A Birthday Worth Celebrating
I wasn't sure who first decided it, but were birthdays supposed to be happy days? Eve had once asked herself that very question.
"Where on earth did you hear such nonsense?" But asking had been a mistake. She realized right away that it was something she should never have asked her grandfather. She had been scolded for nothing more than innocent curiosity. It wasn't the only time, either.
She couldn't possibly mention the name of the poor new maid. When she claimed she'd read it in a book, the next day all her treasured fairy tales had been reduced to ashes. It was sad, but no tears came. The conclusion was always the same. She had learned long ago that crying solved nothing.
"Remember this well. If you wish to stand above others, there are things you must never overlook. Have I not always told you that imitating the mindset of lesser people will only trap you in their vulgar culture?"
These were the words of the very man who had elevated their ducal house to absolute power. Talking back was not permitted in that mansion.
"You are still young. You cannot yet understand what is right or wrong, nor the proper bearing and spirit expected of someone with the blood of our house."
"……."
"You need only look at what your grandfather shows you, teaches you, and permits. Pay no attention to anything else. Focus solely on that. A birthday, you say? When did I ever permit such a thing?"
Eve had no memory of ever being properly told what she was allowed to have.
"Commoners dressing up their ordinary routines as anniversaries is nothing but an attempt to paper over the social debts born of forced relationships. It is merely a kind of indulgence granted to their treadmill lives—nothing more, nothing less."
So naturally, her heart closed itself off.
"Even if congratulations are offered, it would only be ignorant fools trying to curry favor with you. Do you intend to hand out affection to every empty flattering word?"
Last night, she had dreamed of being scolded by her grandfather. It was a terribly vivid dream, as if it had happened only yesterday. His voice still rang clearly in her ears.
"Your grandfather will give you one piece of advice."
"No one in this world cares about the day you were born."
……Pretending birthdays meant nothing to her had always been a lie.
Birthdays weren't happy days. Because no one came, and no one cherished her.
That was why, when she heard about Nina and her friends' "secret operation," Eve felt a prickling sensation in her throat as if a thorn had lodged there. She knew perfectly well that nothing special was supposed to happen. It was just an ordinary day. But it was also a day that was supposed to mean something. Precisely because it had to mean something. Each of those thoughts frightened her so much that she had sought out Simon's side to sleep.
"It's okay…"
She repeated it like a spell cast on herself.
As always, Simon would be there, and when they reached the pharmacy Caramel would be waiting. She liked things just as they were. She didn't want even the smallest change. That alone was enough for Eve.
"Got it, Eve? When you get home today, you have to tell the pharmacy teacher, okay?"
"Yeah."
"If you say you want to try going to school, I'm sure he'll understand how you feel."
"………… Y-yeah."
Eve, who had been trotting along behind Nina, gave a small nod. They'd called it a strategy meeting, but it had mostly consisted of crouching in a corner of the kitchen, poking at dough and chatting. At some point it had turned into something closer to playing house.
On the way home after the time Simon had promised, he must have worried about tiny Eve walking back alone even in a safe area. He had told her to return with Nina. Nina held her hand tightly and led her like an older sister. Eve followed with quick little steps, doing her best to keep up.
"Are you nervous?"
"……?"
Eve tilted her head after a moment's thought at Nina's question. Nervous… well, it wasn't exactly that.
"Nina."
"Yeah?"
"…Is a birthday something important?"
"A birthday?"
Nina frowned. It was a habit of hers when she was thinking hard. Eve had always thought it seemed mature, but today she learned for the first time that it resembled her mother's.
"Hmm. I've never really thought about it. It's just… a day to celebrate, isn't it?"
"How do you celebrate?"
"…How? Well… you just… do this and that… Is there a specific way?"
Struggling to explain, Nina scratched her head.
"Hey, Nina."
"Yeah."
"Simon always gives me whatever I want."
Eve spoke in a tiny whisper.
"He says 'good girl, good girl' and always asks if there's anything I want. If I say I'm fine, he actually looks sad instead. If I told him I wanted to go to school, Simon would let me. He'd say yes even if it wasn't my birthday."
"True. The pharmacy teacher really does cherish you."
"Hey… I couldn't tell Simon today is my birthday."
"Really?"
"If it's important, I should tell Simon too… but I couldn't. I was just… scared."
At the word scared, Nina tilted her head. Eve had already known she wouldn't understand.
"…What if Simon gets disappointed in me? I… hate that… more than anything in the world. So I don't know what to do."
"If you don't know, you can't help it."
Nina smiled meaningfully and beckoned. As if drawn by her hand, Eve looked up and realized the pharmacy was right in front of them. She had followed so closely behind Nina that she hadn't even had time to look around.
"You said the pharmacy teacher grants all your wishes, right? Then just ask him directly this time too."
Nina spoke casually as she opened the old wooden door. Eve still wasn't mentally prepared….
Just as she hesitated, fidgeting in place, warm light spilled gently through the gap.
Unlike the usual quiet pharmacy, the inside was filled with the lively presence and overlapping voices of several people.
"She's too late… Did something happen on the way?"
"Shh! She'll be here soon. It's not like anything bad would happen, right?"
"Ah?! She's here, Eve's here!"
"Now! Pull it!"
"Wait! I'm not ready yet, is what it is-wa yo…!"
Bang!Pop!Pop-pop! And one party popper that misfired and didn't go off.
Bwooooooo!Pff!Brr!Pff-pff! Then the sound of a horn. The rhythm was completely wild.
Chris had set off the poppers. Lucia had been the one enthusiastically blowing the horn.
Colorful paper flakes poured down from above, rustling and fluttering. Tall Simon stood on a chair, scattering the paper with an awkward smile. Seeing Caramel giggling, this whole thing had clearly been her idea.
"………?"
Eve stood blankly at the entrance, unable to process the situation. Nina, standing beside her, let out a small laugh.
"Happy birthday, Eve. Surprise."
"EveEve! Happy birthdaaaay!! Should we try on this cute bunny hat? I thought it'd suit you so I brought it from home. Could you try it on just once pretty please?!"
"Hmph, Miss Eve! This Lucia also offers her congratulations on behalf of our family! You must treasure this rare opportunity as an honor for all your life, is what it is-wa yo!"
"Tch… making such a big fuss for no reason…"
"My goodness, Chris. Surely you're not such an uncultured gentleman that you can't even celebrate one friend's birthday?"
"What?! I'm the definition of cultured! Where would you find an uncultured person among those who love the piano!"
"Right in front of me."
In the noisy atmosphere, Eve's mind went completely blank. She couldn't understand what was happening. A birthday. And congratulations. Experiencing in person the things she had only known intellectually was a first in her life. It took her a beat too long to even draw breath.
…They prepared all this.
Simon and Caramel, Nina and Lucia and Chris. Everyone had prepared it for her.
Eve didn't know how to react, let alone how to answer. Above her head, the warm hand she loved most in the world came to rest.
"Eve, happy birthday."
She couldn't answer. The only thing she could think to do was look up at Simon.
"Actually… I only found out about your birthday the day before yesterday. We had to throw it together quickly, so it's a bit rushed. Still, for something made in a hurry, it's not bad, right?"
"………."
Her mouth opened and closed. She clearly wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come easily.
"……Yeees."
Simon’s face blurred. At first she thought he was moving, but that wasn’t it. Only after a warm tear rolled down her cheek and fell did his features become clear again.
"Huh? She's crying?"
"Did you leave all your delicacy in the womb, Chris?"
Tears don't solve anything. At least, they hadn't in the mansion. The fact that tears could fall even when she wasn't sad was something Eve learned for the first time today.
Simon was the one who took her flailing, helpless hands. Eve clutched tightly at the hem of his clothes. Crying in front of her friends was embarrassing. Her eyes were red and swollen. Yet a shy smile crept across her lips. This was strange. She could only calm down by burying her face in the scent that clung to Simon's coat. She pressed her face into his hem and let out warm breaths for a long time.
*
Eve burst into tears. It was a full-on boo-hoooong. I described it cutely, but it really was a boo-hoooong. The surprise had been planned for a reaction, but her crying was genuinely unexpected. Let's just treat the sight of her silently sobbing and clinging to my clothes as a small happening.
We started the birthday party in earnest after that.
There was the moment when Eve, who didn't understand the concept of blowing out candles, simply stared at the cake before belatedly becoming embarrassed.
"The cake's too ugly so Eve won't blow them out, Nina. You should've made it properly."
Chris lightened the mood with a joke. He naturally got a light smack on the back from Nina.
We shared the prepared food and took turns opening presents.
"Here, it's a music box. If I were to describe the recorded piece, it's an absolutely incredible masterpiece that the greatest violinist of the third century apparently improvised…"
"Be quiet, is what it is-wa yo, Chris. Ah, Eve. This is my gift to you. What is the third century? If I were to describe this book, it is a modern etiquette manual that records every single rule of conduct from the fifteenth century to the present day."
"…And what exactly are you supposed to use something like that for in this day and age?"
"Hmph, to think you cannot recognize the true value of this item. How typical of a commoner."
"What?!"
"If I were to describe this etiquette book, it contains one hundred—no, every single—method for becoming a graceful lady. Simply by reading it you can become a traditional, classical, and wonderfully noble person!"
The way she pronounced "every single" so cutely and awkwardly made it clear she didn't actually understand the meaning and had simply memorized the explanation.
After that Nina gave her a cute hair ribbon, and Caramel presented an enormous doll bigger than Eve herself. That doll… would it even fit in our small one-room home?
Finally it was my turn. I found myself unusually nervous.
"Eve."
"……!"
"This is… the last gift… from me…"
Eve accepted the box that was almost as big as she was with a dazed expression.
"…Can I open it now?"
"Of course."
With a face that already carried a shy smile, Eve carefully tore open the wrapping. Aah, uwaah. That pure anticipation felt heavy. She must be expecting something. Would she be disappointed? Was I making too big a deal out of it? But I was scared. It was my first time giving a present.
When Eve finally lifted the gift out, a splendid school bag rested in her small hands.