Happy Birthday!!
Happy Birthday!!
A birthday.
For Rai, it was a day with quite a bit of warmth attached to it.
When he was little, every time his birthday came around, his sister would bake him a cake by hand. The shape was a little sloppy and the cream was lopsided, but to young Rai, that cake was the most special thing in the world.
"Rai~!"
On one of those birthdays, his sister had beamed brightly, holding up a homemade cake.
"Are you ready to eat the dangerous cake this beautiful big sister prepared?!"
"Here we go again."
Young Rai's reaction was decidedly lukewarm.
"Just give me a present."
"Whaaat?!"
His sister stared down at the cake with an expression of pure shock.
"You're telling me you'd rather have a present than a cake I made with all this love?!"
"Obviously."
"You're so meaaan~!"
Rai didn't know it then.
That without realizing it, he had been waiting every year for the cake his sister made him. That in truth, that cake was the greatest gift he ever received.
Only after his sister disappeared did he finally understand.
"........."
Rai slowly opened his eyes.
The last lecture before break was drawing to a close.
When the professor left the hall, the students began rising from their seats one by one. Rai shouldered his bag and stood up as well.
"Rai."
Alex, seated beside him, spoke up.
"Hm?"
"Happy birthday."
"Ah... thanks."
Alex grinned and asked, "Are you throwing a party tonight? At your place?"
"A party?"
Rai gave an awkward smile.
"Nothing that fancy."
"Shame."
Alex shrugged.
"I have to head back home myself today, or I'd have set something up for you."
"You really don't have to go that far."
Rai laughed it off, but Alex tilted his head.
"You know, birthdays are supposed to be special. How come you're so indifferent about it?"
"........."
Rai's expression stiffened, just slightly.
Special.
The moment he heard that word, Rai understood.
Ever since his sister vanished, he had stopped treating his birthday as anything special. It was simply a day that came around once a year, nothing more.
"...I guess you're right."
Rai murmured quietly.
Alex studied him for a moment, then smiled.
"Well, see you after the break."
"Yeah."
"Preferably back in my hometown, if you can manage it."
"You really think it'd be okay for me to come all the way out there?"
"Of course."
Alex waved a hand.
"Anyway, I'm off!"
"Right. Take care."
Having parted ways with Alex, Rai made his way out of the lecture hall as well.
Meanwhile, at that very moment.
At the apartment, Shalla lay face-down on her bed, lost in thought.
"...Hmmm."
Next to her, Orchi kept grabbing Shalla's sock and letting go of it. Grab it. Let it go. Grab it again.
".........."
Shalla ignored her and kept right on thinking.
Just then, Vella rolled a vacuum cleaner into the room and spoke up.
"Orchi, that's dirty. You mustn't touch it."
"What's dirty about it?!"
Shalla shot upright, head snapping up.
"What exactly is dirty about my sock?!"
"........"
Vella stared at the sock for a moment.
"Then would you care to explain why it isn't dirty?"
"........."
Shalla shut her mouth.
Then she looked at Vella and asked, "By the way, why is someone who should be at school here at home?"
"I got out of class. I went to see my mother."
Vella answered without missing a beat.
"Then hurry up and go back."
"Already handled."
"...."
"I did my job counseling and saw my mom while I was at it."
Shalla's eyebrows twitched.
"Landing a job through family connections, are we?"
"Don't get the wrong idea."
Vella propped the vacuum upright as she spoke.
"I'll be taking the exams and earning my place the proper way, same as anyone."
"Hmph."
Shalla turned her head away with a scowl.
Then Vella suddenly asked, "By the way... insect girl."
"What."
"Have you prepared a birthday present for Sunbae Rai?"
"A birthday present?"
Shalla snorted.
"Me guarding this house is a gift in itself. What more does he need?"
"...And that's exactly why you'll never be it."
"What?"
Vella went on in perfect calm.
"I'm well aware that Sunbae Rai once said you were someone special to him."
Shalla's expression stiffened slightly.
"But as of today, I intend to take that place for myself."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
Shalla sprang to her feet.
But Vella simply turned away as if nothing had happened.
"I'd appreciate it if you stayed right there and did nothing."
"Hey! Hold on a second—!"
Vella drifted serenely toward the kitchen.
Shalla glared daggers at her retreating back, gritting her teeth.
"...The nerve. A Visitor, of all things...!!!"
Her fists clenched tight, and Shalla's eyes blazed.
"I'll prepare something far more amazing...!!"
Orchi grabbed Shalla's sock again.
Tick.
"Hmm?"
"You help too."
"Eeeh...?"
"This birthday... I am absolutely not losing."
Shalla pumped her fist with a look of iron resolve.
A little while later.
Shalla sat on the bed, agonizing for a long, long time.
"...Hmm."
She didn't have much information on Rai's tastes.
But one thing was certain: Rai had no particular desire for possessions. He wasn't likely to be thrilled by anything expensive, and if she gave him some ordinary gift, she'd obviously lose to Vella.
Shalla looked down at Orchi, still sprawled beside her.
"The Rai I know doesn't really want for anything."
"........"
"And for a guy with such boring tastes, you see..."
Shalla stared at Orchi with grave seriousness.
"...wouldn't an intense gift suit him best?"
"Huuuh?"
Orchi tilted her head.
"...."
Shalla stared at her for a moment, then shook her head.
"No, never mind."
"...."
"Why am I asking a kid whose only thought is cake."
Orchi simply gazed back at her, understanding nothing at all.
In the end, Shalla got to her feet.
"Guess I'll just have to pick it out myself."
And so Shalla left the apartment. After closing the front door behind her, she clenched her fist tight.
"Just you watch, Visitor."
Her eyes burned.
"Today, and today only, I'm going to smash your nose flat!!"
Shalla strutted boldly down the street.
Then, as if remembering something, she pulled out her phone.
"...."
She called Rai right away.
"Hello?"
"Rai."
"What is it?"
"About that... I need some money..."
Shalla's words cut off abruptly.
"...."
Staring at her phone, Shalla's face froze.
(Wait.)
What was she about to say?
(I'm trying to buy him a present, and...)
She was about to take money from Rai to buy Rai's birthday present.
(Does that make any sense?)
Shalla slowly lowered her phone.
"...Why am I like this?"
She checked her bank account.
The balance was pitifully small.
"...."
Shalla stared at the screen for a long while.
Then she quietly slipped the phone back into her pocket.
"...I'll figure it out. For now, just think."
Some time later.
Shalla arrived at a playground.
And climbed onto the swings.
"...."
Seated on the swing, Shalla stared straight ahead with an expression of utterly grave seriousness.
Not a flicker of wavering on her face. She looked as solemn as someone charged with deciding the fate of the world.
A small child passing by spotted her.
"Mommy."
"Yes?"
"Why is that big sister doing that?"
The child's mother glanced briefly at Shalla.
Then she casually covered the child's eyes.
"You shouldn't look at things like that."
"Why not?"
"Just don't."
"...."
Shalla showed no reaction to their conversation whatsoever.
She simply sat on the swing, sunk deep in thought.
No money.He doesn't want for anything, either.An ordinary gift won't beat Vella.
Which left only one option.
Shalla's eyes slowly sharpened.
"...Something intense, then."
She parted her lips slowly.
"Uuuuuuuuu..."
Face burning red, Shalla gripped the swing's chains with all her might.
"Brace yourself, Rai...!!!"
And then, a moment later.
"No. Wait."
Shalla's eyes grew even more serious.
"The Visitor...!!!"
Today, of all days, she absolutely could not lose.
Meanwhile, at that very moment.
Rai, on his way home, made a brief stop at a donut shop.
He had a coupon Alex had sent over as a birthday present.
"One donut set, please."
A short while later, the clerk handed him a boxed donut set.
"Thank you."
Rai stepped out of the shop, donut box in hand.
And that was the moment.
"...Huh?"
Something flickered at the edge of his vision.
Rai stopped in his tracks.
Tick.
"........"
He blinked.
And then, over a spot that had been empty a moment ago, a scene overlapped itself onto his sight.
A tiny girl with snow-white hair.
The girl was holding a donut in both hands, utterly unbothered. Cheeks stuffed to bursting, she was chewing it with relish.
"........"
Rai rubbed his eyes.
When he looked again, there was nothing there.
"...What was that?"
Rai tilted his head.
"Just now... I definitely..."
He blinked again.
Nothing. Still nothing.
Rai's face slowly hardened.
"Don't tell me."
He looked down at the donut box in his hands.
Then he scanned his surroundings once more.
"Has my mind been off ever since I got out of the hospital...?"
Rai's expression turned grave.
"I'm not starting to see hallucinations or something, am I?"
A brief silence.
"...Maybe I'm just too worked up over my birthday."
Rai let out a sigh.
"Better to sleep early tonight."
He acted as if nothing had happened and headed home with his donut box in tow.
And so Rai arrived at his building.
Standing before the front door, he looked down at the cake box in his hands.
"It's been a while since I brought a cake home."
He exhaled softly and opened the door.
Click.
"I'm back."
The apartment was as quiet as ever.
The living room.
The kitchen.
The hallway.
Nothing seemed out of place.
Rai looked around as he took off his shoes.
"Huh."
Everything was exactly as it always was.
"Is nobody home?"
Rai held up the cake box.
"I bought a cake."
No answer.
"Shalla? Vella? Orchi?"
Still no response.
Rai tilted his head.
"Where'd everyone go?"
And then.
Tick.
A very faint sound came from deep inside the hallway.
Rai turned his head.
"Hm?"
From the shadowed living room, something slowly emerged.
It was Orchi.
"Orchi?"
Normally, she would have come sprinting the instant she heard his voice.
But today was different. Orchi was approaching him very, very slowly.
And with extreme caution.
"Ra... Raiiii..."
Rai's expression twisted oddly.
"What's wrong?"
Orchi didn't answer.
She simply came to a stop in front of him and seized the hem of his trousers.
And then she began to tremble, shaking all over.
"O- Over there..."