she mentioned entailed.
“Nina’s waiting. Eve, get ready. I have to go out too, so let’s walk together as far as the street. Do you know where Nina’s house is?”
“I’ve never been there.”
“I have the address, so it’s fine. Her parents run a bakery. Did you know that?”
While keeping Eve’s attention, I sent a silent glance toward Caramel at the counter.
‘Caramel.’
‘Yep!’
‘We close at two today, as planned.’
‘Understood!’
‘I’ll pick up the food and cake.’
How exactly we could hold an entire conversation with just eye contact, I couldn’t say. Even I didn’t know.
‘I’m off.’
Caramel answered by thrusting her thumb up with a bright grin.
The bakery run by Nina’s parents wasn’t far. Twenty minutes on foot while holding Eve’s hand. A cool breeze blew even in the middle of summer, so the walk felt pleasantly like a stroll.
Following the sweet scent of bread, we arrived at the chocolate-colored building. I knocked on the back door—tap, tap—and after a short wait, a woman with a glamorous appearance far from what I had imagined opened it and greeted us. It was Nina’s mother. I was honestly a little surprised.
“Oh my~ You must be Eve?”
“Hello. I’m Eve.”
“Come in, dear. Was the walk over all right?”
“Yes. Thank you for inviting me today~”
“How can anyone be this polite? Our daughter really ought to learn a thing or two from her.”
Having said that, Nina’s mother shouted toward the kitchen.
“Nina~ What are you doing! Come down right now! Eve’s here!”
“…Got it!”
Thump thump thump—crash! The sound of a bowl flipping over rang out, and then Nina came running with cream smeared in her hair, looking completely unfazed.
“Hi, Eve. You’re earlier than I expected?”
“Ah, yeah. Are you busy right now?”
“…No. I was just helping Mom a little.”
Nina’s mother sighed at that. “If you helped every day, I’d have no wishes left.”
“Nina. Go inside with Eve first.”
“Okay.”
“Oh, did you finish the packaging I asked for?”
“I left it up front.”
The wife waited until Eve had gone inside with Nina, then called me aside. She handed me a beautifully wrapped cake.
“Here’s the cake you ordered.”
“Thank you.”
I had learned from our phone call the day before yesterday that the bakery Nina’s parents ran was the very place where I had placed the cake reservation.
…I never imagined I would receive it this way.
“Goodness, I took my eyes off it for one second and it turned out like this. Slathering the cream on so thickly… Sigh.”
“No, no, it’s cute. Eve will like it even more when she hears her friend made it. …How much was it?”
When I reached for my wallet, Nina’s mother startled and stopped me.
“I can’t possibly take money for my daughter’s friend’s cake. If I did, my mother-in-law would climb out of hell to kill me.”
She’s in hell…?
“No, but I really should—”
“It’s a cake Nina made. It’s not fit to sell yet. I absolutely cannot take money for it.”
She practically pushed the cake box into my hands.
“If you keep standing here, Eve will notice. It’s a surprise, right? Hurry along!”
“…Thank you so much.”
I carefully accepted the heavy cake box. Through the plastic film I could just make out the inside. As Nina’s mother said, the cake’s shape was slightly lopsided. It still carried the unmistakable touch of a child’s hands. Yet the cream that sparkled with Nina’s heart was more beautiful than anything.
*
When I returned to the pharmacy, I found Caramel standing on a chair, precariously balanced on her tiptoes as she tried to decorate.
“…Ah! Sir! You’re back already? J-just a second! I’m in the middle of preparing the decorations riiight noooow…… Kyaa!”
The moment I thought, Uh oh, that looks dangerous, Caramel lost her balance, wobbled, and toppled over. If I hadn’t caught her, it might have been a serious accident.
“Are you okay?”
“Ugh… Aah…”
After a short groan, Caramel belatedly realized what position she was in and immediately began acting coy.
“Sorry, sir. Even if you princess-carry me as a flirt, older men just aren’t my type… At the very least you’d need to undergo gender reassignment or become twenty years younger and turn into a shota for me to—”
“Keep talking nonsense and I’ll drop you right here. Maybe a concussion will knock some sense into you.”
“No! Thank you for saving meee!”
Caramel sprang up energetically as if nothing had happened. In her arms she held an armful of decorations folded from colored paper.
“By the way, you were already decorating?”
“What do you think? Of my artistic sense?”
“…For now, you probably shouldn’t pursue art.”
“Ehh.”
“I’m kidding. I didn’t realize you were preparing all this.”
Saying so, I took out the cake and food I had brought back. Caramel, watching from the side, looked impressed.
“The cake looks really cute.”
“Eve’s friend made it herself. Pretty amazing, right?”
“Wow, she’s still so young but she’s really talented~”
The cake was perfect. I had cast a preservation spell on the food. All that remained now was to finish the decorations before Eve returned.
The work took longer than expected. We barely managed to complete the decorations just as it was time for Eve to come back.
“It’s perfect.”
“In just two days, we really did everything we could.”
Caramel and I wiped our sweat and spoke the same words at the same time.
Eve’s birthday party. I hoped she would be happy…