CH 84

Her Birthday, And This Love Once More

Translated by HamletJr

Edited by HamletJr

“…Damn.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Something up?”

It was the same morning scene as usual, with Ryuichi’s two friends, Makoto and Kaname, by his side. Ryuichi was looking somewhat restless and nervous today; he would sometimes glance at his watch or look in the wrong direction. Since Ryuichi was usually a bold and confident man, it was a new experience for both of them to see him in such an unusual manner.

…Why the heck am I so nervous? Why can’t I just do as I always do?

Of course, Ryuichi understood his own restlessness… Now, the reason why Ryuichi was like this was simple: it all had to do with today’s date. It was October 10th, Shizuna’s birthday.

“It’s Shizuna’s birthday, you see.”

“Ah~.”

“I see.”

The two of them immediately showed looks of understanding. In addition, Kaname started grinning and jabbed him teasingly with his elbow.

“So even you get nervous over things like these, huh? Why don’t you just fuck her like crazy and give her a child for her birthday present?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

He might consider doing something like that in the future, but for now Ryuichi and Shizuna were students, so he intended to keep things in moderation. He didn’t mean to put things this way, but for Ryuichi, children could only bring cons to a student like him, and besides, he wasn’t old enough to take responsibility yet, so he had to draw a line there.

“But you have bought her a present, right?”

“Yeah. And I plan on giving it to her today.”

Although it wasn’t so extravagant that it had squandered all the money he’d earned from his part-time job, the ring he would be giving to Shizuna was still an expensive purchase for a student.

He had been with Shizuna all this time and had gotten to know her pretty well. Therefore, he could easily imagine that she would be absolutely delighted when he gave the ring to her, which took away from the excitement and anticipation, but it still made him happy knowing he’d be able to see her smile.

Not to mention Chisa and Satsuki’s act of consideration.

Originally, Shizuna’s birthday was to be celebrated with everyone, but the girls had an inkling as to what Ryuichi might give Shizuna, so they decided to celebrate it again on another day.

“Make sure to make it a cherished memory, okay?”

“Hrmm, but it’s a shame I won’t get to see Shizuna-chan’s joy in person.”

Chisa and Satsuki seemed very disappointed about that point, but he was planning to take pictures of her, so he should be able to show them what she looked like later.

“Shizuna, happy birthday!”

“Happy birthday~!”

“Thanks, you guys. I’m really happy. ♪”

Shizuna looked overjoyed as she was surrounded by her friends celebrating her birthday. However, with this, Ryuichi was now the younger one between them as his birthday was actually later than hers, so although it wasn’t true strictly speaking, Shizuna was now something like an older woman, which was a pretty new feeling. But, well, Shizuna had always been more of a reserved and humble person, so he doubted she would ever act like a big sister if it wasn’t an act.

“Ryuichi-kun, what would you like big sis Shizuna to do for you?”

………

Not bad, not bad at all, Ryuichi thought, but still, it didn’t quite fit her image. 

“Now what are you sighing for?”

“Who knows. I’m simulating something in my head, so you two scram.”

When he said this and waved his hand as if to shoo them away, Makoto and Kaname’s shoulders shook and they started laughing.

“Did you hear that, Makoto? That Ryuichi is actually having delusions about a woman!”

“You’ve really changed, haven’t ya, Ryuichi? Aight, well, good luck, man. We’ll be rooting for you.”

“Aghhhhh! Just get the hell outta here!”

Makoto and Kaname were smiling widely and directing warm gazes at him, so Ryuichi couldn’t help but shout loudly to get rid of them. It was only natural that Shizuna, having heard his loud voice, would approach him.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothin’…”

“Yeah?”

Shizuna tilted her head confusedly, but borrowed a chair from the seat beside him nonetheless and sat down so that she could settle in her usual position. Ryuichi had already wished Shizuna a happy birthday on their way to school together this morning, so there was no need to tell her that now. He’d also made plans to go out and have dinner with her tonight, and asked her for some of her time afterwards.

“I’m really looking forward to tonight. Anything I do with you feels like it would be fun and wonderful.”

“That’s great to hear. Well, you can look forward to my present too.”

“I will. ♪”

“………”

Shizuna’s smile continued to charm Ryuichi to no end. It made him want to leave school and stay with her to his heart’s content, but he managed to calm himself down.

Time passed steadily, and soon, the long-awaited afternoon arrived for Ryuichi. They each returned to their own homes first, then once night approached, Ryuichi left his apartment to pick up Shizuna.

“Alright, let’s go.”

He made sure to bring the ring he would give her, and then looked over the message he got from the manager.

“Give my name to the restaurant in front of 〇〇. They’ll let you in as soon as you arrive. Make Shizuna-chan a very happy girl.”

The manager had gone out of his way to reserve an expensive restaurant for Ryuichi and Shizuna too. The restaurant was originally fully booked, but at the request of the manager, the owner of the restaurant managed to force their reservation in, which made Ryuichi wonder again how vast the manager’s connections were.

“Good evening, Ryuichi-kun.”

“…Hey.”

Ryuichi had immediately headed for Shizuna’s house and found her waiting for him at the front door. She was wearing a bit of makeup and looked even more attractive than usual, and Ryuichi couldn’t help but admire her, even if only for a moment.

“…Geez, how beautiful are you gonna get?”

“Today is special for me, so don’t you want me to look more beautiful than usual?”

“You don’t need makeup to look beautiful.”

“Thank you. ♪”

As they exchanged words like this, Ryuichi took Shizuna’s hand and started walking. They made some small talk on the way like they always did, and eventually they arrived in front of their destination, the restaurant that the manager had reserved for them.

“Is this the place?”

“…It’s incredible.”

It was clearly not a place for two students to be coming to. The building was so magnificent that he wondered if this was really the right place, but a man standing by the entrance called out to Ryuichi as if to offer him a helping hand.

“Welcome, are you two perhaps Shishido-sama and Rindo-sama?”

“…Yeah.”

“Y-Yes!”

“I’ve heard about you from the manager. Right this way, please.”

And just like that, they were taken into the restaurant.

“Does he go by ‘manager’ even here?”

“Yes, he does. I’ve heard that he and the owner of our restaurant were allies who went through the battlefield together.”

Who the heck is the manager…? Ryuichi and Shizuna both thought in their hearts. Now sitting down at the table they were led to, Ryuichi faced Shizuna once again.

“I feel…kinda out of place here.”

“I guess so. But as I said before, I’m happy because I have you by my side.”

“I see. That makes me happy too.”

Then, some fine-looking food was brought in, and Shizuna gave a wry smile at Ryuichi’s excitement as he eyed the delicious-looking dishes, but she truly did seem happy. With a glass of juice in their hands, they clinked their glasses together and made a toast.

“Once again, happy birthday, Shizuna.”

“Thank you, Ryuichi-kun.”

Shizuna gave Ryuichi a dazzling smile that he would never forget. 

Even in a restaurant like this, both Ryuichi and Shizuna were still students and were at the age when they wanted to enjoy the delicious-looking foods on the menu. While they did enjoy the atmosphere, they were more engrossed with their food when push came to shove, which made the time go by quickly.

“That was really good.”

“Yup. But at the same time, it really makes me wonder again who the heck the manager is.”

“For sure. He’s a man shrouded in many mysteries.”

They nodded to each other, agreeing to ask the manager for the details one day. After they were satisfied with their food, the man who had shown them to their table brought them something, as if it had been arranged beforehand.

“Woah…”

“Wow!”

What the man had brought was cake.

“We have prepared this for you as well. Please enjoy.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Thanks a lot.”

What an extravagant banquet they had enjoyed, from start to finish. Even though their stomachs were pretty full, as the saying went, “People have a separate stomach for sweets”, so both Ryuichi and Shizuna ate the cake with relish. 

Now then, meal time was finally over, but… This was where the main event of the day was to begin. That being said, Ryuichi didn’t seem to be as nervous as he had been in the morning; apparently, having dinner with Shizuna like this had helped him get back into his usual groove.

“Shizuna, I have something for you.”

“Mmm.”

Although she had gotten close to finding out about it at one point, there was no way she could’ve known what the gift he had prepared for her was. Seemingly expectant to see her reaction, Ryuichi pulled out a small box from his pocket.

“…Huh?”

Anyone who’d ever watched romantic dramas would immediately know what the box was. Shizuna looked at Ryuichi’s face, then at the box repeatedly as if in disbelief.

“I know it’s way too early for this, but this gift also serves to show my determination and commitment.”

With a creak, Ryuichi opened the box to reveal a ring with a small gemstone shining on it. Shizuna was struck speechless, with her hand over her mouth. Ryuichi continued.

“I want you to stay by my side from now on. I want you to spend not only the present, but also the future next to me. And I want you to let me stay by your side—I love you, Shizuna.”

“Ryuu…ichi…kun!”

He had wondered if this was too much, too over-the-top for a high school student. However, his desire to make the woman he loved happy was no lie, and Ryuichi had given serious thought about this gift.

Tears welled up in Shizuna’s eyes, and reflected in those moist eyes was Ryuichi. The Ryuichi reflected there was, of course, smiling, and more than anything, it reminded her of his smile from that time.

“Yeah!”

It was the same smile Ryuichi had had when he’d saved her. That smile was one of the reasons she had fallen for him.

For both Ryuichi and Shizuna, today was a day of memories they would never forget. Shizuna looked truly blissful as she received the ring from him, and showed her determination to continue loving Ryuichi forever no matter what.

“I’m so…so happy!!”

Shizuna smiled. She looked truly happy and truly overjoyed.

That was the smile Ryuichi wanted to see, the smile of his beloved Shizuna that could make even him happy.