Our Very First Birthday
What Shine likes.
"Is a birthday important?"
Amy couldn't answer Shine's question. It was a question from a girl who had never once had her birthday celebrated in her entire life. I wondered what Amy was thinking. Just like Shine, I had no idea when my birthday was either.
"Well... you see, your citizenship cards need to be renewed soon."
"Renewed?"
"Citizenship cards have to be renewed periodically."
"Sounds like a pain."
"It's important, though. If someone else tries to use your citizenship card, it's a huge deal."
"What does renewing a citizenship card have to do with birthdays?" I asked Amy.
She seemed to ponder it for a moment before slowly opening her mouth. "Hmm... how should I explain this..."
Amy pulled a small card from her pocket. It was a card with a black background. Her basic information written on it caught my eye. It was the first time I had ever seen a citizenship card. There was no rank written on it.
"Shine, do you want to pull out your citizenship card?"
"Okay."
At Amy's request, Shine nodded and rummaged through her pockets. Two cards came out in her small hand. They were small citizenship cards with photos of me and Shine printed on them.
"If you look closely, you can see a difference, right?"
Amy held the cards side by side to show us. Except for the color, they had the exact same layout and structure.
"Look here. Your date of birth isn't written down."
"Oh, you're right."
Amy's card had her date of birth printed on it. In contrast, ours were completely blank in that section.
"Why don't we have one?"
"Because those are temporary cards I had issued."
"Temporary?"
Amy stroked Shine's hair with a gentle chuckle. "I had to get them made in a hurry, and since I didn't know your birthdays, I couldn't write them down."
"Is it bad if we don't have one?"
"Yes. Without it, you can't officially use your citizenship cards."
"But Amy, I don't know when I was born."
"I don't know either," I added.
At our responses, Amy raised a hand and massaged her forehead. She seemed to be carefully choosing her next words, so I waited in silence.
"Then how about we do this?"
"Do what?"
"We'll decide that today is Shine and Jeff's birthday."
"I don't mind," Shine said.
I didn't mind either. I nodded at Amy as she looked at me. Hearing our answers, she smiled softly, pulled out a notebook, and began writing something down.
"Then, even though it's a bit late, why don't we have a birthday party today?"
"What's a birthday party?"
"It's a celebration of the day you were born."
"Whose?"
"Both of yours."
At Amy's words, I lowered my head. My heart began to race. I could feel a sudden warmth rushing to my cheeks. I raised both hands to touch them. They felt burning hot.
"Really?"
"Of course."
"Jeff, why are you so happy?"
"Me? Am I happy?"
"Yeah. You're grinning like crazy."
I quickly touched my lips. An uncontrollable smile had spread across my face.
"But... I've never had a birthday party before."
"I don't really get it," Shine muttered.
I kicked my legs in excitement, a silly giggle escaping my lips. Shine, on the other hand, still didn't seem to grasp the concept of a birthday party.
"Alright. What do you two like?"
"What we like?"
"Yes."
"I like Jeff," Shine replied.
"Huh...?"
Amy's expression turned complicated at Shine's answer. I looked up at Shine's face. She just blinked her large eyes as if wondering what the problem was.
"I'm asking what you want to receive as a present," Amy said, stroking Shine's head.
"A present?"
"Yes."
"What's a present?"
At Shine's question, Amy's face fell. She looked back and forth between Shine and me, a bittersweet smile forming on her lips.
"A present is when someone gives you something out of goodwill. And the reverse is true, too. When you give someone something with affection, that's also a present."
"That sounds complicated."
"Anyway, is there anything you want, Shine?"
"I already have what I want," Shine said, smiling at me.
Her smile was so pure and bright that I couldn't help but smile back.
"Then what about Jeff?"
I looked up at Amy. Her gaze was filled with warmth and affection directed entirely at me. I had never experienced this kind of attention before, and it made my heart tickle. Overwhelmed by an uncontrollable sense of happiness, my smile showed no signs of fading. Clutching my pounding chest, I spoke up hesitantly.
"A hat..."
"A hat?"
A birthday present—something I had never received in my life. Amy wanted to give me a gift. Something I actually wanted. I desperately racked my brain to think of what I wanted right now. Heat rushed to my face, making my entire body feel hot. Taking a deep breath, I spoke again with all my might.
"I want Lucy's hat from The Little Witch's Grand Adventure!"
I had blurted out my deepest desire. Swept away by greed, I wanted it so badly that I was willing to brave the sheer embarrassment. It was just so cute and pretty that it made me want to use magic myself. That was why I wanted that hat. Immediately after answering, I buried my face in both hands. My vision spun. What on earth was I thinking, saying something like that? A fully grown adult—and a guy, at that!
"Uuuugh..." I mumbled incoherently, my lips twitching. My entire body felt as limp and melted as a scoop of ice cream left out in the sun.
"I'll take the same thing as Jeff," Shine, who was sitting next to me, chimed in.
"Are you sure that's all you want?"
I nodded frantically. I couldn't bring myself to look at Amy. Hearing the amusement in her voice, I couldn't lift my head.
"Alright," Amy said, standing up from her seat. "Just wait here for a bit!"
Her cheerful, laughing voice echoed through the room. I kept my head down until she finally left. Should I run after her right now and tell her to cancel it? Should I say I misspoke and ask for something else? But... I really want it.
"Jeff."
"Yeah?"
"Do you like witches?"
"Huh...?"
"Would you like it more if I became a witch?"
I couldn't answer Shine's deadpan, serious question. Her gaze was so intense that I found myself taking her words completely seriously. In my head, I began to picture Shine as a witch. Hmm... that's a bit complicated.The Little Witch's Grand Adventure was indeed an anime I had recently obsessed over. The protagonist, Lucy, used cute and beautiful magic to absolutely demolish her enemies.
"Probably not," I said, shaking my head. Anime was just anime, after all.
"Then, Jeff, do you like me?"
"Of course..."
I trailed off, shutting my mouth. Through my trembling vision, I saw the white-haired girl's face. Do I like Shine? We're family. If we're family, am I supposed to automatically like her? Doubts swirled in my mind. A strange, alien sensation began to unfurl, one question leading to another.
"I like you," Shine confessed.
I mumbled, caught off guard by her sudden declaration. Her direct emotional strike pierced straight through my chest. The feelings radiating from her eyes were incredibly thick—hot, yet intensely pure.
"Jeff, you never hurt me. You always talked to me every day."
"Yeah..."
"That's why I like you."
"I..."
"I love you, Jeff."
"I..."
I hesitated to answer in the end. I had never really thought deeply about her.
Shine reached out and grabbed my hand. Her eyes spoke volumes. Under her pleading gaze, begging for an answer, I lowered my head. Do I like Shine? I don't know. But on the flip side... do I hate her? No, definitely not. Then... does that mean I like her?
"Uh..."
"Jeff."
Hurry up and say it. A burning heat surged from deep within my chest. I channeled that heat into my throat, struggling to shape the words. So...
"I like you."
The word, squeezed out with great effort, was exactly the answer Shine wanted. A blissful smile bloomed on her face.
"I like you too!"
Shine threw her arms around me, hugging me tightly. It was suffocating. Her physical strength was merely that of a frail child, but the emotions packed into her embrace clung to me like thick syrup. It was hot and overwhelming. Still, I didn't let it show.
"Yeah..."
After holding me for a long time, Shine finally pulled away. The sudden absence of her warmth left me feeling strangely empty. The spots where her hot skin had touched mine now felt cold. I rubbed my arms.
"I wonder when Amy will be back..."
I changed the subject to hide my embarrassment. Shine's intense gaze was still too much to bear. Keeping my head bowed, I stared down at my feet. My short legs dangled from the chair, kicking back and forth.
"Jeff."
"Yeah?"
"You like me more than Amy, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then that's all that matters."
What exactly was all that mattered? Well, as long as she was satisfied, that was fine by me. I let out a sigh of relief and swung my feet.
It was quite a while later when Amy finally returned. The delicious aroma wafting from her made my mouth water.
"Everything's ready."
When she opened the door and walked in, she was wearing a small party hat. Amy took me and Shine by the hands and led us out of the room. We walked down a long hallway, turning down a path we didn't normally take. As I looked around in curiosity, Shine poked my cheek.
"Shine?"
When I looked at her in confusion, she simply shook her head. What was her deal? Scratching my cheek, I went back to scanning our surroundings. This was a hallway I had never been to before. The long, stretching corridor felt completely foreign. Amy walked forward without hesitation and stopped in front of a massive door.
"Strategic Briefing Room?"
There was a nameplate next to the massive door.
Strategic Briefing Room
As I read it aloud, Amy reached out and ripped the nameplate off the wall.
"Amy?"
"You must have misread it."
"Uh..."
The ripped-off nameplate disappeared straight into Amy's pocket. Regardless, the mouth-watering scent wafting from beyond the door was completely distracting. My eyes naturally locked onto the door. Looking down at me, Amy smiled and reached out to open it.
A warm breeze rushed out to greet us. A wide table was laden with all kinds of food, but it was the massive cake sitting right in the center that stole the show.
"You're here?"
Sitting at the far end of the room was Victor, wearing a pair of gag glasses with a fake nose and mustache. He was setting up the food with a thoroughly annoyed expression on his face.
"Happy birthday, kids."
Facing my very first birthday party, I clamped my mouth shut. I couldn't say a single word. I knew that the moment I opened my mouth, I would burst into tears.